Ah, this is interesting.

Giuliani is flashing his "I was New York Mayor during 9/11" credentials to convince voters that Dems won't keep this country safe.

Here's a quote from this piece:

“I listen a little to the Democrats and if one of them gets elected, we are going on defense,” Giuliani continued. “We will wave the white flag on Iraq. We will cut back on the Patriot Act, electronic surveillance, interrogation and we will be back to our pre-Sept. 11 attitude of defense.”

He added: “The Democrats do not understand the full nature and scope of the terrorist war against us.”

After his speech to the Rockingham County Lincoln Day Dinner, I asked him about his statements and Giuliani said flatly: “America will be safer with a Republican president.”
- Giuliani warns of 'new 9/11' if Dems win

In a response, the DNC communications director Karen Finney had this to say:

"How can the man who failed to prepare NYC for a second attack after the first one, quit the 9/11 commission because he was too busy raking in money from sketchy business deals, can't assess if the surge is working or if Iran and North Korea have nuclear weapons claim that he will keep America safe?"
- Giuliani 9/11 remark draws angry reply

Although I'm not for Giuliani as a Republican president (see his stance on gun control), I thought the remarks from Ms. Finney were completely ungrounded. I'll break down the quote above.

First, "How can the man who failed to prepare NYC for a second attack after the first one..."

The attacks on the Twin Towers were failures of national defense, not that of NYC. The terrorists didn't plan in NYC, they didn't arm themselves in NYC, and they didn't begin their final day in NYC. The terrorists high jacked planes from other cities and flew them into the World Trade Center buildings. How are you supposed to stop that when only the destination has to do with your city???

Second, "too busy raking in money from sketchy business deals..."

What sketchy business deals? Why is it always "sketchy" when a Republican engages in business? Isn't our nation grounded in the principles of free market economics?

Third, "can't assess if the surge is working..."

The surge has just begun and the Democrat controlled House and Senate won't fund it. Last I checked Giuliani is a private citizen. Just exactly what means does he have to assess something which has no data available to it and is sabotaged by the liberals?

Fourth, "can't assess... if Iran and North Korea have nuclear weapons claim..."

Isn't this the purview of the UN and IAEA? I also thought we detected a sub kiloton explosion last year from North Korea? We know both N.K. and Iran kicked out international inspectors. We know that both have centrifuges and are actively enriching uranium. This is information that both countries have boasted.

When I read the first article on Giuliani my opinion was "Well, here we go from the Right, time to pander to conservatives on national security". The article didn't warrant any analysis from me. The response from the DNC, however, got under my skin due to the blatant ignorance of the paragraph I've just analyzed. It made no sense to me and I thought I would share the frustration with you.

What are the odds of dying? 1:1. Death is inevitable, but how will you go? National Geo had a graphic that displays the common reasons for death. I came across the graphic at the National Safety Council's website. If you surf over to their site the statistics are displayed in a tabular format as well.

Scott Adams has a rather funny blog post today.

It's easy to appreciate what he's saying if you don't get wrapped up in taking a political side. I think he's stepped back here and pretty much wrapped up where we are at today with politicians and our government.

For some background, Scott often reminds his readers that he doesn't vote and doesn't stand for one party or another. His opinions on politics are usually clever, when he shares them. This is no exception.

I Wish I Had a Government

By Scott_Adams on General Nonsense

I’m so jealous of countries that have governments. How cool would that be?

Many years ago, the United States had a government that did impressive things such as winning wars, spreading democracy, and solving huge social issues. In time, it turned into a government that was good at getting blown and tattling. Then we had a government that was too incompetent to do even that. Now we no longer have a functioning government of any kind. The good news is that we seem to have reached a plateau.

Recently our so-called Speaker of the House was meeting with the Syrian government while our so-called Vice President was on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show reminding the world that the so-called Speaker of the House doesn’t speak for the United States in foreign policy. Foreign policy is the job of the so-called President who doesn’t speak to governments that don’t already agree with him.

