The Indianapolis Star is reporting a possible Mideast connection to the Oklahoma City bombings. (link via InstantMan)

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My alma mater got spanked, as expected, but at least the game was televised. Nebraska 48, Arizona State 10.

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Daily Pundit is reporting that Saddam Hussein ordered Abu Nidal's murder.

While in Baghdad, Abu Nidal, whose real name was Sabri al-Banna, came under pressure from Saddam to help train groups of al-Qa'eda fighters who moved to northern Iraq after fleeing Afghanistan. Saddam also wanted Abu Nidal to carry out attacks against the US and its allies.

When Abu Nidal refused, Saddam ordered his intelligence chiefs to assassinate him. He was shot dead last weekend when Iraqi security forces burst into his apartment in central Baghdad. The body was taken to the hospital where he had had cancer treatment.

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Now that the first stage of the Danielle Van Dam case is over, and John Westerfield has been convicted, it's time for me to vent. I'm tired of this case, and it's time to tell the world why.

We probably wouldn't be having this discussion right now if it weren't for the media. None of us knew what the guy's defense was trying to pull, or what the lifestyle of the little girl's parents even was, but we were all helped out by the everlasting presence of Court TV.

Since this trial was televised, and every news outlet in the nation is under duress to have the best story on it, coverage of it has been nauseating. During the trial, the cable news networks were analyzing the individual jurors and how they thought they might lean. According to the some of the Court TV, the judge in the case said that the television reporters weren't even the worst ones. Talk radio announcers were standing outside the courtroom doing publicity stunts.

I was a senior in college during the O.J. case when the whole "cameras in the courtroom" topic came to a head. Despite the fact that we have our First Amendment rights, I think that the press has gone over the edge and should realize its limits. I majored in broadcast journalism, with my sights set on law school (that's a different story). Fear is what allowed cameras in the courtroom in 1993. Fear of a repeat of the L.A. riots. People were not going to riot if you couldn't see Westerfield's mug on cable TV.

Alejandro Avila will not be able to get a fair trial in Orange County anyway, and will likely request and get a change of venue. The media has already convicted this man of Samantha Runnion's murder. However, once he does get a trial, it will be worse than Westerfield's, should the judge allow it to be televised - and there WILL be pressure from Court TV to televise it. The media must be responsible enough to respect our system of justice. The people's right to know is not always more important than the rights of an individual.

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Amish Tech Support reports on the growing phemomenon of Israeli-Palestinian blogs. It only talks about those based in that region, as the story is written in the Jerusalem Post. A total analysis of this conflict would not be complete without lookign at other bloggers around the world, who have spent many hours looking at this conflict. Those people, and you who read them, know who they are.

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A man wanted by the FBI in connection with the September 11 attacks has turned up in (surprise!) Saudi Arabia.

Saud A.S. al-Rasheed, 21, returned to his family and contacted police because he was concerned that he was the subject of a terror-related investigation, the family members said. In an interview with the Arab News, based in Saudi Arabia, the father, Abdul Aziz al-Rasheed, denied that his son had links to terror and said he never visited the United States or any European country.

The father was quoted in the Arab News as saying that "everyone knows that Saud is innocent and that the information published (by the FBI) is baseless."

(link courtesy Amish Tech Support)

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Amish Tech Support is reporting that some guy in Louisiana has invented crawfish flavor cat food. I'm with Laurence on this one. My cats will eat just about anything I put in front of them, so this is likely unneccessary. I'm sure I'll have help eating dinner tonight as well.

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Apparently, this guy thinks I'm some kind of dynamo. He's getting a bit huffy, since it's been only eight hours since the last time he e-mailed me - and most of the people in this time zome would have been sleeping anyway when the first one arrived.

Dear Partner and Friend Brian Sinclair,

This is to find out if you have re-type the application letter contained in my mail to you yesterday and sent to the bank for the claim of
these money. If you have not yet done this please try and do it as soon as possible so that we can achieve our goals as planned because we cannot compromise with time as fars as this deal is concerned. I quite understand as stated in your mail exactly why
you said you cannot send your telefax numbers at least for confidenciality,this is very important as far as this deal is concerned. However like you have said in your mail try and arrange for fax and send that application immediately as the bank is will likely
reach by fax upon the receipt of your application letter for your claims. Do remember to mail me when you hear from the bank.Hope to hear from you soon.

Best Regards,
Divid Chijoke.

