Launches, sinkings, and a beer?

We are now at T+48 hours since Super Tuesday. And there is still plenty going on. Super Tuesday would be exciting on its own, but it feel a month into primary season. The Republican method of primary voting and accumulation of delegates favors a winner-take-all (WTA) method. The Democratic method favors a long slugfest. It will take longer for a nominee to emerge and assume the crown because it they split the delegate proportionally. Hence, a candidate could get more delegates by winning less states. But this is not something I should have to go over.

The reason I bring it up is that pundits like Bill O'Reilly have outlined a scenario (and I think Dick Morris who is bitter toward the Clintons since they ruined his career and the only people who will hire him are Fox) where Obama wins the most delegates but the Super Delegates decide to go with Clinton at the convention. He says there will be a riot and that they will tear the arena down.

If one were to seriously consider Bill O'Reilly's wishful ranting, the democrats would all tear each thoer eyes out on network television for the Conservative power mongers to gloat over. First of all, I don't think it will get that bad. Second, are you really serious? Have you been to a Democratic anything? Democrats won't even yell a person out of the room. Since I'm in the Democratic party, I can't say I've ever felt violence toward another Democrat. I honestly think that Bill O'Reilly would just like to see this happen. A fractured Democratic party would make his day.

On to something that is not political for a minute. There was a shuttle launch. It was not impressive. That is if you consider the better launch pictures that have been done. Come on NASA!!!! Give us a night launch.




Yeah!!!!!!!!!!! That's more like it. Thats what I call a launch!!!!!!



Ok, so there were a lot gun toting violence lately. The deaths at a Lane Bryant recently, the home in LA with the SWAT team taking a casualty along with 4 other people. Now some guy in Kentucky opens fire on a city hall meeting. So, was there something in the stars I didn't see? Like the constellation gunus loadus? There sure are a bunch of crazies running around getting their crazy on.

Speaking of crazies... John McCain went to CPAC (I really couldn't help myself... I really love politics but I'm usually not so mean... and that's nice for politics). Before he could speak Mitt Romney did. He said that he couldn't be the one to blame if the Democrats got the White House. The Democrats he claims, would allow us to be defeated by surrendering the war in Iraq. So, he suspended his campaign. This means he has pulled out. He's still in denial. The Mitt Romney ship has sunk. All right.... it hit a sand bar... but it lost almost all of its sails.... or its in a dead calm.... something....

Before McCain got up to speak, cons at the con (heh) were switching their Romney T-shirts for McCain t-shirts. How astounding: the red headed stepchild of the Republican party at CPAC (Conservative Political Action Group) where even they can't stick to their convictions and principles [grind teeth].

I'm not a conservative. There are beliefs I hold that are conservative but I will not consider myself a conservative for some pretty big reasons. 1. I like people of all types and refuse to be exclusionary and/or intolerant. 2. I think religion is for the church/synagoge/temple/home. It has no place in politics, as part of domestic policy or the basis for laws. No one should expect a country to be made in the mold of a particular faith. Its unfair and intolerant. It infringes other people's 1st amendment rights. 3. I use reason and logic. I think therefore I am not conservative or liberal. You all have your neuroses and need therapy.

To me, McCain is like that. He doesn't judge a person by their party but takes time to get to know them as people. He reminds me a bit of professor of history (a subject McCain likes) who is a bit more hippie than McCain but he is still on of those guys who likes to get to know his students as people. McCain does that with his fellow Senators and enjoys meetings of the mind with them. I've said this before and I'll say it again: We need someone with a proven record of working with the other party. McCain has that.

I watched the speech with baited breath. Hell, I'd been waiting for this one. First, cowboy boot wearing George "macaca" Allen of Virginia introduced Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. I can't help but wonder if not for that video in 2006, would Allen be running and winning this nomination? Anyways, Tom Coburn came out and talked about McCain's courage. Coburn might be commended for his courage, too. In the late '90's, he locked horns with then Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich because the Republican led Congress was spending just like the Democrats had been before they had taken over. Nothing had changed and the "Contract with America" was in shambles. He's also worked with Senator Obama. I'd say he like McCain is not afraid to work with someone who has a "D" attached to their name. He also has the regret of his remarks against the airing of Schindler's List to contend with for the rest of his life.

