Monday Newsbreak: 6/9

--Rock n' roll pioneer Bo Diddley passed away this past week. He was a commonly seen figure in and around Gainesville, being very active in volunteer community work, especially in the area of keeping kids on the straight and narrow (and away from drugs and violence). I met him once at Sam's Wholesale (he was buying some tires and I was getting one of mine repaired). Bo was one of those special celebrities who was thoroughly unpretentious as well as being naturally friendly and likable. At the memorial held for him in Gainesville, Eric Burdon of Animals fame came and performed in tribute to this legendary musician.

--So Hillary Clinton has finally conceded the race for the Democratic nominations to Barack Obama and publicly endorsed him. But not before she projected an image of him being weak among white working-class voters by persisting in the race long after it had become clear that he would win the nomination. And what's with many of her supporters saying that they would vote for McCain rather than Obama?! As far as I can tell, the only "bad" thing Barack ever did to Hillary was to defeat her in the campaign. He has been an incredible example of grace and restraint in the face of vicious personal attacks coming at him from all directions. Still, I recognize that Clinton would be a good vice-presidential running mate choice and hope that this possibility is realized.

--It looks as if tin-pot dictator and all-around bad guy Robert Mugabe is going to try to intimidate and bully his way to "win" the runoff for Zimbabwe's presidency. Can't Saudi Arabia or some other despotic nation offer to give this jerk sanctuary and thus liberate this formerly prosperous southern African country from his clutches (it worked with getting Idi Amin out of Uganda)?

--The price of oil rose one day this week by eleven dollars per barrel in just one day. Economists say that the marketplace and supply and demand cannot account for this rise, and many claim that unregulated oil speculation is mainly responsible for the recent sharp price hikes.

--Thoroughbred horse Big Brown failed in his bid to be the first horse to win the fabled Triple Crown since 1978 when he couldn't keep up with the leaders in the long and hot (92 degrees) Belmont Stakes this past Saturday. His jockey, seeing victory slip away in the race, slowed him down in the interest of protecting him from injury. But Big Brown had already sustained a hoof injury and would never have been run in this race had greed not been such a major factor.