Today’s Odd “Considerettes” Search Phrase – The nouns of my Saudi selected player [#1! on Yahoo! Search]

Good news from the fledgeling democracy in Iraq: The 3 main factions have agreed to work together (H/T Mark Kilmer at “No End But Victory”):

The main Shi’ite bloc in Iraq, the Iraqi Alliance, fell short of gaining an absolute majority which would have enabled them to run the government themselves. They are willing to work with the Sunni parties with a proviso: the must actively combat the insurgency.

But he [Senior Iraq Alliance member Dr Hussein al-Shahristani] warned the Sunni parties that if they wanted to join the coalition, they would have to fight the insurgency actively.

“We’ll require them not only to condemn terrorism – as they do normally – but to work with us in combating terrorism and overcoming it,” he said.

The two main Sunni groups and Kurdish parties said they want to give this national unity thaang a go.

At this point, the Iraqi experiment is still working, and getting stronger. The first class of cadets from military training graduated recently, and the multi-national force continues to help Iraq beat back the insurgency.

Continued efforts by Iraqi and Coalition Forces continue to help Iraq progress toward democracy by making it harder on the insurgency, building up infrastructure and fostering stability.

“The pressure on the terrorists continues, making it harder … for them to conduct the attacks targeting large numbers of vulnerable civilians,” Brig. Gen. Donald Alston, Strategic Communication Director for Multi-National Force Iraq said in a press conference Jan. 22 in Baghdad .

“Having 227,000 Iraqi Security Forces provides capability for a wide range of security operations and more Iraqis on patrol equals greater intelligence – keys to defeating the insurgency and Al Qaeda in Iraq ,” he said.

Alston noted that attacks across Iraq were down 40 percent the previous week, and defined MNF-I’s mission:

“Our combined operations are designed to provide a safe and secure environment for the seating of the new Iraqi Government and to defeat the terrorists and foreign fighters who are attempting to derail democracy.”

It’s not without its losses, but as Iraq moves more and more into self-government, the cause is a good one.

UPDATE: The BBC is reporting that “Iraqis and Afghans are among the most optimistic people in the world when it comes to their economic future”.

In Afghanistan, 70% say their own circumstances are improving, and 57% believe that the country overall is on the way up.

In Iraq, 65% believe their personal life is getting better, and 56% are upbeat about the country’s economy.

The experts at polling firm Globescan, who conducted the survey, venture the guess that war may have created a “year zero” experience of collectively starting again.

(Cross-posted at Stones Cry Out. Comments welcome.)

In the “I’ll Believe It When I See It” Department, Hamas says it’ll negotiate with Israel under some preconditions.

Hamas is “interested” in Israeli peace proposals and may be willing to negotiate indirectly with the Jewish state, Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar, Hamas chief in the Gaza Strip, said in an exclusive interview while ruling out the possibility of his terror group disarming or ceasing “resistance” attacks.

“If the Israelis have an offer to be discussed and [the offer includes] two very important points – the release of all [Palestinian] detainees and a stop of all Israeli aggression, including the process of withdrawal from the West Bank…then we are going to search for an effective and constructive process [that will bring this] at the end,” said al-Zahar in an interview with WorldNetDaily’s Jerusalem bureau chief Aaron Klein and ABC Radio’s John Batchelor broadcast on Batchelor’s national program.

Hamas has targeted civilians in its fight for a Palestinian state, which would make it a terrorist group in the eyes of most. And yet that detail doesn’t seem to have bothered a lot of Palestinians.

Hamas last month was largely victorious in local municipal elections in Gaza and the West Bank, and is expected to do well in Palestinian parliamentary elections scheduled for Wednesday.

Analysts expect Hamas will join a coalition government with the currently ruling Fatah party.

The main reason I’m very skeptical of all this is that their mission statement hasn’t changed.

The official Hamas charter calls for the destruction of Israel by “assaulting and killing,” and rejects all peace talks with the Jewish state.

Doesn’t sound like a group interested in negotiations.

