Descendants of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse break away from US
Good for the Lakota!
The Lakota Indians, who gave the world legendary warriors Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, have withdrawn from treaties with the United States, leaders said Wednesday.
"We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us," long-time Indian rights activist Russell Means told a handful of reporters and a delegation from the Bolivian embassy, gathered in a church in a run-down neighborhood of Washington for a news conference...
The treaties have been "repeatedly violated in order to steal our culture, our land and our ability to maintain our way of life," the reborn freedom movement says.
Withdrawing from the treaties was entirely legal, Means said.
"This is according to the laws of the United States, specifically article six of the constitution," which states that treaties are the supreme law of the land, he said.
"It is also within the laws on treaties passed at the Vienna Convention and put into effect by the US and the rest of the international community in 1980. We are legally within our rights to be free and independent," said Means.
The Lakota Indians, who gave the world legendary warriors Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, have withdrawn from treaties with the United States, leaders said Wednesday.
"We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us," long-time Indian rights activist Russell Means told a handful of reporters and a delegation from the Bolivian embassy, gathered in a church in a run-down neighborhood of Washington for a news conference...
The treaties have been "repeatedly violated in order to steal our culture, our land and our ability to maintain our way of life," the reborn freedom movement says.
Withdrawing from the treaties was entirely legal, Means said.
"This is according to the laws of the United States, specifically article six of the constitution," which states that treaties are the supreme law of the land, he said.
"It is also within the laws on treaties passed at the Vienna Convention and put into effect by the US and the rest of the international community in 1980. We are legally within our rights to be free and independent," said Means.
Cindy Sheehan: Impeach Pelosi for collaboration with Bush administration on torture
Newark, CA: Peace activist, Cindy Sheehan says that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi collaborated with the Bush administration in condoning torture because Pelosi knew about water boarding torture since 2002. “Even before becoming Speaker of the House of Representative, she said that impeachment of Bush is out of question.” She should be impeached for knowing about torture which dehumanize us all, she added.
Neil Young Show at the United Palace Theater
Awesome Show! Set list here:
12-12-2007, United Palace, New York City, New York
w/ Rick Rosas, Ben Keith, Ralph Molina, Anthony Crawford & Pegi Young
From Hank To Hendrix / Ambulance Blues / Sad Movies / A Man Needs A Maid / No One Seems To Know / Harvest / Journey Through The Past / Mellow My Mind / Love Art Blues / Old Man / Heart Of Gold // The Loner / Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere / Dirty Old Man / Spirit Road / Bad Fog Of Loneliness / Winterlong / Oh, Lonesome Me / The Believer / No Hidden Path // Cinnamon Girl / Don't Cry No Tears / Like A Hurricane
Great beasts peppered from space
weird wild stuff!
"We think that there was probably an impact which exploded in the air that sent these particles flying into the animals," said Richard Firestone from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
"We think that there was probably an impact which exploded in the air that sent these particles flying into the animals," said Richard Firestone from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Nurses: Cheney 'would probably be dead' but for government healthcare
Dick Cheney, with his heart trouble, would probably be dead now if he were an ordinary American forced to search for cardiac care in a thicket of mercenary insurers and heartless HMOs,"
Believe in the Constitution? Vote Kucinich!!
Lambasting Democrats in Congress for their refusal to pursue the impeachment of President Bush, Vice President Cheney and other members of the current administration, Penn praised Kucinich for his "moral courage," according to an advance copy of the speech provided to RAW STORY.
‘Well-Informed’ Source Tells CBS That Tapes Were Destroyed To Prevent Prosecution
we need to hammer them on this! INVESTIGATE!
Big-wave surfer recounts harrowing survival off Maui
Lickle towed Hamilton into a wave, the second of a mountainous five-wave set. "The bomb set of all sets," as Lickle described it. A huge wall of water. "I'll say 40-foot Hawaiian," Lickle said. That's an 80-foot face.
"He was riding the wave, and all the sudden he kicked out and I'm like, 'Oh, my God,'" Lickle said.
He raced the Jet Ski toward Hamilton.
"We'd had a pretty clear zone to get out, but the area where we normally get out was all white water. A 20-foot closeout," Lickle said. "We realized we weren't going to make it, and eventually the thing caught up and just annihilated me."
Our Troops Must Leave Iraq
The American people no longer support the war in Iraq. The war is being carried on by a stubborn president who, like Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon during the Vietnam War, does not want to lose. But from the beginning this has been an ill-considered and poorly prosecuted war that, like the Vietnam War, has diminished respect for America. We believe Mr. Bush would like to drag the war on long enough to hand it off to another president.
It's official now that Walter Cronkite has said so!
Dennis Kucinich tells it like it is
Dennis Kucinich is a remarkable human being. He was born to Cleveland, Ohio’s working class poor. He was a sickly, undersized child who suffered from asthma, stuttering and agonizing stomach pains. His extended family was plagued with poverty, cruelty, insanity and alcoholism.
“Mind over matter” was his childhood mantra.
As he says in his new autobiography, The Courage to Survive , his passage from pain to joy has come through love, hope, friendship and a spiritual awakening.
By age 13, Dennis had become a 97 lb. third string high school varsity quarterback. By age 30, he was the mayor of Cleveland, disparagingly referred to as “Dennis the Menace” due to his refusal to sell Cleveland’s publicly owned electric utility. In 1996, he became Congressman Kucinich. In 2004 he would first run for President of the United States. In the 2008 Democratic primaries, this American working class hero is again the most progressive candidate running
“Mind over matter” was his childhood mantra.
As he says in his new autobiography, The Courage to Survive , his passage from pain to joy has come through love, hope, friendship and a spiritual awakening.
By age 13, Dennis had become a 97 lb. third string high school varsity quarterback. By age 30, he was the mayor of Cleveland, disparagingly referred to as “Dennis the Menace” due to his refusal to sell Cleveland’s publicly owned electric utility. In 1996, he became Congressman Kucinich. In 2004 he would first run for President of the United States. In the 2008 Democratic primaries, this American working class hero is again the most progressive candidate running
Made in China on the Sly
Bastardos!
In fact, many luxury-brand items today are made on assembly lines in developing nations, where labor is vastly cheaper. I saw this firsthand when I visited a leather-goods factory in China, where women 18 to 26 years old earn $120 a month sewing and gluing together luxury-brand leather handbags, knapsacks, wallets and toiletry cases. One bag I watched them put together — for a brand whose owners insist is manufactured only in Italy — cost $120 apiece to produce. That evening, I saw the same bag at a Hong Kong department store with a price tag of $1,200 — a typical markup.
In fact, many luxury-brand items today are made on assembly lines in developing nations, where labor is vastly cheaper. I saw this firsthand when I visited a leather-goods factory in China, where women 18 to 26 years old earn $120 a month sewing and gluing together luxury-brand leather handbags, knapsacks, wallets and toiletry cases. One bag I watched them put together — for a brand whose owners insist is manufactured only in Italy — cost $120 apiece to produce. That evening, I saw the same bag at a Hong Kong department store with a price tag of $1,200 — a typical markup.
Treason is Not Old News
"I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious, of traitors." George Herbert Walker Bush, CIA dedication ceremony, April 26, 1999.
Group claiming 2004 election fraud asks Dann to investigate
Columbus- A group that still believes widespread voter fraud aided George W. Bush's 2004 victory in Ohio, triggering his successful presidential re-election, is asking the state for a criminal investigation.
The group, led by Columbus attorney Cliff Arnebeck, has tried almost since the polls closed three years ago to get a judge or prosecutor anywhere to validate their claims of voter suppression in Cuyahoga County and elsewhere but have little to show for their efforts.
Now they are turning to state Attorney General Marc Dann, whose office has authority under a nearly two-year-old election reform law to conduct criminal probes into allegations of voter fraud.
Hispanic names make top 10 list in America
Forget about keeping up with the Joneses. It's the Garcia, Rodriguez and Martinez families that are the ones to watch.
Data from the US census bureau suggests that some surnames of Hispanic origin have supplanted Anglo ones - such as Wilson - traditionally thought of as quintessential American names.
In the 2000 census, Garcia was the eighth most common surname in the US, and Rodriguez came in at number nine, both ahead of Wilson, which at 10th was only just ahead of Martinez.
Data from the US census bureau suggests that some surnames of Hispanic origin have supplanted Anglo ones - such as Wilson - traditionally thought of as quintessential American names.
In the 2000 census, Garcia was the eighth most common surname in the US, and Rodriguez came in at number nine, both ahead of Wilson, which at 10th was only just ahead of Martinez.
Gas-station owner dies after fast against oil giants
poor guy. i guess he was pretty serious about the fasting, but at some point, you have to eat, eh?
Mehdi Shahbazi was a man who championed the consumer and listened to his own counsel as he waged a years-long battle against Exxon Oil and then Shell Oil.
The conflicts cost him his eight service stations - from Salinas to San Jose - his home, his health and his life.
Shahbazi, 65, died Wednesday at Stanford Hospital due to a fast of more than four months to protest the power of oil companies - and as gas prices approach record highs in California.
Mehdi Shahbazi was a man who championed the consumer and listened to his own counsel as he waged a years-long battle against Exxon Oil and then Shell Oil.
The conflicts cost him his eight service stations - from Salinas to San Jose - his home, his health and his life.
Shahbazi, 65, died Wednesday at Stanford Hospital due to a fast of more than four months to protest the power of oil companies - and as gas prices approach record highs in California.
British General: Our Presence ‘Instigated’ Violence In Iraq, ‘90 Percent’ Reduction After Withdrawal
The presence of British forces in downtown Basra, Iraq’s second-largest city, was the single largest instigator of violence, Maj. Gen. Graham Binns told reporters Thursday on a visit to Baghdad’s Green Zone.
“We thought, ‘If 90 percent of the violence is directed at us, what would happen if we stepped back?,’” Binns said.
“We thought, ‘If 90 percent of the violence is directed at us, what would happen if we stepped back?,’” Binns said.
DUDE--Surfer stuns physicists with theory of everything
An impoverished surfer has drawn up a new theory of the universe, seen by some as the Holy Grail of physics, which has received rave reviews from scientists.
Garrett Lisi, 39, has a doctorate but no university affiliation and spends most of the year surfing in Hawaii, where he has also been a hiking guide and bridge builder (when he slept in a jungle yurt).
