5 Feb 2012: 'sas' Perth - 01.10am 10 sec. Australia - Yellowish huge yellowish shooting star not that I saw. No photo 5 Feb 2012: 'Rhett' WA Kalgoorlie - 1:05:00 15 seconds. N-S, Green As the moon N/A I've never see anything like it, it had a huge tail. 5 Feb 2012: 'dan' perth, WA, Australia - 1:18 15 seconds. N-S, orange, blue, yellow brighter than moon, larger than moon none massive, bigger than moon. 5 Feb 2012: 'Tara Isaac' Perth, Western Australia - 01.10 hours approx 20 secs. E-W, Large, bright green fiery head, long white tail. Brighter than Venus. No photo, seen while driving freeway North

More than 100 people from New Jersey to North Carolina reported seeing a bright streak of light with a tail shooting through the night sky late Friday. "It looked a lot brighter than a shooting star," German Osorio wrote on InsideNova.com's Facebook page. "Maybe only a few hundred feet up and it had that color that propane gets when it burns." Kseniya Ledbetter of Fairfax said she spotted the fireball as she drove along Braddock Road east of Va. 28 around 10:15 p.m. "The most beautiful thing I ever saw! It was changing colors and then went out right above Hampton Chase neighborhood." NASA, the FAA and the National Weather Service have yet to weigh in on the sky phenomena, but the website "The Latest Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News" had more than 100 posts Saturday about the fireball from people in Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Maryland and North Carolina. The American Meteor Society had 56 reports of a fireball sighting, again from New Jersey to North Carolina. Most reports came from Virginia and Maryland. "Big and blue with a red tail. Looked like a meteor to us," Jessica Guido of Stafford wrote on our Facebook page. Witnesses reported seeing the fireball between 10 and 10:30 p.m. All described it as very bright and very low. "It was awesome, bright as could be with a hint of blue green," wrote Michele Janke, who saw the fireball along Prince William Parkway.

After Katie Feifer was raped at knifepoint by a man who pushed his way into her Oak Park home, her assailant tied her up in the basement and left. She freed herself and called police, who took her to the emergency room at West Suburban Hospital. "It's funny how vivid the memories are, even after all these years," Feifer says of her treatment after the 1988 attack. "A resident came in, and had this rape kit, and started opening envelopes and vials. He was fumbling around and he was very, very nervous. He did a pelvic exam, and kept apologizing. 'I'm sorry I have to do this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.' "I remember feeling I had to comfort him and make him feel OK. This guy was supposed to be examining me and helping me, and he didn't know what he was doing." There is no shortage of jarring rape statistics. Illinois State Police data reported 5,300 rapes statewide last year - more than 14 a day - though experts believe the actual number is triple that. Most go unreported, in part because the majority of rape victims are children - 54 percent, according to the Illinois Attorney General's office.

The photo above showing a startling fireball appearing to rip apart the night sky was seen during a star observation session at Mount Pantokrator on the Greek island of Corfu. I had set my camera up to get a picture of our small group and before long this brilliant meteor lit up the surrounding landscape. It was approximately -8 magnitude or about 25 times brighter than Venus at its brightest -- so bright that we were bathed in a sea of blue-green light. You can see the reflection on my 16 in (41 cm) telescope, on the table at right-center and on the side of my car. Click here to see a short animation. Photo details: Canon EOS 40D camera; 15mm fisheye lens; f/2.8; ISO 800; 30 second exposure; Photoshop; Cropped.

Protesters attacked seven Syrian embassies around the world following reports of the bloodiest episode yet in Damascus' nearly yearlong crackdown on dissent. Mobs trashed diplomats' offices from London to Australia and set the embassy in Cairo on fire. Activists say Syrian forces killed more than 200 people in the city of Homs before dawn Saturday, pounding restive neighborhoods with mortars and artillery. The government denies the reports. Australian police said the mob smashed into the embassy in a diplomatic precinct of Canberra, the capital, on Saturday night, causing extensive damage to the ground floor of the two-story building. Syrian Charge d'Affaires Jawdat Ali told the Associated Press that 50 men smashed through the front door, destroyed furniture and stole computers. He said the damage bill had yet to be calculated. Ali blamed media reports of the conflict in Syria for inciting what he described as a "barbarian action" and "terrorism."

