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Unlike her sexier sister, NewsGator100, this Plan 'B' site is old-school HTML only. There is no Javascript, ActiveX, Flash, etc., just plain text, images and of course links to interesting and timely material from a variety of mainstream, alternative, obscure and odd media sources and content providers. Plan 'B' is not updated as frequently as her more robust kin, usually at least once a day though, keeping it roughly in sync with the mother-ship and the blog.

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My name is [Green]Floyd Ferris Landrath, I live in Portland, Oregon USA, Email, or Free4Now blog on WordPress

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Preview Link: 1

Obama’s Ad Effort Swamps McCain and Nears Record

Senator Barack Obama on Friday in Roanoke, Va. Analysts say his campaign is on pace to surpass next week the record of $188 million in advertising spending in a general election. (Damon Winter/The New York Times)
Senator Barack Obama on Friday in Roanoke, Va. Analysts say his campaign is on pace to surpass next week the record of $188 million in advertising spending in a general election. (Damon Winter/The New York Times)
By JIM RUTENBERG Published: October 17, 2008 PHILADELPHIA — Senator Barack Obama is days away from breaking the advertising spending record set by President Bush in the general election four years ago, having unleashed an advertising campaign of a scale and complexity unrivaled in the television era.

PHILADELPHIA, Senator Barack Obama, advertising spending record, President Bush, advertising campaign, television era, dedicated satellite channels, John McCain, CMAG, Election Day, Kenneth M. Goldstein, Advertising Project, University of Wisconsin, television dominance, Republicans, blitz, automated telephone calls, “Guitar Hero”, Evan Tracey, undecided voters, Democratic nomination, Antoin Rezko, Republican National Committee

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 2

Save the Beluga Whales of Cook Inlet, Alaska

The beluga, or white whale, is one of the smallest species of whale. Their distinctive color and prominent foreheads make them easily identifiable. Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, courtesy National Geographic.
The beluga, or white whale, is one of the smallest species of whale. Their distinctive color and prominent foreheads make them easily identifiable. Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, courtesy National Geographic.
Troubles come to Cook Inlet in many forms. Cook Inlet oil drill tailings spew into the sea. Municipal sewage is only treated primarily; rain run-off and storm overflows unchecked. Oil tankers are not required by the Coast Guard to be escorted. Ship traffic through Cook Inlet is increasing with Anchorage Port exceeding the projected tonnage growth rate of 2.5 percent per year. Potential coal development remains a prospective threat.

Cook Inlet, oil drill tailings, municipal sewage, rain run-off, storm overflows, Oil tankers, Coast Guard, Ship traffic, Anchorage Port, coal development, Beluga Whales

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 3

AFP Mexican drug wars intensify, killing nearly 400 in two weeks

The corpse of a Mexican policeman shot dead by assassins lies on the street in Rosarito, Baja California state, on October 16. Almost 400 people have died in the past two weeks in an intensifying drugs war in Mexico despite a government crackdown on cartels, trafficking and related violence. © 2007 AFP Said Betanzos
The corpse of a Mexican policeman shot dead by assassins lies on the street in Rosarito, Baja California state, on October 16. Almost 400 people have died in the past two weeks in an intensifying drugs war in Mexico despite a government crackdown on cartels, trafficking and related violence. © 2007 AFP Said Betanzos
by Oscar Laski -- Almost 400 people have died in the past two weeks in an intensifying drugs war in Mexico despite a government crackdown on cartels, trafficking and related violence. The killings include six people lined up and shot against a wall with a written warning promising a similar fate to all 'rats', and five others shot dead in a house where a ganglord's corpse was found in a freezer.

Oscar Laski, intensifying drugs war, Mexico, government crackdown, cartels, trafficking, related violence, killings, 'rats',ganglord, Mexico, border regions, fighting, trafficking routes,United States, Tijuana, Arellano Felix brothers, strategic border city, San Diego, California, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Juarez cartel, Carillo Fuentes familly, Sinaloa gang, fugitive Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, Deserters, El Paso, Texas, selling drugs, rival gang, assassins, Mexican cocaine consumption, Eduardo Medina Mora

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 4

High court rejects GOP bid in Ohio voting dispute

In an Ohio voter registration and verification dispute, the Supreme Court has sided with the state's top elections official over Ohio Republicans. (ABC News Photo Illustration)
In an Ohio voter registration and verification dispute, the Supreme Court has sided with the state's top elections official over Ohio Republicans. (ABC News Photo Illustration)
Oct 17 12:26 PM US/Eastern WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court sided Friday with Ohio's top elections official in a dispute with the state Republican Party over voter registrations. The justices overruled a federal appeals court that had ordered Ohio's top elections official to do more to help counties verify voter eligibility.

Federal Court, Ohio, Verify New Voters, Eligibility, FBI, ACORN, Voter Fraud Claims, NM Republicans, Supreme Court, Ohio GOP Vote Dispute, Ohio elections officials, state Republican Party, overruled a federal appeals court, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, Democrat, newly registered voters, driver license, Social Security numbers, brief unsigned opinion, the justices, Help America Vote Act of 2002, Rick Davis, HAVA

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 5

San Francisco Votes To Give Dubya Dubious Honor

Image: 'Narcissus' by Mr. Fish (http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/20070524_bush_as_narcissus/)
Image: 'Narcissus' by Mr. Fish (http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/20070524_bush_as_narcissus/)
Oct 17, 2008 2:53 pm US/Pacific SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) ― ...[the] Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant may soon become the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.

San Francisco, Votes, Dubya, CBS, President Bush George W. Bush Presidential Library, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, Proposition R, Nov. 4, landmark, Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant, George W. Bush Sewage Plant, Brian McConnell, San Francisco Chronicle, Republican Party, petition, ballot

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 6

Iran condemns attacks on Christians in Iraq

Iraqi Christian woman carries a sack of humanitarian aid inside a Chaldean nunnery where many Christian families took refuge, in the village of Karaqoush, 28 kilometers (20 miles) east of Mosul, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008. An Iraqi official said Thursday that the number of Christian families fleeing violence in the northern city of Mosul since last week has reached over 8,300 people. Islamic extremists have frequently targeted Christians and other religious minorities since the 2003 U.S. invasion,
Iraqi Christian woman carries a sack of humanitarian aid inside a Chaldean nunnery where many Christian families took refuge, in the village of Karaqoush, 28 kilometers (20 miles) east of Mosul, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008. An Iraqi official said Thursday that the number of Christian families fleeing violence in the northern city of Mosul since last week has reached over 8,300 people. Islamic extremists have frequently targeted Christians and other religious minorities since the 2003 U.S. invasion,
Baghdad, Oct 16, IRNA Iran-Iraq-Embassy Iran's Embassy in Baghdad on Thursday lammed in a statement the recent terrorist attacks on Iraqi Christians in the city of Mosul in northern Iraq.

Baghdad, IRNA, Iran-Iraq-Embassy, Iran, terrorist attacks, Iraqi Christians, Mosul, northern Iraq, Christian families, al-Qaeda, Nuri al-Maliki

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 7

Beware an October surprise from bin Laden

Surprise?
Surprise?
By Joseph Nye Published: October 15 2008 19:31 | Last updated: October 15 2008 19:31 Americans are transfixed by the aftermath of the September surprise in financial markets. Could there be a very different surprise coming in October?

RCP, Joseph Nye, September surprise, financial markets, October, John McCain, Republican convention, presidential debate, Mr Obama, Republicans, terrorism, McCain adviser Charlie Black, Al Jazeera, Osama bin Laden, bankrupt the US, President George W. Bush, Senator John Kerry, CIA, Ohio, Mr bin Laden, al-Qaeda, clash of civilisations, Muslim opinion, Barack Obama, first African-American president, soft power, Niccolò Machiavelli, financial crisis, American electorate

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 8

After 30 years, EPA toughens lead-emissions standard

It was the first new rule on airborne lead in 30 years, and came in response to more than 6,000 scientific studies since 1990 that show that lead is dangerous to the human body at much lower levels than previously known. The EPA was under a court order to complete its review for a new lead standard.
It was the first new rule on airborne lead in 30 years, and came in response to more than 6,000 scientific studies since 1990 that show that lead is dangerous to the human body at much lower levels than previously known. The EPA was under a court order to complete its review for a new lead standard.
By Renee Schoof | McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON — The amount of lead that can be emitted into the air in the U.S. will be dramatically reduced under a new rule the Environmental Protection Agency announced on Thursday to protect the health of millions of Americans — especially children.

Renee Schoof, McClatchy Newspapers, WASHINGTON, lead, emitted into the air, new rule, Environmental Protection Agency, Americans, children, EPA, IQ loss, academic achievement, permanent learning disabilities, EPA administrator, Stephen Johnson, increased blood pressure, decreased kidney function, Airborne lead, Gina Solomon, Natural Resources Defense Council, University of California at San Francisco, battery recycling plants, Association of Battery Recyclers Inc, Clean Air Act, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, delinquency, criminal behavior, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lead poisoning, no symptoms, Missouri Coalition for the Environment, U.S. District Court in St. LouisHerculaneum Mo., Doe Run Co. smelter, East Helena, Mont., Asarco smelter

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 9

WORLD FOOD DAY: Eating Less, Paying More

It doesn't have to be this way.
It doesn't have to be this way.
By Ali Gharib WASHINGTON, Oct 15 (IPS) - Despite wall-to-wall media coverage of the financial crisis rocking the U.S. and, increasingly, other financial systems around the world, a crisis with a larger scope is brewing with little attention.

Ali Gharib, WASHINGTON, IPS, media coverage, financial crisis, World Food Day, rising food prices, BBC World Service, polling, University of Maryland, Programme on International Policy Attitudes, PIPA, Globescan, Clay Ramsay, energy costs, food crisis, Egypt, Philippines, Kenya, Indonesia, Nigeria, France, Italy, Russia, Poland, United Arab Emirates, India, Doug Miller, right to food, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, U.N. General Assembly, Millennium Development Goals, MDG, WorldPublicOpinion.org

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 10

Ruling May Impede Thousands of Ohio Voters

Experts say a federal order in an election-law suit could result in the casting of more provisional ballots. Jennifer Brunner, Ohio’s secretary of state, has fought the suit. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Experts say a federal order in an election-law suit could result in the casting of more provisional ballots. Jennifer Brunner, Ohio’s secretary of state, has fought the suit. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
By IAN URBINA Published: October 15, 2008 More than 200,000 registered Ohio voters may be blocked from casting regular ballots on Election Day because of a federal appeals court decision on Tuesday requiring the disclosure of lists of voters whose names did not match those on government databases, state election officials and voting experts said.

registered Ohio voters, ballots, Election Day, federal appeals court, voters, government databases, state election officials, Jennifer Brunner, Ohio secretary of state, provisional ballots, Ohio Attorney General, United States Supreme Court, Ms. BrunnerJustice John Paul Stevens, Sixth Circuit, Republican Party, screening voter registrations, Democrats, new voters, Polling, Senator Barack Obama, Democratic presidential nominee, Republican challenger, Senator John McCain, voter-registration fraudAcorn, Ohio Republican Party, Court of Appeals, Cincinnati,Federal government red tape, misstated technical information, glitches in databases, provisional ballots, Robert T. Bennett, integrity of Ohio’s election, Daniel P. Tokaji, Ohio State University, matching requirement, federal law, 2002 Help America Vote Act, eligibility, deter voter fraud, raise barriers for voters, vote provisionally, large-scale challenges, Election Day, Richard L. Hasen, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, systematic voter removal, purges, federal election, voters,added verification, disqualified,tensions at the polls,worsen lines, confusion on Election Day, unprecedented turnout, Wendy Weiser, Brennan Center for Justice, New York University, flagged erroneously,check voter registrations, prone to errors, typographical errors, government officials, computer errors, voter ineligibility

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 11

Chavez says 'Comrade Bush' turns left in crisis

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez speaks during a meeting with economists to analyze the current global financial crisis in Caracas October 8, 2008. REUTERS/Alejandro Rustom
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez speaks during a meeting with economists to analyze the current global financial crisis in Caracas October 8, 2008. REUTERS/Alejandro Rustom
Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:35pm EDT CARACAS (Reuters) - Socialist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez mocked George W. Bush as a 'comrade' on Wednesday, saying the U.S. president was a hard-line leftist for his government's intervention of major private banks in the U.S. financial crisis.

