Here in myopic New York it is easy to assume that our news is yours, too, but let me start out by a little "factual" review: as of 1 pm today, Elliot Spitzer (D), New York's 54th governor, will be resigning in the wake of a scandal revealing his involvement in a prostitution ring. Amongst the facts revealed over the past week was that this vehemently moral crusader was largely responsible for the investigatory task force that ultimately did him in. It made me wonder if he didn't in part intend or hope for this to happen, as so many who find themselves in the unintended, human morass of questionable... Read More

George, the African Grey Parrot is about to be fitted for a prosthetic claw to replace the one he lost in a fight with a wild animal which got into his aviary 18 months ago. This will mean the ten-year-old African Grey will be able sleep at night. At the moment, whenever George tries to curl up on his perch, he starts to wobble and then he falls off, screeching at the top of his beak and shouting “Bloody Hell!”.

His screaming and carrying on has been keeping his owner Sheila Weare, from Crewe, UK, awake at nights. Concerned for George's wellbeing, she sought advice and... Read More

After watching the presidential debates and listening to countless pundits, I believe Barack Obama is the best candidate to serve the needs of Canine Americans.

He is the candidate of hope. I know this because it said so on all the VOTE FOR OBAMA lawn signs I’ve peed on. (From dogs that’s an act of endorsement, not disrespect.) Understand, my days are spent lying on the front porch waiting patiently for something to break up the monotony of my tired, predictable existence. Maybe the mailman will arrive early or the neighbor kids will squirt me with the hose or a loud... Read More

The case of the bombing at the FARC's (Revolutonary Armed Forces of Colombia) camp in Ecuador by Colombian troops, taking between the legs of some Mexicans students, is becoming a complex tangle.

The outrage should be addressed to Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez whose government funded a large amount of money to cover the costs leading the operation of the FARC. Ecuador's government was well aware of the existence of such camps overlapping its existence.

Lucia, Juan Gonzalez del Castillo and the other young people were students from the National Autonomous University of Mexico... Read More

With millions of pounds having been spent on security against terrorism at the world's busiest airport, Heathrow, UK, how ironic that an old tramp with only a ruck-sack and no shoes, was pounced upon by armed police whilst taking an afternoon stroll on a runway the day before the Queen is due to open the new Terminal 5 there.

The tramp had climbed a perimeter fence earlier and lost his shoes. He thought they had been stolen so he returned the next day to simply find them.

To make matters worse for this poor old tramp, as clearly this wasn't his day, he went on to have his... Read More

As I start this article the evening sky is becoming a battlefield. Swollen and sullen, the storm clouds jostle for position, occasionally tossing a few salvos. In the premature twilight, window rattling thunderclaps remind me just who is in charge. Mother Nature. All of this seems apropos here in Houston on the eve of the Democratic primaries in Texas. Much like Clinton and Obama, we are hoping for clearing skies come Wednesday.

I have never been much involved in Presidential elections, voting only one time in my fifty-three years. This one has captured my attention, though, as it has... Read More

From the NYT:

As voters in Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont and Texas headed to the polls potentially to decide the Democratic nomination for the presidency, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday urged voters to settle in for a nomination fight that could roll on for months to come.

“You know this is a long process,” Mrs. Clinton told reporters Tuesday morning outside a polling place in Houston.

It was an entirely different message from the one delivered by former President Bill Clinton just a few weeks ago, when he told Ohio and Texas voters that his wife... Read More