ABC has formally apologized for a slightly raunchy open to Monday Night Football featuring Philadelphia's Terrell Owens and actress Nicolette Sheridan of ABC's prime-time sudser Desperate Housewives.

The open featured Sheridan, clad only in a towel, trying to entice Owens. Once Sheridan dropped her towel, Owens opted out of the game, saying the team would have to win without him.

In the taped segment, Sheridan drops a towel and is shown from a rear angle unclothed down to the lower part of her back. After Owens says, "Aw, hell, the team's going to have to win without me," Sheridan jumps into his arms.

"We have heard from many of our viewers about last night's MNF opening segment, and we agree that the placement was inappropriate," ABC vice president Mark Mandel said in a statement. "We apologize."

In a strongly-worded statement, NFL public relations vice president Greg Aiello said, "ABC's opening was inappropriate and unsuitable for our Monday Night Football audience. While ABC may have gained attention for one of its other shows, the NFL and its fans lost."

A spokeswoman for the FCC who declined to be identified, said, "I can confirm we did receive complaints" about the ABC MNF opening. She said the complaints will be reviewed.

If an "apparent violation" of the rules is determined, the FCC would issue a "letter of inquiry" to ABC asking for more information about the incident. If a violation is ultimately determined, penalties that could include fines could ensue.

But with the kind of ratings Desperate Housewives has been getting, ABC isn't going to yank it off the air any time soon.

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A video released today shows the murder of CARE worker Margaret Hassan in Iraq.

The Irish family of aid worker Margaret Hassan taken hostage in Iraq have said they believe she is dead.

Their statement followed reports in Iraq of a video reportedly showing her murder.

Downing Street did not, and does not, as a matter of policy, negotiate with terrorists.

The body of a blond-haired woman was found on the streets of Fallujah by US Marines engaged in battle there. It is widely thought that the body is that of Hassan, but no confirmation has been made as of the present.

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This morning, someone suggested to me that Bill Cosby might be someone worth the Bush Administration's attention for the post of Secretary of Education.

I got that same quizical look on my face that probably is on yours at reading that statement. But after his continued vocal defiance of the "Soul Patrol" who would rather he dummied up and kept our collective "dirty laundry" in the closet, one has to wonder.

'Let them stay mad," Bill Cosby told CNN's Paula Zahn last week.

But Cosby has no plans to shut up. "This is about little children and people not giving them better choices," the 67 year-old actor-comedian told Zahn. "How long you gonna whisper about a smallpox epidemic in your apartment building when bodies are coming out under the sheets?"

At a Jesse Jackson confab in Chicago over the summer, Cosby kept up the scolding, despite being accused of airing African-Americans' dirty laundry in public. Cosby shot back that this dirty laundry is displayed on a daily basis by black youths who use profanity, call each other the "N" word, and think they're hip even thought they're barely literate.

He blasted blacks who hurl the same racial slurs at each other that are used by racist whites, and who don't take advantage of the opportunities that were so hard won by the heroes and heroines of the civil rights movement. And he offered no soothing words for black men who passed up the chance to get a high school education, but now vent their anger at not being able to earn a good living on the women in their lives.

He holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. His doctoral thesis used his Fat Albert characters as a basis for teaching aids in the classroom. He was involved in the early seasons of CTW's (now Sesame Workshop) The Electric Company, and he created and produced Picture Pages for CBS and PBS' Captain Kangaroo. His Little Bill is currently part of the lineup of educational programs on NickJr.

Cosby's more recent outspoken stance toward education and personal responsibility has earned the ire of many from the "Soul Patrol" sector of black America, but because of his background and history, many other blacks are listening.

Perhaps it is time to bring his no-nonsense truth and wisdom to the Education Department.

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Garrison Keillor, host of American Public Media & NPR's popular A Prairie Home Companion the weekend after the November elections, during a live broadcast:

"I am now the chairman of a national campaign to pass a constitutional amendment to take the right to vote away from born-again Christians."

According to the University of Chicago Maroon newspaper, Keillor said, "If born-again Christians are allowed to vote in this country, then why not Canadians?"

I guess religious freedom is OK, provided you aren't a conservative and a Christian -- at least in Lake Wobegon.

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Dr. Condoleezza Rice is President Bush's choice to replace Colin Powell as Secretary of State.

Senior administration sources confirmed that Rice would be Bush's choice. The news came just hours after the White House announced Powell had submitted his resignation.

ABC News has also learned that Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley will likely replace Rice as national security adviser.

The announcement comes as a sort of birthday present for Rice, who turned 50 on Sunday.

I'm sure the leftists will talk about the "revolving door," or about "rats deserting a sinking ship," but this looks like more strategic planning by the Bush Administration.

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Is this the definition of "Losermobile?"

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Word out this morning that Colin Powell will be leaving his post as Secretary of State.

Several people have been named as a replacement, including Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. FOX News contributor and former ambassador Mark Ginsberg said Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz may also want the job, but could face trouble getting confirmed because of the troubles in Iraq that he takes the blame for. Sen. Richard Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is also a darkhorse for the job.

