Long time in forming because of lack of tropospheric water vapor (click for 12 hour loop) - Noted in Hemispheric Satellite huge heat transfers north

September 8, 2007
0845z
UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East Satellite

Noted :: 12 hours ago the current tropical storm had very little formation, it inched up on it's current status for three days since the dissipation of Felix.


September 8, 2007
2118 gmt
Mexican Satellite image


September 8, 2007
2117 gmt
Tropical Atlantic Satellite

Noted heat coming from Africa. The direct solar radiation is noted to be far more south as well.


September 8, 2007
1630z
UNISYS West and North Hemisphere Water Vapor satellite.

Noted, the direct solar rays lighting up the water vapor at the equator. That intensity does not exist in the upper latitudes of the hemisphere.


September 8, 2007
1630z
UNISYS Water Vapor satellite GOES East

Noted :: The tropical storm now called "Gabrielle" has been pulling water vapor from the equatorial air masse. It took nearly three days of 'sit and spin' to accumulate enough water vapor to support a minor tropical storm status.


September 8, 2007
1630z
UNISYS Enhanced Infrared USA satellite.

Noted :: Severe storms noted in the center of the North American Continent.

September 8, 2007
1630z
UNISYS Enhanced Infrared GOES East satellite

Noted :: The 'system' currently 'at work' over North America is all supported by equatorial and Gulf of Mexico water vapor.

September 8, 2007
12:40 PM EDT
UNISYS Enhanced Infrared Southeast Satellite (click for 12 hour loop)

Noted 'converging' storm fronts in loop. The tropical storm from the Atlantic and weather front from the west. The waves at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina have been substantial for the entire time this tropical storm has been developing. Not fun. There were sand sculpture building at one of the hotels because the tide was too strong for the little ones.

Chile's President Michelle Bachelet (C), Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (L) and China's President Hu Jintao prepare for a family photo held during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders meeting at the Sydney Opera House September 8, 2007, while wearing Australian stockman's raincoats.


APEC leaders pose for a family photo at the Sydney Opera House September 8, 2007.

Morning Papers - continued...

RIA Novosti

APEC participants adopt statement on greenhouse gases
SYDNEY, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - The leaders of 21 nations participating in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum have adopted a draft declaration on greenhouse gases, accepting for the first time concrete global goals to reduce CO2 emissions.
Although the draft plan, dubbed the "Sydney Declaration" by Australian Prime Minister John Howard, sets only non-binding targets, it represents a dramatic compromise between rich and poor APEC economies and retains the UN climate change convention as the primary framework to fight global warming.
Most significantly, it is seen as a triumph for the U.S. and Australia in persuading China, a major polluter, and other developing nations to accept measurable reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.
With the Kyoto Protocol on climate change due to be replaced in the coming years by a more binding agreement, the APEC draft will likely serve as the basis for the UN climate change summit in Bali, Indonesia in December.
The Kyoto Protocol, which has not been ratified by the U.S., is due to expire in 2012.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070908/77449618.html


Russia against mandatory greenhouse gas commitments - delegate
SYDNEY, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is against imposing mandatory targets or timetables to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, a Russian delegate to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum said.
A so-called Sydney Declaration calling for dramatic reductions of CO2 emissions has been adopted by the leaders of the 21 APEC nations meeting in Sydney, and once adopted is expected to replace the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, set to expire in 2012.
While the targets are "aspirational," in the words of Australian Prime Minister John Howard, they do offer the hope that greenhouse gas emissions can eventually be reduced, and global warming reversed.
In particular, the meeting succeeded in persuading developing Asia-Pacific economies, notably China, to accept formal reduction targets at long last.
However, the same obstacles that stymied the Kyoto Protocol will likely stand in the way of the newest agreement, notably resistance by many nations to mandatory reductions, and fears that economic development would suffer should genuine steps be taken to curb emissions.
In that vein, the Russian delegate said that the Japanese proposal to halve CO2 emissions by 2050 should be viewed principally as "a strategic task."
He added that the subject of global warming needed further study to more clearly understand the link between greenhouse gases and climate change.



Russia and APEC: towards sustained and stable development
Vladimir V. Putin
President of the Russian Federation
Next year will mark the tenth anniversary of Russia's becoming a full‑fledged member of APEC. It was a committed and strategic choice for us, based on objective economic factors and geopolitical circumstances. Life itself has since then convincingly demonstrated that the decision made then was timely and well-founded.
Today, on the eve of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Sydney I would like to share with you my vision of the prospects for Russia's participation in this influential regional association.
APEC has entered the 21st century as a major and authoritative regional structure with a uniquely broad membership of countries situated on both sides of the Pacific. Represented in it are Asia, America and the Southern Pacific. Russia has been successfully cooperating within its framework.
Due to the rapid development of the Asia-Pacific Region, APEC can be called the most promising economic association of the planet. Even now the Member States of the Forum account for 57 percent of the world's gross domestic product, 48 percent of world trade and over 40 percent of direct foreign investments. And according to expert estimates, these figures may go up in the coming years. Such a prospect is also held out by APEC's basic priorities aimed at improving the trade environment in the Asia-Pacific Region as well as broadening regional integration.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070907/77203099.html


White House preparing to stage new September 11 - Reagan official
WASHINGTON, July 20 (RIA Novosti) - A former Reagan official has issued a public warning that the Bush administration is preparing to orchestrate a staged terrorist attack in the United States, transform the country into a dictatorship and launch a war with Iran within a year.
Paul Craig Roberts, a former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, blasted Thursday a new Executive Order, released July 17, allowing the White House to seize the assets of anyone who interferes with its Iraq policies and giving the government expanded police powers to exercise control in the country.
Roberts, who spoke on the Thom Hartmann radio program, said: "When Bush exercises this authority [under the new Executive Order], there's no check to it. So it really is a form of total, absolute, one-man rule."
"The American people don't really understand the danger that they face," Roberts said, adding that the so-called neoconservatives intended to use a renewal of the fight against terrorism to rally the American people around the fading Republican Party.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070907/77203099.html


Bush has Sydney in stitches
SYDNEY, September 7 (RIA Novosti) - With President George W. Bush's final term set to expire in 16 months, the U.S. leader seems to have used his recent visit to Sydney for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit as an opportunity to hone his talents in other fields.
Bush's time in the White House has seen him mix up places and names, and display an uncanny knack for unforgettable gaffes, leading many in the U.S. and beyond to suggest that the 43rd president of the United State would be well-advised to seek a career as a stand-up comedian if he ever gets tired of political life.
The ongoing Sydney APEC talks saw the man who once said "My pro-life position is I believe there's life," and "I believe that the human being and the fish can peacefully co-exist," refer to APEC as OPEC, and to the Australian prime minister's visit to 'Austrian' troops in Iraq.
He also sauntered up to Condoleezza Rice at a state banquet to enquire of the U.S. Secretary of State "So, you gonna be my girl?" and wandered off-stage after his opening comments at the APEC forum in entirely the wrong direction.
Although the widely-reported 2004 story that Bush's I.Q. was the lowest of any U.S. president in history turned out to be an unproven rumor, it is understandable that in such desperate times many people feel nervous about a man able to confuse such elementary facts as the names of countries and regions.
But not to worry. As the man himself said in 2004: "God loves you, and I love you. And you can count on both of us as a powerful message that people who wonder about their future can hear."
Feel better now?

