NP? worth reading

[Doug Millison]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0726-01.htm
Published on Friday, July 26, 2002 by the Associated Press
Nigerian Women End Protests in Triumph

[...] Hundreds of Nigerian women left ChevronTexaco pumping stations in
canoes and on foot after ending a siege to demand more jobs, business
loans, schools and hospitals for their communities. [...]

The women chanted triumphantly as they dispersed Thursday following an
agreement with company executives late Wednesday. [...]

The peaceful, all-woman protests were a departure for the oil-rich Niger
Delta, where armed men frequently use kidnapping and sabotage to pressure
oil multinationals into giving them jobs, protection money or compensation
for alleged environmental damage. Hostages generally are released unharmed.

"History has been made," said Esther Tolar, a spokeswoman for the pumping
station protesters. "Our culture is a patriarchal society. For women to
come out like this and achieve what we have is out of the ordinary." [...]

Both sides burst into celebration after the deal was signed.

"The atmosphere was truly astonishing compared to where we started," said
Amole, who participated in the talks. "People were apologizing, shaking
hands, we were dancing together." [...]

The Niger Delta is one of the West African country's poorest regions,
although it is the source of the country's $20 billion in annual oil
exports. Nigeria is the world's sixth-largest exporter of oil and
fifth-largest supplier to the United States.


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http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0726/p01s03-usju.html
WASHINGTON AND CAIRO - In the war on terror, the US is careful to show how
fairly it's treating the hundreds of orange-suited Taliban and Al Qaeda
fighters locked behind the razor-wire of the US base at Guantanamo, Cuba.
But what the US isn't trumpeting is a quiet practice of shipping key Al
Qaeda suspects to the Middle East for interrogation.

One reason for this new approach, US officials privately say, is that in
some cases these militants' home countries have a better understanding of
Islamist groups, their contacts, customs, and language. But there's another
reason, say US sources. These countries - Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, among
them - use torture, which, some officials suggest, extracts information
much more quickly than more benign interrogation methods. [...]


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http://www.salon.com/comics/tomo/2002/07/22/tomo/index.html?x


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Act Now to Stop War in Iraq


Next Wednesday and Thursday, July 31 August 1st,  the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee will  hold hearings on the Bush administration's war
plans for Iraq.  These hearings will be the first public congressional
debate on war with Iraq. Unfortunately, the hearings could be used to
further war plans by only calling pro-invasion witnesses or by those
present asking only superficial questions. In order to ensure fair and
balanced hearings, Congress needs to hear from you. 
 
Please join thousands of people across the country in calling the offices
of Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE),  chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, and Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Foreign
Relations Committee.  Demand fair hearings by ensuring a balanced range of
witnesses (see list below).

Capital switchboard toll-free: 1-800-839-5276
Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE): 202-224-5042
Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC):   202-224-6342

Also call Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) who sits on the Foreign Relations
Committee.

Capital switchboard toll-free: 1-800-839-5276
Washington D.C. office:        202-224-3553
Los Angeles office:               213-894-5000
San Francisco office:            415-403-0100

Implore her to ask these difficult questions:

Why?

+ What has Iraq done since 1990 to justify risking the lives of hundreds of
thousands of American servicemen and women - and millions of Iraqi
civilians - in a new war?

+ What is the hard evidence linking Iraq to the September 11 attacks?

+ How can we make sure that UNMOVIC and other UN arms control programs will
return to Iraq, an action that can both prevent war and lift economic
sanctions?

+ As a signatory to the UN Charter and member of the Security Council, how
will a unilateral invasion be justified under international law?


AT WHAT COST?

+ What will happen once Saddam Hussein is removed?

+ What are the expected numbers of civilian casualties?

+ How many troops will be required and what are plans for force protection?

+ What will be the cost to taxpayers and where will the money come from?

+ What will be the impact on the international effort to bring those truly
responsible for 9/11 to justice?

+ Are we prepared to stay and commit resources for 5 or more years for
nation building efforts in Iraq?

 http://www.CaliforniaPeaceAction.org/



----

...on a "need to know" basis:

http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=6101
"Cannabis is a safer drug than aspirin and can be used long-term without
serious side effects, says a book by a leading Oxford scientist.

The Science of Marijuana, by Dr Leslie Iversen of Oxford University's
department of pharmacology, found many "myths" surrounding marijuana use,
such as extreme addictiveness, or links with mental illness or infertility
are not supported by science. [...] "


---

Copyright 2002 John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd  
Sydney Morning Herald
July 22, 2002 Monday

SECTION: The Guide; Pg. 18

HEADLINE: Pay TV

BYLINE: Bruce Elder

[...]

Pearl
Oh! (Optus), 1pm
If you've never seen Pearl, this is probably the best episode to get you
acquainted. Pearl Caraldo (Rhea Perlman) is a mature-age student in an
English class run by the arrogant Professor Stephen Pynchon (Malcolm
McDowell). The comedy is based on his arrogance and her stupidity. It's
pretty much standard US sitcom fare, circa 1996.
The variation in this episode is that Professor Pynchon's long-lost
brother, Billy, turns up and reveals Professor P. is not the Englishman he
has always pretended to be, but rather a Scot with a weakness for whisky,
bagpipes and kilts.
Billy is played, appropriately enough, by a very hairy Billy Connolly, who
manages, through sheer dint of personality and charisma, to make the show
seem much better than it really is.