Carter says Hamas may recognize Israel if Palestinians approve peace deal; Lugo ousts Paraguay's Colorado party after 61 years in power...

21 April :: Carter says Hamas leaders may be willing to recognize Israel's right to exist, in exchange for lasting peace, even if negotiated by rival Fatah group, so long as accord is submitted to Palestinian people in referendum; CNN cites Carter saying at the start of his trip: "I'm not a negotiator, I'm just trying to understand different opinions and communicate, provide communications between people that won't communicate with each other"... Paraguay opposition leader, Fernando Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop, won 40.9% of the vote, against ruling Colorado party candidate Blanca Ovelar's 30.7%; the win means a change in party for the first time in 61 years; some observers predict a volatile power struggle may ensue, though under Paraguay law, the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of margin of victory... Obama goes on the offensive in Pennsylvania, characterizing Clinton as a "compromised Washington insider"; Clinton fires back that Obama's attacks are effort to cover for last week's controversial ABC debate, in which a barrage of personal questions put the frontrunner on the defensive; Obama has been outspending Clinton 2-to-1 in ads in PA, and has narrowed her lead from 16% to between 4% and 6% in just a few weeks; NYT reports "Mr. Obama was using his fund-raising advantage to pay for a multimillion-dollar campaign that included sophisticated demographic targeting to find supporters in smaller cities" but is "also relying on old-fashioned tools, including sending supporters door-to-door, renting sound trucks to drive through urban neighborhoods and having volunteers serve as “town criers” to pass out literature on city buses"; Hillary and Bill Clinton have appeared across the state, trying to ensure Obama doesn't gain in the delegate race... NYT reporting that "In Japan and South Korea, some manufacturers for the first time have begun buying genetically engineered corn for use in soft drinks, snacks and other foods"; mounting international food shortages, coupled with soaring prices are causing what could be a fundamental shift in food production methods, with as yet unforeseeable consequences; some critics believe genetically modified foods could cause negative genetic and health-related impact in the human population...

UN warns worldwide food crisis imminent, if action not taken fast; Carter meets Hamas exiles in Damascus, talks of peace...

19 April :: "The global food crisis became official yesterday [15 April] when the UN called for urgent intergovernmental action and farming reforms to tackle the soaring prices that are plunging millions of people into potentially deadly poverty", reports UK's Independent; reports of riots from southeast Asia to the Caribbean, along with multiple border crises in the Horn of Africa, are leading to speculation that food scarcity may now be close to provoking regional conflicts... To the dismay of US, Israeli leaders, fmr. US pres. and Nobel peace laureate Jimmy Carter, has met for a 2nd time with two Hamas leaders in exile in Damascus, Syria; he says the group may be willing to talk peace with Israel; according to the AP, "On Saturday, Marzouk said Carter and Mashaal discussed a possible prisoner exchange with Israel, as well as how to lift a siege imposed by the Jewish state on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Carter, who brokered the 1978 Israeli-Egyptian peace, is trying to secure the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit"... FoxBusiness reports "Today John McCain, the ninth richest member of Congress, again showed the American people that his call for openness and accountability in government applies to everyone but himself. By only releasing two years of returns, he is the first nominee of either party since Ronald Reagan in 1980 to disclose that little information. And by failing to release his wife Cindy McCain's return, serious questions remain unanswered about how John McCain's position as a U.S. Senator may have benefited John and Cindy McCain's business ventures"; DNC Chairman Howard Dean said McCain's limited disclosure "continues a troubling pattern of thinking the rules don't apply to him"; Sen. Obama and his wife have released 8 years of returns, and Sen. Clinton and fmr. Pres. Clinton's returns dating back to 1977 are on public record, according to the same FoxBusiness report... Russian pres. Vladimir Putin denies rumors he secretly divorced his wife of 24 years for a star gymnast, 24-year-old Alina Kabayeva, whom his party named to sit in Parliament; the newspaper that printed the story has had its right to publish "suspended", officially for "financial" reasons...

Tsvangirai-Mbeki talks leave MDC with hope for Zimbabwe election outcome; Cuba lifts restrictions on buying consumer electronics, hotel stays...