The third mass protest in Moscow in two months against Russia leader Vladimir Putin and demanding fair elections appeared to have been the largest yet. Undeterred by subzero temperatures that froze their breath and left icicles adorning many men's mustaches and beards, tens of thousands of Russians marched through the streets of Moscow on Saturday demanding fair elections just a month before they are to go to the polls to choose a new president. Despite fear that the frigid weather and bickering among the opposition would curb the turnout, the third mass protest in two months against the rule of Russian leader Vladimir Putin appeared to have been the largest Moscow has seen in a generation. Authorities clocked the turnout at 36,000, bigger than either of the December demonstrations. Opposition leaders estimated that 120,000 demonstrators swarmed Moscow's Bolotnaya Square, while demonstrators said they believed they numbered 50,000 to 100,000. After passing through a row of metal detectors, a throng of protesters marched about a mile to reach Bolotnaya Square, on an island in the center of the Moscow River.

Car's DVR camera captured a UFO. A glowing object fell from the sky on the outskirts of the village Novobureysk. The footage shows the date and time: January 22, 2012, 9:10.

When a friend tells you she had a rough day, do you feel sandpaper under your fingers? The brain may be replaying sensory experiences to help understand common metaphors, new research suggests. Linguists and psychologists have debated how much the parts of the brain that mediate direct sensory experience are involved in understanding metaphors. George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, in their landmark work 'Metaphors we live by', pointed out that our daily language is full of metaphors, some of which are so familiar (like "rough day") that they may not seem especially novel or striking. They argued that metaphor comprehension is grounded in our sensory and motor experiences. New brain imaging research reveals that a region of the brain important for sensing texture through touch, the parietal operculum, is also activated when someone listens to a sentence with a textural metaphor. The same region is not activated when a similar sentence expressing the meaning of the metaphor is heard. The results were published online this week in the journal Brain & Language. "We see that metaphors are engaging the areas of the cerebral cortex involved in sensory responses even though the metaphors are quite familiar," says senior author Krish Sathian, MD, PhD, professor of neurology, rehabilitation medicine and psychology at Emory University. "This result illustrates how we draw upon sensory experiences to achieve understanding of metaphorical language." Sathian is also medical director of the Center for Systems Imaging at Emory University School of Medicine and director of the Rehabilitation R&D Center of Excellence at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Seven college students who volunteered for the study were asked to listen to sentences containing textural metaphors as well as sentences that were matched for meaning and structure, and to press a button as soon as they understood each sentence. Blood flow in their brains was monitored by functional magnetic resonance imaging. On average, response to a sentence containing a metaphor took slightly longer (0.84 vs 0.63 seconds).

An outbreak of norovirus has forced two cruise ships in the Caribbean to make early returns to their home ports in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Reports say a total of 248 people have been stricken on the two ships, the Crown Princess and the Ruby Princess. Norovirus triggers severe gastroenteritis and is highly contagious. It is spread easily by person-to-person contact, especially through food or any items people touch. Princess Cruise Lines say the ships will undergo a complete disinfection. Norovirus is a viral infection that almost always include vomiting and/or diarrhea and may include muscle aches and low-grade fever. Symptoms usually last only 48 to 72 hours and can be debilitating for the very young, the very old and those with weakened immune systems.

