If you thought the amount of chemicals and drugs leeching into our water here in the U.S. was alarming, then read this ...
When researchers analyzed vials of treated wastewater taken from a plant where about 90 Indian drug factories dump their residues, they were shocked.
Enough of a single, powerful antibiotic was being spewed into one stream each day to treat every person in a city of 90,000.
And it wasn't just ciprofloxacin being detected.
The supposedly cleaned water was a floating medicine cabinet - a soup of 21 different active pharmaceutical ingredients, used in generics for treatment of hypertension, heart disease, chronic liver ailments, depression, gonorrhea, ulcers and other ailments.
Half of the drugs measured at the highest levels of pharmaceuticals ever detected in the environment, researchers say.
Those Indian factories produce drugs for much of the world, including many Americans.
The result: Some of India's poor are unwittingly consuming an array of chemicals that may be harmful, and could lead to the proliferation of drug-resistant bacteria.
"If you take a bath there, then you have all the antibiotics you need for treatment," said chemist Klaus Kuemmerer at the University of Freiburg Medical Center in Germany, an expert on drug resistance in the environment who did not participate in the research.
"If you just swallow a few gasps of water, you're treated for everything. The question is for how long?"
Last year it was found that trace concentrations of pharmaceuticals had been found in drinking water provided to at least 46 million Americans.
But the wastewater downstream from the Indian plants contained 150 times the highest levels detected in the U.S.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Exchange students hit in Oregon nightclub shooting
Another sad commentary on why regulations for guns need to be stricter ...
A gunman opened fire outside an under-21 nightclub in Portland, Ore., killing two girls and wounded several other people in an apparently random act, police said.
Five victims were students from other countries and another was a Portland resident planning a trip as an exchange student; they were going to The Zone club to celebrate a birthday.
The man did not have any known relationship to the victims beforehand, and he didn't appear to have been in the club or a nearby bar before the shooting Saturday night, police Detective Mary Wheat said.
Police late Sunday identified the alleged gunman as Erik Salvadore Ayala, 24.
He was in critical condition after shooting himself in the head.
"At first blush, this incident appears to be a random act of violence, of the kind that makes you despair for America," police Chief Rosie Sizer said.
Most of those shot were on the sidewalk outside The Zone but it was unknown if they were waiting to enter the club.
A bullet also hit a manager inside a neighboring bar.
Ashley L. Wilks, a 16-year-old from Portland, was killed.
The other victim has not been identified, but Miguel Velasquez of the Peruvian Consulate in Seattle said she was a 17-year-old girl from Peru in an exchange program.
He said her host family lives in White Salmon, Washington.
Both girls were part of a group of exchange students at The Zone to celebrate a birthday, said Chuck Itoh, chairman of the Rotary District 5100 exchange program.
Wilks was getting ready to leave for her trip.
A gunman opened fire outside an under-21 nightclub in Portland, Ore., killing two girls and wounded several other people in an apparently random act, police said.
Five victims were students from other countries and another was a Portland resident planning a trip as an exchange student; they were going to The Zone club to celebrate a birthday.
The man did not have any known relationship to the victims beforehand, and he didn't appear to have been in the club or a nearby bar before the shooting Saturday night, police Detective Mary Wheat said.
Police late Sunday identified the alleged gunman as Erik Salvadore Ayala, 24.
He was in critical condition after shooting himself in the head.
"At first blush, this incident appears to be a random act of violence, of the kind that makes you despair for America," police Chief Rosie Sizer said.
Most of those shot were on the sidewalk outside The Zone but it was unknown if they were waiting to enter the club.
A bullet also hit a manager inside a neighboring bar.
Ashley L. Wilks, a 16-year-old from Portland, was killed.
The other victim has not been identified, but Miguel Velasquez of the Peruvian Consulate in Seattle said she was a 17-year-old girl from Peru in an exchange program.
He said her host family lives in White Salmon, Washington.
Both girls were part of a group of exchange students at The Zone to celebrate a birthday, said Chuck Itoh, chairman of the Rotary District 5100 exchange program.
Wilks was getting ready to leave for her trip.
Man charged in knifings at moonshine victim's wake
A parolee has been ordered to stand trial on charges of stabbing two men at a funeral wake for a man poisoned by moonshine.
Dennis Jerome Foust of Montague faces trial in Oceana County Circuit Court on two counts of felonious assault and a misdemeanor count of domestic violence.
The 33-year-old also is charged as a habitual offender, which could result in a longer prison sentence if he is convicted.
Police say Foust and his wife fought January 9th during the wake for Shawn Davila, who died on New Year's Day from methanol alcohol poisoning.
Two men were stabbed after intervening in the fight. They were treated and released
Dennis Jerome Foust of Montague faces trial in Oceana County Circuit Court on two counts of felonious assault and a misdemeanor count of domestic violence.
The 33-year-old also is charged as a habitual offender, which could result in a longer prison sentence if he is convicted.
Police say Foust and his wife fought January 9th during the wake for Shawn Davila, who died on New Year's Day from methanol alcohol poisoning.
Two men were stabbed after intervening in the fight. They were treated and released
Fourteen year old boy dupes police and patrols Chicago for 5 hours
A 14-year-old aspiring police officer donned a uniform, walked into a Chicago police station and managed to get an assignment - patroling in a squad car for five hours before he was detected.
The boy did not have a gun, never issued any tickets and didn't drive the squad car, Deputy Superintendent Daniel Dugan said.
Assistant Superintendent James Jackson said the ruse was discovered only after the boy's patrol with an actual officer ended Saturday.
Officers noticed his uniform lacked a star that is part of the regulation uniform.
Police said they were investigating how the deception went undetected for so long in what they described as a serious security breach.
Police didn't identify the boy because of his age.
He has been charged as a juvenile with impersonating an officer.
Dugan said the boy looks older than 14 and was motivated by a desire to be an officer, not malice or "ill intent.
"The boy once took part in a Chicago program for youth interested in policing, so he would have been familiar with some procedures, perhaps helping him blend in, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said.
The boy did not have a gun, never issued any tickets and didn't drive the squad car, Deputy Superintendent Daniel Dugan said.
Assistant Superintendent James Jackson said the ruse was discovered only after the boy's patrol with an actual officer ended Saturday.
Officers noticed his uniform lacked a star that is part of the regulation uniform.
Police said they were investigating how the deception went undetected for so long in what they described as a serious security breach.
Police didn't identify the boy because of his age.
He has been charged as a juvenile with impersonating an officer.
Dugan said the boy looks older than 14 and was motivated by a desire to be an officer, not malice or "ill intent.
"The boy once took part in a Chicago program for youth interested in policing, so he would have been familiar with some procedures, perhaps helping him blend in, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said.
Newspaper claims car thief transformed into a goat
One of Nigeria's biggest daily newspapers reported that police implicated a goat in an attempted automobile theft.
In a front-page article on Friday, the Vanguard newspaper said that two men tried to steal a Mazda car two days earlier in Kwara State, with one suspect transforming himself into a goat as vigilantes cornered him.
In a front-page article on Friday, the Vanguard newspaper said that two men tried to steal a Mazda car two days earlier in Kwara State, with one suspect transforming himself into a goat as vigilantes cornered him.
The paper quoted police spokesman Tunde Mohammed as saying that while one suspect escaped, the other transformed into a goat as he was about to be apprehended.
The newspaper reported that police paraded the goat before journalists, and published a picture of the animal.
Police in the state couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Belief in black magic is widespread in Nigeria, particularly in far-flung rural areas.
As of this moment ...
4232 Brave men and women will not be returning from Iraq
ALIVE!
Support OUR troops ... Bring them HOME NOW!
ALIVE!
Support OUR troops ... Bring them HOME NOW!
Al Oaida's leaders are rattled
Obama has 'em scared!