11 April :: Tsvangirai "optimistic" after meeting with South Africa pres. Thabo Mbeki; opposition, some int'l observers accuse regime of intimidation tactics, including arrests, paramilitary sweeps, confiscation of property; ruling Zanu (PF) party has ceded to perception it could not have won majority, is pressing MDC to accept runoff vote... Cubans now able to buy cell phones, computers, or DVD players, or stay at hotels previously reserved for international tourists; while critics say the new rules are merely superficial changes, the gov't of Raúl Castro, which has announced no intentions of seeing through any deep political transition, says it hopes the new freedoms will allow for more pervasive economic reform over time; for most Cubans, the newly available items are stratospherically expensive, but access may be the most important change... Difference deepen within top ranks at Pentagon regarding Iraq troop reductions; Pres. Bush has committed large numbers of troops to Afghanistan, while Iraq field commander says he does not expect further cuts in troop levels or stabilization of situation in Iraq for several months... Sen. John McCain reported likely to forego private funding for his general election campaign, opt for public financing; move "severely limits the amount of money [McCain] can raise and spend", but his campaign is reportedly urging supporters to donate to the RNC, which can recieve more than ten times the donation per individual that any one candidate can; both Democrats have raised more than twice what McCain has so far, a likely motive for the decision; McCain has also reversed his position on public assistance for homeowners hit by the collapsing sub-prime mortgage market, after coming under heavy criticism for perceived "indifference" to working people's hardships...

Top Bush admin. officials approved "enhanched interrogation" techniques; Higgs predicts 'God particle' soon to be revealed...

10 April :: ABC News reported yesterday that "In dozens of top-secret talks and meetings in the White House, the most senior Bush administration officials discussed and approved specific details of how high-value al Qaeda suspects would be interrogated by the Central Intelligence Agency, sources tell ABC News"; Rice chaired the meetings, as National Security Adviser; according to the ABC News report: "At the time, the Principals Committee included Vice President Cheney, former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft"... Physicist Peter Higgs predicts new CERN collider will discover 'Higgs boson', known as 'the God particle', early next year; Higgs theorized a primordial Higgs field, made up of a higher force that gives the universe mass, makes life possible, 4 decades ago... Palestinian officials say Bush plans to meet PA pres. Mahmoud Abbas in Sharm el-Sheikh for peace talks next month; other Arab leaders may also be in attendance... Microsoft, NewsCorp may team up in bid to takeover Yahoo!, which is reportedly in talks with TimeWarner to merge with AOL, seeking to reposition itself strongly against more profitable online rivals; projected mergers would reshape market for online goods, services... Despite protests from China's gov't, the Olympic torch was diverted with little announcement, to avoid clashes between human rights protesters and China supporters; Reuters reports "On a beautiful spring day, San Francisco deployed hundreds of security officers, including FBI agents backed up by police cars, harbor boats, jet skis and helicopters"; Hong Kong authorities also plan to divert the torch from its planned route, to avoid "embarrassing scenes"...

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed gets Navy defense attorney; famed Venice bar gives Americans 20% off for weak $; WH urges lenders to reduce homeowner debt...

9 April :: Reuters reporting: "The self-described mastermind of the September 11 attacks on New York City and the Pentagon [Khalid Sheikh Mohammed] has been assigned a U.S. military lawyer to defend him in the Guantanamo war court, where he could face execution if convicted, The Miami Herald reported"... Famed Harry's Bar, owned by Cipriani family, in Venice, offers 20% discount to Americans hit by plummeting dollar exchange; bar made famous by Ernest Hemingway, sees significant portion of business from American travelers... Bush admin. urging lenders to erase portion of homeowner debts to avoid swell in foreclosures; borrowers will be permitted to pay off lower total amount, lenders to secure money lost in revaluation by "other arrangements"... Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama now within 6 percentage points of Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, according to latest Quinnipiac University poll; Clinton supporters have said she must win PA handily to stay in race... Protesters gather in San Francisco as Olympic torch set to pass through, IOC says no detour for torch relay; protests in Paris, London marred by aggressive protests, heavy police presence... Fmr. VP Al Gore becomes "green" political commodity for Dem candidates: both Obama, Clinton regularly phone Gore, consult on ecological issues; Gore has yet to endorse either candidate, will cast a "super-delegate" vote at DNC...

Pakistan PM frees detained judges; DoJ gives approval to XM, Sirius merger; Clinton calls for emergency actions to prevent foreclosures...

25 March :: Yousaf Raza Gillani, newly appointed Pakistan PM of coalition gov't frees judges deposed, detained under Musharraf's martial law decree; Gillani was once jailed by Musharraf over corruption allegations when he seized power... US Dept. of Justice yesterday announced approval merger of two satellite radio giants XM and Sirius, leading to potential absolute monopoly of satellite radio market... Sen. Hillary Clinton yesterday called for $30 billion for states to reduce incidence of foreclosures, also proposing a "high-level emergency working group" made up of former top finance and economic officials to tackle economic crisis; Barack Obama's campaign has countered that he has called for a "homeownership preservation summit", claiming that his panel would include more diverse economic interests and points of view; Clinton noted that "The Fed extended a $30 billion lifeline to prevent Bear Stearns from imploding,” adding that "Homeowners, on the other hand, have received next to no assistance. Well, let’s be clear — when families are losing their homes, that’s also a financial crisis"...

Australia plans increase in food aid, due to soaring prices; Bhutan becomes democracy; new Tibet protests reported in Qinghai province, China...

24 March :: Australia's gov't is contemplating increases in food aid to poor regions, nations, after study of soarng food prices, mounting scarcity; SMH reports "A steep two-year rise in global food prices, which in Australia has triggered the Federal Government's inquiry into grocery prices, has taken a heavy toll on poorer populations, particularly in East Timor and Indonesia. Surging fuel prices, drought, changing diets and the use of arable land for biofuels have pushed average food prices up almost 40 per cent in the past year. Wheat prices have risen 80 per cent rise"... Crisis Policy Forum (a Sentido.tv sister publication) is now hosting an open discussion forum on food security in Africa, in hopes of achieving innovative new solutions to the complex multi-regional problem... Small Himalayan nation Bhutan votes today for National Assembly, will complete transition from monarchy to democracy; VOA reports "The two main parties vying for seats are both led by men close to the king, and analysts say they are ideologically similar. Both party leaders have already served terms as prime minister, and one of them, Sangay Ngedup, is a member of the royal family", the young king leading campaign for democracy, will become head of state under new constitution... Tibetan exile community has reported new protests in Qinghai province in western China against Tibet crackdown; reports of demonstrations against Beijing's Tibet policy in Sichuan province include rumors of troops firing into crowds of civilians, in one case allegations of 23 dead... In rough press day for Republican presidential candidate, USA Today alleges more than one-third of lobbyists who have contributed to McCain's campaign have worked as telecom lobbyists during the last decade; his campaign denies he does favors for lobbyists or special interests, and Sen. McCain has sponsored legislation to limit the influence of lobbyists in crafting legislation; NY Times reports it may have been McCain aides who approached Democrats about switching parties in 2001 and about running with Kerry in 2004, McCain camp continues to deny he approached Dems... US economic data visits worrying extremes: avg. price for 1 gallon regular unleaded gasoline hits all-time record of $3.26, with some surveys saying nationwide avg. is $3.28 and rising; CNN also reports increasing numbers of middle-aged adults (40 to 55) making arrangements to move back in with parents in wake of layoffs, foreclosures or financial straits...

4,000th US soldier killed in Iraq, 5 years into war; NASA scientist says administrations have tried to "control" release of scienctific data...

23 March :: US military has reported 4,000th soldier killed in Iraq conflict; BBC reports 4 US soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in southern Baghdad, "In Baghdad, the heavily-fortified Green Zone suffered sustained mortar and rocket fire, which killed at least 15 civilians"... Dr. James Hansen, NASA's leading climate scientist, says both Republican and Democratic administrations have slowed the release of vital scientific findings, seeking to "control" science in line with political goals... US VP Dick Cheney has said the establishment of a Palestinian state is "long overdue", as some expect he will apply pressure to Israel to cease settlments in the West Bank; Financial Times reports "Dick Cheney, US vice-president, on Sunday met Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, as part of his tour of the Middle East. He criticised Hamas for the rocket attacks launched from Gaza on Israeli cities, saying they posed a threat to peace talks"...

EPA tightens controls on ground-level ozone; Brazil steps up fight against illegal logging in Amazon...

