SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2006, Issue No. 122
December 1, 2006

Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

Support Secrecy News:
http://www.fas.org/static/contrib_sec.jsp


** KILLING HABEAS CORPUS
** NEW FROM JASON
** NAVY MIND CONTROL
** OTHER ODDS AND ENDS


KILLING HABEAS CORPUS

Habeas corpus refers to the right of a person who has been detained by
the government to challenge his detention in a court of law.
Although the U.S. Constitution does not permit the suspension of
habeas corpus except in case of invasion or rebellion, last September
Congress did so anyway at the behest of the Bush Administration.

In a startling display of how easy it can be to disable even the most
elementary constitutional protections, Congress enacted the Military
Commissions Act of 2006, which would deprive suspected enemy
combatants held abroad of their ability to seek judicial review of
their status.

Proposed limits on habeas corpus were the subject of an intense and
contentious hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee recently,
the record of which has just been published.

See "Examining Proposals to Limit Guantanamo Detainees' Access to
Habeas Corpus Review," Senate Judiciary Committee, September 25:

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2006_hr/habeas.html

Some of the more electric moments in the hearing were recounted in The
New Yorker this week in a profile of Sen. Arlen Specter, who
inexplicably condemned the proposed new restrictions on habeas corpus
and then voted in favor of them.

See "Killing Habeas Corpus" by Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker,
December 4:

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/061204fa_fact

"In my view, [the Military Commissions Act] has dishonored our
Nation's proud history," said Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), who
introduced legislation on November 16 that would repeal several of
the Act's provisions. See:

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2006_cr/dodd111606.html


NEW FROM JASON

The elite JASON defense science advisory panel, most of whose
deliberations and conclusions are classified, surfaced publicly for a
moment with two new releases.

One new JASON report addresses the feasibility of reducing Defense
Department dependence on fossil fuels.

"In light of an increasing U.S. dependence on foreign oil, as well as
rising fuel costs for the U.S. and the DoD, and implications with
regard to national security and national defense, JASON was charged
in 2006 by the DDR&E [Director, Defense Research and Engineering]
with assessing pathways to reduce DoD's dependence on fossil fuels."

A copy of the report was obtained by Secrecy News.

See "Reducing DoD Fossil-Fuel Dependence," JASON report JSR-06-135,
September 2006 (105 pages, 4.5 MB PDF):

http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/dod/jason/fossil.pdf

The second release is an unclassified summary of a JASON review of
plutonium aging in nuclear weapons, which found that most plutonium
weapon "pits" have "credible lifetimes of at least 100 years." This
important conclusion diminishes the case for any new nuclear weapon
development.

See the unclassified executive summary of the JASON report on "Pit
Lifetime" here (flagged by ArmsControlWonk.com):

http://www.nukewatch.org/facts/nwd/JASON_ReportPuAging.pdf


NAVY MIND CONTROL

U.S. Navy research on "mind control techniques" cannot be performed on
human subjects without the authorization of the Under Secretary of
the Navy, according to a new Navy Instruction.

"The Under Secretary of the Navy (UNSECNAV) is the Approval Authority
for research involving ... severe or unusual intrusions, either
physical or psychological, on human subjects (such as
consciousness-altering drugs or mind-control techniques)."

The nature and scope of any such Navy research could not be
immediately discovered.

See "Human Research Protection Program," Secretary of the Navy
Instruction 3900.39D, November 6, 2006 [at section 7(a)(2), page 9]:

http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/navy/secnavinst/3900_39d.pdf


OTHER ODDS AND ENDS

U.S. Air Force policy on "information operations" -- which includes
electronic warfare, psychological operations, military deception,
counter-propaganda and more -- is described in a recently updated Air
Force Policy Document.

See "Information Operations," AFPD 10-7, 6 September 2006 (revised 8
Oct 06):

http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/usaf/afpd10-7.pdf

The apparent involvement of the North Korean government in drug
trafficking and the implications of such activity for U.S. policy are
the subject of a newly updated report from the Congressional Research
Service (first reported by U.S. News and World Report).

See "Drug Trafficking and North Korea: Issues for U.S. Policy,"
updated November 27, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32167.pdf

Now that the 109th Congress is drawing to a close, the Senate Select
Committee on Intelligence has belatedly issued a report summarizing
its activities during the 108th Congress (2003-2004). See, if you
care to, "Committee Activities," Senate Report 109-360, November 16:

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2006_rpt/srpt109-360.html

Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@fas.org
voice: (202) 454-4691

Los Angeles Archdiocese to settle for $60 million with 45 accusers

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony said Friday that the Los Angeles Archdiocese had agreed to pay $60 million to 45 people who said they were abused by Roman Catholic priests - a payout that would be among the highest per person since the clergy sex abuse scandal exploded four years ago. By John Spano, Paul Pringle and Jean Guccione. http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H67C0Er

Victim can't forgive Mahony for this
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H67D0Es

Settlement leaves largest questions unanswered
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H67E0Et

Steve Lopez: Mahony's speaking, but he's still silent
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H67F0Eu

Chaos reigns for Mexican inauguration

MEXICO CITY - Felipe Calderon is sworn in amid battles in the
legislative palace. He promises to reach out to mend rifts. By
Héctor Tobar.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H67G0Ev

Pope ends visit of conciliation

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Even his critics give praise for the pontiff's
outreach to Muslims in Turkey. By Tracy Wilkinson.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H67H0Ew

Hezbollah sit-in has Beirut at a standstill

BEIRUT - The Shiite party and its allies say they're staying until
the U.S.-backed government falls. By Megan K. Stack.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H67I0Ex

A fragile fabric on skid row

Clusters of tents and makeshift lean-tos form close-knit
communities for many. Even here, there are good and bad
neighborhoods. By Ashraf Khalil.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H67J0Ey

Maliki criticized as violence flares

BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi troops raid a Sunni area. Leaders express
doubts the prime minister can stem the bloodshed. By Molly
Hennessy-Fiske.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H67K0Ez

Bush set to meet Iraqi Shiite leader with ties to Iran

WASHINGTON - The president also has talks planned in Washington
with a Sunni politician as he seeks contacts with heads of Iraq's
competing factions. By James Gerstenzang.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H67L0E1


Justices to Hear Case of 'Bong Hits 4 Jesus' Banner at School Event

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court agrees to decide whether student had a
right to display his sign. By David G. Savage.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H67M0E2

Reyes to lead House panel on intelligence

WASHINGTON - Texas Congressman and former Border Patrol agent
Silvestre Reyes is widely seen as a compromise candidate for
Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi, who bypassed two more-senior members.
By Greg Miller.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H67N0E3

AIDS fight needs churches, Obama says

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois told more than 2,000
evangelical leaders in Orange County that he "respectfully but
unequivocally" disagrees with those who oppose condom distribution
to fight the AIDS pandemic. But he said a solution to the
worldwide spread of AIDS would also come from churches guiding
people to make moral decisions. By Michael Finnegan.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H67Q0E6

Controversial Malibu hills access plan OKd

US marine given 40 years for rape BBC News
A US marine has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for raping a local woman in the Philippines last year.The sentence was handed down to Lance Corporal Daniel Smith in a Manila courtroom for the rape of the woman in a van at a former US navy base. Three other defendants, Lance Corporals Keith Silkwood and Dominic Duplantis and Staff Sergeant Chad Carpentier, were all cleared of rape. The case had sparked strong protests from women's and left-wing groups. About 100 protesters were outside the courthouse for the verdict. They sang the nationalist song My Country and called for the end of the Visiting Forces Agreement that covers the use of overseas troops in training exercises.

Damages
The attack took place at the former US naval base of Subic Bay, west of Manila, in November last year. Smith, 21, from St Louis, Missouri, had said the sex was consensual.But Judge Benjamin Pozon said the woman was so drunk she could not have consented to sex. He said the length of the sentence was aimed at "protecting women against the unbridled bestiality of persons who cannot control their libidinous proclivity". Smith was also ordered to pay the defendant 100,000 pesos ($2,000) in damages. The marines had been held in custody at the US embassy, after the US refused to hand them over until the end of the trial. The defendants were stationed in Okinawa, Japan, but had just finished manoeuvres in the Philippines when the attack occurred. The case created strong emotions in the Philippines, with protesters often appearing at the courtroom. They had held placards including the phrases "Justice for Nicole," "Jail the Yankees," and "Rage Against Rape". Nicole was the pseudonym given to the victim, now 23, in the case.

African American to run L.A. fire dept.

Veteran firefighter Douglas L. Barry will be named acting chief of
the Los Angeles Fire Department today, the first African American
in the agency's history to assume the top job. By Robert J. Lopez.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7BN0Eg

Winds drive fire into homes

A wildfire whipped by Santa Ana winds near Moorpark destroyed five
houses, damaged at least five other structures and threatened
hundreds more as it skipped across the rolling hillsides of
eastern Ventura County. By Kenneth R. Weiss.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7BO0Eh

Venezuela's Chavez reelected

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was
resoundingly reelected Sunday, setting the scene for a promised
"deepening" of his socialist revolution and a broader role as
leftist lightning rod on the world stage. By Chris Kraul.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7BP0Ei

Fighting words in Spain

BARCELONA, Spain - In Catalonia, Spanish is snubbed in favor of
the mandatory regional tongue. Cultural identity has come at the
price of intolerance, critics say. By Tracy Wilkinson.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7BQ0Ej

Hints of a Rumsfeld-ian style

WASHINGTON - Robert M. Gates was known as a bully, but the Defense
nominee's supporters say that's in the past. By Peter Spiegel and
Julian E. Barnes.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7BR0Ek

'Fear took over' in Baghdad raid

FORWARD OPERATING BASE AL RASHID, Iraq - U.S. advisors lament
Iraqi troops' conduct. America's exit strategy hangs in the
balance. By Solomon Moore.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7BS0El

British probe of ex-spy's death widens

LONDON - British authorities said they were widening their
investigation of the poisoning of former KGB agent Alexander
Litvinenko on the heels of a fresh series of leads into the
Russian's murky political and business connections stretching from
Moscow to the U.S. By Kim Murphy.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7BT0Em

Israeli troops to leave Lebanese section of divided village

JERUSALEM - Nearly two months after the rest of its army left
southern Lebanon, Israel agreed to pull its few dozen remaining
soldiers from the Lebanese part of a village divided by the
border, yielding control to U.N. peacekeepers. By Richard
Boudreaux.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7BU0En

Cases retread Brown vs. Board of Education steps

WASHINGTON - For the first time in a decade, the Supreme Court
will revisit the legacy of a landmark: the Brown vs. Board of
Education decision of 1954 that declared unconstitutional the
racial segregation of public schools. By David G. Savage.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7BV0Eo

Indiana Democrat Bayh weighs White House run

WASHINGTON - Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) said he would establish an
exploratory committee this week, marking his first formal step in
a possible run for the presidency in 2008. By Walter F. Roche Jr.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7BW0Ep

Taser use again in dispute

HOUSTON - An officer's shocking of an NFL player spotlights how
black people are more likely to be stunned by Houston police. By
Miguel Bustillo.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7BX0Eq

People's Park in Berkeley is still a battlefield

BERKELEY - People's Park in Berkeley has long been a symbol of
activism. Debating its future, some view it as sacred ground;
others see it as a blight on the community. By Rone Tempest.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7BZ0Es

Bob Sipchen: Essay question: What will win me college entry?
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7Ba0Ez

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2006, Issue No. 123
December 4, 2006

Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

Support Secrecy News:
http://www.fas.org/static/contrib_sec.jsp


** ODNI SURVEYS INTEL COMMUNITY EMPLOYEES
** DEMOCRATIC REPS TELL EPA TO SUSPEND CLOSURE OF LIBRARIES
** COURT ORDERS EXPEDITED HANDLING OF FOIA REQUEST ON LEAKS
** DOD UPDATES POLICY ON GAO INVESTIGATIONS
** FBIS VIEWS THE FUTURE OF SOVIET SPACE (1987)


ODNI SURVEYS INTEL COMMUNITY EMPLOYEES

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is conducting an
annual survey of intelligence community employees to lay a
foundation for future reforms of personnel practices.

The survey asks IC employees to evaluate a range of issues from
workplace environment and job satisfaction ("How satisfied are you
with the policies and practices of your senior leaders?") to
attitudes towards other intelligence agencies ("How easy or
difficult is it for you to collaborate with members of the IC who
are outside your own IC agency?")

"The purpose for collecting this information is to study and report
attitudes and perceptions of the Intelligence Community workforce
regarding their work environments, with a focus on various
management policies and practices that affect them," according to
the survey form.

"The results will help your organization develop strategies to
improve the quality of that work environment -- one of the goals of
your senior leadership and the Director of National Intelligence."

Specifically, an official source indicated, the survey will support
alignment of the Intelligence Community with the DNI Strategic
Human Capital Plan, which envisions increased integration of U.S.
intelligence agencies (Secrecy News, 10/18/06). It is the second
such annual survey to be performed by the ODNI.

A copy of the survey was obtained by Secrecy News.

See "Intelligence Community Annual Employee Climate Survey," Office
of the Director of National Intelligence, November 2006:

http://www.fas.org/irp/news/2006/12/icsurvey.pdf


DEMOCRATIC REPS TELL EPA TO SUSPEND CLOSURE OF LIBRARIES

In what may be a harbinger of new rigor in Congressional oversight,
four Democratic members of Congress told the Environmental
Protection Agency to cease and desist from closing public document
libraries and dispersing or destroying their contents unless and
until EPA obtains specific approval from Congress.

Public interest groups including the Union of Concerned Scientists
and the American Library Association had expressed alarm over the
closure of EPA libraries and the reported destruction of documents.
EPA said that it was modernizing and digitizing its collections
and that no information has been destroyed.

"We request that you maintain the status quo of the libraries and
their materials while this issue is under investigation and review
by Congress," wrote Ranking Members Reps. Bart Gordon (D-TN), John
Dingell (D-MI), Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) and James Oberstar (D-MN) in
a November 30 letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2006/epa113006.pdf

"It is imperative that the valuable government information
maintained by EPA's libraries be preserved," the Congressmen wrote.


COURT ORDERS EXPEDITED HANDLING OF FOIA REQUEST ON LEAKS

A federal judge ordered the Central Intelligence Agency and the
National Security Agency to respond within 30 days to a Freedom of
Information Act request from reporter Joshua Gerstein for a copy of
records regarding unauthorized disclosures of classified
information ("leaks").

