EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR

Nine days after a devastating earthquake at Bam, Iran, in a heartwarming miracle, a 97 year-old woman was found alive under the rubble. She was not ready to give up and, amazingly, emerged unhurt.

After the rescue, she asked for and was given a cup of tea - and then immediately complained that it was too hot.

Maybe it helps through life to be a bit cantankerous. Or is there some truth in the expression, "too mean to die"?

U.S. PLANS EMBASSY OF 3000 IN BAGDAD
Philadelphia Inquirer January 4,2004

This would be the world's largest diplomatic mission.

Obviously, there is much work to be done in Iraq and our continued effort there is laudable. But, the world's largest? Iraq is about one-fifth the size of its neighbor, Iran, with only one-third the population. If we one day build a new embassy in Teheran, how big will it have to be? Or if we invade to cure the ills of Zimbabwe, what size will it demand?

And how about our allies? Should the long-suffering Tony Blair be left with a second tier embassy? Think about China and Japan, and even Old Europe countries France and Germany.

Or maybe this is just another over promise by the Bush administration, such as with the No Child Left Behind initiative