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Tuesday, May 21, 2002

extinction distinction

"The report will identify some 11,046 species of plants and animals known to face a high risk of extinction, including 1,130 mammals � 24 per cent of the total � and 12 per cent, or 1,183 species of birds."

"Human activities, from habitat destruction to the introduction of alien species from one area to another, are listed as the main causes of this dramatic loss in biodiversity. In the report, scientists also identify 5,611 species of plants known to be on the verge of extinction. They say the true figure is likely to be far higher, given that only 4 per cent of the world's known plant species have been properly evaluated."

casting call

"Deaths, defections and interference from the law have taken their toll on New York's mafia in recent years, forcing the families to take a drastic new step - and launch a recruitment drive."

green mountain boy

democrats to laud jim jeffords this week one year after his tipping the balance of power in the senate. now, if they could find a way to appreciate the independent spirit to their left, maybe we could get somewhere. case in point, eric alterman still cant forgive ralph nader for defeating al gore, as if gore needed any help.

a jar jarred

"As a public service to columnists on deadline, we offer the following three quick 'n' easy Star Wars allegories. Take it away, Maureen Dowd!"

everyones doin' it

eric alterman starts an msnbc weblog. but is a weblog a weblog if it has an editor?

dangerous curves

"David Lynch's Mulholland Drive (2000) is about an obsessive love affair. In this respect it doesn't have to make sense to anybody else. It's like stepping into the mind of someone who's obsessed. This is a film about the darkness of a woman, the destructive elementof woman. The romance lies in a tragedy. The film narratively depicts the themes of love, impossible love, the boundaries of forbidden love, and the consequences of tragic love."

win some, lose some

"Comets slamming into the Earth may be responsible for both the birth and the death of the dinosaur era, an international group of researchers report."

taking account

"Let me repeat what I said last time: Honesty in corporate accounting isn't a left-right issue; it's about protecting all investors from exploitation by insiders. By blocking reform of a broken system, the Bush administration is favoring the interests of a tiny corporate oligarchy over those of everyone else."

settling out

"BEER SHEVA, Israel � There is nothing that causes as much heated debate in Israel as the future of the settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. It is now clear to most Israelis that if there is ever going to be a final political agreement with the Palestinians, it will require that some, if not necessarily all, of the settlements be dislodged and evacuated. A permanent plan would have to create a Palestinian state that is compact and continuous � unlike the disconnected wedges and enclaves of Palestinian autonomy areas that were created by the Oslo accord and that have left the settlements in place. Although this reality is undeniable, the practicality of settlement removal has largely been avoided by all Israeli governments, including those of the left, even as that avoidance makes the eventual uprooting of the growing settler population more difficult."

another 24 hours

fox tv show 24 will be back for another season.

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