7/21 newspurge: burn for it/witch's wand

9/11 updates:
families want info on #phonehacking probe*
Video: If 9/11 victims were hacked, 'Fox News is finished'*
Rashard Mendenhall sues ex-sponsor over 9/11 tweets*
Jon Stewart 'Casually' Admits to CIA Prior Knowledge*
New 9/11 Timeline Entries from HistoryCommons.org:
Military Exercises, Air Force Response to Attacks & More*
Eyewitness to Demolition: New Video Compilation Brings Together Dozens of Explosive 9/11 Accounts*

biowars/envirohealth:
the difference between the Los Alamos fire and other wildfires can be summed up in a single word: 'radiation'*
Flash Floods Near Los Alamos Could Wash Through Canyons Full Of Nuclear Waste*
CBS Investigative Report on the Safety of the New Reactor at the Watts Bar, TN Nuke Plant*
Whistleblower says “the books are being cooked” -
“You can see a Fukushima happening here in the US” - “They wired my car for firebombing”*
CBS Part 2: Whistleblowers "terrified" at TVA nuke plants?*
‘Anomaly’ detected in Exxon pipeline before rupture in Yellowstone River*
Second Major Oil Spill In Montana In 2 Weeks*
Fukushima: High levels of radioactivity found extensively*
China Denies Coverup of ConocoPhillips Oil Spill*
CERN Scientists Gagged On ‘Politically Incorrect’ Global Warming Data*
UN security council to consider climate change peacekeeping*
Satire: Absentminded Professor Says Cure For Cancer 'Around Here Somewhere'*

drugwar updates:
Alarming 'Bath Salts' Stimulant Sold Legally in Many States*

1/13 newspurge: good, clean fun for the whole damn family

9/11 updates:
backup national communications system 'miraculously' switched to 'exercise mode' on 9/10*
deutsche's toxic tower finally coming down*

biowars/envirohealth:
more mass die-off's?*
birds fall from sky in california, thousands of dead fish found in chicago*
flashback: the mystery of dead birds & fish*
earth's magnetic pole shift unleashing poisonous space clouds linked to mysterious bird deaths*
weather control is no myth: scientists engineer thunderstorms over abu dhabi*
video: kirk cameron says dead birds aren't the end of the world*
17 other things that have fallen from the sky*
deep water: the devastating flood of brisbane*
'four loko' will now fuel cars, not mayhem*
oregon's umatilla depot to increase weapons destruction rate*
epa blows up industry's plan to blow up a mountaintop in west virginia*
8 'conspiracy theories' about health that mainstream media admits are true*

history/mystery:
jfk ambulance up for auction; transported kennedy from andrews afb to bethesda naval hospital*

9/11 updates: fixed facts, theater, law & wtc terror drills

'the ground truth': official story of 9/11 'almost entirely untrue'

like iraq, the 'facts' regarding 9/11 were 'fixed around the policy'
from global research: 3 facts show that the government "fixed the facts" regarding 9/11 around a policy decision to exonerate the government from any blame whatsoever.

1. 9/11 Commission's Chief Counsel says Official Story "Almost Entirely Untrue... There Was an Agreement Not to Tell the Truth about What Happened." As Daily Kos notes in a recent recommended story, the senior counsel to the 9/11 Commission - John Farmer - states in a new book that the official story of 9/11 "almost entirely untrue". As I noted last month, he also says: "At some level of the government, at some point in time... there was an agreement not to tell the truth about what happened." ...

2. The Government Used Communist-Style "Minders" to Intimidate Witnesses: The government used "minders" to intimidate witnesses to the 9/11 Commission. In fact, according to an internal memo...

3. The Main Sources of Information Were Not Even Remotely Credible: The fact that people were tortured in order to justify the Iraq war by making a false linkage between Iraq and 9/11 is gaining attention.

41 US counterterror & intel vets challenge official account of 9/11

9/11 conspiracies fly in world premiere of dietz's yankee tavern
from playbill: [T]he world premiere of Yankee Tavern, a new post-9/11 thriller by the prolific Steven Dietz... set in a crumbling New York bar, in which a young man grapples with questions "about his father's best friend, his mysterious past, and a stranger who knows much more than he should," according to Florida Stage. "Suddenly, he finds himself caught in a web of conspiracy theories surrounding the 9/11 attacks and outlandish hypotheses become dangerous realities."

9/11 conspiracy theorists sue st. louis

wtc disaster drill scenes echo 9/11
from telegraph: More than 800 rescue workers have staged a disaster drill at a commuter rail station at the World Trade Center site in scenes that echoed images from the Sept 11 attacks on New York. Hundreds of firefighters, police officers and other rescue workers descended on the tracks of the PATH rail tunnel linking lower Manhattan to New Jersey after the mock explosion was set off on Sunday morning. About 150 volunteer "victims" boarded a New Jersey-bound train. But 1,200 feet from the station, the train stopped, power was cut, and emergency services were called. They secured the scene and then brought the pretend victims - who were covered in make-up simulating blood, grime and serious injuries - out of the tunnel. Officials bought TV advertisements and plastered train stations with posters to warn downtown residents of the drill. There have not been as many responders at Ground Zero since the Sept 11 2001 attacks...

a main source for the 9/11 commission report was tortured until he signed a confession he wasn't even allowed to read

video: the 9/11 commission didn't investigate nothing!


updates from may21:
zelikow failed to mention possible criminal referral of false statements by norad & faa in memo to 9/11 commission heads*
cheney speech reportedly refers to 9/11 25 times*
columbia shuttle investigation cost $175m. challenger cost $100m. 9/11 investigation only got $15m*

econocrash: davos, panic, pyramid schemes & market magic

do we need a north american currency?
from marketwatch: Thomas Jefferson once said: "When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." As the global financial system pushes on a string, investors are desperately trying to hold tight. The New World Order is upon us, full of hope, promise and a fair amount of fear. In our recent discussion regarding the direction of our country, we noted the risks of catering to conventional wisdom and the implications for the U.S. dollar. See MarketWatch column on New World Order. Years ago, the Federal Reserve wrote a "solution paper" regarding the need to combat zero-bound interest rates. The concern was the flight of capital from the U.S. and an option discussed was a two-tiered currency, one for U.S citizens and one for foreigners. Canadian economist Herbert Grubel first introduced a potential manifestation of this concept in 1999. The North American Currency - called the "Amero" in select circles - would effectively comingle the Canadian dollar, U.S. dollar and Mexican peso. On its face, while difficult to imagine, it makes intuitive sense. The ability to combine Canadian natural resources, American ingenuity and cheap Mexican labor would allow North America to compete better on a global stage. Experience has taught us, however, that perceived solutions introduced by policy makers and politicians don't always have the desired effect.

white house will 'create crisis' & 'panic' to push stimulus
from business & media: Is the new Obama administration taking cues from the Bush administration to get Congress to act? It certainly seemed that way to, South Carolina’s junior Republican senator, Jim DeMint. DeMint, speaking Jan. 27 at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., explained the Obama administration will “create crisis and widespread panic” just like its predecessor in order to get Congress to act expeditiously. “I’ve been around long enough to know whenever someone tells me I have to make a decision right now, my response is no,” DeMint said. “That clears it up right away and I think more and more the Bush administration and now this administration knows that they’re not going to get a quick reaction out of Congress unless they create crisis and widespread panic. And that’s going to be their M.O. to get Congress to act.” Another senator, James Inhofe, R-Okla., explained the Bush administration used a similar tactic, under the direction of former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, to get the $700-billion TARP bailout bill passed by Congress back on Oct. 4, 2008.

bipartisanship? demint predicts zero senate gop votes for obama stimulus

ny ceo arrested over pyramid scheme
from afp: A New York CEO was to be arraigned Tuesday on charges of fleecing investors through a pyramid, or Ponzi scheme, authorities said. A spokeswoman for the FBI said that Nicholas Cosmo, chief executive of Agape World Inc, was due in court following his arrest late Monday. Cosmo "planned and carried out a fraudulent scheme" targeting some 1,500 investors and a total of 370 million dollars, the US prosecutor's office in New York said.

