~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3030851.stm

Officials in the UK are routinely demanding huge quantities of information about what people do online and who they call... Police and other officials are making around a million requests for access to data held by net and telephone companies each year, according to figures compiled from the government, legal experts and the internet industry. The findings were announced at a public debate into government proposals to widen powers for internet snooping held in London this week [and so on].

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the devil made them do it.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$53KEU5KHINXF3QFIQMGSFFOAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2003/05/20/nterr20.xml/

Britain continues to play a significant role as a support base for al-Qa'eda... While it was once a haven for Islamic fundamentalists, it was now a prime target, a court heard... during the first of a series of appeals by suspected foreign terrorists against their detention without trial.

...The court procedures are unusually secretive to protect intelligence sources. An MI5 officer gave evidence from behind a curtain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

now vogue.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/20/1053196582651.html

The Pentagon is developing a radar-based device that can identify people by the way they walk, for use in a new anti-terrorist surveillance system. On the theory that an individual's walk is as unique as a signature, the Pentagon has financed a research project at the Georgia Institute of Technology that has been 80 to 95 per cent successful in identifying people [and so on].

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

if you're going to san francisco, just don't. [this statement not intended to adversely impact the local or national economy]

http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82%7E1865%7E1400012,00.html

Days before firing wooden slugs at anti-war protesters, Oakland police were warned of potential violence at the Port of Oakland by California's anti-terrorism intelligence center... The April 2 bulletin from the California Anti-Terrorism Information Center (CATIC) arguably offered more innuendo than actual evidence of protesters' intent to "shut down" the port and possibly act violently.

CATIC spokesman Mike Van Winkle said such evidence wasn't needed to issue warnings on war protesters. "You can make an easy kind of a link that, if you have a protest group protesting a war where the cause that's being fought against is international terrorism... you can almost argue that a protest against that is a terrorist act."

...CATIC's analysts in Sacramento monitor terror alerts from federal agencies and sift through local police tips. CATIC regards itself as a hub... Center analysts compile dossiers on "extremist" environmental, animal-rights and white supremacist groups... The center draws $6,700,000.00 a year in state funds.

...Analysts must obey one federal rule to limit the intelligence they gather, analyze and disseminate: It must have a criminal predicate, a "reasonable suspicion" that criminal acts will be committed... "If we receive information that 10,000 folks are going to a street corner and going to block it, that's breaking a law," [CATIC director Ed] Manavian said... Said [spokesperson] Van Winkle: "I've heard terrorism described as anything that is violent or has an economic impact, and shutting down a port certainly would have some economic impact."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

foreigners by the name of dave nelson-- beware!

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=542&e=3&u=/ap/20030519/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/tracking_foreigners

Foreign visitors arriving with visas at U.S. airports or seaports next year will have... their fingerprints and photos taken and their identification checked against terrorist watch lists... "Border security can no longer be just a coastline, or a line on the ground between two nations. It's also a line of information in a computer," [said Homeland Security Department undersecretary Asa Hutchinson]... Congress has provided about $380,000,000.00 for the new system, which will replace a paper-based system.

...The system will later be enhanced, possibly to include iris scans or facial recognition technology, Hutchinson said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

big brother: really very nice once you get to know him

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,58871,00.html

The Pentagon is preparing to turn in its final report on the Total Information Awareness project in hopes of getting a passing grade from Congress... The report, which is due Tuesday, must outline the project's privacy implications and detail the scope of the system.

Privacy groups say they aren't sure what to expect from the report, mainly because of the secretive nature of the agencies involved. They don't even know how or to whom the report will be delivered... [or] whether the report will be classified.

...DARPA [tghe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] has awarded 26 contracts to private companies and universities which will provide components of the system. One of the largest contracts -- worth more than $19,000,000.00 -- was awarded to Hicks & Associates, a consulting firm that will be responsible for testing the system and coordinating the integration of the system's components. The system underwent its first test in February, but the test reports are not publicly available.

