Mary not virgin, BBC documentary claims
A BBC documentary to be screened this Christmas will question the beliefs of billions of Christians by suggesting that Mary was not a virgin when she conceived Jesus.
The Virgin Mary, which is to be aired on Dec 22, investigates three explanations, other than the immaculate conception, for Mary's pregnancy.
Firstly it looks at the possibility that she slept with Joseph while she was engaged to be married to him, secondly that she was raped by a Roman soldier and thirdly that she fell pregnant to an unidentified man before marrying Joseph. It concludes that Mary was most likely to have concieved Jesus with Joseph before their marriage as Joseph stood by her; an unmarried pregnant woman at that time in Palestine would have been cast out from the community or may even have been stoned to death.
Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Bush Orders Death For 24 "Terrorists"
US President George W Bush has given the CIA permission to kill about 24 top terrorism suspects around the world whom it believes are plotting to attack American interests, a report said last night. The New York Times said Osama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders top the list.
Bush has given the CIA the go-ahead to kill the listed suspects if it is impractical to capture them and if civilian casualties can be minimised, the paper said.
But it quoted unnamed officials as saying that the approval of the list did not abolish a long-standing presidential executive order banning assassinations, as the terrorists are defined as "enemy combatants" and thus legal targets.
US President George W Bush has given the CIA permission to kill about 24 top terrorism suspects around the world whom it believes are plotting to attack American interests, a report said last night. The New York Times said Osama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders top the list.
Bush has given the CIA the go-ahead to kill the listed suspects if it is impractical to capture them and if civilian casualties can be minimised, the paper said.
But it quoted unnamed officials as saying that the approval of the list did not abolish a long-standing presidential executive order banning assassinations, as the terrorists are defined as "enemy combatants" and thus legal targets.
Post-Taliban Warlords Oppress Afghan Women
Human Rights Watch, in a 52-page report, singled out warlord Ismail Khan in the city of Herat, instrumental in helping the United States topple the Taliban, for bundling women back into the all-enveloping burka and forcing them to undergo "chastity checks."
"Many people outside the country believe that Afghan women and girls have had their rights restored," when the Taliban was removed from power a year ago, said Zama Coursen-Neff, co-author of the report, "We Want to Live as Humans."
"It's just not true. Women and girls are still being abused, harassed and threatened all over Afghanistan, often by government troops and officials," she said in the report.
Human Rights Watch, in a 52-page report, singled out warlord Ismail Khan in the city of Herat, instrumental in helping the United States topple the Taliban, for bundling women back into the all-enveloping burka and forcing them to undergo "chastity checks."
"Many people outside the country believe that Afghan women and girls have had their rights restored," when the Taliban was removed from power a year ago, said Zama Coursen-Neff, co-author of the report, "We Want to Live as Humans."
"It's just not true. Women and girls are still being abused, harassed and threatened all over Afghanistan, often by government troops and officials," she said in the report.
Tuesday, December 17, 2002
Sci Fi's 'Taken' Grabs You and Doesn't Let Go
The official full-length title is "Steven Spielberg Presents Taken." Yes, that old dreamy-eyed spacenik Spielberg is back, but he didn't exactly produce the miniseries, nor did he direct any of the episodes. He is one of the executive producers and he "presents" it -- starting tonight at 9 on Sci Fi, continuing for nine weeknights and ending Friday, Dec. 13.
Although it deals with aliens from outer space, these are by no means the friendly neighbors who dropped by for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" or, by a long shot, the cuddly and homesick sweetie of "E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial." Even so, "Taken" has many Spielbergian traits, mixing intense suspense with a stubbornly sentimental streak. Emblematically, the final chapter is a riveting combination of the heart-pounding and the tear-jerking, and there'll be a spectacular light show as well.
The official full-length title is "Steven Spielberg Presents Taken." Yes, that old dreamy-eyed spacenik Spielberg is back, but he didn't exactly produce the miniseries, nor did he direct any of the episodes. He is one of the executive producers and he "presents" it -- starting tonight at 9 on Sci Fi, continuing for nine weeknights and ending Friday, Dec. 13.
Although it deals with aliens from outer space, these are by no means the friendly neighbors who dropped by for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" or, by a long shot, the cuddly and homesick sweetie of "E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial." Even so, "Taken" has many Spielbergian traits, mixing intense suspense with a stubbornly sentimental streak. Emblematically, the final chapter is a riveting combination of the heart-pounding and the tear-jerking, and there'll be a spectacular light show as well.
At least 6 eyewitnesses saw a military-style jet in the vicinity of Flight 93
Witness Susan Mcelwain, who lives two miles from the crash site, says, "(A white military jet) came right over me, I reckon just 40 or 50 feet above my mini-van. It was so low I ducked instinctively. It was traveling real fast, but hardly made any sound. Then it disappeared behind some trees. A few seconds later I heard this great explosion and saw this fireball rise up over the trees, so I figured the jet had crashed. The ground really shook. So I dialed 911 and told them what happened. I'd heard nothing about the other attacks and it was only when I got home and saw the TV that I realized it wasn't the white jet, but Flight 93. I didn't think much more about it until the authorities started to say there had been no other plane.
Tom Spinelli was working at nearby India Lake Marina. "I saw the white plane," he says. "It was flying around all over the place like it was looking for something. I saw it before and after the crash." Debris from the crash rained down on the lake, which would not have happened if there was no midair explosion and the plane was intact when it crashed. "It was mainly mail, bits of in-flight magazine and scraps of seat cloth," Tom says. "The authorities say it was blown here by the wind." But that’s unlikely, since there was only a 10 mph breeze at that time and the lake was a mile and a half away.
Witness Susan Mcelwain, who lives two miles from the crash site, says, "(A white military jet) came right over me, I reckon just 40 or 50 feet above my mini-van. It was so low I ducked instinctively. It was traveling real fast, but hardly made any sound. Then it disappeared behind some trees. A few seconds later I heard this great explosion and saw this fireball rise up over the trees, so I figured the jet had crashed. The ground really shook. So I dialed 911 and told them what happened. I'd heard nothing about the other attacks and it was only when I got home and saw the TV that I realized it wasn't the white jet, but Flight 93. I didn't think much more about it until the authorities started to say there had been no other plane.
Tom Spinelli was working at nearby India Lake Marina. "I saw the white plane," he says. "It was flying around all over the place like it was looking for something. I saw it before and after the crash." Debris from the crash rained down on the lake, which would not have happened if there was no midair explosion and the plane was intact when it crashed. "It was mainly mail, bits of in-flight magazine and scraps of seat cloth," Tom says. "The authorities say it was blown here by the wind." But that’s unlikely, since there was only a 10 mph breeze at that time and the lake was a mile and a half away.
Close encounters, part two
Cutting-edge physicists have proposed the existence of alternate dimensions or parallel universes. Quantum physicists believe that portals may exist between our world and other worlds. The concept of wormholes is no longer considered to be the stuff of science fiction. New York physicist and author Michio Kaku theorizes that there are 11 dimensions in our universe, although humans have only identified four. Might a wormhole resemble the portal of light that was seen on the ranch? And if such portals do exist, could they allow beings on the other side to travel into our world? As wacky as it all sounds, leading scientists believe that wormholes and alternate dimensions are perfectly consistent with known laws of physics.
Cutting-edge physicists have proposed the existence of alternate dimensions or parallel universes. Quantum physicists believe that portals may exist between our world and other worlds. The concept of wormholes is no longer considered to be the stuff of science fiction. New York physicist and author Michio Kaku theorizes that there are 11 dimensions in our universe, although humans have only identified four. Might a wormhole resemble the portal of light that was seen on the ranch? And if such portals do exist, could they allow beings on the other side to travel into our world? As wacky as it all sounds, leading scientists believe that wormholes and alternate dimensions are perfectly consistent with known laws of physics.
Path of the Skinwalker
Some very strange things have happened at the precise spot where I'm sitting. It is here that a visitor was accosted by a roaring but nearly invisible creature, something akin to the Predator of movie fame. It is here that a Ph.D. physicist reported that his mind was invaded, literally taken over, by some sort of hostile intelligence that warned him that he was not welcome. It is here that an entire team of researchers watched in awe as a bright door or portal opened up in the darkness and a large humanoid creature crawled out before quickly vanishing. And it is here that several animals--cattle and dogs--were mutilated, obliterated or simply disappeared.
Some very strange things have happened at the precise spot where I'm sitting. It is here that a visitor was accosted by a roaring but nearly invisible creature, something akin to the Predator of movie fame. It is here that a Ph.D. physicist reported that his mind was invaded, literally taken over, by some sort of hostile intelligence that warned him that he was not welcome. It is here that an entire team of researchers watched in awe as a bright door or portal opened up in the darkness and a large humanoid creature crawled out before quickly vanishing. And it is here that several animals--cattle and dogs--were mutilated, obliterated or simply disappeared.
What Congress Does Not Know about Enron and 9/11
A captured Al Qaida document reveals that US energy companies were secretly negotiating with the Taliban to build a pipeline. The document was obtained by the FBI but was not allowed to be shared with other agencies in order to protect Enron. Multiple sources confirm that American law enforcement agencies were deliberately kept in the dark and systematically prevented from connecting the dots before 9/11 in order to aid Enron’s secret and immoral Taliban negotiations.
The suppressed Al Qaida document tends to support recent claims of a cover-up made by several mid-level intelligence and law enforcement figures. Their ongoing terrorist investigations appear to have been hindered during the same sensitive time period while the Enron Corporation was still negotiating with the Taliban. An inadvertent result of the Taliban pipeline cover-up was that the Taliban’s friends in Al Qaida were able to complete their last eight months of preparations for 9/11 while the Enron secrecy block was still in force.
A captured Al Qaida document reveals that US energy companies were secretly negotiating with the Taliban to build a pipeline. The document was obtained by the FBI but was not allowed to be shared with other agencies in order to protect Enron. Multiple sources confirm that American law enforcement agencies were deliberately kept in the dark and systematically prevented from connecting the dots before 9/11 in order to aid Enron’s secret and immoral Taliban negotiations.
The suppressed Al Qaida document tends to support recent claims of a cover-up made by several mid-level intelligence and law enforcement figures. Their ongoing terrorist investigations appear to have been hindered during the same sensitive time period while the Enron Corporation was still negotiating with the Taliban. An inadvertent result of the Taliban pipeline cover-up was that the Taliban’s friends in Al Qaida were able to complete their last eight months of preparations for 9/11 while the Enron secrecy block was still in force.
U.S. Military Wanted to Provoke War With Cuba
In the early 1960s, America's top military leaders reportedly drafted plans to kill innocent people and commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities to create public support for a war against Cuba.
Code named Operation Northwoods, the plans reportedly included the possible assassination of Cuban ?migr?s, sinking boats of Cuban refugees on the high seas, hijacking planes, blowing up a U.S. ship, and even orchestrating violent terrorism in U.S. cities.
In the early 1960s, America's top military leaders reportedly drafted plans to kill innocent people and commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities to create public support for a war against Cuba.
