News of Interest for 9/06/06

Vandals send anti-gentrification message
"On one house on Bauer Street, vandals wrote "You can visit anytime but you're not invited to live here." Ken Ward is outraged that vandals seem to be targeting affluent additions to his central Halifax neighbourhood."
Defense contractor CEOs‘ pay doubles
"The chief executives of corporations making big profits from the war on terror are enjoying far bigger pay increases than CEOs of nondefense companies, according to a study by two liberal groups."
Best defence against terrorism is a split with US, say voters
'Moreover, three fifths (62 per cent) agree that “in order to reduce the risk of future terrorist attacks on Britain the Government should change its foreign policy, in particular by distancing itself from America, being more critical of Israel and declaring a timetable for withdrawing from Iraq”. Women (66 per cent) and Liberal Democrat voters (74 per cent) agree with this view particularly strongly.'
FBI Role in Terror Probe Questioned
"What Batiste did not know was that the bin Laden representative was really an FBI informant. The warehouse in which they were meeting had been rented and wired for sound and video by bureau agents, who were monitoring his every word."
Fake Weapons, Real Jail Time
"Now, over in the United Kingdom, three suspects were recently let go after a British court rejected claims that they broke the law when they allegedly attempted to buy something called red mercury, a nasty substance rumored to be, among other things, fuel for a dirty bomb. The best thing about red mercury, however, is it doesn't exist. And the whole plot was set up by a tabloid hoping to score an expose of terrorism."
Air America kicked out of Black Community for Gospel 24/7
'“Something sinister seems to be at work here when the two Black-owned AM radio stations in the media capital of the world can only provide the audiences that they were licensed to serve with gospel music, faith-based messages and white left-wing rhetoric and propaganda.”'
Local experts explain how gentrification may affect city
"Sometimes it's the opposite, Ms. Williams said. Gentrifiers may try to dominate a neighborhood without learning about or understanding its social dynamics or building relationships with its residents.

They may want to live in a diverse neighborhood, but want it to be one they can understand and not be frightened by. To that end, they may try to draw people who are similar to themselves to the area.

People often believe that only homeowners can care about their community, but many renters care about their neighborhood just as much, Ms. Williams said."
Invention: Long-range stunner
"Three inventors in the US have now devised a long range stun gun which delivers a shock of 40 kilovolts, over a distance of about 150 metres, even if the dart hits with a low impact."
More 'intersex fish' found in Potomac
"Some species of male fish in the Potomac River and its tributaries are developing female sexual traits at a frequency higher than scientists have seen before, raising concerns about pollutants in a waterway that provides drinking water for millions of people."
Monsanto Whistleblower Says Genetically Engineered Crops May Cause Disease
"GM cotton has provided ample reports of unpredicted side-effects. In April 2006, more than 70 Indian shepherds reported that 25% of their herds died within 5-7 days of continuous grazing on Bt cotton plants.[2] Hundreds of Indian agricultural laborers reported allergic reactions from Bt cotton. Some cotton harvesters have been hospitalized and many laborers in cotton gin factories take antihistamines each day before work.[3]"
Gay Couple Has Public Sex, Crowd Applauds
"People who gathered around the couple reacted quite positively, took photographs, applauded and recorded them on video. Nobody bothered to call the police or protest."