Watchdog group: Most lobbyists giving to Clinton don’t represent ‘real people’
The Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics, today investigates what it calls the “lobbyist lobs” among Democrats Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. “Lobbyists do represent ordinary Americans, as Hillary Clinton claims, but those contributing to her campaign mostly represent big industries,” the nonpartisan center reports in its Capital Eye publication… How pure are Edwards and Obama?… Contributions from Washington lobbyists have still managed to seep into both Democrats’ coffers.”

Steve Bradenton Cartoons

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Bin Laden: Europeans should end US help
CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden called on Europeans to stop helping the United States in the war in Afghanistan, according to a new tape released Thursday.

U.S. sponsorship of Sunni groups worries Iraq’s government
The American campaign to turn Sunni Muslims ‘against’ Islamic extremists is growing so quickly that Iraq’s Shiite Muslim leaders fear that it’s out of control and threatens to create a potent armed force that will turn against the government one day.

Return of Iraqi refugees concerns US
BAGHDAD - The U.S. military has expressed concern that Iraq’s government is unprepared to deal with a mass return of refugees to Baghdad, a flow that could foster housing and employment tensions in a city that remains insecure despite declining violence.

Israeli court halts Gaza electricity cut
JERUSALEM - The Israeli government can continue cutting fuel supplies to residents of the Gaza Strip but must postpone an electricity cut planned for this weekend, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled Friday.

EU-Iran start final nuclear talks
LONDON (AFP) - The EU foreign policy chief and Iran’s top nuclear negotiator held last-ditch talks on Tehran’s nuclear plans Friday, but hopes of a breakthrough appeared slim amid a growing threat of new sanctions.

Russia signs Europe arms pact suspension into law
MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Friday suspending Russia’s participation in a key post-Cold War arms treaty, a move which could allow it to deploy more forces close to western Europe.

China to eliminate WTO-banned subsidies: US
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States announced Thursday that China has agreed to eliminate a dozen WTO-banned subsidies that have given Chinese exports a broad, unfair trade advantage.

Japan ordered to pay in overwork death
TOKYO - A court in central Japan ordered the government Friday to pay compensation to a woman who argued that her husband died from overwork at Toyota Motor Corp., Japan’s largest automaker, officials said.
Only I think the COMPANY should have to pay, and I think we should do some of this kind of suing right here in the good old U.S.A.

Botched Manila coup a warning to would-be plotters
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippine government prepared fresh charges on Friday against the leaders of yet another botched coup and hunted for others as public apathy and a show of force sent a strong message to serial seditionists.

Australia wants Iraq troops home by mid 2008
CANBERRA (Reuters) - About 550 Australian combat troops in Iraq should be withdrawn by about the middle of next year, Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd said on Friday, setting a broad timetable for the soldiers to return home. Australia has about 1,500 troops in and around Iraq, but Rudd won power at the Australia’s national election on November 24 with a promise to bring frontline forces home.

Venezuelan students rally against Chavez
CARACAS, Venezuela - As more than 100,000 people flooded the streets to protest constitutional changes that would boost President Hugo Chavez’s power, students again showed they are a key force behind the re-energized opposition.

Police probe unlawful donations to Labour party
LONDON (AFP) - Police were set to begin Friday an investigation into unlawful donations to Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s governing Labour Party, in the latest blow to his beleaguered administration.

Pope criticizes atheism in encyclical
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI strongly criticized modern-day atheism in a major document released Friday, saying it had led to some of the “greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice” ever known.
And so has Christianity, Mr. Pope, sir.  And so have other religions.  See below.

Calls in Sudan for execution of Briton
KHARTOUM, Sudan - Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied Friday in a central square and demanded the execution of a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her students to name a teddy bear “Muhammad.”

Chad rebels declare war on French, foreign forces
N’DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chadian anti-government rebels on Friday declared a “state of war” against French and foreign military forces in an apparent warning to a European Union peacekeeping force that plans to deploy there soon.

US not seeking permanent Iraq bases: White House
The White House denied Thursday that the United States seeks permanent military bases in Iraq, days after the US “war czar” said that would be part of talks next year on long-term security ties.