CARACAS, Reuters, Socialist, Venezuelan, President Hugo Chavez, George W. Bush, 'comrade' U.S. president, hard-line leftist, intervention, private banks, U.S. financial crisis, Fidel Castro, federal government, equity, American banks, Venezuelan nationalizations, OPEC, free-market policies, Latin America, major oil supplier

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 12

Courts Give Addicts a Chance to Straighten Out

Scott Elkins was congratulated by his mother, Cathy Elkins, after he graduated from a court-administered anti-drug program. (Photo: Stuart Isett for The New York Times)
Scott Elkins was congratulated by his mother, Cathy Elkins, after he graduated from a court-administered anti-drug program. (Photo: Stuart Isett for The New York Times)
By ERIK ECKHOLM Published: October 14, 2008 SEATTLE — It was not your usual courtroom scene. For one thing, the judge choked up as he described one woman’s struggle with opiate addiction after her arrest for forging prescriptions.

SEATTLE, courtroom, opiate addiction, forging prescriptions

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 13

Stocks plunge anew as retail sales show steep drop

Graphic courtesy CBS News
Graphic courtesy CBS News
Wednesday October 15, 4:21 pm ET By Tim Paradis, AP Business Writer Wall Street plunges again after economic reports point to likely recession NEW YORK (AP) -- Despair over the economy sent Wall Street plunging again Wednesday, propelling the Dow Jones industrials down 733 points to their second-largest point loss ever. Stocks fell on a combination of disheartening economic data, including a big drop in retail sales and a Federal Reserve report that said tight credit conditions are hur

AP Business, Wall Street, economic reports, recession, NEW YORK, AP, Dow Jones, stocks fell, economic data, drop in retail sales, Federal Reserve, tight credit, businesses, shaky economy, punishing stock market, Commerce Department, Beige Book, business conditions, Federal Reserve, Doug Roberts, ChannelCapitalResearch.com, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, Economic Club of New York, Mutual funds, Mark Coffelt, Empiric Funds

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 14

New intelligence report says Pakistan is 'on the edge'

Not So Delicate Balance
Not So Delicate Balance
By Jonathan S. Landay and John Walcott | McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON — A growing al Qaida-backed insurgency, combined with the Pakistani army's reluctance to launch an all-out crackdown, political infighting and energy and food shortages are plunging America's key ally in the war on terror deeper into turmoil and violence, says a soon-to-be completed U.S. intelligence assessment.

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Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 15

Crooks and Liars -- From Little ACORNS...

ACORNdotORG
ACORNdotORG
By Cernig Tuesday Oct 14, 2008 7:00pm It's a mystery, though, how voter registration fraud might turn into actual voter fraud, despite Palin's dark hintings. Brad Friedman, writing in the Guardian, makes the point well and says the whole ACORN kerfuffle is a massive GOP hoax

:Cernig, voter registration, fraud, voter fraud, Palin, Brad Friedman, Guardian, ACORN, kerfuffle, GOP hoax, registration, canvassers, authenticate, registration, 'fraudulent', 'incomplete', registration forms, elections officials, required by law, fraud, rogue canvassers, voter registration fraud, Donald Duck, Mary Poppins, Dick Tracy, Mickey Mouse, Dallas Cowboys, John McCain, Matt Yglesias, million new voters, McCain-Palin camp, 2004 election cycle, Satanic Forces, voter disenfranchisement, Help America Vote Act, Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Social Security, Scott Limeaux, ACORN, suppress legitimate voters

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 16

CBS News Polls: Obama Opens 14-Point Lead On McCain

(CBS/AP)
(CBS/AP)
(CBS) Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is entering the third and final presidential debate Wednesday with a wide lead over Republican rival John McCain nationally, a new CBS News/New York Times poll shows.

CBS, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, presidential debate, wide lead, Republican, John McCain, CBS News/New York Times poll, independents, attacks on Obama, Sarah Palin, 'personality and temperament', economy, top issue, voters, historic Wall Street losses, Bill Ayers, Reverend Jeremiah Wright

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 17

Supreme Court Clears Way for Georgia Execution

Troy Davis, (Georgia Department of Corrections)
Troy Davis, (Georgia Department of Corrections)
By ROBBIE BROWN Published: October 14, 2008 ATLANTA — Two weeks after temporarily sparing a Georgia inmate from the death penalty, the United States Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down the inmate’s appeal, a decision that will probably lead to a quick execution.

ATLANTA, Georgia inmate, death penalty, United States Supreme Court, inmate, appeal, execution, Troy A. Davis, convicted, murder, Mark Allen MacPhail, Savannah police officer, without comment, explanation, death warrant, execution, World leaders, President Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Pope Benedict XVI, challenged, fairness, conviction, Steven B. Bright, Yale Law School, Southern Center for Human Rights, Georgia Supreme Court, Board of Paroles and Pardons, Anneliese MacPhail, stay of execution, scheduled to die, lethal injection, Spencer Lawton, district attorney, Chatham County, Ga., Eighth Amendment, constitutionally abhorrent, Martina Correia, state parole board, dismantle the death penalty system, injustice, Jared Feuer, Amnesty International

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 18

Daley To Shut Down [Chicago] City Government To Save Cash

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley addresses the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008. (AP Photo by Ron Edmonds)
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley addresses the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008. (AP Photo by Ron Edmonds)
'Non Safety-Related City Services' Will Be Shut Down For 6 Days Over Next 2 Years CHICAGO (CBS) ― Mayor Richard M. Daley said Tuesday he will shut down 'non-safety related city services' for six days over the next two years to save millions of dollars.

City Services, Shut Down, CHICAGO, CBS, Mayor Richard M. Daley, 'non-safety related city services' , city employees, unpaid days off, union leaders, layoffs, backdoor furlough

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 19

Army blocks soldier from bringing puppy back

In this photo provided by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Army Sgt. Gwen Beberg of Minneapolis, is seen with Rachet, a puppy she and another solider rescued from a burning trash pile in Iraq. Defense Department rules prohibit soldiers in the U.S. Central Command from adopting pets. Now almost 10,000 people have signed an online petition urging the Army to let Beberg bring the puppy home. (AP Photo/SPCA)
In this photo provided by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Army Sgt. Gwen Beberg of Minneapolis, is seen with Rachet, a puppy she and another solider rescued from a burning trash pile in Iraq. Defense Department rules prohibit soldiers in the U.S. Central Command from adopting pets. Now almost 10,000 people have signed an online petition urging the Army to let Beberg bring the puppy home. (AP Photo/SPCA)
By FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press Writer Tue Oct 14, 3:08 AM ET WASHINGTON - More than 10,000 people have signed an online petition urging the Army to let an Iraqi puppy come home with a Minnesota soldier, who fears that 'Ratchet' could be killed if left behind.

online petition, Army, Iraqi puppy, Minnesota, soldier, 'Ratchet', Sgt. Gwen Beberg , Operation Baghdad Pups, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International, Democrat Keith Ellison, Army, U.S. Central Command, Patricia Beberg, Terry Crisp

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 20

A £516 trillion derivatives 'time-bomb'

Not for nothing did US billionaire Warren Buffett call them the real 'weapons of mass destruction'
Not for nothing did US billionaire Warren Buffett call them the real 'weapons of mass destruction'
By Margareta Pagano and Simon Evans Sunday, 12 October 2008 -- The market is worth more than $516 trillion, (£303 trillion), roughly 10 times the value of the entire world's output: it's been called the 'ticking time-bomb'.

Margareta Pagano, Simon Evans, salaries, bank collapse, Gordon Brown, markets crisis, Iceland, crunch, Tim Lott, John Rentoul, Nicholas Foulkes, Britain, Alan Watkins, crisis, 'Green New Deal' , world economy, UN Treasury, majority stakes, failing banks, over-inflated market, Woolworths, private-equity, debt market freezes over, Economic View, disaster, Margareta Pagano, Credit insurance claims, HBOS, St James's, bailout, Fund managers, Julian Knight, Independent.co.uk, $516 trillion, £303 trillion, ticking time-bomb, diving market values, worried investors, SAC Capital, Lone Pine, Tiger Global, Polygon, London hedge fund circuit, derivatives markets, derivative contracts, domino effect, Nick Leeson, LTCM, counterparties, Ben Bernanke, Wall Street, Financial Services Authority, Warren Buffett, dotcom boom, Luddites, Byron Dorgan, North Dakota, 'financial weapons of mass destruction', hedge funds, speculators, credit derivative swap, insurance policy, default, interest payment, corporate bond, Emilio Botin, Santander

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 21

Bullion Shortage and Spot Prices Tell Two Different Gold Stories

Graph courtesy www.kitco.com/
Graph courtesy www.kitco.com/
Published on 13-10-2008 Source: The Market Oracle - Gerard_Jackson
Having blogged earlier on a physical silver shortage and the drying up of gold bullion purchases, recent events in the precious metals markets justify an update that again arrives at the conclusion that last Friday’s silver and gold price plunge on COMEX has pretty little to do with the actual physical investment demand for gold and silver. Tim Iacono had a good post with the headline “Gold prices getting fishier and fishier

physical silver shortage, drying up gold bullion, precious metals markets, silver and gold price, plunge, COMEX, physical investment demand, gold and silver, Tim Iacono, US mint, demand, dichotomy, official spot, futures, prices, premiums, investors, coins, bars, German gold dealers, Heiko Ganss, Pro Aurum, Düsseldorf WGZ Bank, Stephan Henkel, Tagesspiegel, ETC, Exchange Traded Commodities, new gold rush, Dubai gold market, souks, bullion bars, tael, Nguyen Huu Dang, Ha Noi-based Bao Tin Minh Chau Jewellery Co, Australia, Perth Mint, bullion, protection from the credit crisis, Kangaroo and Nugget coins , Muenze Osterreich, gold and silver philharmonics, Kerry Tattersall, Habsburg palace, Dan Norcini, gold price manipulation

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 22

Russia flexes muscles with volley of missile tests

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, visits Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has spent the weekend watching missile tests. After watching Saturday a submarine-launched ballistic missile, a part of naval exercises being staged in the northern Barents Sea, Medvedev witnessed a test-firing of a 21-year-old Topol ICBM on Sunday at a rain-soaked launch site in the northern forests. (AP Photo by Dmitry Astakhov)
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, visits Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has spent the weekend watching missile tests. After watching Saturday a submarine-launched ballistic missile, a part of naval exercises being staged in the northern Barents Sea, Medvedev witnessed a test-firing of a 21-year-old Topol ICBM on Sunday at a rain-soaked launch site in the northern forests. (AP Photo by Dmitry Astakhov)
13 Oct 2008 14:27:48 GMT Source: Reuters By Dmitry Solovyov MOSCOW, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Russia test-fired two ballistic missiles and bombed a dummy town at the weekend, but analysts said the show of military preparedness was for domestic consumption and not a Kremlin warning shot to the West.

