Tuesday, named after the Nordic god or war, Tyr

Tuesday.....The name comes from Middle English Tiwesday, from Old English Tiwes dæg, named after the Nordic god Tyr, who was the equivalent of the Roman war god Mars, and Greek god Ares.  In Latin, it is called Martis dies which means "Mars's Day". In Romance languages except Portuguese, the word for "Tuesday" is similar to the Latin name: mardi in French, martes in Spanish, martedì in Italian, dimarts in Catalan, and marţi in Romanian.  The surviving Celtic languages preserve the Latin names,^[1] although none of these languages are descended from Latin. Tuesday is dé máirt inIrish, Meurzh in Breton,^[2] dydd Mawrth in Welsh^[3] and Dimàirt in Scottish Gaelic.^[4][5][6]

Saakashvili a 'political corpse'

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has described his Georgian counterpart as a "political corpse", saying Moscow does not recognise him as president.

"President Saakashvili no longer exists in our eyes. He is a political corpse," he told Italy's Rai television.

He said US support for Mr Saakashvili had helped provoke the crisis, which has seen Russian troops invade Georgia.

He said Russia did not fear isolation by Western countries that have condemned the Russian intervention. MORE

EU's show of unity over Georgia

The last time that European Union leaders met for an emergency summit in Brussels in early 2003 there was an almighty clash.

The then French President Jacques Chirac publicly chided the countries of the former Soviet bloc for being "badly brought up" and "losing an opportunity to shut up" because they supported America's tough line on Iraq.

This time, "old Europe" and "new Europe" have overcome their divisions to agree on a tough line on Russia - at least for now.

After a summit lasting just four hours, Nicolas Sarkozy - Mr Chirac's successor and currently in charge of the EU rotating presidency - announced that Europe was united.

Over four pages, the summit conclusions strongly condemn Russia's "disproportionate reaction" in Georgia, describe as "unacceptable" its recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and call on other states "not to recognise this proclaimed independence".

'Strong signal'

The EU decided to postpone the next negotiations on a new wide-ranging partnership agreement with Russia, scheduled for 16 September, until Russian troops withdraw from Georgia to their pre-conflict line.

The postponement is mainly symbolic, but a strong signal that "business as usual" was no longer possible while Russian soldiers and tanks remained deep inside Georgian territory. A stronger signal than many had expected, as the postponement had not been mentioned by EU ambassadors when they prepared the summit last week  MORE

Oil price of $100 a barrel on horizon

By Javier Blas and Carola Hoyos in London and Michael Mackenzie in New York

Published: September 2 2008 20:17 | Last updated: September 2 2008 22:09

Oil prices sank to a five-month low of just over $105 a barrel on Tuesday as traders turned their sights on signs that slower growth was spreading beyond the US into Europe, Japan and even emerging markets.

The fall led some analysts to suggest that oil prices could move back below $100 a barrel, a level not seen since March, after fears that US oil supplies could be severely disrupted by hurricane Gustav proved unfounded.

MORE


Sarah Palin 2006 Debate Video
At around the 15 minute mark, she is asked what would her perspective be if her daughter became pregnant..around the 30 minute mark, she's asked how she'd addressed the HS drop-out rate...

Morning Hilarity, Part II   [Jay Nordlinger]

From another reader: “Interesting that when John Edwards’s and Jesse Jackson’s ‘troubles’ came to light, nobody asked whether they were employing proper birth-control techniques, and, if not, why not. Those questions are reserved for the daughters of female candidates” — for the teenage daughters of female conservative candidates, I might add.

I have long been anti-media (MSM). But, for some reason — well, not just any reason — those juices are stirring today . . .

Why Sarah has the X appeal.....more from the UK Sun

Toddler Sarah with crayfish....

The Libertarian Case for Palin

By David Harsanyi

The potential political consequences of Sarah Palin have been chewed over from every imaginable angle.

Though there is plenty to ponder, one thing is certain: libertarian-inclined voters should be encouraged. No, I'm not suggesting that your little Molly will be bringing home "The Road to Serfdom" from her (distinctly non-public) elementary school. But in contrast to any national candidate in recent memory, Palin is the one that exudes the economic and cultural sensibilities of a geniune Western-style libertarian.  MORE

Chrome!

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) - The new Web browser that Google Inc. released Tuesday is designed to expand its huge lead in the Internet search market and reduce Microsoft Corp.'s imprint on personal computers.

The free browser, called "Chrome," is being promoted as a sleeker, faster and more secure alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which has been the leading vehicle for surfing the Web for the past decade. Despite recent inroads by Mozilla Foundation's Firefox, Internet Explorer is still used by roughly three-fourths of the world's Web surfers.  MORE"

Here's the WSJ "Tech Guy", Walt Mossberg video review

Who Cares About Google Chrome? A Quarter Of The Market Still Uses Internet Explorer 6


Seals fight global warming

Seals in Antarctica are helping to gather information on climate change.They have been fitted with monitors that will allow scientists to collect data from under sea ice.

Watch Video

Jerry Reed......RIP

Quote of the day:

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.

Douglas Adams, "Last Chance to See"