6/3 News

Senator Clinton to concede tonight

Senator Hillary Clinton will concede tonight that her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Barack Obama, has enough delegates to secure the nomination according to some anonymous senior campaign officials. Obama is currently about 40 delegates short of the nomination but is expected to secure the 2,118 delegates needed through the South Dakota and Montana primaries today in addition to superdelegates, which have been flocking to the Illinois senator.

However, the campaign officials said she will stop short of formally ending her campaign, in order to leverage other options for Clinton like the vice-presidential nod. She also wants to pressure him to polish his platform, especially when it comes to her signature issue, healthcare.

Huffington Post

Phoenix Probe stumbles across ice

NASA scientists say the Phoenix Probe has discovered a small ice patch on Mars. The discovery is a big step for the mission, which is to find ice that can be tested for organic compounds, or “life on Mars.”

When the probe landed last week, its thrusters may have blown away some surface dirt. Scientists just discovered the picture of one of the legs resting on what appears to be ice.

The scientists are confident about bringing the ice back. “We were worried that it may be 30-, 40-, 50-centimeters deep, which would be a lot of work. Now we are fairly certain that we can easily get down to the ice table,” said project chief Peter Smith. A robotic arm will scoop ice samples and deposit it in ovens, where the samples will turn into gases to be tested upon return.

Daily Mail

6/2 News

Clinton pledges to continue after Puerto Rico victory

Hopeful Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton bounced back into the political spotlight yesterday with an overwhelming victory over Barack Obama. With that victory she repeated her claim of holding the most popular votes and called for undecided superdelegates to commit.

“So, when the voting concludes on Tuesday, neither Sen. Obama nor I will have the number of delegates to be the nominee. I will lead the popular vote, he will maintain a slight lead in the delegate count. The decision will fall on the shoulders of those leaders in our party, empowered by the rules, to vote at the Democratic convention.”

Clinton demonstrated her Hispanic and Catholic strength by beating Obama almost 2-1.

ABC News

US detains prisoners overseas

The United States has covered up its overseas “floating prisons” housing its war on terror detainees, according to human rights lawyers. Information about the practice has emerged through testimonies, US military statements and European parliamentary bodies.

The human rights group, Reprieve, says the US both practices rendition, a process President Bush claimed to have stopped in 2006, and operates 17 “floating prisons” where detainees are interrogated and then rendered to other locations.

Guardian

Guantanamo Bay protestors outside Supreme Court convicted

Protestors of the Guantanamo Bay prison were convicted for demonstrating outside the US Supreme Court on January 11, the six year anniversary of the prison. The protestors appeared in a DC circuit court as detainees, complete with their outfit and biographies. They were convicted for misdemeanor charges and will return soon for sentencing.

The protestors can be convicted because they were protesting on the plaza of the court, which is illegal. Legal experts say most convicted will face up to 60 days in jail.

Washington Post

Australia ends Iraq operations

Australia ended its combat operations in Australia yesterday, fulfilling newly elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s promise to bring the 550 remaining troops home. Australia, under former Prime Minister John Howard, was one of the first countries to pledge US support. Australian operations centered around Camp Tarendak in Talil, where Aussie soldiers trained the Iraq security forces.

Australia

6/1 News

Obama leaves church

After months of criticism regarding his fiery pastor Reverend Wright, likely Democratic nominee Barack Obama has left his Chicago church, Trinity United Church of Christ. The issue arose when tapes where discovered of the residing pastor Jeremiah Wright calling the AIDS virus a government attack on African-American people and exclaiming “God damn America.”

The Senator sought to distance himself even more from the pastor after rejecting his endorsement and denouncing his remarks soon after they surfaced. The issue may have resurfaced after a visiting Catholic priest mocked Obama’s opponent Hillary Clinton, accusing her of “white entitlement.” Obama has called the church his own for 16 years and Rev. Wright baptized both his daughters.

Obama has tried to put the remarks behind him, but falling short of disowning his pastor. The pastor’s remarks contradict Obama’s theme of transcending race, and Obama responded with a praised speech on race in America.

