Slowplay.com

Summertime means hot weather, long nights and plenty of teen health hit pieces.

Big today: How the media forces kids to meet unattainable standards of looks. Boys need to be big and strong. Girls need to be rail thin yet toned. Here is a piece from USNews.com:

Sculpted arms without breaking a sweat? Two minutes a day to chiseled abs? Teens preoccupied with defined muscles or attempting to gain weight were more likely to take potentially harmful supplements at least weekly, report researchers in a new study in Pediatrics.

Even though this hit piece is meant to be anti-supplement it starts off with a complete fabrication that even the most outrageous product wouldn’t claim. Hopefully these easily influenced teenagers aren’t reading this article.

The point of the article/study is that a lot of teens are self-conscious of their bodies and therefore are at risk. It repeatedly refers to the “potentially unhealthful products,” mostly powders and shakes, that have “unknown health consequences” but are “probably safe”. A very powerful warning.

The common view of these powders and shakes by people that don’t use them is that they are magic muscle builders. They are built up as drugs that will build up big muscles with little or no work. In reality, the main function of most of these supplements is to let the user exercise more. They increase fluid retention, saturate the body with natural substances and most importantly speed up muscle recovery.

The MTV.com view of the same study is that health magazine reading plays a vital role in this apparent problem. They stick to mostly the numbers of the study before jumping straight to ‘roids:

Protein powders are safe, [Harvard medical professor Dr. Alison] Field notes, but steroids have serious side effects, and other products may not be as risk-free as many assume. Anabolic steroids have been linked to testicular atrophy and male impotence, liver and kidney damage, an increased risk for heart disease, and uncontrollable aggression, nicknamed ” ‘roid rage.”

If you are a teen wondering if you should take supplements to aid your workouts, Dr. Eric Small, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ sports medicine and fitness committee, thinks you better have a good motive (AP):

“Working out is definitely a good thing but you have to work out for the right reasons,” Small said.

As Iran prepares to lead the world down the perilous path toward a nuclear Islamofascist regime, French President Jacques Chirac is looking for Tehran’s “word”. According to USA Today, Britain, France and Germany are ready to make a “generous” offer to Iran in exchange for assurances that the Iranians will abandon their nuclear ambitions. Iran has long claimed that its aim was to develop a nuclear fuel program, but has always used threatening talk in conjunction with it.

As Slowplay.com reported months ago:

Iran has promised military retaliation as well as an acceleration of its nuclear “fuel” program if the United States attacks them. My question is this: Why would Iran threaten to finish its nuclear program if it was only for energy purposes? Isn’t the real threat here “if you attack us, we guarantee we’ll build the bomb“? Perhaps Iran thinks these statements will help it in some way, but I don’t see this as a good play at all. But, maybe Iran thinks we’re all talk… [February 7.]

…

Hassan Rowhani… Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, [commented] on state television Tuesday [that] … Iran can move its nuclear workshops under mountains and carry out its program where no bomb and missile could be effective.

Nobody would threaten to finish an energy program under a mountain. This appears to be an allusion to a nuclear deterrent – a statement from Iran that an attack on them will lead to mutually assured destruction. [February 8.]

The nuclear fuel smokescreen is continuing, but Iran is continuing to hardly even veil its obvious desire for a nuclear weapons program. Otherwise, why would they have made this threat?

“Europe has only a few hours, up to when the council meets, (to file its) proposal. If it does not arrive by that time, the council will discuss breaking the ice” on Iran’s stalled nuclear program, Agha Mohammadi told state radio Sunday.

No statement on the council’s decision was published on Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency on Sunday night.

The Iranian comments triggered alarms in Paris, London and Vienna, Austria, with a British official labeling them a “dangerous step.”

Indeed it is a dangerous step. Can Europe — especially Great Britain, who supported the U.S. in Iraq and has recently been struck by a wave of terrorism — really feel it is time to appease by entering a gentlemen’s agreement with a group of rogues that are wholly incapable of conducting themselves like gentlemen?

