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.
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