The American Occupation of Afghanistan
The Birth of a National Liberation Movement

By Prof. Marc W. Herold

The Taliban inherited a devastated country, torn apart during six years of warlord in-fighting. Few state structures or institutions existed. Moreover, the background of the Taliban hardly prepared them for national governance. Continue

Sept. 11: A Day Without War

By Amy Goodman

The ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States should serve as a moment to reflect on tolerance. It should be a day of peace. Yet the rising anti-Muslim fervor here, together with the continuing U.S. military occupation of Iraq and the escalating war in Afghanistan (and Pakistan), all fuel the belief that the U.S. really is at war with Islam. Continue

No-Drama, No Storyline Obama Tragedy

By Robert S. Becker

If this White House cannot find a gripping narrative to justify its power, then – rest assured – wingnuts in the wings will reprise their perfectly coherent storyline. Brace for new and improved wedge-driven crusades against sham enemies, domestic and foreign. Continue

The Art of Talking Middle East Peace with a Forked Tongue

By Rizwan A. Rahmani

Hamas is the golden goose that Israel doesn't want to kill: they get to create a struggle for power between the two occupied territories, keeping Fatah's power in check. Continue

Eye Witness - The Nakba

3 Minute Video

The myths and realities of the 1948 war and the birth of the Palestinian refugee problem. Continue

During War There Are No Civilians

By Nora Barrows-Friedman

Sitting in on the Rachel Corrie trial alarmingly reveals an open Israeli policy of indiscrimination towards civilians. Continue

Ultra-Rich in Finance Are Meaner Than Rest of Us

By Matthew Lynn

At a conference in Zurich last week, the head of Barclays Wealth Management’s private-banking unit, Gerard Aquilina, appeared to issue a red alert about the richest of clients. Continue

The United States of Inequality

By Timothy Noah

All my life I've heard Latin America described as a failed society (or collection of failed societies) because of its grotesque maldistribution of wealth. - But according to the Central Intelligence Agency (whose patriotism I hesitate to question), income distribution in the United States is more unequal than in Guyana, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and roughly on par with Uruguay, Argentina, and Ecuador. Continue

Lie Like a Rug

By Becky Akers

I don’t know which is more offensive, these breathtaking lies or the utter insult to our intelligence. Continue

US attack kill 14 "militants" in Pakistan: More than 1,040 people have been killed in 122 drone strikes in Pakistan since August 2008, including a number of senior militants. However, the attacks fuel anti-American sentiment in the conservative Muslim country.

Two killed in Balochistan blast: At least two people were killed and several injured on Wednesday in a blast in the Balochistan province of southern Pakistan.

Somalia: Eleven killed in Mogadishu battles: At least 11 people including civilians died on Wednesday in fighting between African Union troops backing the Somali government and Islamist rebels, officials and witnesses said.

'Slow genocide' in Somalia's capital Mogadishu: Residential areas frequently come under heavy, indiscriminate shelling, corpses litter the alleyways, and neither side seems to be gaining the upper hand.

Suicide attack rocks northern Afghanistan, killing 3: A suicide bomber blew himself up Wednesday morning in Afghan northern Baghlan province, killing two policemen and leaving two others wounded, provincial police spokesman said.

NATO occupation force soldier killed; suicide bomber targets Afghan militiamen: A NATO soldier was killed in a Taliban attack in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, while a suicide bomber targeted pro-government militiamen in the north, killing one, officials said.

Inside the mind of a suicide bomber: Pacha Khan, a 25-year-old Taliban fighter from Logar in Afghanistan, has announced that he is ready to become a suicide bomber. "God willing, our leaders have prepared everything for me, I am now waiting for my orders," he said

Britain's Afghan envoy resigns: Britain's special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan is quitting with immediate effect, London said Wednesday, following a reported clash with NATO and US officials on fighting the Taliban.

