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POW guard claims McCain was not tortured
The Republican US presidential candidate John McCain was not tortured during his captivity in North Vietnam, the chief prison guard of the jail in which he was held has claimed.
In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Nguyen Tien Tran acknowledged that conditions in the prison were "tough, though not inhuman". But, he added: "We never tortured McCain. On the contrary, we saved his life, curing him with extremely valuable medicines that at times were not available to our own wounded."
McCain, who fell into enemy hands after his plane was shot down in 1967, has frequently referred to being tortured and has cited his experiences as a reason for vigorously opposing the endorsement by the Bush administration of the use of techniques such as "water-boarding" on terrorist suspects.
Shortly after his release in 1973 McCain told US News & World Report that his prison guards had beaten him "from pillar to post". After being worked over at intervals for four days, he said, he had become suicidal and agreed to sign a "confession" admitting to war crimes. The Republican US presidential candidate John McCain was not tortured during his captivity in North Vietnam, the chief prison guard of... more -
EU warns youth: turn your MP3 players down!
Millions of youngsters across Europe could suffer permanent hearing loss after five years if they listen to MP3 players at too high a volume for more than five hours a week, EU scientists warned Monday.
The scientists' study, requested by the European Commission, attacked the concept of "leisure noise," saying children and teenagers should be protected from increasingly high sound levels, with loud mobile phones also coming in for criticism.
"There has been increasing concern about exposure from the new generation of personal music players which can reproduce sounds at very high volumes without loss of quality," the Commission, the EU's executive arm, said in a statement.
"Risk for hearing damage depends on sound level and exposure time," it said. More and more young people were exposed to the significant threat that leisure noise posed to hearing, it said.
Commission experts estimate that between 50 and 100 million people listen to portable music players on a daily basis. Millions of youngsters across Europe could suffer permanent hearing loss after five years if they listen to MP3 players at too high a ... more -
19 year old New York Rangers top prospect Alexei Cherepanov dies of heart attack d...
A first round pick, 17th overall in the 2007 draft, the future for the kid was very, very bright...
And a unbelievably shocking to see something like this happen...
Cherepanov was the top ranked skater in all of Europe heading into the 2007 draft... and pretty much had all the signs of a can't miss prospect...
"He was close to a complete package," said Goran Stubb, NHL Director of European Scouting. "Very fast skater. He was a goal scorer and a passer.
"I think he could have been a big spectator favorite because he was that kind of player. Sometimes you could hardly notice him, but on one shift, he could do unbeliveable things with the puck -- passing, shooting, skating, extremely skillful. A finesse player with a capital 'F.'" A first round pick, 17th overall in the 2007 draft, the future for the kid was very, very bright... ... more -
7-election
Seven-Eleven is again conducting polls to see who the next president of the United States will be, allowing customers to "vote" for the candidate of their choosing via their selection of coffee cup.
The results page shows some unlikely results (for example, Texas is blue for Obama right now), but the page brags that it predicted the last two elections accurately - they had George Bush trumping Al Gore by 1% and John Kerry by 2%, which was just about right...
Not a big drip coffee fan, but I'm feeling like I want to get out there and buy some coffee to show my support! Seven-Eleven is again conducting polls to see who the next president of the United States will be, allowing customers to "vote�... more -
Tribe vows to fight mine with axes and arrows
“One of India’s most isolated tribes, the Dongria Kondh, is preparing to stop British FTSE 100 company Vedanta from mining aluminium ore on their sacred mountain, after police and hired thugs forced protesters to dismantle a barricade over the weekend,” reports Survival International.
“About 150 people had blocked the road in Orissa state on Wednesday [October 8] after hearing that Vedanta intended to start survey work for a planned aluminium mine which would destroy an ecologically vital hill, and the Dongria Kondh’s most sacred site. Vedanta employees visited the blockade repeatedly, threatening the protestors. On Friday the villagers gave in and took down the barricade, but about 100 are still at the side of the road, blocking traffic when Vedanta vehicles approach,” Survival continues.
