Kerry Richardson holds her twin sons, Kaydon, left, and Layton.
Infant Twins Have Different Skin Color
LONDON (Oct. 27)- A pair of British twin boys has been born with different skin color, a rare genetic occurrence according to experts.
In an interview with Britain’s Sky News program, mother Kerry Richardson said that the boys were both born white but as they’ve gotten older one of the boys got darker and the other lighter.
Read it here.
This comes from our buddy at Crushed by Inertia.
“Back off”? This is how our elected officials explain themselves to us? “Back off”?
“Hey, Don, since none of your plans have worked out yet and things are getting worse by the day, shouldn’t we at least begin thinking about when to leave Iraq?”
“BACK OFF, dude! Man, I am so tired of being questioned and bothered all the time just because my poor decision-making has directly led to thousands upon thousands of unnecessary deaths! Why don’t all of you bitches raise up off my nutsack?”
I can’t believe this guy still has his job. He must have photos of George Bush snowballing Karl Rove or something. He knows where the several dozen other guys Dick Cheney “accidentally” shot in the face are buried. He’s promised to share the golden treasure with the rest of the Bush administration once he’s unlocked the secrets of the Declaration of Independence map. There must be some rational explanation.
Read the entire post here.
Note: DoD = Down On Don. We’re thinkin’ it might be DoD YEAR.
Since we’re in the mood to kick Don Rumsfeld’s sorry ass across the living room and back, we give you DoD Day. The YouTube poster says, sponsored by Texaco and Ballantine Ale, Keith Olbermann posted the comedy musings of Donald Rumsfeld and the press. Oh those benchmarks! Uncle Miltie would be proud.
France, the United States and Japan slip further Mauritania and Haiti gain much ground North Korea, Turkmenistan, Eritrea: The worst violators of press freedom
New countries have moved ahead of some Western democracies in the fifth annual Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index, issued today, while the most repressive countries are still the same ones.
“Unfortunately nothing has changed in the countries that are the worst predators of press freedom,” the organisation said, “and journalists in North Korea, Eritrea, Turkmenistan, Cuba, Burma and China are still risking their life or imprisonment for trying to keep us informed. These situations are extremely serious and it is urgent that leaders of these countries accept criticism and stop routinely cracking down on the media so harshly.
“Each year new countries in less-developed parts of the world move up the Index to positions above some European countries or the United States. This is good news and shows once again that, even though very poor, countries can be very observant of freedom of expression. Meanwhile the steady erosion of press freedom in the United States, France and Japan is extremely alarming,” Reporters Without Borders said.
[snip]
The United States (53rd) has fallen nine places since last year, after being in 17th position in the first year of the Index, in 2002. Relations between the media and the Bush administration sharply deteriorated after the president used the pretext of “national security” to regard as suspicious any journalist who questioned his “war on terrorism.” The zeal of federal courts which, unlike those in 33 US states, refuse to recognise the media’s right not to reveal its sources, even threatens journalists whose investigations have no connection at all with terrorism.
Freelance journalist and blogger Josh Wolf was imprisoned when he refused to hand over his video archives. Sudanese cameraman Sami al-Haj, who works for the pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera, has been held without trial since June 2002 at the US military base at Guantanamo, and Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein has been held by US authorities in Iraq since April this year.
The full article is here.
… Before Something Constructive Will Finally Happen?
Iraqis Were Better Off Under Saddam, Says Former Weapons Inspector
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Former UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix on Wednesday described the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq as a “pure failure” that had left the country worse off than under the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein.
In unusually harsh comments to Danish newspaper Politiken, the diplomatic Swede said the U.S. government had ended up in a situation in which neither staying nor leaving Iraq were good options.
“Iraq is a pure failure,” Blix was quoted as saying. “If the Americans pull out, there is a risk that they will leave a country in civil war. At the same time it doesn’t seem that the United States can help to stabilize the situation by staying there.”
War-related violence in Iraq has grown worse with dozens of civilians, government officials and police and security forces being killed every day. At least 83 American soldiers have been killed in October – the highest monthly toll this year.
Blix said the situation would have been better if the war had not taken place.
“Saddam would still have been sitting in office. OK, that is negative and it would not have been joyful for the Iraqi people. But what we have gotten is undoubtedly worse,” he was quoted as saying.
Read it here.
I s’pose this guy must be talking about US. Hah, hah, hah ….
