Day 365

Last Day

I'll be stitching the final handkerchief of this project today.  I've been racking my brain trying to determine what monogram will be. A year of my life and the world has been archived in these objects. I feel like this one should have a certain significance but, then again, I don't want to over-monumentalize one particular thing/event.....

Day 364

FBI Arrest Suspected Terrorists

The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrest three men on suspicion of attempting to bomb an unknown target. Colorado residents Najibullah Zazi, 24, his father, Mohammed Wali Zazi, 53, and New York resident, Wais Afazli, 37 were taken into custody late last night.  Authorities state that a laptop found in the young Mr. Zazi's rental car contained 9 pages of scanned, handwritten notes on formulas for making explosive devices.

Day 363

Day 362

ACORN Scandal

James E. O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, posed as pimp and prostitute, secretly taped meetings at four ACORN offices to expose corruption within the organization.  Under a fabricated story of trying to obtain property to run a brothel to raise funds, they extracted advice from several ACORN employees on how to beat the system for their own benefit. 

It is a bizarre story indeed, one that I'm surprised I haven't come across earlier this week.  Right-leaning news sources (**cough, FOX news**) feel the story has largely been ignored by more moderate and liberal media outlets.  

World Gone Crazy

Story highlights from today's news headlines:

• Suicide bomb in northwestern Pakistan kills 25- Christian Science Monitor
• 21 killed in suicide attack on African Union base in Somalia- CNN International
• Iranian President once again claims Holocaust a myth- Voice of America

Sometimes (frequently) reading the news makes me very sad.

Day 361

Day 360

Attack in German School

9 students were injured in an attack by a classmate at Carolinum High School in Ansbach Germany.  The 18 year old entered the school with an axe and Molotov cocktails.  He was shot by police and taken into custody. This is the second violent incident at German school this year.

Wrestling and Politics

From the Los Angeles Times:

Linda McMahon, the chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., announced today she is resigning to run for Senate in her home state of Connecticut. McMahon, a Republican, will look to unseat Democrat Christopher Dodd in the 2010 election.

I remember when the WWE was the WWF.  It was the age of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant.  The WWF had to change their brand/name to WWE when the World Wildlife Fund contested the use of the name.  We will see if McMahon has any luck winning that seat- I'm sure Republicans are aching to win more seats in Congress.  

Day 359

Day 358

"You Lied"

The drama is on fire on Capitol Hill.  Republican Joe Wilson's comment during a special joint session of  Congress last week.  Democrats brought "resolution of disapproval" for Senator Wilson's outburst directed at President Obama.  

Politics and lies... very fluid terms in my opinion- why can't congress (Republicans AND Democrats- the whole lot of them) concentrate on the real issues?

Norman Borlaug

Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution passed away this weekend.    Among his accomplishments are breeding varieties of wheat that has saved millions from starvation in India and Pakistan.

Day 357

A World Food Program convoy was attacked by Taliban militants in the Bala Baluk district of Farah Province in western Afghanistan.  The 14 truck convoy was carrying 500 metric tons of food rations.  None of the World Food Program personnel were injured but 50 Taliban members, and two civilians are among the casualties of the attack.  

EU and Mugabe Meet

From the Voice of America:

President Robert Mugabe has met with a European Union delegation, the first such meeting since 2002 when the EU imposed sanctions on Mr. Mugabe and senior individuals in his party and government for alleged human rights abuses. The parties failed to agree on the lifting of sanctions as demanded by the Zimbabwean government.

President Mugabe emerged from the more than one hour meeting and told journalists the meeting was held in a friendly atmosphere but the sanctions issue had not been resolved. He said the EU demands that the Global Political Agreement that brought about the unity government be implemented are groundless.

" Everything that we were asked to do under the GPA we have done and done timeously even.  It is other matters of course that one might regard as constituting the spirit and environment in which the GPA should work which must now be attended to," he said.

8th Anniversary

Obama in the Hot Seat

Obama's health care reform speech has received positive and negative response.  It is nice to see people so passionate, but this reform is going to be an uphill battle like no other. 

Day 353

Day 352

Iran's Nuclear Dreams

From the Voice of America....

Iran's foreign minister has turned in his country's new nuclear program proposal to the U.N. Security Council's leading nations. Details of the proposal have yet to be released, but the U.S. envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is getting closer to making a nuclear bomb. 

It was a picture-perfect moment. In an attempt to spur nuclear talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki presented a package to the ambassadors of leading world powers in Tehran. But, one heavyweight world power was missing.

The United States, which does not have official diplomatic relations with Iran. But U.S. President Barack Obama has called for Iran to discuss its disputed nuclear program with world powers by the end of September.

Iran's ambassador to the U.N. nuclear agency, Aliasghar Soltanieh, says the proposal contains compromises on security, economic and nuclear issues. He says Iran would like to hold a new round of talks within the framework of the presented proposal.

