A Bad Start To The New Year For U.S. Troops In Iraq Opinion

In the first five days of this new year, there have already been three separate attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq. The first, on Jan. 3, involved two fixed-wing “suicide drones” of unknown origin targeting the Diplomatic Support Center. The C-RAM air defense system that protects this facility, where U.S. military advisers are based, was activated immediately, shooting down the drones before they could reach impact. The second attack, on Jan....

December 25, 2022 · 5 min · 866 words · Mary Thomas

A Big Man In Marketing

Cheap gags, to be sure. But with them Konishiki has gone from being a controversial outsider to Japan’s best-loved pitchman. The crusty old men who rule sumo once rejected Konishiki for their highest honor. One of them even suggested that foreigners lack the hinkaku, or integrity, to become grand champions of Japan’s national sport. But sumo is changing, and Japan is changing even faster. Today no one questions the integrity of Konishiki, 35, who grew up as Salevaa Atisanoe in Hawaii before coming to Japan to wrestle in 1982....

December 25, 2022 · 4 min · 669 words · William Brasher

A Big Year For Military Academies

U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY West Point, N.Y. Perched above the Hudson River, the school claims more legends (Eisenhower) and current leaders (Gen. John Abizaid, head of Central Command) than the other two academies combined. The officers West Point produces will shoulder the largest share of the burden in the era of terror. U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY Colorado Springs, Colo. With striking architecture at the base of the Rockies, the youngest of the academies is turning the corner after a sexual-abuse scandal....

December 25, 2022 · 1 min · 119 words · Janet Morris

A Bitter Friendship

North Korea has been thumbing its nose at China for years, but what was once an irritation for Beijing is becoming a matter of serious concern. Since last October, Pyongyang has gone from restarting its mothballed nuclear facilities to bragging about reprocessing 8,000 spent nuclear-fuel rods into weapons-grade plutonium–enough to build at least half a dozen bombs. As North Korea has turned up the heat, the United States and other regional powers have implored Chinese leaders to talk some sense into Pyongyang....

December 25, 2022 · 4 min · 671 words · Lillie Poulsen

A Bittersweet Victory

Or so he hopes. Calderón received less than 36 percent of the ballots cast in the presidential election and the PAN’s slate of congressional candidates failed to gain a majority in either house. To rule effectively he’ll need to forge a coalition government before taking office in December, and he won’t get a helping hand from López Obrador. The nominee of the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution dismissed the electoral court’s ruling as “a political decision” and vowed to set up a parallel government in the coming weeks....

December 25, 2022 · 5 min · 933 words · Cody Sabir

A Blood Test Could Predict Early Preeclampsia Warning Signs Study Says

If verified and approved, the test could be the first to predict the future onset of preeclampsia early in pregnancy. This would give doctors time to reduce a patient’s risk of developing the condition, which affects one in 25 pregnancies in the United States. “This is really shifting identification and the ability to intervene way to the left, way earlier in pregnancy,” Jonathan Cherry, the senior director of research operations at March of Dimes, an organization that supports advocacy, funding, and research around healthy pregnancies, told Verywell....

December 25, 2022 · 4 min · 657 words · Chris Lewis

A Bogus Capitol Hill Scare

Rep. Jane Harman, who chairs a key homeland-security subcommittee, has provided new details this week about an alarming intel report in August that warned of a possible Al Qaeda attack on the Capitol. The report, which was quickly discredited, was circulated on Capitol Hill at a critical moment: just as the administration was mounting a major push for a new surveillance law that would permit the U.S. intelligence community to intercept suspected terrorist communications without seeking approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court....

December 25, 2022 · 7 min · 1423 words · Lisa Hood

A Breakdown Of The Safest Covid 19 Summer Accommodations

“If everyone in your group is vaccinated, then most arrangements should be pretty safe,” Anne Liu, MD, an infectious disease physician at Stanford Health Care in California, tells Verywell. “But if there are unvaccinated individuals in your group, then you want to avoid situations where you might be indoors and unmasked with others.” Choosing Safe Accommodations The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced that fully vaccinated individuals are clear to travel anywhere in the United States, as well as internationally, as long as they follow the destination country’s own guidelines....

December 25, 2022 · 3 min · 619 words · Judy Mojica

A Cancer Smart Bomb

So do his doctors. STI571, a “smart bomb” drug that targets leukemia cells without harming healthy ones, first made headlines last year when researchers announced that white blood counts returned to normal in 31 out of 31 patients who had taken the pill. Last week scientists were back, reporting new data on just over 1,000 patients. In one trial, more than 90 percent of 532 people on the drug saw blood counts return to normal....

December 25, 2022 · 2 min · 357 words · Todd Hill

A Chronic Fatigue Cover Up

In her new book, “Osler’s Web” (Crown. $30), journalist Hillary Johnson brings that grim joke very much to life. Through nearly 700 pages of quick-cut vignettes, the author (herself a sufferer) chronicles the emergence of this mysterious, nonfatal affliction over the past decade, while recounting the health establishment’s alleged failure to take it seriously. The book is a prodigious piece of reporting, intended as a sort of sequel to “And the Band Played On,” Randy Shilts’s history of AIDS in America....

