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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
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The Online Currency Converter is a free online foreign currency exchange rate converter offered by Google!. It provides users a way to easily convert.
American Oil Drilling, Besieged Pope, Studying Laughter, Birds DNA Give Clues to Our Speech - News Headlines 31 Mar 2010
1963 Letter Suggests Pope Knew of Abuse: (CBS) Head of Order that Oversaw Treatment of Pedophile Priests Recommended Removing them from Active Ministry. The head of a Roman Catholic order that specialized in the treatment of pedophile priests visited with the then-pope nearly 50 years ago and followed up with a letter recommending the removal of pedophile priests from ministry, according to a copy of the letter released Wednesday.
In the Aug. 27, 1963 letter, the head of the New Mexico-based Servants of the Holy Paraclete tells the pope he recommends removing pedophile priests from active ministry and strongly urges defrocking repeat offenders.
The letter, written by the Rev. Gerald M.C. Fitzgerald, appears to have been drafted at the request of the pope and summarizes Fitzgerald's thoughts on problem priests after his Vatican visit.
A message left with the Paraclete order at one of their two existing facilities in Missouri was not returned. A number for the second facility was disconnected.
Tod Tamberg, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, defended the church and said it was unlikely Paul VI ever saw the letter.
"The fact of the matter is, the prevailing ideas at the time about how to deal with abusive behavior were not adequate," Tamberg said. "Clearly, society and the church have evolved new understandings of what causes sexually abusive behavior and how to deal with it."
Fitzgerald opens the five-page letter by thanking the pope for an audience the day before and says he is summarizing his thoughts at the pope's request on the "problem of the problem priest" after 20 years working in to treat them.
He tells Paul VI that treatment for priests who have succumbed to "abnormal, homosexual tendencies" should include psychiatric, as well as spiritual, counseling - but goes on to warn about the dangers of leaving those individuals in ministry.
"Personally, I am not sanguine of the return of priests to active duty who have been addicted to abnormal practices, especially sins with the young," Fitzgerald wrote.
"Where there is indication of incorrigibility, because of the tremendous scandal given, I would most earnestly recommend total laicization," he wrote. "I say 'total' ... because when these men are taken before civil authority, the non-Catholic world definitely blames the discipline of celibacy for the perversion of these men."
The letter proves that Vatican officials knew about clergy abuse decades ago and should have done more to protect children, said Tony DeMarco, an attorney for clergy abuse victims in Los Angeles....
Obama Sees Value in "Drill, Baby, Drill": (CBS) It may be hard to remember now, but one of the defining disputes of the 2008 presidential campaign -- at least until the economy collapsed -- was offshore drilling.
Republicans, looking to capitalize on Americans' concerns about high gas prices (as well, perhaps, as lingering resentments in their base toward the environmental movement) turned "drill, baby, drill" into a mantra that was lustily chanted by delegates at the party's national convention.
Today, President Obama essentially answered that call with: "You got it."
While his decision to open up the southern Atlantic coastline and some other areas to offshore drilling may not have entirely appeased Republicans -- House Republican Leader John Boehner complained that it did not go far enough -- it nonetheless played like a repudiation of some of the beliefs of some of the most passionate members of his base...
The president acknowledged such criticism in his comments today, saying that "there will be those who strongly disagree with this decision, including those who say we should not open any new areas to drilling." But he insisted that new drilling was a legitimate part of a comprehensive strategy to shift toward a clean energy economy.
In a press briefing following Mr. Obama's statements, White House spokesman Bill Burton made a similar argument, insisting that the president's plan represents a sensible middle ground. The approach, he said, is "a lot less 'drill baby drill' and more 'drill where it's responsible.'"
There appears to be a political calculation at play here: The White House is pushing forward with efforts to pass a climate change bill, and Lindsey Graham, the Senate Republican involved in the bipartisan effort to craft a bill, has stated flatly that he wouldn't support the bill if it "doesn't have off-shore drilling in a meaningful way."
The White House -- which, you'll recall, was willing to jettison the public option from the health care bill in order to get it passed -- seems to once again be displaying its pragmatism with today's announcement. The decision, however, has left even some liberals sympathetic to a pragmatic strategy scratching their head.
The Washington Monthly's Steve Benen noted that the initial White House strategy on energy seemed to involve a quid-pro-quo arrangement in which Republicans got offshore drilling and Democrats got cap-and-trade as part of an energy bill. But cap-and-trade seems to be effectively dead, leaving Benen wondering what the Obama administration is getting for its trouble.
"In February, the president cleared the way for the first new U.S. nuclear power plants in more than 30 years. Today, the president will reportedly open up new opportunities for coastal drilling," he wrote. "In other words, Obama has already effectively given Republicans what they wanted on energy. What is he getting in return?"
What he may be getting is credit for trying to craft legislation in a bipartisan way. The White House was stung during the health care debate by charges that Democrats were working unilaterally; to address that claim before the final push on behalf of the legislation, the president hosted a bipartisan summit designed to convince Americans that he was open to Republican ideas.
More Mortgage Modification: (CBS) What is the new government program doing for those whose mortgages are with Deutsche National Bank, which is out of the country and refuses to work with you AT ALL? After hundreds of phone calls to their "United States office in New York", my son gets the same answer ...whoever your "lender" is has been given the power of attorney to handle your mortgage. The lender reverses to an automatic "We cannot help you".
Maybe the government should LOOK at the packaged loans they have sold EN MASS to outside countries who are not concerned about American mortgages. They couldn't even produce the note to his mortgage. I did an extensive search on Deutsche and they have no reason to work with any of their customers because their holdings reach FAR beyond the United States. Very lucrative.
What a vicious circle the American people have to endure because of our newly elected Administration, but rest assured we realize the REAL equation...NO JOB=NO MONEY=LOW CREDIT SCORE BEGINNING=NO HELP ON YOUR MORTGAGE!
China Likely to Agree to Iran Sanctions: (CBS) Six major world powers have agreed to begin putting together proposed new sanctions on Iran over its suspect nuclear program after China dropped its opposition, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
China, long a holdout against fresh international penalties against Iran, signaled its willingness to consider a United Nations Security Council sanctions resolution, the officials said.
Speaking at the U.N., Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the officials had "accurately described" the position of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany. She did not elaborate but said the group, known as the "P5-plus-one," was unified...
China's change of position improves prospects for passing a resolution aimed at pressuring Iran to scale back its nuclear ambitions, which Tehran insists are limited to developing nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
President Barack Obama had said Tuesday he hoped to have Iran sanctions in place within weeks - a timetable that appeared highly ambitious given China's previous reluctance to even discuss specific sanctions. China had insisted that negotiation with Iran needed to be pursued.
On Wednesday, however, two U.S. officials said that in a phone call among officials from the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, the Chinese representative said his country was prepared to discuss specific potential sanctions...
The Obama administration is hoping to get a U.N. resolution by the end of April. Clinton has not publicly cited a specific timetable but in recent days has sounded more optimistic about the chances of getting China to agree that new penalties are needed to force Iran's hand...
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking to reporters after meeting with Obama at the White House on Tuesday, said Washington and Paris were "inseparable" in their thinking on the subject of Iran sanctions.
"Iran cannot continue its mad race" toward acquiring nuclear weapons," Sarkozy said. "The time has come to take decisions."
GOP Wary of Campaign to Repeal Health Law: (CBS) Despite Conservatives' Crusade to Roll Back Reforms, Top Republicans Fear Doing So Will Alienate Moderates, Independents. Top Republicans are increasingly worried that GOP candidates this fall might be burned by a fire that's roaring through the conservative base: demand for the repeal of President Barack Obama's new health care law.