13 March :: The Environmental Protection Agency plans to tighten standards for ground-level ozone pollution, reducing the maximum allowable from 84 parts-per-billion to 75 ppb over an 8-hour period; critics say "implementation could be decades away", depending on regulatory procedure and court review; last year, an official review suggested maximum allowable ozone levels of 60 to 70 ppb... Illegal logging on rise in Amazon, Lula gov't of Brazil launching efforts to combat illegal logging cartels, contributing ever more to the systematic deforestation of the world's largest rainforest, with agents living deep in the forest in order to track and prevent timber poaching... A study of teenage American girls found that 1 in four carried at least 1 of four common sexually transmitted diseases; of those infected with human papillomavirus, chlamydia, genital herpes or trichomoniasis, 15% had more than one of the microbes in their system; critics attribute the "alarming" figures in part to a federal government emphasis on abstinence as the ideal mode of prevention, and a reduced funding emphasis on education about health and safe-sex... Onetime Democratic vice-presidential candidate (1984), Geraldine Ferraro, has resigned from Sen. Clinton's campaign finance committee and refused to apologize for remarks reducing Sen. Obama's "movement campaign" to race (an issue the candidate himself has never used for political gain); Sen. Clinton had admonished Ferraro for her remarks but had not removed her from the campaign's funding apparatus; Ferraro's insistence that her remarks were not racist have been undermined by press revelations about similar remarks she made about other black candidates (ref.: Jesse Jackson in 1988)...

Democrats propose ex-parte defense right for telecoms, no immunity; CentCom commander resigns amid perceptions of opposition to Bush Iran policy...

12 March :: Democrats propose permitting telecom firms to defend themselves in ex parte communications with judges, away from view of plaintiffs, where evidence includes classified national security information; move is designed to allow court cases to move forward, permit phone companies right to mount defense, but with no offer of retroactive immunity for any potential violations of federal law; move is challenge to White House whose complaint about lawsuits was from concern over release of classified information... Admiral William Fallon, head of US Central Command, which oversees entire Middle East, East Africa, South Asia region, resigns amid growing press reports of rift between admiral, White House over possible war with Iran; recent Esquire magazine article called Fallon "the strongest man standing between the Bush Administration and a war with Iran"; Fallon himself has said there are no actual policy differences, though some observers expresss concern he may have been forced to step down... In effort to stave off further deterioration in credit, banking, real estate markets, "The US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and central banks in the UK, Canada and Switzerland will inject billions of dollars into money markets"; some $200 billion in loans to banks is designed to promote expansion of lending to individuals, small businesses... Scientists achieve direct command-structure between chemical-molecular "brain", mulitple nano-devices, leading to potential direct remote control for nanotech-equipped robotic devices, far more efficient computing capabilities...

House Judiciary committee sues to force 2 Bush aides to testify; human rights group warns Guantánamo trials "tainted by coercion"...

11 March :: NY Times reports "The House Judiciary Committee filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to force the White House chief of staff and the former White House counsel to cooperate with the committee’s investigation into the firing of a group of federal prosecutors"; Bolten, Miers have been protected by Bush-appointed AG Mukasey, who refused to pursue contempt charges against the two White House officials... Watchdog Human Rights First says Guantánamo trials "tainted by coercion", alleges at least 66 inmates have credible claims of abuse, warning that the unprecedented "military commissions" system set up by the White House "makes justice for the victims of 9/11 and other acts of terror less rather than more likely to happen any time soon"; Human Rights Watch also denounced the system as violating Constitutional requirements for due process, calling on the administration to "end this failed experiment with military justice"... A record 56.7 million people visited the US from abroad last year, the first time since Sept. 2001 that the 2000 record figure of 51.2 million was eclipsed; according to Reuters, "Foreign visitors also spent a record $122.7 billion in the United States last year, a rise of more than 50 percent from a low set in 2003 in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks"...

Anti-depressants, sex-hormones, anti-biotics, painkillers found in US drinking water; Spain's PSOE wins 2nd consecutive term...

10 March :: Anti-depressants, sex-hormones, painkillers and anti-biotics in significant quantities (though reporting has used term "trace amounts", which does not necessarily speak to quantity) in 24 of 28 US metropolitan areas tested; contaminated drinking water goes to 41 million Americans; health effects unknown, but potentially concerning as "Experts say medications may pose a unique danger because, unlike most pollutants, they were crafted to act on the human body"... Spain's Socialist party (PSOE) has expanded its representation in Congress and returned Pres. José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero to power for another 4-year term; the opposition Popular party (PP) also gained seats, but remained in the minority; election day speculation counts Catalán nationalist party CiU as a likely coalition partner, as traditional progressive allies ERC and IU-ICV both lost ground and together would not bring enough seats to give Zapatero an absolute majority... NY governor Eliot Spitzer, a popular Democrat, has been reported to be linked to a prostitute as part of a federal investigation; he apologized for violating his obligations to his family, but did not announce his resignation; if Spitzer were to resign, Lieutenant Gov. David Paterson would become New York's first African American governor; it is not yet clear whether Spitzer will face criminal charges...

