(Full Article)
Originally from: Manila Ryce – Alternet December 23, 2007
After an IED attack killed five members of 2nd Platoon Charlie 1-26 in northeast Baghdad, members of the unit gathered and determined that they could no longer function professionally. Several soldiers feared that their anger and want for revenge would result in a massacre of innocent civilians, and thus decided to stage a revolt against the orders of their commanders.
When the IED, the roadside bomb, went off, it was so close to one of the Iraqi police stations that they should have been able to see somebody burying that. It was right in front of somebody's house, and nobody said anything. Nobody said to these guys, "Listen, there's a bomb here. We're worried about you," even though they had been going out and patrolling and doing what they were supposed to be doing, in their minds. So when that IED went off and killed their five friends, they're in--you have to understand, they've been living together for a year like brothers in the basement of this old palace. And it's--they're right on top of each other and going out and taking care of each other on the battlefield, daily firefights. And so, they're closer probably than anyone could be. And when they lost their five men, they--I think they gave up on the Iraqi people.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
59 Gov't Secrets, Exposed thanks to British FOIA
(Original Article)
Here's just a few...
»Ministers and MPs were claiming thousands of pounds on taxis as part of £5.9m in expenses for travel
»The Thatcher Government concocted a plan to search for the Loch Ness monster using a team of dolphins
»Foreign diplomats – who have diplomatic immunity – were accused of rapes, sexual assaults, child abuse and murders while working in Britain
»Weapons used by paratroopers on Bloody Sunday have ended up in the hands of the army in Sierra Leone, paramilitary police in Beirut and even in an Arkansas gun shop
Here's just a few...
»Ministers and MPs were claiming thousands of pounds on taxis as part of £5.9m in expenses for travel
»The Thatcher Government concocted a plan to search for the Loch Ness monster using a team of dolphins
»Foreign diplomats – who have diplomatic immunity – were accused of rapes, sexual assaults, child abuse and murders while working in Britain
»Weapons used by paratroopers on Bloody Sunday have ended up in the hands of the army in Sierra Leone, paramilitary police in Beirut and even in an Arkansas gun shop
Siberian Tiger Beheaded at China Zoo
BEIJING (Reuters) - A rare Siberian tiger was skinned and beheaded in a Chinese provincial zoo and police are offering a reward for information leading to the killer or killers.
The tiger's pelt was peeled off and the limbs were chopped off from the knees, suggesting a professional slaughter, an unnamed person involved in the investigation was quoted as saying.
Ron Paul on Meet the Press 12/23/07
MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: Our Meet the Candidates 2008 series continues, an exclusive interview with Republican Ron Paul. He has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 18 years. In 1988 he was the Libertarian Party candidate for president. Since October he has raised nearly $19 million. That is more than any other Republican candidate for president. Our guest, Dr. Ron Paul.
Mexican Country Music Singers Being Killed
(Full Article)
Someone's killing country music stars. 13 brutal murders in last 18 months bear signs of underworld executions.
In the past year and a half, 13 musicians – three since Dec. 1 – have been violently killed in attacks that bear the signs of Mexican underworld killings, reported Scotland on Sunday. None of the cases has been solved.
The motives for the murders are unknown and no evidence links them to a single killer. Love triangles, links to organized crime, reprisals for narcocorridos – ballads about drug dealers – that offended someone, and a slow drift into the criminal culture celebrated by their music have been suggested.
Someone's killing country music stars. 13 brutal murders in last 18 months bear signs of underworld executions.
In the past year and a half, 13 musicians – three since Dec. 1 – have been violently killed in attacks that bear the signs of Mexican underworld killings, reported Scotland on Sunday. None of the cases has been solved.
The motives for the murders are unknown and no evidence links them to a single killer. Love triangles, links to organized crime, reprisals for narcocorridos – ballads about drug dealers – that offended someone, and a slow drift into the criminal culture celebrated by their music have been suggested.
Natalie Holloway Case in 'New Phase'
(Full Article)
ORANJESTAD, Aruba (CNN) -- The investigation into the disappearance of Natalee Holloway is not closed but has entered a new phase, as four detectives continue to look for evidence, Aruba's chief public prosecutor says.
Charges were dropped against Joran van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, prosecutor Hans Mos said, not because he didn't have a case but because he couldn't be sure of a conviction.
In an Internet chat shortly after Holloway vanished, one of the three suspects said she was dead, Mos said.
ORANJESTAD, Aruba (CNN) -- The investigation into the disappearance of Natalee Holloway is not closed but has entered a new phase, as four detectives continue to look for evidence, Aruba's chief public prosecutor says.
Charges were dropped against Joran van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, prosecutor Hans Mos said, not because he didn't have a case but because he couldn't be sure of a conviction.
In an Internet chat shortly after Holloway vanished, one of the three suspects said she was dead, Mos said.
Zionists Poisoned/ Radiated 100K Jewish Children
(Full Article)
In 1951, the director general of the Israeli Health Ministry, Dr. Chaim Sheba flew to America and returned with 7 x-ray machines, supplied to him by the American army.
They were to be used in a mass atomic experiment with an entire generation of Sephardi youths to be used as guinea pigs. Every Sephardi child was to be given 35,000 times the maximum dose of x-rays through his head. For doing so, the American government paid the Israeli government 300,000 Israeli liras a year. The entire Health budget was 60,000 liras. The money paid by the Americans is equivalent to billions of dollars today.
To fool the parents of the victims, the children were taken away on "school trips" and their parents were later told the x-rays were a treatment for the scourge of scalpal ringworm. 6,000 of the children died shortly after their doses were given, the many of the rest developed cancers that killed them over time and are still killing them now. While living, the victims suffered from disorders such as epilepsy, amnesia, Alzheimer's disease, chronic headaches and psychosis.
In 1951, the director general of the Israeli Health Ministry, Dr. Chaim Sheba flew to America and returned with 7 x-ray machines, supplied to him by the American army.
They were to be used in a mass atomic experiment with an entire generation of Sephardi youths to be used as guinea pigs. Every Sephardi child was to be given 35,000 times the maximum dose of x-rays through his head. For doing so, the American government paid the Israeli government 300,000 Israeli liras a year. The entire Health budget was 60,000 liras. The money paid by the Americans is equivalent to billions of dollars today.
To fool the parents of the victims, the children were taken away on "school trips" and their parents were later told the x-rays were a treatment for the scourge of scalpal ringworm. 6,000 of the children died shortly after their doses were given, the many of the rest developed cancers that killed them over time and are still killing them now. While living, the victims suffered from disorders such as epilepsy, amnesia, Alzheimer's disease, chronic headaches and psychosis.
No Justice for Jamie Leigh Jones
(Full Article)
Why can't Jamie Leigh Jones, who says she was raped in Iraq by her coworkers at Haliburton's KBR, sue her former employer for damages? Ask Dick Cheney.
One day, Halliburton sent all its employees a brochure explaining that the company was implementing a new dispute resolution system. The company sold the new program as an employee perk that would create an "open door" policy for bringing grievances to management and as a forum for resolving disputes without expensive and lengthy litigation. In practice, it meant that anyone who had a legitimate civil-rights or personal-injury claim signed away his or her constitutional right to a jury trial. Anyone who showed up for work after getting the brochure was considered to have agreed to give up his or her rights, regardless of whether the employees had actually read it. In 2001, the conservative and pro-business Texas Supreme Court overturned two lower courts to declare that this move was legal.
Why can't Jamie Leigh Jones, who says she was raped in Iraq by her coworkers at Haliburton's KBR, sue her former employer for damages? Ask Dick Cheney.
One day, Halliburton sent all its employees a brochure explaining that the company was implementing a new dispute resolution system. The company sold the new program as an employee perk that would create an "open door" policy for bringing grievances to management and as a forum for resolving disputes without expensive and lengthy litigation. In practice, it meant that anyone who had a legitimate civil-rights or personal-injury claim signed away his or her constitutional right to a jury trial. Anyone who showed up for work after getting the brochure was considered to have agreed to give up his or her rights, regardless of whether the employees had actually read it. In 2001, the conservative and pro-business Texas Supreme Court overturned two lower courts to declare that this move was legal.
The U.S. Isn't A Country; It's A Corporation
(Full Article)
The date is February 21, 1871 and the Forty-First Congress is in session. I refer you to the "Acts of the Forty-First Congress," Section 34, Session III, chapters 61 and 62. On this date in the history of our nation, Congress passed an Act titled: "An Act To Provide A Government for the District of Columbia." This is also known as the "Act of 1871." What does this mean? Well, it means that Congress, under no constitutional authority to do so, created a separate form of government for the District of Columbia, which is a ten mile square parcel of land.
The original Constitution drafted by the Founding Fathers, was written in this manner:
"The Constitution for the united states of America".
The altered version reads: "THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA". It is the corporate constitution. It is NOT the same document you might think it is. The corporate constitution operates in an economic capacity and has been used to fool the People into thinking it is the same parchment that governs the Republic. It absolutely is not.
The date is February 21, 1871 and the Forty-First Congress is in session. I refer you to the "Acts of the Forty-First Congress," Section 34, Session III, chapters 61 and 62. On this date in the history of our nation, Congress passed an Act titled: "An Act To Provide A Government for the District of Columbia." This is also known as the "Act of 1871." What does this mean? Well, it means that Congress, under no constitutional authority to do so, created a separate form of government for the District of Columbia, which is a ten mile square parcel of land.
The original Constitution drafted by the Founding Fathers, was written in this manner:
"The Constitution for the united states of America".
The altered version reads: "THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA". It is the corporate constitution. It is NOT the same document you might think it is. The corporate constitution operates in an economic capacity and has been used to fool the People into thinking it is the same parchment that governs the Republic. It absolutely is not.
U.S. Senate Report: Over 400 Prominent Scientists Disputed Man-Made Global Warming Claims in 2007
(Full Article)
Complete U.S. Senate Report Now Available: (LINK)
Complete Report w/out Intro: (LINK)
Over 400 prominent scientists from more than two dozen countries recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called "consensus" on man-made global warming. These scientists, many of whom are current and former participants in the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), criticized the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore.
Complete U.S. Senate Report Now Available: (LINK)
Complete Report w/out Intro: (LINK)
Over 400 prominent scientists from more than two dozen countries recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called "consensus" on man-made global warming. These scientists, many of whom are current and former participants in the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), criticized the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore.
Suicide Attack Kills 48 in Pakistan Mosque
(Full Article)
CHARSADDA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed 48 people in a mosque in northwest Pakistan on Friday where a former interior minister was offering Muslim Eid festival prayers with worshippers, the government said.
The former minister, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, survived unhurt but at least 80 people were wounded in the blast in Charsadda district in North West Frontier Province. Several of the wounded were in a critical condition, Interior Ministry spokesman Colonel Javed Lodhi told Reuters.
CHARSADDA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed 48 people in a mosque in northwest Pakistan on Friday where a former interior minister was offering Muslim Eid festival prayers with worshippers, the government said.
The former minister, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, survived unhurt but at least 80 people were wounded in the blast in Charsadda district in North West Frontier Province. Several of the wounded were in a critical condition, Interior Ministry spokesman Colonel Javed Lodhi told Reuters.
Tasers: The Next Generation
Until now, the electric-shock gun consisted of two barbed darts attached to wires that shoot out and strike the victim, immobilizing the person with 50,000 volts of electricity, causing severe pain and intense muscle contraction.
But the wires could only extend a few metres. With the new "extended range electronic projectile," or XREP, the Taser has been turned into a kind of self-contained shotgun shell and can be fired, wire-free, from a standard shotgun, which police typically have in their arsenal already.
The first electrode hooks on to the target, the second electrode falls and makes contact elsewhere on the body, completing the circuit and activating the shock. It can blast someone as far as 30 metres away, and, unlike the current stun guns, whose shock lasts five seconds, the XREP lasts 20 seconds, enough time to "take the offender into custody without risking injury to officers."
75% of Physicians Refuse Chemotherapy Themselves
(Full Article)
The great lack of trust is evident even amongst doctors. Polls and questionnaires show that three doctors out of four (75 per cent) would refuse any chemotherapy because of its ineffectiveness against the disease and its devastating effects on the entire human organism.
This is what many doctors and scientists have to say about chemotherapy:“The majority of the cancer patients in this country die because of chemotherapy, which does not cure breast, colon or lung cancer. This has been documented for over a decade and nevertheless doctors still utilize chemotherapy to fight these tumors.” (Allen Levin, MD, UCSF, “The Healing of Cancer”, Marcus Books, 1990).
“Dr. Hardin Jones, lecturer at the University of California, after having analyzed for many decades statistics on cancer survival, has come to this conclusion: ‘… when not treated, the patients do not get worse or they even get better’. The unsettling conclusions of Dr. Jones have never been refuted”. (Walter Last, “The Ecologist”, Vol. 28, no. 2, March-April 1998)
The great lack of trust is evident even amongst doctors. Polls and questionnaires show that three doctors out of four (75 per cent) would refuse any chemotherapy because of its ineffectiveness against the disease and its devastating effects on the entire human organism.
This is what many doctors and scientists have to say about chemotherapy:“The majority of the cancer patients in this country die because of chemotherapy, which does not cure breast, colon or lung cancer. This has been documented for over a decade and nevertheless doctors still utilize chemotherapy to fight these tumors.” (Allen Levin, MD, UCSF, “The Healing of Cancer”, Marcus Books, 1990).