Gerstein, a reporter with the New York Sun, had requested all
"criminal referrals" regarding classified leaks filed since 2001;
all responses to such referrals from the Justice Department; damage
assessments of the unauthorized disclosures; and various other
related records.

The CIA and NSA had granted Gerstein's request for expedited
processing but then failed to produce any records for eight months.
Nor did they offer a justification for their dereliction.

Judge Maxine M. Chesney of the Northern District of California
therefore ordered the agencies "to produce all non-exempt records
and non-exempt portions of records that are responsive to
Gerstein's FOIA requests" within 30 days. See:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/jud/gerstein112906.pdf

In a separate ruling, Judge Chesney also ordered the Department of
Defense, the Department of Justice and the FBI to respond within 30
days to similar requests from Gerstein regarding leaks.

Neither order precludes agencies from invoking lawful exemptions to
the Freedom of Information Act and withholding documents
accordingly.

See "Reporter Wins A Court Battle With Government," New York Sun,
December 4:

http://www.nysun.com/article/44507


DOD UPDATES POLICY ON GAO INVESTIGATIONS

A newly updated Department of Defense Instruction sets forth
Pentagon policy on interactions with the Government Accountability
Office, the congressional investigative agency.

"It is DoD policy that the Department of Defense cooperate fully
with the GAO and respond constructively to, and take appropriate
corrective actions on the basis of, GAO reports," the new
Instruction says.

But DoD will also "be alert to identify errors of fact or erroneous
interpretation in GAO reports, and to articulate the DoD position
in such matters, as appropriate."

See "Government Accountability Office (GAO) Reviews and Reports,"
DoD Instruction 7650.02, November 20, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/dod/i7650_02.pdf


FBIS VIEWS THE FUTURE OF SOVIET SPACE (1987)

"The USSR is publicly discussing an ambitious array of manned and
unmanned space missions ... planned over the next quarter
century," the CIA's Foreign Broadcast Information Service reported
in a 1987 internal assessment.

"Recent items in the Soviet press and scientific literature... have
provided new details on Soviet space plans from the present through
the end of this century," said the FBIS analysis, which was marked
"For Official Use Only."

The Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991. FBIS was absorbed into
the DNI Open Source Center in 2004.

See "Soviet Space Missions Planned Through the Year 2000," Foreign
Broadcast Information Service Science and Technology Perspectives,
April 8, 1987 (4.5 MB PDF file, thanks to Allen Thomson):

http://www.fas.org/irp/cia/product/fbis-sovspace1987.pdf

Some other historical U.S. intelligence assessments of Soviet space
programs can be found here:

http://www.fas.org/irp/cia/product/index.html#sovsp

Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@fas.org
voice: (202) 454-4691

Controversial US envoy quits post BBC News
The controversial US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, is to leave his post, the White House says.Mr Bolton looked unable to win the necessary Senate support for him to continue in the job, which he had obtained on a temporary basis. Critics have questioned factors including his abrasive style at the UN. Mr Bolton's move comes after US defence chief Donald Rumsfeld resigned following the Republican defeat in last month's mid-term elections. The incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democratic Senator Joe Biden, said he saw "no point in considering Mr Bolton's nomination again". The White House said President George W Bush had "reluctantly" accepted Mr Bolton's move to step down at the end of the current Congress session in January. Mr Bush said he was "deeply disappointed that a handful" of senators were blocking Mr Bolton's confirmation. The departure would disrupt US diplomatic work at a sensitive time, the president said. The news comes days before a bipartisan panel is expected to suggest the US should begin talking to Iran and Syria, an initiative Mr Bolton has opposed.

'Ideal envoy'
Mr Bolton took up the UN posting last year during a congressional holiday after his nomination stalled in the Senate.It was a procedural manoeuvre that avoided the need for him to be confirmed until the end of this year. That procedure cannot be repeated, and the new climate in Congress would make it all but impossible for him to win a two-thirds majority of senators. A White House spokeswoman said Mr Bolton had "served his country with distinction". His achievements included the assembling of coalitions addressing North Korea's nuclear activity and Iran's uranium enrichment and reprocessing work, Mr Bush said. Democrats said the move could prove a turning point for the administration. Senator John Kerry said it was an opportunity for Mr Bush to nominate an ambassador "who enjoys the support necessary to unite our country and the world and who can put results ahead of ideology". Correspondents say Mr Bolton personified Washington's view of the UN as an institution that was viewed as being wasteful and ineffective at best - and inimical to America's wider global interests at worst. Mr Bolton's critics said a man who once declared there was "no such thing" as the UN was hardly a suitable choice to join the body. His nomination incensed many former US ambassadors - 102 of whom signed a letter urging senators to reject his nomination. But his admirers said he was a bright, hard-working realist - whose scepticism about the UN's role made him an ideal envoy, particularly when the organisation was in need of deep reform.

US people smuggler found guilty BBC News
A US lorry driver has been convicted over a failed attempt to smuggle dozens of people illegally into the US. Nineteen of more than 70 immigrants crammed into the back of Tyrone Williams' lorry died during a journey towards Houston in May 2003. Williams, who could face the death penalty, was convicted on 58 counts of conspiracy and illegal transportation. He was found guilty on 38 counts last year, but had his sentence overturned on appeal, leading to a retrial. Of the 58 counts against him in the current trial, 20 carry a possible death penalty. At his previous trial, Williams, 35, was convicted of all counts of illegally transporting people, but the jury could not agree on his role on the 20 charges eligible for the death penalty.

Grim conditions
Prosecutor Daniel Rodriguez described Williams, a legal Jamaican immigrant, as a "vile and heartless truck driver who has no regard for human life". More than 70 and possibly as many as 100 people were packed into the refrigerated trailer in the town of Harlingen, Texas. But there was no evidence that the trailer's refrigeration systems were ever used, and conditions inside quickly became unbearable. Humidity in the trailer soared and people tried to rip away pieces of the vehicle in an attempt to get some air. Seventeen of the Mexican and Central American illegal immigrants packed inside the lorry were found dead when Williams abandoned them in the town of Victoria, Texas, in May 2003. Two more died in hospital after being discovered. Among the victims was a five-year-old Mexican boy. Defence lawyers argued that Williams did not know how many people were inside the lorry trailer until he stopped in Victoria. He and many of the survivors fled the scene. Williams was one of 14 people charged in connection with the smuggling, but the only one to face the possibility of the death penalty. His sentence will be decided by the same jury that convicted him.

Huge blaze threatens LA outskirts BBC News, Los Angeles
More than 1,000 firefighters have been brought in to tackle a large blaze which is threatening hundreds of homes on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Some residents are preparing to evacuate and schools in the area have been closed. The fire broke out on Sunday and spread swiftly casting a haze over LA. It has already devoured about 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) of land and destroyed a warehouse along with at least five homes in the Moorpark area. Fanning the flames - which are more than 30 feet (9m) high in places - are ferocious winds, gusting at up to 60 mph (97 km/h). Hundreds of residents, some with horses and livestock, have already fled and others are preparing to do so. Local authorities are preparing helicopters to drop water and flame retardant on the blaze. One of the area's main highways was shut down temporarily because of the smoke.
By David Willis

US report derides Afghan police BBC News
Afghanistan's police force is incapable of carrying out routine law enforcement duties, a US government report says. The report blames corruption, illiteracy, low pay, bad equipment, the insurgency and failings in a $1bn training programme. It comes five years after Afghanistan's former Taleban rulers were driven from power by a US-led coalition. The report, by the state department and the Pentagon, says long-term assistance and more than $600m a year is needed. The Afghan government told the BBC it had not seen the report.

US 'priority'
The report has been sent to relevant congressional committee members, the New York Times reported on its website. State department spokeswoman Janelle Hironimus and Pentagon spokesman Todd Vichan both said they could not comment on the document, the Associated Press reported. The BBC's Mark Dummett in Kabul says people across Afghanistan are losing faith in the police and, by extension, in the government. He says that reforming the Afghan police force is now a top priority for the US. The senior US commander in Afghanistan said 10 good police were better than 100 corrupt police, but 10 corrupt police could do more damage than one Taleban fighter. This week, a group of influential businessmen and tribal elders from the south and west of Afghanistan travelled to Kabul to petition President Hamid Karzai. In recent months more than 20 of their relatives, colleagues and friends have been kidnapped. They cannot afford the ransoms and are afraid to go to the police because they say the kidnappers wore uniforms. If the president cannot help them, they say they will take the law into their own hands. Our correspondent says this is an extreme example of what is going wrong in Afghanistan.

Pentagon Exaggerates China’s Nuclear Capability to Justify Buying New Generation of U.S. Weapons, Report Finds

Urgent Steps Needed to Defuse Potential for U.S.-China Nuclear Face-Off

1. General overview of report: http://fas.org/blog/ssp/

2. Web page with option to download each chapter individually: http://www.nukestrat.com/china/chinareport.htm

3. Full PDF copy of report (12.5 MB) here: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/china/Book2006.pdf

4. Google Map over Chinese nuclear and selected military facilities here: http://www.nukestrat.com/china/FAS-NRDC2006.kmz

WASHINGTON (November 30, 2006) – The U.S. military, intelligence agencies, and conservative think tanks and news organizations are exaggerating China’s nuclear weapons capability to justify developing a new generation of nuclear and conventional weapons, according to a report issued today by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Likewise, the report found that the Chinese have been citing U.S. weapons upgrades as a rationale for modernizing theirs, locking the two nations in a dangerous action-and-reaction competition reminiscent of the Cold War.

“The Pentagon has been sounding the alarm about China’s nuclear intentions for a long time, but our analysis shows that they are overstating the threat,” said Robert S. Norris, an NRDC nuclear analyst and co-author of the report. “Now that the Soviet Union is gone, the military needs a new threat to justify buying new missiles, destroyers, submarines and fighter planes. So they’re hyping China.”

Based on unclassified and declassified U.S. government documents as well as commercial satellite images of Chinese installations, the 250-page report, “Chinese Nuclear Forces and U.S. Nuclear War Planning,” provides a detailed overview of China’s nuclear forces and its plans to upgrade them. It also describes two nuclear strike scenarios that calculate the casualties that each side would suffer.

(For the report, go to http://www.nukestrat.com/china/chinareport.htm. For high-resolution Google Earth satellite images of dozens of nuclear weapons-related and military sites in China, as well as nuclear strike simulations from the report, go to http://www.nukestrat.com/china/FAS-NRDC2006.kmz.)

The report’s main finding is that the Pentagon and others routinely highlight specific incidents out of context that inaccurately portray a looming Chinese threat. Specifically, the report demonstrates they have been embellishing China’s submarine and long-range missile capabilities.

For the last two years, the Pentagon’s annual report on Chinese military developments cited the intrusion of a Chinese nuclear-powered attack submarine into Japanese territorial waters in 2004 as emblematic of how China’s military is trying to expand its reach deep into the Pacific. What the DOD reports did not mention, the FAS/NRDC report reveals, is Chinese submarine patrols have dropped from a peak of six in 2000 to zero in 2005. Dramatic news coverage earlier this month of a Chinese submarine surfacing in the vicinity of the USS Kitty Hawk carrier group near Okinawa failed to mention that this was the first reported Chinese submarine patrol in nearly two years.

In addition, the report found that China’s sole submarine capable of firing ballistic missiles, which was built in 1981, has never gone on an extended deterrent patrol with nuclear missiles. In fact, the submarine has never been fully operational.

Similarly, U.S. intelligence agencies warn that the Chinese will be able to target 75 to 100 nuclear warheads at the continental United States by 2015. But that prediction assumes China will be able to deploy 40 to 55 new DF-31A missiles before 2015, in addition to two other shorter-range missiles. Given that the Chinese have yet to conduct test flights of the DF-31A, the report concluded that that assumption is highly questionable.

The Pentagon also has made much out of the fact that China’s next-generation missiles will be mobile. But the majority of China’s ballistic missile force always has been mobile, the report points out, and the U.S. military has targeted it as a routine matter since the 1980s. In fact, improved U.S. targeting of Chinese missiles has played a significant role in prompting China to develop new long-range missiles, according to U.S. intelligence agencies.

The report concludes that the United States will be easily able to maintain its overwhelming nuclear superiority over the Chinese for decades. But the report also points out the China needs relatively few warheads to adequately deter the United States. A hypothetical Chinese attack with its 20 nuclear long-range ballistic missiles on 20 U.S. cities would result in as many as 40 million casualties, the report estimates, and blanket large portions of the United States and Canada with radioactive fallout. Likewise, the United States needs relatively few warheads to deter China. A limited and highly accurate U.S. nuclear attack on China’s 20 long-range ballistic missile silos would result in as many as 11 million casualties and scatter radioactive fallout across three Chinese provinces, according to a simulation described in the report.

The report does confirm that China – like all of the declared nuclear powers – is indeed updating its forces. This effort, however, has been moving slowly and is, to a considerable extent, a reaction to U.S. nuclear deployments and military policies.

“Unlike the United States or Russia, the Chinese have taken extraordinarily long periods of time to field new weapons systems,” said Hans M. Kristensen, project director at the Federation of American Scientists and lead author of the report. “And in many cases, their weapons have been obsolete by the time they were finally deployed. But the Chinese still need to be more open about their plans, or they will continue to feed the perception among U.S. military officials that they pose a significant threat.”

The challenge facing China and the United States, said Kristensen and Norris, is to halt their action-reaction dance that only can undermine the more important economic relationship that binds them together. In light of the recent North Korean nuclear test, concern that Japan might decide to build its own nuclear force, and the potential for a nuclear arms race in Asia, their report urges the United States and China to work more closely together to limit each other’s capabilities and better understand each other’s objectives to avoid military competition – or worse.

US plans permanent base on Moon BBC News
US space agency Nasa has said it plans to start work on a permanently-occupied base on the Moon after astronauts begin flying back there in 2020.The base is likely to be built on one of the Moon's poles and will serve as a science centre and possible stepping stone for manned missions to Mars. The US has already said it plans to build a new lunar spacecraft to succeed the last Apollo mission in 1972. Funds will be moved from space shuttle flights, due to be scrapped in 2010. The structure of the base and the exact duties of the astronauts stationed there have not been decided. Nor is it clear when the base will begin functioning.