“Today, Dongria Kondh from all over Niyamgiri, the hill range that would be decimated by Vedanta’s mine, are making arrows and preparing their axes to stop Vedanta reaching their sacred mountain. One Dongria man said today ‘Now our people are very angry. We have to show the Dongria Kondh power to Vedanta.’
“When India’s Supreme Court gave Vedanta the green light in August to mine on Dongria land, around 40 Dongrias used tree trunks to block a road leading into their hills, and held banners reading, ‘We are Dongria Kondh. Vedanta can not take our mountain.’ [photos available]
“The mountain that Vedanta wants to mine is not only the Dongria Kondh’s most sacred site, it is also integral to the entire ecosystem of the hills, enabling the numerous streams and lush forests which sustain the Dongrias to continue to thrive.
“Survival’s director, Stephen Corry, said today ‘The Dongria Kondh are protecting their land from invaders, who are only interested in plundering the mountain for their own gain. The Dongrias will get nothing from the mine, except destitution and ruin, and Survival will continue to support their resistance to Vedanta.’”
Please take moment to sign this letter, imploring the Prime Minister of India to safeguard the Dongria Kondh’s rights. For more information please contact Miriam Ross at Survival International (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or (+44) (0)7504 543 367 or email mr@survival-international.org “One of India’s most isolated tribes, the Dongria Kondh, is preparing to stop British FTSE 100 company Vedanta from mining aluminium o... more -
Paul Krugman wins Nobel Economics Prize
American Paul Krugman won the Nobel economics prize on Monday for his analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity.
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World markets rebound
European markets rallied strongly Monday following Asia's lead in response to the widespread government efforts over the weekend to shore up the world's battered financial system. European markets rallied strongly Monday following Asia's lead in response to the widespread government efforts over the weekend ... more
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Angel Island is burning
Gosh Darnin it!! I never made it over there! So sad! As if we weren't stressed out enough between the elections, the economy, and the blue angels in town.
Fire erupted on the slopes of Angel Island on Sunday night, prompting fire crews from several Marin County agencies and United States Coast Guard personnel to be dispatched to the state park.
At 9:55 p.m., the fire was estimated at 10 acres by firefighter Ian Adams of Marin County Fire Department.
"We don't have much, but it's about 10 acres and there's a power line down," Adams said. "We're still trying to get crews there. They are just starting to get to the island." Adams said the crews are from Southern Marin, Tiburon and Marin County Fire, 50 to 100 personnel. The firefighters were being ferried to the docks on the north side of the island.
Speaking to KTVU television, Chief Ken Mossocco said there was one engine on the island and three more were being ferried to the island. Fireboats from Tiburon, Sausalito and the U.S. Coast Guard were sent to the island. Gosh Darnin it!! I never made it over there! So sad! As if we weren't stressed out enough between the elections, the economy, and... more -
Ahmadinejad's last term?
A senior opposition figure in Iran has announced that he will challenge President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in next summer's presidential election.
Mehdi Karroubi - a former speaker of parliament - is the first person to announce his candidacy for president.
He has criticised Mr Ahmadinejad over both foreign policy and the economy.
The announcement confirms that Mr Ahmadinejad will face a serious challenge for the presidency in next summer's election.
He could well become the first president in the history of the Islamic republic not to be re-elected after his first four-year term.
Mehdi Karroubi is a reformist and something of a populist who offered anyone in Iran a $50 (£29) hand-out last time he stood for election.
There is certainly plenty of opposition to President Ahmadinejad.
The economy is in a mess and the president's foreign policy is becoming increasingly controversial.
The big question is whether the opposition can rally around a single credible candidate.
As Mr Karroubi announced his candidacy, the first thing everyone wanted to know was whether he would stand down if the former president, Mohammad Khatami, decided to run for election himself.
