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4/8/08
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Top Story
Petraeus recommends troop pause
WASHINGTON
- The U.S. general commanding the
Iraq war called Tuesday for
an open-ended suspension of U.S. troop withdrawals this summer, asserting that
an overly rapid withdrawal would jeopardize recent security gains.
What are those
gains, Gen. Petraeus? Haven’t the recent attacks in Baghdad and in Basra erased
all the previous gains due to buying off the insurgents?
The World
Religious leaders tell al-Sadr to keep militia intact
Iraq's top Shiite
religious leaders have told anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr not to disband
his Mehdi Army, an al-Sadr spokesman said Monday amid fresh fighting in the
militia's Baghdad strongholds. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki demanded
Sunday that the cleric disband his militia, which waged two uprisings against
U.S. troops in 2004, or see his supporters barred from public office.
Blackwater contract renewal not approved by Iraq: Maliki
Iraqi Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki said the US State Department had renewed the contract of
private security company Blackwater USA without the approval of the Baghdad
government. The company's mercenaries shot dead 17 Iraqi civilians while
escorting an American diplomat through
Baghdad
in September 2007 in an incident denounced as a crime by the Iraqi government.
Israel would destroy Iran if attacked: minister
An Israeli
government minister warned on Monday that Israel would respond to any Iranian
attack by destroying that country, public radio reported. "An Iranian attack
against Israel
would trigger a tough reaction that would lead to the destruction of the Iranian
nation," National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said in remarks
of rare virulence.
Gazans' latest crisis: fuel cuts
JEBALIYA, Gaza
Strip - Muin Abdul Ghani sleeps in his car, parked among dozens of other
vehicles at a gas station, unwilling to give up his place in line in his
desperate scramble for gasoline.
Egypt votes in local poll amid deadly protests
CAIRO (AFP) -
Egyptians were voting on Tuesday in a municipal poll boycotted by the main
opposition group the Muslim Brotherhood, against a backdrop of popular
discontent over price rises in which one person has died.
Iran condemns Iraq Green Zone attacks
TEHRAN, Iran -
Iran's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned for the first time rocket and
mortar attacks against the U.S.-controlled Green Zone in Baghdad by supporters
of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Iran begins installing more centrifuges
TEHRAN, Iran -
Iran has begun installing 6,000 new centrifuges at its uranium enrichment plant
in Natanz, state television quoted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying
Tuesday.
More than 20 said dead in Afghan attack
Afghan and
U.S.-led forces have inflicted heavy casualties on insurgents in a battle, the
Afghan Defence Ministry said on Monday, but a provincial official said more than
20 civilians, not rebels, had been killed.
Lhasa market reopens following riot
BEIJING - The
riot-damaged market in the Tibetan capital of
Lhasa
opened its doors Tuesday amid plans to allow foreign tourists to enter the
restive region by the end of the month.
Bangladesh army chief vows democracy will return
DHAKA (AFP) - The
powerful head of Bangladesh's army said Tuesday his force wanted to see a
restoration of democracy in the emergency-ruled nation and he denied any
political ambitions.
N. Korea having tantrums, so progress in talks may be near
(by Tim Johnson, McClatchy Newspapers)
BEIJING — North Korea's huffing and puffing has grown louder in recent weeks,
and in the strange world of Pyongyang diplomacy that might be a good sign. The
bigger the fit, the more it's possible that a concession is near, experts said.
In recent days, North
Korea has fired
short-range missiles into the sea, threatened to reduce South Korea to "ashes"
and railed that
Washington is lying
about Pyongyang's
alleged transfers of nuclear technology to
Syria.
US reports 'good discussion' with NKorea over nuclear impasse
SINGAPORE (AFP) -
The United States and North Korea held "a good discussion" on Tuesday over the
communist state's nuclear disarmament, a top US envoy said, hinting at progress
in resolving an impasse.
East Timor president says he may step down: report
SYDNEY (AFP) -
East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta, wounded in an assassination attempt in
February, said in remarks published Tuesday that he may quit before the end of
his term.
Canadian prosecutors want ruling on polygamy law
VANCOUVER,
British Columbia (Reuters) - The practice of multiple marriages by a breakaway
Mormon sect in Western Canada cannot be stopped until the country's highest
court confirms that a long-standing law against polygamy is constitutional,
accord to a report released on Monday.
