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Chesapeake Virginia-The threat against ordinary citizens within the 7 cities is at an all time surge.Rewind back to 2007. Just within the Bainbridge corridor, give or take a mile our two, records show 177 shootings in Chesapeake, and more than half of those shootings happened within the jurisdiction of the second precinct this spans between South Norfolk and fragments of Indian River.
The crime which took to the forefront in 2007 is when on November 10, Ny-Asia Tillman, 1, her grandmother and her uncle were shot in broad daylight, at the block of 3700 Bainbridge Blvd. Ny-Asia died.
A year and a half after City Councilman C.E. “Cliff” Hayes Jr. made the following statement, “if we don’t respond quickly it’ll get worst”, the blood spilling continues.
On Saturday, June 7, Norfolk PD. received a report of shots fired just before 10 a.m. in the 2900 block of Marne Avenue. Upon arriving, they found a man lying on the ground with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.Chesapeake Virginia-The threat against ordinary citizens within the 7 cities is at an... more
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Biodiversity. The sum total of all life on Earth. That wealth of genes, species,ecosystems, and ecological processes that make our living planet what it is – the only place in the entire universe where we know with certainty that life exists. We are extremely fortunate to be an integral part of such a rich and diverse planet, especially at a time when scientific understanding and advanced systems of transport and communications enable us to see, to visit, to learn about, to fully appreciate the amazing range of life forms with which we share this Earth.
We should delight in this wealth of life that has co-evolved with us over millions of years. We should value it as much as we do the creations of our own species -- our art, our music, our literature, our history, our cultures, and our languages. And we should do everything in our power to make sure that every bit of earth life continues to share this very special planet with us.
Unfortunately, in spite of our growing knowledge of biodiversity and our increasing appreciation of its complexity, its magnificence, and its value to us, we are in a crisis of epic proportions. Indeed, we stand at the threshold of one of the most overwhelming losses of life in Earth's history – a planet wide series of extinctions, coming in great spasms unlike anything since the loss of the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago. This time the cause is not a giant meteorite crashing into the Earth or some other uncontrollable cosmic force. This crisis is caused by the inability of one species to control its consumption at the expense of the many millions of others.
The Prim8 Fund(P8F)
Biodiversity. The sum total of all life on Earth. That wealth of genes,... more
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I love Opal....how many people have the balls, let alone a senior citizen, to sit in front of a camera in their underwear and bra, while drinking coffee, talking about their stripping days from 35 years ago? I love it....
Keep 'em coming, Opal!!! Keep blowing minds!!!
Can't wait for the feature film....
I love Opal....how many people have the balls, let alone a senior citizen, to sit in... more
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This is so sad...I loved Paul, and have admired his work for over 30 years. And have been trying for several years to have him star in my upcoming feature film. That day has passed. Rest in peace, Paul....
This is so sad...I loved Paul, and have admired his work for over 30 years. And have... more
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picture: Flickr photo- Cherry ice-cream http://www.flickr.com/photos/elena777/124359368/
As a member of the Online Community Team, I spend more time than you can ever imagine on Current, reading through items, comments and going through topics. There’s always something new being added to the Politics topic or the Sex and Relationships, but there was one topic I came across that had few stories and was rarely added to—milk.
Milk. A fairly random and sparsely populated topic on Current, and for obvious reasons- it’s milk. Milk in itself is not that newsworthy and probably not something that many people search for on the site. That is, until recently. In the last two weeks with China’s scandal of melamine-tainted milk and infant formula as well as PETA asking Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream to use human milk instead of cow’s, milk has, surprisingly, become a highly discussed on Current.com, at least for the time being.
Of all the possible stories about milk, these were not what I would have imagined showing up on the Milk topic. Who would have thought PETA would ask any company to use human milk? And for that reason, this item has generated a lot of entertaining discussion, ranging from people’s disgust at the idea of using human milk, to arguments over whether human milk could even make ice cream.
