|
US Military Recruiting Children to Serve in the Armed Forces |
In some cities HS administrators have been enrolling reluctant students involuntarily in JROTC as an alternative to overcrowded gym classes! In Lincoln high school, enrollees were not told JROTC was involuntary. In Buffalo, N.Y., the entire incoming freshman class at Hutchinson Central Technical HS, average age 14, was involuntarily enrolled in JROTC. In Chicago, graduating 8th graders, average age 13, are allowed to join JROTC programs. full story |
|
Citibank Memo: Financial Disaster Will
Lead to Civil Disorder in '09 or '10 |
An internal memo from a top Citibank analyst reveals that the massive money creation efforts by the Federal Reserve and other central banks will end with one of two things: A resurgence of inflation, or a fall into "depression, civil disorder and possibly wars." Either outcome, he says, will cause the price of gold to skyrocket. Gold will push to well over $2,000 per ounce, he explains. full story |
|
|
Neocons Heart Obama |
Max Boot just adores Barack Obama's proposed national security team, especially the retention of Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense and General Jim Jones over at the NSC. "I have to admit that I am gobsmacked by these appointments, most of which could just as easily have come from a President McCain," Boot fawns. Max Boot makes well the argument that there is no difference between McCain and Obama. full story |
|
|
How an Italian Judge Made the Internet Illegal |
Italian bloggers are up in arms at a court ruling early this year that suggests almost all Italian blogs are illegal. This month, a senior Italian politician went one step further, warning that most web activity is likely to be against the law. The story begins back in May, when a judge in Modica found local historian and author Carlo Ruta guilty of the crime of "stampa clandestina" or publishing a "clandestine" newspaper in respect of his blog. full story |
|
|
Poverty Spreading in Suburbs |
Poverty in the United States is spreading from rural and inner-city areas to the suburbs, according to a study, a situation that can worsen as the economy confronts what may be a protracted recession. The study by the Federal Reserve's Community Affairs department and the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program found that poverty levels in the world's richest nation were on the rise. full story |
|
|
Poll: Less than Half Say US Offers Liberty and Justice for All |
A new poll from Rasmussen Reports indicates that although Americans strongly support the saying of the Pledge of Allegience, less than half of them believe that "the United States is truly the land of liberty and justice for all." Among those polled, just 46% said they would agree with that statement, while 42% disagreed. Even among white voters, less than half, just 49%, agreed that there is justice for all in America. full story |
|
|
Ocean Currents Can Power the World, Say Scientists |
A revolutionary device that can harness energy from slow-moving rivers and ocean currents could provide enough power for the entire world, scientists claim. The technology can generate electricity in water flowing at a rate of less than one knot, about one mile an hour, meaning it could operate on most waterways and sea beds around the globe. Systems could be sited on river beds or suspended in the ocean. full story |
|
|
Mercury a Concern in Eagles |
Bald eagles have been making a soaring comeback in New York, becoming more common along lakes and rivers. But eagles living in the Catskills face a hidden danger carried on the wind from distant coal-fired power plants. Eagles here contain more toxic mercury than those anywhere else in the state, according to a recent study from the BioDiversity Research Institute and the state Dept. of Environmental Conservation. full story |
|
|
Food Prices Will Rise, Causing Export Bans, Riots |
Food prices will rise next year, prompting a revival of protectionism from food-growing nations and risking a renewed bout of rioting, according to Jochen Hitzfeld, an analyst at UniCredit SpA in Munich. "The prices of many agricultural commodities are now clearly below their production costs. We expect the coming year to bring a cutback in area under cultivation as well as a decline in the yield per hectare." full story |
|
|
Claims Emerge of British Terrorists in Mumbai |
It is too early to tell whether British-born Pakistanis were among the Mumbai terrorists, Gordon Brown said today in response to claims that at least two Britons were involved. The Foreign Office is investigating reports on the Indian channel NDTV quoting Vilasrao Deshmukh, the chief minister of Maharashtra state, as saying there were British nationals among the militants arrested. full story |
|
'Armed Police Would Not Fire Back.
I Wish I'd Had a gun, Not a Camera' |
What angered Mr D'Souza almost as much were the masses of armed police hiding in the area who simply refused to shoot back. "There were armed policemen hiding all around the station but none of them did anything," he said. "At one point, I ran up to them and told them to use their weapons. I said, 'Shoot them, they're sitting ducks!' but they just didn't shoot back." full story |
|
|
Curaçao's Crude Legacy |
It's a scene out of Dante's "Inferno": a lake of asphalt and other hydrocarbons stretched out across what was once an estuary of the Caribbean Sea. From its oil-blackened banks, the fumes are overwhelming, and dead birds can be seen scattered on the gooey surface that, after a heavy rain, can be mistaken for water. The oil refinery that created this lake dominates the skyline, flames pouring from its flare stacks. full story |
|
|
Calls for National Infant Formula Recall Spread |
Disclosure that laboratory tests have detected traces of contamination in several major brands of infant formula generated concern and confusion Wednesday, with a national consumer's group and the Illinois attorney general demanding a Food and Drug Administration recall and the federal agency saying it had released inaccurate information on what chemicals were found in which top selling products. full story |
|
|
Whatever Happened to the Hydrogen Economy? |
Whatever happened to the hydrogen economy? At the turn of the century it was the next big thing, promising a future of infinite clean energy and deliverance from climate change. Generate enough hydrogen, so the claim went, and we could use it to transform the entire energy infrastructure - it could supply power for cars, planes and boats, buildings and even portable gadgets, all without the need for dirty fossil fuels. full story |
|
|
Imperiled Garter Snake Won't Get Protection |
A yellow-and-olive striped garter snake subspecies that once frequented Southern Arizona rivers and streams is in bad enough shape that it could disappear from the United States within a quarter-century, federal officials say. Livestock grazing, groundwater pumping and many other activities have eliminated the snake from at least 90 percent of its range in the Southwest, Wildlife Service officials said. full story |
|
China: Emergency Rate Cuts, Riots,
Factory Workers Fired by the Millions |
In recent weeks, a series of riots across central and southern China have flowered as disgruntled employees aired their grievances at the downturn. Today, around 500 protesters rioted at the Kai Da toy factory in Dongguan in the Pearl River delta, flipping over a police car and trashing computers in a dispute over payoffs to 80 fired workers. Tens of thousands of factories across the region have already shut their gates. full story |
|
|
Did Feds Use Military Intelligence to Spy On RNC Protesters? |
The ACLU recently came across a revealing RNC Homeland Security Document. This document outlines the planning leading up to the RNC and how security forces would be working together. Many federal, state and local org.s were mentioned in this document. A number of these agencies are military based, which may directly conflict with Federal law that prohibits the military from engaging in domestic intelligence gathering. full story |
|
|
Counter Terrorism Police Arrest UK Conservative Damian Green |
At 2pm today counter terrorism police arrested Damian Green at his constituency home in East Kent. He was brought to London and currently is detained awaiting interview. It is now 9.43pm and seven hours after his arrest, he has, apparently, still to be questioned. These are the tactics of a totalitarian state. His "crime" has been to reveal Home Office statistics and misconduct which they tried to cover up. full story |
|
Evidence Mumbai Attackers Were
Anglo-American Intel Operatives |
As a BBC report notes, at least some of the Mumbai attackers were not Indian and certainly not Muslim. Pappu Mishra described "two sprightly young men dressed in black" with AK47s who were "foreign looking, fair skinned. "Gaffar Abdul Amir saw at least two men who started the firing outside the Leopold Cafe. "They did not look Indian, they looked foreign. One of them, I thought, had blonde hair. full story |