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070907/77387730.html



China Daily

APEC leaders adopt pact on climate change
2007-09-08 17:01:55.0
APEC leaders adopt pact on climate change
Updated: 2007-09-08 17:01

Sydney -- Asia-Pacific leaders agreed on Saturday to adopt a "long-term aspirational goal" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said.
Leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members adopted a Sydney Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development, in support to United Nations' global efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, Howard said.
"We are serious about addressing in a sensible way, compatible with our different economic needs, the great challenge of climate change," Howard told reporters at the end of the first day of the APEC Leaders Meeting.
Howard announced four key components of the declaration.
He said "there should be a long-term aspirational goal for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions" to guide an effective post-2012 international arrangement on climate change.
"All economies should contribute to achieving that goal, taking into account national circumstances and allowing for a range of market-based policy measures," Howard said.
He also said that APEC will adopt regional goals to reduce energy intensity and increase forest cover. New technologies will support the actions towards the goals.
Under the declaration, the goals are to reduce energy intensity by at least 25 percent by 2030 from the 2005 level, and to increase forest cover in the region by at least 20 million hectares of all types of forests by 2020.
An Asia-Pacific Network for Energy Technology will be established to strengthen collaboration on energy research in the region.
Another regional network, Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation, for sustainable forest management and rehabilitation will be set up to enhance capacity building and strengthen information sharing in the forestry sector.
The measures also include low emissions technology and innovation, alternative and low carbon energy uses, trade in environmental goods and services, and policy analysis capability.
Founded in 1989, APEC has become a major regional forum acting as the primary regional vehicle for promoting open trade and practical economic and technical cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
It has 21 members: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, China's Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.


Fair poultry deal for China urged
2007-09-08 08:54:03.0
Hu YinanFair poultry deal for China urgedUS poultry chief
By Hu Yinan (China Daily)Updated: 2007-09-08 08:54
A recent US provision that effectively blocks China's poultry exports to the country leaves an impression that it was "made on political grounds," a top American poultry industry representative said on Friday.
Decisions must be made "on the basis of sound science politics really has no place in it..." James H. Sumner, president of the US Poultry & Egg Export Council and head of the International Poultry Council, told senior Chinese quarantine officials in Beijing.
"China must be given fair consideration," he stressed.
He was commenting on an act passed by the US House of Representatives earlier this month.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/08/content_6091064.htm


Officials investigated for 172 deaths
2007-09-07 23:56:54.0
(Xinhua)Updated: 2007-09-07 23:56
XINTAI, Shandong -- Two senior officials from a mining company have been investigated over a mining disaster which left 172 miners dead in Xintai, East China's Shandong Province, the local government said on Friday.
"Zheng Zhenxiu, board chairman of the Huayuan Mining Co Ltd, and Zhang Canjun, the company's deputy general manager, have been investigated," according to the Shandong provincial government.
A group of life science experts believe "the trapped workers are not likely to return alive as the inundated mine was not fit for living."

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/07/content_6090470.htm


US denies preparing military attack on Iran
2007-09-08 11:40:14.
Updated: 2007-09-08 11:40
WASHINGTON -- The United States rejected on Friday UN nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei's suggestion that Washington is preparing a military attack on Iran.
"We are working with our partners in other parts of the world to deal with the consequences of Iran's state sponsorship of terrorism," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey told reporters.
But "We're pursuing a diplomatic track with Iran. We are engaging with our Security Council partners and the IAEA. We've been doing so for a number of years," Casey noted.
"There is no change in US policy," the spokesman said.
"While no US president ever takes any options off the table, our approach has been and is and as far as I know, until you hear differently from the president, will continue to be one of using diplomacy, using all the tools in the diplomatic tool box to try and convince Iran to change its behavior."
Casey made the remarks after Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, suggested that Washington is preparing a military attack on Iran.
ElBaradei told reporters in Vienna that "Iran is moving with its (uranium) enrichment without us doing the robust verification required."
But, the UN nuclear chief said "On the other hand I see war drums (from those) who are basically saying the solution is to bomb Iran," which is believed to be an implicit attack on the Bush administration which has refused to rule out military action against Iran.
"I would certainly hope that those kinds of comments wouldn't be referred to the United States, because they certainly wouldn't be true," said Casey.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-09/08/content_6091236.htm


Trade, security policies outlined at APEC
2007-09-06 22:24:04.0
Trade, security policies outlined at APE
Updated: 2007-09-06 22:24
SYDNEY -- Trade and foreign ministers and representatives from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies wrapped up their two-day meeting Thursday, announcing plans for greater trade and economic reform and enhanced human security in the region.
The ministers, under the theme of "Strengthening our community, building a sustainable future," reviewed developments in the region and challenges facing the region's future.
Issues of the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, trade and economic reform, energy security and clean development, human security, climate change and APEC reform topped their agenda.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-09/06/content_6087054.htm


WWF to help preserve Yellow Sea ecosystem
2007-09-08 11:48:08.0Sun Xiaohua
WWF to help preserve Yellow Sea ecosystem
By Sun Xiaohua (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-08 11:48
The World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) launched the Yellow Sea Ecoregion Support Project (YSESP) on Friday to conserve the marine ecosystem.
The project, supported by Japan's electronics giant Panasonic, is part of WWF's Global 200 - which lists 238 regions across the world that need immediate conservation.
The seven-year regional marine conservation project aims to redress public concern and ensure proper protection and effective management of the critical habitats in and around the Yellow Sea by supporting local communities' sustainable conservation activities.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/08/content_6091273.htm


Postcards from deep end of sea
2007-09-07 10:25:41.0
Postcards from deep end of seaunderwater
Updated: 2007-09-07 10:25
An underwater mailbox was recently installed in the sea off Penghu Bird Isle in Taiwan that will be used for postcards. The postcards are dropped into the box by divers .
Wu Chengfu, a local tourism operator, initiated the service. Wu said postcards used in the submarine mailbox are specially made to be water-proof. Postmen will collect the mail every week and deliver them using the ordinary postal system. Many tourists were excited at the new service and said it would be romantic to receive postcards mailed from 50m under the sea.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/07/content_6088960.htm


China to address coastal-hinterland imbalance
2007-09-08 14:16:56.0
China to address coastal-hinterland imbalanceimbalance, hinterland, economy
More efforts against regional imbalance
Updated: 2007-09-08 14:16
China will continue to cope with the imbalanced development of its coastal and hinterland regions, a senior official with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Friday at the Summer Davos in Dalian.
Zhang Xiaoqiang, vice minister of NDRC, said the Chinese government will continue to use policy leverage to narrow the gap between different regions.
"The overall development in the central and west regions, particularly in service sector, has lagged far behind that in the east," Zhang said at the Inaugural Annual Meeting of the New Champions hosted by the World Economic Forum.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2007-09/08/content_6091334.htm



