Necessary News

All you need to know to sound brilliant

Baghdad: High, Dry, and In The Dark

• A new report by the National Security Network details the less-than-desirable status of water and electricity levels in the Iraqi capitol. It’s not lookin’ good, folks. Here’s the rundown: [NSN]
• Baghdad only gets an average of 5.6 hours of electricity a day. That’s still 40% below the levels the Bush Administration and the Coalition Provisional Authority promised by June 2004…three years ago!
• The U.S. has shelled out a hefty $3 billion for Iraqi electricity projects, but power levels still aren’t where they were before the invasion.
• It turns out the electricity shortages and lack of drinkable water are directly connected; 8 of the 12 electricity supply lines needed to power Baghdad’s water pumping stations are currently out of commission.
• Check this out; untreated sewage is seeping into rivers and contaminating the city’s main source of drinking water. Gross!
• To combat the water shortage, some Iraqis have resorted to digging their own backyard wells, which is expensive and further erodes the water supply.
• The price tag for U.S.-financed “water improvement” projects in Iraq? $1.5 billion. Ouch.

With scorching average highs of 110˚F in July and August, this seems like a pretty bad place to get dehydrated.

Global Warming: Bad For Your Wallet and National Security

The Story

• It’s bad for the polar bears. It’s horrible for Greenland. But who would have thought that global warming is disastrous for your pocket book and national security? [Mic Check]
• Earlier this year, a report issued by the British government claimed that global warming could cause a global great depression, eventually costing the world anywhere from 5 to 20% of its annual gross domestic product.
• If that wasn’t shocking enough, try this: Global warming may cost the world as much as $9.6 trillion by the next century because of the effects of famine, rising sea levels, storms and other environmental damage. [Bloomberg]
• And what’s all this about national security? In April, a report completed by the Center for Naval Analyses predicted that global warming would cause “large-scale migrations, increased border tensions, the spread of disease and conflicts over food and water.”
• Who would have to deal with those problems? You guessed it: the U.S. military.

The Audio

• Senator Tom Daschle discusses the catastrophic events that could be caused by global warming.
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• Former Deputy Secretary of Defense John Deutch discusses the global divide that climate change is currently causing.
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• Despite it all, retired General Charles Wald remains optimistic about the future.
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Global warming: not cool.

Little Relief for Suicidal Veterans

• A tragic fact: “Male U.S. veterans are twice as likely to die by suicide than people with no military service.” [Reuters]
• The study, produced by researchers at Portland State University, shows that “doctors...who may treat U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan should be alert for signs of depression and suicidal tendencies” according to lead researcher Mark Kaplan.
• While the study did not look closely at causes, experts agree that veterans, “particularly those who saw combat, are at higher risk for mental conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder as well as battle wounds that can cause disabilities.”
• But there’s a gaping problem: Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are having trouble finding therapists. [USA Today]
• 1/3 of returning soldiers seek mental health treatment after returning from combat, but they are welcomed home with military health insurance (TriCare) whose mental health coverage is"hindered by fragmented rules and policies, inadequate oversight and insufficient reimbursement.”
• While a young veteran struggles with the trauma of war, “wait lists now extend for months to see a military doctor and it can takes weeks to find a private therapist willing to take on members of the military.”

A national shame.

Pentagon’s “Gay Bomb” is Not Da Bomb

• This is real: A U.S. Air Force lab recently requested $7.5 million from the federal government to develop a “gay bomb.” Still excited about paying your taxes? [Raw Story]
• The weapon, conceived as part of the Pentagon’s non-lethal weapons program, would be “a hormone bomb that could purportedly turn enemy soldiers into homosexuals and make them more interested in sex than fighting.” It would certainly make Defense Department Christmas parties a heck of a lot more fun.
• Gay leaders find the proposal “both offensive and almost laughable at the same time.”
• Says Geoff Kors of Equality California, “Throughout history we have had so many brave men and women who are gay and lesbian serving the military with distinction...it’s just offensive that they think by turning people gay that the other military would be incapable of doing their job. And its absurd because there’s so much medical data that shows that sexual orientation is immutable and cannot be changed.”
• Lucky (maybe) for us, the proposal “was considered, then subsequently rejected.” Gawker has, helpfully, shed some light on the threat posed by this tantalizing weapon: [Gawker]

Sex bomb, sex bomb, you my sex bomb, and baby you can turn me on.

