'Israel dismissed on Friday a proposal by Hamas to call a conditional six-month truce in the Gaza Strip' Dan Williams, Reuters, Apr. 25, '08
'It's hard to get elected president if you're seen to be too smart. George W. Bush, who is the money and name of the elite, won twice when charm trumped intellect. He was reassuringly simple. Al Gore was seen as wooden and brainy. John Kerry spoke French, wore a field coat and rode a windsurfer. Both lost, and so did America.' by Andrew Cohen, Ottawa Citizen, Apr. 22, '08
'U.S. authorities arrested an American engineer on Tuesday on suspicion of giving secrets on nuclear weapons, fighter jets and air defense missiles to Israel during the 1980s, the Justice Department said.' Reuters, Apr. 22, '08
'Wright’s central idea is that repeated large-scale, long-term offensive imperial wars and military actions lead to military reactions or counter-attacks on US property and lives, military and civilian, outside and inside the United States.' James Petras, Apr. 21, '08
'the United Fruit Company found itself in Guatemala, where a democratically elected president wanted to institute just a basic fair system of taxation. And so, he wanted—this was Jacobo Guzman, I believe, who wanted to tax the land at a fair market value. Now, rather than allow that, the United Fruit Company called its friends in the CIA, who instigated a coup. And as a result of that coup, there was a bloody civil war for forty years; 200,000 people died; and also, we could have cheap bananas. Now, that kind of utter manipulation of international economies is something that isn’t just happening in the global south; it’s happening right here in the United States. ' Raj Patel, author, interview with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, Apr. 16, '08
'The President of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, last week made an even ominous prediction when he said that 33 nations -- not 11-- are in danger of social unrest caused by rising food prices.' by Thalif Deen at the united nations, The Sunday Times Online Sri Lanka, Apr. 13, '08
'According to witnesses and footage taken from Shana's own camera, there was no military activity by Palestinian militants at the scene of the attack, the HRW report said. Shana was travelling in a pickup truck with his soundman Wafa Abu Mizyed, who told HRW that they had passed by an Israeli tank on a hilltop and then stopped to film the surrounding area.' AFP, Apr. 20, '08
'Indeed, as it roils developing nations, the spike in commodity prices — the biggest since the Nixon administration — has pitted the globe’s poorer south against the relatively wealthy north, adding to demands for reform of rich nations’ farm and environmental policies. But experts say there are few quick fixes to a crisis tied to so many factors, from strong demand for food from emerging economies like China’s to rising oil prices to the diversion of food resources to make biofuels.' Marc Lacey, Apr. 18, '08
'Biofuels derived from crops such as corn and canola might have the support of Canadian governments but activists say a growing reliance on the technology represents a real threat to the environment and the global agriculture sector - a warning they plan to take across the county.' by Tobi Cohen, CP, Apr. 19, '08
'Condoleezza Rice acts as if a few alterations here and there would make the hideous straitjacket of apartheid fit better.' Apr. 17, '08
By CHISAKI WATANABE, Associated Press Writer
'Middle Eastern oil-producing nations are behind today's record high oil prices, but not for the reason you might think. Taken together, oil-rich nations represent a bloc of fast-growing economies that are now sucking up new energy supplies almost as fast as they're coming to market.' Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy, Apr. 17, '08
'The report released by the National Defense University raises fresh doubts about President Bush 's projections of a U.S. victory in Iraq just a week after Bush announced that he was suspending U.S. troop reductions.' Jonathan S. Landay and John Walcott, McClatchy Newspapers Apr. 17, '08
Scientist whose studies led him to develop what became known as the Butterfly Effect. - Apr. 17, '08
'Dark matter has taunted astronomers and physicists ever since the astronomer Fritz Zwicky of the California Institute of Technology pointed out in the 1930s that clusters of galaxies appear to be missing enough visible matter to hold them together gravitationally. Speculation has centered on the possibility that the dark matter consists of hypothetical elementary particles left over from the Big Bang — so-called WIMPs, or weakly interacting massive particles, that are immune to most forces of nature and so can pass through us and the Earth like ghosts.' Dennis Overbye, Apr. 17, '08
'Benedict’s views of Islam are complicated, too, but they center on his idea of — and fears for — Europe. As a cardinal he often wrote that ever more secular Europeans were committing a sort of moral and cultural suicide in ignoring their Christian roots. Islam, a competitor, was gaining strength through Muslims’ conviction, he said, something that Europe had forgotten. The view seemed not wholly negative: He has often praised the depth of Muslims’ devotion.' Daniel J. Wakin, Apr. 17, '08
'The collapse of Australia’s rice production is one of several factors contributing to a doubling of rice prices in the last three months — increases that have led the world’s largest exporters to restrict exports severely, spurred panicked hoarding in Hong Kong and the Philippines, and set off violent protests in countries including Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Italy, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, the Philippines, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Yemen.' Keith Bradsher, Apr. 17, '08
'...300,000 U.S. men and woman who have served in the two wars suffer from either major depression or post traumatic stress disorder. In addition, the RAND study says 320,000 U.S. veterans have suffered various degrees of brain injuries. The study found few veterans seek help for their problems. According to Terri Tanielian, a researcher and the project's co-leader, the findings point to a major health crisis. '
'On Tuesday, the Crown conceded that at least three of the men went camping with other suspects charged in this case, but only took part in benign activities, such as paintball, marching or shooting a pellet gun.' Apr. 16, '08, CBC News, Toronto section
'A 2005 London Business School study extrapolated the effect even further, concluding that for every additional 10 mobile phones per 100 people, a country’s G.D.P. rises 0.5 percent.' by Sara Corbett, NYT Magazine, Apr. '08
'The offensive, which included Israeli ground troops and tanks, left several children dead over the weekend. On Sunday, a barrage of Palestinian retaliatory mortars landed just a few feet away from the Israeli general who heads the military's southern command.' Joshua Mitnick, Christian Science Monitor, Apr. 14, '08
'The U.S. military released Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein on Wednesday after holding him for more than two years without filing formal charges.' Robert H. Reid, Apr. 16, '08, AP
'China has launched a crackdown on illegal land seizures for development, punishing thousands for land grabs that have caused anger and protests around the country.' Apr. 15, '08
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- 'The Red Cross criticized the way the U.S. handles prisoners [600] at the highly secretive Bagram military base, urging reforms Monday that would allow detainees to introduce testimony in their defense...[23,000 held in Iraq, no charges, no rights]' Apr. 15, '08
'An Egyptian military court on Tuesday convicted 25 key members of Egypt's largest opposition group and sentenced them to up to 10 years in jail, a security official said.' Apr. 15, '08, AP
'There are deep-seated geopolitical objectives behind the campaign against the Chinese leadership. US-NATO-Israeli war plans in relation to Iran are at an advanced state of readiness. China has economic ties as well as a far-reaching bilateral military cooperation agreement with Iran. Moreover, China is also an ally of Russia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the context of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Since 2005, Iran has an observer member status within the SCO. In turn, the SCO has ties to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), an overlapping military cooperation agreement between Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan.' by Michel Chossudovsky, globalresearch.ca, Apr. 13, '08
'What makes Sadr different from other Shiite leaders, and gives him credibility among the Shiite masses, is that he opposed the U.S. occupation from the beginning. When the U.S. invasion overthrew Hussein, Sadr said that "the big snake has succeeded the small snake." He pulled his followers out of the Iraqi government in 2006 because Maliki would not condemn the occupation. He also became increasingly reliant on Iran in the face of U.S. hostility.' by Patrick Cockburn, Counterpunch, Apr. 14, '08
'Scientists using federal grants spread fertilizer made from human and industrial wastes on yards in poor, black neighborhoods to test whether it might protect children from lead poisoning in the soil. Families were assured the sludge was safe and were never told about any harmful ingredients.' By JOHN HEILPRIN and KEVIN S. VINEYS, Associated Press Writers Mon Apr 14, '08, 7:10 AM ET
'The new vaccine, called NeuVax, was tested in women whose tumors generated low levels of HER-2 as well as in women with high levels of the protein. The trial included 163 patients. After a 30 month-period, the injected vaccine was shown to cut the risk of death for all patients by half, and in the group of patients with low-expressing HER-2 tumors, no deaths were reported.' by Anna Boyd, Apr. 14, '08, eFluxMedia
'The commissions allow coerced and classified evidence, and even those who are acquitted can still be held at Guantanamo.' Apr. 12, '08, by Ben Fox, AP
'John Yoo should be disbarred and he should not be retained as a professor of law at one of the country's premier law schools. John Yoo should be dismissed from Boalt Hall and tried as a war criminal.' Apr. 9, '08
Speech given by Independent Presidential candidate Ralph Nader April 5, 2008 in Philadelphia, PA. (Flash Video version worked better for us. Speech begins approximately 46 minutes in on the C-Span video.)
