LEXINGTON, Ky., Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A former Kentucky lawmaker slit his wrists and threatened police Friday after his former fiancée was found fatally shot, authorities said.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service | Nuclear Event - Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, Monticello, Minnesota - 12/09/2009 - 03:26:04
RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service
Budapest, Hungary
EDIS No: NC-20090912-23135-USA
12/09/2009 - 03:26:04
Budapest, Hungary
EDIS No: NC-20090912-23135-USA12/09/2009 - 03:26:04
Small amounts of a radioactive isotope have been detected in a new monitoring well at Xcel Energy's Monticello nuclear power plant. But the levels of tritium, a mildly radioactive type of hydrogen, are within federal guidelines and don't represent a threat to the public, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokeswoman said. "It's well below (Environmental Protection Agency) drinking-water limits ... and it's contained on-site,'' Prema Chandrathil said. Xcel said it confirmed the discovery earlier this week and notified the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Department of Emergency Management on Thursday that the amounts exceeded the plant's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit. It also filed a report Thursday with the NRC. Xcel said the samples came from a recently dug monitoring well near the reactor building.
It said no elevated levels were found in other monitoring wells at the plant, located along the Mississippi River about 40 miles northwest of the Twin Cities, and there are no indications the release goes beyond the site. The utility said it is looking for the source of the tritium. "The concentration of tritium is below any radiological reporting levels established in station procedures,'' Xcel said in its report to the NRC. Tritium, which occurs naturally and is produced in nuclear reactors, also can be found in self-luminescent devices, such as exit signs in buildings, aircraft dials, gauges, luminous paints and wristwatches. The NRC said water containing tritium and other radioactive substances is normally released from nuclear plants under controlled conditions. Operations at the Monticello plant were not interrupted.
It said no elevated levels were found in other monitoring wells at the plant, located along the Mississippi River about 40 miles northwest of the Twin Cities, and there are no indications the release goes beyond the site. The utility said it is looking for the source of the tritium. "The concentration of tritium is below any radiological reporting levels established in station procedures,'' Xcel said in its report to the NRC. Tritium, which occurs naturally and is produced in nuclear reactors, also can be found in self-luminescent devices, such as exit signs in buildings, aircraft dials, gauges, luminous paints and wristwatches. The NRC said water containing tritium and other radioactive substances is normally released from nuclear plants under controlled conditions. Operations at the Monticello plant were not interrupted.
AP | Alexander Solzhenitsyn's "The Gulag Archipelago" declared required reading for upper-level students in Russia
Associated Press
MOSCOW — A Russian news agency says parts of the once-banned book "The Gulag Archipelago" have been declared required reading for upper-level students in the country's schools.
The sprawling book, regarded as Alexander Solzhenitsyn's masterwork, recounts the brutality and despair of the prison camp system set up under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. The book was banned in the Soviet Union and Solzhenitsyn was forced into exile.
According to the state-run news agency RIA Novosti, the Education Ministry on Wednesday ordered that passages from the book become required reading in order to deepen students' understanding of Russia's history. A ministry spokesman did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.
The move comes despite Russian moves over the past decade to restore some Soviet symbols and defend some of Stalin's actions.
DailyMail.co.uk | Social workers banned a young woman from her own wedding in an extraordinary row over whether she is bright enough to get married.
Kerry Robertson, who has mild learning difficulties, was told her wedding was being halted just 48 hours before she was to walk up the aisle with fiance Mark McDougall.
Cave's Headlines | Afternoon September 12, 2009
Matching attendance that was at *Obama's inauguration!
1.5 Million at the Washington DC Protest
Tea Partiers Descend on DC
WSJ.com | Protesters March on Washington
Tea Party rally to take place in DC as part of the 9/12 project ...
'Magnitude of the rally took authorities by surprise'...
Largest rally against President Obama since he took office...
1.5 Million at the Washington DC Protest
Tea Partiers Descend on DC
WSJ.com | Protesters March on WashingtonTea Party rally to take place in DC as part of the 9/12 project ...
'Magnitude of the rally took authorities by surprise'...
Largest rally against President Obama since he took office...
*Attendence at the Inauguration of Barack Obama From Wikipedia
Satellite analyst Allison Puccioni of Jane's Information Group estimated a crowd size between 1.031 and 1.411 million people
using an image acquired by the GeoEye-1 satellite at 11:19 a.m. EST (16:19 UTC).
Satellite analyst Allison Puccioni of Jane's Information Group estimated a crowd size between 1.031 and 1.411 million people
using an image acquired by the GeoEye-1 satellite at 11:19 a.m. EST (16:19 UTC).
