Category: News

Shiite Faction Ready to Shun Sunday's Election in Iraq. A radical cleric's refusal to endorse the election foreshadowed a less than overwhelming voter turnout in Iraq. By DEXTER FILKINS. [NYT > Home Page]

Bill Lind is working on a 4GW manual that he post online. Hope he puts it into a Wiki and uses weblogs for project teams. If he doesn't know how to do this, he should ask me. Once it gets close to final form, it should be packaged as a PDF for easy printing and… Continue reading Bill Lind

Time running out for Earth. GLOBAL warming could reach “the point of no return” in as little as ten years, and urgent action is needed now before it is too late, an international task force of politicians, business leaders and academics has warned. [The Scotsman]

Late night's Carson dead at 79. Johnny Carson, whose three decades as host of “The Tonight Show” made him America's most-watched comedian and favorite excuse for staying up past its bedtime, died yesterday at his Malibu home. He was 79. The cause of death was emphysema. [Boston Globe — Front Page]

Lind on to the decline of the state and the rise of global disorder. My note: Moral decay/discord is radically catalyzed by systems sabotage. Most significantly, if we look at the larger world, we see ever more states coming unglued, which is the root phenomenon of Fourth Generation war. The Saudi regime is in trouble,… Continue reading Lind

I am not sure why most people were surprised by Bush’s inaugural speech. It contains the essence of what swept the Republicans to power, and what will keep them there. What is it? It is the last gasp of the idea of a “nation” — a people with a common beliefs, origin, and history. Bush… Continue reading Bush’s inaugural speech

Money to Fix Space Telescope May Be Cut by White House. A service mission to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope could be jeopardized by a White House plan to cut NASA's budget. By WARREN E. LEARY. [NYT > Technology]

Most cities and towns see property tax hike. Homeowners' property taxes in the vast majority of Massachusetts cities and towns will continue their upward climb in 2005, with double-digit percentage hikes in Boston, Cambridge, Everett, and at least 40 other cities and towns, and smaller increases in Newton, Somerville, and Milton, a Globe review has… Continue reading Most cities and towns see property tax hike

Yup, that's pretty much my take on it. Eric Alterman speaks for me: What is one to say about today?To the horror of its well-wishers across the world, the United States—once the “last, best hope of mankind”—is re-inaugurating the worst president in its history; one who has exploited an attack, the success of which its… Continue reading Yup, that's pretty much my take on it

The President's Speech Focuses on Ideals, Not the Details. President Bush's speech cast his presidency as a seamless struggle in defense of the nation's founding creed: freedom. By TODD S. PURDUM. [NYT > Home Page]