“The Bush administration has set a goal of admitting 12,000 Iraqi refugees in the current budget year that ends next October … That would be a more than sevenfold increase in the 1,608 admitted in fiscal year 2007 … Last month – the first of the new budget year – only 450 Iraqis were allowed in, less than half the monthly average of 1,000 needed to reach the target.”

“The country is fighting, and losing, a guerrilla war against its own tribesmen and foreign al-Qaeda militants in the northwest, a conflict that has resulted in suicide bomb attacks against army installations all over Pakistan.”

The reality of what is actually creeping up on Pakistan is finally finding its way into the press. One question that needs to be asked is: Why is there a civil-guerrilla war raging?

This is unacceptable.

–For those that think that Marxists just talk about industrialization at the expense of the environment. JBF is on the forefront of explaining socialist environmental theory. Have a read.

A legitimate peace-deal can only be negotiated by leaders who have received their mandate from the people.

Also see: Palestinian Police Clash With Protesters | Associated Press & Huge Protests Slam Annapolis Meet | Alam News

–The socialist senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders tells us that Global Warming is reversible. Have a read.

Damn right they are.

“It does not include 17 countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, because of inadequate data.”

What a ridiculous title.

Makes sense.

Great. Now Musharraf, along with Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif should be charged and tried with crimes against the state.

Also see Stephen Lendman: Coup D’Etat Rumblings in Venezuela | Op-ed News

The word – offer – should be in quotations.

The international community has sided with Chavez.

CBC: Labor Party Leader Kevin Rudd swept to power in Australian elections Saturday, ending an 11-year conservative era and promising major changes to policies on global warming and his country’s role in the Iraq war.

Also
Australian Labor elected with view for change
Rudd promised that when in power, he will, among other things, scrap the unpopular Workplace Agreements, and to “get the balance right between fairness and flexibility in the workplaces of the nation.” He highlighted projects in education and health care, the two areas where he has been long ahead of Howard in public opinion polls. — ChinaView Nov 25

Let this be an epitaph for a man of shame
Oh, what an epitaph. That the man whose political party played the race card once too often ­ in his 11th hour ­ is not only tipped out of government, but the man himself tipped out of his now culturally diverse seat by the very people he used so successfully for so long as pawns in his political chess game. Could there be a sweeter decline? — The Age Nov 23

Environment Minister John Baird has refused to strike a joint panel review of the proposed Irving Oil refinery with the Province of New Brunswick, nor will he carry out a federal review. In a press release yesterday he said the federal government would restrict its review to the environmental impacts of the breakwater and wharf that would be constructed to serve the new oil refinery. Instead, all other environmental impacts which come under federal jurisdiction will be considered by the Province.

“This is a victory for Irving Oil, which argued in its filing documents that it would prefer that the federal government not carry out an environmental review of the refinery operations, but leave this to the provincial Department of Environment,” said David Coon, Policy Director for the Conservation Council of New Brunswick. “There will be no formal public hearings and there will be no independent panel review. The review of the refinery will take place behind closed doors by the provincial public service,” said Coon.

The Conservation Council of New Brunswick wants Premier Graham to embrace energy self-sufficiency for New Brunswick. At a news conference today, the group launched a new publication entitled, “A Road Map for Energy Self Sufficiency” which argues that the twin imperatives of making deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and revitalizing local economies can best be met by replacing imported fuels with the development of local energy resources such as efficiency, wood, bioenergy, solar and wind power. The Conservation Council’s report proposes a road map for shrinking New Brunswick’s dependence on electricity while supplying it with green technologies fuelled by local resources.

Tests of water near the Grand Lake power plant in central New Brunswick show high arsenic levels. The provincial government recently released test results from areas around the NB Power plant to the Conservation Council of New Brunswick. The arsenic percentages were the highest where the plant’s waste-water lagoon discharges into the lake, said Inka Milewski, science adviser with the council. “The arsenic levels were 60 times above the national guidelines for arsenic in fresh water,” Milewski said. Arsenic levels in water near the discharge area were 317 micrograms per litre, while the federal limit for fresh water is five micrograms.

U.S. factories, mines and utilities saw the largest decline in output in nine months in October, another troubling sign for an economy already struggling under the weight of a housing downturn.

Industrial output fell 0.5 percent last month, the first drop since May and the largest since January, the Federal Reserve said in a report that surprised economists largely because production of a wide array of factory goods declined.

A separate report on Friday showed a weaker-than-expected flow of investment capital coming into the United States.

Treasury Department data on Friday showed an inflow of long-term capital into the United States of just $26.4 billion during September, below expectations of $70 billion.

“The U.S. clearly has a funding problem for its massive current account deficit, and as global demand for the dollar continues to be well below the supply, we expect the dollar to continue its downtrend,” said David Powell, currency strategist with IDEAglobal, in a note.

China, the second biggest holder of U.S. Treasuries, reduced its holdings to $396.7 billion versus $400.2 billion in August, the Treasury report showed.

China has dealt a blow to Western efforts to increase diplomatic pressure on Iran over its nuclear program by dropping out of a meeting to discuss tougher sanctions against Tehran.

Russia, which like China opposes further U.N. sanctions against Iran, added fuel to the fire by announcing on Friday that the U.N. nuclear watchdog would soon start inspecting and sealing atomic fuel bound for an Iranian reactor.

–I do not understand why there is not more vocal outrage at this. Maybe the Taser killings have side effect of shock throughout the nation and beyond. We must end the use of this torture and killing weapon by the police.

–Conspiracy lives on both ends of the spectrum… it just seems more scary coming from the right-wing.

–Some interesting information on the current state of Cuba.