Russia underlined its right to a “preventive” nuclear strike this week in what military analysts interpreted as a move to introduce more clarity into the nation’s defense doctrine. The statements, made by Chief of General Staff Yuri Baluyevsky on Saturday, were followed by naval exercises in the northern Atlantic that will feature over 40 aircraft of the Air Force. Though unrelated, the developments pointed to a Russia not so much on the offensive as a one that was eager to bring its defense doctrine in line with that of the Western world and make it more up to date with contemporary military demands.
“We are not planning to attack anyone. But our partners should clearly understand… that the armed forces will be used if necessary to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation and its allies, including on a preventative basis, including with the use of nuclear weapons,” RIA Novosti quoted Baluyevsky as saying Saturday at a scientific conference in Moscow. He underlined, however, that “military force can and must be used to demonstrate the decisiveness of the top leadership of the country” only as “a last resort” and when all other methods have failed.
“This is ...   more »

Iran tested a missile capable of carrying satellites into space, Iranian state television said Monday, as part of a program to launch a research satellite in the near future. The rocket was launched from a new Iranian space center, inaugurated by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The report claimed that the satellite itself would be launched by 2009. It is reported to be called Omid which means "Hope", and is said to be a low-altitude satellite.
A successful satellite launch would mark a dramatic improvement in Teheran's missile capability. Ahmadinejad was present at the launch site, and gave the order for the launch himself.
"Our presence in space is a necessity", said Ahmadinejad at the ceremony. "Any country that respects itself should control the most advanced technology...we are grateful to God for witnessing the first and determined step toward an Iranian satellite."
The Iranian news agency IRNA said the satellite was intended for research, but did not detail any technical specifications, raising suspicions that it might also be capable of being used for intelligence and other strategic purposes.
The report came on the heels of a successful Israeli satellite launch in January. The Israeli TecSar satellite, launched from India, began transferring ...   more »

Results already show hydrocarbons generated in ocean floor
By Jerome R. Corsi
Scientists who have confirmed that abiotic hydrocarbons are being released from the Lost City hydrothermal field in the Mid-Atlantic range at the bottom of the ocean say they are returning to that location this summer to try to confirm the presence of more complex hydrocarbon chains, a result that would further undermine the assumption that oils are the result of decomposed and compressed organisms.
"We looked for C1-C4 hydrocarbons – alkanes, alkenes and alkynes – and detected them all," Giora Proskurowski, the marine geochemist who headed the Woods Hole team that already has done work at the Lost City site, told WND in an e-mail.
"Last year we did not look for more advanced hydrocarbon chains, but this year we will use the sampling methods required to identify more complex hydrocarbons," he said.
As WND reported, Proskurowski, of the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington in Seattle, wrote in Science Magazine that Lost City vents at the bottom of the Atlantic were exuding abiotic hydrocarbons formed in the mantle of the earth.
Proskurowski attributed the formation of the observed hydrocarbons to processes identified by the Fischer-Tropsch ...   more »

The majority of Americans want a president who mirrors biblical ideals of leadership, revealed a new poll out Thursday.
About six in 10 Americans likely to vote say they would be more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who speaks publicly about following the example of admirable leaders from the Bible and who uses the Bible for guidance in both public and personal matters, found a nationwide Zogby Poll conducted for the American Bible Society.
According to the survey, more than three-quarters (78 percent) of respondents – 86 percent of women and 68 percent of men – view candidates citing Scripture when explaining political positions as positive.
Also, most Americans voters want a candidate who has a servant-leader attitude. Respondents are more likely to support a candidate who sees the office as a privilege to serve others, with a responsibility to God.
Out of the polled respondents aged 18-29, 84 percent said a candidate’s servant-leader attitude would impact their vote. Interestingly, only 62 percent of older respondents, 50-64 years old, said it would influence their decision.
In addition to Biblical leadership qualities, many likely voters are affected by the simple question of whether the candidate believes in God.
Nearly ...   more »

Clinton says income could be garnisheed if workers refuse to buy health insurance
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., appears today on ABC's 'This Week'
Will Hillary Clinton as president tap into workers' wages to achieve her goal of health insurance for all Americans?
The possibility exists as the candidate was pressed on the matter during a television interview today.
Speaking on ABC's "This Week" program, the Democratic senator from New York said she might be willing to have wages garnisheed if people refuse to buy health insurance.
"I think universal health care is a core Democratic value and a moral principle, and I'm absolutely gonna do everything I can to achieve that," Clinton said. "I think there are a number of mechanisms" possible, including "going after people's wages, automatic enrollment."
Host George Stephanapolous asked Clinton specifically about garnisheeing wages at least three times before she made the admission.
"What we've got to do is have shared responsibility. Everybody has to pay something, but obviously on a sliding scale," Clinton said. "I think you can automatically enroll people, and you will then say, 'You've got to be part of this.'"
"If you don't start with universal health care, if you don't say ...   more »