Today I read that the Defense Department is releasing a report that there was no link between al-Qaeda and Iraq, at the same time that so-called Vice President Cheney was repeating his mantra that there was indeed a link. My tax dollars paid for all of that. I don’t think I got my money’s worth.

Meanwhile, the Democrats are poised for a big win during the next election based on their excellent track record of doing nothing for years. Doing nothing might not sound like a good strategy to you, but if you compare it to what happens when the government actually does something, you can make an argument.

A good test of whether you have a government is this: Can your country do anything big and important? For example, could the United States start a new war, or end an existing one, or change its dependence on foreign oil, or provide health care to all citizens? Apparently not.

At this point, the so-called government does little more than provide content for news channels and blogs. I think they should do more. For example, I’d like to see Congressmen and Congresswomen run across a field of rakes every morning to get to work. For me, it would only take a few rakes in the face per day to make me feel as if my tax dollars weren’t a complete waste.

Is that too much to ask?

I thought the political cartoon by Nick Anderson today in the Houston Chronicle was worth sharing.

Great news for CHL holders in Texas. From the NRA-ILA.

Texas Governor Signs Critical Self-Defense Reform Bill! On Tuesday, March 27, Governor Rick Perry (R) signed Senate Bill 378, NRA-supported "Castle Doctrine" legislation. Governor Perry's signature made Texas the first state to adopt "Castle Doctrine" legislation in 2007! SB 378 will protect individuals who use force to defend themselves in their home, car and place of business or employment from criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits. It also states that you have no "duty to retreat" from an attack if you are in a place where you have a legal right to be, if you did not provoke your attacker, and if you are not engaged in criminal activity yourself.

Update on Texas Workers Protection Legislation! Three NRA-supported bills are moving through the Texas legislature: House Bill 220, sponsored by State Representative Phil King (R-61), House Bill 992, sponsored by State Representative Patrick Rose (D-45) and Senate Bill 534 sponsored by State Senator Glenn Hegar (R-18). Both HB220 and HB992 are currently in the Calendars Committee. SB534 passed unanimously in the Senate on Thursday, March 29 and now heads to the House for consideration. All three bills would allow Concealed Handgun Licensees to transport and store handguns in their locked, private motor vehicles while parked on their employer's property. HB992 and SB534 also provide employers with protection from civil liability for the unforeseeable acts of criminals. Unfortunately, some in the business community are opposing these bills. Please contact your State Representative and respectfully urge him or her to support HB220, HB992, and SB534. Contact information for your State Representative can be found at http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/welcome.php.

Twitter is an interesting company with a simple technology. I first read about it in a blog post from The Economist.

The Wikipedia entry for Twitter describes as:

Twitter is a social networking service that allows members to inform each other about what they are doing and what they think. It allows users to send messages via phone, instant messaging or the Twitter website. Two SMS gateway numbers are available - one for USA, and one UK number for international use. Users can receive updates from other selected users via web, IM, or SMS.

I signed up on the site and invited a bunch of friends, who so far haven't joined. I was able to add Google News as a friend.

I'm still new to Twitter and microblogging, so I have no opinion so far on it. The concept is interesting, though.

On the sidebar of my blog I've added an area titled "What am I doing?" Every time I send a text message to Twitter and the page is refreshed, the text message will be displayed. There is also a link to my Twitter page.

One of the Economist's blogs, Democracy in America, found this Chinese report:"The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2006". I really don't know where to begin on this. Seriously, though, are we going to listen to China on Human Rights? Get real.

Here's what the Economist blog had to say:

CHINA has just published its report on "The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2006". And, believe it or not, you really do have to read it. It's an amazing piece of propaganda, diligently assembled from published sources, which achieves exactly its intended purpose: of making you wonder whether the State Department is any "fairer" or "more balanced" when it publishes its own country reports on human rights overseas. Thanks to CFR for the reference.

I only read through the first page, and then in disgust I stopped. Here's a quote from the "report":

The United States has the largest number of privately owned guns in the world. The unchecked spread of guns has caused incessant murders.

