tagged w/ Arcticspirit's Darkside of LIfe
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PRINCETON, NJ -- A new Gallup Poll, conducted May 7-10, finds 51% of Americans calling themselves "pro-life" on the issue of abortion and 42% "pro-choice." This is the first time a majority of U.S. adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question in 1995.PRINCETON, NJ -- A new Gallup Poll, conducted May 7-10, finds 51% of Americans calling... more
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cmdinc
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added this
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3 years ago
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Reporting from Washington -- The Obama administration will announce Friday that it will continue to use military commissions to prosecute some terrorism suspects, current and former officials said -- reversing a campaign promise to abolish the controversial tribunals started under President George W. Bush.
Human rights groups reacted with anger Thursday, arguing that any trials under the commissions would be widely viewed as tainted and that the Obama administration was duplicating Bush's mistakes.
The administration intends to try some of the detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in federal courts, as President Obama has pledged. But officials have concluded that some detainees can only be tried in military tribunals, said a U.S. official familiar with the changes.
Gabor Rona, the international legal director of Human Rights First, said the international community was unlikely to view the tribunals as legitimate.
"Everyone knows the military commissions have been a dismal failure," Rona said. "The results of the cases will be suspect around the globe."
The White House will announce major changes to the tribunal system. The revisions will ban the use of any evidence obtained through coercion and restrict the use of hearsay evidence.
The rule changes also will give detainees more latitude in choosing lawyers to represent them, the U.S. official said.
But those changes are seen as cosmetic by critics both in and out of government.
For example, under the Military Commissions Act, the law enacted by Congress in 2006 to alter and legally sanction the system, there were strict rules against coerced evidence. In practice, military judges have refused to allow any testimony about coerced evidence.
During the presidential campaign, Obama promised to try detainees being held at Guantanamo in federal courts or in U.S. military courts, under court-martial proceedings. In his first week in office, Obama ordered all military commission trials halted for 120 days and subsequently announced he would close Guantanamo within a year.
But the administration has put off difficult decisions about what to do with the detainees. As officials reviewed the cases, as well as the political ramifications of shifting them to federal courts, they concluded they would have to continue to use the tribunals.
Officials are particularly worried that more restrictive evidence rules in federal courts could trip them up.
"They took a look at all the cases," the U.S. official said. "They compared and contrasted and decided the military commissions are the best way to go."
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the decision has not been made public. The White House declined to comment.
Although suspects have a right to confront their accusers in federal courts, military commissions allow for indirect, hearsay evidence. Under Bush administration rules, the defense had to show why such evidence should be prohibited. Under Obama's changes, the burden of proving the hearsay evidence will fall on the prosecution.
julian.barnes@latimes.comReporting from Washington -- The Obama administration will announce Friday that it... more
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Make plans with your friends in twice the time, when you use text messaging!
From SuperNews! an animated sketch comedy series airing on Current TV every Friday night at 10p/9c.
So set your DVRs and TIVOs. Like... now.
For more SuperNews! go to www.current.com/supernewsMake plans with your friends in twice the time, when you use text messaging!
From... more
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Does conservative Christianity encourage torture?
That debate has been reignited by new numbers from the Pew Research Center that show white evangelicals are more supportive of "torture to gain important information from suspected terrorists" than any other religious or political group in the survey.
Less than half of the general public (49 percent) say government-sponsored torture can "often" or "sometimes" be justified, compared to almost two-thirds of white evangelicals (62 percent).
That view is almost identical to the view of Republicans (64 percent), giving fuel to the charge that evangelicals' views on torture are rooted more in politics than their faith.
The Pew numbers have prompted a great deal of soul-searching among evangelical leaders. David Gushee, an ethicist at Mercer University who has worked with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, is one of them.
"These answers reveal deep problems in the moral formation of evangelical Christians, especially in the South, our capitulation to utilitarianism and nationalism rather than submission to the lordship of Christ, and our weakness in developing and committing to a human-rights ethic," he said.
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Do conservative Christians encourage torture? If so, is this because of their religious affiliation, or their political affiliation?Does conservative Christianity encourage torture?
That debate has been reignited by... more
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Earth's surface is mostly fresh in geologic terms.
Weathering — wind and water, freezing and thawing — takes its toll, and longer-term changes caused by volcanic activity and sliding crustal plates, known as tectonic activity, fold today's ground into tomorrow's interior.