'Add your voice, send a message Congress, stand up for our constitution and the rule of law.' April 9, '08
'GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - The director of Gaza's only power plant says he'll have to shut it down in two to three days unless Israel resumes fuel shipments. Israel halted supplies after Gaza militants attacked a fuel depot on the Gaza-Israel border last week and killed two Israeli workers. The power plant's fuel reserves have been low in recent months, after Israel restricted fuel supplies in hopes of forcing militants to halt rocket attacks from Gaza.' APR. 11, '08, AP
This is a seven-minute trailer for the documentary film, Encounter Point. It tells the story of Palestinian and Israeli families who have both lost loved ones in the conflict who meet, wanting to find reconciliation, understanding, and non-violent solutions toward peace.
'Military service is commonplace in communities across the state. During World War II, one in seven U.S. war fighters was from Pennsylvania. The state sustained heavy casualties then, and later in Vietnam. Today, one in 10 residents is a veteran. Since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, 17,000 members of the 19,000-member Pennsylvania National Guard have deployed in support of the nation's war on terror. About 6,000 troops assigned to armories from Philadelphia to Erie have been alerted that they could be leaving for Iraq early next year in what would be the Pennsylvania Guard's largest Iraq deployment yet.' By Kimberly Hefling, AP, Apr. 12, '08
'Colombian labor leaders have begged the White House to drop the deal, saying it will undermine their struggle for human rights by validating Uribe’s thug-ocracy. Nonetheless, President Bush bolstered Uribe with a pact giving corporations incentives to leave America for the corpse-strewn pastures of Colombia—a union hater’s paradise. Bush justifies the deal as “urgent for our national security.” The rationale asks us to believe that in backing tyrannical regimes, we will quell anti-Americanism among the oppressed, rather than sow it.' April 10, '08, David Sirota, Truth Dig Reports
'Democrats just can't decide whether Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton would make a better presidential nominee, and there's some good reason for that. When it comes to policy, they are closely aligned.' Nedra Pickler, AP, Apr. 11, '08
'SALES TO ISRAEL Q: How do you respond to the allegation that Caterpillar equipment is being used by the Israeli military to illegally destroy Palestinian homes and infrastructure? A: For the past four years, activists have wrongly included Caterpillar in a publicity campaign aimed at advancing their much larger political agendas. Over that same period of time, we've repeatedly evaluated our position - as have our shareholders - and determined that while the protests occasionally succeed in gaining headlines, they neither change the facts nor our position. As a well-respected and responsible global citizen, Caterpillar fully complies with all local, U.S. and international laws and policies governing sales of our products around the world, including the U.S. Foreign Military Sales Program. In addition, we clearly have neither the legal right nor the tangible ability to regulate how customers use their machines. While it's disappointing that a small number of activists continue to use our international visibility, leadership and reputation to draw attention to their cause, we have no intention of participating in a debate that appears aimed not at our company, but at the policies established and controlled by the governments of the United States and Israel.' 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders FAQs, June 13, 2007
'while it’s true that hospitals will treat anyone who arrives in an emergency room with an acute problem — and it’s wonderful that they will — it’s also true that hospitals bill patients for emergency-room treatment. And fear of those bills often causes uninsured Americans to hesitate before seeking medical help, even in emergencies, as the Monique White story illustrates. The end result is that the uninsured receive a lot less care than the insured. And sometimes this lack of care kills them. According to a recent estimate by the Urban Institute, the lack of health insurance leads to 27,000 preventable deaths in America each year. But are they really preventable? Yes. Stories like those of Trina Bachtel and Monique White are common in America, but don’t happen in any other rich country — because every other advanced nation has some form of universal health insurance.' Paul Krugman, Apr. 11, '08, NYT
