With a little Alex Jones blaring in the background, it's this week's News Watch. It literally snowed over 2 feet here (probably 3, but I said "literally") and it is bizarre outside. Giant walls of snow line every road and something like 13 foot high snow walls are in like every parking lot. Perhaps I'll snag some pictures for those of you who would like to see what it looks like post-blizzard.

Anyhow, it's on to the news of the week as seen through my twisted eyes.

Hot 5 Stories of the Week

Kudos go out to last week's # 1 story, the Presidential Inauguration Security story. It dominated the, albeit small, polling numbers while some good word of mouth occured for Michael Jackson's new E show and the 3-5 basketball game. I'll keep the poll going for another week but I'm not particularly sold on it as a barometer of interest just yet.

1>San Francisco May Charge for Grocery Bags (AP via Myway.com) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050124/D87QFDNO0.html

Perhaps a sign that economic times aren't so rosey or that environmentalists have seized control of the capital. They plan on charging 17 cents per bag, despite estimating that the overall use of bags costs approx. 7 cents. I smell an agenda here.

Quote:

Environmentalists argue that plastic bags jam machinery, pollute waterways and often end up in trees. In addition to large supermarkets, other outfits that regularly use plastic bags, including smaller grocery stores, dry cleaners and takeout restaurants, could eventually be targeted.

2>Yushchenko Selects Anti-Kremlin Ukraine PM (AP via Myway.com) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050124/D87QJ5EO1.html

For those of you hip to the geopolitics of the former Soviet States, this is fairly big. We all knew that Yuschenko and Russia aren't the best of friends and now this. Don't be surprised if tensions escalate as the Ukraine heads closer to the EU and away from the Soviets. The cold war still exists at some levels and the Ukraine is a key pawn in the larger battle.

Quote: Russia views Ukraine as a key part of its historic sphere of influence, a major transit route for its oil and gas exports and a buffer between the expanding European Union and NATO. Moscow is nervous about Yushchenko's plans to quickly integrate the 48-million nation into Western structures.

3>SpongeBob not gay: parents (NY Daily News) http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/273866p-234562c.html

The never ending battle to "out" cartoon characters continues as the Far Right has set it's sights on Sponge Bob Square Pants, this after attacking Tinky Winky a few years back. Thankfully some people are smart enough not to read too much into cartoons and don't really care.

Quote:

New York parents bristled yesterday at accusations by conservative groups that SpongeBob SquarePants promotes a gay lifestyle because the silly yellow cartoon character routinely holds hands with his pink pal Patrick Starfish.

4>Reporter fired for Yahoo baby hoax (CNN) http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/01/24/yahoo.baby.reut/index.html

Only in Romania could a story like this originate. I could've sworn The Noor read this story when it first originated, but I can't recall for certain if he did or not. I think being the guy who made this story up has got to be a career killer for any journalist.

Quote:

Earlier this month, major Bucharest daily Libertatea published a story saying two Romanians had named their baby Yahoo and printed a picture of his birth certificate. The news was widely picked up on the Internet.

5>Author Airs Conspiracy Theory on Im’s Death (Columbia Daily Tribune via Steve Quayle) http://www.stevequayle.com/News.alert/05_Disease/050124.Steve.write-up.html

Yikes. Steve Quayle gets ink. It's rare that anyone outside of our little circle of a handful of a million people hear about or from Steve Quayle. But the growing number of dead microbiologists is making him an overnight celebrity. Rumour has it he'll be hosting Saturday Night Live sometime in March.

Quote:

After last week’s "Coast to Coast" show, the Tribune received numerous e-mails and phone calls from people around the country who accept Quayle’s idea. "The pattern that’s emerging would be disturbing to any statistician," said Bill Stockglausner of Columbia. "The list is factual, and it appears strange that this is happening to these people who were in a certain profession."

Future News Now

Harvard Medical School CIO gets chipped (South Florida Business Journal via Infowars.com)

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2005/210105getschipped.htm

Nobody gives a medical endorsement like Harvard. The longterm plan is for full acceptance of a chipped population. Making it trendy is already in the works. Making it "safe" appears to be the next order of business.

Noory Stories

Good job and thumbs up go out to Oscar de Tuly who spread the Giant Solar Flare story last week. I believe The Noor and/or Bell touched on it.

I give myself a Barry Horowitz-esque pat on the back for breaking the Johnny Carson ... Dead story that Bell and, I'm sure, Noory discussed. I don't remember if it was before or after it was discussed on the show, but kudos to Shanesg1 for bringing up the Hubble discontinuation story. I may have missed some, if so, drop me a PM and I'll give you credit next week.

Think you know Noory ? Find the newstory he will read and you will be awarded with recognition in next week's "News Watch". Post it here, or in a msg. board where I can see it, to get credit.

Editorial

Let Hubble Die

I'm getting a little sick and tired of hearing from these "Hubble Huggers" who are practically recycling cans to raise money to raise this sinking ship. It's over folks.

Yes, hubble gave us some pretty pictures and some interesting data and probably helped advance the human race in ways even I am not aware of. But pretty pictures are for children and data is for nerds, space is the doman of humans not robots or looking glasses.

It's time to invest the money in human travel to space to further explore the terrestrial lands that are out there. Peering off into the distance is old school and futile, much like the maligned SETI program. I've heard the laments from the hubble lovers who insist "but it's only 14 years old !" Don't make me laugh. Try using a 14 year old computer and tell me that.

Don't even mention that whole thing about how they already have the improvements for Hubble made and sitting in a warehouse somewhere. That's typical NASA incompetance. In essence, the Hubble is the perfect embodiment of NASA. Flawed from the beginning, showing some promise in it's prime, and all but forgotten at the end.

End Notes

Things are starting to come together here @ News Watch. The first days are the hardest days, but we think things will be looking solid in the weeks and months ahead.

Till next time ... be safe, be real, and be prepared.