Today’s Headlines

[Caro]

Today’s headlines brought to you by

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

Top Story

Bush: OPEC nations should pump more oil
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - President Bush urged OPEC nations on Tuesday to put more oil on the world market and warned that soaring prices could cause an economic slowdown in the United States.

Saudi Arabia: Market dictates production
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia will raise oil production only when the market justifies it, the kingdom's oil minister said Tuesday, in response to President Bush's request that OPEC nations increase output to reduce world oil prices.
Is this embarrassing, or what? Why does Bush continually make suggestions and ask questions that haven’t been cleared in advance?—Caro

Distressed American at Seeds of Doubt

The World

Six killed in Iraq booby-trapped house blast
Six people were killed in a massive blast in an explosives-rigged house in central Iraq on Monday during an operation by US and Iraqi forces against Al-Qaeda fighters, police said.

Iraqi sees need for U.S. military until 2018: report
Iraq's defense minister said on Monday his country would need foreign military help to defend its borders for another 10 years and would not be able to maintain internal security until 2012.

Iran says US 'lost face' over ship incident
Iran on Sunday said the United States had "lost face" and should apologise over its portrayal of an incident between Iranian and US naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini accused the US of exaggerating the incident "to fool the region" during a visit by US President George W. Bush to Washington's Arab allies. "The Americans have lost face again," he told reporters.
And indeed we have. And we lost face when Bush told Olmert that he doesn’t believe the Iran NIE.—Caro

Artificial Intelligence (by Fred Kaplan, Slate)
(B)y telling Olmert that it's all right to ignore the NIE, Bush is in effect telling him that Israel should go ahead and behave as if its findings had never been published… It is increasingly unlikely, for many reasons, that the United States will bomb Iran before the year is out. But, wittingly or not, did Bush just flash a green light to Olmert?
I vote for wittingly.—Caro

Turkish warplanes bomb rebel targets in Iraq: army
ANKARA (AFP) - The Turkish military said its warplanes bombed Kurdish rebel targets in neighbouring northern Iraq Tuesday.

Iran agrees to provide nuclear data
Iran has agreed to answer questions about "secret nuclear activities" within one month, in a pledge made during talks between Iranian leaders with head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Kabul Hotel Attack Leaves Six Dead, Six Injured
A suicide bombing followed by a gunfire attack rocked a luxury hotel in Kabul, killing six people and wounding six others, the Afghan Interior Ministry said. The wounded include other security guards, civilians and two United Nations workers, Interior Ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashari said.

Australia reverses plan to sell uranium to India
SYDNEY (AFP) - The new Australian government will scrap a landmark deal to sell uranium to India for its nuclear energy programme, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith indicated Tuesday.

Prisoners 'to be chipped like dogs'
Ministers are planning to implant "machine-readable" microchips under the skin of thousands of offenders as part of an expansion of the electronic tagging scheme that would create more space in British jails. The Ministry of Justice is investigating the use of satellite and radio-wave technology to monitor criminals. The tiny chips would be surgically inserted under the skin of offenders in the community, to help enforce home curfews.

Kenyan rivals take dispute to parliament
NAIROBI, Kenya - Kenya's parliament opened Tuesday for its first session since a disputed presidential election, a fight that has provoked widespread violence and was expected to carry over to the selection of a house speaker.

The Nation

Poll: Americans Think U.S. On Wrong Track
(CBS) Assessments of the current state of the nation are grim as Americans have begun to choose who will vie to be the country’s next president. 75% of Americans think the country is off on the wrong track - matching the highest number ever recorded in the CBS News/New York Times Poll - and approval of President Bush remains low… 29% of Americans approve of the way President Bush is handling his job as president.

Gates recommends Afghanistan surge.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates today forwarded his recommendation to President Bush that approximately 3,000 additional U.S. Marines be sent to Afghanistan to “augment NATO forces” and “thwart an expected spring offensive by the Taliban.” A Pentagon spokesman said that they are still “waiting” for a response from the White House.

3,200 Marines Prepare for Afghan Tour
Military officials said Monday that about 3,200 Marines are being told to prepare to go to Afghanistan - a move that will boost combat troop levels in time for an expected Taliban offensive this spring.

Oil Crisis As 308,000 Barrels Go Missing, According to Audit
How do you not notice when 308,000 barrels of oil go missing? That's the question government auditors were asking after they looked into the Department of Energy's management of oil received for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a critical program to assure energy stability in the U.S. in case of an oil crisis.

