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McCain Said to Conceal Facts About POWs Left in Vietnam |
John McCain, whose rise to the highest levels in politics is literally built on his POW experience in Vietnam, has “worked very hard to hide from the public stunning information about American prisoners in Vietnam who, unlike him, didn’t return home,"The Nation magazine disclosed. "McCain has quietly sponsored and pushed into federal law a set of prohibitions that keep the most revealing information about these men buried as classified documents." full story |
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Our Oceans Are Turning Into Plastic...Are We? |
It began with a line of plastic bags ghosting the surface, followed by an ugly tangle of junk: nets and ropes and bottles, motor-oil jugs and cracked bath toys, a mangled tarp. Tires. A traffic cone. Moore could not believe his eyes. Out here in this desolate place, the water was a stew of plastic crap. It was as though someone had taken the pristine seascape of his youth and swapped it for a landfill. full story |
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Congresswoman: Criminal Insiders behind Bailout Bill |
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur boldly slammed the bailout bill as the work of criminal insiders who have shut down the normal legislative process to commit "high financial crimes" and defraud the American people, while Rep. Michael Burgess warns that "martial law" has been declared. The two Congress members are part of a growing minority of representatives sounding the alarm about the dictatorial nature of the bailout bill.. full story |
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Denver Cops Get T-shirts That Mock DNC Protesters |
Denver's police union is facing criticism for printing a commemorative T-shirt that makes light of the use of violence by police, particularly in the wake of 154 arrests during the week of Democratic National Convention this past August. "We get up early, to beat the crowds," the shirt reads, followed by "2008 DNC." The words flank a grinning police officer holding a baton and wearing a hat with a crossed-out number "68".. full story |
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Kucinich Says Bailout Doesn't Have the Votes |
"If the votes were there, this would be on the floor," he said. "The votes aren't there." "Is this the United States Congress or the board of directors of Goldman Sachs?" Kucinich asked today. "Why aren't we helping homeowners directly with their debt burden? Why aren't we helping American families faced with bankruptcy. Why aren't we reducing debt for Main Street instead of Wall Street? full story |
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Real Food Makes a Comeback:
You May Now Kiss Your Local Farmer |
Last 50 years, almost nobody is a farmer. The 2 percent of Americans who farm are exotic, largely invisible pixies who magically turn petrochemicals into grocery-chain products encased in plastic wrap. Last couple of years: Everyone wants to be a farmer. Or hug a farmer. Or at least buy and eat local food that isn't sprayed, injected, modified, adulterated and transfatted into inedibility. full story |
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US Taxpayers Are Being Enrolled in an Economic Chain Gang |
There was a time, early in America's history, when its leaders believed in financial discipline. No more. Perpetual debt, which Jefferson feared would enslave future generations, is clamped on Uncle Sam's undercarriage like a ball and chain. US public borrowing is $9.8 trillion and rising. If Congress approves the $700 billion bail-out of dysfunctional banks, it would be hard to invent a better example of what Jefferson foresaw: authorised "swindling". full story |
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Cafferty to Blitzer: 'Don't Make Excuses' for Palin |
The CNN anchorman lambasted Palin for her thoughts on the $700 billion bailout proposed by the Bush administration. After showing a clip of the Alaskan governor's Friday interview with Katie Couric on CBS' The Early Show, he had this to say. "If John McCain wins, this woman will be one 72-year-old's heartbeat away from being president of the United States, and if that doesn't scare the hell out of you, it should," Cafferty said. full story |
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Citing Cost, USDA Kills Pesticide-testing Program |
The Bush administration has abruptly halted a government program that tests the levels of pesticides in fruits, vegetables and field crops, arguing that the $8 million-a-year program is too expensive, a decision critics say could make it harder to protect consumers from chemicals in their food. Some critics see the move as part of a broad but quiet deregulation effort the Bush administration has undertaken in its final months in office. full story |
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Asia Food Tainting Spreads, Leading to Recall in U.S. |
In Hong Kong, Heinz Foods this week recalled its vegetable formula baby cereal after some samples of it tested positive for melamine. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday that some instant coffee and tea drinks, all containing a nondairy creamer made in China, had been recalled for fear of contamination. It is the first recall in the US growing out of the melamine scare. full story |
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No Amnesty for Wall Street |
At the time of this writing, the U.S. House and Senate are poised to pass a $700 billion bailout to Wall Street. At the behest of President George W. Bush, the U.S. taxpayers are going to be on the hook for what can only be referred to as the biggest fraud in U.S. history. Virtually our entire financial system is based on an illusion. We spend more than we earn, we consume more than we produce, we borrow more than we save.. full story |
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Half of Europe's Frogs Face Extinction |
The latest assessment of frogs, toads, salamanders and newts suggests many will be severely threatened in the coming decades, especially in southern Europe where the climate is expected to become significantly warmer and drier. But even familiar British amphibians such as the common frog and toad are highly vulnerable, said Trent Garner, of the Zoological Society of London. full story |
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Has the Election Just Been Cancelled?
