More than two thirds of Americans think President George W. Bush is mishandling events in Iraq and almost a third believe civil war in the country is imminent, according to a Harris poll. More US adults are pessimistic about the situation in Iraq since the bombing of the Askariya shrine and the ensuing sectarian violence, a nationwide survey found. Sixty-eight percent of those interviewed gave a negative rating of Bush’s current handling of events in Iraq, and 30 percent were positive. The president’s ratings slipped from a previous survey in January, in which 61 percent were negative and 36 percent positive. Asked about the possibility of a civil war in Iraq in the next six months, 30 percent of those polled said that such a war was very or extremely likely, with another 20 percent saying it was likely. Sixty-one percent doubted that US policy in Iraq would be successful, up from 55 percent in January, while only 20 percent were confident, compared with 26 percent previously. The Harris poll confirmed a growing erosion of public support for Bush’s policy in Iraq. A Gallup survey published Thursday showed support for keeping US troops in […]
A feminist blogger has posted explicit directions online for a surgical abortion, in reaction to the new South Dakota law all but banning the procedure. Her action troubles activists on both sides of the issue: Is it a harbinger of a return to the era of secret, illegal abortions? At her “Molly Saves the Day” weblog, the 21-year-old Florida resident uses the pseudonym Molly Blythe. Given the volitility of the abortion debate, she requested that her real name and city of residence not be used in this story. In an interview, the blogger said South Dakota’s recent ban on abortion — even in cases of rape and incest — prompted her post, “For the Women of South Dakota: An Abortion Manual.” The blogger, who has no medical background, said she has been compiling instructions for several years. She observed an actual abortion, interviewed providers and read medical texts, she said. She posted directions for a dilation and curettage — or D and C — abortion, and plans to next place online the steps for a vacuum aspiration abortion. “If anyone has a problem with this and they don’t think non-doctors should perform medical procedures, there’s […]
A rise in the world’s sea surface temperatures was the primary contributor to the formation of stronger hurricanes since 1970, a new study reports. While the question of what role, if any, humans have had in all this is still a matter of intense debate, most scientists agree that stronger storms are likely to be the norm in future hurricane seasons. The study is detailed in the March 17 issue of the journal Science. An alarming trend In the 1970s, the average number of intense Category 4 and 5 hurricanes occurring globally was about 10 per year. Since 1990, that number has nearly doubled, averaging about 18 a year. Category 4 hurricanes have sustained winds from 131 to 155 mph. Category 5 systems, such as Hurricane Katrina at its peak, feature winds of 156 mph or more. Wilma last year set a record as the most intense hurricane on record with winds of 175 mph. Image Gallery Hurricanes from Above While some scientists believe this trend is just part of natural ocean and atmospheric cycles, others argue that rising sea surface temperatures as a side effect of global warming is the primary […]
WASHINGTON — With power cleaner than coal and cheaper than natural gas, the nuclear industry, 20 years past its last meltdown, thinks it is ready for its second act: its first new reactor orders since the 1970’s. But there is a catch. The public’s acceptance of new reactors depends in part on the performance of the old ones, and lately several of those have been discovered to be leaking radioactive water into the ground. Near Braceville, Ill., the Braidwood Generating Station, owned by the Exelon Corporation, has leaked tritium into underground water that has shown up in the well of a family nearby. The company, which has bought out one property owner and is negotiating with others, has offered to help pay for a municipal water system for houses near the plant that have private wells. In a survey of all 10 of its nuclear plants, Exelon found tritium in the ground at two others. On Tuesday, it said it had had another spill at Braidwood, about 60 miles southwest of Chicago, and on Thursday, the attorney general of Illinois announced she was filing a lawsuit against the company over that leak and five earlier ones, dating […]
BOSTON — Harvard University scientists say they’ve found a link between people living longer and cities reducing the amount of fine particulate matter in the air. Lead author Francine Laden, an assistant professor of environmental epidemiology, said the eight-year follow-up to the landmark Harvard Six Cities Study found the largest drops in mortality rates were in cities with the greatest reduction in fine particulate air pollution. The findings remained valid after controlling for the general increase in adult life expectancy in the United States during both the original and follow-up study periods. The original Harvard Six Cities Study evaluated the effects of pollution on adults during the 1970s and 1980s. The results showed a strong, positive correlation between levels of air pollution and mortality — and the study led to a revision of existing air quality standards by the Environmental Protection Agency. The follow-up study population consisted of nearly 8,100 white participants residing in Watertown, Mass.; Kingston and Harriman, Tenn.; St. Louis, Mo.; Steubenville, Ohio; Portage, Wyocena and Pardeeville, Wis.; and Topeka, Kan. The most recent study was published in the March 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
