Chicago

I'm heading off bright and early tomorrow morning, so expect light blogging for the next couple of days. Apologies. Rest assured though, the Pundit will be back.

Spain legalizes gay unions

I'm sure Rob already knows about this... and loves it.

The Spanish Parliament gave final approval Thursday to a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, making Spain the third country to legalize gay marriage, after the Netherlands and Belgium.

The Spanish law is all the more striking because it was enacted in a heavily Roman Catholic country where opposition to gay marriage in religious circles has been persistently fierce.

Okay, so what's going on exactly? The straight answer: radical liberalism has taken the place of the Catholic Church in Europe. While I am certainly not advocating a return to Catholicism, the road Europe is taking is slowly leading it towards complete moral decay.

A word on this:

"Today, Spanish society is responding to a group of people who have been humiliated, whose rights have been ignored, their dignity offended, their identity denied and their freedom restricted," [Spanish Prime Minister] Zapatero said.

Perhaps at a later post, I will attempt to elaborate more on my thoughts, but I just have to make a few comments about this sort of liberal mindset that is so well represented by the above quote. I feel that, as a matter of fact, by acknowledging homosexuals as a seperate group of people that need to be "emancipated," liberals are actually upholding a form of reverse discrimination, much like policies regarding affirmative action in the United States. Instead of recognizing that "homosexuals" are, in fact, just like everyone else (except with tendencies towards the same sex stemming from an unusual or troubled upbringing...aka psychological issues), liberals are carving them out as yet another "group" of people with special needs.

Dawn of the Dead

Rob Taylor found an article that claims that scientists have found a way to bring dead dogs back to life by draining their blood and then replacing it with an "ice-cold salt solution."

The animals are considered scientifically dead, as they stop breathing and have no heartbeat or brain activity.

But three hours later, their blood is replaced and the zombie dogs are brought back to life with an electric shock.

Plans to test the technique on humans should be realised within a year, according to the Safar Centre.

I'm not quite sure how else to say this, but... that's just f**ked up.

Mr. Woodcock

Yes, it is true, as my esteemed collegues pointed out, that my aunt is the executive producer of the upcoming comedy Mr. Woodcock, starring Billy Bob Thorton (the proof is here). This is her first time doing a comedy, and her first time as executive producer as well. I remember her telling me that she definitely enjoyed doing it, and hopefully she will get more recognition in Hollywood if it turns out to be a hit. While there doesn't seem to be an official site up yet, the IMDB plot outline makes the movie sound like it could become a riot.

Taken aback by his mother's wedding announcement, a young man [played by Seann William Scott] returns home in an effort to stop her from marrying his old high school gym teacher (Thornton), a man who made high school hell for generations of students.

Hehe.

Israel on guard against Iran

Iran's recent "election" of hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is clearly not sitting well with the Israelis.

"We must ensure that modern, Western countries don't become hostage to Iran radicalism," [said Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom] adding that "we don't consider them to be democratic elections by any means."

Understandably so.

The overarching issue of concern is, like it has been for some time now, the acquisition of nuclear weapons. Ahmadinejad is insisting, similar to his predecessors, that in order for Iran to progress, it needs to be able to harness the power of nuclear energy.

"We need the peaceful nuclear technology for energy, medical and agricultural purposes and our scientific progress," affirming Iran's decision would not change.

I still don't buy it, and neither does the U.S.

So has anything changed in Iran as a result of this election? Seemingly not.

Reinforcement

Just in case, for whatever reason, you still doubt that Tom Cruise is nuts, check out this video. By pasting together all the insane things he did on Oprah in a row, it definitely serves to get the point across: this man is not stable.

Mixin' it up

Tony Blair's son is reportedly set to hop across the pond and intern with Republican staff at the U.S. House of Representatives.

"Euan Blair has been given the opportunity to take up a short, unpaid internship with the Rules Committee of the House of Representatives," said a spokesman at the prime minister's Downing Street office.

Despite Blair's close relationship with U.S. President George W. Bush, the news raised eyebrows among some Democrats who see Blair's Labour party as natural allies, reported the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

I may be way off, but does anyone actually see the point of a British intern at a high-ranking legislative branch of American government? Not to mention the whole thing smells like a personal favor that George Bush is doing for his old buddy Tony (and yes, I do recognize that the political comradery between the Democrats and Britain's Labour Party does seem all too obvious...sorry, Dean). Or could it be this: with the decaying state of Europe's political and economic apparatus right now, Euan Blair might just be the EU's newest member of the "How-To-Be-More-Like-America" committee.

Dark Water

My aunt just informed me that she is scheduled to fly out to the New York premiere of Dark Water with Jennifer Connelly. Why you ask? Go check out the site and see for yourself! Be sure to note, in the "About the Movie" section, the name of its co-producer: Diana Pokorny. More on reviews later.

Premarital couples therapy

I don't normally read the ThursdayStyles section of The New York Times, but just today I was made aware of this article that features a couple from Amherst, NH of all places (they happen to both be teachers at my former high school). The link provided does not access the entire article, however, the gist of the story can be summed up in this paragraph.

Once seen as the province of married people with accrued stock in resentment and stale sex lives, couples therapy for the unmarried has evolved as an acceptable, even desirable, way of navigating modern love for those in their 20's and 30's. Aware of the high price of divorce, comfortable with the idea of therapy in general and free from cultural pressures to rush down the aisle, modern couples are turning to professionals earlier in the game to help them work through their relationship problems.

Something about this doesn't sound right, if I may add my two cents here. Getting therapy before you have even decided to get married does not seem like a promising foundation for a relationship. But then again, if people feel it helps them better discover their "compatibility," I guess only time will tell. The divorce rate in America stands at a shocking 50%, but if this new trend becomes popular, maybe we will see a change. I still hold to the fact that the key to a happy and long-lasting marriage is one that incorporates a spiritual aspect as opposed to a relationship based on pure physical traits or financial convenience. But whoever listens to me anyway? I'm no therapist.

Controversy

Rob Taylor has reported to me that his recent North Korean photo fiasco is already the subject of mass chain emails. Stay tuned to Status Quo Radio for details!

60 years of mass revival

The start of Evangelist Billy Graham's "final crusade" in America was held today in New York City.

...Graham spoke for about 30 minutes, his once-powerful baritone diminished but clear, mixing his message of salvation in Jesus with anecdotes and humor. Noting the struggles of the New York Yankees and Mets, he asked the crowd to pray for both baseball teams.

What can I say? Good man, poor choice in teams.

Blogosphere acknowledgement

My friend Robert Taylor of the Taylor Incipient has received acknowledgement on MSNBC for his recently posted photo from Asia (the easiest way to get to it is to do a search on the page and type in "North Korea"). It seems to be an authentic, amateur shot of a North Korean nuclear test. Crazy stuff... the traffic on his site has been increasing at an astronomical rate since he posted it. Go check it out!

Weblogs.com

Just found out about this website that constantly tracks updates on blogs. It's a bit chaotic, but hopefully this post will get "pinged" and I will see an increase in traffic here.

Healing the wounds of the South

Even though the man is now 80 years old, and whether or not he actually carried a weapon at the scene of the crime, Edgar Ray Killen should be made an example. As his murder trial goes to jury, we have to remind ourselves that there is still a lot of justice that has yet to be served dating back to the Civil Rights era.

The prosecutor said that while there was no testimony putting the murder weapon in Killen's hands, the evidence showed he was a Klan organizer and had played a personal role in preparations the day of the murders.

"He was in the Klan and he was a leader," Attorney General Jim Hood said.

Exactly.

Killen was tried in 1967 along with several others on federal charges of violating the victims' civil rights. The all-white jury deadlocked in Killen's case, but seven others were convicted. None served more than six years.

The defense rested earlier Monday after a former mayor testified that the Klan was a "peaceful organization."

Harlan Majure, who was mayor of this rural Mississippi town in the 1990s, said Killen was a good man and that the part-time preacher's Klan membership would not change his opinion.

Majure said the Klan "did a lot of good up here" and said he was not personally aware of the organization's bloody past.

"As far as I know it's a peaceful organization," Majure said. His comment was met with murmurs in the packed courtroom.

Awful. Who still says that today? I rest my case... Killen was being sheltered by a community that was tolerant of the Klan. That needs to change.

Legal action??

Okay, this is ridiculous. Tom really needs to step back and count to ten or something. Clearly the Church of Scientology does not teach its members to forgive and forget...

The Click Five

Anyone remember the Beatles? Well, of course none of us here remember them because we weren't alive, but if you can appreciate their music, you can appreciate this band.

Straight out of Boston, I think these guys are gonna hit it big pretty soon. Their album drops this summer and their video is already getting aired on MTV. Listen here for more of their stuff. The melodies are infectious and extremely pleasing to the ear. To be honest, it's probably the best "pop rock" songwriting I've heard in a while. Just thought I'd get the word out.

What the heck is Scientology anyway?

For those of you who don't know, I enjoy learning about religions and different bodies of thought. It has just occured to me that, in the wake of all of this TomKat nonsense, I actually don't know a thing about Scientology. Everyone says it's weird, it's cultish, and so on, but what is it?. So I've decided to look into it a little myself.

At first glance, their official website kind of creeps me out. All those Christian symbols and "heavenly" images have no place in a religion that really has nothing to do with Christ. Furthermore, the website makes little or no mention of the fact that the founder, L. Ron Hubbard, was a science fiction writer. That's right, a science fiction writer decides to start a religion just to see if anyone would follow it. And of course, the first people to do it are Hollywood actors. Figures. Those guys live in a fantasy world as it is.

Okay, so what else? I still don't know what they really believe in. Their website talks a lot about curing mental illness and things of that nature, but what exactly are their founding principles? That search led me here (actually, it's only the second website that comes up on Google... not much of a search really).

We of the Church believe:

That all men of whatever race, color, or creed were created with equal rights;

That all men have inalienable rights to their own religious practices and their performance;

That all men have inalienable rights to their own lives;

That all men have inalienable rights to their sanity;

That all men have inalienable rights to their own defense;

That all men have inalienable rights to conceive, choose, assist or support their own organizations, churches and governments;

That all men have inalienable rights to think freely, to talk freely, to write freely their own opinions and to counter or utter or write upon the opinions of others;

That all men have inalienable rights to the creation of their own kind;

That the souls of men have the rights of men;

That the study of the mind and the healing of mentally caused ills should not be alienated from religion or condoned in non-religious fields;

And that no agency less than God has the power to suspend or set aside these rights, overtly or covertly.

And we of the Church believe:

That man is basically good;

That he is seeking to survive;

That his survival depends upon himself and upon his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe.

And we of the Church believe that the laws of God forbid man:

To destroy his own kind;

To destroy the sanity of another;

To destroy or enslave another's soul;

To destroy or reduce the survival of one's companions or one's group.

And we of the Church believe that the spirit can be saved and that the spirit alone may save or heal the body.

Yeah, like I said, they seem to focus a lot on mental health. Well, what about all of us sane people? What can Scientology do for us? I still have no idea.

See you on the comments board...

Watch out, Katie

I can't believe I am actually giving Tom Cruise the honor of two posts, but I just thought this was kinda funny...

Cruise was on a walkabout talking to some of the 5,000 fans who packed into Leicester Square yesterday for the star-studded premiere of War of the Worlds. He was accompanied by his new fiancee, actress Katie Holmes.

As he answered questions from journalists, a bogus reporter, wearing a white and green t-shirt, stuck out a joke microphone and used it to squirt water into Cruise's face.

The star struggled to maintain his composure and rounded on the man, saying: "Why would you do that ... why would you do that ... why would you do that?"

As the prankster offered a barely audible excuse, Cruise said: "Do you like thinking less of people, is that it?"

After an uncomfortable silence the joker went to walk away but Cruise said: "Don't run away."

He told his assailant: "That's incredibly rude. I'm here giving you an interview and you do that ... it's incredibly rude."

Cruise then said forcibly: "You're a jerk ... jerk ... you're a jerk."

Haha, whoa, chill out, Cruise. Apparently the "assailant" was working for a British comedy show on Channel 4. Katie, your man may be famous for his smile, but he sure can't take a joke.

Tom and Katie engaged

Yeah, yeah, so I'm a little late in hearing about this. But whatever... I guess that just proves that I don't normally give a crap about this stuff, but since EVERYONE is talking about "TomKat," I just figured I'd give it an honorable mention.

Oh, and of course, there's always been some interesting gossip surrounding all of this, mostly involving Cruise's controversial Church of Scientology. Now that he's kicked the relationship into high gear, some of this gossip may be worth looking at. I wonder how sketched out we should really be about this whole thing...

"People" reports that now she is so enamored with her new love that she is allowing Jessica Rodriguez, a friend of Tom's who is employed by the Church of Scientology, to travel with her and "manage" her public appearances.


What a control freak.

The NY Post's Page Six asked on Friday "which top leading man interviewed three different starlets for the job of girlfriend/future wife before picking his new beloved?" They were speaking--of course--about Tom Cruise.

There are already rumors that Tom had been "cruising" for a young bride. Radar Online names 19-year old Scarlett Johansson, 24-year-old Jessica Alba, 22-year-old Kate Bosworth, and 18-year-old Lindsay Lohan as Hollywood starlets that Cruise looked to court before settling in on the 26-year old Katie Holmes.

I don't hold the NY Post in particularly high regard, but if this is true then... yikes.

Dropout statistics

On the subject of high school dropouts, I found some more statistics that are worth considering.

• More than 1,300 students drop out of school every day.

• 30% of Hispanic youths are dropouts.

• 14% of African American youths are dropouts.

• 8% of Caucasian youths are dropouts.

• 41-46% of all prisoners are dropouts.

• High school dropouts make 42% less money in the workplace than high school graduates.

• 50% of dropouts are unemployed.

• Dropouts are three times as likely to face poverty and to receive public assistance than are high school graduates.

• 72% of students aged 10-13 say they would like to talk to their parents more about schoolwork.

Yikes...the minority dropout rates are pretty unbelievable. This is clearly a serious issue that needs to be addressed in our education system.

The importance of finishing high school

So last night I received my coveted high school diploma. Woo... 12 years of government sanctioned slavery all rolled up in a leather bound document. I'm sure you detect that little bit of sarcasm there, but in all seriousness, getting a high school diploma is now more important than ever. This little website I found is brief, but I'll give you some highlights.

The importance of earning a high school diploma is underscored by statistics from both the United States Department of Labor and the Census Bureau. The average high school dropout can expect to earn $325,000 less in his or her lifetime than a high school graduate. High school dropouts have forty-two percent less buying power than they did fifteen years ago, and yet, each year of schooling beyond high school can increase their earnings by eight percent. In 1993, a male with more than four years of college earned an average of eighty-nine percent more than a male with a high school education. This gap in earnings has nearly doubled over the past fifteen years.

...in today’s global market...sixty-five percent of all jobs require skilled labor. Only fifteen percent of today’s jobs are for the unskilled, and even then, a high school graduate is preferred to a dropout.

Nearly half of all jobs created by the year 2005 will require some type of education beyond high school. It is clear that unless our young people earn a high school diploma, the first step on any career path cannot be taken.

These statistics don't lie. And this is why I cringe everytime I hear the word "high school dropout." The standard is set higher and higher as each generation goes by. At one point, earning a high school diploma was about the best most people could do. But these days, in many fields, even getting a bachelor's degree from a respectable college just doesn't cut it. A master's degree or even a doctorate has now become the key to long-term success in a career. It may seem a bit frightening, but it couldn't be closer to the truth.

So although getting a high school diploma is indeed commendable, I still can't help but say, in the face of these statistics, "Woo... now I get to do it all over again."

Blender gives Coldplay five stars

Today is my birthday and yes, I did receive the new Coldplay album X&Y. And what can I say about it? I am thoroughly impressed. I also couldn't help but notice the sticker on the front cover that was proud to inform me that Blender Magazine gives it five stars.

The melodies... are the most immediately captivating they’ve written, delivering no shortage of spine-tingling stadium-rock moments, from a relentless Classic Coldplay™ piano riff in “Speed of Sound” to an unexpected burst of supersized psychedelia in “Low.”

No doubt. The energy on this album is a lot better than on Rush of Blood to the Head. I mean, I loved Rush, but I more or less considered it like "chill-and-maybe-do-some-homework" kind of music. Very solidly written, but the tempos didn't quite get you pumped up. X&Y seems like the perfect synthesis of classic Coldplay melody and a more U2-like rock energy. Many of guitarist Johnny Buckland's riffs echo U2's The Edge, and Chris Martin's voice even resembles Bono at times. Overall, this album is very well done and worthy of a solid live performance at a stadium near you.

Iranian elections

They're coming up fast, and we need to keep an eye on them. Bush is already denouncing them as unfair, however, Michael Theodoulou of the Scotsman says there may still be hope for reform in Iran.

Mostafa Moin, the leading reformist candidate, has emerged as [conservative] Mr Rafsanjani's main rival. The 54-year-old former education minister has radicalised his campaign and crossed red lines in an effort to persuade a jaded electorate to vote. He has promised to free all political prisoners, signed a pact with a banned liberal group, promised to bring women into government and even questioned the power of the Supreme Leader.

Most observers believe the election will go to a second round as no-one will get the necessary 50 per cent to secure victory on Friday. If so, Mr Moin is regarded as having a good chance of winning as he can identify himself as a sharp critic of the regime while Mr Rafsanjani is seen as too close to the system to do the same.

Let's hope he's right. The future of Middle East stability may depend on it.

Batman Begins the best one yet

I can't say I ever really cared for the Batman series, but I decided to try this one out, mostly because of the new Batmobile (mobile is hardly the word... more like tank) and, well, Katie Holmes. But I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with it. I walked in thinking it'd be another stupid, cartoonish superhero movie with villains with cheesy lines and a sappy love story. Sure, there were still some elements of that, but overall I think Christopher Nolan did a professional job with it. The acting was above par and the action scenes were pretty phenomenal. Liam Neeson's character in particular had me intrigued. The whole concept of the "League of Shadows" being this secret organization that brings down corrupt civilizations (they claim they were the ones that sacked Rome, conquered the Byzantines, razed London, and brought on the Black Plague) all in the name of justice (with a sort of pseudo-Hegelian twist) was hardly conceivable, but still made for a cool movie. In any case, this film is definitely worth its weight in gold on the entertainment scale. Not to mention the ending has you begging for a sequel (not giving anything away...).

Props, Mr. Nolan.

King of Pop dodges the bullet

Yeah, yeah, so he's innocent. That still doesn't change my mind about him.

So what did the jurors have to say exactly?

The mother [of the accuser] appeared to lose the jury with her rambling, incoherent and at times combative testimony. She argued with Mr. Jackson's lawyer and delivered lectures to the jury, even as she wove a tale of mistreatment at the hands of Mr. Jackson's minions.

"I disliked it intensely when she snapped her fingers at us," one female juror said. "I thought, 'Don't snap your fingers at me, lady.' "

I see.

The biggest thing that still gets to me is this:

The current case against Mr. Jackson erupted in February 2003, with the broadcast of "Living With Michael Jackson," a British documentary in which Mr. Jackson talked about sharing his bed with young boys, calling it a loving act and insisting it had nothing to do with sex. The accuser in this case, then 13, was shown holding hands with the singer and resting his head affectionately on his shoulder.
The documentary provoked an international sensation, seeming to confirm years of rumors that Mr. Jackson was overly fond of young boys.

Yeah, I definitely saw that documentary on VH1 at least a dozen times. And what I saw, frankly, was frightening. I really hope the jury made the right decision...

John Lithgow speaks at Harvard commencement

Most of Harvard University's commencement speakers in recent years have been political heavyweights, such as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo...

Makes sense, considering Harvard is one of the premier universities in the world.

But what did those brilliant grads get this year? None other than comedian and Harvard alumnus John Lithgow!

Yep, the guy from Third Rock from the Sun and the voice of Lord Farquaad from Shrek poked fun at Harvard's recent scandal involving president Lawrence H. Summers's remarks on women in science. Apparently, the actor has taken up writing children's books as a hobby and decided to do something a bit unorthodox for his speech. He recited his latest story verbatim, an amusing rhyme about a female mouse named Mahalia, who "overcomes danger and prejudice to study at Harvard."

Young Mahalia, scavenging for food to feed her family, gets caught in a student's backpack and finds herself carried into a science class, where the professor threatens: ''Don't take it unless you are an absolute ace."

Intrigued, Mahalia sticks around until she is discovered, wreaking havoc among the screaming human students. But then the professor examines her notes. '' 'This mouse is a genius,' he cried. 'This rodent will study with me!' " Lithgow boomed in the voice of an intimidating professor, reciting his poem from memory.

If I had been in the crowd, I might have thought that I was being seriously gipped by a university that probably has a larger endowment than the annual revenue of Africa. Surprisingly though, it seems that many of the grads loved it.


...Lithgow's poem was met with delighted laughter, and he was mobbed afterward by autograph seekers. Nancy Winlock Carrel, class of 1955, called Lithgow's light-hearted speech ''refreshing to the max."


Yes, the humor was a nice touch, but what was probably even more refreshing was the scent of that Harvard diploma...

Catholic Church pays up

New figures being released by American bishops estimate that the Catholic Church has paid in upwards of $1.06 billion in legal settlements since the issue of sexual abuse by clergy has been brought to light.

At least $378 million has been spent in just the past three years, when the crisis erupted in the Boston Archdiocese and spread nationwide.
The Rev. Thomas Doyle, who left a promising career with the church to help represent victims, had warned the bishops in 1985 that abuse costs could eventually exceed $1 billion.
"Nobody believed us," said Doyle, a canon lawyer. "I remember one archbishop telling me, `My feeling about this, Tom, is no one's ever going to sue the Catholic Church."

No one's gonna sue it, eh? Remember, this isn't the Middle Ages anymore. The common "peasant" now has lawyers at his disposal.

...Many dioceses already had financial problems because of rising labor costs, maintenance for old churches and other expenses, said Charles Zech, an economics professor at Villanova University who studies church finances.

The Boston Archdiocese and several others have agreed to sell property to cover their multimillion-dollar settlements. Three dioceses -- Portland, Oregon, Tucson, Arizona, and Spokane, Washington -- have filed for bankruptcy, and more are expected to follow.

I guess they better get back to selling indulgences...

Fitness at work

I don't think you guys will be able to read this unless you subscribe to Boston.com, however, since it's a short article, I don't mind pasting the full text here.

Putting your body to work -- from your workstation

By Associated Press | June 8, 2005

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Sitting at their desks is about the last thing workers would do in Dr. James Levine's office of the future.

Instead of being sedentary in front of their computers, they'd stand. But instead of standing still, they'd walk on a treadmill. And instead of meeting around a conference table, they'd talk business while walking laps on a track.

''I hate going to the gym, which may be partly why I'm so interested in this," he said, keeping up a 1 mph pace on his treadmill while checking e-mail.

That speed is slow enough to avoid breaking a sweat but fast enough to burn an extra 100 calories per hour, or 1,000 a day, given his average 10-hour workdays, said Levine, a Mayo Clinic obesity researcher.

''We're talking more than 50 pounds of weight loss a year, if I were to keep my diet the same," he said.

Levine is a leading researcher of NEAT -- ''non-exercise activity thermogenesis" -- the calories people burn during everyday activities.

His team developed an alternative to the traditional cubicle -- workstations that combine a computer, desk, and treadmill into one unit. His team put a carpeted track around the perimeter of their 5,000-square-foot space. They made walls out of magnetic marker boards so they can stand while developing project ideas.

Those who don't feel like standing can use a tall stool to work on their computers, he said, but the environment ''sends you this message of 'Walking is the norm. Being upright is the norm.' "

On the one hand, walking all day while you're supposed to be filing reports or whatever could seem distracting for someone that is already living a healthy, active lifestyle. But these days, like I've said many times before, America truly requires some drastic measures to be taken in terms of declining health. I applaud the creativity of James Levine and admire his concern for the physical well-being of his workers. I think every work environment (and even schools for that matter) should try their best to promote a healthier lifestyle. Because if they can succeed in doing that, then no one will ever be able to use the excuse, "But I'm just too busy to exercise!" fubar. You don't have time to exercise, but you still have enough time to go out and grab another 16 oz. Coffee Coolatta... ah, the guilty pleasures of the standard American work week.

Never assume anything

The 2004 presidential campaign carried with it the assumption that John Kerry was always the "brighter, more intellectual" of the two contenders. Of course, grades aren't everything, but this is pretty amazing to me.

In 1999, The New Yorker published a transcript indicating that Bush had received a cumulative score of 77 for his first three years at Yale and a roughly similar average under a non-numerical rating system during his senior year.

Kerry, who graduated two years before Bush, got a cumulative 76 for his four years, according to a transcript that Kerry sent to the Navy when he was applying for officer training school. He received four D's in his freshman year out of 10 courses, but improved his average in later years.

And what exactly did he take, may we ask?

The transcript shows that Kerry's freshman-year average was 71. He scored a 61 in geology, a 63 and 68 in two history classes, and a 69 in political science. His top score was a 79, in another political science course. Another of his strongest efforts, a 77, came in French class.

Ok, so I'll let the geology one go... but the best he could manage was a 79 in a poli sci class?? And this is an aspiring lawyer/politician, mind you. Not to mention that he spent a significant amount of time in France and Switzerland when he was younger, so his French had to have been a little more than adequate. What is this 77 nonsense??

Here's the kicker:

''I always told my Dad that D stood for distinction," Kerry said yesterday in a written response to questions.

Not at Yale it doesn't, my Boston Brahmin friend.

Africa debt relief

Bush and Blair met today to discuss Africa's problems, which as we all know, they have a lot of. Not to mention that the nature of them has not changed for quite some time.

At a joint news conference in Washington, Bush said: "We... agree that highly indebted developing countries that are on the path to reform should not be burdened by mountains of debt."

"Our countries are developing a proposal for the G8 that will eliminate 100 percent of that debt."

Alright, sounds good. Way to think geopolitics just like your daddy, Bush.

Except... wait a minute now...

U.S. officials have made it clear the White House does not want to double aid to Africa or forgive debts unless countries weed out corruption and reform their governments.

Bush told reporters last week that developed countries "are not going to want to give aid to countries that are corrupt, or don't hold true to democratic principles, such as rule of law and transparency and human rights and human decency."

That's some catch. Do they really expect that despotic rulers are going to suddenly drop everything and "weed out corruption and reform their governments" all for some debt relief? Do they honestly think that people like Robert Mugabe give a damn about the well-being of their people at all? The commoners are the ones that could really use the foreign aid in order to rebuild their shattered economies. However, getting around awful governments that will just as soon confiscate the money and use it to buy tanks than give it to their people to buy tractors for their farms is always the major issue. Conflict and disunity sparked by tribalism is something else that needs to be addressed before serious progress can be made. All and all, Africa is a snake's nest of problems, and they're not the type that you can just throw money at.

Cool it, Crowe

Did they forget to say, "Cut!" at the end of filming for Cinderella Man? Clearly Russell Crowe wasn't listening.

The actor Russell Crowe was arrested Monday morning for allegedly throwing a telephone at an employee of the Manhattan hotel where he was staying, police said.

Crowe, 41, who plays a boxer in his latest film "Cinderella Man," allegedly threw the phone at the Mercer Hotel employee, striking him in the face, during an argument at around 4:20 a.m., said police spokesman Sgt. Mike Wysokowski.

No more boxing roles for this guy.

An overextended leave

I had always wondered what was taking Coldplay so damn long to write a new album...

In the three years since the band's triple-platinum "A Rush of Blood to the Head," [Chris] Martin said songs were written and discarded, tracks recorded and ditched, while tensions among himself, guitarist Jon Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion raged and calmed.

