Historic Baptist Church Destroyed By Explosion And Fire

A historic brick Baptist church, the Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, which serves mainly a Portland, Oregon congregation of African-Americans was destroyed by an explosion followed by fire.

Neighbors first heard a loud explosion followed by fire, leading fire investigators towards suspecting some possibility of arson or even a hate crime. But fire investigators cannot rule anything in or out, including old wiring or accicdental causes until they can carefully examine the wreckage of the building. Right now the building is way too unsafe for this fire investigation.

The sound of an explosion was considered to be highly suspect though, and not thought of as normal for a fire. The local community would certainly like to see this investigation proceed and find the cause of this destruction to this very old and historic building. So far no similiar copycat events have taken place, which may indicate either an isolated incident or accidental causes.

But the last thing the religious community needs is a new series of attacks on places of worship such as has taken place in the past. Racially moltivated crimes against African-American churches have included bombings and arsons in incicdents ranging from the 1960's until only a few years ago. Billy Graham once referred to the hour spent in church as the "most segregated" hour before because of sharp seperations between White and African-American houses of worship.

New Bill Introduced In Congress To strengthen Labor Unions And Middle Class

A new bipartisan bill has beeen introducted in congress that will make it easier for employees to join labor unions and more difficult for employers to engage in activities that discourage unions. The main sponsors of the new bill include George Miller(D-CA), Robert Andrews(D-NJ) and Peter King(R-NY). The bill has 232 cosponsors. In the Senate, Edward Kennedy is likely to sponsor the bill there. But unless the bill passes by a wide majority, Bush is almost likely to veto it.

The bill aims to strengthen the American middle class with better pay and job benefits, and to recreate a highly professional American workforce devoted to their place of work for life. The bill is seen as an attempt to recreate a revival of the declining role of both American labor unions and a revival for American manufacturing as well.

Already the big business community is lining up against the bill, where using cheap overseas labor to manufacture goods and maintaining only management and warehousing of the foreign made goods is fast becoming the rule in the U.S. in many areas. Whether this bill can survive only the tiny Democratic margin in the Senate and the nearly certain veto pen of Bush is a good question. But the bill is a serious and almost last ditch effort to rescue both the American middle class and the manufacturing economy as well.

Houston, We Have A Problem Astronaut

The very weird case of astronaut gone wacky, Lisa Nowak, is indeed a boom to the late night comics and tabloid punsters. It has spurred wacky puns like: LUST IN SPACE, ASTRONAUGHTY, ASTRONUT, etc. already. And the strange details such as the diaper wearing and bringing a steel mallet are nearly laughable in themselves as well. Any plot to drive 900 mile in diapers to hit someone in the head with a mallet seems like a cartoon level logic and miles beyond infantile.

It is strange how an educated person like Lisa Nowak, who no doubt survived years of psychological testing for having "the right stuff" was able to get through the system. But it also raise disturbing questions about the nature of mental illness to cause absolutely strange and disgraceful behavior that could follow a person with legal problems for years.

The bottom line is that Lisa Nowak needs both help and prayer. She apparently suffers from from serious issues involving both the mind and spirit, and does deserve some sympathy from the public.

Normally astronauts were thought to be like superheroes. Indeed most represent the best in the human race in order to enter this small elite club of space explorers. Lisa Nowak is only the very rare exception, and does prove even the humaness and vulnerability of the the human race to problems outside their full control.

Iran Claims It Will Allow Western Observers Into Nuclear Sites

After only allowing some nonaligned representatives of nations such as Cuba to inspect a reactor site in Iran, Iran now claims it will allow some Western representatives. Unfortunately this is only likely more game playing from the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regime as it is the underground program in 75 foot deep bunkers in which as many as 50,000 centrifuges will some day soon be spinning out enriched uranium and creating dozens of nuclear warheads a year that concerns many nations including Russia, China, the U.S. and Britain.

The fact of the matter is that threats from Mahmoud Ahmadiejad to destroy Israel and other irresponsible outbursts has certainly helped to make any Iranian nuclear program highly suspect. Mahmoud Ahmadiejad represents a dangerous train of thought in fundamentalist Islam that believes that bringing on war against "the infidels" will result in an Islamic paradise on earth. religious extremists like Ahmadinejad only believe that their death in killing "infidels" will bring about their own Islamic version of paradise. This is a dangerous philosophy that the Iranian president has. He has ignored his campaign promises to improve the Iranian economy, and instead has had nothing but poor relations with much of the world, save for a few nonalignned states like Cuba and Venezuela and others.

There is a strong reaction beginning to build in Iran against Ahmadinejad, as more moderate Muslims and clerics are becoming more wary of his dangerous path of conflict with many in the world community.

The public and clerics in Iran need to step up and replace the dangerous Ahmadinejad before the situation worsens with many in the world community. Once this is done, Iran must change course on enriching uranium, and more nations open a constructive dialogue after these political changes in Iran. The other alternative is a dangerous path to eventual serious war in the region.

