The Army National Guard is tripling retention bonuses to counter lagging recruitment and is asking for 2$20 billion to replace equipment destroyed in combat as it struggles under the continuing burden of the Iraq war. The war has lasted 21…

A U.S. Army combat veteran on leave from a unit headed back to Iraq arranged for a friend to shoot him in the leg in an attempt to avoid returning to the war zone, Philadelphia police said Thursday.

Facing complaints, Bush pledges stronger dollar He assures a European ally that he will work to boost the currency and cut the budget deficit. How, George, how? Pledges means nothing. One swell way to cut the deficit would be to…

Yukos seeks US bankruptcy refuge Embattled Russian oil giant Yukos has filed for bankruptcy protection in a US court in an attempt to prevent the forced sale of its main production arm.  Russian authorities are due to auction off Yuganskneftegas…

Via the Netsurfer newletter, detailing the stats from the ever-popular Boing Boing website (I can remember when Boing Boing was a fanzine! ) Internet Explorer wins the browser race with 37% of all accesses, but note that Boing Boing’s audience is…

S.E.C. Says Fannie Mae Violated Accounting Rules. The S.E.C. has ordered Fannie Mae to restate its earnings for the last four years after concluding that it had violated accounting rules. The staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered…

US Soldiers show off Hillbilly Armor. From the film “Gunner Palace” here’s a film clip showing what US soldiers think of their Hillbilly Armored Humvees. QuickTime movie clip. Link via Political Animal Thrill to the soldier explaining how the “armor”…