News from Around the World

Did Harry Belafonte just call Bush Hitler and Condoleeza Rice a black tyrant? When asked specifically who was a "black tyrant" in the Bush administration, Belafonte responded to this reporter, "You." When this reporter noted that he was a Caucasian and attempted to ask another question, Belafonte abruptly ended the interview by saying, "That's it."

For comparison’s sake, consider Bill Clinton’s response to Hurricane Floyd: he cut his trip to New Zealand early to be in DC before the storm even struck. Bush has returned to DC today—a much shorter flight—after the strike, after the levees broke, and still had time to clown around while one of the most beloved cities in the nation was getting donkey punched. This is offensive.

Democratic Governor Mark Warner has officially declined to challenge incumbent George Allen for Virginia’s Senate seat next year. Warner, who is barred from a second consecutive term by Virginia’s state constitution and will leave office in January, is widely rumored to be considering a run at the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. It is a wise move for the governor, whose presidential hopes would have been severely damaged by a defeat versus Allen. Now he can concentrate on polishing his moderate image, which he hopes will make him an attractive alternative to Hillary Clinton or whatever liberal comes out of the Howard Dean wing of the party. Warner remains popular in Virginia despite what many argue was an unnecessary tax hike last year.

US president George W. Bush, Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas are certain the Israeli government did the right thing in uprooting Israel’s civilian presence from the Gaza Strip ahead of the final pullback of troops on Sept. 15. But their gratification is likely to be short-circuited by the rush of events on the ground. Already, Sharon is paying the price for his action. The praise he won from Bush and other world leaders for his courage in going through with evacuations is proving expensive: his Likud has set in train the first steps for his ouster, accusing him of deserting its principles by expelling Israeli communities for nothing at best, a heightened terrorist menace, at worst. His long-time challenger, Binyamin Netanyahu, translates Sharon’s courage and the praise thereof as “a headwind for Palestinian terror.”

Just watching the devastation in S. America.According to the politicions,global warming is one of the less important issues and only given slight attention due to public pressure.

You knew Robert Kennedy Jr. was a nutjob…what Kennedy isn’t? But, this is the mother of all insanities…RFK Jr. is blaming hurricane Katrina on Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour!!! Why? Because Barbour wasn’t too keen on killing the US economy with the bogus Kyoto treaty. Ya know, the global warming treaty that would have derailed the entire US economy, costing all of us trillions of dollars, while the biggest pollution culprits (read China and India) got away without having to make the same costly changes!

“It’s high time to rescue ‘intelligent design’ from the politics of religion. There are too many riddles not yet answered by either biology or the Bible, and by asking them honestly, without foregone conclusions, science could take a huge leap forward.” MORE

Is there a columnist anywhere in the world more in line with Pope John Paul II�s social teachings than Mark Steyn?

It was Pope John Paul, the world’s highest leader of the Catholic Church, who reminds Bush of this. Additionally, the Protestant church is involved in this case. Even in America, NCC (National Council of Churches) is against this war. The Pope even wants to go to Iraq to prevent the attack upon Baghdad. But due to the risk, and his bad health, that plan was cancelled.

Novak sees a “widespread fear in party circles that 2006 will not be a good year to run as a Republican. That mindset should worry the party’s strategists more than Hillary Clinton’s ideological aberrations.”

After denying to sign the Kyoto protocol it is quite clear, that president George W. Bush is one of those who is to be accounted guilty for the disaster in New Orleans by hurricane Katrina. Mr Bush negated that exhaust gases are the reason for the global warming and so the US were and are the highest producer of theses gases in the world. So the little higher temperature of the water in the Gulf Of Mexico led to the few extra mph that busted lots of houses more.

Says one wag, “About the only state where Bill Clinton couldn’t be elected governor right now is Arkansas … where he was governor.” …

By the 1990's they were in full-fledged 13-year-old kid mode, symbolized by Bill Clinton's obssession with sex, and their unthinking adherence to whatever they were told. It was peer-pressure at it's worst. This was the time when they really started doing nothing but parroting the party line. To do otherwise would get you kicked out of their clique. It was also the time that they really got going with their strict doctrine of non-disagreement with the leaders of that clique (see campus "speech codes").

No matter how marriage looks great from the outside, there's always a problem in the inside of the household... here's an example and facts. Bill Clinton betrayed his wife, although they seemed happy!

This development reflects a critical turn in the relationship between the Sheat clergy and the government, and the ruling politicians will be faced again by the danger of having clerics interfering with politics but this time, the Sheat alliance which insisted onmentioning the clergy in the introduction of the constitution will certainly realize this danger and they will be left before a hard choice as they have put all their weight on the balance of the clergy and if the latter lets them down the consequences will be catastrophic for those politicians.

