Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Another Angle 27 - March - 2007

ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you



The War on Drugs Is Really a War on Minorities

Consider this: According to a 2006 report by the American Civil Liberties Union, African Americans make up an estimated 15% of drug users, but they account for 37% of those arrested on drug charges, 59% of those convicted and 74% of all drug offenders sentenced to prison. Or consider this: The U.S. has 260,000 people in state prisons on nonviolent drug charges; 183,200 (more than 70%) of them are black or Latino.




NATIONAL:



Giuliani’s Closet
Rudy Giuliani’s closet is filled to overflowing, and its contents are dropping out all over just as he ratchets up his presidential bid. And there’s a lot more than bones in those dark recesses: go here for the full (450 pages!) story, but I’ll give you the short (and spicy) version:It’s all about the “weirdness factor,” as a secret study done by the Giuliani election team and leaked to the “Smoking Gun” website puts it. There’s the matter of his first marriage, to his cousin, Regina Peruggi.



14-year-old sentenced to 7 years for shoving a school hall monitor?
I am a 14-year-old black freshman who shoved a hall monitor at Paris High School in a dispute over entering the building before the school day had officially begun and was sentenced to 7 years in prison. I have no prior arrest record, and the hall monitor--a 58-year-old teacher's aide--was not seriously injured. I was tried in March 2006 in the town's juvenile court, convicted of "assault on a public servant" and sentenced by Lamar County Judge Chuck Superville to prison for up to 7 years, until I turn 21. Just three months earlier, Superville sentenced a 14-year-old white girl, convicted of arson for burning down her family's house, to probation.



Teacher, Student Recall a Segregated Classroom

It was here, in a school that the county neglected to provide with textbooks, that Diehl learned firsthand the damaging effects that institutional racism and Jim Crow politics would have on her young charges.She soon discovered that she was learning more from her students than they had the chance to learn from her.



INTERNATIONAL:




Russian intelligence sees U.S. military buildup on Iran border
"The latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran," the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched.

He said the Pentagon is looking for a way to deliver a strike against Iran "that would enable the Americans to bring the country to its knees at minimal cost."

He also said the U.S. Naval presence in the Persian Gulf has for the first time in the past four years reached the level that existed shortly before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003



China shifts to euros for Iran oil
China's state-run Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, the biggest buyer of Iranian crude worldwide, began paying for its oil in euros late last year as Tehran moves to diversify its foreign reserves away from U.S. dollars.
Gulf economies to 'drop the dollar'



Mossad in Iraq - Google Video



Somalia: Tsunami Again Hits Puntland



Moscow warns U.S. Iran policy may spark "clash of civilizations"



The Haunting Legacy of Slavery
The enslaved persons in the Americas were the first slaves since the days of the Romans whose condition of bondage and status as chattel was passed down from parent to child; and in a cruel irony, as the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans died out the price of the slaves who were already in place, working under horrendous conditions in the US, many Caribbean islands, and some South American nations, merely rose.
Video: Ghana Slaves





IRAQ:



Iraq’s break-up will lead to ‘100 Years War’




BUSH CRIME FAMILY:



Making a Killing: America's Private Army and the Business of War
With the job being so risky, what would attract so many to private companies? Well, Blackwater has been known to pay its employees $365,000 per year, compared to the $36,000 an average US soldier makes. No wonder so many former military personnel are signing up with a private employer instead of re-enlisting.



Cheney: Iraq pullout would hurt Israel
"We must consider, as well, just what a precipitous withdrawal would mean to our other efforts in the war on terror, to our interests in the broader Middle East, and to Israel," the U.S. vice president said over the weekend to a Republican Jewish Coalition leadership gathering in Latana, Fla.



ECONOMY:



U.S. could withstand effects of debt sale: Bernanke
Federal Reserve Board chairman Ben Bernanke says U.S. markets could probably withstand the effects of a sell-off of treasury bills by foreign investors.



The future looks very bleak
The crash of the US economy has begun. Although the reasons for the now-accelerating economic fiasco have been in place for decades, the chickens are only now coming home to roost. The murder weapons used to kill the economy are "free trade," outsourcing, illegal immigration, special work visa programs, and unrestrained government spending, which have all contributed to the death of what was just a few decades ago the economic powerhouse of the world.



OP-ED:



The Coming War With Iran
Both Ron Paul and Antiwar.com columnist Philip Giraldi have warned about the likelihood of a Gulf of Tonkin-style incident in the Persian Gulf, and their predictions have, sadly, proved all too accurate. That it involves the British, not the Americans, is a double victory for the on-to-Tehran crowd: the war-weary Brits, who recently announced the withdrawal of their troops from southern Iraq, will presumably be dragged along in the wake of the coming U.S. military assault as their sailors are paraded before the cameras in Tehran. Once again, "coalition" forces are about to take down a Middle Eastern government, and they are already on the move.



"Jesus Had It Coming..."
"...and I'm glad we killed him!" Thus went one of the more virulent of my recent hate mailers, who went on to proclaim the racial superiority of his being Jewish. He never said what, in particular, set him off, or if, in fact, it was anything I ever had written. His intent seemed merely to stun and outrage me. He failed.



Terrorized by 'War on Terror'
The damage these three words have done -- a classic self-inflicted wound -- is infinitely greater than any wild dreams entertained by the fanatical perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks when they were plotting against us in distant Afghan caves. The phrase itself is meaningless. It defines neither a geographic context nor our presumed enemies. Terrorism is not an enemy but a technique of warfare -- political intimidation through the killing of unarmed non-combatants.



SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY:



20 million Vista licenses equals a lot of unhappy customers
The first group of unhappy Vista users seem to be those who have bought a new PC but who are trying to get all their old hardware and software to work on it. The core PC system runs fine with Vista (as would be expected) but things change when legacy hardware and software is installed.



HEALTH&FITNESS:



More Black Women Trying Cosmetic Surgery, Some Experts Question Motives
“Many Black women are trying to achieve the white standard of beauty because many go to get the nose pointed. Whose standard is that?” Hare said. “The person getting it may see it as a self-improvement, but when you really sit down with a therapist, then you find out where the self-hatred comes in.”



FOOD&DRINK:



Don't Forget the Fennel

If you've never cooked with fennel, you're not alone. For years, I avoided the bulbous green and white vegetable labeled "sweet anise" because I associated it with black licorice. Who in their right mind would want to taste black licorice at the dinner table?

But then I learned anise and "sweet anise" are two very different things.



CHICKEN AND FENNEL SALAD SANDWICHES
Roasting the chickens and using both dark and white meat results in chicken salad with deep flavor. (Buying rotisserie chickens will cut down on the timing, but be sure to choose minimally seasoned birds.) Fennel, standing in for the usual celery, along with fennel seed and fresh basil, adds an unexpected note of sophistication.


REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:



Booker T. Jones: A Life in Music

With his band the MGs, Booker T. Jones created the classic instrumental "Green Onions." But they were also the studio band for Stax Records, making music with soul artists such as Otis Redding, Ray Charles and Wilson Pickett. A new two-CD box set features Stax highlights and Booker T. is now back on tour.




HUMOR?:



Cedric The Entertainer-Reality TV(stand-up comedy)











Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Another Angle 21 - March - 2007

ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you



A bombshell that nobody heard
If Hersh is to be believed - and as a major journalistic figure for the past near-40 years he certainly deserves to be taken seriously - the Bush administration seems to be repeating the worst mistakes of the Reagan administration and of the anti-Soviet war in Afghanistan, which led inexorably to the greatest acts of blowback in US history. Given what we already know about the Bush administration, Americans should be up nights worrying about what all this means now as well as down the line. For Congress, the media and Americans in general, this report should have been not just a wake-up call, but a shout for an all-nighter with NoDoz.




NATIONAL:



Obama's Israel Problem
Sen. Barack Obama isn’t quite sure how he feels about the lopsided situation between Israel and Palestine. Less than two weeks after Obama gloated to AIPAC about his love for Israel, he unexpectedly admitted the truth while campaigning in Iowa recently. “[N]obody is suffering more than the Palestinian people...” said Obama, “the Israel government must make difficult concessions for the peace process to restart...” The truth hurts indeed, and Obama has been feeling the wrath of the pro-Israel activists since his statement last week.



Khalid Shaikh Mohammed "Confessed" To Attacking Bank Founded After His Arrest
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed's alleged confession testimony has been thoroughly discredited after it emerged that one of the targets he identified, the Plaza Bank, was not founded until 2006, four years after the alleged Al-Qaeda mastermind's arrest. In his confession, KSM claims, "I was responsible for planning, training, surveying, and financing for the New (or Second) Wave of attacks against the following skyscrapers after 9/11: ...Plaza Bank, Washington state." KSM was arrested in March 2003. According to the Plaza Bank's website, the organization was founded in early 2006, making it impossible for KSM to have even known of the bank's existence before 2003, never mind plotted against it.


Dozens in GOP Turn Against Bush's Prized 'No Child' Act
More than 50 GOP members of the House and Senate -- including the House's second-ranking Republican -- will introduce legislation today that could severely undercut President Bush's signature domestic achievement, the No Child Left Behind Act, by allowing states to opt out of its testing mandates.



INTERNATIONAL:



Iran says to sell oil in 'every currency'
n has already said it will carry out all its oil-industry related equipment purchases in euros instead of dollars and previously said it has informed its oil buyers that they should pay Iran in euros for the crude oil they purchase.



IRAQ:



Video shows bomb blowing up U.S. occupation forces vehicle
A Web video surfaced Sunday showing an alleged insurgent crawling under a U.S. military vehicle in Iraq and purportedly planting explosives in full daylight. Seconds later, the video cuts to an explosion ripping the vehicle apart.



BUSH CRIME FAMILY:



USA Firings: Rove's Plan to Win in '08
This is Earth Shattering. Alberto Gonzalez may have perjured himself before congress over this. According to the author, Karl Rove is obsessed with the 2006 catasophy. Rove is convinced, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the reason why republicans lost the house and senate was because of corruption. Specifically, it was because of US Attorneys who investigated and indicted republicans, such as Duke Cunningham. Karl Rove wants two things to happen in time for the 2008 election. First, he wants to stop the US Attorney investigations of republicans. The fact that several of the fired US Attorneys had been activity invesigating republicans (such as Carol Lam, who was close to an indictment of republican Representative Jerry Lewis) seems to confirm this. Secondly, he wants to manufacture scandals against democrats, and hide the overt corruption behind the legitimacy of a US Attorney. He wants to make it so that republicans are no longer the party of corruption, and that democrats take their place. And if that means ignoring actual republican corruption, and inventing charges against democrats, then they will need the right US Attorneys to do this. They have already purged many of the US Attorneys who were investigating republicans, and replaced them with US Attorneys who would invesigate democrats. Expect a wave of false indictments to come against democrat after democrat as we get closer to the election.
Flashback: Bush removal ended Guam investigation




ECONOMY:



Why the subprime bust will spread
History has shown that the Fed, more often than not, has made wrong decisions based on faulty projection. Greenspan has been rightly criticized for letting a housing price "bubble" develop, equating it to the one that swept technology stocks to stratospheric levels before bursting in 2000. Greenspan argues the Fed's role is to mop up after bubbles burst, since bubbles are hard to spot and deflate safely. But accidents are also difficult to predict, and that difficulty is not a good argument against buying insurance.



OP-ED:



‘We Must Resist!'
Why can't we know the truth about 9/11 and this war on terror? Why can't we immediately repeal the Secret Evidence Law, the Patriot Act, and the Military Tribunals Act?Why can't we get back that 2.3 trillion dollars Rumsfeld admits is missing and use it to fully fund education and health care and infrastructure? They're asking poor, devastated university students to return their Hurricane Katrina money, but I don't see anyone going after Blackwater mercenaries, the law enforcement officials who took federal money and then denied Katrina survivors safe passage over public thoroughfares. They're not going after the Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff whose incompetent behavior directly led to the delayed response, causing as-yet unmitigated pain and suffering on the people of New Orleans, and whose continued bumbling results in one of the largest depopulations of an American city in memory.



It's Hardly Pocahontas
England's first successful colonists in America have been branded as rapists and murderers who imported slavery and oppressed the local Indian population.The controversial portrait of pioneer life in 17th-century Jamestown has become a central part of this year's 400th anniversary of the colony, whose settlement led directly to the birth of the world's most powerful nation.



SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY:



Who Owns Your Image on the Internet?
The popularity of camera phones and lightweight digital cameras means previously private and embarrassing moments are now made public. Who owns your image on the Internet, and are there limits to privacy?



HEALTH&FITNESS:



Learning to Live with a Disfiguring Disease
A health worker who is the son of missionaries has started a support group to help people suffering from a disfiguring and painful condition called lymphatic filariasis.



FOOD&DRINK:



Beans and Cornbread: Feeding Souls a Mile Deep
Pinto beans simply seasoned with a chunk of fatback and a little salt and pepper bubbled inside a large cast-iron pot. As the miners sipped mugs of hot coffee, my mother laid out bowls of chow chow relish, minced onions and cole slaw to accompany the beans. Out of the oven came the cornbread in its own cast-iron pan, still sizzling with the essence of bacon drippings.

Cornbread and beans are the type of food, simple and warm, that reminds us all of where we come from. And for West Virginians, they represent the true soul of the mountains.



Upside-Down Honey Cheesecakes
These crustless individual cheesecakes have a gooey, honeyed topping.



REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:



Teacher, Jazz Artist Draws Inspiration From Family
Tia Fuller's students know her as a dedicated teacher, but to her fans, she's a soulful composer known for sultry performances on the jazz saxophone.
When she isn't traveling the country teaching masterclasses and lecturing, Fuller records her own compositions and performs with jazz luminaries such as the T.S. Monk Septet, the Don Byron Big Band and the Duke Ellington Big Band.



HUMOR?:



"Gonzo"









Sunday, March 11, 2007

Another Angle Special

Thank you for your patience. As you can tell we are back up and running. While i am recovering I will try to post at least every other day. So here we go! Hope you enjoy it.

Another Angle 11 - March - 2007

ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you



The Highwaymen
Since its emergence as a major political issue in the Reagan era, privatization has become a default option for politicians of both parties aiming to off-load everything from prisons and welfare offices to Social Security. The movement has spawned its own industry of contractors, consultants, think tanks (with the Reason Foundation in the lead), and lobbyists; as a result, private companies now do everything from feeding soldiers in Iraq to taking welfare applications and even operating entire city halls for towns such as Sandy Springs, Georgia, a city of 85,000 that has outsourced its public works, administration, and finance to the Colorado-based firm ch2m hill. But the brass ring has long been seen to be the nation's enormous, and aging, infrastructure.



NATIONAL:



Democrat fury over Fox chief's Obama joke
A televised debate between Democratic candidates scheduled for Nevada in August was cancelled on Friday after local party leaders took offence at a joke told by Roger Ailes, chairman of the Fox News network.



INTERNATIONAL:


'Gringo go home', Bush told
In Sao Paulo, the President shook a ganya, a silver, cylinder-shaped musical instrument, while his wife Laura and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice danced a samba with a group of Brazilian teenagers. Yet the local media remained unimpressed and said Bush remained ill at ease with the region. That a US President should be so on the defensive in his back yard is a turnaround all the more dramatic, since the former governor of Texas had promised to make the region his foreign policy priority. However, the 9/11 attacks diverted his attention and the following year he angered many by seeming to support a bungled coup attempt against the Venezuelan President.



Bushehr power plant's key facilities to be operational by March 13




How an article in the 'IoS' led to the conviction of Lewis 'Scooter' Libby
The IoS was told by a source that we would find someone in Washington who knew the truth about the Niger affair. That led us to Mr Wilson, who said his findings had been ignored by the US and Britain. He asked us to identify him in our report of 29 June 2003 only as a "retired ambassador to Africa who went to Niger". But in his book he says the IoS approach convinced him he had to go public; the following week he told the story in The New York Times, under the headline: "What I didn't find in Africa". In the ensuing furore, the then CIA director, George Tenet, had to take responsibility for the Niger claim appearing in the State of the Union address.



IRAQ:



Struggle to find fresh troops for Iraq buildup
One official said planners are scrambling to figure out what combination of units and schedules can be fashioned that could give Petraeus what he wants and have the least negative impact on the troops. The complex scheduling must identify which units would have been home for 12 months and be trained and ready to go, plus whether the needed equipment would be available and what impact a schedule change has on other plans for the equipment or troops months down the road.



Is the Bush surge already failing?
There is still no good evidence that the Iraqi government can achieve "freedom" or that it can sustain or defend itself anytime soon. On Tuesday, the Iraqi parliament failed to convene because it could not garner the requisite quorum. The stony-faced prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is speaking darkly of having parliamentarians arrested for involvement in death squad activity, and of dismissing from his cabinet members of the Shiite bloc of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that helped elect him in the first place. As a parliamentary democracy, Iraq is broken.



BUSH CRIME FAMILY:



Priests to Purify Site After Bush Visit
"That a person like (Bush), with the persecution of our migrant brothers in the United States, with the wars he has provoked, is going to walk in our sacred lands, is an offense for the Mayan people and their culture," Juan Tiney, the director of a Mayan nongovernmental organization with close ties to Mayan religious and political leaders, said Thursday. Tiney said the "spirit guides of the Mayan community" decided it would be necessary to cleanse the sacred site of "bad spirits" after Bush's visit so that their ancestors could rest in peace. He also said the rites — which entail chanting and burning incense, herbs and candles — would prepare the site for the third summit of Latin American Indians March 26-30.



Video: Bush, Laura, Condi get jiggy in Latin America
Dear Lord, I have seen trained seal acts that had more talent! I am hearby revoking Condi's black card. Any objections?


ECONOMY:



Halliburton to move HQ to Dubai
The Houston, Texas-based multinational oilfield services Halliburton Energy Services plans to move its coroprate office to
Dubai, it was revealed Sunday. Halliburtons chairman, president, and chief executive officer David J. Lesar revealed the plans in Manama on the sidelines of the opening of the 15th Society of Petroleum Engineers Middle East Oil &Gas Show and Conference (MEOS 2007). Lesar said the move would help the company focus on the Middle East, as he would lead efforts to increase Halliburton business inthe Eastern Hemisphere. "The Middle east would be the seat of our operations," said Lesar."As we invest more heavily in our Eastern Hemisphere presence, we will continue to build upon our leading position in the North American gas-focused market through our excellent mix of technology, reservoir knowledge and an experienced workforce."



Crisis Looms in Market for Mortgages
On March 1, a Wall Street analyst at Bear Stearns wrote an upbeat report on a company that specializes in making mortgages to cash-poor homebuyers. The company, New Century Financial, had already disclosed that a growing number of borrowers were defaulting, and its stock, at around $15, had lost half its value in three weeks. What happened next seems all too familiar to investors who bought technology stocks in 2000 at the breathless urging of Wall Street analysts. Last week, New Century said it would stop making loans and needed emergency financing to survive. The stock collapsed to $3.21.
Loan turmoil closes doors for buyers
China may sell U.S. bonds


OP-ED:



One Nation Under God
The way you talk about Jesus and Muhammad, Brothers and Sisters, they are Brothers that come from the same Eternal God. How dare we try to split up the prophets and make them enemies of each other to justify our being enemies? If Jesus and Muhammad were on this stage, they would embrace each other with love. If Moses and the Prophets and Abraham, the father would be on this podium with all the Prophets, they would embrace each other. How come we, the people of God, cannot embrace each other in the love of God and the love of the Prophets that we claim?



Children of Black Wall Street - The Real Survivors
The tragedy side of the Black Wall Street massacre, replete with fire-bombings, shootings, and burning bodies, is usually dominates conversations related to Tulsa on May 31, 1921. The aftermath of Black survivors being rounded up, placed in makeshift concentration camps, and having to wait for a white person to come and “claim” them, to the mass graves, abandoned mines, and the river in which Black bodies were discarded, to the families torn apart and left with absolutely nothing, are the primary aspects of most discussions of Black Wall Street. But there is “the rest of the story.”



