Elections....

So, its been two days since election day. And three weeks since I posted anything. Let's just say, I needed the break. In fact, there are still things I should be doing like a mid-term and a presentation tomorrow but, eh...

The House is now controlled by the Democrats. If you didn't hear about this, put down the funnies. Nancy Pelosi, a congresswoman from the gloriously liberal city of San Francisco will indeed be the new Speaker of the House. Dennis Hastert, the outgoing Speaker of the House and Republican from the weird as all fuck state of Illinois (I'm from there, I can say that), has stated he will not seek any leadership positions in the new house.

It is not clear if the Senate will be controlled by any party. The Senate race in Virginia between George Allen and Jim Webb has not been completely decided. Due ti the slim margin, there is a recount going on. Allen's people have stated that he does not wish to drag this out. This is the last thing to decide before control can be determined. It would come down to 49 senators for both parties and two independants, both from New England. Joe Lieberman, a Democrat until he lost the primary to Ned Lamont, ran as an independant this year due to backlash for being pro-Iraq war.

Bernie Sanders, the only independant in the House, will take over for outgoing independant Senator, Jim Jeffords. This is an interesting story. Sanders is a Democratic socialist. Jeffords was a Republican until 2001 when the GOP shunned him enough to make him flee the party. So, he decided not to run again and is seat was won by another independant, albeit, a very different independant. So, does this make Vermont the capital of Independant thinking, or what?

Both Senators have stated publicly that they will caucaus with the Democrats. Lieberman is still a registered Democrat and may literally announce his decision to remain a Democrat. One can switch their party affiliations without any conscience or consultation with say their constituency. Just ask that fucker Norm Coleman from Minnesota. He was elected as the mayor of St. Paul as a Democrat (from New York, no less), then two years into his term, he decides he wants to be a Republican (granted the DFL party ain't lemonade and sweetcakes). St. Paul elected a Democrat and got a Republican. Let me tell ya, they felt gyped. So, go ahead Joe.

President Bush held a press conference yesterday and was properly humble. He announced that Donald Rumsfeld, one of his toadies, would resign from his office as Secretary of Defence. He will be replaced by former CIA chief Robert Gates who also ran the Iraq War Study Group. Apparently, this was in the works prior to election night. Why choose to announce it the day after the election? Well, it looks like Bush is listening to us. It also would have smacked of political ploy (more than it does now?) if he had done it in the last days of the election. I suppsoe the saying "The Buck Stops Here" means very little to the president. However, he took the blame for his party's loss this week to the outrageously motivated Democratic party.

And this is a loss for the GOP. The Democrats did not win the election. It was merely the GOP doing poorly. With Mark Foley and the fallout from that, the stupid assanine things Republicans did and the fact that a one-party government with no concerns for the largest sector of the country (the Middle Fucking Class!!!) was doing nothing to help them might have done it. When the Republican Party starts to regroup and figure out what they did wrong, I hope they realize it was not soley the war that turned voters off. It was the cronyism, response to Hurricane Katrina, the Religious Right, contracts for Halliburton and anyone else in Iraq, No Child Left Behind, Macaca, The Faith-Based Initiative, Arrogance, Karl Rove, Record profits for Exxon-Mobil, Dick Cheney's Shadow Government...

I could go on and I likely will. There are more things that leave middle class voters with a bad taste in their mouths. But I think nearly 3,000 dead is also one of them. Those who've died in Iraq for a cause that many of us are uncertain about should never be discounted. These men and women are fighting and dying in service to our country. Our reasons for going into this war were vague and proved uncredible. Yet, we must remain until the job is done. My reasons for stating this is history. In 1983, there was an attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut. Over 200 marines were killed (and some Navy and Army personell) and the US left Lebanon. This was followed up by our hasty withdrawal from Iraq in 1991 after then President George Herbert Walker Bush told the Kurds and Shi'ites to rise up against Saddam Hussein. Regardless of how anyone feels about the war, we have to continue until the job is done and done well or we will be seen as the country who can't follow through with shit in the Middle East. That, dear readers, is what is at stake now.

Moving on to local politics: Amy Klobuchar, the Hennepin County Attorney, was elected to the Senate seat being vacated by fellow DFLer Mark Dayton. The margin of victory for Klobuchar was 1,278,915 to Mark Kennedy's 837,484. In precentages, that's 58% of total votes for Klobuchar to Kennedy's 38%. There were 87,324 votes cast beetween Independence (Ventura's formerly named Reform Party), the Green Party and the Constitution party.

Colleen Rowley, the FBI whistleblower, who lives literally down the street from me, did not win
the 2nd Congressional District here in Minnesota. The seat was won by its incumbent, John Kline, a man who once carried the "football" for Reagan.

To many here in Minnesota, the re-election of Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty was a surprise. As the night went on it appeared at one point that Hatch had a sizable and insurmountable lead over the Governor. But when all the ballots were counted, Pawlenty had won a second term. The margin of victory was slim: 21,132 votes seperate the two. Independence party Peter Hutchinson, a far cry form the flamboyant Jesse Ventura, yet endorsed by him, won 6% of the vote. While this is, yes, not enough to win, it does enable the party to gain more public funding for campaigns. This can only help to build the party to be an even stronger and legitimate voice here in Minnesota. That is a good thing.

One other point about the Minnesota Gubernatorial Election this year: the withdrawal of Jonathon "The Impaler" Sharkey. This Satanist and Vampire announced his candidacy for Governor on Friday the 13th of January. On the 31st of that month, after his schoolbus driver wife lost her job due to being Wiccan, he was arrested for stalking, fleeing and I think faking his own death. His trial was supposed to begin in July but I've heard nothing on him. The man also founded the Vampires, Witches and Pagan party last year. One can only imagine what happened to that.

On this day, in 1989, an event occurred that changed my life forever. After 28 or so years, the wall dividing Berlin was opened. East and West Germany ceased to exist as separate entities. Since that day, I've looked at the world with a different view. I've seen what can be done when people work, strive, dream, hope... for change. I have since then devoured the news looking for more stories like this. Well, I really just love the news. But my desire to work in the field of politics, NGOs, diplomacy or journalism was sparked by seeing people dancing on the Berlin Wall.

That's about it from here. Currently, CNN is reporting that Ed Bradley, correspondent for CBS' 60 Minutes, has died of Leukemia at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital. I can't help but be a little sad as another of my heroes passes. His candor and style will be sorely missed.

Election Toon

300,000,000?

Oh God! I have not posted in twelve days. Truth be told, I didn't think there was anything wirth posting. The news blows! The only thing the news outlets want to talk about is the elections, the Foley fallout... and North Korea.

But one thing that has caught my attention - maybe for its silliness - we acheived (allegedly) 300,000,000 Americans as of today at 7.46 Eastern Time. I want to know who that person is! Is it an immigrant or a newborn child?