“Dr. Hardin Jones, lecturer at the University of California, after having analyzed for many decades statistics on cancer survival, has come to this conclusion: ‘… when not treated, the patients do not get worse or they even get better’. The unsettling conclusions of Dr. Jones have never been refuted”. (Walter Last, “The Ecologist”, Vol. 28, no. 2, March-April 1998)
'We Carried Out Torture Because White House Ordered Us To'
(Full Article)
In an interview last night with ABC News, John Kiriakou — the CIA official who headed the team that interrogated al Qaeda leader Abu Zubaydah — said that Zubaydah was waterboarded, but defended those actions as having prevented “maybe dozens” of planned attacks and “probably saved lives.”
“Was the White House involved in that decision?” Lauer asked. “Absolutely,” Kiriakou said, adding:
This isn’t something done willy nilly. It’s not something that an agency officer just wakes up in the morning and decides he’s going to carry out an enhanced technique on a prisoner. This was a policy made at the White House, with concurrence from the National Security Council and Justice Department.
In an interview last night with ABC News, John Kiriakou — the CIA official who headed the team that interrogated al Qaeda leader Abu Zubaydah — said that Zubaydah was waterboarded, but defended those actions as having prevented “maybe dozens” of planned attacks and “probably saved lives.”
“Was the White House involved in that decision?” Lauer asked. “Absolutely,” Kiriakou said, adding:
This isn’t something done willy nilly. It’s not something that an agency officer just wakes up in the morning and decides he’s going to carry out an enhanced technique on a prisoner. This was a policy made at the White House, with concurrence from the National Security Council and Justice Department.
Human Memories of the Doomsday Comet
(Full Article)
For several weeks in the fall of 2007, amateur astronomers and sky watchers around the world were entranced by the mysterious, energetic display of Comet Holmes 17P. The Internet still abounds with exotic theories about the comet's nature -- some have claimed it is the "Blue Kachina" foretold in Hopi Prophecy, others assert that the secret government shot it with a nuclear missile, and still others say its nucleus is acquiring mass and turning into a PLANET.
But according to the ancient record, comets have long aroused terror in human beings, and this fear has clearly persisted into modern times. Even the astronomical mainstream recognizes that comets have historically been viewed as portents of destruction. The NASA report "Comets in Ancient Cultures" observes: "Comets have inspired dread, fear, and awe in many different cultures and societies around the world and throughout time. They have been branded with such titles as 'the Harbinger of Doom' and 'the Menace of the Universe.'"
For several weeks in the fall of 2007, amateur astronomers and sky watchers around the world were entranced by the mysterious, energetic display of Comet Holmes 17P. The Internet still abounds with exotic theories about the comet's nature -- some have claimed it is the "Blue Kachina" foretold in Hopi Prophecy, others assert that the secret government shot it with a nuclear missile, and still others say its nucleus is acquiring mass and turning into a PLANET.
But according to the ancient record, comets have long aroused terror in human beings, and this fear has clearly persisted into modern times. Even the astronomical mainstream recognizes that comets have historically been viewed as portents of destruction. The NASA report "Comets in Ancient Cultures" observes: "Comets have inspired dread, fear, and awe in many different cultures and societies around the world and throughout time. They have been branded with such titles as 'the Harbinger of Doom' and 'the Menace of the Universe.'"
Saudi Gang Rape Victim Pardoned
(Full Article)
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has pardoned a Saudi woman sentenced to 200 lashes after she was gang raped.
The woman, known only as "Qatif girl" after the area where the crime occurred, was raped at knife point by seven men as a former boyfriend drove her home.
She had been sentenced in October 2006 to 90 lashes for being alone in a car with a man who was not a relative but had her punihsment increased to 200 lashes and six months in jail after she spoke out about her case.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has pardoned a Saudi woman sentenced to 200 lashes after she was gang raped.
The woman, known only as "Qatif girl" after the area where the crime occurred, was raped at knife point by seven men as a former boyfriend drove her home.
She had been sentenced in October 2006 to 90 lashes for being alone in a car with a man who was not a relative but had her punihsment increased to 200 lashes and six months in jail after she spoke out about her case.
The Big Con: 4 Presidents, 2 Families
But it's all a lie. The Clintons and the Bushes are really the best of friends, as we pointed out on this blog almost two years ago.
Such good friends in fact, that Bill Clinton has announced that his wife's "number one priority" on taking control of the White House would be to send him and former President George H.W. Bush on a world tour to declare the United States is "open for business and cooperation":
Friday, December 21, 2007
Do Guns ever Save Lives? Would we see it in the News if they did?
(Original Article)
“Oh come on, Vin,” someone will protest at this point. “It wouldn’t matter even if these places did allow people to carry guns. Hardly anyone goes armed, so how often would a plain old non-policeman with a gun really save lives?”
Pretty often, it turns out.
1) In 1997, Luke Woodham slit his mother’s throat, grabbed a .30-30 rifle and headed to Pearl High School in Pearl, Miss. — another gun-free zone — to start shooting people.
The moment Vice Principal Joel Myrick heard the first shots, he took off at a sprint for his truck. (Because Mr. Myrick kept a handgun in his truck for just such an eventuality, a deadly stupid federal law required him to park it far from campus.)
Woodham shot until he heard sirens, then ran to his car. His plan, authorities subsequently learned, was to drive to nearby Pearl Junior High School and shoot more kids before police could show up.
Joel Myrick foiled that plan, positioning himself to point his gun at Woodham’s windshield. Woodham swerved and crashed the car. Myrick held the killer at gunpoint till police arrived, stopping the killing spree.
2) In 2002, as Mr. Lott reported in The National Review, “Two law students with law-enforcement backgrounds as deputy sheriffs in another state stopped the shooting at the Appalachian Law School in Virginia. … The students ran to their cars, got their guns, pointed their guns at the attacker, ordered him to drop his gun, and then tackled him and held him until police were able to arrive,” thus saving many lives.
3) At the Trolley Square attack in Utah this year, “Possibly the ban there was even more noteworthy because the off-duty police officer who stopped the attack fortunately violated the ban by taking his gun in with him when he went shopping,” Mr. Lott reports.
4) Fortunately, we saw the way it works when citizens are armed, less than a week after the Omaha shootings. Shortly after midnight on Dec. 9, Matthew Murray, who had been rejected from a missionary school in Colorado, shot and killed two staffers there. Twelve hours later he drove to the parking lot of the related New Life Church in Colorado Springs, where about 7,000 people were present for the midday service, and opened fire in the parking lot, killing two young women.
Jeanne Assam, 42, a member of the congregation who used to work as a police officer, volunteers to guard the church.
Assam hid. She waited until Murray — carrying a rifle, two pistols and a backpack with more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition — entered the church. Then she “came out of cover, identified myself and took him down,” she told a packed news conference Monday.
The coroner later reported the wounded assailant took his own life — but not till Assam had blown him to the ground.
Authorities and her minister say Assam saved untold lives — lives that would have been lost, had Murray attacked in a disarmed-victim city like Los Angeles, New York or Washington.
“There are plenty of cases every year where permit holders stop what would have been multiple victim shootings, but they rarely receive any news coverage,” Mr. Lott protests. “When will part of the media coverage on these multiple-victim public shootings be whether guns were banned where the attack occurred?”
“Oh come on, Vin,” someone will protest at this point. “It wouldn’t matter even if these places did allow people to carry guns. Hardly anyone goes armed, so how often would a plain old non-policeman with a gun really save lives?”
Pretty often, it turns out.
1) In 1997, Luke Woodham slit his mother’s throat, grabbed a .30-30 rifle and headed to Pearl High School in Pearl, Miss. — another gun-free zone — to start shooting people.
The moment Vice Principal Joel Myrick heard the first shots, he took off at a sprint for his truck. (Because Mr. Myrick kept a handgun in his truck for just such an eventuality, a deadly stupid federal law required him to park it far from campus.)
Woodham shot until he heard sirens, then ran to his car. His plan, authorities subsequently learned, was to drive to nearby Pearl Junior High School and shoot more kids before police could show up.
Joel Myrick foiled that plan, positioning himself to point his gun at Woodham’s windshield. Woodham swerved and crashed the car. Myrick held the killer at gunpoint till police arrived, stopping the killing spree.
2) In 2002, as Mr. Lott reported in The National Review, “Two law students with law-enforcement backgrounds as deputy sheriffs in another state stopped the shooting at the Appalachian Law School in Virginia. … The students ran to their cars, got their guns, pointed their guns at the attacker, ordered him to drop his gun, and then tackled him and held him until police were able to arrive,” thus saving many lives.
3) At the Trolley Square attack in Utah this year, “Possibly the ban there was even more noteworthy because the off-duty police officer who stopped the attack fortunately violated the ban by taking his gun in with him when he went shopping,” Mr. Lott reports.
4) Fortunately, we saw the way it works when citizens are armed, less than a week after the Omaha shootings. Shortly after midnight on Dec. 9, Matthew Murray, who had been rejected from a missionary school in Colorado, shot and killed two staffers there. Twelve hours later he drove to the parking lot of the related New Life Church in Colorado Springs, where about 7,000 people were present for the midday service, and opened fire in the parking lot, killing two young women.
Jeanne Assam, 42, a member of the congregation who used to work as a police officer, volunteers to guard the church.
Assam hid. She waited until Murray — carrying a rifle, two pistols and a backpack with more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition — entered the church. Then she “came out of cover, identified myself and took him down,” she told a packed news conference Monday.
The coroner later reported the wounded assailant took his own life — but not till Assam had blown him to the ground.
Authorities and her minister say Assam saved untold lives — lives that would have been lost, had Murray attacked in a disarmed-victim city like Los Angeles, New York or Washington.
“There are plenty of cases every year where permit holders stop what would have been multiple victim shootings, but they rarely receive any news coverage,” Mr. Lott protests. “When will part of the media coverage on these multiple-victim public shootings be whether guns were banned where the attack occurred?”
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Diana letter said Charles was Plotting to Kill Her
LONDON (Reuters) - An infamous letter written by Princess Diana in which she warned that her ex-husband Prince Charles was planning to kill her has been published for the first time.
In the letter, written to her butler Paul Burrell 10 months before her death in a Paris car crash in 1997, Diana said: "This particular phase in my life is the most dangerous -- my husband is planning an accident in my car".
Details of the letter first emerged in 2004 but have only been made public now at the inquest into the deaths of Diana and her lover Dodi al-Fayed, who was also killed in the crash.
It can be seen on http://www.scottbaker-inquests.gov.uk/evidence/docs/INQ0010117.pdf
LOST: A Nightmare of Homeland Security
Blog by Erla Ósk Arnardóttir Lillendahl
During the last twenty-four hours I have probably experienced the greatest humiliation to which I have ever been subjected. During these last twenty-four hours I have been handcuffed and chained, denied the chance to sleep, been without food and drink and been confined to a place without anyone knowing my whereabouts, imprisoned. Now I am beginning to try to understand all this, rest and review the events which began as innocently as possible.
Last Sunday I and a few other girls began our trip to New York. We were going to shop and enjoy the Christmas spirit. We made ourselves comfortable on first class, drank white wine and looked forward to go shopping, eat good food and enjoy life. When we landed at JFK airport the traditional clearance process began. We were screened and went on to passport control. As I waited for them to finish examining my passport I heard an official say that there was something which needed to be looked at more closely and I was directed to the work station of Homeland Security. There I was told that according to their records I had overstayed my visa by 3 weeks in 1995. For this reason I would not be admitted to the country and would be sent home on the next flight. I looked at the official in disbelief and told him that I had in fact visited New York after the trip in 1995 without encountering any difficulties. A detailed interrogation session ensued. I was photographed and fingerprinted. I was asked questions which I felt had nothing to do with the issue at hand. I was forbidden to contact anyone to advise of my predicament and although I was invited at the outset to contact the Icelandic consul or embassy, that invitation was later withdrawn. I don't know why. I was then made to wait while they sought further information, and sat on a chair before the authority for 5 hours. I saw the officials in this section handle other cases and it was clear that these were men anxious to demonstrate their power. Small kings with megalomania. I was careful to remain completely cooperative, for I did not yet believe that they planned to deport me because of my "crime". When 5 hours had passed and I had been awake for 24 hours, I was told that they were waiting for officials who would take me to a kind of waiting room. There I would be given a bed to rest in, some food and I would be searched. What they thought they might find I cannot possibly imagine. Finally guards appeared who transported me to the new place. I saw the bed as if in a mirage, for I was absolutely exhausted. What turned out was something else. I was taken to another office exactly like the one where I had been before and once again a long wait ensued. In all, it turned out to be 5 hours. At this office all my things were taken from me. I succeeded in sending a single sms to worried relatives and friends when I was granted a bathroom break. After that the cell phone was taken from me. After I had been sitting for 5 hours I was told that they were now waiting for guards who would take me to a place where I could rest and eat. Then I was placed in a cubicle which looked like an operating room. Attached to the walls were 4 steel plates, probably intended to serve as bed and a toilet. I was exhausted, tired and hungry. I didn't understand the officials’ conduct, for they were treating me like a very dangerous criminal. Soon thereafter I was removed from the cubicle and two armed guards placed me up against a wall. A chain was fastened around my waist and I was handcuffed to the chain. Then my legs were placed in chains. I asked for permission to make a telephone call but they refused. So secured, I was taken from the airport terminal in full sight of everybody. I have seldom felt so bad, so humiliated and all because I had taken a longer vacation than allowed under the law.