HEALTH&FITNESS:



Cocktail of additives found in child medicines
Children's medicines contain a cocktail of additives which are banned in food and drink aimed at under-threes, says a report out today from the Food Commission. Dyes, preservatives, and sweeteners were found in cough syrups, paracetamol tablets and teething gels. One product contained eight E numbers. The campaign group looked at 41 medicines for children under three. Only one, Superdrug children's dry cough syrup, was totally free of colourings and preservatives. Some of the additives can lead to asthma or act as mild laxatives, and most are banned from food and drink for under-threes, even though they are allowed in medicines aimed at young children.



FOOD&DRINK:



CREOLE CHICKEN AND OKRA GUMBO
Pass warm biscuits, or stick with tradition and mound some cooked white rice in the center of each bowl of soup. For a nice go-with, toss shredded lettuce with artichoke hearts, sliced mushrooms and creamy buttermilk dressing. Stay with the southern theme by ending with pecan pie.


REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:



Belafonte's Fires Undimmed at 80
Harry Belafonte at 80 has a real story to tell. He remembers, for example, a barely known political hopeful turning up at his apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. John F Kennedy, who was trying to become the Democratic candidate for the presidency, wanted advice and endorsement from the biggest black star in showbusiness. Nearly half a century on, Belafonte sits in an easy chair and reflects on the meeting: "I listened to him and I refused to endorse him, telling him that his best bet was that he should begin to seek out more details of our struggle and who our leaders were and begin to talk to them rather than just seeking to talk to celebrities." He advised JFK to seek out Martin Luther King, then a young activist preacher in Montgomery, Alabama. "He hardly knew who Dr King was. That pointed out to me that he was really distant from our struggle." But Kennedy listened and learned, and made contact with the black leader. In a tight election, the black vote split 70:30 Kennedy's way, enough to tip the finest balance.


HUMOR?:



Chris Rock - Who's more racist? black people or white people








Monday, March 05, 2007

Another Angle Special

WE WILL NOT POST FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. WE SHOULD BE BACK UP SOMETIME THIS WEEKEND.

Another Angle 5 - March - 2007

ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you



NATIONAL:



Clinton looks on, as Obama gets the larger congregation
African Americans, while being challenged in numbers in some states by Hispanics, are critical to any Democrat contender's fortunes both because of the energy they bring to grassroots activism as well as the numbers of people they potentially bring to the polls on voting day.
Dem Powerhouses Mark Selma's Bloody Sunday



Obama: US should never dictate what's best for Israel
Obama stressed the importance of preventing Iran’s nuclear armament, which could lead weapons of mass destruction into the hands of terrorists, inevitably causing other Middle East nations to join the race for nuclear weapons. “To prevent this worst-case scenario, we need the United States to lead tough-minded diplomacy,” he said.



FEMA abruptly closes trailer park housing Katrina victims
"They know how to put me out, but they don't know how to help me out. That's how I look at it," said Allsee Tobias, who lost his New Orleans home in Katrina's flooding and then was told to leave his Hammond trailer over the weekend. He and about 20 relatives, including 10 children, lived in four trailers, and were anxious about being split up.
"Pack and pray. That's what they told us," he said.



Roundtable: Al-Qaida, Emmet Till Case
The panel discusses the threat of Al-Qaida; and the Emmett Till case may be closed for good. Guests: economist and author Julianne Malveaux; Ron Christie, vice president of the lobbying firm DC Navigators; and Robert George, editorial writer for the New York Post.



INTERNATIONAL:



US 'erased Afghan attack footage'
Journalists working for AP said US troops erased images of a vehicle in which three people had been shot dead. Khanwali Kamran, a reporter for the Afghan channel Ariana Television, said the American soldiers also deleted his footage, AP reported. "They warned me that if it is aired ... then, 'You will face problems.'"



African leaders converge in Accra as Ghana marks independence
Not less than 25 African heads of state and 65 delegations representing presidents from various parts of the world will converge tomorrow in Accra, the capital city of Ghana to mark the 50th independence anniversary of the West African country. On March 6 1957, Ghana became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain political independence from the British colonial system, which sparked a wind of change in the continent.


IRAQ:



Iraq: At least 82 killed in another bloody day of U.S. occupation
The bodies of 20 people were found shot dead and some showing signs of torture on Sunday in the western half of Baghdad known as Karkh, police said. Baghdad has become increasingly divided into Shi'ites on the east and Sunni Arabs on the west side of the Tigris, though there is a crossover.



BUSH CRIME FAMILY:



Mineta's Testimony CONFIRMED
Defenders of the official myth say that the White House was not being evacuated at the time Mineta said, and that this proves Mineta got his story wrong, and that in fact Cheney wasn't in the PEOC until later -- after the Pentagon was hit.
CNN Backs Mineta



Greenwald: State Department promotion sends Iran war signal
Last Friday, Eliot Cohen was chosen by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to be new Counselor of the State Department. "It is not hyperbole to say that Cohen is as extremist a neoconservative and warmonger as it gets," says Greenwald, who quotes a conservative writer's point that Cohen "was an early supporter of the military intervention in Iraq" and opposed negotiations with Iran and Syria. Greenwald argues that Cohen is even "far more extremist than just that."



Bush's Director for U.S. Attorneys Mysteriously Resigns
Battle personally informed the fired attorneys of their removal, but the Department of Justice insists he was not involved in the actual decision making process (he allegedly told them the order had come from 'on high'").



ECONOMY:



US economy suddenly appears vulnerable
I HAVE BEEN POSTING THE WARNING SIGNS FOR OVER TWO YEARS. THINK PEOPLE, IT IS MARCH, LAST WEEK GAS WAS $2.56. WHAT DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE IN JUNE. BRACE YOURSELVES AND PLANT A GARDEN. WE HAVE BEEN SET UP.



OP-ED:



Stock Market Bloodbath and Greenspan’s Retreat
It’s a bloodbath and it’s bound to carry over into US markets where the damage could be considerably worse. The catalyst for the global correction is the growing strength of the yen and its effects on the “carry trade”. Americans will be hearing a lot about the carry trade in the next few weeks as well as other unfamiliar terms. In fact, we’re all about to get a crash course in sub-prime loans, hedge funds, derivatives and the “global liquidity crisis”. These are the main factors involved in what appears to be the beginnings of a major stock market flameout.



Black History Is Sometimes a Conspicuous Omission
How does a school system teach the Civil War and Reconstruction — not to mention world history —- and end up with students who know nothing about American slavery?



Faith Makes Everyone a Mystery
Faith makes everyone a mystery, and stories about faith can sometimes remind us how little we know — not just about God, or religion, but each other.



HEALTH&FITNESS:



Meditation a Hit for Pain Management
"The heart of Buddhist meditation is actually called mindfulness, and our operational definition of it is really paying attention in the only moment we're ever alive — which is the present moment," Kabat-Zinn says. This can be tough for people living with pain. After all, who wants to be "in the moment" when your joints are aching, your head's throbbing, or you're living with a scary diagnosis? No wonder our first impulse is to run away.



