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http://www.2012theodyssey.com/

[Judge: It's Unconstitutional To Make Students Stand For Pledge]

Judge: It's Unconstitutional To Make Students Stand For Pledge

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A federal judge ruled Thursday that it is unconstitutional to require a student to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Judge Kenneth Ryskamp also ruled that a student does not have to get a parent's permission to be excused from reciting the pledge.

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the state Board of Education and state Education Commissioner John Winn on behalf of a Boynton Beach High School student who said he was disciplined for not standing during the pledge last year.

Cameron Frazier, then a 17-year-old junior, was told by teacher Cynthia Alexandre that he was "so ungrateful and so un-American" after he twice refused to stand for the pledge in her classroom Nov. 8, the lawsuit said.

Requiring Frazier to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance is "in violation of his First and Fourth Amendment rights," the lawsuit said.

The Palm Beach County School Board voted in February that students do not have to recite the pledge or stand for it, but the lawsuit was challenging a state law that says the pledge needs to be recited at the beginning of the day at all elementary, middle and high schools.

"This is a decision about freedom and freedom in America means your right to not recite the Pledge of Allegiance or your right to recite the Pledge of Allegiance," said Howard Simon, executive director of the Florida ACLU. "The impact that we hope this decision will have is that school officials begin to respect the conscience and dignity of young people."

Kathy Schroeder, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Education said the agency is disappointed with the ruling.

"Our attorneys are reviewing the ruling to see if any further action can be taken," Schroeder said.

Attempts to reach Frazier through his attorney Randall Marshall were not immediately successful.

As part of a settlement with the Palm Beach County School District, Frazier will get $32,500 and Alexandre will be reprimanded in writing.

http://www.local6.com/news/9309410/detail.html

[Geronimo's family call on Bush to help return his skeleton]

Geronimo's family call on Bush to help return his skeleton

The great grandson of the Apache leader Geronimo has appealed to the big chief in the White House to help recover the remains of his famous relative - purportedly stolen more than 90 years ago by a group of students - including the President's grandfather.

The story that members of Yale University's secret Skull and Bones society took the remains - including a skull and femur - from the burial site in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, has long been part of the university's lore. But a university historian recently recovered a letter from 1918 that appears to support the story that members of the society did indeed take the remains while serving with a group of army volunteers from Yale, stationed at the fort during the First World War.

The students - among them, Mr Bush's grandfather Prescott - apparently returned with the remains and kept them in their society's headquarters at the university in New Haven, Connecticut. The society's initiation rite reportedly involves kissing a skull, referred to as "Geronimo", usually held in a glass case.

The letter from society member Winter Mead to fellow member F Trubee Davison, made public earlier this month, said: "The skull of the worthy Geronimo the Terrible, exhumed from its tomb at Fort Sill by your club... is now safe inside the [tomb] together with his well worn femurs, bit and saddle horn."

The famous Indian chief's great-grandson is appealing for President Bush's help in recovering the remains. Speaking from his home in Mescalero, New Mexico, Harlyn Geronimo said: "I am requesting his help in getting the remains - the skull and the femur - returned, if they were taken. According to our traditions the remains of this sort, especially in this state when the grave was desecrated ... need to be reburied with the proper rituals. To return the dignity and let his spirits rest in peace ... is important in our tradition." The letter was discovered by the Yale historian Marc Wortman and published in the Yale Alumni Magazine. Mr Wortman said there was still scepticism as to whether the remains were those of Geronimo - something that could probably only be proved by carrying out DNA tests.

"What I think we could probably say is they removed some skull and bones and other materials from a grave at Fort Sill," he said.

"Historically, it may be impossible to prove it's Geronimo's. They believe it's from Geronimo." Geronimo, a leader of the Chiricahua Apache, is remembered as one of the last Native American leaders to hold out against the forces of the US government. He eventually surrendered in Skeleton Canyon, Arizona, in 1886 and was moved first to Florida and then Oklahoma. He died of pneumonia at Fort Sill in 1909, and was buried at the fort's Apache Indian Prisoner of War cemetery.

The White House yesterday did not return calls seeking a comment. A Yale spokeswoman, Dorie Baker, said the university could not comment because the Skull and Bones was a separate entity and that because it was a secret society "we don't know anything". The society has not commented on the issue.

Life of a warrior

Geronimo's real name Goyathlay literally meant "one who yawns", but any further comparisons with lethargy stop there.

The Chiricahua Apache leader was head of one of the last American Indian fighting forces to formally capitulate to the United States, and gained a reputation for his bravery and ability to dodge bullets.

The feared Apache warrior took up arms against the Mexicans, and later the Americans, after Spanish troops massacred his wife and three children in 1858. His tribe was later forcibly moved by the US government to arid reservations.

Geronimo and his 35 warriors avoided the combined armies of Mexico and the US for a year before being captured in 1886 by General Nelson A Miles at Skeleton Canyon, Arizona.

Geronimo became something of a national celebrity, despite being a prisoner. He evenrode in Roosevelt's 1905 inaugural parade, but still died a prisoner of war far from his homeland.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article622744.ece

http://www.seditionproject.net/

[The Clownification of America]

The Clownification of America
By Stephen Pizzo, News for Real. Posted May 31, 2006.

Unless the loser on 'American Idol' pulls a gun and opens fire, that show belongs in the entertainment section and not on my front page.

We've turned into this nation of overfed clowns, riding around in clown cars, eating clown food, watching clown shows. We've become a nation of cringing, craven fuckups." --James Howard Kunstler, author of "The Long Emergency"

When I saw this Kunstler quote a couple of weeks ago, I thought it a bit harsh. Then I picked up my morning paper -- and, all at once, I got it.

There, in 120-point bold headline type, above the fold, the lead story of the day, was the "news" that: In less than 24 hours, singer Taylor Hicks would battle singer Katharine McPhee for the title of American Idol!

Clowns. We have indeed become a nation of frivolous, self-indulgent, overweight, undereducated, unserious, clowns. When an event of such monumental unimportance wins precious front-page status, what other conclusion can be reached?

Art has stopped imitating life and simply become a substitute for it. I flashed back to the 1967 cult TV series "The Prisoner," starring Patrick McGoohan -- a British spy kidnapped and imprisoned on an island with an Orwellian-like society. Each morning radios, newspapers and speakers announced it was "another wonderful day on the island." Every day was another wonderful day. There never was a bad day -- never mind that everyone on the island was a prisoner.

And so it has come to pass on our island, where the papers, radios and televisions no longer differentiate between news and entertainment. Where "American Idol" finals get page 1 treatment and genocide in Darfur is pushed deep inside the paper in the shadow of a 1/2-page Best Buy ad trumpeting a sale on iPod accessories.

Oh, lighten up Pizzo! People need entertainment as much as they need to know about all the bad news out there.

Yeah, fine. But let's keep the entertainment news in the entertainment section of the paper where it belongs. Can we do that? Oh, and keep the sports news on the sports page as well. The only time I want to see the name "Barry Bonds," in the news section of the paper is if major league baseball ever kicks his cheating butt out of the game. Or if he robs a bank. Or if George Bush appoints Barry head of the FDA. Otherwise, keep him and all other baseball-relating "news" where it belongs ... in the sports section.

And, unless the losing singer on "American Idol" pulls a gun and opens fire after hearing the verdict, everything else about that show belongs in the entertainment section and NOT on my front page. The same rules apply to everyone and anyone whose only claim to fame is that they sing, dance, submerge themselves in a Plexiglas globe, eat the most hot dogs in the shortest time or own a cute dog that fetches beer on command.

None of that is news. Not one word, factoid or photo-op of it is news.

It's not as if there was not real news the day "American Idol" found its way onto my front page. During that same news cycle almost anything that happened in Iraq was more important, as were the doings that day on Capitol Hill, at the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department or in Iran. On the day my paper put "American Idol" above the fold on the front page, the editors could have thrown a dart at that list of the above newsmakers and found a story more worthy of the front page.

Who wins or loses on "American Idol" may send a few thousand teenage girls squealing off in tears, but that's about the extent of the damage. On the other hand, we live in extraordinarily dangerous times. A convergence of economic, geopolitical and environmental challenges confront the human race ... any one of which could tomorrow trigger a series of events that would turn all our lives inside out.

So, news editors everywhere, let's get back to treating the front page as the sacred trust it is -- the place reserved for the most important news we need to know that day in order to exercise our responsibilities as citizens and members of the human race.

The mainstream media has become complicit in the "clownification" of the American public. As more and more newspapers and broadcast entities are gobbled up by a handful of giant media conglomerates, the news business has become a circulation/ratings game. News people now cover entertainers as though they are newsmakers. And, as if that's not bad enough, news people themselves now become entertainers -- appearing on Larry King Live and then interviewing one another. Newsmen become showmen -- the news biz, show biz.

Media companies feel they have to lure us in by blending news and entertainment into a single tasty, calorie-filled but nutrition-free product. Once hell-raisers, they are becomng clownmakers.

Aren't you embarrassed? Well damn it, you oughta be.

Stephen Pizzo is the author of numerous books, including "Inside Job: The Looting of America's Savings and Loans," which was nominated for a Pulitzer.

http://www.alternet.org/story/36887/

[All Hail the Surveillance State: The attempt by Big Telco to control the internet makes the spy scandal a mere misdemeanor.]

All Hail the Surveillance State: The attempt by Big Telco to control the internet makes the spy scandal a mere misdemeanor.
By Danny Schechter

Attention, chickens: You may soon be coming home to roost.

The word has gone out in the windowless buildings that house the switching equipment and state-of-the-art technology -- in what used to be called phone companies before they morphed into communication giants -- that a day of reckoning may be on the horizon for Verizon and its mates.

These chickens have been clucking at each other and gobbling each other up for years, silently reestablishing the old monopoly Bell System under the guise of new competitive guidelines. Private industries are once again putting together what the federal courts tore asunder. Oligopoly seems to be the highest expression of "free" market logic and its logical consequence.

At issue now are historically unprecedented and massive violations of privacy that we learned about from a rare occurrence: a newspaper actually doing its job. USA Today of all papers, blew the whistle on a massive government surveillance program run by the National Insecurity Agency tapping millions of phones, cell phones and every manner of communications devices.

It's called "data mining," and it's now the scandal du jour as National Security journalist William Arkin explains, "This NSA-dominated program of ingestion, digestion and distribution of intelligence raises profound questions about the privacy and civil liberties of all Americans."

He warns, "An all-seeing domestic surveillance is slowly being established, one that in just a few years time will be able track the activities and 'transactions' of any targeted individual in near real time."

Knee-jerk supporters of the Bush agenda were backhanded in their support. Here's Neil Cavuto on Fox News implying that all of this spying is needed to protect us: "Yes, it is not great to necessarily hear they're collecting our phone records, but it's a heck of a lot better than collecting our remains."

Since this news broke, the Telco companies went into full PR spin mode as theNew York Times reported Saturday: "Those companies insisted that they were vigilant about their customers' privacy, but did not directly address their cooperation with the government effort, which was reported on Thursday by USA Today. Verizon said that it provided customer information to a government agency 'only where authorized by law for appropriately defined and focused purposes,' but that it could not comment on any relationship with a national security program that was 'highly classified.'

"Legal experts said the companies faced the prospect of lawsuits seeking billions of dollars in damages over cooperation in the program, citing communications privacy legislation stretching back to the 1930s. A federal lawsuit was filed in Manhattan yesterday seeking as much as $50 billion in civil damages against Verizon on behalf of its subscribers."

Unfortunately, buried in all the reporting on the latest juicy scandal at a time of cascading horror stories is something even worse: These same companies, rip-off artists that they are, have their wallets set and lobbyists targeted in taking over the internet. This felonious attempt by the telcos to control the most powerful communications medium in the world makes the spy scandal a mere misdemeanor.

Note which story is getting most of the attention!

TV pundit Paul Begala made this point on CNN: "Big government is getting into bed with big business. We're talking about AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth. AT&T, by the way, wants to take over the internet and start charging for access to the internet, which internet pioneers desperately oppose.

