Fiona McCann
the fish who came in from the cold
 You probably didn't notice (except for beachhutman) that I was gone, but I was--for awhile. I thought I should probably be paying more attention to more serious stuff like life and death and my non-existent social life, but noooooo, I found those things were vastly over-rated, so here I am back--minus the template I made on the 20six blog builder because now that I am new again, I was rudely informed that my FREE (translation: ur a cheap one aren't u?) account is not worthy of the 20six template builder. Therefore, I have to limp along with this one. Well, nevermind. I can do it. I apologize for slipping off without any farewells. I was still following all of you, but you didn't see me. I have thought about re-naming this thing to something more appropriate and fitting--like Pissing into the wind, but I decided against it. Well, this re-birth has been very exhausting, and it isn't even done completely, but I need a break. I suppose I should get some work done. I think I can just fit a bit in between blogging sessions. :p |
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12.11.04 09:31 |
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teensy
 This is a representational pic of my latest project :p I got wrung into it at work of course. There I was at my desk, minding my own business, when one of the boys walked in with this tiny piece of fluff running higgledy-piggledy up and down his arm, so of course I looked on in shocked anxiety as the little thing seemed about to make a suicide leap off his person. Well, as it turns out, it was a baby dwarf hamster and belonged to another student who had purchased it for a science experiment, but her father would not allow it in the house and was threatening to throw it out the door. She had even left the poor wee babe in her locker overnight, if you can believe that. By now, it was a foregone conclusion that the piece of fur was now mine, even if I had to take it by force! I didn't though. Said student was only too happy to dump it on me, and I made a note to ratchet up my hatred of stupid thoughtless science teachers another notch. I kept it in a gift box with some tissue for the rest of the day and caught a ride to the pet store after work to stock up on supplies. I have had lots of pet rats and guinea pigs and hamsters in my time, so I thought I pretty much had my bases covered, but it still set me back a bit as I saw this cute little plastic hamster hut, and I thought my charge would need it, being too small to stay inside a cage. I had a tiny white mouse once which I rescued from a snake and put in a hamster cage, and she squeezed right out the side, so she also had to have a plastic pet container. When I got home, however, and looked at the pieces and instructions for this hut, I realized it required rocket science, so I am tackling it this evening. I think I about have it built, but I feel compelled to wash it with soap first in case the assembler had some contaminant on his hands, like anthrax for instance. You can never be too careful :p The teensy one seems to be about a month old, judging from some net pics I have seen. It doesn't know what to do with its wheel, which surprises me. The other hamsters I have had went apeshit on their wheels. She has mainly just been eating and sleeping, and I noticed that now that she has caught up on her rest from being in school lockers and riding around in teenagers' pockets, she has decided that my fingers are good for biting. She did not exhibit this characteristic before I rescued her. Perhaps she is a HE. My cats have decided that she is an hors d'oeuvre! (yee gods--google was the only one able to spell that). But when a few select conservative cats put their face next to the plastic (under close supervision, of course), it seems not to bother the wee one at all. I can't think what to name her. I thought about calling her after myself, but then she would be Fiona, junior. I'm undecided. |
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12.11.04 19:31 |
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that Down Under feeling
 I'm so excited! I found this pic of teensy's new home on the net and just had to share! The box says it is the Dingo Home and will give teensy that Down Under feeling. I just know that's what she wants! Seriously, it's more like a little jewelled castle with all it's translucent plastic. Teensy doesn't know what to think of it. I don't either. If you know hamsters, you know they don't make any noise except when they are running on a squeaky wheel or kicking all their food out of the bowl. This little hut here makes teensy seem far away from me because it's so enclosed. I suppose it will work out for while she is so young, though. And I wouldn't want to deprive her of that Down Under feeling... |
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12.11.04 21:47 |
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fresh air
The wee one and I have hit a snag with the Dingo Hut. It seems that it is so enclosed that the pine shavings smell is fairly strong inside the baby's house. While she hasn't complained (how could she?), I feel something needs to be done. I can raise the lid when I am near since it is too tall for her to crawl out, or I have been thinking of installing her own air conditioning system to give her a bit of fresh air. 
