Iraq: Ayatollahs Decline to Ban Militia

"I am always astounded at the combination of unrealistic optimism and foolish gullibility that marks political discourse on the Right in Washington. We were being told by Rich Lowry at the National Review that Sadr was on the ropes and on the verge of disbanding the Mahdi...

Supreme Court of Canada Refuses to Hear Cases of U.S. Deserters

It's no longer Vietnam and there's no technical draft (though there are compulsory rules now that pretty much force soldiers to continue serving in Iraq) so I guess these soldiers are out of luck. "Canada's top court will not hear the appeals of two American army deserters...

Somalis flee Mogadishu violence

"Somali government troops and Ethiopian forces have closed down Mogadishu's main market to search for insurgents. Insurgents fired mortar rounds at the presidential palace in Mogadishu on Sunday, prompting an artillery duel with government forces. Large areas of the capital...

Kid Nation: Building a New World in Game-Show Format

Antithetical to how Lost has its roots in the reality-show Survivor, American network CBC is punting a new reality show that seems (to me, anyway) based on the premise set forth by Showtime's Jeremiah, in which a mysterious illness has wiped out the grown-ups, leaving...

Taipei then and now

Here are some amazing images of the Xingfu Amusement part, posted by Poagao on Flicker, and blogged by David on Formosa. "Poagao has posted a fascinating set of pictures on flickr of the old Xingfu Amusement Park in Bitan (碧潭幸福樂園). He has...