Iraq: "CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. June 16-19, 2005. N=1,006 adults nationwide. MoE 3. 'Do you favor or oppose the U.S. war with Iraq?'

Date	Favor	Oppose	Unsure
6/16-19/05	39	59	2

(Via IraqWar.)

Baghdad Burning: "Water has been a big problem in many areas all over Baghdad. Houses without electric water pumps don’t always have access to water. Today it was the same situation in most of the areas. They say the water came for a couple of hours and then disappeared again. We’re filling up plastic containers and pots just to be on the safe side. It is not a good idea to be caught without water in the June heat in Iraq.

‘I need to bathe the children and wash all these clothes,’ S. called to me as the older of the little girls and I hauled out their overnight bag. ‘And the sheets- you know nothing has been washed since last weeks ajaja…’ We call a dust storm an ‘ajaja’ in Iraq. I don’t think there’s a proper translation for that word. Last week, a few large ajajas kept Baghdad in a sort of pale yellow haze. What happens when an ajaja settles on the city is that within a couple of hours, the air becomes heavy and thick with beige powdery sand. Visibility decreases during these dust storms and it often becomes difficult to drive or see out the window."

(Via Baghdad Burning.)

Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | Trial to probe slaying of Notorius B.I.G: "The mystery of who gunned down Notorious B.I.G. -- and why -- has frustrated and fascinated the hip-hop world for eight years. With FBI and police investigations failing to net even a suspect, a swirl of theories implicated corrupt cops, gang hits, bicoastal beefs -- or all three at once. None have been provable, so far.

The case finally is in court, as a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the New York rapper's family. On Tuesday, jury selection began. The panel is expected to at least get a peek inside the so-called murder book showing whom the Los Angeles Police Department interviewed and which leads were followed.

Christopher Wallace was killed early March 9, 1997, on a Los Angeles boulevard after someone in a dark sedan fired seven shots into his sport utility vehicle while both cars were stopped at a light. Wallace was heading to a hotel following an awards show after-party.

The suit claims LAPD officials covered up a former officer's involvement in the slaying and ignored a systemic problem of potentially dangerous moonlighting. The family claims a number of off-duty officers associated with gang members while providing security for Death Row Records, home of Wallace's West Coast rival, Tupac Shakur."

(Via Salon.)

Salon.com News | Entire nation of Iraq on list of endangered sites: "A Roman aqueduct in Spain, New York City's hotly debated 'lollipop building' at 2 Columbus Circle and the entire country of Iraq are among the World Monuments Fund's list of 100 most endangered sites.

'This is the first time we have listed a country as endangered, and I think that we can all understand that every site in Iraq that is significant in terms of cultural heritage is at risk today,' Bonnie Burnham, president of the World Monuments Fund, said Tuesday. Thousands of important sites in Iraq, known as the cradle of civilization, are at risk from war, looting and neglect, Burnham said."

(Via Salon.)

Salon.com News | Lions rescue beaten Ethiopian girl: "A 12-year-old girl who was abducted and beaten by men trying to force her into a marriage was found being guarded by three lions who apparently had chased off her captors, a policeman said Tuesday.

The girl, missing for a week, had been taken by seven men who wanted to force her to marry one of them, said Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo, speaking by telephone from the provincial capital of Bita Genet, about 350 miles southwest of Addis Ababa.

She was beaten repeatedly before she was found June 9 by police and relatives on the outskirts of Bita Genet, Wondimu said. She had been guarded by the lions for about half a day, he said.

'They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest,' Wondimu said."

(Via Salon.)

Adopt A Chinese Blog: "Ever since blog became popular in China, there have been a number of occasions where some blogs were shut down by telecommunications company or internet service providers due to their political speech. These incidents not only brought risks to bloggers themselves but also to blog service providers in China. Many blog service providers had to increase their effort in content filtering. All these brought pressure and helplessness to people who dare to make truthful expressions.

Especially since April 2005, when the law on non-profit website registration became effective, website owners are required to submit their real personal information when they register their websites. The annual registration process as well as hefty penalty for failure in compliance have angered many website owners that use an independent virtual server and domain names.

Therefore, many bloggers in mainland China began to consider moving their blogs outside of China. But because of language barrier, financial, payment and other issues, the cost of moving is rather high and the situation is not optimistic.

It is based on the belief of free speech that we started the Adopt a Chinese blog project. We hope that we and others on the internet who shared the same belief, can share resources and help bloggers who want to freely express themselves and find a safer space for blogging, so that they can continue to blog without retribution.

As a matter of fact, the goal of the program is to help bloggers. The support is not limited to any specific country. It is borderless and global. At least this is what we wish: let people freely express themselves, without the worries that their blog may one day be shutdown."

(Via /.)