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Analysis: Limited U.S. strikes in Iraq may not work
WASHINGTON — In authorizing targeted air strikes against Islamic militants in Iraq, President Obama has opted to avoid the all-out "shock and awe" campaigns of previous U.S. conflicts in Iraq.
Air strikes will be limited to defending American forces and supporting a humanitarian effort to provide food and water to thousands of starving Yazidi refugees who have fled Islamic State militants because they practice a different religion.
On Saturday U.S. fighters and drones launched attacks that destroyed militant armored personnel carriers and an armed truck near Sinjar, according to U.S. Central Command.
The U.S. military said the strikes were conducted to protect civilians who were being fired on by the militants.
That response may prove inadequate to force the retreat of a surprisingly ferocious enemy that has evolved into a conventional army equipped with tanks and heavy weapons. Many of those weapons, including Humvees and artillery, are American-made and were seized from Iraqi national troops who fled Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, when the militants attacked in June.
The air strikes will be limited in scope and not part of "a larger air campaign at this point," a senior defense official said Friday. He asked not to be named because he was not authorized to talk publicly about the decision.
However, if militants attempt to pursue the refugees, who have fled to a barren mountain, interfere with resupply efforts or threaten the nearby city of Irbil, the bombing could be more sustained, the official said. Irbil is the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq and home to a U.S. consulate and U.S.-Iraqi joint military operations center.
"ISIL has a vote in how sustained this is," the official said, referring to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the full name of the militant group.
The type of air attacks authorized by Obama contrast with bombing campaigns in Iraq in 1991 and 2003 when U.S. war planes and ships firing cruise missiles unleashed massive bombings in an attempt to break the back of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's military apparatus from the outset to aid allied ground attacks that would soon follow.
The current air campaign "will be defensive and it will be somewhat limited," predicted James Jeffrey, a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq.
Jeffrey and other analysts warn that U.S. military involvement might be forced to widen, however, because the Islamic State poses such a significant threat to Iraq's sovereignty. Only a more robust military response can halt Islamic State's unrelenting progress across Iraq, Jeffrey said.
The Pentagon will need to intensify its air strikes and put advisers in Iraq to stop the progress of the Islamic State, which has yet to suffer a significant setback at the hands of Iraqi security forces, he said. "That is going to require air power along with competent folks on the ground."
So far, President Obama has resisted such broader moves three years after ending U.S. combat in Iraq.
The Islamic State is not a ragtag force of militants, but rather a conventional army equipped with tanks and other heavy weapons and equipment, according to analysts and the Pentagon. The first American air strike was aimed at a mobile artillery site threatening Irbil, according to the Pentagon.
The militants have gained critical combat experience fighting alongside opposition groups that have waged a civil war against Syria's military for three years.
Plus, they are well financed. The group receives funding from donors in wealthy Persian Gulf states and the militants have seized critical infrastructure in areas they control. Currently they are attempting to seize massive hyrdroelectric dams in Mosul and Haditha that provide much of Baghdad's electricity. They have seized oil fields in Syria and Iraq.
"They are flush with resources, cash and equipment," Brett McGurk, a State Department official, testified recently.
They have also teamed up with former Iraqi army officers who bring experience in tactics and the employment of heavy weapons. The officers are Sunnis who have been alienated by Iraq's Shiite-dominated government.
"ISIL is no longer simply a terrorist organization," McGurk said. "It is now a full-blown army."
They have been unstoppable in recent months, leaving in their wake destruction and thousands of refugees. Typically these radical Sunni Muslims drive out all other religious groups once they seize an area, including Shiites, who are a majority in Iraq, Christians and the Yazidis who are now the focus of U.S. aid.
The Pentagon estimates the militants now control about a third of Iraq's territory.
Little stands in their way. Four Iraqi divisions collapsed when the militants attacked Mosul. Most of the remaining Iraqi forces have since been redeployed to defend Baghdad.
With every victory the Islamic State gets stronger and "our allies get weaker on the ground," Jeffrey said.


