(no subject)

Too busy today to read much of the Times but here are a couple of things from the news section.


As one who's distressed by my compatriots' tendency to get distracted by flash-in-the-pan reality TV celebrities instead of paying attention to the world events that will shape all our lives, I'm not sure how to feel about this: Hamas feels the same way. Ammar Hasan, a 26-year-old from the West Bank, is one of two finalists in a sort of Arabic Idol singing contest, and Palestinians are understandably engrossed. He does seem to have more on his mind than Justin Guarini:

When he was at school in Salfit, he said, he threw stones at Israeli soldiers and saw how his classmates welcomed it as a way to avoid school. "Do you think throwing stones will lead to victory?" he asked. "There is no victory with ignorance. Let's educate our children and plant the seeds of hope and humanity in their hearts."

The U.S. is just about ready to start trying Guantánamo suspects, but the rules of the game are apparently in flux. One of the defense lawyers:

Commander Sundel said that when the lawyers and prosecutors appeared before the military panel starting on Tuesday, "no one is really sure what will happen," adding: "The entire process is still in flux and is so poorly designed and the definitions are so ambiguous, yet they keep saying this is a full and fair process. How would an average person feel going into court without knowing the rules in advance?"