They would not tell me where they were taking me. The trip took close to one hour and although I couldn’t see clearly outside the vehicle I knew that we had crossed over into New Jersey. We ended up in front of a jail. I could hardly believe that this was happening. Was I really about to be jailed? I was led inside in the chains and there yet another interrogation session ensued. I was fingerprinted once again and photographed. I was made to undergo a medical examination, I was searched and then I was placed in a jail cell. I was asked absurd questions such as: When did you have your last period? What do you believe in? Have you ever tried to commit suicide?
I was completely exhausted, tired and cold. Fourteen hours after I had landed I had something to eat and drink for the first time. I was given porridge and bread. But it did not help much. I was afraid and the attitude of all who handled me was abysmal to say the least. They did not speak to me as much as snap at me. Once again I asked to make a telephone call and this time the answer was positive. I was relieved but the relief was short-lived. For the telephone was set up for collect calls only and it was not possible to make overseas calls. The jailguard held my cell phone in his hand. I explained to him that Icould not make a call from the jail telephone and asked to be allowed to make one call from my own phone. That was out of the question. I spent the next 9 hours in a small, dirty cell. The only thing in there was a narrow steel board which extended out from the wall, a sink and toilet. I wish I never experience again in my life the feeling of confinement and helplessness which I experienced there.
I was hugely relieved when, at last, I was told that I was to be taken to the airport, that is to say until I was again handcuffed and chained. Then I could take no more and broke down and cried. I begged them at least to leave out the leg chains but my request was ignored. When we arrived at the airport, another jail guard took pity on me and removed the legchains. Even so I was led through a full airport terminal handcuffed and escorted by armed men. I felt terrible. On seeing this, people must think that there goes a very dangerous criminal. In this condition Iwas led up into the Iceland air waiting room, and was kept handcuffed until I entered the embarkation corridor. I was completely run down by all this in both body and spirit. Fortunately I could count on good people and both Einar (the captain) and the crew did all which they could to try to assist me. My friend Auður was in close contact with my sister and the consul and embassy had been contacted. However, all had received misleading information and all had been told that I had been detained at the airport terminal, not that I had been put in jail. Now the Foreign Ministry is looking into the matter and I hope to receive some explanation why I was treated this way.
Halliburton/ KBR Gangraped Female Employee
Jamie Leigh Jones, says that after she was raped by as many as seven men at a KBR camp in the Green Zone, the company put her under guard in a shipping container with a bed and warned her that if she left Iraq for medical treatment, she'd be out of a job.
"Don't plan on working back in Iraq. There won't be a position here, and there won't be a position in Houston," Jones says she was told.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court against Halliburton and its then-subsidiary KBR, Jones says she was held in the shipping container for at least 24 hours without food or water by KBR, which posted armed security guards outside her door, who would not let her leave."
1) Olbermann
2) MSNBC
3) 20/20
Lakota Indians Withdraw Treaties Signed with US 150 Years Ago
(Full Story)
WASHINGTON — The Lakota Indians, who gave the world legendary warriors Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, have withdrawn from treaties with the United States.
"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 said.
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
WASHINGTON — The Lakota Indians, who gave the world legendary warriors Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, have withdrawn from treaties with the United States.
"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 said.
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
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Organic Consumers' Top Health Stories of 2007
(Full Story)
JANUARY: DOZENS OF "CERTIFIED ORGANIC" CANDIDATES SWORN INTO OFFICE
FEBRUARY: FIELD TRIALS OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOTECH GRASS HALTED
MARCH: MONSANTO'S GENETICALLY ENGINEERED ALFALFA BANNED
APRIL: USDA BANS CLONED FOODS FROM ORGANICS
MAY: CONSUMERS SUCCESSFULLY PRESSURE CONGRESS ON COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELS
JUNE: FACTORY FARM HAS ORGANIC CERTIFICATION YANKED
JULY: CONGRESS PRESERVES LOCAL FOOD AND CROP SAFETY LAWS
AUGUST: BEER GIANT GOES ORGANIC
SEPTEMBER: OCA DECLARES VICTORY IN ITS "FRANKENBUCKS" CAMPAIGN
OCTOBER: CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN 27 STATES LAUNCHED AGAINST FACTORY FARMS
NOVEMBER: rBGH BEING DRIVEN OFF THE MARKET: "rBGH-FREE" LABELING PROTECTED
DECEMBER: MASSIVE NAIS THREAT TO FAMILY FARMERS HELD OFF
JANUARY: DOZENS OF "CERTIFIED ORGANIC" CANDIDATES SWORN INTO OFFICE
FEBRUARY: FIELD TRIALS OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOTECH GRASS HALTED
MARCH: MONSANTO'S GENETICALLY ENGINEERED ALFALFA BANNED
APRIL: USDA BANS CLONED FOODS FROM ORGANICS
MAY: CONSUMERS SUCCESSFULLY PRESSURE CONGRESS ON COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELS
JUNE: FACTORY FARM HAS ORGANIC CERTIFICATION YANKED
JULY: CONGRESS PRESERVES LOCAL FOOD AND CROP SAFETY LAWS
AUGUST: BEER GIANT GOES ORGANIC
SEPTEMBER: OCA DECLARES VICTORY IN ITS "FRANKENBUCKS" CAMPAIGN
OCTOBER: CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN 27 STATES LAUNCHED AGAINST FACTORY FARMS
NOVEMBER: rBGH BEING DRIVEN OFF THE MARKET: "rBGH-FREE" LABELING PROTECTED
DECEMBER: MASSIVE NAIS THREAT TO FAMILY FARMERS HELD OFF
Controlling World Population by Paul Ehrlich
(Full Story)
Once the American population size is comfortably under control, be it by voluntary or compulsory methods, the rest of the world needs to be "helped." Paul Ehrlich's 1968 The Population Bomb* described a variety of methods for controlling third world population growth and who should be involved in deciding the optimum population levels for the world.
"A general answer to the question, "What needs to be done?" can be given easily. We must rapidly bring the world population under control, reducing the growth rate to zero and eventually making it go negative. Conscious regulation of human numbers must he [sic] achieved. Simultaneously we must greatly increase our food production. This agricultural program should be carefully monitored to minimize deleterious effects on the environment and should include an effective program of ecosystem restoration. The world's supply of nonrenewable resources must be assessed and plans made for the most economical and beneficial management and use of what remains of them. As these projects are carried out, an international policy research program must be initiated to set optimum population-environment goals for the world and to devise methods for reaching these goals."
Once the American population size is comfortably under control, be it by voluntary or compulsory methods, the rest of the world needs to be "helped." Paul Ehrlich's 1968 The Population Bomb* described a variety of methods for controlling third world population growth and who should be involved in deciding the optimum population levels for the world.
"A general answer to the question, "What needs to be done?" can be given easily. We must rapidly bring the world population under control, reducing the growth rate to zero and eventually making it go negative. Conscious regulation of human numbers must he [sic] achieved. Simultaneously we must greatly increase our food production. This agricultural program should be carefully monitored to minimize deleterious effects on the environment and should include an effective program of ecosystem restoration. The world's supply of nonrenewable resources must be assessed and plans made for the most economical and beneficial management and use of what remains of them. As these projects are carried out, an international policy research program must be initiated to set optimum population-environment goals for the world and to devise methods for reaching these goals."
'Culling the Herd' or 'Population Control'
(Full Story)
In 1974, a year after orchestrating a mass terror bombing of Cambodia -- after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize -- Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and his National Security Council completed “National Security Study Memo 200: Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for U.S. Security and Overseas Interests.” This document, whose sharp edges are dulled by page after leaden page of how to reduce overpopulation in the Third World through birth control and "other" population-reduction programs, was classified until 1989, but was almost immediately accepted as US policy, and remains the US blueprint for ethnic cleansing today.
Kissinger targeted a number of "key countries" whose populations, he said, must be curtailed and controlled lest they gain economic, political and military strength, and thus threaten US strategic interests. "Depopulation should be the highest priority of foreign policy towards the Third World," Kissinger said, "because the US economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad, especially from less developed countries.”
Then, as now, any nation refusing to surrender its natural resources was an ominous threat to our national security and was dealt with initially through birth control and other population-reduction programs such as food rationing. But that was too slow for Kissinger, for Brent Scowcroft who replaced Kissinger as national security adviser and was put in charge of thinning out the Third World population, and for his eager enabler, CIA Director George H.W. Bush who trotted like a love-starved puppy at Kissinger's heels for decades.
In 1974, a year after orchestrating a mass terror bombing of Cambodia -- after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize -- Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and his National Security Council completed “National Security Study Memo 200: Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for U.S. Security and Overseas Interests.” This document, whose sharp edges are dulled by page after leaden page of how to reduce overpopulation in the Third World through birth control and "other" population-reduction programs, was classified until 1989, but was almost immediately accepted as US policy, and remains the US blueprint for ethnic cleansing today.
Kissinger targeted a number of "key countries" whose populations, he said, must be curtailed and controlled lest they gain economic, political and military strength, and thus threaten US strategic interests. "Depopulation should be the highest priority of foreign policy towards the Third World," Kissinger said, "because the US economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad, especially from less developed countries.”
Then, as now, any nation refusing to surrender its natural resources was an ominous threat to our national security and was dealt with initially through birth control and other population-reduction programs such as food rationing. But that was too slow for Kissinger, for Brent Scowcroft who replaced Kissinger as national security adviser and was put in charge of thinning out the Third World population, and for his eager enabler, CIA Director George H.W. Bush who trotted like a love-starved puppy at Kissinger's heels for decades.
Humans are still evolving - and it's happening faster than ever
(Full Story)
Humans are evolving more quickly than at any time in history, researchers say. In the past 5,000 years, humans have evolved up to 100 times more quickly than any time since the split with the ancestors of modern chimpanzees 6m years ago, a team from the University of Wisconsin found.
The study also suggests that human races in different parts of the world are becoming more genetically distinct, although this is likely to reverse in future as populations become more mixed.
"The widespread assumption that human evolution has slowed down because it's easier to live and we've conquered nature is absolutely not true. We didn't conquer nature, we changed it in ways that created new selection pressures on us," said anthropologist Dr John Hawks, who led the study.
Humans are evolving more quickly than at any time in history, researchers say. In the past 5,000 years, humans have evolved up to 100 times more quickly than any time since the split with the ancestors of modern chimpanzees 6m years ago, a team from the University of Wisconsin found.
The study also suggests that human races in different parts of the world are becoming more genetically distinct, although this is likely to reverse in future as populations become more mixed.
"The widespread assumption that human evolution has slowed down because it's easier to live and we've conquered nature is absolutely not true. We didn't conquer nature, we changed it in ways that created new selection pressures on us," said anthropologist Dr John Hawks, who led the study.
911 "Confession" Falls Apart
(Full Story)
An article in the Washington Post quotes "FBI officials, including agents who questioned [alleged Al-Qaeda member Abu Zubaida] after his capture or reviewed documents seized from his home" as concluding that he was:
[L]argely a loudmouthed and mentally troubled hotelier whose credibility dropped as the CIA subjected him to a simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding and to other "enhanced interrogation" measures.
***
even though he knew some al-Qaeda players, he provided interrogators with increasingly dubious information as the CIA's harsh treatment intensified in late 2002."
An article in the Washington Post quotes "FBI officials, including agents who questioned [alleged Al-Qaeda member Abu Zubaida] after his capture or reviewed documents seized from his home" as concluding that he was:
[L]argely a loudmouthed and mentally troubled hotelier whose credibility dropped as the CIA subjected him to a simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding and to other "enhanced interrogation" measures.
***
even though he knew some al-Qaeda players, he provided interrogators with increasingly dubious information as the CIA's harsh treatment intensified in late 2002."
Congressman McFadden on the Federal Reserve Corporation Remarks in Congress, 1934 AN ASTOUNDING EXPOSURE
(Full Story)
Quotations from several speeches made on the Floor of the House of Representatives by the Honorable Louis T. McFadden of Pennsylvania. Mr. McFadden, due to his having served as Chairman of the Banking and Currency Committee for more than 10 years, was the best posted man on these matters in America and was in a position to speak with authority of the vast ramifications of this gigantic private credit monopoly. As Representative of a State which was among the first to declare its freedom from foreign money tyrants it is fitting that Pennsylvania, the cradle of liberty, be again given the credit for producing a son that was not afraid to hurl defiance in the face of the money-bund. Whereas Mr. McFadden was elected to the high office on both the Democratic and Republican tickets, there can be no accusation of partisanship lodged against him. Because these speeches are set out in full in the Congressional Record, they carry weight that no amount of condemnation on the part of private individuals could hope to carry.
