LEBANON: An environmental disaster looms
[via ALTERNET.ORG]
29 Jul 2006 16:00:08 GMT

BEIRUT, 29 July (IRIN) - Lebanon is facing an environmental crisis after an Israeli air strike on the Jiyeh power station, about 20km south of Beirut caused 10,000 tonnes of oil to spill into the Mediterranean sea.
The air strikes on 13 and 15 July hit the power station's fuel tanks and the leaking oil was pushed north by winds, and a thick sludge now coats much of the Lebanese coastline. At least 80km of the 200km coastline is affected.
Officials at Lebanon's environment ministry say that the clean-up operation will take at least a year to complete and at an estimated cost of more than US $ 130 million.
"It is about 10,000 tonnes of oil, but because of the security situation we cannot go into the sea to see what the real situation is," said a spokeswoman at the ministry, who requested anonymity.
There are fears that more oil could spill into the sea due to a fire at the facility that began on Thursday and now threatens a undamaged tank that contains 15,000 tonnes of oil. Read Full Story










Do you believe President Bush's actions justify impeachment?
[via MSNBC POLL]
Last time I checked in these were the results...
[click image to enlarge]












Over a quarter million participants
87%, an OVERWHELMING majority believe Bush should be on trial, facing criminal charges.
And these wouldn't be panty waste Nixon charges, we're talking hardcore acts of treason, punishable by certain death.



US in quiet U-turn on Iraq troop numbers
[via FT.COM]
By Edward Luce and Caroline Daniel in Washington

The US administration has quietly reversed its goal from whittling down troop numbers in Iraq before the mid-term congressional elections in November.

A Pentagon spokesman on Friday confirmed that US troop levels in Iraq rose to 132,000 during the past week – the highest since late May – from 127,000 at the start of the week. The spokesman said troop numbers often fluctuated and "there might be temporary spikes during periods of troop rotation".

However, analysts said an increase in troop numbers was more likely than a reduction because the number of sectarian killings in Iraq had almost doubled since the start of the year. The rise will prompt fears that the US is becoming increasingly bogged down in an unwinnable conflict.

On Thursday, the Pentagon said it would extend for up to 120 days the 3,700-strong deployment of the 172nd Stryker brigade in Iraq, among other rotations. There were 3,169 Iraqis killed in June, compared with 1,778 in January. Read Full Story

&

AUDIT FINDS U.S. HID COSTS OF IRAQ PROJECTS

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 29 — The State Department agency in charge of $1.4 billion in reconstruction money in Iraq used an accounting shell game to hide ballooning cost overruns on its projects there and knowingly withheld information on schedule delays from Congress, a federal audit released late Friday has found.

The agency hid construction overruns by listing them as overhead or administrative costs, according to the audit, written by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, an independent office that reports to Congress, the Pentagon and the State Department.
Called the United States Agency for International Development, or A.I.D., the agency administers foreign aid projects around the world. It has been working in Iraq on reconstruction since shortly after the 2003 invasion.

The report by the inspector general’s office does not give a full accounting of all projects financed by the agency’s $1.4 billion budget, but cites several examples. Read Full Story



US took 'secret decision' on Indian firms: Post
[via IndiaNews.com & Washington Post]

Washington - The US administration took a 'secret decision' to impose sanctions on two Indian firms for selling missile parts to Iran without informing the US Congress or New Delhi, according to the Washington Post.

As the issue is highly sensitive for negotiators still working on the India nuclear deal, the government had not yet told officials in New Delhi of the decision, the daily reported Saturday citing unnamed officials. They declined to identify the two Indian companies, but said both worked with missile-related technologies. Read Full Story

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North Korean Missile Broke up Soon After Launch

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Taepodong-2 long-range missile test-fired by North Korea on July 5 broke up and fell back to earth just after its launch, making its flight much shorter than previously believed, media reports said on Sunday.