Code named Operation Northwoods, the plans reportedly included the possible assassination of Cuban ?migr?s, sinking boats of Cuban refugees on the high seas, hijacking planes, blowing up a U.S. ship, and even orchestrating violent terrorism in U.S. cities.
9-11: George W. Bush had nothing to do with it ... did he?
Just as there remains lingering doubt that Lee Harvey Oswald fired a burst of fatally accurate shots from the Texas Book Depository, so there is skepticism that cells of Islamic terrorists secretly coordinated and simultaneously commandeered four commercial jetliners.
The culprit responsible for the Sept. 11 attack is now rumoured to be the same one who lurked behind the grassy knoll: the oil-dependent U.S. military-industrial complex.
Not everyone is ready to accept this -- a substitute teacher in North Vancouver's Sherwood Park elementary school has been called on the mat for suggesting to Grade 5 students the Central Intelligence Agency might have been involved in 9/11.
n Germany, a former minister of technology, Andreas von Buelow, made headlines when in an interview he dismissed the U.S. government's explanation that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network is responsible for the attacks. His own explanation implicated the White House.
"I wonder why many questions are not asked," von Buelow said. "For 60 decisive minutes, the military and intelligence agencies let the fighter planes stay on the ground; 48 hours later, however, the FBI presented a list of suicide attackers. Within 10 days, it emerged that seven of them were still alive."
Just as there remains lingering doubt that Lee Harvey Oswald fired a burst of fatally accurate shots from the Texas Book Depository, so there is skepticism that cells of Islamic terrorists secretly coordinated and simultaneously commandeered four commercial jetliners.
The culprit responsible for the Sept. 11 attack is now rumoured to be the same one who lurked behind the grassy knoll: the oil-dependent U.S. military-industrial complex.
Not everyone is ready to accept this -- a substitute teacher in North Vancouver's Sherwood Park elementary school has been called on the mat for suggesting to Grade 5 students the Central Intelligence Agency might have been involved in 9/11.
n Germany, a former minister of technology, Andreas von Buelow, made headlines when in an interview he dismissed the U.S. government's explanation that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network is responsible for the attacks. His own explanation implicated the White House.
"I wonder why many questions are not asked," von Buelow said. "For 60 decisive minutes, the military and intelligence agencies let the fighter planes stay on the ground; 48 hours later, however, the FBI presented a list of suicide attackers. Within 10 days, it emerged that seven of them were still alive."
Researchers find possible precursors to early life on earth in meteorite
The Tagish Lake meteorite fell to Earth over the Yukon Territory of Canada on Jan. 18, 2000. Parts of the meteorite were collected and kept frozen in an unprecedented level of cleanliness to ensure that it was not contaminated by any terrestrial sources.
Through extensive testing using, in part, electron microscopes, the researchers found numerous hollow, bubble-like hydrocarbon globules in the meteorite. They believe these organic globules, the first found in any natural sample, are very similar to those produced in laboratory simulations designed to recreate the initial conditions present when life first formed in the universe.
The Tagish Lake meteorite fell to Earth over the Yukon Territory of Canada on Jan. 18, 2000. Parts of the meteorite were collected and kept frozen in an unprecedented level of cleanliness to ensure that it was not contaminated by any terrestrial sources.
Through extensive testing using, in part, electron microscopes, the researchers found numerous hollow, bubble-like hydrocarbon globules in the meteorite. They believe these organic globules, the first found in any natural sample, are very similar to those produced in laboratory simulations designed to recreate the initial conditions present when life first formed in the universe.
Tuesday, December 10, 2002
Did Terrorist Pilots Train at U.S. Military Schools?
As many as six of the terrorists, including ringleader Mohammed Atta, received training at U.S. military facilities, according to a flurry of stories between Sept 15 and 17 in the Washington Post, Newsweek, and Knight Ridder newspapers. The story had an extremely short life.
[The only real news you get after something big is in the first couple of days.]
As many as six of the terrorists, including ringleader Mohammed Atta, received training at U.S. military facilities, according to a flurry of stories between Sept 15 and 17 in the Washington Post, Newsweek, and Knight Ridder newspapers. The story had an extremely short life.
[The only real news you get after something big is in the first couple of days.]
Cheney losing war on home renovation front
"The noise sounds just like a big boom," Nancy Nord, neighbour of 3450 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, said. "It can be quite loud and when it is, you not only hear it, you feel it. It's like a small earthquake. You really do feel the house shake, and it can happen any time from seven in the morning until 11 at night".
The most popular assumption is that a bunker is being built for Mr Cheney, who was famously billeted to a "secure and undisclosed" location during the terrorist attacks on September 11 last year. Other theories include the building of a tunnel to help spy on nearby embassies or a helicopter hangar. Possibly Mr Cheney, an enthusiastic gunman, is taking potshots at the deer that roam his grounds.
"The noise sounds just like a big boom," Nancy Nord, neighbour of 3450 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, said. "It can be quite loud and when it is, you not only hear it, you feel it. It's like a small earthquake. You really do feel the house shake, and it can happen any time from seven in the morning until 11 at night".
The most popular assumption is that a bunker is being built for Mr Cheney, who was famously billeted to a "secure and undisclosed" location during the terrorist attacks on September 11 last year. Other theories include the building of a tunnel to help spy on nearby embassies or a helicopter hangar. Possibly Mr Cheney, an enthusiastic gunman, is taking potshots at the deer that roam his grounds.
Sunday, December 08, 2002
Man Sentenced for 'Burning Bush' Comment
A man who made a remark about a "burning Bush" during the president's March 2001 trip to Sioux Falls was sentenced Friday to 37 months in prison.
Richard Humphreys, of Portland, Ore., was convicted in September of threatening to kill or harm the president and said he plans to appeal. He has said the comment was a prophecy protected under his right to free speech.
Humphreys said he got into a barroom discussion in nearby Watertown with a truck driver. A bartender who overheard the conversation realized the president was to visit Sioux Falls the next day and told police Humphreys talked about a "burning Bush" and the possibility of someone pouring a flammable liquid on Bush and lighting it.
"I said God might speak to the world through a burning Bush," Humphreys testified during his trial. "I had said that before and I thought it was funny."
A man who made a remark about a "burning Bush" during the president's March 2001 trip to Sioux Falls was sentenced Friday to 37 months in prison.
Richard Humphreys, of Portland, Ore., was convicted in September of threatening to kill or harm the president and said he plans to appeal. He has said the comment was a prophecy protected under his right to free speech.
Humphreys said he got into a barroom discussion in nearby Watertown with a truck driver. A bartender who overheard the conversation realized the president was to visit Sioux Falls the next day and told police Humphreys talked about a "burning Bush" and the possibility of someone pouring a flammable liquid on Bush and lighting it.
"I said God might speak to the world through a burning Bush," Humphreys testified during his trial. "I had said that before and I thought it was funny."
Nat Hentoff: Resistance Rising!
Despite the self-satisfaction of George W. Bush and John Ashcroft, and the somnolence of the press, there is rising resistance around the country to the serial abuses of our liberties. More Americans are becoming aware of what Wisconsin Democratic senator Russ Feingold prophesied from the Senate floor on October 11, 2001, when he was the only Senator to vote against Ashcroft's USA Patriot Act: "There is no doubt that if we lived in a police state, it would be easier to catch terrorists. If we lived in a country where police were allowed to search your home at any time for any reason; if we lived in a country where the government is entitled to open your mail, eavesdrop on your phone conversations, or intercept your e-mail communications; if we lived in a country where people could be held in jail indefinitely based on what they write or think, or based on mere suspicion that they are up to no good, the government would probably discover more terrorists or would-be terrorists, just as it would find more lawbreakers generally. But that wouldn't be a country in which we would want to live."
Despite the self-satisfaction of George W. Bush and John Ashcroft, and the somnolence of the press, there is rising resistance around the country to the serial abuses of our liberties. More Americans are becoming aware of what Wisconsin Democratic senator Russ Feingold prophesied from the Senate floor on October 11, 2001, when he was the only Senator to vote against Ashcroft's USA Patriot Act: "There is no doubt that if we lived in a police state, it would be easier to catch terrorists. If we lived in a country where police were allowed to search your home at any time for any reason; if we lived in a country where the government is entitled to open your mail, eavesdrop on your phone conversations, or intercept your e-mail communications; if we lived in a country where people could be held in jail indefinitely based on what they write or think, or based on mere suspicion that they are up to no good, the government would probably discover more terrorists or would-be terrorists, just as it would find more lawbreakers generally. But that wouldn't be a country in which we would want to live."
Bernard Weiner: Ten Cracks in the Bush Facade
I talked about how things are going to get worse before they get worse, and then even more worse, and then things will start to get better. In my darker periods -- which these days is most of the time -- I still believe this, that what is about to come down from Bush&Co. in the next few years is going to be horrendous, both for Americans domestically and for those in the way of U.S. imperial moves abroad.
Domestically, due-process Constitutional protections, already in shreds thanks to Bush & Ashcroft, will nearly disappear. Big Brother government will invade our privacy in virtually every area of our lives, thanks to technological breakthroughs and the magic word "terrorists." More citizens will be yanked off to the American gulags, cut off from judicial review or even their attorneys. Internationally, Bush&Co. will continue to march forward belligerently, arrogantly and theateningly in their desire to bring "benevolent hegemony" to those areas of the world rich in minerals and energy sources, thus stirring up anti-U.S. rebellions and fueling more terrorism.
I talked about how things are going to get worse before they get worse, and then even more worse, and then things will start to get better. In my darker periods -- which these days is most of the time -- I still believe this, that what is about to come down from Bush&Co. in the next few years is going to be horrendous, both for Americans domestically and for those in the way of U.S. imperial moves abroad.
Domestically, due-process Constitutional protections, already in shreds thanks to Bush & Ashcroft, will nearly disappear. Big Brother government will invade our privacy in virtually every area of our lives, thanks to technological breakthroughs and the magic word "terrorists." More citizens will be yanked off to the American gulags, cut off from judicial review or even their attorneys. Internationally, Bush&Co. will continue to march forward belligerently, arrogantly and theateningly in their desire to bring "benevolent hegemony" to those areas of the world rich in minerals and energy sources, thus stirring up anti-U.S. rebellions and fueling more terrorism.
Thursday, December 05, 2002
Fuel Cell Generates Power Out of Thin Air
Coleman Powermate, a leading power equipment manufacturer, today introduced the AirGenTM fuel cell generator -- a machine that converts two of the most abundant elements in the universe (hydrogen and oxygen) into electricity.
While it sounds like science fiction, fuel cells have played a pivotal role in space exploration, and they are now making their way into the marketplace.
Coleman Powermate, a leading power equipment manufacturer, today introduced the AirGenTM fuel cell generator -- a machine that converts two of the most abundant elements in the universe (hydrogen and oxygen) into electricity.
While it sounds like science fiction, fuel cells have played a pivotal role in space exploration, and they are now making their way into the marketplace.
Washington sniper's spree ends with trigger phrase
Hours before the arrest yesterday morning of the two men now believed to be responsible for the string of murders around Washington, the Montgomery county police chief, Charles Moose, made his strangest communication with the then-unknown suspects.
