Giant Solar Flare Hits U.S., CanadaSept. 12, 2005— A rowdy sunspot cluster hurled a record-breaking flare into space on Wednesday, blacking out all high- and low-frequency radio communications on both American continents, causing power surges, blinding satellites and lighting up aurorae, and more trouble is likely on the way, say experts.
A massive initial X-ray flare on Sept. 7 was immediately followed by an eruption of solar material that broke free from the sun at a speed of 5.8 million miles per hour, the... (more)
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From Federal Failure Arises More Federal PowerThe New Orleans catastrophe is inexplicable.
FEMA’s slow response is a mystery.
Never before has federal funding for work by the US Corps of Engineers on the New Orleans levees and for the congressionally authorized Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project (SELA) been curtailed in the face of dire expert warnings of the consequence.
The Department of Homeland Security and FEMA knew days in advance that Hurricane Katrina was threatening th... (more)
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Revealed: the diary of a British man on hunger strike in Guantanamo More than 200 detainees are starving themselves to protest against conditions at the camp in Cuba where they are being held without trial. Here the Independent on Sunday publishes a shocking extract from the journal of Omar Deghayes, a British resident, who has been imprisoned there since September 2002
Published: 11 September 2005
Tuesday 5 July
Khalid Hatair (Kuwaiti) was found unconscious in his cell when Military Police wanted to give dinner foo... (more)
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Fujitsu Begins Limited Sales of Service RobotsSeptember 13, 2005 Fujitsu Frontech Limited and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced that Fujitsu Frontech will begin limited sales of their new service robot, enon, on a limited basis in Japan from September 13, 2005. Jointly developed by the two companies, enon is an advanced practical-use service robot that can assist in such tasks as providing guidance, escorting guests, transporting objects, and security patrolling.
enon will be presented at the 23rd Annual Conference of... (more)
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IP address typo leads to a false arrest in KansasBrian and Sarah Doom were shocked when police showed up at their Wichita home accusing them of child pornography.
The Dooms had never been in trouble with the law. On Aug. 12, 2004, they found themselves being accused of activity that disgusted them.
But the police had the wrong house, based on mistaken information from the Dooms' Internet service provider, Cox Communications.
Now, Brian and Sarah Doom are suing Cox for invasion of privacy, breach of ... (more)
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Judge denies Feds' cell-phone tracking request, in first case of its kind "Police blotter" is a weekly report on the intersection of technology and the law. This episode: Feds' location-tracking rebuffed.
What: In the first case of its kind, a federal judge chastises the U.S. Department of Justice for trying to constantly track a cell phone user's location without providing any proof of criminal behavior.
When: Decided Aug. 25 by U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein in Central Islip, N.Y.
Outcome: Justice Department's Pat... (more)
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Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee commandeers Sam's Wal-Mart storesJefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee said he has "commandered" the Sam's and Wal-Mart stores in the parish and ordered them to open as soon as possible.
Lee said he took the action after he learned that a Wal-Mart store wanted to open recently but was told by FEMA officials that it could not.
"I am upset with FEMA and some of their regulations," Lee said.
After talking about the situation concerning the Wal-Mart on Thursday, Lee said he briefly talked t... (more)
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Police discover foster parents housing 11 children, ages 1-14, in cages fitted with alarms that would go off if children tried to escapeWAKEMAN, Ohio -- Nine children were found locked in cages in their home in Wakeman in Huron County Monday, NewsChannel5 reported.
The sheriff said the kids, ages 1 to 14, were found in the cages with no blankets or pillows. The wooden cages, estimated to be about 3 foot by 3 foot, were built into the walls. Officials are not releasing the photos of the cages.
The children were taken to Fisher-Titus Medical Center. They are listed in good condition.
Of... (more)
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ISRA: Commissioner Suffredin Moves Forward With Plan to Disarm Lawful Citizens Despite Katrina Horror StoriesCHICAGO, Sept. 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):
The Cook County (IL) Board failed to act today during its regularly scheduled meeting on a proposal that would result in the banning and forced confiscation of various types of firearms owned by law-abiding county residents. Although no action was taken today, the proposal's sponsor, Commissioner Larry Suffredin, indicated that he would push forward with his plan to... (more)
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Group: New Orleans Gun Seizures IllegalFollowing low-key inquiries that were met with stony silence and official indifference, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) today is calling for a federal investigation into reports of gun seizures from law-abiding New Orleans residents, and is demanding that officials there immediately account for all confiscated firearms.
CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb is also demanding that New Orleans police officials immediately stop the seizures, disclose where... (more)
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Toy guns set to be banned at ice cream trucks set for approvalSTOCKTON -- The City Council is almost certain Tuesday to adopt an ordinance banning ice cream truck sales of toy guns and other novelties, and ice cream truck sales of anything after dark.
The ordinance -- passed unanimously by the city's legislative committee in July -- also would require that trucks not have peeling paint, rust or scratches discernible from five feet, a provision that irks vendors who believe the ordinance snowballed from a concern about toy guns to general nit... (more)
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Second Amendment Foundation: Zogby Poll Shows Americans Favor Border Control Over Gun ControlBELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- By a three-to-one margin, American citizens think border control is far more important to national security and fighting crime than gun control, a nationwide Zogby survey has revealed.
