A study by the world's leading experts says global warming will happen faster and be more devastating than previously thought. The most authoritative report yet produced, the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will be released next week.

Several weeks ago, with much media fanfare, the Baker-Hamilton Committee submitted to President Bush its long-awaited, bipartisan report on the US war in Iraq. On balance, the report provided Bush with a face-saving strategy for pulling out all US combat forces by the beginning of 2008. The Baker-Hamilton report favors an increase of US advisers being embedded inside Iraqi troops and direct negotiations with regional powers Iran and Syria. Bush, however, almost immediately distanced himself from key proposals in the report. Why does Bush defy public opinion by pursuing this unpopular war? The answer, argues Manning Marable, lies not in America's need to "combat Islamic terrorism" but in the economic necessity for the US to control international markets and valuable natural resources, such as oil.

Maryland Starbucks baristas issue a list of demands to their store including living wages and a safe work environment.

Brief report on the third Media Reform Congress. Bill Moyers and Jesse Jackson criticize the mainstream media.

The difference between what U.S. citizens think their rulers are doing in the world and what these rulers actually are doing is one of the great propaganda achievements of history. If we believe the White House and its various spokespersons, the United States has been reluctantly propelled onto the world stage by the force of events. This idea of reluctance is heavily peddled by policymakers and their media shills. None of our leaders ever really wanted to get involved in this or that region, we are told, but there are demonic forces afoot that necessitate U.S. intervention throughout the world.

Move over Mafia, Cocaine cartels, Russian, Balkan, Cuban groups, Triads and numerous other criminal organisations – the U.S. State is taking over! Today, the methodologies of the American State cannot be distinguished from the methods of organised crime. The latest executions of Saddam’s cronies and the newly signed deal to allow American Oil Companies unprecedented access and open slather exploitation of Iraqi Oil reserves leave little doubt regarding the real intentions of the illegal invasion. The Washington line of spreading ‘liberty’ and ‘democracy’ will go down in history as a feeble and transparent charade. Nevertheless, America has proven that caveman tactics of brute force and mindless violence (over 655,000 dead) succeed in satisfying immediate needs. It has also become apparent that the USA is unable to see the untenability of its actions in the long term – America has failed to assess the real costs of its morally bankrupt actions!

In his daily radio address, George W Bush challenged those who oppose his insane route to oblivion, to ‘put up or shut up’. “To oppose everything while proposing nothing is irresponsible," he said, “offer an alternative”. In view of the fact that U.S. Democrats are unable to effectively deal with the situation, we formally and directly accept this challenge and remind Bush that we are aware that this response will be read by him and his neo-cons; indeed, we have been aware for some time that Bush is a regular reader of this site as indeed is Rice and others. There is no avoiding this response!

An excellent review of the weapons of the not-so-distant future