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13.11.04 06:33 |
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The Guardian Hordes of web bots do crooks' bidding Malicious programs threaten to engulf UK corporations as hi-tech crime taskforce tracks cases of online blackmail around the world Rosie Cowan, crime correspondent Saturday November 13, 2004 The Guardian The protection racket is one of the oldest criminal ploys in the world, but it has been given a 21st century twist. Out go the knuckledusters and the baseball bats; in come "bots" - internet weapons designed to hold corporations to ransom. READ ON>>> |
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13.11.04 07:26 |
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silence then and now
Quoted by Anthony McIntyre in The Blanket  photo of Auschwitz-Birkenau from here Silence is necessary to tyrants and occupiers, who take pains to have their actions accompanied by quiet … How many victims of silence there are, and at what cost! Silence has its laws and its demands. Silence demands that concentration camps be built in uninhabited areas. Silence demands an enormous police apparatus with an army of informers. Silence demands that its enemies disappear suddenly and without a trace. Silence prefers that no voice -- of complaint or protest or indignation -- disturb its calm. And where such a voice is heard, silence strikes with all its might to restore the status quo ante - the state of silence ... Today one hears about noise pollution, but silence pollution is worse. Noise pollution affects the nerves; silence pollution is a matter of human lives. No one defends the maker of a loud noise, whereas those who establish silence in their own states are protected by an apparatus of repression. That is why the battle against silence is so difficult. --Ryszard Kapuscinski |
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13.11.04 21:11 |
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Call me stupid, but...
 ...I had NO idea that Bob Dylan did the original of 'All Along the Watchtower'. The radio is playing cover songs this weekend, and the DJ just played Dylan's anoemic version alongside Hendrix, who of course REALLY knew how to do the song up right. I kept listening to Bob sing in the notes with no variation and then start with that damn harmonica already. I just wanted to slap it down his throat! It was really annoying. Don't get me wrong. I like Dylan. He's had some great songs. But 'Watchtower' isn't one of them--in my humble opinion. |
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14.11.04 01:57 |
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The Guardian You can now add adoption of an ex-lab macaque to your Christmas list  Gerard Seenan Monday November 15, 2004 The Guardian Being somewhat hard to wrap, it's not the sort of gift usually found under the Christmas tree. It is, however, one of the few animal presents to come with a celebrity endorsement. For an annual fee of £24 you can give someone close to you the Christmas present which Sir Paul McCartney is most keen to find under his Nordman fir this year: a rescued laboratory monkey. Thankfully, the monkey does not have to housed - or wrapped - but adopted. Under a scheme being run by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), it is possible to adopt a macaque monkey rescued from a Thai laboratory. Sir Paul, who is endorsing the scheme, and appears in advertisements for it, has already adopted one of the monkeys. He said: "I was delighted to be able to adopt a BUAV ex-laboratory monkey and wholeheartedly support the BUAV's important work, campaigning to end all experiments on primates." BUAV says its scheme is the first to allow the public to adopt an animal rescued from an experimental lab. The adoptive parent does not receive the monkey, but does get a photo, a certificate and a monkey toy. BUAV rescued 50 macaque monkeys from a research laboratory in Thailand while a delegation was in the country to make a presentation on testing without animals. They were found in barren cages, but are now in a sanctuary with access to trees and ponds. Karen Ruskin, director of fundraising at the BUAV, said: "We are thrilled that these monkeys will have the chance to live the rest of their lives in as natural surroundings as possible. "However, cruel and unnecessary experiments on animals don't just happen abroad - the UK remains the largest user of primates in experiments in the European Union, with more being used each year." Anyone wanting to adopt a monkey should email monkeys@buav.org |
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15.11.04 05:04 |
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baby or not?
