Deposed Honduran president Manuel Zelaya, currently ensconced in that country's Brazilian embassy, claims that Israeli mercenaries are trying to poison him with radiation and toxic gas. "Israeli government sources in Miami said they could not confirm the presence of any 'Israelis mercenaries' in Honduras," but they would say that, wouldn't they?

My usual Friday attack of Let This Week Be Over Syndrome came early this week (if you're scoring at home, here's exactly when it happened), and I'll try to gut it out and take you through the rest of the day, but man am I finding it hard to care. Still, here are a couple of things you might be interested in. READ MORE

What's that? You'd like some actual news? Okay, here are a few quick updates on some of the stories we've been following recently. READ MORE

Continuing chaos in Honduras, as a plane carrying deposed President Manuel Zelaya was refused permission to land by the interim government there. According to the Wall Street Journal, it's all America's fault, although the paper's position is pretty much always "Blame America first" when there's a Democrat in the White House, so, you know, nothing new there.

Against all odds-particularly since it is competing with the untimely passings of Billy Mays, Michael Jackson, and Fred Travalena-the Honduran coup story is becoming the Little Central American News Item That Could. (Jon Stewart even did a bit last night.) Anyway: Amid clashes between soldiers and citizens protesting the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya, leaders from Latin America's left and right joined together to condemn the coup; Zelaya claims he will return to the country on Thursday. For more background on Zelaya, read Alvaro Vargas Llosa's Times op-ed, which predicts that whatever happens, the coup will bolster Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, and Nikolas Kozloff's Counterpoint piece, which, in true Counterpoint fashion, suggests but does not definitively support U.S. involvement in the coup. Coming from very different places, both pieces show Zelaya as a scion of the Honduran establishment who underwent some sort of ideological conversion midway through his term. This whole thing is pretty fascinating to me! So get set to hear more about it in the coming days.

Much like George W. Bush after 9/11, we don't pay a lot of attention to the countries to our south unless something's going on with the cocaine supply. But there were a couple of interesting things that happened this weekend which you might want to know about. READ MORE