Civilian deaths in Afghanistan rising, US officials halt raids

Because of a concern that rising civilian casualties in Afghanistan, including women and children, could limit the United States' goals in the region, US officials have stopped some raids in the area.

According to the NYT - "Still, there is little dispute that the increased intensity of American military operations in Afghanistan last year has contributed to the rise in the civilian death toll. As President Obama sends thousands more troops to the war-ravaged country, some officials worry that each civilian death may only drive Afghans toward the Taliban and other militant groups."

This is the question. How will regular civilians react to an increased US presence? Could this fuel a nationalist response, or the emergence of the Taliban as a seemingly better alternative in the eyes of Afghani citizens?

Interesting strategy game being played by Obama here... he'll drop the defense shield in the Czech republic if the Russians will collaborate on stopping the Iranians from developing nuclear weapons. Too bad the Russians aren't biting.

UN Security Council passes Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

What is happening to people in the Gaza strip is terrible. According to this video, aid workers, including those from the Red Cross, are having difficulty offering aid to the wounded and starving.

Hopefully peace will be reached soon.

"THE WIRE" IS REAL

Baltimore Mayor indicted on 12 counts of corruption... for those of us who watcHBO's "The Wire," you couldn't find a better example of life imitating art.

McNulty would love this.

Obama Economy Speech

Can 2009 be the turn around year that we so desperately need? Barack Obama's economic plans are now of the utmost importance for this country. This video is absolutely worth a watch. I was incredibly glad to hear the President acknowledge the very real competition that exists from countries like China and India (although he only mentioned China by name in his speech). I'm reading "The World Is Flat" by Thomas Friedman right now, and Friedman paints a pretty scary picture for our country - provided that we continue to put science and education on the backburner. China and India have larger populations that we do, with more ambitious, and oftentimes, more productive workforces. We absolutely need something like a focus on energy technology to secure American jobs and America's position as a world leader and innovator. The more I think about the past eight years, and how many opportunities have been missed by this administration, the more frustrated I become. Listening to this speech, I am so happy to hear both energy and education mentioned as top priorities for the economic stimulus plan. Granted, one man can't do everything, but if Obama can pull this off, we really will be a nation MUCH better off.
(the video quality isn't fabulous, but the speech is right)