A weeklong cold snap has now claimed more than 220 lives across Europe, with forecasters warning that the big freeze - which has even blanketed Rome in snow - would tighten its grip over the weekend. A weeklong cold snap has now claimed more than 220 lives across Europe, with forecasters warning that the big freeze - which has even blanketed Rome in snow - would tighten its grip over the weekend. A total of 223 people have died from the cold weather in the past seven days, according to Agence France-Presse, in what has become the harshest European winter in decades. Ukraine suffering the highest toll - with 101 deaths recorded since the cold snap began. Temperatures plummeted as low to -16.6 degrees in the capital Kiev. Poland, Bulgaria and Romania also recorded high death tolls. According to AFP, the dead included hundreds of homeless people who have frozen to death. The cold has extended as far south as Serbia, where thousands were trapped under heavy snow and blizzards in the country's mountain villages. In Italy, up to three inches of snow fell in some districts of the Italian capital, and the Colosseum was closed to prevent visitors slipping on ice or damaging the structure.

A veteran at the San Onofre nuclear plant fell into a reactor pool, but suffered no major radiation exposure. A plant worker at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in San Diego fell inside a reactor pool last week, but he didn't suffer any major radiation exposure, the North County Times reported. According to Southern California Edison spokesman Gil Alexander, the man was leaning over to pick up a flashlight he had dropped when he lost his balance and fell into the Unit 2 reactor pool, the Associated Press reported. The pool, 20 feet deep, was filled with water that circulates through the reactor core. "He was wearing all of the appropriate safety equipment, including a life preserver vest. We immediately began a thorough medical screening to determine if there had been any injury," Alexander said, the North County Times reported.

Thirteen other council members vote in favour UK and US react with fury to decision Homs death toll more than 200, say activists Russia and China have vetoed a UN security council resolution calling for the Syrian president to step down, provoking a furious reaction. All 13 other members of the council, including the US, France and Britain, voted in favour of the resolution, which backed an Arab peace plan aimed at stopping the violence in Syria. Russia and China blocked the resolution because of what they perceived to be a potential violation of Syria's sovereignty, which could allow for military intervention or regime change. William Hague, the foreign secretary, condemned the decision. "More than 2,000 people have died since Russia and China vetoed the last draft resolution in October 2011," he said after the vote. "How many more need to die before Russia and China allow the UN security council to act? "Those opposing UN security council action will have to account to the Syrian people for their actions, which do nothing to help bring an end to the violence that is ravaging the country. The United Kingdom will continue to support the people of Syria and the Arab League to find an end to the violence and allow a Syrian-led political transition."

An explosion hit a gas pipeline running from Egypt to Israel on Sunday, witnesses and state television reported. The pipeline, which also supplies gas to Jordan, has come under attack at least 12 times since Egyptian resident Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011. The latest blast took place in the Massaeed area west of the Mediterranean coastal town of al-Arish. Gas pumping was stopped after the explosion. Residents in al-Arish told Reuters they could see flames from their town. Security forces and fire trucks raced to the scene, witnesses said. Security in Sinai loosened after Mubarak's fall as the police presence thinned out across Egypt.

Russia and China Veto Syria Resolution

by Stephen Lendman

Shortly before 1PM EST, Reuters headlined, "Russia, China veto UN resolution telling Assad to quit," saying:

The diplomatic "setback" came the day after "Syrian opposition (elements) accused Assad's forces of killing hundreds of people (in) Homs, the bloodiest night in the 11 months of upheaval in the pivotal Arab country."

Like other pro-Western media, Reuters pointed fingers the wrong way. Throughout the conflict, Assad was blamed for Western-backed externally generated violence. In fact, he's more victim than villain, but don't expect media scoundrels to explain.

Shortly before the Security Council vote, Obama called the Homs violence "unspeakable," demanded Assad step down immediately, and urged Security Council action against his "relentless brutality."

His public statement falsely claimed:

"Yesterday the Syrian government murdered hundreds of Syrian citizens, including women and children, in Homs through shelling and other indiscriminate violence, and Syrian forces continue to prevent hundreds of injured civilians from seeking medical help."

"Any government that brutalizes and massacres its people does not deserve to govern."

Since 1991 alone, Obama, Bush I and II, as well as Clinton, murdered millions of Iraqis, Serbians, Kosovars, Afghans, Libyans, Somalis, Yemenis, and many others ruthlessly and maliciously.

