Condoms are easier than changing diapers

George Michael -- internationally famous entertainer, political philosopher and expert on human sexuality -- has announced his preference for the US presidential election. What's more, Mr. Michael offers sage advice for his hopeful winner:

George Michael's tip for Obama -- run with Clinton

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - British pop star George Michael has a tip for U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama -- team up with former rival Hillary Clinton.

Michael, 45, touring North America for the first time in 17 years, told fans during a concert at New York City's Madison Square Garden that "I know you guys all need a change."

He admitted he doesn't know what kind of change Obama would bring if elected, saying that after "months of watching CNN" he still does not know what Obama or Clinton stand for. But he went on to say that the Illinois and New York senators would make "the strongest team" for the Democratic ticket.

In Greece, the courts strike a blow for tolerance and understanding:

Greek court rules lesbians are not just from Lesbos

ATHENS (Reuters) - A Greek court has dismissed a request by residents of the Aegean island of Lesbos to ban the use of the word lesbian to describe gay women, according to a court ruling made public on Tuesday.

Three residents of Lesbos, the birthplace of the ancient Greek poetess Sappho whose love poems inspired the term lesbian, brought a case last month arguing the use of the term in reference to gay women insulted their identity.

In a July 18 decision, the Athens court said the word did not define the identity of the residents of the island, and so it could be validly used by gay groups in Greece and abroad.

Iran provides its assessment of the 6-way nuclear talks and luncheon held in recently in Geneva:

Iran says nuclear talks a step forward

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's president described talks with world powers on its disputed nuclear program as a step forward on Sunday, official media said, even though the meeting in Geneva failed to produce any breakthrough in the standoff.

Let’s take a closer look at that final clause: “…even though the meeting…failed to produce any breakthrough…” I suppose it never occurred to the Reuters reporter that each passing day in which that statement holds true is indeed a mark of progress for Iran.

President Ahmadinejad was also quoted in the story as saying:

"Any negotiation that takes place is a step forward".

In entertainment news, a Muslim song stylist finds vindication in the courts of a decadent Western crusader imperialist (or is that imperialist crusader?) nation:

Yusuf Islam wins damages for "veiled women" slur

LONDON (Reuters) - British folk singer Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens, accepted libel damages and an apology on Friday from a news agency that reported he had refused to talk to women at an awards ceremony who were not wearing a veil.

The artist, who changed his name after becoming a Muslim in the late 1970s, will donate the "substantial" payout to Small Kindness, a U.N.-linked charity he chairs.

Adam Tudor, the singer's attorney, told London's High Court that the story behind the legal action was published by World Entertainment News Network and was used on Contactmusic.com, a website said to have 2.2 million page views a month.

[…]

Tudor said the article had embarrassed the singer, creating a false impression of his attitude to women and also casting serious aspersions on his religious faith.

Oddly, the story makes no mention of the damages a fellow artist and British subject, Salman Rushdie, received after Mr. Yusef made these statements in 1989:

"He [Rushdie] must be killed. The Qur'an makes it clear - if someone defames the prophet, then he must die."

[and]

In Islam there is a line between let's say freedom and the line which is then transgressed into immorality and irresponsibility and I think as far as this writer is concerned, unfortunately, he has been irresponsible with his freedom of speech. Salman Rushdie or indeed any writer who abuses the prophet, or indeed any prophet, under Islamic law, the sentence for that is actually death. It's got to be seen as a deterrent, so that other people should not commit the same mistake again.

[Special note: Salman Rushie is not a Muslim.]

No added commentary here. Simply imagine Al Gore’s dreamy dreams upon reading this story. (Should that prove too frightening, please proceed to the next item.)

Emergency Beijing Olympic pollution scheme begins

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijingers breathed easier on Sunday as traffic restrictions and factory closures came into effect in a last ditch attempt to turn the often smoggy Chinese capital into a pollution-free venue for next month's Olympics.

On a sunny but still slightly hazy day, the flow of cars was lighter than usual for a Sunday on the city's wide roads, as vehicles with odd license plates were banned from the streets for the day. Tomorrow even-numbered cars must stay in the garage.

"Its great -- today there are far fewer cars on the road and the air quality is so nice. This is good for the children," said 20-year old Wang Yanna, out for a weekend stroll with her toddler nephew near a busy intersection.

[…]

The city has warned that people who violate the rules will be caught by a high-tech surveillance network of over 10,000 "smart" devices, including cameras, ultrasonic and microwave scanners.

__________________________________________________

As you read this next entry, please do not think that “unnecessary” includes the travels of bishops living in remote countries who retired a dozen years ago, but nonetheless dash around the planet to accept awards and engage in other activities appropriate to being a crusader activist for justice and equality. I know you’ll want to, but just don’t. Got it?

Unnecessary flights killing the poor: Tutu

LONDON (Reuters) - Businessmen who take flights rather than use video conferencing are adding to global warming that is condemning millions of the world's poorest people to death, according to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.

The former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town said developed countries had caused global warming and must therefore take the lead in slashing emissions of climate changing carbon gases.

"It is the countries which are the least responsible for causing climate change that are paying the heaviest price," he said in a video message to a meeting of the World Development Movement lobby group on Thursday night.

"Do not fly in the face of the poor by allowing the emissions produced by endless and unnecessary business flights to keep growing."

[…]

Tutu, a Nobel Peace laureate and tireless campaigner for global justice and equality, said scientists predicted that up to 185 million Africans would die this century as a direct result of climate change.

"Climate change is for real. As I speak, famine is increasing, flooding is increasing, as is disease and insecurity globally because of water scarcity," he said.

"As an African I urgently call on ordinary people in rich countries to act as global citizens, not as isolated consumers. We must listen to our consciences, and not to governments who speak only about economic markets.

"These markets will cease to exist if climate change is allowed to develop to climate chaos," he added.

Tutu said the developed nations must pass laws forcing them to cut their carbon emissions by at least 80 percent.

One more thing…Please do not think that no matter what the climate, 185 million Africans will most likely die over the next 100 years anyway, as will 185 million North Americans, South Americans, Europeans and Asians; such is the fate of Man and you’d imagine a bishop would know that already. Thinking that way is simply rude when confronted with a global justice and equality activist on a roll.

A complete facility, East Bank Club truly offers all things for all people. East Bank Club's facilities include a ¼-mile indoor running track; eight indoor tennis courts; three racquetball courts; a squash court; a platform tennis court; a 20,000 square-foot cardiovascular room; a free weight room; five aerobics studios; a Pilates and GYROTONIC® studio; physical therapy; a 60-bike spinning studio; four swimming pools (two indoor, two outdoor); two regulation-size basketball courts; an indoor golf driving range; a pro shop; a dry cleaner; a full-service salon and spa; a children's activity center; a car wash; a casual grill; a gourmet deli; an elegant restaurant; catering facilities; a juice bar; a 60,000 square-foot sun deck; and much more.

Via the Weekly Standard, it appears that the long anticipated sale of the Associated Press to the publishers of Tiger Beat magazine is complete. A short dispatch from today...

Political Play of the Day: Obama becomes a gym rat

CHICAGO (AP) - Sometimes it's hard to tell if Barack Obama is running for president of the United States or Mr. Universe.

 

The Democratic presidential contender exercises regularly, but over a 24-hour span this week, he took it to a new extreme.

 

Twice on Wednesday and again Thursday morning, Obama traveled to a lakefront apartment building near his Chicago home to work out with a friend at his gym. On Wednesday night, Obama also spent an hour at the East Bank Club, a mammoth exercise facility just north of the city's famous business Loop where he is known to play basketball.

 

On the former occasions, reporters accompanying Obama saw him get in and out of an SUV wearing a baseball hat, white T-shirt and black sweat pants. On the visit to the East Bank Club, Obama was dressed casually as if going out to dinner, wearing slacks, a blue blazer and flip-flops.

 

A distinct lack of visible sweat on the Illinois senator triggered questions about whether he was actually exercising or using the gym visits as cover for conducting vice presidential vetting or interviews.

 

Obama spokesman Bill Burton e-mailed a succinct, two-word answer: "Working out."

 

That view held credence among some of the photographers who regularly accompany Obama. They said that even when he shot hoops earlier this year with members of the University of North Carolina varsity men's basketball team, they didn't see Obama sweat.

