A few hours before Iran delivered its response to the UN regarding its nuclear program, an Iranian warship fired on a Romanian oil rig off the coast of Iran.  Troops from the vessel then boarded and seized it, according to the rig's owner said.

Since this is not getting any significant play in the US yet, here is some other stuff you might like to know. For starters, bloomberg news reports:

The U.A.E.-registered drilling company had signed a preliminary contract with Halliburton Co. after winning an estimated $310 million contract to develop phases 9 and 10 of Iran's offshore South Pars gas reservoir.

Sometimes people commit suicide.  Sometimes they do it passively.   Sometimes they do it deliberately.   Sometimes it is over in an instant.   Sometimes it takes years.  Sometimes it is done out of anger, or desperation, or madness, or ignorance.   Sometimes it is a final defiant act in the face of untenable choices.   But one thing never changes.   It always hurts the people left behind.

When I think about the Hezbollah rockets and the Israel's recent decision to expand the fighting, they both strike me as suicidal, but in very different ways.  This brings to mind a third example very different from both of those two. 

(Warning: Post contains unnecessary potty mouth. Sorry.)

Everyone knows that John 'Stumpin at the New School' McCain, Mitt 'Steal the Democrats Ideas' Romney and Rudolph 'Cheatin Heart' Giuliani have focused their bleary eyes on the '08 GOP Presidential Candidacy.

What many people may not know is that the dark specter of the Republican Revolution is looming large in their shadows as a not-so-dark horse candidate for the GOP. Yup, you guessed it, Newt 'Cheatin-on-cancer-stricken -wife-and-serving-divorce-p apers-as-she-lies-in-a-hosp ital-bed' Gingrich is hot on their tail. In fact, the Grinch even took top honors in a Minnesota Straw Poll where the GOPsters were careful to note that both McCain and Giuliani were simply too moderate: