It's no Fairy Tail being 7 feet and 9 inches tall

Zhang Juncai is never alone, or is he? Time Magazine - "Pictures of the week"

'Satan' is a ten year old boy

There was a long battle. For three hours they could not even get the dead marine's body out.

When the marines finally stormed the house, they found three other bodies inside, each holding weapons: two men, and a boy, "maybe 10 years old".

You could tell that Lt Bahrns was sickened by this, almost in anguish.

"They were shooting at my marines," he said. "What could we do?"

Allawi Orders Probe Into Mosque Raid

CIA , the nutters, and the strong-minded

Interestingly the CIA factbook tells us that in Iraq there are 7,280,167 male Iraqis aged 15-65 out of a population of 25,374,691. The CIA points out that though the figures were updated in July 2004, they are only an estimate. That is understandable given that paperwork regarding dead Iraqis is too much trouble for the military.

It's pretty much well known that the Iraqi's are fighting with "spirit" (no offence intended to fanatical Christians here). It's also a truism to repeat that Iraqis are proud. I could also regurgitate that Iraqi's are by nature fighters. So why does anyone think that killing ( some say criminally) 1200+/- fighters in Fallujah, is going to do anything other than drive more young Iraqi men to violently resist the occupation?

We started out fighting the 'nutters' (if you like). Then we messed up and the 'hot-heads' joined the 'nutters' and we were suddenly fighting both. Well, we messed up again after that and this time the 'unyielding' got behind the 'nutters' and the 'hot-heads', and we're in trouble. Time goes on but not for long and we mess up again, guess what? Now the 'strong-minded' have turned their backs on.

If we continue with this brutality, we may be overwhelmed by the even-handed, dispassionate, impartial, and objective.

Enough rejoicing already

Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches continues to challenge.

Fallujah Liberated - Rejoice dammit

This truly is good news, according to Dictionary.com.

1. To set free, as from oppression, confinement, or foreign control.

Breakdown in journalistic standards apology

Steve Vamos, Microsoft Australia's managing director say's he does not believe IE's market share is under attack following the recent high-profile debut of the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox browser. According to Vamos "A browser is a browser is a browser mate - I don't agree that just because a (competing) product has a feature that we don't have, that feature is important, if it was, we would have it mate"

Vamos, who admitted he has never used Firefox, said "there is a lot of hype surrounding the open-source movement" and that "if Microsoft's customers wanted new features, they would have fucking told the company about it, mate"

IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT BY FALSELY ATTRIBUTING "HUMOROUS"AND DEROGATORY REMARKS TO MR STEVE VAMOS I AM IN BREACH OF "THE AGREEMENT" AND IT IS LIKELY THAT REVOCATION OF MY MEMBERSHIP MAY TAKE PLACE. I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY OF MAKING IT CLEAR TO ALL CONCERNED THAT THE ABOVE ITEMS IN RED WERE , IN ERROR, ATTRIBUTED TO MR STEVE VAMOS. THIS WAS A BREAKDOWN IN JOURNALISTIC STANDARDS AND IS AGAINST THAT SPIRIT Of FAIR PLAY AND FIDELITY THAT WE HOLD TRUE. CLEARLY, WHEN RED ITEMS ARE REMOVED, HE LOSES ALL CREDIBILITY.

In these lands rise a new breed of men

British Government announces "personal lifestyle coach" for all, in it's continuing efforts to build Europe's new super- race.

Eyewitness: Falluja

The BBC News website spoke by phone to Fadhil Badrani, an Iraqi journalist and resident of Falluja who reports regularly for Reuters and the BBC World Service in Arabic.

If all else fails - kill, kill, kill

Yes, hunt Al Zarqawi (in the right places ideally) but dont tell me that we are only killing terrorists and Sadam loyalists, when in reality we just see it as necessary to destroy all real or potential violent opposition because at this late stage we have grossly failed in our duty to win hearts and minds. Remember, we positioned ourselves as the liberators of Iraq. Just like we are currently the liberators of Falluja.

And when Al Zarqawi is captured by Iraqi Seals or whatever, in a Falluja rat hole, and paraded before the TV cameras, hopefully looking like a shocked, awe struck, broken shell of a man, maybe being given a medical examination by a guy with rubber gloves, I will be very happy. And I will be dreaming.

File sharer loses it

File sharing Richard O'Brian, of 23, Hammond Street, Chiswick London W4 7PA is angry

Microsoft - "Firefox is rubbish mate"

Steve Vamos, Microsoft Australia's managing director say's he does not believe IE's market share is under attack following the recent high-profile debut of the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox browser. According to Vamos "A browser is a browser is a browser mate - I don't agree that just because a (competing) product has a feature that we don't have, that feature is important, if it was, we would have it mate"

Vamos, who admitted he has never used Firefox, said "there is a lot of hype surrounding the open-source movement" and that "if Microsoft's customers wanted new features, they would have fucking told the company about it, mate"

Military style justice

Major Clarke Paulus ordered a subordinate to drag Nagem Hatab, 52, an Iraqi prisoner, by the neck for approximately 20 feet. Why by the neck? "It was the only area that didn't have faeces on it," Paulus testified.

Hatab died shortly afterward; a military forensics examiner found he broke a bone in his neck and suffocated .

Powlas faces a maximum sentence of 18 months. The marine in question was given 60 days hard labour and demoted to private.

Intelligent dust - like us, but smaller

"We call them 'smart dust' because their nanostructure can be engineered to give them rudimentary sensing, data processing, communication, and homing capabilities" says Sailor, "Jasons's addition of magnetic properties allows us to direct their motion".

Northern Ireland - racist centre of Europe

Google "Northern Ireland" + racism and its clear - if your face doesn't fit, Northern Ireland is a Hell Hole.

In the full transcript of Osama bin Laden's last declaration he referred to a number of interviews. MarkTAW.com has gathered some here.

YouSendit - The technology of choice for terror

As an anonymous means of distributing video content, YouSendit has, through no fault of its own, become a preferred route to market for terrorists and fanatics, such as Abu Maysara [Al-Iraqi], in the supply of their nauseous videos to friendly websites. Its also a useful and cheap (free) method of sharing files - up to 1GB - for the rest of us.

Zarqari says 'free CARE director'

Al-Zarqari demonstrating some humanity or a sophisticated understanding of media manipulation?

Alternatively, has the recent declaration of allegiance to Al Qaida meant a reappraisal of the hitherto brilliant but unsustainable Slaughter Everybody plan?

This was as unexpected as Syria saying that four more years of Bush "could mean hope for solutions in a troubled Middle East"

Full Bin Ladin transcript Oct 30 2004

Smacking - tastes too good to ban!

As the British House of Commons prepares to reject a total ban on "smacking" children, the mood in Westminster is that of compromise. As an alternative to a total ban on all forms of violence against children, it is proposed that, where local conditions demand it, licensed and organised floggings may be approved, on a case by case basis.

Deficient Brain sees this as workable. Although parents with a taste for meeting out their own justice may feel betrayed.

Correction: Sweden isn't safe

In a bold and imaginative response to Bin Laden using Sweden as an example of a country living a blissful existence free from security concerns, the US has issued a new alert regarding a threat in the Nordic states, including Sweden. So there Bin Laden, being Nordic is not safe at all.

The prime ministers of Denmark Sweden and Finland said that they see no particular threat at the moment, but what do they know?

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