Pat Dollard

Times Online: The United Nations climate panel faces a new challenge with scientists casting doubt on its claim that global temperatures are rising inexorably because of human pollution. In its last assessment the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said the evidence that the world was warming was “unequivocal”. It warned that greenhouse gases had [...]

Times Online: Google has been forced into a hasty revamp of its social networking service Buzz after the new feature was met with a storm of criticism because of gaping privacy flaws. The company today announced it will introduce a prominent “kill button” that will allow people to turn off Buzz altogether. Central to the [...]

“Style over substance”, is that what that ‘s called? Fox News: The White House — knocked off balance by a resurgent Republican Party, stagnant poll numbers and partisan gridlock in Congress — is seeking to regain its stride with a new communications strategy. Dan Pfeiffer, the new White House communications director, vows to do a [...]

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The Hill: 52 percent of Americans said President Barack Obama doesn’t deserve reelection in 2012, according to a new poll. 44 percent of all Americans said they would vote to reelect the president in two and a half years, less than the slight majority who said they would prefer to elect someone else. Obama faces [...]

Tokyo (Kyodo) – – Tokyo stocks surged Wednesday morning, with the key Nikkei index hitting its highest intraday level in about two weeks, as strong gains on Wall Street overnight sparked optimism over the economic outlook and resource issues led a broad-based rally. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average gained 210.37 points, or 2.1 percent, from [...]

The Boston Herald: As authorities searched for clues into what could have sent a University of Alabama neurobiology professor on an alleged killing spree, friends and family yesterday described Braintree native Amy Bishop as an awkward introvert on the brink of losing her teaching job. Bishop’s husband, James Anderson, told the Herald his wife had [...]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government said Tuesday that foreign demand for U.S. Treasury securities fell by the largest amount on record in December with China reducing its holdings by $34.2 billion. The reductions in holdings, if they continue, could force the government to make higher interest payments at a time that it is running record [...]

Israel mulling a spring or summer war: Ahmadinejad Agencie France Presse: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that Iran’s arch-foe Israel was mulling starting a war “next spring or summer” but has yet to make a final decision. Without specifying whom would be targeted, Ahmadinejad said: “According to information we have they (Israel) are seeking [...]

Politico: Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and his daughter, Ayla, say they’re serious about their proposal to play hoops with President Barack Obama at the White House. And now the father-daughter team is taking it a step further: they’d like the option of opening the game up to the public in order to raise money for [...]

The Hill: Retiring lawmakers likely to take big lobbyist job openings on K Street Lawmakers retiring this year have little reason to fret the job market: Some of K Street’s biggest players have top openings with seven-figure salaries or the chance to rub elbows with Hollywood stars. The growing list of members who have decided [...]

Washington Times: President Obama kicks off what might be called his “Save the Senate” tour this week, heading west to campaign for two embattled Democrats trailing badly against Republican challengers – including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. With high-profile Democrats already bailing out of re-election campaigns – Sen. Evan Bayh’s decision on Monday [...]

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban’s top military commander has been arrested in a joint CIA-Pakistani operation in Pakistan in a major victory against the insurgents as U.S. troops push into their heartland in southern Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group’s No. 2 leader behind Afghan Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar and [...]