Seven US troops killed in Iraq
2007-09-07 22:08:30.0Seven US troops killed in Iraq
George W. Bush, Anbar
Updated: 2007-09-07 22:08
BAGHDAD - Seven US troops have been killed in Iraq, including four in the western province of Anbar, where gains in security were hailed this week by US President George W. Bush during an unannounced visit to the desert region.
The US military said on Friday that four Marines were killed in the vast province on Thursday while conducting combat operations. It gave no further details on one of the deadliest days for troops in Anbar in months.
The military also said three soldiers were killed in the northern province of Nineveh on Thursday when an explosion hit their vehicle.
The deaths take to more than 3,750 the number of US soldiers killed since the start of the US-led invasion in 2003. Eighteen US soldiers have died so far this month.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-09/07/content_6090430.htm


Hilton wants to name first child London
2007-09-07 17:32:18.0
Hilton wants to name first child
Socialite heiress Paris Hilton is desperate to have a baby and has already decided to name her unborn child after her pet cat London.
Hilton spoke about her plans to start a family maybe even as early as 2008 and said: “I want kids next year, so I've got to get my body ready.”
Contactmusic.com reports that she is certain her first born will be a son and has already picked out two names.
She said: “If I had a child I would name him London. I used to have a cat named London. I like the name Paris Jr. too. I love babies. I'd like three or four.”

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2007-09/07/content_6090285.htm


Audience in Beijing to tune in Games via 'radio caps'
2007-09-06 21:31:55.0Audience in Beijing to tune in Games via 'radio caps'Olympics,Radio caps1158961Regional2@webnews/enpproperty-->(Xinhua)Updated: 2007-09-06 21:31
Visitors and locals in Beijing for the Olympics next August will be able to tune in Olympic information "anytime anywhere" via "radio caps", a major broadcaster said Thursday.
"People to the Olympic Games have to wear a cap to shelter the summer sunlight anyway, if the cap happens to be a radio for the Olympic events, how can they refuse?" Xu Jun, director of the Olympic Radio of the China Radio International (CRI), said.
"Radio caps", an idea originated from radio workers, incorporate mini radios and stereo earphones into caps that allow cap wearers to "listen to real-time information of events, weather forecasts and services without the barrier of time and place," Xu said.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/06/content_6087043.htm


Breast cancer more deadly in black women
2007-09-07 11:33:40.0
Breast cancer more deadly in black womenbreast
Updated: 2007-09-07 11:33
A new study gives a possible explanation for why breast cancer is more deadly in black women: they are more likely to have tumors that do not respond to the hormone-based treatments that help many others with the disease.
The study is the largest yet to link a biological factor to the racial disparity, which also has been blamed on black women getting fewer mammograms and less aggressive treatment.
"This puts biology more to the forefront," said Dr Julie Gralow, a cancer specialist at the University of Washington School of Medicine familiar with the work. "It's not just access to care, access to treatment and other factors that have been implicated in the past."

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-09/07/content_6089352.htm


Tooth loss linked to higher heart disease risk
2007-09-07 04:55:06.0
Tooth loss linked to higher heart disease riskheart
Updated: 2007-09-07 04:55
NEW YORK - Young adults who lose their teeth to cavities or gum disease may have an increased risk of dying from heart disease later in life, a new study suggests.
The findings, reported in the journal Heart, add to evidence linking oral health to heart health. A number of studies have suggested that gum disease may contribute to heart disease over time -- though it's still not clear that there is a cause-and-effect relationship.
This latest study involved more than 12,000 UK adults who were followed from college onward, for up to 57 years. Researchers found that those with a large number of missing teeth in young adulthood -- nine or more -- were one-third more likely to die of heart disease than their peers with fewer than five missing teeth.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-09/07/content_6087136.htm



Globe and Mail

Canada central to APEC pact
GLORIA GALLOWAY
Globe and Mail Update
September 8, 2007 at 1:55 PM EDT
SYDNEY, Australia — Canada and Japan have emerged as the linchpins of the APEC climate change agreement described by Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a “big, big step” towards reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
The two nations were explicitly singled out for credit in the body of the text for their efforts in getting the agreement, given the divisions within the disparate APEC forum.
“We and a couple of others stood firm,” said a senior Canadian official at a briefing late Saturday.
But getting the growing Asian economies to agree to targets of 50 per cent reductions in emissions by 2050, said the official, “was a bridge too far.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070908.wapecgreen0908/BNStory/International/home



Bangkok Post

Apec agree to tackle climate change
Sydney - Asia-Pacific leaders fell short of setting themselves targets for reducing the greenhouse gases that cause global warming but agreed that cuts were needed and that both rich and poor nations must make them.
The 21 leaders, gathered for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Australia's biggest city, also agreed on "specific APEC goals on energy intensity" that would translate into producers cutting the amount of energy they use producing goods and services.The meeting also agreed that deforestation must be addressed to stop the planet heating up."It's a very important milestone in the march towards a sensible international agreement on climate change which recognizes the need to make progress but also recognizes that different economies bring different perspectives to addressing the challenge of climate change," Apec host Prime Minister John Howard said.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=121461



Euronews
APEC agrees "good intentions" on climate change
Environmentalists have attacked APEC leaders meeting in Australia for failing to agree any targets to tackle carbon emissions. The 21 leaders of countries including the world's two worst polluters, China and the United States, only announced that they "hoped" there could be some reduction in the future. "We are serious about this," Australian Prime Minister John Howard insisted. But no hands were tied during the roundtable sessions. Sydney was turned into a ghost town for the top- level meeting. The presidents and prime ministers were barricaded inside the Opera House, while the man in the street was kept a 20 minute walk away. The summit's security team boasted success as tens of thousands of demonstrators failed to materialise, deterred by kilometres of barriers and concrete. Only about 5,000 people gathered to vent their anger against the Iraq war. Their protest was noisy but largely peaceful. A water cannon, bought especially for the occasion, did not see any use. Globalisation activists bemoaned the cost of the fortifications, estimated at 100 million euros.

http://euronews.net/index.php?page=info&article=441678&lng=1


continued…

Facebook ban incurs 'lactivist' wrath

Asher Moses

September 7, 2007 - 2:00PM
Thousands of Facebook members are on the warpath after the social networking site removed images of breastfeeding mums and banned others for posting "obscene content".
They call themselves "lactivists" and say Facebook's practices are discriminatory.
Facebook's hardline stance on what its members can publish on their profiles is somewhat hypocritical given that it was caught running an image of a topless model in a banner ad for a dating service.
The mothers, many from Australia, started a petition in the form of a Facebook group called "Hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene!". The group now has almost 7000 members....

Morning Papers - continued...

