PRODOSPHERE

Say your say here. -�[Read�more]

(The Wistar Institute) Wistar Institute scientists have developed a new type of enzyme inhibitor capable of blocking a biochemical pathway that plays a key role in cancer development. Based on studies in human melanoma cells, the research paves the way for developing new ways to treat cancer by dampening overactive enzyme activity that leads to uncontrolled tumor growth. The study shows how small-molecule inhibitors can be designed to target a family of signaling proteins, called phosphatidyl-inositol-3-kinases, or PI3Ks. -�[Read�more]

(University of Rochester Medical Center) In the wake of divorce, illness, violence and other problems that can unsettle homes, countless young children are liable to experience temporary separations from one or both parents before packing their knapsacks for kindergarten. Published in the May/June issue of Ambulatory Pediatrics, a new, community-wide study from Rochester, New York, warns that such kids are at increased risk for learning difficulties. -�[Read�more]

(University of Leicester) Leicester scientist explains how radio waves traveling over the sea can have enhanced signal strengths. -�[Read�more]

(Elhuyar Fundazioa) A research team from the Department of Electricity and Electronics at the University of the Basque Countrys Faculty of Science and Technology in Leioa, led by Victor Etxebarria, is investigating the characteristics of various types of materials for their use in the generation and measurement of precise movements. -�[Read�more]

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) Reactive oxygen compounds, including the well-known "free radicals," have an oxidation effect and, thereby, damage cells. However, at low levels, they also regulate key life processes. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center have developed a highly sensitive biological measuring system for determining the oxidation state of living cells in real time. -�[Read�more]

(Arizona State University) Peoples concern in maintaining germ-free homes has led to the widespread use of anti-bacterial soaps and cleaning agents. But the active ingredients of those antiseptic soaps have come under scrutiny due to environmental and human health concerns. Now, ASU Biodesign Institute researcher Rolf Halden and co-workers have shown that antimicrobial ingredients used a half a century ago persist today in estuarine sediments into which New York City and Baltimore have discharged their treated domestic wastewater. -�[Read�more]

(Rice University) Based on Rice and MIT findings, the Court of Arbitration for Sports in Lausanne, Switzerland, has ruled that Pistorius is eligible to participate in International Association of Athletics Federations sanctioned competitions. If he qualifies for the 2008 Beijing games, Pistorius would be the first disabled athlete ever to run against able-bodied athletes in an Olympic event. -�[Read�more]

(University of Cambridge) Her Majestys Consul, Kevin Lynch and Science Consul, Dr. May Akrawi will be in New Mexico honoring Senator Domenicis commitment to UK/US scientific collaboration with Professor Peter Littlewood and Dr. Dave Buscher from the University of Cambridges Cavendish Laboratory visiting from the UK for this occasion. At the event, the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology will rename the National Radio Astronomy Observatorys Array Operations Center as the "Pete V. Domenici Science Operations Center." -�[Read�more]

(Swedish Research Council) Sulfur in marine archaeological shipwrecks -- the "hull story" gives a sour aftertaste. -�[Read�more]

(United Nations University) United Nations University-MERIT experts yesterday in Geneva urged parliamentarians to support open source software and information technologies as a way to let citizens participate meaningfully in the information society. -�[Read�more]

Der Spiegel notes Chinas unusual handling of its earthquake disaster: In the aftermath of Chinas devastating earthquake, Prime Minsister Wen Jiabao is running around the... -�[Read�more]

Graham Young of OnLine Opinion wants the ABC to sort out its chief science presenter, warming alarmist Robyn 100 metres Williams: When it comes to... -�[Read�more]

Peter Faris, who set up the Aboriginal Legal Service in Alice Springs, says Victorias new Koori Court is racist, unnecessary and an attack on the... -�[Read�more]

Soon theyll force us to diet: Obesity contributes to global warming, too. Obese and overweight people require more fuel to transport them and the food... -�[Read�more]

A Current Affair on Naked News: Japan soon bought into the idea, peddling out the dainty Yukiko Kimura. She is studying glass blowing, which... -�[Read�more]

Today, the Washington Times reported the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, that conducts research on Americas nuclear weapons and houses special nuclear material for that research, failed a crucial counter-terror security exercise (also reported in todays CTB Newslinks section). The exercise was a force-on-force operation where mock commandos infiltrated and took over key parts of the facility, managing to gain access to what would have been quantities of that special nuclear material.

The Department of Energy (DOE) oversees the Lab. The National Nuclear Security Administration is the division of DOE responsible for security at the Nations nuclear sites, including the National Laboratory. At many of the countrys nuclear facilities, both private and Government, the front line security forces are private contract security officers. On the surface, at least per the Government-required contract specifications, these contract security officers are supposed to be a notable cut above what the public usually associates with private security guards. They are generally better paid and are supposed to be better trained.

That said, too frequently private security forces protecting nuclear facilities fail these force-on-force exercises. This happens at private nuclear power plants as well as Government compounds such as the National Lab and the Y-12 facility in Tennessee. Critics argue that private security contractors, at least as they are currently configured, are simply not up to the task of protecting facilities as sensitive as the countrys nuclear sites. Interestingly, a NNSA spokesman, when commenting on the security failures at the National Lab resulting from the most recent exercise stated, "The nuclear material at the site is secure, and we have the best security in the government." He is probably one of those senior Government officials who would also not dare call a jihadist a jihadist.


There has been some little noticed Congressional interest in requiring the DOE to establish a Federal security force for nuclear facilities. DOE has resisted this, claiming it would be unnecessary and too expensive. That is perhaps a curious position, given the performance record of the private security forces.

