The Flashlight Feb. 16-23, 2007

THE FLASHLIGHT, Feb. 16 -23, 2007
Iraq

NY Times 2-19. With the use of the latest oil and gas searching technologies, vast new oil and gas deposits have been discovered in Central Iraq (in Anbar and Ninewah Provinces), which are inhabited mainly by Sunnis. This makes the possible partition of Iraq more viable, since Sunnis no longer would have to rely on shared fossil fuel wealth from other parts of Iraq.

NY Times 2-21. The British government announced the first installment of a phased withdrawal of their troops from Iraq. Other coalition countries – Denmark, Lithuania, and South Korea – are also withdrawing their forces.

Global Warming

Guardian, 2 – 19. World climatologists are preparing a report, to be released in April, that says that global warming is more rapid than previously thought, and that sea levels are expected to rise from four to six meters in the near future on account of melting of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets. This will swamp lowlands like the Netherlands and Bangladesh, and flood New York, London, Tokyo and many other port cities. Great sums of money will be required to relocate population and infrastructure from the areas under water. Scientists say that it may be too late to prevent this.

Science: The Biology of Genius

Guardian 2 -21. Scientists have made headway in finding what distinguishes the brain of highly intelligent human beings. Einstein died in 1955 and his brain was immediately drenched with preservatives. It was the same size as the average human brain. In the early 1980’s Prof. Marian C. Diamond began to study it, comparing it with the brains of eleven dead doctors. She found that the only distinguishing anatomical characteristic of Einstein’s brain was a high proportion of glial cells to neurons.

Recently a group of scientists, led by Andrea Volterra, found a previous unknown role for glial cells. (See current issue of Nature Neuroscience). They provide energy for neural circuits and help build connections. This was important in the left interior parietal area of the association cortex, which is responsible for incorporating and synthesizing information from many other brain regions..

Animal studies have shown that as one moves from invertebrates to other animals, to primates, intelligence increases and so does the ratio of glial cells to neurons.

[These findings support the theory of Stephen Mithin, The Prehistory of the Mind, 1996, that around 40-30,000 b.c.e. in Europe there was a sudden increase in the integration of the mind which made possible the first religion, art, and many new technologies. Such integration could have occurred because of a genetic-based increase in the ratio of glial cells to neurons.]

The Flashlight Feb. 10-16, 2007

THE FLASHLIGHT, February 10-16, 2007

The Wellbeing of the Young in Europe and the US

NY Times 2-13. A UNICEF report on the well-being of children and adolescents in 21 economically advanced countries, found that the best countries for the young were, in order: The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Spain,
Switzerland, and Norway. The worst country was the UK, and the next to the worst, the US. The US scored average on economic well-being, but very low on health and safety, family and peer relationships, and dangerous and risky behavior (use of drugs, alcohol and unsafe sex). .

US Women

NY Times 2-10. For the first time in its beginning in 1636, Harvard has selected a woman as president. She is the historian Drew Gilpin Faust, 59, current dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Born in an upper class Virginia family, she worked in the field of Civil War southern society. This appointment is a landmark in the struggle of women for advancement in the academic world.

US and Iraq War

CNN. 2-16. The House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution against the escalation of the war in Iraq by a vote of 246-182. Seventeen Republicans voted with the Democrats. Tomorrow the Senate will debate a similar resolution, which will detain senators for the weekend. Meanwhile, four state legislatures have approved similar resolutions: California, Iowa, Vermont, and Maryland; and 19 other states are considering them.
Speaker Pelosi has said that the President has no authority from Congress to
attack Iran.
Washington Post 2-16. Speaker Pelosi and Rep. John Murtha are rewriting the President’s request for funding the war by setting strict standards for the training, equiping, and rest for soldiers sent to Iraq. This tactic could curtain troop deployments and alter the course of US policy in the war.
Senator Biden and seeking to repeal the 2002 authorization to wage war in Iraq, since there are no WMD’s and Saddam is dead. Biden would sharply narrow the remaining mission.

