The True Story of How Multinational Drug Companies Took Liberties with African Lives

The pharmaceutical industry is bracing itself for criticism when the film 'The Constant Gardener' opens next month. But Jeremy Laurance reports that away from the Hollywood script is a true story of how multinational drug companies took liberties with African lives with devastating consequences.

In a dusty schoolyard in Kano, northern Nigeria, a group of children are kicking a football. One of them, a solemn-faced boy called Anas, sits watching quietly. He cannot play because he has pains in his knees that prevent him from running.

Nobody knows what caused Anas' pain but suspicion has fallen on Big Pharma. Six years earlier, Anas was a patient in a trial of a new drug run by one of the world's biggest companies. A known side effect of the drug, called Trovan, was joint pain. The issues raised by Anas' story have become the subject of a major British film.

The multinational pharmaceutical industry is bracing itself for an uncomfortable autumn. Next month, The Constant Gardener, the film based on the novel of the same name by John Le Carré, opens in London.

Directed by Fernando Meirelles, of City of God fame, it is a thriller, a love story and a blistering attack on the drugs industry and the way it carelessly expends the lives of innocent citizens in the Third World in the quest for billion-dollar medicines to sell to the first world.

Pentagon Nixes 9/11 Hearing testimony

Yet another example of how the intelligence community had done their job and the pertinent information was ignored by the powers that be.
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By KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, September 21, 2005

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(09-21) 20:41 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --

The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman said Wednesday he would look into whether the Pentagon obstructed his committee by refusing to allow testimony from five people who had knowledge of a secret military unit named "Able Danger."

They were expected to testify Wednesday about a link between al-Qaida and four of the Sept. 11 hijackers — including leader Mohamed Atta — that the unit is said to have uncovered more than a year before the 2001 attacks.

Opening statements begin in Lynndie England court-martial

For the article, click on the title.
These are my views on it:
A Masterchief once told me "son, don't do stupid things when your underage drinking in a bar." And he was right. Not to say that a sailor, who was a little shy of the legal drinking age, drinking in the enlisted club on a military base is the same level of heinous act that these people committed, the lesson is the same. If you are going to break the official rules, don't draw attention to yourself doing it, and don't leave proof that you did it. That is just stupid.

Without condoning the acts of England and her boyfriend, because to abuse ones power and treat other human beings the way they did is disgusting, but to say that these "incidents" occurred without the knowledge of anybody higher than the rank of private is complete and utter BULLSHIT!!!! To read this article just shows how whipped the mainstream media is and how investigative they are not. Remember kiddies, as far as the military is concerned, they will protect their own and do whatever damage control is necessary to contain the damage AS FAR DOWN THE FOOD CHAIN AS POSSIBLE.
If you want to tell me that a PRIVATE was the "ringleader" and the highest ranking person to be involved in these abuses, fine. But, it sounds a lot like a Lt. Col. having the power to make international arms trade agreements without anybody else knowing about it....in other words it sounds like Horseshit!!!
In all military environments there are practices that are not part of the official policies that are told to the outside. As a veteran I can say that this is for better and worse, depending on the situation. The Stanford prison experiment was an enlightening delve into the darkness that is the human pysche, and that was when all involved, guards and prisoners, were ivy league caliber college students Now, try the same thing with people who often come from less than fortunate environments and the prisoners have been officially branded as "enemy" and the whole experiment is only going to get worse.

If you want to make an example out of England and her boyfriend, fine, but I believe if you are going to go on a witch hunt than you should burn all the witches. I promise you that these were not the only people committing these offenses, but they were the ones caught on film committing them. These are not pictures that were taken in a hurry or a "can we get away with it" environment. The carefree attitude of all the guards in the pictures tells me that they were operating in an environment that condoned these actions, In no way is anyone showing signs of wrongdoing (which is wrong for several reasons, but I digress) but these pictures are taken in what appears to be broad daylight, meaning normal working hours in the middle of the holding area. If this is so, than this behavior is de facto sanctioned and if the highest ranking person guarding "suspected terrorists" is a private than there are command problems at Abu Ghraib that go much higher than private. Burn all the witches, not just the ones who were stupid enough to get caught.

