San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/
Deferred futures
Why young adults can't hang on to what they earn
Strapped
Why America's 20- and 30-Somethings Can't Get Ahead
By Tamara Draut
DOUBLEDAY; 277 PAGES; $22.95
If your child is in her 20s or 30s, there's a good chance you're wondering why she hasn't settled into a stable career, married or bought a house. It frustrates you to watch her lurch from job to job, endlessly retool in grad school and throw away money on overpriced rentals. Why can't she get serious?
But if you're that child, Tamara Draut offers comfort, and ammunition for your next dinner with your parents. In her convincing, impressively researched call to arms, "Strapped," she explains why your genteel temp gig masquerading as a job won't cover your outrageous housing costs, oppressive credit card bills, outsize health care premiums and payments on your five-figure student loan. And she gets that, with your boyfriend in the same boat, it'll be years before the two of you can swing marriage or the white picket fence.
"Today, most young adults are holding tight to the armrests, desperately trying and hoping to avoid a major crash during these first ten years," she writes.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/15/RVG40GI9M71.DTL
Cronkite: Time for U.S. to Leave Iraq
Former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite, whose 1968 conclusion that the Vietnam War was unwinnable keenly influenced public opinion then, said Sunday he'd say the same thing today about Iraq.
"It's my belief that we should get out now," Cronkite said in a meeting with reporters.
Now 89, the television journalist once known as "the most trusted man in America" has been off the "CBS Evening News" for nearly a quarter-century. He's still a CBS News employee, although he does little for them.
Cronkite said one of his proudest moments came at the end of a 1968 documentary he made following a visit to Vietnam during the Tet offensive. Urged by his boss to briefly set aside his objectivity to give his view of the situation, Cronkite said the war was unwinnable and that the U.S. should exit.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/01/15/entertainment/e154744S99.DTL
Officer dragged, suspect held after wild chase
A San Francisco police officer underwent surgery Saturday after he was dragged by a suspect's car following a double shooting in the Mission District that led to a wild chase across much of the city, authorities said.
Police arrested a 23-year-old San Francisco man on suspicion of attempted murder of the police officer and almost 20 other alleged crimes.
"This was a pretty major incident," said police Sgt. Neville Gittens.
The injured officer was identified as Craig Leong, a five-year veteran of the department who works at the Southern Station, said Officer Terrye Ivy. He had surgery Saturday afternoon for major leg injuries, Gittens said. The injuries are not life-threatening.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/15/BAG3PGNM951.DTL
The Boston Globe
Boston's Year in Pictures
http://www.boston.com/news/specials/year_in_review/2005/gallery/2005_year_in_review/
Sago Mine victims remembered at service
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. --The 12 miners who died together beneath the West Virginia hills were remembered Sunday as men who loved their families, God, NASCAR, and a good laugh.
"I'm sure there was a prayer meeting goin' on in that ol' coal mine the other evening like we've never seen before," Pastor Wease Day told more than 1,800 people gathered at the memorial service at the West Virginia Wesleyan College chapel.
"I can hear Jim Bennett hollerin' 'Boys you need the Lord in your life.' And I can hear (George) Junior Hamner say 'Does anybody got any cards? Let's play a round.' I can hear them now," said Day, whose Sago Baptist Church became the center for families and others who gathered to await word of their loved ones after an explosion in the Sago Mine.
Bennett, 61, and Hamner, 54, were among the 12 miners who died after a Jan. 2 explosion as they reopened the mine following a holiday break. Investigators have yet to re-enter the mine to determine what went wrong. The blast killed one miner immediately and spread carbon monoxide that slowly killed the 11 others as they waited 260 feet below ground for rescue.
The only survivor, Randal McCloy Jr., 26, remained in a coma Sunday at West Virginia University's Ruby Memorial Hospital.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2006/01/15/community_remembers_12_sago_mine_victims/
Finsbury Park mosque tries to move on
By Tariq Panja, Associated Press Writer January 15, 2006
LONDON --The Finsbury Park mosque stood idle and empty for months after it was raided by anti-terror police and its former preacher was arrested on charges of inciting murder and stirring racial hatred.