Continuity of Government Plan |
CNN is reporting that McCain has "suspended his campaign" and is asking Obama to do the same, due to the economic crisis. Is this the first step in canceling the elections due to "national emergency"? Is that part of the reason that the U.S. military is permanently being deployed within the U.S. to deal with "civil unrest" and "crowd control"? full story |
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Internal DHS Documents Detail Expansion of
Power to Read & Copy Travelers' Papers |
The documents show that in 2007, Customs and Border Protection loosened restrictions on the examination of travelers' documents and papers that had existed since 1986. While CBP agents could previously read travelers' documents only if they had "reasonable suspicion" that the documents would reveal violations of agency rules, in '07 officers were given the power to "review and analyze" papers without any individualized suspicion. full story |
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Congressman Ron Paul Schools Bernanke on the Bailout Plan |
Congressman Ron Paul lectures Bernanke on the flaws of the bailout plan and the hazard of the attempt to fix prices versus letting them correct naturally in the free market at the Congressional Hearing today (9/24/08). Ron also questions Bernanke’s authority and constitutionality of using the printing press to generate all this extra money needed for the bailout. full story |
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European Parliament Offers to Help India Save Wild Tigers |
The resolution calls on both Europe and India to redouble efforts to tackle the organized gangs behind the trafficking of tiger parts, and to work together to protect forest habitats. In June, the government of India established a dedicated agency for tackling wildlife crime, the Indian Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. Currently, there may be as few as 2,500 tigers left in the wild, of which just over half are in India. full story |
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Anxiety-detecting Machines Could Spot Terrorists |
It may seem Orwellian, but on Thursday, the Homeland Security Department showed off an early version of physiological screeners that could spot terrorists. The department's research division is years from using the machines in an airport or an office building -- if they even work at all. But officials believe the idea could transform security by doing a bio scan to spot dangerous people. full story |
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Homeschooling Banned in California as
State Turns Parents into Criminals |
A California appeals court has ruled that homeschooling of children is illegal unless their parents have teaching credentials from the state. "California is now on the path to being the only state to deny the vast majority of homeschooling parents their fundamental right to teach their own children at home," said Michael Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association. full story |
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U.S. Troops in Homeland "Crowd
Control" Patrols from October 1st |
U.S. troops returning from duty in Iraq will be carrying out homeland patrols in America from October 1st in complete violation of Posse Comitatus for the purposes of helping with "civil unrest and crowd control" - which could include dealing with unruly Americans after a complete economic collapse. This shocking admission was calmly reported on September 8th by the Army Times website. full story |
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Bailout Is Financial Equivalent of the Patriot Act |
"Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency," the original draft of the proposed bill says. And with those words, the Treasury secretary would be vested with perhaps the most incredible powers ever bestowed on one person over the economic and financial life of the United States. full story |
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Vets Unfurl 'Arrest Bush & Cheney' Banner at National Archives |
Anti-war protesters hung a banner today at the National Archives calling for the arrest of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. The five are military combat veterans from the anti-war group Veterans For Peace who intend to stay on the ledge and fast for a full day "in remembrance of those who have perished and those still suffering from the crimes of the Bush administration." full story |
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Millions Spend Half of Income on Housing |