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KATRINA'S RAGE

[Col. Writ. 9/1/05] Copyright '05 Mumia Abu-Jamal

It is virtually impossible to witness the harrowing scenes coming out of America's Gulf Coast, without being stunned by the imagery of destruction, loss, and desperation.
For all intents and purposes, the bowl-like city of New Orleans has been blown off the map, remade part of Lake Ponchartrain, which broke its earthen bonds, and, fed by the watery fuel brought by Hurricane Katrina, spread its sodden affluence over 80% of the city.
Other gulf cities, like Biloxi, and Gulfport, Mississippi also suffered from the wrath of Katrina.
The natural disaster almost dwarfs everything that came before it, in recent memory, for the sheer devastation wrought on a major American city.
People, by the thousands, were stranded on their roofs, waiting, sometimes for days, until being rescued. Others waded in the water, walking through swirling waters that would've defeated the best of cars, in search of food, or water, or a dry place to rest.
But, as ever, disasters have a way of revealing deep truths about people.

THE DICTATOR FASHION SHOW

Things that make you go hmmmm.

I have a dream

WHAT'S LEFT? GALLOWAY VERSUS HITCHENS; PROGRESSIVES VERSUS OURSELVES

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

By Greg Palast


Man, it just felt so good watching George Galloway rip Senator Coleman an extra exit hole. In May 2005, you'll remember, while most American politicians were mincing and cowering, the Honorable Member of the British Parliament, George Galloway, told a panel of stunned US congressmen:

"Senator, in everything I said about Iraq, I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong and 100,000 people paid with their lives; 1600 of them American soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies; 15,000 of them wounded, many of them disabled forever on a pack of lies."

It was one hell of a performance.

A Hurricane Katrina compare-and-contrast

So tell us again: Who is seeking to capitalize on Katrina?


A shining example of how fox news distorts the news.
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The know-nothings

Pro-business Republicans and the religious right have joined in a frighteningly successful campaign to undermine the findings of science.

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By Andrew O'Hehir

Katrina Money for Halliburton? How Dare They!

To learn more and sign a petition click on the link (title)

Halliburton Corporation -- Vice President Dick Cheney's former company -- received a $30 million contract to clean up after Hurricane Katrina. Lobbyists are lining up to grab profits for their clients without having to competitvely bid for Katrina reconstruction work. Some contracts will be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, maybe even billions.

John Roberts: Umpire or Ideologue?

By Marjorie Cohn
Republished from t r u t h o u t

Republicans are gunning for reversal of Roe v. Wade, and for destruction of the wall that separates church from state.

I come before the committee with no agenda. I have no platform.
– John Roberts’ opening statement, Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing, September 12, 2005
The opening statements of the 18 senators who will first vote on John Roberts’ nomination for Chief Justice of the United States set the stage for the confirmation battle. The 10 Republicans and 8 Democrats previewed their expectations of the interrogation of Roberts, which begins today.
Whereas the Democrats favor widespread questioning to get to know the man who could shape the law of the land for the next generation, Republicans seek to limit the examination to only that necessary to achieve confirmation. Democrats are concerned about whether Roberts would strike down acts of Congress that protect civil rights and liberties, and whether he would give blind deference to executive power; Republicans are gunning for reversal of Roe v. Wade, and for destruction of the wall that separates church from state.
...
Republican senators on the committee repeatedly invoked “the Ginsburg precedent,” saying that during her confirmation hearing, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg refrained from answering questions about her judicial philosophy. But when asked a specific question about a constitutional right to privacy, Ginsburg answered:
"There is a constitutional right to privacy composed of at least two distinguishable parts. One is the privacy expressed most vividly in the Fourth Amendment: The Government shall not break into my home or my office without a warrant, based on probable cause; the Government shall leave me alone. The other is the notion of personal autonomy. The Government shall not make my decisions for me. I shall make, as an individual, uncontrolled by my Government, basic decisions that affect my life’s course. Yes, I think that what has been placed under the label “privacy” is a constitutional right that has those two elements: the right to be let alone and the right to make basic decisions about one’s life’s course."
Ginsburg could not have more clearly stated that she believes the Constitution contains a right to privacy. But during his confirmation hearing for the Court of Appeals, John Roberts refused to say whether he thinks there is a constitutional right to privacy. If he refuses once again to answer this hot-button question, it is safe to assume he subscribes to his earlier characterization of the “so-called ‘right to privacy’” and the statement in the brief he co-authored in Rust v. Sullivan: “The Court’s conclusion in Roe that there is a fundamental right to an abortion … finds no support in the text, structure, or history of the Constitution.”
There are two striking differences between the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Ginsburg and Roberts. First, when Bill Clinton tapped her for the high court, Ginsburg had a much more extensive record of public writings than Roberts. Second, hers was a consensus nomination. Clinton had cleared it with Senate Republican leaders in advance. Bush did not consult Democrats before nominating Roberts.