With security, generally we get what we pay for. Some Federal agencies seem to understand that axiom. Visit CIA or NSA headquarters and one immediately realizes those agencies do not skimp on their physical security. Contract private security guards do not protect those facilities. Those agencies have their own uniformed Security Police Officers that are sworn Federal law enforcement officers, who undergo rigorous pre-employment screening and background checks, are highly trained at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, are reasonably well paid with good benefits and they have a decent chance at career advancement. The same applies at the Pentagon and other Defense Department facilities and many military bases.

Force-on-force exercises at facilities secured by Federal officers can occur far more frequently than at facilities where private contractors are located and where such actions require negotiated notifications. The real Feds conduct such operations as routine training. They are far more proficient and professional at what they do. Establishing and maintaining an in-house Federal security force might cost somewhat more than contracting to private security firms, but at least for those nuclear facilities under the direct control of the US Government, especially those facilities directly involved with nuclear weapons, it would appear it may be a better way to go.

Though intended to help consumers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the ethanol mandate has done just the opposite, contributing to high food and gas prices with little environmental benefit. Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ) has introduced H.R. 5911, the Remove Incentives for Producing Ethanol Act of 2008, which would eliminate the mandate and other benefits for ethanol, and other measures may soon be introduced. -�[Read�more]

Michelle Grattan on Kevin Rudds Budget: But the budget, product of primarily of Rudd, Swan and Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner, should be Labor enough to... -�[Read�more]

We dont yet know what else is in the contents of the FARC computers that INTERPOL has now verified to be exactly as represented by the Colombian government -- the true and untampered contents of FARC computers seized by Colombia following its March 1 cross-border attack on a FARC camp in Ecuador.

But we know that the sheer volume of what is contained in those computers, which included three Toshiba laptops, one external hard drive, one external hard disk, and three USB "thumbnail drives" is remarkably extensive.

As set forth by the INTERPOL team,

"Without revealing the content of the data, INTERPOL can state the following with regard to the user files contained in the eight seized FARC computer exhibits:
􀁸 109 document files were found on more than one of the exhibits
􀁸 452 spreadsheets
􀁸 7,989 e-mail addresses
􀁸 10,537 multimedia files (sound and video)
􀁸 22,481 web pages
􀁸 37,872 written documents (such as Word documents, PDF files, text format documents)
􀁸 210,888 images
Of the above, 983 files were found to be encrypted."

The report then includes images from the computer of FARC leader Raul Reyes that show him studiously working at what appears to be the very same computer, in the jungle, clothed in camouflage and authentic jungle hat.

The nearly 8000 e-mail addresses could be interesting window into FARCs political as well as operational contacts, at least of the terrorist groups contacts that are online. We have yet to see the bulk of the text documents, but presumably, there are now more than one government that has them. It is of substantial, international public importance that whatever documentation of support for FARC they may contain undertaken by officials of any country be disclosed as soon as possible, now that INTERPOL has confirmed their authenticity.

Hugo Chavez continues to state that the documents are fake and that Colombia is using them as a pretext for war. He also has recently compared German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Hitler. Eventually, he and the region are going to have deal with their reality, and the implications of it.

Were changing faster than you know: Monash University professor Andrew Markus said raw immigration numbers masked the magnitude of a demographic revolution that had produced... -�[Read�more]

SAMIR Ograzden must have had in him something good that should have been saved. Or at least not ground into the dirt. His girlfriend reckons... -�[Read�more]

A nice way to expose the Rudd Governments alcopops stunt: Mr Hockey produced a 200ml champagne bottle and a 275ml alcopop in Parliament yesterday, both... -�[Read�more]

The Sunshine in Litigation Act would limit judges discretion to approve and enforce litigants confidentiality agreements. In many cases, discovery would grind to a halt as parties, unable to rely on broad protective orders, would be forced to challenge far more requests for evidence. Plaintiffs especially would lose out. Without the ability to offer confidentiality, they could expect to see smaller settlements, higher litigation costs, and even the disclosure of their own personal information. -�[Read�more]

Though intended to help consumers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the ethanol mandate has done just the opposite, contributing to high food and gas prices with little environmental benefit. Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ) has introduced H.R. 5911, the Remove Incentives for Producing Ethanol Act of 2008, which would eliminate the mandate and other benefits for ethanol, and other measures may soon be introduced. -�[Read�more]

As many expected, the California Supreme Court has overturned that states ban on gay marriage. So many expected it, in fact, that opponents have already submitted more than a million signatures through Californias initiative process to put an anti-gay-marriage amendment on the ballot this fall. I wonder if opponents of gay marriage in California will rely [...] -�[Read�more]

Last Thursday, I was honored to chair one of four panels at a special seminar, "Dealing with Todays Asymmetric Threat," co-sponsored by the National Defense University and CACI International, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Foundation. The purpose of the seminar was to establish a framework for the development of an integrated and synchronized strategy, by the end of the calendar year, to address the asymmetrical threats to United States and global security. My panel, titled, "Global Strategy to Counter Terrorism and Extremism," included Contributing Expert Douglas Farah; VADM Bert Calland, USN (Ret.), former CIA Deputy Director; Jose Rodriguez, former Director of the CIAs National Clandestine Center and the Counterterrorism Center; and Lt. Col. Bill Cowan, USMC (Ret.), FOX News Channel analyst and President of WVC3. My comments included recommendations for the need for continued deployment of joint DOD-Treasury "Threat Finance Cells" (about which I posted here and here) and the need to promote the continued work of the non-governmental CT community of nonprofits, journalists, and independent media (including this site). I participated with senior officials at NDU and CACI in planning the seminar and look forward to working with them and the broader community towards the development of the strategy for the next Administration and Congress.

