February 2008

Mock gunman terrifies students -- An armed man who burst into a classroom at Elizabeth City State University was role-playing in an emergency response drill, but neither the students nor assistant professor Jingbin Wang knew that. The Friday drill, in which a mock gunman threatened panicked students in the American foreign policy class with death, prompted university officials to apologize this week to Wang and offer counseling to faculty and students.

US: Vets Break Silence on War Crimes -- U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are planning to descend on Washington from Mar. 13-16 to testify about war crimes they committed or personally witnessed in those countries.

Sick 9/11 workers rally in rainy D.C. for more help -- Chanting "$25 million isn't enough!" dozens of sick 9/11 first responders stood in the rain on Capitol Hill Tuesday and urged President Bush to restore funding to help pay their medical bills.

Feds Dispose of Final Doses of Vaccine That Eliminated Smallpox -- The government announced Friday that it has said goodbye to one of the world's greatest lifesavers — the oldest smallpox vaccine.

MPs warn against US attack on Iran -- The Commons foreign affairs committee urged the Government to use its influence with Washington to persuade the US administration to "engage" diplomatically with the Iranians over their controversial nuclear programme.

Honey making a medical comeback -- Amid growing concern over drug-resistant superbugs and nonhealing wounds that endanger diabetes patients, nature's original antibiotic — honey — is making a comeback.

ProQuad Kids Vaccine Linked to Fever, Seizures -- Children suffered higher rates of fever-related convulsions when they got a Merck & Co. combination vaccine instead of two separate shots, according to a new study presented Wednesday. The results prompted a federal advisory panel on vaccines to water down their preference for the combo vaccine ProQuad, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella as well as chickenpox.

Psychiatrist testifies he prescribed three drugs at first session* By James Clark -- Regardless of what killed Cheyenne Delp on June 26, 2004, she was a child under the influence of heavy medication the day she died.

70 Percent Of Afghanistan Still Lawless -- More than six years after the United States invaded to establish a stable central regime in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai's government in Kabul controls just 30 percent of the country, says the top U.S. intelligence official.

YouTube Video: Taylor, Texas Prison Camp -- WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE HELD IN THIS PRISON.
Related Article: Texas Prison Camp Future American Gulag?

Suicidal pets get anti-depressants -- PETS at risk of self-harm are increasingly being prescribed anti-depressants because they cannot discuss problems in their lives with others, a leading veterinarian says.

Highly Poisonous Ricin Possibly Found At Las Vegas Motel -- Police were called to the Extended Stay America Motel on Thursday and retrieved a package from the motel manager that was determined to be a chemical or controlled substance, Officer Ramone Denby said. Two preliminary tests indicate it contained ricin, he said. Results from further tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a second local lab are expected Friday, police said.

Student suspended 10 days for taking vitamins -- The parents of a student in Pennsylvania's South Middleton School District are warning other parents after their workout-oriented son was suspended for 10 days and half the soccer season for taking vitamins at school.

US Send Warships to Eastern Mediterranean Sea -- The U.S. Navy is sending three warships to the eastern Mediterranean Sea in a show of strength during a period of tensions with Syria and political uncertainty in Lebanon.

Company waterboards employees to increase sales!!! -- Company Uses Waterboarding to "Motivate" its Employees. Welcome to Prosper, Inc. where an ex-employee says the supervisor used waterboarding and drew mustaches on employees' faces to "increase your sales output".

Gold futures end higher after hitting record -- Gold futures ended with strong gains Thursday, surging to a record high of $970 an ounce, propelled by the dollar's tumble to a new low against the euro.

Productive Gardening in Urban Areas -- Think you can’t produce much food in a small amount of space? Think again.
Related Article:
Windowsill Gardening: How to grow fantastic vegan food indoors -- Don't worry if you haven't got a garden or allotment! For a surprising amount of food can be produced indoors, vegan organically, either on your windowsill or on a well-lit kitchen surface.

San Francisco homeless get free phone numbers -- Internet giant Google announced on
Wednesday a plan to partner with all the homeless shelters in San Francisco and offer free phone numbers and voice mail accounts to homeless individuals, giving people the ability to distribute their own phone numbers and retrieve voice mail messages left for them whenever and from wherever they choose.

Taking aim at GMOs -- Believing that genetically engineered foods are untested for health effects on humans, the Ashland Food Co-op has launched a program to get all such products off its shelves this year — and other area markets, including Shop N Kart and Food For Less, say they are steadily increasing offerings of GMO-free food.

CANDIDATES' RECORDS ON AMNESTY AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION -- Grassfire.org is distributing this Video Voter Guide on Amnesty to citizens across the nation. Click on the above link to hear the ad.

Study: Contaminent levels high in parks -- Pesticides, heavy metals and other airborne contaminants are raining down on national parks across the West and Alaska, turning up at sometimes dangerously high levels in lakes, plants and fish.

YouTube: How Disinformation and Deflection Works -- Check it out.

YouTube: A Statement on Fluoride in Tap Water -- Be sure to watch this video on fluoride. It is a good little video on fluoride, how he learned, and how to approach your dentist.

Record-high ratio of Americans in prison -- For the first time in U.S. history, more than one of every 100 adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report documenting America's rank as the world's No. 1 incarcerator. It urges states to curtail corrections spending by placing fewer low-risk offenders behind bars.

More blue and orange -- Be sure to watch the slide show to see the orange and blue colorful photos.  Be sure to check out our "Orange and Blue" Section.

Media Has Large, Often Unnoticed Role In National Politics -- The major media plays a much bigger role in the formation of our national politics than most people realize. The media helps define and choose the issues, and acts as gatekeeper in setting the limits for political discussion and sometimes even candidacies for public office.

Bank Of America Won't Let You Access Your Money -- QUOTE: "Everyone in the United States that uses Bank of America has a daily spending limit of 5,000 no matter what".

YouTube: Barack Obama Busted Censorship CFR Racism -- You try, you decide.

UK NEWS:
  * Gas explosion rocks French city
  * Third room probed at Jersey home
  * Dramatic rise in hospital bug Clostridium difficile deaths

Airman kills 2 sons, himself on Oklahoma base -- A recently divorced airman who served with distinction in Iraq chased his ex-wife out of military housing with a pistol before killing his two young children and himself. Spokesperson would not say whether his mental problems were related to stress from his crumbling marriage or his experiences in Iraq.

Multiple sclerosis drug linked to liver injury -- Drugmakers Biogen Idec Inc. and Elan Corp. Plc. have warned doctors of significant liver injury suffered by some patients taking the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri, U.S. regulators said on Wednesday.

MCCAIN LOBBYIST'S PLANE FLEW SAUDI ROYALS AFTER 9/11 -- The lavishly-furnished
custom Boeing 727 airliner (727PX) which ferried Senator John McCain on four occasions during his Presidential run in 2000 also flew Saudi Royals out of the U.S. right after 9/11, carrying an entourage of Saudi Royals from Las Vegas to London six days after the 9/11 attack in a controversial operation later scrutinized by the 9/11 Commission.

Terri Schiavo News Alert:  Obama regrets voting to save Terri's life -- In a presidential debate last night, Sen. Barack Obama, (D-Ill), said, for the second time this year, that he regretted supporting federal legislation aimed at saving the life of Terri Schiavo.

Curry Spice May Thwart Heart Failure -- Tumeric Found To Aid In Heart Disease. Curcumin, an ingredient in the curry spice turmeric, may help prevent heart failure. That's according to two new studies done on rats, not people. In both studies, researchers gave curcumin to rats. The rats then got surgery or drugs designed to put them at risk of heart failure.

Concerns widen on waits for Iraq gear -- Four U.S. senators have asked the Defense Department for a sweeping review of the Pentagon's failures to quickly get troops in Iraq "the best possible equipment," including armored vehicles that protect against some of the most lethal types of roadside bombs.

Two firms sue Army for $11M in damages -- Two companies who say their Army contracts were canceled as part of the biggest bribery scandal of the Iraq war are seeking $11 million in damages.

Zale Cuts 225 Jobs, Will Close Additional Stores -- Zale Corp., the biggest U.S. jewelry chain, eliminated 20 percent of the positions at its headquarters, or 225 jobs, and will close more stores to save $65 million annually. The shares rose the most in six weeks.

23 Retail Stores Closing Doors -- From Sharper Image and CompUSA to Macy's and Ethan Allen, we round up more than 20 retailers that are closing (at least some) of its doors.

Army, citing strain, calls for reduced combat tours -- Army's top general said Tuesday he hopes to reduce combat tours for soldiers in Iraq from 15 months to 12 months this summer and would not go back to the longer tours even if President Bush decides to suspend troop reductions for the second half of the year.

Federal panel recommends almost all kids get flu shots each year -- An advisory panel to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said all children aged 6 months to 18 years should receive the vaccine, extending a previous recommendation to immunize children up to 5 years.

Ron Paul: Bernanke Deliberately Destroying Dollar -- Congressman Ron Paul slammed Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke during a House Financial Services Committee meeting today for following a policy of deliberately destroying the dollar and wiping out the American middle class.

Check Out Survey on National Association for Gun Rights Website -- Which Presidential Candidate do you believe will best defend our gun rights? Assuming the major-party nominees are Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, what will you do on Election Day?

Study: Spanking may lead to sexual problems later -- You got to be kidding me! Children whose parents spank them or otherwise inflict physical punishment may be more likely to have sexual problems later, according to research to be presented today to the American Psychological Association.

Spiked haircut gets Ohio kindergartner suspended -- A kindergarten student with a freshly spiked Mohawk has been suspended from school. (Just another reason to homeschool)!!

House OKs new taxes on big oil companies -- The House approved $18 billion in new taxes on the largest oil companies Wednesday as Democrats cited record oil prices and rising gasoline costs in a time of economic troubles.

Humane society sues U.S. in cattle case -- The Humane Society of the United States has sued the Agriculture Department for creating a "loophole" that it said was permitting potentially sick cows into the food supply.

