News – Being a Part of the Solution

Israel/Palestine

Daniel Barenboim, the acclaimed Israeli conductor, has unveiled a music kindergarten for Palestinian refugee children. His latest initiative in helping the Middle East peace process. This is the sort of thing that needs to be done to help forward understanding between these two peoples. Good to see a man being part of the solution. If the Israeli government would do a few things like this, I’d be more amiable to their issues.

Iraq

A car bomb explodes in a Baghdad market, killing at least seven and wounding 20.

The press comments on calls for a delayed election in Iraq.

A river crossing accident ends with up to 40 Iraqis drowned when their barge overturned.

Iran

Iran has reiterated that it won’t be mothballing it’s nuclear facilities forever, the current freeze likely to last months. So, unless the US, Europe and Iran find some compromise before then, we’ll be right back where we started in a few months.

Pakistan

A new piece of legislation has been passed, saying that President Pervez Musharraf can stay army chief and still be president, despite his previous assertions to drop the former position. Good to be king, I guess.

Western Europe

Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, contested winner of Ukraine’s recent election, has repeated his offer to is rival, Viktor Yushchenko ,to make him premier if allowed to take office. Yet with calls for a new election ringing out louder with Russia noting it would respect any redone election results, I don’t think the people will allow that. Time for a do over.

US

Carlos Gutierrez, the Cuban-born CEO of Kellogg Co, has been selected by Bush as the new secretary of commerce. James Jenness replaces him as CEO of Kellogg. He appears to be quite capable and has a great backstory, which makes him a prime candidate(I heard it trumpeted when listening to Bush’s announcement of it on Cspan).

Bush will be making his first official visit to Canada soon, including time with the PM and a visit to Halifax to make a speech thanking the people there for sheltering 33,000 Americans when air traffic was frozen by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

A US Army Black Hawk helicopter crashes in Texas, killing the seven soldiers on board.

Maria Shriver says that Arnie won’t be president.

A judge refused yesterday to require the boy making molestation charges against Michael Jackson be examined by a psychiatrist chosen by the pop star’s lawyers. They said it was a requirement that they have their own medical evaluation of the boy as well as his brother and mother to properly cross-examine a psychiatrist who interviewed them before the charges were brought

The Supreme Court hears arguments on medial Marijuana.

The national average price of gas has dipped minutely for the fourth week in a row, though remains generally high.

General

Two American universities suspect that sleep patterns are inherited from ones ancestors, which could lead to gene therapy for insomniacs and anyone who wants to reliably shift their sleep patterns.

Brain scans show that lying makes the brain work harder. Makes sense since you have to think up, then deliver the lie, where as the truth is merely given.

Using a patient’s own stem cells, feeble bladder control muscles can be rebuilt, eliminating the embarrassment of urinary incontinence, says a new study.

A high level panel on reforming the UN Security Council has fielded two ideas on the subject. One is the addition of six new permanent members without veto power: two from Asia, two from Africa, one from Europe and one from the Americas, plus three new nonpermanent members for a two-year term for a total of 24 seats. The second is for eight seats in a new class of members, who would serve for four years, subject to renewal. They would include 2 each from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. In addition, this plan foresees one nonpermanent two-year seat for a total of 24.

Is Nintendo starting to reach out toward a more adult market with the new DS? Considering the ad campaign and some of the games, perhaps. This will be the first time in my memory that dating sims will be a part of the line up. One of them, called Sprung, gained my interest, though I’ll have to see how it develops before laying down green.

Could WalMart be hitting the proverbial wall? Like all great empires, they might be reaching the limits of their growth and lowness of price.

Today’s Papers has a study that shows stress makes you age faster, an insurgent raid on a police armory in Samara offered no resistance, an ICRC report leaked that calls US tactics in Guantanimo tantamount to torture and more in the one page news.

Amusement

Take a look at the groups expected to protest Bush’s visit to Canada today: Raging Grannies, Radical Cheerleaders, and Belly Dancers Against Bush. Canadians sure are strange

Yale students pose as Harvard pep squad, hand out signs to fans that supposedly spell out GO HARVARD, but actually spell out WE SUCK (with pic)

Scientists find new use for wireless network: Synchronizing frog calls

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this busy London street corner

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this cop trying to start his Harley. (From “The Day the Earth Stood Still”)

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: How to stop glacial melting.