Lunar outpost
"We're going for a base on the moon," Scott "Doc" Horowitz, Nasa's associate administrator for exploration, said. The agency's deputy head, Shana Dale, is quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying that the "fundamental lunar approach" will be very different to earlier Moon missions.Nasa has elected to build a lunar outpost rather than operate brief trips to the satellite as it did in the 1960s. Nasa is also expected to ask other countries - and businesses - to help it build the base. The permanent base will be built near one of the two poles, as these are felt to have a moderate climate and more sunlight - essential if the base is to use solar energy. "It's exciting," Shana Dale told the Reuters news agency. "We don't know as much about the polar regions." According to Reuters, funds for building the lunar base will be diverted from the space shuttle programme, which is to be phased out by 2010. After the Columbia space shuttle accident, US President George W Bush announced plans to send astronauts back to the moon by 2020. Nasa announced in August that the Lockheed Martin Corporation will build the next US spaceship to take humans to the Moon.

Pentagon nominee faces US Senate BBC News
A US Senate panel is set to discuss the nomination of Robert Gates as the country's new defence secretary.Mr Gates is expected to be confirmed in office to replace Donald Rumsfeld, who resigned last month amid criticism of his handling of the war in Iraq. Senate hearings begin a day before the Iraq Study Group - of which Mr Gates was a member - publishes its findings. Mr Gates is expected to signal changes in policy and to say mistakes have been made in Iraq, BBC correspondents say. The former CIA director supported Mr Bush's decision to invade Iraq and opposes a quick exit for US troops, the BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says. But he may suggest a new openness to dialogue with US enemies in the Middle East, our correspondent adds. Mr Gates has previously criticised the administration for not talking to Iran. The start of Mr Gates Senate hearing came on another violent day in Iraq. More than 30 people were killed in shootings and car bomb attacks in Baghdad, Iraqi officials said. At least 30 more died in violence in northern and south-western Iraq.

'Chaos' warning
Mr Gates, a former CIA director, will be questioned first by the Senate Armed Services Committee. If the panel approves his nomination, the 63-year-old is likely to appear before the full Senate for a confirmation hearing later this week. His answers are expected to provide the first detailed insights into his thinking on US defence strategy. In written testimony to the Senate committee last month, he appeared to oppose a sudden withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. "I believe that leaving Iraq in chaos would have dangerous consequences both in the region and globally for many years to come," he said. He also suggested mistakes had been made in managing the conflict so far. "With the benefit of hindsight, I might have done some things differently," he wrote. Democratic senators are thought unlikely to oppose Mr Gates's nomination not least because they are keen to see Mr Rumsfeld leave the role quickly.

Phased withdrawal
Beyond that, Mr Gates has given little indication of the direction he believes the US should take in Iraq. He stood down from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group - which has been asked to recommend ways of tackling the problems the US faces in Iraq - after President George W Bush picked him to replace Mr Rumsfeld. The group's recommendations are widely expected to include a gradual phased withdrawal of US troops over the next 18 months. It is also thought to favour the idea of holding a regional conference on Iraq that would involve Syria and Iran, with whom Washington has refused to negotiate directly. Mr Bush has indicated he will look closely at, but not necessarily follow, the group's suggestions. Mr Gates served as CIA director for just over a year in the early 1990s, during the presidency of Mr Bush's father.

U.S. seeks to make stolen nukes useless

LIVERMORE, Calif. - President Bush has told weapons labs to render
bombs terrorist-proof. But critics say theft risk is low and more
urgent issues are being ignored. By Ralph Vartabedian.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7T70ED

Pentagon resists pleas for help in Afghan opium fight

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon, engaged in a difficult fight to defeat
a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, has resisted entreaties from
U.S. anti-narcotics officials to play an aggressive role in the
faltering campaign to curb the country's opium trade. By Josh
Meyer.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7T80EE

Southland's extended dry spell stokes fires

The wildfire that continued to rage Monday in Ventura County has
been propelled by what experts describe as a remarkably dry year
throughout Southern California. By Hector Becerra and Amanda
Covarrubias.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7UA0EO

On his block, a molester

Fliers and signs bring the unsettling reality home. Some neighbors
want to drive the polite ex-con away, but a father needs to hear
him out. By Peter Y. Hong.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7UB0EP

Teens try cough medicine for a high

Teenagers' use of over-the-counter cold and cough medicines to get
a cheap high - a practice known as "robotripping" - is rising 50%
a year and becoming one of the fastest-growing drug abuse problems
in California and around the country. By Karen Kaplan and Seema
Mehta.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7UC0EQ

Art historian hired to direct the Getty

GRAF:Moving to steady an institution shaken by scandals that
forced the resignation of top executive Barry Munitz in February,
the Getty Trust announced on Monday the hiring of President James
N. Wood, a 65-year-old art historian and former president of the
Art Institute of Chicago. By Christopher Reynolds.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7UD0ER

Bolton resigns from U.N. post

UNITED NATIONS - John R. Bolton, the pugnacious U.S. ambassador to
the United Nations, is known for not giving up. But after meeting
with his mentor Vice President Dick Cheney on Thursday to discuss
ways to stay at the U.N. without a Senate confirmation, he decided
it was time to quit. By Maggie Farley and James Gerstenzang.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7UE0ES

Chavez wins a third term and keeps up anti-U.S. rhetoric

CARACAS, Venezuela - American officials say the Venezuelan leader
holds the key to any effort to ease tensions between the two
nations. By Chris Kraul.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7UF0ET

Maliki challenges 'civil war' label

BAGHDAD - Iraq's besieged prime minister hit back at U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan's characterization of the Iraq
sectarian conflict as a civil war, accusing him of "burnishing the
image" of former President Saddam Hussein's brutal regime. By
Alexandra Zavis.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0G6Xp0EC

Nevada high court to debate judicial ethics

CARSON CITY, Nev. - The Nevada Supreme Court this morning will
begin weighing the constitutionality of a proposal to ban judges
from personally soliciting or accepting campaign contributions, an
important issue in the struggle to clean up and modernize the
state's troubled judiciary. By Scott Gold.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7UG0EU

Conservative Sen. Brownback explores presidential run

WASHINGTON - Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), a favorite of social
conservatives, announced that he was taking the first step toward
a 2008 White House run by setting up an exploratory committee. By
Johanna Neuman.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7UH0EV

Letterman signs up for 'Late Show' into 2010

The wry host of CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" has re-upped
with the network through the fall of 2010. CBS did not reveal the
details of Letterman's new deal, but it is believed to be more
than $31.5 million a year. By Matea Gold.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7UP0Ed

Use it? Or lose it?

Damon Wayans was fined for using the N-word 16 times in a
20-minute routine Sunday at the Laugh Factory. For comedians, the
word's black-and-white jolt isn't black and white. By Scott
Martelle.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7UQ0Ee

Confirm intelligence

Before rubber-stamping Donald Rumsfeld's replacement, senators
need assurances that the defense nominee will keep politics out of
intelligence.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7US0Eg

NASA plans permanent moon base in 20 years

An international team of astronauts will be living and working at
a permanent moon base to be built at one of the resource-rich
lunar poles within two decades, NASA announced. By John Johnson
Jr.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7UT0Eh

US 'not winning conflict in Iraq' BBC News
US Defence Secretary nominee Robert Gates has told a Senate committee that the US is not winning the war in Iraq.Mr Gates told a confirmation hearing he was open to new ideas on Iraq, but warned the situation there would shape the Middle East for years to come. He is set to be confirmed to replace Donald Rumsfeld, who quit last month amid criticism of his Iraq policy. The next chairman of the committee said Mr Gates would face a "monumental challenge" in Iraq if he got the job. Senate hearings on Mr Gates's nomination began a day before the Iraq Study Group - of which Mr Gates was a member - publishes its findings. The session also came on another violent day in Iraq. More than 30 people were killed in shootings and car bomb attacks in Baghdad, Iraqi officials said. At least 30 more died in violence in northern and south-western Iraq.

'Regional conflagration'
Mr Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee that all options remained on the table for Iraq.He agreed with the panel that the situation was unacceptable and said he would introduce a change of tactics, if confirmed. Mr Gates said he would do his utmost to avoid chaos in Iraq. "Our course over the next year or two will determine whether the American and Iraqi people and the next president of the US will face a slowly but steadily improving situation in Iraq or... the very real risk and possible reality of a regional conflagration," he said. Asked by the next chairman of the panel, Democratic Senator Carl Levin, if he believed the US was winning, Mr Gates replied: "No, Sir." He later said he believed the US was neither winning nor losing, "at this point". Mr Levin said the US needed someone who would speak the truth, and not just tell the president what he wanted to hear. Mr Gates said the president would have the last say on any changes in approach, but he would speak his mind to both Mr Bush and Congress. "I did not want this job," he reminded the senators. "I'm doing it because I love my country." In wide-ranging remarks, the nominee also:

• Said the US should attack Iran only as a last resort and he would not support military action against Syria
• Called for a broad bipartisan agreement on how to fight war on terror

Phased withdrawal
If the panel approves his nomination, the 63-year-old is likely to appear before the full Senate for a confirmation hearing later this week.Democratic senators are thought unlikely to oppose Mr Gates's nomination not least because they are keen to see Mr Rumsfeld leave the role quickly. Mr Gates met Mr Bush for breakfast at the White House before the hearing, after which the president said the nominee would "do an excellent job". Correspondents say he would probably be the most significant new blood to come into the Bush team since the president took office. Mr Gates stood down from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group - which has been asked to recommend ways of tackling the problems the US faces in Iraq - after Mr Bush picked him to replace Mr Rumsfeld. The group's recommendations are widely expected to include a gradual phased withdrawal of US troops over the next 18 months. It is also thought to favour the idea of holding a regional conference on Iraq that would involve Syria and Iran, with whom Washington has refused to negotiate directly. Mr Bush has indicated he will look closely at, but not necessarily follow, the group's suggestions.

'Bad fats' ban in NYC restaurants BBC News
New York City's Board of Health has voted to ban artery-clogging trans-fats from the city's restaurants. The city's health officials have for years warned that the fats can cause obesity and lead to heart disease. Trans-fats go into partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is commonly used for frying and baking. The unanimous vote makes the city the first in the US to ban the fats, although the original strict deadline to comply has been lengthened. Restaurants will be banned from using most frying oils containing trans-fats from 1 July, and will have to eliminate the fats from all foods by 1 July 2008.

'Unrealistic deadline'
Trans-fats are made when food processors harden fat to make it more like butter. It can then be used for frying or baking, or put into processed foods and ready-made mixes for cakes and drinks like hot chocolate. The Food and Drug Administration estimates that on average, Americans eat 4.7lb (2.14kg) of trans-fats each year. The move has met with opposition from 24,000 restaurant owners in the city, who said the original six-month deadline to replace cooking oils and fats was unrealistic. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has defended the move. "Nobody wants to take away your French fries and hamburgers - I love those things too. "But if you can make them with something that is less damaging to your health, we should do that." For more than a year, there has been a voluntary programme for the city's restaurants and fast food outlets to remove trans-fats from the food they serve. Many American food makers and restaurant chains, including McDonald's and Taco Bell, have been experimenting with replacements for oils and foods that contain trans-fats. Chicago is also considering a law that would restrict use of trans-fats in large restaurants.

US drops plan to open up airlines BBC News
The US has withdrawn a plan to give foreign investors more control over domestic airlines, a move likely to delay an "open skies" treaty. The European Union had said it would only allow the US freer access to its airspace if it approved the changes. Unions and members of Congress had been lobbying against the plans, which hoped to boost investment and promote greater competition in the US industry. Convincing critics would take longer, said Transport Secretary Mary Peters. "We need a stronger national consensus about the best means of achieving that objective," Ms Peters said.

Freer environment
The US proposal would have given foreign investors more of a say in the marketing of airlines, flight routes and types of aircraft operated. However, it would not have lifted the limit preventing a foreign company from owning more than 25% of an airline's voting rights. One of the main arguments against giving foreigners more control over US airlines was that it might weaken security. The decision by the US is a blow to the open skies treaty that it had hoped would leave US airlines free to fly to major airports in the EU and from there to other destinations within the trade bloc. It would not have been one-way traffic, and in return EU airlines would have been able to fly to US airports and then on to other US destinations. Airlines would also have been able to charge whatever ticket prices they wanted, on both sides of the Atlantic. The deal also would have given US airlines greater access to London's Heathrow airport.

Shuttle set for 'complex mission' BBC News
The crew of space shuttle Discovery are preparing to lift off on what Nasa says will be a "truly complex mission". Early on Friday, seven astronauts will embark on a tricky and hazardous bid to rewire electrics on the International Space Station (ISS). Discovery will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2136 EDT (0200 GMT) - making it the first night lift-off since the Columbia disaster. The countdown clock started as scheduled at 0400 GMT this morning. "This is a truly, truly, truly complex mission," said Nasa's space operations chief Bill Gerstenmaier.

Spacewalk tasks
In three spacewalks, the astronauts will rewire the orbiting station, replacing its eight-year-old temporary power cable system with a permanent one. They will need to do this without interrupting the station's life-support and other critical systems. The job was made possible after the crew of the previous mission installed two huge electricity-generating solar array panels on the ISS in September. Discovery will also transport a new $11m girder weighing two tonnes to the ISS and install it during a spacewalk. "You have to prepare yourself for quite a number of very ugly contingencies or failures," Florida Today quoted Nasa's deputy station programme manager Kirk Shireman as saying. The mission, which Nasa says is one of the hardest yet for its astronauts, is vital for getting ISS construction back on pace. Construction of the station is well behind schedule following the two-year effort to return the space shuttle to flight following the Columbia disaster in 2003.

Night launch
The US space agency says it would prefer to launch Discovery during the daytime. But it must resume night launches in order to finish building the ISS before the shuttles are retired in four years. Daytime launches give cameras a better view of the tank as the shuttle climbs to orbit. Managers believe the shuttle's fuel tank has been improved to the point that foam debris shedding from the tank during lift-off - which triggered the Columbia accident - is no longer a threat. A briefcase-sized chunk of foam damaged Columbia's wing on lift-off, allowing superheated gasses to penetrate the heat shield as it returned to Earth in February 2003. All seven astronauts were killed in the disaster. For Discovery's lift-off on Thursday, Nasa will rely on backlighting from the shuttle's solid rocket booster to illuminate the tank for onboard cameras and radar systems which are set up to track debris. The crew - five men and two women - arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Sunday for final mission preparations. One astronaut, Sunita Williams, will be making a one-way trip. She is to remain aboard the space station, replacing Germany's Thomas Reiter, who will return with the rest of the Discovery crew on 19 December.