Reuters

Gates warns China of hogging resources

Defense Secretary Robert Gates addressed China’s economic policy on Saturday, calling on China to fairly and diplomatically address the natural resources of that region. Gates struck a more cautious note than former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who criticized China’s military buildup. Last year Gates called for the two countries to “build trust over time.”

He asserted the benefits of openness, whether in regard to trade, resources or the internet. “We should not forget that globalization has permitted our shared rise in wealth over recent decades.” Gates also thanked for China’s cooperation for cooling North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

Asia Times

Islamic women demand Al-Qaeda admittance

Al-Qaeda was brought to light in a new way when the group’s decision to exclude women was brought to light Saturday. In April Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahri responded to a female’s question of admittance that Al-Qaeda did not allow women. The response has prompted online postings and a petition, called Rabeebat al-Silah or Arabic for “Companion of Weapons.”

“How many times have I wished I were a man … When Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahri said there are no women in al Qaeda, he saddened and hurt me,” the essay reflects.

CBS News

Bush lies about lying

If two wrongs make a right, do two lies make a truth? Not only did Bush lie about Iraq and WMDs, he lied last week when he said the intelligence was faulty.

In an interview with the Politico and Yahoo! News, President Bush blamed faulty intelligence.

“I don’t think so. … Intelligence communities all across the world shared the same assessment. And so I was disappointed to see how flawed our intelligence was.”

“Do I think somebody lied to me?” he said. “No, I don’t. I think it was just, you know, they analyzed the situation and came up with the wrong conclusion.”

Yes, they did analyze the situation. They came to the right conclusion. You ignored it and now you’re blaming intelligence,

Let’s take a look at the intelligence the Bush administration ignored going into Iraq:

1. As early as September 12, 2001, Bush administration officials quietly questioned the claims. Richard Clarke, Bush’s then counterterrorism advisor, responded to Bush’s query whether Hussein was linked to the attacks.

“But you know, we have looked several times for state sponsorship of al Qaeda and not found any real linkages to Iraq.”

2. Beginning November of 2001, Defense Undersecretary Douglas Feith led a team to explore the relationship between Iraq and Al-Qaeda. Almost a year later, the team briefed Colin Powell and then-CIA director George Tenet on their findings. On September 25th 2002, Bush linked the two:

“They’re both risks, they’re both dangerous. The difference, of course, is that Al Qaeda likes to hijack governments. Saddam Hussein is a dictator of a government. Al Qaeda hides, Saddam doesn’t, but the danger is, is that they work in concert. The danger is, is that Al Qaeda becomes an extension of Saddam’s madness and his hatred and his capacity to extend weapons of mass destruction around the world.”

In July of the same year, the Defense Intelligence Agency found “compelling evidence demonstrating direct cooperation between the government of Iraq and Al Qaeda has not been established, despite a large body of anecdotal information.”

In April 2001, the CIA drafted a report called Iraqi Support for Terrorism, that found “no credible information that Baghdad had foreknowledge of the 11 September attacks or any other al-Qaeda strike.”

3. September 8th, 2002:

“We do know that he is actively pursuing a nuclear weapon. We do know there have been shipments going into . . . Iraq, for instance, of aluminum tubes that really are only suited to—high-quality aluminum tools that only really suited for nuclear weapons programs, centrifuge programs.”

In April 2001, the Energy Department concluded that “while the gas centrifuge application cannot be ruled out, we assess that the procurement activity more likely supports a different application, such as conventional ordnance production.” In September of 2002 when the CIA was preparing the NIE, the Department reminded them of their findings. The CIA ignored them.

4. In his September 28 radio address, Bush claimed:

The Iraqi regime possesses biological and chemical weapons, is rebuilding the facilities to make more and, according to the British government, could launch a biological or chemical attack in as little as 45 minutes after the order is given. The regime has long-standing and continuing ties to terrorist groups, and there are al Qaeda terrorists inside Iraq. This regime is seeking a nuclear bomb, and with fissile material could build one within a year.”

