News from Around the World

Did you hear that, beloved? Was that a political endorsement we just heard at a meeting designed for evangelism? But the shocking statement was that Bill Clinton should be an evangelist because ‘he has all the gifts?” What spiritual gifts does a non-believer possess qualifying him to “do the work of an evangelist”, Mr. Graham? This is absolutely preposterous! How dare he slight the work of the ministry (2 Timothy 4:1-5) by showing favor to one that does not know the Lord, has lived unashamedly in gross lasciviousness most of his adult life and presidency, and to this day has never repented of his sins in response to the gospel call? This is inexcusable and could forever taint the BGEA.

I've always been skeptical about the "technological fix" or the claim that technology itself is inherently democratizing (or inherently anything, for that matter). In fact, I found Bill Clinton's "digital divide" stuff to be completely delusional considering the very real problems so much of the world faces. Yet I do find myself drawn to Andrew Rasiej's plan to cover the City with low-cost wireless internet access. Rasiej is running for Public Advocate on a platform centered on building the infrastructure to make New York City a true twenty-first century city wherein internet access is not a tool of the wealthy or powerful.

Is their silence on the real abuse at Gitmo an admission that they really don’t care about our troops? Like Bill Clinton and the real Hillary, liberals in Congress do not support the troops. They do pay lip service and take every opportunity to shake the hand of a veteran for that all powerful "Photo-Op," but where the rubber meets the road, these people are invisible, and they are silent.

The only positive to be taken from the bombings is that, from what I have seen, Iraqis are uniting rather than falling back on sectarian differences. However, unless the US commits to withdrawing its military and stops its gerrymandering with Iraqi politics to create a government that is artificially co-operative with its interests, I can only foresee that it will face an uprising from all sections of the Iraqi population, together with a repeat of all the tragedy of the past year and the problems for regional stability that will ensue.

I swear this is getting out of hand. Can a day go by without this nutcase making news? Tom Cruise has entered Michael Jackson stage of celebrity weirdness. Except in Michael's case he's been "Wacko Jacko" for decades now while Tom Cruise has morphed over night into from of the biggest movie-stars in the world to one of the biggest head-cases.

Europeans are beginning to see what alot of Americans have learned. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice can be very diplomatic and she can also haul over the coals countries such as Iran, Egypt, and Russia. Syria was the subject of her wrath at a news conference in which she stated they are not doing enough to keep terrorists from slipping into Iraq and killing Iraqis and Americans. Her combination of toughness and diplomacy is garnering attention. At this past weeks gathering to discuss Iraq, many now simply call her Condi.Yahoo News

Acne Rosacea A Blush You Can Do WithoutWhat do former presidents Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin have in common A condition called acne rosacea a chronic inflammation of the blood vessels in the skin which causes a ruddy complexion and small acnelike eruptions on the cheeks forehead and nose In men it can […]

Well, the jury has spoken. Somehow, Michael Jackson has been found NOT GUILTY on all 10 counts of child molestation and various other counts. I am not surprised. I can only hope that he leaves the US and goes away forever. Let the weirdos in the other countries overseas have him. They deserve him. He is not welcome here. It’s sad that all of these big-wig celebrities can get away with anything. OJ, Robert Blake, and now this. Next up – Phil Spector. Anyone care to predict how that one will turn out?

I mentioned this earlier, but let’s take a harder look at it. Here’s Bush from last night’s speech:

I firmly believe the three most powerful forces on earth are religion, politics, and the media. Religion, for its ability to make and break conflicts, to affect people the world over for thousands of years, for its endless incarnations and applications, and because it is one of the few ideals for which people are willing to wage war and die. Politics, because it is the greatest game that men play, and its effects are more far-reaching and profound than those players often consider. The media, because it combines the characteristics of the first two, because it can further or inhibit the progress of the first two, because it has the ability to shape the viewpoint of the average person, to make or break people, places, wars, or peace, to raise up governments or tear them down, to highlight or shadow situations and the heroic or shameful actions of men.

Finally, there we were, standing in St. Peters...and there is was...Michaelangelo's Pieta. I cannot not tell you the joy and excitement that poured through me.� It was placed behind glass, as years ago someone tried to hammer a chunck out of it.� But it was there infront of me! Looking around, I realize how huge it really was.� Sadly, the crypt where they buried the popes, (including Pope John Paul) was closed to the public.� But we explored everywhere and soaked in the sights and sounds.� It was awesome!� Thank you Ernst!� You have made a dream come true!� I love you!� So ends the perfect day and a great vacation.�

Why do we need a new flag? Because the only place where Originalists are still alive in National politics is in the Supreme Court. There too, they're simply not enough to turn the tide against the 'progressives'. Clarence Thomas is the last nationally relevant man in power I hold in high regard, with the other 3 (sometimes 4) getting varying amounts of grudging admiration, depending on the issue and where they feel like standing that day.

