A War to the Bitter End

Israel's air force obliterated symbols of Hamas power on the third day of its overwhelming assault on Gaza on Monday, striking a house next to the Hamas premier's home, devastating a security compound and flattening a five-story building at a university closely linked to the Islamic group. The three-day death toll rose to 315, including seven children under the age of 15 who were killed in two separate strikes late Sunday and Monday, medics said. Israel launched the deadliest attack against Palestinians in decades on Saturday in retaliation for rocket fire aimed at civilians in southern Israeli towns. Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak told Israel's parliament in a special session that Israel was not fighting the residents of Gaza "but we have a war to the bitter end against Hamas and its branches." The strikes appear to have gravely damaged Hamas' ability to launch rockets but a medium-range rocket fired at the Israeli city of Ashkelon killed a man there Monday and wounded several others. It was the second fatality in Israel since the beginning of the offensive and the first person ever to be killed by a rocket in Ashkelon, a city of 120,000. Six people have been killed in Israel in rocket attacks from Gaza since the beginning of the year, according to Israel's Foreign Ministry. On Sunday, Hamas missiles struck for the first time near the city of Ashdod, twice as far from Gaza as Ashkelon and only 25 miles from Israel's heart in Tel Aviv. At first light Monday, strong winds blew black smoke from the bombed sites in Gaza City over deserted streets. The air hummed with the buzz of pilotless drones and the roar of jets, punctuated by the explosions of new airstrikes. A Hamas police spokesman, Ehab Ghussein, said 180 members of the Hamas security forces were among the dead. The United Nations agency in charge of Palestinian refugees said at least 51 of the dead were civilians. A rise in civilian casualties could intensify international pressure on Israel to abort the offensive. Israel's intense bombings — more than 300 airstrikes since midday Saturday — wreaked unprecedented destruction in Gaza, reducing buildings to rubble. The military said naval vessels also bombarded targets from the sea. Shlomo Brom, a former senior Israeli military official, said it was the deadliest force ever used in decades of Israeli-Palestinian fighting. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, who heads a moderate government in the West Bank and is holding peace talks with Israel, issued his strongest condemnation yet of the operation, calling it a "sweeping Israeli aggression against Gaza" and saying he would consult with his bitter rivals in Hamas in an effort to end it. One strike destroyed a five-story building in the women's wing at Islamic University, one of the most prominent Hamas symbols. Another attack ravaged a compound controlled by Preventive Security, one of the group's chief security arms, and a third destroyed a house next to the residence of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister. Like other Hamas leaders, Haniyeh is in hiding. Late on Sunday, Israeli aircraft attacked a building in the Jebaliya refugee camp next to Gaza City, killing a woman, a toddler and three young teenage girls, Gaza Health Ministry official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain said. In the southern town of Rafah, a toddler and his two teenage brothers were killed in an airstrike aimed at a Hamas commander, Hassanain said. In Gaza City, another attack killed a man and his wife. In the most dramatic attacks Sunday, warplanes struck dozens of smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border, cutting off a lifeline that had supplied Hamas with weapons and Gaza with commercial goods. The influx of goods helped Hamas defy an 18-month blockade of Gaza by Israel and Egypt and was key to propping up its rule. Gaza's nine hospitals were overwhelmed. Hassanain, who keeps a record for the Gaza Health Ministry, said more than 1,400 were wounded over two days of fighting and casualties were now being taken to private clinics and even homes. Abdel Hafez, a 55-year-old history teacher, waited outside a Gaza City bakery to buy bread, one of the few people visible outdoors. He said he was not a Hamas supporter but believed the strikes would only increase support for the group. "Each strike, each drop of blood are giving Hamas more fuel to continue," he said. In Jerusalem, Israel's Cabinet approved a call-up of 6,500 reserve soldiers Sunday in apparent preparation for a ground offensive. The final decision to call up more reserves has yet to be made by the defense minister, Ehud Barak, and the Cabinet decision could be a pressure tactic. Israel has doubled the number of troops on the Gaza border since Saturday and deployed an artillery battery. Several hundred reservists have already been summoned to join their units but no full combat formations have been mobilized so far. Military experts said Israel would need at least 10,000 soldiers for a full-scale invasion. Since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 after a 38-year military occupation, Israeli forces have repeatedly returned to the territory to hunt militants firing rockets at Israeli towns. But it has shied away from retaking the entire strip for fear of getting bogged down in urban warfare. The assault has sparked diplomatic fallout. Syria decided to suspend indirect peace talks with Israel, begun earlier this year. The United Nations Security Council called on both sides to halt the fighting and asked Israel to allow humanitarian supplies into Gaza. Israel opened one of Gaza's border crossings Monday and about 40 trucks had entered with food and medical supplies by mid-day, military spokesman Peter Lerner said. The prime minister of Turkey, one of the few Muslim countries to have relations with Israel, called the air assault a "crime against humanity" and French President Nicolas Sarkozy condemned "the provocations that led to this situation as well as the disproportionate use of force." The carnage has inflamed Arab and Muslim public opinion, setting off street protests in Arab communities in Israel and the West Bank, across the Arab world and in some European cities. On Monday, a Palestinian stabbed and wounded four Israelis in a West Bank settlement before he was shot and wounded. It was not immediately clear if the attack was directly connected to the events in Gaza. (AP/ Reuters Photo via Yahoo)

Why Israel and Hamas are Fighting?