Until three weeks ago, there was no National Intelligence Estimate regarding Iraq and WMDS. The CIA scrambled to complete one, later debunked by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence: “Postwar findings do not support the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) judgment that Iraq was reconstituting its nuclear weapons program.”

5. His 2003 State of the Union addresses mentioned Iraq buying Uranium from African countries.

“The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”

As early as March 2002, the intelligence community was divided about the link. During that month the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research published a report named “Niger: Sale of Uranium to Iraq Is Unlikely.”

During July of that year, the Energy Department found “no information indicating that any of the uranium shipments arrived in Iraq” and the “amount of uranium specified far exceeds what Iraq would need even for a robust nuclear weapons program.”

The 2006 Senate Select Committee on Intelligence confirmed this:
“Postwar findings do not support the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) assessment that Iraq was ‘vigorously trying to procure uranium ore and yellowcake’ from Africa. Postwar findings support the assessment in the NIE of the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) that claims of Iraqi pursuit of natural uranium in Africa are ‘highly dubious.”

6. On February 3, 2003 Colin Powell presented to the UN.

“My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we’re giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence. I will cite some examples, and these are from human sources.”

He also claimed that “a senior terrorist operative telling how Iraq provided training in these weapons [of mass destruction] to Al Qaeda.”

Six days earlier, the CIA had concluded that the detainee “was not in a position to know if any training had taken place.”

No Mr. Bush, the intelligence was correct. What you took from that intelligence and told the American people is what’s flawed.

Thanks Center for Public Integrity!

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5/31 News

US absent from conference banning cluster bombs

The United States was absent at a Friday conference of 111 countries agreed to ban the use of cluster bombs. The summit in Dublin, Ireland expressed concern about the civilian effects of cluster bombs, which are unreliable and inaccurate.

The signed document expresses concern “that cluster munition remnants kill or maim civilians, including women and children, obstruct economic and social development, including through the loss of livelihood, impede post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction, delay or prevent the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, can negatively impact on national and international peace-building and humanitarian assistance efforts, and have other severe consequences that can persist for many years after use.”

According to human rights groups, countries with the most frequent cluster bomb use such as the USA, China, Russia and Israel all were absent from the conference.

CNN

Algerian student interviewed after detained for possessing Al-Qaeda training material

An Algerian grad student at Nottingham University and his friend were detained under the Terrorism Act for six days last week, and gave an interview to The Guardian yesterday. His friend was researching Al-Qaeda training techniques for his MA and gave a copy to Hichem Yezza. A colleague noticed the documents on his computer and alerted authorities. Yezza is currently being held at the immigration center near Heathrow.

“This is not the way I should have been treated. It is hurtful to see myself being treated this way in a country I love, would protect and where I’ve done everything I can to engage with and be a good citizen.”

Guardian

Iraqis protest security agreement

Thousands of Iraqis hit the street Friday to protest the proposed US-Iraq security agreement. Many are suspicious of how long the US government will keep troops and permanent bases in their country.

“We denounce the government’s intentions to sign a long-term agreement with the occupying forces,” said Asaad al-Nassiri, a sheik loyal to anti-American leader Muqtada al-Sadr.

President Bush signed a statement with Iraq prime minister Nouri al-Maliki pledging to sign an agreement by July 31.

Huffington Post

Obama and McCain battle over misstatements, Iraq knowledge

Presumptive nominees John McCain and Barack Obama exchanged blows over McCain’s Thursday claim that “We have drawn down to pre-surge levels. Basra, Mosul and now Sadr City are quiet.”

Obama responded with “That’s not true and anyone running for commander in chief should know better.” Troop levels haven’t returned to the pre-surge level.

There are currently around 155,000 troops in Iraq, compared with approximately 135,000 before the surge.

McCain’s campaign blamed the misstatement on verb tenses, while McCain insisted that he didn’t misspeak. “Of course not. I said we’ve drawn down. The rest of them will be home at the end of July.”

Yahoo!

Cal Thomas: Democrats are liars (Ignores Bush)

This was in the Indy Star today:

Fraud: “deceit, trickery or breach of confidence, perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage.”