At least the murders were citizen on citizen and not government imposed! There are few better examples of a Second Amendment Right than China.

Having forgone the means with which to defend one's self, What tyranny must one endure? I don't think I'll never know.

The Federal Appeals Court reversed the District Court's up holding of the DC hand gun ban.

This is great news for the law abiding citizens of the District of Columbia.

From the decision:

Silberman, Senior Circuit Judge: Appellants contest the district court's dismissal of their complaint alleging that the District of Columbia's gun control laws violate their Second Amendment rights. The court held that the Second Amendment ("A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the seurity of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed") does not bestow any rights on individuals except, perhaps, when an individual serves in an organized militia such as today's National Guard. We reverse.

You can read the entire decision here: United States Court of Appeals (For the District of Columbia Circuit) Decision No. 04-7041

A Duke University engineering graduate built himself a prototype beer launcher.

Recent College Graduate Invents Beer-Tossing Refrigerator

It took the 22-year-old Cornwell about 150 hours and $400 in parts to modify a mini-fridge common to many college dorm rooms into the beer-tossing contraption, which can launch 10 cans of beer from its magazine before needing a reload.

A video can be seen here: Beer Launching Fridge Catapults Those Brewskis Right Into Your Hands

I was reading an article titled Geico's Cavemen Evolve and I found the following quote rife with buzzwords:

"This is absolute proof of the real engagement that the characters and brand have managed to create," said Robert Passikoff, founder and president of Brand Keys. "You can't make this kind of transition without a lot of engagement power behind you."

Naturally being curious about Dr. Robert Passikoff's company, Brand Keys, I headed over to the website to find out if it, too, was littered with buzzwords.

As I suspected, it was.

I've taken a series of buzzwords from the "Who We Are" section of the Brand Keys website:

By understanding what keeps your customers loyal you can:

• Plan within a leading indicator of profitability.
• Know how to most efficiently sequence initiatives.
• Fight commoditization.
• Leverage competitive strategies to your advantage.
• Enhance your brand's equity.

Leveraging Loyalty: the last frontier.

Why do we say customer loyalty is the only thing left to talk about? Because after right-sizing, best-practicing, and reengineering — that is, after the changes of the '80s and '90s — many companies today are doing a great job…and are in danger of seeing their brands become excellent, undifferentiated commodities.

These buzzwords are trite and ambiguous. Often language like this is used to mask ignorance or to feign an elite status. Either way, I can't stand the abuse on the English language. I will continue to blog about examples time and again.

In an article titled Edwards: Jesus Would Be 'Appalled', John Edwards calls Americans selfish.

I think that Jesus would be disappointed in our ignoring the plight of those around us who are suffering and our focus on our own selfish short-term needs. I think he would be appalled, actually. - John Edwards

Although I wouldn't disagree with Mr. Edwards, isn't it human nature to be selfish? Altruism is rare everywhere in the animal kingdom. Humans: Americans, British, Indian, Chinese, et. al are no different. Certainly some nationalities may be more inclined to be "loners" rather than family oriented, but either alone or in a group, the entity still acts in its own self interest.

Further more, I can't stand the hypocrisy of Edwards, a self made millionaire who's fortune was built by suing OBGYN's! How selfish is THAT?

Please, Mr. Kerry - I mean Edwards, keep the hypocrisy to a minimum; it gives me a headache.

The use of the term "illegal alien" has been drawing scrutiny by immigrant activists and sympathetic politicians. These groups see the term as a pejorative, although it is their ignorance of the English language that gives them this impression. Now, a legislator in Florida wants to ban the term altogether from government documents (see the article Bill would mandate nicer term for illegals).

This post isn't going to turn into a rant on illegal immigration, rather to identify asinine absurdity from uneducated lawmakers in this nation; particularly with PC agendas advocating the substitution of well defined English words with buzzwords.

Senator Frederica Wilson, D-Miami is the MENSA genius behind the following quote:

"An alien to me is someone from out of space."

Senator Wilson is clearly demonstrating ignorance of the English language.

