YouTube Saturated?

Seems like YouTube may be down from overload at 03:24 GMT Nov 1st. Or more likely it's the kiss of death - Google style -- given the recent aquisition by Google. The Blogger engineers must be having tea with the YouTube guys... see recent posts.

We are sure they will be back up soon. LOL. As for Blogger... Well they are up and running today. Let's see if they can actually break a record and go the entire month of November without another "server outage". We are not making any bets.

A Tribute to "Smart Man" John Kerry.

Scott Ott has wasted no time in assembling a thought provoking montage of "Smart Man" John Kerry (sorry Howard Stern, but we could not resist). The video clips appear to be compiled in tribute to one of the great deep thinkers of our time. A salute if you will to his inspiring instinct, intellect and impeccable timing always measured and calculated to obtain maximum political effect. Courtesy of ScrappleFace --
When someone now says, "So just how smart are you?" after viewing this video clip you you'll be able to say with pride...

"KERRY SMART!!":



Political satirists can always count on John Kerry for some added comic relief during any election season. By the way, speaking of comic relief, where on earth is Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton? Come on guys... we miss you!!

Tags: satire, sarcasm, politics, political-cartoons, parody, zz

Kerry Intimates Troops in Iraq are Ignorant

So, Mr. Kerry once again puts his foot in his mouth a week before the Mid Term elections. Listen to this news conference and think about West Point grads and the thousands of troops that are already there in Iraq! What kind of message does this send?... Dems can do alot better than this guy in 2008 !!!

(Video player requires Flash Player.)

Nothing like alienating thousands of military in one fell swoop. In this comment he intimates that if you do well in school and make an effort to be smart you can stay out of Iraq!!! Expect MAJOR flipping on this over the next week. Fortunately You Tube has caught it verbatum. Let's see how he wiggles out of this one. Hillary and Obama, make sure you save this link!!!

Tags: satire, sarcasm, politics, iraq, zz

Google and the Demise of Blogger

For those of you who use Blogger as your blog publishing tool, I suggest that the logo you see above currently displayed on the Google search engine has nothing at all to do with Halloween. But everything to do with what we are calling the "demise of Blogger." The above image captures it all. It's really a depiction of the horror that has become the Blogger publishing experiance! If you tried to post over the weekend (and you did not switch over to their Beta version for many really valid reasons I might add) you will know what I am talking about. The bandages and the skeletal hand are more than appropriate to depict how many users feel about Blogger right now. The reliability of this platform since Google purchased the company last year has gone completely down the toilet. Not to mention loss of confidence and credibility of the support staff and expecially the management who obviously don't give a rat's ass about redundancy in their hardware archetecture. Yet 1.6B was spent by Google to seek to acquire YouTube. If you have a site with any serious traffic and readership it has become a disaster! The Beta version, which has been in beta for for months now, is still in beta and loaded with issues along with a myraid of conversion headaches for all but the most simple sites. We are sure they will work them out. The question is WHEN?? For you FTP users who have your own domain and ISP... (like this site) you'll just have more outages to endure until they provide an FTP version. The question is WHEN?? Lord only knows what bugs and issues everyone will be experiancing when FTP is available!

Here is an excerpt from Stuck on the Palmetto who replied to one of the recent Blogger Status Updates... I reprint it here in the name of every Blogger user that was frustrated during the past three days... Italics are from the recent Blogger Status update... LOL...

In the short term, we’re replacing quirky hardware and increasing our monitoring to stop problems before they start (forgive me my clichés?).

You mean like this morning's publishing problem that went on for over 8 hours? Sorta slipped through the cracks, this one, right guys? (forgive me my clichés.)

In the long term, we’re developing a new version of Blogger with some great new features that is built on technology and hardware that has proven, Google-quality reliability.

Excuse me for one minute. HAHAHHHAHHHAHH HAHHAHHHHAH HAAAH HAAHAHHHAHHAHHA. Okay, I'm back with you. "Google-quality reliability?" You've had Blogger now for how long, Google? And how many times a week is it going down? You can't even make the old one work but you want us to believe that the new one is going to be better?

