Today's round-up
Good News From Iraq, Part 17, from Arthur, The Great One,

Terrorism, violence and insecurity continue to plague Iraq, and the pace of reconstruction and the economic reform try the patience of people who, having suffered so much, are starved for a better life. Yet amongst all this, there is good news coming out of Iraq. Soon, the Iraqis will have the opportunity to elect their government and thus institutionalize the process of reform taking place over the last year and a half. A few among them want to turn back the clock to before March 2003, other want to turn it back by hundreds of years, and they will stop at nothing to achieve their dream. Let us hope that the other dream - that of the silent majority of Iraqis - will in the end prevail.

Photos here, via Eric.
Mary asks Are our intelligence agencies still so accustomed to reflexively treating Saudis kindly that they’ve forgotten 9/11?.
Francis continues to work on The Quilt.
Jack's posting on US-India relations.
Via Michael, LaShawn notices that Kwanzaa Is for Pagans, and I say festivus is for idiots.

And don't tell me about global warming, it's 11oF right now.