...DARPA director Tony Tether said in congressional testimony May 6 that the program would search only through disparate databases to find out more about connections to a specific suspect or to answer questions such as, "Are there foreign visitors to the United States who are staying in urban areas, buying large amounts of fertilizer and renting trucks?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030519-110200-8682r.htm

The Pentagon has approved a $15,000,000,000.00 project to build a network of high-tech tanks and surveillance drones as the heart of the Army's effort to transform itself into a faster, lighter, more lethal force. The "future combat system" (FCS) would included remote-controlled drones to prowl the air and the ground, looking for enemies and carrying soldiers' gear... A computer system will link all the vehicles and other weapons with soldiers and their commanders... Plans call for an Army battalion — a unit of about 700 soldiers — to be fully equipped with the new system by the end of 2010. Another five battalions would be equipped with the system by 2015 [et cetera].

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

what would ashcroft do?

http://www.corpwatch.org/bulletins/PBD.jsp?articleid=6810

On May 8, Attorney General John Ashcroft filed an amicus curiae (''friend of the court'') brief for the defense in a civil case alleging that the oil company Unocal was complicit in forced labor and other abuses committed by the Burmese military... and argued for a radical re-interpretation of the 1789 Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA). For over 20 years, courts have held that the ATCA permits victims of serious violations of international law abroad to seek civil damages in U.S. courts against their alleged abusers who are found in the United States. The Justice Department would deny victims the right to sue under the ATCA for abuses committed abroad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-woemba0520,0,4177265.story?coll=ny-worldnews-headlines

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- U.S. diplomats said Tuesday more attacks in Saudi Arabia were "imminent" and closed their embassy and consulates for a few days in response.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

get out ya duck tape

http://www.msnbc.com/news/915819.asp?0cv=CA01&cp1=1

The White House raised the nation’s terror threat level Tuesday to orange, or “high”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

danger white people! danger danger!

http://www.news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?id=564772003&tid=1

BRITONS travelling abroad are receiving new advice almost daily from the Foreign Office in the face of terror threats across the globe. Over the weekend 15 updates have been issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)... People visiting Morocco or Saudi Arabia are warned to be extra vigilant... The FCO is advising against non-essential travel to Kenya... The FCO website (www.fco.gov.uk) counsels against all travel to Burundi, Central African Republic, Iraq, Liberia, and Yemen, and certain parts of about 30 other countries, including the Kashmir province of India, the northern Caucasus region of the Russian Federation, north or east Sri Lanka, the whole of Afghanistan outside of Kabul, and large parts of Israel and the occupied territories.

A spokesman for the FCO said: "The list is changing constantly."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

rumor central

http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2003/may/05_20_1.html

ABU DHABI [MENL] -- Iran and Saudi Arabia are said to have agreed to finance an ambitious program to modernize Syria's military.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/20/international/asia/20PREX.html?ex=1054447650&ei=1&en=fd9dce32d5f92c88

President Bush reaffirmed Washington's commitment today to send American troops to help root out Muslim militants in the southern Philippines, but he did not provide any details of how or when they would be sent. [neat.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0520/p01s04-woap.html

JAKARTA, INDONESIA – In the past week, two separate peace initiatives have collapsed in Southeast Asia: The Philippines' effort to end its war with Muslim rebels and the internationally brokered peace talks between Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). Though peace was a long shot in both cases, analysts point to an unexpected trigger for the latest round of hostilities: America's quick victory in Iraq. [how very odd.]

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ho hum

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/5895683.htm

The Supreme Court turned away an appeal Monday over detention of hundreds of U.S. prisoners picked up in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The court did not comment in rejecting an appeal from clergy, lawyers and others who wanted to go to court on behalf of the prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, without charges or access to lawyers... The case is Coalition of clergy, Lawyers and Professors v. Bush, 02-1155.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.iht.com/articles/96818.html

Shiite and Sunni Muslims marched peacefully through Baghdad on Monday in a religious rally that turned into a largely political protest against the American military presence and its plans for a future Iraqi government. With an estimated 10,000 people, it was perhaps the largest protest in Iraq against the U.S. occupation. The demonstration was one of several signs to emerge Monday of how far the American administration in Baghdad has to go to end looting and lawlessness [sic].

