As mentioned yesterday on Boing Boing, NPR host Alex Chadwick interviewed blogger / journalist Kevin Sites about footage Sites videotaped in Iraq last November that appeared to show a U.S. Marine shooting an unarmed Iraqi in a Fallujah mosque. Their interview (Sites' first in America since the incident) airs on the NPR show "Day to Day" today, and the audio is also available online.
... The unedited video Sites took in the Fallujah mosque last November is available here, and archived audio of the NPR interview is here.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Marines Recall Body Armor
Marines recall faulty body armor. In yet another blow to the struggle to supply soldiers with adequate armor, 5,277 defective vests were recalled today from troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. In response to the armor shortages, new Oklahoma legislation would create "Patriot Plates," a $35 license plate of which $20 would go to supply body armor for Oklahoma soldiers. Soldiers have been lacking this armor for months now. According to an April GAO report: (PDF)
But at least we can sleep soundly knowing that manufacturers are seeing record profits from all of this. [from MetaFilter.com]
Because of the shortages, many individuals bought body armor with personal funds. The Congressional Budget Office estimated (1) that as many as 10,000 personnel purchased vests, (2) as many as 20,000 purchased plates with personal funds, and (3) the total cost to reimburse them would be $16 million in 2005. (P. 78)Another continuing problem is a lack of adequately armored HMMWVs. "Current HMMWVs are protected only by canvas tops and have no additional armor protection." (P. 122) In this case, for protection from ambushes and roadside bombs, an add-on armor kit is required. However, "as of September 2004, the Army supplied 8,771 of the 13,872 Add-on Armor kits required by CENTCOM but still needed 5,101 additional kits to meet all requirements." (P. 121) Attacks on vehicles have accounted for as many as 40 percent of the 1,037 deaths attributed to hostile action.
But at least we can sleep soundly knowing that manufacturers are seeing record profits from all of this. [from MetaFilter.com]
Spokane Probe: Other Editors Say They Forbid Undercover Operations
"I don’t permit deception; I would not allow it," said Amanda Bennett, editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "We go into reporting in a straighter way. We are not private investigators, we are journalists. Undercover is a method of the past."
The editors were commenting on the Spokesman-Review's controversial coverage of Spokane Mayor West, whom the paper reported had led a secret gay life, had allegedly molested boys years ago, and had "been trolling the Internet for young lovers while serving as mayor." The stories first ran last Thursday and have sparked national interest while prompting West to take a leave of absence from his post.
As part of the paper's reporting, Spokesman-Review editors hired a computer expert to pose as a gay man in an online chat room, uncovering some of West's alleged Internet conversations. Editor Steven Smith has said this was necessary to confirm what the paper had learned by other means. While he continues to defend this approach, he has also speculated that it will prevent these stories will from winning any major awards.
The editors were commenting on the Spokesman-Review's controversial coverage of Spokane Mayor West, whom the paper reported had led a secret gay life, had allegedly molested boys years ago, and had "been trolling the Internet for young lovers while serving as mayor." The stories first ran last Thursday and have sparked national interest while prompting West to take a leave of absence from his post.
As part of the paper's reporting, Spokesman-Review editors hired a computer expert to pose as a gay man in an online chat room, uncovering some of West's alleged Internet conversations. Editor Steven Smith has said this was necessary to confirm what the paper had learned by other means. While he continues to defend this approach, he has also speculated that it will prevent these stories will from winning any major awards.
Robert McNamara: Bush Creating Nuclear Instability
If the United States continues its current nuclear stance, over time, substantial proliferation of nuclear weapons will almost surely follow. Some, or all, of such nations as Egypt, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Taiwan will very likely initiate nuclear weapons programs, increasing both the risk of use of the weapons and the diversion of weapons and fissile materials into the hands of rogue states or terrorists. Diplomats and intelligence agencies believe Osama bin Laden has made several attempts to acquire nuclear weapons or fissile materials. ...Experts have little doubt that terrorists could construct such a primitive device if they acquired the requisite enriched uranium material. Indeed, just last summer, at a meeting of the National Academy of Sciences, former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry said, “I have never been more fearful of a nuclear detonation than now.… There is a greater than 50 percent probability of a nuclear strike on U.S. targets within a decade.” I share his fears.
Tories won more votes in England than Labour
According to an analysis based on results from all but two of the seats in England, the Tories won 193 seats in the country and Labour won 285.
But this did not reflect the number of votes cast. The Tories picked up 8,086,306 votes, but Labour had just 8,028,512.
