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A British newspaper suggests that in our desire to unite the various warring factions in Iraq, we should take our cue from their long period of sectarian negotiations in Ireland.

In the September 5 edition of the Independent, Patrick Cockburn reports on a recent secret 4-day meeting of 16 representatives of Sunni and Shia factions, which took place in Finland, that was co-chaired by former IRA commander Martin McGuinness and former South African minister, Rolf Meyer, “so when [they] told them that violence should cease and that inclusive dialogue was the way ahead, they listened. In addition, they agreed a set of principles as a basis for further talks.”
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We’ve warned you before that there may be funny bread in your future. While GM Starlink corn hasn’t made anyone sick, it has been a disaster for organic farmers and for countries like Mexico that count on indigenous corn varieties. Next up (after many delays: GM Wheat.

Genetically modified wheat hasn’t yet been introduced into the U.S. market. When that happens, public acceptance of the product may depend on what people know about it. Currently, they don’t know much, but when provided information about opposition to GM products, respondents say they are likely to refrain from buying them. Despite this, researcher Sean Fox says, “GM wheat has been on hold for a few years, but I think it’s eventually going to be a reality.”
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Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered what might be the oldest human footprint ever found, imprinted in mud which has since turned to stone in an oasis in the desert. Other archaeologists have discovered a footprint made by the sandal of a Roman soldier in a wall surrounding the Hellenistic-Roman city of Hippos, east of the Sea of Galilee.

BBC News quotes Egyptian antiquities chief Zahi Hawas as saying about the Egyptian footprint, “This could go back about two million years.” Historian Khaled Saad thinks it could be even older still, pre-dating the 3.2 million-year-old skeleton called Lucy, which was found in Ethiopia.
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We’ve written before about the power of red. Now it turns out that a preference for pink?the traditional color for girls?may be hardwired into women’s brains.

Studies show that both sexes prefer blue. In New Scientist, Roxanne Khamsi quotes researcher Anya Hurlbert as saying, “Going back to our ‘savannah’ days, we would have a natural preference for a clear blue sky, because it signaled good weather. Clear blue also signals a good water source.” Despite this, women seem to have a special affinity for colors in the red spectrum. Hurlbert thinks this may be because color vision evolved in humans in part to help females spot ripe fruit such as red berries.

…And Anne Strieber recently discovered that you can have big adventures when you wear a pink cap!
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