When Gov. Bob Riley (R.-Al.) assumed the chairmanship of the Southern Governor’s Association (SGA) last year, he set forth a simple but far-reaching goal; to jumpstart economic development in the U.S. southern states by luring international investment.

On August 28, a fire destroyed almost all of Harris County’s (Houston-area) electronic voting machines. Yet, the timing appears suspicious since the Lone Star Report, a well-respected newsletter on state politics in Texas, posted an article a day earlier (Aug. 27), that, “voter irregularities abound in Harris County.”

China is urging North Korea accelerate economic reforms in a summit meeting which underscored Beijing’s fears about its wayward and impoverished ally, experts revealed on Tuesday.

AFP reports that, “many analysts said North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s five-day tour of northeast China – which ended Monday – was aimed at conferring legitimacy on an eventual handover of power to his youngest son.”

The Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee (TEXPAC), the political arm of the Texas Medical Association (TMA), today endorsed Texas Gov. Rick Perry for reelection in 2010. TEXPAC supports Governor Perry in the general election because he is a sound leader on patient care issues.

“The TEXPAC Board endorsed Governor Perry because he understands the critical importance of the patient-physician bond, and he is dedicated to protecting it,” said TEXPAC District Chair Dawn C. Buckingham, MD, at the announcement ceremony in Austin. “That is why we need him to continue serving as Texas’ governor.”

A Satanist Church is renting out the Oklahoma City Civic Center to perform an exorcism to cast out God. James Hale, the leader, claims he wants the ritual to be “educational for the public.”

According to ABC News, ‘the leader of a satanic church firmly planted in the Bible Belt has raised eyebrows by renting a theater in the Oklahoma City Civic Center for a ritual exorcism of God. The Church of the IV Majesties is inviting members and the public to view the ritual, in hopes of erasing a lot of the unfounded fears many have about Satanism.”

Rep. Maxine Waters (D.-Ca.) has transformed political endorsements into a lucrative family business, utilizing federal election laws to charge California candidates and political causes to include their names as her personal choices on a sample ballot, as ‘slate mailer,’ she mails to as many as 200,000 South Central Los Angeles voters, records reveal.

Former Baltimore Colt Speaks on Keeping Boys from Being Bullies and Batterers

President Barack Obama’s chief education official pleaded for government employees to participate in a rally organized by Rev. Al Sharpton to counter a larger conservative event at the Mall.

In an internal e-mail submitted to more than 4,000 employees of the Department of Education on Wednesday, it stated, “ED staff are invited to join Secretary Arne Duncan, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and other leaders on Saturday, Aug. 28, for the ‘Reclaim the Dream’ rally and march.”

James J. Lee, a 43-year-old Hawaiian-native male, has just taken a hostage inside the Discovery Channel headquarters building in Solver Springs, Md., a suburb of Washington D.C. Sounds crazy? Well, his MySpace web page is even crazier, since 103 people are going public to admit they are friends with him.

In his last MySpace posting, he described his mood as “vibrant,” even though the photo displays a dour-looking, angry and middle-aged man.

Russia has earned notoriety for breeding a culture of heavy alcohol consumption and smoking. Nonetheless, the nation’s finance minister is calling for its citizens to fulfill their patriotic duty by drinking and smoking more, which would boost tax revenues.

The Daily Telegraph of London reports that, “Russia’s finance minister has told people to smoke and drink more, explaining that higher consumption would help lift tax revenues for spending on social services.”