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Nov. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Iraqi forces and U.S. Marines searching a mosque in Fallujah ``discovered the largest weapons cache to date'' in the city, where the coalition has been carrying out an assault on insurgents, the military said.

The stockpile was found yesterday in and around the compound of the Sa'ad Abi Bin Waqas Mosque in the Hey Al-Shorta District, according to a military statement e-mailed from the capital, Baghdad. The building was used by Muslim cleric Abdullah al-Janabi, leader of the city's rebels, to preach ``anti-coalition rhetoric,'' the military said.

The number of weapons recovered in the complex is ``stunning,'' and is ``enough to mount an insurgency across the country,'' the Associated Press cited Marines Lieutenant Colonel Dan Wilson as saying without specify the size of the cache. A chemical-weapons laboratory also was found, Reuters reported, citing Iraqi Security Minister Kassim Daoud.

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- david | 5:30 PM 1 comments

  The Morning Journal

As the provisional ballots were being examined, a federal judge yesterday denied a request by third-party presidential candidates who wanted to force a recount of all ballots even before the official count was finished.

Judge James G. Carr ruled in Toledo that the candidates have a right under Ohio law to a recount, but said it can wait. The judge wrote that he saw no reason to interfere with the final stages of Ohio's electoral process. Officials have said the results will be certified by Dec. 6.

On Tuesday, 1,086 of the 4,134 provisional ballots cast in Lorain County were disqualified by elections officials, and of 24,472 provisional ballots cast in Cuyahoga County, 8,099 were rejected. Of Ohio's 88 counties, Cuyahoga had the most provisional ballots.

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- david | 4:28 AM 0 comments

  Turn your back on Bush.

We're calling on people to attend inauguration without protest signs, shirts or stickers. Once through security and at the procession, at a given signal, we'll all turn our backs on Bush's motorcade and continue through his speech and swearing in. A simple, clear and coherent message.

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- david | 1:10 PM 0 comments

  156 parties to run in Iraq elections

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Iraq's Independent Electoral Commission said Tuesday that 156 political parties have been approved to run candidates in the Jan. 30 general election.

They included the Iraqi National Accord party led by Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and the new party of President Ghazi al-Yawer, called the Iraqis' Party, commission spokesman Farid Ayar said in a statement.

Ayar said 212 parties applied for certification but 56 were rejected for failing to meet criteria.

Also among those approved was the Iraqi Islamic Party, a Sunni group that had threatened to boycott the election to protest the U.S.-led offensive against Fallujah. The party later decided to participate.

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- david | 11:53 AM 0 comments

  Dolphins Protect New Zealand Swimmers from Shark Go on 'head EAC... We take care of them, and they take care of us.

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A pod of dolphins circled protectively round a group of New Zealand swimmers to fend off an attack by a great white shark, media reported on Tuesday.

Lifesavers Rob Howes, his 15-year-old daughter Niccy, Karina Cooper and Helen Slade were swimming 300 feet off Ocean Beach near Whangarei on New Zealand's North Island when the dolphins herded them -- apparently to protect them from a shark.

"They started to herd us up, they pushed all four of us together by doing tight circles around us," Howes told the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA).

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- david | 11:52 AM 0 comments

  Yahoo! News - Wash. GOP Gets Court Date in Recount Suit Oh yeah, definitely don't count votes. That's real democratic.

SEATTLE - A federal judge scheduled a hearing next week to hear arguments in a lawsuit filed by Republicans aiming to block the recount of some ballots in the cliffhanger governor's race.



The Nov. 30 hearing would come two days before Washington is to certify results of the statewide recount triggered by Republican Dino Rossi's razor-thin victory margin.

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- david | 7:44 AM 0 comments

  Evolution and Creation Redux

Americans do not believe that humans evolved, and the vast majority says that even if they evolved, God guided the process. Just 13 percent say that God was not involved. But most would not substitute the teaching of creationism for the teaching of evolution in public schools.

That’s a little misleading: 65% favor teaching creationism and evolution together. 65% think there is some teachable validity to creationism.