"So, now, if you are running AT&T, and the president of the United States comes to you and says, 'Hey, why don't I spy, why don't I snoop through your files there,' and you want him to give you permission to control the internet — that's a really lousy alliance politically for the Republicans, to be seen as big government in bed with big business."

This collusion between the corporate world and the Busheviks mirrors the pre-war complicity at the FCC between the news networks and the government. The covert quid pro quo then had the TV nets telling the regulators essentially, "You waive the rules, and we will wave the flag."

The blogger Billmon raises an even darker specter, writing, "What makes the program so scary, at least to me, isn't the possibility that it was built to serve some sinister purpose, like subverting what's left of American democracy (which is scary enough), but rather that it may be the end product of a national security bureaucracy running completely out of control -- even more so now than during the worst years of the Cold War.

"Rogue actors can still be voted out of office, even impeached. But a rogue Leviathan is another story. Certainly, the details that have come to light about the program so far smack of what can only be described as bureaucratic megalomania: 'It's the largest database ever assembled in the world,' said one person, who, like the others who agreed to talk about the NSA's activities, declined to be identified by name or affiliation. The agency's goal is "to create a database of every call ever made" within the nation's borders, this person added.

"It sounds suspiciously like Robert Klein's old standup routine about the late-night TV ad that promises to send you 'every record ever made.'

"I'm certainly no technical expert, but I find it really hard to believe that collecting such a staggering horde -- 2 trillion call records since 2001 -- will yield useful intelligence about a relatively small and increasingly amorphous network of clandestine operatives who by now have almost certainly learned not to use the phones. ..."

This surveillance scenario now has a space component as well with the little-known National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGIA) watching us from satellites in space.

AP reports: "With help, the agency can also zoom in. Its officials cooperate with private groups, such as hotel security, to get access to footage of a lobby or ballroom. That video can then be linked with mapping and graphical data to help secure events or take action, if a hostage situation or other catastrophe happens.

"Privacy advocates wonder how much the agency picks up and stores. ... Among the government's most closely guarded secrets, the quality of pictures NGA receives from classified satellites is believed to far exceed the one-meter resolution available commercially. That means they can take a satellite "snapshot'' from high above the atmosphere that is crisply detailed down to one-meter level, which is 3.3 feet."

To Billmon, this increasingly permanent scandal and insidious threat recalls the words of Thomas Hobbes in "The Leviathan," written in 1651.

"It appeareth plainly, to my understanding, both from reason and Scripture, that the sovereign power. ... is as great as possibly men can be imagined to make it. And though of so unlimited a power men may fancy many evil consequences, yet the consequences of the want of it, which is perpetual war of every man against his neighbor, are much worse."

The convergence between the telcos and the internet, the broadcasters and the broadbanders is birthing a new media world. But it's not just the old media that is at risk. Our democracy is imperiled, and not just by the unchecked power of big government. The corporate world lurks in the shadows here. They are the "men behind the curtain." It is our our job as concerned citizens to take crises like the ones now surfacing and deepen them and raise bloody hell before their new technologies take us backward into the future.

Hobbes' "Leviathan" begat Orwell's "1984" and Huxley's "Brave New World." His worries are still timely, and, as Billmon intimates, it offers a vision of chickens -- and chicken hawks -- playing "gobble, gobble" with our freedoms and our lives.

"Having entrusted their security and their liberties to the beast," he writes, "Leviathan's subjects will be lucky not to wind up like Jonah, lodged in its belly."
___
Danny Schechter writes a blog for MediaChannel.org. He is the author of "Embedded: Weapons of Mass Deception: How the Media Failed to Cover the War on Iraq" (Prometheus).

http://www.alternet.org/story/36280/

[CNN's Bush Moment]

CNN's Bush Moment



Video-WMP   | Video-QT

CNN was a little over anxious in their coverage of Bush's speech tonight.

Wolf: Let me interrupt for a second. I think what happened Jeff, is that the President is rehearsing and the pool, the network pool inadvertently went to the President as he was rehearsing...

Just another CNN conspiracy moment to make our Commander in Chief look bad.

Update: CNN just sent me an email with a document saying that:"NBC stage manager has now admitted he cued the president early and CNN was the only network ready to go."

(h/t David Edwards)

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/05/15.html#a8302

[Genetically 'Enhanced' Humans: The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity Denounces NIH Funding of Genetic Re-Engineering Project]

Genetically 'Enhanced' Humans: The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity Denounces NIH Funding of Genetic Re-Engineering Project

Contact: Joe Carter, Director of Communications for The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, 847-525-4184, jpcarter@cbhd.org[/b]

CHICAGO, May 3 -- The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity strongly denounces the decision by the National Institute of Health (NIH) to fund a project to develop guidelines for the use of human subjects in genetic enhancement research. The grant, totaling almost three-quarters of a million dollars, is being given to Maxwell Mehlman and Case Law School to promote the genetic re-engineering of human beings for non-therapeutic purposes under the rubric of "enhancement."

"This is a violation of the spirit of the NIH-sponsored Human Genome Project," says CBHD Senior Fellow C. Ben Mitchell. "Providing this grant signals a fundamental and dangerous change in the policy of the NIH, resurrecting the mistaken goals of the eugenics programs in the United States and Europe in the early twentieth century."

The project has been charged with "determining the conditions under which it would be ethical to conduct genetic enhancement research using human subjects," implying that scientists, physicians, politicians, ethicists or the public at large, condones such research.

"The project presupposes that it is ethical to reengineer normal human beings," says CBHD President Dr. Andrew Fergusson. "But in a society which correctly decries the use of artificial means, such as steroids to 'enhance' athletic abilities, the presumption of the NIH to pursue the re-engineering of human beings is the height of scientific and social arrogance."

By choosing to pursue an agenda for re-engineering humankind, the NIH has clearly demonstrated an inadequate degree of oversight of its funding activities. The White House and Congress must investigate this blatant misuse of taxpayer funds. CBHD is a strong advocate of research for healing, and is deeply saddened that this incredibly important instrument of good is being used for a course of evil.

For interviews with Center personnel, contact Joe Carter, 847- 525-4184, jpcarter@cbhd.org

______________
About The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity

The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. CBHD recognizes that developments in healthcare and biotechnology create amazing opportunities as well as serious threats to human dignity, and to human life itself. The Center brings biblical-Christian perspectives to bear on current and emerging bioethical challenges, by developing cutting-edge critiques and constructive alternatives to meet the real human needs involved.

http://www.raidersnewsupdate.com/lead-story235.htm

[London blasts had no direct al Qaeda support]

London blasts had no direct al Qaeda support

The London bombings last July were planned on a shoestring budget from information on the Internet and with no direct support from al Qaeda, a British newspaper on Sunday quoted a government report as saying.

The attacks on the London transport network that killed 52 people were the product of a "simple and inexpensive" plot hatched by four British suicide bombers bent on martyrdom, the Observer newspaper reported.

The four men had scoured "terror (Web) sites" on the Internet and their knapsack bombs cost only a few hundred pounds (dollars), The Observer said, citing a draft of the government's definitive report on the blasts.
Some terrorism experts have in the past cast doubt on reports that bombers could learn how to make the devices from the Internet.

After the July 7 attacks, police found an unused explosive rucksack in the bombers' abandoned car, leading to a manhunt for a missing suspect, but the report concludes there was no fifth bomber, the newspaper said.

The official report, due to be published in the next few weeks, also found nothing to support the theory that an al Qaeda fixer, presumed to be from Pakistan, helped plan the attacks.

The report does conclude that the four suicide bombers were partly inspired by ringleader Mohammad Sidique Khan's trips to Pakistan.

Three of the attackers who carried out western Europe's first suicide bombing were British-born men of Pakistani origin, and the fourth was born in Jamaica.

The British government has rejected calls for a full public inquiry into the London bombings, drawing criticism from victims, politicians and pressure groups.

It has argued that an independent probe could prejudice investigations into the attack.

Source

[Police 'too busy' to watch CCTV film of burglaries]

Police 'too busy' to watch CCTV film of burglaries

Comment: They don't prevent crime and they seemingly don't help solve crime, so what is the point in so many surveillance cameras?

Police are refusing to study CCTV tapes on which criminals are caught in the act because, they say, they are too busy.

As a result, crime victims complain that they are losing faith in officers' ability to protect them.

One trader, who reported a break-in, was told that police did not have time to review footage from a camera in front of his premises.

A woman whose handbag was stolen in a cafe was told by an officer: "It's not our job to check the CCTV cameras." Cafe staff kept a tape of the incident for two weeks in case police wanted it, but then recorded over it.

Both cases involved the Metropolitan Police. A spokesman said: "If there is no clear indication that there is a good picture of the subject or incident on the CCTV camera, we have to consider the amount of hours that would be taken up by officers, and if it is the best use of their time."

However, crime victims said detectives could not possibly know whether the tapes contained vital evidence unless they examined them.

Police forces across Britain admitted to the Sunday Telegraph that they would not always view footage from a camera positioned outside a shop that had been burgled overnight. Nine out of 52 constabularies said that in such a case they would not necessarily view the tape.

When Teddington Station Garden Centre in south-west London was broken into last month, the owner, Nigel Dawes, alerted police, but was told that no one would review the evidence from a nearby CCTV camera installed by Richmond council.

He asked the council whether he could watch the film, but was told that this was illegal. He called the police action "disgraceful". He said: "They're running an anti-burglary campaign around here, with signs saying, 'This area is under surveillance', but a few high-profile cases where they caught someone could be a good deterrent."

The council said it always responded to police requests for film. After Mr Dawes complained, council staff watched the footage and passed on their findings to police. No one has been arrested.

Forces that said they would not always view film of a burgled shop were Bedfordshire, Humberside, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, South Wales, Suffolk, West Midlands and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Lincolnshire Police said: "It would depend on the workload of the officer allocated to the case and other priorities, which may include a serious assault or robbery."

South Wales Police said: "There are considerations of manpower available and many other considerations."

Humberside operated a controversial "screening policy" last month in which commercial burglaries, theft, criminal damage and common assault were not routinely investigated unless they were carried out by prolific offenders, involved vulnerable or repeat victims, or were classed as racist or homophobic.

However, 31 forces said they would always be prepared to watch overnight film of a burgled shop. The Home Office said such decisions were an operational matter for forces. David Davis, the shadow home secretary, said: "The first priority of the police is to catch criminals."

The Federation of Small Businesses said the failure of some forces to review CCTV evidence summed up the low priority with which police treated crimes against commercial premises. A spokesman said: "Low-level crimes like vandalism, graffiti and burglary can wear down a business and damage the confidence of shoppers and investors in an area."

Source

[Serb President Blames Tribunal for Death]

Serb President Blames Tribunal for Death

BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro -- Serbian President Boris Tadic said Monday the U.N. war crimes tribunal is responsible for Slobodan Milosevic's death, but he added that it would not hamper Serbia's future cooperation with the court.

"Undoubtedly, Milosevic had demanded a higher level of health care," Tadic said in an interview with The Associated Press. "That right should have been granted to all war crimes defendants."

He added, "I think they are responsible for what happened."

Milosevic died Saturday of a heart attack in his prison cell near the tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. The former Serbian president had recently demanded to be temporarily released to go to Moscow for treatment after years of suffering from heart problems and high blood pressure.

But the judges refused, ruling that even with Russian guarantees to send him back to the court, they were afraid he would not return.

"Unfortunately, today we are getting messages from the tribunal that they are not responsible," Tadic said. "I think they are responsible for what happened."

A Dutch toxicologist said Monday that Milosevic was taking antibiotics that diluted prescriptions for his ailments while he was pleading with a U.N. tribunal for permission to get treatment in Russia.

Tadic, whose Democratic Party led a popular revolt that toppled Milosevic in 2000, said that despite "the lack of credibility" the tribunal has among Serbs, Serbia will try to hand over more war crimes suspects, including top fugitive Ratko Mladic, a former Bosnian Serb army commander wanted on genocide charges.

Milosevic's death "won't jeopardize our cooperation with the tribunal," Tadic said.

