The Germans, GM and the Killer Quake

Welcome to the jungle
It gets worse here everyday
Ya learn ta live like an animal
In the jungle where we play
--G n' R

1. Merkel pounds out a win. Let's see if she can Koizumi the opposition.

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) -- It was not as easy as she hoped, but Angela Merkel, a shy pastor's daughter from the ex-communist east, has finally crowned her unlikely rise to the top of German politics and will become the country's first woman chancellor.

2. GM is in trouble. Sales are dropping (check out the unaudited quarterly from August 8th), GM is selling its receivables to generate cash and it's biggest supplier just went bankrupt. Yikes.

3. The Killer Quake in Kashmir has killed a huge number of people. Canada has decided to step it up a notch and contribute. But, as Snoop once said:

"Damn. You just moved up a notch in my book. (Pause) That puts you at notch one."