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,5944-686385,00.html

For the first time since the war, the United States signalled that it might be willing to accept a future role for the UN weapons inspectors... Under existing UN resolutions, the UN inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the UN Monitoring and Verification Commission (Unmovic) are required to certify Iraq free of weapons of mass destruction before UN sanctions are finally ended.

...The latest proposal does not concede that the UN inspectors will definitely return to Iraq, but it leaves open the possibility by “reaffirming the importance of the eventual confirmation of the disarmament of Iraq.” [heady stuff, that.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

um, and, yeah. from bill o'reilly's interview on ABC's Good Morning America (March 18, 2003)

http://www.haloscan.com/comments.php?user=atrios&comment=200304637#79529

BILL O'REILLY: "Here's, here's the bottom line on this for every American and everybody in the world, nobody knows for sure, all right? We don't know what he has. We think he has 8,500 liters of anthrax. But let's see. But there's a doubt on both sides. And I said on my program, if, if the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush Administration again, all right? But I'm giving my government the benefit of the doubt."

[And later in the interview]: BILL O'REILLY: "If [Saddam Hussein] has 8,500 liters of anthrax that he's not going to give up, even though the United Nations demanded that he do that, we are doing the right thing. If he doesn't have any weapons, then we are doing the wrong thing. So, we'll see."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

dude! no waaay!

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/19/1053196528488.html

A top-level United States policy document has emerged that explicitly confirms the Defence Department's readiness to fight an oil war. According to the report, Strategic Assessment 1999, prepared for the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defence, "energy and resource issues will continue to shape international security". Oil conflicts over production facilities and transport routes, particularly in the Persian Gulf and Caspian regions, are specifically envisaged... Strategic Assessment also forecasts that if an oil "problem" arises, "US forces might be used to ensure adequate supplies". [mrs. henry is miffed-- perfectly miffed!]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

no waaay dept., part 2

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/19/1053196529293.html

Amnesty International accused the world's wealthiest countries yesterday of arming some of the worst abusers of human rights despite their assurances to the contrary... At least two-thirds of all global arms transfers between 1997 and 2001 came from five of the G8 members - the United States, Russia, France, Britain and Germany.

...The report, entitled "A Catalogue of Failures: G8 Arms Exports and Human Rights Violations", said the United States accounted for 28 per cent of global arms transfers from 1997 to 2000, making it the world's top supplier of weapons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

damn 'straight'

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=564&e=23&u=/nm/20030519/ts_nm/korea_north_experts_dc_1

The United States must be prepared to take tough unilateral measures -- including sanctions and a naval blockade -- if negotiations cannot arrest Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, prominent foreign policy experts say... If negotiations... "have truly failed, the United States should consider moving forward with these tough measures, to the extent possible, even without the full support of its regional partners," the report said... While the [Council on Foreign Relations] task force strongly endorsed negotiations with the North and close coordination with U.S. allies, it was pessimistic talks would succeed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

scaring the horses

http://www.arabia.com/newsfeed/article/english/0,14183,391385,00.html

Voice of Iraq (VOI), broadcasting from Saudi Arabia, said in its Saturday evening news that the US forces started a vast attack [in Baghdad], aimed at destroying the centers where arms and ammunition are dealt. The VOI added, "three residential Baghdad regions were attacked in the course of the said operation on Saturday afternoon."

Offering more details on the attack, the radio, monitored here, added, "Houses and shops in Hayy-ul-Shurta, Baghdad-ul-Jadida (the new Baghdad), and Al-Biyaa, of the Iraqi capital were the targets of the attack in which US armored vehicles were used." The VOI said that the US commanders assumed certain individuals in those regions used to smuggle guns and ammunition, and according to a US armed forces headquarters in Iraq, all such weapons and ammunition were discovered and confiscated during the Saturday evening surprise operation. The American forces have meanwhile recently established new guard posts at all entrances of Baghdad, aimed at confiscating "illegal" arms and ammunition, according to the same report.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

science to the rescue

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/5894141.htm

U.S. interrogators in Iraq are building a digital catalog of prisoners of war and loyalists of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, scanning and saving their fingerprints and other body characteristics in databases.

