This image of Ali & jamal was used in Issue 10. Issue 9 also has a very similar image.

Crisis? When is Iraq not in crisis?

Well the current surge in violence is a little different.

You see the "Iraqi security forces" (read: Badr Brigades belonging to the SIIC, supported to some degree by both the US and Iran) are trying to root out violent criminals (read the Mahdy Army of one Mr Sadr. Which has been on ceasefire since last summer - something which has been attributed with the recent reduction in violence) out of Basra.

This is being handled personally by Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki. His game? Well, I will leave it to another article:

Ever since I started my LPC, everyone and I mean everyone on the stupid course is on Facebook. Even some of the lecturers (altho thats a whole other can of go-se). So what was I gonna do? When in Rome... do the Roman. I joined facebook... yes there i said. And i dont care what you think.

Bug anniversary day today. No not that other one, but the fifth anniversary of the US led invasion of Iraq.

Watched a little Sky News today, and was sort of chuckling when they brought on a Fox News ("Fair and balanced(TM)") correspondent in Baghdad. Surprised me a little though. A tacit admittance that while the current violence levels in Baghdad were down compared with 2005/2006, not only was this much worse than under Saddam, even though he was a dictator, but the bigger surprise was that she mentioned it might NOT be to do with "the surge", but more about certain militia's observing a ceasefire.

Don't know about you, but under the previous Fox News terms, that reporter probably committed treason by saying that.

Call this the first of many posts on technology. I will start on something a little more mundane than most technology.

You know how people say that it would be fab if they had a fridge that could talk? Well I don't. I like things to be simple.

When I was young I watched The Terminator. I know what happens when you give technology too much control. Don't people learn from such educational tools?

Which brings me nicely tom the new steam Iron we have at home. Simple it is not.
Took me a while to find out where the water went in from (the back - I almost had to ask! I did, but found it before I got a reply. I call that a no score draw.)

but not for the obvious reason. Not because it is rude. Not because it is a sign of laziness or tiredness or lack of sleep or boredom or... But because my jaw is sort of dislocated. or has a loose socket or something technical - I don't think I was paying too much attention when the doctors told me.

[b]Dedicated to the Muslim detainees everywhere

It’s another day
No different to yesterday
Locked up for twenty three hours
On my own
Alone

Away from humanity
Trying to drive me to insanity
All by myself
Like a Quran on a forgotten shelf

I refuse to be beaten
Mentally or psychologically
The games they play
While I’m in solitary
Messing with my head
And hope that I would go mad

They fear me
Even though I am locked up
Am I cannibal?
Like Hannibal?
Who needs to be kept away from others

It’s my mind and ideas that they fear
As they stay clear
Refuse to talk

First, let me just clarify, I am a cynic. I take everything with a pinch of [i]NaCl[/i]. Except chips. I take them with more than just a pinch, and never ketchup. But I digress...

I have always thought of 9/11 conspiracy theories as absolute rubbish. Little more than wishful thinking by Muslims who fail to accept the fact that it was Muslims who were responsible for killing thousands of innocent people. That is until I saw this:

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5pz1ZW59Ys]Zeitgeist - 9/11 part 1[/url]
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBcA6oXoTvU]Zeitgeist - 9/11 part 2[/url]

Arrange the numbers 1 to 9 so that every number only appears once in every row, column or 3x3 square.

I was in the kitchen at work today, and went to the cupboard to get a mug for my tea. I started to take one of the cups but then realised it said 'I love Israel' on the side. I quickly whipped my hand away as if the cup was on fire!

Why would I do this? Did I think that by using this mug I was somehow letting down my brothers and sisters in Palestine? And even if this was the case, why was I so scared to even touch the cup for a second? Would I get contaminated by Zionism?

I was slightly distgusted by myself for being so anti-Semitic, and then had a cup of tea with NO SUGAR to punish myself (in an Arsenal FC mug).