Dmitry Solovyov, MOSCOW, Reuters, Russia, test-fired, ballistic missiles, military preparedness, domestic consumption, Kremlin, President Dmitry Medvedev, angry rhetoric, United States, Georgia, Sineva intercontinental missile, submarine, Arctic Barents Sea, Equator in the Pacific Ocean, Plesetsk military cosmodrome, test-launch, Topol nuclear-capable missile, Tu-160, Tu-95MS, strategic bombers, cruise missiles, Stanislav Belkovsky, National Strategy Institute, Soviet-era sabre-rattling, Vladimir Putin, Vitaly Tsymbal, military analyst, Institute of Transitional Period Economics, South Ossetia, air reconnaissance, hi-tech missiles, post-Cold War

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 23

Race Starts With Little Fuel, and Goes Uphill From There

While not in the race, a giant fire-breathing snail — made of metal and wood — was in attendance. Photo: Jim Wilson/The New York Times
While not in the race, a giant fire-breathing snail — made of metal and wood — was in attendance. Photo: Jim Wilson/The New York Times
By JESSE McKINLEY Published: October 12, 2008 BERKELEY, Calif. — It is a classic road rally, 600 miles from the liberal embrace of Berkeley to the anything-goes lights of Las Vegas. No speeding is allowed, or in some cases even possible. And if you stop to refuel, it had better be in someone’s trash.

BERKELEY, Calif, classic road rally, 600 miles, Berkeley, Las Vegas

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 24

FRANCE 24 - Video Report - Hard times in swing state Ohio

Youngstown Ohio, (Britannica Student Encyclopedia) The heart of a [now defunct] steel-industry complex that includes [included] the cities of Warren, Niles, Campbell, Struthers, and Girard, Youngstown is located in northeastern Ohio near the Pennsylvania border. It is situated 65 miles (105 kilometers) from both Cleveland, Ohio, to the northwest, and Pittsburgh, Pa. (Text in [] added.)
Youngstown Ohio, (Britannica Student Encyclopedia) The heart of a [now defunct] steel-industry complex that includes [included] the cities of Warren, Niles, Campbell, Struthers, and Girard, Youngstown is located in northeastern Ohio near the Pennsylvania border. It is situated 65 miles (105 kilometers) from both Cleveland, Ohio, to the northwest, and Pittsburgh, Pa. (Text in [] added.)
Friday 10 October 2008 Youngstown, in north-east Ohio, was once once a steel-making boomtown. But its steel mills closed in the 70s and 80s, leaving its citizens jobless and desperate. Today, the swing state's eyes and hopes hang on the presidential candidates.

Youngstown, in north-east Ohio, steel-making boomtown, steel mills, jobless, desperate, swing state, presidential candidates, FRANCE 24, Cyril Vanier, Frank Berruyer, Youngstown, Ohio, dying city, Bruce Springsteen, ghost town, Unemployment, Scrappers, junk yards, financial crisis, Barack Obama, John McCain

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 25

The House of Death

House of Death, at 3633 Parsioneros in Juarez, Mexico. (Photo courtesy http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/bill-conroy/2008/07/congressman-reyes’-still-has-chance-redeem-himself-juarez-kidnapping-ca)
House of Death, at 3633 Parsioneros in Juarez, Mexico. (Photo courtesy http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/bill-conroy/2008/07/congressman-reyes’-still-has-chance-redeem-himself-juarez-kidnapping-ca)
An interview with DEA whistleblower Sandy Gonzalezn
Radley Balko | September 30, 2008
Sandalio “Sandy” Gonzalez recently retired after a 32-year career in law enforcement, 27 as an agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), at one point serving as its head of operations in South America.

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Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 26

The mystery of the missing opium

The Opium Poppy : Papaver Somniferum
The Opium Poppy : Papaver Somniferum
Mark Easton 8 Oct 08, 11:27 AM GMT It's a mystery that has got British law enforcement officials and others across the planet scratching their heads. Put bluntly, enough heroin to supply the world's demand for years has simply disappeared.

British law enforcement, heroin supply

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 27

Gallup Daily: Obama Ahead by 9 Points

Graphic courtesy Gallup
Graphic courtesy Gallup
Only 6% of voters are undecided
USA Election 2008 Gallup Daily PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Oct. 8-10 finds Barack Obama holding a sizeable lead over John McCain in national voter preferences, as he has continuously for the past six days. Today's report puts Obama ahead by nine percentage points, 51% to 42%.

voters, undecided, Election 2008, Gallup Daily, Gallup Poll Daily tracking, Barack Obama, John McCain, national voter preferences

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 28

McCain booed after trying to calm anti-Obama crowd

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., cuts short the question of an audience member when she referred to Barack Obama as an 'Arab,' during a town hall style campaign stop at Lakeville South High School in Lakeville, Minn., Friday, Oct. 10, 2008. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., cuts short the question of an audience member when she referred to Barack Obama as an 'Arab,' during a town hall style campaign stop at Lakeville South High School in Lakeville, Minn., Friday, Oct. 10, 2008. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
By PHILIP ELLIOTT and BETH FOUHY LAKEVILLE, Minn. (AP) - The anger is getting raw at Republican rallies and John McCain is acting to tamp it down. McCain was booed by his own supporters Friday when, in an abrupt switch from raising questions about Barack Obama's character, he described the Democrat as a 'decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States.'

Republican rallies, John McCain, supporters, hen, Barack Obama, Democrat

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 29

Bush: US will work with partners on credit crisis

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, left, listens as President Bush speaks with the G7 Finance Ministers in the Rose Garden of the White House, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, left, listens as President Bush speaks with the G7 Finance Ministers in the Rose Garden of the White House, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush emerged from a meeting with foreign financial officials on Saturday and pledged a global response to the credit crisis that will lead toward a 'path of stability and long-term growth.'

President Bush, foreign financial officials, global response, credit crisis, strategies, economic woes, economy, Rose Garden, White House, G-7, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada, United States, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 30

New Cost Overrun Bedevils Planned Mission to Mars

An artist's rendering of the Mars Science Laboratory in action, analyzing the chemical composition of Martian rocks. Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.
An artist's rendering of the Mars Science Laboratory in action, analyzing the chemical composition of Martian rocks. Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.
By KENNETH CHANG Published: October 9, 2008 NASA’s next big mission is ambitious, perhaps too ambitious.

NASA, robotic rover, Mars, Mars Science Laboratory, nuclear battery, laser, vaporize rocks

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 31

The week that panic stalked the markets

Title: Panic Attack by Aidan Hughes (http://www.bruteprop.blogspot.com/)
Title: Panic Attack by Aidan Hughes (http://www.bruteprop.blogspot.com/)
By Michael Mackenzie and John Authers in New York Published: October 10 2008 19:41 | Last updated: October 10 2008 22:43 The crash in equity markets this week came as investors fled risky assets in panic. Co-ordinated rate cuts by leading central banks, and many other measures of support hastily adopted by governments, went ignored.

New York, crash, equity markets, investors, risky assets, panic, rate cuts, central banks

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 32

US Drug Czar Mis-Used Marijuana Statistics as Scare Tactics While Arrests Soar, Reports Reveal

Image: Current.com
Image: Current.com
Oct-09-2008 08:00 US Drug Czar Mis-Used Marijuana Statistics as Scare Tactics While Arrests Soar, Reports Reveal Bonnie King Salem-News.com The US House of Representatives celebrates the end of alcohol prohibition, while marijuana users are still considered criminals.

US Drug Czar, Marijuana Statistics, Scare Tactics, Arrests Soar, Bonnie King, Salem-News.com, US House of Representatives, alcohol prohibition, marijuana, criminals

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 33

NYC National Debt Clock runs out of digits

The current amount of the U.S. national debt is shown on the National Debt Clock in New York, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008. In a sign of the times, the National Debt Clock has run out of digits to record the growing figure. As a short-term fix, the digital dollar sign on the billboard-style clock near Times Square has been switched to a figure — the '1' in $10 trillion. It's marking the federal government's current debt at about $10.2 trillion. (AP Photos/Bebeto Matthews)
The current amount of the U.S. national debt is shown on the National Debt Clock in New York, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008. In a sign of the times, the National Debt Clock has run out of digits to record the growing figure. As a short-term fix, the digital dollar sign on the billboard-style clock near Times Square has been switched to a figure — the '1' in $10 trillion. It's marking the federal government's current debt at about $10.2 trillion. (AP Photos/Bebeto Matthews)
Wed Oct 8, 10:03 PM ET NEW YORK - In a sign of the times, the National Debt Clock in New York City has run out of digits to record the growing figure.

NEW YORK, National Debt Clock, New York City, digits

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 34

Embassy-Building Schedule May Slip

'Nukes & Spooks' is written by McClatchy correspondents Jonathan S. Landay (national security and intelligence), Warren P. Strobel (foreign affairs and the State Department), and Nancy Youssef (Pentagon).
'Nukes & Spooks' is written by McClatchy correspondents Jonathan S. Landay (national security and intelligence), Warren P. Strobel (foreign affairs and the State Department), and Nancy Youssef (Pentagon).
Oct. 8, 2008 -- We wrote a lot last year and early this year about serious problems within the State Department's embassy-building unit, the bureau of Overseas Building Operations, particularly those involving the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and its prime contractor, First Kuwaiti General Trading & Contracting Co. So we were eager to read a new report by the State Department's Inspector General that arrived in our email in-box this morning. (Thanks to an anonymous helper....)

State Department, embassy-building unit, the bureau of Overseas Building Operations, U.S. Embassy, Baghdad, First Kuwaiti General Trading & Contracting Co., Inspector General

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 35

U.S. Stocks Tumble, Sending Dow Below 9,000; GM, Insurers Slide

image courtesy http://thestockmasters.com/node/663
image courtesy http://thestockmasters.com/node/663
By Lynn Thomasson Oct. 9 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks slid and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell below 9,000 for the first time since 2003 as higher borrowing costs and slower consumer spending spurred concern carmakers, insurers and energy companies will be the next victims of the credit crisis.

Bloomberg, U.S. stocks slid, Dow Jones, below 9000, higher borrowing costs, consumer spending, carmakers, insurers, energy, companies, credit crisis

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 36

States’ Actions to Block Voters Appear Illegal

Chris Livingston for The New York Times Jennifer Wilson a Florida elections specialist in Volusia County, scans voter documents into a computer.
Chris Livingston for The New York Times Jennifer Wilson a Florida elections specialist in Volusia County, scans voter documents into a computer.
By IAN URBINA Published: October 8, 2008 Tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that appear to violate federal law, according to a review of state records and Social Security data by The New York Times.

eligible voters, swing states, removed, voter rolls, blocked from registering, federal law, state records, Social Security, New York Times

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 37

Criminals targeted in U.S. 'Kidnap Capitol'

Illegal Immigration and Human smuggling makes Phoenix kidnapping capital of U.S.
Illegal Immigration and Human smuggling makes Phoenix kidnapping capital of U.S.
Wed Oct 8, 2008 2:57pm EDT By Tim Gaynor PHOENIX (Reuters) - The criminal underworld in the sun-baked Arizona capital of Phoenix has long enjoyed the hot money profits from illicit smuggling of drugs and people over the border from Mexico.

PHOENIX, Reuters, criminal underworld, Arizona, Phoenix, illicit smuggling, drugs. border, Mexico

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 38

Sheriff in Ill. county won't evict in foreclosures

Sheriff Thomas J. Dart, from Cook Co. web site (http://www.cookcountysheriff.org/sheriffs_bio/sheriff_bio.html)
Sheriff Thomas J. Dart, from Cook Co. web site (http://www.cookcountysheriff.org/sheriffs_bio/sheriff_bio.html)
Oct. 8, 2008, CHICAGO (AP) - Residents of foreclosed properties in Chicago and other parts of Cook County don't have to worry about deputies forcing them out. Sheriff Tom Dart says that starting Thursday his office won't take part in evictions.

CHICAGO, foreclosed properties, Cook County, Sheriff Tom Dart, evictions

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 39

Bloomberg: Brown Has Tough Job Righting UK Economy

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg listens as California Gov. Arnold Shwarzenegger speak during a press conference in Los Angeles on Jan. 19, 2008, to announce that they will work together to create a bi-partisan coalition for federal infrastructure inv Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg listens as California Gov. Arnold Shwarzenegger speak during a press conference in Los Angeles on Jan. 19, 2008, to announce that they will work together to create a bi-partisan coalition for federal infrastructure inv Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images
Oct 7, 2008 10:21 am US/Eastern -- NYC Mayor Says 'Problems So Grave No One Country Can Solve Them Alone' LONDON (CBS/AP) ― New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says Gordon Brown has a tricky task helping to lead the U.K. -- and Europe -- out of the economic downturn.

Bloomberg, Brown, UK Economy, NYC Mayor, CBS/AP, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Gordon Brown, Europe, economic downturn

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 40

OpEd NY Times: Truthiness Stages a Comeback

The Picture John McCain Doesn’t Want You to See. McCain celebrating his birthday with Charles Keating, the villain of the last big taxpayer bailout. (The Phoenix Gazette, Sept. 12, 1993)
The Picture John McCain Doesn’t Want You to See. McCain celebrating his birthday with Charles Keating, the villain of the last big taxpayer bailout. (The Phoenix Gazette, Sept. 12, 1993)
By FRANK RICH Published: September 20, 2008 NOT until 2004 could the 9/11 commission at last reveal the title of the intelligence briefing President Bush ignored on Aug. 6, 2001, in Crawford: “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.” No wonder John McCain called for a new “9/11 commission” to “get to the bottom” of 9/14, when the collapse of Lehman Brothers set off another kind of blood bath in Lower Manhattan. Put a slo-mo Beltway panel in charge, and Ele

FRANK RICH, 9/11 commission, intelligence briefing, President Bush ignored, Aug. 6 2001, Crawford, “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.”, John McCain Lehman Brothers, Manhattan, Beltway, Election Day

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 41

In Black Sea port, Ukraine is sovereign, but Russia rules

Political map of Ukraine as of 2007 courtesy of Geology dot com.
Political map of Ukraine as of 2007 courtesy of Geology dot com.
By Tom Lasseter | McClatchy Newspapers SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine — As the Kremlin seeks to reassert its sphere of influence around its borders and beyond, this home port for Russia's Black Sea fleet — marooned in the south of Ukraine after the breakup of the Soviet Union — has moved to the center of tensions between Russia and U.S. allies in the region.

Tom Lasseter, McClatchy Newspapers, SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine, Kremlin, sphere of influence, home port, Russia's Black Sea fleet, Black Sea, Soviet Union, Russia, U.S. allies

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 42

Peace vigil held at Nato meeting in London

AP Photo by LEFTERIS PITARAKIS 1 day ago: United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates, left, and his Czech counterpart Vlasta Parkanova, right, arrive for a signing ceremony of the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) treaty and a bilateral declaration along with United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates, not seen, concerning the US radar base personnel based in the Czech Republic, on the margins of the NATO defense ministers' meeting in London, Friday Sept. 19, 2008. SOFA stipulating the leg
AP Photo by LEFTERIS PITARAKIS 1 day ago: United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates, left, and his Czech counterpart Vlasta Parkanova, right, arrive for a signing ceremony of the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) treaty and a bilateral declaration along with United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates, not seen, concerning the US radar base personnel based in the Czech Republic, on the margins of the NATO defense ministers' meeting in London, Friday Sept. 19, 2008. SOFA stipulating the leg
London, Sept 19, IRNA UK-NATO Meeting A peace vigil was being held outside an informal NATO meeting of defence ministers that started in London on Thursday evening. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), organizing the protest said that the US and Czech governments are expected to sign their controversial treaty on a planned US Missile Defence radar base near Prague.

London, IRNA, UK-NATO Meeting, peace vigil, NATO, defence ministers, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament , CND, protest, US, Czech, treaty, US Missile Defence, radar base, Prague

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 43

Pact on Debates Will Let McCain and Obama Spar

Obama and McCain photos courtesy CBS, AP
Obama and McCain photos courtesy CBS, AP
September 21, 2008 By PATRICK HEALY New York Times -- The Obama and McCain campaigns have agreed to an unusual free-flowing format for the three televised presidential debates, which begin Friday, but the McCain camp fought for and won a much more structured approach for the questioning at the vice-presidential debate, advisers to both campaigns said Saturday. At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and

Obama, McCain, campaigns, debate formats, presidential debates, vice-presidential debate, Republican, nominee, vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., running mates

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 44

Thousands march in Sweden against globalisation

About 10,000 demonstrators from all over Europe walk in the center of Malmoe during the fifth European Social Forum, protesting against capitalism and the destruction of the environment. (AFP photo)
About 10,000 demonstrators from all over Europe walk in the center of Malmoe during the fifth European Social Forum, protesting against capitalism and the destruction of the environment. (AFP photo)
Sep 20 05:40 PM US/Eastern -- About 10,000 demonstrators from all over Europe walk in the ... More than 10,000 marched in the Swedish city of Malmoe on Saturday in a demonstration against the excesses of globalisation, organised as part of the European Social Forum being held there.

demonstrators, Europe, Swedish, Malmoe, demonstration, globalisation, European Social Forum

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 45

Coming Soon to a Grocery Near You: Genetically Engineered Meat

Companies are reportedly already developing pigs, cows, and goats that either produce substances in their bodies that are useful for human medicine, or else improve the yield of meat and milk for farmers
Companies are reportedly already developing pigs, cows, and goats that either produce substances in their bodies that are useful for human medicine, or else improve the yield of meat and milk for farmers
The Food and Drug Administration proposed rules today to regulate genetically engineered animals that are raised for food or to produce medications.

Food and Drug Administration, FDA, regulate genetically engineered animals, food, medications

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 46

Bomb Explodes at Hotel in Pakistan’s Capital, Killing at Least 40

A vast crater lay at the security barrier to the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, after a huge truck bomb exploded there on Saturday. (Mian Khursheed/Reuters)
A vast crater lay at the security barrier to the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, after a huge truck bomb exploded there on Saturday. (Mian Khursheed/Reuters)
By CARLOTTA GALL Published: September 20, 2008 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A huge truck bomb exploded at the entrance to the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Saturday evening, killing at least 40 people and wounding more than 150, the police said.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, truck bomb, Marriott Hotel

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 47

Drug court boss accused of tipping off suspects

Emily Cayton, 30, Colombia County (Oregon) drug court coordinator.
Emily Cayton, 30, Colombia County (Oregon) drug court coordinator.
10:00 PM PDT on Friday, September 19, 2008 By DAVID KROUGH, kgw.com Staff SCAPPOOSE, Ore. -- A drug court employee was arrested on charges she worked for the other side -- helping out drug dealing suspects in Columbia County. Columbia County drug detectives earlier this month arrested 30-year-old Emily Cayton, the county’s drug court coordinator.

kgw.com, SCAPPOOSE, Ore., drug court, drug dealing, Columbia County, drug detectives, Emily Cayton, drug court coordinator

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 48

Paulson, Bernanke Expand U.S. Power to Rescue Markets

Desperate measures: Bernanke and the Federal Reserve need to keep on top of the crisis and continue to intervene if needed. (Image courtesy Telegraph UK Media Group)
Desperate measures: Bernanke and the Federal Reserve need to keep on top of the crisis and continue to intervene if needed. (Image courtesy Telegraph UK Media Group)
By Rebecca Christie and John Brinsley Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government moved to cleanse banks of troubled assets and halt an exodus of investors from money markets in the biggest expansion of federal power over the financial system since the Great Depression.

Bloomberg, U.S. government, cleanse, banks, troubled assets, exodus of investors, money markets, expansion of federal power, financial system, Great Depression

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 49

A Nation of Village Idiots

Who knew?
Who knew?
James Moore Posted September 18, 2008 | 12:46 AM (EST) -- Don't let them tell you this economic meltdown is a complicated mess. It's not. Our national financial crisis is readily understood by anyone who has seen greed and hypocrisy. But we are now witnessing them on a profound, monumental scale

AIG Bailout, Alan Greenspan, Charles Keating, Commodity Futures Modernization Act, Economy, Enron, Financial Crisis, John McCain Keating 5 Scandal, Keating Five, Mccain Phil Gramm, Phil Gramm, Savings And Loan Scandal, Subprime Mortgage Crisis, U.S. Economy, Business News

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 50

Mexico suspects drug gang behind grenade attack

Residents pray and light candles on the site where a grenade explosion killed at least eight people and injured more than 100 in Morelia, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008. ( AP Photo by Eduardo Verdugo)
Residents pray and light candles on the site where a grenade explosion killed at least eight people and injured more than 100 in Morelia, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008. ( AP Photo by Eduardo Verdugo)
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: September 18, 2008 MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Federal investigators suspect the powerful La Familia drug gang was behind a grenade attack that killed seven people in an Independence Day crowd and increased violence-scarred Mexicans' sense that no place is safe.

MEXICO CITY, La Familia, drug gang, grenade attack, Independence Day, Morelia, Gulf Cartel, Zetas, Zacatecas, Juan Camilo Mourino, organized crime, U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza, Italy, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Garrison Courtney, drug routes, Lazaro Cardenas, Felipe Calderon, drug hotspots, Michoacan

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 51

Russia ratchets up US tensions with arms sales to Iran and Venezuela

Tom Clancy's EndWar Screenshot (courtesy TeamXbox dot com)
Tom Clancy's EndWar Screenshot (courtesy TeamXbox dot com)
From Times (UK) Online September 18, 2008 Tony Halpin in Moscow -- Russia snubbed its nose at the United States today by announcing plans to sell military equipment to both Iran and Venezuela.

Moscow, Russia, United States, military equipment, Iran, Venezuela, anti-aircraft, Anatoly Isaikin, Rosoboronexport, Ria-Novosti, S-300 surface-to-air missile, Ruslan Pukhov, Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, confrontation with Russia, Tor-M1 missile, Sergei Chemezov, Russian Technologies, Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, SU-35 fighter jets, Poland, Czech Republic , Nato, Igor Sechin, Vladimir Putin, Cuba, Caracas, TU-160 Blackjack, Vladimir Drik, Condoleezza Rice, Nicaragua, Latin America, Georgia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, President Daniel Ortega

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 52

US HOUSE “CELEBRATES” END OF PROHIBITION

Prohibition Failed - Please do something about it - Anti-Prohibition poster of the 1930s, courtesy Schaffer Library of Drug Policy.
Prohibition Failed - Please do something about it - Anti-Prohibition poster of the 1930s, courtesy Schaffer Library of Drug Policy.
9/17/2008 5:13 PM (PT) Free-4-Now with NewsGator100 -- Today the US House of Representatives passed a resolution “commemorating” the repeal of the failed “Great Experiment,” commonly known as Prohibition. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC) and cosponsored by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI). In the afternoon, before what turned out to be a very short debate on the House floor, Rep. Coble posted a note on The Hill blog site and noted, “In 1919, follo

Free-4-Now with NewsGator100, US House of Representatives, repeal, “Great Experiment”, Prohibition, Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC), Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), The Hill, 1919, 18th Amendment, intoxicating liquors', illegal activity, black market, alcohol production, organized crime, noncompliance, alcohol laws, Cannabis, drug, legalization, advocates, hypocrisy, contradiction, resolution, crime, violence, death, disease, “War on Drugs'

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 53

SPECIAL REPORT -- GUANTANAMO: BEYOND THE LAW

Pool image by Mark Wilson / Getty Images / MCT Rather than producing valuable intelligence or keeping terror suspects off the streets, the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base practices radicalized detainees, and for many served as a 'school for Jihad,' or holy war. (Photo courtesy McClatchy News Service DC)
Pool image by Mark Wilson / Getty Images / MCT Rather than producing valuable intelligence or keeping terror suspects off the streets, the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base practices radicalized detainees, and for many served as a 'school for Jihad,' or holy war. (Photo courtesy McClatchy News Service DC)
ABOUT THIS SERIES
An eight-month McClatchy investigation of the detention system created after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has found that the U.S. imprisoned innocent men, subjected them to abuse, stripped them of their legal rights and allowed Islamic militants to turn the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba into a school for jihad.
'The most comprehensive reporting and gathering of facts on the matter to date. Bravo McClatchy.' -- Free-4-Now

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Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 54

Rania, Her Story Changes

Rania Ibrahim, 15, detained by Iraqi Security Forces when they discovered explosive packed vest around her chest in the northern city of Baqouba. (Photo source unknown)
Rania Ibrahim, 15, detained by Iraqi Security Forces when they discovered explosive packed vest around her chest in the northern city of Baqouba. (Photo source unknown)
Baghdad Observer is written by Leila Fadel, the Baghdad bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers.

At first she told police that she had no idea where the vest came from, the next day she told me her husband's relatives gave it to her but she didn't want to die, she didn't know what the vest was.

Rania Ibrahim, Baghdad, Baqouba, Leila Fadel, McClatchy Newspapers, Al Qaida in Iraq, child bride, roadside bomb, Umm Fatima, al Ameen

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 55

Homeland Security Sets up Suspicionless Checkpoints Along Roads in Washington State

A suspicionless internal Homeland Security checkpoint on SR86 in Southern Arizona near mile post 146. The location is over 40 miles North of the border.
A suspicionless internal Homeland Security checkpoint on SR86 in Southern Arizona near mile post 146. The location is over 40 miles North of the border.
author: Charlie Sep 12, 2008 07:38 Homeland security has setup up 3 internal checkpoints on the Olympic Peninsula. These checkpoints are in addition to checkpoints at Washington Ferry docks and highway border crossings. According to the U.S. Border Patrol, it has a jurisdiction of about 100 miles from the border. This puts most of Washington state in an area where border checkpoints are authorized, including Seattle.

Charlie, Homeland security, internal checkpoints, Olympic Peninsula, checkpoints, Washington Ferry, docks, highway, border crossings, U.S. Border Patrol, border, Washington state, border checkpoints, Seattle, Department of Homeland Security, Washington peninsula, Forks, Hood Canal bridge, Discovery Bay, US 101, illegal check points, Forks Border Patrol checkpoint, Edgar Ayala, Tanya Ward, Hoh tribe, Penninsula Daily News , ceakins at gmail dot com, Peninsula, Kitsap county

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 56

Scottish activist films Israeli navy shooting at Gaza fishermen

An Israeli navy ship is seen, right, as members of the U.S.-based Free Gaza group, which left Cyprus on Friday, and Palestinian fishermen are seen on a fishing boat in the sea off the Gaza Strip, Monday, Aug. 25, 2008. Two boats carrying dozens of international activists sailed into the Gaza Strip in defiance of an Israeli blockade on Saturday. (AP Photo by KHALIL HAMRA)
An Israeli navy ship is seen, right, as members of the U.S.-based Free Gaza group, which left Cyprus on Friday, and Palestinian fishermen are seen on a fishing boat in the sea off the Gaza Strip, Monday, Aug. 25, 2008. Two boats carrying dozens of international activists sailed into the Gaza Strip in defiance of an Israeli blockade on Saturday. (AP Photo by KHALIL HAMRA)
Claims of 14 deaths in previous incidents
Sunday Hearld (Scotland), By Billy Briggs -- A SCOTTISH human rights activist has filmed the Israeli navy firing machine guns at unarmed Palestinian fishing boats in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of the Gaza Strip.
The footage, taken on September 6 by Andrew Muncie, who is from the Highlands, shows an Israeli gunboat engaging fishing boats while international observers hold their arms in the air and scream for them to stop firing.

Sunday Hearld (Scotland), Billy Briggs, SCOTTISH, human rights activist, Israeli navy, Palestinian, fishing boats, Mediterranean Sea, Gaza Strip, Andrew Muncie, gunboat, fishing boats, international observers, economic blockade, Free Gaza movement , Cherie Blair, Lauren Booth, Hamas, economic sanctions, rocket attacks, United Nations, 1993 Oslo accords, Oxfam, Israeli Embassy

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 57

Pakistan orders troops to open fire if US raids

Supporters of an Islamic students group Islami Jamiat Talaba burn a U.S. flag during a rally to condemn U.S. strikes in Pakistani tribal areas along Afghanistan border, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008 in Lahore, Pakistan. Pakistan is backing off suggestions it might confront U.S. troops making raids into its territory in search of Islamic militants, saying Saturday it will deal diplomatically with Washington over the stepped-up tactics. ( AP Photo by K.M. Chaudary)
Supporters of an Islamic students group Islami Jamiat Talaba burn a U.S. flag during a rally to condemn U.S. strikes in Pakistani tribal areas along Afghanistan border, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008 in Lahore, Pakistan. Pakistan is backing off suggestions it might confront U.S. troops making raids into its territory in search of Islamic militants, saying Saturday it will deal diplomatically with Washington over the stepped-up tactics. ( AP Photo by K.M. Chaudary)
By STEPHEN GRAHAM – 10 hours ago ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan's military has ordered its forces to open fire if U.S. troops launch another air or ground raid across the Afghan border, an army spokesman said Tuesday. The orders, which come in response to a highly unusual Sept. 3 ground attack by U.S. commandos, are certain to heighten tensions between Washington and a key ally against terrorism. Although the ground attack was rare, there have been repeated reports of U.S

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, AP, open fire, U.S. troops, Afghan border, ground attack, U.S. commandos, Washington, key ally, terrorism, drone aircraft, militant targets, religious extremism, nuclear-armed Pakistan, Afghanistan, Islamic militants, Pervez Musharraf, Athar Abbas, South Waziristan, tribal region, open fire, Taliban, al-Qaida, suicide bombings, Asif Ali Zardari, Gordon Brown, Angoor Ada, Bajur tribal region, missile strikes, unmanned U.S. drones, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Musharraf, Pakistani troops

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 58

Revelers Killed in Mexican President’s Hometown

Agencia Quadratin/Associated Press<br/>Injured people at a public square after two explosions rocked an Independence Day celebration in Morelia, Mexico on Monday.
Agencia Quadratin/Associated Press
Injured people at a public square after two explosions rocked an Independence Day celebration in Morelia, Mexico on Monday.
By MARC LACEY Published: September 16, 2008, MEXICO CITY — Explosions apparently caused by lobbed grenades tore through a crowded Independence Day celebration in the Mexican state of Michoacán late Monday night, killing at least seven people, injuring more than 100 others and casting a pall over a country that has experienced unprecedented levels of violence in recent months.

Mexican President, grenades, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Michoacán, drug cartels, President Felipe Calderón, Morelia, drug gangs, drug hotspots, narcotics traffickers, Juan José Rosales, El Universal, Gov. Leonel Godoy, grito, Miguel Hidalgo, Viva Mexico!, drug gangs, law enforcement, rival drug gangs, Colombian drug cartels, contraband, United States

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 59

COPS SAY LEGALIZE DRUGS!

LEAP Billboard
LEAP Billboard
Zogby Poll: If hard drugs such as heroin or cocaine were legalized would you be likely to use them? 99% SAY 'NO'

Meanwhile, people continue dying in our streets while drug barons and terrorists continue to grow richer than ever before. We would suggest that this scenario must be the very definition of a failed public policy. This madness must cease! ...

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, LEAP,war on drugs, crime, addiction, drug prohibition, hard drugs, heroin, cocaine, legalized , Noam Chomsky, William F. Buckley Jr., Barbara Ehrenreich, Milton Friedman, Howard Zinn, George P. Schultz, Legalized Regulation, nonviolent drug offenses, incarcerated, illicit drugs, drug barons, terrorists, failed public policy, front line, ranking police officers, slavery and the war on drugs, War Without End, Michael Heney, The Drug War Odyssey, Peter Christ, CATO Institute, Alison Myrden, Norm Stamper, Jerry Paradis, Richard Van Winkler, Drug War Clock, Jack Cole, 'End Prohibition Now!', International Harm Reduction Association, harm reduction, Paramilitary Police Raids, Radley Balko, Cele Castillio, Judge James Gray, Governor Gary Johnson, AmericanDrugWar.com, Matt Fogg, Howard Wooldridge, World Forum Against Drugs Conference, SWAT, No-Knock Raids, marijuana, pot, hemp, ganga, bud, green, medical marijuana, tax pot, OCTA, Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, splif

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 60

Drudge dredges NY Post Obama smear-n’-fear

Right off
Right off
Sept. 16, 2008, Floyd Ferris Landrath -- ...Which is perhaps why Taheri, and by extension Drudge and the entire rightwing establishment are so worried and work so hard to ignore what most of us hope are the last gasps of American imperialism and hegemony.

NY Post, Obama, Rightwing, Matt Drudge, Amir Taheri, Shah of Iran, Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Javad Zarif, Dwight Simpson , SourceWatch.org, New York Post, Sen. Obama, security agreement, Bush Doctrine, President Obama, troops, rightwing establishment, American imperialism and hegemony

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 61

Gates’s Iraq Visit Marked by Bombings

An Iraqi boy looks at a destroyed car after a car bomb attack in central Baghdad's Karrada district, Iraq on 15 September 2008. Two car bombs killed 12 people and wounded at least 36 others, police said. EPA/MOHAMMED JALIL
An Iraqi boy looks at a destroyed car after a car bomb attack in central Baghdad's Karrada district, Iraq on 15 September 2008. Two car bombs killed 12 people and wounded at least 36 others, police said. EPA/MOHAMMED JALIL
By THOM SHANKER and STEPHEN FARRELL for the New York Times, Published: September 15, 2008 BAGHDAD — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates landed here Monday to meet Iraqi officials and preside over Tuesday’s change-of-command ceremony as Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno takes over from Gen. David H. Petraeus as the senior American officer in Iraq.

BAGHDAD, US Defense Secretary, Robert M. Gates, Iraqi, change-of-command, Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, Gen. David H. Petraeus, Iraq, Ramadan feast, Diyala, the surge, General Petraeus, brigades, surveillance, reconnaissance systems, special operations, insurgent, terrorist, Diyala, Iraqi security officials, Balad Ruz, ifthar, Muslims, Ramadan, female suicide bombings, Karrada district, Green Zone, Lutfey Taher Al-Abousi, Route Irish, Defense Distinguished Service Medal , Ryan C. Crocker, Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service, Iraqi Ministry of Defense, blast walls, coalition forces, Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia , General Odierno, Multi-National Force-Iraq, surge strategy, Awakening Councils, Sons of Iraq, Shiite, Sunni insurgents, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki , Abdul-Kader Jassem al-Obeidi, security agreement, sovereignty of Iraq

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 62

City plans to convert human waste to energy

Pipes that extract methane gas generated by waste decomposition are seen at the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center in Simi Valley, California May 8, 2008. REUTERS/Hector Mata
Pipes that extract methane gas generated by waste decomposition are seen at the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center in Simi Valley, California May 8, 2008. REUTERS/Hector Mata
Wed Sep 10, 2008 3:56pm EDT SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - San Antonio unveiled a deal on Tuesday that will make it the first U.S. city to harvest methane gas from human waste on a commercial scale and turn it into clean-burning fuel.

SAN ANTONIO, Reuters, methane gas, human waste, commercial scale, clean-burning fuel, biosolids, natural gas, Steve Clouse, Ameresco Inc, combustion-based generators

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 63

U.S. pushing through dozens of foreign weapons deals

A photographer walked among Humvees during a ceremony at the transfer of U.S. equipment to the Afghan Army this year on the outskirts of Kabul. (Musadeq Sadeq/The Associated Press)
A photographer walked among Humvees during a ceremony at the transfer of U.S. equipment to the Afghan Army this year on the outskirts of Kabul. (Musadeq Sadeq/The Associated Press)
By Eric Lipton Published: September 14, 2008 WASHINGTON: The Bush administration is pushing through a broad array of foreign weapons deals as it seeks to re-arm Iraq and Afghanistan, contain North Korea and Iran, and solidify ties with onetime Russian allies.