DailyMail.co.uk | Up to two million march to US Capitol to protest against Obama's spending in 'tea-party' demonstration
Tens of thousands of people converged on Capitol Hill on Saturday to protest against government spendingUp to two million people marched to the U.S. Capitol today, carrying signs with slogans such as "Obamacare makes me sick" as they protested the president's health care plan and what they say is out-of-control spending.
The line of protesters spread across Pennsylvania Avenue for blocks, all the way to the capitol, according to the Washington Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.
People were chanting "enough, enough" and "We the People." Others yelled "You lie, you lie!" and "Pelosi has to go," referring to California congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.
Demonstrators waved U.S. flags and held signs reading "Go Green Recycle Congress" and "I'm Not Your ATM." Men wore colonial costumes as they listened to speakers who warned of "judgment day" - Election Day 2010.
Richard Brigle, 57, a Vietnam War veteran and former Teamster, came from Michigan. He said health care needs to be reformed - but not according to President Barack Obama's plan.
"My grandkids are going to be paying for this. It's going to cost too much money that we don't have," he said while marching, bracing himself with a wooden cane as he walked.
FreedomWorks Foundation, a conservative organization led by former House of Representatives Majority Leader Dick Armey, organized several groups from across the country for what they billed as a "March on Washington."
Organizers say they built on momentum from the April "tea party" demonstrations held nationwide to protest tax policies, along with growing resentment over the economic stimulus packages and bank bailouts.
Many protesters said they paid their own way to the event - an ethic they believe should be applied to the government.
They say unchecked spending on things like a government-run health insurance option could increase inflation and lead to economic ruin.
Terri Hall, 45, of Florida, said she felt compelled to become political for the first time this year because she was upset by government spending.
"Our government has lost sight of the powers they were granted," she said. She added that the deficit spending was out of control, and said she thought it was putting the country at risk.
Anna Hayes, 58, a nurse from Fairfax County, stood on the Mall in 1981 for Reagan's inauguration. "The same people were celebrating freedom," she said. "The president was fighting for the people then. I remember those years very well and fondly."
Saying she was worried about "Obamacare," Hayes explained: "This is the first rally I've been to that demonstrates against something, the first in my life. I just couldn't stay home anymore."
NaturalNews.com | Featured Stories - September 12, 2009
| Study Reveals Serious HPV Vaccine Problems: Fainting, Blood Clots, Death Among Risks (NaturalNews) At first glance, a study just published in the August 19th edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is yet another whitewash job about the safety of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus recombinant vaccine... |
| Culture Shock: Living in Ecuador, then visiting an American city (NaturalNews) It's shocking visiting the United States after living in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, even for a short while. In just a few weeks in the Valley of Longevity, you naturally get used to the connection with nature: The evening lightning bugs, the dreamscape... |
| Diseases Caused by Smoking will be Graphically Depicted on Packs Smoking is a habit associated with numerous diseases, and the labels on cigarettes will soon more accurately reflect this. Obama recently signed a measure that might update warnings on cigarette packs to stronger and more accurate messages... |
| Too Much Fertilizer Causes Loss of Plant Diversity (NaturalNews) Scientists may have discovered why excessive fertilizer use leads to a loss of species diversity in grasslands, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and published in the journal Science... |
| Artichokes Contain Amazing Power Artichokes, which can be eaten or taken as artichoke leaf extract, have been shown to improve various digestive health disorders. They significantly lower blood cholesterol levels, prevent heart disease and atherosclerosis, enhance detoxification... |
| Use Hypnosis to Research Conversion Disorder Research has been conducted to learn more about the benefits of hypnosis. Hypnosis has also been used to research neurological and psychological disorders such as conversion disorder. Hypnosis is a natural method that can be used with no... |
| Interview with Kirt Tyson, Former Type-I Diabetic, Featured in "Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days" (NaturalNews) Mike: Hi everybody. I'm here with Kirt Tyson today. How are you doing today, Kirt? Kirt: I'm doing wonderful, and I'm glad to be here. Mike: Now, just the fact that you are here is quite amazing in itself. You... |
Top Headlines for Saturday, September 12, 2009
(Hand-picked by the Health Ranger for your education and amusement)- Surprise! Medical marijuana is already legal in the U.S. for anyone suffer from any health condition
- Can the U.S. Navy make jet fuel out of sea water?
- Tomatoes thrive on urine
- PETA ad campaign says eating meat causes "man boobs"
- Our toxic world: 9 year old girl diagnosed with dementia
- Warning: Pet food contaminated with high levels of fluoride
- Sen. Tom Harkin (a friend to the supplements industry) replaces Sen. Edward Kennedy on US Senate Health Committee
- Wild fish stocks depleted by feeding of farmed fish like salmon
Magnitude 6.4 earthquake - OFFSHORE ARAGUA, VENEZUELA - Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 08:06:25 PM at epicenter
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/?region=4&id=caribe.2009.09.12.201619TSUNAMI STATEMENT NUMBER 1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
2016 UTC SAT SEP 12 2009
THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO COUNTRIES WITHIN AND BORDERING THE
CARIBBEAN SEA...EXCEPT FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS.
... TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT ...
THIS MESSAGE IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.
THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
ORIGIN TIME - 2006Z 12 SEP 2009
COORDINATES - 10.7 NORTH 67.8 WEST
LOCATION - NEAR COAST OF VENEZUELA
MAGNITUDE - 6.4
EVALUATION
A DESTRUCTIVE WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI THREAT DOES NOT EXIST BASED ON
HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA.
HOWEVER - THERE IS THE SMALL POSSIBILITY OF A LOCAL TSUNAMI THAT
COULD AFFECT COASTS LOCATED USUALLY NO MORE THAN A HUNDRED
KILOMETERS FROM THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES IN THE
REGION NEAR THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF THIS
POSSIBILITY.
THIS WILL BE THE ONLY PRODUCT ISSUED BY THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI
WARNING CENTER FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
BECOMES AVAILABLE.
WYTV.com | Tens of thousands of demonstrators have flooded the streets of Washington today
RELATED: Screenshots from Fox News Livestream
http://interactive.foxnews.com/livestream/live.html?chanId=3
AP | The line of protesters spread across Pennsylvania Avenue for blocks, all the way to the capitol, according to the D.C. Homeland Security
A crowd of people, some carrying signs, are shown during a rally at Freedom Plaza in Washington on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. Thousands of protesters have packed streets in the nation's capital to protest what they consider the federal government's out-of-control spending. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Tea Party Rally Sparks Dispute of Turnout Potential - A top aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned fellow Democrats in a memo...
A top aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned fellow Democrats in a memo obtained by FOXNews.com that up to 2 million people may attend. But conservatives believe Democrats are playing an expectations game to claim the event was a failure.
Democrats are sounding the alarms over the potential turnout at a planned protest in the nation's capital Saturday by opponents of President Obama's domestic policies, but protest organizers say the Democrats' numbers don't add up.
The demonstration is part of the Tea Party Movement and the culmination of a 34-city, 7,000-mile bus tour that began Aug. 28 in Sacramento, Calif. The "partiers" want any health care reform to create more competition and be guided by market principles, not a government-run plan.
...
But there is some confusion over how many people will show up, and where Democrats are getting their estimates. A top aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned fellow Democrats in a memo obtained by FOXNews.com that up to 2 million people may attend.
"It looks like Saturday's event is going to be a huge gathering, estimates ranging from hundreds of thousands to 2 million people," Pelosi aide Doug Thornell wrote ...
Conservatives have seized on this memo as proof Democrats are playing an expectations game. They say the House leadership wrote the memo in hopes it would be leaked and inflate expectations for the turnout anticipating that it will fall short.
"It's an old political tactic to get out in front and make wild projections and when they're not met, claim their opponents don't have the juice," said Pete Sepp, a spokesman for the National Taxpayers Union, one of the organizers of the rally.
Sepp said there's only one reason to float a number that high.
"You set the bar at 2 million and anything under it becomes a failure," he said, adding that any event in D.C. that attracts 50,000 is considered a success.
A crowd of 2 million people, he said, "would exceed our wildest dreams."
Even President Obama didn't attract 2 million people to his inauguration, when estimates ranged from 1.2 million to 1.8 million people.
But Thornell told FOXNews.com that he was not playing an expectations game and that he simply used the numbers cited by organizers.
"I was using their own words and predictions and estimates," he said, explaining his memo was a compilation of statements from different Tea Party Web sites.
...
"If you read the memo, it doesn't convey any feeling about this event at all," he said. "I think the memo speaks for itself. … It's not about setting expectations."
FreedomWorks, the lead organizer who has largely bankrolled the rallies leading up to Saturday's march in Washington, D.C. has said it is expecting tens of thousands to attend. Adam Brandon, a spokesman for FreedomWorks, told Politico he expects the crowd to be in the 20,000-30,000 range.
Cave's Headlines | Morning September 12, 2009
AP | The federal deficit surged higher into record territory in August, hitting $1.38 trillion with one month left in the budget year.
US committee approves $128 billion war spending --Funding will allow President Obama's order to add 21,000 more troops to the Afghanistan contingent, to proceed.
US Debt Clock
RocketNews.com | Israel mourns the dying Dead Sea
The Middle East is famously a place of paradoxes, and perhaps the oddest paradox of all is this: the Dead Sea is dying. Edward Stourton, who has been to Israel to investigate, has found the Dead Sea is now shrinking at a terrifying speed with the sea level dropping by more than three feet a year.
