Been a while since I did a SueNN rundown....

I have been very disturbed by the news of insurgents using a Down's Syndrome child as a suicide bomber in Iraq on election day. Are there no lines they will not cross? It just absolutely sickens me.

And we wonder why the US has a reputation for silly law suits? These kids really didn't think their actions through, even if their intentions were in the right place. I can understand why the lady would be scared, and I certainly wouldn't be too sure about eating cookies left on my doorstep by a stranger. Maybe in simpler times, but not these days. However, why did this even get to court? And further still, why did a judge not just dismiss? The kids made an error of judgement - they're young, probably full of hope and dreams and just wanted to do some sort of random act of kindness. The woman may have overreacted, but then again, we don't know what she saw that night and quite rightly could have been terrified. But for this to actually make it all the way to court? To tie up so many people's time and energy? An apology was in order, yes, but the rest is way over the top.

Sick, sick, sick! These Dollar demons go beyond depravity. How did they ever get past the adoption process? The 14 year olds weighed less than a 3 year old toddler. I wonder these poor children can ever truly recover from the hell they have been put through. The article states only 5 out of the 7 were starved. What happened with the other two? If they weren't being abused and were the so-called favourites, why didn't they call the authorities? I just don't get it. Why go to the trouble and expense of adoption when you just want to torture the children? My first thought it was a foster "in it for the money" thang, but apparently not. I guess my brain, thankfully, just does not function in a way that I can even comprehend such evil.

It looks like the Pope has recovered enough to give his weekly sermon from his hospital bed. I am not Catholic, although my mother is. My brother was fortunate enough to have an audience with him when he visited Vancouver in 1985, while part of his security detail. The Pope blessed him and my parents have a framed picture in the hallway of the moment. For a long time, I looked at the Pope with a bit of distain (don't shoot me, Rebecca!) as I thought his frailness was a poor example as a leader of the Catholic faith. That his weakness was a metaphor for the diminishing following of the religion itself. I wondered why he just didn't retire. Let someone stronger come in. I don't think that anymore. As I've learned more about his Eminence, I am struck at how amazingly strong he truly is. At 84, he is fervent in his beliefs and a true leader among men. It just took looking past the outer physical appearance to see that the world will be a poorer place when he passes on but that he will leave an indelible mark. I had the opportunity to visit St. Pete's, the Superbowl of Churches, on my 28th birthday. What a breathtaking place. More gold than I had ever laid eyes on.

A day late, a dollar short. An Alberta man, apparently living under a rock for the past year, has embarked on a 30-day McDonalds diet. He thinks he can do better than the Supersize-Me guy. Really, dude, do you not have anything better to do?

How would you like to live in the Nicobar Islands? When the tsunami hit, I signed up on the USGS earthquake site to receive notification of earthquakes over magnitude 5. Since December 27, when I started taking note, there have been at least one or two 5.5+ earthquakes every DAY! When Seattle was hit with a 6.8 on February 28, 2001, the shaking was felt very strongly up here 200 miles away. I remember standing at the window at my work watching the lampposts sway and the road look like it was a wave. I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to experience that every single day!

Just watching Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. Cheesy as all hell, but I just can't turn away. I have always been a sucker for dance movies. But when did Patrick Swayze get so OLD? Seeing him as a creepy dance instructor in this movie is just plain weird. Not to mention he's now making 'straight to DVD' movies. Dude, I think you are done. Time to ride off into the sunset with your blowdried mullet.