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Two e-mails from Nigeria today. I think he really believes that I'm going to go through with this deal.

Dear Friend Brian Sinclair,

Thank you very much for your positive response to mail and I took note of the contents therein, I also must commend you for attempt to give this deal the kind of treatment it diserves. Now that you have shown interest to do this business with us and to front as
the next of kin to the deceased Mr Gordon Steve. I have made all the nacessary changes to reflect your Name Brian Sinclair in our deaceased client of MR. Gordon Steve file here in the bank.It is important to know that having done this by the time you will file
an below application through to the bank for the claim of these funds, it will show and prove as correct and clear evidence that you are the next of kin to Mr Gordon Steve. Now that your name is already effected accordingly in the file, I ma glad to let you know
that the main thing now to actulise this deal as to do with your competence to really prove yourself to the bank as the next of kin.Once you can do this perfectly well be rest assured that everything will be over in a matter of days. Hence, I will want you to write a letter of claim as below, unfailingly as soon as you receive this mail to the management of our bank for the claims. I wish ti remind you that myself manager Bill and Exchange Foreign Remittance and the general manager of operations is involved in this deal. So there is no way this deal will fail an as such do not entertain such fear and handle this deal maturedly as I'm counting so much on your ability to do this for us. Upon the verification of your claims by the General manager of operations and as certified it as true
which is certain, the account/audit department of bank will give an approval for the transfer of the money to your designated account as shall be provided by you to the bank. I the General manager Bill and Exchange Foreign Remittance Department will not waste time in seeing that this money is remmitted to your account immediately. So re-type the application as written below and fax it
to the customers service department of our bank,to begin the processes.Note that we are there to monitor the whole process and as you follows our instructions religiously to the latter we will have these money transfer to your account in the next few banking days.
I want you to bear in mind that this transaction is based absolutely on trust, confidentiality and the fear of God. Please do not let us down in any way as we will give you all the necessary backing here to ensure the success of the deal. Below is the specimen of the letter you are to re-type and fax to the customers service department of our bank immediately and as soon as your fax is received
at the bank, they will fax you a form to fill. We will email you all the necessary information contain in Mr Gordon Steve's file over here.Please remember no notify me immediately you receive this form so that I can mail you all the necessary informations to fill
it.

Your Address:
Tel & Fax numbers
Date:

The General Manager,
Oceanic Bank of Nig. Plc.
Head Office
No.: 36 Adesoyan Street
Shomulu, Lagos
Fax 234-2-2318566

Dear sir,

Application for Claims

I am Brian Sinclair, the next of kin to late Mr Gordon Steve hereby wish to apply for the claim of my late brother who was involved in a car accident in June 2000 there in Nigeria.I got to know about this money during the conclussion of documentation of his assets
which took place not too long ago. The account name and number as stated in his file are Mr Gordon Steve, 4012301834. I will be glad if my application is given a favourable and urgent consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Brian Sinclair.
God bless you.
Regards.

I'm intrigued. I'm sure the Secret Service will be as well.

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Give me a freaking break.

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Goodbye, Cynthia.

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At least one Valley school is enforcing Proposition 203.

Teachers at PT Coe Elementary are shocked by Principal Lesa Thomas' request to keep Spanish out of their playground, cafeteria and hallways. The K-5 school is part of the Isaac Elementary School District, where the student population is 95 percent Hispanic.

Thomas and Superintendent Paul Hanley said they are following the spirit of the Proposition 203, which repealed bilingual education laws in 2000 and requires that all classes in Arizona be taught in English.

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Stacy alerted me to the latest who cares about these guys? story. Apparently the Saudis are still under the impression that they should get preferential treatment by the U.S. Governnment even after September 11, and when they refuse to cooperate with the U.S. in its planned invasion of Iraq.

Being made to stand outside and wait was a new experience for many of the two dozen Saudis in line. Since Sept. 11 the rules are stricter. No longer can Saudis leave the paperwork to their travel agent; everyone between ages 12 and 70 has to be interviewed by a consular officer, and approval can take more than five weeks.

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Amish Tech Support is reporting that NASA is planning to read terrorists' mind at airports.

Space technology would be adapted to receive and analyze brain-wave and heartbeat patterns, then feed that data into computerized programs "to detect passengers who potentially might pose a threat," according to briefing documents obtained by The Washington Times.

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I have moved my Amber Alert notices to the sidebar. For updates, just click on the picture of the missing child.

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