Abu Laith al-Libi Killed by Missile Stike of Terrorist Safehouse

ROBERT REID AND PAMELA HESS write:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A missile from a U.S. Predator drone struck a suspected terrorist safehouse in Pakistan and killed a top al-Qaida commander believed responsible for a brazen bomb attack during a visit last year by Vice President Dick Cheney to Afghanistan, a U.S. official said Thursday.

The strike that killed Abu Laith al-Libi was conducted Monday night or early Tuesday, said the official, who would neither confirm nor deny that the U.S. carried it out. The attack was against a facility in Pakistan's north Waziristan region, the lawless tribal area bordering Afghanistan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss the strike publicly.

Single Common Ancestor Had Mutated Eye Color of Blue

People with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor, according to new research.

A team of scientists has tracked down a genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes. The mutation occurred between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago, so before then, there were no blue eyes.

"Originally, we all had brown eyes," said Hans Eiberg from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen.

Of course, as you probably guessed, I have bright, beautiful blue eyes...

My Speech Language Pathology Life

This is not a shameless attempt to direct traffic to my other blog; rather this is a way to give it a tiny bit of authority from Technorati so that my tag cloud works! Crossing my fingers.

Body Snatcher: Stealing Parts from the Dead

PHILADELPHIA - A nurse admitted Wednesday he cut body parts from 244 corpses and helped forge paperwork so the parts, some of them diseased, could be used in unsuspecting patients.

Authorities say nurse Lee Cruceta was the lead cutter in a group that trafficked in more than 1,000 stolen body parts for the lucrative transplant market.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy, taking part in a corrupt organization, abuse of a corpse and 244 counts each of theft and forgery. Cruceta, 35, also has pleaded guilty to related charges in New York and negotiated pleas to serve concurrent sentences of 6 1/2 to 20 years.

Mr. Cruceta should also, I hope and assume, lose his license to practice nursing permanently!

A Kick in Your Wallet? Fair Tax Plan

At the end of his article on the FAIR TAX PLAN, Jeff Schnepper writes:

We raise more tax money today than ever before in our history. The problem is that we increase spending faster than we increase tax revenues. We may end up with both an income tax and a national sales tax. Wouldn't that be a kick in your wallet?

A Handful of Them Odd

The myth of color blindness by CYNTHIA TUCKER

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/20/08

After a recent column describing Barack Obama as "a presidential candidate who happens to be black — not a black presidential candidate," I received countless responses from readers, a handful of them odd. That odd handful declared they take no notice of superficial traits such as skin color, and they took me to task for making any reference to Obama's race.

"I thought of [Obama] as a person. I did not see black or white or Hispanic or that he was a man — I saw a person! If people really, truly want racial equality — then the first step has to be to STOP looking at skin color," wrote one reader.

"When I look at a person, the last thing I think about is skin color or heritage," wrote another.

Sorry, but I'm not buying it. While I am sympathetic to any desire to get past dated and useless habits of mind — especially the contentious politics of the color line — that's just nonsense. Not one of us, black, white or brown, is colorblind.

I think Ms. Tucker is incorrect. I know that there are many times that I do not notice the color of someone's skin just as I realize that I often miss that a person is in a wheelchair until after I have walked away from them. This color blindness or blindness to a superficial element may not be present each and every time I am with the person, but I know there are many times I do not notice the superficial, and that does include skin color. Sort of like not noticing someone's new haircut or glasses... yes, it is as simple as that.

CNN Predicts Hillary Clinton Will Win Florida But No Delegates to be Awarded

CNN (just as the polls close in Florida) predicts Hillary Clinton will win Florida, resulting however in no award of any delegates. Presently, she has taken 48% of the Democratic votes.

Huckabee/McCain and Obama/Edwards Tickets Recommended by Swain

Professor Carol Swain on CNN this evening stated (paraphrase), "They should just come together - the best for Democratics would be an Obama/Edwards ticket while the best ticket for the Republicans would be a Huckabee/McCain or McCain/Huckabee ticket."

Tennessee Right to Life Endorses Mike Huckabee

Nashville, TN (LifeNews.com) -- Tennessee Right to Life, on Monday, became the next pro-life group to issue an endorsement for Mike Huckabee -- the former Arkansas governor many pro-life advocates consider the strongest pro-life candidate on the GOP side. As LifeNews.com has reported, Tennessee joins its sister affiliates in Missouri, Arizona, Georgia and Montana.

Tennessee is one of the states with a primary election on Super Tuesday and Tennessee Right to Life officials told LifeNews.com on Monday they hope Republicans will side with Huckabee.

The strength of Governor Huckabee’s public record on matters concerning the protection of human life and strong support among the organization’s grassroots members were key to making the decision, they said.

Obama and Huckabee in Florida

Fifteen minutes before the polls close in Florida, Mike Huckabee has taken 13% of the Republican vote while Barack Obama has taken 29% of the Democratic vote.

Depressing Dip in Middle Age, Joy in the Golden Years

Middle age is miserable for many, according to a study using data from 80 countries showing that depression is most common among men and women in their 40s.

The British and U.S. researchers found that happiness for people in 72 countries ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe follows a U-shaped curve where life begins cheerful before turning tough during middle age and then returning to the joys of youth in the golden years.

United Kingdom to Keep Paying for Drug-Exuding Stents

KEITH J. WINSTEIN writes:

The United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, or NICE, will keep its existing recommendations on the cost-effectiveness of drug-coated stents, according to people familiar with the matter.

Stents are tiny scaffolds that prop open clogged arteries. Last year, the agency opined in draft recommendations that the fanciest stents -- those coated with drugs to keep arteries from reclogging -- weren't worth the extra cost.

The reversal is good news for coated-stent manufacturers...

Mike Huckabee: Real Faith Makes Us Humble

Mike Huckabee says,

...a voter asked if my personal faith informed my decisions. My answer was simple, just as it always has been: my faith is my life - it defines me. My faith doesn't influence my decisions, it drives them.

Real faith makes us humble and mindful, not of the faults of others, but of our own. Because of our faith, we become less judgmental in that we see others having the same frailties as ourselves. Faith gives us strength in the face of injustice and motivates us to do our best for "the least of us."

Our forefathers birthed this great nation in a spirit of faith - not a mandate telling us what to believe, but an acknowledgment that divine providence pervades our world.

I firmly believe the greatness of our nation then, does not come from our government or politicians, but lies in the hopeful, optimistic spirit of everyday Americans. Americans who acknowledge that providence has set us apart.

At the beginning of our nation we were ill-equipped for revolution, yet we persevered and gained our independence. Our country was once divided by a costly Civil War, but we survived to heal and build a stronger union. Through the 20th century and into current times we have seen great conflicts and economic upheavals. However, the same spirit that guided the inception of our country continues to lead us out of times of trouble better than we went in. In spite of our trials we remain a people of hope, a people of faith, and we are stronger because of it.

A New Chapter in the South: Barack Obama

photo credit: Getty Images
CHARLES BABINGTON writes:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Democrat Barack Obama said Sunday that his landslide win in South Carolina's presidential primary marks a turn in political history, showing that a black candidate can appeal to voters of all colors and in all regions.

The Illinois senator told a raucous crowd of more than 9,000 here that his big victory Saturday disproved the old notion "that if you get black votes, you can't get white votes," and vice versa.

"We're going to write a new chapter in the South, we're going to write a new chapter in American history," he said during his 64-minute speech to a capacity crowd at the University of Alabama at Birmingham basketball arena. The crowd was roughly two-thirds black and one-third white.

Western Kenya's Escalating Ethnic Violence: 800 Dead

ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY writes:

NAIVASHA, Kenya - Gangs of youths armed with machetes and clubs fought running battles with police on Sunday and burned tribal rivals alive in their homes in western Kenya, pushing the death toll from a month of escalating ethnic violence to nearly 800.

