Family Christens USS George HW Bush

Newport News, Va. (Sept. 12, 2006) – Pre Commissioning Unit (PCU) George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) shown in dry dock. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is under construction at Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard. CVN 77 is the tenth and last Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is scheduled for christening on Oct. 7, 2006 with delivery to the U.S. Navy in 2008. Photo by Mr. Chris Oxley courtesy Northrop Grumman Ship Building (RELEASED)

Doro Bush Koch, left, daughter of former President George H.W. Bush, joins her father, second from left, Mike Petters, of Northrup Grumman, second from right, and President Bush, right, as they wave to the crowd after the christening of the nuclear aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush at the shipyard in Newport News, Va., Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006.

Members of the press await the bottle breaking during the christening ceremony of the USS George H.W. Bush at Northrop-Grumman's shipyard in Newport News, Virginia, October 7, 2006.

Editor's note: The christening (naming) ceremony held October 7, 2006, is not the same as the commissioning ceremony held January 10, 2009.

Updated Articles:
Photo Essay: USS George HW Bush Commissioning Ceremony
US Navy Commissions USS George HW Bush
Jan. 10, 2009; Streaming Video: USS George HW Bush Commissioning Ceremony
Former President George HW Bush Tours New Namesake Supercarrier
USS George HW Bush Crew Preps for Commissioning
The Hill: US Navy Delays Decision on Homeport of Supercarrier
12 Part Video: USS George HW Bush Christening

Northrop Grumman George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) Web Site

Video: Christening of the George H. W. Bush CVN 77 Aircraft Carrier

New Aircraft Carrier Christened In Honor of George H.W. Bush
NEWPORT NEWS, Oct. 7 (Washington Post) -- Despite a steady downpour that chilled thousands gathered Saturday in the shipyard here, President Bush and his father, George H.W. Bush, basked in the warm embrace of extended family and friends as they celebrated the christening of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier named after the former president.

Carrier Named for Elder Bush Christened
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) -- Spraying the bubbles from sparkling wine across the enormous gray bow of the USS George H.W. Bush, the Bush family on Saturday christened the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier named after the 82-year-old former president.

More Military Imagery on THE TENSION

Tags: War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, United States, coalition, photography, photo, photos, pictures, images, photojournalism, Combat Camera, Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraq, Navy
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Buzz, Tension

Counterbalance for Sat 7 Oct

What follows are some recent desussions involving the media and events.

• John F. Harris, writing in the Washington Post, says new media is a weapon in the new world of politics. Harris proclaims, "At first glance, three uproars that buffeted American politics in recent weeks have little in common." The lengthy piece includes this great tidbit about Bill Clinton:
  
  

  He said Democrats of his generation tend to be naive about new media realities. There is an expectation among Democrats that establishment old media organizations are de facto allies--and will rebut political accusations and serve as referees on new-media excesses.

  "We're all that way, and I think a part of it is we grew up in the '60s and the press led us against the war and the press led us on civil rights and the press led us on Watergate," Clinton said. "Those of us of a certain age grew up with this almost unrealistic set of expectations."

  Bill Clinton is an doesn't miss a clue, ay? Many conservatives made essentially the same argument many times--including with reference to Clinton's own recent outburst on "Fox News Sunday." The former president, used to fawning interviewers like Larry King, was unprepared for a tough question and lashed out, delivering an angry, paranoid rant.

• Charles Krauthammer, writing in the Washington Post about the real message of the leaked National Intelligence Estimate also makes an observation about what the news says about the news:
  
  

  Lost between the Foley tsunami and the Woodward hurricane is the storm that began the great Republican collapse of 2006. It was only a few weeks ago that the Republicans were clawing their way back to contention for the November elections, their prospects revived by the president's strong speeches on terrorism around the Sept. 11 anniversary, the landmark legislation on treating and trying captured terrorists, and a serendipitous fall in gas prices.

  Krauthammer asks if the Iraq war increases or decreases the world supply of jihadists? The answer is complicated, but keep in mind:
  
  

  Ah, but those seers in the U.S. "intelligence community," speaking through a leaked National Intelligence Estimate -- the most famous previous NIE, mind you, concluded that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, slam-dunk -- have peered deep into the hypothetical past and found the answer. As spun by Iraq war critics, the conclusion is that Iraq has made us less safe because it has become a "cause celebre" and a rallying cry for jihad.

  Krauthammer concludes:
  
  

  Does the war in Iraq make us more or less safe today? And what about tomorrow? The fact is that no definitive answer is possible. Except for the following truism: During all wars we are by definition less safe -- and the surest way back to safety is victory.

• When you're not the lead dog, the view never changes. Thus, James Poniewozik, writing in a Time/CNN piece says, Fox news, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, has changed the face of television. You're watching it, even if you don't think you are. Being a CNN piece, Poniewozik must cover the corporate bases by pointing out several times that Fox News ratings are slipping. However, if Fox is down, that probably means all of cable news viewership is currently down, a seasonal drop while viewers are tuning into their favorite prime time shows like Lost and CSI. In any case, Fox inspires passions on both sides of the political spectrum, not just with those left-of-center journalists who are in a state of denial about their own biases:
  
  

  Fox remains the network against which competitors define themselves. And not just news competitors. After Bill Clinton got off an on-camera harangue against Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace, for an aggressive line of questioning about his administration's anti-terror efforts, the New York Times reported that prominent Democrats, from Howard Dean to Paul Begala, had begun an open campaign of attacking Fox as a covert Republican shill.

  The fight was a win-win. Mainline Dems can bash Fox to win points with the confrontational Daily Kos wing of the party. (Including Clinton, whose wife is vulnerable on the left for her support of the Iraq war.) And Fox? As the Times noted, "The news channel has highlighted the contretemps on many of its programs, boosting the ratings in the process." Say what you want about Fox: in this midterm year, no one is out there campaigning against CNN or MSNBC.

  In the end, however, Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch outFoxed them all.

• NewsOK.com reports that the lawyer of a former page identified by the Passionate America blog as an individual involved in the Foley scandal sends threatening e-mail to blogger. William “Wild Bill” Kerr, 32, posted a copy of an e-mail he received Thursday from Rod Nixon, a partner in Stephen Jones law firm. Jones is representing Jordan Edmund, the Istook staffer Kerr connected with sexually explicit instant messages sent by Foley.

• Laura Parker, writing in USA Today, discusses legal battles between bloggers and the courts. A key principle that courts use in determining whether someone has been libeled is what damage the offending article did to that person's reputation in his or her community. Unlike writers on the payrolls of media outfits, more times than not, bloggers are without editors, fact checkers and legal representation. What's the best defence against legal entanglements? Always tell the truth.

• Perhaps corporate structure is why journalists tend to have the best blogs. Speaking at the Online News Association's annual convention in Washington, D.C., Friday, Washington Post editor Len Downie looked back on the changes in newsgathering and production over the past decade, and listed some of what he thought would be the biggest challenges for news organizations in the near future, reports E&P. Downie said that when it first became apparent that the Internet would change the news business, executives and editors worried that its influence would erode the quality of journalism, increase competition, and become a distraction for the reporters and editors working on the print edition of the paper. But he said instead that the increased focus on the Web has improved journalism.
  
  Reporters love newsroom blogs, said Downie, because they put writers in better touch with their readers: "Everyone in our newsroom wants to be a blogger."

Tags: Counterbalance, Media, Journalism, Daily, United States, Headlines, wire, Open Thread, opinion
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Buzz, Tension

For great bargains visit our online store:
THE TENSION EXCHANGE

Combat Camera: Cordon and Search in Fallujah

An Iraqi interpreter tells Iraqi citizens to stay away from the military vehicles during a cordon and search mission in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. The interpreter is with 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Regimental Combat Team 5, I Marine Expeditionary Force. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon

U.S. Army Sgt. Joseph A. Calabuno, right, with Tactical Psychological Operations Detachment 970, and an Iraqi interpreter, center, speak with an Iraqi school principal during a cordon and search mission in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon

Iraqi elementary students stand outside their school during a cordon and search mission being conducted by coalition forces in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon

Iraqi women walk past military vehicles in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon

U.S. Marines conduct a cordon and search mission in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. The Marines are with Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, 4th Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon

U.S. Marines open a shop door during a cordon and search mission in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. The Marines are from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 24th and 25th Marine Regiments, Regimental Combat Team 5, 4th Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Mohamad H. Salameh speaks with a store merchant and Iraqi children during a cordon and search mission in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. Salameh is with Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, 4th Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon

U.S. Army Spc. Chris M. Heidger, with Tactical Psychological Operations Detachment 970, provides security during a cordon and search mission in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon

More Combat Camera Imagery on THE TENSION

Tags: War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, United States, coalition, photography, photo, photos, pictures, images, photojournalism, Combat Camera, Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraq
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Buzz, Tension

Combat Camera: Weapons Search in Fallujah

Iraqi soldiers enter a home during a search operation Oct. 2 in Fallujah's souk, or market district. Iraqi soldiers uncovered five separate cache sites, recovering rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, explosives and materials used for making improvised explosive devices. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva

An Iraqi solider holds security along a road during a search operation in Fallujah's souk, or market district Oct. 2. Iraqi soldiers uncovered five separate cache sites, recovering rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, explosives and materials used for making improvised explosive devices. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva

Iraqi soldiers toted machine guns and rifles through Fallujah's souk, or market district during a search operation Oct. 2. Iraqi soldiers uncovered five separate cache sites, recovering rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, explosives and materials used for making improvised explosive devices. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva

An Iraqi soldier makes his way through a trash-strewn doorway during a search of Fallujah's souk or market district Oct. 2. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva

Iraqi soldiers search through a lumber shop in Fallujah's souk or market district during a search operation Oct. 2. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva

A Marine uncovers an expended rocket tube found in the back of a store in Fallujah during a search of the city's Fallujah's souk or market district Oct. 2. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva

Staff Sgt. Tyler L. Morgan carries hammers for Iraqi soldiers so they can break locks in Fallujah's souk or market district during a search operation Oct. 2. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva

An Iraqi soldier cuts a lock off in Fallujah's souk, or market district during a search operation Oct. 2. Iraqi soldiers uncovered five separate cache sites, recovering rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, explosives and materials used for making improvised explosive devices. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva

Iraqi soldiers and Marines search through a cache find in Fallujah's souk or market district Oct. 2. Iraqi soldiers uncovered five separate cache sites, recovering rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, explosives and materials used for making improvised explosive devices. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva

More Combat Camera Imagery on THE TENSION

Tags: War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, United States, coalition, photography, photo, photos, pictures, images, photojournalism, Combat Camera, Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraq
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Buzz, Tension

Dispatches From the Front, Thu 5 Oct. 2006

U.S. Army Soldiers from 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment catalog contraband items during a search and cordon mission in Baghdad, Iraq, Oct. 1, 2006. DoD photo by Master Sgt. Mike Buytas, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

NEWSBYTES

HEROES IN THE WAR ON TERROR
Each week the Department of Defense highlights the military men and women who have gone above and beyond in the global war on terror

TERRORIST LINKED TO AL-QAIDA IN IRAQ LEADER DETAINED
BAGHDAD (CENTCOM) -- Coalition forces detained a former driver and personal assistant of Abu Ayyub al-Masri along with 31 others during a series of 11 raids targeting al-Qaida in Iraq activities in the Baghdad area Sept. 28.

MND-B SOLDIERS SEIZE WEAPONS, FOIL KIDNAPPING
BAGHDAD (CENTCOM) -- Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers from 4th Brigade Combat Team, and 1st BCT, 4th Infantry Division, confiscated illegal munitions in Baghdad Tuesday.

COMBINED OPERATIONS IN DIYALA CONTINUE TO OBSTRUCT INSURGENT ACTIVITY
BAQUBAH, Iraq (CENTCOM) -- Iraqi Police and Coalition Forces apprehended three suspected insurgents and seized a sizable cache Tuesday in a combined operation south of Baqubah.

Video: Freedom Watch Afghanistan Sept. 29
This edition features a story on Muslims celebrating their month-long spirtiual holiday. Hosted by Sgt. Tim Hanson.

Viceo: Around the Air Force Oct. 2
This edition features stories on uniform changes and the design of the Air Force Memorial. Hosted by Tech Sgt. Joy Josephson.

MSD 71 Completes Tour Aboard Oil Platforms
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Edward Flynn
ABOARD AL BASRAH and KHAWR AL AMAYA OIL TERMINALS, North Arabian Gulf )CUSNC) -- Mobile Security Detachment (MSD) 71 concluded a successful six-month deployment here, Oct. 1, in which it provided security for Iraq’s Al Basrah (ABOT) and Khawr Al Amaya (KAAOT) oil terminals.

