USATODAY.com - Iraqi leaders call for timetable for U.S. withdrawal:

Iraqi leaders call for timetable for U.S. withdrawal CAIRO (AP) ? Leaders of Iraq’s sharply divided Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis called Monday for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces in the country and said Iraq’s opposition had a “legitimate right” of resistance.

Jawad al-Khalisi, a Shiite cleric, right, listens to Raad a-Alousi, Iraqi ambassador to the Arab League, at the end of a three-day Iraqi reconciliation conference. Jawad al-Khalisi, a Shiite cleric, right, listens to Raad a-Alousi, Iraqi ambassador to the Arab League, at the end of a three-day Iraqi reconciliation conference.

By Amr Nabil, AP The final communique, hammered out at the end of three days of negotiations at a preparatory reconciliation conference under the auspices of the Arab League, condemned terrorism, but was a clear acknowledgment of the Sunni position that insurgents should not be labeled as terrorists if their operations do not target innocent civilians or institutions designed to provide for the welfare of Iraqi citizens.

The participants in Cairo agreed on “calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops according to a timetable, through putting in place an immediate national program to rebuild the armed forces … control the borders and the security situation” and end terror attacks. The conference was attended by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Iraqi Shiite and Kurdish lawmakers, as well as leading Sunni politicians. Sunni leaders have been pressing the Shiite-majority government to agree to a timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops.

The statement recognized that goal, but did not lay down a specific time ? reflecting instead the government’s stance that Iraqi security forces must be built up first. On Monday, Iraqi Interior Minister Bayan Jabr suggested U.S.-led forces should be able to leave Iraq by the end of next year, saying the one-year extension of the mandate for the multinational force in Iraq by the U.N. Security Council this month could be the last. “By the middle of next year we will be 75% done in building our forces and by the end of next year it will be fully ready,” he told the Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera.

Debate in Washington over when to bring troops home turned bitter last week after decorated Vietnam War vet Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., called for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and estimated a pullout could be complete within six months. Republicans rejected Murtha’s position. (Related: Cheney: Pullout would invite terrorism) In Egypt, the final communique’s attempt to define terrorism omitted any reference to attacks against U.S. or Iraqi forces.

Delegates from across the political and religious spectrum said the omission was intentional. They spoke anonymously, saying they feared retribution. “Though resistance is a legitimate right for all people, terrorism does not represent resistance. Therefore, we condemn terrorism and acts of violence, killing and kidnapping targeting Iraqi citizens and humanitarian, civil, government institutions, national resources and houses of worships,” the document said.

The final communique also stressed participants’ commitment to Iraq’s unity and called for the release of all “innocent detainees” who have not been convicted by courts. It asked that allegations of torture against prisoners be investigated and those responsible be held accountable. (Related story: Sunnis call for probe of torture) The statement also demanded “an immediate end to arbitrary raids and arrests without a documented judicial order.” The communique included no means for implementing its provisions, leaving it unclear what it will mean in reality other than to stand as a symbol of a first step toward bringing the feuding parties together in an agreement in principle. “We are committed to this statement as far as it is in the best interests of the Iraqi people,” said Harith al-Dhari, leader of the powerful Association of Muslim Scholars, a hard-line Sunni group. He said he had reservations about the document as a whole, and delegates said he had again expressed strong opposition to the concept of federalism enshrined in Iraq’s new constitution. The gathering was part of a U.S.-backed league attempt to bring the communities closer together and assure Sunni Arab participation in a political process now dominated by Iraq’s Shiite majority and large Kurdish minority. The conference also decided on broad conditions for selecting delegates to a wider reconciliation gathering in the last week of February or the first week of March in Iraq. It essentially opens the way for all those who are willing to renounce violence against fellow Iraqis. Shiites had been strongly opposed to participation in the conference by Sunni Arab officials from the former Saddam regime or from pro-insurgency groups. That objection seemed to have been glossed over in the communique. The Cairo meeting was marred by differences between participants at times, and at one point Shiite and Kurdish delegates stormed out of a closed session when one of the speakers said they had sold out to the Americans.

Once again FEMA fails the citizens that it supports. You might have flood insurance but collecting on the policy is a different matter. The following is from a USA Today article.

