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Mexico plans huge Baja port for U.S. trade
Claudia Bertelli, a visitor from San Diego, enjoys the view from Punto Colonet. Mexico's government hopes to jump-start the construction of a port at the site that can handle millions of shipping containers annually.
President Calderon will open bidding for infrastructure contracts Thursday. The project is likely to transform the village of Punta Colonet.[more] Claudia Bertelli, a visitor from San Diego, enjoys the view from Punto Colonet. Mexico's government hopes to jump-start the const... more -
Criminalizing natural healing
They made cannabis, an important industrial and food plant, illegal.
Now they are on the verge of making ALL plants illegal and /or under corporate control.
"Codex Alimentarius" - an oppressive set of law designed to control the world food supply - was cooked up by an ex-Nazi in 1962.
We're on track for it to become the law of the land, here in the US, in 2009. They made cannabis, an important industrial and food plant, illegal. ... more -
Anti-Feminist Lawyer Sues Columbia Over Women’s Studies Courses
August is now on the downslope, and back-to-school is racing toward us. In fact, many law schools begin today. So let’s close out our Monday with another look at education & the law.
The NYT’s City Room blog reports that Roy Den Hollander (pictured) — “a Manhattan lawyer and a self-described antifeminist” who in the past year has sued nightclubs for favoring women by offering ladies’ night discounts and has sued the federal government over a law that protects women from violence — is now setting his sights on Columbia University. Today, Den Hollander filed a suit against Columbia in the SDNY for offering women’s studies courses, which he sees as discriminatory toward men. His suit accuses Columbia of using government aid to preach a “religionist belief system called feminism.” A Columbia spokesman declined to comment to the NYT.
In Den Hollander’s suit he calls women’s studies “a bastion of bigotry against men” and said its women’s studies program “demonizes men and exalts women in order to justify discrimination against men based on collective guilt.” He reportedly writes in the complaint: “Federal financial aid, state funds and other assistance help proselytize feminism at Columbia,” in violation of equal protection safeguards of the Fifth and 14th Amendments. August is now on the downslope, and back-to-school is racing toward us. In fact, many law schools begin today. So let’s close out our ... more -
Language Trainers Group : LT Accent Game
I thought I could guess accents pretty well but got a pretty bad score... either my white trash heritage or the fact that it's just hard... I thought I could guess accents pretty well but got a pretty bad score... either my white trash heritage or the fact that it's ju... more
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Food & Water Watch, Global Water Crisis Film “FLOW” — Food & Water Watch
Several leading United States and Canada-based advocacy groups have joined forces to support the highly anticipated U.S. theatrical release of FLOW (www.flowthefilm.com) by Oscilloscope Pictures, a distribution company founded by Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys. The announcement was timed to coincide with Nestlé Company’s plan to release its half-year results today and follows headlines detailing recent setbacks for Nestlé Waters’ original contract with McCloud, California to build a one million square foot bottling facility. Several leading United States and Canada-based advocacy groups have joined forces to support the highly anticipated U.S. theatrical re... more
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Russia seems unwilling to pull out of Georgia
An analysis of the Georgia-Russia conflict
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Ex-Marine decries prosecution in civilian court
IRVINE, Calif. - A former Marine sergeant facing the first federal civilian prosecution of a military member accused of a war crime says there is much more at stake than his claim of innocence on charges that he killed unarmed detainees in Fallujah, Iraq.
In the view of Jose Luis Nazario Jr., U.S. troops may begin to question whether they will be prosecuted by civilians for doing what their military superiors taught them to do in battle.
Nazario is the first military service member who has completed his duty to be brought to trial under a law that allows the government to prosecute defense contractors, military dependents and those no longer in the military who commit crimes outside the United States.
"They train us, and they expect us to rely back on that training. Then when we use that training, they prosecute us for it?" Nazario said during an interview Saturday with The Associated Press.
"I didn't do anything wrong. I don't think I should be the first tried like this," said Nazario, whose trial begins Tuesday in Riverside, east of Los Angeles.
If Nazario, 28, is convicted of voluntary manslaughter, some predict damaging consequences on the battlefield.
"This boils down to one thing in my mind: Are we going to allow civilian juries to Monday-morning-quarterback military decisions?" said Nazario's attorney, Kevin McDermott.
Others say the law closes a loophole that allowed former military service members to slip beyond the reach of prosecution. Once they complete their terms, troops cannot be prosecuted in military court. IRVINE, Calif. - A former Marine sergeant facing the first federal civilian prosecution of a military member accused of a war crime sa... more -
Medvedev says Russian pullback from Georgia to begin Monday
OUTSIDE GORI, Georgia -- Russian troops will begin pulling back Monday from their positions throughout Georgia toward the country's separatist-held region of South Ossetia, the Kremlin said Sunday.
Western pressure has been increasing on Moscow to withdraw its forces under a cease-fire deal signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. The United States and France have already accused Russia of defying the truce between the ex-Soviet neighbors, as Russian tanks and troops roamed freely across a wide swath of Georgian territory.
link 4 more.. OUTSIDE GORI, Georgia -- Russian troops will begin pulling back Monday from their positions throughout Georgia toward the country'... more -
Anger over girls' strip searches
Gemma Bray, 15, and her 13-year-old sister Katie also had their clothes taken off them and were asked if they had been abused or were suicidal.
