http://www.sott.net Signs of the Times, featuring news and commentary on world events. Never wavering in our unending search for the light of truth in a pathocracy driven world! en-us Original content Copyright 2008 by Signs of the Times. For other content, see our Fair Use Policy at www.sott.net Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:54:14 -0500 http://www.sott.net/images/sottlogo_rss.jpg SOTT.net http://www.sott.net http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169504-Edmonton-Canada-Mysterious-fireball-lights-up-night-sky Numerous people living in Edmonton and surrounding areas are reporting seeing a meteorite-like fireball that lit up the sky. It not been confirmed as a meteor by official sources, but many witnesses report seeing "bright orange flames" with a large tail that shot horizontally across the sky and then disappeared. Others said it looked like horizontal lightning, where all the clouds in one huge swath were lit up. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169504-Edmonton-Canada-Mysterious-fireball-lights-up-night-sky Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:53:14 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169503-Attack-of-the-Psoriafish-Flesh-eating-fish-take-bites-out-of-skin-sufferer A woman with the skin condition psoriasis has travelled to Turkey to sit in water and be nibbled by flesh-eating fish in a bid to find a cure. Samantha Grayston, 38, from Kent, said she returned from her three-week trip to find the "doctor fish" treatment had worked and boosted her confidence. She spent six hours a day at the spa near Kangal in eastern Turkey. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169503-Attack-of-the-Psoriafish-Flesh-eating-fish-take-bites-out-of-skin-sufferer Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:33:40 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169502-Dog-sniffs-out-owner-s-cancer A man from north Oxfordshire has credited his pet Rottweiler with sniffing out his skin cancer. Chris Tuffrey, from Banbury, had a mole on his chest for 15 years but "put his head in the sand" and ignored it. But he said thanks to his dog Beamish "nuzzling and licking" him and trying to lift his arm near the mole, he went to a doctor to get it checked out. Within a two weeks, melanoma was confirmed by the hospital and the cancerous mole was removed. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169502-Dog-sniffs-out-owner-s-cancer Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:26:44 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169480-George-W-Bush-Grade-A-USDA-Prime-Sonofabitch How do you reek and fester? Let me count the ways. You reek and fester beyond the heights and depths of the ordinary imaginations of your hypnotized Schmoos. You're unforgettable, Georgie-Boy. Even among your kind, you are one of a kind. It would not surprise me if you took a dump in the center of the Oval Office on the day you depart into ignominy and the slow increasing thunder of the relentless, footfalls of dread, which will accompany your every remaining breath. You are the poster boy of "What's wrong with this Picture?" Your final efforts in the office, which you were installed in but never won, are speaking volumes to your arrogant nature which, were it breakfast cereal would make you the General Mills of all time. Whether it is a genuine love of the environment, performing domestic terror attacks or the financial enslavement of your fellows, by making trillions disappear into the pockets of the jackals you set loose upon the economy, you've been a busy little enabler. It appears that you will not be leaving to the sound of brass bands; tear-stained eyes and waving handkerchiefs, congratulatory applause or cries of, "George, we hardly knew ye." We knew you all too well George. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169480-George-W-Bush-Grade-A-USDA-Prime-Sonofabitch Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:54:50 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169501-Flowers-Are-Not-Allowed-at-the-Erez-Crossing How much did I want to travel to see you and all the dear friends, to see the world and to breathe some fresh air, to reassure my senses that there are some normal things and normal people out there. How much painful it was to realize time and time again that I am not and we, people of Gaza, are not allowed to feel normal or think normal. Our right to our land, to freedom and to justice were systematically raped. Now they are after our sanity. The aim is to destroy what has remained -- our identity. It is our identity that is so threatening: our humanity, our attachment to the family and the holly Jerusalem, to falafel and the music of Fairuz and women weaving traditional dresses. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169501-Flowers-Are-Not-Allowed-at-the-Erez-Crossing Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:21:19 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169500-Families-of-Lockerbie-bombing-victims-receive-compensation-from-Libya Libya will hand over $1.5bn to compensate families of those killed on the Pan Am flight and in an attack on a Berlin disco The families of the US victims of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing say they have received full compensation from the Libyan government. At a news conference at the US Congress yesterday, the families declared victory in their quest for justice in the case. "Until today, Libyan officials claimed it had long fulfilled justice to the families," said Kara Weipz, of the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 group. Her brother had been a passenger on the plane. "For many years, we were the forgotten victims of terrorism. Today is historic because Libya has finally fulfilled 100% justice to the Pan Am 103 families." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169500-Families-of-Lockerbie-bombing-victims-receive-compensation-from-Libya Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:18:29 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169499-Russian-frigate-protects-nine-ships-from-Somali-pirates Russia's Neustrashimy (Fearless) missile frigate is escorting an international convoy of nine vessels past the Horn of Africa to protect them from Somali pirate attacks, a Russian Navy spokesman said on Friday. Cap. 1st rank Igor Dygalo, an aide to the Russian Navy commander, said the Neustrashimy is escorting one vessel from each of Russia, the Marshall Islands and the Cayman Islands, and six Liberian ships. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169499-Russian-frigate-protects-nine-ships-from-Somali-pirates Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:07:36 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169498-Report-US-global-dominance-to-be-challenged-by-Russia-China-and-India US economic, military and political dominance is likely to decline over the next two decades, according to a new US intelligence report on global trends. The National Intelligence Council (NIC) predicts China, India and Russia will increasingly challenge US influence. It also says the dollar may no longer be the world's major currency, and food and water shortages will fuel conflict. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169498-Report-US-global-dominance-to-be-challenged-by-Russia-China-and-India Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:04:45 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169497-UN-adopts-Russian-proposed-anti-Nazi-resolution The UN General Assembly on social and humanitarian issues has adopted a draft resolution proposed by Russia on tackling a rise in the glorification of Nazism and the desecration of WWII monuments. The draft resolution on "combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance," is aimed at tackling the practice in the former Soviet republics of Latvia and Estonia of honoring SS veterans who fought for Nazi Germany during WWII. "Nazi monuments are unveiled in a ceremonial atmosphere and the dates of liberation from the Nazis are proclaimed as days of mourning," Russia's UN representative, Grigory Lykyantsev, told the UN, adding that "this attitude towards anti-fascist veterans plays into the hands of those who call for 'a pure race.'" http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169497-UN-adopts-Russian-proposed-anti-Nazi-resolution Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:01:50 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169496-Colossus-of-Rhodes-to-be-rebuilt-as-giant-light-sculpture It may not straddle the port as its predecessor once did, but in terms of sheer luminosity and eye-catching height the new Colossus of Rhodes will not disappoint. Nor will it fall short of the symbolism that once imbued the ancient monument. Twenty-three centuries after craftsmen carved the legendary statue that has inspired legions of painters, poets, playwrights and politicians, a new world wonder, built in the spirit of the original Colossus, is about to be born on the Aegean island. After decades of dashed hopes, the people of Rhodes will fulfil a long-held dream to revive one of the world's seven ancient wonders - thanks to the promise of international funding and the East German artist Gert Hof. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169496-Colossus-of-Rhodes-to-be-rebuilt-as-giant-light-sculpture Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:57:48 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169495-Cyprus-sex-trafficking-reveals-murky-world Non-governmental organisations meeting in Nicosia say that the island has become a site of virtually uncontrolled trafficking of women, particularly those from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics. It is thought that every year more than 2,000 women pass through Cyprus, and are forced into prostitution on the island or in European and Arab countries. "Cyprus is a destination country for victims of trafficking, especially for sexual exploitation," said Rita Superman, head of the anti-trafficking unit of the Cyprus police. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169495-Cyprus-sex-trafficking-reveals-murky-world Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:37:04 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169494-Gazans-despair-over-blockade-and-worst-living-conditions-ever "People in Gaza are waiting in lines for almost everything, and that's if they're lucky enough to find something to wait for," says Bassam Nasser, 39. An aid worker in Gaza City, he, like so many others there, including the UN relief agency, says living conditions are the worst he has ever seen in the strip. "People queue for two or three hours for bread, but sometimes there's no cooking gas or flour, so no bread. "People wait in line for UN food handouts, but sometimes there aren't any. The suffering is reaching every aspect of life." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169494-Gazans-despair-over-blockade-and-worst-living-conditions-ever Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:33:21 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169493-Cyprus-man-stabbed-in-the-genitals-by-angry-wife A Cyprus man is recovering after being stabbed in the genitals with a kitchen knife by his wife. The 36-year-old was taken to Limassol general hospital where he received emergency surgery and his wounds were stitched up. The attacker, his 50-year-old Russian wife, is now in custody following the attack which happened on Tuesday afternoon at the couple's home in the Yermasoyia tourist area of Limassol. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169493-Cyprus-man-stabbed-in-the-genitals-by-angry-wife Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:29:26 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169492-Bush-the-memoir-no-one-wants-to-read Political memoirs can be a lucrative business - as long as you're not the most unpopular US president in history Gosh. Poor old George Bush. He's having a rough time, isn't he? He has the worst presidential approval ratings in US history. Under his stalwart leadership, the country has taken an economic, social and emotional nosedive. His own party attempts to distance themselves from him on a daily basis. And to top it all off, can you believe that nobody wants to buy his memoirs? To add insult to injury, publishers are courting his wife with fervour, each clamouring for the opportunity to bid on her memoirs. It has to burn at least a little, right? I don't really understand why people aren't interested. I'm assuming that watching Bush attempt to justify the myriad interesting choices he's made - all of which fall somewhere in the range of "irresponsible" to "deadly" to "Were you asleep?" - holds the same sickeningly captivating appeal as watching a car crash. Still, other readers might be interested in seeing just what new and grammatically impossible bastardisations of the English language Bush could spew forth next. It seems intriguing to be afforded the opportunity to see into the mind of a man who felt