World-News

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5inrssFARYO4US7mMu27sqB9tc7WwD96FKURG0


Informant: Duane Roberts

--------

No Rights for Detainees in Afghanistan

Nedra Pickler and Matt Apuzzo, The Associated Press: "The Obama administration, siding with the Bush White House, contended Friday that detainees in Afghanistan have no constitutional rights. In a two-sentence court filing, the Justice Department said it agreed that detainees at Bagram Airfield cannot use US courts to challenge their detention. The filing shocked human rights attorneys."

http://www.truthout.org/022109Z

--------

Obama sides with Bush on Bagram detainees

President Barack Obama's administration has sided with predecessor George W. Bush on the rights of detainees at Bagram air base in Afghanistan, saying they cannot challenge their detention in US courts.

http://tinyurl.com/b8gjrb



Britain's omertà on torture is a crime

David Miliband claims the UK is bound by a pledge of confidentiality to the US not to discuss shared intelligence on terrorism. On the contrary, says Binyam Mohamed's lawyer. If it relates to the violent abuse of suspects, to suppress it is illegal.

http://tinyurl.com/c2mrch


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Obama
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Bush+legacy
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=David+Miliband
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Binyam+Mohamed
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Bagram
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=detainee
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=detention
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Afghanistan
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=torture
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Nedra+Pickler
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Matt+Apuzzo

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29310523/


Informant: Duane Roberts



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Obama
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=missile+strikes
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Pakistan
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Mark+Mazzetti
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=David+E.+Sanger

- La Dernière Heure (Belgique) "Antenne GSM : bail réduit"
- Next-up: Avertissement aux Bailleurs (Maires inclus).

http://www.next-up.org/pages/nouvellesdumonde67TmAssurancesRcPresentation.php#1

Erst gab es einen Versprecher, dann tauchten Bilder von Google Earth auf und schließlich kommen die ersten Bestätigungen über ein für die pakistanische Regierung heikles Thema.

http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/29/29779/1.html



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Pakistan

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/02/20-5

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Perle's Deceptions

By Philip Weiss

Blaming the neocons for the Iraq war is a conspiracy theory, Perle said.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22065.htm



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Prince+of+Darkness
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Richard+Perle
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=neocons
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Dana+Milbank
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Philip+Weiss

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/567.html



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=9/11

US banking shares hit their lowest level since 1992 on Thursday as fears mounted that the government would be forced to nationalise a key institution.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8a163738-fe85-11dd-b19a-000077b07658,s01=1.html?nclick_check=1



Fed offers bleak economic outlook

The Federal Reserve cut its economic outlook for 2009 on Wednesday and warned that the United States economy would face an "unusually gradual and prolonged" period of recovery as the country struggles to climb out of a deep global downturn.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/19/business/19fed.php



J.C. Penney reports 51 percent slide in 4Q profit

J.C. Penney Co. reported a 51 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit Friday as customers sharply cut spending on clothing and other items. The results beat Wall Street expectations, but the chain projected a wider first-quarter loss than analysts had predicte.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090220/ap_on_bi_ge/earns_penney


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Federal+Reserve
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Wall+Street

Their number remains "worryingly high" and the majority are suffering from food shortages, substandard and expensive accommodation, while work is scarce.

http://tinyurl.com/bch2yh


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=displaced

The US military is about to complete a $60m expansion to its prison at the Bagram air base in Afghanistan, where it holds more than 600 so-called enemy combatants.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/02/200922041829271189.html


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Afghanistan
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Bagram
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=enemy+combatant

Why the Promise of Biofuels is a Lie

By Robert Bryce

For years, the US has been inundated with claims that it should follow Brazil's lead on biofuels. These arguments have largely been made by a small, but influential group of neoconservatives who claim that the US should quit using oil altogether. They claim that using more ethanol - produced from sugar cane, or corn, or some other substance - will impoverish OPEC and America will once again be returned to prosperity.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22051.htm



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=ethanol
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=biofuels
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=neocons
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Robert+Bryce

Video By PBS

On Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008, the astonished leadership of the U.S. Congress was told in a private session by the chairman of the Federal Reserve that the American economy was in grave danger of a complete meltdown within a matter of days. "There was literally a pause in that room where the oxygen left," says Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.)