baboon’s blood offers davos leaders shakespearian market magic
from bloomberg: That old black magic has even the World Economic Forum in its spell. “Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and caldron bubble,” says WEF delegate Richard Olivier, one of the 2,500 global business and political leaders starring at the forum’s 39th annual meeting this week in Davos, Switzerland. The son of Shakespearian actor Laurence Olivier isn’t conjuring up Wall Street’s Triple Witching Hour before its next scheduled appearance in March. He’s hosting a seminar titled “Leadership Lessons From Macbeth” for WEF delegates who include Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, News Corp. Chief Executive Officer Rupert Murdoch and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. “Cool it with a baboon’s blood,” the 47-year-old Olivier advises, reciting the witches’ recommendation to the troubled Thane of Cawdor in Shakespeare’s play. The WEF’s theme this season is “Shaping the Post-Crisis World.” Yet Olivier reckons the kettle of fiscal crises currently heating up WEF delegates from JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO James Dimon to American International Group Inc. Vice Chairman Jacob Frenkel makes the Davosian stage an ideal venue for the princes of Wall Street to delve into the magic of “Macbeth” and discuss how they persuaded people, including themselves, to believe in things that were not real.

un crime chief says drug money keeps banks afloat
from iht: The United Nations' crime and drug watchdog has indications that money made in illicit drug trade has been used to keep banks afloat in the global financial crisis, its head was quoted as saying on Sunday. Vienna-based UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said in an interview released by Austrian weekly Profil that drug money often became the only available capital when the crisis spiralled out of control last year. "In many instances, drug money is currently the only liquid investment capital," Costa was quoted as saying by Profil. "In the second half of 2008, liquidity was the banking system's main problem and hence liquid capital became an important factor." The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had found evidence that "interbank loans were funded by money that originated from drug trade and other illegal activities," Costa was quoted as saying. There were "signs that some banks were rescued in that way." Profil said Costa declined to identify countries or banks which may have received drug money and gave no indication how much cash might be involved. He only said Austria was not on top of his list, Profil said.

stimulus bill sends thrill through region

banks & standing armies: ron paul on glenn beck
from infowars: Glenn Beck actually quotes Thomas Jefferson on the fact that “banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.”

ron paul: strengthening or weakening the economy?

update: navy's idea of 'stimulus': torpedoes, missiles & jets
from danger room: The Navy is hoping the stimulus bill will pay for more missiles, and fighter jets, and torpedoes. The gazillion dollar economic aid package, making its way through Congress, puts a premium on projects that can generate jobs, ASAP. So the Pentagon has given "some suggestions in terms of military hospitals, clinics, barracks, some child-care centers and things like that, where we think the work could begin right away or is already under way and could be accelerated," Defense Secretary Robert Gates told senators the other day. But an internal Navy memo, obtained by InsideDefense.com ace Chris Castelli, goes farther than these mom-and-apple-pie construction projects. Instead, the Navy suggests, what about some: "Tomahawk cruise missiles, MK-48 torpedoes or SM-2 air defense missiles; warfighting equipment such as small boats, riverine and coastal warfare craft"... Which sounds a lot more like the Navy's typical shopping list, than an attempt to get Americans working in a hurry. Not surprising. But lame. Meanwhile, Taxpayers for Common Sense finds an extra billion in the stimulus bill for nuclear stockpile watchers at the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. Plus, there's another $200 million for the oft-troubled effort to build a high-tech fence along the Mexican border. "DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano at her nomination hearing this month criticized the fence, which has already doubled in cost since construction began," the good-government group notes. "Considering the controversy around increased spending on the weapons complex and border fence, these passages of the legislation should raise some flags over its shovel-readiness." Here's my question to y'all: Should defense projects even be considered part of the stimulus package? Obviously, some of them do generate jobs. But with the Pentagon already gobbling up more than $600 billion a year, hasn't the military-industrial complex had more than its fill? Talk it over, in the comments.

more americans joining military as jobs dwindle
from iht: As the number of jobs across the nation dwindles, more Americans are joining the military, lured by a steady paycheck, benefits and training. The last fiscal year was a banner one for the military, with all active-duty and reserve forces meeting or exceeding their recruitment goals for the first time since 2004, the year that violence in Iraq intensified drastically, Pentagon officials said. And the trend seems to be accelerating. The army exceeded its targets each month for October, November and December — the first quarter of the new fiscal year — bringing in 21,443 new soldiers on active duty and in the reserves. December figures were released last week... "When the economy slackens and unemployment rises and jobs become more scarce in civilian society, recruiting is less challenging," said Curtis Gilroy, the director of accession policy for the Department of Defense. Still, the economy alone does not account for the military's success in attracting more recruits. The recent decline in violence in Iraq has "also had a positive effect," Gilroy said.