On the second day of intense Israeli airstrikes that set off street protests throughout the Middle East, Hamas responded Sunday by extending the range of its rocket attacks on southern Israeli cities. The ferocity and precision of the Israeli blitz sent the Palestinian death toll to nearly 300, surprising the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, and sowing panic. Egyptian border police fired on Palestinians fleeing across Gaza's western border Sunday. Meanwhile, Israeli troops and tanks massed on Gaza's eastern and northern borders. But Israel is mindful of the lessons from its war with Hezbollah in Lebanon two years ago, say analysts, and isn't likely to send in ground troops to topple Hamas. Rather than reoccupy Gaza, a politically unpopular move, Israel may want to simply redefine the terms of engagement along the southern frontier and reach a new cease- fire. "[Israeli Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert has been chastened by the Lebanon experience," says Michael Oren, a fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem who authored a book on the 1967 war. "He talked about toppling Hezbollah and disarming Hezbollah. There are far more modest objectives for this operation – an improved status quo ante." Israeli helicopters and combat jets struck the Hamas' main prison compound in Gaza city and, in a simultaneous strike, pounded about 40 supply tunnels leading under the Egyptian border on Sunday. Israel said the tunnels are the main artery of Hamas' improved arsenal of missiles. Palestinians say the tunnels are the only route for imported consumer goods after an Israeli blockade sealed commercial crossings. In the first wave on Sunday, the Israeli air assault targeted training camps, police stations, and a Hamas intelligence headquarters. Despite the urging of colleagues and opposition politicians, Prime Minister Olmert is not talking about regime change in Gaza. "The operation in the Gaza Strip is designed, first and foremost, to bring about an improvement in the security reality for the residents of the south of the country," said Olmert over the weekend. On Sunday, Hamas rockets landed near Ashdod, the largest city in southern Israel. The city is 23 miles from Gaza. No serious injuries were reported, but the attack raises concerns that more Israeli cities may be within range of Hamas rockets. With the conflict spilling over to neighboring countries, that goal may become more difficult. Arab satellite television news broadcast images of crowds of Gazans overrunning Egyptian security posts at the border with Gaza. Along the Lebanon border, the attacks have stirred concern about solidarity rocket strikes from Hezbollah. Israeli jets flew low-level sorties over southern Lebanon Sunday morning, a muscle-flexing gesture. The militant Shiite Hezbollah has led calls of condemnation in Lebanon, declaring the attack on Gaza an "Israeli war crime and represents genocide." But analysts say Hezbollah is unlikely to open up a fresh front by attacking Israel from Lebanon. The main risk comes from isolated attacks by Palestinian militants or groups associated with Al Qaeda. "If it's not Hezbollah, I would not rule out actions by small groups," says Timur Goksel, a university lecturer in Beirut and former senior official with the UN peacekeeping force in South Lebanon known as UNIFIL. "There are many groups that would like to show solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. But if something big happens, the bill will be made out to Hezbollah." Meanwhile, Gazans were sent messages on their cellphones by the Israeli military warning them to stay away from "terrorists" and refrain from carrying weapons. Many Palestinians stayed off the streets of Gaza City save for funeral processions. The Israeli assaults came after Hamas fired hundreds of rockets into Israel following the expiration of a six-month cease fire Dec. 19. The Israeli attacks sparked riots in West Bank cities and Israeli Arab villages, as well as protests in neighboring Arab states. Syrian officials said Sunday they were breaking off indirect peace talks with the Jewish state. In Lebanon, hundreds of flag-waving Hezbollah supporters demonstrated Saturday and Sunday near the Egyptian embassy in Beirut, to protest what they saw as a tacit green light given by some Arab countries to the Israeli attack on Hamas. In a widely watched televised address in Lebanon Sunday night, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah echoed the same theme, slamming Arab governments for what he said was complicity in the Israeli onslaught against Hamas. "Some Arab regimes ... are helping by all means to impose the conditions of surrender on the resistors of the American-Zionist project," he said. "The 2006 July war [between Israel and Hezbollah] occurred under Arab approval, even Arab request.... They told the Israelis to get rid of Hezbollah. They are doing the same thing in Gaza, they are asking the Israelis to destroy Hamas and the resistors." He leveled harsh criticism toward Egypt in particular for closing the border at Rafah and called on Egyptians to demonstrate in support of Gaza. "I tell Egyptian officials: If you do not open the border crossing then you are party to the siege and the crime," he said. "Let the Egyptian population go out into the streets ... will the Egyptian police arrest them all?" The black-turbaned Shiite cleric added that Israeli military movements along the border with Lebanon could be a "defensive measure," but warned that Israel could take advantage of the situation to launch an attack on Lebanon. "We are not concerned nor afraid.... We are ready to face any attack on our country," Sheikh Nasrallah said. Demonstrations also were held in South Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. The mood in Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps was one of anger and mourning. In Ain al-Hilweh, the largest and most lawless of the 12 established camps in Lebanon, black flags adorned streets, and verses from the Koran were broadcast from mosques. "The people are ready to participate in any action against the Israelis," says Abu Ahmad Fadel Taha, the leader of Hamas in Ain al-Hilweh. "Right now we are gathering blood donations money and food for the people of Gaza. There is no decision yet to take military action along the border [with Israel]." In an ominous indicator of potential problems in Lebanon over Gaza, a Lebanese farmer discovered on Thursday afternoon eight Katyusha rockets primed for launch from a valley, four kilometers north of the Israeli border. The 122mm and 107mm rockets, with respective ranges of 20 and 12 kilometers, were connected to timers for a launch Thursday night. Lebanese Army troops defused the rockets. UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army have since stepped up patrols along the border. Israeli officials estimate that more than 300 rockets have been fired by Hamas in the past week. Analysts say that Hamas may have done so with the goal of improving the terms of the next cease fire and to force Israel to open up the border crossings into Israel. Hamas bragged that Israel would not dare an invasion. Indeed, despite the display of military superiority, Israelis are worried about an "exit strategy" because they are loathe to be drawn back into Gaza three years after withdrawing. The price of overrunning the tiny coastal enclave would likely be heavy civilian casualties on the Palestinian side as well as significant numbers of Israeli soldiers. Israeli officials have said that they don't want to bear the responsibility of looking after an impoverished population of 1.6 million. The absence of clear goals against Hezbollah in 2006 led to a prolonged war in which the Iranian-backed Shiite group was able to survive intact – exposing Israel's vulnerability to short-range rockets and difficulty against guerilla attacks. Israel's government, which is currently in a reelection campaign, wants to bring to an end the eight years of Hamas rockets landing in southern Israel. "There's the question of Iran," says Meir Javedanfar, the coauthor of a book on Iran's nuclear program. "If Israel can't defend itself against a small group like Hamas, then it will look weak to the region and embolden the right wingers in Iran to increase support for Hamas." In the southern Israel town of Sderot, shell shocked from eight years of attacks, local Israelis say they feel a sense of relief and defiantly refused Sunday to take cover in shelters at the sound of rocket alerts. "Today is a day of celebration in Sderot," says Sasson Sara, a local shop owner. "Today I feel that we finally started to deal with terror." (Joshua Mitnick/ AP Photo via Yahoo)

Big Orders for 'Bush Shoe'

A shoemaker says a lot of people are ordering what he claims is the famous projectile.

When a pair of black leather oxfords hurled at President Bush in Baghdad produced a gasp heard around the world, a Turkish cobbler had a different reaction: They were his shoes. “We have been producing that specific style, which I personally designed, for 10 years, so I couldn’t have missed it, no way,” said Ramazan Baydan, a shoemaker in Istanbul. “As a shoemaker, you understand.” Although his assertion has been impossible to verify — cobblers from Lebanon, China and Iraq have also staked claims to what is quickly becoming some of the most famous footwear in the world — orders for Mr. Baydan’s shoes, formerly known as Ducati Model 271 and since renamed “The Bush Shoe,” have poured in from around the world. A new run of 15,000 pairs, destined for Iraq, went into production on Thursday, he said. A British distributor has asked to become the Baydan Shoe Company’s European sales representative, with a first order of 95,000 pairs, and an American company has placed an order for 18,000 pairs. Four distributors are competing to represent the company in Iraq, where Baydan sold 19,000 pairs of this model for about $40 each last year. Five thousand posters advertising the shoes, on their way to the Middle East and Turkey, proclaim “Goodbye Bush, Welcome Democracy” in Turkish, English and Arabic. For now, Mr. Baydan’s customers will have to take his word for it. The journalist who launched the shoes at a news conference a week ago, Muntader al-Zaidi, 29, was wrestled to the ground by guards and has not been seen in public since. Explosives tests by investigators destroyed the offending footwear. But Mr. Baydan insists he recognizes his shoes. Given their light weight, just under 11 ounces each, and clunky design, he said he was amazed by their aerodynamics. Both shoes rocketed squarely at Mr. Bush’s head and missed only because of deft ducks by the president. Throwing a shoe at someone is a gross insult in Arab countries, and Mr. Bush is widely unpopular in much of the region. But as he enters his last weeks in office, he seems to have gained a small foothold of appreciation here. Noting the spike in sales, Serkan Turk, Baydan’s general manager, said, “Mr. Bush served some good purpose to the economy before he left.” (NYTimes.com/AP Photo via Yahoo)