Sharif, Zardari form Pakistan governing coalition; Obama wins Wyoming, Democrats take Hastert's old seat in special election...

9 March :: Sharif, Zardari form coalition gov't in Pakistan, calling into quesiton the viability of Pres. Pervez Musharraf, politically; Musharraf has lost substantial support for his hardline attempts to reform the nation's government structure in his favor, declaring martial law, throwing out judges who ruled against him, detaining lawyers and muzzling the press; former PM and Musharraf arch-rival Sharif is quoted by VOA saying "The restoration of the deposed judges, as it was on 2nd of November 2007, shall be brought about through a parliamentary resolution to be passed in the National Assembly within 30 days of the formation of the federal government"... Barack Obama wins Wyoming caucus, by margin of 61% to 38% over rival Hillary Rodham Clinton, with 7 and 4 delegates going to the candidates, respectively; though the vote has little effect on the overall delegate totals, it is considered important as a show of momentum over the long-term, after Clinton picked up 3 wins last week... Bill Foster, a Democrat, has won the seat of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, in a special election called after Hastert's resignation last year, defeating Bill Oberweis by a margin of 53% to 47%; Republicans have sought to play down the loss, while Democrats say it is a rebuke of presidential candidate John McCain, who supported the local GOP candidate... In move that could inflame already flashpoint tensions, Israeli PM Ehud Olmert has approved a plan to build 750 new settlement homes in the West Bank; the US and EU have called for Israel to halt its settlement construction in the Occupied Territories and to phase in a withdrawal in the interests of a peace initiative sponsored by the US pres. George W. Bush; Israel, Palestinians have clashed heavily over last few weeks as Israel launched raids and missile attacks on Gaza in effort to deter Hamas rocket attacks into Israel...

Bush vetoes ban on waterboarding; Wash. Post reports Iraq war to cost more than $3 trillion...

8 March :: US pres. George W. Bush has vetoed legislation that would have barred the CIA from using harsh interrogation techniques classed by critics as torture, such as "waterboarding", a form of simulated drowning; the New York Times reports the veto is affirmation of Bush's "legacy" as jealous defender of expanded executive power: "The veto deepens his battle with increasingly assertive Democrats in Congress over issues at the heart of his legacy. As his presidency winds down, he has made it clear he does not intend to bend in this or other confrontations on issues from the war in Iraq to contempt charges against his chief of staff, Joshua B. Bolten, and former counsel, Harriet E. Miers"; the veto is Mr. Bush's 9th since 2001, though 8 have come in the last 10 months, with the Democrats in control of Congress... Washington Post published for its Sunday edition a story detailing the $3 trillion cost of the Iraq war, drawing the sharp distinction between that bill and the estimated $60 billion budget touted by then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in the months before the war began; though the death benefits paid to families of fallen soldiers amounts to $500,000, "far less than the typical amount paid by insurance companies for the death of a young person in a car accident", society as a whole, and the gov't, pay doubly, by all the revenues lost from that individual's future work and taxpaying; the strain to the system of public financing is more severe than what raw numbers of emergency appropriations would seem to indicate...

Democrats debate 'do-over' for Florida, Michigan; Obama smashes fundraising records with $55M in Feb; Russian arms dealer in Thai custody...

7 March :: "Pariah states" Florida, Michigan, punished for voting early in party primaries, now want "do-over" opportunity, as DNC, state gov'ts spar over who would fund a re-vote; Clinton campaign announces $35 million fundraising peak in February, including an astounding $4 million in 48 hours after Tuesday's vital wins in Texas, Ohio, yet Barack Obama's "army of small donors" reportedly has given him $55 million in the month of February, far beyond any previous record for any candidate; Obama has said he will use the momentum of his campaign to answer charges leveled at him by his rival Democrat from New York... New York Times reports "Viktor Bout, 41, is suspected of supplying weapons to the Taliban and Al Qaeda and of pouring huge arms shipments into Africa’s civil wars with his own private air fleet. He was arrested by the Thai authorities at a hotel in Bangkok in an operation in which undercover investigators posing as rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, sought to purchase millions of dollars in arms"; yesterday, ABC News reported that "In a January 2005 letter to Congress, then-Assistant Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz admitted the Defense Department 'did conduct business with companies that, in turn, subcontracted work to second-tier providers who leased aircraft owned by companies associated with Mr. Bout'", though the NY Times and various other major media outlets have failed to report this vital piece of information in much of their reporting about Bout's arrest and pending extradition requests...

