The Flashlight, Oct. 13-19, 2007
THE FLASHLIGHT, October 13-19, 2007
The Woman and the Python
ABC News, 10-18. On Monday just before dawn a Brooklyn woman, Nadege Brunacci, 38, was washing her hands in her bathroom when she saw the head of a snake peering out of her toilet. She slammed down the lid of the toilet and called for help. The snake turned out to be a seven foot long python. Plumbers had to tear apart the downstairs neighbor’s pipes to capture it.
Pakistan
CNN 10-18, NYTimes 10-19. In Karachi a huge crowd gathered to welcome home, after an eight-year absence, Benazir Bhutto, a woman politician trained in the US and UK (Harvard and Oxford) and an ally of the US. Her favorable rating is 63%, double that of President Pervez Musharraf. They have formed an alliance, giving her the post of Prime Minister while he retains the Presidency. Unfortunately, jihadists launched multiple attacks in the crowd in the form of two explosions, killing 136 and wounding hundreds more. Ms. Bhutto, unhurt, reached the safety of her fortified home in the city.
France
NYTimes 10-19. French President Nicholas Sarkozy announced the end of his eleven-year second marriage. On the same day public sector employees declared a national strike. Power was cut off even in the presidential residence in Versailles.
Religion International
Vatican Sex Scandal
Guardian 10-15. A young man carrying hidden audio and visual equipment recorded a Vatican official, Msgr. Thomas Stenico, 60, inviting him to engage in sado-masochistic sex. The official expressed disappointment that the youth “did not fancy him.”
Dalai Lama Award
PBS 10-17. The US Congress awarded a gold medal to the Dalai Lama, 72, in Washington. The government of China expressed outrage because it regarded the Dalai Lama as a “divider” seeking to separate Tibet from China.
The United States
Attitudes toward Iran
NY Times 10-18. Pres. Bush warned that if Iran obtains nuclear arms it could lead to World War III.
The day before, Gen. John Abizaid, retired, said “There are ways to live with a nuclear Iran.”
This week Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iran and said “there is no evidence” that Iran is trying to acquire nuclear weapons.
Cancer
PBS 10-15. Most rates of death from cancer have declined: this is true of prostate, lung, breast and colorectal caner. Only liver cancer death rates are up. Earlier detection and treatment are responsible for the improvements. However, the aging of the population is expected to push up cancer death rates again.
Politics
CNN 10-18. According to a new Reuters-Zogby Poll, the favorability rating of Pres. Bush is 24%. That of Congress is “lower.”
PBS, CNN 10-18. Sec. of Defense Gates says approval of the Armenian Genocide bill might involve reparations [to the Armenians from Turkey] and even border changes [between Armenia and Turkey]. He opposed its passage
NYTimes 10-19. David Brooks recommended Gov. Mike Huckabee, R, for President. He is likeable, a former Baptist minister but not at war with mainstream US culture, in tune with the white working class, and a successful governor who worked well with a 90% Democratic legislature.
The Arctic
NYTimes 10-19. The US Coast Guard is planning its first operating base in the Arctic at Barrow, Alaska. It will deal with ships plying the increasingly ice-free waters of the long desired Northwest Passage. This passages cuts 5,000 miles off the trip between Western Europe and East Asia, which now requires going through the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal. Initially the base would have a helicopter and some small boats.
The Woman and the Python
ABC News, 10-18. On Monday just before dawn a Brooklyn woman, Nadege Brunacci, 38, was washing her hands in her bathroom when she saw the head of a snake peering out of her toilet. She slammed down the lid of the toilet and called for help. The snake turned out to be a seven foot long python. Plumbers had to tear apart the downstairs neighbor’s pipes to capture it.
Pakistan
CNN 10-18, NYTimes 10-19. In Karachi a huge crowd gathered to welcome home, after an eight-year absence, Benazir Bhutto, a woman politician trained in the US and UK (Harvard and Oxford) and an ally of the US. Her favorable rating is 63%, double that of President Pervez Musharraf. They have formed an alliance, giving her the post of Prime Minister while he retains the Presidency. Unfortunately, jihadists launched multiple attacks in the crowd in the form of two explosions, killing 136 and wounding hundreds more. Ms. Bhutto, unhurt, reached the safety of her fortified home in the city.
France
NYTimes 10-19. French President Nicholas Sarkozy announced the end of his eleven-year second marriage. On the same day public sector employees declared a national strike. Power was cut off even in the presidential residence in Versailles.
Religion International
Vatican Sex Scandal
Guardian 10-15. A young man carrying hidden audio and visual equipment recorded a Vatican official, Msgr. Thomas Stenico, 60, inviting him to engage in sado-masochistic sex. The official expressed disappointment that the youth “did not fancy him.”
Dalai Lama Award
PBS 10-17. The US Congress awarded a gold medal to the Dalai Lama, 72, in Washington. The government of China expressed outrage because it regarded the Dalai Lama as a “divider” seeking to separate Tibet from China.
The United States
Attitudes toward Iran
NY Times 10-18. Pres. Bush warned that if Iran obtains nuclear arms it could lead to World War III.
The day before, Gen. John Abizaid, retired, said “There are ways to live with a nuclear Iran.”
This week Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iran and said “there is no evidence” that Iran is trying to acquire nuclear weapons.
Cancer
PBS 10-15. Most rates of death from cancer have declined: this is true of prostate, lung, breast and colorectal caner. Only liver cancer death rates are up. Earlier detection and treatment are responsible for the improvements. However, the aging of the population is expected to push up cancer death rates again.
Politics
CNN 10-18. According to a new Reuters-Zogby Poll, the favorability rating of Pres. Bush is 24%. That of Congress is “lower.”
PBS, CNN 10-18. Sec. of Defense Gates says approval of the Armenian Genocide bill might involve reparations [to the Armenians from Turkey] and even border changes [between Armenia and Turkey]. He opposed its passage
NYTimes 10-19. David Brooks recommended Gov. Mike Huckabee, R, for President. He is likeable, a former Baptist minister but not at war with mainstream US culture, in tune with the white working class, and a successful governor who worked well with a 90% Democratic legislature.
The Arctic
NYTimes 10-19. The US Coast Guard is planning its first operating base in the Arctic at Barrow, Alaska. It will deal with ships plying the increasingly ice-free waters of the long desired Northwest Passage. This passages cuts 5,000 miles off the trip between Western Europe and East Asia, which now requires going through the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal. Initially the base would have a helicopter and some small boats.
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