Book argues that Bell stole phone idea
BOSTON – A new book claims to have definitive evidence of a long-suspected technological crime — that Alexander Graham Bell stole ideas for the telephone from a rival, Elisha Gray.

Newly Discovered Properties Of Certain Crystals Could Impact The Miniaturization Of Electronic Devices
ScienceDaily (Dec. 28, 2007) — The dashing start of electrons in a crystal does not remain without consequences for their further fate. Researchers examined the ultrafast movement of electrons in a gallium arsenide crystal exposed for a short time to a very high electrical field. This conceptually new experiment shows for the first time a collective, oscillatory motion of the electrons with ultrahigh frequency, which arises additionally to the well-known drift motion of these particles. This newly discovered effect could play an important role in connection with the miniaturization of electronic devices.

Searching for Similar Diagnosis Through DNA
Parents of children with distinct genetic mutations are seeking out others to form support networks.

Uninsured Benefit Once They Are Covered by Medicare
Study finds substantial improvement in a number of health conditions.

Most Psychiatrists Open to Discussing Spiritual Concerns
They’re more likely to broach the topic with patients than are other doctors, study finds.

Neuroticism hard on the heart: study
Neuroticism — a proclivity toward worry and emotional ups and downs — is related to anxiety and depression, which could help explain the relationship with heart trouble, note Beverly A. Shipley of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and colleagues in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

Chronic Coughs Need a Doctor’s Attention
Persistent respiratory distress is the body’s way of saying, ‘Help!’

High Blood Triglycerides Linked to Stroke Risk
Boosted concentrations of these fats doubled the odds, researchers say

Menopausal hot flashes worse for heavier women
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Contrary to expectations, the higher a woman’s percentage of body fat at menopause, the more likely she is to experience symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, a new study shows.

Terriers Join Fight Against a Killer Disease in Humans
(HealthDay News) — A feisty breed of terrier could stop scientists from barking up the wrong tree as they research a deadly lung disease in humans.

Ancient pyramid found in central Mexico City
Archeologists have discovered the ruins of an 800-year-old Aztec pyramid in the heart of Mexico City that could show that the city is at least a century older than previously thought.

Shuttle repair to delay European space lab launch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) – Repairing an electrical connection in a U.S. space shuttle’s fuel tank will push the already delayed launch of Europe’s first permanent space laboratory beyond the current target date of January 10, NASA said on Thursday. 

Survey: Environmentally Savy Consumers Changed Holiday Spending
NEW YORK – Planet Earth and global manufacturing issues increasingly figure into consumers’ spending decisions, with a vast majority of holiday shoppers expressing a willingness to pay more for eco-friendly gifts and taking note of the country where items were made, says the 2007 Annual National Shopping Behavior Survey by audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG LLP.

Survey: Green Takes Strong Hold with Architects, Designers
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Autodesk, Inc. and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently announced the results of the 2007 Autodesk/AIA Green Index, an annual survey that measures how AIA member architects in the United States are practicing sustainable design, as well as their opinions about the green building movement. The index shows that green building has taken a firm hold on the industry and has captured the attention of both architects and their clients.

Hotels: Energy Star Earns Its Keep
Washington – There are currently 247 Energy Star labeled hotels listed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star for Hospitality website. Close to 3,000 U.S. hotels have participated in this free government program since it was launched in 2002

Cities Enticing Residents to Go Green
PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) – Free hybrid-car parking. Cash rebates for installing solar panels. Low-interest loans for energy-saving home renovations. Money to tear up desert lawns and replace them with drought-resistant landscaping.

India struggles to go green
India’s small, cash-strapped industrial operations pose challenges to curbing emissions, analysts say.

Miss. Toyota Plant Will Explore Green Initiatives
JACKSON, Miss., Dec. 28, 2007 — Toyota named a Mississippi manufacturing facility as a model of environmentally-friendly practices, such as using renewable energy and planting trees.

Tech could reduce coal facilities’ emissions
Coal “gasification” is a technology “that has the ability to take air pollution out of the debate over coal,” says John Thompson, director of the Coal Transition Program at the Clean Air Task Force, a Boston-based environmental group.

Did the Oceans End the Last Severe Global Warming Episode?
Once again we go back to the last severe global warming episode (Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum or PETM) 55 million years ago, thanks to an article from Discovery News. Marine scientists from California have determined that the massive accumulations of the mineral barite on the bottom of the ocean indicates that the PETM was accompanied by several thousands of years of ocean plant life kicking into high gear. That massive increase in ocean plant life captured excessive carbon from the atmosphere and deposited it to the ocean floor where it was buried.

New Zealand Builds a Nest Big Enough to Save Kiwis
Kiwi numbers have declined rapidly over the past century, as populations struggled with the twin threats of shrinking habitat and expanding legions of new predators.

Barcoding An Entire Ecosystem
BERKELEY — In the middle of the South Pacific, about 12 miles west of Tahiti, is a tropical island that soon will emerge as a model ecosystem, thanks to the efforts of a U.S.-French research team led by University of California, Berkeley, biologists.

Fisheries Should Be Regarded As Part Of Maritime Environment, Experts Urge
ScienceDaily (Dec. 28, 2007) — Helsinki/Leipzig. Professional fishery is in many sea areas a serious ecological threat to the maritime environment. On the other hand, changes in the environment, e.g. the increase of fish-eating animals like seals and cormorants, may impact the fisheries. One of the new guiding principles of political decision-making in fishery issues is that a holistic “ecosystems approach” should be used instead of traditional protection of fish populations.

Traditional medicine plants disappearing as demand rises
Johannesburg – A dwindling supply of wild medicinal plants is threatening South Africa’s traditional medicine industry, according to new research.

The Hill’s Pundits Blog

December 27, 2007

Time For Obama-Edwards Alliance For Change

Brent Budowsky

With Al Gore out of the race, I propose that in the Iowa caucus supporters of Barack Obama, John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich fire the shot that will be heard around the world and vote for Iowa delegates committed to change the world.