Something the shrub could never do
They knew the shrub was a joke.
And they know Obama is the real thing.
From the Washington Post:
Something the shrub could never do
They knew the shrub was a joke.
And they know Obama is the real thing.
From the Washington Post:
AL QAIDA'S LEADERS RATTLED
Terrorists Struggling To Mount Propaganda Campaign Against Obama
Country Last
Found this story over at Think Progress:
Country Last: Dimbulb Opposes Stimulus Because Success Could Hurt GOP's Electoral Chances
Environmental News
Japan launches satellite to monitor greenhouse gases.
Japan launched a satellite on Friday to monitor greenhouse gases around the world in the hope that the data it gathers will help global efforts to combat climate change.
More in Reuters
Puzzling Questions
Recyclers ready for tons of TVs after switch to digital.
The switch to digital television signaling could create an environmental nightmare across the nation as consumers get rid of their outmoded analog TV sets - with components, which contain lead and mercury, ending up in landfills here and in third world countries.
More in the Kalamazoo Gazette
France and Spain still shaken by deadly storms
French authorities deployed 10,000 clean-up and recovery workers and Spain let evacuated villagers return home a day after deadly storms pounded southwest France and northeast Spain.
Authorities in Spain reported at least 12 deaths linked to the storm, including four children crushed as a sports facility buckled in high winds in Barcelona.
In France, at least six people died - including a couple who died of carbon-monoxide poisoning from a generator they had turned on overnight in a power outage in the Dordogne region.
Chainsaws buzzed and clearing crews fanned out on both sides of the French-Spanish border as workers cut through felled trees on homes, power lines, rail tracks and roadways and took away debris.
"The issue today is to restore electricity as quickly as possible," French President Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters at a crisis response center in Bordeaux, adding that 10,000 people including rescue teams, state officials, civil security workers and others had been deployed in France.
ERDF, the Electricite de France subsidiary, said that it had managed to restore power to 600,000 customers among 1.7 million who initially were hit with the blackout Saturday.
Tens of thousands of homes in Spain were without electricity.
In France, rail operator SNCF said service was gradually returning in the region.
In Spain, the bullet-train link between Madrid and Barcelona was restored as debris was cleared off the track, but services into France won't resume Sunday, state rail operator Renfe said.
In Spain, aircraft battled forest fires near the eastern town of La Nucia that the town's mayor said was caused when winds blew down a high-tension power pylon in a wooded area.
Around 14,000 people that had been evacuated from several villages near the burning hills were being allowed to return to their homes, regional government counselor Serafin Castellano said.
Leisure park Terra Natura, south of Valencia, said staffers evacuated some of its animals - which include jaguars, elephants, armadillos and monkeys - from their enclosures, and hailed firefighters who helped keep away flames that had surrounded the safari park on Saturday.
Authorities in Spain reported at least 12 deaths linked to the storm, including four children crushed as a sports facility buckled in high winds in Barcelona.
In France, at least six people died - including a couple who died of carbon-monoxide poisoning from a generator they had turned on overnight in a power outage in the Dordogne region.
Chainsaws buzzed and clearing crews fanned out on both sides of the French-Spanish border as workers cut through felled trees on homes, power lines, rail tracks and roadways and took away debris.
"The issue today is to restore electricity as quickly as possible," French President Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters at a crisis response center in Bordeaux, adding that 10,000 people including rescue teams, state officials, civil security workers and others had been deployed in France.
ERDF, the Electricite de France subsidiary, said that it had managed to restore power to 600,000 customers among 1.7 million who initially were hit with the blackout Saturday.
Tens of thousands of homes in Spain were without electricity.
In France, rail operator SNCF said service was gradually returning in the region.
In Spain, the bullet-train link between Madrid and Barcelona was restored as debris was cleared off the track, but services into France won't resume Sunday, state rail operator Renfe said.
In Spain, aircraft battled forest fires near the eastern town of La Nucia that the town's mayor said was caused when winds blew down a high-tension power pylon in a wooded area.
Around 14,000 people that had been evacuated from several villages near the burning hills were being allowed to return to their homes, regional government counselor Serafin Castellano said.
Leisure park Terra Natura, south of Valencia, said staffers evacuated some of its animals - which include jaguars, elephants, armadillos and monkeys - from their enclosures, and hailed firefighters who helped keep away flames that had surrounded the safari park on Saturday.
Bolivia's new constitution would empower Indian majority
Bolivian Indians on Sunday threw their support behind a new constitution aimed at increasing their strength while allowing leftist President Evo Morales a shot at staying in power through 2014.
Voters were expected to easily approve the measure in a country whose Indian majority has been long oppressed.
But opposition from Bolivia's white and mestizo populations and disputes over the document's wording foreshadowed yet more political turmoil in a divided nation where tensions over race and class have recently turned deadly.
Bolivia's first Indian president, Morales says the charter will "decolonize" South America's poorest country by recovering indigenous values lost under centuries of oppression dating back to the Spanish conquest.
The proposed document, for example, would create a new Congress with seats reserved for Bolivia's smaller indigenous groups and eliminates any mention of The Roman Catholic Church, instead recognizing and honoring the Pachamama, an Andean earth deity.
Voters were expected to easily approve the measure in a country whose Indian majority has been long oppressed.
But opposition from Bolivia's white and mestizo populations and disputes over the document's wording foreshadowed yet more political turmoil in a divided nation where tensions over race and class have recently turned deadly.
Bolivia's first Indian president, Morales says the charter will "decolonize" South America's poorest country by recovering indigenous values lost under centuries of oppression dating back to the Spanish conquest.
The proposed document, for example, would create a new Congress with seats reserved for Bolivia's smaller indigenous groups and eliminates any mention of The Roman Catholic Church, instead recognizing and honoring the Pachamama, an Andean earth deity.
Liberia sets up command post to fight off caterpillars
Authorities in Liberia have set up a command post and called on international experts to help fight an invasion by millions of crop-devouring caterpillars that are eating their way across the country with dire economic consequences.
The inch-long (2-3 centimeters) caterpillars are clogging wells and waterways with excrement and devouring vital crops including banana, plantain, coffee and cocoa.
They swarmed around a clinic in one town, preventing people from accessing it, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
"The pests were found to attack practically all crops of economic value.
Their droppings pollute the waters, rendering them unwholesome for human use," according to a statement by the ministry.
The plague has now affected 65 towns, up from the 45 that had been earlier reported, the statement said.
In response, the government has established a command center in the town of Gbarnga comprised of top local agriculture officials.
An emergency hot line has been set up to track the invaders.
The ministry said international agriculture experts would be arriving early next week to support the government's effort, but it did not say what nations or agencies they were from.
The caterpillars have also entered neighboring Guinea, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.
The last time Liberia experienced such an invasion of pests was 30 years ago, but officials then were able to prevent its spread.
The west African nation was ravaged by civil wars for years until 2003.
The drawn-out conflict which began in 1989 left about 200,000 people dead and displaced half the country's population of 3 million.
The inch-long (2-3 centimeters) caterpillars are clogging wells and waterways with excrement and devouring vital crops including banana, plantain, coffee and cocoa.
They swarmed around a clinic in one town, preventing people from accessing it, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
"The pests were found to attack practically all crops of economic value.
Their droppings pollute the waters, rendering them unwholesome for human use," according to a statement by the ministry.
The plague has now affected 65 towns, up from the 45 that had been earlier reported, the statement said.
In response, the government has established a command center in the town of Gbarnga comprised of top local agriculture officials.
An emergency hot line has been set up to track the invaders.
The ministry said international agriculture experts would be arriving early next week to support the government's effort, but it did not say what nations or agencies they were from.
The caterpillars have also entered neighboring Guinea, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.
The last time Liberia experienced such an invasion of pests was 30 years ago, but officials then were able to prevent its spread.
The west African nation was ravaged by civil wars for years until 2003.
The drawn-out conflict which began in 1989 left about 200,000 people dead and displaced half the country's population of 3 million.
Liars and Fools
In today's Liars and Fools we opted for a single mass listing in lieu of distilling a few standout liars and fools:
Unusual Holidays and Celebrations
In a new segment we will be bringing you some of the odd and unusual holidays and celebrations we humans have devised for ourselves and to begin ...
National Take Back Your Time Week begins tomorrow, Monday, January 26, 2009.
So, take back you time!
National Take Back Your Time Week begins tomorrow, Monday, January 26, 2009.
So, take back you time!
President Obama's Weekly Address
In his first weekly address since being sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, President Barack Obama discusses how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan will jump-start the economy.
"This is not just a short-term program to boost employment," he said. "It’s one that will invest in our most important priorities like energy and education; health care and a new infrastructure that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st century."
The Administration is still working with Congress to refine the plan, but in the address, President Obama lays out the key priorities. He goes into detail, noting that the plan will update our electric grid by laying more than 3,000 miles of transmission lines; weatherize 2.5 million homes; protect health insurance for more than 8 million Americans in danger of losing their coverage; secure 90 major ports; renovate 10,000 schools; and triple the number of science fellowships.
Watch the President's weekly address and read the full remarks below.
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, January 24th, 2009
We begin this year and this Administration in the midst of an unprecedented crisis that calls for unprecedented action. Just this week, we saw more people file for unemployment than at any time in the last twenty-six years, and experts agree that if nothing is done, the unemployment rate could reach double digits. Our economy could fall $1 trillion short of its full capacity, which translates into more than $12,000 in lost income for a family of four. And we could lose a generation of potential, as more young Americans are forced to forgo college dreams or the chance to train for the jobs of the future.
In short, if we do not act boldly and swiftly, a bad situation could become dramatically worse.
That is why I have proposed an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan to immediately jumpstart job creation as well as long-term economic growth. I am pleased to say that both parties in Congress are already hard at work on this plan, and I hope to sign it into law in less than a month.
It’s a plan that will save or create three to four million jobs over the next few years, and one that recognizes both the paradox and the promise of this moment - the fact that there are millions of Americans trying to find work even as, all around the country, there’s so much work to be done. That’s why this is not just a short-term program to boost employment. It’s one that will invest in our most important priorities like energy and education; health care and a new infrastructure that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st century.
Today I’d like to talk specifically about the progress we expect to make in each of these areas.
To accelerate the creation of a clean energy economy, we will double our capacity to generate alternative sources of energy like wind, solar, and biofuels over the next three years. We’ll begin to build a new electricity grid that lay down more than 3,000 miles of transmission lines to convey this new energy from coast to coast. We’ll save taxpayers $2 billion a year by making 75% of federal buildings more energy efficient, and save the average working family $350 on their energy bills by weatherizing 2.5 million homes.
To lower health care cost, cut medical errors, and improve care, we’ll computerize the nation’s health record in five years, saving billions of dollars in health care costs and countless lives. And we’ll protect health insurance for more than 8 million Americans who are in danger of losing their coverage during this economic downturn.
To ensure our children can compete and succeed in this new economy, we’ll renovate and modernize 10,000 schools, building state-of-the-art classrooms, libraries, and labs to improve learning for over five million students. We’ll invest more in Pell Grants to make college affordable for seven million more students, provide a $2,500 college tax credit to four million students, and triple the number of fellowships in science to help spur the next generation of innovation.
Finally, we will rebuild and retrofit America to meet the demands of the 21st century. That means repairing and modernizing thousands of miles of America’s roadways and providing new mass transit options for millions of Americans. It means protecting America by securing 90 major ports and creating a better communications network for local law enforcement and public safety officials in the event of an emergency. And it means expanding broadband access to millions of Americans, so business can compete on a level-playing field, wherever they’re located.
I know that some are skeptical about the size and scale of this recovery plan. I understand that skepticism, which is why this recovery plan must and will include unprecedented measures that will allow the American people to hold my Administration accountable for these results. We won’t just throw money at our problems - we’ll invest in what works. Instead of politicians doling out money behind a veil of secrecy, decisions about where we invest will be made public, and informed by independent experts whenever possible. We’ll launch an unprecedented effort to root out waste, inefficiency, and unnecessary spending in our government, and every American will be able to see how and where we spend taxpayer dollars by going to a new website called recovery.gov.
No one policy or program will solve the challenges we face right now, nor will this crisis recede in a short period of time. But if we act now and act boldly; if we start rewarding hard work and responsibility once more; if we act as citizens and not partisans and begin again the work of remaking America, then I have faith that we will emerge from this trying time even stronger and more prosperous than we were before. Thanks for listening.Megalomaniacs Anonymous
Pinky and the Brain
I know a few who need to watch this episode with attention to detail. (and so do you)
Robert Burns Day
Happy Robert Burns Day
2009 is Homecoming Scotland
To all the Scots around the world ... This year we come home.
Scots Wae Hae!
Haggis for everyone!
To all the Scots around the world ... This year we come home.
Scots Wae Hae!
Haggis for everyone!
Parahawking
Now ... for something a bit off the norm:
“Parahawking is a unique activity combining paragliding with elements of falconry. Birds of prey are trained to fly with paragliders, guiding them to thermals for in-flight rewards and performing aerobatic maneuvers.
Parahawking was developed by British falconer Scott Mason in 2001. Mason began a round-the-world trip in Pokhara, Nepal, where many birds of prey – such as the griffon vulture, steppe eagle and black kite – can be found. While taking a tandem paragliding flight with British paraglider Adam Hill, he had the opportunity to see raptors in flight, and realized that combining the sport of paragliding with his skills as a falconer could offer others the same experience. He has been based in Pokhara ever since, training and flying birds during the dry season between September and March.
The team started by training two black kites, but have since added an Egyptian vulture and a Mountain hawk-eagle to the team. Only rescued birds are used – none of the birds has been taken from the wild.”
You can find out more about Parahawking at Parahawking. And The Adventure Channel. And Scott Mason’s site.
And YouTube has a neat video available “Hawkman of the Himalayas”.
Australian family caged, detained, starved and deported by US customs
In what should be the last of incidents like this now that the troglodytes are gone and intelligence has taken over ...
An Australian family who traveled to the US to visit a dying relative were accused of attempting to illegally immigrate by US Customs and Border Patrol officials, who caged them, detained them, starved them overnight, and then sent them back on the next flight to Australia. The US consulate's only comment? "We reserve the right to refuse entry to visitors to the United States."
A reminder to the US Border Patrol: what you do to foreigners, their governments are apt to do to Americans. When you treat foreigners this way, you put Americans who go abroad in harm's way.
For the next 24 hours, officers questioned the Thornleigh taxi driver and his aged-care worker wife, patted them down and searched their luggage before sending them to a detention center in a caged van. They were then taken to a hotel with other detainees at 2.30am to sleep with armed guards by their bedside before being woken at 4.30am and put on a flight back to Sydney...
"They treated us like terrorists," Mr Rabbi said. "We are Australian citizens. Why did they have to keep us in a detention center? Why did they have to lock up my kids?"
Mr Rabbi says that when he explained he was in the US to visit his father, the officers threatened him.
Despite producing the family's $6400 return tickets, dated February 5, he says the officers accused him of attempting to illegally stay in the US...
The family, tired and hungry after their 18-hour flight from Sydney to Los Angeles via Melbourne, were given minimal food and drink during their time at the airport.
"We were given no food, apart from a few biscuits," Mr Rabbi said.
Mr. Rabbi, you have our most sincere apologies and know that those holdouts from the recent error are being rooted out and disposed of.
