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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryRepublican senator urges Iraq troop cut
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a double setback for U.S. President George W. Bush, an intelligence report cast doubt on Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's leadership and an influential senator in Bush's Republican Party urged him on Thursday to begin a troop pullout.
Gen. Pace may urge U.S. troop cut in Iraq: report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff is expected to urge President George W. Bush to cut U.S. troop levels in Iraq next year, the Los Angeles Times said on Friday, citing military and administration officials.
NEXT year, though. Got that? More goal post movin’ goin’ on.—Caro All Hat No Cattle
The WorldPolice station attacked in Iraq; 3 dead
BAGHDAD - Sixty suspected al-Qaida in Iraq fighters hit national police facilities in a coordinated attack in Samarra, sparking two hours of fighting that saw three people killed and more than a dozen insurgents captured, police said Friday.
Iranians attack Kurdish rebels in Iraq
BAGHDAD — Iranian soldiers crossed into Iraq on Thursday and attacked several small villages in the northeastern Kurdish region, local officials said. U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said he couldn't confirm the attacks, but five Kurdish officials said that troops had infiltrated Iraqi territory and fired on villages.
I’m going to withhold my judgment on this until I hear it confirmed by a reliable source.—Caro
Two soldiers killed, 11 injured in Taliban raid on NATO base
ASADABAD, Afghanistan: Taliban militants wearing Afghan army uniforms attacked a NATO base Wednesday in the northeast, killing two Afghan soldiers and injuring 11 NATO troops, the international force said.
Sharif vows to fight Musharraf in vote
LONDON - Immediately after Pakistan's highest court ruled he could return, former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he would go home soon to lead his party's campaign to oust President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who exiled Sharif eight years ago.
NATO, Georgia to share radars in 2007: Tbilisi
TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia's radars will probably be integrated into NATO's radar system by the end of this year, earlier than planned because of worries about Russian military flights, the Georgian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
Political clock ticks against India-US nuclear deal
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A historic nuclear energy deal between India and the United States is hanging in the balance due to political opposition in New Delhi, but could still be saved if it reaches the U.S. Congress early next year, analysts said.
Bangladesh eases curfew after violence subsides
DHAKA (Reuters) - Traffic poured onto the streets of Bangladesh's main cities on Friday as the army-backed interim government relaxed a curfew imposed two days ago to quell street violence, allowing people to venture out to buy essentials.
China threatens to retaliate over recalls
BEIJING — Stung by a spate of safety recalls of its products, China hinted Thursday that it might take retaliatory action against U.S. products exported to China.
Group finds China toy factory conditions "brutal"
HONG KONG (Reuters) - A U.S.-based workers' rights group said it found "brutal conditions" and labor violations at eight Chinese plants that make toys for big multinationals, and called on the companies to take steps for better standards. China Labor Watch said in a report … "Wages are low, benefits are non-existent, work environments are dangerous and living conditions are humiliating," it said.
Car bomb explodes in Basque city
MADRID, Spain - A car bomb exploded Friday outside a police station in the Basque city of Durango, slightly injuring two officers in what appeared to be the first attack by the separatist group ETA since it called off a cease-fire in June, officials said. The NationSen. Warner Calls On President Bush To Begin Iraq Withdrawal In September
Sen. John Warner (R-VA), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, recently returned from a visit to Iraq. Today, he held a press conference to discuss his impressions from that trip. Frustrated with the lack of political progress in Iraq, Warner said it is time to put some “meaningful teeth” into Bush’s claim that the U.S. commitment to Iraq “is not open-ended.” Warner said he is calling on President Bush to announce on Sept. 15 that he will “initiate the first step in a withdrawal”.
August 2007's National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq
A new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on the prospects for stability in Iraq concludes that while the security situation there has improved somewhat, the level of violence remains high, al Qaida in Iraq is still able to mount major attacks, Iraqi security forces are still unable to operate without American help and "to date, Iraq's political leaders remain unable to govern effectively".
Right-Wing Operatives Plot To Overthrow Maliki, Replace Him With Reliable Collaborator Allawi
The powerful Republican lobbying group of Barbour Griffith & Rogers is plotting an effort to displace Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and supplant him with former interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi… BGR’s staff is stacked with conservative operatives with extremely close ties to the White House.
