Opinion

The US attacked another target in Pakistan today, but no one in the US is debating the costs and benefits of such attacks. Context of the story: Why is this important? Incidents such as this make it clear that there are benefits to attacking targets in Pakistan, but no one in the US is actually … Read more

Bush rushes through ‘harmful’ environment laws Fungus makes pseudo-biofuel from cellulose or sugar Sri Lankan army chief says war nearly complete Colombia army chief resigns amid scandal Science: mental filters are very important How disease can wipe out an entire species Ants have a simple solution to traffic congestion Guantanamo detainees deny they planned to … Read more

This commentary points out that a scientific study showing a correlation between rainfall and autism was incorrectly reported in some main stream media as showing that rainfall causes autism. The author suggests MSM should be be more discriminating. Context of the story: Why is this important? Science can be difficult to report especially by non-scientific … Read more

Israeli planes attacked targets in Hamas-controlled Gaza today. According to the Israeli army, the attack was to destroy a tunnel dug from Gaza. Context of the story: Why is this important? Israel and Hamas reached a truce in June and violence decreased dramatically. The peace is fragile, however. Who is involved? The Israeli army. Hamas, … Read more

Scientists have created healthy mice from mice that had been dead for 16 years and frozen. This technique could be applied to help endangered species or even to revive extinct species. Context of the story: Why is this important? First, the frozen cells were not frozen with a special method–so it suggests that most frozen … Read more

A study of US senators and representatives suggests that politicians generally keep their campaign promises. Context of the story: Why is this important? People often base their vote on the policy proposals of candidates. Who is involved? Tracy Sulkin, a political scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studied 475 congresspeople. What can you … Read more

15,000 Russians protest in Moscow–accusing the US of policies and actions that “cause a significant number of deaths of innocent people.” Context of the story: Why is this important? Russia is a developing economy with significant oil reserves. It has a massive nuclear arsenal and a sophisticated military. And Russia’s relationship with the US has … Read more

BMW has produced a model car called GINA with flexible skin and lighter materials–it might even take less time and energy to manufacture. Context of the story: Why is this important? Development of this car demonstrates how radical thinking can lead to big improvements, especially in science. Who is involved? BMW, a German car manufacturer. … Read more

“Bolivian President Evo Morales said Saturday that he was suspending the work of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Bolivia and that the government will take control of its activities in the war on drugs.”

“A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to produce White House memos that provide the legal basis for the Bush administration’s post-Sept. 11 warrantless wiretapping program.”