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A CIA official said Thursday that U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was, in "high probability," the person shown on a video beheading American Nicholas Berg, based on an analysis of the voice on the video. The speaker on the video, now believed to be al-Zarqawi, reads a lengthy statement criticizing Islamic scholars and taunting the crusaders. Standing alongside four other militants wearing headscarves and masks to disguise themselves, al-Zarqawi then kills Berg. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, told reporters Thursday in Baghdad that it appears al-Zarqawi was responsible. The...

Is there any wonder why most people in the performing arts are women today? At a recent talent showcase for the South Carolina Festival of Roses, the Double X chromosome had 8 out of 12 performers, and there were just two male performers, one mixed "step" show, and a group of young boys who danced and tried to "sing". The women dominated, with dance, gymnastics, and vocals. What has happened to men? Are they being pushed to the sidelines in the performing arts because of "sissiness" or is it a product of sports "equality"? Furthermore, it seems dance is replacing...

Q. HOW DO YOU ANSWER THE VIETNAM COMPARISON?A: I THINK THE ANALOGY IS FALSE. I ALSO HAPPEN TO THINK THAT ANALOGY SENDS THE WRONG MESSAGE TO OUR TROOPS, AND SENDS THE WRONG MESSAGE TO THE ENEMY.Q. WHAT'S YOUR BEST PREDICTION ON HOW LONG U.S. TROOPS WILL HAVE TO BE IN IRAQ? A. IN TERMS OF HOW LONG WE'LL BE THERE: AS LONG AS NECESSARY, AND NOT ONE DAY MORE. THE IRAQI PEOPLE NEED US THERE TO HELP WITH SECURITY. Q. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WILL HAVE TO ADD SOME TROOPS; IS THAT A FAIR ASSESSMENT? A. THAT'S UP TO GENERAL...

Breaking. Sorry, its just a quick English synopsis of the Japanese news (link).Chunichi News in Japan (Nagoya daily newspaper) is reporting from Middle East sources that one of the Japanese *hostages* taken by a new Islamic terrorist group two days ago, MS. NAHOKO TAKATO, is reported to have made contact in Baghdad recently, before the kidnapping of her and two other Japanese, with an affiliate terrorist organization "Army of Muhammand". The casts in some doubt the actual situation surrounding this Islamic terrorist "kidnapping" the other day and the subsequent demands that Japan withdraw its Self Defense forces from Iraq in...

Like the women's-rights movement she has helped lead since the 1970S, Gloria Steinem has come a long way. Proudly single until four years ago, when she married environmentalist David Bale, she became a widow in December when he died of brain lymphoma. TIME's Sonja Steptoe talked with Steinem, who turned 70 last week, and found her just as engaged as ever. THE EDITOR IN CHIEF OF MS. MAGAZINE CAME TO THE DEFENSE OF MARTHA STEWART, SAYING "THIS WAS NOT A SERIOUS CASE THAT PROTECTED AMERICANS AGAINST CRIMINALS. THIS WAS A BITCH HUNT." DO YOU AGREE? It was selective prosecution. The...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday openly questioned whether President Jean-Bertrand Aristide can continue to serve effectively as Haiti's leader.</p> <p>It was the closest Powell has come to suggesting that Aristide bow out as president before his elected term ends in February 20006.</p>

Mister Kerry...I Have A QuestionThe mainstream media will never ask.... February 23, 2004 by Tom Adkins Should John Kerry win the Democrat nomination, there will be lots of questions that should be asked. But they won't be asked. Why? Because the media will protect John Kerry at every turn. So heres a handy little list of questions to ask Mr. Kerry as he whines and moans his way across America in his quest for the White House. Mister Kerry, I have a question - Mr. Kerry, you have stated on a number of occasions that our intelligence was the...

<p>Other than denoting your disapproval, what does the adjective mean in the phrase ``special interest''? Is the National Education Association a special interest? The AFL-CIO?</p> <p>You abhor ``special tax giveaways for the privileged and special interests.'' When supporting billions in ethanol subsidies, mostly for agribusinesses, did you think about corn-growing, caucus-holding Iowa?</p>

<p>Here's two 'free questions' to think about. Audible answers are not required.</p> <p>Should someone who refuses to assimilate, who doesn't want American citizenship be telling us how we should change the United States to make life easier for them?</p> <p>Will we still be the Country of Choice and still have our American culture if we continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other countries that came to live in America because it is their Country of Choice?</p>

Hi, I'm fairly new to FR, and there are some terms I'm confused about. I have an idea, but I want to make sure I have it right. Bump-does it stand for anything? Ping-Pass it on to the next guy? Any other FR terms I should know?

