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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryTimes Square confetti to contain New Year's wishes
NEW YORK (AP) -- Messages and wishes for the new year from people around the world will float down on the New Year's Eve revelers in Times Square when the confetti is dropped. Happy New Year!
The WorldPakistan to delay vote by at least four weeks: officials
ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan's elections will be delayed by at least four weeks due to mass unrest after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, a cabinet official told AFP.
Opposition Parties Vow to Proceed With Jan. 8 Election
Pakistan’s largest political party picked Benazir Bhutto’s 19-year-old son to succeed her as chairman and vowed to forge ahead with elections next week.
2 killed in Iraq roadside bomb
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb targeting a patrol near the Iranian border killed two Iraqi soldiers Monday and injured another four, police said, as 2007 neared its end with the country having witnessed a decline in overall violence.
Iraqi tribe calls on bin Laden to end attacks on civilians
Baghdad - An Iraqi US-backed tribal council on Sunday called on the leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist network Osama bin Laden to order a halt to attacks on Iraqi civilians, according to media reports.
Israel: No peace until militants stopped
JERUSALEM - Furious over the killing of two Israelis hiking in the West Bank, Israel's prime minister said Sunday that no peace will come until Palestinians crack down on militants, a declaration that clouds a coming visit by President Bush.
Iran nuclear plant to start in summer 2008
Iran on Sunday insisted its first nuclear power station would be launched in the summer of 2008, despite the plant's Russian constructors saying it will not go on line until the end of the year.
25 police, soldiers killed in Afghanistan: officials
KABUL (AFP) - Twenty-five policemen and soldiers have been killed across insurgency-hit Afghanistan in fresh -- mainly Taliban-linked -- violence, authorities said.
Pope's exorcist squads will wage war on Satan
The Pope has ordered his bishops to set up exorcism squads to tackle the rise of Satanism. Vatican chiefs are concerned at what they see as an increased interest in the occult. They have introduced courses for priests to combat what they call the most extreme form of "Godlessness." Each bishop is to be told to have in his diocese a number of priests trained to fight demonic possession. The Nation2007 deadliest for US troops in Iraq
BAGHDAD - The second half of 2007 saw violence drop dramatically in Iraq, but the progress came at a high price: The year was the deadliest for the U.S. military since the 2003 invasion, with 899 troops killed.
Voter ID law heads to Supreme Court
WASHINGTON - The dispute over Indiana's voter identification law that is headed to the Supreme Court next week is as much a partisan political drama as a legal tussle.
PROJECTION FROM THE FEVER SWAMP.... (by Kevin Drum at Political Animal, The Washington Monthly)
Andrew Sullivan posted this email from a Republican reader today: “A party that is as motivated by revanchist impulse as today's Democratic Party cannot bring itself to transcend its anger. That is why Hillary will survive the Obama insurgency…” Whatever else you think about the Clinton vs. Obama question, this is almost certainly wrong. Among the activist liberal base … support is way stronger for both Obama and John Edwards than for Hillary Clinton… Conversely, Hillary is the choice of much of the party leadership as well as much of the rank and file, including women, blue collar workers, and moderates who believe (fairly or not) that Obama simply isn't experienced enough.
New Hampshire Race Tightens as Edwards Surges (Political Wire)
A new American Research Group poll in New Hampshire finds the Democratic presidential race tightening and the Republican race deadlocked. Among Democrats, Sen. Hillary Clinton leads with 31% followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 27% and John Edwards at 21%. The poll has a margin of error of 4 points. Key finding: Clinton has dropped 7 points in two weeks while Edwards has gained 6 points and Obama has gained 3 points.
Edwards surges, Huckabee's bubble bursts
DES MOINES, Iowa — John Edwards has clawed his way into contention to win Iowa's caucuses on Thursday in the first vote for the Democratic presidential nomination, gaining strength even as rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have lost ground, according to a new McClatchy-MSNBC poll. At the same time, Mitt Romney has regained the lead among Iowa Republicans as Mike Huckabee has lost momentum and support, even among the evangelical Christians who had propelled him into the top spot just weeks ago.
Edwards Pledges Ban on Lobbyists
WASHINGTON, Iowa – John Edwards vowed Saturday that corporate lobbyists would not be allowed to work in his administration, if elected. “When I am president of the United States, no corporate lobbyists or anyone who has lobbied for a foreign government will work in my White House,” Mr. Edwards said, speaking at a public library.
