Baithak World May 06: William Saletan, Robert Fisk - T E Lawrence, Pentagon Spinners, Headlines, Real News

Five months ago, I wrote a series on race, genes, and intelligence. Everything about it hurt: the research, the writing, the reactions, the regrets. Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about it. I've been struggling to reconcile two feelings that won't go away: that what I wrote was socially harmful and that I can't honestly renounce the evidence I presented. That evidence, which involved the proposed role of heredity in trait differences by race, is by no means complete or conclusive. But it's not dismissible, either. My colleague Stephen Metcalf summarized the debate better than I did: "It's a conflict between science and science." Not Black and WhiteRethinking race and genes.By William Saletan

No wonder Seven Pillars of Wisdom - indeed, all of T E Lawrence's work - now tops the reading list of almost every senior US officer in Iraq. Long after his legend was established in Arabia and Damascus and at the Versailles Treaty negotiations - almost 90 years after he realised that his promises to his Arab allies were to be broken by Britain's adherence to the Balfour Declaration - Lawrence's wisdom is now serving to guide (and no doubt misguide) the Americans, who have walked into the hell-disaster of Iraq with no idea of how to retreat. If only, I say to myself each time I arrive in Baghdad, the Americans had read Lawrence before they invaded. Promises and betrayals by Robert Fisk

Two weeks after a New York Times story (4/20/08) revealed a Pentagon propaganda campaign that had been feeding talking points to TV military analysts, many of whom also had ties to military contractors, the cable and broadcast networks that employed these analysts have almost entirely failed to report this crucial news story. Fox has even continued to feature commentary by two Pentagon-affiliated ex-generals without disclosing their conflicts of interest. Only in USA

In fact, Bill Murphy of GATA says, "The Gold Cartel is running out of available central bank gold to meet surging demand for physical gold. It is the opinion of the GATA camp that the central banks only have half the gold they say they have in their vaults - not the commonly bandied about 30,000 tonne number, but less than 15,000 tonnes." Gold price suppression scheme
By The Mogambo Guru

The Royal Malay Regiment soldiers with Members of the Welsh Guards during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace on Friday 2 May 2008 [thanks A]
[Picture: Sergeant Mick Howard RLC] First Muslim Battalion Guards the Queen by Shell Daruwala.

Headlines

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This is surprising: Currency Woes and Winners: Has the Dollar Hit Rock Bottom?

Paul Krugman: Success Breeds Failure

More illegal "occupiers": Israel's African refugee problem.

C Hitchens: Is Michelle Obama responsible for the Jeremiah Wright fiasco?
Ulti Ganga: Peace Activists Occupy General Dynamics Weapons Plant
More attacks? What is Next for Muqtada al Sadr?
Moral or ethical? Who should MDs let die in a pandemic? Report offers answers
Neither moral nor ethical: The politics of cluster bombs
Bookforum: The decline of the Wasp establishment
This says it all: More Than 230 Economists Release Letter Opposing Clinton Gas Tax Plan
Bookforum: A parable on the academy
Bookforum: A literary prophet’s bad faith
Rewriting? Documents show UK post-WWII dilemma over Jewish refugees
Dr Mahatir: A Weak Government is not good for Multi-racial Malaysia
In despair: There is hope in Gaza
To get US aid: Egyptian authorities reinforce anti-Palestine campaign
:) - Ray Hanania: Trying to Be an American All My Life
:( -Suicide of farmer poet highlights the poverty trap in India
Really? Bill O'Reilly Tired Of Talking About Jeremiah Wright
The other right of return: Palestinians in Lebanon Seek Right of Return
Investigative Journalism goes Global

Paul Jay presents RealNews

Candidates calls for change to economy rhetoric Leo Panitch interview Part 2: No US candidate talking about democratizing economy view Baghdad's Sadr City death toll mounts 10 people killed on Sunday; over 925 killed since al-Maliki's offensives began in March view McCain in Ohio to discuss his healthcare platform Republican presumptive presidential nominee John McCain campaigned in Ohio on Thursday where he stopped by a research hospital to talk about his health care proposals. view