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For the first time since 1972, when Iraq nationalized its oil resources, exploitation contracts were awarded to foreign private companies.
Matthew Weaver
guardian.co.uk
Monday June 30, 2008
British and US companies win Iraq oil contracts
The Iraqi government is to award a series of key oil contracts to British and US companies later today, fuelling criticism that the Iraq war was largely about oil.
The successful companies are expected to include Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Total.
Non-Western companies, notably those in Russia, are expected to lose out.
The technical support contracts will give the companies access to Iraq's vast untapped oil fields. Oil production in... [Read More]
A survey of 17 countries has found that despite its punitive drug policies the United States has the highest levels of illegal cocaine and cannabis use. The study, by Louisa Degenhardt (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) and colleagues, is based on the World Health Organization's Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and is published in this week's PLoS Medicine.
The authors found that 16.2% of people in the United States had used cocaine in their lifetime, a level much higher than any other country surveyed (the second highest level of cocaine use was in New Zealand,... [Read More]
Start with a pristine mountain lake in the Alaskan wilderness. Add toxic waste. Kill all the fish. Wipe the lake off the map.
Bad for that lake, yes. But is it pollution?
The seemingly obvious answer to that question (umm, yes?) is at the heart of a case the Supreme Court has agreed to hear this winter.
In this corner, weighing in at 140,000 ounces of gold per year, is the Kensington mine, owned by Coeur Alaska (and the state of Alaska, which approved its plans to spoil the lake). And in the other corner, weighing in at 23 acres, Lower Slate Lake in the Tongass National Forest (with some help from Earthjustice, a group of lawyers that fights the power on behalf of environmental groups).
The Kensington gold mine near Juneau has... [Read More]
WASHINGTON (AFP) - "The raid by Texas authorities on a reclusive polygamous sect in April and their seizure of 400 children amid allegations of abuse has had an unexpected consequence -- the launch of a new clothing line.
Women from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who were called upon to make clothes en masse for the children taken into state custody, have now turned their skills to commerce and launched an online shop.
The austere dresses with long-sleeves and high collars, loose-fitting pants, long-johns and modest blouses worn by members of the sect are reminiscent of 19th century American pioneers and highlighted the sect's isolation.
But with the children returned to their legal guardians following a... [Read More]
KENNEWICK, Washington (AP) -- Kennewick, Washington, police report that a pregnant woman was fatally stabbed multiple times in the chest and her nearly full-term baby was cut from her womb. Police have arrested a 23-year-old woman.
The baby boy has been hospitalized at Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane, Washington, in critical condition.
Court documents say 27-year-old Araceli Camacho Gomez, of Pasco, Washington, had her hands and feet bound with yarn and suffered "massive trauma to her stomach area" late Friday night. An autopsy showed she died of the chest wounds, but had other wounds "consistent with the cutting of the body to remove an unborn child."
Her body was found early Saturday in Kennewick's Columbia Park. ... [Read More]
"UPPER MARLBORO, Md. -- The FBI and Maryland State Police on Tuesday continued to investigate the strangulation of a 19-year-old man found dead in his cell a day after he was jailed on charges of running over and killing a police officer.
Meanwhile, an attorney representing the family spoke Tuesday about the case and said the family is outraged.
Ronnie White's death was a homicide, the Maryland Medical Examiner ruled Monday. He died Sunday in the Prince George's County Correctional Center from asphyxiation and strangulation, the examiner said.
Attorney Bobby G. Henry told reporters Tuesday that White's family doesn't want to talk about... [Read More]
(CNN) -- The North Pole may be briefly ice-free by September as global warming melts away Arctic sea ice, according to scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado.
Scientists say it's a 50-50 bet that the thin Arctic sea ice will completely melt away at the geographic North Pole.
Scientists say it's a 50-50 bet that the thin Arctic sea ice will completely melt away at the geographic North Pole.
"We kind of have an informal betting pool going around in our center and that betting pool is 'does the North Pole melt out this summer?' and it may well," said the center's senior research scientist, Mark Serreze.
It's a 50-50 bet that the thin Arctic sea ice, which was frozen in autumn, will... [Read More]
OK, so it's not news that politicians are hypocrites. But, my goodness. This just takes the hypocritical cake. As reported by PageOneQ.com, two infamous senators have signed on to the bill of Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker to establish a constitutional amendment codifying marriage as between a man and a woman.
You probably only need two guesses as to which two senators announced they were co-sponsoring the bill today -- David "John" Vitter and Larry "Wide Stance" Craig. The actual wording of the amendment and the status of Vitter and Craig as co-sponsors can be seen here.