(Cross-posted to Stones Cry Out. Comments welcome.)

Today’s Odd “Considerettes” Search Phrase – comical sayings or signs to put up at work in the courthouse [#1! on Yahoo! Search]

Space, the final junk-tier.

In January 2005, the US Space Surveillance Network saw a 31-year-old US Thor rocket body collide in space with part of the third stage of the Chinese CZ-4 rocket that exploded in March 2000. At least three pieces broke off the Thor rocket stage, adding to the growing collection of space junk orbiting Earth.

Now, NASA researchers have calculated that such occurrences will only increase. Even without launching any additional spacecraft, the number of new fragments created by collisions will exceed the number falling back to Earth and burning up by 2055.

And reaching that tipping point by 2055 is a best case scenario. “In reality we know it’s going to get worse sooner,” says J C Liou, principal scientist and project manager with the engineering science contract group at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, US, and who led the new study. Nations will continue to launch new satellites into Earth orbit, meaning the total amount of space junk will start increasing much sooner.

This is of concern to space-faring countries because even a centimetre-sized speck of debris, speeding along at thousands of kilometres per hour, could damage an operational satellite.

“Sorry sir, we can’t take the shuttle down to the surface. Too much junk in the way.” “Guess we’ll have to stay in orbit until we invent transporter technology.”

Republicans and Democrats have each presented their own government reform packages, but according to a watchdog group, neither is good enough.

Democrats on Wednesday declared an end to the “Republican culture of corruption,” announcing their own “real reform” plan one day after Republicans announced theirs.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said the Democrat plan is about “real change and has real teeth.” It’s called the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act.

Democrat leaders said their “aggressive reform package” would “reverse Republican excesses and restore the public trust.”

But according to a taxpayer watchdog group, both parties have legitimate criticism to lob against each other’s reform proposals.

“The Republicans are right in saying that both parties have complicity in the current ethical mess, where campaign contributions and other gifts are given to Members of Congress in exchange for their support for government largesse for the contributors,” said John Berthoud, president of the National Taxpayers Union.

On the other hand, “The Democrats are right that the Republicans’ package doesn’t go nearly far enough,” Berthoud said.
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“But the Democrats’ package is little better,” Berthoud said. “Their lackluster reform package gives lie to their claim that they are not part of the Washington problem.”

The problem is that both sides break the law, not that there aren’t enough laws. The reason they break the law is because there’s so much money floating around Washington because government is just way too big. Fortunately, there are those who are putting forth a real step in dealing with this root cause.

Lobbying reform alone is not enough, said the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), which has urged Congress to fix the “mangled and secretive budget process.”

Tom Schatz, CCAGW president, said, “Bipartisan abuse of the budget process has led to record spending on pork barrel projects and handouts to special interests.”

According to CCAGW, total federal spending has swelled 67 percent, from $1.5 trillion in fiscal 1995 to almost $2.5 trillion in fiscal 2005. The number of pork-barrel projects in the federal budget during that same period of time has skyrocketed from 1,349 to 13,997, an increase of 938 percent.

CCAGW supports a bill introduced by Sen. John McCain and Rep. Jeff Flake, both Arizona Republicans. The bill, the Obligation of Funds Transparency Act (S. 1495 and H.R. 1642, respectively), would make earmarks more visible and amendable before legislation is passed.

Transparency with regard to the slinging around of pork is a good first step, and it’s just a first step. The more power and money we give to Washington, the more this kind of thing will happen, regardless of the number of “reforms” passed. Lobbying isn’t a crime and taking contributions from lobbyists isn’t a crime. However, the reason both of these legal actions can be abused is because in a government as large, complex and awash in money and power as ours, humanity’s weakness kicks in. Giving Washington more and more to do, especially those things that aren’t even constitutionally mandated, is simply an invitation for more abuse, and anyone who advocates for the former while ranting against the latter is ignorant at best and disingenuous at worst.

(Cross-posted at Stones Cry Out and Blogger News Network. Comments welcome.)