from soviet agent to london newspaper proprietor
from time: What can you get for a single unit of Britain's poor, battered currency? Not much - apart from power, influence and an entrée into the highest echelons of the British establishment. These are the potential byproducts of an agreement reached on Jan. 21 by Russian oligarch and politician Alexander Lebedev to buy London's largest newspaper, the Evening Standard, from its current owners Associated Newspapers for the nominal fee of one pound sterling. The bargain-basement price is arguably the least startling aspect of a transaction that if confirmed next month following a staff consultation process - and barring any intervention by the British government - will open a new and bizarre chapter in Anglo-Russian relations. Lebedev, after all, is a former KGB operative, who spied on Britain under diplomatic cover during the Cold War, by his own account scouring news sources such as the Standard for tidbits to feed to his handlers back home. His exotic pedigree has caused a few splutters. Richard Ottway, a Conservative MP, said he felt that "the fact that [Lebedev] has been a member of a foreign security service" meant there should be an inquiry into the sale. "I think it's one more example that we are no more a serious nation that we allow a serious paper to be taken over in our capital by a Russian oligarch," harrumphed Sir Peregrine Worsthorne, an octogenarian former newspaper editor.

irish millionaire found dead of suspected suicide
from wikinews: Irish property businessman Patrick Rocca has been found dead in his home. Police reports indicate that suicide is the probable cause. He was 42. Rocca was discovered dead yesterday morning, with one shot to the head. The Irish Times has confirmed that there appears to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding this shot, and that the firearm involved has been confiscated. Rocca was believed to have assets worth €500 million. He had worked in business for around 25 years, since he joined his family business, Rocca Tiles. His first property deal involved the purchase of two Gatwick office blocks in 2005.

over 8 in 10 corporations have tax havens
from ap: Eighty-three of the nation's 100 largest corporations, including Citigroup, Bank of America and News Corp. (NWSA), had subsidiaries in offshore tax havens in 2007, and some of the companies received federal bailout funding, a government watchdog said Friday. The Government Accountability Office released a report that said Bank of America Inc., Citigroup Inc. (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS) all had more than 100 units in countries that maintain low or no taxes. The three financial institutions were included in the $700 billion financial bailout approved by Congress.

update: putin calls for end of dollar stranglehold
from telegraph: Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin has called for concerted action to break the stranglehold of the US dollar and create a new global structure of regional powers. "The one reserve currency has become a danger to the world economy: that is now obvious to everybody," he said in a speech at the World Economic Forum. It is the first time that a Russian leader has set foot in the sanctum sanctorum of global capitalism at Davos. Mr Putin said the leading powers should ensure an "irreversible" move towards a system of multiple reserve currencies, questioning the "reliability" of the US dollar as a safe store of value. "The pride of Wall Street investment banks don't exist any more," he said.

update: diplomat says 'jewish money' controls US
from afp: South Africa’s deputy foreign minister has been taken before the national human rights body for allegedly saying that "Jewish money" controls the United States, officials said Thursday. Fatima Hajaig allegedly told a political rally two weeks ago in Johannesburg that Jews "control America, no matter which government comes into power, whether Republican or Democratic, whether Barack Obama or George Bush... Their control of America, just like the control of most western countries, is in the hands of Jewish money," she allegedly said. Outraged by the remarks, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies — a civil rights group — said it filed a complaint Wednesday against Hajaig at the human rights commission.

assassination updates: jfk, rfk & the bush crime family

upcoming novel to describe jfk as sex-fiend
from thaindian: A new novel describes former U.S. President John F. Kennedy as a shameless sex-fiend who destroyed numerous lives. Publisher Simon & Schuster has revealed that British writer Jed Mercurio's book, entitled American Adulterer, will describe JFK as a philanderer during his White House years. The publisher said that the book would revealed that Kennedy had an “uncontrollable and unrelenting appetite for sexual adventure,” reports the New York Post. Simon & Schuster has also revealed that the book, scheduled for release in July, will also talk about real-life Kennedy liaisons as Marilyn Monroe, Angie Dickinson and Judith Campbell Exner. Representatives for JFK's daughter, Senate hopeful Caroline Kennedy, were unavailable for comment.