(Picture of the always handsome Anderson Cooper during his "300,000,000 Melting pot or Meltdown" edition of AC360 is from All Things Anderson. I myself love his expression in this particular screencap. Its kind of like he's aware that this is as schticky as I feel it is)

Seriously though, why are we sweating over our population rising to 300,000,000? Journalists have been doing stories on commute time, housing costs, animal habitats, etc... There have been stories that talk about poverty, jobs and food shortages. I ind the last incredibly interesting since we A) export much of our excess food and B) we pay farmers to grow less. So, that story is conjecture at best.

Poverty: Trying to get rid of poverty in a country where even if you have $5 in your pocket makes you better off than like 80% of the world is really pretty shallow. We are one of the wealthiest nations in the world and poverty is not a new problem. It should not take a milestone to initiate solutions for poverty but hey if it does, good. Really don't think so.

Now, employment is another thing. From what I know of economics, the market will grow to embrace the population. For as big as the economy is, jobs will be created because of the growth in demographics. I'm not sure how to explain it but it made sense in microeconomics class.

I want to bring up one last thing before moving on to other sundry items. We rank as the third largest country in world in terms of population. I decided to actually look at the current populations of the other two. Now everyone pretty much knows China is the most populous. They were at 400,000,000 back in the late 19th century. Currently, China's population is 1,313,313,317 which amounts to 20.28% of the world's population. India is the second most populaous country with over a billion people as well and almost as many languages. They are currently listed as having 1,100,000,000 people but I'm sure its more already. In fact, according to population clock, 42,434 people are added to the population every day. Odds are that India will likely overtake China in numbers because it doesn't have the one child per household rule. not to mention, in India, it is important to have lots of children.

I find it interesting that their forms of government are exactly opposite. China's is an open economy, communist government. India is a secular Democracy. It has recently (like in the last two decades) opened its economy and privatized enterprises.

Well, after looking at the 1 billion plus nations, its put our paltry 300,000,000 into perspective. This is 4.58% of the world's people. I also did a little math and discovered that we add 7,854 (and some extra and slightly disturbing decimal points) people a day. So, we are never going to catch up with India. With all the scary problems with people growth, who'd want to?

CNN's article on our impending doom.

Next on my issues is the Earthquake in Hawaii. This 6.7 magnitude earthquake is being treated as like a non-story. No one seems to care. To get any news on the earthquake on CNN, I have to dig through the US section page, go to the west part and there is only one article about damage to historic home. The lead article on that page was a woman who put her newborn child in trash bag (She got 5 years in prison, just so ya know). Really, why are we not caring about this? Hawaii is insulated being well, ISLANDS, and getting in and out of there isn't the easiest thing. Hmmm.... Maybe it should have been caused by a plane crashing into an obscure condo....

I have to say this right now: I'm sick of the elections. First time I've ever said that. I'm a news junkie and I love politics. I also love election night. I usually sit watching CNN consuming every last bit of political news-juiciness. I've chewed off my nails for the last three in row because the tension - the heightened suspense - is so thrilling. But this year, I just want it over. However, the graphics and political cartoons are worth perusing. I won't hide the fact that I lean left. That doesn't mean I can never be right. I'm closer to being an independent voter who is left of center. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Fox labels Foley Democrat by "mistake"... right.....

Yeah, I realize the Daily Show covered this one, along with everyone else, but I had to post about it, too. I read about it on Wonkette yesterday. To be honest, I am not surprised. The fact that it

happened on the O'Reilly Show, really not surprised. For someone who claims its a No-Spin Zone, he sure as hell does a ton of spinning. Not to mention shouting matches that leave me one or both several things: a) angry, b)bewildered, c) confused, d)dumbfounded, e) exacerbated f) frustrated g) galled h)hysterical i) inflamed j) jaundiced k) kvetching l) livid m) malcontented n) nonplussed o) offended p) perturbed q) quesrulous r) raging s) splenetic t) troubled u) upset v) vexed w) withered x) xerotic (look it up) y) yarling and z) zealous.

Here's a link so you can actually view said "mistake". I watched Anderson Cooper 360 last night, though I also watched The Towering Inferno right before. The Towering Inferno made me feel better, if that means anything to you. At least I got to look at a younger (near 50) Paul Newman (like his age even matters, he's still gorgeous!) and Steve McQueen in one of his last major roles before his death (my Mom adored him and even had a crush on my Dad when they first met because she thought he looked a little like him and was a Macinist Mate like McQueen's character in The Sand Pebbles - a great movie with Mako back in the day...). I then watched the replay of 360 and there were more gorillas! Yay for Anderson and gorillas. Cuteness and adorkability aside, he's living out a dream of mine. I've always wanted to see gorillas. Even the one checking out his ass would have been fine to me. I wouldn't care if a gorilla did that.

Anyways, my real beef though is the feedback. Are people honestly unhappy about this? What, you think the government is seriously working on this? If they were, wouold we really have Bono running around talking about debt relief?

The blog over at 360 makes the point (actually, Anderson did and I don't know if it might be because of Final Jeopardy question he got wrong...) about how our hi-tech life is basically bankrupting the Congolese people. How? We need a particular mineral called coltan which is a black, graphite looking substance primarily made up of Niobium and Tantalum. The name is, in fact, a contraction of Columbite and tantalite. It is used to make tiny little electronic parts in cell phones, laptops and PDAs. Think of a mobile tech device and it likely has it. It is found mostly in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For those of you who are unfamiliar with geography, it was once known as Zaire. Its in AFRICA. That's South of Europe in the eastern hemisphere. It was once colonized Belgium (called the Belgian Congo) and was brutally impovershed, oppressed and enslaved by King Leopold in his quest to have empire. The legacy continues. Coltan mines are valuable and therefore, roving militias fight for control of these mines and the revenues they bring. They pillage, burglarize and rape the people and little to nothing is done to stop conditions there.

Thats basically (really basic) problem. There are indeed far deeper issues and problems facing DR Congo not to mention, many central African nations. But what I don't understand is why aren't we talking about this? We could protest aratheid but not the massive humanitarian problems in Afrcia? Is it because we can't be bothered to think our cell phones are causing harm to others? Blackberry-addicted Anderson Cooper seems to be well aware. And I'm not holding him up asa model of who to emulate but keep in mind, he's a techy guy. He likes his mobile devices just as much as the next 30-something male professional.

Yeah... Go Coop...

Back on this day in good ol' 1969, Monty Python's Flyg Circus went on the air. It really was something completely different. Ironically, the following year, PBS became a real station. Imagine that!

In 1986, we found out what we pretty much knew: Israel has nukes.

And in 1991, Linux vers. 0.02 was released. This was the first official release of the kernal and after that, my PC would never be the same. Really, its not. You should try linux.

(Screencap coutesy of Anderson and the gorilla (who was a girl, too) came from All Things Anderson cuz they're so cool)

(BTW, if I was going to show a screen cap pf Fox, whom I loathe, then I had to show CNN, a channel I love. You can see the bias wrtten all over this post in several layers...just letting ya know!)

No Beer?!?!? Death to the Mortals!

I love this. CNN put up a headline that says "Beer Drinkers Beware; US hops crop burns". Then when you actually go to the news item, its only 4%. But what got me was how much my brother was like "What???? No beer???? Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!" He then calmed down.

