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31 May 2002

 

What's New — Posted on May 30, 2002
World Events . . . Defiant Pakistan threatens to use nuke . . . US plans evacuation from India, Pakistan over nuclear fears
U.S. News . . . Government Removes Limits on Domestic Spying by F.B.I. . . . LA Archdiocese hires PR firm to help deal with scandal . . . The Ignorance of His Fraudulence, King George the Junior . . . Military Biological Warfare Experiment Kills Mental Patients in U.S.
Peace is Possible . . . Nuclear deterrence not dependable
Science & Health . . . Memory gene won't let you forget . . . Brain circuits tied to expectations
Earth News . . . Hydrogen Puts Iceland on Road to Oil-Free Future . . . Canada-U.S. Industrial Water Waste Rising-Study . . . Organic Farming More Efficient, Swiss Study Finds . . . Stories of modern science: GLACIER MELTS WILL HAVE GLOBAL IMPACT . . . Early blooming flowers tied to warmer Earth . . . Panel weighs in on global warming: Earth's surface
is warmer, they say, even if upper air isn't

posted by Lorenzo 9:16 AM

30 May 2002

 

U.S. Military Wanted to Provoke War With Cuba
(ABCNews.com)
In the early 1960s, America's top military leaders reportedly drafted plans to kill innocent people and commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities to create public support for a war against Cuba. . . . the plans reportedly included orchestrating violent terrorism in U.S. cities. . . . The plans had the written approval of all of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and were presented to President Kennedy's defense secretary, Robert McNamara, in March 1962. But they apparently were rejected by the civilian leadership and have gone undisclosed for nearly 40 years.
[Comment: I wonder if today's civilian leadership would reject such a plan?]
the U.S. plan called for establishing prolonged military � not democratic � control over the island nation after the invasion. . . . "Although no one in Congress could have known at the time," he writes, "Lemnitzer and the Joint Chiefs had quietly slipped over the edge." . . . There really was a worry at the time about the military going off crazy and they did, but they never succeeded, but it wasn't for lack of trying," he says.

posted by Lorenzo 8:13 PM

 

American Schools . . . a non-education system
Perhaps one of the reasons we Americans are doomed to see history repeat itself is the sad state of our education system. There was an item on a national news program tonight about school field trips. Apparently today's trend is to organize "field trips" to the mall where store clerks "educate" the students. One teacher was quoted as saying she thinks it is important to teach our children how to be good consumers. How about teaching them to be good recyclers instead? I guess taking a trip to the mall these daze is about the most American thing you can do.

posted by Lorenzo 7:34 PM

 

When Will We Ever Learn, When Will We Ever Learn
This week the Pentagon announced that American troops in the Philippines will now be actively engaged in the fighting. No longer will they just be "advisors." After all the grief this country went through as a result of our war in Viet Nam, it astounds me that we aren't all out in the streets in protest. I can still remember how innocuous sounding it was when our government announced that a few of our advisors would be accompanying the South Vietnamese Army into battle. To be honest, it didn't sound like that big a deal at the time. But we found out too late that it was actually a very big deal. Now we see the same situation developing in the Philippines. On top of that, Columbia is now asking us to send more than the billions of dollars and tons off equipment we've already sent their way. Now they are asking for us to send combat troops as well. Think about this for a minute. Are we really willing to send our daughters and sons to fight a guerilla war that has been going on for four decades in Columbia? And are we going to increase the number of troops in the Philippines? The leaders of the coup that seized power in Washington tell us we have now begun a war that will not end in our lifetimes. They envision a drama greater than World War II . . . and they weren't even elected! From here on out EVERY election is crucial. Please register and vote your conscience.

posted by Lorenzo 7:28 PM

 

Science and Earth News
I hope you had a chance to read the posts Paul West put up today in the Science & Health and Earth News sections. It's an interesting combination of good and bad news. As always, evolution does her best work on the thin edge of chaos.

posted by Lorenzo 7:13 PM

 

