http://www.citizensugar.com/ Breaking News, Together. en http://www.citizensugar.com/1878386 <p>LA's Jefferson Senior High School, which boasts Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ralph Bunche as an alum, also has the nation's second highest drop-out rate. Six in 10 <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2007/oct/09/local/me-dropout9" target="_blank">students at Jefferson drop out</a>. A perfect storm of factors unfriendly to education makes Jefferson a problem school. Many of students come from transient families who have just immigrated from Mexico or Central America. Over 90 percent qualify for the school lunch program, and 45 percent are still learning English. Tons of students do not live with their parents and work to support themselves.<br /> <span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/34_2008/52675497.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image preview" height="367" width="550"></span><br /> American inner-city schools in general get a failing grade, too — fifty-percent of students at inner-city schools nation-wide do not get their diplomas. To find out how the LA school district tries to address the bleak situation, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1878386">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1878386#comment Education Headline Los Angeles Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:15:47 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1878386 http://www.citizensugar.com/1880351 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/34_2008/74895074.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image left preview" width="200"></span>Amid conflicting reports, it's now thought that Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones is in <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92M6LI01&amp;show_article=1&amp;catnum=0" target="_blank">critical condition with limited brain function</a> after suffering a brain aneurysm. It was previously and widely reported that she had passed away.</p> <p>Tubbs Jones, 58, is the first African-American woman to represent Ohio in Congress. She has served five terms in Congress and was thought able to easily win a sixth in November. </p> <p>She garnered attention earlier this year, firmly supporting Hillary Clinton's bid for the Democratic nomination for president. Tubbs Jones drew some criticism for her support of Clinton instead of Barack Obama, though she has a legacy of staunch support for many African-American candidates. </p> <p>We will update as more information becomes available.<br /> <br clear=all><br /> <a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1880351#comment Congress Deaths Headline Stephanie Tubbs Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:30:01 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1880351 http://www.citizensugar.com/1878636 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/34_2008/72357290.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="450"></span>Congress is on track to pass the least amount of public laws than any other Congress in the two decades of record keeping. So far, the 110th Congress has 294 laws to its name. On the other hand, the House and Senate <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121910897089651793.html?mod=hpp_us_pageone" target="_blank">have passed 1,900 <i>symbolic</i> resolutions</a>. </p> <p>It may not have ended the war in Iraq, but this year Congress has:</p> <ul> <li>Recognized the Idaho Potato Commission's 70th Anniversary</li> <li>Recognized soil as an essential natural resource</li> <li>Designated May 5-9 as National Substitute Teacher Recognition Week</li> <li>Set July 28 as the Day of the American Cowboy</li> </ul> <p>Shoot! I missed the Day of the American Cowboy. The <b>Wall Street Journal</b> reports that Congress spends one-quarter of its workweek debating and passing such symbolic measures. Congressional Democrats, emphasizing the quality over the quantity of actual legislation, point out that since 2007 they have enacted the largest expansion in college aid in 60 years, increased the minimum wage for the first time in 10 years, increased unemployment benefits, and implemented the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.</p> <p>Do you think the Democratic Congress should have a chance to further prove itself with a President on its side, or is it time to symbolically kick these lawmakers to the curb in November?</p> <p><a href="http://www.legacycreative.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1878636#comment Congress Headline Law Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:00:57 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1878636 http://www.citizensugar.com/1877702 <p>Some tourists <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/19/BACM12DALA.DTL" target="_blank">treat San Francisco's gay population as a tourist attraction</a>. Residents of the historic gay Castro District have reported an increase in large tour buses, which drop off thousands of nervous visitors ready to snap photos of two men holding hands or point and stare in shock.<br /> <span class="inline left"><a href="/node/1877699" ><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/34_2008/2114771.preview_0.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image preview" height="378" width="550"></a></span><br /> While Castro dwellers and merchants welcome visitors and their cash with open arms, they have little tolerance for the new breed of non-shoppers. And things might not get better — now that Hollywood has used Castro Street as the set for the upcoming movie <b>Milk</b>, <a href="http://buzzsugar.com/tags/Milk" >a film about the first gay councilman in the US</a> who was killed by his fellow San Francisco councilman, I imagine that the city's gay neighborhood will attract even more gawkers after the film's release. </p> <p>Positive curiosity might signal the end of a gay-stigma, and I don't blame residents for feeling like animals in a zoo. If San Francisco wants to base much of its economy on tourism, should it swallow the consequences? </p> <p><p><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-75145 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 active ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1877618?page=0,0,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/34_2008/2114771.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-33770 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1877618?page=0,1,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/34_2008/2994634.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-2745 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1877618?page=0,2,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/34_2008/2994640.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-72922 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1877618?page=0,3,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/34_2008/2994681.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-84428 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1877618?page=0,4,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/34_2008/50407013.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div></p><br clear=all></p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1877702#comment California Headline Homosexuality Politics of Love San Francisco Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:00:28 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1877702 http://www.citizensugar.com/1877037 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/34_2008/oldbeerwc2.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="320"></span>Japan has plans to label consumer goods like beer and detergents with their carbon footprints. Officials think the standardized label <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080819093128.5xf1wcko&amp;show_article=1" target="_blank"> will raise corporate and consumer awareness</a> of global warming. Britain and France already <a href="http://www.carbon-label.co.uk/" target="_blank">place similar labels</a> on products. </p> <p>So say you want to eat a bag of potato chips. Forget the calories — you have a carbon footprint to think about. Each bag emits 75 grams (2.63 ounces) of carbon dioxide. If you want to break it down, like you'd break down saturated and trans fats, 44 percent of the carbon dioxide comes from growing the potatoes, 30 percent comes from producing the chips, 15 percent comes from packaging, 9 percent comes from delivery, and 2 percent comes from tossing the bag. I'm guessing these figures are estimates, since each product must have a unique footprint. </p> <p>While certainly more work needs to be done to make the footprint calculations accurate and globally standard, the label will provide information to consumers who want it, while everyone else can ignore it. And who knows, maybe businesses will become more efficient in hopes of attracting customers. </p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1877037#comment Asia Eco Headline Japan The Daily Planet Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:00:13 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1877037 http://www.citizensugar.com/1875639 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/34_2008/_44839390_joel2226_0.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="225" width="150"></span>Joel, a 10-year-old extra in the Oscar-winning movie <b>The Last King of Scotland</b>, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7510966.stm" target="_blank">had a large tumor removed</a> from his face, thanks to the kindness of the film crew. The tumor made it look as if his eye were outside his skull.</p> <p>Doctors in Joel's home country of Uganda did not have the facilities or specialized skills to perform the surgery Joel needed, so the film's producer arranged for him to fly to the UK for the 10-hour operation. The benign tumor, which distorted his nose and eye would have continued to grow if not removed. During the procedure doctors removed the tumor and then put Joel's facial features into place. </p> <p>Joel wants to help others get access to the medical care he fortunately received. He told <b>BBC</b>:<br /> <blockquote>"I am so happy to be alive and that everything went so well. I'm looking forward to going home and will work hard and study to become a doctor so that I can help people also."