But getting on to the speech itself. I liked it. It was perfect, quiet, John McCainness and simple. He didn't get into specifics which is fine. There were some real nice parts. Like the boo that turned into a cheer. I'll call it a beer. I have no idea why this happened. I only saw McCain do this sort of beseeching shrug that he does. It always seems like his arms are awkward for him. I blame that on the fact that the range of motion in his arms is limited. I believe he cannot raise them to a certain point.

Anyways, this beer started out with the crowd booing when he brought up immigration. I understand their reason for doing that. McCain worked with Ted Kennedy, the living God of Democrats, to formulate a bill on immigration that ultimately failed. He admits to this. It was a so-called "path to citizenship". I'm with the conservatives on immigration but I'm also with McCain. I find immigrants to be criminals. They broke our laws to get in here and continue to break them with their continued presence here. I won't generalize and get into statements of tenement housing and bad driving. These are stereotypes that are as dangerous as general statements about Jews and Roman Catholics.

But, as much as they broke laws and entered our nation illegally, which means they have little respect for a nation's government and lack integrity, there needs to be a solution that works for everyone. We cannot throw the 12+ million people back to Mexico. This would be a humanitarian disaster. It would destroy Mexico. Some would welcome this but hold on a second! Destroying Mexico would not help us but rather, hurt us. If their fragile economy collapses due to a sudden influx of people that it cannot support, we'd have to prop up the flagging economy anyway.

The other option is to figure out a way to reduce the illegal immigrants coming across our border and to get those here to become citizens so they can pay into a system they already benefit from. Getting them out would be far more problematic and violent. No one wants the blood of another country's citizens, criminals or not, on their hands. So, the compromise that he made with Kennedy is justified.

But this boo... as it progressed, it turned into a cheer. A loud and resounding cheer. I don't know if Allen and Coburn started scowling at the audience since they were told to be nice. Maybe conservatives saw it within themselves to be nice. I'd like to know what actually happened there in the ballroom because they certainly didn't show it on TV.

And did you see the covereage of CPAC on Fox? I nornally watch CNN or MSNBC but considering the nature of this speech, getting reaction from the conservatives themselves would be key. But Fox did something that I find reprehensible. Look at the picture below. See if you can pick put out any errors.

That's right!!! Fox has democratized John McCain (I'm taking credit for this new use of the word right now) . They misidentify any republican they want to and claim its a typo. The odds that there'd would be these typos at moments when the Republican party is in a crises or, like when Mark Foley admitted one of their own screws up and only these times are slim. The odds of that each time these mistakes occur, it would always be a "D" is even more slim. I'm no mathematician but I understand probability and randomness from my experience as a pollster and working in statistics. There is no way that Fox can stand by their assertions. At least not without knowing how stupid they look. If I were self-respecting journalist, I could not work with/for Fox without either walking away from this excuse for a "fair and balanced" news outfit or losing my integrity for remaining with them. What a fucking joke!!!!!!!

All right, this post has gone on long enough. I did want to add some clips from The Daily Show from Wednesday night. Jon Stewart takes on the coverage of the primaries on the News outlets. Enjoy!!!



and this!



Ok, The moment of Zen, too.



Bonne Soiree!!!!!!

Lets get off the Blue Marble

[Warning: A photo heavy piece]

Robert Gates, the replacement for outgoing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, has been confirmed by the senate 95-2. The two votes against Gates were cast by Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Jim Bunning of Kentucky. The senators were critical of Gates. Bunning said Gates was too critical of the action in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also believes that Gates will bring rogue states to the negotiating table. Santorum took to the floor of the senate ot give an hourlong speech in which he said "How do those who deny this evil propose to save us from these people? By negotiating through the U.N. or directly with Iran? By firing Don Rumsfeld, (and) now getting rid of John Bolton? That's going to solve the problem?"

In another joint conference with United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair and United States President George W. Bush, was conducted this morning. Yesterday, the Iraq War Study Group presented its conclusions to President Bush.He said "Having an international group is an interesting idea", which cracks me up. Wouldn't that be the United Nations?

Earlier today, a tornado tore through Northwest London at around 11 this morning London time. (That would be 5 hours ahead of us if you live on the east coast.) England experiences 50 or os tornadoes a year so this is not a strange occurance. However, it swept through the streets of the Kensal Rise area in London (imagine a tornado in London!), flipping cars over and ripping doors off homes. Many homes were evacuated and several more were damaged. An article on the event at BBC's UK site. The weather has been nasty in the North Atlantic lately.

You've hopefully heard about this by now: Hugo Chavez was democratically re-elected in Venezuela. This is the politician's third win. He was first elected in 1998, and then re-elected to a six year term in 2000. After winning the vote, "It's another defeat for the devil, who tries to dominate the world". He won by a healthy margin and is most popular amongst the country's poor who favor his social policies.

NASA unveiled plans on December 5th to place a permanant settlement on the South Pole of the moon by 2020. This will be the first expedition to the moon since 1972. There is hopes to bring other space agencies into the project. The plan involves week long stays of four person crews to do the construction of the base. After initial materials are brough from Earth, the settlement will use hydrogen and oxygen from the moon for fuel and the obvious: air to fucking breathe!

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has reported that it is dramatically short of 20c coins. This is only weeks after issuing new coins with a new design. Why am I laughing about this?

Yesterday saw the launch of France24. It has been founded with the hope of countering the "Anglophone sphere of influence of BBC World and CNN International" especially as of late. It was created by a partnership between Groupe TF1 and France Télévisions and has an annual budget €80Million. It will be broadcast in English and French. The English simulcast will also feature 4-6 hours of French programming. There are future plans to also utilize Arabic and Spanish programming. It has not been stated whether there will be all-Arabic or all-Spanish networks or merely programs in those languages. It will be transmitted to the US by antenna and sattelite. Comcast plans to carry the network. Regardless, go there just to see it. It's free!

James Kim, a senior editor at CNET, was found at noon on Wednesday in a ravine in Oregon. He had been deceased for a couple of days after being stranded in the wilderness with his wife Kati and two daughters, Penelope and Sabine, since beginning a return trip home after Thanksgiving. He had covered 8 miles in inclimate weather in street clothes and tennis shoes. Rescuers are calling the effort it took to cover that land in freezing and near-freezing temperatures "superhuman". CNET has set up a blog for people to post their memories, condolensces or anything they wish to write about James Kim.

On this day , in 1732, the Royal Opera House at the Convent Garden in London, England, opens.

In 1776, the Marquis de Lafayette, tried to enter the US military, who were bogged down in the War for Independence.

In 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the constitution. Though this is not formal, it is the de jure first state.

In 1917, we declared war on Austria-Hungary and thereby, entered World War I.

On this day in 1941, Canada declared war on Finland, Hungary, Romania, and Japan. Sort of jumping the gun.

That same day and year, Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, in the territory of Hawaii.
The USS Arizona's forward magazines explode.

The Damage can still be seen at Hickam Field at Pearl Harbor.

US Casualties:
2,335 military and 68 civilians killed,
1,143 military and 35 civilians wounded,
4 mini-submarines sunk
4 battleships sunk,
4 battleships damaged,
3 cruisers damaged,
3 destroyers sunk,
2 other ships sunk,
188 planes destroyed,
155 planes damaged

Japanese Casualties:
55 airmen, 9 submariners killed and 1 captured,
29 planes destroyed,
4 mini-submarines sunk


In 1966, there was a fire at the Army barracks in Erzurum, Turkey that kills 68.

In 1972, the last Apollo mission, 17, is launched. The famous "The Blue Marble" photograph was taken upon the journey to the moon. Like I said previously, this was the last manned mission to the moon. This also makes it the last time anyone was 28,000 miles from Earth and capable of taking such a photo. The craft was directly between the Earth and the sun so the earth is fully lit.

In 1988, Yasser Arafat, who is now dead, recognized Israel's right to exist.

In 1995, the Galileo spacecraft, launched in 1989, arrives at Jupiter to take lots of pictures of that planet. It enetered in to orbit on this day. Its really sweet radio attenna did not deploy so they could not get as much as they wanted to for its seven year tour ofJupiter. In 2003 it crashed itself into Jupiter.

In 2004, Hamid Karzai became president of Afghanistan. Thats good for us, I guess. Our first experiment with Nation building.

Oh yeah, and today.... STS-116 launched at night, no less. Here's a picture of the rollout. Just fucking awesome!
That's all from me.... whew.

Perverts! Liars! Terrorists! Oh My!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

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 with a 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.

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 amned it? Will our service people be treated as bad or worse than we do?

"If they try to rush me, I always say, 'I’ve only got one other speed -- and it’s slower'."

There's a lot of news today and there's some people to bid farewell to. But, first the News.

