On the heels of Hurricane Gustav, Hurricanes Ike and Hanna have walloped the Bahamas, Haiti, Turks and Caicos, and Cuba. For the Turks and Caicos, 80 percent of the homes on Grand Turk Island have been damaged. The devastating storm has ripped roofs and left residents cowering in closets, "just holding on for life.
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The war on terror might be about to get much, much hotter. Dwindling resources and diminishing weaponry are causing Muslim extremists to call upon their numbers to start a “forest jihad” in Australia. According to one website extremists have to “start forest fires," claiming “scholars have justified chopping down and burning infidels’ forests when they do the same to our lands.” The website continues, "Imagine if, after all the losses caused by such an event, a jihadist organization were to claim responsibility for the forest fires.
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The price of graffiti in Las Vegas is not only the eyesore but, according to the City Council member, a $30 million dollar bill on top of the tags. It's money that according to one councilman says could be “used for things like education. We can educated young people on how to do positive things.” The solution to stop the amateur Banksy-esque hooligans.
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The triumph of non-native English speakers, who won three LPGA majors this year, indicates that speaking English is not a required skill on the golf course. Even so, the international women's pro-golf association announced a policy recently that would suspend players who do not speak English. After much outrage, the plan has been rejected.
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Though it's a lightning rod in its own right, My Super Sweet Sixteen pales in comparison to the birthday controversy blowing its way through Saudi Arabia. The country's most senior Muslim cleric has recently denounced birthday parties as an unwanted foreign influence, going head-to-head with another cleric who's said pony rides and cake are just dandy.
Under the strict interpretation, even modest birthday celebrations are "haram," or banned. The Saudi ban on birthdays is observed by the conservative Wahhabi sect that is dominant in the kingdom.
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Can I see some ID. For immigrants in San Francisco, the answer to that is "not quite yet." Plans to roll out a controversial program providing identification for all residents regardless of legal status is on hold for the moment. The plan is suspended pending a "thorough review" of its legality, and cities that were set to watch the rollout for plans of their own are put off for the moment.
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Swaziland, the only African country with an absolute monarch, is gearing up for its big 40-40 party this weekend, celebrating the 40th birthday of its King Mswati III, and 40 years since its independence from Britain. In preparation, the national stadium received a makeover so it can properly host military bands, traditional singers and dancers, a royal garden party, and state banquet for the likes of Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe.
Yet many subjects don't get a sense of jubilation from the number 40 — 40 percent of Swaziland's adult population has HIV, and the unemployment rate is 40 percent. One number that doesn't quite reach 40 is life expectancy —thanks to AIDS the average person in Swaziland will live to 31-years-old.
Ten thousand protesters gathered earlier this week in Manzini, Swaziland, to protest the use of public funds for the duel celebration of 40 years of independence and the king's 40th birthday, and demand multi-party elections in 2008, and increased availability of drugs.
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Chicago residents have faced an exceptionally deadly Summer this year — 123 people were shot and killed, twice the amount of US soldier casualties in Iraq over the same period.
Throughout 2008, murder rates in Chicago have risen. In July Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich said he was prepared to call in the National Guard to help restore order to the "out of control" city.
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Two prominent Communist dissidents in Cuba delivered a letter to the US Interests Section in Havana yesterday, addressed to President Bush. Marta Beatriz Roque and Vladimiro Roca pleaded with Bush to ease the American ban on travel and money transfers to Cuba, after Hurricane Gustav left the country's buildings and electricity infrastructure damaged and many people homeless.
The letter explained:
Knowing how intransigent the Cuban government is about accepting help from your country .
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I hope there's a good explanation for this, though I can't even in my wildest imagination come up with one. Corporal Tomos Stringer, a British soldier on sick leave from the war in Afghanistan, arrived at the Metro Hotel in Woking, UK, only to be told that he was not welcome.
According to the hotel’s policy, they are not accepting members of the armed forces as guests, and Cpl.
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