Some of the best things about these unique and sometimes bizarre stories are the ones emerging as a result of these events. For example, a mother in Chegdu posted an ad to breastfeed another child as a result of the melamine-tainted formula. I could make some joke about milk money, but I’ll refrain. However, I’m going to go ahead and guess that posting an ad for breastfeeding just isn’t that common, so while melamine-tainted milk and infant formula is an awful thing, peoples’ reactions to it are very interesting.
In any case, I’ve enjoyed these unique additions to the Milk topic and the interesting discussions as a result. Check them out, add to the discussion if you’re so inclined, and if you come across a story that’s related to these milky events or is lactosely-inclined (yes, I made that word up), tag it!
Milky Stories:
http://current.com/items/89334976_peta_urges_ben_jerry_s_to_use_human_milk
http://current.com/items/89327119_entrepreneurial_chengdu_mum_offers_to_breastfeed_babies_for_rmb300_per_day
http://current.com/items/89336475_tainted_milk_scandal_revives_china_s_wet_nurses
http://current.com/items/89321417_milk_from_china_isn_t_safe
picture: Flickr photo- Cherry ice-cream... more
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A 60-something liberal woman in the Bible Belt shares her thoughts on Obesity and Religion. The new 5 minute documentary short beginning the film festival circuit! From the creators of the hit short films PHONE SEX GRANDMA and THE OUTHOUSE
Current festival screenings include:
Animal Rights Film Festival
Non Violence International Film Festival
South Africa International Film Festival
Metafest Film Festival
Third Screen Film Festival
More to come!
A 60-something liberal woman in the Bible Belt shares her thoughts on Obesity and... more
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You're walking along a street in Roman Pompeii at the start of the first millennium when you notice a spectacular stone building. You reach out towards it and your guide informs you it's a temple to the god Jupiter, built in 200 BC. With a flick of your wrist you save the data and, school assignment complete, you step out of your Cocoon and back into your living room.
Educational historical journeys are just one possible use of the Immersive Cocoon, a walk-in virtual-reality pod being developed by NAU, an international design collective that aims to revolutionize the way we interact with computers.
When complete, the Immersive Cocoon will be a sleek and shiny human-sized dome. Step inside and you'll be enveloped by a 360° display screen and full surround sound.
When the software boots up, instead of using a joystick or mouse to navigate the screens, motion-tracking cameras will follow the movement of your arms, legs and face, and a motion-sensitive platform will detect if you're walking or jumping.
"You've got display, sound and interaction all combined to create this fully immersed digital experience," explains Tino Schaedler, the architect-turned-film designer who is one third of NAU.
"It is completely different from me sitting in front of a screen, looking at a little picture and typing something in -- almost like the experience is reduced to my brain and my fingers. In the Cocoon we have the whole body immersed inside."
Videogame players will immediately recognize the Cocoon's gaming potential. The motion-tracking cameras and wrap-around visuals could make for an incredibly realistic gaming experience, where you use your whole body to fight off enemies who approach from all directions. But the Cocoon's potential extends far beyond gaming.
Imagine having a Cocoon in your home, connected to the Internet. Its unique interface means that rather than inputing commands with a keyboard or a moving a cursor with a mouse, you can simply reach out and 'grab' information from all around you.
If that sounds like science fiction, it may be because the 3D motion-tracking system was originally developed by John Underkoffler, whose work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology inspired similar 'reach out and grab' technology in the sci-fi movie "Minority Report."
... continue readingYou're walking along a street in Roman Pompeii at the start of the first... more
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One sixth of the world's population does not have access to clean drinking water. More than 2 million people, most of them children, die each year from water-borne diseases.
Water-related problems aren't restricted to the developing world. A harmful pesticide, banned by many European countries, remains widely used in the United States, where it runs into rivers and streams.
And one expert estimates California's water supply will run out in 20 years.
These sobering statistics come from "FLOW," a new documentary film about the world's dwindling water supply. The filmmakers and their sources argue a combination of factors, including drought and skyrocketing demand, have created a looming global crisis that threatens the long-term survival of the human race.
