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Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

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White House says Iraq in 'new phase'
TALLINN, Estonia - President Bush intensified diplomatic efforts on Monday to quell rising violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, turning to allies as his national security adviser said the conflict in Iraq had entered "a new phase" requiring changes.

Is Bush now giving himself an excuse to change his “stay the course” nonstrategy in Iraq? Let us hope and pray. —Caro

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Dan Wasserman, Boston Globe

The World

Bush: Iraq violence part of al-Qaida plot
TALLINN, Estonia - President Bush said Tuesday that the sectarian violence rocking Iraq is part of an al-Qaida plot to goad Iraqi factions into repeated attacks and counterattacks.

Nonsense. Al-Qaida barely exists, especially in Iraq. In September, the U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, said, "There is no question that the al-Qaida in Iraq network has been degraded and disorganized here in Iraq." —Caro

Iraqi army not ready to defend Fallujah
FALLUJAH, Iraq - It's been two years since U.S. forces cleared out this dangerous western city, the bloodiest urban combat of the Iraq war. But Iraqi soldiers still aren't ready to stop Fallujah from becoming an insurgent stronghold again.

Hezbollah Said to Help Shiite Army in Iraq
Between 1,000 and 2,000 fighters from the Mahdi Army and other Shiite militias have been trained by Hezbollah in Lebanon, a senior U.S. official said.

Israel Offers Palestinians A Deal
On the second day of a cease-fire, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is telling the Palestinians if they keep the peace and hold serious talks, Israel will release funds and prisoners, reduce checkpoints and help establish a Palestinian state.

Muslim Brotherhood in ascent in Egypt
CAIRO, Egypt - Egypt's largest Islamic opposition group is asserting itself as the main challenger to President Hosni Mubarak's autocratic regime, overshadowing secular reform groups a year after winning nearly one-fifth the seats in parliament.

Afghan opium fight hurts poorest
U.S. and European efforts to end heroin production in Afghanistan have done little to hamper the drug industry and have hurt the country's poorest people, according to a new report by the United Nations and the World Bank.

U.S., China, NKorean nuclear envoys meet
BEIJING - North Korea's nuclear envoy sat down with top negotiators for the United States and China on Tuesday, an unannounced meeting aimed at reactivating stalled six-nation talks on persuading North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons.

Iraq bribes probe clears Australia, condemns executives
SYDNEY (AFP) - An official inquiry into the corruption that riddled the UN oil-for-food program in Iraq has cleared the Australian government but cited 12 top executives for bribing Saddam Hussein's regime.

Canada Parliament recognizes Quebecers as a nation
OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Canadian Parliament recognized Quebecers as a nation within a united Canada on Monday, backing a controversial proposal that already prompted one minister in the minority Conservative government to quit.

Poll finds most Mexicans oppose protest
MEXICO CITY - Most Mexicans disapprove of plans by Mexico's main leftist party to disrupt Friday's swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Felipe Calderon, according to a poll released Monday.

U.S. seeks relationship with Ortega
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador - A senior State Department official said Monday the United States will seek to forge a solid working relationship with Nicaragua's President-elect Daniel Ortega.

Bolivia's Morales to push land reform
LA PAZ, Bolivia - Bolivia's president will impose his sweeping land-reform bill by decree if conservative lawmakers refuse to end their boycott of the Senate by Tuesday afternoon, a government spokesman said.

Correa looks toward reforms in Ecuador
QUITO, Ecuador - Rafael Correa, the leftist nationalist headed to victory in Ecuador's presidential race, is already planning radical reforms when he takes office in January.

The Nation

Post-midterm tips for Bush
As President Bush struggles to recover from a thrashing in the midterm elections, his advisers are studying the Clinton and Reagan models for lessons to revive his presidency.

Oversight Board Briefed on NSA Spy Program
WASHINGTON (AP) - Several members of a government board appointed to guard privacy and civil liberties during the war on terror say they're impressed with the protections built into the Bush administration's electronic eavesdropping program.

Would they be Bush-appointed members of this government board, who were impressed with these supposed protections? —Caro

Dubai firm expects bids for U.S. ports
WASHINGTON - A Dubai-owned company will accept final bids within two weeks for the sale of all $700 million worth of its U.S. port operations to an American buyer, a plan forced by concerns over terrorism security.

Feds say there is enough flu vaccine
There's still time to get a flu shot. Federal health officials reminded people Monday that the flu season usually doesn't peak until February or later. There's more than enough vaccine to go around.

Gates may take Pentagon job in December
Robert Gates, the former CIA director who is President Bush's choice to replace Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary, is likely to assume the Pentagon post before year's end if he is confirmed by the Senate as expected, officials said Monday.

Biden sets benchmarks for Iraq study group
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden, who will be the next chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, set down benchmarks on Monday that he said should be addressed by an influential panel considering the United States' alternatives in Iraq.

Biden: Blame immigration woes on Mexico
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Sen. Joe Biden, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's incoming chairman, wants to get tough with Mexico, calling it an "erstwhile democracy" with a "corrupt system" responsible for illegal immigration and drug problems in the U.S.

