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THE HOLY ROMAN ...
B16 calls Xians to protect planet
Benedict XVI says a "moral awakening" in favor of the environment is needed, and rich countries should not abuse the resources of developing nations. “It is necessary to rejoice at the fact that our contemporaries recognize more and more the need for a lasting development in order to leave to future generations a truly inhabitable planet, in the perspective offered by the Creator. The richest nations are called not to abuse improperly the resources of the developing countries without returning to them the revenue derived from the resources of their land and underground. It is a matter of the elemental principles of justice and equity and the universal destination of the goods of the earth. Besides, it is a work system about which it is necessary to reflect.”
... EMPIRE OF THE GERMAN NATION
CDU toughens opposition to Turkey in EU
Chancellor Merkel's Christian Democrats are stiffening their opposition to Turkey's bid to join the EU to reassure core voters before four state elections next year, a senior lawmaker said. Christian Democrat delegates to a party convention in Hanover Dec. 2-4 will attempt to slam the door shut on Turkey's desire to join the bloc after a decade-long accession process
Pressure growing on Merkel to fix squabble with China
A diplomatic squabble over a meeting between Angela Merkel and the Dalai Lama has chilled relations between Berlin and Beijing. But behind the arguments lie 2 fundamental ideas about how democrats should contend with dictators.
EUROPE/RUSSIA
Kosovo on the brink as talks fail
Serb and ethnic Albanian leaders are facing each other over the negotiating table for the last time today before a December 10 deadline for a settlement on the future of the disputed province of Kosovo. Without an agreement in the town of Baden, near Vienna, the Balkans will face renewed confrontation and the possibility of more bloodshed. With everyone expecting the talks to end in failure, Europe's most combustible region is once again on the brink.
(Also: Kosovo talks reach stalemate)
MIDEAST/AFRICA/ASIA
US signs deal for long-term occupation of Iraq
President Bush and the Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki signed an agreement Monday paving the way for the long-term occupation of the Middle Eastern country and its transformation into a semi-colonial protectorate of the US.
The “Declaration of Principles for a Long-Term Relationship of Cooperation and Friendship” outlines plans for the establishment of permanent US military bases in Iraq to suppress internal opposition to the US-installed regime and protect US economic and political interests throughout the region. It also provides for preferential treatment for US energy conglomerates and investors to exploit Iraq’s newly opened up oil resources.
The new agreement—signed during a secret videoconference between Bush and Maliki, without the slightest democratic pretenses in each country—exposes the repeated lies, peddled by the White House ever since the April 2003 invasion, that the US had no intention to set up permanent military bases or carry out an long-term occupation of Iraq.
(Also: Iraq politicians oppose pact)
(Also: Road to Empire: Illegal treaty seals our fate)
(Video: FOX News takes 32 seconds to explain it)
Blah, blah, blah...
Rabbis warn Bush: Annapolis will bring destruction to US
A fringe group of prominent ultranationalist rabbis issued a harshly-worded letter to President Bush earlier this week, warning him that the upcoming Annapolis peace conference would bring destruction upon America. The rabbis evoke their previous prediction in 2005, when they published an open letter to Bush, demanding the US rescind its support of the disengagement plan.
"We wrote to President Bush, a man who believes in the Bible, to warn him against the terrible danger to which he is exposing his country by hosting such a conference. The land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel. God punishes anyone who coerces Israel to give up its land. ... This time the Almighty is warning the US in advance: if the plague of water was not enough now he shall send flames. While hundreds of thousands of families have already fled the terrible fires in California, and we ask you, will you really forge ahead with this malevolent plan?"
(Also: Right-wingers denounce "sell-out" by Olmert)
[WAR: "The town of Aczib will prove deceptive to the kings of Israel." (Micah 1:14) "Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite ... He married her and lay with her ... She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him." (Gen 38:2-5) "I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." (Rev 2:9) "... those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars..." (Rev 3:9)]
Bush's half-hearted summit
President Bush plays host this week to a massive summit aimed at pushing the Middle East peace process forward. Expectations, though, are low. Many doubt that Bush is truly dedicated to the project.
PROVOKING PERSIA
Ahmadinejad: Annapolis a failure
President Ahmadinejad said Wednesday the US-hosted Mideast peace conference was a "failure" and that Israel is doomed to "collapse," lashing out at the Annapolis meeting that is widely seen as isolating Iran. "It is impossible that the Zionist regime will survive. Collapse is in the nature of this regime because it has been created on aggression, lying, oppression and crime. Soon, even the most politically doltish individuals will understand that this conference was a failure from the beginning
Olmert, Bush to hold private meeting on Iran
Having depicted the wide Arab participation in yesterday's Annapolis summit as a sort of victory for Middle East moderation over Iranian opposition, Prime Minister Olmert will hold his second private White House meeting of the week with President Bush today to try to translate the summit's momentum into a more effective effort to thwart Teheran's nuclear drive.
Iran may seek to lure Europe with gas
Iran wants to use its massive gas reserves to wield influence over Europe. But if offering to supply Europe with gas via a pipeline through Turkey doesn't work, then the Revolutionary Guards may resort to plan B.