It's fine to criticize the health law and the way Democrats pushed it through Congress without a single GOP vote, these party leaders say. But focusing on its outright repeal carries two big risks.
Repeal is politically and legally unlikely, and grass-roots activists may feel disillusioned by a failed crusade. More important, say strategists from both parties, a fierce "repeal the bill" stance might prove far less popular in a general election than in a conservative-dominated GOP primary, especially in states such as Illinois and California.
Democrats are counting on that scenario. They say more Americans will learn of the new law's benefits over time and anger over its messy legislative pedigree will fade. For months, Democrats have eagerly catalogued Republican Congressional candidates who pledge to repeal the health care law, vowing to make them pay in November.
Republican leaders are stepping cautiously, wary of angering staunchly conservative voters bent on repealing the new law. In recent public comments, they have quietly played down the notion of repealing the law while emphasizing claims that it will hurt jobs, the economy and the deficit...
President Obama said last week he would relish a Republican bid to repeal the new law.
"My attitude is, go for it," Mr. Obama said in Iowa on Friday. "If these congressmen in Washington want to come here in Iowa and tell small-business owners that they plan to take away their tax credits and essentially raise their taxes, be my guest."
Michelle Obama Blooms in the White House: (CBS) Back in the White House Garden, The First Lady's Popularity is Already Growing by the Bushel. The White House garden has done quite well in weathering the wild winter.
The garden has produced 50 pounds of produce before the tulips even came up.
Fourteen months into her tenure as first lady, Mrs. Obama is enjoying the kind of popularity her husband would jump through hoops for, reports CBS News Congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes.
Her approval ratings are blooming at 78 percent, higher than her recent predecessors at similar points in their husband's presidency.
Comparatively, Laura Bush rated at 74 percent, and Rosalyn Carter rated at 59 percent. Hillary Clinton rated at 58 percent and Nancy Reagan at 57 percent.
And she has settled on a signature issue: Childhood obesity.
She is using her clout to chide grocery manufacturers and encouraging innovative ways for kids to get exercise, including hula hooping.
"I love the way that Mrs. Obama has stressed the simple things that people can change to make a huge difference in their lives," says Katherine Tallmadge of the American Dietetic Association. "Things like eating more vegetables. Having a garden and being more physically active.
"They may seem like simple things but study after study show they're effective things."
While Mrs. Obama is known for taking fashion risks, she's taken more pressing risks as well, including talking frankly about race.
"There were kids around my neighborhood who would say oooh you talk funny," Mrs. Obama admitted, candidly. "You talk like a white girl."
She granted an interview with right-leaning Fox News before her husband would.
She hasn't been afraid to get her hands dirty... which seems to be going over well with most Americans.
To Scientists, Laughter Is No Joke: (CBS) Funny How? Scientists Study What's Behind Guffaws And Find Laughter Links Us In Primal Ways. one teaches you how to laugh. You just do. And often you laugh involuntarily, in a specific rhythm and in certain spots in conversation.
You may laugh at a prank on April Fools' Day. But surprisingly, only 10 to 15 percent of laughter is the result of someone making a joke, said Baltimore neuroscientist Robert Provine, who has studied laughter for decades. Laughter is mostly about social responses rather than reaction to a joke.
"Laughter above all else is a social thing," Provine said. "The requirement for laughter is another person."
Over the years, Provine, a professor with the University of Maryland Baltimore County, has boiled laughter down to its basics.
"All language groups laugh 'ha-ha-ha' basically the same way," he said. "Whether you speak Mandarin, French or English, everyone will understand laughter. ... There's a pattern generator in our brain that produces this sound."
Each "ha" is about one-15th of a second, repeated every fifth of a second, he said. Laugh faster or slower than that and it sounds more like panting or something else.
Deaf people laugh without hearing, and people on cell phones laugh without seeing, illustrating that laughter isn't dependent on a single sense but on social interactions, said Provine, author of the book "Laughter: A Scientific Investigation."
"It's joy, it's positive engagement with life," said Jaak Panksepp, a Bowling Green University psychology professor. "It's deeply social."
And it's not just a people thing either. Chimps tickle each other and even laugh when another chimp pretends to tickle them.
"That's my candidate for the most ancient joke," Provine said. "It's a feigned tickle. That's primal humor..."
Songbird's Genome Carries Speech Clues: (CBS) Scientists have sequenced the complete genome of a songbird - the Australian zebra finch - and say the complex mechanisms by which young birds learn songs from their parents offer insight into human speech acquisition.
The international team, led by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, found that most of the bird's DNA is involved in hearing, imitating, and producing even simple melodies.
Because the analysis traces the vocal learning down to the molecular level - and because humans and finches have much of their genomes in common - the research could lead to strides in combating human speech disorders such as those related to autism, stroke, stuttering and Parkinson's disease.
"The zebra finch genome will be a valuable tool for neuroscientists," said lead author Wes Warren. "They can now carry out studies to identify a core set of genes in the zebra finch brain involved in both hearing and producing song and then look to see if any of these genes are disrupted in people with speech disorders."
Singing activates a large swath of the zebra finch's genes - some 800 in all. The researchers found that many of the genes did not manifest in the traditional way, by coding for proteins. Instead the DNA from these genes helps write short stretches of "non-coding RNA," which in turn affects how other genes are expressed in a cascading effect.
Non-coding RNA is already known to play key roles in developmental processes in humans and in animals.
The zebra finch is only the second bird to have its genome decoded. The first was the chicken. The research is set to appear in the journal Nature on Thursday.
Watch CBS News Videos Online
How are President Obama and the Democrats faring in the polls after passing health care? Two conflicting polls.
*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!
In the Aug. 27, 1963 letter, the head of the New Mexico-based Servants of the Holy Paraclete tells the pope he recommends removing pedophile priests from active ministry and strongly urges defrocking repeat offenders.
The letter, written by the Rev. Gerald M.C. Fitzgerald, appears to have been drafted at the request of the pope and summarizes Fitzgerald's thoughts on problem priests after his Vatican visit.
A message left with the Paraclete order at one of their two existing facilities in Missouri was not returned. A number for the second facility was disconnected.
Tod Tamberg, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, defended the church and said it was unlikely Paul VI ever saw the letter.
"The fact of the matter is, the prevailing ideas at the time about how to deal with abusive behavior were not adequate," Tamberg said. "Clearly, society and the church have evolved new understandings of what causes sexually abusive behavior and how to deal with it."
Fitzgerald opens the five-page letter by thanking the pope for an audience the day before and says he is summarizing his thoughts at the pope's request on the "problem of the problem priest" after 20 years working in to treat them.
He tells Paul VI that treatment for priests who have succumbed to "abnormal, homosexual tendencies" should include psychiatric, as well as spiritual, counseling - but goes on to warn about the dangers of leaving those individuals in ministry.
"Personally, I am not sanguine of the return of priests to active duty who have been addicted to abnormal practices, especially sins with the young," Fitzgerald wrote.
"Where there is indication of incorrigibility, because of the tremendous scandal given, I would most earnestly recommend total laicization," he wrote. "I say 'total' ... because when these men are taken before civil authority, the non-Catholic world definitely blames the discipline of celibacy for the perversion of these men."
The letter proves that Vatican officials knew about clergy abuse decades ago and should have done more to protect children, said Tony DeMarco, an attorney for clergy abuse victims in Los Angeles....
Obama Sees Value in "Drill, Baby, Drill": (CBS) It may be hard to remember now, but one of the defining disputes of the 2008 presidential campaign -- at least until the economy collapsed -- was offshore drilling.