Swallowing hard, he began to read from a prepared statement. "You indicated that you wanted us to do and say certain things," he said, as mystified reporters looked on. "You asked us to say, quote: 'We have caught the sniper like a duck in a noose.' We understand that hearing us say this is important to you."
[Sounds like a post-hypnotic, 'triggering' cue]
Hours before the arrest yesterday morning of the two men now believed to be responsible for the string of murders around Washington, the Montgomery county police chief, Charles Moose, made his strangest communication with the then-unknown suspects.
Swallowing hard, he began to read from a prepared statement. "You indicated that you wanted us to do and say certain things," he said, as mystified reporters looked on. "You asked us to say, quote: 'We have caught the sniper like a duck in a noose.' We understand that hearing us say this is important to you."
[Sounds like a post-hypnotic, 'triggering' cue]
Noam makes a Modest Proposal
The dedicated efforts of the Bush administration to take control of Iraq -- by war, military coup, or some other means -- have elicited various analyses of the guiding motives.
Offering one interpretation, Anatol Lieven of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace observes that these plans conform to "the classic modern strategy of an endangered right-wing oligarchy, which is to divert mass discontent into nationalism," inspired by fear of enemies about to destroy us.
That strategy is of critical importance if the "radical nationalists" setting policy in Washington hope to advance their announced plan for "unilateral world domination through absolute military superiority," while conducting a major assault against the interests of the large majority of the domestic population.
Lieven doubtless speaks for many when he describes the US as "a menace to itself and to mankind," on its present course.
The dedicated efforts of the Bush administration to take control of Iraq -- by war, military coup, or some other means -- have elicited various analyses of the guiding motives.
Offering one interpretation, Anatol Lieven of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace observes that these plans conform to "the classic modern strategy of an endangered right-wing oligarchy, which is to divert mass discontent into nationalism," inspired by fear of enemies about to destroy us.
That strategy is of critical importance if the "radical nationalists" setting policy in Washington hope to advance their announced plan for "unilateral world domination through absolute military superiority," while conducting a major assault against the interests of the large majority of the domestic population.
Lieven doubtless speaks for many when he describes the US as "a menace to itself and to mankind," on its present course.
The inspections are going unhindered. And what does Bush tell us? 'The signs are not encouraging'
In North Carolina last month, a woman attending a lecture I was giving asked me when America would go to war in Iraq. I told her to watch the front page of The New York Times and The Washington Post for the first smear campaigns against the UN inspectors. And bingo, right on time, the smears have begun.
One of the UN inspectors, it's now stated - a man appointed at the behest of the State Department - is involved with pornography. Another senior official, we're now told - again appointed at the urging of the State Department - was previously fired from his job as head of a nuclear safety agency. Why, I wonder, did the Americans want these men on the inspection team? So they could trash it later?
In North Carolina last month, a woman attending a lecture I was giving asked me when America would go to war in Iraq. I told her to watch the front page of The New York Times and The Washington Post for the first smear campaigns against the UN inspectors. And bingo, right on time, the smears have begun.
One of the UN inspectors, it's now stated - a man appointed at the behest of the State Department - is involved with pornography. Another senior official, we're now told - again appointed at the urging of the State Department - was previously fired from his job as head of a nuclear safety agency. Why, I wonder, did the Americans want these men on the inspection team? So they could trash it later?
Wednesday, December 04, 2002
A sick joke: vilify Saddam while closing Sangatte
Yesterday's publication of the Government's 23-page document, Saddam Hussein: crimes and human rights abuses, has been roundly condemned by Amnesty International, a group dedicated to the exposure of human rights abuses. Amnesty International has no quibble at all with the information contained within the publication. So why is the global justice organisation being so shirty?
Because, of course, it seems pretty obvious that the dossier (coinciding as it does with such matters as the establishment of a US military command centre in Qatar) exists only to make imminent war with Iraq more palatable to the British public. Amnesty International has been banging on about these and other abuses for years, but until now had found the Government none too keen to publicise them.
Yesterday's publication of the Government's 23-page document, Saddam Hussein: crimes and human rights abuses, has been roundly condemned by Amnesty International, a group dedicated to the exposure of human rights abuses. Amnesty International has no quibble at all with the information contained within the publication. So why is the global justice organisation being so shirty?
Because, of course, it seems pretty obvious that the dossier (coinciding as it does with such matters as the establishment of a US military command centre in Qatar) exists only to make imminent war with Iraq more palatable to the British public. Amnesty International has been banging on about these and other abuses for years, but until now had found the Government none too keen to publicise them.
Inspector's Resignation Rejected by U.N.'s Blix
Chief United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix rejected yesterday a resignation offer tendered by one of his Iraq-bound inspectors after reports appeared that the Virginia man lacked a specialized degree and has played a leadership role in sadomasochistic sex clubs.
Asked if the inspector's S&M background might offend his Muslim hosts, a U.N. spokeswoman said all inspectors have been briefed on the local culture and religion.
Chief United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix rejected yesterday a resignation offer tendered by one of his Iraq-bound inspectors after reports appeared that the Virginia man lacked a specialized degree and has played a leadership role in sadomasochistic sex clubs.
Asked if the inspector's S&M background might offend his Muslim hosts, a U.N. spokeswoman said all inspectors have been briefed on the local culture and religion.
Blair attacked for 'terrifying' dossier on Saddam's brutality
Tony Blair launched an onslaught against Saddam Hussein's human rights record yesterday in an attempt to sway public opinion in favour of military action against Iraq.
The Foreign Office released a graphic 23-page dossier giving details of the Iraqi regime. But the publication sparked accusations of political opportunism from human rights groups, while left-wing Labour MPs claimed the Government was "softening up" the public for war.
Tony Blair launched an onslaught against Saddam Hussein's human rights record yesterday in an attempt to sway public opinion in favour of military action against Iraq.
The Foreign Office released a graphic 23-page dossier giving details of the Iraqi regime. But the publication sparked accusations of political opportunism from human rights groups, while left-wing Labour MPs claimed the Government was "softening up" the public for war.
Tuesday, December 03, 2002
Russian pyramid power tackles worldly woes
People fearful of epidemics, terrorism, regional conflicts and earthquakes need fret no more - the solution, apparently, lies in the numerous pyramids rising on Russia's skyline.
They may pale beside the Great Pyramids of Giza, but 24 smaller examples built in Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan by mathematician Alexander Golod, including a 44-metre-high showpiece in Moscow, have baffled scientists with their healing and preserving properties.
People fearful of epidemics, terrorism, regional conflicts and earthquakes need fret no more - the solution, apparently, lies in the numerous pyramids rising on Russia's skyline.
They may pale beside the Great Pyramids of Giza, but 24 smaller examples built in Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan by mathematician Alexander Golod, including a 44-metre-high showpiece in Moscow, have baffled scientists with their healing and preserving properties.
The Kissinger Commission: a maneuver by the White House to contain an investigation it long opposed
In naming Henry Kissinger to direct a comprehensive examination of the government's failure to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush has selected a consummate Washington insider. Mr. Kissinger obviously has a keen intellect and vast experience in national security matters. Unfortunately, his affinity for power and the commercial interests he has cultivated since leaving government may make him less than the staunchly independent figure that is needed for this critical post. Indeed, it is tempting to wonder if the choice of Mr. Kissinger is not a clever maneuver by the White House to contain an investigation it long opposed.
In naming Henry Kissinger to direct a comprehensive examination of the government's failure to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush has selected a consummate Washington insider. Mr. Kissinger obviously has a keen intellect and vast experience in national security matters. Unfortunately, his affinity for power and the commercial interests he has cultivated since leaving government may make him less than the staunchly independent figure that is needed for this critical post. Indeed, it is tempting to wonder if the choice of Mr. Kissinger is not a clever maneuver by the White House to contain an investigation it long opposed.
Monday, December 02, 2002
Dolphins and the Mystery of the Silver Rings
The young dolphin gives a quick flip of her head, and an undulating silver ring appears--as if by magic--in front of her. The ring is a solid, toroidal bubble two feet across--and yet it does not rise to the surface! It stands erect in the water like the rim of a magic mirror, or the doorway to an unseen dimension. For long seconds the dolphin regards its creation, from varying aspects and angles, with its vision and sonar. Seemingly making a judgement, the dolphin then quickly pulls a small silver donut from the larger structure, which collapses into small bubbles. She then "pushes" the donut, which stays just inches ahead of her rostrum, perhaps 20 feet over a period of up to 10 seconds. Then, stopping again, she regards the twisting ring for a last time and bites it--causing it to collapse into a thousand tiny bubbles which head--as they should--for the water's surface. After a few moments of reflection, she creates another.
This isn't fantasy, it's real. And it isn't magic, just marvelous. It is a rare dolphin behavior, and we first saw it in the play of two baby dolphins. It gives us a little more insight into the superb level of control dolphins can exercise on their water environment, and underscores the fact that we can still discover things about dolphins by simply watching them.
The young dolphin gives a quick flip of her head, and an undulating silver ring appears--as if by magic--in front of her. The ring is a solid, toroidal bubble two feet across--and yet it does not rise to the surface! It stands erect in the water like the rim of a magic mirror, or the doorway to an unseen dimension. For long seconds the dolphin regards its creation, from varying aspects and angles, with its vision and sonar. Seemingly making a judgement, the dolphin then quickly pulls a small silver donut from the larger structure, which collapses into small bubbles. She then "pushes" the donut, which stays just inches ahead of her rostrum, perhaps 20 feet over a period of up to 10 seconds. Then, stopping again, she regards the twisting ring for a last time and bites it--causing it to collapse into a thousand tiny bubbles which head--as they should--for the water's surface. After a few moments of reflection, she creates another.
This isn't fantasy, it's real. And it isn't magic, just marvelous. It is a rare dolphin behavior, and we first saw it in the play of two baby dolphins. It gives us a little more insight into the superb level of control dolphins can exercise on their water environment, and underscores the fact that we can still discover things about dolphins by simply watching them.
An old cancer cure?
Chinese folk medicine has yielded a promising new approach for treating cancer. Using a dash of logic and modern lab techniques, Seattle scientists have shown that a compound extracted from the wormwood plant seeks out and destroys breast cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unscathed.
In experiments, the compound killed within 16 hours virtually all human breast cancer cells exposed to it in the test tube, reports Dr. Henry Lai, a bioengineering researcher at the University of Washington. Just as importantly, he says, nearly all of the normal cells exposed to it were still alive. "And a dog with a type of bone cancer known as osteosarcoma so severe that it couldn't walk across the room made a complete recovery within five days of receiving the treatment. X-rays showed the animal's tumor "had basically disappeared," says Lai, adding that he believes the dog is still alive two years later.
Chinese folk medicine has yielded a promising new approach for treating cancer. Using a dash of logic and modern lab techniques, Seattle scientists have shown that a compound extracted from the wormwood plant seeks out and destroys breast cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unscathed.
In experiments, the compound killed within 16 hours virtually all human breast cancer cells exposed to it in the test tube, reports Dr. Henry Lai, a bioengineering researcher at the University of Washington. Just as importantly, he says, nearly all of the normal cells exposed to it were still alive. "And a dog with a type of bone cancer known as osteosarcoma so severe that it couldn't walk across the room made a complete recovery within five days of receiving the treatment. X-rays showed the animal's tumor "had basically disappeared," says Lai, adding that he believes the dog is still alive two years later.
Britain 'bombed itself to fool Nazis'
British MI5 intelligence officials in World War II allowed double agents to bomb targets in the UK to protect their cover, newly declassified documents show.
A power station and a food dump were fire-bombed to keep up the pretence that the two agents were working for the Germans.
British MI5 intelligence officials in World War II allowed double agents to bomb targets in the UK to protect their cover, newly declassified documents show.
A power station and a food dump were fire-bombed to keep up the pretence that the two agents were working for the Germans.
9-11 Probers Undecided on Calling Bush, Clinton
Former Sen. George Mitchell, who was tapped last week to serve as vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission under former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, said Sunday that no decision has been made on whether to request testimony from President Bush or ex-President Clinton.
Former Sen. George Mitchell, who was tapped last week to serve as vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission under former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, said Sunday that no decision has been made on whether to request testimony from President Bush or ex-President Clinton.
Pennsylvania Goes After Thought Crimes
A bill passed by the Pennsylvania legislature may make it illegal for preachers to quote Bible passages condemning homosexuality, according to a group that opposes the measure.
The measure amends the state's Ethnic Intimidation Act to include "sexual orientation, gender or gender identity." The pro-family Urban Family Council worries that the bill will be enforced too liberally.
A bill passed by the Pennsylvania legislature may make it illegal for preachers to quote Bible passages condemning homosexuality, according to a group that opposes the measure.
The measure amends the state's Ethnic Intimidation Act to include "sexual orientation, gender or gender identity." The pro-family Urban Family Council worries that the bill will be enforced too liberally.
Kissinger Promises 'Thorough' 911 Probe Henry Kissinger, chairman of the commission to investigate the Sept. 11 attacks, said Sunday he will have no qualms recommending an examination of possible involvement by foreign countries if facts point that way.
"If they lead in the direction of the need for looking into the actions of foreign countries or what foreign countries knew, my personal recommendation will be to explore that," the former secretary of state said on CNN's "Late Edition." "But I would like to wait until we have the commission together."
"If they lead in the direction of the need for looking into the actions of foreign countries or what foreign countries knew, my personal recommendation will be to explore that," the former secretary of state said on CNN's "Late Edition." "But I would like to wait until we have the commission together."
Sunday, December 01, 2002
Bush anything but moronic, according to author
When Mark Crispin Miller first set out to write Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder, about the ever-growing catalogue of President George W. Bush's verbal gaffes, he meant it for a laugh. But what he came to realize wasn't entirely amusing.
Since the 2000 presidential campaign, Miller has been compiling his own collection of Bush-isms, which have revealed, he says, a disquieting truth about what lurks behind the cock-eyed leer of the leader of the free world. He's not a moron at all ? on that point, Miller and Prime Minister Jean Chr?tien agree.
But according to Miller, he's no friend.
"I did initially intend it to be a funny book. But that was before I had a chance to read through all the transcripts," Miller, an American author and a professor of culture and communication at New York University, said recently in Toronto.
"Bush is not an imbecile. He's not a puppet. I think that Bush is a sociopathic personality. I think he's incapable of empathy. He has an inordinate sense of his own entitlement, and he's a very skilled manipulator. And in all the snickering about his alleged idiocy, this is what a lot of people miss." (Toronto Star)
When Mark Crispin Miller first set out to write Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder, about the ever-growing catalogue of President George W. Bush's verbal gaffes, he meant it for a laugh. But what he came to realize wasn't entirely amusing.
Since the 2000 presidential campaign, Miller has been compiling his own collection of Bush-isms, which have revealed, he says, a disquieting truth about what lurks behind the cock-eyed leer of the leader of the free world. He's not a moron at all ? on that point, Miller and Prime Minister Jean Chr?tien agree.
But according to Miller, he's no friend.
"I did initially intend it to be a funny book. But that was before I had a chance to read through all the transcripts," Miller, an American author and a professor of culture and communication at New York University, said recently in Toronto.
"Bush is not an imbecile. He's not a puppet. I think that Bush is a sociopathic personality. I think he's incapable of empathy. He has an inordinate sense of his own entitlement, and he's a very skilled manipulator. And in all the snickering about his alleged idiocy, this is what a lot of people miss." (Toronto Star)
NORAD investigates vapor trail reports - Nov. 28, 2002
Fighter jets scrambled in an unsuccessful attempt to investigate a contrail of unknown origin first seen over the Caribbean and later reported over the midwestern United States, the Department of Defense said Thursday.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled the jets soon after unverified reports were received around 4 p.m. Wednesday that the contrail, seen near the Turks and Caicos Islands, was headed northwest toward the United States, said Lt. Cmdr. Curtis Jenkins, a spokesman for the Colorado Springs-based group.
A contrail is a white trail of condensed water vapor that sometimes forms in the wake of an aircraft.
Fighter jets scrambled in an unsuccessful attempt to investigate a contrail of unknown origin first seen over the Caribbean and later reported over the midwestern United States, the Department of Defense said Thursday.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled the jets soon after unverified reports were received around 4 p.m. Wednesday that the contrail, seen near the Turks and Caicos Islands, was headed northwest toward the United States, said Lt. Cmdr. Curtis Jenkins, a spokesman for the Colorado Springs-based group.
A contrail is a white trail of condensed water vapor that sometimes forms in the wake of an aircraft.
Friday, November 29, 2002
Khufu and the chamber of secrets
This month Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass will dispatch his men up the sides of the pyramid seeking clues which, he hopes, will prove whether the so-called "air shafts" from the "Queen's" chamber deep inside this architectural wonder actually reach the outside.
If they do not, says Hawass, it will indicate another mysterious and unknown chamber within the pyramid.
This month Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass will dispatch his men up the sides of the pyramid seeking clues which, he hopes, will prove whether the so-called "air shafts" from the "Queen's" chamber deep inside this architectural wonder actually reach the outside.
If they do not, says Hawass, it will indicate another mysterious and unknown chamber within the pyramid.
Thursday, November 28, 2002
Television ad banned for poking fun at President Bush
A television ad poking fun at President Bush has been banned in Britain -- unless the advertisers get Bush's permission to air it.
The animated ad shows a cartoon image of Bush opening a DVD and then saying "My favorite -- just pop it in the video player."
A television ad poking fun at President Bush has been banned in Britain -- unless the advertisers get Bush's permission to air it.
The animated ad shows a cartoon image of Bush opening a DVD and then saying "My favorite -- just pop it in the video player."
But he is a moron!
Francoise Ducros, director of communications for Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien, said in a private conversation that Mr. Bush was a moron for the way he pushed his obsession over Iraq at a NATO meeting in Prague that had other, important issues to treat. Most informed people on the planet would classify her observation in about the same category as "sugary cereal makes a terrible breakfast," but it is so rare to hear even the slightest truth expressed regarding America's pathetic chief executive that a bit of a flap has arisen.
Francoise Ducros, director of communications for Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien, said in a private conversation that Mr. Bush was a moron for the way he pushed his obsession over Iraq at a NATO meeting in Prague that had other, important issues to treat. Most informed people on the planet would classify her observation in about the same category as "sugary cereal makes a terrible breakfast," but it is so rare to hear even the slightest truth expressed regarding America's pathetic chief executive that a bit of a flap has arisen.
Wednesday, November 27, 2002
Employee whose office let hijackers in U.S. gets bonus
The State Department official who was forced to retire because her office allowed most of the September 11 hijackers into the United States has won an "outstanding performance" award of $15,000.
The congressional General Accounting Office said in a report this week that 13 of the 19 hijackers were given visas without ever seeing a U.S. consular official.
The State Department official who was forced to retire because her office allowed most of the September 11 hijackers into the United States has won an "outstanding performance" award of $15,000.
The congressional General Accounting Office said in a report this week that 13 of the 19 hijackers were given visas without ever seeing a U.S. consular official.
Spaceprobe's final secrets remain inaccessible
The secrets of the Galileo spaceprobe's final mission remain locked inside its tape recorder, which may have suffered irreparable damaged during a pass through Jupiter's intense inner radiation belt.
On 5 November, Galileo flew past Jupiter's inner moon Amalthea for the first time. It also passed the planet's inner gossamer dust ring and entered its high-radiation inner magnetosphere.
The secrets of the Galileo spaceprobe's final mission remain locked inside its tape recorder, which may have suffered irreparable damaged during a pass through Jupiter's intense inner radiation belt.
On 5 November, Galileo flew past Jupiter's inner moon Amalthea for the first time. It also passed the planet's inner gossamer dust ring and entered its high-radiation inner magnetosphere.
Bush team eyes star power for energy needs
Scientists convened at the Bush administration's request are drafting a statement that it's feasible within the next 35 years to create, contain and then commercialize what's known as fusion energy (i.e. build your own star and use its energy with much less environmental risk than nuclear power).
Scientists convened at the Bush administration's request are drafting a statement that it's feasible within the next 35 years to create, contain and then commercialize what's known as fusion energy (i.e. build your own star and use its energy with much less environmental risk than nuclear power).
Tuesday, November 26, 2002
Billion Degree Breakthrough for Very Hot Fusion
A team of researchers has announced the achievement for the first time of temperatures above one billion degrees in a dense plasma. The breakthrough is a step toward controlled fusion energy using advanced fuels that generate no radioactivity. This new technology holds the promise of providing an environmentally safe, cheap, and effectively unlimited energy source. .. [If it works.]
A team of researchers has announced the achievement for the first time of temperatures above one billion degrees in a dense plasma. The breakthrough is a step toward controlled fusion energy using advanced fuels that generate no radioactivity. This new technology holds the promise of providing an environmentally safe, cheap, and effectively unlimited energy source. .. [If it works.]
Telescope to challenge moon doubters
In an effort to silence claims that the Apollo moon landings were faked, European scientists are to use the world's newest and largest telescope to see whether the spacecraft are still on the lunar surface.
According to Nexus magazine publisher Mr Allen, NASA was forced to send robots to the moon and faked the manned missions because radiation levels in space were lethal to humans.
In an effort to silence claims that the Apollo moon landings were faked, European scientists are to use the world's newest and largest telescope to see whether the spacecraft are still on the lunar surface.
According to Nexus magazine publisher Mr Allen, NASA was forced to send robots to the moon and faked the manned missions because radiation levels in space were lethal to humans.
NASA Breakthrough Method May Lead To Smaller Electronics
NASA scientists have invented a breakthrough biological method to make ultra-small structures that may well be used to produce electronics 10 to 100 times smaller than today's components.
As part of their new method, scientists use modified proteins from 'extremophile' microbes that live in near-boiling, acidic hot springs to grow mesh-like structures so small that an electron microscope is needed to see them.
NASA scientists have invented a breakthrough biological method to make ultra-small structures that may well be used to produce electronics 10 to 100 times smaller than today's components.
As part of their new method, scientists use modified proteins from 'extremophile' microbes that live in near-boiling, acidic hot springs to grow mesh-like structures so small that an electron microscope is needed to see them.
Interference of white light produces coloured patterns
Interference of white light produces coloured patterns," explains a British physicist, "because the different wavelengths in the light add and subtract differently at different places." He has combined colour theory and wave physics to look more closely than ever before at the calm water - the dark light. They have used a computer model to simulate the interference patterns produced by two light waves. Where peak and trough meet to cancel each other out they see a region of dark light called a phase singularity. "In these special places the phase of the wave is undefined, just as time is undefined at the North Pole," he says. "However, the colours hidden in the darkness can be predicted," he adds, "by magnifying the intensity there, the colours form characteristic and striking patterns. These theoretically predicted colours of dark light have yet to be investigated experimentally but the work predicts many different colour patterns in the dark light.
Interference of white light produces coloured patterns," explains a British physicist, "because the different wavelengths in the light add and subtract differently at different places." He has combined colour theory and wave physics to look more closely than ever before at the calm water - the dark light. They have used a computer model to simulate the interference patterns produced by two light waves. Where peak and trough meet to cancel each other out they see a region of dark light called a phase singularity. "In these special places the phase of the wave is undefined, just as time is undefined at the North Pole," he says. "However, the colours hidden in the darkness can be predicted," he adds, "by magnifying the intensity there, the colours form characteristic and striking patterns. These theoretically predicted colours of dark light have yet to be investigated experimentally but the work predicts many different colour patterns in the dark light.
Two-war doctrine may get tested
Early on, the Bush administration argued against the military strategy that U.S. troops should be able to win two major wars in different regions at the same time. The doctrine was not necessary and had outlived its usefulness in a post-Cold War era, it said.
But as President Bush inches toward a new confrontation with Iraq while continuing the American-led anti-terror war, it's conceivable the United States could end up doing just that -- fighting two wars simultaneously, although hardly in the same way.
As much as Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld criticized the two-war doctrine he inherited, the administration did not outright abandon it.
Early on, the Bush administration argued against the military strategy that U.S. troops should be able to win two major wars in different regions at the same time. The doctrine was not necessary and had outlived its usefulness in a post-Cold War era, it said.
But as President Bush inches toward a new confrontation with Iraq while continuing the American-led anti-terror war, it's conceivable the United States could end up doing just that -- fighting two wars simultaneously, although hardly in the same way.
As much as Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld criticized the two-war doctrine he inherited, the administration did not outright abandon it.
The new homeland security bill
The Homeland Security Department's actions will largely be exempt from Freedom of Information Act oversight by ordinary citizens and will be subject to a decreased level of congressional oversight, critics say.
Congress has, to a large extent, left it to the Bush administration to take actions it deems necessary. Critics say this is a blank check that could seriously erode civil liberties by opening the door to widespread surveillance, including creation of a centralized databank collecting all available electronic information on individuals. Supporters say tough measures are necessary during tough times. They stress that the administration will not abuse its powers.
The Homeland Security Department's actions will largely be exempt from Freedom of Information Act oversight by ordinary citizens and will be subject to a decreased level of congressional oversight, critics say.
Congress has, to a large extent, left it to the Bush administration to take actions it deems necessary. Critics say this is a blank check that could seriously erode civil liberties by opening the door to widespread surveillance, including creation of a centralized databank collecting all available electronic information on individuals. Supporters say tough measures are necessary during tough times. They stress that the administration will not abuse its powers.
Perspective: Really 'Big Brother'
The Defense Department is embarking on a project so invasive of Americans' privacy that it will leave little to the government's imagination. It is designing a domestic computer surveillance system that would give U.S. intelligence agents access to huge databases of personal information on every American, from credit card purchases to medical records. The idea is to scrutinize unrelated information and transactions in an effort to uncover terrorist activity before an attack occurs. But there is no proof that such a system will make us safer. We only know it will lay waste to our privacy.
The Defense Department is embarking on a project so invasive of Americans' privacy that it will leave little to the government's imagination. It is designing a domestic computer surveillance system that would give U.S. intelligence agents access to huge databases of personal information on every American, from credit card purchases to medical records. The idea is to scrutinize unrelated information and transactions in an effort to uncover terrorist activity before an attack occurs. But there is no proof that such a system will make us safer. We only know it will lay waste to our privacy.
Stepford Citizen Syndrome: Top Ten Signs Your Neighbor is Brainwashed
Though much of the world is convinced the 2000 election was a coup d'etat, and many believe we're being lied to regarding 9/11, we Americans are unaware of how numb we seem. Not only are we being coerced into World War III, but at this very moment, unnamed souls are secretly locked away, the Army's drafted plans for civilian detention camps and there's a shadow government buzzing beneath our streets. And yet, we continue to ignore the oily elephant in the living room.
Though much of the world is convinced the 2000 election was a coup d'etat, and many believe we're being lied to regarding 9/11, we Americans are unaware of how numb we seem. Not only are we being coerced into World War III, but at this very moment, unnamed souls are secretly locked away, the Army's drafted plans for civilian detention camps and there's a shadow government buzzing beneath our streets. And yet, we continue to ignore the oily elephant in the living room.
Bush to sign Homeland Act Monday
When President Bush signs the Homeland Security Act Monday, he will create a department that will be the largest reorganization in the federal government in 55 years.
Critics of the new Homeland Security Department believe it creates needless overlap, borrowing employees from 22 existing agencies such as the Coast Guard, the Border Patrol, the FBI and the CIA - departments that critics believe should simply be strengthened.
When President Bush signs the Homeland Security Act Monday, he will create a department that will be the largest reorganization in the federal government in 55 years.
Critics of the new Homeland Security Department believe it creates needless overlap, borrowing employees from 22 existing agencies such as the Coast Guard, the Border Patrol, the FBI and the CIA - departments that critics believe should simply be strengthened.
Monday, November 25, 2002
DNA device detects light signals
DNA is famous for its ability to assemble itself into very long strings of code made up of four bases. With a nod to nature's choice of materials, a team of researchers in Italy is tapping the self-assembly talent of one of the bases to form a thin film that produces an electric current when light shines on it.
The researchers have built a device that uses a film of guanosine in place of the inorganic silicon or gallium arsenide semiconductor material usually used in photodiodes. Photodiodes are the light-sensing elements of photodetectors, which are used to convert light pulse signals to electrical signals in communications networks.
DNA is famous for its ability to assemble itself into very long strings of code made up of four bases. With a nod to nature's choice of materials, a team of researchers in Italy is tapping the self-assembly talent of one of the bases to form a thin film that produces an electric current when light shines on it.
The researchers have built a device that uses a film of guanosine in place of the inorganic silicon or gallium arsenide semiconductor material usually used in photodiodes. Photodiodes are the light-sensing elements of photodetectors, which are used to convert light pulse signals to electrical signals in communications networks.
Light-Controlled DNA Synthesis - A Feasibility Study
A method capable of generating long, fully experimenter-specified DNA molecules directly in the cell nucleus (or cytoplasm of prokaryotic cells), immediately ready to be incorporated into the genome and transcribed into RNA, would greatly expand the options for the genetic engineer, and accelerate progress in medicine. The linked article gives an outline of a possible protein-engineering solution to this challenge.
A method capable of generating long, fully experimenter-specified DNA molecules directly in the cell nucleus (or cytoplasm of prokaryotic cells), immediately ready to be incorporated into the genome and transcribed into RNA, would greatly expand the options for the genetic engineer, and accelerate progress in medicine. The linked article gives an outline of a possible protein-engineering solution to this challenge.
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
For sale to the highest bidder: Britain's secret weapons labs
The government plans to sell a stake in its top secret defence laboratories - responsible for inventing the sort of hardware that would make 007's Q green with envy - to a shadowy American organisation that boasts ex-Presidents and Prime Ministers as special advisers and has invested millions of dollars for the bin Laden family and Saudi royalty.
The government plans to sell a stake in its top secret defence laboratories - responsible for inventing the sort of hardware that would make 007's Q green with envy - to a shadowy American organisation that boasts ex-Presidents and Prime Ministers as special advisers and has invested millions of dollars for the bin Laden family and Saudi royalty.
U.S. soldiers vulnerable? Iraq has know-how for 'dusty' weapons to foil protective gear
WASHINGTON - Iraqi scientists know how to make chemical weapons that can penetrate military protective clothing, and Iraq imported up to 25 metric tons last month of a powder that is a crucial ingredient to such "dusty" weapons.
Iraq told the United Nations the powder was destined for a pharmaceutical company that a former weapons inspector says was ordered by President Saddam Hussein before the 1991 Persian Gulf War to work on chemical and biological weapons.
WASHINGTON - Iraqi scientists know how to make chemical weapons that can penetrate military protective clothing, and Iraq imported up to 25 metric tons last month of a powder that is a crucial ingredient to such "dusty" weapons.
Iraq told the United Nations the powder was destined for a pharmaceutical company that a former weapons inspector says was ordered by President Saddam Hussein before the 1991 Persian Gulf War to work on chemical and biological weapons.
Remote control brain sensor
Scientists have developed a sensor that can record brainwaves without the need for electrodes to be inserted into the brain or even placed on the scalp.
They believe the new sensor will lead to major advances in the collection and display of electrical information from the brain - and could even be used to control machines in a more effective way than is currently possible.
Scientists have developed a sensor that can record brainwaves without the need for electrodes to be inserted into the brain or even placed on the scalp.
They believe the new sensor will lead to major advances in the collection and display of electrical information from the brain - and could even be used to control machines in a more effective way than is currently possible.
ID Chip's Controversial Approval
A surprise decision by the Food and Drug Administration permits the use of implantable ID chips in humans, despite an FDA investigator's recent public reservations about the devices.
The FDA sent chip manufacturer Applied Digital Solutions a letter stating that the agency would not regulate the VeriChip if it was used for "security, financial and personal identification or safety applications," ADS said Tuesday.
A surprise decision by the Food and Drug Administration permits the use of implantable ID chips in humans, despite an FDA investigator's recent public reservations about the devices.
The FDA sent chip manufacturer Applied Digital Solutions a letter stating that the agency would not regulate the VeriChip if it was used for "security, financial and personal identification or safety applications," ADS said Tuesday.
Implantable-chip seminar in D.C. today
A seminar on implantable ID and tracking chips for humans has been convened at the National Academies today in Washington, D.C.
Participating in the seminar are officials from Applied Digital Solutions (maker of Digital Angel and VeriChip), the Cato Institute, the Electronic Information Privacy Center and the FDA.
A seminar on implantable ID and tracking chips for humans has been convened at the National Academies today in Washington, D.C.
Participating in the seminar are officials from Applied Digital Solutions (maker of Digital Angel and VeriChip), the Cato Institute, the Electronic Information Privacy Center and the FDA.
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
Chandra Casts Cloud On Alternative Theory :: October 22, 2002
New evidence from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory challenges an alternative theory of gravity that eliminates the need for dark matter. The observation also narrows the field for competing forms of dark matter, the elusive material thought to be the dominant form of matter in the universe.
