April 11, 2007

U.S. 'hypocrisy' on Iran makes war more likely - "The U.S. says Iran is developing an atomic bomb. But 30 years ago. the U.S. was working on a plan to build a nuclear industry in Iran, including giving it control over large quantities of plutonium and enriched uranium -- the means to develop a nuclear bomb. That was, of course, back when the Shah was in control in Iran. He was another human rights violator who came to power when the U.S. backed a coup to overthrow the democratic Mossadegh government."

Iran may be helping Iraqis build bombs - "Iranian intelligence operatives have been training Iraqi fighters inside Iran on how to use and assemble deadly roadside bombs known as EFPs, the U.S. military spokesman said Wednesday." -- Mmm hmm.

3 Generals Spurn the Position of War 'Czar' - "The White House wants to appoint a high-powered czar to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with authority to issue directions to the Pentagon, the State Department and other agencies, but it has had trouble finding anyone able and willing to take the job, according to people close to the situation."

A US-Made Mess in Somalia - "The U.S. media has focused to date almost exclusively on the rising Islamist movement in Somalia and U.S. "covert" assistance to the Ethiopian invasion that supported Somalia's transitional government against the stronger Islamists. The media should be focusing on one of the major causes of the Somali mess: U.S. government meddling."

The Return of Evil Campaign Journalism - "You'll hear quite a lot in the next 20 months about who has bony hands, who has lines on his or her face, who looks good in a parka, who can play the saxophone underwater, who is "measured" and who is "fiery" -- but you won't hear anything about who voted for the bankruptcy bill and who didn't (Obama was a nay, incidentally; Hillary abstained)."

PBS shelves film on moderate Muslims - "A 52-minute documentary film exploring the struggles of moderate American Muslims at the hands of their radical brethren has also become a showcase for the struggles between right and left in the news media. ... "The censorship of this documentary tells us a great deal about the level to which our government is facilitating the ideology of Islamism which runs directly counter to our foundations of Americanism.""

Religious bias colors doctors' views: survey - "Few topics are more likely to cause argument among doctors than the influence of religion on healing, but a survey suggests most physicians bring their ideas about religion into their practice, U.S. researchers reported on Monday."

Physicians believe God can help patients get healthy - "Dr. Wayne Detmer, an internist at Lawndale Christian Health Center, said all doctors have seen cures of patients "that don't make sense based on our current understanding of physiology or medicine."" -- And because we don't understand it then it has to be the work of a "god"?

Home prices to fall for first time in 2007 - "The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday it expects its measure of home prices to fall this year for the first time since the group began tracking sales nearly 40 years ago."

The New Suburban Poverty - "The result is a historic milestone that has gone strangely ignored: For the first time ever, more poor Americans live in the suburbs than in all our cities combined.

You don't need a college diploma to make a living - "Government studies show that the overwhelming majority of jobs, both today and in the future, will require some post-secondary education, but not a four-year degree. Jobs requiring high school and some college currently account for 110 million out of 145 million total jobs in the United States, said Richard Holden, regional commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By 2014, the "some college" jobs will account for 121 million out of 165 million expected jobs."

Diabetics cured by stem-cell treatment - "Diabetics using stem-cell therapy have been able to stop taking insulin injections for the first time, after their bodies started to produce the hormone naturally again."

Scientists build robotic housekeeper - "U.S. scientists have created a humanoid robot housekeeper called Domo that shows promise as a household assistant for elderly or wheelchair-bound people."

New Experiment Probes Weird Zone Between Quantum and Classical - "The experiment will be the first time scientists have ever scaled an object in the observable world down into the slippery world of quantum mechanics."

Forgotten magic manual contains original da Vinci code - "AFTER lying almost untouched in the vaults of an Italian university for 500 years, a book on the magic arts written by Leonardo da Vinci's best friend and teacher has been translated into English for the first time. ... Tricks in the magic text include how to write a sentence on the petals of a rose, wash your hands in molten lead, and make an egg walk across a table ("commoners will consider it a miracle"). The book contains some of the first known European examples of numerical puzzles, which are similar to those printed in today's newspapers, such as Sudoku. There is also a diagram of a moving piece puzzle which was the medieval version of the Rubik's cube."

Signs of water seen on planet outside solar system - "Evidence of water has been detected for the first time in a planet outside our solar system, an astronomer said on Tuesday. The find is tantalizing for scientists eager to know whether life exists beyond Earth."

NFL cracks down on off-field thuggery - "National Football League teams could be penalized for the off-the-field misbehavior of their players under a tougher personal conduct policy announced by the league yesterday."

Virgin Territory - "On the 25th anniversary of ''Porky's,'' EW's Chris Nashawaty recalls his own age of innocence — and the explosion of teen sex comedies that helped him survive it. Forget school. All you really needed was a private tutor. ... It might be hard for teenagers today to wrap their heads around, but there was a time — not so long ago, really — when you had to jump through a lot of logistical hoops just to see a pair of naked breasts."




Quote of the Day
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."
~ Benjamin Disraeli