After premiering in January at the Sundance Film Festival, "FLOW" opened September 12 in New York and Los Angeles, California, and expands to more cities this week. The New York Times called the documentary "less depressing than galvanizing, an informed and heartfelt examination of the tug of war between public health and private interests."
As the film shows, some nations are banking on controversial technology, such as desalination plants that convert seawater into freshwater, to meet future water needs. Meanwhile, water has become a commodity that supports a $400 billion global industry -- the third largest behind electricity and oil. One sixth of the world's population does not have access to clean drinking water.... more
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How 6,700 Tons of Radioactive Sand from Kuwait Ended Up in Idaho
By Penny Coleman, AlterNet
Posted on September 17, 2008, Printed on September 17, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/98950/
On April 26, 2008, the BBC Alabama arrived in Longview, Wash., carrying 6,700 tons of Kuwaiti sand. The sand had become contaminated with depleted uranium when U.S. military vehicles and munitions caught fire at Doha Army base in Kuwait during the 1991 Gulf War. The depleted uranium was being repatriated. The sand was a gift of the Kuwaiti government.
So was the cost of repatriation. Neither government will discuss just how much the tab was.
The Longview Daily News reported that Mike Wilcox, vice president of the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union Local 21, initially had been "concerned about the safety of longshoremen and the entire community when he heard a shipment of depleted uranium was coming into Longview."
But the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission determined that the sand contained "unimportant quantities" of radioactive material, and officials from the Department of Health would be available to test radiation levels -- just in case any of the sand spilled.
At the last minute, the Army notified port authorities that tests had revealed that the sand was also contaminated with lead -- in fact, four times more lead than the EPA's limit for hazardous materials. Transshipment was delayed for a few days awaiting a green light from the EPA.
Wilcox told the Daily News that he hoped the delivery would be a one-time thing.
Over the next month, longshoremen loaded 160 containers onto railcars bound for an Idaho-based waste disposal site owned by a company called American Ecology. When the sand arrived at the Idaho site, the company did its own tests and, as Chad Hyslop, project director for American Ecology, told the Daily News, "found no hazardous levels of lead."
Doug Rokke, who quit his job directing the cleanup of radioactive battlefields for the Army, contacted American Ecology and discovered "that they had absolutely no knowledge of U.S. Army Regulation 700-48, U.S. Army PAM 700-48, U.S. Army Technical Bulletin 9-1300-278, and all of the medical orders dealing with depleted uranium contamination, environmental remediation procedures, safety and medical care."
Hazardous materials storage has become a lucrative and growing business, especially since Donald Rumsfeld began implementing his plans for a sleek new "global cavalry" capable of swift and lethal response from strategically placed "frontier stockades" to punish bad guys whenever and wherever they have been bad. According to the Pentagon's annual "Base Structure Report," which itemizes its foreign and domestic military real estate, the Department of Defense currently operates more than 800 such bases around the world; 5,311 if you count the ones in American territories and on the U.S. mainland; probably well over 6,000 if you count the ones, like Doha in Kuwait, that for some reason didn't make the list. (Similarly omitted are all U.S. bases in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar and Uzbekistan.)
How 6,700 Tons of Radioactive Sand from Kuwait Ended Up in Idaho
By Penny Coleman,... more
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We love this new little 5 minute short film! Why can't anyone see the direct link between Obesity and Religion?
We love this new little 5 minute short film! Why can't anyone see the direct link... more
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A series of fossilised forests the size of small cities have provided prehistoric evidence of how tropical rainforests are destroyed by global warming.
The fossil remains represent the first rainforests grown on the planet and their demise more than 300million years ago “points to the future” of the modern-day Amazon.
Six petrified forests, dating from 303.9 million to 309 million years ago, have been discovered in coalmines in the United States. Because they straddle a period of intense global warming researchers have been able to see the effects of climate change on an ancient landscape.
