Spring is beginning to spring! The weather goes from wintry to almost summery in the same day, rain falls, rainbows appear when the sun comes out, and the whole place looks a little greener and more alive than we remember it. We welcome the spring with walks in the fresh air, trips to favorite hangouts, and...
AY...AYYE...AYCHOOOOO
..allergies.
And what better way to fight allergies than to stay in a hypoallergenic home until the antihistimines kick in, and in the meanwhile pass the time with some dust-and-pollen-free ITEMS!
ITEM! My own personal yardstick for whether President Obama is doing his part to end the Iraq fiasco is whether he abides by the withdrawal time line negotiated by his predecessor. That time line should have combat troops out of Iraq by August of this year, and the rest of our troops out by summer of 2011. So far, he's been very good about meeting all the milestones of that time line. Now it looks like that time line is about to slip. More here.
(Added bonus: before you click on that link, see if you can guess why the time line might slip. Here's a hint: I've been warning about this happening for years now.)
ITEM! Are unmanned aerial vehicles "illegal combatants?" What about the pilots that control them? More on this thorny question about the laws of war here.
ITEM! Women's rights in Iraq took a huge hit after the US deposed Saddam. How have things changed since then? In a nutshell: they haven't. Have a look here.
ITEM! The Chicago Tribune? Trying to smear Alexi Giannoulias with an unfair guilt-by-association job? Heavens forefend! (And the newspapers wonder why nobody trusts them anymore?)
RABBIT!
Someone needs to dub this to Slayer.
ITEM! I think MTV is crap, but I can't help but like this.
ITEM! The Buckman Show-And-Sell, a fundraiser to help support the arts program at Buckman Elementary School (a Portland Public School!), is on! It runs from 10-5 today at Buckman Elementary School, 320 NE 16th Avenue, Portland, Oregon. Come and buy some art -- the school gets a cut! More here, and check out the news coverage here!
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