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Show SummaryAt the top of the show, Adam complains about the mildew in his shoes, and silly Year In Review shows. He proposes that the lists would be more interesting if they were talking about things that happened 20 years ago. Adam also discusses having to pay his assistant for the week, even though he'll be going into surgery on a Monday. Alison starts the news with the video of soldiers peeing on Taliban corpses. Adam suggests that the Taliban will always hate us, so the video will not be used as a recruitment tool, even if some people think it will. The guys also talk about a controversial safe sex video, and workers in an X-Box factory threatening suicide. Adam recalls why he hates video games, and talks about trying to get a picture of himself playing an X-Box he gave as a gift. Later in the show, Adam jumps to the phones. The first caller wants to know which charity Adam is playing for on Celebrity Apprentice, and Adam recalls his experience being a Catholic Big Brother. Adam also tells a story about the Moore Theater in Seattle, and wraps the show ranting about the trashiness of LA.
Show CreditsProducer: Mike Lynch Producer: Mike Dawson Audio/Voice Over/Post-Production: Mike Dawson Newsgirl: Alison Rosen Sound Effects: Bryan Bishop Technical Director: Chris Laxamana Researcher: Gary Smith Show Summary: Matt Fondiler
Image Gallery

subset: commoncrawl


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Two new studies conclude that a review which claimed that homeopathy is just a placebo, published in The Lancet, was seriously flawed.
George Lewith, Professor of Health Research at Southampton University comments: 'The review gave no indication of which trials were analysed nor of the various vital assumptions made about the data. This is not usual scientific practice. If we presume that homeopathy works for some conditions but not others, or change the definition of a 'larger trial', the conclusions change. This indicates a fundamental weakness in the conclusions: they are NOT reliable.'
The background to the ongoing debate is as follows:
In August 2005, The Lancet then published an editorial entitled 'The End of Homeopathy', prompted by a review comparing clinical trials of homeopathy with trials of conventional medicine. The claim that homeopathic medicines are just placebo was based on 6 clinical trials of conventional medicine and 8 studies of homeopathy but did not reveal the identity of these trials. The review was criticised for its opacity as it gave no indication of which trials were analysed and the various assumptions made about the data. When Lancet was questioned about the study's manipulation of data and the proclaimed anti-homeopathy bias of the individual who did the study, Egger, the editors responded, "We were aware of Dr. Eggers bias prior therefore it was accepted."
Sufficient detail to enable a reconstruction was eventually published and two recently published scientific papers based on such a reconstruction challenge the Lancet review, showing that:
· Analysis of all high quality trials of homeopathy yields a positive conclusion.
· The 8 larger higher quality trials of homeopathy were all for different conditions; if homeopathy works for some of these but not others the result changes, implying that it is not placebo.
· The comparison with conventional medicine was meaningless.
· Doubts remain about the opaque, unpublished criteria used in the review, including the definition of 'higher quality'.
The Lancet review, led by Prof Matthias Egger of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Berne, started with 110 matched clinical trials of homeopathy and conventional medicine, reduced these to 'higher quality trials' and then to 8 and 6 respectively 'larger higher quality trials'. Based on these 14 studies the review concluded that there is 'weak evidence for a specific effect of homoeopathic remedies, but strong evidence for specific effects of conventional interventions'.
There are a limited number of homeopathic studies so it is quite possible to interpret these data selectively and unfavourably, which is what appears to have been done in the Lancet paper. If we assume that homeopathy does not work for just one condition (Arnica for post-exercise muscle stiffness), or alter the definition of 'larger trial', the results are positive. The comparison with conventional medicine was meaningless: the original 110 trials were matched, but matching was lost after they were reduced to 8 and 6. But the quality of homeopathic trials was better than conventional trials.
This reconstruction casts serious doubts on the review, showing that it was based on a series of hidden judgments unfavourable to homeopathy. An open assessment of the current evidence suggests that homeopathy is probably effective for a number of conditions including allergies, upper respiratory tract infections and 'flu, but more research is desperately needed.
Prof Egger has declined to comment on these findings.
Filed under: Homeopathy, Homeopathy and Conventional Medicine, What is homeopathy? | Tagged: Homeopathy and Medical science, Homeopathy defined, Homeopathy medical journals, Homeopathy Study, Lancet Homeopathy, lancet homeopathy study, Meta analysis homeopathy, Proof Homeopathy Works | 1 Comment »


