Foiled Again

The British do it again when they arrested eight people in Iraqi-Style kidnappings. According to Fox News, "Police sources told FOX News' sister network, Sky News, that the plot involved the abduction of an unnamed "not high-profile" man in his 20s. The suspects wanted to film his torture and beheading and post it on the Internet for propaganda purposes. The intended victim was made aware of the plot and is now in police protective custody. Police are withholding the man's name and occupation for the time being." It looks like England is one of those countries who are on top of the terrorist situation. And it puts one more win in the pockets of allies around the world. For this and other news please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

Bathroom Etiquette

When first seeing this story one might think, what in the world is going on with people? According to Fox News "The German authorities were preparing for criticism from the Jewish community after it was revealed that a Holocaust memorial in Berlin was being used as a public bathroom by tourists and by neo-Nazi sympathizers." Why would any national authority allow for a landmark to be a public toilet? And why for this long without a backlash? I suppose those are only questions that the people using on them can answer. Either way it's disrespectful no matter what memorial it is, and its just wrong. For this and other news stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

Shaq Attack

The all-star, all-famous Shaquille O' Neal not only knows how to get to the hoop but he knows how to get his man too. Early Sunday Shaq, who moonlights as a cop for the Miami Beach Police Department, according to Fox News, "followed a driver who allegedly crashed into his Cadillac Escalade and tried to flee the scene." Eighteen year old Emmnueo Cibrin of Tampa was caught by Shaq and a nearby officer. For this and other news stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

Brandy involved in Fatal Car Accident

At 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 30, 2006 singer Brandy reportedly hit a woman with her 2005 Toyota which then slid and hit an 1998 Acura. The drive of the car, Awatef Aboudihaj was rushed to Holy Cross Hospital and was in critical condition until she passed away the next day. The woman was a 38 year old mother of one. Brandy was not arrested or charged with any crime but the police are still investigating the matter. Obviously shaken up the pop star was said to be very disoriented and was walking the streets back-and-forth between traffic. The 911 calls can be heard on FoxNews.com. For this and other stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

Naughty School.....Teachers?

If you haven't heard this story by now then you're out of the loop. The latest teaching scandal happened in Columbia, South Carolina involving several young cheerleaders, their coach, and their Principal. The girls coach recruited several of them to party with her and several United States Coast Guards. One girl, who was under-age, reportedly had sex with one of the guardsman. According to Fox News, "The National Guard released a statement to FOX Carolina, saying it is working with the Greenwood County Sheriff's Department on the case, which includes any related misconduct by any National Guard soldier South Carolina National Guard takes our relationship with local communities and schools very seriously," the statement said." For this and other news stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com. PICTURE: Principal Jane Bladwell, involved in cover-up of this story.

First Time for Everything

There is a first time for everything as the President of the United States George Bush pointed out last night. This was the first time that a President had the pleasure of saying, "Madam Speaker." With all the focus on the Iraq war and economic dependency on oil most Americans have forgotten that a woman now controls the Senate. To all of us this should be a big stepping stone, especially for women out there. Among topics of discussion last night the President mentioned alternative fuels and building onto the NCLB (No Child Left Behind) Act which was passed in 2001. The President urged the government to work through their hard times and differences about subjects like immigration reform. And just as their are nay sayers about the war in Iraq there was a point when the President mentioned the good that has came out of it. Several terrorists attacks have been uncovered, lives have been saved, and people have recognized this as a major threat to our security and the security of our allies. For more on the President's State of the Union please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

State of the Union

President Bush prepares to speak about his domestic policy tonight in his State of the Union Address. According to Fox News, "Bush will also propose ways to improve the budget ledger and make changes to the No Child Left Behind education bill he signed into law in 2001." Among other things the President will also mention energy and the war in Iraq. For this and other news stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

And the Winners Are......

Things are looking up for the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts this season. Both teams have been increasingly strong and forth coming with every play and every game. I must confess I am one of those die-hard football fans and I love this time of year due to the fact that one of the biggest games in history go down and all of America is tuned in. SUPER BOWL XLI. "Manning took the Colts to a dramatic 38-34 comeback win over the New England Patriots," According to NFL.com. In the meantime the Bears took down the New Orleans Saints with a win of 39-14. Good luck to both teams I can't wait to see who wins this one. For this and other stories please go to www.nfl.com; www.foxnews.com; www.cnn.com.

Win, Lose, or Draw

Win, lose, or draw, it seems that every political candidate that ran for the presidential nomination in 2004 is back with a vengeance and none more so than former first lady, now Senator of New York, Hillary Clinton. "I'm in it to win!" Said the Senator and so are her chief competitors such as McCain and former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, her former opponent in the bid for the Senate seat a few years back. I don't know about anyone else out there but personally, and perhaps objectively too, we need new leadership, not old. The Clinton administration came and went, the Bush administration has been here twice, how about having a generation that can look back and say they weren't apart of the Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton hype? But of course as all good political analysts had foreseen way before this report was released we were bound to have another round of Clinton bidding for the White House. For this and other news stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

Animal Instincts

I know we would all like to think that we aren't animalistic at all, but in nature we are. This past weeks story about a woman who was discovered after nineteen years in a Camboidan Jungle proves just how similar we are to animals. First of all we need food, that is what police official's say got the woman back to her family. When Rochom P'ngieng was eight years old she disappeared while herding buffalo. Apparently she retreated into the dangerous world of the jungle. After being found alive by a villager who noticed some food missing from a lunch box he'd had out she was found naked without the ability to speak a literal language. According to news reports, Mao San a policeman in that area is quoted as saying, "She is like half-human and half-animal." For this another leading news stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

To Grandfather's House We Go?