World ready to give Obama a chance
Including some adversaries ...
In his inaugural address, President Barack Obama signaled conciliation to America's foes by using the metaphor of an outstretched hand to an unclenched fist.
Already, there are signs that some of those foes were listening, sensing an opening for improved relations after eight combative years under the shrub and cabal.
Fidel Castro is said to like the new American leader, and North Korea and Iran both sounded open to new ideas to defuse nuclear-tinged tensions.
Unclear is what they will demand in return from the untested American statesman, and whether they will agree to the compromises the U.S. is likely to insist on in exchange for warmer relations.
Just a few questions:
Are the Castro brothers really willing to move toward democracy?
Can Russia and the West heal their widening estrangement?
Will Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stop being a thorn in America's side?
Analysts say they see many bright opportunities amid the perils and complexities.
"In this dangerous world, in a world where America's leverage has either been exposed as not being as strong as the rhetoric implied or where it is simply diminishing, I think Obama's approach is exactly what America needs," said Robin Niblett, the director of Chatham House, the London-based think tank.
"We need an approach that gets others to show their hand, that makes others have to think harder about their diplomacy, rather than just to react to rather strident and fixed American positions."
It would be nice to move forward instead of backward like the last eight years. Maybe the world will see an end to conflict ... hey, it's a dream, but dreams do come true!
In his inaugural address, President Barack Obama signaled conciliation to America's foes by using the metaphor of an outstretched hand to an unclenched fist.
Already, there are signs that some of those foes were listening, sensing an opening for improved relations after eight combative years under the shrub and cabal.
Fidel Castro is said to like the new American leader, and North Korea and Iran both sounded open to new ideas to defuse nuclear-tinged tensions.
Unclear is what they will demand in return from the untested American statesman, and whether they will agree to the compromises the U.S. is likely to insist on in exchange for warmer relations.
Just a few questions:
Are the Castro brothers really willing to move toward democracy?
Can Russia and the West heal their widening estrangement?
Will Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stop being a thorn in America's side?
Analysts say they see many bright opportunities amid the perils and complexities.
"In this dangerous world, in a world where America's leverage has either been exposed as not being as strong as the rhetoric implied or where it is simply diminishing, I think Obama's approach is exactly what America needs," said Robin Niblett, the director of Chatham House, the London-based think tank.
"We need an approach that gets others to show their hand, that makes others have to think harder about their diplomacy, rather than just to react to rather strident and fixed American positions."
*****
It would be nice to move forward instead of backward like the last eight years. Maybe the world will see an end to conflict ... hey, it's a dream, but dreams do come true!
Tasmanian devils threatened by contagious cancer
My Gawd! We gotta save TAZ!
Tasmania is trying to save the devil.
The Tasmanian devil, a ferocious, snarling fox-sized marsupial, is in danger of going extinct because of a contagious facial cancer.
In the meantime, its biggest rival - the European fox - is thriving, and may become so dominant that the devil never comes back.
Scientists now want to build a double fence standing more than three feet tall to stop the cancer's relentless spread toward the rugged northwest of the island, home to disease-free devils and World Heritage-listed rain forest.
Devils spread the cancer when they bite each other during mating or squabble over food.But for any chance of success, the fences would have to be completed within two years, said Hamish McCallum, the senior scientist in the devil rescue program.
He predicts the devil will go extinct in the wild within 20 years.
The Australian island state of Tasmania is the only natural home for the world's largest marsupial carnivore, made notorious by its Looney Tunes cartoon namesake Taz.
Its Latin name is Sarcophilus harrisii, or "Harris' meat lover," after the scientist who first studied devils.
Our Readers
Today readers in:
Midlothian, Virginia, United States
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have enjoyed reading Carolina Naturally.
Midlothian, Virginia, United States
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Seoul, Kyonggi-Do, Korea
Faro, Faro, Portugal
Bullhead City, Arizona, United States
have enjoyed reading Carolina Naturally.
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