of important developments in the middle east and north africa. most of them troubling. the brutal regime in syria declared general amnesty today but human rights groups and the obama administration are quick to label it a sham. designed they say to distract attention from a bloody crackdown. in yemen, civil strife spread after a cease fire agreement between the government and opposition forces in the capital city collapsed. the regime of moammar gadhafi in libya defiantly today again vowed to hold power, rejecting the latest effort to broker a diplomatic solution to the civil war there. the united states top human rights officer in bahrain was recalled to washington after coming under attacks in media accounts that u.s. officials believe were orchestrated by hard line government officials. bahrain, remember, is supposed to be a top u.s. ally in the region. a lot of ground to cover. let s focus first on syria. the amnesty offer was for all crimes committed against the governm
rss reader that alerts them to headlines like this one, horse herpest outbreak forces rodeo queens to ride stick ponies. that s the headline for real. here s the story. you re welcome. it s kind of weird. you can t really help that the disease is going around. the contestants, proud parents and judges were ready, one thing ready the only horses in the arena were in this bucket because of an outbreak of a contagious and fatal horse herpes virus. we re testing their knowledge and ability to adapt and they get to ride stick horses. they can show their horsemanship that they know the patterns and sequences, though with more effort. a stick horse is different. you have to do all the work. i think it s going to be a lot more tiring than with a real horse. what really shined, were the true traits of a queen. poise and personality amid