Bush pushes Democrats to OK war funding
WASHINGTON - President Bush sternly pressed Democrats to approve money to fund the Iraq war “without strings and without delay” before leaving town for the Christmas holidays, something congressional leaders have already indicated they will not do.

Pelosi: Bush and His Republican Allies Are Preventing Extra Funds from Reaching Our Troops (by Office of the Speaker )
Washington, D.C. — Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today in response to President Bush’s remarks this afternoon at the Pentagon: “Earlier this month, Congress approved nearly a half trillion dollars for the Department of Defense. Just two weeks ago, House Democrats passed $50 billion in additional funding for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have provided every penny that is currently necessary to fund Defense Department operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world. It is President Bush and his Republican allies in the Senate who are preventing extra funds from reaching our troops.“

TSA plan to gather more data protested
WASHINGTON — A government proposal to start collecting birth dates and genders of people reserving airline flights is drawing protests from major airlines and travel agencies that say it would be invasive, confusing and “useless.”

Judge: Feds must release telecom records
SAN FRANCISCO - An electronic privacy group challenging President Bush’s domestic spying program scored a minor victory after a judge ordered the federal government to release information about lobbying efforts by telecommunications companies to protect them from prosecution.

Leahy Starts Formal Process that Could Lead to a Contempt Citation for Karl Rove and Others (by Jonathan Turley)
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy has formally determined that Karl Rove, John Bolten, former White House political director Sara Taylor and her deputy, J. Scott Jennings, are in violation of the Senate subpoenas and must comply “immediately” or face legal consequences… This ruling would allow the matter to go to the Senate.Notably, Leahy found that Bush was not involved in the firing of U.S. Attorneys. This helped undermine the claim of executive privilege.

A New Beginning for American Families: The Dodd Plan for Fair, Practical Bankruptcy Reform (thanks to Space Cowboy at Shakesville – click through for a wonderful picture of Banker Cat turning down ur loan)
In a Dodd Administration, hardworking people who have fallen on hard times will be afforded a new beginning that re-establishes a safety net and helps families get back on their feet. As President, he will:
- Modify the means test to ensure families have sufficient resources to live on
- Protect children, not creditors
- Ensure all medical debts are dischargeable
- Permit bankruptcy courts to restructure mortgages so families can stay in their homes
- Allow private student loans to be dischargeable
Too bad Dodd can’t get more traction.  I like his defense of the Constitution, too.

Giuliani Defends Spending on His Mayoral Security
Rudolph W. Giuliani [Thursday] night called a Web site’s account of his spending a “political hit job” as his campaign struggled to explain why hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel expenses for his mayoral security detail were billed to obscure city offices instead of the Police Department. [A] senior aide to Mr. Giuliani … contended that the billing followed longstanding procedures in which legitimate travel expenses for the police detectives were spread among the budgets of various mayoral offices.

Giuliani Denies Obscuring Mayoral Expenses
New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson told ABC News that Giuliani’s administration billed obscure city agencies for his security detail’s travel expenses during his visits to the Hamptons… Thompson said this about the Mayor’s explanation, “That’s not the way that we operate these days, and it would not be the preferred way of doing business,” Thompson said. “In the end, it’s a very convoluted way of getting things done.”

Light Amidst the Shag (by Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo)
I fear … that we are only rubbing the surface of the true Shag Fund in this incipient probe. Clearly there’s the travel money — billed to whatever NYC office — used for trips and security for Rudy out at the Hamptons shags. But we also know now that while Rudy was conducting an extramarital affair with Judi he gave her her own NYPD car and driver to be squired around the city with. Where’d the money for that come from?

Rudy’s Ties to a Terror Sheikh
Giuliani’s business contracts tie him to the man who let 9/11’s mastermind escape the FBI

White House lowers ‘08 economic forecast
WASHINGTON - The White House on Thursday lowered its forecast for economic growth for next year and said unemployment would rise as the housing slump and tight credit weigh on national economic activity.