Iran has missed its deadline. One can't help but wonder if Iran would really have kept it. UN Resolution 1696 called for Iran to end its Uranium enrichment program or else face economic sanctions. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said "cannot dissuade Iranians from their decision to make progress". It appears that Iran never listened to begin with. The country remains unpopular throughout the globe. However, currently Iran's "stock" is high in the Middle East. It backs Hezbollah, who, though a terrorist group, also run social programs. Its program is supposedly to start a nuclear energy program which will help the expanding economy. According to the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), it gets most of its nuclear materials through the black market and runs secret, or, clandestine, experiments.

The United Nations has passed a resolution to create a peacekeeping force to head to Sudan. Sudan has been reluctant to accept such aid except from the African Union. Resolution 1706 was sponsored by the United States and the United Kingdom. It passed with a vote of 12-0. Russia, China and Qater abstained (courteously). Sudan rejected the resolution citing a violation of their sovereignty. Had Sudan accepted it, it calls for 17,300 military personnel to be deployed but supervised by some civilian organization and an additional 3,300 police personnel. This is an effort to strengthen the United Nations Mission in Sudan. The press release and full text of the resolution can be read here. Many of the atrocities that have become synonymous with Darfur continue despite African Union presence.

Ten bombs exploded simultaneously in Yala, Thailand, 600 miles south of Bangkok. The bombs detonated at eight banks. One person was killed and 18 injured as part of ongoing violence from Islamic seperatists. Southern Thailand has three provinces, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, that have a Muslim majority. The rest of the country is largely Buddhist. 1,300 people have died due to sectarian violence since January 2004.

Though this item is old, ever so old, its pertinent. Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor are being held in Libya. They have been tried once for intentionally infected 426 children with the HIV virus in the late '90's. They were convicted in December 2005 and sentenced to death only for the Supreme Court to overturn the convictions and demand a retrial. The accused claim they were tortured to confess. Libya has said the nurses could go free if Bulgaria compensated Libya in the amount of €4.4 Billion, or, $5.5 Billion. Bulgaria (understandibly) has rejected this idea. It has been joined by other nations such as the United States in offering an aid fund. Fifty of the affected children have since died. The outbreak that the nurses were there for was underway before they arrived in Libya. Is the Palestinian going to have a country back him?

Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, has stated that he supports Syrian President in opposition to "imperialist aggresion", namely, US intervention. Chavez was in Syria signing energy deals and has also visited Malaysian and Iran in recent weeks. At the beginning of the Israeli-Lebanese conflict, Chavez withdrew Venezuela's ambassador from Israel.

Nadim Injaz, a Palestinian, was arrested by Israeli commandos after they stormed into the UK embassy in Tel Aviv. The man was there seeking asylum and claiming that he would be killed by other Palestinians. Israelis refused to help him. The man threatened to kill himself on TV if he was not granted asylum.

In Norway, Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' and 'Madonna' have been recovered after nearly two years since they were stolen. Three men were convicted and sentenced to eight years' prison time in May. The paintings were stolen on August 22, 2004, at gunpoint. How the police recovered the paintings has not been made public. A police spokesman said "out of consideration of police working methods, it will be hard to give details about how the operation was carried out". How very European.

A Muslim leader in Tanzania has said that the beach party to be held September 2nd in honor of the late Freddie Mercury's birthday should be banned. Mercury, lead singer of British rock band Queen and gay, was born in Zanzibar. Azan Khalid of Zanzibar's Association for Islamic Mobilization and Propagation said that his homosexuality violates Islamic principles. He even went so far as to say "that's why he was branded a Queen". (I can't help but chuckle a little over this. Ok, I'm chuckling a lot.) Mercury, whose real name was Farrokh Bulsara, was of Indian Parsi descent and not a Muslim. Though he was not religious, he was by heritege, a Zoroastrianism.

Here in the US, Tropical Storm Ernesto has restrengthened in the Atlantic Ocean. Though it has not regained hurricane status it is very close. Currently, its packing winds of 70mph. There have been reports of half a foot of rain falling in North Carolina. Landfall is expected to occur somewhere near Sunset Beach, North Carolina. However, this is very southern North Carolina and so it could therefore, be right at the border between the two Carolinas. After coming ashore, it is expected to track north along the Eastern seaboard.

Mexico deals with Hurricane John as well. After beating up mainlaind Mexico as a category 4 hurricane, it now heads toward Baja California and Los Cabos as a category 3 storm (it has winds of at least 125 mph). The government ordered 10,00 local residents into shelters. Mexicans have been less than accomodating and seem to slowly concede the hurricane will hit them.