Sunday marked exactly one month since the Dec. 27 disputed president election that sparked the violence that has transformed this once-stable African country, pitting longtime neighbors against each other and turning towns where tourists used to gather for luxury holidays into no-go zones.

DNA Sequencing and The New Creation in Christ

Speaking with a friend today at church, I mentioned that I have recently come to think that perhaps original sin resulted in a genetic alteration of humanity; and that at the moment of salvation, that genetic alteration is erased (or reversed) so that the person does indeed become 'a new creation' as Paul states in several of his epistles.

Then, later this afternoon, I wondered if with genome sequencing we might come to actually see this difference between Christians and non-Christians.

(I imagined this as I thought of Carl Sagan who in his book CONTACT has a character-scientist prove the existence of God by solving the unsolvable pi equation.)

If Christians have the DNA of Adam before he 'fell' (by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), then what is Jesus' DNA composition since He is the only human being who lived on earth without sin? Is our DNA like Jesus'? If so, why do we still sin?

Paul says that the good he wants to do, he can not do. And begs to know who will rescue him from this body of sin and death? So, Christians' DNA must not be completely transformed by salvation. Rather, the transformation must be ongoing.

Paul implies this throughout his epistles. Our salvation is not perfection. Perfection comes through trials and persecutions which lead to endurance and persistence which eventually lead to holiness and perfection. Perfection which will finally be a new DNA code; the same DNA which Jesus' risen body holds.

So, we shouldn't wonder that we fail, that we continue in sin. We should keep on running for the prize, fixing our eyes on Jesus, who is the perfector of our faith and our goal.

Music and the Arts Are Essential

Mike Huckabee says,

Music and the arts are not extraneous, extra-curricular, or expendable - I believe they are essential.

I want to provide our children what I call the "Weapons of Mass Instruction" - art and music - the secret, effective weapons that will help us to be competitive and creative. It is crucial that children flex both the left and right sides of the brain. We all know the cliché of thinking outside the box: I want our children to be so creative that they think outside the cardboard factory. Art and music are as important as math and science because the dreamers and visionaries among us take the rough straw of an idea and spin it into the gold of new businesses and jobs. It is as important to identify and encourage children with artistic talent as it is those with athletic ability. Our future economy depends on a creative generation.

Music has always been an important part of my life. I still play bass guitar in my band, Capitol Offense...

As Governor of Arkansas, I undertook several initiatives to encourage arts in education...

Students with strong art and music programs have higher academic achievement overall, are far more likely to read for pleasure and participate in community service, and are less likely to engage in delinquent behavior. These programs have a powerful effect in leveling the academic playing field for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The study of music improves math scores, spatial reasoning and abstract thinking.

John Dickerson on Barack Trouncing Hillary in South Carolina

In SLATE, John Dickerson writes:

What increased the impact of the trouncing is not just that it's a more than 40-point swing from polls in November where Clinton led Obama by 20 points but that the Clinton campaign worked so hard to knock Obama down in the previous week...

Bill Clinton was unleashed across the state taking on Obama and the press, which he upbraided for giving the challenger an easy ride...

Going into primary day, the national press and political class obsessed over whether Obama's victory would be diminished because he performed disproportionally well among African-Americans. Obama did in fact obliterate his opponents among black voters, winning 82 percent of the vote, but he also got a quarter of the white vote. Obama also did well among independents, who made up 23 percent of the primary electorate: He beat Clinton 40 percent to 23 percent, which helps his argument to Democrats voting in future states that he can capture those swing voters in a contest with Republicans in the fall.

Evolution Zips By In Six Minutes

And how does this exclude God?

Pop Music Gone Classically Asian

hat tip: leaning straight up

25 People Killed: Kenya's Flawed Presidential Election

ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY writes:

NAKURU, Kenya - Men sobbed as police unloaded 16 charred bodies at a mortuary in this western Kenyan city. People with machete and arrow wounds overwhelmed the main hospital and were forced to share beds. Hundreds of homeless took shelter at a church.

And even as Nakuru struggled to recover from an explosion of political violence, there were signs Saturday that it was far from over. Those whose homes were burned vowed revenge. Gunshots rang out, and youths with sticks manned roadblocks.

At least 25 people were killed when the turmoil over Kenya's deeply flawed presidential election finally reached Nakuru, the country's fourth-largest city that had largely been spared the unrest. Men fought street battles with homemade guns, machetes and bow and arrows, while mobs torched hundreds of homes.

At the city mortuary, police wearing rubber gloves unloaded 16 burned bodies. Men standing by broke down in tears.

"I have never experienced this in my country," one man said, his face marked with grief. "I just pray that our leaders end this thing immediately."

Riots and ethnic fighting following the Dec. 27 vote have killed more than 700 people nationwide and forced 255,000 from their homes.

Kenya's flawed election system with resulting ethic and political violence should make us here in the United States realize that even though the confederate flag is still flying over South Carolina's statehouse, mass killings and violence have not erupted over Barack, Hillary, and John. Thank God.

Celebrity Roast by ESPN Anchor Insults Notre Dame Football, Perhaps More

South Carolina Democratic Primary Results with 3% Reporting

Barack Obama
10,326
52%

Hillary Clinton
6,271
32%

John Edwards
3,154
16%

Barack Has Routed Hillary in South Carolina Democratic Primary

Associated Press reports:

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Barack Obama routed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the racially-charged South Carolina primary Saturday night, regaining campaign momentum in the prelude to a Feb. 5 coast-to-coast competition for more than 1,600 Democratic National Convention delegates.

I'm still not certain about this being a racially-charged race, but hey... I also did not realize that Barack had lost momentum, except that the media has been telling us that he has been for the last several days, but hey...

South Carolina Voters Will Look Beyond Race to the Issues

photo credit: Patrick Collard




JEFF ZELENY and JULIE BOSMAN write:

Voting took place against a backdrop of intense racial discussions. One poignant reminder of South Carolina’s historic racial divide, the Confederate flag, was swaying in the cool breeze on Saturday only a few yards from where supporters waved placards for Mr. Obama, who would become the nation’s first black president.

Some of Mr. Obama’s strategists worried that the discussions on race could influence the outcome here on Saturday and drive some white voters away from Mr. Obama’s candidacy, boosting the efforts of Mr. Edwards or Mrs. Clinton.

Rick Wade, a senior adviser to the Obama campaign, disagreed with the suggestion that support from white voters had decreased or that race would be a deciding factor in the primary’s outcome.

“At the end of the day, I believe that South Carolinians are going to look beyond the rhetoric and the conversations taking place and are more concerned about issues,” Mr. Wade said. “You have to build a broad coalition. It’s the only way you can win in this state.”

I couldn't agree more. Most people, despite the confederate flag on the statehouse grounds, are not as concerned with Barack's race as they are with their pocketbooks and the cost of gasoline, healthcare, and food.

Large U.S. Spy Satellite Will Fall To Earth

Associated Press reports:

A large U.S. spy satellite has lost power and propulsion and could hit the Earth in late February or March, government officials said Saturday.

The satellite, which no longer can be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where on the planet it might come down, they said.

HR 676 U.S. National Health Insurance Act

The United States National Health Insurance Act (HR676) establishes a new American national health insurance program by creating a single payer health care system. The bill would create a publicly financed, privately delivered health care program that uses the already existing Medicare program by expanding and improving it to all U.S. residents, and all residents living in U.S. territories. The goal of the legislation is to ensure that all Americans, guaranteed by law, will have access to the highest quality and cost effective health care services regardless of one’s employment, income, or health care status.

Why Barack? 'The Color of My Skin, I Guess'

Photo Credit: Stephen Morton
SHAILA DEWAN writes from Orangeburg, SC:

On Thursday, on a dirt road near the small town of Bowman, Townsend Pelzer sat in his truck with his two lap dogs while his beagle chased rabbits in the woods. Mr. Pelzer, 83 and black, a retired maintenance worker for the state highway patrol, said he was going to vote for Mr. Obama.