Futures rise on Bernanke comments
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures rose on Friday, indicating a higher market open, after comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke bolstered belief in the market that another interest-rate cut is on the horizon.

US economy surges on back of exports
The US economy grew at its fastest rate in four years in the third quarter as an export surge fuelled by a weaker dollar more than offset the impact of the deepening slump in housing.

US Foreclosure Filings Nearly Double
LOS ANGELES (AP) — More U.S. homeowners fell behind on mortgage payments or even lost their homes last month compared to a year ago, with Nevada, California, Florida and Ohio posting the highest foreclosure rates, a mortgage research company said Thursday.

Florida Halts Withdrawals From Local Investment Fund
Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) — Florida officials voted to suspend withdrawals from an investment fund for schools and local governments after redemptions sparked by downgrades of debt held in the portfolio reduced assets by 44 percent… Local governments including Orange County and Pompano Beach that use the pool like a money-market fund asked for their money back after the State Board of Administration disclosed in a report earlier this month that holdings in the fund were lowered to below investment grade.

Permanent link to MTA daily media news

FAIR Action Alert: Bill Clinton, Anti-War?
The New York Times and Washington Post (11/28/07) both failed to adequately challenge the dishonesty of former President Bill Clinton’s declaration that he had been opposed to the Iraq War “from the beginning.” Clinton, in fact, was a supporter of the war, both before the invasion and in the first year or so of the fighting.
What I recall is that the right wingers had a field day with Bill Clinton’s statements affirming the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

You Say That As If It’s a Bad Thing (by Chet Scoville at Shakesville)
The Weekly Standard on [Thursday] night’s Republican debate: “America got to see a vaguely threatening parade of gun fetishists, flat worlders, Mars Explorers, Confederate flag lovers and zombie-eyed-Bible-wavers as well as various one issue activists hammering their pet causes.” What’s wrong with a little truth in advertising?

Rove refuses to answer McClellan’s claims on Plame.
Following a speech in South Texas [Wednesday], Karl Rove responded to former White House press secretary Scott McClellan’s claim that Rove, along with “Libby, the vice President, the President’s chief of staff, and the president himself” were responsible for McClellan “unknowingly” passing “along false information” about the outing of Valerie Plame. Rove dodged the question, stating that McClellan said it “had all gotten carried out of proportion“.

Rep. Hoekstra Was Source Of Joe Klein’s FISA Lies, Decries ‘Paranoid,’ ‘Self-Absorbed’ ‘Far-Left Critics’ (Think Progress, Center for American Progress)
In Time Magazine last week, columnist Joe Klein baselessly claimed that Democrats’ proposal fix to FISA would require “every foreign-terrorist target’s calls to be approved by the FISA court.” [Thursday], House Intelligence Committee member and “Bush loyalist” Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) revealed that he was a “source” for Klein’s error-filled column… Klein ignorantly claimed the RESTORE Act “would give terrorists the same legal protections as Americans.” Hoekstra adds that Klein’s assertions are a “demonstratable fact.” Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), a chief author of the RESTORE Act, countered that the legislation does exactly the opposite.

Republican operative’s wife attacks MoveOn.org. Oh, she’s also CNN’s new anchor Campbell Brown (by Joe Sudbay at AMERICAblog)
The wife of Dan Senor, who served as a spokesperson for Bush in Iraq, is now working for CNN… Last night, in her first week on the job, [Campbell Brown] attacked MoveOn: “… ‘General David Petraeus made his reputation taking on insurgents in Iraq. But when he came to Capitol Hill in September, he was confronted by American insurgents, a liberal anti-war group called MoveOn.org.’”… Actually, Campbell, if you want to know what real insurgents are, ask your husband and his colleagues who let the insurgency grow in Iraq under their watch. He even still has his White House web page touting that gig.

CNN’s Irresponsible Debate Coverage Undermines Its Claim As The ‘Most Trusted Name In News’
CNN bills itself as the “Most Trusted Name in News.” It has already hosted five presidential debates in the 2008 primary season, with another four scheduled. While many in the media credited the network with bringing “originality and spontaneity” to the debate process by partnering with YouTube, its debates have more often been characterized by sloppy preparation, a lack of transparency, and theatrics that undermine the intelligence of the American public.
Click through for some lowlights.

