Christian Science Monitor
February 3, 2006
In a case of yet another leaked memo in Britain, one of the United Kingdom's top international lawyers quotes minutes from a January 31, 2003 meeting between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George Bush in an updated version of his book, 'Lawless World', where it appears the two men made the decision to go to war regardless of what the United Nations decided about passing a second resolution that would have allowed the start of the war.
Britain's Channel Four TV network, which says it has seen the minutes of the meeting, reports that during the meeting, Mr. Bush raised the idea of painting US U-2 spy planes in the colors of the United Nations, in the hope that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein would fire on the planes, and thus give the US and Britain a legal basis to attack Iraq. Bush also supposedly said the war against Iraq would start on March 10, 2003. It actually started 10 days later.
September 07, 2006
Remy Belvaux Dies
Reuters
September 6, 2006
I loved this movie ...
Belgian filmmaker Remy Belvaux, whose sole feature "C'est arrivé près de chez vous" ('Man Bites Dog') became a cult hit, has died, his family said Wednesday. He was 38. A statement said he died Monday night in Orry-la-Ville, north of Paris, but no cause of death was given.
Shot on a micro budget, 'Man Bites Dog' purported to be a fly-on-the-wall TV documentary about the life of a cynically jovial serial killer. The 1992 movie walks a dangerous line between black humor and abject horror as the TV crew gradually becomes more implicated in the killer's gruesome crimes.
Belvaux also starred in 'Man Bites Dog' with Andre Bonzel and Benoit Poelvoorde, who has gone on to be a major star in France. The trio also produced the movie, which won a string of awards after debuting at the Cannes Film Festival.
Despite the movie's impact, Belvaux never shot another feature, instead turning to directing commercials for which he won several industry awards. 'He leaves us one masterpiece and tons of regrets,' his family said in their statement.
September 6, 2006
I loved this movie ...
Belgian filmmaker Remy Belvaux, whose sole feature "C'est arrivé près de chez vous" ('Man Bites Dog') became a cult hit, has died, his family said Wednesday. He was 38. A statement said he died Monday night in Orry-la-Ville, north of Paris, but no cause of death was given.
Shot on a micro budget, 'Man Bites Dog' purported to be a fly-on-the-wall TV documentary about the life of a cynically jovial serial killer. The 1992 movie walks a dangerous line between black humor and abject horror as the TV crew gradually becomes more implicated in the killer's gruesome crimes.
Belvaux also starred in 'Man Bites Dog' with Andre Bonzel and Benoit Poelvoorde, who has gone on to be a major star in France. The trio also produced the movie, which won a string of awards after debuting at the Cannes Film Festival.
Despite the movie's impact, Belvaux never shot another feature, instead turning to directing commercials for which he won several industry awards. 'He leaves us one masterpiece and tons of regrets,' his family said in their statement.
September 05, 2006
Bin Laden Gets a Pass from Pakistan
ABC News
September 5, 2006
Osama bin Laden, America's most wanted man, will not face capture in Pakistan if he agrees to lead a "peaceful life," Pakistani officials tell ABC News.
The surprising announcement comes as Pakistani army officials announced they were pulling their troops out of the North Waziristan region as part of a "peace deal" with the Taliban.
"What this means is that the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership have effectively carved out a sanctuary inside Pakistan," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counter-terrorism director.
The agreement was signed on the same day President Bush said the United States was working with its allies "to deny terrorists the enclaves they seek to establish in ungoverned areas across the world."
September 5, 2006
Osama bin Laden, America's most wanted man, will not face capture in Pakistan if he agrees to lead a "peaceful life," Pakistani officials tell ABC News.
The surprising announcement comes as Pakistani army officials announced they were pulling their troops out of the North Waziristan region as part of a "peace deal" with the Taliban.
"What this means is that the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership have effectively carved out a sanctuary inside Pakistan," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counter-terrorism director.
The agreement was signed on the same day President Bush said the United States was working with its allies "to deny terrorists the enclaves they seek to establish in ungoverned areas across the world."
Osama "Won't Be Arrested"
The Raw Story
September 5, 2006
Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan, press secretary to the president of Pakistan, tells ABC News that -- if found -- Osama bin Laden won't be arrested, as long as he promises to behave like a 'peaceful citizen.'
'If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden 'would not be taken into custody,' Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, 'as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen,' report Brian Ross and Gretchen Peters at ABC.
September 5, 2006
Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan, press secretary to the president of Pakistan, tells ABC News that -- if found -- Osama bin Laden won't be arrested, as long as he promises to behave like a 'peaceful citizen.'
'If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden 'would not be taken into custody,' Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, 'as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen,' report Brian Ross and Gretchen Peters at ABC.
September 04, 2006
Britons Threaten to Behead Muslims
The Australian
September 4, 2006
"Far Right Extremists" have adopted the tactics of Islamic jihadis by posting videos on the internet in which they threaten to behead British Muslims. The films show balaclava-clad white British men brandishing guns, knives and clubs, calling on all Muslims to leave Britain or be killed. One appears to be a soldier who has served in the Gulf.