 There's not a whole bunch of information about dwarf hamsters on the net. They've been around for about 20 years--you would think someone would have something cogent to tell me about baby behaviour. First off, I don't really even KNOW if the wee one is a baby. I am including a couple of net pics of babies for your viewing pleasure, and I can say that the wee one looks a lot the same size, only her fur is a darker brindle. She sleeps, eats and grooms. She did use her wheel-- to take a piss in, so she doesn't quite have the hang of the wheel thing. Maybe she's lazy like her foster mother is :p --I mean, as far as not running on a wheel.  She eats a lot and shoved a whole wooden chew chip bigger than herself into her blue plastic tube. She grooms herself to perfection and then falls back to sleep. I think she'll have to come to work with me as I don't want to leave her alone all day just yet. The only trouble with that is the kids will want to hold her (NO!! DON'T TOUCH HER OR YOU'RE DEAD!) and the other kids will want to palm their unwanted hamsters, rats, mice, guinea pigs, ferrets, chinchillas and gerbils off on me as well. The rest of the kids will want to share their horror stories about what happened to their last pet. I always make it a rule that I do NOT, under ANY circumstances want to discuss anything that might lead me to have to call the police or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty and Utter Stupidity on them. Well, anyway, it's just 'me an my baby'. Wish us luck! 
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15.11.04 07:50 |
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Aljazeera.Net AID CONVOY BARRED FROM 'STARVING' FALLUJA --US TROOPS 'PREVENTING AID' TO FALLUJA Monday 15 November 2004, 21:37 Makka Time, 18:37 GMT An aid convoy has been forced to turn back from the beleaguered city of Falluja as more evidence emerged of a mounting humanitarian crisis on the eighth day of a US offensive to crush resistance forces. The convoy from Iraq's Red Crescent withdrew from a hospital on the edge of Falluja on Monday after failing to get permission to deliver supplies to residents inside the city, a spokeswoman said. The trucks laden with food, water and medical supplies will travel instead to villages around Falluja where tens of thousands of people have set up camp after fleeing the massive week-old offensive spearheaded by US marines, said Firdaus al-Ubadi. Relief agencies are trying to get food, water and medicine to hundreds of families they say are trapped inside Falluja. The military said it was announcing over loudspeakers in the city that civilians needing medical or other help should seek out US forces. Food shortage A spokesman for the Shura Council of Falluja Mujahidin told Aljazeera some families had been without water, food and electricity for the past five days. He said US forces were restricting the relief groups to one area. "We plead to the conscience of the Islamic world for help," said Abu Saad al-Dulaimi.  Falluja medical staff say US soldiers beat hospital workers "There are massacres in Falluja, there are assassinations, only because the city's people are protecting their honour and dignity." Asma Khamis al-Muhannadi, an assistant doctor who witnessed the US and Iraqi National Guards raid into Falluja hospital, told Aljazeera that the medical staff received threats from the Iraqi health minister who said if anyone disclosed information about the raid, they would be arrested or dismissed from their jobs. "We were tied up and beaten despite being unarmed and having only our medical instruments," al-Muhannadi said. "The hospital was targeted by bombs and rockets. I was with a woman in labour. The umbilical cord had not yet been cut. At that time, a US solider shouted at one of the national guards to arrest me and tie my hands while I was helping the mother to deliver. I will never forget this incident," the assistant doctor said. "I am from Falluja and I work there. They claimed I was a fighter and stole our money and mobile phones," she said. Patients targeted "The troops dragged patients from their beds and pushed them towards the wall. There were 17 injured people among the patients," al-Muhannadi said.  Many child refugees were taken for treatment to Baghdad "We exited from the hospital on the second day of the attack, but we could not return as the main Falluja-Saqlawiya junction was controlled by the US troops. We saw around 150 women, children and the elderly attacked by aircraft fire," she said. "All of us were subject to intense inspection; the soldiers even examined children's nappies. Two female doctors were forced to totally undress," al-Muhannadi said. Residents say many civilians have died and hospitals continue to receive casualties, including children. Latest attacks The US miltary said it had targeted a fortified underground bunker on Monday with reinforced tunnels leading to stores of weapons, including an anti-aircraft artillery gun. At least five artillery rounds and air strikes hit the southern portion of the city, and soon afterwards exchanges of gunfire and blasts could be heard. The attacks followed sporadic mortar rounds against resistance targets overnight. "One mission early on 15 November attacked a bunker complex in the southernmost unpopulated section of Falluja after multi-national forces discovered an underground bunker and steel-reinforced tunnels," a US military statement said. "The tunnels connected a ring of facilities filled with weapons, an anti-aircraft artillery gun, bunk beds, a truck and a suspected weapons cache." The US military also alleged it had uncovered so-called torture chambers in Falluja. However, this could not be independently substantiated and no pictures have been released by the US military to verify the claim. Aljazeera + Agencies |
