COMMENTARY ARTICLES of Michael Hammerschlag

              Is America the Greatest Country in the World? - Newsroom
-----"A collapse by any major player (investment house) could create a chain reaction of falling dominos... the ultimate result could be a global economic collapse, because America is overextended way past the cliff, the net is disappearing, and a sinking America will drag down the world" - The Bush Battered Dollar 3/2008

TRIPOD GRAPHICS must be accessed from TRIPOD page eg. AUDIO, MENU, PHOTOS, or TRIPOD HOME    REDUCE FONTS. Some older articles are large jpegs and must be navigated around by directional arrows. 2 Panels are 2 articles side by side on same page (PLUS)- pan to see 2nd.
new BLOG - Apr 19   BOSTON BOMBING, RICIN SENDER CAUGHT, WHACKOS in WACO? JUDD OPPO AUDIO,
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CRIME STORY -(gif) Dec 94 - In the News ARCHIVE HTML vers UNTOLD STORY of REASONS Behind 1st CHECHEN WAR - Exclusive; Hijackings of Buses with Children, Raids + Stripping of Trains, Hundreds of Billions of Counterfeiting, Vicious Chechen Mafia; Historical Genocides and Hatreds; STORY Western Media repeated was simplistic "Soviet Bear Rising" (my '94 NPR talk show on Chechen War + rise of Russian Mafia (ALT) NPR Comments on Moscow theater bloodbath- slider to 25:30

FIRM of MIND, SOFT on FACTS - In the News, 10th Anniv. Exclusive ARCHIVE Bush has, with a steady stream of lies, deceptions, and propaganda, has managed to convince half the country that Saddam supports Al Qaida or even was behind 9-11. Iraq invasion historic blunder that may echo through the decades- 3-17-03 Liberal Slant, Bartcop ALT WARBLOG 3/19-5/19/03

Oct

28 Ukraine Parliamentary Elections: Great Clean Hope?- Heavy weight champion Vitaly Klitschko's political party UDAR (PUNCH) underperforms but beats Communists; Could Dr. Iron Fist have reduced the Africa-level corruption of the richest resource FSU country? Photos - Oct 30 Audio
Sevastopol vote counting- Reno Dominico

-- Photo - Oct 15, Kyiv Shulyavskaya rally 2012©Michael Hammerschlag Sevastopol Vote Counting --

98% reporting: Party of Regions wins sweeping but tainted victory 30.2%, 25.4% Batkivshchina (Tymoshenko), 13.8% Udar, 13.3% Communist, 10.3% Svobody (Ukr nationalists) in party list vote; though allied opposition would outmatch POR-Com 49.5% v 43.5%; but POR coalition could get 56% of final seats- at least 250* of 450 Rada seats (assuming they "per$uade" 60% of 50 "independent" and smaller party victors to join); MORE * On Dec 13, the Rada elected a new POR Speaker Rybak by 250 votes + reelected Azarov PM by 254

OBAMA's STRENGTHS TRUMP ROMNEY - Kyiv Post

Obama's calm tough leadership in foreign policy has decimated Al Qaida, ended US involvement in Iraq, saved the Benghazans, won America world respect; whereas hothead Romney has promised new conflicts in Iran, Syria, and with Russia and China.. and wants to unleash Wall St. hucksters and punish the poor; the FSU is sadly not a priority with the West [written before BO's pitiful performance in 1st debate] Oct 2012

SAFE HAVEN - Is Ukraine racist? Sometimes it is endlessly surprising. Story of a beloved Angolan Ukrainian - Kyiv Post LOCAL

THE GOLDEN RING-Quest for the Presidency - Yahoo Network LOCAL Republican contenders + pretenders - all too extreme? Blow by blow flips in states; Profile of Romney and his Mormon exoticism (can he ever win Repub hearts?); and Obama's problems, and supposed betrayal of the base in various suppressive acts; w long interview of fmr DNC chair + Pres. candidate Howard Dean - Feb-May 2012 - Scoop in Ukrainian in Russian (older)

BACK IN THE USSR - Kyiv Post

ORIGINAL After a teaser of decriminalizing the ridiculous charges against Tymoshenko, the Yanukovich government decided to crucify her- with a dozen new investigations inc. contract killing. In the financial charges there may be a glimmer of truth, but the 7 year treason sentence for her normal duties was preposterous. Examples of treason, betraying one's state, were the Oedipal Bush-neocon invasion of Iraq, which benefited no one but war profiteer Dick Cheney and killed 300-400,000... or the throwing of the RosUkrEnergo case in the Stockholm Arbitration Tribunal, which bankrupted state co. Naftogaz and could lose Ukraine its sovereignty- Nov 2011 Tymoshenko in court that gave her 7 year sentence -

VOYAGES to NEW WORLDS: Vesta- from orbit;
2nd biggest asteroid though the end of the Shuttle means we are dependent on Russian launches, a plethora of unmanned missions are happening: the Dawn orbited the second biggest asteroid Vesta July 16, 2011 (330mi. diam. and will go on to the biggest Ceres in a year (arrive 2015) - 590mi diam. with significant water ice); the $1.1 bil JUNO spacecraft blasted off Aug 5th for a 5-6 year trip to a a polar orbit of Jupiter, the Mini Cooper-size Curiosity rover takes off for Mars on Thanksgiving; and the Sun has had the longest period of quiet + cool in recorded history: from 2006-2009, 800 days without a sunspot, yet we still had the hottest years in history (now maybe back 4 million years) in 2005 + 2010, when the cool sun was negating some of the Global Warming! But, the 11 year-cycle warmer solar maximum is in 2013-2014, when the coming Great Drought may hit- Texas everywhere. July 2011 Dawn leaves Vesta for Ceres 9/5/2012
- asteroid Vesta from Dawn spacecraft in orbit

WHO'S SAYIN HUSSEIN NOW? - Scoop Bin Laden's death is good news, but his quick disposal will fuel conspiracy theories: monsters must be displayed to prove they are gone- PolPot, Ceaseacu, Mussolini; Better he rotted in a US prison- now he become myth and martyr; But America was changed and damaged forever, by it's own overreaction and Bush's Oedipal criminal invasion of Iraq; $3 trillion of endless war + 400,000 dead

ABSOLUTE POWER - Scoop , OpEdNews, KIEV: In seizin glum
yanukovich

g full control of the Courts, City of Kiev, changing the Constitution to the old powerful-President one, prosecuting the impotent opposition (imprisoning 25!), and restricting who can run in local elections; Yanukovich and his Party of Regions have managed to do in 7 months what took Putin 7 years- achieve an absolute monopoly of control in Ukraine. The Supreme Court was demoted and bowdlerized, as the High Court of Justice and Constitutional Court were packed with majority POR judges.- Oct 2010

