Israeli "Retaliation" and Double Standards - "In the skewed moral and news priorities of the BBC, the killing of two Israeli soldiers by Palestinian militants -- the "escalation" -- provides a justification for "fierce retaliation" against Gaza, with the inevitable toll on Palestinian civilians and militants alike. The earlier killing of tens of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli military, however, is not presented as justification for yesterday's Palestinian retaliation against the army. In other words, on the scale of moral outrage the BBC ranks the deaths of Israeli soldiers enforcing an illegal occupation far above those of Palestinian civilians enduring the illegal occupation."
Army wives get phone death threats from Iraq - "Wives and family members of soldiers fighting in Iraq have received telephone calls, believed to include death threats, from insurgents, according to military documents seen by The Sunday Telegraph." -- Come on. I'm supposed to believe this?
Dean: 'We're About to Enter the '60s Again' - "America is about to revisit one of the most turbulent decades in its history, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean told a religious conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. "We're about to enter the '60s again," Dean said, but he was not referring to the Vietnam War or racial tensions. Dean said he is looking for "the age of enlightenment led by religious figures who want to greet Americans with a moral, uplifting vision."
Obama: Democrats must court evangelicals - "Sen. Barack Obama chastised fellow Democrats on Wednesday for failing to "acknowledge the power of faith in the lives of the American people," and said the party must compete for the support of evangelicals and other churchgoing Americans."
Wars Force Army Equipment Costs to Triple - "The annual cost of replacing, repairing and upgrading Army equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan is expected to more than triple next year to more than $17 billion, according to Army documents obtained by the Associated Press."
Weapon of Mass Diffraction - "A new technology that corrects for the distortion of light through the atmosphere could help make the doomsday devices of tomorrow."
Many U.S. Iraq War vets return to homelessness - "Thousands of U.S. veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are facing a new nightmare - the risk of homelessness. The U.S. government estimates several hundred vets who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan are homeless on any given night across the country, although the exact number is unknown. The reasons that contribute to the new wave of homelessness are many: some are unable to cope with life after daily encounters with insurgent attacks and roadside bombs; some can't navigate government red tape; others simply don't have enough money to afford a house or apartment. They are living on the edge in towns and cities big and small from Washington state to Florida."
Anglican leader ponders a split - "The Archbishop of Canterbury conceded yesterday for the first time that the worldwide Anglican Communion may have to split. ... Archbishop Rowan Williams said the 70-million-member Anglican Communion may require a "covenant" defining theological orthodoxy on a wide range of matters, including homosexuality."
Analysis finds e-voting machines vulnerable - "Most of the electronic voting machines widely adopted since the disputed 2000 presidential election "pose a real danger to the integrity of national, state and local elections," a report out Tuesday concludes. There are more than 120 security threats to the three most commonly purchased electronic voting systems, the study by the Brennan Center for Justice says. For what it calls the most comprehensive review of its kind, the New York City-based non-partisan think tank convened a task force of election officials, computer scientists and security experts to study e-voting vulnerabilities."
Flag-burning amendment fails by a vote - "The Senate by a single vote Tuesday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to ban desecrating the American flag."
Americans Rank No. 1 in Patriotism Survey - "When it comes to national pride, Americans are No. 1, according to a survey of 34 countries' patriotism."
CU To Fire Ward Churchill - "The tenured professor of ethnic studies has repeatedly denied all accusations of misconduct."
Senator seeks tax on pimps, prostitutes - "Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa is hoping to stamp out the sex trade by taxing pimps and prostitutes, then jailing them when they don't pay. The Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote Wednesday morning on the pimp tax. The bill also calls for more jail time for sex workers."
Study: Even with 100 % Condom Use 30% Still Contract Potentially Deadly HPV Virus - "The study relied on the journals of 82 female university students who kept daily records of their sexual behaviour, and found that 70% of the women, who reported 100% consistent condom use, were virus-free at the end of three years."
Teenage Girls Rob Man they Met on MySpace - "The so-called Natalia did tell the victim that she was 18, so he was shocked to learn he was actually talking to a 14-year-old. He says he has since removed personal information from his MySpace profile, like his salary and the kind of car that he drives." -- The apex of human intellect.
The eyes have it for making people behave more honestly - "Honesty may well be the best policy, but it often deserts us when no one is watching, psychologists report today. Experiments with an honesty box to collect payments for hot drinks reveal that people are better at paying up when under the watchful gaze of a pair of eyes. The surprise was that the eyes were not real, but photographed. The finding, which researchers believe sheds light on our evolutionary past, could be turned to practical use. The psychologists say images of beady eyes could boost ticket sales on public transport and improve surveillance systems to deter antisocial behaviour."
Tropical Stonehenge may have been found - "A grouping of granite blocks along a grassy Amazon hilltop may be the vestiges of a centuries-old astronomical observatory — a find archaeologists say indicates early rainforest inhabitants were more sophisticated than previously believed."
Albino humpback whale Migaloo spotted off Australian coast - "The only documented white humpback whale in the world has been sighted off the coast of Byron Bay as it migrates along the coast of Australia." -- Check out the picture.
Quote of the Day
"This is my world, and I am, world leader pretend."
~ R.E.M., (World Leader Pretend)
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