CHOCOLATE JESUS

A 6-foot tall sculpture of Jesus Christ made from 200 pounds of milk chocolate has sparked controversy. Did I mention JC is sans the traditional loincloth? And, yes, he’s anatomically correct. Bill Donohue, head of the watchdog Catholic League, says the portrayal is not only ugly, but exhibited with extremely poor timing.

Heroic Secret Service Agent Takes Question Intended For Bush

"I just followed my training and did what I was supposed to do—put myself between the president and irreparable harm," said Panucci, who is credited with safely deflecting the attack away from Bush, as well as acting before the reporter had a chance to get off a follow-up question at close range. "And let's not forget my colleagues who rushed the president from the scene."

Legal expert: President Bush may have ordered torture of terror suspects

"The administration has been almost pathological in trying to find ways to keep these people from ever seeing a real judge or a real lawyer," John Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, told the Associated Press, "and the reasons are obvious."

The Iditarod Mountain Bike Race!!

Oh My!!!!

On his way to winning the 383-mile Iditarod Trail Invitation race, Pete Basinger set a new course record. His three days, five hours, and forty minutes run broke the former record set by Mike Curiak in 2005 (three days, six hours)...

The Iditarod Trail Invitational is a simultaneous bike, ski, and foot race. The longer option runs 1,100 miles from Knik Lake to McGrath, Alaska. As of Tuesday afternoon, three cyclists and one walker are still racing in the 1,100 mile version, which will finish in Nome after they have endured 25 to 30 days of unsupported racing. "I'm not expecting any records to be broken this year on that one," said Merchant.

Manufacturing Misdemeanors

This sure seems like a waste of resources, eh?

Vermont towns seek to impeach Bush

"We're putting impeachment on the table," said James Leas, a Vermont lawyer who helped to draft the resolutions and is tracking the votes. "The people in all these towns are voting to get this process started and bring the troops home now."

Wilson Statement in Response to Jury's Verdict in U.S. v. I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby

The Wilsons will continue to pursue the civil case against Vice President Cheney, Mr. Libby, Mr. Rove and Mr. Armitage because it hinges on additional and different facts from those underlying the criminal case. The criminal trial was about whether or not Mr. Libby obstructed justice and committed perjury by lying to FBI agents and the grand jury about the fact that he had disclosed to reporters that Valerie Wilson worked for the CIA. The civil suit, on the other hand, hinges on whether or not the defendants violated the constitutional rights of Valerie and Joe Wilson by making those disclosures in a concerted effort to retaliate against Joe Wilson for revealing the falsity of the president's rationale for the Iraq war.

Sick people used like laboratory rats in GM trials

GALLUP: 58% Want Pullout in Iraq Within 12 Months

NEW YORK A record number of Americans now say that the Iraq war was a "mistake" and less than half say the U.S. can win the war, a record low number, according to a new Gallup/USA Today poll released today. Almost 6 out of 10 Americans (58%) want troops to be withdrawn within 12 months and only 13% support sending more.

Ruapehu: The mountain that will explode

It is one of nature's most awe-inspiring and dangerous threats, known as a "lahar", and it can be far more lethal than lava flows. In Colombia in 1985, 24,000 people were buried alive when a lahar swallowed up the town of Armero, following an eruption by the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Another lahar in 1953 caused New Zealand's worst rail disaster, killing 151 people.

Lahars are caused by a lethal combination of water and volcanic flows. Either an eruption suddenly melts huge quantities of snow and ice, sending it rushing down the mountain's flanks, or a natural dam is formed, trapping water at high altitude until the wall holding it back is ruptured. This is what has happened on Mount Ruapehu, where a huge crater lake, nearly 9,200ft up, is about to burst its banks.

Monitoring depleted uranium

According to Caldicott, up to 70% of the uranium released when DU munitions are exploded is converted into microscopic particles that can be inhaled or ingested immediately or when air, soil and water get contaminated. Once inside the human body, these particles kill or mutate the cells they come in contact with. Photographs of DU particles in living lung tissues show them as tiny sun-like, radiating objects. The half-life of this radioactive substance is 4.5 billion years.

Marijuana as wonder drug

The study, from the University of California at San Francisco, found smoked marijuana to be effective at relieving the extreme pain of a debilitating condition known as peripheral neuropathy. It was a study of HIV patients, but a similar type of pain caused by damage to nerves afflicts people with many other illnesses including diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Neuropathic pain is notoriously resistant to treatment with conventional pain drugs. Even powerful and addictive narcotics like morphine and OxyContin often provide little relief. This study leaves no doubt that marijuana can safely ease this type of pain.

Kucinich introduces bill to immediately end Iraq occupation ...

"This is the plan that will get our troops home the fastest. It is workable and achieves the goals of ending the war and enabling our troops to come home," Kucinich said.