Maine Sheriff cuts ties with Maine Drug Enforcement Agency -- "Until further notice all operations with Maine Drug Enforcement Agency are suspended," the memo reads. "No personnel from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office will participate in any operation involving Maine Drug Enforcement."

Banks Lose to Deadbeat Homeowners as Loans Sold in Bonds Vanish -- Judges in at least five states have stopped foreclosure proceedings because the banks that pool mortgages into securities and the companies that collect monthly payments haven't been able to prove they own the mortgages.

Montanans insist on gun rights -- Montana officials are warning that if the Supreme Court rules in the D.C. gun ban case that the right to keep and bear arms protects only state-run militias like the National Guard, then the federal government will have breached Montana's statehood contract.

VIDEO: Bill Maher Cracks Bush Comment on Bringing 'Free & Fair Elections To Cuba'-- Be sure to check it out!

Olympics water diversion threatens millions -- The diversion of water to Beijing for the Olympics and for big hydropower projects threatens the lives of millions of peasant farmers in China’s north-western provinces, according to a senior Chinese government official.

Drug-resistant TB spreading fast, officials say -- Drug-resistant tuberculosis is spreading even faster than medical experts had feared, the World Health Organization warned in a report issued Tuesday.

UK NEWS:
* Earthquake felt across much of UK -- The biggest earthquake in the UK for nearly 25 years has shaken homes across large parts of the country.
* Microsoft must pay $1.4bn to EU -- Microsoft must now pay 899 million euros ($1.4bn; £680.9m) after it failed to comply with a 2004 ruling that it took part in monopolistic practices.
* Child nicotine patches approved -- Children as young as 12 should receive nicotine patches if they have a serious smoking problem, the official NHS advisory body in England says.
* War veteran wins eye fight battle -- A Devon health trust that refused free treatment to save the sight of a former WWI pilot has made a U-turn.
* Melbourne 'refugee camp' opened -- A simulated refugee camp has been set up in Melbourne to show Australians the sort of hardship suffered by millions of people around the world.
* Pair in DNA database legal battle -- Two British men are due to appear before Strasbourg's European Court of Human Rights to try to get their DNA removed from the UK national database.

January foreclosures up 57% -- Foreclosure filings nationwide soared 57% in January over the same month last year - another indication that the nation's housing woes are deepening.

Vaccines, Depression and Neurodegeneration After Age 50 -- Depression later in life tends to last longer and be more severe than at younger ages. It is also associated with a high rate of suicide. Researchers have also discovered that most people with major depressive disease (MDD) have higher levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate in their spinal fluid (CSF) and blood plasma. This is the same glutamate found as a food additive-for example, MSG (monosodium glutamate), hydrolyzed proteins, calcium or sodium casienate, soy protein
isolate, vegetable protein concentrate or isolate, etc.

Army, citing strain, calls for reduced combat tours -- Army's top general said Tuesday he hopes to reduce combat tours for soldiers in Iraq from 15 months to 12 months this summer and would not go back to the longer tours even if President Bush decides to suspend troop reductions for the second half of the year.

If you haven’t deployed yet, stand by -- Officers at Human Resources Command are drilling deep into branch personnel data, mining for soldiers who have yet to pull a combat tour so that those eligible can be served with a set of deployment orders.

Widespread power outages in South Florida -- A relatively minor glitch in Florida’s electrical grid somehow triggered a chain reaction Tuesday that caused a nuclear plant to shut down and briefly cut power in patches from Daytona Beach through the Florida Keys.

Congress Authorizes Increased Funding for North American Union Police Force -- The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT ), the US Census Bureau and now the Merida Initiative are working together to form a North American Union in spirit and in function, even if not necessarily by name.

Faults in the Arctic Seed Vault: not everyone is celebrating in Svalbard, Norway -- It gives a false sense of security in a world where the crop diversity present in the farmers' fields continues to be eroded and destroyed at an ever-increasing rate and contributes to the access problems that plague the international ex situ system.

Shortage of surgeons pinches U.S. hospitals -- It's a problem rooted in the 1980s and 1990s, when U.S. medical schools put a cap on enrollments, believing that managed health care, among other factors, would create a glut of doctors.

McCain Gained Ohio Ballot Access Because of Matching Funds Program -- Last week, articles started springing up regarding John McCain and matching funds. It appears that Mr. McCain doesn’t consider himself involved in that program any more but it was under that program that he got ballot access in Ohio. The McCain team didn’t have to have any signatures. They just had to present their list of delegates and they were in and he was on the ballot.

Cause Of Heparin Woes Unclear -- FDA AND BAXTER HEALTHCARE are searching, so far fruitlessly, for the cause of about 350 adverse reactions to Baxter's heparin drug, a blood thinner used, for example, by patients undergoing kidney dialysis. Four patients have died after receiving heparin.

Traces of Unapproved GMO Trait Found in US Corn -- Traces of an unapproved genetically modified trait were found in US corn planted in 2006 and 2007 but the grain poses no threat to food or feed safety, said the U.S Agriculture Department Friday.

Gold drops on report that U.S. backs IMF gold sales -- Gold futures dropped Monday after a senior Treasury official said that the U.S. supports the proposed sale of a part of the gold reserves held by the International Monetary Fund.

Deep recession feared in U.S. -- Economists are no longer talking about a U.S. recession but a deep recession after figures yesterday showed business sentiment continued to plummet in early February.

"North American" Army??? -- The U.S. and Canada signed a military agreement that allowed the armed forces from one nation to cross the border and support the armed forces of the other nation during a domestic civil emergency--even one that doesn't involve a cross-border crisis.

US Government Targets Its Own Citizens In Massive Tax Rebate Fraud By: Sorcha Faal -- In what one Russian Economist has stated is ‘the most massive fraud in human history’, the United States has targeted its own war weary citizens for financial destruction with the passage of new law that the American people, being told by their propaganda media organs, believe will give them tax rebate checks up to $1,200.00.

Sunday's '60 Minutes' Segment related to Alabama Blacked Out JUST in Alabama -- Parts of Sunday's "60 Minutes" Broadcast re Imprisoned former Democratic Governor of Alabama Siegleman Are Blacked Out ONLY in Alabama -- Screens go Black during JUST this '60 Minutes' segment. During the 60 Minutes broadcast and ONLY during the Don Siegelman portion -- the screen went black for Huntsville residents and Mobile residents. There are other reports of other locations, but I have not yet confirmed those.

Study doubts effectiveness of antidepressant drugs -- Antidepressant medications appear to help only very severely depressed people and work no better than placebos in many patients, British researchers said on Monday. The researchers found that compared with placebo, these new-generation antidepressant medications did not yield clinically significant improvements in
depression in patients who initially had moderate or even very severe depression. The study found that significant benefits occurred only in the most severely depressed patients.

Generals to quit if US strikes Iran -- Some senior US military commanders are prepared to resign if President Bush orders a military strike against Iran, a new report says.

Veterans Suffer as DD214 Errors Increase -- Errors are occurring more frequently on discharge papers, known as DD214 forms, because the work is often farmed out to civilians, according to Patrick W. Welch, director of Erie County's Department of Veterans Services.

Mystery Plane Seemingly Bound for Iraq Lands in Florida -- Why did an airplane seemingly destined for Iraq somehow end up in Highlands County, Fla.?

Middle Class May Be Subject To Food Rations, Warns UN -- The UN is warning of a food shortage crisis and drawing up plans for food rations which will hit even middle-class suburban populations as inflation and economic uncertainty causes the prices of staple food commodities to skyrocket. (Why just the middle class? Hmmmm??)

More Dairies Go Raw as Consumers Learn Benefits of Unpasteurized Milk -- Massachusetts is among 28 states in which raw milk can be sold for human consumption, and in the past two years the number of dairies licensed to sell it here has gone from 12 to 23. Read More...

U.S. Supreme Court Poised to Strip Consumers of Right to Sue over Deadly Pharmaceuticals -- Justices are proposing that consumers should not be able to sue pharmaceutical companies for damages from side effects because some people might be helped by those same drugs.

Obama’s Money Cartel -- Why is the “yes, we can” candidate in bed with this cartel? How can we, the people, make change if Obama’s money backers block our ability to be heard? Seven of the Obama campaign’s top 14 donors consist of officers and em­ployees of the same Wall Street firms charged time and again with looting the public and newly implicated in originat­ing and/or bundling fraudulently made mortgages.

Detaining of illegal immigrants already heading home draws criticism -- HOUSTON -- Public defenders in Houston are criticizing the recent arrests of illegal immigrants who were pulled out of airplane lines when attempting to fly home to their native countries. Since July, at least five people have been arrested at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport while trying to board planes headed to Mexico, Honduras or El Salvador, according to Customs and Border Protection officials. All five had been deported previously.

US Senate Panel To Review Strategic Oil Reserve Policies -- A U.S. Senate panel will next week review how the government uses the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a spokesman for the committee said Friday. Some of the current administration's policies for filling and using reserves from the SPR, an emergency crude stockpile, have come under harsh criticism from some Democratic leaders in Congress.

VIDEO: Who stands up for real American values? -- Scott Ritter gave this talk before the US invaded Iraq. As a former US Marine Corps officer, UN weapons inspector and expert on the armaments of Iraq, he very publicly disputed the Bush adminstration's claim that Iraq was a threat to the US. Now the US is on the same path with regards to war against Iran.

Larry Sinclair Completed 4 Hour Polygraph Test Today -- This is in regards to the man who filed a Federal Lawsuit against Obama regarding Gay Sex and Drug Use claims.

U.S. "agent orange" ruling disappoints Vietnamese -- Vietnamese victims of wartime "agent orange" were disappointed by a U.S. court's dismissal of a lawsuit against chemical companies but believe they have gathered more support for their cause, an official said on Saturday.

Vaccine Companies Investigated for Manslaughter -- The investigations are in response to allegations that the companies failed to fully disclose side effects from an anti-hepatitis B drug used between 1994 and 1998.

