FAMILY MEMBERS of one of the slain state policemen console each other after seeing the pockmarked pickup the officers had been riding in. Ten people were killed in 24 hours in Sinaloe which has become the hub of violence since the federal government launched a crackdown against drug gangs. American visitors to Mexico are being warned that the country is in turmoil and to be cautious while there.
President-elect Barrack Obama has nominated former Clinton deputy attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr. But getting Holder confirmed may not be so easy because he's going to face some tough questioning over his role in pardoning Marc Rich who fled the country owing $48 million in back taxes.
The Republican party says Holder has a "long history of controversial pardons." Critics say that Holder okayed the Rich pardon hoping that former White House counsel, Jack Quinn, would help him get a job as Attorney General in a future Al Gore presidency. Gore was vice-president at the time.
Clinton's Library and Foundation are also causing worries for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton who is said to be a candidate for the next Attorney General position. The former president has agreed to disclose all of the donors to his foundation, and to vet his future speeches and overseas activities.
It's interesting watching the past haunt both of these men. What does Holder's involvement with Rich tell us? For one thing, he's not above making backdoor deals to further his career. Three months ago I wrote a column in the Times-Standard about presidential libraries and foundations. I talked about Clinton's setup that's earning him mega millions, and has the stench of corruption attached to it.
If you ask me, neither Hillary Clinton or Eric Holder deserve to get the positions they're up for. If Obama want's to get away from "business as usual" in Washington then he'd be wise to reconsider both of these people. I admit that I was surprised when the word came out he was considering Holder and Hillary for posts in his new administration.
People have high hopes for Obama. They expect change. Their tired of the same "good ol boys" running the government. Their tired of political scandals and secrets. Ties and lies from the past don't fade away, this just come back to roost and to reestablish themselves if allowed too.
As It Stands, we'll have to hope that these picks fail to bear fruit, and that Obama gets rid of whoever suggested Holden and Hillary.
NEW YORK - Children happily slip and slide across the ceremonial turkey fat on the ice rink, as 20,000 people gather in Rockefeller Center to celebrate the annual event. The 70 foot-long turkey was raised in Crawford Texas by Lame Chimp President Bush who presented the bird to the city after he failed to find a big enough oven on the ranch!
Hundreds of people were injured by overzealous cops in an immigration march held at MacArthur Park last May Day.
The court has has ruled against the elite Metro Division of the LAPD, saying they were wrong for the aggressive crowd control techniques they employed to break up the march. Rumors are that a settlement of $10 million is in the making. Click Here to read the entire story in today's LA Times.
Veterinary nurse Jennie Keen is shown holding Tink, a 13-year-old cat that weighs a world record weight of 96 pounds! 
A charitable organization is sponsoring a pet slimming competition to bring awareness to people about how many overweight pets there are in Great Britain. Statistics show that 30 percent of the country's dogs are overweight, or obese. No figures were given for cats, but a glance at Tink makes me think pussy cats have a problem there too!
So far, there are seven dogs signed up, and one cat - Tink. My parents have always reared huge cats, but nothing that compares to old Tink! You gotta wonder if he can even walk.
I'm sure that here in America we have much the same problems with our pets, as we pamper them to death! Giving dogs and cats human food seems like a nice thing to do, but when your pet gets too big too walk, you'll regret it.
Keep your pet on a strict diet and they will live longer. And don't forget to see that they get plenty of exercise!
The biggest dip in consumer prices since 1947 is causing concern with some, and is a relief for others. The price of
of gasoline is just one indicator, as it's dropped in price for 62 straight days now.
Analysts predicted a drop of half of one percent. The price of clothing, airfare, and other goods have all been affected by the economy.
It wasn't that long ago we were paying nearly five dollars a gallon. Experts seem to think this is a bad thing. They point out that assets, such as cars, are being devalued by the trend.
Leisure activities will always find a niche, even when the economy is bad. My parents talked about going to weekend matinees even during the Great Depression. People somehow found the money to go to the movies and escape from the drudgeries of that terrible depression.
Other leisure activities like sports did encourage fans to part with their hard-earned pennies in arenas and ballparks across the nation. But attending a baseball game, or basketball game, or a game of football, didn’t cost all that much then.
During those early days you didn’t see players becoming wealthy. Most players had “day jobs” to pay the bills. There were some who did extremely well, like the legendary Babe Ruth, but most didn’t retire on what they made while playing.
Today, if a person is a professional playing in the NBA, NFL, or for the major leagues in Baseball, they need an accountant to handle the big paychecks coming their way. Contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars are scattered throughout all professional sports.
The foundation for every sport has been, and will be, the fans who buy the tickets, hotdogs, popcorn, and assorted memorabilia associated with a team or player that is popular. Without them arenas would close, ball parks would be empty, and stadiums silent.
But even the most loyal fan must be challenged right now to attend events, or buy goodies, with the state of our sinking economy. I’ve already noticed that there are a lot of empty bleachers at professional basketball games that I watch on television.
I went to a NBA basketball ticket purchasing site, and found some interesting figures when it comes to what fans across the country pay to see their home teams play. If you plan on attending a New York Knicks game live, the tickets range from $27 to $3,209 each!
California has several basketball teams and the price difference to attend a Lakers game - where tickets range from $32 to $2,675 each - is dramatically different if you go to a LA Clippers game which is played in the same place as the Lakers games - Staples Center. Tickets range from a reasonable $11 to an even more reasonable $535 for the best seats in the house when it’s a Clipper home game.
If you want even lower ticket prices, and still want to see a California team, then the Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena is the place to go with ticket prices ranging from just $7 to $402 each to see the player’s sweat up close.
After comparing team prices, it appears that if you want a real bargain then go to Ford Center in Oklahoma and see the Thunder for as low as $6 per ticket, and as high as $214 a ticket.Getting seats is no problem when attending most NBA games right now, as attendance has already shown signs of dropping off from last season.
Only the big market teams, like the Lakers, Celtics, or the Knicks, are still filling arenas with fans ready to spend their dearly-earned ducats. I suspect that as the season goes on, even these teams will start to feel the crunch.
It’s all just a matter of economics. A $2,675 ticket for a Laker home game, or pay the mortgage? Pay $535 to watch the Clippers get clobbered up close, or the car payment? When people are cutting back on Christmas shopping and holiday activities, can tickets for live sporting events be far behind?
As It Stands, entertainment in various forms is threatened by the economy, but sports team owners are gambling that die-hard fans will keep the games going.
People have always admired dogs' super sense of smell. That's why we use them for multiple societal tasks, from tracking down lost...
