Times Online reported Sunday that George Bush has given Israel the "amber light" for a strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. The amber light was explained as "get on with your preparations, stand by for immediate attack and tell us when you’re ready."

Pentagon officials have stated that President Bush will not instigate an American attack on Iran, but will seriously consider supporting an Israeli intervention. The scenario is further complicated by the likelihood of an incumbent Democratic President bent on negotiation versus military tactics. 

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Popularity: 20% [?]

Over the past few decades, spanking as a method of training and discipline has fluctuated in popularity among American parents. Dr. Spock's book was a major influence upon the methodology of my parents' generation. That generation also raised children responsible for the most dramatic increase in divorce, crime, and teen suicide in American History (not counting the Great Depression). We're not laying the responsibility of the country at one man's feet, but new trends affect societies. It's an unavoidable truth. And Dr. Spock said we shouldn't spank our children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics' official policy says:

"Despite its common acceptance, spanking is a less effective strategy than timeout or removal of privileges for reducing undesired behavior in children. Although spanking may immediately reduce or stop an undesired behavior, its effectiveness decreases with subsequent use. The only way to maintain the initial effect of spanking is to systematically increase the intensity with which it is delivered, which can quickly escalate into abuse. Thus, at best, spanking is only effective when used in selective infrequent situations."

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Popularity: 25% [?]

Sometimes you have succeed in order to fail. Sometimes success is failure. Sometimes you have have to fail before you can succeed. Sometimes, no, all the time, success isn't success unless you're happy. 

Those words are contradictory, yet coherent. Sometimes you have a dream in your heart, and a duty in your mind. You sacrifice the dream for the duty to be a good person. To take the fast track to respect and success. You excel at a vocation. You earn lots of money. Then you look around you, and the most inspiring moments are still the ones you see in dramatic films. 

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Popularity: 28% [?]

I have a friend who is building some websites. He needs some articles on a particular subject. I need a 3G iPhone. So we worked out a deal. I'll create a certain number of linkbait-ish article titles in exchange for a 3G iPhone. Sweet deal. 

In truth, he could just pay me money and I could go buy an iPhone. But that's not as exciting. When you're dealing with denominations that small, I have very little incentive. But barter for techno goods and you're on, buddy!

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Popularity: 11% [?]

Chances are, the answer is "not much." That's what we at CultureFeast.com discovered when we ran our domain name through the ultra sophisticated dnScoop. For those of you waiting with bated breath to know the value of our highly esteemed website, it's currently valued at a meager $12k. That's right. We're cheaper than a Chevy (God save us!).

If we are to believe dnScoop's estimations, Facebook and MySpace are each worth $1.2 billion, with Google at only $1.7 billion. Seems a bit out of balance. Yes, you're all wonderful companies hell bent on world domination, but Facebook is NOT in the same league as Google, is it?

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Popularity: 10% [?]

It has been discovered that pedophiles and other sex offenders are driving neighborhood ice cream trucks in suburban America. That's right. The guy in your neighborhood playing the childhood siren song may not be the safest person to entrust with your children. 

Whether the appearance of a few sex offenders in ice cream trucks is a sign of deceitful strategy or simple gainful employment remains to be seen. But let's be honest. Shouldn't a sex offender be building houses or cleaning office buildings instead of befriending our kids on the street?

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Popularity: 7% [?]

You know that Freddy drove from Pennsylvania to Dallas for the Freddy Needs Gas Tour. You know that Kidd Kraddick is helping Freddy try something new: user-generated music. Well, fan-influenced, anyway. 

But you may not catch Kidd Kraddick in the Morning every time they give a Freddy update, and you're looking for something new. What's he doing now? Is he recording new music yet? Where do I go to help Freddy record his album? Where do I vote on the lyrics, album art, and chords?

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Popularity: 14% [?]

What do get when you melt Fiona Apple and Norah Jones into one person? You get the ultra smooth, bluesy jazz stylings of Rosey and her new album, Luckiest Girl. That is the best description I can offer.

Her previous album was more acoustic/rock than jazz/blues. Tracks from her debut album made it to the silver screen in Bridget Jones' Diary and Shallow Hal. Her first tour was a supporting act for Melissa Etheridge and Meredith Brooks. Ever since that initial success, Rosey's creative path has led her back home to a rich heritage of passionate jazz.

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Popularity: 10% [?]

Have you ever wondered what an RSS feed is? Sounds interesting, maybe even relevant, but not enough to take the time to do some research and figure it out for yourself?

CultureFeast has done the research for you and found two excellent and easy-to-understand resources for you:

RSSDay.org is an excellent place to fill in your background and foundational knowledge on the subject. Would you rather just subscribe to some RSS feeds and figure out the what, where, and why on your own? Visit this Men with Pens post for simple step by step How To instructions on subscribing to feeds with Google Reader.

As always, you can ask us questions in the comment section below. We're sold on the value of getting to know our readers, and if we can help in the process, that's even better!

Popularity: 6% [?]

If you live near Richardson in the DFW area, check out the Cottonwood Art Festival this weekend. Artists will include painters, sculptors, 2D mixed media, glass blowers, jewelry makers, metalsmiths and wood workers. Artists Nisha and Dan Ferguson,i.e. "DaNisha" are the featured artists for this event.

Musical performances include 2tone, Definitely Maybe, Oso Closo, Fishing for Comets, Southbound Texas 35, Jennifer J. Lee, The J.R. Byrd Band, and others. 

At least ten food vendors should be on hand as well. So if you're in the mood for some art-centric family fun, check out the festival at Cottonwood Park this Saturday and Sunday, May 3rd and 4th. 

Popularity: 24% [?]

If you've been listening to Kidd Kraddick in the Morning for the past week and a half, you know about Freddy. Well, the Freddy Needs Gas Tour is over, and as I predicted, Freddy was seriously let down. Honestly, you don't make a big deal nationally about a talented musician and follow him from Pennsylvania to Texas just to have him talk and sing live in-studio for one hour without some sort of greater payoff. The Freddy Needs Gas Tour was interesting, entertaining, but not rewarding.

So, Freddy and Kidd talk. Whether it was Freddy's idea or Kidd's, doesn't matter. Regardless, Freddy posed the idea to Kidd on the air Monday morning of recording his album here in DFW and letting the KKITM fans vote on each song, the album art, etc. In other words, Freddy wants to be the UGC (user generated content) of the music industry.

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Popularity: 15% [?]