And then literally in the next breath, these Silicon Valley dweebs tell us that just to show us they're serious about this fixin' up thing, they've updated their "status blog" with the new Blogger beta. The "status blog" is essentially where they tell us about how terribly sorry Blogger is about the outages. Oh, and excuse the "bugs" with new "status blog."

...I’m pleased to point out that our status blog is now powered by the new version of Blogger. This means that we will be free of the Catch-22 of problems with the current version of Blogger preventing us from reporting about the problems with the current version of Blogger. (And we’ll fix that bug that makes it look like all the posts came from me. We’re on it.)

They haven't even been able to figure out how to match up the correct author with the posts. These are the guys bringing us the new "Google-quality" Blogger. --- Rick / Stuck on the Palmetto

By the way.... check out the annoucement on YouTube. See what we mean!!! Plenty of money to burn on a website... we are scratching our heads how this fits into Google's future vision. Could they find themselves the not so "big brother" of George Orwell 1984 fame say perhaps in 2020? Hmmm....

What say Ye ???

Tags: parody, sarcasm, satire, political-cartoons, zz

When Republicans Become Independents

Years ago there was an old TV cigarette ad, "I'd rather fight than switch!" With one week to go before the 2006 mid term elections, many Republicans are wondering if switching might actually be the right thing to do for their country to send a strong message to the GOP regarding the mindless lemming like behavior that has plagued their party for the past two years! In fact, more and more dyed in the wool "Republicans" we know around the office are beginning to label themselves as "Independents". No one in the good ole U S of A enjoys backing a looser. Right now, no matter which way you slice or dice it, the Iraq quagmire looks like a looser. The one track mind and incomprehensible inflexibility of the President, also looks like a loosing strategy. Pound that square peg into the round hole GW, never admit a mistake let alone change course. We'll show those terrorists! We'll make the Iraqi's love us even if we have to kill every last one of them! Yes... very lemming like.

Who really wants to be associated with a lemming-like political philosophy? Only a few Republicans with only days before the election have made an attempt to think and speak independently and stray from the party line. John McCain at least has the courage to say what he believes in the face of criticism from within his own party. He seems like LESS of a lemming to us and is better for it politically. Joe Lieberman... another "Independent" will probably run away with the Conn. Senate seat. Why? Maybe because he has the courage to speak his own convictions like McCain. Again... less lemming like.

In the end our prediction is the U.S. will "leave" Iraq, maybe even under the Bush administration in time for the 2008 election in a desperate but failed attempt for the Republicans to regain the House and Senate and keep the White House. The Iraqi military will eventually centralize power as the U.S. withdraws and a new low key Sadaam-wanna-be will emerge. Maybe he (and we are sure it will be a HE by the way) will even be backed by the U.S.! Iran and Iraq will go at it again with Iran invading the southern half of Iraq and the oilfields in the south while bolstering it's nuclear ambitions in the region. Shades of Iran contra and Iraqi alliances will emerge. Turkey will help "stablize" the north and provide "protection" to the Kurds. But hey, we will have an "alliance" with "friendly" military bases in Iraq and Turkey. Afterall, why not return to a strategy that has worked well in the past? Divide and conquer. When all this unfolds we can claim victory for our history books, and then proceed to delude ourselves until the next major Islamo-facist attack befalls the West. Then the cycle of fear will repeat itself. Out with the Democrats and in with the Republicans. To be sure without an Independent left to be had.

Tags: middle-east, iran, iraq, sarcasm, politics, zz

Harold Ford RNC Ad will Crack You Up!

Regardless of your political persuasion, you'll have to admit that this campaign TV ad being run by the Tenessee RNC is hilarious. We have to give the producers an A on creativity. Maybe the good folks in Tenessee will set a whole new trend on humorus campaign mudslinging!

Tags: satire, sarcasm, politics, parody, zz

Stay The Course

700-Mile ‘Concept Fence’ a Virtual Reality?

