12-31-08
- "Auld Lang Syne" - Aretha Franklin & Billy Preston (youtube)
- Researchers unlock secrets of 1918 flu pandemic - a group of three genes that lets the virus invade the lungs and cause pneumonia (reuters). Four licensed drugs can fight flu but the viruses regularly mutate into resistant forms -- just as bacteria evolve into forms that evade antibiotics.
- Pueblo, Colorado smoking ban lowers heart attacks by 41% (reuters)
- Episcopal Church Splits Over Gay Equality (thenation). Enough already! This has been going on for years. Get on with the split and get on with life. Let the knuckle draggers join Chief Knuckle Dragger Peter Akinola (nothing racial implied) of Nigeria and wallow joyously in their hate and self-righteousness. Let those left behind breathe deeply a little fresh air for once without their departed brethren.
- Project Censored's # 2 story for 2009: Security and Prosperity Partnership: Militarized NAFTA (projectcensored). The Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP)—headquartered in Washington—aims to integrate the three nations into a single political, economic, and security bloc. This is the North American Union (NAU) that is being set up with little media coverage and no public debate. Some opponents fear the three nations could eventually be folded together similarly to the European Union, with a common currency, the Amero. Ron Paul has advanced this scenario (youtube). Obama denies it is happening (youtube). Will the US be forced into this marriage by Bush's profligacy, driving the value of the dollar so low the people have no recourse but to accept the change? With eight years to go, will Obama be the usher?
- New Year spectacular in Sydney (guardian.co.uk)
- So Help Me God: Northern California Atheist Targets Inauguration (msnbc) (politicalticker). California plaintiff wants equality for all by getting religious mythology out of The People's inauguration ceremony. Sam Harris eloquently articulates his case for not being a theist (video.google 1hr10min). Atheist comedian Pat Condell sounds off (youtube 6min).
- No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in ‘Passive Houses (nyt)
- Israel rejects 48-Hour Cease-Fire Plan (guardian.co.uk), Ah, so many Palestinians yet to murder, so little time. 390 Palestinians dead since Saturday. Oh, but I guess they were all militant rocketeers, right? Wrong, falling bombs don't discriminate. - Israel prohibits Palestinian students from studying either in the West Bank or abroad, then bombs Gaza's leading university (counterpunch). Presidents of American colleges and universities remain notably silent. - Israel's War Crimes (thenation). The Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip represent severe and massive violations of international humanitarian law as defined in the Geneva Conventions - Cynthia McKinney to Obama: “Say Something” About Gaza Humanitarian Crisis (blackagendareport) Israel has a history of very short wars. Maybe if Obama waits a few more days, the murdering will be finished -- for now. It just wouldn't do to say anything that might upset our companion Israel. Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy (democracynow on youtube). Jimmy Carter pounds Israel on Palestinian apartheid (youtube)
- The Sky in Motion (apod video) Position cursor over image, right-click the start-pause button to enlarge it to full-screen or to later reduce it.