Arctic ‘Doomsday Vault’ Filled With World’s Seeds Comes to Life -- AN Arctic “doomsday vault” filled with samples of the world’s most important seeds will be inaugurated in Norway today. The vault aims to provide humankind with a Noah’s Ark of food in the event of a global catastrophe.

Cheney Impeachment: Courageous, But Not Surprising -- For the first time since the Bush administration took office, three members of the House Judiciary Committee, Robert Wexler (D-FL), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), are calling for hearings on the impeachment of Vice President Richard Cheney.

Pollworkers make strange decisions that are often not their fault -- When things go awry at the voting booth, as they have several times in this hectic primary season, much of the blame often falls on ill-trained poll workers who are paid a pittance.

Was Colonel Ted Westhusing's Death in Iraq Something More Sinister Than Suicide? -- New questions surround the highest ranking officer to die in Iraq.

Most Older F-15s Cleared for Flight -- The Air Force has cleared 149 older-model F-15s for flight after it was determined that their longerons, critical support structures running the length and side of the fighter jets, are completely intact.

Ron Paul Secures Top Position on Pennsylvania Republican Ballot -- Great news — Ron Paul will be at the very top of Pennsylvania’s Republican primary ballot! Read the press announcement!

60 Minutes: What's Wrong With The Bees? -- Over the past year, some beekeepers have lost up to 90 percent of their hives. The losses could have serious effects because honeybees help produce a third of the foods we eat. This segment was originally broadcast on Oct. 28, 2007 but was updated on Feb. 21, 2008.

Ralph Nader enters the race -- Ralph Nader is entering the presidential race as an independent, he announced Sunday, saying it is time for a "Jeffersonian revolution."

UK NEWS:
* UK News: Government wants personal details of every traveler -- Passengers traveling between EU countries or taking domestic flights would have to hand over a mass of personal information, including their mobile phone numbers and credit card details, as part of a new package of security measures being demanded by the British government. The data would be stored for 13 years and used to "profile" suspects.
* Pakistan army's top medic killed -- There has been a suicide bomb attack in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, government officials say.
* Six more sites in care home probe -- The remains found at Haut de la Garenne on Saturday were detected by a sniffer dog through several inches of concrete. The search is part of an ongoing police investigation into alleged abuse on the island dating back more than 40 years.
* Pro-anorexia site clampdown urged -- Campaigners are calling for social networking websites, such as Facebook and MySpace, to clamp down on pro-anorexia sites.

Bankers each get 37 months in Enron case -- Three British bankers were sentenced Friday to just over three years in prison for their roles in a fraudulent scheme with former Enron Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow, and they're hoping to serve some of that time back home.

USDA Refuses to Recall "Comingled" Meat That Contains Beef from Westland Plant Downer Cows -- Following the unprecedented recall of 143 million pounds of beef that was potentially contaminated with mad cow disease, the USDA has decided that it's okay for children and consumer to eat that beef as long as it is comingled with beef from other cows. Read More...

Canada, U.S. agree to use each other's troops in civil emergencies -- Canada and the U.S. have signed an agreement that paves the way for the militaries from either nation to send troops across each other's borders during an emergency, but some are questioning why the Harper government has kept silent on the deal. Neither the Canadian government nor the Canadian Forces announced the new agreement, which was signed Feb. 14 in Texas.

Cast Your Vote...To The Wind? By Judy Andreas -- The election is coming. (yawn) Everywhere you look and listen, you can hear the promises and platforms of the hopefuls. Are you going to cast your vote for the person who promises to breathe life into this dying country? However, this election may distinguish itself. Perhaps it will be remembered as the "most ridiculously early-starting contest in the history of US politics."

Scan-It: Airport X-Ray Playset For Kids -- Could this be the most inappropriate kids' toy in history?

Turkey shells Kurdish rebel positions in N.Iraq -- The Turkish military shelled several Kurdish rebel positions inside northern Iraq on Thursday, an Iraqi security official said.

Rule by fear or rule by law? -- The people must not allow the president to use the war on terrorism to rule by fear instead of by law.

USDA Waited 18 Days to Recall Contaminated Beef that Sickened 28 People -- According to an internal U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) e-mail obtained by the Chicago Tribune, the USDA waited 18 days after confirming that a Florida teenager had become sick from E. coli-contaminated meat before recommending a recall of the contaminated beef.

Stanford will eliminate tuition for some students -- Stanford University said Wednesday it plans to eliminate tuition for students with annual family incomes less than $100,000. It also will pay most room and board for students with families making less than $60,000.

Gates: U.S. to share defense tech with China -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday the United States is prepared to share with China some of the information it has about the U.S. shoot down of a spy satellite.

As Economy Slips, Yacht Sales Skyrocket -- That's right, while the U.S. economy slows — if not enters a recession — the demand for these toys for the ultrarich has never been stronger.

The Harmful Effects of Sugar and Choosing Healthy Alternatives -- Most of us have heard the good advice that we need to eat less sugar - and rightly so. However, despite the numerous warnings by health authorities of the ill effects of sugar, the majority of the population is still consuming sugar on a daily basis in some form or other. "Sugar" is both a broad category and a misleading one. Let's examine it for our health's sake. The article states the best alternative is Stevia!

Pythons could squeeze lower third of USA -- Two federal agencies — the USGS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — are investigating the range of nine invasive snakes in Florida, concerned about the danger they now pose to endangered species. The agencies are collecting data to aid in the control of these populations.

Army Blocks Public's Access to Documents in Web-Based Library -- The Army has shut down public access to the largest online collection of its doctrinal publications, a move criticized by open-government advocates as unnecessary secrecy by a runaway bureaucracy. Army officials moved the Reimer Digital Library ( http://atiam.train.army.mil) behind a password-protected firewall on Feb. 6, restricting access to an electronic trove that is popular with researchers for its wealth of field and technical manuals and documents on military operations, education, training and technology. All are unclassified, and most already are approved for public release.

Autism Breakthrough: Girl's Writings Explain Her Behavior and Feelings -- A young lady expresses herself through wrintings on her computer. "It is hard to be autistic because no one understands me. People look at me and assume I am dumb because I can't talk or I act differently than them. I think people get scared with things that look or seem different than them." Her father says: "We realized inside was an articulate, intelligent, emotive person that we had never met. This was unbelievable because it opened up a whole new way of
looking at her."

Former Congressman Warns Of Martial Law Camps In America -- An article co-written by a former Congressman and carried by the San Francisco Chronicle has gained much attention recently as it shines light on a coordinated federal government program to build detention camps at undisclosed locations within the United States.

San Antonio Tries to Ban Cell Phones in School Zone -- When you drive through a school zone, you may soon have to turn off your cell phone. A proposed cell phone ban goes before San Antonio's City Council Wednesday. Council Member Justin Rodriguez proposed the ban, which would require drivers to hang up their phones when they see a school zone sign.

NBC reprimands employee for using picture of bin Laden behind Obama story -- NBC News said Tuesday it has reprimanded the employee responsible for mistakenly flashing a picture of Osama bin Laden on MSNBC as Chris Matthews talked about Barack Obama.
Related YouTube of the incident -- Be sure watch in it's entirety.

YouTube - 911 Conspiracy predicted in X-Files -- A tiny clip from Lone Gunmen Episode 1: Pilot, Aired on March 4, 2001. Written By: Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz Directed By: Rob Bowman Copyright: XFiles/21st Century FOX.

Navy scores direct hit on spy satellite -- A U.S. Navy cruiser blasted a disabled spy satellite with a pinpoint missile strike that achieved the main mission of exploding a tank of toxic fuel 130 miles above the Pacific Ocean, defense officials said.

The Keating Five -- The Keating Five (or Keating Five Scandal) refers to a Congressional scandal related to the collapse of most of the Savings and Loan institutions in the United States in the late 1980s.

Alternate website for wikileak -- Wikileaks is developing an uncensorable Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis. Their primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations. We aim for maximum political impact. Our
interface is identical to Wikipedia and usable by all types of people. We have received over 1.2 million documents so far from dissident communities and anonymous sources.

High court OKs 401(k) suits -- In a decision that could open the floodgates for lawsuits against retirement-plan administrators, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that individuals have a right to attempt to recover losses they believe were caused by fiduciary misconduct. The unanimous decision covers some 50 million U.S. workers who have invested upwards of $2.7 trillion in 401(k) retirement plans.

Bush Pledges US Support to Liberia -- President Bush, ending his feel-good journey across Africa, said Thursday that the United States is committed to helping restore lives of "hope and peace" to Liberia, a poor nation founded by freed American slaves.

Indonesia Accuses US in Bird Flu Plot -- The Indonesian Health Minister has said the United States and the World Health Organization are part of a global conspiracy to profit from the spread of bird flu and the US may use samples to produce biological weapons.

UK News: British Airways pilots vote for strike action -- British Airways pilots have agreed to independent arbitration in an effort to resolve a dispute over BA's plans to launch a new transatlantic subsidiary.

Feds Meet on for Next Year's Flu Vaccine -- It's time to write up the recipe for next year's flu vaccine—and the nation's influenza experts are aiming for better protection than this year's shot wound up offering.

Fed's Economic Outlook Not Good -- The Federal Reserve yesterday slashed its forecast for the country's economic growth as fresh evidence showed that prices for a wide range of goods are soaring. The twin announcements crystallize the challenge facing the central bank as it tries to prevent a recession without letting inflation get out of hand.

Map pinpoints disease 'hotspots' -- A detailed map highlighting the world's hotspots for emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) has been released.

For McCain, self-confidence on ethics has risk -- Vows to hold himself to highest of standards; McCain critics see conflicts!
Related Article: McCain says report is "not true"

Dire new warning on climate -- RECENT work by scientists suggests climate change is advancing more rapidly and more dangerously than previously thought, according to Canberra's top adviser on the issue.

YouTube: Press One For English -- This is the newest video and song written and performed by Ron and Kay Rivoli of the Rivoli Revue.