the daddy bush connection with jfk's assassination
from op-ed news: This is merely a small sample of many, many more sites where these came from. Some may be over the top (or not), but most of them are as historically/factually substantive as the 9/11 “inside job” scenario - so validated by scientific evidence, on the spot observations, and pictures of IMPLODING, not exploding, towers!

http://www.jfkmurdersolved.com/bush.htm

http://www.john-f-kennedy.net/thenixonbushconnectiontothekennedyassassination.htm

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=JFK%27s+assassination+and+the+Bush+Family

http://www.totse.com/en/conspiracy/dead_kennedys/161963.html

http://www.tomflocco.com/fs/FbiMemoPhotoLinkBushJfk.htm

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20Government/War%20on%20Drugs%20Scam/Order%20of%20Skull%20&%20Bones/bush_bones_jfk_assassination.htm

http://www.geocities.com/vienna/strasse/7676/pagesix.html

http://edward.de.leau.net/jfk-ii-assassination-study-many-ties-to-the-bush-crime-family-20081216.html

http://www.ctrl.org/essay2/MCIJFKA1.html

http://www.amazon.com/JFK-II-Connection-John-Hankey/dp/B000AAIUWA

It is limitlessly suspicious that Bush Sr. and Jr. have their hands all over the two most consecutively treasonous events which have defined American history as much as the Civil War.

The trail to the truth of JFK’s assassination may be cold, but it would be a virtual act of God if it helped to confirm the engineering of 9/11 by George W. Bush, and his fascist elite masters -- and visa-versa for JFK's assassination. Could 9/11 ironically be the event that also leads to the truth of JFK's assassination! What a twofer that would be?

Like father, like son?

ps: Naturally it's also a matter of historical record that GRANDFATHER Prescott Bush tried to engineer a Nazi coup d'etat in America in the 30's. The archetypal treason family of Bush's -- who also made much (most?) of their fortune with connections with the Germany's WW2 evil incarnate Third Reich.

new bush family expose: 'family of secrets'
from secrecy news: What does it say about the American political system that someone like George W. Bush was able to ascend to the highest office in the land, despite his meager and ambiguous record? In pursuit of an answer to that question, investigative journalist Russ Baker has constructed a full-fledged counterhistory of the last half-century as it pertains to the Bush family. He writes in his new book “Family of Secrets” that he discovered a “dimension of power” that conditions and distorts the American political process. It lies at the intersection of corporate oil interests, finance and intelligence, and the Bushes have been at the heart of it. With a brief apology to the reader, Baker revisits the JFK assassination (and George H.W. Bush’s peculiar response to it) and he embraces a radical reinterpretation of Watergate in which President Nixon is the target and victim of the conspiracy rather than its instigator. "Family of Secrets" postulates a network of politically and financially powerful individuals working behind the scenes to advance their interests at the expense of the nation.

'good bobby' writer-actor digs deep into kennedy's core
from latimes: It's been a grand time lately for actors playing famous U.S. political figures on film: Josh Brolin in "W," Sean Penn in "Milk" and Frank Langella reprising his stage role in "Frost/Nixon." Another compelling, if far less publicized re-creation of a major politician is also currently on view, this time on stage, in "Good Bobby," a new drama about Robert F. Kennedy, written by and starring Brian Lee Franklin. The ambitious 10-character play, back at the Greenway Court Theatre after an extended run, covers RFK's life and career from his early to late 30s, starting in 1958 with his role as chief counsel to the Senate Rackets Committee. It continues through older brother Jack's presidential win, Bobby's appointment as attorney general, and JFK's assassination, ending around the time of Bobby's 1964 U.S. Senate run.

and here are some more reviews for new limited-hangout books we've already covered... (because the mob also had the secret service stand-down, stole the body, mangled the autopsy, destroyed evidence, setup a coverup commission, etc... just like obl had norad stand-down, destroyed evidence, setup a coverup commission, etc...)

kennedys, castros & murder
from cutting edge news: Gus Russo and Stephen Molton have produced a well-researched and compelling study of the role Cuban, Soviet, and American intelligence agencies played in keeping track of Lee Harvey Oswald, the self-styled revolutionary credited with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, in the years before Dallas.

the mob did it (we think)
from daily beast: A new book by the long-time assassination researchers Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann adds some new information to the legitimate accumulating literature. Legacy of Secrecy: The Long Shadow of the JFK Assassination delves into the murder of JFK in over 800 pages of intricately documented data. It expands on their earlier Ultimate Sacrifice, which analyzed thousands of pages of released classified documents. Their findings add pieces to one of our most perplexing puzzles, and suggest where the key missing pieces may be found.

heavily researched book links jfk murder to killing of mlk & rfk
from canadian press: A new, heavily researched book on John F. Kennedy's murder and its investigation sees links with a bagful of sensational stories, from President Johnson's fear of a nuclear attack by the Soviets to the killing of Martin Luther King Jr. The links all connect with the main contention in "Legacy of Secrecy" that the assassination was engineered by Carlos Marcello, longtime Mafia boss in New Orleans. That theory is far from new. There's evidence that Attorney General Robert Kennedy, the president's brother, believed it. Authors Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann broaden the theme.

marcello had jfk killed
from inentertainment: A new book has been released, Legacy of Secrecy: The Long Shadow of the JFK Assassination was written by Lamar Waldron. In the book it proposes that Mafia Mobster Boss, Carlos Marcello from New Orleans had JFK killed. This is not a new theory, but the book cites a testimony from Marcello where he said “Yeah, I had the son of a bitch killed. I’m glad I did. I’m sorry I couldn’t have done it myself.” It seems that Marcello does not care who knows that he orchestrated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The former mobster boss also claims that he knew Jack Ruby, and he had him kill Lee Harvey Oswald. The new book which has 848 pages also looks at the links between Marcello and the murders of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King.

media memes: nixon, cruise, stone, lennon, vhs & hi-def

'frost/nixon': meant for each other
from washington post: Neither the title nor the subject matter prepares you for the pure fun of "Frost/Nixon." Ron Howard's movie is based on Peter Morgan's play, which was based on the 1977 television interviews between British journalist David Frost and the disgraced former president Richard Nixon. You expect something dry, historical and probably contrived. But you get a delicious contest of wits, brilliant acting and a surprisingly gripping narrative - no less dramatic even though the results are a foregone conclusion.

pentagon & hollywood pair up for transformers sequel
from danger room: Hollywood action director Michael Bay enlisted the U.S. military to provide realistic props for his 2007 giant-robot epic Transformers. After the Pentagon helped rewrite the script, Bay got access to helicopters, warships and - for just $25,000 an hour - F-22 stealth fighters. As we speak, Bay is shooting a sequel that has even more U.S. military hardware on display, according to USA Today. The director set up shop at White Sands, a test range in New Mexico, standing in for Egypt, where the new movie's climactic battle takes place. "As far as I know, this is the biggest joint military operation movie ever made," said Bay's liaison officer from the Army.

stone unturned: oliver on obama

tom cruise, scientology & holocaust revisionism
from indybay: Tom Cruise is asking for your Valkyrie movie ticket dollars, but spends his money to fund a cult with a similar attitude towards lesser races and global domination. Should the actor be separated from his actions? As a producer of the movie, he earns money from every ticket. Should you care where that money is going? ... Tom Cruise is one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, even with his anti-Semitic portrayal of a Hollywood producer (complete with gold star necklace) in Tropic Thunder. Is having his money go toward funding studies linking the Holocaust to modern medicine worth the price of your movie ticket?

mind control through the hi-def boxes

john lennon digitally inserted into television commercial
from raw story: With the approval of widow Yoko Ono, former Beatle and peace activist John Lennon, who was killed 28 years ago, appeared digitally in a 30-second television ad in support of the "One Laptop per Child" campaign. The spot was launched on Thursday and will play in donated broadcast and cable time slots. The voice of Lennon says: "Imagine every child, no matter where in the world they were, could access a universe of knowledge. They would have a chance to learn, to dream, to achieve anything they want. I tried to do it through my music, but now you can do it in a very different way. You can give a child a laptop and, more than imagine, you can change the world."

