Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Incoming cloud forces Bush into safe bunker: "President George Bush was bundled into an underground bunker, Dick Cheney was evacuated to an 'undisclosed location' and heavily armed secret servicemen took up defensive positions when a fast-moving cloud scudded towards the White House, it was reported yesterday.
The cloud that materialised 30 miles south of Washington on Wednesday morning was so dense it triggered radar monitors on the Domestic Events Network, intended to prevent a repeat of the September 11 attacks."
29.4.05
U.S. Prison Population Soars in 2003, '04 - Yahoo! News
U.S. Prison Population Soars in 2003, '04 - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON - Growing at a rate of about 900 inmates each week between mid-2003 and mid-2004, the nation's prisons and jails held 2.1 million people, or one in every 138 U.S. residents, the government reported Sunday.
By last June 30, there were 48,000 more inmates, or 2.3 percent, more than the year before, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The total inmate population has hovered around 2 million for the past few years, reaching 2.1 million on June 30, 2002, and just below that mark a year later.
While the crime rate has fallen over the past decade, the number of people in prison and jail is outpacing the number of inmates released, said the report's co-author, Paige Harrison. For example, the number of admissions to federal prisons in 2004 exceeded releases by more than 8,000, the study found."
By last June 30, there were 48,000 more inmates, or 2.3 percent, more than the year before, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The total inmate population has hovered around 2 million for the past few years, reaching 2.1 million on June 30, 2002, and just below that mark a year later.
While the crime rate has fallen over the past decade, the number of people in prison and jail is outpacing the number of inmates released, said the report's co-author, Paige Harrison. For example, the number of admissions to federal prisons in 2004 exceeded releases by more than 8,000, the study found."
IRIN Middle East | Middle East | IRAQ | IRAQ: Doctors warn of increasing deformities in newborn babies. | Children-Health | Breaking News
IRIN Middle East | Middle East | IRAQ | IRAQ: Doctors warn of increasing deformities in newborn babies. | Children-Health | Breaking News: "BAGHDAD, 27 Apr 2005 (IRIN) - Doctors in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, have reported a significant increase in deformities among newborn babies.
Health officials and scientists said this could be due to radiation passed through mothers following years of conflict in the country.
The most affected regions are in the south of the country, particularly Basra and Najaf, according to experts. Weaponry used during the Gulf war in 1991 contained depleted uranium, which could be a primary source for the increase, scientists in Baghdad said.
'In my experiments we have found some cases where the mother or father were suffering from pollution from weapons used in the south and we believe that it is affecting newborn babies in the country,' Dr Ibraheem al-Jabouri, a scientist at Baghdad University, told IRIN.
According to Dr Nawar Ali, at the University of Baghdad, who works in the newborn babies research department, a significant number of cases of deformed babies had been reported since 2003.
“There have been 650 cases in total since August 2003 reported in government hospitals - that is a 20 percent increase from the previous regime. Private hospitals were not included in the study, so the number could be higher,” Ali warned.
The health expert said polluted water, which could contain radiation from weapons used in previous conflicts, was the main factor behind the increase.
The type of deformities found in newborn babies are characterised by multiple fingers, unusually large heads, unilateral lips or no arms or legs.
In addition, Dr Lamia'a Amran, a pediatrician at the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) hospital in the capital, told IRIN that inter-marriages were also to blame and that most of cases of deformed babies were from poor families in the southern region.
'Most of the women who have deformed babies in our hospital are married to relatives and have no idea that a common blood factor can also cause such problems,' Amran added."
Health officials and scientists said this could be due to radiation passed through mothers following years of conflict in the country.
The most affected regions are in the south of the country, particularly Basra and Najaf, according to experts. Weaponry used during the Gulf war in 1991 contained depleted uranium, which could be a primary source for the increase, scientists in Baghdad said.
'In my experiments we have found some cases where the mother or father were suffering from pollution from weapons used in the south and we believe that it is affecting newborn babies in the country,' Dr Ibraheem al-Jabouri, a scientist at Baghdad University, told IRIN.
According to Dr Nawar Ali, at the University of Baghdad, who works in the newborn babies research department, a significant number of cases of deformed babies had been reported since 2003.
“There have been 650 cases in total since August 2003 reported in government hospitals - that is a 20 percent increase from the previous regime. Private hospitals were not included in the study, so the number could be higher,” Ali warned.
The health expert said polluted water, which could contain radiation from weapons used in previous conflicts, was the main factor behind the increase.
The type of deformities found in newborn babies are characterised by multiple fingers, unusually large heads, unilateral lips or no arms or legs.
