The defense rested yesterday in the case of Jose Padilla and two other co-defendants in a Miami District Court without calling any witnesses or presenting no evidence. The trial testimony centered mostly on Padilla's co-defendants, Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi, who are accused of being part of and supporting terrorist groups, such as […]
The issue of child marriages is one the weighs heavy on the minds of many around the world. As the modern world continues to increase with globalisation, the issue is thrown into the spotlight. While those in the west are most often quick to say that all child marriages should be outlawed, many in rural […]
Climate Change "Skeptics" – The big story is that "Newsweek's" cover this week has an arresting burning planet image, and the copy reads: Global Warming Is A Hoax* and the asterisked portion says "Or so claim well-funded naysayers who still reject the overwhelming evidence of climate change. Inside the Denial Machine by Sharon Begley." Now […]
CORRECTION: The following report indicates the Canadian Supreme Court made the ruling entailed here. That is incorrect. The British Columbia Supreme Court made the initial ruling, the Canadian Supreme Court may hear appeals. The Canadian Supreme Court upheld an extradition against a convicted Nazi war criminal to Italy. Michael Seifert, the 83-year old “Beast of […]
The Bush administration was persuaded to withdraw its nomination of Richard Hoagland as the U.S. ambassador to Armenia. Senator Robert Menendez, the democratic senator for New Jersey, blocked Mr. Hoaglands nomination from proceeding to a confirmation hearing because of his refusal to recognize the World War I massacre of Armenians as genocide. In comments, Menendez […]
Are children being denied the right to play? When one looks back at childhood the memories of childhood games, toys and out door fun with their friends and siblings come flooding back. But todays children do not seem to have the same attitude at play as we did, so whats to blame, and who's fault […]
The Renewable Portfolio Standard! The House just voted on the RPS amendment and it passed 220-190 , not nearly as close as many had thought. To reiterate, it requires electricity suppliers to have 15% renewable energy in their mix by 2020. See numerous references in the posts below to the RPS and to links for […]
I'll find what I'm after. I'll throw off my sorrow; beg, steal or borrow, my share of laughter."* So anyway, the Energy bill isn't going to the floor today. In a wide-ranging press conference today, Nancy Pelosi said that the Renewable Portfolio Standard was being "whipped" by Tom Udall of NM and his cousin, Mark […]
An appeals court in France has ordered the release of two Rwandan men suspected of complicity in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, a Roman Catholic priest, and Laurent Bucyibaruta, a former Rwandan civil servant, were detained in France on July 20 after the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) issued arrest warrants for the […]
Imprisoned by the flesh Raped of my spirit Held captive by violence and fear You cut me with your sword, disfigure me with your gun and scar me with your manhood When will it end, when will you let me die? No longer whole, no longer alive I am nothing more than a dead soul […]
Unidentified Victim of Sexual Violence “I was naked; the men had forced me to take my clothes off. Four of them were holding me down, one on each leg and one on each arm, while the other raped me. I was weeping so much. I couldn't stop thinking…These men will give me diseases. I thought […]
It appears that the Udall-Platts RPS amendment is going to the floor tomorrow. Here is some coverage, Last Chance: RPS Vote Looming in House, from RenewableEnergyAccess.com, a website with excellent, up-to-date information on renewables. The National Venture Capital Association's president is quoted here as bullish on the renewable energy industry. Another arresting bit of news […]
The U.N. backed Special Court for the Sierra Leone (SCSL) convicted two militia leaders of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Allieu Kondewa – the “high priest” of the Kamajor rebel group – and Monina Fofana – the national director of the Civil Defense Forces (CDF) – were convicted of war crimes, including murder and […]
Okay, the suspense, at least on one important item, CAFE, is over for the moment. The "Washington Post" reports House Drops Tougher Auto Fuel Economy. Go to Speaker Pelosi's statement in which she says " we will have an opportunity to address this issue shortly. The Senate energy bill does contain a CAFE provision, which […]
The United Nations Security Council approved a Chapter 7 resolution to invoke a 26,000 member peacekeeping force in Sudan. The joint African Union (A.U.) -United Nations contingent will consist of nearly 20,000 military personnel and close to 6,500 civilian police to replace the battered 7,000 member A.U. force deployed in Darfur. A Chapter 7 resolution […]