The HBO movie “Recount” tells the story from the Democratic Party point of view that the 2000 presidential election was improperly won by George W. Bush because of the trickery of his fellow Republicans and the Supreme Court. That has been shown to be untrue by no less a source than the reliably liberal and pro-Democratic New York Times, but facts rarely influence propaganda.

Here’s a better example of fraud straight from the donkey’s mouth that you can bet will never be told on film. It comes courtesy of 12-term Congressman Paul Kanjorski. During a town meeting last August in his Pennsylvania district, Rep. Kanjorski made a remarkable statement about the 2006 election in which Democrats recaptured the majority. Rep. Kanjorski acknowledged that he and his fellow Democrats “sort of stretched the facts” about their intention to end the war in Iraq and bring American troops home.

A video of his remarks, now on YouTube, shows Kanjorski explaining that Democrats pushed the rhetoric about the war “as far as we can to the end of the fleet – didn’t say it, but we implied it – that if we won the congressional elections we could stop the war.” Democrats also promised to bring down gas prices if they won a majority. That worked out well, didn’t it?

“Now anybody who’s a good student of government,” continued Kanjorski in a condescending manner, “would know it wasn’t true.” I wonder how non-students of government felt about that insult? “But you know,” he said, “the temptation to want to win back the Congress – we sort of stretched the facts.”

Many politicians “stretch the facts” at some point in their careers, but this was more than that. While Republicans do the same thing on another level – like campaigning for spending cuts and then outspending Democrats when they become a majority – what Kanjorski has admitted to is outright fraud. Those who don’t believe in the war, which includes some Republicans, had a right to believe that if they cast their votes for Democrats in the 2006 election, a Democratic congressional majority would end the war. Instead, while huffing and puffing about it, Democrats have continued to approve funds for Iraq and Afghanistan, attaching numerous pet pork projects. Pork covers a multitude of sins.

Some Democrats have made their careers by lying about Republicans and their attempts at necessary reforms of Social Security. My Democratic friend, Bob Beckel, likes to tell the story of his mother who lived in Florida and called him after seeing campaign commercials, which he produced, that claimed Republicans were about to eliminate Social Security. Beckel says he told her, “Mom, don’t worry about it. You vote for Democrats on Tuesday and come Wednesday your Social Security will be back.”

Kanjorski has taken cynicism about Washington and politicians to a new and lower level.
No wonder the disapproval rating of Congress is higher than it is for President Bush.

In cases of fraud, the victim usually has redress in the courts. With political fraud, voters must seek redress at the polls. They should start – but not stop – with Rep. Kanjorski, who is faced with his first competitive race since 2002. But he has a lot of co-conspirators and even one who is not a “good student of government” ought to know when they’ve been duped by fraudulent political practices.

Cal Thomas attacks the Democrats for not living up to their election promise. The Democrats have the President fighting them, who vetoes every bill that tries to fulfill their election promise of getting out.

By attacking Democrats for lying, Thomas ignores the bigger, more fraudulent elephant in the room. Does Bush saying “The Iraqi regime possesses biological and chemical weapons” (9/26/02) sound familiar? Or maybe McCain’s claim that “We will win this conflict. We will win it easily.” (9/4/02) or Rumsfeld’s infamous “I can’t tell you if the use of force in Iraq today would last five days, or five weeks or five months. But it certainly isn’t going to last any longer than that.” (11/14/02)

Kanjorski honestly admits his party lied. Bush lies about lying by blaming faulty intelligence. “Intelligence communities all across the world shared the same assessment. And so I was disappointed to see how flawed our intelligence was.” (5/13/08) This contradicts a late September CIA testimony that found “no credible information that Baghdad had foreknowledge of the 11 September attacks or any other al-Qaeda strike.” Is that double fraud?

9 OS 10.5 apps that changed my life

So it might be a stretch for some. We’ve all seen lists of great OS applications, but either I’ve done huge projects with these apps help, or I use them daily.

This list is in no particular importance.