Well, I wasn't talking about Foley cuz.... well, everyone else was. I have to throw my 2 cents in. I think trying to get Dennis Hastert to step down over this is not right. The man had little to do with the scandal. From what has been released so far, his office knew about the e-mails and that action was taken to halt contact between the teen from Louisiana and Rep. Foley. So, why go after Hastert's head? Witch hunt. Honestly, you'd think they'd get this fired up about Rumsfeld!

Update: I changed my mind ... let's destroy the man! See how fickle I am? Tomorrow, I'll be like "Oh, Hastert's just a management-type guy. You can't expect him to micromanage Congress and take off every little crises?"

Back on this day, way back in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII implemented a new calendar. Guess which one? The Gregorian claendar forced people to go from October 4th to October 15. This helped alleviate the inaccuracy that led to Europe being 11 days off. So, if you thought changing an hour for daylight savings time was harsh...

In 1958, the Fifth Republic was begun. We're still figuring it out. I want to know what exactly "co-habitation" means for the MP and President...

And in 1983, the first Hooters opened. Skinny girls with tits have worn three pairs of nylons ever since.

I'm back and ready for action!

Air Raid sirens sounded near my place of residence for a piddly ass thunderstorm. Ok, its a severe thunderstorm packing 60 mph winds, tennis ball sized hail, blah blah blah... Really, I've lived through hurricanes, massive Fujita defying tornadoes, the Mississippi river flood of '93 and war. I can live through this!

I want to only add a few things to my previous post. In the aftermath of the recent violence in Amish country, there is a fund to handle donations to the victims of this horrendous incident. Go to Home Towne Bank to donate what you can to help. Many of the Amish do not have insurance nor extra money to handle the mounting medical costs they will now be saddled with. So, again, be generous. Always be generous of yourself

Also, its fitting with my previous post but, on this day in 1993, the Battle of Mogadishu occured. This was when Operation Gothic Serpent was carried out in efforts to capture warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. It is during this campaign that the infamous Black Hawk Down incident occured.

Also, on this day, eleven years ago, the verdict was returned in the OJ Simpson trial. Do I need to tell you this verdict?

And, back in 1929, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was created. Boy, that was a success!

I got my wish: Anderson and George on screen together!!!!

I should have blown up in a fiery ball of .... no clue what to put there. But, gratification is mine! (BTW, screencap from All Things Anderson. .. he looks just like how I feel: numb, silenced, weak... maybe not weak.... whatever.... Thanks ATA! When I can find a screen cap from the interview, I'll post that.)

A little while back, CNN advertised that Anderson Cooper would chat with George Clooney about Darfur. Clooney travelled there earlier this year with his father, Nick. I saw denied the happiness of seeing them together (CNN lied!!! John Roberts interviewed him instead as Coop was in Afghanistan... I think) The Clooneys saw the state the the beliguered war and genocide ravaged country is in. Its heartwrenching. In fact, this week, Anderon Cooper and his motley crew of journalists will be reporting on the state of things in Africa. If you aren't aware of things in Africa, their bad. For several years there's been a bloody conflict there involving something like eight nations. We've heard precious little because the world does not care about a world war in Africa. All anyone cares about is the natural resources that remain to be pillaged from these impovershed lands such as gold in the Congo which we need for our precious computers. Its difficult to fully comrehend the suffering on such a massive scale and the fact that is largely ignored should stir some serious emotions.

They have in people such as George Clooney who spoke about this at the UN last month. For the 360 staff, they are doing their part as journaists to shed some light on the subject. They will stay there for the remainder of the week and hopefully, something will come of it. Maybe a serious project to build some god damned roads will start to take shape. Maybe the pharmaceuticals will finally send vaccines and medications to countries that need them so badly. Maybe the UN will write some stronger fucking language so that Resolution 1706 isn't just toilet paper (likely Scott's brand at that). Maybe the world will wake up and see that Africa is miserable and forgotten. Maybe...

When Cooper asked Clooney (love that bit) if he was optimistic, he said no. How could he be? What evidence is there that it will get any better? I have to agree. I want to weep... but unfortunately, the air raid sirens are sounding here. So, I have to flee for my own safety.

Pray for the Amish in Lancaster County. Pray for Africa. Pray for me!!!!

Man kills Amish schoolgirls in Pennsylvania

Yesterday, a man by name of Charles Carl Roberts IV walked into a little Amish one room school and took the female students hostage, near Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. The school normally has 27 students, 11 of them female. The gunman let three women go who had infants and a pregnant woman who I believe was the teacher. The teacher was able to alert authorities. The gunman then boarded up the door with lumber. He lined the girls up against the blackboard and tied them to each other to prevet them running away. When the police arrived, he called them and told them they had 10 seconds to vacate the premises or he'd start shooting. He then started shooting. It is unclear if he let the 10 seconds actually expire. He shot some of the girls point black and many in the head. Three were dead at the scene, one in the arms of a state trooper. He killed himself as police entered through the window.

After listening to the entire press conference from the Commisioner of the Pennsylvania State police, things now seem clearer. There were 11 girls but a 9-year-old escaped with her brother. Five have died thus far. Five more remained injured. Initially, they reported that one of the girls who died at the scene was a teacher's aide but she was just an older student.

After the three who died at the scene, the following two died at 1 and 4.30 this morning. Of the five remaining injured, two are at Hershey Medical Center: a 6-year-old remains in critical condition and a 13-year-old has been upgraded to serious. Three girls aged 8, 10, and 12 are also listed as Critical at Philadelphia's Children's Hospital.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, Roberts claimed to have molested young minor relatives 20 years ago. These relatives are unnamed and asserted to have been 3 to 4 years of age at the time. Roberts said he had been dreaming of molesting again. In the school house in addition to his arms and 600 rounds of ammunition, was a bottle of KY Jelly, a personal lubricant. It appears he was planning to molest or sexually assault the young girls.

He rambled in notes left for his family that he was "angry at god" for the death of his premature daughter, Elise, nine years ago. The milk truck driver told his wife on a cell phone during the siege that he was not coming home and that the police were there. There is nothing that I can add to this very horrific episode in American History. Lately, there's been a spate of school violence. Emily Keyes died last week in Bailey, Colorado and Principal Klang died in Wisconsin on Friday. Since only one was perpetrated by a student, it now seems sick, adult men are in need of some serious counselling.

In addition, President Bush wants to holda conference next week to discuss ways to make our schools safer. I honestly think its a waste of time. School violence has now permeated the most sane and obscure level possible: a rural Amish schoolhouse. This is a place where violence is unknown and humility and love are a given. The problem lies not at the school level or security any longer. This is a case of the Wilding of America. From strange cases of children assaulting homeless men to Abu Grahib, we have shown ourselves to be an irrational,violent and sick society filled with all sorts of loathsome problems, diseases and attitudes. We cannot continue to believe that are society is good. There is something substantially broken in our culture. We need to examine this in addition to finding better ways to secure our children from violence and sexual attacks within their schools.