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15.11.04 20:31 |
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Guardian Child abusers 'escape punishment' David Batty Monday November 15, 2004 The vast majority of paedophiles continue to evade justice with conviction rates falling despite soaring levels of recorded child sex abuse, according to research published today. Thinktank the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) warned that the failure to improve the conviction rate for child sex offences meant that paedophiles were undeterred from applying to work with children. It called for stricter vetting procedures to identify potential abusers, recommending that boarding schools, care homes and youth prisons rigorously investigate applicants' life histories and references, rather than just relying on police checks. The foundation also backed calls by the Soham vetting inquiry to improve the recording, handling and sharing of "soft" information about suspected sex offenders, such as allegations of abuse and unsuccessful prosecutions. Sir Michael Bichard's inquiry into how Soham murderer Ian Huntley got a job as a school caretaker revealed that one of the police forces that vetted him had deleted records of allegations of underage sex and rape from its child protection database. As a result the risk he posed to young girls was not identified. Marian Stuart, co-author of the JRF report, noted that Home Office figures show that fewer than one in 50 sexual offences against children results in a criminal conviction. Recorded offences of gross indecency against children doubled between 1985 and 2001, but the conviction rate dropped from 42% to 19%. Ms Stuart said: "If this problem continues to go unchecked, there will be an inexorable rise in the numbers of children subjected to sexual abuse, with all the damaging effects that can follow. A radical rethink is essential. "We need to put more effort into gathering and analysing information about abusers and the scale of abuse, so that effective prevention, early intervention and treatment can be provided." The JRF report examined what measures had been taken to improve the protection of children in residential and foster care, boarding schools, hospices and prison since a landmark report, People Like Us by Sir William Utting, into child abuse in Welsh care homes was published seven years ago. The latest research, which was overseen by Sir William, found that safeguards for children remain poor despite a range of government reforms. Those with disabilities and mental health problems are particularly at risk, according to the report. Policies to improve child protection have been introduced since 1997, such as inspections and minimum standards for care homes, but the JRF found that implementation of these initiatives has been patchy across the country. It called on the government to ensure that these policies were properly enforced. |
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15.11.04 21:11 |
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wee one is on a roll  Wheel similar to the wee one's--however this hamster, while cute, is nowhere near as adorable as my wee one... Time for the daily update on the baby. Yesterday was a very stressful day for the wee one and her adoptive mother. She went to school with me in her little plastic aquarium, minus the wheel. I covered the vent top with a towel and was careful not to jostle, but still the water leaked out of the bottle, so when we got to work, I had to clean up the pine shavings. Then wee one noticed her school surroundings and had a bad post traumatic stress flashback to last week. I was supposed to attend a meeting, but we discovered it was in the science wing and as we do NOT like the science teachers, we opted to pretend we did not hear the announcement. Besides--there might possibly be a snake over there in one of the rooms and NO WAY were we going anywhere near THAT! Even though I clearly admonished all within hearing that we did NOT want to hear any hamster stories whatsoever, we still heard two sad enough to make us lose faith in humanity, not that we have any anyway...Then we had a frigging fire drill and had to go outside with everyone amidst earsplitting noise from the siren. The high point of the day was the impromptu lunch of two cottage cheese curds wee wolfed down. Those were a BIG hit! Finally it was time to go home. The wee one had given up pawing at the sides of her enclosure and had eaten, washed and fallen asleep. She did not enjoy her trip to the grocery store, but I had to get her some broccoli and an apple. Once home, she took a long nap, but--and this is the real news--when she woke up and got cleaned up, she jumped on her wheel and started running on it.!! Weyyy heyyyy! My little girl is growing up! She loved her broccoli and I gave her some clean unscented tissue to make a bed out of. At least I hope that's what she's doing. I hope she's not going to eat it. |
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16.11.04 05:49 |
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couldn't resist
This shot will have to do until I can come up with the oil tanker named after her: 
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16.11.04 18:55 |
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ahhhhhhhh...