In each local caucus, the caucus-goers can unite behind the leader in that locality with a shared delegate slate that would include supporters of Edwards, Obama and Kucinich…

Americans want the restoration not of one family or another, but a restoration of renewal, reform and true democracy where the people are heard and respected by both parties, rather than neither party…

(more…)

Pakistan’s Bhutto killed in attack
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan – Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday in a suicide attack that also killed at least 20 others at a campaign rally, aides said.

Crooks and Liars

Turkey praises US help as jets bomb northern Iraq
ANKARA (AFP) – Turkey praised the United States on Wednesday for providing intelligence in support of attacks against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, as it confirmed its third such air strike in 10 days.

Iraqi hairdressers forced underground
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Umm Doha cuts hair and waxes eyebrows in secret from her living room because making women look pretty can get a person killed in her Sunni-dominated Baghdad neighborhood.

Egypt, Israel in new flap
CAIRO, Egypt – Egypt criticized Israeli plans to build new homes in disputed east Jerusalem, as key officials from the two nations met Wednesday amid a diplomatic flap over weapons smuggling into Gaza.

Abbas wants settlement freeze at summit
JERUSALEM – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will demand Israel commit to a freeze on all settlement construction at a peace summit Thursday, the first since the two sides agreed to resume peace talks at a U.S.-sponsored conference last month.

Iran to get Russian anti-missile defense
TEHRAN, Iran – Russia is preparing to equip Iran with a powerful new air defense system that would dramatically increase its ability to repel an attack, Iran’s defense minister said Wednesday.

Iran may float tender for 19 nuclear power plants
Tehran, Dec 23 (IANS) In what could further increase the West’s worry over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a top Iranian official said Sunday the Islamic country would soon float an international tender for construction of 19 new 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plants.

Afghanistan expels Briton accused of Taliban talks
British and European officials today scrambled to head off a diplomatic row with Afghanistan, saying the expulsion of two western aides for allegedly holding talks with the Taliban was the result of a “misunderstanding”. The attempts to resolve the diplomatic wrangle came as the Daily Telegraph reported that MI6 agents held discussions with the Taliban on “several occasions over the summer”.

Four dead in Pakistan election shooting
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Gunmen opened fire on supporters of former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday from an office of the party that supports President Pervez Musharraf killing four Sharif supporters, police said.

NKorea to delay nuclear disablement
SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea indicated Wednesday it will slow down the disablement of its nuclear facilities because of what it said was a delay in receiving economic aid under an international deal.

In diplomatic coup, Chavez says Colombian hostages to be released
MIAMI — Three high-profile hostages held by Colombian rebels will soon be freed, perhaps as early as Thursday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced Wednesday in Caracas. The release of the three, including an aide to kidnapped former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, would be a major diplomatic coup for Chavez, who a month ago had been told to stay out of hostage negotiations by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

Only third of MPs back tougher anti-terror law
Gordon Brown’s hopes of securing a parliamentary majority for his plans to extend the time terrorist suspects can be detained without charge have been dealt a severe blow by a survey of Commons opinion showing only a third of MPs back tougher laws. The survey also reveals the appetite for further anti-terror legislation among Brown’s own MPs is faltering, with 48% of Labour MPs agreeing there has been too much anti-terror legislation.

Serbs say No to EU if Kosovo independence recognized
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Serbia said on Wednesday it would shun any offer of membership of the European Union or NATO if they recognized the breakaway province of Kosovo as an independent state.

Bush signs $555 billion spending bill
CRAWFORD, Texas – President Bush, still voicing concern about special project spending by Congress, signed a $555 billion bill Wednesday that funds the Iraq war well into 2008 and keeps government agencies running through next September.

Late twists for kids health program
WASHINGTON – The modest spending increase that Congress approved for a popular children’s health insurance program will maintain coverage for those already enrolled. But many lacking insurance will have to look elsewhere.

Senate meets briefly to block Bush
Without the pro forma session, the Senate would be technically adjourned, allowing the president to install officials without Senate confirmation… [P]ro forma sessions also could give Bush some political cover on popular legislation he doesn’t want to sign. When Congress is holding pro forma sessions and is not formally adjourned, a bill sent to a president automatically becomes law 10 days after he receives it — excluding Sundays — unless he vetoes it. That could be the fate of two bills Congress passed last week.

U.S. Seeks Silence on CIA Prisons
The Bush administration has told a federal judge that terrorism suspects held in secret CIA prisons should not be allowed to reveal details of the “alternative interrogation methods” that their captors used to get them to talk. The government says in new court filings that those interrogation methods are now among the nation’s most sensitive national security secrets and that their release — even to the detainees’ own attorneys — “could reasonably be expected to cause extremely grave damage.”
Does that language remind you of anything?  Remember Scalia’s reason for stopping the vote count in Florida in 2000?  He was afraid it would cause “irreparable damage” to George Bush.

Raytheon: Army aware of missile’s flaw
Army officials were aware that the Raytheon-built Patriot air-defense system had difficulty distinguishing between friendly and enemy aircraft but deployed the missiles in the Iraq war after deciding the system was needed to protect troops, a Raytheon Co. executive stated in a recent legal filing. The statement was filed in a lawsuit brought by the family of a Navy pilot who was killed by a Patriot missile while flying over Iraq in 2003.

Internal State Dep’t Review Finds Dep’t in Afghanistan Can’t Account for $28 Million in Contractor-Used Cars, Guns, Radios (by Spencer Ackerman at TPM Muckraker)
A September 2007 State Department report, obtained by TPMmuckraker, found that contractors DynCorp and Blackwater can’t account for $28.4 million in U.S. government-issued property in Afghanistan, including armored cars, guns and radios. The report, prepared by the State Department inspector-general’s office, hits the department for its lack of “adequate internal control over the government property held by contractors.”