Today, its prayer rooms are packed. Pakistanis, Somalis, Algerians and Kurds spill into the stairwells during Friday prayers. Hundreds of pairs of shoes fill wooden racks taller than most worshippers.
As Abu Hamza al-Masri is tried in London's Central Criminal Court, attendees say they are gratified by their mosque's recovery, but worried it will never escape association with its one-eyed, hook-handed former leader.
"They only know it as the 'Abu Hamza' mosque," said Karim Ahmed, 22, as he attended Friday prayers at the building in north London.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2006/01/15/finsbury_park_mosque_tries_to_move_on/
Analysts: Growing deficit hobbles economy
By Jeannine Aversa, AP Economics Writer January 15, 2006
WASHINGTON --Like a person packing on pounds, the United States keeps adding to its flabby budget deficits, endangering the nation's economic health and the pocketbooks of ordinary Americans. Here's the worry: Persistent deficits will lead to higher borrowing costs for consumers and companies, slowing economic activity.
As Uncle Sam seeks to borrow ever more to finance those deficits, rates on Treasury securities would rise to entice investors. That would push up other interest rates, such as home mortgages, many auto loans, some home equity lines of credit and some credit cards.
"That's the pocketbook risk to the American consumer," said Greg McBride, a senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com, an online financial service.
For businesses, rates on corporate bonds would climb. It would become more expensive to borrow to pay for new plants and equipment and other capital investments.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2006/01/15/analysts_growing_deficit_hobbles_economy/
Flu virus resistant to 2 drugs, CDC says
ATLANTA --The government, for the first time, is urging doctors not to prescribe two antiviral drugs commonly used to fight influenza after discovering that the predominant strain of the virus has built up high levels of resistance to them at alarming speed.
A whopping 91 percent of virus samples tested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this flu season proved resistant to rimantadine and amantadine, a huge increase since last year, when only 11 percent were.
The discovery adds to worries about how to fight bird flu should it start spreading among people. Health officials had hoped to conserve use of two newer antiviral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza, because they show activity against bird flu, unlike the older drugs.
Now, because of the resistance issue, the newer drugs are being recommended for ordinary flu, increasing the chances that resistance will develop more rapidly to them, too, as they become more commonly used.
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2006/01/14/cdc_flu_virus_resistant_to_two_drugs/
Cancer researcher admits to faking data
By Mattias Karen, Associated Press Writer January 14, 2006
STOCKHOLM, Sweden --A Norwegian cancer researcher has admitted fabricating data published in a renowned international medical journal, officials in Norway said Saturday.
The researcher at Norway's Comprehensive Cancer Center, who was not identified, used faked patient data in an article on oral cancer published in the October 2005 issue of The Lancet, Britain's leading medical journal, said Stein Vaaler, strategy director for the cancer center.
The article claimed that a certain kind of drug decreased the risk of getting oral cancer and referred to results seen in patients in two national databases, Vaaler said in an interview.
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2006/01/14/cancer_researcher_admits_to_faking_data/
Poll: DeLay losing support in own district
January 15, 2006
HOUSTON --Barely one of every five of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's constituents would vote for him if the election were held now, according to a newspaper poll released Saturday.
The Republican congressman, who lost his leadership post because of felony money laundering charges against him, trailed Democratic rival and former congressman Nick Lampson in his southeastern Texas district, according to the poll of 560 registered voters conducted for the Houston Chronicle.
In polling conducted Tuesday through Thursday, 22 percent of respondents said they would vote for DeLay, 30 percent chose Lampson and 11 percent favored Republican-turned-independent former congressman Steve Stockman.
Lampson's campaign manager, Mike Malaise, said the poll suggests that "people in the district want a congressman who will make headlines for the right reasons."
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/us_house/articles/2006/01/15/poll_delay_losing_support_in_own_district/
Rep. Ney to temporarily cede panel chair
By David Hammer, Associated Press Writer January 15, 2006
WASHINGTON --Rep Bob Ney, an Ohio Republican implicated in a lobbying corruption investigation, will step aside temporarily as chairman of the House Administration Committee, his spokesman said Sunday.
He said the congressman needed a few days to think about the decision after word got out Friday that he was in negotiations with House Speaker Dennis Hastert to relinquish the post.
