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Gitmo Military Prosecutor Breaks His Silence
Former Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld, a former U.S. prosecutor at Guantanamo, told BBC yesterday in his first interview since resigning earlier this year that Guantanamo detainees were treated in a “wrong, unethical and finally, immoral” manner. Vandeveld was so “appalled” by the conditions at Guantanamo that he consulted his Jesuit priest, who told him to resign. “I never suffered such anguish in my life about anything,” he said. Watch BBC’s segment: [watch video]
Bush Shoe Throwing Game Site Sold For $7,818
Remember the site we highlighted yesterday offering an interactive game of the Bush shoe-throwing incident? It’s just been sold for $7,818.
SockAndAwe.com, which was created by the people behind a soon-to-launch comedy site called PopJam, was bought by British Web services company Fubra on Friday — just four days after the site debuted.
Incidentally, the guy who created Sock and Awe is the same one who made headlines for setting up the Million Dollar Homepage in 2005. Alex Tew made a name for himself by making a million dollars off selling individual pixels of the page for $1 each.
“We’ve spent the last three days trying to keep the servers alive and we’re meant to be working on our other main startup PopJam. So we whacked it on eBay,” he says.
Tew says he’ll use the money made from the sale to further his new project.
What happened to the shoe thower (at Bush)?
Security agents have broken the arm and ribs of al-Zaidi, a reporter who hurled his shoes at Bush during a press conference Sunday in Baghdad.[more]
On Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008, activists from Code Pink staged a "Shoe-In" demonstration in front of the White House. The rally was in solidarity with Iraqi journalist, Muntadhar al-Zaidi. He recently tossed his shoes at Dubya, at a Baghdad press conference, held with the puppet Iraqi ruler, Nouri al-Maliki. Published reports indicate that Mr. al-Zaidi, after his arrest, has been subjected to torture. For background, and updates, go to Code Pink's web site, at: http://www.codepinkalert.org/.
Message to Alumni, Aston Uni
from Professor Julia King, Vice-ChancellorI am delighted to report that Aston has performed strongly in the UK Research Assessment Exercise 2008, the results of which are released today.
All four Schools of Study have demonstrated their research excellence, improving on their performance in the previous exercise in 2001, both in terms of quality, and the percentage of staff submitted for assessment. Our strength in depth is something we are proud of at Aston, and these results are a testament to that.
The results reveal that research in Allied Health Professions and Studies at Aston has been rated 3rd best out of 63 higher education institutions in the UK – which is an outstanding achievement for the University’s School of Life & Health Sciences.
Business and Management Studies is ranked 9th in the UK out of 90 institutions, European Studies is 11th out of 27 institutions and General Engineering is ranked 12th out of 49 institutions for the quality of research.
As a valued member of the Aston community, I hope you will be as pleased as I am with this excellent news. Aston continues to go from strength to strength, and you can expect to see things improve further in 2009. In the meantime, if you would like more details on the Research Assessment Exercise results, visit http://www1.aston.ac.uk/research/rae/.
All the best
Professor Julia King
Vice Chancellor
Aston University
Rise in executive power during Bush's tenure
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist James Risen has been at the forefront of uncovering some of the Bush administration's worst abuses of power. As a result, he has been hauled before a grand jury and pressured by the government to name his anonymous sources. Risen spoke with ANP about the rise in executive power during Bush's tenure and how the media failed to be vigilant in the wake of 9/11.ANP: journalist James Risen speaks about the rise in executive power during Bush's tenure [watch video]
RPK - court cases update.
1. In case is related to the police report made by Muhammad son of Muhammad against some time last year. The police have decided, instead, to charge one reader, Syed Akbar Ali, who posted a comment in Malaysia Today.
Raja Petra Kamarudin has been ordered to appear in court at 8.30am on Monday, 22 December 2008.
> > > > > >
2. RPK is accused of publishing the article Let’s send the Altantuya murderers to hell on the website www.malaysia-today.net.
