Help me earn a free iPod...

Yeah, so... I'm working on a free 40gb photo iPod, and i guess you could really help me out... I know it seems skepticism-worthy, but I've been informed by trustworthy sources that it will work... So click above and do me a favor... if you do, let me know and maybe i'll do you a favor too...

(will be deleted when this becomes s serious site again... which it may never...)

I'm leaving this scene...

But I'll be back.
For now, though, I'll be posting primarily at the Skidmore Progressives blog, because that'll be a group effort once the ball gets rolling, and that really excites me. Also, it will be easier than maintaining my own personal site, because sometimes I just can't find the words. I guess that's not a very good start for a career in political journalism, but heck, who needs that anyway.
So, until we meet again, go to the progs blog to see what I've got to say.

(also for now the progressives website is http://www.skidmore.edu/~d_gwilli/progs1/ and I'll update when we've moved to out final resting place)

NPR : U.S. Military Probes Taped Killing of Wounded Iraqi

How many times will this happen?

An American Marine is shown on videotape shooting an apparently unarmed and wounded Iraqi man in a mosque in the city of Fallujah. The incident was caught on camera by an American TV journalist. The Marine has been withdrawn from the battlefield while the U.S. military conducts an investigation. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

my president

my president
Originally uploaded by -<*You love to faiL*>-.

Feel free to put this up as you see fit.

Abbas unhurt in Gaza shooting

GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Mahmoud Abbas escaped injury on Sunday after masked gunmen opened fire near him inside a tent where people were mourning Yasser Arafat.

Two Abbas bodyguards were killed, Gaza hospital sources said. Witnesses and medical sources said at least 10 people were injured in the shooting.
...
Abbas also said that the tent was crowded and emotions were high. He said the men were pointing their weapons up and shooting into the air, which isn't unusual. "You can see it in the weddings here," Abbas said.

U.S.: 'Enemy is broken' in Falluja

Do I believe it? Maybe... Maybe not.

Between 1,000 and 2,000 insurgents have been killed in the week-long assault, Marine Lt. Gen. John Sattler said. The American death toll rose to 31, with six Iraqi forces also reported killed. Nearly 300 Americans have been wounded, Sattler said.
...
Sattler said the military had about 1,000 people in custody and expected as many as 700 would be released after interrogation.
...
Also in Falluja on Sunday, U.S. forces were barring from the city's center an Iraqi Red Crescent convoy carrying food, blankets, water purification tablets and medicine for hundreds of trapped families, a U.S. Marine officer told Reuters.

I'm taking a break

I've got a few projects in front of me, including a website design for the Skidmore Progressives and a big deal paper or two for my liberal studies class. I'll still be checking up on you all, but I need to take a short break. If anyone is interested in guest blogging, let me know...
d_gwilli [at] skidmore.edu

Also, it's entirely possible that this blog will be relocating to the progs webpage... we'll see what happens.

James Wolcott: On Borrowed Time (II)

Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Marlboro, and GM were all revealing problems echoing those "already faced by Disney, Wal-Mart and Gap."

Corporate chiefs dismissed the connection between falling sales and rising anti-Americanism.

(via Atrios)

Cheney Visits Hospital After Shortness of Breath

Damn.

Vice President Dick Cheney, who has a history of heart trouble, went to a hospital Saturday after experiencing shortness of breath. Two tests found no abnormalities, an aide said.

A pacemaker implanted in the 63-year-old Cheney's chest three years ago indicated no irregularities during the past 90 days, Mary Matalin, a spokeswoman for the vice president, said. The device gives doctors a three-month readout. She said an electrocardiogram, which measures the heart's electrical activity, showed no change.

Cheney, who has had four heart attacks, although none as vice president, returned Thursday night from a pheasant hunting trip in South Dakota with a cold that left him short of breath, she said.

Palestinian Leader Arafat Dies at 75

So he finally succumbed...

But what's this?

Within hours of Arafat's death, Israel sealed the West Bank and Gaza Strip (news - web sites) and increased security at Jewish settlements, fearing widespread Palestinian riots in the coming days.

"The Israeli Defense Forces are deploying to allow a dignified funeral ceremony for chairman Arafat," an army statement said.

The military said it would restrict access to the funeral and burial, set for Friday in the West Bank city of Ramallah, and only allow Palestinians with permits to attend. The military will allow processions in towns and refugee camps, officials said.

A military funeral was scheduled earlier Friday in Cairo, a location that allows Arab leaders to avoid travel to the West Bank, where Israel controls access.

That seems a little suspicious to me. I suppose it makes sense on some level, but I tend to try to avoid the thought that Israel really is engaging in a military occupation of the Palestinians.

President Bush (news - web sites) issued a statement of condolence to the Palestinian people.

"We express our condolences to the Palestinian people. For the Palestinian people, we hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbors," the president said.

Oh my god, is that actually tactful? Call me optimistic, but... well, just call me optimistic for now.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres (news - web sites), who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Arafat and assassinated Israeli leader Yitzak Rabin, said:

"The biggest mistake of Arafat was when he turned to terror. His greatest achievements were when he tried to build peace."
...
Arafat became one of the world's most familiar faces after addressing the U.N. General Assembly in New York in 1974, when he entered the chamber wearing a holster and carrying a sprig. "Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun," he said. "Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand."
...
"As long as the world saw Palestinians as no more than refugees standing in line for U.N. rations, it was not likely to respect them. Now that the Palestinians carry rifles the situation has changed," Arafat explained.

One of the world's most notorious and most beloved figureheads has passed on. Who will be the nest speaker for the Palestinians? They desperately need someone strong, who will not sacrifice their interests, but also someone who's willing to compromise in a way the best represents the interests and opinions of the people... Call me optimistic...