Tadic reiterated that he would not issue a pardon that would abolish an international arrest warrant for Milosevic's widow, Mirjana Markovic, if she planned to attend his funeral in Belgrade. He said that the ultimate decision on the warrant would be made by a Serbian court Tuesday.

"I won't lift the responsibility off the person who is suspected of some very serious crimes in the past," Tadic said. He also said that holding a state funeral for Milosevic "would be highly inappropriate."

A Belgrade district court said Monday it would reconsider a demand by Milosevic's family lawyers to waive an arrest warrant for Markovic to enable her to return from Russia and attend the ex-president's funeral.

It remains unclear where and how Milosevic will be buried.

Markovic, considered the power behind the scenes during Milosevic's warmongering 1990s rule, has been charged here with abuse of power during Milosevic's reign. Some other allegations link her directly to several murders of Milosevic's political opponents.

Tadic said he was certain that Milosevic's death would not help his ultranationalist allies regain power in Serbia, despite signs that they have rallied around the policies of their former leader.

"Today in Serbia we have a fight (for power) by those who ruled together with Milosevic," Tadic said, referring to Radical Party ultranationalists and Milosevic's Socialists.

"But I'm absolutely confident that there will be no turning back on the political scene in Serbia," Tadic said. "Not even Milosevic's death will change Serbia's path toward democracy."

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-milosevic-serbia,0,7959106.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[Wine 'can help treat gum disease']

Wine 'can help treat gum disease'


Past studies suggest red wine could cut cancer and heart disease risk

Chemicals in red wine can help prevent and treat gum disease, a study says.

Canadian scientists believe the polyphenols can block production of free radical molecules, high levels of which can damage gum tissue.

The research, by Quebec's Universite Laval, was presented to the American Association for Dental Research.

However, dentists warn there are other risks associated with drinking wine, and people should not think it was good for their teeth.

The Canadian study suggests polyphenols stop free radical production by subtly changing the make-up of proteins within the cells that control their release.

Periodontitis destroys gum tissue and is a leading cause of teeth loss, affecting millions worldwide.

It is thought to be important to keep free radicals at low levels to maintain healthy gums, otherwise they can inflict damage on the tissue.

The bacteria that cause gum disease are thought to do so by stimulating immune cells to increase their free radical production.

Doubts

Previous studies have suggested that the polyphenols in red wine may help to cut inflammation, and possibly the risk of both cancer and heart disease.

UK experts said polyphenols might prevent the inflammation getting worse - but were doubtful about their ability to block inflammation completely.

Professor Liz Kay, scientific adviser to the British Dental Association, said: "This wouldn't appear to show that red wine actually prevents periodontal disease.

"The sure way of doing so is to keep your mouth perfectly clean. That's achieved by brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste."

Leigh Greenwood, of the British Dental Health Foundation, said people should not think that drinking red wine was good for their teeth.

"It is important to remember that the acidic content of red wine could cause other problems, such as dental erosion.

"The best way to guard against problems such as gum disease is to adopt a good oral healthcare routine including twice daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste, daily flossing and limiting sugary food and drink to mealtimes."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4782826.stm

[China to issue 1.3 billion RFID identification cards]

China to issue 1.3 billion RFID identification cards

http://www.computerpartner.nl/article.php?news=int&id=2718

China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS), which oversees the country's police force, plans to issue more than 1.3 billion second-generation resident identification cards based on RFID (radio frequency identification) chips, according to an industry analyst at In-Stat China.

Based on the number of new cards to be issued, the rollout represents one of the largest RFID projects in the world, according to Anty Zheng, research director at In-Stat China.

RFID tags can send and receive data over short distances. As a result, the new ID cards can be read by a reader that is within 20 centimeters to 30 centimeters of the card, Zheng said, noting that the cards are used to store basic personal information, such as name and birth date.

"It's very cheap and easy to make," Zheng said.

MPS has so far issued 102 million new cards, and plans to issue more than 300 million new cards per year for the next several years, the ministry said this week. Only local companies are allowed to participate in the project, Zheng said.

In-Stat estimated that 100 million RFID tags were sold in China during 2005. The number of tags shipped annually in China is expected to rise quickly in coming years, hitting total sales of 2.9 billion tags by 2009, it said.

The second-generation ID card project is expected to soak up most of this demand through 2008, at which time demand for RFID tags used in retail stores is expected to dominate the market, In-Stat said.


 

['De-programming' same as torture]

'De-programming' same as torture

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18400280-29277,00.html

CIVIL libertarians have said a proposal by the Federal Police chief to "de-program" terrorists is tantamount to torture, but Muslim groups say it may have merit.

Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Keelty has said Indonesia is using a former Jemaah Islamiah leader, Malaysian-born Nasir bin Abbas, to help in the deprogramming of convicted terrorists.

The cleric attempts to turn extremists to a more moderate faith and provides information on terrorist operations to Indonesian authorities.

The process is also understood to have been used in Singapore, the United Kingdom, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Mr Keelty said the idea, which he likened to drug rehabilitation, has been raised at a policy level in Australia during talks about anti-terrorist control orders.

But Australian Council for Civil Liberties spokesman Terry O'Gorman compared the practice to torture.

"These countries the police commissioner mentions are involved in torture," Mr O'Gorman said.
"This deprogramming is part of the same basket of procedures."

Mr O'Gorman said there was no evidence to suggest that the practice, which was better described as "brainwashing", was effective in deterring terrorism.

"Mr Keelty draws the analogy with drug traffickers becoming informers, the reality is that someone in prison who becomes an informer knows that they face the risk of severe bashings in prison and that risk continues when they re-enter the community," he said.

"And, further, the reality is there is no inducement for this to happen, they are not going to get a discount for their sentence for participating in the exercise."

Mr O'Gorman said the proposal also failed to address the root cause of terrorism, political or ideological discontent and victimisation.

Australian Muslim Civil Rights Advocacy Network spokesman Waleed Kadous said a voluntary scheme had merit.

"It's important to highlight that already many respected scholars in the Muslim community are informally deconstructing terrorism and condemning terrorism to their congregations already," he said.

"If it's voluntary we have no objection to it, but the problem once you make is compulsory is it just won't work because religious leaders who do so will be seen as instruments of the government and will lose credibility to those people."

[NeoCon allies desert Bush over Iraq]

NeoCon allies desert Bush over Iraq
These are the right-wing intellectuals who demanded George Bush invade Iraq. Now they admit they got it wrong. Are you listening, Mr President?

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article350092.ece

William Buckley Jnr

INFLUENTIAL CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST AND TV PUNDIT

'One can't doubt the objective in Iraq has failed ... Iraqi animosities have proved uncontainable by an army of 130,000 Americans. Different plans have to be made. And the kernel here is the acknowledgement of defeat.'

Francis Fukuyama

AUTHOR AND LONG-TERM ADVOCATE OF TOPPLING SADDAM

'By invading Iraq, the Bush administration created a self-fulfilling prophecy: Iraq has now replaced Afghanistan as a magnet, a training ground and an operational base for jihadists, with plenty of American targets to shoot at.'

Richard Perle

ARCH-WARMONGER AND PIVOTAL REPUBLICAN HAWK

'The military campaign and its political aftermath were both passionately debated within the Bush administration. It got the war right and the aftermath wrong We should have understood that we needed Iraqi partners.'

Andrew Sullivan

PROMINENT COMMENTATOR AND INFLUENTIAL BLOGGER

'The world has learnt a tough lesson, and it has been a lot tougher for those tens of thousands of dead, innocent Iraqis ... than for a few humiliated pundits. The correct response is not more spin but a sense of shame and sorrow.'

George Will

RIGHT-WING COLUMNIST ON 'THE WASHINGTON POST' AND TV PUNDIT

'Almost three years after the invasion, it is still not certain whether, or in what sense, Iraq is a nation. And after two elections and a referendum on the constitution, Iraq barely has a government.'

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/blog/2006/03/soldiers_in_iraq_know_they_are.html

Nearly three-quarters of the American troops serving in Iraq think the U.S. should withdraw within the next year and 29 percent feel we should get the hell out of the war immediately, a poll of military personnel serving in country reveals.

This jives with emails I've been getting from soldiers over the past several months and it confirms that those serving on the ground in the war don't share the rosy optimism painted by the Bush administration about the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

"Man, this gig has FUBAR written all over it," says a Marine who has served in Iraq for seven months. "Morale is the pits and nobody in our unit thinks we should be here."

The poll, conducted by Zogby International, offers a rare look into the mindset of fighting men and women serving in a war zone. That mindset is, to say the least, reflective of growing American unrest over a war based on false information and outright lies.

Among the findings by Zogby:

Only 23 percent agree with the President's position that we should "stay in Iraq as long as needed."
85 percent of those surveyed felt they were fighting the war "to retaliate for Saddam's role in the 9-11 attacks," although the 9-11 commission in 2004 found "no credible evidence" that Iraq had cooperated with al-Qaida in the attacks.
68 percent said they believed that the real reason for the war was simply to remove Saddam Hussein from power.
40 percent say the Iraqi insurgency is mostly homegrown, with very little foreign involvement - a direct contradiction of claims by the Bush administration.
55 percent flatly oppose using torture and other harsh interrogation methods on prisoners.
"Ninety-three percent said that removing weapons of mass destruction is not a reason for U.S. troops being there," says John Zogby, President and CEO of Zogby International. "Instead, that initial rationale went by the wayside and, in the minds of 68% of the troops, the real mission became to remove Saddam Hussein."

In another direct contradiction of stated White House policy, just 24% said that "establishing a democracy that can be a model for the Arab World" was the main or a major reason for the war.

Zogby interviewed the 944 soldiers at various locations throughout Iraq. Three quarters of the troops had served multiple tours and had a longer exposure to the conflict: 26% were on their first tour of duty, 45% were on their second tour, and 29% were in Iraq for a third time or more.

The Pentagon did not cooperate with Zogby in the survey and is trying to downplay the significance of the soldiers' responses but offered conflicting responses. In one released statement, the military brass said the troop comments were not valid because "troops in a combat zone are likely to express negative views of their situation."

Then Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Venable tried a different spin.

"The poll's findings certainly aren't reflective of the attitudes we see displayed by the majority of troops, who are performing in a remarkable manner in a combat situation far from home," Venable said. I asked Venable's office for any polls the military had conducted on troop attitudes and morale and they admitted they had not done any surveys but added that they based their conclusions on reports from "commanders in the field."

Emails received almost daily from soldiers in the field confirm Zogby's findings and say Pentagon claims of success and high morale are, as one National Guardsman said: "Pure unmitigated bovine excrement."

Their emails, and now Zogby's findings, show these men and women who put their lives on the line day in and day out do so for a war they fully know was based on false pretenses and they are fighting and dying for a cause that doesn't exist.

Tony Blair says his authority is intact despite suffering his first House of Commons defeat as prime minister.

He said he hoped MPs "do not rue the day" they rejected his call to allow police to detain terror suspects for up to 90 days without charging them.

MPs voted against by 322 votes to 291, with 49 Labour MPs rebelling, but later backed a proposal to extend the detention time limit to 28 days.

Conservative leader Michael Howard said Mr Blair should resign.

Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy warned Mr Blair could become a "lame duck" leader.

Following the defeat MPs backed by 323 to 290 votes a Labour backbench MP's proposal to extend the detention time limit to 28 days, from the current 14 days.

Authority

Mr Blair, who is planning to quit as prime minister before the next election, has said he will serve a full third term.

But Mr Howard said the vote had "so diminished" Mr Blair's authority that he should quit now.

And Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy said Mr Blair would be seen as a "lame duck" leader unless he realised he could not behave in a "quasi-dictatorial way".

"If he doesn't, then increasingly his premiership is becoming a John Major premiership, at the mercy of events, at the mercy of opposition, not just from other political parties but from within his own," said Mr Kennedy.

But Mr Blair told the BBC he did not believe the vote would affect his position as prime minister.

'Wrong decision'

"I don't think it is a matter of my authority - of course I would have preferred to have won rather than lost," he said.
He said the police had told him the case for the 90-day detention proposal was "vital" and "compelling".

It had been his duty to put the plan before MPs and it had been their right to vote against it, he said.

But, he said: "I think it was a wrong decision - I just hope in a longer time we don't rue it."

He said people would think it was "very odd" that given the advice of the police and security services, MPs had "decided to ignore their recommendation".

'Angry Blair'

Instead they had voted for a 28-day detention limit which "they have thought of themselves" without any particular justification, he said.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke said he had not suspected until half an hour before the crucial vote that the government might lose.

But he said the prime minister had not been "foolhardy" in pressing for the 90-day plan - and the defeat would make him want to go on longer in the job rather than quit.

"He's feeling angry that this important proposal for the security of the nation was not carried by Parliament and cross at our failure, my failure, to actually get across to all of our parliamentarians the scale of the issues involved," he said.

And the idea that the defeat had weakened Mr Blair's position was "quite wrong" because the proposals were not "at the core" of the government's counter-terrorism plans, he added.

'No police state'

Shami Chakrabarti, director of the civil rights group Liberty, said she was "heartened" that MPs had defeated the 90-day plan.

In his final plea for MPs to back the plans, Mr Blair urged MPs to take the advice of the police who had foiled two terrorist plots since the 7 July attacks in London.

In heated exchanges at prime minister's questions, Mr Blair said: "We are not living in a police state but we are living in a country that faces a real and serious threat of terrorism."

Ministers had tried to reassure wavering Labour MPs by promising that the new laws would expire unless the Commons renewed them in a year's time.

Other concessions included promising scrutiny of the detention process by a High Court judge.

In a sign of the importance given to the vote, Chancellor Gordon Brown was called back within minutes of arriving in Israel for a high profile visit.

And Foreign Secretary Jack Straw also flew back early from EU-Russia talks in Moscow.

Later, in a separate vote, the government's majority was reduced to 25 when MPs backed the inclusion of "glorification of terrorism" in the Terrorism Bill

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4422086.stm




 

ZDNet Asia | November 10 2005
By Vivian Yeo

Comment:
IBM has been the Globalist ID Technological arm for many many years dating back to it's shameful involvement in branding jewish prisoners in the Nazi Death Camps.

International standards backed up by a UN body are needed to clear up the international identity-verification mess, according to a senior IBM Global Services executive

The growing need for fast, accurate verification of personal identities has prompted a call from an industry observer for a global agency to set international standards.

The realm of identity and access management (IAM) is heating up as nations like the UK and the US increase their use of biometrics and other identifying technology in ID cards, border controls and other areas.

Beyond different governments "trying to create a mosaic for what they want as good identity management", wider international cooperation is needed to establish a common language and standards, said Cal Slemp, vice-president and global leader for security and privacy services at IBM Global Services. The common language for exchanging user access information is also known as federated IAM.

"Governments have a huge part to play in this, because they have ultimate responsibility for their citizens, and depending on the country, they may have ultimate responsibility for the businesses and e-commerce as well," Slemp said.

But, current efforts are piecemeal and much more can be done to exploit the potential of the federated environment, added Slemp. During a medical emergency, for instance, the identities of a foreign doctor and a visiting patient need to be established quickly and accurately, in order for the right healthcare to be administered.

What's missing right now, he noted, is a trusted third party to authenticate trustworthiness. "So we've got inconsistent and incomplete implementation [in individual countries], and also no standard approach to the future nor a target to shoot at."

Slemp believes that now is the right time to establish a global body that will consider the interests of all countries and build up a foundation, which the individual countries can expand upon to fulfil their unique requirements.

"There are organisations that work together on this issue and issues like that across borders all the time, and it can be as grandiose as to say the UN has a process in place to share information like that and create working groups to try and to create standards or expectations and across multiple jurisdictions," said Slemp. "I just don't know what the name would be."

http://www.infowars.com/articles/bb/ibm_calls_for_global_id_management.htm

A former guardsman suffering from Gulf War Syndrome has won a landmark legal case against the Ministry of Defence.

Daniel Martin, 35, who has suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome, memory loss and impaired concentration since the 1991 conflict, will receive a disability award under the "umbrella term" of Gulf War Syndrome.

He is one of 1,500 soldiers who made a claim for a disablement pension because of the syndrome, which, for the past 14 years, the MoD has said does not exist.

A war pensions tribunal in London yesterday ruled "the term Gulf War Syndrome is the appropriate medical label to be attached" to Mr Martin's condition. The ruling will enable the other servicemen to claim their disablement pensions.

Charles Plumridge, Co-ordinator for the National Gulf Veterans and Families Association, said: "Hundreds of veterans have applied to have the diagnostic label of Gulf War Syndrome recognised. While the Ministry of Defence has said in the House of Commons that they do not recognise the syndrome, the Pensions Appeal Tribunal has ruled that there is enough evidence to warrant the term."
Mr Plumridge, an army reservist called up at the age of 50 to serve in the first Gulf War, has been waiting five years to be granted a disablement pension from the MoD. "A precedent has now been set," he said. "I would expect, at last, the Veterans Agency to accept what everyone else already knows, and grant pensions to the 1,500 veterans who have claimed them due to Gulf War Syndrome."

The veterans claim the syndrome was caused by the many vaccinations they received before combat, including the Anthrax vaccine, combined with exposure to depleted uranium and the pesticides used on the servicemen's tents while serving in the Gulf during the Allied action.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article323846.ece

Religion and Violence
U.S. encourages "religious fundamentalism" to counter nationalist & socialist movements

by Ghali Hassan

October 15, 2005
GlobalResearch.ca


It has been known for some times that U.S. President George W. Bush allegedly "heard God" telling him to invade Iraq. It is also alleged that Bush said: "I'm driven with a mission from God". Why God would tell Bush to invade Iraq remains a mystery. Bush invaded Iraq because Bush alleged that Iraq possessed Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD). There were no WMD in Iraq. The war was an immoral act of aggression.

As it is promoted by Western politicians, propagandists and the mainstream media, the new "War on Terror", is a war against those Muslims, who "hate our freedom", and who have a broad strategy to "dominate much of the world". Although most Muslims believe – as Christians believe that Jesus is the only God – that "Islam is the only path to Heaven", Muslims are not interested in dominating the world, and most Muslims see this as impossible. On the contrary, most Muslim nations are striving to be free from Western domination and imperialism. The Arabs masses, in particular, want "liberation from foreign occupation and the freedoms of opinion, _expression and movement", noted the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report.

A recent report by the Defence Science Board of the Pentagon revealed that; "Muslims do not 'hate our freedom,' but rather, they hate our policies. The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favour of Israel against Palestinian rights, and the long-standing even increasing support for what Muslims collectively sees as tyrannies, most notably Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, and the Gulf states". It is these U.S.-sponsored tyrannies and the unfair exploitation of the region's oil resources – by Western corporations – that contributed to the emergence of political resistance movements against Western domination and imperialism.

The illegal war on Iraq and the ongoing colonial Occupation of the country reinforce the anti-imperialism view of the Muslim peoples. Thus, political Islam is "the work of non-religious political intellectuals" as a response to Western imperialist policies, and has very little to do with 'Islam versus everything Western'. The labels of 'Islamists' and 'Jihadist' are convenient as a way to denigrate Islam in Western thoughts and remove any devotion to self-government and national independence.

By contrast, descriptions like nationalist and resistant are avoided by politicians, propagandists and the mass media because they describe people's aspirations. The current usage of 'Islamists', 'Jihadists' and 'insurgents' – in place of nationalists and resistant – to describe the Iraqi Resistance is straight propaganda designed to dehumanise the Iraqi people and deny them legitimacy to resistance based on a just cause. Furthermore, the misleading description of the Iraqi Resistance as "insurgency", represents violence and devoid of any noble cause and self-defence. The purpose is to blacken the Iraqi Resistance not only in the eyes of the Iraqi people, but also in the eyes of Western public.

It is important to recognise that the U.S. has encouraged 'religious fundamentalism' to counter nationalist and socialist movements. In the 1980s the U.S. and its allies created and financed the so-called 'al-Qaida' groups against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Members of al-Qaida, including Osama bin Laden, were called the "freedom fighters". With the aid of these fundamentalist groups, the U.S. was able to spread it ideology in West Asia. In the U.S., Bush is supported by roughly 50 million right-wing fundamentalist Christians, who fuel his war machine and his rightwing agenda. The 20 million fundamentalist voters helped sweep Bush back into office on 02 November, 2005, and maintained a Republican majority in Congress.

In Iraq, the U.S. is cultivating all kinds of religious fundamentalists and fanatics at the expense of progressive and nationalist movements. Nationalism and pan-Arabism is imperialism real enemy, not religious fundamentalism. It is now clear that the U.S. supports and encourages sectarian forces and territorial disintegration, as spelled out in the U.S.-crafted illegitimate constitution; the trap for unending colonial occupation. The truth is that the U.S. and its Western allies are not concern with democracy and the rules of law; they act collectively to enhance and protect their own imperial and Zionist interests with disregard to human rights and democracy.

Contrary to Christian teachings – propagated by U.S. and Western leaders as "shared values" –, U.S. forces and their allies have killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi Christians and Muslims. Based on the conservative estimate – 100, 000 Iraqis killed between March 2003 to October 2004 – provided by the peer reviewed British medical journal the Lancet (Lancet, 364: 857), if one includes the atrocity of Fallujah, Ramadi, Qaim, Tel Afar, Hillah, Baghdad and the daily bloodsheds instigated by U.S. forces and their collaborators, the number of Iraqis killed since March 2003 would be in the 200,000 mark or even more. The majority of the victims have been innocent women and children. Who hates who?

In addition, Iraqis basic human rights and freedom are violated on daily basis. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been arrested, imprisoned, abused and tortured without charges. Instead of building Iraq, the U.S. is continuing the destruction of Iraq. Iraq's vital civilian infrastructure, including: transport and communication systems, the health care services and the education system have all been destroyed. A sovereign nation has been destroyed by premeditated violence. Sadly, the U.S. is fighting wars and committing war crimes against nations, such as Iraq, most Americans knew virtually nothing about.

The American people must know that, the reality on the ground in Iraq is that the U.S. brought death and destruction on massive scales. Each time a village or a town is attacked by U.S. forces, it is completely obliterated together with its civilian population. The people's only crime was that they are against the occupation of their country. It is a murderous crime that is completely removed from the conscience of Western public by the elites and very complicit mainstream media. The propaganda is that the U.S. fighting a minority of Iraqi opposition to the Occupation is a falsehood. The opposite is true; only a small minority of expatriate criminals and fanatics support the U.S. Occupation. Echoing the majority of Iraqis opposing the Occupation, more than 100 members (more than one-third ) of the same puppet parliament, signed a letter in June 2005, calling for 'the departure of the occupation'.

Unfortunately, violence and destruction have become and addiction of the U.S. elites and warmongers. On 05 October 2005, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly called on the U.S. government to assassinate Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. O'Reilly said: "We should take his life if he doesn't help us out" with the war in Iraq. Since when, a "Super Power" needs help against a defenceless nation, which has been a victim of international terrorism for nearly 15 years? Can you imagine a prominent Syrian TV host publicly advocating the assassination of the President of the United States? Chances are that the U.S. (and its allies) will order "a military action" against Syria on the basis of "inciting and glorifying terrorism". It seems that the violent destruction of Iraq and the mounting daily bloodshed are not enough to deter the U.S. from committing further crimes. An attack on Syria is a war of aggression against a sovereign country that neither attacked nor threatened to attack the U.S.

As the ruling of the German Federal Administrative Court showed that the attack by the U.S. and its allies against the nation of Iraq was a clear war of aggression – as specified in Article 4, Paragraph 4 of the UN Charter – that violated international law. In addition, The Nuremberg Tribunal clearly stated that; "To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole". There is prima facia evidence to prosecute those who violated international and U.S. laws, and order the invasion, which led to this mass murder.

President Bush uses religion because it serves his purpose of manipulating the public. If Mr. Bush is familiar with God's teachings; God said: "thou shall not kill". God doesn't advocate premeditated act of aggression and the mass murder of innocent human beings through "Shock and Awe" terrorism. The Iraqi people are defending themselves and their families against international terrorism.