|
|
'Sci-Fi Film': CCTV Predicts Crime |
The CCTV system has gone up in sites across Portsmouth and it will reportedly help predict crimes before they actually happen. The city's council has set up the network of "intelligent" cameras that can alert an operator to suspicious behaviour. The system is able to spot "unusual" incidents like somebody loitering or a vehicle travelling too fast. It then alerts CCTV operators so they can assess the situation and decide what action, if any, needs to be taken. full story |
|
|
Texas DA Reveals Evidence against Cheney |
Cheney's stake in the Vanguard Group, which holds interests in the private prison companies that run the detention centers, was cited in the indictment. Cheney is accused of a conflict of interest and "at least misdemeanor assaults" on detainees through his ownership interest. Guerra told KVEO 23, an NBC affiliate in Texas, that "elected officials were embedded into the prison business and that it goes all the way to the top." full story |
|
|
Five More Members of Congress Being Probed in Bribery Affair |
Five other members of Congress are being probed in association with the bribery scandal linked to former California Republican congressman "Duke" Cunningham Of the five Congressmembers, two are formally under investigation and three are being examined for their "receipt of straw contributions" -- contributions made to members of Congress in an effort to get facilities opened in their districts. full story |
|
|
Web Spies Monitor Activists Online for Police |
A private intelligence co. has been engaged by police to secretly monitor internet and email use by activist and protest groups, a report says. The company was hired to monitor and report on the internet activities of anti-war campaigners, animal rights activists, environmental campaigners, and other protest groups. It was hired by Victorian Police, the Australian Federal Police and the federal Attorney-General's department. full story |
|
|
NYC Subway Terror Plot May Threaten Holidays, Feds Warn |
Police bolstered security in subways and trains Wednesday after the government warned that al-Qaida suicide bombers were contemplating an attack on New York's mass-transit systems during the holiday season. An internal memo obtained by The Associated Press says the FBI has received a "plausible but unsubstantiated" report that al-Qaida terrorists in late September may have discussed attacking the subway system. full story |
|
|
FDA Draws Fire over Chemicals in Baby Formula |
The FDA found melamine and cyanuric acid in samples of baby formula made by major U.S. manufacturers. Melamine can cause kidney and bladder stones and, in worst cases, kidney failure and death. If melamine and cyanuric acid combine, they can form round yellow crystals that can also damage kidneys and destroy renal function. The FDA, which hasn't alerted the public, recently asserted there are no safe levels of melamine for infants. full story |
|
|
Tenet, Gonzales, Rumsfeld Could Get 'Preemptive Pardons' |
Blanket pardons for officials who approved of torture are unlikely, but that certain specific names are currently being "bandied about," including former CIA Director George Tenet, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. All three have been implicated in the abuse of detainees, and Gonzales is also in legal difficulties over his role in the US Attorney scandal. full story |
|
|
How the Financial Crisis Was Built Into the System |
In 1910, seven men held a secret meeting on Jekyll Island off the coast of Georgia. It's estimated that those seven men represented one-sixth of the world's wealth. Six were Americans representing J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and the U.S. government. One was a European representing the Rothschilds and Warburgs. In 1913, the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank was created as a direct result of that secret meeting. full story |
|
|
Left out of the Bailout: The Poor |
As the roster of corporations and financial institutions in line for government bailouts seems to grow, some public-policy advocates in Washington are calling on policymakers to focus more efforts on the nation's poorest. The ranks of the destitute are growing quietly but alarmingly as much of the world focuses on troubles surrounding Wall Street. "Recent data show poverty is already rising quite substantially." full story |
|
|
The Obama Letdown: Ilusory "Mandate for Change" |
Obama's recent economic and foreign policy appointments make it clear that when he chose "change" as his campaign slogan, he was NOT referring to the financial, insurance and real estate sectors, nor to foreign policy. These are where the vested interests concentrate their wealth and power. "Change's" direction has been for the top 1% of America's population to raise their share of the returns to wealth to an estimated nearly 70% today. full story |
|
|
Israel's Slow-Motion Genocide in Occupied Palestine |
Imagine life under these conditions: Living in limbo under a foreign occupier. Having no self-determination, no right of return, and no power over your daily life. Being in constant fear, economically strangled, and collectively punished. Having your free movement denied by enclosed population centers, closed borders, regular curfews, roadblocks, checkpoints, electric fences, and separation walls... full story |
|
|
EPA Moves to Ease Pollution Rules |
The EPA seems on the brink of issuing a new regulation that would make it easier for power plants to operate longer hours and emit more pollution. Under the current policy, power plants that seek to operate longer must install pollution-control equipment. The proposed rule, expected to be finalized in the next 2 weeks, would increase the life span of older power plants without owners having to install costly new pollution-control equipment. full story |
|
|
Social Services 'Set up CCTV Camera in Couple's Bedroom' |
Social workers set up a CCTV camera in the bedroom of a couple with learning difficulties in order to monitor their behaviour, a new report claims. Council staff are said to have spied on the young parents at night as part of a plan to see if they were fit to look after their baby, who was sleeping in another room. "The couple were especially distressed by the use of the CCTV cameras in their bedroom during the night." full story |
|
|
Cynthia McKinney Prevented from Leaving U.S. |
Former Congresswoman and presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney has been prevented from leaving the country after she planned to give a speech in Damascus Syria at a Conference being held to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "A funny thing happened to me while at the Atlanta airport on my way to the Conference: I was not allowed to exit the country." full story |
|
Rubin Protégé Selected to Head
Obama's Council of Economic Advisers |
According to the New York Times, Obama has selected Christina Romer to be the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. As should be expected, Obama's economic team is being handpicked by the Council on Foreign Relations. In addition to being the Chairman of Citigroup, former Goldman-Sachs "associate" Rubin is currently co-chairman of the board of directors of the Council on Foreign Relations. full story |
|
|
FDA Considers Genetically Engineered Animals 'Drug' |
Genetically Engineered grains have been in existence for several years, amidst many concerns from various organizations and individuals. Now, the FDA is set to approve GE Animals to be introduced into the food chain. Ever since the beginning of Genetically Engineered grains, controversy has surrounded their safety. A GE animal is one that contains an rDNA construct intended to give the animal new characteristics or traits. full story |
|
|
America's Forgotten Freedoms | |
A survey by the 1st Amendment Center in the US has reached the shocking conclusion that most American citizens don't know the 5 basic freedoms enshrined in the constitution. The study found that no more than 3% of Americans remember 'petition' among the 1st Amendment's 5 basic freedoms. Freedom of religion was named by 15%; 15% remembered press freedom, while just 14% knew they had a right to assembly. full story |
|
|
US Officials Flunk Civic Test |
US elected officials scored abysmally on a test measuring their civic knowledge, with an average grade of just 44 percent, the group that organized the exam said Thursday. Ordinary citizens did not fare much better, scoring just 49 percent correct on the 33 exam questions compiled by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. "How can political leaders make informed decisions if they don't understand the American experience?". full story |
|
|
German Intelligence Agents Caught Staging False Flag Terror |