YouTube-CNN Republican Debate Reflects Poorly on New Media (by Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins at Mashable)
Wednesday night, CNN and YouTube played host to a Republican debate that, as it turns out, has stirred up a bit of controversy… Michelle Malkin has been the blogger most closely advancing the research on exactly who asked the questions at the debate, and at present count, nearly 30% of all questions asked were from planted questioners. That is to say, the various Democratic Presidential campaigns put out questions to the Republican candidates, and instead of picking questions from the constituency of the Republican base, CNN decided to wave through folks into the debate who would never vote for any of the candidates in an effort to shape their image in what they hoped would be an embarrassing way.
Well, if 30% of the questions were from the opposition, doesn’t that mean that 70% were not?  How does that constitute a liberal bias?

CNN ratings down in November
Despite scoring the highest-rated presidential primary debate in cable news history this month, CNN’s overall ratings fell in November, while Fox News Channel and MSNBC showed increases in primetime. CNN showed some improvement so far in this month’s move of “Lou Dobbs Tonight” to 7 p.m., but it has seen a sharp decline with its “American Morning.” Meanwhile, MSNBC beat CNN in November for second place in what the business calls “sales prime,” between 7 p.m.-2 a.m. ET — primetime on both coasts.
So, whatever your strategy is, CNN, it ain’t workin’.

WaPo Reporter Responds To All The Criticism Of Front-Page Obama Muslim Piece (by Greg Sargent at TPM Horse’s Mouth)
Okay, the Washington Post reporter who wrote [Thursday’s] front page article on the rumors that Obama is a Muslim has now responded to all the criticism of the piece… “I think the story makes clear, including in the candidate’s own words, he is a Christian.”… [T]he problem here is that WaPo, and not just Obama, should have “denied the accuracy” of the Obama-is-a-Muslim nonsense. The Obama Muslim smear is based on lies, not “rumors.”… That’s what everyone is yelling about.

Mandates and Mudslinging (by Paul Krugman)
[U]nder the [Barack] Obama [health care] plan, … people who did the right thing and bought insurance when they were healthy would end up subsidizing those who didn’t sign up for insurance until or unless they needed medical care… Mr. Obama, then, is wrong on policy. Worse yet, the words he uses to defend his position make him sound like Rudy Giuliani inveighing against “socialized medicine”: he doesn’t want the government to “force” people to have insurance, to “penalize” people who don’t participate. I recently castigated Mr. Obama for adopting right-wing talking points about a Social Security “crisis.” Now he’s echoing right-wing talking points on health care.
Here’s a lesson for you, mainstream media.  THIS is the kind of insight and coverage of political issues that we the public need, to be good citizens—no matter what you THINK we want.

Mythbuster: Hispanics take up English the old-fashioned way
WASHINGTON — Just like previous immigrant groups, Hispanic immigrants in the United States speak little English in the first generation, but English dominates in the lives of the second generation and Spanish fades in the third, according to a study released Thursday. The classic pattern, reported by the Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington-based nonprofit research group, partially counters concerns raised in immigration debates that Hispanics in the United States will cluster in Spanish-speaking enclaves rather than assimilate and learn English, as previous immigrant groups have done.

If the media won’t do the mythbusting, turn to the courts: Rape case reform in the UK. (by Vanessa at Feministing)
Not one week after UK women Reclaimed the Night on Saturday, we find that juries will now be “briefed” before rape cases in order to dispel “rape myths” that studies have shown to contribute to a severe decrease in rape convictions in the UK…

Do Not Say That New Home Sales Increased! (by Dean Baker)
The Census Bureau reported that new homes sold at a 728,000 annual rate in October, up from a 716,000 annual rate reported for September. Bad things will happen to anyone who highlights this increase. The September sales data were revised down by 54,000 from a previously reported annual rate of 770,000. This means that the annual sales rate for October is 42,000, or 5.5 percent, lower than the previously reported September rate.

