The intensity of the ash cloud from the volcano Eyjafjallajoekull, at least in Great Britain, has been greatly exaggerated.

Renowned physics professor Stephen Hawking warns against trying to talk to aliens.

How’s this for stupid? As Obama gets ready to fly out of the Asheville, NC airport, a man in a parking lot, with a gun, tells a policeman that he wanted to see the president.

From the “tell me something I didn’t already know” department: Economists are now saying that the “stimulus” didn’t help the economy.

From Mark Whitehouse in the Wall Street Journal: Selling all of the foreclosed homes in bank possession would take 103 months.

From Grace-Marie Turner in National Review Online: Medicare’s chief actuary releases a report showing major problems with Obamacare. Looks like Pelosi got what she asked for. Now that the bill has been passed, we get to find out what’s in it.

From Jill Stanek: According to Obama, there will be no litmus test for the next Supreme Court nominee, but apparently wants someone who will support abortion rights.

Gina Miller in the Dakota Voice tells America to stop bending to muslim pressure groups.

Opinerlog sounds off against the VAT, an idea that a few Dems are tossing around.

From the Jakarta Globe: The European Union is split on what to do about Greece’s debt crisis.

For the fashion-conscious muslim woman, Hasema swimsuits.

Talk about hidden talent. A homeless man builds amazing models from junk.

Pilot error has been blamed for the tragedy after it emerged he turned down the opportunity to land at an alternative runway in thick fog. Witnesses said the pilot made three or four attempts to land before crashing into woodland nearby.

According to reports, the pilot accelerated as the plane came in to land and at that point lost contact with air traffic control.

The president and his wife were going to a memorial service for victims of the Katyn massacre, in which the Soviet NKVD murdered 22,000 Polish military officers, intellectuals, policemen and other public servants. Other victims of the crash included Poland’s head of national security, the deputy parliament speaker, the deputy foreign minister, the army chief of staff, the head of the national bank, the civil rights commissioner, and an army chaplain.

According to the Polish constitution, Parliament speaker Bronislaw Komorowski must assume the duties of the presidency, and announce a new presidential election within two weeks. The election must take place within two months of the announcement.

The University of Alabama in Huntsville has fired professor Amy Bishop, accused of shooting 6 colleagues, killing 3 of them.

From the “stoopid criminals” department: Oregon Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has been suspended for the upcoming 2010 football season, after pleading guilty to a burglary charge. What did he steal? Two laptop computers and a guitar.

The Ninth Circuit has ruled that “God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is constitutional.

The National Review interviews pro-life Democrat Bart Stupak. For politicians with views similar to Stupak’s, 2SecondsFaster asks, “What should pro-life Democrats do?”

Members of the Thomas More Society react to the Illinios Attorney General’s claim that state’s constitution contains the right to an abortion.

Some say that defending the enemy is a time-honored tradition, sometimes invoking John Adams’ defense of the British soldiers accused in the Boston Massacre. A Wall Street Journal editorial begs to differ.

The Weekly Standard celebrates hope and change – in Iraq.

The New England Journal of Medicine reports a survey indicating that Obamacare could result in a decrease in the number of physicians. (H/T Hugh Hewitt)

SayAnythingBlog warns of a double-dip recession.

On the other hand theSpec reports that the world-wide freight recession could be ending.

The Empire State brings forth the nanny state. The New York legislature is considering a bill that would forbid restaurants from using salt in cooking.

And finally, a young protestor gives her opinion of President Obama’s fiscal policies.


Obviously, an adult wrote the sign’s message, but we still get the point.

Meanwhile, Obama has decided to cut short his trip to Norway to pick up his Nobel Peace Prize, to the consternation of some Norwegians.

The upcoming visit from Obama is not the only strange thing that Norway has had to put up with.

Back at the White House, cookies served at the Christmas party were shaped like acorns.

Over at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Congress has decided not to re-authorize the Washington Scholarship Fund.

On the other hand, a House subcommittee has approved legislation that could force the NCAA to determine its football champion, in Division 1-Bowl Subdivision, via a playoff system. As if there aren’t more important matters.

Possible Darwin Award nominee. A 25-year-old Ukrainian man blows his head off – with exploding chewing gum.

Cue Van Halen. I remember Hot For Teacher, but not quite like this.

Global warming/climate change has been blamed quite a few unpleasant things, such as polar bears drowning as the Arctic ice melts under them. But now, it’s being blamed for polar bear cannibalism.

In Scott County, Virginia, a church has its own zoo.

Some families of fallen troops will get an early Christmas present – a ride on the Snowball Express.

