What a shambles over Iran  —  The collapse of resolve towards Tehran's nuclear plans will deeply undermine international order  —  PERSIAN PROVERBS have a particularly poetic quality to them.  Among my personal favourites are: "The wise man sits on the hole in his carpet" …

Steve Irwin's freak death filmed  —  FOOTAGE of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin being fatally attacked by a stingray on the Great Barrier Reef has been handed to Queensland police as fans worldwide come to grips with the "freak" death.  —  Irwin, 44, was killed almost instantly when the stingray stabbed …

US Muslims plagued by discrimination after 9/11 attacks  —  DEARBORN, United States (AFP) - Discrimination and harassment by law enforcement have come to plague American Muslims in the years since the terrorist attacks of September 11.  —  There have been suspicious looks, slurs …

Losing The House?  —  The New York Times paints a pretty depressing picture for the GOP in the upcoming midterms, but has little data on which to base its analysis.  The article by Robin Toner and Kate Zernike seems long on anecdotes and short on actual polling:

On America Working The war on workers  —  U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige labeled one "a terrorist organization."  Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, called them "a clear and present danger to the security of the United States."  And U.S. Rep. Charles Norwood, R-Ga. …

33 bodies found scattered across Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Police found the tortured, blindfolded bodies of 33 men scattered across the capital Monday and the U.S.-led coalition reported combat deaths of seven servicemen, a day after Iraqi leaders said the capture of a top terror suspect would reduce violence.

Attacking Inequality  —  Tax Reform Has the Greatest Potential To Narrow the Gap  —  By now almost everyone agrees that inequality is serious.  Economic growth no longer seems to help the majority of workers; the proceeds flow to the top fifth or so of the workforce, and the top within the top has done especially handsomely.

Omar Bakri Mohammed Detained in Lebanon, 3 al-Muhajiroun Arrested  —  ***Jawa Report Exclusive***  —  Shiekh Omar Bakri Mohammed, the exiled British Muslim cleric, was detained by Lebanese police last week and then released after passing a bribe.  He was questioned about his possible involvement with the foiled sky terror plot.

The Summer Next Time  —  IN late May, for those of us who teach, the summer stretches out like the great expanse of freedom it was in grammar school.  Ah, the days on the beach!  The books we will read!  The adventures we will have!  —  But before hunkering down to months of leisurely lolling around …

Dissent at Dartmouth  —  Ivy League liberals try to stifle democracy.  —  The left-leaning faction that dominates American higher education doesn't take kindly to strangers—particularly those who challenge the prevailing academic orthodoxies.  Just ask Harvard's Larry Summers.

GOP Congress blocked Clinton push for anti-terror legislation … So Bill Clinton, rather than just breaking the law as Bush did (then again, perhaps this is why Bush broke the law - he knew from history that the Republicans controlling the congress would oppose his efforts to expand wiretapping) …

Troops Cut Death, but Not Fear, in Baghdad Zone  —  Three weeks after American and Iraqi troops began searching, fortifying and patrolling Dora, one of Baghdad's bloodiest neighborhoods, the odor of death on the streets has eased.  After 126 bodies surfaced in Dora in July, only 18 turned up in August …

This week's FISA debate — 2 falsehoods that cannot be responsibly reported  —  It is now undeniably clear to everyone that the sole hope Bush supporters have for staving off disaster in the midterm elections is to (a) hype the terrorist threat as shrilly and irresponsibly as possible and then …

Rosie's New View  —  After a four-year hiatus, O'Donnell returns as part of TV's most beloved coffee klatch.  An exclusive talk about her career, her critics and the Star Jones mess.  —  You might think that Tom Cruise doesn't have a single fan left, but you would be wrong.  We found one.

Health Experts: Obesity Pandemic Looms  —  SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - An obesity pandemic threatens to overwhelm health systems around the globe with illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, experts at an international conference warned Sunday.  —  "This insidious, creeping pandemic …