Asked why, Mr. Pelzer shrugged, smiled and pointed to his face, saying, “Color of my skin, I guess.”

Scott Mattingly, 22, a white economics teacher at a virtually all-white private school in Bowman, said that many of his fellow volunteers at the Obama campaign office were “ignorant of the issues and are far more excited about the concept of a black leader.”

Although it makes perfect sense that Mr. Pelzer, at 83, would vote for Barack because their skin colors match, it makes less sense to me that volunteers at Barack's headquarters would be ignorant of the issues.

Earl Hutchinson Claims Race Is Always An Issue in Presidential Politics

JAMIE RENO writes:

...racial issues are starting to simmer along the campaign trail, and the flames could be turned up as the pols head deeper into the Southern and Southwestern states. The candidates quickly tried to tone down any discussion of race and gender, but political analyst and author Earl Hutchinson, whose latest book, "The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House," comes out next month, suggests that race is always an issue in presidential politics, be it covert or overt, and that there's a much more significant racial subtext to the current race than many may realize.

Hutchinson, who believes the shortage of white votes for Barack Obama in Nevada is more indicative of what will happen in the fall than the support he got from whites in Iowa, cites the "Bradley Effect," the label for the alleged penchant of many white voters to lie to pollsters when they tell them that race isn't a consideration when they vote. The term derives from the 1982 election involving former Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley, which showed that a smaller percentage of white voters actually voted for Bradley, an African-American, than had said they planned to vote for him.

Hutchinson believes this effect is even more pronounced among Hispanics. He writes at length in his new book that the tensions in this country between blacks and Latinos are alive and well.

Mr. Hutchinson's hypothesis that white voters lie to pollsters about the race of a candidate not being an issue is disturbing. I imagine the voter is actually lying to him or herself rather than to the pollster. Knowing oneself is a challenge, as is recognizing one's own prejudices or outright bigotries. Still, I hope Mr. Hutchinson is wrong.

Outhouse Skiing: Moguls at Winter Park MaryJane

Winter Park, CO: Expert skier falls down tired of this

A Game: Setting High Expectations for Barack in South Carolina

AMY CHOZICK writes:

COLUMBIA, S.C. Mr. Obama has been leading rival Sen. Hillary Clinton in polls by as much as 16 percentage points over the past week. He fares particularly well among African-American voters, who make up half of all registered Democrats in the state. By a 5 to 1 margin, they said they would vote for Mr. Obama over Mrs. Clinton.

This may seem like good news for Mr. Obama, who scored a first-place finish in the Iowa caucus but finished second to Mrs. Clinton in New Hampshire and Nevada. But with expectations set so high, political pundits say the Illinois senator faces a dilemma: He will have to win by a double-digit margin in order for voters nationwide to perceive South Carolina as a real victory.

Since when is a victory not a real victory? I am beginning to strongly suspect that any win Barack gains is going to be downplayed across the board.

This struggle to meet expectations has been heightened by the Clinton campaign. For the past week, campaign officials have been publicly lowering expectations in South Carolina while reaching out to the nearly two dozen states that will hold primaries on "Super Tuesday," Feb. 5. Mrs. Clinton spent much of the week campaigning in California, Arizona, New Jersey and New York.


After days of criticizing Mrs. Clinton for ignoring the Palmetto State, the Obama campaign seemed to grasp how this expectations game was playing out. It released a memo Wednesday titled "Hillary Clinton going all out to win in South Carolina" that claims she has invested seven months of on-the-ground efforts and more than $200,000 in TV advertising in South Carolina.

A Record Turnout Predicted in South Carolina Democratic Primary

Associated Press reports:

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Democrats headed to the polls in South Carolina Saturday in an unusual contest that pitted Barack Obama against two Clintons. Race was a persistent subtext in the first primary to feature a large number of black voters.

So, now Barack is running against two Clintons, presumably Hillary and Bill. Not only that, but the press is again stating that this Democratic primary race is about race and gender.

South Carolina became a "must win" state for Obama, whose momentum from his victory in the Iowa caucuses Jan. 3 began to fade after he lost contests in Nevada and New Hampshire to Hillary Clinton. A victory could help reinforce Obama's co-frontrunner status with Clinton, while a loss would severely imperil his candidacy.

So, now Barack has lost momentum and must win South Carolina or, sheesh, he'll be out of the running for the presidency.

Polls showed Obama favored to win the state in large part due to his strong support among black voters, who are expected to comprise more than 50 percent of the electorate. The Illinois senator is running to be the first black president.

No kidding. But, don't forget that white voters support Barack, too.

The state Democratic Party chairwoman, Carol Fowler, predicted a record turnout.
Obama has made a direct appeal to blacks here after rarely mentioning race throughout the campaign. He'll continue that strategy going forward.

Of Course! Black Female Voters in South Carolina Will Vote the Issues

Holly Walker, a professor at the University of South Carolina, writes eloquently on why African-American women will vote on the issues to decide between Hillary and Barack, not on the fact that one is a white woman and the other a black man

Considered Friends? Enmity Against Mitt Romney

The NY Times reports that other Republican candidates for the presidency don't like Mitt very much. For example,

“Never get into a wrestling match with a pig,” Senator John McCain said in New Hampshire this month after reporters asked him about Mr. Romney. “You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.”

But Mitt (Willard Milton Romney, in fact) says "you know, I consider these guys my friends."

Black Voters Are Realizing Whites Will Vote For Barack Obama

Voice of America's JEFF SWICORD writes:

Scott Huffman is a professor of southern politics at Winthrop University in Rock Hill South Carolina. He says race and gender will play a significant role on primary day. "African-Americans make up about 30 percent of South Carolina's overall population but they will make up to about 50 percent of the Democratic primary vote on election day."

Early opinion polls show Senator Hillary Clinton had a significant lead in South Carolina prior to the Iowa caucuses. Both she and husband, former President Bill Clinton, have strong ties to African-American leaders across the country.

Professor Huffman says African-American support began to change in South Carolina when Senator Barack Obama won Iowa, a state with a 2.5 percent black population. "The black voters in South Carolina realized white voters will vote for Barack Obama. That caused a trickle of soft supporters of Hillary Clinton to begin moving over to Barack Obama. And his lead in the African-American community has been growing ever since."

The Spat Over Race: Barack and Hillary

RON FOURNIER writes:

As for Obama and Clinton, racially tinged remarks were slipped into their stump speeches like so many stale bread crumbs. On Friday, the New York senator praised New York Rep. Charles Rangel as a man who rise to power without "leapfrogging" — a term that any thinking member of her predominantly black audience understood to apply to the precocious Obama.

The Illinois senator, following a strategic template that his top adviser, David Axelrod, has deployed to elect other young black politicians, waited until as late as possible in the campaign to start overtly identifying with the black community. He did so in South Carolina, where blacks make up half or more of the Democratic electorate.

"I need you to grab Cousin Pookie to vote," Obama said, playfully breaking out the black vernacular in Kingstree, S.C., on Thursday. "I need you to get Ray-Ray to vote."

David Smith, 36, a black voter backing Obama, shook his head in disgust as he discussed the spat over race while awaiting for Obama to speak in Sumpter, S.C.

"They both ought to knock it off," he said of Obama and Clinton. "It's not becoming of a past or future president."

A black man who identified himself as a pastor told Bill Clinton at an event in Kingstree, S.C., that black voters should rally behind his wife to keep Republicans out of the White House. Of white Americans, he said: "They're not ready for a black president."

Several black audience members nodded and said, "That's right."

"I have to tell you I hope you're not right," Bill Clinton responded.

A Sign of Health in the U.S. Stock Market

TIM PARADIS notes:

With Friday's decline, the market might well be following the pattern of past corrections, when huge gains were often followed by some retrenchment. Many market watchers consider such backing and filling a sign of health. However, with much economic uncertainty ahead, investors may need months before they can decide whether to take the market solidly higher.

