Yesterday Germany handily won Group A of the World Cup, defeating Ecuador 3-0 (their third straight victory) and advancing to the next round of competition. This wasn't a huge surprise; Group A wasn't exactly the strongest of groups this year, and the German team is quite the powerhouse behind stars like Miroslav Klose. So on march the Germans into the round of 16, facing Sweden on Saturday.The press coverage of this has been very interesting. Everyone seems to feel the need to comment on the fact that the German public is celebrating and waving flags, displaying various symbols of the...

Much has been made of the activation of the nascent US-based missile defense system seemingly in response to North Korea's imminent test of what we believe (but do not know) to be a long-range ballistic missile. The DPRK is obviously looking for attention given that the focus of the West has shifted drastically towards Iran recently. US officials are denying that they are considering shooting down a North Korean missile should it be launched. However, this scenario raises an interesting question; should the US have turned on the system at all in response to the North Koreans? This question...

Mark Safranski kindly forwarded me a link to a really interesting blog, Cynical Nerd's The Indian National Interest. The most recent post (as of today) is entitled "India, Russia and Geopolitics." The conclusions:While India might move closer to the United States due to a convergence of threat perceptions, the continued ambivalence of the latter towards Indian interests vis-a-vis Pakistan, not to mention United States efforts to cap India’s nuclear capacity, leaves India with no option but to retain links with Russia as a strategic insurance in the fast shifting sands of geo-politics.Russia...

Well, that just about speaks for itself, doesn't it? I don't think he actually wants us to treat "unlawful enemy combatants" the same way we treated Nazi POWs and war criminals, because that would mean applying the Geneva Convention and even extending representation to those charged with crimes.If our readers have any additional nominations for "most idiotic political cartoon of the year", let us know.[edited for clarity. Apologies to Mark S.]Filed as: stupidity

[Updated] If I have to hear someone else, whether it is an administration official like Tony Snow (scroll down) or a member of the wingnutty club (pick one, any one), tell me that Iraq is 'getting better' and 'we are making progress' my head might explode, alla Scanners (not for the feint of heart).It's not ok, it hasn't been for a while and it isn't likely to be so for a very long time. This isn't 'liberal rage' or 'lefty pessimism' or some kind of joy derived from seeing things go poorly in Iraq (which is what you are essentially labeled these days)--its based on the facts that stare you...

A significant majority of Catalans voted for greater autonomy today. The Financial Times reports on the diffusion of devolutionary rhetoric in Spain:Spanish regions began clamouring for sweeping new powers on Monday after Catalonia approved a new self-government charter in a referendum on Sunday.The wealthy region of Catalonia’s quest for more autonomy has led to a rash of copy-cat legislation throughout Spain. Valencia, Galicia, the Balearic Islands and Andalusia – regions that account for more than one-third of Spain’s population – want to take over responsibility for more public services...

[updated]Japan scores a victory at the IWC: Japan and other whaling nations on Sunday for the first time in two decades won support for a motion criticizing a global whaling ban.The approval of a non-binding pro-whaling declaration by the International Whaling Commission, or IWC, does not immediately threaten a 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling, which is credited with saving the Earth's largest creatures from extinction and which Japan would like to overturn.But in backing by 33 votes to 32, a statement that said the whaling ban was no longer valid, that whales were responsible for...

The latest NRO fund-raising gimmick: Since this Trek-ban backlash seems to be motivating many Corner readers to give, I’m upping the ante. If the Trek-o-Meter hits $20,000 by the end of the weekend, NRO will launch a line of Trek-inspired merchandise.Jonah Goldberg on intellectual property:As I am in the intellectual property business, I'm a pretty big fan of intellectual property rights. And, without reading the stuff he's referring to, I think I disagree with Mark. I may agree with him about the undesirability of certain "gibbering and twitching" in the popular culture, but I think he's...