Is it finally over?

The 2005 hurricane season has officially come to a close for the Central Time zone. But is it really over? And what does the future hold?

More from the Greek Alphabet

Tropical Storm Epsilon has formed in the Atlantic. It is the twenty-sixth named storm of the year meaning that if the NOAA didn't exclude some letters of our alphabet from hurricane names, we'd be on Z right now. But since several uncommon letters are thrown out, we are on the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet. The hurricane season is set to end tomorrow night but like I said recently, I wouldn't be surprised if we see another hurricane start up sometime in early December.

Shakeup in A&M Coaching Staff

Texas A&M Head Coach Dennis Franchione has released Defensive Coordinator Carl Torbush of his coaching duties.

It has been a rough couple of years for A&M football most notably on the defensive side of the ball. The once vaunted and top-rated Wrecking Crew defense has declined to epic lows in the past three years.

I've been hoping that some changes would be made for several weeks, but now that it has happened, I only hope that a suitable replacement can be found quickly and that he will be able to step in and affect change relatively quickly with little additional growing pains.

The search is on!

The Bad Part of a Rivalry

I hate it when news like this comes out. Rivalry brings this kind of behavior out in some people and unfortunately that reflects poorly on any group as a whole. A member of the Texas A&M's Parsons Mounted Cavalry has been charged with throwing horse manure on members of the University of Texas band during the march in prior to the game on Friday.

The game ended up being great -- one of the best in years -- but this kind of behavior tarnishes the play on the field. Aggies should never forget that this is just a game.

Godspeed Mr. Miyagi

Pat Morita has left this mortal coil. I will never forget how much I loved Karate Kid in my youth. Looking back on it now, it was a typical '80s kid movie, I still think that Mr. Miyagi was a great teacher and role model for everyone. We'll miss you Pat.

T-E-A-M

Texas A&M made some mistakes and definitely didn't take advantage of all the opportunities, but the game today against Texas was the best contest between these two teams in several years. I would have loved to have seen the upset win today but this game gives me a lot of hope for next year. Backup QB Stephen McGee got the start today as I expected, and I can honestly say that today, I watched a leader play the game. He makes me hopeful for a fresh start next season. I hate to see the Aggies stay home this bowl season but I think that the offseason will do wonders for this team and next year we will begin to see something that all Aggie fans can be proud of.

Happy Thanksgiving!

12 Hours Later

I arrived in Lafayette about twelve hours ago and have already gotten to visit with a couple of friends. The drive was long (9.5 hours) but it certainly wasn't as bad as my first trip from Nashville to Lafayette. Driving in the evening actually makes it seem like time is going by faster since you don't have the sun constantly mocking you as it gives you a frame of reference for how long you have been on the road. I had lots of great music to listen to plus calls from a few friends and family who read my post yesterday and knew I'd be bored for a while. Roxi and I are now off to lunch and shopping for essential Thanksgiving meal items.

The Road Home

I'm set to embark on my nine hour road trip to Lafayette, LA this afternoon. I haven't made the drive down there since April and I haven't used this particular route since last December. I've got a magazine full of CDs and my car cell phone charger which will connect me to the rest of the world if ever the monotony becomes too much to handle. I've got my dinner packed so that my stops will be minimal. I'm ready to rock as soon as I finish up some recording and editing this afternoon.

I'm really looking forward to a great visit and Thanksgiving dinner with Roxi's family. We won't be having Turducken, but if anyone is still interested in the Turducken Blog, check out the most recent entry which details a class taught by a professional, some important tips, and yet another type of bird combination: the Quaducant, a quail stuffed into a duck stuffed into a pheasant. Personally that sounds a little too froo-froo for Cajun country, although all three birds are certainly popular in the Sportsman's Paradise.

The Prisoner

The Prisoner, one of the most bizarre and enigmatic television series of all time, is about to be "reinvented." As with all remakes, the question that comes to mind is: Why? If a television show or movie was good to begin with, why is there this obsession to remake it? If it was crap to begin with, by all means, but so many good movies and TV shows are made into new bad movies and TV shows. Remakes are in general a lazy way far studios to try to cash in and sadly, people keep biting. It also strikes me as illustrating a lack of originality and creativity. But when did that ever stop Hollywood?

A Pyrric Victory for Internet Users

A little over a year ago, I thought that my computer was dead but it turned out to be severely incapacitated by adware and spyware infections. As always, the Senate has it's pulse on important issues, so last week the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved what they are calling the Spyblock Act.