Merriam Webster's Dictionary defines the words "illegal" and "alien" as such:

illegal: not according to or authorized by law : UNLAWFUL, ILLICIT

alien: a foreign-born resident who has not been naturalized and is still a subject or citizen of a foreign country; broadly : a foreign-born citizen

Further more, does changing the term change the meaning? An illegal alien is a person who is here illegally. The term is not a racially charged pejorative, rather a widely accepted government label for those who have come to this country ILLEGALLY. The word "illegal" cannot be stressed enough.

Senator Wilson goes on to say

"'Illegal,' I can live with, but I like 'undocumented' better."

Unfortunately Senator Wilson doesn't see the connection. Living in this country without being born here or having a valid visa (or documentation) is illegal. Undocumented equals illegal.

Senator Wilson's constituents must be embarrassed.

Earlier I mentioned the Economist Style Guide advertisment that appealed to me. I found that The Economist has an online version of this Style Guide that you can access free.

Here's the link and below is one of the sections of the book.

Journalese and slang

Do not be too free with slang (eg, He really hit the big time in 1994). Slang, like metaphors, should be used only occasionally if it is to have effect. Avoid expressions used only by journalists, such as giving people the thumbs up, the thumbs down or the green light. Stay clear of gravy trains and salami tactics. Do not use the likes of. And avoid words and expressions that are ugly or overused, such as the bottom line, high profile, caring (as an adjective), carers, guesstimate (use guess), schizophrenic (unless the context is medical), crisis, key, major (unless something else nearby is minor), massive (as in massive inflation), meaningful, perceptions, prestigious and significant.

Politicians are often said to be highly visible, when conspicuous would be more appropriate. Regulations are sometimes said to be designed to create transparency, which presumably means openness. Governance usually means government. Elections described as too close to call are usually just close.

Try not to be predictable, especially predictably jocular. Spare your readers any mention of mandarins when writing about the civil service, of their lordships when discussing the House of Lords, and of comrades when analysing communist parties. Must all lawns be manicured? Are drug traffickers inevitably barons?

In general, try to make your writing fresh. It will seem stale if it reads like hackneyed journalese. One weakness of journalists, who on daily newspapers may plead that they have little time to search for the apposite word, is a love of the ready-made, seventh-hand phrase. Lazy journalists are always at home in oil-rich country A, ruled by ailing President B, the long-serving strongman, who is, according to the chattering classes, a wily political operator—hence the present uneasy peace—but, after his recent watershed (or landmark or sea-change) decision to arrest his prime minister (the honeymoon is over), will soon face a bloody uprising in the breakaway south. Similarly, lazy business journalists always enjoy describing the problems of troubled company C, a victim of the revolution in the gimbal-pin industry (change is always revolutionary in such industries), which, well-placed insiders predict, will be riven by a make-or-break strike unless one of the major players makes an 11th-hour (or last-ditch) intervention in a marathon negotiating session.

Prose such as this is freighted with codewords (respected is applied to someone the writer approves of, militant someone he disapproves of, prestigious something you won't have heard of). The story can usually start with the words, First the good news, inevitably to be followed in due course by Now the bad news. A quote will then be inserted, attributed to one (never an) industry analyst, and often the words If, and it's a big if... Towards the end, after an admission that the author has no idea what is going on, there is always room for One thing is certain, before rounding off the article with As one wag put it...

Perhaps even more wearying for the reader is the trendy journalist's fondness of vogue words and expressions. Some of these are deliberately chosen (bridges too far; empires striking back; kinder, gentler; F-words; flavours of the month; Generation X; hearts and minds;$64,000 questions; southern discomfort; back to the future; thirty-somethings; windows of opportunity; where's the beef?), usually from a film or television, or perhaps a politician. Others come into use less wittingly, often from social scientists. If you find yourself using any of the following words, you should stop and ask yourself whether (a) it is the best word for the job (b) you would have used it in the same context five or ten years ago, and if not why not:

address (questions can be answered, issues discussed, problems solved, difficulties dealt with)

care for and all caring expressions (how about look after?)

