Clipmarks | Investigation Clips

Israeli police say PM Olmert should be indicted

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:20:07 GMT

clipped by: tommy2balmy
clipper's remarks: Mr Olmert is also accused of filing duplicate claims to government agencies for travel expenses.

The accusations date back to his time as mayor of Jerusalem and minister of trade and industry before he became prime minister in 2006.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Mr Olmert has been PM since he succeeded Ariel Sharon in March 2006

Israeli police have formally recommended to prosecutors that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert be indicted in a corruption investigation.

The decision about whether to indict Mr Olmert now rests with Attorney General Meni Mazuz.

Mr Olmert has already announced that he will resign later this month because of the multiple corruption investigations he is facing.

He has consistently denied all the accusations against him.

The police said they had evidence showing Mr Olmert allegedly accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from American businessman Morris Talansky.

Mr Olmert's lawyers said the police recommendation to indict the prime minister was meaningless.

"The only person authorised by the law to decide whether to indict a prime minister is the attorney general. He has the authority and he bears the responsibility over the issue," his lawyers said in a statement.

Tags: israel, israel pm olmert

World’s Gutter Governments To Sit In Judgment Over U.S. Human Rights Record

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:44:12 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: However, even in other highly advanced English speaking nations such as Australia and Canada, these offences can be defined in such a way as “disparaging” a religion. This can consist of claiming that the doctrines of your faith are superior to that of another sect under consideration such as in the case of a Canadian ministry that pointed out the shortcomings of the Watchtower Society and in the case of McClean’s Magazine where those pointing out the intentions of radical Islamists have been sued for racial defamation but no action has been taken against the aspiring Jihadists wanting to kill people.

Frankly, one could spend several lifetimes rifling through the human rights records of many of the nations on the U.N. Humans Rights Council and still not have the time to air America’s dirty laundry which is nothing more than a single used piece of toilet paper when compared to these cesspool countries.

Clip Source: mensnewsdaily.com

May 20, 2008 Washington Times article titled “U.N. Puts Its Scope On U.S. Racism”, this world body has sent an envoy to the United States to gather information regarding racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and “related intolerance”. According to others in the human rights industry, such as Freedom House, this category of protections does not limit itself to narrowly defined matters such as abridgements of free speech or mass killings and seizures of property but also includes healthcare, education, and equal justice for immigrants and minorities.

before we start badmouthing what is available in this great land for these particular classes of people (especially immigrants), perhaps we should take a look at the places from which the new arrivals came. For a toilet bowl might be a dramatic improvement if you just crawled up from the sewer. If they have it so poor here, why did they come here in the first place, and if it is not to their liking here, they are always free to go back

Tags: un investigation, racism in us, freedom house

CERN fires up new atom smasher to near Big Bang

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:12:10 GMT

clipped by: LisbethJ
clipper's remarks: We should have beat them to this......

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

CERN fires up new atom smasher to near Big Bang

GENEVA - It has been called an Alice in Wonderland investigation into the makeup of the universe — or dangerous tampering with nature that could spell doomsday.

Whatever the case, the most powerful atom-smasher ever built comes online Wednesday, eagerly anticipated by scientists worldwide who have awaited this moment for two decades.

The multibillion-dollar Large Hadron Collider will explore the tiniest particles and come ever closer to re-enacting the big bang, the theory that a colossal explosion created the universe.

The machine at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, promises scientists a closer look at the makeup of matter, filling in gaps in knowledge or possibly reshaping theories.

CERN hopes to recreate conditions in the laboratory a split-second after the big bang, teaching them more about "dark matter," antimatter and possibly hidden dimensions of space and time.

Tags: cern, big, bang, atom, smash

Making Noise for Giovanni Gonzalez

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:28:08 GMT

clipped by: Delilah1234
clipper's remarks: The time line included in this entry should be helpful for the investigation of this missing 5 year old.

Clip Source: lostfacesofthemissing.blogspot.com

Making Noise for Giovanni Gonzalez

LYNN (WBZ) ― Clear Channel is donating one of its billboards to aide in the search for a missing 5-year-old Lynn boy.

Giovanni Gonzalez' picture will be put up on a Clear Channel's billboards in Lynn's Wyoma Square next week.

Giovanni has been missing since Aug. 16 when his mother went to pick him up from a weekend visit with his father, Ernesto Gonzalez. READ MORE...

Missing Lynn Boy To Appear On New Billboard

Time Line
Police Still Hopeful Missing Lynn Boy Still Alive (8/28/2008)
Report: Despite Bloody Mop Results, Police Hopeful (8/28/2008)
Search For Lynn Boy Takes Crews Back To Cemetery (8/25/2008)
Police Hold Out Hope That Missing Boy Is Alive (8/23/2008)
Report: Bloody Mop Found In Gonzalez Apartment (8/23/2008)
Search For Lynn Boy Expands To Puerto Rico (8/22/2008)
Police Search Cemetery, Woods For Missing Boy (8/20/2008)
Mom Pleads For 5-Year-Old's Safe Return
(8/19/2008)
Boy, 5, Missing; Father Charged With Disappearance (8/19/2008)

Afghans Fed Up With Government, US

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:22:53 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: A strong sense of frustration echoed through dozens of interviews by The Associated Press with Afghan villagers, police, government officials, tribal elders and Taliban who left and rejoined the religious movement. The interviews ranged from the capital, Kabul, to the rural regions near the border with Pakistan.

The overwhelming result: Ordinary Afghans are deeply bitter about American and NATO forces because of errant bombs, heavy-handed searches and seizures and a sense that the foreigners do not understand their culture. They are equally fed up with what they see as seven years of corruption and incompetence in a U.S.-backed government that has largely failed to deliver on development.

Even with more foreign troops, Afghanistan is now less secure.

Clip Source: www.commondreams.org

GHANI KHIEL, Afghanistan - The bearded, turbaned men gather beneath a large, leafy tree in rural eastern Nangarhar province. When Malik Mohammed speaks on their behalf, his voice is soft but his words are harsh. Mohammed makes it clear that the tribal chiefs have lost all faith in both their own government and the foreign soldiers in their country.

"This is our land. We are afraid to send our sons out the door for fear the American troops will pick them up," says Mohammed, who was chosen by the others to represent them. "Daily we have headaches from the troops. We are fed up. Our government is weak and corrupt and the American soldiers have learned nothing."

Afghans prepare graves for people killed by a US airstrike on Azizabad village in Herat province. The US-led coalition in Afghanistan said that its investigation into a controversial missile strike thought to have killed 90 civilians had found that only seven non-combatants died.

Anthrax and the one cause we went to WAR

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:20:33 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: More questions than answers

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Seeking Details, Lawmakers Cite Anthrax Doubts

WASHINGTON — A month after the F.B.I. declared that an Army scientist was the anthrax killer, leading members of Congress are demanding more information about the seven-year investigation, saying they do not think the bureau has proved its case.

In a letter sent Friday to Robert S. Mueller III, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Democratic leaders of the House Judiciary Committee said that “important and lingering questions remain that are crucial for you to address, especially since there will never be a trial to examine the facts of the case.”

“My conclusion at this point is that it’s very much an open matter,” Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the top Republican on the Senate committee, said of the strength of the case against Dr. Ivins, a microbiologist at the Army’s biodefense laboratory who worked on anthrax vaccines. “There are some very serious questions that have yet to be answered and need to be made public.”

Don't Underestimate Governor Palin

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:06:37 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: President George W. Bush called the pick “exciting” and said Palin “is a proven reformer who is a wise steward of taxpayer dollars and champion for accountability in government.”

Considered a rising political star by state Republican leaders, she was appointed in 2003 to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, a significant body in the energy-rich state.

While on the commission, Palin led an ethics investigation of another member, state Republican Chairman Randy Ruedrich, who was accused of conflicts of interest involving oil companies.

Clip Source: www.israpundit.com

Not only has she always criticized what was but she had ideas as to how things should be. Rather than contending herself with sounding off she acted to make things better. Rather than joining someone else’s bandwagon she created her own and invited others to get aboard. She gets things done. She is a natural manager and leader.

The Club for Growth, which advocates lower taxes and government spending, praised Palin as a “genuine reformer” who has cut wasteful spending in her state. “At a time when many Republicans are still clinging to pork-barrel politics, Governor Palin has quickly become a leader on this issue,” the group’s president, Pat Toomey, said

She is a member of Feminists for Life, a group that works to make health-care and child-care resources available to “pregnant or parenting students,” according to the group’s Web site.

