:: REAL VOICE ::

CHAVEZ (through translator): "Representatives of the governments of the world, good morning to all of you. First of all, I would like to invite you, very respectfully, to those who have not read this book, to read it. Noam Chomsky, one of the most prestigious American and world intellectuals, Noam Chomsky, and this is one of his most recent books, 'Hegemony or Survival: The Imperialist Strategy of the United States.'" [Holds up book, waves it in front of General Assembly.] "It's an excellent book to help us understand what has been happening in the world throughout the 20th century, and what's happening now, and the greatest threat looming over our planet. The hegemonic pretensions of the American empire are placing at risk the very survival of the human species. We continue to warn you about this danger and we appeal to the people of the United States and the world to halt this threat, which is like a sword hanging over our heads. I had considered readin...

Conn. hedge fund loses billions The $4.6-billion loss by Amaranth Advisors may spark activity by Congress or regulators. Thursday, September 21, 2006 BY KATHERINE BURTON and MATTHEW LEISING Bloomberg News Amaranth Advisors LLC, the Greenwich, Conn.-based hedge fund whose wrong-way bets lost about $4.6 billion this month, reached an agreement yesterday to transfer all of its energy trades to an unidentified third party, according to a letter sent to investors. Nicholas Maounis, Amaranth's founder, said in his letter, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg News, that more details will follow "shortly." The firm was in negotiations with Citadel Investment Group LLC as of late yesterday, two people with knowledge of those talks said. Amaranth was forced to unload the trades after swings in natural-gas prices last week turned it into the biggest hedge fund meltdown since Long-Term Capital Management LP's 1998 collapse. By transferring the bets, Amaranth would stem its l...

AP photographer held by U.S. military for months without charge New York, September 17, 2006 The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by news that a Pulitzer Prize-winning freelance photojournalist working for The Associated Press in Iraq has been held by U.S. military forces for five months without charge. "U.S. authorities who have detained Bilal Hussein in Iraq must either charge him or release him from custody," said Joel Simon, CPJ executive director. ::: more ::: My Shout: What was AP doing for the last five months? US Senator John McCain knows what it is to be detained and tortured by the 'captors'. He has been fighting a battle within the ruling Republican regime in the US. I urge all readers to email senator McCain asking him to voice his support for the immediate release or charge of Bilal Hussein. Click on the picture below to view the Pulitzer winning photo-series. The photos do capture the dreadful nature of war and violence. There is a picture o...

Time and again International Cricket Council makes it a point to reveal its true glory to the millions of cricket fans around the world. Cricket administrators are usually politicians who don't make the cut in the political arena or they are failed lawyers who cannot win a decent case in a court of law for their clients. After reading this report, you would start to wonder whether ICC is an administrative body or a club of a bunch of jokers. Ponting hit by fine for dissent Ricky Ponting has been fined his match fee for showing dissent at an umpire during Australia's 78-run one-day win over the West Indies in Kuala Lumpur. Ponting was charged by the umpires with breaching cricket's code of conduct relating to dissent at an umpire's decision by action or verbal abuse. The Aussie skipper pleaded guilty at a hearing led by match ref Chris Broad. Broad said: "It is not acceptable for any player, let alone a captain, to question an umpire's decision." It was Pon...

It’s true. It’s weird. It’s nuts. The Department of Homeland Security, after a five-year hunt for Osama, has finally brought charges against… Greg Palast. I kid you not. Send your cakes with files to the Air America wing at Guantanamo. Though not just yet. Fatherland Security has informed me that television producer Matt Pascarella and I have been charged with unauthorized filming of a “critical national security structure” in Louisiana. Read more...

The current chaos in BITS Dubai resembles a great deal to the storyline of a C-grade bollywood movie; providing livelihood to a few and entertaining the general public. There has been a great deal of media coverage over the last one week on the 'campus crisis' in BITS Dubai campus. Mainstream media (newspapers) and parallel media in the form of blogs have brought out many aspects of the 'BITS Dubai circus.' It all started with 7Days publishing a story on the 8th of September: In yet another case of a school administration trying to ban student blogging, three engineering students at a campus in Knowledge Village in Dubai have been suspended indefinitely, raising questions about freedom of speech and expression. A notice on one of the boards at the ‘Birla Institute of Technology and Science – Pilani’ campus in Dubai lists the names of three suspended students. [ more ]. On the 10th September, 12 more students were suspended. Hundreds of students assembled in front of th...

Katrina was a big lottery for the powerful and rich of the United States of America. Top Hurricane Expert Says Officials Threatened His Job Over Pre-Katrina Warnings On the eve of the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, investigative journalist Greg Palast reports that a top hurricane expert says government officials threatened his job over his warnings about the impending disaster. [includes rush transcript] Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina that ravaged the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The storm was the most powerful and expensive natural disaster to hit the U.S- killing more than 1,500 people in New Orleans alone, displacing some 770,000 residents and destroying over 300,000 homes. The federal government's response to the disaster was widely condemned - images of the tens of thousands of New Orleans residents piling into the city's superdome stadium pleading for food, water and aid became symbolic of the government's inact...