-Whatever happens, hopefully things'll be better in the future. A senior opposition figure in Iran has announced that he will challenge President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in next summer's presidenti... more -
12 major newspapers endorse Obama today
Barack Obama picked up at least 12 newspaper endorsements this weekend, including six in swing states Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina and Missouri. John McCain, as far as we know, gained none.
The Wisconsin State Journal and The Sun of San Bernardino had backed Bush in 2004. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch called Obama's opponent, John McCain, "the incredible shrinking man" who had made a horrific pick for his running mate.
Backing Obama: In Ohio, The Blade in Toledo and the Dayton Daily News; the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Tennessean of Nashville, the Wisconsin State Journal. the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times, and in California the Fresno Bee, Sacramento Bee, Contra Costa Times, The Herald of Monterrey, and The Sun of San Bernardino (which had picked Bush over Kerry).
E&P is charting every endorsement and the circulation size of each paper (see new chart on Monday). So far Obama leads by a 21-9 margin with at least 300 to go. Send us any pick you see, to: gmitchell@editorandpublisher.com
For more, and links, go to our new blog:
The E&P Pub
Here are excerpts from some of the papers.
SACRAMENTO BEE
For voters pondering the presidential election, there is one key question: Is John McCain or Barack Obama better suited to lead this country in a time of great uncertainty?
The terms of the question help reveal the answer. In this election, Americans are picking a future, not a past. That makes Barack Obama the better choice for president of the United States.
By electing Obama, voters will make a clear break from the policies of the past eight years.
POST-DISPATCH:
Over the past nine months, Mr. Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, has emerged as the only truly transformative candidate in the race. In the crucible that is a presidential campaign, his intellect, his temperament and equanimity under pressure consistently have been impressive. He has surrounded himself with smart, capable advisers who have helped him refine thorough, nuanced policy positions.
In a word, Mr. Obama has been presidential.
Meanwhile, Mr. McCain, the senior senator from Arizona, became the incredible shrinking man. He shrank from his principled stands in favor of a humane immigration policy. He shrank from his universalcondemnation of torture and his condemnation of the politics of smear.
He even shrank from his own campaign slogan, "County First," by selecting the least qualified running mate since the Swedenborgian shipbuilder Arthur Sewall ran as William Jennings Bryan's No. 2 in 1896.
In making political endorsements, this editorial page is guided first by the principles espoused by Joseph Pulitzer in The Post-Dispatch Platform printed daily at the top of this page. Then we consider questions of character, life experience and intellect, as well as specific policy and issue positions. Each member of the editorial board weighs in.
On all counts, the consensus was clear: Barack Obama of Illinois should be the next president of the United States....
John McCain has served his country well, but in the end, he may have wanted the presidency a little too much, so much that he has sacrificed some of the principles that made him a heroic figure in war and in peace. In every way possible, he has earned the right to retire.
Finally, only at this late point do we note that Barack Obama is an African-American. Because of who he is and how he has run his campaign, that fact has become almost incidental to most Americans. Instead, his countrymen are weighing his talents, his values and his
beliefs, judging him not by the color of his skin, but the content of his character.
That says something profound and good — about him as a candidate and about us as a nation Barack Obama picked up at least 12 newspaper endorsements this weekend, including six in swing states Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, N... more -
McCain, Palin accused of inciting hatred
John McCain and Republican Presidential candidate have been accused of inciting dangerous hatred in their campaign against opponent Barack Obama.
McCain has been forced to try and tone down his supporters at his rallies as they increasingly shout out "terrorist", "liar" and even "kill him" when Obama is mentioned.
"He's a decent family man (and) citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign's all about," McCain said at the town-hall meeting in Lakeville, Minnesota.
The plea, which seems to undercut the thrust of his aggressively negative ad campaign, drew boos from the crowd but appreciative recognition from Obama.
Critics say the seething anger seen at McCain rallies has been whipped up by campaign ads which have accused the Democrat of associating with terrorists.
Civil rights campaigner John Lewis today said McCain and Palin were "sowing the seeds of hatred and division" with their incendiary rhetoric against Obama.
