Six months after being sworn into office Senator Obama introduced legislation to delegate Juneteenth Independence Day from a “commemorative” day to a holiday to observe annually with appropriate ceremonies, activities and programs. One year later Obama introduced the legislation again.

The holiday is designed to celebrate the African Americans who had been slaves in the Southwest, June 19, commonly known as Juneteenth Independence Day, is the anniversary of their emancipation.

According to the bill Obama feels that recognizing the historical significance of Juneteenth Independence Day, and expressing the sense of Congress that history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future.

Senator Barack Obama is the Senate Host, National Juneteenth Congressional Committee

S.Con.Res. 42 (19^th)

S.Res. 516 (19^th)

A special meeting about Dallas County traffic tickets turned tense and bizarre this afternoon.

County commissioners were discussing problems with the central collections office that is used to process traffic ticket payments and handle other paperwork normally done by the JP Courts.

Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is white, said it seemed that central collections "has become a black hole" because paperwork reportedly has become lost in the office.

Commissioner John Wiley Price, who is black, interrupted him with a loud "Excuse me!" He then corrected his colleague, saying the office has become a "white hole."

That prompted Judge Thomas Jones, who is black, to demand an apology from Mayfield for his racially insensitive analogy.

A--hole is still a race-neutral term isn't it?

I have come up with a solution:

I have hired illegal immigrants to push my car. They're plentiful and cheaper than buying gas.

God Bless America!!

Remember Chandra Levy? Well, she's still dead. Her murder is still unsolved. And Gary Condit is still losing defamation lawsuits over hints by various people (such as Dominick Dunne) that he might have been involved or at least knows more than he lets on.

What grabbed my attention in the story, though, was this egregious error:

Condit does not deny media reports that he eventually told investigators he had been sexually involved with Levy, who was raised in Modesto and was about three decades his junior. In public, though, he remains discrete.

And that was in a story from McClatchy, the group that bought our Knight Ridder chain. Yikes. You probably think I'm trying to show off my superior word power, but, really, I'm a prudent and circumspect person.

Welcome to my Wednesday Magazine post.
Britain seems to be heading fast towards recession. All the indicators are there. The last quarterly report showed growth seriously down. As inflation becomes higher than wage increases, unions are beginning to call for strikes.

Fuel protests are beginning.

The government is even asking supermarkets to stockpile food for when Britain shuts down. And now a survey of 5,000 businesses shows the feeling is high that recession will hit within a couple of months.
What’s the governments answer? Well, Brownski has told people to stop throwing away food – generally, tighten the belt. Quite right. But interestingly, nothing about the ‘quick profit’ mentality of many businesses, which seems to be going into overdrive at the moment to save themselves.
At the consumer’s expense, of course. So Big Biz is being contemptible of the consumer – again – and the government is putting all the blame on us. Hopefully, when this is over, the consumer will remember, and shun this Big Biz nightmare.

Britain is finally to have two new aircraft carriers.

But predictably, many think it is a ridiculous expense when not enough is being spent to protect troops in Afghanistan. I agree with the latter, but not the former.
Something has gone wrong with military planning, and it’s very dangerous. For instance, you need three carriers to guarantee full coverage; and they should already have been built. Take the new Typhoon fighter for the RAF.
Years late, it was initially for an air defence role, but has just had to be cleared for ground attack, too. Why? Because it was conceived when air defence was thought the main role. Times change, and ground attack is now primary.
The world changes, but now military planning plans only for the moment. Britain, at present, has only one credible armoured division – after all, that’s all we need – a problem affecting most western nations. Really? And what happens if Russia suddenly becomes aggressive once more?
The west, my dear friends, would be defenceless.
Next Magazine Post, Friday. See you then.

© Anthony North, July 2008

NO TIME

No time to write this poetry thing,
got to get on, really zing,
make it quick, let it sing,
I've finished - Ping!

But ...

This is silly, it's not that bad,
rush it too much and it could be really sad;
We don't want to make people so full of doom,
that all they think of this poem is gloom;
But that's tough luck,
life can suck,
I've really took,
Oh ...

