Survey: Should HIV Tests Be Given Routinely?
ATLANTA — The CDC recommended last week that HIV testing should become a routine part of office exams for all patients ages 13 to 64, irrespective of risk, without any pretest requirements. MedPage Today would like your opinion on this dramatic change in public health thinking. Survey
Separation of state liberating for religion, too | Features | The Australian
The separation of the state from religion liberates both. It preserves freedom for religion. It liberates the church from the baggage of unpopular and difficult political decision-making. It liberates the state from the religious dogma that, at times, has held back scientific progress. There are some countries today that still have established state churches. But there are no countries in the modern world that claim to be Christian theocratic states.
Edited extract from a speech delivered by federal Treasurer Peter Costello to the Australian Christian Lobby’s national conference in Canberra.
Gonna hit the Santana concert tonight at the amphitheater in West Palm Beach, so what I get done “in between” at work is what you’ll be getting today.
Don’t expect to be up early on Saturday, either. Carlito is famous for doing encores as long as his sets, and I’m not missing one screaming note!
BTW, if anyone’s interested, my 17th 12-Step anniversary was on the 14th, and my lovely wife’s is tomorrow. Thanks, everyone! (You know who you are.)
US blocking environment report: Nature
Wednesday, September 27, 2006 (Washington):
The Bush Administration is blocking release of a report suggesting that global warming may be contributing to the frequency and strength of hurricanes, the journal Nature reported. ndtv.com
Dalai Lama: Iraq War Too Costly
LONG BEACH, Calif. — The Dalai Lama said Tuesday that violence in Iraq has cost too many lives and soured his view of the U.S.-led war.
The Tibetan spiritual leader initially reserved judgment on the conflict, saying it would only become clear with time whether the invasion was a good idea.
“At the early stage I felt, and also I expressed, ‘Too early to say, to judge.’ But now, things not very positive,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Now in Iraq — too many killings.”
To restore relations between the Muslim world and the West, he said, both sides should get to know each other.
“Close contact creates clear understanding,” he said. “Then suspicion, fear may not find much room. Even some disagreement doesn’t matter.” … foxnews.com
Shaolin Monks to Modernize?
BEIJING, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) — Shaolin monks should study English and information technology to adapt to the modern society and spread Buddhism and Shaolin culture around the world, according to the abbot of the Shaolin temple, the birthplace of Kung Fu.
”Shaolin culture should develop as society progresses. It must not stick to the outdated thoughts and practices. Rather we should open up to the outside world,” Shi Yongxin said in a interview published on China News Website. … news.xinhuanet.com
House Passes Measure on Religion Suits – washingtonpost.com
The House passed a bill yesterday that would bar judges from awarding legal fees to the American Civil Liberties Union and similar groups that sue municipalities for violating the Constitution’s ban on government establishment of religion.
Though the bill would prevent plaintiffs from recovering legal costs in any lawsuit based on the Establishment Clause, House Republicans said during a floor debate that it was particularly aimed at organizations that force the removal of Nativity scenes and Ten Commandments monuments from public property. … washingtonpost.com
They kept this one nice and quiet. Pandering to the Conservative folks while trying to keep from annoying the rest of us.
North Korea says U.S. is not world’s “religion judge”
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea hit back on Wednesday to U.S. charges that it suppresses religion by telling Washington to stop acting as the world’s “religious judge”.
The U.S. State Department, in its annual International Religious Freedom Report released this month, quoted defectors and others as saying North Korea imprisoned and executed people who tried to practise religion.
An article on Wednesday in Pyongyang’s official Rodong Sinmun daily said: “The U.S., after the Sept. 11 incident, has murdered many Muslims in cold blood in its mainland, Afghanistan and Iraq and made no bones about insulting and overriding Islam and Islamic culture.
“The United States is not a ‘religious judge’ but a chief culprit in the repression and extermination of religion which should be put in the dock of a religious trial,” Rodong Sinmun said, according to an authorised translation. … thestar.com.my
Well, we certainly haven’t got much in the way of credentials, (although it’s not quite as bad as they’d have the world think). We don’t even do a very good job of practicing our own, if you compare the amount of good we do in the world with the trouble we cause.