First off let me just say that when I first read this story I couldn't believe it either but here's how things seemed to have went down. Apparently a nine year old boy escaped from his parents home by stealing their car and later jumped onto a flight leaving for Texas. According to Fox News Southwest Airlines was trying to determine how the child made it past airport security and onto the flight that he was on in order to get to his grandfather's house. According to the boys parents his mother stated that he did not like the neighborhood in their Washington state area because of a sex offender. An officer stated, "The 80-pound, 4-foot-9 fourth grader, held in juvenile detention Tuesday night in San Antonio, was "incredibly motivated to get to Texas," Lakewood police Lt. David B. Guttu said. "He doesn't want to live in Washington state." For this incredible story and others please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

Fruit Solid

The orange crop in California faced a deadly icy mix and as a result the billion-dollar citrus crop has been lost. According to Fox News "Governor Schwarzenegger said he was asking the U.S. government for disaster status, which would allow California to seek aid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Small Business Administration to offset losses to growers and other businesses." California is America's number one resource for citrus fruit. This means that we can expect the price of oranges and other citrus to go up in price. For this and other leading stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

Castro Ailing

According to news reports today the Leader of Cuba Fidel Castro is ailing and is reportedly in very grave condition. Fox News gave the account of the Paris newspaper which broke the story saying: "In a report published on its Web site, El Paris said, "A grave infection in the large intestine, at least three failed operations and various complications have left the Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro, laid up with a very grave prognosis." Cuba is releasing very little information on the leaders condition and all we as observers can do is wonder what will happen if Castro does pass away? For this and other news stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

The Man and the Dream

The most infamous words spoken during the Civil Rights movement in this country were those of Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a dream!" Almost some forty years later that dream has became a reality. I would not be a good historian if I did not also point out that there are still places in this life when we don't feel that way. But for those words to be apart of our history are awe inspiring in their own right. Even the nations President decided to honor one of the greatest leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. President Bush helped to paint a wall at a local Washington school today as the nation remembers Martin Luther King Jr. For this and more stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

Russia--KGB---and Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp is probably most famous right now for his previous roles in Pirates of the Caribbean I and II. But according to news reports this swashbuckling man of the high seas will take on a much more modern tale. In London Depp is said to be planning an international thriller that deals with the Russian KGB and a security agent whose poisoning in Great Britain launches a highly intriguing investigation. This is of course closely related to the story which developed late last year about Alexander Litvinenko, also a former KGB spy who died as a result of radiation poisoning in a London Hospital. Michael Mann, the director of Collateral and Miami Vice is a hopeful for working on the movie. For this and other stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

Lost and Found

On Monday of this past week a 13 year old boy named Ben Ownby was kidnapped from his school by a man in a pick-up truck. A few days later the authorities linked the kidnapping a man named Devlin. Devlin as it had turned out had also kidnapped 15 year old Shawn Hornbeck four years earlier. Police arrested Devlin and the two boys who were once lost are now found alive, safe with their families. Shawn Hornbecks father said in an interview the Fox News that "there is no words to express how I feel." One thing is for certain these two families are very happy to have their children back safely. For this and other news please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com. Picture on left: Shawn Hornbeck and his mother Jan. 13th.

Great Leap...Backward?

Senator Barbara Boxer fired a cheap shot at one of politics most influential women on Thursday. Condoleezza Rice was asked by Boxer, at the time a rather confusing question, about who bore the highest cost in the war? Of course Boxer pointed out that her children were too old and her grandchild was too young, but then pointed out that the families of the soldiers serving now paid the greatest cost. Although there was truth in what Boxer said about military families having to go through the most because of the war she hinted that because Rice had no children of her own that she couldn't possibly know how the families of those soldiers felt. Rice stated to Fox News that she thought "single women had came further than that." Tony Snow stated in a press conference that the remarks made by Boxer were, "a great leap backward for feminism." For this and other stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

Chase of Mistaken Identity...Over....and over....and over Again

According to news reports today the woman who had previously accused several Duke University Lacrosse players of raping her has seemingly changed her story again about what happened that night at an off campus party. Fox News reported that, "The accuser told prosecutors in December that Reade Seligmann, one of the three players charged, did not commit any sex act on her during the alleged attack and changed her time frame for the alleged assault." In my honest opinion I think that if anything really did happen that night that the accuser in this case would have came out of there knowing who her attackers were, and would not have had to change her story this many times. Then again it could be a simple mistaken identity. For this and other stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

War of the Rosie

Things only got worse for Rosie O' Donnell as she let loose on co-host and creator of the View Barbara Walters herself. According to reports she reportedly called Walters a "liar" and said "you never once called "him" (Trump) a liar!" The outburst was picked up by the New York Post and printed in the gossip column. However, Rosie's tirade was Trumped as the Donald wrote her a letter stating that Walters had lied to them both and that she had previously told Donald not to "get in the mud with pigs." However this thing is going to end it can't be any prettier than the two of these hot-shots going at it. Let the battle of the egos commence!
For this and other stories please go to www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As we ring in the new and go out with the old we had a lot to think about. This year more Americans had things to reflect on. During the last time that I wrote major changes happened in Iraq with the execution of Saddam Hussein and President Gerald Ford passed away and now lies in state at the Capitol. Among those former leaders we laid to rest a great idol of music. James Brown, the God Father of soul, will go down for generations making us "feel good". We said good bye to cartoon creator Joe Barbera and we thank him for leaving us with some of our greatest childhood memories. And who could forget the ever bumbling deputy of the Andy Griffith Show Don Knotts? Patsy Ramsey, whether she knew who did it or not, never got an answer as to who killed her daughter or why. Sixty Minutes said good bye to a dear friend, brilliant journalist, and news anchor Ed Bradley. It looks like 2007 is already full of changes, some good, some bad, and some to remember. Happy New Year!