Before we go on to the scary news here are a couple of cultural items.

The Floating World of Ukiyo-e
Shadows, Dreams, and Substance

"Ukiyo-e" (translated as pictures of the floating, or sorrowful, world) is a showcase of the Library's spectacular holdings of Japanese prints, books, and drawings from the 17th to the 19th centuries. These works are complemented by related works from the Library's collections created by Japanese and Westerns artists into the 20th century.
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thanks to wood s lot

Hogwarts and all

If Harry Potter's world is a fantasy, it's a peculiarly British one. Which is why there was nowhere more appropriate to shoot the film than in the UK's cathedrals, castles and suburbs. Gareth McLean joins the Harry Potter trail
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Now for the scary stuff.

Israeli minister assassinated

Rehavam Zeevi, the Israeli far-Right Tourism Minister, was shot and killed outside his Jerusalem hotel room today, in what a radical PLO faction said was revenge for the killing of its leader by Israel two months ago.
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The Israelis have, for some time now, been assassinating Palestinian leaders. Now the Palestinians assassinate an Israeli leader and the Israelis are going off the deep end. Arafat's stuck between that rock and a hard spot that's getting very rocky and very hard.

Q&A: assassination of Israeli minister

The killing today of Rehavam Zeevi, the Israeli far-Right Tourism Minister, is the first political assassination of its kind in Israel by a Palestinian group.

Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor of The Times, assesses how his killing will impact peace efforts in the region as well as the coalition's military campaign in Afghanistan. Additional reporting is provided by Christopher Walker, The Times Middle East Correspondent.
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On the spot
From The Economist Global Agenda

The assassination of an Israeli minister has thrown events in both Israel and the Palestinian territories into further confusion. Israel will have to weigh the urge to retaliate against America's fervent wish to keep the Middle East quiet during its campaign against Afghanistan
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Six Palestinians Killed in Mideast Violence Surge

At least six Palestinians, including a militant on Israel's most-wanted list and a 10-year-old girl, were killed on Thursday following Israeli threats of retribution for the assassination of a cabinet minister.
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Israel says Arafat era is over

THE Middle East moved closer to a new war yesterday as Ariel Sharon declared the Arafat era over and moved tanks into three West Bank towns.

Israel also killed a leading Palestinian militant, and the PLO claimed to have evidence that the Jewish state was plotting to assassinate its leader, Yassir Arafat.

The rapid collapse of the peace process followed the murder of Rehavam Zeevi, the Israeli Tourism Minister, by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) on Wednesday. Mr Sharon said: “Arafat has seven days to impose absolute quiet in the (occupied) territories. If not, we will go to war against him. As far as I am concerned, the era of Arafat is over.”
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Arafat asks diplomats to save him from Israeli "murder plot": official

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat personally asked Arab and European diplomats Thursday to stop Israel's assassination policy which he said targeted him as well, a senior Palestinian official told AFP.
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Background / Arafat losing support, cannot quell opposition

The severe deterioration of the situation in the territories is weakening Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and is undermining the authority of Palestinian leadership. Palestinian spokesmen said Thursday that they have no doubt that Arafat has wanted to achieve a cease-fire in recent weeks, so as to regain the trust of the United States and European nations.

According to the Head of the Jerusalem Media Center, Rassan al-Hatib, the person who prevented Arafat from reaching the relative calm and cease-fire was Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who, even before Wednesday's murder of Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi, had renewed his policy of assassinations, elevating tensions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

According to a speech given Wednesday in Jerusalem by researcher Dr. Khalil Shikaki, of Ramallah, Arafat's oppostion - made up of the Islamic bloc and the left - now enjoys the majority of the support of the Palestinian public. Adding Arafat's opponents within Fatah, the hardships of the Palestinian leadership are greater today than they have ever been.
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Sharon is blaming Arafat for everything and expecting him to quell all disturbances when it's obvious that Arafat has little control over the people in Palestine. Sharon's actions are, IMHO, either very cynical or very stupid. Sharon doesn't strike me as stupid. He provokes the Palestinians, and when they respond by assassinating Ze'evi, he takes advantage of the assassination to threaten a war and increase the violence against the Palestinians. This saves his political ass with the right wing which was deserting him (Ze'evi was leaving Sharon's coalition). Sharon has been likening the assassination to the WTC attack and he is using it in the same way Bush is to justify is attack on terrorism.

If Sharon actually does invade Palestine, as he is threatening to do, the Middle East shit will hit the fan of America's "fight against terrorism".