Like in the cat and mouse game, Gobind then retorted that it appears like the prosecution is intentionally delaying my trial until after March 2009 (meaning, of course, after Najib takes over as Prime Minister) and the prosecutor quickly jumped to his feet and protested. Gobind then said if this is not true why is the prosecutor so fast on his feet?
Yes, I smell a rat. It appears very much so like they are trying to prevent Gan from testifying. He was the one who made the police report against me and the prosecution has already examined him. So it is now our turn to cross-examine him but the prosecution seems to be preventing that from happening.
My sedition trial in the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court 3 this morning was, again, a disaster. Again, it was postponed, this time to the 10th, 11th and 12th of February 2009.
Raja Petra Kamarudin has been ordered to appear in court at 8.30am on Monday, 22 December 2008.
> > > > > >
2. RPK is accused of publishing the article Let’s send the Altantuya murderers to hell on the website www.malaysia-today.net.
Like in the cat and mouse game, Gobind then retorted that it appears like the prosecution is intentionally delaying my trial until after March 2009 (meaning, of course, after Najib takes over as Prime Minister) and the prosecutor quickly jumped to his feet and protested. Gobind then said if this is not true why is the prosecutor so fast on his feet?
Yes, I smell a rat. It appears very much so like they are trying to prevent Gan from testifying. He was the one who made the police report against me and the prosecution has already examined him. So it is now our turn to cross-examine him but the prosecution seems to be preventing that from happening.
My sedition trial in the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court 3 this morning was, again, a disaster. Again, it was postponed, this time to the 10th, 11th and 12th of February 2009.
Kelantan vets create world history
TANAH MERAH, Dec 17 — The Kelantan Veterinary authorities have created a record of sorts after they successfully cross-breed the 'Black Bengal' and 'Boer' goat, the first of such attempt in the world.As a result of this cross-breeding, the Black Bengal doe (female goat) delivered a pair of kids (goat off-springs), Kelantan Veterinary Services Department Director, Datuk Dr Mohd Zairi Serian told Bernama here recently . . [MI]
Plundering the Congo & The Destabilization of Congo
Part 1:
The crisis in Congo shows no signs of slowing down, as government forces continue to battle rebel groups loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda. Investigative journalist and author Wayne Madsen, of "The Wayne Madsen Report," believes that Congo "has fallen prey to a lot of people that want to loot its natural resources."
Part 2:
The crisis in Congo shows no signs of slowing down, as government forces continue to battle rebel groups loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda. Investigative journalist and author Wayne Madsen, of "The Wayne Madsen Report," believes that Congo "has fallen prey to a lot of people that want to loot its natural resources."
Part 2:
Madsen chronicles how the US via its proxies in Rwanda and Uganda has been instrumental in the destabilization of Congo. Supplying arms, stoking ethnic divisions as well providing covert military and intelligence support systems to rebel groups.
Part3:
Madsen discusses the mineral wealth, this embattled country has, and in the light of the incoming Obama administration what the future may hold for Congo, as western powers vie for their piece of the pie.
Part3:
Madsen discusses the mineral wealth, this embattled country has, and in the light of the incoming Obama administration what the future may hold for Congo, as western powers vie for their piece of the pie.
Bio
Wayne Madsen is a Washington, D.C.-based investigative journalist, author, and syndicated columnist. His articles have appeared in The Village Voice, Wired, and CounterPunch. Madsen was a Senior Fellow of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. He was a communications security analyst with the National Security Agency in the 1980s, and an intelligence officer in the US Navy.He has testified on numerous occasions before the US Congress. He currently hosts The Wayne Madsen Report. [watch video]
Stop Using Internet Explorer!