An observation of the galaxy NGC 720 shows it is enveloped in a slightly flattened, or ellipsoidal cloud of hot gas that has an orientation different from that of the optical image of the galaxy. The flattening is too large to be explained by theories in which stars and gas are assumed to contain most of the mass in the galaxy.
New evidence from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory challenges an alternative theory of gravity that eliminates the need for dark matter. The observation also narrows the field for competing forms of dark matter, the elusive material thought to be the dominant form of matter in the universe.
An observation of the galaxy NGC 720 shows it is enveloped in a slightly flattened, or ellipsoidal cloud of hot gas that has an orientation different from that of the optical image of the galaxy. The flattening is too large to be explained by theories in which stars and gas are assumed to contain most of the mass in the galaxy.
Major Galactic Discovery Featured at Next Space Science Update
An international team of scientists, using NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory, saw something never before seen at heart of a nearby galaxy-an ominous sign that the galaxy is headed for a catastrophic event.
An international team of scientists, using NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory, saw something never before seen at heart of a nearby galaxy-an ominous sign that the galaxy is headed for a catastrophic event.
US oil at the heart of Iraq crisis
President Bush's Cabinet agreed in April 2001 that 'Iraq remains a destabilising influence to the flow of oil to international markets from the Middle East' and because this is an unacceptable risk to the US 'military intervention' is necessary.
Vice-president Dick Cheney, who chairs the White House Energy Policy Development Group, commissioned a report on 'energy security' from the Baker Institute for Public Policy, a think-tank set up by James Baker, the former US secretary of state under George Bush Snr.
President Bush's Cabinet agreed in April 2001 that 'Iraq remains a destabilising influence to the flow of oil to international markets from the Middle East' and because this is an unacceptable risk to the US 'military intervention' is necessary.
Vice-president Dick Cheney, who chairs the White House Energy Policy Development Group, commissioned a report on 'energy security' from the Baker Institute for Public Policy, a think-tank set up by James Baker, the former US secretary of state under George Bush Snr.
Thursday, November 14, 2002
WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers linked to over $4M in farm subsidies
Former WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers, under increasing fire for the $408 million in personal loans he got from the company, also harvested millions in farm subsidies from U.S. taxpayers.
Three farms owned in part by Ebbers or linked to him got more than $4 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture aid from at least 1998 through 2001, say USDA records obtained by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
Former WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers, under increasing fire for the $408 million in personal loans he got from the company, also harvested millions in farm subsidies from U.S. taxpayers.
Three farms owned in part by Ebbers or linked to him got more than $4 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture aid from at least 1998 through 2001, say USDA records obtained by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
Sneak attacks in war against women
At a conference in Bangkok last weekend, the US threatened to withdraw its support for a crucial UN family planning agreement. In a spectacularly delayed dummy spit, the US delegation objected to the final declaration of the 1994 UN population conference, which was held in Cairo.
After eight years, the Americans suddenly can't abide certain phrases ("reproductive rights" and "reproductive health services") in the declaration on the grounds they can be interpreted as supporting abortion.
At a conference in Bangkok last weekend, the US threatened to withdraw its support for a crucial UN family planning agreement. In a spectacularly delayed dummy spit, the US delegation objected to the final declaration of the 1994 UN population conference, which was held in Cairo.
After eight years, the Americans suddenly can't abide certain phrases ("reproductive rights" and "reproductive health services") in the declaration on the grounds they can be interpreted as supporting abortion.
Elections 2002 - Winning vote totals uncanny in Comal
Comal County elections officials noticed an extreme oddity after the final votes were tallied in Tuesday's general election.
County Judge Danny Scheel received 18,181 votes in his victory over Lois Duggan.
Republican state Sen. Jeff Wentworth also got 18,181 votes in Comal County in his win over Democrat Joseph Sullivan and Libertarian Rex Black.
To make matters even stranger, Comal County also gave Republican Carter Casteel exactly 18,181 votes in her victory over Democrat Virgil Yanta in the race for District 73 state representative.
Comal County elections officials noticed an extreme oddity after the final votes were tallied in Tuesday's general election.
County Judge Danny Scheel received 18,181 votes in his victory over Lois Duggan.
Republican state Sen. Jeff Wentworth also got 18,181 votes in Comal County in his win over Democrat Joseph Sullivan and Libertarian Rex Black.
To make matters even stranger, Comal County also gave Republican Carter Casteel exactly 18,181 votes in her victory over Democrat Virgil Yanta in the race for District 73 state representative.
U.S. counterterrorism expert killed in Australian plane crash
An American counterterrorism expert on his honeymoon was one of six people killed when their plane crashed at an exclusive Australian island resort, a newspaper reported Sunday.
The U.S. Embassy has not released the identity of the U.S. victim, but The Sunday Telegraph reported he was Christopher Le Gallo, 33, an employee of SAIC, a San Diego, Calif., research and engineering company.
An American counterterrorism expert on his honeymoon was one of six people killed when their plane crashed at an exclusive Australian island resort, a newspaper reported Sunday.
The U.S. Embassy has not released the identity of the U.S. victim, but The Sunday Telegraph reported he was Christopher Le Gallo, 33, an employee of SAIC, a San Diego, Calif., research and engineering company.
US officials say voice on tape praising Bali bombings 'sounds like Bin Laden'
Intelligence analysts were examining a taped message last night said to have been made by Osama bin Laden in which he praises a recent spate of terrorist attacks and warns of more attacks if the West attacks Iraq.
The message was broadcast across the Arab world yesterday by the Al-Jazeera television network, which refused to say how it obtained the recording but said it had been made by the al-Qa'ida leader.
Intelligence analysts were examining a taped message last night said to have been made by Osama bin Laden in which he praises a recent spate of terrorist attacks and warns of more attacks if the West attacks Iraq.
The message was broadcast across the Arab world yesterday by the Al-Jazeera television network, which refused to say how it obtained the recording but said it had been made by the al-Qa'ida leader.
Animal mutilations rattle pet owners
The latest in a string of animal killings in Aurora and Denver have disturbing similarities: All the animals have been dissected in a surgically precise way, often with someone cleanly removing their internal organs, then leaving the bloodless carcasses near their homes. The precision and the frequency has everyone most concerned.
The latest in a string of animal killings in Aurora and Denver have disturbing similarities: All the animals have been dissected in a surgically precise way, often with someone cleanly removing their internal organs, then leaving the bloodless carcasses near their homes. The precision and the frequency has everyone most concerned.
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
Making a Killing: The Business of War
A new breed of opportunists has come to dominate the global landscape of conflicts since the end of the Cold War. Gone is the superpower ideological divide that once gave a strange sort of order to the world's wars. In its place are entrepreneurs, selling arms or military expertise and support, and companies, whose drilling and mining in some of the hottest spots often prolong conflict and instability. Additionally, the military downsizing that followed the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union flooded the market with surplus arms and trained soldiers looking for a job.
A new breed of opportunists has come to dominate the global landscape of conflicts since the end of the Cold War. Gone is the superpower ideological divide that once gave a strange sort of order to the world's wars. In its place are entrepreneurs, selling arms or military expertise and support, and companies, whose drilling and mining in some of the hottest spots often prolong conflict and instability. Additionally, the military downsizing that followed the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union flooded the market with surplus arms and trained soldiers looking for a job.
Archaeologists split hairs over first arrivals
The discovery in July 2000 of a human hair, 40cm long, is said to be the oldest piece of organic human remains: it has been carbon dated twice, but the results have not been published and the research remains controversial.
The discovery in July 2000 of a human hair, 40cm long, is said to be the oldest piece of organic human remains: it has been carbon dated twice, but the results have not been published and the research remains controversial.
After Iraq, Bush will attack his real target
Iraq is not the main objective for the small but powerful coterie of Pentagon hardliners driving the Bush administration's national security policy. Nor is it for their intellectual and emotional peers in Israel's right-wing Likud party. The real target of the coming war is Iran, which Israel views as its principal and most dangerous enemy. Iraq merely serves as a pretext to whip America into a war frenzy and to justify insertion of large numbers of U.S. troops into Mesopotamia.
Iraq is not the main objective for the small but powerful coterie of Pentagon hardliners driving the Bush administration's national security policy. Nor is it for their intellectual and emotional peers in Israel's right-wing Likud party. The real target of the coming war is Iran, which Israel views as its principal and most dangerous enemy. Iraq merely serves as a pretext to whip America into a war frenzy and to justify insertion of large numbers of U.S. troops into Mesopotamia.
After Iraq, Bush will attack his real target
Iraq is not the main objective for the small but powerful coterie of Pentagon hardliners driving the Bush administration's national security policy. Nor is it for their intellectual and emotional peers in Israel's right-wing Likud party. The real target of the coming war is Iran, which Israel views as its principal and most dangerous enemy. Iraq merely serves as a pretext to whip America into a war frenzy and to justify insertion of large numbers of U.S. troops into Mesopotamia.
Iraq is not the main objective for the small but powerful coterie of Pentagon hardliners driving the Bush administration's national security policy. Nor is it for their intellectual and emotional peers in Israel's right-wing Likud party. The real target of the coming war is Iran, which Israel views as its principal and most dangerous enemy. Iraq merely serves as a pretext to whip America into a war frenzy and to justify insertion of large numbers of U.S. troops into Mesopotamia.
Despite concerns, law schools admit military recruiters
They were among the last holdouts against military recruiting on college campuses, law schools protesting the Defense Department's ban on openly gay service members. Yet faced with the threat of losing federal funding, more than a dozen law schools have opened their doors this fall to the Pentagon's Judge Advocate General recruiters and others in the military, handing a significant victory to the Bush administration.
They were among the last holdouts against military recruiting on college campuses, law schools protesting the Defense Department's ban on openly gay service members. Yet faced with the threat of losing federal funding, more than a dozen law schools have opened their doors this fall to the Pentagon's Judge Advocate General recruiters and others in the military, handing a significant victory to the Bush administration.
Resolution Clause Could Trigger War
The U.N. resolution demanding that Iraq disarm includes a little-noted provision that could be an early trigger for war. The wording could be interpreted as requiring Iraq to stop its frequent firings on American and British planes enforcing "no-fly" zones over the country's northern and southern sectors.
The U.N. resolution demanding that Iraq disarm includes a little-noted provision that could be an early trigger for war. The wording could be interpreted as requiring Iraq to stop its frequent firings on American and British planes enforcing "no-fly" zones over the country's northern and southern sectors.
Scientists claim new system will ID terrorists
Known terrorists or criminals will no longer be able to seek anonymity in a crowd, claims the CSIRO, which has developed computer face recognition technology capable of detecting one particular face among thousands - even if the person is in disguise.
The system uses a video camera to scan the crowd and match faces against a file of electronic photos, alerting security staff should it spot a known terrorist or criminal.
Known terrorists or criminals will no longer be able to seek anonymity in a crowd, claims the CSIRO, which has developed computer face recognition technology capable of detecting one particular face among thousands - even if the person is in disguise.