Republicans, looking to capitalize on Americans' concerns about high gas prices (as well, perhaps, as lingering resentments in their base toward the environmental movement) turned "drill, baby, drill" into a mantra that was lustily chanted by delegates at the party's national convention.
Today, President Obama essentially answered that call with: "You got it."
While his decision to open up the southern Atlantic coastline and some other areas to offshore drilling may not have entirely appeased Republicans -- House Republican Leader John Boehner complained that it did not go far enough -- it nonetheless played like a repudiation of some of the beliefs of some of the most passionate members of his base...
The president acknowledged such criticism in his comments today, saying that "there will be those who strongly disagree with this decision, including those who say we should not open any new areas to drilling." But he insisted that new drilling was a legitimate part of a comprehensive strategy to shift toward a clean energy economy.
In a press briefing following Mr. Obama's statements, White House spokesman Bill Burton made a similar argument, insisting that the president's plan represents a sensible middle ground. The approach, he said, is "a lot less 'drill baby drill' and more 'drill where it's responsible.'"
There appears to be a political calculation at play here: The White House is pushing forward with efforts to pass a climate change bill, and Lindsey Graham, the Senate Republican involved in the bipartisan effort to craft a bill, has stated flatly that he wouldn't support the bill if it "doesn't have off-shore drilling in a meaningful way."
The White House -- which, you'll recall, was willing to jettison the public option from the health care bill in order to get it passed -- seems to once again be displaying its pragmatism with today's announcement. The decision, however, has left even some liberals sympathetic to a pragmatic strategy scratching their head.
The Washington Monthly's Steve Benen noted that the initial White House strategy on energy seemed to involve a quid-pro-quo arrangement in which Republicans got offshore drilling and Democrats got cap-and-trade as part of an energy bill. But cap-and-trade seems to be effectively dead, leaving Benen wondering what the Obama administration is getting for its trouble.
"In February, the president cleared the way for the first new U.S. nuclear power plants in more than 30 years. Today, the president will reportedly open up new opportunities for coastal drilling," he wrote. "In other words, Obama has already effectively given Republicans what they wanted on energy. What is he getting in return?"
What he may be getting is credit for trying to craft legislation in a bipartisan way. The White House was stung during the health care debate by charges that Democrats were working unilaterally; to address that claim before the final push on behalf of the legislation, the president hosted a bipartisan summit designed to convince Americans that he was open to Republican ideas.
More Mortgage Modification: (CBS) What is the new government program doing for those whose mortgages are with Deutsche National Bank, which is out of the country and refuses to work with you AT ALL? After hundreds of phone calls to their "United States office in New York", my son gets the same answer ...whoever your "lender" is has been given the power of attorney to handle your mortgage. The lender reverses to an automatic "We cannot help you".
Maybe the government should LOOK at the packaged loans they have sold EN MASS to outside countries who are not concerned about American mortgages. They couldn't even produce the note to his mortgage. I did an extensive search on Deutsche and they have no reason to work with any of their customers because their holdings reach FAR beyond the United States. Very lucrative.
What a vicious circle the American people have to endure because of our newly elected Administration, but rest assured we realize the REAL equation...NO JOB=NO MONEY=LOW CREDIT SCORE BEGINNING=NO HELP ON YOUR MORTGAGE!
China Likely to Agree to Iran Sanctions: (CBS) Six major world powers have agreed to begin putting together proposed new sanctions on Iran over its suspect nuclear program after China dropped its opposition, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
China, long a holdout against fresh international penalties against Iran, signaled its willingness to consider a United Nations Security Council sanctions resolution, the officials said.
Speaking at the U.N., Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the officials had "accurately described" the position of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany. She did not elaborate but said the group, known as the "P5-plus-one," was unified...
China's change of position improves prospects for passing a resolution aimed at pressuring Iran to scale back its nuclear ambitions, which Tehran insists are limited to developing nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
President Barack Obama had said Tuesday he hoped to have Iran sanctions in place within weeks - a timetable that appeared highly ambitious given China's previous reluctance to even discuss specific sanctions. China had insisted that negotiation with Iran needed to be pursued.
On Wednesday, however, two U.S. officials said that in a phone call among officials from the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, the Chinese representative said his country was prepared to discuss specific potential sanctions...
The Obama administration is hoping to get a U.N. resolution by the end of April. Clinton has not publicly cited a specific timetable but in recent days has sounded more optimistic about the chances of getting China to agree that new penalties are needed to force Iran's hand...
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking to reporters after meeting with Obama at the White House on Tuesday, said Washington and Paris were "inseparable" in their thinking on the subject of Iran sanctions.
"Iran cannot continue its mad race" toward acquiring nuclear weapons," Sarkozy said. "The time has come to take decisions."
GOP Wary of Campaign to Repeal Health Law: (CBS) Despite Conservatives' Crusade to Roll Back Reforms, Top Republicans Fear Doing So Will Alienate Moderates, Independents. Top Republicans are increasingly worried that GOP candidates this fall might be burned by a fire that's roaring through the conservative base: demand for the repeal of President Barack Obama's new health care law.
It's fine to criticize the health law and the way Democrats pushed it through Congress without a single GOP vote, these party leaders say. But focusing on its outright repeal carries two big risks.
Repeal is politically and legally unlikely, and grass-roots activists may feel disillusioned by a failed crusade. More important, say strategists from both parties, a fierce "repeal the bill" stance might prove far less popular in a general election than in a conservative-dominated GOP primary, especially in states such as Illinois and California.
Democrats are counting on that scenario. They say more Americans will learn of the new law's benefits over time and anger over its messy legislative pedigree will fade. For months, Democrats have eagerly catalogued Republican Congressional candidates who pledge to repeal the health care law, vowing to make them pay in November.
Republican leaders are stepping cautiously, wary of angering staunchly conservative voters bent on repealing the new law. In recent public comments, they have quietly played down the notion of repealing the law while emphasizing claims that it will hurt jobs, the economy and the deficit...
President Obama said last week he would relish a Republican bid to repeal the new law.
"My attitude is, go for it," Mr. Obama said in Iowa on Friday. "If these congressmen in Washington want to come here in Iowa and tell small-business owners that they plan to take away their tax credits and essentially raise their taxes, be my guest."
Michelle Obama Blooms in the White House: (CBS) Back in the White House Garden, The First Lady's Popularity is Already Growing by the Bushel. The White House garden has done quite well in weathering the wild winter.
The garden has produced 50 pounds of produce before the tulips even came up.
Fourteen months into her tenure as first lady, Mrs. Obama is enjoying the kind of popularity her husband would jump through hoops for, reports CBS News Congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes.
Her approval ratings are blooming at 78 percent, higher than her recent predecessors at similar points in their husband's presidency.
Comparatively, Laura Bush rated at 74 percent, and Rosalyn Carter rated at 59 percent. Hillary Clinton rated at 58 percent and Nancy Reagan at 57 percent.
And she has settled on a signature issue: Childhood obesity.
She is using her clout to chide grocery manufacturers and encouraging innovative ways for kids to get exercise, including hula hooping.
"I love the way that Mrs. Obama has stressed the simple things that people can change to make a huge difference in their lives," says Katherine Tallmadge of the American Dietetic Association. "Things like eating more vegetables. Having a garden and being more physically active.
"They may seem like simple things but study after study show they're effective things."
While Mrs. Obama is known for taking fashion risks, she's taken more pressing risks as well, including talking frankly about race.
"There were kids around my neighborhood who would say oooh you talk funny," Mrs. Obama admitted, candidly. "You talk like a white girl."
