News of Interest for 10/03/06

The March to War: Naval build-up in the Persian Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean.
"The broader war theater would extend far beyond, northwards to the Caspian Sea Basin and eastwards to Pakistan and China's Western frontier. What we are dealing with is a chessboard for another Middle Eastern war, which could potentially engulf a much broader region."
This Is What Waterboarding Looks Like
"As Congress debates torture and detention for suspected terrorists, you can see what waterboarding is all about."
Stopping Crime in Real Time
"The ability to fight crime in real time-that is the vision of New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Beginning his second term as police commissioner in 2002, Kelly knew that properly implemented technology could reduce police officers' reliance on paper reports and non-integrated databases to identify crime patterns, thus allowing officers to focus on what they do best: solving crimes and apprehending criminals."
Baghdad curfew was in response to 'coup attempt'
"A blanket 36-hour curfew imposed on the Iraqi capital Baghdad from Friday evening was in response to an information leak concerning a possible coup attempt, according to an Iraqi Shiite parliamentary deputy."
In Thailand, a New Model for Militants?
"Since 2004, militants in Thailand's predominantly Muslim south have waged a bloody separatist insurgency against the cultural elite of this largely Buddhist nation, targeting teachers, monks, community leaders and government officials. So far, 1,700 people have been killed, yet the campaign of almost-daily bombings, arson attacks, kidnappings and assassinations has gone largely unnoticed in a Western world fixated on higher-profile Islamic terrorism campaigns in Iraq and elsewhere."
President dubs alleged Pearl killer MI6 spy
"Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has disclosed that Omar Sheikh, who kidnapped and murdered American journalist Daniel Pearl and is now facing death penalty, was actually the British secret Agency MI6’s agent and had executed certain missions on their behest before coming to Pakistan and visiting Afghanistan to meet Osama and Mullah Omar."
In Iraq cellphones bear nothing but bad news
'"Whenever I want to call someone, I see the names of my dead friends in my phonebook," said Ahmed Nabil, 22, a media student who has lost two brothers and two friends in the violence. "Then I leave my work to remember the time we spent together, and I start crying.'
Police: Cameras Not Helping Fight Crime Much
"Many D.C. police said they had hoped that installing dozens of new surveillance cameras across the city would assist them in cracking down on crime, but the system does not appear to be working as planned."
Russian oil grab 'puts western supplies at risk'
"A former government adviser has warned it is "only a matter of time" before BP or Shell faces a bid from a Russian state-owned group such as Gazprom which could threaten western oil supplies."
Both genders suffer from compulsive buying
"People who have compulsive buying disorder -- sometimes called compulsive shopping disorder -- are often struck with an irresistible, intrusive and often senseless impulse to buy. Sufferers often compile thousands of dollars in debt and lie to loved ones about their purchases. The consequences can be bankruptcy, divorce, embezzlement and suicide attempts."
America is living beyond its means
"It's 2056. After a coup in Saudi Arabia, the new government announces it is cutting off supplies of its dwindling stock of oil to the United States. The White House responds by sending in the troops, but is forced to withdraw after Beijing says it will only continue shoring up the dollar if the military action is called off."