community (see above, under Unnecessary Words)

environment (in a writing environment you may want to make use of your Tipp-Ex, rubber or delete button)

famously (usually redundant, nearly always irritating)

focus (all the world's a stage, not a lens)

individual (fine in some contexts, but increasingly used as a longer synonym for man, woman or person)

overseas (increasingly used, and often wrongly, to mean abroad or foreign)

participate in (take part in—more words but fewer syllables)

partner (“Take your partners for the Gay Gordons!” by all means, but dancing together does not necessarily mean sleeping together—just as a sleeping partner is not necessarily a lover)

process (a word properly applied to the Arab-Israeli peace affair, because it was meant to be evolutionary, but now often used in place of talks)

relationship (relations can nearly always do the job)

resources (especially human resources, which may be personnel, staff or just people)

skills (these are turning up all over the place—in learning skills, thinking skills, teaching skills—instead of the ability to. He has the skills probably means He can)

supportive (helpful?)

target (if you are tempted to target your efforts, try to direct them instead)

transparency (openness?)

Such words are not wrong, but if you find yourself using them only because you hear others using them, not because they are the most appropriate ones in the context, you should avoid them. Overused words and off-the-shelf expressions make for stale prose.

The Economist was advertising its house Style Guide for writers. I found it immensely amusing because the ad mocked clichéd lingo prevalent in today's business world.

I hold The Economist in high regard and their new advertisement supports the reason.

The ad:









Here's the link to the site with the book if you're interested: The Economist Style Guide

The topic of time, aging and general life progression has come up a lot lately.

I think it has to do with my high school class' ten year reunion. It's hard to believe it's been that long since I left high school. I don't feel like I've gotten that much older, but when I look in the mirror I see the gray hairs starting. Ha, I'm not even thirty yet.

I've been reconnecting with old friends since I received an e-mail gathering information about a ten year reunion. Some I haven't talked to in two years, others closer to ten. It's interesting to find out where they are and what they're up to.

I've been really enjoying the memories that this has rekindled.

With that in mind, I've embarked on an effort to scan all of my old pictures (from elementary, middle, and high school) and I'll post those sets on Flickr as I finish them. Please create an account so you can comment on photos (if you wish) and see all of the sets. Only a few are available for the 'public'.

I always have excuses as to why I don't blog nearly enough.

From my last post, though, I've greatly reduced the amount of excuses I can use (now that I can post from my phone).

One of the features I had been working on was my own software for photos. I finally got to a point where I decided to use commercial software because I just didn't have the time to finish my own.

With that in mind, you can use the photo link and it will take you over to Flickr, where I've moved all of my photos.

I still have to add descriptions, but the photos are organized by date and general subject matter.

It's funny, but I generally try to set up technology to be dynamic. In this context I suceeded by giving me the ability to blog from my phone just in the manner of setting up my site.

It's not really that spectacular, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

By the way, this is my first mobile post.

If you're from Houston or are a NFL fan, you know that the Houston Texans haven't had a decent year yet. Many fans are fed up with the Texans quarterback David Carr. As QB1 for the Texans Carr has only managed to set apalling records (such as number of times sacked as a quarterback).

Nick Anderson, a political cartoonist for the Houston Chronicle, has an interactive cartoon titled: Help David Carr Make a Big Play...

It's hilarious, I reccomend you play it.

Below are my thoughts on an e-mail I received containing an article about the rise of radical Islam in Europe. The article appears in The Brussels Journal --> The Rape of Europe

As Tom Bethell wrote in this month’s American Spectator: “Just at the most basic level of demography the secular-humanist option is not working.” But there is more to it than the fact that non-religious people tend not to have as many children as religious people, because many of them prefer to “enjoy” freedom rather than renounce it for the sake of children. Secularists, it seems to me, are also less keen on fighting. Since they do not believe in an afterlife, this life is the only thing they have to lose. Hence they will rather accept submission than fight. Like the German feminist Broder referred to, they prefer to be raped than to resist.