</p></blockquote> <p>It's hard to imagine the hardships Joel would have faced if he didn't receive this expensive and specialized treatment — I'm glad this story has a happy ending!</p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1875639#comment Africa Headline The Last King Uganda Tue, 19 Aug 2008 03:00:00 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1875639 http://www.citizensugar.com/1875071 <!-- no strip poll --><div id="epoll-view-1875071"></div><script type="text/javascript">new Ajax.Request('/epoll/view/1875071',{method:'get',onSuccess:function(transport){var epoll=$('epoll-view-1875071');epoll.update(transport.responseText);}});</script><noscript><p><p><embed FlashVars='videoId=126447' src='http://www.thedailyshow.com/sitewide/video_player/view/default/swf.jhtml' quality='high' bgcolor='#cccccc' width='332' height='316' name='comedy_central_player' align='right' allowScriptAccess='always' allownetworking='external' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer'></embed></p> <p>Last year Americans named fake-news host Jon Stewart their fourth most admired news anchor, tied with Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, and Anderson Cooper. </p> <p>A recent <b>New York Times</b> article tried to figure out <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/arts/television/17kaku.html?pagewanted=1&amp;em" target="_blank">how a comedian became a trusted news source</a>. The article noted that <b>The Daily Show</b> does things other news programs can't like, "speaking truth to power in blunt, sometimes profane language, while using satire and playful looniness to ensure that their political analysis never becomes solemn or pretentious."</p> <p>Jon Stewart gets to interview politicians and world leaders outside their comfort zones, pass on digestible scoops from a range of experts, and filter each day's big news stories in a humorous way. While Jon makes his opinions known (he says he's looking forward to the end of the Bush Administration "as a comedian, as a person, as a citizen, as a mammal"), it's not Republicans that Jon dislikes. He claims contempt for the empty rhetoric of both conservative and liberal politicians. I think his critique of talking points makes many Americans tune-in for an alternative to television's usual partisan shouting match. What do you think?</p> <br clear=all /></p><p><!-- no strip poll --><form action="/1875071" method="post" id="epoll_view_voting"> <div><div class="poll"> <div class="vote-form"> <div class="choices"><div class="form-item"> <label>Is Jon Stewart the Most Trusted Man in America?</label> <div class="form-item"> <label class="option"><input type="radio" name="edit[choice]" value="0" class="form-radio" /> Yay! Jon Stewart fills his jokes with substantive information and smart observations. </label> </div> <div class="form-item"> <label class="option"><input type="radio" name="edit[choice]" value="1" class="form-radio" /> Nay. Jon Stewart is a mouthpiece for the left.</label> </div> <div class="form-item"> <label class="option"><input type="radio" name="edit[choice]" value="2" class="form-radio" /> Not really. It's entertaining, but I don't trust simplified comedy as a news source.</label> </div> <div class="form-item"> <label class="option"><input type="radio" name="edit[choice]" value="3" class="form-radio" /> Other. I'll tell you in the comments. </label> </div> </div> </div><input type="hidden" name="edit[nid]" id="edit-nid" value="1875071" /> <input type="submit" name="op" value="Vote" class="form-submit" /> </div><input type="hidden" name="edit[form_id]" id="edit-form_id" value="epoll_view_voting" /> </div> </div></form> <!-- no strip poll --></p></noscript><!-- no strip poll --> http://www.citizensugar.com/1875071#comment Citizen Poll Headline On the Newsstand Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:30 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1875071 http://www.citizensugar.com/1872959 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/75926142.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="260"></span>Afghanistan witnessed <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080817191419.3nxh998c&amp;show_article=1&amp;catnum=0" target="_blank">the country's first mass marriage</a>, yesterday. Thanks to the Islamic charity Comfort Aid International, 50 couples got hitched in the city of Herat. </p> <p>The charity of love covered the big cost of weddings in Afghanistan, which includes dowries and lavish parties with hundreds of guests. The marriages 50 cost $30,000 total, and each set of newly weds walked out with a $600 gift. About 1,500 guests attended, and the brides and grooms were separated for the ceremonies, according to the conservative tradition. </p> <p>While the disadvantaged turn to charity, affluent Afghan couples increasingly <a href="http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iWH_P4ZrlKhWWgVfz1UQB0tBbJWg" target="_blank">enjoy Vegas-style weddings</a> on their own dime, which some signaled as a sign of changing times. Popular Hindi music and neon lights come from wedding halls with names like Kabul-Paris Wedding Hall or Wedding Hall of the Evening Star. Limousines fill their parking lots. During its rule, the Taliban forbid lavish weddings and music. But the industry of lovebirds has made a comeback — there are more than 80 wedding halls in Kabul, compared to four in 2001. </p> <p>Would you give to a charity that helps disadvantaged couples tie the knot? Can a Vegas-style wedding be a sign that better times have come? </p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1872959#comment Afghanistan Headline Politics of Love Wedding Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:15:06 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1872959 http://www.citizensugar.com/1874727 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/34_2008/79998556.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="460"></span>One Australian mayor thinks he came up with the perfect way to fix his town's glaring gender imbalance: invite all the country's ugly women to move in. John Moloney, the mayor of Mount Isa, has <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080818074532.7wyoh5kf&amp;show_article=1" target="_blank">invited the "beauty-disadvantaged"</a> to relocate to the outback mining town because it's the perfect place "for ugly ducklings to flourish into beautiful swans."</p> <p>You would think the mayor's comments would offend women, but he also managed to upset his biggest constituency — men. Apparently implying that the men are desperate for some ugly women didn't go over too well. The town's city councilor criticized Mayor Moloney for "returning us to the Dark Ages and making the guys that live in this town seem like sex-hungry starved men that will pounce upon the first girl that they see walking down the street."</p> <p>While unlucky-in-love women might want to tap a town full of eligible bachelors, implying that they come because they're <i>ugly</i> probably won't motivate a whole lot of ladies to make the move. </p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1874727#comment Australia Headline Mount Isa Politics of Love Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:00:36 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1874727 http://www.citizensugar.com/1873093 <p>According to recent data by the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office, insurgent attacks in Afghanistan <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/17/thousands-of-police-surro_n_119393.html" target="_blank">have jumped 50 percent</a> in the first half of 2008. The stats are prompting more strenuous efforts on behalf of NATO and Afghan police to counter Taliban resistance, the latest of which has claimed 88 lives. In response, 7,000 police have set up checkpoints to secure the nation’s Independence Day celebration in an unprecedented show of force. </p> <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/82386823.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image preview" height="389" width="550"></span></p> <p>Taliban violence is rising across Afghanistan including a deadly attack on a NATO convoy, attacks on police, and roadside bombings. The violence indicates that the Taliban is gaining footholds in the provinces surrounding Kabul. Hamid Karzai's government is desperate to "create an environment of trust and prevent any disruptive actions by the enemy," while celebrating the country's 89th anniversary of independence from Britain. </p> <p>Despite the upswing in violence, NATO officials believe that the seven-year effort to stabilize Afghanistan is making progress. Residents however, feel differently — most are afraid to leave their houses after 7 p.m. More than 3,200 people have been killed in insurgency related violence this year.</p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1873093#comment Afghanistan Headline Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:00:15 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1873093 http://www.citizensugar.com/1869902 <!-- no strip poll --><div id="epoll-view-1869902"></div><script type="text/javascript">new Ajax.Request('/epoll/view/1869902',{method:'get',onSuccess:function(transport){var epoll=$('epoll-view-1869902');epoll.update(transport.responseText);}});</script><noscript><p><p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/AB17380.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="240"></span>Teachers in a 110-student Texas school district can soon <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5945430.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">carry guns at school</a>. Those advocating the new policy argue that teachers and students feel unprotected because the school is 30 minutes from the closest sheriff. </p> <p>Staff that want to carry a gun must have a Texas concealed gun license, be approved by the district, receive crisis-management training, and use ammunition designed to minimize the risk of ricochet in school halls.</p> <p>The district's superintendent thinks the guns are a great idea:<br /> <blockquote>When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that's when all of these shootings started. Why would you put it out there that a group of people can't defend themselves? That's like saying 'sic 'em' to a dog.