Today, Obama supports atrocities in Bahrain, Yemen, Somalia, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere, as well as Israel's decades-long war on Palestine. Major media scoundrels ignore them. Instead, they cheerlead imperial US wars. Power takes precedence over truth and full disclosure.

John Pilger once called journalism the first casualty of war, adding:

"Not only that: it has become a weapon of war, a virulent censorship (and deception) that goes unrecognized in the United States, Britain and other democracies; censorship by omission, whose power is such that, in war, it can mean the difference between life and death for people in faraway countries...."

In their book titled, "Guardians of Power,” Davids Edwards and Cromwell explained why today's media are in crisis, putting free societies at risk. It's because fiction substitutes for fact. News is carefully filtered, dissent marginalized, and supporting wealth and power replaces full and accurate reporting.

For over a century, The New York Times notoriously served as America's lead print propaganda instrument. On February 4, it headlined, "Russia and China Block UN Action on Syrian Crisis,” saying:

Hours before the Saturday Security Council vote, "the Syrian military attack the ravaged city of Homs in what opposition leaders described as the bloodiest government assault" so far.

Hours later, "(t)he Security Council voted 13 to 2 in favor of a resolution backing an Arab League peace plan for Syria, but the measure was blocked by Russia and China (as a) potential violation of Syria's sovereignty."

In fact, calling for "further measures" if Assad failed to comply gave Washington and rogue partners enormous wiggle room for military intervention. It also largely pointed fingers one way, absolving Western-backed insurgents.

Current Security Council members include the five permanent members plus Azerbajan, Colombia, Germany, Guatemala, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa and Togo.

On February 4, Russia Today (RT.com) reported:

"Russia and China were the only permanent Security Council members opposing the draft, reminding others that it was not their place to intervene in another country's domestic affairs."

Under international law, it's illegal. Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said:

"The co-sponsors of the resolution have not, in the wording of the draft, taken into account that the Syrian opposition must distance itself from extremist groups committing acts of violence or called on states with the ability to use their influence to prevent such acts."

As a result, "(t)he Russian delegation was forced to vote against this draft resolution. We seriously regret this outcome of our joint work."

Attending a Munich security conference, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov diplomatically condemned the resolution for making false accusations and "taking sides in a civil war."

In response, US envoy Susan Rice said she was "disgusted" by vetoes "prop(ping) up desperate dictators." French ambassador Gerard Araud said "history will judge (Assad supporters) harshly."

In Munich, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a notorious war goddess, said, "To block this resolution is to bear the responsibility for the horrors on the ground in Syria."

Throughout his tenure as UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan was a notorious imperial tool. So is Ban Ki-moon. He called vetoing the Security Council resolution "a great disappointment to the people of Syria and the Middle East, and to all supporters of democracy and human rights."

He said doing so "undermines the role of the United Nations and the international community in this period when the Syrian authorities must hear a unified voice calling for an immediate end to its violence against the Syrian people."

Ban serves at the behest of Washington. He hasn't disappointed supporting years of imperial crimes, as well as Israel's against Palestine. No wonder Gazans pelted him with shoes during his February 2 visit.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) UN director Philippe Bolopion called last October's vetos by Moscow and Beijing "irresponsible," but today, "after weeks of Russian diplomatic game-playing and in the middle of a bloodbath in Homs, they are simply incendiary."

More often than not, HRW speaks for power, not human rights. Amnesty International also falls far short of its founding principles. Urging Russia's anti-Assad support, it called on Moscow to back Security Council actions against him instead of blaming perpetrators, not victims. It also falsely accused Gaddafi of Western-backed crimes. Libya's now ravaged. Will Syria be next? Veto power does little to stop it.

A Final Comment

On Press TV Saturday, this writer said Washington prefers diplomatic cover for planned aggression. However, with or without it, imperial wars aren't deterred. In 1999, it bypassed Security Council approval against Serbia/Kosovo. It claimed NATO authorization alone mattered.