Navy SEALS have captured the alleged terrorist mastermind behind the murder of four Blackwater security guards – but are being court-martialed for allegedly punching him.

Now that Teh One^TM has scuttled plans for a missile defense installation in Poland, how has Russia responded? By staging a simulated attack on Poland. How’s that reset button working these days?

From The Other McCain, the death of census worker Bill Sparkman has been ruled a suicide, and not “Southern populist terrorism”.

The government of Venezuela has accused Israeli president Shimon Peres of threatening Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

I actually saw a few of these people during the 9/12 Tea Party, a possible rightwing answer to ACORN – Workers Against Lazy Non-producers United Together.

Speaking of the Tea Party movement, it now has its own documentary movie, to be premiered in Washington, DC on 12/2/2009. (H/T to the Pink Elephant Pundit)

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes near the Pacific island nation of Tonga.

From Right Wing News, Melissa Clouthier notes now conservatives are starting to give liberals a taste of their own medicine, when it comes to sexism.

From National Review, Stephen Spruiell has some things to say about those erroneously reported “stimulus” jobs.

As I look forward to Virginia Tech’s last regular-season football game, here’s my favorite play of last week’s game against NC State, from VTPhreak4evr. VT tailback Ryan Williams (#34) is caught by NC State defender Earll Wolff (#27), who grabs his jersey at around the 10-yard line. Williams still scores a touchdown as he drags Wolff all the way to the goal line.

These events were largely unforeseen, but were welcomed in the United States and Europe, as the decades-long Cold War came to a peaceful end. It was an especially sweet time for people like myself, Americans of east European descent. I had grown up with the knowledge that my ancestral countries of Poland and Czechoslovakia (which would later break up into two separate countries) were among the “satellites” of America’s most powerful adversary, their internal politics dominated by Soviet influence. With the fall of the Berlin Wall and the leadership of people such as Lech Wałęsa in Poland and Haclav Havel in the Czech Republic, formerly communist lands would join NATO and become allies of the United States.

Earlier today, thousands gathered in Berlin to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the wall coming down. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the first person raised in formerly communist East Germany to hold that office, welcomed world leaders to the celebration. While calling November 9, 1989 the happiest day of her life, she also pointed out a somber historical irony.

Merkel also recalled the tragic side of Nov. 9 for Germans — the Nazis’ Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass — an anti-Semitic pogrom 71 years ago. At least 91 German Jews were killed, hundreds of synagogues destroyed and thousands of Jewish businesses vandalized and looted in the state-sanctioned riots that night.

“Both show that freedom is not self evident,” Merkel said. “Freedom must be fought for. Freedom must be defended time and again.”

Sounds like advice well worth remembering.

Also recalling the fall of the Berlin Wall are

Voice Of America News

The BBC

Berlin Wall Online

The Christian Science Monitor

CBS News

YnetNews and

ABC News Australia.

Part 3:

One personal note. I, too, have seen copies of the plans for Auschwitz and Birkenau – when I visited there. I’ve seen the gas chambers, the ovens used to cremate the dead, the crowded sleeping quarters, the exhibits containing countless possessions taken from the victims, and the blood-chilling gateway adorned with that horrid lie “arbeit macht frei”.

The occupying Germans converted a Polish army barracks in the town of Oświęcim into the headquarters of the Auschwitz camp. They later razed the nearby village of Brzezinka, and built in its place rows upon rows of concrete and wooden buildings near a railroad depot, to form the unit called Birkenau. Finally, the Germans commandeered a chemical plant in nearby Monowice, which they called Monowitz.

I would suggest that Ahmedinajad be allowed a brief visit to Poland – but only to be given the same guided tour that I once experienced.

In much more recent political news, the Speaker is concerned about the potential for “political violence”. Isn’t it great that the Dems have come to value civility?

I know that Raven and Duncan like their guns. But sometimes, a sword will suffice.

Speaking of sharp objects, a runner from Blacksburg, VA takes time out from the Blue Ridge Relay and dies from stab wounds – inflicted by himself.

It’s sad that too much success can be controversial, even in high school football.

Washington, DC has become a favorite place for wealthy young adults. (Heck, the Kennedys knew that decades ago.)

Parlez-vous français? If so, Aer Lingus might need your help.

Mary Traverse, of Peter, Paul and Mary, has died of leukemia at age 72.

Via The Dumb Ox, ACORN’s been behaving so badly these days, so it seems, that even Aahnold has called for an investigation. More bad (for them) news: The House has voted to cut off their federal money.

From the Alamo City Pundit, an apparent strategy of peace through vulnerability: Barry decides to abandon plans for missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic.