Insert a Trite Metaphor for a Corral #35

Posted on January 23, 2007 in Roundup

A battle over lost cargo is dominating the British media while in the United States the trial of the Cheney aide who allegedly leaked Valerie Plame’s name has begun. Meanwhile the Academy Award nominations have been announced (and Babel received too many), so with that we shall begin:

• The 79th Academy Awards have been announced. I am cheering for Pan’s Labyrinth for Best Foreign film and Jennifer Hudson for Best Supporting Actress.
• While Elkit was sleeping, I sneaked into her blog and kyped this list of free online education resources.
• Check out the bemusing photos from the National March for Life.
• A member of Psychologists Without Borders is off to Cambodia to interview the jungle girl who turned up last week. Some experts dispute the claim that she had turned feral. Did child abuse by her policeman father drive her into the forest?
• Is Hounddog in violation of child pornography laws?
• Cyber-criminals are expected to use booby-trapped websites as businesses crack down on email gateways. “Lax security on US-hosted websites is one of the key reasons the US remains a hotspot for cyber crime, said Sophos.” Watch out for malicious downloaders that exploit security breaches in Internet Explorer and Firefox. Opera incorporates safety features as part of its basic package.
• Bruce Schneir suggests that full disclosure not secrecy is the best way to fight computer cracking.
• Counterspin features discussion about how conservatives are trying to coopt [[Martin Luther King]] by gutting his message. There’s also a piece on journalist Sarah Olson who is being subpoenaed for her interviews of Lieutenant Ehren Watada—the first commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq. Mp3 here and RealAudio here.
• The two Iraqs — Red and Green — are the topic of an interesting Counterpunch article.
• Following its anorexia claim against Keira Knightley, the Daily Mail has now resorted to the tired old tactic of red-baiting.
• Alpine glaciers have fifty more years of life as the world heats up.
• Microraptor gui, an early flying dinosaur, has been found to have dropped its legs to form a biplane-like configuration. (Also here.)
• The day may be coming when dentists don’t drill or jab.
• Alzheimer’s Disease can now be vaccinated against.
• Mandy Moore joins the legions of film stars who say that they have struggled with depression.
• Zoloft manufacturer Pfizer is cutting 10,000 jobs and closing 5 plants to deal with the challenges of generic pharmaceutical rivals.
• Antidepressants such as Zoloft and Prozac may make your bones more brittle.