Report 'urges Iraq policy shift' BBC News
A report on US policy in Iraq is to urge negotiations with Iran and Syria over the future of their neighbour, according to leaked excerpts.US broadcaster ABC says the Iraq Study Group (ISG) will also recommend troops move from combat to support roles, with all combat troops gone by early 2008. But the bipartisan report stops short of a firm timetable for troop withdrawal, ABC says. Washington has so far refused to hold direct talks with Iran and Syria. The report is to be officially published on Wednesday, a day after the defence secretary designate, Robert Gates, told a Senate committee that the US was not winning in Iraq. On Wednesday, the full Senate is to debate his nomination and is widely expected to endorse him.

'Diplomatic offensive'
According to ABC News, the ISG makes 79 recommendations in its long-awaited 142-page report. The leaked extracts confirm what many expected, says the BBC's James Westhead in Washington. According to ABC, the report calls for "a new diplomatic offensive to build stability in Iraq", including direct talks with Iran and Syria - something US President George W Bush has so far appeared to oppose. The ISG had also been expected to recommend a gradual phased withdrawal of US troops over the next 18 months. According to the leaks, the report will back a reduction of US troops in Iraq - perhaps halving them from the current strength of 140,000 - as well as changing the nature of their engagement - from a combat to a back-up role. "The primary mission of US forces should evolve to one of supporting the Iraqi army," ABC News quotes the report as saying. The report suggests there should be an initial increase in the number of US troops dedicated to supporting Iraqi troops, ABC says, but does not specify whether this will mean an increase in overall US troop numbers before they start falling. The report ends with a plea for a broad political consensus, predicting that without it US foreign policy is doomed to failure.

'Regional engagement'
Mr Bush has indicated he will look closely at, but not necessarily follow, the suggestions of the group headed by former US Secretary of State James Baker.The 10-member panel of influential former policy-makers and practitioners of international affairs has been working since April to come up with recommendations. The ISG has met or spoken to more than 170 individuals, including Iraq's leaders, President Bush, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, ambassadors and other senior officials from among Iraq's neighbours and the US. Hundreds of others have fed their suggestions to the four working groups who have written analytical papers for the panel's benefit. Mr Blair arrives in Washington on Wednesday for a visit which will include meetings with President Bush and congressional leaders.

'Regional conflagration'
In a confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Mr Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee that all options remained on the table for Iraq. He agreed with the panel that the situation was unacceptable and said he would introduce a change of tactics, if confirmed. Mr Gates said he would do his utmost to avoid chaos in Iraq. US policy over the next year or two would determine whether the US and Iraq faced an improved situation or "the very real risk and possible reality of a regional conflagration", he said. Asked by the next chairman of the panel, Democratic Senator Carl Levin, if he believed the US was winning, Mr Gates replied: "No, Sir." He later said he believed the US was neither winning nor losing, "at this point". Democratic senators are thought unlikely to oppose Mr Gates' nomination not least because they are keen to see his predecessor Donald Rumsfeld leave the role quickly.

Yahoo shake-up to take on rivals BBC News
Yahoo has announced a restructuring drive, as it attempts to simplify its business and take on rival Google.The US web giant said chief financial officer Susan Decker would lead a new advertising unit, positioning her as a possible future chief executive. Meanwhile, chief operating officer Daniel Rosensweig - a rival for the top job - will leave Yahoo in March. The shake-up at Yahoo's key advert and marketing units comes as the firm faces tougher competition on the internet.

Major force
The pioneering internet firm has struggled with the changing nature of website advertising, as firms chase younger customers on a growing number of social networking sites including MySpace and Facebook.Yahoo lost out to internet search rival Google earlier this year, which snapped up video-sharing firm YouTube for $1.65bn. The firm's latest quarterly results also saw it report a 37% drop in quarterly profit, sparking alarm among senior managers headed by current chief executive Terry Semel. But Yahoo remains a major force on the internet, and it believes the reorganisation will help it continue to grow. The company will be split into two key divisions - Audiences, which will control search, media and communication products and services; and Advertisers and Publishers, which will focus on ads aimed at users. "This is just the beginning of what Yahoo needs to do," said Jordan Rohan, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets. "It may take all of 2007. Change like this is evolutionary, not revolutionary. The new division heads will need time to grasp the enormity of the task at hand."

Gates OKd by Senate panel

WASHINGTON - Robert M. Gates, President Bush's nominee to become
Defense secretary, testified that the United States was not
winning the war in Iraq and said he would consider new courses of
action, including a gradual withdrawal of American troops. By
Peter Spiegel.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7k40Er

Court bars automatic deportations in drug cases

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court rejected the Bush administration's
aggressive use of immigration laws to automatically expel legal
immigrants for minor drug crimes, a decision that could spare
thousands from being deported. By David G. Savage.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7k50Es

State starts crackdown on uninsured drivers

SACRAMENTO - Hundreds of thousands of car owners must buy coverage
or face losing their registration. By Marc Lifsher.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7k60Et

She took a stand to testify

Debra Johnson displayed rare courage for someone who witnessed a
gang homicide. Though badly injured in the attack, she refused to
remain silent. By Jill Leovy.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7k70Eu

A facial tune-up that went downhill fast

'Dr. Daniel' gets prison after injecting Beverly Hills women with
a wrinkle remover better suited to a Bentley. By Amanda
Covarrubias.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7k80Ev

Family's ordeal not over after rescue in the snow
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7lA0E6

Leader of Oaxaca protests is arrested

OAXACA, Mexico - Flavio Sosa was set to meet with Interior
Ministry officials. His jailing marks a get-tough approach by
President Felipe Calderon. By Héctor Tobar and Sam Enriquez.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7lB0E7

Lebanese 'martyr' part of a long tradition

BEIRUT - A young Shiite man shot dead amid a tense national
political standoff is buried with fanfare and slogans. By Megan K.
Stack.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7lC0E8

What would happen if the U.S. left Iraq?

WASHINGTON - Bush predicts a surge in terrorism and others see
regional civil war as the greatest risk. By Paul Richter.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7lD0EA

GOP's big plans yield little gain

WASHINGTON - Twelve years after Republicans stormed into power on
Capitol Hill with ambitious plans for action on energy
exploration, abortion and other key issues, the GOP wraps up its
run at the helm this week with a legislative whimper. By Richard
Simon.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7lE0EB

Private school is allowed to favor Native Hawaiians in its admissions

A sharply divided federal appeals court ruled that a private
school can favor Native Hawaiians for admissions in an effort to
"counteract the significant, current educational deficits"
experienced by the islands' indigenous population. By Henry
Weinstein.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7lF0EC

Schwarzenegger proposes creating citizen panel to draw voting districts

SACRAMENTO - Reviving his push to make California elections more
competitive, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger laid out a proposal for
stripping the Legislature of the power to draw voting districts
and transferring it to a citizen panel presumably less driven by
self-interest. By Peter Nicholas.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7lG0ED

California black history at risk?

VISALIA, Calif. - Backers of a state park, once a town founded by
a former slave and Civil War veteran, say a planned dairy
operation would dishonor African Americans. By Steve Chawkins.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7lH0EE

The lines form here

Speaker Nuñez needs to join the governor and other lawmakers in
pushing for redistricting reform.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7lR0EO

Racial slur used again, rued again

Two weeks after Michael Richards assaulted the nation's senses
with his racist tirade at the Laugh Factory, another white comic
has apologized for using the same racial slur while cracking jokes
at L.A.'s Improv comedy club. By Maria Elena Fernandez.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H7lS0EP

Fawcett finishes cancer treatment BBC News
Charlie's Angel actress Farrah Fawcett has finished the chemotherapy treatment she began after being diagnosed with a cancerous tumour."I am starting to feel better," the 59-year-old told Access Hollywood. The star, who confirmed she was ill in October, also thanked her fans who she said had kept her "strong". She now plans to get back to work after the holidays. Fawcett's publicist, Mike Pingel, said: "Her spirits are high, she's feeling good."

Good prognosis
"Her plans are to recover and take the time to heal, and she is also looking forward to the holidays with her family," he added. He refused to disclose the type of cancer she was treated for, but insisted her prognosis was good. Fawcett starred in just one series of Charlie's Angels but made guest appearances in later programmes. She has since appeared in a number of movies and mini-series, including Spin City and The Guardian, securing three Emmy nominations.

Iraq report 'is no magic formula' BBC News
A report on US policy in Iraq says there is no "magic formula" to solve the crisis, the White House has said. US President George W Bush, who has received the Iraq Study Group (ISG) report, said it gave "a tough assessment" of the situation in Iraq.US President George W Bush, who has received the Iraq Study Group (ISG) report, said it gave "a tough assessment" of the situation in Iraq. The report, to be made public later, warns of the "consequences of continued decline", the White House said. It stops short of a firm timetable for a US troop pullout and urges talks with Iran and Syria on their neighbour. Washington has so far refused to hold direct talks with Iran and Syria. Mr Bush has said the report will be taken "very seriously" and has promised to "act in a timely fashion" on it. "It is a report that brings some really very interesting proposals, and we will take every proposal seriously and we will act in a timely fashion," he said. The report also calls for renewed US efforts to resolve the wider conflict in the Middle East, leaks suggest.

'Humanitarian catastrophe'
White House spokesman Tony Snow said the 142-page report included 79 recommendations.The ISG had been expected to recommend a gradual phased withdrawal of US troops over the next 18 months. He said there was "no timetable" and "no recommendation for immediate withdrawal. "There is nothing in there about pulling back militarily," Mr Snow said. However, the review recommended that the US "engage directly with Iran and Syria", and that Washington should "consider incentives and disincentives" for the two nations. There was "talk of building a larger support group that would include all neighbours," during the hour-long meeting of ISG members, he said. Speaking ahead of the report, Syria has repeated its willingness to co-operate with the US. Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said it was in Syria's interest to help Iraq, and that his country had had interesting discussions with members of the ISG. The report raised "the consequences of continued decline" in Iraq, Mr Snow added. According to the Associated Press news agency, it warned that if the situation worsened there was a risk of a "slide toward chaos (that) could trigger the collapse of Iraq's government and a humanitarian catastrophe. "Neighbouring countries could intervene... The global standing of the United States could be diminished. Americans could become more polarised," commissioners said.

Dozens interviewed
The 10-member panel headed by former Secretary of State James Baker has been working since April to come up with recommendations.The ISG has met or spoken to more than 170 individuals, including Iraq's leaders, President Bush, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, ambassadors and other senior officials from among Iraq's neighbours and the US. Hundreds of others have fed their suggestions to four working groups, which have written analytical papers for the panel's benefit. Mr Blair arrived in Washington on Wednesday for a visit which will include meetings with President Bush and congressional leaders.
Commission Says Iraq Situation 'Grave' ABC News
Baker report could point way to Iraq exit Times Online
Austin American-Statesman (subscription) - Reuters.uk - Canton Repository (subscription) - WIS - all 645 news articles »

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2006, Issue No. 124
December 6, 2006

Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

Support Secrecy News:
http://www.fas.org/static/contrib_sec.jsp


** PATENT SECRECY ORDERS LIFTED ON ROCKET PROPELLANTS
** GAO WARNS OF POSSIBLE UNIVERSITY EXPORT CONTROL VIOLATIONS
** SPECTER, LEAHY INTRODUCE BILL TO "RESTORE" HABEAS CORPUS
** AIR FORCE SPACE OPERATIONS, AND ORBITAL DEBRIS
** SOME RANDOM CRS REPORTS


PATENT SECRECY ORDERS LIFTED ON ROCKET PROPELLANTS

A Florida company called Space Propulsion Systems, Inc. announced
this week that it had successfully petitioned the U.S. Government
to lift secrecy orders that had been imposed on two of its rocket
propellant concepts.

Under the Invention Secrecy Act of 1951, the government may
restrict the publication and dissemination of information about
new inventions if their disclosure could be "detrimental to the
national security."

At the end of fiscal year 2006, there were 4942 invention secrecy
orders in effect, according to statistics obtained by Secrecy
News from the Patent and Trademark Office. There were 108 new
orders imposed in FY 2006, while 81 existing orders were
rescinded.

It is usually difficult if not impossible to identify patents and
patent applications that were subject to invention secrecy orders
which have been rescinded, though doing so would make an
interesting construct for a historical research project.

But in this case, the applicant identified itself.

"Space Propulsion Systems, Inc. is pleased to announce that the
Patent and Trademark Office of the Department of Commerce has
rescinded the Secrecy Orders that had been imposed with respect
to both its WREEM homogeneous propellant and the Supercritical
Fluids fabricated Micro Fuel Cell composite rocket propellant in
the light of guidance provided by U.S. defense agencies,"
according to a company news release.

"Although SPS intends to work with the US Government in any way
required to protect this technology, SPS believed that the
Company needed to develop this technology for the sake of the US,
the stockholders of SPS, and the Company. SPS therefore
requested our patent attorneys to petition the US Government to
rescind the Secrecy Orders on these products. It took over a
year, but SPS was finally successful in this effort."

http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2006/12/sps120406.html

Copies of Secrecy Order forms of various types issued by the
Patent Office are available here (courtesy of Michael Ravnitzky):

http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/invention/orders.pdf

Some other background on invention secrecy may be found here:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/invention/index.html


GAO WARNS OF POSSIBLE UNIVERSITY EXPORT CONTROL VIOLATIONS

A new Government Accountability Office study warns darkly that the
Departments of State and Commerce are not doing enough to police
university research to ensure that export control violations are
not occurring on campus.

State and Commerce "have not fully assessed the potential for
transfers of export-controlled information to foreign nationals
in the course of U.S. university research," the GAO study said.
The study urged closer attention to available data on foreign
students at U.S. universities.

The negative tone of the report is somewhat surprising since the
GAO investigation did not identify a single export control
violation, nor did it discover any misinterpretation or
misapplication of existing law committed by university
researchers.

But the study may reopen a fierce debate that seemed to be nearly
settled regarding "deemed exports," referring to the transfer of
export-controlled information to foreign persons residing in the
United States. A strict interpretation of "deemed export"
controls could cause massive disruption of university research,
many academic scientists argued in the last two years. In May
2006, the Department of Commerce withdrew a proposed rule on the
subject in response to widespread academic criticism. (SN,
05/31/06).

