| Sibelgate: US officials visiting Turkey NOW
And we have seen in the recent period that they have increased their activities in Turkey" he told Turkish Justice Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin and Interior Minister Besir Atalay, according to sources close to the matter. In addition, the US head of the Justice Department warned Turkish officials that it "appeared as though Al Qaeda may have chosen Turkey as a base". Mukasey is the first American head of Justice to have made an official visit to Turkey. Mukasey's meetings in Ankara also focused on the presence of PKK terror in Northern Iraq, and according to sources in Ankara, Turkish officials expressed gratitude for the recent changes in American attitude towards the struggle against PKK terror. .
Here we go...
I know, this is a mortgage blog but it belongs to me and I can write about anything I choose and tonight, I just don't have much to say about the current mortgage market. I have an exam in two weeks and I've been studying all day. I didn't go to work, didn't go to the beach, didn't even get away from my desk for too long. Well, I went to buy groceries but that was about all. Anyway, I have this essay exam that I'm studying for and I think I'm going nuts or something. I'm beginning to think in terms of what I'm learning in economics. For instance, I'm a huge Diet Rockstar fan. It's an energy drink that has replaced water, coffee, tea or any other liquid I normally consume. On any given day I drink about four. There's a limit to the number of days that I can do this though. Here it is... The law of diminishing marginal utility usually kicks in around the fifth day of drinking four a day.
Mark Brown's Grammy blog
Kanye West wins, but he should give the statue to pioneers Public Enemy for It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. In accepting, West happens to mention that he deserves to win the as-yet undecided album of the year Grammy. 8:43 p.m.: Aretha Franklin again shows how it's done, with the best vocals of the night and a stunning turn from trombone band Madison Bumble Bees. 8:56 p.m.: OK, a new incongruous moment of the night: country singer Dierks Bentley takes the stage with classic songwriter Carole King to give banjo legend Earl Scruggs a lifetime achievement award as they introduce Canadian singer Feist — all in about 40 seconds. Then Keely Smith sings That Old Black Magic with Kid Rock and Dave Koz. Is LSD making a comeback? 9:10 p.m.: Stevie Wonder introduces Alicia Keys, who redeems her earlier weak performance with a blistering No One, despite painful-looking silver glittery earrings one could use for a game of horseshoes.
About 100 bodies found in Iraq mass grave - military
Mass graves are found fairly regularly in Iraq but the latest one near Khalis is among the largest in recent months. U.S. and Iraqi forces often blame Sunni Islamist al Qaeda for the mass killings and graves. Last month a grave with about 50 bodies was found near Samarra, 100 km north of Baghdad, during a hunt for al Qaeda fighters. Mass graves dating back to Saddam's rule have also been found, although these have tended to be in desert areas of southern Iraq. Continued... .
Take Skyscraper for a spin
First Planet Snoopy. Now Skyscraper. Cedar Fair will unveil a new thrill ride this summer in its Challenge Park activity complex. It joins Planet Snoopy -- a new children's area -- as Cedar Point's newest attractions for 2008. Skyscraper is a giant propeller ride that will spin guests in a full circle from two arms. Four riders -- two on each arm -- will sit in open cars with their feet dangling on opposite ends of the propeller. The arms spin riders up to 55 mph. At the highest point, riders will be upside down 160 feet above the ground. .
Wild Card -- Weekend
And the special effects? Wow! If you're into "Jurassic Park" meets the monkey king who gets the blonde and then dies trying to protect her, this one's for you. The action simply doesn't stop (although my wife complained that parts of it were too "Jurassic Park," like the scene where Kong kills three T-rexes trying to eat the screamer. I might see "Harry Potter" to round out my sci-fi/fantasy three-bagger this Christmas. Then, time's running down on the vacation. Speaking of which, I'd better deal you another Wild Card. Four more days ... .
Hominy & Hash
STA RICA CLOSES WORLD-RENOWNED PARK TO STUDY ANIMAL DIE-OFF
by Jesse Froehling
American Reporter Correspondent
Drake Bay, Costa Rica Back to home page Printable version of this story DRAKE BAY, Costa Rica, Dec. 14, 2005 -- Officials closed Costa Rica's Corcovado National Park, a prime tourist attraction, because many kinds of animals are dying in alarming numbers there amid one of the most sensitive ecosystems in the world. The dead include monkeys, toucans and sloths. The last time monkeys started dying on such a massive scale in the park was in the 1950s, said Edwardo Carrillo, the head researcher in the investigative team that is looking into the deaths. The culprit then was yellow fever, he said. However, yellow fever does not affect birds. Carillo said that perhaps as many as half the monkey population at the park (www.costaricamap.com/ing/biopcorcovado.html) has died.
Seeking solutions for Sonic gloom
All right, after sifting through another 2,500 e-mails Thursday night and Friday morning, we had to run a sequel to the "Save The Sonics" piece from Thursday. Allow me four points before we turn it over to the readers: Point No. 1: There's one solution David Stern could facilitate -- you know, assuming he cares at all about not murdering the Sonics in Seattle -- that seems so remarkably logical, it's hard to figure how this couldn't work. The NBA failed in Memphis, and the Grizzlies are currently for sale, right? Well, couldn't Stern broker a sale in which Clay Bennett acquired the Grizzlies at a discount and moved them to Oklahoma City, then sold the Sonics to a group of local buyers? (An article in Friday's Seattle Times says numerous local buyers are lining up.) That wouldn't make everyone happy? We lose one of the weakest NBA cities (Memphis) and gain a city that was routinely selling out Hornets games (Oklahoma City), and if that's not enough, Seattle gets to keep the franchise it has had for 41 seasons.
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