7.5 million people, almost 15% of American homeowners with a mortgage, are spending half of their income or more on housing costs, according to 2007 data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. That is up from nearly 7.1 million the year before. More than 4 million homeowners were at least one month behind on their loans at the end of June, and almost 500,000 had started the foreclosure process. full story |
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$13 Billion in Iraq Aid Wasted or Stolen, Ex-Investigator Says |
A former Iraqi official estimated yesterday that more than $13 billion meant for reconstruction projects in Iraq was wasted or stolen through elaborate fraud schemes. Salam Adhoob, a former chief investigator for Iraq's Commission on Public Integrity, told the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, an arm of the Democratic caucus, that an Iraqi auditing bureau "could not properly account for" the money. full story |
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Loan Titans Paid McCain Adviser Nearly $2 Million |
Several current and former executives of the companies came forward to discuss the role that Rick Davis, Mr. McCain’s campaign manager and longtime adviser, played in helping Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac beat back regulatory challenges when he served as president of their advocacy group, the Homeownership Alliance, formed in the summer of 2000. full story |
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Homeland Security to Use Physiological
Screeners to Pinpoint Terrorists |
The Homeland Security Department is pilot testing at a Maryland airport a prototype of a physiological screener to spot terrorists. The model bio-scans air travelers. The model works like a lie detector machine by indicating large fluctuations in body temperature, pulse and breathing which are likely indicators of anxiety often exhibited by a terrorist or criminal. full story |
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China Toxic Milk Sickens 53,000 as Scare Spreads |
In a dramatic update of previous figures, the health ministry said a total of 52,857 children were taken to hospital after drinking milk thought to have been contaminated by the industrial chemical melamine. Most had "basically recovered" but 12,892 of them remained in hospital, a health ministry official told AFP. Three children have died and 104 are still in serious condition, the health ministry said, with symptoms including kidney stones. full story |
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Catastrophic Fall in Numbers Reveals
Worldwide Bird Populations in Crisis |
The birds of the world are in serious trouble, and common species are in now decline all over the globe, a comprehensive new review suggests today. From the turtle doves of Europe to the vultures of India, from the bobwhite quails of the US to the yellow cardinals of Argentina, from the eagles of Africa to the albatrosses of the Southern Ocean, the numbers of once-familiar birds are tumbling everywhere. full story |
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Internet Attacks on 9/11 Truth Intensify |
Internet censorship is once again in the news after legendary YouTube user Nuffrespect posted a new video detailing the latest online attack on 9/11 Truth: a user who is creating clones of respected user accounts and truth movement leaders in order to smear 9/11 Truth by posting racist comments. These have already led to the deletion of several well-known accounts in what has been revealed as a coordinated effort to eliminate 9/11 Truth from YouTube. full story |
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Australia Issues First License to Clone Human Embryos |
The Australian government has issued its first license allowing scientists to create cloned human embryos to try and obtain embryonic stem cells. Scientists in other countries have made stem cells they believe are similar to embryonic cells using a variety of techniques, but none have been able to extract embryonic stem cells from cloned human embryos. full story |
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U.S. Govt. Soaks Taxpayers to Bail Out Wealthy Elite |
In its complete abandonment of free market principles, the U.S. government has banned all short selling of nearly 800 financial companies and set up a $1 trillion off-the-books "rescue" fund in an attempt to sweep financial losses under the rug while sending the bill to taxpayers. If you or I used the same accounting practices in our own businesses, we'd be arrested for serious white collar crimes.. full story |
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Mobile Phone Use 'Raises Children's
Risk of Brain Cancer Fivefold' |
Children and teenagers are five times more likely to get brain cancer if they use mobile phones, startling new research indicates.