Colombia union members still targeted
BOGOTA, Colombia
- The Colombian government said Monday that a proposed U.S. trade deal will grow
its economy by 1 percent and it hopes the pact can create new markets for legal
products that will provide an alternative to the cocaine trade.
Venezuela moves toward cement takeover
CARACAS,
Venezuela - Venezuela said Monday that it will take control of three
foreign-owned cement businesses, but will let the current owners keep minority
shares.
1 killed in Haiti food protests
PORT-AU-PRINCE,
Haiti - Protesters angered by high food prices flooded the streets of Haiti's
capital Monday, forcing businesses and schools to close as unrest spread from
the countryside.
Spain's Zapatero calls for cross-party anti-terrorist strategy
MADRID (AFP) -
Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, in his first speech to
parliament since winning re-election, called Tuesday for a cross-party strategy
to fight armed Basque separatist group ETA.
War veterans evict over 60 Zimbabwean farmers
HARARE (Reuters)
- More than 60 mostly white Zimbabwean farmers have been evicted from their land
by war veterans loyal to President Robert Mugabe since the weekend, a farmers'
union said on Tuesday.
The Nation
Report: US No Closer to Achieving Goals in Iraq Than Year Ago
The United States
is no closer to achieving its goals in Iraq than it was a year ago but a quick
military withdrawal could lead to massive chaos and even genocide, according to
a report released Sunday by a U.S. think tank.
Pentagon caught between exhausted US military, security in Iraq
The Pentagon is
caught between the fragile security gains made in Iraq over the past few months
and the need to give US soldiers weary of combat duty time to rest.
Secret plans for US troops to stay in Iraq
A secret draft
agreement is being drawn up to allow United States forces to remain in Iraq
indefinitely, it has been reported. The document, which was written a month ago
and is and marked "secret" and "sensitive", is intended to replace the United
Nations mandate for coalition troops, including British forces, to remain in
Iraq, which expires at the end of the year. The draft authorisation would allow
for the US to "conduct military operations in
Iraq
and to detain individuals when necessary for imperative reasons of security".
Petraeus and politics of troops
The news networks
will pitch Army Gen. David Petraeus’ Senate appearance Tuesday as a major
battleground in the presidential race. The parties will use it to score points
with their respective bases.
No end in site for animal cloning moratorium: USDA
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department said on Monday it will not lift a
voluntary moratorium on selling meat and milk from cloned animals to consumers
any time soon.
Deal reached over protection of salmon
WASHINGTON
- A compromise reached Monday with four Northwest Indian tribes would commit
federal agencies to spend $900 million over the next decade on improving
conditions for endangered salmon while leaving intact hydroelectric dams that
harm fish.
Vitter fights subpoena to testify in 'D.C. Madam' trial
U.S. Sen. David
Vitter of Louisiana
is scheduled to be called as a witness in the trial of a woman accused of
running a high-end Washington, D.C., prostitution ring. Defense attorneys listed
Vitter among their witnesses as jury selection began today in Washington, D.C.,
in the trial of Deborah Jeane Palfrey. Vitter has fought the subpoena to testify
to no avail.
McCain fundraising tops $15M in March, still trails Dems
Advisers say Republican Sen. John McCain has raised more than $15 million
(euro9.5 million) in March for his presidential campaign.
Pa. voter registration nears record
Voter registration for
Pennsylvania's
April 22 presidential primary is close to setting a record, and a surge of
Democratic sign-ups has reversed years of Republican domination in two suburban
Philadelphia counties.
Obama's grandmother blazed trail
Madelyn Dunham, Barack Obama's grandmother, blazed a feminist trail in Hawaii
banking circles in the late 1960s and early 1970s and rose to become one of the
Bank of Hawaii's first female vice presidents.
But she’s a
“typical white person”, according to her grandson.
Economy & Finance
US stock futures dip on Alcoa, AMD news
NEW YORK
- Stocks were poised to open lower Tuesday, after downbeat corporate reports
from aluminum company Alcoa Inc. and chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. led
off the first-quarter earnings season.
Gov't expects gasoline to peak at $3.60
NEW YORK
- Retail gas prices will peak near $3.60 a gallon in June, but prices at such
lofty levels will make many Americans think twice about hitting the road this
summer, the Energy Department said Tuesday.
Pending Home Sales in U.S. Probably Decreased in February, Extending Slump
Contracts to buy previously owned homes declined in February, indicating the
U.S. real-estate recession will extend into a third year, economists said before
a report today.