THE BEAR'S EMBRACE - Kyiv Weekly FULL Pres. Medvedev comes to Kiev- signs deals on nuclear loans and plant-building; joint aviation projects; controversial border "resolution" and joint Rukrainian textbook production to howls from marginalized opposition; Answers questions at Taras Shevchenko U; Linguistic war against Russian is over- deep sense of comfort among Russian speakers; Yanukovich attacked by Mother Nature May 27 flower

, 2010

DON'T BE SAD, BE BOTANICAL - Botanical gardens of Kiev - Kyiv Weekly- May 27
The beauty of Kiev's 2 Botanichsky Sads- the central one by Universitet Metro, and the huge Vydubichy one south

AKEOVER - Kyiv Weekly Can Ukraine Remain Independent - FULL Putin's suggestion that Gazprom and Naftogaz merge hit with a thunderclap; At 6% value, Naftogaz would be devoured by Gazprom and Ukraine would be under Moscow's thumb; Oligarchs maybe last guarantors of Ukr independence- they would lose immense powers being vassals of Moscow; Yanukovich resists proposal- Ukrainians have been managing Russian overlordship for centuries; - May 20

ENDLESS GAS - Kyiv Weekly - Ukraine got some breathing

space on gas prices- 30% discount in exchange for 25 years longer stay of Black Sea Fleet, but at what cost; Tymoshenko's deal was horrible, Ukr paid among the highest prices in Europe, but gas is plentiful due to exploding US (and soon Polish/Ukr) shale gas production and Ukraine has negligible transportation costs, so the 30% "discount" was maybe 4%; Is the next part of this deal turning over Ukraine's pipelines to Russia, it's last bargaining chip? With Russia buying Industrial Union of Donbass, (probably) stage-managing the Kyrgyz revolt, helping Ukraine with billions of loans for nuclear power plants- Russia is rising, and looking to extend it's web of influence throughout Ukraine- April 30

BLUE STEEL - Billionaire's Boy's Club; Ukraine Pres Election - Business Ukraine KIEV: Mar 25, Ex-convict ex-PM Yanukovich has won the Presidential election by 3.47% points over Tymoshenko in a 69% turnout. She claimed fraud and challenged the result in a friendly Appeals Court (which was threatened in an occupation by POR MP's weeks ago), but liberals were dispirited. 4.4% voted "against all". All election observer groups have declared the result fair. On Feb 20th Tymoshenko withdrew her challenge when the court rejected some of her claims and Yanukovich was inaugurated Feb 25th. With blinding speed, her coalition collapsed and enough of her BYuT delegates and orphaned Our Ukraine MOP's defected to Yanukovich's Party of Regions to give them a majority and end her reign as PM on March 3 (though that violates the Constitution). Yanukovich immediately packed his Cabinet with the billionaire bosses of the POR, without a single Orange face, and has moved to control the Court system and attain absolute control.Yushchenko's reckless constant undercutting of Tymoshenko, no matter what the damage to the country, has given Ukraine back to the oligarchs, and to a lesser extent Russia, as dreams of European integration recede and Soviet-style corruption returns.

Radio Report (MP3 audio) - KIEV: Realplayer - 6:06min, Jan 17-18 Ukrainian voters are exhausted and disillusioned by the endless vicious battles between the big 3 candidates: President Yushchenko, PM Tymoshenko, and former PM Yanukovich, but after Presidential elections Jan17, one will soon be gone.- Yushchenko's support has plummeted to 5%. The top 2 will participate in the second round runoff in 3 weeks with Yanukovich (35% -results) leading Timoshenko (25%) by 10%. Early fresh face former Speaker Yatseniuk (7%) faded with an atrocious advertising campaign, but newcomer Sergei Tigipko has surged to third (13%). Interviews of a dozen voters in Kiev + Mohyla Academy Political Science Professor Olexiy Haran.

CAIRO (not) CALM - In the News Scoop CAIRO: Obama gave a historic speech in the heart of t momma + baby

he Arab World June 4th. A Feb 22nd terrorist bombing in Cairo sounded like business as usual... but Cairo is really one of safest cities in world, where one can walk anywhere at 3am; and never hear an anti-Western sentiment in 2 months; partly due to the civilizing effect of Islam, which punishes rude, criminal,or violent behavior, but Egyptians are really special-a warm blend of world peoples; inc. police crackdown on the mildest protest.- March 2009 Cairo Crime Wave aft Police Demoralized- NYT 5-12

THE COPYCAT EFFECT - In the News ARCHIVE MediaChannel proves sensational media coverage of deadly mayhem causes people to copy it; Loren Coleman's important new book; Media + journalistic response; Ethics and better approaches; Analysis of newsmags coverage; Possible imminent risks: CLEAR and PRESENT DANGERS - Columbine + Waco/OKC bombing anniversaries and apocalyptic cults - April 21, 2005

HALLELUAH... HEALTH CARE- Obama Gets his Mojo Back - Scoop LOCAL On the cusp of a "failed Presidency", Obama settles down, gives up on bipartisanship, and wins the strange half-a-loaf health care bill. Like a magician, he then achieves a historic START arms control agreement with the Russians, cuts out banks from the student loan business, and makes 15 recess appointments. This President has depths of resilience and smarts unseen before.- April 1

TALE OF THREE WORLDS - Skullduggery in the Sugar Business- KIEV: What is going on at the Ukrainian Sugar Company, a Mykolayev project of the commodities giant ED&F Man with a 25% Ukrainian investor UPK/TEKT. TEKT claims that the coal bought for the renovated plant by the Polish managers is "dead rock" and the new factory is a sweetheart deal used one; Man and USC say the plant was in such poor shape they had to replace it, and that original assets were diverted. After over 2 years it still hasn't started production

"DEADLY" EPIDEMIC in UKRAINE - KIEV: Ukraine panics over swine flu epidemic but the numbers don't support anything out of the ordinary- less deaths or sickness from flu than last year