Stop Exxon Campaign
Exxon is doing more than any oil company to block international action on global warming. While the rest of the world tries to stop global warming, Exxon spends millions of dollars sabotaging US participation in the Kyoto Protocol, the international agreement to reduce climate-changing gases. We need to stop Exxon to stop global warming.

posted by Lorenzo 6:49 PM

 

What's New — Posted on May 29, 2002
World Events . . . UN warns of southern Africa crisis . . . War on terrorism 'used to erode rights' . . . Venezuelan coup leader goes into exile
Science & Health . . . Cloning May Bring Extinct Tasmanian Tiger to Life . . . Heart attack genes discovered . . . Laser pulses can control photosynthesis
Palestine & Israel . . . Sharon accused of undermining US peace moves

posted by Lorenzo 9:08 AM

29 May 2002

 

What's New — Postings from May 28, 2002
World Events . . . Musharraf: there will be no more sacrifices . . . Amnesty: US Sacrificing Human Rights . . . '12m deaths' in nuclear war . . . Pakistan tests third missile
U.S. News . . . Justice Department Suit A "Sham" To Protect Harris, Bush
Science & Health . . . Exact uncertainty brought to quantum world
Earth News . . . Scientists Begin to Heed Inuit Warnings of Climate Change in Arctic . . . Extinct Tasmanian Tiger One Step Closer to Cloning
War on Drugs . . . Erowid Library : 'Stairways to Heaven'

posted by Lorenzo 8:55 AM

28 May 2002

 

Quote attributed to William Gibson
"The future is here. It's just not widely distributed."

posted by Lorenzo 8:41 PM

 

Sad News
We just heard that another member of the tribe has left this life. Our friend Noah died in Chicago early Sunday morning (May 26th). If you attended more than one entheobotany conference in the last several years, chances are good that you met Noah. The last time I saw him he gave me a copy of a CD he made of Terence McKenna's last workshop in Palenque. When I offered to pay for it, Noah wouldn't take my money. He said he wanted those of us who had been present to have a copy as a gift. Noah was like that, always doing something for his friends. I have a lot of fond (and fun) memories of Noah, and I will miss him dearly.
[Photo by Michael Bock]

posted by Lorenzo 7:35 PM

 

Michael Moore's film wins prize at Cannes
[The following is from Michael Moore's e-mail newsletter.]
"Bowling for Columbine," was awarded the Special Prize of the 55th Cannes Film Festival. It had already made history by being the first documentary chosen to be part of the official festival competition in almost 50 years. And, last night, it was the only prize awarded that received a unanimous decision from the festival jury. . . . the response has been nothing short of overwhelming. The director of the festival announced that the standing ovation our film received as the credits rolled set a new record in the history of the Cannes Film Festival -- 13 minutes long. . . . The day began yesterday with "Bowling for Columbine" winning "Best Film" from a vote of hundreds of French teachers and students from around the country who each year come to Cannes and award one movie their "Cannes Prix Educational National." It's the only "people's prize" at Cannes where everyday citizens get to screen the films and vote. It was a wonderful moment and a great honor to receive this award. The Education Ministry in France has made "Roger & Me" part of the French national curriculum and it is shown each year in every school in France. The same will now happen with "Bowling for Columbine." . . . My favorite quote I read during the festival was, "This film will single-handedly guarantee that George W. Bush will never see a second term." Well, one can only dream. After all, it is just a movie. If it go as planned, the film will be released in October. . . . I have to say that things have turned around a bit for me in the past few months. I have no one else to thank for this except for all of you. Against incredible odds that included a publisher who demanded I choose between censoring my work or destroying the 50,000 copies they had printed, you made "Stupid White Men" the most-read non-fiction book in the country -- and it remains at or near the top of every best-seller list in the U.S. and Canada for the 15th week in a row. . . . To now have this record-setting response to "Bowling for Columbine" happen here at Cannes is beyond belief. It's more than I deserve and I feel truly blessed and privileged. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I wish there was some way to repay all of you, like an internet version of let's all go out for a pizza. Maybe someday! . . . Thanks again. Yours, Michael Moore.

