-Well, I know that the Inauguration is over and President Obama has rapidly seized the reins of power. However, our own Jonathan Stoller sent me a link to the Denver Post and some of the best Inauguration photographs I have seen throughout this entire process. There is a classic one of Dick Cheney that you have to see. Just click here.

-If anyone thinks that Ambassador Richard Holbrooke doesn't have one of the most important jobs in the new Obama era, then I suggest you read the article in Sunday's New York Times about how the Taliban has basically taken over the entire Swat Valley in Pakistan! The old practices we saw in their heyday in Afghanistan are now taking place just miles from Islamabad. For years I have thought that Pakistan would be our biggest foreign policy challenge given their nuclear capacity and my fears only grow by the day.

-Very good news out of the Congo with the arrest of rebel leader General Laurant Nkunda who has created havoc in the Eastern part of that troubled nation. Rwanda placed him under arrest and it appears that his well trained and disciplined rebel army is starting to fall apart. We can only hope.

-And as gays we thought we were the only ones having trouble with this right wing Pope. Good old Benedict XVI has reinstated into the Church the four extreme right wing renegade bishops who had been excommunicated. Now get this...one of them is Bishop Richard Williamson who thinks that the Holocaust didn't happen!

-Received an email from eQualityGiving.org that lists all the members of Congress who support marriage equality. Take a few moments and visit the site and see if your representative is listed. Just click here.

-My neighbor here in Turkey Hollow, Val Carlson, sent me a picture of a pair of Albino deer twins in Montana. Wanted to share it with you all.

-Many of us are used to seeing Bob Shrum on almost any news show that exists with his excellent commentary. What you might not know he is writing one of the most interesting political columns around on This Week. Bob's topic this week is about Obama's Eloquence In Action.   Make yourself a regular reader of this great column.

-One of my favorite United States Senators, Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) is proposing an amendment to the United States Constitution to make it the law that there must be a special election to fill any Senate seat vacancy. Given the sad performance of governors this year with their appointments, it sounds like a great idea. My suggestion to the good senator is to have a "run-off" provision so some nutcake can't win a seat with 23% of the vote!

-Towleroad.com had a good item on Washington's new power couple, Jeremy Bernard and Rufus Gifford and the increasing number of LGBT appointments in the Democratic Party. 

-Great news about Sean Penn winning the Screen Actor's Guild Award and a big boost to "Milk" in its quest for Academy Awards. We can only hope this will drive even more people to the box office.

-Last week's davidmixner.com poll had 88% of our readers wanting to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba!  Be sure to vote in this week's poll on your favorite news show.

-Snow is forecast for the East Coast tonight and tomorrow. It has been a cold winter but not that snowy in the major cities along the east coast. Thought you all would like to be reminded of how bad it can snow in New York City with this great presentation on the Blizzard of 1888!