Transit panel urges gas tax increase
WASHINGTON - A special commission is urging the government to raise federal gasoline taxes by as much as 40 cents per gallon over five years as part of a sweeping overhaul designed to ease traffic congestion and repair the nation's decaying bridges and roads.
No matter how much good it might do, it won’t happen until George Bush is gone from the White House.—Caro

Congress likely to OK Saudi arms deal
WASHINGTON - The Democratic-led Congress is unlikely to block U.S. plans to sell $123 million worth of sophisticated precision-guided bomb technology to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns from some members that the systems could be used against Israel.

House Democrats Target Bolten, Miers
Democratic leaders are preparing to launch the second session of the 110th Congress this week with a partisan shot, hints of conciliation and some serious procrastination. In its first couple of weeks after it returns (Tuesday), the House is likely to take up contempt-of-Congress resolutions against White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet E. Miers for their refusal to appear before Congress for questioning about the 2006 removal of nine U.S. attorneys, Democratic leadership aides said.

Panel Delays Testimony By Former CIA Official
The former CIA official who destroyed videotapes showing harsh interrogation tactics has been granted a temporary reprieve by the House intelligence committee, officials said last night. The committee had demanded that Jose Rodriguez Jr. testify before it on Wednesday, but after being told that he would not answer questions without a grant of legal immunity for his testimony, the panel withdrew its demand, according to officials familiar with the arrangement.

Dancing Spychief Wants to Tap Into Cyberspace
Spychief Mike McConnell is drafting a plan to protect America’s cyberspace that will raise privacy issues and make the current debate over surveillance law look like "a walk in the park," McConnell tells The New Yorker in the issue set to hit newsstands Monday. At issue, McConnell acknowledges, is that in order to accomplish his plan, the government must have the ability to read all the information crossing the Internet in the United States in order to protect it from abuse.

ACLU Report: Government Must Abandon Misguided Approach to Pandemic Preparedness
As fears of a flu pandemic have grown, the Bush administration has pursued a misguided approach to pandemic preparation that relies on a law enforcement/national security approach, rather than a public health approach to the problem, and which exposes Americans to unnecessary risk. That is the finding of an expert report being released today by the American Civil Liberties Union at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

Farmers fear a barnyard Big Brother
A Bush regime initiative, the National Animal Identification System is meant to provide a modern tool for tracking disease outbreaks within 48 hours, whether natural or the work of a bioterrorist.

Big Brother Really Is Watching
The year is 2012. As soon as you walk into the airport, the machines are watching. Are you a tourist -- or a terrorist posing as one? As you answer a few questions at the security checkpoint, the systems begin sizing you up. An array of sensors -- video, audio, laser, infrared -- feeds a stream of real-time data about you to a computer that uses specially developed algorithms to spot suspicious people. The system interprets your gestures and facial expressions, analyzes your voice and virtually probes your body to determine your temperature, heart rate, respiration rate and other physiological characteristics -- all in an effort to determine whether you are trying to deceive.

Michigan's sagging economy is Tuesday's big issue
TAYLOR, Mich. — Michigan's Republican presidential primary on Tuesday is this election year's first clear referendum on who voters think can best manage — and revive — the slumping economy, which has hit this state harder than most.

Americans Cut Back Sharply on Spending
Strong evidence is emerging that consumer spending, a bulwark against recession over the last year even as energy prices surged and the housing market sputtered, has begun to slow sharply at every level of the American economy, from the working class to the wealthy.

Media

Permanent link to MTA daily media news

Off the Wahl

Rudy Giuliani's religious Florida trip
MIAMI - Rudy Giuliani began his Sunday in an unusual place for him - at church - and with an unusual fellow congregant, the controversial former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris… For the mayor - who as a young man considered the priesthood - it marked the sudden discovery of God on the campaign trail, with a speech that was part sermon and part political pitch.

Is Religion a Threat to Democracy?: Faith Talk on the Campaign Trail (by Ira Chernus, writing at TomDispatch, The Nation)
Should we turn the political arena into a stage to dramatize our quest for moral certainty? The simple answer is no -- for lots of reasons. For starters, it's a direct threat to democracy. The essence of our system is that we, the people, get to choose our values. We don't discover them inscribed in the cosmos. So everything must be open to question, to debate, and therefore to change. In a democracy, there should be no fixed truth except that everyone has the right to offer a new view -- and to change his or her mind. It's a process whose outcome should never be predictable, a process without end. A claim to absolute truth -- any absolute truth -- stops that process.
I’d say that it’s not religion itself that’s the problem, it’s the demand by some people to impose their need for the illusion of certainty onto others that’s the problem. Prof. Pinker, in the article I linked to yesterday, said that a requirement for opposing sides to discuss issues rationally is that both sides assume that the other is acting out of honorable, legitimate conviction, but not from the word of God. I think most progressives have been willing to do that, but right wingers have not. I’m not going to discuss anything with people who consider me a baby killer. When right wingers change, or lose their hold on the Republican Party, I’ll take another look at the situation. But for now, calls for bipartisanship look to me like another way to keep Democrats from getting on with the people’s agenda.—Caro