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22043.htm



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Federal+Reserve
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Bernanke
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=American+economy

By Scott Horton

Obama's problem is that a growing number of Americans are concerned about what the Bush administration did and are eager to press the issue. The extent of public concern has been reflected in several recent public opinion polls, including one in February by USA Today showing that nearly two-thirds of Americans support investigations of the Bush administration's use of torture and warrantless wiretapping; roughly 40 percent support criminal investigations.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/02/20



Who Will Be There For Obusha, When The Floor Drops Out?

By David Michael Green

I didn't have high expectations that Obama would turn out to be Eugene Debs, come back from socialist heaven (Stockholm?), and so I can't say that I'm surprised he's not. But I am pretty shocked and disgusted at some of the decisions we've seen so far, including many that Dick Cheney would have little problem praising (in some cases, because Cheney made them originally).

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22047.htm



Canada Hosting War Crimes Suspect George W. Bush

By John Mcnamer

The Canadian government has knowingly allowed the violation of both Canadian domestic law and international human-rights law by failing to stop former U.S. president George W. Bush from crossing the border for a paid speaking engagement with a private Calgary audience.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22238.htm


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Bush+legacy
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Obama
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Cheney
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=torture
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=warrantless
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=wiretapping
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Scott+Horton
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=David+Michael+Green
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=John+Mcnamer

Laura Sayre, Mother Earth News: "You may be familiar with many of the problems associated with concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. These 'factory farm' operations are often criticized for the smell and water pollution caused by all that concentrated manure; the unnatural, grain-heavy diets the animals consume; and the stressful, unhealthy conditions in which the animals live. You may not be aware, however, of the threat such facilities hold for you and your family's health - even if you never buy any of the meat produced in this manner."

http://www.truthout.org/022009HA



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=animal+feeding
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=CAFO
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=factory+farm
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Laura+Sayre

Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog: "The stock market reached a six-year low today. Why? Some blame loose talk (including that of former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan) about nationalizing the nation's banks. Others blame Obama's new plan for helping homeowners who may not be able to pay their mortgages. But the real culprit is the accelerating decline in aggregate demand - consumers, businesses, and exports. Companies are losing money because their customers are disappearing. That's precisely why the stimulus is so important - indeed, why many of us fear it's too small."

http://www.truthout.org/022009U



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=stock+market
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Obama
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Greenspan
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=homeowner
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=mortgage
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=stimulus
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Robert+Reich's+Blog

The Associated Press: "First, Arthur Santa-Maria called Bank of America to ask how to check the balance of his new unemployment benefits debit card. The bank charged him 50 cents. He chose not to complain. That would have cost another 50 cents."

http://www.truthout.org/022009T



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=unemployment
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=jobless

http://www.lewrockwell.com/roberts/roberts263.html



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Constitution
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=com/roberts

http://www.lewrockwell.com/taylor/taylor152.html



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=stimulus
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=com/taylor

http://www.lewrockwell.com/bonner/bonner361.html



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=ponzi
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=com/bonner

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig9/schiff4.html



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=homeowner
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Peter+Schiff
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=/schiff

Lucia Mutikani, Reuters: "The number of U.S. workers drawing unemployment aid jumped to a record high of nearly 5 million, the government said on Thursday, as a worsening economy made it increasingly hard to find jobs. The data from early February suggested the 13-month-old U.S. recession was deepening, a conclusion supported by a report that showed factory activity in the country's Mid-Atlantic region contracted sharply in February."

http://www.truthout.org/022009C



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=unemployment
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=recession
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Lucia+Mutikani

Guillaume Duval, Alternatives Economiques: "... the disorders of finance would not have had such heavy consequences had they not come into play against the backdrop of the colossal imbalances in the real economy and the returning rise of inequalities to levels unknown since the beginning of the Twentieth Century."

http://www.truthout.org/022009F



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=financial+crisis
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Guillaume+Duval