Edward Klein would tell you his new book The Truth About Hillary: What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She'll Go to Become President does not intimate that Hillary Clinton is a closet lesbian. And he would tell you the book, a much hyped biography that hit store shelves last week, does not engage in the broader sport of gay-baiting.

But in contrast to fellow columnist Dick Foreman, I think the recall effort has given our democratic spirit an important boost. While 50,000 people in District 20 voted for Senator Huppenthal in November, 30,000 didn’t vote for him, evenly divided between those voting for Libertarian party candidate Warren Severin and those skipping the contest altogether. If I asked those 80,000 people who the President of the United States was, even the staunchest John Kerry supporter will begrudgingly admit it’s George W. Bush. But if we query Bush supporters who their State Senator is, if it weren’t for the recall, many who voted for Senator Huppenthal wouldn’t remember his name.

George W. Bush’s speech in condensed form: “September 11 happened, so I had to invade the country that had nothing to do with it and posed no threat to the United States.”

I would argue that it is the internet itself that is the medium - and that the business model of MGM is now the issue - which brings me back to my original point. They need to make way for the augmented public domain which is sucking away at their profits as surely as the hard vacuum of space. They need to let go and change. In the same way the world will have to change to deal with global warming, they will have to change their business models. The internet is here, done, its already over. They didn't move fast enough. They will be punished.

After watching George W. Bush's speech tonight, I desperately needed a good shot of levity.

Today’s .au article was from The World Today and summarized Condoleeza Rice’s speech about the U.S.’s sucky Middle East “policy”. The reporter did a fine job, yaddah, yaddah, yaddah, but my favorite part was this Condy quote:

You go girl!!! Condi's words and President Bush's policies are having a definite impact. Not only is Mubarak permitting open opposition but the opposition is taking advantage of it. I have stated in other posts that the people in the Middle East and around the world hang onto to the words that President Bush and Secretary Condoleeza Rice speak. For too long other presidents have ignored the people living in those oppressive countries in exchange for stability. As Secretary Rice stated it has not created stability nor relieved the longings of people to self-determine their government.

It is 90 years into the future, and familiar landmarks in the New York City skyline like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building are nowhere to be seen. Rather, the city looks like Star War's Coruscant, interrupted by the sudden appearance of a huge pyramid hovering above the city.

Those of us who support embryonic stem cell research often cringe when the claims in favor of that research are embellished. During the Presidential election, of course, that reached its apex with arguments by a number of folks including Sen. Kerry himself to the effect that Christopher Reeve might have been cured has stem cell research been funded sooner. Today, dozens of children and others who argue - like us - for stem cell research are held up as potential recipients of embryonic stem cell-derived therapy, as though the big worry is that they will not receive their embryo pills next year and will suffer as a result. You don’t have to have a long memory to see how dangerous these views can be. Just think back to gene therapy, and the clamor of folks to enroll in early, non-therapeutic trials because of the perceived magic of anything genetic.

Alzheimer's is a terrible illness that robs people of their minds, recognition of their loved ones, and, for now, is 100% fatal. It should give second thoughts to anyone who might oppose stem cell research, which may hold some promise for the disease. One in ten people over the age of 65 will come down with this disease and it knows no international boundaries. I received an e-mail from the playwright Nagle Jackson who tells me that Taking Leave is currently being translated into Cantonese and being produced in Quanzhong, China! So the subject is universal.

ROME, Italy (AP) -- The process to beatify Pope John Paul II officially opens in Italy with a solemn ceremony in which all the clerics involved will take an oath of secrecy -- and promise not to be corrupted by taking any money or gifts that might sway their decisions.

Conservatives believe in lower taxes; liberals believe in higher taxes. We want few regulations; they want more. Conservatives measure the effectiveness of government programs by results; liberals measure the effectiveness of government programs by inputs. We believe in curbing the size of government; they believe in expanding the size of government. Conservatives believe in making America a less litigious society; liberals believe in making America a more litigious society. We believe in accountability and parental choice in education; they don’t. Conservatives believe in advancing what Pope John Paul II called a “culture of life"; liberals believe there is an absolute unlimited right to abortion.