An article in todays Washington Post is further proof of the need for such a strategy and indicates the degree to which the Defense Department is recognizing a permanent paradigm shift in the threat from state-based to asymmetric actors:

"An Army board headed by Gen. David H. Petraeus has selected several combat-tested counterinsurgency experts for promotion to the rank of brigadier general, sifting through more than 1,000 colonels to identify a handful of innovative leaders who will shape the future Army, according to current and former senior Army officers... Several of the colonels widely expected to appear on the resulting promotion list, which has not yet been released, are considered unconventional thinkers who were effective in the Iraq campaign, in many cases because they embraced a counterinsurgency doctrine that Petraeus helped craft, the officials said... They include Special Forces Col. Ken Tovo, a veteran of multiple Iraq tours who recently led a Special Operations task force there; Col. H.R. McMaster, a senior Petraeus adviser known for leading a successful counterinsurgency effort in the Iraqi city of Tall Afar, and Col. Sean MacFarland, who created a network of patrol bases in Ramadi that helped curb violence in the capital of Anbar Province, according to the officers."

Contributing Expert Walid Phares participated in another panel at the seminar titled, "Strategic Communications," which explored how to protect security through an effective communication strategy. Another panelist was Steven Monblatt, former senior CT official at the State Department and OAS who participated in our March 19 panel on FARC and Hugo Chavez, presented his views with some excellent and provocative recommendations. With his permission, I am posting his presentation here as a Word file for your review.

If the present trend in federal aid to states continues, federally sponsored programs will soon eclipse state budgets and turn the federal government into the single largest revenue source for states. Federal aid to states blurs lines of government accountability to voters and erodes state fiscal independence, limiting states ability to implement innovative fiscal policies and meet state priorities effectively. -�[Read�more]

Brian Williams, who slobbered over Barack Obama in their last interview in early January, did so again in a Thursday session excerpted on the NBC Nightly News. Back on January 7, Williams handed Obama a Newsweek with "Inside Obamas Dream Machine" as the cover story and wondered: "How does this feel, of all the honors that have come your way, all the publicity? Who does it make you think of? Is there, is there a loved one?" On Thursday, Williams didnt pose a single challenging question nor mention Jeremiah Wright in any of the ten questions aired, but pulled the same magazine stunt, this time holding up the new Time with a smiling Obama on the cover by the words, "And the Winner* Is..." Williams fondly recalled: "Last time we were together, I handed you a copy of Newsweek, it was the first time youd held it in your hands with you on the cover. Have you yet held this in your hands?" Obama said he had not, prompting Williams to remind him: "Last time you looked at it and you thought instantly of your mom." Proceeding to cue up Obama for a long recitation on how hes not an elitist, Williams empathized: "You end up with people talking about your bowling score, gutter balls, wearing a tie, wearing a tie with farmers. And how have you dealt with that? Is there an operating theory that guides your life these days?" -�[Read�more]

CNNs Wolf Blitzer, during a much hyped interview of Barack Obama on Thursdays The Situation Room, tried to dismiss facts about the Illinois Senators as mere opinions. The CNN host also made a prediction about the upcoming general election campaign: "You know theyre going to paint you -- the McCain camp, Republicans -- as a classic tax and spend liberal Democrat, that you are going to raise the taxes for the American people, and to spend money like theres no tomorrow when it comes to federal government programs. You ready to handle that kind of assault?" In fact, the National Journal -- not a conservative magazine -- had identified Obama as the most liberal Senator during 2007, so if the Republicans do launch "that kind of assault," it has a basis in Obamas own record in the Senate. -�[Read�more]

The Today shows Ann Curry interviewed Cindy McCain on Thursday morning and got her to promise that the McCain campaign wont go negative. However Curry, herself, repeatedly pressed a point that is sure to be part of a, not-so-quiet, whisper campaign against the Arizona Senator this fall: that too hes old to be President: "Theres never been an older President, at 71....and youve seen, as a wife of a Senator, what that job does to the men elected to it....Cant take away the numbers. 71?" -�[Read�more]

Good Morning America news anchor Chris Cuomo on Thursday aggressively told top Hillary Clinton aide Howard Wolfson that its time for the Senator to get out of the race and allow Barack Obama to begin his general election campaign. At one point, after the communication director suggested that Clinton would do better than Obama in states such as West Virginia, an irritated Cuomo sputtered: "If youre going out there, as communication director of your campaign, telling super delegates Barack cant win against McCain, how is that helping the Democrats?" When Wolfson repeated his argument that Hillary could capture West Virginia, Cuomo helpfully suggested: "And what a great contribution that might be for a vice presidential candidate." Earlier in the segment, the ABC anchor, who is the son of former New York Democratic Governor Mario Cuomo and brother to the states current Democratic attorney general, insisted: "Why isnt this the time to get out?" -�[Read�more]

Having so recently blogged about the expansion of Floridas k-12 scholarship tax credit program, Im delighted to be able to add that Georgia governor Sonny Perdue yesterday signed a similar program into law in his own state. Meanwhile, in Louisiana, a modest New Orleans voucher program was passed out of the House yesterday by a [...] -�[Read�more]

Matt Bai has a writeup in this Sundays NYTimes Magazine of McCains vision on foreign policy. Buckle up: McCain considers national values, and not strategic interests, to be the guiding force in foreign policy. America exists, in McCain’s view, not simply to safeguard the prosperity and safety of those who live in it but also to [...] -�[Read�more]