Quotations from several speeches made on the Floor of the House of Representatives by the Honorable Louis T. McFadden of Pennsylvania. Mr. McFadden, due to his having served as Chairman of the Banking and Currency Committee for more than 10 years, was the best posted man on these matters in America and was in a position to speak with authority of the vast ramifications of this gigantic private credit monopoly. As Representative of a State which was among the first to declare its freedom from foreign money tyrants it is fitting that Pennsylvania, the cradle of liberty, be again given the credit for producing a son that was not afraid to hurl defiance in the face of the money-bund. Whereas Mr. McFadden was elected to the high office on both the Democratic and Republican tickets, there can be no accusation of partisanship lodged against him. Because these speeches are set out in full in the Congressional Record, they carry weight that no amount of condemnation on the part of private individuals could hope to carry.
Evidence of extremism in mosques 'fabricated'
(Full Story)
A rightwing thinktank which claimed to have uncovered extremist literature on sale at dozens of British mosques was last night accused of basing a report on fabricated evidence.
The report by Policy Exchange alleged that books condoning violent jihad and encouraging hatred of Christians, Jews and gays were being sold in a quarter of the 100 mosques visited.
But BBC2's Newsnight said examination of receipts provided by the researchers to verify their purchases showed some had been written by the same person - even though they purported to come from different mosques.
A rightwing thinktank which claimed to have uncovered extremist literature on sale at dozens of British mosques was last night accused of basing a report on fabricated evidence.
The report by Policy Exchange alleged that books condoning violent jihad and encouraging hatred of Christians, Jews and gays were being sold in a quarter of the 100 mosques visited.
But BBC2's Newsnight said examination of receipts provided by the researchers to verify their purchases showed some had been written by the same person - even though they purported to come from different mosques.
Nasa pictures reveal deadly black hole
Images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory suggest a massive black hole at the heart of a galaxy is emitting a powerful stream of radiation that is destroying everything in its path, including another galaxy.
Mars Melt Hints at Solar, Not Human, Cause for Warming, Scientist Says
(Full Story)
Simultaneous warming on Earth and Mars suggests that our planet's recent climate changes have a natural—and not a human-induced—cause, according to one scientist's controversial theory.
Earth is currently experiencing rapid warming, which the vast majority of climate scientists says is due to humans pumping huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Habibullo Abdussamatov, head of space research at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia, says the Mars data is evidence that the current global warming on Earth is being caused by changes in the sun.
Simultaneous warming on Earth and Mars suggests that our planet's recent climate changes have a natural—and not a human-induced—cause, according to one scientist's controversial theory.
Earth is currently experiencing rapid warming, which the vast majority of climate scientists says is due to humans pumping huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Habibullo Abdussamatov, head of space research at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia, says the Mars data is evidence that the current global warming on Earth is being caused by changes in the sun.
Former Italian Pres. says 911 Solved
(Full Story)
ITALIAN SAYS 9-11 SOLVED
It’s common knowledge, he reveals, CIA, Mossad behind terror attacks
By the Staff of American Free Press
Former Italian President Francesco Cossiga, who revealed the existence of Operation Gladio, has told Italy’s oldest and most widely read newspaper that the 9-11 terrorist attacks were run by the CIA and Mossad, and that this was common knowledge among global intelligence agencies. In what translates awkwardly into English, Cossiga told the newspaper Corriere della Sera:
“All the [intelligence services] of America and Europe…know well that the disastrous attack has been planned and realized from the Mossad, with the aid of the Zionist world in order to put under accusation the Arabic countries and in order to induce the western powers to take part … in Iraq [and] Afghanistan.”
ITALIAN SAYS 9-11 SOLVED
It’s common knowledge, he reveals, CIA, Mossad behind terror attacks
By the Staff of American Free Press
Former Italian President Francesco Cossiga, who revealed the existence of Operation Gladio, has told Italy’s oldest and most widely read newspaper that the 9-11 terrorist attacks were run by the CIA and Mossad, and that this was common knowledge among global intelligence agencies. In what translates awkwardly into English, Cossiga told the newspaper Corriere della Sera:
“All the [intelligence services] of America and Europe…know well that the disastrous attack has been planned and realized from the Mossad, with the aid of the Zionist world in order to put under accusation the Arabic countries and in order to induce the western powers to take part … in Iraq [and] Afghanistan.”
Why the Council on Foreign Relations Hates Putin
(Full Story)
Vladamir Putin is arguably the most popular leader in Russian history, although you’d never know it by reading the western media. According to a recent survey conducted by the Wall Street Journal, Putin’s personal approval rating in November 2007 was 85 per cent, making him the most popular head of state in the world today. Putin’s popularity derives from many factors. He is personally clever and charismatic. He is fiercely nationalistic and has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of ordinary Russians and restore the country to its former greatness. He has raised over 20 million Russians out of grinding poverty, improved education, health care and the pension system, (partially) nationalized critical industries, lowered unemployment, increased manufacturing and exports, invigorated Russian markets, strengthened the ruble, raised the overall standard of living, reduced government corruption, jailed or exiled the venal oligarchs, and amassed capital reserves of $450 billion.
Putin’s real crime is that he serves Russia’s national interests rather than the interests of global Capital. He also rejects Washington’s “unipolar” world model. As he said in Munich:”The unipolar world refers to a world in which there is one master, one sovereign; one center of authority, one center of force, one center of decision-making. At the end of the day this is pernicious not only for all those within this system, but also for the sovereign itself because it destroys itself from within.”What is even more important is that the model itself is flawed because at its basis there is and can be no moral foundations for modern civilization.”He added:”We are seeing a greater and greater disdain for the basic principles of international law….We are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force — military force — in international relations, force that is plunging the world into an abyss of permanent conflicts. I am convinced that we have reached that decisive moment when we must seriously think about the architecture of global security.”Well said, Vladimir.Putin’s no saint, but he doesn’t deserve the thrashing he gets from the western media.
Vladamir Putin is arguably the most popular leader in Russian history, although you’d never know it by reading the western media. According to a recent survey conducted by the Wall Street Journal, Putin’s personal approval rating in November 2007 was 85 per cent, making him the most popular head of state in the world today. Putin’s popularity derives from many factors. He is personally clever and charismatic. He is fiercely nationalistic and has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of ordinary Russians and restore the country to its former greatness. He has raised over 20 million Russians out of grinding poverty, improved education, health care and the pension system, (partially) nationalized critical industries, lowered unemployment, increased manufacturing and exports, invigorated Russian markets, strengthened the ruble, raised the overall standard of living, reduced government corruption, jailed or exiled the venal oligarchs, and amassed capital reserves of $450 billion.
Putin’s real crime is that he serves Russia’s national interests rather than the interests of global Capital. He also rejects Washington’s “unipolar” world model. As he said in Munich:”The unipolar world refers to a world in which there is one master, one sovereign; one center of authority, one center of force, one center of decision-making. At the end of the day this is pernicious not only for all those within this system, but also for the sovereign itself because it destroys itself from within.”What is even more important is that the model itself is flawed because at its basis there is and can be no moral foundations for modern civilization.”He added:”We are seeing a greater and greater disdain for the basic principles of international law….We are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force — military force — in international relations, force that is plunging the world into an abyss of permanent conflicts. I am convinced that we have reached that decisive moment when we must seriously think about the architecture of global security.”Well said, Vladimir.Putin’s no saint, but he doesn’t deserve the thrashing he gets from the western media.
Bubba Clinton and Poppy Bush, Emissaries of Mass Murder and Misery
First thing president Hillary will do is send two mass murderers out to “repair the damage done to America’s reputation,” according to CNN.
And who are these two criminals? None other than president Hillary’s husband and Bush Senior. As you may recall, Bill Clinton is more or less the adopted son of the Bush crime family. It makes sense then these two criminals — guilty of together killing well over a million innocent Iraqis, 500,000 of them children — will be sent, as people around the world understand, more than the American people do, that these two guys mean business.
World's Top Scientists: 'Manmade Warming' A Dangerous Lie
(Full Story)
Recent observations of phenomena such as glacial retreats, sea- level rise and the migration of temperature-sensitive species are not evidence for abnormal climate change, for none of these changes has been shown to lie outside the bounds of known natural variability.
The average rate of warming of 0.1 to 0. 2 degrees Celsius per decade recorded by satellites during the late 20th century falls within known natural rates of warming and cooling over the last 10,000 years.
Leading scientists, including some senior IPCC representatives, acknowledge that today's computer models cannot predict climate. Consistent with this, and despite computer projections of temperature rises, there has been no net global warming since 1998. That the current temperature plateau follows a late 20th-century period of warming is consistent with the continuation today of natural multi-decadal or millennial climate cycling.
Recent observations of phenomena such as glacial retreats, sea- level rise and the migration of temperature-sensitive species are not evidence for abnormal climate change, for none of these changes has been shown to lie outside the bounds of known natural variability.
The average rate of warming of 0.1 to 0. 2 degrees Celsius per decade recorded by satellites during the late 20th century falls within known natural rates of warming and cooling over the last 10,000 years.
Leading scientists, including some senior IPCC representatives, acknowledge that today's computer models cannot predict climate. Consistent with this, and despite computer projections of temperature rises, there has been no net global warming since 1998. That the current temperature plateau follows a late 20th-century period of warming is consistent with the continuation today of natural multi-decadal or millennial climate cycling.
Retired FBI agent: Waterboarding produced 'crap' information from detainee
(Full Story)
Contradicting the assertions of President Bush and waterboarding advocates at the CIA, federal investigators say a suspected al Qaeda operative who was subjected to the simulated drowning technique produced increasingly unreliable information after his interrogators began treating him harshly.
Abu Zubaida was captured in 2002 and moved through the CIA's secret prison system for much of that year. Although the FBI says Zubaida was a fairly low-level associate of some al Qaeda players, the CIA was convinced that he actually was a high-level terrorist who simply was holding out on them.
"I don't have confidence in anything he says, because once you go down that road, everything you say is tainted," retired FBI agent Daniel Coleman told the Washington Post, referring to the harsh measures. "He was talking before they did that to him, but they didn't believe him. The problem is they didn't realize he didn't know all that much."
Contradicting the assertions of President Bush and waterboarding advocates at the CIA, federal investigators say a suspected al Qaeda operative who was subjected to the simulated drowning technique produced increasingly unreliable information after his interrogators began treating him harshly.
Abu Zubaida was captured in 2002 and moved through the CIA's secret prison system for much of that year. Although the FBI says Zubaida was a fairly low-level associate of some al Qaeda players, the CIA was convinced that he actually was a high-level terrorist who simply was holding out on them.
"I don't have confidence in anything he says, because once you go down that road, everything you say is tainted," retired FBI agent Daniel Coleman told the Washington Post, referring to the harsh measures. "He was talking before they did that to him, but they didn't believe him. The problem is they didn't realize he didn't know all that much."
FBI Now Admits Evidence Used to Connect Oswald to Kennedy Assasination Was Bogus
(Full Story)
The front page of the Sunday Washington Post features, "FBI Forensic Test Full of Holes." It claims that hundreds of defendants sitting in prisons nationwide have been convicted with the help of an FBI forensic tool that has been found to be completely full of inconsistent results and has actually been discarded by the FBI for such reasons more than two years ago. But the FBI lab has failed to take or attempt to alert any of the affected defendants or courts, even though the window for appealing convictions is closing.
As early as 1991, the FBI conducted studies on the reliability of the "bullet-lead" analysis used to connect bullets found at the scene of a crime to bullets in thepossession of a suspect. The studies found that lead composition of bullets in the same box didn't always match, which should have been a sign that the test was completely unreliable. Further analysis discovered that bullets packaged15 months apart in different areas of the country in different boxes, unexpectedly matched - a gap the forensic testing originally claimed had different bullet lead make-up.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. The test, now confirmed by the FBI's own admittance, has actually been used to connect people to crimes they never committed. The test was first initiated and used on July 8, 1964 by order of J Edgar Hoover for the Warren Commission to connect Lee Harvey Oswald to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy. Throughout the following decades, this same test has been used to convict civil rights activists and gang members, many of which have maintained their "innocence."
The front page of the Sunday Washington Post features, "FBI Forensic Test Full of Holes." It claims that hundreds of defendants sitting in prisons nationwide have been convicted with the help of an FBI forensic tool that has been found to be completely full of inconsistent results and has actually been discarded by the FBI for such reasons more than two years ago. But the FBI lab has failed to take or attempt to alert any of the affected defendants or courts, even though the window for appealing convictions is closing.
As early as 1991, the FBI conducted studies on the reliability of the "bullet-lead" analysis used to connect bullets found at the scene of a crime to bullets in thepossession of a suspect. The studies found that lead composition of bullets in the same box didn't always match, which should have been a sign that the test was completely unreliable. Further analysis discovered that bullets packaged15 months apart in different areas of the country in different boxes, unexpectedly matched - a gap the forensic testing originally claimed had different bullet lead make-up.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. The test, now confirmed by the FBI's own admittance, has actually been used to connect people to crimes they never committed. The test was first initiated and used on July 8, 1964 by order of J Edgar Hoover for the Warren Commission to connect Lee Harvey Oswald to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy. Throughout the following decades, this same test has been used to convict civil rights activists and gang members, many of which have maintained their "innocence."
Colorado Voting Machines Don't Measure Up
(Full Story)
A significant number of electronic-voting machines in use in Colorado aren't reliable enough nor secure enough for compliance with state laws, the Colorado secretary of state said today.
Coffman announced his office had determined that Sequoia's electronic-voting machines — the Edge II and the Edge II Plus — both failed due to security-risk factors.
