Bush's Bold Plans To Exterminate Bald Eagle

Bush's Bold Plans To Exterminate Bald Eagle

Because it’s important to destroy the symbols of liberty, too, the White House will formally remove America’s Magical Bird — the majestic fish-eating Bald Eagle — from the Endangered Species list next month.

But this is one of those rare situations in which the Bush Administration isn’t really to blame and the change is actually for the good, not bad. Hooray! While it’s hard to even remember back when the United States was a rich and powerful country beloved by the world, it was only seven years ago when our prosperous, peaceful America happily realized the bald eagle had recovered magnificently from near extinction.

The eagles are plentiful now, but Washington is still mourning the loss of Martha, the famous Wilson Bridge bald eagle named for Rep. John Murtha. Government forces euthanized the loyal bird in October.

Gates Working on Fresh Iraq Strategy

It took Defense Secretary Robert Gates just five days on the job and a whirlwind trip to Iraq to get to work mapping out a new course for the war.

Though he declined to detail the broad new strategy he is finalizing with his military commanders, he offered a few hints about some of its possible components during his three days in Iraq.

In the larger context, he spoke optimistically about Iraq's political leaders and their commitment to taking over their own security and dealing with the militias that have brought the country to the brink of civil war.

"I think that they do have some concrete plans in mind" to deal with militias, Gates said Friday, "and putting flesh on those bones" is what Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, will be discussing with the Iraqis in the coming days.

Gates returned to Washington Friday night, then headed to Camp David, Md., to join Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley and others Saturday in briefing President Bush.

One of the biggest concerns expressed by members of Congress and other critics is that American troops will remain mired in Iraq unless the Iraqis are threatened with an imminent withdrawal of U.S. forces and forced to meet specific benchmarks.

But Gates' comments suggested some progress in the political discussions with the Iraqis that could lead to an agreement on how they will proceed.




Based on his conversations with Iraq's leaders, Gates said: "I think these are people who take their responsibilities seriously. I think they are eager to take the lead. They understand they have to take responsibility for their own country, that it has taken longer to get to this point."

PATH Tunnels Are Really Really Vulnerable

PATH Tunnels Are Really Really Vulnerable

This is just the way you want to end your work week before Christmas holiday: Hearing from the NY Times that the PATH tunnels are "seen as fragile" in a bomb attack. Even a small ("a significant but not necessarily very large") bomb would cause a PATH tunnel to flood in 6 minutes.

How did the Times find out about an analysis that was given to the Port Authority three weeks ago? A government official sent it to them, upset with the "lack of action" by the Port Authority about the findings. From the Times:

A 19-page summary of the analysis details some of the measures the Port Authority has been planning to put in place to better secure the PATH system: laying concrete blankets atop the tubes to plug holes caused by a blast, strengthening portions of the tubes and installing floodgates to prevent the system from being overwhelmed.

The official who gave a copy of the report to The Times said the Port Authority, whose executive director and board members are appointed by the governors of New York and New Jersey, had informed neither state executive of the most recent results. Neither has it yet shared the new findings with the United States Department of Homeland Security, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the New York Police Department or other law enforcement agencies, the official said.

The official disputed the Port Authority’s contention that it had increased patrols and bag searches.

Further, the PATH tunnels are especially vulnerable because they "lie in the soft riverbed, unlike other tunnels that are bored through the underlying bedrock." Oy. And you want more oy? There are some subway tunnels that are also in the riverbed (hello, East River crossings!).

Maths solution tops science class

Maths solution tops science class
A solution to one of the most difficult problems in mathematics was the most important advance of 2006, according to the prestigious journal Science.

Grigory Perelman's proof of the century-old Poincare Conjecture has caused a sensation, and not just because of the brilliance of the work.

In August, the Russian became the first person to turn down a Fields Medal, the highest honour in mathematics.

He also seems likely to turn down a $1m prize offered by a US maths institute.

Dr Perelman is said to despise self-promotion and describes himself as isolated from the rest of the mathematical community.

But his work has set the field alight with excitement - and controversy.

Terence Tao, professor of mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles, called Perelman's result "the best piece of mathematics we have seen in the last 10 years".

Timofey Shilkin, a former colleague of Perelman at the Steklov Mathematics Institute in St Petersburg, Russia, told BBC News: "He definitely deserves the Fields Medal - that is my personal opinion. I am completely sure he is a genius."

'Excellent mathematician'

He added: "I'm afraid he is quite a self-enclosed person. We know about him approximately the same as you know - not too much.

"I met him when he was a member of our group and our contacts were about once a week, but we had only short discussions.

'Reset' Is Newest U.S. Military Catch-word

'Reset' Is Newest U.S. Military Catch-word

The newest term the U.S. military has adopted in dealing with troop stress management is "reset," as heard in a CNN interview with U.S. Army Gen. Richard Cody.

Cody, the vice chief of staff Army was asked about mounting suicide rates among troops facing multiple combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he used his own son as an example, saying he's had three combat tours "and is now in that 12- to 13-month reset," and was getting ready to go back to combat.

Cody then used the term three times in the next sentence.

"What we do, when we reset the unit, when it comes back, is we have to reset the equipment as well as reset the soldiers," he said.

The term also came up Tuesday when U.S. President George Bush was answering questions in Washington about whether he will increase troop numbers in Iraq.

"We need to reset our military. There's no question the military has been used a lot," Bush said.

NY board approves big Brooklyn redevelopment plan

NY board approves big Brooklyn redevelopment plan

ALBANY, N.Y. -- To supporters, it stands for jobs, housing and major league sports in Brooklyn for the first time in half a century.

To opponents, it amounts to destroying neighborhoods, creating a traffic nightmare and forcing people unwillingly out of their homes.
From any perspective, the $4 billion Atlantic Yards redevelopment stands to reshape Brooklyn with an NBA basketball arena, office towers and thousands of apartments. The project got state approval Wednesday, though it still faces a federal lawsuit filed by Brooklyn property owners and tenants. They have charged that it's unconstitutional to seize their property for the development under the legal doctrine known as eminent domain.

"The federal eminent domain lawsuit brought by citizens protecting their constitutional rights is rock-solid, and without those plaintiffs properties, Atlantic Yards as we know it cannot be built," said Daniel Goldstein, one of the plaintiffs, told The New York Times.