More and more sectarian violence in Iraq. Sects taking revenge on each other and, thus, causing the situation to escalate H/t to commenter Rudi. The Seattle Times reports that Iraqi soldiers did nothing to prevent Shiite militiamen from burning six Sunnis alive.Shiite militiamen grabbed six Sunnis as they left worship services today, doused them with kerosene and burned them … [Read more...] about Shiite Militiamen Burn 6 Sunnis Alive

How's this for a modest proposal? Move Thanksgiving to a day earlier in the fall, perhaps sometime in early November. … [Read more...] about Bad timing for turkey

Tsar Putin seems to be dedicated to helping Iran develop itselt into the regional power, with a relatively strong and possibly nuclear armed military:Russia has begun deliveries of the Tor-M1 air defence rocket system to Iran, Russian news agencies quoted military industry sources as saying, in the latest sign of a Russian-US rift over Iran. "Deliveries of the Tor-M1 have … [Read more...] about Tsar Putin’s Foreign Policy

Progress on what? On rape:The upper house of Pakistan's parliament has backed a bill amending an Islamic law on rape and adultery. Until now rape cases have been dealt with in Sharia courts. Victims had to have four male witnesses to the crime — or else face prosecution for adultery. The new law, which must be approved by Pakistani leader Gen Pervez Musharraf, allows … [Read more...] about A sign of progress in Pakistan

The sectarian violence in Iraq is increasing more and more:Two bombs killed 22 people in northern Iraq on Friday as the government tried to tamp down violence and head off civil war a day after Sunni-Arab insurgents killed 215 people in an attack on Baghdad's Sadr City slum that intensified Shiite anger at the United States. The blasts in Tal Afar, 260 miles northwest of … [Read more...] about More Sectarian Violence In Iraq

At first blush, it seems a little extreme to compare a leading institution of higher learning to a Mafia family, but that is exactly what the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey has become. While no one was looking, New Jersey wrested the Most Corrupt State title from Louisiana. Its love affair with bribes, kickbacks and influence peddling can be attested to by … [Read more...] about The Biggest Organized Crime Family in New Jersey

Here's one argument about why it won't. … [Read more...] about Will Sending More Troops To Iraq Help?

While I have long admired Bill Roggio for being one of the very few people reporting on Iraq and Afghanistan to have the cojones to go there and keep going back, he used to piss me off because he took the long view that the U.S. mission in both countries would prevail when I saw evidence to the contrary. Well, Roggio is bowed but not broken, to turn around the familiar phrase. … [Read more...] about Iraq: Good News From Anbar, But Can It Last?

There will some fine tuning here at TMV over the next 14 months and here's the first: we welcome Shaun Mullen as our latest coblogger. He started a shining jewel of a blog about a year ago called Kiko's House. And we found that we were constantly linking to him because his content was so good. Also, he was clearly an independent thinker — passionate on issues, but not … [Read more...] about TMV Welcomes A New Coblogger

...and then there is this: … [Read more...] about There Are Lip Syncs And Then There Are Lip Syncs

Isn't it time for President George Bush to look into Russian President Vladimir Putin's eyes again?Former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko has died in hospital three weeks after apparently being poisoned in London. University College Hospital, London, said Mr Litvinenko, 43, died at 2121 GMT on Thursday and the cause of his condition was still being investigated. Friends have … [Read more...] about Litvinenko Dies: Another Putin Foe Meets An Untimely End

Wild turkeys try to escape out of New Jersey: Two comments:Doesn't everyone? Are you sure this isn't members of Congress going home for the holidays? … [Read more...] about Turkeys Try To Escape Out Of New Jersey

The heated debate in Europe and elsewhere goes on. … [Read more...] about Muslim Women And The Veil

Hopefully not. … [Read more...] about Did You Forget Yesterday’s Anniversary?

From Cox & Forkum: … [Read more...] about Status Quo Redux

THIS JUST IN from investigative reporter Andy Borowitz:In a special pre-Thanksgiving radio address broadcast from the White House, President George W. Bush asked his fellow Americans to join him in giving thanks for the following things: “My fellow Americans, let’s be thankful for global warming, because as these winter months approach, it makes the world such a nice, … [Read more...] about This Just In! (THANKSGIVING EDITION)

AP: 145 Die in Deadliest Attack of Iraq War BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — In the deadliest attack since the beginning of the Iraq war, suspected Sunni-Arab militants used three suicide car bombs and two mortar rounds on the capital's Shiite Sadr City slum to kill at least 145 people and wound 238 on Thursday, police said. The Shiites responded almost immediately, firing 10 … [Read more...] about Bombs, Blood and Baghdad

Interesting news for all those interested in the Medicaid program:A federal advisory panel says that long-term care for aging baby boomers threatens to bankrupt Medicaid, and it recommends sweeping changes to rein in costs, including greater use of managed care for the sickest Medicaid recipients. The proposals set up a likely clash between the new Democratic Congress and the … [Read more...] about Changes Coming In Medicaid?

The New York Times reports: Speaker J. Dennis Hastert made history this year when he became the longest-serving Republican in that post. Now he is about to go into the books again as one of the few House speakers, and the first in almost 50 years, to rejoin the rank and file. Defying expectations that he would immediately retire if the Republicans lost their majority, Mr. … [Read more...] about Waiting for the Blame

Yesterday were the elections for Parliament in the Netherlands. Everyone politically engaged expected a run-off between the party of Prime-Minister Jan Peter Balkenende (the CDA) and Wouter Bos' party the PvdA. The party that wins the elections delivers the PM. During the last couple of weeks of the campaign however, polls showed that the PvdA was losing ground fast. Where did … [Read more...] about Dutch Elections: A Strange Outcome