Media Matters for America headlines

Beck invoked purported “reconquista” movement in discussion of rioting in France

CNN’s Roberts equated “Christian conservatives” with “values voters”

Blitzer again ignored Bush’s inconsistent statements on Pakistani sovereignty

CNN expunged “don’t ask, don’t tell” question and answers in rebroadcasts of debate — without disclosure

Discussing McCain’s Hitler comment, CNN’s Brown baselessly asserted McCain was “making his case for a strong military”

Sun-Times omitted key information in suggesting Obama conflict of interest

Fox & Friends First claimed that Clinton “allegedly planted question” at GOP debate without noting denials

CNN’s Bohrman apologized to Republican candidates over question in YouTube debate, but has yet to apologize to Democrats

Resource: Vast Nazi archive opens to public
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - After more than 60 years, Nazi documents stored in a vast warehouse in Germany were unsealed Wednesday, opening a rich resource for Holocaust historians and for survivors to delve into their own tormented past.

AP expands global coverage as papers close foreign bureaus
The AP family tree now branches out to 243 bureaus in 97 countries. “Keeping our people safe is a major part of the job,” says John Daniszewski, who oversees the AP’s international operations. “Ten to 20 years ago, journalists were widely respected as neutral. Unfortunately, now, in many places in the world, journalists are targets.”

“The biggest story of my entire life” never turns out that way
That’s what Time veteran Karen Tumulty tells Evan Smith. “I thought that about Iran-Contra, and a few years later I was covering Clinton’s impeachment. I thought that about impeachment, and a few years later I was covering the Florida recount. I thought that about the Florida recount, and a few years later I was covering 9/11.”

Hollywood studios send writers new offer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Film and TV writers who’ve been on strike for nearly a month are mulling a new contract offer from Hollywood studios. Producers said the offer they presented Thursday, dubbed the “New Economic Partnership,” would pay writers millions of dollars extra for work shown on the Internet, a central issue in negotiations.

Networks set for $120m from web ads
The four US television networks in a pay dispute with Hollywood television writers over online video advertising are in line to generate $120m of revenues in 2007 from free web streaming of their content, according to a leading media buyer.

Appeals Court Voids Agreement to Pay Freelancers for Work Published on the Web
A federal appeals court yesterday threw out a hard-fought agreement between publishers and freelance writers to pay the writers for electronic reproduction of their work. In a 2-to-1 decision, an appellate panel ruled that the courts had no jurisdiction over the copyright dispute and that a lower court erred in accepting the writers’ lawsuit and approving the settlement… “The decision is an outrage, and I hope it’s appealable to the Supreme Court,” said Gerard Colby, president of the National Writers Union, and a plaintiff.
This is the tactic that is being used by right-wing activist judges to negate agreements, legislation, and even court decisions they don’t like.  They just claim that they side they don’t want to win has no standing.  They don’t even have to rule on the questions of law.

ABC News, union reach contract agreement
ABC News said Thursday that it reached a tentative new contract with workers represented by the Writers Guild of America East that includes a 3.5% wage increase and a one-time signing bonus.
The union, comprising approximately 250 news writers, editors, artists and assistants in New York and Washington, D.C., has been working under an expired contract since Jan. 31, 2005.

Jesus loves ‘His Dark Materials’ (by Mark Morford)
Oh my God yes, they are protesting. They are pamphleting. The Catholic League and Focus on the Family and evangelical/fundamentalist Christian blogs from here to Colorado Springs, they are calling on their trembling armies to boycott [the first movie made from Philip Pullman’s astonishing “His Dark Materials” trilogy, “The Golden Compass,”] because they believe that Pullman’s brilliant books … are not only aggressively anti-Christian, they ultimately describe, as their grand finale, nothing less than the death of God… [But] the nefarious thing the books aim to kill is, well, religious authority. It’s about the destruction of dogma. It’s about power, about who wants to control and manipulate life on Earth; it is about blind, ignorant, even violent adherence to insidiously narrow codes of thought and belief and behavior, sex and desire and love.
No wonder they’re protesting.  People can’t be allowed to decide for themselves when and how to have sex.  It would destroy the universe, everyone knows that!

