Quoted: Forget the "benchmarks" that Baghdad's politicians are showing little inclination to meet; the best hope in recent memory for national reconciliation in Iraq came Wednesday in the form of a shootout — not your conventional sectarian or insurgent affair, but a series of penalty kicks that settled an Asian cup soccer semi-final in Iraq's favor. Iraq's upset victory over highly rated South Korea has earned it a showdown on Sunday against — boy, do the gods of soccer ever have a wicked sense of humor — Saudi Arabia. The news drew tens of thousands of Iraqis of all stripes out onto the street in a joyous celebration, which was tempered by two suicide bombings that killed more than 50 fans.

Bittersweet victory. Let's hope the greatest sport in the world, soccer, can save Iraq, b/c the Bush Administration certainly cannot. Amazing what sports commoradory can do for the morality of a nation. People apparently "risked life and limb to watch the game together with old soccer pals from opposite sects" ... All is not lost.

Quoted: It's not easy to find romance in a conservative Muslim country torn by war. Here's how some young Iraqis are trying

A glimmer of hope in the shadows of war, as LOVE conquers all barriers. Perhaps this is the road to democracy...

Quoted: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas sacks the Hamas-led government and declares a state of emergency,

wow...this happened in a hurry! it's needed though...the violence in Gaza is getting out of control.

Water: the giver and in this case, the TAKER, of life. And all this time we thought it was about oil...oh wait, that's just the US.