Somalia brings the 1600s into the 21st Century! Pirates on the high seas! The Muslims bring back the spirit of Blackbeard! The Ghost of Bartholomew Roberts! The fight of the buccaneers! And me not meanin’ Tampa Bay!
Lower the flag? Strike my colors? Not I, sir! We’re without provisions but we’ve plenty of powder and ball and, by heaven, sir, this spot is Somalia!

A judge sentenced a former teacher to two days in jail for having sex with one of her students. Sarah Joel, 31, has already served that time. She pled guilty last month to starting a sexual relationship with one of her eighth grade students at Narcoosee School in St. Cloud. Joel was also sentenced to eight years of probation and she must register as a sex offender.

Transvestism, along with six other sexual behaviors, will be struck from Sweden’s official list of medical diagnoses starting on January 1st, 2009.

Actress Gong Li took the Singaporean oath of citizenship at the weekend along with 149 other new citizens. Her husband, the Singaporean tobacco tycoon Ooi Hoe Soeng, accompanied her. Many ardent nationalists have branded her a traitor.

The recession has claimed two more victims: electronics retailers Circuit City and Tweeter, who owns Sound Advice. Both have filed Chapter 11.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi can usually be counted on to do or say something eyebrow-raising. Today he said Obama was handsome, young, and suntanned.

Nudist group, north of Tampa, wants clothing-optional polling site.
Florida: The State that keeps on giving!

Twenty-Five miles from town, a million miles from mainstream society, a loose-knit community of eco-pioneers, teenage runaways, war veterans and drop-outs, live on the fringe and off the grid, struggling to survive with little food, less water and no electricity, as they cling to their unique vision of the American dream…

Thousands of pages of voter information were found lying along the shoulder of Interstate 4 this morning.
Welcome to Florida, home of the hanging chad!

Couple flies thousands of miles to vote. Odds are good that their vote won’t mean much.
Seriously, did they think this one through?