This evening's convention speakers were interesting to say the least. As I sat down to watch the convention coverage tonight I looked forward to Laura's speech, but I did not expect nearly as much excitement as last night.

I will start my recap of tonight's speeches with Senator Elizabeth Dole. She opened with traditional "Republican" strength:

We live in a time of stark contrasts. Four years ago America was about to tumble into recession. Today our economy is recovering. Four years ago, 911 was just an emergency phone number. Today, it is a call to arms. For Republicans, through these changes and challenges, who we are and what we believe has never wavered.

but then, I feel, by sticking to those strengths, she became redundant. Maybe it was her purpose at the convention, but the "blank isn't something Republicans invented, but it is something Republicans will defend" got very, very old… Very, very, quickly.

Marriage is important not because it is a convenient invention or the latest reality show — marriage is important because it is the cornerstone of civilization, and the foundation of the family. Marriage between a man and a woman isn't something Republicans invented, but it is something Republicans will defend.

We value the sacred life of every man, woman, and child. We believe in a culture that respects all human life – including the most vulnerable in our society, the frail elderly, the infirm, and those not yet born. Protecting life isn't something Republicans invented, but it is something Republicans will defend.

…

Two thousand years ago a man said, "… I have come to give life and to give it in full." In America I have the freedom to call that man Lord, and I do. In the United States of America we are free to worship without discrimination, without intervention and even without activist judges trying to strip the name of God from the Pledge of Allegiance; from the money in our pockets; and from the walls of our courthouses. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. The right to worship God isn't something Republicans invented, but it is something Republicans will defend.

Her speech was just a little bit too ultra-boring for me, but then again, I have never really been too much of an EDole fan, so I will end my recap of her speech with the following:

Boring speeches are not something Republicans invented, and they damn well better not defend them.

The next speaker I am going to highlight tonight is Arnold Schwarzenegger, and let me say, he did an awesome job.

My fellow Americans, this is an amazing moment for me. To think that a once-scrawny boy from Austria could grow up to become Governor of California and stand in Madison Square Garden to speak on behalf of the President of the United States that is an immigrant's dream. It is the American dream.

I was born in Europe … and I've traveled all over the world. I can tell you that there is no place, no country, more compassionate, more generous, more accepting, and more welcoming than the United States of America.

Those two paragraphs will mean more to any immigrants listening than anything else Arnold had to say this evening. Then he covered those people who might have a disagreement or two with the Republican agenda,

Now, many of you out there tonight are "Republican" like me in your hearts and in your beliefs. Maybe you're from Guatemala. Maybe you're from the Philippines. Maybe Europe or the Ivory Coast. Maybe you live in Ohio, Pennsylvania or New Mexico. And maybe — just maybe — you don't agree with this party on every single issue. I say to you tonight I believe that's not only okay — that's what's great about this country. Here we can respectfully disagree and still be patriotic — still be American — and still be good Republicans.

Arnold made several good points throughout his speech but I think he made some of his best points in the following excerpts.

There is another way you can tell you're a Republican. You have faith in free enterprise, faith in the resourcefulness of the American people …and faith in the U.S. economy. To those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say: Don't be economic girlie men!

…

The President didn't go into Iraq because the polls told him it was popular. As a matter of fact, the polls said just the opposite. But leadership isn't about polls. It's about making decisions you think are right and then standing behind those decisions. That's why America is safer with George W. Bush as President.

He knows you don't reason with terrorists. You defeat them. He knows you can't reason with people blinded by hate. They hate the power of the individual. They hate the progress of women. They hate the religious freedom of others. They hate the liberating breeze of democracy. But, ladies and gentlemen, their hate is no match for America's decency.

We're the America that sends out Peace Corps volunteers to teach village children.

We're the America that sends out missionaries and doctors to raise up the poor and the sick. We're the America that gives more than any other country, to fight aids in Africa and the developing world. And we're the America that fights not for imperialism but for human rights and democracy.

Then he closed by pumping up the crowd to a near frenzy.

Ladies and gentlemen, America is back! — back from the attack on our homeland — back from the attack on our economy — back from the attack on our way of life. We're back because of the perseverance, character and leadership of the 43rd President of the United States — George W. Bush.

Next up were the Bush Twins. I must admit, I expected nothing more than Political Fluff™ and I was not disappointed. In fact, yes, I think I was disappointed. The Bush twins are recent graduates of Yale and the University of Texas, and I must say that their "speech" was one of the most unexpected items from either of the political conventions, and definitely not something I would expect from recent college graduates. Then again, maybe times have changed, and I have no idea how college graduates act these days.

They tried to be funny, and after reading the transcript (I could not bear to hear it again) I am still left wondering who they were trying to speak too, let alone joke with. Maybe they were aiming at the younger demographic and I just do not understand, and who knows, maybe they even hit their mark. I for one, thought they came out very juvenile, yet down to earth, and very, very, much like many of the young people of today. Maybe that was their plan?

The evening was capped with the speech from Laura Bush.

I am so proud of the way George has led our country with strength and conviction. Tonight, I want to try to answer the question that I believe many people would ask me if we sat down for a cup of coffee or ran into each other at the store: You know him better than anyone – you've seen things no one else has seen – why do you think we should re-elect your husband as President.

As you might imagine, I have a lot to say about that.

I could talk about my passion, education. At every school we visit, the students are so eager. Last fall the President and I walked into an elementary school in Hawaii, and a little 2nd-grader came out to welcome us and bellowed, "George Washington!" Close, just the wrong George W."

When my husband took office, too many schools were leaving too many children behind, so he worked with Congress to pass sweeping education reform. The No Child Left Behind Act provides historic levels of funding with an unprecedented commitment to higher standards, strong accountability and proven methods of instruction. We are determined to provide a quality education for every child in America.

I could talk about the small business owners and entrepreneurs who are now creating most of the new jobs in our country… women like Carmella Chaifos – the only woman to own a tow truck company in all of Iowa. The President's tax relief helped Carmella to buy the business, and modernize her fleet, and expand her operations. Carmela is living proof of what she told me. She said: "If you're determined and you want to work hard, you can do anything you want to. That's the beautiful thing about America."

I could talk about health care. For years, leaders in both parties said we should provide prescription drug coverage in Medicare. George was able to bring Republicans and Democrats together to get it done.

I could talk about the fact that my husband is the first President to provide federal funding for stem cell research. – He did so in a principled way, allowing science to explore its potential while respecting the dignity of human life.

I could talk about the record increase in home ownership. Home ownership in America, especially minority home ownership is at an all time high.

All of these issues are important. But we are living in the midst of the most historic struggle my generation has ever known. The stakes are so high. So I want to talk about the issue that I believe is most important for my own daughters, for all our families, and for our future: George's work to protect our country and defeat terror so that all children can grow up in a more peaceful world.

I for one, thought Laura did an outstanding job. Her speech was not over the top, nor was it too weak. I think her words came from her heart. Laura Bush is an amazing person, an elegant First Lady, and a wonderful human being. Heck, without her, I highly doubt George W. Bush would have been elected President in the first place.

Good Night all.

Fred L. Whipple, a pioneer in astronomy who proposed the "dirty snowball" theory for the substance of comets, has died. He was 97.

Whipple died Monday at a Cambridge hospital, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said Tuesday.

Whipple proposed the theory in 1950, saying that comets consisted of ice with some rock mixed in, rather than sand held together by gravity, as was widely believed. Whipple's theory was an attempt to explain why some comets seemed to arrive at destinations earlier or later than predicted.

Whipple believed that as a comet approached the sun, its light vaporized ice in the comet's nucleus. The jets of particles that resulted acted like a rocket engine that either slowed or accelerated the comet.

He also theorized that the glowing comet tails contained particles that originated from frozen reservoirs in comet nuclei.

