New Iraqi Saint…

In recent combat operations in the Iraqi northern city of Tall Afar, 26-year old Captain Sarah Piro, of El Dorado Hills, California, has quietly sleuthed out targets, laid down suppressive fire for the men and women under fire and chased insurgent guerrillas through the narrow alleys of this medieval city, all the while manoeuvring around to avoid being shot out of the sky.

One recent incident saw Captain Piro limping her bullet-riddled helicopter back to her base where she struck another aircraft during landing but managed to return to the fighting 10 minutes later.

Get this! Wonder Woman’s 19-year old co-pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Todd Buckhouse, a 19-year Army veteran (a little young to be a veteran, don’t you think?), who has worked with Piro on two tours with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Iraq said, “It is no wonder they have dubbed her Saint Piro! She is just that good.”

Maj. Chris Kennedy, executive officer of the regiment which is returning home this month said, "There was no one I wanted to hear more on a raid than her. She's a spectacular Army aviator."
Female helicopter pilots like Piro are demonstrating their valour in Iraq in one of the few direct combative roles women are officially allowed to undertake in the military. Their missions often put them at risk of being hit by enemy machine-gun fire and rockets, and require them to shoot back. Piro's unit Outlaw Troop lost three of its eight Kiowas after insurgents shot them down. According to Army officers in the area, four or five others were hit by enemy fire.

Not everyone who flies Kiowa Helicopters is so lucky. On Piro's first tour in Iraq, her wingman hit a wire and crashed into the Euphrates River. She and Buckhouse made an emergency landing and jumped into the water to try to save the two aviators, but they had already perished.

And the Defence Department and Pentagon say women are wooses.

This will give you the shits…

A new weight-loss drug already available in America without a prescription, can cause anti-social side-effects, such as flatulence, bloating, diarrhoea and involuntary incontinence, is currently being marketed directly to Australian consumers following a decision by the Australian Federal Government's drugs and poisons committee.

As the new drug from Roche Pharmaceuticals, Xenical prevents the body from absorbing fat. Health professionals are concerned teenagers and others in the community may see this drug as a quick-fix solution to being overweight or obese, and not even consider lifestyle and diet.
The drug was previously advertised without a name, stating that if you were concerned about you weight, consult you chemist.

Believe me, the last thing you want to do is look in the toilet before flushing if you are on the drug.

Fashion Muslim style...

“Wheatbag” Johnny claims he has not plans to ban Muslim women from wearing full traditional garb, despite saying most Australians find the head-to-toe costume confronting. The experience in France, where schoolchildren are banned from wearing overtly religious clothes and symbols, shows how difficult it is to legislate against clothing.

The prime minister's hand-picked Muslim advisory committee is meeting in Canberra today and tomorrow, amid an ongoing controversy over government comments about Muslim extremism.

By the way, wheat is back on the Iraqi menu after high level government ministerial meetings between Australia and Iraqi officials, just as long as the Australian Wheat Board has nothing to do with the shipments. How would you like to have shares in the publicly listed AWB.

OUCH!