Five dead in Iraq attacks: A spate of bomb attacks and shootings in Iraq on Wednesday killed five people, including a TV presenter, as Baghdad imposed a ban on motorbikes before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

Iraqi soldier kills 2 U.S. troops: An Iraqi soldier opened fire on American troops and killed two on Tuesday, U.S. and Iraqi officials said. They were the first American servicemen killed since the U.S. declared an official end to combat operations in the country last week.

Iraq police arrest brother of US soldiers' killer: Police on Wednesday detained the brother of an Iraqi soldier killed after gunning down two American troops and wounding nine others, the first US deaths since combat operations were declared over.

Gunmen Kill Second Iraqi TV Journalist: Iraqi police say gunmen have killed an Iraqi television journalist, the second journalist slain in that country over the past two days.

Baghdad to Damascus, a road with no way back: As a member of an insurgent group that worked the west side of the Iraqi capital, she had fought a guerrilla war against American troops for two years, often disguised as a poor street vendor as she helped to set bombs to blow up their patrols.

Human Rights Violations in Yemen under the Pretext of Combating Terrorism: The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies strongly condemns the Yemeni army's shelling in the Lawdar district in the Abyan province, Southern Yemen, which has severely harmed the civilian population located there.

US expands military training in Yemen, reflecting a broader counterterror program: The scope and amount of the military training in Yemen has grown slowly, reflecting the Pentagon's intention to tackle the terror threat while still being sensitive to fears that a larger American footprint in Yemen could help fuel the insurgency.

Misquoted, misinformed or slandering Ahmadinejad?: Fidel tells Iranian president to stop slandering Jews: “This went on for maybe two thousand years,” he said. “I don't think anyone has been slandered more than the Jews. I would say much more than the Muslims. They have been slandered much more than the Muslims because they are blamed and slandered for everything. No one blames the Muslims for anything.”

In case you missed it: Does Iran's President Want Israel Wiped Off The Map - Does He Deny The Holocaust?: An analysis of media rhetoric on its way to war against Iran - Commenting on the alleged statements of Iran's President Ahmadinejad .

PA official: We won't recognize Israel as a Jewish state: Senior Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath says recognizing Israel as a Jewish state would harm Israeli Arabs and negate the right of return of Palestinian refugees.

Who is reading your email: Foreign report: Israel has one of world's largest 'eavesdropping' intel bases: According to the report, the base has 30 antennas and satellite dishes of different sizes and types, capable of eavesdropping on telephone calls and accessing the e-mail of "governments, international organizations, foreign companies, political groups and individuals.

'Mind-reading machine' can convert thoughts into speech: A mind reading machine is a step closer to reality after scientists discovered a way of translating people's thoughts into words.

War criminal: Blair Cancels Second Event Promoting Memoir Amid Iraq War Protest Threats: “It is sad in a way because you should have the right to sign books or see your friends if you want to,” Blair told ITV’s This Morning program today.

Land Grabs in Poor Countries Set to Increase: After weeks of rumours sparked by the leaking of a draft World Bank position paper on so-called land grabs in poor countries, the international financial institution has officially released its report on the surge in farmland purchases and leasing which have elicited controversy for over two years.

Federal court: 4th Amendment standard does not always apply to mobile phone location data: : 4th Amendment standard does not always apply to mobile phone location dataLaw enforcement can still be required to obtain a search warrant for access to citizens' mobile phone location data, but police need not uphold the traditional Fourth Amendment standard of "probable cause" in the process of such an investigation, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

Florida pastor says going ahead with Koran burning: An obscure U.S. Christian pastor whose plan to burn copies of the Koran on Sept. 11 has sparked an international outcry said on Wednesday he will still go ahead with the event despite U.S. official warnings it will endanger American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Religious Leaders Condemn Growing Islamophobia: Leaders of some three dozen mainstream U.S. religious denominations Tuesday condemned what many commentators have called a rising tide of Islamophobia touched off by the recent controversy over the construction of a Muslim community centre in Lower Manhattan

Should US government debt be rated junk?: While investors are willing to accept little in the way of return to own U.S. government debt and the U.S. has retained its AAA credit rating, the metrics by which we use to evaluate the balance sheet of the United States continue to deteriorate.

