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28 February, 2007

Melting Ice Gives Birth To A Strange New World
By Steve Connor

Marine biologists made a unique inventory of lifeforms on a part of the seabed that had been sealed off for thousands of years by massive ice shelves before they suddenly broke up. Waves of colonising plants and animals quickly moved in to exploit the new habitat which had opened up after a region of ice a third of the size of Belgium had disappeared and let in daylight and oxygen

Congressional Democrats Rule Out
Iraq War Fund Cutoff

By Patrick Martin

Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, flatly rejected Sunday any attempt to cut off funding for the US war in Iraq, calling such an action “immoral” and declaring his party’s commitment to the “success” of the American occupation of Iraq

The Imperfect Sex. Why Is Sor Juana Not A Saint?
By Jorge Majfud

We can understand in the same way the political and religious factor in two women as different as Saint Teresa and Sor Juana. Perhaps this is one of the reasons for which one of them has been repeatedly honored by the religious tradition and the other reduced to the literary circle or to the Mexican two-hundred peso notes, symbol of the material world, abstraction of sin

The Coming Fascist Surge
By Thomas Riggins

How often have we been told that when fascism comes to the USA it will be wrapped in the American flag and spouting patriotic slogans and speeches? I don't want to suggest that that day is near. If anything the center-left victory in the midterm elections shows that the American people are turning their backs on the the ultra-right and neoconservative extremists. These ultra-right forces are not, however, about to give up without a struggle and the left must not be lulled into thinking that fascist ideology has no chance to gain formidable support from elements in the ruling class

The Growth Engine Of The American Prison Gulag
By Glen Ford

The U.S. prison system is projected to suck up 200,000 additional bodies between now and 2011, half of them African American. The burden of the Gulag, which has grown eightfold since 1970, is unbearable for Black America, whose institutions and dreams have for two generations been ravaged by a public policy of mass Black incarceration. The very existence of the American Gulag - the largest and most pervasive prison system in the history of mankind - presents a clear and present threat to U.S. society at-large

They Are Baack. The USA Returns
By David Truskoff

Today the resources of the Middle East are just as essential to the empire builders in Washington D.C., but coupled with the threat of the loss of the value of the dollar via Tehran’s new policy of switching the currency in oil sales, makes military action almost a necessity

Hindutva's Uncivil Society In Eastern UP
By Subhashini Ali

The Hindu Mahasabha-BJP MP from Gorakhpur, Yogi Adityanath, makes no attempt to mask his intentions with civilities and double-talk. He calls upon the majority community to recognize Muslims as the enemy and to utilize every opportunity to attack them. He has created his own organization, the Hindu Yuva Vahini, which has branches in almost every village, small town and district headquarter of Eastern UP

Parzania : Cinema That Questions The Spectator…..
By Anita Ratnam

We all know that Secularism, sanity, safety cannot become real, if we remain "spectators". But how many movies remind us of this, and so poignantly?

27 February, 2007

US War Drums Beat Louder
By Peter Symonds

The Bush administration is intensifying the pressure on Iran following its refusal to abide by last week’s UN deadline to suspend its uranium enrichment and other nuclear programs. While publicly pushing for a new UN Security Council resolution with tougher economic and diplomatic sanctions against Tehran, the US is also pressing ahead with preparations for a military attack on Iran

The Redirection
By Seymour M. Hersh

In the past few months, as the situation in Iraq has deteriorated, the Bush Administration, in both its public diplomacy and its covert operations, has significantly shifted its Middle East strategy. The “redirection,” as some inside the White House have called the new strategy, has brought the United States closer to an open confrontation with Iran and, in parts of the region, propelled it into a widening sectarian conflict between Shiite and Sunni Muslims

A Preface To Peace In Sri Lanka:
Tamil Self-Rule? Part II

By BJ Alexander

Freedom and liberty should be guaranteed to ALL because realistic peace is interdependent: The emancipation of the Tamils would be an unshackling of the Sinhalas too – a true recovery of the meaning of common humanity

In The world Of Racism,Is Brown The New Black?
By Mary Shaw

10 years ago, when we thought about racial profiling, we would think about the unfair, prejudicial suspicion of people who were caught "driving while black". These days, however, "breathing while brown" appears to be a much more suspicious activity

One Year Of Evo: Economic Boom, The Threat Of
Balkanisation And The Role Of The Military

By Alberto Cruz

The first year of Evo Morales has bright and dark spots, but it is necessary to support an experience that has rescued the sovereignty and dignity of Bolivia, at the same time as pushing forward a multicultural and participative democracy never before seen in this Andean country, even despite the rejection of the oligarchy and US. Maybe more and better things could have been done, but what has been done until now is nothing small

Activists Take on Eli Lilly Over
Off-Label Sale Of Zyprexa

By Evelyn Pringle

On February 23, 2007, a new grass roots advocacy group issued a press release to rally support for attorney, Jim Gottstein, in his legal battle with Eli Lilly over his role in providing secret company documents obtained in litigation to the media to alert the public about the health risks associated with Zyprexa that were kept hidden since the mid-90s

Economic Inequality Is Real (Bad)
By Joel S. Hirschhorn

Rising American economic inequality has received attention by Senator Jim Webb, presidential candidate John Edwards, CNN’s maverick Lou Dobbs, and others. The middle class has not shared in rising national prosperity, because the nation’s wealth has been siphoned off to the richest Americans. Some elites are nervous. They have attacked what are pejoratively called “neopopulists” – people who say the middle class is under siege

Maternal Deaths In Madhya Pradesh
Denial Is The Best Policy

By Sachin Kumar Jain

The Madhya Pradesh Government (GoMP) had in 2003 pointed out through the State Family Health Evaluation made it clear that in the rural areas of the state, the Maternal Mortality Rate is as high as 763, which clearly tells that the situation is far graver than the analysis by the union government. This study by the GoMP was done on 25 percent populace of each district and not only a selected group yet the union government is releasing contradictory figures for the same period

Democracy- A Muse
By Atreyee Majumder

Even when the judiciary, inasmuch as it is manifest through decisions of judges, is ready and willing to redress their grievances, independent of executive pressures, the real roadblock for the Common Man, is really the question of how to get to the judge, in haste, and without being choked in bureaucratic and systemic bottlenecks

Terrorism And The Quest For A Colour Blind Cat
By Jawed Naqvi

The quest for a colour blind cat would be essentially incomplete if Pakistan doesn't heed its own call to pursue mice of all hues. In that case, there is this pending issue of terror camps which even the most neutral observers say do exist in the territory under Pakistan's control. It must now quickly unleash the cat there to make the March 6 meeting purposeful

26 February, 2007

The Rape Of Sabrine
By Baghdad Burning

Sabrine Al-Janabi might just be the bravest Iraqi woman ever. Everyone knows American forces and Iraqi security forces are raping women (and men), but this is possibly the first woman who publicly comes out and tells about it using her actual name. Hearing her tell her story physically makes my heart ache. Some people will call her a liar. Others (including pro-war Iraqis) will call her a prostitute- shame on you in advance

Market Fundamentalism Versus
Sustainable Development:
A Titanic Struggle To Save The World