Joe

USATODAY.com - FEMA halts flood insurance payments:

FEMA halts flood insurance payments By Kathy Chu, USA TODAY

A government agency has run out of funds to cover flood insurance claims and, in an unprecedented move, has stopped payments to policyholders. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which runs the national flood insurance program, has advised the 96 insurance companies that sell flood policies to stop payments to policyholders until Congress says the agency can borrow more money.

It’s the first time since the flood insurance program began in 1968 that FEMA has taken this action. The move likely means that thousands of policyholders, who have waited weeks for funds to rebuild after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, are seeing further delays. Any delay “is a huge setback for people,” says Bill Newton, executive director of the Florida Consumer Action Network. “If you can’t rebuild your home and put your life back together, what are you supposed to do?” Hurricane flood payouts Flood insurance payouts to owners of homes and businesses after previous hurricanes:

Congress is considering bills to increase the program’s borrowing authority and could act in the next few days. The full House approved one bill Wednesday giving FEMA authority to borrow up to $8.5 billion from the Treasury. It now goes to the Senate, which is working on its own bill.

Spokesman Butch Kinerney says FEMA is aware that “a few days can make a difference for some folks. We just hope it’s a small number” of people who are affected. Many homeowners are still waiting to be paid for flood damage. Policyholders have already filed most of the estimated 225,000 in total flood claims expected by the agency from Katrina, Rita and Wilma, Kinerney says. Yet, the $3.5 billion FEMA has doled out so far represents only 15% of the $23 billion in losses it expects to be on the hook for from the three hurricanes.

A minority of U.S. homeowners have flood insurance. In the areas affected by Katrina, for instance, 34% of homes and 23% of businesses had the policies, which cover most water damage.

Homeowners’ policies issued by private insurers cover wind-related losses but not flood damage. FEMA’s financial troubles will not affect everyone. Each insurance company that sells and services flood policies has a credit line with the federal agency. Companies that haven’t used up this authorization will continue to pay claims. But those that have maxed out could decide to wait until FEMA borrows more money, says Julie Rochman of the American Insurance Association. Some insurers also might choose to postpone paying policyholders because it would send the message that the private sector will step in if the government doesn’t fulfill its obligations, says Robert Hartwig of the Insurance Information Institute.

Hurricane flood payouts
Flood insurance payouts to owners of homes and businesses after previous hurricanes: Hurricane No. of paid losses Amount paid Charley 3,092 $59 million Frances 6,566 $190 million Ivan 28,196 $1.4 billion Jeanne 5,498 $123 million Dennis 2,313 $52 million Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency

USATODAY.com - Study questions health effects of decaf:

Study questions health effects of decaf DALLAS (AP). Fresh questions are percolating about the health effects of coffee, this time the decaffeinated variety.

One of the first substantial studies to test it like a drug instead of just asking people how much of it they consumed found higher blood levels of cholesterol-precursor fats in those drinking decaf vs. regular coffee or none at all.

The result: decaf drinkers had modestly higher levels 8 to 18% of fatty acids and precursors of LDL or bad cholesterol than the others.

While the test group was small, and government official are hesitating on making any recommendation still if your having problems with LDL then consider either dropping coffee or stick with the real thing.

Joe

Picked this up from military.com. Apparently the Marines have enhanced a shoulder mounted rocket with a spiffy new warhead. The following a news clip from freerepublic.com

Marines Quiet About Brutal New Weapon:

Marines Quiet About Brutal New Weapon Defense Tech | 11/14/05 | David Hambling Posted on 11/14/2005 5:13:10 PM PST by baystaterebel War is hell. But it?s worse when the Marines bring out their new urban combat weapon, the SMAW-NE. Which may be why they?re not talking about it, much. This is a version of the standard USMC Shoulder Mounted Assault Weapon but with a new warhead. Described as NE - “Novel Explosive”- it is a thermobaric mixture which ignites the air, producing a shockwave of unparalleled destructive power, especially against buildings. A post-action report from Iraq describes the effect of the new weapon: “One unit disintegrated a large one-storey masonry type building with one round from 100 meters. They were extremely impressed.” Elsewhere it is described by one Marine as “an awesome piece of ordnance.”