Draft report logs bleak outlook for Iran
WASHINGTON - A draft intelligence report on Iran suggests a change in the Tehran regime appears unlikely any time soon despite growing public anger over the country's economic woes, U.S. officials said Thursday.
Intelligence Chief Reveals Details on Surveillance
(National Intelligence Director Mike ) McConnell confirmed for the first time that the private sector assisted with President Bush's warrantless surveillance program. AT&T, Verizon and other telecommunications companies are being sued for their cooperation. ''Now if you play out the suits at the value they're claimed, it would bankrupt these companies,'' McConnell said, arguing that they deserve immunity for their help.
Didn’t this guy just tell us that CONGRESS discussing this program is dangerous? But it’s okay for him to stand up for his telecom former clients.—Caro
Senate to hold hearings on Utah mine collapse.
When Congress returns, the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees labor issues will hold hearings on the collapse in a Utah mine that caused six coal miners to go missing. The committee wants mine co-owner Bob Murray to answer questions about the safety of the mine and “whether mining should have been conducted at Crandall Canyon at all because of the potential for collapses.”
US tasked to scan millions of containers
WASHINGTON - The specter of a nuclear bomb, hidden in a cargo container, detonating in an American port has prompted Congress to require 100 percent screening of U.S.-bound ships at their more than 600 foreign starting points.
ABA makes pitch for USSC crack amendments to be made retroactive
(Wednesday), the American Bar Association submitted a letter regarding the US Sentencing Commission's 2008 priorities. “Given the racially disparate impact of the 100:1 ratio and the public perception that our drug laws are racially discriminatory, making this amendment retroactive is the only fair and principled course.”
E-voting predicament: Not-so-secret ballots
Two Ohio activists have discovered that e-voting machines made by Election Systems and Software and used across the country produce time-stamped paper trails that permit the reconstruction of an election's results--including allowing voter names to be matched to their actual votes. Making a secret ballot less secret, of course, could permit vote selling and allow interest groups or family members to exert undue pressure on Ohio residents to vote a certain way.
Ballots are secret for some of the same reasons that campaign contributions should be secret. That is, we should know who contributes and how much, but not to whom. If candidates don’t know who’s contributing to their campaigns, they can’t pander to those people.—Caro
Report: Most Gulf Coast Aid Failing To Reach Katrina Victims
Durham, NC - August 23 - Two years after the onslaught of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, much of the Gulf Coast is still in deep crisis -- and Washington's recovery plans remain plagued by red tape, failures of oversight and misguided priorities, keeping thousands of families in limbo… The study … reveals that, out of the $116 billion in Katrina funds allocated, less than 30% has gone towards long-term rebuilding-and less than half of that has been spent, much less reached those most in need.
I’ll bet that aid is reaching a finding its way into the pockets of the already rich, though.—Caro
CSR's Impact on Brands Grows
American companies in nearly every sector say they embrace corporate social responsibility (CSR) not only because it's the right thing to do, but also because it strengthens their brands. They also recognize that a stronger brand is a more valuable one, which is an important factor since the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued standards this year for reporting how much brands and other intangible assets are worth.
I really hate being such a cynic, but here’s a very simplistic accounting lesson: “Good will”, which would include the value of a brand, must necessarily be considered an asset. An addition to an asset is a debit. So there must be some credit somewhere to offset that debit. Where better to make the credit than in INCOME? Of course, it’s not real income, but that makes it even better. You don’t have to pay taxes on it, but reporting it increases the value of your stock. And best of all, you just make up the number for the value of your brand! No wonder we’ve had so many stock price implosions. Thanks, FASB, for protecting the interests of we the people.—Caro MediaPermanent link to MTA daily media news
BuzzFlash Media Putz of the Week: Erin Burnett
"Burnett recently commented on 'Hardball' 'You know, if China were to revalue its currency or China is to start making say, toys that don't have lead in them or food that isn't poisonous, their costs of production are going to go up and that means prices at Wal-Mart here in the United States are going to go up too. So, I would say China is our greatest friend right now, they're keeping prices low and they're keeping the prices for mortgages low, too.'"
Money is everything.—Caro
Dems Launch Online Video, Contest For '08 Senate Slogan
Votes and slogan suggestions must be submitted by midnight on August 27.
