N.Korean Firms Abandon Macau

North Korea has moved what to all intents and purposes was its representative office in Macau, the Zokwang Trading Co. The office sign is gone, and North Korean staff of Zokwang Trading across the street from the Macau Department of Transport have disappeared.
A source said Zokwang moved its offices to nearby Zhuhai around the time the U.S. banned transactions of American financial firms with the Macau-based Banco Delta Asia for allegedly being a major money-laundering channel for the North. “Other North Korean firms have also moved their head offices to China because they faced difficulties operating in Macau,” the source added.

North Korea previously had about a dozen firms operating in Macau, but after Banco Delta Asia cut off dealings with them, the North pulled all but three or four out. Banco Delta Asia announced it was suspending transactions with the North just after the U.S. went public with its allegations about the North’s criminal activities, which it says include currency forgery, drug smuggling and arms proliferation.

Zokwang Trading played the role of both consular office and intelligence service. Some staff members are now commuting between Zhuhai and Macau. The U.S. accuses the company of being in charge of money laundering and the distribution of counterfeit dollars though transactions with the Banco Delta Asia, as well as receiving parts needed to develop the country's nuclear program.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Samsung to Launch Slim Slide Phone in U.S.

Samsung Electronics will release what it claims is the world’s slimmest slide mobile phone available outside Korea, the 15.2 mm thick SGH-T809, in the U.S. The gadget is equipped with the wireless Bluetooth and supports Yahoo and AOL instant messengers.

Samsung's mobile telecommunications chief Mr. Lee says the crux with making slimmer handsets lies in accommodating all the cutting-edge technology in the space available. He also reiterated Samsung’s commitment to high-end products.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Russia Defends Sale of Sophisticated Weapons Systems to Iran

Russia has defended the sale of sophisticated missiles to Iran, saying the deal will not upset the balance of power in the Middle East. The United States and Israel have both strongly criticized the sale.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has confirmed that Russia will sell Iran tactical surface-to-air missile systems.

But he describes these as "purely defensive" in nature, and that Iran's acquisition of them "in no way" upsets the balance of forces in the Middle East.

Russian media have reported that 29 mobile air defense systems are part of a deal worth an estimated $700 million.

When reports of the sale first surfaced, an Iranian security official expressed surprise there should be any concern.

But Israel has strongly denounced the move, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying it "serves only the interests of the most negative elements in the region."

The United States has also criticized the deal.

Alexei Malashenko is with the Carnegie Center in Moscow. He says that while the weapons sale might be surprising, it is also predictable politically.

"Russia by all means wants to keep its special relationship with Iran," said Alexei Malashenko. "It is very important for Russia, for Moscow to prove to anybody that Russia is able to pursue its independent foreign policy in this area, in particular in this region."

He adds that the new weapons will help Iran present itself as more of a power in the Middle East, and even take a stronger position in its dealings with the United States. This would include the ongoing dispute over Tehran's alleged nuclear-weapons program.

Russian engineers have been building a nuclear power plant in Iran, which both countries insist is only for peaceful purposes. And Moscow strongly opposes any possible referral of the Iranian nuclear issue to the U.N. Security Council.

VOA News

Scientist proved stress will kill you...

When human is under stress, NPV level is increased and it weakens immune systems to get human body to get sick.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY)
NPY, a candidate anabolic effector signalling molecule, stimulates energy intake. Prominent among anabolic effector pathways is a circuit containing neuropeptide Y (NPY).

Injection of NPY into cerebral ventricles or directly into the hypothalamus of rats potently stimulates food intake and decreases energy expenditure while simultaneously inducing lipogenic enzymes in liver and white adipose tissue.

Consequently, continuous or repeated central administration of NPY leads readily to obesity.

Because NPY gene expression and secretion of the NPY peptide in the hypothalamus are increased during active depletion of body fat stores and /or reduced leptin/insulin signalling to the brain, NPY meets the criteria for an anabolic signalling molecule.

Moreever, leptin inhibits arcuate nucleus NPY gene expression and genetic knockout of NPY reduces hyperphagia and obesity in ob/ob mice, indicating that the full response to leptin deficiency requires NPY signalling.The hyperphagic response to insulin-deficient diabetes is similarly accompanied by increased hypothalamic NPY synthesis and release, and this response is blocked by insulin administration, either systemically or directly into the brain.