"Congressman Ney continues to believe he will be vindicated and he hasn't done anything wrong," spokesman Brian Walsh said Sunday.
Ney is at the center of the Justice Department's ongoing corruption probe and was identified by lobbyist Jack Abramoff in his guilty plea earlier this month.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/01/15/rep_ney_to_temporarily_cede_panel_chair/
Low registration in U.S. for Mexican vote
SAN ANTONIO --A fraction of the eligible voters registered for their first chance to vote by absentee ballot in Mexico's presidential election, authorities said Sunday.
Voting advocates said the low registration demonstrated a need for fundamental changes to the program, but election officials called it a good first step toward greater democracy.
"If this very same information had been out there for nine months, the turnout would have been different," said Pilar Alvarez of the Federal Electoral Institute, the independent government agency which oversees elections in Mexico.
The expatriate voting law was passed last summer by Mexico's Congress, and allows citizens abroad to vote in the July 2 presidential election. Citizens were given until Sunday to apply for an absentee ballot.
But of an estimated 4 million eligible voters worldwide, Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute said only about 18,600 participated.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/01/15/low_registration_in_us_for_mexican_vote/
Michael Moore Today
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
Feinstein demands Rumsfeld explain UCSC spying
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, wants an explanation about reports of Pentagon spying at UC Santa Cruz as well as other surveillance of U.S. citizens.
Feinstein wrote Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in a letter dated Tuesday asking him to explain the practices and authority of the Counter Intelligence Field Activity in collecting information in the course of its domestic investigations.
In December, NBS news aired a string of reports based on Pentagon documents that listed 1,500 "suspicious" activities during a 10-month period. NBC interviewed experts who said the Pentagon had overstepped its bounds in collecting information in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. One of the incidents that caught the eyes and ears of the agency was an April 5 protest against military recruiters at a job fair at UC Santa Cruz.
That protest led to the job fair getting shut down temporarily and the injury of a UC Santa Cruz staffer.
The military recruiters left the fair.
"What Department of Defense components are authorized to collect or maintain information on U.S. Persons on U.S. territory without court approval?" Feinstein wrote. "Under what circumstances are Department of Defense components authorized to collect, report, maintain, database, analyze, fuse or otherwise handle information concerning U.S. Persons engaged in activities protected by the First Amendment?"
Feinstein asked Rumsfeld to respond to her letter by Jan. 31.
About 200 students showed up at the military recruitment protest last spring. The incident was one of many anti-war protests listed in the document and posted on the NBC news Web site.
UC Santa Cruz student Josh Sonnenfeld, a member of the group Students Against the War that organized the protest, said Feinstein was on the right track.
"It's nice to hear Feinstein is asking some important questions to Rumsfeld and the Department of Defense," he said.
Feinstein's letter said her staff had met with Pentagon personnel who confirmed that a report on student protests had been written.
Last month, U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, said he was "shocked" and "appalled" by the matter and would be looking for answers about it from the Department of Defense when its budget comes up for review.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/cgi-bin/p/psafe/psafe.cgi?
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/January/13/local/stories/12local.htm
...Meanwhile in Pakistan
Pakistanis Condemn Purported CIA Attack
By Riaz Khan / Associated Press
DAMADOLA, Pakistan - Pakistani officials on Saturday angrily condemned a purported CIA airstrike meant to target al-Qaida's No. 2 man, saying he wasn't there and "innocent civilians" were among at least 17 men, women and children killed in a village near the Afghan border.
Thousands of tribesmen staged protests and a mob set fire to the office of a U.S.-backed aid agency as Pakistan's people and government showed increasing frustration over a recent series of suspected U.S. attacks along the frontier that appear aimed at Islamic militants.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5519
'Zawahiri' strike sparks protest
BBC
A missile strike apparently targeting al-Qaeda's deputy leader in a village in Pakistan has prompted Islamabad to protest to its American allies. Ayman al-Zawahiri was not in the village on the border with Afghanistan, Pakistan officials said. But the attack left at least 18 local people dead.
The US military has denied knowledge of the attack, which US media reported had been carried out by the CIA.
But Islamabad condemned the strike and called the US ambassador to complain.
