"Jewels" On Display

The CIA will reveal the “Family Jewels” this week. The “Jewels” are documents containing information about domestic spying, assassination plots and other illegal activity conducted by the agency between the 1950s and the 1970s. BBC

Vice President Cheney refuses to comply with an executive order to disclose how his office has handled classified documents. Washington Post How big of a liability is Cheney for Bush? Time

How the West could make “martyrs” and “traitors” in the Middle East. Economist

The U.S., France, China, Russia and several other nations begin a conference in Paris today to discuss ways to stop the genocide in Darfur. AFP/France 24

A court has ruled that once an email leaves your mailbox, it’s private: the government can’t look at it unless they tell you. Funny thing is, emails weren’t legally recognized as private before this. Time

It’s not a cure for the common cold, but researchers say there is something that can reduce the chances of catching one. BBC

Let boys be boys. Washington Post

You never know when you might need a “do it to it” waistband.

Two-State Dilemma

With Hamas in control of Gaza and Fatah in control of the West Bank, are there two Palestinian states for the West to deal with? New York Times The U.S. plans to restore aid to Palestinians once Fatah has a new government without Hamas. BBC Why should we care about what happens in Gaza? Newsweek

Finally, some progress in Darfur. BBC

Go out on that limb. Five issues on which the candidates for president need to be courageous. Time On what issues should the candidates be courageous?

Want to play video games all day and get paid for it? They’re doing it in China. (Yes, it’s too good to be true.) New York Times (video)

Morgan Freeman, who just turned 70, began hitting the links later in life. Here’s what it taught him: Newsweek

Will Kobe stay or will he go? AP/MSNBC Here’s the post from his blog. What do you think?

This fight was on Mother’s Day. Did they even try to take a picture for Father’s Day?

The Date Is Off

Dems back off on a date to withdraw from Iraq, but they - and some Republicans - still want some conditions for war funding. Washington Post It’s al-Qaeda again? Washington Post Take a look at another effort by King George to execute warrantless searches. New York Times

7/7 bombing victims call for an inquiry on how MI-5 missed the bombers. After the attack investigators said the suicide bombers were “clean skins” - unknown to MI-5. (London) Times Police were pursuing the 7/7 leader five months before the attacks. Guardian

What’s going on with the secularists in Turkey? BBC

Arrests warrants have been issued by the International Criminal Court for a Sudanese minister and a militia leader for war crimes in Darfur. Let’s see if this warrant has teeth and the men are arrested. AP/The Australian

Do you bank with JP Morgan-Chase? According to this video, they don’t dispose of their customer information properly. CNN Money

That contaminant that got into your pet’s food may have also gotten into YOUR food. Reuters (video)

Why did NASA refuse a partnership with Russia on the second Moon shot? Telegraph Meanwhile, be healthy on your trip to Mars or you might get voted off the spaceship. AP/CNN

How much do countries give in aid. Maybe a little. Maybe a lot. It depends on how you count it. Economist

Enjoy a few pints beer over the course of the week? It could make your brain smaller. (Melbourne) Age But making that pint could be good for the environment. BBC

The big De La Hoya-Mayweather fight is on Saturday night. And it will continue on Sunday, and Monday..

Guilty

Five men were found guilty of plotting to use fertilizer to cause a series of explosions in Britain. Telegraph One of the men had links to the 7/7 bombers who killed 52 people in 2005. That link was known before those attacks. ITV

Former spy chief George Tenet defends his role in the lead up to 9/11 and the Iraq invasion. He also chats about enhanced interrogation techniques (um.. Torture?) and the “slam dunk” remark. 60 Minutes (video) Six former CIA officials say Tenet was ”the Alberto Gonzales of the intelligence community.” As head of the CIA they say Tenet was “a grotesque mixture of incompetence and sycophancy shielded by a genial personality." Ouch! CNN

Protesters rally for secularism in Turkey as the military hints at a coup if an candidate with an Islamist past is elected president. (London) Times

Iran will attend a regional meeting this week on creating stability in Iraq. It could lead to a high level one-on-one chit-chat between the U.S. and Iran. Reuters

Still doing a heckuva job. $854 million in foreign assistance was offered to the U.S. after Katrina. Twenty months later, only $40 million has been used. MSNBC (video)

Celebrities come out to raise awareness about the genocide Darfur. AFP/France 24

Hate tying that half-Windsor every morning? A frou-frou group in Hong Kong is promoting the Mandarin collar that doesn’t need a tie. Reuters (video)

Here’s what happens when a Gap parody for Mom and Dad goes wrong. What the hell is a “boyfriend trouser” anyway?

More Time

The Pentagon extends tours for active-duty soldiers from 12 to 15 months in Iraq and Afghanistan. New York Times

The attack on the Algerian prime minister’s office by a group recently affiliated with al-Qaeda brings renewed fear in that country. BBC What threat could this group cause to France and the rest of Europe? Time

More Power? The National Intelligence Director - America’s spy chief - wants to give intelligence agencies even more power. AP/MSNBC

Behind Iran’s announcement of an industrial-scale nuclear program. It’s not all it’s hyped up to be. Time Background Q&A on the Iran nuclear standoff and nuclear weapons around the world. BBC

Don’t understand the extent of the genocide in Darfur? See it on Google Earth. Reuters

First, Live Aid. Then, Live 8. This summer: Live Earth which intends to raise awareness about the environment. (London) Times

Writer Kurt Vonnegut has died at the age of 84. New York Times


These action figures are pretty realistic.. And gory: Jets, flamethrowers, and in the accessory kit, ground beef!

Four Years And Counting

A comprehensive poll about Iraqi opinion four years after the Coalition invasion of the country. ABC Violence by the numbers. BBC Iraqis are turning against al-Qaeda and turning them in. Channel 4/Guardian (video)

Voluntarily or by subpoena, Karl Rove may testify in front of a Senate committee about those U.S. Attorney firings. Reuters

As Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe’s oppressive regime begins to break, here’s a look at how he stayed in power for 27 years by oppressing, starving and kicking Zimbabweans out of their homes. Telegraph

The U.N. is watching, but doing nothing, about the atrocities in Darfur. Economist

She speaks: Valerie Plame, whose outing as a CIA officer lead to former Cheney chief-of- staff Scooter Libby’s conviction of lying to the FBI and a grand jury, told a House committee her side of that long complicated story. Washington Post

Here’s why some conservative Republicans don’t like presidential candidates who are more concerned with the Second Commandment than the Second Amendment. Time

Take a look at what Fido and Whiskers are eating. There is a major pet food recall linked to 10 pet deaths. USA Today Here are the 50 brands of dog food and 40 brands of cat food being recalled.

Evander Holyfield is on the comeback trail and doing well, but maybe “The Real Deal” should throw in the towel while he’s ahead. Sports Illustrated

We wonder what these guns would sound like with silencers.