Carl Crossman

While the war in Iraq has been winding down, there is still a buildup of American forces in Afghanistan. While the buildup has had some success, the outcome of the war is still in doubt. NATO forces are winning the major battles but are still tormented by attacks by the Taliban.

Military leaders are calling for patience and are saying that the war is still winnable. The problem is that security in the nation is still shaky and citizens don’t feel comfortable going out of their homes. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the outcome of the war will be.

One thing that is complicating the world is that wars are no longer fought just on the battlefield. Some of our potential enemies such as China are taking things to the next level. One area they are progressing in is attacks on our computer networks. The Chinese are becoming adept at hacking into our networks and stealing information or just shutting our systems down.

Some evidence of this came to light after Google had a run-in with the Chinese government. Google was forced to stop their service on the Chinese Web and have since routed these sites into Hong Kong. American officials are aware of the problem and are working on ways to defend our vital computer systems against foreign attacks.

One thing that I was not to happy to hear about today was that Senate majority Leader Harry Reid wants to legalize online gambling. Many people in his home state of Nevada want to break into the market and make big money. I know that gambling can be lucrative, but I am against it.

I believe it’s wrong for people to gamble at all, but that’s just my personal opinion. But I do think that allowing people to gamble online would be a huge mistake. It wouldn’t take long until some were hooked and they may lose everything they have. I hope congress decided not to support this bill!

One of the greatest artists of all time is Picasso. The artist painted thousands of paintings and has had a lasting impact on the art world. His paintings are coveted by art lovers everywhere. That’s why drama occurred when a new trove of paintings were discovered when a French electrician came forward with the art.

The electrician says that he was given the art after installing a burglar alarm for the master artist. Picasso’s heirs are claiming that the art was stolen and want it back. The art has been confiscated by police until the case can be sorted out. The art has been looked at by experts and is believed to be genuine.

The president of the United States announced today that he intends to freeze the pay of nearly two million federal workers for two years. The move comes after the recent republican victories in the last election. He hopes to trim the deficit by five billion dollars over the next two years.

The only catch is that congress must approve the move. It is unclear whether the bill will pass but many believe it will. Another problem is that many federal workers and labor unions are against it. I don’t like a pay freeze myself, but I think it’s needed at this point.