She granted an interview with right-leaning Fox News before her husband would.
She hasn't been afraid to get her hands dirty... which seems to be going over well with most Americans.
To Scientists, Laughter Is No Joke: (CBS) Funny How? Scientists Study What's Behind Guffaws And Find Laughter Links Us In Primal Ways. one teaches you how to laugh. You just do. And often you laugh involuntarily, in a specific rhythm and in certain spots in conversation.
You may laugh at a prank on April Fools' Day. But surprisingly, only 10 to 15 percent of laughter is the result of someone making a joke, said Baltimore neuroscientist Robert Provine, who has studied laughter for decades. Laughter is mostly about social responses rather than reaction to a joke.
"Laughter above all else is a social thing," Provine said. "The requirement for laughter is another person."
Over the years, Provine, a professor with the University of Maryland Baltimore County, has boiled laughter down to its basics.
"All language groups laugh 'ha-ha-ha' basically the same way," he said. "Whether you speak Mandarin, French or English, everyone will understand laughter. ... There's a pattern generator in our brain that produces this sound."
Each "ha" is about one-15th of a second, repeated every fifth of a second, he said. Laugh faster or slower than that and it sounds more like panting or something else.
Deaf people laugh without hearing, and people on cell phones laugh without seeing, illustrating that laughter isn't dependent on a single sense but on social interactions, said Provine, author of the book "Laughter: A Scientific Investigation."
"It's joy, it's positive engagement with life," said Jaak Panksepp, a Bowling Green University psychology professor. "It's deeply social."
And it's not just a people thing either. Chimps tickle each other and even laugh when another chimp pretends to tickle them.
"That's my candidate for the most ancient joke," Provine said. "It's a feigned tickle. That's primal humor..."
Songbird's Genome Carries Speech Clues: (CBS) Scientists have sequenced the complete genome of a songbird - the Australian zebra finch - and say the complex mechanisms by which young birds learn songs from their parents offer insight into human speech acquisition.
The international team, led by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, found that most of the bird's DNA is involved in hearing, imitating, and producing even simple melodies.
Because the analysis traces the vocal learning down to the molecular level - and because humans and finches have much of their genomes in common - the research could lead to strides in combating human speech disorders such as those related to autism, stroke, stuttering and Parkinson's disease.
"The zebra finch genome will be a valuable tool for neuroscientists," said lead author Wes Warren. "They can now carry out studies to identify a core set of genes in the zebra finch brain involved in both hearing and producing song and then look to see if any of these genes are disrupted in people with speech disorders."
Singing activates a large swath of the zebra finch's genes - some 800 in all. The researchers found that many of the genes did not manifest in the traditional way, by coding for proteins. Instead the DNA from these genes helps write short stretches of "non-coding RNA," which in turn affects how other genes are expressed in a cascading effect.
Non-coding RNA is already known to play key roles in developmental processes in humans and in animals.
The zebra finch is only the second bird to have its genome decoded. The first was the chicken. The research is set to appear in the journal Nature on Thursday.
Watch CBS News Videos Online
How are President Obama and the Democrats faring in the polls after passing health care? Two conflicting polls.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!
Funny April Fools Day
From Denny: Check out the latest Cheeky Quote Day over at The Social Poets! Here are a few of the funny quotes:* April 1. This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four. - Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson, 1894
* Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed. - Mark Twain
* A fellow who is always declaring he's no fool, usually has his suspicions. - Anonymous
* Politicians never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge. - Thomas Reed
* Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. - Chinese Proverb
* Don't approach a goat from the front, a horse from the back, or a fool from any side. - Jewish Proverb
Hike on over to The Social Poets to enjoy a funny video, funny photos, and - I totally guarantee you haven't seen this fashion outfit - it's the weirdest fashion statement yet. Not even Lady Gaga wore this crazy thing! :)
Check it out the full post of laughs: Funny April Fools Day - Cheeky Quote Day 31 Apr 2010
*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!
Tyranny versus Liberty
Every so often, one of His Grace's communicants contributes a gem which merits reproduction beyond the confines of an ephemeral thread of largely-forgettable dialogue.
This from Bryan (with His Grace's thanks):
'I see the debate is framed here as it is in my own country; as a struggle between liberalism and conservatism.
'Yet no matter how the struggle turns out, both the liberals and the conservatives feel frustration, no matter who "wins", neither seem to enjoy the victory as "their" party fails to live up to its promises once in power.
'You see there is another, less obvious, struggle at work in the body politic, and that is tyranny verses liberty. Tyranny is the natural course of professional politicians, whilst liberty is the heart's cry of the populace.
'Tyranny lives in the professional politician's desire to remain in power, to increase his own personal power, and therefore the power of the central government over the people. He sells this through offering to lift the heavy burden of personal responsibility from off the shoulders of the populace.
'The amount of this tyranny you allow is entirely based on the amount of personal responsibility you refuse to bear; for personal responsibility is the cornerstone of personal liberty. Surrender your personal responsibility to anyone or anything else, and that other controls your actions.
'The true struggle of politics is therefore, how best to balance government control with personal responsibility. And the level of tyranny a people will abide is inversely proportional to their moral ability to shoulder personal responsibility.'
This from Bryan (with His Grace's thanks):
'I see the debate is framed here as it is in my own country; as a struggle between liberalism and conservatism.
'Yet no matter how the struggle turns out, both the liberals and the conservatives feel frustration, no matter who "wins", neither seem to enjoy the victory as "their" party fails to live up to its promises once in power.
'You see there is another, less obvious, struggle at work in the body politic, and that is tyranny verses liberty. Tyranny is the natural course of professional politicians, whilst liberty is the heart's cry of the populace.
'Tyranny lives in the professional politician's desire to remain in power, to increase his own personal power, and therefore the power of the central government over the people. He sells this through offering to lift the heavy burden of personal responsibility from off the shoulders of the populace.
'The amount of this tyranny you allow is entirely based on the amount of personal responsibility you refuse to bear; for personal responsibility is the cornerstone of personal liberty. Surrender your personal responsibility to anyone or anything else, and that other controls your actions.
'The true struggle of politics is therefore, how best to balance government control with personal responsibility. And the level of tyranny a people will abide is inversely proportional to their moral ability to shoulder personal responsibility.'
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Why does Tony Blair have his own Election 2010 campaign website?
Well it was clear the former Prime Minister Tony Blair would have some role to play in the Labour campaign for the upcoming election after making a speech in his home constituency of Sedgefield on Tuesday, but why does he now have his own election campaign website?
Unless I, as well as all the mainstream local, national and international media have missed something, Mr Blair is not seeking re-election this year... so his website - tonyblair4labour.org - which was actually produced by Blue State Digital, the same developers that made the hugely-successful website for a certain Barack Obama - seems a little odd.
As you would expect the site contains news, videos and social media interactivity tools... but still, why does it exist? Any ideas...?
Unless I, as well as all the mainstream local, national and international media have missed something, Mr Blair is not seeking re-election this year... so his website - tonyblair4labour.org - which was actually produced by Blue State Digital, the same developers that made the hugely-successful website for a certain Barack Obama - seems a little odd.As you would expect the site contains news, videos and social media interactivity tools... but still, why does it exist? Any ideas...?
March 31
"More recently, the Defense Department has even organized its information operations into named 'operations' ... Today, the 'named' operations include Operation Earnest Voice, which covers U.S. Central Command; Assured Voice, for European Command; and Operation Objective Voice, for U.S. African Command."
--Sharon Weinberger, “Info or Propaganda? Pentagon Efforts Reviewed,” Aol.News; image from
Event: Engaging Iran: Challenges and Opportunities for Civil Society
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS
Obama's six-hour trip to Kabul - Gregg Carlstrom, The Majlis:
"I'm just now catching up on the news (what little there was) from President Obama's quick hop to Afghanistan. Needless to say, the trip itself won't accomplish much: A six-hour visit to Kabul, half of it spent at Bagram Air Base, won't cause Hamid Karzai to rethink his politics or policy. But it fits into a broader public diplomacy campaign aimed at putting pressure on Karzai. American and European diplomats are whispering (anonymously, of course) about the Afghan president 'slipping away from the West,' and Karzai's recent visit with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad apparently ruffled some feathers in Washington." Image fromSpinning Obama’s Foreign-Policy Flops - Jennifer Rubin, Contentions, Commentary: "Let’s get real — Obama has not really used his charisma to promote anything but himself. ... [D]espite all the reverential treatment by liberal elites, Obama has yet to develop effective ties with allies or used public diplomacy to further American interests. His infatuation with dictatorial regimes, his embrace of multilateralism, and his willingness to kick allies (e.g., Israel, Poland, the Czech Republic, Britain, Honduras) in the shins have left America more isolated and rogue states more emboldened than ever before."
Disaster Responses Illustrate Evolution of Public Diplomacy - Siobhan Sheils, DipNote:
"[I]t is clear that public diplomacy is not just serving a public relations, or 'Brand U.S.' function; it is also saving lives. ... [T]he U.S. response to recent natural disasters in Latin America shows an acknowledgement that people-to-people problem-solving is a major component of '21st Century Diplomacy.'" Image fromReligious freedom needs an advocate - Thomas Farr, On Faith, Washington Post: "On March 30 a diverse group of scholars, policy thinkers, and religious freedom activists told President Obama that his administration was missing an enormous opportunity -- for the nation and the world -- by failing to advance international religious freedom in American foreign policy. 'The absence of senior level leadership in your administration on this critical issue,' their letter warned the President, 'is of grave and urgent concern.' The letter, which was organized by Freedom House and the Institute for Global Engagement, was written by my colleague and co-author, Dennis Hoover, editor of The Review of Faith & International Affairs. He and I have elsewhere urged the Obama administration to take advantage of the opportunity to correct mistakes made by earlier administrations in the field of international religious freedom. ... Perhaps the boldest proposal in the letter is that the administration develop strategies that link 'religious freedom policy and other key foreign policy areas, including national security (especially counter-insurgency and stability operations), development, conflict resolution/reconciliation, public diplomacy, democracy promotion and consolidation, and U.S. engagement of multilateral institutions and international law.'"
Ethiopia, already jamming VOA shortwave, may also be blocking VOA's website - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting
Ethiopia and the Art of the Outrageous Statement - Alex Belida, VOA News Blog:
"We are all accustomed to hearing political figures, especially from authoritarian countries, make outrageous statements. But I think Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi may have uttered the most outrageous statement of all this past month when he compared Voice of America broadcasts to Ethiopia to the broadcasts of Radio Milles Collines, the infamous 'hate radio' blamed for inciting the Rwandan genocide of 1994." Image fromTech Weekly live: Personal privacy and public diplomacy - Aleks Krotoski, The Guardian: "Becky Hogge from the Open Rights Group joins Aleks Krotoski and Charles Arthur in a special Tech Weekly, recorded live at the Science Museum's Dana Centre. Our other guests? Austin Heap is a wunderkind hacker who used his own encryption software, Haystack, to open up the Iranian internet in the aftermath of the disputed elections in 2009. By breaking through the Iranian government's blockade, the software allowed people on the ground in Tehran to access communication tools they could use to describe unfolding events to the rest of the world. Meanwhile, personal surveillance has reached an all-time high: our web traffic is observed and recorded by governments and corporations. With every click we create personal digital identities that 'belong' to other people. Should we be worried about the private becoming public in this way, or should we reclaim ourselves using encryption software that hides who we are and where we go online? NO2ID's Christine Zaba will be on hand to lead you through the issues and the options."
Legitimizing (and questioning) culture’s utility – Karen, Culture, Please: "Early last Thursday morning I joined other students of cultural policy and international relations to hear a panel discussion on the topic of cultural diplomacy. The panel, entitled 'Culture as a tool: Diplomacy and International Exchange in the 21st Century' was co-presented by NYU’s John Brademas Center for the Study of Congress and the Wagner School’s Student Network Exploring Arts and Culture (SNEAC). ... The ... presentations were directed at making the case for culture so that it will be recognized and valued more frequently as a strategic tool. In my professional life, I often find myself making some of the same arguments. As I left Thursday’s panel, however, I found myself questioning my eagerness to promote 'culture as a tool'.
The relegation of ‘culture’ to the toolkit as an instrument to be wielded by those in power to affect particular sorts of social change seems to threaten some of cultures’ unique qualities. The power of culture lies in its insistence to evolve, experiment, react, and sometimes, to push back. Culture, however you want to define it, may not fit so comfortably in its toolkit slot. At the same time, if culture is not nurtured and valued outside of its instrumental use (like culture-based interventions in service of development goals) it may prove to be an empty tool without cultural practitioners to wield it and cultural contexts to receive it." Image fromThe Arts Policy Diaries: Canada 150 – A Small Act of Citizenship - Shannon Litzenberger, Shannonlitz’s Blog: "Admittedly, I tuned in to the Liberal ‘Canada 150‘ conference this weekend (intermittently, but yes it’s true). ... I watched with interest parts of the panel on ‘The Creative and Competitive Economy: Culture in the digital world’ on Saturday as well as ‘Canada’s Presence in the World of 2017′ on Sunday morning. ... The Sunday morning session was all about foreign policy, with a focus on trade, defense and international aid. The panel included Pierre Martin, Jeremy Kinsman and Janice Stein. ... Kinsman was my favourite – clearly an experienced diplomat and now commentator on foreign affairs for the CBC. ... So, as I was watching the debate ensue, I typed my name into the little ’submit a question’ box at the corner of my computer screen. I asked (obviously tongue and cheek): 'Was the removal of culture as the third pillar of public diplomacy a positive step toward strengthening international relationships?' To my surprise, the question was addressed! It was Kinsman who replied with gusto by saying that 'the removal of culture was a stupid step backwards… Culture is a fundamental vehicle of communication.'”
Romanian-Moldovan dialogue at Foreign Ministry - Financiarul:
"Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi had on Monday, March 29, a meeting with the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Moldova, Vitalie Marinuta, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) informs in a release. ... The two sides welcomed the restart of bilateral cooperation in the military field, especially in the educational area, as well as the signature of the Protocol of collaboration between Romania’s Air Forces and the Moldovan Air Force. Within the meeting, the positive role played by the NATO Center of Information and Documentation in the Republic of Moldova was appreciated in the field of public diplomacy." Image fromBaku to host NATO conference - News.Az: "A conference on the 61st anniversary of NATO called 'NATO-past and future' will be held in Baku on April 1. According to the news service for the Romanian embassy in Azerbaijan, the event will be attended by heads of diplomatic missions of the NATO member-states in Azerbaijan, representatives of the civil community, analysts, political scientists, NATO's public diplomacy department and NGOs."
