Mandela art a hands-down winner

Winning palm: The Mandela hand print - A lithograph of Nelson MAndela's right hand, with what appears to be a map of Africa in the palm


British collectors spend thousands on prints of the ex-President's right hand, which show an image of Africa on his palmAndrew Unsworth: London

A London art gallery was inundated with visitors, e-mails and phone calls this week after the Times newspaper published a front-page picture of a lithograph showing the hand print of former President Nelson Mandela.

The print shows a depression in the centre of his palm in the shape of the African continent.

The lithograph is being sold at the Belgravia Gallery, which also sells watercolours by Prince Charles. The gallery has previously sold works by Mandela depicting Robben Island to raise money for his charities.

Gallery manager Laura Hunter said she had had to employ back-up staff to cope with inquiries, and that the gallery had sold at least 200 prints in two days.
"It's real and it's spooky," she said. "I've met him, spent time with him in Johannesburg, and I'm absolutely convinced that the prints are real. I want to make one of my own hand to see if it shows England!"

The Times reported that the original print was created by Mandela in February while working on drawings of Robben Island. He was in his studio when he rested his hand on one of his paintings, covering it in acrylic paint. When he wiped his hand on a clean piece of paper, the image of Africa appeared on the paper.

The image of Africa appears only on Mandela's right-hand print.

North Korea: Ten Years After Kim Il Sung

North Koreans, from children to the elderly, commemorate late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung before Kim’s statute on the Mansudae Hill on Thursday. North Korean people paid tribute toward Geumsusan Palace where Kim Il-sung’s remains are in state, as a siren went off at noon for three minutes across the nation. Thursday marks the 10th anniversary of Kim’s death. /Yonhap

Pyongyang (The Government Seat), North Korea uses it's nuclar clout all the time to get assistance for it's people.

This is not unusual. If the North Korean's have and had nuclear weapons for some time now, then I am not surprised. In actuality, this is a defense for North Korea as an immediate threat to South Korea, possibly the west coast of the USA. It is a bargaining chip. Bush does a great job doesn't he? He has endangered and killed more people in his first term than any president on record. With every country turning back to the Cold War it is safe to estimate Bush's reach of potential for killing surpasses anything Nazi Germany could do. Then add to that uncontrolled Global Warming and the statistics really get interesting.

I am not worried about North Korea. They know they cannot launch and aggressive strike against anyone without complete annihilation of that country and those people. Pyongyang is not that stupid. They should accept the respect the world offers them and return to the negotiations to receive whatever the world can offer to assist an impoverished country the opportunity to improve their people's quality of life.

N Korea's statement in full

Pyongyang, February 10 (KCNA) - The DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement Thursday to clarify its stand to cope with the grave situation created by the US hostile policy toward the DPRK.

The statement says:

The second-term Bush administration's intention to antagonize the DPRK and isolate and stifle it at any cost has become quite clear.

As we have clarified more than once, we justly urged the US to renounce its hostile policy toward the DPRK whose aim was to seek the latter's "regime change" and switch its policy to that of peaceful co-existence between the two countries. We have closely followed with patience what policy the second-term Bush regime would shape after clarifying the stand that in that case it would be possible to solve the nuclear issue, too.

However, the administration turned down our just request and adopted it as its policy not to co-exist with the DPRK through the president's inaugural address and the state of the union address and the speech made by the secretary of State at the Congress hearing to get its approval, etc.

The remarks made by senior officials of the administration clarifying the official political stance of the US contained no word showing any willingness to co-exist with the DPRK or make a switchover in its policy toward it.

On the contrary, they have declared it as their final goal to terminate the tyranny, defined the DPRK, too, as an "outpost of tyranny" and blustered that they would not rule out the use of force when necessary.

And they pledged to build a world based on the US view on value through the "spread of American style liberty and democracy."

The true intention of the second-term Bush administration is ...

I KNOW THESE words by Pyongyang are sincere and I am confident the USA's words have been controlling and insincere. I don't blame them. Bush is a criminal.

World urges North Korea back to nuclear negotiations

TOKYO (AP) — North Korea's statement Thursday that it had nuclear weapons and would boycott talks on its atomic programs was seen as a possible negotiating gambit, and governments urged it to return to the bargaining table.