He also said the optical-scan devices eScan and BallotNow, manufactured by Hart, showed they could not accurately count ballots.
ES&S optical-scan devices failed as well because of the inability to determine whether they worked properly. That manufacturer's electronic-voting machine, iVotronic, also failed because it can be easily disabled by voters. In addition, that system lacked an audit trail.
A significant number of electronic-voting machines in use in Colorado aren't reliable enough nor secure enough for compliance with state laws, the Colorado secretary of state said today.
Coffman announced his office had determined that Sequoia's electronic-voting machines — the Edge II and the Edge II Plus — both failed due to security-risk factors.
He also said the optical-scan devices eScan and BallotNow, manufactured by Hart, showed they could not accurately count ballots.
ES&S optical-scan devices failed as well because of the inability to determine whether they worked properly. That manufacturer's electronic-voting machine, iVotronic, also failed because it can be easily disabled by voters. In addition, that system lacked an audit trail.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Knife At Lunch Gets 10-Year-Old Girl Arrested At School
(Full Story)
OCALA, Fla. -- A 10-year old Ocala girl brought her lunch to school and a small kitchen knife to cut it. She now faces a felony charge after being arrested. The school and the sheriff's office disagree on the reason for the arrest.
School officials say the 5th grader was brown-bagging it. She brought a piece of steak for her lunch, but she also brought a steak knife. That's when deputies were called.
"She did not use it inappropriately. She did not threaten anyone with it. She didn't pull it out and brandish it. Nothing of that nature," explained Marion County School Spokesman Kevin Christian.
OCALA, Fla. -- A 10-year old Ocala girl brought her lunch to school and a small kitchen knife to cut it. She now faces a felony charge after being arrested. The school and the sheriff's office disagree on the reason for the arrest.
School officials say the 5th grader was brown-bagging it. She brought a piece of steak for her lunch, but she also brought a steak knife. That's when deputies were called.
"She did not use it inappropriately. She did not threaten anyone with it. She didn't pull it out and brandish it. Nothing of that nature," explained Marion County School Spokesman Kevin Christian.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Ohio Elections Officials Call Machines Flawed
(Full Story)
CINCINNATI — All five voting systems used in Ohio, a state whose electoral votes narrowly swung two elections toward President Bush, have critical flaws that could undermine the integrity of the 2008 general election, a report commissioned by the state’s top elections official has found.
At polling stations, teams working on the study were able to pick locks to access memory cards and use hand-held devices to plug false vote counts into machines. At boards of election, they were able to introduce malignant software into servers.
Ms. Brunner proposed replacing all of the state’s voting machines, including the touch-screen ones used in more than 50 of Ohio’s 88 counties. She wants all counties to use optical scan machines that read and electronically record paper ballots that are filled in manually by voters.
Florida, another swing state with a history of voting problems, is also scrapping touch-screen machines and switching to optical scan ones for the election. Such systems have gained favor because experts say they are more reliable than others and, unlike most touch screens, they provide a paper trail for recounts.
Ms. Brunner, a Democrat, succeeded J. Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican who came under fire for simultaneously overseeing the 2004 election and serving as co-chairman of President Bush’s re-election campaign in Ohio.
CINCINNATI — All five voting systems used in Ohio, a state whose electoral votes narrowly swung two elections toward President Bush, have critical flaws that could undermine the integrity of the 2008 general election, a report commissioned by the state’s top elections official has found.
At polling stations, teams working on the study were able to pick locks to access memory cards and use hand-held devices to plug false vote counts into machines. At boards of election, they were able to introduce malignant software into servers.
Ms. Brunner proposed replacing all of the state’s voting machines, including the touch-screen ones used in more than 50 of Ohio’s 88 counties. She wants all counties to use optical scan machines that read and electronically record paper ballots that are filled in manually by voters.
Florida, another swing state with a history of voting problems, is also scrapping touch-screen machines and switching to optical scan ones for the election. Such systems have gained favor because experts say they are more reliable than others and, unlike most touch screens, they provide a paper trail for recounts.
Ms. Brunner, a Democrat, succeeded J. Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican who came under fire for simultaneously overseeing the 2004 election and serving as co-chairman of President Bush’s re-election campaign in Ohio.
US-Made Child Meningitis Vaccine Recalled in China
(Full Story)
Over 100,000 doses of US-made vaccines for childhood meningitis have been recalled in China due to sterilisation concerns, the Chinese government said.
US pharmaceutical firm Merck and its China importer have recalled 104,930 doses of the vaccine as Merck cannot assure their sterility, the State Food and Drug Administration said in a statement posted on its website Sunday.
It came, however, amid US concerns surrounding a host of Chinese products ranging from fake drugs and toxic seafood to dangerous toys and substandard tyres.
Over 100,000 doses of US-made vaccines for childhood meningitis have been recalled in China due to sterilisation concerns, the Chinese government said.
US pharmaceutical firm Merck and its China importer have recalled 104,930 doses of the vaccine as Merck cannot assure their sterility, the State Food and Drug Administration said in a statement posted on its website Sunday.
It came, however, amid US concerns surrounding a host of Chinese products ranging from fake drugs and toxic seafood to dangerous toys and substandard tyres.
Vaccine Nation by Lew Rockwell
(Full Story)
Here we go - mandatory flu shots for pre-school kids. Imagine a place and time where your child's health is not your business, but that of some government and its perceived panel of experts. That place and time is wherever you are and it is now. The government owns your body, your children, and controls your choices.
New Jersey also will require preschoolers to get a pneumococcal vaccine and sixth-graders to get vaccines against meningitis, which New Jersey already requires for college dormitory residents, and a booster shot against whooping cough, which in recent years has seen a resurgence blamed on waning potency of shots given to infants and preschoolers.
Dare I mention Merck's contaminated (and soon to be mandatory in New Jersey) vaccines?
Here we go - mandatory flu shots for pre-school kids. Imagine a place and time where your child's health is not your business, but that of some government and its perceived panel of experts. That place and time is wherever you are and it is now. The government owns your body, your children, and controls your choices.
New Jersey also will require preschoolers to get a pneumococcal vaccine and sixth-graders to get vaccines against meningitis, which New Jersey already requires for college dormitory residents, and a booster shot against whooping cough, which in recent years has seen a resurgence blamed on waning potency of shots given to infants and preschoolers.
Dare I mention Merck's contaminated (and soon to be mandatory in New Jersey) vaccines?
Mom Threatened with Jail for Teaching Kids at Home
(Full Story)
A homeschooling mom in Utah has been ordered by a judge to enroll her children in a public school district within 24 hours, and have them in class tomorrow, all because of a paperwork glitch that very well could be the fault of the district.
The mother, Denise Mafi, told WND that she already has enrolled her children in the district, under the threat from Judge Scott Johansen, who serves in the juvenile division of the state's 7th Judicial District, that he would order her children taken away from her.
It seems that an affidavit she faxed to the local school district for the 2006-2007 school year, documenting her homeschooling plans, was lost by the district. So when she went to court with her juvenile son to have the charges dismissed (under a case held in abeyance procedure) stemming from a clash among children, she suddenly was presented with four counts against her for failing to comply with the state's compulsory education requirement.
"Well everything fell apart in court today. I had to enroll my two oldest in public school. They start on Monday. If I didn't the judge said I would lose custody of my children. He threw out the plea and we go to trial on January 9th. I have NO CHANCE with this judge. He will find me guilty. He already has. So I will probably be spending some time in jail. Please pray for my children," she noted in an online forum connected to a "Five In A Row" homeschool curriculum she had used when her children were younger.
A homeschooling mom in Utah has been ordered by a judge to enroll her children in a public school district within 24 hours, and have them in class tomorrow, all because of a paperwork glitch that very well could be the fault of the district.
The mother, Denise Mafi, told WND that she already has enrolled her children in the district, under the threat from Judge Scott Johansen, who serves in the juvenile division of the state's 7th Judicial District, that he would order her children taken away from her.
It seems that an affidavit she faxed to the local school district for the 2006-2007 school year, documenting her homeschooling plans, was lost by the district. So when she went to court with her juvenile son to have the charges dismissed (under a case held in abeyance procedure) stemming from a clash among children, she suddenly was presented with four counts against her for failing to comply with the state's compulsory education requirement.
"Well everything fell apart in court today. I had to enroll my two oldest in public school. They start on Monday. If I didn't the judge said I would lose custody of my children. He threw out the plea and we go to trial on January 9th. I have NO CHANCE with this judge. He will find me guilty. He already has. So I will probably be spending some time in jail. Please pray for my children," she noted in an online forum connected to a "Five In A Row" homeschool curriculum she had used when her children were younger.
1945 Army Newsletter Highlights Pearl Harbor Prior Knowledge
The following is a copy of a 15th of November, 1945 edition of the U.S. Army newsletter called "Homeward Bound", which I discovered when going through my grandfather's old documents. Included are several paragraphs discussing "...very startling Pearl Harbor disclosures." Rep. Gearheart of California is cited as quoting J. Edgar Hoover as saying "...he had alerted Honolulu agents 11 days before Pearl Harbor."
Download the full page here in PDF format.
Scottish Backpacker Stabbed to Death after a 'Creationism vs. Evolution' Argument
(Full Story)
A bizarre row about evolution versus creationism led to an English backpacker fatally stabbing a Scottish backpacker during a fruit-picking trip to earn money for their travels.
Alexander York, 33, from Essex, was sentenced to a maximum of five years in jail yesterday for the manslaughter of Rudi Boa, 28, a biomedical student from Inverness.
Towards the end of the night, however, they became embroiled in the creationism versus evolution argument, and it escalated into a shouting-match in the pub. Mr Boa and Ms Brown, his girlfriend, were both adamantly opposed to York's Christian fundamentalist point of view.
A bizarre row about evolution versus creationism led to an English backpacker fatally stabbing a Scottish backpacker during a fruit-picking trip to earn money for their travels.
Alexander York, 33, from Essex, was sentenced to a maximum of five years in jail yesterday for the manslaughter of Rudi Boa, 28, a biomedical student from Inverness.
Towards the end of the night, however, they became embroiled in the creationism versus evolution argument, and it escalated into a shouting-match in the pub. Mr Boa and Ms Brown, his girlfriend, were both adamantly opposed to York's Christian fundamentalist point of view.
Ron Paul Smashes Record with $6 Million plus Haul
(Full Story)
Ron Paul has smashed the all-time record for political donations on one day, beating John Kerry's previous effort as he hauled in over $6 million dollars during a 24-hour period that coincided with the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. The true figure could even tally up to near $7 million once all donations have been fully processed.
As of 12 Midnight EST, Paul campaign headquarters confirmed the total to be over $6 million while others had the figure at around $6.4 million. That total just represents processed credit card donations. The final total is likely to be closer to $7 million once checks, Paypal e-checks, and money orders are fully processed.
Related:
RON PAUL the Patriot radio ad
Ron Paul "2 days"
Local Republicans Alarmed at Ron Paul Supporters
Ron Paul Money Bomb Raises Over Half a Million in First Half Hour
Ron Paul has smashed the all-time record for political donations on one day, beating John Kerry's previous effort as he hauled in over $6 million dollars during a 24-hour period that coincided with the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. The true figure could even tally up to near $7 million once all donations have been fully processed.
As of 12 Midnight EST, Paul campaign headquarters confirmed the total to be over $6 million while others had the figure at around $6.4 million. That total just represents processed credit card donations. The final total is likely to be closer to $7 million once checks, Paypal e-checks, and money orders are fully processed.
Related:
RON PAUL the Patriot radio ad
Ron Paul "2 days"
Local Republicans Alarmed at Ron Paul Supporters
Ron Paul Money Bomb Raises Over Half a Million in First Half Hour
Cops Raid Wrong Home and Get Shot
(Full Story)
MINNEAPOLIS — Two officers who raided the wrong house during an investigation were shot at and returned fire, but no one was injured, a police spokesman said.
Family members said the shooter, the father of six, was frightened by the intruders early Sunday and fired through a closed bedroom door after first firing a warning shot.
‘‘It was some bad information that was received on the front end and it’s unfortunate because we have officers that were hit by gunfire and this truly, truly could have been a much worse situation,’’ said Sgt. Jesse Garcia.
‘‘He thought they were gang members and he was scared,’’ said Vang’s brother, Dao Khang. Dao Khang said Vang fired a warning shot, and then two more shots through his closed bedroom door.
MINNEAPOLIS — Two officers who raided the wrong house during an investigation were shot at and returned fire, but no one was injured, a police spokesman said.
Family members said the shooter, the father of six, was frightened by the intruders early Sunday and fired through a closed bedroom door after first firing a warning shot.
‘‘It was some bad information that was received on the front end and it’s unfortunate because we have officers that were hit by gunfire and this truly, truly could have been a much worse situation,’’ said Sgt. Jesse Garcia.
‘‘He thought they were gang members and he was scared,’’ said Vang’s brother, Dao Khang. Dao Khang said Vang fired a warning shot, and then two more shots through his closed bedroom door.
Media Coverage of Mall Shooting Fails to Reveal Mall's Gun-Free-Zone Status
(Full Story)
A Google news search using the phrase "Omaha Mall Shooting" finds an incredible 2,794 news stories worldwide for the last day. From India and Taiwan to Britain and Austria, there are probably few people in the world who haven’t heard about this tragedy.