WASHINGTON, Bush administration, foreign weapons deals, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, Russian allies, Department of Defense, terrorism, Bruce Lemkin, American arms sales, international terrorism, Russia, India, Brazil, Foreign Military Sales program, William Hartung, Representative Howard Berman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, spiraling arms race, Lockheed Martin, American contractors, laser-guided missiles, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Black Hawk helicopters, Longbow Hellfire II missiles, Gulf War, Israel, U.S. military equipment, South Korea, precision-guided weapons, Abrams tanks, armed helicopters, C-130J transport planes, 100 million rounds of ammunition, Defense Department, Almarah Belk, Congressional Research Service

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 64

Marijuana Could Be a Gusher of Cash If We Treated It Like a Crop, Not a Crime

(Photo courtesy of http://hiphappy.wordpress.com/2008/04/08/conservatives-marijuana/)
(Photo courtesy of http://hiphappy.wordpress.com/2008/04/08/conservatives-marijuana/)
By Steven Wishnia, AlterNet. Posted September 11, 2008. -- Economists estimate tens of billions for governments if we taxed pot like tobacco and stopped wasting money on the drug war. One 2006 study called cannabis the top cash crop in the nation, worth more than corn and wheat combined...

Steven Wishnia, AlterNet, tax pot, drug war, cannabis, cash crop, corn, wheat, U.S. marijuana market, ganja, Jon Gettman, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, NORML Marijuana Policy Project, MPP, Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition, Harvard, Jeffrey A. Miron, pot revenues, legalization, pot-related economic activities, 30 percent, Office of National Drug Control Policy, domestic cannabis market, sin taxes, pot smokers, revenues, Dan Hamburg, Northern California sinsemilla belt, Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, bud production, medical marijuana dispensary, homegrown, smuggled weed, High Times, Drug Enforcement Administration, STRIDE index, narcotics agents, pot, Marijuana Production in the United States, California NORML, smoke one joint, Richard Gottfried, medical marijuana, industrial hemp, Patricia Jehlen, Humboldt and Mendocino counties, prohibition, Allen St. Pierre, The Cannabis Companion

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 65

President Bush authorises US ground operations inside Pakistan

Map showing location of North and South Waziristan in northern Pakistan and bordering on Afghanistan (Map courtesy Thaddeus P. Bejnar, Wikipedia)
Map showing location of North and South Waziristan in northern Pakistan and bordering on Afghanistan (Map courtesy Thaddeus P. Bejnar, Wikipedia)
By Peter Symonds 12 September 2008 -- In a reckless and criminal attempt to suppress the growing insurgency in Afghanistan, President Bush has secretly authorised the use of US Special Forces against targets inside the border areas of Pakistan. The first publicly acknowledged operation took place on September 3 when helicopter-borne soldiers landed at a village in South Waziristan, attacked three compounds and slaughtered at least 20 people.

insurgency, Afghanistan, President Bush, US Special Forces, border areas of Pakistan, South Waziristan, New York Times, Navy Seals, AC-130 gunship, Al Qaeda fighters, Al Qaeda, US missile strikes, North Waziristan, secret order, ground assaults, Pakistan, Pakistani government, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, FATA, act of war, Islamabad, National Defence University, Iraq, Afghanistan, Inter Services Intelligence, ISI, Associated Press, Pashtun, CIA-controlled Predator drones, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, war on terrorism, India, September 11, Pervez Musharraf, Taliban, Hamid Karzai, New Delhi, US Special Forces , Kashmir, Pakistani-held Kashmir, Asif Ali Zardari, US occupation of Afghanistan, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, anti-US sentiment

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 66

No Left - No Right - No Bananas

Image courtesy http://badmonkeynobanana.com/
Image courtesy http://badmonkeynobanana.com/
I fear sometimes that we are drifting too far. Left and right. Right and wrong. Rich and poor. Love and hate...

Left, right, Right,wrong, Rich, poor, Love, hate, No Left - No Right - No Bananas, wedge issues, trivialities, Jim Hensen, Muppets

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 67

Anti-war march challenges McCain on last day of RNC

'No Peace for the Warmakers' march on Day 4 of RNC, Sep 4, 2008 Photo by Eric Gardner
'No Peace for the Warmakers' march on Day 4 of RNC, Sep 4, 2008 Photo by Eric Gardner
Crowd repeatedly tear gassed, 396 arrested as police pull out all stops to prevent anti-war march from reaching Xcel Center
By Brad Sigal
St. Paul, MN - On the final day of the Republican National Convention, Sept. 4, over 1000 protesters took to the streets to deliver a strong anti-war message while John McCain was speaking. The march was initiated by the Twin Cities-based Anti-War Committee, with the theme, “No peace for the war-makers.”

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Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 68

US hits back at Venezuela and Bolivia

Russia's Tu-160 bomber is seen at the military air base Libertador in Palo Negro, some 110 kilometers (68 miles) from Caracas, September 11, 2008. Russia has flown two long-range bombers to Venezuela, flexing military muscle in Washington's traditional backyard as the former Cold War enemies spar on both sides of the Atlantic. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Wednesday the planes, which can carry nuclear missiles, were in the South American oil-exporting nation to strengthen military ti
Russia's Tu-160 bomber is seen at the military air base Libertador in Palo Negro, some 110 kilometers (68 miles) from Caracas, September 11, 2008. Russia has flown two long-range bombers to Venezuela, flexing military muscle in Washington's traditional backyard as the former Cold War enemies spar on both sides of the Atlantic. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Wednesday the planes, which can carry nuclear missiles, were in the South American oil-exporting nation to strengthen military ti
By Daniel Dombey in Washington and Benedict Mander in London Published: September 12 2008 22:52 | Last updated: September 12 2008 22:52 Washington on Friday labelled presidents Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Evo Morales of Bolivia as weak and desperate, as tensions escalated between the US and the two countries following their expulsion of US ambassadors.

Washington, Hugo Chávez, Venezuela, Evo Morales, Bolivia, US ambassadors, Philip Goldberg, Ramon Emilio Rodriguez Chacín, Venezuela’s minister of the interior, Farc, Henry de Jesus Rangel Silva, Venezuela’s head of intelligence and counterintelligence, narcotics trafficking, anti-narcotics activities, Drug Enforcement Administration, Chapare region, coca, Sean McCormack, George W. Bush

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 69

George Putnam, longtime L.A. newsman, dies at 94

A 1954 file photo of George Putnam in the KTTV newsroom. (Photo courtesy KTTV)
A 1954 file photo of George Putnam in the KTTV newsroom. (Photo courtesy KTTV)
The anchorman and commentator known for his opinion segments had been suffering from a kidney ailment.

By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer September 13, 2008

George Putnam, the pioneer television news anchorman and conservative commentator whose distinctive stentorian voice was a mainstay of Southern California broadcasting for decades, has died. He was 94.

George Putnam, Southern California, Chuck Wilder, KTTV, Joe Saltzman, One Reporter's Opinion, Talk Back With George Putnam, Doris Day, Walter Winchell, KTLA-TV, Stan Chambers, 'News at Ten: Fifty Years With Stan Chambers', William B. McKesson, Ernest Roll, Farmer-Labor Party, Socialist Party, lifelong member of the NAACP, member of the Urban League. I went through the Depression, Armed Forces Radio Service, Fox Movietone News, Lowell Thomas

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 70

Car bomb in Iraq kills at least 32, wounds 43

Iraqi women grieve outside Kazimiyah hospital for relatives killed in a car bombing in Baghdad. (AP Photo by KARIM KADIM)
Iraqi women grieve outside Kazimiyah hospital for relatives killed in a car bombing in Baghdad. (AP Photo by KARIM KADIM)
By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer Fri Sep 12, 6:34 PM ET BAGHDAD - A car bomb ripped through a crowded commercial district in a mainly Shiite town on Friday, killing at least 32 people, Iraqi officials said — the latest attack north of Baghdad where violence has been slower to decline than elsewhere in the country.

BAGHDAD, car bomb, Shiite town, Iraqi, Dujail, Iftar, Muslims, Ramadan., Kamil al-Khazraji, Shiite pilgrims, Saddam Hussein, Hussein al-Dujaili, Sinjar, Mosul, U.S.-Iraqi operation, Sunni insurgents, Muqtada al-Sadr, Kufa, U.S.-Iraqi security agreement, U.S. military, U.N. mandate, Sadr City, Sheik Abdul Hadi al-Mohammadawi

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 71

‘Marijuana church’ founders facing prison time

Dan and Mary Quaintance -- With Good Thoughts, Words and Deeds, they Honor Marijuana; as Teacher, Provider & Protector
Dan and Mary Quaintance -- With Good Thoughts, Words and Deeds, they Honor Marijuana; as Teacher, Provider & Protector
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -The founders of an Arizona church that deifies marijuana have pleaded guilty to two criminal charges. Dan and Mary Quaintance are each facing up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing in federal court is set to take place within the next 75 days, but the Quaintances are confident an appeal will keep them out of prison.

TUCSON, Ariz, Arizona, church, deifies, marijuana, Dan Quaintance, Mary Quaintance, freedom of religion, First Amendment, Pima, Church of Cognizance, religion, Arizona Daily Star

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 72

Beware of politicians bearing gifts for the Cold War Hydra

The War Hydra Scornlash (courtesy http://www.warhammeronline.com/)
The War Hydra Scornlash (courtesy http://www.warhammeronline.com/)
Posted by Bill Conroy - August 6, 2008 at 8:29 pm, Part 2: The connection between former Kyrgyzstan president Askar Akayev and John McCain may seem oblique by the shallow, personality-driven reporting standards that dominate coverage of a presidential election. But dig a bit deeper, and that connection proves far from superficial.

Bill Conroy, Kyrgyzstan, Askar Akayev, John McCain , Randy Scheunemann , Stephen Payne, Sunday Times of London, George Bush's presidential library fund, Tulip Revolution, Media Support Center Foundation, MSCF, Freedom House, Michael Goldfarb, Weekly Standard, U.S. State Department's Bureau of Democracy Human Rights & Labor, Open Society Institute, Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), IRS Form 990, Kyrgyz, printing press, Prosecutor General's Office, Agym, Kyrgyz Rukhu, supreme governing body, Narco News, U.S. attorney Nick Milam, Yukos Oil Co, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Cold War, International Republican Institute, IRI, U.S. Agency for International Development, State Department, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Norway, European Union, National Endowment for Democracy, NED, USAID, Blackwater Security, National Democratic Institute, Cold War hegemony

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 73

Ware: Woodward's Iraq claims off the mark

CNN's Michael Ware says, 'The U.S. subcontracted out an assassination program against al Qaeda ... in early 2006.'
CNN's Michael Ware says, 'The U.S. subcontracted out an assassination program against al Qaeda ... in early 2006.'
(CNN) 12 Sept. 08 -- Journalist Bob Woodward describes in his new book a secret U.S. program to assassinate terrorists in Iraq. Woodward, an associate editor of The Washington Post, says in 'The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008' that the assassination program, not the 2007 increase in U.S. forces in the war zone known as 'the surge,' is primarily responsible for the reduction of violence in Iraq.

CNN, Journalist, Bob Woodward, secret U.S. program, assassinate terrorists, Iraq, Michael Ware, al Qaeda, Washington Post, 'The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008', U.S. forces, war zone, the surge, John Roberts, 'fusion teams', Zalmay Khalilzad, Iranian-backed militias, Muqtada al-Sadr, Sunni insurgents

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 74

Embedded with the Taliban

FRANCE 24's Claire Billet spent a few days with Taliban fighters and accompanied them during one of their operations against Afghan security forces.
FRANCE 24's Claire Billet spent a few days with Taliban fighters and accompanied them during one of their operations against Afghan security forces.
Friday 12 September 2008 FRANCE 24 reporters accompanied a group of Taliban fighters on an attack against Afghan troops. The group’s leader has a warning for French troops after last month’s deadly ambush: leave now or face more.

FRANCE 24, Taliban, Afghan troops, French troops, ambush, Wardak province, Afghanistan, Kabul, Kandahar, US bases, strategic target, Islamic militants, Abu Tayeb, militants, fedayeen, Holy War, Haji Mullah, American puppets

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 75

Mexicans fleeing drug war help El Paso house market

Police gather evidence at a recent 'Drug War' murder scene
Police gather evidence at a recent 'Drug War' murder scene
By Ignacio Alvarado EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) - Mexicans fleeing a gruesome drug war are buying homes across the border in El Paso, helping keep the Texan city's property market afloat despite the worst U.S. housing crisis in decades.

EL PASO, Texas, Mexicans, drug war, property market afloat, U.S. housing crisis, Ciudad Juarez, Rio Grande, Joaquin 'Shorty' Guzman, drug baron, Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, smuggling routes, Dan Olivas, Greater El Paso Association of Realtors, kidnappings, extortion, cartel violence, murders, abductions, extortions, car theft, Armando Garcia, U.S. Mortgage Bankers Association, border tourist card, Rio Grande, Dolores Guevara

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 76

U.S. Refiners Accelerate Closings as Ike Strengthens

Coastal wetlands of the Lower Neches River near Port Arthur (Photo by Marge Beaver courtesy NOAA)
Coastal wetlands of the Lower Neches River near Port Arthur (Photo by Marge Beaver courtesy NOAA)
By Christian Schmollinger and Nidaa Bakhsh Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. refiners are speeding up plant closures as Hurricane Ike gathers strength toward the Texas Gulf Coast, home to 23 percent of domestic oil-processing capacity.

U.S. refiners, plant closures, Hurricane Ike, Texas Gulf Coast, oil-processing capacity, Hurricane Ike, Bruce Bullock, Maguire Energy Institute, National Hurricane Center, Texas City, Texas, Houston, Morgan City, Louisiana, Baffin Bay, Texas, Category 2, National Petrochemical and Refiners Association, Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, U.S. oil- import terminal, marine operations, Port Fourchon

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 77

Chavez says U.S. ambassador must leave Venezuela

In this Oct. 29, 2007 file photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, left, speaks with the US ambassador to Venezuela, Patrick Duddy, in Caracas. Chavez said on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 that the U.S. ambassador has 72 hours to leave Venezuela and he's calling back his ambassador from Washington. (AP Photo/Miraflores Press Office) (AP)
In this Oct. 29, 2007 file photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, left, speaks with the US ambassador to Venezuela, Patrick Duddy, in Caracas. Chavez said on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 that the U.S. ambassador has 72 hours to leave Venezuela and he's calling back his ambassador from Washington. (AP Photo/Miraflores Press Office) (AP)
By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER The Associated Press Howard Yanes Duddy CARACAS, Venezuela | President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that the U.S. ambassador had 72 hours to leave Venezuela and that he was recalling his ambassador from Washington.

Howard Yanes Duddy, CARACAS, Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez, U.S. ambassador, Venezuela, recalling , Washington, Bolivian, President Evo Morales, socialist, Bernardo Alvarez, major oil supplier, conspirators, Jennifer Rahimi, war on drugs, drug smugglers

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 78

U.S. Helps Lehman Go Up for Sale

Allan Davis smokes a cigarette across the street from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. headquarters in New York on June 16, 2008. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News
Allan Davis smokes a cigarette across the street from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. headquarters in New York on June 16, 2008. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News
Regulators Are Seeking a Weekend Deal Not Involving Public Money [washingtonpost.com readers have posted 171 comments about this item.] By David Cho, Heather Landy and Neil Irwin Washington Post Staff Writers Friday, September 12, 2008; Page A01 The Federal Reserve and Treasury Department are actively helping Lehman Brothers put itself up for sale, and officials are hoping a deal will be in place this weekend before the Asian markets open on Monday, according to sources familiar with

Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, Lehman Brothers, Asian markets, Timothy F. Geithner, Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr., Ben S. Bernanke, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox, Lehman chief executive Richard S. Fuld , Bear Stearns, J.P. Morgan Chase, mortgages, acquisition, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, The Fed, rescue, large financial firms, bailouts, buyout, government intervention, Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), Brian Sack, Macroeconomic Advisers, Wall Street, Wells Capital Management, market gripped by fear

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 79

McCain and Obama commemorate 9/11 anniversary

Democratic US Presidential nominee Barack Obama (R) and Republican US presidential nominee John McCain (R) take a moment of silence as they visit Ground Zero on the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks September 11, 2008 in New York City. McCain and Obama visited the World Trade Center area together to pay tribute to the more than 2,700 people killed on September 11, 2001. POOL/Julie Jacobson.
Democratic US Presidential nominee Barack Obama (R) and Republican US presidential nominee John McCain (R) take a moment of silence as they visit Ground Zero on the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks September 11, 2008 in New York City. McCain and Obama visited the World Trade Center area together to pay tribute to the more than 2,700 people killed on September 11, 2001. POOL/Julie Jacobson.
Sep 11 01:46 PM US/Eastern By JENNIFER LOVEN Associated Press Writer -- McCain, Obama Agree: Politics Take Backstage to September 11 Agenda McCain, Obama Make Joint Visit To Ground Zero SHANKSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - Recalling the nation's unity in a time of peril seven years ago, presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama placed their partisan contest on hold Thursday and spoke as one in honoring of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

McCain, Obama, 9/11, Sept 11, 9-11, Sept. 11 2001, ground zero, New York, common ground, Twin Towers, hijacked planes, United Airlines Flight 93, World Trade Center, Pentagon, Iraq war, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Gov. Ed Rendel, Joe Biden

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 80

Memories of killer 1900 storm haunts Galveston ahead of Ike

NOAA (auto update)
NOAA (auto update)
Sep 10 09:29 AM US/Eastern Texas Residents here on Tuesday warily followed the progress of Hurricane Ike -- currently tearing through the Caribbean on a path to the Texas coastline -- mindful of the anniversary this month of a storm that devastated the island city in 1900.

Galveston storm of 1900, noaa, Category One, Ike, Cuba, Texas, Hurricane Ike, Caribbean,Texas coastline, 'Great Storm', looting, Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas, Port of Galveston, Del Monte Fresh Produce, ADM Grain, Holcim Cement, Steven Cernak, University of Texas, Marsha Canright, New Orleans, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Gina Spagnola, Shrub Kempner

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 81

Russia threatens to target US missile shield sites: reports

Sarkozy says Russian forces will leave core Georgia within one month as Medvedev insists on an international force for Georgia Sarkozy urged Russia to comply with a ceasefire agreement which Western governments say obliges Moscow to pull out troops that are still deep inside Georgia. Russia's Medvedev says Russia has received guarantee from EU on non-use of force by Georgia.
Sarkozy says Russian forces will leave core Georgia within one month as Medvedev insists on an international force for Georgia Sarkozy urged Russia to comply with a ceasefire agreement which Western governments say obliges Moscow to pull out troops that are still deep inside Georgia. Russia's Medvedev says Russia has received guarantee from EU on non-use of force by Georgia.
Sep 10 05:36 AM US/Eastern Russia -- could point missiles at strategic US targets in central Europe, including planned American missile shield sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, a senior Russian general said Wednesday.

Sarkozy, Georgia Peace Deal, Russia, missiles, strategic, US targets, central Europe, American missile shield, Poland, Czech Republic, Russian, General Nikolai Solovtsov, Interfax, nuclear deterrent, RS-24, warheads, United States, missile interceptors, central Europe, rogue states

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 82

Washington Mutual tumbles 30 percent to 17-year low

A woman walks into a Washington Mutual bank in New York, April 7, 2008. (Joshua Lott/Reuters)
A woman walks into a Washington Mutual bank in New York, April 7, 2008. (Joshua Lott/Reuters)
By Jonathan Stempel and Dena Aubin Wed Sep 10, 4:37 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - Washington Mutual Inc (WM.N) shares sank 30 percent to a 17-year low and the perceived risk of its debt soared on worries the largest U.S. savings and loan will not find a buyer or raise enough capital to combat soaring mortgage losses.

Washington Mutual Inc, WM.N, debt, savings and loan, mortgage losses, accounting rule, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, LEH.N, commercial real estate, Wall Street, Jaime Peters, Washington Mutual Inc, Kerry Killinger, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, Washington Mutual, TPG Inc, TPG.UL, Alan Fishman, New York's Independence Community Bank Corp., subprime mortgages, Phoenix Partners Group , Tim Backshall, Credit Derivatives Research, Office of Thrift Supervision, OTS

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 83

Success! The world hasn't ended

Core ... magnet at the centre of CERN experiment
Core ... magnet at the centre of CERN experiment
By STAFF REPORTER Published: 10 Sep 2008 WE are all still here! The world's most powerful physics experiment is well and truly under way.

proton particles, Large Hadron Collider, LHC, black hole, Dr Lyndon Evans, Geneva, European Organisation for Nuclear Research, CERN, Large Hadron Rap, doomsday merchants

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
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Brand: MTV want me back next year

Feeling B-randy? ... girls flock around Russell as he chats to me at the hotel Dave Hogan
Feeling B-randy? ... girls flock around Russell as he chats to me at the hotel Dave Hogan
RUSSELL BRAND has been asked to present the MTV Video Music Awards again next year after sending ratings through the roof on Sunday night.

MTV, RUSSELL BRAND, MTV Video Music Awards, MTV, Mondrian hotel, Gordon Smart, JOHN McCAIN, SARAH PALIN, Bizarre Shagger Of The Year, TERESA PALMER, CHRISTINA AGUILERA, ADAM SANDLER, JUDD APATOW

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
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Kurds worried by US arms sales to Iraq

Adnan al-Mufti, the speaker of northern Iraq's regional parliament
Adnan al-Mufti, the speaker of northern Iraq's regional parliament
Press TV Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:27:01 GMT Adnan al-Mufti, the speaker of northern Iraq's regional parliament Kurdish politicians have expressed concern over the purchase of high-tech US weapons by the Iraqi central government.

Adnan al-Mufti, northern Iraq regional parliament, Kurdis, high-tech US weapons, Iraqi central government, Arbil, Press TV, F-16 fighters, Kurdistan, Baghdad, Diyala, Khanaqin district, Qurat Taba, Jalawlaa

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 86

Serena plans new era of dominance

Serena is one of only six women to win nine or more Slams in the Open era
Serena is one of only six women to win nine or more Slams in the Open era
BBC, Monday, 8 September 2008 08:37 UK -- New world number one Serena Williams warned her rivals she had a renewed passion for the sport after capturing her third US Open title.

Serena Williams, US Open, Jelena Jankovic, Grand Slam, umpire

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
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US warship confronts Russian military in 'tinderbox' port

The USS Mount Whitney, pictured here in the Bosphorus, today made a controversial landing at the port of Poti (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)
The USS Mount Whitney, pictured here in the Bosphorus, today made a controversial landing at the port of Poti (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)
James Hider in Tbilisi and Tony Halpin in Moscow A US Navy flagship carrying humanitarian aid yesterday steamed into a Georgian port where Russian troops are still stationed, stoking tensions once again in the tinderbox Caucasus region.

USS Mount Whitney, Bosphorus, port of Poti, James Hider, Tbilisi, Tony Halpin, Moscow, US Navy flagship, humanitarian aid, Georgian port, Russian troops, Caucasus region

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
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McCain Turns Sour on His Onetime Media `Base' as Election Nears

Getty Images
Getty Images
By Heidi Przybyla Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) -- The longtime love affair between John McCain and what he once called his ``base'' -- the national news media -- is on the rocks.