Today all Americans can sleep soundly knowing that their lawmakers in Washington have been burning the midnight oil in an effort to pass a bill to build a fence "in concept" along the southern border of the U.S. This "concept fence" as the good people over at ScrappleFace put it, will provide the deterrent that will ensure the security of all Americans from all the evils arising from the open border to the south. It's rumored however that a "concept fund raising events" are to be scheduled soon in all the major cities along the US / Mexican border. There will be also be a virtual ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled in the year 2010 when it is estimated that the concept fence will "in principle" be transformed to the "production fence" after years of testing the concept. Scott Ott over at Scrapple face puts his slant on today's story from the White House concept bill signing ceremony. The GOP is really grasping at straws!! Can you say desperate?

ScrappleFace:

(2006-10-26) — President George Bush today signed into law a bill that authorizes a 700-mile long "“concept fenceÂ" on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The concept fence, a project approved but not funded by Congress, is similar to a concept car, administration officials said.

According to an unnamed bill sponsor, "The concept fence is an insurmoutable barrier that will shut off the steady, daily flow of illegal aliens invading our country to take our jobs, boost our crime rate, burden our social welfare system and potentially bear contagious diseases or weapons of mass destruction. The concept fence is impossibly high, supercharged with 1.21 jigowatts of electricity, and each mile is guarded by a battalion of National Guard troops and a squadron of A-10 Warthog fighter jets."”

If the concept proves popular, officials said, Congress may eventually fund the actual "production fence" which will be a three-foot high hedge of juniper bushes.

Human rights advocates responded to the new law by charging that the 700-mile fence would force undocumented workers to squeeze through the remaining 1,400 mile border gap, possibly causing lacerations and brush burns.

Any ideas on what might be in store for the northern border with our Canadian friends? We are thinking along the lines of a 4,ooo mile mote stocked with lamprey, and patroled by hyperactive crazed sea otters connecting Vancouver with the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

Tags: satire, parody, sarcasm, bush, zz

Oval Office Brainstorming

Bush Urges Nation To Be Quiet For A Minute While He Tries To Think

Here is a fancinating piece of reporting complete with insightful observations during an August 2006 address to his fellow Americans. We resurect it because we suspect the White House is desperatley hoping this week and next to change the national discussion within in the media from one of "Stay the course in Iraq" to "It's better to be seen and not heard".

The Onion - August 2006:

WASHINGTON, DC—In a nationally televised address Monday, President Bush urged all citizens, regardless of race, creed, color, or political affiliation, "to quiet down for just one minute" so he could have "a chance to think."

"Every American has an inalienable right to free speech and self-expression," Bush said. "Nonetheless, I call upon the American people to hold off on it for, say, 60 seconds. Just long enough for me to get this all sorted out in my head."

While the president said achieving a unilateral peace and quiet "would not be easy," he hoped that citizens would respect his wish and work toward a temporary cease-talk so that he could can hear his own thoughts "for once." More...

Tags: bush, congress, politics, sarcasm, satire, ZZ

Barack Obama Charsimatic Welfare Fund

The latest buzz is all about the freshman Senator's bid for the White House and his pre-empting Hillary as the Democratic Presidential nominee in 2008. No doubt there are real concerns in the Democratic party over Hilliary's electability.

The Spyglass Chronicle

"So who would have thought that Hillary would have met her match two years before the primary?? Sen. Obama’s comment on Tim Russert’s Face the Nation that he has changed his mind about running for President in 2008 should not have been a surprise as Democrats are feeling their oats in anticipation of a landslide victory in a few weeks. We suspect that there will be no shortage of photo ops with Sen. Obama in the coming weeks."