posted by Lorenzo 6:55 PM

 

What's New - Postings from May 27,2002
U.S. News . . . Open-Source Fight Flares At Pentagon
Science & Health . . . Broccoli destroys cancer-causing bacterium . . . US and Evil Axis--Allies for Abstinence
Palestine & Israel . . . Academics in war of words over calls to boycott Israel

posted by Lorenzo 10:21 AM

27 May 2002

 

Quantum wormholes could carry people
(New Scientist, 23 May 2002)
All around us are tiny doors that lead to the rest of the Universe. Predicted by Einstein's equations, these quantum wormholes offer a faster-than-light short cut to the rest of the cosmos - at least in principle. Now physicists believe they could open these doors wide enough to allow someone to travel through. . . . there's a way to stop any would-be traveller being crushed into oblivion. And it lies with a strange energy field nicknamed "ghost radiation". Predicted by quantum theory, ghost radiation is a negative energy field that dampens normal positive energy. Similar effects have been shown experimentally to exist. . . . It would be a delicate operation, however. Add too much negative energy, the scientists discovered, and the wormhole will briefly explode into a new universe that expands at the speed of light, much as astrophysicists say ours did immediately after the big bang.
[Comment: Does this mean the possibility exists that this universe came into being as the result of some failed physics experiment in a parallel universe? . . . That thought is no more strange than the though of a guy like Bush being the "leader" of the U.S.]

posted by Lorenzo 3:11 PM

 

US plan to strike enemy with Valium
(Antony Barnett, The Observer, May 26, 2002)
American military chiefs are developing plans to use Valium as a potential weapon against enemy forces and to control hostile populations, according to official documents seen by The Observer. . . . two years ago the Pentagon commissioned scientists at Pennsylvania State University to look at potential military uses for a range of chemicals known as calmatives. The scientists concluded that several drugs would be effective to control crowds or in military operations such as anti-terrorist campaigns. The drugs they recommended for 'immediate consideration' included diazepam, better known as the tranquilliser Valium, and dexmedetomidine, used to sedate patients in intensive care. 'What is absolutely shocking about these disclosures is that it represents either a massive institutional failure to implement US commitments under international treaties or it reflects an effort by some people in the Pentagon to undermine those treaties.'

[Comment: Years ago the Pentagon and CIA tested MDMA for use in war. They dropped this line of research when it was discovered that MDAM turned people into pacifists. So instead of going to war with MDMA they declared war on MDMA. Now we see they are including patented drugs in their war plans. I guess the drug industry wants a piece of the war action also. And we do know that the combination of U.S. television programming and Valium will make sheep out of even the most warlike people. Maybe we should test this new strategy in D.C. and see if it works.

posted by Lorenzo 12:53 PM

26 May 2002

 

Don't wag your finger at us, Mr Bush
(The Observer, May 26, 2002)
the US Joint Chiefs of Staff have used the Commander-in-Chief's absence from Washington to reveal their deep concerns about any attack on Iraq. . . . The war on terrorism took America just so far, but now Europeans want to see some evidence of thought and leadership beneath the rhetoric . . . While Bush was warning the Bundestag that if we ignore the threat presented by the 'axis of evil' we invite certain blackmail and place millions of our citizens in danger, America was gripped by the story that on 6 August last year Bush ignored just such a warning. . . . At the end of this week it is clear that Bush's presidency is showing signs of being disorganised and intellectually under-powered. He returns home to face a group of generals who are in more-or-less open contempt of his plan to launch against Saddam and an intelligence community which is riven with competition and cover-ups about who knew what before the al-Qaeda attacks. Reason enough for Europeans to be circumspect about his slogans in the future.

posted by Lorenzo 3:36 PM

 

At least 3 million would die in nuclear conflict
(Times Online, May 25, 2002)
A LIMITED nuclear war between India and Pakistan over Kashmir would kill at least three million people, scientists said yesterday. . . . Millions would die in the immediate blast and fire and from radiation. Others would suffer destroyed homes, lack of water and facilities and disease years later. . . . Their calculations are based on what would happen if ten explosions, similar in size to the one over Hiroshima in Japan in 1945, took place over some of India�s and Pakistan�s most populated cities. . . . The targeted cities used in the scenario are Bangalore, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras and Delhi in India, and Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi in Pakistan. . . . Casualties on the Indian side would be 1.7 million dead and 900,000 injured, while the toll in Pakistan would be 1.2 million dead and 600,000 injured. . . . These would be, however, only the immediate casualties from blast, fire and radiation. An unknown number of deaths would occur from cancer in future years.

posted by Lorenzo 3:30 PM

 

Dan Rather accuses Bush of bogus terror alerts
(Carl Limbacher, NewsMax.com, May 22, 2002)
"CBS Evening News" anchorman Dan Rather accused the Bush administration Wednesday morning of issuing an unwarranted FBI terrorist alert to New York City yesterday primarily to distract from questions about its handling of pre-Sept. 11 intelligence information. . . . Now, the subject has been changed, suddenly and very effectively, from 'How is it that the FBI and the CIA didn't move on the information they had? Where was the president briefed about what, when?' . . . "The subject's been changed," Rather explained, "from that, to suddenly one administration official after another, and each escalating it, [issuing] a new set of warnings." The CBS anchor said he doubted the confluence of events was coincidental . . . If the attorney general is given information that convinces him, 'Hey, I don't want to be on any commercial airliners just now. I'm gonna take government planes everywhere.' If the attorney general was told that ... then it raises a question. Why wasn't the public alerted?" . . . "Some people probably would not have flown" had they also received the Ashcroft warning, he complained.

posted by Lorenzo 3:27 PM

 

What's New - Postings on May 26th
World Events . . . Bush acts the fool . . . Congo massacre . . . Columbia elections . . . nukes on the subcontinent
U.S. News . . . FBI memo
Science & Health . . . neutrinos . . . bacteria farmers . . . human cloning in California . . . ice oceans on Mars

posted by Lorenzo 3:21 PM

25 May 2002

 

What's New - Postings on May 25th
World Events . . . U.S. Whacks Argentina . . . Afhanaistan the Futile Campign . . . more
U.S. News . . . The House of bin Laden
Science & Health . . . undersea mysteries . . . cosmic scum . . . developing the moon
Earth News . . . Cheney and Enron
Palestine & Israel . . . U.S. blames Israel

posted by Lorenzo 2:20 PM

 

President Bush's rhetoric sounds like the crazed videotapes of Osama bin Laden
(Robert Fisk, The Independent, 25 May 2002)
There is a firestorm coming, and it is being provoked by Mr Bush . . . In the United States, the Bush administration is busy terrorising Americans. There will be nuclear attacks, bombs in high-rise apartment blocks, on the Brooklyn bridge, men with exploding belts � note how carefully the ruthless Palestinian war against Israeli colonisation of the West Bank is being strapped to America's ever weirder "war on terror" � and yet more aircraft suiciders. If you read the words of President Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney and the ridiculous national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, over the past three days, you'll find they've issued more threats against Americans than Mr bin Laden. . . . The anti-American feeling throughout the Middle East is palpable. Arab newspaper editorials don't come near to expressing public opinion. . . . Across the Arab world, boycotts of American goods have begun in earnest. . . . But Arabs did commit the crimes against humanity of 11 September. And many Arabs greatly fear that we have yet to see the encore from the same organisation. In the meantime, Mr Bush goes on to do exactly what his enemies want; to provoke Muslims and Arabs, to praise their enemies and demonise their countries, to bomb and starve Iraq and give uncritical support to Israel and maintain his support for the dictators of the Middle East. . . . Each morning now, I awake beside the Mediterranean in Beirut with a feeling of great foreboding. There is a firestorm coming. And we are blissfully ignoring its arrival; indeed, we are provoking it.

posted by Lorenzo 10:02 AM

24 May 2002

 

