Thursday, May 20, 2010

WEB BOHEMIAN (Thursday, May 20, 2010)
(1)- NEWSWEEK REFLECTIONS -- In his version of the “What’s the matter with Newsweek?” story, Jack Shafer notes the debate over the fate of the newsweeklies has been going on for a good long time, and cited a 1989 CJR story that depicted the publications as dinosaurs.

(2)- DUMB TERRORISTS? -- Though the murderers of 9/11 changed the world—and their ideological comrades had successful but smaller hits in Lisbon, Mumbai, London, and Bali, recent events prompt a question: are most terrorists incompetent?

(3)- TRADE WOES -- A battery maker's story shows the hopes and hurdles of green technology. Chiang's company has one foot in China and the other in the U.S., reflecting forces surrounding manufacturers and the potential for a renaissance.

(4)- OLDE WEAPONS -- After World War I, munitions including shells of poisonous liquid mustard were buried in a then-rural area. The cleanup has forced evacuations at American University and prompted concerns about illness.

(5)- CHINESE CONFESSIONS -- Convictions in the Chinese court system are strongly dependent on confessions, motivating police to use force to get one. Here’s an example of justice gone wrong.

(6)- WRESTLING REPORT -- An alligator wrestler was bitten by an 8-foot-long alligator and severely injured while performing at the Cotee River Seafood Festiva. The handler was performing when the reptile chomped onto his right arm.

(7)- INFERTILITY -- One in five men could suffer from fertility problems. scientists warn it's just going to get worse, adding that rising levels of male infertility are so perilous it is a serious 'public health issue.'

(8)- BUSINESS FACT -- Want to find America's most successful entrepreneurs? Skip Silicon Valley and Manhattan; head to the rural Amish enclaves. Amish businesses have an eye-popping 95% success rate at staying open at least five years.

(9)- RYDBERG ATOM TRAP -- In an achievement that could help enable fast quantum computers, University of Michigan physicists have built a better Rydberg atom trap. Rydberg atoms are highly excited, nearly-ionized giants.

POLITICAL COMMENTARY

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