The data banks, controlled by the FBI, CIA, Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies, are being used to investigate suspicious foreigners... "We do this passive collection when we go in, because these guys will scatter over time," said Thomas Barnett, a professor at the Naval War College who advises the Office of the Secretary of Defense [and a recent nominee for mrs. henry's metaphor-of-the-year prize]. "When you have the opportunity to tag them, you tag them before you release them to the wild."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

another satisfied customer

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=294463&contrassID=2&subContrassID=4&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y

...One must get used to the idea that the Israeli regime in the territories, in its current form, is becoming permanent... The Israel Defense Forces have taken the place of the Palestinian security services, which the army obliterated in the West Bank and partially destroyed in Gaza. Palestinian cities, towns, and villages are under various forms of siege ("closure" in the official terminology), with severe limitations on freedom of movement for the residents, and the Palestinian Authority's institutions and services are barely able to function. Last year's Operation Defensive Shield practically destroyed the sovereign existence of Area A, which had been under full Palestinian control in the West Bank. In recent months, Gaza's Area A has been going through a similar process of elimination.

...Jewish settlement in the West Bank continues to develop apace. The civilian and security infrastructures for the settlements have been greatly strengthened. There is nearly complete Israeli control on the roads in Judea and Samaria. The electricity and water systems, as well as various other services used by the settlers have become nearly completely independent of the Palestinian infrastructure. All the planning bodies in the territory are under settler control. The Defense Ministry's civil administration, which in the past handled all matters in the territories, has become an instrument to extend Israeli control over about half the West Bank.

...In recent years, the 125 Jewish settlements have added another 105 outposts... The outposts... have become a symbol of settler power and of the power of their representatives in the Israeli government. The question of the legality of one or another settlement is irrelevant because the authority and the power to decide whether they are legal or not is either directly or indirectly in the hands of the settlers.

...The Israeli defense establishment and other government agencies simply do not trust the Palestinians and are not prepared to give them any powers... Meanwhile, on the Palestinian side, the ruckus in the political leadership is unceasing. The smashed PA is busy with rivalries and power struggles. The only thing that unites them is their assessment that given the existing political status quo in Israel, there's no chance for any progress toward peace. [clearly they all need more guns.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030518-114058-5626r.htm

A Washington conference of Christian and Jewish Zionists yesterday heard attacks on the U.S. "road map" for peace in the Middle East as a breach of a 4,000-year-old covenant between God and Israel. "The land of Israel was originally owned by God," said Gary Bauer, president of American Values and a Republican presidential contender in 2000. "Since He was the owner, only He could give it away. And He gave it to the Jewish people."

... Calling the peace proposal "a Satanic road map," Earl Cox, executive producer and host of Front Page Jerusalem, a radio program, asked, "Do any of you believe [Palestinian leader] Yasser Arafat will embrace traditional family values?"

...One organization distributed bumper stickers saying: "Pray that President Bush will honor God's covenant with Israel." ...Frank Gaffney Jr., president of the Center for Security Policy, said the months before the November 2004 election are ideal for lobbying Mr. Bush... "This statement will be a shot across the bow for this president... George W. Bush, I think, is with us in his heart and in his soul."

...Jan Willem van de Hoeven, the Dutch-born founder of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem... [said,] "We may have disagreements about who the Messiah is, but He is not coming back to a mosque..." His words drew one of several standing ovations.

...Several speakers talked of how to persuade Mr. Bush to stay firm on his nomination of Daniel Pipes, a scholar on Islam, as one of 15 directors of the U.S. Institute of Peace... Mr. Pipes, a speaker at the conference, criticized Americans for political naivete. "Why do we destroy our enemies and ask Israel to prop up its enemies?" he asked... A "change of heart" is needed among Palestinians, he said, "which is achieved by an Israeli victory and a Palestinian defeat." [me feel sad now.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

mars is heaven

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2770228&src=eDialog/GetContent

Scientists have concluded that politicians lie. In a study described in Britain's Observer newspaper, Glen Newey, a political scientist at Britain's University of Strathclyde, concluded that lying is an important part of politics in the modern democracy... Voters expect to be lied to in certain circumstances, and sometimes even require it.

