Somebody's O Has Got to Go

That's how legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer opened the Taylor- Pavlik fight. With both fighters entering the ring undefeated only one could leave with their perfect record intact.

And it was hometown favorite Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik.

After a great first round the Southside fighter showed real heart by getting up off the mat in the second round after Jermain Taylor unleashed a furious assault. He managed to remain on his feet for more than a minute until the end of the round in order to give himself a chance to stay in the fight. He endured until the seventh round when he was able to take the title from Taylor with a powerful right and drive the defending champ to the mat.

So now one of Youngstown's own sons is a world champion. It's a strange harmony that Pavlik's rise coincides with the city's effort to revitalize itself. His accomplishment is one that will put the city in the national spotlight for a positive reason. City residents can smile with pride that one of their own has accomplished something great and done it with the grit and determination the area is famous for. Pavlik acknowledged the support local fans have shown him at the end of the bout. Here's hoping there's more greatness to come.

Pavlik Fights Taylor Tonight

Tonight's the big night. Youngstown's own Kelly Pavlik fights Jermain Taylor for the Middleweight Championship in Atlantic City. Expectations are for a good fight and for Pavlik to win. Well, that's my expectation anyway. I watched the HBO special last Saturday on "The Ghost" and Taylor and was impressed with Pavlik's speed, strength and focus. This is a fighter who is grounded because of his strong ties to family, friends and the area. That grounding brings focus and that is what will enable Pavlik to beat Taylor. The Vindy has a couple great articles on how many area folks made it to the fight and trainer Jack Loew. Hopefully all the training and conditioning has been enough for Pavlik to go the distance. If you weren't lucky enough to make it to New Jersey for the big fight, it will be on HBO starting at 10:15 tonight. The HBO special from last Saturday can be seen in three parts below.

The Valley Needs the Jobs at GM Lordstown

During the recent strike at General Motors there was much discussion regarding the plant, the workers and unions. There was no shortage of opinions on the area's talk radio shows and in the online forums around the area. Some people felt the United Auto Workers were making a terrible mistake by striking while others supported them in their efforts. Most puzzling, though, were those who expressed happiness over the situation; who felt the UAW members were finally getting what they deserved.

Regardless of how anyone feels about unions or their impact on local politics, the members of the UAW are our friends, neighbors and family members. Their salaries support the local economy and contribute to the success of area businesses. It is beyond obvious to point out that removing the salaries of three thousand workers making $25 per hour would be catastrophic to the local economy. In addition, local businesses employ many more people in operations that support the plant. Still, there are those who express opinions like this one on the Vindy message board:

It is so funny to hear you union people cry. Every foreign car maker that comes here to the United States makes their cars better, more effective and yet they have no unions. Workers are happy and all are making money. You union bums better wake up!

How does such an attitude serve the revitalization the Valley and Youngstown are currently striving toward? Workers in the Valley should strive to raise their wages to those paid by GM. Increasing the standard of living improves the lives of everyone associated with those workers. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Those who post these derogatory messages and make statements insulting the UAW workers disregard their good work. Building cars is not an easy task. It can be monotonous, tiring work. Dismissing their efforts is insulting to all of us who go to work everyday, take care of our families and support the local economy. If those jobs vanished tomorrow the rest of us would not be able to shoulder the burden.

It is good that Cobalts are once again being produced. It's even better that our friends and neighbors are back to work.

Warren Police Officer Tasers Drunk Woman

How many times was she Tasered? Was there no other way to subdue her?

Iceland Could be Fossil Fuel Free by 2050

Interesting article here at CNN. Iceland's abundance of geothermal energy may provide the best opportunity for any nation to become fossil fuel free. Car companies are preparing to test hydrogen fuel cell vehicles there. The article points out that Iceland has a modest population in a small geographic area but all of the infrastructure of modern nations. This presents the perfect test bed for a country like America.

"Iceland is the ideal country to create the world's first hydrogen economy," Arnason explains. His big idea has earned him the nickname "Professor Hydrogen."

Arnason has caught the attention of General Motors, Toyota and DaimlerChrysler, who are using the island-nation as a test market for their hydrogen fuel cell prototypes.

One car getting put through its paces is the Mercedes Benz A-class F-cell -- an electric car powered by a DaimlerChrysler fuel cell. Fuel cells generate electricity by converting hydrogen and oxygen into water. And fuel cell technology is clean -- the only by-product is water. Watch the F-cell navigate through Reykjavik »

"It's just like a normal car," says Asdis Kritinsdottir Project Manager, Reykjavik Energy. Except the only pollution coming out of the exhaust pipe is water vapor. It can go about 100 miles on a full tank. When it runs out of fuel the electric battery kicks in giving the driver another 18 miles -- hopefully enough time to get to a refueling station. Filling the tank is similar to today's cars -- attach a hose to the car's fueling port, hit "start" on the pump and stand back. The process takes about five to six minutes.

