Volume 2 Issue 73
May 16, 2003
Cow!
What's falling from the sky in California, look who showed up in Texas, and ditching the wigs
Under Attack? There is growing concern that the attacks on Western compounds in Saudi Arabia this week were just the first in a new series of terrorist attacks undertaken by Al-Qaeda, which may be trying to carry them out in quick secession to maximize fear.
Warnings have been issued worldwide -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3029761.stm
The US has specifically warned of another imminent attack in Saudi Arabia -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1-682443,00.html
In Kenya, there has been a warning that AL-Qaeda will attempt to shoot down a passenger airliner, prompting British officials to stop flights -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-682096,00.html
And the search is on for the Qaeda head in Kenya -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-681997,00.html
Facing a new reality: The attack in Saudi Arabia this week has not just affected Westerns, but also modern Saudi's, who fear their way of life may be under attack as well -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/16/international/middleeast/1 6RIYA.html?pagewanted=all&position
Back in the fold: Germany seems to have kissed and made up with the US by backing the lifting of sanctions on Iraq. While I was with most of the Europeans on the anti-war thing, I really can't see why France and Russia are now holding back on the lifting of sanctions. It's just petty, but then again the way we've treated them is petty so in a way we deserve it -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/05/16/sprj.irq.main/inde x.html
Look Who's Running for President: President Bush will kick off his re-election campaign with the opening of a headquarters in Virginia. Look for Bush to begin some big time fundraising soon -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63687-2003May16.html
Back in Texas: The Texas Democrats have returned, arriving early this morning in Austin, after a 4 hour bus ride (complete with watching Gladiator. Of course, they ended up mixing up their luggage, but anyway they all made it back -
Note in this article the sound clips from the legislators guitar singing sessions -
http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/051603dntexdems .23a13621.html
The redistricting bill has died, but the Dems are eager to finish the other assembly business -
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/special/03/legislat ure/1912638
In a disturbing development, Republican Texas Officials apparently got the Department of Homeland Security involved in the search by falsely claiming the Democrat's plane had gone down. Did Tom DeLay have a hand in this? Folks in DC and in Austin are calling for investigations -
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/politics/stat e/stories/051603dntexdps.20a32706.html
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/special/03/legislat ure/1912232
http://www.statesman.com/legislature/content/coxnet/texas/le gislature/0503/0516homeland.html
The Party has moved on, but Ardmore, Oklahoma will never be the same again -
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/special/03/legislat ure/1912199
Grey Lady Drama: Howell Raines, the editor of the scandal plagued New York Times, apparently once took another paper to task over their poor handling of a plagiarism case -
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/57733.htm
Another reporter has accused Blair of falsifying their story, this time a free-lancer for the Times -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62079-2003May15.html
It's the economy, stupid: Deflation worries have forced the markets down, after the CPI fell last month. (As a side note, it's not unheard of for the CPI to fall every now and then, especially when gas prices drop, which has occurred over the last month. However, with other indicators showing that deflation is a possibility, there is still a lot of concern.) -
http://money.cnn.com/2003/05/16/markets/markets_newyork/inde x.htm
The Selling of the President: The Bush Administration goes to greater heights than any previous administration to create perfect settings for Bush's speeches -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/16/politics/16IMAG.html?pagew anted=all&position
When Cows Fly: Folks driving on a highway in Marin County, California, just north of San Francisco, had a interesting surprise yesterday, when 20 cows, apparently disoriented, tumbled off a cliff 50 feet above onto the highway -
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/05/15/BA206173.DTL&nl=fix
High Tech Crime: The Italian Mafia may try to use the new video cell phones to rig elections next month -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3033551.stm
The Drug Debate: With Canada about to legalize marijuana, a new book asks if the drug would still be banned in the US if it had been patented by Seagram's of RJR Tobacco -
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_20/b3833046_ mz005.htm
What would Gilbert and Sullivan think? The British are considering getting rid of the wigs that attorneys and judges wear -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/16/international/europe/16LON D.html
JFK's Intern: The intern who had a secret affair with JFK 40 years ago has admitted it was true -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3032635.stm
Whoops: Dallas school officials recently discovered that they had spelled the name of an elementary school wrong for 74 years -
http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/051603dnmetphil lis.29330.html
They were just preparing for a liberal education: A rural Washington State high school trip to Seattle saw all the big sites...even the local strip club -
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134745800_we bclasstrip15.html
Have a great weekend!
