Quote of the Day
"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."
-- Anais Nin

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Court, Saddam fall silent with tale of beatings, electric shocks
Iraqi bloggers dig into Saddam's trial
Saddam Hussein Missing In Action (a.k.a. the Mother of all Hissy Fits)
'Coming Al Qaeda Victory in Iraq' (per al-Zawahiri)
Iraq Hostages: Pull Out of Iraq Now
Baghdad Blast Kills 43; American Possibly Kidnapped
Behind Iraq politicians, an ayatollah holds sway

Operation Enduring Freedom
US says 22 Taliban killed in Afghanistan
Airmen Keep Kandahar Airfield Mission Ready
Soldiers Improve Lines of Communication

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Florida Professor Acquitted on Terror Charges
House Expected to Advance Bill to Beef Up Border Control
Al Qaeda: Target Oil

Pearl Harbor
Event will mark anniversary of Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor memories: Bombs, smoke
Survivors to Mark Pearl Harbor Anniversary

Supreme Court
Justices seem to favor letting recruiters stay on campuses
Officials counter analysis of Alito

U.N. Scandals
Report Details Deficiencies in U.N. Procurement Department

Hurricane Season
GOP Denies Katrina Tax Breaks for Liquor, Gambling
Witnesses: Racial Response

Oddities
Elephants drunk on marula fruit? Study says no way
574-pound man: I'm too fat for prison
Budding rap artist in Ohio kills self with pen gun (Darwin award, anyone?)

Other News of Note
Supreme Court Hears Military Recruitment Case

Fox News
Bush Touts Iraq Policy
Cheney Rallies Troops at Fort Drum
Mother Accused of Putting Infant in Dryer in Murder Try
House Looks to Adopt Detainee Abuse Ban
Officials Knew of Caged Kids Two Years Before Removal
Microsoft Fined $32M
NYSE OK $9B Archipelago Buy; Will Become For-Profit
Castro Calls Jeb Bush 'Fat'
Plane Crashes in Iran; 115 Die
Abused Girl, 11, Center of Right to Life Court Case
Stocks to Watch: Time Warner
SPORTS NEWS AND SCORES

Reuters: Top News
Editor's Choice: 24 Hours in Pictures
Special Report: Global Climate Change
Reuters.com Editor Emily Church blogs from the UN conference in Montreal
Special Report: Global emission controls deal talks
Microsoft to invest $1.7 bln in India
NYSE members approve Archipelago deal
Price charts point gold toward the stars: analysts
Two US fingerprint ID firms unite in $82 mln deal
Avenue A/Razorfish to buy UK's DNA
Likud chairman defects to Sharon's new party
No end to sanctions on "criminal" N.Korea: US envoy
Daughter of US hostage in Iraq appeals for his life
US concerned over Russia's NGO law: Rice
Republican wins US House seat in California
Japan space probe may have missed asteroid samples
Britain grapples with gruesome "honor" crimes
Anger drives Muslim insurgents in Russia's south
Smallpox vaccine triggers few bad reactions-studies

AP World News
Egyptian Police Beat Women Voters
China Tries to Ease Anger at Toxic Spill
Ministers Discuss Crisis Facing Muslims
Observers Say Venezuela Vote Was Fair
British Conservatives Choose Young Leader
Chechen Refugees Return Home From Georgia
U.N. Hits Housing for Evicted Zimbabweans
China Confirms New Human Case of Bird Flu
Austrians Honored for Saving Jews in WWII
Bombing in Israel Stirs Police Debate
Cocoa Industry Is Booming in Ivory Coast
Romania, Poland Scrutinized Over Prisons
Red, Catlike Animal May Be a New Species
U.N. Electoral Chief to Fight Dismissal
Zoos Provide Shelter for Quake Survivors

The Seattle Times
Clemency is rarely dispensed to death row inmates these days
Land-use battle rages in Florida
Bushes' "holiday" card is upsetting for some
Megachurches cancel services on Christmas
Report critical of junk-food ads
Colon-cancer study finds some patients aren't getting chemo
Saturn moon spews icy plumes
China accepting U.S. help with spill
Fuel emptied from reactor at Chernobyl
The luck of the Latvian: A job is like a pot of gold
Illegal migrants had jobs back in Mexico, survey finds

Chicago Sun-Times
Tragedy again strikes NBA star's family
Founder of Crips gang unlikely to get clemency
Upcoming stamp increase won't be enough
Ozone hole worse than thought
Ford drops ads in gay publications, denies pressure
900,000 workers now secret: Government won't say who, where
Indiana high school newspaper's oral sex story draws complaints
Paintings stolen during WWII found
Kansas religious professor beaten after mocking Christian 'fundies'
Jaywalker who got $5 ticket dies of injuries
Odd speed limit may work even better
Deliveryman catches thief who took credit card
Billy Graham's daughter gets probation in domestic abuse case
Fresh new face to lead British Conservatives
Corn-powered heat saves farmer time, money
TV characters should push healthy food, group says
'Goodfellas' mobster gets 180 days in jail
Thatcher's daughter wins TV reality show
Zimbabwe power woes block Mugabe's speech