FOUND IT! Old but interesting...  'Condoleezza Rice was a Chevron Director from 1991 until January 15, 2001 when she was transferred by President George Bush Jr. to National Security Adviser. Previously she was Special Assistant to President George Bush Sr. from 1989 to 1991.' INDYMEDIA |
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16.11.04 19:10 |
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Condoleezza Rice's Credibility Gap - Center for American Progress Condoleezza Rice's Credibility Gap A point-by-point analysis of how one of America's top national security officials has a severe problem with the truth March 26, 2004 Pre-9/11 Intelligence * CLAIM: "I don't think anybody could have predicted that they would try to use an airplane as a missile, a hijacked airplane as a missile." – National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, 5/16/02 * FACT: On August 6, 2001, the President personally "received a one-and-a-half page briefing advising him that Osama bin Laden was capable of a major strike against the US, and that the plot could include the hijacking of an American airplane." In July 2001, the Administration was also told that terrorists had explored using airplanes as missiles. [Source: NBC, 9/10/02; LA Times, 9/27/01] * CLAIM: In May 2002, Rice held a press conference to defend the Administration from new revelations that the President had been explicitly warned about an al Qaeda threat to airlines in August 2001. She "suggested that Bush had requested the briefing because of his keen concern about elevated terrorist threat levels that summer." [Source: Washington Post, 3/25/04] * FACT: According to the CIA, the briefing "was not requested by President Bush." As commissioner Richard Ben-Veniste disclosed, "the CIA informed the panel that the author of the briefing does not recall such a request from Bush and that the idea to compile the briefing came from within the CIA." [Source: Washington Post, 3/25/04] * CLAIM: "In June and July when the threat spikes were so high…we were at battle stations." – National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, 3/22/04 * FACT: "Documents indicate that before Sept. 11, Ashcroft did not give terrorism top billing in his strategic plans for the Justice Department, which includes the FBI. A draft of Ashcroft's 'Strategic Plan' from Aug. 9, 2001, does not put fighting terrorism as one of the department's seven goals, ranking it as a sub-goal beneath gun violence and drugs. By contrast, in April 2000, Ashcroft's predecessor, Janet Reno, called terrorism 'the most challenging threat in the criminal justice area.'" Meanwhile, the Bush Administration decided to terminate "a highly classified program to monitor Al Qaeda suspects in the United States." [Source: Washington Post, 3/22/04; Newsweek, 3/21/04] * CLAIM: "The fact of the matter is [that] the administration focused on this before 9/11." – National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, 3/22/04 * FACT: President Bush and Vice President Cheney's counterterrorism task force, which was created in May, never convened one single meeting. The President himself admitted that "I didn't feel the sense of urgency" about terrorism before 9/11. [Source: Washington Post, 1/20/02; Bob Woodward's "Bush at War"] * CLAIM: "Our [pre-9/11 NSPD] plan called for military options to attack al Qaeda and Taliban leadership, ground forces and other targets -- taking the fight to the enemy where he lived." – National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, 3/22/04 * FACT: 9/11 Commissioner Gorelick: "There is nothing in the NSPD that came out that we could find that had an invasion plan, a military plan." Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage: "Right." Gorelick: "Is it true, as Dr. Rice said, 'Our plan called for military options to attack Al Qaida and Taliban leadership'?" Armitage: "No, I think that was amended after the horror of 9/11." [Source: 9/11 Commission testimony, 3/24/04] Condi Rice on Pre-9/11 Counterterrorism Funding * CLAIM: "The president increased counterterrorism funding several-fold" before 9/11. – National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, 3/24/04 * FACT: According to internal government documents, the first full Bush budget for FY2003 "did not endorse F.B.I. requests for $58 million for 149 new counterterrorism field agents, 200 intelligence analysts and 54 additional translators" and "proposed a $65 million cut for the program that gives state and local counterterrorism grants." Newsweek noted the Administration "vetoed a request to divert $800 million from missile defense into counterterrorism." [Source: New York Times, 2/28/04; Newsweek, 5/27/02] Richard Clarke's Concerns * CLAIM: "Richard Clarke had plenty of opportunities to tell us in the administration that he thought the war on terrorism was moving in the wrong direction and he chose not