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Bruce homers to right!!! 1-0 Reds!
Bruce homers to right!!! 1-0 Reds!
If evolution is outlawed, only outlaws will evolve!
Boom! Bruce!
You think you got what it takes to play a real fantasy game? Join me at Jockstocks. You can play Baseball, Basketball, Football, Golf, Nascar and even Hockey!
Jockstocks Homepage
Do you have your shirt on? - Adam Dunn to Marty on the Bananna Phone.
30th homer of the year for Bruce.
Frazier strikes out looking.
Ball below the knees for strike 3
If evolution is outlawed, only outlaws will evolve!
Looks like Bruce might be on one of those streaks!
Rolen flies out to center. 1-0 Reds after 2.
Already starting to get bats on the ball against this kid - second time through the order could be entertaining for Reds fans!
If evolution is outlawed, only outlaws will evolve!
Astros up 1-0 on the Pirates in the 1st.
Cloyd grounds out to 3rd.
Rollins flies out to left. 2 outs.
Fantastic play by Frazier! 1-0 Reds mid 3rd.
FSO keeps showing the ushers at GABP. I'm guessing the job includes all you can eat skyline
Were going to get the pitching. -Bob Castellini
You got the pitching, now what? - Reds fans
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


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Step closer to crew selection for simulated Mars mission
The crew selection for a simulated Mars mission moved a step closer to completion recently with ESA's last eight candidates being put through extensive medical screening in Moscow. Two of the European candidates will be chosen to join four Russian crew members on a 105-day study due to start in March next year.
For 105 days, as part of a cooperative project between ESA's Directorate of Human Spaceflight and the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems (IBMP), the six-strong crew will live, eat, sleep and work in a specially designed and recently refurbished facility in Moscow.
During this time they will experience elements of a simulated Mars mission. Their stay is a precursor to the full Mars500 study due to start later in 2009, which will see another six-member crew sealed in the chamber to experience a complete 520-day Mars mission.
The purpose of the Mars500 study is to gather data, knowledge and experience to help prepare one day for a real mission to Mars. The participants will act as subjects in scientific investigations to assess the effect that isolation has on various psychological and physiological aspects, such as stress, hormone regulation and immunity, sleep quality, mood and the effectiveness of dietary supplements.
Medical screening
The final eight candidates are all male, aged between 28 and 39, and come from Denmark, Sweden, Germany (2), France (3) and Belgium.
In Moscow they were put through their paces at the Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy of Sciences. There, for several days, they underwent extensive medical examinations, including an ECG at rest and during exercise, X-ray of chest and spine, ultrasound of internal organs and blood tests. There were also consultations with specialists including a neurologist, a dentist, a psychologist and an ophthalmologist.
These tests are essential to ensure that the final crew is totally healthy before embarking on their mission. "Our Mars500 candidates undergo exactly the same medical examinations as spaceflight participants*. This ensures that we only send completely healthy candidates on the simulated journey to Mars," explains Jennifer Ngo-Anh, ESA's Mars500 Programme Manager.
Going through the medical was at times uncomfortable, although the shared experience gave the candidates a chance to get to know each other better. "All the candidates I met were very fine individuals with very impressive backgrounds," says German father of three. The Danish candidate agrees: "They are all open-minded, very intelligent and very sympathetic. I hope the real astronauts are made of the same stuff!"
If selected to join the 105-day study, the candidates are unanimous, most of all they would miss their families and friends. But all are naturally excited at the prospect of being part of the crew; in particular they are looking forward the challenge, as well as meeting new people and learning new things.
Whilst in Moscow the candidates also had the opportunity to tour the Mars500 facility and to meet with the Russian cosmonaut who will command the 105-day study. By all accounts the commander made a good impression. "He comes across serious, well-trained and highly qualified, while still being easy-going, open-minded and dynamic," says one candidate from France. "It would be a pleasure to be a member of his team."
Having started the selection process with some 5600 applicants, the final selection of ESA's two crew members plus two others who will train as their back-up will be announced mid-December. "Now that we examined them all from head to toe and know them from inside and outside, we will be able to make our final selection. We will only pick the best candidates, the aim being to make the study successful – the information that we gather in this programme will help us in the future for selection of a crew for a real Mars mission," says Ngo-Anh.
* Spaceflight participants usually spend 10 days on board the ISS and pay the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, for their flight opportunity. They have to undergo a thorough medical check in order to be allowed to fly, which is similar to the medical that astronauts and cosmonauts have to undergo.
More information:
Jennifer Ngo-Anh
ESA Mars500 Programme Manager
Tel. +31 71 565 8609
Mars500 @ esa.int
Markus Bauer
ESA Communication Officer for the Directorate of Human Spaceflight
Tel: + 31 71 565 6799
Markus.Bauer @ esa.int