Health Insurers Plan Hikes: Health insurers say they plan to raise premiums for some Americans as a direct result of the health overhaul in coming weeks, complicating Democrats' efforts to trumpet their signature achievement before the midterm elections.

September 08, 2010

Sentencing Terrorism Suspects to Death -- Without Trial

By Anthony D. Romero and Vincent Warren

We simply cannot accept the proposition that the government should have unchecked authority to carry out extrajudicial killings, including of U.S. citizens, far from any actual battlefield. Nor can we accept the contention that the entire world is a battlefield. Continue

The Triumph of Evil

By Prof. John Kozy

Modern societies have justified their adoption of criminal activities by claiming that such techniques are necessary to combat evil. But the war against evil by the good cannot be won using evil tactics. Evil never yields goodness, and by using these evil practices, the amount of evil in the world increases both in amount and extent. Continue

Tony Blair: Cheney’s vision ‘not stupid,’ possible ‘over time’

Don't rule out attack on Iran, Blair says

By David Edwards and Daniel Tencer

Vice-President Dick Cheney's vision of completely redrawing the map of the Middle East following the 9/11 attacks is "not stupid," and is "possible over time," former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says. Continue

Blair Was Told Iraq Threat Not A Concern

By Humberto

Lady Manningham-Buller, Director General of the UK Security Service from 2002 until 2007, told the investigators that Mr Blair's fears over Saddam arming terrorists were a mere "hypothetical theory", and certainly "not a concern in the short term or medium term to my colleagues or myself" — the information available was simply not "substantial enough". Continue

9 Shameless Warmongers Who Call Fox News Home

By , Media Matters for America

Media Matters takes a look at the track record of wrong predictions and shoddy analysis about the war in Iraq by many of Fox News’ contributors and analysts. Continue

Will Our Generals Ever Shut Up? 
The Military’s Media Megaphone and the U.S. Global Military Presence 

By Tom Engelhardt

To grasp the changing nature of military influence domestically, consider the military’s relationship to the media.  Its media megaphone offers a measure of the reach and influence of that behemoth, what kinds of pressures it can apply in support of its own version of foreign policy, and just how, under its weight, the relationship between the civilian and military high commands is changing. Continue

‘They Kill Alex’

By Chris Hedges

Military recruiters, who often have offices in high schools, prey on young men like Alex, who was first approached when he was 16. They cater to their insecurities, their dreams and their economic deprivation. Continue

Obama Signalled His Complete Rurrender To Zionism

By Alan Hart

He did it with seven words. “Ultimately the U.S. cannot impose a solution.” Continue

'Honor' Killing: The Crimewave that Shames the World

By Robert Fisk

It's one of the last great taboos: the murder of at least 20,000 women a year in the name of 'honor'. Nor is the problem confined to the Middle East: the contagion is spreading rapidly. Continue

EU Banks Are Still Wobbly

By Mike Whitney

The EU banking system is in big trouble. That's why European Central Bank (ECB) head Jean-Claude Trichet continues to purchase government bonds and provide "unlimited funds" for underwater banks. It's an effort to prevent a financial system meltdown that could plunge the eurozone back into recession. Continue

Is the Economy as Broke as Lehman Was?

By Michael Hudson

Why bail out Wall Street – and not the quarter of U.S. homeowners unfortunate enough also to suffer “negative equity” but not qualify for the help that the officials they elect gave to Wall Street’s winners by enabling Bear Stearns, A.I.G., Countrywide Financial and other gamblers to pay their bad debts? Continue

Happy *uckin' Labor Day!

By Michael Moore

Before there were unions, there was no middle class. Working people didn't get to send their kids to college, few were able to own their own *ucking home, nobody could take a *ucking day off for a funeral or a sick day or they might lose their *ucking job. Continue

19 killed in Pak suicide blast: Pakistan’s Taliban claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack in the town of Lakki Marwat, warning the government not to use lashkar, or militias, to fight the group. “If they do not stop, then the next target will be members of the lashkar,” Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location.

