News bytes

– Salman Rushdie speaks in Boston and discusses writing, terrorism, India and “opinionated” women.

– Palestinian children are indoctrinated to hate Israelis and Jews? Nice myth, shame about the reality. A Jordanian blogger explains.

From AP: “The Bush administration is spending about $7 billion a month to wage the war on terror, and costs could total $570 billion by the end of 2010, assuming troops are gradually brought home, a congressional report estimates.” Freedom is damn expensive these days.

– The Melbourne Age interviews Prime Minister John Howard and manages to avoid the issue of Iraq.

– The front page of Murdoch’s Australian announces, “US foiled 10 al-Qa’ida plots”. At least the Sydney Morning Herald buries the claim. Nothing the Bush administration says can be taken at face value anymore.

MediaChannel.org explains why: “All of this was played straight in the press, despite all the misinformation, deception, psy-ops and inventions we have heard repeatedly about similar secrets that were soon discredited. It’s familiar: the press reports every military claim as fact, with no independent assessment. What is still a secret is: Why they do that?”

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