A U.S. Senate committee has approved a bill that would outlaw the practice of remotely installing software that collects a computer users' personal information without consent.

In addition to prohibiting spyware, the Spyblock (Software Principles Yielding Better Levels of Consumer Knowledge) Act would also outlaw the installation of adware programs without a computer user's permission.

Sadly, there will be loopholes as there are with the National Do Not Call List and as we all know, computer hackers don't really worry about operating within the realm of the law. It is a nice gesture to see the Senate taking a stand on the issue, but the end of spyware and adware will be the beginning of some other new and annoying type of intrusive software applications.

Tropical Storm Gamma

After almost a week of poor organization, Tropical Depression Gamma has pulled itself together enough to be upgraded to a tropical storm. This unprecedented storm will probably not strike the US but rather move across Cuba and out into the Atlantic. At least that's what the storm track shows for now. This hurricane season has been so active, I'm starting to wonder if we might see a storm develop after the season officially ends later this month.

Texas Aggie Bonfire '99

Today is the sixth anniversary of the collapse of the annual Aggie Bonfire that killed twelve students as it was being constructed.

I pretty much said all I have to say about it last year when the memorial was dedicated. I visited it about a month before it was dedicated and it was a very moving experience. It was my first time back at the site since I went out there in the days after Bonfire fell.

I'll never forget that morning six years ago and the sadness that became so identified with one of the most visible Aggie traditions. We will never forget.

Miranda Denise Adams
Christopher D. Breen
Michael Stephen Ebanks
Jeremy Richard Frampton
Jamie Lynn Hand
Christopher Lee Heard
Timothy Doran Kerlee, Jr
Lucas John Kimmel
Bryan A. McClain
Chad A. Powell
Jerry Don Self
Nathan Scott West

The Glorious Turducken

Thanksgiving is only a week away and columnist Jane Roh has decided to undertake the task of making a Turducken from scratch. For the uninitiated, a Turducken is a very popular centerpiece of the Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner in south Louisiana. A Turducken is just like it sounds: a chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey. All three birds are boneless and stuffed with cornbread dressing so that each slice of the Turducken is a delicious cross-section of juicy poultry and stuffing.



Not only is Roh attempting to make a Turducken, but she is also documenting the activity in a series of Turducken Blog articles. So far she has researched the origins of the Turducken as well as conducting a trial run with a chicken and Cornish game hen, AKA the Chick-Hen. If you want to try a Turducken without the hassle of actually making it yourself, you can mail-order one from the masters at Hebert's Specialty Meats in Maurice, LA.

Stay tuned to see if Jane can successfully conquer the Turducken in time for Thanksgiving!

A Victory In Cyberspace

The UN led World Summit on the Information Society opened today in Tunisia and to get the ball rolling, the representatives agreed for ICANN in the US to maintain oversight of the Internet. This ends, at least for now, an attempted seizure of that oversight, by the United Nations and more importantly by nations that do not fully support the notion of free political speech.

Political and Economic Impact of UN Control of the Internet

On the eve of the UN summit on the internet, the 350,000-member National Taxpayers Union has released a brief warning that plans for United Nations control of the internet "could choke political freedoms and soak taxpayers." The major impacts of a UN controlled internet could include the following:

-- Censorship. Despite having made a declaration of support for freedom of speech, many WGIG [Working Group on Internet Governance] members come from nations that severely curtail this right; China, for example, has one of the most restrictive and sophisticated Internet control mechanisms in the world. Just as other UN bodies have been "co-opted" by non-democratic governments, "an 'International Internet Commission' chaired by China might not be far off," [brief author Kristina] Rasmussen observed.

-- Taxes. Since the Internet's infancy the UN has crafted detailed proposals to tax online traffic. Rasmussen calculates that one 1999 plan for a "bit tax," adjusted for today's number of Internet users, would raise 12 trillion dollars this year - roughly equal to America's Gross Domestic Product. Even less ambitious money-raising models such as the independent, Switzerland-based "Digital Solidarity Fund" could feasibly be transformed into future collectors of compulsory Internet taxes and fees.

-- Bureaucratic Corruption. Given recent oil-for-food scandals, UN-style Internet agencies would present the inherent risk of "giving ruling members of regimes in the developing world shiny new computers rather than furnishing the poor with Internet access," Rasmussen said.