Labour's ability to win seats on the basis of fewer voters per MP than the Tories has been well documented. There are more voters in Tory seats because people are moving to the south of England where the party does well. Turnout in Labour areas tends to be lower.
This American Life: Froggy Went A-Courtin'
This is a great story about an Afghani-American at the wrong place at the wrong time. The happy ending speaks well of him, his girlfriend and the FBI investigators. Incredible. -- McLir
Act One. Froggy Goes A-Courtin'. The story of a series of misunderstandings with very dire consequences. Shaheen was stopped by the police, who looked at what was in his car and before Shaheen knew it, he'd come to the attention of some of the highest ranking officials in the Defense Department. Gabrielle Galanek talked to Shaheen and his girlfriend Molly about what happened. (33 minutes)
Act One. Froggy Goes A-Courtin'. The story of a series of misunderstandings with very dire consequences. Shaheen was stopped by the police, who looked at what was in his car and before Shaheen knew it, he'd come to the attention of some of the highest ranking officials in the Defense Department. Gabrielle Galanek talked to Shaheen and his girlfriend Molly about what happened. (33 minutes)
The Mean Popular Girl - A Study
They regularly exclude others and threaten to withdraw friendship when they don't get their way.
The "mean girls" are highly liked by some and strongly disliked by others. They are socially skilled and popular but can be manipulative and subversive if necessary. They are feared as well as respected.
The study is the first to link relational aggression and social status in preschoolers. It appears in the current issue of the journal Early Education and Development. David Nelson and Clyde Robinson of BYU are the other authors.
This subject was covered hilariously by This American Life (one of their best segments):
Act One. Return to the Scene of the Crime. Jonathan Goldstein interrogates the girls, now grown up, who terrorized him and his classmates, years ago in school – and finds they can be just as scary as ever. Jonathan Goldstein is the author of the novel Lenny Bruce is Dead. (18 minutes)
NY Times Distorted Coverage of Israeli and Palestinian Deaths
In order to find as clear and objective a measure as possible, our studies examine how news organizations report deaths among both populations, Israelis and Palestinian. Basically, we simply count the deaths reported on both sides of the conflict, and then compare these to the actual number of deaths that had occurred. It is our view that all deaths are equally tragic regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity; we hoped that the Times shared that perspective.
Our statistical analysis of their coverage, however, showed that there was startling disparity in how deaths were reported, depending on the ethnicity of the victim.
For example, we found that in 2004, at a time when 8 Israeli children and 176 Palestinian children were killed – a ratio of 1 to 22 – Times headlines and lead paragraphs reported on Israeli children’s deaths at a rate almost seven times greater than Palestinian children’s deaths.
Read the report
Our statistical analysis of their coverage, however, showed that there was startling disparity in how deaths were reported, depending on the ethnicity of the victim.
For example, we found that in 2004, at a time when 8 Israeli children and 176 Palestinian children were killed – a ratio of 1 to 22 – Times headlines and lead paragraphs reported on Israeli children’s deaths at a rate almost seven times greater than Palestinian children’s deaths.
Read the report
Syndicate rejects columnist’s article on 2004 election theft
- What began innocently enough with a watershed article several weeks ago by Tribune Media Service's Robert Koehler on the need for Election Reform and an investigation into the results of Election 2004, has now erupted into a full-fledged firestorm resulting Wednesday afternoon in the unprecedented rejection of Koehler's latest column by the higher-ups at TMS where Koehler is both a columnist and editor!
- Tribune Media Services is the syndication arm of the Tribune Company which, in turn, is the parent company to the Chicago Tribune.
- Koehler's original ground-breaking column from April -- the first by an American Mainstream Media journalist that we know of to out-and-out charge that the 2004 Election was stolen -- was written a few days after Koehler attended the National Election Reform Conference last month in Nashville. The piece was headlined "The Silent Scream of Numbers: The 2004 election was stolen - will someone please tell the media?"
- He followed it up the next week with another stunner headlined "Democracy's Abu Ghraib - If they can disable an election, what's coming next?"
- While both pieces were distributed via TMS to syndicate member newspapers, only a handful chose to run either of those two columns.
Captured Al-Qaeda kingpin is case of ‘mistaken identity’
THE capture of a supposed Al-Qaeda kingpin by Pakistani agents last week was hailed by President George W Bush as “a critical victory in the war on terror”. According to European intelligence experts, however, Abu Faraj al-Libbi was not the terrorists’ third in command, as claimed, but a middle-ranker derided by one source as “among the flotsam and jetsam” of the organisation.