John McCain, base, media, election'08, election 2008, Steve Schmidt, Sarah Palin, Republican National Convention, St. Paul, Minnesota, Straight Talk Express, New York Times, Time magazine, NBC, Tom Brokaw, John Cornyn, Darrell West, straight talk, Straight Talk Express, Karl Rove, George W. Bush, Rick Davis, MSNBC, Andrea Mitchell, Barack Obama, love affair, Steve Capus, General Electric Co., Time, James Carney, Michael Scherer, premarital sex

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 89

Gallup Daily: Obama Hits 50% for First Time

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., addresses the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field in Denver, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., addresses the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field in Denver, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Aug. 30 through Sept. 1, finds Barack Obama leading the race for president with his highest share of support to date. Fully half of national registered voters now favor Obama for president, while 42% back John McCain.

Barack Obama, John McCain, registered voters, Gallup, poll, daily tracking

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 90

Democracy Now! Host and Producers Arrested at Republican Convention

Amy Goodman, host of 'Democracy Now' news service is shown in this undated wire photo
Amy Goodman, host of 'Democracy Now' news service is shown in this undated wire photo
Sept. 2, 2008, Washington Post, By Holly Watt ST. PAUL -- Democracy Now! radio host Amy Goodman and two producers were arrested while covering demonstrations at the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn. Goodman was released after being held for over three hours, but is still waiting to hear when Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar would be released.

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, Republican Convention, St Paul, Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Nicole Salazar, Jackson and 7th Street, Secret Service

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 91

Maliki's growing defiance of U.S. worries allies and critics

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki and Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr (photo date and source unknown)
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki and Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr (photo date and source unknown)
By Leila Fadel | McClatchy Newspapers BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has been on a roll, and American officials are getting worried.

Nouri al Maliki, Muqtada al Sadr, Shiite Muslim, Sunni, Shiite militias, Basra, Amara, Baghdad, Shiite slum, Sadr City, Mosul, Diyala, security agreement, United States, coalition, tribal sheikhs, U.S. withdrawal, U.N. mandate, immunity, fractured political base, Bush administration, Sons of Iraq, Sam Parker, U.S. Institute for Peace, arms sales, Barack Obama, firm timetable, Ali al Adeeb

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 92

Iran, Bolivia stand by each other in all situations

In this 2007 AFP photo the presidents of Bolivia, Evo Morales and Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad exchange folders after signing an understanding agreement in La Paz, Bolivia. At Ahmadinejad's stopover in Bolivia, he pledged $1 billion in Iranian aid and development to the poverty stricken country. Photo: AFP/Aizar Raldes
In this 2007 AFP photo the presidents of Bolivia, Evo Morales and Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad exchange folders after signing an understanding agreement in La Paz, Bolivia. At Ahmadinejad's stopover in Bolivia, he pledged $1 billion in Iranian aid and development to the poverty stricken country. Photo: AFP/Aizar Raldes
Tehran, Sept 1, IRNA Bolivia-Iran-President President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here on Tuesday that the two nations of Iran and Bolivia are moving in a clear and bright direction towards a better future and they will stand by each other in all situations.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Evo Morales, Iran, Bolivia, Tehran, bilateral cooperation, commerce and investmen

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
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Ingushetia update: Russian police in standoff over journalist's death

A picture taken on December 4, 2007 shows Magomed Yevloyev, owner of the Ingushetiya. ru website in Moscow. The founder of the website and vocal critic of the Kremlin's policies in the Caucasus died on August 31, 2008 from a bullet wound to the head while in police custody, Interfax reported quoting prosecutors. Yevloyev ran the website ingushetiya. ru, a major source of information in the region, and was a prominent opponent of the pro-Kremlin president of Ingushetia, Murat Zyazikov. (Photo fro
A picture taken on December 4, 2007 shows Magomed Yevloyev, owner of the Ingushetiya. ru website in Moscow. The founder of the website and vocal critic of the Kremlin's policies in the Caucasus died on August 31, 2008 from a bullet wound to the head while in police custody, Interfax reported quoting prosecutors. Yevloyev ran the website ingushetiya. ru, a major source of information in the region, and was a prominent opponent of the pro-Kremlin president of Ingushetia, Murat Zyazikov. (Photo fro
01 Sep 2008 17:21:40 GMT Source: Reuters NAZRAN, Russia, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Police in Russia's troubled Ingushetia region were in a standoff on Monday with protesters angered by the death of a leading opposition journalist who was shot in the head while in police custody.

Ingushetia, Murat Zyazikov, Russia, Magomed Yevloyev, Russian journalist, Anna Politkovskaya, Moscow, Nazran, secession, Magomed Khazbiyev, violent Islamist insurgency, Reporters Without Borders, ingushetiya.ru, Rosa Malsagova

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
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Cluster bombs killed 14 in Georgia conflict-group



01 Sep 2008 17:08:24 GMT Source: Reuters By Robert Evans GENEVA, Sept 1 (Reuters) - At least 14 people were killed by cluster bombs during the Georgia-Russia war over South Ossetia in August according to experts in the conflict region, a leading human rights group said on Monday.

cluster bombs, Georgia-Russia war, South Ossetia, bomblets, Human Rights Watch, HRW, Bonnie Docherty, Ruisi, Gori, Georgian Defence Ministry, M85 cluster weapons, Roki tunnel, Israel, Shindisi, bomblets, Oslo, United Nations, Dublin

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 95

Iraq-US troops on alert ahead of Anbar handover

A handout picture released by the US military shows marines radioing during an operation in Anbar province, June 2008. Iraqi and US forces were on alert in the western Sunni province of Anbar ahead of the transfer of security in the region from the American military to Baghdad. © 2007 AFP Tyler W. Hill
A handout picture released by the US military shows marines radioing during an operation in Anbar province, June 2008. Iraqi and US forces were on alert in the western Sunni province of Anbar ahead of the transfer of security in the region from the American military to Baghdad. © 2007 AFP Tyler W. Hill
Sunday, August 31, 2008 - 14:20 AFP News -- Iraqi and US forces were on alert on Sunday in the western Sunni province of Anbar ahead of the transfer of security in the region from the American military to Baghdad.

Iraq, Anbar, Baghdad, security, US trops, Sunni province, American military, Majid al-Assafi, AFP, Ramadi, Ahmed Abdul Salam, Thar Mohammed, Saddam Hussein, US-led invasion forces, insurgency, Fallujah, Ramadi, Euphrates valley, Al-Qaeda

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 96

Church concerned over attacks in Orissa

Plea for calm: Indian Christians hold candles at a demonstration against the violence in Orissa. (Photo courtesy Church Times UK, http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/)
Plea for calm: Indian Christians hold candles at a demonstration against the violence in Orissa. (Photo courtesy Church Times UK, http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/)
Zee news, India, Kochi, Aug 31: Expressing concern over the increasing attacks on Christians in Orissa following the murder of a VHP leader, the Church in Kerala on Sunday said it was the Centre's duty to protect the minorities.

Orissa, VHP, Kerala, minorities, Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil, Christians and Church-run institutions after the murder of VHP leader Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati , Lakshmanananda Saraswati, Hindu, Kandhamal district of Orissa

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 97

BBC, report and video: Mass anti-crime rallies in Mexico

Silent protest Hundreds of thousands of people have marched silently throughout Mexico, to protest against the continuing wave of killings and kidnappings in the country. BBC/Duncan Kennedy
Silent protest Hundreds of thousands of people have marched silently throughout Mexico, to protest against the continuing wave of killings and kidnappings in the country. BBC/Duncan Kennedy
Sunday, 31 August 2008 10:36 UK -- Hundreds of thousands of people have marched throughout Mexico to protest against a continuing wave of killings and kidnappings in the country. The rallies were held in all of Mexico's 32 states, with more than 150,000 people gathering at Zocalo square in the capital, Mexico City.

Mexico, anti-crime, Zocalo square, Mexico City, drugs-related violence, headless bodies, Yucatan Peninsula, Felipe Calderon, murders and kidnappings, Monica Alejandrina Ramirez, Iluminemos Mexico, police corruption, BBC's Duncan Kennedy, Eduardo Gallo, 74-point plan, money-laundering and drug-trafficking, drug cartels

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 98

Sunday Redemption: From a moment of madness to a life of misery

Sweet Redemption
Sweet Redemption
Friday, August 29, 2008 11:48:44 PM Oman Time MUSCAT — How a wrong move by a person can bring a twist in life, eventually landing him in a state from where it is virtually difficult to come back, has come to light.

Sunday Redemption, Muscat, Times of Oman, contented man, pauper, Bangladeshi, mental balance, RO2,000, Honda Road, empathy, socially responsible, Smitten by dance bar girls, dance bar girls, visit visa, Human Trafficking, Barka, Bangladesh, FULUS KHALAZ, Bengali market, thambola, Redemption Song

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 99

Integrity Bank Becomes 10th U.S. Failure This Year

Photo courtesy http://blogs.zdnet.com/
Photo courtesy http://blogs.zdnet.com/
By Alison Vekshin and Ari Levy Aug. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Integrity Bank of Alpharetta, Georgia, was closed by U.S. regulators today, the 10th bank to collapse this year amid a surge in soured real-estate loans stemming from the worst housing slump since the Great Depression.

U.S. regulators this year also closed Columbian Bank and Trust of Topeka, Kansas, on Aug. 22; First Priority Bank of Bradenton, Florida, on Aug. 1; Reno-based First National Bank of Nevada and Newport Beach, California-bas

bank failure, real-estate loans, housing slump, Great Depression, Integrity Bank , Alpharetta, Georgia, Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, FDIC, Regions Financial Corp, Integrity Bancshares Inc., IndyMac Bancorp Inc., U.S. deposit insurance fund, residential and commercial developers , Rob Braswell, problem lenders, Sheila Bair, Kenneth Rogoff, International Monetary Fund, major investment banks

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 100

Deputy says Russian police kill Web site owner

'The Ingush people are native to the Caucasus. They lived in the Caucasus for over 10,000 years. Constant warfares with nomads from all over the world shaped the nation of warriors and engineers. This can be well traced through defence structures, castles, and combat towers all over Ingush mountains and lowland. The number of the structures built on such a small territory is much higher than anywhere else in the world. Majority of the structures were dynamited by the Soviets in the middle of the
'The Ingush people are native to the Caucasus. They lived in the Caucasus for over 10,000 years. Constant warfares with nomads from all over the world shaped the nation of warriors and engineers. This can be well traced through defence structures, castles, and combat towers all over Ingush mountains and lowland. The number of the structures built on such a small territory is much higher than anywhere else in the world. Majority of the structures were dynamited by the Soviets in the middle of the
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: August 31, 2008 Filed at 10:23 a.m. ET MOSCOW (AP) -- The owner of an independent Web site critical of authorities was shot and killed Sunday by police in a volatile province in southern Russia, his colleague said.

MOSCOW, Ingushetiya.ru, Magomed Yevloyev, Ingushetia province, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Ruslan Khautiyev, Investigative Committee, Vladimir Markin, Prosecutor General's office, President Murat Zyazikov, Magas, paramilitaries, KGB, Vladimir Putin

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
Preview Link: 101

Gustav Cat4, growing, New Orleans orders mandatory evacuation



By BECKY BOHRER NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Spooked by predictions that Hurricane Gustav could grow into a Category 5 monster, an estimated 1 million people fled the Gulf Coast Saturday - even before the official order came for New Orleans residents to get out of the way of a storm taking dead aim at Louisiana.

Gustav, noaa, New Orleans, mandatory evacuation, hurricane, Mayor Ray Nagin, Hurricane Katrina, Mississippi River, mother of all storms, curfew, Caribbean, East Texas, western Mississippi, Cuba, Gulf Coast, Jefferson Parish, Homeland Security , Michael Chertoff, Louisiana, Joseph Jones Jr, National Guard troops, Dale DeBruyne, Pictor Soto, Lake Charles, National Hurricane Center, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, FEMA, Bob Riley

Updated: 10/18/2008, 13:38PST
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