To make matters worse, host nation Tunisia is already cracking down on political dissenters in preparation for the summit. I'm afraid that this kind of action could spill into cyberspace if control of the Internet were put into the hands of those who would rather erase their opponents rather than debate them.

Home for the Holidays

I don't watch TV too much anymore, but I had it on while I was making dinner last night. I was halfway paying attention when a Wal-mart commercial came on with the members of Destiny's Child singing about how they were going to be home for the holidays. They're having a great time with their parents and families but immediately to me, something seemed missing. Where is Jay-Z? Don't you think Beyonce would want Jigga to spend Christmas with her family too? Or is it that Mr. and Mrs. Knowles don't want Hova around? What gives?


Beyonce not taking a picture of Shawn Carter.

Kazakhstan doesn't think Borat is very funny

The Kazakhstan Foreign Minister has threatened legal action against Sacha Baron Cohen over his Borat character. For those unfamiliar with Borat, he is a character on Da Ali G Show who travels the United States doing interviews in an effort to understand American culture. During his interviews, he usually talks about differences between America and Kazakhstan. If, as the article implies, Kazakhstan is basing their claim only on what Borat did during the MTV Europe Music Awards, they haven't seen some of the things he has said and done on Da Ali G Show. They are far worse than what I have read about the MTV Europe Awards. I hope this doesn't have any bearing on the Borat movie that is currently in production.

UPDATE: I was looking for this article earlier when I originally wrote this post. This story is more than a year old and pretty much covers the same territory.

Is this Gamma?

The twenty-seventh tropical depression of the year has formed and is becoming organized very slowly. Could this be record setting Tropical Storm Gamma? Only time will tell, but if it does develop, for now it appears that landfall along the Gulf Coast is very unlikely.

Five Questions

In today's Los Angeles Times, radio commentator Dennis Prager posed "[f]ive questions non-Muslims would like answered." Although he goes into more detail for each, here are the five basic questions:

1. Why are you so quiet?
2. Why are none of the Palestinian terrorists Christian?
3. Why is only one of the 47 Muslim-majority countries a free country?
4. Why are so many atrocities committed and threatened by Muslims in the name of Islam?
5. Why do countries governed by religious Muslims persecute other religions?

Read it all. He certainly makes a valid point.

UPDATE: So on question one, Jordan has expressed outrage over last week's terrorist bombings of three hotels that killed scores of Jordanian's at a wedding. Indonesian Muslims have joined in the chorus of condemnation of the suicide bombings as well. "Terrorists who are acting in the name of Islam are ruining the religion's reputation as a blessing to the universe." I hope that this statement speaks for the majority of Muslims, and non-Muslims alike, in the world.

Do or Die Time

Texas A&M played one of it's better road games this season, unfortunately it was still not enough to win against the Oklahoma Sooners. It was certainly a more exciting game to watch (the first quarter not withstanding) because the Aggies were literally still in it up until the end. However, a couple of really poor coaching decisions interrupted what could have been a major road win catapulting the Aggies into bowl eligibility. Now the Aggies are 5-5 with only one game left. Texas will be heading into College Station the day after Thanksgiving with their sites set on winning their first Big 12 Championship under Mack Brown and heading for the Rose Bowl to face Southern California.

The Aggies have been very inconsistent this year and have played miserably when it mattered most, but today they showed that they have something in them to make offensive plays even with a depleted receiving corps. Still though, the defense was too soft when it counted, especially at the end of the game. A bright spot for me was the play and more importantly the leadership of backup quarterback Stephen McGee. Starting QB Reggie McNeil left the game in the third quarter with an injury and McGee came in. Where McNeil's option game failed, McGee was able to capitalize. McGee does not have the speed or mobility of McNeil, but he showed poise and the ability to make plays in the option in response to the defense. If he could complete a pass, we'd have ourselves quite a quarterback.

So now, we are thirteen days from the annual showdown with Texas and it appears that Reggie will be out. With all the troubles of the season, I sort of hate to say it, but I'm ready to see McGee start against Texas so that we as Aggies can look to the future. When we hired Dennis Franchione three years ago, I predicted that 2005 would be the year that the Aggies could realistically compete with Texas and OU for the Big 12 South title. Sadly it hasn't worked out that way and no one really knows what the offseason holds for this coaching staff. I am ready for the future and with Reggie's eligibility ending this season, I'd just as soon see the next starting quarterback for Texas A&M lead the Aggies against Texas for the first time on our home field. We might not win, but at least McGee will have played against Texas before he surely starts next year in Austin.