To put an end to the mounting bloodshed in Iraq, President Bush should make the most humane decision and free the Iraqi people from U.S.-imposed oppression. The only path to freedom is the full and immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops and their collaborators from Iraq.

Ghali Hassan lives in Perth, Western Australia
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Centre for Research on Globalization.

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Last Man Out of WTC Possibly Slated for Mainstream Film Documentary
Irish film documentarian and recent Emmy winner pitching William Rodrriguez to HBO and others for ground breaking 9/11 truth documentary.
28 Sep 2005

Emmy winner and documentary film maker, Pat O'Mahony, is pushing hard with HBO and others to film a story of William Rodriguez, the last man out alive of the World Trade Center and declared a national hero for saving hundreds of lives.

"William's story needs to be told and what he has to say is a great way to lead up to the bigger story of 9/11," said O'Mahony last week in New York, a day after receiving an Emmy for his acclaimed documentary called 'Reporters at War.'

O'Mahony, recipient of his first Emmy and originally from Ireland, is now in the process of pitching the story to major studios after meeting with Rodriguez on two occasions, once in London and recently in New York.

"It has all the ingredients. The last man out alive, heroism, his fight for the truth and, of course, his interesting life starting back as a boy in Puerto Rico," said O'Mahony.

Rodriguez, a 20-year-veteran WTC head maintenance man who had one of the only master keys for the towers, barely escaped death several times on 9/11, as he risked life and limb opening doors and pulling people to safety all the way up to the final seconds before the towers collapsed.

His heroics have been well-documented overseas, also being declared a hero in his home country of Puerto Rico, but strangely the true story of what really happened to Rodriguez in the North Tower has been muffled and silenced for four long years by the mainstream media and the 9/11 Commission.

Not only did the brave maintenance man save numerous lives, but he also claims to have heard explosions coming the sub levels of the North Tower prior to the jetliner striking the top floors.

On the morning of 9/11, Rodriguez and at least 14 other people, all able to verify his story, were huddled in a sub-level one office when an explosion emanating from beneath their feet rocked the lower levels of the tower, cracking walls and rupturing sprinkler systems.

The explosion came a split second before Rodriguez said he heard another more faint and distant explosion coming from high above in the tower, which he later surmised to be the airplane striking the upper floors.

Besides those in the office, at least three other eye-witnesses in the sub levels have corroborated Rodriguez's story. Felipe David, walking in the sub-level hallway near the office and severely burned moments after the basement explosion was heard, stormed into the office where Rodriguez and the others were still reeling from the explosion, yelling 'explosion, explosion, explosion!'

Rodriguez then immediately rushed David to safety, where he later was taken to a hospital where he spent more than three months recovering in a coma from severe third degree burns.

Salvatore Giambanco, trapped in an elevator between sub-level one and two of the North Tower, also tells the same story about hearing an explosion in the basement. After Rodriguez brought David to safety, he returned to the North Tower basement, where he then crawled in a darkened elevator shaft, pulling Giambanco and another man trapped after the explosion brought the elevator to a halt between floors.

Still another eye-witness, Jose Sanchez, working on sub level four, came forward with the others, telling the same story about a powerful explosion heard beneath the North Tower.

Filmmaker O'Mahony didn't reveal whether the documentary would delve into Rodriguez's controversial statements that contradict the government's jet fuel theory as being the sole cause of collapsing the towers. But Rodriguez for years has said he never would allow his story to be told without "telling the truth" about what he experienced, even if it leads to proving that the government was responsible for lying and covering up the truth about what really happened on 9/11.

What has troubled critics of the government story and the subsequent 9/11 Commission Report is that the stories of explosions in the North Tower, told by Rodriguez and the other eye-witnesses, has been systematically censored by the government, media and 9/11 Commission.

Even though Rodriguez's story has been presented overseas unedited in numerous markets, including Europe, South America and the Middle East, the New York Times, Washington Post and all major television networks have kept his story from earshot of most Americans.

Although he recently told his story on ABC radio after the fourth annual 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero, Rodriguez has documented how the media in this country has either edited his story or censored it completely in what he calls a systematic effort to keep any serious evidence that contradicts the official 9/11 story out of the mainstream news.

"From day one, I have told the same story, never straying from the truth," said Rodriguez at Ground Zero at the recent 9/11 ceremony held in New York. "I am going to continue to tell my story, trying to get at the truth of what happened at the WTC since the 3,000, people who died on that tragic day, including more than 200 friends, deserve nothing less than the truth in order to preserve their dignity and honor."

Besides the documentary, First Amendment Publishing, a subsidiary of the American Free Press, is in the process of publishing a book about Rodriguez to be released early next year.

Also, Rodriguez has begun to speak out publicly across the country, recently talking about his experiences at speaking engagements in Hollywood and Chicago. Presently, he is actively looking for sponsors to jump-start what he hopes will turn out to be a nationwide tour.

"I will speak at every church and university in the country if that's what it takes to get at the truth. The government story is a lie and I know it for a fact because I was there that morning," added Rodriguez.

Besides the media censorship, the 9/11 Commission finally met with Rodriguez before releasing its 2004 report, but in the final version his story was completely omitted and his name never mentioned.

"Unless there is a cover-up, why didn't they use my comments or even mention my name," said Rodriguez, saying all the other statements were omitted from eye-witnesses in the basement who also heard the same explosion.

Rodriguez contends after "not playing ball" with the government who wanted him to change his story or keep quiet, he was systematically black balled, going homeless in 2004.

At one point, living under a bridge while feeling hopeless and destitute with no place to turn, he planned to tie himself to a cross in the middle of Ground Zero to prove his point. But before taking such drastic action, a 9/11 Methodist support group came to his assistance, finding him shelter and providing financial assistance to get him back on his feet.

Even though he now lives more comfortably in Jersey City, his troubles haven't completely vanished. Recently, after returning from a 9/11 truth speech near Chicago, his apartment was suspiciously burglarized, the thieves taking his laptop containing personal information as well as a camera and jewelry.

By Greg Szymanski

Transport George Orwell's novel 1984- in which a totalitarian Big Brother government tries to rule citizens' lives and control their thoughts - into the 21st century, and it would look a lot like China today.

Consider what happened this week. Continuing a long battle to curb what it considers a subversive information source - the Internet - China tightened its censorship of online news services and bulletin boards.

Major search engines and portals have been ordered to stop posting unauthorized commentary. Only opinion pieces from government-controlled sources are allowed. Private individuals and groups must register as "news organizations" before operating e-mail distribution lists. Anyone who violates the rules faces prison. Already, China has jailed a journalist for sending text of a Communist Party memo to foreign websites.

Distressingly, Western companies, notably Yahoo, have cooperated with the authorities as a price of being allowed to do business in China. In doing so, they become partners of the totalitarian state. The specter arises that the Internet, usually assumed to be a catalyst for free speech and democracy, is becoming a tool for repression. If China is successful, other regimes no doubt would follow.

China, of course, can't possibly stamp out all material it doesn't want its citizens to see. Internet use in China is soaring, along with cellphone use and text messaging. About 8% of China's 1.3 billion people are now Internet users. Many have proven adept at skirting the most advanced censorship methods in the world.

At this point, it's anyone's guess how many Chinese will succeed in getting a free flow of information, and how many will be scared off by government intimidation or manipulated by censorship and propaganda.

What's more clear is that democratic nations and their companies should not help China's Thought Police turn the Internet into a platform for Orwellian Newspeak and Doublethink. However appealing collaboration might seem, they would eventually find that the world of 1984 was not a pleasant place

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20050928/cm_usatoday/internetthoughtpolice;_ylt=A86.I1cOdjpDVPYAdhr9wxIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

+++"WHAT DO MY DREAMS MEAN?"+++
Our 12 Most Common Dreams...




ANIMALS**Wild animals denote troubles or fears, even misfortune. Domestic animals, especially pets, usually mean good fortune. Their demeaner is significant. A fierce animal is a warning. A calm one indicates happy times. Animals often represent the primal side of our makeup and the dreamer's relationship with the animal tells how much control they have over that part of themselves.
....BIRDS*depending on the kind of bird, this is usually a sign of prosperity and unexpected happiness for you. Large birds are the symbol of Freedom. Singing birds, of happiness.
....CATS*an age-old symbol of the Feminine; the elegant and mysterious elements of our lives. To dream of a friendly cat, means you are developing your intuitive powers. If you are attacked by a cat, beware of an enemy pretending to be a friend. If you hear a cat screeching, beware of gossip. A purring cat promises happiness.
....DOGS*traditional symbol of the Masculine; courage and loyalty. A friendly dog denotes coming domestic happiness. A vicious dog warns you of financial or health concerns. A howling dog warns of separation from loved ones.
....HORSES*a symbol of animal power, strength and energy. To be riding a beautiful horse denotes you will achieve much power in life. A wild horse, out of control, is a warning to curb your own passions. A sick horse cautions you of ill health.
....INSECTS*usually represent small, nagging worries. Things that "bug" you. Traditionally, they can represent relatives. How you handle the insects in your dream, tells you how to handle these worries.
....RATS*beware of deception! Especially from someone close to you. The dream-meaning of killing a rat is one of success.
....SNAKES*lead us not into temptation. A symbol of betrayals and enemies. If a snake bites you, beware of a quarrel with a friend. Your dream will show you who your enemy is.
....SPIDERS*traditionally a sign of good fortune. Money, and much of it!
....WOLVES*a balance of the Dog's loyalty and courage with Nature's ferocity. Be prepared to face a disastrous turn of events. You can overcome if you have powerful allies.


AUTOMOBILE**the great modern symbol of power, status, vitality, sexuality. Life itself. Automobile dreams are very common and have many meanings. It depends on factors like -- who is driving? Is it a pleasant journey or a treacherous one? An old clunker or a luxurious new car? Beginning a drive in an automobile generally means that you are in the beginning stages of a new life-plan. Where the car takes you metaphorically shows you where your life should be going. If your car breaks down, you could be placing your trust in someone not worth it.


CELEBRITIES**Meeting a famous person can indicate a profitable new offer will be made. There will be a change for good in your life. A goal can finally be obtained. Celebrities are our cultural heroes, and to dream of them can mean that it is time for you to join their ranks.

CHASE**To dream of being chased by some frightening being can mean that it is time for you to set out on your destined path. But you are refusing to let go of elements in your life that are hindering your quest. If you are caught by that being, you have much work ahead of you. If you escape, you are almost free -- your life-quest is taking a new road.

DEATH**This dream depends on the emotional content -- if you awoke with a dreadful sense of real death, it could be a true death-dream and you have sensed someone's passing. This happens to sensitive people. The elderly may have dreams that prepare them for their passing. If, however, you dream of death without having dark emotions, it has the meaning of release from current worries and actually signifies its opposite: a recovery, a rebirth is about to occur in your life.

FALLING**The most common dream of all. It can mean the dreamer is in fear of losing respect or status; or of financial difficulties; or fading physical vitality; or losing someone's love. If you land and awaken suddenly, it is literally a "wake-up call" to attend to matters in the physical world. If you land but the dream continues, then the answer to your dilemma is being given to you in that dream

FLYING**The great Mythical symbol of Freedom. The meaning of flying dreams is one of good omens. You instinctively know the goals in life and how to seek them. Whether it's love you seek, or a place in life, or fame and fortune, you will fly over earthly obstacles and find your happiness. Recurrent flying dreams indicate great fortune. All Traditions explain flying dreams in the same way. If you are in your own human form, you will find happiness in an ordinary but successful life. If you are a bird in your dream, you will be most fortunate in life and attact good luck. If you are a Winged Human (Greek: ORNITHANTHROPUS), you are bound for a highly creative and fulfilled life.

HOUSE**a symbol of many meanings! If Falling is the most common dream, then a House or Apartment is the second most common. In a dream, a house usually represents You. ROOMS represent different aspects of yourself. DOORS are opportunities. If it is your own home, you are on a solid spiritual foundation. If you dream that you are in a strange new house, it indicates your future, what you must do. The BEDROOM has many obvious meanings...the BED is the most common dream object of all. The BATHROOM...from bathing to using the toilet, are common situations.

