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Watchdog: Iran may be working on nuclear warhead

February 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS * NEW: White House's Gibbs: Report shows Iran failing to live up to obligations * Iran defying U.N. orders about its nuclear program, IAEA draft report says * Iran began boosting uranium enrichment before inspectors arrived, IAEA says * U.S., allies fear that Iran aims to develop the capacity to build a nuclear bomb RELATED TOPICS * Iran * Nuclear Weapons * Nuclear Proliferation (CNN) -- Iran may be working on secretly developing a nuclear warhead for a missile, the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency said Thursday in a draft report. It's the first time that the the International Atomic Energy Agency has issued such a strong warning about current Iranian nuclear activities. The statement is in an IAEA draft report obtained by CNN. The report, dated Thursday, has not yet been approved by the board of governors of the IAEA. It is the first report by the agency's new director general, Yukiya Amano, who replaced Mohamed ElBaradei at the end of last year. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, said the report "demonstrates for the world again the obligations [Iran's government is] failing to live up to." Administration officials have "always said that if Iran failed to live up to those international obligations, that there would be consequences," he said. The paper lists a catalog of ways in which the Islamic state is allegedly defying U.N. orders about its nuclear program. The United States and its allies fear that Iran aims to develop the capacity to build a nuclear bomb. Iran denies it, saying its nuclear program is designed for civilian energy and medical use. The agency previously expressed concerns about Iran's past nuclear activities, but Thursday's draft report seems to be the first time it has warned about current Iranian activities. There was no immediate reaction from Iran's government. The report also noted that Iran began enriching uranium to a level at which it can sustain a nuclear reaction before IAEA inspectors arrived to monitor the process and in defiance of a specific request that it not do so. The IAEA asked Iran earlier this month not to boost uranium enrichment to 20 percent "before the necessary additional safeguard procedures were in place," it said in the report. When inspectors arrived at the Natanz nuclear plant the next day, February 10, "they were informed that Iran had already begun to feed the low enriched" uranium into the enrichment machinery the previous evening. Iran needs to put more measures in place at Natanz so the IAEA can ensure it is not concealing nuclear material, the agency said in its report. The IAEA also reported on the construction of a new nuclear plant, the Fordow plant near Qom. No centrifuges have been introduced into the plant as of Tuesday, the report said. Centrifuges are machines that spin at high speed, a part of the enrichment process. Iran shocked the world in September … [Read more...]

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Internet note posted by man linked to plane crash

February 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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More Information - Click this link Thursday, February 18, 2010, 12:16 PM Editor’s note: We found this note on a Web site being pointed at by social media users. A search showed the domain that the note was posted on is registered to Joe Stack of San Marcos. A man by the same name, who has addresses in both Austin and San Marcos has been linked to today’s airplane crash. If you’re reading this, you’re no doubt asking yourself, “Why did this have to happen?” The simple truth is that it is complicated and has been coming for a long time. The writing process, started many months ago, was intended to be therapy in the face of the looming realization that there isn’t enough therapy in the world that can fix what is really broken. Needless to say, this rant could fill volumes with example after example if I would let it. I find the process of writing it frustrating, tedious, and probably pointless… especially given my gross inability to gracefully articulate my thoughts in light of the storm raging in my head. Exactly what is therapeutic about that I’m not sure, but desperate times call for desperate measures. We are all taught as children that without laws there would be no society, only anarchy. Sadly, starting at early ages we in this country have been brainwashed to believe that, in return for our dedication and service, our government stands for justice for all. We are further brainwashed to believe that there is freedom in this place, and that we should be ready to lay our lives down for the noble principals represented by its founding fathers. Remember? One of these was “no taxation without representation”. I have spent the total years of my adulthood unlearning that crap from only a few years of my childhood. These days anyone who really stands up for that principal is promptly labeled a “crackpot”, traitor and worse. While very few working people would say they haven’t had their fair share of taxes (as can I), in my lifetime I can say with a great degree of certainty that there has never been a politician cast a vote on any matter with the likes of me or my interests in mind. Nor, for that matter, are they the least bit interested in me or anything I have to say. Why is it that a handful of thugs and plunderers can commit unthinkable atrocities (and in the case of the GM executives, for scores of years) and when it’s time for their gravy train to crash under the weight of their gluttony and overwhelming stupidity, the force of the full federal government has no difficulty coming to their aid within days if not hours? Yet at the same time, the joke we call the American medical system, including the drug and insurance companies, are murdering tens of thousands of people a year and stealing from the corpses and victims they cripple, and this country’s leaders don’t see this as important as bailing out a few of their vile, rich cronies. Yet, the political “representatives” (thieves, liars, and self-serving … [Read more...]

