• ZOMG, Little Rhodey got a shout-out during BBC’s Newshour on NPR this morning! The Brits love us! Yay, go RI!! Wait, why are the British discussing our miserable economy, miserable governor, and miserable accents? Doh.
• On the plus side, if you are one of the few Rhode Islanders who actually has a job, now’s as good a time as any to step up onto the property ladder. House prices are dropping like presidential pardons.
• Singer Amy Winehouse has been hospitalized after a “reaction to the medication she was taking”. Apparently you’re not supposed to shoot up penicillin.
• In a surprising show of good taste, the Chinese have no love for Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy.
• The good news for gay couples living in Florida: circuit judge Cindy Lederman has ruled in favor of gay couples adopting. The bad news for gay couples living in Florida: you live in Florida.
• The government took a $200 billion dump into the consumer credit market today. Hank Paulson says “It’s a great deal for the taxpayer,” but mostly it just feels like we’ve been shat on.
• And finally, as part of some sort of maniacal sonic holocaust, a judge has ordered that noise violators be made listen to Barry Manilow music as punishment. When asked to comment, Mr Manilow expressed sympthy for “those poor, poor fuckers.”

Online sympathizers of al Qaida from across the internet have submitted hundreds of questions for deputy leader Ayman Al-Zawahri over the past two months for an “on-line interview” on a militant Islamic website, and many supporters seem to be as in the dark about their activities and future plans as the rest of the world.

“Knight of Islam,” asks, “We are awaiting a strike against American soil. Why has that not been done? Why are the Jews in the world not struck?”

“We hear a lot about the non-centralization of al-Qaida,” one supporter writes. “Is the loss of direct control by al-Qaida’s leadership over the jihadi cells harmful to al-Qaida? … Does al-Qaida intend to try to reassert its control?”

(HuffPo)

I’m going to pretend there isn’t an election going on, just for today…

• American Apparel CEO Dov Charney slapped with yet another sexual harrasment suit. The dude allegedly ran around in his underwear, a lot.
• Kate Moss’s epic birthday party: one hour for every year of her life. Looking at the pictures of her, the party should last 47 hours. Also, Ron Wood: still looking dope!
• It’s creepy when two people who look identical make out.

We shook the internet and these things fell out:

• The Washington Post takes the Democratic Congress to task, portraying them as “limping” out of the capitol under a cloud of legislative failure and unkept promises. Speaker Pelosi: “Almost everything we’ve done has been historic.” Yes, giving the President over 70 billion dollars after you told us you wouldn’t is probably a pretty historic event. (WaPo)
• Finally, the National Enquirer weighs in on the presidential elections with the timeless “John Edwards in Love Child Scandal!” You stay classy, Enquirer! (Enquirer)
• Nobel Peace Prize winner/bloodthirsty killer of innocents Henry Kissinger throws his support behind McCain, meanwhile Crazy Johnny take issue with Time naming Vladimir Putin as person of the year; “[M]y man of the year is one General David Petraeus, our general who has brought success in Iraq.” Oh, that’s what he did? (MSNBC)
• In the least sexy three-way in modern history, CNN reports Edwards, Clinton and Obama are in a poll-defying dead heat in Iowa. (CNN)
• Obama and Giuliani debut Christmas ads, Giuliani’s portrays Santa as being weak on foreign policy. Probably. (HuffPo)

• Record number of utility shut-offs in RI this year.
• Racial profiling still a huge problem in RI
• Environment America gives us a shiny a Gold Star
• Be afraid, be very afraid. Of deer.
• Good guy Bud Cicilline wins Dem primary for rep in Newport