HEALTH FIASCO - Scoop, OpEdNews It was all suppose to go right this time, but Obama's obsession with compromise and bipartisanship may doom the health care plan to an exorbitant boondoggle, enriching the medical/drug complex parasites beyond their wildest dreams, and breaking the back of the US financial system. The best option that works around the world- single payer- wasn't on the table, but the most corrupt provision ever- no negotiation for bulk drug prices (estimated to waste $60 billion/year) is enshrined in it. A handful of right-wing screaming shills at town halls are defeating a 70% popular plan. Congress is bought and paid for on this issue, on both sides of the isle.-
ADDEN: Miraculously the public option was readded and yoeman work has been done, but what concessions will be needed to make 60

NO NATO NOW - PIK (Russian, Ukrainian), Scoop- KIEV: The invasion of Georgia scared FSU states, esp. Ukraine who lobbied fervently for NATO membership, but that would provoke the exact crisis it was designed to prevent, which the callous gas cutoff is showing. Nobody really wants Ukraine in NATO, the people (61% against vs 24%), the Rada, and NATO itself, for whom Ukr instability and Russian military presence would be destabilizing.- Dec 2008

THE MORAL VOTERS - Nov 5, '08 For decades harsh evangelicals have controlled and distorted the Republican party, drowning out other voices and imposing their narrow views on the country; But a new morality has emerged in Obama's historic election from the vast bulk of voters who are sick of war, of corruption, of lies, and stupidity... who believe in Obama's phrase that we are our brother's keepers
JACKSON DESERVES A SEAT AT THE TABLE - ARCHIVE In the News Seattle Times- Jackson's energy, eloquence, careful reasoned arguments, + superb performance in 1988 debates has earned him a shot at Sec. State (first golden-tongue black to run for Prez)

A QUESTION OF JUDGMENT - Oct '08 Despite his "maverick" image, John McCain's judgment has been abysmal, starting with his decision to remain in a brutal NV prison for 4 1/2 years rather than go home (which we questioned him on). His economic advisor, friend, and so-called "genius" Phil Gramm wrote the bills that tore down Depression protections and exempted these junk bond derivatives from any regulation- creating this economic meltdown; McCain was a fervent backer of the catastrophic Iraq invasion + has never had any qualms; Cynical choice of the woefully unqualified Palin for Veep endangers nation; Rash reckless decisions the norm- Scoop, OpedNews

THE BUSH BATTERED DOLLAR - Scoop, OpedNews -April '08 In the News Malaga, Spain: With 4-6 trillion dollars of tax cuts to the rich +

his wanton war, Bush has rung up more deficits than all Presidents combined. Since he took office, the dollar has dropped 47%, 8% in just a recent 5 weeks- halving the value of trillions of dollars of foreign investments. For Americans living abroad the slow sickening slide of the dollar is devastating- every week less Rubles or Euros or Crowns. The now worthless Republican-deregulated junk mortgage derivative bonds are supposedly more than all the real stocks and bonds put together... and world markets are hanging by a thread. Swiss UBS Bank just wrote off $37 billion, and Japan could have $300 billion of losses. A collapse by any major player could create a chain reaction that would cause a worldwide collapse. Desperate to prevent that, the Fed injected $500 bil just to stabilize things. Lehman Bros collapses, Merril sold, AIG, WashMutual tottering

GEORGIA'S FOLLY & the RAGE OF THE BEAR Kiev: Saakashvili's reckless invasion of S. Ossetia was bound to provoke a virulent Russian reaction, but it has disappeared in the news as the world's condemnation falls entirely on Russia; McCain's foreign policy advisor is a paid lobbyist for Georgia- did he or Administration encourage this to create a new bugaboo enemy to intimidate voters, since terrorism wasn't working anymore?; Georgia isn't Budapest or Prague, but the Russians can't resist grinding their face in the dirt as an object lesson for Ukraine, Estonia, or Poland- Scoop, OpedNews Aug 19, 08

ARE WE COOKED?- Global Warming Worse Than You Think new 8 Latest Scientific Findings each show warming will be much worse than worst case estimate; 850,000 yr old 4 km Antarctic ice cores prove radical temperature changes 5-12C happened as fast as 3 years; CO₂ generation exploding from Chinese (+ Indian) coal power plants; Methane's threat from melting tundra and gigantic ocean bottom methane hydrate deposits (twice all other fossil fuels combined!); High altitude sulfur from commercial jets have cooled the whole earth 1 C- so real global warming is over double what we see, and airline collapses could instantly raise worldwide temps; 1/3 of Gulf Stream not flowing North; 1/3 of warming from black atmospheric soot from soaring coal burning; Catastrophic ice sheet collapse into deep ocean could make worldwide killer tsunamis; 8 Feedback loops multiply effects many fold, inc. ice pack going from 90% reflecting to 80% absorbing; CO₂ in oceans released as it gets warmer; increased CO₂ in ocean dissolving limestone shells, deforesting a WA state every year; Interviews w 5 top GW scientists fm Nasa Goddard, UAlaska, USGS, UCLA - coming;

ENDLESS SUMMER- Element Moscow (travel) ORIGINAL Morocco: Beautiful, spacious, stylish Valencia, Spain is a place without winter; where the museums are mostly free and open till 8:30pm (even 1am!), where the food is good and people live well, where 2200 years of history and an Islamic heritage are on display in the architecture. LOCAL - Mar 13, '08

ROMAN HOLIDAY- Element Moscow (travel) ORIGINAL Rome: Tired of the frigid gloom of the third Rome's mud season? Get away - to the first Rome. From the bldgs of the Forum, to the massive Colosseum (where up to a million people died over 330 years), to the most perfectly preserved lg ancient building, the Pantheon ... Rome is magnificent. LOCAL 3000 years of Roman history are splayed out, with Christian churches cannibalizing ancient buildings, and a dizzying array of overlapping layers of antiquity.- Jan 22, 08

NO SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL- Moscow: Putin visited the NKVD killing fields of Butovo and expressed sympathy for the tens of millions of victims of the purges and murders, for the first time; Before he had exalted the security agencies and diminished the crimes of his agency; Many places have had genocidal monsters, but only Russia still has fans of them; supposedly 35% would vote for Stalin now if he were running- Oped News ; Nov 07

THE INFINITE PUTIN - ARCHIVE Capital Times ORIGINAL Moscow: Putin is supposed to leave office in March, but that was impossible to believe. Appointing unknown crony Viktor Zubkov PM (told only the day before and rammed through rubber stamp Congress 2 days later) ends the doubt. Zubkov will be anointed President (+ win), Putin will become Prime Minister, and Zubkov may resign in 6-12 months to let Vladimir Vladimirovich return as Prez. Massive conflicts of interests in the Kremlin, where mini oligarch ministers control the biggest corporations in the world and can't separate their interests from those of the state, crushing and absorbing competitors.- October 4, '07, (On May 7, 2008 Putin became PM; In 2012 he will return for 12 years as Prez, the "tandem" decided, though unprecedented protests sprung up)

PUTIN'S CHILDREN (Orig.) - International Herald Tribune- NYT SCAN July 6, 2007 - from Moscow The Putin Youth groups: Nashi, Young Guard, Young Russia; badger and terrorize anyone who even differs with Kremlin positions; By propagandizing the vulnerable, is the Kremlin poisoning the seed corn of young minds? On June 12th, Russian Independence Day, Red Sq. was reserved for the Party faithful po Ryccki ONLINE NYT vers.