WaMu Ditches
the Wholesale Biz
Word is the
private equity cash infusion Washington Mutual is in line for comes with a
condition: Cut the bank's risk in mortgages
Economic
woes, cold spell hit Main Street
Retail sales in
March are expected to be flat as the weak job market, higher gas and food costs,
along with the declining housing and credit markets and finally cold wet weather
have eaten into shoppers' budgets and curbed their willingness to spend.
Lean Times for Restaurants
Americans love to
eat out, but the weak economy could be testing their appetite for restaurant
food.
Fed in center stage as recession signs pile up
A lack of key
U.S. economic data this week will give economists free rein to focus on
statements from the Federal Reserve, which has avoided calling the current
slowdown a "recession," even as signs mount that the economy is shrinking.
Media
Permanent link to MTA daily media news
Protest Against Media Bias & Voter Suppression NYC: Friday, April 11, 2008
(by Fleaflicker at No Quarter)
Attention Hillary Supporters!!
Protest Against Media Bias & Voter Suppression
NYC: Friday,
April 11, 2008
(8am at:
W48th St
& Rockefeller
Plaza)
Sick of the
biased media? Disgusted with sexism against Hillary? Tired of the absurd calls
for Hillary to stop competing and “to quit”? Frustrated that votes in Michigan &
Florida are not being counted? It’s time we demand the media STOP trying to
choose our president!
Clinton Told True Tale of Woe, Says Kin
(by Anne E. Kornblut at The Trail, washingtonpost.com, thanks to
No Quarter)
The aunt of a young pregnant woman who died after a hospital told her she needed
to pay $100 up front for care said in an interview on Monday that Sen. Hillary
Rodham Clinton has been telling the story accurately on the campaign trail --
following claims by a different Ohio hospital that it did not turn the patient
away.
So where does
Hillary Clinton go to get her reputation back? I’d like to point out, by the
way, that Anne Kornblut, who worked for the Boston Globe in 2001, was the only
national reporter at the time not to have been taken in by the ridiculous White
House vandalism story.
Hillary Says Bush Should Boycott Olympic Ceremony
(by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
Hillary Clinton today on the Olympics: “The violent clashes in
Tibet and the failure of the
Chinese government to use its full leverage with Sudan to stop the genocide in
Darfur are opportunities for Presidential leadership. These events underscore
why I believe the Bush administration has been wrong to downplay human rights in
its policy towards China. At this time, and in light of recent events, I believe
President Bush should not plan on attending the opening ceremonies in
Beijing,
absent major changes by the Chinese government…” What's Obama's position? He's
conflicted.
Clinton repeats opposition to trade deal with Colombia
(On Politics, USA Today)
[Sunday], Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief strategist left her campaign
because he had been lobbying on behalf of a trade deal with Colombia that she
opposes -- lobbying that The New York Times reports did not sit well with
several influential unions… "As I have said consistently for several months, I
oppose signing any trade deal with Colombia while violence against trade
unionists continues and the perpetrators are not brought to justice," Clinton
said in this statement issued by her campaign. Barack Obama,
Clinton's
rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, also opposes the deal.
Many of the
unions have refused to endorse Hillary Clinton, but she continues to stand by
them anyway.
Clinton's economic advisers served her husband
WASHINGTON —
Hillary Clinton's campaign slogan of "ready on day one" extends to her economic
team. She's surrounded herself with economic counselors who advised her husband
during the booming 1990s.
Sounds like a
good thing to me. I’m so old that I remember the boom times of the 90s, when
even teenagers were getting rich.
Clinton will fight for gay rights (video). Obama is friends with anti-gay pastors and wouldn’t have his picture taken with the gay mayor of San Francisco.
Obama's Gun Dance
(by Robert Novak at Real Clear Politics)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Barack Obama, who informs campaign audiences that he taught
constitutional law for 10 years, might be expected to weigh in on the historic
Second Amendment case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices are pondering
whether the 1976
District of Columbia
law effectively prohibiting personal gun ownership in the nation's capital is
constitutional. But Sen. Obama has not stated his position. Obama, disagreeing
with the D.C. government and gun control advocates, declares the Second
Amendment's "right of the people to keep and bear arms" applies to individuals,
not just the "well-regulated militia" cited in the amendment. In the next
breath, he asserts this constitutional guarantee does not preclude local "common
sense" restrictions on firearms. Does the Draconian prohibition for Washington,
D.C., fit that description? My attempts to get an answer have proved unavailing.
The front-running Democratic presidential candidate is doing the gun dance.
Yes, it’s Robert
Novak, but it illustrates a point. Obama is never straightforward about
anything controversial.
Brief Credential Summary of the 2008 Democratic Presidential Candidate Nominees
It’s a real eye
opener—a side by side comparison.
RUSSERT PLAYS ALTOONA:
(by Bob Somerby at the Daily Howler)
[Tim Russert, on Meet the Press, Sunday:] “Governor Rendell, these were the
headlines in the New York Daily News and across the country on Saturday. Here it
is, the “109 Million-Dollar Couple: Bill and Hill make more than $15 million a
year since leaving the White House.” Fifteen million dollars a year—$109 million
in seven years. How is that going to play in Lancaster, Altoona, Erie, PA?” We
suppose that question might make some sort of marginal sense—if Russert ever
bothered to ask it about people like John McCain… McCain is married to an
heiress whose worth may exceed $100 million. How would that play in Altoona? We
don’t have the slightest idea, and frankly, we don’t really care. But it’s
amazing to see the way people like Russert pimped the Clintons’ wealth this
weekend—as with Kerry and Edwards before them—having spent so many years failing
to mention McCain’s… (By the way: According to estimates by Howard Kurtz, …
Russert [makes] more than $5 million each… [T]hat estimate appeared in 2004. By
now, we’ll guess it’s low.)
Hillary Sexism Watch: Castrating Bitch Edition
(by Melissa McEwan at Shakesville)
Part Seventy-Six in an Ongoing Series. (Previous parts linked at end of post.)
Are you fucking kidding me, Josh Marshall? Because I quite honestly can't
believe that a person who identifies as a progressive and has two brain cells
still knocking together doesn't understand why it's problematic, to put it
charitably, to frame Hillary Clinton pushing her male chief strategist from
power as "gelding" him. I find it difficult to believe that a man of your
intelligence doesn't know that "to geld" means to castrate, and I find it
similarly difficult to believe that a man of your experience doesn't know that
powerful women are routinely cast as castrating bitches, and I further yet find
it difficult to believe, in light of your constant reminders that you've spent a
good part of your adult life defending the Clintons, that you are totally
unaware of the existence of "hilarious" novelty items like the Hillary Clinton
nutcracker. So where exactly is the disconnect, Josh, that allows you to use
such disgusting language in reference to a sitting senator and presidential
candidate? Or any woman, for that matter. With "allies" like these...
Remember how we'd always laugh when the Republicans gave Democrats advice on how
to win? (by
lambert at Corrente)
Now we’re doing it. Seriously, why would anybody take whoever kidnapped Josh
Marshall seriously when he gives advice to Hillary? Kidz, I’m so old I remember
when I thought Talking Points Memo was misnomer, and they were really into news
gathering. I thought they wanted to be the next Times, when it turns out they
want to be the next Weekly Standard. A shame, really.
Polls: Race helps Clinton with whites
WASHINGTON - Add this to the divisive debate over race in the presidential
campaign: Whites who said race was important in picking their candidate have
been about twice as likely to back Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as Sen. Barack
Obama.
And, of course,
the reason for this disparity HAS TO BE because of racism. Thanks for helping
to keep us all divided, Associated Press.
Barack Obama in suspended animation
(by Walter Shapiro, Salon)
The front-runner is trapped in an unchanging race that will be hard for him to
lose -- but is proving impossible for him to end.
If the system made sense, Clinton would be far ahead
(by Sean Wilentz, Salon)
Under a winner-take-all primary system, Hillary Clinton would have a wide lead
over Barack Obama -- and enough delegates to clinch the Democratic presidential
nomination by June.
This Week: Cokie Roberts Sneers At The Responsible Plan To End The War, Says
Most Americans Interested In Winning
(by Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars)
It’s hard for me at times to not think of the mainstream media as this
monolithic Borg-like hive mind designed merely to keep the status quo and tell
you how you should think. And sadly, too few people have the time or inclination
to do more than passively accept the information given, even if simply makes no
sense. Case in point, Cokie Roberts during the panel segment of This Week with
George Stephanopoulos. When Katrina Vanden Heuvel tries to bring up A
Responsible Plan and the netroots/alternative media’s attempts to really force
the discussion of withdrawal from
Iraq from the candidates
they are supporting, and Roberts openly laughs at her. To Roberts, polls be
damned, Americans are more concerned with winning (a concept still vaguely and
defiantly undefined five years into the occupation) than leaving Iraq.