German intelligence agents have been caught staging a false flag terror attack against an EU building in Kosovo, apparently in an attempt to create a pretext for EU police to be deployed in Kosovo after government leaders rejected the UN-mandated proposal. "The explosive charge was thrown on Nov. 14 at the International Civilian Office, the office of EU Special Representative Pieter Feith, who oversees Kosovo's governance." full story |
|
|
Microchips for AIDS Patients in Eastern Indonesia |
Lawmakers in Indonesia's remote province of Papua have thrown their support behind a controversial bill requiring some HIV/AIDS patients to be implanted with microchips, part of extreme efforts to monitor the disease. Health workers and rights activists sharply criticized the plan Monday. A committee would be created to decide who should be fitted with chips and to monitor patients' behavior. full story |
|
|
The Speed Trap Set by Your Neighbour |
Motorists will face amateur speed traps run by local volunteer groups in towns and villages across the country. Under rules to be sent to police forces in the new year, bands of volunteers will be supplied with speed detection equipment and asked to use it to identify drivers exceeding limits in their area. Drivers caught breaking limits have their numberplates checked on the police national computer and are sent warning letters by police. full story |
|
|
GM Crops 'to Be Grown in Secret' |
Genetically-modified crops could be grown by the Government in secret locations in an attempt to prevent trials being attacked by saboteurs, it has been reported. A Government source told the newspaper: "We need to review the security arrangements. The rules are a charter for people who want to stop the experiments. A lot of information has to be put in the public domain and that makes it very easy for people to trash them." full story |
|
|
The Third Clinton Administration |
While the liberal intelligentsia was swooning over Barack Obama during his presidential campaign, I counseled "prepare to be disappointed." Now this same intelligentsia is beginning to howl over Obama's transition team and early choices to run his Administration. Having defeated Senator Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primaries, he now is busily installing Bill Clinton's old guard. full story |
|
|
Iraq Told: Keep US Troops or Face Martial Law |
Iraq's defense minister Abdul Qadir Muhammed Jassim threatened to declare a state of emergency if Iraq's parliament refused to sign an accord allowing US troops to stay in the country for three more years. His rhetoric was eerily in tune with Bush Administration officials' comments on domestic security and Iran, echoing language used by the Administration to bolster support for the Iraq war. full story |
|
|
Nissan, Toyota Locked in Race to Market Zero-emission Cars |
While Detroit executives beg for bailouts, Japanese automakers speed through turns in a race whose winner could dominate the next generation of car sales. From Toyota City to Atsugi -- the site of Nissan's advanced technology center where Gov. Ted Kulongoski drove an electric car Tuesday -- engineers are locked in a white-knuckle competition to produce zero-emission cars. full story |
|
|
Antidepressants Aren't for Fish |
Each year, tons of medicine ends up in the environment. Some is excreted by patients, leftovers are flushed down the toilet or thrown out with the trash. Unfortunately, wildlife don't find these pollutants necessarily benign, much less therapeutic. Details of their potential to evoke adverse consequences have been emerging this week in dozens of new studies at the Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry. full story |
|
Number of Juveniles Held at Guantanamo
Almost Twice Official Pentagon Figure |
On Sunday, the Pentagon admitted that 12 juveniles, those under the age of 18 at the time their alleged crimes took place, have been held at Guantanamo Bay (as opposed to the figure of eight that was submitted to the UN in May). But a RAW STORY count, drawn from the Pentagon's own records, reveals that the total number of juveniles held at Guantanamo is at least 22 nearly double the official Pentagon figure. full story |
|
|
Congo Rangers Return to Virunga Gorilla Sector |
More than 120 Park Rangers of the Congolese Wildlife Authority, ICCN, today returned to Virunga National Park - 14 months after fleeing violent hostilities between rebels and government soldiers. The Gorilla Sector of Virunga National Park is inhabited by 200 of the last remaining 700 critically endangered mountain gorillas in the world. Since September 2007, it has been occupied by rebels who had driven the rangers out. full story |
|
|
Bush Hands Over Reins of U.S. Economy to EU |
The results of the G-20 economic summit amount to nothing less than the seamless integration of the United States into the European economy. In one month of legislation and one diplomatic meeting, the U.S. has unilaterally abdicated all the gains for the concept of free markets won by the Reagan admin. and surrendered, in total, to the Western European model of socialism, stagnation, and excessive government regulation. full story |
|
|
Use of Nuclear Weapons More Likely in Future: US Intelligence |
"The world of the near future will be subject to an increased likelihood of conflict over scarce resources, including food and water, and will be haunted by the persistence of rogue states and terrorist groups with greater access to nuclear weapons," said the report. "Widening gaps in birth rates and wealth-to-poverty ratios, and the uneven impact of climate change, could further exacerbate tensions." full story |
|
Antiwar Groups Fear Barack Obama
May Create Hawkish Cabinet |
The activists, key members of the coalition that propelled Obama to the White House, fear he is drifting from the antiwar moorings. Obama has eased the rigid timetable he had set for withdrawing troops from Iraq, and he appears to be leaning toward the center in his candidates to fill key national security posts. The president-elect has told some Dems that he expects to take heat from parts of his political base but will not be deterred by it. full story |
|
|
Stocks Slump as Signs Point to Harder Times |
Businesses cut prices at a record rate and builders started fewer new homes last month than anytime on record, according to new government data. And Federal Reserve leaders released projections indicating they expect the economy to worsen significantly in the coming year. The most pessimistic of 17 Fed officials expects joblessness to rise to 8% at the end of 2009, which would be the highest in a quarter-century. full story |
|
|
Economy Is Sickening U.S. Hospitals |
The dismal economy has American hospitals ailing, with new data showing declines in overall admissions and elective procedures, plus a significant jump in patients who can't pay for care, the American Hospital Association said Wednesday. "There have been hospital closures this year, particularly in some of the more heavily impacted areas," such as New Jersey, where hospitals are providing more and more unreimbursed care. full story |
|
|
Military Mum on Dirty Air in Iraq |
Veterans' advocates are calling for full transparency about the health risks faced by service members who have been stationed at the largest U.S. air base in Iraq, where one inspector called an open-air burn pit "the worst environmental site I have ever visited." Kilpatrick said the military has done extensive sampling of the air in Balad and other bases where burn pits are used to get rid of garbage including weapons, chemicals, plastics, and even amputated limbs. full story |
|
|
Pilots Threaten Strike over ID Card Plan |
The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), which represents most of the country's commercial pilots, said the Government's "early warning system should be flashing" over its opposition to plans to force aviation workers be the first Britons to carry ID cards. Jim McAuslan, Balpa's general secretary, said his members resented being treated as guinea pigs and added: "It may come to an industrial dispute." full story |
|
|
Cheney, Gonzales Indicted |
A Texas grand jury has indicted Dick Cheney and Alberto Gonzales on charges related to alleged abuse of prisoners in Willacy County federal detention facilities. Cheney's stake in the Vanguard Group, which holds interests in the private prison companies that run the detention centers, was cited in the indictment. Cheney is accused of a conflict of interest and "at least misdemeanor assaults" on detainees through his ownership interest. full story |
|
Crooks and Liars Smears Ron Paul:
Bans Me for Expressing Dissent! |
Once again, David Neiwert of Crooks and Liars is at it again, doing what he does best, smearing people in whom he disagrees with without debunking one thing his victims say. Neiwert, once again, is smearing Ron Paul and as usual provides no counter argument to debunk anything Ron Paul claims. Niewert is a regular Ron Paul basher at Crooks and Liars and on his own site. full story |