US kills five people in Pakistan: A United States unmanned aircraft fired two missiles into Pakistan's tribal region along the Afghan border on Monday, killing five people, security officials said.

Blast rocks police installation in Kohat; four killed: Four people were killed and more than 20 wounded in a bomb attack targeting a police headquarters in Kohat on Tuesday, police said.

Donors put faith in charities linked to terrorism: Pakistanis are donating to a flood-relief appeal run by a front organisation for a banned terrorist group because they believe it to be more effective and trustworthy than others soliciting support, especially the government.

Taliban kill NATO soldier, senior Afghan official: A US soldier was killed fighting insurgents in southern Afghanistan Tuesday, NATO said, a day after rebels killed a senior government official in the country's north.

Petraeus seeks 2,000 more troops for Afghanistan: The mission would come on the heels of the deployment of tens of thousands of soldiers who were sent as part of a surge strategy aimed at crushing a resilient Taliban insurgency, the official said.

US to Spend $6B a Year on Afghan Troops: The United States expects to spend about $6 billion a year training and supporting Afghan troops and police after it begins pulling out its own combat troops in "2011", The Associated Press has learned.

Afghan bank officers' assets frozen: Move targets leading shareholders and borrowers of Kabul Bank in the wake of serious liquidity crisis.

3 civilians killed in Mogadishu fighting: reports: Three civilians were killed in fightings between Somalia's Islamic militants and the African Union (AU) backed government forces in the Horn of Africa nation's capital Mogadishu

Death toll in Mogadishu fighting hits 230: The UN refugee agency said Tuesday that 230 civilians had been killed during fighting between government forces and Islamist rebels over the past two weeks in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.

US military says gunman in Iraqi army uniform kills 2 American soldiers in northern Iraq: A military statement says the Americans were among a group of U.S. soldiers meeting with Iraqi security forces Tuesday at an Iraqi army compound near the city of Tuz Khormato, about 130 miles (210 kilometres) north of Baghdad.

'IAEA report confirms Iran's clean slate': "After seven years of constant inspections, the report once again confirms the non-diversion of Iran's nuclear activities towards military and banned objectives."

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran : Iran has enough fuel for 2 nuclear warheads, report says: Iran has produced more than enough nuclear fuel to power two atomic warheads if it were to further enrich its supply and disregard its treaty obligations, according to a report issued Monday by the world's nuclear energy watchdog.

Iran on brink of nuclear weapon, warns watchdog: Iran has passed a crucial nuclear threshold, weapons inspectors have warned, and could now go on to arm an atomic missile with relative ease.

Russian official: U.S. hindering resumption of talks with Iran: The comments, made to a discussion group of Russia experts, appeared aimed at nudging Washington towards restarting stalled UN-backed talks to provide Iran with nuclear fuel for a Tehran research reactor.

Poll: Half of Israeli teens don't want Arab students in their class: Study polling 500 teens aged 15 to 18 finds that most don't think Arabs enjoy equal rights in Israel, and most of those don't think Arabs deserve equal rights.

Who is reading your email: Foreign report: Israel has one of world's largest 'eavesdropping' intel bases: According to the report, the base has 30 antennas and satellite dishes of different sizes and types, capable of eavesdropping on telephone calls and accessing the e-mail of "governments, international organizations, foreign companies, political groups and individuals.

Israel's Sharon family 'in bribery case': An Austrian billionaire has reportedly paid 4.5 million dollars in bribes to the sons of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israeli police say.

ElBaradei urges election boycott : He said that parliamentary elections scheduled for November would be marred by fraud, and called for a complete boycott.

13 killed as Mozambique lowers cost of bread: Cabinet holds emergency meeting following three days of clashes between police and demonstrators that left 13 dead.

French unions hold pensions strike: Workers stage strikes and nationwide protests over Sarkozy's overhaul plans, disrupting public transport and services.

The Great American Stickup: How Reagan Republicans and Clinton Democrats Enriched Wall Street While Mugging Main Street

Pre-existing health condition insurance premium too expensive for many: Of the estimated 4 million Americans eligible for the program, only about 2,000 had applied as of Aug. 1

Obama to introduce $200 billion business tax cut: In another move aimed at stabilizing the still-shaky economy, President Barack Obama on Wednesday will introduce a new $200 billion tax cut giving businesses across the country an incentive to buy new equipment in the short term, according to a senior administration official.

The Ten American Industries Which Will Never Recover: Here is the list of the ten jobs categories that will not recover based on 24/7 Wall St. research:

Future hiring will mainly benefit the high-skilled: Professional fields with higher pay. Think lawyers, research scientists and software engineers. Lower-skill and lower-paying jobs, like home health care aides and store clerks. And those in between? Their outlook is bleaker. Economists foresee fewer moderately paid factory supervisors, postal workers and office administrators.

September 06, 2010

Nuclear Hypocrisy
UN Atomic Agency Curtails Probe of Israel’s Nuclear Capability

By Jonathan Tirone

Countries including Canada, the U.K. and U.S. opposed the probe, saying that the inquiry risked turning the IAEA into a political battleground, according to the documents. Others, including China, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey, supported the investigation. Continue

Israeli Settlement Construction Booms Despite Ban

By Juliane von Mittelstaedt in Jerusalem

In the Jewish "settlements" in the West Bank, construction is proceeding at full speed. A legal ban is being ignored and the government is looking away. The thousands of new homes could hinder reconciliation. Continue

$12.8 Trillion :
The True Cost Of The Bank Bailout

By KPBS

We all know about TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which spent $700 billion in taxpayers’ money to bail out banks after the financial crisis. - But it turns out that that $700 billion is just a small part of a much larger pool of money that has gone into propping up our nation’s financial system. Continue

The Real Economy is Jobs and Paychecks

By Robert Reich

Many big American companies have been showing profits because they're doing ever more business in China while cutting payrolls at home. American consumers aren't buying much of anything because they've lost their jobs or are worried about losing them, and are still trying to get out from under a huge debt load (the latest figures show more consumer debt delinquent now than last year and a surge in personal bankruptcies). Continue

Richest Lawmakers Grew Wealthier as Economy Faltered

By Rachel Rose Hartman

The rest of the country is still struggling with high unemployment amid a sluggish-at-best economic recovery -- but the wealthiest members of Congress are in high cotton. Indeed, the top 50 wealthiest lawmakers saw their combined net worths increase last year. Continue

Wage Slaves
Drowning in Debt: US Students Helpless to Pay Off Education

By Russia Today

A ticking time bomb of American debt. Over $830 billion are owed by college students in the US with $3 thousand more added on every second. The most traditional financial baggage for Americans was credit card debt. For the first time, debt belonging to college students has over taken that number one spot. Continue

Our Long National Nightmare Isn't Over, It's Just Beginning

By David Michael Green

I'm an American.  I live in a country - nay, an empire! - that insists on destroying itself.  I'm part of the generation of decline.  My people are the fools who perfected the fine art of committing suicide by stupidity.  Continue

UN: 40 killed in Sudan clashes: More than 40 killed in Darfur region by violence blamed on rebel groups and government-backed militia at refugee camps.

23 Militants Killed in NATO, Afghan Forces Operations: At least 23 Taliban militants were killed and 5 others were arrested in NATO and Afghan forces operations in Kunar province on Saturday night, said officials

NATO reports 3 occupation force soldiers killed in Afghanistan: NATO on Sunday announced the death of three foreign soldiers, one of them American, in Afghanistan’s insurgent heartland as the Taliban was blamed for attacks that wounded civilians across the country.