Bravo, Dan Abrams! (by Lori Price at Citizens for Legitimate Government)
His segment: "Obama and Clinton talk issues, but media pushes 'race' politics" and 'Media ignores political subtance to raise racial tensions' --MSNBC, 'Live with Dan Abrams,' 14 Jan 2008

Clinton and Obama bury race row
The Democratic frontrunners, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, (Monday) night called a truce to the bitter row over race and the legacy of Martin Luther King that has dominated the campaign and the US airwaves for the past few days… The truce followed a day of repeated accusations from both camps.
Excellent! Now, let’s us internet activists stop the accusations, too. I’ve been amazed at the willingness of some male progressives to assume everything bad about Clinton and everything good about Obama. It’s starting to raise my feminist hackles. Let’s get back to figuring out how we’re going to win in November. See below.—Caro

The Polls You Won’t Hear Much About (by Phoenix Woman at Firedoglake)
(In) the current Rasmussen head-to-head match-ups for the various Republican candidates against the Democrats… The upshot (is): If Hillary's the Democratic nominee, we could very easily lose to any likely GOP nominee. If Obama's the nominee, he does OK so long as he doesn't face McCain. But if Edwards is the nominee, we're sitting pretty. Which, I suspect, is one reason why Big Media hates John Edwards so much and does everything it can to destroy him. (Speaking of which: KingOneEye at DailyKos pointed out this morning how the NYT is ignoring a key result of its own poll on the race -- namely, that as more people get to know him, Edwards' favorability rating keeps going up.)

For the Blowhards Who Insist It's a Two-Way Race... (by David Sirota)
For those of you who think the Democratic presidential nomination fight is just a two-way race between Obama and Clinton, check out (a) brand new poll from the Reno Gazette-Journal. Yup, that's right - it shows the Nevada caucus race a three-way, dead heat with John Edwards right in the mix… According to the nonpartisan Project for Excellence in Journalism, Edwards has long faced a media blackout… (T)he people who have gotten used to the status quo are truly terrified by any candidates who they really believe will change things and threaten their power and status. Edwards is just such a candidate.

Kucinich Should Be Allowed to Debate, Judge Rules
A Nevada judge has ordered MSNBC to include Representative Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic presidential candidate, in Tuesday night’s debate in Nevada, the Associated Press reports. Charles Thompson, a senior district court judge for Clark County, Nevada, said he would issue an injunction stopping the debate if Mr. Kucinich is excluded. MSNBC said that they are filing an appeal.
Kucinich absolutely should be allowed to debate.—Caro

Mythbuster: Taxes at the Top (by Lane Kenworthy at Consider the Evidence, thanks to Economist’s View)
(T)he experience of the past several decades suggests that higher (tax rates on higher incomes) have had no adverse impact on growth of the economy. This evidence is by no means conclusive. But it lends credence to progressive hopes that a somewhat higher rate of taxation on the richest Americans would not only be fairer but also enhance the government’s ability to provide valuable services and benefits.
I once met Bill Gates, Sr. at a meeting where he spoke on behalf of the Responsible Wealth Project. After the panel discussion, I asked if we might consider that the wealthy should pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes because they use a greater share of government services such as infrastructure, police, the courts, and even education. All of the businesses they own take advantage of those services. Mr. Gates came up to me after the meeting and said that maybe we should call the progressive tax a “proportional” tax instead.—Caro

Resource: Conservative States Have More Housing Units Which Are Vacant For Sale Than Liberal States
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, … 18 out of 31 Conservative States had a higher than average rate of Homeowner Housing Inventory Which Is Vacant For Sale (58% of Conservative States) versus 2 out of 20 Liberal States.
Conservative truths has a wealth of information on why we don’t want conservatives in charge of government.—Caro

"Newspapers are going to be with us in one form or another"
"They may just be completely on a screen," says New Yorker editor David Remnick. "I couldn't care less if it's no longer on paper. I mean, I have an atavistic affection for that, but even I at 49 see this as semiludicrous." As for his magazine: "The best technology so far for reading a 14,000-word piece might be that thing you roll up, shove into your bag and take with you on the train that you can't with the Web."
There will be “screens” (plastic sheets, probably) that you can roll up, shove in your bag, and take with you. And use again the next day.—Caro

Technology & Science

Monkey’s Thoughts Propel Robot, a Step That May Help Humans
For the first time, brain signals have been used to make a robot walk.

