Your Wednesday Enlightenment 10.03.07
Posted by Matthew D.S. on 10.03.2007
If you can forgive like a Cuban, you're in good shape.
*The age is at hand.*
*It is the age of the Enlightenment.*
[YourWednesdayEnlightenment.]
An excellent steak dinner is hard to find these days it seems.
Steaks are easily overdone, or contrarily, undercooked.
Rubbery. Tough. Dry. Or soaking in juices.
Either scenario is unpleasant to the pallet.
Fortunately for me, I faced neither of them and had a kick ass steak dinner. Tres delicious, as they say in France.
So, while you salivate in envy, I shall pen ye olde news for thee.
The NEWS.
North and South Korean Leaders Meet
Pyongyang, Wednesday, October 3: Another historic meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea began in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on Tuesday, when South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun met North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. The meeting comes between the two states that are officially still at war, despite the Korean War having ended over half a century ago; the border between North and South is the most heavily fortified in the world. Mr. Roh is expected to announce a large aid package for his suffering neighbour to the north, and in a lofty statement made prior, declared his intention to try and forge peace. Surprisingly North Korea's nuclear weaponry will not be discussed, as this particular bone of contention is being left to multilateral discussions. The BBC notes that any hopes for long term progress to come out of this are low.
So where's your brother Menta lee-il?
Doctors at Heart of Canadian Blood Scandal Acquitted
Ottawa, Monday, October 1: Four Canadian doctors that were at the centre of a tainted blood scandal which rocked the Canadian medical community have been acquitted of criminal negligence in Ontario provincial court. Tainted blood in the 1980s and 1990s infected about twenty thousand people with hepatitis C or HIV, before Canada began using better blood screening techniques. The defendants, who included the former head of the Canadian Red Cross, were accused of failing to screen plasma products and to stop people already infected with HIV or AIDS from giving blood. The judge acquitting the defendants, Mary Lou Benotto, acknowledged the breadth of the horror that came from the tragedy, but stated that, "to assign blame where none exists would compound the tragedy."
Not Dracula's Choice.
Euro Hits New High Versus US Dollar
London, Monday, October 1: Economics may not be the most scintillating of subjects, but as Eric Idle once said in Monty Python, "Money makes the world go round round round round." The Euro, the currency of choice for the European Union, reached a new all-time high against the United States dollar - meaning it takes more US dollars to buy a single Euro. A single Euro hit as high as $1.4283 - hope you have 83 ten thousandths of a cent laying around - before falling back. The record high comes in the face of continued US economic turmoil surrounding the credit crunch and mortgage problems. And, in a fact - yes FACT - that may shock all you Americans, the Canadian dollar recently reached parity, meaning US$1 = Cdn$1. A few years ago the Canadian dollar was as low as US$0.60. In fact, the Canadian dollar was briefly worth more than a US buck, something that has not occurred since 1976.
Brother can you spare a dime?
The "Moment" is touching, but in a very odd way…seems a bit ironic, actually.
"A Moment of Forgiveness."
Perhaps it's a bit melodramatic, or even an overstatement to declare this "forgiveness," but it is perhaps in the same vane. A story out of Bolivia reports that the soldier responsible for executing one of the Cuban Communist movement's most historic and significant figures, Che Guevara, has received free medical treatment for his eye from…Cuban doctors. The treatment actually occurred a year ago, but has only come to light when the Bolivian army sergeant who gunned down Guevara, Mario Teran, wrote in to a newspaper to thank the doctors involved. Touching? Okay maybe not. Thought provoking? Definitely.
I'd like to spin Pat.
Wait you EEJIT, wrong segment.
"This Just In" involves no spinning wheels, or bodacious beauties turning letters via pressing some computer screens. But it's the next best thing.
*spins the globe*
Congratulations KINGDOM OF THAILAND, it's your turn to shine!
The news of the day of this ancient Asian land surrounds the man who lead a coup d'etat last year in deposing the country's leader. Sonthi Boonyaratglin retired as head of the armed forces and has now found a place in government as one of three deputy prime ministers. He will overhead security policy.
Yup, nothing like a person who destroyed the previous leader's security becoming head of security policy.
STAY CURRENT