But despite the massive news coverage, none of the media coverage, at least by 10 a.m. Thursday, mentioned this central fact: Yet another attack occurred in a gun-free zone.
A Google news search using the phrase "Omaha Mall Shooting" finds an incredible 2,794 news stories worldwide for the last day. From India and Taiwan to Britain and Austria, there are probably few people in the world who haven’t heard about this tragedy.
But despite the massive news coverage, none of the media coverage, at least by 10 a.m. Thursday, mentioned this central fact: Yet another attack occurred in a gun-free zone.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Bombed If You Do, Bombed If You Don't by Ron Paul
(Full Story)
The latest National Intelligence Estimate has been greeted by a mixture of relief and alarm. As I have been saying all along, Iran indeed poses no quantifiable imminent nuclear threat to us or her neighbors. It is with much alarm, however, that we see the administration continue to ratchet up the war rhetoric as if nothing has changed.
Indeed nothing has changed from the administration's perspective, as they have had this latest intelligence report for some time. Only this week has it been made known to the public. They want it both ways with Iran. On the one hand, they discredit the report entirely, despite it being one of the most comprehensive intelligence reports on the subject, with over 1,000 source notes in the document. On the other hand, when discrediting it fails, they claim that the timing of the abandonment of the weapons program, just as we were invading Iraq, means our pressure must have worked, so we must keep it up with a new round of even tougher sanctions. Russia and China are not buying this, apparently, and again we are finding ourselves on a lonely, tenuous platform on the world stage.
The latest National Intelligence Estimate has been greeted by a mixture of relief and alarm. As I have been saying all along, Iran indeed poses no quantifiable imminent nuclear threat to us or her neighbors. It is with much alarm, however, that we see the administration continue to ratchet up the war rhetoric as if nothing has changed.
Indeed nothing has changed from the administration's perspective, as they have had this latest intelligence report for some time. Only this week has it been made known to the public. They want it both ways with Iran. On the one hand, they discredit the report entirely, despite it being one of the most comprehensive intelligence reports on the subject, with over 1,000 source notes in the document. On the other hand, when discrediting it fails, they claim that the timing of the abandonment of the weapons program, just as we were invading Iraq, means our pressure must have worked, so we must keep it up with a new round of even tougher sanctions. Russia and China are not buying this, apparently, and again we are finding ourselves on a lonely, tenuous platform on the world stage.
Consensus Shattered As Major Scientific Study Says Global Warming Is Natural
(Full Story)
The so-called scientific consensus that global warming is man-made has been shattered with the release of a major new study backed by three universities which concludes that climate change over the past thirty years is explained by natural factors and that attempts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions are irrelevant.
Climate scientists at the University of Rochester, the University of Alabama, and the University of Virginia report that temperature fluctuations over the past three decades are not consistent with greenhouse model predictions and more closely correlate with solar activity.
The report dismisses attempts to reverse global warming by reducing carbon emissions as ineffective and pointless.
The so-called scientific consensus that global warming is man-made has been shattered with the release of a major new study backed by three universities which concludes that climate change over the past thirty years is explained by natural factors and that attempts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions are irrelevant.
Climate scientists at the University of Rochester, the University of Alabama, and the University of Virginia report that temperature fluctuations over the past three decades are not consistent with greenhouse model predictions and more closely correlate with solar activity.
The report dismisses attempts to reverse global warming by reducing carbon emissions as ineffective and pointless.
DHS Visited Omaha Mall prior to Shooting
(Full Story)
“We learned today that shortly before the shooting a Homeland Security employee visited the West Roads Mall to talk with officials about the mall’s security,” reports Charles Gibson for ABC News (see video). “Airports and sports arenas have tightened security considerably since 9/11, but malls have been reluctant to do so.”
In other words, the Ministry sent a message in spades: malls, not unlike airports, are to become Gestapo zones. Prior to the shooting, the FBI prepared the ground by issuing a spurious warning about al-Qaeda, the documented CIA intelligence asset, striking malls in Los Angeles and Chicago.
A few more mall incidents by deranged teenagers cranked up on pharm drugs – and maybe even a well-placed terrorist event – and the American people will be begging for surprise SWAT raids at the local mall and Ministry trained rentacops hallucinating Osama behind every concourse potted plant.
Merck Recalls Children's Vaccine
(Full Story)
The recall is for 1.2 million doses of the vaccine for Hib, which protects against meningitis, pneumonia and other serious infections, and a combination vaccine for Hib and hepatitis B. The vaccine is recommended for all children under 5 and is usually given in a three-shot series, starting at two months.
Merck, based in Whitehouse Station, N.J., is one of the few drug makers that produces a significant number of vaccines.
This week New Jersey took a controversial step toward becoming the first state to require flu shots for preschoolers after a health advisory board backed new vaccine requirements over opposition from parents.
While the company took a black eye with its September 2004 withdrawal of the painkiller Vioxx due to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, the company has been performing well recently. On Tuesday, it gave an upbeat assessment in its annual briefing for analysts.
Five weeks ago, Merck reached a deal to settle up to 50,000 Vioxx lawsuits for $4.85 billion, an amount expected to save the company millions in trial costs.
The recall is for 1.2 million doses of the vaccine for Hib, which protects against meningitis, pneumonia and other serious infections, and a combination vaccine for Hib and hepatitis B. The vaccine is recommended for all children under 5 and is usually given in a three-shot series, starting at two months.
Merck, based in Whitehouse Station, N.J., is one of the few drug makers that produces a significant number of vaccines.
This week New Jersey took a controversial step toward becoming the first state to require flu shots for preschoolers after a health advisory board backed new vaccine requirements over opposition from parents.
While the company took a black eye with its September 2004 withdrawal of the painkiller Vioxx due to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, the company has been performing well recently. On Tuesday, it gave an upbeat assessment in its annual briefing for analysts.
Five weeks ago, Merck reached a deal to settle up to 50,000 Vioxx lawsuits for $4.85 billion, an amount expected to save the company millions in trial costs.
Wreckage of Captain Kidd's Ship Found
(Full Story)
It is remarkable that the wreck has remained undiscovered all these years given its location, just 70 feet off the coast of Catalina Island in the Dominican Republic in less than 10 feet of seawater.
"All the evidence that we find underwater is consistent with what we know from historical documentation, which is extensive," Conrad said. "Through rigorous archeological investigations, we will conclusively prove that this is the Capt. Kidd shipwreck."
It is remarkable that the wreck has remained undiscovered all these years given its location, just 70 feet off the coast of Catalina Island in the Dominican Republic in less than 10 feet of seawater.
"All the evidence that we find underwater is consistent with what we know from historical documentation, which is extensive," Conrad said. "Through rigorous archeological investigations, we will conclusively prove that this is the Capt. Kidd shipwreck."
Why Time Seems to Slow Down in Emergencies
(Full Story)
This warping of time apparently does not result from the brain speeding up from adrenaline when in danger. Instead, this feeling seems to be an illusion, scientists now find.
Instead, such time warping seems to be a trick played by one's memory. When a person is scared, a brain area called the amygdala becomes more active, laying down an extra set of memories that go along with those normally taken care of by other parts of the brain.
Eagleman added this illusion "is related to the phenomenon that time seems to speed up as you grow older. When you're a child, you lay down rich memories for all your experiences; when you're older, you've seen it all before and lay down fewer memories. Therefore, when a child looks back at the end of a summer, it seems to have lasted forever; adults think it zoomed by."
This warping of time apparently does not result from the brain speeding up from adrenaline when in danger. Instead, this feeling seems to be an illusion, scientists now find.
Instead, such time warping seems to be a trick played by one's memory. When a person is scared, a brain area called the amygdala becomes more active, laying down an extra set of memories that go along with those normally taken care of by other parts of the brain.
Eagleman added this illusion "is related to the phenomenon that time seems to speed up as you grow older. When you're a child, you lay down rich memories for all your experiences; when you're older, you've seen it all before and lay down fewer memories. Therefore, when a child looks back at the end of a summer, it seems to have lasted forever; adults think it zoomed by."
Minnesota Law Bans Mercury in Mascara
(Full Story)
Minnesota apparently is the first state in the nation to ban intentionally added mercury in cosmetics, giving it a tougher standard than the federal government.
Retailers who knowingly sell mercury-containing cosmetics in Minnesota could face fines of as much as $700. Penalties could reach $10,000 for manufacturers who fail to disclose mercury on product labels, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
"Mercury does cause neurological damage to people even in tiny quantities," said Sen. John Marty, the Democrat from Roseville who sponsored the ban. "Every source of mercury adds to it. We wanted to make sure it wasn't here."
Mercury can retard brain development in children and fetuses, who are most vulnerable to the metal's toxic effects. But it can also cause neurological symptoms in adults.
Minnesota apparently is the first state in the nation to ban intentionally added mercury in cosmetics, giving it a tougher standard than the federal government.
Retailers who knowingly sell mercury-containing cosmetics in Minnesota could face fines of as much as $700. Penalties could reach $10,000 for manufacturers who fail to disclose mercury on product labels, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
"Mercury does cause neurological damage to people even in tiny quantities," said Sen. John Marty, the Democrat from Roseville who sponsored the ban. "Every source of mercury adds to it. We wanted to make sure it wasn't here."
Mercury can retard brain development in children and fetuses, who are most vulnerable to the metal's toxic effects. But it can also cause neurological symptoms in adults.
Co-Chair of Congressional 9/11 Inquiry and Former Head of Senate Intelligence Committee Confirms White House Cover Up
(Full Story)
The Co-Chair of the Congressional Inquiry into 9/11 and former Head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Bob Graham, revealed that the White House refused to let the 9/11 inquiry interview one of the most important witnesses imaginable:
Senator Bob Graham, the Florida Democrat who is a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, accused the White House on Tuesday of covering up evidence that might have linked Saudi Arabia to the Sept. 11 hijackers.
The Co-Chair of the Congressional Inquiry into 9/11 and former Head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Bob Graham, revealed that the White House refused to let the 9/11 inquiry interview one of the most important witnesses imaginable:
Senator Bob Graham, the Florida Democrat who is a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, accused the White House on Tuesday of covering up evidence that might have linked Saudi Arabia to the Sept. 11 hijackers.
Judge Declares Mistrial for 6 of the Liberty City 7; 7th Defendant found Not Guilty
(Full Story)
Twice the jury had sent notes saying they were unable to decide the fate of the seven men who were accused of plotting to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago and bomb FBI buildings in Miami and elsewhere, Local 10's Rad Berky reported.
The seven men charged were all allegedly caught on FBI surveillance video pledging support to al-Qaida, but the man leading the pledge was an FBI informant. The defense claims the men were just hoping to get money from the informant and had no intention of going ahead with the alleged plot.
Twice the jury had sent notes saying they were unable to decide the fate of the seven men who were accused of plotting to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago and bomb FBI buildings in Miami and elsewhere, Local 10's Rad Berky reported.
The seven men charged were all allegedly caught on FBI surveillance video pledging support to al-Qaida, but the man leading the pledge was an FBI informant. The defense claims the men were just hoping to get money from the informant and had no intention of going ahead with the alleged plot.
Suspected Army Suicides Set Record
(Full Story)
WASHINGTON — A record number of soldiers — 109 — have killed themselves this year, according to Army statistics showing confirmed or suspected suicides.
Those numbers show 77 confirmed suicides Army-wide this year through Nov. 27 and 32 other deaths pending final determination as suicides.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, records show that 128 soldiers have killed themselves while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
WASHINGTON — A record number of soldiers — 109 — have killed themselves this year, according to Army statistics showing confirmed or suspected suicides.
Those numbers show 77 confirmed suicides Army-wide this year through Nov. 27 and 32 other deaths pending final determination as suicides.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, records show that 128 soldiers have killed themselves while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Cloned Cats Glow Red in the Dark
The two Turkish Angora cats now glow red when exposed to ultraviolet light. The scientists believe the process could be used to develop treatments for human genetic diseases and could help reproduce rare animals.
To clone the cats, Kong's team used skin cells of the mother cat. They modified its genes to make them fluorescent by using a virus, which was transplanted into the ova. The ova were then implanted into the womb of the donor cat. Four kittens were born but two died during the caesarean section.
"It will also help develop stemcell treatments," he said, noting that cats have 250 kinds of genetic diseases that affect humans as well.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Earth has had several cooling-warming periods
(Full Story)
Most scientists agree that we are in a warming period. The argument is about the influence of CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants and the automobiles we drive.
Recent recorded history has documented these warming-cooling periods: 600 to 200 B.C., cold period; 200 B.C. to A.D. 600, Roman Warming period; 600 to 900, the Dark Ages-cold; 900 to 1300, Medievel warming period; 1300 to 1850, Little Ice Age; 1850 to present, warming period.
One theory is that variations in the energy released by our sun is the culprit in the Earth's temperature change debate. These and other theories need more careful evaluation and research before we believe Al Gore's doomsday predictions and jump off the cliff in despair.
Most scientists agree that we are in a warming period. The argument is about the influence of CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants and the automobiles we drive.
Recent recorded history has documented these warming-cooling periods: 600 to 200 B.C., cold period; 200 B.C. to A.D. 600, Roman Warming period; 600 to 900, the Dark Ages-cold; 900 to 1300, Medievel warming period; 1300 to 1850, Little Ice Age; 1850 to present, warming period.