Pakistan's Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told a news conference the Pakistani government wanted "to assure the people we will not allow such incidents to reoccur".
He said he did not know whether Zawahiri had been in the area at the time.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5524
Zawahri missed dinner that prompted U.S. strike
By Zeeshan Haider / Reuters
ISLAMABAD, Jan 15 - A dinner invitation to al Qaeda's second-in-command triggered a U.S. airstrike in Pakistan's tribal region but Ayman al-Zawahri failed to show up, Pakistani intelligence officials said on Sunday. Pakistan condemned Friday's strike, which killed at least 18 people, including women and children, and summoned U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker to protest. Thousands of local tribesmen also rallied near the scene, chanting anti-American slogans.
The Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that foreigners had been near the village of Damadola in the Bajaur region bordering Afghanistan and were the probable target.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5528
Pakistanis Protest Nationwide Over Strike
By Riaz Khan / Associated Press
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader was invited to dinner marking an Islamic holiday at the Pakistani border village struck by a purported CIA airstrike, but he did not show up, intelligence officials said Sunday.
The two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press that this could explain why Friday's predawn attack missed its apparent target, Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant.
Al-Zawahri sent some aides to the dinner instead and investigators were trying to determine whether they had been in any of the three houses that were destroyed in the missile strike that killed at least 17 people, one of the officials said.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5533
Pictures
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/sm/events/wl/081401pakistan/p:1
Residents oppose proposed building moratorium
By Frank Donze / Times-Picayune
Sending messages tinged with confusion, frustration, anger and a dark sense of humor, hundreds of displaced New Orleans residents who trekked to City Hall Saturday for a public meeting on the city's rebuilding stuck to a common theme: No one can tell them where they can or cannot live.
The high anxiety evident among the crowd of 500-plus that jammed the council chambers appeared to be a product of a controversial recommendation handed down this week by Mayor Ray Nagin's Bring New Orleans Back Commission, which said some flood-ravaged neighborhoods may have to prove their viability before rebuilding is allowed.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5532
Saddam judge submits resignation
BAGHDAD (AFP) - The judge presiding over the Iraqi tribunal trying deposed dictator Saddam Hussein has submitted his resignation after criticism over his running of the court, an official close to the tribunal said.
"Judge Rizkar Mohammed Amin submitted his resignation shortly before the Eid Al-Adha (Muslim holiday on January 10) and efforts are under way to try to get him to change his mind," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The judge wants to resign because of strong criticism by politicians at the way he has allowed Saddam and his seven co-defendants to speak out in court and disrupt proceedings, the official said.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5529
Army raises enlistment age
If you're under 40, Uncle Sam may just want you
By Mark-Alexander Pieper / Pacific Sunday News
On the heels of one of its worst recruiting years, the U.S. Army will increase the age limit for active duty enlistees from 34 to 39.
Sgt. 1st Class Eugene Pereira, the local Army Recruiting Station manager, said he received an e-mail from the U.S. Army Recruiting Office on Thursday informing him that the Army will now accept recruits up to age of 39.
Pereira said the e-mail letter to Army recruiters did not explain the reason behind the change, but he said he was happy to hear about it.
Last fiscal year, the Army missed its nationwide recruitment goal by 7,000 enlistees -- its largest margin since 1979, according to the Department of Defense Web site.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5531
Military flyover for MLK march in San Antonio causes a rift
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO - A military flyover planned for San Antonio's annual march to honor Martin Luther King Jr. has caused a rift among participants and prompted some to call for a boycott of the event.
Two fighter jets from Randolph Air Force Base are scheduled to pass over a section of the three-mile march Monday. Organizers said the display is meant to be patriotic and an honor to King in a city with a strong military presence.
But opponents of the flyover said the gesture represents support for the war in Iraq and runs counter to the beliefs of King and his work.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5530
The States Step In As Medicare Falters
Seniors Being Turned Away, Overcharged Under New Prescription Drug Program
By Ceci Connolly / Washington Post
Two weeks into the new Medicare prescription drug program, many of the nation's sickest and poorest elderly and disabled people are being turned away or overcharged at pharmacies, prompting more than a dozen states to declare health emergencies and pay for their life-saving medicines.