This has most assuredly been a disappointing season and of course one could argue that it is not over yet. We have one game left to play and need only one win to become bowl eligible. Unfortunately, our only remaining game is against seemingly unbeatable Texas. Of course the last time we won the game, Texas was ranked fifth in the country and we were unranked, but both teams have moved tremendously in opposite directions since that clear November day in 1999. I have hopes that the team will play Texas like they think they can win, but outside of today, I have not seen them demonstrate that level of confidence this season. It's Do or Die Time guys! Let's show the state of Texas and the nation that A&M has not quit!

Veterans Day 2005

As we celebrated the United States Marine Corps yesterday, today we honor veterans of all wars and branches of the military in their defense on freedom and our way of life. The value of their sacrifices is immeasurable.

Football Causes Foot-In-Mouth

South Carolina State Representative John Altman is furious that Jefferson Pilot Sports has chosen to relegate the annual in-state rivalry game between South Carolina and Clemson to pay-per-view. He's so pissed off that he is considering introducing a bill to "deport the people who made this decision to Guantanamo Bay." Is it any wonder why people think politicians waste taxpayer money?

A Tale of Two Mayors

The cities of Hillsdale, MI and Roland, IA elected new mayors on Tuesday night. They both still live with their parents but that's not really too odd considering they are eighteen years old and are still high school students. Sam Juhl ran unopposed in Roland and captured 48% of the vote while Michael Sessions defeated the 51-year old incumbent in Hillsdale. More remarkably, Sessions won solely as a write in candidate as he was not old enough to be listed on the ballot at the filing deadline. Session's says, "The student comes first, it'll be 6 hours, and then mayor for 2 to 3 hours each day, so I can focus on both jobs." Good luck to both these young men and I only hope that they are not jaded and corrupted by political system.

From the Halls of Montezuma...

Today is the 230th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Thanks to all those who have made their job defending our freedoms.

List Eater Lookout

For those of you who are Aggies or who were reading my blog last December, you'll know all about the infamous List Eater. For those who aren't in the know or just don't want to follow my links, last December, while many Aggies were sleeping in their tents waiting for Cotton Bowl tickets to go on sale, the List Eater snuck to the front of the line ignoring the roll call list that students had been using for several days to maintain order and civility. When confronted, she took the list from one of the organizers and ate it. After refusing to take her proper place in line, she was verbally berated and it was suggested that she eat her Cotton Bowl tickets.

I'm not sure if anyone really knows if she had any fun in Dallas last New Years Day, but some clever Aggies are prepared as they are camping out for this years Thanksgiving game against top ranked Texas. In an effort to avoid the unfortunate events of last December, some students have unveiled the List Eater Lookout.



Of course as someone on the TexAgs message board pointed out, the List Eater is crafty and so this lookout post should be occupied 24/7. Either way, you've gotta love that college sense of humor!

False Alarm

If you live in New Kensignton, PA and something smells funny, it's not a meth lab...


...it's only urine from 35 cats.

Wal-mart's Plan for Pass Christian

Wal-mart is in discussions with Pass Christian, MS about how it will rebuild it's store that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

The redevelopment team envisions a two-story building with Wal-Mart on the ground floor and spaces on top for other businesses. Hall has said previously the facade could be built in the style of the community. A mixed commercial and residential Wal-Mart Village, offering affordable housing and narrow, walkable streets, could be built up around it.

Hall said the suggestion for Pass Christian's Wal-Mart could be the wave of the future. The store's rebuilding would be a boost to the city that would help it recapture some of its tax base.

The team gave a presentation, outlining plans that rely heavily on green spaces, to about 80 Pass Christian citizens.

Buildings that are zoned for multiple uses, such as apartments, condos, and retail shops, also are part of the plans. A public transportation system would run through the city with apartments and condominiums lining the CSX railroads tracks, which the team says would be more useful as a path for commuter trains.

This story is of interest to me due to my connection with Pass Christian. Roxi and I made three trips to her grandparents' camp in Pass Christian this past year and it was located directly adjacent to the Wal-mart. Her grandparents will most likely not rebuild the house as it was, but if these plans are approved, their property might end up seeing a new development in the future. Although in my experience Wal-marts are very crowded at all times and I wonder how that might carry over to this "village" proposal. Of course this is just one idea. Whatever the final decision is I would like to hope that July 4, 2005 was not our last visit to Pass Christian.