The interesting thing is that with all things the Republicans do (or, I should say, politicians in control of both Congress and the White House do), this seems to be a coordinated event. A few days ago, the Wall Street Journal Op-Ed section opened fire on the same study. Congress also has been working on the energy bill which contains little climate change policy and in general chooses for the U.S. to go it alone. Not surprising considering the administration.

The Washington Times today has a great article about fashion inside the Beltway. We got all nostalgic thinking about Joan Kennedy and her miniskirt and Jane Fonda and her 64 PSI ta-tas. But we much prefer the present times with Condoleeza Rice. Woo woo.

Stupid people, by their very nature, create dangerous situations. Consider my previous post about risk management. Stupid people don’t look when they change lanes. Stupid people bring more than 20 items in the express lane. Stupid people elected Bill Clinton. I could go on, but after my last point, I’m sure you can begin to see the danger of The Stupid.

I agree with you 100%. Whether is was meant as a joke or not, suggesting that Bill Clinton become an evangelist and letting Hillary run our country constitute TWO blasphemies in one sentence! I had already lost respect for Billy Graham after his coddling Muslims and other religions, saying that some would make it into Heaven. Well, only if they confess their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. Graham has become quite the universalist lately.

Friday the GAO released a new report titled, “Actions Needed to Better Protect National Icons and Federal Office Buildings from Terrorism,” which addressed the task of the Department of Interior in faces places like Mt. Rushmore and the Statue of Liberty. It also evaluated the Government Services Administration efforts of securing the many leased and federally owned office buildings occupied by Government agencies across the country.

It was Reagan who began the realignment of American politics, making the Republicans into internationalist Jeffersonians with his speech in London at the Palace of Westminster in 1982, which led to the creation of the National Endowment for Democracy and the emergence of democracy promotion as a central goal of United States foreign policy. At the time, many conservative realists argued for detente, risk avoidance and placation of the Soviet bear. Faced with the Republican embrace of Jeffersonian ambitions for America abroad, liberals chose retreat or scorn. Bill Clinton -- who took reluctant risks to defend freedom in Bosnia and Kosovo -- partly arrested this retreat, yet since his administration, the withdrawal of American liberalism from the defense and promotion of freedom overseas has been startling. The Michael Moore-style left conquered the Democratic Party's heart; now the view was that America's only guiding interest overseas was furthering the interests of Halliburton and Exxon. The relentless emphasis on the hidden role of oil makes the promotion of democracy seem like a devious cover or lame excuse. The unseen cost of this pseudo-Marxist realism is that it disconnected the Democratic Party from the patriotic idealism of the very electorate it sought to persuade.

There’s an offical prayer published by the diocese of Rome to ask for intercession from Pope John Paul the Great. Hopefully God will shower us with miracles that will confirm his sainthood.

Now that Katherine Harris has announced that she's running for Bill Nelson's (D-FL) Senate seat, it sounds like Republicans are starting to have second thoughts about her candidacy. At least one Republican, Mark Foley (R-Jupiter), is still mulling a bid. The article explains:

Confession: I've long been reluctant to defend Hillary Clinton. I don't like her hawkishness, dread the possibility of reliving eight years of Clinton for the next four years if she runs for President and quite frankly don't think she can beat any reasonable Republican.

Who better than Liberals themselves to demonstrate their manic obsession with criticism? It's only when these jocks realize they now have to fill 3 hours on the air with their own ideas instead of simply shouting down Conservatives' plans that you begin to feel sorry for them...and bored too. Predictably, expect insults leveled at the usual suspects: President Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, Halliburton, Karl Rove, Don Rumsfeld, and Christians as a whole. YAWNNN...

Mr. Bush would also not be taking the head-in-sand positions he has in opposition to stem cell research, climate change, population control and evolution - positions from which centrist Republicans are now distancing themselves. Just last week, the Senate's top Republican energy-bill negotiator, Senator Pete Domenici, split from Mr. Bush and indicated that he believes the science is clear - climate change is occurring - and we need to do something about it.

2000, Michael Jackson is slapped with a lawsuit by German promotor Marcel Avram … the suit alleges that Jackson refused to perform two scheduled events … it is a small problem for Jackson compared with future trials he will face…

3. George Pataki could give a rip over what Hillary Clinton thinks about a few things.

Michael Jackson's mom had such problems. MJ: You know I would never do it with LaToya or Janet or Tito...

So now that you know my irrelevant opinion, lets look at someone in the public forum. How about Hillary Clinton, since she has been all but coronated as the 2008 DNC Presidential nominee. In an article in today's USA Today, Andrea Stone points out that in her 2000 Senate race, Hillary made it clear she opposed any such measure. But in her new campaign to appear more "moderate" for the 2008 coronation, she said Wednesday she still opposed a flag amendment, but supported legislation to ban desecration of the flag.

He was a real tough guy when he thought he was cool bashing the troops and their Commander in Chief. Then when the public started to lash out he began the dance. So here was Dick on the floor of the Senate with tears in his eyes, voice cracking telling everyone he now realizes he might have used the wrong words. He did not say he did anything wrong, just that others might have been offended by what he said. He has seen the error of his ways. Or has he? See, I have been in the South and all the talk shows are creaming this guy. They are recommending that people call his office. Evidently they have been and many are reporting that the folks answering the phones are getting a might bit testy. There are many people who are calling for censure and I think they should start turning up the fire some more. Durbin is trying to get out of a jam by faking an apology. Bill Clinton did that with the Lewinsky affair and people bought the act. He, like Durbin, was not sincere. Unfortunately, there are those, like McCain, who will buy it.

"One of the by-products of Dissociative Identity Disorder is a photographic memory and so they can recall their programmed messages much like an audio tape. They are also used to carry drugs for world leaders like George Bush and Bill Clinton who are heavily involved in the trafficking of drugs.

I have written numerous times about how much I hate the media, and the whole incident with the Koran and Newsweek has only made me more pissed off. Newsweek decided to run an article about soldiers flushing a Koran down a toilet, without so much as checking if it was true my belief that liberals hate America could not be anymore confirmed. When a Democrat was in office, Newsweek wouldn’t put an article about an incident involving him an intern without checking every source in the world, letting other outlets get to the story first, in order to make sure they weren’t the ones slandering the great and almighty Bill Clinton. Of course this article also included the more “politically correct spelling of “Quoran”, because we couldn’t possibly offend these poor Islamic terrorists who were being held for actions leading to deaths of Americans.

1) English is his second language? You’re saying someone who was born in America but was raised to speak Spanish cannot be President? Who is being prejudice now? Obviously you really meant it as a joke, but if we can all see brains doesn’t make a good president (see Jimmy Carter) 2. Talks the talk, but can’t walk the walk? He says he will root out evil wherever it may be, and has done that, said he will cut taxes and has. Seems like unlike some previous presidents he has actually stuck to his promises. “Our commander in thief”? So clever, yet somehow your reference to him being in national guard rather then going to join the armed forces makes him a bad commander in chief? How conveniently we forget the Bill Clinton ADMITTED to dodging the draft. At least Bush signed up, and a deserter? It’s nice to see that you don’t read the papers because they have debunked that false rumor3. “He is an unrepentant liar”? How so? WMD? Can’t we ever give our President the benefit of the doubt maybe HE was the one lied to? 4. Pretends he can speak “Mexican”? He was showing his support for the Spanish speaking members of our country. And I’m sure “Ich Bein Ien Berliner” (I am a jelly donut) doesn’t rink as one of the most prominent things JFK ever said.

Pope John Paul II, of blessed memory, erred catastrophically in fishing for young converts with the net of pop culture (i.e. World Youth Day and other such events). Notwithstanding his personal charisma, John Paul II's reign was marred by a plummeting of morals among the faithful and a proliferation of rebellion against Church teachings. The permissive message of rock music from the beginning has been, "If it feels good, do it". It should be no surprise, then, that in the "mainstream" Church where Life Teen "rock masses" are becoming more common, that some 98% of Catholics dissent from Church teaching on contraception, and in Canadian polls over 50% support homerast "marriage". Interestingly, trying to attract youth to Christ with pop culture doesn't work because the two are incompatible. There are more young adults at the tiny S.S.P.X chapel I attend than at the majority of the "mainstream" parishes which are many times the size of ours throughout Winnipeg.

However, in the last chapter of "The Long Emergency" and in interviews you imply that the crash will come fast and hard. Specifically, in an interview you stated that George W. Bush will be impeached before the end of his term due to anger over peak oil consequences. How do you resolve this apparent contradiction? Do you foresee a hard crash or soft landing from the cheap oil fiesta?