Yikes, I gotta say, this survey and the interpretations are obviousy biased, but that doesn't mean I'm not... It scares me to think about 65% of school in America teach creationism at all... Please, God, don't take separation of church and state...  ¶
- david | 7:41 AM 0 comments

  Leiter Reports: A call to ban Bush from Canada

It was with absolute dismay that we learned of the planned visit of President Bush to Canada on November 30th 2004.

Surely you are aware of the many grave crimes against humanity and war crimes for which President Bush stands properly accused by the world, starting with the Nuremberg Tribunal's 'supreme international crime' of waging an aggressive war against Iraq in defiance of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and including systematic and massive violations of the Geneva Conventions Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War and Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, as well as the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. As recently as November 16, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and former war crimes prosecutor Louise Arbour called for an investigation into crimes against the Geneva Conventions in the assault by US forces on the densely populated city of Fallujah....

Now that's just too sane. Who follows the rule of international law anymore?  ¶
- david | 7:34 AM 0 comments

  Defense Tech: CHICAGO LISTENS UP FOR GUNS

The devices [gunshot detection devices], mounted on telephone poles in specific neighborhoods, listen for the distinctive sound of a gunshot and immediately alert a police dispatcher when one is detected. A video camera in the device allows the dispatcher to keep an eye on the scene until officers arrive.

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- david | 7:27 AM 0 comments

  Third-Party Candidates Seek Ohio Recount

CINCINNATI - Two third-party presidential candidates filed a federal lawsuit Monday to force a recount of Ohio ballots, and a spokesman for the state Democratic Party said it intends to join the suit.

The lawsuit was filed Monday evening in U.S. District Court in Toledo, according to Blair Bobier, a spokesman for Green Party candidate David Cobb, who brought the suit along with Libertarian Michael Badnarik
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The third-party candidates have said they are not interested in overturning President Bush (news - web sites)'s victory in the state. But they say they are concerned about reports of voting irregularities and believe a recount is necessary to ensure accuracy.

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- david | 9:23 PM 0 comments

  Democrats Need a Shadow Government

Shadow cabinets call themselves the Loyal Opposition. In Britain and Canada, it’s Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. The Royal Loyals, as it were, the very name making the point that opposition does not equate with treason. No pretense is made that the opposition’s role is non-partisan. On the contrary, its job is to oppose, and the shadow ministers provide its whetstone. Quite often, if elections turn the tables on the party in power, shadow ministers join the cabinet in their same role.

Despite all the obvious problems with forming and operating a shadow cabinet outside a parliamentary system designed for it - for instance, having to deal with prerogatives of the separate leadership of party, Senate and House - Democrats ought to appoint shadow secretaries.

I bet you think I have some people in mind. I do. For instance, Gary Hart as Shadow Secretary of Defense would be an appointment I’d smile about. Ed Dobson at Interior. Juliet Schor at Labor. I’m sure everybody here has plenty of favorites, and most of mine are way off the left edge of what’s acceptable across the spectrum. There’s no single best person for each job. And some jobs for shadowing purposes could be combined, like the Brits do.

But whatever suitably intricate system is used to fill out its ranks, a shadow cabinet will only work if the folks chosen are willing to scrutinize, publicly criticize and strive to neutralize what their opposite numbers in the cabinet (and a few high-level agencies) are doing. Shadowers with spine and gumption no matter where they stand in the Democratic spectrum.

Do we have any ideas for our parts? Who would we like to see in a shadow government? Let your voice be heard by your fellow Progressives!  ¶
- david | 7:51 PM 2 comments

  U.S. Death Toll in Iraq for Nov. Tops 100 Does this have anything to do with Bush's re-election? Maybe more to do with Fallujah, but... apparently the highest death toll since April, and presumably the second highest since the war started.  ¶
- david | 7:15 PM 0 comments

  Economic Freedom: Bush States Have It, and Kerry States Don't If this is not the most ridiculous crock I've ever heard... There's not even a definition of exactly what "economic freedom" is, only partisan belligerence and obnoxious fake "news."  ¶
- david | 7:13 PM 0 comments

  A shortening list of failing schools It's hard to tell if this is good news or not, but I can honestly say I want it to be good news.

As the latest report cards on schools and districts trickle out, they're giving the public a snapshot not only of the nation's education system but also of the successes and failures of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), President Bush's landmark 2001 education law. So far this year, the results have been better than many critics expected: Student achievement is up, and the lists of schools on state watch lists because of poor academic performance are getting shorter in nearly every state.

None of this means the nation's public schools have suddenly become Harvards without the ivy. Some analysts, in fact, warn that the trend may be deceptive: The shorter watch lists, for instance, may have more to do with bureaucratic changes than academic gains. And next year, the target achievement levels students need to reach under NCLB will jump in many states.

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- david | 6:59 PM 0 comments

  Bill Clears Way for Government to Cut Back College Loans

The government moved to change its formula for college aid last year, but was blocked by Congress. Now, however, no such language appears in the appropriations bill lawmakers are considering, clearing the way for the government to scale back college grants for hundreds of thousands of low-income students.

Nearly 100,000 more students may lose their federal grants entirely, as Congress considers legislation that could place more of the financial burden for college on students and their families.
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The exact impact of the new rules is difficult to predict, but had the new formula gone into effect last year, it would have prevented about $270 million from being spent on Pell grants, the nation's primary scholarship program, the Congressional Research Service found. Many students, perhaps more than a million, would have received smaller grants, many education experts estimated. And about 84,000 students would have lost their Pell grants altogether, the research service reported.

This is what you call increasing Pell grants? George W. Bush... You got some 'splainin' to do!  ¶
- david | 6:58 PM 0 comments

  McDonald's CEO Steps Down Due to Cancer

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp. (NYSE:MCD - news) said on Monday President and Chief Executive Charlie Bell had stepped down to focus on his cancer treatment and that Vice Chairman Jim Skinner would replace him.

The world's largest restaurant chain said Skinner, a 33-year company veteran, would take over immediately as CEO. The company also named McDonald's USA Chief Executive Mike Roberts as president and chief operating officer.

Bell was diagnosed with colon cancer shortly after taking over as chief executive seven months ago, prompting the company to expand Skinner's duties and broaden other McDonald's managers' roles. Bell replaced former CEO Jim Cantalupo, who died suddenly of a heart attack in April.

Can anyone say divine retribution?  ¶
- david | 6:53 PM 0 comments

  Palestinian group to pick Abbas Thank god. I can't say that I know everything about Middle East politics, but it seems to me that this is a step in the right direction. Arafat was a leader to the Palestinian people, but he was an obstacle to the rest of the world. If only he had kept up the work that won him the Nobel peace prize.

The main Palestinian political faction, Fatah, is set to pick Mahmoud Abbas as its candidate to succeed Yasser Arafat in January's presidential poll.
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Mr Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, is seen as a moderate and he has frequently negotiated with Israel.

The 69-year-old was named as chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) after Arafat died on 11 November.

Correspondents say the Fatah Revolutionary Council is certain to approve Mr Abbas' nomination on Thursday given the central committee's unanimous vote for him.

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- david | 6:51 PM 0 comments

  Hello Alberto! A brief flash cartoon about Alberto Gonzales (the AG-in-waiting). Good background, makes all the necessary points, etc. Also, humorous soundtrack. Two thumbs up!

(via TalkLeft)  ¶
- david | 2:38 AM 0 comments

  Brand Democrat Campaign A page (which will hopefully be updated constantly) full of very clever Adult-Swim-esque advertisements for Brand Democrat. Please please please print these out and post them where ever you see fit. Buy the shirts, donate to put an ad in Newsweek or the NYT or whatever. It's so clever and so positive, it has to work. Also, please feel free to discuss here, that's what comments are for!  ¶
- david | 2:20 AM 0 comments

  Iraq Sets Election Date But Unrest Threatens Poll Hurray... But what does this really mean? Is this the beginning of democracy in Iraq? Or just a chance for the American appointed government to "cement its influence"...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq (news - web sites) chose Jan. 30 for its first democratic election in decades on Sunday, but violence in Sunni Muslim areas underlined the challenge of holding polls on time.

According to Iraq's timetable for democracy, polls must be held by end-January for a transitional parliament that will pick a new government and oversee the writing of a constitution.

"The Electoral Commission set the date of Jan. 30 as the date of the election," spokesman Farid Ayar told Reuters.

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- david | 1:17 AM 0 comments