If it is true, as suggested by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, that global warming, caused possibly by volcanic activity. resulted in the extinction of 95% of life forms and effectively suffocation of the oceans...then it's all up for Harry Ramsdens I feel!

“Pastafarianism,” as the belief has come to be known, has, according to the letter, over 10 million adherents. “I’m sure you now realize how important it is that your students are taught this alternate theory,” Henderson wrote. “It is absolutely imperative that they realize that observable evidence is at the discretion of a Flying Spaghetti Monster. Furthermore, it is disrespectful to teach our beliefs without wearing His chosen outfit, which of course is full pirate regalia.” The website includes a graph demonstrating compelling evidence which links global warming to the decreasing number of pirates worldwide.

Was it because it peeked in on Condoleeza Rice because of her connections to Stanford, or was it because the Chinese kept showing up?

Seriously, I’m reading the South Dakota blogs and I’m getting sick. It’s generally a bunch of East River people so entrenched in partisan politics that they can’t see what a great day this is for South Dakota, and particularly Western South Dakota. I’m not defending the progressives or the conservatives.

After Pope Benedict XVI there will only be one more pope of the Catholic Church. Pope Benedict may well prove to be a disappointing pontiff whose actions and rules could well be at odds with what Catholics want. He has already decreed that condoms will not be permitted in Africa, a country that their use should really be allowed for by Catholics. Pope Benedict and the last pope are expected to undo all the efforts and good works done by the late Pope John Paul II thereby helping to destroy the Catholic Church. Many of those that become disillusioned with the Christian religion will look to the new Islam, making it easier for the Antichrist as his hoards march into Europe.this is happening America will be attacked. A ballistic missile will hit the White House killing the incumbent President who at present is President Bush in his second term of office and many others of his staff. Then the majority of the American fleet will be destroyed in a surprise attack, most likely it will be the Russians, whom will have sided with the Antichrist. The religious war to cleanse the world has begun.

Another Strategic Vision Poll has former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani leading among Republican supporters in Florida. The real news, however, is that Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice (21%) is just two points behind Mr. Giuliani (23%) in her first appearence in the poll.

Our new governor, Rod Blagojevich (for out-of-state residents, that's pronounced "blahg-OY-ovitch", which is my best phonetic shot), seems particularly eager to make a name for himself early on. He made recent headlines when he allocated, by executive order, $10 million of the state's budget (which had previously been hidden in a vague line item for hospital and university research) specifically for embryonic stem cell research -- neatly side-stepping the legislature to do so.

The next time you hear the biggest hearts in Hollywood railing against how the government or corporations waste millions of dollars on their "toys" rather than helping the poor, think of the Hunter Thompson memorial service. Actor Johnny Depp spent a reported $2 million constructing a giant tower (taller than the Statue of Liberty) to shoot Thompson's ashes into the sky with some very loud fireworks.

"I hate to be unduly precise, and mean this with love, but I don't think you've earned that "ergo" yet. Syllogistically, I think you took a wrong turn somwhere and ended up at "All men are Socrates." True, lawyers (if they are wise) wear suits to court -- but not all lawyers go to court, and even many trial lawyers go to court only occasionally. Many people (if they are wise, and have the means) wear suits to court. Robert Blake did; so did Scott Peterson. Ergo, it is at least possible you are training your students to be criminal defendants.

You may be interested to know that global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s. For your interest, I have included a graph of the approximate number of pirates versus the average global temperature over the last 200 years. As you can see, there is a statistically significant inverse relationship between pirates and global temperature.

Huh? So what are you saying oh wondrous leader? Was he duped into believing that the army was there to wear flowers, grow crops, and hand out flyers about ‘global warming’? I am sorry but everyone knows the military is a bunch of killers. Are you saying Casey was not able to make decisions about his life on his own? Why did you not stop him?

Bush, whose administration once boasted formidable figures such as Rumsfeld and Cheney who understood and articulated the need for a strong offensive, is now led around by the nose by James Baker Institute affiliated diplomat Condoleeza Rice who has America making so many deals with terrorists we might as well be on Al Jazeera sawing our own heads off, even as she continues demanding that Israel give up more land to the forming of a terrorist state.

I’m going to admit it: I like Condoleeza Rice. In fact, I think she’s fantastic. Apparently, so do a lot of people. In the latest 2008 Republican nominee straw poll, she’s the leading fantasy candidate with 24 percent margin over second place Dick Cheney. Unfortunately, she’s not considering running for President.