"Operation Garden Plot" explained - U.S. Military Civil Disturbance Planning: The War at Home -- Department of Defense Civil Disturbance Plan 55-2, is code-named, "Operation Garden Plot." U.S. military training in civil disturbance "suppression" is in full operation today. The formulation of legitimizing doctrine, the training in the "tactics and techniques" of "civil disturbance suppression," and the use of "non-lethal" weaponry, are ongoing, financed by tax dollars.

Quick Vote: Should the United States lift its embargo on Cuba? -- Check out the results so far.

Vicious TX Attack On Ron Paul's Congressional Seat -- The neoconservatives are determined to wipe his name and his brilliant philosophy from the face of not only this nation but the earth. Chris Peden's campaign against Ron Paul is pure evil.

U.S. to shoot down satellite Wednesday, official says -- The Pentagon said the U.S. Navy plans to try to shoot down a faulty spy satellite with a modified anti-missile missile on Wednesday. It would be the first such maneuver in more than two decades -- and the first ever using sea-based missiles.

Lunar eclipse to occur Wednesday night (Feb. 20th) -- It's your last chance to see a total lunar eclipse for nearly three years.

Defense contractor gets 12 years in prison for bribing congressman to get Pentagon work -- A defense contractor was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison Tuesday for bribing former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham with cash, trips and other gifts in exchange for nearly $90 million in Pentagon work.

New Clothing Item IDs Friendlies -- The new technology - called Target Recognition Operator Notification system - was designed to easily identify friendly forces and avoid casualties from friendly fire.

Whistleblowing website vows to defy court gag -- An international website that claims to blow the whistle on corporate and governmental fraud vowed yesterday to defy attempts by a US court to close it down. Wikileaks allows whistleblowers to anonymously post documents in an attempt to expose corruption and wrongdoing. Its owners said yesterday that a Californian judge had ordered that the site be taken offline last week, after an injunction from a Swiss bank.

Asians emerge as swing voters in White House race -- Asians have become a critical swing voter bloc in the US presidential election race, with rival parties courting them ahead of another intense White House contest.

Extremely Rare Larger Quake from "Swarm" at Baja California -- This is capturing the attention of geologist, seismologist, and volcanologist from all over the world. It is extremely rare to see such high magnitude eruptions this far into a "swarm". There have now been close to 200 quakes at the summit of Cerro Prieto volcano.

Vallejo, California On Brink Of Bankruptcy -- The city of Vallejo is on the brink of becoming the first California city ever to declare bankruptcy, City Council members said Tuesday. Vallejo may run out of cash as early as March, council member Stephanie Gomes said. Read More...

Kosovo Serbs torch UN checkpoints -- Thousands of Serbs chanting "Kosovo is Serbia" marched Tuesday to a bridge dividing them from ethnic Albanians while others torched U.N. border checkpoints and cars to protest Kosovo's declaration of independence.

UK NEWS: Bridgend suicides: 'I feel shaken to the core. Why are youngsters around here doing this?' -- Bridgend was yesterday mourning yet another addition to the alarming number of suicides in the area, after a 16-year-old girl was found hanged in a wood five miles from the town.

Michael New VIDEO online -- Good Conduct: The Michael New Story -- What prompted Michael New to take on the United States Army, the Department of Defense, and the President of the United States? View video!

Fidel Castro announces retirement -- Cuba's ailing leader Fidel Castro has said he will not accept another term as president, ending 49 years in power.

Dollar Sales by Japanese Investors Reach Record High -- Dollar sales by Japanese individual investors on the Tokyo Financial Exchange Inc. rose to a record high on speculation the U.S. economy will suffer a recession.

Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected -- A recent survey by the British government has revealed that organic laying hen farms have a significantly lower level of Salmonella, a bacterium that is the most common cause of food poisoning worldwide.

How Statin Drugs Wreck Your Muscles -- Statins, a popular set of drugs used to lower cholesterol, can result in muscle weakness and pain, and even debilitating and life-threatening muscle damage. A new study offers the first evidence that a gene known as atrogin-1 plays a key role in statin-related muscle toxicity.

2008 Election News -- A few News articles everyone needs to read prior to the 2008 Presidential and Congressional Elections.

Report: Nonlethal Weapons Could Target Brain, Mimic Schizophrenia -- Of all the crazy, bizarre less-lethal weapons that have been proposed, the use of microwaves to target the human mind remains the most disturbing. Read More...

Beyond Wikipedia: 19 References You Can't Do Without -- Wikipedia can serve as a great introduction to a subject, and connect you to other related ideas, people and places. But it’s not all there is. Here are some resources that can help you with whatever information you need to find: Check them out!

Interrogator: CIA Gave Us Bum Rap -- Interrogators got intelligence from detainees that helped U.S. troops in Afghanistan attack Taliban fighters last summer - and they did it through casual questioning and not torture, the military's chief interrogator here said.

Clay Baths - A Safe Method for Body Detoxification -- Clay baths have been safely used for centuries. These days, they're used to treat everything from tired, achy muscles to heavy metal poisoning, radiation and chemical/pesticide exposure. Very recently, some surprising and encouraging results have been reported when using clay baths to treat autism.

Obamination by EriK Rush -- How many Americans would vote for a presidential candidate who was the member of a church that professed the following credo?Read More...

New Bill To Allow Police Misconduct Be Hidden From Public -- A new bill proposed at the legislature would allow for police to withhold misconduct reports from the public. Supporters of the bill believe that police misconduct should be kept secret from the public so to not discredit police testimony. Others say that a forthright police unit is essential to the community.

Baby detained, dies in Honolulu airport -- The baby had been flown to Honolulu for emergency heart surgery. He died while detained inside a customs' room at the Honolulu airport with his mother and a nurse.

'Robo' copters might fly into city -- The Charleston Police Department is calling for some high-tech air support. The city wants to buy two unmanned helicopters that can hover quietly and stream video back to the ground, like the drones used by the military in Iraq, but much less expensive and without weapons.

AF Academy Hospital Closing ER, More -- The Air Force is shutting down the Air Force Academy's emergency room andair its hospital's inpatient services. The academy hospital had served about 30,000 families, retirees, active military and cadets. It also was the primary care provider or the provider of specialty care for 105,000 in the Colorado Springs area.

US banks borrow $50bn via new Fed facility -- US banks have been quietly borrowing massive amounts of money from the Federal Reserve in recent weeks by using a new measure the Fed introduced two months ago to help ease the credit crunch.

Harper's Magazine: We Now Live in a Fascist State -- Knowing the source of this piece makes it all the more disturbing. It is not every day that the editor of a respected national magazine publishes an essay claiming that America is not on the road to becoming, but ALREADY IS, a fascist state.... or words to that affect.

The Criminalization of the State: "Independent Kosovo", a Territory under US-NATO Military Rule by Michel Chossudovsky -- While the European Union and the US, have acknowledged that they would be "opposed" to a " unilateral" declaration of independence of Kosovo, the secession of Kosovo from Serbia is already de facto. It is part of a US-NATO military agenda. It is the culmination of the 1999 NATO led invasion. It responds to US-NATO strategic
objectives.

Aging Air Force wants big bucks fix -- Air Force officials are warning that unless their budget is increased dramatically, and soon, the military's high-flying branch won't dominate the skies as it has for decades.

Condoleezza Rice offers U.S. funds to Kenyan leaders to force compromise -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday that Kenya's feuding political parties must share power in a coalition government, increasing the pressure for a speedy resolution to the country's political crisis.

Britain releases Iraq WMD dossier draft -- An early version of a British dossier of prewar intelligence on Iraq did not include a key claim about weapons of mass destruction that became vital to Tony Blair's case for war, the newly published document showed Monday.

WAKE UP, OR YOU WILL DIE HOMELESS AND HUNGRY By Andrew C. Wallace -- My prayer,
and efforts are directed at reducing this catastrophe the only possible way I know by electing patriotic government officials at all levels dedicated to our constitution and serving” We the People” while dismantling “Chain of Command for Treason” and prosecuting every last one of the scumbags.

Ultimate Ron Paul Website -- Everything you need to know about Ron Paul...all on ONE website.

Mike Tawse Update -- February 18, 2008 is the first day of my third year without prescription medications and life is good.

Whole new flu vaccine needed next year -- The three most common influenza viruses circulating globally have changed significantly and next year's flu vaccines should be updated, the World Health Organization recommended.

YouTube: BUSH THREATENS ANOTHER 9-11 -- Bush says that if Congress does not give him and the TeleComm companies immunity from prosecution there will be another 9-11 but worse.

YouTube: Baltimore Cops V.S. Skateboarder -- Police Officer out of control...!!

USDA recalls 143 million pounds of beef -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sunday recalled 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a California slaughterhouse, the subject of an animal-abuse investigation, that provided meat to school lunch programs.
Related Video: Video of workers abusing cows raises food safety questions

SPY SATELLITE -- Doomed spy satellite USA 193 is still orbiting Earth and making evening flybys of US towns and cities. Last night it passed over Bishop, California, "right on time," reports Ray Finch who was alerted by a Spaceweather phone call. Brightness estimates by experienced sky watchers range from magnitude +1.5 to -0.5, similar to the stars of Orion. USA 193 may grow even brighter if, as planned, the US Navy hits it with an Aegis missile after Feb. 20th.

MRSA - A Military Threat? -- Recently the military and hospitals are looking into a new technology that helps to prevent the spread by killing MRSA and many other forms of bacteria, virals, mold, and mold spores on surfaces. An air purification system that actively goes out into the environment to kill these pathogens on surfaces so that one doesn’t make contact when touching a counter or opening a door that has been contaminated.

Nevada Caucus -- Nevada Caucus results.

Wheat market gone wild -- spring wheat prices have risen relentlessly all winter, obliterating every record in sight. At the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, wheat fever pushed prices to $19.80 a bushel in trading Friday - nearly triple the record from 1996.

What's Happening With NAIS in States Across the Country -- Nebraska has adopted a law limiting its program to a voluntary program only and requiring the Agriculture Department to develop a procedure for people to withdraw from NAIS.Action needed NOW in Wyoming to support Homemade Products bill.