'Get It Together, Baby': Applebees on Television

I finally have seen one television commercial for the newest Applebees campaign "Get It Together, Baby"; and it is worse than the radio ad. The 'apple' of Applebees speaks in that annoying, whiny female voice that sounds like someone who went to a one-room rural school. She says she doesn't have a dining room 'cause she likes to eat at Applebees. An apple eating at Applebees; now there's a sight.

"Breathtaking In Its Inhumanity": Woman Sentenced in Death of Bicylist

TUCSON, Ariz. A judge sentenced a woman to nearly the maximum prison term for negligent homicide after hearing a recorded jail conversation in which she made light of the bicyclist she killed.

Melissa Arrington, 27, was convicted two months ago of negligent homicide and two counts of aggravated DUI in connection with the December 2006 death of Paul L'Ecuyer.

She could have gotten as few as four years behind bars, but Superior Court Judge Michael Cruikshank sentenced her Tuesday to 10 1/2 years -- one year shy of the maximum.

Cruikshank said he found a telephone conversation between Arrington and an unknown male friend, a week after L'Ecuyer was killed, to be ""breathtaking in its inhumanity.''

During the conversation, the man told Arrington that an acquaintance believed she should get a medal and a parade because she had ""taken out'' a ""tree hugger, a bicyclist, a Frenchman and a gay guy all in one shot.''

Arrington laughed. When the man said he knew it was a terrible thing to say, she responded, ""No, it's not.''

My younger brother is a mountain bicyclist and might described himself as a 'tree-hugger'; I can't imagine someone so callous as to laugh over the death of a human being. No wonder Liberals think Conservatives are 'right-wing nuts'!

Dirty Politics: Telephone Message Berating Hillary and Bill

Just received a recorded telephone message from someone representing "all those who have been abused and mistreated by Hillary and Bill."

The male caller repeatedly asked me, "Can you trust her?" of Hillary Clinton.

He accused her of an amazing array of horrors, including having an affair with Ben Foster and "others in the White House."

He accused her of "making up a fairy tale of adopting a poor child" when "she knew Bill had a virtual harem of women in the White House."

The voice accused Hillary of "treating women like they are invisible."

Oddly, I do not care for Hillary Clinton, but this sort of tripe is below us as Americans. We should be able to speak openly about our differences without resorting to stabbing individuals in the back in such a personal manner.

The telephone message, if I recall correctly, was paid for by Morrow and____?

J.R. Tolkien's View of Marriage; Ian McKellen's View of Bibles

British Actor Ian McKellen who has used the mega-stardom he achieved playing Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films to promote homosexuality, has admitted to ripping out pages of hotel bibles that refer to homosexuality.

"Yes it is true...it's Leviticus 18:22 that I object to, or is it 22:18, I've always got to look it up. Thou shalt not lie with a man as with a woman, it is an abomination. And they, I think the punishment for an abomination was being stoned to death," he said.

McKellen added, "I think it's rather obscene and pornographic, and shouldn't be there, so I remove it."

McKellen has been vandalizing bibles in the same fashion for at least a few years. He first admitted publicly to the activity in 2004 in an interview with the UK Telegraph.

In May last year, McKellen campaigned for homosexual 'marriage' in Britain. He complained that a then-new UK law allowing homosexual civil unions did not go far enough. "I really can't see why the government couldn't just say gay people can get married - that would have been true equality and so much simpler. But that hasn't been done because they couldn't face the furore," he said.

Ironically, the genius behind the story which gave McKellen his current pedestal - J.R. Tolkien - held that homosexuality was a disorder and was a staunch defender of traditional Catholic teaching on sexual morality.

Tolkien's thoughts on human sexuality are most clearly represented in his personal writings. In Tolkien's letter to his then-21 year old son Michael, he warned that illicit sexuality is one of the prime dangers for souls. "The devil is endlessly ingenious, and sex is his favorite subject," he wrote.

Tolkien was very aware of the hardships of remaining faithful in marriage, but recognized that only in God's plan for marriage can happiness be found. He wrote, "No man, however truly he loved his betrothed and bride as a young man, has lived faithful to her as a wife in mind and body without deliberate conscious exercise of the will, without self-denial." And in another place he said, "Christian marriage is not a prohibition of sexual intercourse, but the correct way of sexual temperance--in fact probably the best way of getting the most satisfying sexual pleasure."

Dr. J. Craig Venter is Not God: A Long Way from Creating Life

...US scientists have taken a major step toward creating the first ever artificial life form by synthetically reproducing the DNA of a bacteria...

Ahead Nationally: John McCain and Hillary Clinton

Mark Murray, Deputy political director of NBC News reports:

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Barack Obama are leading in their respective parties' upcoming primaries, according to two new state surveys (in Florida).

But a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows that their rivals — John McCain and Hillary Clinton — are ahead nationally, with Clinton leading Obama by 15 points and with McCain moving from fourth to first in one month.

CABG vs. Stenting: The New England Journal of Medicine

Conclusions: For patients with multivessel disease, CABG continues to be associated with lower mortality rates than does treatment with drug-eluting stents and is also associated with lower rates of death or myocardial infarction and repeat revascularization.

Negotiating Shift in U.S. Role in Iraq

The United States and Iraq will soon begin negotiating a power shift for U.S. forces, nearly five years after they invaded Iraq and installed a new government, Iraqi and U.S. officials told NBC News on Thursday.

Both countries are working on assembling negotiating teams to shape a new long-term bilateral strategic agreement redefining the fundamental role of U.S. troops, whose mission would shift from combat operations to logistics and support, the officials told NBC News’ Richard Engel.

A Check in the Mail: Tax Rebates

"Tens of millions Americans will have a check in the mail," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said at a Capitol Hill news conference. "It is there to strengthen the middle class, to create jobs and to turn this economy around."

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said, "I'm looking for quick action in the House. I hope that the Senate will follow quickly so that we can put this money in the hands of middle-income Americans as soon as possible."

Speaking a few minutes later at the White House, President Bush said the package will "boost our economy and encourage job creation."

Sources on Capitol Hill and at the Treasury Department said the plan would send checks of $600 to individuals and $1,200 to couples who paid income tax and who filed jointly.

People who did not pay federal income taxes but who had earned income of more than $3,000 would get checks of $300 per individual or $600 per couple.

A Democratic aide and Republican aide said there will be an additional amount per child, which could be in the neighborhood of $300.

Those who earn up to $75,000 individually or up to $150,000 as a couple will be eligible for the payments, said Republican and Democratic sources familiar with the tentative deal.

Pelosi said as many as 116 million American families will get a rebate check.

Pharmacology in Heath Ledger's Death

Deadly Combo?

A pharmacology expert explains how the types of drugs found at Health Ledger's apartment can affect the body and why they are potentially lethal if taken incorrectly.

By Karen Springen | Newsweek Web Exclusive

If You Are a Potential Viable Member of the Workforce, No Public Assistance for You

A very dear friend of mine who lives in California sent this story to me, which I asked her if I could share. She writes:

I have a white single female friend with 2 children who's having a devil of a time finding a job. She has no car, her kids are only 11, and she has got to be home in time to be able to walk to the school to get them from their after-school program that ends at 5:30. As a white female who speaks English, she is unable to get any sort of public assistance of any kind because she's a "potential viable member of the workforce with no language or race barriers" -- that's what the welfare office actually told her. She can't even get food stamps to feed her kids.

However, if she was any other ethnicity, or didn't speak English, she'd qualify for everything. So she's having to constantly borrow money from her friends to buy food and pay for her electricity, gas for heating, and her cell phone because she doesn't have a land line in her apartment. If she doesn't have a phone, she can't get calls from potential employers nor her kids' school in case of emergency. The welfare people consider her having this cell phone a luxury -- not that it matters since the other factors are against her more than that. And she's gone on so many interviews I've lost count.

So this illegal immigration thing grates on me more than ever -- and it's not that I want to deny them medical care or have their kids be born in an unhealthy manner because as humans everyone deserves decent health care or else disease spreads. What I take exception to is that Americans themselves are not afforded the same things as illegals are and that's not right. Not all Americans are able to pay for things, there are poor white people as much as there are any other ethnicity yet because they're legal citizens who technically have access to all this crap illegals don't, they are expected to pay through the nose or not get any assistance at all.

Door-to-Door Surveys in Iraq Put Death Toll at 150,000

MARILYNN MARCHIONE writes:

About 151,000 Iraqis died from violence in the three years after the United States invaded, concludes the best effort yet to count deaths _ one that still may not settle the fierce debate over the war's true toll on civilians and others.

The estimate comes from projections by the World Health Organization and the Iraqi government, based on door-to-door surveys of nearly 10,000 households. Experts called it the largest and most scientific study of the Iraqi death toll since the war began.

Its bottom line is far lower than the 600,000 deaths reported in an earlier study but higher than numbers from other groups tracking the count.

The new estimate covers a period from the start of the war in March 2003 through June 2006.

Barack Obama Takes Commanding Lead in South Carolina Democratic Primary

Outbursts, Rebukes, Questions of Honesty: Barack and Hillary Campaigning in South Carolina

CHARLES BABINGTON writes:

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Democrat Barack Obama questioned Hillary Rodham Clinton's candor and trustworthiness Wednesday, saying she has indulged in double-talk on bankruptcy laws, trade and other issues.

The Illinois senator's comments, continuing a theme he has stressed in recent days, may have contributed to an outburst by former President Clinton, who rebuked Obama and sharply accused journalists of treating him more gently than they treat the Clintons.

The atmosphere grew more charged throughout the day after Clinton's campaign aired an ad in South Carolina suggesting Obama approved of Republican ideas.

Questions about the candidates' honesty and consistency have been paramount since Monday's testy presidential debate between Obama and Clinton...

New Research Dims Hopes: Stents Not As Beneficial

ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer:

LOS ANGELES - Bypass surgery remains the best option for heart patients with more than one clogged artery, according to the first big study to compare bypass with drug-coated stents. The new research dims hopes that the less drastic stent procedure would prove to be just as good for people with multiple blockages.

In the study, heart attack and death rates were lower among people who had surgery than those given artery-opening balloon angioplasty and stents _ mesh cylinders oozing drugs to keep vessels from reclogging.

Bypass Grafts Versus Stenting: Which is Best?

KEITH J. WINSTEIN writes:

Patients with multiple clogged arteries are better off getting bypass surgery than a stent, a study found.

The analysis, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, isn't likely to settle the dispute between cardiac surgeons, who perform bypasses, and the interventional cardiologists who implant stents. But it gives further ammunition to those who argue that stents -- metal scaffolds that keep arteries propped open -- are overused.

Both procedures fall under the umbrella of revascularization -- attempts to relieve chest pain by opening up arteries clogged by heart disease. In the most severe cases, revascularization has also been shown to reduce heart attacks and deaths.

"Whiplash Wednesday" On the US Stock Market

A day after the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates, averting a nasty nosedive in the market, Wall Street watched as the Dow Jones industrial average oscillated like a yo-yo, diving nearly 250 points in the opening minutes, spending the day in a series of rallies and swoons, and then closing up — way up — with a gain of nearly 300 points, snapping a five-day losing streak.

Market volatility reached its highest level in nearly five years. In a three-hour span in the afternoon, the blue-chip index ricocheted from a 326-point hole to a 275-point gain.

“The market has this out-of-control feeling, and until the market sees some semblance of stability, it’s going to continue to be very volatile,” said Richard Sparks, senior equities analyst at Schaffer’s Investment Research.

You can probably guess who profited from the last few days' erratic behavior in the stock market. As I posted previously, fear begets panic in ordinary people but experienced stock traders understand that right now is the best time to buy and hold stock for the long term. If I had any cash, I would have put it into the stock market this morning right after that big downward plunge!

$20 Dollar Bill Being Tested in Heath Ledger's Death

- An autopsy Wednesday morning on actor Heath Ledger was inconclusive, and a cause-of-death determination will take 10 to 14 days, a medical examiner's spokeswoman said...

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Wednesday that Ledger was found face down in a normal sleeping position and not at the foot of his bed, as had been previously reported.

Kelly said technicians collected a $20 bill found in the apartment for testing, because of the way it was folded.

I caught the press conference today by Police Commissioner Kelly who stated that no illegal drugs were discovered in the place where Heath was found dead. Kelly was reluctant to speculate on how Heath died, stating that more testing was necessary.

U.S. Fed Cuts Prime Interest Rate; Asian Markets Rise

YURI KAGEYAMA writes:

TOKYO - Asian stock indexes rose sharply Wednesday, rebounding from steep losses in the previous two days after a surprise interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 423.82 points, or 3.37 percent, to 12,996.87 points on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in early trading. It had fallen 5.7 percent Tuesday — its biggest percentage drop in nearly 10 years — on fears of a recession in the U.S.

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose as much as 3.1 percent in the opening minutes of trading. The Kospi slightly pared gains to trade up 2.7 percent at 1,652.39 about 30 minutes into the session. The Kospi fell 4.4 percent Tuesday and 3.0 percent Monday.

European stocks fell sharply at their opening Tuesday, then rose in volatile trading ahead of the Fed's decision to cut its key rate to 3.5 percent from 4.25 percent, and rose even more afterward. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 finished up 2.9 percent at 5,740.10, while France's CAC 40 gained 2.1 percent to 4,842.54. In Germany, the DAX ended barely down, off 0.3 percent at 6,769.47, as utilities RWE and E.On fell but financials such as Deutsche Bank rose.

The surprise Fed move was aimed at fears that trouble in financial markets from the U.S. subprime crisis was spreading to the broader economy. Interest rate cuts tend to boost stocks. The Canadian central bank quickly followed, lowering its key rate by a quarter of a percent to 4 percent.

Fred Thompson Drops Out of the Race for the Presidency of the United States

Former Sen. Fred Thompson on Tuesday ended his run for the presidency, coming off the heels of a disappointing third-place finish in South Carolina's GOP primary and heading into the showdown state of Florida next week.

"Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States," Thompson said in a statement.

"I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people."

Extreme Skier Billy Poole Dead at 28

Billy Poole, an up and coming extreme skier, died today after skiing off a cliff into snow, but unfortunately hitting rocks as well. He was pronounced dead at 1:30 pm in Utah. He was 28 years old and was being filmed for a documentary by Warren Miller.

MSNBC Reports Heath Ledger's Death

Heath Ledger Dead at 28

-- Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan residence, and police said drugs may have been a factor. He was 28. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Manhattan apartment believed to be his home. The housekeeper who went to let him know the masseuse had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

The police said that Heath was discovered on the bed, naked with pills strewn all around him.

"Corridor of Shame" Documentary Trailer

Investigating Colleges and Their Study Abroad Programs

Investigation of Study Programs Widens
By JONATHAN D. GLATER
Published: January 21, 2008
An investigation of college study abroad programs by the New York attorney general’s office now includes 15 colleges and universities, among them Harvard, Brown and Columbia.

The Confederate Flag, Pitchfork Ben, and the Corridor of Shame

Bob Herbert writes:

In South Carolina the Confederate flag is flying right out there in the open and Pitchfork Ben is on display for all to see. But in most other places, the hostility to blacks remains on the down-low. No one wants to deal with it.

Despite big and important advances over the past several decades, including Senator Obama’s crossover campaign, racism remains alive and well in much of the country. And yet no one — not Bill Clinton, the man touted (absurdly) as the first black president; or Hillary Clinton, who’s running for president; or Barack Obama, the first black person with a real shot at the White House — is willing to talk honestly and openly about it.

