It’s one of those stories where you can read just the headline of the article then move on. Because, honestly, do you really need to delve into the body of a story that boasts the absurd (but true!) headline: NATO chief asks for Russian help in Afghanistan?

The NATO chief later said that he had asked Russian leaders to allow the alliance to fly cargoes — including possibly military ones — over Russian territory to Afghanistan and to provide more helicopters for the Afghan armed forces.

“I indicated that we would like to see a widening of the transit conditions,” he told the Ekho Moskvy radio station.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Medvedev would consider NATO’s requests, but gave no indication that Moscow was willing to increase cooperation and Rasmussen said he did not expect an immediate answer.

Students of history will recall that the Soviet war in Afghanistan lasted some nine years, led to the deaths of 15,000 Soviet soldiers, and is widely credited as one of the factors that led to the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union and the subsequent collapse of the Warsaw Pact. Russian reticence to get more involved is understandable, then, and the nine year conflict that broke the Soviet Union’s spirit has often been referred to as the Soviet Vietnam. The only question now is whether Afghanistan will turn out to be our Vietnam… er wait, I mean… that didn’t come out quite right.

(Via Michael Moore)

Bad news, everybody — it looks like, apart from the midwestern breakthrough, gay marriage is staying behind the Chowdah Curtain.  See, New York’s Senate just ‘sploded this afternoon.

In a dramatic late afternoon overthrow of the Senate leadership, Senate Republicans joined by two dissident Democrats took control of the upper chamber and installed Sen. Pedro Espada as president… Espada, D-Bronx, who returned to Albany in January after a hiatus, said he is a voice for reform Democrats and that more reformers will be joining his lead. He and Sen. Hiram Monserrate of Queens joined the 30 Senate Republicans to remove all leadership put into place at the start of year when Sen. Malcolm Smith became the majority leader.

Ah, “hiatus.”  Turns out that the two turncoats are as crooked as the day is long.  But whereas this might be a drawback in non-Illinois Democratic circles, this is a definite plus in the GOP of today.  Sheesh.

Someone sent me this, and I thought it was a parody until I got to the end.

Our civilization is clearly in rapid decline.

After Blogenfreude reminded us of our Favorite Forgotten Science Films, we’ve been watching others in the series, the rest of which unfortunately do not feature Eddie Albert (nor Eva or Arnold, for that matter).

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American Hero: al-Zaidi

The Roads to Iraq blog is reporting that Egyptian shoe-tossing champion and TV journalist Muntader al-Zaidi is being tortured in an American military prison.

A Roads to Iraq correspondent wrote on the blog this morning, “Iraqi TV al-Sharqiya just reported on the news that AL-Zaidi is transferred to Camp Cropper prison [the Airport prison, managed by the American forces].”

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How could the cynical bastards among us miss this big, hanging curveball: Thomas Kinkade’s The Christmas Cottage. Apparently, this was actually due for release last year, but went (of course) direct to video — released a couple of weeks ago.

From Fandango: “Inspired by the early life and art of renowned painter Thomas Kinkade, the story of how a small community and an aging mentor come to the aid of a family to save the only home they have ever known and along the way teach….” [interrputed due to jarring pain developing behind both eyes]

(BTW: Kinkade has some cinematography tips for his crew. Listen well, if your ears have stopped bleeding.)

Confession time, folks. I’m reaching a critical mass of SUCK on the news.

It seems like there is news that moves things one way or the other every damn hour, and it has me a little punch-drunk at the moment. By the time Tuesday night rolls around, I might just be reduced to involuntary, myoclonic twitching. And I don’t think I’m alone here, frankly.

I need to decompress folks. Seriously. Talk me down. (And, I suspect: help talk fellow travellers down too.)