many happy returns

happy birthday flyingwolf! Sorry I missed the party; I trust it was lots o' fun! :-)

good to knwo we're accomplishing so much

according to an IISS report quoted in the BBC:

Al-Qaeda remains a viable and effective "network of networks" and has been galvanised by the war in Iraq, according to the London-based think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

It says that recent attacks in Spain, Turkey and Saudi Arabia show that the group has fully reconstituted itself after the loss of its base in Afghanistan.

...

According to conservative intelligence estimates quoted by the IISS, the group is present in more than 60 countries and has "18,000 potential terrorists at large".

The IISS says the war in Iraq has focused the energies and resources of al-Qaeda and its followers, while diluting those of the global counter-terrorism coalition.

So, IOW, the War on Terrorism is working as well as the War on Drugs.

Beijing gives Hong Kong the finger

from the BBC

China is lending Hong Kong one of its most important relics, to mark the anniversary of the Buddha's birthday.

A relic purported to be the Buddha's finger has been flown to the territory in time for the celebrations on Wednesday.

grumbles from those on the inside

an interesting piece analyzing a leaked CPA memo on the problems with US policy and implementation in Iraq

http://www.iraq.net/displayarticle3096.html

redacted memo to which the article refers

http://aan.org/gyrobase/Aan/viewArticle?oid=oid%3A134346

who is playing who?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1224075,00.html

how very cool!

Smithsonian Resident Associate Program--The World in Flames: A World War II Wargaming Event