Schwart M.W., et al. Nature 404, 661-671(2000) NPY is a member of the pancreatic polypeptide (PP) hormone family that includes also PP and Peptide YY (PYY). Several important physiological activities such as induction of food intake, inhibition of anxiety, increase in memory retention, presynaptic inhibition of neurotransmitter release, vasoconstriction and regulation of ethanol consumption have been attributed to NPY.

Strong central influence of NPY in feeding behavior:

• Injection of NPY into the hypothalamus increases food intake

• High NPY levels are correlated with Leptin

• NPY-knockout can reduce obesity in leptin deficient mice.

Two distinct Y-receptor subtypes Y1 and Y5 have been attributed to mediate the stimulatory effect of NPY on food intake.

NPY, PYY, [Leu31, Pro34]-NPY and three N-terminally truncated analogs, NPY(2-36), NPY (3-36) and PYY (3-36) and PYY(3-36) have been shown to increase food intake. Recently, the first analog of neuropeptide Y (NPY), [Ala31, Aib32]-NPY has been developed with highly selective affinity for Y5-receptor (6 nM).

In vivo adminstration of the [Ala31, Aib32]-NPY significantly stimulated feeding in rats.

Cabrele C. et al, The first selective agonist for the neuropeptide Y Y5-receptor increases food intake in rats. (JBC August 15, 2000)

Israel Says Arrow Missile Defense System Test Successful

Israel Says Arrow Missile Defense System Test Successful
Associated Press Newswires 12/02/05
Copyright 2005. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

JERUSALEM (AP)--Israel carried out a successful test of its Arrow missile defense system Friday, intercepting a missile similar to the long-range Shahab 3 being developed by Iran, defense officials said.

The test was carried out at an air force base in central Israel. It was the 14th test firing of the Arrow, which is being developed with the U.S.. The project has suffered several setbacks in the past.

Israel has identified Iran as its biggest threat, accusing Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.

Israeli concerns were heightened recently after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Israel be "wiped off the map."

The Iranian Shahab 3 can be equipped with nuclear warheads, and Tehran has said the missile could reach Israel and various U.S. military bases in the Middle East.

State-owned Israel Aircraft Industries and U.S.-based Boeing Co. (BA) began developing the Arrow system after Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles at Israel during the 1991 Gulf War.

Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he was confident all diplomatic efforts to defuse Iran's nuclear program would be exhausted before military action is taken.

But the ability to carry out a military strike "of course exists," Sharon said.

Although Israel is preparing for the possibility Iran will acquire nuclear weapons, it won't lead the fight against the Tehran's nuclear ambitions, Sharon said.

Golfer Michelle Wie looks at a ball

KOCHI, Japan - Michelle Wie at the Casio World Open on Friday.

Korean-American golfer Michelle Wie (16) looks at a ball after she teed off in the second round of the Casio World Open golf tournament organized by the Japan Golf Tour Organization at Kochi’s Kuroshio Golf Club, Japan on Friday. Wie scored three birdies at the second round of the tournament, which carries total prize money of 140 million yen (US$1.35 million) but made six bogeys and shot 3-over par 75. Totaling 4-over par 148, she failed to make the cut

CNN explains 'X' glitch over Dick Cheney's face

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - CNN apologized on Tuesday and offered a rare explanation from its control booth for a technical glitch many viewers failed to notice -- a large "X" the network flashed over Vice President Dick Cheney's face.

The wayward graphic, which CNN said lasted for about one-seventh of a second, appeared during the network's live coverage of Cheney's speech on Monday addressing critics of the Bush administration's conduct of the war in Iraq.

Word of the snafu quickly surfaced on the Internet, including still photos of the image posted by online columnist Matt Drudge, along with a story suggesting that some who saw the momentary "X" thought it might have been deliberate.

The Interview with GOD

Interview with GOD...

OIL Gates

WASHINGTON - The chief executives of five major oil companies were asked Wednesday to clarify their recent Senate testimony about the companies' involvement in Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force four years ago.

Sens. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., made the request in letters to the executives after a published report said officials from four of the companies visited the White House complex in early 2001 to discuss energy issues with task force staff members.

The White House has refused to disclose contacts with industry representatives concerning the task force deliberations.

When asked during a Senate hearing on oil industry profits last week by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (news, bio, voting record), D-N.J., whether any of the companies' representatives had participated in the task force, four of the executives said they did not and the fifth said he did not know.

The Washington Post, citing White House documents, reported Wednesday that representatives from four of the companies had visited the White House complex and met with Cheney task force officials in early 2001.

Domenici, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said he sent a letter to the oil company executives seeking clarifications that would resolve any "apparent inconsistencies" in their testimony. He was joined in the letter by Bingaman, the energy panel's ranking Democrat.

Earlier, Lautenberg asked the Justice Department to investigate whether the executives might be guilty of giving false statements to Congress.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (news, bio, voting record), D-Wash., and five other Democrats asked Domenici to recall the executives and require them this time to testify under oath.

The executives who testified last week at a hearing on oil industry profits were Lee Raymond, chairman of ExxonMobil Corp.; David O'Reilly, chairman of Chevron Corp.; James Mulva, chairman of ConocoPhillips; John Hofmeister, chairman of Shell Oil Co.; and Ross Pillari, chairman of BP America Inc.

Chevron was not included in the documents cited by the Post.

Pillari responded that he did not know whether any BP America officials participated because he wasn't at the company at the time. While not commenting specifically about the Cheney task force, BP America spokesman Ronnie Chappell said Wednesday that BP America representatives "routinely meet with government officials."

ExxonMobil said in a statement that Raymond "correctly confirmed in the recent Senate Hearings that ExxonMobil has not been a participant on the Task Force and did not meet with the Task Force to discuss the provisions of the energy policy."

Telephone calls to the other companies was not immediately returned.

'Thinking' Robot Breaks Barriers but not Eggs

The Korean Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intelligent Robot taskforce has created the "T-Rot," which is scheduled to wait on world leaders in a Robot Café at the APEC summit venue. "T-Rot was developed as a service robot for the elderly and disabled,” says taskforce director Kim Mun-sang. "It has the ability to hold conversations with people and fetch items that they want, so we call it a 'thinking robot' or T-Rot.”

T-Rot’s fingers have a human-like sense of touch, so they can grab objects with adjusted strength depending on the materials.

The T-Rot is equipped with two cameras that recognize people and objects -- the face and stature of the people it lives with as well as refrigerators, glasses and other items in the area -- and interpret them in three dimensions. It also recognizes its own location, and sports features that allow it to understand human speech and carry on appropriate “conversations.”
The most important function is the robot’s capacity to recognize things by its sense of touch. Since helper robots live with humans all the time, security is crucial. For that reason, synthetic skin which detects the texture of things like human skin is essential. The skin developed by a team led by Gang Dae-im and Kim Jong-ho from the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science has polyamide film and three-axis sensors that can detect vertical pressure and horizontal sliding. It is capable of recognizing the weight of objects with a less than 10 g margin of error when it holds a 100 g object.

Thanks to this attribute, T-Rot can use different amounts of strength when holding a can or a soft drink bottle. When it shakes hands with humans, it senses the person’s strength and adjusts its own accordingly. Previously introduced robots' movements were unnatural because they shook hands according to pre-installed programs.

“The T-Rot is able to pick up eggs without breaking them,” Kim said. “We have also developed sensate skin which can detect stimuli 1 mm away like human fingers, and the tests are underway." With the T-Rot as a foundation, the ministry’s taskforce plans to make helper robots that can assist the elderly in walking and accompany them on shopping expeditions within two or three years.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Las Vegas Air Show

Two U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform a mirror formation during Aviation Nation Air Show at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2005. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Albert Hubo

At an IT exhibition on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Busan, a participant shakes hands with a humanoid robot named “Albert Hubo” which has the face of Albert Einstein on Monday. The robot can walk and speak and expresses emotions by moving facial muscles.

Bush ‘Concerned’ About N.Korean Human Rights

On the eve of a fresh round of multilateral talks about North Korea’s nuclear program, U.S. President George W. Bush expressed strong concerns about the way the Stalinist country treats its people. "I have expressed my concerns about treatment of men, women and children in North Korea. I worry about a society that is going hungry. I worry about forced labor camps," Bush told the Chosun Ilbo in a special interview at the White House on Tuesday.
Bush said the role of the U.S. Forces Korea was to ensure peace and stability throughout the region. “The arrangement we have on the Korean Peninsula has worked for a long period of time. And that ought to be the operative model as we go forward,” he added.