Karzai sets up ‘peace council’ for talks with Taliban: Negotiations with high-ranking members of the Taliban-led insurgency are seen as critical to any hopes of ending the nine-year-long rebellion. London welcomed the announcement, but foreign diplomats have privately warned meaningful talks could be years away.

MPs to vote on strategy for Afghan withdrawal: The British Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, will this week face calls to set out a detailed timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan in the first major House of Commons vote since the war began almost nine years ago

Afghan Officials Seek to Shore Up Bank: In a bid to fend off the threat of a nationwide financial crisis, the Afghan government scrambled to come up with the funds to bail out Afghanistan’s largest bank on Saturday after lines of frantic depositors mobbed the bank for a third day.

Fourteen militants killed in central Kurram Agency: A vehicle carrying eight militants was destroyed as an improvised explosive device went off in the central Kurram area, according to sources. Meanwhile, heavy artillery firing by security forces left six militants dead and 10 injured in the Chinark area.

US attack kills 8 alledged militants in Pakistan: Officials: An earlier strike yesterday killed six militants when it hit a compound on the outskirts of Miranshah

'Millions' without aid in Pakistan: A month into the disaster, new areas are flooded and food fails to reach an estimated three million people

Death toll of Baghdad attack reaches 18 -- police: Casualty toll of the bombing attack that targeted a defense ministry building in Baghdad earlier today reached 18 deaths and 36 wounded, police said.

AP: 'Combat in Iraq is not over, and we should not uncritically repeat suggestions that it is': Memo from the AP's standards editor

US 'likely' to keep troops in Iraq after 2011: The United States likely will need to keep thousands of troops in Iraq beyond 2011 to keep a lid on sectarian tensions and to bolster Baghdad's fledgling military, experts and former officers say.

The true cost of the Iraq war: $3 trillion and beyond: This price tag dwarfed previous estimates, including the Bush administration's 2003 projections of a $50 billion to $60 billion war.

Nine people killed in south Yemen violence: Four policemen, two militants killed as fighting between security forces, separatists intensify in Habilayn.

Pentagon Bulks Up Yemen’s Arsenal as Shadow War Grows: U.S. Central Command is pondering a $1.2 billion military-assistance package to Yemen covering the next five years. Just five years ago, the Defense Department dispensed less than $5 million to the benighted country on the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula

3 Killed As Bomber Attacks Dagestan Army Base: Suicide car bomber kills three soldiers and wounds 32 others in the Russian republic of Dagestan.

Israeli attack kills 2 in Gaza: Two Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air raids in the Gaza Strip, medics and security sources say. Another person has been critically injured.

Lieberman: This generation will not see Middle East peace: "However, there is no reason to be worried," Lieberman added. "I repeat: Abu Mazen will not fight us... The only practical solution is a long term interim agreement, on which we can debate. Our proposal is: No to unilateral concessions, no to continuing the settlement freeze."

Demonizing Iran: Report: Iran pays $1,000 for each U.S. soldier killed by the Taliban: Iran is paying Taliban fighters $1,000 for each U.S. soldier they kill in Afghanistan, according to a report in a British newspaper.

Iran is being sanctioned for crimes it didn't commit, official says: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says UN-led sanctions and resolutions targeting the country's nuclear program are 'illegal, illogical and unfair in principle.'

Fidel Castro warns of 'nuclear war': Former Cuban leader says US pressure over Iran's nuclear programme will lead to war, in first public speech since 2006.

Coming to a town near you!: German held by U.S. troops planned Europe attacks: report: A German Islamist held by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and interrogated since July has revealed details of planned attacks on targets in Germany and Europe, a news weekly reported Saturday.

Deaths in Mozambique food price riots: Ten people left dead following three days of clashes between police and demonstrators over high food prices.

Guatemala landslides bury hundreds: Video report: After dozens were killed on Saturday, a fresh landslide overnight may have buried hundreds trying to rescue survivors.