The E8 pattern (click to enlarge), Garrett Lisi surfing (middle) and out of the water (right)
In winter, he heads to the mountains near Lake Tahoe, Nevada, where he snowboards. "Being poor sucks," Lisi says. "It's hard to figure out the secrets of the universe when you're trying to figure out where you and your girlfriend are going to sleep next month."
Mom of teen shot by NYPD told police son didn't have a gun
Unbelievable! What the f*** is wrong with these cops?
Gaining an Empire, Losing Democracy? (2003)
my little tribute to norman mailer. i loved the naked and the dead as well as his book about the ali frazier fight. those are the only two i read. and i love this article. eg from 2003
The dire prospect that opens, therefore, is that America is going to become a mega-banana republic where the army will have more and more importance in Americans' lives. It will be an ever greater and greater overlay on the American system. And before it is all over, democracy, noble and delicate as it is, may give way. My long experience with human nature - I'm 80 years old now - suggests that it is possible that fascism, not democracy, is the natural state.
Indeed, democracy is the special condition - a condition we will be called upon to defend in the coming years. That will be enormously difficult because the combination of the corporation, the military and the complete investiture of the flag with mass spectator sports has set up a pre-fascistic atmosphere in America already.
Bush vetoes health and education bill
"This is a bipartisan bill supported by over 50 Republicans," Obey said. "There has been virtually no criticism of its contents. It is clear the only reason the president vetoed this bill is pure politics."
Since winning re-election, Bush has sought to cut the labor, health and education measure below the prior year level. But lawmakers have rejected the cuts. The budget that Bush presented in February sought almost $4 billion in cuts to this year's bill.
and this:
Much of the increase in the defense bill is devoted to procuring new and expensive weapons systems, including $6.3 billion for the next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, $2.8 billion for the Navy's DD(X) destroyer and $3.1 billion for the new Virginia-class attack submarine.
Huge procurement costs are driving the Pentagon budget ever upward. Once war costs are added in, the total defense budget will be significantly higher than during the typical Cold War year, even after adjusting for inflation.
Isn't it Time for Mark Penn to Leave Burson-Marsteller?
Who is Spin Master? It turns out that Spin Master distributes Aqua Dots
The uninvited guest: Chinese sub pops up in middle of U.S. Navy exercise, leaving military chiefs red-faced
Hmmm...
American military chiefs have been left dumbstruck by an undetected Chinese submarine popping up at the heart of a recent Pacific exercise and close to the vast U.S.S. Kitty Hawk - a 1,000ft supercarrier with 4,500 personnel on board.
By the time it surfaced the 160ft Song Class diesel-electric attack submarine is understood to have sailed within viable range for launching torpedoes or missiles at the carrier.
Action at Feinstein’s office to protest Mukasey vote
CALIFORNIA PDA REPORT from Mimi Kennedy 11.6.07 Action at Feinstein’s office to protest Mukasey vote (EXCERPTS)
Monday afternoon LA activists from PDA, Code Pink, Veterans for Peace, LA Impeachment Center and Iraq Vets Against the War, demonstrated in front of Dianne Feinstein’s office on Santa Monica Blvd. to protest her vote for Mukasey in the Judiciary Committee. Dianne’s office is a glass-and-steel high-rise on the corner of Sepulveda and Santa Monica Blvd., one of the busiest intersections in California.
...We chanted “No more torture, no more Feinstein!” It was gratifying that the drivers of most public vehicles – sanitation trucks and metro busses – honked for us. Some of us had letters to deliver. The rule is that only six can be admitted to her office at a time without appointment.
Six of us walked into the glass-walled lobby. The security guard stopped us ... we could not just go up; he had to phone the Senator’s office and ask first. Reasonable; he phoned, and was told a staffer would be down to escort us up in ten minutes. Ten minutes went by, no-one came. I called the office upstairs on my cell phone. The number was busy, as it has been since last Friday, when Feinstein’s vote, to pass Mukasey’s nomination to the Senate floor, was announced. Almost everyone I know who has tried to call reports that they either get a busy signal or Dianne’s cheerful taped voice advising us to call back later – at all state offices and in D.C.
That’s why we were physically at her office on Monday. It was the only way we could let her know, for sure, that her constituents were riled. We waited. The rest of the demonstrators, about twenty – including Col. Ann Wright– came to the glass doors. The security guards began locking the doors. We objected – why were they being locked out of seeing their Senator? ”This is private property,” a guard told me angrily. “Yes, but it’s private property in America,” I noted. “And she’s our Senator and we have redress of grievances.”
And it’s been impossible to get through to her by phone. So basically, Dianne Feinstein votes the way she wants and is in lockdown from her constituents.
Trevor Daley finally came downstairs and heard our complaints, one by one, with an admirable show of patience. He said, among other things, “She asked us how many calls we’ve gotten on this. And it’s only been 600 a day. For Alito and Roberts, it was 2000 a day. So she doesn't feel this is as important to her constituents.”
Her vote on Mukasey was a big surprise, and constituents had four days to react, two of them a weekend. And, we told Trevor, most people are reporting that they cannot get through on the phone, and there is no message-recording capacity on Dianne’s cheery outgoing “call back later” message. So the 600 phone calls that miraculously got through are only part of the real number. That was it for redress of grievances and being in touch with our U.S. Senator. Her phone service should be updated. It is clearly insufficient to take constituent calls in times of crisis. And maybe she likes it that way.
There are very few rank-and-file Democrats left who feel happy that Dianne Feinstein is their Senator.
Monday afternoon LA activists from PDA, Code Pink, Veterans for Peace, LA Impeachment Center and Iraq Vets Against the War, demonstrated in front of Dianne Feinstein’s office on Santa Monica Blvd. to protest her vote for Mukasey in the Judiciary Committee. Dianne’s office is a glass-and-steel high-rise on the corner of Sepulveda and Santa Monica Blvd., one of the busiest intersections in California.
...We chanted “No more torture, no more Feinstein!” It was gratifying that the drivers of most public vehicles – sanitation trucks and metro busses – honked for us. Some of us had letters to deliver. The rule is that only six can be admitted to her office at a time without appointment.
Six of us walked into the glass-walled lobby. The security guard stopped us ... we could not just go up; he had to phone the Senator’s office and ask first. Reasonable; he phoned, and was told a staffer would be down to escort us up in ten minutes. Ten minutes went by, no-one came. I called the office upstairs on my cell phone. The number was busy, as it has been since last Friday, when Feinstein’s vote, to pass Mukasey’s nomination to the Senate floor, was announced. Almost everyone I know who has tried to call reports that they either get a busy signal or Dianne’s cheerful taped voice advising us to call back later – at all state offices and in D.C.
That’s why we were physically at her office on Monday. It was the only way we could let her know, for sure, that her constituents were riled. We waited. The rest of the demonstrators, about twenty – including Col. Ann Wright– came to the glass doors. The security guards began locking the doors. We objected – why were they being locked out of seeing their Senator? ”This is private property,” a guard told me angrily. “Yes, but it’s private property in America,” I noted. “And she’s our Senator and we have redress of grievances.”
And it’s been impossible to get through to her by phone. So basically, Dianne Feinstein votes the way she wants and is in lockdown from her constituents.
Trevor Daley finally came downstairs and heard our complaints, one by one, with an admirable show of patience. He said, among other things, “She asked us how many calls we’ve gotten on this. And it’s only been 600 a day. For Alito and Roberts, it was 2000 a day. So she doesn't feel this is as important to her constituents.”
Her vote on Mukasey was a big surprise, and constituents had four days to react, two of them a weekend. And, we told Trevor, most people are reporting that they cannot get through on the phone, and there is no message-recording capacity on Dianne’s cheery outgoing “call back later” message. So the 600 phone calls that miraculously got through are only part of the real number. That was it for redress of grievances and being in touch with our U.S. Senator. Her phone service should be updated. It is clearly insufficient to take constituent calls in times of crisis. And maybe she likes it that way.
There are very few rank-and-file Democrats left who feel happy that Dianne Feinstein is their Senator.
The Impeachment Of Dick Cheney
Public perception can beat the shit out of political nuance. The Bush Republicans know this and they have abused it for their own nefarious ends. The Democrats, on the other hand, have somehow overlooked this very basic rule of 21st Century American politics, which is a shame since they would more often than not use it for the betterment of the nation.
After all, one year ago yesterday, we elected the Democrats in overwhelming numbers to amplify our screaming voices to a decibel loud enough to penetrate the unchecked corridors of power in Washington -- we hired this party to speak for us and to use this expressed authority to end the war and to hold this historically unpopular executive regime accountable.
To date and with the exception of some admirable investigations by a few standout lawmakers, the Democrats have done nothing to make good on their mandate from you and me.
After all, one year ago yesterday, we elected the Democrats in overwhelming numbers to amplify our screaming voices to a decibel loud enough to penetrate the unchecked corridors of power in Washington -- we hired this party to speak for us and to use this expressed authority to end the war and to hold this historically unpopular executive regime accountable.
To date and with the exception of some admirable investigations by a few standout lawmakers, the Democrats have done nothing to make good on their mandate from you and me.
Cheney impeachment measure advances
Midway through the vote, with instructions from the GOP leadership, Republicans one by one changed their votes from yes — to kill the resolution — to no, trying to force the chamber into a debate and an up-or-down vote on the proposal.
At one point there were 290 votes to table. After the turnaround, the final vote was 251-162 against tabling, with 165 Republicans voting against it.
“We’re going to help them out, to explain themselves,” said Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas. “We’re going to give them their day in court.”
At one point there were 290 votes to table. After the turnaround, the final vote was 251-162 against tabling, with 165 Republicans voting against it.
“We’re going to help them out, to explain themselves,” said Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas. “We’re going to give them their day in court.”
Kucinich not stopping with Cheney, plans Bush impeachment resolution too
"If he pulls it off, it could make for an uncomfortable situation for Democratic leaders and centrist Democrats," The Hill's Mike Soraghan writes of Kucinich's plan. "Liberal activists are pushing for impeachment, while leaders worry such a move could turn off independent voters. They have made it clear that impeachment of Cheney or President Bush is off the table."
and now Raw reports that: House Republicans vote against Democratic-led motion to end debate on impeachment measure)
are they doing that to embarass the centrist Dems or because some of them want to impeach. Probably the former...
and now Raw reports that: House Republicans vote against Democratic-led motion to end debate on impeachment measure)
are they doing that to embarass the centrist Dems or because some of them want to impeach. Probably the former...
Top 25 Censored Stories of 2008
# 1 No Habeas Corpus for "Any Person"
# 2 Bush Moves Toward Martial Law
# 3 AFRICOM: US Military Control of Africa's Resources
# 4 Frenzy of Increasingly Destructive Trade Agreements
# 5 Human Traffic Builds US Embassy in Iraq
# 6 Operation FALCON Raids
# 7 Behind Blackwater Inc.
# 8 KIA: The US Neoliberal Invasion of India
# 9 Privatization of America's Infrastructure
# 10 Vulture Funds Threaten Poor Nations' Debt Relief
# 11 The Scam of "Reconstruction" in Afghanistan
# 12 Another Massacre in Haiti by UN Troops
# 13 Immigrant Roundups to Gain Cheap Labor for US Corporate Giants
# 14 Impunity for US War Criminals
# 15 Toxic Exposure Can Be Transmitted to Future Generations on a "Second Genetic Code"
# 16 No Hard Evidence Connecting Bin Laden to 9/11
# 17 Drinking Water Contaminated by Military and Corporations
# 18 Mexico's Stolen Election
# 19 People's Movement Challenges Neoliberal Agenda (Free Trade through Central and South America)
# 20 Terror Act Against Animal Activists
# 21 US Seeks WTO Immunity for Illegal Farm Payments
# 22 North Invades Mexico
# 23 Feinstein's Conflict of Interest in Iraq
# 24 Media Misquotes Threat From Iran's President
# 25 Who Will Profit from Native Energy?
# 2 Bush Moves Toward Martial Law
# 3 AFRICOM: US Military Control of Africa's Resources
# 4 Frenzy of Increasingly Destructive Trade Agreements
# 5 Human Traffic Builds US Embassy in Iraq
# 6 Operation FALCON Raids
# 7 Behind Blackwater Inc.
# 8 KIA: The US Neoliberal Invasion of India
# 9 Privatization of America's Infrastructure
# 10 Vulture Funds Threaten Poor Nations' Debt Relief
# 11 The Scam of "Reconstruction" in Afghanistan
# 12 Another Massacre in Haiti by UN Troops
# 13 Immigrant Roundups to Gain Cheap Labor for US Corporate Giants
# 14 Impunity for US War Criminals
# 15 Toxic Exposure Can Be Transmitted to Future Generations on a "Second Genetic Code"
# 16 No Hard Evidence Connecting Bin Laden to 9/11
# 17 Drinking Water Contaminated by Military and Corporations
# 18 Mexico's Stolen Election
# 19 People's Movement Challenges Neoliberal Agenda (Free Trade through Central and South America)
# 20 Terror Act Against Animal Activists
# 21 US Seeks WTO Immunity for Illegal Farm Payments
# 22 North Invades Mexico
# 23 Feinstein's Conflict of Interest in Iraq
# 24 Media Misquotes Threat From Iran's President
# 25 Who Will Profit from Native Energy?
US v Russia
Twice recently, I have heard people comparing the USA and the Russians or perhaps more accurately the Soviet Union. The first occasion was on 60 Minutes when the interviewer, Scott Pelley as I recall, talked to some Afghans (or is it Afghanis?) about a civilian massacre. The upshot of the conversation was that the Russians treated them better than we, the US of A, have been doing. Pelley reminded us that the Ruskies killed a million Afghanis so it obviously couldn't be true despite the recent sentiment of the poor Afghans whose friends and relatives had been slaughtered by some massive US bomb.
The second occasion where we were not so favorably compared to our Cold War rivals was by a Finnish folk band that arrived in Minnesota for a tour. As I recall, their tour was sponsored by the University of Minnesota. And so when they arrived at customs in Minneapolis on a flight from Amsterdam, HOMELAND SECURITY decided they were ne'er do well hippies. One of the dudes was strip-searched and subsequently recalled how it went down:
Perhaps the most damning comment on the incident was delivered by [J. Karjalainen] who was strip-searched. On a couple of occasions prior to 1991, he was detained by the KGB and interrogated. Compared to the ICE agents here in the Twin Cities, the KGB operatives, he says, "at least acted like human beings. Not a bunch of animals."
Details here: http://www.boingboing.net/2007/10/29/finnish-folk-band-fi.html
And to continue the theme, just listen to what Putin says versus what Bush says. Whatever you think of Putin, he is articulate and can clearly participate in world affairs while Dubya never ceases to embarrass.
Thoughts?
The second occasion where we were not so favorably compared to our Cold War rivals was by a Finnish folk band that arrived in Minnesota for a tour. As I recall, their tour was sponsored by the University of Minnesota. And so when they arrived at customs in Minneapolis on a flight from Amsterdam, HOMELAND SECURITY decided they were ne'er do well hippies. One of the dudes was strip-searched and subsequently recalled how it went down:
Perhaps the most damning comment on the incident was delivered by [J. Karjalainen] who was strip-searched. On a couple of occasions prior to 1991, he was detained by the KGB and interrogated. Compared to the ICE agents here in the Twin Cities, the KGB operatives, he says, "at least acted like human beings. Not a bunch of animals."
Details here: http://www.boingboing.net/2007/10/29/finnish-folk-band-fi.html
And to continue the theme, just listen to what Putin says versus what Bush says. Whatever you think of Putin, he is articulate and can clearly participate in world affairs while Dubya never ceases to embarrass.
Thoughts?
When Does the Lesser Evil Become Just Evil?
The revival of these witch hunts is not being headed up by Republicans, but by Democrat Representative Jane Harmon of California's 36th District. So much for the mythical Republican threat. As always, when it goes to shit, Democratic operatives will blame the neo-cons, or whomever, and self-absolve. Those bad, bad authoritarian Republicans!
Rumsfeld flees France fearing arrest
One of these days I would love to see one of these government pricks get arrested and sent to the big house! I would do PPV to see the prison scenes. Do you know how much money Don King could make showing, say Rummy v. Saddam live in a real life death match??!!
Cafferty File viewers: Let's start another revolution
"The president of the United States didn't have the power to spy on Americans ... operate secret prisons ... suspend due process ... torture ... hide the conduct of the government from the public," Cafferty stated. "It's not like anybody gave President Bush any of these powers -- he took them, as a brain-dead Congress just stood there and watched."
Billionaires Up, America Down
Sunday 21 October 2007
When it comes to producing billionaires, America is doing great.
Until 2005, multimillionaires could still make the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans. In 2006, the Forbes 400 went billionaires only.
This year, you'd need a Forbes 482 to fit all the billionaires.
A billion dollars is a lot of dough. Queen Elizabeth II, British monarch for five decades, would have to add $400 million to her $600 million fortune to reach $1 billion. And she'd need another $300 million to reach the Forbes 400 minimum of $1.3 billion. The average Forbes 400 member has $3.8 billion.
When it comes to producing billionaires, America is doing great.
Until 2005, multimillionaires could still make the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans. In 2006, the Forbes 400 went billionaires only.
This year, you'd need a Forbes 482 to fit all the billionaires.
A billion dollars is a lot of dough. Queen Elizabeth II, British monarch for five decades, would have to add $400 million to her $600 million fortune to reach $1 billion. And she'd need another $300 million to reach the Forbes 400 minimum of $1.3 billion. The average Forbes 400 member has $3.8 billion.
Ruling Allows Radioactive Metal in Household Products
Un-Freaking-Believable!
The result: 100,000 tons of radioactive metals to be sold as scrap metal for use in items ranging from frying pans to baby carriages, said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project.
Update: a friend alerted me to the fact that this is old news as "VP Gore" is mentioned in the story. My bad.
The result: 100,000 tons of radioactive metals to be sold as scrap metal for use in items ranging from frying pans to baby carriages, said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project.
Update: a friend alerted me to the fact that this is old news as "VP Gore" is mentioned in the story. My bad.
What else does the FISA bill authorize?
Let's translate that. A hotel manager who lets FBI agents into a guest's room to copy a laptop's hard drive in secret would not be liable. An apartment manager who gives Homeland Security the key to a tenant's unit to place a key logger in a PC would not be liable. A private security firm that divulges a customer's alarm code would not be liable. A university that agrees to forward a student's e-mail messages to the Defense Department would not be liable. An antivirus company that helps the NSA implant spyware in an unsuspecting customer's computer would not be liable.
No court order is required. And if an eventual lawsuit accuses the hotel manager or antivirus firm of unlawful activities, it'll be thrown out of court as long as the attorney general or the director of national intelligence can provide a "certification." The "certification" is, of course, secret--all a judge may say publicly is that the rules were followed, and then dismiss the case.
No court order is required. And if an eventual lawsuit accuses the hotel manager or antivirus firm of unlawful activities, it'll be thrown out of court as long as the attorney general or the director of national intelligence can provide a "certification." The "certification" is, of course, secret--all a judge may say publicly is that the rules were followed, and then dismiss the case.
Director De Palma disturbed over Iraq film edit
"I find it remarkable. 'Redacted' got redacted. I mean, how ironic," De Palma, who made his name directing violent films like "Scarface" and "The Untouchables," said in an interview. "I fought every way I could in order to stop those photographs from being redacted and I still lost."
Priests Protesting Torture at Fort Huachuca Jailed for Justice
TUCSON, Arizona — October 17 — Louis Vitale, 75, a Franciscan priest, and Steve Kelly, 58, a Jesuit priest, were each sentenced today to five months in federal prison for attempting to deliver a letter opposing the teaching of torture at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. Both priests were taken directly into jail from the courtroom after sentencing.
Fort Huachuca is the headquarters of military intelligence in the U.S. and the place where military and civilian interrogators are taught how to extract information from prisoners. The priests attempted to deliver their letter to Major General Barbara Fast, commander of Fort Huachuca. Fast was previously the head of all military intelligence in Iraq during the atrocities of Abu Ghraib.
Fort Huachuca is the headquarters of military intelligence in the U.S. and the place where military and civilian interrogators are taught how to extract information from prisoners. The priests attempted to deliver their letter to Major General Barbara Fast, commander of Fort Huachuca. Fast was previously the head of all military intelligence in Iraq during the atrocities of Abu Ghraib.