My entry for the slogan: “Democrats: Not so TERRIBLY lame.”—Caro
http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2007/08/23/new-media-lag-communication-impact-of-tv-radio-magazines-newspapers/">New Media Lag Communication Impact Of TV, Radio, Magazines, Newspapers
New and emerging digital media platforms may be the rage on Madison Avenue and in the news media, but some highly regarded consumer research suggests they still have a long way to go.
One prof proves to another that bloggers are reporters, too
Elon University j-prof Michael Skube says that "one gets the uneasy sense that the blogosphere is a potpourri of opinion and little more." NYU's Jay Rosen fires back with 14 examples of bloggers practicing journalism.
http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2007/08/23/its-arrived-the-feminisation-of-the-net/">It's Arrived: The Feminisation Of The Net
For years cyberspace has been tailored to an audience of mainly young men but for the first time women webusers have taken the lead in key age groups. At the same time an army of silver surfers has emerged and the over 65s are spending more hours online than any other age group. The latest snapshot of Britain’s communications market by regulator Ofcom turns the established assumptions about web users upside down. It also shows all of us spending more time online and on our mobiles than ever before.
So maybe it’s about time the media started hiring women to report on women’s issues. Not even so-called progressive media hire enough women.—Caro
New Fox cop drama "K-Ville" gets Web peek
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Fox Broadcasting Co. has premiered its police drama "K-Ville" online ahead of its September 17 broadcast debut.
Good for you, Hollywood, and good for you, Rupert Murdoch. I hope it’s a good series, and I hope it shows Hollywood that it’s possible to do well by doing good.—Caro
Fox-Backed Democrat Debate Called Off
(AP) Fox News and a black political group say they will not hold a Sept. 23 Democratic presidential debate in Detroit, which the leading candidates already were planning to skip. A new date had not yet been set, Fox News spokesman Michael Murphy said Thursday.
General's aide suspended over Web site
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - An aide to the California National Guard's top general has been suspended pending an investigation into his connection to a Web site that appeared to advocate mass violence.
Music industry caps fees for Webcasters
WASHINGTON - A music industry group Thursday said it would cap "per channel" fees for major Internet radio companies streaming music on multiple channels. Technology & ScienceU.S. Technology Leadership Erodes as China Gains
The United States used to be a global leader in technology exports, but since 2002, the nation has imported more technology products than it exports… In a new report from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the technology deficit is seen as resulting from a trade imbalance primarily with some Asian nations, especially China.
Well, of course. We refuse to invest in education, in infrastructure, in research. But tax money is YOUR money, friends.—Caro
Get Smart Without Going Broke
Thanks to the burgeoning "open courseware" movement, you can take free online classes in subjects as diverse as law and linguistics from some of the country's top-ranked universities.
Brain's fear response changes as danger grows
Scientists using a computer game have discovered how the brain's response to fear changes as a threat gets nearer in a development that could help people suffering from panic attacks.
I wish we could help the right wingers, who think there’s a terrorist under every bed.—Caro
Scientists Spot Brain's 'Free Will' Center
It helps people refrain from actions good and bad, experts say
Bacteria 'See' the Light
Finding might lead to new ways to detect or destroy bacteria, experts say
So here’s how eyes could have evolved, creationists. It started with the simplest organisms.—Caro
Astronomers puzzled by cosmic blank spot
WASHINGTON - Astronomers have stumbled upon a tremendous hole in the universe. That's got them scratching their heads about what's just not there. The cosmic blank spot has no stray stars, no galaxies, no sucking black holes, not even mysterious dark matter. It is 1 billion light years across of nothing. That's an expanse of nearly 6 billion trillion miles of emptiness, a University of Minnesota team announced Thursday. EnvironmentWolf Bones Beat Tree Rings as Climate Records
The bones of wolves could provide a better record than tree rings of environmental changes in Earth’s climate, a new study shows.
A New Front for Campus Activism: Energy Efficiency
In their buildings, classrooms and across campuses, California's public universities are leading the country in the race to save energy by developing cutting-edge technologies and innovative public-private partnerships that reduce energy use.
Official: Proposed NY wind farm scrapped
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - Long Island's utility company intends to dump plans to build a $700 million wind energy park in the Atlantic Ocean, a top official said.
Los Angeles enjoying 1,000 year seismic lull
Life in the city of earthquakes could be worse, says surprising new study The Los Angeles basin appears to be in a seismic “lull” - characterized by relatively smaller and infrequent earthquakes, according to a study in the September issue of Geology. For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com. |
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