Scattered Notes From Around The Internets

I don't have time to do much blogging today, so I thought I might post a few leads which you can explore, if you find them interesting...

Australian Gary Hicks talks about his experiences in captivity: Australian describes torture in U.S. custody
"It put me in such fear that I just knew I would 'cooperate' in any way with the US."

The US may talk to "individuals" in the new Palestinian unity government; Israel rejects the lot of them: U.S. and Israel split over new unity government. Among the stumbling blocks: by insisting on the Palestinians' "legitimate right" to resist occupation "by all means", the new Palestinian government has allegedly "failed to step up to international standards".

Carlotta Gall reports on Afghanistan's silent plague of AIDS in an article with a heart-breaking introduction.

A suspect in the failed 7/21/05 London "bombings" testifies that he was not trying to hurt anyone, just trying to make some noise: July 21 attacks planned year before, court hears

Secretary of Rogue State Condoleeza Rice says the "sacrifice" in Iraq was "worth" it even though mistakes were made early in the war: Rice: Iraq War 'Worth the Sacrifice'. The Washington Post leads with coverage of her remarks but dwarfs them with real news from the real Iraq. More heart-breaking stuff, as expected.

In Pakistan, unrest continues to spread 10 days after General President Pervez Musharraf sacked the country's top judge. (In the photo top right, a lawyer in a suit returns a tear gas canister fired into a peaceful gathering by Pakistani police.) As usual, how you see it depends on where you stand: Protests mount against Musharraf attempt to sack Pakistan’s chief justice and Is this Pakistan’s Democratic Revolution? Why does this matter halfway around the world? In Pakistan there are nuclear weapons, a ruthless "intelligence" agency, extensive terrorist connections (even within the government), intense animosity toward India as well as the USA and the GWOT, and now -- suddenly -- an unstable government. As the man says: "Add 'em up. Account for luck. You never know."

Finally, Edgar Steele cracks me up with his "nickel rant", Obama? Yomama!, but Brain Worms might be even better.

I'll be in a meeting all afternoon, hopefully back online sometime this evening. In the meantime, this is as Open a Thread as you'll ever see here without a cartoon.