The Obama Campaign's Out of Control Spending

 

The $52 million figure may not be a disaster for the Obama campaign, but it is hardly a success. Not just because it's far below what the Obama campaign projected in June. It's a disappointment because it includes general election contributions from those who had previously maxed out. Remember also that unlike the money McCain is raising, which has to be spent by the time he receives $84 million in public financing, Obama's money needs to last all the way through the election.

 

With a burn rate of $42 million a month, Obama's campaign can just barely sustain its current levels of spending. And what's leftover may not be adequate to run the kind of campaign he needs to win. Just consider despite all the money he's raised, Obama has been outspent on television by 3 to 1 in the last two months. All the stagecraft and theatrics has come with a hefty cost.

That $42M per month feeds a campaign staff 5 times larger than what Bush fielded in 2004. Holy smokes. But can you see the connection here with the Tiger Beat AP story? One can only conclude that the Obama campaign has hired a staff of devoted followers to perform the candidate's essential bodily functions for him. Either that, or he really is The One. 

There's simply no denying it. Those Chicoms know their...uh...pooh pooh. From Reuters:

Beijing enlists army of toilet trained staff

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing has dispatched 8,000 toilet maintenance staff, each responsible for a specific public restroom in the city and trained in hygiene standards and techniques, Olympic knowledge and practical English expressions, Xinhua said on Friday.

 

There will be selective inspections every week and the results will be posted on the website of the Municipal Utilities Administration Commission, said the news agency.

The city was also struggling with which style of commode would be best, noting Westerners prefer seated toilets, which are more comfortable and convenient for the elderly or infirm.

The squat toilets widely used in Chinese public facilities are considered more hygienic as there is no direct contact with body, it said.

-   High fiber breakfast is better

 

-   The People are pleased with your success

 

-   Obama OK! (w/"thumbs up")

 

-   General Tso, is that you? (w/good natured laughter)

 

-   Tibet Chinese. Always Chinese.

Has the solution to eternal environmental bliss, including non-modulating ocean levels, pleasant temperatures and great skiing, at last been found? Many who care about such things believe it indeed has:

Petrol pricey? Japanese invent car that runs on water

 

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Tired of petrol prices rising daily at the pump? A Japanese company has invented an electric-powered, and environmentally friendly, car that it says runs solely on water.

Genepax unveiled the car in the western city of Osaka on Thursday, saying that a liter (2.1 pints) of any kind of water -- rain, river or sea -- was all you needed to get the engine going for about an hour at a speed of 80 km (50 miles).

"The car will continue to run as long as you have a bottle of water to top up from time to time," Genepax CEO Kiyoshi Hirasawa told local broadcaster TV Tokyo.

"It does not require you to build up an infrastructure to recharge your batteries, which is usually the case for most electric cars," he added.

And for those skeptics out there, here's the video proof:

Nifty stuff, huh? But before you burst into a chorus of "Glory be to Gaia!", I'm afraid there is a dark side to this story. It seems we are currently in the midst of a worldwide water crisis:

Is water becoming ‘the new oil’?

By Mark Clayton, The Christian Science Monitor / May 29, 2008

 

Public fountains are dry in Barcelona, Spain, a city so parched there’s a €9,000 ($13,000) fine if you’re caught watering your flowers. A tanker ship docked there this month carrying 5 million gallons of precious fresh water – and officials are scrambling to line up more such shipments to slake public thirst.

 

Barcelona is not alone. Cyprus will ferry water from Greece this summer. Australian cities are buying water from that nation’s farmers and building desalination plants. Thirsty China plans to divert Himalayan water. And 18 million southern Californians are bracing for their first water-rationing in years.

 

Water, Dow Chemical Chairman Andrew Liveris told the World Economic Forum in February, “is the oil of this century.” Developed nations have taken cheap, abundant fresh water largely for granted. Now global population growth, pollution, and climate change are shaping a new view of water as “blue gold.”

 

Water’s hot-commodity status has snared the attention of big equipment suppliers like General Electric as well as big private water companies that buy or manage municipal supplies – notably France-based Suez and Aqua America, the largest US-based private water company.

 

Global water markets, including drinking water distribution, management, waste treatment, and agriculture are a nearly $500 billion market and growing fast, says a 2007 global investment report.

 

But governments pushing to privatize costly to maintain public water systems are colliding with a global “water is a human right” movement. Because water is essential for human life, its distribution is best left to more publicly accountable government authorities to distribute at prices the poorest can afford, those water warriors say.

 

“We’re at a transition point where fundamental decisions need to be made by societies about how this basic human need – water – is going to be provided,” says Christopher Kilian, clean-water program director for the Boston-based Conservation Law Foundation. “The profit motive and basic human need [for water] are just inherently in conflict.”

This year’s WED theme is “Kick the CO2 habit!” Accordingly, world-wide events focus on carbon footprints and how we might knock our own down a few sizes, as it were. Originally, I had thought of including some helpful CO2 kicking tips such as using a non-electric toothbrush or cancelling return flights across the Atlantic (“equivalent to running a car for a year for each passenger”). Instead, I leave you with a stirring message from one of WED’s eminent sponsors. The text below the photo is a transcription of what’s in the box, which may be tool small to read.

My name is Mikhail Gorbachev, Founding President of Green Cross International. After more than 50 years in politics, I believe one of the greatest challenges facing humanity today is the need to viable and clean energy solutions. Failure to act will place the world at risk of serious crises. We can’t afford to wait! We all have a part to play to make energy a catalyst for peace and development.

Remember this. If I could win the Cold War by surrendering, you can do the same with global climate change. Simply start by telling yourself, “Yes I can.”

Reuters has an alarming story today reporting new allegations leveled at the Bush Administration over its treatment of war prisoners. If you thought Gitmo was bad, hold on to your hat:

British group alleges US used ships as prisons

 

LONDON - A British human rights organization claimed Monday that the United States had used military ships to secretly detain and interrogate terrorism suspects. U.S. officials denied using ship as prisons.

 

The group Reprieve alleged that high-profile detainees including American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh and Australian Taliban supporter David Hicks were imprisoned on the vessels. Reprieve claims that the United States has used ships stationed off the Somali coast and the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia to detain suspects.

 

"The U.S. administration chooses ships to try to keep their misconduct as far as possible from the prying eyes of the media and lawyers," Reprieve director Clive Stafford Smith said.

 

[...]

 

Reprieve said it had based its assessment on evidence from the U.S. military and the Council of Europe, and testimony from a former detainee at the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Following his capture by Northern Alliance forces in November 2001, John Walker Lindh, the so called ‘American Taliban’, was transferred first to the USS Peleliu and then to USS Bataan. On board, he received medical treatment for dehydration, hypothermia and frostbite. In addition, the bullet wound he received two weeks previously was removed from his leg.

With Barack Obama having made the obviously difficult and heart wrenching decision to leave the wacko radicals and bigots he calls a church, it's worth considering a simple point of comparison. Ever since this Trinity United spectacle began a few months ago, conservative commentators have made a general arguement about McCain's fate were he found in similar circumstances. In fact, Jennifer Rubin offers an excellent example today over at Commentary Magazine:

Imagine if the roles were reversed and John McCain had attended a white separatist church for twenty years. Would his resignation after two decades cure the concern that he had lived some sort of weird double life, cavorting with racists but talking about equal opportunity in his public life? I would imagine he’d have been forced out of the presidential race by now.

There's not much to quibble with that statement. However, one could more easily imagine that it’s unlikely McCain would even be a Senator to begin with. (I should also add an obligatory “…and rightly so” to the end of that thought.) That is one "us versus them" argument I'd rather see more of.

No doubt you've seen the story today of the undocumented tribal folk living in the Brazilian wilderness. It seems some fellows in an airplane buzzed a collection of grass huts in the jungle and took a series of paparazzi-like photos of the inhabitants. The UK Sun has the fully story:

First look at a tribe time forgot

 

Hidden deep in a dark tropical rainforest, a primitive tribe comes face-to-face with the modern world for the first time.

 

The terrified ancient clan raise their bows and arrows in self-defence as a noisy spotter plane disturbs their peaceful world.

 

The community, known as Envira, were discovered in one of the most remote areas of the Brazilian rainforest, Terra Indigena Kampa e Isolados do Envira, near the border with Peru.