Too young to drive, but old enough for life in prison
More than 70 inmates in US prisons were 13 or 14 years old when they committed their crimes -- too young to drive or watch a scary movie but old enough to spend the rest of their lives in jail, according to a report.
Why New Yorkers Last Longer
Hmm. And I thought all the pollution and toxins would get to me...
Last winter, the New York City Department of Health released figures that told a surprising story: New Yorkers are living longer than ever, and longer than most people in the country. A New Yorker born in 2004 can now expect to live 78.6 years, nine months longer than the average American will. What’s more, our life expectancy is increasing at a rate faster than that of most of the rest of the country.
US rejects UN mercenary report
GENEVA - The U.S. government on Wednesday rejected a U.N. report that said the use of private security guards like those involved in the shooting deaths of Iraqi civilians amounted to a new form of mercenary activity.
These dudes are unaccountable out there in the field. I am sure some of them act appopriately but alot of them do not and are making big bucks doing so.
Qwest CEO Not Alone in Alleging NSA Started Domestic Phone Record Program 7 Months Before 9/11
Startling statements from former Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio's defense documents alleging the National Security Agency began building a massive call records database seven months before 9/11 aren't the only accusations that the controversial program predated the attacks of 9/11.
According to court documents unveiled this week, former Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio clearly wanted to argue in court that the NSA retaliated against his company after he turned down a NSA request on February 27, 2001 that he thought was illegal. Nacchio's attorney issued a carefully worded statement in 2006, saying that Nacchio had turned down the NSA's repeated requests for customer call records. The statement says that Nacchio was asked for the records in the fall of 2001, but doesn't say he was "first asked" then.
US 'wants Palestinian state now'
Bold words from Condi rice. Guess she is distancing herself from the neocons, eh? And wasn't it Jimmy Carter saying kind words about her the other day, he of the Peace Not Apartheid book. Hmmmmm.
HI Betsy!
HI Betsy!
Jazz master Max Roach dies at 83
Sad day
The creatively restless Roach, who debuted with Ellington's band as a self-taught 16-year-old drummer in 1940, challenged his listeners and himself by making music that connected the jazz of the pre-World War II era with the beats of the hip-hop generation.
"I try to show my students the correlation between hip-hop and Louis Armstrong," he once said. "That's how well-rooted hip-hop is, coming out of an environment where people were denied any kind of cultural enrichment."
The North Carolina native was born on Jan. 10, 1924, and moved to Brooklyn with his family four years later. A player piano left by the previous tenants gave Roach his musical introduction.
The creatively restless Roach, who debuted with Ellington's band as a self-taught 16-year-old drummer in 1940, challenged his listeners and himself by making music that connected the jazz of the pre-World War II era with the beats of the hip-hop generation.
"I try to show my students the correlation between hip-hop and Louis Armstrong," he once said. "That's how well-rooted hip-hop is, coming out of an environment where people were denied any kind of cultural enrichment."
The North Carolina native was born on Jan. 10, 1924, and moved to Brooklyn with his family four years later. A player piano left by the previous tenants gave Roach his musical introduction.
Report details US refusals of foreign aid after Katrin
This is not new but glad it's being documented. Ethnic cleansing went on in New Orleans and it wasn't pretty!
A president transformed
Wisdom from Terry Jones...
That is why George Bush's act of mercy is so inspiring, especially when one considers that compassion is not something generally associated with him. When he was governor of Texas, for instance, there were quite a number of convicted felons towards whom he didn't show much compassion at all. In fact he insisted they receive the full penalty of the law, which in their case was somewhat more severe than in Libby's. They were executed. When Bush became governor in 1995, the average number of executions in the state was 7.6 a year. During his time in office, he managed to put down a further 24 humans a year, bringing the annual number of executions up to 31.6; it is heartwarming to see how his attitude to convicted criminals has softened.
That is why George Bush's act of mercy is so inspiring, especially when one considers that compassion is not something generally associated with him. When he was governor of Texas, for instance, there were quite a number of convicted felons towards whom he didn't show much compassion at all. In fact he insisted they receive the full penalty of the law, which in their case was somewhat more severe than in Libby's. They were executed. When Bush became governor in 1995, the average number of executions in the state was 7.6 a year. During his time in office, he managed to put down a further 24 humans a year, bringing the annual number of executions up to 31.6; it is heartwarming to see how his attitude to convicted criminals has softened.
Declaration of Independence-The Signers
Have you ever wondered what happened to the fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence? This is the price they paid:
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships resulting from the Revolutionary War.
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships resulting from the Revolutionary War.
Declaration of Independence
On the advice of Ron Paul, I post the Declaration of Independence. Read it and RAGE!
Recapturing the Spirit of Independence by Ron Paul
In addition, as our founding fathers understood, the idea of national independence is inseparable from that of constitutional republicanism. Only the safeguards and limitations that are enshrined in a constitutionally-limited republic can prohibit a nation from lurching toward empire. Recognizing these same protections is also the very best way to eliminate the need for civil wars and the violence of civil strife.
The Fourth of July
July 4, 1852
Fellow Citizens: Pardon me, and allow me to ask , why am I called upon to speak here today? What have I or those I represent to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? And am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits, and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?...
What to the American slave is your Fourth of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass-fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy--a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation of the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour.
Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival...
--Frederick Douglass
Taken from A People's History of the United States, 1492-Present, Howard Zinn
Fellow Citizens: Pardon me, and allow me to ask , why am I called upon to speak here today? What have I or those I represent to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? And am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits, and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?...
What to the American slave is your Fourth of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass-fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy--a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation of the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour.
Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival...
--Frederick Douglass
Taken from A People's History of the United States, 1492-Present, Howard Zinn
Put Away the Flags-Howard Zinn
We need to refute the idea that our nation is different from, morally superior to, the other imperial powers of world history.
We need to assert our allegiance to the human race, and not to any one nation.
We need to assert our allegiance to the human race, and not to any one nation.
After 5 Years In U.S., Terrorist Cell Too Complacent To Carry Out Attack
Though the members of the cell said that they "live only to spill the blood of crusaders who oppress Muslims," they cited additional reasons for the delay, including an unexpired free Netflix trial and nagging lower-back pain.
COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS OF RUSSIA FROM 100 YEARS AGO!
how very cool!!!
We know that Prokudin-Gorskii intended his photographic images to be viewed in color because he developed an ingenious photographic technique in order for these images to be captured in black and white on glass plate negatives, using red, green and blue filters. He then presented these images in color in slide lectures using a light-projection system [right] involving the same three filters.
We know that Prokudin-Gorskii intended his photographic images to be viewed in color because he developed an ingenious photographic technique in order for these images to be captured in black and white on glass plate negatives, using red, green and blue filters. He then presented these images in color in slide lectures using a light-projection system [right] involving the same three filters.
Putin’s Censored Press Conference
Putin makes sense, speaks logically and yet our president is a dumbass buffoon spoiled frat boy...
It's a long article but well worth the read.
The meeting gave Putin a chance to give his side of the story in the growing debate over missile defense in Eastern Europe. He offered a brief account of the deteriorating state of US-Russian relations since the end of the Cold War, and particularly from 9-11 to present. Since September 11, the Bush administration has carried out an aggressive strategy to surround Russia with military bases, install missiles on its borders, topple allied regimes in Central Asia, and incite political upheaval in Moscow through US-backed “pro-democracy” groups. These openly hostile actions have convinced many Russian hard-liners that the administration is going forward with the neocon plan for “regime change” in Moscow and fragmentation of the Russian Federation. Putin’s testimony suggests that the hardliners are probably right.
UK troops receiving 'trigger happy' drug
Join the Army, Take Drugs. Woo Hoo. Doctors in the US used to take amphetamine to help them stay up for long shifts. It's probably not all that bad unless you get addicted to it or the coming down phase really gets you depressed which is known to occur.
The Ministry of Defence has admitted that it prescribes the amphetamine dexedrine, which is capable of keeping users awake for as long as 60 hours.
While the MoD has refused to say what it uses the Class B drug for, leading narcotics experts say that the main purpose is to keep soldiers awake during special operations. However, they have warned that the substance can be highly addictive.
In addition, the MoD has admitted that it permits soldiers to take a drug called kava-kava, from the South Pacific, which is known to be linked to severe liver damage.
The Ministry of Defence has admitted that it prescribes the amphetamine dexedrine, which is capable of keeping users awake for as long as 60 hours.
While the MoD has refused to say what it uses the Class B drug for, leading narcotics experts say that the main purpose is to keep soldiers awake during special operations. However, they have warned that the substance can be highly addictive.
In addition, the MoD has admitted that it permits soldiers to take a drug called kava-kava, from the South Pacific, which is known to be linked to severe liver damage.
Blackwater Heavies Sue Families of Slain Employees for $10 Million in Brutal Attempt to Suppress Their Story
"I initially took this case because it was the right thing to do in helping the families find closure by discovering the events surrounding their loved ones deaths, " said Daniel J. Callahan, attorney for the families. "I have found the evidence concerning Blackwater's involvement in the deaths to be overwhelming and appalling. Even more disturbing though is the callous nature in which Blackwater has not only concealed the truth, but also outright sued to force the families to stop pursuing the case and to silence them." Blackwater has spent millions of dollars and hired at least five different law firms to fight the families, rather than meeting and addressing what should be Blackwater's top priority - the safety and well being of the mothers, wives, and children left behind. Blackwater has said that it will not pay one red cent to assist or console the surviving families, but instead has counter sued for $10 million.
Unearthed Silica Deposits Imply Watery Past for Mars
"You could hear people gasp in astonishment," said Steve Squyres of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., principal investigator for the Mars rovers' science instruments. "This is a remarkable discovery. And the fact that we found something this new and different after nearly 1,200 days on Mars makes it even more remarkable. It makes you wonder what else is still out there." [..]
Sun shines on Congress' secret
Members of the Society of Professional Journalists, the nation's largest journalism advocacy organization, used the power of the blogosphere to find out whose legislative bludgeon was buried in the back of open government. We called every senator, one by one, until at last - when it became clear he could hide no longer - Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., came blinking and grimacing into the sunlight and admitted that it was he who placed a secret hold ... on a bill that addresses secrecy in government.
Lieberman Confronted By Troops In Iraq: ‘When Are We Going To Get Out Of Here?’
“We’re not making any progress,” Hedin said, as he recalled a comrade who was shot by a sniper last week. “It just seems like we drive around and wait to get shot at. … It’s just more troops, more targets.”