One forest that stretched 10,000 hectares (100 sq km) is the largest fossil forest yet found, dwarfing a 1,000ha forest that was announced last year as the biggest.
Howard Falcon-Lang, of the University of Bristol, said that the forests were frozen in time and show changes in the tree cover before and after the global warming began.
Fossils reveal that the landscape now deep beneath Illinois and Kentucky was covered in huge club moss trees, horsetails and ferns 309 million years ago. Once global warming had taken place 306.5 million years ago, the landscape altered enormously and the trees were replaced with “weedy ferns”.
“These are the remains of the first rainforests to evolve on our planet,” Dr Falcon-Lang said at the British Association yesterday. “They had lush rainforest vegetation, not dissimilar to the Amazonian rainforest. These are the largest fossil forests in the world. It's quite extraordinary to find a forest landscape preserved for miles.”
“The rainforest dramatically collapses during this period of warming. This was very, very extreme global warming. Giant club moss trees vanished overnight to be replaced by rather weedy fern vegetation. All this points to the fate of the Amazon.” A series of fossilised forests the size of small cities have provided prehistoric... more
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The Republican/Democrat duopoly has, for far too long, ignored the most important issues facing our nation. However, alternate candidates Chuck Baldwin, Cynthia McKinney, and Ralph Nader agree with Ron Paul on four key principles central to the health of our nation. These principles should be key in the considerations of every voter this November and in every election.
We Agree
Foreign Policy: The Iraq War must end as quickly as possible with removal of all our soldiers from the region. We must initiate the return of our soldiers from around the world, including Korea, Japan, Europe and the entire Middle East. We must cease the war propaganda, threats of a blockade and plans for attacks on Iran, nor should we re-ignite the cold war with Russia over Georgia. We must be willing to talk to all countries and offer friendship and trade and travel to all who are willing. We must take off the table the threat of a nuclear first strike against all nations.
Privacy: We must protect the privacy and civil liberties of all persons under US jurisdiction. We must repeal or radically change the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, and the FISA legislation. We must reject the notion and practice of torture, eliminations of habeas corpus, secret tribunals, and secret prisons. We must deny immunity for corporations that spy willingly on the people for the benefit of the government. We must reject the unitary presidency, the illegal use of signing statements and excessive use of executive orders.
The National Debt: We believe that there should be no increase in the national debt. The burden of debt placed on the next generation is unjust and already threatening our economy and the value of our dollar. We must pay our bills as we go along and not unfairly place this burden on a future generation.
The Federal Reserve: We seek a thorough investigation, evaluation and audit of the Federal Reserve System and its cozy relationships with the banking, corporate, and other financial institutions. The arbitrary power to create money and credit out of thin air behind closed doors for the benefit of commercial interests must be ended. There should be no taxpayer bailouts of corporations and no corporate subsidies. Corporations should be aggressively prosecuted for their crimes and frauds.The Republican/Democrat duopoly has, for far too long, ignored the most important... more
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A shadowy scientific elite codenamed Jason warned the US about global warming 30 years ago but was sidelined for political convenience.
Today the scientific argument about the broad principles of what we are doing to the Earth’s climate is over. By releasing huge quantities of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere we are warming the world.
Since the early 1990s there has been a furious debate about global warming. So-called climate change “sceptics” have spent years disputing almost every aspect of the scientific consensus on the subject. Their arguments have successfully delayed significant political action to deal with greenhouse gas emissions. Recent research reveals how the roots of this argument stretch back to two hugely influential reports written almost 30 years ago.
These reports involve a secret organisation of American scientists reporting to the US Department of Defense. At the highest levels of the American government, officials pondered whether global warming was a significant new threat to civilisation. They turned for advice to the elite special forces of the scientific world – a shadowy organisation known as Jason. Even today few people have heard of Jason. It was established in 1960 at the height of the cold war when a group of physicists who had helped to develop the atomic bomb proposed a new organisation that would – to quote one of its founders – “inject new ideas into national defence”.