The interview was limited to three Asian media -- the other two were Japan's Asahi Shimbun and China's Xinhua News Agency - ahead of an eight-day trip starting Monday that takes Bush to Mongolia, China and Japan as well as this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Busan. The president went on to meet separately with Korean broadcaster KBS as well as the press from the other three countries.

Striking a conciliatory note, Bush said one goal at the APEC summit was to strengthen the Korea-U.S. alliance. “One thing I hope people do agree with in South Korea is that they got a good friend in the U.S. We've been a friend for a long period of time, and we will remain a friend,” he said. Korea has been moving toward a more independent defense.

Asked what kind of leadership his administration expects from the North Korean regime, Bush said, “The mark of a good leader is one that cares first and foremost about the human conditions of the people that live in the country, and where there is starvation and hunger, the leader's responsibility is to address that.” But his rhetoric was noticeably more restrained two days after he once again called North Korea leader Kim Jong-il a “tyrant” during a visit to Brazil.

He also stressed the importance of achieving a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through diplomatic efforts, saying dialogue to reach that “noble goal” will continue. He said he hoped the North Korean nuclear issue brings about not just dialog but actions and results.

Bush urged South Korea and China on one side and Japan on the other to mend fences after their relations deteriorated over Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi continued visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war criminals among his country’s fallen. The visits have reopened the wounds of Japan’s brutal colonization in both countries. “It's possible to forget the past... it's difficult, but it is possible," Bush said.

He also pledged that the long-deferred issue of a free trade agreement with South Korea would be discussed at the APEC summit.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Replica of Historic Warship to Voyage Into DMZ

A replica of one of the iron-clad turtle warships or Geobukseon with which Korea’s national hero Yi Sun-shin repulsed Japanese invaders will become the first vessel since the Korean War to travel the Han River-West Sea route that passes through the demilitarized zone (DMZ).

The full-sized replica currently anchored at the Han River Citizens Park will be towed along the lower river that passes through the DMZ to Tongyong in South Gyeongsang Province to take part in an exhibition there.

The middle portion of the lower Han River runs along the military demarcation line, and civilian boats are barred from the area unless they have permission from UN Military Command. But this has never happened, leaving even the waterway's exact measurements and safety unknown.

Using the occasion of the Geobukseon's travel through the DMZ, the Seoul Metropolitan Government hopes to start full-fledged discussions of the use of the waterway for peaceful purposes. Peaceful use of the Imjin and Han rivers by both North and South, it is hoped, could help on the long road toward unification.

The idea was born last year, when Seoul and Tongyong agreed to show the turtle boat on Hansan Island, where General Yi defeated the Japanese in a famous 1592 battle.

The Geobukseon will leave at 11 a.m. next Wednesday and pass through 15 km of the DMZ for around two hours. After sailing through the waters between Ganghwa Island and Gimpo, the vessel will arrive in Incheon harbor. It leaves on Nov.11 and will take around three days getting to Tongyong depending on the weather.

The replica is 34 m long, 10 m wide and 6.30 m high and was recreated by the Navy with W2.2 billion (US$2.2 million) from the government in 1990. Since then it has made regular appearances along the Han River as part of special national events.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Laptop With Detachable Screen Breaks Down Boundaries

Samsung Electronics’ M70, the world's first laptop PC that with a detachable 19 inch LCD screen.

The release of a laptop computer with detachable liquid crystal display screen is breaking down the boundaries between desktop PCs, notebooks and digital TVs. Samsung Electronics said it launched the new M70 model, whose 19-inch LCD monitor can be used separately, on Tuesday.

In that way, the product can be used as a desktop PC with a freestanding monitor, and the parts can be replaced and upgraded separately. According to the maker, it has all international television standards and is equipped with high-quality speakers, making it useful as a portable television or DVD player. The M70 weighs about 4.4 kg and costs about W5 million (US$5,000).