Help Save Internet Radio
The future of Internet radio is in immediate danger. Royalty rates for webcasters have been drastically increased by a recent ruling and are due to go into effect on July 15 (retroactive to Jan 1, 2006!). If the increased rates remain unchanged, the majority of webcasters will go bankrupt and silent on this date. Internet radio needs your help! The Internet Radio Equality Act has recently been introduced in both the House (H.R. 2060) and Senate (S. 1353) to save the Internet radio industry. Please call your senators and your representative to ask them to co-sponsor the Internet Radio Equality Act by clicking below.
Documents Reveal: Cops Planted Pot on 92-Year Old Woman They Killed in Botched Drug Raid
Atlanta resident Kathryn Johnston's death has finally been exposed to be a case of police coverup in clear example of the insanity of the war on drugs.
UnFRIKKINbelievable!!
UnFRIKKINbelievable!!
Report: In Meeting, ‘Wild-Eyed’ Bush Thumped Chest While Repeating ‘I Am The President!’
"[S]ome big money players up from Texas recently paid a visit to their friend in the White House. The story goes that they got out exactly one question, and the rest of the meeting consisted of The President in an extended whine, a rant, actually, about no one understands him, the critics are all messed up, if only people would see what he’s doing things would be OK…etc., etc. This is called a “bunker mentality” and it’s not attractive when a friend does it. When the friend is the President of the United States, it can be downright dangerous. Apparently the Texas friends were suitably appalled, hence the story now in circulation."
US to Meatpackers: Don't Do Mad Cow Test
Molly Ivins used to advise against eating lunchmeats during a Republican administration!
An Open Letter to the Democratic Congress: Why I Am Leaving the Democratic Party
There is absolutely no sane or defensible reason for you to hand Bloody King George more money to condemn more of our brave, tired, and damaged soldiers and the people of Iraq to more death and carnage. You think giving him more money is politically expedient, but it is a moral abomination and every second the occupation of Iraq endures, you all have more blood on your hands.
70pc of Iran oil income in non-US dollar
the beginning of the end of the petro-dollar?
“About 70 per cent of our oil export income is now in currencies other than the US dollar,” Hojjatollah Ghanimifard, international affairs director of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), said.
“If the dollar gets weaker, we will increase that percentage,” said Ghanimifard, who in March had cited a figure of 60 per cent for Iran’s oil export income in other currencies.
Iranian officials have said they are seeking to limit dollar-denominated trade. The central bank governor has said Iran was seeking to “distance” itself from dollars and held just 20 per cent of its foreign reserves in the US currency.
Bronx Botanical Gardens Photos from May 21
I suggest clicking on the photos to see the details in a larger image. The digital camera we have takes great photos!
Central Park Photos--Memorial Day Weekend
From the Central Park website:
"Sculptor: Stanislaw Kazimierz Ostrowski
(1879-1947)
Date: 1939
Placed in Park: 1945
Donor: Gift of the King Jagiello
Monument Committee
Material: Bronze
The sculpture was chosen for the 1939 World's Fair in New York. Later that year, the Nazis invaded Poland, preventing the sculpture's return to its homeland. In 1945, it was placed in Central Park by the Polish government as a symbol of the proud and courageous Polish people. It portrays King Jagiello, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, who united Lithuania and Poland and became king after marrying the Queen of Poland in 1386. The monument depicts the moment at the Battle of Grunewald of 1410 when the King crossed over his head the two swords handed to him by his adversaries, the Teutonic Knights of the Cross.
Under the watchful eyes of King Jagiello, the blue stone circle at the east end of Turtle Pond is the site of weekend international folk dance gatherings."
More info about King Jagiello at Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jogaila
New Bush Scandal Helping Big Oil Companies Hide Billions from Government at Taxpayer Expense
Corruption within the Department of Interior may have allowed oil companies to improperly save billions at the expense of the taxpayers. The Department’s Inspector General has already made at least two criminal referals to the FBI and the Justice Department, and Congressional Democrats have launched several investigations and introduced new legislation to fix the problem.
Former Bush aide Card is booed at UMass
President Bush's former chief of staff Andrew Card was loudly booed by hundreds of students and faculty members as he rose to accept an honorary degree at the University of Massachusetts on Friday.
and this from wayne madsen:
May 24, 2007 -- When Vice President Dick Cheney visited Baghdad on a "surprise" visit on May 9, he was booed by U.S. troops during an appearance before them in the Green Zone, according to our congressional sources. These incidents may explain why the Army has ordered its personnel to submit web postings, including videos, to Army censors before uploading to web sites.
and this from wayne madsen:
May 24, 2007 -- When Vice President Dick Cheney visited Baghdad on a "surprise" visit on May 9, he was booed by U.S. troops during an appearance before them in the Green Zone, according to our congressional sources. These incidents may explain why the Army has ordered its personnel to submit web postings, including videos, to Army censors before uploading to web sites.
Rules Skirted, Millions Wasted on Navy Boat Barriers
"Millions of taxpayer dollars went out the window, given to companies who did nothing in return," said Eugene L. Waszily, a former deputy GSA inspector general who reviewed spending under the boat-barrier contract. "This was particularly disturbing because it was a national security project."
Amnesty slams US for trampling on human rights
AMNESTY International yesterday launched a scathing attack on the United States, accusing it of trampling on human rights, and using the world as “a giant battlefield” in its “war on terror”.
The human rights group charged that the war in Iraq and the politics of fear being spread by the administration of US President George W Bush around the globe were fuelling deep international divisions.
Washington was also guilty of “breathtakingly shameless” double speak, claiming to be promoting human rights while at the same time brazenly flouting international law, the London-based group claimed in its 2007 annual report.
The human rights group charged that the war in Iraq and the politics of fear being spread by the administration of US President George W Bush around the globe were fuelling deep international divisions.
Washington was also guilty of “breathtakingly shameless” double speak, claiming to be promoting human rights while at the same time brazenly flouting international law, the London-based group claimed in its 2007 annual report.
U.N. barred from Texas detention center
U.N. Special Rapporteur Jorge Bustamante is conducting a fact-finding mission to examine the status of migrants' rights in the United States, but U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement prohibited him from making a scheduled stop at a family detention center in Taylor, Texas, the ACLU reported on Friday.
Firm makes 'healing super-water'
US scientists have developed "super-oxidised" water which they say speeds up wound healing.
Oculus, the Californian firm which developed the water - made by filtering it through a salt membrane - says it kills viruses, bacteria and fungi.
It is also effective against MRSA and UK trials are being carried out on patients with diabetic foot ulcers, New Scientist magazine reported.
Oculus, the Californian firm which developed the water - made by filtering it through a salt membrane - says it kills viruses, bacteria and fungi.
It is also effective against MRSA and UK trials are being carried out on patients with diabetic foot ulcers, New Scientist magazine reported.
Top Ten Most Underrated Humanitarian Stories of 2006
Somalia
Central African Republic
Tuberculosis
Chechnya
Sri Lanka
Malnutrition
Democratic Republic of Congo
Colombia
Haiti
Central India
Central African Republic
Tuberculosis
Chechnya
Sri Lanka
Malnutrition
Democratic Republic of Congo
Colombia
Haiti
Central India
Key California Republican Group Endorses Ron Paul
at this point, all I want is some common sense in the White House. The line is so blurred between Dems and Repubs these days. The money people grease palms on both sides.
Ron Paul’s voting record demonstrates that he has voted against:
· raising taxes;
· unbalanced budgets;
· a federal restriction on gun ownership;
· raising congressional pay; or
· increasing the power of the executive branch.
His voting record demonstrates further that he voted against:
· the USA Patriot Act;
· regulating the Internet; and
· the war in Iraq.
Ron Paul’s voting record demonstrates that he has voted against:
· raising taxes;
· unbalanced budgets;
· a federal restriction on gun ownership;
· raising congressional pay; or
· increasing the power of the executive branch.
His voting record demonstrates further that he voted against:
· the USA Patriot Act;
· regulating the Internet; and
· the war in Iraq.
Hersh: Bush administration arranged support for militants attacking Lebanon
A key element of this policy shift was an agreement among Vice President Dick Cheney, Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams, and Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi national security adviser, whereby the Saudis would covertly fund the Sunni Fatah al-Islam in Lebanon as a counterweight to the Shia Hezbollah.
Vet Prosecuted for Opposing Recruitment in Library
She took out some 3x5 cards and wrote messages to the man being recruited and then put them up on the window sill.
“Don’t fall for it! Military recruiters lie,” said one.
“It’s not honorable to fight for a lying President,” said another.
Then the police came.
“Don’t fall for it! Military recruiters lie,” said one.
“It’s not honorable to fight for a lying President,” said another.
Then the police came.
Shared Sacrifice
In a January interview with PBS's Jim Lehrer, Bush was asked about shared sacrifice and responded: "Well, you know, I think a lot of people are in this fight. I mean, they sacrifice peace of mind when they see the terrible images of violence on TV every night."
Thx Pete!
Thx Pete!
Reminder: Monday is Wiretap the Internet Day
May 14th is the official deadline for cable modem companies, DSL providers, broadband over powerline, satellite internet companies and some universities to finish wiring up their networks with FBI-friendly surveillance gear, to comply with the FCC's expanded interpretation of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act.
Yellowstone Supervolcano Making Strange Rumblings
very interesting. can you imagine being at old faithful when the whole things blows?
Though the Yellowstone system is active and expected to eventually blow its top, scientists don't think it will erupt any time soon.
Yet significant activity continues beneath the surface. And the activity has been increasing lately, scientists have discovered. In addition, the nearby Teton Range of mountains, in a total surprise, is getting shorter.
The findings, reported this month in the Journal of Geophysical Research — Solid Earth, suggest that a slow and gradual movement of a volcano over time can shape a landscape more than a violent eruption.
CBS fires Iraq veteran Gen. Batiste
Retired Army Major Gen. John Batiste has been asked to leave his position as a consultant to CBS News over a new advertisement criticizing the Iraq war. The ad was produced by the group VoteVets.
Appearing on MSNBC's Countdown, Batiste, former First Infantry Division commander, tells host Keith Olbermann, "I'm no longer wearing the uniform of our country; I have no ties to the defense industry; I can speak honestly, I have a duty to do so. And I know there [are] other generals both active duty and retired that are doing all they can within their means. In my case, I'll continue to speak out."