Courteney Cox's Controversial DIRT Suffers A Ratings Slide

Call it the "curse" of FRIENDS. But no former cast member of this great comedy has made that big of a success since FRIENDS. The latest controversial offering from Courteney Cox, DIRT, is a prime example.

Since it's debut, DIRT has slide from about 4 million viewers down to about 1.9 million viewers. And if Courteney Cox was looking to shake up her FRIENDS image, then she found a strange and disturbing vehicle to do so. There has been a generous helping so far of scenes involving violence, drugs, homosexuality, oral sex, sex toys, death and other unsettling scenes. Even former cruise ship entertainer, Wayne Brady, who was a guest star last week was involved in one of this series most disturbing scenes and implied violence.

Courteney Cox plays a hardriving a valueless editor of a scandal magazine that puts up a pathetic mentally ill photographer who is a barely functional schizophrenic into catching celebrities in very comprising positions. In last week's episode this poor fellow suffered a beating, arrest and a hospital visit after he swallowed the entire film cartridge after exposing an actor's Gay life on his property.

But at the same time, DIRT is such a trainwreck of outrageousness and decadence that it's actually worth watching. The series will likely have it's run and not be renewed for next season, so you have to catch it before it's gone for good. Jennifer Aniston is scheduled to star in the season finale, so this wicked and outrageous series still has a few good moments upcoming that sound worthwhile. Give this wierd show a second look and enjoy the sheer strangeness of it all while it lasts. A wierd vision of Hollywood Babylon and the scandal mags that survive like cockroachs on the twisted souls that inhabit this world.

Three New Upstart Talk Shows Bite The Dust

This 2006-2007 season for new talk shows hasn't been very kind. Three new upstart talk shows have bitten the dust already. It seems like the strong talk shows just keep on humming and new shows have a hard time just building an audience.

First THE MEGAN MULLALLY SHOW was cancelled. It wasn't a bad show, but it just never captured a morning daytime TV audience. Megan Mullally certainly gave this show a good effort and can't be faulted. But viewers just didn't watch.

Now both DR. KEITH ABLOW and THE GREG BEHRENT SHOW have gone by the wayside, both victims of cancellation as well. Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist by trade, hoped to become another DR. PHIL; but it just never happened. And Greg Behrendt, a jack of all trades, but some may argue not a true master in any one area, also failed in his attempt at a relationship and healing talk show. Greg Behrendt's skills range from a former rock singer, standup comic, author to freelance relationship specialist. His show wasn't that bad either, and had plenty of comedy appeal. But audiences just didn't come his way.

Other than RACHEL RAY who has the magic touch of Ophrah behind her, other new morning talkshows have already hit the dust. RACHEL RAY is sheer TV magic compared to the other personalities. A real find from the FOOD network, with a good enough interviewing skills, cute young face, engaging personality and excellent cooking skills.

Oprah has excellent entertainment instincts and DR. PHIL and RACHEL RAY are two excellent examples of her golden touch. Maybe those that failed just lacked some magic.

Big Communications Companies Still Challenging Internet Neutrality And Freedom in 2007

Big communications providers are still challenging internet neutrality in 2007, seeking to build support in state legislators and among the Wall Street community. Despite the fact that probig telecommunications business Senator Ted Stevens no longer is in the driver seat in the Senate to push through legislation that benefits big communications providers such as AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner, these mega communications giants are still seeking to act as the electronic gatekeepers for the future flow of information on the internet.

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon is one of the leading supporters for the consumers who currently use the internet and like it just the way it currently works. But big telecommunications companies such as AT& T and Comcast are counting on the future technology advancement of all services to a broadband nature which will include cable TV, telephone and internet services. These major companies would then be able to speed up the flow or access to the largest website payers, or slow down or restrict access to the smaller sites who pay little.

Political or controversial free speech websites and blogs could be threatened under such a "pay to play" system controlled by the major communication providers. Smaller websites could be difficult to nearly impossible to access. Even Google's Alan Davidson fears the ability to search more freely for any website or the ability to preserve press freedom under such a system where the big communications companies control even the search engine features. While Google claims to have the attorney power to defend it's financial interests, Davidson fears that smaller websites do not have the legal representation power to defend their own free speech rights.

Regretfully, Verizon refers to the current system as giving a "free lunch' to anyone who wishes to be heard on the internet. This is a cruel dollars and cents view of the First Amendment, and opposed to the relative democracy that currently exists on the internet. Just because the mega communications industry suffered some setbacks with the last congress with the loss of clout of Ted Stevens, or even the defeat of his probig business communications bill does not mean that this issue is dead in 2007.

Big communications providers think that building support among the major Wall Street wealthy big business community and virtually ignoring the role of congress is the eventual path to their dominance over the internet, and the end of internet neutrality and freedom to publish or express opinions at will. Some bloggers could indeed still become an endangered species.