Harold Pinter was, today, awarded the Nobel Peace prize for literature. He took the opportunity to address the world about why both Bush and Blair should be arraigned for war crimes. He enjoyed himself!

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Volume 1 was generally living conditions, Volume 2 was about what kind of pay you can expect and some of the 'incidents' I've got to experience. Volume 3 cleared up a few issues, talked about some more incidents and then talked about the local Iraqis I've chatted with. This is going to about a couple of the places I forgot about and traveling out here. BTW: pic page still up.

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Volume 1 was generally living conditions, Volume 2 was about what kind of pay you can expect and some of the 'incidents' I've got to experience. This is going to clear up a few issues, talk about some more incidents and then I'm going to talk about the local Iraqis I've chatted with. BTW: pic page back up. El Guapo waits for his buddy's T1 to get Kuroded.

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Volume 1 was generally living conditions, this is about what kind of pay you can expect and some of the 'incidents' I've got to experience.

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'Iraq' is a misnomer in the state sense. The term al-'Iraq actually means the shore of the great river. It has been used by Arab geographers since the eighth century, but only came to mean a particular country situated in the alluvial plain formed by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers since the 1920s. One must understand the brevity of Iraq as a single political entity before one can ever hope to grasp its problems as they stand now. Furthermore, to gain any real understanding of Iraq one must recognize, through historical analysis, that Iraq has always been a country of disharmonious parts welded together only through the liberal application of force.

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Well, I got here this past March. I've tried to look at 'both sides of the story' - and guess what? Mainstream media seems to be missing some things! (eyeroll) Volume 1 is about living conditions, future volumes will be about stuff I've seen (wild west stuff there!)

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The science of genomics is the study of genes and their function. Recent advances in genomics are bringing about a revolution in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of disease, and are providing new ways for scientists to develop pharmaceuticals by targeting the specific genes, or the corresponding proteins responsible for the disease. The details of the process are summarized at Decision Resources. They write "Genomics-based drug discovery now offers the improved ability to identify greater numbers of drug targets. Genomics is based on the concept that a gene's function is to generate a certain effect or group of effects in the body. Genes achieve this functionality through the proteins they produce. Although the genes themselves might become therapeutic targets, the pivotal rationale behind this approach is that, by linking public genomic data with proprietary genomic sequence information, pharmaceutical companies can then launch a focused search for proteins expressed from these genes, providing additional therapeutic targets."

The new genomic approach to drug design may have a significant impact on the quality and scope of pharmaceuticals available, it also raises some important questions with regard to social justice, that is, how can you insure that certain groups of people are not disadvantaged with regard to drug development? It is conceivable that the pharmaceutical industry, driven either by profit or prejudice, will avoid developing drugs that will be vital to a minority population.

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In a flash of political genius, the American Family Association has threatened to boycott American Girl, a manufacturer of dolls, books, clothes, and accessories for 7-12 year old girls, over the company's support of Girls Inc., a national nonprofit organization that "inspires girls to be strong, smart, and bold". Much as the misogynists among us would argue with the feasibility of some of these goals, their benevolence seems beyond doubt. So what's the deal here?

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If you look at the Army Field Manual's section on interrogation techniques, you will find an enlightening little passage on the subject of "coercive" interrogation, which says in part:

The use of force, mental torture, threats, insults, or exposure to unpleasant and inhumane treatment of any kind is prohibited by law and is neither authorized nor condoned by the US Government. Experience indicates that the use of force is not necessary to gain the cooperation of sources for interrogation. Therefore, the use of force is a poor technique, as it yields unreliable results, may damage subsequent collection efforts, and can induce the source to say whatever he thinks the interrogator wants to hear.

Yesterday evening, John McCain passed an amendment to the next military appropriations bill which if followed would end such practices by simply requiring the treatment of detainees to be held to the standards in the Army field manual. Bush claims he's going to veto it. This would mean the first, and so far only, veto of Bush's entire presidency would be performed in support of torture.

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Iraqi version

On Monday, two persons were approached for suspicious activity. They fired at police, killing one and wounding another. They attempted to flee in a car, after which they were apprehended and photographed. It was discovered that though the two were in civilian clothes, they were in fact British soldiers. Explosives were found in their car, and it is believed that they were in the process of planting explosives for the purpose of inciting violence. It is for this reason they are believed to have fled from the Iraqi authorities.

These events set off other violence, including the bombing of British tanks, and clashing with Iraq Basra police. UK demands for the release of their soldiers led to fighting between UK and Iraq Basra police. The UK mounted an armed raid, consisting of twelve tanks, and brutally overtook the police station, allowing hundreds to escape and extracting their soldiers. The UK and US is currently in the process of damage control, claiming that the operation was a "rescue" and further attempting to eliminate any other evidence or opposition.

UK official version

Iraqi police had arrested two off-duty British soldiers, and after some negotiations, they were released into British custody.

Sources

Google News

Washington Post,

phillyburbs.com,

Kuna.net,

ABC News (US).

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