When AIPAC said 'no' to Israel - Sasha Polakow-Suransky, Foreign Policy:
"The U.S.-Israel relationship has entered into a tailspin for the first time since 1991, when Secretary of State James Baker refused loan guarantees to Yitzhak Shamir's Likud government. Now, like then, the issue is Jewish settlements in areas Israel conquered in 1967. ... [M]ost clear-eyed observers of the Middle East regard the settlement enterprise as a public diplomacy disaster for Israel--not to mention a long-term strategic liability. If AIPAC is truly concerned about Israel's long-term security, it should be denouncing new settlements and demanding the dismantlement of existing ones with even greater fervor than the Obama administration." Image from articleHow The World Sees The Netherlands - Giles Scott-Smith, thehollandbureau.com: "In mid-March Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen reported the results of an opinion survey on how other nations view the Netherlands. The purpose was to discover to what extent the domestic debate over Islam ('het binnenlandse moslimdebat') was affecting the country’s trade position. The report also included details of the Dutch public diplomacy activities designed to promote positive opinion abroad."
Indonesia’s Oil Palm Biomass Conversion: Facing the Global Challenge of Energy Sustainability - Guinandra Luthfan Jatikusumo, Envisioning The Future, Mapping Life: “'Government of Indonesia will decrease carbon emissions by 21% from the initial state, with the targeted year of 2020. On 2050, we pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 41% from the initial state.' The sentence above is a statement declared by the President of Indonesia, with credible inputs from Rahmat Witoelar, when Indonesia attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Is the statement politically-marinated? It could be. For scientists, the statement might be categorized as a challenging brainstorming of theoretical concepts and scientific applications. But for well seasoned diplomats, these statements can be likened to be a ‘Public Diplomacy’ which may brighten the image of Indonesia in the international society." Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono image fromCarolina Friends of the Foreign Service: "The purpose of the organization is to promote a better understanding of foreign policy-related issues among its members through periodic meetings and social events. Membership consists of present or former foreign service employees, military, and other US Government civil servants, former employees of private companies who have worked overseas and others interested in foreign affairs and/or public diplomacy."
You Communicate, But Do You Connect? - George Kennedy, Stepping Stones To Success. . . : "In the May 2010 issue of Success From Home magazine, John Maxwell, noted author and usiness advisor, penned an article entitled 'Everyone Communicates, Few Connect.'
Coming from a background in international communications and public diplomacy, he captured my attention. I read the article and highly recommend it – especially if you are an entrepreneur or run a home-based-business. Networking is at the heart of entrepreneurial success since it is all about communicating." Image fromColleen_Graffy - Twitter: I'm in BA April 8-14. I also spoke on public diplomacy in Madrid 4 Spanish foreign service officers.
RELATED ITEMS
U.S. prep schools push to recruit foreign students - Michael Alison Chandler, Washington Post:
At a time when many "Made in the USA" products struggle in the global marketplace, American diplomas are more coveted than ever. More than 650,000 international students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities in 2009, fueling a nearly $18 billion international education industry. Federal government data show that 35,000 foreign students attend primary or secondary schools in the United States, not including one-year cultural exchange programs or short-term language courses. Image from Info or Propaganda? Pentagon Efforts Reviewed - Sharon Weinberger, Aol.News: Some eight years ago, a furor broke out over then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's plans to open an office dedicated to influencing foreign audiences. The Office of Strategic Influence was quickly shuttered after publicity of its existence led to accusations that it was a propaganda arm of the Pentagon. But the Pentagon's efforts to influence foreign public opinion are again being scrutinized as part of a new review. Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week ordered the two-week review of the military's information operations -- a term used to describe media and information campaigns targeted at foreign audiences but also sometimes referred to as propaganda. The review comes amid allegations that a civilian employee of the Defense Department used money allotted for these efforts to hire private intelligence operatives. Despite its controversial history, the scale and scope of the Pentagon's information operations has grown rapidly since 9/11. Military officials have argued for an aggressive strategy to counter what they characterize as extremist propaganda. The Pentagon's budget for information operations was $528 million for fiscal year 2010; the Defense Department has requested $384.4 million for fiscal year 2011.
The New Rules of War: The visionary who first saw the age of "netwar" coming warns that the U.S. military is getting it wrong all over again. Here's his plan to make conflict cheaper, smaller, and smarter - John Arquilla, Foreign Policy: In an era in which the attraction to persuasive "soft power" has grown dramatically, coercive "hard power" continues to dominate in world affairs. This primary reliance on coercive capabilities is also on display across a range of countries great and small, most notably the United States, whose defense policy has over the past decade largely become its foreign policy. From the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to simmering crises with North Korea and Iran, and on to longer-range strategic concerns about East Asian and Central European security, the United States today is heavily invested in hard-power solutions. And it will continue to be. But if the radical adjustments in strategy, organization, and doctrine implied by the new rules of war are ignored, Americans will go on spending more and getting less when it comes to national defense. Networks will persist until they have the capability to land nuclear blows. Other countries will leapfrog ahead of the United States militarily, and concepts like "deterrence" and "containment" of aggression will blow away like leaves in the wind.
This Time We Really Mean It - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times: President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan must think that anti-Americanism plays well on the streets of Afghanistan and that by dabbling in it himself — as he did during his presidential campaign — he will strengthen himself politically. That is not a good sign.
Administration fell for propaganda trick during Obama trip to China - World Tribune: Chinese propaganda organs have seized on a key blunder made by the Obama administration during the U.S. president's trip to China last November.
A joint U.S.-China statement issued Nov. 17 contained a new phrase that has since become a major element of Chinese strategy and propaganda, namely Beijing’s focus on promoting and protecting what it deems to be its “core interests.” White House advisers did not fully understand the new propaganda theme when they agreed to include the phrase in the joint statement that said: “The two sides agreed that respecting each other's core interests is extremely important to ensure steady progress in U.S.-China relations.” Image fromA flawed American political model aids China - Harold Meyerson, Washington Post: Don't conservatives realize that China is making hay in the developing world through a combination of throwing its wealth around and arguing that American democracy is little more than a veneer for plutocracy? At the height of the Cold War, the whole world was watching us, and we rose to the occasion by expanding equality and prosperity. The achievements of the postwar era were driven by domestic pressures, of course: the demands of African Americans for equality, the high rate of unionization, the ascendance of manufacturing over banking. But our foreign policy operatives took care to market our achievements and our culture -- the American model -- to a model-shopping world.
Journalists’ E-Mails Hacked in China - Andrew Jacobs, New York Times
Why Foreigners Can't Win in China - Warren Kozak, Wall Street Journal (subscription)
Effective Propaganda - Calvin's Canadian Cave Of Cool: "I am not a fan of wartime propaganda but I understand it.
Combine the vile octopus with a vile characterization of the Japanese and you have a very memorable and effective message. There is no mistaking what side you want to be on. So what if few octopus get killed in the advancement of liberty, right? Ah, to go back to a time when we actually believed that our side could do no wrong." Image from article
Tony Blair - The Second Coming
He's got the whole world in his hands.
He would, of course, have preferred the Mount of Olives, surrounded by the world’s media as he descended in the clouds with great glory. But instead it was Sedgefield, and the venue was the Trimbdon Labour Club (which he described as his political and spiritual home).
The presence was far too powerful for the stage: it was not possible to confine his shekinah aura in such a lowly tabernacle. But he condescended patiently as he became one of them, fully messiah yet fully man; mindful of his humble origins as he emptied himself of his Faith Foundation.
Cranmer was not alone in the messianic allusions to Tony Blair’s Second Coming. The Daily Telegraph talked of Labour’s Saviour, finding biblical allusions perfectly fitting: “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”
And the Financial Times took the same theme.
But for all the hype and audience adulation, it was the same actor using the same rhetoric, with the same pregnant pauses and the same pleading gestures.
And this rhetoric remained evangelical: “Although the sea is still rough the storm has subsided….at the moment of peril the world acted, Britain acted.”
