Thursday, January 8:

Dave Lindorff: Time for Obama and Us to Face the Economic and Political Music Obama is being forced to push hard for a stimulus package because Congress already let the Bush/Cheney administration waste trillions on a Wall Street bailout. Now we need realism from the new president, not more salesmanship.

Dan Froomkin - Obama and the Bubble In an interview yesterday with CNBC's John Harwood, Obama described how he is struggling to keep existing lines of communication open, bake dissent into his presidency, and not lose touch with the experience of regular Americans.

William John Cox: No Victors in the War on Dissent (2 comments) Among the wars currently being fought by the American government is one in which there can be no winners. The "war on terrorism" has spawned an internal "war on dissent" in which everyone loses.

Philly IMC: Ed Herman writes that The Phila. Inquirer Struggles, Unsuccessfully, With the Gaza Assault More than a week after Israel began its escalated bombing of Gaza the Inky has yet to put up an editorial on the subject. I'm sure they are struggling painfully to figure out what to say, with the U.S. political establishment solidly supporting Israel, and the Israeli supporters - without - limit ready to pounce on any criticism, on the one hand, and the savagery and high civilian death toll of the attack, large global...

Republicans Fight Obama's Stimulus Plan, Fearing Its Success Will Mean Years of Political Oblivion At least some Republicans are starting to muster an anti-stimulus drive, claiming that President-elect Obama's package will not help the economy. Their drive is centered on what they claim is a careful rereading of the history of the New Deal. According to their account, President Roosevelt's policies actually lengthened the Great Depression.

How Rick Warren Is Undermining AIDs Prevention in Africa Team Obama likes to cite Warren's work on AIDS in Africa to combat criticism about the controversial pastor. But how does burning condoms save lives? Once hailed by Time magazine as "America's Pastor," California megachurch leader and best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren now finds himself on the defensive.

Schools tap '21st-century skills' For decades, the emphasis in public education has been on making sure that students can read, write, and do math. But can they apply those skills in a real-world scenario, such as designing a bridge? Can they identify what information they need and use digital tools to find it? Those are some of the capabilities known as "21st-century skills"

Brad Setser: Follow the Money - If you only read one thing on China this fall..." Setser wades through the latest World Bank China Quarterly, and comes up with "7 points of interest" in China's economic slowdown and the risks that lie ahead.

Paul Krugman: Stimulus arithmetic (wonkish but important) The bottom line [on the Obama stimulus plan] is this: we're probably looking at a plan that will shave less than 2 percentage points off the average unemployment rate for the next two years, and possibly quite a lot less. This raises real concerns about whether the incoming administration is lowballing its plans in an attempt to get bipartisan consensus.

Progress Report: The Case For Urgent Action OBAMA: "I don't believe it's too late to change course, but it will be if we don't take dramatic action as soon as possible," said Obama. "If nothing is done, this recession could linger for years. The unemployment rate could reach double digits. Our economy could fall $1 trillion short of its full capacity, which translates into more than $12,000 in lost income for a family of four."

Robert Naiman: Amnesty vs. AIPAC: Senate to Consider AIPAC Resolution Endorsing War in Gaza (15 comments) The Senate could consider as early as today a resolution promoted by AIPAC intended to effectively endorse the continuation of the Israeli military assault in Gaza. The resolution does not call for an "immediate ceasefire," but for a "durable and sustainable ceasefire," which is the Bush Administration's code for continuing the war. Call your Senators now. Urge them to support an immediate ceasefire.

Richard Mathis: Serve this, Laura Bush With the purchase of new china, maybe George and Laura Bush should compare themselves with Louis the Last and Marie Antoinette.

New York Times Letter to the Editor Regarding Election Solution Harvey Wasserman writes: Paper ballots are used with great success in Canada, Japan and Germany. Given the problems in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004, ballots printed on recycled paper, counted in public for all to see, are the best way to restore public confidence in an electoral system that has been badly damaged by electronic devices.

Neve Gordon: Israel's New War Ethic (2 comments) The masters of Israel's war on Gaza have fashioned a bizarre moral code that provides humanitarian assistance to the very civilians they are shooting at.

Adam Bessie: Should Obama Be A Liberal Bush? (1 comments) Has Obama crossed the line from compromise to complicity?

Israel Acts Because the World Won't Defend It (2 comments) I am telling you this story because I want you to understand Israel. Not to agree with all it does, not to keep quiet when you want to protest against its actions, not to side with it always, merely to understand Israel.

steve young: Right-wing attacks on Obama begin early (3 comments) Bill O'Reilly has latched onto Obama with a vengeance. How many kitties did Obama drown? How many houses did he burn down? "He's going to kill us all!"

Hamas to Blame for Current Crisis No nation in the world would stand for its citizens being rocketed from across its borders.Critics argue Israel cannot achieve its aims– stopping the rocket fire altogether,perhaps toppling Hamas– militarily.But,as the Israeli Middle East analyst Barry Rubin notes,there’s also no diplomatic solution when your adversary rejects your right to ever exist in peace.In that case, says Rubin,you must still do something.

Hargrove: *The Senate Should Obey the Law and Seat Roland Burris If Governor Blagojevich had wanted to hurt the Democrats, he could have appointed a Republican, and sat back laughing while the Republicans forced the Democrats to honor the appointment.

sameh abdelaziz: The Two Americas, Israel, and I (5 comments) There have been always two Americas, and you'd better believe it, because I lived in both.

Scott Baker: Redrawing the Lines in the Sand: a new Approach to solving the Israel-Palestinian conflict (4 comments) Old measures won't stop the Gaza-Israel violence. Here's a new approach for the open-minded.

