contributions

by Davey D
The question on everyone’s mind is, How has Hip Hop impacted the 2004 Democratic National Convention here in Boston? Well, now that I’ve been here for almost five days, there’s no denying its presence.
Leading up to the DNC was the Boston Social Forum. Actor Danny Glover and Hip Hop activist Malia Lazau, who established the very successful Boston Vote, convened a huge panel discussion on Saturday during the Active Youth portion.
Hip Hop ambassador Toni Blackmon lead a (…)

U.S. forces clashed Monday with gunmen protecting the house of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the holy city of Kufa. One woman was killed and three people were wounded, a hospital official said.
The U.S. military had no immediate comment.
At least six U.S. military vehicles entered the Zahra area in Kufa near al-Sadr’s house, which is protected by his militia, the Mahdi Army, witnesses said.
Heavy gunfire and a mortar barrage set cars on fire before Iraqi (…)

by Katherine Pfleger Shrader
THE detailed surveillance photos and documents that prompted higher terror warnings in the United States came largely from a young Pakistani computer engineer.
His capture has set Pakistani and US officials on a hunt for those planning to use the information.
In the 72 hours leading up to yesterday’s warning about new risks of terror attacks, senior officials pored over a wealth of detailed new information indicating al-Qaeda operatives were collecting (…)

FBI, ATF Told Of Three Tons Of Stolen Ammonium Nitrate; Volatile Fertilizer Often Used In al Qaeda Truck Bombs
By J.M. Berger
Nearly three tons of stolen ammonium nitrate are unaccounted for in North Carolina, even as the U.S. braces itself against a possible al Qaeda truck bomb attack.
Mixed with fuel oil, ammonium nitrate is a favored ingredient used in al Qaeda truck bombs. Nearly a month after the theft was reported, 59 bags of the volatile fertilizer are still unaccounted for. (…)

by Juan Cole
The Sunday Times on Sunday and the Financial Times on Monday report that an Italian businessman and fraudster named Rocco Martino has said that he was the source of the false stories and documents related to Iraq’s alleged attempts to buy uranium from Niger. He explained that in 1999, French intelligence sought information about business dealings in Niger. He has met with French intelligence officials in Brussels ever since 1999 on a regular basis and knew about the situation (…)

by OSHA GRAY DAVIDSON
New classified documents implicate U.S. forces in rape and sodomy of Iraqi prisoners
It has been months since the now-infamous photographs from Abu Ghraib revealed that American soldiers tortured Iraqi prisoners — yet the Bush administration has failed to get to the bottom of the abuses."There are some serious unanswered questions," says Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican on the Armed Services Committee. The Pentagon is stalling on several investigations, and (…)

by BBC
Footage of what appears to be a Turkish hostage in Iraq being shot dead has appeared on the internet.
The videotape shows a group of masked men standing over a figure, who is then shot in the head three times.
The man identified himself as Murat Yuce, an employee of Turkish company Bilimtur. The company has confirmed it had an employee by that name.
It is not clear when or where he was kidnapped, or when the apparent killing took place.
Following the tape’s release, a (…)

By Joanne Laurier
When they emerged this spring, the revelations of torture of Iraqi detainees at the hands of the US military at Abu Ghraib and other prisons in Iraq outraged world opinion. Even in the partially censored and muted form in which they appeared, the facts were horrifying. The photographs of naked Iraqi detainees that followed-hooded, threatened by attack dogs, sexually humiliated-only deepened the horror.
The army’s own internal investigation, carried out by Major General (…)

By NEDRA PICKLER
Democratic candidate John Kerry accused President Bush of encouraging terrorist recruitment with policies that have made the world angry at the United States, a criticism that Bush dismissed as a "ridiculous notion."
On the day that Bush announced he would create a national intelligence czar and counterterrorism center to help prevent another terrorist attack, Kerry said the self-described "war president" was not acting fast enough to protect Americans.
Kerry said Bush (…)

In his radio address Saturday President Bush declared, "this week we received encouraging reports that show our economy is gaining strength."1 The actual reports, however, suggest otherwise.
A new GDP report by the Commerce Department revealed that the "economy grew at a slow-paced 3 percent annual rate in the second quarter, renewing concerns about a weak overall recovery and the potential for mediocre future job growth." The figure was "the slowest growth rate since the beginning of last (…)