Empörung über Mißfelder nach abfälligen Äußerungen über Arbeitslose

Wegen abfälliger Äußerungen über Arbeitslose gerät der Junge-Union-Bundesvorsitzende Philipp Mißfelder zunehmend unter Druck. Der CDU-Politiker hatte auf einer Parteiveranstaltung am vergangenen Sonntag laut einem Bericht der Dortmunder "Ruhr Nachrichten" gesagt: "Die Erhöhung von 'Hartz IV' war ein Anschub für die Tabak- und Spirituosenindustrie." Obwohl Mißfelder die Aussagen am Freitag abschwächte, warfen ihm Kritiker Stimmungsmache gegen sozial Schwache vor. Nach Ansicht der Arbeiterwohlfahrt, die die Äußerung Mißfelders auf die beschlossene Erhöhung des Regelsatzes für Kinder ab dem 1. Juli bezog, offenbart die Aussage des Unions-Politikers "eine völlige soziale Inkompetenz", wie Bundesvorstand Rainer Brückers sagte.

http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?H=N&Nr=19334



CSA-Vizechef Meier kritisiert JU-Chef Mißfelder

Die Arbeitnehmer-Union der CSU (CSA) wirft dem CDU-Spitzenpolitiker Philipp Mißfelder vor, mit seinen umstrittenen Äußerungen über "Hartz IV"-Empfänger der Union insgesamt zu schaden. Der bayerische CSA-Vize Reiner Meier appellierte am Montag (23. Februar) an die Junge Union, ihren Bundesvorsitzenden "in die Schranken zu weisen". Mißfelder sei zum wiederholten Mal mit "unqualifizierten" Äußerungen aufgefallen. Die JU müsse sich daher auf Bundesebene "dringend überlegen", ob Mißfelder als Vorsitzender noch tragbar sei.

http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?H=N&Nr=19343

--------

Der Junge Union Chef Philipp Mißfelder (CDU) verunglimpfte Hartz IV Empfänger: "Die Erhöhung von Hartz IV war ein Anschub für die Tabak- und Spirituosenindustrie."

Der Junge Union Chef Philipp Mißfelder (CDU) verunglimpfte Hartz IV Empfänger beim internen CDU- Frühschoppen. Ein Frühschoppen, bei dem das eine oder andere Bier unter Parteifreunden getrunken wird. Da kann man dann auch mal "auch ganz offen" plaudern und seine wahre Haltung zu den Ärmsten dieser Republik äußern.

Lesen Sie weiter: http://www.gegen-hartz.de/nachrichtenueberhartziv/philippmifelder6352.php

--------

21. Februar 2009

Mißfelder ist untragbar

Der stellvertretende Vorsitzende der LINKEN, Klaus Ernst, reagiert empört auf die Nichtbereitschaft des Vorsitzenden der Jungen Union, Philipp Mißfelder, sich für seine verbalen Entgleisungen gegen Hartz-IV-Empfänger zu entschuldigen und fordert den Rückzug des JU-Chefs aus allen politischen Ämtern. Er erklärt:

"Ein gut abgesicherter Parteijugendfunktionär, der erst alte Menschen verhöhnt und dann Millionen Hartz-IV-Bezieher beleidigt, ist einfach untragbar. Seine Äußerungen und seine Halsstarrigkeit sind weder christlich noch demokratisch und gleich gar nicht sozial. Seine Vorstellungen sind mit Artikel 1 des Grundgesetzes unvereinbar und passen in einen vormundschaftlichen Staat. Als offenkundig unbelehrbarer Wiederholungstäter muss er zurücktreten und sich aus dem politischen Leben zurückziehen. Wenn er nicht bereit ist, sich selbst zu entschuldigen, muss die Parteivorsitzende Merkel klarmachen, wofür die Union steht."

http://www.die-linke.de/presse/presseerklaerungen/detail/artikel/missfelder-ist-untragbar/



20. Februar 2009

Zynisch und menschenverachtend

Zu den Äußerungen des CDU-Politiker Philipp Mißfelder sagt Bundesgeschäftsführer Dietmar Bartsch:

Mißfelder ist ein Wiederholungstäter. Er ist nicht lernfähig. Seine Äußerungen sind zynisch und menschenverachtend und machen einmal mehr seine soziale Inkompetenz deutlich.