By Dr Zeki Ergas

I will confess: I am pessimistic about the future of the planet. I think that NLG and MF are like a train that has left the station and cannot be stopped. In the following years, and even decades: China, India, Russia and Brazil – not to mention the other medium-sized ‘powers’ -- will continue to industrialise at neck-breaking speed. The thousands of billions of tons of carbon dioxide that will have accumulated in the atmosphere probably cannot be removed. Neither is the bridging the great divide between the rich and the poor in the cards. Extreme poverty will persist. It is probable that the no-holds-barred competition between the great powers for natural resources and standards of living will end in a world war. I agree with the British scientist who predicts that we have a 50 per cent chance to reach the end of the century

Markets Hate Farmers
By Devinder Sharma

Farmers in United States, Europe and for that matter in other rich and industrialised countries are quitting agriculture. That makes me wonder. Why? After all, they get huge subsidies. They have the advantage of being literate and techno-savvy. They can take benefit of future trading and commodity exchanges. Linked to supermarket retail stores, they supposedly get a bigger share of the consumer price

A Preface To Peace In Sri Lanka:
Tamil Self-Rule? Part

By BJ Alexander

Therefore, now what is the most positive and practical move? Do we simply close our eyes to the Sri Lankan ‘genocide in slow motion’? No would be the answer.Nevertheless, what is the point of having a right, right to self-determination, if one has no right to actually use it?

Mutuvalla And Sinhapura: Sri Lankan
Villages On The Edge

By Roshan Kissoon

The problems of villages like this are not only a Sri Lankan problem; many villages all around the world in Asia, in Africa, and in Latin America face similar and related problems. It is also clear that NGOs are an effect of Neo Liberalism, an attempt to stop any political solution from arising

The Other Side Of Globalization
By Paul Buchheit

Corporate leaders are driven by the profit motive, and from a business standpoint they're unmoved by the plight of the 50% of the world's population that can't take advantage of capital gains

Foreign Devils In The Iranian Mountains
By M K Bhadrakumar

In a rare public criticism of Pakistan, the Tehran Times commented last week that an exclusive Islamabad-Washington nexus is at work manipulating the Afghan situation. The daily, which reflects official Iranian thinking, spelled out something that others perhaps knew already but were afraid to talk about publicly

Can Hillary Be Trusted?
By Kevin Zeese

It only takes 41 votes to stop the $93 billion supplemental requested by President Bush for Iraq. If Senator Clinton were to lead a filibuster to end the war then she would be doing more than making election year promises and telling the voters what she thinks they want to hear. She would actually be leading the U.S. out of a quagmire and correcting the error of her pro-war votes. Can Senator Clinton convince 41 out of the 51 Democrats to join her in ending the war? If she can then she will really be showing leadership and will become a legitimate anti-war candidate for 2008. Otherwise the inevitable nomination may be lost to the power of the anti-war voter in 2008

Baglihar And Other Chestnuts
By Zafar Choudhary

Baglihar is not a case in isolation, there are at least 27 power projects being built or already operational on Indian side which have been objected to by Pakistan. Quite often, Pakistan uses its logic of objections on these projects, under the ambit of Indus Water Treaty, to halt progress on Kashmir issue resolution

Madhya Pradesh May Not Achieve MDG Goals
By Loveleen

Madhya Pradesh is the state in heart of India and is laden with major social developmental challenges. If India needs to achieve the millennium development goals states which fall in category of states with human development challenges like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkand need to reach them first. All of them lag behind

25 February, 2007

Cheney Menaces Iran With Military Aggression
By Peter Symonds

Military action against Iran may not have featured in US Vice President Dick Cheney’s keynote speech in Sydney yesterday, but it is certainly on his mind. In two interviews published today—in Murdoch’s Australian and on the US-based ABC News website—he confirmed that the Bush administration was willing to go to war against Tehran on the pretext of halting its nuclear programs

One Woman, Fighting To Save Her
People From Extinction

By Andrew Gumbel

If Nobel Peace Prizes could refreeze the polar ice caps, then Sheila Watt-Cloutier would be a very happy woman indeed because her people are, "defending the right to be cold"

Another Small Indignity At An Israeli Checkpoint
By Jonathan Cook

The checkpoints have made potential warriors of Palestine's grandfathers at the price of emasculating their sons and grandsons

The Neurontin Suicides: Risks
Kept Hidden For Years

By Evelyn Pringle

When caught red-handed promoting drugs for unapproved uses, drug makers always feign ignorance of the high rate of off-label prescribing. However in this instance, company documents show that Warner-Lambert regularly obtained detailed information on the number of prescriptions written for Neurontin and what indication they were written for

Arroyo Regime Under International Scrutiny
By Brian McAfee

The Arroyo administration and the Armed Forces of the Philippines increasingly resemble the defunct right wing military dictatorships of Latin America, with the same Washington backers. Hopefully, for the sake of the Philippine people, this nightmare will end and a new "People Power" will emerge

Status Of Manual Scavengers
In Gorakhpur, Uttar-Pradesh

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat, Ram Bhuvan & Kirti Singh

Scavenger community has all along been living in the urban areas serving the middle classes, upper elites, feudal lords, Hindus and Muslims every one alike, yet none of them ever bothered whether they have cared and bothered about those who clean their shit, enter deep into the sewage pit to continue the sewage line. In the coming days, we are going to cover a large part of Uttar-Pradesh and bring reports on this aspect

Kashmiri Separatist Seeks End To Armed Struggle
By Michael Deibert

When Kashmiri political leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told a crowd in Islamabad, Pakistan, last month that he was calling for an end to armed struggle as a means to bring the region out from under the yoke of Indian rule, he did so at no small personal risk

24 February, 2007

All Roads Lead To Checkpoints
By Remi Kanazi

There may have been a period when all roads led to Rome, but for the Palestinian people, all roads lead to checkpoints. The latest checkpoint Palestinians find themselves at is not manned by Israel but rather the ostensible mediator of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the Quartet (which is comprised of the US, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations)

The Final Punch: Removing Iran From
The New Middle East Equation

By Ramzy Baroud

The configuration of the New Middle East — as envisaged by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during the Israeli war against Lebanon in July-August 2006, most certainly has no place for more than one regional power broker, namely Israel

Rice Jerusalem Summit More About
Regime Change Than Peace

By Ira Glunts

Despite the grand and hopeful proclamations of Condoleeza Rice in which she pledged a major US commitment to promoting a two-state solution in the region, the real reason for her visit to Jerusalem this week was to continue the relentless pressure on the Palestinians to replace the democratically- elected Hamas government with one led by Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party

Another U.S. Military Assault On Media
By Dahr Jamail & Ali al-Fadhily

U.S. soldiers raided and ransacked the offices of the Iraq Syndicate of Journalists (ISJ) in central Baghdad Tuesday this week. Ten armed guards were arrested, and 10 computers and 15 small electricity generators kept for donation to families of killed journalists were seized

Fallujans Defiant Amidst Chaos
By Dahr Jamail & Ali al-Fadhily

Resistance attacks against U.S. forces have been continuing in Fallujah despite military onslaughts and strong security measures

Hugo Chavez's Social Democratic Agenda
By Stephen Lendman

In Venezuela, people live freely in peace and their lives are enhanced. In the US they're threatened by state-sponsored terrorism and harsh repression against anyone challenging state power