FOOD&DRINK:




CHEDDAR JALAPENO BREAD

The dough for this recipe is wetter than many home bakers may be used to, but the end result is a delightfully moist, textured bread.



REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:



Melle Mel Stands by 'The Message'
Melle Mel was the original vocalist on The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. This month Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five will be the first hip-hop act inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many rappers regard The Message as an inspiration, as well as a political message. Melle Mel also rapped on the updated version, The New Message.



HUMOR?:



In Living Color - The Wrath of Farrakhan









Saturday, March 03, 2007

Another Angle 3 - March - 2007

ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you




Montana Just Says, 'NO!'
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA OPPOSING ANY EFFORT TO IMPLEMENT A TRINATIONAL POLITICAL, GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY AMONG THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AND MEXICO; OPPOSING THE SECURITY AND PROSPERITY PARTNERSHIP OF NORTH AMERICA AND INITIATIVES PURSUED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PARTNERSHIP THAT THREATEN THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE UNITED STATES; OPPOSING A NORTH AMERICAN UNION; AND OPPOSING THE NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT SUPERHIGHWAY SYSTEM.
Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America Prosperity Agenda



NATIONAL:



Citing 'national security' court throws out CIA torture case
The US government had urged the court to reject the appeal saying that for national security reasons it could not confirm or deny any of the allegations because they were related to the activities of the CIA. The court said that to make his case, el-Masri "would be obliged to produce admissible evidence not only that he was detained and interrogated, but that the defendants were involved in his detention and interrogation in a manner that renders them personally liable to him. "Such a showing could be made only with evidence that exposes how the CIA organizes, staffs and supervises its most sensitive intelligence operations.



Cherokees may expel slave descendents
Native American Cherokees were voting on Saturday whether to expel descendants of black slaves from their tribal nation in a special election that has prompted charges of racism.
The Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma was voting on an amendment to their constitution that would strip membership from so-called "Freedmen," those descended from slaves once owned by Cherokees, blacks who were married to Cherokees and children of mixed-race families, according to the tribe's website. Opponents of the proposed amendment say it is a racist project designed to deny the distribution of US government funds and tribal revenue to those with African-American heritage, US media reported.



Request to Find 'Good' in Slavery Stirs Anger
As an African-American and a resident of rural Davidson County,(NC.) Aszullayme (who does not use a last name) knew that his daughters, Tatiana, 13, and Timeca West, would be in the distinct minority, both in their community and in their school. Still, he says he never expected his daughters, who are in the same eighth-grade class at North Davidson Middle School, to bring home an assignment like the one they were given by Kathy Proctor, their language arts teacher.



Ala. School Warned Hours Before Tornado
Administrators at a high school where eight students died in a tornado were warned about severe weather nearly three hours before the twister struck, raising questions Friday about whether classes should have been dismissed earlier. Residents of the neighborhood surrounding Enterprise High School said they heard warning sirens long before the tornado slammed into the building, crushing the victims in an avalanche of concrete and metal.



Obama to AIPAC: Won't rule out nuking Iran
Obama's appearance was seen as a move to court Jewish donors, although the event wasn't a fund-raiser. He did pose for photos with AIPAC members at a private reception before the speech. Although the event was billed as a "forum," he took no questions from the audience or media and left immediately after his half-hour speech.



Bush Administration push for privatization may have helped create Walter Reed 'disaster'
The Bush Administration's drive for privatization may be responsible for the "deplorable" outpatient care for soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, according to a top Democratic Congressman investigating the scandal, which has already led to the resignation of the Secretary of the US Army. A five-year, $120 million contract awarded to a firm run by a former executive from Halliburton – a multi-national corporation where Vice President Dick Cheney once served as CEO – will be probed at a Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs hearing scheduled for Monday.
Army Secretary resigns amid furor




Op-Ed Piece Highlights Black-Asian Tensions
The column was written by Kenneth Eng, a young science-fiction writer in New York. Eng describes himself as an "Asian supremacist." In the opinion piece, he said blacks hate Asians and blacks are weak-willed.
The sounds of jaws dropping could be heard all over San Francisco.



How Real ID will affect you
Starting three years from now, if you live or work in the United States, you'll need a federally approved ID card to travel on an airplane, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments, or take advantage of nearly any government service. Practically speaking, your driver's license likely will have to be reissued to meet federal standards.



INTERNATIONAL:



LIVE FROM PALESTINE~~ APARTHEID... DISAPPEARANCE THROUGH DENIAL
Israel and its apologists angrily reject the apartheid accusation, charge those who make it with being anti-Semites and call upon Israel's friends to refute the charge. Amongst those whom Israel has tried to censure or smear are former US president Jimmy Carter and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town and head of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Other figures making the charge include Arun Gandhi, grandson of the Mahatma Gandhi; Winnie Mandela, former wife of South African leader Nelson Mandela; Michael Ben Yair, who served as Israel's attorney general from 1993-96; Ami Ayalon, a former admiral in Israel's navy and head of Shin Bet, the country's internal security agency; Tommy Lapid, head of Israel's Shinui Party; and Meron Benvenisti, former deputy mayor of Jerusalem.



IRAQ:



US asks us to pick up litter while city is in ruins, says mayor of Baghdad
Baghdad's mayor lashed out at the United States yesterday – for spending huge sums on projects to collect rubbish and plant trees while his devastated war-torn city struggles without electricity.
At a meeting in the city's Green Zone the mayor, Sabir al-Isawi, interrupted US officials in the middle of a presentation to key Iraqi officials, to say these schemes are "not what the people want".



BUSH CRIME FAMILY:



Bolton wanted Iran to kick out Arms Inspectors, he tells AIPAC
IN a phone conversation posted in its entirety at the StopAIPAC.org website, Bolton told adoring AIPAC members that he had hoped sanctions imposed by the United Nations on Iran would be followed by a more "dramatic" response on Iran's part, such as withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which could then "produce a counter-reaction" That would be seen as "beneficial". Specifically what counter-reaction he had in mind was not specified. However, it seems clear, for this one former Administration official, is that the game is not to avoid conflict, but to escalate it.



ECONOMY:



U.S. urges caution on subprime loans
Worried that "subprime borrowers may not fully understand the risks" of such lending products as adjustable-rate mortgages, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and three other regulators yesterday asked lenders to carefully evaluate borrowers' ability to repay at the full rate.



OP-ED:



Joshua Frank: The Democrats and Iran
The top candidates' tepid words on Iraq were a sign of what's to come over the next year and a half as their rhetorical talents are turned on high. Despite Obama's reassurance that he did not support the war from the beginning, along with Edwards' claims that he's had a change of heart on his past pro-war votes -- neither candidate distinguished their position from the Bush administration when it came to the looming Iran confrontation.