Whipple's theories were proven correct in 1986 by close-up photographs of Haley's comet by the European Space Agency's Giotto spacecraft.

Rest In Peace, Fred.

France intensified diplomatic efforts yesterday to save the lives of two journalists seized by kidnappers in Iraq, but reacted with extreme caution to a report that they were on the point of being freed.

Hopes for the release of Georges Malbrunot, 41, and Christian Chesnot, 37, rose as the deadline set by the Islamic Army in Iraq and extended by 24 hours, neared expiry last night. However, Iraq's leading organisation of Sunni Muslims confessed to fears that the men would be executed.

The report that the journalists would be freed "imminently" was broadcast by the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya satellite channel. The League for the Defence of Iraqi People's Rights previously claimed to have received an assurance that the men would be spared because of France's "honourable" anti-war position.

They are intensifying diplomatic efforts? They are trying diplomatic efforts with terrorists? Terrorists are anything but diplomatic. It sounds more to me like they are holding "secret talks" to see what material objects they can trade for the lives of these two men. That's about as honourable as the French get, and we all know it.

President Jacques Chirac's government is adamant that there can be no question of withdrawing the law, but extraordinary diplomatic activity, some of it acknowledged by France to be taking place "in secret", has followed confirmation that the men are hostages.

They needed confirmation that the men were hostages? The journalists were seized by kidnappers, what did they think? Did they really think they were all gathering in Najaf for a some whine and cheese?

Young Han tried to register to vote in the New York town where he attends college but got a letter telling him to cast an absentee ballot where his parents live, more than 2,000 miles away. In Virginia, Luther Lowe and Serene Alami were told much the same — their campus addresses at the College of William and Mary were deemed "temporary."

With so much emphasis on getting young people to the polls this election, the issue of where college students can register to vote is getting more attention. And some students — who believe they should have the right to vote where they live most of the year — are getting organized.

"We plan to push this issue," says Han, a 21-year old junior at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, who's originally from a Seattle suburb. "Students are being disenfranchised."

On a national level, like voting in the presidential election, it should not matter where the student is located within the United States, but why on earth would citizens of any community want to allow local college students to influence their local elections?

For the first year of college I attended Univerity Of Hawaii at Hilo. Should the many non-resident students attending college there be allowed to decide the election for sheriff or state representative? If so, why? Non-residents are exactly that, NOT RESIDENTS. Why should they be allowed to decide issues important to the local residents when most if not all of the non-resident students will be heading home, or off to greener pastures, once their education is complete?

Ultimately, O'Loughlin and fellow researchers have found that students who attend college in states that force or "encourage" them to vote absentee are less likely to vote.

This alone is no reason to allow non-resident students the opportunity to decide issues that will effect the community for many years to come. Get a grip people. Students are not being disenfranchised. They are being lazy. They can make their vote count as much as everyone else if they take the time to vote absentee. They are foolish if they think they are being disenfranchised.

A militant Iraqi group said it had killed 12 Nepali hostages and showed pictures of one being beheaded and others being shot dead, the worst mass killing of captives since a wave of kidnappings erupted in April.

The announcement of the killings, made in a statement posted on an Islamist Web site on Tuesday, came as France intensified its efforts to save two French reporters held hostage by a separate group as a deadline set by their captors neared.

The Nepalis were kidnapped earlier this month when they entered Iraq to work as cooks and cleaners for a Jordanian firm.

The killing of men from a tiny country that has had nothing to do with the invasion or occupation of Iraq will send shockwaves through foreign companies doing business here.

"We have carried out the sentence of God against 12 Nepalis who came from their country to fight the Muslims and to serve the Jews and the Christians…believing in Buddha as their God," said the statement by the military committee of the Army of Ansar al-Sunna.

They were not killed for supporting the United States, they were not killed for assisting in the rebuilding of the new Iraq. They were killed because the members of the Army of Ansar al-Sunna are cowards. It's as simple as that.