Iraq

Soldier humor: In a WaPo peice describing life at a joint security outpost, there's this, "Positioned next to him was a life-size mannequin dressed in U.S. military fatigues, its middle fingers extended, that is used as a decoy for gunmen on the street."

(No showers, no toilets, constant risk, and they set up the mannequin to flip off the enemy. That's a soldier moment.)

(BBC) Reportedly, Iraqi President Talabani is "almost back to normal health" in Jordan, but still no appearance, no statement, no video, no reporters allowed in. (I hear Castro is doing nicely, too.)

(WaPo) The medical leadership at Walter Reed had been told repeatedly about problems with outpatient care.

McClatchy digs into the numbers on the Sunni/Shia IED/EFP situation. "a review of bombings by location shows that less than 10 percent of attacks that killed at least two American service members in the past 14 months were in areas where Shiite militias are dominant."

(CNN) Another helicopter goes down, pilots injured. (It's Kirkuk, so probably mechanical.)

(Reuters) Ahmadinejad is set to visit Saudi. (Are they acting as a negotiating cut out?)

And, (AP) "A roadside bomb in western Afghanistan left three civilians dead and 48 wounded, including 10 children, officials said Thursday.