Justice Alito: A supreme fight

We all know replacing a flipflopper with a striaght conservative constitutionalist is going to cause a war fromt he left. Here we go...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
President George W. Bush will nominate conservative U.S. appeals court judge Samuel Alito to the
U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to fill the seat of retiring Justice
Sandra Day O'Connor, a congressional aide told Reuters.

Alito, 55, is considered a conservative in the mold of Justice
Antonin Scalia. Alito is sometimes given the nickname "Scalito" -- a comparison to Scalia, who shares his Italian heritage as well as his reputation for conservatism and a strong intellect. He is a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.

As nominee, he would replace White House counsel Harriet Miers, who withdrew her name from consideration last week under withering attack from conservatives within Bush's own Republican Party.

A conservative choice was bound to trigger a fight from Senate Democrats who want to see O'Connor replaced by a moderate justice like her.

Republican Sen. Jon Cornyn of Texas praised the choice, calling Alito "man of outstanding character, who is deeply committed to public service."

But Cornyn, who had supported a conservative choice, cautioned any potential Democratic opposition that, "It is important that the confirmation process be completed in a timely manner free of obstructionist tactics."

Although O'Connor has said she will remain until her replacement is named, the high court is nearly a month into its new session.

Aides were hoping that the Supreme Court nominee would give Bush a fresh start after one of the toughest weeks of his presidency. Miers withdrew, U.S. troops marked the 2,000th death in the
Iraq war and Vice President
Dick Cheney's top aide, Lewis Libby, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the investigation into who leaked a covert
CIA operative's name in 2003

Iran "president" wants Israel off the map

I sure am hoping this is the kind of talk that Israel has been waiting on so they can blow that country to hell and back. Too many PC freaks in the UN and US todo it, let Israel do it under the guise of "self defense"

Miers withdrawls

Thank god! who wants someone with no history on the supreme court?! at least pick someone w/ a reviewable history, come on.

Dentists dont listen

So 2-3 months ago I had some work done above #5. He had to numb the bone with several shots into the bone. One of those shots I think nicked a nerve. A couple days after the visit I had a bump where my cheek meets my gums. It was sensitive to touch from the outside of the cheek. shaving wasnt comfortable. After about 4-5 weeks, it seemed to have been healing and going away.

Yesterday I woke up and that same spot was bigger than it ever was. I saw no obvious inflamation in my face and the pain was moderate. I called the dr and he was booked solid. I gave the receptionist my details and description and told her to ask the dr what todo. About 4 hrs later, I called back for an update and she told me:

"The dr doesnt wanna perscribe any oerscriptions because he doesnt want you to make a super bug unless you are showing inflamation"

Well, I kinda wanted to laugh at her cuz you cant make a superbug in a week in one person. Mutations are instant.... idiots. ANYWAYS. I told her "thats actually why I'm calling, I;m starting to puff up" so they called in penicillin.

Penicillin?! Well, I hope this works, cuz levequin woulda been much better AND easier. penicillin 4 times a day for 7 days, ugh. levequin 1 time a day for 5 days.

So... the pain.... it started last night. ibuprofran, stopped working around 4am. Vicoden is doing its job. Thank god this same dr perscribed that to me b4!

So the moral of this story is, when you complain about a problem, make sure it gets resolved and dont wait for it to heal, it might not :)

XM on DirecTV

As part of DirecTV's dedication to offering the best in entertainment to its customers, beginning Nov. 15, 2005, 72 channels of XM's quality music, children's, and talk programming will be available via DirecTV, nearly doubling its current audio programming lineup at no additional cost.

DirecTV, XM Radio to Deliver 72 XM Channels To DirecTV Customers Nationwide

El Segundo CA (SPX) Sep 30, 2005
An agreement between DirecTV and XM Satellite Radio will be much more than just music to the ears of more than 14.6 million DirecTV customers nationwide.

As part of DirecTV's dedication to offering the best in entertainment to its customers, beginning Nov. 15, 2005, 72 channels of XM's quality music, children's, and talk programming will be available via DirecTV, nearly doubling its current audio programming lineup at no additional cost.

In addition to music channels and children's programming, XM will provide XM's Major League Baseball "Home Plate" talk radio channel, and its High Voltage channel, featuring talk radio stars Opie and Anthony.

"DirecTV is making a major commitment in the world of music, and this alliance with XM Satellite Radio will leave a lasting imprint on not only our more than 14.6 million customers nationwide, but on the pay television industry as a whole," said Dan Fawcett, executive vice president, Programming Acquisitions, DirecTV.

"By partnering with fellow satellite innovator XM to deliver an unrivaled lineup of quality audio channels, we will continue to provide our customers with more entertainment choices, more value and the best service available."

"This marks the beginning of a natural partnership between the nation's leading satellite radio company and the leading satellite television company," said Patricia Kesling, senior vice president, Marketing and Operations, XM Satellite Radio.

"DirecTV offers a fantastic platform for people to experience some of the amazing content we offer on XM. We know from experience that when people get to sample XM, they want to become XM subscribers. "Part of XM's appeal is that we have an extraordinary group of music experts who handpick the songs from XM's enormous music library, and they work directly with artists to create original music specials and live performances. Our talk radio programmers share that same spirit of creativity and freedom. It's what separates XM Satellite Radio from everyone else."

Custom header in Thunderbird

So you want a customer header in TB...

create/edit user.js file:

user_pref("mail.identity.id1.headers","pgp1,pgp2");
user_pref("mail.identity.id1.header.pgp1","X-PGP-Fingerprint: CABE 26F2 DF3A 7457 9B9C 74A6 EAA2 62C8 B0A2 B90F");
user_pref("mail.identity.id1.header.pgp2","X-PGP-Key-ID: 0xB0A2B90F");

restart. pretty simple. id1 being the first account, id2 the second, etc.

For more detailed info, check out https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=61520 The most recent stuff is at the bottom

Bird flu, ugh

Again with the stupid bird flu. I've heard countless people basicly propagandizing this shit as it it would migrate to the states and europe, mutate into a strain that gets passed from human to human, and whip out 2-3 million in the near future. GET A LIFE. A mutation liek that takes YEARS. and after such a mutation, its not as strong and the estimated mortality rate drops from 60% to 20%. and at that point, high risk people will have been vacinated. Stop hyping this damn thing, build a border fence!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,172254,00.html

WHO: Human Risk from Bird Flu 'Very Low'

Friday, October 14, 2005

GENEVA(AP) � The U.N. health agency expressed concern Friday about the spread of bird flu to Turkey and Romania, but said the risk of human infection was "very low."

The World Health Organization said there was "appropriate alarm" each time the virus, particularly the virulent H5N1 strain, shows up in a new country. But it was important to keep the risk to humans in perspective, WHO spokesman Dick Thompson said.

"People confuse it with pandemic influenza, but they're very different diseases," Thompson said. "If people just paid attention to the human risk" from bird flu, they'd understand that "the possibility of infection is very low."

Health officials have been tracking the strain out of concern that it could mutate into a form more easily transmitted between people, and trigger a human pandemic.

At the moment, however, the flu is principally a bird disease. H5N1 has killed about 60 people in Asia, but they were mostly poultry farmers infected directly by birds.

"The spread of H5N1 to poultry in new areas is of concern as it increases opportunities for further human cases to occur," a WHO statement said. "However, all evidence to date indicates that the H5N1 virus does not spread easily from birds to infect humans."

People with fever or respiratory symptoms should be checked because the early symptoms of H5N1 infection mimic those of many other common respiratory illnesses, WHO said. "False alarms are likely."

In Turkey, the H5N1 strain was detected after 1,800 turkeys died on a farm in Kiziksa, 80 miles southwest of Istanbul, but the Turkish government said it has contained the outbreak.

In Romania, authorities have identified a few cases of bird flu, but established only it was the H5 subtype. Further testing was under way to determine the strain.

QuickTime Alternative

Hate the fact that when you need to play a quicktime movie, you are forced to install iTunes? Do you hate the fact Quicktime is bloated as well, check this out!

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/QuickTime_Alternative.htm

This still installed the quicktime codecs and if you have a serial number, it'll work there.

But if you want quicktime WITHOUT iTunes, use this link:

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/standalone.html

Iraqi Parliament Approves Compromise Deal on Constitution

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,172041,00.html

How many times can you say "arab" and "compromise" when refering to the long history of terrorism. I can only think of two. Israel/Egypt and Israel/Gaza.

how early can you toilet train your baby?

Apparently ist never too early to toilet train. While some people think it leads to rebelion because you are teaching things too early, other think it makes going to the bathroom second nature. I'm not sure what todo yet, but this is intresting:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/09/nyregion/09diapers.html?emc=eta1&pagewanted=print

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/09/nyregion/09diapers.html?emc=eta1&pagewanted=print

October 9, 2005
A Fast Track to Toilet Training for Those at the Crawling Stage
By TINA KELLEY

Hannah Rothstein, 7 months old, has double thighs and a dimpled bottom, but very svelte German underwear. She can still fit into her birth-to-3-month-old clothes because she lacks her peers' familiar bulge in the rear. She can sleep all night without a diaper. And during the day, every so often, after her mother, Melinda, of Newton, Mass., places her on a plastic potty and makes a little "pss-wss-wss" sound like the one used to call a cat, Hannah uses the toilet.

For many parents in the United States, the idea of potty training before a baby is able to walk, or even before age 2, is not just horrifying but reprehensible - a sure nightmare for parents and baby, not to mention a direct route from the crib to the psychiatrist's couch. But a growing number of parents are experimenting with infant potty training, seeing it as more sanitary, ecologically correct and likely to strengthen bonds between parent and child.

About 2,000 people across the country have joined Internet groups and e-mail lists to learn more about the techniques of encouraging a baby - a child too young to walk or talk - to go in a toilet, a sink or a pot. Through a nonprofit group, Diaper Free Baby (www.diaperfreebaby.org), 77 local groups have formed in 35 states to encourage the practice. One author's how-to books on the subject have sold about 50,000 copies.

"It's just so simple," said Lamelle Ryman, who recently attended a support meeting at an apartment on the Upper West Side. Ms. Ryman, the mother of 7-month-old Neshama, added, "I feel like it's been such a gift in our relationship."

Adoption of the approach in the West is in its infant stage, so to speak. Moreover, the philosophy behind it flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Dr. Benjamin Spock, the last word in child rearing for many American families through much of the 20th century, recommended against any training in the first year, believing that it could lead to rebellion later through bedwetting.

Once, however, breastfeeding also was a rarity.

With early toilet training, there is a broad body of knowledge and experience to draw on. Parents in at least 75 countries, including India, Kenya and Greenland, embrace the practice, with Chinese babies often wearing pants with split bottoms for easy squatting (available for $1 in Chinatown, according to savvy mothers in New York).

Some parents who adopt children from other countries say they are startled to find that their babies arrive ready to use the toilet. More than 50 percent of the world's children are toilet trained by the time they turn 1, according to Contemporary Pediatrics magazine.

From birth, the reasoning goes, infants are aware of their needs to eliminate, and although their muscles are not developed, they can soon learn to go on cue. Conversely, by relying on disposable diapers, modern parents are in effect teaching babies to ignore the signs that they have to go, making potty training at a later age more difficult.

Ingrid Bauer, author of "Diaper Free! The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene" (Natural Wisdom Press, 2001), believes it is easiest to begin toilet training in the first six months. To start, parents are taught to hold the baby by the thighs in a seated position against their stomachs and to make an encouraging hiss or grunt. With practice, parents learn their child's rhythms; some parents sleep next to their children and keep a potty at arm's reach, or diaper their babies overnight.

For families who practice the technique, the advantages are many: savings in the cost of diapers, which can reach $3,000 a child; less guilt about contributing to the 22 billion disposable diapers that end up in landfills every year; no diaper rash, and a nursery that doesn't reek of diaper pail. They also note that age 2, a common age for toilet training, is a time of notorious willfulness and a terrible age to start teaching any child anything.

Most important, they say, is an increased emotional bond with the baby, forged by the need for the parent to pick up on subtle signs and act on them quickly. Proponents of the practice use the phrase "elimination communication."

"It is enhancing that interaction and closeness, the intimacy between baby and mother," said Thomas Ball, a psychologist in California who is helping develop a documentary about the technique. Unquestionably, in a child-rearing culture that thrives on sanitation and parental convenience, the prospect of supervising 20 deposits a day in the first busy months of infancy is daunting.

"It doesn't sound like anything I would ever even attempt to try," said Erinn Marchetti, who has two preschool-age children and was shopping recently at Toys "R" Us in Times Square. "It's hard enough when they're 2 and 3."

Another mother in Toys "R" Us, who offered her opinion but wanted to remain anonymous, was aghast at the notion. "Have you read Freud?" she asked, worrying about the method's long-term effects. "I imagine it's going to come out in sexual ways."

Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, the renowned child-rearing expert, said parents need not worry about psychologically damaging their child. Dr. Brazelton, author of "Toilet Training: The Brazelton Way" (Da Capo Press, 2004), has always advocated a child-centered approach to training: do it when a child is ready, without too much pushing or even encouraging.

"I'm all for it, except I don't think many people can do it," he said of elimination communication. "The thing that bothers me about it is today, probably 80 percent of women don't have that kind of availability."

As with breastfeeding, a turn toward infant potty training would represent a leap into the past. Before the 1800's, babies in Western societies were swaddled, which restrained them and contained their wastes, Laurie Boucke said in "Infant Potty Training" (White-Boucke Publishing, 2002), one of several books she has written that advocate the technique. When cleanliness became a virtue in the 19th century, Ms. Boucke wrote, infants were regularly held over a chamber pot until they learned the habit of using it.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, in its current "Toilet Training" pamphlet, says children have no control over bladder or bowel movements when they are younger than a year and little control for six months afterwards.

"Even if you're getting them to go in a pot as a young infant, I don't know if it will have any long-term impact for all the effort you have to go through," said Dr. Mark Wolraich, author of the academy's "Guide to Toilet Training" (Bantam Books, 2003). "The risk is, if it's not working and the parents are frustrated, they're creating more negative interactions with their child."

But parents of diaper-free babies said working with a child's signals is a rewarding experience.

A mother in Medford, Mass., Sarabeth Matilsky, said elimination communication helped strengthen her bond with her son, Ben, who began using a potty when he was about 10 weeks old and who was colicky as an infant.

"When I started doing this, I got to start seeing him as a little person with abilities," she said.

At two recent meetings of support groups, mothers and one father shared signals their babies gave: kicking, nose-rubbing, getting loud, getting quiet, hiccupping, feeling warm to the touch, shivering.

Ms. Boucke, the author, noted that many fathers enjoy infant potty training. "They can't breast-feed, but they can work on the other end," she said.

She knows it can be challenging, she said. "I tell people, you cannot be a perfectionist with this," Ms. Boucke said. "No one is going to be there all the time. They won't have a life."

huggies vs pampers

If you just havnt tried for yourself, searching for an answer online will get you nowhere. time to buy some huggies since the hospital has a pampers contract...

Pacifiers May Decrease SIDS Risk

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,171750,00.html

CHICAGO � Babies should be offered pacifiers at bedtime, and they should sleep in their parents' room � but not in their beds � in order to lessen the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, the nation's largest group of pediatricians says.

Both measures may help keep babies from slumbering too deeply � a problem for infants prone to SIDS, said Dr. Rachel Moon (search), who helped draft the new recommendations on SIDS prevention. They were prepared for release Monday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,171750,00.html

CHICAGO � Babies should be offered pacifiers at bedtime, and they should sleep in their parents' room � but not in their beds � in order to lessen the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, the nation's largest group of pediatricians says.

Both measures may help keep babies from slumbering too deeply � a problem for infants prone to SIDS, said Dr. Rachel Moon (search), who helped draft the new recommendations on SIDS prevention. They were prepared for release Monday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The death rate from SIDS (search) has fallen sharply in recent years, now that parents are warned not to let their babies sleep on their stomachs or amid fluffy bedding or stuffed toys. But it remains the leading case of death in U.S. infants between ages 1 month and 1 year, killing more than 2,000 U.S. babies each year, and new tactics are needed to fight it, the academy said.

SIDS is defined as a sudden death of an infant, often while sleeping, that remains unexplained even after an autopsy and death scene examination.

Some breast-feeding proponents have advocated letting infants share their parents' bed to facilitate nighttime nursing and have opposed pacifier use because of concern that the devices might interfere with nursing.

But the academy is a longtime supporter of breast-feeding, and the new policy was crafted with that in mind. It recommends delaying pacifier use for breast-fed infants during the first month of life � when SIDS risks are low � "to ensure that breast-feeding is firmly established." And it says placing cribs near the parents' bed makes breast-feeding more convenient. Infants may be brought into the bed to nurse, but should be returned to their cribs afterward, the policy says.

Pacifiers offered at bedtime should not be reinserted if they fall out during sleep, should not be coated in sweet substances, and should not be forced upon infants who refuse them, the policy says.

The new policy, which updates the academy's 2000 SIDS guidelines, also says that the only recommended sleep position for infants is on their backs. Letting babies sleep on their sides, considered a less favorable option in the old policy, is now considered too risky to even be considered an option, because infants could roll over to their stomachs.

In 1992, 4,660 U.S. infant deaths were attributed to SIDS. That annual number fell to about 2,800 in 1998, thanks at least partly to the government-sponsored "Back to Sleep" (search) campaign launched nationwide in 1994. By 2002, the reported number had dropped to 2,295.

"Over 2,000 babies a year are still dying. We should be able to do something about that," said Dr. John Kattwinkel of the University of Virginia, chairman of the academy's SIDS task force.

Doctors think actual numbers are higher because some true SIDS deaths are being blamed on other causes, said Moon, a SIDS researcher at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Data suggest, for example, that accidental suffocation, which is hard to distinguish from SIDS, has increased in recent years, Moon said.

Doctors aren't sure about SIDS causes but a prevailing theory suggests that brain stem abnormalities affecting arousal reflexes leave some babies vulnerable when faced with challenges during deep sleep, including overheating and breathing hampered by pillows, stuffed animals or other soft objects. Babies sleeping on their stomachs are at risk because they sleep more deeply and their airway risks being partly obstructed.

Laura Reno, spokeswoman for First Candle/SIDS Alliance, a national advocacy group, said her organization strongly supports the new recommendations.

"We just want to reduce as much risk as possible," said Reno, who lost a baby son to SIDS 21 years ago, long before stomach-sleeping and soft bedding were known risk factors.

"He was sleeping on his tummy on top of a sheepskin. If I had just known then what we know now," she said. "It's a devastating thing for parents and guilt is strongly associated with these deaths."

The academy's new recommendations are based on new research, including studies that have suggested that sucking pacifiers might help keep vulnerable infants from slumbering too deeply to rouse themselves.

Dr. Stephen Sheldon, director of the sleep medicine center at Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital, said pacifiers also enhance babies' swallowing and are an age-appropriate habit.

While pacifier use can increase the risk of ear infections, these infections are less common during the first year of life � when the SIDS risk is highest � than later on, the academy said.

The policy recommends pacifier use throughout the first year but not beyond.

Pacifier use in older children may increase risks for teeth misalignment, but using them in infancy is not a problem, said Dr. Paul Reggiardo, a Huntington Beach, Calif., dentist and past president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

"These are from our point of view appropriate recommendations," Reggiardo said.

Top 20 IT mistakes

This article nails so many points home its hard not to laugh, but thats all I can really say publicly... sorry.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/11/19/47FEtop20_1.html

Mexican Border Fence

When I was growing up in El Paso, I often asked my parents "why dont they just put up an electric fence." I was about 8 or 9, and all I remember was news stories about violence and illegals streaming over the rio grande...

When I was growing up in El Paso, I often asked my parents "why dont they just put up an electric fence. I was about 8 or 9, and all I remember was new stories about violenc and illegals streaming over the rio grande... and back then, it actually had an undertow. Fast forward 20 years later, you get this same story, with a twist of terrorism and OTMs. I go back to my original question.... why not put up an electric fence? Hell, why not use Israel's west bank wall architecture? Why now make it a triple fence, with the center fence twice as high and electrified? I'm pretty damn sur the property owners on the US side would space 20 ft along the whole border to create a DMZ like this.

and now the story:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,171668,00.html

Groups Advocate Border Fence Along Mexico
Sunday, October 09, 2005

LOS ANGELES � A fence already marks the U.S. border with Mexico but in some places, it's no more than a strand of wire or metal rail.

Where a real barrier exists, it works. Illegal immigrants are forced to travel long distances to get around miles of tall steel and razor wire.

Now, a group of border activists are pushing for a new, bigger fence � more like a Berlin Wall � from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.

"If we don't stop the illegal immigration problem at the border, the problem will grow in far more dangerous ways ... because illegal immigration from Mexico provides easy cover for terrorists," says one national television ad sponsored by Weneedafence.com, a project of Let Freedom Ring, Inc.

The TV spot focuses not on the politically charged issue of illegal Hispanic immigration but border crossers who may be a security threat, especially those caught who originated from suspected sponsors of state terrorism.

"What are people from Yemen and Syria and Iran doing in Mexico trying to enter the U.S. illegally? This is an issue that requires a wall," said Colin Hanna of Weneedafence.com. "We are absolutely not anti-Hispanic, we do not think the fence should be perceived as anti-Hispanic, or anti-Mexican, we are not anti-immigrant, we are pro-immigration, but we are pro- legal immigration."

Hanna's group hopes to persuade Congress to take on the $8 billion project but aside from the cost, Hispanic activists claim that good neighbors build bridges, not fences, and that a fence will stigmatize people fighting for their shot at the American dream.

"I think what we're doing is criminalizing work and criminalizing the need of families to be together," said Angela Sanbrano of the Central American Resource Center, an open-borders interest group.

Years ago, the idea of a great wall on the southern border would have been dead on arrival in Congress, but times have changed. Polls now show that more than 80 percent of Americans like the idea, and it has bipartisan support. One House bill has bipartisan support but is nowhere near ready for passage by the entire Congress.

Many Democrats favor the concept because the downward pressure on wages from illegal immigrants is hurting organized labor. Republicans, meanwhile, also like the wall for national security reasons.

al-Qaeda: stop beheadings, shoot hostages

It looks like al-Qaeda's beheading PR in the arab world is backfiring. Ontop of that, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (head of al-Queda in Iraq) is at odds with Ayman al-Zawahri (al-Queda #2) over killing civilians. It seems Shi'its are considered infidels because they are getting killed at greater rates that americans by these suicide bombers...

AL-QAEDA has abandoned hope of defeating the US-backed Government in Afghanistan and instead is concentrating on driving American forces from Iraq, even if that means ditching its brutal methods.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1816691,00.html

- Iraq's al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said militants were justified under Islam in killing civilians as long as they are infidels, according to an audio tape attributed to him on Friday.

"Islam does not differentiate between civilians and military (targets) but rather distinguishes between Muslims and infidels," said the man on the tape posted on the Internet, who sounded like Zarqawi.
(reuters) http://tinyurl.com/exdro

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1816691,00.html
End beheadings � shoot hostages, orders al-Qaeda

AL-QAEDA has abandoned hope of defeating the US-backed Government in Afghanistan and instead is concentrating on driving American forces from Iraq, even if that means ditching its brutal methods.

According to the Pentagon, the strategy is set out in a 6,000-word letter sent by Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden�s deputy, to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, head of al-Qaeda in Iraq, in July.

Al-Zawahiri warns al-Zarqawi that his brutal tactics, which include beheading Western hostages, killing hundreds of Shia Muslim civilians and murdering Iraqi officials, could alienate Muslim public opinion. He allegedly recommends shooting, not decapitating, prisoners.

The letter, which the US military claims was intercepted in Iraq, makes clear that al-Qaeda aims to spread jihad to other Arab states and Israel.

Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor, is al-Qaeda�s ideological head and responsible for its day-to-day operations. In August he claimed responsibility for the July 7 bombings. His letter offers al-Zarqawi advice on tactics and a grand vision for the next stage in the jihad against the West and its Middle Eastern allies.

He predicts victory in Iraq � which he calls the site of �the greatest battle of Islam in this era� � but insists that it is only the first stage of a campaign across the Arab world. He sets out how an Islamic Caliphate must be established in Iraq and then the war taken to neighbouring Syria, from there to Lebanon, then Egypt and finally a battle to destroy Israel.

He considers a clash between Sunni and Shia Islam inevitable but questions the wisdom of bombing Shia targets and reminds al-Zarqawi that half of the battle against America is being fought through the media.

However, beheadings and suicide bomb attacks against Shia targets have continued unabated. This could indicate that al-Qaeda lacks control over al-Zarqawi. Although respected among Islamic militants, al- Zawahiri is a fugitive living on the Afghan-Pakistani border, while bin Laden has not been heard of for nearly a year.

Al-Zawahiri admits that al-Qaeda�s lines of communication and funding have been severly disrupted.

(reuters) http://tinyurl.com/exdro
Al Qaeda's Zarqawi backs killing civilian 'infidels'

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iraq's al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said militants were justified under Islam in killing civilians as long as they are infidels, according to an audio tape attributed to him on Friday.

"Islam does not differentiate between civilians and military (targets) but rather distinguishes between Muslims and infidels," said the man on the tape posted on the Internet, who sounded like Zarqawi.

"Muslim blood must be spared ... but it is permissible to spill infidel blood," said the speaker.

The comments appeared a day after the Pentagon said it had obtained a letter to Zarqawi from al Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri, saying tactics being used such as bombing mosques and killing hostages might alienate the Muslim masses.

"In this letter, he talks about believing that the eventual governance of Iraq must include the Muslim masses, and that they are at risk of alienating those," Pentagon spokesman Brian Whitman told reporters in Washington on Thursday.

Zarqawi's group has been fighting U.S. forces and their Shi'ite allies who gained power after the 2003 U.S.-led war ousted Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Muslim.

Osama bin Laden's Iraq-based ally has declared all-out war against the Shi'ites, saying they were heretics who allied themselves with the enemies of Islam to seize control of Iraq.

Friday's tape was posted on a web site which usually carries statements and video tapes from al Qaeda's wing in Iraq.

The speaker said the concept of Jihad (holy struggle) was coming under distorting attacks by "the enemies of Islam" trying to portray it as a tool "for spreading bloodshed and destruction".

"Many Muslims have been affected by this campaign and they began shying away from using this term (jihad) for fear of being accused of terrorism. They instead replaced it with the term resistance...

"This has tarnished Jihad and its supporters and led to the inclusion of factions that have nothing to do with Jihad such as the rejectionist (Shi'ite) Hizbollah, Fatah movement and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine," he said, referring to the Lebanese and Palestinian guerrilla groups.

"All this has been done under the pretext that whoever defends his country against the enemy and fights an occupier is involved in resistance. But Jihad is much deeper than that."

Zarqawi's group has claimed responsibility for a series of killings, hostage beheadings and most major suicide bombings in Iraq, including the bombings of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad

and the Shi'ite Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf in 2003.

Oklahoma Suicide Bomber

Why are the facts about the suicide bomber who detonated prematurely being kept from us? What is it about the OU suicide bomber that we cant know about?

Bomb material found in student�s apartment

By Jane Glenn Cannon and Jennifer Jackson
The Oklahoman

NORMAN - Local and federal law officers worked Sunday to remove what was described as a cache of explosive material from the apartment of a man who died in a bombing the night before.