The study, experts say, raises fears that today's young people may suffer an "epidemic" of the disease in later life. Those who started using mobiles young, were also five times more likely to get acoustic neuromas, benign but often disabling tumours of the auditory nerve, which usually cause deafness. full story |
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Paulson Plan Could Cost $1 Trillion |
Congressional leaders said after meeting Thursday evening with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that as much as $1 trillion could be needed to avoid an imminent meltdown of the U.S. financial system. The solution being proposed by the Bush admin. is the most expensive bailout in the nation's history, sharply curtailing the ability of the next president to push for tax cuts or new spending. full story |
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Coming Soon to a Grocery Near You:
Genetically Engineered Meat |
"They are talking about pigs that are going to have mouse genes in them, and this is not going to be labeled?" said Jean Halloran, director of food policy for Consumers Union. "We are close to speechless on this." Nonetheless, Gregory Jaffe, who heads the biotechnology project at the Center for Science in the Public Interest called the FDA action a "good first step". full story |
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Troubled Waters: Did We Really Save the Whale? |
Yet two decades on, the issues that Williams so passionately exposed are still with us. The Japanese are still hunting in the Southern Ocean, supposedly a whale sanctuary. Since 1987, when the international moratorium took effect, an astonishing 25,000 great whales have been killed. Throughout the world, whales and dolphins, now known to be as intelligent as primates, are still kept as performing animals in oceanariums. full story |
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Humanity at Risk: Are the Males Going First? |
Something is happening to today's boys and men: Fewer are being born compared with girls, they're having more trouble in school, virility and fertility are down and testicular cancer rates are up. Now, scientists say these 'fragile males' may be more vulnerable than females to pollutants, affecting their development as early as the womb. full story |
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In Hard Times, Tent Cities Rise across the Country |
Within weeks, more than 150 people were living in tents big and small, barely a foot apart in a patch of dirt slated to be a parking lot for a campus of shelters Reno is building for its homeless population. Like many other cities, Reno has found itself with a "tent city" - an encampment of people who had nowhere else to go. From Seattle to Athens, Ga., homeless advocacy groups and city agencies are reporting the most visible rise in homeless encampments in a generation. full story |
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Domestic Spying Lawsuit Targets Bush, Cheney, NSA |
Based on news reports and information it obtained from former AT&T employee Mark Kline, EFF alleges a massive surveillance apparatus has been trained on Americans to vacuum up information on virtually every telephone call, e-mail and Internet search to feed a massive database maintained by the NSA. The lawsuit outlines 17 counts, including alleged violations of the 1st Amendment, 4rth Amendment, FISA and other laws. full story |
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Sarah Palin's Dead Lake |
Among the environmental casualties of Wasilla's frenzied development was Palin's own front yard, Lake Lucille. The lake was listed as "impaired" in 1994 by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and it still carries that grim label. State environmental officials say that leaching sewer lines and fertilizer runoff caused an explosion of plant growth in the lake, which sucked the oxygen out of the water and led to periodic fish kills. full story |
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Photo Ticket Cameras to Track Drivers Nationwide |
Private companies in the US are hoping to use red light cameras and speed cameras as the basis for a nationwide surveillance network similar to one that will be active next year in the UK. Redflex and American Traffic Solutions (ATS), the top two photo enforcement providers in the US, are quietly shopping new motorist tracking options to prospective state and local government clients. full story |
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'Smoking Police' Hit the Streets to Shock People into Quitting |
'Smoking police' will target people at betting shops, bus stops and shopping centres to shock them into giving up cigarettes. They will be asked to breathe into a monitor to show how much carbon monoxide is in their bodies, and could then be signed up to local stop-smoking services and given access to counsellors. Pro-smoking group Forest described the campaign as a humiliating infringement of civil liberties. full story |
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'USA Transforming into USSRA' |
An economic analyst says by buying out investment giants, the USA had transformed into the USSRA (the United Socialist State Republic of America). "This transformation of the USA into a country where there is socialism for the rich, the well connected and Wall Street (i.e. where profits are privatized and losses are socialized) continues today with the nationalization of AIG,” Nouriel Roubini said. full story |
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NBC Fact-checks Sarah Palin |
In the midst of "Palinmania," NBC has aired a "fact check" segment two weeks after the Republican National Convention debut of Sarah Palin, Alaska's governor and Senator McCain's running mate. NBC has addressed inaccurate claims on international travel, Alaska's true energy production, foreign policy credentials, the infamous "Bridge(s) to Nowhere," and the subsequent backtracking by the McCain campaign as a result. full story |
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Fancy Exchanging Your Car for a Pony?