Sydney Morning Herald

Thousands turn out to peacefully protest
2007-09-08 18:49:33 Thousands turned out in Sydney to protest a wide range of issues. The protest remained peaceful however 9 people were arrested.(01:54)

http://media.smh.com.au/?rid=31477&category=Breaking%20News


Bush leaves Australia after APEC summit
September 9, 2007
US President George Bush left Australia in the middle of the APEC leaders' summit to return to Washington to prepare a crucial White House report on the war in Iraq.
Mr Bush flew out of Sydney airport after a four-day visit which included a raft of meetings with other leaders before he attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation leaders' meeting, a gathering of 21 heads of government that began yesterday.
The president left his fellow leaders at a cultural show at Sydney's iconic Opera House and headed straight to the airport where he boarded his Air Force One jet for the trip back to the United States.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard was forced to rearrange the timetable of the annual APEC meeting to accommodate Bush's last-minute schedule change and arrange for the traditional group photo of leaders to be taken a day early.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/apec/bush-leaves-australia-after-apec-summit/2007/09/08/1188783563918.html


Imagine a world without whales.
Whales are still recovering from commercial whaling that ended 25 years ago. And they are still not safe. Your tax deductible donation to our whales campaign will put Greenpeace between the whales and the harpoon.
Greenpeace sees a future for whales. This tax time, defend the whales. Donate to our urgent campaign by 30 June.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/howard-staying-put-till-election/2007/09/08/1188783555929.html


PM staying put till election
Kerry-Anne Walsh Political correspondentSeptember 9, 2007
LIBERAL MPs and Federal Government insiders have scotched continuing speculation the Prime Minister will step aside before the election - even as early as this week.
Health Minister Tony Abbott told The Sun-Herald that the talk was "making a difficult situation even more difficult".
He believed the poor opinion polls for the Government - responsible for increasing the leadership speculation - would improve once the election was called.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/howard-staying-put-till-election/2007/09/08/1188783555929.html



Tossed out ... and it's not even their default
Maxine FrithSeptember 9, 2007
TENANTS are being forced out of their homes at a dramatic rate, some with just two hours' notice.
Renters are becoming the innocent victims of an overcrowded rental market and the problem is expected to worsen if interest rates rise.
Tenant advocates blame the deepening problem on landlords who default on mortgages and lenders who take on high-risk customers.
The Tenants Union of NSW cited cases of landlords stealing repossession notices from the mailboxes of tenants, allowing them to pay rent right up until the sheriff's knock on the door.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/its-not-even-their-default/2007/09/08/1188783556227.html


Australian cricket team get racism delivery
September 9, 2007
THE Australian team has been warned to avoid racial outbursts as Cricket Australia prepares to host a potentially heated summer series against Sri Lanka and India.
Cricket authorities also committed to keep their nationwide ban on the Mexican wave to help eliminate "yobbish behaviour".
At a team camp before the World Twenty20 competition in South Africa, starting this week, the players were reminded of recent incidents in Australia in which cricketers and crowds had broken International Cricket Council rules.
In January 2006, South African Andre Nel formally complained about racial taunts from the Sydney crowd. In January 2003, Australian Darren Lehmann was suspended after a racial remark.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/cricket/australian-cricket-team-get-racism-delivery/2007/09/08/1188783553612.html


Mourners farewell Pavarotti
September 9, 2007 - 1:15AM
Thousands of mourners led by top political figures and stars of the entertainment world attended the funeral of opera legend Luciano Pavarotti at Modena in Italy.
About 800 family, friends and special guests packed Modena Cathedral for a mass for the venerated tenor, who died on Thursday aged 71.
Among those present were Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, U2 rock star Bono and Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli.
Pavarotti's second wife Nicoletta Mantovani sat in front of the white maple coffin, which was covered in sunflowers. Nearby were his three daughters from his first marriage.
Thousands more watched the ceremony on two giant screens set up in the main square outside.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/thousands-farewell-opera-legend-at-funeral/2007/09/09/1188783574742.html


School shrinks week to four days
Sarah Price Education Reporter
September 9, 2007
A SENIOR state high school will move to a four-day week next year in a move designed to provide more flexibility to students completing their HSC.
Bankstown Senior College has just received approval from the Department of Education to introduce the reduced school week following the successful trial of the program at Illawarra Senior College.
Principal Col Harris said the move would cater for the diverse student population, which ranges in age from 15 to 69, many of whom work to support themselves and their families. Ninety per cent of them have a non-English-speaking background.
"Some of our students work up to 12 hours a night and then come to school," he said. "It allows them to balance work, family and school commitments."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/school-shrinks-week-to-four-days/2007/09/08/1188783555768.html


APEC leaders set to push Doha deadline
September 8, 2007 - 7:54PM
APEC leaders will issue a statement urging the global community to conclude the Doha round of world trade talks by the end of the year.
Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Mitsuo Sakaba confirmed that the 21 Asia Pacific Economic leaders had agreed to a statement urging the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to meet a year-end deadline for finalising the stalled negotiations.
The current Doha round of the WTO, now in its sixth year, is on its death bed as industrialised nations and the developing world struggle to agree on ways to liberalise trade.
During a press briefing after the first day of the APEC leaders summit, Mr Sakaba said leaders had backed a recommendation from APEC ministers that they issue a separate statement urging the WTO pursue the deadline.
"We will adopt a joint statement on the WTO Doha round negotiations expressing the APEC economies commitment to engage in the final stage of negotiations for reaching, hopefully, a successful conclusion by the end of the year or substantial part of negotiations," he said.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/APEC-leaders-set-to-push-Doha-deadline/2007/09/08/1188783555940.html


Patients to have drugs tailor-made
Louise Hall
September 9, 2007
AUSTRALIAN scientists are leading a global push towards "personalised medicine" with the development of two new cancer drugs tailor-made to patients' genes.
Called pharmacogenomics, the science allows doctors to treat people with drugs based on their genetic profile, rather than a one-size-fits-all model.
Executive director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research Professor John Shine said the human genome project, which identified all the 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA, enabled researchers to better match drugs to each patient.
Australian biotechnology company ChemGenex is developing two cancer pharmaceuticals.
Ceflatonin treats patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.
ChemGenex chief executive officer Greg Collier said Ceflatonin was expected to be available in the US by the end of next year.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/patients-to-have-drugs-tailormade/2007/09/08/1188783557686.html


Fat, chance and cancer
Renee Switzer and Hannah Edwards
September 9, 2007
THE nation's obesity epidemic is exposing the alarming link between body fat and cancer.
A dramatic increase in a deadly form of oesophagus cancer linked to obesity suggests excess body fat is driving the disease.
David Whiteman, a senior research fellow at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, said adenocarcinoma had increased five fold in the past 25 years in Australia - an "unprecedented" rise.
"Could it be that the fat tissue itself is acting like a fertiliser?" he said.
"Is it producing an environment where if you have an early change that could turn into a cancer in someone with more body fat, that it is more likely to flourish, take root and grow than it would in a lean person who doesn't have the same amount of proteins flitting around the body."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/fat-chance-and-cancer/2007/09/08/1188783554661.html