The Internet Senator Takes A Stand

Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman has made his response to Kofi Annan and the European Union concerning their plans to wrest control of the Internet from ICANN and the US. Coleman has been the most outspoken US official when it comes to maintaining control and for that he should be commended. I've said before that I find this power grab by the UN troubling, but I know that the US should and will prevail.

Paris isn't burning alone

Although you wouldn't know it from the daily news, but Paris isn't the only European city burning at the hands of rioters. Arhus, Denmark has had several days of riots eerily similar to those of Paris. They haven't spread quite like those in France, but they all seem to have common perpetrators.

Alabama Continues To Improve

A&M Head Coach Dennis Franchione's previous team has moved into the third spot in the latest BCS rankings. Alabama remains one of the three unbeatens along with Texas and USC. So the likely hood of a BCS meltdown are decreasing but as long as there are more than two unbeatens, it is just around the corner. Meanwhile, I can't help but wonder if Coach Fran regrets taking the big paycheck at A&M and all the expectations that have come with it. Not to say that Alabama fans don't have expectations, but at least there, it seemed like he accomplished something as is further evidenced by their continued progress.

Voice of the 13th Generation Turns One

Today is the first anniversary of the Voice of the 13th Generation. A lot has happened since I started this blog but I feel like I have stayed true to my initial mission.

Happy Blogiversary!

College Football Coaches on the Hot Seat

As the college football season winds down, the game of Head Coaching Musical Chairs is getting together it's list of potential participants. So far this list includes three coaches from the Big 12 but does not include Coach Dennis Franchione at Texas A&M. As I have been reading this weekend, despite the growing displeasure with Fran's lack of progress with the Aggies, his job is likely safe for another year if he makes some changes in his supporting staff. If not, all bets are off and it could be a volatile December.

A Shorter Night Than Expected, But Still Hard

The A&M game against Texas Tech wasn't the complete domination that I thought it would be, however it was still a long second half. I was ready for a loss and at least 70 points against us, but what really disappointed me was the fact that the score at halftime was only 10-14 with A&M getting the ball to start the second half. But as usual, A&M didn't make halftime adjustments while Tech did, not to mention the fact that we fumbled right out of the gate. So although the first half wasn't bad, the second half was just par for the course. I mean, the Aggies seemed to be enjoying themselves in the first half but it just got too out of hand in the second half.

So where does this leave us? 5-4 continuing our road trip to Norman to play a rested Oklahoma next week. Then we get a week off to prepare for the juggernaut of Texas. A win in either of those games will get us to bowl eligibility but the cost of such will not result in any changes in the coaching staff. I hate to say it but after three years, an overall losing record in the Fran era (16-17) and no sign of improvement in the next two games, it is already time for a major shakeup in the staff. Fran has to prove otherwise for me to let these last two weeks go.

UPDATE: Here are some sites of interest, under the current circumstances, that I found while reading through some thoughts on TexAgs.com:

Fire Torbush: An effort to rid the Aggies of the man who rid the Aggies of the vaunted Wrecking Crew Defense.

Fran Under Fire!: Not a Fire Fran site (yet) but t-shirts are coming on Monday.

Fire Fran Petition: A Fire Fran site.

I don't know what the answer is but if you want to read about what "the experts" think, check out the A&M Football Forum on TexAgs.com.

UPDATE: One last thing I have to say for the night. I live in Tennessee and am constantly under the other UT's media curtain and I can say that as much heat that Fran and his staff is feeling right now, Phillip Fulmer and his are feeling it even more so. Fulmer has been at Tennessee for so long, he is feeling RC Slocum type heat right now and I can only wish him luck in navigating the minefield. It sucks for any coach especially when you are having a down year or your effectiveness has passed. I would say that the problem with Aggie coaching really bothers me right now but in a different way than it bothered me in the latter years of RC. But the fact that Fulmer's Tennessee completely dominated us last year and has somehow fallen further than we have over the course of this season is satisfying. It does not make our year any more palatable, but at least it puts our troubles into perspective.

Getting Prepared For A Long Night

I've been watching football since noon just wanting the A&M game against Texas Tech to get started. The sooner it starts, the sooner it will be over. And speaking of sooner, the Oklahoma Sooners will be using their week off to watch our game and prepare for the Aggies' visit to Norman next week.