Um, excuse me, Sen. Biden, but what does Mexico’s problems with democracy and corruption have to do with us? You can stop most illegal immigration by punishing the companies and individuals who hire them. It’s that simple. And similarly, for the drug problem, we’d do better to fight the demand than continue our multi-billion dollar, losing battle against the supply. —Caro

Court rejects N.Y. Times on leak probe
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled against The New York Times on Monday, refusing to block the government from reviewing telephone records of two Times reporters in a leak investigation concerning a terrorism-funding probe.

Recount required in Ohio House race
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce won re-election Monday by a margin so slim that a recount will be required.

Groups to push O'Malley on environment
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Environmental groups poured thousands of dollars and worked the phones to help get Democrat Martin O'Malley elected governor. Now they're looking for Maryland's next governor to steer changes in how the state approaches growth, Chesapeake Bay restoration and other environmental concerns.

Economy & Business

Stocks mark worst drop in months
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks tumbled on Monday, with major indexes falling by their biggest margin in months, amid concern about Google Inc.'s valuation and doubts about holiday spending after a disappointing sales estimate from Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Online shopping season begins with deals
NEW YORK - After jamming malls on Friday for discounted flat-screen TVs and toys, shoppers clicked onto their computers at work Monday as retailers ushered in the start of the online shopping season with bargains and marketing hype.

Paulson warns on trade protectionism
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Tuesday trade protectionism was on the rise despite strong global prosperity and warned it was a potentially dangerous trend.

Dangerous. Uh huh. Because the removal of trade protections has done so much for the American middle class. —Caro

Vietnam's WTO membership ratified
HANOI, Vietnam - Vietnam's legislature ratified the country's entry into the World Trade Organization on Tuesday, paving the way for the communist nation to become the global trade body's 150th member.

Media

Media Starting to Describe Iraq Conflict as 'Civil War'
For months, nearly every mainstream press outlet has refrained from calling the violence in Iraq a "civil war," relying instead on qualfiers or phrases such as "sectarian conflict." But now that is changing, everywhere from the Los Angeles Times to the Today show.

Grading Newspapers' Website Progress: B-
Just about everyone -- finally -- is on board and working to address the big problem: How to transition a significant part of the newspaper business to online and new media while keeping enough money flowing in during the transition period to fund quality journalism, and prevent newspapers from entering a downward spiral. So how's this going?

Online Video 'Eroding TV Viewing'
The online video boom is starting to eat into television viewing time, suggests an ICM survey for the BBC. Some 43% of Britons who watch video from the Internet or on a mobile device at least once a week say they watch less traditional TV as a result.

Verizon Wireless to Feature YouTube Videos
NEW YORK (AP) - YouTube videos will be viewable on cell phones for the first time under a deal with Verizon Wireless, which will also allow users to upload videos shot with their camera phones.

Media Giants to Hunt for Next YouTube in 2007
Media execs expect another round of frenzied deal-making next year, as film, television and Internet media companies try to reach a new generation of viewers as entertained by each other as by the latest TV show. The hunt for the "next YouTube" is seen as a top media priority.

With Additional Deals, Monster Now Has 43 Newspaper Partners
The country's top three online recruiting sites have continued sealing new partnerships with newspapers.

Science & Technology

Professor devises new form of solar cell
LEWISTON, Idaho - A University of Idaho professor is devising a new form of solar cell she says could lead to a breakthrough that would make solar energy commercially feasible.

Computer Detects Anger Before Fights Break Out
You can tell when you hear someone is really angry—and get out of the way. Now Sigard, a new software package developed by Sound Intelligence, can also detect verbal aggression with a high level of accuracy. Combined with closed circuit television systems, Sigard can quickly notify security personnel about loud, angry people in outdoor public spaces, public transportation, nightclubs and bars.

Spam Now Worse than Ever Before
A new report from e-mail vendor Postini indicates that spam -- or unsolicited commercial e-mail -- is worse than it has even been.

Phishing attacks now using phone calls
And consumers thought they were safe by not clicking on links in unsolicited e-mails. Now comes a new batch of phishing scams that rely on an old tool the phone to trick people into giving away their personal information.

Job Stress Fuels Disease
Studies have shown that workplace stress can lead to an increase in rates of heart disease, flu virus, metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure. One study found that stress can negate the heart-healthy aspects of a physically active job, leading to thicker arteries in physically active and stressed workers compared with active, non-stressed employees.

Using the Mind to Cure the Body
(HealthDay News) -- The medical community traditionally has relied on potent drugs to relieve severe pain. But in a number of academic settings across the country, health-care practitioners are adding another therapeutic weapon to the mix -- they're helping patients harness the healing power of their own imaginations. The use of guided imagery, or mental images, to evoke physical benefits is perhaps the oldest form of therapy known to man. Today, academic researchers are studying guided imagery's use as an adjunct to more traditional medical treatments.

Humpback whales have "human" brain cells: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Humpback whales have a type of brain cell seen only in humans, the great apes, and other cetaceans such as dolphins, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

Marine Life Leaped From Simple to Complex After Greatest Mass Extinction
New research suggests that the "great dying" 251 million years ago was followed by an explosion of complexity in marine life that has persisted ever since.