But it wasn't all bad news!

Church finds its own brand of beer draws young crowd:

WASHINGTON

Since introducing its own brand of lager this fall, St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill has seen an influx of twenty- and thirty-somethings on Sunday mornings.

"I can't say it's a compelling reason," Rector Paul Abernathy said when asked whether the addition of Winged Lion Lager to Sunday's pub-lunch menu had anything to do with the new faces.

But he acknowledged the coincidence and said with a smile, "I'll find out."

Pub lunches are a long-standing tradition at the 135-year-old church, whose 700 members pride themselves on their fellowship and conviviality, Abernathy said.

Ah, wondrous conviviality! Maybe they could kick back and watch the game together on Sunday afternoon too! All they need to add are some bar maids and a big screen TV.

Castro hits oil:

President Fidel Castro said a crude oil deposit has been discovered off Cuba containing up to 100 million barrels, good news for a country that imports about half the petroleum it needs.
...
Castro said the deposit was located off the coast of Santa Cruz del Norte, east of Havana, during an exploratory drilling. He said production at the site could begin during 2006.

Yikes! Underwater drilling! I'm sure the ecoweenies will be all over the bearded one! Of course, they won't let out a peep, so why not let him drill the wells and then "Kick the Thug's Ass and Take the Gas"? Maybe we could hire him to drill in Alaska too!

Insurgent, family killed in accidental bomb explosion. Other than misspelling terrorist, it's a heart warming tale:

An insurgent accidentally has killed himself and four members of his family in Iraq's southern city of Karbala.

Police say a bomb he was making exploded inside his house.

Gosh, too bad.