As attacks rise in Green Zone, U.S. tamps down
BAGHDAD - A sharp increase in mortar attacks on the Green Zone - the onetime oasis of security in Iraq's turbulent capital - has prompted the U.S. Embassy to issue a strict new order telling all employees to wear flak vests and helmets while in unprotected buildings or whenever they are outside.
The order, obtained by the Associated Press, has created a siege mentality among U.S. staff inside the Green Zone after a recent suicide attack on parliament. It has also led to new fears about long-term safety in the place where the United States is building a huge, expensive embassy.
The situation marks a sharp turnaround for the heavily guarded Green Zone - long viewed as the safest corner of Baghdad with its shops, restaurants, American fast-food outlets, and key Iraqi and American government offices.
The security deterioration also holds dire implications for the Iraqi government, which uses the Green Zone as a haven for key meetings crucial to its ability to govern.
Reporters covering Vice President Cheney's visit yesterday were hustled into a secure area when a large explosion rattled windows in the U.S. Embassy late in the afternoon. Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride said the vice president's meeting "was not disturbed and he was not moved."
The increase in mortar attacks comes despite the presence of tens of thousands more American and Iraqi soldiers in the streets of Baghdad for the security crackdown ordered by President Bush in January.
NASA Discovers 'Twilight Zone' of New Air Particles
The previously unknown ingredient in the atmospheric mixture of particles will have to be factored into models that try to predict how the atmosphere influences the change of global temperatures.
"The effects of this zone are not included in most computer models that estimate the impact of aerosols on climate," said lead author Ilan Koren of the Weizmann Institute of Science, in Israel. "This could be one of the reasons why current measurements of this effect don't match our model estimates."
The study was published in the April 18 issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
"The effects of this zone are not included in most computer models that estimate the impact of aerosols on climate," said lead author Ilan Koren of the Weizmann Institute of Science, in Israel. "This could be one of the reasons why current measurements of this effect don't match our model estimates."
The study was published in the April 18 issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Homeland Security woos Arab tourists with fingerprint demo
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates --Promoters from 64 countries vied last week to lure big-spending Arab tourists to their countries at the Middle East's largest tourism convention.
But not a single promoter from the United States turned up.
Instead, the U.S. government sent officials from the Department of Homeland Security to demonstrate its mandatory fingerprinting of Arab and other foreign visitors. The only other U.S. presence inside the Americas hall at the show came from a tiny boutique hotel in New York.
"It's bizarre," said Sarah Wood, promoting Canada's Ontario and Niagara Falls at a nearby booth. "People ask us where the U.S. booth is and we point them to the Homeland Security booth."
A pair of U.S. Homeland Security officials at the show did their best to give details on America's tourist sights, such as the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, while explaining that being fingerprinted by U.S. immigration officials doesn't mean a person should feel like a criminal.
The lethal media silence on Kent State's smoking guns
The 1970 killings by National Guardsmen of four students during a peaceful anti-war demonstration at Kent State University have now been shown to be cold-blooded, premeditated official murder. But the definitive proof of this monumental historic reality is not, apparently, worthy of significant analysis or comment in today's mainstream media.
After 37 years of official denial and cover-up, tape-recorded evidence, that has existed for decades and has been in the possession of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has finally been made public.
It proves what "conspiracy theorists" have argued since 1970---that there was a direct military order leading to the unprovoked assassination of unarmed students. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents show collusion between Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes and the FBI that aimed to terrorize anti-war demonstrators and their protests that were raging throughout the nation.
After 37 years of official denial and cover-up, tape-recorded evidence, that has existed for decades and has been in the possession of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has finally been made public.
It proves what "conspiracy theorists" have argued since 1970---that there was a direct military order leading to the unprovoked assassination of unarmed students. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents show collusion between Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes and the FBI that aimed to terrorize anti-war demonstrators and their protests that were raging throughout the nation.
The morning after--In Scotland
What was supposed to be the most important election in 50 years has become the greatest shambles in Scottish electoral history.
LOOKS LIKE THEY GOT THE DIEBOLD TREATMENT IN SCOTLAND! Be sure to scroll down the comments to see the ones from "Goodfairy". Hilarious stuff.
The rest of the world's major economies no longer depend on America's. Neither do America's own largest corporations.
the Dow did reach a record high last week. But the Commerce Department also reported that economic growth slowed to its weakest pace in four years. How can investors do so well while the real economy is doing so poorly? My supply-side friends don't have an answer, but I do.
It's because of two great decouplings that have occurred in recent years. First, the rest of the worlds' major economies have decoupled from the United States economy. China, India, Japan, and Europe are now such large markets they can grow briskly even as America slows.
Second, America's largest corporations have decoupled from the United States. Their overseas subsidiaries are booming even as their American operations stagnate. General Electric expects more than half its revenue this year to come from outside the United States for the first time. More than half of Boeing's new orders are from overseas. Ford is struggling in America but doing well in Europe.
It's because of two great decouplings that have occurred in recent years. First, the rest of the worlds' major economies have decoupled from the United States economy. China, India, Japan, and Europe are now such large markets they can grow briskly even as America slows.
Second, America's largest corporations have decoupled from the United States. Their overseas subsidiaries are booming even as their American operations stagnate. General Electric expects more than half its revenue this year to come from outside the United States for the first time. More than half of Boeing's new orders are from overseas. Ford is struggling in America but doing well in Europe.
AP: Senior VA Officials Get Big Bonuses
The VA treats our Vets like crap when they get back home and then they give themselves huge bonuses. Unbelievable!
WASHINGTON (AP) - Months after a politically embarrassing $1 billion shortfall that put veterans' health care in peril, Veterans Affairs officials involved in the foul-up got hefty bonuses ranging up to $33,000.
The list of bonuses to senior career officials at the Veterans Affairs Department in 2006, obtained by The Associated Press, documents a generous package of more than $3.8 million in payments by a financially strapped agency straining to help care for thousands of injured veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Months after a politically embarrassing $1 billion shortfall that put veterans' health care in peril, Veterans Affairs officials involved in the foul-up got hefty bonuses ranging up to $33,000.
The list of bonuses to senior career officials at the Veterans Affairs Department in 2006, obtained by The Associated Press, documents a generous package of more than $3.8 million in payments by a financially strapped agency straining to help care for thousands of injured veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.
43% of Iraqis live in absolute poverty – government report
The survey by the Central Statistical Bureau says that 43 percent of Iraqis suffer from 'absolute poverty’ and another 11 percent of them live in 'abject poverty’.
Both terms are measures aid organizations use to quantify poverty in the world and they refer to people below poverty level.
People in absolute poverty lack the necessary food, clothing or shelter to survive and 43 percent of Iraqis now fall into that category, the survey says.
People in abject poverty lack a minimum income or consumption level necessary to meet basic needs and 11 percent of Iraqis are in that category, according to the survey.
Both terms are measures aid organizations use to quantify poverty in the world and they refer to people below poverty level.
People in absolute poverty lack the necessary food, clothing or shelter to survive and 43 percent of Iraqis now fall into that category, the survey says.
People in abject poverty lack a minimum income or consumption level necessary to meet basic needs and 11 percent of Iraqis are in that category, according to the survey.
50-foot 'Mission Accomplished?' banner unfurled in front of White House
At an event held in front of the White House grounds today, Americans United for Change and Americans Against Escalation in Iraq unfurled a version of the infamous "Mission Accomplished" banner, with one notable difference: Theirs ended with a question mark.
The "Mission Accomplished?" protest comes in advance of tomorrow's fourth anniversary of the speech President George Bush made on May 1, 2003 on the USS Abraham Lincoln to declare major combat operations in Iraq complete.
Corps asked to explain pump contract
NEW ORLEANS - When the Army Corps of Engineers solicited bids for drainage pumps for New Orleans, it copied the specifications — typos and all — from the catalog of the manufacturer that ultimately won the $32 million contract, a review of documents by The Associated Press found.
Ex-CIA analyst: Forged 'yellowcake' memo 'leads right back to' Cheney
Appearing on MSNBC's Tucker Carlson Show, Ray McGovern who served in the CIA for twenty-seven years, said, "the [forged] memo leads right back to the doorstep of the Vice President of the United States."
Surprising to me this was on the Tucker Carlson show. I hate that twirp. But if "crazy ole" McGovern was on there and not harassed, it's a good sign.
Surprising to me this was on the Tucker Carlson show. I hate that twirp. But if "crazy ole" McGovern was on there and not harassed, it's a good sign.
Durbin kept silent on prewar knowledge
I mean, in this situation, break the law. Come forward with this information if you really feel strongly. As a result of not doing anything, how many people have died? What a country we have, eh?
The Senate's No. 2 Democrat says he knew that the American public was being misled into the Iraq war but remained silent because he was sworn to secrecy as a member of the intelligence committee.
"The information we had in the intelligence committee was not the same information being given to the American people. I couldn't believe it," Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, said Wednesday when talking on the Senate floor about the run-up to the Iraq war in 2002.
"I was angry about it. [But] frankly, I couldn't do much about it because, in the intelligence committee, we are sworn to secrecy. We can't walk outside the door and say the statement made yesterday by the White House is in direct contradiction to classified information that is being given to this Congress."
The Senate's No. 2 Democrat says he knew that the American public was being misled into the Iraq war but remained silent because he was sworn to secrecy as a member of the intelligence committee.
"The information we had in the intelligence committee was not the same information being given to the American people. I couldn't believe it," Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, said Wednesday when talking on the Senate floor about the run-up to the Iraq war in 2002.
"I was angry about it. [But] frankly, I couldn't do much about it because, in the intelligence committee, we are sworn to secrecy. We can't walk outside the door and say the statement made yesterday by the White House is in direct contradiction to classified information that is being given to this Congress."
Fascist America, in 10 easy steps
It is my argument that, beneath our very noses, George Bush and his administration are using time-tested tactics to close down an open society. It is time for us to be willing to think the unthinkable - as the author and political journalist Joe Conason, has put it, that it can happen here. And that we are further along than we realise.
Conason eloquently warned of the danger of American authoritarianism. I am arguing that we need also to look at the lessons of European and other kinds of fascism to understand the potential seriousness of the events we see unfolding in the US.