Click through to
watch the video.
60 Minutes: Gov. Siegelman challenges Rove to testify under oath
(by SilentPatriot at Crooks and Liars)
There’s a reason why programs like “60 Minutes” win Peabody Awards. Less than 2
months after airing a story exposing the politically motivated conviction of
former Democratic Governor Don Siegelman — yes, we now have political prisoners
in this country — Scott Pelley sits down with a newly-released Siegelman, who
has some serious questions he wants Karl Rove to answer under oath before the
Judiciary Committee.
Click through to
watch the video.
Worst. President. Ever.
(by Scott Horton at No Comment, Harper’s Magazine)
America’s
historians, it seems, don’t think much of George W. Bush… They … stack him up
against his thirty-three predecessors as the nation’s chief executive. Among
historians, there is no doubt into which echelon he falls–his competitors are
Millard Fillmore, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Franklin Pierce, the worst
of the presidential worst. But does Bush actually come in dead last? Yes.
History News Network’s poll of 109 historians found that 61 percent of them rank
Bush as “worst ever” among
U.S. presidents.
The Real Case Against Greenspan
(by Dean Baker)
If Greenspan had explicitly warned of the bubble, explaining carefully with
charts and graphs how the run-up in house prices was inconsistent with
longstanding trends in house prices, and could not be explained by the
fundamentals in the housing market, it is likely that it would have taken the
air out of the bubble years ago… It is difficult to see any negative
consequences that could have resulted from Greenspan providing accurate analysis
to the public and financial markets. It is unfortunate that the pages of the WSJ
and most of the rest of the business media were not open to this view years ago.
It is remarkable that these views are still excluded from the debate.
Media Matters for America headlines
• Washingtonpost.com's Cillizza repeatedly and falsely referred to Lieberman as a Democrat
• LA Times highlighted National Journal's ranking of Obama, uncritically quoted NRCC spokesman
• On Tim Russert, Hitchens said to Sullivan: "Oh, well don't be such a lesbian. Get on with it"
• WSJ reported McCain criticism of execs' pay without mentioning his approval of Bear Stearns aid
Justice Department Sues Fox
The Justice
Department has taken on the role of the FCC's enforcer, filing a lawsuit Friday
against Fox and Sinclair Broadcast Group to collect $56,000 in fines.
Web Site Restores "Abortion" Search Term
The Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health has restored the word "abortion" as an
acceptable search term on a reproductive health Web site funded by the
government.
Facebook Reportedly Near Accord Over Origin
According to a
person briefed on the talks, the company is completing a settlement of a suit
brought by three former Harvard students who contend that the original idea for
Facebook belonged to them.
"My students do not read newspapers, online or otherwise"
Former Washington
Post and Time investigative reporter Ted Gup is surprised how little his college
students know about the world. "In recent years I have administered a dumbed-down
quiz on current events and history early in each semester to get a sense of what
my students know and don't know. Initially I worried that its simplicity would
insult them, but my fears were unfounded. The results have been, well,
horrifying. ...It is time to once again make current events an essential part of
the curriculum."
'Wash Post' Captures 6 Pulitzers, 'NYT' Takes 2
The Washington
Post (under Exeuctive Editor Leonard Downie Jr., left) was the big Pulitzer
Prize winner on Monday, taking home six of the 14 journalism categories --
including the coveted Public Service award -- the most ever for the newspaper,
and second most for any paper in one year. Winners were announced at 3 p.m. at
Columbia University.
Tribune Turns to Radio to Revive Empire
(Wall Street Journal)
As real-estate magnate Sam Zell tries to rejuvenate ailing newspaper and
television empire Tribune Co., he is turning to another, more freewheeling
medium: radio. An influx of veteran executives from radio -- including several
hired in recent days from Clear Channel Communications Inc., which has been
buffeted by the departures -- is likely to upend Tribune's once-staid culture.
Under the direction of Mr. Zell and his No. 2 at Tribune, radio veteran Randy
Michaels, pinball machines and a jukebox have been installed at the company's
corporate headquarters in
Chicago.
Another radio veteran, newly hired Chief Innovation Officer Lee Abrams, he
floated some provocative ideas for reviving Tribune's newspapers, including
front pages primarily composed of colorful maps.
What does
entertainment radio have to do with a news organization based on a newspaper? I
have no idea.