The Japanese government had previously said the Taepodong-2 fell into the Sea of Japan about 640 km (400 miles) from the launch site.

Sources quoted by Kyodo news agency said the missile exploded in mid-air within 1.5 km of the launch site, either in a northeastern region of North Korea or in its territorial waters on the edge of the Sea of Japan.

Experts have said the missile is potentially capable of hitting parts of U.S. territory.
The problem was most likely due to difficulties with the missile's boosters, sources quoted by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said.

A Japanese government official quoted by the Yomiuri said the new analysis, which will be included in a report to be issued by the government early next month, indicated that North Korea's missile technology was still immature.

"It will likely take a long time for North Korea to launch a Taepodong-2 again," he added.

MORE THAN 60 PERCENT OF U.S. IN DROUGHT
[Via AP News - James MacPherson]

STEELE, N.D. (AP) - More than 60 percent of the United States now has abnormally dry or drought conditions, stretching from Georgia to Arizona and across the north through the Dakotas, Minnesota, Montana and Wisconsin, said Mark Svoboda, a climatologist for the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

An area stretching from south central North Dakota to central South Dakota is the most drought-stricken region in the nation, Svoboda said.

"It's the epicenter," he said. "It's just like a wasteland in north central South Dakota."
Conditions aren't much better a little farther north. Paul Smokov and his wife, Betty, raise several hundred cattle on their 1,750-acre ranch north of Steele, a town of about 760 people. Read Full Story

UPDATES:

NY TIMES
-U.N. Says It Protested to Israel for 6 Hours During Attack That Killed 4 Observers in Lebanon
Download PDF of article

HAARETZ
-Israel says U.N. can't be part of probe of deadly attack on U.N. Post [PDF]

Annan accuses Israel over attack on UN post
[via The Independent]

The UN secretary general Kofi Annan says an Israeli attack on a UN observation post was "apparently deliberate". Four unarmed military observers were killed in the air strike in southern Lebanon.

Israel's UN ambassador Dan Gillerman hit back today, expressing his " deep regret" for the deaths, but vehemently denying that Israel hit the post intentionally.

The Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, spoke by phone to Mr Annan. Mr Olmert said the peacekeepers were killed mistakenly and expressed dismay over Mr Annan's accusation. Mr Olmert promised a thorough investigation and said the results would be presented to Mr Annan. Read the Full Story

So, who really wants this war to keep going, and who doesn't?
[click image to enlarge]

Israel using phosphorous arms against Lebanese Civilians




Lebanon President says Israel uses phosphorous arms - Alternet
Lebanese Doctor says 'Phosphorus Weapons' Cause Suffering - RAWSTORY

[via Alternet]
White House release calls for Israel to hit Syria

On Meet the Press, Tim Russert points out a stunning press release from the White House Communications Office.

The release, titled Setting The Record Straight, endorses an LA Times Op-Ed that calls for Israel to attack Syria:

"It's time to let the Israelis take off the gloves…. Israel needs to hit the [Syrian] Assad regime. Hard."

It's difficult to not interpret this as the White Communications Office officially endorsing an Israeli attack on Syria.

Watch the video

[Via The Denver Channel]
Marshals Say They Must File One Surveillance Detection Report, Or SDR, Per Month

DENVER -- You could be on a secret government database or watch list for simply taking a picture on an airplane. Some federal air marshals say they're reporting your actions to meet a quota, even though some top officials deny it.

The air marshals, whose identities are being concealed, told 7NEWS that they're required to submit at least one report a month. If they don't, there's no raise, no bonus, no awards and no special assignments.

"Innocent passengers are being entered into an international intelligence database as suspicious persons, acting in a suspicious manner on an aircraft ... and they did nothing wrong,"

said one federal air marshal.

These unknowing passengers who are doing nothing wrong are landing in a secret government document called a Surveillance Detection Report, or SDR. Air marshals told 7NEWS that managers in Las Vegas created and continue to maintain this potentially dangerous quota system. Read Full Story

Finally...

