It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men. -Samuel Adams Monday Morning - January 18, 2010 |
 It appears the earthquake swarm continues today at Yellowstone National Park. MAG DATE LOCAL-TIME LAT LON DEPTH LOCATION y/m/d h:m:s deg deg km 2.5 2010/01/18 03:10:22 44.559N 110.970W 8.5 16 km (10 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT 0.8 2010/01/17 19:50:19 44.565N 110.966W 9.4 15 km (10 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT 2.5 2010/01/17 19:44:15 44.569N 111.011W 14.8 13 km ( 8 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT 2.7 2010/01/17 19:38:01 44.561N 110.973W 9.8 15 km (10 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT 2.6 2010/01/17 18:04:24 44.562N 110.972W 9.0 15 km (10 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT 2.7 2010/01/17 17:02:56 44.563N 110.970W 11.3 15 km (10 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT 2.5 2010/01/17 15:43:34 44.565N 110.972W 6.5 15 km ( 9 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT 2.6 2010/01/17 14:55:56 44.554N 110.970W 0.9 16 km (10 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT 2.7 2010/01/17 14:04:07 44.562N 110.967W 9.7 16 km (10 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT |
"Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people" - John Adams - Second President (1797 - 1801) |
U.S. troops are welcomed as relief pours in. The influx of aid has overwhelmed the airport; supplies are slow in reaching those most in need. A Military “Martial Law Exercise”….Haiti Style! Obama mobilizes military reservists to reinforce Haiti aid RawStory.com US President Barack Obama Sunday mobilized military reserves to help quake-hit Haiti, particularly medical staff to work on hospital ships and Coast Guard staff to secure the ports Demands Deployment of Lifesaving Medical Equipment Given Priority Port-au-Prince 17 Jan 2010 Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) urges that its cargo planes carrying essential medical and surgical material be allowed to land in Port-au-Prince in order to treat thousands of wounded waiting for vital surgical operations. Priority must be given immediately to planes carrying lifesaving equipment and medical personnel. Despite guarantees, given by the United Nations and the US Defense Department, an MSF cargo plane carrying an inflatable surgical hospital was blocked from landing in Port-au-Prince on Saturday, and was re-routed to Samana, in Dominican Republic. All material from the cargo is now being sent by truck from Samana, but this has added a 24-hour delay for the arrival of the hospital. Elderly and abandoned, 84 Haitians await death 17 Jan 2010 There is no food, water or medicine for the 84 surviving residents of the Port-au-Prince Municipal Nursing Home, barely a mile (1 1/2 kilometers) from the airport where a massive international aid effort is taking shape. "Help us, help us," 69-year-old Mari-Ange Levee begged Sunday, lying on the ground with a broken leg and ribs. A cluster of flies swarmed the open fracture in her skull. One man had already died, and administrator Jean Emmanuel said more would follow soon unless water and food arrive immediately. [MSNBC host: 'A field hospital (from Doctors Without Borders) was actually denied permission to land... Why is that?' Miami Herald correspondent: 'That's been happening from the get-go.' The feed was then lost. --MSNBC live, 13:05 ET 17 Jan 2010.] Clash over Haiti aid flights; French blame USA over medical delays... Bush, Clinton: Haiti response not about politics... Anarchy: Lynch mobs turn on looters... Haiti's Streets Called 'Tinderbox' as Hunger, Thirst and Anger Grows... Violence Hampering Earthquake Relief... CNN's Gupta steps in for fleeing doctors... Chavez says USA occupying Haiti in name of aid... Luxury liners still docking at private beaches near Haiti's devastated earthquake zone... |
Joyce Riley's THE POWER HOUR NEWS | January 18, 2010 Joyce Riley was a Flight Nurse & Cardiovascular Heart Transplant Nurse - her radio program is always good and very informative. Check out archives if you can't listen when she comes on a 7am: POWER HOUR ARCHIVE The Power Hour Website YouTube: ThePowerHourChannel's Channel Show Schedule (7-10am CST) Listen Live Moritz Kraemer: Is the Euro Headed for a Breakup? -- But divergence in creditworthiness is hardly a phenomenon created by the economic crisis: For example, euro-zone sovereign ratings assigned by Standard & Poor's had begun to move apart around five years ago, following downgrades of Italy, Portugal and Greece. Today, investors and commentators appear to be asking more fundamental questions, going to the core of the euro project. Once the preserve of fringe political commentators, speculation about the possibility of a euro-zone break-up has now crept into mainstream economic and political debate. Willem Buiter warns of massive dollar collapse -- He said that the dollar had been kept elevated in recent years by what some called "dark matter" or "American alpha" - an assumption that the US could earn more on its overseas investments than foreign investors could make on their American assets. However, this notion had been gradually dismantled in recent years, before being dealt a fatal blow by the current financial crisis, he said. "The past eight years of imperial overstretch, hubris and domestic and international abuse of power on the part of the Bush administration has left the US materially weakened financially, economically, politically and morally," he said. "Even the most hard-nosed, Guantanamo Bay-indifferent potential foreign investor in the US must recognize that its financial system has collapsed." Surveillance Society: Negative Aspects Of Government Data Mining -- The collected information is often analyzed by law enforcement software to create profiles of individuals. Your Facebook page, purchasing habits, hobbies and taste in movies along with other records are carefully scrutinized and analyzed. A combination of this information, surveillance cameras, facial recognition technology, emotional recognition technology and other real time access to information allows for incredibly detailed profiling of the public. Government entities can and do use the personal information they collect to map out social networks, identify behavioral tendencies and to identify potentially undesirable individuals. Drugs like Tylenol can be contaminated with mold & chemicals -- A recent recall of the OTC pain reliever TYLENOL Arthritis Pain Caplets has revealed that drugs can be contaminated with mold and chemicals when they are transported and stored on "engineered wood" pallets. Tylenol recall for contamination -- At the core of the Tylenol Arthritis Recall 2009 is a musty odor caused by 2,4,6-tribromoanisole. What is more concerning is what led to the formation of the chemical to begin with. Analyst: Adjuvanted H1N1 vaccines helped stir Europe's debate -- The use of adjuvanted vaccines, an unfamiliar technology, helped spark mistrust that may have contributed to the recent allegations in Europe that pharmaceutical companies manipulated governments and international agencies by hyping the H1N1 pandemic threat, according to a British market analyst who follows infectious disease issues. CDC says 20% of Americans received H1N1 vaccine -- As 2009 ended, an estimated 55 million Americans had been infected with the H1N1 pandemic flu and roughly one in five Americans had been vaccinated against the disease, the CDC said. Goldman Sachs bankers set for 81% rise in bonuses -- bankers are forecast to enjoy an 81% rise in their pay and bonuses for 2009, even though the bank may be forced to respond to political pressure by reducing the amount of money it sets aside for employee payouts in the fourth quarter of the year. Security concerns caused doctors to leave hospital, abandon victims -- Earthquake victims, writhing in pain and grasping at life, watched doctors and nurses walk away from a field hospital Friday night after a Belgian medical team evacuated the area, saying it was concerned about security. The decision left CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta as the only doctor at the hospital to get the patients through the night. Doctors without Borders plane prevented from landing in Haiti -- Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) urges that its cargo planes carrying essential medical and surgical material be allowed to land in Port-au-Prince in order to treat thousands of wounded waiting for vital surgical operations. Priority must be given immediately to planes carrying lifesaving equipment and medical personnel. Haitian quake occurred in complex active seismic region -- The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that triggered disastrous destruction and mounting death tolls in Haiti this week occurred in a highly complex tangle of tectonic faults near the intersection of the Caribbean and North American crustal plates, according to a quake expert at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Industry corruption, shoddy construction likely contributed to Haiti quake devastation -- The death toll in the massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti Jan. 12 is expected to continue to rise in the coming days, likely in large part because of corruption and resulting shoddy construction practices in the poor Caribbean nation, according to a University of Colorado at Boulder seismologist. Lawyers poised for lawsuit in Massachusetts election -- Lawyers are being positioned even over the weekend to file a legal action quickly in support of the GOP candidate in the Massachusetts special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy should he succeed in defeating a hand-picked Democratic successor. Obama confidant's spine chilling proposal -- Sunstein advocates that the Government's stealth infiltration should be accomplished by sending covert agents into "chat rooms, online social networks, or even real-space groups." He also proposes that the Government make secret payments to so-called "independent" credible voices to bolster the Government's messaging. Michelle Obama's toxic garden -- The problem stems from a previous administration’s having used sewage sludge for fertilizer. Which means it will never be certified organic. Bee expert, chemical rep clash over pesticides -- Some beekeepers believe, as bees pollinate the plants, they are exposed to these pesticides and it eventually kills them. Manufacturers of the chemicals say they are safe. Body with very long fingers found off Plum Island -- An alleged mutated human body washed ashore on Plumb Island, a small island where the U.S. Government typically studies dangerous animal diseases. Maine may require cell phones to carry cancer warnings -- Representative Andrea Boland, a Democrat from Maine, has introduced legislation that would require all mobile phones sold in the state to bear a label warning people that the devices may cause brain cancer. Citing studies that highlight such risks, Boland plans to make her case before the legislature in January in favor of the bill which, if enacted, would make Maine the first state to mandate hazard warnings for mobile devices. Video: Anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom -- Police officers confronted Hawaiian demonstrators who were commemorating the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom. Airport full body scanners break rules on privacy -- THE introduction of full-body scanners at British airports would breach laws protecting personal privacy, the equality watchdog has warned the home secretary. Shades of Katrina: 4 days in Haitians asked 'Is anyone coming to help?' -- "It has been four days since this thing," the man, Jean-Claude Hilaire, began. "And nobody has come yet. My area, Bel Air, is devastated. About 200,000 people have lost their homes. Twenty thousand – kids, pregnant women – are sleeping hungry in the local park. That's long enough. I need to know: is anybody coming? Is anybody going to do anything?" The militarization of emergency aid to Haiti: Is it a humanitarian operation or an invasion -- The overall humanitarian operation is not being led by civilian governmental agencies such as FEMA or USAID, but by the Pentagon. The dominant decision making role has been entrusted to US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). 6 great quakes to come -- what the webbots are seeing. RAND Corporation advises Army on creating a National Stability Police Force -- The Rand Corporation was asked by the US Army to prepare a report recommending whether or not the US Needed a National Stability Police force. Basically a call for American "Brown Shirts" Rand's answer was a resounding yes. Thousands of Americans died from H1N1 even after receiving vaccines -- The CDC is intentionally not tracking how many of the dead were previously vaccinated. They want you (and mainstream media journalists) to mistakenly believe that ZERO deaths occurred in those who were vaccinated. But this is blatantly false. Being vaccinated against H1N1 swine flu offers absolutely no reduction in mortality from swine flu infections. And that means roughly 20% of the 11,160 Americans who died from the swine flu were probably already vaccinated against swine flu. That comes to around 2,200 deaths in people who were vaccinated! Swine flu as elusive as WMD, the real threat is mad scientist syndrome -- Remember the warnings of 65,000 dead? Health chiefs should admit they were wrong – yet again – about a global pandemic. Nations scrap orders for swine flu vaccine -- Demand for vaccines to combat H1N1 influenza has fizzled out because the pandemic has proven to be less aggressive than was first feared. Obama executive order seeks to integrate state & federal forces -- In the wake of the Flight 253 provocation, over-hyped terrorism panics, and last year's Big Pharma and media-engineered hysteria over the H1N1 flu pandemic, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13528 on January 11. * Related links to article: Executive Order 13528 - Operation Cable Splicer - Operation Garden Plot FEMA drowns millions of homeowners in flood insurance premiums -- Many homeowners are getting notices they must purchase flood insurance for the first time, even though they may live in areas never known to flood....as in, never! Apathy is allowing the death of America -- "Yes, you have our permission to be angry with Washington. I'M MAD AND YOU WILL BE, TOO..." Read More... For bankers: Who's the boss? -- An informal poll of top economic bloggers seems to indicate that these banking executives are accountable mainly to themselves. Can the U.S. Navy make jet fuel out of seawater? -- U.S. Navy scientists are investigating a method for transforming ocean water into jet fuel as a way to maintain U.S. military superiority even in the face of dwindling global oil supplies. Global uranium supply & demand-from Council on Foreign Relations -- Interest in nuclear power is increasing as the world's demand grows for cheap, reliable electricity, along with the need to reduce air pollution. VIDEO: A message from Transport Canada -- Funny video on airport security. |
Popular Honduras resistance blog. Click here .
- Kenyans protest arrest of Islamic cleric. Muslim youth clash with police in Nairobi.
- Riots in Italy after racist shootings by ’Ndrangheta mafia. Immigrant riots hit Rosarno as Berlusconi fascists walk in lock-step with mafiosi in southern Italy.
PANDEMIC BIG PHARMA-BIOLOGICAL WARFARE NEWS:
- CDC says 80 million Americans infected by H1N1. Agency claims 16,000 Americans died from virus.
- H1N1 reaction questions being asked in UK. British government spent millions of pounds on drugs and vaccine.
- H1N1 deaths higher for California's Latinos and African-Americans. Native Americans also hit hard.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
- Quake hits Venezuelan coast and isle of Margarita. Quake at 5.7 on Richter scale. Earthquake hits Mindanao. Sronger-than-normal quake shakes Oklahoma. 6.3 Richter scale quake off Argentina. Is the government telling us everything we should know about the condition of our planet?
- Exiled Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide offers to return to Haiti to help rebuild. U.S. troops are in Haiti, in part, to prevent exactly that.
- Russian Parliament ratifies European Court of Human Rights reform. Council of Europe court can now better enforce decisions.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Armed "hunters" put Pantex nuclear weapons plant into security lockdown. Something may be "stinky" with this story. Pantex has had a series of security problems linked to Israel as previously reported by WMR.
- Not from "The Onion": Osama Bin Laden gets a State Department makeover. Gone are the beard and turban from "Most Wanted" photo.
Made-over Bin Laden on Most Wanted list (left). Has anyone seen Paul Wolfowitz (right) lately?
- But wait, wait! The "Bin Laden" photo is not really him, its an anti-war Spanish politician. Neocons are still running the State Department and the FBI is still incompetent -- they used a photo of Spanish Communist MP Gaspar Llamazares. Spanish United Left party says it does not believe in coincidences -- neither does WMR. Heckuva job, Hillary and Mueller!
- Kennedy's old Senate seat may be picked up by Republicans. Polls show special election trending to Scott Brown over Martha Coakley -- such an upset would spell a major disaster for Obama after Democratic gubernatorial losses in Virginia and New Jersey
- Ugandan anti-gay politician to attend National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. And who will also be at the annual Christian "The Family/Fellowship Foundation" conclave? Well, none other than "Mr. Change" himself, "Barky" Obama. Ugandan David Bahati wants to kill the gays. How very Christian.
- Right-wing Pat Robertson kook becomes Virginia's Governor. Bob McDonnell, graduate of Robertson's whacky Regent University sworn in as Virginia descends back into the dark ages.
COUNTRY FOCUS OF THE DAY. Haiti. Desperate Haitians wait for aid. Hell on Earth: Three days have gone by as 1500 corpses are piled up in front of morgue in Port-au-Prince
PAST SIGNIFICANT NEWS
Blagojevich says he's "blacker than Obama." After the Harry Reid comments, Obama has a "color" identity problem -- his waltzing with Wall Street has more than white politicians calling him out on his ethnic empathy. One African-American politician told WMR that Obama is an "oreo" -- black on the outside but white on the inside. Maybe Obama should spend more time in Mayor Ray Nagin's "Chocolate City" -- and discover what it's really like to be an African-American in the United States. This editor agrees with Blagojevich on Obama's phony "negritude" -- and when it comes to Africa, Wayne Madsen is not advocating for AFRICOM and for sending special ops teams throughout the continent to kill Africans who are opposed to the corporate raping and plundering of their land and waters. Barack Obama, who is half Kenyan, is advocating for those things. That makes this editor's "Africanism" much stronger than that of Barack Obama.
Israelis intimidate Turkish ambassador over TV show. The U.S., Turkey's NATO ally, fails to respond to provocation from Zionist regime. Israeli boorish Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman instructs Israeli diplomats to be abrasive when Israel is criticized. Here is an idea: Jews cherish matzoh (unleavened crackers) because its consumption is mandated as a mitzvah, or commandment, during Passover. Anti-Israeli protesters should hurl matzohs at Israeli embassies, consulates, and trade offices around the world. It is an environmentally sound protest because the birds and other wild animals will appreciate the food offering while at the same time the sensitivites of the Israelis will be assaulted in a profound way. And why would the police care if one is merely feeding the birds and squirrels? Protests can be called a "Matzoh Mash."
Iran says U.S. and Israel behind Tehran bombing assassination of Iranian physicist. Car and motorbike bombs are a favorite Mossad tactic and Israel is the world's top sponsor of terrorism.
Dutch report says there was no legal basis for Iraq War. Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende, another neocon usurper, joined Bush's Coalition of the Willing. At least The Hague international war crimes court is not far for him -- a simple tram ride away.
Council of Europe health chief says pharmaceutical firms are behind man-made H1N1 pandemic. Wolfgang Wodard says H1N1 vaccine in dangerous and contains cancer cells. WMR was first out of the box on the scoop that H1N1 is a man-made virus involving a criminal conspiracy by the U.S. military and pharmaceutical researchers based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.
American Blackwater terrorists accused of being behind Ashura blast in Karachi. "Al Qaeda" is not the name for religious terrorists -- the name is Blackwater/Xe. "Rally taken out against Karachi carnage -- A protest rally was taken out by Jamaat-e-Islami Jacobabad against the recent Karachi carnage on Friday. The rally was led by the Provincial Amir of JI, Asadullah Bhutto and Abdul Hafiz Bajarani, while a large number of JI activists participated in it. The rally participants marched through various roads and staged sit-in in front of the local press club, suspending vehicular traffic for several hours. Addressing the rally, the JI leaders said that Blackwater is allegedly involved in the Karachi Ashura blast and arson. They accused the US of hatching conspiracies for getting control over Karachi and the economic lifeline of the country. They appealed to the Supreme Court to take notice of the incidents."
Video shows executions of Tamils by Sri Lankan forces. UN official says video is prima facie evidence of war crimes. Why an investigation will be stopped: WMR reported that Israel gave counter-insurgency support to Sri Lanka in its war against Tamils and Jaffna strip was designed as "Gaza Strip II."
Haaretz reports what WMR previously reported: Israeli firm allowed underwear bomber on plane in Amsterdam. ICTS and subsidiaries I-SEC and Pro-Check International are under fire. WMR, Dec. 26, 2009: "For a number of years, passengers at Schiphol flying to the United States have been subjected to intense grilling by security personnel linked to an Israeli firm."
Head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
January 17, 2010
Cass Sunstein has long been one of Barack Obama’s closest confidants. Often mentioned as a likely Obama nominee to the Supreme Court, Sunstein is currently Obama’s head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairshere. where, among other things, he is responsible for “overseeing policies relating to privacy, information quality, and statistical programs.” In 2008, while at Harvard Law School, Sunstein co-wrote a truly pernicious paper proposing that the U.S. Government employ teams of covert agents and pseudo-”independent” advocates to “cognitively infiltrate” online groups and websites — as well as other activist groups — which advocate views that Sunstein deems “false conspiracy theories” about the Government. This would be designed to increase citizens’ faith in government officials and undermine the credibility of conspiracists. The paper’s abstract can be read, and the full paper downloaded, here.
READ MORE ...
Chinese buy more U.S. assets than U.S. buys in China USAToday January 18, 2010 HONG KONG — For the first time, Chinese investment in U.S. companies has eclipsed U.S. purchases of Chinese entities, a trend analysts say is fueled partly by depressed American assets. In 2009, Chinese buyers snapped up $3.9 billion of U.S. assets, nearly four times the level in 2008, says Dealogic, a data-tracking firm. By comparison, U.S. buyers plowed $3 billion into Chinese entities last year, down 80% from 2008. |
INTERNET CENSORSHIP NEWS
New rules to be introduced by government decree will require people who upload videos onto the Internet to obtain authorization from the Communications Ministry similar to that required by television broadcasters, drastically reducing freedom to communicate over the Web, opposition lawmakers have warned.
Read More ...
| BANKSTER BONUSES |
Saudi billionaire eyes new links with News Corp.
Jan 17, 8:15 AM (ET)
CAIRO (AP) - The Saudi billionaire whose investment firm is one of the biggest stakeholders in Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. said he is looking to expand his alliances with the media giant, in the latest indication that his appetite for growth remains robust even as his company retrenches.
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a nephew of the Saudi king and who was listed last year by Forbes as the world's 22nd richest person, met with News Corp.'s chief executive Rupert Murdoch on Jan. 14 in a meeting that "touched upon future potential alliances with News Corp.," according to a statement released by his Kingdom Holding Co. late Saturday.
Media reports have indicated that News Corp, parent to Fox News and Dow Jones & Co., among others, may be thinking of buying a stake in Alwaleed's Rotana Media Group, which includes a number of satellite channels that air in the Middle Eas
Neither company has commented publicly on the possible deal, but the talks offer an indication yet that such an agreement may yet be in the offing. READ MORE ...
| BODY SCANNER SCAM NEWS FULL BODY NAKED SCANNER MAY BE COMING TO COURTHOUSE NEAR YOU Gun battle at Las Vegas federal courthouse retargets effort to make state ... Ely Daily Times Jan 13, 2010 In Elko, the funds are being used to purchase metal detectors and an X-ray scanner for the courthouse. Because of security concerns, the Supreme Court ... Body Scanner Installed in Colorado Courthouse in 2008
Infowars.com
If you have business at the courthouse in Castle Rock, Colorado, be prepared to be subjected to a body scan. “Visitors and employees must now walk through a contraption many are used to seeing at airports, hold their hands up and wait to have a 3-D holographic image of their body snapped,” ABC News in Denver reported on June 11, 2008, well before the Christmas underwear non-bomber event and the current wave of government and corporate media spawned irrationality and hysteria designed to escalate Gestapo tactics in airports and acclimate citizens to the evolving police state. |
MEET A ROCKEFELLER MINION
The Afghan war and the 'Grand Chessboard'
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The 9/11 Chronicles: Part One, Truth Rising
A 20 year friend of Ron Paul, Austin Texas’ NAACP Director Nelson Linder is interviewed by Scott Horton of Anti War radio concerning the accusations of racism against the congressman |
| "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail" - Benjamin Franklin | ||||
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OUR PLANET'S PROTECTIVE MAGNETOSPHERE UPDATE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| About Real-Time Magnetosphere Simulation http://www2.nict.go.jp/y/y223/simulation/realtime/index.html JANUARY 18, 2010 AT 7:35 AM CDT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/sunspots/ http://solarcycle24.com/ Classification of Solar Flares Magnetic fields trigger solar wind | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Update time = Mon Jan 18 13:00:02 UTC 2010
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Thick vog smothers East Hawaii, Puna, Volcano and Ka'u areasHawaii 24/7 - 17 hours ago Panorama of Halemaumau from Hawaii Volcanoes Observatory. Image taken Jan 17, 2010 at 8:14 am Sulfur Dioxide concentrations are high in Hawaii Volcanoes ... Yellowstone Volcano Observatory YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO (CAVW #1205-01-) 44°25'48" N 110°40'12" W, Summit Elevation 9203 ft (2805 m) Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN December 2009 Yellowstone Seismicity Summary During the month of December 2009, 70 earthquakes were located in the Yellowstone National Park region. The largest event was a magnitude 2.2 on December 18 at 1:38 PM MST, located about 8 miles north northeast of West Yellowstone, MT. No earthquake swarms were recorded in December. Earthquake activity in the Yellowstone region is at relatively normal background levels. Ground Deformation Summary: Continuous GPS data show that uplift of the Yellowstone Caldera has slowed significantly and may have stopped. The WLWY station, located in the northeastern part of the caldera, underwent a total of ~23 cm of uplift between mid-2004 and mid-2009. Its record can be found at: http://pboweb.unavco.org/shared/scripts/stations/?checkkey=WLWY&sec=timeseries_plots×eries=raw The general uplift and subsidence of the Yellowstone caldera is of scientific importance and will continue to be monitored closely by YVO staff. An article on the recent uplift episode at Yellowstone and discussion of long-term ground deformation at Yellowstone and elsewhere can be found at: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/publications/2007/upsanddowns.php --- The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) is a partnership of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Yellowstone National Park, and University of Utah to strengthen the long-term monitoring of volcanic and earthquake unrest in the Yellowstone National Park region. Yellowstone is the site of the largest and most diverse collection of natural thermal features in the world and the first National Park. YVO is one of the five USGS Volcano Observatories that monitor volcanoes within the United States for science and public safety. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National Severe Weather Map Surface Temperature Forecast Map www.511nebraska.org |
"Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism, as it is the merger of corporate and government power." Benito Mussolini | ||
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| The United Nations is just a debating society and a 'front' for banks |
MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL-BANKING COMPLEX NEWS |
Xe is a private military contractor co-founded by former Navy Seal Erik Prince. It was formerly called Blackwater Worldwide, and before that Blackwater USA. In February 2009, Blackwater changed its name to "Xe," (pronounced like the letter "Z"), as part of a "rebranding" effort aimed at helping the company distance itself from negative incidents such as a September 2007 shooting in Nisoor Square in Baghdad, Iraq that killed at least a dozen civilians.[1] The company says its latest name change is meant to reflect a new focus. Blackwater / Xe spokesperson Anne Tyrrell said, "We've taken the company to a place where it is no longer accurately described as Blackwater." Its subsidiaries also have new names: Blackwater Airships is now Guardian Flight Systems, Blackwater Target Systems is GSD Manufacturing, and Blackwater Lodge and Training Center is the U.S. Training Center. The company also shed its bear-paw and crosshairs logo, for a stylized rendering of the name "Xe." The new head of Blackwater / Xe, Gary Jackson, told employees, "Xe will be a one-stop shopping source for world class services in the fields of security, stability, aviation, training and logistics." [2] Blackwater offers "tactical training," firing range and target systems, and security consulting under the company's subdivisions: Blackwater Training Center, Blackwater Target Systems, Blackwater Security Consulting and Blackwater Canine. According to its website, Blackwater provides "a spectrum of support to military, government agencies, law enforcement and civilian entities in training, targets and range operations as a solution provider." Their slogan is: "Providing a new generation of capability, skills, and people to solve the spectrum of needs in the world of security."[3] Blackwater received no-bid contracts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and post-Katrina New Orleans under the Bush administration.[4] A "Timeline of significant events for Blackwater" was posted September 18, 2007, by The Virginian-Pilot of Hampton Roads, Virginia.[5] In November 2008, Blackwater announced that it had "laid off an undisclosed number of employees after it failed to win a government contract for its Grizzly armored vehicle to replace the Humvee." [6] About BlackwaterBlackwater has a 6,000 acre training facility as part of its headquarters, in North Carolina. The firm has additional offices in Baghdad, Iraq, and Kuwait City, Kuwait. The "About Blackwater" section of its website states: "Blackwater Training Center was founded in 1996 to fulfill the anticipated demand for government outsourcing of firearms and related security training. Located on over 6000 acres in Moyock, North Carolina (just south of the Virginia border), Blackwater has the finest private firearms training facility in the U.S. Blackwater has set a new standard for firearms and security training and is recognized as the industry leader in providing government outsource solutions in training, security, canine services, aviation support services, range construction and steel target equipment. Since its inception, Blackwater has trained over 50,000 military and law enforcement personnel and provided solutions to hundreds of satisfied customers."