As playoff baseball arrives this weekend, all New England sports fans are forced to deal with the realization that the Red Sox will once again be watching it on television along with the rest of us.  Sports reporters are calling this the
worst collapse in baseball history. Really?  The worst ever?!?!  I still tend to think that 2004 represents the worst collapse in not only baseball, but sports history… though our friends from the Big Apple seem to forget that little blip on their otherwise joyous baseball past.

True, the Red Sox blew a 9 game lead in September, something that had never before been done, and something which most “experts” thought could not be done… ah, but wait, those experts forgot they were dealing with the Sox.  Once again the Red Sox  prove that nothing is impossible.  And though the Sox may not be in the playoffs, this is still my favorite time of year as there is nothing quite like October baseball.

And while Red Sox Nation licks its wounds, looking forward to next spring, I can’t help but chuckle a bit at the thought that the youngest generation of Red Sox Nation is feeling the pain of what it means to really be a Sox fan.  I mean, for all you youngsters out there, you have been brought up in the era of 2004 and 2007… not to mention titles by the Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins.  (Wow!  It is good to live in New England!)  

So, does 2011 belong in the conversation with 1946?  How about 1967?  Maybe 1975 or 1978?  It can’t possibly compare to 1986 could it?  I know I don’t have the same feelings of despair I had in 2003 as I saw Aaron Boone’s homer sale over the left field fence in Yankee Stadium.  Oh well… here’s to a not so great season, and hopes for next year!

 Now… bring on the playoffs!

Officials in Bay Minette, Alabama have created a program which gives non-violent, first time convicts the option of attending weekly church services instead of serving time in jail.  With the expensive cost of providing services to convicts in the custody of the state, this program could save the State of Alabama thousands, if not millions of dollars. So, what’s the problem?... the program may not be completely legal.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sent a cease-and-desist letter on Monday claiming the program violates the basic laws of Separation of Church and State. According to the ACLU, the government cannot coerce people to attend any religious services or ceremonies, “The government is not supposed to serve as a conduit for church recruitment.”  The government’s position is that they are not trying to “save” anyone, the program is meant to provide access to community service.  But the ACLU maintains that in the United States people have the right to chose whether or not they attend any sort religious services, and the when Church or Jail are the options, this isn’t really a choice at all.

The program has been suspended until the matter can be debated in court.

News is coming out of China that two Buddhist Monks set themselves on fire in protest of the government’s actions in the ongoing dispute of the status of Tibet as well as the treatment of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Lobsang Kalsang and Lobsang Konchok, both believed to be in their late teens, allegedly poured gasoline on themselves, proclaimed “long live the Dalai Lama,” then self-immolated. Reports from the group Free Tibet are unclear as to whether or not the Monks died… some reports claim that bystanders rushed to them and put out the flames, other reports are claiming that the two monks were shot by police after setting themselves on fire.

This is not the first time people have used self-immolation as a method of protest, in fact the practice is somewhat common for this branch of Buddhism.  The most famous example of self-immolation occurred in Saigon in 1963. 
In a protest against the Catholic Church’s persecution of Buddhists and the policies of South Vietnam, Thich Quang Duc set himself on fire in a busy intersection.  The act was made famous by the photograph taken by Malcolm Browne.

Closer to home, in 1965, a Baltimore Quaker named Norman Morrison protested against the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War by dousing himself in Kerosene then setting himself on fire beneath the office widow of the Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.

The Board of Governors for High Education is set to extend in-state tuition to undocumented students in Rhode Island.  According to Governor Chafee’s office, the law would make in-state tuition available to all undocumented students who have attended a Rhode Island high school for at least three years.  They need to have graduated from that high school in order to be eligible for the in-state college tuition. In addition, students wishing to take advantage of the new law will need to sign an affidavit promising to seek legal status.

Supporters of the measure claim that more students will be given access to higher education as well as encourage illegal undocumented residents to legalize their status.   Critics claim the law will help make Rhode Island a destination for more undocumented illegal residents and that according to State Law, all students of legal resident status in the United States must first be offered in-state tuition before it is given to undocumented residents.

Isis Brantly, a hair dresser traveling through Atlanta says airport security embarrassed her by checking her hair for explosives.  Why her hair? She has a pretty significant afro, and authorities were concerned that unlawful items could be hidden in her hair. 

Apparently she passed through security without her hair being checked, then she was making her way towards her gate when security ran up to her saying they needed to check her hair. They offered to take her to a private
room for the search, she refused, so security did the search in the terminal.

Ms. Brantly says that her rights were violated, that she was humiliated, and no is afraid to fly for fear of harassment because of her ‘signature’hair cut.

Wednesday, a powerful car bomb exploded on a street in southern Michigan.  No one was killed, but three people were transported to the hospital and are all listed in critical condition.  Authorities, including agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are investigating the explosion.

Police are trying to figure out if the bombing was random, or if the victims were specifically targeted for some reason.  So far, authorities have no clear leads and are asking the public for any help or information they may have.  A $10,000 reward is being offered for any information which leads to an arrest in the case.

President Obama faces a pretty difficult diplomatic week as he meets with U.N. representatives over the status of both Libya and Palestine.  President Obama has attempted to convince Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to not petition the U.N. for full statehood saying that he would veto any such request, which is a privilege of any of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.  (and also the ten temporary members which rotate each year.)

Some of President Obama’s critics claim that he is saying that the people of Libya have the right to self-rule and self-determination, but the Palestinians should not be afforded the same consideration… if Obama supports
Palestinian independence he could be seen as weak in his support to the United States’ key ally in the Middle East, Israel.

What does the President do in such a situation?  If he supports Palestinian independence he will anger Israel and most of the conservative contingent in the United States, however failing to support Palestinian independence could anger key European allies who support full statehood for the Palestinian people…

The modern conflict between Palestinians and Israel has been ongoing since the 1948 partition of Palestine…. Thus far all plans for a lasting peace settlement have failed…  

(The Five Permanent Members of the U.N. Security Council are:  The United States, China, France, the UK, and Russia.)

In what is being celebrated as a victory for gay rights in the United States, the 18-year-old ban against having homosexuals serve in the United States military, known as “don’t ask, don’t tell”, will be officially repealed at 12:01 pm on Tuesday.  As soon as the ban is lifted, the Defense Department will publish revised regulations which reflect the new law allowing gays to serve openly in the United States military.

In addition to allowing openly gay men and women to serve, the lifting of the Clinton-era law also puts a halt to all pending investigations, discharges, and other administrative proceedings that were begun under the policy.  According to the Defense Department, existing standards of personal conduct, such as “those pertaining to public displays of affection, will continue regardless of sexual orientation.”Service members who were discharged based on their sexual orientation may re-enlist as soon as the law is lifted.

Like the issue of same-sex marriage in our country, there are many members of congress who oppose the lifting of the law fearing that it will lead to a break-down of military discipline.  Supporters of the ban’s repeal claim
that having gays serve in the military will in no way effect discipline and they plan to hold “Repeal Day” celebrations across the country on Tuesday.

This past weekend officials in Brazil arrested an Irishmen for attempted drug smuggling as he was getting on a flight to Brussels.  They are not yet releasing his name, but they did release a medical image of the man’s
stomach.  In the image you can see most of the seventy-two bags of cocaine that he swallowed!!! Seventy-two bags totaling almost two pounds!!!  Apparently your stomach has a pretty impressive ability to expand.

Apparently the man swallowed each bag, one at a time, and planned to take a laxative when he reached his destination in order to… get the drugs out of his system.  He was caughtwhen authorities noticed he was acting nervous and jumpy, and when theyquestioned him he admitted to having the drugs in his stomach.  

This type of smuggling is not uncommon as ”mules”  are coming up with new and innovative ways to get drugs across international borders. Something else that is not uncommon… deaths from overdoses. 
If those little bags rupture sending huge amounts of drugs into the “mule’s” system… it’s all over.

Yesterday, threats of a “columbine” style shooting were reported to police and school officials at Plymouth North High School in Massachusetts.  What started as an apparent disagreement on FaceBook between several girls, turned into a barrage of threats and the eventual threat of massive school violence.  
 
The four girls who posted the threatening messages were quickly identified sending authorities into action. 

Have the girls already committed a crime?  That depends on how serious authorizes feel the threats were. 
In 2005 two students from Marshfield High School spent significant time in jail after a plot to commit a school shooting was uncovered.  In that case the students were charged with conspiracy to commit murder
and threatening to use deadly weapons.

Officials take these threats very seriously and sometimes  students do not realize that all it takes is a simple verbal threat or a short post on FaceBook or Twitter to commit a crime…