VIDEO: One on one with Jessica Baty who was the  NIU shooter's girlfriend -- CNN's Abbie Boudreau has the exclusive interview with Jessica Baty, who was the NIU shooter's girlfriend for two years.

Experts Scoff at satellite Shoot-Down Rationale (Updated) -- Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Gen. James Cartwright cast the threat from the satellite in much less dire terms. Even if the hydrazine were released, he noted, the effects would likely be mild -- akin to chlorine gas poisoning, which can cause burning in the lungs, and elsewhere. The area affected would be "roughly the size of two football fields [where you might] incur something that would make you go to the doctor."

Best U.S. factory jobs in rising jeopardy -- A new round of cutbacks by Detroit's automakers carries a larger message – that America's manufacturing workers are under new pressure in jobs where labor unions had once been able to command middle-class wages for assembly-line jobs.

McCain drops the torture ball -- McCain said that while he remains opposed to waterboarding, "We always supported allowing the CIA to use extra measures."

UK News:
* Al Fayed attending Diana inquest -- On Monday, Mr. Al Fayed told the jury that Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed were "murdered". He said that Princess Diana told Mohamed Al Fayed she was pregnant, the Harrods owner said at the inquest into her death and that of his son, Dodi.
* Side-effects 'should be reported' -- A campaign has been launched to get members of the public to report any side-effects they experience after taking medicines.
* Veterans 'need more mental care' -- More must be done to help military service veterans with mental health problems, a Commons Defence Committee report has found.

YouTube: Keith Olbermann -- Special Comment - Bush, Dems, and FISA.

Depression Added As Possible Side Effect For Vytorin, Zetia -- The FDA has approved a change in the product labels for cholesterol drugs Vytorin and Zetia, adding depression as a possible side effect of the drug.

Private Study Links Vaccinations to Neurological Disorders -- Vaccination's Smoking Gun: A study showing a clear connection between neurological disorders and vaccinations. The results are dramatic, showing that more than twice the number of vaccinated children had autism than those who had not been vaccinated. Worse, the rates of vaccinated children with other neurological problems are even higher.

Spy Satellite Sightings -- Doomed spy satellite USA 193 has been in the news lately because of expectations that it will reenter Earth's atmosphere in March and turn into a spectacular fireball. Reentry has not yet begun, but sky watchers are already noticing the satellite as it zips over Europe and the United States. Be sure to watch the video within the article.

New Bill (SB260) To Allow Police Misconduct Be Hidden From Public -- A new bill proposed at the legislature would allow for police to withhold misconduct reports from the public. Supporters of the bill believe that police misconduct should be kept secret from the public so to not discredit police testimony. Others say that a forthright police unit is essential to the community.

McCAIN'S CITIZENSHIP ELIGIBILITY FOR PRESIDENT IN QUESTION? By: Devvy Kidd -- "Who is a natural-born citizen? Who, in other words, is a citizen at birth, such that that person can be a President someday?

VIDEO: "Soldier" Brags of Torture, Rape & Murder -- WARNING: Disturbing Video With Profane language. This is disgusting but must be exposed!

Metal Found in Valentine's Day Lollipops -- Judd said the two tainted lollipops were purchased from different Dollar General stores near Lakeland. He said the lollipops did not appear to be tampered with and it appeared the metal was baked into the candy in China, where it was produced.

Gunman opens fire on Illinois campus; seven dead -- A former graduate student armed with two handguns and a shotgun opened fire Thursday in a large lecture hall on the campus of Northern Illinois University, killing six students and wounding at least 15 others before killing himself, authorities said.

US to Shoot Down Broken Spy Satellite -- President Bush has ordered the Pentagon to use a Navy missile to attempt to destroy a broken U.S. spy satellite — and thereby minimize the risk to humans from its toxic fuel — by intercepting it just before it re-enters the atmosphere, officials said Thursday. Note: They contain the toxic rocket fuel hydrazine, which can cause
harm to anyone who contacts it. Officials have said there is about 1,000 pounds of propellent on the satellite.

House finds Bolten, Miers in contempt of Congress -- The House voted Thursday to hold White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before a panel investigating the firing of several United States attorneys.

Panama tallies deaths from cold medicine tied to China -- Panamanian investigators have concluded that at least 174 people were poisoned, 115 of them fatally, by counterfeit cold medicine linked to an unlicensed Chinese chemical plant.

Fentanyl Painkiller Patches Recalled -- Patches containing the prescription painkiller fentanyl were recalled Tuesday, because of a flaw that could cause patients or caregivers to overdose on the potent drug inside. Sold in the United States under the brand name Duragesic by PriCara and generically by Sandoz Inc., the recall includes all 25-microgram-per-hour patches with expiration dates on or before December 2009.

Ethics Panel Says Idaho Sen. Larry Craig Acted Improperly -- The panel also said Craig should have received permission from the ethics panel before using campaign funds to pay his legal bills. Craig, who is not running for re-election, has spent more than $213,000 in campaign money for legal expense and public relations work in the wake of his arrest and conviction last summer.

CDC: Gulf Coast Trailers Have Toxic Air -- U.S. health officials are urging that Gulf Coast hurricane victims be moved out of their government-issued trailers as quickly as possible after tests found toxic levels of formaldehyde fumes.

9/11 case pilot can claim damages -- A pilot wrongly accused of training the 9/11 hijackers is entitled to claim damages, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

VIDEO: This is What A Police State Looks Like -- A Must watch!

"Can any dispute this info on Obama?"  -- Tracking Down Obama in Indonesia.

US store chain cuts sales of food from China -- US grocery chain Trader Joe's said Monday it would stop selling food imported from China due to customers' concerns about the products' safety.

VIDEO: Ron Paul 2008 VOTE! (introduction) -- This is the first advert in the series, a satire on the old 'Mac vs PC' TV ad series with an obvious twist of irony... the realization that the mainstream media's stale "Democrat vs Republican" pony show is has finally reached its natural conclusion.

Lockheed Secures Contract to Expand Biometric Database -- The FBI yesterday announced the award of a $1 billion, 10-year contract to Lockheed Martin to develop what is expected to be the world's largest crime-fighting computer database of biometric information, including fingerprints, palm prints, iris patterns and face images.

Panel Cites Drop in U.S. Attention to Nuclear Arsenal -- The Defense Department is displaying a "precipitous decrease in attention" to the security and control of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, according to a Defense Science Board task force that examined the broader causes behind the U.S. flight in August of a B-52 bomber that inadvertently carried six cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads.

McCain Embraces Rove -- Karl Rove last week announced that he had given $2300 to the presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain. Asked over the weekend about the donation, McCain said he has "always respected Karl Rove as one of the smart great political minds I think in American politics," and specifically refused to condemn Rove's hyper-partisan campaign tactics (including his smears against McCain in the 2000 South Carolina race).

Government Suppresses Major Public Health Report -- The public has been denied important information on the link between pollution and health problems including lung, colon and breast cancer.

Tempers Flare At Trans-Texas Corridor Hearing -- It did not take long Tuesday for the Texas Department of Transportation to find out what the Houstonians at a public hearing thought about the proposed 600-mile Trans-Texas Corridor, KPRC Local 2 reported. Read More...

Bush Administration Tries to "Cleanse" Evidence Obtained Through Torture -- Timing is everything. Yesterday the Pentagon announced that it will seek the death penalty against six men accused of masterminding the terrorist attacks of September 11th. the announcement sparked immediate questions about the viability of the evidence against the defendants, who are said to have undergone other forms of "harsh interrogation." As one reporter asked White
House Press Secretary Dana Perino: "Is the White House at all concerned that some of the evidence of the confessions by many of these men may not be admissible because they were obtained through waterboarding, which the administration admitted to last week?"

MOVIE REVIEW: UNCIVIL LIBERTIES By: David Deschesne -- Uncivil Liberties is a new political thriller by independent film maker, Tom Mercer. Uncivil Liberties takes the viewer into a realm few movies dare tread today - reality. Mercer explores the reality of what can go horribly wrong when government goes too far in providing security, and paramilitary groups go too far demanding their freedom. Read More...

Detention camps at undisclosed locations in the US? Rule by Fear or Rule by Law? -- What could the government be contemplating that leads it to make contingency plans to detain without recourse millions of its own citizens? The Constitution does not allow the executive to have unchecked power under any circumstances. The people must not allow the president to use the war on terrorism to rule by fear instead of by law.

'Net neutrality' bill introduced -- A Democratic lawmaker on Wednesday proposed legislation to stop network providers from playing traffic cop on the Internet. Legislation would stop Internet providers from blocking, slowing traffic.

NYPD Warns of Chlorine Terror Risk -- Undercover police secretly set up a fake company to demonstrate how easily and anonymously a terrorist could purchase chlorine on the Internet for a deadly chemical strike against the city.

Navy Research Paper: 'Disrupt Economies' with Man-Made 'Floods,' 'Droughts' -- A recently-unearthed U.S. Navy research project calls for creating mad-made floods and droughts to "disrupt [the] economy" of an enemy state.

Strong earthquake strikes Greece -- The earthquake struck at about noon (1000 GMT) and geologists said its magnitude was between 6.5 and 6.7.

YouTube: A Big Easy North American Union -- Already the symbol of abandonment, must New Orleans now become the symbol of abandonment of the entire country? Going well beyond the Port of New Orleans, Security and Prosperity Partnership plans for "North American Integration" endanger port, trucking, and railroad jobs, as well as investments, incomes, and State revenues all over the country. The SPP is coming to the Big Easy, why should you care? Let's have a look...

Computer Program Finds Candidate Most Similar to You -- Answer 10 questions and find out which presidential candidate you should vote for in 2008!

Germany becomes the First Country to admit Clandestine Chemtrails Operations -- TV news report states that “the military planes of the German Federal Army are manipulating our climate; this is what the weather researchers are presuming and their suspicions are confirmed…!! Read More...