Doctors take battle for inquest into Dr Kelly's death to the High Court: Six reputed doctors are due to go to the High Court next week as they battle to force an inquest into the death of Dr David Kelly. The group is arguing that there is insufficient medical evidence to prove the Government weapons inspector committed suicide.

Tony Blair pelted with eggs and shoes as anti-war protester attempts citizen's arrest : Shoes and eggs were pelted at Tony Blair in Dublin today as he attended his first public signing of his controversial memoir.

CIA money behind Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS): Just imagine… as you approach the restaurant, a menu pops up on your screen, the phone makes suggestions and helps you super-size your order, before you even set foot in the restaurant!

30 False Fronts Won Contracts for Blackwater: Blackwater Worldwide created a web of more than 30 shell companies or subsidiaries in part to obtain millions of dollars in American government contracts after the security company came under intense criticism for reckless conduct in Iraq, according to Congressional investigators and former Blackwater officials.

Rahm Emanuel's 'F--k The UAW': White House Pushes Back On Account In Rattner Book, UAW Prez Responds

More than 400 US Banks Will Fail: Roubini: More than half of the 800-plus US banks on the "critical list" are likely to go bust, according to renowned economist Nouriel Roubini of Roubini Global Economics.

Sellers Cut Prices on 50% of Homes: Seven cities saw price reductions on more than half of their inventory, with Jacksonville, Phoenix and Minneapolis on top with 55 percent, 54.4 percent and 52.4 percent, respectively.

More window dressing? Government to Deploy Broader Mortgage Aid: The Obama administration on Tuesday will launch its most ambitious effort at reducing mortgage balances for homeowners who owe more than their homes are worth.

Summer jobs hit all-time low for youths: Only 47.6% of people ages 16 to 24 had jobs in August, the lowest level since the government began keeping track in 1948, the Labor Department said Friday. By comparison, 62.8% of that age group was employed in August 2000.

Survey of employed finds 25 percent lost a job during recession: Just over a quarter of the nation's 139 million currently employed workers endured a bout of unemployment during the Great Recession, according to results of a Pew Research Center survey released Thursday. And they tend to be less satisfied in their current jobs than are other workers.

Stranger than fiction: Evict the dead?: Cemetery In Foreclosure

September 03, 2010

British Military in Iraq
A Shocking Legacy.

By Felicity Arbuthnot

The British, of course, having come in flying the St George's flag on their vehicles (the Crusaders' flag) slithered out of Basra city, under cover of darkness, to hunker down at the fortified airport, some distance outside the town, in September 2007, much as US units did from other parts of Iraq, last week, fleeing in the night, over the border to Kuwait. Continue

War Criminal Admires War Criminal
Blair Memoir Reveals Support for George W. Bush and Guantanamo Bay

By Roland Watson

TONY Blair admires George W. Bush more than almost any other politician in the world and uses his memoir, A Journey, to give a qualified endorsement of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba and the way in which Afghan and Iraqi detainees have been treated. Continue

Ideology and Ideologues

By James Keye

Ideologues are confident, certain and claim to be in complete possession of THE truth. They use the language of reality and truth just as if they possessed them. Continue

Why the Big Lie About the Job Crisis?

By Les Leopold

The Bureau of Labor Statistics official unemployment rate is 9.6%. It's borader and more telling jobless rate (U6) of 16.7% confirms that we're stuck in our own version of the Great Depression. We'll need more than 22 million new jobs to bring us back to full-employment. Happy Labor Day. Continue

Honoring Those Who Toil

By Ralph Nader

What does Labor Day mean anymore other than another day off, another store sale and, in some cities, parades ever smaller and more devoid of passion for elevating the well-being of working people? Continue

73 killed, over 170 wounded in rally suicide explosion in Pakistani city: The death toll in a rally suicide blast has further increased to seventy-three and more than one hundred and seventy wounded have been admitted to different hospitals of the city, said police Friday.

US attacks kill 10 in Pakistan: Two US drone attacks have killed at least ten people in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region amid growing discontent over climbing number of civilian casualties.