Conason eloquently warned of the danger of American authoritarianism. I am arguing that we need also to look at the lessons of European and other kinds of fascism to understand the potential seriousness of the events we see unfolding in the US.
Bush lands in Central Park
this was kept pretty hush hush. otherwise, there would have been loads of protestors out in full force, especially in harlem. i saw all the cops in town yesterday and knew something was up and that it was likely that bush's shite was here.
Are Rove's missing e-mails the smoking guns of the stolen 2004 election?
4. Ultimately, however, it is the GOP's computerized control of the vote count that may have been decisive. And here is where Rove's e-mails, and the wee hours of the morning after the election, are crucial.
Despite the massive disenfranchisement of Ohio Democrats, there is every indication John Kerry won Ohio 2004. Exit polls shown on national television at 12:20am gave Kerry a clear lead in Ohio, Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico. These "purple states" were Democratic blue late in the night, but, against virtually impossible odds, all turned Bush red by morning.
Along the way, Gahanna, Ohio's "loaves & fishes" vote count, showed 4,258 ballots for Bush in a precinct where just 638 people voted. Voting machines in Youngstown and Columbus lit up for Bush when Kerry's name was pushed. Rural Republican precincts registered more than 100% turnouts, while inner city Democratic ones went as low as 7%. Warren County declared a "Homeland Security" alert, removed the ballot count from public scrutiny, then recorded a huge, unlikely margin for Bush.
Despite the massive disenfranchisement of Ohio Democrats, there is every indication John Kerry won Ohio 2004. Exit polls shown on national television at 12:20am gave Kerry a clear lead in Ohio, Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico. These "purple states" were Democratic blue late in the night, but, against virtually impossible odds, all turned Bush red by morning.
Along the way, Gahanna, Ohio's "loaves & fishes" vote count, showed 4,258 ballots for Bush in a precinct where just 638 people voted. Voting machines in Youngstown and Columbus lit up for Bush when Kerry's name was pushed. Rural Republican precincts registered more than 100% turnouts, while inner city Democratic ones went as low as 7%. Warren County declared a "Homeland Security" alert, removed the ballot count from public scrutiny, then recorded a huge, unlikely margin for Bush.
Australia's epic drought: The situation is grim
Yowza!
The Prime Minister, John Howard, a hardened climate-change sceptic, delivered dire tidings to the nation's farmers yesterday. Unless there is significant rainfall in the next six to eight weeks, irrigation will be banned in the principal agricultural area. Crops such as rice, cotton and wine grapes will fail, citrus, olive and almond trees will die, along with livestock.
Thanks to Allan for the tip on this...
The Prime Minister, John Howard, a hardened climate-change sceptic, delivered dire tidings to the nation's farmers yesterday. Unless there is significant rainfall in the next six to eight weeks, irrigation will be banned in the principal agricultural area. Crops such as rice, cotton and wine grapes will fail, citrus, olive and almond trees will die, along with livestock.
Thanks to Allan for the tip on this...
Bush administration awash in scandals
• Julie MacDonald, who oversees the Fish and Wildlife Service but has no academic background in biology, overrode recommendations of agency scientists about how to protect endangered species and improperly leaked internal information to private groups, the Interior Department's inspector general said.
Video of James Yee - Islam, Guantanamo and his Ordeal
Unbelievable!
Chaplain James Yee, former US Army Muslim Chaplain and Captain at Guantanamo, discusses how he became a Muslim and then goes into detail about psychological and physical at Guantanamo and his own arrest and solitary confinement while a US army chaplain.
He reveals Guantanamo's shocking interrogation technigues (such as sexual taunting from naked female interrogators), physical and psychological abuse, and desecration of the Koran by guards. He also discusses his own arrest, solitary confinement with sensory deprivation, and eventual total exoneration. All charges were dropped again him. He was returned to duty and given a commendation. He resigned his commission and received an honorable discharge.
Chaplain James Yee, former US Army Muslim Chaplain and Captain at Guantanamo, discusses how he became a Muslim and then goes into detail about psychological and physical at Guantanamo and his own arrest and solitary confinement while a US army chaplain.
He reveals Guantanamo's shocking interrogation technigues (such as sexual taunting from naked female interrogators), physical and psychological abuse, and desecration of the Koran by guards. He also discusses his own arrest, solitary confinement with sensory deprivation, and eventual total exoneration. All charges were dropped again him. He was returned to duty and given a commendation. He resigned his commission and received an honorable discharge.
EXCLUSIVE: ES&S TOUCH-SCREEN VOTING SYSTEMS FOUND VULNERABLE TO 'SERIOUS' VIRAL VOTE-FLIPPING ATTACK
From The BRAD BLOG:
The vulnerability is said to allow for a single malicious user to introduce a virus into the system which "could potentially steal all the votes in that county, without being detected," according to a noted computer scientist and voting system expert who has reviewed the findings.
And yet, despite their federal mandate to serve as a "clearinghouse" to the nation for such information, a series of email exchanges between an Election Integrity advocate and officials at the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission (EAC) has revealed that the federal oversight body is refusing to notify states of the alarming security issue.
The vulnerability is said to allow for a single malicious user to introduce a virus into the system which "could potentially steal all the votes in that county, without being detected," according to a noted computer scientist and voting system expert who has reviewed the findings.
And yet, despite their federal mandate to serve as a "clearinghouse" to the nation for such information, a series of email exchanges between an Election Integrity advocate and officials at the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission (EAC) has revealed that the federal oversight body is refusing to notify states of the alarming security issue.
Bush At Virginia Tech: We Get That You Get It
Very interesting post from BAGnewsnotes...
"What are those tell tale signs letting you know that, in the midst of a tragedy, the Photo Op White House is thinking (as much or) more about PR, and "undoing" Katrina, than about simple aid and comfort?"
"What are those tell tale signs letting you know that, in the midst of a tragedy, the Photo Op White House is thinking (as much or) more about PR, and "undoing" Katrina, than about simple aid and comfort?"
My favorite recollection of Tonic
Electric Masada was one of the best jam sessions, if not THE best, I have ever witnessed. These dudes were mind-blowingly good during that run.
Tonic - photos of the arrest
One of the artsy music clubs in NYC was forced to close it's doors due to high rents. See the full story here. From Marc Ribot and Rebecca Moore:
"Just updating this story that Marc and I were indeed arrested that day, in our attempt to keep the music playing at Tonic, the performance space this music community had raised over $100,000 dollars in funds to try to keep open and attempt to keep the rent paid. Nothing can pay these insane rents in NYC, no art or community can survive under these circumstances. Brooklyn and Queens are not exempt and falling prey to the same circumstances. It is not a coincidence that the Blue Building Luxury Condo building is now finished, people are moving in to their million dollar residents there, and Tonic has had to shut down. I submitted myself to arrest for this reason, and hope word spreads and others are moved to stand up against real estate being the sole determining factor of what culture and art and music and people get to stay in NYC."
White House lost Over FIVE MILLION e-mails in two year period
UPDATE: this page will no longer load. It worked about 30 minutes ago but now is not loading. Try this instead:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6552441,00.html
Not surprising, eh, with the criminals we have running our government.
Today, CREW issued a new report, WITHOUT A TRACE: The Missing White House Emails and Violations of the PRA, and made the shocking new disclosure that the Bush White House has lost over FIVE MILLION e-mails in a two year period. The report also details the legal issues behind the growing controversy over the White House e-mail scandal.
Through two confidential sources, CREW learned that the Executive Office of the President (EOP) has lost over FIVE MILLION emails generated between March 2003 and October 2005. The White House counsel’s office was advised of these problems in 2005 and CREW has been told that the White House was given a plan of action to recover these emails, but to date nothing has been done to rectify this significant loss of records.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6552441,00.html
Not surprising, eh, with the criminals we have running our government.
Today, CREW issued a new report, WITHOUT A TRACE: The Missing White House Emails and Violations of the PRA, and made the shocking new disclosure that the Bush White House has lost over FIVE MILLION e-mails in a two year period. The report also details the legal issues behind the growing controversy over the White House e-mail scandal.
Through two confidential sources, CREW learned that the Executive Office of the President (EOP) has lost over FIVE MILLION emails generated between March 2003 and October 2005. The White House counsel’s office was advised of these problems in 2005 and CREW has been told that the White House was given a plan of action to recover these emails, but to date nothing has been done to rectify this significant loss of records.
Water is found in extrasolar planet's air
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz., April 11 (UPI) -- U.S. astronomers have, for the first time, identified water in the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet.
The identification was accomplished using Hubble Space Telescope measurements and theoretical models developed by Lowell Observatory astronomer Travis Barman. He found strong evidence for water absorption in the atmosphere of transiting planet HD209458b.
"We now know that water vapor exists in the atmosphere of one extrasolar planet and there is good reason to believe that other extrasolar planets contain water vapor," said Barman.
The identification was accomplished using Hubble Space Telescope measurements and theoretical models developed by Lowell Observatory astronomer Travis Barman. He found strong evidence for water absorption in the atmosphere of transiting planet HD209458b.
"We now know that water vapor exists in the atmosphere of one extrasolar planet and there is good reason to believe that other extrasolar planets contain water vapor," said Barman.
Maryland sidesteps Electoral College
Wow, this is big. Good for O'Malley, former mayor of Baltimore and leader of the band O'Malley's march back when I lived in Balto. If you watch the wire, Mayor Carcetti is modelled on Martin O'Malley. Irish, Italian, what's the difference, eh?
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland officially became the first state on Tuesday to approve a plan to give its electoral votes for president to the winner of the national popular vote instead of the candidate chosen by state voters.
Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, signed the measure into law, one day after the state's General Assembly adjourned.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland officially became the first state on Tuesday to approve a plan to give its electoral votes for president to the winner of the national popular vote instead of the candidate chosen by state voters.
Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, signed the measure into law, one day after the state's General Assembly adjourned.
Mysterious disappearance of US bees creating a buzz
Scientists working to unravel the mysteries behind CCD believe a new pathogen may be the cause, or a new kind of chemical product which could be weakening the insects' immune systems.
The finger of suspicion is being pointed at agriculture pesticides such as the widely-used neonicotinoides, which are already known to be poisonous to bees.