Computer glitches, overloaded telephone lines and poorly trained pharmacists are being blamed for mix-ups that have resulted in the worst of unintended consequences: As many as 6.4 million low-income seniors, who until Dec. 31 received their medications free, suddenly find themselves navigating an insurance maze of large deductibles, co-payments and outright denial of coverage.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5526
A Protest, a Spy Program and a Campus in an Uproar
By Sarah Kershaw / New York Times
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - The protest was carefully orchestrated, planned for weeks by Students Against War during Friday evening meetings in a small classroom on the University of California campus here.
So when the military recruiters arrived for the job fair, held in an old dining hall last April 5 - a now fateful day for a scandalized university - the students had their two-way radios in position, their cyclists checking the traffic as hundreds of demonstrators marched up the hilly roads of this campus on the Central Coast and a dozen moles stationed inside the building, reporting by cellphone to the growing crowd outside.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5527
UCSC Students Protest Military Recruiters At Job Fair
KSBW-TV
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- University of California, Santa Cruz, students staged an impromptu protest against military recruiters at a job fair Tuesday.
About 50 students blocked the entrance to the Stevenson Event Center, where an annual career fair was being held. Students said they were angry that military recruiters were taking part in the event.
Because the students made so much noise, the recruiters left early, Action News reported.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=2124
Kim Apparently in China's South
Reuters
GUANGZHOU, China, Jan. 13 -- Tight security around a five-star hotel in southern China on Friday fed speculation North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was visiting as diplomatic efforts to restart talks on the North's nuclear program gathered pace.
Hundreds of uniformed and plainclothes police swarmed in and around the opulent White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, putting up roadblocks leading to the hotel. Passersby and bystanders were turned away.
In the early evening, two of the city's most luxurious sightseeing ferries -- "The Pearl of the Flower City" and "The Information Times," named after a local paper -- cruised slowly down the Pearl River, with Kim rumored to be aboard. Police cars lined roads on both sides of the river.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5525
President Merkel is more than likely concerned about the 'rendition' of Germans and whether to not they are at Gitmo. Rendition as a word is nearly alien to the language of the USA and it's press.
Bush Says Gitmo Is 'Necessary'
(CBS/AP) At a joint White House news conference, President Bush rejected a plea by German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, be shut down. He called the four-year-old camp "a necessary part of protecting the American people."
It was one of the few disagreements the two leaders voiced after their White House meeting. It was the German leader's first visit to the United States since taking office last November.
On Guantanamo, Merkel said she raised the issue with Mr. Bush, and she described it as one of the differences between the United States and Germany. Germany opposed the war in Iraq.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5522
Big Easy: Who can rebuild?
A report issued by the city this week would make it tougher for some homeowners to start over.
By Kris Axtman / Christian Science Monitor
HOUSTON – Ever since hurricane Katrina washed much of New Orleans away, where to allow rebuilding has been Question No. 1. After months of emotionally exhaustive waiting and wondering, homeowners in the most devastated parts of the city now know the answer: They'll have to wait until late June to rebuild - and, even then, it's not certain their property will be safe from public seizure.
The controversial guidelines in the land-use report issued this week by the mayor's Bring New Orleans Back Commission are putting new strain on residents who bore the brunt of the storm. And it's raising again the sensitive question of whether the city's poor are getting short shrift in post-Katrina recovery efforts.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5508
In New Orleans, Bush Speaks With Optimism but Sees Little of Ruin
By Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Time
NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 12 - President Bush made his first trip here in three months on Thursday and declared that New Orleans was "a heck of a place to bring your family" and that it had "some of the greatest food in the world and some wonderful fun."
Mr. Bush spent his brief visit in a meeting with political and business leaders on the edge of the Garden District, the grand neighborhood largely untouched by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina, and saw little devastation. He did not go into the city's hardest-hit areas or to Jackson Square, where several hundred girls from the Academy of the Sacred Heart staged a protest demanding stronger levees.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5510
WATCHING THE WATCHERS
Not Your Mother's Al Gore
It sounds as if Al Gore is about to deliver what could be not just one of the more significant speeches of his political career but an essential challenge to the embattled presidency of George W. Bush.
