Update on the Empire - "Although Donald Rumsfeld once claimed that the United States is not imperialistic and doesn’t seek empires, what else are you going to call this global presence in 159 regions of the world? Do all these countries want U.S. troops on their soil? Is there really any reason why the United States still has 64,319 troops in Germany, 33,453 troops in Japan, and 10,449 troops in Italy – sixty years after World War II? And what are we doing with 1,521 troops in Spain, 414 troops in Honduras, and 347 troops in Australia? And why do we have 31 soldiers in Cote D’Ivoire? Cote D’What? Cote D’Where? How many Americans can locate Cote D’Ivoire on a map or have ever heard of it? How many even care? (For the record, Cote D’Ivoire is next to Burkina Faso.)"
Iran 'six months from mass uranium enrichment' - "Iran could be as little as six months away from being able to enrich uranium on an industrial scale, having mastered the technology since last August, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog warned in an interview published today. However, Mohamed ElBaradei, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general, stressed that Iran was still years away from developing a nuclear weapon."
Report says nuclear work ongoing in Iran - "The conclusion — while widely expected — was important because it could serve as the trigger for the council to start deliberating on new sanctions meant to punish Tehran for its intransigence over its nuclear program."
Iran drones 'can attack US ships' - "An Iranian website close to the Revolutionary Guard has said they have drones that can launch attacks on American warships in the Persian Gulf." -- Sounds awfully familiar.
Huge Fearmongering Billboards Urge Preparedness for A Terror Attack on 11/9/09 - "These rather fetchingly huge fearmongering billboards have been going up across America recently to advertise the Red Cross. Note that they interestingly place the date of a future "attack" as November 9th 2009, that is 11/9/09. Also note that the small print states the attack is to be a bio-chemical attack. Are you scared yet?" -- Check out the billboard.
BUSH ASKS FOR $2.9 TRILLION - "A budget battle is looming. The AP out of Washington, D. C. reports that President Bush has sent a whopping $2.9 trillion spending plan to a Democratic-controlled congress on Monday. He asked for a big increase in military spending, including billions more to fight the war in Iraq - and fewer dollars to turn the rest of government."
Tony Snow and White House Reporters Slam The ‘Hateful,’ ‘Polarized’ Blogosphere - "In a press roundtable at the National Press Club tonight, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow led a discussion with White House correspondents about the impact of the internet on their respective jobs. Their conclusion? They don’t like being challenged by blogs."
Atheist group takes on Bush initiative - "Annie Laurie Gaylor speaks with a soft voice, but her message catches attention: Keep God out of government. ... The court will decide whether taxpayers can sue over federal funding that the foundation believes promotes religion. It could be a major ruling for groups that fight to keep church and state separate. "What's at stake is the right to challenge the establishment of religion by the government," Gaylor said."
Criticizing religions that have offensive beliefs - "Problems arise because people think that their right not to be mistreated because they have a faith extends to a right not to have their faith itself criticized."
Assassin was 'obeying Allah' - "A PAKISTANI minister and women's activist has been shot dead by an Islamic extremist for refusing to wear the full veil."
Egypt blogger jailed for insulting Islam - "An Alexandria court convicted an Egyptian blogger on Thursday for insulting both Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and sentenced him to four years in jail over his writings on the Internet."
Men-free tourism island planned - "Iran plans a female-only island to boost tourism in a northwest province, the Tehran-e Emrouz newspaper on Wednesday quoted a local official as saying. ... Under Iran's strict Islamic law, mixing with men in public is forbidden. Strict sex segregation actually protects women rather than restricting their rights, officials argue."
What the World Trade Center Building Designers Said: Before and After 9/11 - "An analysis of contradictions in statements by Building Designer Leslie Robertson"
Fever claim on global warming - "GLOBAL warming will take a toll on children's health, according to a new report showing hospital admissions for fever soar as days get hotter."
Steve Jobs, Proud to Be Nonunion - "But don't you love it when a billionaire who sends his own kids to private school applies half-baked business platitudes to complex problems like schools? I'm surprised Jobs didn't suggest we outsource education to the same nonunion Chinese factories that build his iPods. As someone who sends his kids to a struggling San Francisco public school (where 60 percent of the students are eligible for free lunches), I know for a fact that Jobs' ideas about unions are absurd, he's-on-a-different-planet bullshit. The solution, Jobs believes, is to treat schools like businesses: Empower the principal to fire bad teachers like a CEO. ... The issues are many and complex, and yes, there is a problem with firing incompetent or indifferent teachers, but it is not the No. 1 reason schools are failing. It's not even in the top 10."
Reports: Test scores, grades don't jibe - "Large percentages of high school seniors are posting weak scores on national math and reading tests even though more of them are taking challenging courses and getting higher grades in school, say two new government reports released Thursday."
Gambia's president claims he has cure for AIDS - "“Whatever you do, there are bound to be skeptics, but I can tell you my method is foolproof,” President Yahya Jammeh told an Associated Press reporter, surrounded by bodyguards in his presidential compound. “Mine is not an argument, mine is a proof. It’s a declaration. I can cure AIDS and I will.”"
The Big Fat Joke of our Dietary Recommendations in the US - "Slowly but surely we have modified our diet and more calories now, than ever before, 73% in fact, come from plant-based sources; and we've grown obese, diabetic and disabled with increased incidence of degenerative disease. We're also a nation slowly becoming dependent on prescription medications to relieve the symptoms of our poor dietary habits while we're repeatedly told our health would improve if we just ate less meat, eggs, butter, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Folks, these are not the problems in our diet."
New Warning for Attention Deficit Drugs - "Drugs prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder will include guides to alert patients and parents of the risks of mental and heart problems, including sudden death."
Cities Can Make You Skinny - "City dwellers living in areas evenly balanced between residences and commercial use had significantly lower BMIs compared to New Yorkers who lived in mostly residential or commercial areas."
Wimbledon agrees to equal prize money for women - "After years of holding out against equal prize money, Wimbledon yielded to public pressure Thursday and agreed to pay female players as much as male players at the world's most prestigious tennis tournament."
Water Mysteriously Absent from Extrasolar Planets' Atmospheres - "Both planets' spectra are missing water along with carbon monoxide and methane—at least some of which researchers had expected to find."
Spitzer Sees Light From Faraway Worlds - "NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured for the first time enough light from planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets, to identify signatures of molecules in their atmospheres. The landmark achievement is a significant step toward being able to detect possible life on rocky exoplanets and comes years before astronomers had anticipated."
Teen makes mammoth fossil find in Fla. park - "Paleontology and archaeology experts have confirmed the find, and recent digging at the site has turned up teeth and bones from a second mammoth, giant sloths, camels, turtles with shells up to six feet long, saber-toothed cats and giant armadillos the size of Volkswagen Beetles."
Quote of the Day
"Of those who say nothing, few are silent."
~ Thomas Neill
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