Cuba and Venezuela could host Russian bombers, Iran, Other Stories

1) Report: Cuba, Venezuela could host Russian bombers

Russia could use bases for its strategic bombers on the doorstep of the United States in Cuba and Venezuela to underpin long-distance patrols in the region, a senior air force officer said Saturday. See: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.9776268a25e75ad5b44b4d87e8a32a02.4a1&show_article=1 And: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090314/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_bombers_cuba 2) America is irritating the rest of the world with its current fiscal practices. Remember in the last post that China was “worried” about our spending? Now notice the following quotes from the article cited below: “But officials remained cool to a U.S. push for more coordinated government spending to stimulate economies”; and “Germany, which has been the most outspoken critic of the U.S. push for more spending, said that fixing the financial system has to come first.” See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090315/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_g20_finance_ministers 3) Iranian president declares his country a space and nuclear power TEHRAN, March 13 (RIA Novosti) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Friday that pressure from Western powers trying to keep Iran in economic isolation have in fact spurred the country to become a space and nuclear power.  "Had you not been bad-tempered and blocked the way, the Iranian nation would not have been present in space, and would not have become a nuclear power," Fars news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying at the inauguration ceremony of a natural gas deposit in the Bushehr province. See: http://en.rian.ru/world/20090313/120554424.html 4) The White House Misfires on Limbaugh …Was it smart politics and good policy? No. For one thing, it gave the lie to Barack Obama's talk about ending "the political strategy that's been all about division" and "the score-keeping and the name-calling." The West Wing looked populated by petulant teenagers intent on taking down a popular rival. Such talk also shortens the president's honeymoon by making him look like a street-fighting Chicago pol instead of an inspirational, unifying figure. The upward spike in ratings for Rush and other conservative radio commentators shows how the White House's attempt at a smackdown instead energized the opposition. Did it do any good with voters not strongly tied to either party? I suspect not. With stock markets down, unemployment growing, banks tottering, consumers anxious, business leaders nervous, and the economy shrinking, the Obama administration's attacks on a radio talk show host made it seem concerned with the trivial. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123682426946303905.html 5) Louisiana Governor Rejects Unemployment Stimulus Money See: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/13/jindal-to-reject-98-million-less-than-sanford-perry/ 6) Clinton middle school students get condoms as part of health fair giveaway Clinton middle school parents were in for awkward conversations Thursday night after some students got condoms as part of a school health fair giveaway. "I kind of freaked out," said a Clinton seventh-grade girl, adding she was so shocked and embarrassed when she pulled a condom out of a goodie bag that she dropped it. "I turned to my friend and said, 'What do I do with this?' and I gave it to someone. I wasn't going to keep it."  The Ryan Medical Center, a health care provider located in the school, handed out the bags as part of an HIV/AIDS awareness program. See: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/03/12/2009-03-12_clinton_middle_school_students_get_condo.html