Horse Power May Be Making a Comeback |
Spurred on by rising fuel costs and concerns for the environment, growing numbers of people are deserting their cars. And some have found a creative, environmentally friendly mode of transport: horses are providing the means to travel into cities, drop children at school, do the shopping and even commute. In some cases, it's quicker to do these trips on horseback. full story |
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EPA Unresponsive on Children's Health |
The agency formed the advisory committee in 1997. It is composed of experts in children's health from academe, health care, industry, nonprofits, and local governments. Over the past decade, it has made hundreds of suggestions to EPA regarding protection and improvement of children's health. But "EPA has largely disregarded key recommendations" from these advisers. full story |
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Colbert: 'How Dare You' Ask Questions of a POW? |
"The Bush administration has avoided giving answers to the American people by claiming executive privilege, ignoring subpoenas, feigning ignorance. But now there is so much talk of change in the air these days that my fear is that the next administration will have to give answers. Luckily, John McCain and Sarah Palin are bringing the best possible kind of change. They're not only saying they won't give answers -- they're saying you can't ask questions." full story |
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EPA Lets Electronic Waste Flow Freely, GAO Report Says |
Toxic materials in electronics do not leach out while the products remain intact, but once they are disassembled, the ingredients can enter the air and water. A 2007 study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that children in Guiyu, a Chinese village where discarded electronics are dismantled, have lead levels in blood that are 50% higher than limits set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. full story |
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Fears over Privacy as Police Expand Surveillance Project |
The police are to expand a car surveillance operation that will allow them to record and store details of millions of daily journeys for up to five years, the Guardian has learned. Police have been encouraged to "fully and strategically exploit" the database, which is already recording the whereabouts of 10 million drivers a day, during investigations ranging from counter-terrorism to low-level crime. full story |
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Vietnam Vets Face Dangers Decades Later |
Vietnam veterans exposed to the defoliant Agent Orange are twice as likely to contract prostate cancer as unexposed veterans, according to a study of 13,000 Northern California veterans conducted by University of California at Davis researchers. Worse, the cancer will likely be an aggressive, deadlier version that strikes earlier and spreads more readily to other organs. full story |
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Health Facilities Flush Estimated 250M Pounds of Drugs a Year |
The massive amount of pharmaceuticals being flushed by the health services industry is aggravating an emerging problem - the commonplace presence of minute concentrations of pharmaceuticals in the nation's drinking water supplies, affecting at least 46 million Americans. Even extremely diluted concentrations of pharmaceutical residues harm fish, frogs and other aquatic species in the wild. full story |
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Terror Plan Would Give FBI More Power |
The DoJ made public on Friday a plan to expand the tools the FBI can use to investigate suspicions of terrorism inside the US, even without any direct evidence of wrongdoing. Justice Department officials said the plan, which is likely to be completed by the end of the month despite criticism from civil rights advocates, is intended to allow FBI. agents to be more aggressive and pre-emptive in assessing possible threats to national security. full story |
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Andover Law School Convenes Bush War Crimes Conference |
Saturday morning, the dean of Massachusetts School of Law at Andover will convene a two day planning session with a single focus: To arrest, put to trial and carry out sentence on criminals in the Bush Administration. The conference, arranged by Lawrence Vevel, cofounder of the Andover school, will focus on which of Bush's officials and members of Congress could be charged with war crimes. full story |
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Chile Passes National Whale Sanctuary Law |
Chilean conservation and fishermen's groups praised the legislators for supporting the will of the Chilean people regarding cetacean conservation in the waters off Chile's 3,400 mile long coast. They said the final approval of the law will allow Chile to attend the intersessional meeting of the International Whaling Commission next week in Florida with a strong message of conservation and non-lethal use of cetaceans. full story |
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The Beginning of the Realignment of American Politics |
No significant political movement takes place without breaking down old alliances and establishing new ones. And so it is with the press conference sponsored today by Ron Paul at the National Press Club. There he was joined by Ralph Nader (Independent), Chuck Baldwin (Constitutionalist) and Cynthia McKinney (Green), to take on the War Party Duopoly. full story |
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FDA: Infant Formula from China Tainted by Chemical |
The Food and Drug Administration urged U.S. consumers to avoid all infant formula from China, after several brands sold in that country came under suspicion of being contaminated with melamine, a chemical used in plastics. Officials said there have been reports from China of babies developing serious kidney problems as a result. Melamine is the same chemical involved in a massive pet food recall last year. full story |