Al-Libbi’s arrest in Pakistan, announced last Wednesday, was described in the United States as “a major breakthrough” in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.
Bush called him a “top general” and “a major facilitator and chief planner for the Al- Qaeda network”. Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state, said he was “a very important figure”. Yet the backslapping in Washington and Islamabad has astonished European terrorism experts, who point out that the Libyan was neither on the FBI’s most wanted list, nor on that of the State Department “rewards for justice” programme.
Al-Libbi’s arrest in Pakistan, announced last Wednesday, was described in the United States as “a major breakthrough” in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.
Bush called him a “top general” and “a major facilitator and chief planner for the Al- Qaeda network”. Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state, said he was “a very important figure”. Yet the backslapping in Washington and Islamabad has astonished European terrorism experts, who point out that the Libyan was neither on the FBI’s most wanted list, nor on that of the State Department “rewards for justice” programme.
No Real Debate for Real ID
Hundreds of civil liberties groups, immigrant support groups and government associations oppose the Real ID Act, a piece of legislation that critics say would produce a de facto national ID card, cost states millions of dollars and punish undocumented immigrants.
Yet despite widespread opposition to the bill, it passed through the House last week and is expected to easily pass through the Senate on Tuesday.
Yet despite widespread opposition to the bill, it passed through the House last week and is expected to easily pass through the Senate on Tuesday.
Ecstasy can block cancer growth
A University of Birmingham team tested the impact of amphetamine derivatives such as Ecstasy and weight-loss pills, and antidepressants including Prozac.
They found the drugs were effective at blocking cancer growth in more than half of lymphoma (white blood cell cancer) samples tested.
It is hoped the FASEBJ Journal study will will lead to new cancer therapies.
...Cancer growth was slowed down in nine out of the 17 samples when they were exposed to antidepressants, and in 11 out of 17 when exposed to one or both of the amphetamine derivatives.
They found the drugs were effective at blocking cancer growth in more than half of lymphoma (white blood cell cancer) samples tested.
It is hoped the FASEBJ Journal study will will lead to new cancer therapies.
...Cancer growth was slowed down in nine out of the 17 samples when they were exposed to antidepressants, and in 11 out of 17 when exposed to one or both of the amphetamine derivatives.
Creation of Black Hole Detected
Astronomers photographed a cosmic event this morning which they believe is the birth of a black hole, SPACE.com has learned.
A faint visible-light flash moments after a high-energy gamma-ray burst likely heralds the merger of two dense neutron stars to create a relatively low-mass black hole, said Neil Gehrels of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. It is the first time an optical counterpart to a very short-duration gamma-ray burst has ever been detected.
Gamma rays are the most energetic form of radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum, which also includes X-rays, light and radio waves.
The merger occurred 2.2 billion light-years away, so it actually took place 2.2 billion years ago and the light just reached Earth this morning.
A faint visible-light flash moments after a high-energy gamma-ray burst likely heralds the merger of two dense neutron stars to create a relatively low-mass black hole, said Neil Gehrels of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. It is the first time an optical counterpart to a very short-duration gamma-ray burst has ever been detected.
Gamma rays are the most energetic form of radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum, which also includes X-rays, light and radio waves.
The merger occurred 2.2 billion light-years away, so it actually took place 2.2 billion years ago and the light just reached Earth this morning.
Internet Attack Called Broad and Long Lasting by Investigators
Investigators in the United States and Europe say they have spent almost a year pursuing the case involving attacks on computer systems serving the American military, NASA and research laboratories.
The break-ins exploited security holes on those systems that the authorities say have now been plugged, and beyond the Cisco theft, it is not clear how much data was taken or destroyed. Still, the case illustrates the ease with which Internet-connected computers - even those of sophisticated corporate and government networks - can be penetrated, and also the difficulty in tracing those responsible.
...The case remains under investigation. But attention is focused on a 16-year-old in Uppsala, Sweden, who was charged in March with breaking into university computers in his hometown. Investigators in the American break-ins ultimately traced the intrusions back to the Uppsala university network.
The break-ins exploited security holes on those systems that the authorities say have now been plugged, and beyond the Cisco theft, it is not clear how much data was taken or destroyed. Still, the case illustrates the ease with which Internet-connected computers - even those of sophisticated corporate and government networks - can be penetrated, and also the difficulty in tracing those responsible.