Iraqi Shoe-Thrower Allegedly Beaten

The shoes suggested become museum pieces - A judge announced a probe Friday into the beating and bruising of an Iraqi journalist's face moments after he hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush, and said investigators destroyed the shoes in their search for explosives. The statement to The Associated Press by Dhia al-Kinani, the investigating judge, was the first official word that Muntadhar al-Zeidi was hurt after his outburst at a news conference by Bush and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. According to the judge, al-Zeidi suffered a bruised face and eyes.

Al-Zeidi has been in custody since the Sunday attack and hasn't been seen since by relatives or a lawyer. One of his brothers, Uday, alleged Friday that the isolation indicates he was abused. "Until now, neither an attorney nor anyone from his family has seen him and this is clear evidence that Muntadhar was under intense torture," he said at a demonstration by about 20 family members just outside the Green Zone. "The investigation process is now under way in mysterious circumstances."

Al-Zeidi was wrestled to the ground seconds after throwing his shoes, and the judge said videotape of the scuffle would be studied carefully. The journalist "was beaten in the news conference and we will watch the tape and write an official letter asking for the names of those who assaulted him," the judge said. He said al-Zeidi could choose not to pursue charges related to the beating; he did not say why he decided to open an investigation. Al-Zeidi wasn't the only person who ended up with a bruised eye. White House press secretary Dana Perino suffered an eye injury when she was hit in the face with a microphone during the melee.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday that the treatment of al-Zeidi was a matter for Iraqi authorities to deal with. "Certainly, nobody wants anybody to be mistreated while they're in custody," he said. "I can't attest to these allegations, however." Al-Zeidi's case has become a rallying point among opponents of the U.S. invasion and military presence in Iraq. A Saudi reportedly offered $10 million for just one of the shoes and an Iranian cleric suggested they should become museum pieces.

The judge, however, said investigators destroyed the shoes trying to determine if they contained explosives. He did not say whether they found any. Despite widespread sympathy for al-Zeidi among Iraqis, al-Kinani said the case cannot be dropped — though he noted that neither Bush nor al-Maliki has sought charges. Al-Maliki was standing next to Bush at the time of the attack. "This case was filed because of an article in the law concerning the protection of the respect of sovereignty," he said. The journalist is expected to face charges of insulting a foreign leader. A conviction could bring a sentence of two years in prison.

The judge also confirmed that al-Zeidi had written a letter of apology to al-Maliki. A spokesman for al-Maliki had said Thursday that al-Zeidi asked for a pardon in the letter. But al-Zeidi's brother Dhargham told the AP that he suspected the letter was a fake. The prime minister can recommend to Iraq's president that a pardon be granted, but the judge said such a pardon can be issued only after a conviction. There have been no indications whether or not al-Maliki is likely to recommend a pardon.

The judge said the al-Zeidi investigation would be completed and sent to the criminal court on Sunday, after which a court date would be set within seven to 10 days. Thousands of Iraqis demonstrated again Friday for al-Zeidi's release. At Friday prayers in Baghdad's Shiite stronghold Sadr City, cleric Mohanad al-Moussawi told worshippers that "al-Zeidi's life must be protected and he must be immediately, immediately, immediately released."

Sadr City protesters also laid down two American flags, hit them with shoes and burned them to protest his detention. And in southern city of Kufa, hundreds raised shoes in support of al-Zeidi and also protested what they said was the arrest by American forces of an official of Momahoudin, a militia led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that was disbanded and turned into a social welfare group. The U.S. military would not comment on the alleged arrest. In London, about 50 protesters shook their shoes at the U.S. Embassy in a show of support for al-Zeidi.

In the West Bank village of Bilin, Palestinians hurled shoes rather than the usual rocks at Israeli soldiers in the weekly Friday protest against the Israeli separation barrier, which slices through their fields. And the head of a large West Bank family offered one of its eligible females as a bride for al-Zeidi. Ahmad Salim Judeh, 75, said his 500-member clan had raised $30,000 for al-Zeidi's legal defense.

Many supporters of al-Zeidi hold Bush personally responsible for the tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians who have lost their lives since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. On Friday, a Baghdad police official said seven disembodied heads and two complete corpses were found in a deserted building in Sadr City. The victims appeared to have been killed about two years ago, the officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. (AP via Yahoo)

`Deep Throat' Dies at 95

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Duggar Gives Birth to 18th Child

An Arkansas woman, Michelle Duggar, has given birth to her 18th child. She delivered the baby girl by Caesarean section Thursday at Mercy Medical Center in Rogers. The baby, named Jordyn-Grace Makiya Duggar, weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20 inches long. "The ultimate Christmas gift from God," said Jim Bob Duggar, the father of the 18 children. "She's just absolutely beautiful, like her mom and her sisters." The Duggars now have 10 sons and eight daughters. Jim Bob Duggar said Michelle started having contractions Wednesday night. She needed the C-section, her third, because the baby was lying sideways. Jim Bob said both baby and mother were doing well Thursday night. "We both would love to have more," he said. The cable network TLC broadcasts a weekly show about the Duggars, called "17 Kids and Counting." Chris Finnegan of TLC — which handles public relations for the Duggar family — said the show's name would be updated to account for the latest addition to the family. He said TLC also will air a show Monday on the baby's delivery. Jim Bob Duggar is 43, a year older than his wife. Their oldest child, Joshua, is 20. The other Duggar children, in between Joshua and Jordyn-Grace, are Jana, 18; John-David, 18; Jill, 17; Jessa, 16; Jinger, 14; Joseph, 13; Josiah, 12; Joy-Anna, 11; Jeremiah, 9; Jedidiah, 9; Jason, 8; James, 7; Justin, 6; Jackson, 4; Johannah, 3; and Jennifer, 1. "Our whole family is excited about Jordyn's addition to our family," Jim Bob Duggar said. "She's just perfect in every way." (AP via Yahoo/ AP Photo File via foxnews.com)