Toxic gas escapes through loophole
Frank Walker
September 9, 2007
THOUSANDS of small suburban factories can release toxic gases due to a loophole in environmental laws, the State Opposition said yesterday.
Factories where emission levels fall under legal thresholds can pump out up to 90 pollutants without having to be licensed by the Government.
The legislation allows local councils to regulate factories without having to check on the potentially harmful emissions.
These gases can have a cumulative effect on human health, scientific experts have warned
Liberal MP Michael Richardson said: "This loophole . . . means there are thousands of factories like Unomedical at Mona Vale emitting dangerous pollutants across NSW without their activities being monitored."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/toxic-gas-escapes-through-loophole/2007/09/08/1188783558427.html


Mutant bug will keep on biting
Louise Hall Health Reporter
September 9, 2007
A VIRULENT strain of gastroenteritis that has struck tens of thousands of people has two months left to run, threatening child-care centres, aged-care facilities and hospitals.
The combination of a new strain of norovirus and increased susceptibility due to this year's severe influenza season has caused scores of outbreaks across NSW.
There were 63 outbreaks affecting 44 nursing homes and 11 hospitals last month, with some forced to close wards to new patients and visitors.
Molecular virologist Peter White, from the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science at the University of NSW predicted the virus, identified as norovirus 2006b, would continue until November.
"We are one month into a three-month epidemic," he said.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/mutant-bug-will-keep-on-biting/2007/09/08/1188783557290.html


Times are rough for old man of the sea, chefs warn
Hannah Edwards Environment Reporter
September 9, 2007
SOME of Sydney's top chefs are urging consumers to stop buying some types of seafood, which face extinction from overfishing.
Kylie Kwong and Jared Ingersoll have joined conservationists in a campaign to raise public awareness of the seafood they eat and how it is caught.
They say fish eaters should keep away from buying species including red snapper, orange roughy, sharks and southern blue fin tuna.
The Nature Conservation Council (NCC) will launch the "Sustainable Seafoodies" campaign later this month at Ingersoll's Danks Street Depot restaurant in Waterloo.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/times-are-rough-for-old-man-of-the-sea-chefs-warn/2007/09/08/1188783557747.html


Replaced cleric says 'role still with me'
Taghred Chandab
September 9, 2007
OUTSPOKEN Muslim cleric Sheik Taj el-Din al Hilaly still regards himself as Australia's Muslim leader, despite being replaced three months ago.
Speaking one year after his infamous Ramadan sermon - in which he compared scantily dressed women to "uncovered meat" - the sheik said he continued to represent Muslims at international Islamic conferences. He has just returned from Malaysia.
While he was replaced by Sheik Fehmi Naji El-Imam in June, Sheik Hilaly told The Sun-Herald: "The role is still with me."
"I have the tongue that speaks the truth, a heart that is only afraid of God and the knowledge to guide Muslims spiritually. They are three important qualities a leader must have," he said in Arabic from his home in south-western Sydney.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/replaced-cleric-says-role-still-with-me/2007/09/08/1188783557475.html


Former Taliban hostages mourn slain pastor
September 9, 2007
South Koreans freed from six weeks of captivity in Afghanistan mourned at the funeral of a church pastor who was one of two in their group shot dead by Taliban militants.
Five former hostages wept, prayed and sang hymns along with hundreds of black-clad mourners during the funeral service for pastor Bae Hyung-kyu at their Presbyterian Saemmul Community Church in Seongnam, just south of Seoul.
Video footage of Bae was also shown during the service, prompting sobs and wails from mourners.
Bae, 42, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds on July 25, six days after he and 22 other aid workers from a South Korean church were kidnapped from a bus on their way to the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.
He was the first of two killed in the six-week standoff. The second victim, Shim Sung-min, 29, was slain on July 31.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/former-taliban-hostages-mourn-slain-pastor/2007/09/08/1188783555595.html


New York state of mind
Kellie Hush
September 6, 2007
Kit Willow Podgornik is returning to the Big Apple ready to pick up where she left off a year ago.
There's a buzz in the air when I step into the Surry Hills studio of fashion designer Kit Willow Podgornik. She's hard at work with her team, finessing the 30 looks for her Willow spring-summer 2008 New York Fashion Week show on Sunday.
Podgornik fiddles with a strap on a skin-coloured, silk goddess gown explaining the draping technique she recently mastered in Paris for her new collection called H2O. The 31-year-old says her nerves are under control even though the late nights started long ago and will continue until the lights go down on the Bryant Park catwalk. She's not fazed because she knows first-hand about the hard yards required.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/fashion/new-york-state-of-mind/2007/09/04/1188783234161.html



Some verbal gymnastics, and Bush is in Austria
Annabel CrabbSeptember 8, 2007
BEHIND THE FENCE
AND on the Friday there came a great confusion on the conference, and they spake in tongues.Thank God for the arrival of Vladimir Putin.
APEC was in dire need of a language as yet unmastered by the rampaging Kevin Rudd.
It was almost a relief to haul out the clunky headphones and embark upon the agonising choreography of simultaneous translation at the Putin/Howard news conference; the missed cues, the bungled allusions and the long stretches of everyone looking vaguely stupid while Viktor the blank-faced interpreter delivered a guttural account of what the Russian President had just said.
Howard never looks entirely graceful at these events. We cannot blame him for that - they are impossible - but this one brought a special clanger, when he enthusiastically endorsed the idea of a 2012 APEC in "convivial" St Petersburg, only to be reminded with Slavic chill by Putin that Russia favours Vladivostok.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/some-verbal-gymnastics-and-bush-is-in-austria/2007/09/07/1188783493506.html



Babies at risk from non-stick chemical
Daniel DaseySeptember 9, 2007
ANTI-TOXIC chemical campaigners have called for non-stick frying pans to be taken off the market after a study found a chemical used in their manufacture is harmful to humans.
US researchers analysed blood in the umbilical cords of newborn babies and found those with increased levels of the chemical were likely to be smaller with reduced head sizes.
Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smit, of the National Toxic Networks Australia, said the study was the latest showing a link between ill-health and the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), used in non-stick frying pans and barbecues.
"I would like polyfluorinated chemicals to be removed from products and if that means getting rid of non-stick frying pans, so be it," Dr Lloyd-Smith said.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/babies-at-risk-from-nonstick-chemical/2007/09/08/1188783556356.html


