March 15, 2006

News -- March 15, 2006

The Abu Ghraib files - "Today Salon presents an archive of 279 photos and 19 videos of Abu Ghraib abuse first gathered by the CID, along with information drawn from the CID's own timeline of the events depicted. ... Most of the photos have already been seen, but the Army's own analysis of the story behind the photos has never been fully told. It is a shocking, night-by-night record of three months inside Abu Ghraib's notorious cellblock 1A, and it tells the story, in more graphic detail than ever before, of the rampant abuse of prisoners there. The annotated archive also includes new details about the role of the CIA, military intelligence and the CID itself in abuse captured by cameras in the fall of 2003." -- You could be here awhile. There is a lot to see.

Top U.S. Military Official: No Evidence of Iran Involvement in Iraq - "Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, said today he has no evidence the Iranian government has been sending military equipment and personnel into neighboring Iraq. On Monday, President Bush suggested Iran was involved in making roadside bombs, known as improvised explosive devices, that are being used in Iraq. And Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld last week accused Iran of sending members of its Revolutionary Guard to conduct operations in Iraq."

Fox Announces Major Mexico Oil Find - "President Vicente Fox climbed aboard a drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday to formally announce a new deep-water oil discovery he said could eventually yield 10 billion barrels of crude oil."

Rumsfeld Hints Iraq Troop Levels May Rise - "Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld hinted Tuesday that U.S. troop levels may increase slightly in Iraq in the coming days because of pilgrimages connected to the holiday of Ashura."

ACLU releases 'first concrete evidence' of domestic spying for anti-war views - "Documents released today by the American Civil Liberties Union reveal that the Federal Bureau of Investigations has indeed monitored political groups solely on the basis that they opposed a U.S.-led war."

Nigeria: The Next Quagmire? - "If U.S. troops go to Africa, it won't be for a humanitarian intervention; it will be to protect American oil interests in the troubled Niger Delta."

The Republican Party Defensive Strategy For 2006 - "The United States failed today to get Chinese and Russian support for it's efforts to get Iran to suspend it's nuclear enrichment activities. The Bush administration, with approval ratings in free fall, has begun it's 2006 campaign to retain Republican control of Congress. The plan is the same it followed in 2002. Accuse a Middle east country of a weapons program, pretend to use diplomatic channels to try and diffuse the situation, and bolster the propaganda and fear campaign to keep American citizens misinformed and frightened about a nuclear Iran."

Whoever They Run, Republicans Have to Go - "The 2006 elections are, I am convinced, the most important in our history. ... There is nothing Christian here. This government - of, by and for corporations and the rich - rules through fear, propaganda lies, war, appeals to prejudice and intolerance, racism, spying and brazen overreaching for power."

Note to Moronic Democratic Senators:Americans Can't Stand George Bush - "The Republicans are unbearable. They break the law, lie, spin, spend, invade, torture and give away our money to lobbyists. So, I'm trying my best to not disparage the Democrats, since they're our only hope left. I don't want to perpetuate the image of them as soft, feckless and spineless. I am worried to death that will turn off some voters and have them vote for Republicans who are driving this country over a cliff instead. But the Democrats sometimes make it impossible to not criticize them."

GOP's Culture of Corruption Vs. Democrat's Culture of Weakness - " Let's just forget about the fact that congressional Democrats refuse to take a serious position on the Iraq War - the most pressing national security issue of the day. Let's forget about what a joke it is for the party to think it is going to compete on national security without taking a serious, contrasting position on the war. Let's even forget about the fact that the party is still too afraid to do this while polls have now shown for 3 years that the American public wants a change of direction on war policy. Let's just take a look at what's gone on over the last week. ... When you look at all this, you really think you are watching a Saturday Night Live skit about a political party. It's just so ridiculous, so pathetic, so inane that the people who are behaving this way just HAVE to be joking. It just HAS to be a comedy sketch."

Blogger's how-to for abortions stirs debate - "A feminist blogger has posted explicit directions online for a surgical abortion, in reaction to the new South Dakota law all but banning the procedure. Her action troubles activists on both sides of the issue: Is it a harbinger of a return to the era of secret, illegal abortions?"

Internet Backlash Stalls Jersey Civility Bill - "A New Jersey lawmaker's attempt to legislate civility on an Internet discussion board runs into a wall of opposition from bloggers and others who saw it as an attempt to stifle free speech."

U.S. military plans to make insect cyborgs - "The Pentagon is seeking applications from researchers to help them develop technology that can be implanted into living insects to control their movement and transmit video or other sensory data back to their handlers."

Viruses can taint radio frequency ID tags - "A group of European computer researchers has demonstrated that it is possible to insert a software virus into radio frequency identification tags, part of a microchip-based tracking technology in growing use in commercial and security applications."

Edenomics 101 - "I mentioned yesterday that Mike had a post on the war on epidemiology. That might sound a bit strange--doesn't have quite the ring to it as Chris's book. But, never fear, epidemiology is indeed under attack--or, at least, it's being redefined by young earth creationists. ... Finally, why doesn't Edenomics apply to all animals? According to the Creation model, all living species are descended from their original "kind" that was present in the Garden of Eden--and all would have been vegetarians. So why wouldn't lions, and crocodiles, and eagles etc. similarly benefit from a strictly vegetarian diet today? This, of course, goes unaddressed--because, well, all those other animals weren't God's special creation, so who cares about them? Plus, I think even YECs know they look silly when they discuss sharks and tigers chowin' down on a nice, ripe tomato."

Red Meat - "If some of the meat in supermarkets is looking rosier than it used to, the reason is that a growing number of markets are selling it in airtight packages treated with a touch of carbon monoxide to help the product stay red for weeks."

A Continent Splits Apart - "Normally new rivers, seas and mountains are born in slow motion. The Afar Triangle near the Horn of Africa is another story. A new ocean is forming there with staggering speed -- at least by geological standards. Africa will eventually lose its horn."

Nanotech helps blind hamsters see - "Scientists mimicked the effect of a traumatic brain injury by severing the optical nerve tract in hamsters, causing the animals to lose vision. After injecting the hamsters with a solution containing nanoparticles, the nerves re-grew and sight returned."

Aging Japan builds robot to look after elderly - "A Japanese-led research team said it had made a seeing, hearing and smelling robot that can carry human beings and is aimed at helping care for the country's growing number of elderly."

Movie theaters may ask to jam cell phones - "Movie theater owners faced with falling attendance are considering asking federal authorities for permission to jam cell phone reception in an attempt to stop annoying conversations during films, the head of the industry's trade group said on Tuesday." -- It's not just the cell phones, but most of today's movies just suck and aren't worth paying $10+ for.

X-rated 'children's' books outrage students' parents - "Parents across the nation are taking action against both school districts and libraries that feature books, some of them required reading, that include sexual issues and obscenity many believe are inappropriate for school children."

Many Utilities Collect for Taxes They Never Pay - "Many electric utility companies across the nation are collecting billions of dollars from their customers for corporate income taxes, then keeping the money rather than sending it to the government. The practice is legal in most states. The companies say it is smart business.




Quote of the Day
"The lesser of two evils is still evil."
~ Anonymous

No comments: