Obama Shelves Immigration Reform Until 2010. Maybe.

Mexico's President Felipe Calderon, left, and his Public Safety Secretary Genaro Garcia Luna hand a plaque to a a federal police officer during a ceremony at the Federal Police headquarters in Mexico City, Friday, Aug. 7, 2009.


Illegal immigrants expecting President Barack Obama to tackle Immigration Reform will have to wait in line until he overhauls the Health Sector and regularises the financial slump that has destabalised the American economy.

"I've got a lot on my plate and it's very important for us to sequence these big initiatives so they don't crash at the same time," he said.

The president made the announcement in Guadalajara, Mexico, when he addressed the North American Summit, earlier today. He said while immigration reform was important other priorities such as his health care overhaul and financial regulation would be tackled first.

Not a welcome decision for millions of immigrants who had rallied around Obama while on the hustings.With his popularity slipping away, the decision to shelve immigration talks until 2010, will seem like a heated slap in the face for the expectant illegals. And that too is not certain, especially, with the negative wave rising up against his plan to revamp health care. But what about the financial sector? Who is to say the president's plan could pull it back on track by 2010, a mere four months away.

Silly Science

Where do Socks go When You Can't Find Them?


Silly Science is what I call it. Though kooky it seeks to provide answers to everyday mysteries that occur at your fingertips. It's up to you to believe or disprove it. Do you dare?
So why do socks disappear and where do they go?
No, they don't get stuck under the bed or eaten by the dog or get lost in the shoe closet. They disappear into a miniature black hole created by the dryer. Surprised? So am I. But that's the experts explanation, not mine, so don't jump on my throat. Like you, I am learning, too.
I stumbled upon the wacky explanation in an article by MSNBC Science Editor Alan Boyle. I am not disputing the conclusion, mind you, I just think it's out of this world wild. And can't help being curious about the socks that kept disappearing at my home. Wonder where they are now?
At the end of each laundry day, there would be one side to almost every pair of socks in the house, and many times I ended up wearing two different sides of white socks, rolled down to the ankle, so classmates wouldn't notice. Those wayward socks could not have disappeared into a black hole. We had no washing machine or dryer in the house. My aunt laboured over a scrubbing board to get them clean. Now where in God's name are those darn socks? Under the tub, maybe, or hidden in a black hole among the rust in the bottom of the tub. Hmmmmm...

Cutlass Attack Hurts Tobago Tourism?

Trinidad no Safer

Did the attack on British couple Peter and Murium Green hurt tourism on the sunny isle, Tobago?
Perhaps. Tourists may be wary of visiting due to the upsurge in attacks on foreigners, especially those who have purchased properties on the Caribbean island. And with personal safety at risk they may opt for safer ports.
But what about the sister isle, Trinidad? Already tainted by spiralling murders, kidnappings and robberies, Carnival may very well be the only attraction for tourists. And that too, if the crime spree continues to increase may not be enough to woo them, to the island in the future.
Tourism Minister Joseph Ross agrees that the upsurge in crime in Tobago, a popular tourist retreat is impacting negatively on the island.
He assures that the police are tracking every lead to catch the persons who attacked and chopped the Greens at their holiday home in Bacolet, Tobago.

Read it here: http://bit.ly/seecq

Train Robber Released to Die

$50 Million Stolen in Heist of The Century

It was in August, 1963, that Ronnie Biggs and a gang of thieves held up and robbed a Glasgow to London mail train of 2.6 million pounds - the equivalent of more than $50 million today. The bedridden 80-year-old robber was released from prison yesterday, sent home to die. He is being fed through a tube.Over the years Biggs had several strokes and a broken hip.

Dubbed the "heist of the century," the gang was hunted down and arrested. Biggs was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but climbed over a wall and escaped two years later. He fled to Brazil. In 2001, he returned to Britain and surrendered to police. This time, he was locked up in Belmarsh, a high security prison in london.

Last month, after serving ten years of his sentence, he came up for parole. Britain's Justice Secretary Jack Straw overruled the Parole Board's recommendation that Biggs be released stating that he had shown no remorse for his crime.

Yesterday Straw said he had released Biggs on compassionate grounds, after he fell seriously ill during the week.

Propofol Killed MJ, Trini Doctor Under Scrutiny

It's beginning to look like Dr. Conrad Murray killed the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Evidence that he gave Jackson propofol, a strong anesthetic, sometime after midnight, hours before the singer collapsed and died, has been unearthed by investigators, according to an AP news source.

Could it have been accidental? Only he knows. And why was a drug only used at hospitals found in MJ's home? Money can certainly buy anything and it may have bought the King of Pop his death. Propofol, it has been said, is not the only drug he has taken. Over the years he had progressed through a long list of prescription drugs to ease his pain and to help him sleep.

What happens next? Will Dr. Murray, 51, be arrested for manslaughter? Although he has been identified in court papers as a subject of a manslaughter investigation, police said he was not a suspect. Isn't that a contradiction?

Like Keith Smith said in his column, all Trinis, including myself, are waiting for the shoe to fall. They're feeling the pressure, because Dr. Murray, while not Trini by birth, has become known worldwide, as the Trinidadian doctor suspected of killing MJ. Whatever the outcome, the stench will not blow away easily.

Trini Doctor Suspect in Michael Jackson's Death?

Was the King of Pop murdered? If so, who did? And what was the motive? More so, could Trinidadian Dr. Conrad Murray have done it? He was, after all the only person with Michael Jackson when he collapsed.