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21 Reasons to Question the Official Story about 9/11 |
Given standard operating procedures between the FAA and the military, according to which planes showing signs of an in-flight emergency are normally intercepted within about 10 minutes, the military's failure to intercept any of the flights implies that something, such as a stand-down order, prevented standard procedures from being carried out (NPHR 1-10, 81-84). full story |
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Nader: Bush & Cheney So Impeachable
They Can't Be Impeached? |
Video about how Bush's potential to attack Iran, declare a National Emergency, institute Martial Law, and call off 2008 elections. If the fears of certain congressmen are accurate, then things are a lot worse than we thought. If they aren't accurate, then are congressmen are more paranoid and fearful than the public realizes. full story |
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New Information Details CIA Criminal
Culpability in Allowing the 9/11 Attacks! |
Palo Alto Publishing will hold a press conference to detail new info revealed since the release of the 9/11 Commission Report. Entirely sourced from govt. reports, court documents, and the account of FBI Agent Ali Soufan, this analysis, never before fully detailed, shows that CIA officers, working through liaisons at FBI HQ, had repeatedly and criminally obstructed investigations that could have prevented the attacks on 9/11. full story |
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CREW Releases Profiles of 'Most Corrupt Members of Congress' |
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has released its fourth annual report, "CREW's Most Corrupt Members of Congress", outlining Washington politicians who it says have "most egregiously betrayed the public's trust." 12 of the 24 members of Congress listed in the report are under investigation. The thirteenth, New York Congressman Charlie Rangel, has opened a House ethics investigation on himself. full story |
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What Is the Secret Killing Weapon in Iraq? |
"He said the bus rapidly melted under this withering blast, shrinking until it was a twisted blob about the dimensions of a VW bug. As if that were not bizarre enough, al-Ghazali explicitly describes seeing numerous human bodies shriveled to the size of newborn babies. By the time local street fighting ended that day, he estimates between 500 and 600 soldiers and civilians had been cooked alive as a result of the mysterious tank-mounted device." full story |
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Paul: Reject The Two Partys, Vote For Third |
Paul, a Republican who abandoned his White House bid earlier this year, is gathering some of the candidates, independent Ralph Nader among them, on Wednesday to make his plea. "The strongest message can be sent by rejecting the two party system," Paul said in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. "This can be accomplished by voting for one of the non-establishment, principled candidates." full story |
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North American Freshwater Fishes Fading into Extinction |
Fishes that once were abundant in N. American streams, rivers and lakes are now disappearing, with nearly 40% of all species in jeopardy, according to the most detailed assessment of the conservation status of freshwater fishes in the last 20 years. 61 fishes are presumed extinct, and 280 species are classed as endangered. In addition 190 are considered threatened, and 230 fishes are listed as vulnerable to extinction. full story |
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Pakistan Threatens to Retaliate against US |
A spokesman for Pakistan's army, Major Murad Khan, has slammed Washington for killing Pakistani civilians, warning of retaliatory action. "Border violations by US-led forces in Afghanistan, which have killed scores of Pakistani civilians, would no longer be tolerated, and we have informed them that we reserve the right to self defense and that we will retaliate if the US continues cross-border attacks," Khan said. full story |
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Taxpayers Take on Trillions in Risk in Fannie, Freddie Takeover |
The unprecedented federal takeover of mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae announced on Sunday is a bold attempt to stabilize financial markets and restore the faltering housing market, but it thrusts trillions of dollars of risk directly onto taxpayers' shoulders. "You can call it a bailout, you can call it a safety net or you can call it a rescue package, but the bottom line is the American taxpayer is left footing the bill." full story |
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French Revolt over Edvige: Nicolas
Sarkozy's Big Brother Spy Computer |
Hervé Morin, the Defence Minister, broke government ranks to side with a growing revolt against Edvige, an acronym for a police database that will store personal details including opinions, the social circle and even sexual preferences of more or less anyone who interests the State. Edvige was created by decree in July to store data on anyone aged 13 or above who is "likely to breach public order". full story |
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16 U.S. Troops Commit Suicide in Iraq |
Iraqi security sources have revealed that 21 US troops had committed suicide inside a former Iraqi air force base 27 days ago. The troops' motivations for suicide are not known but according to Iraqi sources the servicemen belonged to the 57th Unit of the US Airborne Division that was behind the massacre of several Iraqi families-- mostly women and children-- in northern Baghdad, said Ali al-Baghdadi an Iraqi security official. full story |
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Gun Bill Could Strip D.C. of Control |
The legislation has four main goals. It would repeal the D.C. ban on semiautomatic pistols and rifles; eliminate the city's gun-registration requirements; allow District residents to purchase guns in Virginia and Maryland; and abolish the regulation that guns kept at home be unloaded and either disassembled or fitted with trigger locks. full story |