(2006-10-23) — Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive 2008 Democrat presidential nominee came under attack today from his own party when Democrats in the Senate introduced a bill that would force him to share his abundant charisma with his colleagues. “Democrats never like to see an uneven distribution of the good things of life,” said one senate aide who helped to write the legislation. “Sen. Obama has more than his fair share of charisma, while so many senate Democrats go without. It’s not right for so much charm and personality to be in the hands of so few.” Under the terms of the measure, Sen. Obama’s charisma would be redistributed “to each Democrat senator according to his need.” -- Scott Ott/ScrappleFace

Scott Ott doesn't pull any punches does he? If we sound a bit jaded it's only because American politics has now degenerated into nothing more than a corporate marketing campaign. Have you seen Hillary Clinton in the media recently? She looks like she has spent a small fortune on botox and mud pack facials!! Not a crevice or crow's foot to be had, just like a baby's behind! And Condi Rice. We wonder if Condi will also be closing her political fashion gap (no dental puns intended) since she has already made real progress with her hairdresser recently. We still wish she would shit can those striped jump suits of hers!

Tags: parody, sarcasm, satire, politics, ZZ

Flash Games for your Blog

If you want to add Flash Games to your website or blog you can find a complete how to guide with a full collection of arcade style flash games which have been tested, packaged and available for immediate digital download. Check them out over at the OpenWeb in their Emporium Downloads section. They have over 290+ games included in three convenient zip bundled digital downloads. Here is an example.... Shooting Arcade .
Each of the zipped download packs contains 90+ games in .swf format including their respective graphics files along with a value added instruction guide (.pdf) so your visitors can play them right on your site.

The games must be configured manually if you are using vBulletin. Everyone else, if you have access to an FTP server via your ISP you can upload and link to them in a post or anywhere on your site just like an image gif or jpg file. If your ISP doesn't allow server access the games can still be played stand alone on your PC or laptop!!

Tags: flash, flash-games, games, ZZ

300 Millionth American

Tags: political-cartoons, sarcasm, satire, ZZ

Democrats Offer to Let GOP Keep Some Seats

(2006-10-19) — With Republican electoral prospects dimming by the hour, Congressional Democrats today offered to forego “the embarrassment of counting the votes” from the upcoming national elections, but to let the GOP keep some of its seats in the House and Senate.

“It’s kind of like an out-of-court settlement,” said presumptive House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA. “We’ll let our friends across the aisle avoid the humiliation of a public thrashing by our strong, attractive Democrat candidates, but we’ll demonstrate mercy by conceding a few seats, so that Republicans have at least a token voice in national affairs.”

An unnamed spokesman for the Republican National Committee (RNC) called the Democrat offer “gracious”, and said the two parties were negotiating over when and where Interim House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-IL, will give the concession speech.

Republicans have staggered in recent weeks under a barrage of painful publicity ranging from plunging fuel prices, to record stock market closes, to the Bush administration’s failure to produce inflation despite growing employment, reduced tax rates and soaring tax revenues.

Meanwhile, Democrats ride a wave of public adoration due to the party’s clear, positive vision for protecting the civil rights of foreign terrorists, retreating from Iraq so that rival Muslim sects can work out their differences without American interference, and restoring the Clinton era “spirit of cooperation” with North Korea.

While some critics have suggested that both parties wait until the American people speak at the ballot box before declaring winners and losers, Rep. Pelosi called that kind of thinking “a quaint relic of ancient history, made obsolete by political pollsters and media pundits.”

“After all,” she said, “just because we’re the Democrat party doesn’t mean we have to be slavishly democratic. Some things are better decided by a few smart people behind closed doors.” -- Scott Ott / ScrappleFace "

Tags: satire, sarcasm, parody, ZZ

Kim Jong-Il Molested as Child

Kim jong-Il is alleged to have claimed being molested as a child and is sorry for his nuclear testing adventure. The molestation has apparently scarred him for life as a child and now opens the possibilty that indeed Kim was not acting on his own presence of mind when he ordered the test. The U.N. Security council leadership is reported to be concidering to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to recind it's sanctions and find the right words for a formal appology for taking such reckless actions condeming North Korea without knowing all the facts! Photo of the alleged incident happened to be captured below in addition to the full story by satirical reporter, Scott Ott.

(2006-10-21) — North Korean President Kim Jong-Il today reportedly told Chinese diplomats that he regrets his government’s recent detonation of a nuclear device, and he revealed that he had been molested as a child.