[7] Blackwater is one of two companies which make up The Prince Group, the other being Prince Manufacturing.[8] The Prince Group tapped former Pentagon Inspector General, Joseph E. Schmitz, for chief operating officer and general counsel in September of 2005.[9] The Prince Group bought Aviation Worldwide Services[10] in May of 2003. AWS consists of STI Aviation, Inc., Air Quest, Inc., and Presidential Airways, Inc. These companies provide the logistical and air support for Blackwater operations. Blackwater itself consists of Blackwater Training Center, Blackwater Target Systems, Blackwater Security Consulting and Blackwater Canine.[11] Tax evasionIn October 2007, U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair Henry Waxman said Blackwater "may have engaged in significant tax evasion." Waxman noted that the IRS had ruled that Blackwater had "violated federal tax laws by treating an armed guard as an 'independent contractor.'" Waxman added, "The implication of this ruling is that Blackwater may have avoided paying millions of dollars in Social Security, Medicare, unemployment and related taxes for which it is legally responsible." [12] The House Oversight Committee had received information from a Blackwater employee, who was required "to sign a non-disclosure agreement before [Blackwater] agreed to pay the back pay and other compensation that he was owed. The terms of this agreement explicitly prohibited the guard from disclosing any information about Blackwater to 'any politician' or 'public official.'" Waxman warned that it "appears that Blackwater used this illegal scheme to avoid millions of dollars in taxes and then prevented the security guard who discovered the tax evasion from contacting members of Congress or law enforcement officials." [12] Diligence, a more powerful company, that unlike Blackwater interfaced heavily with Wall Street"Blackwater has attracted the critical attention of the American Mainstream Media. But it was a mere knight on the grand chessboard, albeit one with the ability to influence the moves of the game. Far less noticed has been given to Diligence LLC. Diligence, a more powerful company, that unlike Blackwater interfaced heavily with Wall Street, "set up shop in Baghdad [in July 2003] to provide security for companies involved in Iraqi reconstruction. In December, it established a new subsidiary called Diligence Middle East, and expanded its services to include screening, vetting and training of local hires, and the provision of daily intelligence briefs for its corporate clients." "Certainly the political clout of Diligence outshone and outlasted Blackwater’s. Two of its founding directors (Lanny Griffiths and Ed Rogers) were also founders of the influential Republican lobbying team Barbour Griffiths and Rogers (later renamed BGR). Haley Barbour, the senior founder of BGR, also served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1993 to 1997." [13] Fatalities2007: The killing of five Blackwater employees in central BaghdadOn the morning of Tuesday, January 23, 2007, a helicopter owned by Blackwater crashed in "the heavily Sunni Fadhil neighborhood in north-central Baghdad [on the east side of the Tigris River], where witnesses reported clashes between insurgents and U.S. and Iraqi forces," the Associated Press reported.[14] According to a U.S. military official, "five civilians were killed". A "senior Iraqi defense official said the aircraft was shot down" by "a gunman with a PKC machine gun." Blackwater "confirmed the five men were employed by the North Carolina-based company as security professionals."[15] "Although accounts varied, all were consistent that at least one person operating the aircraft had been shot and badly hurt before the crash," the Associated Press reported January 23, 2007.[15] On Wednesday, January 24, 2007, the Associated Press reported[14] that U.S. and Iraqi officials said that four of the five Blackwater employees were "shot execution style in the back the head." A senior U.S. Department of Defense official said that it was unknown whether the four were alive when shot." Although a "senior Iraqi military official said a machine gunner downed the helicopter,... a U.S. military official in Washington said there were no indications that the aircraft, owned by Blackwater USA, had been shot out of the sky. Two Sunni insurgent groups, separately, claimed responsibility for the crash."[14] "The helicopter was shot down after responding to assist a U.S. Embassy ground convoy that came under fire in a Sunni neighborhood in central Baghdad, said a U.S. diplomatic official in Washington. ... The doomed helicopter swooped into electrical wires before the crash. U.S. officials said it was not clear if gunfire brought the aircraft down or caused its pilot to veer into the wires during evasive manuevers."[14] "A second helicopter also was struck, but there were no casualties among its crew, said the diplomatic official, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to make statements."[14] "Before Tuesday's crash, at least 22 employees of Blackwater Security Consultants or Blackwater USA had died in Iraq as a result of war-related violence, according to the Web site iCasualties.org, which tracks foreign troop fatalities in Iraq. Of those, 20 were Americans, and two were Polish," the Associated Press reported.[16] 2005: The loss of seven Blackwater employees north of Baghdad and in RamadiBlackwater lost seven American employees on Thursday, April 21, 2005, in Iraq, bringing the "number of Blackwater employees killed in Iraq to 18," CNN reported.[17] Six employees were killed "when a Bulgarian commercial helicopter crashed north of Baghdad. ... A seventh died when a roadside bomb detonated next to one of the company's armored personnel carriers near Ramadi. Four Blackwater employees were wounded in the Ramadi attack. All were working under contract to the U.S. military."[17] Insurgents shot the helicopter down "with a heat-seeking missile", Ellen Knickmeyer reported April 22, 2005, for the Washington Post.[18] "The Blackwater contractors and two Fijian bodyguards working for Virginia-based Skylink Air and Logistic Support were en route from a Baghdad-area airfield to Tikrit, north of the capital, U.S. officials said. "The three-man Bulgarian crew was flying the helicopter close to the ground, a military tactic intended to avoid giving attackers time to spot aircraft and line up a shot, according to U.S. officials," Knickmeyer wrote.[18] "The attack marked the first time in the two years of the U.S.-led occupation that fighters in Iraq have succeeded in bringing down an aircraft contracted for transporting civilians. Planes and helicopters are being used increasingly around the country as attacks make road travel on vital routes deadly for Iraqis and foreigners alike," Knickmeyer wrote.[18] 2004: The killing of four Blackwater employees in FallujahBlackwater—and private military contractors in general—came under increased public scrutiny following the public killing and mutilation of four employees in Fallujah, Iraq on March 31, 2004. This increased scrutiny lead the firm to hire the Alexander Strategy Group for crisis management, public and media relations.[19] According to Russel Mokhiber and Robert Weissman, a few days after the Fallujah killings, "Blackwater Security Consulting engaged in full-scale battle in Najaf, with the company flying its own helicopters amidst an intense firefight to resupply its own commandos."[20] Lawsuits
