December 9 in the news....
- Bindi Irwin misses her dad Steve more than ever as the family approaches its first Christmas without the Crocodile Hunter, but cherishes the memory of their last Christmas together. But Bindi cherishes more the spotlight and is glad her dad is 'bloody dead and gone to make way for me'.
- In the NBA, four-time scoring champ Allen Iverson has asked to be traded and Philadelphia 76ers owner Ed Snider has said his superstar player would be accommodated. It is uncertain where Iverson will go, who has courted controversy his entire NBA career, but so far a federal penitentiary has been ruled out.
- The leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, hated Iraq's Shiite Muslims more than U.S. forces and said they were more dangerous, according to an interview published on the Internet posthumously. He also didn't like their beards, saying Sunnis 'rock the beard look way better'.
- The Fiji PM has vowed to return after a bloodless coup ousted him from power. He's currently looking at holiday packages.
- Actor Wesley Snipes surrendered to police on income-tax evasion charges overnight at Orlando International Airport and is due to appear in court, the US attorney's office said. When asked for comment as he was being escorted from the airport Snipes said "Ever played roulette? Always bet on black."
- In Sydney, racial tensions have erupted in the school system, with a teacher facing an anti-discrimination board complaint after branding a Muslim student a "terrorist". It is not sure how a slur against Islam is racist since it's a religion, but nevertheless, this was part of the 'stating the obvious' curriculum about faithful muslims.
- Indian surgeons have successfully reattached a man's penis after it was sliced off by gangsters, doctors said today. The organ, which was completely severed, was functional during "clinical tests" this week. There was one awkward moment during this clinical test when the doctor prefaced the handjob with 'Now I'm not gay, we just have to see if this works properly'.
