Psycler

Witness says Kazaa activity can be monitored

Astroturfing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In politics and advertising, the term astroturfing describes formal public relations (PR) campaigns which seek to create the impression of being a spontaneous, grassroots behavior. Hence the reference to the "AstroTurf" (artificial grass) is a metaphor to indicate "fake grassroots" support.

The goal of such campaign is to disguise the agenda of a political client as an independent public reaction to some political entity —a politician, political group, product, service, event. Astroturfers attempt to orchestrate the actions of apparently diverse and geographically distributed individuals, by both overt ("outreach," "awareness," etc.) and covert (disinformation) means. Astroturfing may be undertaken by anything from an individual pushing their own personal agenda through to highly organised professional groups with financial backing from large corporations.

Remains of two 9/11 victims identified

Remains of two 9/11 victims identified - CNN.com
Remains of a flight attendant and passenger on the first plane to hit the World Trade Center on September 11 have been identified.

The New York medical examiner's office said in a statement that it had now identified remains of Karen Ann Martin, the 40-year-old head flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, which slammed into the trade center's north tower. Remains of Douglas Joel Stone, 54, who was a passenger on the same flight as Martin, were also identified.

The identified remains were not among those turned up by recent searches in the Ground Zero area.

Some families of the 2,749 people killed in the Twin Towers attack gathered at Ground Zero on Thursday to demand a comprehensive search by forensic experts after the discovery of bones by workers clearing rubble from manholes two weeks ago.

Since then more than 200 body parts, ranging from 1 inch to 12 inches in length, have been found.

"We must show our absolute solidarity at the site where the remains of the 9/11 dead have lain ignored and unburied for over five years," organizers of the rally said in a statement. "It is time to stand up and be counted. There can be no more haphazard discovery of human body parts and personal effects."

"We demand a scientific, well-organized controlled survey of Ground Zero by a reputable entity."

Of the 2,749 victims of the Twin Towers attack, 1,148 are yet to be recovered or identified. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said more than 20,800 remains had been recovered and nearly 11,000 of those had been identified.

The death toll in the attacks included nine crew members, 76 passengers and five hijackers on American Airlines Flight 11, and nine crew, 51 passengers and five hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 175, which slammed into the trade center's south tower 18 minutes after the first strike.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has defended the site cleanup, although he said he was at a loss to explain why the bones discovered during the past two weeks had not been recovered sooner.

The manholes where the bones were first discovered on October 19 had been covered by a temporary road built after the attacks to allow in cranes to start removing debris. On October 27 Bloomberg agreed to expand the search underground, on rooftops and in some of the buildings surrounding Ground Zero.

Construction of a new Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site began in April after bickering over financing, security and design delayed plans.

Bloomberg has said no construction delays are expected as a result of the new searches.

Independent Online Edition > Middle East: "The number of US troops being wounded in Iraq is now at its highest level for two years as American forces are confronted by increasing sectarian violence and a continuing insurgency.

Figures released by the Pentagon show that 776 soldiers were wounded in action in Iraq last month.

The September figure represents the fourth largest casualty rate since the US and UK invasion in the spring of 2003 and the largest since November 2004 when US forces were involved in a major offensive to clear the city of Fallujah. Some experts believe the number of wounded provides a better insight to the nature of the conflict in Iraq than the figure of 2,700 killed because - in relation to previous wars - many more wounded troops survive.

The ratio of wounded to killed is 8 to 1, compared with 3 to 1 during the Vietnam War. Anthony Cordesman, of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told The Washington Post: 'These days wounded are a much better measure of the intensity of the operations than killed.'

The release of the figure came as violence yesterday continued to rock Iraq. US and Iraqi forces were involved in clashes with Shia militia in the southern city of Diwaniyah for the second time in as many months. The US claimed about 30 militia fighters were killed during the operation to secure a 'high value' target

On Saturday two more US soldiers were killed, bringing the overall death toll to 2,741.

Military experts say the increasing toll of wounded US troops may in part be explained by a shift in their duties in recent months - with thousands being moved into Baghdad in an effort to stop the killing of civilians by rival Sunni and Shia factions.

US commanders have asked for 3,000 Iraqi troops to bolster their presence but so far have received only a few hundred.

The Raw Story | No Angelina wedding until gays can marry:
"Los Angeles- Actor Brad Pitt will not marry Angelina Jolie until restrictions on gay marriage are lifted, the star said in an interview released Friday. Jolie gave birth to their child in May after two previous adoptions, but Pitt said there was no chance of them tying the knot while others in the US were denied the same privilege.

'Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able,' the 42-year-old actor told Esquire magazine for its October issue. "

DNA - World - Angelina Jolie wants more lesbian scenes - Daily News & Analysis: "Angelina Jolie adores performing love scenes with women – as she gets a chance to chat about shopping between takes.

