Dr. Rick Warren will present President George W. Bush with the first “International Medal of PEACE” from the Global PEACE Coalition in recognition of his unprecedented contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases during the Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health, to be held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1.

This is not from the Onion, so I hed to find out a bit more about this "Global PEACE Coalition. That sent me here where I found out what they think PEACE stands for.

Promote reconciliation
Equip leaders
Assist the poor
Care for the sick
Educate the next generation

Now how W fills ANY of those roles I have no idea, especially if you consider the specifics of what they note (HIV/AIDS) where W's insistence on abstinence only education and funding may very well have caused increases in the spread of it. But hey, if it fits their religious agenda...

I'll just have to make sure not to have sex with fundamentalists, they're going to be the ones with the AIDS.

Warren to award President Bush for HIV/AIDS fight | Liveblog | Christianity Today

In Massachusetts, a housewife who had hidden her family's mounting financial crisis from her husband sends a note to the mortgage company warning: "By the time you foreclose on my house, I'll be dead."

Then Carlene Balderrama shot herself to death, leaving an insurance policy and a suicide note on a table.

This has now left all sense of decency. Businesses and banks, especially banks, know exactly what is going on, and in many cases contributed to the disaster our economy has turned into. The "almighty dollar" isn't good enough. Instead of working against people, they need to be working with them, and for any banker who doesn't understand this one, dead people don't pay bills.

Suicides from financial crisis cause concern - Yahoo! News

The new top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said yesterday that more American troops are urgently required to combat a worsening insurgency, but he stated emphatically that no Iraq-style "surge" of forces will end the conflict there.

"Afghanistan is not Iraq," said Gen. David D. McKiernan, who led ground forces during the 2003 Iraq invasion and took over four months ago as head of the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan.

Since someone thought Palin was right on this one, here it is. McClellan was the general Lincoln sacked in the Civil War, not the current commander in Afghanistan, and what he said is exactly the opposite of what the Governor said was what to do there.

For those scoring the VP debate, this subject is Biden 1, Palin 0.

Commander in Afghanistan Wants More Troops - washingtonpost.com

No dumbass, the flag goes the other way.

e9069654e472a74413906702d6aded19-getty-81972190mw013_olympics_day_.jpg (JPEG Image, 660x440 pixels)

Like most residents of Chapman, Kan., Bemis huddled in her basement the night of June 11, when a tornado destroyed scores of homes in this town of 1,250.

Recovery efforts are in full swing, and residents say they will remake Chapman better than it was before.

But the efforts to rebuild the community now face an obstacle townspeople did not expect: Federal reconstruction rules are forcing many residents to rebuild without the basements that sheltered them through the storm.

Well that makes sense...

www.kansascity.com | 07/29/2008 | Rules force many in Chapman, Kan., to rebuild without basements

The United States fell from 15th to last among 19 industrialized nations on this measure from 2006 to 2008. The report estimated the U.S. health care system could save 100,000 lives if it matched Japan or France, the top performers.

This is what the current health care system has gotten us. The highest rates in the entire world and the absolute worst results in the industrialized world. The "insurance" system is a failure.

ABC News: U.S. Flunks Health Care Test -- Again

Just two days ago, Gordon Brown was urging us all to stop wasting food and combat rising prices and a global shortage of provisions.

But yesterday the Prime Minister and other world leaders sat down to an 18-course gastronomic extravaganza at a G8 summit in Japan, which is focusing on the food crisis.

Let them eat cake anyone?

World leaders enjoy 18-course banquet... then discuss how to solve global food crisis | Mail Online

'We did not seek advice from the force's diversity adviser prior to publishing and distributing the postcards. That was an oversight and we apologise for any offence caused.'

Did not seek the advice of the diversity adviser about... Seriously. Put a picture of a yorkshire pig wearing a police hat. Or to put the controversy in plainer terms, piss off. We're expected to observe "Muslim sensitivity" while they ignore that of others? Go piss up a rope.

Muslim outrage at police advert featuring cute puppy sitting in policeman's hat | Mail Online

The National Rifle Association sued the city of San Francisco on Friday to overturn its ban on handguns in public housing, a day after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a handgun ban in the nation's capital.

The legal action follows a similar lawsuit against the city of Chicago over its handgun ban, filed within hours of Thursday's high court ruling.null

That didn't take long. But without the additional rifle ban present in the DC law, I'll be surprised if these work out.

NRA sues to overturn S.F. gun ban in city housing - Yahoo! News

International perfume maker Mahender Sabhnani, 51, was sentenced to 3 1/3 years and fined $12,500. He was convicted in December on a 12-count federal indictment that included forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude and harboring aliens.

I'm not even sure what to say... Well yes I am. You're in New York City and you can't find a couple of people who want to be slaves? WTF? I blame this on not bothering to pick up ANY of the local rags with personals in the back. Now they go to jail for being morons.

2nd NY millionaire gets prison in slavery case - Yahoo! News