Entries for February 2010

Washington's Blog | Greenspan just said that the current credit crunch is "by far the greatest financial crisis, globally, ever" -- including the 1930s Great Depression.

Politico | Former officials familiar with the deal say that Blackwater is likely to get a Defense Department-issued contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars to train and mentor Afghan police. The police training contract is supposed to be decided next month, and the company has not been officially notified that it’s getting it. But the only competing bid for the contract, submitted by Northrop with MPRI, has been disqualified, a former official knowledgeable about the contract said.

ABC | Uganda is a country so beautiful that Winston Churchill once called it "the pearl of Africa." It has world-class wildlife, fertile rolling hills and a breathtaking lakeshore.

Politico | Liberal talk show host Ed Schultz would like to take the heart of former Vice President Dick Cheney – who is currently recovering from his fifth heart attack – and “rip it out and kick it around and stuff it back in him.”

RawStory.com | In the wake of congressional Democrats' reauthorization and extension of the USA Patriot Act, few elected Democrats have been as vocal about the post-9/11 security measures as they were during the Bush administration.

ABC | Government-backed mortgage giant Freddie Mac today reported a loss of $7.8 billion for the final three months of last year, with a total loss of $25.7 billion for the year overall.

Pravda.Ru | China has confirmed the intention to purchase 191.3 tons of gold from the International Monetary Fund at an open auction, Finmarket news agency said.

Global Research | The Washington Times is a newspaper that looks with favor upon the Bush/Cheney/Obama/neocon wars of aggression in the Middle East and favors making terrorists pay for 9/11. Therefore, I was surprised to learn on February 24 that the most popular story on the paper’s website for the past three days was the “Inside the Beltway” report, “Explosive News,” about the 31 press conferences in cities in the US and abroad on February 19 held by Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, an organization of professionals which now has 1,000 members.

CNET | Details of the Federal Communications Commission's much anticipated National Broadband Plan are trickling out as the deadline for the report quickly approaches. But exactly who will pay for all these bold plans hasn't yet been discussed.

abclocal.go.com | Former President Bill Clinton brought his message of global citizenship to the Bay Area and asked the question: What exactly is "global citizenship?Clinton told a packed audience at Zellerbach Auditorium that the most important

BBC | Men seen as likely to be violent towards their wives could be forced to wear an electronic tag under a law being debated by the French parliament. The tag would have to be worn by men who have received a court order to stay away from their partner. The proposal is part of a draft law on conjugal violence. It has cross-party support and is expected to pass easily.

ABC | A grandfather is taking his 2nd Amendment fight to the U.S. Supreme Court in what is expected to be a landmark case. Otis McDonald, 76, is suing the city of Chicago over its handgun ban.

Mother Jones | Blackwater improperly obtained hundreds of weapons intended for use by Afghanistan's already underequipped police force—and then falsely claimed to a Senate committee that the firearms had been returned when many remained unaccounted for.
 

Times Online | The two most influential advisory bodies on climate change are planning independent reviews of their research in an attempt to regain public trust after revelations about errors and the suppression of data.

NaturalNews.com | The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has warned that the public should avoid genetically modified (GM) foods, stating, "There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation."