In a surprising bit of good news . . . .

All but one of the 49 remaining pit bulls seized from a home owned by NFL star Michael Vick at the outset of a dogfighting investigation have placement potential, according to a motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court. One of the dogs has a history of biting people and should be euthanized, according to the motion, which cites extensive behavioral testing done on all the dogs seized from the property in rural Surry County. It says the dogs were put through a protocol of 11 exercises to evaluate their behavior toward humans and other animals.

In a not so surprising bit of bad news . . . .

Women in Basra, Iraq have become the targets of a violent campaign by religious extremists, who leave more than 15 female bodies scattered around the city each month, police officers say. Maj. Gen. Abdel Jalil Khalaf , the commander of Basra's police, said Thursday that self-styled enforcers of religious law threatened, beat and sometimes shot women who they believed weren't sufficiently Muslim. Before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Iraqi women had rights enshrined in the country's constitution since 1959 that were among the broadest of any Arab or Islamic nation.

Of course, living in the dark ages isn't limited to the Arab world . . .

In an interview with the New York Observer Ann Coulter said, "If we took away women's right to vote, we'd never have to worry about another Democrat president. It's kind of a pipe dream, it's a personal fantasy of mine, but I don't think it's going to happen. And it is a good way of making the point that women are voting so stupidly, at least single women."

"It also makes the point, it is kind of embarrassing, the Democratic Party ought to be hanging its head in shame, that it has so much difficulty getting men to vote for it. I mean, you do see it’s the party of women and 'We’ll pay for health care and tuition and day care -- and here, what else can we give you, soccer moms?'"

Last time I was in NYC, I ended up sitting next to an older gentleman visiting from Virginia who was a big Ann Coulter fan. I have enough respect for my elders that I didn't grab him, shake him and scream. Here's hoping I have better luck chatting up men in bars in Midtown this time around.