to." – National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, 3/22/04 * FACT: Clarke sent a memo to Rice principals on 1/24/01 marked "urgent" asking for a Cabinet-level meeting to deal with an impending al Qaeda attack. The White House acknowledges this, but says "principals did not need to have a formal meeting to discuss the threat." No meeting occurred until one week before 9/11. [Source: CBS 60 Minutes, 3/24/04; White House Press Release, 3/21/04 * CLAIM: "No al Qaeda plan was turned over to the new administration." – National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, 3/22/04 * FACT: "On January 25th, 2001, Clarke forwarded his December 2000 strategy paper and a copy of his 1998 Delenda plan to the new national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice." – 9/11 Commission staff report, 3/24/04 Response to 9/11 * CLAIM: "The president launched an aggressive response after 9/11." – National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, 3/22/04 * FACT: "In the early days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Bush White House cut by nearly two-thirds an emergency request for counterterrorism funds by the FBI, an internal administration budget document shows. The papers show that Ashcroft ranked counterterrorism efforts as a lower priority than his predecessor did, and that he resisted FBI requests for more counterterrorism funding before and immediately after the attacks." [Source: Washington Post, 3/22/04] 9/11 and Iraq Invasion Plans * CLAIM: "Not a single National Security Council principal at that meeting recommended to the president going after Iraq. The president thought about it. The next day he told me Iraq is to the side." – National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, 3/22/04 * FACT: According to the Washington Post, "six days after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President Bush signed a 2-and-a-half-page document marked 'TOP SECRET'" that "directed the Pentagon to begin planning military options for an invasion of Iraq." This is corroborated by a CBS News, which reported on 9/4/02 that five hours after the 9/11 attacks, "Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was telling his aides to come up with plans for striking Iraq." [Source: Washington Post, 1/12/03. CBS News, 9/4/02] Iraq and WMD * CLAIM: "It's not as if anybody believes that Saddam Hussein was without weapons of mass destruction." – National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, 3/18/04 * FACT: The Bush Administration's top weapons inspector David Kay "resigned his post in January, saying he did not believe banned stockpiles existed before the invasion" and has urged the Bush Administration to "come clean" about misleading America about the WMD threat. [Source: Chicago Tribune, 3/24/04; UK Guardian, 3/3/04] 9/11-al Qaeda-Iraq Link * CLAIM: "The president returned to the White House and called me in and said, I've learned from George Tenet that there is no evidence of a link between Saddam Hussein and 9/11." – National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, 3/22/04 * FACT: If this is true, then why did the President and Vice President repeatedly claim Saddam Hussein was directly connected to 9/11? President Bush sent a letter to Congress on 3/19/03 saying that the Iraq war was permitted specifically under legislation that authorized force against "nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11." Similarly, Vice President Cheney said on 9/14/03 that "It is not surprising that people make that connection" between Iraq and the 9/11 attacks, and said "we don't know" if there is a connection. [Source: BBC, 9/14/03] |
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16.11.04 19:53 |
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Margaret Hassan
 I cannot believe it, but the people holding Margaret Hassan hostage have apparently murdered her by shooting her in the head and making a videotape of it which Aljazeera.net has had for days. |
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16.11.04 21:52 |
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U.S. body dumping
Iraq News Net New Report, Footage Surfaces On Mass Graves Of US Soldiers Nov 16, 2004 By Bruce Kennedy, JUS (Jihad Unspun) In August, reports began surfacing about incidents of dead American bodies being dumped into the Diali River by US helicopters in the early morning hours. Fishermen on the Diali river area , a small river originates in Iran and ends at Deglah, 60 kilometer east of Baghdad, were the first to notice the American practice of dumping bodies wrapped in black plastic bags from helicopters at dawn time into the river. Some of the bodies, still wrapped in plastic bags, were caught in their fishing nets. Over the next few weeks more bodies were found in other locations including Al-Tharthar in Sammara and Wadi Hairan in Al-Ratibah. The