Kansas GOP Chair Sends Email Boasting of Voter Caging (by billw at Crooks and Liars)
Kris Kobach, a former counsel to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft who is currently the chairman of the Kansas GOP, sent out an email on Thur entitled “Kansas Republican Party Year in Review” in which he brags of voter caging.

Rep. Rush Holt to Push for Paper Ballots and Vote Count Audits for 2008
New legislation, if passed, would spend millions to replace controversial all-electronic voting systems before the 2008 presidential election.

Anti-tax group has help against Huckabee
WASHINGTON – A conservative anti-tax group Wednesday expanded its ad campaign against Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, helped by a major GOP donor who bankrolled ads that questioned Democrat John Kerry’s war record during the 2004 campaign.

New Census data shows Louisiana rebound
WASHINGTON – Louisiana appears to be rebounding from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, gaining 50,000 residents in the year ending July 1, according to new Census Bureau state population estimates released Thursday.

U.S. stocks head for mixed open
NEW YORK – U.S. stocks headed for a mixed open Thursday as investors awaited consumer confidence figures that Wall Street hopes will give some clues about the economy’s direction in the new year.

Mortgage applications fall to lowest in a year
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. mortgage applications sank last week to the lowest level since the end of last year despite falling borrowing costs, an industry trade group said on Thursday.

Home Prices Fall for 10th Straight Month
Home prices in the United States fell in October for the 10th consecutive month, declining a record 6.7 percent compared with a year ago, according to the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home price index… The previous record decline was a drop of 6.3 percent, recorded in April 1991.

Relearning the significance of risk
Lack of oversight and regulation paved the way for the subprime lending collapse and the nation’s current credit crunch. Steve Tripoli has been covering the story and says the root problem was people forget about risk.
And one of the risks should be going to prison if you cheat.  But will that happen?  See below.

Mortgage Probes Face Large Legal Hurdles
Tangled system of bank regulation and the task of proving that executives intended to break the law could pose significant challenges for investigators.
So don’t expect any convictions, America.  Not with THIS administration.  They always, always find ways to exonerate the big guys, and they always, always find ways to screw us little guys.  See below.

U.S. Ruling Backs Benefit Cut at 65 in Retiree Plans
WASHINGTON — The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Wednesday that employers could reduce or eliminate health benefits for retirees when they turn 65 and become eligible for Medicare… More than 10 million retirees rely on employer-sponsored health plans as a primary source of coverage or as a supplement to Medicare, and Naomi C. Earp, the commission’s chairwoman, said, “This rule will help employers continue to voluntarily provide and maintain these critically important health benefits.”
And, as usual, the reality is the exact opposite of what the Bush administration appointee says it is.

Permanent link to MTA daily media news

Putin? Really? (by Michael McFaul, writing at Slate)
Time’s theory about Putin and Russia contains three central flaws. First, the positive change so trumpeted is exaggerated. Second, the positive change that has occurred between the 1990s and the last several years has little if anything to do with Putin. Third, the Time theory that Putin’s democratic rollback has been a necessary condition for achieving stability and growth—they call it the “grand bargain”—is simply wrong. In fact, there is no evidence at all—and most certainly not in the 36 pages Time devotes to Putin and his Russia—that greater autocracy has caused either order or growth.

Progressives, To Arms! Forget about Bush—and the middle ground. (by Paul Krugman, writing at Slate)
Democrats, with the encouragement of people in the news media who seek bipartisanship for its own sake, may fall into the trap of trying to be anti-Bushes—of trying to transcend partisanship, seeking some middle ground between the parties. That middle ground doesn’t exist—and if Democrats try to find it, they’ll squander a huge opportunity. Right now, the stars are aligned for a major change in America’s direction. If the Democrats play nice, that opportunity may soon be gone.

Study: Bill Clinton Was Kinda Right, Media Is Obsessed With Horse-Race And Is Toughest On Hillary (by Greg Sargent at TPM Horse’s Mouth)
The Center for Media and Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., took a look at 481 news stories on ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX from October 1 through December 15, 2007. It concluded that the media hits Hillary the hardest: “… On-air evaluations of Hillary Clinton were nearly 3 to 2 negative (42% positive vs. 58% negative comments), while evaluations of her closest competitor Barack Obama was better than 3 to 2 positive (61% positive vs. 39% negative). John Edwards attracted much less coverage, but his evaluations were 2 to 1 positive (67% positive vs. 33% negative). Sen. Clinton was evaluated more often than all her Democratic opponents combined…” [N]o doubt Chris Matthews and Tucker will be all over this study any day now.

Democrats Try to Rein In Fees on Consulting
[W]ith more money than ever on the line this time around, resentment has been building, donors and other operatives say, at how, win or lose, presidential elections have become gold mines for the small and often swaggering band of media consultants who dominate modern campaigns. As a result, the Democratic presidential hopefuls are seeking to impose more controls on the consultants. In doing so, they are moving more into line with their Republican counterparts… Already, the shift in the way consultants are being paid is far-reaching.
It’s about time! Now, we have to work on stemming the flow of campaign money to the very media moguls who pay their employees so well to denigrate Democrats and puff up Republicans.

‘USA Today’ Analysis: Half of Military Families Now Feel Iraq War a ‘Mistake’
NEW YORK Almost exactly half of close family members of U.S. troops now call the Iraq war a “mistake,” USA Today revealed today after analyzing several Gallup polls from recent months. Just over 50% disapprove of President Bush’s job performance.

Denmark Suffers From Too Many Jobs (by Dean Baker)
That’s the word from the NYT… The article presents little evidence that the economy is suffering from this exodus. Denmark currently has a 3.6 percent unemployment rate. Its economy is projected to grow by 3.5 percent in 2007… In short, if Denmark is suffering because a relatively small number of highly educated workers find the tax rate too high, there is not much evidence in the data.

