From an article of the same title in the Nov 9, 2007, issue of The Week:

An Iraqi Shiite who was sentenced to death in Kuwait for the 1983 bombings of the U.S. and French embassies is now a member of Iraq's parliament, U.S. military sources told CNN this week. Jamal Jafaar Mohammed had fled Kuwait and was convicted in absentia for the bombings, which killed five people. He was elected to parliament in 2005 as part of the Shiite alliance of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose Dawa party claimed responsibility for the embassy bombings at the time but has since recanted. Military officials said that Mohammed acts as a liaison between Iraqi Shiite militias and Iranian special forces in Iraq. He hasn't been to parliament in months, and is currently believed to be in Iran.

From an article of the same title from the Nov 9, 2007, issue of The Week magazine:

Netherlands

Edwin Cornelisse
Algemeen Dagblad

There are some people you just can't live with, said Edwin Cornelisse in the Amsterdam Algemeen Dagblad. In fact, you can't even live near them. To house these "anti-social" types—people whose neighbors have frequently complained about loud, messy, drunken, or simply unpleasant behavior—the Dutch government is building special communities on the outskirts of towns. The anti-social inhabitants will be supervised 24 hours a day. Anyone who demonstrates that he or she can live responsibly and be respectful of the community will eventually be allowed to return home. Those who don't make progress will remain under supervision. It may sound harsh, but the tactic has a proven track record. Nearby Denmark pioneered these "alternative communities," known in Danish as "strange houses," where one can live "free of the ordinary rules." Plenty of people who are unwilling to put up with noise ordinances or zoning regulations actually move there voluntarily. Some people just don't want to fit in. Why should we force them?

Via Andrew Sullivan, from an interesting article of the same title by David Kuo on beliefnet:

This spring, Poland will decide whether to amend the constitution to ban the practice altogether.

In Paris last month, thousands marched to ban abortions outright.

And last year Italy placed import restrictions on RU-486, commonly known as "the morning after pill."

The difference, CBN reports, between Europe's abortion "wars" and US conflicts over abortion is motivation - European birth rates have been dropping and that has a lot of people - in government, in churches, in financial institutions - scared. Apparently, this growing move towards restricting abortion is an effort to address that problem.

From Elliot's Kindergarten Progress Report:

Elliot is at the top of the class. He is an outstanding student in every area. Elliot is currently reading at level 13 and can figure almost every new word he encounters. He is an excellent math student adding numbers beyond 18 and quickly catches on to new concepts. He is a great little soccer player and has many friends. Elliot is a true joy to teach. He has a wonderful personality, a positive attitude, and is self-confident.