ControversyThe Nisoor Square killings and Iraq's volte-face on expelling BlackwaterFirst, on September 17, 2007, the Iraqi government said that "it was revoking the license" of Blackwater USA, which has been "accused of involvement in the deaths of eight civilians in a firefight[25] that followed a car bomb explosion near a State Department motorcade on September 16, 2007[26]]. ... Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalaf said eight civilians were killed and 13 were wounded when contractors believed to be working for Blackwater USA opened fire in a predominantly Sunni neighborhood of western Baghdad," the Associated Press reported September 17, 2007.[27] A "preliminary Iraqi report" filed by the Ministry of Interior "on a shooting involving an American diplomatic motorcade said [September 19, 2007,] that Blackwater security guards were not ambushed, as the company reported, but instead fired at a car when it did not heed a policeman’s call to stop, killing a couple and their infant." The report, "presented to the Iraqi cabinet and, though unverified, seemed to contradict an account offered by Blackwater USA that the guards were responding to gunfire by militants. The report said Blackwater helicopters had also fired. The Ministry of Defense said 20 Iraqis had been killed, a far higher number than had been reported before."[28] Then, on September 23, 2007, Iraq said it "will not take immediate steps to expel" Blackwater, which is under a joint investigation by Iraqi and U.S. governments. An Iraqi security spokesman, "further softening of Iraq's response to the shooting," said that "Blackwater and other private security companies were doing important work guarding foreign diplomats."[29] In January 2008, the Associated Press reported that Blackwater "repaired and repainted its trucks immediately after a deadly September shooting in Baghdad, making it difficult to determine whether enemy gunfire provoked the attack. A Blackwater spokesperson said the truck repairs "would have been done at the government's direction," perhaps referring to an obligation under the firm's contract with the State Department that it maintain its own vehicles. [30] Blackwater Air ForceIn August 2007, it was reported that Blackwater U.S.A., which "already has a force of armed helicopters in Iraq, and apparently wants something a little faster, and more heavily armed, to fulfill its security contracts overseas", was buying "one two-seater" "five ton, single engine" "Super Tucano light combat aircraft from the Brazilian manufacturer Embraer".[31] "[B]uilt for pilot training, [they] also perform quite well for counter-insurgency work."[32] "[B]asically a prop driven trainer that is equipped for combat missions", the "aircraft can carry up to 1.5 tons of weapons, including 12.7mm machine-guns, bombs and missiles. The aircraft cruises at about 500 kilometers an hour and can stay in the air for about 6.5 hours per sortie. One of the options is a FLIR (infrared radar that produces a photo realistic video image in any weather) and a fire control system for bombing. ... "The Super Tucano costs $9 million each, and come in one or two seat versions. The bubble canopy provides excellent visibility. This, coupled with its slow speed (versus jets), makes it an excellent ground attack aircraft."[32] Reservists faced court martial for confrontation with Blackwater contractorIn February 2007, the Air Force Times reported that Cleared of all charges amid allegations of witness tampering and moreThe two reservists were subsequently cleared, according to the Air Force Times: Brown's wife Stacey set up a website, http://www.wrongedbyblackwater.com/, to publicise the case and raise money for the two men's legal defense.[35] Sometime in September 2007, the site was taken down. However, it is still available from the Yahoo cache.[36] "America's Holy Warriors"Erik Prince[37] is "the secretive, mega-millionaire, right-wing Christian founder of Blackwater, the private security firm that has built a formidable mercenary force in Iraq," Chris Hedges wrote December 31, 2006, in Truthdig.[38] Prince "champions his company as a patriotic extension of the U.S. military. His employees, in an act as cynical as it is deceitful, take an oath of loyalty to the Constitution.[39] These mercenary units in Iraq, including Blackwater, contain some 20,000 fighters. They unleash indiscriminate and wanton violence against unarmed Iraqis, have no accountability and are beyond the reach of legitimate authority. The appearance of these paramilitary fighters, heavily armed and wearing their trademark black uniforms, patrolling the streets of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, gave us a grim taste of the future. It was a stark reminder that the tyranny we impose on others we will one day impose on ourselves," Hedges wrote.[38] Starr defense"The new 'counsel of record' for the North Carolina-based company is none other than former Whitewater investigator Kenneth Starr—the independent counsel in the 1999 impeachment of President Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal," Jeremy Scahill and Garrett Ordower reported online October 26, 2006, in The Nation.[40] "Starr was brought in last week by Blackwater to file motions in front of the US Supreme Court in a case stemming from the killing of four Blackwater contractors in the Iraqi city of Fallujah on March 31, 2004." "There are undeniable benefits to having Starr, the US Solicitor General under President George H.W. Bush, represent Blackwater—a highly partisan GOP company—in front of a Supreme Court stacked with Bush appointees. Starr also has a personal connection to Blackwater. Starr and Joseph Schmitz, the general counsel and chief operating officer of Blackwater's parent company, the Prince Group, have both worked closely with the arch-conservative Washington Legal Foundation. Since 1993 Starr has served on the legal policy advisory board of the organization for which Schmitz has frequently acted as a spokesperson and attorney," Scahill and Ordower wrote.[40] CIA-Pentagon-Blackwater "revolving door""A number of senior CIA and Pentagon officials have taken top jobs at Blackwater, including firm vice chairman Cofer Black, who was the Bush Administration's top counterterrorism official at the time of the 9/11 attacks (and who famously said in 2002, 'There was before 9/11 and after 9/11. After 9/11, the gloves came off')," Ken Silverstein wrote September 12, 2006, in Harper's Magazine.[41] In fall 2005, Robert Richer "resigned from the post of Associate Deputy Director of Operations; he immediately took a job as Blackwater's Vice President of Intelligence. Richer is a former head of the CIA's Near East Division and long served in Amman, where, for a period beginning in 1999, he held the post of station chief. For years he was the agency's point man with Jordan's King Abdullah, with whom he developed an extraordinarily close relationship," Silverstein wrote.[41] Also, Silverstein wrote in September 2006, "there's talk at the agency that Blackwater is also aggressively recruiting José Rodriguez, the CIA's current top spy as director of the National Clandestine Service. Rodriguez has a number of former agency friends at Blackwater, most notably Rick Prado, with whom he served in Latin America and who is now Blackwater's Vice President of Special Programs."[41] Recent Cofer Black start-up and merger, Total Intelligence Solutions, LLC, is a merger of three companies, The Black Group, The Terrorism Research Center, Inc. and Technical Defense. TIS very well may fall outside the legal corporate domain of Blackwater, however two of the top executives at TIS, Cofer Black and Enrique Prado still hold positions at Blackwater, and Robert Richer recently left his position at Blackwater to take on responsibilities at TIS. As well, it should be noted that one of the three companies merged to create TIS, The Terrorism Research Center, is owned by Blackwater founder Erik Prince.[42] UN Peacekeepers?Blackwater was an active member of the International Peace Operations Association, a trade association which promotes the use of commercial force, logistics, demining and other conflict/post conflict services. Blackwater ran an advertisement on the second page of their journals, which can be downloaded free at their website,[43] which acts well as an example of the image the PMC industry has been seeking to re-define themselves within. Blackwater said that "it can help keep peace in Darfur, Mark Langfitt reported May 26, 2006, for NPR. "Doug Brooks runs an association of private military firms, which includes Blackwater. He says his members can help where governments have failed."[44] "The United Nations, which hopes to deploy in Darfur this fall, opposes the outsourcing of force," Langfitt wrote.[44] "The peacekeeping pitch sounds great, but has all kinds of problems, [said] Peter Singer, a scholar at the Brookings Institution and author of Corporate Warriors. "For one thing, [Singer said], there's little accountability. If contractors misbehave—as they did at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison—they rarely face charges. Singer says private military firms are focusing on peacekeeping, in part, to improve their image." Blackwater "is pushing to be part of UN peacekeeping missions in places like Darfur," The Current host Anna Maria Tremonti commented May 11, 2006, on her CBC (Canada) radio show. "But so far the United Nations is not buying. It says peacekeeping is something that requires great sensitivity."