Predicting political futures is never a task for rookies. But even the savviest of politicos could not have foreseen the events since the November 2008 election.
New York Governor Patterson has yet to name Hillary Clinton’s successor to the senate seat. Will it be Caroline Kennedy? The bloggers and columnists are offering their perspectives. [Peter Baker in the Sunday, Jan. 4 New York Times, “100 Ways to Become a Senator” and Tina Brown on The Daily Beast, “Caroline: The Reasons Why.”]
And then, of course, there is the unfortunate situation in Illinois. Demcratic Governor Rod Blagojevich has appointed Ronald Burris to fill the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama.
According to Politico, Burris was turned away from the chamber Tuesday (Jan. 6) morning after presenting credentials the secretary of the Senate deemed incomplete.
The Washington Post reports, Republican Senator Norm Coleman is suing to challenge Democrat Al Franken’s apparent recount victory in the Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race, which means any resolution could be delayed for weeks or months.
Here in Arizona, the transition so far is remarkably subdued. Assuming confirmation to her appointment as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, our current Governor, Janet Napolitano, will hand over the gubernatorial reins to our current Secretary of State, Jan Brewer.
You can hear from both Arizona politicians this week on HORIZON:
- Jan Brewer on Wednesday, Jan. 7
- Janet Napolitano on Thursday, Jan. 8.
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You can’t get away from it these days. Subprime loans. The banking crisis. The Fed and Interest rates. The financial news continues to get more complex and troublesome with each headline.
Does anyone have the answers?
American Public Media puts your financial skills to the test with Budget Hero.
Tax cuts, policy changes. They are all in your control. Find out how your plan will impact the country’s financial picture in the next 10 years.
If the results are positive, there are two candidates running for president who might want to speak with you.

Like one of her famous plot twists, Agatha Christie has given her fans an unexpected ending.
Just days before the 118th anniversary of her birth, the New York Times is reporting the discovery of a cache of audio tapes of Christie discussing her life and literary works. The tapes – 27 reels running a total of more than 13 hours – were discovered by Christie’s grandson, Matthew Prichard, in a cardboard box in one of her former houses.
An unguarded Christie talks at length about some of her most famous characters, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot – and her audience’s suggestion that the two meet.
According to the New York Times article, Christie’s estate is considering releasing part of the tapes or publishings a new, updated autobiography.
Christie fans can also look forward to a feast next year on PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery!. David Suchet will reprise his signature role as the suave Belgian super sleuth Hercule Poirot in two new episodes. Acclaimed British actress Julie McKenzie will take over the iconoic role of the sprinster sleuth Miss Marple in three new episodes.
And what of the possible meeting of Marple and Poirot? Christie made it very clear on the audiotapes. “But why should they meet?,” said Christie. “I’m sure they would not like meeting at all. I shall not let them meet unless I feel a really sudden and unexpected urge to do so.”
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It is a first-of-its-kind opportunity. And you can watch it unfold. A chance to see the emergence of a sport in a nation that once considered baseball “cultural pollution.” (Baseball was outlawed by Mao Tse Tung during the Cultural Revolution in China during the 1970s.)
It all started five years ago in China. As host nation for the Beijing Olympics, all of its teams would be allowed to participate. In the past, the Chinese had not fielded a good baseball team. With the Olympics on their home turf, they wanted to make a good showing in America’s game. So representatives from the Chinese Baseball Association turned to Major League Baseball for help.
Jim Lefebrve, former player and coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers, was working for Major League Baseball’s International Division at the time. He had such a strong background in baseball fundamentals as a coach, MLB officials believed he could give the Chinese players what they needed to become winners.
Jim picked Bruce Hurst, Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame pitcher, to be his pitching coach.
Along with a handful of other retired pros, Lefebrve and Hurst took on one of the toughest tasks of their careers – transforming China’s fledgling national baseball team into a contender in the 2008 Olympic Games. See the story unfold as the team trains and competes in Arizona, Italy, Japan and China. Watch

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