In one film, a man tells Muslims to 'go home' or risk being burned alive. He threatens, 'I'll cut your head off', and claims to have 'comrades' across Britain who have 'had enough'.
September 4, 2006
"Far Right Extremists" have adopted the tactics of Islamic jihadis by posting videos on the internet in which they threaten to behead British Muslims. The films show balaclava-clad white British men brandishing guns, knives and clubs, calling on all Muslims to leave Britain or be killed. One appears to be a soldier who has served in the Gulf.
In one film, a man tells Muslims to 'go home' or risk being burned alive. He threatens, 'I'll cut your head off', and claims to have 'comrades' across Britain who have 'had enough'.
GOP Ads Show Distancing from Bush
Yahoo! News
September 4, 2006
Republicans who were once cozy with President Bush are distancing themselves from both the president and their party in campaign ads. With the election in about two months and Bush's approval ratings still low — 33 percent in the most recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll — Republicans involved in tight races are avoiding party labels and playing down their ties to the president. On issues from the Iraq war to Amtrak spending, GOP candidates are trying to argue that they don't follow in lockstep.
Consider Rep. Deborah Pryce, the fourth-ranking House Republican struggling to hold onto her seat in an evenly split district in central Ohio, near Columbus. In 2004, her campaign Web site featured a banner of her and Bush sitting together, smiling. But in her latest television ad, Pryce is described as "independent." The spot also highlights how she "stood up to her own party" and the president to support increased federal funds for embryonic stem-cell research. As chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, Pryce rallies colleagues to the party message.
Among some of the ads:
In Pennsylvania, Republican Rep. Jim Gerlach (news, bio, voting record) tells voters: "When I believe President Bush is right, I'm behind him. But when I think he's wrong, I let him know that, too," Gerlach is in a close contest with Democrat Lois Murphy, who nearly beat him in 2004.
In Minnesota, where an open Senate seat is at stake, Republican Rep. Mark Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) has an ad titled, "Crossing Party Lines," in which he says: "I'm a Republican. On issues like taxes and spending, I vote like it. But on other issues, I cross party lines." In 2002, in his run for the House, a Kennedy ad showed him walking and shaking hands with Bush at the White House. Today, he lists the issues on which he has split from the president.
In South Florida, heavily populated by retirees, Republican Rep. Clay Shaw criticizes the president's stalled plans to change Social Security and says in his ad, "I represent the state of Florida, not a political party."
September 4, 2006
Republicans who were once cozy with President Bush are distancing themselves from both the president and their party in campaign ads. With the election in about two months and Bush's approval ratings still low — 33 percent in the most recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll — Republicans involved in tight races are avoiding party labels and playing down their ties to the president. On issues from the Iraq war to Amtrak spending, GOP candidates are trying to argue that they don't follow in lockstep.
Consider Rep. Deborah Pryce, the fourth-ranking House Republican struggling to hold onto her seat in an evenly split district in central Ohio, near Columbus. In 2004, her campaign Web site featured a banner of her and Bush sitting together, smiling. But in her latest television ad, Pryce is described as "independent." The spot also highlights how she "stood up to her own party" and the president to support increased federal funds for embryonic stem-cell research. As chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, Pryce rallies colleagues to the party message.
Among some of the ads:
In Pennsylvania, Republican Rep. Jim Gerlach (news, bio, voting record) tells voters: "When I believe President Bush is right, I'm behind him. But when I think he's wrong, I let him know that, too," Gerlach is in a close contest with Democrat Lois Murphy, who nearly beat him in 2004.
In Minnesota, where an open Senate seat is at stake, Republican Rep. Mark Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) has an ad titled, "Crossing Party Lines," in which he says: "I'm a Republican. On issues like taxes and spending, I vote like it. But on other issues, I cross party lines." In 2002, in his run for the House, a Kennedy ad showed him walking and shaking hands with Bush at the White House. Today, he lists the issues on which he has split from the president.
In South Florida, heavily populated by retirees, Republican Rep. Clay Shaw criticizes the president's stalled plans to change Social Security and says in his ad, "I represent the state of Florida, not a political party."
Bush says Jews are 'all going to hell'
The Raw Story
September 2, 2006
An upcoming book about presidential advisor Karl Rove reports allegations of anti-semitism by President George W. Bush. "You know what I'm gonna tell those Jews when I get to Israel, don't you Herman?" a then Governor George W. Bush allegedly asked a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman. When the journalist, Ken Herman, replied that he did not know, Bush reportedly delivered the punch line: "I'm telling 'em they're all going to hell."
September 2, 2006
An upcoming book about presidential advisor Karl Rove reports allegations of anti-semitism by President George W. Bush. "You know what I'm gonna tell those Jews when I get to Israel, don't you Herman?" a then Governor George W. Bush allegedly asked a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman. When the journalist, Ken Herman, replied that he did not know, Bush reportedly delivered the punch line: "I'm telling 'em they're all going to hell."
'Guerrilla artist' slams Paris Hilton
Independent Online
September 3, 2006
The secretive artist "Banksy" has smuggled 500 doctored copies of Paris Hilton's debut album into music stores throughout the UK, where they have sold without the shops' knowledge.
