The Greatest Disappointment

Meanwhile: Where Have All the Protesters Gone?

by Sam Graham-Felsen

The greatest disappointment of my generation has been its failure to truly stand up to the Bush administration - and particularly, its refusal to actively oppose the war in Iraq.

We are the youth who are living through what will perhaps be remembered as the most scandal- plagued, secretive, privacy-invading, rights-infringing, incompetent administration in American history - and we have barely made a peep.

How is it possible, that during a time of unprecedented promise for youth mobilization that this generation has remained so silent, so acquiescent?

(via: Common Dreams)

Gore uses all five knuckles on Bush

Gore: Bush is 'Renegade Rightwing Extremist'

by Oliver Burkeman and Jonathan Freedland

Al Gore has made his sharpest attack yet on the George Bush presidency, describing the current US administration as "a renegade band of rightwing extremists".

In an interview with the Guardian today, the former vice-president calls himself a "recovering politician", but launches into the political fray more explicitly than he has previously done during his high-profile campaigning on the threat of global warming.

Denying that his politics have shifted to the left since he lost the court battle for the 2000 election, Mr Gore says: "If you have a renegade band of rightwing extremists who get hold of power, the whole thing goes to the right."

But he claims he does not "expect to be a candidate" for president again, while refusing explicitly to rule out another run. Asked if any event could change his mind, he says: "Not that I can see."

(Read more of the article at: Common Dreams.)

X3 - The Final Let Down

Having seen X3, the third installment of the X-men series, I cannot recommend it to anyone over the age of 13. The few "neat" special effects in the film are not powerful enough to hold the imagination and interest of those who enjoy a good story or well crafted plot. The issues raised in the first two X-men are only tangentaly examined in this "final" chapter to the trilogy. What are those issues? NPR's Day to Day explores that question:

Are 'X-Men' Mutant Issues a Mirror on Society?

Day to Day, May 30, 2006 · For the first time, mutants have a choice -- they can retain their uniqueness, though it isolates and alienates them, or give up their powers and become human. That's the ad line from the marketing material for the new film X-Men: The Last Stand. Mike Pesca looks at how "mutantism" in the movie represents real-life issues ranging from dwarfism to deafness to sexual orientation.

Related NPR Stories

• May 26, 2006
  Friday Movies: 'X-Men,' 'An Inconvenient Truth'
• Dec. 19, 2003
  Actor Sir Ian McKellen
• May 2, 2003
  'X2': Many More Mutants
• Jan. 21, 2003
  X-Men
• June 4, 2002
  Comic Book Writer Stan Lee

(via: NPR)

Haditha

Haditha Deaths and the Psychology of War

Day to Day, May 30, 2006 ·

Members of a Marine unit are under investigation in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of two dozen civilians in Haditha, Iraq. The deaths followed a roadside bombing that claimed the life of a fellow Marine. The incident has renewed questions about the psychology of soldiers in wartime and in the heat of combat. Madeleine Brand discusses the issue with Maj. Gen. Thomas Wilkerson (ret.), a 31-year veteran of the Marine Corps and current chief of the U.S. Naval Institute. (via: NPR)

Haditha Case May Test Military Justice

All Things Considered, May 31, 2006 ·

The military system faces a complicated test as it investigates accusations that U.S. Marines covered up a mass killing of Iraqi civilians in Haditha. Melissa Block talks with retired Col. Gary Solis, who spent 18 years as a judge advocate and a judge in the Marine Corps. (via: NPR)

In The Mood & Lie Still

In The Mood

A few cursed women have the painful pleasure of knowing what it feels like to be a 13-year-old boy. Researchers have recently put their fingers on an obscure women's condition called "persistent sexual arousal syndrome" (PSAS), where the affected women involuntarily become sexually aroused for extended periods. In the International Journal of STD & AIDS, doctors describe the condition as "usually persistent, unprovoked, and unrelieved by orgasm." And while the arousal is constant, the women don't actually experience sexual desire. Doctors encourage women to visit healthcare workers who will listen and try to help. Thus far, however, there is no treatment for PSAS. (source: WebMD) (via Seed)

Lie Still

It would be nice to have an easy way to tell when someone's lying, but—aside from the inevitable flaming trousers—most of the gestures commonly associated with lying aren't reliable indicators. According to a study in the Journal of Nonverbal Behaviour , liars actually touch their noses and stroke their hair less than people who are telling the truth. Lead author Samantha Mann said people assigned to lie in her study consciously tried to stay still and look their questioner in the eye. Also, she said, people who are concentrating deeply tend to remain more still, and that liars had to think about their responses and actions more than the truth-tellers. Liars did, however, gesture emphatically to reinforce their false statements. I guess there's only one way to tell if someone's lying...
(source: BBC) (via Seed)

Election Tactics = It's War, People!

Executive director of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee (NHRSC) deems the military tactic/dirty trick of jamming his "enemies" communications on Election Day as an acceptable battle tactic.

Read About It Here: (via: In These Times)