Italian Prime Minister Resigns After
Losing Foreign Policy Vote

By Stefan Steinberg & Barry Grey

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi tendered his resignation Wednesday night after losing a Senate vote on his center-left coalition government’s foreign policy. The collapse of the nine-month-old Unione government came amidst growing popular opposition to its right-wing policies, both domestic and foreign

The Risks Of Climate Change Are Unacceptable
By John James

In many scenarios based on recent research there is an approximate ten percent risk that we will pass an irreversible tipping point in the next five years. While debate circles around the costs of climate change, the risks of sudden and catastrophic change grow

Climate Change, Peak Oil And Nuclear War
By Bill Henderson

The Bush Admin appears to want to play double or nothing with war in Iran to try again at enforcing their neocon vision for the Middle East. Valuable time is wasting as we drift along down to energy shortage and, at the same time, increasing greenhouse gas emissions

100,000 Demonstrate Against
Expansion Of US Base In Vicenza

By Marianne Arens

On February 17, some 100,000 protesters marched in the north Italian city of Vicenza against the planned expansion of the US Ederle military base

Right To Self-determination,
A Key To Kashmir Solution

By Syed Ali Safvi

India and Pakistan must show a positive approach, if Kashmir dispute is to be solved amicably. Without that everything done will be an exercise in futility. Confidence Building Measures are just slogans if they don't bring a positive change in the ground situation, comments Syed Ali Safvi

22 February, 2007

BBC Reports On US Military
Plans To Strike Iran

By Peter Symonds

A BBC report on Monday made clear that the Pentagon has completed contingency planning for extensive air strikes on Iran that go “beyond nuclear sites and include most of the country’s military infrastructure”. The article continued: “It is understood that any such attack—if ordered—would target Iranian air bases, naval bases, missile facilities and command-and-control centres.”

Lebanon Will Be First Victim Of Iran Crisis
By Robert Fisk

Every threat, every intransigence uttered in Washington and Tehran now burns a little bit more of Lebanon. It is not by chance that the UN forces in the south of the country now face growing suspicion among the Shia Muslims who live there

U.S. Diplomacy Misses Opportunity,
Shuns Peace Prospects

By Nicola Nasser

Instead of building a diplomatic momentum on the political breakthrough mediated by their Saudi Arabian ally who succeeded in developing an Arab and Palestinian consensus on going along with the U.S.-steered Quartet efforts to revive the deadlocked peace process, the American diplomacy has turned their sponsored Palestinian – Israeli summit meeting in Jerusalem on Monday from a promising event into a missed opportunity

Ecuador's President Embraces Bolivarianism
By Stephen Lendman

Ecuador is now poised to change its method of governance the same way Venezuela did it eight years ago. Raphael Correa promised it, and he's now moving ahead to give his people the same kind of 21st century socialism Venezuelans now have and embrace

Cleaning Up Exxon's Greenpoint Oil Spill
By Joshua Frank

It happened over 57 years ago when Exxon Mobil leaked at least 17 million gallons of oil in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Greenpoint. The 55-acre spill, which is estimated to have been larger than the Exxon Valdez catastrophe, went undiscovered until the late 1970s. Since then little has been done to hold the guilty parties accountable. But on February 8, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo finally filed notices of intent to sue Exxon Mobil and several other companies to force a massive clean up of the polluted neighborhood

The Developer’s Model Of Development
Or The Economist’s?

By Aseem shrivastava

Two competing notions of development are increasingly at war in the Indian economic landscape. Development according to developers must be restrained, while the old idea of development must be awakened from its slumber in the minds of the policy-making elite. A failure to achieve this is likely to prove economically costly, quite apart from generating a political derailment of the growth process, with worse outcomes to follow in the shape of rising social tensions, political violence and crime

Whither Globalisation?
By Bal Patil

Even after more than half century of freedom in India the gulf between rich and poor is ever widening and with all the glitter of globalisation hunger, starvation and suicide deaths are increasing amidst agricultural surplus, and sometimes fifty million tonnes of grain in godowns rots but cannot be sold at subsidised prices for fear of pushing the market prices down. That is the harsh economic reality!

21 February, 2007

US Troops Terrorize Baghdad
By Kate Randall

Thousands of US troops went house to house through mostly Shiite areas in northeastern Baghdad February 13 in the opening phase of Operation Law and Order, the “surge” plan announced by the Bush administration January 10

Now It Is Lack Of Food Security
By Dahr Jamail & Ali al-Fadhily

The lack of security in Iraq is leading now to a collapse in food supplies.The security situation and lack of petrol mean that local farmers are often unable to get their food to the markets

US “Coerced” India Over Iran
By Kranti Kumara

In a public speech Stephen G. Rademaker, a former US Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation and International Security, boasted in New Delhi last week that the United States “coerced” India into voting against Iran at recent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meetings and warned that Washington may soon present India with an even starker choice

Manufacturing Islamophobia
By Ram Puniyani

We need to work on intercommunity relations, on spreading the words of harmony and peace, to look at religions as a set of moral values and not just a set of rituals or identities. We need to have the humane spirit prevail over the machinations of the interests of those out to grab the global and local resources for their own selves

Genesis Of The Kashmir Dispute
By Syed Ali Safvi

India and Pakistan must keep the interest of Kashmiri people paramount and take serious and resolute initiative in order to make things better for the common mass of Kashmir and settle the Kashmir issue once and for all

"Neoliberal" Leninism In India
And Its Class Character

By Pratyush Chandra

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM)-led Left Front government in its endeavour to industrialise West Bengal, admittedly within the larger neoliberal framework of the Indian state's economic policies, is ready to scuttle every act of popular vigilance in the manner which Lenin would have called "bureaucratic harassment" of workers-peasants' self-organisation

Self-Extinction Is Very Repugnant To Some
By Bill Henderson

Runaway climate change is an increasingly probable risk of self-extinction. A 90% reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 is the prudent risk averse self-governance required but so far necessary change of this scale is very repugnant to some

Compassionate Oppression: Subjugating
Your Inferiors With A Human Touch

By T.D. “Daddy” Rice

An Open Letter to Ehud Olmert

Some Footage From Another "Reality Show"
By Sorit Gupto

Racism is supposed to be a thing of the past for other countries but as far as India is concerned it is much more than a reality

18 February, 2007

Scientists Sound Alarm Over
Melting Antarctic Ice Sheets

By Steve Connor

The long-term stability of the massive ice sheets of Antarctica, which have the potential to raise sea levels by hundreds of meters, has been called into question with the discovery of fast-moving rivers of water sliding beneath their base

Greenhouse Gases Hit New High,Rise Accelerates
By Alister Doyle

Concentrations of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas emitted largely by burning fossil fuels in power plants, factories and cars, had risen to 390 parts per million (ppm) from 388 a year ago

Is The Bush Administration
Behind The Bombings In Iran?