Iranian diplomat:
Bush will be held responsible for World War if Iran attacked
Iran cannot ignore the fact that President Bush’s mania for waging war could go to extremes, Iran's Ambassador to Paris said in an interview with the French weekly Challenges. On the possibility of US military action against Iran, he said, "We are prepared to face the worst scenarios. In that case, the US president will have to claim the responsibility for a conflict that will influence the entire world."
(Also: Iran claims missile can hit Israel and US bases)
HOUSE OF ISRAEL
NLG backs impeachment
The National Lawyers Guild voted unanimously and enthusiastically for a resolution calling for the impeachment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney at their national convention in Washington, DC.
The resolution lists more than a dozen high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush and Cheney administration and "calls upon the US House of Representatives to immediately initiate impeachment proceedings, to investigate the charges, and if the investigation supports the charges, to vote to impeach George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney as provided in the Constitution of the United States of America."
Rudy or Hillary: Pick your poison
In new books, writers as disparate as Naomi Wolf and Pat Buchanan conclude that America as we know her is disappearing. Both writers hope, but are not confident, that enough Americans will catch on in time to find the leadership to pull America back from the brink.
[WAR: Good news, bad news: The good news is that neither of these 2 (nor the others) will be the next president. The bad news is why...]
The depressed superpower
As frustration takes hold in the land of optimism, Americans are beginning to resemble Germans. They are collectively depressed over the Iraq War, the weak dollar and the aging of the baby boomers. Presidential candidates are left to preach change to an electorate that is afraid of it.
In France, "a bomb waiting for the match"
Whether the violence in Villiers-le-Bel, 7 miles north of Paris, will burn itself out or continue spreading to other minority and immigrant communities across Paris and France, as it did in 2005, has much of the country on edge.
(Also: French riots: "Urban guerilla warfare")
(Also: Sarkozy vows to get tough on rioters)
ECONOMY
Oil producers see the world and buy it up
Flush with petrodollars, oil-producing countries have embarked on a global shopping spree. Experts estimate that oil-rich nations have a $4 trillion cache of petrodollar investments around the world. And with oil prices likely to remain in the stratosphere, that number could increase rapidly. The explosion in investment has set up some of its own cross-currents. While the recent decline in the value of the dollar is making investment in the US cheaper, many investors are holding back out of fear that the dollar will decline further, diminishing the worth of their dollar holdings.
Multinationals on trial
"Multinationals on Trial" deals with a core issue of our time - the economic power of giant corporations, their dominant role as agents and partners of imperialism, and the way they plunder developing nations. The book is a powerful indictment of unfettered "free market" capitalism and how foreign direct investment is its main exploitive tool.
(DVD: "The Corporation" reveals the true evils)
Consumer-driven culture is killing our democracy
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich believes we are all suffering from this split agenda - as consumers we want low prices, while as citizens we may oppose corporate behaviors that make them possible. And he believes - at least on a national scale - our citizen selves are losing.
Shoppers are elbowing citizens out of the public arena. The last 3 decades have seen the emergence of a supercharged capitalism fueled by open markets and cutthroat competitiveness. According to Reich, "supercapitalism" is overwhelming government with lobbyists and money, while citizens are dazzled by the promise of previously unimaginable riches and consumer choices.
MISC
Dalai Lama offers his flock a vote on his reincarnation
Faced with Chinese plans to seize control of his reincarnation, the Dalai Lama has come up with two revolutionary proposals — either to forgo rebirth, or to be reborn while still alive. The exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader proposed yesterday to hold a referendum among his 13-14 million followers around the world — before his death — on whether he should be reincarnated or not.
Mating in Captivity: Reconciling the Erotic and the Domestic
In Esther Perel's insightful, beautifully written book Mating in Captivity: Reconciling the Erotic and the Domestic, she argues that we have lost sight of the critical balance that makes a relationship great - intimacy and distance. In her private psychotherapy practice, she's seen too many couples wrapped up in our workaholic, kid-focused culture; the true loss, she argues, is sensuality and pleasure - vital ingredients to a life well-lived. Her seemingly paradoxical argument - that less togetherness can lead to more intimacy - has been a global hit.
Women become smarter/nicer for only 7 days
How can women be so different? A sweet and tender bunny can turn into a spiteful and irritable bitch without any apparent cause. Where is their common sense? What for are all these groundless suspicions and jealousy? These are typical questions men have been asking for ages. But now it is science that can answer. It turns out that sex hormones rule over women’s brain. The knowledge of biochemistry can easily predict women’s emotions.
The concentration of estrogen in female body grows in about 10 days after the beginning of the menstrual period. As a result of this process women become smarter and nicer, but only for 7 days. “On these days women are also prone to rivalry. Her senses including hearing, vision, smell, her skin sensitivity, logic and emotions can either worsen or intensify during menstruation,”
Where are all the half-evolved turtles?
Millions of people are taught in schools and textbooks all over the world that the fossil record furnishes scientific proof of evolution. But, where are there fossils of half-evolved dinosaurs or other creatures? The fossil record contains fossils of only complete and fully-formed species. There are no fossils of partially-evolved species to indicate that a gradual process of evolution ever occurred.
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