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Charity Earns Michelle Wie a Round With Clinton

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton accepts a check for US$500,000 from Michelle Wie for victims of hurricane Kartrina after wrapping up a round of golf with the Korean American in Las Vegas.

Michelle Wie added a round of golf with Bill Clinton to her precocious resume on Monday when she donated US$500,000 to a fund for victims of hurricane Katrina co-administered by the former U.S. president. The sporting summit took place at the Southern Highlands Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Wie presented a check to the charitable foundation created by Clinton and fellow ex-president George Bush Sr. “I just saw clips of” the devastation, she said. “And I really wanted to help out. I really do hope it helps a lot of people.... Compared to all the disaster, it's such a small amount of money.''

Clinton praised the Korean-American golf prodigy, saying it was not only an extraordinary experience to play with Wie on the course, but that she left a great impression off the course as well. Wie returned the compliment saying her meeting with Clinton was “a great moment.”

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Mars to Swing Close to Earth This Weekend

AP - Thu Oct 27, 9:02 PM ET LOS ANGELES -

Mars is ready for another close-up. For the second time in nearly 60,000 years, the Red Planet will swing unusually close to Earth this weekend, appearing as a yellow twinkle in the night sky.

Winner takes all the money???

LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) beat analysts' forecasts with a sharp rise in underlying profits on Thursday, as high oil prices more than compensated for production losses due to U.S. hurricanes.

ADVERTISEMENT The world's third-largest listed oil firm by market capitalization said in a statement that its current cost of supply (CCS) net profit, which strips out gains from rises in the value of fuel inventories, rose 68 percent to $7.369 billion.
Excluding one-off items of $1.569 billion, Shell's "clean" CCS earnings were $5.8 billion.
A Reuters poll of 10 analysts gave an average forecast of $5.12 billion for Shell's clean CCS profit.
Investors and analysts focus on the clean CCS figure, considering it the best measure of Shell's underlying health.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp. on Thursday posted a quarterly profit of $9.9 billion, the largest in U.S. corporate history, as it raked in a bonanza from soaring oil and gas prices.

Record profits for Big Oil at a time when consumers are paying sky-high prices for gasoline have brought calls for a windfall profits tax or other penalties on oil companies.

The companies have been enjoying an unusually rosy environment for months. In the third quarter, oil prices and refining margins rose sharply after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ripped through the Gulf of Mexico, disrupting energy operations in the region.

While Exxon's quarterly profit was up 75 percent from a year earlier, and revenue rose 32 percent to more than $100 billion, the results fell short of Wall Street forecasts due to production outages caused by the hurricanes and sharply lower profit at the company's chemicals division.

"They were a bit disappointing, but this a temporary phenomenon," said Paul Kuklinski, an analyst with Boston Energy Research/Soleil Securities. "This is largely attributable to hurricane effects."

Exxon shares fell slightly in midday trade.

The world's largest publicly traded oil company said net income jumped to $9.92 billion, or $1.58 a share, from $5.68 billion, or 88 cents a share, a year earlier.
Excluding a gain of $1.62 billion from restructuring its stake in a Dutch

Real Time Episode 64

Episode 64 Premiering October 21, 2005
Guests: Arianna Huffington, Tucker Carlson, Michel Martin, Spike Lee, Chris Webber

On a Letter to Valerie Plame

"'You went into jail in the summer. It is fall now. Out west, where you vacation...' See, this is how I know it's bulls***. Who talks like this? If you vacation there, you don't have to say it. It's like bad exposition in a movie. 'Ted, you're my brother.' 'Out west, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters. Because their roots connect them.' I think the source of the leak is Walt Whitman." – Bill Maher

On the New York Times

"The New York Times - but the whole country gives it that weight. It's like the Asian kid in math class. Everybody in the media cheats off the New York Times." – Bill Maher

On Health Care

"You know how many parents in neighborhoods don't let their kids learn to ride a bike, because they're afraid if the kid gets hurt - or to play softball or play sports - because if the kid gets hurt, they can't afford to - you know, they could be bankrupt." – Michel Martin

On the NBA Dress Code

"For everybody to say that it's racist, to me, what you're saying to me is that the black man can't be fresh or fly or can't have a suit on." – Chris Webber

On the Governments Response To Katrina

"There was a hurricane - Betsy in '65 - they felt the same thing happened, where a choice had to be made. One neighborhood - got to save one neighborhood and flood another. Look, if we're in L.A. and there's an emergency situation, we call from Beverly Hills and we call from Compton. Which one is the cops coming to first?" – Spike Lee

On A Conspiracy in New Orleans

"So as you - as you sit here, who is someone who is rich and has options, and are watched by people who are poor and have no options, it seems to me it's your responsibility, your obligation to tell them the truth. And you know the truth, which is, the federal government did not blow up those levees. You don't feed the paranoia and the craziness." – Tucker Carlson

Here is a New Rules by Bill Maher...