Robert Scheer: "Why do so few speak up for Gaza?" Why is it that there is such widespread acceptance, beginning with the apologetic arguments of President Bush, that whatever Israel does is always justified as necessary to the survival of the Jewish state? It is not.

Michael Collins: Ratings Rule in Obama's "Virtual" Cabinet (5 comments)

The truth about those Hamas rockets Five years ago, the Bush administration lied about weapons of mass destruction to dupe us into supporting an illegal, immoral invasion of Iraq. A few days ago, Israel trotted out only an infinitesimally more credible excuse -- the Hamas rockets case -- as justification for its own murderous shock and awe in Gaza, a long-planned campaign perniciously aimed at ousting a "regime" that came to power via popular, democratic vote.

Towards a Miracle in the Middle East - by Marianne Williamson (2 comments) "According to Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, humanity's biggest problems cannot be solved; they must be outgrown. Our task is to create a field of consciousness in which the idea of war has dropped from the ethers."

Bono and Jesus Do you remember that famous tongue in cheek statement made by every mobster in every mob film that ever came out of HollyWood? Just at the End when they had been arrested, after ninty minutes of watching them murder, maim and maraud you could hear them say to the arresting officers:

Chris Floyd: Crying, Lying and Shooting: A Rogue State Laid Bare What are Israel's true goals in the ongoing decimation of Gaza? Former Israeli soldier, and now professor of international relations at the University of Oxford, Avi Shlaim, tells us in the Guardian. You won't see truth like this in an American newspaper, or hear it from the political poltroons playing musical chairs with Senate seats on Capitol Hill.

When Will Bush Have His Day in Court? His inordinate ambition in the country was obvious when UN atomic agency went to the country (Iraq) many times and did not see anything like Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), yet, he insisted that his own (false) intelligence could see the destructive weapons. Now that his so-called intelligence has turned to foolishness by his own admission, what is the United Nations waiting for?

Bob Williamson: *Obama - Four Years to Fix the Mess We are in? (2 comments) With only four years to fix the mess we are in, will Obama do it, or will he need divine intervention?

Kevin Gosztola: After January 20th (12 comments) On Wednesday, another reporter made a valiant attempt to convince Obama to break his silence on the horror and terror unfolding in Gaza. In response to Obama's deafening silence, here is a poem.

Andrew Bard Schmookler: FROM OPPOSING EVIL TO SUPPORTING THE GOOD Four years ago, what was needed was to alert Americans to the Evil nature of the power ruling this country. Now what's needed is to help people see how Good is the Obama leadership about to take the helm.

Allen L Roland: *It's Time For Israel To Face The Music It's time for Israel to face the music and realize its ongoing victim act is getting old and they are defeating themselves as well as endangering their international support through their brutal occupation and preemptive military action against the Palestinians: Allen L Roland

Janis Kay: What's to become of the homeless - especially when that number might increase? (1 comments) Noticing the homeless, wondering how many more there will be and what can we do about it?

Gene Messick: More about sociopaths in American politics (2 comments) On 11 December I wrote an Article for OEN about this: Opportunities to deal with sociopaths in American politics. Since then, I've been collecting examples to prove my point. Just recently I discovered one of the most egregious examples to date.

Rob Kall: Rob Kall Interview with Chris Hedges on Gaza, Hamas, AIPAC and more

Mark Crispin Miller: Two cheers for the Dem efforts for election reform legislation All such steps are necessary(I am one of many who have often called for them),& so we should support them--while making clear that they are not enough to make our system truly democratic.The system,as it's working now,is all wrong--by design. Since the passage of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in 2002,our voting system has been snatched away from us, &placed behind a massive& ingenious double barrier that keeps us out of our

TheRealNews Network: Tax Havens: Hidden hand in the financial crisis

Joel S. Hirschhorn: Consumer Power Wasted (3 comments)

Deepak Tripathi: Bush, As He Leaves A commentary on the Israeli assault on Gaza, hours after George W Bush showed the green flag to Israel.

Betsy L. Angert: The Qualified Quest for Justice

Gene Messick: Stop Bailing Out Big Tobacco (4 comments) With all the billions of dollars Bailing Out Wall Street, Bankers and Automakers, here's one Bailout that can be stopped immediately by Congressional action, with a huge savings to the American taxpayer, not only in money, but in health costs as well, from this leading cause of preventable death.

War and Natural Gas: The Israeli Invasion and Gaza's Offshore Gas Fields The military invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israeli Forces bears a direct relation to the control and ownership of strategic offshore gas reserves. This is a war of conquest. Discovered in 2000, there are extensive gas reserves off the Gaza coastline. The issue of sovereignty over Gaza's gas fields is crucial. From a legal standpoint, the gas reserves belong to Palestine.

Hargrove: Is Hillary Clinton Behind Caroline Kennedy's Bad Press? If Hillary Clinton can carpetbag her way into a New York Senate seat, claiming her husband's resume as her own; then Caroline Kennedy, a life time New Yorker, can claim membership in a family that spans four generations of public service, as a qualifier.

Kenneth Briggs: President-elect Stimulus Plan (1 comments) President-elect Obama is moving forward with what he has billed as his top priority.

Andrew Hughes: Obama's statement on the Crisis in Palestine It's no small wonder that President Elect Barack Obama is keeping silent on the current round of wanton slaughter and destruction in Palestine. After all He had already made his position crystal clear when he addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee

Bobby Ramakant: Citizens of India-Pakistan stand-up for peace To confront the present war posturing between India and Pakistan, the citizens of both countries are launching a joint signature petition campaign on 9 January 2009, to voice their mandate against terrorism, war posturing and to promote mutual cooperation and peace.

Muhammad Khurshid: Now Is The Time To Define Terrorism (5 comments) Millions of people have been killed during last few years as the world has been fighting a war against terrorism, but there is still confusion that what is terrorism. This must be explained in a proper way then we can win the war otherwise there will be no result of this made war. Humanity suffered a lot during the war.