Buried deep in the new report, the GAO did note the significant
fact that "government and industry contracting officials are
increasingly inserting restrictive language in contracts for
research that universities consider to be fundamental [including]
language that prohibits the contractor from releasing
information, even unclassified information, outside of the
contractor's organization." (Page 10).

Such pre-publication restrictions are obviously inconsistent with
the university environment. Regrettably, the GAO report did not
pursue this issue or recommend the more discriminating use of
disclosure restrictions by contracting agencies.

See "Export Controls: Agencies Should Assess Vulnerabilities and
Improve Guidance for Protecting Export-Controlled Information at
Universities," Government Accountability Office report GAO-07-70,
December 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/gao/gao-07-70.pdf

See also a companion report on "Export Controls: Agencies Should
Assess Vulnerabilities and Improve Guidance for Protecting
Export-Controlled Information at Companies," Government
Accountability Office report GAO-07-69, December 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/gao/gao-07-69.pdf


SPECTER, LEAHY INTRODUCE BILL TO "RESTORE" HABEAS CORPUS

In another sign of shifting ground in the post-election Congress,
Senators Arlen Specter and Patrick Leahy yesterday introduced the
"Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2006," which would reinstate
federal court jurisdiction over Guantanamo detainees and other
suspected enemy combatants.

The bill would repeal two provisions of the Military Commissions
Act of 2006 enacted in September that limit habeas corpus.
"Habeas corpus" refers to the ability of a detainee to seek
judicial review of his case.

"The Constitution of the United States is explicit that habeas
corpus may be suspended only in time of rebellion or invasion,"
observed Sen. Specter. "We are suffering neither of those
alternatives at the present time. We have not been invaded, and
there has not been a rebellion."

"This bill would restore the great writ of habeas corpus, a
cornerstone of American liberty for hundreds of years that
Congress and the President rolled back in an unprecedented and
unnecessary way with September's Military Commissions Act," said
Senator Leahy.

See the introduction of the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act here:

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2006_cr/s4081.html


AIR FORCE SPACE OPERATIONS, AND ORBITAL DEBRIS

U.S. Air Force doctrine on space operations is elaborated in a new
publication. See "Space Operations," Air Force Doctrine Document
AFDD 2-2, November 27, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/usaf/afdd2_2.pdf

The threat posed by debris in Earth orbit is the subject of a
recent Master's Thesis, which provides a convenient introduction
to the subject and a review of recent literature. See "Orbital
Debris: Technical and Legal Issues and Solutions" by Michael W.
Taylor, Institute of Air and Space Law, McGill University,
Montreal, August 2006:

http://www.fas.org/spp/eprint/taylor.pdf


SOME RANDOM CRS REPORTS

Recent publications of the Congressional Research Service include
the following.

"Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990," updated November 9,
2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/RL30957.pdf

"Panama: Political and Economic Conditions and U.S. Relations,"
updated November 16, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL30981.pdf

"Thailand: Background and U.S. Relations," updated October 2,
2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32593.pdf

"Iraqi Police and Security Forces Casualty Estimates," November
16, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS22532.pdf

Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@fas.org
voice: (202) 454-4691

Iraq panel demands urgent change BBC News
A major report on US policy in Iraq has called for a new approach and urgent action to stop "a slide towards chaos".The current US strategy of staying the course was no longer viable, Iraq Study Group leader James Baker said. The report says US troops should be withdrawn from combat and instead used to train Iraqis. It urges talks with Iran and Syria, a move which the US has so far rejected. President George W Bush said the report would be taken "very seriously". He also pledged to "act in a timely fashion". The ISG report also advocates renewed US efforts to resolve the wider conflict in the Middle East. The review came as the US military said 10 American soldiers had been killed in four incidents in Iraq.

'Humanitarian catastrophe'
Correspondents say the review offers no big surprises and no quick fixes.The 142-page report includes 79 recommendations, of which three are key:

• A change in the primary mission of US forces in Iraq to enable it to begin to move combat forces out responsibly
• Prompt action by the Iraqi government to achieve reconciliation
• New and enhanced diplomatic efforts in the region

The report offers no hard timetable for a pullout of US forces, but says that combat troops could withdraw by early 2008. However, the review recommended that the US "engage directly with Iran and Syria", and that Washington should "consider incentives and disincentives" for the two nations. Speaking ahead of the report, Syria repeated its willingness to co-operate with the US, and said it was in Syria's interest to help Iraq. But correspondents say the president appears unlikely to heed the call for more engagement with Syria and Iran, amid efforts by the administration to isolate both states.

Iraqi reaction
The ISG report warns that if the situation worsens, there is a risk of a "slide toward chaos [that] could trigger the collapse of Iraq's government and a humanitarian catastrophe". "Neighbouring countries could intervene... The global standing of the United States could be diminished. Americans could become more polarised," it warns. Mr Baker said a new way forward should be implemented as quickly as possible. "[Iraqis] have been liberated from the nightmare of tyrannical order only to face the nightmare of brutal violence. "As a matter of humanitarian concern, as a matter of humanitarian interest and as a matter of practical necessity it is time to find a new approach." The Iraqi government has welcomed the report. Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih said the proposals were in line with the government's view that security must be transferred to Iraqis. However, a spokesman for the main Sunni bloc in parliament said the report should have included a specific timetable for an American withdrawal. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, meanwhile, arrived in Washington on Wednesday for a visit which will include meetings with President Bush and congressional leaders - with Iraq expected to top the agenda.

Water flowed 'recently' on Mars BBC News
Nasa says it has found "compelling" evidence that liquid water flowed recently on the surface of Mars.The finding adds further weight to the idea that Mars might harbour the right conditions for life. The appearance of gullies, revealed in orbital images from a Nasa probe, suggests that water could have flowed on the surface in the last few years. But some scientists think these fresh gullies could also have been cut by liquid carbon dioxide (CO2). The latest research emerged when Nasa's Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft spotted gullies and trenches that scientists believed were geologically young and carved by fast-moving water coursing down cliffs and steep crater walls. Scientists at the San Diego-based Malin Space Science Systems, who operate a camera aboard MGS decided to retake photos of thousands of gullies in search of evidence for recent water activity. Two gullies that were originally photographed in 1999 and 2001, and imaged again in 2004 and 2005, showed changes consistent with water flowing down the crater walls, according to the study. In both cases, scientists found bright, light-coloured deposits in the gullies that were not present in the original photos. They concluded that the deposits - possibly mud, salt or frost - were left there when water recently cascaded through the channels. Other scientists think it possible that gullies like this were caused not by water but by liquid carbon dioxide. One of the reasons for favouring CO2 was that computer models of the Martian crust indicated water could exist only at depths of several kilometres. Liquid carbon dioxide, on the other hand, could persist much nearer the surface where temperatures can drop as low as -107C.

Prospects for life
Oded Aharonson, an assistant professor of planetary science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) said that while the interpretation of recent water activity on Mars was "compelling," it was just one possible explanation. Aharonson said further study was needed to determine whether the deposits could have been left there by the flow of dust rather than water. Deciding what was responsible for the features is a pressing question that has important consequences for the likelihood of life on Mars. Scientists have proposed that reservoirs of liquid water could exist beneath the Martian surface, providing a habitat for microbial life. "This underscores the importance of searching for life on Mars, either present or past," said Bruce Jakosky, an astrobiologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who had no role in the study. "It's one more reason to think that life could be there." Mars Global Surveyor abruptly lost radio contact with Earth last month. Attempts to locate the spacecraft, which has mapped the Red Planet since 1996, have failed, and scientists fear it is lost. Nasa's Mars rovers, which landed in 2004, have sent scientists back equally strong evidence that liquid water flowed on the surface in ancient times, based on observations of alterations in ancient rocks. "We're now realising Mars is more active than we previously thought, and that the mid-latitude section seems to be where all the action is," said Arizona State University scientist Phil Christensen, who was not part of the current research. Details of the work appear in the journal Science.

Iraq policy is 'no longer viable'

Bush administration policies have set off a "slide toward chaos"
in Iraq, a bipartisan national commission declared Wednesday in a
major reappraisal that challenges President Bush's view of the war
and builds new pressure for disengagement. By Paul Richter.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H72J0EV

War panel gives Bush a safe path out of Iraq

Some bipartisan commissions try to move public opinion on
contentious national issues. Others try to help Congress find
compromise solutions to thorny problems. The Iraq Study Group had
a different goal: persuading President Bush to change his mind
about staying the course in Iraq. By Doyle McManus.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H72K0EW

A cast of thousands of homes

Universal City, already the world's largest movie studio lot,
would also become a major office and residential hub as part of a
$3-billion development plan unveiled Wednesday by owner NBC
Universal. By Amanda Covarrubias.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H72L0EX

Images show water may flow on Red Planet

NASA scientists said Wednesday they have found evidence that water
still flows on the surface of Mars in the form of sporadic gushers
that increase the possibility that the Red Planet harbors some
form of life. By John Johnson Jr.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H72M0EY

Poisoning of ex-spy is now a murder case

British authorities Wednesday formally classified the recent
poisoning death of a dissident former Russian spy as a murder
case, changing it from the category of a suspicious death.
Officials are questioning a key figure in Moscow. By Kim Murphy.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H72N0EZ

His cause is the Holocaust

The Arab Institute for Holocaust Research and Education in Israel
is proving controversial on all sides. Founder Khaled Mahameed
said his efforts have left him ostracized by friends and snubbed
by his brother. Jewish leaders who at first praised his plans say
the exhibit may do more harm than good. By Ken Ellingwood.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H72O0Ea

A pregnant pause in right wing

News that Vice President Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter, Mary, is
pregnant has touched a raw nerve, as advocates for conservative
values struggle to reconcile their loyalty to the Cheneys with
their visceral opposition to same-sex relationships - and
particularly to raising a child without a father. By Johanna
Neuman.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H72P0Eb

Online editor's body found

Search-and-rescue workers discovered the body of James Kim on
Wednesday, 11 days after the San Francisco man took a disastrous
series of wrong turns in Oregon's coastal range while driving his
family on a vacation trip. By Lee Romney.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H72Q0Ec

What they said ...

It could not put an end to sectarian violence in Iraq, but at
least for a day the Iraq Study Group put an end to sectarian
bickering in Washington. The panel's five Republicans and five
Democrats unanimously agreed that the present strategy in Iraq is
not working.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H72b0Et

Racism was only part of Pierce's case

What happened to Tennie Pierce at Fire Station 5 in Westchester
cannot be compared, as one angry Angeleno suggested, to an episode
of "Survivor" or "Fear Factor" with a payout of $2.7 million.
Pierce wasn't given a choice. He was fed dog food against his
will. By Genie Harrison.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H72c0Eu

Bush, Blair seek new way in Iraq BBC News
US President George W Bush has said a major review of US policy in Iraq is worthy of "serious study", after talks with Tony Blair at the White House.The Iraq Study Group (ISG) urged talks with Iran and Syria on tackling Iraq's unrest, a move Mr Bush has resisted. The two leaders agreed that a new way forward was needed. For his part, Mr Blair welcomed the report and mirrored its call for action on finding an end to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. He conceded that conditions in Iraq were "tough and challenging". But he said the people of the Middle East faced a choice - either secular or religious dictatorship, or, alternatively, to enjoy the democracy that the West held so dear. On proposals to involve Iran and Syria in talks on Iraq, the two leaders said both countries would first have to be clear that they favoured a democratically elected government in Iraq and ended their support for terrorism.

Middle East trip
The ISG's assessment of the Bush administration's policy in Iraq is scathing, saying the situation there is "deteriorating" and warning that "time is running out". "It's bad in Iraq," Mr Bush conceded to reporters. But he said the violence was not a result of "faulty planning". "It is a deliberate strategy. "It is the direct result of outside extremists teaming up with internal extremists... to foment hatred and to throttle at birth the possibility of a non-sectarian democracy." Mr Bush said the US and Britain would continue to work together towards bringing peace and freedom to Iraq. The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says that, for an increasingly lonely Mr Bush, the presence of Mr Blair, a friendly face and an able advocate for the cause, will be very welcome. Mr Bush said the UK leader would be travelling to the Middle East shortly with the aim of finding an end to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. "I support the mission because it is important for us to advance the cause of two states living side by side, helping both parties eliminate the obstacles that prevent an agreement from being reached." Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has rejected the ISG's assessment that progress in Iraq is linked to resolving the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians - although he said he was interested in re-starting peace talks. But he ruled out opening peace talks with Syria in the near future, as recommended in the report.

No quick fixes
The ISG report was published on the day that Robert Gates was confirmed as the new US defence secretary. He has acknowledged the US is not winning the war in Iraq and has stressed he is open to new ideas. Correspondents say the review offers no big surprises and no quick fixes. The 142-page report includes 79 recommendations, of which three are key:

• A change in the primary mission of US forces in Iraq to enable it to begin to move combat forces out responsibly
• Prompt action by the Iraqi government to achieve reconciliation
• New and enhanced diplomatic efforts in the region

The Iraqi government welcomed the review. Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih said the proposals were in line with the government's view that security must be transferred to Iraqis. However, a spokesman for the main Sunni bloc in parliament said the report should have included a specific timetable for a US withdrawal. Correspondents say the time needed for the White House to consider the report fully will mean a period of uncertainty that could stretch to weeks. Analysts say Mr Bush will want to refer to his own policy review, being carried out by the National Security Council, and another being conducted by the Pentagon before announcing major policy changes.