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Loon Nests Increasing, But It's No Time to Cheer |
More loons than ever - 240 pairs - nested in New Hampshire this year. But biologists aren't cheering. That's because those pairs are having a hard time reproducing. Of the 125 loon chicks born this season, 95 survived, according to monitoring by the Loon Preservation Committee. That means the rate of reproduction was about 0.4 chicks per pair, too low to maintain a stable population. full story |
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Palin: the Real Scandal |
The Palin administration has allowed Chevron to triple the amount of toxic waste it pours into the waters of Cook Inlet. This, even though the number of beluga whales in the bay has collapsed from 1,300 to 350 - the point of extinction - because of pollution and increased ship traffic. Last year, Mrs Palin proposed offering a bounty of $150 per wolf, as long as the hunter provided the wolf's foreleg as proof of the kill. full story |
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The Continuity in Government Project |
The political infrastructure for martial law in the U.S. is already in place. Apparently unsure that the USAPATRIOT Act(s) and the Military Commissions Act weren't strong enough, on 5/9/07, Bush issued a document doubly titled "National Security Presidential Directive/NSPD 51" and "Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-20." This document supposedly outlines the federal government's plan for maintaining continuity in the face of a "catastrophic emergency." full story |
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Electronic Smog 'Is Disrupting Nature on a Massive Scale' |
Mobile phones, Wi-Fi systems, electric power lines and similar sources of "electrosmog" are disrupting nature on a massive scale, causing birds and bees to lose their bearings, fail to reproduce and die, a conference will be told this week. "An unprecedented dense mesh of artificial magnetic, electrical and electromagnetic fields" has been generated, overwhelming the "natural system of information" on which the species rely. full story |
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Certain Flame Retardants May Make Us Sick |
PBDEs, now widespread in humans and the environment, have been detected in breast milk and human blood, including umbilical-cord blood and livers of fetuses. Health studies suggest that they may, at high levels of exposure, cause cancer. Within the last year, studies have also found undescended testicles in babies whose mothers had high levels of PBDEs, decreased sperm quality in men, and effects on thyroid function. full story |
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Children Aged Eight Enlisted as Council Snoopers |
The youngsters are among almost 5,000 residents who in some cases are being offered £500 rewards if they provide evidence of minor infractions. One in six councils contacted by the Telegraph said they had signed up teams of "environment volunteers" who are being encouraged to photograph or video neighbours guilty of dog fouling, littering or "bin crimes". full story |
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Pollution Can Make You Fat, Study Claims |
Pollution can make children fat, startling new research shows. A groundbreaking Spanish study indicates that exposure to a range of common chemicals before birth sets up a baby to grow up stout, thus helping to drive the worldwide obesity epidemic. A quarter of all British adults and a fifth of children are obese -- four times as many as 30 years ago. And so are at least 300 million people worldwide. full story |
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Bisphenol A May Impair Learning And Memory |
The researchers found that low-level exposure to bisphenol A, or BPA, was able to block the formation of some types of synapses in the brain, the tissue that allows brain cells known as neurons to communicate with each other. The proper development of these synapses is considered crucial for remembering thoughts and experiences, and impairments in them are common in sufferers of depression and other brain-related ailments. full story |
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Insane Neocons Will Drive Us to War
with Russia And Nuclear Confrontation |
I hate to say it, but Paul Craig Roberts is right -- we are headed for nuclear war. If the neocons have their way -- and it looks like they will, especially if McCain is ushered into office -- the United States will continue to push Russia in the corner by installing missile systems on their border. For the neocons, war with Russia is a dream come true, never mind the radiation. full story |
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Nigeria, Cameroon Cooperate to Save Most Endangered Ape |
With just 300 individuals left in the wild, Cross River gorillas have found new conservation support from the governments of Cameroon and Nigeria, the only two countries where these great apes live. Representatives from the two nations agreed last week to improve trans-boundary cooperation to protect the critically endangered species, as well as other endangered wildlife. full story |
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U.S. Food And Water Supply Poisoned by Perchlorate |
A toxic chemical that is a byproduct of rocket fuel is rapidly poisoning the food and water supply in the US. Known as perchlorate, this chemical has been found in 93% of the nation's milk and lettuce supply in a recent FDA study. It has also been found in the drinking water for at least 22 states at extremely alarming levels. Perhaps the scariest statistic is that perchlorate has been found in the breast milk of 97% of the mothers who were tested. full story |
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Russia May Push Forward with S-300 Sales to Iran |