Their mother Yvonne Bray of Appledore, Devon, says their human rights were infringed by the authorities.
She was hospitalised with pneumonia during a trip to New York.
The Administration for Children's Services in New York has declined to comment on the matter.
I'm not guilty of anything other than getting ill in a country without family or friends
Yvonne Bray
"What should have been the trip of a lifetime turned out to be a complete disaster from start to finish," Ms Bray told BBC News. Gemma Bray, 15, and her 13-year-old sister Katie also had their clothes taken off them and were asked if they had been abused or were ... more -
What's your footprint?
Carbon footprinting is fun! Use the form below to find out your current fuel emissions. After you fill out the first part of the form and find out your footprint, click "submit" to see how your footprint compares to other folks who have used this calculator. More... Carbon footprinting is fun! Use the form below to find out your current fuel emissions. After you fill out the first part of the form ... more
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Russia sends a message to its 'near abroad' and to the West
Let us accept as a given the realist view that in international politics states are chiefly interested in their own security...
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Russian Cameraman: CNN Aired Misleading Footage
CNN is airing misleading footage of the war between Georgia and Russia, skewing public opinion in favor of the Georgians, according to a Russia Today cameraman interviewed this morning.
The Russia Today satellite TV company aired the interview on its English language news channel but the story is yet to appear on the Internet or in any other news outlet.
The Russian cameraman charged that CNN had used his footage of Georgian forces attacking Russian civilians in Tskhinvali, the provincial capital of South Ossetia, but then claimed it showed Russians attacking Georgians in the Georgian town of Gori.
More info on link...... CNN is airing misleading footage of the war between Georgia and Russia, skewing public opinion in favor of the Georgians, according to... more -
Arabs hope for Olympic breakthrough
Despite less than mediocre performances during past Olympic games, Arab athletes and coaches say they are hoping to make their best showing yet in Beijing.
In nearly 100 years of Olympic competition, the combined tally of medals won by all Arab countries is 73.
At 22 countries, the Arab nations constitute almost 11 per cent of the total number of participating nations (204). However, the average number of medals won - 3.48 medals every four years - has been uninspiring.
In the last Olympic games in Athens, for example, Arab countries won only 10 of the 929 medals available - a little over one per cent.
Shouaa Ghada, a Syrian heptathlete who won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta games, told Al Jazeera Sports that she is hopeful that Arabs will be among the medallists this year.
"Algeria is heading in the right path [in terms of preparation]," she said, adding that she expected Sudanese runner Abubaker Kaki to bring a medal home.
Kaki, who became the youngest world indoor winner of the 800-metre final in March 2008, hopes to secure Sudan's first gold medal.
On June 6, 2008 he set a new World Junior record at the Bislett Games Golden League meeting in Oslo, Norway, finishing in 1:42.69.
(End of excerpt)
Full story at link by Nassir Yousef al-Jaber in Doha// Al Jazeera English Despite less than mediocre performances during past Olympic games, Arab athletes and coaches say they are hoping to make their best sh... more -
Renewed violence in west China
Three security staff have been stabbed to death in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, state media report.
The assailant killed the men at a checkpoint near the city of Kashgar, according to Xinhua news agency.
Sixteen police officers were killed in an attack in Kashgar earlier this month, but Xinhua said there was no evidence linking the two attacks.
(End of excerpt)
Full story at link by BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific Three security staff have been stabbed to death in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, state media report. ... more -
Woman Arrested, Shackled After Pets Walk in Nearby Yard
Linda Johnson admits that her two miniature poodles, Ollie and Hershey, sometimes trotted into her neighbor's yard during their morning and afternoon walks. It is possible that once or twice, the two brown and black fur balls even peed in the grass, she said.
But that, she said, was no reason to have her arrested, shackled and charged with trespassing, all based on accusations by her Calvert County neighbors, a Maryland State Police sergeant and his wife.
"What's even crazier is the state's attorney is actually going to prosecute me in court for this," said Johnson, 47, who is awaiting trial this month on the charges filed in May. "They're sniffing along the grass, walking on the grass, because that's where the dogs want to walk."
MORE.... Linda Johnson admits that her two miniature poodles, Ollie and Hershey, sometimes trotted into her neighbor's yard during their m... more -
Legal, born in the U.S. residents denied citizenship!!
WESLACO, Texas -- In the archives of local institutions, Juan Aranda's life is firmly rooted in this small south Texas town.
His birth certificate says he was delivered unto Weslaco 38 years ago, and church records say he was baptized here soon after. School files list him as a student in the local district from kindergarten through high school, and voter rolls show he votes for president here.
But to the U.S. State Department, all that black and white looks a lot like gray. It recently refused to issue Mr. Aranda a passport; the government isn't sure he's an American.