By Peter Symonds

Two bombings this week in Zahedan in southeastern Iran are the latest in a series of incidents involving armed opposition groups based among the country’s ethnic minorities. The most recent attacks again raise questions about the activities of the US military and CIA inside Iran as the Bush administration intensifies its preparations for war

Mulakat Afzal
By Vinod K. Jose

An interview with Mohd Afzal Guru, the man on deathrow in connection with India's Parliament attack

Facing Mecca
By Uri Avnery

After 60 years of the existence of Israel, and after we have become a regional power, we are still so unsure of ourselves that we crave for constant assurance of our right to exist--and of all people, from those that we have been oppressing for the last 40 years. Perhaps it is the mentality of the Ghetto that is still so deeply ingrained in us

Lawmakers And Lawyers Challenge Bush
Administration Military Commission

By William Fisher

In the face of multiple legal and legislative challenges, President George W. Bush this week issued an executive order to allow cases against prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to move forward to trials by military tribunals

The Numbers Just Don't Add Up
(And "They" Still Have The Guns)

By Mickey Z.

In my youth, I took solace in the whole "we got the numbers" thing. The very idea filled with me hope...but little did I know, the ones with the guns have had it all figured out for a very, very long time

Any Apologies For Paddars!
By Subhash Gatade

It remains to be seen who will seek apologies from Paddar's near and dear ones ? Who would gather the courage to stand before Paddar's widow and children with folded hands and say 'On behalf of the Government of India, I wish to apologize to you ..?

Blackened Friday
By Farzana Versey

A critique of the film "Black Friday"

17 February, 2007

US-North Korean Nuclear Agreement:
Clearing The Decks For Iran

By John Chan & Peter Symonds

The deal reached between the US and North Korea at six-party talks in Beijing on Tuesday has been variously described in the international media as a “landmark” and an “historic agreement.”Nothing could be further from the truth. Far from marking a fundamental change in the militarist course of the Bush administration, the deal represents a temporary and tactical shift that conveniently sidelines a potentially explosive issue as the US prepares for war against Iran

Mourning A Secret Australia
By John Pilger

John Pilger describes another 'day of mourning' for the first inhabitants of his homeland, Australia, which for many whites remains a secret country behind the neo-conservative bluster of John Howard's government

The Mecca Agreement: What Should We Expect?
By Ramzy Baroud

The next a few weeks will reveal the potency of the Mecca agreement, as opposing interpretations of what it in fact means and how such meaning should be implemented will determine the next step for all parties involved. Its failure, however, which remains a dreadful possibility, shall have detrimental affects on the Palestinian people, any prospect for their coveted future unity and will further undermine their national agenda for years to come

It's Time To Visit Gaza
By Miko Peled

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one area where liberals and neo-conservatives in America find common ground. From Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton all the way to George Bush and Condoleezza Rice one and all are united in supporting Israel's assault on the Palestinian people and their land

'One Step At A Time'
By Peter Hallward

An Interview With Jean-Bertrand Aristide

Global Warming: It’s All About Energy
By Michael T. Klare

Global warming is an energy problem, and we cannot have both an increase in conventional fossil fuel use and a habitable planet. It’s one or the other. We must devise a future energy path that will meet our basic (not profligate) energy needs and also rescue the climate while there’s still time. The technology to do so is potentially available to us, but only if we make the decision to develop it swiftly and on a very large scale

Revolution Just Ain't What It Used To De
By Mickey Z.

If you were to publicly declare your discontent with the U.S. government and your subsequent desire to abolish that government, the land of the free would likely reward you with an orange jumpsuit and a one-way ticket for an all-inclusive vacation at Guantanamo Bay

Golwalkar Guruji: Superhuman Or Less Than Human?
By Subhash Gatade

Whatever may be the ideas of every justice loving person about the anti-human core of Golwalkar, his continued valorization in the Sangh circles reminds one of a Sanskrit proverb : Nirastapadapedeshe Erandopi Drumayate! (In a treeless country even castor counts for a big tree!)

Thought For Food
By Atreyee Majumder

The urban economy of a country such as India runs only partially from inside banks, government offices, or corporations. A large part of this economy creates opportunities out of nowhere in a desperate attempt at survival. This very visible street economy routinely faces harassment from rent-seekers, police, muscle-powered businessmen. And it seems our governing authorities and our judges are also unhappy with the thriving economy on our streets, which survives simply on desperation

15 February, 2006

Bush Escalates War Threats Against Iran
By Joe Kay

At a White House press conference Wednesday morning, President George Bush laid out the administration’s pretext for military action against Iran

US “Diplomacy” On Iran: Thuggery And
Threats Of Military Aggression

By Peter Symonds

The long string of accusations against the Iranian regime are simply a convenient cover for US ambitions to establish its dominance over Iran as part of broader plans for American hegemony throughout the resource-rich regions of the Middle East and Central Asia. That is the real purpose behind the Bush administration’s diplomacy and the reason for its gangster character

More Troops, And More Violence
By Dahr Jamail & Ali al-Fadhily

Violence and bombings have only increased after the proposed "surge" of 21,500 U.S. troops in Iraq

UN Peacekeeping Paramilitarism
By Stephen Lendman

Far too often Blue Helmets end up either creating more conflict than its resolution or being counterproductive or ineffective. In the first instance, peacekeepers become paramilitary enforcers for an outside authority. In the second, they do more harm than good because they've done nothing to ameliorate conditions or improve the situation on the ground and end up more a hindrance than a help

It's Only Iraq And Roll(But We Seem To Like It)
By Mickey Z.

In 1972, anti-war activists like Jane Fonda and Ramsey Clark traveled to North Vietnam and in the process, helped shine a light on the American tactic of bombing Vietnamese dikes. In 2006, rocker-rapper Kid Rock traveled to Iraq because, he says, he wanted "to see exactly what the soldiers are going through ... and let them know they're in our hearts." The times, they have a-changed

America Is The Craziest Place On The Planet
By David Truskoff

One presidency after another for the last forty years has been rocked with one kind of a scandal or another. They have taken our moral structure down with them. Bush, of course, has escalated that slide downward

Trail Of Paxil Suicides Leads
To GlaxoSmithKline

By Evelyn Pringle

On January 29, 2007, BBC-One broadcasted, “Secrets of the Drug Trials,” a Panorama program based on an investigation by reporter, Shelley Jofre, which revealed how GlaxoSmithKline misled doctors into prescribing Paxil off-label to children, even after its own clinical trials found that kids could become suicidal when taking the drug

House Debates Iraq Surge As Their Popularity Drops
By Kevin Zeese

The House is in the midst of debate over the Iraq War – three days of debate on the floor of the House of Representatives over whether the Congress supports the surge. The outcome is pre-ordained – the House will oppose the surge. The questions are two-fold, first, how many Republicans will join the Democrats? And, second, what comes next, will the House threaten continued funding of the war? The Democratic leadership seems split on this second issue

Dr. B.R.Ambedkar’s Contribution
To Buddhist Education In India

By Nishikant Waghmare

Buddhism makes enlightenment the sole aim of life. This was the philosophy that Ambedkar accepted and tried to revive. Besides this there was another reason. Buddha, whose life and movement Ambedkar had studied, was a believer of the educatability and the creativity of the people. Under the influence of those teachings, the most rejected peoples of India has once risen and uplifted their life as well as that of the whole society. If that was once possible in India, it must be possible again. He had a solid historical basis to trust India’s ordinary folk as India’s future democrats