Kids Create TV Shows on Qubo (by Kristen Nicole at Mashable)
Qubo, the bilingual children’s literacy website … is getting ready to roll out some new content on its channels, as well as some new interactive tools for children… Every week, viewers will be able to create their own animated episode of the “Zimmer Twins” using the interactive application, which will go live [Friday]. Additionally, those kids that make their own “Zimmer Twins” episode have the chance of getting their story featured on NBC, ION and Telmundo. I really like this level of interactivity for children, especially when it’s used in an educational way.
Start the exploitation early.  Grab them as kids, and they’ll never expect to be paid for their creativity.

Yahoo Hack Day “Mashup” Launched for Testing (by Kristen Nicole at Mashable)
Yahoo Local is further expanding its ongoing initiative by rolling out a new feature called Neighbors… Neighbors actually consists of tools from Yahoo Answers and functions from Yahoo’s suggestion boards, and it allows users to discuss and organize around local issues. The purpose is to enable users to make suggestions for the improvement and maintenance of their communities, and even offers the ability to vote on suggestions.

Google Reader Adds Drag and Drop (by Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins at Mashable)
Of all the Web 2.0 and social media tools I’ve adopted over the last year or so, the one that has changed the way I function on the internet most significantly would have to be Google Reader. I’ve always collected RSS feeds, and as a podcaster, they’re central to my bread and butter… Google Reader is getting a good upgrade today, in case you haven’t noticed: recommendations and drag and drop functionality.

Facebook revamps new advertising system
SAN FRANCISCO - Seeking to keep the peace in its popular online hangout, Facebook Inc. has overhauled a new advertising system that sparked privacy complaints by turning its users into marketing tools for other companies.

Mark Cuban’s Radical Idea: Facebook Classifieds that Pay You to Sell (by Kristen Nicole at Mashable)
Mark Cuban’s latest radical idea: classifieds. His latest Facebook application, Radical Buy, lets you buy and sell items through the popular social network. It doesn’t sound all that radical, but it has an interesting twist. Borrowing from the affiliate advertising model, sellers can offer a commission for users that help their items get sold. That means you can post Jimmy’s “Wild Animal Trofees” listing on your profile, and if a sale is completed through you, then you earn the commission.
It’s kind of derivative, actually.  Amway has gone before.

Wi-Fi reaches out to gadgets
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Suited executives, grungy teens and even some savvy grannies are already using Wi-Fi to wirelessly link their laptops to the Internet. It may not be long before the short-range high-speed technology is just as popular for those looking to connect music players, phones, cameras, game consoles and more.

Google To Bid For Wireless Spectrum (by Stan Schroeder at Mashable)
According to [the Wall Street Journal], Google will apply to bid for the 700 MHz spectrum in a January Federal Communications Commission auction. This confirms frequent speculations that Google is interested in the wireless spectrum.

EU nations endorse standard system for mobile TV
BRUSSELS (AFP) - The rapid roll-out of television on mobile phones across Europe took a key step forward on Thursday with EU member states supporting an industry standard for the bloc.

Testers see Windows XP passing Vista
SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp.’s Windows XP operating system is about to get faster and Windows Vista isn’t, according to a report that caused a stir online this week as industry watchers speculated that a zippier XP could keep customers from upgrading to Vista.

Tech giants target older buyers and their cash
“Today’s older generation is primed to buy and consume new technologies like no previous group of seniors,” says David Kelly, president of technology research company Upside Research.

Duke scientists map ’silenced genes’
WASHINGTON - Remember biology class where you learned that children inherit one copy of a gene from mom and a second from dad? There’s a twist: Some of those genes arrive switched off, so there is no backup if the other copy goes bad, making you more vulnerable to disorders from obesity to cancer.

