Crazy World

There is a lot going on in the world right now. Not all of it is good, in fact, most of its bad. But it all seems important. I wrote a lot about Hurricane Katrina and Rita, but have ignored some major events as of late. Well, I just havent written about them. Really, I havent written about much to be honest. More work and less internet access has caused this. Should change again on November 1st when our internet comes back online at home. Anyway, here is a list of what I think is important in our big mundo right now:

• Bush's supreme court nominee withdrew herself from the running to serve on the highest court in the nation. I thought Bush was trying to sneak in a pro-lifer hidden in the shape of a moderate seeming woman. But since she never outright said stated her stance on abortion, I think she lacked conservative support. Big blow to Bush's already weakening second term.
• Tragic earthquake along the Pakistan-Indian border that killed over 20,000. Why do natural disasters have to hit the poorest, most remote places on the planet? The UN is demanding worldwide support with a real sense of urgency. I think they are genuinely worried that if aid does not reach some of the remote villages before the snow covers the Himalayas, that even more deaths will result.
• Bird Flu. I doubt this is news to anyone. Its on the new every day here. As I understand it, there is a deadly form of influenza virus that has undergone genetic shift (or is it drift, help me out here medical students). Its highly virulent right now, having killed lots of birds and a few humans. But as it is, the H5N1 is not that contagious between humans. I think the concern is that it may mutate again, and gain a combination of virulence and contagiousness (is that a word). There hasnt been a major flu pandemic in many years, and they occur pretty regularly. This scares me, but only a little right now.
• The president of Iran made outrageous claims that it would like to wipe Israel off the map. This is some pretty disturbing news, especially considering their nuclear ambitions. I also see this as such a threat to US-Brittish security, that invading Iran doesnt seem like a very distant possibility. You know they want to do it, now the dumbass Iranian president is just giving them more and more reason to do so.
• Wilma was the most powerful recorded hurricane in the Atlantic, EVER, recording a record low 888 mb. Fortunately it weakened considerably and didnt do too terribly much damage to Florida. Sadly, mudslides from Wilma burried hundreds in villages near where I used to live and work in Guatemala.
• I watche the House of Sand and Fog last night. Man, that is a good movie. Quite intense, dramatic, and tragic. But extremely well done.
• The Astros made it to the World Series for the first time in many years. But they got wiped out by the White Sox 4-0. Sad, because the White Sox are such a lame team. I mean, who even likes them?
• FINALLY, the biggest news of the week: I am coming home for Christmas. Yes, mark your calendars, I will be home for about 3 weeks starting December 21. I plan to have lots of African presents for everyone. Cant wait to see friends and family and may even make a trip to Galveston if anyone else will be around.

So except for the personal accounts, I really have no idea if all the above information is accurate. I just wrote all that from memory, so feel free to correct me if I am spreading misinformation. But CNN is pretty much the only channel we have worth watching, so I see the same stories over and over again.