Monday News Bucket

10 Comments

1. 

   CabinGirl on October 9, 2006 at 6:55 am

   what Dobson’s response to Foley would be?  Wonder no more: [MediaMatters ]

   Commenting on the congressional page scandal surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) on the October 6 broadcast of Focus on the Family, James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, declared that the Foley affair has “turned out to be what some people are now saying was a — sort of a joke by the boy and some of the other pages” who had reportedly come forward with sexually explicit instant messages that Foley allegedly sent. Similarly, in his October 6 column, Wall Street Journal deputy editorial page editor Daniel Henninger wrote that “a rumor emerged that in fact Mark Foley had been pranked by the House pages” and then added: “It is the first plausible thing I’ve heard in seven days.”

   See, it’s all a funny joke.  Haha.

   • 

     CabinGirl on October 9, 2006 at 6:59 am

     LINK

     (I need more coffee)

     • 

       idredit on October 9, 2006 at 10:41 am

       CG, at least your post went up. Mine drew a blank!

       • 

         CabinGirl on October 9, 2006 at 10:47 am

         It’s definitely Monday…  🙂

2. 

   CabinGirl on October 9, 2006 at 6:58 am

   next year: BBC

   France is to ban smoking in all public places from next February, the prime minister has announced.

   Cafes, nightclubs and restaurants are to be given until January 2008 to adapt, said Dominique de Villepin.

   Those found in breach of the ban would be fined – 75 euros (£50) for individuals and 150 euros for the premises where the offence occurred.

   Smoking kills more than 13 people a day in France, said Mr de Villepin – calling it an “unacceptable reality”.

3. 

   Alice on October 9, 2006 at 8:05 am

   Good morning Cabin, I thought this was funny and this was inspiring.

   • 

     Books Alive on October 9, 2006 at 11:05 am

     Alice, the Seattle Times story on the Iraqi comedy show is priceless. Thanks for posting the link.

4. 

   Knoxville Progressive on October 9, 2006 at 9:02 am

   For the first time, astronomers have looked inside quasars — the brightest objects in the universe — and have seen evidence of black holes. The study lends further confirmation to what scientists have long suspected — that quasars are made up of super-massive black holes and the super-heated disks of material that are spiraling into them.

   The world went into the ecological red today — meaning that for the rest of the year mankind will be living beyond its environmental means, scientists said.  Ecological Debt Day, or Overshoot Day, measures the point at which the consumption of resources exceeds the ability of the planet to replace them — and it gets earlier every year.

   A team of scientists has completed a study that explains why the tropics are so much richer in biodiversity than higher latitudes. And they say that their work highlights the importance of preserving those species against extinction. “If you came from outer space and you started randomly observing life on Earth, at least before people were here, the first thing you’d see was this incredible profusion of life in the tropics,” said the report’s lead author, David Jablonski.

   Corals may be vulnerable to the same processes that cause tooth decay in humans, but in this case caused by sugars from algae encouraging bacterial growth.

   Russia is rapidly losing population. Its people are succumbing to one of the world’s fastest-growing AIDS epidemics, resurgent tuberculosis, rampant cardiovascular disease, alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, suicide and the lethal effects of unchecked industrial pollution.  [A frightening look at what happens when an empire collapses. – K.P.]

   New research highlights the importance of dissolved manganese in controlling sulfide-caused “dead zones”:  “Our research shows that the impact of dissolved manganese(III) is significant in any aquatic environment, including lakes, plus sediments on the seafloor and soils on land…  And for the public who live near the water, dissolved manganese(III) actually helps prevent naturally occurring hydrogen sulfide from getting to the surface, so it prevents both fish kills and the foul odors from this compound’s telltale ‘rotten egg’ smell.”

   Burying greenhouse gases underground is emerging as humanity’s number one weapon to fight global warming, hailed by the oil and coal industry and even cautiously welcomed by environmentalists.  But technical breakthroughs are needed to reduce costs, and there are problems in preventing and monitoring leaks and sorting out liability for any seepage.  Still, the prospect of the world’s fossil fuel-powered economy blasting through 2050 emissions targets, linked to fears of dangerous climate change, is driving the technology.

   Volatile organic compounds can leach from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic pipes and have the potential to reach high concentrations in water.

5. 

   idredit on October 9, 2006 at 10:04 am
6. 

   idredit on October 9, 2006 at 10:39 am

   oops 3 cuppa too much!

   Billmon notes on North Korea’s test;

   “A certain dime-store cowboy has had his bluff called, and everybody around the table can see that all he’s holding is a busted straight (not to mention a busted Army).

   Looks like we’re all going to have to learn how to live with a nuclear North Korea.”

   and on the other new scandal,

   Books for (GOP) Adult reading

   Sign of the Times or hedging bets?: More like hand writing on the wall.

   With Bush at 33%, Wall Street cash flows to Dems.

   “Despite being awash in record profits, Wall Street executives, investment bankers, brokers and traders may be getting weary of Republican control, Carroll said. President Bush’s polling numbers are low and growing violence in Iraq also weighs heavy on Republican leadership, “

   A very sobering essay: Robert Fisk on The Age of Terror

   So, tell your friends to listen up:

   The Prime Minister of Chechnya received a Ferrari for his 30th. The gift, said to be valued at $450,000, came from his friends.
   Hmmm.