North and South Korea need to resolve issues without regard for Bush's America. They need to find common ground. I really think the USA is a hindrence to this situation and not an asset. Russia, China and Japan along with the neighboring countries on that peninsula are the only nations that belong at the 'PEACE Tables."

Yongbyon Nuclear Facility is the concern of so many. 

conti2005 is the name I used on the New York Times message boards. When they closed down the message boards, I stored my thoughts here.

January 23, 2005

By Thomas Friedman
Paris — There's only one thing you can say about the elections in Iraq (click here): They are either going to be the end of the beginning there or the beginning of the end.
Either Iraqis turn out in large numbers to take control of their own future and write their own constitution - and I think they will - or the fascist insurgents there prevent them from doing so, in which case the Bush team will have to move to Plan B. What's sad is that right when we have reached crunch time in Iraq, the West is totally divided. All that the Europeans care about is being able to say to George Bush, "We told you so." What happens the morning after "We told you so" ? Well, the Europeans don't have a Plan B either.
Ever since 9/11, I've argued the war on terrorism is really a war of ideas within the Muslim world - a war between those who want to wall Islam off from modernity, and defend it with a suicide cult, and those who want to bring Islam into the 21st century and preserve it as a compassionate faith. This war of ideas is not one that the West can fight, only promote. Muslims have to fight it from within. That is what is at stake in the Iraqi elections. This is the first great battle in the post-9/11 war of ideas....

February 10, 2005
By conti2005

The Revolt and the Revolting
In God I Trust, Everyone Else I Monitor You are too long winded, Mr. Friedman.

There was an illegal invasion. There are hostilities and rightfully so. The people of Iraq managed to pull off an election whereby a majority of the country was able to elect. The votes are counted and the new administration needs to be announced.

The New Iraqi Administration has a mess to contend with and the sooner they get started the better. A complete ethnic group has become estranged from the new government because Bush recklessly destroyed Fallujah. Now, the Sunnis are not only protesting but bombing and killing and destroying everyday. 

IF a Shi'ite majority loves the idea of an autonomous government so much that they are willing to lead their country, NOT OUR COUNTRY, into a peaceful resolve then it is time they got started without delay. The future of Iraq belongs to them and I find you 'extravagant' fawning/falling/drooling all over that country offensive. What's the issue? Control? The USA has no more control. The sovereign state of Iraq is awaiting the announcement of it's new administration. They know who they are, they need to have their agenda in order and move things along to bring everyone under one roof if not one ethnic worship.

"The Day After Tomorrow"

Earth to Global Governments, Supercell Approaching. GOES East compliments of UNISYS. 2.9.05

Beech Mountain, North Carolina, January 2005. Wasn't a good ski season at Ski Beech. 

The Time to Act is NOW. I don't lie. The situation with Earth is DIRE !!

Editorial: Climate change threat may be underestimated

The climate change conference suggests scientific peer pressure may have led to gross underestimates of the potential scale of global warming

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg18524863.400

Climate change: Act now, before it is too late

Time is running out, and fast. That was the message from climate experts at an international climate conference in the UK
TIME is running out, and fast. Rising carbon dioxide levels and higher temperatures will soon set in motion potentially catastrophic changes that will take hundreds or even millions of years to reverse.
That was the warning last week from climate scientists attending a conference in Exeter, UK. While sceptics snipe from the sidelines (see "Climate change: Menace or myth?") and politicians prevaricate, researchers highlighted evidence that the danger is more pressing than was thought. "The sleeping giants are being woken," several said.

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg18524864.300

"Setting a New Course on Climate Change" by U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel


Delivered at Brookings Institution Briefing on Climate Change Policy, Washington, D.C.
Thank you, David, for inviting me to speak at this Brookings Institution Briefing on Climate Change Policy. I appreciate Brookings’ leadership in bringing nonpartisan, informed and expert analysis to difficult public policy issues, including climate change.

… I believe that greenhouse gas intensity, or the amount of carbon emitted relative to economic output, is the best measurement for dealing with climate change. Greenhouse gas emission intensity is the measurement of how efficiently a nation uses carbon emitting fuels and technology in producing goods and services. It captures the links between energy efficiency, economic development and the environment.

