Still no phone lines (so here I am at Panera again), but they tell me they'll be fixed by Monday evening. I'll have posts up once I'm back in the technology age.

A two-fer on the photo essays this weekend; as in yesterday's, SOS: KIDS is helping provide items to US Troops assisting the Koreans in their efforts to provde humanitarian aid to the children of Afghanistan.

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Stacie Hill, left, and 1st Lt. Teah Paulino hand shoes to an Afghan girl during a humanitarian civil aid program hosted by Republic of Korea military personnel with the 924th Medical Support Group on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

A Republic of Korea marine assigned to the 924th Medical Support Group stands watch during a humanitarian civil aid program for Afghan school children at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

A Republic of Korea soldier assigned to 924th Medical Support Group hands out water to Afghan school children during a humanitarian civil aid program at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

Republic of Korea army 1st Lt. Park holds an Afghan boy's bag as the boy picks out a stuffed toy during a humanitarian civil aid program hosted by ROK military personnel with 924th Medical Support Group on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

Republic of Korea marine Sgt. Joon, assigned to 924th Medical Support Group, helps an Afghan girl hold her bag open as U.S. Army 1st Lt. Byron Oyler picks up a pair of shoes during a humanitarian civil aid program on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

Republic of Korea Capt. Kim, right, hands an Afghan girl donated items during a humanitarian civil aid program hosted by ROK military personnel with the 924th Medical Support Group on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

Republic of Korea marine Cpl. Kim Jae Bong, with 924th Medical Support Group, helps an Afghan girl carry her bag down the line of donated items during a humanitarian civil aid program hosted by ROK military personnel with 924th on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

So my phone lines won't be fixed until Monday afternoon.

Back at Panera, this time in the parking lot - fully expecting to be rousted by the police as I'm blogging....

A question - why is it that the phone company calls me to remind me of my appointment to have the lines repaired - on one of my cut lines.....?

FedEx - when you absolutely, positively, have to be blogging overnight in a parking lot because some idiot cut your phone lines with his truck.

Kupang, Indonesia (Aug. 24, 2006) - Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Orta of Los Angeles, carries a woman to a medical outreach facility set-up at the Batakte Health Center. The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) is anchored off the coast to provide humanitarian, medical and civic assistance to Kupang residents. Mercy is in the fourth month of her five-month humanitarian and civic assistance deployment to South and Southeast Asia where her crew has already treated thousands of people. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Don Bray

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraqi businesses cling on, hoping for better times
Iraqi PM looks to tribes for unity - Video

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Overseas Airports May Be Weak Security Link
U.S. relatives of terror camp convict denied entry
US moves 5 Guantanamo Bay prisoners to Afghanistan
Saudi says 34 militants seized in al Qaeda swoop
Activist's remark starts FBI probe

Other Military News
Soldiers' families question Rumsfeld on deployment
Rumsfeld praises troops doing extra duty

Mid-East Ceasefire
Muslim Troops Wanted
Israel asks Turkey, other Muslim countries to contribute troops to Lebanon peacekeeping force
Video: Maintaining Peace
Gaza Blast Injures Reuters Reporters
Gene Simmons sends video to wounded Israeli Soldier
Italy to send 1,000 troops to Lebanon
Haniyeh Hopes for Resolution in Kidnapped Journos Case

Worldwide Wackos
Iran Defiant
Iranian president inaugurates heavy-water plant, but claims nuke program 'not a threat'
Lawmaker: Israel Must 'Prepare'
Iran opens heavy-water nuclear reactor
AP: U.S. aid stirs Venezuela's suspicion

Homegrown Moonbats
Protests Intrude on Bush's Visit to Family Compound

Politics / Government
Harris clarifies comments on religion

Media in the Media
U.S. Journalist Charged With Espionage in Sudan

Mother Nature
Jamaica Prepares for Ernesto
New Orleans Nervously Watches Ernesto
New Orleans Levees May Not Hold - Video
Ernesto puts New Orleans, others on alert
A day in life of Katrina survivors
Wildfire in Washington State Forces People to Evacuate

Oddities
Austria Abduction Victim Weeps for Captor
Fake birds save S.African town after seal bloodbath

Other News of Note
1 Dead, 4 Injured in New York City Shooting Spree
Pakistani rebel leader said killed in battle

Fox News
Shuttle Launch Delayed
DNA Key in JonBenet Case

Reuters: Top News
Fed helped fuel own inflation headache: Hubbard
Expats evacuated from north Sri Lanka
US stem-cell firm optimistic on ethical concerns
New rock stars use Web videos to win fans
"Grey's Anatomy" favored over "West Wing" at Emmys
Summer's end may be stormy for stocks
Blue chips fall on rising oil; H&R Block sinks - Video
H&R Block, other mortgage lenders' shares slump
XM gets FCC OK for 3 radios
Healthways' acquisition of LifeMasters on hold
Downscale treatment
Real estate is still a real value
Take care when choosing long-term care coverage
Suspect trading precedes many top U.S. mergers: NYT
U.S. management-led buyouts soar