The constant makeover of the planet is typically fastest in the mountains, slower in the tectonically inactive deserts.
A new study of ancient "desert pavement" in Israel's Negev Desert finds a vast region that's been sitting there exposed, pretty much as-is, for about 1.8 million years, according to Ari Matmon and colleagues at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
It is the oldest known vast expanse of surface area. In fact it is more than four times older than the confirmed next oldest desert pavement, in Nevada, according to an article at the web site of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
more in the link...Earth's surface is mostly fresh in geologic terms.
Weathering — wind and... more
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The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a movie review show that airs on Thursday nights at 10:30 e/p on Current TV. From reviews of the newest releases to commentary on cult favorites and movie trends, each episode of The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a fast-paced, comedic journey through the week in cinema.
For more from the Rotten Tomatoes movie show: http://current.com/the-rotten-tomatoes-show
For more about movies from Current: http://current.com/moviesThe Rotten Tomatoes Show is a movie review show that airs on Thursday nights at 10:30... more
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ou spot his gorgeous form across the room and your eyes lock. He winks and you offer up a sexy smile that means--I’m available. He comes over and introduces himself, and after exchanging a little about yourselves too you discover-- He’s younger than you are.. But he’s so darn cute and the attraction is definitely there, right?
There used to be a time when society deemed it bad taste or taboo for women to bridge the age gap by dating a younger man, but May December romances are inevitably on the rise. Women have taken a no holds barred approach to dating and refuse to settle just for what they can get, they’re going after what they want--an ageless package of pure man.
This proactive approach to dating of course means, hooking up regardless of age. Some believe that it’s the age gap itself that will hinder the relationship, but I tend to think that if the couple has enough in common and possesses more than just a “lust” for each other, any older woman, younger man relationship really can work and develop into something mutual and lasting.
Can a Dec - May relationship be lasting?
Would marriage work?ou spot his gorgeous form across the room and your eyes lock. He winks and you offer... more
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Tomino & Takayuki Yoshii (Sunrise CEO) confirmed and officially announced the Gundam Unicorn movie with a target release date for 2010.
Admittedly I dont know anything about Gundam other than there are dozens of shops in Akihabara filled with hundreds of the Gundam toys. But I do know this....robots + unicorn has to be awesome.Tomino & Takayuki Yoshii (Sunrise CEO) confirmed and officially announced the... more
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It's natural to hold actors and performers up as role models and it's is understandable that they would bow to the most punishing ideals, but that doesn't mean that the average woman or man should, right?
Why do women in the public eye feel they cannot age and what pressure does it put on ordinary people?It's natural to hold actors and performers up as role models and it's is... more
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WTF?!? This is insane!!!
"The president's new science adviser said Wednesday that global warming is so dire, the Obama administration is discussing radical technologies to cool Earth's air.
John Holdren told The Associated Press in his first interview since being confirmed last month that the idea of geoengineering the climate is being discussed.
One such extreme option includes shooting pollution particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect the sun's rays. Holdren said such an experimental measure would only be used as a last resort.
"It's got to be looked at," he said. "We don't have the luxury of taking any approach off the table."WTF?!? This is insane!!!
"The president's new science adviser said... more
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Enjoy.
It's holy week, and I thought this was a good time to post this.
But for those who don't know very many Christians, this is where it's at.
Group 1 Crew - Forgive Me (Official Music Video)
Happy easter.
Peace.
Arcticspirit.Enjoy.
It's holy week, and I thought this was a good time to post this.
But for... more
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Durex ad showing women having orgasms cleared by ASA, despite going out before its 11pm restriction.
How about at 8AM, for breakfast?Durex ad showing women having orgasms cleared by ASA, despite going out before its... more
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The Obama administration wants to reduce oil consumption, increase renewable energy supplies and cut carbon dioxide emissions in the most ambitious transformation of energy policy in a generation.
But the world’s oil giants are not convinced that it will work. Even as Washington goes into a frenzy over energy, many of the oil companies are staying on the sidelines, balking at investing in new technologies favored by the president, or even straying from commitments they had already made....
The administration wants to spend $150 billion over the next decade to create what it calls “a clean energy future.” Its plan would aim to diversify the nation’s energy sources by encouraging more renewables, and it would reduce oil consumption and cut carbon emissions from fossil fuels.
