Sick Puppy Meets Media Beast - "To extend Karr’s allotted 15-minutes of fame into a 10-day ordeal, TV news ignored important stories of war, environmental degradation, corruption, citizen activism. Instead, TV viewers were offered hundreds of hours of single-minded examination and debate on one burning question: did Karr do it? The inquiry was relentless and aired all sides. If only we’d had such in-depth, full-spectrum debate when the Bush team was dragging our country into war based on pretense."
JonBenét Died - And Bush Lied? - "So we have Republicans who have admitted spying illegally. Who brag about it. And who have evidently - according to Tom Ridge - played the media like a violin for years. Could it be that the Karr/Ramsey case is another Soviet-style manipulation of the media? Or is that too paranoid to contemplate? ... So, at the worst for Republicans who trot out "news" and "terror alerts" to misdirect our attention, this will probably just be chalked up as Coincidence Number 14 on Keith Olbermann's list."
Today's 'Islamic Fascists' Were Yesterday's Friends - "This simplistic view of the new geopolitical landscape is deeply problematic. It overlooks the key role that the West played in nurturing radical Islamist groups, precisely as a means of isolating and undermining secular movements that were judged by Western governments to be too uppity or dangerous. Over the past 80 years and more – from Egypt to Afghanistan to Palestine – powerful governments in the West and their allies in the Middle East helped to create radical Islamic sects as a bulwark against secular nationalist parties or pan-Arabism. They gave the nod to, and in some instances funded and armed, Islamist movements that might challenge the claims of local anti-colonial, liberationist, or communistic outfits. In other words, there is a deep and bitter irony in the West's current claims to be standing up to evil religious sects in the name of universal values. It was precisely the West's earlier disregard for secularism and democracy in the Middle East, its elevation of its own powerful interests over the needs and desires of local populations, which helped to give rise to a layer of apparently "evil" radical Islamism. What we have today is not a World War between a principled West and psychotic groups from "over there," but rather the messy residue of decades of Western meddling in the Middle East."
The Big Lie About 'Islamic Fascism' - "The latest big lie unveiled by Washington’s neoconservatives are the poisonous terms, "Islamo-Fascists" and "Islamic Fascists." They are the new, hot buzzwords among America’s far right and Christian fundamentalists. ... The term "Islamofascist" is utterly without meaning, but packed with emotional explosives. It is a propaganda creation worthy Dr. Goebbels, and the latest expression of the big lie technique being used by neocons in Washington’s propaganda war against its enemies in the Muslim World." -- The United States government has to have an enemy.
The New Fascism Vs. The Old - "Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld compared today’s situation with the situation with Nazi Germany. Let me see, militaristic nation pre-emptively strikes another, rounds up people to send to be tortured-he's right, the US is like Nazi Germany. ... We are fighting a new kind of fascism, by being more fascist ourselves. Kind of like how we're fighting the terrorists by being bigger terrorists ourselves."
Rumsfeld asks Americans for 'patience' in Iraq - "Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Americans that if they have patience, the situation in Iraq will eventually change for the better." -- More patience? This war has already lasted longer than than the U.S.'s involvement in WWII.
U.S. May Curb Iran - "With increasing signs that several fellow Security Council members may stall a United States push to penalize Iran for its nuclear enrichment program, Bush administration officials have indicated that they are prepared to form an independent coalition to freeze Iranian assets and restrict trade."
Anti-War Candidates - "The purpose of this site is to show clearly to voters where their candidates stand on the Bush Administration's "War on Terror." Our goal is to ensure that the issue is not sidelined again in upcoming elections."
Is Our President Learning? - "In January 2005, George W. Bush sat down with C-SPAN's Brian Lamb, longtime host of Booknotes. When Lamb asked the president how much reading he does on a given day, Bush replied, “I read, oh, gosh, I’d say, 10, maybe, different memoranda prepared by staff.” When Lamb clarified that he was asking specifically about books, the president explained, “I'm reading, I think on a good night, maybe 20 to 30 pages,” before segueing into an explanation about his rigorous exercise schedule. Given the history, it came as something of a surprise this month when the White House began a not-so-subtle public-relations campaign suggesting that the president not only has a great fondness for books, but has actually become a voracious reader who finishes challenging texts at a stunning clip."