Accident at Copperfield Show

David Copperfield's assistant sustains a severe injury during an act in his Las Vegas show. - One of David Copperfield's magician's assistants was rushed to the hospital with a severe injury during the finale performance of his MGM Grand Las Vegas show Wednesday, a rep for Copperfield tells Usmagazine.com. "During an illusion where David attempts to walk through the rotating blades of a 12-foot high industrial fan, the fan and its platform were being rotated by one of David's illusion technicians," the rep says. "Just prior to David himself walking through the fan, [the assistant] was accidentally pulled into the vortex of the moving fan blades, causing injury to his arm and face."The Clark County Fire Department confirms that they received a call at 11:25 p.m. from the theater. "It was reported that someones arm was stuck in a fan prop," Scott Allison, the fire department's spokesperson, tells Us. When paramedics arrived, the assistant's arm was free and had suffered severe bleeding. The assistant, named Brandon (his last name is withheld for his privacy), broke his arm in multiple places. "The surgery was several hours wherein the doctors could insert pins and bolts," the rep says. "There was a puncture on his face requiring eight or nine stitches. The Copperfield crew waited at the hospital during his arm and face surgery." Copperfield was there when he woke up and presented him with a children's magic set to practice on during his recovery, his rep says. "Brandon is a fantastic guy that has been with our team almost a year and is a loyal and hard-working illusion technician that is truly loved by all who know him," Copperfield tells Us. "If he gets too good with the magic set, Im in big trouble!"An eyewitness to the incident tells Us that when it happened, the audience "heard a thump."The eyewitness adds: "One of the assistants dropped to the floor. The curtain came down partially. Blood was everywhere, and the other assistants dragged the victim back. Then the curtain closed all the way." Shortly after, "Copperfield came out and said, 'We have an emergency and we might have to end the show...please give me two minutes.' He came back a minute later and said, 'I'm sorry, the show is over...if you want your money back, refunds will be given," says the audience member. "Everyone around me thought it was a joke; part of the show," she tells Us. "But from my vantage point I could see clearly how serious it was. I pray that he is all right." According to Copperfield's rep, Brandon is still in the hospital. But the show will go on. The hotel source tells Us: "From what I've been told, David still intends to do both his shows this evening, as scheduled." "The show will go on thanks to Davids amazing, hard-working crew, after rehearsing all day to fill in for Brandon," Copperfield's rep says.Many people assume that the death-defying illusions I do on stage are not dangerous," Copperfield tells Us. "This unfortunate accident shows that couldnt be further from the truth, and were just thankful that Brandons injuries werent worse.An MGM spokesperson had no comment.Copperfield's 90-minute show, "An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion," is scheduled to run through January. (Us Magazine via omg)

Shoe-Throwing Incident Becomes Web-Game Hit

Shoe-wielding Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi, who was catapulted to international prominence after throwing his shoes at President Bush during a press conference in Iraq, is now the star of the latest in viral Web games.

"Sock and Awe" -- named after the military doctrine employed in the US operation to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq -- allows players to throw shoes at a figure of President Bush, as he ducks behind a podium.

Al-Zaidi missed both his attempts before being dragged off by Iraqi security forces, but players of "Sock and Awe" have a little more leeway -- you can keep slinging footwear for up to thirty seconds.

The aim of "Sock and Awe", launched by Britain's Alex Tew, is to knock Bush out with a shoe. A feat already attained by 1.4 million players, according to the website (http://www.sockandawe.com/) Tuesday. At the time of writing, the virtual President Bush has been struck in the face by 21 million shoes, the site indicates.

It was in protest against the Bush administration's Iraqi policy that journalist Durgham Zaidi threw both his shoes at the outgoing president Sunday during his swansong visit to the battleground. The action won Zaidi widespread plaudits in the Arab world where Bush's policies have drawn broad hostility.

Tew, 24, drew world attention with his "milliondollarhomepage.com", a website he conceived when 21 to help raise money for his university education by selling off pixels at a dollar a piece.

Sock and Awe also shows visitors a league table of "Bush-shoeing countries" -- and although the United States is number one, the top five also includes France, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

News of his new-found Web fame is unlikely to come as much comfort to al-Zaidi, who was taken into custody after the Baghdad incident and reportedly facing up to two years in prison for disrespecting a foreign leader, has a broken arm and ribs after being struck by security agents, his brother told AFP. Players of Sock and Awe are unlikely to meet the same fate. (AFP via MSN/ Yahoo/ Reuters Photo via Yahoo)

New Game Lets You Play President

Now you're playing with power... - Between the crushing economic crisis, a brutal war overseas, and a wealth of hot-button domestic issues, President-elect Barack Obama's life is about to become pretty challenging. And quite possibly pretty fun, too. Gamers will have a chance to find out firsthand in Commander in Chief, an upcoming computer game that turns armchair generals into desktop presidents. The game was created by Eversim and favors strategic decision-making over goofy satire by incorporating real-world data culled from organizations like NATO, OPEC and the U.N, tasking players to manage a web of complex relationships as they try to balance budgets, lower unemployment, manage special interest groups and save the economy. It's a far cry from other recent presidential games, including the popular Mario clone, Super Obama World. And in a stroke of genius, it will be available January 20, 2009 -- Inauguration Day. (Yahoo/ Reuters Photo via Yahoo)

Step Into Barack Obama's Shoes with "Commander in Chief"

Barack Obama will take over a mess of historicial proportions when he is inaugurated in January. Gamers can get a feel for some of the issues that will be faced by the President-elect with Commander in Chief, a soon-to-be-released strategy game for the PC. AppScout previews Commander in Chief, which is being developed by Eversim, a Frech company: Players begin by selecting members of the Cabinet and heads of states from "250 personality types and 20 variables including age, gender, political leaning, religion, charisma, competence, popularity, etc...." The Player President then begins facing internal and external decision-making, and every decision comes with a consequence. The player must navigate budgets, security, education, health care, special interests, and critics. Cut spending, and encounter outrage from special interest groups; raise taxes, and hear the complaints of taxpayers.In addition to domestic issues, the game proposes to replicate real-world international situations and circumstances with detailed maps showing 192 countries and 8,000 cities, and comes pre-loaded with information on each country, such as unemployment levels, arms production, inflation rates, stock markets, sports... Players can determine the course of world events by invading countries, plotting assassinations, brokering trade agreements and spending time with fellow world leaders. Obviously, a complex strategy game like this won't appeal to everyone. Commander in Chief will launch in the U.S. on January 20th, the same day on which Obama will be sworn in. (gamepolitics.com/ AFP Photo via Yahoo)

The £60 Millions Divorce

Madonna's divorce settlement with Guy Ritchie could be worth up to £60 million. Initial reports suggested the British director would receive no cash from the singer's estimated £300 million fortune, but Madonna claims he will now get a mixture of money and property. Liz Rosenberg, Madonna's official spokesperson, said: 'I'd assume it's one of the largest payouts ever in a divorce settlement.' Rosenberg claims the final amount will be between £49 million and £60 million, and will include the couple's Ashcombe House estate in Wiltshire, Southern England, and their West London pub, The Punch Bowl - together worth an estimated £12.5 million. Despite Madonna's claims, Guy's friends are more sceptical about the size of the payout. One told Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper: 'There are some questions whether it is as high as Madonna is claiming. 'It all hinges on the value of their properties and we all know how house prices are suffering. But when you consider the couple's wealth, they were together for eight years and have children, is it any wonder it is so high?' The source jokingly added: 'There will be some who argue that after being with Madonna for that length of time, it's a fair price.' Meanwhile, it has been claimed Madonna's rumoured lover is travelling to London so he can spend part of the Christmas holidays with her. The 50-year-old star is said to have agreed to spend the festive period with Guy and the three children the former couple raise together - sons Rocco, eight, and adopted David, three, and 12-year-old Lourdes, Madonna's daughter from a previous relationship - at Ashcombe House. But she has also reportedly persuaded baseball player Alex 'A-Rod' Rodriguez to travel to the UK capital so she can see him once her family commitments are over. A source told Britain's The Sun newspaper: 'She wants the kids to be with their parents but wants time with A-Rod too.' Madonna and Guy have yet to reach an agreement over custody of their children as part of their divorce settlement. The couple were awarded a decree nisi, the first stage of their divorce, in London on November 21. (Bang/ Reuters File Photo via Yahoo)