Obama plans regime change in Syria and Iran. As a result, expect a similar scenario to unfold.

Perhaps a false flag incident will precipitate conflict. What Washington wants, it gets, using whatever pretext fits the plan.

With major media support, getting away with murder is simple as bombs away. Expect it.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

City of Brotherly Love Event Promotes War and Hate

by Stephen Lendman

On February 2, notorious hatemonger Alan Dershowitz keynoted a Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia (JFGP)/Hillel of Greater Philadelphia "Evening of Unity & Community Solidarity" with Israel.

Inviting him was disgraceful. He's a shameless bigot, a longstanding Islamophobe, a perverter of fundamental US and international law, an advocate of war, torture targeted assassinations, and collective punishment, as well as a committed Zionist and apologist for Israel's worst crimes.

Distinguished Law Professor Francis Boyle once wrote:

He's "a self-incriminated war criminal who publicly admitted that he serves on a Mossad Committee that authorizes the murder and assassination of Palestinians."

He's "also infamous around the world for being this country's foremost advocate for torture."

Abhorring truth and rule of law standards, he's "nothing more than an Errand Boy for those in Power."

In his own words, he believes "the laws of war and the rules of morality must adapt to (new) realities." As a result, he supports preventive and preemptive aggression against nonbelligerent countries. Only Western interests matter, not truth, equity, justice, or fundamental rule of law principles.

Longstanding ones are inviolable. Dershowitz dismisses them. His Harvard Law School students learn this stuff. Boyle calls it a "school for torturers," and advises parents not to send their children there.

Along with JFGP and Hillel, event sponsors included Penn Israel Sector, Jewish Student Law Association, Penn Democrats, College Republicans, Camera (a shameless pro-Israeli media lobby), StandWithUs (another pro-Israeli front group), and the University of Pennsylvania Political Science, Philosophy, Politics and Economics departments.

Representing U of P President Amy Gutmann, Penn Board of Trustees chairman David Cohen introduced the event, saying:

"We are unwavering in our support of Israel. We do not support the message or the goals of BDS."

Sponsors billed his talk as "Why Israel Matters to You, Me, and Penn: A Conversation with Alan Dershowitz." He shamelessly calls BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) activism "immoral, illegal and despicable concepts around academia today."

He called sympathetic U of P professors "complacent with evil."

The "unity and solidarity" with Israel event preceded U of P's February 3 - 5 BDS conference. More on it below.

A Max Blumenthal February 2 Daily Pennsylvanian article headlined, "Torture, violence advocate to keynote anti-BDS event," saying:

Pro-Israeli flacks smeared BDS conference speakers "predicabl(y)." Electronic Intifada co-founder Ali Abuninamah was accused of "incit(ing) violence against Israelis."

Hillel's Wayne Firestone said the conference advocates anti-Israeli "warfare" and "hatred." The demagogic Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called invited speakers:

"longtime activists who have pursued a wide range of delegitimization efforts against Israel, including lawfare initiatives (ie battling Israeli policy in the international courts), branding Israel's (hypocritical) LGBT efforts as an attempt to 'pink-wash' its 'alleged' crimes against Palestinians, and academic anti-Israeli arguments."

Many are "Jewish anti-Zionists....with a long history of anti-Israel rhetoric, including expressions of support for (spuriously characterized) terrorist groups that violently attack Israeli citizens, comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany, and blanket statements about Israelis in general that appear to border on anti-Semitism."

Throughout its century-long history, ADL hyped unfounded anti-Semitism hysteria as cover for backing Jewish supremacy and rights of Israelis over Arabs. They include militarized occupation and belligerently enforced apartheid.

ADL deplores human rights and rule of law standards. In the 1930s and 40s, it spied illegally on lawful citizens for the House Un-American Activities (HUAC). In the 1980s, it engaged in private spying. It viciously assails anti-Israeli activists. It condemned Palestinian efforts for full de jure UN membership, calling it "an obstacle to peace."