Sticky molecule may hold key to nerve disorders
LONDON (Reuters) - A sticky molecule previously linked to inflammation also helps seal vital insulation around peripheral nerves, making it a potential target for new drugs against nerve disorders, scientists said on Thursday.

More Young Americans Are Contracting HIV
On eve of World AIDS Day, U.S. experts wonder what has gone wrong

We Can! Program Takes Aim at Childhood Obesity
The national partnership wants to create a healthier America.

Cancer Patients Gain From Reporting Symptoms Online
It’s an effective way of connecting with doctors in real time, speeding care, study finds

New strain of Ebola kills 16
KAMPALA (Reuters) - A new strain of the deadly Ebola virus has infected 51 people and killed 16 in an area of Uganda near the border with Democratic Republic of Congo, U.S. and Ugandan health officials said on Thursday. 

Gene Tweak Reverses Aging in Mouse Skin Cells
It’s a long way from this to a human ‘fountain of youth,’ however

Male ancestor was slow to grow up
LONDON (Reuters) - One of our closest ancestors had more in common with gorillas than previously thought, with males of the species taking far longer to reach maturity than females, scientists said on Thursday. 

Biblical wall finally found, scholar says
After years of searching, a famous wall mentioned in the Bible’s Book of Nehemiah has finally been found in Jerusalem, according to an Israeli scholar.

Pre-human dating scene was a real jungle
Humans basically court each other one-on-one today, but 2 million-year-old skulls found in South African caves suggest that our ancient male relatives dated troops of females.

Dinosaur tracks discovered in Utah
KANAB, Utah - Tracks from half a dozen species of dinosaurs turned up in a southern Utah area popular with ATV riders. An area the size of a football field was closed to protect thousands of three-toed and other tracks.

Climate Change, ethics and the economics of the global deal (by Sir Nicholas Stern, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, London School of Economics – thanks to Economist’s View)
The problem of climate change involves a fundamental failure of markets: those who damage others by emitting greenhouse gases generally do not pay. Climate change is a result of the greatest market failure the world has seen.

Study Details How U.S. Could Cut 28% of Greenhouse Gases
A new report says the country is brimming with opportunities to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, while saving money at the same time.

Congress Called Near Compromise on Fuel Economy Bill
A deal in Congress to set significantly higher fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks could come this week, say those following the negotiations.

Competition Will Net $200K for Clean Energy Entrepreneurs
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 30, 2007 — The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and utility company NSTAR, unveiled a new competition aimed at encouraging innovative new clean energy technologies.

Retailers keep “green” behind the scenes
COLUMBIA, Maryland (Reuters) - Retailers may be touting their environmental-friendliness this year, but just about the only “green” in evidence for the holidays is in the usual Christmas decorations. Thick catalogs continue to clog mailboxes, store personnel keep handing out free gift boxes, and plastic bags are everywhere.

WWF-UK Gives Luxury Companies Poor Grades
UNITED KINGDOM, Nov. 30, 2007 — In a new report, the WWF-UK takes a close look at the environmental and social records of luxury brands, finding little good to write about.

Energy-hungry India eyes role as “wind superpower”
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India might be painted as a pollution-spewing, global-warming economy of 1 billion people but it is also one of the world’s biggest wind power users, part of a focus on renewable energy mostly unnoticed in the West.

Musharraf sworn in as Pakistan president
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pervez Musharraf embarked on a new five-year term as Pakistan’s civilian president Thursday, but gave no indication of when emergency rule will be lifted — a key demand of both his domestic rivals and the United States.

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Seeds of Doubt

US deaths in Iraq remain low in November
BAGHDAD - The number of U.S. troops killed in November remained at a low not seen since March 2006 on Thursday, a respite from years of bloodshed that forced some 2 million Iraqis to flee and prompted the buildup of nearly 30,000 more American forces.
That’s very good news.  Now, let’s take the troops out of harm’s way altogether.  Bring them home.

Olmert says Palestinian state vital
JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in an interview published Thursday that creation of a Palestinian state is a vital Israeli interest, and that failure to reach a peace agreement could plunge Israel into a South African-style apartheid struggle.

