Monday to date

Got media mailed off to Seattle.

Applied for jobs.

Went to ultrasound for my liver.

Had the wonderful good fortune to run into (and finally meet) the lovely omcintyre. Yay!

Went to the Burbank Kwik-E-Mart for a Squishee

Came back to Monrovia

Dismantled bedframe.

Monday to date

Got media mailed off to Seattle.

Applied for jobs.

Went to ultrasound for my liver.

Had the wonderful good fortune to run into (and finally meet) the lovely omcintyre. Yay!

Went to the Burbank Kwik-E-Mart for a Squishee

Came back to Monrovia

Dismantled bedframe.

Oooh, fertility symbol......

Wish for rain to wash away Homer (BBC)

"Pagans have pledged to perform "rain magic" to wash away a cartoon character painted next to their famous fertility symbol - the Cerne Abbas giant.

A doughnut-brandishing Homer Simpson now adorns the hillside above Cerne Abbas, Dorset, next to the giant.

The ancient chalk outline of the naked, sexually aroused, club-wielding giant is believed by many to be a symbol of ancient spirituality.

Many couples also believe the 180ft carving aids fertility.

The Simpsons character was painted next to the figure on Monday in a publicity stunt to promote The Simpsons movie released later this month."

Also:

Pagans have a cow over Homer (The Sun, with better picture)

Oooh, fertility symbol......

Wish for rain to wash away Homer (BBC)

"Pagans have pledged to perform "rain magic" to wash away a cartoon character painted next to their famous fertility symbol - the Cerne Abbas giant.

A doughnut-brandishing Homer Simpson now adorns the hillside above Cerne Abbas, Dorset, next to the giant.

The ancient chalk outline of the naked, sexually aroused, club-wielding giant is believed by many to be a symbol of ancient spirituality.

Many couples also believe the 180ft carving aids fertility.

The Simpsons character was painted next to the figure on Monday in a publicity stunt to promote The Simpsons movie released later this month."

Also:

Pagans have a cow over Homer (The Sun, with better picture)

Well, true....

For a while, the justification for the mess in Iraq is "we have to fight them over there so they don't attack us here again".

Curiously enough, that's what's happening. We ARE fighting people that came from the same country as almost all of the 9-11 attackers came from. Namely the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi fighters pose special problem

"Although Bush administration officials have frequently lashed out at Syria and Iran for helping the insurgents and militias attacking U.S. troops and civilians in Iraq, the largest number of foreign fighters and suicide bombers in Iraq come from a third next-door neighbor, Saudi Arabia, according to a senior U.S. military officer and Iraqi lawmakers.

The U.S. military believes 45 percent of all foreign militants are Saudi, 15 percent are from Syria and Lebanon, and 10 percent from North Africa, according to official U.S. military figures released to the Los Angeles Times by the officer. Nearly half of the 135 foreigners held in U.S. detention facilities in Iraq are Saudi.

Saudi fighters are thought to have carried out more suicide bombings than any other nationality, said the senior American military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the subject's sensitivity for the U.S. government. It is apparently the first time a U.S. official has given such a breakdown on the pivotal role played by Saudi nationals in Iraq's Sunni Arab insurgency.

He added that 50 percent of all Saudi fighters in Iraq are suicide bombers. In the last six months, such bombings have killed or injured 4,000 Iraqis. The situation has left the American military in the awkward position of facing an enemy whose top source of fighters is a key regional ally that at best has not been able to prevent its citizens from undertaking bloody attacks in Iraq, and at worst shares complicity in sending jihadists to commit attacks against U.S. forces, civilians and Iraq's Shiite Muslim-led government"

When will people wake up and realize that KSA is NOT OUR FRIEND???? Every US expat I knew in Doha knew that KSA was the 800 lb gorilla in the region, and that by and large, they didn't like the US. And the House of Saud has the current administration wrapped around their finger (remember VP Chaney being summoned to KSA by the House of Saud last Thanksgiving??). The way the current administration treats KSA, it's like the cops showed up to Bush's door and Bush told them that he fell and Saudi Arabia really loves him and just goes crazy some times.

The House of Saud is using the US Military as janissaries to fight a Sunni vs. Shia battle. Which is the last thing our military should be used for.

Well, true....

For a while, the justification for the mess in Iraq is "we have to fight them over there so they don't attack us here again".

Curiously enough, that's what's happening. We ARE fighting people that came from the same country as almost all of the 9-11 attackers came from. Namely the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi fighters pose special problem

"Although Bush administration officials have frequently lashed out at Syria and Iran for helping the insurgents and militias attacking U.S. troops and civilians in Iraq, the largest number of foreign fighters and suicide bombers in Iraq come from a third next-door neighbor, Saudi Arabia, according to a senior U.S. military officer and Iraqi lawmakers.

The U.S. military believes 45 percent of all foreign militants are Saudi, 15 percent are from Syria and Lebanon, and 10 percent from North Africa, according to official U.S. military figures released to the Los Angeles Times by the officer. Nearly half of the 135 foreigners held in U.S. detention facilities in Iraq are Saudi.

Saudi fighters are thought to have carried out more suicide bombings than any other nationality, said the senior American military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the subject's sensitivity for the U.S. government. It is apparently the first time a U.S. official has given such a breakdown on the pivotal role played by Saudi nationals in Iraq's Sunni Arab insurgency.

He added that 50 percent of all Saudi fighters in Iraq are suicide bombers. In the last six months, such bombings have killed or injured 4,000 Iraqis. The situation has left the American military in the awkward position of facing an enemy whose top source of fighters is a key regional ally that at best has not been able to prevent its citizens from undertaking bloody attacks in Iraq, and at worst shares complicity in sending jihadists to commit attacks against U.S. forces, civilians and Iraq's Shiite Muslim-led government"

When will people wake up and realize that KSA is NOT OUR FRIEND???? Every US expat I knew in Doha knew that KSA was the 800 lb gorilla in the region, and that by and large, they didn't like the US. And the House of Saud has the current administration wrapped around their finger (remember VP Chaney being summoned to KSA by the House of Saud last Thanksgiving??). The way the current administration treats KSA, it's like the cops showed up to Bush's door and Bush told them that he fell and Saudi Arabia really loves him and just goes crazy some times.

The House of Saud is using the US Military as janissaries to fight a Sunni vs. Shia battle. Which is the last thing our military should be used for.