Another Beheading, The End of the Affair

In the Name of Allah: British aid worker David Haines has been beheaded by Isis extremists in a desert setting similar to where two American journalists also were murdered. His killing was shown on a video released on the Internet. Cawthorne read a prepared statement before his killing, much like the two Americans, saying, “I would like to declare that I hold you, (British Prime Minister) David Cameron, entirely responsible for my execution. You entered voluntarily into a coalition with the United States against the Islamic State.”

The executioner, who appeared to be the same British speaking man who killed the two Americans, said the next victim would be Alan Henning, another British aid worker.

The execution of Cawthorne came after The BBC removed a beheading scene from the latest episode of the long-running series “Dr. Who” out of respect for journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, who also were beheaded. The episode takes place in Medieval England.

Ukraine: In the midst of what is supposed to be a ceasefire, Ukraine has fought off a rebel assault on the Donetsk airport. Also yesterday 220 Russian trucks purported to be carrying aid crossed the border into Ukraine, but they were not inspected for their contents.

Bush War: Nigeria says it killed 100 Boko Haram fighters while defending against attack on an important town in the northeastern part of the country where the extremists are trying to establish a Muslim state. The army described three hours of fierce fighting to secure the town of Konduga. A vicious Boko Harm leader named Amir was reported to be among the dead.

Kimche Justice: North Korea has sentenced 24-year-old American Matthew Miller to six years at hard labor for hostile acts against the country. Exactly what Miller did isn’t clear. He arrived in the country April 10th as a tourist and was said to have torn up his visa and declared he was seeking shelter in North Korea.

Fore: Golfer Greg Norman, known as the Great White Shark, nearly lost his left hand in a chainsaw accident. The 59-year-old Australian tweeted “Damaged but not down & out. Still have left hand.”

The Obit Page: Denny Miller, the former UCLA basketball player who was the lead in the 1959 “Tarzan the Ape Man” has died at age 80. Miller went on to do guest spots in series like “Wagon Train.” Miller was just one of more than 20 actors who played Tarzan in the movies and on television, but the most remembered is Johnny Weissmuller.

The End of the Affair: South Carolina Mark Sanford announced that he is ending his engagement to the Argentine woman for whom he left his wife in a national a scandal while he was governor of his state. Sanford famously said he was “hiking the Appalachian trail” while he was actually in Argentina with former television reporter Maria Belen Chapur. Citing continued litigation by his ex wife Jenny over child visitation and other issues, Sanford had asked Chapur for another two-year delay before marrying. But the woman he once described as his “soul mate” said she could no longer continue in the category of “mistress.”

It may be over, but the romance gave the American political lexicon the term “walking the Appalachian trail” as a euphemism for a politician having an affair.

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Friday, March 29, 2024

Page Two

The Most Corrupt Justice

Monday, October 2, 2023

Democracy and Video in the Dark

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Page Two: Do the Right Thing

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Page Two: Sound Recall

Monday, September 13, 2021

Page Two: Cuomo Must Go

Friday, August 13, 2021

Trump and the Truth

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

The “Great” President

Monday, March 30, 2020

The Wright Stuff

Saturday, February 29, 2020

It's Been Said

"In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have, no excuses."

-Andrew Cuomo, resigning as governor of New York after accusations of sexual harassment

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