Why we too need regime change: The Last Refuge (Paul Krugman, NYTimes)

"In 1944, millions of Americans were engaged in desperate battles across the world. Nonetheless, a normal presidential election was held, and the opposition didn't pull its punches: Thomas Dewey, the Republican candidate, campaigned on the theme that Franklin Roosevelt was a "tired old man." As far as I've been able to ascertain, the Roosevelt administration didn't accuse Dewey of hurting morale by questioning the president's competence. After all, democracy — including the right to criticize — was what we were fighting for.

"It's not a slur on the courage of our troops, or a belittling of the risks they face, to say that our current war is a mere skirmish by comparison. Yet self-styled patriots are trying to impose constraints on political speech never contemplated during World War II, accusing anyone who criticizes the president of undermining the war effort."

    

If This Goes On: Graph and Predictions for the SARS Epidemic

Yudel's Line: Is SARS peaking? Or is the epidemic continuing? Assuming this graph remains updated, it will give a continuation on whether this is just a passing bug, or something could kill a million people this year.

    

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Still a Few Bugs in the Systematization: Evolution's new line (BBC)

The tree of life has a new branch. Genetic studies show that the group from which insects were thought to come, the Collembola, turns out not to be closely related to insects after all.

Instead, the creatures, known as wingless hexapods but more commonly called springtails, belong to a separate evolutionary line that predates even the separation of insects and crustaceans.

"Based on the similarities in their body organisation, their six legs, and other morphological characteristics, it has been generally accepted that the Collembolans were the basal stock from which insects arose," says Jeffrey Boore, a biologist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the US.

"But our study shows that they evolved separately from insects and independently adapted to life on land.

    

Jerusalem II Scion In Gulf War II: Haredi teen joins Marines (Jerusalem Post)

The picture of a Jewish soldier made it to the front page of an Israeli haredi weekly for the first time last Friday, that of United States Marine Yona Fishbaum, a New York yeshiva graduate taking part in the war on Iraq.

The center-spread article in Bakehila proudly detailed how Yona Fishbaum, son of the owner of the Jerusalem 2 pizza chain of Brooklyn, Flatbush and Broadway, had taken along his tefillin, prayer book, and Bible to the front.

Fishbaum had enlisted in the Marine a year and three months ago after attending a number of yeshivot. "We had a lot of troubles with him," the paper quoted his father, Eddie Fishbaum, as saying, "but he always wanted to be a good boy.

    

Local Hero: Email from the Kids' School:

We regret to inform you of the death of Cpl. Mark Evnin, z"l. Cpl. Evnon, the nephew of Schechter alumni parent, Shira Antonoff (Rachel, '99, Jack,'01, and Sarah, z"l) was serving with the Marines in Iraq, and was killed in combat last week. He was from South Burlington, VT, where the family will sit shiva when his body is returned to the United States.

Mark was 21 years old, and serving with the Marine's Third Battalion, First Division.

We extend our sincerest condolences to Shira, and her entire family. Hamakom Yinachem.

    

Local Heroes: Hometown Casualty

Eric Allan Smith, Brighton High School Class of 1980 has become the first Rochester area casualty of the Iraq War. Eric was the Pilot of the Blackhawk Helicopter that was shot down, April 2, 2003