Such tolerance of anti-Semitism raises a modern Jewish question
Michael Duffy
September 8, 2007
Recently I was involved in one of those conversations most parents end up having. I had to try to explain to a young person how the Holocaust could have occurred. For me it involves not just what was unique about Nazi Germany, but what was not unique about it. It seems to me that unless you realise just how widespread anti-Semitism once was around the world, it's almost impossible to comprehend the road to the death camps.
Of course it existed in Australia, too. The problem is that it's very hard to explain this today, because we've done a pretty good job of removing anti-Semitism from our society. It's so remote from most young people's experience that it's difficult to make it real for them.
But there are traces of the way things used to be, and a while ago I came upon a striking example in an old copy of this very newspaper. It was a letter to the editor, published on October 16, 1940. It's not a letter that would be published today, and the fact it was published then says a lot about the different public values of the time.
The writer was the artist and critic Lionel Lindsay, and it was inspired by a visit he'd just made to an exhibition of the Contemporary Art Society. Lindsay, who like his good friend Robert Menzies had traditional tastes in art, was ropable.
"The Australian public is perhaps yet unaware," he wrote from Wahroonga, "that modernism was organised in Paris by the Jew dealers, whose first care was to corrupt criticism, originate propaganda … and undermine accepted standards so that there should be ample merchandise to handle. It was Uhde, the Jew art critic, who proudly boasted that three-fourths of the art dealers, critics and collectors were Jews."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/such-tolerance-raises-a-modern-jewish-question/2007/09/07/1188783493524.html


WHO WE ARE: a column about Australia
by David Dale
Published in The Sun-Herald, 9/9/2007
It's a scary thought that two out of three marriages end in death. It's almost enough to make you apply for a divorce, so you can be in the remaining third. But lets start from the assumption that being in a long term relationship with another person is A Good Thing. It's probably good for the happiness of the individual, and it's certainly good for the continuation of society. So most of what you're about to read will be comforting news.
Australians are divorcing less than they were six years ago (rate down from 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2001 to 2.5 per 1,000 people last year), according to a report released last week by the Bureau of Statistics. When divorces do occur, the marriage has usually lasted longer than it did two decades ago (median duration of marriage up from 10.1 years in 1988 to 12.5 years in 2006). And the proportion of divorces where children under 18 are involved has dropped from 59.7 per cent in 1986 to 50.1 per cent in 2006.

http://blogs.smh.com.au/sit/archives/2007/09/who_we_are_a_column_about_aust_20.html


ADHD drug enlisted to fight fat
September 5, 2007 - 2:15PM
A single dose of Ritalin appears to dampen adults' taste for calories and fat -- suggesting, researchers say, that the ADHD drug should be studied as a weight-loss medication.
Weight loss is known to be a potential side effect of methylphenidate, best known by the brand-name Ritalin.Whether the drug stands as a potential weapon in the battle of the bulge has been little studied, however.Theoretically, Ritalin could help overweight people control their appetite because the drug increases brain levels of the chemical dopamine, which is involved in feelings of pleasure and ``reward.''

http://www.smh.com.au/news/diet/adhd-drug-enlisted-to-fight-fat/2007/09/05/1188783294682.html


Wireless computer users warned to boost security
September 8, 2007 - 1:53PM
Police are urging wireless home internet users to seriously consider boosting their security.The warning follows a number of complaints about the unauthorised use of unsecured wireless internet networks in the Rockhampton area.A wireless or "wifi" connection uses radio frequency signals to send data between computers and devices.If a network is unsecured, a stranger can tap into it and access the owner's personal details or files, including email accounts or web-based networking accounts, including Facebook and MySpace.Criminal penalties of up to two years imprisonment apply for anyone caught using another's wireless network without permission.Police said home users should talk to their internet providers about boosting security.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2007/09/08/1188783541631.html?s_rid=smh:top5



New Zealand Herald

Agreement on climate
5:00AM Sunday September 09, 2007
By Greg Ansley
John Howard, George W Bush, and Helen Clark wearing their Apec special stockmen's coats. Photo / Reuters
Leaders of Pacific rim countries yesterday agreed to an urgent new focus on climate change, embracing a joint commitment to action by some of largest polluters in the world.
Although the language remained cautious and referred only to "aspirational" greenhouse gas targets after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, the declaration has recognised the United Nations as the key forum for global agreements.
"You're looking at Apec never having a work programme on these issues, to wanting to work one out," Prime Minister Helen Clark said. "So that's progress. We've come a long way from where we were."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10462528



11:30AM Saturday September 08, 2007
Japan's Shinzo Abe, Australia's John Howard and US President George W Bush in Sydney.
Climate change and trade will top the agenda as APEC leaders hold their first full meeting at the Sydney summit this afternoon.
Officials and ministers have been meeting all week, but this weekend the talks ramp up to the highest level.
The final massaging of international diplomacy will take place in the leaders' retreats.
Australia is hoping to clinch consensus on a so-called 'Sydney Declaration' including a long-term aspirational goal for greenhouse gas reductions.
China is seen as one stumbling block. It backs a statement, but warns the UN should be the top arbiter on climate change action.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10462425


Fran O'Sullivan: Finding our way to real agreement
5:00AM Sunday September 09, 2007
By Fran O'Sullivan
Tom Donohue the energetic president of the US Chamber of Commerce is a master of the art of making the seemingly impossible seem completely do-able.
This is particularly so in relation to the World Trade Organisation's global trade talks, which, while no longer at an impasse, need some major sacrifices to get the Doha deal done.
A Doha agreement cannot be signed during the Bush Administration's remaining months because the President's trade promotion authority has expired.
This has dismayed New Zealand's farming exporters, manufacturers and service providers, who want the WTO deal done so they can bag a greater commercial dividend.
But Donohue is adamant that President George W. Bush is committed to getting the negotiations finalised.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10462497


Brian Fallow: Tough choices on power
5:00AM Thursday September 06, 2007
By Brian Fallow
As the Prime Minister heads off to Sydney to add to the peer pressure on other Asia-Pacific leaders to get serious about climate change, her Government is grappling with some tough choices at home.
New Zealand is at a crossroads in energy policy, but none of the signposts is marked "cheap and easy".
Under our Kyoto Protocol commitments we have to take financial responsibility for any increase in greenhouse gas emissions above 1990 levels.
But since 1990 CO2 emissions from the electricity sector have increased a whopping 137 per cent.
The reason, in a word, is Huntly.
Switching the 1000MW plant from natural gas to coal - reflecting dwindling supplies from the Maui gas field - followed by the need to run the plant increasingly hard, despite its inefficiency, to cope with relentlessly rising electricity demand has seen emissions from the sector's use of coal soar.
They reached 4.6 million tonnes of CO2 last year, five times the level in 2000 and nearly 10 times the level in 1990.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=26&objectid=10461877


Battling the big guns
5:00AM Saturday September 08, 2007
By Greg Ansley
"There is talk that [the Doha round] might be put in the freezer for two years, until 2009-10," he said. "I would deeply regret any outcome from Apec that resulted in that because you can't be certain that if a round is put in the freezer for that long, that when it emerges again it's still going to be capable of revival."
The communique is a familiar wish-list: continued regional economic integration and the ultimate hope of an Apec free-trade area; easier and less costly trade; greater protection of intellectual property; renewed attacks on corruption; structural reform in member economies; and greater economic and technical co-operation.
Other areas included determination to combat terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and to improve food safety.
The communique failed to present any specific goals on climate change, instead fudging around an issue clouded by divergent perspectives of rich and poor, and the determination of the US and Australia to forge a new agreement outside the Kyoto protocols.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=171&objectid=10462322&pnum=2