What, Exactly, Are We Dying For?
Will the future judge the war in Iraq as one of the biggest mistakes in our country's short history? We can only wait and see. The past has already judged the war to be a mistake, but the future must wait until the present is done judging the war as a mistake. When will that be? Hopefully soon. Soldiers are dying while we try to figure it out.



My Friend was Raped
I discovered it almost by accident. My friend had been raped. But this had not just happened; it had actually occurred several years ago. Sadly, she could tell me the exact date, time and minute that the rape transpired. I asked her whether she had pressed charges. Her answer was ‘no.’ I asked her whether she had spoken with her family about it, and her answer was ‘no.’ I sat there aghast until she filled in the story.



SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY:



The Air Car




HEALTH&FITNESS:



Nutritionist Offers Heart-Healthy Tips
February was "American Heart Month," and according to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of black men and women. Nutritionist Rovenia Brock offers tips on maintaining a healthy heart.



FOOD&DRINK:



HOPPIN' JOHN (BLACK-EYED PEAS WITH KIELBASA)
There has been much debate over the strange name of this rice and bean combination. One theory suggests that "Hoppin' John" is a corruption of pois Ć  pigeon, French for pigeon peas, with which the dish was originally made in the French colonies of the Caribbean, where it was likely created.
SUGGESTION: Substitute turkey for the pork products



REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:



Lorraine Gordon, Keeper of a Shrine to Jazz
It was Ike Quebec who first took us to see Thelonious Monk. Ike didn't say about Monk: "Record him." He just said, "Come on, I want you to hear someone." Ike didn't take us to a club either, he took us to Monk's West 65th Street apartment. And Alfred and I... well, we heard him. There were a lot of modern musicians I didn't understand — they were fast and terrific but not comprehensible to me, necessarily. Thelonious Monk I understood. Always. Monk was a revelation. From our very first encounter he was right in my groove.




HUMOR?:



Thank You Mask Man









Wednesday, February 21, 2007

ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you



Making martial law easier - International Herald Tribune
A disturbing recent phenomenon in Washington is that laws that strike to the heart of American democracy have been passed in the dead of night. So it was with a provision quietly tucked into the enormous defense budget bill at the Bush administration's behest that makes it easier for a president to override local control of law enforcement and declare martial law.



NATIONAL:



737 U.S. Military Bases = Global Empire
The total of America's military bases in other people's countries in 2005, according to official sources, was 737. Reflecting massive deployments to Iraq and the pursuit of President Bush's strategy of preemptive war, the trend line for numbers of overseas bases continues to go up. Interestingly enough, the thirty-eight large and medium-sized American facilities spread around the globe in 2005 -- mostly air and naval bases for our bombers and fleets -- almost exactly equals Britain's thirty-six naval bases and army garrisons at its imperial zenith in 1898.



An Orwellian solution to kids skipping school
Let's say your teenager is a habitual truant and there is nothing you can do about it. A Washington area politician thinks he might have the solution: Fit the child with a Global Positioning System chip, then have police track him down. "It allows them to get caught easier," said Maryland Delegate Doyle Niemann (D-Prince George's), who recently co-sponsored legislation in the House that would use electronic surveillance as part of a broader truancy reduction plan. "It's going to be done unobtrusively. The chips are tiny and can be put into a hospital ID band or a necklace."



Terrorists Chip In
Information-security expert Lukas Grunwald is not reluctant to share his opinion of the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology that is now a mandatory security feature of American passports. “This whole design is totally brain damaged,” Grunwald told Wired magazine. “From my point of view all of these RFID passports are a huge waste of money. They’re not increasing security at all.”



Accused Terrorist Is Big GOP Donor
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) won't say what it plans to do with thousands of dollars in campaign donations it received from an accused terror financier.
Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari gave $15,250 to the NRCC since 2002, according to FEC records published on the Web site opensecrets.org. On Friday, Alishtari pled not guilty to funding terrorism and other crimes, including financial fraud.



JFK security call off
Various angles and clips of security detail being called off, to stand down and not run along side the prez's motorcade. who could authorise this?



INTERNATIONAL:



Occupied Somalia: 12 Killed as heavy mortar fire hits Mogadishu
The attacks underscore the huge challenge facing the interim government of Abdullahi Yusuf, the president, as it tries to tame a nation in anarchy since Mohamed Siad Barre, the former president, was ousted in 1991.



Venezuela Preparing for 'Asymmetrical' Showdown With U.S.
Chavez is keen on ramping up his country's defenses using a windfall of petroleum dollars that have filled state coffers in recent years. Having already spent a significant portion of that money on education and health programs for Venezuela's impoverished, the leftist leader has set his sights on becoming the continent's military superpower.



IRAQ:



The New Iraqi Oil Law: Leaked
Privatizing Iraq's oil and splitting Iraq into three regions are just two negative features of this 29 pages law.



Where in the world is Moqtadl Al-Sadar?
The cleric is not in Tehran, but in Kufa, southern Iraq, according to a Western source. Stories that he has fled across the border are incorrect, according to Albrecht Gero Muth, a former adviser to Kofi Annan when the latter was U.N. Secretary General, who remains in contact with al-Sadr.



BUSH CRIME FAMILY:



Why Did Rove Receive A Copy Of A Secret Iranian Proposal For Negotiations In 2003?
Inter Press Service reports that, in early May 2003, Karl Rove received a copy of a secret Iranian proposal for negotiations with the United States from former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) — who is now serving 30 months in prison for his role in a corruption scandal.



Iran - This, Mr President, is how wars start
"If the Iranians decide to respond by showing that they can be tough guys, too, we could easily get an escalation of a tit-for-tat nature," he told me. "It would start in Iraq, where we start to do things and they respond. Then we [the US] believe they're responsible for that, and so we decide to ratchet it up by hitting them somewhere else, and then they respond by hitting us in the Gulf. And then we are at war."



ECONOMY:



Kraft says up to 8,000 jobs cut
Kraft says it may eliminate up to 9 percent of its work force and exit up to 20 production facilities, according to a document outlining the plan.



OP-ED:



Obama Drama – Another Political Sleeping Pill for Black People. --
Yes, I would like to see a President Obama, but for reasons other than euphoria and emotionalism, his Senatorial voting record notwithstanding. I would like to see the “possibility” of finally having a President that would speak out as a Black man and actually do something that directly benefits Black people, the people to whom this country owes a tremendous debt. (Hey, I can dream, can’t I?)



FOOD&DRINK:



POTATO, CHEDDAR, AND CHIVE SOUP
The combination of potatoes and cheese just can't be beat, especially here, in this rich, filling soup.



REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:



Gates Takes a New Look at 'Uncle Tom'
In the 1950s, Uncle Tom's Cabin went from being a literary phenomenon to an object of scorn, with its title character symbolizing black self-loathing. Henry Louis Gates has re-examined the book in a new annotated edition.



