News -- June 12, 2006

Al Qaeda in Iraq threatens large scale attacks - "Al Qaeda in Iraq vowed on Sunday to carry out large-scale attacks that would "shake the enemy" after the killing of its leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, but did not name a successor." - How convenient.

The fax that reveals the US is flying terror suspects to Europe’s secret jails - "The discovery of the fax seriously undermines the US’s denial that it has ever used secret detention facilities, breaching international law. It also adds to the pressure for the release of information on “extraordinary renditions”. These rendition flights see kidnapped terror suspects taken by the CIA to countries where torture is common, such as Uzbekistan."

Global military spend hits $1.12 trillion: report - ""The USA is responsible for 48 percent of the world total, distantly followed by the UK, France, Japan and China with 4 to 5 percent each," the Swedish government-funded institute added."

Sarah McLachlan - World on Fire -- Check out the video.

BofA: Train your replacement, or no severance pay for you - "Bank of America has been steadily moving thousands of tech jobs to India. The latest to go are about 100 positions that handle BofA's internal tech support. While many of the bank's Bay Area techies accept the inevitability of their jobs heading abroad, what rankles them is the fact that, in many cases, they're being told they have to first train the Indians who are getting their gigs." -- And this is the world we live in.

Arab leaders pressed on women's rights - "About 200 delegates, mostly women, from 13 Arab states and Turkey, gathered in Rabat for a conference on the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The delegates at the meeting adopted a resolution calling on Arab states to adopt the law in full."

CEDAW: The Women's Treaty - "The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is often described as an international bill of rights for women. ... The United States is the only industrialized country that has not ratified CEDAW. By not ratifying, the U.S. is in the company of countries like Iran, Sudan, and Somalia."

Diabetes Cases Rise From 30 Million To 230 Million In 20 Years - "The spread of diabetes type 2 today is due to lifestyle, diet and genetics. Many more people today have better access to food, eat more of the wrong nutrients and do much less exercise. This combination of bad diet and inactivity leads to weight gain, which in turn raises the risk of developing diabetes type 2."

NASA shelves climate satellites - "NASA is canceling or delaying a number of satellites designed to give scientists critical information on the earth's changing climate and environment." -- Interesting.

Uh Oh; The Bugs Are Eating Those "Pest Killing" Crops - "Two research teams in England and Venezuela have discovered something alarming about the new genetically modified crops filled with insecticide. The insects not only eat them, they seem to thrive on them." -- Again, humanity's arrogance is slapped down.

Why Good People Kill - "The problem with this theory is that it rests on a false assumption about the relationship between character and deeds. Yes, sociopaths exist, but ordinary, "good" people are also perfectly capable of committing atrocities. "

1040 Checkmate? - "On May 12, 2006 in Peoria, Illinois, the attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) begged the court to dismiss all charges against IRS victim Robert Lawrence in federal District Court. The motion for dismissal came on the heels of a surprise tactic by Lawrence’s defense attorney Oscar Stilley. The tactic threatened exposure of IRS’s on-going efforts to defraud the public. The move put DOJ attorneys in a state of panic that left them with only one alternative: beg for dismissal, with prejudice."

Foiled Burglar Sues Store Employees for 'Emotional Distress' - "A man who was beaten by employees of a store he was trying to rob is now suing."

New shark discovered in US waters - "A new type of hammerhead shark has been discovered in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, marine scientists say."

Make Those Uranium Jeans Talk - "While many young ladies can make blue jeans talk by just walking down the street, others may need technological help, and that’s where Uranium Jeans can spell it out right there across their asses. The scrolling LED text, displayed by an embedded flexible micro screen, can be changed via text messaging from a cellphone, or stock messages can be downloaded from the Uranium Jeans web site."




Quote of the Day
"Only two great groups of animals, men and ants, indulge in highly organized mass warfare."
~ Charles H. Maskins