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The Bellingham Weekly Tanks

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Well, it looks like the source of my budding freelance career has come to a halt, as the Bellingham Herald reported Friday that the Bellingham Weekly may cease to exist.

Co-owners Tim Johnson and Doug Tolchin are battling for control of the publication in Whatcom Superior Court. The Herald reports:

"Tolchin allegedly fired Johnson and his editorial staff on Tuesday and asked that this week's edition not be printed, according to court testimony. Both Johnson and Tolchin have ownership in Atomic Telegraph LLC, which owns The Bellingham Weekly."

I'm not happy about this. In addition to being my writing outlet, it's the only paper worth reading in this town.

In other local news, Ira English, a Whatcom County volunteer firefighter admitted to setting 11 fires in Whatcom County, beginning in 2002. Yes, the firefighter is an arsonist. Isn't that a conflict of interest? What is happening in the “City of Subdued Excitement” these days?

Fast Forward on Global Politics

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I've been sick and I'm sorry that I haven't posted lately. So, in TiVo fashion, let's fast-forward through the events of the past week:

  • W. reversed his stance and now supports McCain's torture ban, which prohibits the "cruel, inhuman, or degrading" treatment of any detainee in U.S. custody anywhere in the world. You might recall my post endorsing this ban back in early October. I'm so ahead of the game.
  • Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (don't ask me to pronounce that) says that the Holocaust is a myth. Iran is now the only crossover country to named in the Axis of Evil as well as the Axis of Idiocracy.
  • South Africa's highest court ruled in favor of gay marriage. Judge Albie Sachs said current legal definitions of marriage as a union between a man and a woman "are accordingly inconsistent with sections . . . of the Constitution to the extent that they make no provision for same-sex couples to enjoy the status, entitlements and responsibilities they accord to heterosexual couples.'' South Africa is becoming a more tolerant country that the U.S. -- now that's scary.
  • "TIME Magazine" named Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono as its persons of the year. According to insiders, I came in at 21,846,987. That's up 3,976 positions from last year.