Nancy Pelosi punishes Kucinich for wanting to impeach Cheney -- Kucinich has aggressively challenged the Democratic Party leadership in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail on the issues of war, civil liberties, impeachment and big business control of government. He's even refused to pledge to endorse the party's presidential nominee. Read More...

Agent Orange Deforming a Third Generation in Vietnam -- Three decades after US soldiers and diplomats scrambled aboard the last planes out of Saigon in April 1975, the toxins they left behind still poison Vietnam. Relations with the United States have been normalized since the 1990s, but the denial of justice to the victims of Agent Orange remains a major bone of contention.

Butter under lock and key as prices soar -- AUSTRALIAN pastry chef Tracy Nickl never imagined he would have to tighten security at his country bakery to ensure nobody stole his butter.

New Jersey E-ZPass Tracks Drivers Not on Toll Roads -- Drivers who use E-ZPass toll transponders are having their movements recorded even when driving on free public roads. New Jersey Star-Ledger columnist Paul Mulshine confirmed that the state's department of transportation uses E-ZPass scanners to know when, for example, a motorist drives to the mall on Route 24 in the Short Hills area.

Seismologist: Quake Swarm Rattling Border -- The latest quake hit Monday morning, near Mexicali. Officials said the magnitude 4.9 -- downgraded from 5.1 -- earthquake struck at 10:29 a.m. The quake was centered 24 miles south-southeast of Calexico and was felt in parts of San Diego, Imperial and Orange counties and as far away as Yuma, Ariz., according to the USGS.

'Black yeast' poses little health risk -- A fungus called "black yeast" found in bottles of treated river water in Albuquerque poses little risk to the public, a New Mexico health official said. Authorities reported the "black yeast" in bottled water used to get local residents used to the river water that will be the main water source in Albuquerque next fall.

Defense Official Is Charged in Chinese Espionage Case -- A Defense Department analyst and a former engineer for Boeing Co. were charged Monday in separate spy cases for allegedly selling military secrets to the Chinese government, the Justice Department said.

U.S. Senate votes for expansion of spy powers -- After more than a year of wrangling, the Senate handed the White House a major victory on Tuesday by voting to broaden the government's spy powers and to give legal protection to phone companies that cooperated in President George W. Bush's program of eavesdropping without warrants.

U.S. to Skirt Green-Card Check -- Facing a rapidly growing backlog of immigration cases, the Bush administration will grant permanent residency to tens of thousands of legal U.S. immigrants without first completing required background checks against the FBI's investigative files.

Obama Wins 3 Primaries for Delegate Lead -- Barack Obama powered past Hillary Rodham Clinton in the race for Democratic convention delegates Tuesday on a night of triumph sweetened with outsized primary victories in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Photo Of The Day from Steve Quayle Website -- President Bush acknowledges a member of the audience before he delivers the final state of the Union address of his presidency at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Check out the UN Blue Tie)

Credit Unions: How Your Accounts Are Insured -- The shares in your credit union are insured by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF), an arm of NCUA. Established by Congress in 1970 to insure member share accounts at federally insured credit unions, the NCUSIF is managed by NCUA under the direction of the three-person NCUA Board. (This is a .pdf file)

More on John McCain -- John McCain was born August 29, 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone, to two U.S. citizens. It's a common misunderstanding that the zone was a U.S. territory - in fact, the U.S. had lease rights, but not territorial rights. Read More...

Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain -- Be sure to check it out!

U.S. jets intercept Russian bombers near ships -- U.S. fighter planes intercepted two Russian bombers flying unusually close to an American aircraft carrier in the western Pacific during the weekend, The Associated Press has learned.

RON PAUL IS NOT QUITTING THE RACE by Alan Stang -- "I have just returned from a monster Ron Paul rally in Lake Jackson, Texas". The hall held about 1,000 people and was so full they had to close the doors. The crowd outside was almost as big, so Dr. Ron had to speak both inside and outside. He assured us that he is not – is not – is not quitting the national race.

VIDEO: Campaign Update From Ron Paul (A call to march in Washington DC!) -- Dr. Paul gives another update on the campaign (14 min: 35 sec.)

GM reports biggest-ever automotive loss -- General Motors Corp. reported the largest annual loss for an automotive company Tuesday and said it is making a new round of buyback offers to U.S. hourly workers as it struggles to turn around its North American business amid a weak economy.

Major lenders expand mortgage relief plans -- With mortgage defaults surging and politicians urging the industry to do more, six lenders agreed to widen their effort to help borrowers of all loans — not just subprime.

U.S. wants air marshals on flights from EU -- The United States is pushing European Union states to agree to have armed air marshals aboard U.S. air carriers flying to or from the bloc and are asking for more information on passengers, EU diplomats said on Monday.

Bush orders clampdown on flights to US -- The US administration is pressing the 27 governments of the European Union to sign up for a range of new security measures for transatlantic travel, including allowing armed guards on all flights from Europe to America by US airlines. EU officials furious as Washington says it wants extra data on all air passengers.

Travelers to Europe may face fingerprinting -- The European Commission will propose Wednesday that all foreign travelers into and out of Europe, including U.S. citizens, should be fingerprinted.

ACTION ALERT: House HR 2421 Clean Water Act Hearing Expected soon -- Fax or e-mail your Testimony by Friday, February 15th.

VIDEO: Ron Paul Wrongfully Left out of Ballots -- description: Ron Paul was missing from the ballot at my designated polling place at 6 Lee Avenue Stony Point, NY 10980 in Rockland County NY. Upon mentioning this to the poll workers they proceeded to tell me several times that "He dropped out". This is my personal account. The Ron Paul NYC Headquarters was notified and its now in their hands but its your turn to voice your concern and your discontent with the Rockland County Board of Elections who were responsible for this - whether it was a mistake or intentional its unacceptable.

Lead found in baby products -- High levels of lead were found in a handful of well-known baby products made of vinyl plastic by the environmental group based in California that spread the word about lead on vinyl baby bibs and lunchboxes.

Corporations Given ‘Human Rights,’ Humans Are Denied Them -- In evaluating allegations that U.S. military forces deprived four British men of human rights during two years they were held captive in Guantanamo Bay prison, a U.S. appeals court found an innovative way to let the Bush administration off the hook. Two of three judges ruled the men — because they are not U.S. citizens and, technically, were not imprisoned in the U.S. — were not legally “persons” and, therefore, had no rights to violate.

Pilots For Truth - Fox-5 Foreknowledge Of Wtc-7 Collapse? -- The video footage speaks for itself. Fox-5 anchor Tracey Neale says that a 47-story building had collapsed in downtown Manhattan which is an obvious reference to WTC-7 because it too was a 47-story building in downtown Manhattan. Then just seconds after Neale reports on the building collapse, they witness WTC-7 collapse at free fall speed in their own video footage.

Mayor kicks Marines out of Toledo -- Mayor Carty Finkbeiner on Friday ordered some 200 members of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines from Grand Rapids, Michigan, out of Toledo just before the unit was supposed to start a weekend of urban warfare training downtown.

Chavez Threatens to Halt Oil Sales to US -- President Hugo Chavez on Sunday threatened to cut off oil sales to the United States in an "economic war" if Exxon Mobil Corp. wins court judgments to seize billions of dollars in Venezuelan assets.

CNN TOTAL DELEGATE ESTIMATE -- Total delegates to date. Democratic totals include pledged delegates and superdelegates. Republican totals include pledged delegates and unpledged RNC member delegates.

'Diet' foods weight gain puzzle -- A study which showed that rats fed on artificial sweetener still put on weight has baffled researchers.

Examining the Properties of Chocolate and Cacao for Health -- If you love chocolate as most of us do, pick a dark organic variety with no added sugar. Raw cacao might just perk up your mornings and elevate your moods in times when you want to stay productive.

TASER Remote Area Denial (TRAD) -- TRAD is a revolutionary new concept in area denial, deploying TASER neuromuscular incapacitation (NMI) technology to incapacitate intruders who violate areas secured with a TRAD system.

Clinton Campaign Manager Calls It Quits -- Patti Solis Doyle announced that she is stepping down as the campaign manager for the presidential campaign of Sen. Hilary Clinton, D-N.Y., ABC News has learned.

New Bacterial Infection Linked to Military -- Troops arriving home from Iraq and Afghanistan have been carrying a mysterious, deadly bacteria, according to a new magazine report.

6 Guantánamo Detainees Are Said to Face Trial Over 9/11 -- Military prosecutors are in the final phases of preparing the first sweeping case against suspected conspirators in the plot that led to the deaths of nearly 3,000 Americans on Sept. 11, 2001, and drew the United States into war, people who have been briefed on the case said.

Import alarm keeps sounding on food safety -- "Put in place procedures where you say to the importer you need to be checking on your supplier, then the exporter in China is supposed to be looking at his supplier and then all the way back to the producer," Hubbard explained. "Everybody is checking on everybody and keeping records. And, in theory, that can work. But the FDA will need new statutory authority to oversee something like that, and resources."

Democratic White House hopefuls may have to look to 'super-delegates' -- With no clear winner after months of wooing voters, the tight race for the Democratic White House nomination may leave the choice between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to "super-delegates." What are super-delegates? They are party leaders and lawmakers, including all Democratic members of Congress and former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, as well as ex-vice president Al Gore. If no candidate has a lock on the 2,025 delegates needed to secure the nomination before the party's convention in August, the 796 "super-delegates"
would be decisive.

FDA links anti-wrinkle drugs to deaths -- The popular anti-wrinkle drug Botox and a competitor have been linked to dangerous botulism symptoms in some users, cases so bad that a few children given the drugs for muscle spasms have died, the government warned Friday.

Anti-depressants to carry suicide warning -- WARNINGS of the dangers of suicidal thoughts and behaviour are to be included in the packages of anti-depressants. Warnings will be carried in the patient information leaflet in the packets from October this year.

VIDEO: Ron Paul at Liberty University -- Ron Paul's speech at Liberty University.