Kashmir and terrorism aren't the problem, it's the bomb
(Martin Woollacott, The Guardian, May 24, 2002)
Never before had two powers so apt to go to war faced each other with such weapons. Proxy encounters aside, Russians and Americans had never fought, and when the Americans and Chinese clashed in Korea only one side had the bomb. But here were two countries that had fought repeatedly since independence, and which were still head to head in Kashmir, adding nuclear bombs and missiles to their armouries. . . . The Indian government saw the possibility of ending Pakistani support for rebels in Kashmir, without the necessity for any concessions on its part. Musharraf saw the exact opposite. . . . The instrument with which India chose to press Pakistan was a mass mobilisation that, quite apart from the danger of war, led to grave strains and costs for both countries but was particularly painful for the much poorer Pakistan. . . . Even if the immediate threat of war may not be as great as some think, the risk will not go away until many of these men are stood down and alert levels reduced. This would be the case even if the Indian government had no plans for offensive action. If it does have such plans, it is easy to see how a limited operation, say to take out bases in Pakistan-held Kashmir, could become something bigger, and conceivably have nuclear consequences.

posted by Lorenzo 11:36 AM

23 May 2002

 

Are White House Scandals the Beginning of the End?
(Mark Weisbrot, Alternet.org, May 22, 2002)
Fleischer's magic, and President Bush's teflon coating, may finally be fading. The discovery that there were numerous warning signs leading up to the massacre of Sept. 11, that went unheeded, could mark the beginning of a Great Unraveling. . . . They have been quick to question the patriotism of their opponents, and it has worked. The Democratic leadership was cowed into silence . . . This unfortunate dynamic has encouraged a President who couldn't get a majority of the popular vote to govern as though he had won an overwhelming mandate from the electorate. . . . This is currently under internal investigation at the State Department and Pentagon, and Senate hearings could follow. Lest anyone think that foreign policy scandals don't have legs, recall that the Iran-Contra investigation came close to toppling the Reagan presidency in 1987. . . . The Bush administration may survive all of these challenges and more. But once the teflon is gone, its whole agenda could very well collapse. Most Americans are concerned with bread and butter issues, such as prescription drug costs, health insurance, and education -- issues for which this Administration offers them nothing. Cheney's vision of a war without end, a replacement for the Cold War that will justify any overseas military adventure -- Iraq, Somalia, Colombia -- appeals to the national security establishment and some private sector beneficiaries. But it won't attract many voters.
[Comment: It will be interesting to see if the American people have any backbone left when the next elections take place. Bush and Cheney are usurpers. They did not win the election. They staged a coup d'�tat and took over control of the U.S. government while the people of this country meekly sat by and watched. The next two elections could well determine the fate of liberty in the U.S.]

posted by Lorenzo 8:53 PM

 

Dancing for Peace
Even in the midst of war, the dance community in Israel and Palestine shows us there is hope with their Rave against the occupation

posted by Lorenzo 4:25 PM

 

Sign Out of Microsoft Passport
This Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) link provides a continuous stream of news stories about Microsoft's intentions regarding your privacy. Before you use Microsoft's Passport services or sign up for Hotmail you might want to read what others are saying about these services.

posted by Lorenzo 4:07 PM

 

Hotmail policy raises privacy concerns
(Tom Mainelli, CNN, May 21, 2002)
Microsoft executives say the free e-mail service didn't change its current privacy policy, it merely rolled out new technology that better reflects its evolving "pure opt-in" philosophy. . . . Thanks to that new technology, however, many users may discover that when they signed up for the service they unwittingly agreed to share that information, which could range from an e-mail address to demographic data. . . . Under the heading "Choose how much of your .NET Passport information Microsoft can share with other companies' .NET Passport sites at sign-in" are check boxes for "share my e-mail address," "share my first and last names," and "share my other registration information." . . . While Hotmail's current policy is to set all new users' setting to opt out of all three options by default, it is possible that long-time users signed up under former policies in which the default setting was to opt in

posted by Lorenzo 4:02 PM