| Stunned by Lack of Outrage, Not Outrageous Acts
I am stunned that Americans aren't writing angry letters to the editor about the Iran rhetoric, this carbon copy of lies that led up to Bush's invasion of Iraq. I am stunned that Americans didn't take to the streets with placards condemning Bush for vetoing a bill that would have ensured health care for children. I am stunned that Americans aren't rioting over federal money that has helped only the rich in New Orleans rebuild while the poor still live homeless. I am stunned that Americans aren't storming the White House as Bush accuses the Democrats of irresponsible spending on domestic programs even as he destroys the economy with his war and his deficit. I am stunned that Americans haven't marched on Washington over the rising unemployment rate, over corporate greed that is causing millions to lose their homes, over our rotting infrastructure.
Discipline Harbhajan: Australians
Cricket Australia was quick to reprimand Matthew Hayden when he called Harbhajan "a little obnoxious weed" in a radio interview, and believes the Indian spinner has not been held to the same standards. Cricket Australia had refrained from publicly expressing its frustrations about Harbhajan but held private discussions with the Indian board and received assurances its problem child would be counselled about the difference between provocative remarks and personal abuse. India twice threatened to take its bat and ball and go home if Harbhajan was not cleared of racially abusing Andrew Symonds, a decision that would have cost Cricket Australia millions of dollars. With the tour finished when the spinner delivered his latest insults after India's triumphant homecoming, Sutherland took a more direct approach.
New York Philharmonic's 'sing song diplomacy' in North Korea
The 130-member orchestra is scheduled to arrive Monday and perform Tuesday night before an audience of high-ranking North Korean officials. Eighty journalists will accompany the musicians to a country that is almost always closed to the outside world. The performance is scheduled to be broadcast live on North Korean state television. For North Koreans, watching an American orchestra perform in their own country will be unprecedented – and politically dissonant. State-controlled media have demonized the United States since the Korean War. Reports from Pyongyang suggest that anti-American propaganda is being pulled from the streets in anticipation of the orchestra's rendition of George Gershwin's "An American in Paris" and Antonin Dvorak's New World Symphony, as well as both the North Korean and American national anthems.
Rise in terrorism plaguing Pakistan
The explosion left the road littered with body parts and wounded survivors and blasted out courthouse windows.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, though Pakistan's government has blamed earlier bombings on Islamic extremists linked to Al Qaeda.
President Pervez Musharraf called the blast "dastardly" and insisted he would "continue the fight against terrorism and extremism" in the country, Pakistani media reported.
According to a recent report by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies, an independent think tank, Pakistan has seen a sharp acceleration in suicide attacks over the past year, with 60 explosions killing at least 770 people in 2007. The bombing campaign has intensified since Musharraf's bloody routing of Islamic militants holed up in Islamabad's Red Mosque in July.
Music you will love
Some exciting stuff on the music front. The B-52s album "Funplex" just landed over my transom and I have to say, I'm feeling it. But I'm sort of prejudiced; I've always liked them. I will never forget that party I was at in Manhattan at the Hammerstein Ballroom -- who can remember what it was exactly? -- when the kind sponsors pumped everyone full off free drinks for like two hours and then, surprise...opened the curtains to reveal the B-52s, who put on this incredible, mind-blowing performance complete with stilt walkers and people in inflatable costumes. It was amaaaazing. Anyway the album is cool…rock oriented with touches of electro and punk. Also, Natasha Bedingfield came out today. (Her album, that is. She did not announce that she is a lesbian.) I was dying to hear the track she did with Norfolk alum Danja (#13) because I was in the studio in LA when they made it. It's called "Not Givin' Up." Watching them collaborate was so cool...for the first 40 minutes.
Latest from the
Attorney General under President George W. Bush, and conservative state Supreme Court Justice Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr., cousin of prominent right-wing radio commentator Rush Limbaugh. Political opposition and loss of funding killed the program in Massachusetts, which was initially successful in the early 1970s. National experts on juvenile crime urge states to invest in this type of counseling and rehabilitation, instead of confinement and punishment, as a way to stem adult crime and incarcerations. But for the last 20 years, most states have gone in the opposite direction, said Liz Ryan, director of the Campaign for Youth Justice. A series of high-profile youth crimes in the mid-1980s spurred most states to adopt tough juvenile crime laws, which resulted in overcrowded corrections facilities, scandals over abusive and punitive treatment and corrections budgets that often surpassed the cost of public education, Ryan said.
KC Southern board elects independent director
IBC waits to see whether bid helps it rise from bankruptcy [Kansas City] Loss of key partner causes offer for IBC to fall flat [Kansas City] Lenders give IBC a Jan. 29 deadline [Kansas City] Potential investors talk with Wonder Bread maker [Kansas City] Groups ask court to reject Interstate Bakeries plan [Kansas City] .
NORM: LV notables also get test notices
A number of high-profile locals, who had medical procedures done at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, have also been contacted, according to sources in the medical community. "Entertainers were among those notified," said a source. "It (the center) was the largest endoscopy group in town." About 40,000 patients have been advised to get blood tests due to possible exposure to hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, because of the center's medical practices from March 2004 to Jan. 11. The center was closed by the city on Friday under an emergency suspension order. .
Keeping the home secure
Security means keeping other people out of your stuff. Just as a piece of software can guard your computer, there are do-it-yourself options for keeping your house safe from intruders. The InGrid Digital Home Protection System, which can be set up and activated in less than 90 minutes, lets a user keep an eye on the home front, even from a distance. The system uses wireless sensors on doors, windows and other spots around the house to detect intrusions. A basic kit with a command console, handset and three sensors starts at $129 at ingridhome.com. .
Obama defends ability to handle crisis
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) -- Looking ahead to Saturday's caucus, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama had to cope with some pesky issues of the recent week, defending himself against an ad that ran in Texas and the fallout from a former adviser's remarks. His presidential rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, won the Ohio and Texas primaries Tuesday after questioning Obama's fitness to handle crises. On Wyoming's friendlier landscape, where he is expected to win Saturday, Obama seemed determined to ease voters' minds - and to take a few jabs at Clinton. Speaking in a crowded gym in Casper on Friday, Obama alluded to Clinton's Texas ad, which suggested that only she has the experience and mettle to handle a national crisis at 3 a.m. "That is designed to feed into your fears," Obama said.
McLaren sets very high bar as hubby
Every February he goes to the FBR Open in Scottsdale and enjoys the crowd spectacle at the 16th hole. Many years ago on an off-day in Oakland, Ken Griffey Jr. lined up limos to take players and coaches to Pebble Beach, and McLaren passed because he had yet to take up the game. He said he'd die to play there now. There are perks to being a big league manager. McLaren was playing with a friend at Blackstone Country Club last week, and after they finished their round, the head guy pulled him aside and gave him a membership, waiving the $75,000 initiation fee. McLaren couldn't believe it. "I've always wanted to be part of a country club," he said. When he's not golfing or managing, McLaren is most apt to be at home reading the paper, messing around on the computer or watching ESPN.
Comcast Admits Paying Attendees at FCC Hearing
Comcast Corp. admitted yesterday that it paid people to attend a government hearing. Company critics say the freelance attendees were there to crowd them out; Comcast says they were merely saving seats for employees. The five-hour hearing Monday at Harvard University was organized by the Federal Communications Commission to address the issue of net neutrality, a hot-button topic for those who think there should be minimal restrictions on Internet traffic. The topic has drawn wide interest from college students, media-reform groups, and Internet companies. An official at Free Press, a nonprofit advocacy group that has criticized Comcast for limiting the amount of data some of its customers send over its network, accused the cable company of "stacking the deck" at the hearing with the 30 to 40 "seat-warmers." An official at Harvard said dozens of real participants were left standing outside the auditorium with placards.
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