Rumor has it that she also believes that her son is "allegedly" dead, her husband is "allegedly" leaving her moonbat ass, London was "allegedly" attacked on 7/7, and the Patriots "allegedly" won the last Super Bowl. Anyone want to bet that the press buries this story like Bill Clinton buries Cuban stogies in Monica's...uh, blue dress?

Now, follow along as another blogger delivers a history lesson. The American Legion today vs 1999. When Bill Clinton was President. And they didn't like him. Or "Operation Allied Force".

Also, again with regard to the legislature, we lock the government in to spending money through these initiatives, like the stem cell research which passed in the last election. Does ANYONE have any idea as to the percentage of the general fund that has been committed in this way? It is one heck of a way to run a business. Be the initiatives a good idea, like the stem cell idea probably was, it is just no way to run the government.

"The Republican Party has never been this narrow, litmus-test type party," claimed Whitman, who plays to a 14.8 handicap index. "We can disagree on an issue like choice or stem cell research and not be an enemy or a bad person. We need to get away from this approach that we see more and more today, that you can't be a good Republican if you don't believe certain things in a certain way." In her book, "It's My Party Too," which came out earlier this year, she was critical of the Bush administration for how it disengaged from the Kyoto accord on global warming. At the same time, Whitman, who served as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency until June 2003, praised President Bush for his efforts in other environmental areas...

Johhny Deep’s portrayal of Willy Wonka is kind of… creepy. I remember hearing that some people got the odd feeling that he based it on Michael Jackson. Except in the movie Willy Wonka doesn’t like children*. One of my favourite parts of the movie is where Willy Wonka tells the children that everything in the room they are standing in is edible. Then, with a smile, he adds “Yes, children: even you and me. But that’s called cannibalism… it is looked down upon in many societies”.

Democrats like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, just to name a couple of likely 2008 candidates, have deduced that a policy of retreat is not the ticket to the White House. I’m quite sure there will be more than one anti-war candidate come primary season and I’m reasonably certain that position will prove to be as popular in 2008 as it was in 2004.

It could hardly be uglier. Hillary Clinton's S. 450, the Count Every Vote Act of 2005, will:

I’d like to see some signs of that ceasefire Hillary Clinton called for last month. It seems to me that a good first step would be for the DLC to stop shooting at those in the party who were right about the war.

A federal judge here [San Francisco] said environmental groups and four U.S. cities can sue federal development agencies on allegations the overseas projects they financially back contribute to global warming.

Political strategist James Carville said it, candidate Bill Clinton believed it and loyal Democrats have chanted this mantra ever since.

As Hillary Clinton positions herself for a presidential run, a former fund-raiser is moving ahead with a lawsuit claiming the New York senator orchestrated the largest campaign-finance fraud ever by an American political campaign.

time magazine today, and in the top right hand corner there is a little box that says "is this the face-off for '08?" and pictures hillary clinton and john mccain... now, ignoring for a moment the fact that in our fast-food, completely disposable, must be so far ahead of the curve that we've straightened it out behind us society it is right now 2005 and we're already declaring the race for the prsidency in 2008, ignoring the fast that in the 3 years between now and the general election that will determine the next president there is plenty of time for another 9/11, for w to completely screw things up in iraq so badly that the republicans will be doing nothing but damage control or for him to come out so much the hero that the dems will have no choice but to grudgingly support his efforts, for that matter for another political superstar to arise in the mid-term elections next year (rising star obama come to anyone's mind?), ignoring all of that and assuming that the magazine's article is correct in it's prediction of the eventual "face-off"...

Of course we all know we can’t just pull out of Iraq and that more soldiers will die, GUARANTEED, before this mission is over. But we all know that the mess was caused atop lies and scandal, and yet no heads are rolling. George Tenet got a “Freedom Award” and Condoleeza Rice shrugs off claims of her part in it with talking points and flat out lies to the public.

Here in lies my problem. Yes, drug dealers regardless of small scale or kingpin status are the same people as you, me, and Gregory Kane. I will not go on a tirade of how the biggest drug dealers in history are Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, but I will break it down to the local level. Drug dealing is a job. An option oft given the optionless. Of course drug dealing often includes robbery, murder and famine, but on face value drug dealing is a business, much like Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, your local bar or beer distributor, etc. It’s wrong– it IS bad yet it’s not different than any honest job that any honest kid can obtain if they honestly know how to how to utilize their absence of education or work skills to obtain gainful employment. Especially when drug dealing is not frowned upon in many major communities. Take Rayful Edomnd, D.C.’s biggest ever drug dealer for example, his elderly mother supported his efforts and is now incarecereated for it (at one time with Martha Stewart) at a federal prison.

