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Minutes after Naomi Watts, movie star, arrived at the CIA’s secret Virginia training center called The Farm, she was thrown to the ground in a way that left bruises. When she cried out in pain, her instructor glared and informed her, “Don’t say 'ow’ again unless you need to go to the hospital.” During the days that followed, she was “stripped of everything that cloaked her in specialness,” said director Doug Liman. The actress chose the rough treatment, Liman said. He chose Watts to play Valerie Plame Wilson, the spy who was outed in one of the most controversial episodes...

The old guy tells his side. Interesting fellow. Several new details about the story came out... The original video of the fight is here (with translations).

OAKLAND — A You Tube video showing a fight between two AC Transit bus riders has ignited a flurry of online debates about violence, race and the safety of public transit. The video, which shows an older white man exchanging blows with a younger black man, is attracting hundreds of thousands of hits. The fight took place Tuesday afternoon on a bus in downtown Oakland, near the corner of Harrison and Webster streets. We will update this story when further details are available.

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress09/mueller032509.htm Congressional Testimony Robert S. Mueller, III Director Federal Bureau of Investigation Statement Before the Senate Judiciary Committee March 25, 2009 Good morning Chairman Leahy, Senator Specter, and Members of the Committee. I am pleased to be here today. As you know, we in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have undergone unprecedented transformation in recent years, from developing the intelligence capabilities necessary to address emerging terrorist and criminal threats, to creating the administrative and technological structure necessary to meet our new mission as a national security service. Today, the FBI is a...

MANTECAL, Venezuela - Hugo Chavez is driving across the plains of Venezuela, raving about a Hollywood film in which the enslaved hero rises up to challenge the emperor of Rome. "'Gladiator' — What a movie! I saw it three times," the president tells an Associated Press reporter traveling with him in a Toyota 4Runner, along with his daughter and a state governor. "It's confronting the empire, and confronting evil. ... And you end up relating to that gladiator." The parallel is unstated but clear. To Chavez, the United States is the empire, and he is the protagonist waging an epic...

Epic HeroHow a self-taught British genius rediscovered the Mesopotamian saga of Gilgamesh—after 2,500 years By David Damrosch In November 1872, George Smith was working at the British Museum in a second-floor room overlooking the bare plane trees in Russell Square. On a long table were pieces of clay tablets, among the hundreds of thousands that archaeologists had shipped back to London from Nineveh, in present-day Iraq, a quarter-century before. Many of the fragments bore cuneiform hieroglyphs, and over the years scholars had managed to reassemble parts of some tablets, deciphering for the first time these records of daily life in...

September 18, 2006 BREAKING: Largest U.S. Islamic Charity Raided by FBI Printer Friendly By Debbie Schlussel I've been writing about LIFE for Relief and Development for years, and I think my columns (especially this one), have finally made a difference. Ditto for my complaints about LIFE to Assistant U.S. Attorney for counterterrorism, Ken Chadwell. Less than half an hour ago, the FBI began raiding LIFE and hauling out documents. Well, it's about time. LIFE--the largest Islamic charity still open for business in America--openly admitted on its 1995-'97 taxes to be a major funder of HAMAS. Headquartered in the Orthodox Jewish...

"GMUG" stands for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests. Combined, they encompass some 2.9 million acres of National Forest lands in Central and Western Colorado. These three forests are home to some of the most outstanding recreational opportunity in the West. Right now, the forest's are revising their Forest Plans. These management plans provide broad guidance on what activities may or may not occur on these lands. The BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC), a national recreation advocacy group that champions recreational access and responsible use of public and private lands, is growing increasingly concerned about the influence several anti-access groups...

Mexican Indians preserve epic endurance race By Tim Gaynor | December 15, 2005 CEROCAHUI, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexico's Tarahumara Indians are struggling to preserve one of the world's toughest endurance contests: a race of up to 100 miles over flinty mountain tracks while kicking a ball. The tribe calls itself the "Raramuri," which in its language means "foot runner," and its men take to the trails of northwest Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains every few weeks in flimsy sandals for a 24-hour-long foot race that would make marathon runners shiver. Their bizarre long-distance game, dubbed the "carrera de bola" or "ball...