Now stop it!
Such a precious thing is time,
think it out, make it rhyme,
ignore the clock, don't listen to the chime,
produce the words,
make people think,
sublime

(c) Anthony North, July 2008

******************************

SUSPECTS A’PLENTY - Fiction

To say her behaviour was inappropriate was an understatement, but I loved her. And to discover her body, in our house, strangled like that …
The police discovered me in quite a state. The DI in charge of the investigation did what he could to comfort me, but it was an impossible task. And anyway, I had no alibi, so I could see that he was treating me as a suspect. Indeed, it was only when they looked into my wife’s past that suspicion was removed – that, and my obvious distraught state.
I did, of course, know of three of her lovers, but the fourth was even a shock to me. But which one was the killer, the DI had no idea.
‘It’s not good enough,’ I stormed after two weeks, with no clear suspect.
‘I understand how you feel,’ the DI said, ‘but they all have a motive, and none of them have an alibi. Any one of them could have done it, and working out which is a tall order.’
Even the only witness proved of no use. She had spied a man approach the house at the right time wearing a black coat, but no such coat was found – nor the ring that had been taken off her finger; an obvious trophy of the killing.
I turned to drink after that interview, and for days on end I would drink myself into a stupor. One night, I caused trouble in a pub and the police were called. Luckily, the DI was in the station at the time, and he smoothed things out for me – gave me a warning, nothing more.
‘I know how you feel,’ he said, ‘but this isn’t the answer.’
‘Well I’m going to find the killer myself!’ I shouted as I left.
Two days later I was back. I’d broken into one of the suspects’ flat, searched the place, but was disturbed.
‘I can’t keep bailing you out like this,’ the DI said. ‘One more thing, and I’m going to have to nick you.’
The drink increased, and so did my determination. And it was in the flat of the second suspect …

‘Get to his flat,’ I told the DI from, my mobile, ‘now!’ And I told him where to look.
They got there quick, took the shortcut in their determination to act on my information. And sure enough, they found the coat and the ring under the floorboards.
Well, that was three months ago now, the man in prison, refused bail, waiting for the trial. And it seemed such a perfect crime, even waiting so long to plant the evidence. But the thing that made it such a perfect crime was the one thing that meant it couldn’t be.
My behaviour. You see, I’m not really a killer, and what the police took as grief was really the guilt that would disclose the real killer in the end.
And when will that be? Most likely when the neighbours notice the smell and break down the door to find my corpse swinging from the rope, this confession on the floor beside me.

© Anthony North, July 2008

THERE'S new advice for older men who want to preserve their sexual function: have sex, and have it often, researchers say.

In a study that followed nearly 1000 older Finnish men for five years, researchers found that those who were regularly having sex at the start of the study were at lower risk of developing erectile dysfunction (ED) by the study's end.

Just as we've always known: Use it or lose it.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee was asked about the number of exports going to Iran, specifically the increase in cigarette exports.

McCain looked surprised at that fact and in a line somewhat reminiscent of his "bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran" comment last year said, "Maybe that's a way of killing them." Then he followed it up quickly noting that it was a joke.

Pretty good tactic, actually, unless the U.N. cites us for exporting a weapon of mass destruction. We not only get 'em with the cigarettes, but the secondhand smoke will wipe out the women and children, too.

Just kidding. Only a joke. Lighten up.

"Keeping a food diary doesn't have to be a formal thing. Just the act of scribbling down what you eat on a Post-It note, sending yourself e-mails tallying each meal, or sending yourself a text message will suffice. It's the process of reflecting on what you eat that helps us become aware of our habits, and hopefully change our behavior," says Keith Bachman, MD, a Weight Management Initiative member. "Every day I hear patients say they can't lose weight. This study shows that most people can lose weight if they have the right tools and support. And food journaling in conjunction with a weight management program or class is the ideal combination of tools and support."

Simply writing things down makes you pay attention to whatever you're trying to make important. I've never had a PDA -- I write appointments down in the appropriate square of my wall calendar. If I don't write it there, the appointment doesn't exist; if I do, I don't have to refer to it -- I will usually remember it. Back in my reporting days, I usually took too many notes when I interviewed people, writing down single thing they said with a combination of terrible handwriting and made-up-on-the-spot shorthand. Half an hour later, I could barely read it. But the act of writing it all down made me remember what they said with remarkable clarity -- I could quote people verbatim without fear of being called up with a demand for a correction.

Post-it-notes, by the way, would make my list of all-time best inventions.

2007:
In setting a global goal for emissions reductions in the process we have agreed today involving all major emitters, we will consider seriously the decisions made by the European Union, Canada and Japan which include at least a halving of global emissions by 2050. - full statement (pdf)

2008:
"We seek to share with all parties to the UNFCCC the vision of, and together with them to consider and adopt in the UNFCCC negotiations, the goal of achieving at least 50% reduction of global emissions by 2050, recognising that this global challenge can only be met by a global response, in particular, by the contributions from all major economies, consistent with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities." - full statement

So after a year of 'seriously considering', the men in suits who rule the world have moved to 'sharing the vision', with a bit more time to 'consider', and more crucially, 'adopt' the goal of halving emissions by 2050.