There can be few sights sadder than a seaside restaurant that has been abandoned by the sea.
George Ure's UrbanSurvival.com | Outsource Washington!
Whoever those people are there - who seem intent on spending us into wealth - life doesn't work that way and the surest way to create prosperity in America is to trash globalist pap and rebuild America into a self sufficient powerhouse. Globalism has never been any more or less than rich folks playing labor rate differentials and pocketing the difference. Plain as day. Ask anyone in Detroit, Ohio, or states that used to be huge manufacturing centers.
AP | 746 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 746
Posted: Sep 10, 2009 08:29 PM
Updated: Sep 11, 2009 08:29 PM
By The Associated Press
As of Friday, Sept. 11, 2009, at least 746 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department. The department last updated its figures Thursday at 10 a.m. EDT.
Of those, the military reports 569 were killed by hostile action.
Outside the Afghan region, the Defense Department reports 69 more members of the U.S. military died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those, three were the result of hostile action. The military lists these other locations as Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Jordan; Kenya; Kyrgyzstan; Philippines; Seychelles; Sudan; Tajikistan; Turkey;and Yemen.
There were also four CIA officer deaths and one military civilian death.
The latest deaths reported by the military:
- A soldier died Thursday in an insurgent attack while on patrol in eastern Afghanistan.
On the Net:
Navajo Times | Sister and brother united after more than 70 years - when he was placed in the Good Shepherd Mission orphanage in Fort Defiance
RELATED:
http://navajotimes.com/news/2009/0609/062509orphan.php
Navajo Times | Looking for my family
WINDOW ROCK, June 25, 2009 - Orphaned at 2, Navajo octogenarian seeks the family he has never known
http://navajotimes.com/news/2009/0609/062509orphan.php
Navajo Times | Looking for my family
WINDOW ROCK, June 25, 2009 - Orphaned at 2, Navajo octogenarian seeks the family he has never known
AP | Extinct New Zealand eagle - Haast's eagle became extinct 500 yrs ago - may have even eaten the rare unlucky human
By MICHAEL CASEY (AP) – 14 hours ago
BANGKOK — Sophisticated computer scans of fossils have helped solve a mystery over the nature of a giant, ancient raptor known as the Haast's eagle which became extinct about 500 years ago, researchers said Friday. The researchers say they have determined that the eagle — which lived in the mountains of New Zealand and weighed about 40 pounds (18 kilograms) — was a predator and not a mere scavenger as many thought.
Much larger than modern eagles, Haast's eagle would have swooped to prey on flightless birds — and possibly even the rare unlucky human.
Ken Ashwell of the University of New South Wales in Australia and Paul Scofield of the Canterbury Museum in New Zealand wrote their conclusions in the peer-reviewed Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Using computed axial tomography, or CAT, the researchers scanned several skulls, a pelvis and a beak in an effort to reconstruct the size of the bird's brain, eyes, ears and spinal cord.
They compared their data on the Haast's eagle to characteristics of modern predator birds and scavenger birds to determine that the bird was a fearsome predator that ate the flightless moa birds and even humans.
The researchers also determined the eagle quickly evolved from a much smaller ancestor, with the body growing much more quickly than the brain. They believe its body grew 10 times bigger during the early to middle Pleistocene period, 700,000 to 1.8 million years ago.
"This work is a great example of how rapidly evolving medical techniques and equipment can be used to solve ancient medical mysteries," Ashwell said.
AFP | Top Stories - September 12, 2009 5:00am CDT
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US offers to talk directly to N.Korea
WASHINGTON (AFP) - In a policy shift, the Obama administration said it is prepared to hold direct talks with North Korea in a bid to bring Pyongyang back to six-nation nuclear disarmament negotiations. Full Story »
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Afghanistan awaits results from fraud-tainted poll
KABUL (AFP) - Afghans are awaiting the latest tranche of results from key elections amid concerns that investigations into vote-rigging claims could drag on, creating a dangerous political vacuum. Full Story »
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China jails Xinjiang syringe attacker: report
BEIJING (AFP) - A teenager has been jailed for 15 years in Urumqi in the first legal action to be taken over a series of syringe attacks in China's Muslim-majority Xinjiang region, state television reported Saturday. Full Story »
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EU meets Mugabe to ease tension with Zimbabwe
HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe welcomed a high-level EU delegation "with open arms" on Saturday as Brussels and Harare began their first talks in seven years. Full Story »
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Space shuttle Discovery lands safely in California
HOUSTON, Texas (AFP) - The Discovery astronauts found sunny skies in California on Friday as they descended to a weather-delayed landing at Edwards Air Force Base to end a demanding two-week mission to the International Space Station. Full Story »
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China slams US tyre tariffs, threatens retaliation
BEIJING (AFP) - Beijing lashed out at the US on Saturday after Washington slapped steep tariffs on imported Chinese tyres, calling the measure "protectionist" and threatening retaliation in China's first trade spat with the Obama administration. Full Story »
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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Wells Fargo said the company was investigating allegations an employee held a series of parties in a Malibu mansion seized by the bank from a couple swindled in the Bernard Madoff fraud.