Pre-Presidential Election Economic Jitters

Not being an economist, the following is just speculation. Speculation? Hmm, seems speculation is a major part of the U.S. and World stock markets. Panic on the floors of the stock exchanges around the world. All due to what seems obvious to me: a trumped up tale of economic woe in the United States on the eve of a presidential election. Not to say that our economy is not in trouble; just that it has been in trouble for several years. No one seemed to get this excited about it, though. Now, just before our elections and during our primaries, everyone is talking about a possible recession. What weird timing. Why talk about something that has not happened in order to make it happen? Make it happen so that voters will turn out against the Republicans and vote for Hillary Clinton who keeps telling us that we are in trouble. I didn't notice that I was in trouble until she told me I was. Of course, Hillary isn't the only one telling us that we are in an economic downturn - heck - down spin as of yesterday! The world's gone mad with worry. And worry begets fear, and fear begets panic, and panic begets a worldwide economic slowdown. How bizarre is that?

Global Stock Markets Down Sharply

Associated Press reports:

TOKYO - Global stock markets extended their shakeout into a second day Tuesday, plunging amid worries that a possible U.S. recession will cause a worldwide economic slowdown.

The dramatic declines in Asia and Europe were expected to spread to Wall Street, where stock index futures were already down sharply hours before the trading day began.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index, the benchmark for Asia..., plummeted 5.7 percent to close at 12,573.05 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the lowest close since Sept. 8, 2005. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index fell 7.2 percent to its lowest close since early August.

Democratic Debate: "I Just Want to Be Clear About This"

"I can't tell who I'm running against, sometimes." Barack Obama to Hillary Clinton referring to her husband, Bill Clinton.

And, John Edwards asks, "How many kids are going to get an education from this?" regarding the "squabbling" between Barack and Hillary. "The American people deserve to know what we are going to do" about the problems in our society and economy, I presume.

Edwards also says, "African American families are more vulnerable to predatory lenders and payday lenders...we need a national predatory lender law."

Barack says, "This is not new...we have a history in this country of preying upon people who are financially strapped..."

"We have to have consistency in how we vote," Barack says.

"Does you plan cover the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country?" Barack says, "It does not." Then says the important question is: "How are we going to get this (health-care reform) done?" Ooh, he implies that when health insurance is made mandatory (as Hillary says it must become), the money will be taken forcefully from our paychecks!

Edwards says, "Everybody is worthy of health care."

Barack says, "If we are not making it affordable enough, and you mandate that families have to buy it then they have to choose between that and being fined for not having health insurance."

Hillary says, "I'm looking to bring our troops home when I am President. There is no military solution...I will put the Iraqi government on notice..."

"I want to be as careful in getting out as we were getting in," says Barack regarding troop withdrawals from Iraq. "We are seeing Al-Qaida stronger than ever since 2001."

Hillary says that Bush is trying to establish permanent bases in Iraq without approval of Congress.

"People want to move beyond our divisions..." says Barack. "Race is a factor in our society, there's no doubt that this peaks interest... but I don't want to sell the American people short."

KKK Flag Flies in Jena, Louisiana

Photo Credit: Associated Press

A sad sight in Louisiana; the flag of the KKK or Ku Klux Klan - a throw-back to darkness...

Tiny Metal Scaffolds (Stents) Used in Clogged Arteries Have Undergone Little Testing

BARNABY FEDER writes for the NY Times:

From 2003 through 2006, more than one million patients suffering from clogged arteries and veins in their torsos and legs received stents that had undergone scant testing for such uses, said Dr. William H. Maisel, a device safety specialist at Harvard Medical School.

The stents are tiny metal scaffolds inserted in blood vessels to improve circulation. But regulators have approved them only for helping to drain digestive fluids from the bile duct in cancer patients...

...Dr. Maisel said that the biliary stents are probably the best treatment option for many patients receiving them in various arteries but that the lack of rigorously collected data leaves patients and doctors somewhat blind to the extent of the risks and benefits.

Online Questions for Al-Qaida Reveal Terrorists Frustrated and Wanting More Terror Against the U.S.

Judging by hundreds of questions submitted online to al Qaeda's No. 2 leader, it seems the terror network's self-proclaimed supporters are as much in the dark about the its operations and plans as Western analysts and intelligence agencies.

Al Qaeda's No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri...was supposedly taking questions via the Internet.

Among their concerns: Where will it strike next? Does it control small militant groups in the Mideast and Europe? Why hasn't it hit America again?

Al Qaeda's media arm, Al-Sahab, announced last month that Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, would take questions from the public in an "online interview."

More than 900 entries, some with multiple questions, were posted on a militant Web site before the January 16 deadline...
...The vast majority of questioners, identified only by their computer usernames, appeared to be supporters of al Qaeda or the jihadi cause, often expressing praise for "our beloved sheik" and "the lion of jihad, Sheik Osama."

Many appeared frustrated that al Qaeda is not doing more.

"When we will see the men of al Qaeda waging holy war in Palestine? Because frankly our situation has become very bad," wrote one, with the username "Seeking the Path."

"As for al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia," he asked, "are there efforts to revive jihadi action there after the blows that hurt us?"

Another, signed "Osama the Lion," asked: "Why doesn't al Qaeda open a front in Egypt, where there are wide opportunities and fertile ground for drawing in mujahedeen?"

Another, called "Knight of Islam," asked, "We are awaiting a strike against American soil. Why has that not been done? Why are the Jews in the world not struck?"

World Markets Plunge

Fears that the United States is in a recession reverberated around the world on Monday, sending stock markets from Frankfurt to Bombay into a tailspin and puncturing the hopes of many investors that Europe and Asia will be able to sidestep an American downturn.

Considering Suicide If Unable to Reunite With Her Husband

DONNA ABU-NASR writes:

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Two years ago, a knock on Fatima and Mansour al-Timani's door shattered the life they had built together.

It was the police, delivering news that a judge had annulled their marriage in absentia after some of Fatima's relatives sought the divorce on grounds she had married beneath her.

That was just the beginning of an ordeal for a couple who — under Saudi Arabia's strict segregation rules — can no longer live together. They sued to reverse the ruling, publicized their story and sought help from a Saudi human rights group.

But the two remain apart...

See "The Host" Rather Than "Cloverfield"

Don't bother to see "Cloverfield." Instead, see "The Host," a South Korean monster movie unfortunately compared to "Jaws." "The Host" is not "Jaws" as that movie was just scary, not funny.

"The Host" is both scary and funny; sometimes, it seems to not be sure which it wants to be. Still the monster is grander than the one in "Cloverfield" and certainly more horrifying.

Neither film is going to make you scream (as "Jaws" certainly did), but "The Host" will make you laugh and cringe almost at the same time.

Mike Huckabee Briefly on WWIII, Border Security, and Marriage

An Archival Video History of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr.

In His Own Words -- Martin Luther King Jr.
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. inspired a nation to change largely through his riveting speeches. Considered one of the greatest orators in United States history, his thoughts on racial equality have been repeated by many speakers throughout the years since his assassination. His skill with words powered King's nonviolent battle for integration and equal rights. Here are 10 quotations from the eminently quotable activist.

1. He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. -- "Stride Toward Freedom," 1958.

2. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. -- "Strength to Love," 1963.

3. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. -- "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963.

4. Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. -- "Strength to Love," 1963.
War on Poverty Meeting

5. Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. -- "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963.

6. The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men. -- "Strength to Love," 1963.

7. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. -- "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963.

8. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. -- "I Have a Dream," civil rights march on Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963. (Source: The New York Times)

9. Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals. -- "Why We Can't Wait," 1964.

10. The security we profess to seek in foreign adventures we will lose in our decaying cities. -- [Referring to U.S. Vietnam policy.] Address at Riverside Church, New York. (Source: History Today, April 1998)

Mike Huckabee: "The Momentum Is Back"

APRIL CASTRO writes:

NAVASOTA, Texas - After a disappointing second place showing in the South Carolina Republican primary, Mike Huckabee hoped a fundraiser at the ranch of television star Chuck Norris Sunday would be the start of a momentum shift in his favor.

"Starting today, we reset the clock," Huckabee said. "I woke up this morning and I thought 'the momentum is back.'"

Huckabee needed to win South Carolina to validate his win in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3. Instead, he came in second to John McCain, who solidified a shaky GOP front-runner status that he first claimed after winning the New Hampshire primary Jan. 8.

As the first Southern primary, South Carolina was supposed to be friendly territory for Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister.

"We obviously wanted to win and we really thought we would win," he said. "The fact of Fred Thompson's being in the race took some votes that we would have most likely had."

Huckabee also blamed late snowfall in parts of upstate South Carolina.

"The snow not only froze the streets of the Greenville-Spartanburg area, the votes kinda stopped once it started snowing," he said. "That was an area we were looking forward to having a significant vote margin."

"Oh What A Savior"

Earthquakes at Mount St. Helens

Recognize This Wall?

Leave a brief comment if you recognize this 25 ft concrete wall. Tell "Toothdigger" what you think of it and whether it will ever come down.

Gaza City in the Dark

The only power plant in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip has shut down because of a lack of fuel, Palestinian officials say, blaming Israeli restrictions.

Gaza City was plunged into darkness after the plant's turbines stopped.

Israel's closure of border crossings amid continued rocket fire from Gaza has brought the delivery of almost all supplies, including fuel, to a halt.

Mike Huckabee's Concession Speech in Columbia, South Carolina

$80,000 Dollar Fisker Hybrid Concept Car

Henrik Fisker, CEO of Fisker Automotive, says the car's sleek design is "a direct result of our breakthrough chassis which carries the battery pack at the center of the vehicle between the two axles." He went on to say the car's design will enable it to achieve "industry standard performance figures within this car class." Those claimed figures include 50 miles on a pure electric charge as well as 100 mpg when combined with the car's gasoline or diesel engine.

The starting price will be $80,000 when initial deliveries begin toward the end of 2009 — Fisker is predicting annual production of up to 15,000 cars.

MSNBC Video: "Behind the CLOVERFIELD Curtain"

Behind the “Cloverfield” curtain

One "CLOVERFIELD" Failing

Speaking of CLOVERFIELD, like so many monster movies, this one violates monster-to-victim size ratio. Early in this home movie film, we see a very very large creature moving between buildings in NYC. Much later in the home movie, we see a very very small creature standing over one of our heroes, getting ready to take a bite out of him. This is the same creature we saw earlier standing between the skyscrapers. Now this creature is standing perhaps 20 feet above the lame fellow stretched out on the grass of Central Park, its head pulsating while it prepares to open its suddenly rather tiny mouth...

CLOVERFIELD 2 Would Be Twice As Bad as CLOVERFIELD Is!

Screen Rant got hold of a quote from Cloverfield director Matt Reeves in which he discusses the possibility of Cloverfield 2:

"While we were on set making the film we talked about the possibilities and directions of how a sequel can go. The fun of this movie was that it might not have been the only movie being made that night, there might be another movie! In today's day and age of people filming their lives on their iphones and handy cams, uploading it to YouTube... That was kind of exciting thinking about that."

The only thing in a theater worse than a long home monster movie is a second long home monster movie! And, about the SAME monster!

MLK From the Grave: So Says Zelda Barrrons X

MARTIN LUTHER KING SPEAKS FROM SPIRIT WORLD!
FAMED NEGRO CLAIRVOYANT ZELDA BARRONS X SUMMONS MLK IN SAENCE ON EVE OF 39th YEAR SINCE ASSASSINATION FOR INTERVIEW WITH JOURNALIST WALDORF CARATHERS -

A selection from this supposed interview with the famed Martin Luther King:

CARATHERS: (EXCERPT) It is an honor to have this opportunity to speak with you Dr. King. What is the single most important thing you want to communicate to this generation of Negroes?

DR. KING: (EXCERPT) “Hate white people,” King said. “Honor me by showing you know that that speech on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C on August 28, 1963 was held for no other purpose than a means to an ends to see to it you made it to this day when you can be beside them on the streets and in the restaurants with the new gift God has given your souls through His Prophet and Scientist Yacub 7 Ali. You can honor me by burning each and every one of them according to the hatred, selfishness and perversion in their own heart.”

CARATHERS: (EXCERPT) King’s presence was stronger than the presenses of many living people I have encountered. He seemed ready, anxious to speak, again.

Anyone who has read any of Dr. King's sermons, listened to any of his speeches to his black brothers and sisters knows that this is a bunch of malarkey. Hard to imagine the level of self-hatred as well as racism (against whites, that is) in these individuals who have staged this completely ridiculous spirit contact. Dr. King must be crying in Heaven as he views people below who believe this utter sh--!

No Peace For Them in Indianapolis

Shortly after the slayings (Two mothers holding their young children were shot in the face and torso and killed by 4 young men in an Indianapolis neighborhood on Saturday) , Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson warned the perpetrators, "There's a special place in hell for you. And we're going to see that you get there."

Late Saturday, the sheriff followed up on his remarks in the wake of the initial charges.

"To the victims, I hope they rest in peace," he said. "To the ones who did this, I hope there is no peace for them."

Russia Claims Ready to Use Its Nuclear Might

MOSCOW - Russia's military chief of staff said Saturday that Moscow could use nuclear weapons in preventive strikes to protect itself and its allies, the latest aggressive remarks from increasingly assertive Russian authorities.

Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky's comment did not mark a policy shift, military analysts said. Amid disputes with the West over security issues, it may have been meant as a warning that Russia is prepared to use its nuclear might.

"We do not intend to attack anyone, but we consider it necessary for all our partners in the world community to clearly understand ... that to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia and its allies, military forces will be used, including preventively, including with the use of nuclear weapons," Baluyevsky said...

For years, I've wondered why so few people seemed to think Russia was no longer a threat to us...I always imagined someone there with an unsteady hand on the button of nuclear power. That's not to say I live in fear, just that I am not surprised to hear that this statement is not shift in Russian military policy...

The Republican Party Presidential Race: A Kaleidoscope

Glen Johnson writes:

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Republican presidential race, it appears, has taken on the qualities of a kaleidoscope.

Every primary or caucus, the winner looks inside and sees something else, underscoring the volatile nature of a 2008 nominating contest that is still moving toward clarity.

Leading contenders are emerging, hangers-on are dropping away and in less than 10 days, the viability of Rudy Giuliani's unconventional political strategy will be judged in plain view.

The 57 delegates at stake in Florida, the virtual dead heat at the start of the campaign's final act and the momentum the winner could gain heading into the 20-plus contests being held Feb. 5 have the potential to turn Florida's Jan. 29 primary into the make-or-break contest of the race.

John McCain glided in, following up his win in the New Hampshire primary with another big-ticket victory Saturday in the South Carolina primary. To the Arizona senator, it was sweet justice, for it was South Carolina where George W. Bush pummeled him into submission in 2000 after McCain had similarly won the New Hampshire primary.

"It took us awhile, but what's eight years among friends?" McCain joked at his victory party.

Snow in Montgomery, Alabama

photo credit: Dave Martin

Enough snow fell in Montgomery, Ala., for children to make snowballs to toss in front of the state Capitol, although the snow melted on contact with pavement.

Eleven-year-old Khryshanna Taylor saw snow for the first time Saturday in Montgomery and was unimpressed. "I have decided that I don't like snow!" she said as she hurried home after a brief attempt at a snowball fight.

Obama Takes One More Nevada Delegate than Clinton

WASHINGTON - Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama split the spoils in the Nevada caucuses in a race marred by late charges of dirty politics...Clinton captured the popular vote Saturday, but Obama edged her out for national convention delegates at stake, taking 13 to her 12.

