Happy New Years!

2007 has been quite the eventful year but it's now 2008's turn to make some headlines. Some of the events already in the lineup are the presidential elections and the winter games in Beijing. I had a fantastic year [I think] and I look forward to what the new year brings.

Happy New Years from Franny.

Perfect Pats

The biggest story today, for me, is the New England Patriots' perfect season!! 16-0 after the win against the New York Giants [who played very well]. The previous team to do this was the Miami Dolphins who did this in 1972, having a 14-0 season. I'm so proud of the Pats!! Winning the bowl will be the final task, but I have all faith in them. Go Pats!

In other football news, the Redskins beat the Cowboys today. I'd like to think I had something to do with it. Every since I started watching their games, they've won every single one. I'm proud of them too.

I'm in a very positive mood today. Even with all the controversy around Bhutto's death, which I won't elaborate today because it's the same information being tossed around, I'm looking forward to 2008. With the caucuses and primaries coming up so soon [Iowa in 4 days], it should pave the way for a very interesting race to the White House.

I'm actually watching Obama on Meet the Press right now but nothing interesting is really happening. It's sad to admit, but she-Clinton will win the Democratic nomination. I'm more interested in watching the Republicans claw their way into the nomination spot. Huckabee is looking strong in the earlier caucuses, but I really don't think he'll get it. I'm still not sure exactly which Republican candidate I'm rooting for because they're all lacking, but I think the only person who can go up against she-Clinton is Giuliani. It'd be an interesting battle because even with all their popularity nationally, there are many people who strongly oppose them. More on the presidential trail in the new year.

I usually blog at the end of the day, so naturally, some posts are made the day after, but this post is for Sunday, December 30. I will post in the afternoon for December 31 because I'll be at a party, but it should still be somewhat informational.

I'm actually tired of the Franny thing, I mean duh I'm Franny. Who else can be Franny of Franny's News of the Day? Well, signing off is you know who. This is Franny, and I approve this message.

Oops...I forgot to do it [not again yet]

It's hard to blog everyday, seriously. It's only been a couple days and I've already missed a day [by an hour]. I will update, maybe twice as much, tomorrow.

I'm Franny of Franny's News of the Day, I apologize for the lack of news. Good night.

Developments...a lot of them

Following the death of Benazir Bhutto, many people are still deciding who to blame for her assassination. Some say Al Qaeda, others say Musharraf. But another situation that has arisen is exactly how she died. It was believed that she was shot in the neck and chest that caused her death. Either that or she was hit by shrapnel from the suicide bomber's attack. Now, reports are saying she may not have been shot at all, and actually fractured her skull on a piece of her car as she ducked from the attacks. Though some others are saying that it was a sniper's attack. There is mass confusion on her cause of death, but at this point, it is most important for the culprit to be found.

In another part of the world, Hong Kong was permitted to elect their own leader in the year 2017. When they were returned to China in 1997 after being under British rule for many years, part of the agreement allowed Hong Kong to govern themselves, but a date was never set. This is definitely a step towards their much wanted autonomy and it has been earned. By 2020, the whole legislative branch would be elected by Hong Kong as well.

The WGA strike has been hanging over many peoples' heads like a raining cloud, but the sun is starting to peek. Many late night shows are returning in the early parts of January without writers and that's not something the hosts really want to do, but David Letterman has made a deal with his writers [albeit a temporary one]. So the Late Show with David Letterman and the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson will return early January with their whole writing staff. Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and The Colbert Report will all return around the same time, but without their writers. It should be interesting to see what the hosts will cook up to show their support for the writers.

Just a remind, the Iowa caucuses are on January 3rd for both the Democrats and the Republicans. In 6 days, the beginning of one of the most important presidential elections will officially commence.

Until next time [tomorrow], I'm Franny of Franny's News of the Day. Thanks for dropping by, good night.

Shocking news from Pakistan

I'm quickly going to post this and then lengthen it later today. Ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto has died. She was killed whille speaking to a large gathering of her supporters. Suicide bombers killed her and at least 20 people in their attack.

As I said, I will go into details later tonight. Right now I just want to say how shocked I am. I know this isn't close to home at all, but this is just so...weird. There's probably a better word but this piece of news is just consuming my mind. I never really thought of Bhutto as a person who could change how Pakistan is today, but she was definitely a force. So many people look up to her as motivation and as hope. The one thing that hit me most is that I've never experienced this before. I've watched her on the news and interviews this past many months, and then suddenly she was killed. This never happens here. People just don't appear and then not the next day.

I must be off to work, but I promise this will be extended with further details and my feelings.

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The situation has not changed since this morning. Bhutto is still no longer alive and Pakistan is in a state of turmoil. Many are grieving for the death of a great leader. Bhutto has said that she knows of the dangers of returning to Pakistan but she was willing to put her own life at risk to save her people.

Benazir Bhutto was Prime Minister for two terms between 1988-1990 and 1993-1996. She was the first female to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan at the age of 35. Her father was also once a Prime Minister but was hung due to conspiracy to murder and corruption [Benazir faced the same allegations in her terms].  She led the Pakistan Peoples Party, which is a centre-left party. Although both her terms were cut short, she aided in changing Pakistan even with all the opposition trying to boycott her. She was exiled due to her alleged corruption charges but was granted amnesty by President Pervez Musharraf. The PPP and she were great critics of Musharraf and his politics.

Bhutto's passion towards changing Pakistan for the better has inspired and influenced so many people, that her death has shocked not only people of her own country, but people around the world. Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has voiced his grievances and spoke very highly of Bhutto. Even British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that this sad event has affected those in his country. President Bush and Prime Minister Harper has both said that this is an outrage and that those who did this should be stopped.

For the next three days, Pakistan is to be in a state of mourning. But for the strong supporters of her, this official declaration by the government does not mend anything. They are angry at the lack of governmental control and security, and some are angry enough to believe that this was done by the government under Musharraf. Everyone is pointing fingers at everyone, but it must be remembered that extremists committed this horrific act and rash actions may prove to further damage the country.

Pakistan lost an important figure in democracy today. Benazir Bhutto was a brave woman whose life was committed to helping her country. The world mourns her untimely death and she will always be remembered. May she find peace in where she is now.

R.I.P. Benazir Bhutto.

Boxing the day of news and noise

To quote Mr. Keith Olbermann, there's definitely "a fine line between news and noise" in the year 2007. There has been so many events that's happened this year that I feel I have to get a head start on the recapping. But I will start off with some fresh news; the real stuff?

In Jakarta, Indonesia, a landslide has killed an estimate of 60+ people. The heavy rain that the area had been receiving has been contributing to many landslides as well as floods. This event occurred on the 3rd anniversary of the large Asian tsunami that killed 230,000 people.

Sen. Jim Webb D-Va. hosted the shortest senate session today coming in at 9 seconds. This sessions was to deny President Bush's appointment of an assistant attorney general whom the Democrats jointly hate. It is not yet known whether Sen. Webb was trying to break a record of some sorts or just denying to spite Pres. Bush.

Nothing else really caught my eye for news today. I admit, I'm super tired because I worked all day while everyone else was shopping their little hearts out. Now for a small recap:

Remember Senator Larry Craig (R) of Idaho? Don't lie, of course you do! He's the foot tapping, wide stance guy! Apparently this event has caught the eyes of other countries' news stations and they're asking for humorous clips of what happened [according to Msnbc].

I remember around that time there was the whole Alberto Gonzales thing going on [which I will cover in a couple posts from now] and then it was thrown aside for the gay escapades of Sen. Craig. So is he still in the senate? He says he's not gay, then he sets a resigning date, and then he refuses to resign...I'm as confused as he was before he came out.

A couple months later Sen. Craig agreed to talk to Matt Lauer about the event. What were some of the questions he asked? Are you bisexual? I mean c'mon! He won't admit he's gay, what are the chances of him admitting he's bisexual...with his wife present! After the interview, Craig pulled Lauer aside and said, "I'll answer that question next time we 'bump' into each other in the airport washroom.

I must say that I almost forgot to post today. It's tough to blog, I don't know how that Markos guy does it. Until next time, I'm Franny of Franny's News of the Day. Hope to see you here again tomorrow night. Good night. [Brian Williams of NBC if you were wondering...]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's Resolution

I had a relatively uneventful Christmas day, which allowed me to think about my New Year's Resolution. I'd always wanted to keep a diary of some sorts to show my commitment to something, yet I'd failed at all my previous attempts. This time around, with the new technology and all, I will make it my New Year's Resolution to 'blog' everyday.

I also thought about what I would write about. I'm not actually going to share my secrets with anyone who just happens to drop by this blog, so I must find a topic that I am interested in to talk about. After much debate with myself, I have decided to write about the news. Yes, the entertaining world of real news. Everyday I will post a piece of news that I read, watched, or heard about and share it with whoever wants to read it.

In all honesty, I did not watch the news at all today because I was busy spending time with my family, but I will post a little bit of something I read online.

A bridge in Nepal collapsed, which led to the deaths of at least 15 people. Many others have been reported missing. This event happened when a group of people crossed to attend a Hindu religious festival.

A tiger at the San Francisco Zoo escaped and killed one while injuring another two. The tiger was shot and killed by the police before it could damage any more people. The deceased was a patron at the zoo and the two injured had serious lacerations but are stable.

Now onto the campaign trail. Iowa is 9 days away, which means it's crunch time. Democratic nominees Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards are within the margin of error in recent polls. Leading Republican Mike Huckabee is about 8 points ahead of Mitt Romney who is ahead of Rudy Giuliani by 14 points. Although Clinton and Giuliani are leading in national polls, they are less important now that it's primary/caucus time. More information to come as I will post something about the presidential bid everyday.

That's all for me tonight, signing off Franny's News of the Day, I'm Franny. Good night, and good luck. [I will use a different one every post until I settle on something I like].