And he, who constructed his entire political career on Labour’s need to change, had the audacity to describe the Conservatives’ ‘time for change’ slogan as ‘the most vacuous in politics’.
You see, only Labour can change and remain authentic: when the Tories do, they are pretending, deceiving, luring in the unsuspecting electorate who will soon discover that they are the ‘same old Tories’ – nasty, spiteful, selfish and only out for themselves.
And so Labour’s Saviour deconstructed David Cameron’s Conservatives brick by brick: "On Europe, they've gone right when they should have gone centre; on law and order, they've gone liberal when actually they should have stuck with a traditional Conservative position; and on the economy, they seem to be buffeted this way and that, depending less on where they think the country should be, than on where they think public opinion might be."
Buffeted?
Presumably contrasted with the sure-footedness of New Labour, who would never have dreamed of being ‘buffeted’ by something as ephemeral and capricious as public opinion.
And on his successor: “At the moment of peril the world acted. Britain acted. The decision to act required experience, judgment and boldness. It required leadership. Gordon Brown supplied it.''
His principal message is that the Conservatives are inconsistent and indecisive while Gordon Brown has ‘experience, judgement and boldness’.
It was pitched of necessity to the marginal voters in the ‘swing’ constituencies: Tony Blair has now become the Middle England Peace Envoy.
But the lies, misinformation and misrepresentation were unbecoming. He said: "On some issues like racial equality the Conservatives have left behind the prejudices of the past. I welcome that.”
And he might as well have added gender equality to his patronising ‘welcome’, for the inference was clear.
How many minority ethnic leaders have Labour had?
How many women?
The party that gave the United Kingdom its first Jewish prime minister and its first woman prime minister has never been ‘racist’ or ‘sexist’, because conservatism admits or tolerates neither.
Yet it suits his purpose to leave a whiff of irrational prejudice under the noses of those who are still taking a long, hard look at the Tories.
"Is there a core?” he asks. “Think of all the phrases you associate with their leadership and the phrase 'you know where you are with them' is about the last description you would think of. They seem like they haven’t made up their mind about where they stand; and so the British public finds it hard to make up its mind about where it stands. In uncertain times, there is a lot to be said for certain leadership."
Mr Blair never once mentioned David Cameron by name. But he didn’t need to.
When he talked of ‘vacuous’, ‘question marks’, ‘confusion’, ‘inconsistency’ and ‘inexperience’, there was no doubt his target was the present incarnation of conservatism.
By contrast, Labour is ‘consistent’, ‘certain’ and ‘coherent’, with a ‘strong commitment to public services’ and a ‘strong commitment to reform’.
And the evidence, he averred, may be seen in ‘reduced crime, higher standards in schools, and hospital waiting lists reduced from 18 months to 18 weeks’.
This was Blair the preacher delivering his Sedgefield sermon: the extravagant evangelical Roman Catholic convert condescending to exalt the Presbyterian puritan with great ecumenical generosity.But he is an hypocritical charlatan; a perma-tanned fraud who desperately wants to be all things to all people in order that all may be duped.
David Cameron said he was ‘not at all worried’ by Mr Blair's intervention. Referring to the millions the former prime minister has made in public speaking since he left office, he said: 'It is nice to see him making a speech that no-one is paying for.’
The problem, of course, is that we all have.
And will continue to do so, for decades to come.
Tony Blair was right about one thing. This election is about ‘…who gets the future... who understands the way the world is changing…’
The future will not be ‘fair for all’ under another Labour government.
It is time for conservatism to articulate itself for the 21st century.
The choice is clear.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Iran Scientist Defects to America, Obama Issues Sanctions - News Headlines 30 Mar 2010
From Denny: This is breaking news tonight that an Iranian nuclear scientist defected months ago and has now surfaced as helping America. I wondered about those long months of quiet from the administration about Iran's nuclear program. I did figure the CIA had something in the works and it turns out they pulled out a coup on this one. Sometimes, the spy community gets it right and a job well done. Looks like Director Panetta is getting the hang of this intelligence business. Nothing could be more important than getting a rope around the neck of a rogue regime that has nuclear power to wreak havoc around the globe.
Another coup today was of a physics origin in the world's largest scientific experiment. It does make me wonder just how much wisdom they are using as they struggle to gain knowledge. Hopefully, they are not putting the rest of the world in danger. Why worry about a rogue state with nukes when we have European scientists armed with black holes? :)
One story to make your blood boil is how insurance companies have been pouring over the health care law to find ways to not insure children with pre-existing conditions. Looks like they have finally backed off as lawmakers tighten the language. Amazing how greedy people can be and utterly cavalier with the lives of children.
And the funny of the day is Karl Rove running like a scalded dog from a book signing event because he was scared of a woman wielding handcuffs. She threatened to make a citizen's arrest for his war crimes. You will love this video.
Geneva atom smasher sets collision record: (NBC) The world's largest atom smasher set a record for high-energy collisions on Tuesday by crashing proton beams into each other at three times more force than ever before.
In a milestone in the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider's ambitious bid to reveal details about theoretical particles and microforces, scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, collided the beams and took measurements at a combined energy level of 7 trillion electron volts.
The collisions herald a new era for researchers working on the machine in a 17-mile (27-kilometer) tunnel below the Swiss-French border at Geneva...
In a control room, scientists erupted with applause when the first successful collisions were confirmed. Their colleagues from around the world were tuning in by remote links to witness the new record, which surpasses the 2.36 TeV CERN recorded last year.
Dubbed the world's largest scientific experiment, scientists hope the machine can approach on a tiny scale what happened in the first split seconds after the Big Bang, which they theorize was the creation of the universe some 14 billion years ago.
The extra energy in Geneva is expected to reveal even more about the unanswered questions of particle physics, such as the existence of antimatter and the search for the Higgs boson, a hypothetical particle that scientists theorize gives mass to other particles and thus to other objects and creatures in the universe...
Obama, Sarkozy urge sanctions on Iran: (NBC) Presidents take united stand against Tehran, condemn Israeli settlements. At the side of his French ally, President Barack Obama said Tuesday that the world is "more united than ever" on the need to keep Iran from becoming a nuclear-armed state.
"On this the United States and France are united," Obama said, opening a joint appearance before reporters that capped White House meetings with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "Today, the international community is more united than ever on the need for Iran to uphold its obligations."
The United States is working with France and other allies to develop a new, tougher round of sanctions against Iran, which they accuse of continuing uranium enrichment in defiance of United Nations demands. Tehran says it seeks only nuclear power, not weapons.
Obama said he wants to see U.N. sanctions in place against Iran within weeks...
And this would explain the long months of quiet from the administration and then suddenly President Obama quickly announcing the hard push on Iran for sanctions to dismantle their nuclear program. There are those times when the CIA gets it right. Congrats go out to those who risked their lives to accomplish the safety for this courageous man:
Iranian scientist defects to U.S.: (NBC) An Iranian nuclear scientist who had been reported missing since last summer has defected to the U.S. and is assisting the CIA in its efforts to undermine Iran's nuclear program, ABC News reported Tuesday.
The scientist, Shahram Amiri, has been resettled in the U.S., according to the report.
The CIA had no comment on the report, a spokesman said...
Amiri, who worked at Tehran's Malek Ashtar University, an institution closely connected to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, disappeared last June while in Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage. While his disappearance led to speculation that he had defected and was assisting the West in its efforts to keep track of Iran's nuclear program, the foreign minister for Iran accused the U.S. of helping to kidnap him.