How Israel Brought Gaza to the Brink - Avi Shlaim (2 comments) "How Israel brought Gaza to the brink of Humanitarian Catastrophe." Oxford professor of international relations Avi Shlaim served in the Israeli army and has never questioned the state's legitimacy. But its merciless assault on Gaza has led him to devastating conclusions.

The GOP is Swirling the Drain The recent forum between the candidates for Republican National Committee Chairman had to be canceled because they couldn't scrape up enough Republicans. Is this a sign of the death of the GOP?

The Great Dragon Awakens: China Challenges American Hegemony Can the Chinese government avoid being drawn into a war with a United States determined to preserve its global hegemony during the period - bound to last a generation or two - in which China's weaknesses, political, economic, and, not least, military, will render such a course a tempting alternative to certain circles in Washington, who find themselves threatened by the prospect of a Chinese rise, albeit by peaceful means ?

Obama to control LARGEST domestic spying operation in History There's a computer called the Black Widow hiding under a rock in Maryland near DC. If you write on the Internet, YOU ARE IN IT. It scans millions of domestic and international phone calls and e-mails every hour, "performing hundreds of TRILLIONS of calculations per second, searches through and reassembles key words and patterns." Most likely, you've used one of their Key Words. Welcome to Obama's Black Widow . . .

Marjorie Cohn: Israel's Collective Punishment of Gaza (1 comments) Since Israel began its war on Gaza 11 days ago, more than 560 Palestinians – about a quarter of them civilians – have been killed. Some two thousand Gazans, including hundreds of children, have been wounded. Israel's "Operation Cast Lead" marks an escalation of Israel's two-year blockade of the Gaza Strip..

The US Pipeline - Funding the Israeli Military (1 comments) Millions of Americans face home foreclosures, health care, job and pension losses. However, none of these crises currently threatens to alter the flow of their tax dollars to Israel's government. It takes these greenbacks and buys F-16 jets made by Lockheed Martin to drop bombs on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. - by Seth Sandronsky

What happened to the National Service Movement? A key to our Economic recovery is getting people back to work; another is public works projects. Both these come together nicely under the concept of National Service. Somehow, the Obama folks, being pressured for an impossible quick fix, have skipped over this excellent choice. An essential part of FDR's New Deal, it can be an ongoing workhorse that helps get our Recovery in motion. Read more: click Blue Box: View Article.

William Rivers Pitt: The Greatest Greatness of George W. Bush You let Dick "Crazy-Eyes" Cheney do whatever the hell he wanted to whomever he wanted whenever and wherever he wanted, and be damned to the damned old Constitution anyway. Cheney once said the vice president's office was not part of the same branch of government as the president's office, and he said it with his bare face hanging out the whole time.

Mark Morford: Everybody get bloody Where do we find balance? How can we evolve past such reliance on horror and wallowing to tell us who we are? How can we shift the story, even a little, and focus our attention elsewhere? How can we devise a world where spiritually rich tales and images of life get the same attention as stories of a wife who was shot in the head by an enraged husband who then killed himself and his three kids in a WalMart parking lot?

Palestinians Will Never Forget Palestinians are killed as if insects not because of Hamas or Yasser Arafat before them. Not because of Qassasm rockets or hand thrown rocks. Palestinians burn and bleed because they are the non-Jewish natives of that land. There is no other reason. Just like Jews were killed for being Jewish. Palestinians are killed for being the Muslims and Christians who hold historic, legal and even genetic title to that land.

Elaine Brower: Seventeen Anti-war Protesters Arrested in Hart Building while Congress Celebrates The haunting of the 111th Congress by protesters representing those killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Gaza.

The Gaza rules Watching both this week's war and the world's predictable reaction to it, we can recall the Gaza rules.Most are reflections of our postmodern age,and completely at odds with the past protocols of war.By now,these Gaza asymmetrical rules are old hat.We know why they persist-worldwide fear of Islamic terrorism,easy anti-Westernism,the old anti-Semitism,and global strategic calculations about MEoil-but it doesn't make them right.

Dr. Dennis Loo: "This Time" is Like Last Time, Only Worse: Israel and Gaza (2 comments) Israel in Gaza is trying to rectify the "errors" of its last invasion of 2006 of Lebanon. Is it? Will it?

June Cross: Battling to Rebuild New Orleans (3 comments)

W. Christopher Epler (Bill): Is shooting Palestinian ducks in the Gaza barrel a last attempt to exploit Bush's "Hate Crusade" against Muslims? (9 comments) Bush (God be praised!) is on his way out and predictably so is most of his "Hate Crusade" against Muslims and Palestinians, so exploited by the lunatic right wing fringe of Israel who have NEVER spoken for the entire State of Israel any more than fundamentalist, murder in the name of God Sarah Palin types speak for the vast majority of American citizens -- who STILL strongly support the separation of "church and state".

Marc Ash: Hamas Should Stop (25 comments)

Tasering W: The Torture of Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright by Lourisanna Police (1 comments) TMZ has released the incredible video of Josh Brolin's arrest outside of a Shreveport bar last summer, along with his "W" costar Jeffrey Wright. In the video, viewers see Brolin and Wright standing hugging as they are sprayed with pepper spray and then separated by cops. Brolin is made to kneel and is handcuffed while Wright gets laid out on the street and repeatedly tasered...Link to video.

Margaret Kimberley: Freedom Rider: Bush Goes Out a Winner (15 comments)

David Swanson: *Unlawful Assembly (13 comments) As the 111th Congress was being sworn in on Tuesday, a seemingly endless line of figures dressed all in black with stark white masks slowly marched single-file around Capitol Hill.

