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Edited on Wed Jan-17-07 08:50 AM by Caro
Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryVietnam veteran to rebut Bush
(AP) Freshman Sen. Jim Webb, a Vietnam War veteran, will deliver the official Democratic response to President Bush's State of the Union Address, where the war in Iraq is expected to be a central topic. Daryl Cagle, MSNBC.com
The WorldBaghdad university bombing kills 65 as U.N. reports 34,000 Iraqi civilians killed in '06
An explosion outside a Baghdad university as students were heading home for the day killed at least 65 people on Tuesday in the deadliest of several attacks on predominantly Shiite areas. The attack came on a day the United Nations said more than 34,000 Iraqi civilians died last year in sectarian violence.
Palestinian parliament shuts down
RAMALLAH, West Bank - Political squabbling, too many junkets and Israel's arrest of dozens of lawmakers have effectively shut down the Palestinian parliament.
Israeli army chief of staff resigns
JERUSALEM - Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz has resigned, yielding to vocal demands that he pay the price for Israel's flawed summer war in Lebanon.
More troops in Afghanistan recommended
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that U.S. commanders in Afghanistan have recommended an increase in U.S. force levels, in part to deal with an expected upsurge in Taliban violence this year.
Nepal's former rebels hand over weapons
KATMANDU, Nepal - Nepal's former communist guerrillas began an orderly handover of weapons to U.N. monitors on Wednesday, putting in motion a landmark peace deal that calls for thousands of fighters to disarm and be confined to camps, officials said.
Top al-Qaida-Linked Militant Killed
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - A top al-Qaida-linked militant accused of masterminding the kidnapping of three Americans who was long wanted by U.S. and Philippine authorities has been killed, the military said Wednesday.
Liberals vow to go green, balance budget
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main opposition party promised on Tuesday to balance the budget and pay down debt if it regains power, and said developing the technology needed to curb global warming could bring Canada big economic gains.
U.S.: Castro May Be Aiding Power Transfer
Cuban President Fidel Castro, ailing and out of sight, has been meeting with a trickle of international guests in recent months, a U.S. government official said. The timing suggested that Castro might be setting the stage for his departure. The NationBush pledges to work with new U.N. chief
WASHINGTON - President Bush on Tuesday pledged to work with the United Nations' new leader for peace across troubled areas of the world.
Work together, huh? Read on down to see what the Bush administration considers working together with other nations. —Caro
Bush Airs Doubts On Iraqi Government
President Bush acknowledged skepticism about whether Prime Minister al-Maliki can stop the bloodshed in Iraq. Mr. Bush also denounced the handling of Saddam Hussein's execution, saying the Iraqi government still has "some maturation to do."
U.S.: Pakistan turns blind eye to Taliban
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday the United States must engage Pakistan in talks to curb an increasing flow of Taliban fighters across the border into southern and eastern Afghanistan. He did not rule out increasing U.S. forces in the country.
Bolton wants N.Korean regime to collapse
TOKYO - The six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program have failed and the world should push the impoverished regime toward collapse, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday.
Was there ever a more stupidly bullying bunch of people in positions that are supposed to involve diplomacy? —Caro
GOP faces tough vote on Bush's war plan
WASHINGTON - Bruised by the elections and divided on the Iraq war, Republicans will find themselves in a tough spot when Democrats force them to go on record for or against President Bush's troop strategy.
Court won't hear eminent domain case
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to consider a property rights case involving a redevelopment project in New York state where businessmen are fighting local government efforts to take their land.
Court blocks widow from collecting $5M
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked the widow of a man who died in a Texas jail from pursuing a $5 million jury verdict.
Gonzales points blame at Gitmo lawyers
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Tuesday blamed delays in trying terror detainees at Guantanamo Bay on legal challenges filed by their lawyers.
Every single one of the Bush administration’s failures is someone else’s fault. You got that? Huh? YOU GOT THAT??!! —Caro
Nuclear chief pushes for safer plants
WASHINGTON - Future nuclear power plants should include design improvements to better protect against a terrorist attack by large aircraft, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday.
Call me crazy for asking, but what about the EXISTING plants? Shouldn’t we improve THEM? —Caro
Intelligence agency's $100M leasing deal examined
A Pentagon domestic intelligence agency overpaid and might have broken the law in awarding a $100 million contract to lease office space, federal investigators say. The Pentagon's Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA) awarded the no-bid deal in 2003 to TKC Communications.
Immigration centers fail health checks
WASHINGTON - Authorities failed to maintain adequate health and safety standards for some of the suspected illegal immigrants housed at five detention centers, according to an audit report by the Homeland Security department's inspector general.
Libby seeks jurors who trust Cheney
WASHINGTON - Former White House aide "Scooter" Libby is looking for potential jurors who trust Vice President Dick Cheney.
Well, good luck with that, Scoot. There may be three people in the entire U.S. who trust Cheney. —Caro
Popular vote movement makes headway
BISMARCK, N.D. - A movement to essentially junk the Electoral College and award the presidency to the winner of the nationwide popular vote is making some headway in states large and small — including, somewhat improbably, North Dakota.
File Your Taxes Electronically for Free
Free File, the free federal e-file program, covers 70 percent of taxpayers. Economy & BusinessDow gains 27, reaches 3rd record close
NEW YORK - Wall Street ended an erratic session mixed Tuesday with the Dow Jones industrials reaching a third straight record close despite concerns about corporate profits and the impact of falling oil prices.
Interest rates rise in Treasury auction
WASHINGTON - Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills rose in Tuesday's auction with three-month bills climbing to the highest level since October.
IMF chief: Global economy threats easing
WASHINGTON - Threats to the global economy's good health have eased as once-surging energy prices have calmed down and the United States seems to be weathering the housing slump well, the head of the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday.
House votes to lift reverse mortgage cap for FHA
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to waive a cap on the number of reverse mortgages that a federal housing agency may insure for older Americans who want to turn their home equity into cash. MediaWhat Next For Media Reform?
The News Dissector reflects on the Media Reform conference held this past weekend in Memphis. How can we build the democratic media reform movement?
Nuclear Blast on TV's '24' Causes Fallout for Fox
"How much longer? I hear someone," says the nervous terrorist with a heavy Middle Eastern accent, just before U.S. agents storm a warehouse where a nuclear device is being assembled. Confusion reigns, drama builds, the device is detonated and a mushroom cloud looms over Los Angeles. Such is primetime television in the age of terrorism, or as some critics charge, has "24" gone too far?
It may not be as much a question of going too far on one show as it is the fact that there are so few alternatives to this kind of programming. How can we help being a hyped-up, fearful nation when so much of our entertainment, including news broadcasts, is geared toward being more shocking than yesterday, more shocking than the competition. —Caro
Boxer-Rice exchange resonates for women
NEW YORK - A "leap backward" for feminism, the White House spokesman calls it. Nothing of the sort, feminists reply. Mean-spirited, say some. Perfectly appropriate, say others.
This is the first mainstream media article I’ve seen in years about a flap between a Democrat and a Republican that is even handed. In the past the Democrat has always been treated in the way prescribed by the Republican talking points, with the purpose of making the Democrat look bad and the Republican look good. When fairly presented, as in this article, the Republicans usually end up looking mean spirited and hateful, and the Democrats seem reasonable. —Caro
ABC and its week of shame
President George W. Bush's popularity has fallen to new lows, Democrats have been swept into office, and a strong majority of Americans now opposes the war in Iraq, but ABC has decided the time is right to beef up with more conservative pundits on staff and to strike out against a liberal online critic who raised questions about the network's policy of broadcasting hate radio.
The Web's New Frontier
The influence of the Internet on American business over the next five years will be great. Nearly half of all retail purchases will be influenced by consumers' research on the Internet. And the Web is beginning to shake the foundations of the advertising industry as it transforms how even offline media, such as radio, TV and print advertising, is purchased.