…I am here to tell you, it ain’t that easy. I am here to set the record straight. Well, straighter. Because unfortunately, no matter how much we all want to believe it’s true, Bush simply cannot be the Devil. He simply doesn’t have the chops. …
Americans United Warns VA To Recognize Wiccans’ Rights Or Face Litigation
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today warned the Department of Veterans Affairs that litigation will become unavoidable if it continues to discriminate against Wiccans by denying the right to include the Pentacle, the Wiccan emblem of belief, on government-furnished headstones, plaques, and other memorials for fallen veterans. In a letter issued today, Americans United gave the VA fourteen days to approve the Pentacle or face litigation. … au.org
Odd that you don’t read this sort of thing in the NY Times.
The environmental load of 300 million: How heavy?
PORTLAND, ORE. – A flotilla of 100 fishing boats, rafts, and kayaks crossed the Willamette River to a downtown park in Portland, Ore., the other evening to rally for the Pacific Northwest’s reigning icon: wild salmon, now plummeting toward extinction due to development across much of the Columbia River basin.
It was a typical event for a “green” city that has one of the best records in the United States for recycling, reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, using alternative energy, and providing public transportation and bike paths.
But Portland’s amenities – its natural setting along the Willamette River and its youthful techie vibe – are drawing a surge of new people, threatening to erode the very qualities that drew people here in the first place. As the US approaches 300 million people, that’s the story of the nation as well. csmonitor.com
A weekly series
Part 1 – 09/12/06
Part 2 – 09/19/06
Part 3 – 09/26/06
The environmental load of 300 million: How heavy?
A fierce and furry fight on the banks of the Thames
OXFORD, ENGLAND – A war is raging on the riverbanks of the Thames. Not that you would ever guess if you took a stroll alongside them. Here, where the river bends and heads toward Oxford, all seems calm, quiet, green, and serene. Only the occasional splash of a sycamore seed – helicoptering down from the lanky trees that lean over the river – disrupts the soft, steady flow of the deep greenish Thames.
But don’t be fooled. Hidden in the reeds are two guerrilla armies fighting for dominion over this watery kingdom. On one side stands a battalion of sleek and cocky American invaders, who have set up camp and forced many to flee. On the other side stands a band of brave and plucky Brits, determined to win back the banks. csmonitor.com
Microsoft Posts Critical Internet Explorer Patch
NOTE: If you don’t have Automatic Updates turned on (and you should, unless you’re tres geeky or running OS-10 or Linux), go to Windows Update and download this patch immediately! D Z
Microsoft on Tuesday broke with its regular security update schedule for only the second time this year to issue a patch for a critical Internet Explorer vulnerability that’s been exploited for more than a week.
MS06-055 provides a fix for the flaw in IE 5.01 and IE 6.0, Microsoft said in the accompany bulletin, and should be applied immediately. The Redmond, Wash. developer pegged the bug as “Critical,” its most dire warning, for editions of IE running on Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 machines. Windows Server 2003 SP1 is at slightly less risk.
“An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system,” the bulletin read. “An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.”
The vulnerability exists in IE’s rendering of Vector Markup Language (VML) code, an extension of XML that defines Web images in vector graphics format. First reported last Tuesday by Sunbelt Software, the vulnerability was quickly leveraged by attackers to plant large quantities of adware, spyware, and other malware on attacked PCs. Within days, a working exploit had been added to WebAttacker, a Russian-created “kit” sold to hackers.
Bill Would Reimburse States for Printing Alternate Ballots – New York Times
Three Senate Democrats proposed emergency legislation on Tuesday to reimburse states for printing paper ballots in case of problems with electronic voting machines on Nov. 7.
The proposal is a response to grass-roots pressures and growing concern by local and state officials about touch-screen machines. An estimated 40 percent of voters will use those machines in the election. nytimes.com
Bush Releases Portions of Terror Estimate - New York Times
Portions of a National Intelligence Estimate on terrorism that the White House released under pressure on Tuesday said that Muslim jihadists were “increasing in both number and geographic dispersion” and that current trends could lead to increasing attacks around the globe.
President Bush suggested that leaks of an intelligence document were politically motivated.
[He] made the comments during a White House news conference with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan.
