"Pearl Jam, R.E.M. and other U.S. rock bands on Thursday asked the Department of Defense to reveal what songs were used during interrogation of detainees at U.S. prisons, including the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

The independent research institute National Security Archive filed the Freedom of Information Act requests endorsed by the bands to mark the launching of a campaign to close the controversial prison in Cuba.

In a reaction posted on the campaign's website, CloseGitmoNow.org, R.E.M. described the unpermitted use of their friends' music to torture detainees as horrific.

Lawsuits and testimonies from former Gitmo detainees claimed loud music were used during their interrogation and declassified documents listed music from 35 artists, including the theme of the children's show Sesame Street, as part of the interrogation technique."

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7016775160?Rock%20Bands%20Sue%20To%20Know%20If%20Songs%20Were%20Used%20In%20Guantanamo%20Interrogations

"This image provided by the US Navy shows the littoral combat ship Independence (LCS 2) underway during builder's trials on July 12, 2009. Builder's trials are the first opportunity for the shipbuilder and the U.S. Navy to operate the ship underway, and provide an opportunity to test and correct issues before acceptance trials. The second of the Navy's new generation of speedy warships designed to operate close to shore topped 50 miles per hour in builder trials completed this month." [yahoo photos]

"In this Oct. 14, 2009 file photo, PepsiCo Inc's 'Amp up before you score' iPhone application is shown in New York. PepsiCo on Thursday, Oct. 22 said it is removing the iPhone application that promised to help men 'score' with different types of women about a week after it was criticized for stereotyping." [yahoo photos]

"NASA needs to make a major detour on its grand plans to return astronauts to the moon, a special independent panel told the White House Thursday.

Under current plans, NASA has picked the wrong destination with the wrong rocket, the panel's chairman said. A test-flight version of the rocket, the new Ares I, is on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, awaiting liftoff later this month for its first experimental flight.

Instead, NASA should be concentrating on bigger rockets and new places to explore, the panel members said, as they issued their final 155-page report. The committee, created by the White House in May to look at NASA's troubled exploration, shuttle and space station programs, issued a summary of their findings last month, mostly urging more spending on space.

On Thursday in a news conference, panel Chairman Norman Augustine focused on fresh destinations for NASA, saying that it makes more sense to put astronauts on a nearby asteroid or one of the moons of Mars."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091023/ap_on_sc/us_sci_nasa_future

"An inquiry has begun after a US plane heading from San Diego to Minneapolis missed the airport it was meant to land at by 150 miles (240km).

Contact with the Northwest Airlines plane was lost for an hour as it flew at 37,000ft, sparking hijack fears.

The crew said they had been distracted by a "heated discussion" but officials will check if they had fallen asleep."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8321748.stm

Experts asked to review the US human spaceflight programme have given strong support to the use of commercial services to launch astronauts.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8321353.stm

"Japan's swimmers could face lifetime bans if they dye their hair, wear an earring or have brightly decorated fingernails.

Japanese officials have launched a strict policy to p r e v e n t athletes turning up for competitions looking more like rock stars than swimmers."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091021/od_nm/us_japan_ban

"The Treasury Department on Thursday is expected to order seven companies that have not paid back last year's government bailouts to halve their top executives' average compensation.

The cuts apply to the 25 highest-paid executives at banks and other companies that received the most assistance, with salaries being slashed by as much as 90 percent, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Kenneth Feinberg, the special master at Treasury appointed to handle compensation issues as part of the government's $700 billion financial bailout package, is making the pay decisions. He is scheduled to release the details Thursday afternoon.

The seven companies are Bank of America Corp., American International Group Inc., Citigroup Inc., General Motors, GMAC, Chrysler and Chrysler Financial."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091022/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_executive_pay

>>

Junior Field Reporter 09/10/22(Thu)07:45 No.2511   File: 1256222705475.jpg -(83648 B, 600x375) Thumbnail displayed, click image for full size. TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, is a year old now. Looking back after a year, was TARP necessary? Did it work? The answers are No, and No. http://mises.org/story/3770

"Adolescents exposed to amphetamines, including drugs prescribed treat attention disorders, for long periods of time, may develop memory problems as adults, according to new research. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers conducted their study on rats. They said that the animals given the drugs as adolescents fared worse on memory tests than animals given the same drugs as adults."

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7016767218?ADHD%20Drugs%20Given%20To%20Teens%20Could%20Lead%20To%20Adult%20Memory%20Problems

"Direct Earth-Mars communication can be disturbed and even blocked by the sun for weeks at a time, but the European Space Agency says it may have a solution.

The problem that might affect future human missions to Mars is how to ensure reliable radio communication even when Mars and Earth line up at opposite sides of the sun, which then blocks any signal between mission controllers on Earth and astronauts on Mars.

The ESA, working with U.K. engineers, said the answer might rest with using a new type of satellite orbit combined with continuous-thrust ion propulsion.

The proposal would include placing a pair of communication relay satellites into a very special type of orbit near Mars. However, to counter the effects of gravity and remain in place, they would have to be equipped with electric ion propulsion thrusters that would hold the satellites in full view of both Mars and Earth. The satellites could then relay radio signals throughout the Mars-Earth conjunction season, ensuring astronauts were never out of touch with Earth."

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/10/22/ESA-solves-Earth-Mars-communication-hitch/UPI-81641256217434/