June 9, 2003

US officials: Al Qaeda detainees deny Iraq link CNN - US officials say Abu Musab al Zarqawi, suspected in the death of a US diplomat, had contacts with al Qaeda figures and spent time in Iraq. 7:21:04 PM

Israel Begins Taking Down Settlement Outposts Voice of America - Israel's military says it has begun tearing down unauthorized Jewish settlement outposts in the West Bank. 7:18:12 PM

Blunt US warning to Palestinians BBC - The failure to end violence against Israelis is threatening the creation of a Palestinian state, the White House has said. President Bush's spokesman said continuing attacks by Palestinian gunmen hurt the implementation of the US-backed peace plan under which Israel has agreed to the principle of a Palestinian nation. 7:16:39 PM

Instapundit links to an article out of Hong Kong, dated 17 October, 1998.   The paragraph that caught his attention, and mine is: "One remarkable fact in the terrible history of famine is no substantial famine has ever occurred in a country with a democratic form government and a relatively free press. They have occurred in ancient kingdom and in contemporary authoritarian societies, in primitive tribal communities and in modern technocratic dictatorships, in colonial economies governed by imperialists and in newly independent countries run by despotic national leaders or by intolerant single parties. But famines have never afflicted any country that is independent, holds regular elections, has opposition parties and permits newspapers to question the wisdom of government policies. " It seems so simple to those of us who truly understand democracy.  It is very hard to believe that the simplicity escapes the arabs of the middle east, or the Mullas of Pakistan.  True democracy, and freedom of the press, for the sake of the people, and by extention for the health and welfare of the current rulers. 12:10:32 PM

4 of 5 children get e-mail spam CNN/Money - Symantec study finds majority of those getting spam feel uncomfortable and offended by e-mails. And a substantial number of 1000 children ages 7 to 18 interviewed for the survey by Symantec Corp said "uncomfortable and offended when seeing improper e-mail content." 10:09:07 AM

Nine-Year-Old San Jose Girl Found Alive Two Days After Kidnapping FOX News - SAN JOSE, Calif. — A 9-year-old girl who was brazenly kidnapped from her home last week walked into a convenience store late Sunday less than 30 miles away from her house and is giving police useful information on her abductor. 9:54:31 AM

NY Woman Charged in Shoe Slaying or "Slaying in the City" Newsday -  A woman whose ex-boyfriend died after she beat him with her size-12 high-heel shoe was charged with manslaughter Sunday, police said. 1:45:22 AM

Election of gay bishop could cause church rift Atlanta Journal Constitution - The election of an openly gay bishop will widen the rift in the Episcopalian church over homosexuality, though the selection likely will be confirmed at the national General Convention, observers said Sunday. 1:43:54 AM

SARS claims two more victims The Globe and Mail - Ontario health officials said a 66-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man suffering from the disease died Saturday, four days after the last reported fatalities. 1:42:47 AM

Canada reports two more SARS deaths as Asia toll also rises USA Today - Two more SARS deaths were reported in Toronto on Sunday after a second outbreak of the illness gripped Canada's largest city, raising the virus' death toll here to 33. 1:41:01 AM