The Dish

Panama City, Panama, 7 am.

Two stories that may well convey a more accurate impression of the dangerous world in which we now live: a massive typhoon with over a million now homeless in Pakistan (a nuclear power already on the verge of an Islamist take-over); and a near-miss on nuclear materials in Georgia, in the former Soviet Union. Just adding to the optimism around here.

A fashion face-off!

Charles Murray recently analyzed the evolutionary evidence for high levels of intelligence among Ashkenazi Jews. Commentary’s readers respond. And Charles responds back. A fascinating exchange.

A study of Israel’s "targeted killing" policy and the ineffectiveness of suicide bombing:

We find evidence that the targeted killings of Palestinian leaders by Israel reduce realized Palestinian violence. We find, however, that intended Palestinian violence is increasing at low levels of targeted killings, but decreasing at higher levels. There is little evidence to suggest that suicide bombings against Israelis reduce the number of subsequent Palestinian fatalities. Rather, we find that suicide attacks that kill at least one Israeli lead to subsequent increased incidence and levels of Palestinian fatalities. Our results do not support the notion that suicide attacks and targeted killings follow the ‘tit-for-tat’ pattern that is commonly postulated in the literature.

The future arrives:

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is creating automated kill zones around the Gaza Strip aimed at halting infiltrations by terrorists, arms smugglers and other hostile individuals.

Now in final stages of operational testing, the "See-Shoot" system will add weapons to the network of overlapping sensors already deployed along the approximately 60-kilometer border separating Israel from the Palestinian coastal territory.

Developed by state-owned Rafael, See-Shoot consists of a series of remotely controlled weapon stations which receive fire-control information from ground sensors and manned and unmanned aircraft. Once a target is verified and authorized for destruction, operators sitting safely behind command center computers push a button to fire the weapon.

Bruce Schneier comments here.

We’ve long known that running can help keep the blues at bay. Now, depressed rats have proven it.

Michael Yon’s latest report from Iraq is well worth reading and viewing. I say viewing because the photographic evidence of the barbarism of the Jihadists is stomach-turning. But essential.

He probably won’t stop the feds raiding states where the treatment is legal. No big surprise. Whatever else you can say about McCain, he’s never been a fan of government allowing people to live their own lives. You can read a guide to the  candidates on medical freedom here.

That’s one finding from the latest Pew survey. Flag-flyers are more likely to be better educated; white; Republican; and northeastern or midwestern rather than southern or western. And there’s been a ten percent drop in Republican patriotism in the last four years.