“President Kim is sorry, and he takes full responsibility for the atomic bomb test,” said an unnamed Chinese source, “but in the spirit of transparency and vulnerability, he wants people to know about the childhood molestation incident.”

The North Korean leader has reportedly checked himself into a rehab center to “heal his inner child and boost his self-esteem,” but a spokesman said he is not ashamed to come out of the closet as a fascist dictator.

“A lot people are going to trot out the old myths that fascist dictators are dangerous to society,” said the spokesman. “But short of a few isolated genocides and unprovoked invasions, there’s little evidence to substantiate that claim. It’s time to move past recriminations over the nuclear test, and let bygones be bygones.”" -- as reported by Scott Ott / ScrappleFace

Tags: satire, sarcasm, parody, ZZ News and Satire

UN Strikes N. Korea first with Preemptive Resolution

The UN Security Council has reportedly been preparing a preemptive strike in terms of another strong resolution to deter Kim (mentally) Ill's nuke program. Satricial reporter Scott Ott over at ScrappleFace describes the harsh punative measures inflicted upon the rouge state.

October 18, 2006
UN Hits N. Korea with Preemptive Resolution
by Scott Ott

(2006-10-18) — In a proactive move designed to “shock and awe” North Korean President Kim Jong-Il, the United Nations Security Council today deployed a preemptive resolution condemning that nation’s upcoming second nuclear weapons test.

“You can’t wait until you see a mushroom cloud over Tokyo or Los Angeles before you take decisive action,” said one unnamed council member. “You need to get the right words on paper, and get all the Council members to agree on them in advance to anticipate a nuclear test or attack.”

The new resolution levies “severe sanctions” on North Korea, including potential loss of executive washroom privileges for the North Korean ambassador to the U.N., and limits to previously-bottomless beverages at U.N. dining facilities.

Although the preemptive resolution garnered a 15-0 vote at the Council, the Chinese ambassador said he might allow his North Korean colleague to use his washroom key in an emergency.

China also blocked language in the measure that would have restricted North Korean access to certain items at the “all you can eat” U.N. buffet. --- Scott Ott / ScrappleFace

The GOP Boogey Man

Independent voters will make all the difference in the mid term election. The fear tactics of the GOP are very transparent to Independent voters who tend to take a broader more holistic view of the political landscape. No doubt they don't like what they see! Will Independent swing voters turn out strongly for a mid term election. Many political observers think not. Nov. 7th will tell the story.

Tags: satire, sarcasm, political-cartoons, parody, ZZ News and Satire

Kim Triggers Nuke, Pelosi Calls on Hastert to Quit

It's critical that U.S. lawmakers keep their priorities in order in the wake of the upcoming November elections. Satirist Scott Ott provides insight into the concern being expressed in Democratic campaign circles that Kim - mentally - Ill is stealing the thunder from the House Speaker wanabe...

(Satire)(2006-10-09) — In the wake of the weekend detonation of North Korea’s first atomic bomb, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, called for the resignation of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-IL.

“It’s important that lawmakers keep the main thing the main thing,” said Rep. Pelosi. “We can’t get so distracted by debates about North Korea’s sovereignty that we forget that Dennis Hastert is still on the loose, indirectly endangering America’s children.”

The timing of the atomic bomb test raises questions, she said, about when President George Bush first knew of former Rep. Mark Foley’s lurid instant message chats with teenage boys in the Congressional page program.

The California lawmaker said the North Korean nuclear test was “a natural result of George Bush’s failure to sit down with Kim Jong-Il and work out their differences. In effect, Bush pushed the button.”

“By failing to negotiate with President Kim,” she said, “Bush virtually assured a pre-election nuclear detonation that would knock the Foley scandal out of the headlines just in time for the Congressional elections. Reporters should be asking how Bush knew that the Foley scandal would break now?”

