By Penny Coleman, AlterNet
Posted on November 11, 2008, Printed on November 11, 2008
http://www.alternet.org…
Sarah Palin’s decision not to pay for rape kits when she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, was an issue in the campaign for the White House. But allow me to introduce the large pink elephant that has been sitting quietly in the corner [...]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com…
The BBC reports this morning:
Cuba and Russia have signed a series of bilateral trade and economic accords, in the latest sign of strengthening ties between the two countries.
The accords were signed during a visit by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin — his third trip to the Caribbean island in three months.
His visit came at [...]

http://blog.wired.com…
Danger Room - David Axe

Fifteen years ago, a botched Special Forces raid targeting warlords in Mogadishu resulted in the deaths of 18 U.S. servicemen and hundreds of others. The battle, recounted in the book and film Black Hawk Down, cut short an ambitious peacekeeping plan for war-torn Somalia.

http://rawstory.com…
AFP
Published: Monday November 10, 2008
The US State Department on Monday urged Nicaragua to ensure that municipal voting results reflect the will of the people, after noting that conditions were not conducive to fair elections.
Early official returns showed Monday that Nicaragua’s ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front has taken the lead in municipal elections marked by violence [...]

http://www.sott.net…
Jerusalem News
Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:52 UTC
Over the last 72 hours there has been a strange melange of cryptic messages leaked from world political leaders about what could be in store for America over the next few months. These predictions of impending doom come from England, France, Australia and the United States.

http://www.americablog.com…
Schwarzenegger: Mormon/religious right gay marriage ban is just like banning blacks and whites from marrying
John Aravosis (DC) · 11/10/2008 11:32:00 PM ET
Wow, that’s actually pretty strong stuff. (It’s also ironic, since the Mormon church was racist towards blacks until the late 70s.)
I think it is unfortunate, obviously, but it’s not the end, because I think [...]

http://crooksandliars.com…
from Crooks and Liars by Cernig
The AP reports an officially unofficial leak from the Obama team that closing Gitmo is a priority for the new administration.
Under plans being put together in Obama’s camp, some detainees would be released and many others would be prosecuted in U.S. criminal courts.
That’s good. This bit isn’t so good:
A third [...]

The outgoing Bush admin fears that a lot of dirt is going to come out when Obama is in the White House. I think they’re looking to get a jump on some of it now. Releasing what they can so it doesn’t look so damning when it gets aired:
Surprise Surprise: “Laptop of Death” a Possible [...]

1. Iraq Provincial Elections On For Jan 31st…
Finally, Iraqi authorities have confirmed the date of long-postponed provincial elections. There will be a roughly two month campaign season and elections on January 31.
2. Four More Years of Keith Olbermann…
MSNBC has voted for four more years of Keith Olbermann and the top-rated “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” it [...]

http://crooksandliars.com…
Crooks and Liars by David Neiwert
All of the talk about the special Newsweek report describing the backstage events in this year’s presidential campaign has focused on various revelations about Sarah Palin’s astonishing lack of knowledge about global and national affairs, as well as her spending sprees.