August is a bloody month, it seems. Maybe it is the heat, or maybe coincidence, but this is the month we enjoyed the outbreak of WWI (1 August 1914), Hitler became Der Furher (2 August 1934), the Warsaw Revolt began (1 August 1944), "Wild Bill" Hickock was shot dead (2 August 1876), Germany and France declared war upon one another (3 August 1914) and Anne Frank was captured after hiding in an attic for two years (4 August 1944).

It looks like we are on course with history, with the daily debacle in Iraq and the new conflict between Israel and Lebanon. I am about ready to stop watching the news altogether and to focus, instead, on reading.

Here at work, somehow all employees are required to watch Fox news each day during lunch. I can't even count the number of times I have had to remind at least one fellow employee that Sadam Hussein had nothing to do with the attacks on the World Trade Center and on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Almost daily, I tell ya! The only fallacy worse than the "Iraq shouldn't have blown up our building" one is the infamous "Iraq attacked us because they hate freedom." Whoever came up with that ripe one deserves some kind of award....