Ecuador offers refuge to Assange 

WikiLeaks founder is welcome to find a home in the Latin American country with no conditions, minister says.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/11/2010113033515743921.html

 

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WikiLeaks: family unable to see suspect Bradley Manning 

The family of Bradley Manning, a suspect in the passing of secret documents to WikiLeaks, have been unable to visit him in jail despite making the journey to America.

http://bit.ly/hbR3I1

 

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Wikileaks' next target: A major US bank 

He's been relentlessly revealing some of the US government's most deeply held secrets, but for his next act, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange says he will expose the corruption of a major American bank.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/wikileaks-target-major-bank/

RFE/RL Headlines 11/30/2010 9:43:38 PM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty RFE/RL is looking for guest bloggers, preferably writing from and about our broadcast region. If you're interested, drop us a line at webteam@rferl.org.

 

Features Interview: UN's Ban Favors Expanded Security Council UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is in favor of adding more members to the UN Security Council. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, Ban said it was the prevailing view among UN members that the current format of 15 council countries -- including five permanent veto-wielding members -- needs to be reformed. More   News Foreign Gov'ts Shrug Off WikiLeaks Governments around the world have tended to downplay the United States' embarrassing problem over the ongoing release of hundreds of thousands of its confidential diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks. More   Medvedev's Speech Sets Priorities In his annual speech to parliament, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has called for a closer partnership with the West, pledged to improve the lives of the nation's children, and vowed to combat corruption. More   Kyrgyz Blame Militants For Blast Kyrgyz officials have blamed Islamic militants for an explosion in the capital, Bishkek, as well as clashes this week in the southern city of Osh. More   From Our Bureaus Five Hospitalized After Shootout In Southern Russia Five residents of the North Caucasian town of Zelenokumsk remain hospitalized after a shootout between ethnic Russians and Chechens. More   Activists Question Ossetian Suicides Some rights activists are blaming authorities in South Ossetia for a string of prison deaths in the breakaway Georgian region. More   No Yerevan Comment On 'Arms To Iran' According to one of the thousands of leaked alleged State Department cables publicized by WikiLeaks, one document alleges that top officials in George W. Bush's administration raised "deep concerns" with Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and were unconvinced by his denial of "the arms re-export case," which dated back to 2003 when Sarkisian was defense minister. More   Rights Activists Urge Council Of Europe Action On Azerbaijani's Release Officials from four human rights organizations will meet with Council of Europe officials in Strasbourg to discuss the case of imprisoned Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev. More   Russia Downplays Sochi Boycott Call The head of the Russian Olympic Committee says Georgia's call for a boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi will fail. More   Belarusian City To Commemorate Blast Victims Annually The victims of a deadly explosion at a plywood plant in the southwestern Belarusian town of Pinsk will be commemorated every year. More   Transmission Cities As Barometers Of Socioeconomic Change -- Both Good And Bad A city's population may be the Rosetta Stone for studies in everything from public policy to global economic predictions, says a reports by two professors at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico. More   The Power Vertical Stagnation And Reform It has becomes increasingly evident that Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev are trying to pull off what Mikhail Gorbachev could not -- initiate needed reforms to overcome economic and social stagnation while not losing control of the political system in the process. It's a far cry from democratization. But it is also less banal than just a cheap stunt to keep Putin in charge. More   Tangled Web How The WikiLeaks Leaks Could Backfire One of the biggest ironies, though, is that a WikiLeaks world could end up being a world with less transparency rather than more. More   Commentary Bella Akhmadulina's Poetics Of Survival Mikhail Berg says the poetics of Bella Akhmadulina, who died on November 28 in Moscow at the age of 73, clearly shows how hard it was to live and breathe if one remained inside the Soviet space and didn't allow oneself any indulgences. More

Magazine This email is dedicated In memory of David J. Davidson - Dovid HaLevi ben Yaakov To dedicate an email, click here Kislev 23, 5771 · November 30, 2010 This Week's Features Printable Magazine Jewish Practice Menorah Wizard Who, where, when and how. Let the menorah wizard walk you through the ins and outs of lighting the menorah. Chanukah Texts and Prayers The various prayers, hymns and texts associated with Chanukah. Chanukah Observances Foods, gifts, games, and prayers . . . Learn about Chanukah's varied customs and traditions. Chanukah Guide Everything you need to know and do in a brief, printable guide. Dreidel Wizard The history of the game and how to play. Menorah Lighting Guide Discover the importance of the menorah and how, when and where to light it. Watch (4:34) Spirituality What is Chanukah? You might call it the cosmic mega-drama. Some history . . . What's a miracle? . . . Power of the individual . . . The Greeks and the Jews . . . The mind and beyond . . . Chanukah today . . . By Tzvi Freeman Pure Oil "Ritually pure"-what, exactly, is that? What properties does a ritually pure sample of olive oil have that the others don't? By Chaya Shuchat Q and A Why the Gelt? This subtle form of "bribery" is an essential component of the educational process. By Yisrael Rice Video Lights . . . Latkes . . . Action! A rabbi, a college student, and a gefilte fish share their feelings about Chanukah. Dovid Taub & Jonathan GoorvichWatch (2:18) KabbalaToons: A Little Light A little light chases away a lot of darkness. By Tzvi FreemanWatch (1:20) Once Upon a Time There Was a Little Flame The story of the stubborn little flame that refused to be extinguished. And the story of you and I . . . By Chana WeisbergWatch (1:52) What If We Were Chanukah Heroes? Ezy, Eli, Dina and Rina explore their inner "super powers" to spread light in the world. By Dovid Taub and Yitzchak FeigenbaumWatch (3:54) Women Women at War It was Jewish women who led the Maccabees to declare war. By Chana Kroll Eight Meditations for the Eight Nights of Chanukah Our task on these eight nights is to rededicate the Temple, in our own times, in our own lives. By Chaya Kaplan-Lester Chanukah Recipes & Tips Cook (and fry) up a traditional Chanukah storm: latkes to applesauce, jelly doughnuts and more recipes for all tastes. Stories The Dog Tag Dilemma In September 1990 I went off to defend a country that I was prohibited from entering. By Doron Kornbluth The Eternal Jew A Letter Sent to the Lubavitcher Rebbe Life changes should always take place in the light of day, not in darkness... Spark on a Park Bench The candles are burning low and he is staring at them. Flame meets flame and a soul ignites . . . By Chaim Drizin Parshah The Seven Fat Cows Don't run away from the dream; don't look for some other meaning. Make the dream the solution. By Yanki Tauber The Cosmic Fantasy Why are there so many dreams in the book of Genesis? Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe