on again off again

NYT: UN suspends relief aid to Burma after supplies confiscated by junta, then announces flights will resume Saturday
junta does not seem concerned with the gravity of the situation; consulates closed for the weekend rather than continue even pretending to process visas for the humanitarian community
NYT: upping the dose of surreal, somehow the junta plans to hold its referendum on the constitution
the monks are too busy trying to provide relief to organize protests
WP: a freelance reporter manages to file from the hardest-hit delta

NYT: Hezbollah militias take over Beirut neighborhoods
"Pro-government fighters had mostly abandoned their posts and handed their weapons over to the Shiite militias who were present even in West Beirut."

LAT: Sinaloa cartel executes Mexico's national coordinator against organized crime
"Seven mid-ranking federal police officials have been killed in the last month. Like Millan Gomez, they were linked to recent actions against drug traffickers. In all, more than 1,000 people have died this year in violence related to organized crime, according to tallies kept by Mexican news media. Federal officials estimate that 2,500 people were killed last year."

Slate: maybe the US Army isn't punishing dissent after all

Slate: just another way this administration makes a mockery of the law: the Special Counsel, charged with overseeing the gov't since Watergate, is himself under investigation by the FBI. but you guessed it, he still has his job.

Slate: the realism of Grand Theft Auto IV
"The residents of this neighborhood are living a nightmare. Their elected political officials have offered little help, and the police don't answer their calls to stop the gang wars. So you guessed it: Their only hope is to pay yet another crack-dealing gang to intervene and keep the peace between the warring outfits. To put it bluntly, they can rely on street justice by turning an enemy into an ally, or they can sit, suffer, and hope for the best.I thought of these Chicagoans and their moral conundrum when I played GTA IV for the first time a few days ago."

Slate: what it would take for Hillary to be on again, win nomination
e.g., "Hillary appeals to the Supreme Court, which, based upon a 2000 ruling, decides that the candidate with fewer votes wins the election."