1. IEatBrainz(Also PC)

As someone who gets a significant amount of music online, I like having the real name of the song and the album filled out. The tagger scans MusicBrainz’ music database and matches your songs with the official label.

2. FFmpegX

Got a video file in the wrong format? FFmpegX can convert practically any video file into practically any other video file. It’s fast and can do multiple files at once.

3. Shrook

Yeah, there are plenty of RSS feeders out there. I like Shrook because it’s super fast and simple, and can scan websites for RSS feeds.

4. TubeTV(Also PC)

Let’s face it, it’s a hassle downloading videos from Youtube. TubeTV is a slimmed-down web browser that downloads and converts Youtube (and other video sites) videos to mp4s.

5. iConcertCal(Also PC)

If you listen to a lot of music it can be hard to keep track of concerts and CDs. iConcertCal replaces your iTunes visualizer with information about upcoming concerts and CD releases, and even links to online ticket hubs.

6. You Control iTunes

Bulky name, small size. You can put a small iTunes toolbar on the top window. It’s super customizable, fast, and beats flipping through apps to get to iTunes.

7. Handbrake(Also PC)

Handbrake is your premiere DVD ripping program. You can select certain parts of the DVD and set all sorts of options, great for putting movies on your iPod.

8. Miro(Also PC)

Miro is a video RSS feeder. There’s some legit video podcasts and programs you can watch, but it’s even more useful when you utilize TV RSS and get your videos downloaded automatically, which you can then convert with FFmpegX!

PS-To properly use TVRss, find your show and copy the link. Then make a new Miro channel with the link. Free TV!

9. Songbird(Also PC)

Imagine that Firefox, iTunes and uTorrent had a three-way. The love child would be Songbird. Though the beta is a bit slow, the music player can browse the internet and features a search engine that scans music sites and blogs for hosted music. The downloads are rapid and the results huge-just compare the variety and speed to Limewire.

Compare with one of my favorite bands, The Polyphonic Spree
Limewire:

Songbird:

Tell me if you enjoy any of these.

5/30 News

CIA says Al-Qaeda in trouble

Al-Qaeda is near defeat, according to CIA director Michael Hayden. He said the organization collapsing in its strongest areas, Saudia Arabia and Iraq. He also cited global advances as the religion of Islam distances itself from its extremists.

“Near strategic defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq. Near strategic defeat for al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. Significant setbacks for al Qaeda globally — and here I’m going to use the word ‘ideologically,’ as a lot of the Islamic world pushes back on their form of Islam,” Hayden said this morning in a Washington Post interview.

Reuters

Bush releases climate change report

The White House bowed in to a court decision and released a climate change report online yesterday. The report reiterates much evidence like the spread of heat-loving pests and the effect of rising sea levels. It also projects the health effects of a warmer global climate.

The Scientific Assessment of the Effects of Global Change on the United States predicts heat waves will pose a threat to children and elderly adults. It estimates the spread of the spread of food and water-borne diseases plus animal-spread viruses like West Nile.

A 1990 law requires the president to submit to Congress a report on global climate and the environment every four years. The last report was released by the Clinton Administration. Bush releases a series of reports in 2003 but a circuit judge decided that didn’t fit the requirements.

NY Times

Bush authorized Libby leak

Scott McClellan’s controversial memoir hasn’t even been published yet, and is already creating a stir. It not only criticizes the administration but brings to light new information regarding the Scooter Libby leak case. According to the book, President Bush personally authorized Scooter Libby to leak classified information, including the identity of Valerie Plame, to select media sources.

The AP provides this excerpt:

The president was leaving an event in North Carolina, McClellan recalled, and as they walked to Air Force One a reporter yelled out a question: Had the president, who had repeatedly condemned the selective release of secret intelligence information, enabled Scooter Libby to leak classified information to The New York Times to bolster the administration’s arguments for war?

McClellan took the question to the president, telling Bush: “He’s saying you yourself were the one that authorized the leaking of this information.”

“And he said, ‘Yeah, I did.’ And I was kind of taken aback,” McClellan said.