Newspapers need to pay closer attention to online comments
A Chicago Tribune
feature on a violinist's accident has elicited more than 160 comments, many of
them incorrect or off-topic. "No one with authority stepped in to admonish the
rude, correct those who posted wrong information, or to respond to those who had
questions about the story," writes Robert Niles. "Reporters and editors need to
stay engaged with a piece so long as people are commenting on it and linking to
it. Otherwise, they are squandering their chance to use that amazing content as
the foundation to build the communities that can sustain market success online."
Ex-Dallas Morning News TV critic Bark loves the blogging life
Ed Bark wishes he
had launched UncleBarky.com sooner. At the Dallas Morning News, he wasn't
allowed to cover local news because the paper's owner, Belo, owns a Dallas TV
station. Now he covers Dallas-Fort Worth TV, network news, primetime TV and more
on his website. "I started out in journalism as this passionate, fearless kid
reporter," says Bark. "Now I"m kind of going out the way I came in."
CBS is leaving the news business
(by Jeff Jarvis)
The signs have been adding up: CBSNews.com did major layoffs and an aggressive
retreat from news online. CBS stations made news layoffs aplenty. And now CBS is
said to be talking with CNN — again — about outsourcing news to CNN. One
imagines a one-woman-thick news operation: Katie Couric reading intros to CNN
reports… But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Oh, we’ll hear wailing about
public service and the public airwaves — that and a damned expensive contract is
why they’ll keep Couric in a storefront operation. But what we have now is not
public service. We don’t need three evening newscasts exactly alike except as a
repository for erectile dysfunction commercials. So let one or two networks win
the ratings. Let CBS put more resources into investigations on 60 Minutes. Let
CNN cover breaking news — with more help from witnesses with cameras. I hope
they let others take that news and curate it in different ways with different
perspectives. There’ll be a new ecology of news on video and it’s about time.
NHL Launches Ambitious Next Phase In Broadband As Stanley Cup Playoffs
(Paid Content)
The National Hockey League continues its aggressive broadband push with a new
video player for nhl.com, more ad options and a batch of channels timed to
launch when the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs begin Wednesday. This week’s launch
includes access to three years of archived clips by date and player, as well as
several hours a day of programming. It’s just the beginning—a taste of what’s
coming this summer when all 30 teams will start using the player to distribute
their own programming, and when nhl.com relaunches completely in September.
Bravo’s Parent Sues for ‘Runway’ Rights
NBC Universal,
the parent company of Bravo network, filed a lawsuit to try to keep one of the
biggest hits in cable television from moving to Lifetime this fall.
Yahoo Answers Microsoft With Yet Another No
Yet Yahoo made it
clear that the company remained open to a deal, as long as Microsoft sweetened
its bid.
The Catch-22 of Buying Black Media
Field Deserves
Support, but There Aren't Many Outlets Left, and Most Have Limited Reach
Marketing gold could be found in Web video
You don't need a pan and a stream in
California to join the next
gold rush. A video camera, computer and high-speed Internet connection will do.
News Corp ad network buys stake in Utarget
NEW YORK
(Reuters) - .Fox Networks, a year-old online advertising network owned by Rupert
Murdoch's News Corp, will announce on Tuesday it has bought control of European
video ad network Utarget as part of a move to expand in Europe and Asia.
Nielsen’s Latest Purchase Is Audience Research Firm
Nielsen said that
it had agreed to acquire IAG Research, which measures the effectiveness of
advertising on television and online, for $225 million in cash.
Phorm’s All-Seeing Parasite Cookie
Phorm has
developed a variation on the cookie — code numbers stored by Web browsers — that
can help track far more information than cookies have before.
Technology & Science
HP unveils small laptop for schoolkids
SAN FRANCISCO -
One more of the world's biggest technology companies is clamoring to enter the
growing market for pint-sized computers targeted mainly for pint-sized
customers.
Online crooks face tough competition
SAN FRANCISCO
- Fierce competition among identity thieves has driven the prices for stolen
data down to bargain-basement levels, which has forced crooks to adopt
mainstream business tactics to lure customers, according to a new report on
Internet security threats.
EU to allow cell service on planes
BRUSSELS, Belgium
- You can use your cell phone in the skies over Europe later this year under new
rules that will allow air travelers to stay in touch — and raise the
cringe-inducing prospect of sitting next to a chatterbox at 30,000 feet.
