Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Another Angle 17 - January - 2007

ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you



Iran shoots down U.S. spy drone amid growing military pressure



NATIONAL:



US lacks 'explosive' evidence against Iran
These stories were leaked to coincide with public accusations by then defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and US ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad that Iran was meddling in Iraqi affairs. A few days after the stories appeared, Rumsfeld declared that these shaped charges were "clearly, unambiguously from Iran" and blamed Tehran for allowing the cross-border traffic. But the US administration had a major credibility problem with that story. It could not explain why Iran would want to assist the Sunnis, enemies of the militant Shi'ite parties in Iraq that are aligned with Iran.



Virginia Legislator: Black People “Should Get Over” Slavery...
Delegate Frank D. Hargrove, who is white and Christian, made his remarks in opposition to a measure that would apologize on the state's behalf to the descendants of slaves. In an interview published Tuesday in The Daily Progress of Charlottesville, Hargrove, 79, said slavery ended nearly 140 years ago with the Civil War and added that "our black citizens should get over it."

Fears grow for health of Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali will be 65 on Wednesday, and there are growing fears for his life. The health of the world's greatest sporting icon has deteriorated so rapidly in recent weeks that one of his closest friends said last night: "Although he will now qualify for Medicare he doesn't need it - what he needs is our prayers."



Webb Does More For Troops in One Day Than Allen Did In Years ...
Going unnoticed in the frenzy of Democrats assuming control of Capitol Hill and George W. Bush seeking to plunge the country deeper into the Iraq quagmire, Webb introduced the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007, legislation that will provide the newest Veterans with educational benefits like those received by men and women who served in the three decades following World War II.



Pretext For The North American Union
This presentation is an important, detailed and timely look at forming of the North America Union (NAU). This is information is most helpful to those who knows little about the NAU or the CFR.



Black radio station in Philadelphia is silenced after more than 80 years
WHAT-AM, which was founded in 1925 and 20 years later was among the first in the United States to hire black on-air personalities, was a low-power station with a small but loyal following. Its on-air talent, office workers and sales staff were told Thursday that their jobs had been terminated.



Dora McDonald, Unsung Civil Rights Hero, Dies at 81
Dora McDonald was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s personal assistant, and an unsung hero of the civil rights movement. She died Saturday at the age of 81.



INTERNATIONAL:



AUDIO:Prof. Ilan Pappe: The Cleansing of Palestinians
VIDEO:Israelis Seen Abusing Caged Palestinians




Instead of “al-Qaeda,” U.S. Kills Nomads in Somalia
As usual, it takes a few days for the truth to emerge, not that the corporate media here in America notices.
Instead of killing Fazul Abdullah Moham-med, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan and Abu Taha al-Sudani, supposedly “al-Qaeda” operatives responsible for the 1998 US embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, the Pentagon killed “herdsmen … gathered with their animals around large fires at night to ward off mosquitoes” in Somalia, according to the
Independent.


IRAQ:



Iraqi Sunnis Rebuild Destroyed Shiite Shrine
Chairman of the Sunni Waqfs Ahmad Abdul Ghaffor Al-Samarrai has declared that his body will donate two billion Iraqi dinars ($1,350 million) to reconstruct the shrine.The Shiite shrine contains the tombs of the 10th and 11th imams, Ali Al-Hadi, who died in 868 A.D., and his son Hassan Al-Askari, who died in 874 A.D. Tradition says the shrine, which draws Shiite pilgrims from around the world, is near the place where the last of the 12 Shiite imams, Muhammad Al-Mahdi, disappeared. Shiites believe he is still alive and will return to restore justice to humanity.



US objects to Maliki's choice for top officer



BUSH CRIME FAMILY:



Shock and oil: Iraq's billions & the White House connection
Last week The Independent on Sunday revealed that a BearingPoint employee, based in the US embassy in Baghdad, had been tasked with advising the Iraqi Ministry of Oil on drawing up a new hydrocarbon law. The legislation, which is due to be presented to Iraq's parliament within days, will give Western oil companies a large slice of profits from the country's oil fields in exchange for investing in new oil infrastructure.



ECONOMY:



Chavez and Iran unveil anti-US fund
The presidents of Iran and Venezuela have agreed to spend billions of dollars to help other countries free themselves from what they describe as US domination. Hugo Chavez announced the plan in a speech on Saturday with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The two also called for Opec to cut oil production to support falling crude prices.



OP-ED:



Ban the M-Word
As we work to wipe out the n-word, let’s also refrain from referring to Black people, or allowing others to refer to us, as “minorities.” Now before you go off, and start finding excuses for subjugating and subordinating your people, and before you start your search for other references to Black people, let’s think about the M-word for a moment and see if it warrants banishment from our social and business lexicon.



Paul Craig Roberts: Carter's Inconvenient Truths
Israel's policy is to turn Palestinians into refugees and to incorporate the West Bank into Israel. Slowly over time the policy has been implemented in the name of fighting terrorism and protecting Israel. Had Israel tried to achieve this all at once, opposition would have been great and the crime too large for the world to accept. Today Israel's gradual destruction of Palestine has become part of the fabric of everyday affairs.



American power and influence on the decline
What is better for Iraq? Is it to open a strategic dialogue with neighbouring countries as recommended by the James Baker report or to step up the political tension with Iran and turn it into a military confrontation as recommended by the neoconservatives in the Bush administration? Suddenly, all Bush's choices have become extremely difficult and painful while his strategies are unrealistic. Bush's decisions are unconvincing while the Democratic Congress's proposals are inapplicable.



A Funny Phenomenon Among White Liberals and Progressives-
THe Black Commentator
European Americans have a funny way of confronting this nation’s history of violence. Shock is followed by awe: “Oh, but that was a long, long time ago. You can’t believe we have not progressed since.” Or “you really believe there’s racism? NOW?” I become the subject. My beliefs are on trial now.


SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY:



World's oddest creature at risk from killer fungus
It is a unique Australian creature - a mammal that lays eggs, and has a furry body, a bill like a duck's and webbed feet. The males are also poisonous. But in Tasmania, one of its principal habitats, the platypus is under threat from a deadly fungal disease.



FOOD&DRINK:



Pimento Cheese: It's a Southern Thing
Two of my favorite words are "comfort" and "food." Put them together and it's magic, just like the simple blend of cheese, mayonnaise and sweet peppers known across the South as pimento cheese. The recipe for most pimento consists of mixing just six or so ingredients. Typically, it includes sharp cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos and some simple seasoning, such as salt and pepper. Common variations on the recipe include the addition of onions, cream cheese, garlic or Monterey jack cheese.



CREAM OF CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP
This recipe makes a delicious and easy cream of chicken and wild rice soup.



REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:



Aretha Franklin's Globe-Nominated Performance
Aretha Franklin, the queen of soul, talks with Alex Chadwick about her performance on a Golden Globe-nominated song. Franklin is one of several artists who collaborated on "Never Gonna Break My Faith," featured in the film Bobby. It is now up for the Golden Globe's best original song award.



HUMOR?:



This Modern World: The Very Bad Idea, Part II