Rosa Parks dies at 92

Civil rights icon Rosa Parks passed away on Monday in Detroit, Michigan. She was 92 years old.

Almost 50 years ago in Montgomery, Alabama, Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on a city bus to a white man added the necessary fuel to the fire of the civil rights movement.

Parks was arrested and eventually convicted for defying the segregation laws of the time. Her act sparked blacks in Montgomery to lash out against the unfair laws and organize one of the longest bus boycotts in American history, spanning over 13 weeks.

Parks will be remembered as an icon in American history. Her civil disobedience helped to put the civil rights movement into motion. For this, she has been recognized as a national hero.

Hurricane Wilma pummels through South Florida

Hurricane Wilma ripped through South Florida Monday morning, leaving shattered glass, high flood waters, and over 3.4 million people without electricity.

The storm began as a Category Three with winds as high as 125 miles per hour. As the storm raged on, it topped off as a Category Two with winds still as devastating as 105 miles per hour. Much of the Florida Keys were left covered with high levels of sea water Damage as of Tuesday was over $2 billion.

Governor Jeb Bush has high hopes however, for a speedy recovery according to the New York Times.

“We’ve got a response team that is second to none,” Bush said during a press conference in Tallahassee. “We will get through this and respond quickly.”

R. David Paulison, acting director of FEMA, is also prepared for a speedy response in the wake of President Bush’s declaration of the storm as a major disaster.

As of now, no reported deaths were directly caused by the storm. Wilma is the eighth storm the area has experienced in the last 18 months.

Syria Speaks out on UN Hariri Report

In a report by the United Nations, fingers were pointed at Syria as the primary suspect for the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 22 other individuals in February 2005. The Syrian ambassador to the UN denied any association with the plots and the actual bombings.

President Bush, along with others, has called for pressure to be placed on Syria but feels that military intervention is a last resort.