Joe's In For It Now - Friday, November 04, 2005 @ 3:23:37 PM This story popped up today on American Thinker. Apparently, Wilson outed his wife far before Novak ever did, and the site which normally carries the program and the speech is down. Does anyone have the mp3 in which Wilson gives his speech? Please, please, please email us at editor@spectator.org if so. Posted By: J. Peter Freire The American Thinker http://www.americanthinker.com/comments.php?comments_id=3345 The speech was given at EPIC, the Education for Peace in Iraq Center, a left wing organization, which has, a least for the moment, an audio file...

Iran is determined to acquire nuclear weapons and the United States may find it less costly to deter a nuclear-armed Iran than to dismantle its weapons program, according to two U.S.-funded researchers who advise the Pentagon. "Can the United States live with a nuclear-armed Iran? Despite its rhetoric, it may have no choice," concluded the report by Judith Yaphe and Air Force Col. Charles Lutes, which was released on Thursday. The potential for rolling back Iran's program, once it produces a nuclear weapon, "is lower than preventing it in the first place and the costs of rollback may be higher...

Transcriber's introduction:The following outline and transcript, created by the poster, are based on an audio recording of Joseph Wilson's evening keynote lecture to the Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC) on June 14, 2003, delivered several weeks prior to Wilson's New York Times op-ed of 7/6/2003 which preceded the controversial Robert Novak article mentioning Valerie Plame's CIA background. Wilson's speech was immediately preceded by that of the other keynote speaker, Ray McGovern of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. After their individual speeches Wilson and McGovern held a joint question-and-answer session. Other participants in the forum and their respective topics...

<p>The trip that three Democratic congressmen made to Baghdad last week was jointly funded by two private organizations — a religious group and a charity, both of which oppose a war with Iraq.</p> <p>The costs were shared by the Interfaith Network of Concern for the People of Iraq, a project of the Church Council of Greater Seattle, and a charity in Southfield, Mich., called Life for Relief and Development (LIFE), which provides humanitarian aid to Iraq.</p>

In the public eye, Conrado Cantu had it all. The former Cameron County sheriff was often described as charismatic, a man with a firm handshake and a popular catchphrase “Animo” — meaning cheer and encouragement — that became synonymous with his own name. He had politicians by his side, voters on their feet, a badge and a fleet of law enforcement officials at the ready. But the brass badge that adorned his chest was used to shield political allies and drug traffickers, federal investigators are alleging. It helped the former lawman collect a percentage of drug profits and shake down...

BROWNSVILLE, —- A sheriff’s deputy slammed shut the gate at Conrado Cantu’s home Wednesday as federal agents left with property collected for an ongoing investigation that has landed the former lawman in jail. Federal authorities arrested ex-Sheriff Cantu, his former captain, Pct. 1 Deputy Constable Rumaldo Rodriguez, and a former jail vendor on undisclosed criminal charges Wednesday. The three men are scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate today. Officials with the FBI, DEA and U.S. Customs confirmed their involvement in a Wednesday morning operation but would not provide details about the case against the defeated sheriff that was unseated...

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Presidential race tightens in Michigan 9/20/2004, 6:37 p.m. ET By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The race between Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and President Bush has tightened in Michigan, with Kerry and running mate John Edwards getting 48 percent and 44 percent going to Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a new poll released Monday by Lansing-based EPIC/MRA. An early August poll conducted by EPIC/MRA had the Democrats leading the GOP ticket 49 percent to 42 percent, with third party candidate Ralph Nader and running mate Peter Camejo getting 3 percent and...

The dismissal of lawsuits brought against Northwest Airlines has online privacy advocates renewing calls for federal privacy legislation. In a decision dated June 6, U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson ruled that seven consolidated class action lawsuits against Northwest had no merit--in part because the privacy policy posted on the airline's Web site was unenforceable unless plaintiffs claimed to have read it. The plaintiffs had contended that the airline, in giving passenger information to the government in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, violated laws and its own privacy policy. "Although Northwest had a privacy policy for...

The truth about an epic tale of love, war and greed (Filed: 24/03/2004) The legend of Troy has an enduring grip on the imagination. Aidan Laverty talks to the scientists who say they have proved that a siege really took place It's one of the greatest stories ever; the tale of a war fought over the love of Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. Now as Hollywood breathes fresh life into the myth, archaeologists have uncovered new evidence from the site of Troy that brings us closer than ever to the truth behind this ancient legend. City scan:...