Robots seen doing work of 3.5 million people in Japan
TOKYO (Reuters) -
Robots could fill the jobs of 3.5 million people in grayingJapan by 2025, a
thinktank says, helping to avert worker shortages as the country's population
shrinks.
Prediction:
Someday there will be only rich people and robots.
Too Little Sleep Leads to Too Much Weight for Kids
And some parents
may unsuspectingly contribute to their child's sleep problems, researchers say.
Backpack Straps Can Decrease Blood Flow In The Shoulder And Arm, And May Result
In Loss of Fine Motor Control
ScienceDaily (Apr. 8,
2008) — More than 92 percent of the children in the
U.S.
carry backpacks. Typically the backpacks are loaded with almost one-fourth of
the child’s body weight (22 percent) and worn with only one strap. Last year, a
team of physician researchers examined the effect heavy-loaded backpack straps
can have on children. They found the straps can significantly increase pressure
when the load is ten percent or more. They also found that strap pressures with
loads as small as ten percent of bodyweight can obstruct localized blood flow
and contribute to shoulder fatigue.
Study: Dyslexia differs by child's language
Dyslexia affects
different parts of children's brains depending on whether they are raised
reading English or Chinese. That finding, reported in Monday's online edition of
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, means that therapists may need
to seek different methods of assisting dyslexic children from different
cultures.
A Disease That Allowed Torrents of Creativity
Some patients
with FTD develop artistic abilities when frontal brain areas decline and
posterior regions take over.
Damaged Brain Can Be Repaired And Cerebral Functions Restored, Neuronal Study
Suggests
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 7, 2008) — Scientists … have shown that it is possible to repair an
injured brain by creating a small number of new, specifically-targeted
innervations, rather than a larger number of non-specific connections.
Behavioral tests have demonstrated that such reinnervation can thus restore
damaged cerebral functions.
Gator Blood May Be New Source of Antibiotics
Early research
shows proteins from the reptiles can fight off 'superbugs'
Green Tea Ingredient, EGCG, Significantly Inhibits Breast Cancer Growth In
Female Mice
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 8, 2008) — Green tea is high in the antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-
gallate) which helps prevent the body’s cells from becoming damaged and
prematurely aged. Studies have suggested that the combination of green tea and
EGCG may also be beneficial by providing protection against certain types of
cancers, including breast cancer. A new study conducted by researchers at the
University of Mississippi researchers now finds that consuming EGCG
significantly inhibits breast tumor growth in female mice.
Testosterone Therapy May Reduce Bone Loss in Older Men
But long-term
effects of the hormone treatment aren't known, researchers say
Yoga Poses Can Prevent Falls In Women Over 65, Study Suggests
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 8, 2008) — A specific type of yoga can help improve stability and balance
in women over age 65, which could help to prevent falls, finds a preliminary
study.
Medical Errors Costing U.S. Billions
Mistakes resulted
in 238,337 preventable deaths from 2006-08, survey finds.
We don’t put up
with this kind of casualty rate in airline transportation. Why do we permit it
in medicine?
Zoos tap into artistic talents of animals
Zoo officials are
discovering that animal lovers are willing to pay hundreds — or even thousands —
of dollars for the creatures' creations, prompting zoos across the country to
study whether their animal artists might be an untapped source of revenue.
Rats live fast, die young
Humans are built
to last. Rats, not so much. A newly discovered body clock apparently ticks much
faster in rats, snuffing out their lives tens of years earlier than humans.
Salt-tolerant Gene Found In Simple Plant Nothing To Sneeze At
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 8, 2008) — Whether a plant withers unproductively or thrives in salty
conditions may now be better understood by biologists. The cellular mechanism
that controls salt tolerance has been found in the arabidopsis plant by a Texas
AgriLife Research scientist collaborating with an international team.
Salt tolerance
could make it possible to grow food plants in areas that they can’t be grown in
now.
Vanished: A Pueblo Mystery
Why, in the late
13th century, did a people called the Anasazi abandon magnificent settlements of
the Colorado Plateau and move south into Arizona and New Mexico?.
Prehistoric Cultures Were Hunting Whales At Least 3,000 Years Ago
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 8, 2008) — Recent findings by a Russian-American research team suggest
that prehistoric cultures were hunting whales at least 3,000 years ago, 1,000
years earlier than was previously known.
Massive star mystery: Do they explode?