The survey, commissioned by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), found that 70 percent of the respondents believe border control is more important, while only 23 percent favor more gun control. Seven percent of the respondents were undecided. The survey... (more)
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Utility Error Disrupts Power in Los AngelesLOS ANGELES, Sept. 12 - Large areas of Los Angeles lost power on Monday after utility workers doing maintenance work accidentally cut a line, officials said.
The blackout, which occurred just after 12:30 p.m. Pacific time and lasted for less than an hour in most areas, came a day after Sept. 11 and amid reports of threats by Al Qaeda against the city, setting off jitters citywide. During the power loss, television stations broadcast striking images of towering flames at refineries... (more)
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A state labor lawyer who opposed efforts to weaken workers' meal-break rights suspended for having attended a brown bag luncheon on lunch-break rightsHow's this for irony: A state labor lawyer who opposed efforts by the Schwarzenegger administration to weaken workers' meal-break rights has been suspended -- for having attended a brown bag luncheon on lunch-break rights.
Miles Locker has been suspended from his job in the Department of Industrial Relations for taking part in an informal "educational'' panel hosted by the San Francisco Bar Association's Barristers Club.
The panel's topic: "Meal and Rest Period Liti... (more)
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Swedish Feminist Party Aims To Abolish MarriageA new political party in Sweden says it will abolish marriage if it gets into power.
The Feminist Initiative, which expects more than 20% of the vote in next year's election, claims marriage "is not about love, but about ownership".
FI founder Tiina Rosenberg, said: "Instead of marriage we want to promote a co-habitation law that ignores gender and allows more than two people in a partnership."
But she said in allowing relationships to involve more th... (more)
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Freemasons dragged UK into Iraq war – Blair’s adviserBritain's Prime Minister Tony Blair decided to invade Iraq after coming under pressure from a "sinister" group of Jews and Freemasons, the Daily Telegraph reported, citing Ahmad Thomson, one of Blair's advisers.
Thomson, from the Association of Muslim Lawyers, said that Blair was the latest in a long list of politicians who were pressured by the group which believed that an attack on Saddam Hussein would enable them to control the Middle East.
"Pressure was put on T... (more)
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Patients put down: Doctors euthanized katrina victimsDOCTORS working in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans killed critically ill patients rather than leave them to die in agony as they evacuated.
With gangs of rapists and looters rampaging through wards in the flooded city, senior doctors took the harrowing decision to give massive overdoses of morphine to those they believed could not make it out alive.
One New Orleans doctor told how she "prayed for God to have mercy on her soul" after she ignored every tenet of medical ... (more)
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London bombs: Former UK cabinet minister Meacher says MI6 is trying to cover its trackshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1566916,00.html
Michael Meacher was the UK's environment minister from 1997 to 2003.
In 2003, he wrote in the Guardian that the war on terrorism is bogus and that the 9/11 attacks gave the US an ideal pretext to use force to secure its global domination.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/attacks/comment/0,1320,1036772,00.html... (more)
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Terror measures 'risk to justice'International terrorism has increased governments' enthusiasm for "repressive measures" that could undermine justice, the UK barristers' leader has warned.
Chairman of the Bar Council, Guy Mansfield QC, said terror suspects must not be denied legal and human rights.
Even those charged with "the most appalling crimes" were entitled to basic rights, he said.
His comments come as UK ministers plan a number of new measures to tackle terrorism after the Lo... (more)
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Activist's arrest prompts questions about security powersA prominent lawyer has questioned whether the Federal Government has abused its powers by planning to deport an American peace activist.
Scott Parkin has been in Australia since June.
He was arrested in Melbourne on Saturday after his visa was revoked when an assessment showed he posed a threat to Australia's national security.
Human rights lawyer Julian Burnside QC says he wants to know why it took so long for authorities to act if indeed Mr Parkin i... (more)
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Cheney quip adds fuel to Katrina politicsOn Saturday, Vice President Dick Cheney became the latest high profile official to offer a soundbite about Hurricane Katrina, saying all evacuees he's met have been 'thankful,' adding to a spate of comments raising eyebrows regarding the Katrina disaster, RAW STORY has found.
According to Reuters, Cheney's words were in response to reporters' questions about what evacuees had had to say to the Vice President as he toured the Austin convention centre in the wake of the demotion of ... (more)
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Glenn Beck called hurricane survivors in New Orleans "scumbags," said he "hates" 9-11 familiesListen to the clip
Nationally syndicated Clear Channel radio host Glenn Beck referred to survivors of Hurricane Katrina who remained in New Orleans as "scumbags." Also, after acknowledging that nobody "in their right mind is going to say this out loud," Beck attacked victims of the disaster in general and the families of victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, saying: "I didn't think I could hate victims faster tha... (more)
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Some Question Pat Robertson's Katrina Charity: Operation Blessing Is Second on FEMA's List for Donations for Hurricane VictimsSep. 9, 2005 - Charity and religious leaders are questioning why the Federal Emergency Management Agency designated Operation Blessing as the No. 2 charity for donations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Operation Blessing is the charity founded and still chaired by Pat Robertson, the politically well-connected television evangelist, who recently called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've never had anything ... (more)
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