Rumsfeld: Terrorists use media to manipulate American people
by Army Sgt. Sara Wood
American Forces Press Service
10/26/2006 – WASHINGTON (AFPN) — The “center of gravity” in the Iraq war is in America with the American people, not on the battlefield, and the media is a powerful tool that influences the people’s will, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Oct. 24.
“This is the first war that’s been conducted in the 21st century with all the new media realities of 24-hour talk radio and Sony cams and digital cameras and news constantly on television,” Secretary Rumsfeld. “But the American people have a pretty good center of gravity.
“They’ve got a good inner gyroscope,” he said. “And it may be disorienting for a time; it may blow us off course somewhat, but we tend to re-center.”
America’s wars always have had critics, but the difference in this war is the prevalence of the media, Secretary Rumsfeld said. Terrorists recognize the influence the media has, so they use their own media committees to determine how best to manipulate the American public through the media, he said.
The terrorists plan their attacks to deliberately dishearten the American people and make them think the cause isn’t right or that America makes terrorism worse, Secretary Rumsfeld said.
“I just don’t happen to believe that America is what’s wrong with the world. And I know that’s a fact,” he said. “And these terrorists have been determined to dishearten the American people, and we simply must not let that happen.”
Read it here.
Complaints Mount at US Fortress in Iraq
by David Phinney
WASHINGTON – Several months before a U.S. construction foreman named John Owen would quit in disgust over what he said was blatant abuse of foreign laborers hired to build the sprawling new U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Rory Mayberry would witness similar events when he flew to Kuwait from his home in Myrtle Creek, Oregon.
The gravelly-voiced, easygoing U.S. Army veteran had previously worked in Iraq for Halliburton and the private security company, Danubia. Missing the action and the big paychecks U.S. contractors draw there, Mayberry snagged a 10,000-dollar a month job with MSDS consulting company.
MSDS is a two-person minority-owned consulting company that assists U.S. State Department managers in Washington with procurement programming. Never before had the firm offered medical services or worked in Iraq, but First Kuwaiti — Owen’s employer — hired MSDS on the recommendation of Jim Golden, the State Department contract official overseeing the embassy project. Within days, an agreement worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for medical care was signed.
Read it here.
Selling Satan: Iraqi War Dead and the Collateral Damage to America’s Soul
By Phil Rockstroh
10/25/06 Information Clearing House
All human beings have a talent for the denial of the more unpalatable aspects of ourselves, but we Americans have turned denial into a form of collective genius. There is no need to burn books, if the public is too ignorant to know they exist — or too benumbed to resonate with their content.
Regarding the death of well over half-a-million Iraqis, the majority of the citizenry of The Corporatists States of America have experienced a comparable degree of regret and remorse that their oligarchic overlords experience when topping-off the tanks of their corporate jets with fuel purchased with money plundered from their employee’s retirement accounts … Sans conscience above — sans conscience below.
Dante posited Limbo (that quiet suburban community ringing Hell) was a place reserved for those who evinced indifference to the world around them. It would seem our corporate/consumer version of Damnation (which now includes Casual Fridays in Hell itself) requires prescriptions for anti-depressants, urine tests, and Reality Television competitions to enter its inner most circles.
Read it here.
From the Iraqi Konfused Kid:
Four of my friends were killed by a huge double roadside bomb that exploded in Karada on Sunday June 11. That’s right, four, count them … that is, if you can identify their bodies. Forever gone — can you imagine that? Since you are all comfy in your air-conditioned rooms sitting on armchairs, sipping Pepsi or Kool-Aid or whatever it is that you care to sip while your sons and daughters go safely to colleges and your spouses sleep in bedrooms million miles away from here, I’d like to take the opportunity to offer what it feels like to be insane amidst the apocryphal hell of Iraq, both weather-wise and people-wise.
[snip]
The last time I felt genuinely happy was ten days before the explosion, on Graduation Party day. When I look at the pictures now, they seem to be from a blurry and distant past. Many students from our class are packing up and leaving. I was a strong supporter of staying in Iraq before these events, because (a) call me stupid, but I loved my country, and living abroad sucked for a variety of reasons, and (b) unlike Zeyad, a rare case of someone who became a popular blogger and got accepted to journalism school in the U.S., I can only afford to work or study here in Iraq (in Amman, where my family resides, jobs are hard to find and school is expensive.) The truth is that even after the explosion, I was still undecided, but a story a friend told me the other day — a horrible, Hollywood-like experience that is too long to be told here — changed my mind permanently.