UPI | Top News Headlines - September 12, 2009 4:45am CDT
WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy's son says growing up with a family legacy of assassination includes memories of the bullet-proof vests in his father's closet. In an interview with CBS News, to be broadcast Sunday on "60 Minutes," Ted Kennedy Jr. says he and his brother and sister were acutely aware of their father's protective vests.
BOSTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey said Friday he will not run for the Senate seat that had been held by the late Edward M. Kennedy.
DES MOINES, Iowa, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- The H1N1 influenza is a new strain of the flu virus, not the swine flu that has infected U.S. pigs for 80 years, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says.
ZAGREB, Croatia, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A Croatian doctor who allegedly refused to treat a man with stroke symptoms because he is a Serb could lose his license to practice medicine, officials say.
PLUMSTEAD, Pa., Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A man suspected of a series of burglaries and car thefts in a Philadelphia suburb was shot dead by a police officer after a brief chase, authorities said.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- The first in a series of public-service announcements calling for volunteerism features Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, the wife of the vice president.
LONDONDERRY, Northern Ireland, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A dissident Republican group has claimed responsibility for attacks Friday on the family of a Catholic police officer in Northern Ireland, investigators said.
NEW YORK, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A United Nations panel says the global economic crisis shows the need for new institutions and replacement of the dollar as reserve currency.
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A Los Angeles man has been charged with a 34-year-old rape and murder based on DNA evidence he provided when arrested on a drug charge, prosecutors say.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. Census Bureau ended a partnership Friday with ACORN after videos surfaced of employees of the community group offering advice on running a brothel.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Clinical trials of the H1N1 vaccine show most adults may only need a single dose to gain immunity, researchers say.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- The Obama administration is willing to hold direct talks with Iran without preconditions but does not expect a major breakthrough, officials said Friday.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Max Baucus said Friday he expects the Finance Committee to release a
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A mentally retarded Florida man has been freed after DNA testing cleared him of a rape and killing he confessed to 26 years ago when he was 15.
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- The cost of fighting the Station Fire, which has ravaged 250 square miles of San Bernardino National Forest, could climb to $100 million, officials say.
Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government | 12 Sep 2009
Putin warns against Iran attack --US and Israel have never ruled out the option of air strikes on Iran to stop it acquiring an atomic weapon 11 Sep 2009 Russian PM Vladimir Putin has warned against military action targeting Iran or imposing new sanctions to curb its nuclear programme. Iran's latest proposals on its nuclear ambitions have brought diverging views from the US and Russia. Earlier, a US official told the BBC that Washington was unhappy with the proposals, submitted on Wednesday. President Barack Obama has given Tehran until the end of September to respond to his friendlier overtures or face new sanctions. [So, that would be Obama's fourth war front: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Good luck w. that.]
Russian report: Netanyahu may be planning attack --PM's rushed visit to Moscow under cloud of secrecy occupies Russian media. 10 Sep 2009 Israel News Russian media on Thursday continued to cover Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's mysterious visit to Moscow, that was leaked to the media from his office. Kommersant newspaper quoted "experts" as saying they believe a visit of this kind could have stemmed from urgent circumstances, "for example, in the event that Israel plans to attack Iran".
Obama says U.S. must renew fight against al Qaeda 11 Sep 2009 President George W. Bush Barack Obama sought to rally Americans behind the war in Afghanistan on the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States as opinion polls show faltering public support for the conflict. "Let us renew our resolve against those who perpetrated this barbaric act and plot against us still," Obama said on Friday at a somber ceremony attended by about 500 people under rain-filled skies at the Pentagon. "In pursuit of al Qaeda and its extremist allies we will never falter," he said, before laying a wreath at a memorial for those killed at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.
US committee approves $128 billion war spending --Funding will allow President Obama's order to add 21,000 more troops to the Afghanistan contingent, to proceed. 10 Sep 2009 A powerful Senate committee in the US has approved President Barack Obama’s $128 billion request for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. With little debate, it was decided to allow the request which will cater for $636 billion in funding for next year’s Pentagon budget. The funding will allow President Obama’s order from earlier this year, to add 21,000 more troops to the Afghanistan contingent, to go ahead.
'Taliban hold sway over in 97% of Afghanistan' 11 Sep 2009 A policy research group says the Taliban have a significant presence in almost every corner of Afghanistan, eight years after their overthrow by US-led forces. A security map by the London-based International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) showed a deepening security crisis with substantial Taliban activity in at least 97 percent of the war-ravaged country.