The lowest common denominator of speech (by Jeff Jarvis)
Martin Stabe points to another legal story that is getting too little coverage here, with links to a news story and a FindLaw analysis about a New York court refusing to protect an American author from a UK “libel tourism” judgment over a book that sold a mere 23 copies in England. What’s profoundly frightening about this is that we in America could find ourselves subject to the UK’s libel and privacy laws, which throw free speech to the wolves in defense of privacy. In other words, thanks to the internet, we could be subject to the lowest-common-denominator of protection of speech against libel actions.

Commandos called in to free Sri Lanka minister held by reporters
COLOMBO (AFP) – Sri Lanka sent a crack commando unit to the state-run television station Thursday to rescue a government minister seized by journalists for allegedly assaulting a colleague, officials told AFP.

Egypt to copyright pyramids
CAIRO (AFP) – In a potential blow to themed resorts from Vegas to Tokyo, Egypt is to pass a law requiring payment of royalties whenever its ancient monuments, from the pyramids to the sphinx, are reproduced.

Free news online will cost journalism dearly (by David Lazarus, Los Angeles Times)
[U]ntil a long-term business model for the digital age presents itself, I believe newspapers at the very least must acknowledge that their content has value, and as such should stop giving it away online. I know, I know. This is prickly stuff. The New York Times tried charging for its columnists online and then stopped. Rupert Murdoch, the new landlord at the Wall Street Journal, has said he thinks the paper’s website should be subscription-free. The L.A. Times also has an “under new management” sign out front now that real estate tycoon Sam Zell has taken over. No telling what he has in mind. Here’s the thing: As long as the big papers give it away free, the little papers will have no choice but to do the same. Before you know it, no more little papers.
We need combined subscriptions.  Honestly, I feel like Cassandra.

Despite Woes, McClatchy Banks on Newspapers
SACRAMENTO — In the beleaguered newspaper industry, one chief executive has long stood out as the golden boy: Gary Pruitt. He skillfully managed the McClatchy Co. chain and last year engineered the $4.6 billion takeover of Knight Ridder Inc., one of the largest in the history of the business. But since the beginning of 2006, Mr. Pruitt’s company has lost $1.46 billion and seen its stock price plunge 78%, exceeding the carnage at most newspaper companies. Still, when members of the board and the controlling family privately discussed Mr. Pruitt’s future last month, they unanimously supported the man who brought McClatchy to this juncture.

HBO’s “The Wire” captures the state of newspapers today
The Baltimore newspaper on “The Wire” … “is a microcosm of a media industry that often seems to have lost its moral compass, as well as a corporate culture where truth is sacrificed on the altar of neglect more than malevolence,” writes Brian Lowry. “The best look at newspapers in movies or TV? Hands down, the prize goes to ‘The Wire.’”
I’ll have to take a look and see if they stole anything from my idea for a series on a newspaper’s newsroom.

Rumor: Fox and Apple Team Up for Movie Rentals (by Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins at Mashable)
Apple and News Corp’s 20th Century Fox have gon in together on a new video on demand deal allowing users to rent digital copies of Fox DVD new releases with the Apple iTunes platform, according to rumors being reported in the Financial Times… The move returns to the fore the potential usefulness of the AppleTV, as the iTunes platform could be used for not just purchasing, but rental.

ESPN has recently hired 15+ journalists from print outlets
Some newspapers are suffering through the worst talent drain their sports editors can recall. “My counteroffer usually comes down to asking them what kind of cake they want at their goodbye party,” says Washington Post AME/sports Emilio Garcia-Ruiz. “The numbers they throw around are out of reach.” ESPN is paying $150,000 to $350,000 a year to some former print scribes.

Review: Clearwire Offers New Net Pipe
SEATTLE (AP) – My cell phone rang just as I pulled my car into a park along the Puget Sound. I needed to add something to a news story I had written a few hours earlier, but I really didn’t want to give up my evening stroll. Instead of driving back to the office or hunting for a Wi-Fi hotspot, I booted up my laptop, plugged in a PC card, connected to the Internet and updated my story – all from a bench near the water, with a dreamy view of snowcapped mountains.

Scotland to target gamers with ads
LONDON – The Scottish government said Monday it would pay to insert advertisements discouraging drinking and driving into video games.

‘Test tube universe’ hints at unifying theory
The Holy Grail of physics is to establish an overarching explanation to unite all the particles and forces of the cosmos. But one of the complaints commonly levelled at a leading contender for a “theory of everything”, called string theory, is that it is impossible to test. But now, according to the study in the journal Nature Physics, it may be possible using the universe in a test tube.

Can A Vibrating Mouse Prevent Computer-related Injuries?
ScienceDaily (Dec. 27, 2007) — A chair that undulates, a mouse that vibrates, a monitor suspended over a desk on a movable arm. These are some of the kinds of newfangled ergonomic products that Alan Hedge, international authority on office ergonomics, studies to see if they can prevent repetitive motion injuries among the estimated 100 million people who now use computers in the United States.

Brain Abnormalities Underlying Key Element Of Borderline Personality Disorder Identified
ScienceDaily (Dec. 27, 2007) — Using new approaches, an interdisciplinary team of scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City has gained a view of activity in key brain areas associated with a core difficulty in patients with borderline personality disorder—shedding new light on this serious psychiatric condition.

Psychologists Explore Public Policy And Effects Of Media Violence On Children
ScienceDaily (Dec. 27, 2007) — Although hundreds of studies link media violence to aggression in children and adolescents, most public policy attempts to reduce children’s media violence exposure in the U.S. have failed. Efforts to restrict children’s access to violent video games have been struck down by the courts as infringing on children’s First Amendment rights… ISU researchers identified four reasons why past public policy efforts to curb children’s exposure to media violence have failed:

Environmental Factors Early In Life May Influence Testicular Cancer Risk
ScienceDaily (Dec. 27, 2007) — The risk of testicular cancer was significantly lower among first-generation immigrants to Denmark, compared with men born in Denmark to immigrant parents and Danish men with Danish parents, according to a study published online December 25 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. This suggests that early exposure to environmental factors may influence the development of the disease.