AP World News
Gunmen kidnap, release Haitian lawmaker
Confusion reigns over Karr's legal team
N.D. town short squad cars after chase
Woman sues actor LeBlanc for defamation
Twins hold off White Sox 8-7 in 11
Indians knock around Verlander, Tigers
Cink takes the lead as Tiger stumbles
Seattle firm warned BP about pipeline
Hargitay loves week leading up to Emmys
Justine Henin-Hardenne wins Pilot Pen
Chad orders 2 oil companies to leave
Book: Horse-and-buggy Mennonites thrive

Military.com
New Navy Nuclear Sub Debuts

CENTCOM: News Releases
COALITION FORCES RECOVER WEAPONS CACHE

IED FOUND IN KUNAR

CF SEIZE WEAPONS, MUNITIONS, DETAIN 6 SUSPECTED TERRORISTS

COMPLEX ATTACK FROM AL KILAMI MOSQUE

USJFCOM
Speech-to-speech translation capability makes its way to Iraq breaking down language barriers

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
Coalition Recovers Weapons Caches - Story
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Joint Effort Decreases Terrorist Activity - Story
Pendleton Marines Prepare for Deployment - Story - Photos
Four-Legged Protectors Get Care Packages - Story
Community Takes Action Toward Peace - Story

IN IRAQ
Helping Iraqi Youth a Rewarding Experience
Operation Together Forward Improving Security
Civil Affairs Soldiers Monitor Progress

IN AFGHANISTAN
A-10 Thunderbolts Surge for Afghan Offensive
Chief Master Sgt. Praises Afghan Progress
Security Forces ‘Fly Away’ to Support Mission

DefendAmerica Week in Review
Sunday - Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday - Friday - Saturday

BACKGROUND
IRAQ
Renewal In Iraq
Iraq: Security, Stability
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (PDF)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Casualties - Story

Weather
Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo

Today in History
26 BC - Origin of Egyptian Era
1667 - Jamestown, VA is the site of the earliest recorded U.S. hurricane.
1776 - The British defeat the Americans in the Battle of Long Island.
1783 - The first hydrogen balloon flight (unmanned) reaches an altitude of 900 m.
1789 - The French National Assembly issues the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen."
1859 - Near Titusville, PA, the first successful oil well is drilled.
1883 - Mt. Krakatoa explodes with a force of 1,300 megatons.
1896 - Zanzibar loses to England in a 38 minute war (9:02 AM-9:40 AM).
1913 - In Kiev, Lt. Peter Nestrov of the Imperial Russian Air Service performs the first aerobatic maneuver in an airplane - a loop in a monoplane.
1918 - Dr. Joseph L. Johnson is named minister to Liberia.
1927 - America's oldest aviation school opens (Parks College).
1928 - Sixty nations agree to outlaw war, signing the Kellogg-Briand Pact.
1939 - Erich Warsitz, in a Heinkel He-178, makes the first jet-propelled flight.
1940 - The Caproni-Campini CC-2, an experimental jet plane, makes its maiden flight in Milan.
1945 - Following the Japanese surrender, U.S. troops land in Japan.
1962 - Mariner-2 launched; it becomes the first probe to fly by Venus.
1966 - Francis Chichester begins the first solo sail around the world.
1981 - Divers begin to recover a safe found on the Andrea Doria.
1982 - Soyuz T-7 returns to Earth.
1984 - President Reagan announces the "Teacher in Space" project.
1985 - The 20th Space Shuttle Mission (51-I - Discovery 6) is launched.
1990 - 52 Americans arrive in Turkey from Iraq.

Birthdays
1809 - Hannibal Hamlin, 15th VP (1861-65)
1865 - Charles Gates Dawes, 30th VP (1925-29), Nobel Prize winner (1925)
1882 - Samuel Goldwyn, pioneer film maker/producer (MGM)
1908 - Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th Pres (1963-1969)
1941 - Yuri V. Malyshev, cosmonaut (Soyuz T-2, T-11)
1952 - Pee-wee Herman (aka Paul Reubens), actor (Pee-wee's Big Adventure)
1963 - Patty Duffek, Playboy playmate (May, 1984)

Passings
1576 - Titian, Italian artist
1840 - William Kneass, 3rd US chief engraver (1824-40), dies in office
1879 - Sir Rowland Hill, introduced postage stamps
1958 - Dr. Ernest O. Lawrence, inventor (Cyclotron), Nobel Prize winner (1939)
1963 - W.E.B. Du Bois, scholar / founder of the NAACP
1975 - Haile Selassie, depossed Ethiopian emperor
1979 - Earl Mountbatten, British Admiral of the Fleet, assassinated by the IRA
1990 - Stevie Ray Vaughan, blues guitarist, in a helicopter crash at age 35

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Coker, Georget T., USNR (NJ); A6A shot down (BN, w/Fellowes), released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Commander - alive and well as of 1998

Fellowes, John H., USN (VA); A6A shot down (pilot, w/Coker), released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive and well as of 1998

1967
Bacik, Vladimir Henry, USMC (TX); A6A shot down (pilot, w/Boggs), presumed KIA

Boggs, Paschal Glenn, USMC (GA); A6A shot down (BN?, w/Bacik), presumed KIA

1968
Pick, Donald William, USAF (WA); F4D shot down, KIA, body not recovered

1970
Rogers, Lyle D., US Army; AWOL

1972
Everett, David A., USN (GA); F4B shot down (pilot), released by DRV March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998