In place of Ms Hilton's bubble-gum pop songs, the CDs feature Banksy's own rudimentary compositions. On the cover of the doctored CD, Ms Hilton's dress has been digitally repositioned to reveal her bare breasts; on an inside photo, her head has been replaced with that of her dog.
On the back cover, the original song titles have been replaced with a list of questions: 'Why am I famous?', 'What have I done?' and 'What am I for?'
Inside the accompanying booklet, a picture of the heiress emerging from a luxury car has been retouched to include a group of homeless people.
September 3, 2006
The secretive artist "Banksy" has smuggled 500 doctored copies of Paris Hilton's debut album into music stores throughout the UK, where they have sold without the shops' knowledge.
In place of Ms Hilton's bubble-gum pop songs, the CDs feature Banksy's own rudimentary compositions. On the cover of the doctored CD, Ms Hilton's dress has been digitally repositioned to reveal her bare breasts; on an inside photo, her head has been replaced with that of her dog.
On the back cover, the original song titles have been replaced with a list of questions: 'Why am I famous?', 'What have I done?' and 'What am I for?'
Inside the accompanying booklet, a picture of the heiress emerging from a luxury car has been retouched to include a group of homeless people.
September 03, 2006
Bush is 'planning nuclear strikes' on Iran
Telegraph
September 4, 2006
The Bush administration is planning to use nuclear weapons against Iran, to prevent it acquiring its own atomic warheads, claims an investigative writer with high-level Pentagon and intelligence contacts. President George W Bush is said to be so alarmed by the threat of Iran's hard-line leader, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, that privately he refers to him as 'the new Hitler', says Seymour Hersh, who broke the story of the Abu Ghraib Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal.
Some US military chiefs have unsuccessfully urged the White House to drop the nuclear option from its war plans, Hersh writes in The New Yorker magazine. The conviction that Mr Ahmedinejad would attack Israel or US forces in the Middle East, if Iran obtains atomic weapons, is what drives American planning for the destruction of Teheran's nuclear programme.
Hersh claims that one of the plans, presented to the White House by the Pentagon, entails the use of a bunker-buster tactical nuclear weapon, such as the B61-11, against underground nuclear sites. One alleged target is Iran's main centrifuge plant, at Natanz, 200 miles south of Teheran.
September 4, 2006
The Bush administration is planning to use nuclear weapons against Iran, to prevent it acquiring its own atomic warheads, claims an investigative writer with high-level Pentagon and intelligence contacts. President George W Bush is said to be so alarmed by the threat of Iran's hard-line leader, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, that privately he refers to him as 'the new Hitler', says Seymour Hersh, who broke the story of the Abu Ghraib Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal.
Some US military chiefs have unsuccessfully urged the White House to drop the nuclear option from its war plans, Hersh writes in The New Yorker magazine. The conviction that Mr Ahmedinejad would attack Israel or US forces in the Middle East, if Iran obtains atomic weapons, is what drives American planning for the destruction of Teheran's nuclear programme.
Hersh claims that one of the plans, presented to the White House by the Pentagon, entails the use of a bunker-buster tactical nuclear weapon, such as the B61-11, against underground nuclear sites. One alleged target is Iran's main centrifuge plant, at Natanz, 200 miles south of Teheran.
Bush Repeats Rumsfeld's Mistake
Dispatch Online
September 3, 2006
President George Bush compared the war against Islamic militants to last century’s fight against Nazis and communists and said a United States withdrawal from Iraq would lead to its conquest by America’s worst enemies.
Incidentally, the speech was given to the American Legion, the same place where Rumsfeld said dissent against the war is equivalent to appeasing Hitler.
Bush said "Iraq is in crisis, our military is stretched thin, and terrorist groups and extremist regimes have been strengthened and emboldened across the Middle East and the world. It is time for a new direction."
I guess the "new direction" will begin in November.
September 3, 2006
President George Bush compared the war against Islamic militants to last century’s fight against Nazis and communists and said a United States withdrawal from Iraq would lead to its conquest by America’s worst enemies.
Incidentally, the speech was given to the American Legion, the same place where Rumsfeld said dissent against the war is equivalent to appeasing Hitler.
Bush said "Iraq is in crisis, our military is stretched thin, and terrorist groups and extremist regimes have been strengthened and emboldened across the Middle East and the world. It is time for a new direction."
I guess the "new direction" will begin in November.
September 02, 2006
Afghanistan Opium Cultivation Skyrockets
MSNBC.com
September 2, 2006
Afghanistan’s world-leading opium cultivation rose a staggering 60 percent this year, the U.N. anti-drugs chief announced Saturday. Afghan crops total 92 percent of world’s supply, exceed global consumption. The bulk of the opium increase was in lawless Helmand province, where cultivation rose 162 percent and accounted for 42 percent of the Afghan crop.
September 2, 2006
Afghanistan’s world-leading opium cultivation rose a staggering 60 percent this year, the U.N. anti-drugs chief announced Saturday. Afghan crops total 92 percent of world’s supply, exceed global consumption. The bulk of the opium increase was in lawless Helmand province, where cultivation rose 162 percent and accounted for 42 percent of the Afghan crop.
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