As for my own personal feelings on this, I'm angry. Of all the people in this country, innocent little school girls, Amish or not, should not be exposed to this. And to think he picked a little Amish schoolhouse... Amish people live their lives according to wholesome, God-loving pinciples. They reject modern conveniences and they are quaint but they live this way because of principles. Not for novelty or to make Lancaster County a tourist trap. And they are pacifists. Pacifists!!!!

Words cannot explain how much I feel right now. I can't define it but merely say I feel a huge amount of emotion.

I will pass on the requests of the Amish families: They wish for privacy and prayer. Please be generous with these.

Perverts! Liars! Terrorists! Oh My!

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The Reaction to Bill Clinton: Retorts and...Socks?

Let me preface this post with a comment: I rant at times. Sometimes for great length. I did not go too long in this post. I started out nice and calm but as I wrote more and more, I began to seethe till finally, I exploded in a torrent of anger and insanity focused on the actions of my government. I do not apologize because I'm exercising my first amendment right to free speech. I honestly don't think its that bad but... whatever.

**********************************************************************

I did say I'd find the links to the video of the interview. They are in fact on YouTube. Its in three parts and can be found at these links: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Onwards to the reaction to Clinton.

I know my appreciation for CNN knows no bounds. I can't help it. It was ingrained in me as a child because my parents loved the news and it was the only 24 hour news network there was. They invented the damned thing. I also loved that James Earl Jones ident that you never hear anymore. The only other channel we watched as much was the Weather Channel! Well, in the last 24 hours or so (except for some of 360 last night), I've watched the "others". I wanted to see how Fox and not to mention MSNBC, ABC, and CBS would cover the Clinton interview. I know what Coop said about it last night and that was good enough for me as far as CNN was concerned. I loved it on 360 last night when they revealed this regarding Clinton: "Spokesman Tony Snow, a former FOX News commentator quipped, 'He retorts, you decide.'" Excellant! A "Rush" transcript of 360 can be read here. To Anderson Cooper's credit, he reported the news with nothing in the way of opinion and interviewed numerous people from different schools of thought. That's why I love Anderson!

Earlier in the day, I watched Good Morning America. Diane Sawyer had Bill O'Reilly on to discuss the recently broadcast Bill Clinton interview we all love to analyze to death. He was milder than he normally is. I can only guess it was because it wasn't his show, he wasn't in charge and its Dame Diane Sawyer, a real Lady of Journalism. He said that Clinton as well as many in the current administration such as the hated 4: Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld. Not to bring me back to Cooper but it reminded me of the spinning going on a year ago about Katrina. Mary Landrieu said people were frustrated. People aren't frustrated! People are dying!!! Those people are our servicmen and women! Whatever...

I watched Keith Olbermann and his Countdown over on MSNBC. I like Olbermann and I wish he wasn't on MSNBC which I forget about half the time because its on channel 70 and all the other news channels are clustered together in the 30's. "The Dirty Thirties!" ...Anyway. Olbermann devoted quite a large chunk of his show to an editorial. He pointed out that Clinton's "tear" during the interivew on Fox opened up a lot of doors, not to mention windows, doggie doors, escape hatches and bunker seals to run around and scream at the current administration for their ineptitude and inane stupidity. He also claimed that it was a wake-up call to the media as a whole. That they need no longer swig from the bottle of booze known as Stooge. They could now start ripping down the sets that Bush and his administration built. Olbermann went for quite some time on his own "tear" toward Bush and his administration. So much so I almost jumped up and applauded. I didn't but I shed a tear or ten. Its nice to see the press finally get a spine back. His editorial can (and should) be read here.

This morning on MSNBC, they were still going on about this interview but now they were splitting hairs. An anchorwoman on MSNBC was discussing with two men about Clinton showing a little leg. Apparently, his socks were too low and his pants were too high. Couldn't someone tell him "to pull down his pants?" Oh yeah, that was brilliant! I was astounded that they would devote any more time than 10 seconds mentioning Clinton's wardrobe malfunction.

Ok... things are getting absurd. Maybe they were to begin with. Now, there is talk of pre-planning (isn't planning already pre-whatever? That's like pre-early. "I wanted to beat you here so I got here pre-early") on both sides. Did Wallace plan on brow-beating Clinton to deflect criticsm of Murdoch getting cozy with Clinton and his initiatives? Did Clinton plan on ripping Wallace a new asshole on the GOP leaning Fox news? One may believe that both are correct statements. Fox did need to make an effort to offset the potentially troubling coupling. Dems need help for the election in 5-6 weeks. Leaking parts of the National Intelligence Estimate isn't enough. (Which if you don't know about that, lord, help you!)

Was Wallace even smirking? His colleagues all jokingly told him "just don't smirk!" And Clinton's finger wagging... well, the last time he did that was in fact when he told us he didn't have sexual relations with Monica.

Take this how you want to. There's spinning on either side. Case in point: Condalezza Rice has come out today to talk about Clinton's claims that the Bush administration was asleep at the wheel its first 8 months. "The notion somehow for eight months the Bush administration sat there and didn't do that is just flatly false - and I think the 9/11 commission understood that," she said in interview with many staff members of the New York Post. She also mentioned "we were not left a comprehensive strategy to fight al-Qaida" contradictory to Clinton's assertion that he did. The same article ends with Hillary, always defending her husband, saying "I just think that my husband did a great job in demonstrating that Democrats are not going to take this." And, in fact, it is likely they won't take any of this anymore.

But before I declare the Democrats awake and out of torpor, I must briefly mention that many of these people went along with every brazen and emboldened thing Bush could think up to ruin this country. Why? Fear be damned, its politics! The Politics of Fear, in fact, a strategy most usefully employed by lords and kings in the feudal era. That was when "Might makes Right" was the slogan of the day. The Bush administration continues to use fear as a political tool to keep the left doing their bidding, the media reporting what he says they can and the American people as a whole sweating and re-electing. He keeps us scared for his own ends. And we are turning into the country we swore we never would, that we wouldn't be terrorized by terrorists. But we are! We are scared because of our privacy isn't, our rights are infringed, we can't bring liquids on airplanes, there's anthrax in the air and e. coli on our spinach (Ok, the last one isn't related but whatever...). They keep asking if Americans feel safer now and the answer is no!!! How could we be? And how can we feel safer with a government that reveals nothing? Even if al-Quada didn't exist, I'd still be scared becuase my government is frightening!!!

So, our government still runs on the medieval idea of whomever has the ability to kill more must be the best. In a WWE smackdown, sure! But this is Global Politics and we are a democracy. Conflict should never be settled with bombs and bullets but debate and discourse. I'm hoping Bill Clinton opened the flood gates for the Democratic Party. I hope they launch into scathing attacks of not only the failings of the current administration but also the lies, the deception and the stupid strategies employed by nitwits who can't win either war we're in. I hope...

And if I sounded crazed and Clinton looked crazed its because we are. Fox did itself a disservice by advertising the crazed Clinton. Anyone would be crazed at this day and year for all the shit we see happening. I feel as though I'm living in Nazi Germany before the war: I'm watching the beacon on the hill become the cesspool in the sewer. And I just can't take it anymore!!!!!