Safari is good. Opera is good. Mozilla is good. People who go there, don’t go back.MSIE is not open source. Mozilla is - I cannot fix the bugs in there (MSIE) even if I wanted to. If bugs exist in an open source project I can either fix them myself, hire someone else to do it, or blame myself for not doing either. With MSIE, I have every right to blame Microsoft for their incompetence. And I can have them eat their own arrogance. [Stop using IE]
10 Vital Tips for Choosing the Right Web Hosting Company
The Web hosting firm you choose can make or break your small business. Good ones can run things smoothly, are easy to reach, and fix problems efficiently. But bad ones can have more problems than they are worth, be unreachable at critical times, and bring your business to a screeching halt. Finding a good one is crucial to your success.. [more]
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 — One down, two to go.
The new law to fight corruption was passed practically unchanged tonight in the Dewan Rakyat despite the best efforts of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs.
Iraqis suspicious of pullout deal
Leila Fadel says while new agreement seems a win for Iraq many doubt it will be implemented as written.
Paul Jay speaks to Leila Fadel, Baghdad bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers. They speak on Iraqi perception of the US-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). The Arabic-version of the agreement is firm on the United States completely withdrawing all aspects of its occupation of Iraq by December 31, 2011. Fadel says that most Iraqis are suspicious of the Agreement and of their government's dedication to ending the US-led occupation firmly. Fadel also talks about Muqtada al- Sadr and his supporters' reaction to the Agreement as well as the fall in violence in Iraq in the past year. . . [more]
Leila Fadel - view of the surge.
Leila Fadel: The surge is not well understood in the US
As surge nears its final years, many are struggling to understand what exactly it has achieved. According to exiting President George W. Bush and his successor the surge was a success. To better understand the situation on the ground, Paul Jay spoke to Leila Fadel, McClatchy Newspapers' bureau chief in Baghdad. Fadel speaks on the history of violence in the region, from the Anbar province to Baghdad. She also speaks on the rising leaders and the Sons of Iraq program, the exiled former fighter Abu Abed, and the network known in the West as al- Qaeda. The drop in sectarian violence, according to Fadel, is the result of the ethnic cleansing of Sunni Muslims and the creation of segregation by US-built walls between Shia and Sunni neighborhoods, and the nature of the resistance to the forces.
Bio
Leila Fadel is the chief of the Baghdad bureau of McClatchy Newspapers. She has covered the war in Iraq for Knight Ridder and now McClatchy on and off since June 2005, as well as the 34-day war in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel in the summer of 2006. Prior to joining the McClatchy team she worked at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as a crime and higher education reporter.
Fadel graduated from Northeastern University in Boston in 2004 and has lived in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. She speaks conversational Arabic. She was named print journalist of the year by the Houston Press Club for her work in 2005 and won a Katie Award from the Dallas Press Club in 2006 for her portfolio of work.
Her Iraq reporting won her Print Journalist of the Year honors from the Houston Press Club citing her work from "Bedford (Texas) to Baghdad." . . [more]
As surge nears its final years, many are struggling to understand what exactly it has achieved. According to exiting President George W. Bush and his successor the surge was a success. To better understand the situation on the ground, Paul Jay spoke to Leila Fadel, McClatchy Newspapers' bureau chief in Baghdad. Fadel speaks on the history of violence in the region, from the Anbar province to Baghdad. She also speaks on the rising leaders and the Sons of Iraq program, the exiled former fighter Abu Abed, and the network known in the West as al- Qaeda. The drop in sectarian violence, according to Fadel, is the result of the ethnic cleansing of Sunni Muslims and the creation of segregation by US-built walls between Shia and Sunni neighborhoods, and the nature of the resistance to the forces.
Bio
Leila Fadel is the chief of the Baghdad bureau of McClatchy Newspapers. She has covered the war in Iraq for Knight Ridder and now McClatchy on and off since June 2005, as well as the 34-day war in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel in the summer of 2006. Prior to joining the McClatchy team she worked at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as a crime and higher education reporter.
Fadel graduated from Northeastern University in Boston in 2004 and has lived in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. She speaks conversational Arabic. She was named print journalist of the year by the Houston Press Club for her work in 2005 and won a Katie Award from the Dallas Press Club in 2006 for her portfolio of work.