The Best Joke I Heard Last Week

Did you hear the Pittsburgh Steelers are being fined and may possibly be looking at jail time similar to Michael Vick's? They slaughtered 22 dogs last Sunday.

Six Years Past 9/11

It has been a tumultuous six years since September 11th, 2001. On that day, 19 men hijacked four airplanes, turning them into weapons that killed 3,000 people. The man responsible for planning and organizing the attacks, Osama bin Laden, remains free. Free to taunt us with videotaped messages that highlight our inability to capture him. On Sunday, Fran Townsend, President Bush's homeland security adviser, proclaimed that bin Laden was virtually impotent. That the man could do no more than send taped messages from a cave. This attitude is a prime example of why so many Americans think a gap exists between what they believes and what the White House believes.

The victims of the terror attacks and their surviving family members deserve justice. They deserve to see bin Laden in a courtroom or in a body bag. We have a solemn duty to show them that terrorists are not allowed to kill Americans without retribution. Every day that bin Laden remains free is a day he serves as an example to other Islamic radicals that it is possible to strike the United States with impunity.

In adopting the policy of preemptive strikes against countries we fear may pose a threat to us, we attacked Iraq. In doing so, we allowed a group sympathetic to bin Laden's ideals to rise up and kill more Americans. Instead of securing Afghanistan we began a new war and gave the radicals a new country to work in. In the wake of our failure to secure Iraq after the invasion and occupation we have provided these fundamentalists with a proving ground to test new weapons and tactics. Six years on and we are still fighting the pathetic Taliban in Afghanistan.

Saying that bin Laden is virtually impotent is like saying we are virtually winning the war against Islamic terrorism. If we don't know where he is then we don't know what he is doing or what he is planning. We don't know who he is inspiring.

As we mark the sixth anniversary of the attacks we should resolve ourselves to finding and bringing this man to justice. Surely this country has the ability to do so. We simply must find the will to follow through on the President's rhetoric of 2001:

All I want and America wants is to see them brought to justice. That's what we want.

The people who attacked us are dead. They died on the planes they used to attack us. The men who aided them are still fighting us in Afghanistan. The man who organized the effort is still loose. When will justice be done?

Browns Do Everything Possible to Sieze Last Place

In a surprise move Sunday, Romeo Crennel's Cleveland Brown's decided to save team fans the suspense of waiting for the inevitable fall into the basement of the AFC Central and staked their claim early Sunday afternoon.

The Browns dismal performance against the Steelers cemented their reputation as the Mistake on the Lake. Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson proved that the only quarterback controversy in Cleveland is who can throw the most interceptions. They probably aren't to blame though. Since the team's return in 1999, Cleveland has gone through quarterbacks like my Uncle Bucky through a six pack.

It was embarrassing to watch turnover after turnover crush the hopes of Browns fans. You could almost hear a collective groan rise from Northeast Ohio as the home team committed four penalties on one play.

What became clear Sunday is that the Browns have a lot of work to do to gain back their self-respect and their fans. If the next 15 weeks are this bad, it's going to be a long, dreadful season.

Mattel Announces the Hiring of Creed Bratton for Quality Assurance, Formerly of Dunder Mifflin, Scranton

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-Mattel is pleased to announce the addition of Quality Assurance expert CREED BRATTON to our team. Creed is formerly of Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, PA and has extensive experience with product recalls.

Gerald McDodgy, Vice President of Operations in Guangdong Province, China had this to say, "They hired who? To do what? This guy better not slow things down with a bunch of testing. I don't even think lead is that bad for you. I got kids, er, had kids working with it 16 hours a day in this very plant and they're all fine."

Creed seems very happy with his new position. "When I heard I had the opportunity to trade Scranton for China I jumped at the chance. You see, bribery is completely legal in China so as long as I keep a supply of ones and fives in my pocket I figure I'll get away with pretty much anything. I'm the kind of guy that can thrive in an environment where safety and quality standards don't quite reach the level of those implemented during the late Roman Empire."

Mattel is sure that Creed will assist the company in its efforts to rebuild its image following the recall of more than a million toys containing lead based paint and faulty magnets. McDodgy had this to say, "I've got a hundred thousand Dora and Diego figures to churn out in the next week and it has to be done at a profit margin of 93%. If anyone thinks that can be accomplished without paying people a dollar a day and using toxic substances, I'd like to see them try."

Creed Bratton agrees. "There's a reason Mattel doesn't build their toys in the United States. Fair wage laws and hazardous material regulations really get in the way of producing an inferior, deadly product that keeps this fine corporation and its investors rolling in obscenely high profits. And when I say high profits, I mean heaping gobs of money so large that even the most moral person won't think twice about possibly poisoning children. You just can't get away with that in the United States."

Mattel, where our new mission statement includes not harming our customers.