There are too many things to bitch about. I'm done. There is nothing else to say. Whatever...

Conservative hit job?!?!?!

Former president William Jefferson Clinton was inteviewed by Chris Wallace for Fox News' Sunday show. the 42nd President seemed to lose it and go on a "tear". He accused Wallace of being unfair. Not to quote him or anything but he told Wallace "you did Fox's bidding on this show. You did your nice little conservative hit job on me". Clinton was asked specifically Why he didn't put Bin laden and al-Qaeda "out of business". He immediately became aggressive in his reply. He claims that he was obsessed with finding and killing Bin Laden, that he planned strikes on Afghanistan but scrubbed them because of backlash. He also planned an invasion to get Bin laden but was denied basing abilities in Uzbekistan.

The entire transcript should be read but it doesn't do it justice. Can't wait to find the whole thing on YouTube.

On a completely different train of thought, The 12 signs of fascism. Must be seen!

Night!

Remember Dru

Its a Friday and therefore, don't give me a lot of news to ponder over the weekend. However, having said that, I know I will ponder away and listen to NPR because I cannot get my XM to work at my job (deep in the bowels of a pool hall kitchen) so I'm without my beloved CNN. One could do with worse things...

First off, the major international shakeup in diplomacy. Ya gotta love "he said, he said, denial" moments even if they aren't on a sitcom or soap. The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, remarked to CBS that a US official (Richard Armitage, who was Deputy Secretary of State to Colin Powell) told Musharraf that he had to cooperate with the US or Pakistan would be bombed "back to the stone age". Whether this can be done is not a question. Look at what a hurricane did here! The question is did he? Armitage may have made the comment but everyone is deying it in a scramble to cover their own ass...ets. Armitage would never have had the authorization to implement force of any kind and so making a comment like this would have been foolhardy. Food for thought: If one makes threats he can't fullfil, he's a jackass. If one believes them, he's an idiot. Regardless, this will play out as the current administration takes criticsm from foreign leaders visiting the US and from even our allies. There isn't a lot of room for latitude and this only adds to the melee.


Like they say on NPR: Science Friday. In many ways it was the newsmaker today. One of the astronauts who returned from their 12 day mission aboard Atlantis collapsed not once but twice today during a ceremony to welcome the crew home. Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper collapsed once after beginning to appear confused. After being revived she attempted to continue speaking only to collapse again in a similar manner less than a minute later. She was then escorted through the side door at Ellington Air Base. NASA officials are citing fatigue and adjustment from the Cosmic Electricians 2 grueling spacewalks and her time in zero gravity.

The First Iraninan into space is a woman. She's also the first woman who is a space tourist. Iranian-born US citizen Anousheh Ansari has been enjoying herself aboard the International Space Station after arriving on a Soyuz spacecraft witha cosmonaut and astronaut. She is taking photos, listening to amateur radio and staying out of the way of those trying to actually work. She is a 40-year-old telecoms entrepreneur by day.

Twenty-three people died in a accident involving a maglev train in Germany. The train wsa only warrying 15 passengers since it was testing the track. Reportedly, the accident was caused by human error after the train struck a mainenance vehicle on the track. In addition to the 23 fatalities, 10 others are also listed as injured. These numbers may change. This is the first such incident in the life of the Magnetic Levitation trains. The train was estimated to be travelling at 125mph at the test track in northwestern Germany. Currently, the only commercially operated train is in Shanghai and the trains may reach up to 270mph. That being said, the Japanese have clocked one going as fast as 361mph. At thi time, German officials are laying blame on Human Error. It seems there may have been a series of failures leading to the vehicle being on the track.

And finally, in legal (and local news), Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr. was given the Death Penalty for his kidnapping, beating, raping and later stabbing of University of North Dakota student, Dru Sjodin. This story has been huge around here. Almost as big as the psycho hmong hunter last fall. The case, though tried in North Dakota, was a federal case. The man is from Crookston, MN and crossed state lines. Since the case was federal, a death penalty was always possible. In North Dakota, the death penalty is not legal. It has been nearly a century since such a fate has been handed out by a jury in North Dakota.

Please remember the bright, wonderful person that was Dru Sjodin. She had her whole life in front of her and had it ended so mercilessly.

The Devil you say!

Yesterday, at the United Nations, Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, spoeke out against the United States and its hegemonic political policies. In fact, here is the juicy bits where Chavez refered to President George W. Bush as the devil.

I think that the first people who should read this book are our brothers and sisters in the United States, because their threat is right in their own house.

"The devil is right at home. The devil, the devil himself, is right in the house.

"And the devil came here yesterday. Yesterday the devil came here. Right here." [crosses himself] "And it smells of sulfur still today."

"Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this rostrum, the president of the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as the devil, came here, talking as if he owned the world. Truly. As the owner of the world."

A transcript of the speech can be found on this site. Want to watch it?

The book he refers to is Noam Chomsky's book Hegemony or Survival: The Imperialist Strategy of the United States which has jumped to the top of Amazon's sales rankings after being somewhere in the very obscure. He encouraged Americans to read it and evidently, they are taking him up on it.

Also, Anderson Cooper interviewed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his show last night. Cooper only got 20 minutes with the leader so there wasn't time to get into the most meaty questions such Iran's plans for world domination and the spread of Islam. He did however ask him if the President does indeed believe the holocaust did not occur. Ahmadinejad circtitiously answered the question with evasion and repetition. He did make sure that we know that the Iranian people love Americans and peace. At one point he accused Cooper of asking him similar questions and that his questions were given to him. Anderson Cooper retorted that they were his and we have free press in this country unlike Iran. In defense of Anderson, what could he do? Ahmadinejad never came out and answered a question and Cooper wanted --WANTED -- those answers so he fought for them but eventually moved on.

Which is what I'm doing now. The military coup in Thailand was apparently a bloodless coup. However, the political machinations of the country such as the ability to speak out and assemble have been banned. Radio and Television operatrions are under the control of the military. Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is in London after arriveing there from New York. He was in the US for the opening if the 61st General Assembly of the United Nations. Four of the Prime Ministe's government are being detained by the militray which has declared martial law. The man in charge now is General Sonthi Boonyaratglin who has stated that he intends to return Thailand to Democracy as soon as possible. The King evidently approves of the coup and its likely it wouldn't have occured if he hadn't given prior blessings. Lukman B. Lima, exiled leader of Muslim rebels, hailed the coup d'etat as a move in the right direction. The Army Cheif is a Muslim and could help end the conflict between the Buddhist and Muslim factions within Thailand.

The woman who stole the baby in Missouri is allegedly Shannon Torrez. She claims to have miscarried a baby the morning of the abduction. She arrived at her hearing today and kept her head down. The hearing lasted about 20 minutes and the woman never spoke above a whisper. She was seen to be wiping tears away. One can only wonder what is going through her mind during this time. As for the baby, she has been returned to her mother and father. The baby was spotted by Torrez' sister-in-law when they went to take the baby to the doctor. She noticed makeup and the baby's forehead that was no doubt there ot cover the baby's distintive and well pubilcized birth mark. After rubbing it off, she confronted Torrez and then took the baby and handed her over to authorities. Good on ya, lady!