Indonesia's 40 Richest

FORBES ASIA closes out our annual coverage of Asia's wealthiest tycoons on a low note. The total worth for all 480 tycoons fell to $779 billion, from $940 billion, despite the fact that we added an additional list of 40 Richest. Fortunes in Indonesia have collapsed with the global economy, pushed down by a dismal stock market, off 54% since last year; plunging commodity prices; and a weak rupiah, which lost nearly a quarter of its value in the past year. The central bank established more stringent currency controls in November to limit speculation after the rupiah hit a decade low. No surprise then that the nation's 40 Richest and their families are now worth a total of $21 billion, down from $40 billion. Fourteen have lost more than half of their fortunes, including former billionaires Aburizal Bakrie and Eka Tjipta Widjaja. There are only 7 billionaires, down from 11 in 2007. Two of the 40 added to their fortunes, but the gains had more to do with information gathering than appreciation of assets.

Tobacco executive Rachman Halim died in July. The fortune, which was shared with his five siblings, is now listed under the family's name, Wonowidjojo. Three members of last year's list failed to make the cut, despite the fact that the minimum net worth fell to $55 million from $120 million. Net worths were calculated using Nov. 28 stock prices and exchange rates. Privately held companies were valued by comparing them with similar publicly traded companies. This ranking, unlike the Forbes Billionaires list, includes family fortunes like the one belonging to Anthoni Salim and his family as well as individual ones like that of Martua Sitorus. (Forbes.com)

Flying Shoes on Bush Farewell in Iraq

Man throws shoes at Bush during Iraq visit -- whizzed past his head.

President George W. Bush wrapped up a whirlwind trip to two war zones Monday that in many ways was a victory lap without a clear victory. A signature event occurred when an Iraqi reporter hurled two shoes at Bush, an incident the president later described as "a bizarre moment." Bush visited the Iraqi capital just 37 days before he hands the war off to his successor, Barack Obama, who has pledged to end it. The president wanted to highlight a drop in violence and to celebrate a recent U.S.-Iraq security agreement, which calls for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011. "The war is not over," Bush said, but "it is decisively on its way to being won." Bush then traveled to Afghanistan where he spoke to U.S. soldiers and Marines at a hangar on the tarmac at Bagram Air Base. The rally for over a thousand military personnel took place in the dark, cold pre-dawn hours. Bush was greeted by loud cheers from the troops. "Afghanistan is a dramatically different country than it was eight years ago," he said. "We are making hopeful gains." But the president's message on progress in the region was having trouble competing with the videotaped image of the angry Iraqi who hurled his shoes at Bush in a near-miss, shouting in Arabic, "This is your farewell kiss, you dog!" The reporter was later identified as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt. In Iraqi culture, throwing shoes at someone is a sign of contempt. Iraqis whacked a statue of Saddam with their shoes after U.S. Marines toppled it to the ground following the 2003 invasion. "I'm not insulted. I don't hold it against the government," Bush said later in an interview with ABC News. "The guy wanted to get on TV and he did. I don't know what his beef is, but whatever it is, I'm sure someone will hear it." Reaction in Iraq was swift but mixed, with some condemning the act and others applauding it. Television news stations throughout Iraq repeatedly showed footage of the incident, and newspapers carried headline stories. In Baghdad's Shiite slum of Sadr City, supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for protests against President Bush and demanded the release of the reporter, who was jailed after throwing his shoes. Thousands took to the streets Monday, chanting, "Bush, Bush, listen well: Two shoes on your head." Talking to a small group of reporters after the incident, Bush said, "I didn't know what the guy said, but I saw his sole." He told the reporters that "you were more concerned than I was. I was watching your faces." "I'm pretty good at ducking, as most of you know," Bush joked, adding quickly that "I'm talking about ducking your questions." On a more serious note, he said, "I mean, it was just a bizarre moment, but I've had other bizarre moments in the presidency. I remember when Hu Jintao was here. Remember? We had the big event? He's speaking, and all of a sudden I hear this noise — had no earthly idea what was taking place, but it was the Falun Gong woman screaming at the top of her lungs (near the ceremony on the White House lawn). It was kind of an odd moment." The Iraqi government condemned the act and demanded an on-air apology from Al-Baghdadia television, the Iraqi-owned station that employs Muntadar al-Zeidi. The reporter was taken into custody and reportedly was being held for questioning by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's guards and is being tested for alcohol and drugs. Other Arab journalists and commentators, fed up with U.S. policy in the Middle East and Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam, echoed al-Zeidi's sentiments Monday. Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor of the influential London-based newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, wrote on the newspaper's Web site that the incident was "a proper goodbye for a war criminal." After word spread of the shoe attack, Afghan reporters had gathered at the presidential palace in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, before a news conference by Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Some of the reporters — a collegial bunch that sees one another several times a week — egged on one of their colleagues, jokingly trying to pressure the television reporter into taking off his shoe and hurling it once the U.S. president arrived. He did not. Karzai's deputy spokesman, Saimak Herwai, told Afghan reporters that they had to address Bush as "His Excellency," an honorary title not typically used with U.S. presidents. The request was followed by some, not by others. Bush then took a helicopter ride to Kabul to meet with Karzai. After their meeting, Bush said he told Karzai: "You can count on the United States. Just like you've been able to count on this administration, you'll be able to count on the next administration as well." The mixed reactions to Bush in both countries emphasized the uncertain situations Bush is leaving behind in the region. In Iraq, nearly 150,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, protecting the fragile democracy. More than 4,209 members of the U.S. military have died and $576 billion has been spent since the war began five years and nine months ago. The Bush administration and even White House critics credit last year's military buildup with the security gains in Iraq. Last month, attacks fell to the lowest monthly level since the war began in 2003. In Afghanistan, there are about 31,000 U.S. troops and commanders have called for up to 20,000 more. The fight is especially difficult in southern Afghanistan, a stronghold of the Taliban where violence has risen sharply this year. (AP/ ATPN Image via Yahoo)

