One year after toppling the statue of Saddam Hussein, Iraq looks messier than ever. Now a hostage situation has developed. Three Japanese civilians are among the hostages and their captors are threatening to burn them alive unless Japan withdraws its troops. Given all of this chaos, I don't see how we can implement a transfer of power by June 30. The situation seems to be getting far worse before it gets better.

Sad news at the New York Aquarium. Their 35-year old beluga whale, Kathy, passed away yesterday. If you click on the link to its article, you'll find a mention of Aquarium spokesperson, Fran Hackett. I work closely with Fran every year when planning events at Coney Island so, although its a sad occassion, its great to see her name in the national news media.