Modified Protein May Lead To First Cure For Cirrhosis Of The Liver
ScienceDaily (Dec. 28, 2007) — University of California, San Diego researchers have proven in animal studies that fibrosis in the liver can be not only stopped, but reversed. Their discovery, to be published in PLoS Online on December 26, opens the door to treating and curing conditions that lead to excessive tissue scarring such as viral hepatitis, fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, pulmonary fibrosis, scleroderma and burns.

Malaria Drug Promising Against Cancer
60-year-old drug chloroquine eliminated certain malignancies in mice, researchers say

Sleep Chemical Central To Effectiveness Of Deep Brain Stimulation
ScienceDaily (Dec. 28, 2007) — A brain chemical that makes us sleepy also appears to play a central role in the success of deep brain stimulation to ease symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders.

Study Spotlights ‘Exercise-Friendly’ Day-Care Centers
Outdoor spaces and lots of portable toys get kids moving, researchers say

Russian cargo ship docks with space station
MOSCOW (Reuters) – An unmanned Russian Progress supply vessel docked with the orbiting International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday to deliver fresh food, water, fuel, equipment and holiday presents for the crew.

Evolution Of Crop Grasses Linked To Greenhouse Gases
ScienceDaily (Dec. 27, 2007) — How a changing climate can affect ecosystems is an important and timely question, especially considering the recent global rise in greenhouse gases. Now, in an article published online on December 20th in the journal Current Biology, evolutionary biologists provide strong evidence that changes in global carbon dioxide levels probably had an important influence on the emergence of a specific group of plants, termed C4 grasses, which includes major cereal crops, plants used for biofuels, and species that represent important components of grasslands across the world.

Walrus Habitat is Melting Away
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Federal marine mammal experts in Alaska studying the effects of global warming on walrus, polar bears and ice seals warn there are limit to the protections they can provide.

Japan seeks Mexico’s backing to fight global warming
Mexico City, Dec 27 – The Japanese government has asked Mexico to support its ‘Cool Earth 50′ initiative that seeks to extend the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012 on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, EFE news agency reported Thursday.

Report: China to stick with coal, promote clean energy
Beijing – China will remain dependent on coal for energy in the long-term, but has vowed to give the development of renewable energy a top priority, the government said in a white paper released Wednesday.

Invention Turns Toxic Waste into Electricity
New technology could clean toxic messes from mines and create electricity at the same time.

Whale shark thrives in Australian eco-tourism park
Washington – Gentle whale sharks are thriving in western Australia’s Ningaloo reef area thanks to a successful eco-tourism programme, according to scientists who have been studying the fingerprints of the sea’s largest fish.

Coral mining made tsunami more destructive in Sri Lanka
Colombo, Dec 26 – The destruction wrought by the tsunami of Dec 25, 2004 on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka would have been much less if successive governments had heeded Sir Arthur Clarke’s persistent call to stop the mining of corals.

9/11 Commission Chairman: ‘No Question’ CIA Attempted ‘To Impede Our Investigation’
[Monday] morning on CNN, 9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean there is “no question” the CIA was aware that its now-destroyed videotapes depicting severe interrogations were among evidence being sought by 9/11 Commission investigators, and the destruction of the tapes was an attempt to “impede our investigation”:
Click through to watch the video.

Left Toon Lane

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Turkish jets strike Kurdish rebel bases
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkish warplanes hit eight suspected Kurdish rebel hideouts in northern Iraq on Wednesday, the third cross-border air assault in 10 days, Turkey’s military said.

Suicide truck bomb kills at least 20 in Iraq
BAIJI, Iraq (Reuters) – A suicide truck bomb killed at least 20 people and wounded 80 in the northern Iraqi city of Baiji on Tuesday, the police and U.S. military said. 

Reward Sunni fighters, US commander says
YOUSSIFIYAH, Iraq – A top U.S. commander warned Tuesday that Sunnis who fight al-Qaida in Iraq must be rewarded and recognized as legitimate members of Iraqi society — or else the hard-fought security gains of the past six months could be lost.

Poll shows peace pessimism
JERUSALEM – Israelis and Palestinians responding to a survey believe a recent U.S.-sponsored peace conference was a failure and think their leaders won’t manage to sign a peace deal in the next year, according to results released Tuesday.

Iran needs no uranium enrichment: Russia’s Lavrov
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s delivery of nuclear fuel to the Bushehr power station makes it unnecessary for Iran to pursue its enrichment program, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Diplomatic row as Afghans expel European pair
KABUL (Reuters) – A diplomatic row erupted on Wednesday between Afghanistan and key aid partners after Kabul ordered the expulsion of a Briton and Irishman working for the EU and the UN, accusing them of threatening state security.

Hindus launch attacks on Indian churches
NEW DELHI – Hindu extremists attacked Christians celebrating Christmas in eastern India, ransacking and burning at least six village churches, officials said Wednesday. One person was killed in the violence.

Thaksin to return as Thai political mess churns on
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Tuesday he was confident the party he backed in weekend elections could form a coalition government, unless prevented unfairly, allowing him to return from exile.

Laptop project enlivens Peruvian hamlet
ARAHUAY, Peru – Doubts about whether poor, rural children really can benefit from quirky little computers evaporate as quickly as the morning dew in this hilltop Andean village, where 50 primary school children got machines from the One Laptop Per Child project six months ago.

Raul Castro says Fidel ready for new bid
HAVANA – Fidel Castro remains on the mend, gaining weight, exercising twice a day and continuing to help make the Cuban government’s top decisions, his brother Raul Castro says.

Serbs to say “No” to EU over Kosovo independence
BELGRADE (Reuters) – The Serb parliament is expected to adopt a resolution on Wednesday implicitly rejecting membership of the European Union and NATO if the West recognizes the independence of Kosovo.

Bush Seeks to Restore Tattered U.S. Image With Heavy ’08 Travel
Dec. 24 (Bloomberg) — President George W. Bush’s diplomatic passport will acquire a slew of new country stamps during his final year in office as he tries to rebuild the U.S.’s international standing and create a foreign-policy legacy beyond Iraq.
And how does he seek to restore our tattered image?  See below.

Bush backs Turkish strikes on Kurdish rebels
US President George Bush has spoken with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip and gave his backing for military strikes by Ankara on Kurdish rebel rear bases in Iraq.

FCC chief defends media ownership rules
WASHINGTON – The Republican chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is disputing Democratic assertions that a new rule loosening restrictions on media ownership is full of loopholes and will lead to a wave of mergers and fewer choices for consumers.

New Orleans Gets a Boost From NASA
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The route to the moon and perhaps to Mars now goes through New Orleans – and the detour couldn’t come at a better time in the city’s struggle to rebuild its shattered economy after Hurricane Katrina.

US Senate stays in session to block Bush
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Senate is holding special one man sessions throughout Christmas and the New Year to prevent President George W. Bush from making appointments without the approval of the Democratic majority.

Majority Democrats’ power checked by GOP
WASHINGTON – Democrats running Congress for the first time in more than a decade faltered at key points this year as they grudgingly passed important bills opposed by many, or even most, of their House members. When Republicans were in charge, they generally avoided a similar fate.

High court asked to review Congress raid
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to toss out a lower court ruling that says the FBI was wrong to raid Democratic Rep. William Jefferson’s office, a decision the Bush administration argues will hinder corruption investigations of Congress.

Political Wire Quote of the Day, December 24
“From my perspective, this is not an academic or a philosophical question. This is about who has the toughness and fight to take on corporate greed and win.”
– John Edwards, quoted by the Boston Globe.

Clinton Expands Lead in Iowa
A new American Research Group poll in Iowa shows Sen. Hillary Clinton expanding her lead in the last week. Clinton now leads with 34%, followed by John Edwards at 20%, and Sen. Barack Obama at 19%. In the GOP race, Mike Huckabee leads at 23%, trailed by Mitt Romney at 21%, Sen. John McCain at 17%, Rudy Giuliani at 14% and Rep. Ron Paul at 10%.

Huckabee campaigning for 23% sales tax
Mike Huckabee, one of the most conservative Republicans in the 2008 presidential race, has embraced one of the most radical ideas on the campaign trail: a plan to abolish all federal income and payroll taxes and replace them with a single 23% national sales tax.

Health coverage improves health and reduces major heart complications
BOSTON, Mass. (December 25, 2007)—As presidential candidates ramp up their primary campaigns, health care reform looms prominently among voters’ main concerns. A new study in the December 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA, provides the most comprehensive evidence to date that expanding coverage to people without it leads to demonstrable improvements in health.

How healthy is your medical credit score?
Mortgage lenders aren’t the only ones showing more interest in your credit score these days – the health industry is creating its own score to judge your ability to pay… The score is already raising questions from consumer advocacy groups that fear it will be checked before patients are treated. People with low medical credit scores could receive lower-quality care than those with a healthy medFICO, they argue… That will not happen, says Stephen Farber, chairman and chief executive of Healthcare Analytics.
That will not happen.  No, people who can’t pay won’t be treated at all.

Court curbs insurers’ ability to rescind medical policies
California health insurers have a duty to check the accuracy of applications for coverage before issuing policies — and should not wait until patients run up big medical bills, a state appeals court ruled Monday. The court also said insurers could not cancel a medical policy unless they showed that the policyholder willfully misrepresented his health or that the company had investigated the application before it issued coverage.

US illegal immigrants ‘self-deport’ as woes mount
PHOENIX – Mexican illegal immigrant Lindi sat down with her husband Marco Antonio in the weeks before Christmas to decide when to go back to Mexico… The couple are among a growing number of illegal immigrants across the United States who are starting to pack their bags and move on as a crackdown on undocumented immigrants widens and the US economy slows, turning a traditional Christmas trek home into a one-way trip.
As I’ve been saying all along, we don’t need to build any fences and we don’t have to do mass deportations.  All we have to do is enforce existing laws, and the illegal immigrants will find their way home.

Stock futures edge higher
NEW YORK – U.S. stock futures rose Wednesday as investors returned from the holiday apparently little fazed by several reports of weaker than expected retail sales.

Oil Rises After Report Turkey Attacked Kurdish Rebels in Iraq
Crude oil rose for a third day in New York on concern shipments from Iraq may be disrupted after the Turkish military attacked bases of Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

Treasury bill auction sees rates rise
WASHINGTON – Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills rose in Monday’s auction to their highest levels in more than a month.

Disappointing Sales During Holiday Season
American consumers, uneasy about the economy and unimpressed by the merchandise in stores, delivered the bleak holiday shopping season retailers had expected, if not feared, according to one early but influential projection.

Permanent link to MTA daily media news

Please help spread the word: Wexler, Gutierrez, Baldwin, Kucinich, and the People Call For Cheney Censure (by Betsy L. Angert at BeThink.org)
May I offer my sincerest gratitude to Representatives, Robert Wexler, Luis Gutierrez, and Tammy Baldwin.  These glorious members of the House Judiciary Committee, recently raised the volume on the issue of impeachment for Vice President Cheney.  The three invite us, the average citizen, to join them.  Please express your distress; sign the petition.
Click through for a link to the petition.