Here are a few pictures of it in action from defensetech.org

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-11-14-brain-almonds-health_x.htm

Almonds, daily exercise keep brain healthy By Kathleen Fackelmann, USA TODAY WASHINGTON ? A daily run, a diet rich in almonds and other healthful foods and a stimulating environment ? all may keep aging brain cells in shape, according to research out Monday.

 The animal studies presented here at the 35th annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting suggest that lifestyle measures such as exercise and diet might ward off age- related forgetfulness ? and maybe even provide a shield for Alzheimer’s.
(Related item: Say ‘om’: Meditation may aid in brain function) “We’re now finding that diet and lifestyle measures can have profound effects on the brain,” says Carl Cotman, a brain expert at the University of California-Irvine.

 Most people experience mild memory problems as they get older, says Karyn Frick, a researcher at Yale. She wanted to see whether a daily workout could offer a mental edge, so her team took laboratory mice and gave them either a running wheel, challenging toys, or both a wheel and toys. After four weeks, the team gave the mice a memory test.

 Middle-aged mice that ran daily, either with or without the toys, did much better on this test than mice that sat around all day.
 These mice showed the typical age-related problems with memory, she says. Older mice got a performance boost by running, playing, or by doing both.
 Other studies suggest that a daily workout and mental stimulation might provide the aging brain with a cognitive reserve, new brain cells that kick in to help with memory.

 If this study’s findings translate to humans, and that’s a big if, a daily workout, a crossword puzzle or both might help keep the aging human brain in top form, Frick says.

 Previous studies have also suggested that a low-fat diet or one rich in certain foods like fish might help keep the brain healthy.  A report at this meeting suggests that almonds might be another potent brain food. Neelima Chauhan at the University of Illinois-Chicago gave mice with an Alzheimer’s-like disease an almond-rich diet. The animals had already developed some of the abnormal brain deposits thought to underlie the disease.

After four months, the team gave the mice a memory test. Animals eating the almond-rich diet did much better than those fed the usual chow.
Chauhan says almonds contain substances that act like cholinesterase inhibitors, drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s. The diet also reduced the number of Alzheimer deposits in the rodent brains. Mice got that benefit by eating a relatively small amount of almonds ? the equivalent of about a handful daily. Almonds may not be able to help people suffering from advanced disease, Chauhan warns. Still there’s no harm in adding almonds to a healthy diet. In fact, such a diet may protect against memory loss, she says.
 

Today is election day. I think I was number 8 in my polling place, and the 2nd signature in the book of registered list of voters from A-M. They didn’t ask for identification, just checked signatures. Also didn’t find it humerous when I asked what we were voting on.

Joe

Recevied this from a coworker (Angela) It is a animated gif and you will need to click on it to get it started.

FBI Widens Use of National Security Letters

An anonymous reader writes “The Washington Post reports that the FBI has drastically increased its use of National Security Letters (NSL), which permit it to collect information without judicial oversight. According to the article, the use of NSLs is up by a factor of 100, and the records are kept forever (in the past they were thrown away if the subject was cleared). Deep in the article, the author reports that NSLs were used to collect records ‘[…] of every hotel guest, everyone who rented a car or truck, every lease on a storage space, and every airplane passenger who landed in [Las Vegas]’ for a two week period, in response to a terrorism threat in 2003. Those records, apparently, will be kept forever by the federal government. There’s an ombudsman, and a procedure to resolve complaints, but the mere existence of an NSL is secret, so it’s not clear how anyone can complain!

from Slashdot.com

Just a clip from the news about Fema Director Brown’s email response to the lone FEMA employee in New Orleans as Katrina hit. Is this any way to run a government ?

Joe

The newly released e-mails depict an official who “made few decisions and seemed out of touch, ” said Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La. Last month at a Senate hearing, Marty Bahamonde, the Federal Emergency Management Agency”s only employee in New Orleans when Katrina struck Aug. 29, said he e-mailed Brown on Aug. 31, “Sir, I know that you know the situation is past critical … many will die.” Brown replied, “Thanks for the update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?”
USATODAY.com - FEMA e- mails provide window on ex-director’s response

Turns out that the CIA has secret jails. Is that anyway for a democracy to behave