So the Jasons (as they style themselves) were born; a self-selected group of brilliant minds free to think the unthinkable in the knowledge that their work was classified. Membership was by invitation only and they are indeed the cream. Of the roughly 100 Jasons over the years, 11 have won Nobel prizes and 43 have been elected to the US National Academy of Sciences.
For years, being a Jason was just about the best job going in American science. Every summer the Jasons all moved to San Diego in California to devote six weeks to working together. They were paid well and rented houses by the beach. The kids surfed while their dads saved the world. Less James Bond, more Club Med.
Today the Jasons still meet in San Diego in a quaint postwar construction with more than a hint of Thunderbirds about it. In 1977 they got to work on global warming. There was one potential problem. Only a few of them knew anything about climatology. To get a better understanding they relocated for a few days to Boulder, Colorado, the base for NCAR – the National Center for Atmospheric Research – where they heard the latest information on climate change. Then, being physicists, they went back to first principles and decided to build a model of the climate system. Officially it was called Features of Energy-Budget Climate Models: An Example of Weather-Driven Climate Stability, but it was dubbed the Jason Model of the World.
In 1979 they produced their report: coded JSR-78-07 and entitled The Long Term Impact of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide on Climate. Now, with the benefit of hind-sight, it is remarkable how prescient it was.
********************CONTINUES*********************A shadowy scientific elite codenamed Jason warned the US about global warming 30 years... more
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The coverage of the presidential election is designed to be a grand distraction. This is not new, but this year, it’s more so than ever.
Pretending that a true difference exists between the two major candidates is a charade of great proportion. Many who help to perpetuate this myth are frequently unaware of what they are doing and believe that significant differences actually do exist. Indeed, on small points there is the appearance of a difference. The real issues, however, are buried in a barrage of miscellaneous nonsense and endless pontifications by robotic pundits hired to perpetuate the myth of a campaign of substance.
The truth is that our two-party system offers no real choice. The real goal of the campaign is to distract people from considering the real issues.
Influential forces, the media, the government, the privileged corporations and moneyed interests see to it that both party’s candidates are acceptable, regardless of the outcome, since they will still be in charge. It’s been that way for a long time. George Wallace was not the first to recognize that there’s “not a dime’s worth of difference” between the two parties. There is, though, a difference between the two major candidates and the candidates on third-party tickets and those running as independents.
The two parties and their candidates have no real disagreements on foreign policy, monetary policy, privacy issues, or the welfare state. They both are willing to abuse the Rule of Law and ignore constitutional restraint on Executive Powers. Neither major party champions free markets and private-property ownership.
Those candidates who represent actual change or disagreement with the status quo are held in check by the two major parties in power, making it very difficult to compete in the pretend democratic process. This is done by making it difficult for third-party candidates to get on the ballots, enter into the debates, raise money, avoid being marginalized, or get fair or actual coverage. A rare celebrity or a wealthy individual can, to a degree, overcome these difficulties.
The system we have today allows a President to be elected by as little as 32% of the American people, with half of those merely voting for the “lesser of two evils”. Therefore, as little as 16% actually vote for a president. No wonder when things go wrong, anger explodes. A recent poll shows that 60% of the American people are not happy with the two major candidates this year.
This system is driven by the conviction that only a major party candidate can win. Voters become convinced that any other vote is a “wasted” vote. It’s time for that conclusion to be challenged and to recognize that the only way not to waste one’s vote is to reject the two establishment candidates and join the majority, once called silent, and allow the voices of the people to be heard.
We cannot expect withdrawal of troops from Iraq or the Middle East with either of the two major candidates. Expect continued involvement in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Georgia. Neither hints of a non-interventionist foreign policy. Do not expect to hear the rejection of the policy of supporting the American world empire. There will be no emphasis in protecting privacy and civil liberties and the constant surveillance of the American people. Do not expect any serious attempt to curtail the rapidly expanding national debt. And certainly, there will be no hint of addressing the Federal Reserve System and its cozy relationship with big banks and international corporations and the politicians.