One theory is that variations in the energy released by our sun is the culprit in the Earth's temperature change debate. These and other theories need more careful evaluation and research before we believe Al Gore's doomsday predictions and jump off the cliff in despair.
De-Facto One Child Policy Urged In Australia
(Full Story)
COUPLES who have more than two children should be charged a lifelong tax to offset their extra offspring's carbon dioxide emissions, a medical expert says.
The report in an Australian medical journal called for parents to be charged $5000 a head for every child after their second, and an annual tax of up to $800.
"Every family choosing to have more than a defined number of children should be charged a carbon tax that would fund the planting of enough trees to offset the carbon cost generated by a new human being," said Prof Walters, an obstetrician at King Edward Memorial Hospital.
COUPLES who have more than two children should be charged a lifelong tax to offset their extra offspring's carbon dioxide emissions, a medical expert says.
The report in an Australian medical journal called for parents to be charged $5000 a head for every child after their second, and an annual tax of up to $800.
"Every family choosing to have more than a defined number of children should be charged a carbon tax that would fund the planting of enough trees to offset the carbon cost generated by a new human being," said Prof Walters, an obstetrician at King Edward Memorial Hospital.
Merck drug company vaccines admits injecting cancer viruses
(Full Story)
This stunning censored interview conducted by medical historian Edward Shorter for WGBH public television (Boston) and Blackwell Science was cut from The Health Century due to its huge liability--the admission that Merck drug company vaccines have traditionally been injecting cancer viruses (SV40 and others) in people worldwide.
This segment of In Lies We Trust: The CIA, Hollywood & Bioterrorism, produced and freely contributed by consumer protector and public health expert, Dr. Leonard Horowitz, features the world's leading vaccine expert, Dr. Maurice Hilleman, who explains why Merck's vaccines have spread AIDS, leukemia, and other horrific plagues worldwide.
Please forward this clip (link) to everyone you know who thinks vaccines are "safe and effective."
The 911 Commission Doesn't Believe It: Why Do You?
(Full Story)
The 9/11 Commission co-chairs don't believe the 9/11 Commission Report:
The 9/11 Commissioners knew that military officials lied to the Commission, and considered recommending criminal charges for such false statements, yet didn't bother to tell the American people (free subscription required).
The co-chairs of the Commission now admit that the Commission largely operated based upon political considerations.
Chairman Thomas Kean says “I’m upset that [the government] didn’t tell us the truth.”
Co-chair Hamilton says of the CIA's cover up and destruction of tapes of interrogation of people allegedly connected with 9/11:
"Did they obstruct our inquiry? The answer is clearly yes," says Lee Hamilton, who co-chaired the 9/11 Commission, in the wake of reports the CIA destroyed videotapes of interrogations of two al-Qaida suspects. "Whether that amounts to a crime, others will have to judge," adds Hamilton.
Hamilton also says "I don't believe for a minute we got everything right", that the Commission was set up to fail, that people should keep asking questions about 9/11, that the 9/11 debate should continue, and that the 9/11 Commission report was only "the first draft" of history.
The 9/11 Commission co-chairs don't believe the 9/11 Commission Report:
The 9/11 Commissioners knew that military officials lied to the Commission, and considered recommending criminal charges for such false statements, yet didn't bother to tell the American people (free subscription required).
The co-chairs of the Commission now admit that the Commission largely operated based upon political considerations.
Chairman Thomas Kean says “I’m upset that [the government] didn’t tell us the truth.”
Co-chair Hamilton says of the CIA's cover up and destruction of tapes of interrogation of people allegedly connected with 9/11:
"Did they obstruct our inquiry? The answer is clearly yes," says Lee Hamilton, who co-chaired the 9/11 Commission, in the wake of reports the CIA destroyed videotapes of interrogations of two al-Qaida suspects. "Whether that amounts to a crime, others will have to judge," adds Hamilton.
Hamilton also says "I don't believe for a minute we got everything right", that the Commission was set up to fail, that people should keep asking questions about 9/11, that the 9/11 debate should continue, and that the 9/11 Commission report was only "the first draft" of history.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Mexico Attorney General: Both Busted Drug Planes Flew for Same Operation
(Full Story)
Two weeks after the MadCowMorningNews exclusively reported suspicious connections between the owners of the two American-registered planes busted with multi-ton loads of cocaine during the past 18 months on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, the Mexican Attorney General confirmed that both planes were used by the same smuggling operation.
In coordinated raids Thursday on Casa de Cambio Puebla SA, a country-wide network of currency exchanges, many located at airports, squads of heavily-armed Mexican Federal Police took more than 70 people into custody, targeting a ring they said used laundered money to buy airplanes to smuggle drugs, Mexico's Attorney General's Office said in a news release.
Two weeks after the MadCowMorningNews exclusively reported suspicious connections between the owners of the two American-registered planes busted with multi-ton loads of cocaine during the past 18 months on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, the Mexican Attorney General confirmed that both planes were used by the same smuggling operation.
In coordinated raids Thursday on Casa de Cambio Puebla SA, a country-wide network of currency exchanges, many located at airports, squads of heavily-armed Mexican Federal Police took more than 70 people into custody, targeting a ring they said used laundered money to buy airplanes to smuggle drugs, Mexico's Attorney General's Office said in a news release.
CIA Drug Planes Caught In Mexican Standoff
At least four men have already paid with their lives in Mexico during the ensuing confusion which followed the crash of the CIA-connected Gulfstream business jet which was carrying more than 4 tons of cocaine as well as an yet-unspecified amount of heroin, in the jungle outside of Merida in Mexico's Yucatan on September 24th of this year.
Last week the Director of Civil Aviation in the Yucatan, Jose Luis Soladana Ortiz, was assassinated on his way to work.
And three tortured bodies were discovered lying across a road near the Merida airport several weeks ago, according to reports in the Mexican press.
The murders and multi-ton drug busts are part of a continuing "Mexican stand-off" between rival Mexican drug cartels allied with dueling factions contesting across Mexico's unsettled political landscape, a contest which has resulted in more than 1500 murders already this year.
8 Senior Republican Appointees Challenge Official Account of 911- "Not Possible", "A Whitewash", "False"
December 4, 2007 – Eight former senior Republican administration appointees have severely criticized the official account of 9/11 and several have called for a new investigation. "I find the facts against the official story of the [WTC] buildings' collapse more compelling than the case that has been made in behalf of the official story. I would like to see the issue debated by independent scientists and engineers," wrote Paul Craig Roberts, PhD, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under President Ronald Reagan. "A real investigation is needed to find an explanation consistent with the evidence, even if it doesn't reassure the public," said Dr. Roberts [1], frequently referred to as the "Father of Reagonomics."
"Over the past six years, the ranks of distinguished skeptics of the 9-11 storyline have grown enormously. The ranks include distinguished scientists, engineers and architects, intelligence officers, air traffic controllers, military officers and generals, including the former commanding general of U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, former presidential appointees and members of the White House staff in Republican administrations, Top Gun fighter pilots and career airline pilots who say that the flying attributed to the 9-11 hijackers is beyond the skills of America's best pilots, and foreign dignitaries." [2]
Attempted Carjack Victim Shoots, Kills his would-be Attackers in DeKalb Cty GA
(Full Story)
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5) -- A would-be robber is dead after witnesses say his intended victim pulled a gun. It happened on Stardust Circle in DeKalb County.
Investigators said the Johnson family was returning home from a school event when three people came up to their car. Randall Johnson, 36, pulled out a gun and shot one of the suspects, killing him.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5) -- A would-be robber is dead after witnesses say his intended victim pulled a gun. It happened on Stardust Circle in DeKalb County.
Investigators said the Johnson family was returning home from a school event when three people came up to their car. Randall Johnson, 36, pulled out a gun and shot one of the suspects, killing him.
SF radio personality Bernie Ward indicted on child porn charges
(Full Story)
Bernie Ward, a popular liberal San Francisco radio talk show host and former Catholic priest, has been indicted on federal child pornography charges, authorities said today.
Ward hosts a nightly news talk program on KGO 810 AM as well as GodTalk on Sundays. He had been a priest with the Society of the Precious Blood order.
Bernie Ward, a popular liberal San Francisco radio talk show host and former Catholic priest, has been indicted on federal child pornography charges, authorities said today.
Ward hosts a nightly news talk program on KGO 810 AM as well as GodTalk on Sundays. He had been a priest with the Society of the Precious Blood order.
The Bill of Rights Under Attack: A Timeline
(Full Story)
The USA Patriot Act becomes law. Among other things the law: makes it a crime for anyone to contribute money or material support for any group on the State Department’s Terror Watch List, allows the FBI to monitor and tape conversations between attorneys and clients, allows the FBI to order librarians to turn over information about patron’s reading habits, allows the government to conduct surveillance on internet and email use of US citizens without notice. The act also calls for expanded use of National Security Letters (NSLs), which allow the FBI to search telephone, email and financial records of US citizens without a court order, exempts the government from needing to reveal how evidence against suspected terrorists was obtained and authorizes indefinite detention of immigrants at the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities.
The USA Patriot Act becomes law. Among other things the law: makes it a crime for anyone to contribute money or material support for any group on the State Department’s Terror Watch List, allows the FBI to monitor and tape conversations between attorneys and clients, allows the FBI to order librarians to turn over information about patron’s reading habits, allows the government to conduct surveillance on internet and email use of US citizens without notice. The act also calls for expanded use of National Security Letters (NSLs), which allow the FBI to search telephone, email and financial records of US citizens without a court order, exempts the government from needing to reveal how evidence against suspected terrorists was obtained and authorizes indefinite detention of immigrants at the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities.
Banker Found Dead In His Swimming Pool Near Moscow
(Full Story)
Oleg Zhukovsky, who handled deals with major clients in the timber industry, had been tied up and tortured, business daily Kommersant reported on Friday citing investigators.
A 'suicide note' found in the house read: "I am tired of living. I ask you not to blame anyone." Handwriting experts are ascertaining who penned the note.
The paper said investigators found evidence that the house, in the elite Lesnaya Opushka community in the Odintsovo District, to the west of the capital, had been broken into, and that a plastic bag had been put over Zhukovsky's head. The banker was known to have heart trouble, and may have died while being tortured, investigators said.
However, a high-ranking investigation source told RIA Novosti that suicide was still being considered as a possible cause of death.
Oleg Zhukovsky, who handled deals with major clients in the timber industry, had been tied up and tortured, business daily Kommersant reported on Friday citing investigators.
A 'suicide note' found in the house read: "I am tired of living. I ask you not to blame anyone." Handwriting experts are ascertaining who penned the note.
The paper said investigators found evidence that the house, in the elite Lesnaya Opushka community in the Odintsovo District, to the west of the capital, had been broken into, and that a plastic bag had been put over Zhukovsky's head. The banker was known to have heart trouble, and may have died while being tortured, investigators said.
However, a high-ranking investigation source told RIA Novosti that suicide was still being considered as a possible cause of death.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Omaha Shooter Also Treated for Depression
(Full Story)
Robert Hawkins, the 19 year old who killed himself and eight other people with an assault rifle last night in Omaha, Nebraska had a history of treatment with psychiatric drugs for depression and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and was on prozac according to press reports.
Hawkins is the latest in a long line of shooters all of which were on prescribed antidepressants before they suddenly snapped and decided to kill as many people as they could before taking their own lives.
Investigators believe that Cho Seung Hui, the Virginia Tech murderer, had been taking anti-depressant medication at some point before the shootings last April, according to The Chicago Tribune.
Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, as well as 15-year-old Kip Kinkel, the Oregon killer who gunned down his parents and classmates, were all on psychotropic drugs.
Jeff Weise, the Red Lake High School killer was on prozac, "Unabomber" Ted Kaczinski, Michael McDermott, John Hinckley, Jr., Byran Uyesugi, Mark David Chapman and Charles Carl Roberts IV, the Amish school killer, were all on SSRI psychotropic drugs.
In 2005, it was revealed that Eli Lilly had full knowledge of a 1200% increase in suicide risk for takers of their Prozac. This evidence came in the wake of findings published in the British Medical Journal a year previously.
Robert Hawkins, the 19 year old who killed himself and eight other people with an assault rifle last night in Omaha, Nebraska had a history of treatment with psychiatric drugs for depression and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and was on prozac according to press reports.
Hawkins is the latest in a long line of shooters all of which were on prescribed antidepressants before they suddenly snapped and decided to kill as many people as they could before taking their own lives.
Investigators believe that Cho Seung Hui, the Virginia Tech murderer, had been taking anti-depressant medication at some point before the shootings last April, according to The Chicago Tribune.
Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, as well as 15-year-old Kip Kinkel, the Oregon killer who gunned down his parents and classmates, were all on psychotropic drugs.
Jeff Weise, the Red Lake High School killer was on prozac, "Unabomber" Ted Kaczinski, Michael McDermott, John Hinckley, Jr., Byran Uyesugi, Mark David Chapman and Charles Carl Roberts IV, the Amish school killer, were all on SSRI psychotropic drugs.
In 2005, it was revealed that Eli Lilly had full knowledge of a 1200% increase in suicide risk for takers of their Prozac. This evidence came in the wake of findings published in the British Medical Journal a year previously.