Senate Armed Services Chairman: No More U.S. Troops to Afghanistan 11 Sep 2009 The debate whether to send more combat troops to Afghanistan took a twist reminiscent of the Iraq conflict when the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Friday advised not sending any more U.S. combat troops to Afghanistan beyond those already approved by President Obama until more Afghan security forces are trained. Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., also called for a shift in U.S. efforts toward [a new money pit] more trainers, who could, in part, be supplied by NATO allies.
Iraq suicide truck bombing kills 22 people 11 Sep 2009 A suicide truck bomber triggered a massive blast in a Kurdish village in northern Iraq as residents slept early on Thursday, flattening homes and killing at least 22 people, officials said. The attack just after midnight in Wardak, southeast of Mosul, brought down a dozen houses built from clay and stone, damaged 60 others and left a massive crater, said an AFP reporter at the scene.
Gunmen kill five Iraqi soldiers in drive-by 11 Sep 2009 Gunmen drove two cars up to an Iraqi army checkpoint in northern Iraq and opened fire on Friday evening, killing five soldiers, police said. The drive-by shooting took place just before Iraqis broke their Ramadan fast in the village of Safara, about 200 km (125 miles) northwest of Baghdad.
Iraqi shoe thrower gets hero treatment 11 Sep 2009 The Iraqi TV journalist who threw his shoes at then-president [sic] George W. Bush will be showered with gifts including a four-bedroom house -- and at least one potential bride -- upon his imminent release from jail. Muntadhar al-Zeidi, 30, is scheduled to be freed Monday after spending nine months in prison for assault, according to Dhiya al-Saadi, his lawyer. Al-Zeidi hurled both shoes at Bush during a Baghdad news conference last December to protest the U.S. presence in Iraq.
Torture Case Against US Mercenaries Is Dismissed 12 Sep 2009 A federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit against two American mercenary firms by Iraqi victims of torture, saying the companies had immunity as 'government contractors.' The lawsuit was filed in 2004 on behalf of Iraqis who say they or their relatives had been tortured or mistreated at Abu Ghraib prison. The plaintiffs sued CACI International, which provided interrogators at Abu Ghraib, and L-3 Communications Holdings’ Titan unit, which provided interpreters to the military.
Met Police to investigate M16 torture claim --Scotland Yard is investigating an allegation that an MI6 officer was complicit in torture, after the Secret Intelligence Service referred the incident on its own initiative. 11 Sep 2009 Police are already looking into similar claims made against MI5 by the former Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed. This latest case emerged in a letter from the Foreign Secretary David Miliband to his Conservative counterpart William Hague - and it has prompted calls for a full independent inquiry into all such allegations. Scotland Yard said the attorney general, Baronness Scotland, asked the police to investigate "the conditions under which a non-Briton was held" and the "potential involvement of British personnel".
Biden Honors NYC 9/11 Victims as Obama Hosts Memorial 11 Sep 2009 Vice President Joe Biden led past and present area governors and mayors of New York City as well as relatives and friends honoring 2,752 people who perished in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. New York’s eighth anniversary observance paid tribute to the volunteer spirit of hundreds of emergency responders and individuals who helped rescue thousands from the towers and then aided in the recovery of the dead from the burning ruins.
Fifty questions on 9/11 By Pepe Escobar 11 Sep 2009 It's September 11 all over again - eight years on. The George W Bush administration is out. The "global war on terror" is still on, renamed "overseas contingency operations" by the Barack Obama administration. Obama's "new strategy" - a war escalation - is in play in AfPak. Osama bin Laden may be dead or not. "Al-Qaeda" remains a catch-all ghost entity. September 11 - the neo-cons' "new Pearl Harbor" - remains the darkest jigsaw puzzle of the young 21st century. [See: CLG 9/11 Exposition Zone.]
FAA: Flights at Ronald Reagan Airport Halted for 20 Minutes After Reports of Shots 11 Sep 2009 The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to ABC News that flights departing from the Washington D.C. Ronald Reagan National Airport were stopped for 20 minutes as a precautionary measure after media reports of shots fired by the Coast Guard on the Potomac River. FAA officials say 17 outbound flights were affected but arrivals were not impacted. Departures stopped at around 10:08 a.m. and resumed at 10:29 a.m.