Pearl Harbor remembered Herald Democrat
We were told by a caller early in the week we shouldn’t forget about Pearl Harbor Day, and we haven’t. Like June 6, 1944; Nov. 22, 1963; and Sept. 11, 2001, there are some days that will live through many generations before they become more obscure — not that they ever should.The fact is, many people still kicking were alive when history took dramatic turns each of those days. And those whose lives were affected deeply don’t want anyone to forget — ever. In the case of the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the loss of 2,300 lives punctuates the need to remember. The day that still lives in infamy led the United States directly into World War II. For many years to come, our best and brightest young men and women found themselves in foreign lands, and their lives and the lives of their families were forever marked. Many thousands never returned home. Nine years ago, in a “Good morning” column written on Dec. 7, we made reference to “a foreign nation had actually attacked the United States on its own soil,” and added, “It is hard to imagine anything before or since having a similar emotional impact on the entire nation.” We could not have foreseen what was to come less than four years later, and we would never have dreamed of a new kind of war involving our troops in the Middle East. No matter what our political leanings, on a day like today it is appropriate for us all to pause and say a prayer for those who died in service for our nation, and for those who were simply at a place in our history when and where evil raised it’s ugly arm and struck down the innocent. It is a season for prayer, and a season for renewal. And in the midst of it, it is a good time for reflection on both our trials and our blessings. Days such as this make it easier to remember the reason we should not forget.
by Don Eldredge

Bush: No early Iran-Syria talks BBC News
US President George W Bush has ruled out early talks with Iran and Syria on tackling Iraq's unrest, after meeting Tony Blair at the White House.Their talks came a day after a damning US report called for such a move as part of a change in strategy on Iraq. The two leaders agreed that a new way forward was needed on Iraq. But they said Iran and Syria would have to be clear they backed a non-sectarian democratically elected government in Iraq and ended support for terrorism. Mr Blair welcomed the Iraq Study Group (ISG) report, and mirrored its call for action on finding an end to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. He conceded conditions in Iraq were "tough and challenging".But he said the people of the Middle East faced a choice - either secular or religious dictatorship, or "they can enjoy the same possibilities of democracy that we hold dear". The leaders called for:

• Support for a non-sectarian democratically elected government in Iraq
• Iran and Syria and other neighbours to meet their own responsibilities towards Iraq
• Renewed efforts to bring peace to the wider Middle East

The BBC's diplomatic correspondent, Jonathan Marcus, says the comments gave little sign the leaders planned to shift their ground after the ISG review - with both sticking to their overall goals for Iraq and the Middle East.

Middle East trip
The ISG's assessment of the Bush administration's policy in Iraq is scathing, saying the situation there is "deteriorating" and warning that "time is running out"."It's bad in Iraq," Mr Bush conceded to reporters. But he said the violence was not a result of "faulty planning". And he stressed an Iraq that could govern and sustain itself was a noble cause - which extremists inside and outside the country were trying to prevent. The ISG urged talks with Iran and Syria on tackling the instability. But Mr Bush said US policy towards Tehran would change only if Iran verifiably suspended its uranium enrichment programme. Syria needed to be told to stop destabilising the Lebanese government and allowing arms and money flowing to insurgents in Iraq. "They know what is expected of them," he said. Mr Bush said the US and Britain would continue to work together towards bringing peace and freedom to Iraq. He announced the UK leader would be travelling to the Middle East shortly with the aim of finding an end to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has rejected the ISG's assessment that progress in Iraq is linked to resolving the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians - although he said he was interested in re-starting peace talks. But he ruled out opening peace talks with Syria in the near future, as recommended in the report.

Bush is not swayed by findings in the Iraq study

President Bush, responding Thursday to a scathing bipartisan
assessment of the Iraq war, vigorously rejected the idea that
deteriorating conditions there require the United States to scale
back its goals and said that he remains committed to "victory in
Iraq." By James Gerstenzang.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8JE0EX

Return fire from the right

Howls of protest echoed across the right side of the political
spectrum as conservatives voiced dismay with the findings of the
bipartisan Iraq panel, released Wednesday. Some say the focus was
on a way out, not victory. By Greg Miller.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8JF0EY

Officer is held in an attack on a teen

A Los Angeles police officer was arrested Thursday on suspicion of
assault after he was caught on videotape applying a chokehold to a
handcuffed 16-year-old boy inside the Central Division station,
authorities said. By Cara Mia DiMassa.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8JG0EZ

Intrigue grows in the case of an ex-spy's poisoning

As Alexander Litvinenko, the former KGB agent at the center of an
international poisoning mystery, was buried in London Thursday, a
key witness and possible suspect reportedly fell into a coma in
Moscow. By Kim Murphy.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8JH0Ea

Rap on rap: not as hip or as hot

Nominations were announced Thursday for the 49th annual Grammy
Awards and, for the first time in six years, no rap stars made it
into any of the marquee categories. The snub caps a fairly
miserable year for the rap scene. By Geoff Boucher and Chris Lee.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8JI0Eb

U.S. anti-drug efforts in Afghanistan to be bolstered

The Pentagon, which has resisted appeals to play a bigger role in
the campaign to curb Afghanistan's opium trade, is pledging more
support for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's
counter-narcotics efforts. By Josh Meyer.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8JJ0Ec

Africa's land of sand and fugitives

Namibia, a southern African country that is 92% desert, just might
be the earthly equivalent of the seedy cantina in the "Star Wars"
bar scene. At the least, it is a refuge for people who may not
want to be found. By Robyn Dixon.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8JK0Ed

'Restoration' after the fall

The Rev. Ted Haggard this week formally begins his long journey
toward recovery from a drugs-and-gay-sex scandal that forced him
to step down as one of the most influential evangelical leaders in
the nation. By Stephanie Simon.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8JL0Ee

Closure of libraries angers scientists

Across the country, half a dozen federal libraries are closed or
closing. Others have reduced staffing, hours of operation, public
access or subscriptions. The cost-cutting moves deny researchers
and the public access to vital data, critics say. By Tim
Reiterman.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8JM0Ef

Full probe of hazing claim was rejected

Two key Los Angeles Fire Department commanders called for a full
investigation of a 2004 incident in which firefighters laced a
black colleague's meal with dog food, but top officials chose not
to dig deeper. By Robert J. Lopez.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8JN0Eg

An unusual order in Long Beach hate trial

A judge in the Long Beach hate crime trial has issued an unusual
order allowing witnesses and victims to testify anonymously and
barring defense attorneys from disclosing their names. By Joe
Mozingo.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8JO0Eh

It's still about oil in Iraq

While the Bush administration, the media and nearly all the
Democrats still refuse to explain the war in Iraq in terms of oil,
the ever-pragmatic members of the Iraq Study Group share no such
reticence. By Antonia Juhasz.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8JX0Eq

Off the fence

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the California-born son of a
Mexican mother, traveled to Washington on Thursday to declare his
interest in comprehensive immigration reform and the presidency.
The second may be more realistic than the first.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8JY0Er

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2006, Issue No. 125
December 8, 2006

Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

"Special year-end opportunity to support Secrecy News!"
http://www.fas.org/static/contrib_sec.jsp


** THE TRAVAILS OF SEA-BASED MISSILE DEFENSE
** IMPLEMENTING THE 9/11 COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS, OR NOT
** EVEN MORE FROM CRS
** CORRECTIONS
** PUBLIC INTEREST DECLASS BOARD FALTERS


THE TRAVAILS OF SEA-BASED MISSILE DEFENSE

The flight test of a sea-based missile defense system in the Pacific
was aborted yesterday after an interceptor missile failed to launch
from an Aegis cruiser, the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said.

It was the latest setback in an ambitious sea-based missile defense
program that will cost more than one billion dollars in 2007.

"In developing a global ballistic missile defense (BMD) system, the
Department of Defense (DOD) currently is modifying 18 Navy cruisers
and destroyers for BMD operations, and has placed a large BMD radar
-- the Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX) -- on a modified floating oil
platform," according to a new report of the Congressional Research
Service.

But sea-based systems are still far from providing a satisfactory
resolution to the quest for a reliable missile defense.

The new CRS report (which does not fail to mention that Aegis "is
named after the mythological shield carried by Zeus") is a superb
presentation of the current state of sea-based missile defense.
Full of hard-to-find details, the 37 page document asks and begins
to answer a range of questions about the future of this program.

CRS does not release its reports to the public. A copy was obtained
by Secrecy News.

See "Sea-Based Missile Defense -- Background and Issues for
Congress," December 4, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/RL33745.pdf


IMPLEMENTING THE 9/11 COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS, OR NOT

In a major new report that could serve as an appendix to the Final
Report of the 9/11 Commission, the Congressional Research Service
performed a detailed assessment of the implementation of the
Commission's recommendations.

"The discussions herein are organized on the basis of policy themes
that are at the core of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations,
rather than through a review of each numbered item set out in the
Commission's final report," the 73 page CRS report says.

"Each section of the report summarizes the pertinent elements of the
9/11 Commission's recommendation relevant to the section's policy
theme. Then a review is made of responses made by the Congress to
implement, in whole or in part, the given recommendation. Where
appropriate, notice is taken of Executive branch actions regarding
the policy matter."

A copy of the report was obtained by Secrecy News.

See "9/11 Commission Recommendations: Implementation Status,"
December 4, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL33742.pdf


EVEN MORE FROM CRS

Some other noteworthy new products of the Congressional Research
Service that are not widely available to the public include the
following:

"Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing: U.S. Policy Development," November 29,
2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RS22542.pdf

"Homeland Security: Evolving Roles and Missions for United States
Northern Command," updated November 16, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RS21322.pdf

"U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and
Issues," updated October 17, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RL33640.pdf

"National Emergency Powers," updated November 13, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/98-505.pdf

"Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Oversight Issues and
Options for Congress," November 30, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/RL33741.pdf

"The United States and Europe: Current Issues," updated November 21,
2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS22163.pdf


CORRECTIONS

There were at least two errors in the December 4 issue of Secrecy
News.

We mistakenly wrote that the CIA and NSA agreed to reporter Joshua
Gerstein's request for expedited processing of his FOIA request on
records concerning unauthorized disclosures. They did not. But a
court granted his motion to compel a prompt response.

The DNI Open Source Center was established in November 2005, not in
2004.


PUBLIC INTEREST DECLASS BOARD FALTERS

The Public Interest Declassification Board was established by
Congress in 2000 "to promote the fullest possible public access to
a thorough, accurate, and reliable documentary record of
significant United States national security decisions." (FY 2001
Intelligence Authorization Act, Section 703).

Six years later, it has still done no such thing.

In its first practical test, members of Congress asked the Board to
review the classification of two recent reports on pre-war Iraq
intelligence to determine if more of the text could be disclosed.

But the Board concluded that it could not proceed without White
House approval, which was not forthcoming.

This week, reported Rebecca Carr of Cox News, the Board asked
Congress to modify its charter to make clear that White House
approval is not required for this purpose.

See "Anti-secrecy board unable to gain traction" by Rebecca Carr,
Cox News Service, December 8:

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/159482

The Board will hold its next meeting on December 15 at the National
Archives in Washington, DC.

Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@fas.org
voice: (202) 454-4691

Snipes arrested in tax fraud case BBC News
Actor Wesley Snipes has been arrested in Orlando after surrendering himself to authorities on tax fraud charges.The 44-year-old flew into an Orlando airport and gave himself up, a spokesman for his new film said. An arrest warrant was issued in October for the Hollywood star over reports he had dodged millions of dollars in taxes in 1996 and 1997. He says he is a scapegoat and has been unfairly targeted. If convicted he faces up to 16 years in prison. Mr Snipes was filming Gallow Walker in Namibia when the arrest warrant was issued. He was not forced to leave the country as the African nation does not have an extradition treaty with the US. Ian Thompson, a spokesman for Sheer Films, which is producing Gallow Walker, told the Associated Press that Mr Snipes planned to return to Namibia after the court appearance to finish work on the film.

Conspired
The actor has also been charged with failure to file tax returns from 1999 through to 2004 and conspiring with two men to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which collects taxes in the US. Mr Snipes' former accountant has already surrendered to authorities. The actor's first role was in Goldie Hawn's 1986 American football comedy Wildcats, and he later appeared in the video for Michael Jackson's Bad, which was directed by Martin Scorsese. He also appeared in hit films such as White Men Can't Jump, New Jack City and the Blade trilogy.

Congress OKs nuclear pact with India

WASHINGTON - The deal, a major policy shift, provides access to American technology. By James Gerstenzang.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8UT0EY

Ethics panel faults GOP leaders in Foley case

WASHINGTON - The House committee says his behavior with pages was
ignored for years, but it seeks no sanctions. By Noam N. Levey.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8UU0EZ


Afghanistan war nears 'tipping point'

KABUL, Afghanistan - Government support is flagging, NATO is split
on strategy, and Taliban fighters are revitalized. By Laura King
and David Holley.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8UV0Ea

Up against the IRS, Snipes surrenders
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8UX0Ec

U.N. chief sees little progress on rights

NEW YORK - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan also tells Sudan's
leaders they could be held accountable for the violence in Darfur.
By Maggie Farley.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8UY0Ed

Hotel bar may be site of ex-spy's poisoning

LONDON - Seven employees apparently were also exposed to
radiation. By Kim Murphy.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8UZ0Ee

The Rumsfeld show's finale a classic, by golly

WASHINGTON - At his final Pentagon town hall, the Defense
secretary riffs on his favorite topics and urges more time in
Iraq. By Julian E. Barnes.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Ua0El

Seattle shops to keep its salmon safe

SEATTLE - A product label assures customers that farms and
vineyards don't damage fish habitat. By Lynn Marshall.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Ub0Em

Video cameras urged to monitor the police

Citing abuse cases, civil rights groups say the LAPD should
install devices in all stations and patrol cars. By Richard
Winton.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0G7Ps0Ew

Landlord ordered to halt illegal rent hikes

Judge's ruling aims to protect poor tenants in gentrifying areas
until a lawsuit is decided. By Jessica Garrison and Cara Mia
DiMassa.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Ud0Eo

With hope comes worry

PHOENIX - Twins Nate and Nick Draper's recovery from heart
problems has been "amazing." But a long road remains, its course
uncertain. By Kurt Streeter.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Ue0Ep

Editorial: Ignore and appoint

Recess appointments rob the Senate of its advice-and-consent role
and violate the spirit of the Constitution.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Us0E4

Where are those weapons of 'mas destruction?

A long story short: the war on Christmas wanes. By Greg Beato.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Ut0E5

No friend of labor

Thanks in part to the National Labor Relations Board, most
American workers haven't seen their share of the booming economy
By Dmitri Iglitzin and Steven Hill.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Uv0E7

A Times Investigation: Athletes' unbeatable foe

Anti-doping authorities serve as prosecutor, judge and jury. The
innocent often pay a high price. By Michael A. Hiltzik.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8VT0Ek

Cities get grip on global warming

BOULDER, Colo. - Frustrated with the federal response to global
warming, hundreds of cities, suburbs and rural communities across
the nation have taken bold steps to slash their energy consumption
and reduce emissions of the pollutants that cause climate change.
By Stephanie Simon.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8VU0El

San Pedro's shifting canvas

Artists wonder if they'll still be welcome as their sanctuary
becomes increasingly gentrified. By John Balzar.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8VV0Em

So you think your 401(k) money is safe

MUSKEGON, Mich. - The popular accounts have little protection from
theft. Smaller companies have raided the funds in hard times. By
Kathy M. Kristof.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8VW0En

Midnight sun has a dark side

MALMO, Sweden - Mafia thugs have come from the Balkans, jolting
Scandinavia with their viciousness. By Jeffrey Fleishman.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8VX0Eo

A guiding light to motherhood

SEOUL - To help offset South Korea's falling birthrate, TV writers
are urged to show more happy women with babies. By Bruce Wallace.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8VY0Ep

Leading Lebanon from a gilded cage

BEIRUT - What's left of Siniora's government holes up in his
hilltop palace in Beirut as Hezbollah protesters clamor below. By
Megan K. Stack.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8VZ0Eq

A German twist in poisoning trail

BERLIN - The mystery surrounding the poisoning death of a former
Russian spy has veered to Germany, where investigators Saturday
found traces of radiation in an apartment connected with a
businessman who met the ex-KGB agent on the day he fell ill. By
Jeffrey Fleishman.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Va0Ex

Professor puts his stamp on the legend of Bigfoot

POCATELLO, Idaho - His book on the science of Sasquatch, the fruit
of a lifelong fascination, troubles his Idaho State University
colleagues. By Sam Howe Verhovek.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Vb0Ey

Shuttle Discovery climbs into night sky

The shuttle Discovery roared into space Saturday night on a 12-day
mission to continue construction of the International Space
Station and reconfigure the station's electrical system. By John
Johnson Jr.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Vc0Ez

Cash-poor, equity-rich seniors get needed help

Organizations help many homeowners who have delayed repairs or
require other assistance. By Jennifer Delson.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Ve0E2

A crusader answers the call of the antihero

Tobey Maguire takes a dark turn in "The Good German," a test of
his range and a reminder that he's good on two legs too. By Rachel
Abramowitz.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Vq0EF

Grinch-proofed

Burglaries usually rise during the holiday season. But more
homeowners are finding that security systems and vigilance pay
off. By Jennifer Lisle.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Vs0EH

Maybe it's locution, locution, locution

Words matter. Wars have started over them. Civilizations have
collapsed because of them. And it would appear that the speed with
which a house sells may be determined by them. By Ann Brenoff.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Vt0EI

White open spaces

In southwestern Montana - big ski country - two resorts team up
for an experience more mammoth than Mammoth. No lines. No hassles.
And views of three states. By Chris Erskine.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Vu0EJ

Finding thrills on those smaller hills

They're where the locals hang out, in tucked-away Western resorts
far from the big crowds, high prices and clubby airs of ski
country's mega-mountains. By Grace Lichtenstein.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Vv0EK

Editorial: Don't colonize the moon

A manned moon mission doesn't make sense. Robots are better - just
look at their success on Mars.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Vw0EL

From shopping centers to lifestyle centers

Shopping malls are finally fulfilling their original destiny:
re-creating the essence of urban life. By Virginia Postrel.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Vx0EM

A space station with good parking

The closest humans have come to their dream of living in an
airtight outer space paradise is the indoor shopping mall. By Tim
Cavanaugh.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Vy0EN

In China, Marx and Trump collide

China's malls are a mind-boggling mix, but you can pick up some
insights here and there. By Mitchell Landsberg.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Vz0EO

Jonathan Chait: The bubble boy in the Oval Office

Try to mend Iraq all you want; just don't tell Bush the war was a
mistake.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8V10EB

Punishing prisoners at all costs

California's prisons are in crisis because of harsh sentencing
laws that don't treat violent and nonviolent criminals much
differently. By Joe Domanick.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8V20EC

The next horror in Somalia

Radical Islamists are preparing to take control of the
impoverished country and start a regional war in East Africa. By
Garrett Jones.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8V30ED

2008 hopefuls woo Bush clan donors, aides

WASHINGTON - With the Bushes preparing to stand down from a
quarter century in top elected offices, a frenzied competition has
erupted in the Republican Party over who will inherit a
fundraising and vote-getting machine built by the family over the
years into one of the most valuable assets in modern politics. By
Peter Wallsten.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8XC0Ez

Pinochet dies; Iconic dictator led '73 Chilean coup

SANTIAGO, Chile - Augusto Pinochet, the embodiment of the brutal
and intensely anti-communist South American military dictator,
died Sunday, a military doctor said. He was 91 and had suffered a
heart attack a week earlier. By Sebastian Rotella and Patrick J.
McDonnell.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8XD0E1

Getty set to return two Greek works

The J. Paul Getty Museum plans to announce today the return of two
prized ancient masterpieces to Greece, which has maintained for a
decade that they were illegally removed from the country,
according to two sources familiar with recent negotiations. By
Jason Felch and Ralph Frammolino.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8XE0E2

A loan that'll get ugly fast

Option mortgages allow payments so low that borrowers go deeper
into debt. Their popularity could pose risks for the housing
market. By David Streitfeld.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8XF0E3

Learning to diversify

Private schools in the L.A. area, once enclaves of the rich and
white, are slowly changing. By Carla Rivera.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8XG0E4

Iraqi leader denounces report

BAGHDAD - President Talabani objects to a U.S. panel's call for
centralizing authority. Some Shiite officials share his view. By
Solomon Moore.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8XI0E6

Rules seen as setback to justice in China

BEIJING - Lawyers for protesters are now required to also assist
the government, Human Rights Watch notes in its report. By
Mitchell Landsberg.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8XJ0E7

Both sides appear cornered in Beirut

BEIRUT - "You can't back off in Lebanon," one observer says as
anti-government protesters keep up their massive sit-in. By Megan
K. Stack.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8XK0E8

Texas is sending fewer to death row

HOUSTON - Texas may lead the nation by far in the number of
executions carried out each year, but figures released last week
suggest that support here for the ultimate punishment may be on
the wane. By Lianne Hart.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8XL0EA

Crowds adore Obama

MANCHESTER, N.H. - On the Illinois senator's first New Hampshire
visit, he's welcomed by audiences but remains coy about 2008. By
Terry McDermott and Mark Z. Barabak.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8XM0EB

Pelosi piques public's interest

WASHINGTON - As incoming head of the House, with more eyes on her,
Nancy Pelosi intends to paint her own picture. By Faye Fiore.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8XN0EC

CDC warns against antibiotics for E. coli

Children treated with the drugs can become much more seriously
ill, the health agency says. By Mary Engel.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8XO0ED

Hinkley: Here we go again?

HINKLEY, Calif. - Residents of the desert town featured in "Erin
Brockovich" are now battling a proposed sewage sludge composting
plant that would be located eight miles away. By Sara Lin.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8XP0EE

Editorial: Dictators right and left

Kirkpatrick and Pinochet shared a conservative political orbit.
But history has proved both wrong.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Xe0EZ

Calming an anxious middle class

The incoming Congress will need to pursue policies that promote
more economic fairness without hindering globalization. By
Lawrence H. Summers.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Xf0Ea

Niall Ferguson: Baker-Hamilton's fine print: Stay in Iraq

The Iraq Study Group didn't pin Iraq's hope on Iran and Syria, nor
did it call for complete troop withdrawal.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8Xg0Eb

Killings put Gaza on edge

GAZA CITY - Leaders of the Fatah Party accused gunmen of
deliberately ambushing and killing the three young sons of a
senior Palestinian intelligence officer, an attack that threatened
to escalate fighting between rival factions. By Richard Boudreaux.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jA0Et

Major breach of UCLA's computer files

In what appears to be one of the largest computer security
breaches ever at an American university, one or more hackers have
gained access to a UCLA database containing personal information
on about 800,000 of the university's current and former students,
faculty and staff members, among others. By Rebecca Trounson.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jB0Eu

Vehicle mileage estimates get real

That 55-mile-per-gallon hybrid car you've been eyeing may end up
being a 44-mpg hybrid if you wait for the 2008 model. By John
O'Dell.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jC0Ev

Does this debase debate?

College forensics once stuck strictly to words. Now it can come
off the page - way off. That has many wondering who the winner is.
By Roy Rivenburg.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jD0Ew

Ex-aides allege abuse of power

Rep. Gary Miller of Diamond Bar exercised political muscle for
personal gain, they say. By William Heisel.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jE0Ex

Justice on Katrina time

NEW ORLEANS - Hundreds, if not thousands, languish behind bars
without their day in court. By Ann M. Simmons.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jF0Ey

Key witness in the poisoning of Litvinenko is questioned in Moscow

MOSCOW - Investigators here questioned a key witness Monday in the
radiation poisoning death of former KGB agent Alexander
Litvinenko, as four more possible victims of contamination were
hospitalized for tests - this time in Germany. By David Holley and
Jeffrey Fleishman.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jG0Ez

Chile reveres, reviles Pinochet

SANTIAGO, Chile - Raucous street celebrations that followed news
of the ex-despot's death enrage his admirers, who flock to view
his body. The funeral is today. By Patrick J. McDonnell.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jH0E1

Victim-photo ruling is reversed

WASHINGTON - In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court reversed
the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and restored a California
man's murder conviction, saying his rights were not violated when
the victim's family wore a small photo of the victim during the
trial. By David G. Savage.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jI0E2

Way to shoot a sight unseen

HOUSTON - Vision-impaired hunters in Texas may get to use lasers
to improve cues from their guides and hence their aim. By Miguel
Bustillo.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jJ0E3

Boeing says runoff rules too strict

Boeing Co. on Wednesday will seek to ease limits on runoff
pollution at its former nuclear research and rocket testing lab in
the Simi Hills amid a criminal investigation into whether the
company violated clean-water standards there. By Amanda
Covarrubias.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jK0E4

Former priest to appear in court

Less than two weeks after Cardinal Roger M. Mahony announced a
landmark deal to settle lawsuits brought by 45 people who said
they were molested by Catholic priests, the focus of the Southern
California clergy sex scandal moves back to the criminal courts.
By Jessica Garrison and John Spano.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jL0E5

Carter defends book in Pasadena appearance

Jimmy Carter staunchly defended his controversial Middle East book
at an appearance in Pasadena, saying "horrible, despicable human
rights abuses" are occurring in Israeli-occupied Palestinian
territories. By Peter Y. Hong and Stuart Silverstein.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jM0E6

NSA still needs more oversight

The new Congress should give top priority to regulating the NSA's
domestic surveillance program.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBD...Io30G2B0H8jU0EF

THE RECESSION OF 2007?

After a five-year expansion initiated by tax cuts and low interest rates, the U.S. economy is likely to enter into an 18-month-long recession beginning in the first half of 2007, according to Independent Institute Research Fellow Dominick Armentano.

The slump's proximate cause, he argues, is the Federal Reserve Board's quixotic monetary policies. In response to the recession of 2000-2001, the Fed kept interest rates low -- and did so for too long, which created an unsustainable boom in the housing industry. When the Fed caught its mistake and began raising interest rates last year, the price of homes and condos in many areas began a near free-fall. The rising interest rates and falling home prices will discourage consumers from purchasing automobiles and other big-ticket consumer durables. Armentano estimates that it will probably "take years, not months, to work off the surplus national inventory and restore normalcy to the housing market. A 'soft landing' is just not in the cards."

"In short, we are headed (probably) into an extended period of relatively modest economic activity," Armentano concludes. "We can avoid making the slowdown worse by steering clear of tax increases and higher minimum wages. Households with high leveraged debt and cyclical employment will be hit the hardest. The rest of us should muddle through in reasonably fine fashion."

"Recession 2007," by Dominick T. Armentano (12/7/06)
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1866
"Recesión 2007"
http://www.elindependent.org/articulos/article.asp?id=1866

More articles by Dominick T. Armentano
http://www.independent.org/aboutus/person_detail.asp?id=509

BIG BROTHER WATCHES HOLIDAY TRAVELERS

Looking forward to holiday air travel? You and your family and friends may not be the only ones "looking forward" to your flight.

"This holiday travel season, Santa Claus is not the only one who is checking to see whether you've been naughty or nice," writes Ivan Eland, director of the Independent Institute's Center on Peace & Liberty. "For the last four years, the U.S. government has been snooping by computer into people's travel records and assigning them a risk score for being terrorists or criminals."

The program -- the Department of Homeland Security's Automated Targeting System (ATS) -- acts something like a credit score that is shared with third parties, but never with the individuals profiled. Your ATS score is "shared with state, local, and foreign governments, Congress, the courts, and private contractors, and can be used to deny employment in shipping and travel, licenses, security clearances, and government contracts. Even worse, the government intends to keep these assessments on file for 40 years."

How large will the scope of the ATS grow if the executive branch is able to bypass the checks and balances of Congress and the courts? Eland's prognosis is sobering: "Given current trends, during future holiday seasons, perhaps the government will assign ordinary people permanent ratings on their risk for committing murder, rape, burglary, armed assault, child molestation, speeding, and jay walking. Santa Claus could certainly use a comprehensive system like this to determine the distribution of holiday packages. In the meantime, the government's "war on terror" is the gift that just keeps on giving (more power to the security bureaucracies)."

"More Cheer for the Holiday Travel Season," by Ivan Eland (12/11/06)
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1867

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2006, Issue No. 126
December 12, 2006

Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

"Special year-end opportunity to support Secrecy News!"
http://www.fas.org/static/contrib_sec.jsp


** ARMY DEFINES LEGITIMATE AND QUESTIONABLE INTEL ACTIVITIES
** NAVY GUIDE TO DETENTION FACILITIES
** ODDS AND ENDS FROM CRS
** INJECTING POLONIUM INTO HUMANS


ARMY DEFINES LEGITIMATE AND QUESTIONABLE INTEL ACTIVITIES

A recently updated U.S. Army regulation defines the parameters of
legitimate military intelligence activities and outlines procedures
for identifying "questionable" intelligence operations.

Among the permissible activities, for example, military intelligence
"may conduct nonconsensual physical surveillance of U.S. persons
who are-- military personnel on active duty status; present or
former intelligence component employees; present or former
intelligence component contractors and their present or former
employees; applicants for intelligence component employment or
contracting" and "persons in contact with those who fall into [the
above categories] to the extent necessary to identify the person in
contact" (sect. 9-2).

"Nothing in this procedure will be interpreted as authorizing the
collection of any information relating to a U.S. person solely
because of that person's lawful advocacy of measures opposed to
Government policy" (sect. 2-5).