'The army announced last week the removal of 50 roadblocks plus one checkpoint, as promised to Rice. It subsequently said an additional 10 barriers were taken down, but the army would not disclose their locations publicly. Of the 44 obstacles that OCHA confirmed as having been removed, five were classified by the U.N. agency as "significant" for Palestinians in the area. OCHA said nine of the 44 were of "minimal significance" to Palestinians, noting there was another roadblock nearby or that the obstacle blocked an unpopulated area used by the Israeli army. OCHA said 17 of the 44 roadblocks were of "no significance," either because they obstructed a closed military zone, had already been removed, were located near a Jewish settlement or were in the middle of a field.' Adam Entous, Reuters, Apr. 11, '08
'Yesterday, Rice's chances to be Vice-President got blown out of the water. ABC News reported that the Secretary of State chaired explicit White House discussions about which torture techniques should be used on prisoners.' Apr. 10, '08
'Demand for ethanol and other biofuels is a "significant contributor" to soaring food prices around the world, World Bank President Robert Zoellick says. Droughts, financial market speculators and increased demand for food have also helped create "a perfect storm" that has boosted those prices, he says. The soaring costs of food and fuel led to riots in Haiti and Egypt and a general strike in Burkina Faso this week. Skyrocketing food prices are topping the agenda this weekend of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual spring meetings in Washington.' Apr. 11, '08
'Doctors say there are only about 200 cases of CJD in the United States every year. They say it's passed through surgeries and in rare situations by eating meat. The Health Department says there is no reason to worry, but they are trying to figure out how Aretha got it.' Apr. '08.
'President Bush warned Iran yesterday that if it did not stop arming and training Shia militia in Iraq then “America will act to protect our interests and our troops”.' Apr. 11, '08
'The government's terrorist watch list has swelled to more than 755,000 names, according to a new government report that has raised worries about the list's effectiveness.' Mimi Hall, Oct. 23, '07
'In communist East Germany , one in every 100 citizens was an informer for the dreaded secret police, the Stasi. They either volunteered or were compelled by their government to spy on their customers, their neighbors, their families, and their friends. When we think of the evil of totalitarianism, such networks of state spies are usually what comes to mind. Yet, with modern technology, what once took tens of thousands of informants can now be achieved by a few companies being coerced by the government to allow it to listen in to our communications. This surveillance is un-American. We should remember that former New York governor Eliot Spitzer was brought down by a provision of the PATRIOT Act that required enhanced bank monitoring of certain types of financial transactions. Yet we were told that the PATRIOT Act was needed to catch terrorists, not philanderers. The extraordinary power the government has granted itself to look into our private lives can be used for many purposes unrelated to fighting terrorism. We can even see how expanded federal government surveillance power might be used to do away with political rivals.' Ron Paul, Apr. '08
'Israel has said it will refuse a visa for the new United Nations human rights envoy to the Palestinians after he said it was responsible for a “Holocaust in the making” in Gaza. Richard Falk, a Jewish-American law professor, is to assume the UN post of special rapporteur in June.' Caroline Wheeler, Apr. 9, '08
'A confidential draft agreement covering the future of US forces in Iraq, passed to the Guardian, shows that provision is being made for an open-ended military presence in the country.' Seamus Milne, Apr. 8, '08
'Calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its crackdown in Tibet and enter into a substantive dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama to find a negotiated solution that respects the distinctive language, culture, religious identity, and fundamental freedoms of all Tibetans, and for other purposes.' bill sponsored by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Apr. 3, '08
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