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Latest News: Sunday, February 26, 2006
AP Blogs From Iraq By The Associated Press © 2006 The Associated Press — Antonio Castaneda is embedded with Marines from Regimental Combat Team 7 in western Iraq. This is the latest of blog entries from his current tour. ___ SUNDAY, Feb. 26, 9:39 p.m. local KARABILAH, Iraq I'm often startled by the wide range of living conditions that tens of thousands of U.S. troops enjoy or endure in Iraq. Though the bulk of troops live on sprawling bases with modern comforts far better than I ever imagined, those conveniences gradually disappear the deeper you trek into this long stretch of desert in western Iraq. Earlier this week I stayed with Marines at Battle Post Tinian outside the western city of Rommana, a base where living quarters were basically rows of huts consisting of dirt barriers for walls and slabs of boards for ceilings. The outpost seemed like a throwback from another war _ the Marines were kept warm from nighttime cold winds by black diesel furnaces and showers were available "every week or so." Meals were trays of food steeped in the heartiest of preservatives, evident by testimony from Marines who lost as much as 30 pounds in five months. I couldn't help but compare it to Camp Victory in Baghdad or the Balad airbase, where troops can grab chocolate milkshakes when leaving dining halls or ride their bikes to Burger King or Cinnabon. Read More Thursday, February 23, 2006
LABOUR-VIETNAM: Wildcat Strikes Pay Off Aaron Glantz and Ngoc Nguyen HO CHI MINH CITY , Jan 17 (IPS) - More than a dozen strikes by more than 40,000 workers in Ho Chi Minh City's export processing zones have forced the Vietnamese government to raise the country's minimum wage by nearly 40 percent . The hikes -- up to 55 US dollars a month in Vietnam's two biggest cities, 50 dollars in mid-sized cities, and 45 dollars in the rest of the country -- show increased frustration among workers who are only allowed to affiliate with a single, government-run trade union. Two dozen workers at Ho Chi Minh City's Danu Vina factory enjoy beers and a beef hot pot after a hard days work. But even with the wage increase, they'll still earn less than two dollars a day making stuffed animals which are sold in the U.S. by Hallmark, Disney, and Starbucks. Read More Change your ways, or no WTO, US warns Vietnam By Aaron Glantz and Ngoc Nguyen HANOI - Vietnam's attempts to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO) have been blocked by what the country's negotiators say are unacceptable new demands by Washington that the socialist country change the way its economy works - more than it already has. So far, Vietnam has embraced capitalism cautiously to lessen the gap between rich and poor among its 77 million people, 69% of whom still subsist on agriculture. Read More Monday, February 20, 2006
Salon exclusive: The Abu Ghraib files Never-published photos, and an internal Army report, show more Iraqi prisoner abuse -- evidence the government is fighting to hide. By Mark Benjamin Feb. 16, 2006 | Salon has obtained files and other electronic documents from an internal Army investigation into the Abu Ghraib prisoner-abuse scandal. The material, which includes more than 1,000 photographs, videos and supporting documents from the Army's probe, may represent all of the photographic and video evidence that pertains to that investigation. The files, from the Army's Criminal Investigation Command (CID), include hundreds of images that have never been publicly released. Along with the unpublished material, the material obtained by Salon also appears to include all of the famous photographs published after the Abu Ghraib scandal broke in April 2004, as well as the photographs and videos published Wednesday by the Australian television news show "Dateline." The source who gave the CID material to Salon is someone who spent time at Abu Ghraib as a uniformed member of the military and is familiar with the CID investigation. Read More Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Couple's implant chips take love to a new level Updated Wed. Feb. 15 2006 12:23 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff Grand gestures of love take many forms on Valentine's Day -- flowers, chocolate, romantic dinners -- but a tech-savvy couple has taken it to a new level. Jennifer Tomblin and Amal Graafstra have made the most modern declaration of their affection for each other, with implanted electronic chips that allow them unfettered access to each other's lives. It's called Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID. Both have had a small electronic chip embedded under their skin that grants access to each other's front doors and home computers. The system works like a key-card. A simple swipe of the wrist across an electronic sensor, and they're in. The couple sees the decision as a modern declaration of love that also happens to be functional. "It's convenient and all of that. But it's definitely neat to have access to each other's things. nobody else has that, definitely," Tomblin told CTV's Canada AM. Read More
How Much Are YOU Willing To Spend To Get Elected??? SARASOTA, FL (NS) - How bad do YOU want to be elected to Public Office in Florida? I have sat back for several years now and attended many Political meetings where the sums of money being talked about for this Candidate and another have been mind boggling... Let me give you an example of this year in the 13th Congressional District. There are 2 men running a MILLION dollar campaign to try and gain the GOP Party nomination for Congress. This is a position that pays $150,000 per year plus the 'perks' that go along with the position. You know the Congressional seat currently occupied by Katharene Harris??? When I heard GOP Candidate Tramm Hudson stand up in front of a roomful of people and say he already had raised $250,000 for his Congressional Campaign and wouldn't be surprised if his opponent, Millionaire Car Dealer Vern Buchanon, made this a MILLION dollar campaign for a Congressional seat, I almost choked. We haven't even gotten to the Primary Election yet... This is absolutely absurd and it led me to do some more grassroots investigation of elected offices down to the County level... What I've been able to find out would just blow the average voter away. Tens of thousands of dollars are being spent just to get an elected office that might only pay the winner $15,000 to $25,000 per year... So, just WHAT drives these people, not always the best qualified candidates, to go out and get as much money as they can for a position that pays LESS, in many cases, then what the Candidate is already making in their profession... Shall we start with the word POWER??? That's the only thing that seems to make any sense. Sure they all have benefits when they get elected, but it's the 'power' they are looking for or that little title they get, "The Honorable"... I for one say it's about time we stopped this practice right here in Florida of 'unlimited amounts of money' being allowed to fund Political Campaigns. And I further submit to all of you that ALL Elected Public Offices be limited to '2' Terms only all across the board... A highly qualified candidate running for Public Office without a BIG bankroll, doesn't stand a chance of getting elected... The big bucks that fuel Florida elections are still rolling in unchecked, despite talk of reform and attempts to control lobbying. Florida is one of just 13 states with no caps on how much can be given to political parties... For the 2006 election cycle, the Republican Party of Florida has reported 426 donations of $10,000 or more, a total of $8.1 million, according to an analysis of financial reports which you can find by doing a search on the internet. The Florida Democratic Party got 129 such donations, or $2.42 million... BOTH Political Parties are subscribing to this policy and it needs to be stopped... That core of big donors provided more than half the money raised by each party, making the thousands of smaller donations look tiny. The party contributions are not subject to the $500 limit that state law applies to individual candidates... Not a month doesn't go by that I get something in my mail from a Political Party or Candidate asking me for money, even when there's NOT an election taking place... Just think about what this Campaign finance case decision said. The U.S. Supreme Court noted in the 1976 case Buckley v. Valeo, because "to the extent that large contributions are given to secure a political quid pro quo [one thing in return for another] from current and potential office holders, the integrity of our system of representative democracy is undermined." Money sent directly to the political parties rather than candidates technically is meant only for "party building activities," but the law and the courts allow almost unlimited interpretations of that term... The parties end up funneling millions of dollars back to individual candidates as "in-kind donations" for such items as campaign staff, utilities, printing, office rent and consulting services... The impact a single individual, business or interest group can have with unlimited donations becomes clear with the size of the checks... The Democratic Party got a $185,000 donation from the Victory 2006 political committee in Tallahassee, and Ginn Development Co. of Celebration gave $150,000 to the Republican Party... All told for the period, there were seven $100,000 checks and 27 for $50,000, some from Tampa area companies including Amscot Corp. and the Outback Steakhouse PAC. Statewide, Disney Worldwide Services, Jacksonville Greyhound Racing Inc., Florida Power & Light and other companies made donations of $50,000 or more... Wealthy individuals play a big role, too. Take Lawrence DeGeorge, of Jupiter. He gave the Republican Party $15,000 on Feb. 1, 2005, then $25,000 on April 8. In May he made donations of $100 and $5,000, then $100,000 on June 23 - matching the largest donation by an individual for the cycle... DeGeorge sent $100 on June 30, then $50,000 and $25,000 in September. On Oct. 12, he gave a final $50,000, bringing his yearly donations to the Republican Party of Florida to $270,200... Democrats have their big-money angels, too. Frank Brunckhorst, of Sarasota, of Boar's Head Provisions Co., gave the party $60,000 in April, and a trust associated with him added $100,000 in September... For