There is only one way that these issues can get the attention they deserve: the silent majority must become the vocal majority.
(read more: http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog/?p=483 )The coverage of the presidential election is designed to be a grand distraction. This... more
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Can you believe this?
This is a joke...
This was today, in New Mexico. While Obama is talking about the surge, these 2 are at a register doing press shots of them buying salsa. This is discusting that people would even think about voting for these two.
It's obvious that they're just thowing in our faces how stupid all of us are.
Let's just have the press catch us buying some food at the store instead of being on TV telling people what we think about the issues...
Am I alone here?
Can you believe this?
This is a joke...
This was today, in New Mexico. While... more
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California's building codes, plumbing standards and criminal laws can be found online.
But if you want to download and save those laws to your computer, forget it.
The state claims copyright to those laws. It dictates how you can access and distribute them -- and therefore how much you'll have to pay for print or digital copies.
It forbids people from storing or distributing its laws without consent.
That doesn't sit well with Carl Malamud, a Sebastopol resident with an impressive track record of pushing for digital access to public information. He wants California -- and every other federal, state and local agency -- to drop their copyright claims on law, contending it will pave the way for innovators to create new ways of searching and presenting laws.California's building codes, plumbing standards and criminal laws can be found... more
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Did you see Barack Obama go on The O'Reilly Factor last night—right into the belly of the beast? While we didn't want Obama to appear on FOX initially, he wisely chose the same night John McCain delivered his RNC speech (the same night FOX received some of its highest ratings) to make an appearance. Talk about stealing the GOP's thunder!
Obama was no doubt trying to appeal to conservative voters, since 88% of FOX viewers voted Republican in 2004. But FOX won't let their conservative base go without a fight. That's why O'Reilly needled and interrupted Obama, trying to get him to simplify many of his answers—a far cry from the softballs O'Reilly lobbed at many prominent Republicans like Rudy Giuliani in the past. And that's why FOX has been attacking Obama with the same relentless smear tactics that they used against John Kerry four years ago. Watch them use the exact same attacks. Did you see Barack Obama go on The O'Reilly Factor last night—right into... more
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It's estimated that $143 million in medical marijuana sales have netted $11.4 million in state and local taxes annually, based on registered businesses, California State Board of Equalization spokesperson Anita Gore said. And those estimates are small compared to a 2006 report co-authored by California NORML state coordinator Dale Gieringer, which said that Californians consumed between $870 million and $2 billion worth of medical marijuana per year.[more]It's estimated that $143 million in medical marijuana sales have netted $11.4... more
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By NAHAL TOOSI, Associated Press Writer
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A deadly American-led raid on a Pakistani village embarrassed the government and eroded support for the pro-U.S. presidential front-runner Thursday just two days before the election.
Furor continued to mount over the first known foreign ground assault inside Pakistan against a suspected Taliban haven. The government summoned the U.S. ambassador for an official protest, while Parliament passed resolutions of condemnation.
In news likely to stoke more anger, intelligence officials said a missile strike was suspected in a blast Thursday that killed at least four people in North Waziristan, part of the tribal belt where Osama bin Laden and his deputy are thought to be hiding. Previous such strikes have been blamed on the U.S.
The ground assault, with troops helicoptered in, occurred in adjacent South Waziristan early Wednesday. Officials said at least 15 people died, including women and children. The Foreign Ministry said no militant leaders were killed and there was no sign the attackers detained anyone.
U.S. officials declined public comment. But a U.S. military official said intelligence had indicated the presence in the village of people "clearly associated with attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan." He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of cross-border operations.
More at link!!!By NAHAL TOOSI, Associated Press Writer
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A deadly American-led... more
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This is fascinating.... I can't wait to see the outcome of this... Of course, it comes from the National Enquirer...but hey.....they brought out the Edwards affar, didn't they? Is this true???
This is fascinating.... I can't wait to see the outcome of this... Of course, it... more
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