Contemporary Times-Role Of Religions
By Ram Puniyani

Religions have to raise the issues of human rights of all people of the World. It is this alliance which will ensure that the focus of world policies has to be brought back to the issue of Human rights of weaker sections of society. Nothing short of a genuine dialogue amongst people of different faiths can overcome the obstacles created by the political forces misusing the religious identity for their political goals

14 February, 2006

Halt Bush’s Crimes By Dumping The Dollar
By Paul Craig Roberts

If the rest of the world would simply stop purchasing US Treasuries, and instead dump their surplus dollars into the foreign exchange market, the Bush Regime would be overwhelmed with economic crisis and unable to wage war. The arrogant hubris associated with the “sole superpower” myth would burst like the bubble it is

Bush Administration Concocts
A “Dossier” For War Against Iran

By Peter Symonds

The Bush administration stepped up its propaganda war against Iran with a press briefing in Baghdad on Sunday, setting out claims that the Iranian regime is supplying arms to anti-US militias in Iraq. While the “dossier” fails to prove a case against Tehran, its release demonstrates that the White House is intent on manufacturing a justification for a military confrontation with Iran

Israeli Politics Of ‘Archeology’ In Jerusalem
By Nicola Nasser

Israeli bulldozers embarked on Thursday on an eight-month excavations project some 50 meters from the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa mosque, but on the grounds of the Islamic Haram al-Sharif, Islam’s third holiest site, amid clashes that wounded scores of Palestinians and hopeless prayers they would not develop into bloodletting

The UN And The Principle Of Sharing
By Mohammed Mesbahi & Dr Angela Paine

In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human rights. All the world’s nations agreed that every human being in the world had the right to adequate food, water, housing, healthcare, education, political participation and employment. Almost sixty years later, a global economic system based on competition and profit has failed to provide these essentials for the majority of the world. 800 million people are still starving to death in a world of plenty and the gap between the rich minority and the poor majority has increased and continues to increase

Chimps In A Zoo Cage
By Sheila Samples

Molly Ivins was right -- it's time we hit the streets, beating on pots and pans and take our country back. Our first stop should be at the source of our country's problems -- the shallow and destructive corporate media

Barack Obama And The war In Iraq
By Tom Eley

Because of the overwhelming antiwar sentiment of Democratic voters, Obama has attempted to strike a critical pose toward the war in Iraq—as have the other putative frontrunners, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. Like his counterparts, however, he is a tried and true defender of the geo-political interests of corporate America. If elected, he would not hesitate in using military force to secure US domination of the Middle East, Central Asia and the world

Sorrow Tale Of Jajjal: The Village
Cursed By Cancer

By Umendra Dutt

Jajjal needs a new start for life. Let us hope the new government in Punjab takes care of this and evolve a strategy and action plan for cancer free, toxicity free, debt free and suicide free Jajjal. That should be light of hope for thousand of other villages facing the same doom. So, that there should no more Manish and Kartar Kaurs not only in Jajjal but whole of Malwa region. But there is a question - Who has time for this?

Dr Yunus’s Open Letter: My Response
By Taj Hashmi

I have got two suggestions for you: a) create a pressure group with intellectuals, students and working class people so that the present Caretaker Government take drastic action against all the corrupt elements, arrest hundreds of Raghab Boals and Rui-Katla, beyond this paltry number of twenty-odd politicians; and b) ask the government to appoint you as the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission

13 February, 2006

Washington Sets Stage For A New Confrontation
By Patrick Cockburn

The United States is moving closer to war with Iran by accusing the "highest levels" of the Iranian government of supplying sophisticated roadside bombs that have killed 170 US troops and wounded 620

The Bush Administration’s Economic War On Iran
By Peter Symonds

Amid the continuing US military build up in the Persian Gulf, the Bush administration is already conducting an economic war against Iran aimed at bringing the country to its knees. The most overt element of this campaign is the attempt by the Treasury Department and other US agencies to force governments, major banks, oil corporations and other businesses in Europe and Asia to cut off investment, loans and financial arrangements with Tehran

Iraq:Iran 'Fooling' U.S. Military
By Dahr Jamail & Ali al-Fadhily

"I really admire the way Iranians are dealing with the situation in a professional way while the Americans are walking with their eyes closed. They are losing the last Iraqi fort they were hiding behind, and that was the peaceful way Arab Shias were dealing with occupation."

Bush’s Plan For Iraq And The Middle East
By Abid Mustafa

Over the past few months, the Bush administration in the backdrop of the Iraq Study Group’s (ISG) report has announced its plan for Iraq—apart from the Presidents refusal to formally engage Iran and Syria— the plan broadly concurs with the recommendation laid out by the ISG. Furthermore, the US has mobilised its surrogates in Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the gulf countries to implement this plan and prepare the ground for the emergence of a new middle east. What follows is a brief summary of what America is planning to achieve in Palestine, Iraq and Iran

Special Economic Zones: Lessons From China
By Bhaskar Goswami

While single-minded pursuit of exports has helped China touch record growth figures, millions have been left behind, besides incurring huge environmental costs. And without even the limited dose of welfare that China offers its poor farmers, India must wary of copying China's SEZ-approach, writes Bhaskar Goswami

The Method In The Madness
By Uri Avnery

When a Prime Minister has just lost a war, is dogged by corruption allegations and sees his popularity ratings in free fall - what can he do? Why, he can initiate provocations.PROVOCATION NO. 1: The northern frontier.PROVOCATION NO. 2: The Temple Mount

An Open Letter To Indian Cricket
Team Captain Rahul Dravid

By Shamsul Islam

I am sorry to write that by participating in the birth centenary programme of M. S. Golwalkar (Guruji), the ideologue of the RSS, in Nagpur on January 20, 2007, you have not only violated the trust which this country has put in you but also saddened large sections of your fans who love and adore you because you and your team represent a Secular-Democratic India

Hate As A Weapon To Gain Power
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

BJP's manifesto for Uttarakhand reflects the bankruptcy of its ideology. That Sanskrit will be the state language and the government would pass anti conversion laws shows that BJP has not learnt the methods of governance at all. It also shows how the saffron party does not talk of governance but only hate formula to win an election

12 February, 2007

Conspiracy Of Silence In The Arab world
By Robert Fisk

Where are the sheikhs when the Iraqi dead are fished out of the Tigris?

Scientists Conclude Global Warming Is “Unequivocal”
By Mark Rainer

The IPCC report predicts a greater frequency of heat waves, more intense tropical cyclones (typhoons and hurricanes), the possible disappearance of summer Arctic sea ice, increasing acidification of the ocean, and changing patterns of precipitation that will cause an increasing number of draughts for some portions of the world

'Doomsday Vault' To Resist Global Warming Effects
By Penny MacRae

An Arctic "doomsday vault" aimed at providing mankind with food in case of a global catastrophe will be designed to sustain the effects of climate change, the project's builders said as they unveiled the architectural plans

Why Saddam Was Killed?
By Ghali Hassan

If Western media and Western leaders are telling you that; “Iraqis executed President Saddam” and that “the U.S. had nothing to do with his murder”, they lied. This act of murder and violation of International Law are parts of U.S. barbarism in Iraq. The aim is to escalate the violence against the Iraqi people and justify ongoing U.S. Occupation and colonial dictatorship

A Pox Upon Mr. Armstrong’s Wonderful World:
Of Illusory Democracies, Rogue States,
And Accelerating Humanity’s Demise

By Jason Miller

India, the world’s largest democracy and a haven for the free market economics of Capitalism, is forging a deep alliance with the United States

“You Cannot Oppose The War And Fund This War”
By Kevin Zeese & Anthony Arnove

An interview with Anthony Arnove

War: It's Just A Pretext Away
(Lessons From Yugoslavia)

By Mickey Z.

