March 12, 2007

President Authorized Abu Ghraib Torture, FBI Email Says - "The email, which was obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union, represents the first hard evidence directly connecting the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal and the White House. The author of the email, whose name is blanked out but whose title is described as "On Scene Commander -- Baghdad," contains ten explicit mentions of an "Executive Order" that the author said mandated US military personnel to engage in extraordinary interrogation tactics."

Cheney: Congress undermining U.S. troops - ""Anyone can say they support the troops and we should take them at their word, but the proof will come when it's time to provide the money," Cheney said."

Cheney: A withdrawal from Iraq could damage Israel - "The vice president stated that such a withdrawal would "give extremists the taste of victory" and that they would act to overthrow any moderate forces in the region."

Iraq: the hidden cost of the war - "America won't simply be paying with its dead. The Pentagon is trying to silence economists who predict that several decades of care for the wounded will amount to an unbelievable $2.5 trillion."

Be More Than You Can Be - "Heat-resistant. Cold-proof. Tireless. Tomorrow’s soldiers are just like today’s — only better. Inside the Pentagon’s human enhancement project."

FBI abuses may lead to Patriot Act limits - "Angry lawmakers on Friday threatened to amend the USA Patriot Act and limit the FBI's powers in the wake of a disclosure that agents had improperly obtained confidential records of people in the United States."

Don't want national ID? Surrender your passport - "British citizens who refuse to provide personal details for the planned "voluntary" national identification card have been told they will be denied passports and be unable to leave the UK."

Senator calls for answer on creation of universe - "Sen. Raymond Finney proposes to use the legislative process to get an answer to the question of whether the universe was created by a "Supreme Being.""

Pope says much of TV, Internet content destructive - ""Undoubtedly, much of great benefit to civilization is contributed by the various components of the mass media," the Pope said in a speech to the Vatican's communications department. "On the other hand, it is also readily apparent that much of what is transmitted in various forms to the homes of millions of families around the world is destructive," he said."

The Theocratic Agenda Is Heading for a Statehouse Near You - "Well-coordinated "faith-based" initiatives and anti-evolution lobbying in state capitols from New Jersey to Colorado signal a stealth national strategy by Religious Right organizations."

AIDS Vaccine Nearing Reality at Emory - "The world could have a new vaccine designed to kill the AIDS virus in as little as three to four years according to an Atlanta-based group working on the vaccine."

Global Warming is Not a Crisis - "From the Babylon of Gilgamesh to the post-Eden of Noah, every age has viewed climate change cataclysmically, as retribution for human greed and sinfulness."

Brown wants 'new world order' to fight global warming - "Gordon Brown, likely to be the next prime minister, will deliver a speech calling for a "new world order" to combat global warming on Monday."

Scientists threatened for 'climate denial' - "They say the debate on global warming has been "hijacked" by a powerful alliance of politicians, scientists and environmentalists who have stifled all questioning about the true environmental impact of carbon dioxide emissions."

On Screens Soon, Abused Earth Gets Its Revenge - "“The Happening” will not be the only big-budget studio film to test a new kind of villainy, in which the real victim is the environment, and, whatever the plot variations, the enemy is all of us."

Electricity from the sea - "In a world addicted to fossil fuel, turning waves into watts might seem far-fetched. But as the U.S. and other countries look for alternatives to oil, natural gas and coal and try to curb global warming, ocean power gradually is joining the ranks of wind and solar power as a source of renewable energy. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. caught the wave last month when it became the first California utility to file for permits to study the promise of sea power, a non-polluting but expensive and mostly untested way to take energy from the ocean."

Challenging the Workplace Dictatorship - "George Orwell's "1984" is already here and it's called the American workplace, but finally there's a law in the works that might make jobs livable."

The Health Care Monster Returns - "Even Republicans acknowledge its ravages, but what’s the best way to slay the beast?"

Children's medicine contains banned additives - "Some of the additives can cause reactions such as asthma, rashes, eye irritation or have a mild laxative effect."

You Can't Travel Back in Time, Scientists Say - "While the idea makes for great fiction, some scientists now say traveling to the past is impossible."




Quote of the Day
"You said never to grow old, but you forgot to tell me how."
~ Cowboy Junkies