One last comment regarding Bill O'Reilly whom I don't hate because he's fiercely conservative. In fact, I don't hate him. My serious issues with O'Reilly are his tendency to believe he knows everything and his desire to try and convict people on his show despite his being ill qualified for both. My other large problem with the talking head is his propensity to yell down others and disrespect those of different opinions. Unless you're a conservative lapdog (or as they were called back in the early 90's, populist) or Ann Coulter, you're going to crucified if you go on his show. To add to my list of peeves against the "No Spin" guy is his apparent gloating about being on al-Qaeda's death list while being interviewed by Barbara Walters for ABC's 20/20. "With the controversy comes death threats on a daily basis," O'Reilly said on Wednesday night's show. "Not only from kooks. But the FBI came in and warned me and a few other people at Fox News that al Qaeda had us on a death list. That's a little disconcerting." But who goes about telling people about that? Apparently, O'Reilly who lives on the edge, keeping alive by doing whatever it is he does.... On RADAR online, people at FOX and the FBI both denied the claim. An angent for the FBI even went so far as to say "I'm not aware of any FBI agents warning anyone at Fox News of their presence on any list....For that matter, I'm not aware of any al-Qaeda hit list targeting journalists. Agents from the D.C. field office, FBI headquarters, and an agent from the kidnapping unit went to Fox's offices in New York last month to advise them specifically on the Gaza kidnapping [of Fox employees Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig]. But they only talked to management, they didn't talk to any individual journalists".

Coup!

There's a lot of news today

President Bush spoke at the opening day of the United Nation's 61st General Assembly. By the way, The President this year is Sheika Haya Rashed al-Khalifa of Bahrain. Shie is the first woman from the Middle East ot hold such a position. (w00t) Kofi Annan gave his Annual Report, the the President of Brazil spoke. President Bush finally got up to speak about Weapons of Mass Destruction and laid out our issues with Iran. Later today, the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, will also address the UN General Assembly. One can only believe that the Iranian president plans to reply to President Bush's demands for Iran to UN resolutions.

In Thailand, while the Prime Minister is in New York attending the UN General Assembly, a military coup was staged. This is a current event. CNN is reporting that all external news channels are blocked so residents are not getting CNN, the BBC or other international broadcasters.

According to CNN, there is space debris in the same orbit as Space Shuttle Atlantis. It is unclear whether it is merely debris or a piece of the shuttle itself that has broken off. Astronauts will likely need to do another spacewalk to inspect the ship again before reentry. Obviously, the reentry itself will have to be delayed until the necessary precautions can be taken.

Judge Abdullah al-Amiri, the jurist who was hearing the trial of Saddam Hussein and his cronies, has been replaced under the direction of the Primie Minister of Iraq. He was soft on the ousted dictator and even had said to Hussein during the trial that he was not a dictator. It can safely be assumed that moments like these were what led to the change of judges.

Unless you've been living under a rock, in cave in Tennessee or wherever news is not printed or broadcast, the US has enemy combatant detainees. We are holding them in Guantanomo Bay, Cuba. As long as we are a nation held ot the standards of the Geneva Convention which outlines treatment of Prisoners of War, we have to label these individuals as such. If not, we'd be in severe violation. So on a technicality, we hold these people in prison indefinitely. President Bush proposes that we amend Article 3 of the Geneva Convention to make trying these individuals easier and less recrimination on the CIA for questionable interrogation techniques. In fact, persons could be tried without access to the very evidence that the prosecution will use against them. This violates the due process we hold dearly in this country. ]They've already violated habeas corpus so this isn't a stretch. Senator John McCain, a Republican form Arizona, is leading two other Republican rebels, John Warner of Virginia and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, in the senate who are opposed to this proposal. In addition, General Colin Powell, former Secretary of State under President Bush, has also voiced his opinion against the amendment. Several questions remain" If we amend Article 3, do we negate the very convention? Will other nations amend theirs, leave it alone, or disregard it as blatantly as our government has? Can we amend it? Will our service people be treated as bad or worse than we do?

Anderson Cooper + George Clooney = Explosion of a female news junkie

When turning on CNN this morning, I was impressed by the fact that it must be a slow news day. They aren't reporting about a lot of different things. They did another installment of Genius Reports. These are items about genius that are supposed to entice us to watch Neurologist and CNN medical contributor, Sanjay Gupta, and his special report this Sunday on Geniuses. All this does is make me depressed. I'm a smart gal but I never got the opportunity to learn in a way that suited my abilities better. I slugged it out for years in relative misery.

But beyond my own self-disparaging, CNN is just not doing a great job today. They did a report on NASA unfurling the solar array for the International Space station. However, it was slowed down by a computer glitch. First bolts, now glitches. NASA can't expect to have a robust recruiting program.

The Montreal shooter was named Kimveer Gill. He was also known as the Angel of Death. He was a 25-year-old from the Montreal suburb. Laval. He fit the dark, sulky loner type that is often the perpetrator of sucha cts at schools like the Colmubine massacre. He even wore atrench coat and dark clothes. The gunmen hated authority figures and "jocks".

Like Lysistrata, Women are forgoing sex to protest violence. In the classic Greek play by Aristophanes, the women of Athens withhold sexual acts from their men until they end their war. Women in cities in present day Columbia that are the wives and girlfriends of gang members are holding a "Strike of Crossed Legs". Go Girls! The mayor of one of the most violent cities, Pereira, also backed the strike. The women are asking themen to disarman dforgo gang violence.

Claudia Mitchell, ex-Marine and Motorcycle rider, received a bionic arm recently. She and Jessie Sullivan, the first recepient of such an appendage, showed off the devices at a press conference in Washington, D.C. today. Mitchell lost hers in motorcycle accident two years ago and Sullivan lost both arms in an indrustrial accident. The two can move their respective arms with a though since nerves in the brain are connected to electronics that mobilize the bionic arms.

Now, I will explain my headline. Anderson Cooper, CNN's hot prematurely grey news anchor will have actor/director George Clooney on his show 360 tonight. Clooney will be discussing the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan after speaking at theUN on the subject. These two men are at the top of my list of suave, sexy, intelligent men. I will be watching every second of this program, trying not to drool.

These are most trained astronauts ever...and they keeping losing stuff

In Montreal today, a violent hostage situation erupted at Dawson College. It is asmall school with a student body of 10,000 or so. Four people are believed injured and a shooter has killed himself. There exists a possibility of more shooters. There may have been 1-2 more shooters. Though CNN can't give a lot of details, CBC said there was a man in a trench coat and mohawk storming into the cafeteria. But there was also mention of a shooter wearing fatigues and long hair. Other suspects may indeed be among the fleeing students. So this is definitely a developing story.

The Astronauts. They waited. A long time. But that apparently does not mean they won't lose shit. This is not a new thing for astronauts. Just in July, Discovery spacewalkers lost a 14-inch spatula that floated away. This time they've lost two bolts. To begin, with it took three astronauts to unscrew a bolt on the International Space Station. This answered the age old question: How many astronauts does it take to screw in a bolt?