Boston Globe: World
CIA abduction case ignites controversy
Ex-official charged with rape
EU to rap Iran over nuclear standoff
In Somalia, the hungry wait as militias slow delivery of aid
At least 27 die in dual blasts in Iraq
US military to probe propaganda effort
Bombing prompts Israel to close West Bank, target Islamic Jihad
Motor show a sign of blacks' rising clout in South Africa

Military.com
Bush Rules Out Ransom for Iraq Captives
Military Base in Romania Approved
Officer Shortages Hit Navy Special Forces

CENTCOM: News Releases
SUICIDE BOMBERS ATTACK POLICE ACADEMY (UPDATE 1)
SUICIDE BOMBERS ATTACK IRAQI POLICE ACADEMY
UPDATE TO DEC. 1 IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE ATTACK
COALITION AND IRAQI FORCES TO SET THE STAGE FOR SAFE AND SECURE ELECTION

Department of Defense
Bush, Cheney Confident in Iraq Strategy - Story
Cheney Praises Troops for Terror War Efforts - Story Video Remarks
Rumsfeld: Agreement Helps U.S., Romania - Story

ON THE GROUND
Kuwait Unit's Efficient Ops Support Troops - Story

FACE OF DEFENSE
Religious Program Specialist Makes History in Iraq - Story

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Online Forum Tackles Troop Issues - Story

TOP NEWS
IRAQ
Rumsfeld: Report Full Iraq Story
Saddam Nephew Gets Prison Term
Academy Attackers Not Women
U.S. Soldier Killed; Weapons Found
Canal Projects Deliver Water
Casey Attends Election Conference
Ukrainians Provide Military Gear
Rumsfeld: Quitting No Option Video
General Urges Vigilance, Resolve
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq (pdf)
Multinational Force Iraq
Eye on Iraq Update (pdf)
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (pdf)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
SEDM Approves Afghan Deployment
Afghanistan Daily Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
Commander Visits Strike Group
National Guard, Reserve Update

CASUALTIES
Defense Officials Identify Casualties - Story

Weather
Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo

National Hurricane Center

Today in History
36 BC - Earliest known Mayan inscription, Stela 2 at Chiapa de Corzo.
43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman writer, gets his head and right hand chopped off by Mark Antony's soldiers.
0185 - Emperor Lo-Yang of China sees a supernova (MSH15-52?).
1741 - Elisabeth Petrovna becomes tsarina of Russia.
1783 - William Pitt, Jr. (24) becomes British premier.
1787 - Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the Constitution.
1808 - James Madison is elected as U.S. President
1836 - Martin Van Buren is elected as the 8th U.S. President.
1842 - The New York Philharmonic gives its first concert.
1862 - Battle of Hartsville, TN; Battle of Prairie Grove, AR.
1864 - Skirmish at Ebenezer Creek/Cypress Swamp, GA.
1868 - The Jesse James gang robs a bank in Gallatin MO, killing 1.
1872 - HMS Challenger sets sail on a 3½-year world oceanographic cruise.
1877 - Thomas A. Edison demonstrates the gramophone.
1885 - The 49th U.S. Congress (1885-87) convenes.
1891 - The 52nd U.S. Congress (the first to appropriate $1 billion) holds its first session.
1895 - In the Battle at Amba Alagi, the Abyssinians beat the Italian armies.
1907 - Eugene Corri becomes the first referee in a boxing ring.
1912 - A bust of Queen Nefertiti found in El-Amarna, Egypt
1916 - David Lloyd George replaces resigning H.H. Asquith as British PM.
1917 - The U.S. becomes the 13th country to declare war on Austria (WWI)
1924 - In the German election, the Social Democrats win defeat the Nazis and Communists.
1925 - In NYC, the Biltmore Theater opens at 261 W. 47th ST.
1926 - The gas refrigerator is patented.
1932 - The first gyro-stabilized vessel to cross the Atlantic arrives in New York.
1934 - Wiley Post discovers the jet stream.
1937 - Dutch Minister Romme proclaims married women are forbidden to work.
1940 - In North Africa, General O'Connor leads a British counter offensive.
1941 - The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor; the USS Ward becomes the first U.S. ship to sink a Japanese submarine; Australian bombers land on Timor/Ambon; the German siege of Tobruk ends after 8 months; Nacht and Nebel Erlass, resistance fighters, are sent to German concentration camps.
1944 - The Convention on International Civil Aviation is drawn up in Chicago; General Radescu forms the Romanian government.
1945 - The microwave oven is patented.
1946 - A fire at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, kills 119.
1949 - Chiang Kai-shek flees to Taiwan.
1953 - Israel's PM Ben-Gureon retires.
1954 - The Japanese government of Joshida resigns.
1955 - Clement Attlee resigns as chairman of England's Labour Party.
1958 - Rómulo Bétancourt is elected President of Venezuela.
1960 - The Ivory Coast claims independence from France.
1965 - Pope Paul VI and Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras I simultaneously lift the mutual excommunications that led to the split of the two churches in 1054.
1968 - The Orbiting Astronomical Observatory-2 is launched into Earth orbit; Richard Dodd returns a library book his great grandfather borrowed in 1823 to the University of Cincinatti; the $22,646 fine goes unpaid.
1970 - West Germany and Poland normalize relations.
1972 - Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos is stabbed and wounded by an assailant; Apollo-17, the final U.S. manned lunar landing mission (last of the Apollo Moon series) is launched.
1976 - The U.N. Security Council endorses Kurt Waldheim, Secretary-General, for a second five-year term.
1981 - Spain becomes a member of the NATO.
1983 - At the Madrid Airport, two jets collide, killing 93.
1985 - Atlantis returns to Kennedy Space Center via Kelly AFB.
1986 - President Jean-Claude Duvalier flees Haïti.
1987 - 43 die in Pa acific Southwest Airline crash in California, after a man shoots the pilots.
1988 - At the U.N., Mikhail Gorbachev announces 10% unilateral Soviet troop reductions; Yasser Arafat recognizes the existence of Israel; a 6.9 earthquake in Armenia kills more than 100,000, and leaves 5,000,000 homeless.
1990 - The Iraqi parliament endorses Saddam's decision to free hostages.
1992 - The Galileo spacecraft passes the North Pole of Moon (Peary Crater).
1993 - Henri Konan Bédié names himself President of the Ivory Coast.
1994 - Radio personality Howard Stern talks a man out of attempting suicide.
1995 - The U.S. space probe Galileo begins orbiting Jupiter.
1996 - The Space Shuttle STS-80 (Columbia 21) lands.

Birthdays
0967 - Abu Sa'id ibn Aboa al-Chair, Persian mystic
1542 - Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots (1560-1587)
1754 - Jack Jouett, American patriot
1761 - Madame (Marie Grosholtz) Tussaud, created wax museum
1808 - Hugh McCulloch, U.S. Secretary of Treasury
1810 - Theodor Schwann, German co-originator of cell theory
1847 - Solomon Schechter, American Talmudic scholar / Jewish leader
1888 - Matthew Heywood Campbell Broun, first president of the American Newspaper Guild; Hamilton Fish, U.S. Congressional leader / isolationist
1901 - A.F. (Tony) Pugsley, British rear-admiral (Walcheren attack - 1944)
1905 - Gerard Kuiper Dutch/US astronomer (discovered moons of Uranus, Neptune)
1915 - Eli Wallach, actor (Magnificent 7, Misfits, People Next Door)
1924 - Mário Soares (Socialist), premier of Portugal (1976-78, 1983- )
1926 - Victor Kermit Kiam II, CEO (Remington shavers) / NFL owner (Patriots)
1928 - Noam Chomsky, linguist (founded transformational grammar)
1936 - Martha Layne Collins, (Governor-KY)
1937 - Thad Cochran (Senator-MS)
1942 - Harry Chapin, folk/rock singer / songwriter (Taxi, Cat's in the Craddle)
1956 - Larry Bird, basketball star (Boston Celtics)

Passings
0983 - Otto II, the Red German king/emperor (973-83)
1254 - Innocent IV (Sinibaldo dei Fieschi), Pope (1243-54)
1383 - Wenceslaus, duke of Brabant
1815 - Michel Ney, French marshal (Waterloo), murdered
1817 - William Bligh, British naval officer of "Bounty" fame
1862 - Sylvester Churchill, Union Brigadier-General
1894 - Ferdinand de Lesseps, French engineer/diplomat/earl
1902 - Thomas Nast, political cartoonist
1912 - George Darwin, theorized Moon was pulled out of Pacific Ocean
1941 - Iida, Japanese pilot/lieutenant, in battle
1970 - Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist (Mike & Ike, Pulitzer 1948)
1979 - Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, first woman full professor at Harvard University; Prince Chahryar Shafik Shah of Iran's nephew, murdered in Paris
1982 - Charlie Brooks, Jr., convicted murderer, first U.S. prisoner to be executed by lethal injection
1983 - Edgar Graham, member of Northern Ireland Assembly, shot dead by the IRA
1985 - Potter Stewart, 94th Supreme Court Justice (1958-81)
1988 - Andrei P. Ershov, Russian computer pioneer
1993 - Félix Houphouet-Boigny, President of the Ivory Coast (1960-93)

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Dunn, John Howard, USMC (MT); F4B shot down (pilot, w/Frederick), released by DRV February, 1973 - deceased, January 1998

Frederick, John William, Jr., USMC (IL); F4B shot down (w/Dunn) - remains returned March, 1974

1966
Carlson, John Werner, USAF (IL); F5C shot down, KIA, body not recovered