Yesterday's big news is that Philippine troops are thought to have killed Abu Sabaya, leader of the Abu Sayyaf. They haven't found the body yet, but they know he was wounded and fell into the ocean. Today, the government intends to ask the US to stay on in the Philippines for a while.

I talked to a friend whose father is currently farming in Basilan and Zamboanga. He says it's actually not nearly as scary there as we read about. Chris' dad actually says he's run into no trouble and is simply running his farm as usual.

I actually felt quite satisfied about the world cup game yesterday. I felt pleased that the US played such a great game, feeling that finally the US has joined the rest of the world in the soccer arena. Sucks that the result partially hinged on a ball that escaped Kahn (the goalie) only to be deflected by a defender's hand...Still, it was nice to watch Sanneh as he was magic all over the field and well worth the sleep-deprived haze that I stayed in for the rest of the day. Now I'm all about South Korea. Would be so excellent to see an Asian team take it all for the first time!