Politically, there has been a shake up. On August 8th of this year, Joe Lieberman, Democratic Senator from Connecticut, conceded defeat in that state's Democratic primary ot challenger Ned Lamont. Some have said the reason for his defeat was the "kiss of death" he received from President Bush during the president's entrance for the 2005 State of the Union address. Regardless, Lieberman, an observant Jew and former Vice Presidential candidate, has decided to continue his campaign as a Independant. This has led to chilly receptions from other Senators. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to say he has been abandoned. In addition to this congressional matter, there are questions about what this means to any future Presidential campaigns.

Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract from NASA to build the Orion vehicle. This new fleet would replace the aging and ailing shuttle fleet in 2010. The vehicles won't fly until 2014, however. Lockheed beat Northrop Grumman and Boeing for the multi-million dollar contract.

In Local News (for me), Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. was convicted after three and 1/2 hours of deliberation in the 2003 kidnapping and death of college student Dru Sjodin. She went to school at the University of North Dakota.

Salman Khan (सलमान ख़ान), Bollywood superstar (and very VERY goodlooking man) has said that the Media is responsible for his negative image of late. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for illegally hunting a chinkara (black buck), an endangered species. He also is awaiting trial for another case of killing the same species in a trip to Rajasthan in 1998. He also is to be tried for a 2002 reckless driving incident where one person died and three people were injured when he drove onto a sidewalk in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) where people were sleeping. He's even been accused of beating his ex-girlfriend and 1994 Miss World, Aishwarya Rai (ऐश्वर्या राय).

Today on CBS, Bob Schieffer stepped down from his interim position as the anchor of CBS Evening News. He has filled the post for 18 months since Dan Rather's early retirement amid the National Guard records scandal. He has served his post well and helped turn around the flagging network's credibilty. He retains to his Washington post and hosting of CBS' Face the Nation. His tenure anchoring the evening news has been one of the best in recent years especially after the acsenses of the Big Three: Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw.

Glenn Ford, born Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford, legendary actor and Naval Reservist died yesturday at the age of 90. He'd been in such films as "The Blackboard Jungle", "Cimmaron", "Midway", "The Courtship of Eddie's Father", "Superman" and "Fate is the Funter". "Gilda", with Rita Heyworth, helped reintroduce him to American audiances after his lengthy time away serving in World War II. He remained in the service in reserve capacity and rose to the rank of Captain during all those years. He never won an Oscar but he should've. The above quote is attributed to him.

Nine years ago today, Princess Diana died in a car addident in Paris. Her death still affects many around the globe and has become a touchstone in many lives. (I, myself, tear up a little as I write this.) She forever changed the way we view royalty. She will always be missed.

On this day in 1994, the Provisional Irish Republican Army declared a cease-fire. This did not last and hostilities resumed in 1996. In July 2005, PIRA announced it would no longer pursue an armed campaign.

Just last year, 1,199 people were killed in a stampede on the Al-Aaimmah bridge in Baghdad. Shiite pilgrims were on the bridge when a rumor spread of suicide bombers. During the stampede, the iron railings fell off and many fell into the Tigris river. The Bridge links the staunchly Sunni area of Adhamiya on the east bank of the Tigris and the Shia area of Kadhimiya on the west bank.

On this day back in 1897, Thomas Edison patents his kinetoscope, the first movie projecter.

Just when you think you're doing the right thing

NASA reversed its decision to bring the shuttle inside after Hurricane Ernesto began to weaken. It is expected to be making landfall about a few hours ago. The storm never returned to Category 1 strength.

In Brazil, a baby was born weighing a hefty 14 pounds! The girl also was 23 1/4" long. Apparently she has three older brothers who all weighed in at over 9 pounds at birth. The mother is well (good for her!) and is diabetic.

Following up on Sunday's fatal crash in Kentucky, the FAA acknowledged that there was a violation. Last November new regulations came down the pike stipulating that there should be two (2) controllers in the control tower to do two (2) jobs: monitoring the radar and communicating with taxiing aircraft. At the time of the crash, there was only one on duty. When there is only one, monitoring the radar needs to be handed over to the FAA's Indianopolis center. Evidently, the blame lies with the FAA.

How did I miss this one? The leader of Hezbollah Sheik Hassan Nasrallah actually admitted that he was surprised by Israel's response. He never believed that Israel would counter-attack them in such magnitude. He even went so far as to say "if I had known on July 11 ... that the operation would lead to such a war, would I do it? I say no, absolutely not". In Israel, there has been widespread speculation that Hezbollah had been truly surprised by the reaction in Israel. He also went on to say that he and Hezbollah welcome peacekeeping troops in Lebanon. His behavior leads some to believe he is mending fences (or bridges...) with the Lebanese people and expecially, the Lebanese government. More than likely it's true. He needs people to believe he regrets the loss of life (however righteious some believe it was) and the destruction of so much property. He needs them to believe he is sorry.