FBI and local police are probing a Manslaughter link in the singer's death. They raided Dr. Murray's Houston clinic for documents that may connect him to Jackson's death.

Naked Cowboy to Run for Mayor of New York

"Naked cowboy for Mayor of NYC," is his campaign song.

Commonly known as the naked cowboy, Robert John Burck strummed his guitar and sang his jingle as he launched himself as a contender for Mayor of New York City in Times Square, today. With his candidacy now official, he vowed to promote transparency in government and show people how to do more with less, if he should be elected to the City Council.

The naked man wearing a hat, a undie, a chain with a huge cross around his neck, boots and his guitar is sure to add some excitement to the upcoming election. He said his decision to run for Mayor will not prompt him to buy a new suit and outfit. "Not on the city's time," he stressed.

Longest Eclipse of the Century Blankets India in Darkness

Superstitious Pray For Protection

In a few hours, daylight will turn to darkness in India. Scientists and star gazers are speeding across the globe to witness the historic phenomenon and superstitious people are praying for protection from this rare occurrence.

At 8.50 p.m. tonight, New York time, as dawn awakens in India, the longest total solar eclipse in the century, estimated to last 6 minutes and 39 seconds will blanket the country in darkness.

Today, in Varanasi, locals and tourists gathered to pray and perform rituals for peace and protection from what they believe to be the eclipse's harmful invisible rays. Locals are warned to stay indoors to avoid being hit by the rays.

The eclipse will move east across India over Nepal, Butan and Japan before casting shadows over areas in China. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth thereby blocking the sun's rays.

Chartered flights are taking passengers 41,000 feet above the earth's surface to get a view of the eclipse and for them to take pictures.

While the rest of the world goes about its business India prepares for a dark morning.

No Fun Writing With One Hand

I admit, it's no fun typing with one hand, the left hand to be precise. And if you're a ten-finger-typist like I am, then it's a huge no. I am a writer, so typing is really me, writing, with the key board, which in turn has become my pen. In that case I've learned to be ambidextrous, but only on the keyboard.
Recently I had been forced to function one-handed. Left-handed, actually. It was the worst experience of my writing life. I produced nothing worthy, except, short emails that took hours to complete. Tap, tap, tap, that spells how, then space and then a tedious exercise of rolling the mouse in a series of circular motions before I could position it in line with the text.
Happily, I am working my way back to a ten-finger-typist, albeit a slow one. All this due to two recent surgeries on my right wrist to mend a broken fibrocartilage. Was it painful? Absolutely, beyond imagination. And now the stiff fingers and immobile wrist are gradually working themselves into usefulness through agonising therapy sessions. Soon, my fingers will be flying over the keys, as they once did. Perhaps, a year, said the therapist. Still I am thankful for the progress. Just don't ask me how long it took to complete this.

Race Against Sotomayor?

Race. Race. Race. Every time someone in this country is nominated or is in line to fill a prestigious position and is not white race jumps up like a bucking broncho. What ever happened to the best qualified and most experienced to fill the position? Everyone deserves a fair shot, even Sonia Sotomayor. And I still believe those detractors who are hammering hard at racial bias, especially, with the resurrected firefighters issue, will not see the derailment they are hoping for.

If only the wise, some who hold the highest offices in the country could see beyond skin colour, hair texture and ethnicity a person's ability to execute his/her duties, there would be less racialism in appointments. Granted there are issues with judgments Sotomayor delivered as a High Court Judge, why the intense grilling now and not back then, when the decisions were taken? Is it only because of her nomination? Perhaps. The Republican critics may be the ones with the hidden agenda and not Sotomayor, hence, their deligence in discrediting her impartiality.

Sotomayor Mucho Mujer

The battle has begun. Republican critics will fight to keep Sonia Sotomayor out of the Supreme Court but her allies, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee will fight harder to confirm her appointment. Who will win? Sotomayor, of course.

After what I've seen of today's Senate Confirmation hearings, I have no doubt she will be elevated to Supreme Judge. The Bronx pride leaned forward gracefully as Senate critics aired their views on her nomination and why she should not be confirmed. In the Bronx fingers were crossed and prayers were whispered, eyes became teary, as many residents watched the proceedings on television hoping for her swift confirmation.

And swift it will be, a record one at that, based on today's hearing conclusion. Tomorrow's questioning session should be a breeze for the esteemed judge, who did not flinch once when the Senate hearings launched into racial politicism.

Of course, she's Hispanic, but that does not make her any less suitable or less qualified for the position. Does she have an agender? I don't think so. I believe it's her mission to successfully complete her tenure, when confirmed, as she did with past positions and academic challenges.

As a member of a minority group myself, I applaud Sotomayor for her dedication and her ability to rise above humble beginnings to such a historic stature. It is achievers like her that give hope to people like us; minorities who struggle to establish ourselves where we are sometimes made to feel we don't belong.

Sotomayor's nomination, seven weeks ago, by President Barack Obama, has catapulted her into the annals of history. She is the first Hispanic to be nominated to the Supreme Court. Tomorrow the 55-year-old nominee will reply to critics who questioned her impartiality. It would be an interesting session, for this great woman will not falter in her quest. She will indeed, bring pride to those who support and admire her. So kudos, Sotomayor, the gilded gavel is yours. And as her Hispanic followers has said, she is a "mucho mujer."