JERUSALEM - Ariel Sharon’s military attache presented aerial photos of Iranian nuclear installations during the Israeli prime minister’s summit with US President George W. Bush, Israeli public radio reported on Tuesday.


General Yoav Gallan, who accompanied Sharon to Monday’s talks at Bush’s Texas ranch, presented the photos as well as information gathered by the Israeli intelligence services on Teheran’s nuclear programme.

The radio, which did not give details on how the photos were taken, said the images proved that the Iranian nuclear programme was at a “very advanced” stage.


White House spokesman Scott McClellan confirmed the two leaders had “talked about their shared concern about Iran’s intentions with their nuclear programme” but denied they had discussed the possibility of a preemptive military strike by Israel, aimed at ensuring Iran does not acquire atomic weapons.


The United States and Israel have both accused Iran of using its atomic energy programme as cover for a plan to develop nuclear arms, a charge denied by Teheran, which says it needs nuclear power as an alternative energy source.


Israel itself has never publicly acknowledged that it maintains a nuclear arsenal but foreign experts say it has between 100 and 200 nuclear warheads.

"

So here's a question that I've been wrestling with lately: With all these reports about the bungling of U.S. intelligence, and the C.I.A.'s relying on bogus informants with names like "Curveball" or "Knucklehead" or whatever, why have there been no terrorist attacks in the U.S. since 9/11? I've got my own pet theory about what's produced this period of calm - and, more important, why it may be coming to an end.

Let's start with the facts. Despite all the code reds and code oranges we've been subjected to by the Department of Homeland Security, and despite the mountain of newspaper articles about how underprotected our ports and borders are, the fact is that not only has there not been another 9/11, but there has not even been a serious failed attempt that we know of.

Finger-in-chili woman won’t sue Wendy’s - Food, Inc. - MSNBC.com
whew!!

NY Times Op-Ed Columnist Maureen Dowd: "Baby boomers' almost comic fear of aging reminds me of that silent movie scene in which Harold Lloyd hangs precariously from the hand of a giant clock, literally pulling time from its moorings.
Despite the boomers' zealous attempts to stop time - with fitness and anti-aging products, with cosmetic enhancements by needle, laser and knife - time has caught up.
The deaths of iconic figures and the noisy debate over assisted suicide have brought boomers face to face with their nemesis. 'Suddenly,' The New Republic observed, 'we are all speculating about the feeding tubes in our future.' Boomers want to control mortality so they're looking at living wills, and legal and medical options.
I've visited the future, and it isn't pretty.
My mom fell and fractured her neck one night a couple of winters ago. She was sent to a nursing home to recuperate. It was the third circle of gloom. Residents sat around, zombie-like, or slowly maneuvered in wheelchairs or with walkers. I suddenly understood why all of my mom's friends who had gone into nursing homes had become listless and died soon after. The facility was depressing, with bad food and impersonal attendants who seemed inured to their surroundings.
It seemed like the sort of place people checked into but not out of. My mom's hazel eyes were filled with dread, so I bought a sleeping bag at the nearest R.E.I. and slept on the floor beside her bed for four weeks."

Welcome to MichaelMoore.com!: "April 11th, 2005 12:22 pm
DeLay In Step With Republicans



[Student op-ed from University of Texas at Austin]


By Phillip Lovegren / The Daily Texan


If you go to Tom DeLay's bedroom and can't find any shady buisness practices, check under the covers.

And if you are surprised that the house majority leader would jump into bed with some of the seediest elements of politics, don't be: The methods that DeLay has used to enrich himself and his party are not out of step with the ethical standards of the modern Republican Party. Rather, they are often essential elements in the Republican rise to power.

DeLay's recent troubles have centered on the allegation, currently being investigated by Travis County D.A. Ronnie Earle, that the House Majority Leader funneled corporate money to Republican candidates for the Texas Legislature. One of Texas' few campaign-finance laws is fairly straightforward: Don't take campaign money for personal use.

But the violation of this law and the subsequent massive cash advantage gained by the Republicans was instrumental in allowing the Republicans to make historic gains and take control of both legislative chambers in 2002."