The James Logan Courier

By Ron Hutcheson
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

WASHINGTON — British Prime Minister Tony Blair has paid a high price for his friendship with President Bush, but he'll still be back at the White House this week to say goodbye to his wartime ally.

It's likely to be a bittersweet parting for two leaders who will be forever linked by the Iraq war. Their dream of remaking the Middle East has turned into a nightmare. Their popularity has evaporated. Their place in history hinges on the outcome of the war that forged their unlikely friendship.

By Kurt Achin, VOA News

Munsan, South Korea —North and South Korea have sent trains across their heavily armed border for the first time in 56 years, marking a new milestone in the two countries' on-again, off-again efforts to improve relations.

The test runs were short, but by the time the two trains had each crossed the border between North and South Korea and returned, they had made history.

The trains started from either side of the border late Thursday morning, and returned Thursday afternoon. Each carried 100 South Koreans and 50 North Koreans.

From wikipedia, the free encylopedia:
Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was a wealthy entrepreneur of nineteenth century Baltimore, most noted for his philanthropic creation of Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Johns, whose nickname was "Johnsie", was the second of eleven children in his Quaker family, whose 500-acre (two km˛) tobacco plantation was located in Crofton in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. His unusual first name, often misstated as "John," was the surname of his great-grandmother, Margaret Johns. His given name was "Johns Hopkins" -- after one of her children, who was his grandfather.

Read more about Johns Hopkins, at the Johns Hopkins University website.