BAGHDAD – Reports of brutality and torture of fellow Iraqis at the hands of government forces threw the country’s political scene into turmoil Saturday with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki attacking the leak as an attempt to malign him, and his rivals citing the documents as proof he is unfit to lead. The trove of nearly 400,000 WikiLeaks papers includes U.S. military reports of alleged abuse by Iraqi security forces – some of which happened after al-Maliki became prime minister in May 2006. They were released as al-Maliki scrambles to keep his job, nearly seven months after national elections failed to produce a clear winner. The accusations of abuse of what were likely mostly Sunni…
Continue reading …You have to watch out for those Hollywood star whackers : Hollywood actor Randy Quaid and his wife, wanted in the United States on vandalism charges, are seeking refugee status in Canada, saying on Friday they feared for their lives. The couple were arrested in Vancouver on Thursday after police responded to a call and found there were arrest warrants out for them in California. Officials incorrectly said earlier that were arrested on Wednesday. In a rambling presentation at an immigration hearing, Evi Quaid said eight of her husband’s acting friends had been murdered in recent years and they feared he would be next. “We feel our lives are in danger,” she told the Immigration and Refugee Board hearing. Their attorney, Brian Tsuji, later read a note from the couple to reporters. “Yes, we are seeking asylum from Hollywood star whackers.” Too many years with too many drugs.
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Imogen Heap at Poptech 2010. Photo: Kris Krug , Creative Commons, Flickr. Imogen Heap, the British singer perhaps most famous for her ‘the OC’-approved song Hide & Seek, made a surprise appearance at Poptech to give a sneak peak of her latest project: A crowd-sourced nature documentary that she’s scoring for an orchestra. Called ‘Love the Earth Film’ , the project collects filmakers’ and amateur videographers’ ‘moment… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Photo: No Trick Treats For the health conscious like me, Halloween candy that can lend to ill health is as spooky as un-fairly traded choco treats. I hate sounding like the grim reaper and all, but it’s science — not this blogger — linking childhood obesity, diabetes and cancer to refined sugars . Unless you want to be the “granny” on the block handing out… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …What will they think of next ? Police discovered a methamphetamine lab inside a freshman residence hall on the Georgetown University campus early Saturday. Four hundred residents of Harbin Hall were evacuated and two freshmen were detained for questioning. Students and administrators at the prestigious private university were startled by the find. “For this campus, this is very out of the norm,” said Kayla Bostwick, 18, a freshman rousted from her room at 6 Saturday morning. “This should not happen.” A caller to campus police reported strange odors from a 9th-floor room about 5 a.m., said Julie Green Bataille, university spokeswoman. Officers entered the double-occupancy room and found the lab. Students were evacuated because of the potential for meth labs to explode. They were sent to a nearby dining hall and to the student center. “We needed to make sure the building was safe,” Bataille said. Just wait, some Democrat will blame this on high tuition costs and will call for more federal funding for student grants. In 1976 I did a choir tour to Washington D.C. and we stayed in the dorms at Georgetown. I don’t recall any meth labs at that time.
Continue reading …Power Gig’s full-size, handmade guitar / controller now on sale for $250
October 23, 2010 No Comment
Ah, ha! There it is! Way back in March, we had a sit-down with folks from Seven45 Studios about their plans for Power Gig: Rise of the SixString (for PS3 and Xbox 360), focusing mainly on how they intended to rival the Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises from a peripheral standpoint. The six string guitar accessory that ships with the game bundle today is already leaps and bounds better than what RB3 is packin’ , but an instrument we were keenly interested in at GDC was also one we couldn’t photograph at the time. The company made clear that it was looking at releasing a real-deal, bona fide guitar in the future — a full-size First Act axe that could be used with the game or with a legitimate amplifier. Now, that limited edition piece is on sale for both of the aforesaid consoles, boasting a single cutaway basswood body, humbucking pickup, and a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. Each one is available for $249.99, but there’s no telling how many will be produced. We’d also prefer to see these in larger music shops in order to give consumers an idea of the fit, finish, feel and sound, but those into taking chances can get one headed their way as we speak. Gallery: Power Gig’s full-size, handmade guitar from First Act Continue reading Power Gig’s full-size, handmade guitar / controller now on sale for $250 Power Gig’s full-size, handmade guitar / controller now on sale for $250 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 15:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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A cholera outbreak that has killed about 200 people in rural Haiti is threatening to spread to the capital of Port-au-Prince, endangering the hundreds of thousands of earthquake survivors crowded into squalid camps around the city. —JCL Al-Jazeera English: The United Nations says that 194 Haitians have died in an an outbreak of cholera that is threatening to spread to the capital, Port-au-Prince, endangering hundreds of thousands of earthquake survivors sheltered in camps. The announcement on Saturday came as the disease began to spread outside the worst-affected rural Artibonite region, triggering fears that the toll could be significantly higher. Officials in Haiti have admitted that they have not been able to visit all the areas, suggesting that many cases may not have been reported. Read more Related Entries October 20, 2010 From ‘Sons of Confederate Veterans’ to Children’s Ears October 17, 2010 Merkel: Multiculturalism Has Failed
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In an horrific witch hunt, violent assaults have followed the publication of a local Ugandan newspaper that printed an article entitled “100 Pictures of Uganda’s Top Homos Leak”. The news outlet, oddly enough called “Rolling Stone”, has said it will continue to publish the names of gay individuals. For context, any gay sexual act is already illegal in Uganda, and a proposed draconian “Anti-homosexuality Bill” has sparked international outcry. Also the paper that found it newsworthy to print the names of thought-to-be-gay individuals? It has been in publication for a whopping two months. So watch out as we begin a new series of our own: “Top Newspapers in Uganda that Publish Rubbish and are Likely Overcompensating for its Editor’s Own Toilsome Battle With Sexuality”. —JCL The BBC: Several people have been attacked in Uganda after a local newspaper published their names and photos, saying they were homosexual, an activist has told the BBC. Frank Mugisha said one woman was almost killed after her neighbours started throwing stones at her house. He said most of those whose names appeared in Uganda’s Rolling Stone paper had been harassed. Read more Related Entries October 20, 2010 ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Back in Effect October 20, 2010 Wars Will Cease When We Refuse to Fight
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The release of over 400,000 classified documents on the Iraq war has been officially labeled the biggest leak in U.S. history, leading the UN to call on the U.S. to investigate American troops’ human rights abuses while the Guardian newspaper has discovered record of 15,000 previously unreported civilian deaths. Wikileaks , the site responsible for the leak, also presents evidence that British forces were also involved in war crimes that happened in Iraq. —JCL The Guardian: The UN has called on Barack Obama to order a full investigation of US forces’ involvement in human rights abuses in Iraq after a massive leak of military documents that detail torture, summary executions and war crimes. The call, by the UN’s chief investigator on torture, Manfred Nowak, came as Phil Shiner, human rights specialist at Public Interest Lawyers in the UK, warned that some of the deaths documented in the Iraq war logs could have involved British forces and would be pursued through the UK courts. He demanded a public inquiry into allegations that British troops were responsible for civilian deaths during the conflict. The Guardian has analysed the 400,000 documents, the biggest leak in US military history, and found 15,000 previously unreported civilian deaths. The logs show how US authorities failed to investigate hundreds of reports of abuse, torture, rape and murder by Iraqi police and soldiers whose conduct appears to be systematic and generally unpunished. Read more Related Entries October 20, 2010 ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Back in Effect October 20, 2010 Wars Will Cease When We Refuse to Fight
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