Hitler and Stalin were possessed by the Devil, says Vatican exorcist - ""I am convinced that the Nazis were all possessed. All you have to do is think about what Hitler - and Stalin did. Almost certainly they were possessed by the Devil. "You can tell by their behaviour and their actions, from the horrors they committed and the atrocities that were committed on their orders. That's why we need to defend society from demons."" -- Jesus.
'God spot' researchers see the light in MRI study - "Brain scans of nuns have revealed intricate neural circuits that flicker into life when they feel the presence of God. The images suggest that feelings of profound joy and union with a higher being that accompany religious experiences are the culmination of ramped-up electrical activity in parts of the brain."
Iran cracks down on women's dress - "Police in Tehran have been ordering Iranian women to cover up, stopping those they perceive as "badly veiled.""
Up to 14 hurt in SF hit-and-run spree 7 critical - "As many as 14 people were injured this afternoon by a motorist who drove around San Francisco running them down before he was arrested, authorities said."
Scientists warn of 'unproven stem cell treatments' - "A group of leading British scientists warned patients today to be wary of "extravagant" claims made for "unorthodox" stem cell treatments offered abroad."
Vermont law allows minors access to morning-after pill - "Vermont minors will continue to be able to get the emergency contraceptive Plan B without a prescription, despite a Food and Drug Administration ruling to the contrary, a Planned Parenthood executive said Friday."
CBS PHOTO TRICKERY TAKES A LOAD OFF'SLIMMER' COURIC - " Thanks to a computer "slight" of hand, the Tiffany network has made the new face of "CBS Evening News" instantly drop about 20 pounds." -- Check out the pic.
Time to Rein In the Pump Profiteers - "While ordinary Americans are forking over upwards of $3 for a gallon of gas, 15 distinctly unordinary Americans -- the CEOs of the largest U.S. oil industry companies -- are celebrating their biggest paychecks on record."
Gasoline prices could keep falling - "Gasoline prices are falling fast and could keep dropping for months. "The only place they have to go is down," says Fred Rozell, gasoline analyst at the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS). "We'll be closer to $2 than $3 come Thanksgiving."" -- Again, they have not dropped in my neck of the woods for months.
Physics Wars - "The universe has a problem. The math that describes gravity and the structure of spacetime – general relativity – conflicts with the math that describes the interactions of subatomic particles – quantum mechanics. For the past two decades, the dominant approach to unifying the two has been string theory, which basically says that the universe is made of infinitesimally small, vibrating filaments of energy moving through multiple dimensions. It's wacky stuff, but no weirder than a lot of other science. Yet in his new book, The Trouble With Physics, theoretician Lee Smolin argues that string theory is not only weird, it might be wrong. A founding scientist at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario, Smolin says that string theory is unconvincing – maybe even nonscientific – and that physicists have embraced it at the expense of other promising research."
Scientists pinpoint polar cataclysm date - "A 30-mile maze canyons in Antarctica was carved out of bedrock by the catastrophic draining of subglacial lakes during global warming between 12 million and 14 million years ago, according to university researchers who warn a similar event today could have serious environmental consequences."
SAT Score Drop Is Biggest in 31 Years - "The results come two weeks after it was announced the class of 2006 had posted the biggest score increase in 20 years on the rival ACT exam. The ACT, which is also accepted by almost all colleges that require standardized tests, is generally more focused on material covered in high school classes than the SAT, which is more of a measure of general ability."
New Jersey is richest state, but has some of the poorest cities - "The numbers illustrate that New Jersey, with its middle-class and wealthy suburbs nestled up against struggling, old industrial cities, continues to be a place of stark economic contrasts."
U.S. report: More nicotine in cigarettes - "The level of nicotine found in U.S. cigarettes has risen about 10 percent in the past six years, making it harder to quit and easier to get hooked, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Massachusetts Department of Health."
Cell phones won't keep your secrets - "Selling your old phone once you upgrade to a fancier model can be like handing over your diaries. All sorts of sensitive information pile up inside our cell phones, and deleting it may be more difficult than you think."
Blurb.com Gets Book Smart - "Those who can't publish, blog. It's one of the enduring knocks against the blogosphere. But what happens when any blogger, or blog reader, has one-button access to cheaply printing a neatly bound, customized slice of Kottke.org?"
Quote of the Day
"If you don't want anybody to know about what you're saying, don't say it. Because if you do say it, somebody will be listening."
~ Mike Frost
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