Anyone viewing international events with even a shred of objectivity knows that the U.S. government is just a pretext away from bombing Iran. American history, after all, is teeming with convenient provocations that created an opening for military intervention

The Forgotten Issue Of Environmental
Crisis In Punjab Elections

By Umendra Dutt

It is the high time to take up the issue of environmental health crisis, depleting water resources, prevalence of high pesticide residues and subsequently the ecological and agricultural sustainability of Punjab. Elections are providing an opportunity for this. Those who want to save Punjab from an offing environmental and agricultural chaos should ask political parties to spell out their agenda for the same

HEC's Unconvincing Mega Projects
By Pervez Hoodbhoy

The on-going efforts at reforming higher education are turning into a disaster. Billions are being spent on mindless mega projects. The 15-fold increase in the funding of Pakistani universities over the last six years may have delivered a marginal improvement, but it is superficial and likely to be temporary

10 February, 2007

Iraqi Insurgents Offer Peace
In Return For US Concessions

By Robert Fisk

For the first time, one of Iraq's principal insurgent groups has set out the terms of a ceasefire that would allow American and British forces to leave the country they invaded almost four years ago

Iraq And Darfur: The Politics Of War Crimes
By James Cogan

The international response to two cases of mass killing—the civil war in the Darfur region of Sudan and the US-led occupation of Iraq—demonstrate the sheer hypocrisy of the claims by the major capitalist powers and the United Nations to defend human rights and uphold international law

Iran: The War Begins
By John Pilger

The United States is planning what will be a catastrophic attack on Iran. For the Bush cabal, the attack will be a way of "buying time" for its dis aster in Iraq

Countdown For Iran
By Ramzy Baroud

The US naval military build up in the east Mediterranean and the Gulf, conjoined with an intense and sinister propaganda campaign that is being drummed up at home, among other signals, are all pointing to one ill-fated conclusion: the Bush administration, entranced in its foolishness, has decided to discard, and in its entirety, the Baker-Hamilton recommendations; instead of engaging Iran politically, the US is opting to engage it militarily

Is The Big Ship America Sinking?
Contradictions and Openings

By Sam Gindin

These are historic 'openings' that challenge us to create a new politics that can lead to radical new political alignments. The real issue is not whether 'the system' will fall apart, but whether a new kind of left can come together

Ramzy Baroud Interviewed
By Munish Nagar & Ramzy Baroud

An interview with Ramzy Baroud

Civil Liberties In India
By Teesta Setalvad

Nani A Palkhivala Award 2006 Acceptance Speech

From Corporate Land Grab To
Land Sovereignty (Bhu Swaraj)

By Vandana Shiva

The future of the Indian people and Indian democracy rests on the land question. While the Government is forced to pause in its inhuman project of land grab, let the farmers and the democratic forces of the country join in evolving charter and an agenda for land sovereignty - Bhu Swaraj

Rock Democracies, Paper Freedoms, Scissors Securities
By Jorge Majfud

Because they imposed a culture by force the Spanish conquistadors are remembered as barbaric. Those who do the same today are motivated, this time for sure, by good reasons: democracy, freedom – our values, which are always the best. But just as the heroes of yesterday are today’s barbarians, the heroes of today will be the barbarians of tomorrow

Pakistani Education Reform - Signs Of Hope
By Pervez Hoodbhoy

There is good news: the "White Paper" to "debate and finalize national education policy", distributed in December 2006 by the Ministry of Education, though incomplete and flawed, is an enormous step forward. So is the new school curriculum - which somewhat mysteriously and improperly preceded the White Paper. These may persuade even hardened cynics that the country's school education system still has a future

It Only Takes 41 Senate Votes To End The War
By John V. Walsh

The present authorization for defense funding in the coming fiscal year can be stopped cold if it contains funds for the war on Iraq. And this can be done by just one courageous Senator, backed by 40 colleagues

09 February, 2007

Iranian Diplomat Kidnapped:
Another US Provocation?

By Peter Symonds

The abduction of an Iranian diplomat in Baghdad on Sunday evening has further heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, amid a continuing US military buildup against Iran in the Persian Gulf

From Mega Surge To Dual Rollback
By Siddharth Varadarajan

The U.S. will not leave Iraq without first militarily weakening Iran. Washington has scuttled every initiative that could have provided a diplomatic solution to the troubles with Tehran

Civil War Or Coup D’état In Palestine?
By Agustin Velloso

Interview with Professor Agustin Velloso in the “11th Week of the Popular School Jose Luis Garcia Rua: The outcomes of fundamentalism”, Gijon, Spain

A Review Of The Ethnic Cleansing Of
Palestine By Ilan Pappe

By Stephen Lendman

Ilan Pappe is an Israeli historian and senior lecturer at Haifa University. Pappe has also authored, contributed to or edited nine books. His latest is the one this review covers in detail so readers will know about its powerful and shocking content, unknown to most in the West and in Israel, that hopefully will arouse them enough to get the book and learn in full detail what Pappe documented

Carter Enters Lions' Den
By Paul Findley

At the age of 82, Jimmy Carter entered the lion's den. With the publication of his latest book, "Palestine: Peace not Apartheid," he did what a patriot would do: rally Americans to vigorous debate of a critical issue that affects our future. He deserves a hero's praise. Instead, he has been attacked and defamed

The conspiracy Of Silence On Climate Change
By Ashwin Gambhir

A review of George Monbiot's book - Heat: How to stop the planet burning

Delusion Destroys Democracy
By Joel S. Hirschhorn

Let’s not delude ourselves that all will be well after Bush is gone. As awful as Bush is, he is a symptom of what ails our nation. Our nation will remain in need of deep reforms. Millions of dissidents must wake up to what is really needed and rally around a revolutionary strategy

Immigrants In Detention
By William Fisher

Suspected illegal immigrants held in detention by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are failing to receive timely medical treatment and adequate food, being subjected to frequent sexual harassment, and having their access to lawyers, relatives and immigration authorities improperly limited

Making The HPV Vaccine Mandatory
Is Bad Medicine

By Lucinda Marshall

Governor Rick Perry’s decision to sidestep the Texas legislature and issue an executive order mandating that girls entering the 6th grade receive the new HPV vaccine raises troubling questions about the influence pharmaceutical companies wield on the crafting of public health policy

Neoliberalism And Primitive Accumulation In India
By Pratyush Chandra & Dipankar Basu

Recent events in Singur indicate the extent to which capitalist-parliamentarianism can regiment a counter-hegemonic force once it agrees to play by the rules. At the least, it clearly shows that the Communist government, which boasts of being the longest-running democratically elected Marxist government in the world, is hopelessly caught in the neoliberal project

