Quickies

As I suspected, Turkey and Iran are not looking too favorably on the Kurds. Both are amassing forces on Iraq's border and shelling the Kurds. Oil pipeline parts maker, Weir, now says Iraq is too dangerous to operate in.

The three men accused of plotting to blow up a bridge in Michigan after being caught with 999 cell phones (because just a couple wouldn't do) have been charged with fraud; not terrorism. Fraud, you ask? Apparently, they were unlocking the phones.

In this video, Joe Scarborough discusses with another Republican whether or not George W. Bush is an idiot (or, at least, "lacks intellectual curiosity"). Democrats have been saying this for ages. Now Republicans are taking those complaints seriously.

Libertarian Julian Sanchez takes the idiot factor further by satirizing the concept that Bush is reading Camus while on his summer holiday. It's pretty damn funny.

Countries who offered to add peace keepers in Lebanon include Indonesia and Malaysia, neither of which recognize Israel's right to exist. Israel says "No thanks." France, who is heading the force, offers to send 400 people. Robert Fisk points out that the perception that Lebonese forces didn't occupy southern Lebanon is a lie.

Ethiopia goes from drought to flooding and both are a disaster.

The true history of the discovery of the drug ecstasy. Apparently Merk developed it while looking for a blood clot medicine.