| The Curse of Atomic Weapons and Power
America, right now, is poisoning the area known as the cradle of civilization. We grew up calling it Mesopotamia. The name Iraq doesn't convey its 10,000+ year history of human settlement. An interesting side-effect of our use of Depleted Uranium weapons is that, because of their extraordinarily-long half-life of four and a half billion years, the evidence of our assault on civilians who have not even been born yet, will be detectable (with sophisticated equipment) for about 50 to 100 billion years. The earth is only about 5 billion years old, according to the geological record! Two, or ten, or a hundred generations from now, or a thousand, anyone will be able to find clear evidence of our use of uranium weaponry. Uranium fragments. Deformities among the local population. All these things will be discernable.
Bush expected to map modest goals for 2008
Modern presidents not seeking re-election often see an uptick in their poll numbers as their tenure draws to a close.
Lyndon B. Johnson's ratings grew to the mid-40s from the high 30s in his final months. Ronald Reagan left office with an approval rating near 60 percent, and Bill Clinton's was over 60 percent.
But an effort has begun to prevent the trend from continuing.
Americans United for Change, a liberal advocacy group, is spending $8.5 million on television advertisements and other efforts promoting the darker side of the Bush presidency. The ads highlight the tenuous economy, high gas prices, the Iraq war and conclude with the message: "The state of the union must change."
More than eight out of 10 Americans think the country is in fair or poor shape, according to a Harris Interactive online survey released last week, up from seven in 10 a year ago.
Toddler receives own umbilical cord blood as cancer treatment
The photograph of Caden Ledbetter, taken last spring, hangs across from his hospital crib as a reminder. Cancer has taken the 2-year-old's baby fat. His hair. His freedom. At times, his smile. It might have taken Caden's life, too. But a breakthrough stem cell transplant gives his family hope that the boy in the picture will return. Stem cells taken from his own umbilical cord at birth were pumped back into his body Friday at Medical City Dallas Hospital. Using a patient's own cord blood is uncommon for any illness. The treatment for neuroblastoma, a rare but deadly cancer that attacks the nervous system, is nearly unheard of. "It's either the second or third time it's ever been done in the world," said Joel Weinthal, Caden's doctor.
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