December 10, 2002

Courtney Love doesn't want you to read these documents. The Smoking Gun -  Lawyers for the rock star yesterday (12/10) sent The Smoking Gun (TSG) a four-page letter threatening legal action if the site did not immediately remove excerpts from an explosive investigative report by the California Medical Board. "My client, who is not shy about asserting her legal rights, has authorized the commencement of all necessary litigation if the Story is not immediately removed from your website," wrote attorney Paul Karl Lukacs. "You have been warned. This is a matter of the utmost seriousness. Govern yourself accordingly." After consulting with TSG's legal counsel, the documents will stay in place. 8:09:32 PM

Marijuana law to be loosened Justice Minister prepares to decriminalize; Alliance expects legal limit of 40-plus joints National Post, Canada - The federal government will introduce legislation decriminalizing marijuana within the first four months of the new year, Martin Cauchon, the Justice Minister, suggested yesterday. The Canadian Police Association is strongly opposed to taking possession off the criminal record books. Currently, a person caught with small amounts of marijuana can be jailed for up to six months and receive a fine of $1,000. 8:00:54 PM

58 Priests Demand Boston Cardinal's Resignation Voice of America - In an extraordinary letter, 58 Roman Catholic priests are calling for the resignation of US Cardinal Bernard Law, head of the embattled Roman Catholic Archdiocese in the northeastern city of Boston. 6:54:10 PM

Plan to clone human embryos News Interactive -  STANFORD University has announced its intention to clone human embryos, becoming the first US university to publicly embrace the politically charged procedure. 6:48:21 PM

It's no joke, that beer may kill your brain cells Straits Times - TEENS who joke about killing brain cells while downing beers may find the idea a bit less funny when they grow up.  6:47:28 PM

CNN Black leaders press Lott on remark CNN - Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus said Tuesday they're not satisfied with incoming Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott's apology over his comments praising Strom Thurmond's 1948 segregationist presidential bid. 6:44:15 PM

This is very big news: Ship Carrying Missiles from North Korea Boarded in Arabian Sea Voice of America - A ship carrying at least a dozen scud-type missiles from North Korea has been intercepted in the Arabian Sea. The ship was about one thousand kilometers off the Horn of Africa Monday when it was stopped by two Spanish warships and boarded. Quoting U.S. defense officials, the Cable News Network says a U.S. military disposal unit boarded the ship Tuesday. The ship had no flag, and would not stop until shots were fired.  The containers with the missile parts were in "containers buried in cement in the ship's cargo hold".  This CNN article has a lot more. It is suggested that these missles were headed to Yemen.  I am not sure but I think the north west part of Yemen is close enough to Israel to fire Scuds of this type right into Tel Aviv.  Yemen is the ancestral home of al Qaeda leder Osama bin Laden, where U.S. officials say some al Qaeda leaders may have fled after being pushed out of Afghanistan last year. 6:42:15 PM

ABC Online Aussie Court Backs Suit Over Net Article InternetNews.com - Australia's highest court Tuesday granted an Australian businessman the right to sue for defamation for an article published and residing on Web servers in the United States, while being distributed over the Internet. 1:07:03 PM