'No shots fired' in Washington river Coast Guard exercise 11 Sep 2009 The Coast Guard was conducting a training exercise in the Potomac River in Washington DC moments before US President Barack Obama and his motorcade crossed a nearby bridge today. Coast Guard Chief Keith Moore said no shots were fired as part of the exercise. Media reports suggested shots had been fired in the river. President Obama had travelled to the Pentagon for a ceremony commemorating the eighth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Coast Guard Exercise on Potomac River Raises Fears 11 Sep 2009 The U.S. Coast Guard sent gunboats to the Potomac River in Washington today as part of a training exercise on the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, prompting the FBI and other law enforcement agencies which hadn't received advance notice to race to the scene. The exercise [?!?] was conducted about the time President Barack Obama was at a Sept. 11 ceremony at the Pentagon, which required crossing the river on a nearby bridge.
Potomac River Scare: Coast Guard 'Shots' During 9/11 Memorial --Coast Guard Admits it Was Running Training Exercise -- Right Near Pentagon Ceremony 11 Sep 2009 Washington, D.C., residents mourning the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks this morning heard an eerie echo less than an hour later -- reports that a Coast Guard vessel had fired shots at a boat in the Potomac River near the Pentagon. But after half an hour of anxiety, the Coast Guard and local police said the whole thing was a training exercise, and no shots were fired at all. The exercise took place before mourners had left the memorial ceremony at the Pentagon where President Obama spoke, and while memorials in New York City and Shanksville, Pa., were still in progress.
Homeland security grants awarded in state after 9/11 marked by waste, lack of oversight 11 Sep 2009 ...The Marin County example is not an isolated one. Under the state's open-records laws, California Watch found scores of instances of wasteful spending, purchasing violations, error-prone accounting and shoddy oversight at agencies across the state during the years immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Metro to Get $78.3 Million to Enhance Security 11 Sep 2009 1:34 PM Metro will receive $78.3 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to enhance the security of the system, its riders and employees, the agency announced Thursday. Metro said it will use the money to hire additional police officers and explosives-detecting dogs, install surveillance cameras on rail cars and buses, and implement and enhance emergency training for employees. It said $11 million will go toward creating 25 new positions for the Metro Transit Police, including 20 additional officers for new anti-terrorism teams.
Police resources for homicide cases scarce as Detroit faces cash crisis 11 Sep 2009 As the city tries to stave off financial collapse, it also finds itself mired in controversy about its high murder rate and large number of unsolved murders. Murders are up more than 15 percent from this time a year ago, according to police, who patrol the city with the nation's highest murder rate. Add to that a Detroit News investigation that on Thursday revealed that, at minimum, seven in 10 people who committed murder in this city last year have gotten away with it.
Big Brother database to protect children against paedophiles has gone too far, says Soham report chief 12 Sep 2009 (UK) A massive vetting system set up to safeguard children and the elderly has come under fire from Sir Michael Bichard - the man whose report into the Soham murders led to its creation. One in four adults in Britain will have to be screened by the Independent Safeguarding Authority when it goes live next month, before they are allowed to work in any job involving access to children. It could even cover those who do no more than give neighbours' or friends' children lifts to sports or club events.
My question: If the outburst by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) was 'spontaneous,' as he claimed, how come -- and who -- photographed Wilson at the exact moment of his heckling of President Obama? --Lori Price
House plans to admonish Rep. Wilson over outburst --While not a formal censure or reprimand, the resolution, if passed as expected, would put Congress on record as condemning Wilson's conduct. 11 Sep 2009 Democratic leaders are planning a House vote early next week to admonish Republican Rep. Joe Wilson if he does not apologize on the House floor for yelling "You lie!" during President Barack Obama's health care address to Congress. National attention from the heckling episode has money pouring into Wilson's campaign treasury and that of his 2010 Democratic challenger. Democratic leaders decided at a meeting late Thursday that they probably will propose a resolution of disapproval early next week if Wilson doesn't apologize to Congress, said Brendan Daly, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Dem leaders renew push for Wilson censure 10 Sep 2009 Joe Wilson's flat refusal to apologize to the entire House for heckling President Obama has rekindled a push by top Democrats to introduce a censure resolution -- despite Speaker Nancy Pelosi's earlier refusal to consider the idea, sources tell me. Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) and Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) are once again considering the move after Wilson adamantly refused to offer a mea culpa in the well of the House -- after Clyburn buttonholed him on the floor.
Joe Wilson: 'I will not be muzzled' 11 Sep 2009 Rep. Joe Wilson (R-Racist-SC) released a fiery fundraising appeal late Thursday, calling himself a target of the left and vowing to push forward in his battle against President Obama’s health care reform effort. "…I will not be muzzled. I will speak up loudly against this risky plan," Wilson says in the video appeal on his campaign Web site.