LOST**The meaning of this dream is literal. You are lost in your life, adrift. Something is gone from your life -- Love, Career, Spirituality. The SETTING of your dream, where you are lost, holds the answers to your salvation....LOSING SOMETHING PRECIOUS is a variation of the LOST dream; the object lost being the key to the dream.

NAKED**Most often, this is not a sexual dream. Usually this common dream is a dream of inadequacy: you don't feel prepared for some event, or for life itself. This dream may have an element of comedy -- lighten up! Don't worry. Traditionally, this has been a dream of money luck. Buy a lottery ticket.

SEXUAL DREAMS**The meaning of sexuality in dreams depends on the emotional element. If you wake up sexually aroused, that is common. Sexuality is a fundamental part of living and sexual dreams express part of your being. Only if the content is disturbing or if your arrousal is more intense from dreams than from waking experience, do you need to explore your dream's meaning. If you dream of sexual experience but are not sexually aroused, the traditional meaning is one of general happiness. Your love relationship is deepening or about to be renewed.
The most common sexual dreams are:
....ADULTERY
....LOVE WITH AN ACQUAINTANCE
....MASKED or FACELESS LOVER
....PASSIONATE ENCOUNTER WITH EX-SPOUSE
....RAPE
....SEX IN PUBLIC PLACE
Curiously, a more recent sexual dream is....SEX CHANGE.

(NOTE on SEXUAL DREAMS: If you are troubled by the sexual content of your dreams, or need to enhance your sexual life -- there are 2 books we highly recommend to our clients -- one for our Male Dreamers -- and one for our Female Dreamers -- to see them, just scroll down and *CLICK* on ++BEST of the WEB++)


WATER**Traditionally, calm water means good times ahead, clear sailing. Rough waters: caution, reconsider your actions. To drown can be a warning -- but also indicate your need for more spiritual examination.
....BATHING*warm water fortells of increased love in your life or of spiritual rebirth.
....DRINKING WATER*if the water is clear, the dream augurs financial security, prosperity. If it is cloudy; financial problems.
....SWIMMING*a complex dream, where meaning depends on all the details: conditions of water, weather...Generally, to be swimming is a sign of current good health. If you are swimming naked, you feel energized and ready for the successes of life that are arriving.




+++Other Common Dreams+++


FOOD**preparing or eating food in a dream, means coming happiness in your life, domestic contentment. Being hungry or thirsty indicates a dissatisfaction in your life, often spiritual.

In this irreligious age, GOD and the DEVIL appear less in our dreams, than in our grandparent's time. When they do appear, however, the meaning is much more imperative than in by-gone times.

Dreaming about SCHOOL, TEACHERS or an important exam are usual for adolescents (definitely falling into their "most common dreams" category) -- but have a more critical meaning for adults long out of school.

PEOPLE in our dreams can be extensions of ourselves or represent external forces -- they represent the most complex element of your dreams. The most common people are: PARENTS, PARTNER, FRIENDS, EX-LOVER, STRANGERS, a BABY...





DREAM MEANING **from YOUR DREAM TEAM ** DREAM MEANING


Dream>Meaning: TEETH

Dream: "I bit into a bright red apple and my front teeth broke into bloody pieces and came out in the apple. I have good teeth."

Meaning: TEETH are one of our most common dreams. This dream is an anxiety dream with a promise of optimism. The dreamer has a low self-esteem problem, but the "bright red apple" is a traditional symbol of a well-earned reward. "Don't worry, go ahead with your new plans."



DREAM MEANING ** from YOUR DREAM TEAM ** DREAM MEANING






For more on the Winged Human motif see: ORNITHANTHROPUS
http://www.webspawner.com/users/brianburhoe/index.html
Or find ORNITHANTHROPUS on ESOTERISM.com



"What do my dreams mean?" --

DREAM EXPLORATION -- Call it Dream Interpretation -- call it dream analysis -- more than that, it's really Dream Exploration -- together, we explore the meaning of dreams -- some fall into the "most common dreams" catagory -- many are unique and highly creative -- it's fascinating stuff!



Compliments of: YOUR DREAM TEAM

http://www.yourdreamteam.0catch.com
http://dreamdoor.00server.com

The Six Basic Steps
There are many techniques and methods that you can use for inducing lucid dreams, but there is an underlying process behind most, if not all of them. I have broken this underlying process down into six basic steps to serve as a foundation for your lucid dream training. Once you absorb these steps and start following them, it is only a matter of time before you have your first lucid dream.
       In case you are wondering how long it will take for you to have your first one, just follow through with the steps and have faith that you will have one. Statistically, the time it takes for someone to have their first lucid dream averages from three weeks to two months, but yours may be tonight, but don't be discouraged if you try for a while and don't succeed. There seems to be an obsession in our society for instant results. If you are one of these people, realize that this is one of your first obstacles to overcome. Only one thing is certain: If you never stop trying, you are guaranteed to succeed.
 
 
The Six Basic Steps
1) Doing the Mental Prep-Work
2) Increasing dream recall
3) Keeping a dream journal
4) Becoming familiar with your Dreams
5) Adding Awareness to your Waking Consciousness
6) Linking your Awareness to your Dreams
 
Step One) Doing the Mental Prep-Work

This step involves setting up the right mental foundation and building a mental framework that will maximize your success. In order to do this, you must take a look at your belief systems. I can't emphasize enough the crucial role that our belief systems play in determining our experience. As you develop your ability to lucid dream, you will be directly interacting with your thoughts and your belief systems, and you will be able to experience first hand how important it is to manage your thoughts.
Here are four key questions that you need to ask yourself. Do you think you can do this? Do you think dreams are important? Do you really want to have lucid dreams? Do you know what you will do when you become lucid? Not only should you be asking yourself these questions, but you should also be taking an active part in strengthening these beliefs, or changing them if that is the case. Let's go over each of these questions to emphasize what kind of mental prep-work you need to be doing.
"Do you think you can do this?" For starters, you must always have a positive attitude. If you have any doubts, then your first assignment is to replace each and every doubt with a self-empowering belief. If you think lucid dreaming is some rare phenomenon, realize that it is a natural ability. If you think it is going to be difficult, assure yourself that it will come naturally. Just remember, tying your shoes as a child was difficult but with time it became second nature, and so too will lucid dreaming. As soon as you have your first lucid dream, it'll be that much easier to have a second one, and a third one, and in due time you will be having them consistently.
"Do you think dreams are important?" Once you have a positive, confident attitude, the next step is to make dreaming a top priority. The simple act of believing that your dreams are important will dramatically increase your results. Most people don't place any emphasis on their dreams so they in turn don't recall many dreams, and not surprisingly most of these people are not even aware that it is possible to have lucid dreams. They don't know any better because they haven't made dreaming a priority. You, on the other hand, will view your dreams as important, and this will speed up your progress substantially.
"Do you really want to have lucid dreams?" The key to this question is desire and enthusiasm. The more you cultivate your desire to have lucid dreams, the more emotionally charged your intent will be. The more charged your intent is, the more likely that these desires will produce results. Along the same lines, the more enthusiastic you are towards learning how to lucid dream, the more you will absorb and the more you will be actively drawing this experience towards you. Sending messages to your subconscious that you think dreams are important and that you enthusiastically want to have them will speed up your progress dramatically.
"Do you know what you will do when you have a lucid dream?" The point of this question is to be purposefully prepared. It sounds so simple, but just by having a plan you increase the odds of becoming lucid. If you have a goal or a mission planned, you will have that much more reason to become lucid and carry out your mission. The plan should be well thought out and thoroughly embedded in your mind. Throughout the day and before going to bed, remind yourself of your goal, and in keeping with the last question, cultivate a desire to fulfill your goal. In the beginning, you may want to keep your plan simple. Your goal may be as simple as looking at your hands or surveying the dreamscape or maybe you would like to fly. As you develop the ability to prolong your lucid dreams, you will be able to carry out more elaborate missions.
       So be positive. Replace doubt with confidence and skepticism with belief. View your dreams as being important. Make dreaming a priority. Cultivate your desire to reach your goal. Be enthusiastic. Be prepared and have a plan. As you can see these mental prep-work concepts do overlap and intertwine, so start making all of them work for you today. This mental conditioning will not only help speed up the lucid dreaming process, but you can apply it to any other aspects of your life that you want to develop.
 
Step Two) Increasing Dream Recall

As mentioned earlier, if you can't remember your dreams it makes it that much harder to have lucid ones. So this step focuses on increasing your dream recall. You may be one of the fortunate ones who remembers a lot of dreams, but if you are not, don't be discouraged. There are many tried and tested methods for developing your dream recall. There are so many effective tips for increasing dream recall that you can count on remembering more and more of your dreams with a few weeks practice.
For starters, do you really want to remember your dreams? Why? Could you be subconsciously blocking your own recall because you may be afraid of what you see? These are legitimate questions to be asking yourself. Be honest with yourself. You must make the commitment to yourself to increase your dream recall because it is important to you and it is something that you want to develop. You need to make it a conscious priority. After taking this step, it is just a matter of incorporating these techniques into your morning schedule.
 
Here is a list of tips and techniques that will help increase your dream recall:
1.) Wake Motionlessly. Upon awakening, don't open your eyes. Don't move. Lie completely still.
2.) Wake Slowly. Allow yourself time to naturally remember your dreams. Don't start thinking about what you are going to do for the day. Don't allow your mind to be flooded by your waking thoughts or your dreams will start fading or may even disappear entirely like bursting dream bubbles. Let your mind be focused on whatever you were just dreaming.
3.) Let your mind drift. Allow your thoughts to meander through whatever mental imagery you may have. Once you remember one part of a dream. Relax and allow the rest of the pieces to fall into place.
4.) Drift through your dream checklist. If you have absolutely no initial recall, then start running through a dream checklist in your mind. This list should include people you know, activities, places, foods, smells, music, anything that may trigger a dream fragment to surface. Allow your mind to drift through this list and ask yourself if this person or this place was in your dream. Movement is very common in dreams so try to think about action. Were you walking or running or climbing or flying? Emotions are also very prevalent so try to think about your moods. Were you happy or afraid or surprised or confused? The more familiar you are with your dreams the better you will know which questions will most likely trigger your memory, but in the beginning you can use any list as long as it is a big one.
4.) Think and question backwards. Try to work your memory backwards from what you can remember. You will usually remember the most current dream scenario first so for maximum retrieval it is helpful to think backwards, or think in terms of effect and cause instead of cause and effect. If you can remember one part of the dream, ask yourself how you got there? Or where did a certain dream object come from? Did you find it? Was it given to you? One dream fragment will usually lead to another until the whole dream starts to take shape, and your dream memories can be jogged by questioning yourself about what you already remember.
5.) Try different sleeping positions. Try all your common sleeping positions before getting out of bed to maximize your recall. You will have the best recall when you are lying in the same position that you were in when you were dreaming. If you wake up on your right side don't move until you recall all you possibly can, and then repeat this process on your left side, then your back, and your front. This may jar loose some memories and it certainly speeds up your recall.
6.) Keep Trying. Sometimes, you may have no morning recall but flashes of dream memories will surface during your day. Be prepared to jot down any time-released memories. They may unlock your access to more memories.
         If you are still having trouble recalling your dreams, here is a surefire method that will have your remembering your dreams in no time. We know that most of our dreams occur in the last hours of our sleep so we can safely assume that this is the target time to be exercising our recall. We also know that we have a much greater likelihood of remembering a dream if we awaken directly from it, and this leads us to the ultimate method, the Alarm Clock Method.
        The Alarm Clock Method: Using an alarm clock is one of the quickest and easiest ways to start increasing your dream recall especially if you rarely remember your dreams. The idea is to set your alarm for a time when you will be dreaming and awaken yourself from a dream while fresh memories are still in your head. The earlier morning hours are the best time to use this method since this is when you are most likely to be dreaming. Your alarm clock will become a valuable tool for increasing your dream recall, and in a later section I will mention how it can be used to induce lucid dreams. Here are a few ways to take full advantage of your alarm clock. Try them all to see what works best for you
        "The Early Morning Technique" -Set your alarm for two hours before you normally would awaken. When it goes off, reset it to go off in a half an hour. Do this each time it goes off and you will have instant and plentiful recall. This is one of the most effective techniques because it takes full advantage of your natural dreaming cycle and it creates a daily target time when you habitually practice your dreaming skills. These few hours before you normally awake are going to become your new training grounds. This target time zone will be described in much greater detail when we cover lucid dream induction methods and again when we take a look at the lucid dream terrain.
        Depending on how poor your recall is you may want to immediately write down your dreams each time you wake up. If you don't, you may experience what I refer to as dream superimposition. It happens when you wake up during the night and have vivid recall of your dreams, so vivid that you are sure you will remember them later; however, when you go back to bed you have more dreams and upon reawakening these recent dream memories have replaced the previous ones. As you exercise your dream recall you will find your memory will become better so that less dream superimposing takes place, but even after years of training it still happens to me sporadically.
        "The Waking at Odd Hours Technique" This technique is pretty self-explanatory. Set your alarm to go off at any random times throughout the night. The advantage of this technique is that if you are extremely eager to develop your dreaming skills you may not want to settle for only two hours of practice a day. So you can use this technique along with the previous one to maximize your exercise.
        "The Snooze Button Method" Set your alarm for a time before you would normally wake up and then continually hit the snooze button until you have to get out of bed. This is probably the most common technique, and the odds are that you have already had some experience with this one unless your alarm does not have a snooze button. By hitting the snooze button you are constantly coming in and out of dreams so you dramatically increase your recall, and it is very helpful for inducing lucid dreams as well, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
 