A Red Wine Review: Cline Zinfandel 2006

A hearty deep red wine, tasting of raspberries, black cherries, and a vanilla finish. Goes down smoothly despite 14% alcohol level.

John McCain Takes South Carolina: The First in the South Primary

A close race between John McCain and Mike Huckabee, with McCain taking the low country and Huckabee taking the upstate...During his speech tonight, McCain asked, "What's 8 years between friends?"

South Carolina Republican Primary Results Illustrated

Nevada Election Results Illustrated

South Carolina Republican Primary Results with 65% Reporting

John McCain 98,585 34.0%
Mike Huckabee 84,576 29.1%
Fred D. Thompson 45,269 15.6%
Mitt Romney 44,422 15.3%
Ron Paul 10,409 3.6%
Rudolph W. Giuliani 6,213 2.1%
Duncan Hunter 663 0.2%
Tom Tancredo 60 0.0%
Others 117 0.0%
65% reporting | Updated 9:02 PM ET NY Times

Israeli Strikes Killing Two Hamas Members

JERUSALEM — An Israeli airstrike killed two members of the Hamas military wing in the northern Gaza Strip early on Saturday, and three Qassam rockets fired by militants from Gaza landed in and around the Israeli border town of Sderot, causing no casualties.

The Israeli Army said another airstrike was aimed at a vehicle carrying weapons in northern Gaza early on Saturday, but no casualties were reported, and that a small ground force entered Gaza and arrested four armed Hamas militants, taking them to Israel for questioning.

South Carolina Republican Primary Results with 43% Reporting

McCain 33%
Huckabee 30%
Thompson 16%
Romney 15%
Paul 4%
Giuliani 2%


43% reporting

South Carolina Republican Primary Results with 32% Reporting

McCain 35%
Huckabee 29%
Thompson 15%
Romney 15%
Paul 4%
Giuliani 2%

32% reporting

South Carolina Republican Primary Results at 8 pm EST

McCain 35%
Huckabee 28%
Romney 16%
Thompson 13%
Paul 4%
Guiliani 3%

South Carolina Republican Primary Results with 1% Reporting

McCain 38%
Huckabee 23%
Romney 19%
Thompson 12%
Giuliani 5%
Paul 4 %

1% reporting

Reasons Bush's Relief Plan Is Too Little and Too Late

Jon Markman writes:

Now, the problem for most people reading this...online is that the fattest rebate checks probably wouldn't go to you. Sorry, but you probably have a job and a higher-than-average income. The government fears you might do something stupid with the rebate check, like save it.

But, before he writes this, he says,

That rumbling sound you hear coming from Washington, D.C.? It's Treasury Department helicopters packed with bags full of cash about to be dropped on voters, as the federal government prepares to launch a brazen, desperate election-year effort to rescue the economy.

If you thought the government's delayed response to Hurricane Katrina was a study in out-of-control largesse -- replete with no-strings-attached debit cards handed to anyone with a Cajun accent and a damp shirt -- wait until you see what the government has in mind for the rest of us this year.

The latest is President Bush's just-announced call for $145 billion in tax relief aimed at preventing a recession that is actually already here. The intent of the plan is simple: "Letting Americans keep more of their money should increase consumer spending," the president said. Bush said Congress should take steps to implement a stimulus plan as soon as possible.

As you can see from the stock market's response, the plan suffers from being too little, too late.

Saturn's Flextreme Concept Electric Drive Car

Saturn Flextreme Concept: The electric-drive Saturn Flextreme concept showcases GM’s E-Flex electric propulsion technology that provides up to 34 miles of all-electric, emissions-free range. Flextreme’s monocab design was produced through a collaborative effort between Saturn and Opel showcases the future design direction of both brands.
Multiple aesthetic and functional innovations include cameras that replace side-view mirrors and gullwing doors to ease access. Unlike typical vehicles and gas-electric hybrids, the Saturn Flextreme concept features GM’s E-Flex System that uses an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery to propel it for up to 34 miles of electric-drive-only range. The battery can be recharged in just three hours.
On the road, an efficient 1.3-liter turbodiesel engine generates additional electricity to replenish the battery and extend the vehicle’s driving range.

Day Before South Carolina Democratic Primary: Look for Bill Clinton to Get Angry

John Dickerson in SLATE writes:

Hillary Clinton has won the Nevada caucus, which means a few things about the Democratic race are now coming into focus. For example, mark on your calendar Jan. 25 for an outburst by Bill Clinton somewhere in South Carolina. He has launched a tirade the day before each of his wife's victories in Nevada and New Hampshire, claiming the process was unfairly stacked against her. If this keeps up, he's going to require a stretcher by the last primary in Oregon come May.

Bill Clinton was so angry because it got ugly at the end in Nevada. Democrats may have cooled down their flash war over race and gender earlier this week, but by the time the vote took place Saturday, each of the two top campaigns was flinging some very ugly charges about the other.

Chris Sharma: Indoor Bouldering

USGS Photograph of Mount St. Helens

Nevada Election Results

ELECTION RESULTS
Nevada
Democrats Votes
Clinton 5,173
Obama 4,604
Edwards 384
88% reporting

Republicans Votes
Romney 17,749
Paul 4,382
McCain 4,348
78% reporting
Democratic results reflect county delegates won by the candidates.

My goodness! Look how few people actually vote! Actually, I heard that in Nevada the Democratic Party results are not really votes, but number of electorates awarded???

Don't Bother to See "CLOVERFIELD" Movie

"CLOVERFIELD" which opened in theaters yesterday is not worth your time or your money. Like a super-long home movie, it jumps all over the screen in painfully sloppy fashion. The 'monster' is alright, but the plot is thin, and the characters dull and rather insipid.

Just my advice: stay home or see Johnny Depp in "SWEENEY TODD."

NBC News Projects Hillary and Mitt as Winners in Nevada

Mike Huckabee: Changing the Constitution in His Own Words

Well, I probably said it awkwardly, but the point I was trying to make– and I’ve said it better in the past – is that people sometimes say we shouldn’t have a human life amendment or a marriage amendment because the Constitution is far too sacred to change, and my point is, the Constitution was created as a document that could be changed. That’s the genius of it. The Bible, however, was not created to be amended and altered with each passing culture. If we have a definition of marriage, that we don’t change that definition, that we affirm that definition. And that the sanctity of human life is not just a religious issue. It’s an issue that goes to the very heart of our civilization of all people being equal, endowed by their creator with alienable rights of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Michael Ventura: "Panhandle Christs"

Panhandle Christs
BY MICHAEL VENTURA

On I-40 you drive past Groom, Texas, in seconds – a tiny town barely managing to be a town anymore, like many of its kind, clinging to the highway for dear life. Just west of Groom stands the second-highest cross in our hemisphere (there's one slightly larger in Illinois). Its massive, shiny metal glints in the sun, 19 stories high, visible for miles in that flat land. One may wonder whether something so large is a monument to faith or to unadmitted doubt, or some of both; but one may be sure that nothing so expensive is created in a county so poor without deep need. This is thunderstorm country. On many nights Groom's cross must be lit and struck by lightning like the lightning announcing Yahweh's presence in Exodus 19:16 – a light-show counterpointed quickly in 20:21, where Moses draws near "to the thick darkness where God was." The vast plains of the Texas Panhandle are an apt setting to depict the lights and darks of the divine.

Surrounding the Groom monument in a wide oval are refreshingly, earnestly human statues: the Stations of the Cross. Groom's Jesus is Anglo, not Palestinian, shorter than today's average height but taller than Jesus likely was. (The Gospels never suggest his appearance was unusual, so his height was likely average for the time, about five feet.) Groom's cross dwarfs us, but its statues silently convey what feels almost like an appeal: "See, we were much like you; it isn't so hard to understand our sins, our faith, and our sufferings, not if you look into yourselves."

Day and night there are always a dozen or so trucks and cars in the parking lot and people looking up at the high cross and, more accessibly, into the eyes of the statues...