long, winding road hits a dead end at last for vhs
from latimes: Pop culture is hitting the eject button on the VHS tape, the once ubiquitous home video format that will finish this month as a creaky ghost of Christmas past. After three decades of steady if unspectacular service, the spinning wheels of the home entertainment stalwart are slowing to a halt at retail outlets. On a crisp Friday morning in October, the final truckload of VHS tapes rolled out of a Palm Harbor, Fla., warehouse run by Ryan Kugler, the last major supplier of the tapes. "It's dead, this is it, this is the last Christmas, without a doubt," said Kugler, 34, a Southern California businessman. "I was the last one buying VHS and the last one selling it, and I'm done. Anything left in warehouse we'll just give away or throw away." ... But Kugler, with a sly smile, offered a warning to consumers: "The days of the DVD are numbered... And that is good news for me."

5 years later: rachel corrie's case for justice

from counterpunch: As their plane touches down in Tel Aviv this week, Cindy and Craig Corrie will mark five years since their daughter's death. On March 16, 2003, Rachel Corrie, 23, was crushed to death beneath an armored Israeli bulldozer. The Corries are a short distance from Gaza, where Rachel was killed, and where in the past few weeks, an Israeli military incursion killed over 100 Palestinians, including many women and children. This week, the Corries come to Israel to attend the first Arabic-language performance of the acclaimed one-woman play, My Name is Rachel Corrie.

flashback: theater festival under fire for 'rachel corrie'

theater festival under fire for 'rachel corrie'

for a few years, i was a sound designer at the contemporary american theater festival. i also worked for ed herendeen, off & on, for almost ten years. i can say first hand that ed has always staged controversial plays; from the death of danny casolaro in 'the octopus' to sleeping with terrorists in 'homeland security,' his provocative choices make theater more urgent & important. that's one of the main reasons why people want to work with him... but now, with catf putting on 'my name is rachel corrie,' herendeen & co may have bitten off more than shepherdstown can chew...

should anti-israel play be staged?
from jewish theatre: A controversial one-woman play about an American killed in Gaza will be staged this summer during the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) in Shepherdstown, W.Va., and some longtime ticket holders are objecting.

My Name is Rachel Corrie will be performed 17 times during the month long July festival.

Bethesda's Richard Belle has been attending the festival for the past 10 years. This season, he plans to skip it in protest.

"The play was written by partisans who are strongly anti-Israel," said Belle, 55, who works in marketing for a nonprofit engineering corporation. "I don't see this play doing anything except stirring up hatred against Israel, and the fact that it's so beloved by the hard anti-Zionist, pro-Palestinian movement is not coincidental," he continued.

"I'm particularly pained because I love CATF. I'm horrified in what they're doing," Belle said.

Such reactions don't surprise CATF director Ed Herendeen. "I think that's what is great about freedom of speech and the power of art is that you go and choose what you want to see," he said. "What I would like is people to keep an open mind."

One of CATF's board members resigned in protest, revoking a $100,000 pledge, Herendeen said. He would not reveal the name of that person, and other board members either could not confirm the identity or did not respond to inquiries.

He also said that he has been "receiving some real nice letters of positive support from patrons," and that as of press time ticket sales are roughly on pace with last year.

catf offering stirs debate
from shepherdstown observer: With the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF)’s decision to stage “My Name Is Rachel Corrie” during its 2007 season in July, the shouting match that has led to the play’s cancellation in New York, Toronto, and Miami and upstaged a recent production in Seattle could follow the play to Shepherdstown...

“It’s a very human story. I connected with this play because of Rachel’s idealistic voice,” says CATF producing director Ed Herendeen. “It reconnected me with my youth and my idealism.”

According to most press accounts, many of the play’s admirers share Herendeen’s perspective. The setting could have been Darfur, Liberia, or any of the world’s most dangerous and contested places. For Herendeen, Corrie’s voice rings with youthful optimism that people can make a difference in the world...

The decision to stage the play has created a stir within CATF. Early on, a few trustees hinted they might resign over the play’s content. Others were concerned by the negative financial implications of staging the play. The trustees met for a Saturday session to discuss the decision to produce the play. To Herendeen, the discussion was an energizing example of how theater can inspire dialogue. Ultimately, though, one trustee, H. Alan Young, did resign over the trustees’ decision to back the production.