Leaky homeowners on suicide watch
5:00AM Sunday September 09, 2007
By Jane Phare
John Gray helps distressed leaky home owners.
At least one owner of a leaky home has taken his own life and 10 others are on suicide watch, while hundreds of others are facing bankruptcy and wrecked lives as aggressive body corporates hound them for thousands of dollars to fix leaky buildings.
Stacked atop their broken housing dreams comes ill health, depression, anxiety and sleeplessness as they watch debts they cannot possibly pay balloon with penalty interest.
Leaky home advocate and Air New Zealand pilot John Gray puts in hundreds of hours a month helping desperate apartment and multi-unit complex owners who can't afford their share of bills run up by body corporates. Legal help is equally unaffordable.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10462521


Kiro wants every child monitored
New 5:00AM Sunday September 09, 2007
The Children's Commissioner wants mandatory screening of every baby's home life to halve New Zealand's high child-murder rate.
Cindy Kiro wants every newborn baby's parents or caregivers to nominate a provider to assess their family's progress through home visits.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10462454


Dead girl's father: I've seen worse bruises
5:00AM Sunday September 09, 2007
By Jonathan Marshall
Joseph Wilson, right, faced three trials for Alyssa's death.
The father who failed to attend his 4-month-old daughter's inquest had spoken of a string of accidents that bruised the girl, according to evidence at his trial for her manslaughter.
At an inquest last week, Coroner Dr Murray Jamieson ruled that Alyssa Amy Te Ataahua Wilson died from "violent shaking to the head" the day before her death.
The coroner said that Alyssa "was in the care of her father and her uncle, Tamati Kem, on the day she received the violent shaking that caused her death".

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10462473


111 stretched to brink
5:00AM Sunday September 09, 2007
By Jared Savage
Health Minister Pete Hodgson.
Emergency Ambulance services are so stretched that patient safety is in danger, according to a damning report to Government by 111 paramedic service, St John.
The report states nearly one in five 111 responses fails to meet minimum standards, a crisis which St John says could be fixed for $5 million a year.
It comes just days after Parliament's health select committee announced an inquiry into ambulance services, as Health Minister Pete Hodgson continues to play down problems with the service.
St John's greatest concern was being forced to staff many ambulances with just one ambulance officer.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10462508


PM blamed for turmoil at TVNZ
5:00AM Sunday September 09, 2007By Michelle Coursey
Bill Ralston has accused the Government of meddling in TVNZ's affairs.
Prime Minister Helen Clark has been accused of bringing state broadcaster TVNZ "almost to its knees", leading to the loss of some of its best-known presenters and plummeting ratings.
In a column in the Herald on Sunday starting today, former TVNZ head of news and current affairs Bill Ralston has broken his silence over the rocky period that saw broadcasters Paul Holmes, Judy Bailey and Susan Wood leave.
Ralston says TVNZ has been treated as a "political football", and that Clark's "aversion to paying presenters large salaries has cost the company tens of millions of dollars and has been a major factor in bringing the place almost to its knees".

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10462536


Official cash rate set to be left unchanged
5:00AM Sunday September 09, 2007
By James Gray
Alan Bollard is expected to stick to his hard line on inflation. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Turmoil on international credit markets is likely to loom large in this week's monetary policy statement from the Reserve Bank, economists say.
Economists are expecting the central bank to keep its official cash rate steady at 8.25 per cent come Thursday, and for governor Alan Bollard to maintain the same stern line on inflation as he did in the last announcement on July 26. But a lot has happened since then.
Firstly, the uncertain state of the risky US sub-prime credit markets has sent shockwaves around the financial world.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10462446



Australian construction in crisis
5:00AM Saturday September 08, 2007
SYDNEY: The housing affordability crisis continues to wreak havoc in the Australian construction industry, contributing to more deterioration in activity, figures show.
Activity in the construction industry deteriorated for a second consecutive month, with the Australian Industry Group-Housing Industry Association Performance of Construction Index (PCI) falling 0.4 points last month to 48.4.
The fall in activity meant the index remained below the key 50-point level that separates expansion from contraction.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10462378



So of course, Reuters pastes Bin Laden’s picture on the article regardless of the fact he was never at Gitmo but many innocent people were. And they were tortured against any known International Law, but, who’s counting?

Doctors damn Gitmo medics
5:00AM Saturday September 08, 2007
More than 260 doctors from around the world have launched an unprecedented attack on the American medical establishment for its failure to condemn unethical practices by medical practitioners at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba.
In a letter to The Lancet, the doctors from 16 countries, including Britain and America, say the failure of the United States regulatory authorities to act is "damaging the reputation of US military medicine".
They compare the actions of the military doctors, whom they accuse of being involved in the force-feeding of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and of turning a blind eye to evidence of torture in Iraq and elsewhere, to those of the South African security police involved in the death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko 30 years ago.
The group highlighted the force-feeding of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay last year and suggested the physicians involved should be referred to their professional bodies for breaching internationally accepted ethical guidelines. The doctors wrote: "No healthcare worker in the War on Terror has been charged or convicted of any significant offence despite [documented instances of] fraudulent record-keeping on detainees who have died as a result of failed interrogations ... The attitude of the US military establishment appears to be one of 'See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil'."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10462343


Both Madeleine's parents suspects - Portuguese police
2:30PM Saturday September 08, 2007By Henrique Almeida
Gerry McCann (left) and his wife Kate have both been put on the police's list of suspects. Photo / Reuters
PRAIA DA LUZ, Portugal - Portuguese police today named the parents of missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann as suspects in their investigation, their lawyer said after they were questioned for hours by police.
A spokesman for Kate and Gerry McCann, who had gained widespread sympathy in Europe for their plight, said they were innocent and that, in naming them as suspects, police were not focusing on finding Madeleine.
"Today, Kate and Gerry McCann have both been declared 'arguidos'," their lawyer, Carlos Pinto de Abreu, told reporters using the Portuguese word for suspect.
"No charges were brought against them," he said, adding that there were no conditions established by the police on them as suspects. "The investigation continues."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10462416

continued…

Everyone seems to be making more of these bin Laden tapes than should be...

I am all for identifying the guy, but, I'd much rather locate him and see the end of him.

Regardless, remember this?