The report, a comprehensive assessment of terrorism produced in April by American intelligence agencies, said the invasion and occupation of Iraq had become a “cause célèbre” for jihadists. It identified the jihad in Iraq as one of four underlying factors fueling the spread of the Islamic radicalism, along with entrenched grievances, the slow pace of reform and pervasive anti-American sentiment.
(Oh…well…the people certainly shouldn’t know, if it was Politically Motivated!)
Related
Attacks in Afghanistan Grow More Frequent and Lethal – New York Times
Afghanistan suffered two deadly bombings on Tuesday that killed 20 people, providing another sign of the increasing size and power of suicide attacks and roadside bombs by insurgents. nytimes.com
Opera Canceled Over a Depiction of Muhammad – New York Times
A leading German opera house has canceled performances of a Mozart opera because of security fears stirred by a scene that depicts the severed head of the Prophet Muhammad, prompting a storm of protest here about what many see as the surrender of artistic freedom. nytimes.com
Yes, Mr. President (snicker), you’ve done a great job with the terrorists. Congratulations. Of course, I believe we can assume that you’re not a fan of opera. (Ain’t that one a them browser thangs?)
Nurse tells of fight to save Steve Irwin
For the Sunshine Coast nurse and Queensland surf lifesaving identity, it would be a bizarre coincidence as she had known Irwin since he was the “kid with lizards in his pockets” in her home town of Caloundra 30 years ago.
Mrs Traill said she had been sightseeing at Low Isles, a nature reserve north-east of Port Douglas in far north Queensland, when the mortally wounded Irwin was brought ashore on September 4.
No one realised the identity of the man who had been speared through the chest by a stingray’s barb while snorkelling at nearby Batt Reef.
The blow was struck at 11.18am and it was not until 11.52am that Irwin arrived at Low Isles, where about 50 tourists – mainly divers – were based for the day.
“I was wandering around the island when I heard counting – ‘one, two, three’ – and saw a person being resuscitated,” Mrs Traill said. “He was being carried up the beach and with the camera crew there, I thought they must have been filming a documentary. Then I realised it was for real and asked if they needed any help.”
Mrs Traill said the patient was taken into a boat shed and she took over CPR. More: news.com.au
Comparative Religion by Jeremy Meister
Madonna is now wrapping up her European tour – one of the highest grossing in history. For those that don’t know, Madonna has selected to be cruicified at one point during the show a la Jesus Christ. Naturally, this is an open minded, fair attempt by the artist to get people to examine their beliefs.
But the great thinker Rosie O’ Donnell told us that Christian zealots are just as bad as Islamic ones. Thus it’s a little surprising to note that Christians all over the global are being rather quiet. There are no mass demonstrations in the streets. No one burning Madonna an effigy. No one bombing record stores and Walmarts that carry Madonna’s albums. No clergy calling for the Madonna’s beheading.
More surprisingly is the fact that despite her tour coming to the United States, there have been no calls at all. … theconservativevoice.com
Q U O T E D
“I’ve bought a car.”
– Three-year-old Jack Neal explains to his mother why it’s never a good idea to save your eBay password in a browser.
DNA – Opinion – Religion to spirituality
Paramahamsa Nithyananda
When religion is flooded with reasoning, much of what it holds will get washed away; what remains is pure spirituality. Religion is a technique to become spiritual.
The Democrat’s Capitol Hill “oversight hearing” yesterday elicited a stream of scathing remarks from former military officials on Defense Secretary Rumsfeld’s handling of the Iraq War. Speaking in the wake of a report that Iraq has fueled Islamic terrorism, two retired Army generals and one former Marine colonel slammed Rumsfeld’s performance on almost everything aspect of the conflict
Retired Maj. Gen. John R.S. Batiste delivered perhaps the lengthiest and most condemning public words on Rumsfeld yet: “Secretary Rumsfeld ignored 12 years of U.S. Central Command deliberate planning and strategy, dismissed honest dissent, and browbeat subordinates to build ‘his plan’…[he] refused to acknowledge and even ignored the potential for the insurgency…Rumsfeld’s dismal strategic decisions resulted in the unnecessary deaths of American servicemen and women, our allies, and the good people of Iraq.” Although Rumsfeld quietly mouthed “no” when asked at a press briefing whether he would considering stepping down, it will be difficult for him to ignore the extensive critique.
