Sunday, October 22, 2006

Another Angle 22 - October - 2006

ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you



NATIONAL:



Striking the US where it hurts
A noted Chinese theorist on modern warfare, Chang Mengxiong, compared China's form of fighting to "a Chinese boxer with a keen knowledge of vital body points who can bring an opponent to his knees with a minimum of movements". It is like key acupuncture points in ancient Chinese medicine. Puncture one vital point and the whole anatomy is affected. If America ever goes to war with China, say, over Taiwan, then America should be prepared for the following "acupuncture points" in its anatomy to be "punctured".



The race card
The lengths white right-wing conservatives will go to try and play African-American voters for fools is literally breathtaking.



Furor Over Carter’s South Africa Analogy
It’s a word that enrages Israel’s supporters around the world—and it’s right in the middle of the title of a new book by former President Jimmy Carter, whose “Palestine Peace, Not Apartheid” is due on bookstands on Nov.14.



Kansas Sit-In, a First, Gets Its Due at Last
In July of 1958, Carol Parks-Haun, 19, and her cousin Ron Walters, 20, decided to protest restaurants which denied services to blacks in Wichita. At the time both were leaders in the local NAACP Youth Council. Walters and Parks-Haun organized a sit-in at Dockum Drugstore -- a popular eatery with a soda fountain.


Absent from history: the black soldiers at Iwo Jima
Although most of the black marine units were assigned ammunition and supply roles, the chaos of the landing soon undermined the battle plan.



Bill Cosby Gets Candid



INTERNATIONAL:



Force may be needed to guard Lebanese airspace -UN
U.N. peacekeepers may at some point resort to force to prevent repeated Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace.



Video: China shoots Tibetan pilgrims
In a video recorded by international climbers in the Himalayas, what appear to be Chinese troops are seen shooting and killing Tibetan pilgrims trekking to India to be in the presence of the exiled Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.



IRAQ:



Endgame coming, ready or not
While most of the violence is now sectarian, US casualties have also been spiking, particularly since August when more troops were sent to help pacify Baghdad. Sixty-three US troops were killed in August; that rose to 74 in September. Nearly 70 have been killed in the first half of October, putting the month on track to be the deadliest in almost two years and adding to the pressure to bring the troops home.



The End of Maliki?
In some ways, amid the internecine bloodletting, torture, spiking American casualties, death-dealing confusion, and general mayhem, here's all you need to know about the Iraqi "government" of Nouri al-Maliki. When the Prime Minister wanted to check on whether he was going to hang onto his position, he didn't go to parliament or to the Iraqi people, he checked in with the President of the United States.



Another Disastrous Coverup: Ammo dump explosion may have killed hundreds of US soldiers



US and UK seek Iraq exit strategy
With 74 American soldiers already dead in Iraq in October, it is likely to be the worst month for US forces in two years. US officers admitted on Thursday that the effort to pacify the capital, the Baghdad Initiative, had failed.



US 'arrogant' in Iraq, says diplomat
"The occupier has started to search for a face-saving way out. The resistance, with all its factions, is determined to continue fighting until the enemy is brought down to his knees and sits on the negotiating table or is dealt, with God's help, a humiliating defeat," Abu Mohammed said.



ECONOMY:



Australian Treasurer Seeks Orderly Withdrawal From U.S. Dollar
TREASURER Peter Costello has called on East Asia's central bankers to "telegraph" their intentions to diversify out of American investments and ensure an orderly adjustment.



OP-ED:



Reflections on the Eve of Another Rigged Election
Bush and his partners in crime face far more than a curtailment of power; they face possible indictment, prosecution, and prison sentences for their crimes.How, then, might the Busheviks avoid accountability for their crimes by remaining in control of the Congress?



Please, Don’t Vote!
Don’t get hung-up on the fact that you are a “life-long” Democrat or a Republican. Don’t be led by a false sense of loyalty to any party. Don’t feel guilty for not voting for party favorites. After all, who made them the favorites anyway? It certainly wasn’t you. We only vote on choices that have already been made; we vote for folks who have already been selected by others.



Ron Daniels: The U.S. Owes Haiti a ‘Special Debt’
“There is a special debt we all owe to Haiti,” Daniels explained. “Haiti did, in fact, give us our dignity back when we were on our knees. It did that at the height of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Of the three greatest revolutions – American, French and Haitian – only the Haitian Revolution really emancipated the slaves. In that sense, it was the greater of the revolutions from a human rights perspective.”



SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY:



Why black America may have been duped by DNA
Since the tests began in 2003, questions have been raised about their accuracy: specifically whether tracing mitochondrial DNA, which is passed from the mother's side of the family, can reliably pinpoint tribal origins.



HEALTH&FITNESS:



Report: Benefits of Seafood Outweigh Risks
A new report by the Institute of Medicine at the National Academies says the federal government should stop sending mixed messages about seafood, boost testing for contaminants and make it easier for consumers to find up-to-date information.



FOOD&DRINK:



Cardamom Bread, Wisconsin Style
Two recipes from Alfred Lunt, and you're ready for a satisfying country breakfast: Cardamom bread and coffee.



REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:



A Jazz Genius Goofs Off
Like many jazz musicians of his era, Art Tatum understood the entertainment aspects of his art. Though he didn't gussy up his music, he knew how to keep people engrossed all the same: A master of stride and boogie and bebop, he'd string his listeners along just by dancing around the theme, and then at just the right moment, he'd lower the boom, delivering a line so dazzlingly improbable that the common response was a gasp.



HUMOR?:



When Liberals Talk, Conservatives Listen. Sorta.