] U.S. soldiers confiscated the prisoners' weapons and
] military equipment. The guns were old, but the gas masks
] weren't.
]
] "It looks like a regular chemical protection mask," said
] Sgt. Jennifer Raichle. "It was made in 2002. Brand new."
]
] The gas masks were indeed brand new, as were the
] decontamination kits, and atropeine -- used to treat
] exposure to nerve agents.
]
] "I would guess they were planning on using chemical
] warfare. They may or may not use it, but they were ready
] for it," Raichle said.

Elonka: Newly-issued gas masks, to troops with old guns? And the next question in my mind is, where were these gasmasks manufactured? Iraqi-made? If so, where's the factory? And if not made in Iraq, then which country has been selling such recently-made gas masks to Iraq??

Iraq Chemical Warfare Clues

] Officials of the Wal-Mart Corporation announced Thursday
] the opening of Walton Township, a company designed and
] managed subdivision on the outskirts of Cleveland, Ohio.
] Walton, the first of three Wal-Mart communities scheduled
] to open this year, introduces residents to the company's
] new 'all you can live' consumer goods subscription
] service. "Beyond its quality environment and top-notch
] municipal services, Walton represents our first serious
] foray into flat-fee provision of consumer products,"
] explains Michael Elmoere, Wal-Mart VP of Intra-Regional
] Logistics and First Regent of Walton Township. "It's a
] 21st century horn-of-plenty, all for one no-fuss monthly
] fee."

"All you can live" .. Haha!

futurefeedforward: Wal-Mart Opens First 'All You Can Live' Township

] When it comes to political truth, I think many Arab
] citizens today can have a more informed perspective than
] Americans. Don't get me wrong - that's not because my
] country is more democratic, has better journalists, or
] more intelligent analysis. None of these is true (not yet
] - but I remain hopeful for Bahrain's new democracy). But
] we do see your news as well as our news as well as
] Israeli news. In my (so far limited) experience of
] American life, Americans are extremely sheltered in the
] news that they see. When I read Haartez, I learn about
] Isrealis suffering from the conflict, I learn what they
] are worrying about, I learn how they deal with their own
] extremists, and I learn about their many citizens that
] would like to see peace. And I learn all this from an
] Israeli perspective, so I hear a positive human side.
] Americans do not seem to be learning such things about
] Arabs. Reading British commentary does not count as
] getting "a different perspective".

[IP] In the Arab world today, we get a more informed perspective than you.

Al Jazeera has launched an english web site.

There is a banner saying that its a "temporary site dedicated to special coverage on Iraq".. Also, in the title "objective and balanced global news coverage and analysis". We shall see..

Also, its _very_ slow right now, and when I try to pull up stories, I'm getting blank stories.. It also appears to be running IIS and built using ASP, which likely explains a part of the reason why.. I'm guessing that they over estimated the demand for an english version of their site.. They must be getting slammed already.

Its hosted in the US.. Jersey.

Al Jazeera English Webpage

Yes, there is a "Rate My Gasmask" site..

Rate My Gasmask

First section of this article is about the change in tone between Saturday and Sunday in the mainstream TV and print media war coverage. Second section is about the rise of the warblog..

] Even if Sean-Paul Kelley, the mastermind and
] lightning-fast typist behind the Weblog at agonist.org,
] had changed his mind about the war in recent days, his
] rapidly growing audience would not know it. In a shift
] that appears to reflect a growing distrust of mass media,
] the most popular Web journals to emerge in recent days
] are simply reporting the news.
]
] "My readership has grown 350 percent over the last five
] days, and I really think it's a function of the fact that
] I am providing the news without the media hype of CNN and
] Fox," said Mr. Kelly, 32, of San Antonio, who has devoted
] the past week to transcribing news from dozens of sources
] and posting it nonstop on his Web site. "The most
] important thing is that people know what is going on."

agonist.org is really, really, really great.

] Until now, Weblogs, or blogs, have mostly been platforms
] for their owners to spout their opinions on any given
] subject.

Reporting Reflects Anxiety & Weblogs: Facts Are in, Spin Is Out

] Suspected guerrillas gunned down 24 Kashmiri Hindus in
] this small hamlet in Shopian in south Kashmir late on
] Sunday night. The victims included 11 women and two
] children, aged two and three.
]
] Eyewitnesses told Daily Times that over a dozen armed
] men, dressed in army uniforms, barged into the village
] around 10.30pm, disarmed half a dozen policemen on
] security duty at the main entrance of the village, saying
] soldiers were looking for militants hiding in the
] village. The gunmen then ordered the Pandit families to
] come out and assemble under a Chinar tree, in an open
] field. They then shot them with automatic weapons. 24
] people were killed and five injured. Before fleeing from
] the scene, the gunmen took away guns and a wireless set
] from the policemen.

(Pakistan) Daily Times | 24 Hindus massacred in Kashmir

] The next target of US after capturing Iraq will be
] replacement of religious government in Iran with a
] secular government as the US forces in Afghanistan have
] already started implementation on action plan in this
] regard.
]
] According to reliable sources, US Central Intelligence
] Agency (CIA) had submitted a detailed 300 pages long
] report to President George Bush in which it was pointed
] out that during possible US attack on Iran religiously
] motivated Jehadi (holy warrior) organizations would
] support Iran from the border areas of Pakistan and
] Afghanistan.

] Sources further revealed that operation being conducted
] by U.S. forces in Afghanistan on March 20 was not
] against Al-Qaeda rather it was against Hizb-e-Islami
] and possible supporters of Iran.

PakTribube | Iran to be US next target: CIA Report

] The following is a copy of Mary (Ann) Wright’s letter
] of resignation to Secretary of State Colin Powell.
] Wright was most recently the deputy chief of mission
] at the U.S. embassy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. She
] helped open the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan,
] in January 2002.

More background on Wright:

] I have been a diplomat for fifteen years and the Deputy
] Chief of Mission in our Embassies in Sierra Leone,
] Micronesia, Afghanistan (briefly) and Mongolia. I have
] also had assignments in Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan,
] Grenada and Nicaragua. I received the State Department's
] Award for Heroism as Charge d’Affaires during the
] evacuation of Sierra Leone in 1997. I was 26 years in
] the US Army/Army Reserves and participated in civil
] reconstruction projects after military operations in
] Grenada, Panama and Somalia. I attained the rank of
] Colonel during my military service.

Key Points:

] I disagree with the Administration’s policies on Iraq

] I disagree with the Administration’s lack of effort in
] resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

] I disagree with the Administration’s lack of policy
] on North Korea

] I disagree with the Administration’s policies on
] Unnecessary Curtailment of Rights in America

More high level resignations...

] And for what? To avenge 9/11 by punishing a regime that
] had no proven role in it? Out of humane concern for the
] Iraqi people, whom we have been, by our own policies,
] starving and impoverishing for the last decade? In order
] to destroy possibly mythical "weapons of mass
] destruction" in Iraq, even while we abide their proven
] existence in such potentially irrational countries as
] Pakistan, Israel, India, France, and, hardly least, the
] United States? The Administration attacked before it ever
] provided a justification that would satisfy any but the
] most TV-enchanted Christian soldier.

Barlow's reaction to hearing the Iraq war had begun.

BarlowFriendz | CONTEMPLATING WAR IN THE LAND OF PEACE