Link: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/37772

A South Texas grand jury has indicted Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on charges related to the alleged abuse of prisoners in Willacy County's federal detention centers. The indictment criticizes Cheney's investment in the Vanguard Group, which holds interests in the private prison companies running the federal detention centers. It accuses Cheney of a conflict of interest and "at least misdemeanor assaults" on detainees by working through the prison companies. Gonzales is accused of using his position while in office to stop an investigation into abuses at the federal detention centers. Harper's: Not A Hoax: South Texas Jury Indicts Gonzales and Cheney on Prisoner Abuse.

Link: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/11/16/depression_2009_what_would_it_look_like/?page=full

Over the past few months, Americans have been hearing the word "depression" with unfamiliar and alarming regularity. The financial crisis tearing through Wall Street is routinely described as the worst since the Great Depression, and the recession into which we are sinking looks deep enough, financial commentators warn, that a few poor policy decisions could put us in a depression of our own. It's a frightening possibility, but also in many ways an abstraction. The country has gone so long without a depression that it's hard to know what it would be like to live through one.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2008/11/20081118211824997499.html

The three biggest US car makers have pleaded with congress for $25 billion in aid to save their businesses, warning that their collapse would further damage the ailing US economy. The chief executives of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler appeared before the US senate banking committee on Tuesday to request a portion of the $700 billion financial bailout agreed by US politicians last month. "It's about saving the US economy from a catastrophic collapse," Rick Wagoner, General Motors chief executive, said.

Link: http://kennysideshow.blogspot.com/2008/11/is-time-magazine-priming-pump-for-dead.html

The main stream media is giving us hints that bin Laden is dead. Even Fox News mentioned this Time report. The powers that be are realizing that they can't keep up this long running propaganda lie forever. Notice below that just have to ratchet up the Iran/Russia 'new enemy' angle. Substitute one boogeyman for another. Gotta' keep that war machine going. Rest in peace Osama, even in death you served your previous masters well.

Link: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/nov2008/lieb-n19.shtml

At a closed-door meeting Tuesday, Senate Democrats voted by a wide margin to forgo any serious measures against Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, an avid supporter of the Bush administration's war policies who campaigned intensively for the defeated Republican presidential candidate John McCain. The 42-13 vote to allow Lieberman to retain his chairmanship of the key Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee was entirely predictable, especially after President-Elect Barack Obama intervened directly to oppose any serious retribution against the long-time Democrat turned independent who had run as the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2000. Salon: Obama Backs Lieberman.

Link: http://wikileaks.org/wiki/British_National_Party_membership_and_contacts_list%2C_spread_sheet%2C_2007-2008

British National Party membership and contacts list, 2007-2008. British National Party (BNP) membership and contacts list. 12,801 individuals are represented. Contains contact details and notes on selected party members and (possibly) other individuals. The list has been independently verified by Wikileaks staff as predominantly containing current or ex-BNP members, however other individuals who have donated to the BNP or who have had other contact (not necessarily supportive) with the BNP or one of its fronts may also be represented.

Link: http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2428800,00.html

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has engaged a team of prominent lawyers to help President-elect Barack Obama vet her candidacy for secretary of state. Friends of the former first lady said she was weighing whether to take the job if Obama offered it.

Link: http://www.daily.pk/politics/politicalnews/8178-ppp-facilitates-the-invasion-of-pakistan.html

Barack Obama is to finish what Bush could not – invade Pakistani tribal areas or perhaps the country itself. But before that Pakistan has to be brought on its knees in terms of economy and defense. The IMF deal and the attempt to weaken ISI is part of this plan. Everywhere we see signatures of covert CIA operations against Pakistan. The war plans are already in advance stages and we are seriously concerned over the developments. [PPP = Pakistan Peoples Party]

Link: http://en.rian.ru/world/20081119/118396557.html

UN, November 19 (RIA Novosti) - The UN General Assembly on social and humanitarian issues has adopted a draft resolution proposed by Russia on tackling a rise in the glorification of Nazism and the desecration of WWII monuments. The draft resolution on "combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance," is aimed at tackling the practice in the former Soviet republics of Latvia and Estonia of honoring SS veterans who fought for Nazi Germany during WWII.

Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=75893&sectionid=351020101

No answer has been given to an Iranian request to reinstate direct US-Iran flights, according to the Iranian civil aviation authority. In 2006, the Civil Aviation Organization of Iran (CAOI) wrote to the US aviation authority and proposed that direct flights between Tehran and New York or Los Angeles be established. Reza Jafarzadeh, Public Relations Manager of the CAOI, said yesterday that the decision had been made by Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in response to demand from the US-based Iranian community. He added that US authorities have not replied to the request.

Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=75885&sectionid=351020104

Israeli Air Force Commander General Ido Nehushtan claims his forces are ready to follow any order to thwart Iran's nuclear programs. "The IAF is a very robust and flexible force … ready to do whatever is demanded," the Nehushtan told German magazine Der Spiegel on Tuesday. He added, however, a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities "is a political decision" and has nothing to do with Israel's military capabilities. Tel Aviv and Washington have repeatedly [falsely] accused Tehran of pursuing a military nuclear program, a claim [correctly] denied by the Islamic Republic.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7736885.stm

An Indian navy warship has destroyed a suspected Somali pirate vessel after it came under attack in the Gulf of Aden. INS Tabar sank the pirate "mother ship" after it failed to stop for investigation and opened fire instead, an Indian navy statement said.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2008/11/2008111961156346596.html

Somali pirates have now seized three ships off the coast of the Horn of Africa since hijacking their largest target ever, the Sirius Star carrying $100m worth of oil.

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/nov/19/anna-politkovskaya-murder-trial

The trial of three men accused of being involved in the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was closed to the public today, overturning an earlier ruling that it should be held in the open. Lawyers involved in the case said the move could hinder justice being done. NYT: Moscow Court Closes Politkovskaya Trial to Public.

Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/sciencenews/3482271/Scientists-find-cure-for-werewolf-boy.html

Scientists claim to have found a cure for 'werewolf syndrome', a condition which leaves the face and body of the sufferer covered in hair. Pruthviraj Patil, 11, is one of just 50 people in the world with the rare genetic condition, called hypertrichosis. Pruthviraj's family have tried a range of treatments - including homeopathy, traditional Indian Ayurvedic remedies and more recently laser surgery – but none has proved successful. Now, following a worldwide appeal to doctors to help him find a permanent cure, scientists at Columbia University, in New York, believe they might have found one - by injecting the patient with testosterone.

Link: http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/11/supercomputers.html

A new crop of supercomputers is breaking down the petaflop speed barrier, pushing high-performance computing into a new realm that could change science more profoundly than at any time since Galileo, leading researchers say. When the Top 500 list of the world's fastest supercomputers was announced at the international supercomputing conference in Austin, Texas, on Monday, IBM had barely managed to cling to the top spot, fending off a challenge from Cray. But both competitors broke petaflop speeds, performing 1.105 and 1.059 quadrillion floating-point calculations per second, the first two computers to do so. TechCentral: Top 25 days in computing history.