I am sorry, but nobody of sane mind can live here … We Iraqis have been so used to being kicked and dragged through the mud that we did not recognize the abyss in which we found ourselves. But there comes a time when you look around see your world for what it is and cannot take any more of it. I hate to be a whiner, but I tell you nothing but the absolute truth. Iraqis today are strange, sorry creatures — confused, constantly paranoid, and filled with distrust and hatred.
I wish I could tell you how can we fix this. Although the Americans had the upper hand, in my opinion, they no longer do — it’s been a lost in a sea of blood. When I return to our area these days from college, I come into a real-life “Vanilla Sky” ghost town — streets are vacant, some shops are open but their doors are near-shut and people with guns stand at the door. Shiite purging has finally reached us and it did not manifest in small ways: there is a dried pool of blood about 100 meters away from my house.
The only solution I can think of comes from an old Soundgarden song: Black Hole Sun, won’t you come and wash away the rain
Read all of it here. May I also recommend the YouTube tribute he did for them. I warn you, though, it’s a tear-jerker.
A Mexican Fish Feast (8 February 2000)
This is a very fun and tasty meal, despite the work involved. It was great food, especially since I don’t mind kitchen work. This was written before I discovered that swordfish is a species on the edge of endangerment. There are Internet sites for learning about this issue. Here’s one of them. Richard
A Slightly Pico Jicama, Bean and Fruit Salad
3/4 cup dried black beans
1/4 cup dried red beans
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground 4-colour peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large chipotle
Put all ingredients into a pot large enough and cover with one inch plus a bit of bottled water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. Add more water during cooking, if required. Remove chipotle and drain beans.
1 papaya, peeled, deseeded and diced
1 mango, peeled, deseeded and diced
1 medium ripe tomato, diced
1 small jicama, peeled and diced
2 fresh jalapeño chiles, stemmed, deseeded and minced
1 poblano chile, stemmed, deseeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, deseeded and diced
Fold beans into the above ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together the following ingredients:
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon dry sherry
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Drizzle the dressing onto the bean mixture and toss well. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to marry the flavours.
Tip: papaya seeds can be dried, ground, and used as a natural meat tenderizer / flavour enhancer. Papaya seeds have a peppery aroma and taste. Down with MSG!
Salsa for Swordfish
2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes
6 tomatillos
2 jalapeño chiles
1 (ripe, if possible) poblano chile
Roast all above ingredients in a 350° oven until softening. The poblano finishes first, followed by the tomatoes, the tomatillos, and the jalapeño chiles last. Watch them closely, as they should not be scorched. When each is done, remove seeds and stems from chiles and drop tomatoes and tomatillos straight into the blender. The chiles can go there, too.
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground 4 colour peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Add the above 4 ingredients to the blender, then purée the whole mess. This will create a liquid mixture. Gently sauté on medium-low heat until sizzling and reduced in quantity and liquidity (make it act as a salsa). Pour into a small bowl, cover, and set aside until everything else is complete.
Swordfish Steak
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 green onions, diced
5-ounce swordfish steak, at least 3/4-inch thick
Whisk above ingredients together, then marinade swordfish in the mixture for about 30 minutes. Place the filet on a racked baking dish and pour any remaining marinade over the fish. Bake the fish in a 400° oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until perfect.
Pan-Fried Sole Filets
2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4-6 tablespoons corn meal
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1-1/2 tablespoons pasilla molido
2 teaspoons cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
6-8 ounces fresh sole filets
Mix dry ingredients thoroughly. Cut fish into manageable pieces, then dip in egg followed by dredging in dry mixture. Fry in a hot pan containing about 1/4 cup olive oil. Drain in a warm oven on paper towel.
Serve this fish feast with 4 hot tortillas, two for each diner.
Grass-Roots Group of Troops Petitions Congress for Pullout From Iraq
By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
More than 100 U.S. service members have signed a rare appeal urging Congress to support the “prompt withdrawal” of all American troops and bases from Iraq, organizers said yesterday.
“Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home,” reads the statement of a small grass-roots group of active-duty military personnel and reservists that says it aims to give U.S. military members a voice in Iraq war policy.
“As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of American military forces and bases from Iraq,” it reads. The group, which aims to collect 2,000 signatures and deliver the “Appeal for Redress” to Congress in January, is sponsored by antiwar activists including Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out.
You can read it here.
Thorne Webb Dreyer, Editor