"Joe the Heckler" Wilson Newest GOP Star By R J Shulman 12 Sep 2009 While not as snappy as "I have not yet begun to fight" or "give me liberty or give me death," the words "you lie," hurled at President Barack Obama by South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson, has catapulted the little-known congressman into the new Republican sensation. "With just two words, Joe was able to wrestle the spotlight away from Obama and his fascist communistic plans for a government takeover of health care, complete with death panels and doctor rationing," said Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa. (Satire)
Insurance company stock dividends we can believe in: Shares of U.S. health insurers rose after Obama's speech 10 Sep 2009 Shares of U.S. health insurers climbed on Thursday after analysts saw no "game changers" from President Barack Obama's highly anticipated speech on health reform. Following the speech, analysts predicted any changes to the system would be moderate, with Obama backing many initiatives put forth earlier this week by a leading Senate committee. The possibility a threatening public health plan would be enacted also now seemed doubtful, analysts said.
Nancy Pelosi joins President Obama on road to health care compromise 11 Sep 2009 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fell in line Thursday behind President Obama's bid to water down liberal Democrats' health reform demands and pave the way for compromise sell-out. One day after Obama's speech to Congress, Pelosi stepped away from her previously unwavering insistence on a government-run public insurance option. "I don't think you ever really go into a negotiation and say that some things are nonnegotiable," Pelosi said when asked if the public option is on the table. Bridging the differences between liberal and moderate Democrats is key to Obama's strategy to break the gridlock and put together majorities to pass a bill screw the left, *again.*
Insiders sell like there's no tomorrow --Corporate officers and directors were buying stock when the market hit bottom. What does it say that they're selling now? 11 Sep 2009 Can hundreds of stock-selling insiders be wrong? The stock market has mounted an historic rally since it hit a low in March. The S&P 500 is up 55%, as U.S. job losses have slowed and credit markets have stabilized. But against that improving backdrop, one indicator has turned distinctly bearish: Corporate officers and directors have been selling shares at a pace last seen just before the onset of the subprime malaise two years ago.
Corus, Minn. bank busts bring '09 failures to 91 11 Sep 2009 Regulators closed Chicago-based Corus Bank N.A. and Woodbury, Minn.-based Brickwell Community Bank on Friday, bringing the number of U.S. bank failures this year to 91. Corus had $7 billion in assets and $7 billion in deposits as of June 30, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said in a statement. Corus' deposits have been assumed by MB Financial Bank, the FDIC said. Brickwell Community Bank had $63 million in deposits as of July 24, the regulator said.
'I've never experienced anything like this. There has been a huge drop in the number of bears we see.' Grizzlies starve as salmon disappear 11 Sep 2009 First the salmon vanished, now the bears may be gone too. Reports from conservationists, salmon-stream walkers and ecotourism guides all along British Columbia's wild central coast indicate a collapse of salmon runs has triggered widespread death from starvation of black and grizzly bears. Those guides are on the front lines of what they say is an unfolding ecological disaster that is so new that it has not been documented by biologists.
Help Stop the International Polar Bear Trade 03 Sep 2009 In some countries, collectors can still buy polar bear skin rugs, claws, skulls and other parts of these animals -- even as these beloved bears struggle for survival in a warming world. The U.S. can strengthen protections for polar bears under international law by proposing to restrict trade in polar bear products -- a move that could save the lives of hundreds of polar bears each year. But officials need to hear from you. Take action now -- Urge the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to propose an international ban on the trade of polar bear products. Please take action: The deadline is today!
Previous lead stories: U.S. eyes military equipment in Iraq for Pakistan 09 Sep 2009 The Pentagon has proposed transferring U.S. military equipment from Iraq to Pakistani security forces to 'help' Islamabad step up its offensive against the Taliban, according to officials and government documents. The Pentagon request for the authority to "transfer articles no longer needed in Iraq" to the army of Pakistan received a cool reception in the U.S. Congress. [Gee, if the *equipment* goes, is it not logical to assume that the *people* (mercenaries, soldiers) who *operate* the equipment will soon follow?]
Lithuania Parliament Rejects CIA Prison Probe 10 Sep 2009 Lithuania's parliament on Thursday rejected holding an inquiry into a U.S. report that the country hosted a secret CIA prison for 'al Qaeda' suspects. ABC News reported in August that Lithuania was the third European country after Poland and Romania to have provided the Central Intelligence Agency with facilities for detaining and, possibly, interrogating suspects.
FBI Informant Says Agents Missed Chance to Stop 9/11 Ringleader --Mohammed Atta Undercover Operative 'One Million Percent Positive' Attacks Could Have Been Prevented 10 Sep 2009 On the eve of the eight year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, an FBI informant who infiltrated alleged terrorist cells in the U.S. tells ABC News the FBI missed a chance to stop the al Qaeda [al CIAduh] plot because they focused more on undercover stings than on the man who would later become known as 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta. Former undercover operative Elie Assaad says he spotted and became suspicious of Atta in early 2001, when he was sent by the FBI to infiltrate a small mosque outside Miami.
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