NMCB 5 Seabees Begin Renovations in Ethiopia
By Chief Mass Communication Specialist (SW) Daniel Sanford
CAMP HURSO, Ethiopia (CUSNC) -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5 Seabees arrived in Ethiopia, Sept. 26, and will soon begin renovations at Camp Hurso.

USS Cole Makes First 5th Fleet Port Call Since Terrorist Attack
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Bobby Northnagle
MINA SALMAN, Bahrain (CUSNC) -- USS Cole (DDG 67) departed Mina Salman, Bahrain, in early October, after its first port visit in U.S. 5th Fleet’s area of operations (AOO) since the guided missile destroyer was attacked in the Gulf of Aden, claiming the lives of 17 Sailors in October 2000.

Tags: War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, United States, coalition, photography, photo, photos, pictures, images, photojournalism, Combat Camera, Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, video, audio, CENTCOM, Dispatches from the Front, CUSNC
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Buzz, Tension

For great bargains visit our online store:
THE TENSION EXCHANGE

Combat Camera: IED Making Devices Found

U.S. Marine Sgt. Stewart D. Brown, a platoon sergeant from Yorktown, Va., assigned to F Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, provides security from the top of a nearby home as his fellow Marines search a house for weapons and bomb-making material, Sept. 29, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran

U.S. Marines from F Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, make their way to a home to conduct a search for weapons and contraband after they received sniper fire, Sept. 29, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran

U.S. Marine Cpl. Justin L. Clough, a squad leader from Kennebunk, Maine, assigned to F Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, looks out a window while he and his fellow Marines search a house, Sept. 29, 2006. Marines with the company found improvised explosive devices materials in their search.U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran

U.S. Marine Cpl. Cody D. Lowry, a team leader from Clear Spring, Md., assigned to F Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, tries to break a lock on a garage door as they search a home for weapons and improvised explosive devices materials, Sept. 29, 2006.U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran

Two boxes of cell phones, which are often used to remotely trigger roadside bombs, are found at an Iraqi home during a search, Sept. 29, 2006. Marines from F Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, confiscated improvised explosive devices materials. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran

More Combat Camera Images on THE TENSION

Collections from Amazon.com:
War Photography
Combat Photography

Tags: War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, United States, coalition, photography, photo, photos, pictures, images, photojournalism, Combat Camera, Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraq
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Buzz, Tension

For great bargains visit our online store:
THE TENSION EXCHANGE

Counterbalance for Wed 4 Oct

• If what the Passionate America blog claims to have discovered is accurate, the congressional page to whom Mark Foley sent explicit instant messages was 18 years old at the time: Meet Jordan Edmund One Mark Foley Instant Messenger. More from Drudge.

• Clarice Feldman at the American Thinker smells something very peculiar in the way we have learned of Foleygate:
  
  

  Democrats are attempting to make hay by alleging that the Republican leadership may have known about the inappropriate emails and covered them up for months. Their hope, no doubt, is to discourage turnout by disillusioned evangelical and other voters sensitive to moral issues. But the emerging background detail suggests that this is simply not the case, and that an attack strategy has been devised by parties anxious to damage the GOP and swing the coming election.
  
  In July a blog appeared, designed it said to trace sex predators. Few posts were made in that month or the following month. All recounted years old stories. Then on September 18, the blog printed the fairly innocuous email exchange between Congressman Foley and an unnamed page. In this correspondence initiated by the former page, Foley asks the former page how he is after Katrina (the boy lived in Louisiana) and asked for a photo. Thus began the latest political kerfuffle which swirls through the final five weeks of the campaign. How likely is it that this site with virtually no readership, few posts and hardly any history or posts of interest suddenly receives this bombshell? I’d say slight. About as likely as Lucy Ramirez handing Burkett Bush’s TANG papers.

  As soon as the ABC story ran, and organization called C.R.E.W., which said it had the original exchange which Hastert had heard of and the St Petersburg paper had seen, put them on their website .They said they’d earlier conveyed them to the FBI, were releasing them because of the ABC story, and asked for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the Republican leadership. It is abundantly clear to me that C.R.E.W. and ABC communicated and may have coordinated the release of this story.