Saying Russia is using the plans as a bargaining chip in its standoff with America, Ruslan Pukhov, director of Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, said: "In the current situation, when the U.S. and the West in general are stubbornly gearing toward a confrontation with Russia after the events in South Ossetia, the implementation of a lucrative contract on the deliveries of S-300 to Iran looks like a logical step." full story |
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Border Drug Wars Threaten U.S. |
An escalating turf fight between warring drug cartels in Mexico is spreading into the U.S. with federal officials warning that deadly shootouts and ambushes along the southwestern border pose a serious threat to both U.S. law enforcement and American citizens. The Aug. 29 report predicts a rise in the use of "deadly force" against U.S. police officials, first responders and residents along the border, and further spillage of drug-gang violence deeper into the U.S. full story |
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Palin: Iraq War a Task That Is from God | |
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told ministry students at her former church that the U.S. sent troops to fight in the Iraq war on a "task that is from God." In an address last June, the Republican vice presidential candidate also urged ministry students to pray for a plan to build a $30 billion natural gas pipeline in the state, calling it "God's will." "God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," she said. full story |
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U.S. Government Mad Scientists Geo-Engineer Atmosphere |
U.S. govt. scientists are bombarding the skies with the acid-rain causing pollutant sulphur dioxide in an attempt to fight global warming by "geo-engineering" the planet, despite the fact that injecting aerosols into the upper atmosphere carries with it a host of both known and unknown dangers. The health effects of bombarding the skies with sulphur dioxide alone are enough to raise serious questions about whether such programs should even be allowed to proceed. full story |
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Who Is Wrecking America? |
It was the Clinton administration that rigged the Consumer Price Index in order to cheat retired people out of their Social Security cost of living increases. It was the Clinton administration that vanished discouraged workers from the unemployment rolls. It was the Clinton administration that wrecked "effective government" by encouraging early civil service retirements in order to make way for quota hires. full story |
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Toddlers Absorb More Toxic Chemicals Than Mothers |
In a world permeated with chemicals, toddlers' penchant for crawling on floors, chewing on assorted objects and touching everything within reach expose their bodies to a disproportionate amount of toxic pollutants. The group reported that the children, on average, carried more than three times the amount of flame retardants in their blood than their mothers. full story |
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Stung by Mysterious Die-offs, Michigan
Beekeepers Worry about Impact |
As beekeepers harvest honey this month, they face an uncertain future that could bring higher food prices as bees mysteriously continue to vanish from hives. Experts calculate a quarter of the estimated 2.4 million colonies across the U.S. have been lost in the last two years to colony collapse disorder. The reason -- or reasons -- remains unknown. full story |
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Homeland Seizures Border on Fascism |
A growing number of international travelers have complained about missing laptops, cell phones and other digital devices that wound up being confiscated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, under U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. These agencies have the right to take any electronic equipment from anyone, including U.S. citizens, without reasonable suspicion, without stated cause, without notification. full story |
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EU Approves Proposal to Try Britons
in Their Absence in Foreign Courts |
British citizens could be convicted in their absence by foreign courts for traffic, credit card or other criminal offences under plans approved in principle by the European Parliament. The proposals would allow citizens to be extradited automatically under fast-track procedures at the request of another European Union country on the basis of a decision by the foreign court. full story |
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Georgia's Influence Peddlers in Washington |
A little-known Georgia lobbying network in Washington, DC, is working together with faux progressive guru George Soros and John McCain foreign policy adviser/Georgia uber-lobbyist Randy Scheunemann to prop up Georgia as a NATO client state and engineer a renewed Cold War with Russia, with U.S. defense contractors poised to rake in even more obscene profits. full story |
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The Georgia Crisis Turns Dangerous |
In an act fraught with danger, US and NATO warships are delivering supplies to Georgia, watched by Russian men of war. The US Congress may soon vote $1 billion for America's embattled Georgian satellite. The western powers have resorted to fierce Cold War rhetoric. They are playing with fire. Russia has some 6,600 strategic nuclear weapons, mostly aimed at North America and Europe. full story |
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Cops Arrest AP Photographer, Broadcaster at Start of RNC |
Plaudits for the relative restraint of Denver police during last week's DNC are not set to be repeated at the RNC, as cops signaled their intent by arresting an AP photographer as well as Democracy Now host Amy Goodman simply for documenting protests in downtown St. Paul. Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke was arrested on a gross misdemeanor riot charge simply for taking pictures of a protest yesterday. full story |
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