WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

• I'm back with news. I had my head in the sand for a bit... so all this is news for me!
• Philippine rebels shot and killed 5 police officers including a chief. The ambush came a week after Philippine government and communist rebel negotiators agreed to restart talks on ending the 42-year rural-based insurgency that has killed some 120,000 people.
• A Chinese pianist played an anti-American propaganda song at the White House.
• This winter is looking really really really rough. Get those Northface jackets, or invest in the company, while you can.
• A Seattle activist won a case against the TSA! Horay! In 2009, he was arrested for using a video camera in a public space and failing to show ID.
• Cuba is getting broadband! I went to Cuba in 2008. The hotels had access to the internet, but not many other places did... AND you had to show ID in order to use the 'net. This is kind of a big deal.
• More than 800 people in Rio de Janeiro have tragically died as a result of the flooding that was caused by torrential downpours in the region.
• Sarkozy talks G20 agenda. Main objective: Curb commodity price volatility. He warns that the world risks food riots and weaker growth if leaders fail to act.
• The Pope has bless social networking. Says virtual friends can't replace real ones and warns of parallel existence, depersonalisation, alienation.
• I know that China has a bagillion more people than the United States, but it still seems odd that they'd out sell the US in sales of General Motors vehicles. They have. We lose.

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

• Even Rupert Murdoch is worried about China's growing economic power. Shit is gonna get really messed up over here in the States. What dialect of Chinese should I be learning? Seriously.
• Germany has raised their security alert because of suspected terrorist activity.
• A new superbug has emerged in Europe called NDM-1. In fact, one of the dudes from the European Center for Disease Prevention called it a "Super superbug." 77 cases have appeared in multiple countries in the EU, and 3 in the states. The bug is immune to almost all vaccines and can cause UTIs and pneumonia. They also said that it may have been spread from India. Good times.
• Super long profile about Sarah Palin in New York Times. She's totally gonna run for President in 2012 and she's totally going to win. She knows that popularity rules uber alles. Shoot, she's also probably been prepping and learning things and stuff.
• The Egyptian blogger who was jailed for insulting the President of Egypt and possibly insulting Islam, has finally been released after 4 years. What would you tell this blogger he missed while he was away?
• The TSA is going to have a lot of essplainin to do pretty soon. I'm doubtful this new security situation is going to last much longer: Airline pilots are trying rally against it, an online group is trying to initiate some sort of "National Opt-Out Day" (November 24), the Taiwanese animated our biggest fears, the TSA has been hit by lawsuits, and even beloved illusionist, Penn Jillett called the cops on a TSA agent that felt his crotch without asking first. Will you be opting out next time you fly? Here's what happens when you decline a full body scan.
• Japan is working on making the future happen now with facial recognition vending machines.
• The first transgendered trial judge in the country has been elected. Big day!
• Waist-high flooding in England.
• The FDA is probably gonna ban caffeinated alcoholic drinks, and FOURLoko is changing it's ingredients... which will kill the product anyway since it tastes like crap.
• The police have taken the producer of "Survivor" into custody cos they think he was involved in his wife's murder in Mexico.
• Cholera has hit the Dominican Republic.
• Strong earthquake in Indonesia. No damage. Thank goodness.