James Doohan Dies

I am sure every geek in America knows that James Doohan, Scotty from Star Trek died. What I didn't know was that he was a war hero. Doohan, who was in the Canadian army, came ashore on Juno Beach on D-Day and was severley wounded. He was shot multiple times in the arm and leg (and lost a finger) and was only saved because the bullet that would have hit him in the chest hit his silver cigarette holder. This is one of the few reported times that cigarette smoking actually saved someone's life. Doohan had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Having watched my father deteriorate from the disease, Doohan's passing so quickly after being diagnosed was probably a mercy.

The religion of peace

It looks like terrorists have attacked the London underground again. Is it really that these are simply Muslims who don't understand their religion? The NY Daily News reported that a recent study showed that 68% of Palestinians with some college education think that suicide bombers blowing up women and children is a good thing. Interestingly, the poorer and less educated of Palestinians are less likely to support terrorism (although the numbers are still high - 46%). And these numbers are similar to other islamic countries. In Lebanon, for example, the number is 40% of the population supports terrorism and suicide bombers. Australian Prime Minister John Howard said today, "Terrorism is the enemy of all free people." What does that tell us about these Islamic nations? Will Congress ever wake up to what is going on in the world?

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