Five Iraqi civilians were killed yesterday, and many are now pushing for a tally of the civilian dead, as figures range from 15,000 to 100,000. The CIA says that Americans would be wise to learn from the works of T.E. Lawrence (aka "Lawrence of Arabia") in their attempts to pacify Iraq. The sections they quote from his book seem eerily familiar - to wit: "to make war upon rebellion is messy and slow, like eating soup with a knife."

A wine producer in South Africa admitted to adding illegal flavorings to their Sauvignon Blanc, in a scandal many worry will affect the entire South African wine industry, which is only now gaining respectability. (Interestingly, this is not a new problem in South Africa; very similar behavior in previous centuries has damaged the wine industry there.)

Farmers in China are being evicted from their land with small compensation so developers can build on it. The farmers aren't allowed to own their land due to laws enacted by Mao Tse Tung's regime, but the developers are allowed to purchase it. Because there's no safety net, little other farming land to be had that isn't claimed by someone else, and few jobs for farmers in cities, the land seizures leave rural Chinese in a perilous situation. Fighting for the villagers is an unreconstructed Maoist named Liu Zhandou, who lives in a cave and sleeps on a heated brick bed. A very interesting article about a rapidly changing culture.

After a whole lot of pushing and shoving, the bill on restructuring the US intelligence services has been approved by the US House of Representatives. The Senate votes today and is likely to approve the measure. The Christian Science Monitor explains what the bill means, saying, "If historic legislation to reform the US intelligence community can be summed up in a word, it might be this: centralization."

The Supreme Court looks likely to knock down laws that restrict the shipment of wine between states. Lawyers for the wine producers argue that it's protectionism by the states, which is prohibited by the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. Intriguing stuff for the constitutional law junkie.

Sexual harassment at the Air Force Academy in Colorado hasn't dropped very much over the last decade; it's just been underreported. The report cited a lack of discipline at the academy and a culture of disrespect toward women. Meanwhile, the Air Force's top lawyer had illicit affairs with at least a dozen women in the past ten years, some of whom were Air Force, in violation of rules against fraternization.

New York state has voted to decrease the penalties for drug offenses. The Rockerfeller drug laws were so harsh that some first time offenders were put away for sentences from 15 years to life. Some people say the legislature didn't decrease the sentence time enough.

It's the Terminator versus the auto industry in California. Auto manufacturers are suing to get rid of California's new greenhouse gas regulations; Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vowed to defend the state's policy on fuel economy.

New Yorkers are in a tizzy over the destruction of a hawks' nest that was located at a co-op building near Central Park. The hawks have been roosting there for over a decade, people from around the world have come to Central Park to observe them, and they've even been the subject of a PBS documentary. Mary Tyler Moore, who lives in the co-op building, says other residents voted to have it removed, as they were displeased by the droppings the hawks would leave and the dead pigeons they'd occasionally drop to the ground in front of the building's entryway.

The earliest evidence of alcoholic beverage making has been found; Chinese pottery jars dating back about 9,000 years contained traces of an alcoholic beverage made from a mix of rice, honey and fruit.

The makers of the film of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series will be eliminating references to God and the church from the movie. Which is kinda like eliminating references to magic from Harry Potter. *headdesk*