Three other cabinet level resignation announcements are expected today: Rod Paige from Education, Anne Veneman from Agriculture and Spence Abraham from the Energy Department.

Powell is expected to stick around until a replacement is found.

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From the November issue of Wired: more...

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In what sounds like a real-life Clive Cussler novel or an episode of Stargate: Atlantis, American explorer and researcher Robert Sarmast claims to have located the ruins of the lost city of Atlantis off of the shores of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

Sarmast says sonar scanning indicates man-made walls on the seabed, one as long as two miles.

"It is a miracle we found these walls as their location, and lengths match exactly the description of the acropolis of Atlantis provided by Plato in his writings," Sarmast said, referring to the ancient Greek philosopher.

"We have definitely found the Acropolis of Atlantis," he affirmed, adding the site was 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Cyprus.

The chief government archaeologist of Cyprus, Pavlos Flourentzos, reacted with skepticism, telling The Associated Press: "More proof is necessary."

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Sunday's London Mirror is claiming that video of an American Marine shooting an unarmed civilian in Fallujah, Iraq, has been shown on television in the UK.

A US marine has sparked world-wide revulsion after being seen shooting an injured and helpless Iraqi.

The sickening scene was broadcast by Channel 4 News after a fire-fight in the rebel stronghold of Fallujah.

The trigger-happy soldier had been asked to get nearer to the injured man.

But instead of trying to capture him, the marine is seen leaning over a wall and cold-bloodedly shooting him.

He then turns to his colleagues and says: "He's gone". Coalition chiefs were last night under pressure to investigate the incident.

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I know that illegals try all sorts of ways of getting into the United States, but this case from Tecate takes the cake.

The child was found just before 3 p.m. Nov. 2, when two U.S. citizens attempted to drive a 1990 Acura sedan loaded with several piñatas through the border checkpoint. Suspicious customs inspectors decided to take a closer look at their cargo.

"Officers began to take the piñatas out of the back seat, and one seemed to be much heavier than the others," said Vince Bond, a spokesman for U.S. Customs & Border Protection. "This one had a little girl of approximately 4 or 5 years of age inside it."

The girl's mother also was found, curled up inside the car's trunk, and the girl's brother, who is about 9 years old, was found underneath the collapsible back seat.

The large piñata carrying the little girl appeared to be a representation of a "Powerpuff Girls" cartoon character.

The girl was completely sealed inside, Bond said, but she was able to breathe and seemed to be in good physical condition. She, her mother and brother were voluntarily deported to Mexico after they were found.

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You read the headline right -- Osama bin Laden has secured "religious authority" to use a nuclear weapon against American citizens in his windmill-tilting fight against the West, according to a 60 Minutes interview to be broadcast this Sunday evening.

Osama bin Laden now has religious approval to use a nuclear device against Americans, says the former head of the CIA unit charged with tracking down the Saudi terrorist. The former agent, Michael Scheuer, speaks to Steve Kroft in his first television interview without disguise to be broadcast on 60 MINUTES Sunday, Nov. 14 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Even if bin Laden had a nuclear weapon, he probably wouldn't have used it for a lack of proper religious authority - authority he has now. "[Bin Laden] secured from a Saudi sheik...a rather long treatise on the possibility of using nuclear weapons against the Americans," says Scheuer. "[The treatise] found that he was perfectly within his rights to use them. Muslims argue that the United States is responsible for millions of dead Muslims around the world, so reciprocity would mean you could kill millions of Americans," Scheuer tells Kroft.

Scheuer says bin Laden was criticized by some Muslims for the 9/11 attack because he killed so many people without enough warning and before offering to help convert them to Islam. But now bin Laden has addressed the American people and given fair warning. "They're intention is to end the war as soon as they can and to ratchet up the pain for the Americans until we get out of their region....If they acquire the weapon, they will use it, whether it's chemical, biological or some sort of nuclear weapon," says Scheuer.

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I meant to post this the other day. It came from a local bulletin board in New York.

Straight male seeks Bush supporter for fair, physical fight

I would like to fight a Bush supporter to vent my anger. If you are one, have a fiery streek, please contact me so we can meet and physically fight. I would like to beat the shit out of you.

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CBS interrupted the last five minutes of last night's episode of CSI:NY to announce that Arafish was finally (really most sincerely) dead. Of course, it was a good episode, mind you.

Well, CBS is going to repeat the entire episode tomorrow night at 10.

CBS will rebroadcast the Wednesday night episode of "CSI: NY" that was interrupted by a news report of Yasser Arafat's death.

Viewers in some parts of the country missed the last few minutes of the popular crime drama because of the Arafat report. The program will be shown again Friday at 10 p.m. ET.

CBS issued the following statement: "An overly aggressive CBS News producer jumped the gun with a report that should have been offered to local stations for their late news. We sincerely regret the error."

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1 Arabrat has a lot to answer for as we all do. However, my sins are covered by a Jew from Nazareth. Really enjoy your blog, keep up the good work!

Posted by: BobG at November 11, 2004 12:14 PM (JROsA)

2 critizing arabs or muslims is so politically incorect that no one wants to tell the truth that he is a terrorist and that the muslims have no claim to jerusalem dont mention it in their bible and have built a mosque on top of a jewish holy site which is documented by history

Posted by: shari at November 11, 2004 01:16 PM (K8EyG)

3 CSI "Las Vegas" is MUCH better than any of the spinoffs.

Posted by: LB at November 11, 2004 01:44 PM (ybj3R)

4 I figured you'd like that story.

Posted by: ccs178 (Chris) at November 11, 2004 02:46 PM (xtl4G)

5 HAPPY DEAD ARAFAT DAY!!

Posted by: Joshua at November 11, 2004 03:01 PM (IvQZU)

6 And now the producer's been canned. Just think what they would have done to someone who had peddled phony documents and destroyed their news division's credibility!

Posted by: Toby Petzold at November 12, 2004 04:30 PM (3UNGF)

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God bless you, and thank you for your service.

The association between the poppy and war dates back to the Napoleonic wars when a writer saw a field of poppies growing over the graves of fallen soldiers.

During the Battle of Ypres in 1915, Canadian Lt.-Col. John McCrae was inspired to write the poem In Flanders Fields on sighting the poppies growing beside a grave of a close friend who had died in battle.

The poem was a great inspiration in adopting the poppy as the Flower of Remembrance in Canada, France, the U.S, Britain and Commonwealth countries.

The first poppies were distributed in Canada in 1921. Today the volunteer donations from the distribution of millions of poppies is an important source of revenue for the Royal Canadian Legion that goes toward helping ex-servicemen and women buy food, and obtain shelter and medical attention.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

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ABC's scheduled movie for tonight, Saving Private Ryan, the award-winning World War II epic, is being pre-empted on a number of ABC stations over fears regarding the salty language in the movie.

In a statement on the Web site of Atlanta's WSB-TV, the station's vice president and general manager, Greg Stone cited a March ruling in which the FCC said an expletive uttered by rock star Bono during NBC's live airing of the 2003 Golden Globe Awards was both indecent and profane.

The agency made it clear then that virtually any use of the F-word — which is used in "Saving Private Ryan" — was inappropriate for over-the-air radio and television.

The Bono case "reversed years of prior policy that the context of language matters," Stone said. He added that broadcaster could not get any clarification from the FCC on whether the movie violates the standard.

ABC, which broadcast the film uncut in 2001 and 2002, issued a statement saying it is proud to broadcast it again. The network's contract with director Steven Spielberg stipulates that the film cannot be edited.

"As in the past, this broadcast will contain appropriate and clear advisories and parental guidelines," the statement said.

If you are as dismayed by this, and your local station is pre-empting the movie, I'd suggest you contact them and let them know that you don't appreciate them playing "thought police" for you.

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Scratch one more terrorist.

75 year-old Yasser Arafat, terrorist and would-be Palistinian leader, died (finally) tonight in Paris.

Arafat had been in a coma since 3 November and later suffered a brain haemorrhage.

A hospital spokesman said that he died at 0330 (0230GMT) on Thursday.

The Palestinian leader was transferred to the military hospital in Clamart on 29 October, suffering from a blood disorder.

Tests showed he had a low count of blood platelets, which are needed for clotting, but doctors were unsure what caused the condition and made no official announcement about the cause of Arafat's illness.

Doctors were said to have ruled out cancer and poisoning.

My biggest complaint is that CBS broke in with five minutes left in tonight's episode of CSI:NY to talk about Arafish. And if you think I'm staying up three more hours to catch the west coast feed and find out whodunnit, you're nuts!

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An announcement from the White House is expected later today, but sources indicate that White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales will be chosen to replace outgoing Attorney General John Ashcroft. Gonzales, if confirmed by the US Senate, will become the first Hispanic Attorney General in US history.

Two administration officials said Gonzales, a longtime Bush friend who served with him in Texas, was the likely successor to Ashcroft and that the president could act as early as Wednesday. He would be the first Hispanic attorney general.

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Jones Soda Company, the Seattle-based soft drink company, who last year created buzz with their Turkey & Gravy flavored soda a year ago, is bringing it back this holiday season with the rest of your holiday dinner table as additional flavors. Green Bean Casserole Soda, Mashed Potato & Butter Soda, Fruitcake Soda and Cranberry Soda join Turkey & Gravy Soda in the Jones Soda Holiday Pack.

Proceeds from the limited-time pack will go to Toys For Tots.

The Family Pack goes on sale this week from Jones' website, Jones Soda distributors nationally, and selected Target stores for $15.95.

Why do I have this image of Dan Ackroyd doing SNL's classic "Super Bass-O-Matic '76" skit in my head? "Mmmmm...that's good bass!"

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