In 23 days the 2008 European soccer Cup (Euro 2008), this year hosted jointly by Austria and Switzerland, will kickoff. As for any event attracting large crowds and global attention in todays age, authorities are worried about potential terrorist threats. The Euro Cup, in a way, presents the same security features of a Super Bowl, but it is held in 8 different cities over 3 weeks and with the participation of 16 national teams, making security planning significantly more complicated. Just yesterday Swiss newspaper La Liberté reported an interview with Jürg Bühler, a security official with the Swiss Federal Police, in which Mr. Bühler revealed that his agency has been monitoring threats against the event made by several users of various Islamist websites. While there seems to be no specific threat so far, Mr. Bühler correctly pointed out that vigilance should be kept high, as soccer competitions have attracted the attention of jihadist networks in Europe in the past.

Weeks before the 1998 World Cup held in France police across Europe conducted raids against a network of Algerian militants, apprehending more than 100 individuals. According to French authorities the men were planning a string of attacks against stadiums during the World Cup, even though some believed French authorities used the World Cup as an excuse to crack down on Algerian networks (coincidentally, Farid Benyettou, a militant with close links to the 1998 network, was convicted just yesterday in Paris for recruiting young French Muslims to fight against U.S. forces in Iraq). Allegedly, a similar plot was uncovered by French authorities against Paris Stade de France in October 2001, when police arrested a handful of North African men reportedly planning to carry out an attack during the France-Algeria soccer match.

Authorities suspected a terrorist attack was planned also during the 2004 Euro Cup held in Portugal. Days before the beginning of the tournament Portuguese authorities, acting on a tip from Dutch intelligence, arrested three members of the Hofstad group in the city of Oporto. The men were deported and never charged with any crime, but authorities suspected the three wanted to target former Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Manuel Barroso (the plot was never fully confirmed). Authorities believe that the 2006 World Cup held in Germany was also targeted by jihadists. Various Islamist websites issued threats against it, but, more concretely, authorities found out, months after the event, that Ayman Hawa and Jihad Hamad, the two Lebanese men that placed suitcases filled with explosives (which, luckily, failed to detonate) on two German commuter trains in July 2006, had initially thought of targeting the World Cup.

On one hand major mediatic attention, the possibility of targeting large crowds (in and out of stadiums) and striking at Europes most cherished pastime make Euro 2008 a potential target for terrorists. Austria and Switzerland have a small presence of militants and sympathizers (even though in borderless Europe this has only limited relevance, as the threat could easily come from militants based in other European countries). Austria has recently dismantled its first homegrown network, which was running the German-language branch of the Global Islamic Media Front. The 2007 security report recently released by Swiss federal authorities clearly points to homegrown jihadist networks as the most serious threat to the countrys security. On the other hand, there is no reason to be alarmists. Not only is there no specific threat, but terrorists like surprises and easy targets and events such as Euro 2008 offer neither. Most of the plots described above, aside from the one targeting the 1998 World Cup in France, seem to have been either very abstract or very amateurish, often little more than just wishes.

While the terrorist threat clearly worries Swiss and Austrian authorities, who are working closely with their counterparts throughout Europe, a more concrete fear is that of hooliganism, given the precedents of urban guerrilla that took place before and/or after some games (particularly Englands) of the 1998 France World Cup, 2000 Euro Cup (held in Belgium and Holland) and the 2006 Germany World Cup (and just last night there were riots during and after the UEFA Cup final between Glasgow Rangers and Zenit of Saint Petersburg and a Russian fan was stabbed).

If youre like most Cato@Liberty readers, you often ask yourself, Self, what kind of artwork does Michael Cannon have on the walls of his office? Thanks to the folks at bloggingheads.tv, not only can you find the answer, but you can learn an awful lot about medicine, health insurance, and health care reform.  This week, BloggingHeads hosted [...] -�[Read�more]

CAMP LIBERTY — Residents in Sadr City continue to receive humanitarian aid from their local government, the government of... -�[Read�more]

What do the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), and the Daily Kos all have in common? They are all seeking to define the enemy as other than "jihadists".

A. Daily Kos: Jihad Not Terrorism

Three weeks after APs report of the NCTC/DHS recommendations to eliminate the term "jihadist" (among others) from the lexicon describing Jihadist terrorism, the latest salvo in this "war of ideas" was published on the popular Daily Kos web site by "Amad" on May 12: "Who Speaks for Islam? Part 3b: Jihad, Religion & Politics". The Daily Kos author states that to "most Muslims, jihad implies honor and sacrifice for others", and "[u]sing jihad and terrorism as synonyms is wrong and counterproductive" -- seeking to define the threat as "extremism". The article also expands on the real cause of "extremism" as "disrespect for Islam", "aggressive" U.S. foreign policy, and "double-standards exhibited by the US on democracy and human-rights". It quotes a student at the American University of Cairo as condemning U.S. foreign policy: "Bush has given Israel carte blanch to attack Palestinians and Lebanese. The war on terror is an open-ended war on Muslims."

Daily Kos provides a biography on "Amad" stating: "Amad runs MuslimMatters.org... [and]... was one of the founders of Texas Dawah." Amads blogroll on Daily Kos promotes MuslimMatters.org and CAIR. What Daily Kos does not mention is who some of the participants at Texas Dawah meetings and at the MuslimMatters.org website are, as they include supporters of jihadist groups, unindicted co-conspirators in U.S. terror trials, and supporters of the Taliban.