Mrs. Pelosi said the timing was “beyond coincidence, and has all the earmarks of another cynical Republican ploy to distract people with trivial national security issues so that they don’t hear our progressive Democrat plan to improve America by getting Hastert to quit.”" -- satirical reporting by Scott Ott / ScrappleFace

Tags: parody, sarcasm, satire, world-news, ZZ News and Satire

China On Alert after N Korean Nuclear Test

China has reportedly cancelled all leave for troops along part of its border with North Korea. The Wen Wei Po newspaper says Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops ranged along the border in the north-eastern Jilin province have had leave "totally cancelled". It also says some PLA forces are also conducting chemical weapons training.

read more | digg story

North Korea Calling

North Korean Shock and Awe

N Korea Conducts Nuke Test

An effigy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is burned in Seoul after news of the test. Picture / Reuters

Has N. Korea passed the point of no return?? While the test is being confirmed by Western intel, the stock markets are sure to feel the effect. The Kosdaq (Korean Nasdaq) is down 7% at 4:58 GMT. So it's off to the U.S. Insecurity Council for long list of strong worded resolutions?

Six party talks, more global blackmail -- The world appears less safe going into the November elections. Where is John Kerry and Howard Dean when you need them? We want Bill!! We want Bill!! This calls for some heavy duty dialogue and fast talking diplomacy... (not to mention a few billion dollars in aid, and a tax hike to pay for it when the Dems take the House in a few weeks.) What will China's reaction be? Seems like a good time to invest in any company involved nuke defense technology. Can anyone say "Star Wars Missile Defense Systems" ?

(Pyongyang)- North Korea has performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test.

The country's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the test was performed and that there had been no radioactive leakage from the site.

'The nuclear test is a historic event that brought happiness to our military and people,' KCNA said.

'The nuclear test will contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and surrounding region.'

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun has convened a meeting of security advisers over the issue.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency also reported that intelligence over the test has been exchanged between concerned countries.

The nuclear test was conducted at 10:36 am (0706 IST) in Hwaderi near Kilju city.

The North said last week it would conduct a test, sparking regional concern and frantic diplomatic efforts aimed at dissuading Pyongyang from such a move.

North Korea has long claimed to have nuclear weapons, but had never before performed a known test to prove its arsenal. " More...

Cold War Redux? Just when we thought the world was a grand ole place during the Clinton years -- the Roaring 90's if you will, it sure seems like we will be back to the JFK years again with perhaps the next Democrat in the White House... How's that for geo-political irony?

Tags: world-news, terrorism, ZZ News and Satire

V3 Flash Games for your Blog

If you want to add Flash Games to your website or blog you can find a complete how to guide with a full collection of arcade style flash games which have been tested, packaged and available for immediate digital download over at the OpenWeb in their Emporium Downloads section. They have over 290+ games included in three convenient zip bundled digital downloads. Here is an example.... Shooting Arcade .
Each of the zipped download packs contains 90+ games in .swf format including their respective graphics files along with a value added instruction guide (.pdf) so visitors can play them on your site.

The games must be configured manually if you are using vBulletin. Everyone else, if you have access to an FTP server via your ISP you can upload and link to them in a post or anywhere on your site just like an image gif or jpg file. If your ISP doesn't allow server access the games can still be played stand alone on your PC or laptop!!

Iran Arrests Moderate Cleric

Once again the world sees the degree of blossoming religious intolerance in the Islam-o-facist State of Iran like a mushroom cloud growing on the horizon. If there is any doubt left, this breaking story should put those doubts to rest. Western nations are now rapidly losing their focus (assuming they ever had any) to stand up to radical Islam, thanks in part to the politics and failures in Iraq. Giving Iran more power in the region than it could ever have dreamed in their quest of wrneching it by force in the Iraq-Iran war. Jihadists now see their power base spreading upward and outward on the world stage. The goal of radical islam stops short of nothing except full domination of all middle-eastern muslim central governments by radical jihadist islam. Only one voice will be accepted. Certainly not the voice of moderation from one cleric in a small town outside of Theran. Even moderate Muslim imams now have something to fear in Iran...