San Francisco's Bay Bridge Reopens

After 70 straight hours of repair work for a crack in the steel link on the easter span of San Francisco's Bay Bridge, the bridge reopens just in time for early morning commuters.  The bridge carries over 260,000 cars a day.  

Day 351

Happy Labor Day! I celebrated by not stitching a handkerchief today.

Day 350

Van Jones Affair

Obama's "green jobs" czar, Van Jones, resigns amid controversy over his past affiliations and statements.  Republicans have slammed him for a petition he signed in 2004 that called for an investigation the Bush administration's involvement in the 9/11 attacks.  

Here also is link to an right-wing editorial that speaks of a "watermelon hypothesis" in regard to Jones' idealogical leanings- red on the inside and green on the outside.  I always find it funny when people make fruit metaphors.  

Day 349

NATO

From Reuters:

NATO officers met air strike victims and their families in Afghanistan on Saturday and their commander took to the TV airwaves in a bid to cool anger over an incident that undermines efforts to win hearts and minds.

Afghan officials say scores of people were killed, many of them civilians, when a U.S. F-15 fighter jet called in by German troops struck two hijacked fuel trucks before dawn on Friday.

NATO hopes to avert a backlash over the incident, which comes two months after the new U.S. and NATO commander, General Stanley McChrystal, ordered new procedures that require extra precautions to protect civilians before troops can open fire.

In an unprecedented televised address to the Afghan people, McChrystal said the attack was launched against what troops thought was a Taliban target. He promised to make the outcome of an investigation public.

"As Commander of the International Security Assistance Force, nothing is more important than the safety and protection of the Afghan people," he said in the taped address, released in versions dubbed into the two official languages, Dari and Pashtu.

"I take this possible loss of life or injury to innocent Afghans very seriously."

Day 348

Syringe Attacks in Urumqui, China

From the AP:

China's security chief blamed Muslim separatists Friday for a string of bizarre needle attacks that drew thousands of angry protesters into the streets as officials disclosed five people were killed and 14 injured during demonstrations in this restive city.

Police fired tear gas to break up continuing protests by thousands of Han Chinese, the country's majority ethnic group, underscoring how unsettled Urumqi remains despite a massive security crackdown following ethnic rioting in July that left 197 people dead.

The Xinjiang region, of which Urumqi is the capital, has for decades faced a simmering separatist movement by Uighurs, a largely Muslim ethnic group.

Day 347

Day 346

Los Angeles Fires

Fires continue to blaze in Los Angeles.  The devastation is currently on its eighth day and has claimed 64 homes and two firefighters.  

Athens Stock Exchange Bomb

A bomb placed in a parked van outside the Athens Stock Exchange exploded today at 5:35am.  Luckily, only one person suffered minor injuries.  No one has claimed responsibility for the bomb, but authorities speculate that the bomb was planted by the far-left paramilitary group, Revolutionary Struggle.  There has been an increase in home-bred terrorist attacks since the shooting of 15 year old Alexandros Grigorpoulos on 6 Dec 2009 in Athens.  

Day 345

Ebay/Skype

More buy out news.....Ebay sells a majority stake in Skype to private investors for $2 billion.  

Day 344

Disney buys out Marvel Comics/Entertainment for $4 billion.  Match made in heaven or deal with the devil?

Day 343

Democratic Party of Japan

The Democratic Party of Japan gain power after nearly 50 years of a single party dominated system lead by the Liberal Democratic Party.  The DPJ, lead by Yukio Hatoyama, gained 306 seats out of a possible 480 in what is being called a "bloodless revolution".  This shift in power is a result of a growing frustration with the state of Japan's economy- a common theme that rings true for the world at large.  

Day 342

Fighting in Myanmar

Thousands flee Kokang, Myanmar after a deployment of government troops to take over facilities run by the Kokang Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).  Fighting began in the morning and continues.  Over 30,000 refugees have crossed the boarder into China's Yunnan province.  

Day 341

Jaycee Lee Dugard.  

Kidnapped: June 10, 1991

Found : August 27, 2009

Day 340

Day 339

Persistence of Memory

On a visit to Berlin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received the blueprints of the Auschwitz concentration camp from German officials.  This gesture was called a "gift of truth" by Netanyahu.  I think the Holocaust will always be a stain on the collective German psyche, but I'm glad to see an attempt at making amends with the past.  Please excuse me if my tone comes off as nonchalant, but I guess it's something for which the country will always be apologizing.  Such is life.  I think it is also important to remember and honor the other side of that dark period in history as well.  For that, I offer this link: The White Rose- an organization that gave their lives in resistance to the Nazi Regime..... 

Ted Kennedy

Senator Edward M. Kennedy passed away last night at the age of 77. 

Ben S. Bernanke

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has ben nominated by President Obama to serve a second term.  

Day 337

EU's Election Complaints Commission in Afghanistan

The citizens of Afghanistan are still awaiting the results of the recent Presidential election.  The ECC are in the process of investigating 225 complaints including voter intimidation, violence, ballot box tampering, and interference from election officials. As it goes, this will be a slow count. Election results are officially due on September 3rd. 

