Say Goodnight, Blackwater

The Iraqi government has denied Blackwater a renewed operating license, effectively putting an end to the operations of one of he most well known private military contractors in Iraq. This action is, of course, in response to the Blackwater shooting incident in 2007, as the license was denied for the firm's use of 'excessive force'. The State Department, who is the client for Blackwater, has not confirmed who will be taking over the privatized diplomatic security mission in Iraq. There are two other PMC's (private military contractors) operating in Iraq, but we'll have to see who gets the contract.

Here's an interesting idea, how about booting the PMC's altogether? I know, that's a stretch, but while I recognize the need to utilize PMC's due to U.S. force limitations, I don't like the diplomatic or security consequences.

CNN Wire Article | ABC News Article |
Reuters Article

London from Above, at Night

More awesome photography from Boston.com's "The Big Picture". I am always amazed at the quality of photos displayed there.

More of London from above, at night - The Big Picture

A Street With a View

Performance art meets Google Street View. It's pretty unique.

Well, sure. It's not like anything else has worked.

From abu muqawama: Well, sure. It's not like anything else has worked.

The U.S. is falling behind in th deployment of advanced herbivore brigades. I'm troubled.

Version 44 Update

http://www.chromecow.com/2009/01/20/us-democracy-server-patch-day/

If you aren't a gamer geek, some of this might not make sense... but trust me, it's hilarious.

Buy More Ninjas

Saw this article over at abu muqawama on what perhaps the Navy should be pouring funding into. Good, quick, read.

http://abumuqawama.blogspot.com/2009/01/maybe-we-should-buy-more-ninjas.html

Flying

Yikes.

If you think jumping out of a perfectly good airplane is not the smartest thing in the world, you are seriously going to wonder about the sanity of these folks. But it's really cool to watch.

Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavor are Looking For a Good Home

Got a lobby (a big one) that needs a unique display? Got $42 million? Then you could get yourself a gently used and well maintained orbiter in a couple of years.

Want a retired space shuttle? They're up for grabs - Yahoo! News

Yeah, you know that you want one.

Tiny Resource Meter

I'm always on the lookout for lightweight tools, and this one (via Lifehacker) fits the bill nicely. It does what it is supposed to, giving me details on system performance, and does it while using limited resources. It's a portable app, running from an .exe and requires no libraries, packages, etc. It just works.

PESoft TinyResMeter

If you need a tool like this, check it out.

Venice under water

Venice under water - The Big Picture - Boston.com