End of Excerpt
Source: The New York Times OnlineThe Obama administration wants to reduce oil consumption, increase renewable energy... more
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Breaking News: Wire reports are quoting the Pentagon, saying that the American crew has re-gained control of the hijacked ship, and over-powered the Somali pirates. (Arcticspirit adds OH YEAH!!!
Anyway back to what happened before we overtook the pirates that attempted to board a US run ship... Yeah... that was smart.)
A U.S. Department of Defense-contracted cargo flagship the Maersk Alabama was carrying humanitarian relief supplies and bound for Mombasa, Kenya when it was hijacked. The names of American hostages have not been released.
Where is our President and his spine-of-steel? These “pirates” live on shore and go to sea to go to work each day. The Somali coastline is about the length of our Eastern seaboard. We seemingly cannot catch the pirate ships at sea because they keep changing their flags. We need a multinational force to bomb the entire coastline. If they have no ships, these terrorists cannot set sail.
Reports are that pirates raked-in $80 million in ransom and cargo last year. Crews have died, been injured and surely terrorized. We need to bomb that coastline. How despicable is it that, in 2009, our shipping lines can be hijacked?
MSNBC is saying that “only eight ships had been hijacked in the busy Gulf of Aden” in the “first three months of 2009. That is how jaded we have become about terrorism and specifically about Muslim terrorism. Now we have another man-made disaster. Only eight ships in three months! We need to take-out every ship in their harbors without distinction. When non-pirate Somali’s lose their income, they’ll stop the pirating.
The same report says that the pirates “usually treat their hostages well…” No one should ever be held hostage, if something can be done about it, and we can do something about Somali pirates.
History about the ship:
Maersk Line, Limited is based in Norfolk, Virginia, and is one of the Department of Defense's primary shipping contractors. It has been a reliable partner for the government in peacetime and war for almost 30 years. The company operates vessels registered in the United States in full compliance with U.S. laws and regulations. It manages a fleet of nearly 50 ships in commercial and government service, including vessels requiring Top Secret security clearances. Maersk Line, Limited, a subsidiary of Denmark's A.P. Moller/Maersk A.S., is independently controlled by a board of directors comprised entirely of U.S. citizens.Breaking News: Wire reports are quoting the Pentagon, saying that the American crew... more
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Kratos (God of War: PS2, PSP)
Our bald anti-hero is PO'd, and for good reason. Ares, the God of War, tricks him into murdering his wife and daughter, sending Kratos on a revengeful killing spree that eventually leads him to Ares, who ***spoiler alert*** he destroys, and takes his place as the new God of War.
Kratos' blood lust eventually costs him his crown, and he once again slaughters hundreds of monsters in God of War II, including the Colossus of Rhodes, a Cerberus and The Sisters of Fate. The lesson? Never ask Kratos if he has "a case of the Mondays."
Source: SCEA
Arctic...
Now does that make normal life GREAT in comparison or what? LMAO
Of course you probably get to kill alot of mobs.Kratos (God of War: PS2, PSP)
Our bald anti-hero is PO'd, and for good reason.... more
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Pembertin refers to the couple’s actual meeting after falling in love online as their WoW avatars. “We were so excited that we used to film our love for our friends to see all the time,” explains Claudia, “so much so people were actually hooked! Like Ever-crack!”Pembertin refers to the couple’s actual meeting after falling in love online as... more
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We posted images of two New Banksy’s that popped up in Gillette Square, Dalston and by the North Circular Road in Hendon. Both of which have since been painted over. The wall in Dalston has been painted over firstly by the not so anonymous, Alex (pictured over the link), writing in blue “Love Not Money”. A second lick of paint is credited to a graffer named 10 Foot, adorning the words “Say No To Art Fags” and “RIP Ozone, F*ck Banksy” (pictured left). Whilst by the motorway near Hendon (pictured right) someone has painted “Price-less” over the original artists monetarily valuable work.
The defacing of the Dalston piece is actually the most recent of many by 10 Foot and Tox. More commentary over the jump on further attacks on work by Banksy, Part2ism and Best Ever.We posted images of two New Banksy’s that popped up in Gillette Square, Dalston... more
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Heard this over the weekend, cracked me up so bad!
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REAL CHANGE EMBRACES LIBERTY!!!!
Check out my great playlists!
This website is filled with some great information that everybody needs to see before giving their grandchildren's liberties to the Federal government:
http://www.youtube.com/user/shanklinmikeREAL CHANGE EMBRACES LIBERTY!!!!
Check out my great playlists!
This website is... more
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