Day 336

Co-ops in Health Care Debate

Senator Kent Conrad, D-N.D., is predicting that health care reform will NOT pass if the government run option is included in the bill.  This declaration comes several days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fervently asserted she could not pass a bill that excluded a public option.  The compromise that seems to be taking the forefront is the co-op option. I didn't even know this was even a possibility.  When I think of co-op, my mind immediately goes to the local Harvest Market or tenant run housing. "Co-op" and "health care": two words I never imagined in the same sentence, let alone the same public policy. 

So, what exactly is the co-op option?  Here is a link to an article in the New York Times that explains a little bit about the history of co-op health care in the US and what will be needed to make the option work. Warning: this article is a bit biased on the government run option.  

Day 335

The Evangelical Lutheran Church are allowing the appointment of non-celibate gays in committed, long-term relationships into the clergy.  They are the second group, after the Episcopal Church, to do so this month.  The ELC have over 4.6 million members.  

Day 334

Day 333

Is the release of Abdel Basset al-Megrahi connected with British interests in Libyan oil? Verrrrrry interesting.

Tom Ridge

An excerpt from The Washington Post:

"Former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge, the first director of the Department of Homeland Security, says that he was pressured by other Bush administration department heads to raise the national security-threat level on the eve of the 2004 presidential election -- a move he rejected as having such uncomfortable political undertones that it could destroy the administration's credibility.

The disclosure comes in Ridge's new book, "The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege . . . and How We Can Be Safe Again," written with Larry Bloom and published by Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Press. It will not hit bookstores until Sept. 1, but a copy of the book was obtained Friday by The Washington Post."

Abdel Basset al-Megrahi

Abdel Bassett al-Megrahi, the only person convicted in the Lockerbie plan bombing in 1988 was released by Scottish authorities.  Al-Megrahi has terminal cancer and has been allowed to spend his remaining days in his home country, Libya.  American government officials including, President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Attorney General Eric Holder have condemned the actions of the Scottish government and have implored Libyan authorities not to extend a "hero's welcome" to al-Megrahi.  The bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 killed 270 people, 189 of them American.  

Day 332

Presidential Elections in Afghanistan.

Day 330

Day 331

Russian Hydroelectric Plant Disaster

An engine room of the Sanyo-Sushenskaya hydroelelectric plant was destroyed by a blast from a faulty turbine.  64 people are feared dead from the incident.  The plant is one of the biggest hydroelectric plants in the world. 

Currency, Zim Style

At 4am, I stumbled across this article about the "zimdollar" in my insomnia induced stupor.  The Zimbabwean currency is now dead, the inflation rate so astronomical that one trillion zim is worth only a meager 50 U.S. cents.   I actually have a few old bills and coins from my Peace Corps days. 10 years ago they weren't worth much and now, it is worth less than a few sheets of toilet paper.  

Day 329

Day 328

Death Panels!- "Obama lies, Grandma dies."

The news has been rife with GOP claims (mostly lead by my favorite Republican and former Governor of Alaska by resignation before even finishing her first term, Sarah Palin) that the proposed Health Care Plan includes provisions for "death panels" where terminally ill Americans would be euthanized because the cost of care would be too expensive.  The "Death Panel" claims have been misinterpreted from clauses in the reform that allow for doctors to counsel on critical end of life options.  

Controversy has been so heated that at a New Hampshire rally for President Obama, people held up signs saying, "Obama lies, Grandma dies."  Intense, no?

Health Care Debate Continues

President Barack Obama is currently on a 4 state tour to promote health care reform and visit National Parks.  In a town hall meeting in Big Sky, Montana, he called for the American people to "lower your voices".  He is of course referring to the recent outbursts against the proposed policy in similar meetings headed by members of congress- Nancy Pelosi comes to mind with her "un-American" comment.  It is an interesting choice of words for both of them. 

Day 327

Santa Cruz Fire

There's a big fire raging in Santa Cruz.  Over 4,100 acres are burning and approximately 2,400 people have been evacuated.  From the reports only 5% has been contained.

Day 326

Slick Dick Tells All

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is slated to write a memoir about his days in the White House. According to informal conversations and interviews regarding the new publication, Cheney is expected to be VERY critical of former Commander-in-Chief Bush and provide a very personal account on the Lewis "Scooter" Libby scandal.  Perez Hilton, eat your heart out- your Hollywood banter got nothing on 20500.  

Day 325

Day 324

Facebook Lite Launch

Facebook launched a "cut-down" version of its popular social networking site.  FBL is aimed at areas with limited broadband capabilities.  At the rate the facebook brand is going, I predict it will reach Disney status.  

Democratic Republic of Congo

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, currently on a 7 nation tour of Africa, is in the DRC calling for the cessation of sexual crimes against civilians.  The estimates from the UN report that over 3,500 people have been victims of assault and is helping to spread HIV.  

Day 323