There’s all kinds of talk back east bout global warming; most of the discussion seems to center on whether or not the phenomenon exists. Well, I can attest to its existence.

- I’m proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. My “poorest millionaire,” Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

Compare Australia to a developing nation, China. Everyone has an opinion on China (the CCP anyway), most people have a bad opinion, I haven't personally met anyone with a good opinion. This is because they lack transparency. In China, you can know how Bill Clinton's daughter is doing, but you don't even know if your own president has any children. In Australia, we have a budget for every state, and the whole Country and this is published in every paper in the country just about. In China nobody knows where the state money goes or the country money. But this is beggining to happen in Australia as well. In everything, we are slipping. Both out major political parties are crap, thats not democracy!

Classes started today and I had two of them. I sat in a broken chair in both. That’s not really a good sign, but biology actually seems like it will be interesting, since they like to deal with current topics and things that will have an effect on us (like the melting permafrost in Alaska or gene therapy or [this will be a fun one] stem cell research). Maybe after a little discussion, we’ll have that many less red voters and Bush supporters. And how many headlines have I seen in the past few years that are the exact same phrase, ‘Bush defends policy on Iraq war’? Good luck douchebag.

Harvard scientists have figured out how to turn skin cells into embryonic stem cells, according to this AP story. This would be good news for all concerned. It would allow embryonic stem cell research to continue without all of the controversy.

There’s a simple anthropic principle at play here. The inability to contemplate our own individual unimportance in the bigger scheme of things cause us, collectively, to gape in horror at celebrity meltdowns. And when a celebrity really steps outside the law (I submit to you The People of the State of California vs. O.J. Simpson and The People of the State of California vs. Robert Blake) we really begin to salivate for details. It is, as Ian McEwan wrote in “Saturday”, “a human complication beyond the reach of morals.”

The subhead for the main story gives what might be the most important news: “Move over, politics. Americans are looking for personal, ecstatic experiences of God, and, according to our poll, they don’t much care what the neighbors are doing.” That has to be a nightmare concept for the Talibaptists of the Religious Reich, who have exercised their lust for power by claiming that orthodox busybodies are a voting majority of Americans.

Because I'm damned sure that most of these people would lose their minds if someone put together a memorial commemorating the names of the dead soldiers alongside with a list of the people who are protesting the war at Camp Casey outside the offices of a Democratic Senator who voted for the war. Like, say, Hillary Clinton?

Here is a HILLARY-IOUS Clip of Sen. Hillary Clinton on the 2008 Presidential Elections. It make take a few minutes or so on dial-up, but well-worth the wait.

I have a problem with how it's presented. I can guarantee once a person starts asking the right questions, the hard ones, the critical ones, the skeptical ones they'll think twice about Christianity. Once we start injecting theology the waters get very mirky. For example, I attended a PCA church here in Corpus a few months ago and was really put off by the teaching of sinful nature and predestination and some old fart tarnishing the name of my old former senator John McCain (the one and only Republican I actually respect - he even acknowledges global warming unlike a few prominant figures). "It's in the Bible!" He said (sinful nature and predestination, not global warming; maybe that's why the Christian Right doesn't much care for all things environment) as I was questioning him. Really? So I ain't got a choice whether I go to hell or not? Well, I'll be damned (literally). It don't make a spit of difference what the hell I do then does it now? Oh, I'm born bad? Wow, that makes a lot of sense now. Adam and Eve really screwed it up for the rest of us. That's fair.

I usually like Condoleeza Rice. But I've got to say, on a day like today, day 4 of the Disengagement, and before the Palestinians have done the first thing to rein in the terrorism that is quite likely to erupt in the wake of the Jewish departure from Gaza, this strikes me as extremely tone deaf.

Sure, we know American presidents lie all the time. Look at Richard Nixon’s lies about Watergate or Bill Clinton’s lies about Monica Lewinski. But lying a country into war is the most grievous act an American president can commit. It transcends other lies.

People like Jose Arguelles do not represent either the Pagan movement or Earth day in any significant way whatsoever. To make that claim would be like saying that Jerry Falwell represents all of Christianity. There are generally recognized and respected leaders of the Pagan community but he is not one of them. Besides, Paganism is divided into many different denominations or “paths” and not all of them agree on matters of politics or theology. Even if you could interview a leader of the Pagan community, any conclusions would only represent the path that person represents. Otherwise it would be like trying to draw conclusions about what Mennonites believe by interviewing a Catholic.