In Dolton, Illinois, there is a present hostage situation at a bank. A man attempted to rob the bank and holds two employees in thevault.

El Niño has formed in PacificOcean and, according to NOAA, will last well into 2007. This may account for the quieter Atlantic hurricane season. It will likelymean milder Winter temperatures for Western and Central Canada as well as Western and Northern US. Florida and the gulf will probably be wetter and Ohio, drier.

Anna Nicole Smith lost her son, Daniel Wayne Smith on September 10th, in the Bahamas. He had come there to visit with his mother after giving birth to a baby girl on September 7th. A formal inquiry has been scheduled for October 23. The events surrounded his death are suspicious and the least amount of details have been revealed to keep the investigation running. Regardless of how anyone feels about 1993 playmate of the year, her loss is heavy and devastating. She should be celebrating the new addition to her family. And this little girl will never know her brother.

New Oil? Praise the Lord!!!

Chevron found new oil reserves off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana. This may, in fact, dwarf the reserves in Alaska. The oil reserves may be the biggest find in 38 years. However, the deposits are years away from production. Furthermore, finding more oil does not mean we should stop looking for alternative fuels sources and types. This only heightens the need to develop different methods since finding new desposits is a rare event. It will only become rare as peak oil runs its course.

Japan can breathe easier. Princess Kiko has given birth to a son. He weighed in at only 5.6 lbs. and had to be delivered by caesarean section but the hospital claims he is healthy. Up till now, there had been discussion of changing succession laws in Japan to enable Princess Aiko, the neice of the Princess and her husband, Prince Akishino. Her husband is second in line to the throne behind his elder brother, Crown Prince Naruhito. The new Prince is third in line.

Samir Shehadeh's car was blasted by a bomb controlled by remote near the Southern Lebanese city of Sidon. He is an intelligence official who was investigating the death of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri early last year. Four of his aides and bodyguards were killed.

An Indian official announced that Billoo Gujjar of the Islamic separatist group Hizbul Mujahedeen was killed in Kashmir, specifically, the Udhampur district. He was killed in the Indian controlled section of Kashmir and there was an estimated $12,000 reward on his head.

A man by the name of Christian Nielsen was arrested after a killing spree that left four dead over the weekend in Maine. The cook killed an Arkansas man and then, two days later, killed a bed-and-breakfast owner, her daughter and her daughter's friend. He later dismembered the man and burnt his remains in the woods.

Felipe Calderon has finally been declared the winner of Mexico's hotly contested July 2nd election. Lopez Obrador, his opponent, objects to the ruling. Obrador's supporters lit fireworks and wept as the decision was announced. Many claim there is corruption.

On this day in 1666, London caught fire. Despite 10,000 buildings being burned, only 16 people perished.

On this day back in 1972, the terrorist group "Black September" took Israeli athletes hostages during the Munich Olympic Games. They later were killed 9 during a rescue attempt. Two of the total 11 died at the beginning of the massacre. Of the eight terrorists themselves, five were killed while the remaining three were captured. A German police officer was also killed during the massacre.

So, what's the big deal?

Israel and Hezbollah agree to talks about the two soldiers whose kidnapping sparked the recent conflict in Lebanon. Kofi Annan, Secretery General of the United Nations. Israel will undoubtedly be asking for unconditional return of the prisoners. Hezbollah has stated that it would like a swap of Arab prisoners held in Israel. Both sides requested Anna's mediation in the talks.

Sudan changed the conditions for the African Union. Instead of kicking them all out, they will be allowed to stay only if they stay without any involvement in the United Nations. The UN is still struggling to get peacekeeping forces in Sudan. Sudan is split over its black African population and its Muslim majority. Darfur, the region of the rebellion as well as the most bloodshed, has suffered greatly at the hands of the pro-government militias. With the rejection of resolution 1706, Sudan chooses to go on this alone. Though the UN has never called what is happening in Sudan genocide, it is close. The destruction is systematic and to some degree, calculated.

A man was shot dead near an ancient Roman amphitheater in Amman, Jordan. The fatality was a British. Others were Dutch, British and Jordanian. More as this develops.

Yesterday, a military helicopter was shot down in the South Ossetian region of Georgia. No one was injured but it has sparked a maelstrom. Georgia, once a part of the now-defunct USSR, has had its share of problems with regions desiring autonomy. In addition to South Ossetia, Abkhazia in the west would also like to be independent.

Crikey!

Convert now or forever hold your sins. A man calling himself Assam the American called on the US and many non-muslims to convert. As long as Americans are ignorant to Islam, they will accept and even applaud wars and conflicts in Palestine and Lebanon by Israel, according to Assam. He also stated "To Americans and the rest of Christendom we say, either repent [your] misguided ways and enter into the light of truth or keep your poison to yourself", according to the BBC. Assam the Americans' real name is believed to be Adam Gadahn and he is wanted by the FBI for questioning.

Not only does Sudan reject the UN resolution to put Peacekeeping troops on the ground, it also told the African Union, which does have troops there, to leave. Since 2003, fighting between the pro-government military and rebel factions has caused thousands to die, millions to go homeless and suffer hellish conditions. This may indicate that Sudan plans to handle the rebels with military strikes. The AU has reported that rebel held villages in Darfur are already being attacked by troops. Sudan has given the 7,000 strong AU troops till the end of September to leave.

Qatar is sending up to 300 troops to help in Lebanon.

Fresh fighting in the Phillipines between Abu Sayyaf rebels and Filipino troops, has claimed five Filipino soldiers and several rebels. The Abu Sayyaf are a militant Muslim terrorists with alleged links to al-Qaeda. According to the BBC, "Troops have been fighting Abu Sayyaf rebels on the remote southern island of Jolo since late July in a bid to flush out leader Khadaffy Janjalani."

India is dealing with floods in two of the strangest places: Rajasthan and Kashmir. Neither know floods intimately. Rajasthan is the Thar Desert, in fact, and usually knows drought. But it was recently flooded by immense monsoon rains and 135 people lost their lives. In Kashmir, 1 person has died after being swept away while 200,000 are effected by the flooding. As many as 200 villages have been "marooned". Villagers are reluctant to leave their homes despite the water. Southern Kashmir and Jammu are the worst effected.

A fire at a chemical plant in the Galicia region in Spain last week, resulted in a highly toxic petroleum spill that is slowy creeping down the Umia river to the Atlantic ocean. Water supplies to residents have been cut off form the river and shell fishing industries have been closed for the interim. In the meantime, the government is trying to prevent the pollution of the Ocean by rigging dams to stop the spill.

Sri Lankan troops have taken control of an area near Trincomalee, a town held by Tamil Tiger rebels. A cease-fire had been declared in 2002 but conflict was sparked earlier this year and continues to excalate.

Two hostages have been taken by inmates in a Russian prison in Moscow. THe prison is a pre-trial center. The head of the center is believed to be one of the hostages. The inmates have not made any demands yet

A bomb has gone off at a bar in Bujumbura, Burundi, on the eve of talks reconvening. The National Liberation Forces (FNL) has not signed the peace deal and is the last group. Four people were killed and twelve injured in the explosion.