NASA Debunks Part of Global Warming Myth, Will Media Report It?
Such seems likely to be alleged by hysterical alarmists in the press when and if they read a new study out of NASA which determined that "not all the large changes seen in Arctic climate in recent years are a result of long-term trends associated with global warming."
Of course, it's quite unlikely many climate alarmists will even hear about this study, for today's green media wouldn't want to do anything that destroys their illusion that there's a scientific consensus regarding this matter.
Omaha Gunman Freed From Centers, Homes
See the paragraph in bold in particular...
(Full Story)
OMAHA, Neb. - The young man who killed eight people and committed suicide in a shooting rampage at a department store spent four years in a series of treatment centers, group homes and foster care after threatening to kill his stepmother in 2002.
Finally, in August 2006, social workers, the courts and his father all agreed: It was time for Robert Hawkins to be released - nine months before he turned 19 and would have been required to leave anyway.
Under state law, Landry said, wards are released when all sides - parents, courts, social workers - agree it is time for them to go. Once Hawkins was set free, he was entirely on his own. He was no longer under state supervision, and was not released into anyone's custody.
(Full Story)
OMAHA, Neb. - The young man who killed eight people and committed suicide in a shooting rampage at a department store spent four years in a series of treatment centers, group homes and foster care after threatening to kill his stepmother in 2002.
Finally, in August 2006, social workers, the courts and his father all agreed: It was time for Robert Hawkins to be released - nine months before he turned 19 and would have been required to leave anyway.
Under state law, Landry said, wards are released when all sides - parents, courts, social workers - agree it is time for them to go. Once Hawkins was set free, he was entirely on his own. He was no longer under state supervision, and was not released into anyone's custody.
Psychotropic Drug Prescriptions to Children Skyrocket 400% in 10 Years
(Full Story)
(NewsTarget) Prescriptions of psychiatric drugs in the United Kingdom to children under the age of 16 have more than quadrupled since the mid-1990s, according to figures recorded by the government. In the mid-'90s, general practitioners wrote 146,000 such prescriptions, while in the most recent fiscal year they wrote 613,000.
In the same time period, however, data indicate that there has been no corresponding increase in the prevalence of mental health disorders among children. According to the British Office of National Statistics, approximately one in 10 children were diagnosed with some kind of mental disorder, whether major or minor, in surveys conducted in 1999 and 2004.
The release of the data has sparked criticism that doctors are too quick to prescribe psychotropic drugs.
(NewsTarget) Prescriptions of psychiatric drugs in the United Kingdom to children under the age of 16 have more than quadrupled since the mid-1990s, according to figures recorded by the government. In the mid-'90s, general practitioners wrote 146,000 such prescriptions, while in the most recent fiscal year they wrote 613,000.
In the same time period, however, data indicate that there has been no corresponding increase in the prevalence of mental health disorders among children. According to the British Office of National Statistics, approximately one in 10 children were diagnosed with some kind of mental disorder, whether major or minor, in surveys conducted in 1999 and 2004.
The release of the data has sparked criticism that doctors are too quick to prescribe psychotropic drugs.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
The Health Industry's Secret History of Delaying the Fight Against Cancer
(Full Story)
What is the relationship between the mass production of synthetic chemicals, workplace chemical exposure, environmental pollution and rising cancer rates in the 20th and 21st centuries? In her new book, The Secret History of the War on Cancer, Devra Davis, director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, argues not only are there links between these developments, but the industries responsible for producing these chemicals and wastes have long been well aware of these connections and have sought, with much success, to downplay or dismiss them. As a result, industry has altered the very terms of the public and medical discussion of cancer, resulting in an overwhelming emphasis on cure rather than prevention. This approach has been far better for the industrial status quo rather than for the public health; the increase in cancer is not an artifact of improved diagnoses or the aging of the population.
What is the relationship between the mass production of synthetic chemicals, workplace chemical exposure, environmental pollution and rising cancer rates in the 20th and 21st centuries? In her new book, The Secret History of the War on Cancer, Devra Davis, director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, argues not only are there links between these developments, but the industries responsible for producing these chemicals and wastes have long been well aware of these connections and have sought, with much success, to downplay or dismiss them. As a result, industry has altered the very terms of the public and medical discussion of cancer, resulting in an overwhelming emphasis on cure rather than prevention. This approach has been far better for the industrial status quo rather than for the public health; the increase in cancer is not an artifact of improved diagnoses or the aging of the population.
Tasers Usher In A New Age of Pain Compliance
(Full Story)
Police officers in the United States and Canada continue to abuse their positions as public servants with the inappropriate use of tasers. Tasers were first provided to police as a weapon that would be used only as an alternative to deadly force. Now, police are using tasers in a myriad of situations in which there is clearly no violent threat being directed against them. In the past few months a pregnant woman, drivers going a few miles over the posted speed limit, a deaf man getting out of a bathtub and many others have all been shot and tortured with a taser gun for no legitimate reason. Hundreds of people have died from being shot at with a taser and the United Nations has gone on record stating that taser use is nothing more than torture. It is clear that the increasing misuse of the taser by police officers is ushering in a new age of pain compliance in the formation of this high tech 21st century police state.
Police officers in the United States and Canada continue to abuse their positions as public servants with the inappropriate use of tasers. Tasers were first provided to police as a weapon that would be used only as an alternative to deadly force. Now, police are using tasers in a myriad of situations in which there is clearly no violent threat being directed against them. In the past few months a pregnant woman, drivers going a few miles over the posted speed limit, a deaf man getting out of a bathtub and many others have all been shot and tortured with a taser gun for no legitimate reason. Hundreds of people have died from being shot at with a taser and the United Nations has gone on record stating that taser use is nothing more than torture. It is clear that the increasing misuse of the taser by police officers is ushering in a new age of pain compliance in the formation of this high tech 21st century police state.
Alberta Gov't Admits NAFTA Superhighway A Reality
Alberta's government web site admits to the existence of a NAFTA superhighway. While establishment media hacks continue to deny plans for a continental highway, it is curious that a government web site would openly admit to the existence of it. It is also curious how these liars can get away with calling presidential candidate Ron Paul a conspiracy theorist for citing readily available information. One of the driving forces behind the formation of a NAFTA superhighway is NASCO a non profit organization dedicated to expanding our current highway infrastructure so goods can be more easily traded within the coming North American Union.
6 Necessary Changes to the Constitution
(Full Story)
From the separation of powers to the Bill of Rights, the United States Constitution remains brilliant in its overall composition. Since 1787, however, we have seen tremendous growth in our technologies, economy, population and military strength. Our founding document no longer addresses the complicated issues that affect our government and our citizens. If we really want to make progress and achieve greater fairness as a society, it is time for elemental change. And we should start by looking at the Constitution, with the goal of holding a new Constitutional Convention.
From the separation of powers to the Bill of Rights, the United States Constitution remains brilliant in its overall composition. Since 1787, however, we have seen tremendous growth in our technologies, economy, population and military strength. Our founding document no longer addresses the complicated issues that affect our government and our citizens. If we really want to make progress and achieve greater fairness as a society, it is time for elemental change. And we should start by looking at the Constitution, with the goal of holding a new Constitutional Convention.
Interview with a Shaman: A Conversation with an Ayahuasquero
(Full Story)
For the past few years, I've had the opportunity to work with a wonderful lineage of Ayahuasca shamans at the Blue Morpho lodge, just outside of Iquitos, Peru. The lodge has become more popular in recent years, recieving journalistic coverage from the New York Times and National Geographic, making it a global hot-spot for shamanic workshops.
Blue Morpho's owner and founder, Hamilton Souther, is unique. He is a westerner, a "white guy," who apprenticed with a lineage of Mestizo shamans. After completing a workshop this past June, I had the chance to share a dialogue with Hamilton about the nature of fear, the evolution of consciousness, some of the political issues that Ayahuasca shamanism is facing from the Peruvian Government, and the developing role of Ayahuasca Shamanism in the West.
For the past few years, I've had the opportunity to work with a wonderful lineage of Ayahuasca shamans at the Blue Morpho lodge, just outside of Iquitos, Peru. The lodge has become more popular in recent years, recieving journalistic coverage from the New York Times and National Geographic, making it a global hot-spot for shamanic workshops.
Blue Morpho's owner and founder, Hamilton Souther, is unique. He is a westerner, a "white guy," who apprenticed with a lineage of Mestizo shamans. After completing a workshop this past June, I had the chance to share a dialogue with Hamilton about the nature of fear, the evolution of consciousness, some of the political issues that Ayahuasca shamanism is facing from the Peruvian Government, and the developing role of Ayahuasca Shamanism in the West.
Honey Is Better for Children's Coughs than Over-the-counter Meds
(Full Story)
Honey is better at treating children's coughs than an ingredient used in many over-the-counter medicines, according to new research.
A small dose of honey was found to be more effective in cutting both the severity and the frequency of night-time coughing than a widely-used cough suppressant.
Honey also gave children - and their parents - a better night's sleep, the researchers discovered, while Dextromethorphan (DM) which is found in several well-known brands of cough medicine including some types of Benylin and Robitussin, was found to be no better than taking nothing at all.
Honey is better at treating children's coughs than an ingredient used in many over-the-counter medicines, according to new research.
A small dose of honey was found to be more effective in cutting both the severity and the frequency of night-time coughing than a widely-used cough suppressant.
Honey also gave children - and their parents - a better night's sleep, the researchers discovered, while Dextromethorphan (DM) which is found in several well-known brands of cough medicine including some types of Benylin and Robitussin, was found to be no better than taking nothing at all.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Gunman Opens Fire at Omaha Mall; Kills 8, Self
OMAHA, Neb. - A gunman opened fire at a busy Omaha mall, killing at least eight people, wounding at least five others and then killing himself, police officials said.
A Von Maur employee said he heard a burst of five to six shots followed by 15 to 20 shots. Witnesses said the shooter appeared to be firing randomly. Authorities gave no motive for the attack and did not know whether the man said anything during the rampage.
Police told NBC affiliate WOWT-TV that the gunman was a 19-year-old man from Bellevue, Neb., who left a suicide note in his home stating, "I'm going out in style."
The man lived with another family, who has been barred from the home as police search the residence, WOWT-TV reported. The man’s vehicle was found in the mall parking lot. Bellevue is in Sarpy County, which is south of Omaha and is home to Offutt Air Force Base.
The man lived with another family, who has been barred from the home as police search the residence, WOWT-TV reported. The man’s vehicle was found in the mall parking lot. Bellevue is in Sarpy County, which is south of Omaha and is home to Offutt Air Force Base.
Lou Dobbs and Amy Goodman Clash over Immigration and the NAU
(Full Story) - Click here for article and all 6 portions of the video debate
CNN host Lou Dobbs, who has gained widespread notoriety for his scathing condemnation of the Bush administration's open border policy and the push for a North American Union, slammed Amy Goodman during an immigration debate on Democracy Now yesterday for suggesting that the Minutemen are responsible for killing illegal immigrants on the border.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Chapelle breaks Stand-up Record: 6 hours, 12 minutes
The 34-year-old comedian topped his record of six hours and seven minutes, set in mid-April, by taking to the stage Sunday and telling jokes for six hours and 12 minutes.
"Dave was determined to keep his record because he recently heard that Dane Cook was planning on trying to break (his) record," club owner Jamie Masada said Monday.
Masada said Cook held a record of three hours and 50 minutes in early April. The mark had stood at two hours and 41 minutes, set by Richard Pryor in 1980.
Masada said Cook held a record of three hours and 50 minutes in early April. The mark had stood at two hours and 41 minutes, set by Richard Pryor in 1980.
Young man's suicide blamed on mother's cult
NEW YORK (CNN) -- The suicide of a young man and the murder he committed before he killed himself are being blamed on a cult led by his mother.
The sect's activities and history are detailed in a newly released book, "Jesus Freaks." The sect was founded in California in the 1960s by David Berg, who referred to himself as "Mo," short for Moses. Berg was a self-proclaimed prophet. Former sect members tell CNN Berg encouraged adult-child sex. More often than not, they say, the chosen child was Rodriguez, the son of Karen Zerby, who Berg called his queen. Zerby became the leader of the sect when Berg died in 1994.
Young Pakistanis: Bin Laden is a CIA Creation
An ABC news piece that ran yesterday morning attracted attention after four Pakistanis who were being interviewed about the attitudes and life of young people in Pakistan declared Osama Bin Laden to be a creation of western intelligence and stressed that Islamic extremist attitudes towards the west were virtually non existent in their country before 9/11.
Ex-Italian President: Intel Agencies Know 9/11 An Inside Job
(Full Story)
Man who blew the whistle on Gladio tells Italy's largest newspaper attacks were run by CIA, Mossad
Former Italian President and the man who revealed the existence of Operation Gladio Francesco Cossiga has gone public on 9/11, telling Italy's most respected newspaper that the attacks were run by the CIA and Mossad and that this was common knowledge amongst global intelligence agencies.
Man who blew the whistle on Gladio tells Italy's largest newspaper attacks were run by CIA, Mossad
Former Italian President and the man who revealed the existence of Operation Gladio Francesco Cossiga has gone public on 9/11, telling Italy's most respected newspaper that the attacks were run by the CIA and Mossad and that this was common knowledge amongst global intelligence agencies.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