Should we force our way into Burma to aid cyclone victims? Since the May 3 storm, Burmas military regime has barred most outsiders from delivering supplies and medical relief. The regime is accepting aid shipments, it appears, but lacks the capacity and maybe the will to efficiently deliver them. With people still dying  estimates [...] -�[Read�more]

Colombian president Alvaro Uribes decision to extradite 13 leaders of the paramilitary, terrorist-designated United Self Defense Forces (AUC) to the United States could be a milestone in Colombias efforts to erradicate terrorism from all sides of the political spectrum.

Uribes own past ties to paramilitary organizations, the political influence wielded by the groups and the alleged direct participation in the groups by his cousin and close adviser Mario Uribe, now jailed, have seriously undermined his governments credibility in the international arena, even as his administration successfully tackled the Marxist FARC forces.

Perhaps this is a sign that the AUC leaders, despite their political and military patrons, will finally face justice in the same way the FARC is pursued.

The AUC, along with the FARC, was designated a terrorist entity by the US in 2001, a designation shared by the EU and other groups.

"Among those extradited were Salvatore Mancuso, Rodrigo Tovar, Diego Fernando Murillo, Hernán Giraldo and Ramiro Vanoy. Along with others, they have been accused of ordering the slayings of thousands of people over a generation, from poor peasants to leftist politicians, journalists to union activists."

That encapsulates one of the great tragedies of Colombia-the political violence has been endemic for generations. This group of paramilitary leaders, responsible for the deaths of thousands of people, as well as the export of tons of cocaine, reaches back decades in its criminal activity.

While I have spent much time on the FARC and its alliance with Venezuela (Hugo Chavez) and potential alliance because of that tie, to Iran, the AUC has been an equally destructive force inside Colombia.

While not posing the national security threat to the United States nor possessing the same explicitly anti-American agenda the FARC does, the AUC has been a larger drug trafficking force and wreaked havoc for years on the civilian population. My full blog is here.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger just released his revised budget proposal. To close the $17.2 billion gap between the spending desired and the revenue growth projected, the governor is recommending securitizing future lottery revenue or increasing the sales tax. As soon as November, pending legislative approval, voters could have the chance to vote for even more state [...] -�[Read�more]

Wednesdays broadcast network morning shows sounded eager to drum Hillary Clinton out of the Democratic presidential race and turn all critical eyes on John McCain. NBC was most emphatic. Today ran MSNBC midnight footage of Tim Russert declaring Barack Obama the winner: "We now know who the Democratic nominee is gonna be and no one is gonna dispute it." Russert added live: "I cannot find an objective Democrat who does not think this race is over." On ABC, George Stephanopoulos endorsed the New York tabloid newspaper headlines: "Toast. Hil Needs a Miracle. Thats exactly right....this nomination fight is over." On CBS, co-host Maggie Rodriguez suggested to Bob Schieffer: "Bob, this party needs a nominee and fast. What do you think? Will Hillary Clinton get out, and when?" Schieffer declared "This race is over." The same message came through in the screen graphics. For example, ABC pictured Mrs. Clinton with the words "End of the Road?" as co-host Robin Roberts began the show: "This morning, is it over?" NBCs Matt Lauer also asked "Is it over?" and so did the NBC screen. The segments to follow answered the question with an emphatic yes. -�[Read�more]

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — Soldiers stationed at Combat Outpost Cleary have been working closely with soldiers from Georgia... -�[Read�more]

Dear all, There is a guy called Ahmed Maher, who is a Kefaya activist and was the person responsible for operating Esra' s facebook account and the May4th group while she was in jail. Ahmed has been on the run from even before the May 4th strike, never staying in one area for too long and [...] -�[Read�more]

When it comes to the US elections this year, you get a sense that for most people it's a done deal: A democrat is going to win the Presidency this year. And while we can always count on the democrats to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory-the Clinton/Obama brawl anyone?- let's just be pessimists [...] -�[Read�more]

That's what he is doing here is called: Pondering.. I find that no other question so much reminds me of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his aphorism about the necessity of living with flat-out contradiction. Do I sometimes wish that Theodor Herzl and Chaim Weizmann had never persuaded either the Jews or the gentiles to create a quasi-utopian farmer-and-worker state [...] -�[Read�more]

..this is what happens! -�[Read�more]

Watch Now (http://www.dodvclips.mil/linking/index.jsp?skin=oneclip fr_story=FRdamp271700 rf=ev hl=true) Army Col. David Paschal, commander of 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, said that as... -�[Read�more]

Daily Mail, 12 May 2008 Was this really what feminism was all about? According to Home Office statistics, to be published later this week, crimes committed by girls aged between ten and 17 have shot up by some 25 per cent over a three-year period. Last week, a man died and a young woman was badly injured [...] -�[Read�more]

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — Iraqi Police in Wasit Province have made significant capacity gains in recent months to... -�[Read�more]

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Two years ago, al-Qaeda destroyed the Chalabi village in the Sayafiyah region. A... -�[Read�more]

CAMP STRIKER — Most Soldiers who join the Army can honestly say they would have never imagined patrolling... -�[Read�more]

When climatologists talk about the Quaternary Period, you probably think they are referring to events that occurred thousand of years ago. You would likely be right, but for the official record, the Quaternary Period is the geologic and climatic time period that began roughly 1.8 million years ago and includes the present. The Quaternary [...] -�[Read�more]

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON — A Military Transition Team stationed at FOB Falcon, about eight kilometers south of Baghdad,... -�[Read�more]