In addition, Dr Lamia'a Amran, a pediatrician at the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) hospital in the capital, told IRIN that inter-marriages were also to blame and that most of cases of deformed babies were from poor families in the southern region.
'Most of the women who have deformed babies in our hospital are married to relatives and have no idea that a common blood factor can also cause such problems,' Amran added."
28.4.05
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Rice changed terrorism report
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Rice changed terrorism report: "A state department report which showed an increase in terrorism incidents around the world in 2004 was altered to strip it of its pessimistic statistics, it emerged yesterday.
The country-by-country report, Patterns of Global Terrorism, has come out every year since 1986, accompanied by statistical tables.
This year's edition showed a big increase, from 172 significant terrorist attacks in 2003 to 655 in 2004.
Much of the increase took place in Iraq, contradicting recent Pentagon claims that the insurgency there is waning."
The country-by-country report, Patterns of Global Terrorism, has come out every year since 1986, accompanied by statistical tables.
This year's edition showed a big increase, from 172 significant terrorist attacks in 2003 to 655 in 2004.
Much of the increase took place in Iraq, contradicting recent Pentagon claims that the insurgency there is waning."
Scientists Say Everyone Can Read Minds - Yahoo! News
Scientists Say Everyone Can Read Minds - Yahoo! News: "Empathy allows us to feel the emotions of others, to identify and understand their feelings and motives and see things from their perspective. How we generate empathy remains a subject of intense debate in cognitive science.
Some scientists now believe they may have finally discovered its root. We're all essentially mind readers, they say. The idea has been slow to gain acceptance, but evidence is mounting"
Some scientists now believe they may have finally discovered its root. We're all essentially mind readers, they say. The idea has been slow to gain acceptance, but evidence is mounting"
Gallup: 50% of Americans Now Say Bush Deliberately Misled Them on WMDs
Gallup: 50% of Americans Now Say Bush Deliberately Misled Them on WMDs: "NEW YORK Half of all Americans, exactly 50%, now say the Bush administration deliberately misled Americans about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, the Gallup Organization reported this morning.
'This is the highest percentage that Gallup has found on this measure since the question was first asked in late May 2003,' the pollsters observed. 'At that time, 31% said the administration deliberately misled Americans. This sentiment has gradually increased over time, to 39% in July 2003, 43% in January/February 2004, and 47% in October 2004.'
Also, according to the latest poll, more than half of Americans, 54%, disapprove of the way President Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, while 43% approve. In early February, Americans were more evenly divided on the way Bush was handling the situation in Iraq, with 50% approving and 48% disapproving.
Last week Gallup reported that 53% now believe that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was 'not worth it.' But Frank Newport, editor in chief at Gallup, recalled today that although a majority of the public began to think the Vietnam war was a mistake in the summer of 1968, the United States did not pull out of Vietnam for more than five years, after thousands of more American lives were lost. "
'This is the highest percentage that Gallup has found on this measure since the question was first asked in late May 2003,' the pollsters observed. 'At that time, 31% said the administration deliberately misled Americans. This sentiment has gradually increased over time, to 39% in July 2003, 43% in January/February 2004, and 47% in October 2004.'
Also, according to the latest poll, more than half of Americans, 54%, disapprove of the way President Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, while 43% approve. In early February, Americans were more evenly divided on the way Bush was handling the situation in Iraq, with 50% approving and 48% disapproving.
Last week Gallup reported that 53% now believe that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was 'not worth it.' But Frank Newport, editor in chief at Gallup, recalled today that although a majority of the public began to think the Vietnam war was a mistake in the summer of 1968, the United States did not pull out of Vietnam for more than five years, after thousands of more American lives were lost. "
CNN.com - Study: Nuclear fusion created�in lab - Apr 27, 2005
CNN.com - Study: Nuclear fusion created in lab - Apr 27, 2005: "LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- In the latest attempt to create nuclear fusion under laboratory conditions, scientists reported they achieved it in an experiment that uses a strong electric field generated by a small crystal.
While the energy created was too small to harness cheap fusion power, this new way of making nuclear fusion could have potential uses in the oil drilling industry and homeland security, said Seth Putterman, a physicist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who conducted the study.
The experiment's results appear in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature."
While the energy created was too small to harness cheap fusion power, this new way of making nuclear fusion could have potential uses in the oil drilling industry and homeland security, said Seth Putterman, a physicist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who conducted the study.
The experiment's results appear in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature."