Your Tax Dollars At Work: The $63 Million Plane That Can’t Fly

• How much would you spend on an airplane that can’t fly more than a few feet? If you’re a normal American, the answer is $0. If you’re Congress, it’s $63 million. [ABC Blotter]
• A special shoutout to Rep. Duncan Hunter (R., CA) and former Rep. Chris Cox (R., CA) for their efforts to keep pouring taxpayer cash into this dud of a project since 1986.
• The plane sounds kinda cool: It’s supposed to take off straight up and fly 700 miles per hour.
• Problem #1: Um, the Pentagon says it doesn’t actually want a plane that takes off straight up and flies 700 miles per hour.
• Problem #2: In reality, for the past 21 years the plane has only ever been able to go a few feet before it crashes. In the past 4 years, it has crashed 4 times.
• The “plane” was designed by DuPont Aerospace. DuPont Aerospace is also a big campaign contributor, having given $18K to Cox when he was in Congress and at least $36K to Hunter. What a coincidence!
• A flight instructor at the San Diego airport, who’s seen the plane in action: “They do fire the engines up, and it moves around the airport, but on the back of a truck.”
• Rep. Brad Miller (D., NC): “The good news is that when it crashes, it only crashed from a foot or two off the ground.”
• Hunter: “We need to put more money in it, not less!”
• Rep. Miller, chair of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight of the Committee on Science and Technology will hold hearings on the “plane” this week.

Here’s a hint: When a plane can’t fly higher than I can jump, it’s probably not worth $63 million.

Good News, Bad News

According to a new study from the Brookings Institution, “America’s suburbs, historically a haven for young families with children, are aging more rapidly than the nation’s central cities as the first suburban generation grows older.” This means expensive new demands on things like housing, health care, transportation and social services in America’s ‘burbs. [NY Times]

GOOD NEWS

Denny’s and JoAnne Fabrics may replace Gymboree and Whole Foods faster than you can say “over the river and through the woods.”

BAD NEWS

The Early Bird Special at Applebees is gonna be packed.

Quote Of The Day

I think it’s become even clearer was the mistake was to try to bring the Today Show ethos to the Evening News, to dumb it down and tart it up in hopes of attracting a younger audience.

— Dan Rather, hatin’ on Katie Couric.

Speed Round

AUDIO — IMMIGRATION

On the Hill to browbeat his fellow Republicans for killing his immigration bill yesterday, President Bush made one last ditch effort to put a little blame on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Sen. Reid wasn’t buying it.

THE MIDDLE EAST

As attacks between Hamas and Fatah increase, Palestinians teeter on civil war. [NY Times]

VOTING

Thinking of casting your vote in the ‘08 elections from abroad? Don’t count on it. [NY Times]

PASSPORTS

After having passport applicants pay an additional $60 to have their orders rushed and then not delivering, the government buckles and offers refunds. [USA Today]

POTUS

Did someone steal President Bush’s watch while he was shaking hands in Albania? We’re sure there’s a metaphor in here somewhere… [AP]

TRAGEDY

“Male U.S. veterans are twice as likely to die by suicide than people with no military service, and are more likely to kill themselves with a gun than others who commit suicide, researchers said on Monday.” [Reuters]

JAWS OFFICIALLY DROPPED

A Maryland school board is voting on whether teachers can tell students that homosexuality is not a mental disease. [Washington Post]

IMMIGRATION

As long as they’re kicking out foreigners, U.S. Customs thinks why not deport Americans, too? The United States accidentally ships mentally challenged man to Tiajuana. [LA Times]

CHINA

China’s has a new defense for all of its rampant human rights abuses: Hey, man, it isn’t us. Must be all those foreigners. [AP]

TODAY IN IRONY

Connecticut’s “Ethics Czar” under fire for ethical lapses. Our favorite line from the list of grievances against him: “He has been observed, repeatedly, sleeping in his office.” [The Courant]

DICK MORRIS

Right-wing pundit Dick Morris says, as president, Hillary won’t withdraw from Iraq because she’s a woman. [Think Progress]

9-FOOT TED’S DEAD, BABY. 9-FOOT TED’S DEAD.

Plans are canceled for the 9-foot statue of Sen. Ted Stevens (imagine the giant Incredible Hulk tie!). It is a little tacky to erect a giant statue of yourself while under FBI investigation for political corruption, we guess. [Roll Call]

HUMAN SMUGGLERS’ BLUES

“24 will b tuff 2 fit but ill try”: Text message sent by one of the three National Guardsmen involved in an immigration smuggling ring in Texas. [CBS]

BAMA

Alabama state legislators vote to give themselves a big discount on health insurance. In case you were wondering, 13.5% of all Alabamians lack any health insurance at all. Way to target the program, guys. [United for Health] [Tuscaloosa News]

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE…

“The Army now admits that it secretly dumped 64 million pounds of nerve and mustard agents into the sea, along with 400,000 chemical-filled bombs, land mines and rockets and more than 500 tons of radioactive waste — either tossed overboard or packed into the holds of scuttled vessels.” [Think Progress]

KATRINA

100: Number of Katrina victims still awaiting burial. [CNN]

THE FINAL FRONTIER

The International Space Station unfurls its latest trick: a set of brand, spankin’ new solar panels. [AP]

TOUGH LOVE

A panel of doctors say medical professionals need to stop sugar-coating things, start calling kids what they are: obese. [AP]

TRAGEDY

Five young children die in Pittsburgh fire. [AP]

‘TIS THE SEASON

Just in time for hurricane season, a satellite that’s crucial to predicting the storms decides to fail. Kind of like our weatherman does every morning. [AP]