According to the web site contactmusic.com, Jolie, 31, admitted that she misses girl-to-girl discussions whenever she has to get steamy on screen with a man.

The Tomb Raider star said, 'I do definitely prefer love scenes with a woman and wouldn't hesitate to do some in the future.

'I love doing them because between takes you talk about the sales. One minute you're in a passionate clinch with the woman, and then the next you're discussing what outfits to wear for your night out,' the web site added.

The star is presently in Pune, India, along with Brad Pitt, shooting for a movie on slain journalist Daniel Pearl."

So I'm letting it down. I think Brad and Angelina are gay. nuff said

CNN.com - Pathologist: 'Classical' drug combo killed Smith's son - Sep 27, 2006:

"Anna Nicole Smith's 20-year-old son died from a lethal combination of methadone and two antidepressant drugs, a U.S.-based pathologist who conducted a private autopsy said Wednesday.

Toxicology tests showed Daniel Smith had methadone, Zoloft and Lexapro in his system when he died September 10 in a hospital room in the Bahamas where his former Playboy Playmate mother was recuperating from giving birth to a daughter, according to Cyril Wecht.

'The fact that we have these drugs and the levels of the drugs overwhelmingly and most logically point to this being a tragic, accidental, drug-related death,' Wecht said from his home in the Pittsburgh area.

Wecht said Smith apparently died from a 'classical' combination of the drugs which had a lethal 'cumulative effect on the central nervous system.'"

Told you so. He overdosed on his anti depressants and her Methadone. How do we know it's hers? Oh we know she has had a pill problem in the past and kid has little need for methadone at his age. It was hers and he popped one.

CNN.com - Attorney: I'm Anna Nicole's baby's daddy - Sep 26, 2006: "An attorney representing former Playboy Playmate and reality television star Anna Nicole Smith said Tuesday he is the father of her daughter, born earlier this month in the Bahamas.

Howard K. Stern added that he plans to marry Smith.

'Anna and I have been in a relationship and we love each other, and it's been going on for a very long time, and because of my relationship as her lawyer, we felt that it was best to keep everything hidden,' Howard K. Stern told CNN's 'Larry King Live.'"

I told you so. Next we'll find the matching scripts and I'm 3 for 3 bitch. He now has control of half her estate without Daniel to fight it.

ABC News: 'Day of Rage': Anger Not Jihad: "Three words suddenly have a lot of Westerners worried and, it must be said, likely making some wrong assumptions about modern Islam. 'Yaum al Ghadab' is Arabic for 'Day of Rage.'

When the Qatari Islamic scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi called for a Day of Rage this Friday in response to Pope Benedict XVI's remarks about Muslims, it might have sounded like a call for street violence.

But if there is trouble Friday, and there could well be, it will not be because of language but because of what some people choose to do after they have answered the call for 'Yaum al Ghadab.'

Political manipulation of protest crowds is not a uniquely Islamic idea. It happens in the West, as well.

But why do Islamic leaders use what many Westerners regard as inflammatory language?

Because it is not inflammatory, at least not in the context of Islamic culture. 'We must not try to interpret Islamic terms and cultural signals by using our Western ideas,' said Fawaz Gerges, a professor in the department of international affairs and Middle Eastern studies at Sarah Lawrence College, and an ABC News consultant. Gerges pointed out that in Islamic culture 'ghadab' means anger or frustration. A day of rage does not mean a day of jihad (war), added Gerges."

CNN.com - Pathologist: Anna Nicole's son on antidepressants - Sep 18, 2006:
"Anna Nicole Smith's son was on prescription anti-depression medication when he died at the hospital bedside of the former reality TV star, a pathologist who did a second autopsy on 20-year-old Daniel Smith said Monday.

Forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht said Daniel Smith was being treated for depression that began about four to six weeks earlier, but he did not know whether the medication played any role in his death, which came three days after his celebrity mother gave birth in the Bahamas.

Wecht, speaking by phone from Miami a day after conducting the autopsy in the Bahamas, said he's still awaiting toxicology tests to determine the cause of death.

He said he and the Bahamian coroner who did the first autopsy agreed there was no evidence that Daniel Smith died from a 'suicidal overdose.'

Smith died September 10 in the hospital room where the former Playboy model was recuperating from giving birth to a daughter.

Wecht said he spoke to the psychiatrist who treated Daniel Smith and was told the dosage of the antidepressant medication was 'quite low' and that the depression 'had to do with a girlfriend.'"

Told you so. He died of an overdose. Next is to find if his script matches one his mom had. Then all the pieces fall in place. Note: Stern is still silent.