Without property rights there can be no freedom. These are the words of Bob Day, whom I had the pleasure of hearing at a recent Australian Adam Smith Club meeting in Melbourne. A copy of his talk is available HERE. Bob Days talk centered on private land ownership and housing affordability. As well as presenting many sound economic principles [...] -�[Read�more]

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — When Soldiers of the 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, began inspecting chicken coops in... -�[Read�more]

On the occasion today of Israels 60th anniversary, going back fifty years and watching a television interview on April 12, 1958, with the countrys then-ambassador to the United States, Abba Eban, offers both an insight into what has changed and what has not and an opportunity to hear the most eloquent defender, bar none, of the Jewish state. Video and transcript of the interview can both be found on the University of Texas website. Take the very first exchange, in which a flat-toned Mike -�[Read�more]

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Representatives from four local women’s committees in the Rasheed Nahia met in Mahmudiyah, 20... -�[Read�more]

One of the major pillars of the greenhouse scare is that sea level is rising due to global warming, coastlines will be inundated, and disasters will occur in coastal areas throughout the world. Who could ever forget Al Gore’s documentary showing us the World Trade Center Memorial under water due to sea level rise? [...] -�[Read�more]

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — In an effort to clear out criminals in the area, Iraqi Army Soldiers raided... -�[Read�more]

Daily Mail, 5 May 2008 Ouch. It was almost too distressing to watch. The Prime Minister clearly thought that by touring the TV studios yesterday he could steady nerves after last weeks shattering local election defeats. Instead, he proceeded to display yet again all the charm, humility and insightfulness of a satnav directing a driver into a [...] -�[Read�more]

Thousands of websites present the usual view of global warming claiming that greenhouse gases are increasing in atmospheric concentration, this is causing the planet to warm, and if we don’t act immediately, an endless number of calamities are certain to become reality. These sites then make every effort to make you believe that much [...] -�[Read�more]

Spectator, 3 May 2008 What would Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion have said if, on the day that he declared the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, he had known that six decades thence Israel would be encircled by its enemies, hopelessly outnumbered and fighting for its existence? He would surely have said: [...] -�[Read�more]

Joshua Muravchik began a debate with me on the subject of lawful Islamists in a June 2007 piece titled "Pipes v. Gershman," to which I responded on July 6, 2007 at "When Conservatives Argue about Islam." Muravchik initiated a second round in February 2008 with an article (co-authored with Charles P. Szrom), "In Search of Moderate Muslims." Here is my reply, in the form of a letter to the editor of Commentary magazine in the May issue. The following version differs in many small ways from the -�[Read�more]

Andrew McCarthy, the U.S. prosecutor who successfully put away Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind sheikh, has finally written the piece that many of us have long intended to do but never got around to doing – exposing the work of Laurie Mylroie. -�[Read�more]

Daily Mail, 28 April 2008 As if Gordon Brown didnt have enough to contend with at present, along comes Lord Levy to put the boot in. When he wrote his autobiography, Tony Blairs erstwhile fund-raiser and tennis partner must have imagined that his disclosures would inflict untold damage on Mr Browns reputation. But however embarrassing some of these [...] -�[Read�more]

Canada.  Its that big country north of the USA.  Famous for maple syrup, ice hockey,  and saying Eh? And now it may well become famous for destroying the freedoms of speech and press by persecuting the politically incorrect. But fear not!  Sometimes saviors come from the most unexpected places!  Look up in the sky!  Its a bird!  Its [...] -�[Read�more]

Damn good work lads! The Washington Post reports: The Bush administration charged Thursday that a secret Syrian nuclear reactor was within weeks or months of completion before Israel bombed it on Sept. 6 and demanded that North Korea and Syria publicly acknowledge their collusion on a facility that could have produced plutonium for a nuclear weapon. It was [...] -�[Read�more]

Jewish Chronicle, 25 April 2008 Everyone is waiting. In Israel, they are waiting for the 60th-anniversary celebrations to be over and for President Bush to have visited and returned home. Then, they say, the IDF will make its long-anticipated major incursion into Gaza. Then at last the problem of the ever-intensifying attacks by Hamas will be [...] -�[Read�more]

In nearly every presentation on global warming, we hear that floods and droughts will be more severe as the temperature rises. Believe it or not, and who would not believe it given thousands of websites on the issue, there are many scientists who believe the opposite. We have covered these topics in many [...] -�[Read�more]

In March 2004, I took a risk and in a blog titled "Predictions about the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election" stated that "I expect the U.S. presidential election in 2004 will be a Bush blow-out, reminiscent of 1984." Today, I took a similar trip out the limb and replied to a question about Barack Obama: He is the first far-leftist possibly to become the Democratic candidate for U.S. president since George McGovern succeeded at this in 1972. Should Obama be nominated, I expect he will do less -�[Read�more]

Here are three videos from Australian comedy show The Mansion. Theyre a piss-take of a young lass who embarks on a two week pilgrimage to Canberra to be part of Prime Minister Kevin Rudds Australia 2020 Summit. What drives her? Whats the scope and depth of her leftie, greenie, politically correct Vision for Australia? She struggles, she [...] -�[Read�more]

Richard Kerbaj, the Australians extraordinary young reporter, has himself another scoop, one that reveals the inner workings of Brisbane-based Griffith Universitys efforts to win A$1.37 million in Saudi funding for its "Islamic Research Unit." Griffiths Vice-Chancellor Ian OConnor wrote in a letter to Saudi ambassador Hassan T. Nazer, dated September 11, 2006: We would be pleased to discuss ways in which your contribution could be recognised through, for example, the naming of a particular -�[Read�more]