10 States Introduce Impeachment
In 10 U.S. states, either this year or last year or both, the state legislature has introduced and considered, though not yet passed, a bill to petition the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach Bush and Cheney. The question, of course, is what in the heck is wrong with the other 40 states? We can't find a single state legislator with the decency to uphold the U.S. Constitution and at least introduce a resolution to impeach? Where are the states that created the Constitution? Where are Massachusetts and Virginia? What's holding up New York? Where in the world is Oregon? Is this all the pressure we can muster in the cause of justice?
But let's give credit where it's due. These 10 states have acted: CA, HI, IL, MN, MO, WA, VT, NM, WI, TX.
But let's give credit where it's due. These 10 states have acted: CA, HI, IL, MN, MO, WA, VT, NM, WI, TX.
Forgotten magic manual contains original da Vinci code
COOL!
It was written in Italian by Pacioli between 1496 and 1508 and contains the first ever reference to card tricks as well as guidance on how to juggle, eat fire and make coins dance. It is also the first work to note that da Vinci was left-handed.
It was written in Italian by Pacioli between 1496 and 1508 and contains the first ever reference to card tricks as well as guidance on how to juggle, eat fire and make coins dance. It is also the first work to note that da Vinci was left-handed.
Airman Burned in Raygun Test
OUCH! Coming to a protest near you...
Apart from creating a terrifying sensation, the technology is supposed to be a harmless, non-lethal way to disrupt riots or persuade enemies to drop their weapons.
The 820th, which has had numerous missions to Afghanistan and Iraq, will evaluate the system for about a year, but the weapon is not expected to go into production until at least 2010.
Professor who criticized Bush added to terrorist 'no-fly' list
WTF is this about? If you were wondering how things have changed in this formerly great land of ours:
When inquiring with a clerk why he was on the list, Murphy was asked if he had participated in any peace marches.
"We ban a lot of people from flying because of that," a clerk said.
Murphy then explained that he had not marched, but had "in September, 2006, given a lecture at Princeton, televised and put on the Web, highly critical of George Bush for his many violations of the Constitution."
The clerk responded, "That'll do it."
Murphy was allowed to board the plane, but was warned that his luggage would be "ransacked." On his return trip, his luggage was lost.
Murphy is a decorated Marine who served in the Korean War and was a reservist for 19 years. Mark Graber, who presented the blog post, adds that there were other reasons that Murphy was an unlikely terror suspect.
When inquiring with a clerk why he was on the list, Murphy was asked if he had participated in any peace marches.
"We ban a lot of people from flying because of that," a clerk said.
Murphy then explained that he had not marched, but had "in September, 2006, given a lecture at Princeton, televised and put on the Web, highly critical of George Bush for his many violations of the Constitution."
The clerk responded, "That'll do it."
Murphy was allowed to board the plane, but was warned that his luggage would be "ransacked." On his return trip, his luggage was lost.
Murphy is a decorated Marine who served in the Korean War and was a reservist for 19 years. Mark Graber, who presented the blog post, adds that there were other reasons that Murphy was an unlikely terror suspect.
SO CLOSE AND YET SO FAR!
Plug it in, fire it up, Mr. President
The article talks about crediting Ford's CEO, I think we need to be blaming him. How apropos would it have been for him to have caused his own death with his own stupidity?
The article talks about crediting Ford's CEO, I think we need to be blaming him. How apropos would it have been for him to have caused his own death with his own stupidity?
Space agency wants 'Mars' volunteers
Any volunteers????
The aim is to determine what the psychological and physical affects of a manned mission to Mars would be. In 2003 ESA launched Europe’s first ever spacecraft to Mars.
The volunteers will be isolated in metal tanks for 18 months. The tanks will be fitted out for different functions such as a medical unit, research lab, kitchen and living quarters.
Solar power breakthrough at Massey
HOLY SUNSPOTS BATMAN! This is very, very cool.
New solar cells developed by Massey University don't need direct sunlight to operate and use a patented range of dyes that can be impregnated in roofs, window glass and eventually even clothing to produce power...
"The energy that reaches Earth from sunlight in one hour is more than that used by all human activities in one year."
And a nod to my favorite Kiwi-cum-Aussie Allan
New solar cells developed by Massey University don't need direct sunlight to operate and use a patented range of dyes that can be impregnated in roofs, window glass and eventually even clothing to produce power...
"The energy that reaches Earth from sunlight in one hour is more than that used by all human activities in one year."
And a nod to my favorite Kiwi-cum-Aussie Allan
Number of US Uninsured Soars, Along with Big Pharma Profits
The rich are certainly getting richer. I just wonder how many of my investments, my IRA's and such, are in the defense industry. How am I benefiting from the current situation? Obviously, the amount of money I might be making is infinitely smaller than these CEO's, it is nevertheless a profit so long as the "market" goes up.
Pentagon Officer Created Phony Intel on Iraq/al-Qaeda Link
Feith's Office of Special Plans, however, created a briefing based on a previous report, "Assessing the Relationship Between Iraq and al Qaida." The presentation was aimed at discrediting the conclusions of the CIA and the DIA.
N.C. Senate Apologizes for Slavery
Oops, sorry about that! Kind of reminds of the Vatican apologizing for what they did to Galileo a few years back.
Students Pelt Karl Rove After Speech at American University
First off, lets give a big cheer to those students at American!
Second, who doesn't like an old fashioned pellting, especially when the target is the fat tub of goo Karl Rove.
Second, who doesn't like an old fashioned pellting, especially when the target is the fat tub of goo Karl Rove.
Infamous pornographer sets sights on White House
"Our president, right before our eyes, is raping the Justice Department along with his bozo flunkies Alberto Gonzales and wigger-wannabee Karl Rove, who traumatically proved that whites should never, ever dance," Goldstein writes.
Towers point to ancient Sun cult
GOBSMACKED!!!!!!
Clive Ruggles, professor of archaeoastronomy at Leicester University, UK, said: "These towers have been known to exist for a century or so. It seems extraordinary that nobody really recognised them for what they were for so long.
"I was gobsmacked when I saw them for the first time - the array of towers covers the entire solar arc."
The Thirteen Towers of Chankillo run from north to south along the ridge of a low hill within the site; they are relatively well-preserved and each has a pair of inset staircases leading to the summit...
"This implies that you have someone special - the priests perhaps - who watched the Sun rise or set, while in the plaza next door, the crowds were feasting and could see the Sun rise, but not from that special perspective.
Written records suggest the Incas were making solar observations by 1500 AD, and that their religion centred on Sun worship.
Clive Ruggles, professor of archaeoastronomy at Leicester University, UK, said: "These towers have been known to exist for a century or so. It seems extraordinary that nobody really recognised them for what they were for so long.
"I was gobsmacked when I saw them for the first time - the array of towers covers the entire solar arc."
The Thirteen Towers of Chankillo run from north to south along the ridge of a low hill within the site; they are relatively well-preserved and each has a pair of inset staircases leading to the summit...
"This implies that you have someone special - the priests perhaps - who watched the Sun rise or set, while in the plaza next door, the crowds were feasting and could see the Sun rise, but not from that special perspective.
Written records suggest the Incas were making solar observations by 1500 AD, and that their religion centred on Sun worship.
Call that humiliation?
As Stephen Glover pointed out in the Daily Mail, perhaps it would not be right to bomb Iran in retaliation for the humiliation of our servicemen, but clearly the Iranian people must be made to suffer - whether by beefing up sanctions, as the Mail suggests, or simply by getting President Bush to hurry up and invade, as he intends to anyway, and bring democracy and western values to the country, as he has in Iraq.
Fox News Poll Testing Anti-Democratic Party Message
As a result of this fairly clear partisan hackery on the part of Fox News, I think its right time I joined Chris is shying away from even the discussion of polling commissioned by the network, let alone its obviously biased attempts at reporting.
Attorney General Gonzales' aide says she'll plead the Fifth
A senior Justice Department aide sent a letter late Friday to Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) through her attorney stating that she intends to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights if called to testify in the ongoing investigation into the firing of numerous US Attorneys by the Justice Department, RAW STORY has learned.
Study: Web news readers have greater attention span
People who use the Internet to read the news have a greater attention span than print readers, according to a U.S. study that refutes the idea that Web surfers jump around and don't read much.
"Vs" stage protest at White House.
About 60 protesters dressed up as the Guy Fawkes look-a-like "V," from the movie by the same name, staged a protest at the White House yesterday. In an encouraging sign, a group of elementary school children visiting the White House on a school trip were much more interested in "V" than in the White House or its occupant. The children busied themselves taking photos of the "Vs" and shaking their hands: a clear sign that the Rove/Fox propaganda machine has little effect on those who will be left holding the tab for the recklessness of the "Baby Boomer" generation.
CHOCOLATE JESUS
A 6-foot tall sculpture of Jesus Christ made from 200 pounds of milk chocolate has sparked controversy. Did I mention JC is sans the traditional loincloth? And, yes, he’s anatomically correct. Bill Donohue, head of the watchdog Catholic League, says the portrayal is not only ugly, but exhibited with extremely poor timing.
Heroic Secret Service Agent Takes Question Intended For Bush
"I just followed my training and did what I was supposed to do—put myself between the president and irreparable harm," said Panucci, who is credited with safely deflecting the attack away from Bush, as well as acting before the reporter had a chance to get off a follow-up question at close range. "And let's not forget my colleagues who rushed the president from the scene."
Legal expert: President Bush may have ordered torture of terror suspects
"The administration has been almost pathological in trying to find ways to keep these people from ever seeing a real judge or a real lawyer," John Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, told the Associated Press, "and the reasons are obvious."
The Iditarod Mountain Bike Race!!
Oh My!!!!
On his way to winning the 383-mile Iditarod Trail Invitation race, Pete Basinger set a new course record. His three days, five hours, and forty minutes run broke the former record set by Mike Curiak in 2005 (three days, six hours)...
The Iditarod Trail Invitational is a simultaneous bike, ski, and foot race. The longer option runs 1,100 miles from Knik Lake to McGrath, Alaska. As of Tuesday afternoon, three cyclists and one walker are still racing in the 1,100 mile version, which will finish in Nome after they have endured 25 to 30 days of unsupported racing. "I'm not expecting any records to be broken this year on that one," said Merchant.
Vermont towns seek to impeach Bush
"We're putting impeachment on the table," said James Leas, a Vermont lawyer who helped to draft the resolutions and is tracking the votes. "The people in all these towns are voting to get this process started and bring the troops home now."
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