In Somalia, the provisional government took control of the Baidoa from clan militias. The clans were exacting taxes of $20 on every passenger and $100 on every plane using the airport. After some policement were trying to leave for Kenya for training, conflict broke out. Six died while seven more were left wounded.

In Hyderabad, India, a 60-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her daughter-in-law. Laxmi, the daughter-in-law, supposedly smashed H. Ramabai, the mother-in-law, in the head with a boulder while she slapt. THe woman admitted to the Saroornagar police that she had done the deed over criticsm on trivial matters. There may have been another motive. Laxmi apparently was having an affiar and the older owman discovered it. Desperate Housewives: India?

Gene Therpay has cured two men of skin cancer and may be a highly feasible method of conquering cancer. The method uses T-cells from patients, modifies them and retransfuses them. The cells attack tumor cells rather than ignore them.

Today, Steve Irwin, better known as the Crocodile Hunter, died after being stung by a Sting ray in the shallow waters off Port Douglas, Australia. Reportedly, a barb from the sting ray punctured his heart. Paramedics rushed to the scene but were unable to do anything for the wildlife enthusiast. He is survived by his wife Terri and their two children, Bindi Sue and Robert "Bob" Clarence. He was 44.

On this day back in 1781, Los Angeles was founded by the Spanish.

On this day in 1888, George Eastman registered his Kodak camera that used rolls. It would be 100 years and then some before the next big innovation in cameras: Digital.

34 years ago, Mark Spitz won his seventh gold medal in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. He set a record that still stands today. Many a male swimmer contends to break this record. In 2008, will it be Phelps or Thorpe?

People come. People go.

I missed posting more on Friday and posting at all on Saturday due to the arrival of a friend long since gone to the Army. Due to my own choices, he was still in high school the last time I saw him. He's now 26 and on working on his second marriage.

Anywho, where was I? Ah, yes: the News.

A bomb explodes in Catak, a town in Eastern Turkey near the border with Iran. There was reportedly a suspicioud package in a tea garden (really an outdoor cafe) and the police were summoned. The package exploded as police arrived killing one of the officers as well as a bystander. It is believed to be the work of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey has been pressuring the United States and the UN to erradicate hideouts in neighboring Iraq.

Over 200 Taleban and 4 Canadian soldiers die in Southern Afghanistan. NATO has begun Operation Madusa since taking over the area near Kandahar in July. They also are working with Afghan troops.

Lieutnenat James Daniel of the United states Army has reccomended that three soldiers face the death penalty. Army Staff Sgt Raymond Girouard, Spc William Hunsaker, Pfc Corey Claggett and Spc Juston Graber admitted to killing detainees during Operation Iron Triangle in Tikrit in May. They also threatened another soldier if he told anyone about the killings. The last US soldier to be executed was in 1961. Even though there is precedent, it is rare.

The beleagered nation of Myanmar (Burma) has not had a constitution in a long time. It has actually been run by the military since 1962. Aung San Suu Kyi and her political party won election in 1990 by a very large margin but she has never been allowed to govern. Apparently things may be changing... for the better. At various times there have been talks to building a new constitution in an effort to create a democracy. The US has put pressure on the UN to put this in their security council agenda. We'll see if this makes a difference.

Another news item related to Myanmar: Karen refugees livingi ncramped camps in Thailand have finally been given the greenlight ot live somewhere after nearly 10 years. The United States is taking them. There was a clause in a National Security Act that banned people who had contact with Rebel forces. This has been waived. THe cloause is set up to get those who were in the armed forces, not those who happen to live amongst the hotspots they came from. It would be like banning the Irish because the PIRA came from Dublin. There may be 130,000 coming to live here in the US. Welcome!!!

Europe's first spacecraft to the moon crashes after its three year mission. And they were happy about it. It crashed in the Lake of Excellence and sent debris kilometeres into space. They hope that the behavior of the debris will help them study the geology and composition of the moon. Wouldn't getting moon rocks back be better?

This should not be considered news. The American Journal of Preventative Medicine found that those who live in extreme poverty tend to have more chronic illnesses. In other words: you poor, you sick. It does not take a great stretch of the imagination to notice that those who cannot affored to eat well and by extension, live well, will not be well. If a large part of your caloric intake comes from nutritionally poor substances because its affordable then your diet does not help you either. This is news?

Tom Cruise apologized to Brooke Shields. Its been some time since he's made some dubiously sane remarks on the Today Show about Brooke Shields and her treatment for post-partem depression. She decided to anti-depressants to help with extreme symptoms of the depression. In his conversation with Today Show host Matt Lauer, he slammed Shields for her decision and used her as an example of those that should seek help from Scientology, a religion he espouses. He also heralded himself as an expert on psychiatric pharmaceuticals though he is only a highly (over)paid movie star. Cruise, though sincere according to Shields, may be motivated by Paramount dropping his production company and features that he was working on. At the time, he, his associates and his represesntatives waved it off like it was nothing. But it may heve made Cruise think twice about being such a jerk.

Lastly, Andre Agassi ended his 21 year career Sunday after losing to Benjamin Becker. Becker, ranked only 112th, beat him in three sets to move past the third round of the US Open, in New York. As Agassi left Arthur Ashe Stadium, he waved to crowd and was honored with a four minute ovation. He will now be able to spend more time with his wife, Tennis champion Steffi Graf, and their two children.

Iran, Russia and a Mexican Hurricane

Why must I always write about Iran? They always seem to come up somehow. There was a fire on a plane in Mashhad, Iran today. Eigthy people died, none of whom were crew members. The plane was carrying 147 passengers. The plane in question is a Russian Tupolev 154. Incidents with planes, whether crashing or what not, are a common occurrance in Iran. Economic sanctions make it very difficult for the country to import the spare parts it needs.

Regions in Russia are making Russian Orthodoxy a subject in school. The Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga and Smolensk regions will make it compulsory while 11 other regions will make it an optional course. The curriculum stresses history rather than theology. However, opponents point out that the Russian constitution clearly states that there is a seperation of church and state. Moreover, the Muslim minority, who constitute at least 10% of the federation, are feeling slighted. They say that the same measure should be extended to Muslim students with Islamic history an optional subject.

The European Union apparently is growing faster economically than Japan or the good ole USA. However, their ability to create jobs is less than stellar. It is expected to lessen somewhat as we go into the end of the year. Another African country banning homosexual parties, Ghanian Information Minister Kwamena Bartels noted that since it is illegal to by gay in Ghana, there shouldn't be a conference for homosexuals there. The conference is set to take place next month. My question is why they choose Ghana, a place that does not accept Homosexuals in the first place, for that kind of party?

Tropical Storm Ernesto came ashore at Long Beach, North Carolina. It is now headed northward. Norfolk, Virginia better look out.

Hurricane John is a Category 3 storm and headed for Baja California. Cabo San Lucas is in the bull's eye.

I'll have more later.