Black Friday’s Black for a Different Reason Today as the world mourns what the latest count reveals to be 155 people dead in Mumbai. The past three days have been a nightmare for India and those dear to the wounded or killed in the wide-spread terrorist attacks made upon the country’s bustling, financial capital. Three hundred twenty people–many of them tourists (targeted for just that reason)–were seriously injured in addition to those slain, and the latest news is that the five Jewish hostages taken have been murdered. India is, for now, blaming Pakistan and potentially looking to Jihadist groups as the perpetrators of these violent crimes, but everyone’s holding his or her breath to see how many more will be reported missing or dead and how the siege will play out.

Putin’s Wily Ways have seen the light of day again. Why can’t we shake the feeling that Vladimir’s a total creep? Probably because he is. Seven years ago, in the first optimistic years of his presidency, Putin assured both Russia and the world that changing the constitution for the benefit of one man was wrong and would corrode the greater good. Saying he would not extend the presidential term past four years, Vlad seemed dignified, on the side of right, ready to turn away from power if it meant the country was one step further from its bloody, dictatorial past. Well, fast forward to the present, and he’s helping what some have called his puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, do just that: change the constitution to accommodate a greater-than-four-year term for Russia’s principle in command, leading many to wonder what sneaky things P is up to and whether they involve another go at the post.

The Lori Drew MySpace Case Verdict is raising questions folks should, truth be told, have been asking for years now. Can–should–lying about your identity be considered a crime? Should doing so for malicious intent–perhaps with devastating results–be call for a misdemeaner charge, one of a felony or nothing at all? I cannot begin to unpack the rage this case evinces in me, but suffice it to say, charging Drew on three misdemeanors falls very, very short of what I’d charge the monster with.

…and to mitigate some of this doom and gloom, I’ll move on to slightly more pleasant, holiday-related matters:

Turkey Food Coma has subsided enough to encourage even present-economy-stricken buyers from their wallet-hugging, to rush over to the mall and to the oasis of sales they’re sure to find there this Black Friday 2008.