Lobbyists on Obama’s ’08 payroll
Three political aides on Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) payroll were registered lobbyists for dozens of corporations, including Wal-Mart, British Petroleum and Lockheed Martin, while they received payments from his campaign, according to public documents. The presence of political operatives with long client lists on Obama’s campaign contrasts with his long-held stand of campaigning against the influence of special interests. Obama has even refused to accept contributions from lobbyists or political action committees (PACs).
Free to choose — at a price? (by Paul Krugman)
I didn’t watch Russert — I almost never do — but apparently Barack Obama has just floated the idea of imposing some penalty on people who fail to sign up for health insurance. If he’s serious, and the penalty is sufficient to deter free riding, great. I don’t care what you call the measure that makes universal health care work, as long as it gets the job done.
Shake, Rattle and Roil the Grand Ol’ Coalition
(Mike Huckabee’s) success is setting off a debate in his party over whether his success marks the fading of the old Reaganite conservative coalition — social conservatives, antitax activists and advocates of a muscular defense — or, rather, offers a chance for its rejuvenation.
Cadre of Lobbyists Backs McCain
Known for campaign finance reform, presidential candidate finds himself courting wealthy donors.
Romney team approved Planned Parenthood loan (by Chris in Paris at AMERICAblog)
His liberal record went right up until his final days in office as governor. Despite what he has said since leaving office, he was always there, ready to help out to keep abortions safe and legal. His new claim is that he would have blocked it if he had the chance. Of course, Mitt. Of course you would have done that. If only the track record didn't get in the way of facts.
Huckabee Signed 'USA Today' Ad Backing Idea of Wife as 'Servant'
WASHINGTON Mike Huckabee, a Republican relying on support from religious conservatives in Thursday's hard-fought presidential caucuses, on Sunday stood by a decade-old comment in which he said, "I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ." MediaPermanent link to MTA daily media news
Bipartisan Zombies (by digby)
(Sunday) we (had) none other than the centrist drivel king, David Broder, reporting that a group of useless meddlers, most of whom who were last seen repeatedly stabbing Bill Clinton in the back, are rising from their crypts to demand that the candidates all promise to appoint a "unity" government and govern from the … center --- or else they will back an independent Bloomberg bid… Isn't it funny that these people were nowhere to be found when George W. Bush seized office under the most dubious terms in history, having been appointed by a partisan supreme court majority and losing the popular vote?...We can wish for conciliation all we want, but unless the Democrats can do it without any cooperation from the Republicans, it will be just another game of Charlie Brown and the football.
Your Daily Digby: Bipartisan Zombies (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
(See Digby’s comments above.) Matt Stoller has a great post up: Here’s Your Bipartisanship, America. As Chris Bowers and Matthew Yglesias among many others have pointed out, what this bipartisanship is really about is undermining the public’s ability to participate in policy-making. Partisanship in other words would mean a progressive country responsive to the public, and bipartisanship means an authoritarian country where the public is cut out.
Click through for links. Krugman weighs in below.—Caro
AWWMNUUBM (by Paul Krugman)
That’s Aging Wealthy White Men for National Unity Under Billionaire Media Moguls. I like it. Seriously, why does anyone think this makes sense? I read a lot of polls, and they suggest that the center of public opinion on the issues is, if anything, left of the center of the Democratic Party. This seems to be a solution in search of a problem.
The Great Divide (by Paul Krugman)
Yesterday The Times published a highly informative chart laying out the positions of the presidential candidates on major issues. It was, I’d argue, a useful reality check for those who believe that the next president can somehow usher in a new era of bipartisan cooperation. For what the chart made clear was the extent to which Democrats and Republicans live in separate moral and intellectual universes.
The chart is here, and it’s a very useful link to send to people who want to know how ALL the candidates stand on the most important issues.—Caro
Kenneth Starr: Open to the public (by Jim Newton, Los Angeles Times)
To meet Kenneth Starr is to question the anger of his most partisan critics and the ardor of his most ideological admirers. As few have forgotten, Starr's pursuit of President Clinton endeared him to Clinton's enemies but also made him, for some, a modern Inspector Javert… And yet, here Starr is, atop the law school at Pepperdine University, cheerfully imagining a culture of engaged and conscientious young lawyers, wistfully harking to a time when the nation was less divided and acrimonious.
Kenneth Starr wrote the book on divisiveness and acrimony, and now he’s worried about the situation he worked so diligently to create? This man should never get a pass on what he did in pursuit of President Clinton. Not ever.—Caro
Don't Cry For Me Iowa Caucus (by digby)
“I always thought the problem with Hillary was, her notion of government was, ‘I am Evita, I am the one who gives gifts to the little people and then they come and bring me flowers and they worship at me because I am the great Evita. And I give things to people. I give them universal health care; I give them an energy program. I give gifts to the little people.’”… If you guessed (the speaker to be) delusional gasbag Chris Matthews of the new “liberal MSNBC,” talking with his “liberal MSNBC” colleague Joe Scarborough, you'd be right. Thank goodness we have salt-o-the-earth, regular-Joe multimillionaire TV celebrities speaking out on behalf of us "little people" who resent elites thinking they're better than us.
Noonan defines ‘reasonable’ (by Steve Benen at Crooks and Liars)
The WSJ’s Peggy Noonan (argued Saturday) that her top characteristic when evaluating presidential candidates is “reasonableness.”… Here’s her take on the former senator from North Carolina: “John Edwards is not reasonable. All the Democrats would raise taxes as president, but Mr. Edwards’s populism is the worst of both worlds, both intemperate and insincere. Also we can’t have a president who spent two minutes on YouTube staring in a mirror and poofing his hair. Really, we just can’t.”… Noonan’s looking for a candidate with a “prudent understanding of the world.” I’m looking for a columnist with the same attribute.
This Week: Edwards Scares The Punditocracy… (by Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars)
…otherwise, why would they spend so much time trying so hard to dismiss him?... (A)s the discussion moved to the upcoming Iowa primary and whose message was resonating most, again, Edwards’ message of populism was brought up. David Brooks immediately pulls a Noonan and discounts how “tough” Edwards can be, and George Will then subverts the whole definition of populism to pull as many conservative scare tactics as possible… Why does George & Co. feel the need to dismiss Edwards? Could it be that in head-to-head match ups, Edwards is the candidate who fares the best?
Click through to watch the video.—Caro
Obama’s Health Care Ads Fail Scrutiny and Honesty Tests (by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
Obama’s new health care commercial, running in Iowa, “misrepresents some newspaper assessments of the Illinois Democrat’s proposal,” reveals a careful analysis in the WaPo, “Incomplete Picture in New Obama Health Care Ad.”… Worse, Obama has resorted to robocalling with an ethically iffy, factually dishonest script.
Paul: Fox News is 'scared of me'
PLAISTOW, N.H. -- Ron Paul said the decision to exclude him from a debate on Fox News Sunday the weekend before the New Hampshire Primary is proof that the network "is scared" of him. "They are scared of me and don't want my message to get out, but it will," Paul said in an interview at a diner here. "They are propagandists for this war and I challenge them on the notion that they are conservative."
WorldNutDaily is reporting that the debate in question has been canceled, and in fact was canceled several weeks ago.—Caro
David Shuster smacks The Scar over his trying to pump “Bush’s foreign policy” as successful (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
The Scar says that Republicans are suddenly very pleased with George Bush’s performance as the Decider including his….cough…cough….foreign policy. David Shuster wouldn’t let him get off with painting a bright and shiny picture of the Bush Doctrine ... “Joe, I don’t even know where to begin….If the US had taken care of business in Afghanistan along the Pakistan border, had taken care of al-Qaeda, had sent 150,000 troops there instead of to Iraq which had nothing to so with the al-Qaeda attacks on 9/11, then al-Qaeda and the Taliban, they wouldn’t have the influence, the destabilizing influence they have over Pakistan today.”
Click through to watch the video.—Caro
Kristol: The New York Times ‘Should Be Prosecuted,’ ‘It Isn’t A First-Rate Newspaper’ (Think Progress)
For years, Bill Kristol has been at the forefront of a vitriolic right-wing crusade against the New York Times. Sadly, the Times has chosen to reward him for it. After the New York Times in 2006 disclosed a secret Bush administration program to monitor international banking transactions, right-wing pundit Bill Kristol said this: “I think it is an open question whether the Times itself should be prosecuted for this totally gratuitous revealing of an ongoing secret classified program that is part of the war on terror.” (Fox News, 7/2/06)
Click through for more examples of Bill Kristol’s (former?) opinion of The New York Times.—Caro Technology & ScienceAOL to End Support for Netscape Browser
Once the dominant Web browser, AOL has discontinued development and active support for the Netscape browser.
