Odds and Ends

It's Friday again at last. Let's run through the news, shall we?

Today marks the end of Donald Rumsfeld's stint as Secretary of Defense. Rather than being run out of town on a rail, Rumsfeld was honored today at a Pentagon ceremony. "We've been through war together," the president said. Yes, I hear the sectarian violence in Washington DC is out of control these days.

From the no-shit department, it is revealed that Sen. Lieberman is a huge liar.

South Korea's Ban Ki-moon was sworn in yesterday as the next Secretary General of the United Nations. Seemingly acknowleding criticisms of the organization, Ban said "my first priority will be to restore trust. I will seek to act as a harmonizer and bridge-builder," adding that world governments required a "dynamic and courageous" United Nations and not one that was "passive and fearful."

His first test may come from Gaza: 'Hamas accused a Fatah leader of orchestrating the previous day's attack on Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh — and a Hamas politician appeared to call for the Fatah strongman's assassination. Leaders of both groups have warned that the violence threatens to degenerate into civil war.'

The Daily Show offers a humorous spotlight on Al Jazeera's new English network.

It's official! Satire is no longer needed; real life is its own parody. Via Rolling Stone: 'The Golden State Fence company, a firm that builds border fencing to keep illegal immigrants out of the San Diego area, has just been fined $5 million for... wait for it... employing illegal immigrants to build its border fencing.'

New Jersey legalizes same-sex civil unions; stops short of officially calling them 'marriages'.

More from the 'what are Democrats working on?' files: 'Responding to a recommendation from the Sept. 11 commission, the incoming House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said Thursday that House Democrats would create a new type of committee to better scrutinize spending on the nation’s intelligence efforts.'

Finally, tonight marks the first night of Hanukkah.