News (Page 2) -- August 2, 2006

Israeli soldiers march towards Lebanon.
AP Photo/Oded Balilty

Mideast war rages with no end in sight - "With fighting in its fourth week and diplomatic efforts stalled, the region braced for a bitter and long war."

'You go a bit crazy when you see little body after little body coming up out of the ground' - "What is obvious to everyone covering this conflict is that children are bearing the brunt of it. The few official figures collated so far seem to support this. Unicef says that 37 of the 60 dead in Qana on Sunday were children, and everywhere you go, it seems that it is the children who are being killed, injured and displaced. Yesterday the Lebanese government said that of the 828 of its civilians killed in the conflict so far, around 35% have been children - that's around 290. Unicef also estimates that about a third of the dead have been children, although it bases that figure on the fact that an estimated 30% of Lebanon's population are children, rather than any actual count of the dead. There are no official figures yet for the number of wounded children, but they will certainly exceed the number killed; as for those displaced, Unicef says that 45% of the estimated 900,000 Lebanese to have fled their homes are children."

Banking on War - "There is a simpler answer, however, one that lands right in our back yard here in America. Why so much war? Because war is a profitable enterprise. George W. Bush and his people can hold forth about the wonders of democracy and peace, and can condemn worldwide violence in solemn tones. Until the United States stops being the world's largest arms dealer, these words from our government absolutely reek of hypocrisy."

Is This Really What You Want? - "In a speech yesterday in Los Angeles, Tony Blair issued a warning to Iran and Syria:"come into the international community and play by the same rules as us." And what rules would those be, Mr. Blair? Pre-emptive strikes? ... Regime change? ... Political assassinations?"

We'll All be Rewarded when the Shit Hits the Fan. - "I am so very, very ashamed of the rank and file of humanity and even more ashamed of those who are in the public eye and positions of power who have closed their eyes to what is taking place. ... I guess I’m on the wrong side. I love the truth and that makes me on the wrong side whatever the side. I’m for the little guy- unless the little guy is behaving in the manner explained earlier. I’m for the greatest good for the most people- that’s my idea of how the world should work. I’ve never stopped being a hippie. I’ve always believed in peace and love. I admire Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. I think Cindy Sheehan is wonderful. I’ve got no guns and no fortune and no public forum that adds up to much. I’m pretty much nobody in the present scheme of things. I could just shut up and hide until this all blows over but I don’t want to look like the rest of you. My life may never amount to much, during, or after the fact. But it is important to me that I lived for some kind of a principle. It is important that I didn’t sit on my hands, or bow my head to a demagogue, or mouth stupidity and lies… or GO ALONG WITH THE PROGRAM. Fuck the program. I’m going to do everything I can to change the channel."

Israel’s Dependency on the Drug of Militarism - "For too many pundits and politicians, bombing just seems so much simpler — until, as happened in Qana, Lebanon, on Sunday, those bombs blow up to your nation’s disgrace, slaughtering scores of innocents, whose only crime was to be in the crossfire. The alternative to such excessive violence—an authentic peace process—had been supported by every American president since Harry Truman. Yet it was abruptly abandoned, indeed ridiculed, by the Bush administration, which bizarrely believes it can re-create the Middle East in a more U.S.-friendly form. The president has framed this process with a simplistic good-versus-evil template, which has the Christian West and Jewish Israel on an unnecessary collision course with the Muslim world."

Is US the World's Policeman or an Empire? - "Are we the world's policeman? Or are we an empire? The rest of the world has already made up its mind about us. The president of the Pew Research Center, whose latest poll of foreigners finds they hate the United States more than ever, says: "Obviously, when you get many more people saying that the U.S. [is as much of] a threat to world peace as...Iran, it's a measure of how much [the war in Iraq] is sapping good will to the United States." But we Americans remain deeply divided over American values and intentions, and it's high time that we got our story straight. ... If we're so nice, why do they hate us so much?"

Washington Traffic Jam? Senators-Only Elevator - "In addition to lofty issues of war and peace, the Senate is grappling with another urgent matter: the senators-only elevators at the Capitol are being overrun by the unelected. ... Add the elevator problem to the litany of senatorial hardships, somewhere between flying coach and the high costs of barbering. At times, senators even find themselves on public elevators, an ordeal fraught with the possibility of having to push their own buttons (the senators-only elevators usually have attendants). Worse, senators sometimes share their moving sanctums with staff members, lobbyists and T-shirt-clad tourists who apparently missed (or ignored or cannot read) the senators-only signs. Or, double-worse, with reporters." -- Disgusting elitists.

Child online safety card unveiled - "A virtual ID card designed to improve children's net safety has been launched in the UK, US, Canada and Australia. The NetIDMe card can be swapped by children online when using chatrooms, instant messaging and social networks. Parents and children can apply for the card using credit card details and a form countersigned by a professional who knows the child concerned. It is hoped that the card will make it harder for adults to pose as children when online."

China intellectuals decry closure of Web site - "Dozens of Chinese writers and dissidents have decried the closing of a Web site they said was one of the few refuges for relatively unfettered views in their censorship-bound country."

Manatee spotted near NYC - "A manatee has been seen in the Hudson River near Manhattan. The gentle behemeth, estimated at 10 feet long and close to 1,000 pounds, is far from home. Most manatees live in Florida and sightings even in Virginia are considered rare."

Japan aims for manned moon station in 2030 - "Japan's space agency has set a goal of constructing a manned lunar base in 2030. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) revealed its ambition to an international conference in Tokyo this week but has not yet been alotted the budget for the ambitious project."

X-rays reveal Archimedes secrets - "A series of hidden texts written by the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes are being revealed by US scientists. Until now, the pages have remained obscured by paintings and texts laid down on top of the original writings. Using a non-destructive technique known as X-ray fluorescence, the researchers are able to peer through these later additions to read the underlying text."

Colleges Warn About Networking Sites - "But students are also hearing stories about those who came to regret postings to other online venues, from party photos on sites such as Webshots.com to comments about professors in blogs."

Rock Your Body With The UltimateMusic Player Acsexsory! - "The OhMiBod vibrator is a whole new way to enjoy your iPod® or any other music player. Everyone loves music. Everyone loves sex. OhMiBod combines music and pleasure to create the ultimate acsexsory™ to your iPod." -- Because I can't make this shit up.