Step Three) Keeping a dream journal
                     
       The single most important thing that you can do to increase your dream recall and to maximize your lucid dreaming progress is to keep a dream journal. This increases your recall by engraining the idea that dreams are important into your subconscious mind. It also helps you become familiar with your dreams which is the focus of the next step. The habit of writing down your dreams soon becomes a habit of recalling your dreams. If you seriously want to learn how to lucid dream, you MUST keep a dream journal. It is not an option.
       I strongly emphasize this because I know from experience that keeping a journal is a crucial part of the process. I had been trying to lucid dream for a year with little success until I started keeping one. Shortly after I started consistently making my dream journal entries, I began to recall more dreams with greater clarity and detail, and this led to my first lucid dreams. Even now after years of lucid dreaming, I still see a correlation. If I neglect my dream journal, my lucid dreams become less frequent. All it usually takes is a few days of making entries and I will be back on the lucid track.
       Here are some tips on keeping your journal. Record all of your dreams with as much detail as you can. Even if something seems trivial, you should still write it down because it may turn out to be significant when viewed in the long run. Write down not only what happened during the dream but also what you were feeling and what you were thinking at the time. These emotional and mental notes will help you later when you are becoming familiar with your dreams. This will also help you see how your daily affairs and your waking mind influence your dreams. For example, you may notice during times of stress that you will have stress-influenced dreams. You may dream of being late for an exam or being unprepared for a business meeting. The point is that your dreams are sending you a message. They are reflecting what you think and feel at a subconscious level. Looking at the patterns of your dreams and examining the recurrence of certain dream themes will tell you a lot about yourself. This is yet another reason why keeping your dream journal is so important. It allows you to have an overview of your dream patterns which are actually reflections of an ever-changing you.
       When keeping your journal, it is best to write your entries in present tense instead of using past tense. For example, you would write, "I'm walking down this street and I see a man" instead of "I walked down this street and I saw a man." By writing in the present tense, you may be able to remember even more of your dreams as you are recording them. Also, when working with some of the methods we will cover later like dream reentry and dream incubation, it is best to be thinking and recording in terms of now not then. As an added bonus, writing in the present tense also makes for better reading at a later date.
        With each dream journal entry, you should include a date, a time if you can, and a title for each dream. To find a suitable name for your dream, imagine if it were a movie and choose the most appropriate title. Something simple is usually best as long as it captures the essence of the dream. Anything from "Red ants in a rainforest" to "Class reunion on an airplane" will be fine. If you have several different dreams during the night, it is best to separate and title each one. Mixing separate dreams together may make the dream's message harder to find and may make choosing a distinctive title nearly impossible. The main purpose of titling your dreams is to make them easier to access at a glance when you are looking through your dream journal.
         Now, if you are like me or like most people, I am assuming one of two things. You are either going to think you can learn to lucid dream without keeping a dream journal or else you will start keeping a dream journal and before you know it, it will be gathering dust next to that book you meant to read. I say this only because I thought the same way. Not to say that it could not be done, anything is possible, but why not increase your odds, maximize your results, and speed up the process with a proven method. Once you get into the habit of keeping your journal, it will become as routine as putting your clothes on in the morning. Although it gets easier with time, in the beginning it is helpful to have some pointers.
            Keeping a dream journal is not the easiest thing to do. I have spent many a day thumbing through random pieces of papers scribbled with dream accounts. To make the beginning of the process easier I have several suggestions based on several different approaches I have tried combined with the advice of others. It seems like such a simple thing. You dream, you wake up, and you write down your dreams. Well, there's more to it. For example, when you awaken if you start writing in your journal as you are recalling the nights dreams, it is hard to remember everything accurately in the right sequence. You may have already moved on to a new scene but then you remember something you had forgotten. This prompted me to write everything I could remember on a sheet of paper and then after doing this I would write an organized account of it in my journal. This works fine if you have lots of free time but with time being a valuable commodity it is rather inefficient.
        Along with the difficulty of balancing your time and determining how organized you need to have your journal, another problem you will encounter is the simple fact that you have to do a lot of writing which in itself can become monotonous. The best approach is to recall all that you can in your head before writing anything, but even so you probably will remember more as you are writing it. By recording your dreams only on the right-hand pages of the journal, you can write late arriving memories on the left-hand page and conveniently draw an arrow to the portion of the dream in which it occurred. You can also use the left-hand pages to draw pictures of any dream objects or maps of the dreamscape. This tip may require you to buy double the amount of journals, but if you want more organized entries it certainly works.
        If you do choose to use this method, you should use the left-hand pages to record what you did while awake that day, where you went, who you saw, etc... Whether you use the left/right page method or not, you should include this daily information somewhere in your journal, preferably on the same page as your dream entries. This can be very helpful when you are looking for patterns in your dreams. For example, I have found that I will often dream about things from two days before or two days after the dream. If I watched a program about natural disasters on Monday, I would not be surprised if I dreamed about it on Wednesday. If I dream about a person who I have not heard from in a while, they will usually call me two days later. I don't know why it happens, but by analyzing my dreams and the journal entries of what I did for the day, I have found this to be one of my patterns.
        Many people recommend using a dictaphone to record your dreams. Upon awakening you can just speak your dreams aloud into the recorder, and enter them into your journal later. I've tried this method and find that for me at least it is not the way to go. It is not very time efficient. It certainly is easier to record them verbally, but the problem comes when you are transcribing these tapes. It takes far too long to listen to these recordings and write them down in your journal, and you still have the problem of trying to keep the dream's sequence in order which becomes even more troublesome when you use a tape recorder.
         There are many different styles of journal keeping and everyone may have a natural preference, but if you want to save some time. Learning mostly through trial and error, I have developed the easiest and most efficient method. Prompted by the idea of how wonderful it would be if the Dictaphone could write up my journal entries for me, I employed the help of my personal computer. I purchased a speech to text recognition program called vivacious. It will convert what you say into text on your computer screen. You speak at a normal pace and it does all the typing for you, and you can use it directly with Microsoft Word, my word processing program. The speech to text program was on fifty dollars and it works just fine for a dream journal. It may make an occasion error but the journal entries are extremely legible and the time saved is enormous. It completely removes the burden of writing down your dreams and it totally solves the problem of jumbled dream sequences because you can cut and paste any misplaced dream fragments into their appropriate place. If you have the resources, this is by far the easiest and most efficient way of keeping a dream journal.
 
Step Four) Becoming familiar with your Dreams
        As your dream journal grows and your dream recall increases, naturally you will become more familiar with your dreams. Certain people, certain places, and certain activities may be more likely to appear in your dreams. For example, you may have a majority of dreams in which you are at your office or at school or at the beach. Certain dream themes might also be more common than others. You might dream of being a hero or you might dream of being chased. These recurrent patterns in your dreams are your dreamsigns, and they will be the first stepping stones on your path to lucid dreaming.
         By learning your distinctive dreamsigns, you will be able to further increase your recall. Making a list of your dreamsigns is a great idea. If you are having trouble recalling any dreams, you can run down your list of dream signs and question yourself to see if any of them will spark a memory. Sometimes, by jarring just one dream fragment loose you can recover the whole dream, so knowing and using your dreamsigns will give you just the edge you need to overcome a morning bout of dream amnesia.
          By working with your dreamsigns, you will develop an intimate relationship with your dreams. They will become more accessible and easier to understand. It is helpful to ask yourself why you are dreaming what you dream. What do these dreamsigns mean to you? The more you understand not only your dreamsigns but what they mean, the more you will benefit from them in both your dream life and your waking life.
         If at first you are having trouble identifying your dreamsigns, realize that your dreamsigns don't have to be something unordinary. As a matter of fact, they may be the most ordinary thing. For example, you may have dreams about your previous day or you may dream of cleaning your house. Whatever it is that you dream about, you need to be noting the patterns and commonalties. You can start with whatever patterns you notice no matter how insignificant they seem. Using these as a springboard, you will soon begin to notice more patterns developing. The process of looking for patterns may in fact create the patterns themselves so if you are having trouble finding your dreamsigns, just keep looking and they will emerge.
         The quest to discover and understand your dreamsigns is a lifelong journey because your dream signs are continually evolving just like you. Some themes may last for only a week and then disappear, only to resurface a month later. Other dream signs will last much longer. As times change and you change, your dreamsigns being a reflection of you and your thoughts will change as well. Keeping up with your dreamsigns will keep you in touch with yourself.
        With the help of your journal, you can easily spot the recurrent dreamsigns and you can get an overview of how they are changing. As you are making entries to your journal, you should make note of any dreamsigns that you spot. You can underline them or put a star next to them. Any notation will due as long as it is consistent and noticeable. The idea is to have them accessible at a glance so when you pick up your journal in a year you can easily see the change in the pattern of patterns, your ever-changing dreamsigns.
        Identifying your dreamsigns also plays a crucial part in the lucid dreaming process. Your dreamsigns are in effect "signs that you are dreaming", and as you will soon learn in the sixth step, you can train yourself to notice your dreamsigns while you are dreaming and this will be the springboard into lucidity.
 