"Suddenly something you thought was brilliant, two days later you can't believe you felt like that," Martin told the Detroit Free Press. "And vice versa. I don't understand how that happens, but sometimes you get clarity on something when you're least expecting it."

The Beatles could put out 2 albums a year, guys...no excuses.

If you care

The Episode 3 script is now online.

Have fun wincing as you read it. In fact, don't even read it period. See the movie, enjoy the lightsabers, and try not to think about what you just heard.

Where has the substance gone?

If notoriously liberal CNN is reporting this, then I think it should be somewhat a cause for alarm.

In a speech Thursday before a Washington conference sponsored by the "Campaign for America's Future," Dean told the audience that many Republicans "had never made an honest living in their lives."

Ouch.

Thursday's comments were not the first of Dean's to generate controversy. In April, he called Republicans "mean. They are not nice people."

I hate to say it, but the Democrats these days are acting so bitter that they seem to have forgotten what it means to have a party platform and then actually spell it out (isn't that how you attract voters anyway?). This harsh negativity has got to end sometime, and Chairman Dean surely isn't helping with all of these crazy antics of his.

Shameful.

Would he really do it?

Sorry, I just thought this was really interesting and felt the need to comment on it.

Rob Taylor of the Taylor Incipient wrote on his blog:

So I want to go on the record before anything happens. If I'm right, it'll be incredible, if I'm wrong, I'll be much happier. I was having this discussion with one of my family members, that for Jackson to be infamous and be remembered forever, he would have to die at an early age. On the record, if Michael Jackson is convicted, I think he will commit suicide at his ranch. Let's wait and see.

If it does come true, I will certainly be amazed. Somehow the prospect doesn't surprise me at all considering how unstable he has seemed of late. Yes, let us wait and see indeed.

God save the jury

This should be an interesting verdict indeed...

Jackson's lead defense attorney, Thomas Mesereau Jr., put up one last valiant effort in an attempt to sway the jury.

"I'm begging you to honor that principle of reasonable doubt," Mesereau said, arguing that prosecutors "can't prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt, and they never should have brought it."

Yeah, they're all just being "ignorant," right? Sorry, principle or not, that guy has gone under the knife far too many times to be considered reasonable (hehe). I can only wonder how much more weight Jackson will loose if and when he gets sent to the big house. Yikes, what a scary prospect.

America's lack of fitness

Time Magazine's June 6 issue features a couple of stories on the physical health of Americans. And I hate to say it, but they paint a sad picture.

The old energy-balance equation--calories in should equal calories out--is seriously out of whack, as the rising rates of obesity in the U.S. and other developed nations prove. For much of the past decade, public-health officials, doctors and the popular press (including this magazine) have focused on the intake side of the equation. We're eating too much fat, too many carbs, too much altogether. But the problem is just as grave on the output side. We are not burning enough calories or moving our bodies enough to maintain good health. "We have two epidemics in this country. One is obesity, the other is physical inactivity," laments Dr. Tim Church, medical director of the Cooper Institute, a fitness research center in Dallas. "One is a topic of cocktail conversation and the focus of bestselling books. The other is ignored."

Now, I'm not in the habit of counting calories, but I know that I couldn't possibly be burning the same amount of calories I take in every day. There's just simply no way: the average daily intake for a man my size (6'1, 165 lbs.) is something like 2,500 calories, right? 30 minutes of vigorous excericise couldn't possibly burn more than 600-700 of those calories. Assuming I workout maybe 4 times a week, that still leaves a significant amount left over. So why am I not fat? The fact of the matter is, in my opinion, as long as you stay on a regular exercise schedule and limit the number of extra, unwanted calories like sugars and fats, you should be fine. I mean, really, is that so hard?

It's true that exercise is the side of the equation that is always ignored in terms of weight loss. People got all excited over the Atkins thing because it seemed like you didn't need exercise in order for it to work. Just cut out all the carbs from your diet and your body will slowly eat away at the rest, right? That may have worked for some, but that still doesn't excuse you from the crucial health benefits that exercise provides. Americans always seem to prefer taking the easy way out. But at this rate of obesity and inactivity, this is one shortcut we can't continue to afford taking. I sure as hell ain't...