All right. Time for New Rules, everybody. New Rules. Let's not get too excited here.

All right. Stop making gum packaging so complicated. Gum used to come wrapped in its own cheap, unfunny comic. Now it comes in air-tight, vacuum-formed, foil-wrapped, blister packages like birth control for astronauts. It's not AZT, it's gum! It's just something for the president to chew when he's not walking. He can't...at the same time...

New Rule: Let Vikings be Vikings. Yes, there's outrage that some Minnesota Vikings may have gone on a party cruise and then...partied. Excuse me, but what's the point of getting your ribs crushed every week if you can't occasionally get blown on a boat? Besides, these are the Minnesota Vikings. They can't always be the ones doing the sucking.

New Rule: Sylvester Stallone can't make another "Rocky" movie unless it's called, "Rocky Dies." Come on, Sly, even great characters have to be put to rest. It would be like if Governor Schwarzenegger went around all day quoting "The Terminator." Okay, bad example.

New Rule: Words printed on a coffee cup will not turn you gay. A Baylor University dining contractor has banned Starbucks cups that have a quote from a gay author. Listen, breeders, you can't get AIDS from a Styrofoam container. And besides, if you're holding a double half-caf, vanilla mocha latte, extra foam sprinkled with nutmeg, you're already gay!

And finally, New Rule: Saddam Hussein's trial must be moved to Los Angeles! We are "fiending" out here for our next big celebrity court case! Local news stations are so bored, they've resorted to reporting real news! If we don't get another circus trial soon, Pat O'Brien is going to start drinking again.

So, what do you say, Saddam? Who doesn't want to have their trial in L.A. anyway? It's always sunny. Our juries are stupid. And you can show up in court in your pajamas. You'll love L.A. Most people out here haven't worked in over two years either. And if you find yourself homesick, and long for a filthy spider-hole to crawl into, I'll introduce you to Courtney Love.

But - but seriously, the main reason to have your trial here is, unlike Iraq, we have good Jew lawyers. In Baghdad, they'll say you gassed the Kurds. But that's not the way it'll come out when Mark Geragos or Bob Shapiro is representing you. No, what happened is, you had your Weapons of Mass Destruction with you that night at an Italian restaurant. In the Valley. Where you were dining with the Kurds. Who you love.

Now, you forgot the weapons after dinner, went to retrieve them; and when you returned, the Kurds were already gassed. Saddam, in Hollywood, nobody commits crimes against humanity. That's what a personal assistant is for. Plus, we believe what celebrities say, no matter how stupid. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, you were outside your bunker chipping golf balls. End of story.

And the rape rooms? Please. If you call giving someone at Abu Ghraib a little Jesus Juice and then cuddling with them "rape"...it was milk and cookies; it was charming.

I say, if he's from Tikrit, you must acquit!

In conclusion, the ultimate reason to try Saddam Hussein in L.A. is this: out here, we don't convict celebrities. He'll get off, which is good, because it means the man will be free to get back to work.

People, really, we tried there in Iraq. We really did. But you have to admit, sometimes just needs a "daddy." Okay, an abusive father. Hannibal Lecter. The point is, yes, Iraq was a bad place under Saddam, but let's not throw the baby out with the Baathists. He knows the people. He knows the country. He's tanned, rested and ready. He's had time to think about losing his two precious asshole sons. Maybe he has, dare I say it, grown.

So, what's wrong with giving a sick, twisted, unhinged megalomaniac a second chance? Hell, HBO did it for me! All right, that's our show. I want to thank Spike Lee, Michel Martin, Tucker Carlson, Chris Webber and Arianna Huffington. Thank you, folks. Have a good weekend.

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