interesting

Half of all American troop deaths in the Iraq have been caused by explosives plundered from Saddam Hussein's weapons depots, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. Those depots--filled with hundreds of thousands of tons of shells--remained unguarded for years after the U.S. took control of the country.

The Boston Globe

Northern Ireland conflicts

NORTHERN IRELAND'S HISTORY OF CONFLICT

Key dates in tensions between Protestants and Catholics: 1921: Northern Ireland is formed from six provinces that opt out of a self-government agreement offered by Britain and accepted by the southern part of Ireland. 1967-68: Northern Ireland's Catholics push for voting rights and demonstrate against unionist power in Northern Ireland. 1972: Direct rule of Northern Ireland from London begins. Violence against British troops quickly follows. Police report more than 1,400 bombings; 470 people are killed during the conflict's bloodiest year. 1994: Mostly Catholic Irish Republican Army announces a cease-fire. It lasts until February 1996, when the IRA sets off a bomb in London, killing two. 1998: USA helps broker the Good Friday peace accord in Northern Ireland. Voters in Ireland and Northern Ireland endorse it. 2005: IRA agreement to disarm clears way for implementation of the agreement. 2006: Great Britain and Ireland prod Northern Ireland's politicians to move forward on home rule and shared power. 2007: Voters elect a new assembly on March 7, giving the Protestant and Catholic political parties the power to form an executive government. Monday: If Northern Ireland doesn't form a government by this deadline set by Britain and Ireland, Britain will continue to rule it in consultation with Ireland. Reporting by Melanie Eversley, USATODAY. Sources: Wire reports and USA TODAY research

Saddam Hussein

(I didn't post this properly before...obviously the execution went through).

I guess it's part of human nature...compassion, that is: Saddam Hussein is potentially to be executed within the next three hours, CNN says. He did terrible things to his country and others, yet I still feel sorry for his imminent capital punishment. Still doesn't seem right to me to kill others, even in the case of war or capital punishment. I think I'd rather be executed than spend the rest of my life in prison.