December 25, 2022 · 4 min · 747 words · Thomas Brogan

A Closer Look At How The Usmnt Could Line Up Against Bolivia

Sarachan took plenty of flack for not finding more minutes for prospects like Tim Weah and Andrija Novakovich in the March friendly against Paraguay, choosing instead to limit his substitutions to help the U.S. earn a 1-0 win. Don’t bet on Sarachan being as stingy this time around when the U.S. faces Bolivia on Monday. The U.S. has three friendlies in a two-week span, and the Bolivia match shapes up to be the best opportunity to give some players their first starts, and his youngest players good-sized cameos....

December 25, 2022 · 3 min · 479 words · Ellen Skeans

A College In Love With Risk

The college was established 62 years ago as a trailblazing learning laboratory, where a “girl could hang upside down from a tree in her bloomers if she felt like it,” according to one founder. There were no grades, few rules, a rich mix of performing arts and academia, and a rare abundance of pupil-teacher tutor time. Educators looked to Bennington as a bellwether in higher-ed innovation. But until now, it was never known for its corporate budget slashing....

December 25, 2022 · 3 min · 609 words · Albert Bustamante

A Crisis Goes Hollywood

The filmmakers also avoided the other too-obvious plotline by not focusing exclusively on the iconic Kennedys. Instead, the story is told through the eyes of Kenneth O’Donnell, a Boston pol and confidant of Jack and Bobby. O’Donnell, portrayed by Kevin Costner, becomes a sort of Everyman narrative device, floating through the public and private worlds of the Kennedys. The result is no documentary. Historians will object to some of the dialogue, particularly O’Donnell’s, whose voice is never heard on tapes of the strategy meetings....

December 25, 2022 · 1 min · 207 words · Kenneth Garcia

A Dangerous Wind

For most Japanese, radiation is a primal fear. The invisible killer that ravaged Hiroshima and Nagasaki after Americans dropped nuclear bombs on both cities in 1945 spawned horrific genetic mutations in its victims, and birth defects that continue to haunt their offspring. Last week the worst accident ever to blight Japan’s nuclear power program threatened a new terror–a major nuclear catastrophe at the rim of one of the world’s largest cities....

December 25, 2022 · 9 min · 1904 words · Paige Pittman

A Divided Country Americans Split Over Their Feelings For Cinnamon Toast Crunch

But the great divide on leadership and democracy isn’t the only aspect of American life shrouded in turmoil—apparently, the national split between morals and governance has trickled down to even breakfast choices amongst citizens. Let’s start from the beginning. On Monday, the Twitter account for meal replacement beverage CTRL gave an assignment. “You can only choose three,” read a tweet depicting nine boxes of cereal including Cookie Crisp, Fruity Pebbles, Apple Jacks, Cap’n Crunch, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Special K Red Berries, Cocoa Puffs and Life....

December 25, 2022 · 3 min · 437 words · Hollis Mohmed

A Future Water World

December 25, 2022 · 0 min · 0 words · Nicholas Gay

A Game For The Whole Family

Mia, who previously testified that Woody wouldn’t take a shower at her country house because the drain was in the middle of the floor, drew more titters last week with her continued litany of his neuroses. He loathed visiting the country house, she said, because he was deeply afraid of deer. When she got a phone call last January from ex-husband Andre Previn, Mia said Woody began rolling on the floor....

December 25, 2022 · 2 min · 388 words · Robert Roman

3 Ways To Survive A Messy Roommate

Tell your room mate what you’d like to see change about keeping your shared living area tidy, and realize that you’ll likely need to be willing to compromise. For instance, in the example above, you may need to add, “I know sometimes we can both get busy and may not always wash our dishes the very same day they’re used, but maybe we can try to make sure they’re washed the same day most of the time…” Don’t talk to other people about your roommate’s messiness unless you’ve first spoken directly to your roommate....

December 24, 2022 · 4 min · 800 words · Shaun Dixson

3 Ways To Survive A Shark Attack

Move slowly toward the shore or a boat; choose whichever is closest. Do not thrash your arms or kick or splash while you swim. Do not block the shark’s path. If you are standing between the shark and the open ocean, move away. [4] X Research source Do not turn your back on the shark as you move. Remember, it is important to keep the shark in view. [5] X Research source...

December 24, 2022 · 2 min · 320 words · Blanch Riley

3 Ways To Talk To A Girl You Don T Know

You’ll seem like a more fun person if you’re smiling than if you are looking glum. Tell yourself: “I’m kind, I’m funny, and I’m wearing this great sweatshirt. She’ll be happy to chat with me. ” How attractive you are is less about how your body looks and more about how you present yourself. If you look like you take good care of yourself, and are a friendly, smiling person, you’ll be much more attractive....

December 24, 2022 · 4 min · 852 words · Leola Goldner