Osama Bin Laden history

Who Is Osama Bin Laden?

by Michel Chossudovsky
Professor of Economics, University of Ottawa

A few hours after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, the Bush administration concluded without supporting evidence, that "Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organisation were prime suspects". CIA Director George Tenet stated that bin Laden has the capacity to plan ``multiple attacks with little or no warning.'' Secretary of State Colin Powell called the attacks "an act of war" and President Bush confirmed in an evening televised address to the Nation that he would "make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them". Former CIA Director James Woolsey pointed his finger at "state sponsorship," implying the complicity of one or more foreign governments. In the words of former National Security Adviser, Lawrence Eagleburger, "I think we will show when we get attacked like this, we are terrible in our strength and in our retribution."

Meanwhile, parroting official statements, the Western media mantra has approved the launching of "punitive actions" directed against civilian targets in the Middle East. In the words of William Saffire writing in the New York Times: "When we reasonably determine our attackers' bases and camps, we must pulverize them -- minimizing but accepting the risk of collateral damage" -- and act overtly or covertly to destabilize terror's national hosts".

The following text outlines the history of Osama Bin Laden and the links of the Islamic "Jihad" to the formulation of US foreign policy during the Cold War and its aftermath

In the Wake of the Cold War
In the wake of the Cold War, the Central Asian region is not only strategic for its extensive oil reserves, it also produces three quarters of the World's opium representing multibillion dollar revenues to business syndicates, financial institutions, intelligence agencies and organized crime. The annual proceeds of the Golden Crescent drug trade (between 100 and 200 billion dollars) represents approximately one third of the Worldwide annual turnover of narcotics, estimated by the United Nations to be of the order of $500 billion.14
With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, a new surge in opium production has unfolded. (According to UN estimates, the production of opium in Afghanistan in 1998-99 -- coinciding with the build up of armed insurgencies in the former Soviet republics-- reached a record high of 4600 metric tons.15 Powerful business syndicates in the former Soviet Union allied with organized crime are competing for the strategic control over the heroin routes.
The ISI's extensive intelligence military-network was not dismantled in the wake of the Cold War. The CIA continued to support the Islamic "jihad" out of Pakistan. New undercover initiatives were set in motion in Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans. Pakistan's military and intelligence apparatus essentially "served as a catalyst for the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the emergence of six new Muslim republics in Central Asia." 16.
Meanwhile, Islamic missionaries of the Wahhabi sect from Saudi Arabia had established themselves in the Muslim republics as well as within the Russian federation encroaching upon the institutions of the secular State. Despite its anti-American ideology, Islamic fundamentalism was largely serving Washington's strategic interests in the former Soviet Union.
Following the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989, the civil war in Afghanistan continued unabated. The Taliban were being supported by the Pakistani Deobandis and their political party the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI). In 1993, JUI entered the government coalition of Prime Minister Benazzir Bhutto. Ties between JUI, the Army and ISI were established. In 1995, with the downfall of the Hezb-I-Islami Hektmatyar government in Kabul, the Taliban not only instated a hardline Islamic government, they also "handed control of training camps in Afghanistan over to JUI factions..." 17
And the JUI with the support of the Saudi Wahhabi movements played a key role in recruiting volunteers to fight in the Balkans and the former Soviet Union.
Jane Defense Weekly confirms in this regard that "half of Taliban manpower and equipment originate[d] in Pakistan under the ISI" 18
In fact, it would appear that following the Soviet withdrawal both sides in the Afghan civil war continued to receive covert support through Pakistan's ISI. 19
In other words, backed by Pakistan's military intelligence (ISI) which in turn was controlled by the CIA, the Taliban Islamic State was largely serving American geopolitical interests. The Golden Crescent drug trade was also being used to finance and equip the Bosnian Muslim Army (starting in the early 1990s) and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). In last few months there is evidence that Mujahideen mercenaries are fighting in the ranks of KLA-NLA terrorists in their assaults into Macedonia.
No doubt, this explains why Washington has closed its eyes on the reign of terror imposed by the Taliban including the blatant derogation of women's rights, the closing down of schools for girls, the dismissal of women employees from government offices and the enforcement of "the Sharia laws of punishment".20

from - http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO109C.html

Apple White iPhone 4

Apple White iPhone 4


Since getting confirmation last week from Apple that the white iPhone 4 is absolutely, positively going to launch in the very near future, we've been flooded with rumors about just when the smartphone will finally be available. We've seen it in Verizon's computers, and heard from Europe that the phone might be showing up on April 26. Now there's one more date to throw in the running, with a report out of England saying the iOS device may arrive this week, on April 20.

ThreeUK is offering the white iPhone 4 on pre-order, advising interested customers that the earliest they should expect the device to ship would be this Wednesday, the 20th. There is some concern that this information may be a typo; after all, Apple only confirmed the phone a few days ago, with nothing more committal than saying it would be out this spring. You'd think that if the company bothered to make a statement regarding the phone's release just a week before its launch, it would have something a little more concrete to reveal regarding the phone's availability.

It's probably not a smart move betting on this rumor, but it's one more possibility of which you should at least be aware.
from - http://pocketnow.com

What is Global Warming?