“For me I came to the decision that at that point I needed to look for a way to move on, because it had undermined, I think, a lot of what we had said.”

Huffington Post

5/29 News

McCain staff leave Vets for Freedom

Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) left the independent organization Vets for Freedom after yesterday’s story surfaced about the group’s anti-Obama ads. The group aims to promote victory in Iraq and Afghanistan but McCain’s “Relevant” policy prohibits his campaign staff from being involved in any independent organizations that comment on presidential candidates.

McCain started the policy after his Virginia leader Craig Shirley was discovered to be a paid advisor to a group that attacked Obama also.

NY Times

News Corp Chairman predicts Obama victory

Rupert Murdoch said at the Wall Street Journal’s All Things Digital conference last night that he thought Obama will win the election.

The Chairman of News Corps and the inventor of conservative media like Fox News called Obama a “rock star.” “I love what he is saying about education.” “He will win in Ohio and the election.” “I am anxious to meet him.”

Murdoch admitted he was a friend of McCain but cast doubt about his economic policy and long career in Congress.

Huffpo

DNC gives Florida and Michigan half of delegates

The Democratic National Committee’s legal team ruled yesterday that Florida and Michigan’s delegates can count for no more than half. The full count would’ve given Senator Clinton a huge boost in the delegate race. Both Clinton and Senator Obama pledged not to campaign in the states since they broke party rules and moved their primary too early. Obama had his name removed from the Michigan ballot.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said “We don’t think it’s fair to seat them fully,” but “we’re willing to give some delegates here.”

Washington Post

DNC falling short of convention fundraising

The DNC is having trouble raising money for it’s August convention in Denver. It’s still $15 million short of the roughly $40 million needed for the convention. The party is planning to give corporations a way to underwrite the convention. Many insiders partially blame the prolonged primary race for stealing Democrat donors.

NY Times

New York to recognize gay marriages and unions from other states

New York Governor David Paterson pushed state agencies yesterday to recognize gay unions and marriages made in other states. Currently California and Massachusetts are the only states to allow gay marriage, while some states like New Jersey allow gay unions. Paterson called the measure “a strong step toward marriage equality.” Former governor Elliot Spitzer failed to get a gay-marriage bill passed last year.

Ny Times

5/28 News

Bush planning Iran attack by August

The Bush Administration is planning an Iran air strike within the next two months, according to an anonymous source who appears to have talked to several other media outlets as well. Two US senators were briefed on the matter and plan to go public with their opposition the source says.

The source is a retired US diplomat and a former assistant Secretary of State. It says that the US is planning to air strike the headquarters of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ elite forces, the Quds. Likely targets include garrisons near the Iran-Iraq border.

Last year the Senate passed a non-binding resolution classifying Qud as a terrorist organization. The Bush Administration has also accused Iran of helping Iraqi insurgents and still insists on the potency of their probably now-defunct nuclear weapons program.

The source claimed that Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) would write a op-ed in the New York Times “within days.”

Asia Times

Former Press Secretary attacks Bush Administration

Former White House Press Secretary attacks Bush’s misinformation and propaganda regarding the Iraq War, the CIA leak case and the “Scooter” Libby case in his memoir hitting bookstores next week. He also attacks the press corps for going to easy on the Administration in the days following up to the war.

The tone is harsher than expected. McClellan was one of Bush’s first and most loyal aides but wastes little space on nostalgia and praise. He also attacks the Administration for their denial and lack of action regarding Hurricane Katrina.

“I had allowed myself to be deceived into unknowingly passing along a falsehood,” McClellan writes. “It would ultimately prove fatal to my ability to serve the president effectively. I didn’t learn that what I’d said was untrue until the media began to figure it out almost two years later,” he remarked about the Libby case.

Politico

McCain’s voting record in line with Bush

John McCain and George Bush have strikingly similar voting records, according to a recent CQ report. The report tracked when McCain was present to vote and when President Bush stated an explicit opinion of a bill since 2001.

Though McCain has been busy campaigning, he voted 100% in line with President Bush. The rest of the time his support borders between 90%-95%.

Progressive Media USA