Militants flee after chaotic Saudi hostage rescue

Militants flee after chaotic Saudi hostage rescue---A dramatic attempt by Saudi commandos to free dozens of hostages held in a housing complex ended in disarray last night when all but one of the gunmen escaped using hostages as shields and several captives were found dead.
The security forces claimed to have defused the hostage crisis in the dawn operation after a bloody rampage by four armed men in the oil city of Khobar. At least 22 people were killed, including a British businessman.
But three of the four suspected Islamist militants escaped during the operation by breaking through the security cordon while holding their captives at gunpoint. The human shields were later apparently released unharmed....Commandos jumped from helicopters on to the roof of the building in the Oasis Residential Resorts where about 50 foreigners were being held, to begin the rescue.
Security officials gave victory signs as residents and hostages streamed out of the compound, but the jubilation was later tempered by news of the militants' escape and the discovery that several hostages had died during the rescue or shortly before it.
"Nine bodies were found on the premises of the building where the hostages were held when Saudi security forces stormed it," Jamal Khashoggi, a media adviser to the Saudi ambassador in London, told the Reuters news agency last night. "They were nine hostages. I believe the security forces stormed the building when they [the militants] started killing hostages."
These were in addition to 17 or more people killed earlier. The exact number of casualties was still unclear last night, when the interior ministry gave the total as 22 dead and 25 injured.
Those killed included eight Indians, three Filipinos, three Saudis, two Sri Lankans, an American, an Italian, a Swede, a South African and an Egyptian, the ministry said. (Guardian)

Surgery ultimate loss for obese man

The first time Reid joined Jenny Craig, in 1997, 30 pounds melted off his body. Brothers, cousins, co-workers, and friends showered him with compliments. "He looked good!" said his wife, Yolanda Mason-Reid. But three months later, he confessed, "I don't know how much longer I can do this." Reid, a man the size of a linebacker, subsisted on five silver-dollar-size pancakes for breakfast and frozen sliced-turkey dinners at night. "I'm hungry all the time," he said.
Despite several more tries, Reid wasn't successful and gained even more weight. In January he told his older brother, "Diets don't work."
The next day, Reid, 37, checked himself into Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to undergo surgery that would shrink his stomach so he could once and for all pare down his 320-pound frame. But during surgery, Reid's heart suddenly failed. Two days later he died.
(Boston Globe)

Shaq is Lazy

Shaquille O'Neal is averaging 19.9 points in the series and since the opener, when he got 27 on a week's rest, has scored 20 once. (L.A. Times)
How much money does Buss have to pay Shaq to get a consistent effort out of him? Shaq wants 30 million dollars a year. How many games this year would you say that Shaq played hard for all 48 minutes? 10 games at the absolute max. He's taken two games off in the Western Conference Finals for Christ's sake. Ervin Johnson outscored Shaq in the first half of game 2. Ervin fucking Johnson. Shaq was about as active as a plant in Game 5, and then he bitched about his teammates not getting him the ball. Get open you lazy fuck. Shaq could be the best basketball player ever, but he's too damn lazy and greedy to pull it off. I love the Lakers. I'm getting sick of Shaq's bullshit. Step up and dominate or shut the fuck up about it. Dear Shaq, the only reason you haven't gotten your extension is because everybody knows that your commitment to the game is suspect at best. Everybody knows that you can dominate at will, it just seems like you're much less willing to do it theses days. I wouldn't care so much if you weren't asking for such a ludicrous amount of money. Jordan was worth that kind of money because he played his ass off every night. Even your biggest fan (undoubtedly yourself) would have to admit that this is far from the case when you step on the court. For the love of the game, take a pay cut and be good to the organization that has been so good to you.

In the East, There's No Guarantee of Offense

The result was an East finals that went past "low scoring" and "defensive struggle" and burrowed into "agonizing." The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan summed up his feelings in a column headlined, "When you think it can't be any worse, here's a new low."
Here's how bad it was:
In Game 1 in Indianapolis, the Pacers shot 33.7%--and won.
In Game 2, the Pacers lost, while shooting 27.5% as the Pistons blocked an incredible 24% of their shots, 19 of 80, and promptly dubbed the lane "the No-Fly Zone."
In Game 3 in Auburn Hills, the Pistons had more turnovers (10) than points (nine) in the second period--and still led, 36-30, at the half, en route to an 85-78 victory. The headline in the Detroit Free Press the next day was, "Good'n'ugly." (L.A. Times)

Chilly O'Neal Shows He Isn't as Fresh as His Excuses

But after a night when even Minnesota's Michael Olowokandi showed more energy on a missed dunk, the most important words from O'Neal were the ones he has spoken time and again this season.
You know, his requests for more money. His public insistence on being paid like the best player in the game. That time he even shouted at Jerry Buss from the floor in Hawaii.
In the wake of a second sleepy game in this series, those are the words that resound loudest.
Having talked the talk, O'Neal needs to run the walk.
(L.A. Times)

N.M. Judge Arrested After Alleged DWI

N.M. Judge Arrested After Alleged DWI---Police arrested a well-known judge Saturday after he allegedly tried to avoid a police checkpoint while driving drunk with a substance believed to be cocaine in his vehicle.
W. John Brennan, 57, chief judge of state district court in Albuquerque, appeared to be ``extremely intoxicated'' when he was pulled over just after midnight, police spokeswoman Trish Ahrensfield said. (AP)

AP: Intelligence Agents Encouraged Abuse

AP: Intelligence Agents Encouraged Abuse---Several U.S. guards allege they witnessed military intelligence operatives encouraging the abuse of Iraqi prison inmates at four prisons other than Abu Ghraib, investigative documents show.
Court transcripts and Army investigator interviews provide the broadest view of evidence that abuses, from forcing inmates to stand in hoods in 120-degree heat to punching them, occurred at a Marine detention camp and three Army prison sites in Iraq besides Abu Ghraib. (AP)

The new painting - whether narrative, figurative, abstract, decorative, or somewhere in between - aims to trace a middle path between highbrow and low.

The new painting - whether narrative, figurative, abstract, decorative, or somewhere in between - aims to trace a middle path between highbrow and low. (Christian Science Monitor)

Pope Worries About 'Soulless' U.S. Life

Pope Worries About 'Soulless' U.S. Life---Pope John Paul II warned several U.S. bishops Friday that American society is in danger of turning against spirituality in favor of materialistic desires, giving way to a "soulless vision of life." (AP via Chicago Tribune)

Fox Cancels Gay-Themed Reality Show Amid Criticism

Fox television said Thursday it has canceled plans to air a two-hour special titled "Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay," in which two straight men compete for $50,000 by trying to pass themselves off as homosexuals.
A network spokeswoman said the reality show, which had been slated to air June 7, was pulled off the schedule "for creative reasons" after Fox executives previewed the program....GLAAD first questioned the show's premise as potentially offensive after seeing promotional materials stating that the two contestants would immerse themselves in "the gay lifestyle" and later be judged by a "jury of their queers" -- a panel of gay men who would decide who was the most convincing. (Washington Post)