[45] Soliders of Fortune"Coalition of the Billing""There are no reliable figures on the number of guards from Colombia or other countries," Sonni Efron wrote July 30, 2005, in the Los Angeles Times. "Fijians, Ukrainians, South Africans, Nepalese and Serbs reportedly are on the job in Iraq."[46] Peter W. Singer of the Brookings Institution, "author of a book on the private military industry, said veterans of Latin American conflicts, including Guatemalans, Salvadorans and Nicaraguans, also had turned up. 'What we've done in Iraq is assemble a true 'coalition of the billing',' Singer said, playing off President Bush's description of the U.S.-led alliance of nations with a troop presence in Iraq as a 'coalition of the willing'," Efron wrote.[46] Chilean "former commandos"Blackwater and other U.S.-based private military contractors do not only recruit Americans; according to Jonathan Franklin, former commandos from Chile are an increasing presence among private military troops in Iraq. Gary Jackson, president of Blackwater, told the British newspaper The Guardian that former Chilean commandos, "many of who had trained under the military government of Augusto Pinochet," will be sent to Iraq for a year and a half, to guard oil wells from saboteurs. "We scour the ends of the earth to find professionals - the Chilean commandos are very, very professional and they fit within the Blackwater system," said Jackson. And the private military melting pot doesn't stop there: "Squads of Bosnians, Filipinos and Americans with special forces experience have been hired for tasks ranging from airport security to protecting Paul Bremer, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority."[47] Colombian "seasoned counter insurgency troops"The Colombian news magazine Semana and the Financial Times of London reported in September 2006 that "35 Colombians—mostly seasoned counter insurgency troops—alleged in a letter to Blackwater that recruiters had promised them salaries of $4,000 a month," Bill Sizemore wrote in The Virginian-Pilot. "They said it was only when they were given their contracts barely hours before leaving Bogota that they learned they would be paid $34 a day, or about $1,000 a month."[48] "American contractors can earn $10,000 a month or more working for Blackwater and its competitors in Iraq," Sizemore wrote.[48] In July 2005, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) was concerned "that U.S. government contractors [were] hiring thousands of impoverished former military personnel, with no public scrutiny, little accountability and large hidden costs to taxpayers," Sonni Efron wrote in the Los Angeles Times.[46] "The United States has spent more than $4 billion since 2000 on Plan Colombia, a counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics program that includes training and support for the Colombian police and military. Last month, Congress moved toward approval of an additional $734.5 million in aid to the Andean region in 2006, most of it for Colombia. 'We're training foreign nationals - who then take that training and market it to private companies, who pay them three or four times as much as we're paying soldiers,' Schakowsky said. 'American taxpayers are paying for the training of those Colombian soldiers,' she said. 'When they leave to take more lucrative jobs, perhaps with an American military contractor, they take that training with them. So then we're paying to train that person's replacement. And then we're paying the bill to the private military contractors'," Efron wrote.[46] Filipino "mercenaries""Many Filipinos apply for any type of work just to work abroad and earn money", with an estimated "tenth of the country's 84 million population ... out of the country and working legally and illegally abroad", Claro Cortes reported June 11, 2006, in Gulf News.[49] "Authorities at the former US Naval Base in Subic have denied reports that an American company is using the facility to hire Filipino mercenaries for Iraq", Cortes wrote. Several Manila newspapers reported that Blackwater USA "was using the former US naval base to recruit Filipino mercenaries to fight in Iraq" and "even featured pictures of Filipino-looking men wearing combat fatigues during what appears to be guard duty in an alleged Middle East community."[49] "The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) denounced the US for hiring Filipino mercenaries to fight its wars in Iraq and other countries," Manila's Sun Star reported June 12, 2006.[50] "New People's Army (NPA) spokesman Gregorio 'Ka Roger' Rosal said hiring Filipino civilians to provide support services for the US' war in Iraq and other countries is bad enough and should be discouraged, but 'hiring Filipino soldiers of fortune to fight in US wars of aggression and terror against other countries is even worse and deserves nothing but condemnation.' "Rosal said the establishment of Blackwater's recruitment center in the Philippines stemmed from the mounting casualties of US military personnel that have triggered severe criticism, massive protests and plunging ratings for US President George W. Bush. "He said the US has also turned to Third World countries to be able to cut costs as hired Filipino mercenaries are paid only US$60,000-US$80,000 a year, half of what it pays American mercenaries with equivalent qualifications and assignments," the Sun Star reported.[50] Colonel Thomas X. Hammes on Blackwater in Iraq: "They made enemies everywhere"In late January 2005, journalist Tim Shorrock wrote on his blog about a conference "organized by the George Washington University Law School with support from the International Peace Operations Association, which represents, Blackwater, MPRI and other major contractors". Shorrock wrote:[51] Public relations and lobbyingOn October 11, 2007, Blackwater announced their withdrawal from IPOA. According to the Wall Street Journal, a Blackwater spokeswoman said, “We have decided to take a hiatus from the association. We, like many other organizations engaged in this type of work, are pursuing other aspects and methods of industry outreach and governance."[1][2] Blackwater's immediate departure from IPOA may have been to avoid an internal investigation from the trade association. [3] Blackwater has started up their own organization, The Blackwater Peace and Stability Operations Institute, [4] and taken up the services of a well known public relations company. The law firms representing Blackwater, McDermott Will & Emery and Crowell & Moring, have hired public relations giant Burson-Marsteller. Robert Tappan, one of the Burson-Marsteller executives working on the Blackwater case,[52] was formerly the deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the State Department. While in this capacity, he spent six months in Baghdad as the director of strategic communications for the Coalition Provisional Authority. [53] According to PRWeek, Burson subsidiary, BKSH & Associates, was hired through an internal connection at Blackwater to help with Erik Prince's October 2, 2007 testimony to Congress and that this "temporary engagement has ended". [54] In January 2008, Blackwater hired Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice, "as its D.C. representative for contracting and acquisition issues," reported O'Dwyer's PR Daily. The firm will serve as Blackwater's "D.C. representative for contracting and acquisition issues." Firm lobbyists on the Blackwater account include Jimmy Broughton, who was former Senator Jesse Helms's chief of staff; Mark Harkins, who worked for Representative Brad Miller; and Kevin Jones, who served as a legislative assistant to former Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen.. [55] In January 2008, the online database Lobbyists.info also listed C&M Capitolink and Gregory F. Hahn, in addition to Womble Carlyle, as Blackwater's lobbying firms. [56] Executives
In February 2009, Prince announced he was stepping down as the company's CEO, but would remain its chair. "I'm a little worn out by the whole thing, the politics of it all," he said. In other personnel changes, "Joe Yorio, 44, an executive from shipping company DHL with an Army Special Forces background, will become president of Xe, replacing longtime employee Gary Jackson. Danielle Esposito, 32, a veteran employee, will become chief operating officer and executive vice president. The chief executive slot remains open and is likely to be filled by Mr. Yorio." [57] Books
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CoastToCoastAM.com: In the News
The Z Machine could be the answer to the world's energy shortage
It can produce 290 terawatts of power, equivalent to 80 times the world's total power output.