27.4.05
Yahoo! News - Time Warner's Turner to Launch Online Game Network
Yahoo! News - Time Warner's Turner to Launch Online Game Network: "LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Seeking to bring the television programming model to video games, the Turner Broadcasting unit of Time Warner Inc. on Wednesday said it would launch an online 'network' that will let subscribers play hundreds of classic video games.
Turner said GameTap would launch later this year with a library of more than 1,000 games from 17 different publishers, including Activision Inc. and Ubisoft."
Turner said GameTap would launch later this year with a library of more than 1,000 games from 17 different publishers, including Activision Inc. and Ubisoft."
CNN.com - Friends find treasure buried in backyard - Apr 27, 2005
CNN.com - Friends find treasure buried in backyard - Apr 27, 2005: "METHUEN, Massachusetts (AP) -- It's the stuff of fantasies, and Tim Crebase found it buried under two feet of earth in his own backyard.
There, he and friend Barry Villcliff found a box stuffed with cash and gold and silver certificates, some more than a century old.
The buried treasure is worth more than $100,000, according to a coin shop owner."
There, he and friend Barry Villcliff found a box stuffed with cash and gold and silver certificates, some more than a century old.
The buried treasure is worth more than $100,000, according to a coin shop owner."
Venezuela's Chavez detaining Americans, warns of U.S. invasion: South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Venezuela's Chavez detaining Americans, warns of U.S. invasion: South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "CARACAS, Venezuela -- President Hugo Chavez said a military exchange program with the United States was canceled because U.S. officers in Venezuela were spreading a negative image of his government to the soldiers they were training.
He also announced the detention of several Americans and said the United States might be planning to invade his country."
He also announced the detention of several Americans and said the United States might be planning to invade his country."
Apr 26 GOLD/SILVER Gold and Silver updates Clive Maund 321gold
Apr 26 GOLD/SILVER Gold and Silver updates Clive Maund 321gold: "Conclusion: we are at a great buy spot, not just for silver, but for gold and precious metals stocks generally. Upside is large, and risk at this juncture can be clearly defined and therefore limited. The time is right to buy across the board."
New Scientist Breaking News - Mind-reading machine knows what you see
New Scientist Breaking News - Mind-reading machine knows what you see: "It is possible to read someone’s mind by remotely measuring their brain activity, researchers have shown. The technique can even extract information from subjects that they are not aware of themselves.
So far, it has only been used to identify visual patterns a subject can see or has chosen to focus on. But the researchers speculate the approach might be extended to probe a person’s awareness, focus of attention, memory and movement intention. In the meantime, it could help doctors work out if patients apparently in a coma are actually conscious.
Scientists have already trained monkeys to move a robotic arm with the power of thought and to recreate scenes moving in front of cats by recording information directly from the feline’s neurons (New Scientist print edition, 2 October 1999). But these processes involve implanting electrodes into their brains to hook them up to a computer.
Now Yukiyasu Kamitani, at ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto, Japan, and Frank Tong at Princeton University in New Jersey, US, have achieved similar “mind reading” feats remotely using functional MRI scanning."
So far, it has only been used to identify visual patterns a subject can see or has chosen to focus on. But the researchers speculate the approach might be extended to probe a person’s awareness, focus of attention, memory and movement intention. In the meantime, it could help doctors work out if patients apparently in a coma are actually conscious.
Scientists have already trained monkeys to move a robotic arm with the power of thought and to recreate scenes moving in front of cats by recording information directly from the feline’s neurons (New Scientist print edition, 2 October 1999). But these processes involve implanting electrodes into their brains to hook them up to a computer.
Now Yukiyasu Kamitani, at ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto, Japan, and Frank Tong at Princeton University in New Jersey, US, have achieved similar “mind reading” feats remotely using functional MRI scanning."
25.4.05
New York Post Online Edition:
New York Post Online Edition:: "April 22, 2005 -- IN the past few days, Afghan istan's President Hamid Karzai has been the target of attacks in the media in Iran, Pakistan and a number of Arab countries for his demand that the United States forge a long-term defense relationship with his newly liberated nation. Yet Karzai's idea of a strategic alliance with America seems to enjoy massive support in Afghanistan itself.
Karzai first raised the issue in the spring of last year, generating a process of consultation with the country's ethnic, religious and linguistic communities. It soon became clear that, despite reservations from some former leftists, Karzai would encounter little opposition in seeking a long-term U.S. alliance.
Some critics claim Karzai's policy is a break with a two-century-old tradition of Afghan neutrality. But that stance was put to the test in 1979, when the Red Army marched into Kabul to support a puppet Communist regime installed in a coup d'etat two years earlier. The event dealt a blow to the idea of nonalignment in the Afghan consciousness.
The Soviet invasion was followed by two decades of suffering, as Afghanistan became the battleground for a proxy war between the Soviet and American blocs. After the fall of the Soviet empire, Afghanistan was ravaged by another proxy war, this time pitting the Khomeinist regime in Tehran against its Salafist rivals in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
But why a long-term military link with the United States? Because Afghanistan is located in a rough neighborhood where despotic regimes hold sway."
Karzai first raised the issue in the spring of last year, generating a process of consultation with the country's ethnic, religious and linguistic communities. It soon became clear that, despite reservations from some former leftists, Karzai would encounter little opposition in seeking a long-term U.S. alliance.
Some critics claim Karzai's policy is a break with a two-century-old tradition of Afghan neutrality. But that stance was put to the test in 1979, when the Red Army marched into Kabul to support a puppet Communist regime installed in a coup d'etat two years earlier. The event dealt a blow to the idea of nonalignment in the Afghan consciousness.
The Soviet invasion was followed by two decades of suffering, as Afghanistan became the battleground for a proxy war between the Soviet and American blocs. After the fall of the Soviet empire, Afghanistan was ravaged by another proxy war, this time pitting the Khomeinist regime in Tehran against its Salafist rivals in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
But why a long-term military link with the United States? Because Afghanistan is located in a rough neighborhood where despotic regimes hold sway."
CJR March/April 2005: Voices
CJR March/April 2005: Voices: "Last fall, a major public-health study appeared in The Lancet, a prestigious British medical journal, only to be missed or dismissed by the American press. To the extent it was covered at all, the reports were short and usually buried far from the front pages of major newspapers. The results of the study could have played an important role in future policy decisions, but the press’s near total silence allowed the issue to pass without debate.
The study, though scientifically robust, had several elements working against it. One was its subject matter: Researchers had done a door-to-door survey of nearly 8,000 people in thirty-three locations in Iraq to estimate how many people had died as a consequence of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation. Americans, and their media, were reluctant to accept the study’s conclusions — that the number was likely around 100,000; that violence had become the primary cause of death since the invasion; that more than half of those killed were women and children."
The study, though scientifically robust, had several elements working against it. One was its subject matter: Researchers had done a door-to-door survey of nearly 8,000 people in thirty-three locations in Iraq to estimate how many people had died as a consequence of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation. Americans, and their media, were reluctant to accept the study’s conclusions — that the number was likely around 100,000; that violence had become the primary cause of death since the invasion; that more than half of those killed were women and children."
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Rice changed terrorism report
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Rice changed terrorism report: "A state department report which showed an increase in terrorism incidents around the world in 2004 was altered to strip it of its pessimistic statistics, it emerged yesterday.
The country-by-country report, Patterns of Global Terrorism, has come out every year since 1986, accompanied by statistical tables.
This year's edition showed a big increase, from 172 significant terrorist attacks in 2003 to 655 in 2004.
Much of the increase took place in Iraq, contradicting recent Pentagon claims that the insurgency there is waning. Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, ordered the report to be withdrawn and a new one issued minus the statistics."
The country-by-country report, Patterns of Global Terrorism, has come out every year since 1986, accompanied by statistical tables.
This year's edition showed a big increase, from 172 significant terrorist attacks in 2003 to 655 in 2004.
Much of the increase took place in Iraq, contradicting recent Pentagon claims that the insurgency there is waning. Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, ordered the report to be withdrawn and a new one issued minus the statistics."
INTL News by Joe Broadhurst - Exploding Toads Baffle Germans
INTL News by Joe Broadhurst - Exploding Toads Baffle Germans: "HAMBURG — Hundreds of toads have met a bizarre and sinister end in Germany in recent days, it was reported: they exploded.
According to reports from animal welfare workers and veterinarians as many as a thousand of the amphibians have perished after their bodies swelled to bursting point and their entrails were propelled for up to a meter.
It is like 'a science fiction film', according to Werner Smolnik of a nature protection society in the northern city of Hamburg, where the phenomenon of the exploding toad has been observed.
'You see the animals crawling on the ground, swelling and then exploding.'"
According to reports from animal welfare workers and veterinarians as many as a thousand of the amphibians have perished after their bodies swelled to bursting point and their entrails were propelled for up to a meter.
It is like 'a science fiction film', according to Werner Smolnik of a nature protection society in the northern city of Hamburg, where the phenomenon of the exploding toad has been observed.
'You see the animals crawling on the ground, swelling and then exploding.'"
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