CBS to Build Out Online Programming Strategy for Fall
CBS next season plans to boost its strategy of making new fall shows available online prior to their launch on the air, says network research chief David Poltrack. Some 53% of people who watched CBS rookie shows online prior to their fall 2006 launch are still viewers of the show.
MySpace Co-Founders: 'We Have Replaced MTV'
MySpace is more convenient than MTV, says Tom Anderson, the co-founder of the hit social-networking Web site. "On MySpace you can pick your own channel." Anderson and co-founder Chris DeWolfe say they are pals with owner Rupert Murdoch: "He likes us. We've also become friends."
Report: Social-Networking Sites to Start Charging Fees
A new business model for social-networking sites could emerge that would ask consumers to pay for privacy on the Web, according to a forecast report from Deloitte.
Wireless Users Want Video Clips, Not Television
Consumers aren't interested in watching television programs on cellphones, says a research report from Deloitte. However, short video clips -- such as sports highlights or the brief segments NBC is making available from "The Office" -- are expected to become "very, very popular."
Nielsen to Offer Six Commercial Data Streams May 31
January 16, 2007 - Nielsen Media Research will offer its clients six different Average Commercial Minute ratings data streams on a syndicated basis beginning May 31. The six ratings streams, which will be available back to the first week of May, include live viewing, live viewing plus DVR playback on same day, live viewing plus DVR playback within one day, live viewing plus DVR playback in 2 days, live viewing plus DVR playback in 3 days and live viewing plus DVR playback in 7 days.
Local TV Stations 'Worthless' Without News
Only the local television stations that are "serious about news" will survive, according to media consultant Tom Wolzien. Otherwise, they're "worthless." He adds: "What's happened to the newspapers is really just an indicator of what ultimately over the next decade will happen to television."
U.K. Newspapers Vie to Buy Google Terms
Britain's famously competitive newspapers have a new battleground: Google. To gain new readers, they are buying up online search terms and tailoring their writing and Web sites to attract Google's news site. "The most important driver of all readers is Google, except for people who know us and come directly," says Edward Roussel, the Telegraph's digital editor.
Little Interest From Bidders in Acquiring All of Tribune
Tribune probably will attract few, if any, bids for the entire company by Wednesday's deadline, and any offers it does receive are expected to be close to the current share price. "You may not have an auction when all is said and done," said a professional associated with one private equity firm that had been eyeing the company. Science & TechnologyTime Warner 'Home of the Future' Has Screens in Every Room
Rebecca Mead: In the future that is promised by Time Warner's perplexingly prepositioned "Home to the Future," kitchens will be equipped with laptops for looking up recipes; family rooms will have streaming media that everyone, not just the adolescents in the family, will know how to turn on; and the TV in the bedroom will be tuned, a substantial amount of the time, to the karaoke channel.
Tokyo Edge: The Buzz on Cell Phones
TOKYO-- With the New Year comes a lot of buzz from the phone industry. Regular cell phones are getting smaller, smarter, and lighter, and a host of new network services, like higher-speed data transmission, are making them more useful. There's also a new breed of handsets packing digital TV reception--examples are in this month's roundup of hot gadgets. Looking ahead to the rest of the year, we're sure to see, as well, phones with advanced features like VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephony.
Solar power eliminates utility bills in U.S. home
EAST AMWELL, New Jersey (Reuters) - Michael Strizki heats and cools his house year-round and runs a full range of appliances including such power-guzzlers as a hot tub and a wide-screen TV without paying a penny in utility bills.
Some unhappy with airport shoe scanners
ORLANDO, Fla. - New airport screening technology that was trotted out Tuesday was supposed to let passengers keep their footwear on while passing through security.
Mystery of Napoleon's Death Said Solved
Putting to rest a 200-year-old mystery, scientists say Napoleon Bonaparte died from an advanced case of gastric cancer and not arsenic poisoning as some had speculated.
Your Boss Really is Clueless
Your boss and other people in power often really have no idea what you and others feel and think, new experiments suggest. "The powerful have a profound effect on others, and you would naturally hope they would be sensitive to other points of view," said Adam Galinsky, a social psychologist at Northwestern University. |
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