In a major address slated for delivery Monday in Washington, the former Vice President is expected to argue that the Bush administration has created a "Constitutional crisis" by acting without the authorization of the Congress and the courts to spy on Americans and otherwise abuse basic liberties.
Feinstein Demands an Explanation: Why is Rumsfeld Spying on California College Students?
"What Department of Defense components are authorized to collect or maintain information on U.S. Persons on U.S. territory without court approval?" Feinstein wrote. "Under what circumstances are Department of Defense components authorized to collect, report, maintain, database, analyze, fuse or otherwise handle information concerning U.S. Persons engaged in activities protected by the First Amendment?"
Harvard Law School Professors Challenge George's Excuse for Snooping Around On Americans
In particular, the law professors took issue with two of the administration’s claims—that the Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF) implicitly authorized domestic spying and that a prohibition on domestic spying without a warrant impinges upon the president’s authority as commander-in-chief. In addition, the professors argued that the spying program could violate the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=583
City clerk certifies troop withdrawal petitions
By Joan Kent / La Crosse Tribune
Petitions calling for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq have been certified by the La Crosse city clerk and could be considered by the council in January.
City Clerk Teri Lehrke said the petitions submitted by the group Bring Them Home Now on Nov. 23 had 2,423 valid signatures, more than the required 2,352, but needed some changes to meet state regulations.
Group member Jessica Thill submitted the revamped petitions Monday, and Lehrke said she certified them Wednesday morning.
State law requires the council consider the petitions within 30 days of certification, so Lehrke said she plans to ask Mayor Mark Johnsrud to include it in January council business.
“Whether it goes to the council in January or February, we are thrilled,” Thill said. “It is a relief to know that we have been successful in our attempt to get it before the council. Now we start working on some voter education plans.”
If the council does not approve the resolution, it would become a public referendum on the April general election ballot.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=5251
An Urgent Appeal: Please Release Our Friends in Iraq
Four members of Christian Peacemaker Teams were taken this past Saturday, November 26, in Baghdad, Iraq. They are not spies, nor do they work in the service of any government. They are people who have dedicated their lives to fighting against war and have clearly and publicly opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq. They are people of faith, but they are not missionaries. They have deep respect for the Islamic faith and for the right of Iraqis to self-determination.
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/freethecpt
Below 36 North Latitude = Wild Fires
Wildfires postpone tanker relocation
It’s likely to be summer before the U. S. Forest Service shifts its air-tanker base from the Fort Smith Regional Airport to Fayetteville.
The opening of the airtanker base at Drake Field in Fayetteville has been delayed because the service has been too busy fighting January forest fires in Oklahoma and Arkansas, said Cheryl Chatham, a spokesman for the U. S. Forest Service office at Hot Springs.
The shift was to occur in the fall last year, and then in the late spring this year, Chatham said.
When the construction at Fayetteville is complete, Drake Field will have one of 75 airtanker bases in the United States to provide temporary homes for the 16 air tankers flown for the forest service to fight fires, said Kathy Allred, air-tanker program manager for the forest service.
Most of the available planes are now stationed in Ardmore, Okla., and at Fort Smith to assist with firefighting in the region, Allred said.
Even after the tanker base is finished, it’s likely to have aerial retardant planes such as the P-3 Orion stationed on site only during the late winter and spring. That’s when the southeastern U. S. has the highest probability of forest fires, Allred said. In most years, that’s from late February to the end of May, Allred said.
Having the planes in Fort Smith and Ardmore in January is unusual, Allred said.
The forest service explored long-term options in 2001 for tanker bases and evaluated five airports. They were Drake Field, the Fort Smith airport, the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Highfill, Mena Intermountain Airport and Hot Springs Municipal Airport.
The forest service decided that Drake Field provided the best combination of fast response times to forest fires, highway proximity and the airport facilities needed to support the base, Chatham said.
Among Drake Field’s advantages over Fort Smith was its proximity to the Mark Twain National Forest in southern Missouri, said Johnny Lindsey, a fire management and aviation officer for the U. S. Forest Service in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
A base in Fayetteville puts the plane within a 100-mile radius, or 20-minute flight, of portions of the Ouachita, Ozark-St. Francis and Mark Twain national forests.
