Monday, August 21, 2006

News Snippets and Reactions

Israeli Raid Strains Mideast Truce, U.N. Official Warns : New York Times, By JOHN KIFNER and GREG MYRE, August 20, 2006
BEIRUT, Lebanon. A day after an Israeli commando raid into Lebanon touched off a lengthy firefight with Hezbollah guerrillas, a top United Nations envoy warned today that further such incidents could unravel a shaky, week-old cease-fire. Israel defended its operation and hinted it was ready to do it again if it suspected new arms were being smuggled to Hezbollah.
What else can Israel do? Who is going to keep new weapons away from Hezbollah?

Woods Wins P.G.A. Championship - New York Times: New York Times, MEDINAH, Ill. (AP)
No tears, no sweat. One month after an emotional victory in the British Open, Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship with a ruthless display of efficiency Sunday, closing with a 4-under 68 for a five-shot victory and his 12th career major.
A great American athlete, now second all-time behind Jack Nicklaus.

Iran Reiterates It Won’t End Nuclear Program - New York Times: New York Times, by NAZILA FATHI, August 20, 2006, TEHRAN
As Iran fired ten short-range missiles on the second day of a large-scale military maneuver, officials today reiterated Iran’s stance that it does not intend to halt its uranium enrichment program.
Why should they? The world operates using cold calculations, not on the humanitarian philosophies of the left. Iran has more to gain with nuclear weapons than without, period.

The School-Lunch Test - New York Times: New York Times, by LISA BELKIN, August 20, 2006
Schools receiving federal lunch subsidies must now create wellness plans. But will replacing Tater Tots with sweet-potato fries really lead to healthier, slimmer children?
Yes, it will, taken as one measure in tandem with other measures. Even McDonald’s now lets you substitute apple dippers for French fries, thanks to Supersize Me, and lawsuits.

Candidly Speaking, The YouTube Election: New York Times, by RYAN LIZZA, August 20, 2006
AUGUST, usually the sleepiest month in politics, has suddenly become raucous, thanks in part to YouTube, the vast video-sharing Web site. Last week, Senator George Allen, the Virginia Republican, was caught on tape at a campaign event twice calling a college student of Indian descent “Macaca,” evidently and hopefully, an unconscious racial slur.
The blogosphere, YouTube, MySpace, it’s all the wave of the future. If you are a politician, do not drink, do not let your guard down to seem homey for the folks, and do not imagine that one word you say will escape public scrutiny.

And Now, Islamism Trumps Arabism: New York Times
But Jihan Mahmoud, 24, from the middle-class neighborhood of Heliopolis, and Madah Ali Muhammad, 23, from a village in the Nile Delta, have come to the exact same conclusion about what they and their country need: a strong Islamic political movement. “I have more faith in Islam than in my state; I have more faith in Allah than in Hosni Mubarak,” Ms. Mahmoud said, referring to the president of Egypt. “That is why I am proud to be a Muslim."
The religion of peace is so happy that Hezbollah lobbed Katushyas into Israeli living rooms, and resisted for a month Israel’s attempt to destroy them. They have their great hero now, in Lebanon. In Egypt and across the Arab world, support for the Hezbollah leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, is growing more fervent.

No comments: