<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4522.1800" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#00ffff> <DIV> <DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The following items have been posted during the past two weeks on <A href="http://www.supportingfacts.com">www.supportingfacts.com</A>. The full text of each article is preceded by a short summary.</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV>Debt abyss Barron’s, the influential US financial weekly, is worried that record levels of household and corporate debt may be moving the US “toward the abyss of a bust – and then into a depression.” Blix report assessed Specialists in chemical, biological, and nuclear warfare polled by the Guardian about the detailed list of concerns identified in the UN inspection reports evinced little surprise or alarm. Porto Alegre paradox When the Workers’ Party state government hosting the previous Porto Alegre Social Forum tried to put its theories into practice, it was ignominiously voted out of office. Israel’s internal crisis It presents itself as a confident military behemoth, but the Financial Times finds Israel a fractured and despondent society, its ailing economy dependent on its American benefactor. Surreal torture Anarchist jailers reportedly used surrealist art techniques to disorient and elicit the cooperation of their prisoners during the Spanish Civil War, an art historian has discovered. The end of the IRA The Irish Republican Army is the most enduring urban guerrilla movement in history, but the Irish Times says it will soon dissolve, accompanied by widespread resignation and some dismay within its membership. Internet democracy The Economist says the use of the Internet by protest groups is a harbinger of a new era of direct democracy which will reduce the role of political parties, lobbyists, and parliaments. Multicultural Holland The Dutch election has again raised the issue of whether it is racist to insist that immigrant cultures be subordinated to liberal democratic values, especially in relation to women and gays. Pakistan connection Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, writing in the latest New Yorker, reveals intelligence reports describing how US ally Pakistan assisted North Korean efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Liberated Kuwait The Bush Sr. administration promised Kuwaitis it would refashion the country into a liberal democracy when it liberated them from Iraq, but more than a decade later, they are still waiting. Liberal America A New York Times/CBS poll shows American political culture is more liberal than often thought, especially concerning reproductive rights, the economy, and – surprisingly – affirmative action. Anderson on Iraq A prescient analysis written several months ago by the left-wing theorist Perry Anderson outlines the Bush administration's objectives in Iraq and the likely course of events. Bushagiography Anthony Lewis reviews two fawning best sellers – Bob Woodward’s Bush at War and David Frum’s The Right Man – both of which strain to present the US president in a heroic light. Squeezing Africa’s poor Another famine crisis in sub-Saharan Africa hasn’t stopped the World Bank, IMF and some rich creditor nations from demanding that some of the poorest African countries meet their loan obligations first. US-Europe tensions Massive antiwar sentiment in Western Europe has contributed to the continued reluctance of France, Germany and NATO to engage immediately in a US-led war on Iraq, angering the Bush  administration. Abortion rights On the 30th anniversary of Roe vs Wade, abortion is still a more divisive issue in America than in Europe, not only because of religion, but also because of how the right was won, says the Economist. Farm subsidies An OECD study is the latest to show farm subsidies benefit US and European agribusiness at the expense of consumers and small farmers, especially those in developing countries.</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV dir=ltr><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">If you do not want to receive these reminders, please reply to this e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the subject line. If you like this site, please consider forwarding this message to others who may be interested in these issues.<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>