Campaigner: Viagra used to bribe voters
BANGKOK, Thailand - Vote-buying is an old practice in Thai politics, but one candidate for December’s Thai election has reportedly come up with a new tactic — handing out Viagra instead of cash.

NKorea to come clean on secret nuclear programme: US envoy
SEOUL (AFP) - Work on shutting down North Korea’s declared nuclear plants is going well, with the communist state expected to come clean soon about a suspected secret programme, the chief US nuclear envoy said Thursday.

Koreas agree on arrangements for trains
SEOUL, South Korea - The top defense officials from North and South Korea agreed Thursday on security arrangements for the first-ever regular train service across their heavily fortified border.

Rudd names new Australian Cabinet
CANBERRA, Australia - Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd named his Cabinet on Thursday, choosing a woman as deputy leader for the first time, a former rock singer as environment minister and a lawyer from the Outback as foreign minister.

Australia’s Howard replaced as party leader
CANBERRA (AFP) - Australia’s former defence minister Brendan Nelson was Thursday elected as the new leader of the Liberal Party to replace outgoing prime minister John Howard, the party said.

Botched coup bid in Philippines ends without casualties
MANILA (Reuters) - Elite military and police units stormed the Manila Peninsula Hotel on Thursday, ending a short-lived coup attempt by a small group of soldiers and others who had called on the army to mutiny.

Chavez seeks expanded power in charter
CARACAS, Venezuela - Hugo Chavez could have a shot at becoming president for life if voters approve a sweeping overhaul of the constitution Sunday that would give him unchecked power to reshape Venezuela’s government, economy and society.
NOBODY should EVER be president for life of ANYTHING.  And I’m beginning to wonder about Supreme Court justices, too.

Sarkozy says “thugocracy” behind French riots
PARIS (Reuters) - Riots which hit a Paris suburb this week were the work of a “thugocracy” of criminals and not the result of social deprivation, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday.

UN: World economic growth rate slowing
UNITED NATIONS - The world economy has been growing more slowly after global unemployment jumped to 6.3 percent last year, the highest in a decade, the United Nations reported Wednesday.

Ignoring Generals’ Words Of Caution, McCain And Lieberman Rush To Declare Success In Iraq
This month, as violence has dropped a bit in Iraq, military commanders and other Iraq experts have been hesitant to begin declaring victory, saying instead that the “positive” momentum is “not yet irreversible” and Iraq is “going nowhere” in “political terms.” But Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who traveled to Iraq for the Thanksgiving holiday, have been much less cautious in their public statements and have all but declared victory.

Bush shrinks federal pay raises
WASHINGTON - Federal workers living in more expensive regions of the country will get much smaller pay raises than scheduled under an order from President Bush, who said Wednesday that the proposed raises were unacceptably high.

VA’s performance on benefits slips or is unchanged
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs fell farther behind this year in its attempts to give veterans timely decisions on their disability claims, new records show… Overall, the agency either has fallen behind or has made no progress in improving its performance in more than half of what it lists as its key goals.

Intel centers losing anti-terror focus
WASHINGTON - Local intelligence-sharing centers set up after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks have had their anti-terrorism mission diluted by a focus on run-of-the-mill street crime and hazards such as hurricanes, a government report concludes.

Head of Rove Inquiry in Hot Seat Himself
WASHINGTON — The head of the federal agency investigating Karl Rove’s White House political operation is facing allegations that he improperly deleted computer files during another probe… Mr. Bloch said no documents relevant to any investigation were affected. He also says the employee claims against him are unwarranted. Mr. Bloch believes the White House may have a conflict of interest in pressing the inquiry into his conduct while his office investigates the White House political operation.

Livin’ Large (by Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo)
You probably know DOJ voting section chief John Tanner for doing his level best to crack down on minority voting and telling an audience that voter ID laws aren’t a problem since blacks and hispanics don’t live that long anyway. Now it seems he’s gotten in a bit of hot water for using his job to take a bunch of snazzy vacations on the taxpayer dime.

Rulings on Endangered Species Are Reversed