|
|
Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State: Business as Usual |
Democrats like to pretend that Obama represents "change" and the new administration will be a departure from the previous Bush administration. It will be more of the same. Bill Clinton's "crimes range from ad hoc bombings to boycotts and sanctions designed to starve into submission, to support of ethnic cleansing in brutal counterinsurgency warfare, and to aggression and devastation by bombing designed to return rogues to the stone age and keep them there." full story |
|
|
Tainted Meats Point to Superbug C. Diff in Food |
A potentially deadly intestinal germ increasingly found in hospitals is also showing up in a more unsavory setting: grocery store meats. More than 40 percent of packaged meats sampled from three Arizona chain stores tested positive for Clostridium difficile, a gut bug known as C. diff., according to newly complete analysis of 2006 data collected by a University of Arizona scientist. full story |
|
|
Gordon Brown: Everyone Considered as a Potential Organ Donor |
Gordon Brown has refused to rule out a change in the law that may see everyone considered as a potential organ donor, despite the recommendations of his advisers yesterday. The opt-out system of organ donation should not be introduced as it could undermine patients' confidence in medical care, the UK Organ Donation Taskforce said. "Presumed consent", as used in Spain and other countries, was unlikely to boost donation rates. full story |
|
|
Obama Advisers: Bush War Criminals Will Walk |
Andrew Sullivan, citing a report that Obama is close to appointing John Brennon, who served under former CIA Director George Tenet decried it as, "change we cannot believe in." "Appointing Brennan to the CIA does not mean change from Bush," he wrote. "That was absolutely a critical part of Obama's message. With Brennan, we get the taint of a Bush and two-facedness of a Clinton. We need to say goodbye to all that, not perpetuate its double-speak. full story |
|
Illegal Immigrants Released from
Texas Jail Despite Admitting Status |
Federal immigration officials let thousands of inmates in the nation's third-most populous county walk out of jail despite the suspects admitting they were in the U.S. illegally. In a story published Sunday, The Houston Chronicle found that most illegal immigrants released from jail were accused of minor crimes. But others included convicted child molesters, rapists and those ordered to be deported decades ago. full story |
|
|
Inmate Escapes German Jail in Box |
The 42-year-old Turkish citizen - who was serving a seven-year sentence - had been making stationery with other prisoners destined for the shops. At the end of his shift, the inmate climbed into a cardboard box and was taken out of prison by express courier. His whereabouts are still unknown. The chief warden of the jail told the BBC this was an embarrassing incident. full story |
|
$2 Trillion Handed out by Paulson & Bernanke,
but Nobody Knows Who Got It |
We don't know who got this money or what collateral was put up in return for the loans or what conditions were attached to them. The sums involved are almost 3X as large as Paulson's $700 billion muddled bailout efforts that Congress voted for last month. Bernanke does have the legal authority to pass out these trillions without Congressional authorization and without explanation, but secrecy breeds suspicion and loss of confidence. full story |
|
The Great Depression of the 21st Century:
Collapse of the Real Economy |
This crisis is far more serious than the Great Depression. All major sectors of the global economy are affected. Recent reports suggest that the system of Letters of Credit as well as international shipping, which constitute the lifeline of the international trading system, are potentially in jeopardy. The proposed bank "bailout" under the so-called Troubled Asset Relief Program is not a "solution" to the crisis but the "cause" of further collapse. full story |
|
|
Inhofe: Billions Given Away to Bankers and Their "Friends" |
On the weekend, senator Jim Inhofe admitted Congress was told lies about the bailout of the financial system, now revealed as a giveaway to the bankers, said Congress should take back what is left of the $700 billion “blank check” it gave the Treasury and its coterie of ex-Goldman Sachs manipulators. "It is just outrageous that the American people don't know that Congress doesn't know how much money Henry Paulson has given away to anyone." full story |
|
|
U.S. Task Force Found Few Iranian Arms in Iraq |
According to the data compiled by the task force, and made available to an academic research project last July, only 70 weapons believed to have been manufactured in Iran had been found in post-invasion weapons caches between mid-February and the second week in April. And those weapons represented only 17 percent of the weapons found in caches that had any Iranian weapons in them during that period. full story |
|
|
We Need Uncle Sam's Permission to Travel State-to-State |
Last year, I wrote that if Uncle Sam gets its way, we'd all be on no-fly lists, unless the government gives us permission to leave, or re-enter, the United States. That day has now arrived, but in addition to obtaining Big Brother's permission to travel internationally, a final rule pursuant to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration's "Secure Flight" initiative says we must now get it to travel from state-to-state. full story |
|
|
Gardasil Linked to Seventy-Eight Outbreaks of Genital Warts |
Parents who think that genital warts are the worst possible adverse reaction to the vaccine should think again. According to Ragogo, as of August 14th, including the 78 outbreaks of genital warts, there have been 9,748 adverse events reported as per Judicial Watch, a non-profit watchdog group. Judicial Watch also reports that there have been 21 deaths, not including the deaths (by miscarriage) of 10 unborn babies. full story |
|
|
Ron Paul Interviewed by Hans Lysglimt |
Video interview that discusses individual liberty and Ron Paul's worldwide following. full story |
|
|
La Raza: Losing Jobs to Illegals is 'Not a Concern' of Americans |
Research conducted for La Raza, which describes itself as the "largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the US," indicates that Americans are "more concerned" with undocumented immigrants "being able to pay their fair share of taxes," Rosenberg said, than they are of losing jobs to illegals. Undocumented immigrants have taken jobs that Americans "do not want," but that there "might be" a shift in concern if unemployment rates continue to rise. full story |
|
|
Post-partisan Harmony vs. the Rule of Law |
A Washington Post article today on the need to restore confidence in the Justice Department quotes former high-level Clinton DOJ official Robert Litt urging the new Obama administration to avoid any investigations or prosecutions of Bush lawbreaking. "It would not be beneficial to spend a lot of time calling people up to Congress or in front of grand juries," Litt said. "It would really spend a lot of the bipartisan capital Obama managed to build up." full story |
|
|
Obama Is Warned to Beware of a 'Huge Threat' from Al-Qaeda |
Barack Obama is being given ominous advice from leaders on both sides of the Atlantic to brace himself for an early assault from terrorists. President Bush has repeatedly described the acute vulnerability of the US during a transition. The Bush Administration has been defined largely by the 9/11 attacks, which came within a year of his taking office. full story |
|
|
Washington Is Powerless to Stop the Coming Economic Depression |
The U.S. is in the grip of fear. People are so worried about the collapse of the economy that they've stopped going to the mall, and they're cutting every expense they can think of to save money for the hard times ahead. Bankers too have pulled their purse strings closed and refused to lend anything to anyone. Investors have been selling their stocks and converting what's left of their retirement accounts to cash that can be horded in a safe. full story |
|
|
Fake TV News Widespread and Undisclosed |
The Center for Media Democracy and Free Press today exposed an epidemic of fake news infiltrating local television broadcasts across country. At a press conference in Washington with FCC Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein, the groups called for a crackdown on stations that present corporate-sponsored videos as genuine news to an unsuspecting audience. full story |
|
|
Pentagon Clears Flying Car Project |