Among Fayetteville’s other advantages is its low number of other flights. The airport had been the center for commercial flights in Northwest Arkansas, but the airport eventually lost all of its commercial service to the regional airport that opened in 1998 in Highfill.
The P-3 Orion cargo plane, which is the plane most likely to be at Fayetteville once the base is complete, has a two-person crew. It can carry 3, 000 gallons of fire retardant.
The planes fly 140 mph and 150 feet above the tallest trees as they drop the red retardant in 1, 000-foot stretches across a burning forest, Allred said.
Once a call for plane help is sought, the goal is to get the aerial retardant plane in the air within 20 minutes, Lindsey said.
For the city of Fayetteville, there’s an economic advantage to having the forest service base and aerial retardant planes.
Since 2002, the Forest Service has paid $ 2, 347 a month to lease 12 acres at the airport, said James Nicholson, the airport’s financial coordinator. The 12 acres are east of the airport’s runway and south of its control tower.
Once the plane arrives, the airport can expect more revenue because more fuel will be sold. While a private company sells fuel at the airport, the company must pay the airport 10 cents for each gallon sold, Nicholson said.
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/142634/
Firefighters brace for wild weekend
From Staff Reports
Sapulpa firefighters are bracing for another round of grass fires following a weekend forecast of high winds and no rain.
Assistant Fire Chief Bob Selsor said grass fire runs during the past few days had been slow, but the weekend forecast of 30 mph winds likely will have fire crews jumping.
Grass fires driven by high winds destroyed at least 20 homes and forced hundreds of evacuations throughout the state Thursday despite snowfall earlier in the week.
The worst fires raged in southern Oklahoma near Ratliff City after burning through the homes overnight and west of Marlow, said Michelle Finch, fire information officer for the Oklahoma Forestry Department.
Firefighters were counting on four aircraft dropping fire retardant on the area Friday morning.
"We plan to put up air support again at first light and try to get a handle on it," Finch said, "and we'll rotate other firefighters in to give those who?ve been there a chance to rest."
As many as 18,406 acres burned statewide on Thursday and at least 11 fires were reported, said Cliff Eppler, an information officer for the state?s fire response center. There were no reports of injuries, officials said.
In a group of towns about an hour's drive south of Oklahoma City, authorities evacuated more than 750 homes in Tatums, Fox, Clemscott and Graham, sending residents who needed shelters to gymnasiums in neighboring towns, officials said. Windy conditions were contributing to the spread of the fires, and shifting winds increased the danger.
"The conditions in Oklahoma now are so extremely dry it's hard for me to believe that anybody would not be aware of it," said fire information officer Richard Reuse.
There is little if any chance of precipitation in the seven-day forecast, according to National Weather Service meteorologist John Pike. He said the fire danger will remain high through at least Tuesday.
"We're supposed to be in winter, but it doesn't look like any winter weather is coming," Pike said.
In Oklahoma alone, grass fires have destroyed more than 220 homes and businesses and killed two people since Nov. 1. Wildfires have also menaced Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.
In northern Texas, firefighters were battling a blaze that had consumed at least 4,000 acres and was threatening eight homes about 100 miles west of Dallas, the Texas Forest Service said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://www.sapulpadailyherald.com/homepage/local_story_013115722.html?keyword=leadpicturestory
Texas wild horses now threatened by drought, fires
Updated: Jan 9, 2006 3:59pm
Drought and high fire warnings across Texas have a local wild horse rescue group worried. Directors are trying to figure out how to keep their horse adoption program in Franklin going.
The non-profit group takes in wild mustangs from across the country. The effort helps relieve over-grazing in western states.
But the lack of grazing here in Central Texas is one of several problems brought on by the recent drought and grass fires.
The dry, barren conditions throughout Central Texas have left little to offer livestock. It's a problem that worries wild horse foundation director Ray Field: "Their graze is down because of the drought. Now we're introducing them to commercial-grown hay."
But that hay is hard to come by these days. Local ranchers are looking for it in other states.
If they are able to find hay, they're paying bundles for it, thanks to high demand and soaring fuel prices.
Quenching the wild horses' thirst has also presented a challenge.