North Korea

NYT 2-14. North Korea has agreed to a deal with the US, China, USSR, So. Korea, and Japan, according to which North Korea will stop, seal, and ultimately disable its nuclear facilities in return for shipments of fuel oil. North Korea will let inspectors in to check to see if there is another secret nuclear program there.
This was brought about in part because China, angered by North Korea’s nuclear test, cut off military aid and helped the US crack down on banks that financed the cognac and Mercedes lifestyle of the Kim and his men.

Turkey

Guardian 2-16. Democrats in the House are endorsing a bill to recognize the 1915 Armenian Genocide by the Turks. The Turks are no longer very valuable to the US as an ally, since they did not allow US troops transit through Turkey to Iraq or permission to use bases in Turkey in 2003. Turkey has threatened to send troops into northern Iraq against the Kurds if Congress passes the Genocide resolution. [This threat may not distress the peshmerga, Kurdish militia, who might like to take on the Turkish army.] The White House is against the genocide resolution, but probably will not be able to block it. The murder in Turkey of the Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink last month did not help the Turkish government any.

Science: Partial restoration of sight in blind patients

Guardian 2-16. Within two years it is expected that a surgical implant provided 60 pixels of vision will be available to partially restore the sight of the blind. If the visual center of the brain is intact, the brain can fill in information. The operation will take about 90 minutes and cost $30,000.

The Flashlight, Feb. 3-9, 2007

THE FLASHLIGHT, Feb. 3-9, 2007

World Climate

2-3. PBS and NY Times. In a UN report, 2600 scientists and government officials unanimously agreed that the climate is heating up, and the mean temperature will increase by 3.5 to 8% F. by 2200 as a result of the trapping of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane) in the atmosphere.
There was also an over 90% probability agreement in the data that human actions were responsible for this phenomenon, especially the practice of burning coal and oil. The findings also showed that positive feedback mechanisms enhanced this result: oceans, soils, ice, and trees were losing their ability to absorb greenhouse gases.
The US has 5% of the population of the world, and produces 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions – being the greatest single contributor. According to John P. Holden, Harvard climate and energy expert, action must be taken immediately “before intolerable consequences become inevitable.” Pres. Bush no longer denies the problem, but has so far done very little to resolve it.

The United States Government and Iraq

NYT 2-3. The latest National Intelligence Estimate report was released showing that the situation in Iraq is dire and deteriorating. It suggested three most probable outcomes: the partition of Iraq; the emergence of a Shia strongman; and widespread anarchy.

Bush asked for a budget allocation of $245 billion for use in Iraq in 2007-2008.
CNN and WPost . Bush is asking for $345 billion for use in Iraq and Afghanistan over three years.
NYT Editorial 2-7. The 2.9 trillion dollar budget is a smokescreen for making tax cuts permanent.

NYT and Guardian 2-4. In Baghdad a truck bomb caused the largest single explosion since the beginning of the war in 2003. At least 135 people died and over 300 were wounded. Most of the victims were Shia. The bomb left a crater 15 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 5 feed deep. The sound was heard all over Baghdad.

[But the Republican Senators did not hear it. They blocked a debate on the Iraq War proposed by the Democrats. The Democrats do not have the 60 votes necessary to cut off a filibuster, nor the 67 votes necessary to override a presidential veto.]

WPost 2-4. There are now two million Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries, where they are straining the resources of the inhabitants.
2-8. Seven Republican Senators are bucking White House and Republican Party pressure to prevent a debate on Iraq. They are Warner, Hagel, Collins, Snowe, Coleman, G. Smith, and Voinovich. They need an additional three Republican allies to succeed.

US Politics: the Libby Trial

PBS 2-7, Former Cheney chief of staff Scooter Libby, has admitted in court that Cheney told him about Valerie Plame being a CIA agent. Tim Russert denied that he knew anything, saying such a claim was inaccurate, implausible, and impossible. The White was trying to discredit one of its critics: all else in the case is irrelevant.

US Health Care

The need for universal health insurance coverage is now widely accepted, and plans for achieving it will play an important role in political campaigning during the next two years.
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has proposed a plan that has won the approval of liberal economist Paul Krugman of Princeton and the NYTimes. In his plan, private insurers would have to sell everyone health care at the same price, instead of cherry picking applicants. Public insurance would also be available. Since public insurance would be cheaper than private, eventually a single payer public system would develop. The system would require an increase in taxes.

