Roger's Ruminations

Pakistan rape reform fails after Musharraf caves in

2006-09-13T14:25:00.000-05:00

n a setback for women's rights in Pakistan, the ruling party in Islamabad has caved in to religious conservatives by dropping its plans to reform rape laws.
Statutes known as the Hudood ordinances, based on sharia law, currently operate in Pakistan. They require a female rape victim to produce four male witnesses to corroborate her account, or she risks facing a new charge of adultery.

More Americans Have Now Died In Iraq Than Died On 9/11

2006-09-13T10:51:00.000-05:00

While President Bush and other Republican politicians spent the day exploiting the memory of those we lost five years ago, the nation overlooked a grim milestone: More Americans have now died in Iraq than died on 9/11. Iraq didn't attack us on that day, and our misguided policy there has now taken more American lives than Al Qaeda.

Appropriate Sept. 11 tribute by our President

2006-09-12T09:02:00.000-05:00

Burning the flag: Bad
Walking on the flag: OK

Situation Called Dire in West Iraq

2006-09-11T18:27:00.000-05:00

The chief of intelligence for the Marine Corps in Iraq recently filed an unusual secret report concluding that the prospects for securing that country's western Anbar province are dim and that there is almost nothing the U.S. military can do to improve the political and social situation there, said several military officers and intelligence officials familiar with its contents.

Helium Shortage Could Be a Party Pooper

2006-09-11T18:15:00.000-05:00

The world's supply of helium has taken a hit because of delays in getting plants on line, U.S. officials say. Suppliers of the lighter-than-air gas have raised prices, and some party-supply stores have had to cut back on their balloon business.

One Million Ways to Die

2006-09-11T16:21:00.000-05:00

Your appendix is more likely to kill you than al-Qaida is.

Brain and Body Shrink Before Alzheimer's Sets In

2006-09-11T16:02:00.000-05:00

The body, and not the mind, might be the first thing to go in people with Alzheimer's and related dementias.

New studies show that brain tissue and body weight are lost before memories begin fading in elderly people who go on to have the diseases. The findings could lead to new types of early-warning tests for dementia before the diseases cause lasting damage.

Girl Shortage Could Cause Rise in Crime

2006-09-11T09:59:00.000-05:00

Thank heaven for little girls, for without them, little boys would turn to lives of crime.

In a recent review paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of British and Chinese researchers argue that sex selection in countries like China and India may have already set the stage for national crises by creating a surplus of men and a shortage of women.

How Bacteria Nearly Destroyed All Life

2006-09-11T09:55:00.000-05:00

About two and one-half billion years ago, life on Earth was still in its infancy. Complex organisms such as plants and animals had not yet appeared, but the planet was teeming with microscopic bacteria which thrived in the temperate and nutrient-rich environment. Greenhouse methane lingered in the atmosphere and trapped the sun's warmth, creating a climate very accommodating to the stew of microbes life that made their home on primitive Earth.

TV footage and web archives from 9/11/2001

2006-09-11T09:31:00.000-05:00

TV footage and web archives from 9/11/2001

Rumsfeld Forbade Planning For Postwar Iraq

2006-09-10T21:55:00.000-05:00

Long before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld forbade military strategists to develop plans for securing a postwar Iraq, the retiring commander of the Army Transportation Corps said.

Brig. Gen. Mark E. Scheid told the Newport News Daily Press in an interview published yesterday that Rumsfeld had said "he would fire the next person" who talked about the need for a postwar plan.

Ten Big News Stories You Aren't Hearing

2006-09-10T21:52:00.000-05:00

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- The San Francisco Bay Guardian newspaper has printed a list of stories we in the media seem to have largely ignored over the past year. The story is gleaned from an annual list developed by Project Censored, a media research group out of Sonoma State University that tracks the news published in independent journals and newsletters.

Is the U.S. Winning This War?

2006-09-10T21:41:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON — Five years after Sept. 11, is the United States winning the war against Al Qaeda? President Bush says yes, but most experts — including many inside the U.S. government — say no.

Tora Bora: Bush Lets bin Laden Go

2006-09-10T21:37:00.000-05:00

Hot on bin Laden's trail, when his basic whereabouts were still known, and just months after bin Laden engineered the most devestating foreign attack on American soil in our history, the President gives up the chase to fight a bogeyman in Iraq who had absolutely nothing to do with the attacks. The basic reality of the situation was that George W. Bush just wasn't all that interested in seeing bin Laden brought to justice, either in December 2001, or a few months later when he shifted focus to Iraq.

The Day Nothing much Changed

2006-09-10T21:29:00.000-05:00

We were told the world would never be the same. But did 9/11 actually alter the state of global affairs? For all the sound and fury, the world looks much like it did on September 10.

If You Want My Advice . . .

2006-09-10T21:20:00.000-05:00

Here are some tips for navigating the exciting journey that lies ahead.

10 Reasons To Drink More Water

2006-09-10T21:15:00.000-05:00

Here are 10 reasons why drinking water is good for you and why you should make drinking water part of your daily routine.

Saudi religious cops ban dog, cat sales

2006-09-09T12:32:00.000-05:00

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia's religious police, normally tasked with chiding women to cover themselves and ensuring men attend mosque prayers, are turning to a new target: cats and dogs.

The police have issued a decree banning the sale of the pets, seen as a sign of Western influence.

Physical washing may help clean your conscience

2006-09-08T04:47:00.000-05:00

It appears that an element of Lady Macbeth may reside in most of us. The metaphorical desire to wash away one’s sins is not just wishful thinking but evidence of an innate psychological association between moral and physical cleanliness, according to a new study.

Telephone telepathy

2006-09-05T21:35:00.000-05:00

NORWICH (Reuters) - Many people have experienced the phenomenon of receiving a telephone call from someone shortly after thinking about them -- now a scientist says he has proof of what he calls telephone telepathy.

Things You Have to Believe to be a Republican Today

2006-09-02T15:13:00.000-05:00

Things You Have to Believe to be a Republican Today

Same song, nth verse

2006-08-29T14:02:00.000-05:00

Conservatives have been mad at the Supreme Court since it decided to desegregate the schools in 1954 and have seen fit to blame the federal bench for everything that has happened since then that they don't like.

Jim Chessher 1954 ~ 2006

2006-08-16T11:48:00.000-05:00

A damned fine brother.

Six Lessons from the London Airline Bombing Plot

2006-08-13T11:50:00.000-05:00

The foiled bomb plot in the UK offers us and the Bush administration some pointers about the true nature of terrorism and its causes.

The land of the free?

2006-08-13T11:43:00.000-05:00

You can say what you like in the US, just as long as you don't ask awkward questions about America's role in the Middle East.