She’ll help to elevate the issue of energy independence and the need to drill, and she’ll be warmly received by the pro-family and pro-life community.

Tags: gov. sarah palin (r-ak), lower taxes, cut wasteful government spending, energy independence, resources-pregnant-parenting students

The investigation of laughter is belatedly becoming a science..:-)

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 06:19:49 GMT

clipped by: einbar
clipper's remarks: In 1923 a theoretical tome listed 88 different theories of humour, few of which seemed to acknowledge that it is supposed to be enjoyable. The theories can be divided into three main types:

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

The study of laughter has entered mainstream psychology. Anthony Gottlieb reads the reports--and a new book on the history of jokes--and finds much to chuckle

Recent studies of twins, they reported, suggested that there may be a genetic explanation for some differences between British and American styles of humou

The real news is that the investigation of humour is belatedly becoming a science. After millennia of untested speculation by armchair thinkers, moves are afoot to bring the study of laughter into the mainstream of experimental psychology.

"The Psychology of Humor",

suggest that on average people laugh 17.5 times per day. And a good sense of humour tends to be one of the most highly rated traits when people choose their friends, lovers or spouses. So psychologists have every reason to take humour seriously.

Clip Source: wwnorton.com

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

One popular field of research is the effect of humour on health

then it should be associated with longevity

God, how can the people responsible for this will ever face U?

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 05:26:08 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: Suicide among US soldiers to hit new record

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles

Suicides among serving US soldiers are on course to hit a new record this year and could exceed the rate among the general population for the first time since the Vietnam War, according to Army officials.

By the end of last month, as many as 93 active duty soldiers had killed themselves so far this year, although 31 of those deaths remained under investigation.

If the total is confirmed and the trend continues, the suicide rate among soldiers would exceed that of the general US population for the first time since the Vietnam War, officials said, and top last year's figure of 115, the highest annual toll on record.

"With four months left, we're probably going to surpass 115," Colonel Eddie Stephens, the army's deputy director of human resources policy, told a Pentagon news conference.

The figures were revealed as Army General David Petraeus, America's senior commander in Iraq, recommended delaying troop reductions in Iraq until next year.

Palin's 'Troopergate' in a Nutshell

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:54:04 GMT

clipped by: Wisco
clipper's remarks: Sarah Palin's ethics probe in brief, offered primarily because of the number of links, from the reliably thorough investigative journalism site ProPublica.

Clip Source: www.propublica.org

Walter Monegan and Sarah Palin, inset (Credit: Al Grillo/AP Photo, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

After Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin shot into the spotlight as John McCain's VP pick last week, "Troopergate" - the controversy surrounding the ouster of Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan - made it onto our Scandal Watch. According to Monegan, both Palin and her husband pressured him to fire a state trooper who went through an ugly divorce with Palin's sister in 2005.

In July, Monegan was unexpectedly fired. And an Alaskan legislative panel ordered an investigation soon after. Its findings are now expected to be released in early October.

Meanwhile, investigator says the McCain camp is trying to delay its release, and Palin's private lawyer has already challenged the investigation's authority and questioned witnesses on its own. A former Alaskan attorney general called Palin's legal strategy bogus, but it already prompted a key Palin aide to refuse to testify.

Tags: news

pot

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:56:48 GMT

clipped by: sjpal

Clip Source: milzika.stumbleupon.com

"The term medical marijuana took on dramatic new meaning in February, 2000 when researchers in Madrid announced they had destroyed incurable brain tumors in rats by injecting them with THC, the active ingredient in cannabis.

The Madrid study marks only the second time that THC has been administered to tumor-bearing animals; the first was a Virginia investigation 26 years ago. In both studies, the THC shrank or destroyed tumors in a majority of the test subjects.

Most Americans don't know anything about the Madrid discovery. Virtually no major U.S. newspapers carried the story, which ran only once on the AP and UPI news wires, on Feb. 29, 2000.

Farmers accused of impaling cow on tractor

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:06:01 GMT

clipped by: Smoke TNT

Clip Source: www.nzherald.co.nz

Two 42-year-old central North Island men will appear in Ohakune District Court next Friday to face animal cruelty charges after what police call a "barbaric" incident.