Appetite Control Pills

Xenical, a prescription drug currently available, creates an aversion to excessive fat in food. It has just been made available as an over the counter drug called Alli and costs $1 - $2 dollars a day. However, a regime of diet and exercise is also necessary for success.
Today 60 million American adults, 31% of the total, are obese.

Mideast: Truce between Palestinian parties (Hamas and Fatah)

PBS 2-8, The Saudi government has succeeded in mediating a truce between warring Palestinian parties, and negotiating a national unity Palestinian government.

The US Media

On Thursday Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room of CNN at 1:00 PST spent two hours covering the sudden death of Anna Nicole Smith, who won fame as a successful gold-digger. Mr Blitzer is renowned for his calm and fairness. He seemed to have lost his balance. Why?

The Flashlight, Jan. 26 - Feb. 3, 2007

THE FLASHLIGHT, Jan. 27 – Feb. 2, 2007

Iraq

CNN 2-1. A federal oversight agency has found that despite the $108 billion dollars of US tax money budgeted for reconstruction in Iraq, Iraqi oil and electricity production are still below their pre-war levels. The agency said that waste and fraud were responsible for the failure of many projects.

US Politics

NY Times 1-27 Editorial. The Bush Administration is still obsessed with secrecy, assaulting the rule of law, and refusing to heed both expert advice and the facts on the ground. Cheney has said that whatever Congress decides about the situation in Iraq, “it won’t stop us” from continuing the war there.

Senator Dick Durbin has said that to call Cheney “delusional” is too mild. Said Durbin: “It requires an exquisite kind of lunacy to spend hundreds of billions to destroy America’s reputation in the world, to exhaust the US military, to fail too catch Osama, to enhance Iran’s power in the Middle East, and to send American troops to train and arm Iraqi forces so that they can work against American interests.”

UPI 1-27. Poll of US opinion on Iraqi oil: 32.7% of US adults said that Iraqi oil was a major factor in the decision to invade Iraq, while 40.7% said it was somewhat of a factor.

NYTimes 1-27. The State Dept. says that Israel may have violated agreements with the US when it fired American-supplied cluster bombs inside southern Lebanon last summer. Since the war 30 Lebanese civilians have died and 180 have been wounded by these tiny bombs lying around on the ground. A similar thing happened in 1982, the first time Israel invaded Lebanon.

NYTimes 1-27. Estimates of the number of peace marchers in Washington ran from tens of thousands to 400,000. The protestors included Jesse Jackson, Dennis Kucinich, and Jane Fonda, the “Iraqi veterans against war,” and “Veterans for Peace.” The march was organized by United for “Peace and Justice”, which claims to have a national organization and 71,400 local units.

Christian Science Monitor. 1-29. At Quaker-oriented Guilford College in North Carolina, a group of football players beat up three Palestinian students. This was especially surprising and shocking since the college welcomes many Palestinians from the West Bank. The case is under investigation.

Washington Post, 2-2. Democrats and Republicans. In Congress are negotiating and maneuvering to pass a bill condemning Bush’s escalation in Iraq. The problem in the Senate is to obtain the necessary votes (60) to prevent a filibuster, so there is much arm-twisting of rebellious Republican Senators..

Book Review: Norman Finkelstein, Beyond Chutzpah. University of California Press, 2005.
Using the records of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem et al. Professor Finkelstein found that the Israeli security forces routinely torture Palestinian prisoners, using many of the same methods of torture as those used at Abu Ghraib: They put prisoners in very cold rooms without food, water, toilet, or medicine for hours at a time and days at time. They also hood prisoners, sexually assault them, apply electric shock to the most sensitive parts of the body, beat all parts of the body of , etc.
In 2001, Sharon started a campaign to liquidate Palestinian resistance leaders not in Israeli custody. These men were not given a trial. They were singled out by informers and destroyed, sometimes by an Israeli helicopter shooting a missile at a moving automobile. These killings are called “pre-emptive self-defense.”