June 8, 2002

Eves appalled as students get credit for going to rally Students encouraged to attend anti-government rallies by their principal and trustees should not earn community service credits, outraged parents and politicians urged yesterday. Ontario's Premier and the province's Education Minister lashed out after learning that some Toronto students were advised by school administrators they could earn points toward a mandatory volunteerism component by attending an education protest rally last week. [ National Post ] 2:41:33 PM

Noam Chomsky calls the U.S. a terrorist state. Much of the world, it seems, is listening. [ National Post ] 2:38:32 PM

Folk singer David Grossman is one of thousands of musicians cheering the return of Garageband.com, a Web site that showcases songs of up-and-coming and going-nowhere acts through free downloads and streaming, peer reviews and rankings. [CNN.com] "The people who are complaining about (free downloads), they're backward," Grossman said. "They would see the wheel as a threat, and say 'What's going to happen to sandal companies when the wheel comes out?' I think (the Internet) is a huge opportunity for artists." 10:17:31 AM

U.S.-trained troops intensified an offensive to wipe out a Muslim extremist group Saturday after an American and a Filipino hostage died and another American was freed in a rescue mission. Reinforcements were being sent to aid the 600 infantrymen chasing the Abu Sayyaf rebels now that the group has no more hostages. About 1,000 U.S. soldiers are advising the troops. [Kansas City Star] More headlines compiled by Google News Slain American hostage's final letters to his children a narrative of love and suffering  - Kansas City Star Philippines to 'destroy' rebels after hostage deaths  - NZ Herald Troops intensify offensive against rebels after bungled rescue mission  - National Post U.S. death prompts Philippines action  - CNN 10:08:05 AM

A massive flow of molten rock, bubbling to the surface and spreading more than a mile deep over an area half the size of Australia, may have killed up to 90 percent of all animal species on Earth some 250 million years ago, a study suggests. 9:56:26 AM

Government Worker Recalls Mohamed Atta Seeking Funds Before Sept. 11 Four of the hijackers who attacked America on Sept. 11 tried to get government loans to finance their plots, including ringleader Mohamed Atta, who sought $650,000 to modify a crop-duster, a government loan officer told ABCNEWS 9:49:18 AM

Hold Your Breath "Syria's role as head of the U.N. Security Council resulted in an awkward dilemma Thursday, when Israel asked the council president to condemn his own country for harboring militant groups that attack Israel," the Associated Press reports. [ OpinionJournal ] 8:43:34 AM

The Seattle Clause In Seattle, a 70-year-old man is now imprisoned in solitary confinement for something he said. A judge has kept Paul Trummel in prison for more than three months because Trummel refuses to delete certain materials from his online newsletter. The story, which I told you about on this site a few weeks ago, is finally getting wide coverage via this AP story. Trummel was jailed indefinitely on Feb. 27 for violating an anti-harassment order by King County Superior Court Judge James A. Doerty. Doerty ruled in April 2001 that Trummel had been abusive and stalked residents and administrators at Council House, a low-income retirement home in Seattle where Trummel formerly lived. The judge ordered Trummel to remove from the website personal data on employees at Council House, and imposed fines of $100 a day for failing to comply. He later limited Trummel's phone privileges and put him in solitary confinement. Doerty has said Trummel doesn't have First Amendment rights because he is not a paid journalist. Either there is a little-known "Seattle Clause" in the First Amendment or Doerty is an idiot and a proto-fascist. I think it's the latter. You can email him and tell him so - and urge him to free Trummel and restore his First Amendment rights - by sending email to: james.doerty@metrokc.gov.  [ HobbsOnline ] 8:34:50 AM

Gnat or Parasite? Angst Over Adware. Known as adware or spyware, programs that serve advertisements and track Internet use are popping up on the Internet ever more frequently. By John Biggs. [New York Times: Technology] 8:23:04 AM

Yahoo to give home page a makeover. After holding onto the same basic framework for seven years, the Web portal is hoping to court advertisers with a redesign, according to sources familiar with the changes. [CNET News.com] 8:19:00 AM

Palestinian Gunmen Kill Two Jewish Settlers. (Washington Post: World News) JERUSALEM, June 8 (Saturday) -- Palestinian gunmen infiltrated a Jewish settlement near the divided West Bank city of Hebron and killed two Israelis early today, officials said, hours after armored units moved into Jenin, enforcing a curfew on the 30,000 residents of the Palestinian city. [Palestine & Israel News] 8:17:29 AM