  Who is C.R.E.W.? Check out what The Hill has to say. Note how many times the name Soros appears.

• Elitists all think the same way; that's something you can bet on. So when Chris Cillizza writes in the Washington Post that Drudge thwarted John's Kerry's run for president in 2004, you can assume that some elite folks just can't accept the fact Kerry lost on his own.
  

  While Kerry's foibles have been well-documented, Harris and Halperin propose that the man most responsible for the Massachusetts senator's defeat was not the candidate but rather Matt Drudge -- founder of the widely read Drudge Report.

  Harris and Halperin call Drudge the "single most influential purveyor of information about American politics" and go on to add: "Drudge, with his droll Dickensian name, was not the only media or political agent whose actions led to John Kerry's defeat. But his role placed him at the center of the game -- a New Media World Order in which Drudge was the most potent player in the process and a personifications of the dynamic that did Kerry in."

  You can click over to the Post and read the rest for yourself. Be sure to glance over the comments to see what the intolerant amongst us are saying. Sheesh, you'd think those folks would simply implode under the weight of blame and guilt.

• The real news today has nothing to do with Mark Foley. Unless Social Security and Medicare are revamped, the massive burden from retiring baby boomers will place major strains on the nation's budget and the economy, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday, according to AP.

• Imagine being able to check instantly whether or not statements made by politicians were correct. That is the sort of service Google Inc. boss Eric Schmidt believes the Internet will offer within five years, reports Reuters. Politicians have yet to appreciate the impact of the online world, which will also affect the outcome of elections, Schmidt said in an interview with the Financial Times published on Wednesday.

Tags: Counterbalance, Media, Journalism, Daily, United States, Headlines, wire, Open Thread, opinion, Congress, Republican, Democrat
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Buzz, Tension

For great bargains visit our online store:
THE TENSION EXCHANGE

War by Other Means: An Insider's Account of the War on Terror by John Yoo

BOOKS IN THE NEWS

War by Other Means: An Insider's Account of the War on Terror by John Yoo
(From the publisher) -- John Yoo, the key legal architect of the Bush administration’s response to 9/11, delivers a fascinating insider account of the War on Terror. While America reeled from the cataclysmic events of September 11, 2001, Yoo and a skeletal staff of the Office of Legal Counsel found themselves on the phone with the White House. In a series of memos, Yoo offered his legal opinions on the president’s authority to respond, and in the process had an almost unmatched impact on America's fight against terrorism. His analysis led to many of the Bush administration’s most controversial policies, including detention at Guantanamo Bay, coercive interrogation, military trials for terrorists, preemptive attacks, and the National Security Agency’s wiretapping program. In fascinating detail, Yoo takes us inside the corridors of power and examines specific cases, from John Walker Lindh and Jose Padilla to an American al-Qaeda leader assassinated by a CIA pilotless drone in the deserts of Yemen. In a midterm election year, when the controversies over the president’s handling of the War on Terror are sure to wage more forcefully than ever before, John Yoo’s War by Other Means is set to become one of the fall’s most talked about books.

Buy now from Amazon.com:
War by Other Means: An Insider's Account of the War on Terror by John Yoo

Buy now from Buy.com:
War by Other Means


Tags: reviews, books, Headlines, wire, United States
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Buzz, Tension

For great bargains visit our online store:
THE TENSION EXCHANGE

Combat Camera: Patrol in Sheik Hamid, Iraq

U.S. Army Sgt. Patrick G. Fanning, assigned to 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, assembles the antennae to his radio before conducting a cordon and search operation to gain information on terrorist cells operating in the area in Sheik Hamid, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin

U.S. Army soldiers, assigned to 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, patrol a street in Sheik Hamid, Iraq, during a cordon and search operation, Sept. 29, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin

U.S. Army Sgt. Wally Astrada, assigned to 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, coordinates with his troops during a cordon and search operation to gain information on terrorist cells operating in the areas in Sheik Hamid, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin

U.S. Army Pfc. Alejandro M. Garcia, assigned to 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, takes a post on a rooftop in Sheik Hamid, Iraq, during a cordon and search operation, Sept. 29, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin

An Iraqi army soldier distributes candy to Iraqi children in Sheik Hamid, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2006, while conducting a cordon and search operation with U.S. Army soldiers to gain information on terrorist cells operating in the area. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin

U.S. Army Spc. Jeremy H. Townsend, assigned to 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, pulls security in a palm grove near Sheik Hamid, Iraq, during a cordon and search operation, Sept. 29, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin

U.S. Army soldiers, assigned to 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, patrol a road at sunset during a cordon and search operation to gain information on terrorist cells operating in the area in Sheik Hamid, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin

More Combat Camera Images on THE TENSION

Collections from Amazon.com:
War Photography
Combat Photography

Tags: War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, United States, coalition, photography, photo, photos, pictures, images, photojournalism, Combat Camera, Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraq
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Buzz, Tension

Beck: The Information

NEW MUSIC RELEASE PICK OF THE WEEK

Beck: The Information
(AMG Review) -- Beck began work on 2006's The Information after Sea Change but before he reunited with the Dust Brothers for 2005's Guero, eventually finishing the album after Guero was generally acclaimed as a return to Odelay form. So, it shouldn't come as a great surprise that The Information falls somewhere between those two records, at least on sonic terms. Musically, it's certainly a kindred spirit to Guero, meaning that it hearkens back to the collage of loose-limbed, quirky white-boy funk-rock and rap that brought Beck fame at the peak of the alt-rock revolution, with hints of the psychedelia of Mutations and the folk-rock that was the basis for Sea Change. Since this is a Nigel Godrich production, it's meticulous and precise even when it wants to give the illusion of spontaneity, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, since it also pulls the album into focus, something that the generally fine Guero could have used. Guero had many strengths but its biggest weakness was the general sense that it was unfinished, a suspicion fostered by its endless issues in deluxe editions and remixes. Beck embraced these changes, most extravagantly on the cover of Wire where he was hailing the future of the album, which would now no longer be seen as... Read more.

Buy now from Amazon.com:
Beck: The Information

Beck Collection

Download now from iTunes:
Beck: The Information

Tags: music, entertainment, Review, Reviews, iTunes, iPod, download, Rock, Pop, Beck
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Buzz, Tension

The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 3 Oct

Heads up folks, this news rolls downhill.

• Former Clintonista Dick Morris says the Foley scandal is the nail in the GOP coffin: In a curious way, the former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) scandal will be to the Republican congressional leadership what the Monica Lewinsky imbroglio was to the Clinton presidency.
  

  What is important is that all of the venality and hypocrisy, so evident when congressmen hire their wives or freeload on trips paid for by lobbyists or cram the budget with unjustified earmarks or encourage their sons and daughters to become highly paid lobbyists cashing in on their special access — all of those misdeeds, have suddenly acquired a poster boy: Rep. Foley!

• In an attempt to influence the abortion debate, Ms. magazine is releasing its fall issue next week with a cover story titled "We Had Abortions," accompanied by the names of thousands of women nationwide who signed a petition making that declaration, reports AP.

• According to AP, North Korea triggered global alarm on Tuesday by saying it will conduct a nuclear test, a key step in the manufacture of atomic bombs that it views as a deterrent against any U.S. attack. But the North also said it was committed to nuclear disarmament, suggesting a willingness to negotiate. AP also reports that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday a North Korean nuclear test would be "a very provocative act," and she prodded Asian nations to rethink their relationships with the North Koreans.

• Local D.C. cops say recently installed cameras are not appreciably helping to fight crime. NBC4 reports 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.

• AP reports Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM) trounced the domestic automakers in the U.S. marketplace last month, posting a 25 per cent year-over-year sales increase. General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM) and DaimlerChrysler AG (NYSE:DCX) each saw their sales slip by a few percentage points, while Ford Motor Co.'s (NYSE:F) sales gained 4.7 per cent.

• President Bush, on a campaign swing in the West, is telling voters that the Democratic Party is weak-kneed on national security and shouldn't be trusted to hold the reins of Congress, reports AP.

• Reuters reports James Blunt's "Goodbye My Lover" is the song most requested at British funerals and remembrance services, closely followed by Robbie Williams's "Angels," according to a survey released on Monday.

• ROO TV presents News for Blonds.

Tags: United States, Headlines, wire, Open Thread, opinion, Congress, Republican, Democrat
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Buzz, Tension