The system uses a video camera to scan the crowd and match faces against a file of electronic photos, alerting security staff should it spot a known terrorist or criminal.
Nigerian woman thanks Miss World contestants
Amina Lawal, a Nigerian single mother sentenced to be stoned to death, today thanked Miss World contestants for their concern about her, but urged them not to boycott the event in Nigeria on her account.
Ms Lawal, 31, was sentenced to death by an Islamic court in May after she gave birth out of wedlock to Wasila, her third child. She lost her first appeal to a higher Sharia court and is awaiting a date for her second.
Amina Lawal, a Nigerian single mother sentenced to be stoned to death, today thanked Miss World contestants for their concern about her, but urged them not to boycott the event in Nigeria on her account.
Ms Lawal, 31, was sentenced to death by an Islamic court in May after she gave birth out of wedlock to Wasila, her third child. She lost her first appeal to a higher Sharia court and is awaiting a date for her second.
Star Wars airships
The US Missile Defence Agency has asked the country?s largest military contractors to develop a high-altitude airship that can float at 70,000ft, aiming to have an operational fleet by 2010. The agency, charged with protecting America from ballistic missiles, has given the companies until February to submit designs. Each airship would carry 40ft radars with a sweep of about 750 miles, ringing the US coastline.
The US Missile Defence Agency has asked the country?s largest military contractors to develop a high-altitude airship that can float at 70,000ft, aiming to have an operational fleet by 2010. The agency, charged with protecting America from ballistic missiles, has given the companies until February to submit designs. Each airship would carry 40ft radars with a sweep of about 750 miles, ringing the US coastline.
Tuesday, November 12, 2002
US warplanes strike targets in Iraq
US warplanes flying off an aircraft carrier in the Gulf struck targets in southern Iraq, the US military said Monday.
The attack took place on Sunday from fighter jets patrolling the no-fly zone in southern Iraq, Capt Kendall L Card, the commander of the USS Abraham Lincoln, told crew in announcement over the ship's public address system. He did not provide any details of the attack.
US warplanes flying off an aircraft carrier in the Gulf struck targets in southern Iraq, the US military said Monday.
The attack took place on Sunday from fighter jets patrolling the no-fly zone in southern Iraq, Capt Kendall L Card, the commander of the USS Abraham Lincoln, told crew in announcement over the ship's public address system. He did not provide any details of the attack.
Sun's rays to roast Earth as poles flip
Earth's magnetic field - the force that protects us from deadly radiation bursts from outer space - is weakening dramatically.
Gauthier Hulot of the Paris Geophysical Institute has discovered Earth's magnetic field seems to be disappearing most alarmingly near the poles, a clear sign that a pole flip may soon take place.
Earth's magnetic field - the force that protects us from deadly radiation bursts from outer space - is weakening dramatically.
Gauthier Hulot of the Paris Geophysical Institute has discovered Earth's magnetic field seems to be disappearing most alarmingly near the poles, a clear sign that a pole flip may soon take place.
Odd asteroid much bigger on camera
An asteroid photographed by the passing deep space probe Stardust proved twice as large as expected, according to NASA scientists, who on Tuesday released the first image of the encounter.
Launched in 1999, Stardust should return to Earth in 2006 with samples from comet Wild-2 as well as interstellar dust particles near the asteroid belt. The mission is the first designed to return with materials from beyond the moon.
An asteroid photographed by the passing deep space probe Stardust proved twice as large as expected, according to NASA scientists, who on Tuesday released the first image of the encounter.
Launched in 1999, Stardust should return to Earth in 2006 with samples from comet Wild-2 as well as interstellar dust particles near the asteroid belt. The mission is the first designed to return with materials from beyond the moon.
Simultaneous solar flares intrigue scientists
SUNSPOT, New Mexico (AP) -- Scientists say they have made the unprecedented discovery of solar flares erupting almost simultaneously on opposite sides of the sun.
Simultaneous solar flares have been seen in the past, but never so far apart. Scientists at the observatory are trying to determine whether the eruptions were linked or a coincidence, said solar physicist Don Neidig.
SUNSPOT, New Mexico (AP) -- Scientists say they have made the unprecedented discovery of solar flares erupting almost simultaneously on opposite sides of the sun.
Simultaneous solar flares have been seen in the past, but never so far apart. Scientists at the observatory are trying to determine whether the eruptions were linked or a coincidence, said solar physicist Don Neidig.
North Magnetic Pole could be leaving Canada
The North Magnetic Pole could soon abandon Canada, migrate north of Alaska and eventually wind up in Russia, according to a Canadian scientist.
The magnetic pole, which has steadily drifted for decades, has picked up its pace in recent years and could exit Canadian territory as soon as 2004, said Larry Newitt of the Geological Survey of Canada.
The North Magnetic Pole could soon abandon Canada, migrate north of Alaska and eventually wind up in Russia, according to a Canadian scientist.
The magnetic pole, which has steadily drifted for decades, has picked up its pace in recent years and could exit Canadian territory as soon as 2004, said Larry Newitt of the Geological Survey of Canada.
Global warming opens door to North-West Passage
The fabled North-West Passage - the shortest sea link between Europe and east Asia, across the Arctic Ocean - could be open for business this century.
It would cut 11,000 kilometres off the Europe-Asia route through the Panama Canal, and 19,000 kilometres off the route supertankers must take around Cape Horn, according to the US journal Science yesterday.
The thinning Arctic ice could open the way for exploitation of an estimated 130 billion barrels of oil. But the retreat of the ice also poses a threat to polar bears, walruses and the peoples living within the Arctic Circle.
The fabled North-West Passage - the shortest sea link between Europe and east Asia, across the Arctic Ocean - could be open for business this century.
It would cut 11,000 kilometres off the Europe-Asia route through the Panama Canal, and 19,000 kilometres off the route supertankers must take around Cape Horn, according to the US journal Science yesterday.
The thinning Arctic ice could open the way for exploitation of an estimated 130 billion barrels of oil. But the retreat of the ice also poses a threat to polar bears, walruses and the peoples living within the Arctic Circle.
Blair says terror warnings are coming 'almost daily'
Tony Blair prepared the British public last night for the "pain" of terrorist attacks by al-Qa'ida but warned that the world would only defeat terrorism by political as well as security co-operation.
In the meantime, ministers are considering plans to warn the general public about specific terrorist dangers. One option is a poster campaign at railway stations on what to do in the event of a gas attack.
Tony Blair prepared the British public last night for the "pain" of terrorist attacks by al-Qa'ida but warned that the world would only defeat terrorism by political as well as security co-operation.
In the meantime, ministers are considering plans to warn the general public about specific terrorist dangers. One option is a poster campaign at railway stations on what to do in the event of a gas attack.
US warns war on Iraq may start before Christmas
President Bush issued a tough new warning to Saddam Hussein yesterday as administration officials said that a war could begin before the end of the year.
In a series of Veterans' Day memorial services, Mr Bush said he was ready to take his country to war. Unless President Saddam Hussein fully disarmed, "America will lead a coalition to fully disarm him.
President Bush issued a tough new warning to Saddam Hussein yesterday as administration officials said that a war could begin before the end of the year.
In a series of Veterans' Day memorial services, Mr Bush said he was ready to take his country to war. Unless President Saddam Hussein fully disarmed, "America will lead a coalition to fully disarm him.
Experiment could reveal 'extra dimensions,' exotic forces
In order to go from fundamental physics to applied nanotechnology, you really will have to understand the laws that govern what happens at a very small scale. This research helps to bridge the gap between very fundamental physics and really applied physics.
The discovery of new forces, could, in turn, provide evidence for the existence of additional dimensions beyond the three spatial dimensions of length, width and height.
In order to go from fundamental physics to applied nanotechnology, you really will have to understand the laws that govern what happens at a very small scale. This research helps to bridge the gap between very fundamental physics and really applied physics.
The discovery of new forces, could, in turn, provide evidence for the existence of additional dimensions beyond the three spatial dimensions of length, width and height.
Sunday, November 10, 2002
Bush Bringing Back the Draft?
The 'No Child Left Behind Act', President Bush's sweeping new education law passed earlier this year, has buried deep within the law's 670 pages,a provision requiring public secondary schools to provide military recruiters not only with access to facilities, but also with contact information for every student - or face a cutoff of all federal aid.
The 'No Child Left Behind Act', President Bush's sweeping new education law passed earlier this year, has buried deep within the law's 670 pages,a provision requiring public secondary schools to provide military recruiters not only with access to facilities, but also with contact information for every student - or face a cutoff of all federal aid.
Wednesday, November 06, 2002
Supervolcanoes could trigger global freeze
The threat of climate change caused by human activity could turn out to be a minor problem by comparison with a scarcely acknowledged natural hazard.
Geologists say there is a real risk that sooner or later a supervolcano will erupt with devastating force, sending temperatures plunging on a hemispheric or even global scale.
The threat of climate change caused by human activity could turn out to be a minor problem by comparison with a scarcely acknowledged natural hazard.
Geologists say there is a real risk that sooner or later a supervolcano will erupt with devastating force, sending temperatures plunging on a hemispheric or even global scale.
Gravity Waves Analysis Opens 'Completely New Sense'
In the past, whenever we expanded our band width to a different wavelength region of electromagnetic waves, we found a very different universe. But now we have a completely new kind of wave. It's like we have been used to experiencing the world with our eyes and ears and now we are opening up a completely new sense.
In the past, whenever we expanded our band width to a different wavelength region of electromagnetic waves, we found a very different universe. But now we have a completely new kind of wave. It's like we have been used to experiencing the world with our eyes and ears and now we are opening up a completely new sense.
Supervolcano at Yellowstone National Park
This may be very significant to the End Days - fire and brimstone in large quantities. ?In recent years it has been discovered that Yellowstone is one of a few known examples of a supervolcano. These volcanoes erupt only rarely, but with a force at least 1000 times that of ordinary volcanoes.
Try to imagine 1000 volcanoes erupting in the same place at the same time.
This may be very significant to the End Days - fire and brimstone in large quantities. ?In recent years it has been discovered that Yellowstone is one of a few known examples of a supervolcano. These volcanoes erupt only rarely, but with a force at least 1000 times that of ordinary volcanoes.
Try to imagine 1000 volcanoes erupting in the same place at the same time.
Physical and mathematical analysis of Pentagon crash
It is physically impossible for all of the plane to have entered the crash site: this is backed by mathematical proof.
There is no evidence outside the building of wreckage to account for the part of the plane which cannot have entered the crash site.
There is no evidence of identifiable wreckage inside the crash site.
Cremation of the plane was unprecedented in aviation history and physically impossible, especially in the context of the modest damage to the wall.
The hole in the back of the third ring cannot be explained by any means other than a missile.
Fake wreckage has been designed and planted with the express purpose of impersonating the American Airlines colour scheme.
Eyewitness evidence is inconclusive and fabricated eyewitness reports have been presented to try to shore up the official story.
Claims that DNA testing identified 63 of the 64 people on board, are mutually exclusive with claims that the plane was cremated, and with the official line on the WTC victims and the Bali bomb victims.
It is physically impossible for all of the plane to have entered the crash site: this is backed by mathematical proof.
