Switch Hitter
Traficant Jam
Rep. James Traficant
(D-OH), on why he voted for against his party for Speaker of The House:
\"[House Speaker] Dennis Hastert
[R- is a man of the people\" (\"Hannity & Colmes,\" FNC, 1/4).

Let\'s Have A Ball
Register and Revolt
Civil rights leaders yesterday called for a national mobilization of
African Americans and progressive allies to defend voting rights, and they
denounced irregularities in the presidential election as punishment for
\"voting while black\" (Wa
shington Post)


Transitory Glory
Tranny Jive
Looking to join the Bush-Cheney administration? Apply here

Heads Spinning
The Cabinet so far.

Watts This?
In a move that sent shock waves through the environmental community,
President elect George W. Bush today nominated G
ale Norton to head up the Department of the Interior in his incoming
administration. Norton, who served as attorney general for the state of
Colorado for eight years, is a protégé of James Watt, President Ronald
Reagan\'s highly controversial Interior Secretary. (Enviro News Service)

Ashes To Ashcroft, We All Fall Down!
We\'ve come a long way in this country since the 19th century -- but not
so long that an admirer of the Confederacy can\'t be
nominated to run the Justice Department of the United States. The president
of the Confederate government, Jefferson Davis, is
a hero to Sen. John Ashcroft, the man selected to become the next attorney
general (FAIR).

Eco-logic
Clinton Mends Cherry Trees

In the biggest land conservation act in decades,
President Clinton will approve an order on Friday
putting nearly a third of the national forest land
permanently off limits to road building and logging.

The move, covering more than 58 million acres in 39
states, is to be cast by the White House as a capstone
in the president\'s efforts to protect public lands
from development. NY Times

Ding-Dong
Aliens, Time Travelers and Haunts head back to
Work!
Famed late night radio host Art Bell to return Feb.
5. (Drudge
Report

Clinton Indictment?

President Clinton\'s final days in office promise to be
his most anxious days as Independent Counsel Robert
Ray orders his
divided staff to settle the question whether Clinton
should be indicted in events surrounding the Lewinsky
grand jury
investigation.Drudge
Report

International
Pinochet wiggles and writhes

Lawyers for the former Chilean military leader,
General Augusto Pinochet, say he will not be complying
with a judicial order to undergo medical tests at the
weekend. BBC
News

Poop for Sale!
Get It While Its Hot
Human excrement has become a precious commodity in
Kano, the commercial capital of northern Nigeria and
one of the largest cities in the country.BBC
News
College Looking Skinny

An anorexic student in the United States took her
college to court for not allowing her to continue with
her studies on the grounds of her condition.

Officials at Stonehill College, a Catholic institution
in Easton, Massachusetts, argued they could not
provide Keri Krissik with the level of support she
needed.
BBC
News


Drugga Thugga
What Drug Problem? (sweep sweep)

Despite the commitment of record amounts of money to
fight drug abuse, the number of drug-related episodes
in emergency rooms is at historic highs and drug use
among youths remains significantly higher than when
President Clinton entered office...Boston
Globe

StateSide
New Laws, New Fun!

In New York\'s Suffolk County, on Long Island,
commuters can no longer use hand-held cellphones in
their cars. Illinoisans can\'t videotape people in
locker rooms, homes, or hotel rooms without their
consent. And California prisoners who were wrongly
convicted now get $100 for each day they spent behind
bars.

More new laws include a law that professional hair
braiders in California do not need a cosmetology
license. Or the mandate that Minnesota hunters caught
faking a disability to get a special permit face as
much as a year in jail. Christian
Science Monitor


Ten Facts Everyone Should Know About Mothering
by Ariel
Gore

1. Harriet Nelson is
dead.
2. Small families do not need minivans.
3. Stretch marks fade.
4. Nervous breakdowns are usually temporary.
5. Newt Gingrich is in therapy.
6. Motherhood will change you, but you can still be yourself.
7. It doesn\'t cost a million dollars to raise a kid.
8. You can nurse, even after nipple-piercing.
9. It is not nice to name a child Cappuccino.
10. If you do it anyway, she will change her name to Jill.
(Hipmama.com)