There's no denying that's progress, particularly now the US are on board (godspeed November and the back of Bush), but I'd hesitate to declare it strong, decisive or urgent. Even if that goes through, adopting a goal is a far cry from actually legislating cuts in emissions. Still, it's better than climate change falling off the agenda altogether. Let's just hope world temperatures move at an even slower pace than our political processes.

May these people repent and learn respect for their Elders and may God richly bless the Ministry of Bro Lee Stoneking.

More on Access Hollywood on Wednesday.  Check your local listings!

Apply the power of Google if you want to find out more about Dawkins and his documentary. My intent here is to look further into the question about what is the root of all evil. Is it religion, as Dawkins professes, or something else?

It's actually quit simple to disprove Dawkins. Just look at the amount of evil conducted NOT in the name of religion. The murderer who knows nothing of God or religion - just one such example breaks down Dawkins' assertions.

Yet history is indeed full of evil conducted in the name of some religion. It's happening all around us, everyday. So what does all evil have in common; both religiously motivated evil, and evil of other motivations?

Are you ready? The root of evil is not religion, or secularism, or even money. The root of all evil is pride.

What motivates the parent to abuse their child? A need to exert power, to exercise authority, to appear in control, ego, selfishness... pride. What motivates the dictator to murder his own people? The answer's the same.

Why does the religious extremist set off a car bomb in a crowded marketplace? Because they are not willing to allow others to be different from them - agree with them or die. I've greatly simplified the issue here, for the sake of brevity. But it all boils down to selfish pride; if you don't agree with me, you must be WRONG. The only difference between the extremists and most of the rest of us is that they assign a much more severe punishment for being "wrong".

I could go through an exhaustive list of more examples, but I would rather invite you to come up with your own examples of evil acts. Look at each act and find the motivation. If you dig deep enough, in the bottom of that pit of evil you will find pride.

But to give Dawkins another chance, maybe religion is the root of pride? That could be possible. Using my religion of choice, let's see what God and Jesus have to say about pride:

"To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech." (Proverbs 8:13)

"Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice." (Proverbs 13:10)

"The Lord detests all the proud of heart." (Proverbs 16:5)

"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." (Romans 12:16)

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." (Ephesians 4:2)

"Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:4)

"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12)

Dawkins believes getting rid of religion will get rid of evil. What do you believe? Be careful not to let pride, selfishness, or arrogance motivate your answer.

Zimbabwe which got its independence from Britain in 1980 has its crisis roots under the 28 year rule of President Robert Mugabe. President Mugabe and his inner circle have placed themselves above the law and ruled the country with a destructive technique, divide and rule. With 50% of the population under famine, and 80% unemployment along with an inflation of 1 million% reflects the dire status of the people. The crisis in Zimbabwe has escalated in March 2008, when the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the election by beating Mugabe but not by enough margin to avoid the second round.  MDC leader Tsvangirai boycotted the elections on June 27^th accusing that the ruling party ZANU-PF has resorted to systemic violence by killing his party supporters and intimidation of voters. He even ruled out any negotiations with the ruling the party until it stops the violence and accepts that he is the winner in first round of election. Mugabe the only standing candidate was declared as the winner on June 29^th with 85.5% votes.

U.S and Britain are the two nations which are calling for tougher sanctions against Zimbabwe and proposed a draft resolution that is to be passed in the U.N Security Council next week. While all the members in the Security Council are expected to veto, it is not clear whether Russia will veto or abstain from voting.

Meanwhile, African Union and President of South Africa Mbeki are opposing the sanctions. Mbeki who has been appointed as the mediator by 14 nation Southern African Development Community claims that sanctions will not change the regime instead they will promote a civil war. Whereas unity rule by power sharing or the deferment of sanctions by two to three months are the other options proposed by others.

Hillary Clinton’s former director of women’s outreach has become the latest presidential campaign staffer for the New York senator to join Barack Obama’s general election team.

Dana Singiser, a former staff director of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee led by Clinton, will fill the same strategic role she held on the Clinton campaign, heading strategic management of women's vote outreach.

"I am thrilled that Dana will continue her work with women voters on behalf of Sen. Obama," Clinton said in a statement released by Obama’s campaign Tuesday. "It is so important that we elect a Democrat to the White House, and women will be critical in that effort. I know that the women who joined my campaign will continue to work with Dana and with me to make sure Barack Obama is the next President of the United States."

Former Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle was also tapped by the Obama team several weeks ago as chief of staff for the eventual vice presidential nominee.

Other Clinton staffers and advisers to join Obama’s campaign since the end of the primary season include former her former policy director, Neera Tanden.