</p></blockquote> <p>While it's important for school staff to take the possibility of violence seriously, having multiple guns on campus sounds like it could present a danger in itself.</p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Source</a></p> <br clear=all /></p><p><!-- no strip poll --><form action="/1869902" method="post" id="epoll_view_voting"> <div><div class="poll"> <div class="vote-form"> <div class="choices"><div class="form-item"> <label>Do Teachers With Guns Make a Secluded School Safe?</label> <div class="form-item"> <label class="option"><input type="radio" name="edit[choice]" value="0" class="form-radio" /> Yes. You can't wait 30 minutes for the sheriff to arrive in an emergency. </label> </div> <div class="form-item"> <label class="option"><input type="radio" name="edit[choice]" value="1" class="form-radio" /> No. School security can have a weapon, but not teachers!</label> </div> <div class="form-item"> <label class="option"><input type="radio" name="edit[choice]" value="2" class="form-radio" /> No way! There should be no guns on campuses. Schools are not war zones.</label> </div> <div class="form-item"> <label class="option"><input type="radio" name="edit[choice]" value="3" class="form-radio" /> Other. I'll tell you in the comments.</label> </div> </div> </div><input type="hidden" name="edit[nid]" id="edit-nid" value="1869902" /> <input type="submit" name="op" value="Vote" class="form-submit" /> </div><input type="hidden" name="edit[form_id]" id="edit-form_id" value="epoll_view_voting" /> </div> </div></form> <!-- no strip poll --></p></noscript><!-- no strip poll --> http://www.citizensugar.com/1869902#comment Citizen Poll GUns Headline Second Amendment Texas Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:45:25 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1869902 http://www.citizensugar.com/1869429 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/78123385.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" width="325"></span>Iraqi Shi'ite assassination teams are being readied in four locations in Iran, with the mission to return to Iraq and <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hvMKVaio8nTfmHFLUM_usu_Kr8sQD92IJHSG2" target="_blank">kill specific Iraqi officials</a> before targeting US and Iraqi troops. The info comes from captured militia fighters and sources within Iraq. A senior US military intelligence officer confirmed the story under the condition of anonymity, acknowledging that disclosing the info is an attempt to pressure Iran to suspend the training and prevent militia fighters from returning to Iraq. To this end, "Wanted" posters picturing the men thought to be involved. </p> <p>The fighters are expected to return to Iraq between now and October, and the US is encouraging the Iraqi government to confront Iran on the issue. It's thought that part of the reason violence has declined is that the militants have moved from Basra and Sadr City to Iran. The fighters are thought to be offshoots of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia having made their own groups after al-Sadr declared a cease-fire with the Iraqi government in August 2007. </p> <p>Are the training pockets small and isolated incidents, or does it put the notion that the surge has worked to quell violence into question? </p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1869429#comment Headline Iran Iraq Iraq War Military War in Iraq Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:00:52 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1869429 http://www.citizensugar.com/1869415 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/82307271.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image left preview" width="300"></span>Russians were told yesterday morning that the true nature of the conflict in South Ossetia is this: it's a plot hatched by Vice President Dick Cheney <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4535173.ece" target="_blank">to make sure Barack Obama isn't elected</a> president. Is Cheney creating a Cold War 2.0?</p> <p>This revelation, that the conflict is orchestrated to wing Obama, was first announced on the radio and has been getting wide play. A senior political analyst close to Putin and Medvedev says, “George Bush's Administration is promoting interests of candidate John McCain. Defeated by Barak Obama on all fronts, McCain has one last card to play yet — the creation of a virtual Cold War with Russia . . . Bush himself did not want a war in South Ossetia but his Republican Party did not leave him any choice.”</p> <p>The notion has reinvigorated Cold War-era talk like this from a former ambassador to the EU:<br /> <blockquote>The West has spent a lot of time, energy and money to teach Georgia the tricks of the trade . . . to make the country look like a democracy. We and many other nations see through this deceit. We understand that the seditious tactics of the so-called color revolutions are a real threat to international law and the source of global legal nihilism.</p></blockquote> <p>To see where this idea came from, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1869415">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1869415#comment 2008 Presidential Election Barack Obama Cold War Dick Cheney Georgia Headline Invasion Russia Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:00:57 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1869415 http://www.citizensugar.com/1867316 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/72097138.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="250"></span>Recently domestic airline passenger Sherri Davidoff wrote about her experience boarding an airplane without ID. Security <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9112202" target="_blank"> required only basic information</a> before Sherri could board the plane: she provided her name and the street and a state where she had lived previously. Sherri later said that she probably could have skipped even that much questioning by printing two boarding passes at home, and tossing the first one marked for further screening. </p> <p>Sherri may have arrived at her destination, but the Transportation Security Administration has not forgotten that she showed up ID-less. The TSA has been adding ill-prepared passengers to their <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/2008-08-12-tsa_N.htm" target="_blank">database of individuals who have violated security laws</a> or were questioned for suspicious behavior. To see why the TSA wants to keep all the info on hand, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1867316">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1867316#comment Headline Identity Theft National Security TSA Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:15:23 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1867316 http://www.citizensugar.com/1866374 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/dv1954034.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image left outline preview" width="325"></span>According to new Census Bureau projections, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/washington/14census.html?_r=1&amp;hp&amp;oref=slogin" target="_blank">ethnic and racial minorities won't be that way</a> for very long. The census calculates that by 2042, Americans who consider themselves a minority including Hispanic, black, and Asian will in combination outnumber non-Hispanic whites. Even earlier, minority children will be the majority by 2023. </p> <p>The change happened quicker than previously expected, one reason being significantly higher birthrates among immigrants. Also projections of the growing influx of foreign-born immigrants show it's set to rise from 1.3 million per year now to 2 million per year by the mid-2000s, and the aging and dying of the less prolific whites. It's like a melting pot on speed; a demographer says, “no other country has experienced such rapid racial and ethnic change.”</p> <p>To see what this means for the state of the population, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1866374">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1866374#comment Census Culture Headline Immigration Race Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:01:48 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1866374 http://www.citizensugar.com/1865247 <p>The state of Hawaii has <a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-leper-colony-apology,0,6727702.story" target="_blank">apologized to the former leprosy patients</a> that were forcibly confined to a remote peninsula on the island of Molokai. State Sen. J. Kalani English said in front of 12 former patients, "We're sorry. We're sorry for the treatment. We're sorry for the suffering that you've been through. The entire state is with me today as I say this."</p> <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/80901938.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image preview" height="391" width="550"></span></p> <p>Many families were torn apart when 8,000 lepers were sent to the compound in an effort to control the disease. The containment went on for over a century until 1969 when the requirement was ended. Though curing medicine was introduced in the 1940s, some patients chose to stay because it had become their home. </p> <p>One of the brother's of the patients who didn't live long enough to see the apology said, "I know they're watching and nodding. All of these people. They're all agreeing. They're just saying 'at last.'" </p> <p>To see who's in the picture, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1865247">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1865247#comment Apologies Hawaii Headline Lepers Thu, 14 Aug 2008 06:00:20 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1865247 http://www.citizensugar.com/1865227 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/55994939.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="250"></span>The University of California can <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/12/BAQT129NMG.DTL&amp;tsp=1" target="_blank">deny credit for high school courses </a> that emphasize religious teachings over historic or scientific explanations, according to a federal judge. Yesterday's ruling upheld UC admission standards that do not recognize curriculum that declares the Bible infallible or that rejects evolution. The losing Christian schools and students will appeal the decision. Here are each side's positions:</p> <p><b>The High Schools</b>:</p> <ul> <li>Denying credit is an attempt to secularize private religious schools.</li> <li>It also violates freedom of expression and freedom of religion.</li> </ul> <p><b>University of California</b>: <ul> <li>The rejected material omits crucial topics in science and history.</li> <li>UC is applying blanket admission standards without regard to religion.</li> <li>UC has approved inclusive textbooks like <b>Biology: God's Living Creation</b>. </lI></ul> <p>Course texts rejected include <b>Biology for Christian Schools</b>, whose first page says, "If (scientific) conclusions contradict the Word of God, the conclusions are wrong," and text published by Bob Jones University that, "instructs that the Bible is the unerring source for analysis of historical events." The UC attorney says, "We evaluate the courses to see whether they prepare these kids to come to college at UC."</p> <p>Is it an attempt to secularize private religious schools? Whose side are you on?</p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1865227#comment California Creationism Evolution Headline Law World of Faith Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:35 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1865227 http://www.citizensugar.com/1864851 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/TM11_16.jpg-9e7d9509-t3.xlarger.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="380"></span>The <a href="http://buzzsugar.com/slideshow/1863126" >upcoming Season of America's Next Top Model</a> embraces diversity as usual. Twenty-two-year-old Isis, who identifies as a woman but born physically male, will compete as the show's first transgender contestant. </p> <p>While GLAAD hails the choice as an unprecedented opportunity for visibility, Isis has a more humble assessment of her role in breaking societal barriers for trasngender individuals — Isis <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/transgender-contestant-to-compete-on-antm" target="_blank">has explained</a>: "I like to help people, but I'm here to follow my dreams."</p> <p>While it probably can't hurt the CW's ratings (and we all know <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1842228" >Tyra loves publicity</a>), featuring a beautiful transgender contestant could also help the trasngender community gain mainstream acceptance by breaking stereotypes. </p> <p>If you're a big <b>ANTM</b> fan Buzz <a href="http://buzzsugar.com/slideshow/1863126" >has the skinny on the rest</a> of the contestants, and Bella has predicted <a href="http://bellasugar.com/slideshow/1863171" >how Tyra will handle makeover day</a>. I wonder if Isis's gender identity will be a major theme of the show, or whether it will be something viewers easily forget. </p> <p>Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.cwtv.com" target="_blank">The CW</a>. </p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1864851#comment America's Next Top Model GLADD Headline Isis Sexuality Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:45:03 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1864851 http://www.citizensugar.com/1864641 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/aug1308-thurmond.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="240" width="320"></span><br>Ack, ack, ack. This story! It gives the <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/tags/josef+fritzl" >Austrian incest case</a> a run for its money for sheer disgusting details alone. Raymond Daniel Thurmond, 36, is in jail today and accused of keeping his wife and four kids hostage inside a filthy single-wide trailer. How filthy? I'll allow <a href="http://www.foxcarolina.com/news/17175728/detail.html#-" target="_blank">the police to describe</a>:<br clear=all></p> <ul> <li>"The walls looked like they were moving sometimes. There were so many bugs and roaches on the wall. When the door first opened roaches fell from the ceiling down to the floor. So, I knew then we were in for something."</li> <li>"There was garbage packed up to the ceiling. The smell was so overwhelming the investigator had to where a gas mask"</li> <li>"It was probably the most disgusting scene that I've ever been involved in as far as human waste and filth, and the sad thing about it is you had a wife and four kids who were confined to these four walls and were not permitted to go outside."</li> </ul> <p>To see the condition of the kids, and how the case was busted, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1864641">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1864641#comment Georgia Headline Hostages Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:15:59 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1864641 http://www.citizensugar.com/1862916 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/Picture%202_0.png" alt="" title="" class="image left preview" width="325"></span>California's strict sex offender law — called Jessica's Law — passed by 70 percent of voters in 2006 <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-jess11-2008aug11,0,1630191.story?page=1" target="_blank">may not be the fix</a> they'd hoped for. The provisions hoped to lock away more child molesters are not only not helping, but could be causing more harm. </p> <p>One of the hallmarks of the law, banning sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park, in some cases means entire cities are off-limits for offenders. Though intending to keep kids safe, because the number of offenders who consider themselves "transient" has risen 44 percent, the amount of offenses actually increases. </p> <p>To see why this is, and how to find a map of your own neighborhood, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1862916">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1862916#comment Headline Jessica's Law Sex Offenders Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:00:04 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1862916 http://www.citizensugar.com/1863343 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/75468603.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="430"></span>Dr. Natalie Jeremijenko runs NYU's Environmental Health Clinic. The clinic treats symptoms caused by environmental maladies like contaminated land, polluted air, and dirty storm runoff. The clinic's patients can <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/health/12clin.html?_r=1&amp;oref=" target="_blank">also come in to discuss personal environmental anxieties</a> that may be caused by climate change and worries about air pollution. </p> <p>Dr. Green, as Jeremijenko should be called, is an Australian artist, designers, and engineer, who embraces the physician role by wearing a lab coat and writing prescriptions for window treatments, sunflowers, or tadpoles, as tools to heal environmental troubles.</p> <p>One patient had a case of lead contamination on his vacant lot. So Dr. Jeremijenko prescribed sunflowers and chemical agent EDTA to turn the soil lead-free. </p> <p>The clinic is <a href="http://www.goodmagazine.com/section/Portraits/mad_scientist" target="_blank">run by NYU's art department</a> (<i>not</i> the public health program); but patients do see real results. Would you consider getting a check-up at an environmental health clinic? </p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1863343#comment Eco Headline Natalie Jeremijenko New York City NYU Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:54 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1863343 http://www.citizensugar.com/1862213 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/82055766.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" width="350"></span>Like the Minutemen, another controversial group who has <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1622218" >erected signs at the border</a> between the US and Mexico, PETA has a billboard all cooked up and aimed at the migrating population heading across the border. The PETA placard <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5937293.html" target="_blank">has a stronger message</a> than "we keep this road clean" — the animal rights superadvocates want immigrants to cross over, and cross meat off their shopping list. </p> <p>PETA is asking the government to let them rent space on the border fence proclaiming to the new arrivals: "If the Border Patrol Doesn't Get You, the Chicken and Burgers Will — Go Vegan."</p> <p>Now I'm as vegan as the next. . . vegan, but the PETA campaigns can be let's say, less than subtle. To see what they're planning for this campiagn, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1862213">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1862213#comment Border Fence Food Headline Illegal Immigration Immigration PETA Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:15:22 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1862213 http://www.citizensugar.com/1859738 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/82248863.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" width="325"></span>Moving around a lot, the gym has always been my center — my home sweat home. In conflicted Iraq finding a place to work out can be a challenge and safety is an issue. That hasn't stopped these Iraqi bodybuilders in Sadr City preparing for a muscleman competition at the end of this week. </p> <p>The workout scene in Iraq is decidedly different from the 24-hour Fitness you may be used to — according to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/09/AR2008060902845.html?sid=ST2008060902684" target="_blank">this description</a> in the <b>Washington Post</b>, steroids are sometimes vended openly in gyms (sometimes animal steroids), sweat is a good thing — towels are few and far between — and no one bats an eye if someone does a set, lights up a cigarette out the window, and continues his workout. </p> <p><p><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-51897 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 active ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1859728?page=0,0,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/82248834(2).mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-2857 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1859728?page=0,1,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/82248840.