Walking With An Old Friend in The Golden Gate Park

news of the day:

Matt Renner and Maya Schenwar | US Raids Ignore International Law
http://www.truthout.org/102808R
Matt Renner and Maya Schenwar, Truthout: "While US officials continue to avoid discussing the weekend strikes that killed eight people in eastern Syria, Middle East experts have condemned the attacks as a violation of international law that threatens to further destabilize US-Syria relations."

Europe's Secret Plan to Boost GM Crop Production
http://www.truthout.org/102808EA
Geoffrey Lean, The Independent UK: "Gordon Brown and other European leaders are secretly preparing an unprecedented campaign to spread GM crops and foods in Britain and throughout the continent, confidential documents obtained by The Independent on Sunday reveal."

Phony Flier Says Virginians Vote on Different Days
http://www.truthout.org/102808VA
Julian Walker, The Virginian-Pilot: "A phony State Board of Elections flier advising Republicans to vote on November 4 and Democrats on November 5 is being circulated in several Hampton Roads localities, according to state elections officials."

With Time Short, Bush Pushes EPA to Relax Power-Plant Rule
http://www.truthout.org/102808B
Renee Schoof, McClatchy Newspapers: "At the Bush administration's direction, the Environmental Protection Agency is working on a new rule that would weaken pollution regulations for power plants, allowing them to increase emissions without adding controls. EPA officials have been working on a fast track to meet a Saturday deadline, but many of them are arguing against changing the rule ..."

Lionel Beehner | Striking Out in Syria
http://www.truthout.org/102808C
Lionel Beehner, The Guardian UK: "The US air strike against insurgents in Syria illustrates exactly what is wrong with how states fight terrorism. The US military carried out an aerial attack on Sunday against foreign insurgents holed up in Syria along the Iraqi border, US officials confirmed today. Although details of the operation remain vague, the attack reportedly killed eight civilians and drew condemnation across the Muslim world, from Damascus to Tehran."

Home Prices Fall by Sharpest Annual Rate Ever
http://www.truthout.org/102808D
The Associated Press: "Home prices tumbled by the sharpest annual rate ever in August, with little indication of a turnaround in sight, a closely watched index showed Tuesday. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city housing index dropped a record 16.6 percent from August last year, the largest drop since its inception in 2000."

Dominique Nora | The Plastic Trap
http://www.truthout.org/102808E
Dominique Nora, Le Nouvel Observateur: "After houses, consumer credit? While bankers plug up as best they can the breaches created by the mortgage earthquake, another bubble threatens them: Americans have been living their dreams on credit. And, having overheated their cards, millions of households will have problems making their payments ..."

FDA's conclusion that chemical is safe is flawed
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
October 28, 2008 9:14 PM EDT

joke of the day:

Why Did the Chick en Cross the Road?

SOVEREIGN INDIAN: This is the Chickens inherent right as he is indigenous to this land! ! !
MILIT ANT INDIA N: That chicken should block the road, not cross the road! ! !
GRASS ROOT INDIAN: If the darn chickens need to get across the road, let 'em cross the darn road!
COLONIZED INDIAN: Chiggens should never cross the roads that white men built before the great white father crosses it first . If the white father crosses it, it is good. We must then follow.
AMERICANIZED INDIAN: We must have roads . We must cross the roads that the white man built for us. We have to be thankful to the white man for this. I don' t know why you Indians are always complaining. You embarrass us. Chickens are good for us.
REPUBLICAN INDIAN: It's true that that white man built those roads for us. We are merely chickens. We will always be chickens until we learn to build those roads ourselves - for profit.
DEMOCRATIC INDIAN: The chicken crossed the road because he didn' t have enough funding.
TRADITIONAL INDIAN: Those chiggens weren't traditional because they were supposed to be on it - not crossing it!
INDIAN GRANDPA: I think he was runnin' away from rezidential school.
URBAN INDIAN: That chicken crossed the road 'cause it was a city, man. You know what I mean?
NEW AGE INDIAN: It was basically because of Jungian dream therapy, drumming, sweat lodges, my shaman, and long walks on the beach , near my beach house .
POW WOW INDIAN: That chicken must have been heading to a 49!
EDUCATED INDIAN: I think it has to do with Einstein's theory which basically posits: "Did the chicken really cross the road or did the road move beneath the chicken? "
REZ INDIAN: Whats a chicken?
IHS INDIAN: I really don't care why he crossed that road. We still aren't paying for no stinkin' hospital bills .
BIA INDIAN: They crossed it because of CFR 49, Section 11299 , gives them the authority to do so, under Department of Interior regulations, in the Executive Branch. They wrote a grant and we funded them. We are very proud of them.
KFC INDIAN: I'll take a leg, a thigh, with corn and potatoes. Extra Crispy, please.

And finally. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TRIBAL INDIAN COUNCIL: The chicken crossed the road without our approval! Fire his family! ! !