Even though our record is 5-3 at this point in the season, it is an utter disappointment. Many people picked to Aggies to be a true challenger to Texas for the Big 12 South title but it turns out that role belongs to Texas Tech (who really can only get it if someone knocks off Texas by Thanksgiving). Instead of challenging Texas, we are entering into a game with one of the worst passing defenses in the country about to face the best passing offense. And it doesn't get any easier after that. The Aggies travel to Norman to play Oklahoma before ending the regular season at home against what looks to be an unstoppable Texas team.

Now I know anything can happen, but the chances of losing the next three games are very high. Three loses would leave the Aggies with a 5-6 record and out of the bowl picture for the second time in Coach Dennis Franchione's three year tenure. It wouldn't be such a big deal if it didn't seem like we were improving last year as we entered the Cotton Bowl against Tennessee, but from the start of that game on to last Saturday against Iowa State, the team has taken leaps in the wrong direction.

I for one wasn't a believer that the Aggies had a big win in them when we defeated the top ranked Sooners in 2002, but they surprised me. But that was a different coach with a different team. I am even less confident that the Aggies can upset the Red Raiders in Lubbock tonight. Time will tell but I am ready with a bottle of liquor to dull the pain of a season spiraling out of control.

Don't ever see "Chapter 27"

Jared Leto and Lindsay Lohan will begin filming Chapter 27 early next year. It is a film about John Lennon's killer and why he committed the murder. Leto will play Lennon's killer and Lohan will play a Beatles fan who befriends Lennon's killer.

So if you are wondering why I haven't referred to Lennon's killer by name yet, it's because any Beatles/John Lennon fan knows why John was murdered. His killer did it so that he could steal Lennon's fame. So all true Beatles/Lennon fans refuse to ever utter the killer's name so that he will not be able to further his infamous celebrity.

Apparently writer/director Jarrett Schaeffer isn't a fan of John Lennon or he'd know this. Neither is Jared Leto otherwise he wouldn't take the part. In fact if I ever see Leto in a Beatles or John Lennon t-shirt I will know that it is for fashion because no true fan would ever be associated with anything that could possibly bring any notoriety to Lennon's killer.

The same goes for Lindsay Lohan but I expect this kind of thing from her because she is a naive child. She probably has no sense of who Lennon was because she was born after his murder plus she'll pretty much do whatever her handlers tell her. If that includes ever wearing a Beatles or John Lennon t-shirt, shame on them all.

I know what you are thinking...Leto, Lohan and Schaeffer are doing a psychological study of the mind that murdered a music icon. BULLSHIT! They are making a movie for money and in doing so are propping up the celebrity of Lennon's killer. This movie should not be made and should definitely not be seen by any true fan of the Beatles or John Lennon.

Another Protest Turns Violent

Protests at the Summit of the Americas in Argentina have turned violent mere hours after demonstrators called President Bush a fascist and a terrorist. I'll never understand the logic of protests against the United States and President Bush that degrade into violence. The demonstrators decry the aggression of the US and then they burn buildings. Until these protests don't end in injury, destruction and death, the causes of such demonstrators have no credibility.

Comment dit-on "insurgents?"

Much has been made over how the media has referred to perpetrators of terrorist acts in Iraq since the beginning war. As everyone knows, it is a toss-up between "insurgents" and "terrorists." It is a hard task to determine if bombings are being carried out by true native Iraqis, Iraqis sponsored by other Middle Eastern interests or foreign terrorists. Really it's probably a combination of all three although there are almost certainly a large number foreign terrorists working in Iraq for many of the same reasons the US is there: to fight a war there rather then in their home countries.

But this is an old argument, so why is it important now? Because of what is happening in the Paris suburbs. I have been seeing the stories every morning for a week now thinking that these riots will be quelled by the next day. However, it seems that it has gotten worse very quickly. In fact they don't really seem like riots any more if they are as organized as some reports have claimed. So are we witnessing an insurgency inside France? Don't count on it getting branded as such although it seems to fit the definition that is being applied in Iraq.

Camp Katrina's New Mission

Camp Katrina has a new look and a new message. Phil Van T. has come to the conclusion that "[t]here'’s only so much you can write about a month-long deployment to New Orleans."

So Camp Katrina's expanded mission will now include telling the stories of the US military's humanitarian efforts around the world.

"Camp Katrina: Proving that the United States military does much more than just kill people and break things."

Check it out!