Report: Iran Begins Uranium Enrichment - ""Uranium gas has been fed into three machines," one senior diplomat familiar with Iran's nuclear file said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter."
'10,000 would die' in A-plant attack on Iran - "The report concludes: "A military response to the current crisis is a particularly dangerous option and should not be considered further. Alternative approaches must be sought, however difficult these may be." In a similar briefing before the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Oxford group predicted that Saddam Hussein's regime could easily be overwhelmed but that the country would become a hotbed of insurgency."
Report: U.S. Is Abusing Captives - "A draft United Nations report on the detainees at Guantanamo Bay concludes that the U.S. treatment of them violates their rights to physical and mental health and, in some cases, constitutes torture. It also urges the United States to close the military prison in Cuba and bring the captives to trial on U.S. territory, charging that Washington's justification for the continued detention is a distortion of international law."
UN inquiry demands immediate closure of Guantanamo - "A United Nations inquiry has called for the immediate closure of America's Guantanamo Bay detention centre and the prosecution of officers and politicians "up to the highest level" who are accused of torturing detainees. The UN Human Rights Commission report, due to be published this week, concludes that Washington should put the 520 detainees on trial or release them."
Rumsfeld and Cheney Revive Their 70's Terror Playbook - " Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney are at it again. Last week, Rumsfeld told the press we should be preparing for "the Long War," saying of the war this administration has stirred up with its attack on Iraq that, "Just as the Cold War lasted a long time, this war is something that is not going to go away." The last time Rumsfeld talked like this was in the 1970s, in response to the danger of peace presented by Richard Nixon."
Is the President above the law? - "Roberts later said he believed the President's authority was "above laws passed by Congress." In other words, George W. Bush is a dictator with absolute authority and no one, not the law and certainly not Congress, has the power to question or override that authority. Stop for a second and think about this."
The top two Republicans in Congress caught in an outright lie - "A Republican staffer has named Frist and Hastert as the two lawmakers that added the vaccine makers liability protection to the defense bill- after the committee had met several times that day, and Dems even asked Alaska Senator Ted Stevens if the language was in the bill, and he told them no. ... Frist and Stevens deny this charge saying the language was in the bill when the conferees voted on it- but if that’s so, why did Stevens tell Obey no? It appears there are several witnesses to the Leaders meeting... this is the top two Republicans in Congress caught in an outright lie, blatantly adding in crap that wouldn’t pass on it’s own."
What Has Happened to America's Jesus? - "They say Jesus is "pro life," but he doesn't seem to have a problem with the death penalty. And he thinks stem cell research — something that would save lives — is no different from murdering babies. They say he's the embodiment of kindness, love, decency and compassion. But he hates gays, lesbians and Muslims. And he's not too crazy about Buddhists, Hindus and the rest. Jews? He can put up with them if he has to."
Another Russian MP Says Muslim Riots Were US Provocation - "Gennady Zyuganov told a news conference that the publication of the offensive cartoons was a "well thought-out major provocation using newspapers and magazines to aggravate the situation, the relationship between the European countries and the Muslim world.”"
200 Insiders Against the World - "Neo-conservatives promoting the US Military control of the world are now in dominant policy positions within these higher circles of the US. Adbusters magazine summed up neo-conservatism as: "The belief that Democracy, however flawed, was best defended by an ignorant public pumped on nationalism and religion. Only a militantly nationalist state could deter human aggression Such nationalism requires an external threat and if one cannot be found it must be manufactured.""
Nurse Investigated for 'Sedition' After Writing Letter to Editor - "Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) has asked Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson for a thorough inquiry of his agency's investigation into whether a V.A. nurse's letter to the editor criticizing the Bush administration amounted to "sedition." Merely opposing government policies and expressing a desire to change course "does not provide reason to believe that a person is involved in illegal subversive activity," he said. Bingaman said such investigations raise "a very real possibility of chilling legitimate political speech.""
Israeli-Thai company uses adult stem cells in effort to heal failing hearts - "Desperate for an alternative, Carty found the Israeli-Thai company Theravitae, which has begun performing an experimental procedure that multiplies stem cells taken from a patient's own blood and injects them into the ailing heart in hopes of strengthening it. ... The procedure involves no risk of rejection since the cells are the patient's own. It also does not use embryonic stem cells, an idea that has raised moral objections since they require the destruction of human embryos. Many scientists believe stem cells could herald a new era of regenerative medicine, leading to cures for conditions from diabetes to Parkinson's disease."
Ritalin heart attacks warning urged after 51 deaths in US - "Ritalin, extensively prescribed to calm hyperactive children in the UK, should carry the highest-level warning that it may increase the risk of death from heart attacks, US experts recommended yesterday."
United Arab Emirates company to oversee six U.S. ports - "A company in the United Arab Emirates is poised to take over significant operations at six American ports as part of a corporate sale, leaving a country with ties to the Sept. 11 hijackers with influence over a maritime industry considered vulnerable to terrorism." -- Hmmmm.
US group implants electronic tags in workers - "An Ohio company has embedded silicon chips in two of its employees - the first known case in which US workers have been “tagged” electronically as a way of identifying them."
You've got (certified) mail! - "Saying they want to cut down on the glut of spam and phishing attacks aimed at their millions of users, America Online and Yahoo are turning to a controversial service offered by a company called Goodmail Systems, which has been likened to an electronic postage stamp provider. The service gives preferential treatment to companies that pay a fraction of a cent per e-mail to ensure that their messages bypass spam filters and get through to the intended recipients. The companies agree to send e-mail only to recipients who are willing to accept the e-mail."
The Secret Cause of Flame Wars - "According to recent research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, I've only a 50-50 chance of ascertaining the tone of any e-mail message. The study also shows that people think they've correctly interpreted the tone of e-mails they receive 90 percent of the time. ... "People in our study were convinced they've accurately understood the tone of an e-mail message when in fact their odds are no better than chance," says Epley."
Mind Rewind: Brains Run in Reverse - " When faced with a new learning task, our brains replay events in reverse, much like a video on rewind, a new study suggests."
No more bam-ba-lam - "There's no more "Black Betty" at University of New Hampshire hockey games. Bam-ba-lam. The 1977 clap-along song by one-hit-wonder Ram Jam has been banned because it's "theoretically racist," UNH Athletic Director Marty Scarano told the school's student newspaper, The New Hampshire. Purportedly a 20th-century African-American work song, the Ram Jam cover version was boycotted 30 years ago by the NAACP, which claimed its lyrics were offensive to black women."
Quote of the Day
"A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider God-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side."
~ Aristotle
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