The drug war in Mexico continues to escalate, both between the police and the drug gangs and between rival gangs.  This week, several people were beheaded and the heads left in coolers with warning messages attached, apparently a fight between rival gangs.  In the past year, over 6,000 have been killed in these drug wars including many police, soldiers, and innocent people who just got in the way.  I hope those buying the drugs coming from, or through, Mexico realize that they are accessories to murder, but I doubt it.

    We keep hearing with regard to the current economic crisis:
"XXX Corporation is so large they can't be allowed to fail.  If they fail it will turn the deep recession into depression overnight."
I agree that is the situation and we need to bail them out, but what is being done to prevent the situation from reoccurring in the future?  I don't mean corporations needing bailouts, but corporations that have become so big they cannot be allowed to fail?
I think if these huge corporations need to be bailed out because of making risky investments or bad business decisions they should be required to agree that once they are back on their feet, they will be broken up into several smaller companies that can be allowed to fail.  Unfortunately, I don't think any politician will propose that idea.

Religious News:

In Brazil, a doctor who performed an abortion on a nine-year-old girl who was raped, apparently by her stepfather, was excommunicated from the Catholic church by the archbishop.  This has angered many Brazilians and made the doctor a hero.

A women who is an Episcopal priest expects to be defrocked soon.  In addition to the Christian services she conducts on Sunday, she is also participating in a Muslim prayer group on Friday.  She doesn't think the two faiths conflict, but her church doesn't agree.

Crazy Crime:

A man in the state of Georgia broke out of prison, went to a nearby convenience store and stole several packs of cigarettes, then returned to his cell.  That must have been one hell of a nicotine fit!

A middle-aged French guy was recently sentenced to twenty years for killing his parents by adding a potent insecticide to their chocolate mousse.

Picture of the Week:

The first Crocus in my yard