Like Dershowitz and other pro-Israeli hatemongers, ADL espouses violence and brute force.

BDS activists endorse confronting Israel nonviolently until it complies with international law and human rights standards. Archbishop Desmond Tutu said:

"....I have seen (firsthand) how the Palestinians are oppressed, dispossessed and exiled. (BDS) is a growing worldwide movement on the part of citizens and the private sector to support by non-violent tangible acts the Palestinian struggle for justice and self-determination."

Other distinguished figures support the same views. PennBDS said conference participants included "academics, activists, students and community leaders from across the US."

Meeting on U of P's main campus, they "(p)ick(ed) up where the 2009 Hampshire conference left off." Speakers included "journalists, professors, artists, writers, lawyers, and human and civil rights activists from various ethnic, religious, cultural and social communities."

Special attention focused on uniting with other initiatives against bigotry in all forms. Other talks discussed "comparative historical, sociological and philosophical analysis of BDS, both in its Israeli-Palestinian context and as a general tactic." Movement-building was also stressed.

Conference sponsors called the event "an invaluable resource for new activists and a momentum-building opportunity for those already engaged with the fight for Palestinian freedom and equality."

Other events will follow to build global momentum for justice too strong to stop. Hatemongers like Dershowitz and ADL can't stop it.

A Final Comment

Ruben Gur is a U of P Professor of Psychiatry at its Mahoney Institute of Neurological Sciences. On February 1, his Daily Pennsylvanian article headlined, "BDS is 'hateful,' 'discriminatory,' " saying:

"It is bad enough that Penn has allowed itself to be associated with this hateful genocidal organization, but for (the Daily Pennsylvanian) to give" it op-ed space "and then dignify this outpouring of misinformation and anti-Semitism....without any balancing opinion (is un)balanced journalism."

His article wreaked of racist hate, misinformation, and bald-faced lies. His agenda supports wrong over right. His students likely get the same "medicine" instead of what they pay for and deserve. Choosing another teacher would help.

He blamed Arabs for Israeli crimes. He called the purpose of BDS "similar to what was apparently stated in their version of "Mein Kampf." He referred to Omar Barghouti's book titled, "Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights."

Barghouti's an independent Palestinian commentator and human rights activist. He's also a founding BDS member. This writer's a cultural member and strong supporter. Maybe Gur will notice and attack me. If so, a reasoned response will follow, focusing on truth and full disclosure too strong to dispute.

He claimed BDS rhetoric aims "to delegitimize Israel in preparation for the ultimate goal of its destruction." In fact, Israel's doing it well on its own. It makes more enemies than friends, and growing numbers of fed-up Israelis vote with their feet and leave. One day perhaps they all will except for diehard racist supporters like Gur.

He compared BDS with Nazi Germany boycotts, divestments and sanctions against Jews. He called PennBDS organizers "tarnish(ish the university) for generations to come." He condemned "Penn's moral backbone" for letting them do it "as long as it singles out Jews and Israel."

As Dershowitz is to Harvard Law, Gur is to Penn's Neurological Sciences department. Both schools give them classroom space to spew hate. In the 1950s, this writer attended both universities, unexposed to their agendas.

Today it's much different, especially on issues of war and peace and wholehearted support for Israel's worst crimes.

Thankfully, many students abhor them enough to resist. Global momentum adds greater numbers to their ranks. Perhaps one day they'll be too robust to stop. It can't happen a moment too soon.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