Er hat keine Ahnung, wie es Hartz-IV-Familien geht, denen die Große Koalition nicht einmal die Kindergelderhöhung zugestanden hat. Statt dumme Sprüche zu klopfen, soll er sich sachkundig machen oder selbst einmal zwei Monate von Hartz IV leben.

http://www.die-linke.de/presse/presseerklaerungen/detail/artikel/zynisch-und-menschenverachtend/

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Cigarettes, beer, whisky

Alle prügeln auf den Chef der Jungen Union ein, weil er meint, die Erhöhung des ALGII-Regelsatzes wäre ein Anschub für die Tabak- und Alkholindustrie gewesen. Warum eigentlich diese Schelte? Ein paar aufmunternde Worte zum Wochenende für den JU-Chef.

http://www.heise.de/tp/blogs/5/133309



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Arbeitslose
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Hartz+IV
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Armut
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Sarrazin

Marjorie Cohn, Truthout: "Since he took office, President Obama has instituted many changes that break with the policies of the Bush administration. The new president has ordered that no government agency will be allowed to torture, that the US prison at Guantanamo will be shuttered, and that the CIA's secret black sites will be closed down. But Obama is noncommittal when asked whether he will seek investigation and prosecution of Bush officials who broke the law."

http://www.truthout.org/022009J

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Is Obama backing Bush's secret policies?

NO More Government Secrets About Detainees
http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/LS_secret_pol



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Obama
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Bush+legacy
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=government+secrets
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=torture
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Guantanamo
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=detainee
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=black+sites
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=war+criminals
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Marjorie+Cohn

A Midland Oak has stood here for centuries.

Published Date: 20 February 2009

By Staff Copy

"Ludicrous" plans to put up a mobile phone mast next to one of Leamington's historic landmarks have come under fire.

Mobile phone company O2 hopes to erect a pole and other equipment on a grassy area in Heemstede Lane in Lillington.

But when Warwick district councillor Coun Eithne Goode received a letter about the plans last week, she realised the mast was only a short distance from the Midland Oak - said to mark the centre of England.

Read More...
http://www.kenilworthweeklynews.co.uk/newsl/Phone-mast-would-be-39a.4997362.jp

http://www.meta-info.de/?site=metainfo&lid=32951



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Finanzkrise
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Rettungspaket

By: Lacey Jacobs, Ledger staff writer

02/19/2009

Several Fairfield residents are hoping to stop the construction of a cell phone tower they view as an eyesore and hazard to citizens' health. U.S. Cellular has begun the construction of an 85-foot cell phone tower at 509 W. Depot Ave. on property leased from Whitney Monument Works. U.S. Cellular project manager Gary Duchesne said the site was chosen to meet planning objectives for the network.

Read More...
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20265924&BRD=1142&PAG=461&dept_id=567522&rfi=6

„Angelsächsische Firmen stecken das Geld für ihre betriebliche Altersvorsorge traditionell in Fonds mit hohem Aktienanteil. Dass auch deutsche Unternehmen diesem Vorbild folgten, rächt sich nun. Betroffen sind vor allem Großkonzerne…“ Artikel von Anja Krüger und Herbert Fromme in der FTD vom 16.02.2009 http://www.ftd.de/unternehmen/:Folge-der-Krise-Milliardenl%F6cher-bei-Betriebsrenten/475101.html

Aus: LabourNet, 20. Februar 2009



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Finanzkrise

AlterNet
by Bo Webb

02/19/09

As I write this letter, I brace myself for another round of nerve-wracking explosives being detonated above my home in the mountains of West Virginia. Outside my door, pulverized rock dust, laden with diesel fuel and ammonium nitrate explosives hovers in the air, along with the residual of heavy metals that once lay dormant underground. The mountain above me, once a thriving forest, has been blasted into a pile of rock and mud rubble. … I live at the bottom of a mountain-top-removal coal-mining operation in the Peachtree community...

http://adjix.com/4qx2


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

--------

ACTION ALERT

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!

Coal Kills -- Time for People Power to Protect the Climate

By Ecological Internet's Climate Ark project http://www.climateark.org/ March 1, 2009

TAKE ACTION HERE NOW: http://www.climateark.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=coal_kills

The use of coal must end if we are to maintain an operable atmosphere, human civilization and all the Earth's complex life

BRIEF BACKGROUND: The growing and powerful climate movement has, based upon climate science, already shown conclusively that climate change is real and deadly. Now we must urge politicians, industry and individuals to immediately act and transform themselves if we are to survive. Finally, a mass protest against coal -- whose plants are "factories of death" -- is to occur in America, reflecting the urgency and depth of the one most important, sufficient climate response through non-violent civil disobedience.

