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AS YOUR CORRESPONDENT WRITES THESE OBSERVATIONS ON THE STATE OF THE WORLD AND HIMSELF HERE IN THE MINNWISSIPPI, it appears as if a "calm before the storm" sort of scenario is setting up.

Meaning some hazy sun could be likely over the afterlunch, followed by some rather intense rain and wind from tonight heading into the weekend--in short, a rough run up into the weekend.

As in weather getting worse before things get better. (Already, the Chippewa River @ Durand, Wisconsin, some 40 mile from Winona, is seeing some flooding; advice hath it that the Black and Kickapoo River basins in Wisconsin could see serious flooding within measurable distance thanks to the imminence of rain.)

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SOMETHING WHICH THE "CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION!" CROWD OUGHT TO THINK ABOUT when it comes to invoking the charge against the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the wake of their Texas compound being raided and some 425 girls and women removed therefrom, all now in State custody:

An indictment announced against the FLDS hath it that young girls were forced into marriage once they reached the menarche (as in the onset of puberty) and expected to wear pioneer-stylee homespun over long step-in underwear @ all times--even in the hot summer months.

Not to mention boys being essentially preened into "doing their duty" of unprotected procreation as their duty to G-d and--so the Southern Poverty Law Centre hath it--the White Master Race.

And yet these same pathetic Dregs of Society are screaming "Christian Persecution! Christian Persecution!" @ this latest suspected example....

Queer world, this.

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FIRST, IT WAS THE AIRBUS A380 AS WAS EXPERIENCING SERIOUS DELAYS OF DELIVERY to airlines who ordered same, forcing Airbus Industrie to pay compensation.

Now, it's Boeing's turn to deal with such a scenario--this time, with their (presumably) "fuel-efficent" 787 Dreamliner experiencing prolonged delivery delays.

Come to think of it, the timing of the news couldn't have been more interesting, considering where:

• American Airlines has announced wholesale flight cancellations due to FAA-mandated safety inspections on their MD-80 fleet, forcing them to:
  • advise intending passengers to consider other options;
  • refer affected passengers to other flights; and
  • provide compensation for food and lodging in the interim; and
• Hong Kong-based discount carrier Oasis Air suddenly shutting down operations, stranding many thousands of passengers.

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ANOTHER REASON WHY JOHN McCAIN DESERVES SERIOUS SWIFT-BOATING DURING INDECISION 2008:

RawStory.com is noting where The Terrible-Tempered Mr. Bang of Indecision 2008 has been caught in unprovoked outbursts of Billingsgate galore, including one particularly livid display against his wife.

And is this the sort of behaviour to be expected of someone seeking to be not so much President of the United States as a superdivine "Prophet, Seer and Revelator"--the same one who has acknolwedged to being a "war criminal" calling for, in effect, an American Colonial Presence in Iraq for 100 years and more (yet claims that such remarks were really "misquoted" when challenged)?

And how would Machiavelli on steroids and amphetamines react to this news of his newest client using the Seven Dirty Words (and variants thereof) from time to time?

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NEWS THAT THE KULTURKRIEG CROWD WILL CERTAINLY LOVE TO HEAR, by way of the BBC:

The Simpsons has been dropped from morning TV in Venezuela after being deemed unsuitable for children - and has been replaced by Baywatch.

The popular US cartoon about the yellow dysfunctional family was branded "inappropriate" and pulled by the country's television authorities.

Caracas TV station Televen has started showing episodes of the beachside show in the same mid-morning slot.

It became famous for its bikini-clad stars, including Pamela Anderson.

Glamorous locations

The country's TV regulator said the saga of Homer Simpson, wife Marge and their three children flouted regulations that prohibit "messages that go against the whole education of boys, girls and adolescents".

It said that some unspecified complaints had been received from viewers.

Televen's manager may decide to show The Simpsons, which has been dubbed into Spanish, at another time of day.

The station is showing episodes of Baywatch Hawaii, a later incarnation of the lifeguard rescue show which started in 1989.

The serial, about a group of beach lifeguards, gained notoriety for its attractive male and female cast members coupled with glamorous locations and slow-motion running sequences.

Venezuelan TV is known for filling its schedules with re-runs of old US series and Latin American soap operas.

But it also includes a talk show hosted by the country's president, Hugo Chavez.

In an episode of the weekly programme last year, the Venezuelan leader gave a speech which reportedly lasted eight hours.

An abridged version of the show has been broadcast every day since February 2007.

So: What class of shows would our Kulturkrieg crowd want American children watching instead, considering their objections to PBS as being "elitist" and "promoting liberal tendencies"?