This past week, I had the distinction of becoming one of a select list of authors banned by the Tucson United School District. Now this is no small feat. It turns out that the Tucson United School District (a city adjoining both the U.S./Mexico border and that of the Tohono O'odham, Yaqui and several other tribal nations) does not want to discuss Native American or Mexican American history - at least, as told by Native American and Chicano or Mexican American authors. Hence, the decision to ban books in a 4 to 1 vote on Tuesday, January 10 by the school-district board. This is part of a larger state mandate banning Mexican American Studies. An estimated 50 books are being banned. This morning, I am looking at one of the banned books, Rethinking Columbus: the Next 500 Years. The book, originally published in 1991 by Milwaukee-based Rethinking Schools, is intended to provide educators with tools to re-evaluate "the social and ecological consequences of the Europeans' arrival in 1492" and was written in time for the quincentenary. That was the event the Chicago Tribune had promised would be the "most stupendous international celebration in the history of notable celebrations." Perhaps a bit optimistic in retrospect. In the book, the question was asked, What were the consequences- both positive and negative of this "discovery," or, in actuality, the blind luck of some poor navigation skills. Apparently this book is the pinnacle of what should not be read. Rethinking contains writings of many noted and national award-winning Native works, including Buffy Sainte-Marie's My Country, 'Tis of Thy People You're Dying, Joseph Bruchac's A Friend of the Indians, Cornel Pewewardy's A Barbie-Doll Pocahontas, M. Scott Momaday's The Delight Song of Tsoai-Talee, and others. As a side note, Sainte-Marie won an Academy Award, and Momaday won a Pulitzer Prize.

Late last year, the Central Intelligence Agency explained to Judge Kessler of the US District Court in Washington DC that releasing the final volume of its three-decade-old history of the 1961 Bay of Pigs debacle would "confuse the public," and should be withheld because it is a "predecisional" document. Wow. And I thought that I had heard them all. On the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the National Security Archive filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit for the release of a five-volume CIA history of the Bay of Pigs affair. In response to the lawsuit, the CIA negotiated to release three volumes of the history - the JFK Assassination Records Review Board had already released Volume III - with limited redaction, currently available on the National Security Archive's website. At the time, the Director of the National Security Archive's Cuba Documentation project, Peter Kornbluh, quipped that getting historic documents released from the CIA was "the bureaucratic equivalent of passing a kidney stone." He was right. The Agency refused to release the final volume of this history, and the National Security Archive is not giving up on the fight.

As the last American soldiers left Iraq in December, so, too, did many of the journalists who had covered the war, leaving little in the way of media coverage of post-war Iraq. While there were some notable exceptions -- including two fine articles by MIT's John Tirman that asked how many Iraqis had been killed as a result of the US invasion -- overall the American press published few articles on the effects of the occupation, especially the consequences for Iraqis. As a college professor, I have a special interest in what happened to Iraqi universities under US occupation. The story is not pretty. Until the 1990s, Iraq had perhaps the best university system in the Middle East. Saddam Hussein's regime used oil revenues to underwrite free tuition for Iraqi university students -- churning out doctors, scientists, and engineers who joined the country's burgeoning middle class and anchored development. Although political dissent was strictly off-limits, Iraqi universities were professional, secular institutions that were open to the West, and spaces where male and female, Sunni and Shia mingled. Also the schools pushed hard to educate women who constituted 30 percent of Iraqi university faculties by 1991. (This is, incidentally, better than Princeton was doing as late as 2009.) With a reputation for excellence, Iraqi universities attracted many students from surrounding countries -- the same countries that are now sheltering the thousands of Iraqi professors who have fled US-occupied Iraq. Iraqi universities began their decline in the 12 years after the 1991 Gulf War. As the international sanctions regime cut off journal subscriptions and equipment purchases, academic salaries fell precipitously, and 10,000 Iraqi professors left the country. Those faculty who remained were increasingly closed off from new developments in their fields.

A close look at the roots of Romney's -- and the Mormon church's -- political ambitions When Mitt Romney received his patriarchal blessing as a Michigan teenager, he was told that the Lord expected great things from him. All young Mormon men - the "worthy males" of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as it is officially known - receive such a blessing as they embark on their requisite journeys as religious missionaries. But at 19 years of age, the youngest son of the most prominent Mormon in American politics - a seventh-generation direct descendant of one of the faith's founding 12 apostles - Mitt Romney had been singled out as a destined leader.