house hunting near downtown San Jose

What has our city come to when I have to decide between living in a neighborhood with more sexual assaults or one with more breaking and entering reports. Lord knows I cant escape the sex offenders, I might as well invite them over to my house warming party. Seriously, when did our city become such a shit-hole? I'm aware that as far as big cities go, San Jose is one of the safest... it can be safer. Sure we can blame the lack of forces, or the decline in the economy; I can even understand the increase in theft, but what I don't understand is the increase in sexual assaults. Sexual assault does not seem like the poor mans crime. To me it seems like we've got one too many parolees who aren't getting checked in on how their supposed to be. I think its time we clear our jails out of non-violent offenders and pile in the real creepos. I would much rather prefer having a convicted vandalist living next door than a man who force-ably raped a minor. Justsayin...

Words of the week

Insipid: adj, lacking zest or excitement
Pulchritudinous: adj, beautiful.

Ashura and bombings in Afghanistan

Today concluded the final day of Ashura, an islamic holiday which comemorates the marytrdom of Hasayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the prophet Mohammad. It is celebrated world wide by devout Shia muslims, and is observed through fast by Sunni Muslims. As part of tradition, Shia men flagellate themselves as a blood sacrifice to mourn the death of Hasayn. Unexpectedly, bomb blasts in Afghanistan led to more than intended bloodshed, the death of 55 worshipers, and left 134 wounded. Although the Taliban has yet to come forward to claim the attack, many believe they are responsible. It is the first time insurgents have attacked on such a religious holiday. In neighboring Pakistan, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik thanked the country's Taliban militants for not staging attacks during the holiday. What I fail to understand is why the Taliban, a strict religiously devote group of militant insurgents, would ever attack during a holiday that the Prophet said to keep holy. Or why the government of a nation should feel the need to thank the bastards. Because of their actions, Afghani civilians who might have been sympathetic to the Taliban have raised their voices to condemn their actions. Hopefully this will lead to a change in authority in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Bellow are some links on the event and some history

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/12/06/afghanistan_bombing_ashura?page=0,15
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_Muharram
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/canada-in-afghanistan/dead+Afghan+shrine+blasts/5816734/story.html
http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/12/06/pakistani-minister-thanks-taliban-for-peace-on-ashura-day/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Ashura

Weekly Vocab
encomium-n. a formal eulogy or speech of praise
impecunious-adj. penniless; poor