example, gambling interests in Florida used 37 donations to give more than $481,000 to the Republican Party of Florida. The Democratic Party got three donations totaling just over $2,200. Anybody notice the new Indian Gaming Casino down in Hollywood, FL??? Most groups are giving money in the hopes of gaining some access to the Political system and gaining a favorable decision that would directly benefit THEM. It is widely accepted that big donors do get more access than average citizens... Some companies balance their donations. Tampa's TECO Energy Inc. gave $40,000 to the Democratic Party and $182,500 to the Republican Party... The Ginn Development Co., which made the $150,000 donation to the Republican Party, obviously sees things in the same way because they gave money to both Parties.... According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the only other states that do this are Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Virginia... The National Conference lists 23 states as limiting political party contributions from most or all sources and 14 states as limiting donations from corporations and labor unions but not other sources... Louisiana set a limit of $100,000 on individual, corporate or union contributions over a four-year period, and Vermont allows $2,000 per two-year election cycle... Wisconsin prohibits all corporate and union donations and limits individuals to $10,000 a year and political action committees to $6,000... And all of these huge donations are being given in the name of "Free Speech." I've heard people say that Political contributions amount to free speech... I would personally favor more disclosure for Section 527 political funds, named after their IRS code number. These tax-exempt funds, often created by unions, politicians or special interest groups, can be used to buy campaign ads on specific issues - such as gun control, abortion and tax policy... They have fewer disclosure requirements than other political organizations, and that means some of the big gifts made in the final stages of a campaign don't become public until after the election... What do YOU think would happen if more financial disclosure was required to tell us, the VOTERS, where the Political money was coming from??? Like her Republican counterpart, Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman wouldn't endorse limits on big-money contributions... "Part of me wants to say sure, because we're behind in the money game, but the other part of me says no," Thurman said. "The answer is still no." Unfortunately this is the one issue where Republican and Democratic leaders agree, and that means there's going to be no economic campaign financing reform on the horizon. But there SHOULD be... This is the policy that is obviously being adheered to in Florida, and it's apparent that neither Political Party wants to slow down the unlimited flow of money... So now that you know how things are done in Florida, how big is YOUR wallet??? If you're planning on running for Public Office, how much do YOU want to spend to be an elected Official??? Somehow, I really think that BUYING your way into an elected position, is NOT what our Founding Father's had in mind for America... It's ALL about the MONEY and not much about the 'people' anymore in American politics... What do YOU think??? For Now, That's Just 'OUR' Opinion... Matt Bruce Sarasota, FL. Monday, February 13, 2006
Friends on the march In the fight against racism and poverty in Boston's neighborhoods, Ron Bell and Sid Topol walk the walk together By Bella English, Globe Staff | October 29, 2005 Sid Topol is an 81-year-old retiree who grew up in Grove Hall, the section of the city that lies in both Dorchester and Roxbury, when it was all Jewish. He graduated from Boston Latin School in 1941 and enjoyed a lucrative career as a pioneer in satellite communications. Ron Bell is a 42-year-old black man who grew up in Mission Hill and graduated from Boston Latin in 1981. He works in Grove Hall at the Freedom House, which in an earlier life was the Hebrew Teachers College. He is a deacon at Greater Love Tabernacle in Dorchester, which was once a synagogue. When the two men met five years ago, there was an immediate connection. Besides their affinity for Grove Hall and their shared alma mater, they found something bigger that united them: a passion for racial justice. Tomorrow at 1 p.m., the two will link arms and help lead a march from the First Church in Roxbury to the Boston Common, singing black spirituals along the way. Read More Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Future American lawyers to be proud of. The Mainstream News didn't mention this event. Georgetown Law school is putting it out: Alberto Gonzales spoke before law students at Georgetown Law School today, justifying illegal, unauthorized surveillance of US citizens; but during the course of his speech the students in class did something pretty ballsy and brave. They got up from their seats and turned their backs to him. To make matters worse for Gonzales, additional students came into the room, wearing black cowls and carrying a simple banner, written on a sheet.   |
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