Some of the most
massive stars might not explode as supernovae, a new study suggests. Rather,
researchers speculate, they simply collapse into black holes or if they do
generate explosions, they're not as intense as the deaths of less massive stars.
'God Particle' Expected to Be Found Soon
GENEVA (AP) - The
father of a theoretical subatomic particle dubbed "the God particle" says he's
almost sure it will be confirmed in the next year in a race between powerful
research equipment in the United States and Europe.
Environment
Local Nuke War Would Cause World Havoc
WASHINGTON (AP) - A regional nuclear war would not only be devastating to the
countries involved, it would cause havoc worldwide for at least a decade,
according to a new analysis.
Soot Plays Big Role in Global Warming
Like other
aerosols, soot particles absorb and scatter the sun's radiation; black carbon is
the absorbing component of soot. V. Ramanathan of the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography in
California and his
colleagues reviewed recent studies of black carbon's warming contribution.
'Citizen scientists' record warming data
Project BudBurst,
a national field campaign for "citizen scientists," is designed to help record
how the planet is warming by tracking the dates that 60 plant species leaf and
flower this spring and summer.
Expert foresees 10 more years of R&D to make solar energy competitive
NEW ORLEANS,
April 7, 2008 — Despite oil prices that hover around $100 a barrel, it may take
at least 10 or more years of intensive research and development to reduce the
cost of solar energy to levels competitive with petroleum, according to an
authority on the topic. “
Solar balloons to power remote areas?
HAIFA, Israel
(Reuters) - Giant solar energy balloons floating high in the air may be a cheap
way to provide electricity to areas lacking the land and infrastructure needed
for traditional power systems, researchers in
Israel
say.
World’s Largest Tidal Turbine Successfully Installed
The world’s
largest tidal turbine, weighing 1000 tonnes, has been installed in Northern
Ireland’s Strangford Lough. The tidal turbine is rated at 1.2 megawatts, which
is enough to power a thousand local homes.
Green groups oppose World Bank's India coal plant
Environmental
groups called on the World Bank to delay a decision on Tuesday on funding for a
$4.2 billion coal-fired power plant in India until more analyses of costs and
environmental impact are done.
Nevada Utility's Coal Pursuit a Risk for Investors, Ratepayers: Report
OAKLAND, Calif.,
April 7, 2008 -- A plan to build a new coal-fired power plant in Nevada will
expose the shareholders of Sierra Pacific Resources to "significant financial
and environment risks," according to a financial advisory firm.
Cow stomach holds key to turning corn into biofuel
An enzyme from a
microbe that lives inside a cow’s stomach is the key to turning corn plants into
fuel, according to Michigan State University scientists. The enzyme that allows
a cow to digest grasses and other plant fibers can be used to turn other plant
fibers into simple sugars. These simple sugars can be used to produce ethanol to
power cars and trucks.
They should use this knowledge to turn
the corn STALKS into fuel, not the corn. Using the corn drives food prices up.
SunChips Gathers Energy From its Namesake
PLANO, Texas,
April 7, 2008 -- A Modesto, Calif., SunChips plant will turn on a field of solar
concentrators later this month, eventually gathering enough heat from the sun to
power its chip manufacturing line.
Green recycling offered in post office
WASHINGTON
- People who want to recycle small electronics can do so free under a test
program at about 1,500 post offices.
Thirty-Six U.S. States to Face Water Shortages in the Next Five Years
At least 36
states are expected to face water shortages within the next five years,
according to U.S. government estimates. Available freshwater supplies are
dwindling across the country due to rising temperatures and droughts, while
increasing sprawl, population and inefficient resource usage are leading to
rising demand.
Canada to create giant new northern national park
OTTAWA (Reuters)
- Canada will create a giant new national park covering some 1.9 million acres
along one of the country's most spectacular northern rivers, Environment
Minister John Baird said on Monday. The Naats'ihch'oh National Park Reserve will
cover the watershed of the
South Nahanni
river in the
Northwest Territories.
Palm oil industry continues to destroy Indonesia's peatland forests
Jakarta - The
destruction of Indonesia's peatland forests is continuing unstopped despite the
government's pledge to halt it, according to a report by environmental group
Greenpeace's issued Monday.
Oil reserve site raises ire, Bush policy tested
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - The Bush administration says it favors "environmentally friendly"
energy development, but that policy is under attack in a Mississippi town where
residents worry a planned emergency oil reserve may drain a river, destroy
wetlands and harm Gulf of Mexico fishing areas.