HUMOR?:



Men on Films - In Living Color






Sunday, February 18, 2007

Another Angle 18 - February - 2007

ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you



The Global Shell & Pea Game
Six weeks ago, after a year of speculation, Iran changed its oil bourse from petrodollars to petroeuros. US rhetoric against the leadership of Iran was therefore ratcheted up in latter 2006. First, Ahmadinejad’s call to erase the Zionist political entity from the pages of time was translated in to “wipe Israel off the map”, alarming the world to a specter of a new holocaust. Second, Iran’s nuclear weaponry intentions were disclosed — a new imminent threat — but the American taxpayers weren’t buying that one so easily this time. Thus, the new story of Iranian supplies to insurgents in Iraq is told at bedtime (less than one percent of attacks on US troops in Iraq are by Shiites).



NATIONAL:



02.15 Brzezinski's Damning Indictment
Brzezinski told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that "the final destination on this downhill track is likely to be a head-on conflict with Iran and with much of the world of Islam." Brzezinski predicts "some provocation in Iraq or a terrorist act in the U.S. blamed on Iran; culminating in a 'defensive' U.S. military action against Iran that plunges a lonely America into a spreading and deepening quagmire eventually ranging across Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan."



The Obama revolution
Barack Obama had no placards. His campaign desk was sparse, undecorated and banner-free. He walked on to the stage with no music at all. He left the same way, with only the sound of thunderous applause filling his ears. The message was clear: Barack Obama does not need campaign gimmicks and he is not doing things the old-fashioned way. And it worked.
The Obama revolution is sweeping through the Democratic party.



Obama Set For Big Jewish Push
The presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is poised to dramatically increase its Jewish outreach. That includes the recruitment of top Jewish donors and advisers, and an expected major speech on Israel and the Middle East that a Democratic insider said “will set the baseline and establish Sen. Obama as a reliable, strong supporter of Israel.”



INTERNATIONAL:



Zambia loses 'vulture fund' case
Vulture funds - as defined by the International Monetary Fund and UK Chancellor Gordon Brown among others - are companies which buy up the debt of poor nations cheaply when it is about to be written off, then sue for the full value of the debt plus interest. "Zambia has been planning to spend the money released from debt cancellation on much-needed nurses, teachers and infrastructure. "This is what debt cancellation is intended for, not to line the pockets of businessmen based in rich countries."



Imported chicken cripples economy in western Africa
“The competition from cheap, imported chicken from Europe made 92 percent of small chicken farmers in Cameroon lose their main income source between 1996 and 2003,” Bernard Njonga of the Cameroon NGO, the Association Citoyenne de DĆ©fense des IntĆ©rĆŖts Collecitifs (ACDIC), told IPS. ACDIC leads a campaign against the chicken imports and now has more than 10,000 members—farmers and also consumers. “That meant 645 farms going under. Typically four to six families depend on each farm. These people lost their jobs and were dumped into poverty,” Mr. Njonga said.



Army and police desert beleaguered Mugabe
Mugabe, ruler of Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980, claimed Britain has been trying to oust him. But the UK says Zimbabwe's long-running political and economic crisis is a result of rights abuses, vote-rigging and skewed policies, which have nothing to do with London.



Olmert threatens to boycott Palestinian Authority




IRAQ:



Rice, in Surprise Baghdad Visit, Presses Leaders for Progress
She said she had told Iraq’s leaders to quickly finish work on an oil law that would distribute revenues evenly among Iraq’s population.



New Oil Law Means Victory in Iraq for Bush
This law has been in the works since the very beginning of the invasion - indeed, since months before the invasion, when the Bush administration brought in Phillip Carroll, former CEO of both Shell and Fluor, the politically-wired oil servicing firm, to devise "contingency plans" for divvying up Iraq's oil after the attack. Once the deed was done, Carroll was made head of the American "advisory committee" overseeing the oil industry of the conquered land.



Iraq: Kurdish Oil Law Poses Problem For Baghdad - RADIO FREE ...
"The Kurds have submitted a draft petroleum act to be adopted that gives them the right to control oil, regardless of the government in Baghdad. The Oil Ministry has submitted another completely different draft that gives the authority to the ministry, not regions. It's the main issue of the conflict: oil and Kurds," he said. The establishment of a petroleum law in the Kurdish region not only underscores the decentralization of oil resources, but it constitutes another step in the Kurds' move away from the Baghdad government.



OP-ED:



It's still about oil in Iraq - Los Angeles Times
Page 1, Chapter 1 of the Iraq Study Group report lays out Iraq's importance to its region, the U.S. and the world with this reminder: "It has the world's second-largest known oil reserves." The group then proceeds to give very specific and radical recommendations as to what the United States should do to secure those reserves. If the proposals are followed, Iraq's national oil industry will be commercialized and opened to foreign firms.The report makes visible to everyone the elephant in the room: that we are fighting, killing and dying in a war for oil. It states in plain language that the U.S. government should use every tool at its disposal to ensure that American oil interests and those of its corporations are met.



It's Time for Star Athletes to Choose HBCUs
We all know how Major League Baseball swiped stars from the Negro Leagues. Well, if you think about it, that's basically what happens when prep stars shun historically black schools like North Carolina Central University for schools like UNC, Duke and Ohio State.



HEALTH&FITNESS:



Magnetic Pulse Treatment Targets Depression
Transcranial magnetic stimulation, under investigation as a potential treatment for depression, sends a magnetic pulse to stimulate the brain. Keith Seinfeld of member station KPLU in Seattle reports on the experiences of a woman named Georgia, who is among hundreds who have agreed to try the device.



FOOD&DRINK:



Sweet and Savory: Odd Food Combinations
We don't raise an eyebrow at carrot cake or peanut butter cookies. No one is alarmed by pumpkin pie. We don't raise an eyebrow at carrot cake or peanut butter cookies. No one is alarmed by pumpkin pie. But is the world ready for potato-chip cookies? Finding savory or other unusual ingredients in sweet baked goods was not uncommon 100 years ago, when frugal housewives used every leftover bit of food. Along the way, they learned some things.



REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:



NPR : The Harlem Renaissance, On and Off the Court

In "On the Shoulders of Giants" Abdul-Jabbar (with co-author Raymond Obstfeld) recounts how a few square miles in northern Manhattan became the cultural capital of Black America in the 1920s and '30s (while extortionate rents were creating slum conditions). Abdul-Jabbar's definition of the Harlem Renaissance is expansive enough to include not just its famous intellectuals -Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, W.E.B. Du Bois, James Weldon Johnson, et al- but Marcus Garvey, the charismatic advocate of a return to Africa who had a mass following. "It was the renaissance atmosphere in Harlem that gave him the inspiration and platform to launch his Universal Negro Improvement Association," Abdul-Jabbar explains. The classy intellectuals promoting the image of a "new Negro" despised Garvey.