However, "commonly reported questionable intelligence activities
[include] improper collection, retention, or dissemination of U.S.
person information [such as] gathering information about U.S.
domestic groups not connected with a foreign power or international
terrorism" (sect. 15-4).

Other "commonly reported questionable activities" include "searching
or monitoring a U.S. person's private internet account, under the
guise of determining if the individual was passing classified
information, without an authorized counterintelligence or law
enforcement investigation and proper search or electronic
surveillance authority."

Also considered "misconduct" is "coaching a source or subject of an
investigation prior to an intelligence polygraph examination in an
effort to help the individual pass the polygraph."

In one new provision, the regulation notes that intelligence
personnel must ordinarily use government computers for official
government business. But, it says, "if operational security so
requires, such as to protect a Government computer from hacker
retaliation, a ... commander may approve nonattributable internet
access" (sect. 1-9).

The 2005 regulation was released in its entirety this week in
response to a Freedom of Information Act request from Secrecy News.

See "U.S. Army Intelligence Activities," Army Regulation 381-10, 22
November 2005 (2.7 MB PDF):

http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/ar381-10.pdf


NAVY GUIDE TO DETENTION FACILITIES

A new U.S. Navy instruction offers a "guide to the operation and
administration of detention facilities."

Detention means "the temporary holding of persons in custody in a
detention facility pending a decision to officially charge them
with a criminal offense. Detention is distinctly different from
confinement that includes pretrial or post-trial confinement."

See "Guide for the Operation and Administration of Detention
Facilities," OPNAV Instruction 1640.9A, December 11, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/navy/opnavinst/1640_9a.pdf

Another new Navy instruction concerns information assurance.

See "Navy Implementation of Department of Defense Intelligence
Information System (DODIIS) Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)," OPNAV
Instruction 5239.3, November 27, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/navy/opnavinst/5239_3.pdf


ODDS AND ENDS FROM CRS

A recent Congressional Research Service report observed
irregularities in government spending on military space.

"Tracking the DOD space budget is extremely difficult since space is
not identified as a separate line item in the DOD budget.
Additionally, DOD sometimes releases only partial information
(omitting funding for classified programs) or will suddenly release
without explanation new figures for prior years that are quite
different from what was previously reported."

See "U.S. Military Space Programs: An Overview of Appropriations and
Current Issues," updated August 7, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/space/RL33601.pdf

Pending proposals to restructure Foreign Service personnel
compensation policy are described in "The Foreign Service and a New
Worldwide Compensation System," updated November 16, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33721.pdf

U.S. economic sanctions that are currently imposed against North
Korea and the potential application of additional restrictions are
addressed in another recent CRS report, provided courtesy of the
National Committee on North Korea (www.ncnk.org). See "North
Korea: Economic Sanctions," updated October 17, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL31696.pdf


INJECTING POLONIUM INTO HUMANS

The apparent murder of former Russian intelligence officer Alexander
Litvinenko through polonium poisoning seemed like an outlandish
innovation in crime. But it was not the first time that polonium
had been deliberately administered to human subjects.

In 1944 at the University of Rochester in New York, "tracer amounts
of radioactive polonium-210 were injected into four hospitalized
humans and ingested by a fifth," according to a 1995 retrospective
account.

Four men and one women who were already suffering from a variety of
cancers reportedly volunteered for the dangerous experiment. One
patient died from his cancer six days after the injection.

See "Polonium Human-Injection Experiments," Los Alamos Science,
Number 23, 1995:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/lanl/p...00326640-po.pdf

That polonium article appeared as a sidebar in a larger paper called
"The Human Plutonium Injection Experiments" by William Moss and
Roger Eckhardt, which follows on the work of reporter Eileen
Welsome, builds on the declassification activities of Energy
Secretary Hazel O'Leary and complements the research of the
Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments. See the Moss
and Eckhardt paper from Los Alamos Science here:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/lanl/pubs/00326640.pdf

Polonium was classified in July 1945, the authors note, and given
the code name "postum."

The basic chemistry and physics of polonium were declassified in
1946. The fact that polonium-210 was used in nuclear weapon
initiators was declassified in 1967, according to a Department of
Energy historical account.

Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@fas.org
voice: (202) 454-4691

As reported in today's FAS Secrecy News:

INJECTING POLONIUM INTO HUMANS

The apparent murder of former Russian intelligence officer Alexander

Litvinenko through polonium poisoning seemed like an outlandish

innovation in crime. But it was not the first time that polonium

had been deliberately administered to human subjects.


In 1944 at the University of Rochester in New York, "tracer amounts

of radioactive polonium-210 were injected into four hospitalized

humans and ingested by a fifth," according to a 1995 retrospective

account.

Four men and one women who were already suffering from a variety of

cancers reportedly volunteered for the dangerous experiment. One

patient died from his cancer six days after the injection.


See "Polonium Human-Injection Experiments," Los Alamos Science,

Number 23, 1995:


http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/lanl/p...00326640-po.pdf


That polonium article appeared as a sidebar in a larger paper called

"The Human Plutonium Injection Experiments" by William Moss and

Roger Eckhardt, which follows on the work of reporter Eileen

Welsome, builds on the declassification activities of Energy

Secretary Hazel O'Leary and complements the research of the

Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments. See the Moss

and Eckhardt paper from Los Alamos Science here:


http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/lanl/pubs/00326640.pdf

Polonium was classified in July 1945, the authors note, and given

the code name "postum."

The basic chemistry and physics of polonium were declassified in

1946. The fact that polonium-210 was used in nuclear weapon

initiators was declassified in 1967, according to a Department of

Energy historical account.

Pentagon's plan: More U.S. troops in Iraq

WASHINGTON - As President Bush weighs new policy options for Iraq,
strong support has coalesced in the Pentagon behind a military
plan to "double down" in the country with a substantial buildup in
American troops, an increase in industrial aid and a major combat
offensive against Muqtada Sadr, the radical Shiite leader impeding
development of the Iraqi government. By Julian E. Barnes.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBE...Io30G2B0H8wA0Eq

Mega-projects could reshape L.A. growth

Los Angeles is having a city-building moment. Two massive projects
- the L.A. Live entertainment complex next to Staples Center and
the Grand Avenue development on Bunker Hill - are underway. A
third giant project, a major expansion of Universal City, was
unveiled last week. All adhere to a much-ballyhooed planning
strategy embraced by Los Angeles power brokers. By Cara Mia
DiMassa.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBE...Io30G2B0H8wB0Er

Iraqis risk their lives in desperate bid for work

BAGHDAD - Laborers say inaction by the government pushes them to
return to a deadly Baghdad square. By Molly Hennessy-Fiske and
Said Rifai.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBE...Io30G2B0H8wC0Es

Firms see wisdom in elder-care plans

Workers with ailing parents find an array of stress-reducing
services. By Molly Selvin.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBE...Io30G2B0H8wD0Et

Fallout rains on Israel's Olmert after nuclear remark

JERUSALEM - For decades, military censors have struggled to defend
Israel's worst-kept secret - that the country possesses atomic
weapons. By Richard Boudreaux.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBE...Io30G2B0H8wF0Ev

Iran elections a last stand for reformists

TEHRAN - After a stunning year that has seen Iranian hard-liners
consolidate power across a broad spectrum of national life,
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his allies are setting their
sights even higher: the elected panel of clerics that appoints the
most powerful official in the Islamic Republic. By Kim Murphy and
Babak Pirouz.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBE...Io30G2B0H8wG0Ew

Five bodies and a sense of dread

LONDON - Dread mounted that the peaceful east coast of England had
given birth to a new "Ripper," as police hunted for the killer of
five women whose bodies have been discovered over the last two
weeks. By Janet Stobart.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBE...Io30G2B0H8wH0Ex

Democrat wins Texas House seat in runoff

HOUSTON - Former Democratic congressman Ciro Rodriguez soundly
defeated seven-term Republican Rep. Henry Bonilla in an unusual
runoff to decide one of the nation's last unresolved House races.
By Lianne Hart.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBE...Io30G2B0H8wI0Ey

Guam grand jury indicts 2 in secret hiring of lobbyist

WASHINGTON - A grand jury in Guam indicted a Laguna Beach attorney
and a former Guam court official on charges they conspired to
circumvent the U.S. territory's procurement laws in the secret
hiring of then-Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff. By Walter F.
Roche Jr.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBE...Io30G2B0H8wJ0Ez

Three men still missing on Mt. Hood

GOVERNMENT CAMP, ORE. - Whiteout conditions hamper the search on
the Oregon peak. One hiker may be injured and holed up in a cave.
By Sam Howe Verhovek.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBE...Io30G2B0H8wK0E1

UCLA seeks to allay fears over database breach

While some potential victims see possible ties to identity theft,
UCLA officials say they have no evidence of misuse. By Rebecca
Trounson and Stuart Silverstein.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBE...Io30G2B0H8wM0E3

Steve Lopez: City paying high price in dispute over rentals
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBE...Io30G2B0H8wN0E4

Circumcision 'cuts' HIV infection BBC News
Circumcision can cut the rate of HIV infection in heterosexual men by 50%, results from two African trials show.The findings are so striking, the US National Institutes of Health decided it would be unethical to continue and stopped the trials early. It supports a previous South African study which reported similar results. Experts said it was a significant breakthrough but could not replace standard methods of preventing infection such as condoms.The two trials of around 8,000 men took place in Uganda and Kenya were due to finish in July and September 2007 respectively. But after an interim review of the data by the NIH Data and Safety Monitoring Board decided to halt the trials as it was unethical not to offer circumcision in the men who were acting as controls.

Bleeding less likely
The trial in Kenya found a 53% reduction in new HIV infections in heterosexual men who were circumcised while the Ugandan study reported a drop of 48%.Results last year from a study in 3,280 heterosexual men in South Africa, which was also stopped early, showed a 60% drop in the incidence of new infections in men who had been circumcised. There are several reasons why circumcision may protect against HIV infection. Specific cells in the foreskin may be potential targets for HIV infection and also the skin under the foreskin becomes less sensitive and is less likely to bleed reducing risk of infection following circumcision. When Aids first began to emerge in Africa, researchers noted that men who were circumcised seemed to be less at risk of infection but it was unclear whether this was due to differences in sexual behaviour. A modelling study done by international Aids experts earlier this year showed that male circumcision could avert about six million HIV infections and three million deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. A further trial in Uganda to assess the risk of HIV transmission to female partners is due to report in 2008 but the effect among men who have sex with men has not yet been studied.

Implementation
Dr Kevin De Cock, director of the HIV/Aids department of the World Health Organization told the BBC the results were a "significant scientific advance" but were not a magic bullet and would never replace existing prevention strategies. "We will have to convene a meeting which we hope will happen quite soon to review the data in more detail and have discussions about the implications. "This is an intervention that must be embedded with all the other interventions and precautions we have. Men must not consider themselves protected. It's a very important intervention to add to our prevention armamentarium." Dr De Cock said that countries in Africa who wanted to use this approach would still have to decide what age groups to target and there would have to be training and hygienic practices in place. "This is about as good epidemiological data as we can request. There will be many other research questions about implementation but this is very persuasive." NIH director Dr Elias Zerhouni said: "Male circumcision performed safely in a medical environment complements other HIV prevention strategies and could lessen the burden of HIV/Aids, especially in countries in sub-Saharan Africa where, according to the 2006 estimates from UNAids, 2.8 million new infections occurred in a single year." Dr Jeckoniah Ndinya-Achola, co-principal investigator at the University of Nairobi, Kenya said: "The Ministry of Health of the Kenyan government is already holding discussions about how this can be made available. It will need a certain amount of improvement to existing facilities." But Tom Elkins, Senior Policy Officer at the National AIDS Trust warned: "There is a real danger in sending out a message that circumcision can protect against HIV. This is not the case and could lead to an increase in unprotected sex. "There is still a long way to go in providing comprehensive prevention programmes in many countries, and resources should go into normalising the use of condoms, which are the most effective method currently available for preventing HIV."

US actor Peter Boyle dies aged 71 BBC News
Emmy award-winning actor Peter Boyle, best known as the curmudgeonly father in the US sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, has died at the age of 71.Boyle came to fame in 1974 playing a tap-dancing monster in Mel Brook's spoof horror movie Young Frankenstein. He has also been seen in Malcolm X, Taxi Driver and, most recently, The Santa Clause Three. He had been suffering from cancer of the bone marrow and heart disease and died in a New York hospital on Tuesday. Educated in Roman Catholic schools in Philadelphia, Boyle spent three years in a monastery before abandoning his studies there. He later described the experience as similar to "living in the Middle Ages".

Typecast
After studying under German-born acting teacher Ute Hagen in New York, he began to get work in the theatre, and received his big break in film with the 1970 movie Joe. He won acclaim for his role as a burly, angry, construction worker - but quickly began to feel he was being typecast in violent blue-collar roles, which led him to sign up for Young Frankenstein. The movie's defining moment saw Boyle's monster in top hat and tails dancing to Putting on the Ritz in front of a startled upmarket audience. It was on the set of Young Frankenstein, while still in his character make-up, that Boyle met his future wife, Rolling Stone reporter Loraine Alterman. She was a friend of Yoko Ono and, through her, Boyle came to know John Lennon, who was best man at the couple's wedding in 1977. In the same year, he won his first Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Senator Joe McCarthy in the TV film Tail Gunner Joe. Boyle also continued to appear on the big screen, playing the cabbie-philosopher Wizard, who counselled Robert De Niro's violent Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. He also took roles in Johnny Dangerously, While You Were Sleeping and Monster's Ball.

Obnoxious
In 1990, Boyle suffered a stroke and could not talk for six months, but he soon returned to work and, in 1996, finally won an Emmy for a cameo role on The X Files. He made his debut in Everybody Loves Raymond the same year, playing the long-suffering Frank Barone. "He's just obnoxious in a nice way, just for laughs," he said of the character in a 2001 interview. The show's creator, Phil Rosenthal, said Boyle was "nothing like Frank Barone, and that makes his performance even more impressive". In 1999, Boyle had a heart attack on the set of the sitcom, but made a speedy recovery and stayed with the series until it ended. The sitcom was a constant fixture on US TV and 32 million people watched the finale in May 2005. Boyle picked up a further seven Emmy nominations during his nine years on the show, but lost on more than one occasion to his co-star Brad Garrett. Despite his work in Everybody Loves Raymond and other Hollywood productions, Boyle made New York City his home. He and his wife had two daughters, Lucy and Amy.