Mr Craig said he could not believe his eyes when he was driving past the tractor, on State Highway 49 between Ohakune and Waiouru, and saw the cow's head moving.

On investigation, Mr Craig discovered that the farm manager had been asked to cull the cow, which was sick.

He had shot it in the side of the head near the top of the jaw, then left. However, the shot had not killed the animal and a short time later the farmer arrived with the tractor.

He impaled the cow by stabbing it below its spine, just in front of its hips, with one of the front-end loader forks, Mr Craig said.

Mr Craig asked the farm manager to come back and humanely kill the animal but this shot hit the cow in the muzzle and still did not end its life.

It finally died after its throat was cut.

Tags: animals, horror

Stressed Out — Chew Some Gum

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:35:15 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: psychcentral.com

A new study discovers chewing gum helped relieve anxiety, improve alertness and reduce stress among individuals in a laboratory setting.

The research effort, titled “An investigation into the effects of gum chewing on mood and cortisol levels during psychological stress,” will be presented at the 2008 10th International Congress of Behavioral Medicine.

The study examined whether chewing gum is capable of reducing induced anxiety and/or acute psychological stress while participants performed a battery of ‘multi-tasking’ activities.

The use of chewing gum was associated with higher alertness, reduced anxiety and stress, and improvement in overall performance on multi-tasking activities.

• Relieved Anxiety: When chewing gum, participants reported lower levels of anxiety.
o Gum chewers showed a reduction in anxiety as compared to non-gum chewers by nearly 17 percent during mild stress and nearly 10 percent in moderate stress.

Tags: stress, chewing, gum

Another Reason For TERM LIMITS!!!

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:10:24 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: The announcement from Ms. Pelosi came as Republicans seized on Mr. Rangel’s troubles in an attempt to portray him and his fellow Democrats as entrenched and corrupt.

Mr. Rangel, 78, who was elected to the House in 1970, has already asked the ethics committee to examine his renting four rent-stabilized apartments in Harlem and his use of Congressional stationery to solicit donations for an academic center at the City College of New York that would be named for him. He declined to be interviewed on Friday, but through Mr. Davis issued a statement saying he would also ask the ethics committee early next week to investigate his failure to report the rental income from the villa.

“Congressman Rangel is just learning about all of this now,” Mr. Davis said. “He didn’t know how the loan was being paid or whether it was supposed to be reported as income. And until yesterday he thought he had been paying 10.5 percent interest.”

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Representative Charles B. Rangel paid no interest for more than a decade on a mortgage extended to him to buy a villa at a beachfront resort in the Dominican Republic, according to Mr. Rangel’s lawyer and records from the resort.

The loan was given to him by the resort development company, in which Theodore Kheel, a prominent New York labor lawyer, was a principal investor. Mr. Kheel, who has given tens of thousands of dollars to Mr. Rangel’s campaigns over the past decade, had encouraged the congressman to be one of the initial investors in the project.

The loan, which was extended to Mr. Rangel in 1988, was originally to be paid back over seven years at a rate of 10.5 percent. But within two years, interest on the loan was waived for Mr. Rangel and six other early investors because the resort was generating less income than projected, according to a statement released on Friday by Jose Oliva, director of the resort.

Tags: charles rangel, failure to report income, state and federal, 38 years in congress, ethics investigation

Alaska Police Union files complaint on Palin

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 06:30:29 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Alleges "criminal penalties may apply"

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Alaska Police Union Files Complaint Against Palin

The GOP candidate for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, may be facing yet another ethics investigation back in her home state of Alaska. An ethics complaint obtained by NBC News was filed Wednesday by the police officers union in Alaska, requesting a probe into possible wrongdoing by the governor or her office. It was brought on behalf of state trooper Mike Wooten, an ex-brother-in-law of Palin who is at the center of the "Troopergate" scandal.

The complaint alleges that the governor or her staff may have have improperly disclosed information from Wooten's personnel records. The complaint alleges "criminal penalties may apply."

John Cyr, director of the union that filed the complaint, told NBC News, "It seems obvious to us somebody has improperly accessed [Wooten's] personnel file."

Read the whole story here.

Tags: palin