Brock Novak: Queen Caroline, Senator Kennedy - Two Hats, One Loyalty (2 comments) Does Caroline run out of a genuine personal political interest – or for some other reason?

Stephen Lendman: The Quartet's Hypocrisy and Failure in Occupied Palestine (15 comments) The Quartet's complicity in Israeli crimes of war and against humanity.

Ernest Partridge: A Battle is Won, but the War Continues (2 comments) Regressives routinely promote policies that have failed spectacularly in the past. This is no time for progressives to imitate the regressives. For, as George Santayana famously warned, those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.

Bernard Weiner: Obama and Gaza: Exiting the Vortex of Violence (6 comments) The never-ceasing war between Israelis and Palestinians speaks both to a kind of political mental-illness and to a failure of will and creative imagination on a grand regional and global scale. But, if the desire of peace can be enlarged, there are ways out of the maelstrom of slaughter

Will Roberts: Bus Driver gets Schooled and kid becomes popular! (5 comments) I can have them swear that was all I did was suggest that your child should consider a different route next time they have a conflict with another student. And that my intention was to suggest to the child and not tell the child what to do. But, first I might call my lawyer and see that I am not committing a crime and I guess I could have the other adult film this all on their cell phone for a record in case this goes to cou

chris rice: Strike updates Iceland, Egypt, Israel, Philadelphia, Australia, DC, El Paso (2 comments) One police officer was sent to the hospital after being hit on the head with a brick. Arrangements are now underway for a National Congress to be held in Philadelphia in February. ''This is obviously censorship,'' said Justin Pearson Smith, 29, organizer of protests

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Thursday, January 8:

Red Cross Reports Grisly Find in Gaza: Israel Accused of Blocking Aid to Wounded The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday that it had found at least 15 bodies and several children -- emaciated but alive -- in a row of shattered houses in the Gaza Strip and accused the Israeli military of preventing ambulances from reaching the site for four days. Red Cross officials said rescue crews had received specific reports of casualties in the houses and had been trying since Saturday to send ambul

Hamas executes collaborators and restricts Fatah movement Since the aerial attack on Gaza began,Hamas has sought to suppress individuals it believes endanger the group's fight against Israel and its hold on power in the Strip,as well as public morale.Prime targets include Fatah members,people convicted or suspected of collaborating with Israel,and "common" criminals."Hamas rules with an iron fist even now," said one resident.

American Civil Liberties Union : National Security Letters The National Security Letter provision of the Patriot Act radically expanded the FBI's authority to demand personal customer records from Internet Service Providers, financial institutions and credit companies without prior court approval. The ACLU has challenged this Patriot Act statute in court in three cases. The first, called Doe v. Mukasey, involves an NSL served on an Internet Service Provide

Savannah GA Police Prepare To 'Sweep' Homeless Tent Cities People who deal with the homeless in on a personal basis say there are not enough resources to deal with the homeless issue in Savannah and sweeping them out of their homes may be a bad idea.

Conyers: Obama Should Not Nominate Sanjay Gupta Rep. John Conyers has written a letter to Democratic colleagues urging them to join him in publicly opposing the nomination of Dr. Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General. Conyers says Gupta "lacks the requisite experience needed to oversee the federal agency that provides crucial health care assistance," and requests that fellow Dems join him.

Obama and Biden Confirmed Without Objection The House and Senate confirmed President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden's 365-173 Electoral College win with no objections, confirming what some Republican staffers-their offices occasionally buffeted by complaints from Obama conspiracy theorists-said yesterday. It was the first protest-free ceremony of its kind since 1997...

Illinois Panel Calls for Impeachment of Governor An investigative committee of the Illinois House of Representatives recommended the impeachment of the state’s embattled governor, Rod R. Blagojevich.

McConnell Urges Coleman To Fight On, Despite Urging Gore To 'Be A Statesman' And Concede In 2000 Hypocrisy Central: It's interesting that McConnell is willing to let an election - which has already had a recount - hang in the air for two months. After all, less than a month after the 2000 election, McConnell was already demanding that Al Gore concede to George W. Bush. McConnell's comments to the Lexington Herald-Leader on Nov. 27, 2000.

Lesbian couple invited on Obama's inaugural whistle stop tour. Lisa Hazirjian and her partner Michelle have been invited to join" President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden on their Whistle Stop train ride to the nation's capital leading up to the inauguration. "Hazirjian, who is from Ohio, serves as an at-large board member of Equality Ohio, as a member of the Cleveland Stonewall Democrats and as a volunteer for Cleveland Families Count...

Perle Washes His Hands Of Iraq: I Was Not An 'Architect Of That War,' Neocons Had No Influence The rattlesnakes have started to eat each other and their young. Perle: "...the many mistakes made in Iraq, one thing is certain: they had nothing to do with ideology. They did not draw inspiration from or reflect neoconservative ideas and they were not the product of philosophical or ideological influences outside the government."

Harry Markopolos - Man who blew whistle on Madoff is wary of limelight Harry Markopolos is the man who spent nearly a decade trying to blow the whistle on what appears to be the largest Ponzi scheme in history has achieved a kind of hero status within the investment world. A reluctant hero of finance and Hollywood, he is poised to reap both fame and fortune from a disaster that has cost the investors of of Bernard L. Madoff as much as $50 billion.

Obama's choice of CIA Director signals renewed effort to disclose CIA X-Files President Elect Obama's choice of Leon Panetta as the next Director of the CIA indicates Obama's support for a renewed effort by former Clinton administration officials to get the CIA to come clean on what it knows about UFOs.

Pelosi Parts With Obama Over Bush Tax Cuts As opposed to allowing Bush tax cuts to expire as Obama recommended during the campaign, Pelosi noted that the Congressional Budget Office has determined that the tax cuts are the biggest contributor to the ballooning deficit. "Put me down as clearly as you possibly can as one who wants to have those tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans repealed."

Absurd: Joe 'the Plumber' to Become War Correspondent Samuel "Joe" Wurzelbacher is heading to Israel as a war correspondent for a conservative website called pjtv.com. The Ohio man, who became famous during the U.S. presidential campaign after asking Barack Obama about his tax plan, is heading to Israel as a war correspondent

Russia arms to Iran: A mistimed gambit? (2 comments) It is planned, according to the Russian MoD, to deliver the S-300 [surface-to-air missile defense] systems to Iran from Russian Defense Ministry warehouses. The systems for Iran had been removed from active duty and placed in storage. "It is expected that S-300 systems will be supplied to Iran from Defense Ministry storage bases.

Red Cross: Israel breaking int'l law, letting children starve in Gaza Relief workers said they found four starving children sitting next to their dead mothers and other corpses in a house in a part of Gaza City bombed by Israeli forces, the Red Cross said on Thursday. How long can the world pretend that Israel is a civilized nation?

Brussels to Host Emergency Talks as Tens of Thousands Lose Heating in Their Homes The EU, Russia and Ukraine will today hold top-levels talks in a last-ditch effort to resolve the increasingly angry political dispute that has cut off all Russian gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine. Russia accused Ukraine of "blackmail" and Kiev blamed Moscow for halting supplies without warning as a routine price dispute spiralled into all-out political conflict - and tens of thousands, mainly in eastern Europe, shiver

UN halts Gaza aid after convoy hit The move came after Israeli tanks shelled a UN convoy earlier in the day, killing a Palestinian UN worker and injuring two others, as lorries were travelling to the Erez crossing to pick up humanitarian supplies meant for allocation during a three-hour suspension of fire. At least three UN-run schools have also been hit by Israeli fire, killing scores of civilians, during the 13 days of Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.

UN proposal for Gaza truce floated The US, the UK and France are working on a binding UN Security Council resolution that is expected to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The UK-drafted resolution comes on the 13th day of Israel's offensive in the territory and ahead of an emergency session of the General Assembly...

Defense spending as 'stimulus'? The Defense Department has enjoyed a long budgetary heyday, but the golden times may be nearing an end as the Iraq war, which has been eating up $10 billion a month, starts winding down and recession pressures force federal budgeteers to rein in spending. That's the conventional wisdom, at least.

Israel/Gaza: Military Tactics by Both Sides are Endangering Civilians in Gaza, Says Amnesty International Amnesty International said today that both Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters were endangering the lives of Palestinian civilians – including by using them as human shields and by battling in densely populated residential areas.

China warns of risks from "abnormal" cross-border capital flow China faces a threat of "abnormal" cross-border capital flow because of global financial tumult, the country's foreign exchange regulator said Tuesday. Such capital movement, resulting from the world economic slowdown and financial crisis, will bring with it potential risks, said Hu Xiaolian, head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).

Linn Cohen-Cole: *FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS - the intended QUICKSAND now taking under all sustainable agriculture (3 comments) Hidden inside regulations that are not voted on by any legislators representing the public are massive bars to all involvement in farming by small farmers. The monopolistic, unconstitutional, destructive reality of those regulations appear obvious when time is taken to look carefully.

The Man Who Saved Your Child The most devastating, counterproductive, anti-child boondogle I witnessed in 20 years of education was the No Child Left Behind Act (my principal called it the No Billionaire Left Behind Act). It attempts to measure all that doesn't matter in a child's education, turn kids off to learning, then penalize schools which fail to meet bogus numbers. Here is what Our American Savior has to say about it:

Roger Shuler: The Abramoff Trail Might Be Growing Warm (1 comments) Things have been quiet on the Jack Abramoff front. But former Abramoff associate Kevin Ring could hold the key to breaking the case wide open--and causing major headaches for prominent Republicans

Coleman's Lawsuit: This Whole Election Stinks -- And I Won The complaint ignores the existence of counter-evidence, employs one maneuver when it is self-benefiting and opposes the same maneuver when it goes against them, attacks not just the recount but votes that were counted for Franken all along, and overall throws everything against the wall to see what sticks.

SEC knew for years about Madoff's $50 billion swindle and took no action Boston accountant Harry Markopolos warned the SEC for over a decade the "World's Largest Hedge Fund is a Fraud"

Alexia Cameron: The Root of America's Depletion (5 comments) An economic downturn has been brewing for decades and Americans are finally starting to realize our plight. The only way to bring America back to its place as a preeminent superpower is to revitalize manufacturing and start generating wealth.

Hackers take down ring of key progressive blogs "Never mind the nature of the views being expressed on these sites -this attack was a naked broadside aimed at the very infrastructure of public speech and discourse in America,just as surely as if vandals had destroyed the presses used by the likes of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine back in the 1700s.As long as the United States professes to be in the free speech business,actions like these cannot be allowed to stand."

House renews probe of US attorney firings “A very fine U.S. attorney from the state of a Nevada was unceremoniously removed for no reason–I would like to know why,I would like it top be made public and I would like those responsible punished,” Berkley said. “By passing this rule we have assured this will be done.”The move by the Dem-controlled House is an assertion of congressional authority after several years of executive branch overreach by the Bush administration.

Israeli Voices for Peace - Amy Goodman (1 comments) Avnery: "A criminal war" Levy: "this is unheard of. This cannot go on like this." Jonathan Ben-Artzi: "tell out government, stop doing this." Neve Gordon: "..the Palestinian Resistance is rational." -- Gordon attended a large peace march last weekend in Tel Aviv with more than 10,000 other Israelis.

Conyers Seeks Probe of Bush Crimes - Jason Leopold In one of the first acts of the 111th Congress, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers proposed legislation to create a blue-ribbon panel of outside experts to probe the "broad range" of policies pursued by the Bush administration "under claims of unreviewable war powers," including torture of detainees and warrantless wiretaps.

Unemployment Claims Crash System Electronic unemployment filing systems have crashed in at least three states in recent days amid an unprecedented crush of thousands of newly jobless Americans seeking benefits, and other states were adjusting their systems to avoid being next. Systems in New York, North Carolina and Ohio were shut down completely by technical glitches and heavy volume.

MIDEAST: Israel May Face Charges for War Crimes (1 comments) Israel has committed war crimes and should be prosecuted in an international court, says Raji Sourani, head of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) in Gaza. "The repeated bombing of clearly marked civilian buildings, where civilians were sheltering, crosses several red lines in regard to international law."

Israel Project: Rocket Attack on Israel's Northern Border: Facts and Sources for Journalists (2 comments) Terrorists in southern Lebanon fired three Katyusha rockets into northern Israel on Thursday morning (Jan. 8). One of the rockets hit a retirement home narrowly missing the dining hall where the residents were eating breakfast. One resident sustained a broken leg and others suffered from light injuries and shock. The Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah denied responsibility for the attack.

Wednesday, January 7:

Alcoa slashes 15,000 jobs, cuts output yet again IN A further sign the global economy is in trouble, aluminium giant Alcoa is set to slash 15,000 jobs. They will also cut production for the third time in as many months.Most of Alcoa's job cuts, comprising 13,500 of its own workforce and 1700 contractors, will come from its downstream markets in North America and Europe

Helen Thomas Tears into White House Press Secretary over Gaza On Monday, the veteran correspondent Helen Thomas questioned White House Press Secretary Dana Perino and tore her a new you-know-what.

Indymedia-US: BART Police Shoot and Kill Man at Fruitvale BART Station, caught on video In the early hours of January 1st, BART police shot and killed a 22 year old man, Oscar Grant, on the platform of the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland. Witnesses report that Grant was "lying on his stomach with his hands out in a non-threatening position when he was shot". Police have confirmed Grant was unarmed and have suggested the shooting was an accident. Grant lived in Hayward and leaves behind a 4-year-old daughter.

Joe the Plumber to become war correspondent Joe The Plumber is putting down his wrenches and picking up a reporter's notebook. He is heading to Israel as a war correspondent, and says he'll spend 10 days covering the fighting.

Obama taps spending watchdog, eyes Social Security Pointing with concern to "red ink as far as the eye can see," President-elect Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to tackle out-of-control Social Security and Medicare spending and named a special watchdog to clamp down on other federal programs — even as he campaigned anew to spend the largest pile of taxpayer money in history to revive the sinking economy.

Fears mount of Gaza conflict spill over in Europe Government officials and Jewish leaders are concerned the conflict in Gaza may spill over into violence in Europe, with attacks reported against Jews and synagogues in France, Sweden and Britain.

Judge's Order Could Keep Public From Hearing Details of 9/11 Trials The military judge overseeing proceedings against five of the men accused of planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks signed an order designed to protect classified information that is so broad it could prevent public scrutiny of the most important trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to lawyers and human rights groups.

Porn Industry Goes Limp, Seeks $5 Billion Federal Injection Turns out that even this vice industry - which has weathered many other economic downturns - is not recession proof after all and has gone limp under Bush. Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis and Hustler magazing publisher Larry Flynt have asked Congress for a $5 billion bailout, arguing that their industry is also one of the "nation's most important businesses."

Army mistakenly sent letters to family members of fallen soldiers addressing them as "˜John Doe.' The Army was forced to apologize today after sending approximately 7,000 letters to family members of soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan which mistakenly addressed them as "John Doe." The letters were sent late last month to inform survivors about private organizations "that offer gifts, programs and other assistance to families that have lost" soldiers.

Helen Thomas Tears into White House Press Secretary over Gaza On Monday, the veteran correspondent Helen Thomas questioned White House Press Secretary Dana Perino and tore her a new you-know-what.

Helen Thomas Tears into White House Press Secretary over Gaza On Monday, the veteran correspondent Helen Thomas questioned White House Press Secretary Dana Perino and tore her a new you-know-what.

ThinkCheney: It's Just An 'Urban Legend' That I 'Exceeded My Authority' As Vice President The list is long. Is Cheney bucking for an 'insanity' defense? He was the first VP to declare he was not a member of the executive or legislative branch...he is the government fairy!

Army War College toned down its Iraq war criticism under pressure from Rumsfeld. Today, former Washington Post reporter Thomas Ricks writes that Steven Metz, chairman of a department at the Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute, said that the school eventually had to censor itself because of pressure from the Pentagon. Metz] explicitly blamed the strained relationship between the Army and its civilian overseers under then-Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

JGideon: 'Daily Voting News' For January 7, 2009 a collection of local, state, national and international articles on electronic voting and election issues

White House Asked Howard To Stay In Blair House To Give 'Some Plausible Reason' For Refusing Obama (5 comments) Bloomberg reported on December 11 and 12 that there were no foreign dignitaries booked into Blair House during the time period Obama requested. "I have the feeling they asked him [Howard] to come and stay so that there might be some plausible reason for not letting the Obamas stay there." It was also pointed out that Blair House has "119 rooms with 35 bathrooms. Howard wouldn't even have to share a sink with the Obamas."

Report: Burris will be seated as new Senator from Illinois Senate Democrats now plan to seat Roland Burris.

Prominent Austin Activist Admits He Infiltrated RNC Protest Groups as FBI Informant An Austin-based activist named Brandon Darby has revealed he worked as an FBI informant in the eighteen months leading up to the Republican National Convention. Darby has admitted to wearing recording devices at planning meetings and wearing a transmitter embedded in his belt during the convention. He is expected to testify on behalf of the government later this month in the trial of two Texas activists.

Arthur Poletti: *Time To Remove Animal Flesh From The Food Chain (2 comments) Is President Elect Obama wiser and braver than Al Gore and Oprah Winfrey? Read why our next President must be the change he wants to see in the world. Imagine what would happen if President Barack Obama announced to the world that he and his family have decided to become vegetarians. Not only for the benefit of his family but for of all humans, all animals, the earth, and the earth's atmosphere.

Mark Crispin Miller: Good news! House overturns BushCo's most Nixonian order (4 comments) Brushing aside a veto threat, the House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to overturn a 2001 order by President George W. Bush that lets former presidents keep their papers secret indefinitely.Today, Congress took an important step toward restoring openness and transparency in government," House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman said.

Press Release: Florida LGBT Groups Form OUT New federation of local organizations aims to improve communication and cooperation among existing local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and allied organizations across the state, and to assist community activists seeking to form new local organizations where none presently exist.

Tuesday, January 6:

B'Tselem : The siege on the Gaza Strip (2 comments) The foreign trade of Gaza is conducted almost solely with Israel or via Israeli ports. Israel controls the air space and territorial waters of Gaza, and does not allow Palestinians to build an airport or seaport. Rafah Crossing has a terminal for the crossing of goods. However, even when the terminal is open, goods are not allowed to pass through.

Prominent Austin Activist Admits He Infiltrated RNC Protest Groups as FBI Informant An Austin-based activist named Brandon Darby has revealed he worked as an FBI informant in the eighteen months leading up to the Republican National Convention. Darby has admitted to wearing recording devices at planning meetings and wearing a transmitter embedded in his belt during the convention. He is expected to testify on behalf of the government later this month in the trial of two Texas activists.

Kevin Gosztola: The Invaluable PalestineChronicle.com Hacked by Israeli Hackers (16 comments) Palestine Chronicle provides a voice for the oppressed Palestinians. Currently, some hackers have stopped the site from promoting pro-Palestinian views.

Prominent Austin Activist Admits He Infiltrated RNC Protest Groups as FBI Informant An Austin-based activist named Brandon Darby has revealed he worked as an FBI informant in the eighteen months leading up to the Republican National Convention. Darby has admitted to wearing recording devices at planning meetings and wearing a transmitter embedded in his belt during the convention. He is expected to testify on behalf of the government later this month in the trial of two Texas activists.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Israel May Be in Violation of Arms Export Control Act (1 comments) Kucinich to Rice: "I believe that Israel's use of defense articles provided by the U.S in the current Gaza military attacks may constitute a violation of the AECA. At a minimum, the conflict is sufficient to warrant an immediate report to Congress as required by 22 U.S.C. §2753. Please contact my office by close of business on January 7, 2009 with the date the report will be submitted.

JGideon: 'Daily Voting News' For January 6, 2009 a collection of local, state, national and international articles on electronic voting and election issues

Israel Rejects Intensified Push for Cease-Fire More than 40 Palestinians were killed in Gaza Monday, almost half of them children, and five civilians were killed early Tuesday when a shell fired by an Israeli ship hit their house. The Gaza death toll has risen to about 550 since Israel began airstrikes. More than 2,500 have been wounded. At least 8 Israelis have died overall, including 3 by friendly fire.

Did the Reagan Revolution actually win? Local and State Governments are Selling Off Public Property and Services It seems as if the nearly three decades that Reaganomics has been allowed to survive, if not thrive, have been enough to allow the trickle-down theory to come to fruition. Unfortunately, it is debt -- and not wealth --that has been trickling.

Israeli citizens call on international community to stop Israel (1 comments) It is the signatories' belief that Israel's atrocities will not cease without a massive intervention by the international community. In particular, they ask world leaders to implement the call by Palestinian human rights organizations which urges...

SEC IG, Probing Madoff, Looks To Be On The Warpath SEC Inspector General David Kotz, who is conducting an investigation into the agency's failure to detect Bernard Madoff's alleged "$50 billion ponzi scheme" despite conducting several probes of Madoff's business over the last decade, testified before Congress today. And from the sound of his opening statement, his inquiry could be worth paying attention to...

If This Thread Doesn't Open You're Eyes,Then Nothing Will (1 comments) Let us not ignore the truth among ourselves...politically we are the aggressors and they defend themselves...The country is theirs, because they inhabit it, whereas we want to come here and settle down, and in their view we want to take away from them their country. -- David Ben Gurion, from a 1938 speech.

Feinstein And Rockefeller To Obama: We Liked Bush's Appointees More When it came to approving of Bush nominees who defended torture, illegal wirteapping, and the Iraq war, Sens. Feinstein and Rockefeller never complained. Consider their voting records on key Bush appointees in light of their reactions to the nomination of Leon Panetta as CIA Chief.

Indymedia-US: Anti-war Protests Escalate as Israel Launches Ground War Thousands of US residents were in the streets and at the doors of the politicians and ambassadors, imploring for intervention, as Israel was preparing to dispatch troops into Gaza. In Washington, DC, between one and two thousand people descended on the Israeli and Egyptian embassies to protest the atrocities. (Egypt, and other Arab leaders, are seen as complicit in the attacks due to their support of the blockade of goods.)

Burris denied seat in US Senate to succeed Obama Roland Burris announced Tuesday he was rejected for Barack Obama's Senate seat, in a bizarre rainy-day scene on the Capitol grounds as lawmakers awaited the gaveling of the 111th Congress into session. Standing amid a huge throng of reporters and television cameras in a cold and steady rain, Burris, 71, declared that he had been informed that "my credentials are not in order and will not be accepted."

Extremist group in Greece attacks police The incident Monday, which left 21-year-old policeman Diamandis Matzounis in critical but stable condition, marks a dramatic intensification of the violence. Although protesters have previously destroyed property and hurled Molotov cocktails at police, gun violence is extremely rare. Greece has been wracked by violent street protests and attacks on government and police facilities since the Dec. 6

Martha Rosenberg: Who Are These Old People at My Class Reunion? (5 comments) Nowhere in science is the "survivorship bias" as well demonstrated as the class reunion. Where are the people who failed economically, professionally, socially, romantically and bodily? They don't show up!

Human Rights Watch: Israel: Allow Media and Rights Monitors Access to Gaza (11 comments) Human Rights Watch urged the Israeli government to abide by an Israeli high court ruling on December 31, 2008 and allow foreign media into Gaza. The presence of journalists and human rights monitors in conflict areas provides an essential check on human rights abuses and laws-of-war violations

Press Release: Prosecutors Bully Ohio Voters: Ohio Election Justice Campaign Calls for Day of Silence on January 6, 2009 (1 comments) Four years ago, on January 6th, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) led the challenge to the certification of Ohio's votes in the 2004 presidential election.This was the first time in U.S. history that an entire state's electoral college votes were challenged.If the challenge had been successful, Bush would have lost the electoral college votes he needed to clinch the election.

Press Release: ADL: Holocaust & Nazi Imagery Abound at Anti-Israel Rallies in US (21 comments) "Freedom of speech is not just a right, it is also a responsibility," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director and a Holocaust survivor. "Comparisons of Israel to the Nazis are a deeply cynical perversion of history, an attempt to turn the tragedy that befell the Jewish people into a bludgeon against Israel." Examples from the more recent rallies across the country, links provided.

Rob Kall: Not Getting Gaza News on Al Jazeera? Then You're Not Getting the News. Here's How to Get it On-Line. (18 comments) There are routine, weekly reports on the decline of the old media. The situation in the Middle East is highlighting that situation.The Networks are falling further behind. The current hot, hot news in the world today, the Gaza conflict, exemplifies this decline of the old media. The fact is, the networks can't give you the best news coverage on Gaza. Cable TV, for the most part, can't. But you can get it on the net.

ALONE: Poll: Should non-profit cooperative groups and workers be supported more in 2009? In the wake of other depressions in the last two centuries, workers have organized cooperatives and have even taken over firms. Currently little has been done in this depression to empower labor in terms of taking over badly run firms--in the banking sector, auto sector, finance sector, newspaper sector, etc. What do Americans need to do in January 2009 to empower workers to control more of their lives?

Monday, January 5:

Dennis Olson, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy: *60 Groups Urge President-elect Obama to Renegotiate NAFTA (3 comments) Nearly 60 organizations and networks sent a letter to President-elect Obama urging him to follow through on his campaign pledge to renegotiate NAFTA as a first step towards crafting an alternative trade model that puts people and the environment first over the profits of global corporations.

Sen. Feinstein May Block Leon Panetta As CIA director (8 comments) Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who this week begins her tenure as the first female chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said today that she was not consulted on the choice and indicated she might oppose it. Feinstein said. "My position has consistently been that I believe the agency is best served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time."

The U.S. Army speaks up for Hamas The Army War College chose this week to release a report that has some surprisingly kind words for Israel's foes in the Gaza Strip: "HAMAS' political and strategic development has been both ignored and misreported in Israeli and Western sources which villainize the group, much as the PLO was once characterized as an anti-Semitic terrorist group," and "Israel and the United States need to abandon their policies of non-negotiati

Mars Rovers Are Alive at Five NASA expected its two Mars rovers to survive only three months in the dusty and freezing Martian conditions. But Saturday was the five-year anniversary of the first robot’s landing.

(More...)

Thursday, January 8:

Bill Moyers Journal to Air Footage of March of the Dead, Arrests in Senate Offices On Tuesday, many marched, protested, and went to jail asking Congress to end wars. Many members of the media were there, but few saw their reporting aired or put into print. One exception, as always, is Bill Moyers Journal on PBS. This uniquely decent and democratic program will be airing an "essay" on Friday night covering the growing protests.

Gallery gets iconic Obama image The iconic red, white and blue portrait of US President-elect Barack Obama will become part of the permanent collection at the US National Portrait Gallery.

First flight of algae-fuelled 737 jet (1 comments) A US airline has completed the first test flight of a plane partly powered by biofuel derived from algae. The 90-minute flight by a Continental Boeing 737-800 went better than expected, a spokesperson said. One of its engines was powered by a 50-50 blend of biofuel and normal aircraft fuel.

1-800-GOOG-411: Find and connect with local businesses for free from your cell phone. Or any phone! No more wasting money on information assistance calls! It evens connects you without you having to manually dial the number. Handy even if you are using a GPS.

Obama Stimulus '09 The GOV is handing out money they don't have quicker than anyone can count it. Does it get any better than this?

Ten extinct beasts that could walk the Earth again THE recipe for making any creature is written in its DNA. So last November, when geneticists published the near-complete DNA sequence of the long-extinct woolly mammoth, there was much speculation about whether we could bring this behemoth back to life. Creating a living, breathing creature from a genome sequence that exists only in a computer's memory is not possible right now. But someone someday is sure to try it,

Pelicans fall out of sky from Mexico to Ore. Pelicans suffering from a mysterious malady are crashing into cars and boats, wandering along roadways and turning up dead by the hundreds across the West Coast, from southern Oregon to Baja California, Mexico, bird-rescue workers say.

AJ Buttacavoli: John S. Greenway John S. Greenway was a member of the founding family of Arizona and a close personal friend who was my mentor during my college years.

Meryl Ann Butler: Terminal Bliss (3 comments)