Recall our long essay series a few years (e.g., here) ago regarding the now-debunked “Hockey Stick” depiction of hemispheric and/or global temperatures. In 2001, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) rolled out a depiction of temperatures over the past 1,000 years, and as seen below (Figure 1), the Medieval Warm Period [...] -�[Read�more]

That Greenwich Mean Time became universally accepted resulted from centuries of British cultivation of the maritime sciences. Although replaced by the technically more advanced Coordinated Universal Time, GMT remains in place; more importantly, perhaps, its exact opposite, running through the Pacific Ocean defines the International Date Line. So much for science and history. According to the BBC, at a conference held in Qatar titled, "Mecca, the Centre of the Earth, Theory and Practice," a -�[Read�more]

Its as clear as & Rudd Tonight in Melbourne, for our weekly Monday night DISCOVER CAPITALISM™ meeting, we study what has been coming out of the Australia 2020 Summit. Cate Blanchett goes to the top of my list of Fashionable Fascists for the Future: The opportunity this weekend represents is great because its the beginning of a long [...] -�[Read�more]

In addition to Fatah clearly and explicitly wanting to eliminate Israel; for a fresh example see the statement on April 9 by the Palestinian Authority representative in Lebanon, Abbas Zaki, about the Israelis: the PLO, he says, intends to "drive them out of all of Palestine." But in addition to this – which should be enough to render it unfit for negotiations with Israel or benefits from Western states – it is also a horrific organization in its own right. For one instance of its brutality, -�[Read�more]

A cynical curmudgeon named Ben Stein has been making the rounds of talk shows, promoting a soon-to-be-released movie. (http://expelledthemovie.com/) Judging from the trailer for the movie, it will be yet another rehash of Intelligent Design. The trailer shows a teacher at a chalkboard, talking to his class about evolution. Stein, at the rear of the [...] -�[Read�more]

This hurricane issue never goes away and new websites appear every day warning us of more hurricanes in the immediate future. We cover this issue over and over, and no fewer than three more articles on hurricane activity have appeared in the scientific literature recently of interest to us at World Climate Report: -�[Read�more]

Daily Mail, 14 April 2008 Few sights can surely be more unedifying than members of Parliament in a stampeding, knicker-wetting panic over the prospective loss of their seats. Those of a sensitive disposition should avert their gaze now. For Britain no longer appears to have a functioning governing party; it has teetered instead into a collective nervous [...] -�[Read�more]

While I have to admit that I havent read this book as yet, I want to offer a link to the books official website:  I am Melba . I have a great deal of trust in the author, knowing her personally and having great confidence in her intelligence, good and careful judgement, and honest character.  I have every reason [...] -�[Read�more]

* General information on US - Columbia Free Trade * C-Span aired Cato discussion on the US - Columbia Free Trade Agreement, April 11, 2008.  * ARI - on Free Markets (my favorite quote from this page is taken from The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand, on Mans Rights. There cant be too much emphasis on the idea of mutual [...] -�[Read�more]

Daily Mail, 11 April 2008 How al Qaeda must be gloating. What would any sane country do if it discovered that living among it was Osama Bin Ladens right-hand man, who was wanted by his own country on terrorism charges? Its a fair bet that it would deport him to that country as fast as it [...] -�[Read�more]

All the talk these days is about Chinas cracking down on Tibetans, and it is a terrible thing to witness. Recently, China is claiming that the Tibetan protestors are puppets whose strings are being pulled by foreign religious elements, as a way of downplaying the situation and as an excuse to investigate  and shut down churches [...] -�[Read�more]

When I lived in Cairo in the 1970s, I conducted a little experiment: What, using only Arabic-language sources, could I learn about Jews, Judaism, Jewish history, Jewish culture, and the like? The paucity of resources stunned me; basically, the best way to learn about these subjects was to read between the lines of antisemitic tracts. It is therefore with delight that I read today that the American Jewish Committee, under the directorship of Yehudit Barsky, has launched a new website, Asl -�[Read�more]

Wow. What a week. I just got back from a seminar led by Rutgers University professor Dr. Alan Robock on his new research into nuclear winter. He started out by stating that “This is worse than global warming.” Yikes! Just what I needed to hear, another disaster scenario to add to the list!! -�[Read�more]

Over the next 24 hours some PRODOS sites may go offline for a few hours while the new nameservers propagate as we complete the final stage of the server migration. -�[Read�more]

The deepest differences between Muslims and Westerners concern not politics but sexuality. Each side has a long history of looking at the others sexual mores with a mixture of astonishment and disgust. Here are some examples from the Muslim side of the divide (in reverse chronological order) that have me, for one, shaking my head: Yemeni Court Grants 8-Year-Old Girl Divorce [get pic of her from site] Nojoud Muhammed Nasser, eight years old, was told by her father two months ago that it was -�[Read�more]

A few months have passed since our last hurricane update, and sure enough, two more interesting articles have appeared recently in leading scientific journals. Despite a relative calm over the past few years on the hurricane front, the global warming crowd continues to insist on thousands of websites that hurricanes are becoming more frequent [...] -�[Read�more]

Daily Mail, 7 April 2008 Even by the standards of this government, the behaviour of the Children Secretary Ed Balls is simply astounding in its cynicism and ideological spite. Consider the parlous state of education in Britain. Standards are dire and getting worse. Britain has tumbled down the international league tables in literacy, maths and science. A quarter [...] -�[Read�more]