I mean, really now. How much further down the rabbit hole can we go? A man who pleaded guilty to lewd conduct in propositioning an undercover police officer... [Read More]
Book: U.S. Military Drafted Plans to Terrorize U.S. Cities to Provoke War With Cuba
By David Ruppe
N E W Y O R K, May 1, 2001
In the early 1960s, America's top military leaders reportedly drafted plans to kill innocent people and commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities to create public support for a war against Cuba.
Code named Operation Northwoods, the plans reportedly included the possible assassination of Cuban émigrés, sinking boats of Cuban refugees on the high seas, hijacking planes, blowing up a U.S. ship, and even orchestrating violent terrorism in U.S. cities.
The plans were developed as ways to trick the... [Read More]
The most powerful atom-smasher ever built could make some bizarre discoveries, such as invisible matter or extra dimensions in space, after it is switched on in August.
But some critics fear the Large Hadron Collider could exceed physicists' wildest conjectures: Will it spawn a black hole that could swallow Earth? Or spit out particles that could turn the planet into a hot dead clump?
Ridiculous, say scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known by its French initials CERN - some of whom have been working for a generation on the $5.8 billion collider, or LHC.
"Obviously, the world will not end when the LHC switches on," said project leader Lyn Evans.
David Francis, a physicist on the collider's... [Read More]
We’ve discovered that in an essay Jindal wrote in 1994 for the New Oxford Review, a serious right-wing Catholic journal, Jindal narrated a bizarre story of a personal encounter with a demon, in which he participated in an exorcism with a group of college friends. And not only did they cast out the supernatural spirit that had possessed his friend, Jindal wrote that he believes that their ritual may well have cured her cancer.
Reading the article leaves no doubt that Jindal — who graduated from Brown University in 1991, was a Rhodes Scholar, and had been accepted at Yale Law School and Harvard Medical School when he wrote the essay — was completely serious about the encounter. He even said the experience “reaffirmed” his faith.
A teenager Saturday was struck and killed by a roller coaster at the Six Flags Over Georgia theme park outside Atlanta, authorities said.
The 17-year-old park visitor was killed after scaling two fences -- one of which was six feet tall -- around the Batman roller coaster, park spokeswoman Hela Sheth said in a statement.
The teen, who visiting the park with a church group from Springfield, South Carolina, was decapitated, she said.
It was unclear how fast the outside-looping coaster was moving when it struck the teen, but according to the park's Web site, the ride reaches speeds of 50 mph.
"We do not know why this person was intent on gaining access to this restricted area," the statement said, noting that multiple... [Read More]
OK, brace yourselves to hear the words "fake" and "pro wrestling" in the same sentence. But it seems fans of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin who lined up and paid $10 for an autograph and picture at an Indiana Wal-Mart were duped by an impostor, according to police.
The lookalike split with an undisclosed amount of cash. A Wal-Mart spokesperson says he doesn't know how an event like this could've taken place in their store. The faux Austin is still at large.
The real "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was born Steve Anderson but then changed his name to Steve Williams. After that he became "Dr. Death" Steve Williams but then changed his name to Steve Austin. However, he didn't want to be confused with "The Six Million... [Read More]
O.C. Police: Woman Dropped Bag of Pot at Officer's Feet
"OCEAN CITY, Md.- Ocean City police say a woman paying for items at a liquor store accidentally dropped a bag of marijuana at the feet of a uniformed officer.
On Monday night, an officer was investigating a theft at the Worcester County Liquor Mart, located on Philadelphia Avenue.
While the officer was in the Liquor Mart he observed a woman, identified as 22-year-old Allison Edwina Naughton of Ocean City, standing at the counter paying for her purchase. The officer observed Naughton remove her wallet and open it.
Police say that as Naughton removed her... [Read More]
COVINA - Charter Oak High School is considering reprinting and replacing pages of its yearbook that have offensive and incorrect names, officials said Friday.
School Principal Kathleen Wiard said she is working with the book's publisher to replace index pages of the school's 2008 Chronicle.
"Students put incorrect names throughout the index and did not go back and correct them," Wiard said Friday. "Most are not as offensive as the Black Student Union names but none the less they are incorrect."
The possible reprint comes after a yearbook staff student replaced nine BSU student names with fake names - such as "Tay Tay Shaniqua," "Crisphy Nanos" and "Laquan White" - next to their club photo in the yearbook. ... [Read More]
Six Arrested in Crime Spree Inspired by 'Grand Theft Auto'
NEW HYDE PARK, NY (AP) -- Six Long Island teens, apparently inspired by the violent video game ``Grand Theft Auto,'' were charged with robbery after a crime spree.
Nassau County Police said three teens mugged a man in a New Hyde Park parking lot at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. They were joined by three other teens and the six walked down the center of a Garden City street early Thursday.