Dissecting the Project for the New American Century

What is this project, why is it significant, and why aren't its connections to the current Administration more widely known?

The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) describes itself on it’s website as “a non-profit educational organization dedicated to a few fundamental propositions”, and “American leadership is good both for America and for the world; and that such leadership requires military strength, diplomatic energy and commitment to moral principle.” This description is interesting and somewhat misleading for a few reasons. If it’s non-profit how does it get it’s funding, what does American leadership mean, and what moral principles is it committed to?

More Administration Nepotism

Lobbyist Joe Allbaugh gets clients into reconstruction efforts

At least two major corporate clients of lobbyist Joe Allbaugh, President Bush’s former campaign manager and a former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have already been tapped to start recovery work along the battered Gulf Coast.
One is Shaw Group Inc. and the other is Halliburton Co. subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root. Vice President Dick Cheney is a former head of Halliburton.
Bechtel National Inc., a unit of San Francisco-based Bechtel Corp., has also been selected by FEMA to provide short-term housing for people displaced by the hurricane. Bush named Bechtel’s CEO to his Export Council and put the former CEO of Bechtel Energy in charge of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

The Patriot Act

check out this video about the Patriot Act.

Cover-up: toxic waters 'will make New Orleans unsafe for a decade'

Another inept and inadequate job performed by the administration.

By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Correspondent
Published: 11 September 2005
Toxic chemicals in the New Orleans flood waters will make the city unsafe for full human habitation for a decade, a US government official has told The Independent on Sunday. And, he added, the Bush administration is covering up the danger.

In an exclusive interview, Hugh Kaufman, an expert on toxic waste and responses to environmental disasters at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said the way the polluted water was being pumped out was increasing the danger to health.

The pollution was far worse than had been admitted, he said, because his agency was failing to take enough samples and was refusing to make public the results of those it had analyzed. "Inept politic

Pentagon Revises Nuclear Strike Plan

YIKES!!!!!
Isn't this what the founding fathers were trying to prevent?

Strategy Includes Preemptive Use Against Banned Weapons
By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 11, 2005; Page A01

The Pentagon has drafted a revised doctrine for the use of nuclear weapons that envisions commanders requesting presidential approval to use them to preempt an attack by a nation or a terrorist group using weapons of mass destruction. The draft also includes the option of using nuclear arms to destroy known enemy stockpiles of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.

The document, written by the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs staff but not yet finally approved by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, would update rules and procedures governing use of nuclear weapons to reflect a preemption strategy first announced by the Bush White House in December 2002. The strategy was outlined in more detail at the time in classified national security directives.

H.R. 3156 (In short; to legislate natural supplements)

If any of you live in Susan Davis' (D. CA) district. Ask her what the fuck is she thinking and who the hell is paying her? You may want to word it differently.

Also, there is more about this at Healthbox

Cash payoffs, bonds and murder linked to White House 911 finance

It's a long one but than you knew it would be.
This is the intro:

["Quis custodiet ipsos custodes." The Latin words from high school days past began to take on different meaning as the documents came in. Is the situation so bad that patriotic intelligence agents--worried about the future of their own families--are increasingly bypassing "purchased" and compromised mainstream media outlets because they don’t trust them to tell the truth anymore? Do continued poor congressional poll ratings indicate Americans have a gnawing inner feeling that their elected legislators are conspiring to cover-up credible evidence of a controlled demolition of the World Trade Center on 9.11 or pre-emptive war based upon lies? Why did federal judges throw out evidence that FBI translator Sibel Edmonds heard the names of ten prominent American politicians and heads of federal agencies involved in drug money laundering and financing the 9.11 attacks? Are they dirty too? Why was district immigration adjudications officer Mary Schneider fired because she uncovered an illegal Muslim marriage ring linked to "hijacker" Mohamed Atta and Khalil bin Laden? And it’s not news that eight of Tony Blair’s British intelligence agents (four killed in a fire-fight) attempted to blow up the Chicago subway last week? Will it take citizens encircling the White House and congressional office buildings with handcuffs to stop the crime? The evidence is that strong. "Who will guard the guards?" -- TF]

CHRISTIAN ASSASSINATIONS

Click title for full article.