I want to say something favorable about Bush again. It is this: He seems to me to have completely transcended the biases of gender and race in his appointments. Oh, he has his prejudices: He wants his appointees to be a certain sort of conservative. But no one can deny that he has broken the glass ceiling for women and blacks and Latinos in the executive and judicial branches. This is an embarrassment for Democrats who, like their present chairman, still attribute bigotry wholesale to Republicans. Well, Bush is a Republican who isn't bigoted: He has put his foreign policy in the hands and head of a female African American. This is not without some risk. Imagine the inner challenge to Saudis and other Arabs who encounter Condoleezza Rice as the plenipotentiary of the most powerful country on earth. You get an inkling of what that might feel like from the Arab saying that "a black face begins a black day." And just look at the proliferation of minorities among generals. These aren't presidential appointees, of course. Many of these decencies are the work of the hated Donald Rumsfeld. Bill Clinton was the first black president, or so Toni Morrison ruled. He even put his post-presidential office in Harlem. But he did not appoint one African American to a truly significant office in the executive branch. Of course, Jesse Jackson did a lot of hustling around the Clinton administration, having been named "Special Envoy of the President and Secretary of State for the Promotion of Democracy in Africa." Clinton did appoint a woman to the big post of secretary of state, and Madeleine Albright did literally chase breathlessly after Yasir Arafat at Camp David, begging him to return to the conference table. Well, dignity she did not have. Let's call her excitability diligence.

A break-in cover-up equals impeachment for Richard Nixon, telling a lie about sex with an intern provides Bill Clinton the chance of impeachment. What does knowingly creating instability in the world through war do for Mr. Bush? What is the definition of a war criminal? Are those at the top war criminals?

Previously, we saw the level of anti-terrorism efforts that our nation was going through while Bill Clinton was president. Even though it was clear to those in power at the time that terrorists posed a significant threat, the average American only had a dim understanding that there were fanatics out there who wanted to kill us for reasons we didn't really know about. However, there was a decent amount of success in dealing with al Qaeda and other terrorist groups even though the vast majority of the nation was either indifferent or opposed to the effort. A bipartisan committee had set a good plan on the table, the Clinton administration had set up a plan for dealing with terrorism as well, and once Bush was in office, former Clinton officials were going to hand all of this over to Bush. That's where things broke down.

Elcar’s television career spanned 50 years. He played in other drama series, including “Baretta” opposite Robert Blake and the Robert Conrad series “Black Sheep Squadron.”

Of course, you don’t hear about this in the Arab media, nor will you hear any Muslim cleric asking the Palestinians to apologize for their actions. It is the same old story: I would like to hear the outcry of those who protested after the news reports of mishandling Quran in Gitmo, or when the Palestinian prisoners claimed that the Israeli guards were the ones who mishandled it. Al-Azhar, the most important Islamic entity in Egypt, was offended when Condoleeza Rice refused to meet Azhar religious officials to “apologize” for news reports about mishandling Quran in Gitmo, but apparently those Azhar sheikhs were drunk when the news came out about Palestinians mishandling their Quran, their own holly book, so they said nothing about the crime this time!

Then on to The Battery where you can buy a ticket for a boat ride out to Liberty and Ellis Islands. You pass thru security screeners and get on board a ferry that takes you past Ellis Island and around to the back side of Liberty Island, passing directly in front of the statue of Liberty. This offered a great view of the statue for photos. We didn’t get off the ferry but remained on till we got to Ellis Island. About 15 yrs ago they turned this deserted island into a National Monument and restored it into the way it used to look but turned it into a museum that is fascinating. It covers the history and story of the immigrants who came to this country and faced careful scrutiny before entrance into the US. They were tested for physical and mental health, criminal record, financial capability, and other criteria. Those rejected were deported back to their homeland, causing severe hardship for many of them who had just spent their life savings getting there. If you go to NYC and have even a slight interest in history, GO to Ellis Island!

There are hundreds, thousands, of arguments over things in our world. A combination of modern and old-time beliefs, no matter who’s ultimately “right,” tends to put people of opposing opinions at each other’s throats. In any given day, you’ll hear an argument about stem cell research, abortion, religion in general, Christianity, atheism, Islam, birth control, separation of church and state, cloning, war, censorship, gay rights and marriage, and much, much more.

The first phone call came as I was waiting in line, a number I didn’t recognize. I didn’t answer; they left no voicemail After my sandwich, I did decide to return to my room and change into pants, since some clouds had rolled in and the city had cooled down a bit. I was only there for 15min before I decided that, since today was really my only “free” day, I’d better take full advantage of it. I made up my mind and decided to make for Battery Park and the statue of liberty. As I took the elevator to the lobby, I found myself hoping that I didn’t bump into any of my colleagues on the way out. I walked through the lobby, and paused at the escalators that would put me back on the conference floor. “I should just run down for a few minutes,” I thought, “Make and effort, make a show of being there, maybe help someone out…” I hesitated, and then turned and strolled out towards the subway.