...Newey said lying by politicians can occasionally be entirely justified, such as when national security is at risk, and the public even has a "right to be lied to" in cases where they do not expect to be told the whole truth, such as during a war.

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wwrd?

http://www.madison.com/toolbox/index.php?action=printme&ref=captimes&storyURL=/captimes/opinion/column/nichols/49154.php

White House political czar Karl Rove, the man who stage-managed the vicious, free-spending attack campaign against Minnesota's Sen. Paul Wellstone in 2000, is busy preparing another no-holds-barred assault... [on] Wisconsin's Sen. Russ Feingold, a Democrat from Middleton and the most independent member of the Senate... [Rove] has been so aggressive that some Republicans are already complaining - as Minnesota Republicans did in the run-up to the 2002 Senate race there - that the White House is trying to impose its own candidate. [mrs. henry advises mister feingold to take the dang bus from now on.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i heart barney

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A13173-2003May19?language=printer

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) yesterday called for the resignation of Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz, accusing the Pentagon official of seeking to undermine Turkey's democratic government. In a May 6 interview, Wolfowitz told CNN Turk that the Bush administration was disappointed the Turkish military did not do more to convince the Turkish parliament to join the coalition against Iraq.

..."For a high-ranking American official to urge the undermining of a democratic decision-making by military intervention is appalling in any case," Frank said on the House floor. "It is particularly disturbing in this instance." Frank said he is drafting a letter that he and other lawmakers will send to President Bush asking him to disavow Wolfowitz's comments. The White House said Bush remained firmly behind Wolfowitz.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

woah! i totally missed this! musta been during th' sars

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/05/19/ari/index_np.html

May 19, 2003 | On Monday morning, White House spokesman Lawrence Ari Fleischer revealed to the Associated Press that he is heading out the door, seeking employment in the private sector. When he told his boss the news on Friday, the conversation ended with the president "kissing me on the head," Fleischer said. [unfortunately since now every word on salon.com requires cash on the barrelhead...]

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and we can walk together down in dixieland.

http://www.counterpunch.org/dixie05172003.html

According to a story from americannewsreel.com sent to RRC [Rock and Rap Confidential] by former Reprise president Howie Klein, "Phone calls originating from Republican Party headquarters in Washington went out to country stations, urging them to remove the [Dixie] Chicks from their playlists. The 'alternative concert' [to the Dixie Chicks' tour opener] is actually the work of the South Carolina Republican Party and party officials are helping promote the concert.We received a call from 'Gallagher's Army,' urging us to support the alternative concert. Caller ID backtraced the call to South Carolina GOP headquarters."

...The Dixie Chicks Top of the World tour was set to begin in Greenville, South Carolina, on May 1. The state legislature had passed a resolution condemning the group... In the wake of the many death threats against the three young women in the group, bomb dogs searched the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville before the show.

...After the third song, Natalie Maines, clad in a tank top emblazoned with "Dare to Be Free," offered the crowd a chance to boo. "If there were any boos, they couldn't be heard over the huge applause," reported the Greenville News. Nor was there any booing... when a video was shown onstage that highlighted the civil rights movement, Gandhi, Malcolm X, and women's rights, along with footage of people stomping on records by the Beatles, Sinead O'Connor, and the Dixie Chicks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the martyrdom of rick santorum

http://www.msnbc.com/news/915228.asp

PHILADELPHIA, May 18 — About one in every eight graduates walked out of commencement Sunday at Saint Joseph’s University before the keynote address by Sen. Rick Santorum. Santorum, the Senate's third-ranking Republican, [commented,] “We are all called to love one another, even people we disagree with, even people who hate us for what we believe,” he said.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/05/18/MN251738.DTL&type=printable

The Department of Defense... once again finds itself under intense scrutiny, only this time because it couldn't account for more than a trillion dollars in financial transactions, not to mention dozens of tanks, missiles and planes... The Pentagon's money management woes have reached astronomical proportions [and so on].