"As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Senator McCain and (Alaska) Governor Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all," Lewis said in a statement on Politico.com
McCain has also been forced to sack a prominent Virginia Republican figure after he wrote a newspaper column mocking a potential Barack Obama administration.
MCCain spokesman Bobby May was dropped from his job as McCain's Buchanan County campaign chairman for writing that Obama would paint the whitehouse black and hire rapper Ludacris to rewrite the national anthem. John McCain and Republican Presidential candidate have been accused of inciting dangerous hatred in their campaign against opponent Ba... more -
LSD cured my headache
Cluster headaches cause such severe pain that some sufferers are driven to suicide. Now one man believes he's found a surprising cure. Cluster headaches cause such severe pain that some sufferers are driven to suicide. Now one man believes he's found a surprising ... more
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106-year-old voter chooses Obama
A 106-year-old American nun living in a convent in Rome could well be the oldest person to vote in the 2008 US Presidential election.
Sister Cecilia Gaudette, who last voted for President Eisenhower in 1952, has registered to vote and says she will vote for Democrat Barack Obama.
Although hard of hearing, she keeps herself informed by reading newspapers and watching TV at the convent.
"I'm encouraged by Senator Obama," she says.
"I've never met him, but he seems to be a good man with a good private life. That's the first thing. Then he must be able to govern," she adds.
Sitting in her modest office in the convent where she has lived for the past 50 years, the diminutive nun appears uninterested in the row inside the American Catholic church over Senator Obama's support for pro-choice policies on abortion.
Asked about her hopes for the US under an Obama presidency, she says: "Peace abroad. I don't worry about the Iraq war because I can't do anything about it. Lord knows how it will end."
"It is very complicated," she said. "Those Eastern people are not like we are."
But despite taking part in the 4 November election, Sister Cecilia does not intend to return to the US.
"I have no plans for the future. I am too old to go back to the US. Life has changed too much."
But she still watches "very important events" on TV. The election comes under this category. A 106-year-old American nun living in a convent in Rome could well be the oldest person to vote in the 2008 US Presidential election. ... more -
Christians flee Iraqi city after killings - convert to Islam or face death
At least 900 Christian families have fled Mosul in the past week, terrified by a series of killings and threats by Muslim extremists ordering them to convert to Islam or face possible death, officials said Saturday.
The attacks may have been prompted by Christian demonstrations ahead of provincial elections, which are to be held by the end of January, the deputy governor of Nineveh province said.
Deputy Gov. Khasro Goran said 13 Christians have been slain in the past two weeks inMosul, about 260 miles (420 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Fleeing Christians have sought refuge in monasteries and churches and with family members in other towns, an Interior Ministry official said.
The attacks began after hundreds of Christians took to the streets in Mosul and surrounding villages and towns, seeking greater representation on provincial councils, whose members will be chosen in the local elections.
Duraid Mohammed Kashmoula, Nineveh's governor, told The Associated Press that the exodus was "a major displacement."
"Of course, al Qaeda elements are behind this campaign against Christians," Kashmoula told AP.
The Interior Ministry official said the homes of three families were destroyed with explosives Saturday after the occupants left. No injuries were reported.
A week ago, leaflets were distributed in several predominantly Christian neighborhoods, threatening families to "either convert to Islam or pay the jizyah or leave the city or face death," said the Interior Ministry official.
Historically, jizyah is a tax paid by non-Muslims in exchange for protection.
Goran said that a few days after the leaflets were passed out, gunmen set up checkpoints in parts of Mosul, stopping vehicles to inspect identification papers, searching for Christian names or other signs of religious affiliation. Many of the Christians killed were targeted in this way, he said.
Bashir Azoz, 45, told AP he fled his Mosul home after gunmen warned a neighbor to leave or be killed.
"Where is the government and its security forces as these crimes take place every day?" asked Azoz, a carpenter who is staying with his wife and three children in a town about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Mosul, according to AP.
