the cat and mouse | past present future
me myself iArchive for March, 2007
interesting
Half of all American troop deaths in the Iraq have been caused by explosives plundered from Saddam Hussein’s weapons depots, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. Those depots–filled with hundreds of thousands of tons of shells–remained unguarded for years after the U.S. took control of the country.
The Boston Globe
huh?
Some of you ex-USMers will recognize that ending!
old enemies make peace
Following up from, or adding to, my Northern-Ireland post of a few days ago…
Leaders of Northern Ireland’s largest Protestant and Catholic parties stood in the same room for the first time and agreed to share power. Ian Paisley founded the pro-British Democratic Unionists in 1971, while Gerry Adams has been a key leader of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, since 1978–and in all that time, the two never met.
Paisley and Adams said they would govern jointly starting May 8. That would mean reimplementing the Good Friday accord of 1998, which provided for home rule for the British province of Northern Ireland, under an executive made up of both parties. “We must not allow our justified loathing for the horrors and tragedies of the past,” Paisley said, “to become a barrier to creating a better and more stable future.”
I wonder if Paisley and Adams are now on hit lists for more extreme groups within the Protestant and Catholic communities?
Matilda
She is KILLING me with her gas explosions!!! Maybe that hamburger from Wild Willy’s wasn’t a great idea! But she sure liked it.
sleeping together
A University of Vienna study found that when men slept alongside their female partners, they woke up the next day less rested and with impaired cognitive functions. “We were never meant to sleep in the same bed as each other,” a sleep expert said.
What about having to sleep with an English bulldog?
places I’ve lived
0. In my momma’s tummy!
1. Knoxville, Tennessee
2. Eau Gallie, Florida
3. Columbia, Tennessee
4. Waverly, Tennessee
5. Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
6. Waverly, Tennessee (again)
7. Wilmington, Delaware
8. Biloxi, Mississippi
9. Hattiesburg, Mississippi
10. Columbus, Mississippi
11. Jackson, Mississippi
12. Hattiesburg, Mississippi (again)
13. Chicago, Illinois
14. Boston, Massachusetts
Northern Ireland conflicts
| NORTHERN IRELAND’S HISTORY OF CONFLICT | |
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Key dates in tensions between Protestants and Catholics: 1921: Northern Ireland is formed from six provinces that opt out of a self-government agreement offered by Britain and accepted by the southern part of Ireland. 1967-68: Northern Ireland’s Catholics push for voting rights and demonstrate against unionist power in Northern Ireland. 1972: Direct rule of Northern Ireland from London begins. Violence against British troops quickly follows. Police report more than 1,400 bombings; 470 people are killed during the conflict’s bloodiest year. 1994: Mostly Catholic Irish Republican Army announces a cease-fire. It lasts until February 1996, when the IRA sets off a bomb in London, killing two. 1998: USA helps broker the Good Friday peace accord in Northern Ireland. Voters in Ireland and Northern Ireland endorse it. 2005: IRA agreement to disarm clears way for implementation of the agreement. 2006: Great Britain and Ireland prod Northern Ireland’s politicians to move forward on home rule and shared power. 2007: Voters elect a new assembly on March 7, giving the Protestant and Catholic political parties the power to form an executive government. Monday: If Northern Ireland doesn’t form a government by this deadline set by Britain and Ireland, Britain will continue to rule it in consultation with Ireland. Reporting by Melanie Eversley, USATODAY. |