Massive rally in Philippines calls for Arroyo's resignation; state of Georgia yet to reform police pensions so 1st black officers get full benefits...

2 March :: A demonstration estimated in excess of 50,000 and including former presidents Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada called for Philippine pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's resignation, amid allegations her husband took multi-million-dollar kickbacks in a telecommunications deal... State of Georgia yet to reform pension system to permit African American police officers who worked before 1976 to collect full pension state pays to retired white officers and those who joined the pension system after that date; state Rep. Tyrone Brooks says he will push to take the case to litigation if the legislature does not act... Ahmadinejad visits Baghdad, says trip aims to achieve regional peace and security; Iranian pres. will meet with Iraq pres. Jalal Talabani and PM Nouri al-Maliki, both of whom have visited Teheran since taking office; Ahmadinejad has said the two nations share close ties and have a shared interest in establishing peace in Iraq, which he says includes the withdrawal of US troops... IHT reports "Israeli aircraft and troops attacked Palestinian positions in northern Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 54 people and wounding more than 100 in the deadliest day of fighting in more than a year. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and seven wounded, the military said"...

SPECIAL NEWS ALERT: 1 in 100 US Adults in Prison, All-time US Record, World's Highest Rate

For the first time in the nation's history, 1 in every 100 adults in the United States is behind bars. Fully 1% of the adult population is in prison. The US incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world, including Communist China, with a population more than 4 times the size. The US Justice Dept. calculates incarceration as measure of the total population; by its standard, 1 in every 130 Americans is in prison, including every man, woman, child and senior citizen.

According to the report form the Pew Center on the States: among certain groups, the numbers are even more alarming: among the Hispanic-American population, 1 in 36 adult men is incarcerated; among adult African Americans, 1 in 15 is in prison, while 1 in 9 black men between the ages of 20 and 34 is imprisoned (fully 11% of African American men between 20 and 34).

While the rate of Americans incarcerated has increased four-fold in the last 3 decades, incidents of violent crime have decreased by only 25% since the early 1980s. According to the International Herald Tribune, the Pew report "also found that one in 355 white women ages 35 to 39 is behind bars, compared with one in 100 black women."

The Pew center's managing director, Susan Urahn, is quoted as saying "We aren't really getting the return in public safety from this level of incarceration", while Prof. Paul Cassell, of the University of Utah, himself a former federal judge, argues (without the benefit of a comprehensive survey of case-files, evidentiary procedures, or the variation of incarceration threshold from place to place, "it would be a mistake to think that we can release any significant number of prisoners without increasing crime rates. One out of every 100 adults is behind bars because one out of every 100 adults has committed a serious criminal offense".

On the efficacy of escalating incarceration rates, The Washington Post reports that "Florida, which nearly doubled its prison population over the past 15 years, has experienced a smaller drop in crime than New York, which, after a brief increase, reduced its number of inmates to below the 1993 level."

King's College London's International Center for Prison Studies reports that Germany incarcerates roughly 93 of every 100,000 people, while the US rate is 750 per 100,000 (counting children, elderly and disabled). Spending on prison systems is now beginning to rival education and healthcare spending, with some states already seeing these vital services eclipsed.

The state of Vermont now spends 37% more on correctional facilities than it does on public universities and colleges. Paraphrasing State Sen. Richard Sears, WCAX-TV, from Vermont, reports "The cost of holding one female inmate at the Dale Correctional facility in Waterbury is almost more than tuition for six resident students at the University of Vermont".

With the cost of healthcare increasing at an unsustainable rate of 10% per year over the last several years, and government-funded healthcare programs increasingly pressed for revenues, state governments are facing difficult choices. Inner cities where municipal tax money may go equally to fund public schools and correctional facilities, see themselves drained of funding for schoolbooks, information technology, building-code upgrades and above all, top-quality faculty.

Oregon has the highest percentage of its general budget devoted to corrections, followed by Florida and then Vermont. According to the same Pew report that detailed incarceration rates, the 50 state governments combined spent in excess of $49 billion, 4.5 times the $11 billion spent two decades ago. The increase in prison spending was six times the increase in funding for higher education over the same 20-year span.