...The case remains under investigation. But attention is focused on a 16-year-old in Uppsala, Sweden, who was charged in March with breaking into university computers in his hometown. Investigators in the American break-ins ultimately traced the intrusions back to the Uppsala university network.
United Asks to Shift Pensions to Government Pension Agency
With scores of its concerned employees and retirees looking on, United Airlines told a judge Tuesday it has no choice but to shed billions of dollars of pension obligations in order to emerge successfully from bankruptcy.
At a packed hearing with broad implications for airlines and their workers, United asked a U.S. federal bankruptcy judge to approve an agreement shifting responsibility for its defined-benefit plans to the U.S. government's pension agency. The funds are underfunded by an estimated $9.8 billion US.
Unless rejected by Judge Eugene Wedoff, it will be the largest corporate-pension default in U.S. history, topping Bethlehem Steel's $3.6 billion in underfunding in 2002. [thanks, Sharon]
At a packed hearing with broad implications for airlines and their workers, United asked a U.S. federal bankruptcy judge to approve an agreement shifting responsibility for its defined-benefit plans to the U.S. government's pension agency. The funds are underfunded by an estimated $9.8 billion US.
Unless rejected by Judge Eugene Wedoff, it will be the largest corporate-pension default in U.S. history, topping Bethlehem Steel's $3.6 billion in underfunding in 2002. [thanks, Sharon]
Against Genetically Engineered Smallpox
[PDF] The World Health Organization (WHO) is justly proud of the global effort that brought about the eradication of smallpox in 1977; but the truth of the matter is that the job was never finished. The United States and Russia still retain smallpox virus (Variola major), an easily transmitted disease and ancient scourge of humanity that is a potent biological warfare agent. Smallpox kills one quarter or more of the people it infects and leaves many who do not die disfigured and blind.
In 1999, the remaining stocks of smallpox virus were slated for imminent destruction. But Russia and the US balked at the World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution calling upon them to destroy the virus. Instead, the US has accelerated smallpox research. Now, it wants to open the Pandora’s Box of genetically-engineered smallpox. A US plan to genetically-engineer the virus could be approved by the WHA in May 2005. The plan also includes the expression of smallpox genes in related poxviruses, and unlimited distribution of segments of smallpox DNA up to a certain size. If implemented, this plan would pose serious biosafety risks and open the road to an artificial reconstruction of the virus for biowarfare purposes.
In 1999, the remaining stocks of smallpox virus were slated for imminent destruction. But Russia and the US balked at the World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution calling upon them to destroy the virus. Instead, the US has accelerated smallpox research. Now, it wants to open the Pandora’s Box of genetically-engineered smallpox. A US plan to genetically-engineer the virus could be approved by the WHA in May 2005. The plan also includes the expression of smallpox genes in related poxviruses, and unlimited distribution of segments of smallpox DNA up to a certain size. If implemented, this plan would pose serious biosafety risks and open the road to an artificial reconstruction of the virus for biowarfare purposes.
Congressional Black Caucus Stands by Wal-Mart
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has flatly rejected a major labor union’s call to cut ties to Wal-Mart lobbyists and executives who have been canvassing the Capitol in search of new friends and allies.
Black lawmakers say they will continue to listen to Wal-Mart – as they would any other group interested in building a relationship — and will not be bullied by what they regard as the Service Employees International Union’s (SEIU) inappropriate attempt to “put the CBC in its place” with instructions to shun the world’s largest employer.
This SEIU-CBC dispute comes at a time when Wal-Mart is significantly boosting its political contributions to Democrats.
Black lawmakers say they will continue to listen to Wal-Mart – as they would any other group interested in building a relationship — and will not be bullied by what they regard as the Service Employees International Union’s (SEIU) inappropriate attempt to “put the CBC in its place” with instructions to shun the world’s largest employer.
This SEIU-CBC dispute comes at a time when Wal-Mart is significantly boosting its political contributions to Democrats.
Blix Criticizes U.S. Nuclear Policy and Bolton
Washington isn't taking "the common bargain" of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty as seriously as it once did, and that's dimming global support for the U.S. campaign to shut down the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs, the former chief U.N. weapons inspector said.
Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton, by questioning the value of treaties and international law, has also damaged the U.S. position, Hans Blix said.
"There is a feeling the common edifice of the international community is being dismantled," the Swedish arms expert said.
...The review conference has been stalled, without an agenda, because of a dispute over agenda language dealing with the very dissatisfaction Blix spoke of: the complaints by some that the nuclear-weapons states are moving too slowly toward disarmament.
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