There is no evidence outside the building of wreckage to account for the part of the plane which cannot have entered the crash site.
There is no evidence of identifiable wreckage inside the crash site.
Cremation of the plane was unprecedented in aviation history and physically impossible, especially in the context of the modest damage to the wall.
The hole in the back of the third ring cannot be explained by any means other than a missile.
Fake wreckage has been designed and planted with the express purpose of impersonating the American Airlines colour scheme.
Eyewitness evidence is inconclusive and fabricated eyewitness reports have been presented to try to shore up the official story.
Claims that DNA testing identified 63 of the 64 people on board, are mutually exclusive with claims that the plane was cremated, and with the official line on the WTC victims and the Bali bomb victims.
Physical and mathematical analysis of Pentagon crash
Did AA 77 hit the Pentagon? Eyewitness accounts examined.
It demonstrated that eyewitness accounts do not confirm a large passenger jet hitting the Pentagon. The findings of the article did not demonstrate that the eyewitness reports, when taken in isolation, prove that it didn?t happen. It simply demonstrated that they don?t confirm anything one way or the other. They are confused, lacking in substance, highly contradictory and poorly verified.
http://hamilton.indymedia.org:8081/front.php3?article_id=1786&group=webcast
Did AA 77 hit the Pentagon? Eyewitness accounts examined.
It demonstrated that eyewitness accounts do not confirm a large passenger jet hitting the Pentagon. The findings of the article did not demonstrate that the eyewitness reports, when taken in isolation, prove that it didn?t happen. It simply demonstrated that they don?t confirm anything one way or the other. They are confused, lacking in substance, highly contradictory and poorly verified.
http://hamilton.indymedia.org:8081/front.php3?article_id=1786&group=webcast
Flight 93: Was It Shot Down?
It was, "obviously, a very significant action," Cheney said in an interview. "You're asking American pilots to fire on a commercial airliner full of civilians. On the other hand, you had directly in front of me what had happened to the World Trade Center, and a clear understanding that once the plane was hijacked, it was a weapon."
Within minutes, there was a report that a plane had crashed in southwestern Pennsylvania-what turned out to be United Flight 93, a Boeing 757 that had been hijacked after leaving Newark International Airport. Many of those in the PEOC feared that Cheney's order had brought down a civilian aircraft. Rice demanded that someone check with the Pentagon.
Have a look at the anomalies surrounding the "crash" of Flight 93.
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=343
It was, "obviously, a very significant action," Cheney said in an interview. "You're asking American pilots to fire on a commercial airliner full of civilians. On the other hand, you had directly in front of me what had happened to the World Trade Center, and a clear understanding that once the plane was hijacked, it was a weapon."
Within minutes, there was a report that a plane had crashed in southwestern Pennsylvania-what turned out to be United Flight 93, a Boeing 757 that had been hijacked after leaving Newark International Airport. Many of those in the PEOC feared that Cheney's order had brought down a civilian aircraft. Rice demanded that someone check with the Pentagon.
Have a look at the anomalies surrounding the "crash" of Flight 93.
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=343
Tuesday, November 05, 2002
'If Allah doesn’t listen, try Jesus'
Television news in the United States covered a story of the following message handwritten by U.S. military personnel on the side of a bomb about to be dropped on Iraq: "If Allah doesn’t listen, try Jesus." Some of these bombs were dropped on the civilian targets of water treatment and sewage plants, resulting in thousands of unnecessary civilian deaths from infectious disease. UNICEF has estimated that 500,000 children have died from results of this destruction of infrastructure and the economic sanctions. - Khilafah
Television news in the United States covered a story of the following message handwritten by U.S. military personnel on the side of a bomb about to be dropped on Iraq: "If Allah doesn’t listen, try Jesus." Some of these bombs were dropped on the civilian targets of water treatment and sewage plants, resulting in thousands of unnecessary civilian deaths from infectious disease. UNICEF has estimated that 500,000 children have died from results of this destruction of infrastructure and the economic sanctions. - Khilafah
CIA Behind Moscow Terrorists
A senior writer in the Palestinian Authority's official daily claims that the attack in Moscow by Islamic terrorists was a CIA plot. According to the writer, the US hopes that having the Russians suffer a Muslim terror attack will convince them to vote with the US in the UN in support of attacking Iraq. France, who also has been opposing the US on the coming UN vote, may be next in line to suffer a Muslim terrorist attack initiated by the US, according to the PA daily.
A senior writer in the Palestinian Authority's official daily claims that the attack in Moscow by Islamic terrorists was a CIA plot. According to the writer, the US hopes that having the Russians suffer a Muslim terror attack will convince them to vote with the US in the UN in support of attacking Iraq. France, who also has been opposing the US on the coming UN vote, may be next in line to suffer a Muslim terrorist attack initiated by the US, according to the PA daily.
HAARP Defensive Economic Warfare
The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is a congressionally initiated program jointly managed by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. ?
The HAARP complex is situated within a 23-acre lot in a relatively isolated region near the town of Gakona, Alaska. It consists of 180 towers, 72 feet in height, forming a "high-power, high frequency phased array radio transmitter" capable of beaming in the 2.5-10 megahertz frequency range, at more than 3 gigawatts of power (3 billion watts).
Military applications of HAARP include long-range ground penetration radar, over the horizon radar. It may also be used as a beam weapon as some of the patents suggest. However, of the 12 main patents applied to HAARP the four following are of great interest to my field of ion research.
The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is a congressionally initiated program jointly managed by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. ?
The HAARP complex is situated within a 23-acre lot in a relatively isolated region near the town of Gakona, Alaska. It consists of 180 towers, 72 feet in height, forming a "high-power, high frequency phased array radio transmitter" capable of beaming in the 2.5-10 megahertz frequency range, at more than 3 gigawatts of power (3 billion watts).
Military applications of HAARP include long-range ground penetration radar, over the horizon radar. It may also be used as a beam weapon as some of the patents suggest. However, of the 12 main patents applied to HAARP the four following are of great interest to my field of ion research.
Monday, November 04, 2002
Israel Conducts Massive Spying Operation
The FBI believes Israel had advance knowledge about the impending September 11 terrorist attacks and failed to inform the United States.
American Free Press was first to expose the “big secret” that the major media has been suppressing: that 60 Israeli Jews - many of whom are still in the military or intelligence - were taken into custody following the terrorist attacks and being held because the FBI suspects they have material knowledge about the attacks.
The FBI believes Israel had advance knowledge about the impending September 11 terrorist attacks and failed to inform the United States.
American Free Press was first to expose the “big secret” that the major media has been suppressing: that 60 Israeli Jews - many of whom are still in the military or intelligence - were taken into custody following the terrorist attacks and being held because the FBI suspects they have material knowledge about the attacks.
Who Knew about WTC attack?
While an Israeli real estate magnate from Australia insured his 99-year lease on the retail space of the World Trade Cen ter against terrorism, one of Israel?s biggest companies pulled out of the north tower just days before Sept. 11.
AFP has learned from a reliable source in the shipping industry that Zim American Israeli Shipping Co., Inc. broke the lease when it vacated the rented offices on the 16th and 17th floors of the north tower of the World Trade Center shortly before the Sept. 11 disaster.
While an Israeli real estate magnate from Australia insured his 99-year lease on the retail space of the World Trade Cen ter against terrorism, one of Israel?s biggest companies pulled out of the north tower just days before Sept. 11.
AFP has learned from a reliable source in the shipping industry that Zim American Israeli Shipping Co., Inc. broke the lease when it vacated the rented offices on the 16th and 17th floors of the north tower of the World Trade Center shortly before the Sept. 11 disaster.
Was the NRO's 9/11 Drill Just a Coincidence?
On 11 September 2001, a key U.S. intelligence agency was running a drill in which a plane hits a government building. While U.S. spy satellites could easily observe what actually happened in New York City and Washington, this 'bizarre coincidence' sent the people who operate America's 'eye in the sky' home.
On 11 September 2001, a key U.S. intelligence agency was running a drill in which a plane hits a government building. While U.S. spy satellites could easily observe what actually happened in New York City and Washington, this 'bizarre coincidence' sent the people who operate America's 'eye in the sky' home.
CLOAK AND DAGGER
Vast Israeli Spy Network No 'Urban Myth'
Attorney General John Ashcroft's office said the explosive story of an Israeli spy network of bogus art students operating across the United States (described in AFP on March 18 and March 24) is an 'urban myth', but other law enforcement officials say otherwise.
Attorney General John Ashcroft's office said the explosive story of an Israeli spy network of bogus art students operating across the United States (described in AFP on March 18 and March 24) is an 'urban myth', but other law enforcement officials say otherwise.
Odd Coincidence or Conspiracy?
There is unexpected controversy surrounding one of the passengers aboard ill-fated Flight 11 that struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.
An internal FAA memorandum written on Sept. 11 referred to a shooting on Flight 11. The report cited a report to the FAA by an American Airlines corporate security officer who said that a flight attendant on Flight 11 had called American during the hijacking and ?informed that a passenger located in seat 10B shot and killed a passenger in seat 9B at 9:20 a.m.? The report stated that the victim in seat 9B was Lewin.
There is unexpected controversy surrounding one of the passengers aboard ill-fated Flight 11 that struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.
An internal FAA memorandum written on Sept. 11 referred to a shooting on Flight 11. The report cited a report to the FAA by an American Airlines corporate security officer who said that a flight attendant on Flight 11 had called American during the hijacking and ?informed that a passenger located in seat 10B shot and killed a passenger in seat 9B at 9:20 a.m.? The report stated that the victim in seat 9B was Lewin.
Army's secret 'people zapper' plans
Britain has been involved in secret talks with the United States over the development of so-called non-lethal weapons, including lasers that blind the enemy and microwave systems that cook the skin of human targets.
The Observer has established that British and US military leaders met at the Ministry of Defence HQ in London to discuss the operational benefits of such technology when used as a 'persuasive tool' against people from enemy regimes.
Britain has been involved in secret talks with the United States over the development of so-called non-lethal weapons, including lasers that blind the enemy and microwave systems that cook the skin of human targets.
The Observer has established that British and US military leaders met at the Ministry of Defence HQ in London to discuss the operational benefits of such technology when used as a 'persuasive tool' against people from enemy regimes.
Carve-up of oil riches begins
Larry Lindsey, President Bush's economic adviser, recently said that a successful war on Iraq would be good for business.
US plans to ditch industry rivals and force end of Opec, write Peter Beaumont and Faisal Islam.
Larry Lindsey, President Bush's economic adviser, recently said that a successful war on Iraq would be good for business.
US plans to ditch industry rivals and force end of Opec, write Peter Beaumont and Faisal Islam.
US in denial as poverty rises
Next door to Yale, the bastion of privilege that turns out the land's leaders, lies a tent city of America's poor, huddled masses. Ed Vulliamy reports on the rise in inequality as the nation prepares to vote
Next door to Yale, the bastion of privilege that turns out the land's leaders, lies a tent city of America's poor, huddled masses. Ed Vulliamy reports on the rise in inequality as the nation prepares to vote
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