Police said the teens, armed with a bat, a crowbar and a broomstick, robbed one motorist and smashed a passing van with the bat.
Nassau Det. Sgt. Anthony Repalone said the teens admitted they were copying a character in the ``Grand Theft Auto'' video game.
Supreme Court strikes down D.C. handgun ban, By Joan Biskupic, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court ruled for the first time Thursday that the Constitution protects an individual right to own guns, in a 5-4 decision that is likely to reverberate nationwide and spawn wide controversy over firearms control.
The momentous decision striking down a Washington, D.C., handgun ban came on the last day of the 2007-2008 term.
From the bench, Justice Antonin Scalia declared for the majority that the Second Amendment provides an "individual right to have and use arms in the home."
He rejected the notion that the gun right must be connected to service in the militia, as many lower court judges had ruled and Washington,... [Read More]
NEW YORK — The efforts of nearly a dozen states to execute child rapists were derailed Wednesday by a Supreme Court decision that incensed supporters of such punishment. At least one state said it was not ready to give up.
"I think the people of Oklahoma have spoken loudly that this is one of the most heinous of crimes. We will certainly look at what options we have," said Sen. Jay Paul Gumm, a strong proponent of his state's 2006 law subjecting those who sexually abuse children to the death penalty.
Five states have laws that explicitly permit such executions. At issue before the high court was a Louisiana case involving Patrick Kennedy, who was sentenced to die for raping his 8-year-old stepdaughter in her bed in 1998, an assault so severe she... [Read More]
BARNEGAT, N.J. - It's the case of the nonexistent ninja. Public schools in Barnegat were locked down briefly after someone reported seeing a ninja running through the woods behind an elementary school.
Turns out the ninja was actually a camp counselor dressed in black karate garb and carrying a plastic sword.
Police tell the Asbury Park Press the man was late to a costume-themed day at a nearby middle school.
The lockdown began shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday and lasted until 9:30.
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Raleigh – Thanks to some text message-savvy grandchildren, N.C. drivers whose license plates have the potentially offensive "WTF" letter combination can replace the tags.
The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Tuesday the state Division of Motor Vehicles has notified nearly 10,000 holders of license plates with the letter combination. Officials learned last year the common acronym stands for a vulgar phrase in e-mail and cell phone text messages.
But this week, the DMV officials got another surprise when they learned the same letters appeared on the agency's own Web site on a sample personalized plate.
"I can't believe it," DMV Commissioner Bill Gore said Monday when told about the online glitch.... [Read More]
Queen Elizabeth II conferred a knighthood on "The Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie on Wednesday, a year after the announcement of the knighthood provoked protests from the Muslim world.
While I find Shame to be a better read, I must say I enjoyed what I can remember of The Satanic Verses. Nothing like good, old fashion dissociative identity disorder.
I'm caught up on who I should vote for? I'm 22 years old and I have voted once before -- Democrate. So I can do some research, my question is "Can anyone provide any links to a site with UNBIASED information on both candidates for the presidential election Mccain/Obama?"
Biological alchemy has been used to convert one cell type into another kind that could be used to repair a body damaged by accident or disease, marking a new approach to regenerative medicine that does away with the use of stem cells and embryos.
In the quest for new treatments, scientists have spent the last decade working on human embryonic stem cells, parent cells which have the potential to turn into any of the 200 plus types in the body, for a vast range of treatments, from heart disease to Parkinson's disease.
Rather than use embryos, or obtain embryonic stem cells by the use of cloning or genetic modification, a new front has opened up in regenerative medicine: the direct conversion of one cell type, say a skin cell, into another, say a brain cell. ... [Read More]
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Canadian military and police are investigating after a package containing a brand new hand grenade, belonging to the army, was found in a suburban backyard, police said on Monday.
A woman in the Western Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta, discovered the suspicious package on Sunday and took it to her local police station, where officers told her to carefully place it on the lawn.
Police called in the bomb squad, which determined the item was a grenade, still in its packaging and belonging to the Canadian military.
The technicians made sure the package was secure and called
military personnel in to dispose of the ordnance.
"It is quite unusual for someone to find a grenade in their
... [Read More]
Terminally ill killer could get ‘compassionate release’ to die outside prison
Susan Atkins, left, sits in a Santa Monica, Calif., courtroom Oct. 13, 1970, as Charles Manson walks in before pleas were entered for them for the 1969 killings of actress Sharon Tate and others.
updated 1:50 p.m. ET, Fri., June. 13, 2008
CORONA, Calif. - Former Charles Manson follower Susan Atkins, convicted in the 1969 murder of actress Sharon Tate, could soon be released from prison because she is near death, authorities said.
Atkins, 59, is terminally ill... [Read More]