Citing people briefed on the intelligence operation, ABC News said Amiri's disappearance was part of a long-planned CIA operation to persuade him to defect. The CIA reportedly approached Amiri in Iran through an intermediary who made an offer of resettlement on behalf of the United States, ABC News said.
Amiri has been extensively debriefed since his defection, according to the report, and has helped to confirm U.S. intelligence assessments about the Iranian nuclear program.
Insurers agree to fix gap in sick kids’ coverage: (NBC) After battling President Barack Obama's health care overhaul the better part of a year, the insurance industry said Monday it won't try to block his efforts to fix a potentially embarrassing glitch in the new law.
In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the industry's top lobbyist said insurers will accept new regulations to dispel uncertainty over a much-publicized guarantee that children with medical problems can get coverage starting this year.
Quick resolution of the doubts was a win for Obama — and a sign that the industry has no stomach for another war of words with a president who deftly used double-digit rate hikes by the companies to revive his sweeping health care legislation from near collapse in Congress.
"Health plans recognize the significant hardship that a family faces when they are unable to obtain coverage for a child with a pre-existing condition," Karen Ignagni, president of America's Health Insurance Plans, said in a letter to Sebelius. Ignagni said that the industry will "fully comply" with the regulations, expected within weeks...
Issue of interpretation
The problem on the issue of covering kids was that the law could also be interpreted in a more limited way.
Narrowly read, it seemed to say that if an insurance company accepts a particular child, it cannot write a policy for a child that excludes coverage for a given condition. For example, if the child has asthma, the insurer cannot exclude inhalers and respiratory care from coverage, as sometimes happens now.
But that meant the company could still turn down the child altogether.
Indeed, House and Senate staffers on two committees that wrote the legislation said last week it stopped short of an ironclad guarantee. House leaders later issued a statement saying their intent in writing the legislation was to provide full protection...
This was funny how Karl Rove can't handle the heat when it comes his way. He ran from the book signing like the cowardly cur that he is. He was scared of a woman trying to make a citizen's arrest for his war crimes. You go, girl. Works for me. This guy belongs in jail for many life times.
ALSO, recent posts:
Hate Groups On the Rampage, Big Banks Skirting the Law - Headlines 29 Mar 2010
Weekly Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 28 Mar 2010
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Another coup today was of a physics origin in the world's largest scientific experiment. It does make me wonder just how much wisdom they are using as they struggle to gain knowledge. Hopefully, they are not putting the rest of the world in danger. Why worry about a rogue state with nukes when we have European scientists armed with black holes? :)
One story to make your blood boil is how insurance companies have been pouring over the health care law to find ways to not insure children with pre-existing conditions. Looks like they have finally backed off as lawmakers tighten the language. Amazing how greedy people can be and utterly cavalier with the lives of children.
And the funny of the day is Karl Rove running like a scalded dog from a book signing event because he was scared of a woman wielding handcuffs. She threatened to make a citizen's arrest for his war crimes. You will love this video.
Geneva atom smasher sets collision record: (NBC) The world's largest atom smasher set a record for high-energy collisions on Tuesday by crashing proton beams into each other at three times more force than ever before.
In a milestone in the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider's ambitious bid to reveal details about theoretical particles and microforces, scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, collided the beams and took measurements at a combined energy level of 7 trillion electron volts.
The collisions herald a new era for researchers working on the machine in a 17-mile (27-kilometer) tunnel below the Swiss-French border at Geneva...
In a control room, scientists erupted with applause when the first successful collisions were confirmed. Their colleagues from around the world were tuning in by remote links to witness the new record, which surpasses the 2.36 TeV CERN recorded last year.
Dubbed the world's largest scientific experiment, scientists hope the machine can approach on a tiny scale what happened in the first split seconds after the Big Bang, which they theorize was the creation of the universe some 14 billion years ago.
The extra energy in Geneva is expected to reveal even more about the unanswered questions of particle physics, such as the existence of antimatter and the search for the Higgs boson, a hypothetical particle that scientists theorize gives mass to other particles and thus to other objects and creatures in the universe...
Obama, Sarkozy urge sanctions on Iran: (NBC) Presidents take united stand against Tehran, condemn Israeli settlements. At the side of his French ally, President Barack Obama said Tuesday that the world is "more united than ever" on the need to keep Iran from becoming a nuclear-armed state.
"On this the United States and France are united," Obama said, opening a joint appearance before reporters that capped White House meetings with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "Today, the international community is more united than ever on the need for Iran to uphold its obligations."
The United States is working with France and other allies to develop a new, tougher round of sanctions against Iran, which they accuse of continuing uranium enrichment in defiance of United Nations demands. Tehran says it seeks only nuclear power, not weapons.
Obama said he wants to see U.N. sanctions in place against Iran within weeks...
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And this would explain the long months of quiet from the administration and then suddenly President Obama quickly announcing the hard push on Iran for sanctions to dismantle their nuclear program. There are those times when the CIA gets it right. Congrats go out to those who risked their lives to accomplish the safety for this courageous man:
Iranian scientist defects to U.S.: (NBC) An Iranian nuclear scientist who had been reported missing since last summer has defected to the U.S. and is assisting the CIA in its efforts to undermine Iran's nuclear program, ABC News reported Tuesday.
The scientist, Shahram Amiri, has been resettled in the U.S., according to the report.
The CIA had no comment on the report, a spokesman said...
Amiri, who worked at Tehran's Malek Ashtar University, an institution closely connected to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, disappeared last June while in Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage. While his disappearance led to speculation that he had defected and was assisting the West in its efforts to keep track of Iran's nuclear program, the foreign minister for Iran accused the U.S. of helping to kidnap him.
Citing people briefed on the intelligence operation, ABC News said Amiri's disappearance was part of a long-planned CIA operation to persuade him to defect. The CIA reportedly approached Amiri in Iran through an intermediary who made an offer of resettlement on behalf of the United States, ABC News said.
Amiri has been extensively debriefed since his defection, according to the report, and has helped to confirm U.S. intelligence assessments about the Iranian nuclear program.
Insurers agree to fix gap in sick kids’ coverage: (NBC) After battling President Barack Obama's health care overhaul the better part of a year, the insurance industry said Monday it won't try to block his efforts to fix a potentially embarrassing glitch in the new law.
In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the industry's top lobbyist said insurers will accept new regulations to dispel uncertainty over a much-publicized guarantee that children with medical problems can get coverage starting this year.
Quick resolution of the doubts was a win for Obama — and a sign that the industry has no stomach for another war of words with a president who deftly used double-digit rate hikes by the companies to revive his sweeping health care legislation from near collapse in Congress.
"Health plans recognize the significant hardship that a family faces when they are unable to obtain coverage for a child with a pre-existing condition," Karen Ignagni, president of America's Health Insurance Plans, said in a letter to Sebelius. Ignagni said that the industry will "fully comply" with the regulations, expected within weeks...
Issue of interpretation
The problem on the issue of covering kids was that the law could also be interpreted in a more limited way.
Narrowly read, it seemed to say that if an insurance company accepts a particular child, it cannot write a policy for a child that excludes coverage for a given condition. For example, if the child has asthma, the insurer cannot exclude inhalers and respiratory care from coverage, as sometimes happens now.
But that meant the company could still turn down the child altogether.
Indeed, House and Senate staffers on two committees that wrote the legislation said last week it stopped short of an ironclad guarantee. House leaders later issued a statement saying their intent in writing the legislation was to provide full protection...
This was funny how Karl Rove can't handle the heat when it comes his way. He ran from the book signing like the cowardly cur that he is. He was scared of a woman trying to make a citizen's arrest for his war crimes. You go, girl. Works for me. This guy belongs in jail for many life times.
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