Pentagon mad-science division Darpa is helping build thought-controlled robotic limbs, artificial pack mules, real-life laser guns and "kill-proof" soldiers. So it comes as no surprise that the agency is now getting into the flying-car business, too. Darpa hopes its "Personal Air Vehicle Technology" project will lead to a working prototype of a military-suitable flying car, a 2 or 4 passenger vehicle that can "drive on roads" one minute and take off like a helicopter the next. full story |
|
|
Torture - Yes We Can? |
Most politicians wait at least until they've been sworn in before they start breaking their campaign promises. In this sense, as in so many others, Barack Obama represents an entirely new phenomenon: the politician who preemptively reneges. A recent Wall Street Journal piece reveals we aren't going to see much change in this vitally important realm, the one in which the Bush administration truly made its blackest mark. full story |
|
|
Leading Journalists Expose Major Media Manipulations |
Jane Akre, Fox News: After our struggle to air an honest report on hormones in milk, Fox fired the general manager of our station. The new GM said that if we didn't agree to changes that the lawyers were insisting upon, we'd be fired for insubordination in 48 hours. We pleaded with him to look at the facts we'd uncovered. His reply: "We paid $3 billion dollars for these stations. We'll tell you what the news is. The news is what we say it is!" full story |
|
|
G20 To Begin Implementation of Global Financial Dictatorship |
Powerbrokers attending this weekend's watershed G-20 conference will set in motion plans for a new world economic order, the end of the dollar as the world reserve currency, and the centralization of financial power into an internationalist inner circle of regulators completely above oversight or accountability. The agenda will be the creation of a "new global network of regulators, regulators that would presumably have power over U.S. banks." full story |
|
|
Civil War in Mexico Spreading to U.S. |
In June, a Phoenix home was the scene of what is called in U.S. police jargon, a "dynamic entry." This is another way of saying "an armed attack." Black SUV's, men in black BDU's (battle dress uniforms), automatic rifles, an increasingly familiar scene in the U.S., were employed in the attack. It seemed a little different, though, when one group of attackers began laying down covering fire while a second team invaded the home, killing a man inside. full story |
|
Italian Police Officers Convicted of
Violence at 2001 G8 Genoa Summit |
Three people were beaten unconscious and dozens had to be taken to hospital after riot police burst into the school and arrested more than 90 protesters, including British, French and German activists. Britons caught up in the violence described police indiscriminately beating people with their batons, saying the place where they were later detained was like a "field hospital in the Crimean War" full of people with broken bones. full story |
|
|
What Is NorthCom Up To? |
This week and into next, NorthCom and NORAD are conducting a joint exercise called "Vigilant Shield '09." The focus will be on "homeland defense and civil support," a NorthCom press release states. From November 12-18, it will be testing a "synchronized response of federal, state, local and international partners in preparation for homeland defense, homeland security, and civil support missions in the United States and abroad." full story |
|
|
Consumers Cut Back Sharply on Spending |
The Commerce Department reported Friday that retail sales fell by 2.8 percent last month, the biggest drop on record, surpassing the old mark of a 2.65% plunge in November 2001 that occurred after the terrorist attacks. The October sales decline was led by a huge fall in auto purchases, but sales of all types of products suffered as consumers, worried about their jobs and the market turbulence, cut back sharply on spending. full story |
|
|
Celente Predicts Revolution, Food Riots, Tax Rebellions by 2012 |
Gerald Celente, the CEO of Trends Research Institute, is renowned for his accuracy in predicting future world and economic events, which will send a chill down your spine considering what he told Fox News this week. Celente says that by 2012 America will become an undeveloped nation, that there will be a revolution marked by food riots, squatter rebellions, tax revolts and job marches, and that holidays will be more about obtaining food, not gifts. full story |
|
|
G20 Summit: New World Order? |
For Gordon Brown, it is a "new Bretton Woods", as important as the 1944 convention that established the modern financial world order. For Nicolas Sarkozy it is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to remake the global financial architecture and usher in an era of "regulated capitalism". But beware the headlines that these leaders try to manufacture when they assemble for their credit crisis summit in Washington this weekend. full story |
|
|
New Rule Kicks Patriot Act Foes 'Right in the Teeth' |
The Bush administration has been planning since last spring to issue a final burst of federal regulations just before leaving office. It was recently announced that over 90 new regulations would be finalized before November 22 -- 60 days prior to the end of Bush's term -- making them difficult, though not impossible, for President Obama to reverse. full story |
|
|
The New Gulf War Syndrome |
Areas of Iraq today are among the most polluted on the planet, so toxic that merely to live, eat and sleep (never mind to fight) in these zones is to risk death. Thousands of soldiers coming home from the war may have been exposed to chemicals that are known to cause cancers and neurological problems. What's most tragic is that the veterans themselves do not always realise that they are in danger from chemical poisoning. full story |
|
|
Israel Soldier Gets 21 Days in Prison... for Yawning |
An Israeli soldier got three weeks in the slammer for yawning during a ceremony this week to mark the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, his mother said. The concerned woman said her son yawned "without covering his mouth" while the commander of his air force base in the north of the country was speaking during the memorial event Israel held on Monday. full story |
|
|
Obama to Inherit "New Global Order" from Bush |
The bankruptcy of Iceland, now receiving a $2.1 billion 2-year loan from the IMF has been depicted as something that could never happen to America. Is the U.S. too big to fail? Or is the U.S. going through the same process, albeit on a slower basis? Will we wake up to discover that America is now a bit player in a "New World Order" dominated by China, rich Arab nations, and international institutions? full story |
|
|
Study: Genetically Modified Maize Lowers Fertility in Mice |
Feeding mice with genetically engineered maize developed by the US-based Monsanto corporation led to lower fertility and body weight, according to a study conducted by the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna presented Tuesday. In the study, mice fed with the NK603 x MON810 sweetcorn variety over a period of 20 weeks showed a smaller litter size and lighter offspring than mice fed with non-engineered maize. full story |
|
|
Lobbyists Swarm U.S. Treasury for a Helping of Bailout Pie |
When the U.S. government said it would spend $700 billion to rescue the American financial industry, it seemed to be an ocean of money. But after one of the biggest lobbying free-for-alls in memory, it suddenly looks like a dwindling pool. Many new supplicants are lining up for an infusion of capital as billions of dollars are channeled to other beneficiaries like the American International Group, and possibly soon American Express. full story |
|
|
Obama's Bailout Bunch Brings Us More of the Same |
It's hard to believe Barack Obama would even think of calling this change. Take a good look at some of the 17 people our nation's president-elect chose last week for his Transition Economic Advisory Board. And then try saying with a straight face that these are the leaders who should be advising him on how to navigate through the worst financial crisis in modern history. full story |
|
|
Obama's Civil Defense Program Resembles Domestic Draft |
A newly rediscovered 2006 audio clip has shed more light on Rahm Emanuel and Barack Obama’s plan for compulsory community service and a “national civilian security force”. In an interview with Ben Smith of the New York Daily News, Emanuel outlined the agenda for military-style training, essentially a domestic draft, aimed at preparing Americans for a chemical or biological terrorist attack. full story |
|
|
The Profanity Police |
Willie Norfleet - recently sited for aggressive panhandling, public intoxication, an open container violation, and fighting - is the poster child for the new crack-down on bad behavior in downtown Memphis. The Center City Commission's new bike patrol even arrested him for cursing. Public safety coordinator Larry Bloom makes no apologies for policing profanity. full story |
|
|
Obama Won't Stop the Collapse of the American Empire |
Will Obama rebuild America's manufacturing base, reduce our debt, restore economic equality, and reduce military adventurism? So far, indications are that he wants to increase the debt with massive "stimulus" programs, instead of letting the raging financial inferno and deleveraging process burn itself out. Unless he brings all American troops worldwide home from all military adventures, the U.S. will keep going down the tube. full story |
|
Globalization and the Rise of Monopolization,
Speeds Economic Failure |
Capitalism's base tenant of supply and demand requires a healthy environment of competition. Many of the calculated moves toward a global market have undermined that tenant. In a competitive arena, there are bound to be winners, and the governments used to regulate that to prevent monopolies from consolidating control in market sectors. On a national level, consolidation has been occurring at increasing rates for the past 20 years. full story |
|
Georgia Rep. Issues Warning on
National Security Force, Gun Ban |
Rep. Paul Broun considers Obama a dangerous Marxist who may act on his promise to organize a domestic national security force on par with the U.S. military. "That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did," Broun said. "When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist." full story |
|
|
Obama Ready to "Rule" According to Transition Team Leader |
This weekend president elect Obama became known as "the ruler". Valerie Jarrett appeared on Meet the Press this weekend and used the phrase in describing the working model for the transition between the Bush administration and the new Obama regime. "Given the daunting challenges that we face, it is important that president elect Obama is prepared to really take power and begin to rule day one," Jarrett told Tom Brokaw. full story |
|
|
Space-Based Domestic Spying: Kicking Civil Liberties to the Curb |
Despite objections by Congress and civil liberties groups DHS, in close collaboration with the ultra-spooky National Reconnaissance Office, the agency that develops and maintains America’s fleet of military spy satellites, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency that analyzes military imagery and generates mapping tools, are proceeding with the first phase of the controversial domestic spying program. full story |
|
|
Agenda Disappears from Obama Web Site |
Over the weekend President-elect Barack Obama scrubbed Change.gov, his transition Web site, deleting most of what had been a massive agenda copied directly from his campaign Web site. Gone are the promises on how an Obama administration would handle 25 different agenda items, everything from Iraq and immigration to taxes and urban policy, all items laid out on his campaign Web site. full story |
|
|
British TV Attempts to Summarize Case for 9/11 Truth |
The UK's Independent Television News dedicated a short segment of a Monday broadcast to briefly explaining several core tent poles of the 9/11 truth movement. "With new figures showing almost 150 million Web pages devoted to 9/11 conspiracies, here are the big three so-called plot holes in the official version," announced a narrator. full story |
|
|
Prescription Drugs Kill 300% More Americans than Illegal Drugs |
A report by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission has concluded that prescription drugs have outstripped illegal drugs as a cause of death. An analysis of 168,900 autopsies conducted in Florida in '07 found that 3X as many people were killed by legal drugs as by cocaine, heroin and all methamphetamines put together. According to state law enforcement officials, this is a sign of a burgeoning prescription drug abuse problem. full story |
|
|
UK's Brown: Now is the Time to Build Global Society |
The international financial crisis has given world leaders a unique opportunity to create a truly global society, Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown will say in a keynote foreign policy speech on Monday. In his annual speech at the Lord Mayor's Banquet, Brown, who has spearheaded calls for the reform of international financial institutions, will say Britain, the United States and Europe are key to forging a new world order. full story |
|
|
Chinese Activists Tell UN of State Torture |
Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a coalition of lawyers, academics and activists from round the country, has grown in the shadows of state suppression in the last two years. Its survival is a token of the courage of its members, who have been harassed, imprisoned and beaten as they taken up difficult cases and attempt to promote legal reform. full story |
|
|
Fed Defies Transparency Aim in Refusal to Disclose |
Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in September they would comply with congressional demands for transparency in a $700 billion bailout of the banking system. Two months later, as the Fed lends far more than that in separate rescue programs that didn't require approval by Congress, Americans have no idea where their money is going or what securities the banks are pledging in return. full story |
|
|
MPs Seek to Censor the Media |
Britain's security agencies and police would be given unprecedented and legally binding powers to ban the media from reporting matters of national security, under proposals being discussed in Whitehall. The committee also wants to censor reporting of police operations that are deemed to have implications for national security. Civil liberties groups say these restrictions would be "very dangerous" and "damaging for public accountability". full story |
|
|
Sea Shepherd Heads for Antarctic Battle with Japanese Whalers |
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is heading to the Southern Ocean in December for its fifth year defending whales in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary against the harpoons of the Japanese whaling fleet, Captain Paul Watson has announced. Sea Shepherd's flagship vessel, the Steve Irwin, is in Brisbane, Australia and is scheduled to depart for Antarctica on the first of December. full story |
|
|
Bolivian Ranch Becomes Recovery Reserve for Rare Macaw |
Only 300 blue-throated macaws still survive in the wild, but this critically endangered parrot species is getting a new lease on life in its native Bolivian grassland habitat. The Bolivian bird conservation organization Asociacion Armonia, with the support of American Bird Conservancy and World Land Trust-US, has created the world's first protected area for the large blue birds, prized in the pet trade. full story |
|
Gordon Brown to Help Obama Lobby
EU over Troops to Afghanistan |
Obama has repeatedly called on Europe to "share the burden" in the conflict and it is expected to be the central theme of his first visit after his inauguration next year. Whitehall and diplomatic sources have revealed that Brown is to act as Obama's agent in Europe, calling on other Nato leaders to find more soldiers and resources for the Afghan conflict. full story |
|
|
Bush Administration Delays Release of Prisoner Abuse Photos |
The Bush administration is doing everything it can to delay compliance with a court's order that the Pentagon turn over pictures of prisoners abused in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new court filing. A three-judge appeals court panel in September ordered the administration to turn over 87 photographs depicting abuses at Abu Ghraib prison and other sites. The ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the photos in 2005. full story |
|
|
To Save a Mockingbird |
When Charles Darwin set foot on the Galapagos in 1835, he noted that mockingbirds on two of the islands were different. It was an observation that would change the course of scientific thought. Now those birds are under threat. A mockingbird that sowed the seeds of evolution in the mind of Charles Darwin stands on the precipice of extinction, with no more than about 100 breeding pairs left alive in its home. full story |
|
Court: Quit saying 'Illegal Aliens' Critics Say,
'Let's Call Drug Dealers Undocumented Pharmacists' |
Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor stirred up a hornet's nest by endorsing a demand from the Hispanic Bar Association to censor words and phrases such as "illegal aliens" and "illegal immigrants "and substitute "foreign nationals" in court documents. Then, when a blog at Judicial Watch reported on the instructions, court officials threatened to sue the government-watchdog org., prompting its release of a statement defending the story. full story |
|
|
"Singing from the Same Hymn Sheet" May Upset Atheists |