There are more than 100 uncontacted tribes worldwide, with more than half living in Brazil or Peru.

All face being forced off their land, killed or wiped out by disease.

Iran's minister says Americans obviously want change

 

STOCKHOLM - Iran's foreign minister said on Thursday that U.S. voters clearly want change in their government, which has worked to isolate Tehran over its nuclear program.

Encountering reporters at an international conference on Iraq, Manouchehr Mottaki refused to say exactly what he thought of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's expressed willingness to consider a meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Instead, Mottaki noted with satisfaction that "everybody (in the United States) is looking for changes" in Washington, where the Bush administration has worked to isolate Iran in recent years.

"We try not to take part, before the final result of the election of the United States," the foreign minister said, speaking in English in a hallway at the conference in Stockholm.

"We do not consider from the different candidates, what they say," Mottaki said. Instead Tehran examined "the policies of the United States toward our region in general and toward in Iran in particular."

A rather heart warming story today out of Oklahoma:

Community Organizer and alumnus gives $100M to Oklahoma State

Oops...My bad. I was listenting to a Michelle Obama speech while typing that. Here's the actual headline and story:

Oilman and alumnus gives $100M to Oklahoma State

 

STILLWATER, Okla. —  A day before his own 80th birthday, T. Boone Pickens gave Oklahoma State University one of its biggest presents ever.

The billionaire energy magnate said Wednesday he has given $100 million to his alma mater for endowed chairs, the largest gift for academics ever given in the state.

A law requires the state to match, dollar for dollar, such donations for endowed chairs, doubling the oilman's gift.

"This is a fantastic, historic day for the university and for the state of Oklahoma," school President Burns Hargis told a crowd of about 2,000 gathered on the lawn of the Edmon Low Library. "This is a gift that will transform this university in ways never dreamed of before."

Pickens has made previous gifts to Oklahoma State through the years that have totaled more than $300 million, and he said Wednesday he will provide more in the future.

"Be patient. I'm not through," he said. "There will be more."

Pickens was born in Holdenville, Oklahoma. His father worked in the oil business as an oil and mineral landman (rights leaser), and his mother ran the Office of Price Administration during World War II, rationing gasoline and other goods for four counties.

Pickens was a child during the depression and although money was tight his family always had food on the table. "My grandmother kept a large garden and some nights we had meat to go with the vegetables and some nights we didn’t, but we never went hungry. My mother and grandmother were frugal people, and they felt it was a real privilege to work and have a job. So I always worked."

Pickens delivered newspapers as an 11-year old boy and quickly expanded his newspaper route from 28 papers to 156. "I did that not by getting new customers," says Pickens, "but by merging with routes that were contiguous to me. That was my first introduction to expanding quickly by acquisition—a talent I would perfect in my later years."

In the late 1930s the oil boom in Oklahoma was ending and Pickens' father decided to move the family to Amarillo, Texas.  Pickens didn't want to move but eventually adjusted to the larger city, helped in part by his skill at basketball and a coach who inspired him.  "He told us to play every game for all we’re worth," says Pickens, "but when the game’s over, it’s over. That taught me not to dwell too much on my losses or successes."

Pickens attended Texas A&M on a basketball scholarship but lost the scholarship and transferred to Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University), joining Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He graduated from Oklahoma A&M with a degree in geology in 1951.

The 1950s were difficult times for the oil industry and petroleum geologists. After graduation Pickens was unemployed for a time and asked then Oklahoma State basketball coach Henry Iba for help. Iba set Pickens up with two interviews for high-school basketball coaching jobs but he wanted something in return. "If I get a job for you, you've got to send me a player," Pickens said Iba told him.  Although Pickens didn't end up becoming a coach, the favor Iba did for him was the impetus behind Pickens' decision 50 years later to make a $165 million donation to Oklahoma State University's athletic program. "Mr. Iba, he would be very, very happy with my performance," Pickens said.

Pickens finally got a job working for Phillips Petroleum and was one of only seven in his graduating class who found an oil-related job.

Yesterday in Oregon Barack Obama declared:

We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK.

 

"That's not leadership. That's not going to happen," he added.