Watercooler Stories

Talk radio to report 'the truth' in Iraq

SAN FRANCISCO, July 5 (UPI) -- A group of conservative radio talk show hosts is headed to Baghdad to report that American troops are winning the war in Iraq.

The trip, dubbed the "Truth Tour," was put together by the non-profit conservative group "Move America Forward" and conservative Web cast radio group Righttalk.com.

"The reason why we are doing it is we are sick and tired of seeing and hearing headlines by the mainstream media about our defeat in Iraq," Melanie Morgan, a talk radio host for KSFO Radio on San Francisco and co-chair of Move America Forward, told Fox News.

Morgan said the group is going to Iraq to support American troops who are suffering from "morale problems" because of a disconnection with what they experience and what's being reported in the United States.

Critics say the trip is a propaganda mission for the U.S. military and the Bush administration.

"This is the most pathetic thing I've heard in a long time. They should be ashamed of themselves," Peter Beinart, editor of The New Republic, told Fox News.

Study casts doubt on bisexuality

NEW YORK, July 5 (UPI) -- A new study questions whether male bisexuality is a distinct and stable sexual orientation, the New York Times reported.

The study, scheduled to be published in the journal Psychological Science, suggests the estimated 1.7 percent of men who identify themselves as bisexual show physical attraction patterns that differ from their professed desires.

Psychologists in Chicago and Toronto measured genital arousal patterns in response to images of men and women. They found that men who identified themselves as bisexual were aroused by either one sex or by the other, usually men.

"Research on sexual orientation has been based almost entirely on self-reports, and this is one of the few good studies using physiological measures," said Dr. Lisa Diamond, an associate professor of psychology and gender identity at the University of Utah, who was not involved in the study.

Several other researchers said the study would need to be repeated with larger numbers of bisexual men before clear conclusions could be drawn, the newspaper said.

Ruling protects defense attorneys

SEATTLE, July 5 (UPI) -- The Washington State Supreme Court has ruled that criminal defendants cannot sue lawyers for malpractice unless they can prove they are innocent.

"Your protection is based on the fact that you have been harmed," criminal defense attorney Anne Bremmer told Fox News. "And you're not harmed if you're guilty."

The ruling was made last month in the case of a couple who sued their lawyers for convincing them to plead guilty to felony fraud.

They later hired new counsel, went to trial and were acquitted on all counts. The malpractice lawsuit against the couple's old lawyers failed because they couldn't prove they didn't do it.

The Supreme Court of the State of Washington, in a 5-4 decision, ruled the acquittal didn't mean the two were innocent -- only that the government had failed to prove its case, Fox News said.

The majority opinion concluded the decision ensures that the guilty cannot commit a crime, get off, and then profit from that crime.

Egos busy backstage at Live 8

LONDON, July 5 (UPI) -- The celebrity backstage area at London's Live 8 concert was full of warring egos, ThisisLondon.com said Monday.

Sir Paul McCartney, who both opened and closed Live 8 was followed through the area, which was only 150 square feet, with an entourage of six in tow.

McCartney's wife Heather was filming the whole thing with hopes of selling the program around the world, the showbiz column said. Her dreams were dashed towards the end of the show when she was forced to stop filming because it was against Live 8 rules.

Observers said Elton John had five bodyguards with him. They apparently took their job seriously, standing outside while he used the fancy mahogany portable toilets backstage.