Bassett and Vance Tell Their 'Love Story'
Celebrity couple Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance have a new book out about relationships. It's titled Friends: A Love Story. The book tells the story of their emotional lives both before and after they met.



HUMOR?:



Flip Wilson on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1965
If you have only seen Flip as "Geraldine" or as the "Pastor of The Church of What's Happening Now", check out this comic genius doing the "Tonight Show"











Saturday, February 17, 2007

Another Angle 17 - February - 2007

ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you



This is War
Dare we look on our victims?
- Warning -
This video should only be viewed by mature audience



This is Iran
Short video



NATIONAL:



Black Community takes on Houston Police Department
High tensions between Houston’s Black community and local law enforcement overheated when Houston Police Department (HPD) Officer L.D. Smith, during a Jan. 8 traffic stop, used his department-issued taser on 23-year-old Robert McIntosh three times, handcuffed him, turned him over and shot him three times in the chest, taking his life.



Woman Becomes Quadruple Amputee After Giving Birth
A Sanford, Fl. mother says she will never be able to hold her newborn because an Orlando hospital performed a life-altering surgery and, she claims, the hospital refuses to explain why they left her as a multiple amputee. The woman filed a complaint against Orlando Regional Healthcare Systems, she said, because they won't tell her exactly what happened. The hospital maintains the woman wants to know information that would violate other patients' rights.



'CIA agents' face abduction trial
A Milan judge has ordered 26 US citizens, most of them believed to be CIA agents, to stand trial on charges of the 2003 abduction of an Egyptian imam. At least five Italians, including Nicolo Pollari, the former head of Italian military intelligence, were also ordered to stand trial.



Blackmailing Bush; how the "Dear Leader" duped "The Decider"
There’s no chance that the administration will persuade the North to "denuclearize" (the administration’s word du jour). Kim knows that the real objective of US policy is regime change and that guarantees that he will never give up his nukes. Instead, he plans to use the upcoming negotiations as a means of extorting more concessions from Bush and the allies. Next, he’s expected to demand electrical power from South Korea, additional food and medicine, and the light-water reactor which was promised by Clinton. All the while, his nukes will remain safely tucked away beyond reach; his only real bargaining chip.



Iraq's Death Toll is Far Worse Than Our Leaders Admit
There are three ways we know it is a gross underestimate. First, if it were true, including suicides, South Africa, Colombia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia have experienced higher violent death rates than Iraq over the past four years. If true, many North and South American cities and Sub-Saharan Africa have had a similar murder rate to that claimed in Iraq. For those of us who have been in Iraq, the suggestion that New Orleans is more violent seems simply ridiculous.



Governor: Don't send Iraqi refugees to Ohio
Forgive me for linking to the Cincinnati Enquirer!!!



The Ed Schultz Show Is Owned By Right Wingers. Does It Matter?
Randy Michaels, born Benjamin Homel, ( was head of Clear Channel Communications, a verrry right wing company. In 2003, he contributed $2000 to George W. Bush. He joined Clear Channel when his company, Jacor, which syndicated Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura Schlesinger, was acquired by Clear Channel. Stu Krane was the former VP of ABC Radio and Premiere Radio Networks--and the syndication exec for RUsh Limbaugh.



US military tells Jack Bauer: Cut out the torture scenes ... or else!
While 24 draws millions of viewers, it appears some people are becoming a little squeamish. The US military has appealed to the producers of 24 to tone down the torture scenes because of the impact they are having both on troops in the field and America's reputation abroad. Forget about Abu Ghraib, forget about Guantanamo Bay, forget even that the White House has authorised interrogation techniques that some classify as torture, that damned Jack Bauer is giving us a bad name.



INTERNATIONAL:



Worldwide events mark ‘Israeli Apartheid Week’ - Israel News, Ynetnews
According to the organizers, the week’s goal was to “push forward the analysis of Israel as an apartheid state and to bolster support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign in accordance with the demands outlined in the July 2005 Statement: full equality for Arab citizens of Israel, an end to the occupation and colonization of the West Bank and Gaza, and the implementation of the right of return and compensation for Palestinian refugees pursuant to UN resolution 194.”



NKorea on "war footing" over US attacks
"The whole People's Army soldiers and the people will maintain war preparedness to the full, to deal with US imperialists' manoeuvres for agression. If the enemies dare ignite the fire of war, we will mobilise all our powerful combat potential, built up through the maelstrom of Songun (army-first) revolution, mercilessly crush the enemies and achieve the historic task of national unification."



IRAQ:



Uygur: Who's funding the Sunnis?
If this administration cares so much for the troops dying in Iraq, as they claim, why don't they investigate who is sending the money for the weapons that are killing over 90% of them?
If they don't do this, then it becomes patently obvious that they are using the troops as an excuse once again for their real agenda.



ECONOMY:



Hershey may cut 3000, workers say
The company is building the plant in Mexico as part of its three-year plan to trim the work force, realign operations and become more profitable. Hershey said it would close or downsize some plants and expand others, but officials did not identify the plants.



OP-ED:



Surge Toward the Truth.
The Kucinich Plan to End the War in Iraq



SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY:



Trials for 'bionic' eye implants
US researchers have been given the go-ahead to implant the prototype device in 50 to 75 patients. The Argus II system uses a spectacle-mounted camera to feed visual information to electrodes in the eye.



HEALTH&FITNESS:



CFL Bulbs Have One Hitch: Toxic Mercury
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, and it's especially dangerous for children and fetuses. Most exposure to mercury comes from eating fish contaminated with mercury. Some states, cities and counties have outlawed putting CFL bulbs in the trash, but in most states the practice is legal.



FOOD&DRINK:



Traditional Napa Cabbage Kimchi
This is the mother of all kimchi. When Koreans say "kimchi," this is the kind that comes to everyone's minds. Good either fresh or fermented, it goes with everything from meats to noodles. You will need a one-gallon glass jar or four 1-quart jars.



REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:



Brainy Jazz Meets Gut-Level Expression
George Benson's 1976 mega-hit Breezin' helped kick-start "smooth jazz," that not-so-distant cousin of "easy listening." It also neatly divides the guitarist and singer's career into Before and After: Benson had been recording for more than a decade when Breezin' lifted him into the stratosphere, and most of those early records — including this spry date, which he recorded at age 23 — are more musically adventurous. Not surprisingly, they're also mostly overlooked.



HUMOR?:



Meet President Limbaugh, Vice-President Coulter
Another hilarious clip from FOX News' bound-to-fail Half Hour News Hour. Imagine for a moment what kind of country this would be with Limbaugh and Coulter at the helm. At the very least, you could bet your bottom dollar that President Limbaugh would encourage the government to negotiate prices for prescription drugs. Namely, Viagra and pain killers.

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