Enrollment at Christian evangelical colleges is on the rise, quite sharply, across the nation. This excerpt from the Grand Forks Herald notes the numbers for Minnesota.

Across the state, and the nation, colleges with ties to evangelical movements are seeing their enrollments soar.

The numbers at Minnesota schools fitting that demographic are up between 28 and 49 percent over the past five years, compared with about 7 percent at other private colleges.

“I wanted to be able to discuss my religious beliefs,” said Kristi Rohwer, who is taking classes at Bethel University in Arden Hills. “I feel that you view life and things differently in your education if you can do that. We do discuss our beliefs, and I like it a lot.”

The 17-year-old Rohwer, from Forest Lake, is still a student in high school but is taking classes at Bethel through a special academic program. She said she wants to stay at Bethel when she becomes a full-time college student, and she’s not alone.

Faith has a strong presence on campuses like Bethel’s and Northwestern College in Roseville. Many classes begin with prayer and readily include considerations of faith during discussions about science or mathematics.

From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:

Former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle is weighing the possibility of running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

“I have received a lot of encouragement,” Daschle said in an email today to the Argus Leader.

Heh, yeah. Probably a lot of encouragement from Republicans in there.

Progress is occurring in the Milwaukee Public School System.

Milwaukee schools are still struggling, but progress is obvious. Students have improved their performance on 13 out of 15 standardized tests. The annual dropout rate has fallen to 10% from 16% since the choice program started. Far from draining resources from public schools, spending has gone up in real terms by 27% since choice began as taxpayers and legislators encouraged by better results pony up more money.

How did they do this? School vouchers. Choice. Making the monopoly compete. The results have impressed even the MPS superintendent.

“No longer is MPS a monopoly,” says Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent William Andrekopoulos. “That competitive nature has raised the bar for educators in Milwaukee to provide a good product or they know that parents will walk.” The city’s public schools have made dramatic changes that educators elsewhere can only dream of. Public schools now share many buildings with their private counterparts, which helps alleviate the shortage of classrooms. Teachers, once assigned strictly by seniority, are now often hired by school selection committees. And 95% of district operating funds now go directly to schools, instead of being parceled out by a central office. That puts power in the hands of teachers who work directly with students.

Mr. Andrekopoulos loves it. The parents love it. The teacher’s unions…well, they’re predictable.

Far from questioning the public-school monopoly, teacher unions are digging in. They have an ally in Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat elected in 2002 with 45% of the vote (a Libertarian candidate got 10%). Running scared in this election year, he claims he wants to raise the cap on Milwaukee’s choice program. But he insists on including side issues in any deal with the Legislature. For instance, he demands choice students take standardized tests and have the results made public. But in 2003 he vetoed a bill that would have done just that because the teachers union wanted to block an objective study of choice.
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Teacher unions have their own answer to the collapse of public education in the inner cities: ship truckloads of money to poorer districts in the name of “social justice.” But many Milwaukee parents aren’t buying that. They have painfully learned that more money spent on a failed system does not produce better education. They want to make their own decisions about their children’s future.

Instead of letting more kids take advantage of these better results, the cap on the number of eligible students is going to be interpreted in such a way that it may throw the program into disarray and close some of the schools. The unions would rather hold on to their power and influence rather than give the kids a shot at a better education. “Fix it, don’t kill it” is a common phrase heard by folks trying to preserve this monopoly, but the parents know that they don’t have that sort of time, and they know that the school system doesn’t have that sort of inclination. It’s only in competition that things will get better. It works amazingly well in our colleges and universities,which are among the best in the world. It would work for K-12, too, if it were to be given a chance.

(Cross-posted at Stones Cry Out and Blogger News Network. Comments welcome.)

From the London Telegraph:

Men who take drugs for impotency such as Viagra or Cialis and who have previously had a heart attack may have a 10-fold increased risk of damaging their eyesight, an American study claims today.

It warns that increasing use of the drugs could produce an increase in a rare condition that can cause irreversible loss of vision.

That is to say, if you keep it up, you’ll go blind. >grin<