Got to do some real work today so here’s some links to keep you entertained while I endeavour to get my dander back into the “up” position.

BBC News: Iraq agency ‘run like Wild West’
The Coalition Provisional Authority, the US-led agency that ran Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein, has been accused of wasting millions of dollars.

BBC News: Lula and Chavez sign trade deals
Brazil and Venezuela have signed a series of 26 bilateral agreements to strengthen what they call their strategic alliance.

Guardian: Saturn’s moon is the double of Star Wars space station
That’s no moon, it’s a space station. Actually it’s Saturn’s satellite Mimas, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Death Star - the planet-destroying space station in the film Star Wars.

Independent: Attorney General ‘distanced himself from war advice’
The Government’s most senior law officer distanced himself from the decision to invade Iraq by asking for an 11th-hour personal assurance from Tony Blair that Saddam Hussein was flouting the ban on developing weapons of mass destruction.

George Monbiot: Mocking our dreams
It is now mid-February, and already I have sown 11 species of vegetable. I know, though the seed packets tell me otherwise, that they will flourish. Everything in this country - daffodils, primroses, almond trees, bumblebees, nesting birds - is a month ahead of schedule. And it feels wonderful. Winter is no longer the great grey longing of my childhood. The freezes this country suffered in 1982 and 1963 are, unless the Gulf Stream stops, unlikely to recur. Our summers will be long and warm. Across most of the upper northern hemisphere, climate change, so far, has been kind to us.