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Plane crashes into building in Austin, Texas

February 18, 2010 By 1 Comment
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Firefighters respond to an airplane crash at a building in the Texas capital Thursday. STORY HIGHLIGHTS * A small plane crashed into a building in the Texas capital, an FAA official says * Firefighters, equipped with a ladder truck, are presently trying to fight the blaze * On a nearby interstate, traffic began to snarl as black smoke poured out of the building (CNN) -- A small airplane crashed Thursday morning into a building in Austin, Texas, said Lynn Lundsford of the Federal Aviation Administration. Firefighters used a ladder truck and other equipment to hose down the blaze at the building, which police said was located in the 9400 block of Research Boulevard. Are you there? Share your photos, video, stories with CNN Traffic on a nearby interstate started to snarl as black smoke poured out of the building. Details were still forthcoming, authorities said. AUSTIN, Texas - A small plane crashed Thursday into an office building in Austin, causing a fire and sending black smoke billowing from the seven-story structure, officials said. Fire department officials said an unknown number of people were being taken to hospitals. Dawn Clopton, a division chief with the Austin Fire Department, said two people from the building were unaccounted for. The plane hit the Echelon Building, which is located on a major highway north Austin. Several fires were burning from the second to the fourth floors, KXAN reported. Austin-Travis County EMS Assistant Director James Shamard said smoke was visible for at least a mile and that paramedics have set up a triage center at the scene. "We have no idea right now if there are any patients, or how many," he told the Austin American-Statesman. Emergency officials told the newspaper the building has seven stories. Tucker Thurman was driving to work when he said he saw a small plane flying very low over the highway. He said he saw it then bank heavily to the right before heading into the building. "There was a huge fireball. It's right into the building," Thurman told the Statesman. Austin plane crash was deliberate, officials say - UPDATED - STORY HIGHLIGHTS * Pilot appears to have burned his house, then crashed his plane into intentionally * A message on a Web site registered to pilot appears to be a suicide note * Austin mayor downplays any terrorism links to crash. * Witnesses described an infernal scene that shook nearby buildings (CNN) -- An Austin, Texas, resident with an apparent grudge against the Internal Revenue Service set his house on fire Thursday and then crashed a small plane into a building housing an IRS office with nearly 200 employees, officials said. Federal authorities identified the pilot of the Piper Cherokee PA-28 as Joseph Andrew Stack, 53. Two people were injured and one person was missing, local officials said. There were no reported deaths. A message on a Web site registered to Stack appears to be a suicide note. See iReport photos and videos from … [Read more...]

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Obama, Dalai Lama meeting could 'irritate China very much'

February 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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February 18, 2010 3:53 a.m. EST Click to play China on the Dalai Lama STORY HIGHLIGHTS * China warns meeting will certainly damage ties to Washington * Beijing regards Dalai Lama as a dangerous "separatist" * Dalai Lama is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate RELATED TOPICS * Dalai Lama * China * Tibet * Barack Obama Washington (CNN) -- Despite strong objections from the Chinese government, President Obama will meet the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, at the White House on Thursday. The meeting has the potential to further complicate Sino-U.S. tensions, rising in recent months. China has warned that it will certainly damage ties to Washington. "It will seriously undermine the Sino-U.S. political relations," Zhu Weiqun, a senior Communist Party leader in charge of ethnic and religious affairs, said recently. "We will take corresponding action to make relevant countries see their mistakes." The Dalai Lama has said he favors genuine autonomy for Tibetans, not independence for Tibet. Beijing regards the Nobel Peace Prize laureate as a dangerous "separatist," a politician who wishes to sever Tibet from China. Obama did not meet with the Dalai Lama when the latter visited Washington last fall, making it the first time since 1991 that such a meeting did not occur. Ahead of a summit with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Obama persuaded Tibetan representatives back then to postpone the meeting with the Dalai Lama. Now, the meeting will take place as several prickly issues have come between Washington and Beijing including trade disputes; a recent U.S. arm sales deal for Taiwan, which China considers an illegitimate breakaway province; and a censorship row over Internet search engine Google Inc. "It's going to be another event in the recent, one has to say, downward spiral in U.S.-China relations," said China scholar David Shambaugh. Obama's meeting is also troublesome for the Chinese for one other important reason, Shambaugh said. "He could have met him as a spiritual leader in a neutral place like a church," he said. "But he is going to receive him in the White House, and that is a political act. And that is going to irritate China very much." The Dalai Lama also is scheduled to meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the State Department. Some analysts said the Chinese could retaliate by cutting off political exchanges as they did after the Dalai Lama met with the heads of state of France and Germany. And Hu could turn down an invitation to visit Washington in April. Neither China nor the United States can afford strained relations, said Douglas Paal, a diplomat and investment banker who has served as a presidential advisor on China. "We both need each other," he said. "We need each other for a number of international security issues -- to deal with the global climate crisis, to deal with the global financial crisis." … [Read more...]

