Well, last week I lifted my head from the TV set after the conclusion of LOST, only to find the world still in a state of holy-hell.  Drill babies have ruined the Gulf of Mexico.  North & South Korea are blowing smoke and stamping the ground at each other.  And once again, the Dow is sagging lower and lower.  Unemployment: sheesh.

I say its time to rent Season 1 of LOST and try to make sense of something.

Ah, yes. The news.

NPR is in perpetual telethon mode, so we’d thought we’d get everyone up to speed.

The new senator from Massachusetts has his first day today, where senate Republicans and one Democrat will exercise their 41% majority to filibuster federal nominations.

American manufacturers are chanting “USA” celebrating Toyota’s massive brake recall.

Sarah Palin is both lambasting and being lambasted for the practice of preparing speeches with notes. Irony think as molasses on both sides.

Iran is moving forward to further [...]]]> Ah, yes. The news.

NPR is in perpetual telethon mode, so we’d thought we’d get everyone up to speed.

The new senator from Massachusetts has his first day today, where senate Republicans and one Democrat will exercise their 41% majority to filibuster federal nominations.

American manufacturers are chanting “USA” celebrating Toyota’s massive brake recall.

Sarah Palin is both lambasting and being lambasted for the practice of preparing speeches with notes. Irony think as molasses on both sides.

Iran is moving forward to further enrich uranium for nuclear purposes. Cue maniacal laughter.

Haiti is still a mess. Please donate to the Red Cross, and don’t be deterred by folks who say we should “fix our own messes” first, because we must do what we can do always.

The DC sniper was executed Wednesday, November 11 by lethal injection.

Read more at The Washington Post

Surprise, surprise…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former U.S. Representative William Jefferson, who was caught with $90,000 in cash in his freezer, was found guilty on Wednesday of bribery and money laundering, Louisiana television reported.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/05/us.rep.trial/index.html

By Jason Ward Boyte

Due in large part of Richard Gere’s urging on behalf of all the American people who were not able to make it down there in the post-holiday shuffle (oh, how it is a bear this time of year), Palestinians came out in droves and voted in Abbas for president, and as Yassar Arafat’s replacement.

What does this mean? Well, not too sure. He vowed today to get back on the roadmap to peace, saying specifically that it meant [...]]]>

By Jason Ward Boyte

Due in large part of Richard Gere’s urging on behalf of all the American people who were not able to make it down there in the post-holiday shuffle (oh, how it is a bear this time of year), Palestinians came out in droves and voted in Abbas for president, and as Yassar Arafat’s replacement.

What does this mean? Well, not too sure. He vowed today to get back on the roadmap to peace, saying specifically that it meant reigning in Palestinian violence. Hamas is less enthused, but said they are willing to adjust their tactics if Israel stops conducting raids.

Shall we cross our fingers?

By Jason Ward Boyte

Ukraine is in a bitter fight that makes the US’s 2000 presidential election look like a love fest. Outgoing president’s pick and current PM Yanukovych – openly endorsed by Russia’s Putin – is accused of stealing the election from opposition party candidate Viktor Yushenko, not to mention poisoning him in the process.

In a battle widely viewed as an East vs. West, Capitalism vs. Socialism (or at least more and more socialist-leaning), Ukraine is seen as a barometer [...]]]> By Jason Ward Boyte

Ukraine is in a bitter fight that makes the US’s 2000 presidential election look like a love fest. Outgoing president’s pick and current PM Yanukovych – openly endorsed by Russia’s Putin – is accused of stealing the election from opposition party candidate Viktor Yushenko, not to mention poisoning him in the process.

In a battle widely viewed as an East vs. West, Capitalism vs. Socialism (or at least more and more socialist-leaning), Ukraine is seen as a barometer of what may come in the region. With Russia pinching civil rights and freedom of speech in ways reminiscent of cold-war Soviet Union, Russia’s obvious bias toward the supposed winner, Yanukovych, makes westerners wonder if the Ukraine will lean back to its socialist past rather than bow to its capitalistic future.

What to do? Well, apparently a number of things are going right for those contesting the election. Their massive protests seem to be working: their parliament has officially denounced the elections as a fraud (though that means nothing) and now finally even current president Kuchma has asked for a new election “to preserve the peace”, despite his favoring Yanukovych.

Wow. So does that mean you might actually be able to do something democratically if you actually try? Can’t be. Let’s not trouble ourselves about it and let the Supreme Court decide.

Today it was announced that Rice will take Powell’s spot as Secretary of the Defense. In a move that made the shiver that went down the world’s spine on election day go back up for a return trip, Bush has effectively replaced who was widely condsidered the most palatable and moderate member of his cabinet with a bona fide hawk.

One would wonder why, that is, if Iraq is indeed in hand and we are indeed looking to recreate alliances to [...]]]> Today it was announced that Rice will take Powell’s spot as Secretary of the Defense. In a move that made the shiver that went down the world’s spine on election day go back up for a return trip, Bush has effectively replaced who was widely condsidered the most palatable and moderate member of his cabinet with a bona fide hawk.

One would wonder why, that is, if Iraq is indeed in hand and we are indeed looking to recreate alliances to create a broader, more stable peace in the area. Perhaps it is that Bush feels he does not need to – that Iraq is ours, essentially, with both its troubles and spoils.

With all the hawks flying around, it simply makes one wonder: what is their current flight pattern? Where next? There must be a trip planned after sunny Fallujah. Any comment, Condie?