Obama leaves Russia
Death penalty for rioters in China
blah blah blah
Google announces operating system based on browser.
Okay? Cool!
Massive rioting in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang region in northwest China, has left more than 156 dead and more than 1,000 injured. The whole thing is confusing and uses a lot of words I can’t pronounce, but it is generally kind of like Nepal without the adorable monks. Here are a few bullet points to guide you through it:
For now rioting probably continues and there are disputes over whether most of the deaths have been caused by the rioters or by the police. The Internet has been cut for large areas of China and where it is still on sites like Facebook and Twitter are blocked. Read more about this issue here. If any of our many readers (Ok well, two) who are China experts want to correct me, I welcome their thoughts in the comments.
The running of the bulls kicked off in Pamplona, Spain with no serious injuries and only a few bumps and bruises. So, good for them?
The President signed an agreement on Monday to cut American and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals by at least one-quarter. It looks like the treaty signals a warming between Russia and the United States and could lead to more significant arms control talks next year.
There were 7 new U.S. casualties in Afghanistan yesterday, reflecting the intensified fighting there. With more U.S. soldiers in the region and with those soldiers pushing out into areas that had been largely written off to Taliban or tribal control, this is probably only the start of increasing casualty numbers.
More important than the news that Hank Williams Jr. is running for Senate in 2012 is the news that he has a duet with Kid Rock called “Cadillac Pussy.” Rock. Now, here’s what else was going down today:
In today’s OMG TV, I neglected to pass brief judgment on Jon Stewart’s musical number in the Colbert Christmas special. I apologize. For what it’s worth, I’ll give it a “heh, heh.”
So what do I write about now? I mean… is there still news? I heard Barack Obama went to the gym yesterday. That’s news right? So cold… so very cold…
What’s that? A light at the end of the tunnel? Could it be? Could it possibly be useless bullshit coded as culture wars that I can get outraged about again? When all hope fails, turn to BIll O’Reilly. Last night, Bill O’Reilly kicked off his annual War on Christmas, or, his war on the War on Christmas? I am not sure how it works exactly but I am pretty sure it is coded hate speech of SOME kind. The Christmas arms race escalates this year with bumper stickers.
I am not the only person feeling a little empty after this election. Both David Brooks and Paul Krugman use their columns to project their fervent wishes onto the incoming administration. Krugman wants them to think big while Brooks just sort of awkwardly bares his soul and says “think Republican.”
Unemployment, Georgia, and Hope after the jump
The Hoosiers ended up making it a real nailbiter, as Sen. Clinton won Indiana by a slim margin, while Sen. Obama carried North Carolina by a solid 14 points. This will result in a net gain of about 10 delegates for Obama, but more importantly, reduces Hillary’s nomination chances to, at least according to Slate, 4.2 percent. The media’s calls for a Clinton withdrawal have reached deafening levels, with disreputable pundits ranging from Tim Russert to Matt Drudge declaring Obama “The Nominee.” Meanwhile, this morning’s reports reveal Hillary has loaned herself an additional $6.4 million – just enough to buy each undeclared superdelegate a really nice wine and cheese basket.
Dimitri Medvedev, the new Russian President, was sworn in yesterday and immediately appointed Vladimir Putin his prime minister. No matter how many times I try, Medvedev’s name is not a palindrome.
Feds conducted a massive drug bust at San Diego State University, arresting 96 people, 75 of them students. The highlight of the raid? One of the arrested students was weeks away from receiving a Masters in Homeland Security. Tom Ridge would be so proud!
And I hate to end on a terribly tragic note, so no Myanmar news today. Instead, let’s celebrate: the Police announced their final show. When asked about future plans, Sting declined comment, as he working through the first leg of a three day long tantric sex session.
Blah blah blah