Iraqi Shoe-Throwing Reporter Becomes the Talk of Iraq

The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush in a supreme insult has suddenly become the talk of Iraq. The little known Shi'ite reporter said to have harbored anger against Bush for the thousands of Iraqis who died after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, had previously made headlines only once, when he was briefly kidnapped by unknown gunmen in 2007. TV reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi remained in detention on Monday, accused by the Iraqi government of a "barbaric act." His employer, independent al-Baghdadiya television, demanded his release and demonstrators rallied for him in Sadr City in Baghdad, the southern Shi'ite stronghold of Basra and the holy city of Najaf, where some threw shoes at a U.S. convoy. "Thanks be to God, Muntazer's act fills Iraqi hearts with pride," his brother, Udai al-Zaidi, told Reuters Television, demanding that the Iraqi government free him. "I'm sure many Iraqis want to do what Muntazer did. Muntazer used to say all the orphans whose father were killed are because of Bush." Zaidi shouted "this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog," at Bush in a news conference the U.S. president held with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during an unannounced farewell visit to Baghdad on Sunday. The journalist then flung one shoe at Bush, forcing him to duck, followed by another, which sailed over Bush's head and slammed into the wall behind him. Throwing shoes at someone is the worst possible insult in the Arab world. Zaidi was dragged struggling and screaming from the room by security guards and could be heard shouting outside while the news conference continued after momentary mayhem. 'BARBARIC' The Iraqi government said Zaidi had carried out "a barbaric and ignominious act" that did not correspond to the role of the media. "He tried to attack the visiting president," the media center of the council of ministers said in a statement. "At the same time that we condemn this ignominious act, we call on the television channel of this reporter to deliver a public apology for this act which sullies the reputation of all Iraqi journalists and the whole media." Al-Baghdadiya television demanded Zaidi's immediate release, "in accordance with the democratic era and the freedom of expression that Iraqis were promised by U.S. authorities." It said that any harsh measures taken against the reporter would be reminders of the "dictatorial era" that Washington said its forces invaded Iraq to end. Zaidi, now in his late 20s, spent more than two days blindfolded, barely eating and drinking, after armed men forced him into a car as he walked to work in November 2007. He said at the time that the kidnappers had beaten him until he lost consciousness, and used his necktie to blindfold him and bound his hands with his shoelaces. He never learned the identity of the kidnappers, who questioned him about his work but did not demand a ransom. Colleagues of Zaidi say he resented President Bush, blaming him for the bloodshed that ravaged Iraq after the invasion. It did not appear that he had lost any close family members during the sectarian killings and insurgency, which in recent months have finally begun to wane. A small number of supporters of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for his release in Basra, the southern city that controls Iraq's oil exports. Larger groups of Sadrists also protested in Baghdad's Sadr City and in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf. In Najaf, witnesses said demonstrators threw shoes at a passing American convoy. (Reuters via Yahoo)

The Most Corrupt State in US

Its largest city is legendary for machine-style politics and its elected leaders have been under investigation for years, but by one measure, Illinois is not even close to the nation's most-corrupt state. North Dakota, it turns out, may hold that distinction instead. Federal authorities arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Tuesday after a wiretap allegedly recorded him scheming to make money on his appointment to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama. Blagojevich, a Democrat, ran for election in part on cleaning up after his predecessor, Republican George Ryan, who was convicted in 2006 of racketeering, bribery and extortion.

"If it isn't the most corrupt state in the United States it's certainly one hell of a competitor," Robert Grant, head of the FBI's Chicago office, said Tuesday. On a per-capita basis, however, Illinois ranks 18th for the number of public corruption convictions the federal government has won from 1998 through 2007, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Department of Justice statistics. Louisiana, Alaska and North Dakota all fared worse than the Land of Lincoln in that analysis. Alaska narrowly ousted Republican Sen. Ted Stevens in the election in November after he was convicted of not reporting gifts from wealthy friends. In Louisiana, Democratic Rep. William Jefferson was indicted in 2007 on racketeering and bribery charges after the FBI said it found $90,000 in marked bills in his freezer. Jefferson, who has maintained his innocence and will soon go to trial, lost his seat to a Republican this year. But North Dakota? Don Morrison, executive director of the non-partisan North Dakota Center for the Public Good, said it may be that North Dakotans are better at rooting out corruption when it occurs. "Being a sparsely populated state, people know each other," he said. "We know our elected officials and so certainly to do what the governor of Illinois did is much more difficult here." Morrison said the state has encouraged bad government practices in some cases by weakening disclosure laws. North Dakota does not require legislative or statewide candidates to disclose their campaign expenses. The analysis does not include corruption cases handled by state law enforcement and it considers only convictions. Corruption may run more rampant in some states but go undetected. Michael Johnston is a political science professor at Colgate University in New York — which is ranked just after Illinois for corruption convictions. Johnston, who has studied political corruption for 30 years, said places such as Illinois gain a bad reputation that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. "Expectations build up … and you replicate those expectations when you get to the top of the ladder," Johnston said. "It gets repeated." (usatoday.com)

China Sees Surge in Lifestyle Diseases

He Yifan has stayed at a weight loss clinic for more than two months to shed his kilos, one of millions of people in China whose richer lives have led to unwelcome side effects such as obesity. "Some people (in China) are fat as living standards are quite good now, so people's habits are not the same as they once were," said He, 23, a graduate who reached 157 kilograms (345 pounds) while at university. He is one of 60 people at a weight loss clinic in the northern city of Tianjin, hoping to trim down in an effort to make him more employable, while also trying to avoid longer-term problems such as diabetes and hypertension. These types of conditions have risen dramatically since China began opening up to the world 30 years ago, a phenomenal economic period that has brought a significant rise in living standards for hundreds of millions of citizens. But as people have moved away from physically intensive lifestyles on farms and in industrial cities, their more urbanised lives have seen changes in diet and reduced mobility. In 2002, China had 200 million overweight people and another 60 million who were obese, making up roughly a fifth of the population, according to the latest data from the country's centre for disease control and prevention. These figures were up 39 and 97 percent respectively from 1992. And around 160 million Chinese aged 18 or older suffered from hypertension in 2002, a 31 percent rise from 1991. "There are two big changes in China during a very short period, compared to many other countries," said Hans Troedsson, China representative for the World Health Organisation. "They're getting an ageing population," said Troedsson, adding that there was also an increase in behaviours that put people's health at risk such as smoking, reduced physical activity and an increase in dietary fats. Life expectancy in China rose quickly from 1950 to 1990 due to better access to medical care and improved nutrition, but for the following 10 years, it plateaued as chronic diseases emerged, according to a report in medical journal The Lancet. These illnesses came hand-in-hand with economic development, as people earned more money to buy richer food in larger quantities than before, and put on weight. "It's typical to use more animal food like meat and dairy products when you have economic development because people can afford it," Troedsson said. He Yifan explained that a faster pace of life also meant that people ate more convenient, fast food -- as evidenced by the huge numbers of McDonald's and KFC chain restaurants that have sprung up throughout China. "Our parents' lives were calmer than ours, but with the reforms and opening up, the economic development, and more and more new things coming to China, our lives have become more rich and varied," he said. Economic growth and urbanisation have also led to a more sedentary lifestyle. People now spend longer in front of the television and more own their own vehicles. Meanwhile, tobacco use and air pollution -- the latter brought on by fast industrialisation -- are the causes of an increase in lung cancer cases in the country. The increase in life expectancy, as well as the country's one-child policy, has led to an ageing population that is contributing to the surge in chronic diseases. "In the early 1980s, less than 10 percent of the population was over 60 years of age, but by 2035, one in every four Chinese will be be older than 60," said Troedsson. The strong emergence of lifestyle diseases is a big economic problem for China, he said. "What has been estimated is that over the next 10 years in China, the economic losses for main non-communicable diseases, like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, might be up to 500 billion dollars." But He, who has already lost 38 kilograms, is determined that these conditions would not affect him. "My aim is to get to 90 kilos," he said. "Losing weight is good, it's beneficial for your health and for your future." (AFP via MSN)