Libya Questions Wording of U.N. MeasureBy EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer UNITED NATIONS - Libya took issue on Monday with a proposed Security Council statement on the elimination of its weapons of mass destruction programs. AP Photo The council delayed issuing the statement because of the Libyan concern over a reference to verification and the desire of a number of council nations to consult their capitals. But if none of the 15 council nations object to the draft by noon Tuesday, it will be issued by the council. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi announced last Friday that Libya would scrap...

(1) Does Science Matter? (2) Is War Our Biological Destiny? (3) Will Humans Ever Visit Mars? (4) How Does the Brain Work? (5) What Is Gravity, Really? (6) Will We Ever Find Atlantis? (8) What Should We Eat? (9) When Will the Next Ice Age Begin? (10) What Happened Before the Big Bang? (11) Could We Live Forever? (12) Are Men Necessary? ... ... Are Women Necessary? (13) What Is the Next Plague? (14) Can Robots Become Conscious? (15) Why Do We Sleep? (16) Are Animals Smarter Than We Think? (17) Can Science Prove the Existence of God? (18) Is...

OK - just some observations (a lot of irony) and questions that have come to light in my little world while watching the overwhelming coverage of the fires. I am not trying to be rude or insensitive: 1 - The environmental freaks are absolutely against cutting in the forrests that would help to prevent such wildfires. 2 - The enviro-nuts are so upset about the "evil SUVs" on the road, yet these fires are dumping huge quantities of CO into the atmosphere - far out smogging all the SUVs in California... 3 - I just heard a bit of news...

The mayor of Ecuador's biggest city has hired a parrot to speak on his behalf when he is asked "undesirable questions." Jaime Nebot, Mayor of Guayaquil, presented the parrot to journalists at a press conference, reports Teerra.com. He said: "Here is the parrot that will be in charge to answer all the undesirable comments that I have no time to answer. "Some people only approach me with nonsense talk so the parrot will answer back in the same way because I need to use my time to work." Mr Nebot has been heavily criticised by the press and the public...

FBI Questions Man on Box Cutters in Planes By CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - The government on Friday ordered intensified security checks of the entire U.S. commercial air fleet after small plastic bags containing box cutters and other suspicious items were found on two Southwest Airlines planes. A 20-year-old North Carolina man was being questioned by the FBI in connection with the incidents, according to a congressional official and a senior law enforcement official, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. The congressional official said the man, described as a college student, had informed the Transportation Security...

<p>WASHINGTON — California's state government and public universities may soon be barred from collecting information about race, ethnicity and national origin.</p> <p>The Racial Privacy Initiative (search) would make it illegal to collect demographic data on everything from college applications to prison records. The initiative, also known as Proposition 54 (search), is on the ballot next Tuesday, Oct. 7, the day voters choose whether to replace Gov. Gray Davis in a highly publicized recall vote.</p>

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and what followed: Q: How many people died and where? A: At the World Trade Center: 2,645 died on the ground; 87 passengers and crew members died aboard American Airlines Flight 11; 60 passengers and crew members died aboard United Airlines Flight 175. Ten hijackers (five on each plane) also died. At the Pentagon: 125 died in the building; 59 passengers and crew members died aboard American Airlines Flight 77. Five hijackers also died aboard the plane. In Shanksville, Pa.: 40 passengers and crew members died...

<p>While statewide polls of California voters reveal a uniformly negative attitude toward Gov. Gray Davis' performance, they also indicate that many of those who disapprove of him also are reluctant to vote to dump him from office through a recall election.</p>

Helen Clark, the outspoken prime minister of New Zealand answers your questions at 10.30 GMT Friday. She opposed the war on Iraq warning Britain and the United States that they may live to regret unleashing what she called "the law of the jungle" in international relations. She has also campaigned for an end to EU and US trade barriers that hit poor farmers in the developing world. Under her leadership, New Zealand has pursued a series of controversial measures from voting to legalise prostitution to enforcing a ban on nuclear warships from the country's ports. Send us your questions for...