Step Five) Adding Awareness to your Waking Consciousness

        This step alone could be the source of countless books. It is almost a method in itself, but used in conjunction with the other steps, it becomes an optimal way to learn lucid dreaming. As a matter of fact, the whole process of lucid dreaming is achieved by training your awareness. The idea is to increase our daily awareness in order to benefit from the carryover effects it will have on our dreaming awareness. If you are more aware during the day, you will become more aware while dreaming.
         There are many ways to increase our awareness, and we will delve into many of them in this section. The handling and manipulation of our awareness will become one of the central issues for the rest of this manual. As you exercise your awareness, you may realize that you are not usually aware of how unaware you are most of the day.
        Since this is such an important aspect, it is crucial to have a workable understanding of these concepts. The ultimate goal is learning how to apply these principles to create results. First, we will deal with the concept of awareness and then we will learn the practical applications. The term awareness as we will be referring to it applies to your consciousness. How conscious are you? It alludes to your current level of self-observation. How aware are you of your awareness? It refers to your level of mindfulness. How centered is your awareness? It refers to your waking mental state of affairs. How truly aware are you? For our purposes here, these questions will culminate in your dreams when you become aware that you are dreaming by asking, am I dreaming?
           For many people these reflective questions go unasked and in turn they remain unanswered. They were never taught that there are differing levels of awareness nor were they ever taught how to cultivate a heightened sense of awareness. To them, either one is awake or one is sleeping. The fact is that you can be fully conscious, semiconscious, and not conscious at all in your dreams as well as in your waking life. It is all a matter of mindfulness. It all boils down to your level of awareness.
        Do you ever realize you've been listening to the radio and haven't heard it for minutes? Do you ever drive somewhere methodically and not remember the drive once you arrive? How about misplacing your keys? Moments of "zoning out" like this occur when your awareness strays from the moment at hand. It is a result of losing your mindfulness, becoming attentionally uncentered. You may have been daydreaming or planning your day or truly "in a zone", but the resulting experience is that you were not aware of your position in your current surroundings.
         There is nothing wrong with daydreaming or planning your day. The point is that we often overlook the transition of our awareness from one moment to the next. The thoughts we have often flutter through our minds without us even taking note of them, let alone actively taking part in their creation and guidance. The point is not to be obsessed with your surroundings but to be aware of your awareness. Becoming aware of your thoughts and thinking patterns is just as important as identifying your dreamsigns and dream patterns. Changing your thoughts will change your awareness, and the idea is to have your awareness programmed and locked on self-observant aware mode instead of running on an non-reflective autopilot mode.
         It is as if we are normally aware of riding the crest of a wave produced by external factors instead of guiding our awareness ourselves. We react more than we reflect which leads to automated behavior. We become less questioning which in turn reduces our awareness to what we already know, or think we know. We identify with our position on this crest so habitually that after a while we fail to realize that there even are any other ways of viewing it. We overlook our part in the ocean. We overlook the active role that we play in guiding our awareness.
        Try to remain aware of your awareness as if you were a bystander just watching where it goes and how it flows. The longer you can sustain this level of awareness, the better. But it isn't as easy as it sounds, and if you think it is, try sustaining it all day long and then realize how often you lose your mindfulness. The fact is that we aren't in the habit of being aware, but this is a habit that must be changed. How is your awareness flowing from one point to the next? How often throughout the day are you aware of your awareness as well as your position in your surroundings? It is this kind of mindfulness that you need to cultivate. It is this kind of centering and grounding of your awareness in awareness that you need to practice and develop until it becomes second nature, or hopefully even first nature.
         Practicing meditation is an excellent way to exercise your awareness. Studies done by Jayne I. Gackenbach, a notable lucid dream researcher, show a direct correlation between meditation and lucid dreaming. People who meditate have a greater likelihood of having lucid dreams compared to non-meditators. Both meditators and lucid dreamers "are able to become "caught up" in an experience, and are aware of their inner thoughts and internal processes." (* Dreamtime,Dreamwork, pg244-45) This could be due to the emphasis put on consciously developing of one's awareness. By exercising your awareness, you are more able to be "in the moment", an ability that greatly enhances your lucid dreaming ability. "In addition, meditators and lucid dreamers find it easier to recall their dreams and tend to be "field independent" (that is, they could find their way out of a forest more easily than "field dependent" people, because they are not as easily influenced by people or objects in their environment.)" (*Dreamtime/work, pg 245) Other studies by Alexander, Boyle, and Alexander have shown that both lucid dreamers and meditators "have less stress-related personality characteristics" than their non-meditating and non-lucid dreaming counterparts. If lucid dreaming and meditating can have these beneficial effects on our waking self, imagine what can be accomplished by practicing both of them symbiotically.
          Meditation and lucid dreaming are intimately linked. By learning more about meditating and practicing it regularly, you will be stacking the odds in your favor when it comes to lucid dreaming. Many of the principles involved in meditation have a direct bearing on lucid dreaming. Meditation can be used to induce profound states of relaxation, and these relaxed states are extremely beneficial for inducing lucid dreams. Also, the goal of many meditational approaches is to silence the mind. Creating inner silence and stopping one's internal dialogue is an important technique we will be covering later on when we discuss some of the methods of inducing lucid dreams. Mediation also develops the ability to have a detached awareness, an awareness that allows itself to operate like a slightly removed observer. Once again, this ability to have a detached awareness will be extremely useful when attempting many of the lucid dream induction techniques. Meditation in and of itself requires developing a certain amount of control over your awareness. Since this is also a prerequisite for learning how to lucid dream, it is highly advisable to incorporate meditation into your lucid dreaming regime.
       Now that you have an understanding of these concepts, the best way to create results is to apply them toward our goal, lucid dreaming. In order to learn how to lucid dream, you must be able to differentiate between what is "reality" and what is a dream. You must develop a questioning awareness. While awake you should be regularly doing "reality checks". There are two parts to a reality check. The first part is asking yourself if you are dreaming or not, and the second part is testing your surroundings to verify if in fact you are dreaming or not.
       These reality checks should be done frequently throughout the day. The idea is to ingrain this habit into your daily routine so that it will spill over into your dreams. If you practice this consistently, it is just a matter of time until you perform a reality check while dreaming, and if you test your surroundings carefully enough you will realize you are dreaming. In the beginning, I would set the alarm on my wristwatch to go off every half hour as a constant reminder to do my reality checks. Another technique is to write one letter on each hand or wrist and each time you notice the letters you perform a reality check. You could use an L on one and a D on the other to stand for Lucid Dream or B and C for Become Conscious. The letters themselves mean very little. It is remembering to do the reality check that matters, and if this is a method you use regularly, it will surely make its way into your dreams to remind you to question your surroundings.
        Asking if you are dreaming is the easy part. The trick is to be able to distinguish whether you are really dreaming or not. The idea is to look for strange or nonsensical things that could only occur if you were dreaming, but sometimes it is hard to tell. For example, the idea of pinching yourself to make sure you are not dreaming does not hold any weight in the dream realm. You will actually feel the pinch in your dream so it may lead you to believe that you aren't dreaming unless you perform other tests.
        For some reason, we are much more accepting and much less analytical of inconsistencies while dreaming so performing multiple reality checks maximizes our odds of becoming lucid if in fact we are dreaming. It is also very helpful to always assume that you are dreaming even if the tests indicate otherwise. You should keep testing and keep trying all of the different reality checks until one works, and only after you have exhausted all options should you conclude that you are not dreaming. As you get some experience, you will see firsthand how important it is to be questioning and persistent. But luckily due to all the research into lucid dreaming, reality checks are no longer a hit or miss scenario. Many of them show wide-ranging effectiveness among all dreamers.


Here is a list of the most effective reality checks:
 
1.) The Common Sense Test: This is the first and most obvious check. Examine your surroundings for anything that logically should not be there. Ask if this could happen in your normal life. Look for inconsistencies. Are you somewhere you have never been before? Are you with people who live on the other side of the country? Is there an elephant in your kitchen? These are the kinds of questions that can spark your lucidity.
2.) The Reading Check: This is one of the most effective checks. Simply look around and find something to read. After reading it, look away and then look back again to reread it. Do this several times. If you are dreaming, the text or numbers will usually change after several glances. It may become garbled or may have changed completely or it will not remain stable while you are reading it. Anything containing words or numbers will work: a book, a street sign, an address. Many people use the dial on their dream watch.
3.) the Flying or Levitation Check: This is another very effective check. See if you are able to fly. If you are not able to fly, try to levitate or hover slightly above the ground. As you become more skilled at lucid dreaming, this may become your favorite check as it is mine. The only down side is that at times you may try this and be unable to fly or levitate, yet you still may be dreaming. Always remember to use this in combination with other checks unless of course it works, which in most cases it will.
4.) The Light Switch Check: This is usually a quite reliable check. Find a light switch and turn it on and off. If it malfunctions then the odds are you are dreaming. Try it several times and pay close attention to when it should be on and when it should be off. It usually will not take long before it malfunctions or operates correctly while in the wrong position.
5.) The Memory Check: This is a very effective but largely unknown method. Simply backtrack in your mind where you have just come from and what you have been doing. Keep thinking back as far as you can and eventually you may find that there are inconsistencies in your memory. By backtracking your dream memory, you may also become aware of something illogical that has happened which you overlooked at the time. You also may find that you have an amnesia-like block that prevents you from remembering accurately. In all of these cases, you can safely assume that you are dreaming.
6.) The Mirror Check: This is not only an extremely effective method but as an added bonus, it usually results in quite a remarkable experience. Find a mirror and while gazing at yourself, ask if you are dreaming. You may become startled by your reflection. You may be younger or older or have different hairstyle and hair color or you may even be someone different entirely.
7.) The Self Observation Test: This is also a very useful check. Just take a look at yourself. Examine your hands, arms, legs, and clothing. Usually you will immediately be tipped off that are dreaming because you will be wearing clothes that you do not own. Other times, simply looking at your dream body will spark your lucidity.
8.) The Penetration of Matter Check: This is not the most reliable method but it has helped me on many occasions. Simply try to push your finger through something solid like a wall or a door or a glass. At first, it may not work but if you believe that you can do it, you eventually will be able to pass your finger right through any solid. As an added bonus on this check, you are also developing your ability to allow your beliefs to directly influence your experience.
9.) The Gravity Check: This is a somewhat reliable check. Find something that you can throw into the air and catch safely. Start tossing it up and down and you may just find that it isn't obeying the laws of gravity as it should if you were in "reality". To maximize the success of this check, while tossing it into the air try to effect the object's rise and fall with your mind.
10.) The Questioning of Dream Characters Check: This may not be the best thing to try while awake but sometimes it can be effective if in fact you are dreaming. In "reality" if you asked people if we were in a dream, their response would be to accuse you of being insane, yet in the dream realm, it is sometimes a different matter. Usually the dream characters will deny that it is a dream, but they deny it with an air of denial. They usually never question your sanity, and in some cases, they don't even understand what you are saying and disregard you entirely. Also, on rare occasions, someone in your dream will admit that it is in fact a dream.
         As mentioned earlier, these reality checks should be practiced regularly throughout the day. The more they become embedded into your daily routine, the sooner they will appear in your dreams. If there were one word that sums up what you need to develop in order to speed up the lucid dreaming process, it would be awareness, awareness, awareness. Working on your awareness will have direct carryover effects into your dreams, and once you become more skilled at lucid dreaming you will realize that your awareness combined with your intent is your passport into the dream realm.
 
Step Six) Linking your Awareness to your Dreams

          This last step is rather simple and easy compared to the previous steps, and due to its simplicity you should have no problem incorporating it into your daily regime. But before we move on, let's review where you should be at right now. At this point, you have done the mental prep-work, you have been increasing your dream recall, and you have been keeping your dream journal. You are becoming familiar with what you dream about, noticing your dreamsigns, and exercising your awareness by meditating and doing your reality checks consistently.
        The final step is to combine what you have learned about your dreams with what you have learned about your awareness. Put simply, you need to merge your reality checks with your dreamsigns so that whenever you encounter one of your dreamsigns you automatically start doing reality checks. If you dream of classrooms or beaches or driving fast in a car, whenever you see a classroom or a beach or whenever you are driving in a fast car you will be programmed to do a reality check. The end result will be this: Inevitably you are going to dream about one of your dreamsigns and eventually you are going to remember to do a reality check and eventually you are going to realize that you are dreaming.
        It is helpful to stay updated on your current dreamsigns and dream themes. If you have been having dreams of being chased for the past week, you need to activate a trigger onto the idea of being chased so that whenever you are being chased you will realize that you need to do a reality check. By becoming intimately acquainted with your dreamsigns and linking reality checks to these dreamsigns, you will be laying a solid foundation for future lucid dreaming adventures.
        As you can see, these six steps are all interwoven into one basic process. Leaving out just one step will diminish the effectiveness of all the other steps, and in turn, it will decrease the actual results of the entire process. Almost all of the other techniques and methods mentioned for inducing lucid dreams are based on this process to a certain extent. Often, they are offshoots of this process or are limited versions of one or more of these six basic steps. Study them and internalize them. Practice them diligently and consistently and your subconscious will become ingrained with them. By following these six basic steps, you will inevitably have a lucid dream.  Eventually these habits will carry over into your dreams, and hopefully the final payoff will be when you say, "Yes, I am dreaming!"
stay lucid,
bird ^v^
Marc VanDeKeere

http://www.consciousdreaming.com/lucid-dreaming/how-to-lucid-dream.htm