Across LoC: Gujjars In Identity Crisis
By Zafar Choudhary

Apart from the economic disparities, the main problem faced by the Gujjars across LoC is the marriages of their children. On this account, the sufferings of Gujjars are so enormous that they are considered a sort of social outcaste and members of other communities do not enter into wedlock with the Gujjars

08 February, 2007

It Is No Use Blaming Iran For
The Insurgency In Iraq

By Patrick Cockburn

It is striking how swiftly Washington is seeking to escalate its confrontation with Iran. Its rhetoric has returned to the strident tone so often heard when the US was accusing Saddam Hussein in 2002 and 2003 of hiding weapons of mass destruction that threatened the world

Tensions Mount Between US And Europe
Over War Threat Against Iran

By Stefan Steinberg

As Washington steps up its campaign of propaganda and aggression against Iran, some leading European politicians and sections of the media have expressed their concern during the past week over the increasing danger of a US military provocation plunging the entire Middle East into chaos

Gaming For The Fiery Tomorrow
By Mathew Maavak

As the US-Iran standoff escalates toward its inevitable denouement, analysts are busily gaming scenarios that may lead to the commencement of hostilities

It's Infinite, Not Zero Tolerance
By Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal

How easy it has become for the state to purge the very existence of healthy young men in a conflict zone like Kashmir. This has been a common thread binding one conflict to another across the globe. But when a democratic country like India, which believes in justice, equality and democracy resorts to the same tradition without questioning the logic of such tyranny, it appalls everyone. Does India today exercise what it actually stands for?

Huge Blind Spot, Only For J & K
By Bharat Bhushan

Has Kashmir become a blind spot for Indian human rights activists and the media?Kashmiri civil society activists certainly believe so. The serial killings in Noida, near Delhi, they point out, occupied the nation's attention for days on end. But Indian civil society and media did not get agitated in the same way with the exhumation of bodies of innocents killed by the security forces in Kashmir

Arabia In Disarray
By Mustapha Marrouchi

Saudi Arabia–a vulgarly rich country–is the ally par excellence of the West in the Middle East, the vital link between the US and its oil supply–appears to be sliding steadily toward disaster. This cannot of course be said in Saudi Arabia but a number of Saudi writers, intellectuals, and artists have traveled out of their country in order to be able to speak of the mess in safety

Neo-Liberal Economic Policies In The United States:
The Impact On American Workers

By Kim Scipes

While more and more people are looking at the impact of neo-liberal economic policies on the peoples of "developing countries," very few consider the impact on working people in the developed countries--and this is the most detailed look published so far. Basically, economic conditions are deteriorating rapidly, while social inequality is escalating drastically

Words Of War
By Lila Rajiva

Private contractors - like Rendon - who now perform half of the CIA’s work - run half the nation’s most secret military operations and they don’t have to say a word about what they do to the people who foot the bill and face the fire. There you have your free and fair press. As one wag remarked - freedom of the press is limited to those who own one

Gujarat : Lengthening Shadows Of Swastika
By Ram Puniyani

The processes going in Gujarat are a definite pointer towards "Hindu Rashtra in One state", an Indian variant of Fascism. While looking forward to the change in the turn of the tide in anticipation of the fifth anniversary of the genocide, one hopes the worst is over and the society at large will not only welcome Perzania with open eyes and mind but will also revive the humane spirit of the Indian nationalism

Ferreting Out The Bible Of Hindu Fascism (Hindutwa)
By I.K.Shukla

Golwalkar's We or Our Nationhood Defined: A Critique by Shamsul Islam

07 February, 2007

US Iraqi Holocaust And One Million Excess Deaths
By Dr Gideon Polya

As of February 2007 the accrual cost has been $2.3 Trillion; there are 3.7 million Iraqi refugees; the post-invasion excess deaths (avoidable deaths, deaths that did not have to happen) total 1.0 million

Carbon Dioxide Rate Is At Highest Level
For 650,000 Years

By Steve Connor

Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are at their highest levels for at least 650,000 years and this rise began with the birth of the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

‘Quartet’ Corners PLO, Hamas Into Critical Options
By Nicola Nasser

In Washington on February 2, the Middle East Quartet of peace mediators promised the Palestinian people more of the same devastating status quo, perpetuating their 40-year old Israeli occupation, prolonging the international siege imposed on them, exacerbating their internal divide

The American Proxy war In Gaza
By Ali Abunimah

The policy of supporting a quisling group to fight as a proxy on behalf of empire, colonizer and occupier will only increase the bloodshed. But it will ultimately fail in Palestine as it did before in Northern Ireland, Southern Africa and Central and Southern America, and as it is failing in Iraq

Silencing Critics Not Way To Middle East Peace
By Joel Beinin

Last Sunday in San Francisco, the Anti-Defamation League sponsored "Finding Our Voice," a conference designed to help Jews recognize and confront the "new anti-Semitism." For me, it was ironic. Ten days before, my own voice was silenced by fellow Jews

For Black History Month: Lessons Not Learned
By Mary Shaw

February is Black History Month in the U.S. It gives us an extra reason to ponder the journey of African-Americans from the early days of slavery, through Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, an on through the present day

Forgotten February
By Mickey Z.

A brief peek at America's unrestrained brutality

Clinton, Edwards And Obama: Strike Iran
Why The Democrats Won’t Save Us

By Joshua Frank

None of the front running Democrats are opposed to Bush’s dubious “war on terror” or his bullying of Iran. They support his aggression in principle but simply believe a Democratic presidency could handle the job more astutely. All put Israel first and none are going to fundamentally alter U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East

About Cuba And The U.S.
By Paul Buchheit

Cuba sends doctors to countries in South America, to hurricane and earthquake sites, and even as far as Pakistan.The U.S., on the otherhand, exports guns

A short Film On RSS
By Ian Mcdonald

Watch the Film here

Debating Discrimination, Differences
And Dissent In Our Part Of The World

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

The issue of racial discrimination has been in the news for quite some time. Some Indian pretended that they have been discriminated against in Britain while rarely speaking that India does not have its own house in order. Despite 60 years of independence India has not been able to transform itself into a modern state

03 February, 2007

Humans Blamed For Climate Change
By Richard Black

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said temperatures were probably going to increase by 1.8-4C by the end of the century. It also projected that sea levels were most likely to rise by 28-43cm, and global warming was likely to influence the intensity of tropical storms

Scientists Offered Cash To Dispute Climate Study
By Ian Sample

Letters sent by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), an ExxonMobil-funded thinktank with close links to the Bush administration, offered the payments for articles that emphasise the shortcomings of a report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Global Warming Is Being
Seriously Underestimated

By John James

A number of simply gigantic reserves of greenhouse gasses that nature has stored for our benefit are now beginning to flood back into the atmosphere

US Energy Experts Announce Way
To Freeze Global Warming

By Brad Collins

As scientists sound daily alarms about the dire consequences of global warming, Americans are asking one question: What can we do about it? The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) has an answer: Deploy clean energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies now!

The War On Iran
By Stephen Gowans

The war has already begun and it has nothing to do with nuclear weapons and threats against Israel and everything to do with who rules America

Iraq: Who Did The US Military
Massacre Near Najaf?

