Stories on my mind.

50,000 Iraqi Civilians Dead Since Iraq Invasion.
-an investigation carried out by the Los Angeles Times has concluded at 50,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the start of the Iraq war. The number is equivalent to the killing of some 570,000 Americans over the same period.

The Los Angeles Times estimate was based on statistics from the Baghdad morgue, the Iraqi Health Ministry and other agencies. Their figure is at least 20,000 more than the Bush administration has publicly acknowledged.

Hey Dittoheads! Who's the dead beat drug addict now?
- first the brother gets busted for illegal prescription drugs and now? Limbaugh is detained for possession of viagra without a prescription. Guess he learned his lesson from shopping for extra oxy cotton pills, why get a doctors permission when you can skip it all together? The skinny is that if it turns out this stuff is his it blows up his whole plea bargin deal and hes going to court.

Crack down in Somalia.
- forcibly cutting young men's hair if it is more than an inch long? Banning a New Year's celebration on penalty of death? Sounds pretty oppressive to me. If we are the defenders of freedom and democracy why is the military machine not in Somalia as well as Iraq and Afghanistan?

Buffet Announces Record $37B Charitable Donation.
- bravo. Finally some rich white people that feel that they have more obligation to society than to buy houses, maybachs, private jets, sports teams, or run oil and insurance companies. It is believed that this contribution is to be the largest charitable donation in U.S. history. Buffet says he will give 85% of his estimated $44 billion fortune.

It is kind of interesting that its the 2nd richest man in the world giving it to the 1st richest man in the world...the causes of both are right on;poverty and HIV/AIDS prevention to name two big ones. My only fear is that governments will use this new record type giving as an excuse to pull back from their responsibilities to their people.