The Rev. Bolis Jacob, of Mosul's Mar Afram Church, told AP he couldn't understand the attacks.
"We respect the Islamic religion and the Muslim clerics," he said. "We don't know under what religion's pretexts these terrorists work."
Goran said police have set up security checkpoints in Christian neighborhoods.
In response to the violence, Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qader al-Obaidi visited Mosul on Saturday morning, conducting meetings with local authorities and military commanders.
His spokesman, Mohammed al-Askari, said that in addition to ordering more checkpoints in Christian neighborhoods, al-Obaidi ordered more troops deployed, additional security patrols and an increase in aerial surveillance of Christian areas.
Al-Obaidi also ordered more guards for Christian clerics, al-Askari said. At least 900 Christian families have fled Mosul in the past week, terrified by a series of killings and threats by Muslim extremists o... more -
New killer drones could be piloted by teens fresh out of boot camp
Today, only experienced Air Force pilots are allowed to remotely-operate the American fleet of killer drones. Tomorrow, the heavily-armed robotic planes could be flown by 19 year-olds, barely out of basic training.
The Army and Marine Corps use Shadow unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to spy on suspected militants. Not only are they smaller, cheaper, lighter, and lower-flying than the Air Force's array of missile-laden Predator and Reaper drones. But Shadows are considered a "tactical assets," meant to watch over relatively small patches of ground, for relatively small units. Predators, on the other hand, are "theater" or "operational-level" assets -- controlled by generals, and sent all over.
As a result, ground forces often use the most junior of noncommissioned officers to fly their Shadows -- teenagers who've sometimes never even been in combat. In contrast, the Air Force only allows rated pilots -- guys trained to operate a B-52 or an F-15 -- to fly their Predators. "You have to understand flight, know how to talk to a controller," then Air Force Colonel Tom Ehrhard told me a few years back. "It takes an aviator to do that."
But those aviators are worn out from non-stop drone-piloting duty. And it often takes a while to get a big UAV like a Predator over to where a captain or a colonel needs it.
Which is why there's a new military development program underway to "weaponize Shadow" for Special Forces, Inside Defense reports. "The goal is to pair firepower with sophisticated visual sensors, giving lower-echelon UAV operators capabilities heretofore reserved for operational-level unmanned systems."
Which means those young privates and corporals and specialists could be controlling killer drones, some day soon.
It's part of a broader Pentagon effort to make armed UAVs cheaper, and more plentiful. John Wilcox, with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, tells Inside Defense, "We're also going to look at weaponizing a couple more small UAVs." With one-to-five-pound weapons, these tny killers could take out high-value targets -- "or hold a target at risk until bigger and better operational platforms with more ordnance get onto the battlefield." Today, only experienced Air Force pilots are allowed to remotely-operate the American fleet of killer drones. Tomorrow, the heavily-ar... more -
Palin greeted with an avalanche of boos at Philadelphia Flyers game
So, how did Philadelphia Flyers fans greet Sarah Palin, who was on hand tonight for the ceremonial puck-drop?
Watching on Comcast, it seemed like there was an avalanche of boos when she walked out - boos that were almost immediately drowned out by blaring, bombastic music.
There is no doubt in my mind that that the music was ordered up to help tamp down what could have been an even more embarrassing moment.
On YouTube there is a video in which she can be seen saying "They're booin' me" and slaps the event guy next to her who puts on headphones with a mic. Then the music gets louder. LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7TgDanmWkg - it is in the very beginning. So, how did Philadelphia Flyers fans greet Sarah Palin, who was on hand tonight for the ceremonial puck-drop? ... more -
Nobel Laureate Yunus: 'Capitalism has degenerated into a casino'
Interview with Nobel Laureate in Economics Muhammad Yunus. A few excerpts:
"Today's capitalism has degenerated into a casino. The financial markets are propelled by greed. Speculation has reached catastrophic proportions."