Perhaps an event such as this will open the eyes of tolerant and educated Muslim communities around the globe to further digest what the future holds under a radical Islamist central government. Perhaps some will even have the courage to fight, challange and demand religious tolerance for all people. But somehow we find that a logic a long shot. -- ZZ

(TEHRAN)"An Iranian cleric, Mohammed Kazemeini Boroujerdi, has been arrested amid clashes between his supporters and police outside his house in Teheran.

Police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of his followers, who had formed a cordon around his residence.

In his sermons Mr Boroujerdi advocated a traditional interpretation of Islam which separates religion from politics. He is accused of misinterpreting Islam.

However, his supporters see him as a religious leader with spiritual powers.

Hidden Imam

Mr Boroujerdi has hundreds of supporters who regard him as a prominent cleric or ayatollah with divine powers to solve their spiritual and material problems.

He has been preaching his brand of Islam for years in a mosque in a poor neighbourhood in the south of Tehran.

However, Iranian officials have accused him of claiming to be a representative of a Shia saint, known as the hidden Imam, who is believed to have disappeared in the 10th Century.

But in an interview with a foreign radio station, Mr Boroujerdi denied the accusation and said he only defended what he termed the true Islam.

It appears that his increasing appeal among some sections of people in recent years has alarmed the authorities.

Liberal and dissident clerics in Iran have told the BBC that Mr Boroujerdi is not known outside a small circle of dedicated followers. " More...

Tags: world-news, middle-east, iran, ZZ News and Satire

North Korean Soldiers Try Fishing in the DMZ

(AP Wire) Tensions mounted over North Korea's threat to test its first atomic bomb, with shots ringing out Saturday along the border with South Korea and Japan warning of harsh sanctions if Pyongyang goes nuclear.

With a possible test expected as early as Sunday, the U.N. Security Council issued a stern statement Friday urging the country to abandon its nuclear ambitions and warning of unspecified consequences if the isolated, communist regime doesn't comply.

Jittery nations have warned a test would unravel regional security and possibly trigger an arms race.

A midday incursion Saturday by North Korean troops into the southern side of the no-man's-land separating North and South Korea only stoked the unease.

South Korean soldiers rattled off 40 warning shots at the five communist troops who crossed the center line of the Demilitarized Zone, the inter-Korean buffer.

It was unclear whether the North Korean advance was intended as a provocation, or was an attempt to go fishing at a nearby stream, an official at South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on condition of anonymity, citing official policy. No one was hurt, and the North Koreans retreated. More...

Tags: N.Korea, world-news, ZZ News and Satire

Front Page Envy

Satire: Bob Woodward New U.S. Defense Secretary

Scott Ott takes aim at Rummy and the Washington Post in one fell swoop. On the eve of the sheer insanity that is the U.S. midterm elections, rumors that Rummy may be replaced by the level headed Washington Post reporter, Bob Woodward may have indeed been uncovered by investigative reporter Scott Ott at ScrappleFace. Scott's article points to Mr. Woodward's innate gift to foster clandestine confidence from even the most tight lipped of senior administrative White House officials, rivaling that of a personal papal confession. "You gotta spill your guts to Bob," stated one undisclosed source, "He's just that kind of guy!"

(WASHINGTON) "White House sources today said that President George Bush, under increasing pressure to "win the peace" in Iraq, will fire embattled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and nominate Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward as his replacement.

The unnamed sources said White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card made the recommendation to the president after reading Mr. Woodward's new book "State of Denial."

"It's clear that Bob Woodward gets more solid information from people at the Pentagon, State Department, National Security Council and White House than Rumsfeld does," said one anonymous official. "Rummy and Bush are arrogant and work in a vacuum which leads to bad decisions. Everybody talks to Woodward, plus he's humble and nobody has a better grasp on what would have worked in a given situation."

Mr. Woodward declined to comment for the record, but unnamed associates said the venerated journalist would "jump at the chance to use his fabled powers of hindsight to lead the Pentagon. Plus it would allow him to work more closely with all of his unnamed friends in the top echelons of government."

Bob Woodward is best-known for a series of anonymously-sourced articles he wrote with Carl Bernstein more than three decades ago that resulted in a movie starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman." -- Scott Ott / ScrappleFace