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Col. Writ. 8/24/05] Copyright '05 Mumia Abu-Jamal

The recent comments of American religious leader, Rev. Pat Robertson, which suggested the assassination of Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, has ignited a firestorm around the globe, as people express shock that a modern-day religious leader would so openly call for the killing of another nation's leader.
Robertson tried to justify the call by appealing to good ole' Yankee greed. "It's cheaper than a war," he argued.
And there it is: economics.
The real reasons behind Robertson's, and the American political elite's, antipathy towards Chavez is purely economic.
Furthermore, what Rev. Robertson said openly, has most assuredly been discussed clandestinely in the highest levels of US intelligence. That's because Venezuela is flush with oil, and it wants to use this resource, and the wealth that flows from it, for the benefit of Venezuelans and others in the region.
That, to an empire that looks at the whole world as its oyster, is intolerable.
What the Rev. Pat Robertson is voicing isn't the spiritual message of a church, nor the humanistic message of Jesus Christ. His is the political and economic message of a class, of an empire, and of a white nationalism that has always looked at nations to the Latin South, as lesser people. They are Brown people, and B

As I see it...`

How can anyone still be convinced of this administrations legitimacy? Legitimacy of purpose, cause, motivation? Nothing but greed. And all the jingoistic, fear tactic bullshit just makes them another Nazi Regime. How are more people not outraged at all of this? How can people support their political parties so baselesly for so many years. I believe it may all be just some form of bruised ego. Hey we all fuck up, learn from it and move on. Nobody's going to fault you for that but don't vote a way because "my family has always voted that way." What horshit. Regardless of past triumphs both parties have the famous as well as infamous. Don't give me this crap about which party freed the, saved the, or anything. What are the parties doing today!!!! That is the only thing relavent TO TODAY. Loyalties are great, but to remain loyal one must be worthy of the loyalty. Betray that loyalty and it's over. You want it back, earn it back.

BB

California, New Mexico, Oregon Sue to Bring Back Roadless Rule

Holy Crap, someone is finally strating to fight back. Anout f#@$%&g time. Pray be this be of things to come.

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SAN FRANCISCO, California, August 30, 2005 (ENS) - The states of California, New Mexico and Oregon today filed a lawsuit against the Bush administration for dismantling restrictions on roadbuilding and logging in nearly 58.5 million acres of the country's remaining backcountry and undeveloped forests.

WHY DICK CHENEY WON'T PLAY IN HUGO CHAVEZ' BAND

Here is the real story behind the "anti-US Venezuala." I'd hate to say I ... ;-)

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WHY DICK CHENEY WON'T PLAY IN HUGO CHAVEZ' BAND

For BBC Television and the Guardian newspapers of Britain, Greg Palast has conducted two award-winning investigations of both Pat Robertson and Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela. To understand who these guys are -- why Robertson would shoot at Chavez, and why Chavez would laugh at Robertson, read on …


There's so much BS and baloney thrown around about Venezuela that I may be violating some rule of US journalism by providing some facts. Let's begin with this: 77% of Venezuela's farmland is owned by 3% of the population, the 'hacendados.'

I met one of these farmlords in Caracas at an anti-Chavez protest march. Oddest demonstration I've ever seen: frosted blondes in high heels clutching designer bags, screeching, "Chavez - dic-ta-dor!" The plantation owner griped about the "socialismo" of Chavez, then jumped into his Jaguar convertible.


Palast interviews Pres. Chavez, Caracas [BBC TV Newsnight]

That week, Chavez himself handed me a copy of the "socialist" manifesto that so rattled the man in the Jag. It was a new law passed by Venezuela's Congress which gave land to the landless. The Chavez law transferred only fields from the giant haciendas which had been left unused and abandoned.