Thursday, July 24, 2008 :Coming on the heels of Barack Obama's highly publicized visit to Afghanistan -- what he calls a central front in the so-called war on terror -- we play an address by Pacifica radio host Sonali Kolhatkar, one of this country's leading voices against the occupation of Afghanistan and co-author of the book Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords and the Propaganda of Silence. She spoke last month at the National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis about what she called widespread misconceptions about the occupation of Afghanistan.

Thursday, July 24, 2008 :Luis Ramirez, a twenty-five-year-old Mexican immigrant, was beaten to death last week by a group of teenagers in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. He was walking home last Monday night when six white high school students brutally beat him while yelling racial slurs. Despite eyewitness testimony, no charges have been filed. We speak with Arielle Garcia, a friend of Ramirez who witnessed the attack.

Thursday, July 24, 2008 :Police in the city of Winnfield, Louisiana are being accused of covering up the death of twenty-one-year-old Baron Pikes. He died in police custody on January 21 after being shot nine times with a taser gun while in handcuffs. The city police chief initially claimed that Pikes was high on crack cocaine and PCP at the time of his death. But the coroner recently ruled Pikes' death to be a homicide, after an autopsy determined there were no drugs in his system. The coroner also determined that the police shot Pikes twice after he lost consciousness. We speak with Chicago Tribune reporter Howard Witt, who broke the story nationally; Kayshon Collins, Baron Pikes' stepmother; and Winnfield Police Lieutenant Charles Curry. [includes rush transcript - partial]

Complete Bohemian Grove 2008 Guest List released by truthaction.org

Is Wayne Pacelle, the CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, really an ardent defender of animals as the Los Angeles Times wants us to believe? Or does a closer investigation reveal an uglier truth?

MOGADISHU - A leading Somali Islamist opposition leader vowed on Thursday, July 24, to protect aid workers in the violence-ravaged Horn of Africa nation which is already facing an acute food shortage.

Originally From New America Media Thursday, July 24, 2008 : Giving up the car is not easy for Americans, even amidst the gas crisis. But NAM editor Andrew Lam says that it is our new American responsibility to go green. Lam is the author of "Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora".

Originally From New America Media Thursday, July 24, 2008 : LOS ANGELES -- Private firms contracted by the federal government to run detention centers are reaping massive profits, according to Spanish-language La Opini. In 2007, GEO Group earned more than $100 million by operating immigration detention centers. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contracted the firm, whose director, George Zoley, was a major contributor to President George W.

Thursday, July 24, 2008 : Defence ministry claims more fighters will have been killed in firefight south of the country.

Thursday, July 24, 2008 : Life for Palestinians in Gaza has deteriorated to unprecedented levels, agency says.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 :PITTSBURGH - The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania has filed an appeal in the state Superior Court on behalf of Bridgeville, PA resident Marshall Pappert, who was found guilty of harassment after he complained to the Bridgeville borough manager about the noise and pollution caused by a concrete manufacturing plant across the street from his home.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 :Contact: Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union today urges the House Energy and Commerce Committee to require patient control of medical records and compensation for privacy breaches to be a part of the standards set for converting to electronic patient records.

Thursday, July 24, 2008 :When I and other Palestinian-Americans first knew Barack Obama in Chicago in the 1990s, he grasped the oppression faced by Palestinians under Israeli occupation. He understood that an honest broker cannot simultaneously be the main cheerleader, financier and arms supplier for one side in a conflict. He often attended Palestinian-American community events and heard about the Palestinian experience from perspectives stifled in mainstream discussion.

From a Thursday, July 24, 2008 entry on Informed Comment, Juan Cole's blog

From a Thursday, July 24, 2008 entry on Informed Comment, Juan Cole's blog

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 :Directed by John Crowley, written by Mark ORowe, based on the novel by Jonathan Trigell Boy A is opening this week in New York and Los Angeles. This comment on the film was originally posted as part of the coverage of the 2007 Toronto film festival.

Thursday, July 24, 2008 :A lengthy front-page article in Wednesdays New York Times cites US military officials to make the case for wider latitude in conducting bombing raids against targets in Afghanistan. The article by reporter Thom Shanker carries a headline reflecting the complaints of the Pentagon: Civilian Risks Curbing Strikes in Afghan War.

Thursday, July 24, 2008 :There is a surreal element to the wave of adulation being generated in the European media surrounding Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obamas upcoming three-day trip to Europe.

Thursday, July 24, 2008 :On June 16, the French government released its White Paper on military policy, which outlines the countrys strategic and procurement plans for the next 15 years. Despite necessarily diplomatic language, the document makes clear the intense concern with which Frances ruling elite views the growing tensions in the global and French political situation, and its determination to prepare a military response.

Thursday, July 24, 2008 :There are signs of growing economic trouble in South Korea. The country, which is currently the worlds 13th largest economy, is particularly vulnerable to the global economic turbulence. The financial shocks that began with the subprime mortgage crisis in the US loans last year, combined with global inflationary pressures, caught South Korea unprepared.