On this day back in 1990, the Soviet Republic of Tatarstan (Республика Татарстан) declared independence. It was unsuccessful and remains a Russian Republic. Tatarstan is historically the land of the Golden Horde. For more information about Tatarstan and other relatively unknown Russian Republics, go here.

"Um... Bob... think its time to bring the shuttle in?"

An Earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale hit the Moluccas Islands in Indonesia. The earthquake appears to have happened underwater raising the possibility of tsunamis.

Tropical Storm Ernesto has begun to strengthen. The 90 miles between Cuba and Florida aren't enough to guarantee that it will reach hurricane force winds (74mph). This does not mean people in Florida should relax. Everyone should be taking precaustions. Look after yourselves, each other and your pets. NASA gave its approval to bring the shuttle in. You'd think they would be a little more on top of things.

Vivendi Universal has finally decided to offer its entire catalog for free download through Spiralfrog. A simple search of google reveals little about Spiralfrog. In any case little is known about artists will be paid. Money will be raised using advertisements.

Wikipedia will soon change how things are done. For a long time Wikipedia has had to dead with vandalism and those who would exploit their policies for idiocy. Wikipedia is going to change its editting procedures. When someone edits an entry, instead of immediately changing, it will then be reviewed by an administrator. Though this means more work for these administrators, it is the only way to go to stop the few who make it worse for the rest of us.

The President of Iran (ايران)is challenging Bush to a debate! President Ahmadinejad (محمود احمدی نژاد) said "the debate should be uncensored in order for the American people to be able to listen to what we say and they should not restrict the American people from hearing the truth." He thinks we don't hear the uncensored truth about Iran. He's right. We are constantly bombarded with what could be called propaganda. Rarely does a news item get reported without the agency itself steering toward a certain agenda or goal. We're a Pro-Israel nation and our news reflects that. Palestinian Media Watch reports on the handling of stories in the media. Another site also covers Palestinian news in English. Ahmadinejad may have points to make considering the treatment of Palestinians and some about the truth in his own nation. The White House says its a diversion. Yes, its a diversion. It might be one that would divert us from the spin the media are giving us and we might be able to make decisions on our own.

John Kerry, the Democratic Senator from Massachussetts, is now claiming voting improprieties in Ohio during the 2004 Presidential Election. I'm going to quote CNN because it is very difficult to explain this and paraphrasing was pointless: "An e-mail from Kerry will be sent to 100,000 Democratic donors Tuesday asking them to support U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland for governor of Ohio. The bulk of the e-mail criticizes Strickland's opponent, GOP Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, for his dual role in 2004 as President Bush's honorary Ohio campaign co-chairman and the state's top election official." Considering that Kerry is eyeing a 2008 run for the White House, this is really not surprising. He needs to reassure voters, donors and supporters that his loss was not his own; it is not his fault he lost.

I was listening to the Press Conference for Boulder, Colorado District Attorney Mary Lacy and they were interrupted by a fire alarm. Things just never seem to go right for her. She is explaining why they had to bring him over and do the most expensive DNA test in law enforcement history. Regardless of what this woman says to back up her actions, her career is over. Well, she can still be a lawyer.

Another legal news bit (how I despise legal news), polygamist Warren Steed Jeffs was finally taken into custody in Las Vegas. He leads the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints and in June was indicted in Arizona for arranging a marriage between a 16-year-old girl and an older man. It is believed that he may have 80 wives. He was arrested after being pulled over by Nevada highway patrol. He has been on the FBI's Most Wanted list since May. He is not part of the mainstream Mormon church.

On this day in 1949, the Soviet Union (Союз Советских Социалистических Республик) tested its first Atomic Bomb.

On this day back in 1756, Frederick the Great attacked Saxony, in Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland), which starts the Seven Years' War. Winston Churchill considered this conflict the first World War. It did involve more than one theatre but it was limited to European powers and their colonial possesions.

On this day in 1911, Ishi, the last man in the Yahi tribe, emerged from the wilderness in California. His name was never known due to a tribal taboo against saying one's own name. He lived at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of California, San Francisco, and died from Tuberculosis in 1916.

A year ago the levees broke in New Orleans.