Her Iraq reporting won her Print Journalist of the Year honors from the Houston Press Club citing her work from "Bedford (Texas) to Baghdad." . . [more]
Global Domains Name Statistics.
Latest chart represents current statistics for many of the worlds most popular domains. . . [see chart]
Iraqi TV journalist throwing his shoes at Bush.
Devising a creative foreign policy for the Islamic State
The first principle of Iran's foreign policy is that it would maintain good relations with states that follow Islamic laws. Regrettably, there is no state in the world today that falls in this category. Thus, Iran maintains close relations with movements following this principle. This explains Iran's support for such movements as Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine.The second principle of Iran's policy is to maintain cordial relations with states that are friendly towards it and with whom it can enter into mutually beneficially agreements. Countries like Russia, China, Syria, Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, Pakistan and India fall in this category. Naturally, this list is flexible since all countries pursue their own national interests, clashing as they may with other pursued policies. . . [read more]
Former ISI Chief: Mumbai And 9/11 Both "Inside Jobs"
GEN. HAMID GUL, FORMER PAKISTANI INTELLIGENCE CHIEF (via broadband): I think this is a frame-up, a total frame-up. I have - I have my own (ph) voice. And I raise. I have a position which I express freely, openly. I'm like an open book.
This is preposterous. This is wrong. This is fallacious. And if my government does not ...
This is preposterous. This is wrong. This is fallacious. And if my government does not ...
GUL: No. We said, unless the evidence is brought up against him, then he is not a terrorist. It's wrong. 9/11's full evidence has still not emerged. It is still shrouded in mystery.
A lot of people have a lot of misgivings about that. And it's not only me. I think a lot of people in America would be thinking the same way. There are scientists, there are scholars, who have written articles on it.
So, I think to dub a man as terrorist - because I know, I heard him twice say on radio, or something like that, and I think it was Osama - not only that, but Mullah Omar also said that he did not believe that Osama had carried out that act. So, that is still a mystery, and it needs to be resolved.
Americans have still to set up a proper commission, an inquiry commission, into this event. I think that's very important. And I think President-designate Obama would do well to set up an inquiry commission into this.
So, I think to dub a man as terrorist - because I know, I heard him twice say on radio, or something like that, and I think it was Osama - not only that, but Mullah Omar also said that he did not believe that Osama had carried out that act. So, that is still a mystery, and it needs to be resolved.
Americans have still to set up a proper commission, an inquiry commission, into this event. I think that's very important. And I think President-designate Obama would do well to set up an inquiry commission into this.
GUL: Well, I have been on record, and I said it is the Zionists or (ph) the neocons. They have done it. It was an inside job.
And they wanted to go on the world conquerors. They were looking upon it as an opportunity window, when the Muslim world was lying prostrate. Russia was nowhere in sight. China was still not an economic giant that is has turned out to be.
And they thought that this was a good time to go and fill (ph) those strategic areas, which are still lying without any American presence. And, of course, to control the energy tap of the world.
Presently, it is the Middle East, and in future it is going to be Central Asia. So, there are many, many XX. And, of course ... [watch video]
And they wanted to go on the world conquerors. They were looking upon it as an opportunity window, when the Muslim world was lying prostrate. Russia was nowhere in sight. China was still not an economic giant that is has turned out to be.
And they thought that this was a good time to go and fill (ph) those strategic areas, which are still lying without any American presence. And, of course, to control the energy tap of the world.
Presently, it is the Middle East, and in future it is going to be Central Asia. So, there are many, many XX. And, of course ... [watch video]
courtesy : informationclearinghouse
Anwar wants more power for the MACC
themalaysianinsider : reports
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told Parliament that the issue at stake is the integrity, authority, and qualification of the Attorney General (AG) and the judiciary.
"Reform cannot be carried out without first solving the problem of the large amount of power held by the AG," the Permatang Pauh MP said.
