The big story over the weekend has been the death of President Ronald Regan at 93 after suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease for the past decade. His death is marked by a flurry of reporting about his life and presidency, including critiques on his idea that big government confines liberty coupled with his big government spending and huge deficits, the impact of his death on the current campaign, and whether he was actually a closet liberal. The tribute to President Regan is expected to last all week, culminating in a funeral service that is intended to look like JFK's. The New York Times ran a good piece on Nancy Regan, who looked after her husband despite his eventual regression to not knowing who she was, on her becoming a spokesperson for medical research.
In Iraq, supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr are reportedly pulling out of the cities of Najaf and Kufa, giving hope that the two-month-old rebellion might be coming to a close. Violence still remains though, with 21 dead over the weekend in attacks. President Bush is hopeful for a UN resolution concerning the future of Iraq, a hope which many analysts see as likely to be fulfilled. Some representatives from both parties on the hill are concerned that the inquiries focusing on prisoner abuse are not being pursued to the extent they should be, which may lend some credence to the top UN human rights official stating that the abuse may represent a war crime with a call for international oversight. At the same time though, the UN human rights organization also praised the coalition forces for freeing the Iraqi people from years of systemic human rights violations under the Hussein government. The coalition may be in for more trouble though, as the Kurds are threatening to secede if they aren't guaranteed certain provisions in the new Iraqi constitution, a move that might move both the new Iraqi state and Turkey to military action. Wrapping up with Iraq stories, Slate gives the exact quotes from President Bush showing how he's trying to deny that he's ever really known Iraqi opposition leader and possible Iranian spy Ahmed Chalabi and soldiers in Iraq are mysteriously finding millions of dollars in newly minted American currency.
Also:
- A scientist analyzing satellite photos has claimed to have found Atlantis.
- An article on the negative effects of marine plastics.
- A new generation of cancer drugs might turn cancer into a chronic, but not life threatening disease.
- An article on global trends toward depopulation.
- The Campaign Desk takes a look at the plethora of opposition research and how journalists are reacting to it.
- Spanish authorities are painting a picture of an FBI overly anxious to arrest a possible American suspect in the Madrid bombings despite sufficient evidence.
- Reports are coming out stating that the United States was in negotiation with the Taliban for the extradition of Osama bin Laden a year before the 9/11 attacks.
- There is a popular revolt against the Patriot Act being waged by American cities.
- Senators McCain and Leahy have introduced a bill to that would allow low-power radio stations to use the FM dial in urban areas.
- The British government is calling for international monitors to ensure that the current crisis in Sudan does not further escalate.
- The RIAA, not sufficed with its current plans to enforce copyright, is pushing for a new breed of music player that would require biometric information to be gathered before playing tracks.
- An interview with Chuck D on how copyright law changed hip-hop.
- Storm-chasing is turning into a tourist event.
- Some Catholic bishops are going public with their belief that Archbishop Burke is going too far by denying Catholic politicians with pro-choice views communion.
- A new program to check out: Super Mario War.
- Audio lectures from a University of Minnesota English class on Science Fiction.
- Play a game of psychopong, hit the alien, or try and sink the billiard balls before they explode!
- A list of the 10 best internet fads.
Finally, a psychiatrist from California wants to change the official key of the national anthem from B flat to G. I don't think this solves the essential problem of the piece though, which is the range of an octave and a fifth. In B flat that means that the lowest note is the B flat below middle C, which can be sung by almost anyone, but the highest note is an F at the top of the treble clef, a note that only tenors and sopranos can reach. However, by putting it down to G you make people sing a low G below middle C on the word 'say,' which is also difficult. I personally would opt for A, or more likely A flat, since that brings the top note to either an E or E flat, still high but more manageable, without bottoming out the first part. But then again, we are fighting over semitones here -- maybe an alternate melody would be more appropriate?
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