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WASHINGTON, Dec. 16, 2005 – The top U.S. military officer in Iraq said today he knew Iraqi officials and security forces had matters well in hand in the days prior to the Dec. 15 election. "Everywhere that I went, I left with the feeling that we were dealing with confident and competent Iraqi leaders who had this election under control," Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. said from his headquarters in Iraq during a satellite news conference with Pentagon reporters. The Dec. 15 election boasted the highest participation - estimated at 65 to 70 percent of registered Iraqi voters -...

Ancient citadel shows scars of mass warfare 11:42 16 December 2005 NewScientist.com news service Will Knight The shattered remains of a 5500-year-old citadel that stood on the modern-day border between Syria and Iraq provide some of the oldest evidence for organised and bloody warfare. The Mesopotamian settlement lies in Hamoukar, on the northernmost tip of Syria, 8 kilometres from the Iraqi border. In 3500 BC the 13-hectare development was subjected to a devastating attack, its edifices crumbling beneath a crushing hail of bullet-shaped projectiles. The evidence of the destruction was uncovered in October and November 2005 by an expedition coordinated...

BAGHDAD, Dec. 11, 2005 – Almost 90 percent of Iraqis want to vote in Dec. 15 national elections, according to an Iraqi poll. A total of 89 percent of respondents to the poll indicated they want to vote in the election of a permanent democratic government. The intent to vote is strong across ethnic and religious lines. The Kurds have the highest percentage, with 95 percent telling pollsters that they want to vote. Sunni Arabs have the lowest percentage, but that is still pegged at 87 percent. A total of 91 percent of Shiite Arabs, the largest religious group in...

Wollemi rock art shows Aboriginal Dreaming Judy Skatssoon ABC Science Online Friday, 2 December 2005 Some of the rock art found in Wollemi National Park is believed to represent paths associated with Dreamtime beings, such as the eagle ancestor (Image: Paul Taçon) Archaeologists surveying rugged bushland outside Sydney have discovered evidence that an ancient Aboriginal Dreaming track runs through wilderness where the Jurassic-era Wollemi Pine was found. Dreaming tracks record the journey of spirit ancestors as they moved through the landscape, transforming ancestral lands and laying down the laws. Around 1000 known tracks are believed to exist, mainly in central...

Some Suggestions for the Network Execs I’ve been watching as much of the new TV shows as I can stand- usually about the first 5 to 6 minutes – commercials included. Having subjected myself to that torment, I feel entitled to make a few suggestions. (No extra charge, of course !) The Ghost Whisperer: Let’s liven thing up a bit ! If dead people need somebody to explain to them that they are really and truly dead, let’s put Judge Judy on the job ! Judge Judy : Read my lips , Skeletor ! I don’t care who your widow...

MANILA, Philippines - Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida have plotted attacks on U.S. and British consulates, hotels, a mall and other targets across the country, according to a confidential Philippines government report reviewed Thursday by The Associated Press. The report, which was prepared in March, contains sketchy details of bombing, kidnapping and assassination plots that Philippine intelligence agencies say are linked to the Abu Sayyaf extremist group and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Some of the attacks were intended to be staged by Filipino militants trained by al-Qaida's regional ally, Jemmah Islamiyah, the report said. Abu Sayyaf members have...

When Al Gore said he was out to take on Fox News with his new cable network, we thought for sure he'd be lining up the likes of Teddy Kennedy, Howard Dean, John Kerry and their ilk for 24 hours of non-stop "Hate America First" programming. No so fast. Broadcasting & Cable magazine reports that after buying the small cable news channel Newsworld International, Gore may be taking a completely different tack. Gore has hired David A. Neuman to be president of programming for his network, now called the Current Network. The magazine says Neuman has laid out a less...

DNA shows Celtic hero Somerled's Viking roots IAN JOHNSTON SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT A HISTORIC Celtic hero credited with driving the Vikings out of western Scotland was actually descended from a Norseman, according to research by a leading DNA expert. According to traditional genealogies, Somerled, who is said to have died in 1164 after ousting the Vikings from Argyll, Kintyre and the Western Isles, was descended from an ancient royal line going back to when the Scots were living in Ireland. But Bryan Sykes, an Oxford University professor of human genetics who set up a company called Oxford Ancestors to research people’s...

Test shows sticky porridge used to cement ancient Chinese wall www.chinaview.cn 2005-02-27 20:56:07 XI'AN, Feb. 27 (Xinhuanet)-- The legend that ancient Chinese craftsmen used glutinous rice porridge in the mortar while building ramparts has been verified by archaeological research in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. In a recent maintenance to the ancient city wall of Xi'an, the provincial capital, workers discovered that the plaster remnants on the ancient bricks were quite hard to remove, said Qin Jianming,a researcher with the Xi'an Preservation and Restoration Center ofCultural Relics. A chemical test showed that the mortar reacted the same as glutinous rice to...

WASHINGTON - Americans are feeling a bit more optimistic about the future of Iraq (news - web sites), a bright spot for the administration in an Associated Press poll that indicates many are souring on President Bush (news - web sites)'s job performance. Half in the AP-Ipsos poll, 51 percent, said they think a stable, democratic Iraq is likely, up slightly from the 46 percent who felt that way before the Iraq elections. "From what I hear in the news, it sounds like the Iraqis really want it," said Bill Harrer, a nurse's aide in Mason City, Iowa, who considers...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's daily scheduled from his first year in office provide few details of his day-to-day activities, but are enough to show a governor busy with fund-raising and media events, as well as state operations. Released Wednesday in response to a public records act request by the California First Amendment Coalition, the governor's calendar includes thousands of entries of meetings, meals, phone calls and conferences but with only minimal disclosure of attendees and topics of discussion. It's the first time any California governor has released his daily schedules, Schwarzenegger's office said. Those gaining audience with Schwarzenegger...

False Bay cave shows signs of prehistoric man November 22, 2004 By Daniel Ashby A team of international scuba divers have located an underwater cave which reveals "promising signs" of prehistoric human activity. Maritime archaeologist Dr Bruno Werz described the site in False Bay as "worthy of international exploration and excavation". He said: "The cave has the correct overhang and orientation for prehistoric cave dwellers. It would have been raised above the landscape allowing the inhabitants to spot game and command a strategic view. "There is evidence around the cave of the type of vegetation that prehistoric man would have...

Ancient Iranian site shows Mesopotamia-like civilisation [World News]: Tehran, Nov 16 : Shellfish is not seen on most Iranians dining tables but it was part of the daily diet of the inhabitants of ancient Jiroft in southern Iran 5,000 years ago that showed the existence of an ancient civilisation. Jiroft, located in Kerman province, is one of the richest historical areas in the world, with ruins and artefacts dating back to the third millennium BC and with over 100 historical sites located along the approximately 400 km of the Halil Rood riverbank, according to Mehr news agency. Many Iranian and...

Sunday, October 31, 2004 CBS NEWS/NEW YORK TIMES POLL SHOWS BUSH UP CHOICE FOR PRESIDENT (Likely voters) Now Bush-Cheney 49% Kerry-Edwards 46% Nader-Camejo 1% Two weeks ago Bush-Cheney47% Kerry-Edwards 45% Nader-Camejo 2% Read more on these polling results; there are now internals posted, but the other questions bode well for the president (all from the most biased outlet in America).

TACOMA, Wash. (Oct. 28) - A seriously wounded 8-year-old boy calmly described his father's deadly knife rampage during a call for help to 911. "My daddy killed me with a knife and I'm gone," the boy told a dispatcher. "Can you please send the Army men or the ambulance?" The soft-spoken child gave a wrong address and then hung up. But a second dispatcher called back, keeping him on the line while a frantic search was under way. On Wednesday, authorities released the remarkable tape of Anthony Sukto's calm courage during the Oct. 22 ordeal, and the frantic efforts to...

SACRAMENTO - With his historic election in last year's recall, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger infused California's languishing Republican Party with a new, muscle-bound vigor. Many party stalwarts dreamed of a resurgent GOP -- aided by members of ``Arnold's Army'' gaining a stronger foothold in Golden State politics. But the dream hasn't proven quite so vivid, in part because Schwarzenegger has selectively picked which issues and candidates to campaign for. The governor has largely pleased his Republican base with an anticipated campaign trip to Ohio for the president, GOP endorsements and prodigious fundraising. But he has also bolstered his maverick reputation --...

Mysterious pottery shows true face of first Pacific settlers Staring out from an ancient piece of pottery, the mysterious face of a bearded man has given scientists a unique glimpse of what the first settlers of Fiji may have looked like. Researchers say the "extraordinary discovery" is a vital clue in mapping out how the South Pacific came to be inhabited some 3,000 years ago, suggesting the first direct link to islands some thousands of kilometres away. Thought to be the work of the Lapita people - a long-lost race which originated near modern-day Taiwan then migrated to Polynesia -...

Russian TV shows the face of terror September 06 2004 at 01:18PMFace of a killer? A suspected hostage-taker appears on Russian television shortly after the crisis in North Ossetia. Photo: AP Moscow - Russian state television on Monday paraded what officials said was the only suspected hostage-taker still alive of the gang who held 1 000 children and adults in a school in southern Russia for three days. Channel One showed a man who looked like he was from the Caucasus, with a haggard face and his arms handcuffed high behind his back, flanked by two masked men in camouflage....

Russian TV shows the face of terror September 06 2004 at 01:18PMFace of a killer? A suspected hostage-taker appears on Russian television shortly after the crisis in North Ossetia. Photo: AP Moscow - Russian state television on Monday paraded what officials said was the only suspected hostage-taker still alive of the gang who held 1 000 children and adults in a school in southern Russia for three days. Channel One showed a man who looked like he was from the Caucasus, with a haggard face and his arms handcuffed high behind his back, flanked by two masked men in camouflage....

Network Morning News Shows Censoring Swift Boat Spokesman FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 24, 2004 FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Katie Wright at (703) 683-5004 ext. 132 Only One Network Morning News Interview with a Swift Boat Veteran for Truth since the Campaign Launch on May 4, 2004 ALEXANDRIA, Va. --- At a Washington D.C. press conference held on May 4, 2004, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth revealed their concerns regarding Senator Kerry’s Vietnam service. It took until today --over 100 days later-- for any network morning news program to interview in studio a single one of the Swift Boat Vets...