** The Khalq - Bush's support for terrorist group and geopolitical grip on region via "failed model of using unrepresentative regimes to suppress the people" indicative of real agenda?

"On the diplomatic front, the Khalq took full advantage of America's antipathy to Iran and convinced 150 members of Congress to blindly sign petitions in its favour. But the U.S. and the European Union eventually caught up and branded it the terrorist organization that it has long been. In the early days of the war on Iraq, American planes started bombing its bases. But the Khalq PR machines swung into action in Washington to get the guerrillas spared. In a secret ceasefire deal, signed April 15 but not released until Wednesday, the Bush boys agreed to let the Khalq be. The group even gets to keep all its weapons. So the Khalq moves from Saddam's patronage to Bush's. So much for wiping out terrorism and terrorists."


** FAIR Media Beat - Introspective Media Not in the Cards

"The network evening news programs did even worse on DU reportage. "Since the beginning of the year," FAIR discovered, "the words depleted uranium' have not been uttered once on ABC 'World News Tonight,' 'CBS Evening News' or 'NBC Nightly News,' according to Nexis."


** Prodi launches attack on Berlusconi

"I am seriously outraged by how the head of the government has used public television for his own personal goals in a way which has no precedents in our history," he told Italian Rai TV on Saturday. "Italians should reflect with serenity."


** Trouble in Bush's America. Ranger's comments: "Isn't this supposed to be the next great depression? After our roaring 90s? If you read up in depth on Bush's major political motives and moves (I highly recommend reading the Harper's, I think March or April, that explains the anti-globalisation movement - I myself want a global world, but I sure don't want one a mercantilistic one, which is what we've got - but read the article, very even-handed), I find it rather ironic that he's trying to role back all the new deal changes and bring us back to Hoover's America..."


** The British NHS - I want to be a foundation hospital! - Hospitals cancel operations in order to reach targets. Targets that encourage faked assessments are hardly conducive to progress.

"St Mary's Hospital in west London, and Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals Trust, which are both rated as top-performing trusts and have both applied to be foundation hospitals, cancelled operations for patients, which freed up beds for quick use by casualty patients."


** BC Bud Update - US officials fuming over Canadian mellowing of cannabis laws

"Canadian leaders say removing criminal sanctions against people caught with 1.1 ounces or less of pot will allow police to concentrate on large-scale dealers and smugglers. Deputy Prime Minister John Manley called the US notion that decriminalization will lead to increased trafficking ''a bit of a leap.''"

Toronto Star: "Canadian officials privately believe it is Washington that's stuck in a time warp, taking the world back to an earlier era of Reefer Madness.


** Bush, Blair and the Nobel prize - It appears that Jan Simonsen, the Norwegian independent right-wing politician, is nominating them for the second time. Read the February 2002 story about last year's nomination.