Pakistan Nuke-Capable Missile Test
Everybody has got to get into the act. Iran recently admitted working on a nuclear capable missile system. India tested one years ago. This is a dangerous game of one-up-men-ship. I have to admit, there is no deterrent like a nuclear deterrent. I honestly believe Iran, Pakistan, North Korea and others are itching to get nuclear weapons to prevent being invaded by the UN or the U. S.

Pakistan test-fired on Wednesday a nuclear-capable, surface-to-surface ballistic missile, capable of hitting targets deep inside arch-rival India. The military said Pakistan had informed neighboring countries about the test -- a practice also observed by India, which regularly tests its own nuclear-capable missiles. ... Islamabad says its missile program is indigenous, though experts say Pakistan has received Chinese and North Korean help. Reuters

MMPOLG
I've recently lost two friends (temporarily) to online gaming. They play Ever-Crack II constantly. When they are not playing the game, they want to talk about the game. I can't even get email responses. They spout stats and scenarios off like any one who does not want to spend $15 a month plus $50 for the game would care. I don't have cable because I'm too cheep. I'm not coughing up doe to get hooked on a massive time suck. I complain about not getting anything done now.
I'm glad they have fun with it. I have seen them do this kind of thing before. They have meetings in the virtual world. They make battle plans off line. They discuss advancement strategys. That is all well and good, but I miss my friends.

A word of warning to anyone new to the genre: these games require a lot of time and money to fully enjoy. There's no "game over" screen, and the goal is personal growth, not a high score. Think of them as never ending virtual fantasies where you and thousands of other players, similarly sitting in front of computers, can interact and take part in a larger, overarching story. ...  One thing that always helps me gage games is what I'll call the time test. It's simple: If a game holds my interest for at least an hour, I know I'm on to something good. That happened with both of these games. With "World of Warcraft," about five hours passed before I thought to check the time. "EverQuest II" was similarly engrossing, though by the end I had much less to show for my efforts. Like a carrot dangling in front of a horse, these games always promise something better over the horizon. Yahoo AP

I have a cousin who runs a company. He would play Ever-Crack while at work. Hey, he is the CEO. Who is going to complain?
The friends I mention above are a married couple. I just pictured them having kids and all playing Ever-Crack VII together. That may be a better thing than it sounds. Kids have far better eyesight and reaction times than adults. When it comes to action games kids win most often over adults hands down.  However, in strategy games, I wonder if the adults who have been playing for ever, will have the advantage. That is worth pursuing in my book.

Honor Killing
I've heard of this for years. It has been shown in some movies. The idea is that men dominate women. That just isn't true. Several culture still condone female circumcision and honor killings. It is all so barbaric. I have reservations about male circumcision. I just don't get the point anymore. My religion does not require it. Anyway, here are some quotes from an Reuters article.

U.N. estimates show that more than 5,000 women are murdered every year in "honor"-related violence, but the real number could be much higher, said experts at an international conference near Stockholm, which ended Wednesday. Horror stories of women and even girls as young as seven being beheaded, burned to death, maimed, beaten, raped, forced into suicide or mentally abused underscored that patriarchal violence against women pays no heed to religion. ...  "Islam as a reason for the honor killings is rubbish," Nilofar Bakhtiar, adviser to Pakistan's prime minister on Women's' Development, told Reuters. She blamed such violence in Pakistan on "the feudal tradition, the culture and the tribal system." She said that men found it "very convenient to say that what they don't want to do is against Islam and what they want to do is in the name of Islam."  While most cases are reported in Muslim countries, "honor" violence also occurs among Christian families, delegates said. Yahoo (Reuters)

It is not Islam that promotes honor killings, it is a bunch of back-water hillbillies who refuse to acknowledge their responsibility to protect those weaker than themselves.