Quote of the Year: ‘Wide Stance’ Only Finishes 8th
It was the plea heard round the world. “Don’t tase me, bro”- shouted by a Florida college student as officers removed him from a speech by Sen. John Kerry — tops this year’s list of most memorable quotes, compiled by the editor of the Yale Book of Quotations.

Another Conservative Truth: The Circulation Of Daily Newspapers Is Lower In Conservative States Than In Liberal States
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2006 the average Circulation of Daily Newspapers in the United States in 2004 was 0.19 per capita. 22 out of 31 Conservative States had a lower than average Circulation of Daily Newspapers (71% of Conservative States) versus 12 out of 20 Liberal States that had a lower than average Circulation of Daily Newspapers (60% of Liberal States). The highest average Circulation of Daily Newspapers in the country is found in the District of Columbia with 1.46 per capita.

Will the Washington Post Cease to Exist as a Newspaper? (by Mark Karlin, Editor and Publisher, BuzzFlash.com)
[Washington Post Co. Chairman] Donald Graham’s statements to Wall Street and his own paper make it entirely clear that he has embraced a position in regards to the WP print edition — in the longterm – often stated by Bush in regards to Iran: “All options are on the table,” even as he continues to officially stand by the paper. Could the Washington Post print edition cease publication if it becomes a bigger drag on the Washington Post Company (and they can’t find a buyer), as Kaplan Inc and other holdings surge ahead in revenue? All options are on the table. After all, this is about business not the public trust.

Bush gives CNN the Helen Thomas treatment. (Think Progress)
In the last month, CNN’s Ed Henry has aggressively questioned Press Secretary Dana Perino about the White House’s deceptive statements about Iranian intelligence and its evasiveness about its role in destroying the torture tapes. Fishbowl DC reports that at his year-end press conference last Thursday, Bush did not call on CNN, “making CNN’s Ed Henry and Helen Thomas (who almost never gets called on by Bush) the only two front-row journos not to be called on.” 

Washington-centric candidates and reporters: What’s missing here?
Presidential candidates and the reporters covering them are out on the hustings all the time, but they often act as though government begins and ends in Washington.

Paper Gives ‘Anti-Endorsement’ to Romney
MILFORD, N.H. (AP) – The Concord Monitor broke with political tradition Sunday, telling readers in the state with the first presidential primary why they should not vote for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney instead of whom they should support.

HARRY & LOUISE & BARACK…. (by Kevin Drum at Political Animal, The Washington Monthly)
Obama’s using Harry & Louise clones to attack a key plank in progressive healthcare policy. I know that we blog readers are policy geeks and barely one person in a hundred cares about this kind of stuff. But I do, and I’m only willing to put up with the Kumbaya campaign as long as I think that, in the end, it really is going to promote progressive ends. Takeoffs on Harry & Louise decidedly don’t. If that’s where he’s going, I’m getting off the train.

Oprah Puts Her Brand on the Line
What works for Oprah the inspiring talk-show host may not work for Oprah the political player. After her endorsement of Barack Obama, part of her base was livid.

Oy, Kos (by Paul Krugman)
Markos writes: “Every presidential candidate whose health plan rewards the health insurance companies by giving them more business via mandates “ Stop right there! The Edwards and Clinton proposals actually include a public option — that is, people can buy into a Medicare-type plan administered by the government. They are not forced to go to private insurance companies… The Obama plan includes a public option for everyone as well — but … when it was first announced, it didn’t… This gets once again at what I keep trying to tell people: on health care, Obama is consistently running to the right of his rivals. And it’s deeply disappointing to have influential bloggers buying into the bizarre notion that trying to make a health care plan truly universal is somehow a gift to the insurance companies.

Karma’s a Bitch (by Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo)
Chris Matthews devoted a substantial portion of Friday’s Hardball to trumpeting an article in the New York Times exonerating Rudy on the Shag Fund front and lamenting how his beloved candidate’s campaign was torpedoed by a bum rap… [But it] wasn’t just the Shag trips to the Hamptons… [W]hat sunk Rudy was the clear evidence that Rudy had used shifty accounting methods to conceal his high-living mayoral lifestyle and spent gobs of taxpayer dollars keeping his mistress up in style. Is that a bum rap?

Bankrupt Airline, What Happened to the Workers? (by Dean Baker)
The WSJ reported the bankruptcy and shutdown of MAXjet Airways. The piece discusses the financial situation of the airline and the efforts that are being made to accommodate ticket holding passengers. All of this is well and good, but what happened to the airline’s employees who got a layoff notice in their Christmas stocking? Did they get severance pay? Will they be picked up by another airline? The WSJ doesn’t tell us. It doesn’t seem too touchy and feely to include two sentences about what happens to the employees of a defunct airline, especially when the collapse occurs in the middle of the holiday season.

Vietnam must regulate blogs, say officials
HANOI (AFP) – Vietnam needs to control blogs to prevent the spread of subversive and sexually explicit content, communist government officials said according to a state media report Wednesday.

Silly advertisers (by Jeff Jarvis)
A story in [Monday’s] New York Post exposes the silliness, stupidity, the strategic blindness of advertisers, who insist on creating scarcity — and higher prices — where it does not exist (probably because that’s how their agencies get paid): “It’s a conundrum for advertisers: even as ratings fall, ad prices on network TV are soaring…At the same time, the average rating sold in the fourth quarter, when retailers are eager to reach holiday shoppers, was down 14 percent from a year ago, the figures show.” Of course, there are no end of new ways to reach that audience — and reach a more targeted audience. But that would require advertisers — and their agencies — to work a little harder and move past the one-stop-shopping of TV and upfront to putting together networks online. Actual work? Heaven forbid.