Three dimensional images become helpful tool
Three-dimensional images have become a significant tool in the drive to improve athletic performances.

Tinkering extends life of organism by 10-fold
Scientists have extended the lifespan of yeast, microbes responsible for creating bread and beer, by 10-fold. That's twice the previous record for life extension in an organism.

Snoozing Worms Help Explain Evolution Of Sleep
ScienceDaily (Jan. 15, 2008) — The roundworm C. elegans, a staple of laboratory research, may be key in unlocking one of the central biological mysteries: why we sleep. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report in the January 11 advanced online edition of Nature that the round worm has a sleep-like state, joining most of the animal kingdom in displaying this physiology. This research has implications for explaining the evolution and purpose of sleep and sleep-like states in animals.

Brain Scans Shed Light on Why People Overeat
Targeting left posterior amygdala could lead to new treatments, study shows

Tiny Magnets to Attack Disease at Cellular Level
For the first time, doctors created bead-shaped magnets that bind with receptor molecules on cell walls. When a magnetic field is applied, the beads are attracted to each other and pull together, dragging the receptors with them. As they cluster, the receptors release biochemical signals that trigger cell functions… The technique could be used in different types of cells, and acts almost instantaneously, instead of taking minutes or hours as drugs do.

Crisis? Maybe He’s a Narcissistic Jerk
Is the “midlife crisis” the newest excuse for poor behavior?

Depression, Obesity Coexist in Many Middle-Aged Women
Those 40 to 65 twice as likely to find either symptom fuels the other, study suggests

Columbus Carried Syphilis From New World to Europe, Study Suggests
Genetic testing sees link to similar disease found in South America

Tsunami linked to Yellowstone crater
Tsunami-like waves created by an earthquake may have triggered the world's largest known hydrothermal explosion some 13,000 years ago, a federal scientist says.

Black Holes Spin Near Speed of Light
Supermassive black holes spin at speeds approaching the speed of light, new research suggests. Nine huge galaxies were found to contain furiously whirling black holes that pump out energetic jets of gas into the surrounding environment, according to a study using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Big Brain Theory: Have Cosmologists Lost Theirs?
It could be the weirdest and most embarrassing prediction in the history of cosmology, if not science. If true, it would mean that you yourself reading this article are more likely to be some momentary fluctuation in a field of matter and energy out in space than a person with a real past born through billions of years of evolution in an orderly star-spangled cosmos. Your memories and the world you think you see around you are illusions. This bizarre picture is the outcome of a recent series of calculations that take some of the bedrock theories and discoveries of modern cosmology to the limit.
Just as the Hindus and Buddhists teach.—Caro

Environment

Antarctic is losing ice 'nearly twice as fast as ten years ago'
The rate of annual ice loss in the Antarctic has increased by almost 80 billion tonnes in a decade, a study has found. Measurements using satellite radar readings revealed that in parts of the continent the rate of loss has speeded up by 140 per cent since 1996.

How to handle carbon dioxide? Lock it in rock
How can future power plants meet a projected spike in energy demand yet keep the atmosphere from amassing even more heat-trapping carbon dioxide?

Canadian government cool to provincial carbon taxes
NORTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Canada's finance minister expressed concern about provinces enacting their own carbon taxes on Monday, saying a piecemeal approach to cutting greenhouse gas emissions could end up hurting industries and consumers.

Coal Power Goes On Trial Nationwide
In federal and state courtrooms across the country, environmental groups are putting coal-fueled power plants on trial in a bid to slow the industry's biggest construction boom in decades.

Chrome And Steel Go Green
This year's Detroit auto show wasn't about muscle cars - it was about going green. Cars that run on alterna-fuels were all the rage, but can a car run on garbage?

Chrysler Finds New Use for Paint Waste
ST. LOUIS, Jan. 15, 2008 -- Chrysler's two St. Louis assembly plants send paint waste to a nearby power plant where it has the potential to remove nearly all mercury from the plant's coal-based emissions.

GE Increases Renewable Energy Pledge to $6 Billion
STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 15, 2008 -- GE Energy Financial Services has increased its renewable energy investment goal for 2010 from $4 billion to $6 billion, and recently passed $3 billion in investments with a wind farm deal.

Fighting Pollution The Poplar Way: Trees To Clean Up Indiana Site
ScienceDaily (Jan. 15, 2008) — Purdue University researchers are collaborating with Chrysler LLC in a project to use poplar trees to eliminate pollutants from a contaminated site in north-central Indiana.

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