I just bought a book (I hope to start tonight) titled Londonistan. The premise is the same as The Brussels Journal article, but localized to London. Another book in my queue is about Van Gogh (a decendant of the artist) who was murdered several years ago in Amsterdam (by a radical Muslim) because of a movie he made portraying Islam in Holland. This book gets into what Holland is doing about radical Islam as well.

The Economist has written many articles over various points that the e-mail touched on. This is the first time I've seen all of these points put together so poignantly. Like I said, I haven't started those books I purchased yet.

I've added RSS feeds to my news aggregator from The Brussels Journal website. I perused the site because it was mentioned so many times in the article. Also, the author of the article started The Brussels Journal. This is going to become a regular read for me from now on.

All told, I thought the article was very enlightening, bringing the elements of current events to bare on modern Europe and their blind following of their 'not worth fighting for' and 'multiculturalism even if it means annihilation' ideologies.

I couldn't pass this up:

Iran is your home and is the home of all freedom seekers of the world," Ahmadinejad said. "Here you can express your views and exchange opinions in a friendly, brotherly and free atmosphere.
- Iran president says Israel's days are numbered

I've avoided discussing Iran in many months due to the fact that the nation is run by radical Islamists who really believe it is their destiny to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth. These same monsters opress their own people; provide direct and indirect support to terrorism in Lebanon, Israel and Iraq; they're looking to produce a nuclear weapon; and they're a threat to the rest of the world. Unfortunately Europe doesn't have the will to stand up against anything anymore, including radical Islam within their own communities.

So, here's my take on the elections:

Pelosi et al. will waste the next two years and our tax dollars on frivolous investigations because they (the liberal-left) don't stand for anything other than the demise of conservatives.

On the positive side, we're about to enter a two year period of inaction in government. There will be so much infighting that nothing will be accomplished (except for our money being wasted). So be it.

This will be America's wake up call for the 2008 Presidential Elections.

The photo below is of the Korean Peninsula at night. This particular photo was taken earlier this week.

I had heard of this photo before from an interview with Donald Rumsfield. Apparently he keeps the picture under his desk to remind himself of the stark constrast between the two nations.

North Korea might now have The Bomb, but it doesn't have much electricity

Mr Rumsfeld showed the picture to illustrate how backward the northern regime really is - and how oppressed its people are. Without electricity there can be none of the appliances that make life easy and that we take for granted, he said.

"Except for my wife and family, that is my favourite photo," said Mr Rumsfeld.



"It says it all. There's the south, the same people as the north, the same resources north and south, and the big difference is in the south it's a free political system and a free economic system.

"The people in the north are starving, their growth is stunted. It's a shame, a tragedy."

An aide added: "This oppressive regime is too busy trying to make war to make life comfortable for its people."

I read a really interesting article on extreme poverty in Venezuela. It seems that Hugo Chavez has largely ignored the plight of the millions of impoverished citizens in his own country.

The NY Post article: Pain in Slums of Chavez

Here's a positive handgun story: Houston robbery victim fights back with gun

When one of the suspects attempted to rob the homeowner, the man shot at the suspect several times, striking him once, police said.

Police said the homeowner had a concealed handgun permit.

Free articles from this week's edition of The Economist
Japan's assertive new prime minister | Virtual online worlds | Lula's record in Brazil | A bitter new debate about Iraq | Yahoo! | Why is the yen so weak? | Two new members join the EU club | China excises Shanghai's party chief | Oil in Iraqi Kurdistan | Wal-Mart in Britain | Venezuela's bid for a UN seat | Theoretical physics | An atlas of brain genetics | John Coltrane and Miles Davis | Ann Richards, governor of Texas

More free articles »

Politics this week

Sep 28th 2006
From The Economist print edition

Shinzo Abe, who was confirmed as Japan's prime minister by the country's parliament, picked a cabinet. He also cut his pay by 30% as a symbolic gesture to help reduce Japan's huge public debt. See article

Getty Images

The presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Hamid Karzai and Pervez Musharraf, held talks in Washington, DC, with George Bush. Tensions between both countries have increased lately with each blaming the other for the surge in Taliban violence, which was illuminated by a suicide-bomb in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province that killed 18 people. See article
The leaders of Thailand's military coup resurrected a dormant corruption commission so it could begin investigating the previous government. A week after tanks rolled onto the streets, the coup retained the support of most Thais. See article

Sri Lanka's navy said it had engaged Tamil rebels in a sea battle 80km (50 miles) off the strategic port of Trincomalee. The navy claimed to have killed 70 rebels in the encounter; the rebels said three.