Terror plot in Germany may have targeted U.S. facilities (click here)
By David McHugh The Associated Press
BERLIN — Three suspected Islamic terrorists from an al-Qaida-influenced group nursing "profound hatred of U.S. citizens" were arrested on suspicious of plotting imminent, massive bomb attacks on U.S. facilities in Germany, prosecutors said Wednesday. A senior State Department official said German investigators had determined the Frankfurt International Airport and the nearby U.S. Ramstein Air Base were the primary targets of the plot but that those arrested may have also been considering strikes on other sites, particularly facilities associated with the United States.
It was the second time in as many days that European officials said they had thwarted a major attack, following the arrest by Danish authorities on Tuesday of eight alleged Islamic militants with links to senior al-Qaida terrorists. It also comes less than a week before the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
German Federal Prosecutor Monika Harms said the three suspects, two of whom were German converts to Islam, had trained at camps in Pakistan run by the Islamic Jihad Union, a group based in Central Asia. They had obtained some 1,500 pounds of hydrogen peroxide for making explosives.
"We were able to succeed in recognizing and preventing the most serious and massive bombings," Harms told reporters. She declined to name specific targets, but said the suspects had an eye on institutions and establishments frequented by Americans in Germany, including discos, pubs and airports.
The senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe discussions between American and German intelligence agencies, said the threat had been a major reason the U.S. Embassy in Berlin had boosted security and issued two warnings in April and May about possible impending terrorist attacks.
Chancellor Angela Merkel called the arrests a "very, very great success."...

Just for a minute, imagine the plot to have worked. Just for the sake of example. I am more than pleased the intelligence worked and that is not the issue, but, just imagine these terrorists were able to carry out the plot.

Now.

A couple days later...

...after all the excitement and terror had 'set in' around the globe...

...what appears on the internet?

Yep. Osama bin Laden with the message that unless the USA converts to Islam otherwise there will be no ending the war in Iraq, etc., etc...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWHKDASKChI&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnews%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2Fnwshp%3Ftab%3Dwn

So, to contend this is a tape that is autonomous from any successful terrroist bombing on USA assets as if still another possibility is not giving enough credit to the mastermind of September 11th. The sad reality for 'bin' is that the world is coming to terms with his ability to invade infrastructure and to realize the intercepts that 'nailed down' the plot came from Pakistan gives clear indication to where he is actually living and conducting his business.

Now, if I may, I'd like to take this tape message once step further. This is pure speculation but none the less a perspective never pursued in the media.

So...

Here is a guy about 55 years old or so in a Pakistan tribal area, eating goat with his personal mentor, Omar, contemplating the next attack to dwarf the attacks of September 11th. Let's suppose he actually believes he has a purpose in his life. Not just some deranged anger with the USA. Not just a bastard son of his father that has to prove to all the world he is a man to contend with and 'the best' of all his siblings. Let's give 'bin' some credit in believing he is doing the right thing here.

Osama bin Laden, as wacked as he may be, reflects some of the most profound ideology of the Islamic world in recognizing the power of the USA over not just Islam, but, 'the way the world works.' Basically, he recognizes the USA as 'the evil' among people.

How is that not so strange?

We, as Americans, have witnessed to ourselves the corruption of our government, balanced it with the outcomes of other peoples, including farmers in Africa disaffected by USA policies, we have looked to Darfur and realized there are no policies of the USA that are successful to stop the genocide, we 'at home' have watched our democracy used and abused by Neocons providing more and more reason to be concerned for our own citizens.

The point is that when the USA has policy that 'hurts' others, especially Islamic populous it is instilling fear and hatred that reverberates through the community of Islam which comprises 50% of Earth's population. When bin Laden states, '...if the USA converts to Islam the war in Iraq will stop...' He is reflecting the fact we have a president that reflects extremist Christian principles which allows him morally to attack illegally an Islamic country, namely Iraq. That has clout in the populous of Muslims around the world. That is what gives 'bin' his clout to young men whom see their purpose in life to defeat the 'great evil.'

When one reflects on 'bin's message from the standpoint of 'sanity' there is a lot of reality that comes out of his statements. He is wrong in that there is another way to end the war in Iraq and that is to withdraw our troops. It would no longer give 'bin' a playground for his terrorist networks and sympathizers. He is wrong about a lot of things in his message, and that is more reassuring than anything else about this 'madman.'

He is a very clever man to plot against the West the way he does but all in all I can also see the unraveling of al Qaeda's reach as the West is able to unravel the plots and score successes against his abilities. The deepest problem that The West faces is not Osama himself, but, the reality that The West's own policies, politicians and priorities need to change. Not to give up democracy, or freedom of religion but to realize the profound 'right of passage' our societies give to the directives of 'bin' and Omar.

When the USA provides reason for others to realize how their suffering is a direct result of policies and politics practiced within our borders, is it enough to 'be safe' or do we need to move beyond that and realize others react to our society in an overwhelming way.

I firmly believe the USA is becoming just about as safe as it can. Not to say there won't be attempts or perhaps details that might slip through the cracks, but, September 11th was preventable. The USA intelligence agencies were 'on the case.' Realizing the USA is coming closer to being 'safe' I firmly believe we need to realize the power of USA policies globally and 'add' to them conscience to soften adversity to the people they can disaffect.

Ridding the world of 'bin' is one thing, being safe within our borders is another, but, do we want a future for our children that ? might ? spawn another 'bin,' another Omar? I think not and to that end we need to realize we need leadership that believes in 'a governmental conscience' to foreign policy. We also need leadership that apologies for poor decision making, willing to step aside for the best interest of the country. The face of American elections have to change to realize we are responsible in some way for messages such as those 'fired off' in contemplation of building fear in Western society intended to demise it.

The next president of the USA has to be strong enough to realize wars achieve little when it comes to domestic protection at home and stopping madmen like Osama bin Laden starts with the very policies we have with Islamic countries with populations at risk for extremism.

Bush the Paranoid - No matter where he goes it's always overwhelming force

Arrest .... Footage of Greg McLeay's arrest.

Matthew BennsSeptember 9, 2007

A FATHER of three wept yesterday as he revealed how crossing the road ahead of an APEC motorcade led to his violent arrest in front of his young son and a traumatic 22 hours in jail.
Greg McLeay was released on bail yesterday after his wife, Sophie, and children spent a sleepless Friday night worrying about him.
"Because of APEC I was not allowed to speak to him - even the lawyer couldn't," Mrs McLeay said.
"The children are traumatised. We spent the night sleeping together on the sofa. How does walking to yum cha with your 11-year-old son end up with 22-hours in jail and no access to a lawyer?"
Footage available on ninemsn showed Mr McLeay, a 52-year-old accountant from Sydney's North Shore, speaking to police in Pitt Street before four officers pushed him to the ground.
He could be clearly heard trying to explain that he was simply attempting to protect his glasses. He has a condition called astigmatism, which means he can barely see without them.
Mr McLeay was arrested under sweeping powers given to police for the APEC period that allows officers to arrest and hold people without bail until APEC ends.
Mr McLeay said he and his son, George, cycled into the city on Friday - the APEC public holiday - and met a friend, Stephen Carter, 40, to work on his accounts at Mr McLeay's Pitt Street office.
They walked out at lunchtime to go to Chinatown for yum cha. They were crossing the street to avoid a police cordon outside the Westin hotel when a police officer started shouting at them.
"I didn't know what was going on," Mr McLeay said.
"I asked which way to go and he directed me around the block. I started to walk away and he suddenly started yelling at me. It was like a fool's comedy....