RATTLING RUSTING SABERS- from Moscow- The US's proposed "missile shield" in Eastern Europe has provoked a heated reaction by Russia; Encircled by NATO against promises, facing renewed US nuclear development and bases in FSU, the US cancelling ABM treaty + non-proliferation regimes; Have the Russians been betrayed? Heavy handed cutoffs of gas + oil supplies to neighbors have led them to seek shelter with the West, no matter how destabilizing. Can Russia glean respect without threats?    OpedNews, Scoop

FADING FREEDOMS- Capital Times - from Moscow (must view in IE) Step by step democracy has become a fading photograph of the nineties, as Putin restricts, harrasses and crushes political independence, the free press, and concentrates all power in the Kremlin; Giant state industries reconstituting as the state forces out foreign oilcos- March 24      LONG with Pics

THE SOCIAL SECURITY SCAM + DEBT BOMB (IE only) ARCHIVE In the News Energy Bulletin- LOCAL - SS trust fund has no cash, so Bush's privatization plan would need to borrow $200-300 bil a year; Deficit is real threat to SSS; Dollar has dropped 38% since mid 2001- disaster if foreigners stop buying our bonds that fund deficit, let alone sell them; Cause epidemic of home forclosures+ bankruptcies- Mar 10, 2005- Los Angeles Herald, SCOOP -NZ, Smkg Chp    DEBT CLOCK

DEATH OF A BEAR - from Moscow    Boris Yeltsin, despite his faults, was a courageous decent leader and a historical giant; Tagged with much that wasn't his fault, the early Boris broke up the largest empire on earth without bloodshed + ended the Cold War that could have killed 500 million- Scoop, Johnson Russia List, OpedNews- April 22, 2007

THE PRESIDENT'S CONTEMPT - After 7 years of lies, corruption, national security failures, and a disastrous unjustified war, the new Dem Congress is asking questions; Heedless of the Constitution, Bush is giving no answers + with unprecedented arrogance, directed staffers to not testify; Time for inherent contempt charges? Tally of Bush's cost in human lives- OpedNews, Online Journal- Aug 2007

9-11 NARCISSISM - The Oliver Stone movie World Trade Center is another moving hagiopic to the terrible sacrifice of 9-11. But we've been celebrating ourselves for being victims for 5 years now, and it's too much. It's time to stop congratulating ourselves for something we didn't do. And we didn't do many things.- Aug 2006 Scoop, Worldnews

NSA Director Gen. William Odom (news article) exclusive (REALAUDIO)- 52 min   Dissects strategic blunder of Iraq, escape strategies, geopolitical consequences, Iran attack, Korea- April 7, 2006 -Watson Institute Brown Univ.- OpedNews, Scoop + 69,000 venues- My Questions 7m (wma)

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION updated 6-1-6 AlterNet   Scoop   OpEd News  ALT    ALT2    Against every rule of occupation, almost no effort was made to secure the vast munitions stores of Iraq after the invasion; 250,000 tons, 39% of the ordinance was looted by insurgents and is killing our soldiers every day. IED deaths have more than doubled in the last year- now 71% of US hostile fatalities, and there's enough looted armaments to make ten 500 lb IED's a day for the next 274 years. Interview of Military Intelligence agent who reveals how even an ammo dump next to huge US base was negligently allowed to be looted.- Oct 28, '05

LIVING in the DANGER ZONE - COA News Reporters risk themselves in war zones for far more than glory, Vulnerability of freelancers, Tales of personal terror in the dissolving Russian Empire; A prayer for Jill Caroll- Jan 20, '06

CALIFORNIA ENERGY RIPOFF WASN'T JUST CRIME- 6 power companies, led by Enron, by manipulating power production, raised rates up to 90 fold; CAL paid in one day what it had been paying in 3 months; Used this vast scam to punish Gore voting state (+12%) and depose Dem governor; secret Cheney Energy Task Force likely plotted Iraq war - Bartcop, Buzzflash

UNPATRIOTIC SPYING - OpedNews, Scoop, Online Journal The FBI is doing full spectrum warrantless monitoring of 30,000 people a year, but are there even 3000 legitimate terrorism suspects a year? Now the Pentagon, CIA, NSA have also been spying on Americans- all illegally or illegitimately. No judge, no magistrate, no control, no limits; Records are open to state, local, and corporate "authorities" and are never destroyed. Thousands can rip through anyone's life, and could this vindictive administration avoid persecuting critics? Billions of domestic calls indexed, analyzed; With stunning revelation from Joe Wilson. Jan 5, 06

STOPPING the NEXT BOSNIA- ARCHIVE com. scoop Capital Times -Dec 13, 2003 FULL version. - It seems obvious we will be forced out of Iraq, which will explode into Civil War between the 63% Shiites and 17% Sunni former rulers (and the 19% Kurds?); Bosnia across California; Beirut in the third biggest oil country- Maybe partitioning Iraq could mitigate or prevent the coming bloodbath - Nov 4;      TALK SHOW (audio) on subj.- 40min w Barry Farber- Dec 4, 03     Brown U. Conf. on Kurds (audio) 4:03 min- Oct 1

A WARM + BRIGHT FUTURE ARCHIVE In the News part 1-(Maui Time- Sept 1-14, 1998) + part 2 (9/15-28) Evidence and results of worldwide unprecedented warming- hottest ten years in last 2000 all since 1981. 1998 hottest year ever, 1997 hottest before that, each month a new world's record (inc 9/2005). Discusses nitrogen oxides, methane, + water vapor's huge contributions (3-5 TIMES what we've been computing). Part 1 - Evidence for worldwide global warming- may cause a possible ice age    What we can do + what we will do; Weather extremes + resulting deaths..       Letter from VP Al Gore about article (jpeg)            HTML FULL Article     US NEWS cover story on Global Warming 2/28/00 - Antarctic Meltdown    WEST ANTARCTIC ICESLIDE        4800 Cu. Mi. ARCTIC ICE MELTED- 2-17-05 POINT of NO RETURN - 9-16    GULF STREAM DROPS 30% 12-1   COLD WAVE KILLS THOUSAND IN EUROPE - 1-20-06    ICE AGE HERE?   DIMMING the SUN- pollution has stopped 2° rise

OVER THERE (gif)- Capital Times Feb 26, 2005 HTML Bush claims we are fighting them there so they won't come here, and that seems logical, even to some liberals; After all, there haven't been more attacks in America- Feb 15     Washington Dispatch

HUNTING TRUTH - The Trouble with Harry- MediaChannel Is the Veep's shooting accident story as honest as the Iraqi WMD's?, Accident report shows much closer distance than 90 ft claimed- smaller pellet spread, too many pellets + too much penetration; Cheney + Willeford abandon him and go 100 yards farther, Cheney shoots him in the safe zone in a line towards the car, "Witness" sees everything from inside car 100 yards away; with Interviews of Corpus Christi reporters, ballistics experts; investigative shotgun pattern comparisons; Whittington blasted by 2/3 of shot in shell!- Feb 15-25

BUSH's BIG BETRAYAL ARCHIVE First Cheney + Co. tried to bully the CIA into claiming Iraq was an imminent threat; then they created their own "intelligence" outfit, which incorporated every wild rumor. After Iraq Niger uranium purchase was proved a cheap forgery, betray CIA second time by trying to blame them. Worse, they punish Ambassador that reported on Niger forgery by outing his wife as a CIA agent; The CIA has many ways to hurt him; imperial lies + stupidities carefully filed and indexed. - SmChp, Liberal Slant, Buzzflash, Bartcop- July 23, 03   One of the First Commentaries about Plame Scandal

RADIO COMMENTARY on backpack bombs in London re Iraq fm Jan '03

CLOUD WORLD: MISSION to TITAN- Jan 14 the 11 year $3 billion Cassini mission to Saturn, successfully dropped a landing probe into the most earthlike atmosphere in the Solar System, Titan. Bigger than planets Mercury or Pluto, it has a nitrogen atmosphere 1.5 X Earth's pressure and 4Â½X as dense. But it is a bitter â€“178ºC, leading to speculation of lakes, oceans, and volcanoes of liquid methane- photos seem to show that (inc.); w interview of Huygens scientist ESA, Germany- SCOOP (NZ), MSN-UK

GETTING GOOD NEWS: The Government vs. the Press in Times of War (audio) Mike's BROWN U. LECTURE (listing)- History of Press restrictions in Wars since WW2; How Vietnam changed everything and made the media the enemy- 27 min., Salomon Hall, Brown Univ.- Dec 13, 04  Poster

Could America Go Bad?-   Columnized   What would America do if we were hit with a terrorist nuclear attack ... with this President, Congress, and a packed Supreme Court? Hyperbolic nightmare scenario- Nov 23- Op-Ed News, USA Editorial, Tokyo Hello, North American Media, Chinese American News, South American Business Daily, Saudi Post, Hiroshima Post, Scoop, Liberia Sport, World Economist, Turkmen Post, Tunesia Cup, World News Network

HOW KERRY LOST - The first Catholic candidate in 44 years lost the Catholic vote, almost lost the Hispanic vote, lost ground with women; and neglected to talk about the immorality of Bush's "values"... If he actually did lose- Nov 4-20- Crisis Papers

KERRY's COMEBACK - Washington Dispatch - Kerry outmatched the accidental President in the first debate but he could have put him away had he concentrated on Bush's greatest weakness; With evaluation of all debates, and strategy- Oct 2-16
SPEAKING LOUDLY WITHOUT ANY STICK - In the News ARCHIVE Nightmare of North Korean nukes: the most dangerous country in the world has started to produce a nuclear arsenal + has missiles; Administration response?- no negotiations, no problem;   But Saddam needs crushing;   History of NK terrorism- Liberal Slant 1/4/03   S.Korean naval ship sinks near NKorea; 46 missing

NO RESPONSIBILITY IN BUSH'S FANTASY WORLD   ALT Bush steamed straight ahead in a speech that penalized no one for the systematic brutalization of our Army prisoner policy and ignored the insanity of dumping entire Iraq mess on a government in 5 weeks that doesn't exist -May 25   SmrkCp

DUNNING DEAN DID the DOCTOR GET GORED - mediachannel    COLUMNIZED HTML Did the media try to destroy Howard Dean by harping on his liberalness and inexperience (both untrue), and electability until it became a self-fulfilling prophecy with Dems desperate to defeat Bush? Analysis of coverage of campaign fm Wash. Post, Newsweek, New Republic, US News, TV debates; with NH reporting - Jan 26 (contains next article)- almost Tribune Syndicate

A BRUTAL WAKE-UP CALL - (9-12-01) We have been heedless and careless in failing to dispatch bin Laden, protect our airliners w skymarshals or an air cap over our cities; blind in our ignorance of the growing Palestinian rage; stupid in our cruel embargo of a crushed foe; arrogant in our imagined invulnerability// Our enemies noticed...but will reap the whirlwind- Liberal Slant-Sept 12, 2001 PHOTOS: WTC Ruins 12/6   View fm Summit     More Summit     Ruin Stills fm Video 9P IMAGES of 9-11 6P

MONSTERS from the NORTHWEST-   ARCHIVE   not surprising one sniper is from Seattle area- world capital for serial killers- causes, effects, and personal impacts- 11/1/02    Gunman in black kills 7 at Seattle party house w shotgun and handgun- 3/06Seattle Times

HOWARD DEAN and the WORLD - (columnized doc) - Dems are asking who can stop Dean, but they should ask, should we even try? Dean's world view is solidly in the mainstream, inc. Iraq- increasingly strident attacks on him are sign of desperation, but may doom Party candidate; Rove is actually afraid of Dean; With analysis of Dean's foreign policy; inc. questioning him and reporting from NH- Jan 2-17 Liberal Slant, Smr Chp, BushWatch, Bartcop, Democrats;    AUDIO of NH Town Meetings       TALK SHOW on subject w Barry Farber- 38min- Jan 6

JFK- LINGERING SHADOWS - 40 years ago the crime of the century occured and the echos still reverberate; The conspiracy theories defeat themselves, multiplying like mutant strains, till the truth itself is just another aberration, another chip in a pile of chips; With interview of historical conspiracist - Nov 17, 03

RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT TAKES CONTROL of TELEVISION- War of the Vladimirs.. Return to the Bad Old Days?- Putin Has Taken Control of 2 Other Networks; Strengthened Press Ministry; Prosecuted and Persecuted Gusinsky's (+ Berezovsky's) Media Empire- History of, Reasons for, + Meaning of Conflict- with timeline - mediachannel.org- April 9,01   3000 or 1500 wd      Issue Cover                  TALK SHOW Comments on Reporter Attacks - (move slider to 44:40)

FAREWELL COLUMBIA- The nightmare of manned spacecraft- an immolating reentry- finally has struck after being staved off for 42 years. What should NASA have done to prevent it? Personal wonders of space. - Liberal Slant 2/3/03

TREMBLING ON THE BRINK-- ARCHIVE Online Journal 1/16/02   ALT HTML    Pakistan + India have mobilized almost all their forces and are marching towards a war that neither can control; Both countries have 30-100 nuclear bombs and the missiles to deliver them; With such tiny numbers, paranoia and pressure for a first strike could be irresistible- a threat that will last a decade; Kashmiri terrorism-    Cover

BUSH's WANTON WAR- Liberal Slant   Saddam is a monster, but Bush's militancy is due to the '93 plot to kill his father and upcoming elections, not any imminent danger or 9-11 guilt. Punishing enemies is a family tradition, where he started his career- Bartcop 10/12/02 LOCAL    Smk Chp vers.

AIRLINE INSECURITY-5 months after 9-11 gaping security holes exist in the airline system. "Screening" now means "passenger bag matching", but they can't even manage that for the connecting flight; Skymarshals are nowhere to be found, even by pilots; and up to 50,000 Al Qaeda members lust for revenge; 2200 bag scanning machines are needed by Dec- new orders since 911?- ten until March 5- March 12,02         Radio Comments

BLIND FAITH- War Without End- Liberal Slant   Bush, who received only 47% of the vote, has demanded the removal of Arafat (whom he's never met), who received 88%, though the most likely successor is Hamas. Our extreme tilt towards Israeli hard liners risks our position as an honest broker of peace, increases potential US terrorists from a few thousand to millions, and perhaps extended our war a decade. The real problem in the Middle East- Liberal Slant- July 15,02   ALTERN

MIXED SIGNALS- President Bush has promised to punish states that shelter terrorists while soliciting Pakistan + Iran's help, 2 of the leading supporters of terrorism// Now he claims we won't overthrow the Taliban, but then whom is this war against?- Sept 22,2001- Liberal Slant      Interview w Commander Massoud (saying Paki army were fighting w Taliban- reporter killed in Israel in April)     WTC Ruins 12/6   Summit PHOTOS     More Photos

RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT TAKES CONTROL of TELEVISION- War of the Vladimirs.. Return to the Bad Old Days?- Putin Has Taken Control of 2 Other Networks; Strengthened Press Ministry; Prosecuted and Persecuted Gusinsky's (+ Berezovsky's) Media Empire- History of, Reasons for, + Meaning of Conflict- with timeline - mediachannel.org- April 9,01   3000 or 1500 wd      Issue Cover                  TALK SHOW Comments on Reporter Attacks - (move slider to 44:40)

"WHOOPS"- How the Networks Got it Wrong- PROBLEM POLLING POLICY - Nat. Scoop- Intellectual Capita1- 11/25/00 - Inside story on the screw-ups (3-4) at the VNS and Florida counties that caused the networks to blow the election call in a strong article/analysis/commentary against the networks and projection policy and the squirrelly polls w interviews w TV news execs, Walter Cronkite, Florida officials, pollsters, Sen. Gorton and VNS people, voting machine reps.- MediaChannel.org- 12/26/00 Anchor of largest media related network. IF DOESN'T LOAD      Issue Cover    Talk Show

Media Tenor Book w Whoops Article MEDIOCRACY- HAIL To The THIEF - (page down) 234 pgs       Table of Contents

SAMPLE BALLOT DECEPTIVE, DIFFERENT -     Dems denied hand count in Duval Co. - Nat. scoop         Capital Times - Madison WI - Nov 25, 2000                   HTML longer vers.          Duval Sample Ballot & Actual Ballots (Florida Documents)

END of BUSH's ROHYPNOL HONEYMOON?- Bush's Blunders in Foreign Policy, the Environment, the Economy, + Corporate Payoffs have won him dislike throughout world + awakened a blindly non-critical press- onlinejournal.com- April 12, 01

NETWORK NEWS HEADS IN THE DOCK - Tauzin Hearings Confused by Red Herrings, Election Woes- Exclusive
Comprehensive Jigsaw Narrative of Tauzin Hearings testimony + Network Reports (CNN,CBS,ABC,RTI) + Our analysis- with TABLES + TIMELINE- Relative Times of Network Calls, Minute x minute CBS/CNN Election Nt Miscall Timeline- March 13, 2001- MediaChannel.org - Issue Cover

CRIME STORY -(gif) Dec 94 - UNTOLD STORY of REASONS Behind 1st CHECHEN WAR - Exclusive; Hijackings of Buses with Children, Raids + Stripping of Trains, Hundreds of Billions of Counterfeiting, Vicious Chechen Mafia; Historical Genocides and Hatreds; STORY Western Media repeated was simplistic "Soviet Bear Rising" HTML vers (hear '94 NPR talk show on Chechen War + rise of Russian Mafia) NPR Comments on Moscow theater storming- slider to 25:30

IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID- (Don't Wreck It) - onlinejournal.com- Greenspan endorses a tax cut; Danger of George Bush's $1.6 tril one- Jan 26, 2001

RELATIVITY- OnlineJournal + Bartcop    A rumination on the changing firmament of truth + the nature of integrity as it pertains to vote-counting and the election- Jan 4, 2001

MONSTER MERGER MANIA-
$800 billion of mergers a year. Good for the economy, improve efficiency, good for stockholders? Untold is brutal downsizing of target company workers, crushing load of debt, monopolist concentration of power, and obscene amount of executive profits. Criticizes crooked management of Bishop Estate, largest charity in US: 2 weeks later Governor ordered massive investigation- West Hawaii Today
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NEW HOPE for IRAN-   (scroll right)                                                   new- NPR TOTN comments on Iran- 1/22/03    Move slider to 21:45-24:40
Overwhelming election of Khatami; likelihood of overthrow of Islamic dictators. A country of children: 70% under 25 years, 40% under 14- tired of sexual and cultural repression: strict segregation of sexes, no dances, Western videos, movies, handholding. Corruption of ruling mullahs and perversion of Islamic values: 98% of clergy NOT in leadership. Origin of Shiite's obsession with death and sacrifice. America's options- (forecasts lifting of Rushdie Fatwa)            HTML Printable vers. Merger          IRAN HTML            Bishop Estate Firestorm - Hon. Advertiser Aug 17, '97

COMET PHOTO ALTERED, UH SCIENTIST SAYS- .. - (Honolulu Advertiser)-Sun Front Page-April 20,'97- Nat. scoop
Faking of Univ of Hawaii telescope photo to "show" a "spaceship" following Hale-Bopp comet by psychic "remote viewing" institute; Publicized on Art Bell national radio show + website, may have been incitement for San Diego Heavens Gate cult suicide
. Original Article before lame editing- CLICK HERE                         AP RELEASE of article - (small)

IT'S ONLY WORDS - (onlinejournal.com) - the Inauguration + how George Bush's words have no connection with his actions - Jan 22, 2001 ISSUE Cover

THE SWAN HAS FLOW AWAY - West Hawaii Today (gif) The Firing of Russian Gen. Lebed from Security Council
- The most popular and toughest politician in Russia driven from Yeltsin's government; Litany of his offenses;

THE NEWS, ALL THE NEWS, AND NOTHING BUT THE NEWS- (Columbia Journalism Review)
Analysis + examination of plethora of late late night news programs; Distilled from 22 page art.; CBS Nightwatch, NBC Overnight, ABC Last Word, America Tonight, + others; (more complete version from Isthmus, Madison WI.- 1st page CJR vers. with "FOLLY of CUTTING..." below)

WELCOME TO DODGE- VIOLENCE TAKING ROOT IN MOSCOW- scroll right (Moscow News-English- most respected liberal paper in Russia)-Aug 27,93-
Epidemic of Gangland shootouts, contract murders, government willful ignorance of organized crime. Dangerous effects of violence + death; What can + must be done HTML 1st
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UP, UP, AND AWAY- (Moscow News- Sept 24, 93) Effects and dangers of rampant inflation (2600%)

FLORIDA'S SLANTED SECRETARY- Online Journal- Katherine Harris may face the music for violating oath of office- Dec 4, 2000 Jan 14: 40 suits filed against Sec St + $2/3 million spent defending her already Longer HTML vers. FL Div. Elections Letter ordering Supervisors to NOT do Hand-Count P. 1

SANCTIONS ON SANCTIONS- (Moscow Guardian- Aug 20, 93)- Uselessness + immorality of endless sanctions- In Iraq, Cuba, Serbia, South Africa; Hurting the innocents rather than the leaders
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A VULNERABLE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY-scroll right (Moscow Tribune- Mar 5, 93) Chance to buy + decommission Ukrainian, Kazakh, Byelorussian Nuclear bombs and Plutonium; Cheap at any price....

NEXT STAR OF BETHLEHEM?- (Seattle Times)- Meaning and implications of Israeli nuclear arsenal (200 bombs?); Vanunu's proof, kidnapping, + imprisonment
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SNOW ON THE TUBE - scroll down (Jackson Hole News- Weekly column on television- funny, hip, vicious, snide reflections on trends, shows, + actors.... JHN won Pulitzer for best paper in under 50,000 person city (Jackson has 4000)

FOLLY OF CUTTING SPACE SPENDING- (Providence Journal) Miracles of Voyager revelations- Jupiter + Saturn Moons; Madness of Reagan plan to cut funding for receipt of data from Uranus + Neptune
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THE NEWS, ALL THE NEWS + NOTHING BUT THE NEWS -- (scroll right) CJR art (page 1 of 4) ...

THE BLUES CALLING- (Moscow News Nov 5,93) Funny take on diseased Moscow phone system and a listing of it's many ailments
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AROUND THE WORLD IN 63 DAYS- scroll down (We/Mui- Feb 7,94 weekly- Moscow/Wash DC -Hearst/Izvestia)- (Full Front Page-2nd sec) story of round the world Russia aircraft expedition, hitting 50 odd countries, 7 continents, in antique planes.. inc. Soviet DC-3.. In Russian + English editions

NOT SO DANDY LITTLE WAR -(Moscow Tribune- Oct 15,93) reflections on Oct '93 revolt; ~200 killed in attempted Yeltsin overthrow; Yeltsin's possible culpability; 25 Government soldiers that defended television center from 3000 Communists
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THE CULT OF THE WARRIOR -scroll right (MosNews-) Wry commentary on Russians' penchant for ritualistic abuse and casual violence; Rude, sullen, offensive service possibly cured by Mafia murders...

MOVIE REVIEW- Tombstone-- Moscow Radisson Slavjansky Hotel- Moscow News-Jan 94       HTML vers.
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A BOY NAMED SUE - (Mos News- Feb 94) -scroll right- Funny reflection on Russian penchants + redundancy of names: 60% of country are Sergei, Oleg, Lena, + Natasha; COMMUNIST names- Tractor, Vladlen; Persecution of "unsafe" names so better stick w old stalwarts       HTML Vers.

MAD FANTASY OF LIMITED NUCLEAR WAR-scr. right (Prov.Journal) Dangerous lunacy and impossibility of limited nuclear warfighting strategies
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OUR FAILURE OF WILL IN IRAN - (East Side/West Side-also in Prov. Journal)- Outrage of Iran Hostage Crisis + our weakness in dealing with it

MY LECTURE ABOUT "RUSSIA on the EDGE"- Ad for my '95 lecture on Russia and its myriad problems

THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE- (Mos News- April 23,93) Supreme Court Justice Valerie Zorkin plotting perilous middle road in power struggle between Yeltsin and Parliament + allies Veep Rutskoi and Speaker of Congress; Rule of law new concept in Russia
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SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVILS- scr. down (Moscow Guardian- Jun 11,93) Dismissal of prosecutors in '91 Coup plotters case; Perversion of law in typical Soviet style; Prosecutors go on trial for libel while plotters go free-

WINDS OF CHANGE - Predicts collapse of the Warsaw Pact + possible end of the Cold War in June '89... 5 months before the Berlin Wall fell

ENERGY for the LONG RUN - East Side/West Side Discusses alternative energy sources during Iranian gas crunch; Wind, Electric car, Nuclear, Advocates big fusion program; Predicts serious global warming and end of age of oil (in 20-30 years)- Feb 1980

Effusive Letter from VP GORE (3rd) about articles

Michael Hammerschlag is a journalist whose written political commentary and articles for New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Seattle Times, Providence Journal, Columbia Journalism Review, Honolulu Advertiser, Capital Times (Madison,WI), Outside, Modern Photography, Intellectual Capital, Media Channel; Kiev Weekly, Business Ukraine; and Moscow News, Tribune, Guardian, Times, + We/Mui in Russia; produced documentaries on the Presidential campaign and been a TV reporter, and reported from Soviet Union/Russia from '91-'94 in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as the largest contiguous empire in history came crashing down. . He returned to Russia and Ukraine in 2007 after over a decade. His specialties include US + international politics, space exploration, chemistry, nuclear strategy, television, and movies. His commentaries have often accurately predicted events 4-12 months before the fact, including the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and possible end of the Cold War 5 months before the Berlin Wall fell, the economic collapse 6-12 months before, a disaster in the shuttle program, the disaster of the Iraq invasion, and that Putin would become PM.

RISING DRAGON Feb '97 Dangers of China burgeoning wealth and power. Aggressive actions in firing missiles 22 miles from Taipei, huge amphibious landing "training", occupying Spratley Is., murdering Tibetans and their culture, rage + paranoia over world acknowledging Taiwan.1.23 billion people- if they all run east at noon, they could change the rotation of the earth, and 20 mil added every year- 2 people every 3 seconds. LETTER fm US Sen JACK REED (D-RI) about article

The STATE of SPACE Oct'97 Likelihood of space disaster in Russian space program and Mir (from 2 years in Russia); America's mistakes (predicts cost cutting would lead to lost missions- subsequently 3 Mars and several launches met disaster) + needs in space and latest wonders from Galileo spacecraft around Jupiter: massive water ocean on Europa; and Cassini launch to Saturn and Titan.

NON-WAGE SLAVES - Johnson Russia List - Sept 10, '98 (Center for Defense Information + Carnegie Corp) Abusive Russian habit of not paying workers or creditors, employees for months- including submarine captains and nuclear workers; Makes business ex. difficult and semi-criminalized; Security concerns

BACK TO THE FUTURE -Johnson Russia List - Sept 29, '98 Disastrous reappointment of Victor Gerashchenko as Russian Central Bank Chrmn, whose reckless policies caused 40,000% hyperinflation before- regarded as worst central banker in the world

SOME SOLUTIONS - semi-funny ideas on Presidential election resolution- Nov 26, 2000

PRIVATE WARS - Feb '84 Analyzed media's ability to cover wars in Vietnam, + Predicted new restrictive policies in Grenada, Lebanon, Falklands was ominous trend that could cripple Press ability to cover conflicts Jan '91 Press is rigidly controlled in Gulf War, not allowed free movement or to talk to soldiers without officers present; Reporters set out on their own + are captured + tortured by Iraqis

QUÉ SERA SERA- Rumination on the vagaries of fate, fatalism, and the line between life + death: in the Russian Oct. revolt, Mt. St. Helens explosion, + the Moscow metro- Nov '93

SUPREME ARROGANCE - Online Journal- Supreme Court trashes separation of powers + destroys its legitimacy in Presidential race decision- Dec 13, 2000

IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT - Science + history behind meteor, asteroid, + cometary impacts (rel. to Armageddon + Deep Impact)

STORMING LIONS -- Nov 18th, 2001+ Nov '98 Leonid Meteor Showers w End of World article above

MOVIE REVIEWS- Internet Movie Database- Badlands (1973) , Dolores Claiborne (1995), Jackal, The (1997), Magnolia (1999), Omen, The (1976), Summer Lovers (1982), Zulu (1964)
Tombstone-- Moscow Radison Slavonsky - Moscow News- Jan 94 HTML vers. Altered States - RI Times
SNOW ON THE TUBE - scroll right (Jackson Hole News- Weekly column on television- funny, hip, snide reflections on trends, shows, movies, + actors

NUCLEAR CHICKEN-1998 -Likelihood of India-Pakistan nuclear exchange. Danger from nukes far higher when only a few, rather than thousands, because first strike will destroy enemies' bombs. Both have missiles + Pakistan has promised to mount nukes on them- which WILL lead to a war, because nation doesn't attack because he wants to destroy enemy, attacks because convinced enemy is about to. Periodically 1000 people are hacked and beaten to death in religious riots in India: both peoples are highly excitable and hate each other more than the Arabs and Israelis. +50% probability of nuke war in next 3-5 years. Have written 3 long papers on nuclear threat over 30 years.

The NAME of the GAME (July '98) Fame has become so pathologically desired that people will do anything for it. Monica, Paula, Linda + anyone who achieves major fame through any means will likely be a millionaire, yet the media feigns ignorance of this contaminating fact. What is his "strategy", questioned pundits when Ginsburg (Monica's lawyer) was on all 5 Sun. panel news shows one day. The twisted kids blowing away their classmates are partly motivated and validated by the massive exposure of TV- they too want to exist in the nat. consciousness, rather than the painful swamp of adolescent politics.

Articles sent on request- inc. USPS address- hammerschlag@bigfoot.com

ILLEGAL DRUGS

In Oct `99, the US government admitted that the source of Gulf War Syndrome could have been the anti-nerve gas drug that a 1/2 million soldiers were forced to take... 3 years after concrete medical experiments proved it. Infuriatingly this letter wasn't run (as about 70% of my nat. mag letters have been). When the pyridostigmine bromide story was coming out in `96, SUDDENLY, the Pentagon revealed that 5 or 10 or 22 thousand troops were exposed to nerve gases when they detonated Iraqi bombs and shells in an ammo dump- the timing (5 1/2 years later) was so convenient that they must have been panicked to admit their culpability in hurting many more troops than Sadaam. Wonder what's changed. The delayed upshot of this is some soldiers' refusal to take the Anthrax vaccine. LETTER TO NEWSWEEK Sept 26, 1996

LONG ARTICLES

TAKING THE PLUNGE - Thrill of first time tandem parachute free fall (1 vertical mile) - PHOTOS- Rocket Seattle

UP THE GRAND - Solo Climb of Grand Teton + Middle Teton Mtns. w unwanted glissade - Jackson Hole News (cancelled due to climbing fatalities)

RETURN TO MT. ST. HELEN (w photos)- Exploration and Climbing of Mt. St Helens 7 1/2 years after almost vaporized in the 20 megaton explosion

SCUBA DUBA- Comparative Assessment + Wonders of all the Dive Shop Trips in Cozumel, Mexico- the best scuba site in the world