Buy This Sweater, Save a Seal
This is the time of year in which wants and needs come into collision, when we’re encouraged to go ahead and indulge ourselves and others. But those powerful psychic forces compete with the other urge of the holiday season — to give to charities, whether out of guilt or benevolence. Thank goodness, then, that there’s a way to do both. It’s called embedded giving, and it means that you never have to choose between that expensive watch and making a worthy donation… But people who feed their philanthropic urges by shopping should beware. This kind of fund-raising is largely unregulated, and the few state laws that exist are mostly unenforced. There’s often no telling where the money goes.

Ritz’s New Approach Stresses Fun Over Function
Kraft Foods will launch an ad blitz to give its popular cracker brand a punch of playfulness.
With millions, if not billions, of starving people in the world, Kraft will teach us how to play with our food.

‘Hybrid’ Semiconductors Show Zero Thermal Expansion; Could Lead To Hardier Electronics
ScienceDaily (Dec. 26, 2007) — The fan in your computer is there to keep the microprocessor chip from heating to the point where its component materials start to expand, inducing cracks that interrupt the flow of electricity — and not incidentally, ruin the chip. Thermal expansion can also separate semiconducting materials from the substrate, reduce performance through changes in the electronic structure of the material or warp the delicate structures that emit laser light.

Musical Focus: New Speakers Don’t Bother Bystanders
Experts have invented a way for audiophiles to listen to music over loudspeakers that don’t annoy people standing nearby. “You may soon be able to enjoy audio without those uncomfortable earphones or headsets and not bother your neighbors,” said researcher Chan-Hui Lee at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

Internet renovates how homes get sold
In the process of selling their homes, three men learned some surprising lessons about the risks and rewards in how the Internet is reshaping the housing industry. Their experiences shed light on the power and potential of the Internet to change how real estate buyers and sellers connect, gather information and communicate in both real and virtual worlds.

Airborne Internet Might Bring Turbulence
NEW YORK (AP) – Seat 17D is yapping endlessly on an Internet phone call. Seat 16F is flaming Seat 16D with expletive-laden chats. Seat 16E is too busy surfing porn sites to care. Seat 17C just wants to sleep. Welcome to the promise of the Internet at 33,000 feet – and the questions of etiquette, openness and free speech that airlines and service providers will have to grapple with as they bring Internet access to the skies in the coming months.

Church Collections Go Online in Ohio
CINCINNATI (AP) – No cash for the collection basket at church? No problem. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati has made online giving an option for its 230 parishes and 110 parochial and diocesan schools in its 19-county region.

Cabin Fever Has an Online Cure This Year
National Wildlife Federation site shows parks and green spaces close to your zip code

Post-Holiday Letdown Can Be Avoided
Healthy diet, exercise are real blues-beaters, experts say.

Child Care in First Two Years Greatly Affects IQ
How well children are cared for in their first two years directly affects brain development and IQ later in life, a new study finds.

Novel Method Used To Classify New Vs. Recurrent Cancer
ScienceDaily (Dec. 26, 2007) — Researchers have developed a new method for distinguishing between breast cancer recurrences and new primary tumors, according to a study published online December 25 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Chemotherapy And Tamoxifen Reduce Risk Of Second Breast Cancer, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (Dec. 26, 2007) — Among breast cancer patients, both chemotherapy and tamoxifen independently reduced the risk of developing a second cancer in the other breast, according to a study published online December 25 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The risk reduction persisted for at least 10 and 5 years, respectively.

Update To Food Guide Pyramid For Older Adults
ScienceDaily (Dec. 25, 2007) — Tufts University researchers have updated their Food Guide Pyramid for Older Adults to correspond with the USDA food pyramid, now known as MyPyramid. The Tufts version is specifically designed for older adults and has changed in appearance and content. The Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults continues to emphasize nutrient-dense food choices and the importance of fluid balance, but has added additional guidance about forms of foods that could best meet the unique needs of older adults and about the importance of regular physical activity.

Helping Hand From The Grandparents, Observed in Birds
ScienceDaily (Dec. 26, 2007) — A team of scientists led by the University of East Anglia has discovered the existence of ‘grandparent’ helpers in the Seychelles warbler – the first time this behaviour, which rarely occurs except in humans, has been observed in birds.

Modern Beetles Predate Dinosaurs
New research hints that modern-day versions of the bugs are far older than any tyrannosaur that trod the Earth.

Russian cargo ship docks with space station
MOSCOW (Reuters) – An unmanned Russian Progress supply vessel docked with the orbiting International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday to deliver fresh food, water, fuel, equipment and holiday presents for the crew.

Mysterious Cosmic Powerhouses Explored
ScienceDaily (Dec. 25, 2007) — By working in synergy with a ground-based telescope array, the joint Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/NASA Suzaku X-ray observatory is shedding new light on some of the most energetic objects in our galaxy, but objects that remain shrouded in mystery.

America pays huge price to run cars on corn
It takes deluges of water, mountains of fertilizer and vast greenhouse gas emissions to grow corn crops on the scale they’re now being grown in America.  Not to mention a doting Congress. In 2005, Congress – paying lip service to the environment and tribute to the farm lobby – delivered to corporate agriculture one of the greatest regulatory bonanzas in history. It did so by mandating that 7.5 billion gallons of the nation’s fuel supply come from ethanol by 2012. Because U.S. ethanol is currently distilled almost entirely from corn, the law created an artificial demand for this grain that has driven up its price and muscled other crops out of farmers’ fields.

China says is no threat to world energy security
BEIJING (Reuters) – China said it is not a threat to world energy security and energy issues should not be politicized, urging that conflicts in producing nations be resolved through dialogue and not military force. China, the world’s second-largest oil consumer, also is too reliant on international crude markets for last minute oil supplies and needs to arrange more long-term deals, Beijing said in a policy paper released on Wednesday.

Peabody Joins Chinese Clean-Coal Project
BEIJING, Dec. 26, 2007 — Coal company Peabody Energy plans to help build China’s first coal-fired power plant that will use carbon capture and storage to avoid nearly all emissions.

BREAKING: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
 – Luke 2:8-14