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Taliban ammunition 'running low'

February 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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US marines with 1/3 marine Charlie Company walk along poppy field irrigation canals in Trikh Nawar Troops are due to push into south-west Marjah in the coming days Taliban militants battling coalition troops in Marjah, in Afghanistan, are running out of ammunition, Nato officials say. A BBC correspondent in Kandahar says that from eavesdropping on Taliban communications, Nato understands militants have called for support. On Wednesday, an Afghan general said Taliban fighters were increasingly using civilians as "human shields". The Afghan-Nato offensive in Helmand province has entered its sixth day. Officials say they expect stiff resistance. Nato officers told BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner in Kandahar that the resistance they were currently encountering was coming from small, disjointed but determined groups of fighters. Air support In the next few days, US Marines and Afghan government troops are due to push into south-west Marjah, which is believed to be an insurgent stronghold. During fighting on Wednesday, US Marines had to had to call in air support as they came under heavy fire from fighters hiding in bunkers and in buildings including homes and mosques. Afghan commander Gen Mohiudin Ghori said his soldiers had seen Taliban fighters placing women and children on the roofs of buildings and firing from behind them. Afghan troops raise flag in Marjah, 17 Feb Day-by-day report and map Civilians die in Kandahar strike Gen Ghori, the senior commander for Afghan troops in the area, told the AP news agency: "Especially in the south of Marjah, the enemy is fighting from compounds where soldiers can very clearly see women or children on the roof or in a second-floor or third-floor window. "They are trying to get us to fire on them and kill the civilians." Nato has stressed the safety of civilians in the areas targeted during Operation Moshtarak is its highest priority. One villager who had fled to Helmand's provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, told BBC Pashto that relatives could not leave Marjah because the area was heavily mined. "They say they can't get out of their home. If anyone takes a look outside they are fired upon by the Nato troops - they have no food left and can't go out to shop. "The Taliban left some places but are now resisting very strongly." Tribal shura On Wednesday, Helmand's governor, Gulab Mangal, visited Marjah and later travelled to Camp Bastion to visit injured civilians from the area. Afghan farmers and their children watch an unseen US marine platoon with 1/3 marine Charlie Company patrol in Trikh Nawar - 18 Feb 2010 A number of Afghan civilians remain in Marjah Nato reports that he held a shura - a council meeting - with local tribal elders and officials to discuss security in Nad Ali. British and Afghan troops have been reported to be advancing more swiftly in the nearby district of Nad Ali than are their US and Afghan counterparts in Marjah. Afghan officials say that more than 1,200 families … [Read more...]

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The Player: Hold A Woman's Attention

February 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Many men labor under the misapprehension that the most difficult aspect of flirting is the initial approach. And while one can always sweat and obsess over the intimidating prospect of walking up to a woman and saying “hi,” the deciding factor is the interaction that immediately follows. The importance of a first impression cannot be understated, and if you wish to score a victory, you must not only grab her attention, you must also hold a woman’s attention. Believe it or not, this is where the vast majority of encounters fall apart for men. Up to this point, they’ve managed to net the requisite eye contact and body language from across the room, received a boost of confidence from a few encouraging smiles, and have now embarked upon the actual conversation. They figure they’re golden -- they relax. And before they know it, the woman has thanked them for the drink and disappeared into the crowd. What happened? Well, it doesn’t have to happen. And the way to avoid this is to learn how to hold a woman’s attention. Find a good conversational spot It’s impossible to form a connection when screaming in her ear over the driving music or attempting to have a one-on-one conversation amid a sea of shoulders. If you’ve successfully snagged her interest at the start, take the initiative and lead her to a place where the two of you can talk in a more agreeable setting. Make sure you first establish a positive foundation after a few minutes though; a woman will be more likely to agree to this if she actually wants to learn more about you. The bottom line is that in order to hold a woman’s attention you must leave the crushing crowd and discussion-destroying music as far behind as possible. This shows you’re interested in more than her body, that you find her interesting and enjoy speaking with her, and that you respect and appreciate good communication. And if things go well during this “separation phase,” it’s that much easier to take the next step. Maintain eye contact If you ask women, they will say that a lack of eye contact has become a serious issue these days. I attribute this to the electronic age in which everyone, even adults, can only seem to stare at the tips of their sneakers and mumble. Texting doesn’t help communication skills, people. And after you’ve finally mustered the courage to speak to that exquisite bombshell who's been dominating the dance floor, you had best look into those beautiful eyes when you first begin the discussion. Now, you don’t have to stare into her eyes for minutes on end -- there’s a fine line between attentive and maniacal -- but always make sure to meet her gaze on a continual basis. Women don’t seem to have this problem, but let’s not forget that eye contact has a lot to do with confidence, and it’s rarely the woman who endures these trials at the club. Admit it, ladies. The Player has three more tips to help you hold a woman’s attention… Ask leading questions Interviewers … [Read more...]

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RedTube Wants to Start Serving Subpoenas After Email Threat

February 18, 2010 By 1 Comment
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SAN JOSE, Calif. — RedTube attorneys asked a federal judge today to allow them to start serving subpoenas on those thought to be responsible or have knowledge in the redirection of RedTube traffic on July 24. The motion for expedited discovery was requested because RedTube said one of its attorneys was subject to an anonymous threat that was sent via email. The motion identified attorney Thayer Preece as the recipient of email “with implicit and explicit threats stemming from her representation of RedTube.” Preece is an associate with the Menlo Park, Calif., office of Sheppard Mullin Richter and Hampton, which handles all of RedTube’s civil litigation. Preece told XBIZ late Wednesday that RedTube still is in the dark over who the individuals responsible for the redirection and the threat, “and that is why we are seeking to serve subpoenas.” She wouldn’t disclose how many subpoenas would be served, but court documents reveal 20 John Doe defendants are named in the suit filed at U.S. District Court in San Jose. “We would serve the subpoenas immediately after the judge signs the order,” she said. In court papers filed today, RedTube said that “while it is currently unclear whether this threat is linked to the prior attack … the threats appear to relate specifically to this litigation and hence there is reason to believe that the person or persons who are responsible for the threats were also involved in that attack. “Without the requested discovery, [Red Tube] will be unable to determine the danger of the threat and whether the sender is linked to the prior attack.” The threat to Preece on Oct. 18 said: “RedTube and the owners/operators of the site are stealing and have been stealing content from legitimate producers in clear violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. You know this, and you know it's illegal. "We will do whatever it takes to fund efforts to defeat them and their frivilous lawsuit against those others who have sought to do them or their business harm. We have the names and personal information of all those who are associated with the case and will stop at nothing to show our hatred for their ongoing theft and blatant disregard for the work of others. "Anyone who works with them or an attorney who represents them should ask themselves who they're working for and what they're being paid to do — it really just might not be worth it in the end.” RedTube parent company Bright Imperial Ltd. of Hong Kong is seeking $6 million in damages against the unknown defendants. In its complaint, RedTube said defendants hacked in “with malice, ill will and intent to harm [the tube site].” RedTube said it lost “millions of visits” by its customers by the hackers’ efforts, as well as lost value to advertising rates that are dependent upon its traffic. The site has about 7.5 million daily users in the U.S. The suit claims violation of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, unfair competition, … [Read more...]

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Begner Wants Bergthold Out of Georgia Retailer Case

February 18, 2010 By 2 Comments
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Says the anti-adult lawyer misled Coweta County officials COWETA COUNTY, Ga.—Scott D. Bergthold is probably the best-known name in anti-adult business litigation in the U.S. From his bases in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Scottsdale, Ariz., he flies all over the country, "helping" cities draft anti-adult ordinances—when they're described as "boilerplate," rest assured Bergthold is the boiler—and fighting for those ordinances when they're challenged in court. He's the founder of the Arizona-based pro-censorship legal group Community Defense Counsel and may still be in charge of it—its website doesn't say—though its duties appear to have been subsumed by Alan Sears' Alliance Defense Fund. That Bergthold has an agenda to prevent adult businesses from opening anywhere in the country is beyond question. According to a puff piece posted on the BusinessTN website, Bergthold, the graduate of an unidentified "Christian law school in Virginia"—the choices are the late Jerry Falwell's Liberty University or Pat Robertson's Regent University—has written some 200 anti-sexually oriented business (SOB) ordinances for municipalities across the country, and claims to have won 13 of his last 16 appellate court cases. "Regardless the ultimate agenda of his clients, Bergthold's goal is simple: to draft bulletproof regulations," the article concludes. "And on that count, his work has resulted in more than one sorry SOB." However, Bergthold's latest case, where he's been hired to represent Coweta County against adult retail chain Starship, which is seeking to open a new location at Thomas Crossroads, has been mired in controversy from the beginning—and remains closed at this writing. "This is a business license application in which Starship did everything right," said attorney Alan Begner, whose firm represents the retailer. "We gave them full disclosure of everything we wanted to do, and we gave them an inventory that said sex toys will be sold at this store, because we had to limit our store to 25 percent floor space and inventory. That's the local ordinance." "We had had a meeting with the country manager, the business license director and the county attorney," Begner continued, "and they said, 'Okay, we want you to go ahead and stock your store first so we can see whether you're going to limit it to the 25 percent,' which we didn't appreciate having to do but we agreed to it. So we had a meeting to do the inspection on about Jan. 15, 2009, but they never showed up at the meeting or called us. Instead, the day before, Bergthold called an emergency meeting of the Board of Commissioners and they passed a law that created a Georgia-like obscenity ordinance with the change in it that didn't prohibit advertising, and also a law that reconfigured and narrowed what the 25 percent is. I wrote the Board of Commissioners back, saying we would comply with it and challenge it at the same time; 'now give us our license.'" Georgia doesn't currently have a state obscenity … [Read more...]

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Analysis: Texas Supreme Court to Review 'Pole Tax' Ruling

February 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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State seeks to overturn earlier ruling that tax violated clubs' First Amendment rights SAN ANTONIO—The Texas Supreme Court has agreed to hear the state's appeal from a ruling issued last June 5 by the 3rd Court of Appeals that struck down the state's attempt to charge a $5 admission tax on all adult nightclubs where sexual expression takes place. The proceeds of the tax were supposed to be used for sexual assault prevention, as well as to defray the cost of health insurance for low-income Texans—neither of which cause has anything to do with the expression being taxed. The problems with the proposed tax were well analyzed by the appeals court's majority, with Justice Diane M. Henson pointing out in the court's ruling that, "A selective taxation scheme in which an entity's tax status depends entirely on the content of its speech is 'particularly repugnant to First Amendment principles.'" But the appeals court's decision didn't sit well with the state attorney general, whose office filed a Petition for Review less than one week after the ruling had been issued. "The Founding Fathers did not remotely intend for the First Amendment to prevent state and local governments from combating rape and other crimes by regulating the sale and consumption ofalcohol in certain adult establishments," the petition for certiorari, filed by Solicitor General James C. Ho, claimed. "They could not have fathomed that the Constitution would someday be used to establish a right to consume alcohol while watching live nude entertainment in public. Yet that is precisely what a majority of the court below did late last week, when it struck down a Texas law imposing a $5 per patron fee on nude dancing establishments that allow the consumption of alcohol on their premises." Apparently, Mr. Ho is unfamiliar with the Constitution's Ninth Amendment, which states, "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." However, the cert petition takes the same tack that the attorney general took at the appeals court stage, framing the controversy as one of alcohol regulation rather than First Amendment rights. It also hearkens back to one of the U.S. Supreme Court's earliest "secondary effects" cases, Young v. American Mini Theatres, where the high court allowed state and local governments "a 'reasonable opportunity to experiment with solutions' to redress the negative secondary effects of adult businesses, including rape and other crimes." Trouble is, Texas never introduced any evidence that its tax would reduce the alleged negative secondary effects, and, in any case, as Justice Anthony Kennedy's concurrence in City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books officially cautioned, "a city may not regulate the secondary effects of speech by suppressing the speech itself"—and a tax on such protected expression can have no effect other than to suppress the dancers' erotic message. The respondents, whose case … [Read more...]

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