bodies have been collected and buried in the general areas of those locations. A new report has now surfaced on the Arabic website abolkhaseb.net, accompanied by some footage, which provides an in-depth analysis of the discovery of the bodies. The writer of the five page report (in Arabic) goes into great detail details about locations and how the bodies were dumped in rivers and remote desert locations. The author claims to have talked to two American female soldiers and an American communications officer who reluctantly confirmed the finding but said that most of these bodies were mercenaries who were promised high paying job and in some case US citizenship. The narrator on the film clip indicates that the bodies were taken from the mass graves to an undisclosed grave and they will be handed over to Red Crescent, Red Cross or any organization that promises to get the truth out. Both the narrator and the author of the report give evidence which they conclude are the reasons why the Americans would dispose of dead soldiers in this fashion, specifically to hide casualties especially in an election year and that because many of the bodies were badly burned, such as occurs in explosions, the Americans would fear a of public backlash if this kind of carnage resulted. The narrator on the film presents some convincing reasons why it is believed these bodies are Americans, besides the fact that some were seen being dropped from US helicopters by the fisherman, namely •The bodies are tall, unlike Iraqis or many other Middle Eastern nationalities. •The bodies were wrapped in the type of plastic bags used only by Americans. •Their complexions when the bodies are not completely burned and could be inspected are mostly white. •Their teeth are well maintained unlike those of individuals in poorer countries like Iraq. The author of the text document claims that interviews with some soldiers and officers who refused to give their names confirmed the identity of soldiers and the validity of the findings, in addition to the Iraqi fishermen who witnessed the dumping of bodies into the river by copters in the early hours of the morning over a long period of time. ORIGINAL JUS REPORT JUS translators are currently underway translating this lengthy document which we will make available in its entirety when the work is complete. In between time, you can view the footage by pasting the following link into your browser. WARNING!!!! Graphic Content Advisory. Do not proceed if you are sensitive to graphic content. FOOTAGE If this report can be independently verified, the Americans have another big problem on their hands. |
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17.11.04 04:04 |
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The New York Times MORE CROOKED BUSH REPUBLICAN SHITE House Republicans Adopt Change That Would Benefit DeLay By CARL HULSE and DAVID E. ROSENBAUM Published: November 17, 2004 WASHINGTON, Fresh from election gains earlier this month, House Republicans today approved a change in party rules to prevent their majority leader, Tom DeLay, from having to step down from his leadership position should he be indicted in an investigation in Texas. After a debate lasting two and a half hours, the Republicans voted for a new procedure under which the House party leaders would have 30 days to deliberate if one of their colleagues were indicted on a felony charge. At the end of the 30 days, the leaders would decide whether to ask the person under indictment to step aside at least temporarily.The new rule supplants one that required a leadership member facing a felony indictment to step aside immediately. The change, proposed by Representative Henry Bonilla of Texas, was approved this afternoon in a voice vote, with only a handful of dissenters. One of them, Representative Christopher Shays of Connecticut, called the change "a mistake."Republicans adopted the old rule in the 1990's, when they were in the minority and were trying to put the focus on investigations of prominent Democrats. They say a rule change is justified because the investigation involving Mr. DeLay, who was re-elected majority leader on Tuesday, is politically inspired.The Republicans say they want to eliminate the chance for a prosecutor to be able to force Mr. DeLay from his post by obtaining an indictment. "Congressman Bonilla's rule change is designed to prevent political manipulation of the legislative process," Taryn Fritz Walpole, a spokeswoman for the lawmaker, said.Mr. DeLay's office said he was not taking a stand on the initiative, which his fellow Republicans discussed in a party conference. "The majority leader believes members of the conference should come to their own conclusions on this issue and that the conference should work its will without his exerting undue influence one way or the other," his communications director, Stuart Roy, said. House Democrats