After the 2004 election, President George W. Bush feels that his presidency can no longer be viewed as an accident. It is said that there were two insecurities lingering with the president since the 2000 election. “There were a large number of people who did not view him as a legitimate president, and there was the specter of his father’s loss,” said an adviser of the Bush campaign. It is believed that President Bush now has the confidence to lead this country in the right way. Some feel that we will start to see a new president in office. Signs of him changing are evident this year already when reporters noted Bush willing to have a press conference. This was something that Bush was reluctant to partake in during the past four years. The president’s goals are said to be to convince the nation that there really is such a thing as a compassionate conservative. Also, he hopes to solve the problems of inner city affairs that for years remained a democratic concern. Finally, he will attempt to show Americans that it isn’t impossible to establish a democracy in the Middle East, according to the New York Times.
Detainees in Guantanamo Bay are given hearings
After months of being held in the Guantanamo Bay prison, in Cuba, the Middle Eastern prisoners are now permitted to plead their case to a an American panel asking the questions. The Supreme Court ruled six to three that they should be given a chance to voice their intentions. So far, many have them denied any relation to terrorist attacks and links to Al Qaeda. The formats of the meetings have been subjected to much controversy. Plainly titled, combatant status review tribunals, the meetings are conducted by an American panel questioning the detainees. The main controversy is that the detainees are expected to promptly answer these questions without the assistance of a lawyer. So far, 103 out of the 104 combatants that had their judgment passed were said to have been properly detained for suspected terrorist activity. The complete 550 prisoners are expected to receive their tribunals by the end of the year, according to the New York Times.
Ice melting at a rapid rate in the North Pole
A massive recent survey conducted by 250 scientists from around the world predicted that the North Pole’s ice caps could be melted by the end of the century. The biggest victim of this melting was said to be the polar bear. Polar bears would be faced with inevitable extinction if this melting continues. The main cause of the polar caps melting is the build-up of human emissions in the Earth’s atmosphere; in particular, the burning of fossil fuels. The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment stated that the Arctic climate will rise anywhere from eight to 14 degrees Fahrenheit in the next 100 years. Sea ice in the Arctic has already shrunk by 15- 20 percent in the last 30 years. Environmentalists feel that President Bush hasn’t helped this cause as much as he should. “President Bush has made clear he opposes mandatory curbs on gases like carbon dioxide, which create a greenhouse effect on Earth. Many scientists fear fossil fuel sources of CO2 and other gases are warming the Earth beyond the natural greenhouse effect,” according to MSNBC.
Researching “Rain Man’s” brain
The popular 1988 film, “Rain Man,” was derived from a real-life-autistic-savant- man named Kim Peek. Peek is undergoing study by NASA. According to Peek’s father, the goal of this study is to measure what happens in Kim’s brain when he expresses things and when he thinks about them. The authentic rain man is a genius in about 15 different subjects. Peek has been diagnosed with an enlarged hydrocephalus, or data storage area. This has enabled Peek to conquer such unimaginable feats as memorizing over 9,000 books. As a surprise to the scientists studying Peek, while the 53 year-old man ages, he seems to get smarter. Peek will undergo studies of computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, which will create a three dimensional look at his brain, according to MSNBC.
Posted to the web by Cecelia Francisco
