News -- September 19, 2006

The US military and its cult of cruelty - "In the week that George Bush took to fantasising that his blood-soaked "war on terror" would lead the 21st century into a "shining age of human liberty" I went through my mail bag to find a frightening letter addressed to me by an American veteran whose son is serving as a lieutenant colonel and medical doctor with US forces in Baghdad. Put simply, my American friend believes the change of military creed under the Bush administration - from that of "soldier" to that of "warrior" - is encouraging American troops to commit atrocities."

Why I hate America - "The incomparable Ms. Roy says: "What does the term 'anti-American' mean? Does it mean you are anti-jazz or that you're opposed to freedom of speech? That you don't delight in Toni Morrison or John Updike? That you have a quarrel with giant sequoias?" (I'm a tree hugger remember? I don't argue with sequoias.) When pressed, I sometimes reply: "I don't hate America. In fact, think it's one of the best countries anyone ever stole." But, after the laughter dies down, I have a confession to make: If by "America" they mean the elected/appointed officials and the corporations that own them, well, I guess I do hate that America-with justification."

Bush to ask world to support Mideast democracy - "President Bush will challenge world leaders to do more to build democracy in the Middle East, when he speaks at the United Nations on Tuesday."

Bush approval rating rebounds in new poll - "The bounce comes with seven weeks before elections to deicide control of Congress amid falling gas prices and a renewed campaign by Bush to boost support for the Iraq war and to portray Republicans as more competent than Democrats on security, the newspaper said. ... For the first time since December 2005, a majority of people polled did not say the war in Iraq was a mistake. The respondents were evenly split at 49 percent to 49 percent, the report said."

Canada falsely accused torture victim - "The United States "very likely" sent a Canadian software engineer to Syria', where he was tortured, based on the false accusation by Canadian authorities that he was suspected of links to al-Qaida, according to a new government report."

Congress Considering Strip Searching Students - "Imagine an America in which school officials could strip search every student in their school based on the unsubstantiated tip that one of them might have a joint. Congress is voting on a bill Tuesday or Wednesday that could make these police state tactics more common."

Gore says tax pollution, not payrolls - "The pollution tax would replace all payroll taxes, including those for Social Security and unemployment compensation, Gore said. He said the overall level of taxation, would remain the same. "Instead of discouraging businesses from hiring more employees it would discourage business from producing more pollution," Gore said."

Financial future bleak for the iPod generation - "Quite apart from the ignominy of being known as the iPod generation - because they are insecure, pressurised, over-taxed and debt ridden - it seems unlikely that the under 35s will even be in a position to afford their electronic namesakes. They are facing a bleak financial future in which they will hand over almost half their salary to the taxman, according to a new study. The report, by the thinktank Reform, claims that millions of young people face a combination of rising debts, higher costs of living and low earnings growth. It also predicts that the average 20-35 year old graduate will face a tax burden of around 48%."

Some universities shift future professors' focus to teaching - "Universities are supposed to produce the next generation of college professors -- that is, people who will both conduct research and teach. But star researchers bring in money and prestige. It is an open secret that, for many top academic jobs, research potential is the first thing hiring committees look for. "At research institutions, that's what the currency is," said Jim Masterson, president of the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students. Now, however, some universities are taking their teacher-training missions more seriously. Partly, it's to provide better teaching for their own undergraduates, who with rising tuition are less hesitant to complain about incompetent TAs. And partly it's to help their graduate students when they go into a job market that seems moderately more interested in teaching skills than in the past."

New York the safest big U.S. city; one reported crime for every 37 people - " The large city with the highest crime rate was Dallas, with about one crime reported for every 12 people. Los Angeles ranked eighth, with about one crime for every 26 people."

Lawyer says FCC ordered study destroyed - "The Federal Communications Commission ordered its staff to destroy all copies of a draft study that suggested greater concentration of media ownership would hurt local TV news coverage, a former lawyer at the agency says."

Evolution Attack Goes Global - "Religious critics of evolution have trained their sights on one of the world's pre-eminent fossil exhibits -- Louis and Richard Leakey's extensive skeletal collections illuminating the origins of man. Evangelical Christians in Kenya are demanding that the exhibit at Nairobi's National Museum edit out references to human evolution in order to prevent young African Christians from being taught falsehoods."

Study: ADHD cases linked to lead, smoking - "About one-third of attention deficit cases among U.S. children may be linked with tobacco smoke before birth or to lead exposure afterward, according to provocative new research. Even levels of lead the government considers acceptable appeared to increase a child's risk of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the study found."

U.S. war on drugs spreads to YouTube - "The White House is distributing government-produced, anti-drug videos on YouTube, the trendy Internet service that already features clips of wacky, drug-induced behavior and step-by-step instructions for growing marijuana plants."

Travis County debates weight-loss surgery as employee benefit - "Travis County is considering a pilot program to offer weight-loss surgery to its employees after a review suggested the move could save money in the long run."

Man rejects first penis transplant - "Although the operation was a surgical success, surgeons said they had to remove the penis two weeks later. "Because of a severe psychological problem of the recipient and his wife, the transplanted penis regretfully had to be cut off," Dr Hu said. An examination of the organ showed no signs of it being rejected by the body."

'Sexy substitute' gets no jail time - "A female high-school substitute teacher in Utah will serve no time behind bars for performing oral sex on a 17-year-old male student, despite comments from the judge that a man would have likely gone to prison. "If this was a 29-year-old male and a 17-year-old female, I would be inclined to order some incarceration," noted 3rd District Judge Mark Kouris during sentencing yesterday for Cameo Patch."

Laborer gets fired for good looks - "A teenage laborer in Surrey, England, was asked to find another job after his hunky physique distracted pupils at an all-girls school."

The Music Store in Your Pocket - "The first big deal about digital music was that you could use the internet to get music. The second big deal about digital music could be that you won't need a computer to use an online store."

Shark that walks on fins found in Papua New Guinea - "Scientists carrying out research in Papua New Guinea say they have discovered dozens of new species underwater, including a shark that walks on its fins and a shrimp that looks like a praying mantis. The research team from Conservation International, which is based in the US, claim to have found 52 new species, including 24 new species of fish, 20 species of coral and eight species of shrimp."

Lions dying in Indian zoo after failed experiment - "Twenty-one lions are dying in a zoo in north India after a cross-breeding experiment to boost the park's attractions went disastrously wrong."


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