FIdel Castro steps down as Cuban leader after 49 years in power; France, US, UK officially recognize Kosovo...

19 February :: At 81, Fidel Castro has announced his retirement as head of state, potentially opening door to political reform, after 49 years under the regime he founded when his revolution took power in 1959; Cuban exiles have expressed little enthusiasm as in past, due to his brother's apparently firm hold on power... US, France, UK, officially recognize new Kosovo independent state, with Sec. of State Rice saying the US "has today formally recognized Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state"; Spain, however has rejected the Kosovo declaration, its foreign minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos saying "The government of Spain will not recognize the unilateral act proclaimed yesterday by the assembly of Kosovo", due to perceptions that Kosovo's regional assembly declaring independence without Serb approval could lead to similar actions in Spain's Basque region, or in Catalunya; EU in Brussels voted to allow member states to choose their own position toward Kosovar independence, has made no official joint declaration...

SPECIAL NEWS ALERT: Fidel Castro retires from Cuban leadership, potentially opening way for reform

Fidel Castro has announced he will retire from leadership of the Cuban government; in a letter published by the official state newspaper, Granma, he wrote that he "will not accept, I repeat, I neither want nor will accept, the position of president of the Council of State and commander in chief"; the move comes after nearly 50 years in power, and more than 18 months after a severe but undisclosed intestinal ailment forced him to cede power to his brother, Raúl...

Reaction to the news of Castro's official retirement was muted in Cuban expat capital Miami, as many say Castro has effectively transferred his regime to his brother, that Raúl has shown no signs of true democratization or reform; in summer 2006, when it was announced Castro would cede power to his brother temporarily, demonstrations were larger, celebratory, rumors circulated that led to reports Castro had already died; by now it seems the population has largely adjusted to Fidel Castro no longer being the true head of the regime, with his brother and allies firmly in power...

On 20 February last year, Fidel Castro was named anew to the Cuban Parliament, but he did not state at that time whether he was planning to leave power or not, leaving control of the government in his brother's hands; his announcement came just 5 days before the Parliament is to name a new central leadership council, including the role of head of state, embodied until now by Castro as president and commander-in-chief...

Dallas Morning News breaks US media silence on Sibel Edmonds case; Serbia pledges "peaceful" resistance to Kosovo independence...

18 February :: Dallas Morning News becomes first "mainstream" or corporate-owned US media outlet to run the now partially corroborated story regarding allegations of US officials' selling nuclear secrets to foreign operatives, possibly to enemy, terrorists; DMN ran revised edition of Philip Giraldi's investigative report from The American Conservative magazine questioning the US media's role in keeping the story from public view; among the information Sibel Edmonds is allegedly prohibited from disclosing are contacts between State and Defense Dept. agents and foreign spies, involving a transfer of cash, and the sale of nuclear secrets:

Ms. Edmonds' revelations have attracted corroboration in the form of anonymous letters apparently written by FBI employees. There have been frequent reports of FBI field agents being frustrated by the premature closure of cases dealing with foreign spying, particularly when those cases involve Israel, and the State Department has frequently intervened to shut down investigations based on "sensitive foreign diplomatic relations."

Giraldi's report also states that:

Curiously, the state-secrets gag order binding Ms. Edmonds, while put in place by DOJ in 2002, was not requested by the FBI but by the State Department and Pentagon – which employed individuals she identified as being involved in criminal activities. If her allegations are frivolous, that order would scarcely seem necessary.

the scope of the allegations and the peril posed by the alleged corruption to international peace and security, US foreign policy, and American lives, can scarcely be overstated, if the details Edmonds and corroborating FBI leaks are true... Kosovo braces for Serb resistance to independence declaration; Reuters reports "Serbia's leaders pledged peaceful resistance after Kosovo's declaration of independence on Sunday, but angry protesters turned to violence in Belgrade and a Serbian stronghold in Kosovo", while Russia, China openly declare the independence move troubling, illegitimate; EU debating official policy, as western powers plan mission to help build, protect, new state... Though the original ballot measure proposing splitting California's Electoral College votes by population has been withdrawn, report suggests ballot initiative continues "full steam ahead", with aim to sway presidential election tally nationwide; California would be the only state with such a system, some aim to pressure Gov. Schwarzenegger to back a rival proposal that would commit California's electors to backing the winner of the national popular vote, a nationwide campaign that aims to end the relevance of a system some say was designed to protect slave-owners' political interests...