Mapmaking For The Masses: User-generated Content Can Profoundly Impact Geographic Information Systems
ScienceDaily (Dec. 31, 2007) — Websites such as Wikimapia and OpenStreetMap are empowering citizens to create a global patchwork of geographic information while Google Earth is encouraging individuals to develop appplications using their own data.
Healthy Monday: Resolutions, A Week At A Time
NEW YORK - Sobering fact: 63-percent of all New Years resolutions fail after two months. In an effort to dramatically improve upon the high number of failed New Year's resolutions, the Healthy Monday initiative, an organization that dedicates Monday as a day to increasing health awareness and action, suggests a unique New Year's idea to all Americans.
New Research Promises Personalized Dietary Guidelines
ScienceDaily (Dec. 31, 2007) — Better diets for fighting diabetes, obesity and heart disease may soon be only a finger-prick away. By analyzing the unique metabolic changes in an individual's body, researchers hope to develop more personalized dietary guidelines for improving health, according to an article scheduled for the Dec. 10 issue of Chemical & Engineering News.
Overeating And Obesity Triggered By Lack Of One Gene
ScienceDaily (Dec. 31, 2007) — According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, close to one-third of the population in the United States is obese and another third is overweight. Excessive weight gain is elicited by alterations in energy balance, the finely modulated equilibrium between caloric intake and expenditure. But what are the factors that determine how much food is consumed?
Which Intervention Would Do The Most To Improve The Health Of The Extreme Poor?
ScienceDaily (Dec. 31, 2007) — For PLoS Medicine's special issue on poverty and health, the journal asked thirty commentators, including some of the world's most respected global health experts, to name the one intervention that would improve the health of those living on less than $1 a day. The collected responses--from health researchers and activists, journalists, academics, and communities living in poverty--highlight effective, low tech, and remarkably cheap ways to make a profound difference to the lives of the poorest people on the planet.
SKoreans claim to create cloned pigs through stem cells
SEOUL (AFP) - South Korean scientists said Thursday that they had developed a more efficient way to produce cloned pigs suitable for organ transplants for humans.
Beer brewed long ago by Native Americans
Ancient Pueblo Indians brewed their own brand of corn beer, a new study suggests, contradicting claims that they remained dry until their first meeting with the Europeans.
Chance of Asteroid Hit on Mars Increases
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The chance of a football field-sized asteroid plowing into Mars next month has been increased to 4 percent, scientists said Friday after analyzing archival data. Though still a long shot, some researchers are hoping for a cosmic smash.
Jets Spiral in 'Reverse Whirlpool' from Star
Astronomers have observed for the first time a jet of matter spiraling outward from an infant star, as if a lengthy strand of curly pasta. Environment"Green" Ball To Drop At Times Square
For its 100th anniversary, the iconic Times Square New Year's Eve ball is being decked out in a new style; green. The old bulbs have been replaced with low-energy LEDs that promise maximum sparkle, and all with less wattage than a dozen toasters.
2007 a year of weather records in U.S.
WASHINGTON - When the calendar turned to 2007, the heat went on and the weather just got weirder. January was the warmest first month on record worldwide — 1.53 degrees above normal. It was the first time since record-keeping began in 1880 that the globe's average temperature has been so far above the norm for any month of the year.
YEARENDER: US drought spans coast to coast; dancing for rain
Leesburg, Virginia - Surveying some of the 3,240 hectares he farms in a semi-rural area outside Washington, Chris Tranchitella looks out on empty fields that produced a harvest much lower than he had hoped.
Rain saves Atlanta from drought record
ATLANTA - This year was almost one for the record books, but then it rained. A lot.
Chicken manure fuels German biogas plant
Berlin - A biogas plant fueled largely by chicken manure was launched at a poultry farm south of Berlin on Friday.
Solar energy 'revolution' brings green power closer
Thousands of mass-produced wafer-thin solar cells rolled off production line in California
Hypercar: The car that pays you to drive it
The car of the future is not only going to come standard with a hybrid powered engine; rather, the whole concept of a car from the ground up will be an entirely redeveloped mobility machine… It can actually pay you to drive the car, imagine receiving a check at the end of each month just for driving a smart vehicle. The performance is poised to match current automobiles through comparable saftety, amenities and affordability.
Colombian ethanol fuel programme has Indian roots
Bogota, Dec 30 - Colombia's flourishing green fuel programme, which is set to become even greener, has Indian roots. Pune-based Praj Industries has outfitted all the five sugar mills that produce the country's ethanol that is then blended with gasoline. For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com.
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