Report: Intel predicted current Iraq problems

"WASHINGTON — Intelligence officials told the Bush administration and Congress two months before the war in Iraq began that toppling Saddam Hussein could produce internal violence and might strengthen Islamist terrorists inside and outside occupied Iraq, according to...

1984 in 2007: George Orwell's House Surrounded by CCTV Cams

Nobody does irony better than the Brits, as this map of George Orwell's old neighborhood shows. I used to think of Islington as home of the Hope 'n' Anchor Pub, where one can catch all kinds of awesome music. Now I'll have to be ready for my close-up next time I return. The...

Rumsfeld Banned Post War Planning in Iraq

"Months before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld forbade military strategists from developing plans for securing a post-war Iraq, the retiring commander of the Army Transportation Corps said Thursday. In fact, said Brig. Gen. Mark...

Sweden: Donors Pledge Over $900 Million for Lebanon

"Swedish officials say donor countries meeting in Stockholm have pledged more than $900 million in emergency aid to begin rebuilding war-shattered Lebanon. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora had initially appealed to delegates from 60 governments and aid organizations for...

Baby boomers and the Huffington effect

"All week the BBC has been looking at the impact of the baby boomer generation in the run-up to the 60th birthday spectacular of the archetypal boomer Bill Clinton on Saturday. The political, cultural, industrial and academic worlds on both sides of the Atlantic are currently...