The effort is the first time since World War II – when the Germans bombed London, and London children were sent off to families in the countryside to be cared for until the German ended – that a "people-to-people" campaign has been organized to remove children from a war zone. Sadly, indeed embarrassingly, the children are those of Sderot, an Israeli town of 19,000 near the border with Gaza that has been under a missile barrage since the Israeli retreat from Gaza in September 2005, with -�[Read�more]

In our continuing theme of exposing ill-founded global warming alarmist stories (see here and here for our most recent debunkings), we’ll examine the much touted discovery of “Warming Island”—a small piece of land that has been “long thought to be part of Greenland’s mainland”—but that turns out to have been known to be an island [...] -�[Read�more]

Daily Mail, 1 April 2008 At the National Theatre, a new play by the former radical playwright Howard Brenton, Never So Good, paints a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of the Sixties Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, who as a young man opposed Neville Chamberlains appeasement of Hitler. Chamberlains claim that he could talk Germany out of war and produce [...] -�[Read�more]

One of the most well-known and beloved harbingers of spring is the appearance of our feathered friend, the red-breasted robin. And as is the case with virtually every other cute species, it is the subject of climate change speculation from time to time. But in the robin’s case, it doesn’t surround global warming [...] -�[Read�more]

Daily Mail, 24 March 2008 With all the difficulties facing the Prime Minister, youd think that he would be making every possible effort to avoid any further elephant traps. But no - having unaccountably constructed one for himself, he has not only fallen in but is refusing to haul himself out. For reasons which so far [...] -�[Read�more]

Labour sponsored capital funds drain money from tax system; displace private venture capital funds -�[Read�more]

Study finds Ontario government subsidies and rebates discourage industry from cutting electricity use -�[Read�more]

BC government has historic opportunity to reduce taxes and create BC Advantage -�[Read�more]

Canada, USA, UK ranked fifth in world for economic freedom; Hong Kong number one -�[Read�more]

Study shows Alberta has best labour market in North America; Ontario and Quebec trail the West -�[Read�more]

Click here to listen, download or podcast this interview (mp3, 13 MB.) Guest: Jussi K Niemelä Online from Finland, Human Rights Activist, Rock band lyricist So, you want to be a racist? But youre not sure where to start? I know how you feel. Its not easy. And its highly unpopular these days! But in this interview with Finnish anti-racist activist, Jussi K Niemelä, [...] -�[Read�more]

The IPAs (Institute of Public Affairs) Chris Berg and Andrew Kemp say theyve found it!! Their cover story for the March 2007 issue of the IPA Review is called Islams Free Market Heritage and sets out their arguments, their evidence, their sources. But when I checked on all these I got a very different picture! Ill present my own findings shortly. On [...] -�[Read�more]

Listen, download, or podcast this interview (mp3, 46 MB) Warning: The F-word is used in this interview. Do not listen or download if you have a problem with that. Guest: Hugh Fink Emmy Award winning TV comedy writer (for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Program), stand-up comedian, TV producer.  Hugh Finks credits include: Saturday Night Live, The Drew Carey Show, The Late [...] -�[Read�more]

Listen, download, or podcast this interview (mp3, 37 MB) Guest: Chuck McCann Actor, character voice extraordinaire, childrens TV show host, comedian, and man of many, many talents! From the 1960s, Chuck McCanns Laurel and Hardy Show A personal note from one of Chuck McCanns biggest fans - our very own Greg Zeigerson! & Chuck McCann is a veteran Hollywood comedian and actor, who created [...] -�[Read�more]

Listen, download, or podcast this interview (mp3, 41 MB)  Guest: Sonja Bernhardt, creator of the controversial Screen Goddess IT Calendar. One of Sonjas Glamour Geeks sends the scallywags scurrying. Heres one of the images from the Screen Goddess IT Calendar. The model is a real live IT industry woman! Fearless and fun-loving! Heres an item from Inventions.orgs Female Inventors [...] -�[Read�more]

Listen, download or podcast this interview (mp3, 49 MB) Guest: Dr Mark Durie, Anglican Minister in Melbourne, Australia. In a feature article by Mark Durie in The Australian, Islam: Creed of the Sword, I was amazed to read the following: At one point Christ says: Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did [...] -�[Read�more]

Listen, download, or podcast this interview (mp3, 48 MB) Guest: Adrian Morgan, writer with WesternResistance.com In this interview we explore the violent reaction across the Islamosphere to the 9/12 speech of Pope Benedict XVI - made a day after the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorists attacks on the United States. The Popes speech was no blunder as some have claimed. And [...] -�[Read�more]

Click here to listen, download or podcast this interview (41 MB)  On this Zigory Show, Michelle Steffens, who has been a chef at Bobby Flays Mesa Grill and Bolo restaurants in New York, and who operates her own catering business in New York and New Jersey, talks about the business and pleasure of food, with anecdotes [...] -�[Read�more]

Listen, download or podcast this interview (mp3, 39 MB) Greg Zeigerson speaks with Composer, M. Zachary Johnson, about his work, music concepts, and the Arts today. Topics covered include & The new CD - Saxophone Music of M. Zachary Johnson Live at Steinway Hall - which can be purchased through MZacharyJohnson.com An interesting collaboration with saxophone player, Brian Horner. Using an image to keep [...] -�[Read�more]

Listen, podcast, or download this interview (mp3, 38 MB) Guest: Edward Cline Novelist, author of the acclaimed Sparrowhawk series. Ed Cline, author of the Sparrowhawk adventure novels talks about his work and ideas.   Topics covered include &   What inspired Ed Cline to become a novelist? About his first professional novel, Whisper the Guns. The unpublished novel starring the hero from Whisper the Guns, Merritt [...] -�[Read�more]