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.unknownnews.net/a0418.html#llo416

[The U.S. of] America, and most state governments, uses cash accounting instead of accrual accounting. That means that current-year "income" and "outgo" are netted, and that's the budget (generally a deficit.) This means that if Bush signs a $1 trillion dollar contract for a ten year period, only $100 billion [one year's worth of the contract] appears on the budget.

...In the words of strategist Chris Sanders of SRA Associates: “The US Federal government released its Financial Report of the United States Government for 2002 on March 31... It uses accrual, rather than cash-based accounting, with the express intent of presenting a clearer long-term picture of the government’s actual financial position... Total government liabilities-less-assets were more than $31,000,000,000,000.00 (that is, over $31 thousand billion) or more than 295% of GDP on September 30, 2002."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3043225.stm

People in Europe and the US are likely to die from infection by the Sars virus, the US Health Secretary has predicted... As yet, no deaths from the virus have been reported in the US, or any European country. But US Health Secretary Tommy Thompson said on Tuesday he expected that state of affairs to change... "I am not a doctor or researcher but my doctors believe that even though Sars could level off now, it may come back in the fall.

Then I think you can anticipate that you will have deaths in all continents, or a lot of continents."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i said it before and i'll say it again

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3043241.stm

Until sanctions began following the first Gulf War, the problem of street kids - homeless, hungry, often drug-addicted children roaming the streets of Baghdad - was very small. But since 1991 a great number have been abandoned by parents too poor to feed them, and the numbers grew dramatically during the conflict earlier this year.

...Children living in the streets have no families, so they're not cultured and have little education," explained Amira Hasar al-Saraf, head teacher at the al-Wasaria orphanage... "Most of them are thieves. They get drunk and take drugs. They even have sexual relations with each other." [no waaay!]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the kids ain't all right

http://www.local6.com/orlpn/news/stories/news-221178020030518-170531.html

GERMANTOWN, Md. -- Police in Germantown arrested an 18-year-old woman for allegedly attacking a 5-year-old boy in a McDonald's restaurant... Police said the boy accidentally spilled ice cream on the shirt of Milika Hayes, 18, of Gaithersburg. Hayes allegedly started cursing at the child and his grandmother and then began chasing him around the restaurant. She put him in a headlock and rubbed hot fries in his eyes.

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they ain't

http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20030519p2a00m0dm030000c.html

A 10-year-old girl apparently killed herself Monday morning by jumping from the top of a multistory Tokyo apartment building, police said... "She left home slightly later than usual but she was smiling at the time. I can't think of any reason why she had to take her own life," the mother said... Investigators found the girl's bags and umbrella neatly placed near the rooftop edge. It is believed that she climbed over a 1.2-meter fence and jumped from the rooftop.

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the moment i wake up

http://www.local6.com/orlpn/news/stories/news-220719520030515-160527.html

PALM HARBOR, Fla. -- A mother is accused of bringing her children with her when she broke into trailers at a retirement farm for aging chimpanzees, and her 9-year-old son is now facing charges he returned to the farm and set fire to the trailers, authorities said Thursday... [Local police say] the family had been looting the storage trailers slowly over a 30-day period. On April 8, a fire was set in one trailer by an arsonist using a lighter and spray paint. Three days later, five mobile homes were set ablaze, destroying scores of the farm owner's personal possessions that were being stored there. Investigators think two other boys who were friends with the 9-year-old are also involved in those fires.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

before i put on my makeup

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/dorset/3037999.stm

The threat of arriving at school on a pink "punishment bus" is acting as a deterrent to badly behaved youngsters. The bus known as "Pink Peril" is the Isle of Wight Crime and Disorder Partnership's answer to misbehaviour on school buses. Niki Haytack, Crime and Disorder Manager, said: "When troublemakers get a taste of the pink medicine, they don't want a second dose."

...[On the bus,] the heating has been deliberately taken out to provide cold comfort to transgressors [and so on].

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i say a little prayer for you.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=583&ncid=583&e=1&u=/nm/20030520/od_nm/philippines_water_dc

Millions of people in Manila have been drinking super-chlorinated water this week as the body of a teenager remained stubbornly stuck in a major supply pipe... The young man fell into an aqueduct on Saturday while picking fruit.

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