Kid Rock

Kid Rock may be one of the five coolest people walking the Earth these days A beermaker in Webberville [Michigan] has gotten a state tax break to create a new craft beer for musician Kid Rock. I don't know too many details about the economic stimulus package, but I'm fairly certain there is no line item specifying such a tax credit. I could be wrong, though. I mean, Kid Rock IS the Rock 'N Roll Jesus, for heaven's sake

The Michigan Brewing Co. has designs on investing $7 million for the new Kid Rock beer. No word just yet on what the name of the beer will be. We suggest "Bawitdaba Beer," followed by "Kid Rock's All Summer Long Ale" to compete with Sam Adama's summer ale. There's potential here. What the heck, right? I mean, the Michigan Brewing Co. got $723,000 in tax credits over seven years.

Kid Rock stimulus package: the Michigan Brewing Company will produce a line of Kid Rock-branded beer, Detroit’s 7Action News reports, which is expected to create 700 new jobs in the state. The Rock N Roll Jesus singer is working close with the brewing company on the beverage, which is expected out this spring. Really strange supergroup alert: The Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha, middle Hanson brother Taylor Hanson, 57-year-old Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos and Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger have joined forces to form Tinted Windows.

Khmer Rouge

Khmer Rouge leader Kaing Guek Eav began in a Phnom Penh court on Tuesday. The trial, which is backed by the United Nations, is taking place 30 years after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, 13 years after the tribunal was initiated, and almost three years after the court was inaugurated. Still, observers fear that Cambodians will not get the satisfaction that justice has been delivered, as court proceedings have been plagued by corruption allegations and fears of political interference.

According to the London-based daily The Guardian, Mr. Eav, better known as Duch, is charged with crimes against humanity by the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). Duch is the first of five defendants to appear before the long-delayed tribunal. Although he has made no formal confession, he has, unlike the other defendants, "admitted or acknowledged" that many of the crimes occurred at his prison, according to the indictment from court judges. He has also asked for forgiveness from his victims.

Many Cambodians complain that the "Killing Fields" tribunal is long overdue. According to Reuters, a draft agreement between the Cambodian government and the UN about the format for the trial was first floated in March 2003. She said other courts have raised the issue of prosecutorial discretion, meaning that the manner in which the mandate of the court is being applied has been called into question during opening proceedings.

Fort Lewis

Fort Lewis-based soldier, crashed his 2004 Ford F-150 on Interstate 5 in the barrier between state Highway 500 and the Main Street exit in the northbound lanes. "According to the passenger, there was a road rage involved," said State Patrol Trooper Andrey Liksakov. Irons was arrested on suspicion of DUI, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and third-degree assault, Liksakov said.

Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Washington yesterday. Not much information has come out yet, except that the investigation is being handled by the Army Criminal Investigative Division. There are already suggestions out there about our big, bad military people and how they need to be controlled because they are a bunch of thugs. Mind you, there is not yet evidence of any criminal activity. I kind of wonder, if in the interest of smoothing things over with the local government, there will be restrictions placed on the soldiers at Fort Lewis.

The last time I was in Yokosuka, the base was imposing liberty restrictions stemming from the murder of a Japanese woman, but they weren't particularly bad. Basically, we just had to be out of the bars by midnight and back on base by 1 a.m. That is probably not exactly what the restrictions were, but it was something along those lines. I had to ask what time we would be allowed out the next day.