Global Warming is the increase of Earth's average surface temperature due to effect of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels or from deforestation, which trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth. This is a type of greenhouse effect.

Is global warming, caused by human activity, even remotely plausible?

Earth's climate is mostly influenced by the first 6 miles or so of the atmosphere which contains most of the matter making up the atmosphere. This is really a very thin layer if you think about it. In the book The End of Nature, author Bill McKibbin tells of walking three miles to from his cabin in the Adirondack's to buy food. Afterwards, he realized that on this short journey he had traveled a distance equal to that of the layer of the atmosphere where almost all the action of our climate is contained. In fact, if you were to view Earth from space, the principle part of the atmosphere would only be about as thick as the skin on an onion! Realizing this makes it more plausible to suppose that human beings can change the climate. A look at the amount of greenhouse gases we are spewing into the atmosphere (see below), makes it even more plausible.

What are the Greenhouse Gases?

The most significant greenhouse gas is actually water vapor, not something produced directly by humankind in significant amounts. However, even slight increases in atmospheric levels of  carbon dioxide (CO₂) can cause a substantial increase in temperature. 
Why is this? There are two reasons: First, although the concentrations of these gases are not nearly as large as that of oxygen and nitrogen (the main constituents of the atmosphere), neither oxygen or nitrogen are greenhouse gases. This is because neither has more than two atoms per molecule (i.e. their molecular forms are O₂ and N₂, respectively), and so they lack the internal vibrational modes that molecules with more than two atoms have. Both water and CO₂, for example, have these "internal vibrational modes", and these vibrational modes can absorb and reradiate infrared radiation, which causes the greenhouse effect. 
Secondly,  CO₂ tends to remain in the atmosphere for a very long time (time scales in the hundreds of years). Water vapor, on the other hand, can easily condense or evaporate, depending on local conditions. Water vapor levels therefore tend to adjust quickly to the prevailing conditions, such that the energy flows from the Sun and re-radiation from the Earth achieve a balance. CO₂ tends to remain fairly constant and therefore behave as a controlling factor, rather than a reacting factor. More CO₂ means that the balance occurs at higher temperatures and water vapor levels

from - http://www.nmsea.org

Nintendo Wii 2: specs and features

Nintendo Wii 2: specs and features



18 March 2011 10:47 GMT / By Libby Plummer
If the internet rumourmill is to be believed, we could be seeing the Nintendo Wii 2 as early as June 2011 at the E3 gaming expo in Los Angeles. While the Wii led the way in motion-controlled gaming it has been rather outshined lately by Sony's PlayStation Move and Microsoft's controller-free Xbox Kinect system. So, in that case, what would we like to see on the Nintendo Wii 2 to help it stand up to its rival consoles? Read on to find out.

Blu-ray

The idea of putting a Blu-ray drive into the PS3 was an absolute masterstroke by Sony. Not only did it help Blu-ray to defeat HD DVD in the high-def disc format war, it also set the PS3 apart from its gaming console rivals. Blu-ray may have been more of an early adoptor technology when it first appeared in the PS3, but with players now a hell of a lot cheaper, the inclusion of one on the Wii 2 could give it a much-needed boost. Whether Nintendo would hand this concession to their rival is another question

Improved processing

Out of the three main consoles (Xbox, PS3 and Wii), the Wii is the least powerful, having been largely marketed at families and casual gamers, rather than hardcore enthusiasts. One thing that any new console is almost sure to have is an improved graphics processor. According to the blogosphere, the Wii 2 is rumoured to be getting a quad-core processor which would up its game considerably, replacing the IBM Broadway 720MHz processor and ATI Hollywood GPU. To put that into perspective, a quad-core chipset could put the Wii 2 in the same league as the Xbox 360 and its tri-core processor

More gesture controls

When the Wii first came out, it didn't take us long to figure out that despite the enthusiastic jumping around in the adverts, it was entirely possible to have a game of tennis or ten-pin bowling on the Wii simply with a flick of the rest while sitting comfortably in a chair, rather than leaping around like a loon. We've already mentioned the Xbox Kinect and the fact that it offers a motion-based gaming experience without even needing a controller, relying instead on your own body movements. We'd like to see something similar on the Wii 2 so that games can be controlled using various gestures, so that you're not limited to just Wiimote play.

from - http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/39060/nintendo-wii-2-specs-features

what is the best food in english

what is the best food in english

Spaghetti Bolognese

Originally from Italy, ‘spag bol’ has acquired a uniquely British taste of its own. According to the survey, 6 out of 10 British people can cook spaghetti bolognese without a recipe.
Roast dinner


Good old meat and two veg is still high on the list
Beef casserole

Casseroles have made a comeback in British cooking and now feature on the menu of many gastropubs
Meat, fish or vegetable curry