Iran suspended uranium enrichment in November under international pressure led by the United States, which suspects Tehran’s nuclear program is aimed at trying to make weapons and once labeled Iran part of an “axis of evil.” Iran maintains its program is peaceful and has long said its decision to suspend all uranium enrichment-related activities was voluntary and temporary.

France, Britain and Germany, acting on behalf of the 25-nation European Union, had been expected to present their incentive package to Iran by the beginning of August, but they requested a delay until Aug. 7.

The European diplomat accredited to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said the three nations plan to hand over their deal next week and would not be rushed by Iranian pressure.

The package could include nuclear fuel, nuclear technology and security guarantees, although no one can give a “100 percent guarantee” against invasion, said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss the confidential negotiations with the media.

If Iran does resume production of uranium gas at Isfahan as threatened, the Europeans would call for an emergency IAEA board meeting, the diplomat said. That meeting would likely set a deadline for Iran to “see the error of their ways” and stop all enrichment-related activities.

If the deadline is not met, then the Europeans — with American support — would push to have Iran referred to the U.N. Security Council for breaking their promise to desist from work linked to uranium enrichment as long as the talks with the Europeans continue. The council could impose sanctions on Iran.

It’s tough be a suicide bomber when you’re lying dead on the ground with five bullets in you.

“One of the police officers was holding a black automatic pistol in his left hand.

“He held it down to him and unloaded five shots into him. I saw it all. He was dead, five shots. I was literally less than five yards away.”

This is a good sign in the war on terror: Muslims fear ’shoot to kill’ policy.

BRITISH Muslims fear police are operating under a “shoot to kill” policy after a man was gunned down at an Underground train station following a second wave of bomb attacks. The Muslim Council of Britain called on police to explain why the Asian man, reported as a “suspected suicide bomber” by Sky News, was shot dead at Stockwell station in south London.

…

A Muslim Council spokesman said Muslims were “jumpy and nervous”, and feared reprisal attacks.

“I have just had one phone call saying: What if I was carrying a rucksack?,” Inayat Bunglawala said, referring to the rucksack bombs used in the London attacks.

“It’s vital the police give a statement about what occurred (at Stockwell) and explain why the man was shot dead,” Mr Bunglawala said.

“We are getting phone calls from quite a lot of Muslims who are distressed about what may be a shoot-to-kill policy.”

When it comes to potential bombers, shoot-to-kill should be the starting point.

No doubt the facts will be brought to light soon enough. The left in this country and the UK are holding their breaths praying for this man to be innocent. They will soon be demanding answers and accountability. Much louder than they did after the 7/7 bombings, if they did at all. Can’t a foreign looking man wearing an oversized coat in warm weather run from the police in a subway two weeks after a terror bombing? And that’s without a Patriot Act!

Here is a great headline from PakTribune (notice the quotes) — Police ‘kill man’ on London Tube — Must be lost in translation. Or was ‘man’ a last minute edit for ‘terrorist’?

It is just after 9 PM in Washington and President Bush has just given the floor to the Honorable John Roberts of the D.C. Circuit after announcing his choice to make the fifty year-old Roberts the next Supreme Court Justice. Roberts, a distinguished “Double Harvard” who has served for the past two years on “The Stepping Stone to the Supreme Court,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, was a surprise choice after Edith Clement and Edith Jones seemed to have taken over the lead in the past few days.

Once again, it is President Bush, a man repeatedly belittled by the Left as a man of little mental acuity, who has shown himself to be a brilliant political tactician. Knowing that Roberts is a solid conservative, and that Charles Schumer and Pat Leahy are warming up MoveOn.org, et al. to immediately try to block him, Bush picked a man who was a nearly unanimous winner of the increasingly difficult confirmation derby, and he focused his speech on this. Bush noted that top individuals from both parties strongly supported Roberts’ confirmation to the D.C. Circuit. This speech threw down the gauntlet and has put the Dems in a very tough situation: How do they, especially in accordance with the McCain-Byrd agreement, find a way to in just two years do an about-face on a judge who faced just three dissenting votes (the surprising list: Schumer, Durbin, Kennedy) in 2003?

Roberts is considered to be a top conservative justice. Some of the Fox All-Stars are arguing a bit over “how Right” Roberts is, but here’s all you need to know: As I write this, Schumer and Leahy are on a full-out attack on Roberts’ credentials.

