June 30, 2004

Hussein's Trial Offers Both Peril and Promise to Iraq and U.S. New York Times - When Saddam Hussein is charged with crimes against humanity in an Iraqi court on Thursday, much more will be at stake than his own fate. For the people of this country, the Iraqi Special Tribunal could open the door for a thorough accounting of the crimes committed by his notoriously repressive government. 9:33:51 PM

Up to 100 more mad cow cases expected United Press International -  The US Department of Agriculture reported Wednesday a cow that initially tested positive for mad cow disease has come back negative on follow-up testing, but a food industry consultant told United Press International he estimates there could be more than 100 cases of the deadly disorder in the country's herds. About half of the cases will go undetected and passed on for human consumption, Robert LaBudde, president of Least Cost Formulation Ltd., a food industry consultancy in Virginia Beach, Va., told UPI. The USDA is still awaiting results from another case that initially tested positive Tuesday. Results could take four to seven days. Under the agency's expanded surveillance plan, which went into effect June 1, cows initially are screened by so-called rapid tests and any positives are followed up with confirmatory testing. The only confirmed U.S. case of mad cow disease to date occurred in Washington state last December. 9:22:58 PM

Court upholds Microsoft-DOJ settlement. A U.S. Appeals Court on Wednesday upheld Microsoft's landmark antitrust settlement with the Department of Justice and several state attorneys general, rejecting Massachusetts' appeal for stiffer penalties. "The order approving the consent decree in the public interest is affirmed," the appeals court wrote in an 83-page ruling that preserves the settlement and dismisses the objections of Massachusetts--the lone holdout state--and two industry trade groups. [CNET News.com] In short: GOOD NEWS FOR MICROSOFT. 4:07:59 PM

Top court rules ISPs not liable for royalties CBC News - Internet service providers are not responsible for paying royalties on music downloaded by users, Canada's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. In a unanimous 9-0 decision, the court ruled that although ISPs provide the hardware and technology, they aren't responsible for what people download. The court ruled that companies providing wide access to the web are "intermediaries" who are not bound by federal copyright legislation.  12:48:54 PM

BBC: Analysis: Defining genocide Human rights campaigners accuse Sudan's pro-government Arab militia of carrying out genocide against black African residents of the Darfur region. They are accused of forcing some one million people from their homes and killing at least 10,000. Many thousands more are at risk of starving due to a lack of food in the camps where they have fled. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has refused to use the term genocide, which would carry a legal obligation to act. Of course I am convinced the only reason NOT to call this genocide, is because he can't find a way to blame America or Israel! 10:19:10 AM