Revenue cinema business in hollywood

Industry report: International box-office revenue soars in 2010

Movie ticket sales may have been flat in the U.S. and Canada last year, but Hollywood's international cinema business soared to new heights in 2010.
Global box-office receipts for all films released last year reached a high of $31.8 billion, an increase of 8% over 2009, according to a newly released report from the Motion Picture Assn. of America.
The theatrical market statistics report, which the MPAA conducts annually, found that though ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada remained unchanged at $10.6 billion, international revenue jumped 13% between 2010 and 2009.
The largest growth occurred in Latin America and the Asia Pacific region, which grew 25% and 21%, respectively, and accounted for $10.8 billion in box-office revenue. It marked the first time that Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which generated $10.4 billion in box-office revenue, accounted for less than half of all international ticket sales.
China accounted for more than 40% of the Asia Pacific box office, although it remains a "highly restrictive market for foreign film distribution," the report notes.
"Despite a weak economy, shifting business models, and the ongoing impact of digital theft, we had another record year at the box office driven by growth outside of the U.S. and Canada,"  said Bob Pisano, president and interim chief executive of the MPAA.
Although the number of people who saw movies was up 3% last year at 223 million, each person saw fewer movies on average -- six in 2010 down from 6.5 the previous year. As a result, the total number of tickets sold in the U.S. and Canada dropped 5% to 1.34 billion, returning to the 2008 level.
The survey also provided the clearest indication yet of the effect of premium-priced 3-D movie tickets on box-office receipts. Movies in 3-D accounted for 21%, or $2.2 billion, of the total, nearly doubling 2009's level. One in three people in the U.S. and Canada saw a movie in 3-D in 2010.
Revenue from 2-D movies dropped 11% in 2011 to $8.4 billion.
Though the number of screens worldwide remain unchanged at about 150,000, the proportion of digital screens increased dramatically, with one-quarter of all screens now digital.
-- Richard Verrier

After Divorce, Stable Families Help Minimize Long-Term Harm To Children

After Divorce, Stable Families Help Minimize Long-Term Harm To Children
A new study found that children who lived in unstable family situations after their parents divorced fared much worse as adults on a variety of measures compared to children who had stable post-divorce family situations.


“For many children with divorced parents, particularly young ones, the divorce does not mark the end of family structure changes – it marks the beginning,” said Yongmin Sun, co-author of the study and associate professor of sociology at Ohio State University’s Mansfield campus.
“A stable family situation after divorce does not erase the negative effects of a divorce, but children in this situation fare much better than do those who experience chronic instability”


The study appears in a recent issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.  Sun conducted the study with Yuanzhang Li of the Allied Technology Group.
Data for this study came from the National Education Longitudinal Study, which surveyed thousands of students across the country beginning in 8th grade in 1988, when they were about 14 years old.  They were surveyed again in 1990, 1992 and then again in 2000 when they were about 26 years old.
The study compared children who grew up in three different situations:

• Children who grew up in always-married households (5,303 children).
• Children whose parents divorced before the study began, but who lived in a stable family structure between ages 14 and 18(954 children).
• Children whose parents divorced prior to the beginning of the study, and whose family situation changed once or twice between ages 14 and 18(697 children).

In the two divorced family groups, children may have lived in single-parent families or ones with a stepparent.  The key for this research was whether that arrangement – whichever it was -- changed between ages 14 and 18).
The researchers compared how children in these groups fared on measures of education, income and poverty in 2000 when they were 26.
Results showed that young adults who grew up in stable post-divorce families had similar chances of attending college and living in poverty compared to those from always married families.  But they fared less well on measures of the highest degree obtained, occupational prestige and income.
However, the young adults who lived in unstable family situations after their parents divorced did worse on all measures.  In fact, they fared more than twice as poorly on most measures compared to their peers who had stable family situations.
For example, adults from stable post-divorce families earned about $1,800 a year less than similar adults from always-married families.  But those adults whose family situations changed one or more times between ages 14 and 18 earned about $4,600 less.
Sun noted that some of the children in the unstable family group also underwent a custody change between ages 14 and 18.  An analysis showed that they did not fare significantly differently from those who were in unstable families, but did not experience a custody change.
There were also no significant differences between how boys and girls responded to family stability after a divorce, Sun said.
Why do children of divorce fare less well than those who grew up with parents who stayed married?
This study found that for those in stable post-divorce families, the difference in adult well-being was mostly due to a shortage of economic and social resources.  Compared to always-married parents, divorced parents had a lower level of income, didn’t talk to their children as much about school-related matters, had fewer interactions with other parents, and moved their children to new schools more often.


“As many previous divorce studies point out, divorce reduces social resources within families because children have fewer interactions with the non-custodial parent, and in many cases, don’t get the quantity and quality of parenting from the custodial parent,” Sun said.
“In addition, after a family disruption, parents may not invest as much time with teachers and other parents in the community, all of which lead to a lower level of child well-being.”
For children in unstable families, the decline in social and economic resources was only part of the reason for the shortfalls they experienced in adulthood.
“These children probably experience a lot of stress and disruption from sources that we didn’t measure in this study,” he said.
These findings provide a clear message about how parents who are divorcing can best help their children, Sun said.
“A stabilized post-divorce family environment is clearly helpful for children, particularly for adolescents, such as those we studied, because stability allows children to focus on their own developmental needs rather than on continual family crises,” he said.
The study was supported by grants from the Ohio State University Initiative in Population Research and a population research center grant awarded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

from - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507132910.htm