the news

North Korea's Kim Jung Ill refuses to apologize for their recent military missile launches, despite growing concern from the global community and the UN. In a reactionary move, President Bush has ordered that all Korean Americans, including adopted children and US citizens, be detained for questioning at an undisclosed US military facility.

In other news: The disputed Mexican election has been resolved in favor of the conservative candidate. In a rare move the US Supreme Court ordered that the election be closed and the President-Elect named, to insure that democracy is upheld. This move came after President Bush declared Mexico an extension of texas. in a press conference he said, "Texaco ain't just a gas station anymore."
In a related story, Karl Rove was said to have been seen "tanning" on a rooftop in Mexico City this week. Rove was quoted as saying: "I found the border adequately guarded on both sides. In fact, I had to crawl for 11 miles on my stomach, catch a pickup full of chickens and peppers, and walk eight city blocks to get to my 5-sthotel." Fortunately for Karl, his salary is slightly higher than 50% of Mexicans who make $5.00 a day or less. God forbid they cross the border to make $5.15 an hour doing a job few "privileged" Americans would stoop to do.

Quote of the week: President Bush on turing 60. "60 isn't as old as you think." Profound.

"Superman Returns" comes out in theatres this week, I guess. Apparently, this resurrected hero has some new life in this flick. After two lousy Superman movies and the paralysis of Chris Reeve, it seemed that the caped one was dead. Had we lost hope? The genre itself had been reborn with the X-Men, Spiderman, and "Batman Begins" blockbusters of recent years. I think people like to see an action film in which a seemingly ordinary person is somehow transformed, reborn, and enhanced with some powers and capacities rendering him or her extraordinarily useful to humanity. Why? How else will we get out of the mess we're in, the mess we've made. How else will evil be combated and justice restored? It will take the extraordinary gifts of an ordinary person to get it done. Superman is a caricature of our greatest hope. A Christ figure, prepared to suffer for the sake of humanity. One who is prepared to use his power for the common good. Ah, in today's American political climate, wouldn't such a one be a breath of fresh air?

Okay, so I took an extended break. I was on parenting leave for crying out loud. 5 weeks ago, Cherie gave birth to Luke Timothy, a 6 lb. boy with a furrowed brow and a powerful kick. He often seems frustrated or bitter with his arrival. Perhaps its that he realized quickly that he was born with me as his father. O joy.

At any rate, the church offered me a month off to change diapers, sleep less than lab mice on crack, and basically parent my two sons. I've managed to do my fair share of night feedings, rocking, diapering, etc...I've also managed to take my wife out to dinner once and take my two year old to the zoo--his third home, after home and church.
Jonah, the two-year-old, loves the baby. At least, to the extent that he hasn't attempted to actually harm or kill him yet. He calls him Lukey and enojoys watching him do the limited things babies do. His entertainment value is, at this point, weak. After all, the baby's novelty wears thin when crying like a siren from a bullhorn ensues. According to Dr. Weissbluth--author of the book, Healthly Sleep Habits, Happy Child---Luke is at the height of fussiness, a perfect time for me to return to work. Of course, leaving Cherie alone with a two-year-old who is more demanding than Tyra banks at Starbucks and an infant poised to exercise his lungs by screaming like a banshee in heat is tantamount to torture. If she were Muslim I'm sure she would begin to make terrorist threats, simply to be removed by the feds for several years of "detention". And I;ve only been back to work for a day and a half! I just keep teling her, "It will get better". Please God, let it get better...