The solution, he suggests, is for MACC to have two separate arms: one to investigate and the other to charge in court those who have been investigated.
Another Hussein? - This time leading the world's most powerful country.
Within 3 weeks of his election he appointed all the political dregs who brought on the unending wars of the past two decades, the economic policy makers responsible for the financial crash and the deepening recession castigating tens of millions of Americans today and for the foreseeable future. We can affirm that the election of Obama does indeed mark a historic moment in American history: The victory of the greatest con man and his accomplices and backers in recent history. . . . [ more]
Bush's Final F.U. - a host of last-minute regulations
With president-elect Barack Obama already taking command of the financial crisis, it's tempting to think that regime change in America is a done deal. But if George Bush has his way, the country will be ruled by his slash-and-burn ideology for a long time to come.
"It's what we've seen for Bush's whole tenure, only accelerated," says Gary Bass, executive director of the nonpartisan group OMB Watch. "They're using regulation to cement their deregulatory mind-set, which puts corporate interests above public interests." . . . . [what are these regulations - read more]
"It's going to be very challenging for Obama," says Bass. "Is he going to want to look forward and begin changing the way government works? Or is he going to look back and fix the problems left by Bush? Either way, it's a tough call."
Taliban Taking Over Their Country?
THE Taliban now holds a permanent presence of 72 per cent of Afghanistan according to the latest report by an influential think tank.
The Taliban is forming an ever tightening noose around Kabul with, as ICOS says, three out of four main highways into the capital city now compromised by Taliban.
It was the fresh roadside carnage which punctuated the drive to the Afghan capital. We must have seen the skeletons of nearly 20 oil tankers targetted by rocket propelled grenade launchers in the hands of the Taliban.
That is why it would be foolish to dismiss ICOS claims that the Taliban now holds a permanent presence in 72% of Afghanistan, up from 54% a year ago. They have advanced from their southern heartlands, where they are now the de facto governing power in a number of towns and villages, to Afghanistan’s western and north-western provinces, as well as provinces north of Kabul. . . [read more & watch ICOS video]
Call a Spade a Spade!!
UN General Assembly president Miguel d'Escoto referred to Israel as an Apartheid state. Phyllis Bennis analyzes the significance of this identification as compared to South African apartheid and the popular resistance struggles worldwide that helped end it. Isreali apartheid is built into a system of roads, walls, and fences which create segregation of Palestinians and Jews both inside the West Bank and between the West Bank and Israel. Gazan Palestinians are separated from Israel and West Bank Palestinians by the siege imposed by Israel after the election of Hamas. Bennis analyses the validity of the term 'apartheid' in the case of Israel and the proposed peace plan many Arab states have presented as a possible solution. . . [watch video]
Further -- JAC & MCAC
The Sabah Justice of Peace Council said that appointment procedure of judges in the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) Bill is contrary to the Federal Constitution.
Council honorary secretary Datuk Lawrence Thien Shin Hing said the new procedure would be a departure from the present model and in direct conflict with Article 122B of the Constitution. . . [read more ]
Thien said the government under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Bill had seen fit to make the Anti-Corruption Agency an independent body with its own commission and funding but made no similar provision in the JAC Bill. He hoped the government and members of parliament would give due respect to the issues raised when the bills were debated.
> > > >DAP supports the Bills on the Malaysian Commission on Anti-Corruption (MCAC) and Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) in principle, but will withhold full endorsement until these are amended, said party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.
Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) –
FOLLOW THE GREAT DEBATE!
What they say :
Retired Court of Appeal judge - Datuk Shaikh Daud Ismail.
What they say :
Retired Court of Appeal judge - Datuk Shaikh Daud Ismail.
Retired Chief Justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad.
Bar Council President Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.
What are their replies?
The government officials familiar with the JAC Bill shed some more light on the provisions of the Bill (Bernama). [ read all ]
DECIDE FOR YOURSELF HOW MUCH "INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY" MEANT BY THE BILL.
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