The attack on the Free World continues.

Godspeed to our British allies.

Hopefully this will be a turning point in Europe. I suspect the UK response will be in the form of the United States model, not the Spanish one. For the impact on the rest of Europe, we’ll have to wait and see.

Tony Blair has spoken beautifully today. He lacks the swagger of Bush, but makes up for it with his unmatched mastery of the English language. “We will not be intimidated” pretty much sums it up.

PRIME MINISTER Tony Blair:

I am just going to make a short statement to you on the terrible events that have happened in London earlier today, and I hope you understand that at the present time we are still trying to establish exactly what has happened, and there is a limit to what information I can give you, and I will simply try and tell you the information as best I can at the moment.

It is reasonably clear that there have been a series of terrorist attacks in London. There are obviously casualties, both people that have died and people seriously injured, and our thoughts and prayers of course are with the victims and their families.

It is my intention to leave the G8 within the next couple of hours and go down to London and get a report, face-to-face, with the police, and the emergency services and the Ministers that have been dealing with this, and then to return later this evening.

It is the will of all the leaders at the G8 however that the meeting should continue in my absence, that we should continue to discuss the issues that we were going to discuss, and reach the conclusions which we were going to reach. Each of the countries round that table have some experience of the effects of terrorism and all the leaders, as they will indicate a little bit later, share our complete resolution to defeat this terrorism.

It is particularly barbaric that this has happened on a day when people are meeting to try to help the problems of poverty in Africa, and the long term problems of climate change and the environment. Just as it is reasonably clear that this is a terrorist attack, or a series of terrorist attacks, it is also reasonably clear that it is designed and aimed to coincide with the opening of the G8. There will be time to talk later about this.

It is important however that those engaged in terrorism realize that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world. Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilized nations throughout the world.

PRESIDENT George W. Bush :

I spent some time recently with the prime minister, Tony Blair; had the opportunity to express our heartfelt condolences to the people of London, people who lost lives.

I appreciate Prime Minister Blair’s steadfast determination and restraint.

He’s on his way now to London here from the G-8 to speak directly to the people of London, to carry a message of solidarity with him.

This morning I’ve been in contact with our homeland security folks and I instructed them to be in touch with local and state officials about the facts of what took place here and in London and to be extra vigilant as our folks start heading to work.

The contrast between what we’ve seen on the TV screens here, what’s taken place in London, what’s taken place here is incredibly vivid to me.

On the one hand, we got people here who are working to alleviate poverty and to help rid the world of the pandemic of AIDS and that are working on ways to have a clean environment.

And on the other hand, you’ve got people killing innocent people.

And the contrast couldn’t be clearer between the intentions and the hearts of those of us who care deeply about human rights and human liberty, and those who kill, those who’ve got such evil in their heart that they will take the lives of innocent folks.

The war on terror goes on. I was most impressed by the resolve of all the leaders in the room. Their resolve is as strong as my resolve. And that is, we will not yield to these people, will not yield to the terrorists.

We will find them. We will bring them to justice. And at the same time we will spread an ideology of hope and compassion that will overwhelm their ideology of hate.

Thank you very much.

President Reagan on terrorism from October, 1983:

We have strong circumstantial evidence that the attack on the marines was directed by terrorists who used the same method to destroy our Embassy in Beirut. Those who directed this atrocity must be dealt justice, and they will be. The obvious purpose behind the sniping and, now, this attack was to weaken American will and force the withdrawal of U.S. and French forces from Lebanon. The clear intent of the terrorists was to eliminate our support of the Lebanese Government and to destroy the ability of the Lebanese people to determine their own destiny.

To answer those who ask if we’re serving any purpose in being there, let me answer a question with a question. Would the terrorists have launched their suicide attacks against the multinational force of it were not doing its job? The multinational force was attacked precisely because it is doing the job it was sent to do in Beirut. It is accomplishing its mission.

I checked out Huffington Post for the first time in a while today. We get this classic from a tech guy named Russel Shaw.

And for sure, Nader voters, it’s not all your fault. By captaining an act that caused Americans to be paralyzed with fear and blindly follow an anti-choice leader that promised them revenge while promoting the culture of life, Mohammed Atta helped kill Roe as much as Nader voters did.

I was going to add it to my quote library but noticed it was a little different tonight.

And for sure, Nader voters, it’s not all your fault. By captaining an act that caused Americans to be paralyzed with fear and blindly re-elect an anti-choice leader that promised them revenge while promoting the (cough) “culture of life,” Mohammed Atta helped kill Roe as much as Nader voters did. (my emphasis)

I’m not sure which version I like better. Would it be wrong to combine the two at my discretion? The cough and quotes are a bit much. I picture someone reading it out loud having to do air quotes and cough at the same time. That’s just not right.

Twelve jurors, 8 men and 4 women, will now determine the fate of pop superstar Michael Jackson as his 14 week long trial came to an end this week. He faces 10 charges of sexually molesting a 13-year old boy and could spend the next 20 years in prison.

The judge has allowed media to install a microphone in the courtroom and will give a 60 to 90 minutes of advanced warning once the verdict is decided.

Jackson is preparing for ‘all outcomes’:

It is understood Jackson’s family has prepared for all outcomes, with discussion even being held on the possibility of the singer’s children being given to his parents, Joe and Katharine, if he is sent to jail.

Raymone Bain, a spokeswoman for the Jackson family, said yesterday the singer was nervously waiting for the verdict.

“This is the worst part of the trial,” Ms Bain said. “This is the hardest part; the waiting game. But he’s relieved that it’s over.

“He is hoping and believing the jury is going to acquit him.”

Ms Bain confirmed Jackson would be spending the weekend trying to relax as much as he could.

Predictions from MSNBC’s ‘Abrams Report’ say “not guilty”.

Criminal defense attorney Daniel Horowitz: I would have confidence in a victory [if I were the defense lawyer in this case]. Let me tell you, if it wasn’t for the prior bad acts that came in– the prior molests that really were not challenged that heavily by Mesereau– this case would be a slam-dunk, two-hour deliberation. The jury would come out the door and hug Michael Jackson. Given the past conduct, I think that may taint this deliberation… but I still say not guilty…

Dan Abrams, Abrams Report host: Let me tell you what I’m going to have to do. I’m going to be going out there for the closing arguments. I don’t think this is not going to be a quick deliberation. I mean I’m basically packing up my life and going out there because I think we’re going to be out there for a while as this jury deliberates, but I agree with everyone. I don’t expect to see guilty on any of the counts.

Criminal defense attorney Robert Shapiro said last night on the ‘O’Reilly Factor’ that he believes Jackson will be convicted of the most serious offense, molestation, as well as giving alcohol to a minor.

The betting public has been all over the place in predicting the outcome. In early 2004 they were betting 2/1 in favor of an acquittal on the more serious lewd acts charges, but flipped to make it 2/1 in favor of conviction earlier this year. At the present time, the last traded price on the Tradesports contract was exactly 50.0, making it a straight pick’em.

JACKSON.LEWD.ACTS
Jackson - Guilty of AT LEAST 1 of 7 counts alleging lewd or lascivious acts against a minor
50.0

JACKSON.INTOXICATING
Jackson-Guilty of AT LEAST 1 of 2 counts of administering an intoxicating agent to a minor
69.8

Caption: REUTERS/Howard Yanes:

A supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez holds a poster that portrays U.S. President George W. Bush as a devil during a march against terrorism in Caracas May 28, 2005. The U.S. rejected on Friday Venezuela’s first move to extradite a Cuban exile wanted for an airliner bombing, in a case that could challenge the U.S. commitment to fight all forms of terrorism.

Reuters News Service:

CARACAS, VENEZUELA - Tens of thousands of supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez marched Saturday to demand the extradition by the United States of a Cuban exile wanted by Caracas in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed 73 people.

The protest came a day after the United States rejected Venezuela’s request that Luis Posada Carriles, a militant foe of Cuban President Fidel Castro with Venezuelan citizenship, be arrested and extradited to the South American nation.

Blowing whistles and carrying banners reading, “No to Yankee terrorism,” protesters and government officials marched with Cuban relatives of the bombing victims through the streets of the capital city.

“We are marching … for the deportation of the terrorist Luis Posada Carriles,” Jorge Herrera, 45, said as loudspeakers on passing trucks blared, “Bush: fascist, murderer, imperialist.”
Venezuela’s initial request was “clearly inadequate” and lacked supporting evidence, a U.S. State Department official said Friday.

AFP:

CARACAS: Venezuelan Vice-President Jose Vicente Rangel yesterday slammed US officials as “hypocritical” after Washington rejected Caracas’ request for the detention of Luis Posada Carriles, a militant opponent of Cuban President Fidel Castro.

“They condemn terrorism on the one hand, and on the other they protect terrorists,” Rangel said in a veiled reference to Posada Carriles as he led a protest demanding the Cuban-born Venezuelan’s extradition.

The protest was also held to show support for the state-run PDVSA oil company.

Rangel said the protest was called by supporters of President Hugo Chavez, a close ally of Castro, to “expose the hypocritical and fake US leaders.”

Although the seven Republicans senators (McCain, DeWine, Snowe, Warner, Collins, Chafee and Graham) sold out the president, their party, and everyone who voted them in, they have assured themselves the label of “moderate Republican” from the New York Times for at least a year.

The only thing resolved in this so-called “deal” is that if John McCain wants to be president he’s going to have to win the Democratic nomination.

This may be a good time to sell McCain short in his bid:

2008REP.NOM.MCCAIN 16.2 -1.6

This move also damages Frist’s chances:

2008REP.NOM.FRIST 14.0 -0.6

Hurry, by the time Jim Lampley points this out it’ll be too late!

Race has been changed from a qualifier to now being for statistical purposes only for Wisconsin’s DPI Precollege Scholarship Program. According to the new application instructions: “Effective July 1, 2005 the DPI Precollege Scholarship Program has changecd from awarding scholarships to minority students to offering scholarships to students who are eligible for free or reduced lunch.” The scholarship was formerly known as the “Minority Precollege Scholarship”.

The changes come after 3 years of investigation by the federal government.

The investigation of the complaint stalled while federal and state officials waited for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide upon two affirmative action cases involving the University of Michigan. Those cases were decided in June 2003.

The high court’s rulings essentially upheld the use of race and ethnicity as considerations in college admissions, but disallowed the use of quotas in establishing classes. Some legal experts have interpreted the rulings as also preventing the use of race and ethnicity in a way that would exclude certain groups from eligibility.

Journal Sentinel: State pre-college program removes race as criterion

The program first began with 813 students, and that number has since grown to 3,747 annually. According to the latest annual Department of Public Instruction figures, of the students receiving scholarships, 300 were American Indian, 700 were Hispanic, 717 were Asian and 2,030 were African-American. A significant number of those students have gone on to college, said Esteban Romero, a Milwaukee coordinator with the DPI’s Wisconsin Educational Opportunity Program, which oversees the scholarships. Romero said the program previously drew heavily from urban areas, and because funding for the program hasn’t increased, he anticipates that fewer students from Milwaukee will get a shot at a college education now that rural communities will be factored in.

…

But Vicki Washington, interim assistant vice president for UW System’s Office of Academic Diversity and Development, said the Precollege Scholarship Program was previously a key pipeline for students of color to UW institutions, and the shift has concerned university officials.

“Students of color are still an underrepresented group, and we don’t want to lose the progress we have made.”

Slowplay.com COMPARISON

Univeristy of Wisconsin - Madison enrollment information for 2004-2005:

Minority: 4,043
International: 3,201
Caucasian: 30,236
Unknown: 1,376

UW Non-White Enrollment (w/o International): 11.8%

Wisconsin census information taken in 2000:

Whites: 87.3%
Non-whites: 12.7%

Related: A study of High School Graduation Rates in the United States by Jay P. Greene, Ph. D., Senior Fellow, The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. (from data between 1993 and 1998)

Wisconsin has the worst graduation rate for African-American students at 40% even though it had the third best overall graduation rate.