nairblog

National - According to this article on msnbc.com, now that both presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and John McCain have had one victory each, in spite of the attacks of Mitt Romney (the man with the deepest pockets), they may have to end what has been an alliance of convenience. While the two are both conservative Republicans who seem to hold a deep amount of respect for each other, each one has a different focus in their campaigns. Not to mention, both candidates have had different sorts of political experience.

Opinion – I’m not entirely sure which one of these candidates to root for. I like Huckabee’s hard-line stance on abortion (something which most other candidates will most likely back down on if they get elected). However, McCain is from Arizona, and I’ve heard some really good things (well… and some bad things) about him. Fortunately, I won’t be able to vote in the primaries, so I don’t really have to worry about it.

National - Ah… Democratic Presidential Candidate Bill Richardson is dropping out of the race after two defeats in the first two primaries. Richardson, the Governor of New Mexico, had what is probably the most extensive resume of any of the candidates running, and is one of the first (or the first, I’m not sure) Hispanic men to run for president. He had served in Congress, on Clinton’s cabinet, as an ambassador the UN, etc, etc.

Opinion – I knew Richardson didn’t have a chance, but I think he might have made a really good president. It’s interesting comparing his political experience to the top candidates in the Democratic Party (they almost pale in comparison). And even though I may not agree with many of Richardson’s policies, I might have voted for him (if he had had a chance to begin with) simply because I think he would have made a strong leader.

International – Hillary is dead! No, not Hillary C. – Hillary – as in Sir Edmund Hillary. He was a beekeeper, who conquered Mount Everest in 1958 becoming one of the century’s greatest adventurers. He died on Friday at the age of 88 in New Zealand. He leaves behind a rich legacy that future explorers and adventurers can only hope to live up to.

Opinion – I’m not really sure about the last sentence, but from glancing over the article, that was the message it seemed it was trying to convey. Hillary was supposed to be a great yet humble man, as all truly great men are. It’s too bad it takes a person’s death to be recognized once again (or read about by a generation for the first time) for the things they accomplished again during their lifetime.

International – In Brazil, two stolen multi-million dollar paintings by Pablo Picasso and Candido Portinari were returned to their proper places after a dozen police and a helicopter surrounded the truck carrying the paintings. Two suspects are currently in custody, while three people actually broke into the museum the paintings were at. It appears the thieves were being were promised money by someone else to steal the paintings.

Opinion – This is the sort of thing you’d expect to find in pulp-fiction mystery novel. I guess things like that have to be based on something, right? This is pretty great. It’s good to know there’s still some great thieving going on in the world that doesn’t really hurt anyone.