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-649 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1859728?page=0,2,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/82248843.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-8646 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1859728?page=0,3,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/82248850.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-95118 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1859728?page=0,4,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/33_2008/82248874.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div></p><br clear=all></p> <p>In a country where skin is mostly kept under wraps, these posing hulks stand out — and not just for their muscles. Despite the healthy competition, breaking a sweat also breaks <a href="http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/33008" target="_blank">some of the tension</a> of living in the precarious region. It's an outer strength to match the inner fortitude required by their environment. </p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1859738#comment Bodybuilding Headline Health Iraq Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:00:43 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1859738 http://www.citizensugar.com/1860582 <p>While Russian tanks and rockets <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/world/europe/12georgia.html?pagewanted=1&amp;hp" target="_blank">roll into Georgia</a>, Russian hackers have infiltrated the country's civic websites, disabling Georgia's presidential and defense ministry sites, along with other ".ge" domains. These cyber attacks, as well as <a href="http://aidworkerdaily.com/2008/08/11/it-still-very-difficult-to-get-a-call-anywhere-around-the-country-right-now-npr/" target="_blank">bombing of Georgia's telecom infrastructure</a>, indicate that information is under assault in Georgia.<br /> <span class="inline left"><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1860568?page=0,0,0" ><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/82253155.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image preview" height="382" width="550"></a></span><br /> Cyber attacks originating in Russia have <a href="http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=1533" target="_blank"> previously been launched against Estonia and Lithuania</a>. Georgia has responded to the latest assault by <a href="http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/08/civilge-the-geo.html" target="_blank">moving crucial websites to other hosts</a>. Estonia has agreed to support the Georgian Foreign Ministry site, while Georgia has <a href="http://georgiamfa.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html" target="_blank">relocated the information flow regarding the conflict</a> to the Google platform Blogspot. Estonia has also <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/30935" target="_blank">sent cyber defense experts</a> to Georgia.</p> <p>Do strategic attacks on news and government websites make you think twice about relying on the Internet for all your information?</p> <p><p><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-872 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 active ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1860568?page=0,0,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/82252344.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-56001 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1860568?page=0,1,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/82254589.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-19739 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1860568?page=0,2,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/82256926.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-99399 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1860568?page=0,3,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/82257096.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div><div style='float:left;line-height:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9px'><div id=mask-42456 class=mask style=';width:100px;height:100px;overflow:hidden;background:#FFF;margin:0px 8px 8px 0px;border:0px solid #111;padding:0px;' onmouseover={style.borderColor='#0072bc'} onmouseout={style.borderColor='#111'}><div style='margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;'><a target=gallery4 class='thumb2 ' href=http://www.citizensugar.com/gallery/view/1860568?page=0,4,0><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/82259523.mediumsquare.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image mediumsquare" width="100" height="100" /></a></div></div></div></p><br clear=all></p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1860582#comment Georgia Headline Russia Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:00:19 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1860582 http://www.citizensugar.com/1859771 <!-- no strip poll --><div id="epoll-view-1859771"></div><script type="text/javascript">new Ajax.Request('/epoll/view/1859771',{method:'get',onSuccess:function(transport){var epoll=$('epoll-view-1859771');epoll.update(transport.responseText);}});</script><noscript><p><p>While making a slit-eyed gesture and standing near a Chinese dragon, members of Spain's Olympic basketball teams posed for an advertisement, apparently unaware of offensive overtones. Two large photos, one of each team's members pulling back the skin by their eyes, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/11/olympicsbasketball.olympics20081" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">filled an entire page</a> in Spain's most popular newspaper. </p> <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/spanishbasketballteam.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image center preview" height="276" width="460"></span></p> <p>A sponsor of the Spanish Basketball Federation published the questionable good-luck message, but apparently the sport's governing body saw no reason to object either, as its seal also appears on the ad. </p> <p>Racism and sports <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/26/sports/soccer.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">have collided before</a> in Spain. Perhaps the International Olympic Committee will consider Spain's cultural insensitivity when assessing Madrid's bid for the 2016 or 2020 Olympics.</p> <br clear=all /></p><p><!-- no strip poll --><form action="/1859771" method="post" id="epoll_view_voting"> <div><div class="poll"> <div class="vote-form"> <div class="choices"><div class="form-item"> <label>Racist or Funny? Spanish Teams Pose With &quot;Slit&quot; Chinese Eyes</label> <div class="form-item"> <label class="option"><input type="radio" name="edit[choice]" value="0" class="form-radio" /> Racist! This ad is offensive.</label> </div> <div class="form-item"> <label class="option"><input type="radio" name="edit[choice]" value="1" class="form-radio" /> Funny. What's wrong with a little teasing between sports rivals. </label> </div> <div class="form-item"> <label class="option"><input type="radio" name="edit[choice]" value="2" class="form-radio" /> This is an isolated bad joke, but it's not the end of the world.</label> </div> <div class="form-item"> <label class="option"><input type="radio" name="edit[choice]" value="3" class="form-radio" /> Other. I'll tell you in the comments. </label> </div> </div> </div><input type="hidden" name="edit[nid]" id="edit-nid" value="1859771" /> <input type="submit" name="op" value="Vote" class="form-submit" /> </div><input type="hidden" name="edit[form_id]" id="edit-form_id" value="epoll_view_voting" /> </div> </div></form> <!-- no strip poll --></p></noscript><!-- no strip poll --> http://www.citizensugar.com/1859771#comment 2008 Olympics China Headline Poll Race Spain Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:45:10 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1859771 http://www.citizensugar.com/1859204 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/33_2008/75910352.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="230"></span>Controversial state law initiatives, set to appear on this November's ballot, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/11/us/11ballot.html?pagewanted=1&amp;_r=2&amp;ref=us" target="_blank">could influence the debate throughout the presidential campaign</a>, and provide national voters various litmus tests by which to judge the candidates. Research shows that initiatives do not increase turnout, but the measures <i>are</i> prompting Barack Obama and John McCain to take positions on hot-button issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, affirmative action, labor rights, and energy. Here is a roundup of some of the most divisive initiatives:</p> <ul> <li><b>Abortion</b>: South Dakota will consider banning abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or threats to a woman’s health. California will vote on parental notification (for the third time). Colorado voters will decide whether to define a “person” as “any human being from the moment of fertilization.” </li> <li><b>Same-sex marriage</b>: In Arizona, California, and Florida, voters will decide whether to amend the state constitutions and define marriage as between one man and one woman, like 27 other states have. McCain <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1751944" >endorsed the proposal, while Obama says he opposes the ban</a>. </li> <li><b>Affirmative Action</b>: Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska will consider banning affirmative action, as California, Michigan and Washington have. McCain <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1848187" >supports the ban</a>, although in 1998 he opposed something similar. Obama opposes a ban.</li> <p>To find out what voters will decide about labor and energy, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1859204">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1859204#comment Abortion Affirmative Action Alternative Energy Ballot Initiatives Headline Same-Sex Marriage Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:15:19 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1859204 http://www.citizensugar.com/1857448 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/32_2008/rbww_00.