Where the hell have I been??!??

If you read this and were annoyed that I stopped blogging, I apologize. Several things happened and I shall break them down as succintly as possible:

1. FINALS! Yes, there was finals and I was stressed beyond all measure. But I got out with an A, 2 B's and a C. I call that a good semester. I can do better, however.

2. I had things to worry about like the holidays.

3. I worked a ton during the break.

4. I really didn't care but I did remember. I cannot use the lame excuse of forgetting.

5. I rediscovered my love for all things Galactica, Firefly and Science Fiction novels in general.

So as you can see, I just wasn't ready for running a blog of this nature. Speaking of "nature", I want to add that nature is fucking cold right now. It's like 10 and were happy for 10 here in Minnesota.

Besides that, I want to ask what is the nature of this site? I must reiterate that I basically posted a mission statement right at the top of this page. See it up there? I will, however, restate it now in a different form. I will try, to the best of my ability, to distill local, state, national and international politics, economics and downright newsiness for you my loyal reader (as in there is 1 of you). I aim to add my own opinion (when I feel warranted) and to analyze pertinent facts and events surrounding a particular story, developing or otherwise. I will not let my own political bias hinder my ability to attack those who need attacking, i.e. politicos who just plain screw up. Or CNN or Fox for being media... well, the media. The media just sucks anyways...

I'll admit that I have a healthy fascination for the weather (and weather reporting... there's some real comedy in that, let me tell ya), spies, International bodies like the United Nations, Anderson Cooper, weird crimes, idiocyncrasies that bother me, stupid politicians and history. I like to ground each entry in "back in the day" sections. I feel knowing what others were experiencing on this day in yoner year (oh, alliteration...) is helpful and also reminds us that others trod this grund before. Sometimes there are startling acheivements, disasters, battles or just plain oddness. I like the oddness.

There are some bits of news I failed to make any comment over the intervening 43 days. This was an oversight on my part. Here is a list of news items I failed to make a comment on and may try to make up for my apathy/lack of time:

1. Saddam Hussein was executed. The Iraqi government hung the former dictator in a fashion unbecoming to most western nations. His corpse was danced about by Shiites celebrating his recent demise. On Fox, a particularly amusing graphic was displayed showing his corpse. On the left side of the screen was Saddam "Alive", and on the right, his "dead" body. I couldn't help but be befuddled and amused by this. It reminded a friend of a moment in a film when someone was sorting dead rats and saying "alive"... "dead". We believe it was Transylvania 65000.

2. Gerald Ford died. He was never elected President, but nevertheless, led our country througho ne of its darkest periods. He also open the military academies to women. And pardoned Nixon. The flags will remain at half mast for another week or so. (Yes, I said half mast not half staff...)

3. Barbara Boxer v. Condoleeza Rice. What?

4. Donald Trump v. Condoleeza Rice. Double What?

5. Trump v. Rosie. eh....

6. The Next Harry Potter will be "The Deadly Hallows". That's hallows like hallowed ground, hallowed be his name and hallowe'en.

7. Pinochet, Chilean dictator, died at age 91. No one cared and it only rated below Harry Potter and The Don.

8. Tim Johnson, a US senator, was hospitalized with a mild stroke. Before he was even evaluated, US news outlets were already discussing the possible return of power to Republican hands. They weren't even waiting to see if he died.

9. Ex Russian Spy turned British citizen and author (and Muslim), Alexander Litvinenko, was finally covered in depth by 60 Minutes. About bloody Time!

10. Denver shut down for snow: $Billions. Holiday travellers stranded in terminals on stiff, smelly cots: ^#$^ %&#!!!! Laughing at my sister for moving there and claiming they hardely get any snow there: Priceless.

Back in the year 1265, The English parliament convened at the Palace of Westminster for the first time.

In 1892, the first game of basketball was played at a YMCA in Springfield Massachussetts.

And the Nazis, in 1942, agreed on the "final solution" to the European Jewry. The result was the holocaust the significant impact on world politics, culture and geography.

That's it from my end.

Plan B: OTC

So, the FDA has finally decided to make Plan B an over the counter medication. There's a catch. There's always a catch! You must be at least 18 and prove it. Well, thats not really surprising. No one should be self medicating under the age of 18.

On to more pressing matters. Lt. General Dan Halutz (דן חלוץ), the Chief of Staff for the IDF, admitted in a letter to his troops that he failed and "exposed shortcomings in the military's logistics, operations and command." I respect the man for making an apology to the IDF for the apparent loss in the recent conflict but it was like Vietnam. You could drop lots bombs, send mortars, missles and grenades over but Hezbollah ()حزب الله), just as the Viet Cong did. They fought using Guerrilla tactics. Evidently even Mossad(המוס למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים) doesn't use those anymore. What happened to the days of yore when the IDF could lay waste to its enemies? What happened to the days when Israel could outsmart anyone? The possibilty exists that I srael may have gotten cocksure. The United States sure did. When we strut around and act like just because we liberated France from the Nazis, along with the British and Canadians, we deserve the world's thanks forever, we doom ourselves to being toppled; to being defeated. So heed this warning Israel: get your underdog stripes back. They serve you well. Swelled heads and a swagger do not. That may be the real cause behind a failure to "defang" Hezbollah, not a stock-selling leader.

Not to get on Israel's case, which apparently I am, but now it appears Israel has been accused of war crimes. Amnesty International has recently accused Israel of deliberately targetting civilian populations in its crusade to root out Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Honestly, they can't go after the other combatant in this melee so Israel will likely take the brunt of the aftermath in the arena of public opinion. There may be other more serious consquences. In Israel's defence, there is little they could do not to target civilian areas. Hezbollah was firing their Katusha rockets from neighborhoods in Lebanon.

Now moving on to Israel's other conflict. "What other conflict?" you ask. Seriously, there is another one in Gaza(قطاع غزة). Gilad Shalit is still sitting in Gaza, still alive, God willing, and waiting to be rescued. Israel made an incursion in to Gaza again today. No one was killed.

Moving on to other fare, a headline at the BBC sparked my interest: "Communists join Wal-Mart's ranks". Wal-Mart, the nassive discount chain started by the late Sam Walton, is now in China with unions. Wal-Mart has never been overly keen on unions and China likes to have party-contolled ones. So what's the point of having them anyways if neither wants them and they will be useless? Note: It took 11 days for this to make it to the BBC.

One politically juicy bit. Republican Sentor and candidate George Allen of Virginia made a comment to DemocraticIndian-American volunteer S.R. Sidarth. Sidarth was videotaping the senator at a rally when the senator called him Macaca. in fact, here's some quotes:"This fellow over here with the yellow shirt -- Macaca or whatever his name is -- he's with my opponent," and "Let's give a welcome to Macaca here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia." He later tracked him down (through Google) at the University of Virginia where he is an engineering student and called to apologize. No word from Sidarth on how he took it. Apparently, he did ask for it and you get what you ask for...

News Flash! Pluto is demoted: Only 8 planets in our Solar System! Students, teachers, and Encyclopedia Writers everywhere tremble...

On this day back in 79 CE, Pompeii and Herculaneum were smothered and buried in volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius. So if you think you're having a bad day...