Salisbury council has told employees that the religious connotations of the saying, which has been in common parlance for centuries, can offend non-believers. The same authority has also instructed officials not to use the phrase 'colour blind' but instead to refer to a person as having 'colour visual impairment'. Other councils have instructed staff to be careful about using the word 'black' as well as 'British', because they could upset people. full story |
|
|
Hit-and-Run: Death in a 'Sanctuary City' |
Laufer died amid an epidemic of deadly hit-and-runs in pro-Obama Austin, the state capital. The epidemic is being fueled in part by illegal immigrants and unassimilated young Hispanics, young men who, according to police statistics, engage in drunk driving in this city of 740,000 much more frequently than other ethnic and racial groups. In recent years, the Hispanic population in Austin has undergone explosive growth, thanks to its high birth rates and the city's status as a "sanctuary city". full story |
|
|
Windows 7 Knows Where You Are |
Windows 7 has a new programming interface designed to make it a whole lot easier for software to figure out where in the world a PC and its user are located. That should make it easier for a whole new range of location-based services from finding nearby friends to LoJack-like PC tracking programs. At the same time, broader use of location-based services could also open up a range of privacy concerns. full story |
|
|
Obama's Change Leaves By The Back Door |
Three days after Barack Obama's election victory, the initial moves by the president-elect to prepare his administration already show that his policies will be determined not by popular expectations, but by the domestic and foreign policy interests of the American financial and corporate elite. The personnel of Obama's transition team and his first major appointment stand in obvious contradiction to his campaign rhetoric about "change." full story |
|
|
"This Is Not a Draft" |
Young people will know that between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, the nation will enlist them for three months of civilian service. They'll be asked to report for three months of basic civil defense training in their state or community, where they will learn what to do in the event of biochemical, nuclear or conventional attack; how to assist others in an evacuation... Wittily, Emanuel adds: "This is not a draft." full story |
|
|
Dems Target Private Retirement Accounts |
Democrats in the U.S. House have been conducting hearings on proposals to confiscate workers' personal retirement accounts, including 401(k)s and IRAs, and convert them to accounts managed by the Social Security Administration. Ghilarducci explained, "I'm just rearranging the tax breaks that are available now for 401(k)s and spreading -- spreading the wealth." full story |
|
|
Protesters 'Willing to Risk Jail' to Urge Bush, Cheney Indictment |
Anti-war protesters plan to gather outside the Department of Justice next week to urge Attorney General Michael Mukasey to indict President Bush and Vice President Cheney on war crimes charges. The protesters, being organized by The National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance say they are willing to risk going to jail to urge Bush and Cheney's indictment. full story |
|
|
Barack Obama, Neocon |
It's too bad more Americans didn't listen to the neocon wunderkind, Bill Kristol, before going to the polling places and voting for Obama. Kristol told the audience at an AIPAC conference there is little difference between Obama and McCain when it comes to Iran and the potential for conflict. Unfortunately, by the time election day rolled around, few people seemed to realize or care that Obama is essentially a neocon dedicated to the very same agenda as McCain. full story |
|
|
Obama's Treasury Candidates: Old Guard of the Corporate Elite |
All of the leading candidates for the position of Treasury Secretary under president elect Barack Obama directly represent the old guard of the corporate elite system that has used the American economy as it’s engine to drive their march toward a global empire for decades. Under the banner of "change" whichever of these candidates is appointed to the Treasury will continue to rapidly expand the empowerment of the Federal Reserve monetary system. full story |
|
|
Bush Raises Terror Fears in Obama Handover Period |
Mr Bush told a gathering of hundreds of employees from the presidential office: "This will also be America's first wartime presidential transition in four decades. We're in a struggle against violent extremists determined to attack us, and they would like nothing more than to exploit this period of change to harm the American people." full story |
|
|
Report: Chinese Hackers Download White House E-mails |
The White House's computer network was penetrated on several occasions earlier this year by Chinese hackers who downloaded e-mails between government officials, a new report reveals. A senior US official tells the Financial Times that cyber-security experts believe the attacks were coordinated by the Chinese government, although there is no proof they were the result of an organized assault. full story |
|
|
What Bailed-out Banks Spend on Lobbying |
Nineteen banks taking taxpayer money from the Treasury Department have spent $32.4 million lobbying the federal government during the first nine months of this year, their lobbying disclosure reports show. Combined, the Treasury is investing in the banks $159 billion from the $700 billion financial rescue package approved by Congress last month. None of the banks has indicated it plans to stop lobbying. full story |
|
|
VIDEO: 9/11 Attack on the Pentagon - Official Release |
"Pilots For 9/11 Truth brings you analysis never seen before regarding the Attack On The Pentagon. Highly technical analysis presented in a way that the layman will appreciate and understand. A 757 reported to have caused the damage at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 is analyzed based on topography, obstacles, flight data, physics, and witness statements..." full story |
|
|
Government Black Boxes Will 'Collect Every Email' |
Internet "black boxes" will be used to collect every email and web visit in the UK under the Government's plans for a giant "big brother" database. Home Office officials have told senior figures from the internet and telecommunications industries that the "black box" technology could automatically retain and store raw data from the web before transferring it to a giant central database controlled by the Government. full story |
|
|
Ralph Nader: Obama Will Be No Better Than Bush |
Ralph Nader, who ran against the Democrat as an independent, believes Obama will not be able to overcome the vested interests of big corporations and lobby groups and policy will remain largely unchanged from the Bush era. "My advice to Obama is to try and organise his people, because from day one he's going to be a prisoner of the giant corporations, who control the government he presides over." full story |
|
|
Are Men Becoming Extinct? |
Are males becoming an endangered species? That's the question scientists and researchers have been pondering since alarming trends in male fertility rates, birth defects and disorders began emerging around the world. More and more boys are being born with genital defects and are suffering from learning disabilities, autism and Tourett's syndrome, among other disorders. full story |
|
|
Fox News Angrily Smears Nader for Daring to Criticize Obama |
A Fox News host and his panel angrily proclaimed that Ralph Nader's career was finished after the Independent Party candidate dared to criticize Barack Obama's record of toadying up to corporate interests, as top liberal websites applauded Fox News for their aggressive defense of the president elect. The corporate media's frightening obsession with maintaining Obama's messianic complex now apparently extends to the so-called "right-wing" Fox News. full story |
|
|
AT&T to Try Limiting Subscribers' Data Use |
AT&T has joined the ranks of telecommunications co.s that are exploring the idea of limiting the amount of bandwidth that subscribers can use each month. They began this month to apply such limits, testing the policy first in Reno. Subscribers to AT&T's slowest Internet service there will be limited to downloading 20 gigs of data per month. Those who subscribe to the fastest plan will be able to download as much as 150 gigs per month. full story |
|
|
Now That Obama Has Won.. There Is No Excuse |
Now that a Democrat has been elected president, the Democrats in Congress have no excuse. They can no longer pretend that they have to "hold back" to win the election. They have no excuse to delay war crimes charges against Bush, Cheney and company for Iraq. They have no excuse to delay war crimes charges for torture. They have no excuse to delay criminal charges for spying on Americans. full story |
|
|
French Pirates Face Net Cut-off |