— Mail Online
Again? Security Breach at JFK Forces Terminal Evacuation
A terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport was evacuated on Saturday afternoon after a man apparently used a restricted doorway.
— nbcnewyork.com
Deep Discount on Space Shuttles
NASA has slashed the price of the 1970s-era spaceships to $28.8 million apiece from $42 million.
— Associated Press
Did missile test spark Chinese UFO reports?
Intelligence agencies may glean insights from sightings in inland China.
— MSNBC
MonsterQuest Water Mystery Solved
One riddle that the History program explored in the past has been finalized (with image).
— Cryptomundo
Today in History Monday January 18, 2010 1803 - Thomas Jefferson, in secret communication with Congress, sought authorization for the first official exploration by the U.S. government. 1778 - English navigator Captain James Cook discovered the Hawaiian Islands, which he called the "Sandwich Islands." 1788 - The first English settlers arrived in Australia's Botany Bay to establish a penal colony. The group moved north eight days later and settled at Port Jackson. 1896 - The x-ray machine was exhibited for the first time. 1911 - For the first time an aircraft landed on a ship. Pilot Eugene B. Ely flew onto the deck of the USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco harbor. 1919 - The World War I Peace Congress opened in Versailles, France. 1943 - U.S. commercial bakers stopped selling sliced bread. Only whole loaves were sold during the ban until the end of World War II. 1948 - "The Original Amateur Hour" debuted. The show was on the air for 22 years. 1950 - The federal tax on oleomargarine was repealed. 1957 - The first, non-stop, around-the-world, jet flight came to an end at Riverside, CA. The plane was refueled in mid-flight by huge aerial tankers. 1978 - The European Court of Human Rights cleared the British government of torture but found it guilty of inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners in Northern Ireland. 1987 - For the first time in history the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) was seen by over 100 million viewers. The audience was measured during the week of January 12-18. 1990 - In an FBI sting, Washington, DC, Mayor Marion Barry was arrested for drug possession. He was later convicted of a misdemeanor. 1991 - Eastern Airlines shut down after 62 years in business due to financial problems. 1993 - The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was observed in all 50 U.S. states for the first time. 1995 - A network of caves were discovered near the town of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc in southern France. The caves contained paintings and engravings that were 17,000 to 20,000 years old. |
NaturalNews.com | Today's Featured Stories - January 18, 2010
Drugs like Tylenol can be contaminated with mold and chemicals
By S. L. Baker, features writer
January 18 - According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prescription drugs kill about 40,000 Americans each year and over the counter drugs (OTC) -- from pain relievers to cough medicines -- cause...
Review of Health Ranger's predictions from 2008
By Mike Adams, NaturalNews Editor
January 18 - In late 2008, I published a series of 37 predictions for 2009 (and beyond). One of those predictions was this: "Massive health care reform efforts will be underway in 2009, but real reform laws won't be passed...
Most hospital patients are unaware of what drugs they are given
By Mike Adams, NaturalNews Editor
January 18 - A recent study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine has revealed that nearly all hospital patients do not know what drugs are being administered to them. The research revealed that nearly half think...
Blueberry Drink Protects Mice from Diabetes, Obesity
By David Gutierrez, staff writer
January 18 - A special blueberry drink fortified by processing it with bacteria that naturally occur on the fruit's skin proved effective at preventing the development of obesity and diabetes in mice predisposed to the conditions...
Thousands of Americans died from H1N1 even after receiving vaccine shots
By Mike Adams, NaturalNews Editor
January 17 - The CDC is engaged in a very clever, statistically devious spin campaign, and nearly every journalist in the mainstream media has fallen for its ploy. No one has yet reported what I'm about to reveal here. It...
Nutrient-rich, low-calorie diets actually reprogram fat cells to keep the body thin
By Mike Adams, NaturalNews Editor
January 17 - A study appearing in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Proteome Research has given further insight into the correlation between calorie restriction and weight loss. While it is known that calorie-restricted...
Nutrients stimulate brain connections, could treat Alzheimer's
By Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor
January 17 - The earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are marked by a major loss of the brain connections needed to process information and to retain memory. While there are drug therapies used to help delay progression...
Can the U.S. Navy Make Jet Fuel Out of Sea Water?
By David Gutierrez, staff writer
January 17 - U.S. Navy scientists are investigating a method for transforming ocean water into jet fuel as a way to maintain U.S. military superiority even in the face of dwindling global oil supplies. "The U.S. Navy...
Today's health headlines from across the 'net
(Hand-picked by the Health Ranger for your education and amusement)- Psych doctor wrote 1,000 prescriptions a week for psychotropic drugs
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- Swine flu as elusive as WMDs
- FDA rebuffed for overreaching power grab over ban of e-cigarettes
- WHO denies H1N1 swine flu scam, corruption
- Millions of patients should never be prescribed antidepressants, scientists say
- Heinz blasted over outrageous claims in infant formula ads
See all Top Headlines...
My News blog: The Cave