OU students react

Joel Henry Hinrichs III, 21, a junior from Colorado Springs, Colo., died in the explosion, FBI officials said.

Investigators believe Hinrichs detonated a bomb about 8 p.m. Saturday, just 100 yards away from a packed football stadium.

Officials confirmed Sunday a cache of explosive material later was found inside Hinrichs� residence at the university- owned Parkview Apartments, southeast of Lindsey Street and Stinson Avenue.

The FBI, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents and Norman police�s bomb squad were removing the material Sunday evening.

Police were overheard telling residents it would take �several trips and could take up to 24 hours� to remove it all.

Four buildings at Parkview Apartments, including the building where Hinrichs lived, were cordoned off with police tape.

Mike McMahon, who lives across the street from Hinrichs� building, said he was on his porch at 3 a.m. Sunday �when they (police) started moving in.�

�That�s when the (yellow crime scene) tape went up,� McMahon said.

Whitney Pearson said she woke at 9 a.m. to find police blocking access to George Street where she lives. Across the street, she could see crime scene tape snaking around buildings at Parkview Apartments.

�I talked to police, and they told me I would be safe as long as I stayed on my side of the tape,� Pearson said.

OU and Norman police officers were posted at intersections to keep people away from the taped-off area. FBI and ATFE agents could be seen moving in and out of the buildings most of the day.

A canister trailer used for detonating or transporting potentially explosive material was being used to haul items away.

They started removing items after 7 p.m.

On Sunday, Boren said reports about authorities finding an unexploded bomb Saturday night were false.

Investigators did set off a second explosion, but it involved a suspicious object located near the blast site that did not contain a bomb, Boren said.

Law enforcement acted quickly and efficiently responding to the emergency, Boren said.

�Student safety is our number one concern,� Boren said.

FBI investigators packaged and removed the bench where the bomber was seated when the explosives went off.

A scorched patch marred the sidewalk where the bench had been removed.

Crime scene tape blocking access to the South Oval was removed by Sunday afternoon. Tape was repositioned around a bus and limousine parked on the oval in front of George Lynn Cross Hall, OU�s botany-microbiology building, prior to Saturday night�s game. Blood spattered the lower length of the bus.

No other damage to the area, including the microbiology building, was apparent.

Officials said Hinrichs� motive for blowing himself up Saturday near the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium during the second quarter of OU�s game against Kansas State remains under investigation.

OU President David Boren said Hinrichs was a student �who had very, serious personal problems that led to this tragic death.�

Because of what happened, Boren said, the FBI had taken over the investigation.

Boren said the student had explosives strapped to his body.

Investigators would not say whether they believe Hinrichs intended to go inside the stadium before the detonation happened.

"We are dealing with an individual death caused by an explosive device,� Boren said. �There is no continuing threat to the students at OU.�

Boren said OU classes would be held as usual Oct. 3.

Notified of his son�s death Sunday, Hinrichs� father said he was still processing what happened and did not trust himself to say much.

�I don�t want him defined by whatever limitations led him to this,� said Joel H. Hinrichs Jr. of Colorado Springs. �He was quite introverted. He was a very quiet, introverted, intelligent young man. I can�t approximate what led him to make such a final decision.�

Hinrichs Jr., who broke down in tears during a brief phone interview with The Oklahoman, said he plans to have his son�s remains cremated and the ashes sent back to Colorado.

http://newsok.com/print.php?article=1632030
http://tapscottscopydesk.blogspot.com/2005/10/why-arent-we-being-told-more-facts.html
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=oklahoma+suicide+bomber

Rain

While I thoroughly enjoy rain, the one thing I truely dislike is stupid drivers AND rain combined. for the love of your favorite deity, why do people lose their friggin brain when one drop hits their car? Why cant my 15min trip take under 30 mins when it sprinkles?

USPS

why cant the damn USPS get anything right? I opted out of that "missing children" thing because thats what you are suppose todo to stop getting all the crappy ads. I dont get that card now, but I'm still getting the ads!

blog, revisited

I've brought back my old lame blog, i missed it. Still importing/filtering stuff out.