By James Cogan

Many aspects of what transpired last Sunday on the outskirts of the southern Iraqi city of Najaf are confused and unclear. But one thing is certain: American and British jets and helicopters killed hundreds of men who were resisting an assault by Iraqi government troops on the village of Zarqa. Who the men were is still the subject of controversy

King George: George Bush,
Divine Right And Majority Rule

By Linda Ford

As an historian, I’m compelled to say that we are in a major constitutional crisis. Recently, on “60 Minutes,” President George Bush grinned boyishly as he responded to the (gently phrased) charge that perhaps he was ignoring the wishes of a large majority of the American people by persisting in a war that they adamantly oppose. Well, …sometimes he had to be “educator in chief” as well as “commander in chief.” He leads and we follow. We’re to have no choice

The Illusion Of Democracy USA
By David Truskoff

On February 2/007 we hear that Exxon Mobil has surpassed their own record and reached $39 billion in Profits. Why is that relevant? Because on the same day we learn that the next presidential race in the US may result in candidates or their supporters spending upwards of a billion dollars to get elected. It speaks loudly to the fact that money interprets the Constitution any way it suits those who own it

On Coming To Terms With Society
By Doug Soderstrom

Each of us must figure out how to best cope with society; to become an obedient slave like that of the conservative or to challenge the status quo like that of the liberal, but, of course, with a realization that either heading taken to the extreme would be detrimental for society. Therefore, it is imperative that each of these forces be accorded their rightful place in society

What I Heard On The W Train
By Mickey Z.

We are being asked-check that-we're being told to not only view desperate humans as law-breakers but also to ignore them. No one flinches

A Tribute To M A Khan
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

Remembering a man who committed his life for the tribals of Sonbhadra

02 February, 2007

Official Lies over Najaf Battle Exposed
By Dahr Jamail & Ali al-Fadhily

Iraqi government lies over the killing of hundreds of Shias in an attack on Sunday stand exposed by independent investigations carried out by IPS in Iraq

US 'Victory' Against Cult Leader Was A 'Massacre'
By Patrick Cockburn

There are growing suspicions in Iraq that the official story of the battle outside Najaf between a messianic Iraqi cult and the Iraqi security forces supported by the US, in which 263 people were killed and 210 wounded, is a fabrication. The heavy casualties may be evidence of an unpremeditated massacre

Stepped Up US Preparations
For War Against Iran

By Peter Symonds

A relentless and unmistakable American buildup for war against Iran is currently underway. Military preparations are being accompanied by a daily barrage of propaganda against Tehran issuing from US sources and relayed uncritically via a compliant media

Israel's Kafkaesque "Matrix Of Control"
By Stephen Lendman

Organized actions ended the oppressive South African apartheid regime that once had full support of the US and the West. They can achieve the same result with Israel if enforced long enough with teeth, and they must be. Eventually this will happen in one form or other, and it'll work because repression can never be sustained forever and won't be. The sooner Israel accepts that, the quicker real peace will come to the Middle East, and it can't happen any too soon

Yes, There Is Apartheid In Israel
By Shulamit Aloni

The US Jewish Establishment's onslaught on former President Jimmy Carter is based on him daring to tell the truth which is known to all: through its army, the government of Israel practises a brutal form of Apartheid in the territory it occupies. Its army has turned every Palestinian village and town into a fenced-in, or blocked-in, detention camp

Zyprexa Judge Sends Invite
To New York Times Reporter

By Evelyn Pringle

The judge in the Zyprexa secret document case has sent a New York Times reporter an invitation to attend a hearing in the on-going Eli Lilly fiasco in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Power And The Intellectuals
By Jorge Majfud

But this contempt that arises from a power installed in the social institutions and from the inferiority complex of its actors, is not a property of "underdeveloped" countries. In the United States they don't listen to their intellectuals either. In fact, it is always the critical intellectuals, writers or artists who head the top-ten lists of the most stupid of the stupid in the country. Intellectuals are stupid, and those who make these lists, who are they?

De-Addiction From Westoxication
And The Recovery Of The Self

By Shajahan Madampat

Westoxication is a kind of obsessive-compulsive neurosis, exacerbated by smug self-righteousness and pretensions to refinement and sophistication. Worse; it is a malady that the elite of all developing societies wear on their sleeves with pride. Ask yourself: are you an exception? The answer can hardly be in the affirmative!!

Gohana Nay Gujarat
By Subhsash Gatade

If Congress Party and its leaders would never be able to absolve themselves from their complicity in the carnage of Sikhs in 1984, the name of RSS and its affiliated organizations would ever remain itched in the public psyche for the crimes, which were committed against innocent citizenry in the year 2002 in Gujarat

Molly
By Leigh Saavedra

A poem in memory of Molly Ivins

01 February, 2007

US Holocaust Commission And Holocaust Denial
By Dr Gideon Polya

The US recently successfully put a Resolution to UN General Assembly rightly condemning Holocaust Denial. However the Resolution ignored huge non-Jewish Holocausts e.g. the US-driven Iraqi Holocaust and thus was Holocaust Ignoring, something even worse than Holocaust Denial because it is Passive Holocaust Denial that admits of no refutation – who does one refute something that has not even been asserted?

Violence Escalates Against Students
And Teachers In Iraq

By Sandy English

The kidnapping of three law professors and a student on Monday and the deaths on Sunday of five students at a girls’ secondary school underscores the collapse of the Iraqi educational system brought on by the American invasion

Are You The Terrorist Next Door
By Charlotte Laws

I was an ordinary American until November 27, 2006 when I became a terrorist or more accurately what I call a “stand-by terrorist.” Perhaps I cannot truly own this newfound nickname until the government decides to prosecute me for word crimes, if that day ever arrives. Until then, I just think of myself as being on stand-by, just as are most--if not all--Americans, whether they realize it or not

Shameless In Gaza
By Ramzy Baroud

The most recent fighting in the Gaza Strip, which has left many people dead, confirms that the internal strife plaguing the Occupied Territories since the advent of Hamas to power in January 2006 was not entirely the outcome of outside meddling in Palestinian affairs

Future For Palestinian Christians
By Sonia Nettnin

If Jewish, Muslim and Christian extremists run the world, then there will be no room for moderates, who practice mutual respect and tolerance

Only Humans Should Suffer:
The End-of-Life Double Standard

By Mary Shaw

When a pet (or a racehorse) becomes ill to the point where it is near death or suffering uncontrollably, a veterinarian will not think twice before recommending that the animal be euthanized, to put it out of its misery. In our society, this is regarded as the kind thing to do.So why do we treat our dying animals with more mercy than we give our dying people?

Healthy Political Faith
By Joel S. Hirschhorn

It comes to this: Be a proud dissident. Find a third party to believe in

Nader Still In The Crosshairs
By Mickey Z.

Take-home message: If all those Gore voters had pulled the lever for Ralph, we all would've been spared both the Bush administration and the Nader witch-hunt...plus, David Edelstein could to stick to writing about film

Thackeray's 'Hairy' Encounter
By Farzana Versey

Instead of asking Bal Thackeray to apologise to the President of India for saying, "His hair is falling over his eyes and blinding him, or perhaps he is seeing stars or the moon before his eyes", we ought to thank him

 

 

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