President Bush Went to Baghdad for Thanksgiving

'You are defending the American people from danger and we are grateful,' Bush told some 600 soldiers who were stunned and delighted by his appearance.

Wearing an exercise jacket with a 1st Armored Division patch, Bush stood in a chow line and dished out sweet potatoes and corn for Thanksgiving dinner and posed with a platter of a fresh-baked turkey.

'We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a bitter cost of casualties, defeat a ruthless dictator and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins,' the president said, prompting a standing ovation and cheers

(from Associated Press, via Yahoo News).

The Chinese state broadcaster will begin broadcasting Friends

The Chinese state broadcaster, China Central Television, will begin broadcasting the popular NBC sitcom "Friends" to the world's biggest potential audience next year, the Beijing Star Daily newspaper reported in Friday's editions (from Associated Press, via Yahoo News).

Funny Flash: A funny end of the world lecture (no really, it is pretty funny). Not intended for young kids.

A half billion dollar computer that 'will do 1000 trillion operations a second' will be completed by 2008 (from The Sydney Morning Herald).

Oh my, a politician exaggerating to the point of silliness:

Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, launched a stinging attack on President George Bush last night, denouncing him as the 'greatest threat to life on this planet that we've most probably ever seen'

(from The Independent).

The alphabet soup strikes back - WTO and EU decide Euorpeans may have to pay more for US stuff, lots more:

The World Trade Organisation gave the European Union permission yesterday to impose huge import tariffs, which will allow price increases of between 8 and 100 per cent on a range of goods

(from The Independent).

This is an excerpt from an Associated Press article about the The US Supreme Court agreeing to hear its first case an appeal asking whether foreigners held at Guantanamo Bay may contest their captivity in American courts:

Last month, the International Committee of the Red Cross said the mental health of a large number of inmates was deteriorating.

I think it is safe to say at least some of the detainees are probably terrorists. Before they were captured, they spent their days planning to kill millions of civilians, tortured and oppressed populations (e.g., in Afghanistan) or fantasized about and planned on annihilating most of the people on two continents (North America and Europe). So the International Committee of the Red Cross says their mental health deteriorated after being captured. I see. How does that work again?

Would make the Russian winter a little colder:

Don't kiss and tell - and certainly don't tell the police in Moscow, where city authorities are reportedly considering levying fines for public displays of affection.

As part of an effort to 'improve morals' in the Russian capital, its government is working on an order that would prohibit kissing in subways and other public places, the newspaper Stolichnaya Vechernyaya Gazeta reported on its Web site. It said the ban was being considered at the request of police and the city's education committee

(from Associated Press, via Yahoo News).

FCC Approves Home-To-Cell Number Rule

FCC Approves Home-To-Cell Number Rule:

Federal regulators gave the go-ahead Monday for consumers to switch their home phone numbers to their cell phones. The Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) said people will be able to transfer their numbers as long as their wireless (news - web sites) coverage area overlaps the location of their conventional phone.

In some cases, cell customers also will be able to transfer their numbers to conventional phones. However, the FCC said it needed to gather more information so it could expand the number of people who could do so.

The new home-to-cell number and the limited cell-to-home rules take effect Nov. 24, the same day wireless customers will be able to keep their numbers when they switch cell phone companies. The rules govern customers living in the 100 most populous metropolitan areas and take effect six months later for all others.

'After today, it's easier than ever to cut the cord,' FCC Chairman Michael Powell said. 'By firmly endorsing a customer's right to untether themselves from the wireline network - and take their telephone number with them - we act to eliminate impediments to competition between wireless and wireline services'

(from Associated Press, via Yahoo News).

Study: 'Oprah' Fans More Likely To Be Stressed:

According to a new study, fans of the 'Oprah Winfrey Show' have higher stress levels than those who are not fans. According to the study, 5 percent of the country's adult population, or 9 million people, said they feel so much stress that they can no longer cope. Half of those said they were fans of the show

(from TheLouisvilleChannel.com)