Coal generates the highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per unit of energy obtained, and large reserves remain that must not be burned if we are to survive. Continued reliance upon coal, without immediate phasing-out of plants that emit into the atmosphere, is incompatible with any scenario to reduce atmospheric GHGs to a safe level in time to avert irreversible and catastrophic climate change.

Ecological Internet wholeheartedly endorses the Capitol Climate Action -- the largest mass civil disobedience for the climate in U.S. history. On March 2, you are urged to join thousands of people in protesting at the Capitol Power Plant in Washington DC, a plant that powers the U.S. Congress with dirty energy. We encourage you to consider marching and getting arrested to make the point that the age of coal is over, and/or to show your support for the brave protestors and the end of coal by sending the message below.

TAKE ACTION NOW: http://www.climateark.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=coal_kills

DISCUSS THIS ALERT: http://www.climateark.org/blog/2009/02/alert-coal-kills----time-for-p.asp

--------

Coal Industry Tries to Hide Dirty Facts Behind 'Clean' Claims
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/03/05-8



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=mountain+top+removal
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Appalach

The Times [UK]

02/16/09

Autonomous military robots that will fight future wars must be programmed to live by a strict warrior code or the world risks untold atrocities at their steely hands. The stark warning — which includes discussion of a Terminator-style scenario in which robots turn on their human masters — is issued in a hefty report funded by and prepared for the US Navy’s high-tech and secretive Office of Naval Research. The report, the first serious work of its kind on military robot ethics, envisages a fast-approaching era where robots are smart enough to make battlefield decisions that are at present the preserve of humans. Eventually, it notes, robots could come to display significant cognitive advantages over Homo sapiens soldiers...

http://adjix.com/63ki


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=robots

Mit dem Aufbau von Verbindungskommandos auf kommunaler und Landesebene haben sich weitgehend unbemerkt gefährliche Strukturveränderungen ergeben.

http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/29/29750/1.html



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Bundeswehr

Obama will mit 275 Milliarden den Immobilienmarkt stützen und sogar in der Euro-Zone können Staatspleiten drohen.

http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/29/29772/1.html



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Finanzkrise
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Rettungspaket
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Obama

Thanks to the stimulus bill President Obama signed this week, he's also about to be as much as a billion dollars richer.

http://tinyurl.com/d9nbh3



Benefits neglected for civil retirees

State and local governments have set aside virtually no money to pay $1 trillion or more in medical benefits for retired civil servants, a USA TODAY survey found.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-02-15-retireehealth_N.htm



Auto bailout tab could top $130 billion

GM and Chrysler say they need $21.6 billion more in loans. But that won't be enough to save Detroit. Here's a rundown of all the auto bailout proposals.

http://tinyurl.com/cf32ko


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Obama
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=stimulus
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=bailout
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=automaker

US appeals for greater assistance in the war in Afghanistan have failed to win much support from Nato allies.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/02/2009219145057278830.html



Afghanistan: Slipping out of control

There has been a 50 per cent increase in kidnappings and assassinations. Fatalities among Western forces, including British, went up by 35 per cent while the civilian death toll climbed by 46 per cent, more than the UN had estimated. Violent attacks were up by a third and roadside bombings, the most lethal source of Western casualties, by a quarter. There was also a 67 per cent rise in attacks on aircraft from the ground, a source of concern to Nato which depends hugely on air power in the conflict.

http://tinyurl.com/atmwhu


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Afghanistan
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=civilian+deaths

Stimulus Package Tax Credit Should Mean $8 To $10 A Week

By James Oliphant

A little goes a long way, some experts say of the projected increase in take-home pay, but critics say individual taxpayers aren't getting a big enough break.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22038.htm



Organize!

Many Employers Are Just Using the Recession to Stick it to Workers

By Dave Lindorff

Whatever the truth is about where this economy is heading, one thing is clear: employers are taking every opportunity to slash employment and, if they are unionized, to hammer unions for pay cuts, even when there is no justification for these actions.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22040.htm



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=stimulus
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=recession
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=taxpayer
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=trade+unions
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=James+Oliphant
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Dave+Lindorff

By Aaron Task

"The worst is yet to come," according to Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, who believes American's standard of living is undergoing a "permanent change" - and not for the better.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22039.htm



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Aaron+Task

PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE

Ancient Forests Absorb 20% of Human's Carbon, Logging and Other Industrial Destruction of Old Forests Must Stop Now

- The myth that primary and old growth forests should be "sustainably" managed is dealt a mortal deathblow. Members and funders of RAN, FSC and others greenwashing ancient forest logging called upon to withdraw support in protest

February 19, 2009 By Earth's Newsdesk and the Rainforest Portal Projects of Ecological Internet http://www.ecoearth.info/newsdesk/ CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

(Seattle, WA) -- Ecological Internet welcomes the emerging science published today in "Nature" indicating tropical trees in undisturbed forest are absorbing nearly a fifth of the CO2 released by burning fossil fuels[1]. This is in addition to the long-term carbon sequestered within old trees' wood and soils. This is the most recent of several major scientific studies indicating the need to fully protect all remaining primary and old growth forests as a keystone response to global climate, biodiversity and water crises.

"This is huge -- not only do ancient rainforests reliably store massive amounts of carbon, as we have known for sometime, but they continue to remove enormous amounts of carbon every day they remain standing and are non- degraded. The study partially solves the mystery of where human carbon pollution has been going, and in so doing supports the need for avoided deforestation payments," said Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet's President.

It was found that remaining tropical forests remove a massive 4.8 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere each year. This includes a previously unknown carbon sink in Africa, which mops up 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 a year. Over the past 40 years, each hectare of intact African forest was found to have annually trapped an extra 0.6 tonnes of carbon. This builds upon last year's studies that found old-growth forests are "carbon sinks" and continually absorb carbon dioxide, and that their first time logging releases 40 percent of their carbon[2].

"We are receiving a free subsidy from nature," says Dr. Simon Lewis, a Royal Society research fellow at the University of Leeds, and the lead author of the paper. "Tropical forest trees are absorbing about 18% of the CO2 added to the atmosphere each year from burning fossil fuels, substantially buffering the rate of climate change."

Dr. Lee White, co-author on the study, said "to get an idea of the value of the sink, the removal of nearly 5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by intact tropical forests, based on realistic prices for a tonne of carbon, should be valued at around £13 billion
($USD 18.7 billlion) per year. This is a compelling argument for conserving tropical forests."

### MORE ###

The findings critically demolish claims by groups as diverse as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), World Bank, Rainforest Action Network (RAN), Greenpeace and WWF that "well-managed, responsible and low-impact" logging in the world's dwindling ancient forests can ever have environmental benefits. Over the past two years, each has been the target of Ecological Internet's campaign to end old growth forest logging, which is "certified" by FSC as being "green".

Late last year RAN agreed to review their long-time support for first time industrial logging of ancient forests[3]. When Lafcadio Cortesi, RAN's new rainforest campaigner, was asked to comment upon the Nature report, he replied it is a "bit of a stretch and certainly premature to link... the nature paper findings with RAN and the FSC." He refused to answer the question "how does logging 500 year old ancient trees protect rainforests and the climate," continuing two years of RAN stonewalling on the most basic of questions regarding their support for FSC ancient forest logging.

EI President, Dr. Glen Barry, said "the science has never been clearer: global ecological sustainability depends critically upon protecting and restoring old forests. How much longer can RAN and the world dither? Our demand of RAN remains the same: either use your membership to get FSC to eliminate their sourcing of certified timbers from ancient forests, or resign immediately from FSC in protest. Sadly, our campaign resumes after failure by RAN to keep their earlier promises."

"We call upon RAN members to resign, and their funders to stop their support, in protest of America's leading rainforest group supporting -- against a growing body of ecological science -- first time industrial destruction of primeval forests. EI will be taking further protest action at a place and time of our choosing."

### ENDS ###

[1] Nature, "Increasing carbon storage in intact African tropical forests", February 19, 2009, Vol 457.

Study press release: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218135031.htm

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Bigger Trees Helping Fight Against Climate Change

David Adam, The Guardian UK: "Trees across the tropics are getting bigger and offering help in the fight against climate change, scientists have discovered. A laborious study of the girth of 70,000 trees across Africa has shown that tropical forests are soaking up more carbon dioxide pollution than originally thought. Almost one-fifth of our fossil fuel emissions is absorbed by forests across Africa, Amazonia and Asia, the research suggests."

http://www.truthout.org/022009EA

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