Abandoned anchor cut Gulf Internet cable -- An abandoned anchor was responsible for cutting one of the undersea Internet cables severed last week, causing disruptions across the Middle East and parts of Asia, the cable's owner said Friday.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (guru to the Beatles) dies a recluse -- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the guru to the Beatles who introduced the West to Transcendental Meditation and yogic flying and became a counterculture icon, has died at his Dutch retreat. He was thought to be 91.

INFRAGARD:  Exclusive! The FBI Deputizes Business -- Today, more than 23,000 representatives of private industry are working quietly with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. The members of this rapidly growing group, called InfraGard, receive secret warnings of terrorist threats before the public does—and, at least on one occasion, before elected officials. One business executive, who showed me his InfraGard card, told me they have permission to “shoot to kill” in the event of martial law. InfraGard is “a child of the FBI,” says Michael Hershman, the chairman of the advisory board of the InfraGard National Members Alliance and CEO of the Fairfax Group, an international consulting firm.
NOTE: Learn more about INFRAGARD by clicking here!
Related Link: The History of InfraGard (this is .pdf file)

Dandelion Root Cancer Cure? At No Cost! -- To make the powder from the dandelion root you must follow my directions to the letter. Any changes and it won't work.

Group: Speakers at academy event promote hate -- A Muslim advocacy group is decrying the Air Force Academy’s decision to invite three self-described former terrorists who the group said slam Islam with “hate-filled” rhetoric.
Related Article: Speakers at Academy Said to Make False Claims

Inspections on Bridges Are Falsified -- A veteran bridge inspection team for the Georgia Department of Transportation falsified checks of dozens of bridges in the metropolitan area, including 11 previously rated as needing repair or replacement, department officials said Thursday.

Clarity Sought on Electronics Searches -- When U.S. Agents Seize Travelers' Devices. The seizure of electronics at U.S. borders has prompted protests from travelers who say they now weigh the risk of traveling with sensitive or personal information on their laptops, cameras or cellphones. In some cases, companies have altered their policies to require employees to safeguard corporate secrets by clearing laptop hard drives before international travel.

YouTube: Ron Paul speech at CPAC 2/7/8 part 1 of 3 -- Dr. Paul speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Nationwide Recall of Vegetable Products in #10 cans (6 to 7 pound cans) -- New Era Canning Company of New Era, Michigan is recalling all cans of vegetable products in #10 cans (large cans containing between 6 and 7 pounds) on the list below because they may have been processed under conditions which could have led to contamination by Clostridium botulinum bacterium spores, which can cause life-threatening illness or death.

Tax evaders' items of Ed & Elaine Brown are on the block -- Auction: Neither father nor son knew that the car, like many other items up for auction that day, were once the proud possessions of convicted tax evaders Elaine and Ed Brown. On Wednesday, four other vehicles, a generator and a lawn mower belonging to the Browns were sold along with the Oldsmobile, marking the beginning of the IRS' attempt to recover money owed by the couple after years of not paying income taxes.
Related Article: Nashua auction to feature Ed & Elaine Brown's gold and silver -- The Internal Revenue Service today (Thursday) will auction a batch of coins and other items – including a hyperbaric chamber – the government seized from tax evaders Ed and Elaine Brown.

News Video: No More RESTAURANT Lemon in my tea or water -- A MUST watch video news release on anyone who has ever had a lemon wedge in their water or tea in a restaurant!

Suit: Oral Roberts University Funneled $1B a Year -- A former senior accountant at Oral Roberts University alleges that more than $1 billion annually was inappropriately funneled through the school. Trent Huddleston claims in a lawsuit filed Thursday that he discovered an "unrestricted" account used to funnel "unusually large" sums of money through the university each month - which would exceed $1 billion on an annual basis - that wasn't used for any
legitimate university purpose.

Army investigating accidental drug overdoses -- Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, the Army's surgeon general, said there has been "a series, a sequence of deaths" in the new so-called "warrior transition units." Those are special units set up last year to give sick, injured and war-wounded troops coordinated medical care, financial advice, legal help and other services as they transition toward either a return to uniform or back into civilian life. Without giving a number, Schoomaker said the deaths among the convalescing troops were "accidental deaths, we believe, often as a consequence of the use of multiple prescription and non-prescription medicines and alcohol."

Study finds new war vets facing job woes -- The Department of Veterans Affairs report, obtained Thursday by the Associated Press, points to continuing problems with the Bush administration's efforts to help 4.4 million troops who have been discharged from active duty since 1990. It urged the federal government to consider working with a private-sector marketing firm to help promote and brand war veterans as capable employees, as well as re-examine education and training such as the GI Bill.

Romney Drops Presidential Bid -- Mitt Romney suspended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination Thursday, saying if he continued it would "forestall the launch of a national campaign and be making it easier for Sen. Clinton or Obama to win."

UK: Our children tested to destruction -- The damning indictment of England's primary education system revealed that the country's children are now the most tested in the world.

More than meets the blue eye: You may all be related -- Researchers in Denmark have found that every person with blue eyes descends from just one "founder," an ancestor whose genes mutated 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. Before then, everyone had brown eyes.

Panel Rejects Toll Road Through San Onofre State Beach -- The California Coastal Commission handed environmentalists a major victory and rejected the pleas of motorists Wednesday, voting down plans to build a six-lane toll road through San Onofre State Beach, a popular preserve in north San Diego County known for its scenery and famous surf spots.

Veterans not entitled to mental health care, U.S. lawyers argue -- Veterans have no legal right to specific types of medical care, the Bush administration argues in a lawsuit accusing the government of illegally denying mental health treatment to some troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Chinese businesses and U.S. company indicted over pet food -- Two Chinese businesses and their top executives and a U.S. company and its owners were indicted by a federal grand jury in Kansas City on Wednesday for their alleged roles in manufacturing and importing a tainted ingredient used to make pet food, believed to have sickened and killed pets across the country.

GOP senator's bill would privatize Turnpike -- A Republican state senator today introduced a bill to privatize the Pennsylvania Turnpike, repeal the current transportation funding law and eliminate the 10 percent poured drink tax in Allegheny County.

Kidnappings of U.S. citizens on rise -- Organized, well-financed and violent Mexican kidnapping cells are targeting a growing number of U.S. citizens visiting communities popular with San Diegans and other California residents.

YouTube: Ron Paul Being Censored In Telephone Polls -- Ron Paul omitted by telephone polls.

YouTube: RON PAUL 4409 -- 1946.1 -- Ron Paul is the only one to address the tyranny of government!

YouTube: RON PAUL 4409 -- ( BUSTED ) - Proof the polls are rigged! -- Check it out!

U.S. Military Members That Support Ron Paul For President -- These are pages and pages of veterans comment. They are counting on us to see Ron Paul elected for president.

US admiral confirms secret camp at Gitmo -- Somewhere amid the cactus-studded hills on this sprawling Navy base, separate from the cells where hundreds of men suspected of links to al-Qaida and the Taliban have been locked up for years, is a place even more closely guarded — a jailhouse so protected that its very location is top secret.

"Euros Accepted" signs pop up in New York City -- In the latest example that the U.S. dollar just ain't what it used to be, some shops in New York City have begun accepting euros and other foreign currency as payment for merchandise.

Mullen: US Troops Are Tired -- The top uniformed military officer on Wednesday described a tired U.S. military force, worn thin by operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and unlikely to come home in large numbers anytime soon.

US to resume military aid to Thailand -- Deputy US Secretary of State John Negroponte "has determined and certified to Congress that a democratically elected government has taken office in Thailand, removing legal restrictions on assistance to the Government of Thailand imposed following the September 2006 coup," said Tom Casey, a State Department spokesman.

Super Tuesday Results -- State-by-state results.

Bankers Gone Bonkers -- With Wall Street capital disappearing as fast as foreclosures are climbing, one foreign head of state had an epiphany. French President Nicholas Sarkozy advanced the idea recently that the global financial system is "out of its mind." To develop this theory further, I've reconstructed below some of the mileposts on our journey to this financial loony bin.  Few Americans are aware that for at least 16 years big business and banks have been secretly taking out millions of life insurance policies on their rank and file workers and naming the corporation the beneficiary of the death benefit without the knowledge of the worker. READ MORE...

FDIC GEARING UP FOR BANK FAILURES -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is gearing up for the prospect of a large bank failure. So double-check that all your deposits, including interest, are well within FDIC insurance limits.

Half of Bankruptcy Due to Medical Bills -- Half of all U.S. bankruptcies are caused by soaring medical bills and most people sent into debt by illness are middle-class workers with health insurance, researchers said on Wednesday.

Manufacturer in $2 Million Accord With U.S. on Deficient Kevlar in Military Helmets -- A North Dakota manufacturer has agreed to pay $2 million to settle a suit saying it had repeatedly shortchanged the armor in up to 2.2 million helmets for the military, including those for the first troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Connecting The Many Undersea Cut Cable Dots - 9 Or More? -- The last week has seen a spate of unexplained, cut, undersea communications cables that has severely disrupted communications in many countries in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. As I shall show, the total numbers of cut cables remain in question, but likely number as many as eight, and maybe nine or more. Read More...

New Weapon Against Terror: A Flashlight? -- New flashlight made for Homeland Security. It looks like a normal flashlight, but Homeland Security has paid close to a million dollars for it. It can stop you right in your tracks.

Tornadoes Rip Through South, Killing 31 -- The dead included 13 people in Tennessee, 11 in Arkansas, and a mother and father who died in Kentucky with their adult daughter. Those killed in Arkansas included another set of parents, who died with their 11-year-old in Atkins, about 60 miles northwest of Little Rock.

Doctor alleges plans underway to "Microchip" Newborns in U.S. and Europe -- Regarding plans to microchip newborns, Dr. Kilde said the U.S. has been moving in this direction "in secrecy."

Wall St stocks drop as Chrysler shuts plants -- Chrysler announced it was shutting four plants due to a dispute with a parts supplier. The closures of plants in Illinois, Delaware, Michigan and Ohio affect about 10,500 employees.

Defense Department Stocks Shelves with Newest Smallpox Vaccine -- The Defense Department has begun its transition to the next generation of smallpox vaccine. The new ACAM2000 vaccine first hit the shelves at the Pentagon’s DiLorenzo Clinic last week from the Centers for Disease Control Strategic National Stockpile.

Penn Researchers Discover New Target For Preventing And Treating Flu -- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have now provided a new strategy for designing drugs that target the resistant viral strains by solving the three-dimensional structure of a viral protein called the M2 proton channel. This protein is the molecular receptor for these drugs.
This study is published in the Jan. 31 issue of the journal Nature.

VIDEO: A soldier's view -- "One of the greatest hopes for the US is for this generation of military men and women to put their pledge to support the Constitution first and stop serving the crooks who have subverted the nation."

Missouri bill would add tolls to I-70 -- A bill in the Missouri Senate would eliminate a couple of barriers prohibiting toll roads and bridges in the state. Sponsored by Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Lee’s Summit, the bill would enable the state’s Highways and Transportation Commission to fund, build and operate toll roads and bridges, specifically, on Interstate 70 between Kansas City and St. Louis. This is the fourth consecutive year that Bartle has offered legislation to bring tolls to the state.

YouTube: PSYCHO COPS Strip Search Innocent Woman -- When is it time??? Where is the line??? What will it take???

Motion on the Church of England draws number 666 in House of Commons -- The beast of the Book of Revelation intruded into the banter of the House of Commons when a motion calling for the disestablishment of the Church of England was numbered 666. The last book of the Bible says 666 is the number of a beast that "had two horns like a lamb, and ... spake as a dragon," and that "doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men."

FBI wants palm prints, eye scans, tattoo mapping -- The FBI is gearing up to create a massive computer database of people's physical characteristics, all part of an effort the bureau says to better identify criminals and terrorists.

Blood pressure vaccine maybe on way -- How would it work? The "trick," says Martin Bachmann, Cytos' chief scientific officer, is to pick a likely target for vaccination — usually a protein that plays a key role in causing the disease — and "make it look like a virus." Read More...

VIDEO: Ron Paul Live From U of M in Minnesota Mon Feb 4, 2008 -- Check it out in your spare time!

Last man in iconic Iwo Jima flag-raising photo dies -- Raymond Jacobs, believed to be the last surviving member of the group of Marines photographed during the original U.S. flag-raising on Iwo Jima during World War II, has died at age 82.Jacobs died January 29 of natural causes at a Redding hospital, his daughter, Nancy Jacobs, told The Associated Press.

General Internet Resources -- Subject Guides, Portals and Starting Points.

Hillary Refused To Sign Pledge To Support Our U.S. Constitution -- Illinois Senator Barack Obama has finally signed the American Freedom Pledge, joining his fellow Democratic presidential candidates in encouraging the restoration of basic Constitutional principles after the battering they have taken during the Bush-Cheney era. All the Democrats, that is, except New York Senator Hillary Clinton.

Long Shot Ron Paul Finds A Hotbed of Support in Alaska -- Within weeks of his announcement in March that he would run for the presidential nomination, Mr. Paul's supporters in Alaska began informally campaigning. They clustered on cold, dark afternoons to wave Ron Paul signs at intersections. When Fox News left Mr. Paul out of a televised forum in New Hampshire with the other Republican candidates last month, they stood in front of a Fox News affiliate in Anchorage to protest.

Death photo of famed war reporter surfaces after 63 years -- This picture of Ernie Pyle's body, taken soon after he was killed by a Japanese bullet, was never released to the public. The man who took the picture, Army photographer Alexander Roberts, told a friend of Pyle's that the War Department withheld it "out of deference" to Pyle's ailing widow, Jerry.

Bloomberg.com: Even the big boys are getting ready -- Biggs's Tips for Rich: Expect War, Study Blitz, Mind Markets. "Insure yourself against war and disaster by buying a remote farm or ranch and stocking it with "seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc."

Wal-Mart executive Thomas Coughlin avoids prison -- A federal judge in Arkansas decided Friday that home detention and probation were sufficient punishment for Cleveland native and former Wal-Mart executive Thomas Coughlin, who was brought down by stealing $400,000 from the global retailer through bogus expense accounts and gift cards.

YouTube: FOX News Whistle blowers. UNBELIEVABLE!!! -- A Must See Video!

Top-secret Livermore anti-germ lab opens -- A high-security laboratory where deadly microbes are being grown by scientists seeking defenses against terrorist attacks began operating in Livermore last week without public announcement, and opponents said Friday that they will go to federal court in an effort to close the facility down.

Ron Paul Sweeps Northern Maine Caucuses -- With all three of Northern Maine’s (Aroostook County) Republican caucuses now completed, Ron Paul has won all three with a combined total 34.5% victory, followed by Mitt Romney in second place and Mike Huckabee in third.

FOX Denies Entrance to Veterans Demanding an Apology from O’Reilly — WITH VIDEO
-- "You might’ve seen my earlier post detailing the amazing day we had delivering our petition to the FOX building in New York demanding that Bill O’Reilly apologize to the homeless veterans he denied and dismissed. Now you can see how it all went down."

Flu season in full swing, CDC warns -- Flu season is in full swing, with wide outbreaks in 11 states — and a new strain is starting to emerge that this year's vaccine doesn't specifically target, the government's public health chief said Friday.

Baby shampoo study raises chemical concerns -- Elevated levels of chemicals known as phthalates were found in the urine of babies who’d been recently shampooed, powdered or lotioned with baby products.

Salmonella Levels Over 5x Higher in Factory Farm Eggs than Organic -- The study showed that 23.4 per cent of farms with caged hens tested positive for salmonella compared to 4.4 per cent in organic flocks and 6.5 per cent in free-range flocks.

Navy Tests Incredible Sci-Fi Weapon -- The U.S. Navy yesterday test fired an incredibly powerful new big gun designed to replace conventional weaponry aboard ships. Sci-fi fans will recognize its awesome power and futuristic technology. The big gun uses electromagnetic energy instead of explosive chemical propellants to fire a projectile farther and faster.

Al Qaeda said to focus on WMDs -- After a U.S. airstrike leveled a small compound in Pakistan's lawless tribal regions in January 2006, President Pervez Musharraf and his intelligence officials announced that several senior Al Qaeda operatives had been killed, and that the top prize was an elusive Egyptian who was believed to be a chemical weapons expert. But current and former U.S. intelligence officials now believe that the Egyptian, Abu Khabab Masri, is alive and well -- and in charge of resurrecting Al Qaeda's program to develop
or obtain weapons of mass destruction.

The Ron Paul Newspaper Project -- A plan to print and distribute a Ron Paul newspaper to be tossed on driveways in Super Tuesday states. If the media will not give Dr. Paul the coverage he deserves, let's get him that coverage!

News Shocker: Ron Paul biggest GOP fundraiser last quarter -- Well, it's official, ladies and gentlemen. Believe it or not, Rep. Ron Paul, the 72-year-old Texan who hardly ever gets mentioned in Republican political news and the one-time libertarian who always gets the least time on TV debates if he isn't barred completely, was, in fact, the most successful Republican fundraiser in the last three months of 2007.

Attack on Stevia -- FDA Threatened Celestial Tea Company over Use of Natural Sweetener Stevia and has sent a warning letter to the Hain Celestial Group, instructing the natural and organic food producer to relabel certain products that contain the sweetener stevia.

Montel Williams Loses Job after Defending Troops on Fox News -- For just over three minutes on Saturday morning, TV talk show host Montel Williams owned the hosts of Fox and Friends. Three minutes into this awkward segment on Fox, one host cut off Montel in order to go to a commercial. Montel did not return after the break. Four days later, after 17 years as a television host, Montel lost his job. Read More...

World Captivated by US Presidential Race -- America's extraordinary presidential campaign has captivated politicians and ordinary people around the globe. With so much at stake in the race for the White House, the world is watching with an intensity that hasn't been seen since the Clinton era began in 1992.

Student disciplined for pen with gun company logo -- A student has been threatened with a 3-day suspension from school for bringing to campus, and using, a pen with the corporate logo of the Glock company, a large stylized "G" with the letters "lock" inside.

Mexico Mayor Helps Illegals Reach the U.S. -- Mayor Gutierrez, a longtime activist with the leftist Democratic Revolution Party, has ordered his police officers and city officials not to arrest, extort, or otherwise harass the migrants, according to the Los Angeles Times which added that he has also ordered them not to cooperate with Mexican immigration agents.

First Nations, Canada: Disappearance of indigenous baby boys tied to industrial pollution -- This is related to yesterdays' guest Dr. Rapp - For years, scientists have been reporting declines in male births worldwide. But the most startling is the sharp drop of boys among the Aanishinaabek of Aamjiwnaang, "a greater rate of change than has been reported previously anywhere," noted a 2005 study that was published in the prestigious journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

US Tightens Canada Border Crossing Rules -- The Law is now in place - travelers must produce a passport, trusted traveler card or a government-issued identification card, such as a driver's license.
Related Article: U.S. PASSPORT CARD APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED BEGINNING FEBRUARY 1

Harmful pesticides found in everyday food products -- The peer-reviewed study found that the urine and saliva of children eating a variety of conventional foods from area groceries contained biological markers of organophosphates, the family of pesticides spawned by the creation of nerve gas agents in World War II. When the same children ate organic fruits, vegetables and juices, signs of pesticides were not found.

Bat deaths in NY, Vt. baffle experts -- Bats are dying off by the thousands as they hibernate in caves and mines around New York and Vermont, sending researchers scrambling to find the cause of mysterious condition dubbed "white nose syndrome."

US Spy Satellite ‘Downed’ By Israel, Say Russian Experts By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers -- Russian Space Forces (VKS) experts are reporting in the Kremlin today that the sudden, and catastrophic, loss of one of the United States most sophisticated spy satellites was due to a newly (January 22nd) launched Israeli spy satellite that upon reaching the same polar orbit of its American counterpart ‘ejected’ thousands of ball bearings which ‘shredded’ the KH-13, believed to be the US military’s most advanced reconnaissance satellite.