Those caught illegally sharing digital media will get warnings e-mailed and posted to them before having their net connection terminated. Under the plan, net firms will be enrolled as watchdogs that will keep an eye on consumers indulging in casual piracy. Those spotted illegally sharing copyrighted works, such as music tracks or movies, will get two warnings, but if they do not heed these then their net connection with be terminated. full story |
|
|
Guardians of the Unborn |
Women in the Netherlands who are deemed by the state to be unfit mothers should be sentenced to take contraception for a prescribed period of two years, according to a draft bill before the Dutch parliament. The proposed legislation would further punish parents who defied it by taking away their newborn infant. "If someone refuses the contraception and becomes pregnant, the child must be taken away directly after birth." full story |
|
|
Woke Up This Morning, Got Myself a Gun |
Starting January 20, I am going to keep a list of liberties lost. I'll probably seed a list of liberties likely to lose. Perhaps in all the excitement yesterday you missed the news that Chuck Schumer said he wants to bring back the Fairness Doctrine. As those of us following along with actual issues are aware, Obama is going to be the most anti-gun President in history, if he follows through on his stated views, his voting history, and so on. full story |
|
Thousands of Indian Farmers Committing
Suicide after Using GM Crops |
Beguiled by the promise of future riches, Shankara borrowed money in order to buy the GM seeds. But when the harvests failed, he was left with spiralling debts - and no income. So Shankara became one of an estimated 125,000 farmers to take their own life as a result of the ruthless drive to use India as a testing ground for genetically modified crops. full story |
|
Ohio Police Ordered to Have Riot
Gear Ready for Election 'Unrest' |
It sounds like the kind of thing that precedes "elections" under dictatorships: Riot police being readied for "civil unrest" during a presidential vote. But the location is in the United States. According to an internal memo acquired by the local NBC News affiliate, Toledo, Ohio police officers have been ordered to "have their riot equipment with them Tuesday and Wednesday." full story |
|
|
Two More U.S. Military Units Assigned For Homeland Security |
Northcom has announced that two more U.S. military units will be assigned for domestic homeland security missions, bringing the total number of combat ready service members operating inside the U.S. to around 4,700, as fears grow about the increasing militarization of law enforcement. Mike German: "This isn’t a military police brigade or a civil affairs brigade. This is actually a combat brigade being assigned a domestic mission." full story |
|
|
Terror in DR Congo, Humans and Gorillas at Risk |
We can only hope that the gorillas will be wise enough to move deep into the forest, or maybe cross the border in to Rwanda. Having said that, as the forest becomes populated with refugees and soldiers there will be little place for them to hide. The gorillas are now completely unprotected. Rebels raided the Congolese wildlife authority headquarters at Rumangabo earlier in the week, and the rangers were forced to flee. full story |
|
Conflicting Studies on Possible Health Threats
Send Mixed Signals to Cell Phone Users |
Almost 80 percent of American teens have a mobile device, mostly provided by a parent with safety in mind. But are they safe? Two recently released studies, a large one from Sweden of the long-term risk of brain cancer from cell phone use and a pilot study from a Cleveland Clinic fertility specialist, suggest they are not. But many others, mainly in the better-studied area of brain cancer, have found no such link. full story |
|
|
Half of Councils Use Anti-terror Laws to Spy on 'Bin Crimes' |
Their surveillance tactics include hiding secret cameras on streets and even in neighbouring homes to catch householders putting their rubbish out on the wrong day. The Act allows public bodies -- since expanded to include councils -- to place residents and businesses under surveillance, trace telephone and email accounts and even send staff on undercover missions. full story |
|
|
The Bush-Obama-McCain Administration |
The U.S. is a military dictatorship with scientific public relations. Part of this scientific PR is the careful cultivation of and trumpeting of America’s democratic trappings. The important thing to remember is that McCain and Obama were carefully vetted by the moneyed rulers and this is not particularly a secret. It’s called "campaign contributions". After that, we the people get to choose from two approved candidates. full story |
|
Obama: Government Should "Change
Behavior" by Raising Energy Bills |
In 2007 Barack Obama told public television in Iowa "it is undisputable that the climate is getting warmer" and the government should jack up energy bills up through "price signals" in order to force Americans to accept the globalist agenda. "I think it is important for us to send some price signals to change behavior. You know, if electricity goes up, people start becoming more mindful of their electricity bill." full story |
|
|
Pointing the US Surveillance Apparatus at the American People |
Do you "pal around with terrorists"? Are you a "radical" or express views that the government considers "extremist"? The Washington Post reported that one "well-known antiwar activist from Baltimore, Max Obuszewski, was singled out in the intelligence logs released by the ACLU, which described a "primary crime" of 'terrorism-anti-government' and a 'secondary crime' of 'terrorism-anti-war protesters'." full story |
|
|
Homeland Security Program Riddled With Problems |
It's called Project Shield and will cost you more than $40 million when it's done, leaving U.S. taxpayers footing the bill. CBS 2 Investigators sifted through government contracts and confidential emails revealing how Project Shield's pot of money was dished out. The trail led to bankrupt companies, phony addresses and falsified documents -- not the words you want to hear when talking about terrorism and your tax dollars. full story |
|
|
Military Investigates Amnesia Beams |
A team of scientists from the US and China announced last week that, for the first time, they had found a means of selectively and safely erasing memories in mice, using the signaling molecule ?CaMKII. It's a big step forward, and one that will be of considerable interest to the military, which has devoted efforts to memory manipulation as a means of treating post-traumatic stress disorder. But some military research has moved in another direction entirely. full story |
|
|
Expanding War, Contracting Meaning |
Even as the Bush presidency wears down, the Global War on Terror only expands. Perhaps the word should be "metastasizes." Just this week, the U.S. military, using SOFA-less Iraq as its launching pad, sent four helicopters with U.S. special forces soldiers across the Syrian border in an operation in which a number of people were killed. The Syrians claim the assault was on a farm and that "a father and his three children, the farm's guard and his wife, and a fisherman" all died. full story |
|
|
Fears on Animal Feed Widen China's Food Inquiry |
Chinese regulators said Friday that they were widening their investigation into contaminated food amid growing signs that the toxic industrial chemical melamine has leached into the nation's animal feed supplies, posing health risks to consumers throughout the world. Food safety tests earlier this week found that eggs produced in three provinces in China were contaminated with melamine, which is blamed for causing kidney stones and renal failure in infants. full story |
|
|
The Safety Gap |
In China, where thousands of drug manufacturers sell products in the local markets, profit margins are razor thin, and counterfeiting and contamination are common. In 2002, the Pharmaceutical Association, a Chinese trade group, estimated that as much as 8 percent of over-the-counter drugs sold in China are counterfeit. full story |
|
|
Oregon's Organic Farmers Fight Genetically Modified Seeds |
Critics of genetically modified crops have warned about "frankenfood" and "superweeds" for years. But today, more than four-fifths of the nation's corn, cotton and soybean crops are altered to resist pesticides and insects. Now Frank Morton, a 53-year-old organic seed farmer, and other activists are plowing new legal ground in the battle, charging that genetically modified crops will spread and contaminate organic crops. full story |
|
|
Drug-resistant Bacteria Found in Pork |
A ground-breaking investigation by the KOMO Problem Solvers has found toxic, life-threatening Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) bacteria in some pork you might buy at grocery stores. This drug-resistant bacteria is already responsible for more deaths in this country than AIDS. What makes MRSA so potentially dangerous is the bacteria can make you sick just by touching it. full story |
|