Jihadist Get Ready for Facebook Invasion

A member of an Islamic jihadist forum who urged supporters last week to wage a "YouTube invasion" by uploading propaganda videos has called for a similar attack on popular social network Facebook. The SITE Intelligence Group, a US-based monitoring service, reported on Wednesday that the appeal for a "Facebook invasion" was made on Tuesday on al-Faloja, a password-protected jihadist forum. After praising the "great success" of the "YouTube invasion," the forum member using the name Omar Abdul Hakim called on other members to start using Facebook, describing it as "a podium to reach millions of people." "We will use Facebook as a new and exclusive media tool to fight the media offensive on jihadist media, its forums, and its websites and in order to reveal the Crusaders," Hakim wrote according to SITE. The forum member posted instructions on how to register on and use Facebook and outlined "goals of the invasion" as "reaching the vast base of Muslims who subscribe to Facebook" and "participating and interacting with them." "Let us start to post publications, articles, Islamic and jihadist pictures," Hakim wrote. Facebook's terms of service prohibit "organizations or groups that promote or glorify hatred, violence, intolerance, racism or discrimination" and it "reserves the right to delete or disable access to any such Facebook pages." Islamic militant groups have used the Internet for some time as a propaganda window and for communications. A draft US Army intelligence report warned recently of the dangers of the micro-blogging service Twitter as a potential terrorist tool. SITE said that in August of this year, a member of an al-Qaeda-affiliated forum, al-Ekhlaas, had also called on supporters to use Facebook and set up a Facebook group for supporters of al-Qaeda. (AFP/ via MSN/ KompasImages; Raditya Helabumi)

The World's Top Killer

Cancer will overtake heart disease as the world's top killer by 2010, part of a trend that should more than double global cancer cases and deaths by 2030, international health experts said in a report released Tuesday. Rising tobacco use in developing countries is believed to be a huge reason for the shift, particularly in China and India, where 40 percent of the world's smokers now live. So is better diagnosing of cancer, along with the downward trend in infectious diseases that used to be the world's leading killers. Cancer diagnoses around the world have steadily been rising and are expected to hit 12 million this year. Global cancer deaths are expected to reach 7 million, according to the new report by the World Health Organization. An annual rise of 1 percent in cases and deaths is expected — with even larger increases in China, Russia and India. That means new cancer cases will likely mushroom to 27 million annually by 2030, with deaths hitting 17 million. Underlying all this is an expected expansion of the world's population — there will be more people around to get cancer. By 2030, there could be 75 million people living with cancer around the world, a number that many health care systems are not equipped to handle. "This is going to present an amazing problem at every level in every society worldwide," said Peter Boyle, director of the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer. Boyle spoke at a news conference with officials from the American Cancer Society, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Cancer Institute of Mexico. The "unprecedented" gathering of organizations is an attempt to draw attention to the global threat of cancer, which isn't recognized as a major, growing health problem in some developing countries. "Where you live shouldn't determine whether you live," said Hala Moddelmog, Komen's chief executive. The organizations are calling on governments to act, asking the U.S. to help fund cervical cancer vaccinations and to ratify an international tobacco control treaty. Concerned about smoking's impact on cancer rates in developing countries in the decades to come, the American Cancer Society also announced it will provide a smoking cessation counseling service in India. "If we take action, we can keep the numbers from going where they would otherwise go," said John Seffrin, the cancer society's chief executive officer. Other groups are also voicing support for more action. "Cancer is one of the greatest untold health crises of the developing world," said Dr. Douglas Blayney, president-elect of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. "Few are aware that cancer already kills more people in poor countries than HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined. And if current smoking trends continue, the problem will get significantly worse," he said in a written statement. (AP/ AFP Photo via Yaho)

Stars' Bizarre Baby Names

Remember the uproar over Gwyneth Paltrow naming her daughter Apple? That seems downright quaint in 2008. Check out the new additions in the category of quirkiest baby names:

BRONX MOWGLI: This year's most unusual moniker, courtesy of Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz. He grew up near Chicago and she hails from Texas -- yet, inexplicably, the rock-star couple named their son after one of the toughest boroughs in New York City. Giving some insight, Wentz revealed the middle name Mowgli was inspired by the scrappy boy hero of Disney's "The Jungle Book."

SUNDAY ROSE: Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban welcomed their baby girl on a Monday, then named her for the day before. Kidman has said Sunday is the couple's favorite day of the week because it can be both lonely and happy depending on whether "you've got your family" around. They also found inspiration in Aussie art collector Sunday Reed, whose first name Kidman's father suggested as a possibility. The baby's second name is a tribute to Urban's grandmother, Rose. ZUMA NESTA ROCK: When he's old enough, Gwen Stefani's baby boy might want to change his first name to something that sounds less like a certain clear malt beverage and lose the other two names altogether. Then again, a child raised by music royalty -- Stefani and hubby Gavin Rossdale -- might fully embrace a moniker that spells nothing but embarrassment for regular kids. Stefani grew up in Southern California and loves Jamaican culture, which might explain her choice of Zuma (a beach in Malibu) and Nesta (the middle name of reggae legend Bob Marley).

HONOR MARIE: An honorable mention -- sorry, we couldn't resist -- goes to the daughter of Jessica Alba and her husband, Cash Warren. Honor should get a lifetime of instant respect, based on her first name alone. Latin in origin, Honor means "woman of honor" and denotes glory, dignity and high rank.

