And Lastly...

The Louisiana Purchase was a defining moment in the shaping of America, and the Bayou State has spent three years planning for the Dec. 20 bicentennial celebration in New Orleans. The acquisition of 828,000 square miles of French-controlled territory from Napoleon Bonaparte will be commemorated in the very room in the Cabildo, a historic building in the French Quarter, where representatives of France signed over the land on Dec. 20, 1803. But something -- or, rather, someone -- will be missing: President Bush and President Jacques Chirac of France. According to the Los Angeles Times, representatives for both men said this week that they will not attend. The state's party plans fell victim to the hard feelings between the United States and France over Bush's decision to wage war in Iraq. Chirac reportedly wanted to attend, but no invite from Bush was forthcoming, the paper said.