Foreclosures have doubled since this time last year. Nevada was hardest hit with 1 in 43 home owners receiving a foreclosure notice.

A shooter injured 3 people at a Phoenix-area community college computer lab. The shooter was involved in an altercation with another student, which turned violent.

Sorry, busy busy busy... what's up?

Not too much is newsworthy...

What's going on today?

Discussions between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and opposition leaders, including former Presidential hopeful Morgan Tsvangirai start today in South Africa. The discussions are designed to give opposition parties a larger seat at the policy-making table. Mugabe has been increasingly pressured by the international community after allegations of an unfair electoral process.

The New York Times refused to publish an editorial by Sen. John McCain that was offered as a counter to Sen. Barack Obama's editorial on the state of Iraq. The newspaper claimed that the rebuff was not politically motivated, but hinged on the fact that, in the opinion of the NYT, McCain's editorial did not concretely define what would constitute victory in Iraq.

June fundraising numbers are in. Sen. Obama raised over $51 million while Sen. McCain over $21 million. Sen. Clinton is reporting campaign debts of over $25 million, but about half that is to herself.

Salim Hamdan of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld fame will face a military tribunal today for providing support to Al Qaeda. Hamdan, an "illegal enemy combatant", will likely not be released even if he is acquitted of these charges.

U.S. lawmakers flock to Iraq - everyone wants to go to the new Middle Eastern paradise!
Fattest U.S. states named - don't get upset if you are in one of them!

Have a great Weekend!

Every picture tells a story, don't it. The following graphs don't tell the whole story of the surge strategy because Iraq is a big and old and complex place, but they do provide some measures of how the strategy is going, and it's going quite well. Civilian casualties are way down, to historic lows.

So are U.S. military casualties.

Whoohooo it's almost Friday! Anyone else excited? :)

Little foreclosure relief seen from housing bill
Soldiers yearn to leave quiet Iraq for 'real war' - the real indicator that Iraq is finally in great shape. Yes, lets start moving brigades to Afghanistan.

Have a great Thursday!

Inflation is at a 26-year high , the fed funds rate is at 2%, and the economy is hitting a serious downturn. Can you say stagflation ?

Congress overrode Bush's veto of HR 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act. The vote was 383-41-11 in the House and 70-26-4 in the Senate.

Hello everybody! I suppose I should get back to my open thread duties after my time off.

IndyMac is reopening today under new management. About 5% of IndyMac's assets were not FDIC insured. People who had uninsured assets will be able to withdraw 50% of their money.

An interrogation of a Canadian citizen held at Guantanamo Bay has been released . The prisoner, Omar Khadir (age 21), was captured six years ago in Afghanistan after being suspected of throwing a grenade that killed a US soldier. His military tribunal is set to convene in October.

The Dow is opening higher over the upcoming rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage companies. There is also some controversy over the New Yorker's obviously satirical portrayal of Obama and his wife.

Judge for yourself below.

During student protests in 1999 Iran, Ahmed Batebi was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He waved a bloody shirt to discourage other students from going outside to march. The Economist captured the image, and it both changed his life and saved it.

Rest in Peace Tony Snow - Tony Snow, Former White House Press Secretary and FOX News Anchor, Dies at 53 - one of my all time favorite anchors and Bush admin officials. You always had a smile on your face, even when the end was close. I'll miss you.

I hope our site's hosting company has finally fixed the problems with the server and we are ok :) It's been rough the last 2 days.

I like the Iran appears to digitally alter missile photo on the MSNBC frontpage... "appears"??? Here is another quote from the pathetic excuse of MSNBC who can't even state facts as facts - "Photoblog: Picture of test-firing may have been altered to cover up launch failure." - "may have been altered"???

You don't need complicated software to see with a naked eye that one of the missiles in the middle has a different background, crudely photoshopped in. But no, somehow we need to utilize legalese language lest a militant dictatorship on the other side of the world gets offended.

Open Thread.

Mudville Gazette has a good round-up of current events in Iraq, and it looks like the surge strategy is continuing to work.

I see the server has been down and then no one put this up! Sorry about that, I was at the doctor's for a checkup and it took forever.

FISA Consideration today! Predictions? Immunity stricken?

Weak economy may be Wal-Mart’s strong suit - It's a somewhat amusing report that includes someone who protested Walmart's arrival in their community and vowing to never shop there, only to go there when the going go tough. I personally only shop there when it is most convenient - need something small and it's very close to home. But Walmart is defying all efforts to fight it. Very impressive.

Have a wonderful week!