BUSTER TIMOTHY: The name Buster has been around a long time -- all the way back to the silent film era when comic actor Buster Keaton used sight gags to get laughs. The moniker struck a chord with married actors Jonny Lee Miller and Michele Hicks, who chose to name their son Buster Timothy. The couple balanced the quirkiness with a way more traditional second name. (omg/ AP Photo via Yahoo)

Facebook Diplomacy

Peace maybe just a click away

- Go on the Internet to make friends -- and world peace. That was the message Thursday from a New York conference on the potential power of Internet social networking tools like Facebook to counter terrorism and repressive governments. "New technology gives the United States and other free nations a significant advantage over terrorists," US Undersecretary of State James Glassman told Web entrepreneurs and human rights activists at New York's Columbia University Law School. An extraordinary example of e-power was the success on February 5 this year of a grassroots march organized on the Internet against Colombia's FARC leftist guerrillas. Oscar Morales, founder of "One Million Voices Against the FARC," described how his rallying call to 100 Facebook friends multiplied to 1,500 in less than a day. "The next day there were 4,000, then 8,000. In just one week it grew to the amazing number of 100,000." Within a month the anti-FARC movement was able to field two million demonstrators around the globe, including 1.5 million in the Colombian capital Bogota. Supporters believe Internet-based communities are exactly what violent underground groups and repressive regimes fear. "The Internet world of the extremists is one of direction -- 'think this, do that,'" Glassman said. "Extremists can't adapt to the social networking because it shakes their rigid ideologies." Even countries with heavy censorship can't resist, Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz said. "China pours billions of dollars into the firewall only to have its citizens develop new ways to circumvent it," Moskovitz said. "Control of these mediums is, in the long run, not a battle they can win." Still, for all the talk, it appeared clear that worldwide justice is a little more than just a click away. An Egyptian journalist, who asked not to be identified because he fears for his safety, told the conference that Facebook had been crucial in the organization of rare protests in April. "It allowed us to have a platform to convene, because we are not allowed to meet otherwise," he said. Yet ironically, while a piece of US high-tech innovation helped protestors, US foreign policy was propping up the country's dictatorship, the Egyptian journalist said. "The reason that we are under such repression, unfortunately -- and I have to be frank -- is that the Egyptian regime receives support from the West and, particularly, the United States," he said. "What we want is that the American administration, that talks all the time about democracy and human rights, finally does what it says." Glassman did not address this, conceding only that Washington had "complex" relations with countries that "can be categorized as oppressive." However, he did promise a new awareness about how the United States is perceived around the world, with less "preaching at people and telling them what to believe." "It's taken a while to get to this place," he said, adding that Barack Obama's incoming administration will likely be "very open to these ideas." (AFP via MSN/ Reuters File Photo via Yahoo)

Britney's Dilemma

The singer is having mixed emotions about her bust

- Britney Spears wants a breast reduction. The 'Womanizer' singer has mixed emotions about her bust and wants to undergo augmentation to fit into her old stage outfits. Britney, who was seen wearing a cleavage-boosting dress at her birthday party earlier this week, is quoted as saying: 'I have a love-hate relationship with my boobs. At the moment I hate them and want them smaller. 'I can't wear the kind of suits I used to love, like the red PVC one I got to wear for the 'Oops I Did It Again' video, for example, I don't feel streamlined. 'I'm tempted to have a breast reduction so I can slink into some amazing stage outfits for my next set of shows. I know they look sexy but sometimes they get in the way.' Britney, 27, is reportedly planning a complete overhaul of her image after being stung by criticism of her recent TV performances. A source said: 'To be described as nothing more than a miming porn star was galling and led to her questioning her appearance. 'She's now thinking of becoming more of a rock chick. The thing is, she looks great as she is.' One insider has claimed Britney is taking diet pills in a bid to speed up her weight loss in preparation for her forthcoming world tour. Another source said: 'The pills are like diuretics. She has to go to the bathroom constantly. Everyone knows she still throws up when she's eaten too much'. (Bang via MSN/ Reuters Photo via Yahoo)

Obama Got His Telephone Hung Up

Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen hung up on President-elect Barack Obama twice.

Is Ileana Ros-Lehtinen a little paranoid? Maybe. On Wednesday, the Republican congresswoman got a call from President-elect Barack Obama, didn't believe it was him, and hung up on him. Twice. According to Ros-Lehtinen's flack Alex Cruz, the congresswoman received the call on her cell phone from a Chicago-based number and an aide informed her that Obama wanted to speak to her. When Obama introduced himself, Ros-Lehtinen cut him off and said, "I'm sorry but I think this is a joke from one of the South Florida radio stations known for these pranks." Then she hung up. Moments later, Obama tried again, this time through his soon-to-be chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. "Ileana, I cannot believe you hung up on the President-Elect," Emanuel said. And then--yes, you know what's coming--she hung up on Emanuel saying she "didn't believe the call was legitimate." A short time later, Ros-Lehtinen received an urgent call from Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, who informed her that she indeed hung up on Obama. So, Obama tried again and this time he was successful. (Phew!) "It is very funny that you have twice hung up on me," Obama said. Ros Lehtinen responded by telling Obama that radio stations in South Florida always make these sorts of jokes. Obama said similar pranksters reside in Chi-town. "You are either very gracious to reach out in such a bipartisan manner or had run out of folks to call if you are truly calling me and Saturday Night Live could use a good Obama impersonator like you," Ros-Lehtinen joked with the president-elect. Ros-Lehtinen then congratulated Obama on his victory and pledged to work together on behalf of all Americans. She also asked Obama to call Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Albio Sire (D-NJ) to discuss Cuba policy. Here's hoping they don't hang up on him. (The Crypt/ AP Photo via Yahoo)

A Joke about Richardson Beard

Bill Richardson had the first close shave of his tenure as Barack Obama's commerce secretary Wednesday -- becoming the butt of the president-elect's razor-sharp jokes about his missing beard. Richardson was asked why he had dispensed with the facial hair which helped him cut an imposing figure through a string of election-year campaign appearances, as Obama made his nomination official here. "I'm going to answer this question about the beard -- I think it was a mistake for him to get rid of it," Obama said. "I thought that whole western rugged look was really working for him. "For some reason, maybe because it was scratchy when he kissed his wife, he was forced to get rid of it -- but we're deeply disappointed with the loss of the beard." Richardson was nominated to be commerce secretary after being passed over for the post of secretary of state which Obama gave to another former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. (AFP via Yahoo/ GettyImages)

Mysterious 'SarkObama' Posters

Mysterious posters of French President Nicolas Sarkozy inspired by an iconic Barack Obama election image have sprung up across Paris, sparking a media guessing game about the origin of the campaign. Modelled closely on a pop-art design by the US street artist Shepard Fairey in support of the Democrat's presidential bid, the dozens of posters pasted up in Paris last week show Sarkozy against a red, white and blue backdrop. Each spells out a progressive policy goal -- "Making polluters pay?", "Producing clean and sustainable energy for Europe?" or "Saving each household 1,000 euros a year?" -- above Obama's slogan "Yes, We can". Suspecting a pro-Sarkozy publicity stunt, French news website L'Express has launched a reader appeal to try to identify the poster gang, who responded with a trail of online clues. They have posted photo galleries of themselves -- faces masked behind the "SarkObama" images -- plastering the posters at emblematic sites across Paris, on the file sharing websites FlickR and Dailymotion. Both Sarkozy's office and the governing right-wing UMP party deny being behind the poster campaign. "We would have liked it to be us, because we like the message," said the head of the UMP's youth section, Benjamin Lancar. Several members of Sarkozy's camp have sought to draw a parallel between the election of a black president in the United States and the French vote for Sarkozy, the son of a Hungarian immigrant. The French leader has repeatedly sued media and commercial outfits over unlicensed use of his image -- most recently when he tried unsuccessfully to block the sale of a Nicolas Sarkozy voodoo doll. (AFP via MSN)