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" width="325"></span>Smart victims of crimes know to pay attention to details during the act to help catch the crook later. Problems with this strategy arise from this phenomenon — people have problems with <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ggcR_HChdp2iOELF-O0AZS7YGfWgD92FEPB80" target="_blank">cross-racial identification</a>. Since 1991, 218 people have been found innocent through DNA testing — 75 percent of those wrongful convictions came from mistaken eyewitnesses, and half of those involved a person of one race misidentifying a person of another.</p> <p>One such story happened to a victim of rape. Though she'd had a good close look at the perpetrator, when it came to the lineup, she fingered the wrong African-American. To see her story, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1857448">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1857448#comment Crime Headline Race Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:00:52 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1857448 http://www.citizensugar.com/1858225 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/32_2008/Harry-potter-cover.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image left preview" height="400" width="266"></span>Good news for all you sad Muggles wandering around all <i>visible</i> and everything — scientists say that they're a step closer to developing the technology that will give the power to make things and people (!) invisible. Researchers have demonstrated that they're now able to use artificially engineered materials that redirect light around three-dimensional objects, making them <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gnrH1I5OMi2psDdZ2cWrmQlVfyXgD92FPIOG0" target="_blank">disappear into thin air</a>, Harry Potter-style. </p> <p>OK, it's not magic — the reason we can see objects is because they scatter the light that hits them, beaming some of it back to the eye. This cloaking technique uses materials, called metamaterials, to deflect light <i>around</i> an object, like a rock parting water flowing in a stream.</p> <p>Though researchers are excited by the military implications of having the power of invisibility, the rest of us can feel free to come up with various (more important?) scenarios where we could apply this technology. Where would you want to be invisible?</p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1858225#comment Headline Invisibility Science Technology Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:00:20 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1858225 http://www.citizensugar.com/1854202 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/32_2008/81904270.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="230"></span>The gas crisis has dangerous consequences, according to pilots <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92E77M80&amp;show_article=1&amp;catnum=0" target="_blank">who claim that airlines restrict airplane fuel</a> to uncomfortably low amounts. Aggressive policies enacted by the financially struggling airline companies, attempt to reduce consumption and cost. </p> <p>Three years ago NASA set up a confidential Aviation Safety Reporting System, which allows workers to anonymously report concerns. Some have reported that the airlines rank captains according to who can land using the least amount of gas.</p> <p>Despite warnings from aviation workers, the FAA does not want to order airlines to keep fuel loads above the minimum required: enough for the trip, plus 45 minutes extra. The agency's spokesman says that the FAA can't "dabble in the business policies or the personnel policies of an airline." Thankfully, there hasn't been a low-fuel-related accident since the early '90s; but, do you think airline companies should listen to the pilots' growing concerns that the bottom line might compromise safety?</p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1854202#comment Airlines FAA Gas Prices Headline Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:59 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1854202 http://www.citizensugar.com/1855406 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/32_2008/82229298.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" width="300"></span>Continuing the <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1852896" >invasion begun yesterday</a>, Russia has dispatched hundreds of tanks and troops into the province of South Ossetia today, escalating the conflict. Georgian towns have been bombed through air strikes <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/09/1500-reported-dead-as-rus_n_117891.html" target="_blank">leaving hundreds of civilians dead</a> and wounded.</p> <p>Georgia launched a significant offensive maneuver yesterday aimed at retaking control of breakaway province of South Ossetia. Russia has close ties to the province and providing them peacekeepers. They responded by sending in convoys of tanks and military aircraft. Georgia is an ally of the US. </p> <p>Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that about 1,500 people have been killed, and the death toll is rising.</p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1855406#comment Georgia Headline Invasion Russia Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:01:26 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1855406 http://www.citizensugar.com/1853626 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/32_2008/81028880.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" width="300"></span> John Edwards <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5441195&amp;page=1" target="_blank"> has admitted to having an extramarital affair</a> with filmmaker Rielle Hunter, and lying throughout his Presidential campaign. <b>ABC News</b> will run the Edwards interview tonight, in which he admits to the affair, but says he never loved the woman. Although he has not taken a paternity test, Edwards says he knows <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1814041" >he is not the father</a> based on the timing of the affair. He also denies making payments to the woman, but says his friends or supporters may have done so without his knowledge.</p> <p>The former presidential candidate says his wife Elizabeth and other family members learned of the affair in 2006. </p> <p><b>Update</b>: Following the news of his admission, John Edwards released a statement.<br /> <blockquote> In 2006, I made a serious error in judgment and conducted myself in a way that was disloyal to my family and to my core beliefs. . . . I am and have been willing to take any test necessary to establish the fact that I am not the father of any baby, and I am truly hopeful that a test will be done so this fact can be definitively established. . . . It is inadequate to say to the people who believed in me that I am sorry, as it is inadequate to say to the people who love me that I am sorry. In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic. If you want to beat me up — feel free.</p></blockquote> <p>For the rest, read his <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iA3hFdrA6gbbMEdolu1g9cuGKkCAD92EC0J80" target="_blank">full statement</a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1853626#comment Headline John Edwards Scandals Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:25:40 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1853626 http://www.citizensugar.com/1853306 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/32_2008/80905586.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="420"></span>The Zimbabwe government's youth militia use the most horrific tactic — rape — as a tool to terrorize those suspected of sympathizing with the opposition. President Robert Mugabe's ruling party has been carrying out a campaign of political terror since <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/tags/zimbabwe" >opposition supporters contested his election</a>.</p> <p>Today's <b>New York Times</b> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/world/africa/08aids.html?_r=1&amp;ref=africa&amp;oref" target="_blank">paints a graphic picture</a> of how many of Zimbabwe's women have been abused, humiliated, and raped, often in front of their families. State hospitals have turned away rape victims, who are often in pain and bleeding, and looking to prevent pregnancy, HIV, or other STDs. </p> <p>To find out how an upcoming power-sharing deal might mean the perpetrators never see justice, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1853306">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1853306#comment AIDS Headline Human Rights Need to Know Rape Robert Mugabe Zimbabwe Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:15:57 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1853306 http://www.citizensugar.com/1852896 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/32_2008/20080808_062118_GeorgiaInvasion_400.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" width="350"></span>Georgia's president has announced that his country is <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/08/georgia.ossetia/index.html" target="_blank">being attacked by Russian tanks</a> and planes. "Russian troops invaded Georgia. . . all day today they've been bombing Georgia from numerous warplanes and specifically targeting (the) civilian population, and we have scores of wounded and dead among (the) civilian population all around the country."</p> <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/32_2008/82212429.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image left preview" width="350"></span>Georgian troops have <a href="http://www.twincities.com/national/ci_10137741?source=rss" target="_blank">launched a military offensive</a> in hopes to regain control over the breakaway province of South Ossetia, which sparked a furious response from Russia who sent a convoy of tanks into the area. The fighting is the worst outbreak of unrest since the province assumed more-or-less independence in 1992.<br /> <br><br /> It appears that <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2523131/Russia-invades-South-Ossetia-as-conflict-with-Georgia-escalates.html" target="_blank">two Russian planes have been shot down</a> by Georgian forces and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has warned the attack with inspire retaliation. Russian aircraft have attacked a military base near the Georgian capital of Tblisi.</p> <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/32_2008/georgia-map_787491a.gif" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" width="150"></span>So far 15 people have been killed and an unknown number wounded. The situation marks the first time Russian troops have acted on foreign soil since the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989. </p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1852896#comment Georgia Headline Invasion Russia Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:08:30 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1852896 http://www.citizensugar.com/1851122 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/32_2008/rbrb_2590.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" width="300"></span>One double-click too many? An Illinois facility has become the <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Story?id=5526149&amp;page=1" target="_blank">first to offer in-patient treatment</a> for Internet addiction. The cases have been serious — like one patient who wouldn't shower or eat for days, and play computer games until dawn, and another patient so addicted to Internet shopping had boxes shipped to her in the treatment center. </p> <p>A therapist said:<br /> <blockquote>It's very common for others not to believe that Internet addiction is real. In fact, the person who is addicted to his or her computer is going to have the same "high" as the drug addict who is about to go see their drug dealer. Both are escapes from the real world.</p></blockquote> <p>Though kicking cigarettes or booze might just be a question of staying clear of them, with Internet addiction, it's not so easy. The most challenging aspect of the recovery process is the wide availability of the Internet, whether it is on a computer or a cell phone — not to mention those who have to use it for work. "Cocaine and other illegal drugs are not at the library or a coffee shop. Computers are everywhere."</p> <p>Interestingly, when it comes to girls and boys, there's a difference in addiction. To find out how, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1851122">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1851122#comment Addiction Headline Illinois Technology Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:45:51 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1851122 http://www.citizensugar.com/1850230 <p>Colombia violated the Geneva Convention when its military used the Red Cross' symbol to help free 15 hostages from FARC rebels last month, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/world/americas/07colombia.html?_r=2&amp;ref=americas&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin" target="_blank">according to the International Red Cross</a>. The first Geneva Convention prohibits using the Red Cross emblem in military operations because it could compromise the perceived neutrality of the group's humanitarian and medical missions.<br /> <span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/32_2008/FlagoftheRedCross.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image center outline preview" height="272" width="473"></span><br /> The Colombia operatives posed as faux-humanitarian workers, and <a href="http://observers.france24.com/en/content/20080805-unedited-images-ingrid-betancourt-rescue" target="_blank">video</a> shows that one soldier wore the Red Cross emblem. Colombia initially misrepresented its use of the emblem, but later apologized, calling the soldier's decision to wear the cross unauthorized. </p> <p>While officials consider the details of their rescue, the most famous former hostage, Ingrid Betancourt, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/world/americas/03colombia.html" target="_blank">avoids discussing the details</a> of her six-year captivity. To see what she has said however, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1850230">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1850230#comment Colombia Geneva Convention Headline Ingrid Betancourt Red Cross Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:00:21 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1850230 http://www.citizensugar.com/1848742 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/32_2008/nra_logo.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="320"></span>Get this: a gun-control activist, who sat on the board of two anti-violence groups, might have been a spy for the NRA all along! Mary Lou McFate (or Mary Lou Sapone) has worked for gun control for over a decade, but her organizations have just kicked her out so they can start checking her offices for bugs. Using her maiden name "McFare," Mary allegedly <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/07/mary-mcfate-sapone-gun-lobby-nra-spy.html" target="_blank">posed as a gun-control activist</a> at the behest of the National Rifle Association. As an alleged mole for the NRA, McFate <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/07/mary-mcfate-sapone-gun-lobby-nra-spy.html" target="_blank">met with members of Congress</a>, attended rallies, and participated in strategy sessions on behalf of gun control. </p> <p>This isn't the first time McFate has acted as a freelance spy. During the 1980s she infiltrated an animal-rights group for US Surgical, a company accused of using dogs for research and training. She has also worked as a flight attendant and a sex therapist.</p> <p>Even though McFate had access to every major legislative strategy of the gun-control lobby, some say they have nothing to hide from the NRA. In fact, a few gun-control activists feel flattered that the gun lobby sees them as a threat.</p> <p><a href="http://www.nra.com/" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1848742#comment Gun Control Headline Lobbyists Mary Lou McFate NRA Second Amendment Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:00:02 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1848742 http://www.citizensugar.com/1848133 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/32_2008/TEMP-Image_1_35.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="400"></span>Are gas prices driving volunteers away? Some charities say yes, and they want Congress to help. US corporate drivers get a tax deduction of 58.5 cents per gallon, while those driving their cars for charity only deduct 14 cents. When charities pay volunteers the corporate rate, the altruistic drivers must declare the reimbursement as taxable income. If all that doesn't sound right to you, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/us/06charity.html?_r=1&amp;oref" target="_blank">100 charities and four senators agree</a>.</p> <p>Charities that rely on volunteer drivers, for example to take the elderly to medical appointments or the grocery store, <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1751423" >cannot sustain high gas prices</a>. So a group of 100 charities, like the American Red Cross and Catholic Charities, got together and wrote a letter to Congress to ask lawmakers to address the problem. Today, four senators announced their plan to raise the deduction to 70 percent of the corporate rate, and eliminate the tax on reimbursements above that rate. Since a $1,000 charitable donation is tax deductible for $1,000, it seems only fair that those donating their time and gas get a break, too. </p> <p>Have you changed your charitable participation because of gas prices? Should charities get special consideration?</p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1848133#comment Charity Congress Gas Prices Headline Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:30:54 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1848133 http://www.citizensugar.com/1847928 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/32_2008/80259523.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" height="300"></span>Thanks to rising oil prices, Iraq will enjoy a $79 billion surplus by the end of the year, according to a report requested by a bipartisan group of senators. While the US has spent $48 billion in American taxpayer money on Iraq's reconstruction since 2005, Iraq <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/world/middleeast/06surplus.html?hp" target="_blank">has spent only a fraction of its oil revenue</a> on reconstruction projects. And, Iraq spent only 1 percent of its 2005-2007 budget to maintain existing projects already funded by Americans or Iraqis. Thus, preinvasion promises that Iraqi oil money would finance the rebuilding of Iraq have gone unfulfilled. </p> <p>The Central Bank of Iraq cites a lack of expertise in Iraqi ministries along with security problems as reasons for the lack of spending. There seems to be a vicious cycle: Iraq can't use its money to increase security because there's not enough security.</p> <p>Congressional Democrats have <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1539573" >already called for Iraq to spend its own money</a> on reconstruction. Since the US <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/washington/29budget.html?hp" target="_blank">just predicted a record $489 billion deficit</a> for 2009, hopefully Iraq's windfall surplus will be put to use soon. Should Americans struggling with rising oil prices be frustrated that Iraq is sitting on oil profits while America pays for the reconstruction?</p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1847928#comment Headline Iraq Iraq War Money Oil Reconstruction Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:15:00 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1847928 http://www.citizensugar.com/1847382 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/32_2008/ap-Salim-Hamdan-Guantanamo-trial-175eng23jul08.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image left preview" width="150"></span>The military jury's verdict in the Guantanamo Bay trial of Osama bin Laden's driver is in: he has been found not guilty in the more serious count of conspiracy to aid terror, and <a href="http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gdvpl2jt6TKDyNkiCC5LVYWo6m4g" target="_blank">guilty of material support of terrorism</a>. The sentencing phase of the trial begins this afternoon. The <a href="http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jiMGp226rw5Wxj9DoF96bGRFYy-A" target="_blank">prosecution's case</a> did not prove that he intended to do harm, but that he aided the al Qaeda network in accomplishing acts that caused harm. This was the first war crimes trial since WWII.