Henry Phish

According to an article by Sally Buzbee from the Associated Press, Iraq has stepped up pressure on a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops. The withdrawal is specifically linked to Iraq resuming security responsibilities for all 18 of it’s provinces, with 9 provinces already under Iraqi control. After that, the countries security situation would be evaluated every 6 months for 3 to 5 years to decide when US troops would pull out completely. At this time, the handover of the final 9 provinces have no turnover date, which gives the US some flexibility in how it handles troop withdrawals.

This is a good step, as it indicates Iraq’s growing confidence in its ability to secure itself. The main issue with pulling out of Iraq has always been their lack of infrastructure. With warring factions a constant threat to people on the street, police and hospitals in short supply, utilities such as water and electricity nearly non existent in some areas, and an economic structure just scraping by, it’s difficult to imagine Iraq being self sufficient without a stable governing body in place.

With current violence levels having fallen to their lowest point in the last 4 years, and with the latest statement from the current parliament, it’s becoming clear that Iraq is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. What their statement says about the Iraqi government is that we can and will police ourselves, and that’s a good thing to see after so many years of war.

It’s interesting to see how complex factors interact to create new business opportunities for aspiring companies as well as new trends in how people and companies spend their money.

Examples of these trends can be seen in the article: How to Guard Against High Gas Prices. It’s key points are a new company called MyGallons.com, a website that lets you pre-buy gas at a flat rate, and investing in stocks that tend to rise along with the price of gasoline.

As listed in the article, MyGallons.com makes their money less on the gas and more on the $30 yearly membership fee, so near as I can tell it sounds like a pretty good deal. With the constant threat of gas price hikes driving people crazy at $4 a gallon anyway, you could easily save a few dollars in price fluctuations over the course of a year.

The article also suggests investing in stocks that rise with the sale of gas such as oil companies and companies that indirectly benefit from these high costs, such as railroads, an economical alternative to trucks for moving freight. I myself need to start using my credit card that gives me money back for buying gas; I have the feeling I’m going to need it.

Update: World must brace for oil beyond $150 a barrel

Cute animation featuring a crab and kung fu. What more can you ask for?

I’ve been really big into concept pieces lately, so while looking through the list of Oscar contenders this year, I stumbled across a film that caught my attention: Across the Universe. The film, uses pop songs and idealogy of the seventies to create a musical story of the awakening of a group of college students to the realities of their world: war, social injustice and the like. While I have yet to see the film…and trust me I want to…the trailer in and of itself is a work of art.

Spike Jonze is a brilliant director. I came across an ad for Ikea that made me laugh.

This was one of my favorite videos back in the day.

I’m a sucker for anything with fancy robots. Flight of the Conchords is a new show on HBO that has my attention and I haven’t even watched an episode yet. I’ll have to wait for the DVDs to be availble from Netflix.

Make sure to listen to the binary solo at the end.

A die hard Chicago Bears fan vowed to change his name to Peyton Manning if the Bears did not win the Super Bowl. That doesn’t seem like much of a punishment. He should have to change his name to Rex Grossman.

The 26-year-old Forsyth man told friends that if his beloved team didn’t win the Super Bowl, he’d become Peyton Manning after the Indianapolis Colts star quarterback.

He even signed a petition in front of 200 people last week at Decatur’s Katz Piano Bar that he’d do it.

Bears fan follows through on vow, changing name

You’ll have to see the photo to believe it. It’s definitely the longest tongue I’ve ever seen. The Guinness Book of Records has certified her tongue at 7 centimeters. For those that only think in inches that’s about 2.75 inches.

I’ve got the world’s longest tongue

German schoolgirl Annika Irmler has licked her way into the Guinness Book of Records with her whopping seven centimetre tongue.

“My friends always said I had an incredibly long tongue - I could make lots of money with it one day,” said Annika.

Via - Moxie Cinema Blog

Normally this article would not have caught my eye. However, earlier this week a co-worker was on a call and experienced a flushing sound in the background of a call. My guess is that phone calls from the bathroom are more common than anyone would believe. Check out the stat below for proof.

…nearly 4 out of 10 people think it’s okay to talk on a cell phone in the bathroom.

People Think Talking From The Toilet Is A Bunch Of Crap