said on Tuesday that the impending change reflected the opposition's view on ethical behavior. "If Republicans believe that an indicted member should be allowed to hold a top leadership position in the House of Representatives, their arrogance is astonishing," the House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi of California, said in a statement. Mr. DeLay received back-to-back admonishments by the House Ethics Committee in the weeks before the election, angering some House allies who said the findings were political even though the panel was bipartisan. As the architect of disputed redistricting in Texas that toppled five Democratic incumbents, Mr. DeLay was instrumental in House Republicans' gaining a handful of seats on Nov. 2. The investigation in Austin has resulted in the indictments of three allies of Mr. DeLay and several companies accused of illegally using corporate campaign contributions to help Republicans win state legislative seats, a move that cleared the way for redistricting. |
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17.11.04 22:08 |
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On the brighter side
Why is it so difficult to make a post with Firefox ffs?? I want to use plain html editing, but I don't want to have to put two space tags in every time I want a line break. You would think that 20six could get their act together to make an 'enter' mean a linebreak. If Blogger and Xanga can do it, I would think 20six could manage it. :p (bitch, bitch, bitch) I used to like to use what these ppl call the 'design view' all the time when I first started blogging, but then when I switched over to using K-Meleon cuz it is the fastest browser on the net, I had to give it up as K-Mel wouldn't do it. But now I prefer to make my own html as long as it's not too complicated, but this system is a hassle. Maybe there is a way to set Firefox to only do plain text editing. I know I just discovered that if I set my K-meleon browser to pretend to be MS IE 4, I can check my Yahoo mail with a minimum amount of fuss as Yahoo automatically gives me the old version of their mail site without those damnable flash ads that paralyse me.  Now that I have anyone reading going wtf is she on about? Has she no life that she has to yammer on about K-Meleon and linebreaks and html? What exactly is her problem? Well, if you have been reading through the hamster posts, you will know that of course I have no life beyond these virtual borders except for cats, hamsters, wee birds and rowdy kids in school. The hamster is what I started to write about as an antidote to all the unpleasant news stories I`ve been seeing all the time. This sweet little pic here is a net find, and her name is Kali. Sadly (according to the article), she has gone to Hamster Heaven, but my Oui (thank you, Cha0tic, for the name suggestion) is grand and learning all by herself how to be a normal hamster. When I came home from work yesterday, she was still all curled up behind her wheel on her tissue but woke up about an hour later when I introduced a tiny apple sliver to her. It's a toss up whether the apple or the broccoli is a favourite. Then she ate and groomed herself for a long time. She got to come out and say hello. She really likes that, and I believe she has fantasies about running away. After all that excitement, she needed a small nap, but when I woke up about 3 am, she was busily running on her wheel, so I think she is happily settling in. She spends her days in the loo with the wee crippled bird because that is the coziest place and most secure against the trepidations of the larger furr balls in the household. It occurs to me that those of you with insomnia might do well to read my posts before bed--I'm sure they will put you right to sleep! :P |
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17.11.04 23:34 |
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The Scotsman **Latest example of someones's brain running out his ears--which in Charles' case, is a BIG deal... PRINCE'S BLAST AT PEOPLE WHO GET ABOVE THEIR STATION  **Comments are in regards to a woman on staff who, if you can believe it, did not want to be sexually harassed or discriminated against. ..."What is wrong with everyone nowadays?...People think they can all be pop stars, high court judges, brilliant TV personalities or infinitely more competent heads of state without ever putting in the necessary work or having natural ability. "This is the result of social utopianism which believes humanity can be genetically and socially engineered to contradict the lessons of history." The memo concludes: "What on earth am I to tell Elaine? She is so PC it frightens me rigid." **WELL--there will be some women glad to hear this anyway! ;-) Caricature From HERE |
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18.11.04 13:45 |
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