In Afghanistan, a US service member has reportedly freaked-out and killed 16 Afghan civilians, including several children. The rampage, which occurred earlier today, follows the burning of the Koran on a US military base last month. The service member is being held by US authorities.

In Moscow, thousands of Russian protestors continue to shake their fists at the election of Vladimir Putin to the presidency. These are the largest protests in the country since the fall of the Soviet Union.

In the Middle East, Israel continues to fight with militant Palestinians in Gaza.

While In Iraq, right-wing militias have reportedly killed 58 “emo” kids in the last month. BBC News reports the teenagers were either beaten to death or shot due to the belief among conservative Iraqis that emo equals gay.

Phobia also raged in France this week. President Nicolas Sarkozy said he hopes to stop the tide of immigration to his country, raising the question: what in the hell would the French Minutemen look like anyway?

Obama has started to target women, not for ridicule, but for support. Following Rush Limbaugh's "slut" incident and the GOP's attack on contraception in his healthcare plan, Obama hopes to get American women to vote for him.

And his plan might just be crazy enough to work.

Not surprisingly, some women report being disillusioned with the GOP.

In tech news: cords beware! Nikola Tesla's dream of wireless induction, i.e. energy via the airwaves, is coming true thanks to a Massachusetts firm.

In our part of the world, a dead man was found near St. Johns Bridge. The body of the man was recovered yesterday near Cathedral Park. The man's identity has not been released. The cause of death is being investigated.

Still more whooping cough in Clark County, Washington, has been reported. This brings the number of cases up to at least 90. Damn it, people vaccinate your kids!

And Japan's disaster turns one. Today marks the one-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan.

Just in case you forgot how horrifying it really was, here is a video.