"I never imagined my U.S. citizenship would be questioned," says the manager at a water company. "I've lived here since the day I was born."
The problem is that Mr. Aranda was delivered by a midwife at a private home. Parteras, Spanish for midwives, have been part of life in Hidalgo and Cameron counties along the border with Mexico from the time of the Texas Republic and before. But in the early 1990s, dozens of midwives were convicted of forging U.S. birth certificates for about 15,000 children born in Mexico as far back as the 1960s.
As a result, the U.S. government no longer trusts that anyone in this region delivered by a midwife is an American citizen. In those cases, the government demands additional proof -- a demand that has applicants scouring school warehouses and church offices to document their pasts.
That has caused a panic in south Texas, where locals need a valid passport more than ever. A new law that goes into effect next year requires Americans to use a passport, rather than just a birth certificate or driver's license, to visit Mexico and Canada. The situation threatens to isolate thousands of people in the Rio Grande Valley who regularly travel back and forth to Mexico for work or family reasons.
"Usually a state-issued birth certificate is sufficient to establish U.S. nationality," says Michael Kirby, a senior official for consular affairs at the State Department. But, given the fraud committed by some south Texas midwives, "we want to be careful that we issue passports to everybody who is eligible and not to anyone who isn't," he says, acknowledging that thousands of passport applicants could be affected. WESLACO, Texas -- In the archives of local institutions, Juan Aranda's life is firmly rooted in this small south Texas town. ... more -
DADS SAY SEPARATION LAWS ARE STACKED AGAINST THEM
A militant new movement is sweeping Britain, generating headlines and sparking protests. In one, a young man dressed as Spider-Man dangled himself from a crane near London Bridge late last year, holding up construction for six days. This July a handful of protesters dressed as vicars, nuns and monks stormed a Sunday service in York Minster. Not even Prime Minister Tony Blair has been able to avoid the onslaught: in mid-May, the P.M. was pelted with purple powder during a speech in the House of Commons. Is this a return of the poll-tax protesters? Rabid animal-rights activists? No--it's the Angry Dads.
British fathers are increasingly fed up with a system that they see as favoring mothers during custody battles. In 80 percent of cases, children end up living with their mothers after divorce; British law frowns upon shared parenting, citing the confusion that dual residences can cause a child. And while most cases are settled out of court--allowing parents to arrange their own solutions--British courts have little leeway to penalize parents who do try to thwart visits in contentious cases. The reason is that a judge's only recourse in such circumstances is to fine a mother or throw her in jail--which is rarely if ever in the child's interest. "There is much wrong with our system," said one judge after presiding over a case in which a tearful father abandoned his battle to see his daughter after his wife thwarted visits for five years. Too many dads find themselves locked in seemingly hopeless legal struggles as they try to exercise their court-ordered visitation rights. "We just want to see our kids," says Matthew O'Connor, founder of Fathers4Justice, a new lobbying group that boasts 10,000 members. A militant new movement is sweeping Britain, generating headlines and sparking protests. In one, a young man dressed as Spider-Man dan... more -
National Civil Rights Event August 15th & 16th
Parental rights are one of those natural rights that are and should be protected against intrusion by the government. It is our responsibility as citizens to remind the government of its’ limitations. Parental rights are one of those natural rights that are and should be protected against intrusion by the government. It is our respon... more
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Rethinking Fathers’ Rights
Every few years, some father who believes he's been wronged by the family court system grabs headlines and draws attention to the flawed ways in which we split up families. Custody proceedings are often brutal and adversarial. Otherwise fit parents can be drawn into a bare-knuckle fight over who poses a greater danger to the children. (Consider the recent Christie Brinkley custody spectacle in which allegations of Dad's porn use and Mom's over reliance on nannies became exhibits A and B, although both facts were legally immaterial.)
Despite the fact that divorce is rarely triggered by violence or abuse, the incentives to allege that a man is abusive and out of control are undeniable. They tap into age-old stereotypes about men and ensure that Mom becomes the primary custodian. Even without abuse allegations, simple rules of physics (one child cannot be split into two and two cannot be split into four) make it likely that many good fathers will be downgraded from full-time dads to alternating-weekend carpool dads. They will be asked to pay at least a third of their salaries in child support for that privilege. Simple rules of modern life make it likely that an ex-wife will someday decide that a job or new husband demands a move to a faraway state. At which point the alternating-weekend-carpool dad is again demoted, to a Thanksgivings-if-you're-lucky dad.
MOREIN LINK; be sure to read the comments on the original page as well. Every few years, some father who believes he's been wronged by the family court system grabs headlines and draws attention to the... more -
Chinese Islamic group threatens to attack at the Beijing Olympics
A Chinese Islamic group in China posted a video of the Olympic rings burning and then an explosion over the Beijing Olympic Stadium.
"I think what they're doing is they're trying to capitalize on the buildup to the games," says Ben Venzke from the IntelCenter
There is going to be 100,000 soldiers and police guarding Beijing and other Olympic populated areas A Chinese Islamic group in China posted a video of the Olympic rings burning and then an explosion over the Beijing Olympic Stadium. ... more
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