They gave us “shock and awe”

As today marks the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, attention has now been anxiously placed in the hands of the newly-formed Iraqi government and the overall responsibility concerning this conflict heavily lies with the United States.

The strong beliefs construed by the present administration to continue its occupation inside the region and successfully put an end to the “war on terror” has also brought more speculation to questions on what happened to those pesky weapons of mass destruction.

Americans have begun to move forward and are embracing for change. They are hoping that the incoming administration arriving at year’s end will grant some sort of closure on the situation.

Most recently, the conflict in Iraq has taken a back seat to President Bush’s contingency plan to stimulate a weakening economy.

Along with a six hundred dollar tax rebate for single residents near the end of June, Americans will be hit with inflation and rising unemployment.

Lets face it!

The New York Knicks have their work cut for them.

With a seventeen and thirty-nine won-lost record so far this season, the Knicks have fallen second to last in the Eastern Conference and own the fifth worst record overall in the NBA.

Knicks head coach Isaiah Thomas now has only twenty-six games left in which he can salvage this most horrific season.

“It’s a slow phasing out of the big man, is what’s happening in this league, it seems like.”

Thomas was quoted when asked about his latest romance with supposed franchise player center Eddy Curry.

The last working rift cost James L. Dolan, the sole proprietor of the Knicks, ten million dollars.

Not to mention the enormous amount of negativity the National Basketball Association was forced to endure.

One positive for the New York Knicks; lottery pick.

In world news, former Cuban President Fidel Castro has decided to step down transferring the balance of power to his younger brother Raul.

Two thousand and nine would mark the fiftieth anniversary of the elder Castro’s socialist revolution. In nineteen fifty-nine, the world was introduced to plain-green fatigues and good cigars.

Cuba shares similar cultural novelties with another Communist country, North Korea, such as government-controlled media and inadequate public works. The citizens of these two nations have learned to compromise with their government’s concern on security while sacrificing a reasonable standard of living.

Am I drowning, or do I think I’m drowning?

The latest “break down” for this current U.S. administration involves an ongoing investigation into the practice known as “waterboarding,” an early form of interrogation that was deemed ill by past American courts.

But since the president has declared war, the CIA among others have been given free reign over all terror suspects who find themselves inside a legal bind.

If you happen to fall victim to interrogation and decide not to “come clean,” then you will be subjected to a subtle form of torture. An unknown source of water being poured over your nose and mouth creating a feeling of drowning will ensue.

Most recently, the Justice Department’s internal ethics office, the Office of Professional Responsibility or OPR, is preparing an unclassified report that will detail the trail of findings that led this recent American government to allow this sort of practice.

In regards to another investigation, Republican Senator John McCain’s ethics were tested once again as one of the chairman on his presidential campaign, Rick Renzi, was indicted by a federal grand jury on thirty-five counts of corruption. The senator has alluded in the past that Representative Renzi exercised “honesty and integrity” towards his legion of voters.

The forty-nine year-old representative of Arizona found out the hard way in trying to compete with the big boys by embezzling funds from his own insurance company’s trust accounts to finance his first Congressional campaign in 2001.

Go West Young Man

The top-tier teams of the NBA’s almighty Western Conference have finally tipped the scales.

Recent additions made by the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Dallas Mavericks should make for an exciting end to this year’s NBA season.

Future Hall of Fame guard Jason Kidd took his business elsewhere with hopes of fulfilling his dream of winning an NBA championship. But a change in scenery does not always bring greener pastures. Kidd, who is averaging almost a triple-double a night, has placed his reputation on the line as a good team player.

The most intriguing revelation to come out of these recent wheeling and dealings would have to be the direction in which the New Jersey Nets are heading. With a chance at the post season and the lopsided nature of the Eastern Conference, some experts closer to the Meadowlands say this may be a rebuilding year.

We will have to wait and see, as the season for New Jersey Nets unfolds, with questions on the strength of their coaching and if and when they will be re-located to Brooklyn.

In world news, the sovereignty of a little known land, Kosovo, has finally gained its independence. This area located in Eastern Europe, was previously part of the now defunct Yugoslavia. Muslim-held Kosovo ditched its sullen ancestors for the promise of Western standards.

With strong backing from the United States, Kosovo has agreed to compete for a spot inside the all-powerful European Union. Serbia, Kosovo’s neighbors to the north, has taken major offense to these latest developments calling for Russia to add some muscle that would counter the West’s influence.

Is it that Easy to Shoot a Gun?

The most interesting revelation to come out of this recent campus school shooting would have to be that Steve Kazmierczak, NIU graduate, and Seung-Hui Cho, self proclaimed bearer of bad news, happen to purchase their guns and ammo from the same arms dealer.

By witnessing these random acts of violence you begin to gain a sense of clarity. Perhaps, your neighborhood sports and tackle shops aren’t paying the rent selling bobbins and lures.

Local gun runners stubbornly refuse to put a stranglehold on gun licensing applications that guarantee a swift possession earning the right to bear arms. Of course, you can’t blame them you wouldn’t want to lose the sale. As in the first lesson you learn in selling is quite simply, “close the deal.”

If Mr. Kazmierczak’s weapon had arrived a day later perhaps he could’ve slept on it instead of re-enacting a scene from the Matrix and becoming a major distraction on the evening news.

In determining how he went about his business, his main objective was to thwart his adversaries by removing their innocence.

On that cold and wintry day in northern Illinois, the pain and suffering laid upon those unsuspecting victims should be cause for concern.

Who’s Telling the Truth

The main event was not the stomping of New York Giants linebacker Michael Strahan.

It was not the soft-spoken lather of New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, or the swirling trade talks surrounding alleged male chauvinist, New Jersey Nets All-star guard Jason Kidd.

Not even the introduction of Queens County’s newest representative, left hander and All-star Johan Santana could draw so much attention.

Among these exciting metropolitan events, there is the barking and barking of nationwide constituents.

When did ex-trainer Brian McNamee inject a needle into All-star right hander Roger Clemens’ buttocks?

McNamee publicly put his own ass on the line (so to speak) stating under oath that he could provide hard evidence. The type of evidence that can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the rear-end of seven-time Cy Young award winner Roger Clemens was stripped and violated.

As fast as Clemens innocently inquired from McNamee, “hey man is this stuff bad for me,” Clemens must quickly now be considering his plans for retirement and Hall of Fame legacy as this trial moves on.

New York Yankees left-hander Andy Pettite and former utility player Chuck Knoblauch’s cooperation with the latest celebrity watch dog, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, helped ease tensions and add some much needed water under that symbolic bridge.

We all well know by now, that the powers that be did not take lightly to the fact that this new breed of “performance-enhanced men” could defy God and cheat the American people of their beloved pastime.

Riding off into the “Sun”set

Other news that has stirred up some intrigue recently is the return of NBA center Shaquille O’Neal to the Western Conference. The Phoenix Suns traded for the aging O’Neal hoping to add some beef to its high-powered offense.

Letter From the CEO for the Holidays

I quit my job today

Had enough

Quit my job

I quit   

Finally packed it in

Told the boss

Take this job and shove it

I’m not working here no more  

I’m the boss

Know what

Your fired

I fired myself  

But I still have a job.

Be cautious

I hope you’ll excuse the mess.  We are under construction right now.  The catering company was supposed to be here hours ago for the food is late delaying the launch of my new blog. Getting that out of the way, it’s time to set your watches.  Ready? NOW!!! We are officially inside the blogosphere.  With your participation, this blog will be stimulated by hard working individuals recording the world as you see it, as you witness it. Thank you for visiting.

A. Coroneos, OCE