Why the hell does Focus on the Family even have a position on global warming? It is Focus on the Family.

Methane is an extremely efficient greenhouse gas which may contribute to enhanced global warming when free in the atmosphere, and such free methane, would then be considered a pollutant rather than a useful energy resource. However, methane in the atmosphere reacts with ozone, producing carbon dioxide and water, so that the greenhouse effect of released methane is relatively short-lived. As a pollutant, significant biological sources of methane are termites, cows (ruminants) and cultivation (estimated emissions 15, 75 and 100 million tons per year respectively.

When Bill Clinton admitted he had an affair with an intern, they were calling for impeachment. They wanted him replaced as President.

Frist, who is considering a presidential campaign in 2008, recently angered some conservatives by bucking Bush policy on embryonic stem cell research, voicing his support for expanded research on the subject.

The Senator makes no move that isn’t a calculated, cynical ploy for votes. His latest wink-wink-nudge-nudge act of Senatorial altruism, following his diagnosis of Terri Schiavo based on “an hour or so” of watching a video of her and his recent change of heart on stem cell research, is to state that intelligent design should be taught alongside evolution in public classrooms because such a curriculum “doesn’t force any particular theory on anyone.”

Johnny Depp, who starred in the 1998 film of Hunter's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", has spent about $1 Million on the construction of a 153ft high gun - slightly taller than the Statue of Liberty. It's been built on Thompsons "shooting range" where Hunter S. liked to fire his .44 Magnum into an old television set. The cannon ends in a double-thumbed fibreglass fist with a dagger and a peyote button attached. An eclectic mix of 250 of his friends is expected to farewell the Gonzo over "the clinking of ice and whisky" as specified in his will. See the full story here:

I bet a lot of you wonder how to get to the Statue of Liberty. All you have to do is hitch a ride on a helicopter. If you land in the water close enough to Ellis Island you climb out of the water onto it. Note: If you want to check to make sure you got it, move the right analog stick so that you are looking straight up.

Michael Jackson’s home has been raided by the police this morning.

Was the image of Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and John McCain (R-AZ) -- the two frontrunners for their respective party’s 2008 presidential nomination -- in Alaska on Wednesday a sign of things to come? Might they again join forces in the future when it comes to finding a running mate?

DENVER, Colorado (AFP) - The ashes of the US writer Hunter S. Thompson are to be fired from a tower the height of the Statue of Liberty in a ceremony at his Colorado home on Saturday befitting his eccentric and controversial life.

“The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying ‘Give me your poor, your tired,your huddled masses.’ She’s got a baseball bat and she’s yelling, ‘You want a piece of me?’ “

We took the ferry to Staten Island since it goes right by the Statue of Liberty and that was really awesome. All the times I’ve been to New York over the years and I’ve never been that close to it. The ferry was cool - they’re kinda big and more than a little scary but I just took my seat and hummed, “Let the river run/let all the heroes wake the nation/come, the new Jerusaleeeeem.” Tell me what movie that’s from and I’ll love you forever. Maybe not forever but I’ll be so taken with your movie-watching prowess that I will sit back in awe for at least 2-3 minutes.

To the sound of a ram's horn, and the traditional Hebrew greeting, "Shalom alechem," Pope Benedict became the second Roman Pontiff ever to visit a synagogue. He used the occasion, on the second day of his visit to Germany, to underline his intention to pursue close relations with Judaism, noting that this was "a path on which Pope John Paul II (bio - news) had already taken decisive steps."

If there’s been a declaration I missed it. Jay’s rhetoric is a bit edgy here, but that’s the nature of blog debate. Let’s consider the core of his contention: the “watchdog” model. “Watchdog” (forgive me) begs a number of questions, including questions about the watchdog. Who does the watchdog watch? How does it watch? How does it bark? At whom does it bark? Like the Hound of the Baskervilles that was strangely silent, how often does the watchdog not bark? Does the NY-DC-LA watchdog bark at Democratic and Republican presidents with equal ferocity? Is it even a watchdog, or is it a watch-pack, or watch-herd. (Herd is a more apt description of the press descending on Aruba to report on a missing tourist or hanging out in Santa Barbara while Michael Jackson faces a jury.)

Political advertising is no longer a seasonal sport–just watch the deluge over Justice O'Connors spot. aired an ad that featured the infamous quote from Democratic Party boss Howard Dean: Many Republicans Harry and Louise'TV spots opposed Hillary Clinton's health insurance plan.

That said, I want answers from George W. Bush. Take a look at these indisputable facts (unlike some of Cindy’s rants these are all proven facts):