The HUB

Segment 1

GRIM REAPURR
Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live. "He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," said Dr. David Dosa in an interview.
“http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/”
What does a cat know that well-trained, medical professionals are missing? Is there more to the dying process that cannot be measured by diagnostic equipment? What is this cat tapping into? Or are cat just truly the furry minions of satan called to push helpless seniors over to the other side?

YOUR FRIENDS ARE MAKING YOU FAT
If your friends and family get fat, chances are you will too, researchers report in a startling new study that suggests obesity is "socially contagious" and can spread easily from person to person. The large, federally funded study found that to be true even if your loved ones lived far away. Social ties seemed to play a surprisingly strong role, even more than genes are known to do.
“Obesity is socially contagious”
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070725/D8QJT64G0.html, July 25, 2007
Do we tend to gravitate towards people who are our same physical size or do our peers really influence our concept of what is an acceptable weight? Should we use comparison as a determination of what is ideal? Why do we do that?

Segment 1

THE WAY TO AN IRAQI’S HEART IS THROUGH HIS STOMACH
Many Iraqis are developing a taste for American-brand products, which were banned under Saddam Hussein and are becoming increasingly popular. Rice, salt and canned goods are among the most popular American products at the Al-Ameer market, owner Mohammad Abbas said. "American items have a great reputation and quality," he said. "And people want them in our markets because they get bored of Syrian, Jordanian and Iranian items."
“Iraqis acquire a taste for American brand products”, USA Today
Could Frito-Lay, Procter & Gamble, Kellogg’s and Nabisco be just as critical to the rebuilding of Iraq as Halliburton? What is it about American made products that is so appealing to other countries? Especially countries who officially have a history of hating everything we stand for? Are American advertising executives really that effective in getting their message out?

MOTHERS FOR THE MOTHERLAND
There’s a disturbing trend among the youth of the former Soviet Union. State sponsored youth camps are gaining popularity among the young who were not alive during the Cold War and do not know first-hand the terrors of Communism. Many in the West are seeing disturbing similarities to the Hitler Youth Camps popular in the 30’s and the Soviet Youth Camps that flourished during the Cold War. They not only seem to be capturing the hearts and minds of these robust youths but their libidos as well. “Remember the mammoths,” say the clean-cut organizers at a recent youth camp's mass wedding. "They became extinct because they did not have enough sex. That must not happen to Russia".
“Sex for the Motherland”, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages
Is history destined to repeat itself in the Soviet Union? Is the mass brain washing of procreating youth going to bring about positive change or create a hoard of mindless drones devoted to carry out the wishes of a totalitarian regime?

Mere weeks after the Bush Administration pushed hard for and signed into law the Protect America Act (just in time for Congress’ summer recess) the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is capitulating to ACLU pressure and ordering the government to give up the ghost on their warrantless wire-tapping program by August 31st. The ACLU made the request after taking time out from their busy schedule of applying Vaseline to their still-chapped a%$#@ from Don Imus’ getting the best of them over the Rutgers girls’ basketball comments earlier this year. Truth be known, Congress sanctioned spying on foreigners and Americans acting as foreign agents under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, requiring a warrant from a secret FISA court in the United States.

Segment 1

WHAT’S IN A NAME?
A Dutch Catholic bishop feels the church should begin to use the name Allah for God to ease tensions between Muslims and Christians. Tiny Muskens, the bishop of Breda believes God doesn't mind what he is called. The Almighty is above such "discussion and bickering," he insisted. Muskens points to Indonesia, where he served 30 years ago, as an example for Dutch churches. Christians in the Middle East also use the term Allah for God.
“Bishop urges Christians to call God `Allah’”, http://wnd.com/news/, August 15, 2007
Does God really care if we use His proper name? Would He respond to a “hey You up there!” as long as we capitalize the “y” in “you” to signify deity? What is God’s proper name anyway? Let’s play “Name the Sovereign Deity” where we mere mortals purport to label and categorize the Almighty so we feel better about Him….okay, now, why do we do stuff like this?

PUTTING YOUR BEST FACE FORWARD
Having a bad attitude the next time you’re at the airport could open you up to closer screening. Some airports now have specially trained security personnel that are watching body language and facial cues of passengers for signs of bad intentions.
“New airport agents check for danger…”, http://www.mcclatchydc.com
Doesn’t this illustrate that human perception is one of the best screening tools we have? At what point will the ACLU jump in and say this is profiling? Is what we call our “sixth sense” really a subconscious ability to pick up on “micro-expressions?” Is our body language our own worst enemy when we try to hide something? Or is it really our best friend because it attempts to expose the lies that are harmful to our well being? Do passive aggressive people (the type of person that tries to control indirectly without confrontational language, per se) get betrayed by their body language? If this is true, then you know what this means… TSA officials who are trained to pick up on body language cues will usually make bad partners for controlling spouses. They should probably just sign over the divorce papers right now and start cutting alimony checks.

Rockstar Emory University Psychology Professor Drew Westen has posited sweet salvation for Democratic candidates in the 2008 presidential race with his recent book, “The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation”. Westen argues up a tree that it makes no sense to debate an issue using facts and figures and to count on voters – particularly swing voters – to make choices based on higher faculty understandings of policy minutia. Democrats need to follow the Republicans lead and learn to appeal to emotions. I say, the Republican strategy should be to continue allowing Democratic think-tankers to have enough rope to hang themselves (this book being the rope), become wholly convinced of Republican lack of intelligencia, and then insult them with emotional appeals. Nothing says emotion like selling welfare policies to and underclass as a false hope that is really a statistical death spiral. It’s not that Republicans don’t get facts and figures; it’s just that they are smart enough to know when someone is teasing out the stats to get the answer they want when the stats can be read either way.