C.I.A. In Iran

The New York Times has an article about the CIA's overthrow of Iran's elected government in 1953, and how it caused "blowback" and led to the 1979 hostage taking.

How a Plot Convulsed Iran in '53 (and in '79)

Some text from the article:
The document, which remains classified, discloses the pivotal role British intelligence officials played in initiating and planning the coup, and it shows that Washington and London shared an interest in maintaining the West's control over Iranian oil.


Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, in an address in March, acknowledged the coup's pivotal role in the troubled relationship and came closer to apologizing than any American official ever has before.

"The Eisenhower administration believed its actions were justified for strategic reasons," she said. "But the coup was clearly a setback for Iran's political development. And it is easy to see now why many Iranians continue to resent this intervention by America in their internal affairs."

Facing Truth

This article discusses how we can face truth to accept reality and find serenity.

More often than not, the solution to our problems is to apply Acceptance and embrace the simple, complete Truth. Wisdom often comes once Acceptance has been fully embraced. It is then that Courage may be needed to address the obvious.

Terrorist Escort

A report from a Michigan couple who was on the plane with the alleged terrorist (on Christmas Eve) claims the couple saw the person escorted on the plane by a sharp-dressed man even though the person had no passport.

Flight 253 passenger: Sharp-dressed man aided terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab onto plane without passport

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A Michigan man who was aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 says he witnessed Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab trying to board the plane in Amsterdam without a passport.
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Autism Up 57%

Is the autism rate up due to better diagnosis, more child vaccine usage, or both?


Autism Rates Jump 57% as Awareness of Disease Grows
By Tom Randall and Ellen Gibson

Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Autism rates increased 57 percent from 2002 to 2006, part of a decades-long surge of cases as doctors and parents become more aware of the disorder.

About 1 in every 110 8-year-olds in the U.S. had autism spectrum disorder in 2006, according to a report today released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. While more cases are being identified as people become aware of the disorder, a rise in the number of kids affected “cannot be ruled out,” the CDC said.
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Secret Agent

Speeding, failure to stop at traffic signal, impersonating police, driving while intoxicated, and many more failure/reckless/whatever is handled in Germany. The person was released. In the USA, this would have called for a helicopter news crew, multiple cruisers, tasers, and a hospital stay for the driver.


"Secret agent" busted in late night car chase

BERLIN (Reuters) - German police arrested a man who claimed to be a "secret agent" after a high speed chase in pursuit of a car with a blue flashing light on its roof.

Police in the southern city of Fuerth caught up with the man after he raced past them, ignored signals to pull over, and ran a red light as they gave chase.

Smelling strongly of alcohol, the 44-year-old whispered only that he was "one of them," on a secret mission ...

"After matters were taken care of, the would-be 'Mr. Bond' was again released," police said in a statement on Thursday.
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