"The fundamental difference is that our business is very connected to the real economy. When we provide a loan of $200, that money will go to buy a cow somewhere. If we lend $100, someone will maybe buy some chickens. In other words, the money goes to something with concrete value. Finance and the real economy have to be connected. In the US, the financial system has completely split off from the real economy. Castles were built in the sky, and suddenly people realized that these castles don't exist at all. That was the point at which the financial system collapsed." Interview with Nobel Laureate in Economics Muhammad Yunus. A few excerpts: ... more -
US nuns come home to discover 'terrorist' status
Two Roman Catholic nuns whose non-violent action against nuclear weapons landed them with prison sentences returned home to Baltimore to learn they had been listed as terrorists, they said Friday.
Sister Ardeth Platte, 72, and Sister Carol Gilbert, 60, came back from two weeks out of town to find letters from the Maryland State Police saying they had been wrongfully listed as suspected terrorists in a federal database in 2005-2006.
"To be labelled a terrorist is really very hard to hear and to accept, when your whole life has been one of loving nonviolence," Platte said.
Maryland State Police have sent letters to a total 53 activists wrongfully labelled as terrorists, inviting them to look at their entries in the database -- after which the files would be deleted.
The Dominican nuns broke into a US nuclear missile silo in Colorado in 2002 and painted crucifixes with their own blood -- earning Platte and Gilbert prison sentences of 41 and 33 months respectively.
"If they can label us as terrorists, they can label all kinds of people as terrorists," Gilbert said. "So then people become afraid to speak out against what the established government might be saying -- and that is the demise of democracy." Two Roman Catholic nuns whose non-violent action against nuclear weapons landed them with prison sentences returned home to Baltimore ... more -
Drought in southern Australia declared ‘worst on record’
If you want to know what the U.S. southwest faces in the coming decades if we don’t reverse greenhouse gas emissions trends quickly, just look to Australia:
David Jones, the head of climate analysis at the Bureau of Meteorology, said the drought affecting south-west Western Australia, south-east South Australia, Victoria and northern Tasmania “is now very severe and without historical precedent”.
Dr Jones said Victoria had had “the driest multi-year period on record, but also by far the hottest….”
He said temperatures were running at about one degree “above any previous comparable drought. That is substantially hotter, and that one degree is a global warming signal.”
He said the data suggests that for every one degree of warming, there is a 15 per cent decline in run-off, or river flow, in the Murray Darling Basin….
He said a similar drying pattern had been observed in Europe’s Mediterranean, and the south-west in the USA….
The highlighted point is key. Previously, droughts around the world were either cold-whether droughts or warm-weather droughts. In the future, virtually all droughts will be hot weather droughts, which are obviously the worst kind.
He said the current dry was at the extreme end of what the climate models had predicted.
Most of the major predicted climate impacts the planet is now experiencing are at the extreme end of what the models had predicted (see “Are Scientists Overestimating — or Underestimating — Climate Change, Part I“).
Here is more on Australia’s astonishing drought:
He said the rainfall deficiencies were the largest on record.
“If you look at Victoria, where the effect has been particularly severe, in the last 12 years we have now missed out on two years of rainfall, which is an extraordinary result,” he said.
“Across Victoria as a whole, if you add up how much rainfall has been missed in 12 years, it is now up around 1300mm or four feet of rainfall, a very, very large rainfall deficit….”
The most dramatic effects have been felt by Melbourne.
Melbourne recorded its driest September on record.
“If one looks at the history of data we have for Melbourne, we have rainfall records going 150 years. We simply have not seen anything like what we currently have, not even close,” he said.
The previous longest dry for Melbourne was the six years from 1979 to 1984.
“Starting in 1997 we have had 11 years, nearly 12 years” of dry conditions.
The shape of things to come for us. The time to act is yesterday. If you want to know what the U.S. southwest faces in the coming decades if we don’t reverse greenhouse gas emissions trends quickly, j... more -
Dalai Lama surgery 'successful'
The Dalai Lama has undergone surgery in the Indian capital, Delhi, to remove a gallstone, a spokesman says
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