[via CNN]

Rice lands in war-torn Beirut

Rice spoke with reporters en route to the Middle East, where she's expected to meet with Israeli and Lebanese officials Monday.

"We believe that a cease-fire is urgent," Rice told reporters on a flight from Washington to a refueling stop in Ireland. "It is important, however, to have conditions that will make it sustainable."

Rice made her first stop of the mission in Beirut, two high-ranking Lebanese officials told CNN, where she was to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. Full Story

More and more muck continues to negatively reverberate throughout the mainstream and indie press on the UN sponsored Middle East charade er miscommunication and war propaganda awareness festival war taking place out there.
I think pay-per-view has it listed as Israel vs. everybody else.
I still haven't found out who's promoting it, anybody care to help me out?
I'm pretty sure it's somebody from the US, we have great war promoters here.

Anyways.

Hints of US involvement, be it past, present, or future are beginning to surface in the talking head circles.

How did all of this happen again?
Some soldier or soldiers got kidnapped?

Correct me if I’m wrong, maybe I’m misinformed.
Some soldiers got nabbed, Gaza was already warming up again, so they decided to ignite that drama whore again, oopsy

And now, according to the analysis being provided by people who really like war, no matter where it comes from, we are to believe that things are "escalating" and "intensifying", which I don’t entirely doubt...
But if we just let it slow down a bit, pump the breaks, let whatever smoke that lingers clear out and let us all see where everybody’s standing on this. I guarantee you most everybody will be completely befuddled on WTF is really going on.

Those within government that aren’t confused, and making immediate proposals, especially in the US are instigating, and/or supporting the instigations (again see people and entities they represent who really like war) and can make up whatever they want in order to justify this campaign for war, which btw is obviously leading to Iran.
WAKE UP!!!!

The US has been menstrual cramping for a reason to go there, and every other alternative appears to be exhausted. This reeks of deceit on all levels in order to justify war with Iran and fulfill the PNAC destiny.
WAKE UP!!!!

50 year study says conservatives 'followers'
[via RAW STORY]

In an interview with MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, former Nixon counsel John Dean explained a largely unknown 50 year academic study. The data shows that conservatives are much more likely to follow authoritarian leaders.
Dean discovered the ongoing study while researching his new book, "Conservative Without Conscience."
Dean believes that the study helps to explain why the Republican party has been driven further right. Read on...




Download the article for archiving [PDF]

"In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?"

-Stephen Hawking

Read the full article here --- Download article here [PDF]

If you just read that quote, and are actually pondering that question for the very first time in your life (and you've already existed on this planet for over 18 years) then you've got a lot of catching up to do my friend. A lot of catching up.

Just because Bolton is a dick doesn't mean you have to be a dick too.
Feel free to depress yourself

'Shadow' human rights report to accuse United States of violating international human rights treaties

[via RAW STORY]
article by Larisa Alexandrovna
Thursday July 6, 2006

A scathing report submitted to the United Nations’ Human Rights Committee and copied to RAW STORY by a coalition of 142 U.S. non-governmental organizations alleges serious human rights violations by the United States.

The report, which will be delivered to the UN Human Rights Committee July 10, alleges that the US violated the right to life and non-discrimination statutes of international human rights treaties to which the US is a signatory – citing evacuations based on income and property levels in New Orleans after Katrina, alleged abuse at California prisons and the incarceration of children in adult jails.

It also chides the US for capital punishment, which it says "allows for individuals to be sentenced to death, even if they did not kill, intend to kill, or even contemplate that another human being would die as a result of their actions." Read on

In the United States, Independence Day, also called the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.
Independence Day is commonly associated with parades, barbecues, picnics, baseball games, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the U.S.
Fireworks have been associated with the Fourth of July since 1777
[source]

Records show that doctors are torturing prison detainees.