Chavez Rejects Arms Criticism by U.S. 'Terrorist State'
CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela's left-wing President, Hugo Chavez, branded the U.S. a "terrorist state" on Saturday and rejected as meddling Washington's criticism of a recent arms purchase from Russia...
...Venezuela is deeply divided over Chavez. Supporters say he champions the poor with a raft of social programs funded by oil revenues. But opponents say he is edging the country toward dictatorship by tightening his grip over state institutions such as the courts.
Well, BushCo did try to pull a coup on Chavez back in 2002, so I'd guess you could say he's bitter. [/snark]
Final results of Iraqi election due
BAGHDAD (AFP) - The final results of Iraq's general elections were due to be announced, two weeks after Iraqis took part in their first free elections in half a century amid relentless violence...
AllawiCo (a subsidiary of BushCo, LLC) has learned well from their PR masters in Washington. Earlier this week, they "delayed the results" of the election on the premise of recounting some 300 ballot boxes. It's interesting that the results are being released late on a Sunday, so BushCo has an entire week to spin the story prior to next Sunday's talkshow gabfests, where the elections can be proclaimed a success.
I'll dissect the final participation numbers later when the results are released, but my earlier take stands - I don't think there will be even 40% participation among registered voters, much less the entire population of Iraq. Legitimate? You decide.
And, digging into the memory hole...
Tsunami victims still wait for aid
Thousands of tsunami victims in Sri Lanka are still without aid, despite the biggest global humanitarian effort ever launched following a natural disaster. Tens of thousands more are receiving patchy assistance, because of government bureaucracy and corruption, poor co-ordination between aid agencies and inappropriate, rather than insufficient, supplies sent from the West...
The daily coverage is done. The TV cameras have been transported to somewhere else in the world. Colin and Jeb and Wolfy did their little dog-and-pony shows. A disaster that claimed nearly 300,000 lives a bit over a month ago is now ancient history...
'Potemkin' restored to uncensored glory
BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) -- "Battleship Potemkin," Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 silent classic, has been restored and seen in its uncensored form for the first time in nearly 80 years...
Just go read this story. While the movie is important, the story behind the movie is even more so.