George Bush released some parts of a classified report on trends in global terrorism after it was leaked to the press. The document stated that a number of factors were contributing to the spread of jihadist ideology, including the “cause célèbre”—as the authors called it—of the Iraq war. See article
As Congress prepared to adjourn ahead of November's elections, the White House reached a compromise with Republicans who opposed Mr Bush's plans for interrogating and trying terrorism suspects. But legislation that sought to settle the legality of Mr Bush's wiretapping programme was held up by differing versions of the bill.
The Republicans chose Minneapolis-St Paul as the site for their convention in 2008, an indication of how close the party thinks the presidential race in the Midwest will be. The Democrats are still considering whether to hold their jamboree in Denver or New York.
New Orleans held a party to celebrate the city football team's first game at the Louisiana Superdome since it was used to house evacuees from the flood that followed Hurricane Katrina.

Saddam Hussein's chaotic trial in Baghdad was adjourned until October 9th. The defence lawyers had walked out after a change of chief judge, and Saddam himself was ejected from court three times in a week.
British forces in Iraq killed Omar al-Farouq, said to be a top lieutenant of Osama bin Laden. Captured in Indonesia in 2002, he escaped from an American military prison in Afghanistan last year.

AP

Israel freed Nasser al-Shaer, the Palestinian deputy prime minister, but about 30 Hamas politicians remain in custody.
An Israeli newspaper reported a secret meeting between a senior Saudi official and Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert. Saudi Arabia has been trying to revive a 2002 Arab initiative calling for recognition of Israel in exchange for a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders.
Russia and Iran signed a deal over Iran's nuclear reactor at Bushehr, which they say should be fully operational in November 2007.
The latest report of a UN inquiry into the assassination of Rafik Hariri, a former Lebanese prime minister, confirmed that he was killed by a suicide bomber but did not elaborate on who was behind the attack.
Islamist forces captured the Somali seaport of Kismayo, strengthening their hold on the south of the country. See article

The European Commission gave the go-ahead for Bulgaria and Romania to join the European Union next January. But it set tough conditions so as to monitor the two countries' progress towards EU standards. Most existing members will impose labour-market restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians. See article
Tension rose between Russia and Georgia after the Georgians arrested four Russian officers in Tbilisi on spying charges. Russia demanded their immediate release.
Bertie Ahern, the Irish prime minister, admitted to receiving several large loans from friends when he was finance minister in the 1990s. Mr Ahern insisted he had broken no ethical, tax or legal codes, and said the lenders refused his offers to repay the money.
Tony Blair gave his final speech as prime minister to the annual Labour Party conference. It was well received, even by his enemies, easing pressure on him to step down sooner than next May's touted departure date. See article
A top Bosnian Serb leader, Momcilo Krajisnik, was given a 27-year jail sentence for war crimes by the UN tribunal in The Hague. Mr Krajisnik, who was once speaker of the Bosnian Serb parliament, was a close aide to Radovan Karadzic, who is still wanted on war-crimes charges.
A German opera company cancelled a production of Mozart's “Idomeneo” because it featured a severed head of Muhammad, among other religious leaders. The row over self-censorship for fear of Muslim extremism overshadowed an Islamic conference held by the government. See article

Final opinion polls before Brazil's presidential election suggested that Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva would win a second term, probably without the need for a run-off ballot. See article
The governor of the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, whose capital city has been brought almost to a halt by protests for four months, called for the dispatch of federal police to impose order. The protesters want the governor sacked as they claim he was fraudulently elected. See article