The drought has brought watering hole levels way down.
The high-fire warnings also have the Franklin-based foundation concerned. Recent grass fires have come within a few miles of the ranch. And Field is worried the next one could overtake his place: "If you look at the ground here, the horses have grazed it down. But the fire would hit here and within an hour, would consume this 110 acres of land. "
Last year, the foundation found homes for more than 1200 horses. But current weather conditions won't allow field to take in many more. He's waiting on rain and relying on Central Texans to help the group this winter: "They've really looked into their pockets and hearts and said, you know, 'I've got an extra five bucks here I can afford to give a month'".
If you'd like to help, visit the foundation's web site: http://www.wildhorsefoundation.org
STORY BY CHRISTINE WINTER
http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=1&nid=8824
Wildfire threat undiminished on Sunday
North Texas firefighters were bracing for another day of dangerous conditions on Sunday with gusty winds and low humidity increasing the chances for wildfires.
A large fire estimated at 2,500 acres was burning Sunday afternoon along the Stevens-Palo Pinto County line.
The fire—one mile wide and three miles long—threatened 12 homes in Stevens County and 50 homes in Palo Pinto County. Residents were evacuated as a precaution, but officials said most were vacation homes and not currently occupied.
This fire started along U.S. 180 and spread to the northeast. Possum Kingdon State Park was closed as a result.
On Saturday, wildfires blackened parts of Parker County for the second day in a row. Firefighters were able to bring the flames under control near Poolville on Friday, but the fire rekindled on Saturday afternoon.
At least two aircraft were brought in to fight the fresh fire, helping ground-based crews. A barn was burned before fire crews were able to tame the flames.
The National Weather Service issued another Red Flag fire warning for most of North Central Texas on Sunday between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. The forecast is calling for southerly winds gusting to 35 mph with continued low humidity.
According to radar images, it did rain in parts of drought-stricken North Texas on Saturday night—but you would never know it.
"It is so dry down at the surface that this precipitation is actually evaporating before having a chance to hit the ground," explained WFAA-TV (Channel 8) meteorologist Steve McCauley.
McCauley said it would remain cloudy, windy and warm in North Texas on Sunday and Monday, but that an area east of Dallas could see some showers and thunderstorms on Monday.
The state has set up a hotline to report arson fires: 877-434-7345. The number was being posted on highway message signs in North Texas.
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/wfaa060115_wz_firedanger.4c9c2dd.html
Wildfires scorch grazing pastures
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Angela K. Brown
Associated Press
Carbon, Texas - When Gayla Stacy stands on her front porch and gazes at the 160 acres of fields around her, all she sees is black.
Wildfires that swept through two weeks ago scorched grazing land for her family's 150-head of cattle and burned the grass that the Stacys sell as hay. The flames also destroyed their barn, 150 rolls of hay and most of their farm equipment.
"We've worked 35 years to get what we've got, and we're glad our house didn't burn, but it still hurts," said Stacy, 53. "It's knocked a big hole in our livelihood."
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1137241872151740.xml&coll=2
The Times-Picayune
I see no mention of the Netherlands trip here. The people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are being lead without complete information.
http://www.nola.com/
I believe the new maps will be valuable but in a limited fashion until the impact of a draft according to Netherland's standards is realized. I believe it is too early to make wide ranging decisions until the potential for protection of the city is definitely known. I also believe this is a 'push' to change the focus of 'Rebuilding New Orleans' in a way that will achieve the goal Bush has to bury the problem. I believe the Louisiana legislators need a chance to formulate a plan for the Gulf Coast as it will impact their economy, since they have made their fact finding trip to the Netherlands.
New flood maps will likely steer rebuilding
But FEMA says it's still too soon to guess what they will look like
Sunday, January 15, 2006
By Gordon Russell and James Varney
Staff writers
The new federal flood maps for New Orleans scheduled to be released this year will provide critical information for residents trying to decide whether -- or how high -- to rebuild their damaged homes, members of Mayor Ray Nagin's Bring New Orleans Back commission say.
The maps also could drive new building codes and standards that try to minimize future flood damage, should city leaders decide to adopt them quickly.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/113730870342020.xml
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