compelled to lie (poorly) about his favourite book from childhood. Granted, I certainly wouldn't pay for the privilege, but that's why we have such an efficacious library system, no? http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169492-Bush-the-memoir-no-one-wants-to-read Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:23:25 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169491-Scientists-self-censor-after-political-attack Researchers avoid contentious language and issues in grants and papers. Scientists whose work came under scrutiny during a political debate about work funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, censored their own later work, a new study has found. [1] In July 2003, former congressman Patrick Toomey (Republican, Pennsylvania) argued that NIH grants funding studies on certain types of sexual behaviour were less worthy of taxpayer dollars than those on devastating diseases. He proposed an amendment to the 2004 NIH appropriations bill to revoke funding for five grants - four of which examined sexual behaviour. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169491-Scientists-self-censor-after-political-attack Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:22:46 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169490-No-Difference-for-an-Iraqi-Mother-Whether-Death-Was-Ordered-by-a-Bush-or-Clinton With all decent Americans focusing on President Bush's military orders as having caused the death of hundreds of thousands, one tends to forget President Clinton's orders also took thousands of innocent lives with missile attacks in three countries. The following was originally published by Window, a Hong Kong magazine, July 16, 1993, as "Any Recourse for Iraqi Mother?" - The author, an American musician, berates the mass media for presenting officials' justification of military strikes that kill innocent children. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169490-No-Difference-for-an-Iraqi-Mother-Whether-Death-Was-Ordered-by-a-Bush-or-Clinton Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:43:16 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169489-Obama-s-Palestine-choices "To those who seek peace and security -- we support you...While we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can." --President-Elect Barack Obama, speaking at his victory party in Grant Park (Chicago) on November 4, 2008 The fact that most Arabs in the Middle East also voted for change in the direction of US foregin policy may soon face the reality of Obama not as the fiery candidate but the realist president of the United States. Doubtless, under President George W. Bush, US foreign policy debacles in the Middle East have deepened, and America's goodwill in the region all but vanished. Not surprisingly, then, that Barack Obama's election as the 44th president has raised expectations in a volatile region that continues to look to us for a more prominent role to solve its problems. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169489-Obama-s-Palestine-choices Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:31:23 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169488-The-Apocalypse-Quiz-Kiss-Your-Butts-Good-Bye- According to many psychics, religious fundamentalists and doomsday enthusiasts (who are all, more or less, the same people), the Bible's final battle between good and evil is now imminent. In fact, these apocalyptic predictions are taken so seriously by so many; a profitable "end times" industry has emerged to feed this growing gullible audience willing to pay for a daily dosage of doom and gloom. Granted, in view of recent world events, our collective demise doesn't seem like that much of a stretch, especially when the fear-mongering corporate media cheers from the sidelines, selling these wars along with their regular offerings of disaster, disease, pestilence and Sarah 'my god can beat up your god' Palin's latest nuggets of political wisdom. Perhaps it's only natural for the public to feel threatened and expect the worst. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169488-The-Apocalypse-Quiz-Kiss-Your-Butts-Good-Bye- Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:21:38 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169487-Cheney-Indicted-So-Impeach-Bush-Mr-Conyers- Looks like Dick might have a wee might of trouble taking office now that he is under indictment, so nothing to worry about there. With Christmas season after elections traditionally being impeachment season (Clinton was impeached on December 16th) now is the time for Conyers to move. Impeachment activists are heading back to Washington this week, and cranking up a "Remind Conyers of His Promise to Impeach After the Election" Campaign. See, back on March 17, 2008, in response to a question from the audience on whether Conyers would impeach once the Nov. 4 elections were over, Conyers said "You have my word on that." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169487-Cheney-Indicted-So-Impeach-Bush-Mr-Conyers- Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:12:47 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169486-MTV-closed-down-as-broadcasting-license-expires MTV' will stop broadcasting as its license expired this summer after 15 years, but it's not the famous music channel experiencing problems. 'Malovereiskoe TV', a small broadcasting station in the heart of a Russian region. Its programming was mainly farming and local gossip and it only had around 600 viewers, but in terms of local TV it was a ratings success. 'MTV' might not be quite what you expect from a TV station - it's tiny and the equipment is minimal. Run by flagship presenter Tatiana and cameraman Sergey, the station has been broadcasting to around 600 farmers and villagers in the nearby area for 15 years, serving a valuable purpose. "For a small village like this one, television is fantastic! It covers all aspects of local life. It is for each person living here like a window to the world," Tatyana said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169486-MTV-closed-down-as-broadcasting-license-expires Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:05:19 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169485-Thousands-protest-US-pact-in-Baghdad Thousands of Iraqis have gathered on a central square in Baghdad to protest a US-proposed security pact that is yet to be finalized. "No, no to the American agreement... No, no to the agreement of humiliation,'' chanted the protesters as they waved Iraqi flags and green banners. The demonstrators, who had converged in Baghdad's Firdous Square for Friday prayers, staged the last in a series of protests that have been held against the deal. If approved by the parliament and ratified by the president, the deal will keep US forces in Iraq for another three years after their UN mandate expires on December 30. Iraq's parliament is expected to vote on the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on November 24. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169485-Thousands-protest-US-pact-in-Baghdad Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:57:25 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169484-UK-Home-repossessions-rise-12-as-economy-worsens Repossessions in July, August and September jumped sharply by 12 per cent and, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, full year numbers are expected to soar by 70 per cent compared to 2007. The number of repossessions that took place over the summer was 11,300, as an increasing number of homeowners are struggling to pay their mortgages. Today, the CML maintained its forecast that total repossessions for the year will reach 45,000, marking a 70 per cent increase on last year's total. The latest figures from the CML also show that the number of mortgages in arrears by at least three months had jumped by 8 per cent. The number of cases where people have fallen behind in their mortgage repayments by the end of September was 168,000, with lenders now suggesting that the total number of mortgages in arrears is likely to surpass previous forecasts of 170,000 by the end of the year. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169484-UK-Home-repossessions-rise-12-as-economy-worsens Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:51:20 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169483-Galactic-recluse-has-friends-after-all An apparently isolated galaxy whose frenetic rate of star birth had puzzled astronomers actually lies 1.5 times as far away as previously thought, a new study reveals. The new distance measurement suggests the galaxy may be falling into a crowd of about 10 other galaxies, whose gravitational tugs could explain its stellar baby boom. Ground-based telescopes had previously gauged the distance to the dwarf galaxy, called NGC 1569, to be about 7 million light years from Earth. At that distance, the galaxy appeared to lie in a region of space devoid of other galaxies. Most such galactic loners tend to evolve slowly, eking out stars at a relatively modest rate because they lack neighbours whose gravitational tugs can trigger the galaxies' own gas clouds to collapse into stars. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169483-Galactic-recluse-has-friends-after-all Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:45:50 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169482-Financial-crisis-the-deleveraging-monster-will-get-hungrier-and-hungrier Markets are spooked by three "Ds". Deleveraging, deflation and depression are feeding one another in a potentially vicious manner. With banks facing strain again, governments must rapidly complete existing recapitalisation plans and probably take further steps to prevent excessive belt-tightening. The most recent downward lurch in the markets has been driven by news of inflation turning negative in the US and fears that the main industrialised economies could face a depression rather than just a severe recession. Worries have also resurfaced about the banks. Citigroup's shares dived 23pc on Wednesday, while spreads on bank credit default swaps - which measure the market's view of the likelihood of going bust - have started to rise again. A key component in this tangled story is deleveraging. Unfortunately, so much debt was built up in the good times that the deleveraging story has a long way to go. Between 1983 and 2007, the ratio of private credit to GDP in the Group of Seven large industrial economies plus China rose from 92pc to 155pc, according to a Nomura Securities calculation. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169482-Financial-crisis-the-deleveraging-monster-will-get-hungrier-and-hungrier Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:42:37 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169481-New-dolphin-species-revealed-by-genetic-test A new, third species of bottlenose dolphin has been discovered in the waters off southern Australia. It is only the second new dolphin to be discovered in 50 years. Luciana Möller of the Marine Mammal Research Group at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and her colleagues were studying populations of what they thought were Indo-Pacific and common bottlenoses in southern waters. DNA analysis, though, revealed that most the animals living close to the shores of the states of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania were in fact a new species, belonging to a new genus. "They look very like the Indo-Pacific species, but genetically they're very different," says Möller. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169481-New-dolphin-species-revealed-by-genetic-test Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:34:15 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169479-New-species-of-Ebola-found-in-Uganda A new species of Ebola virus has turned up near the foothills of western Uganda. Named Bundibugyo, after a district in the region, the virus resembles no other previously discovered strains - a feature that might complicate ongoing efforts to develop a universal vaccine. Based on an outbreak about a year ago, 35% of people infected with Bundibugyo die, says Jonathan Towner, a microbiologist at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, who was part of a team that identified the virus. "If there was a disease spreading in North America with that kind of case fatality that would be a big deal," he says. Other strains of Ebola previously discovered in Sudan and Zaire can kill more than 90% of people. When Towner's team received samples of the virus from Uganda, their initial line of tests for previously known Ebola strains turned up negative, he says. "It was clearly Ebola virus, but it was not something we had seen before," he says. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169479-New-species-of-Ebola-found-in-Uganda Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:28:32 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169478-GM-May-Have-Weeks-Not-Months-Without-Aid-York-Says General Motors Corp., the largest U.S. automaker, probably has weeks rather than months left before it runs out of cash without federal aid, said Jerome York, an adviser to billionaire Kirk Kerkorian and former GM board member. Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner ''all but said'' at congressional hearings in the past two days that GM can't continue to operate until a new U.S. administration takes over in January, York said in a Bloomberg Television interview today. GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC should develop a detailed plan for sustained operations and present it to Congress as a condition of receiving support, with ''chains'' rather than ''strings'' attached, York said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169478-GM-May-Have-Weeks-Not-Months-Without-Aid-York-Says Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:13:56 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169477-Uranium-at-Syria-site-come-from-Israeli-missiles Traces of uranium on a site in northern Syria were residue from Israeli missiles used to bomb the area in September 2007, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Tuesday. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169477-Uranium-at-Syria-site-come-from-Israeli-missiles Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:13:30 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169476-The-death-of-the-dollar- We are living in economic chaos. Banks, homes, jobs, and businesses are at risk. Yet curiously, the one thing that seems stable is the dollar. It is a symbol - and a lever - of American power and leadership, itis the standard unit of account for much of the world's economic activity. And in times of crisis, it has often seemed a safe haven. But in the longer term, some experts believe this crisis could mark a turning point in the dollar's fortunes, hastening a fall from power which has seen its value decline over several years before its recent rally. "I think today's financial crisis is going to hasten the end of the dollar as the world's reserve currency", says Avinash Persaud, chairman of Intelligence Capital Limited. "For the first time ever we're now seeing that in the financial markets it costs money to guarantee you against a US government default." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169476-The-death-of-the-dollar- Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:10:59 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169475-Another-unexplained-sighting-in-Stephenville-Texas What in the world continues to fly in the skies over Stephenville? Or maybe it's out of this world. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169475-Another-unexplained-sighting-in-Stephenville-Texas Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:09:13 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169474-US-judge-orders-release-of-Guant-namo-five A US judge ruled yesterday that five Algerian prisoners held in Guantánamo Bay must be set free, in a decision with far-reaching implications for the remaining detainees at the base in Cuba. District court judge Richard Leon ruled in a Washington DC court that there was no legal basis to keep the five in prison. It is the first verdict in more than 200 habeas corpus petitions being brought before the US courts. The petitions challenge the American government to prove that there is evidence to justify keeping the men in Guantánamo Bay. The judge, known for his conservative views, said the US government should not appeal. "The decision by Judge Leon lays bare the flimsy basis on which Guantánamo has been founded - at best, slim evidence of dubious quality, at worst, nothing," said Zachary Katznelson, legal director of Reprieve, the British legal action charity whose lawyers represent 33 Guantánamo prisoners. "This is a tough, no-nonsense judge. If he found there wasn't evidence to justify holding the men, you can be sure it wasn't there." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169474-US-judge-orders-release-of-Guant-namo-five Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:05:43 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169473-Massive-fireball-lights-up-Canadian-Prairie-skies It wasn't a bird, and it sure as heck wasn't a plane, but whatever was in the sky over western Canada on Thursday night was very exciting for the people who saw it. In Edmonton and across the Prairies, hundreds of people reported seeing a bright flaming object light up the sky around 5:30 p.m. local time. It was variously described as green, yellow, purple or blue, and appeared as either an explosion or an object streaking through the sky. Sightings came from across the Prairies; from as far south as Medicine Hat, Alta., to as far north as Beauval, Sask. - 600 kilometres from Edmonton. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169473-Massive-fireball-lights-up-Canadian-Prairie-skies Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:04:17 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169472-Mysterious-Source-Of-High-Energy-Cosmic-Radiation-Discovered-Nearby-Exotic-Object- Scientists announced Wednesday the discovery of a previously unidentified nearby source of high-energy cosmic rays. The finding was made with a NASA-funded balloon-borne instrument high over Antarctica. Researchers from the Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter (ATIC) collaboration, led by scientists at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, published the results in the Nov. 20 issue of the journal Nature. The new results show an unexpected surplus of cosmic ray electrons at very high energy -- 300-800 billion electron volts -- that must come from a previously unidentified source or from the annihilation of very exotic theoretical particles used to explain dark matter. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169472-Mysterious-Source-Of-High-Energy-Cosmic-Radiation-Discovered-Nearby-Exotic-Object- Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:48:53 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/125003-John-F-Kennedy-The-Secret-Service-and-Rich-Fascist-Texans Comment: This is the penultimate article in a series written in 2006 commemorating the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of JFK that we are carrying every day as we approach the 45th Anniversary of that tragedy for mankind. Joe Biden, now 66, made a peculiar speech back in October, to a group of Obama supporters in Seattle: We're gonna have to make some incredibly tough decisions in the first two years. So I'm asking you now, I'm asking you now, be prepared to stick with us. Remember the faith you had at this point because you're going to have to reinforce us. There are gonna be a lot of you who want to go, 'Whoa, wait a minute, yo, whoa, whoa, I don't know about that decision'," Biden continued. "Because if you think the decision is sound when they're made, which I believe you will when they're made, they're not likely to be as popular as they are sound. One of the key policy changes championed by the President-elect is Obama-Biden's New Energy for America plan. Unfortunately, this plan is based on the February 2007 findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) who announced a so-called "consensus" on man-made global warming. Since then, a U.S. Senate Report showed that over 400 prominent scientists disputed the man-made global warming claims of the IPCC and increasing evidence shows that we are actually heading towards a new Ice Age! Despite widespread propaganda, less than half Americans believe in man-made global warming. Will Americans embrace the new taxes and new 'green' regulations at a time when 36 million cannot afford to feed themselves? How 'green' their energy is coming from (if they can afford to heat their homes) is likely to be the least of their worries. During his election campaign, Obama recognised the power of the big-oil and energy companies: "I don't take money from oil companies or Washington lobbyists, and I won't let them block change anymore." According to FactCheck.org this is not entirely true. They claim that Obama has in actual fact accepted funds from oil and gas employees and two of Obama's fund-raisers were top oil company executives. In May 2008 in Dallas, Texas, prominent shareholders, including the Rockefeller family urged ExxonMobil to take the problem of climate change more seriously. Given their history, should we be concerned that Big Oil is now supporting the fraudulent climate-change political agenda? John F. Kennedy, The Secret Service and Rich, Fascist Texans On November 21st, 1963, 44 years ago today, the 1,035th day of John F. Kennedy's tenure as President, he asked the Congress for $95.7 million in supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 1964. He also asked his economic advisers to prepare a "War on Poverty" program for 1964. Then, President Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy departed for a two-day trip to Texas. It was to be his last full day on Earth. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/125003-John-F-Kennedy-The-Secret-Service-and-Rich-Fascist-Texans Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:26:13 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169471-Dems-Target-Private-Retirement-Accounts Democratic leaders in the U.S. House discuss confiscating 401(k)s, IRAs Democrats in the U.S. House have been conducting hearings on proposals to confiscate workers' personal retirement accounts - including 401(k)s and IRAs, and convert them to accounts managed by the Social Security Administration. Triggered by the financial crisis the past two months, the hearings reportedly were meant to stem losses incurred by many workers and retirees whose 401(k) and IRA balances have been shrinking rapidly. The testimony of Teresa Ghilarducci, professor of economic policy analysis at the New School for Social Research in New York, in hearings Oct. 7 drew the most attention and criticism. Testifying for the House Committee on Education and Labor, Ghilarducci proposed that the government eliminate tax breaks for 401(k) and similar retirement accounts, such as IRAs, and confiscate workers' retirement plan accounts and convert them to universal Guaranteed Retirement Accounts (GRAs) managed by the Social Security Administration. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169471-Dems-Target-Private-Retirement-Accounts Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:38:21 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169470-In-the-Northern-California-wilds-animal-Candid-Camera- In one scene, a small bobcat crouched on a one-inch perch, appearing to gather the courage for a 10-foot leap over a stream to an equally tiny landing spot. In another, a large mountain lion crept along a creek, searching for a way across without getting wet. Then there was the phantom creature that snuck right behind the wildlife biologist and his camera, then disappeared - but only for a moment. In another episode, a bear, the Holy Grail of "critter cams," hovered over a salmon pool on a remote creek, then out-quicked the camera. A "critter cam," also known as a "trail cam," can unveil the wildlife secrets of forests, streams and lakes. These are movement-activated cameras strapped to trees, or fixed video cameras positioned at strategic locations on land and underwater. They are like having hidden eye-witnesses in the wilderness. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169470-In-the-Northern-California-wilds-animal-Candid-Camera- Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:24:34 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169469-Canada-Northern-Alberta-meteor-crater-identified What local hunters in Whitecourt thought for years was a sinkhole is actually the crater left behind by a meteor that fell to earth 1,000 years ago and is now attracting international attention from researchers. George VanderBurg, MLA for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne, said he was very surprised to learn about the crater. He recalled going hunting with his father and using the site as a meeting point. Deer could often be found drinking rainwater that collected in the bottom of the crater, he said. "All of us that have grown up here have known about it, but we didn't know it was the big scientific thing that it is," he said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169469-Canada-Northern-Alberta-meteor-crater-identified Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:23:16 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169468-Getting-Through-the-Coming-Depression Our men's group, currently in its 17th year, is composed of middle-class professionals -- lawyers, educators, therapist, writer, corporate manager, doctor, etc. -- and each of us in this perilous economy in recent months has taken a deep financial hit of one form or another or knows (or has heard of) someone personally who is struggling to hold onto or already has lost his/her job. The general conclusion based on our personal knowledge, on the relevant economic indicators, and on what we are hearing from experts and economic-focused journalists and bloggers from around the globe, is that the U.S. and the other nations of the world are in a deep recession and are heading quickly toward a major Depression. This dangerous state could last for many, many years. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169468-Getting-Through-the-Coming-Depression Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:22:03 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169467-e-mc2-103-years-later-Einstein-s-proven-right Paris - It's taken more than a century, but Einstein's celebrated formula e=mc2 has finally been corroborated, thanks to a heroic computational effort by French, German and Hungarian physicists. A brainpower consortium led by Laurent Lellouch of France's Centre for Theoretical Physics, using some of the world's mightiest supercomputers, have set down the calculations for estimating the mass of protons and neutrons, the particles at the nucleus of atoms. According to the conventional model of particle physics, protons and neutrons comprise smaller particles known as quarks, which in turn are bound by gluons. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169467-e-mc2-103-years-later-Einstein-s-proven-right Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:39:06 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169466-Deadly-flash-floods-hit-storm-battered-Australian-city Brisbane - Flash floods killed a woman and forced evacuations as torrential rain drenched Australia's battered city of Brisbane Thursday just days after it was hit by a violent storm, officials said. The 85-year-old died when she was trapped in her car as it was swept away by floodwaters east of the Queensland state capital, police said. Her elderly husband was recovering in hospital. More than 1,000 calls were made to emergency services in Brisbane and surrounding areas on the east coast, which were pounded by up to 25 centimetres (nearly 10 inches) of rain over seven hours overnight. Thousands of homes were plunged into darkness and families were evacuated from houses threatened by a landslip workers had been trying to stabilise after Sunday's storm, said state Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169466-Deadly-flash-floods-hit-storm-battered-Australian-city Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:28:36 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169465-China-says-19-000-students-died-in-May-earthquake Beijing - China acknowledged Friday for the first time that more than 19,000 schoolchildren were among the dead in the massive earthquake that struck Sichuan province in May. The earthquake left nearly 90,000 people dead or missing, but the government had never said how many of the casualties were students. Most died when their shoddily built schools collapsed. The earthquake left nearly 90,000 people dead or missing, but the government had never said how many were students. Their deaths become a sensitive political issue for the government, with parents of dead children staging protests demanding investigations. Many of the parents have also been subjected to intimidation and financial inducements to silence them. The student death toll of 19,065 was given at a news conference on preparations for the winter by Wei Hong, executive vice governor of Sichuan. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169465-China-says-19-000-students-died-in-May-earthquake Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:20:04 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169464-Mukasey-collapses-during-speech Washington - Attorney General Michael Mukasey collapsed during a speech Thursday night and lost consciousness, a Justice Department official said. The 67-year-old Mukasey was rushed to George Washington University Hospital, where his condition was not immediately known. Mukasey was delivering a speech to the Federalist Society at a Washington hotel when "he just started shaking and he collapsed," said Associate Attorney General Kevin O'Connor. "They're very concerned." Mukasey was 15 to 20 minutes into his speech about the Bush administration's successes in combatting terrorism when he began slurring his words. He collapsed and lost consciousness, said O'Conner, the department's No. 3 official. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169464-Mukasey-collapses-during-speech Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:16:24 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169463-Son-tasered-at-father-s-funeral Wilmington - A North Carolina sheriff's official has apologized for plunging a funeral into chaos when undercover agents tried to arrest the dead man's son - and used a Taser on him in the process. The incident happened as the coffin was being loaded into a hearse. The officers planned to quietly arrest Gladwyn Taft Russ III, who was serving as a pallbearer, The Star-News of Wilmington reported Wednesday. Comment: "Quietly arrest" him as he was carrying his father's casket? Relatives said two deputies dressed in coats and ties grabbed Russ and kneed him in his back before using the Taser on him. One deputy's gun fell out of its holster. Russ' sister, Taffy Gause, said when she got out of the car a deputy "was waving a gun at me and my mom and yelling to get back or he was going to shoot." She said some mourners went home instead of going to the cemetery. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169463-Son-tasered-at-father-s-funeral Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:11:00 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169462-Tape-of-boy-describing-shooting-father-released St. Johns, AZ -- The police interview with the 8-year-old Arizona boy accused of killing his dad and another man was released because it is a public record, prosecutors said. Police Tuesday released the taped interview of the boy being questioned about the shooting deaths of his father, Vincent Romero, 29, and Tim Romans, 39, who rented a room in Romeros' home in St. Johns, Ariz., CNN reported. Police said the boy confessed to shooting both men with a .22-caliber handgun. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169462-Tape-of-boy-describing-shooting-father-released Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:37:04 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169461-European-car-sector-needs-cash Berlin -- General Motors (NYSE:GM) is not alone: European car companies are also in need of cash to avoid bankruptcy, with EU officials mulling continent-wide bailout plans. In Germany and France, automobile manufacturers are suffering from dwindling sales because of the financial crisis. Germany's Opel, a subsidiary of General Motors, asked Germany for more than $1 billion in credit guarantees. Another $1 billion is to be provided by governments of German states where Opel has plants, according to media reports. After an emergency meeting Monday with officials from the car producer, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced she would be willing to help Opel if it was indeed necessary. "It's important ... that we try to support the auto industry,'' she announced over the weekend. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169461-European-car-sector-needs-cash Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:28:34 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169460-More-job-losses-darken-global-economic-outlook Washington - News of fresh job cuts worldwide and a strong jump in US unemployment Thursday darkened the global economic outlook and sent financial markets into convulsions. In the United States, initial claims for unemployment benefits shot up to a 16-year high last week as the world's largest economy appeared to be sliding into a deep recession. Lawmakers in Washington, meanwhile, delayed action on a bailout deal for the crippled US auto industry, heightening fears over the survival of the Big Three manufacturers. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid said it was a "sad reality" there was not yet sufficient support for a rescue plan to pass, and said a measure could be reconsidered in December. "The executives of the auto companies have not been able to convince the Congress or the American people that this government bailout will be its last," Reid told reporters. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169460-More-job-losses-darken-global-economic-outlook Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:08:24 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169459-Government-warns-of-catastrophic-U-S-quake Kansas City, MO - People in a vast seismic zone in the southern and midwestern United States would face catastrophic damage if a major earthquake struck there and should ensure that builders keep that risk in mind, a government report said on Thursday. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said if earthquakes strike in what geologists define as the New Madrid Seismic Zone, they would cause "the highest economic losses due to a natural disaster in the United States." FEMA predicted a large earthquake would cause "widespread and catastrophic physical damage" across Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee -- home to some 44 million people. Tennessee is likely to be hardest hit, according to the study that sought to gauge the impact of a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in order to guide the government's response. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169459-Government-warns-of-catastrophic-U-S-quake Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:50:22 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169458-Report-says-CIA-withheld-info-from-White-House Washington - The senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee Thursday called for a criminal investigation into whether the CIA lied to Congress and withheld information from the Justice Department during its inquiry into the 2001 shoot-down of an American missionary plane by the Peruvian air force with help from a CIA spotter plane. The CIA's Office of General Counsel advised agency managers to avoid producing written reports about the incident "to avoid both criminal charges against Agency officers and civil liability," according to unclassified excerpts of an August CIA inspector general report released Thursday by Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra. The report said the CIA withheld from the National Security Council, Justice Department and Congress the results of multiple investigations that documented continuous and significant violations of aircraft intercept procedures created to prevent the shoot-down of innocent aircraft over the Amazon jungle. The classified report was completed in August and sent to Congress in October. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169458-Report-says-CIA-withheld-info-from-White-House Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:46:36 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169457-350-000-gold-collar-hailed-as-best-Iron-Age-find-in-50-years An iron age gold collar worth more than £350,000 that was found by an amateur metal detectorist in a muddy field in Nottinghamshire was described yesterday as the best find of its kind in half a century. "I was only in the field because a customer kept me late," Maurice Richardson, a tree surgeon from Newark, said yesterday. "Normally I'd never want to go into this field because a plane crashed there in the last war, and the whole place is littered with bits of metal." The first beep from his detector was indeed a chunk of wartime scrap metal, but as he bent down to discard it, his machine gave a louder signal. Expecting to find a bigger chunk of fuselage, he instead discovered the 2,200-year-old collar. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169457-350-000-gold-collar-hailed-as-best-Iron-Age-find-in-50-years Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:41:49 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169456-Children-dying-in-Haiti-victims-of-food-crisis Port-Au-Prince - The 5-year-old teetered on broomstick legs - he weighed less than 20 pounds, even after days of drinking enriched milk. Nearby, a 4-year-old girl hung from a strap attached to a scale, her wide eyes lifeless, her emaciated arms dangling weakly. In pockets of Haiti accessible only by donkey or foot, children are dying of malnutrition - their already meager food supply cut by a series of devastating storms that destroyed crops, wiped out livestock and sent food prices spiraling. At least 26 severely malnourished children have died in the past four weeks in the remote region of Baie d'Orange in Haiti's southeast, aid workers said Thursday, and there are fears the toll will rise much higher if help does not come quickly to the impoverished Caribbean nation. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/169456-Children-dying-in-Haiti-victims-of-food-crisis Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:24:42 +0000