</p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1847382#comment 9-11 Courts Guantanamo Headline Law Osama bin Laden Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:40:57 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1847382 http://www.citizensugar.com/1845659 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/32_2008/80904114.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image left preview" width="350"></span>The Transportation "Security" Administration might have to rethink its name after it misplaced a <a href="http://cbs5.com/local/tsa.security.clear.2.788083.html" target="_blank">laptop containing all of the unencrypted data</a> from 33,000 people who've enrolled in the TSA Clear program for over a week. The info in question includes names and passport, driver's license, and green card numbers — you know, <i>the important stuff</i>. </p> <p>The laptop belonged to the private company Verified Identity Pass, which runs the program that allows passengers to pay a fee and register to clear security faster in 17 different states. The <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/08/05/financial/f102608D05.DTL&amp;tsp=1" target="_blank">computer went missing</a> on July 26, but the TSA wasn't notified until Sunday. All of the applicants have to be notified of the security breach. <i>Obviously</i>. The laptop has now been mysteriously recovered, hidden in a "not obvious" location. An investigation is underway as to whether the laptop was stolen and returned, or just misplaced. </p> <p>Though they might have lost track of that data, they found a whole new (and personal) place to search. To see where, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1845659">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1845659#comment Airlines Headline Identity Theft Technology TSA Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:45:55 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1845659 http://www.citizensugar.com/1844619 <p>It's not an easy read, to make the understatement of the century; the US Army has just released a book called <b>War Surgery in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Series of Cases, 2003-2007</b>. The book is the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/health/05surg.html?ref=science" target="_blank">first guide for new techniques</a> for battlefield surgeons to be released while the war included in its pages is still being fought. </p> <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/32_2008/80729405.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image preview" height="367" width="550"></span></p> <p>The book includes 83 case descriptions from dozens of battlefield doctors, and though the descriptions are dry and clinically detached, the pictures are the 1,000 words that illustrate the grim horror of war. Most of the injured pictured are US soldiers but some Iraqis and Afghans are included as well. </p> <p>The pictures may be all the more horrifying given the mixed blessing of advancing body armor combined with the fact that in modern wars, more are injured by explosions than bullets — meaning many are left alive, but badly maimed. Because of the graphic nature of the shots, it's a difficult (but not impossible) tome for civilians — even doctors — to get a hold of. To see what one of the book's authors has to say about the secrecy of the book, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1844619">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1844619#comment Afghanistan Battlefield Surgery Guide Headline Military Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:45:35 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1844619 http://www.citizensugar.com/1839549 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/31_2008/82160093.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" width="300"></span>The number of new cases of AIDS diagnosed in the US each year is <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92AN3TG0&amp;show_article=1" target="_blank">40 percent higher</a> than the government previously estimated, acknowledging that they've understated the level of the epidemic.</p> <p>The US actually had about 56,300 new HIV infections in 2006, up from the 40,000 annual estimate publicized for the last dozen years. The new number is because of a better blood test and new statistical methods, not a worsening of the epidemic. </p> <p>The executive director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors says, "This is the biggest news for public health and HIV/AIDS that we've had in a while." The new estimate and how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arrived at the number were presented yesterday at the opening day of the international AIDS conference in Mexico City. To see how Bill Clinton and the adorable baby fit in, and an amazing breakthrough in a cure for HIV, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1839549">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1839549#comment AIDS Headline HIV World AIDS Conference Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:00:05 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1839549 http://www.citizensugar.com/1839585 <p>The Olympics (starting on Friday!) has caused all kinds of disruptions in China as they scurry to <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1801463" >clean up their air</a> — and their <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1831033" >sartorial statements</a>. The <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/46185.html" target="_blank">factories that produce 80 percent</a> of the world's ascorbic acid, aka Vitamin C, crucial to cold curing and a huge part of modern food production, have been closed down. The reach of the Games preparation seems to have no bounds.</p> <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/31_2008/dv2014018.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image preview" height="412" width="550"></span></p> <p>And it's not just fashion statements getting makeovers — Beijing residents are <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hF95RexrBSn4dNT0YkUO9sYluVFgD92AU9F80" target="_blank">beginning to grumble</a> about the disruptions the Games have brought to their lives. To see how, </p> <p><a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1839585">read more</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1839585#comment 2008 Olympics George W Bush Headline Health Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:07 -0700 CitizenSugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1839585 http://www.citizensugar.com/1836157 <p>In response to a rising trend of people trying to get around sex segregation laws in Saudi Arabia, police will now <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7537307.stm" target="_blank">strictly enforce a ban on the sale of pet cats and dogs</a> in the city of Riyadh. If authorities find you walking one of these pets in public (you can walk a cat?), they will take away the furry creature for good. First they <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1039381" >outlawed Valentine's Day</a>, and now cats and dogs?!<br /> <span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/31_2008/80341190.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image preview" height="338" width="550"></span><br /> The Commission For the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice wants men to stop using these pets as a way to pick up, or even talk to, women in public places. The rule against public mingling among non-family members of the opposite sex is serious business; a few months ago, Saudi religious police <a href="http://www.citizensugar.com/1024363" >jailed an American living in the country</a> after she sat with her male colleagues in a Starbucks. </p> <p>If the fight against flirting requires officials to resort to extreme laws like a ban on pets, does it signal that sex segregation might not be so realistic?</p> <p><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" target="_blank">Source</a></p> http://www.citizensugar.com/1836157#comment Headline Middle East Politics of Love Saudi Arabia Sat, 02 Aug 2008 11:00:56 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1836157 http://www.citizensugar.com/slideshow/1835141 <a href="/slideshow/1835141?page=0"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/19/193328/31_2008/82145180.xlarge_0.jpg" alt="Total Solar Eclipse Passes Canada, Russia, Welcomes Olympics in China" title="Total Solar Eclipse Passes Canada, Russia, Welcomes Olympics in China" class="image xlarge inline left" width="320" height="202" /></a>Canada, Russia, and China saw a total solar eclipse today. The moon passed directly between Earth and the sun, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7536438.stm">revealing the breathtaking outer atmosphere of the sun</a>, which is made up of super-heated gases. Other locations saw a partial eclipse. The Chinese consider eclipses bad luck; in ancient times they believed that a dragon or dog was swallowing the sun. But the Chinese media dubbed this one the "Olympic eclipse" and broadcasted the astrological event live on national television. Thousands of people watched the eclipse the old-fashioned way, too, by going outside. In Novosibirsk, Russia, 10,000 tourists came to the city to witness it, <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/weather/article4432137.ece">securing hotels months before</a>. We cannot usually see the outer-atmosphere of the sun, called the corona, because the sun's light is too bright. Check out these stunning pictures of one of nature's most beautiful phenomenas. <div id='pager' style='margin:25px auto;text-align:center;margin:8px; '><a href="/slideshow/1835141?page=0">Start Slideshow</a></div> http://www.citizensugar.com/slideshow/1835141#comment Canada China Headline Russia Solar Eclipse Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:15:11 -0700 LibertySugar http://www.citizensugar.com/1835141 http://www.citizensugar.com/1833335 <p><span class="inline left"><img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/31_2008/72733299.preview.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image right preview" width="325"></span>What's more important than upgrades to a water treatment plant? Flushing smut down