My plan includes three pieces of legislation:

The Climate Change Technology Deployment in Developing Countries Act;

The Climate Change Technology Deployment Act; and,

The Climate Change Technology Tax Incentives Act.

The Climate Change Technology Deployment in Developing Countries Act provides the Secretary of State with new authority for coordinating assistance to developing countries for projects and technologies that reduce greenhouse gas intensity. It supports the development of a U.S. global climate strategy to expand the role of the private sector, develop public-private partnerships, and encourage the deployment of greenhouse gas reducing technologies in developing countries. This bill directs the Secretary of State to engage global climate change as a foreign policy issue. It directs the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate the removal of trade-related barriers to the export of greenhouse gas intensity reducing technologies, and establishes an inter-agency working group to promote the export of greenhouse gas intensity reducing technologies and practices from the United States. The legislation authorizes fellowship and exchange programs for foreign officials to visit the United States and acquire the expertise and knowledge to reduce greenhouse gas intensity in their countries.

http://www.swnebr.net/newspaper/cgi-bin/articles/articlearchiver.pl?156981

Britain and India to do joint climate change research

T. V. Padma
9 February 2005
Source: SciDev.Net
[NEW DELHI] India and the United Kingdom have announced plans to collaborate on sustainable development projects, including conducting research on climate change together.

http://www.scidev.net/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=readnews&itemid=1916&language=1

Climate change claims another peer

Peter Foster
Financial Post
February 9, 2005

"It is necessary to guard ourselves from thinking that the practice of the scientific method enlarges the powers of the human mind. Nothing is more flatly contradicted by experience than the belief that a man distinguished in one or even more departments of science, is more likely to think sensibly about ordinary affairs than anyone else."
-- Wilfred Trotter

… For most of the past year, he has been non-executive chairman of oil giant Shell Transport & Trading, taking over that post when the company was roiled by a scandal surrounding overstated reserves.

When he retires in April, Lord Oxburgh plans to take up a position with a "climate change charity."
"I would be campaigning for more responsible use of hydrocarbons," he declared, on the basis that unless something is done about climate change, "there will be a disaster."

Like another former Cambridge don turned government science advisor, Sir David King, Lord Oxburgh is firmly convinced that man-made climate change is a terrible threat to mankind. Indeed, so great is his conviction that he eschews a chauffeur-driven limousine when shuttling back and forth between Shell's London headquarters and the House of Lords. Instead he uses a folding bicycle which he keeps in a cupboard in the lobby of Shell HQ.

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=92be2636-2183-452a-8a4e-63c4f797361e

Minister Calls for Region to Take Climate Change Action

Government minister Margaret Beckett MP has today called on South West residents to help lead the way in the fight against climate change.

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4076736

Climate change 'has killed 160,000'
February 02, 2005
MORE than 160,000 people died worldwide last year as a result of climate change and it is time the federal Government addressed the issue with a national summit, a peak environment group has said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12116859%5E30417,00.html

Record cold thins northern ozone
AP
February 01, 2005
BRUSSELS: Record low temperatures over the North Pole are thinning the protective ozone layer, a condition which could affect human health in northern countries and even central European nations, the European Union warned Monday.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12114359%255E30417,00.html

Glaciers, icefields in retreat
AP
January 31, 2005
CHACALTAYA GLACIER, Bolivia: Up and down the icy spine of South America, the glaciers are melting, the white mantle of the Andes Mountains washing away at an ever faster rate.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12103040%255E30417,00.html

Everest is losing height
January 27, 2005
IT is one of those facts every schoolchild is expected to know: how high is Mount Everest?
Everest's place as the world's highest point above sea level is not in dispute – the mighty mountain towers over its lofty neighbours in the Himalayas. The tribulations and triumphs of its would-be conquerors are well documented. But how high did they actually go?

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12060864%255E30417,00.html

'Scary' science finds Earth heating up twice as fast as thought
Leigh Dayton, Science writer
January 27, 2005
THE largest ever climate-change experiment reveals that scientists may have dramatically underestimated the threat of global warming.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12063396%255E30417,00.html

US critics reject our deal on N-waste
Amanda Hodge, Robert Lusetich
January 29, 2005
AUSTRALIANS do not want nuclear waste in their backyards, and many Americans don't want it either - despite an agreement by the US Government to take four shipments of Australian waste in the next decade.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12083484%255E30417,00.html

Blair to highlight environment as world leaders get together
January 27, 2005
BUSINESS, political and social leaders from every continent except Antarctica converged on this plush ski resort yesterday for the start of the World Economic Forum, an annual brainstorming session on global problems, including poverty and climate change.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12062187%255E30417,00.html

State's $26m hurry-up on water reforms
Amanda Hodge
January 26, 2005
NSW could be docked $26 million in national competition payments for failing to provide enough water for rivers and wetlands, in a sign that the federal Government is losing patience over the pace of water reform.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12055001%255E30417,00.html

Indian mangroves 'absorbed' tsunami
AP
January 23, 2005
PICHAVARAM, India: For generations, the Irula tribe in southern India made a living out of skinning snakes. Then a 1972 wildlife law banned such sales and the tribals, who lived in seaside forests, turned to fishing and worked on a government program to restore coastal mangrove swamps damaged by human development.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12025988%255E30417,00.html

Bracing for the next one
The Indian Ocean tsunami has concentrated minds this week at a world conference in Japan, itself the site of terrible natural catastrophes. Tokyo correspondent Peter Alford reports
January 22, 2005
OSAMU Hashida's trial was by flames rather than water but when he first heard news of last month's Indian Ocean tsunami, he shuddered for the survivors: "All my sympathy went out to Sumatra in that awful moment."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12009307%255E30417,00.html

This issue is approached the wrong way. When the IWC was formed there were still seas teeming with whales. That is not the case anymore. Every species of baleen whale including the Minki is grossly endangered, the worst being The Blue Whale, which at maturity is 100 feet long. These mammals because of their life cycle and reproduction and feeding patterns need an aggressive mariculture project to bring them back from extinction.

This isn't that difficult. Every feeding season at the poles a 'seeding ship' blankets swath after swath to produce huge and vital algal blooms. The krill if nothing else will feed on the algae and muliply in large number. IF there aren't enough krill in the seeding area certainly the 'seeding vessels' can simultaneously release NATIVE krill into the 'blanket aglae' area which will then spawn larger populations. The krill alone will serve to consume the algae preventing the harvested carbon dioxide from returning to the troposphere.

I have discussed this casually with The Icelandic Marine Mammal Institute and was hoping this would be initiated there. From what I am hearing from the IWC there is movement in that direction realizing some scientific investigation resulting in scientific and legitimate 'takes' will ensue.

Ocean seeding accompanied by consumtion of algae by krill and baleens will serve two purposes. It will begin to harvest carbon dioxide out of the troposphere while returning large body weight back to these marine mammals providing healthy individuals to high reproductive capacity and a real plan to return these mammals back from extinction.

The IWC was never a conservation organization but it became one with little response from whales in their protection to repopulate. It is time aggressive and immediate mariculture to return these mammals to high populations begin. It can be conducted year round, during summer months in the South and North polar populations while they feed there. Please do this now ! Nothing can hurt at this point and there is every indication it will help.

Ruddock steers clear of whaling court case
Natasha Robinson
January 27, 2005
IN an attempt to avoid a diplomatic row with Japan, the federal Government has refused to support legal action against whaling in Australia's Antarctic whale sanctuary.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12062051%255E30417,00.html

Law strikes low blow

Virginians who wear their pants so lowslung their underwear shows may want to think about investing in a stronger belt.

The US state's House of Delegates passed a bill today authorising a $US50 ($A65) fine for anyone who displays his or her underpants in a "lewd or indecent manner".

Delegate Lionell Spruill Sr, a Democrat who opposed the bill, had pleaded with his colleagues to remember their own youthful fashion follies.

Year of the Rooster 

Morning Papers - It's Origins

The Year of the Cock

CHINESE NEW YEAR: YEAR OF THE ROOSTER

In 4703, you've got a 1-in-12 chance to crow with pride

Anthony Yu has something to crow about today: Asian Lunar New Year 4703, marking the year of the rooster, his sign in the Chinese lunar calender.

Asia heralds Year of the Rooster

Communities across Asia have been celebrating the lunar new year and the start of the Year of the Rooster.
In China, millions of people and migrant workers have travelled home for the festivities.

The Year of the Rooster

Hong Kong - British Prime Minister Tony Blair consults a feng shui expert to pick the date for the General Election, scrapes home with a narrow majority and makes a pact with finance minister Gordon Brown to step down halfway through his third term.

China says vaccine developed for bird flu

BEIJING: Scientists in China have developed a bird flu vaccine for poultry and mammals that can fend off the deadly virus and help stop its spread, the China Daily newspaper said on Monday.

China Says Farm Incomes Up but Still Low

Average incomes for China's farmers rose 6.8 percent in 2004 but still stand at just 2,936 yuan (US$355; euro278) a year, the government said Tuesday amid promises to cut rural tax burdens that have sparked violent protests. Improving life in China's poor countryside - home to some 800 million people - is a priority for the government of President Hu Jintao after two decades in which Beijing focused on building up export industries.

Farmers are China’s backbone

I am elated to know this good news that China's GDP rose 9.5% in 2004 to arrive at US$1.65 trillion dollars, after 9.3% growth in 2003. This has proved the ability of China's new and young leadership in managing the world's fastest growing economy and the biggest population. (Taking into account of the buying parity of RMB yuan, many world economists estimate China's real GDP now accounts for 12% of the world's total, which I do not object.)

China invests US$37b overseas

Chinese companies invested US$3.62 billion in non-financial sectors overseas in 2004, an increase of 27 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Commerce said Monday.

World leaders greet Chinese lunar New Year

Leaders of foreign countries and international groups sent congratulatory messages to China on the traditional Chinese lunar New Year.

Dolly's creator granted human cloning license

LONDON - The scientist who created Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal, was granted a license Tuesday to clone human embryos for medical research.
Professor Ian Wilmut speaks during a news conference in Edinburgh, February 8, 2005. Wilmut, the scientist who created Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal, was granted a license Tuesday to clone human embryos for medical research. Wilmut plans to obtain stem cells for research into Motor Neurone Disease(MND), a procedure that divides the medical world along ethical lines. [Reuters]Professor

CORRUPTION - BUSH CORRUPTION - Georgie says, "They just didn't understand this is how we do things in Texas." In the meantime, hostility is brewing and civil war is in sight.

Final Iraqi election results said delayed

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi officials said Wednesday that the announcement of final results from landmark national elections will be delayed because the election commission must recount votes from about 300 ballot boxes.

Armed forces urged to target int'l cutting-edge tech

The Chinese Defense Minister has asked the armed forces to target cutting-edge military technologies when he visited the People's Liberation Army's General Armament Department between Sunday and Monday.

G7's unfulfilled duty

The London meeting of G7 finance ministers and central bank governors will be dominated, if the host, UK finance minister Gordon Brown has his way, by the issue of the relief of poverty in developing countries, with the emphasis on Africa.

A small but significant step forward

On Saturday, seven mainland charter planes landed on Taiwan for the first time since 1949, the start of cross-Straits charter flights for the 2005 Spring Festival.

The new US century is over

In a second inaugural address tinged with evangelical zeal, George W. Bush declared: "Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world." The peoples of the world, however, do not seem to be listening. A new world order is indeed emerging - but its architecture is being drafted in Asia and Europe, at meetings to which Americans have not been invited.

Time to stoke up railway reform

On a chilly winter's morning three years ago, I got up at 5 am and dashed into a taxi before arriving at a railway ticket office to queue among other early-risers in the dark.

Astronomers Find 'Hot' Vortex on Saturn

Astronomers using a giant telescope atop a volcano have discovered a hot spot at the tip of Saturn's south pole. The infrared images captured by the Keck I telescope at the W.M. Keck Observatory atop Mauna Kea on the Big Island suggest a warm polar vortex - a large-scale weather pattern likened to a jet stream on Earth that occurs in the upper atmosphere. It's the first such hot

Post-tsunami relationship

After the Tsunami, How Japan Can Lead
by Masaru Tamamoto
When Tokyo offered $500 million to help tsunami victims, its biggest package of natural disaster aid ever, the reaction of Peng-Er Lam of the National University of Singapore was fairly typical: “Japan’s assistance will help to reclaim certain diplomatic clout it had lost to China when Tokyo has to play catch-up with Beijing over free trade agreements with Southeast Asia.”

Couples skipping health checks

The number of newly-weds who underwent pre-marital health checks dropped drastically in Beijing last year, amid a growing incidence of infectious diseases and birth defects, according to the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau.

Sarah Jessica Parker to launch fragrance

Sarah Jessica Parker is putting the sweet smell of her success in a bottle. Parker, who starred in HBO's hit "Sex and the City," has signed a deal with Coty Inc. to develop a line of fragrances, the company announced Tuesday.

New rules at Oscars not all winners take the stage

The long walk down the Oscar aisle will be a lot shorter for some of this year's Academy Awards winners - in fact, some will not make it to the stage.

A happy New Year

A young boy and his mother play with a toy at the Lunar New Year fair in Hong Kong. China's transport system was stretched to the limit while goods flew off shop shelves in a last-minute rush as 1.3 billion people prepared to celebrate Lunar New Year. [AFP]

The weather in Beijing (Crystal Ice Chime) is:

"Chop-Sticks"

The Statemen of the Day

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon shake hands on Tuesday at Sharm El Sheikh landmark summit.

Jordan's Abdullah and Egypt's Mubarak 

The Heroes of the Day

Jordan's King Abdullah II, left, is welcomed by Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak during his arrival at Sharm e-Sheik

Kate Moss - Freud's $8m Nude

The World's Best Dress - Supermodel Kate Moss - Supermodel Kate Moss has been named the world's best dressed woman - just ahead of fashion rival Sienna Miller.
Sienna has been accused of copying Kate's style with her boho look.
But Kate, 31, retained her place at the top of Glamour magazine's annual best dressed list, while Sienna, 23, had to settle for second place
http://smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/08/1107625182553.html

Morning Papers - It's Origins

Rooster "Cock-A-Doodle-Do"

"Oak-He-Doe-$he'

Journalism At Risk

Straight to the point
WAR ISN'T `FUN'
Lt. Gen. James Mattis should have gotten more than a slap on the wrist for bragging about how much fun it was to shoot enemies in Iraq. ''Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. . . . It's fun to shoot some people,'' the three-star general said at a San Diego conference. ''You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,'' Gen. Mattis added. ``So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them.''

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/10835362.htm

Trial Begins for Jailed Iranian Pastor Five Months After Arrest
A 47-year-old Assemblies of God pastor in Iran who was arrested along with more than 80 other Christian leaders last September, went on trial last week before a military court in the capital city of Tehran

A 47-year-old Assemblies of God pastor in Iran who was arrested along with more than 80 other Christian leaders last September, went on trial last week before a military court in the capital city of Tehran amid international concern he may face execution if convicted of "spreading Christianity" and "deceiving people about his faith."

http://www.christianpost.com/article/missions/1389/section/trial.begins.for.jailed.iranian.pastor.five.months.after.arrest/1.htm

Signs That 'Nightline's' Days May Be Numbered
By Scott Collins
Times Staff Writer
Published February 7, 2005
Three years after narrowly surviving the ax, ABC's long-running "Nightline" is in jeopardy again.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/la-et-nightline7feb07,1,6733094.story?coll=chi-business-hed

Police Harass Journalists, Destroy Film

Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
February 7, 2005
Posted to the web February 7, 2005
Maputo

Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
February 7, 2005
Posted to the web February 7, 2005
Maputo

http://allafrica.com/stories/200502070130.html>

China tops world list for journalists jailed
Friday, February 4, 2005 at 10:08 JST
NEW YORK — China, Cuba, Eritrea and Myanmar accounted for more than three-quarters of the journalists imprisoned around the world in 2004, an organization for defending press freedom reported Thursday.
Of the 122 journalists in 20 nations who were in prison as of Dec 31 last year, 93 were in the four countries, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said. China topped the list in 2004 for the sixth consecutive year with 42, followed by Cuba with 23, Eritrea with 17 and Myanmar with 11, the committee said. (Kyodo News)

http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=7&id=326735

Can Too Much Praise For The Prophet Land You In Jail?
By Shahed Amanullah, February 23, 2003
Among Muslims, praise for the Prophet Muhammad is common, in that he provided an example for Muslims in all facets of their lives. But some Jordanian journalists found out the hard way that not all praise of the Prophet is looked upon kindly, especially when it comes to his family life. The three were jailed (although two were later released) for "insulting Islam" in an article that touched on the sexual life of the Prophet Muhammad. The journalists all claim that they were simply quoting sahih (trustworthy) hadith, or sayings of the Prophet, which can be found in any reputable Islamic bookstore. Afraid of a repeat of the violence in Nigeria fomented by fundamentalists over writings on the Prophet, the authorities said they had to act after Jordan's main Islamic party said the journalists would "burn in hell" for eternity. The jailed were defended by other journalists (although the Jordanian Journalist's Union expelled the trio), and the paper's publisher was defiant. "We have to cure the followers of Islam of rejecting criticism," says Al-Hilal publisher Ahmed Salama. "The fundamentalists are worshiping the prophet, not his revelation." All this happened a month after Jordan's King Abdullah extolled the value of free speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "Through laws and independent institutions," said Abdullah, "we are ensuring freedom of expression, speech and thought, including a free media."
Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of alt.muslim.

http://www.altmuslim.com/perm.php?id=937_0_26_0_C30

Pakistan rebels kill two journalists
February 8, 2005 - 7:34AM

Gunmen fired into a bus filled with journalists on their way back from covering the surrender of a suspected militant in a lawless tribal region on Monday, killing two reporters and wounding two others, security officials said.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Breaking-News/Pakistan-rebels-kill-two-journalists/2005/02/08/1107625169542.html

The Seattle Post Intelligencer

Officials: Porn photos taken at Disney
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Disney hotel was where a girl between the ages of 9 and 12 was victimized in a sex attack that was photographed, videotaped and distributed on the Internet, officials said Monday.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Child%20Porn

Dallas probes reports of church sex abuse
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS -- The Dallas County district attorney is investigating whether the Catholic Diocese of Dallas has failed to report allegations of clergy sexual abuse to law enforcement officials.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Church%20Abuse%20Dallas

Moderate quake hits near Indian islands
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HONG KONG -- A moderate earthquake hit near India's remote Nicobar Islands, which has been jolted by aftershocks since the Dec. 26 quake and tsunami disaster, Hong Kong seismologists said Monday.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=India%20Quake

Election officials work on making changes
By ROBERT TANNER
AP NATIONAL WRITER
WASHINGTON -- For the voters, the 2000 elections are long over and done with. For the top state officials responsible for making the voting run smoothly, the work has never stopped.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1153&slug=Election%20Worries

Iran wants to resolve problems with U.S.

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Tuesday that Tehran wants to resolve decades of differences with the United States but warned that a U.S. military strike would not be able to destroy its nuclear facilities.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Iran%20Nuclear

Kurdish ticket makes gains in Iraq voting

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A Kurdish ticket pulled into second place ahead of U.S.-backed Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's candidates in Iraq's national election after votes were released Monday from the Kurdish self-governing area of the north. Insurgents struck Iraq's security forces with suicide bombs and mortar fire, killing more than 30 people.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Iraq

Annan: Sudan fails to meet two key demands
By EDITH M. LEDERER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
UNITED NATIONS -- Sudan has failed two major U.N. demands aimed at ending violence in its Darfur region - disarm militias and arrest groups attacking villagers, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=UN%20S

Vatican responds to Pope resignation query

ROME -- A top Vatican official responded to a sensitive question that many Roman Catholics have been asking for a while: Would ailing Pope John Paul II ever consider stepping down?

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Pope

Irish court won't aid Omagh bombing suit
By SHAWN POGATCHNIK
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
DUBLIN, Ireland -- A court ruled Monday it could not help survivors of the 1998 Omagh bombing - the deadliest terrorist attack in Northern Ireland history - who are suing five prominent Irish Republican Army dissidents.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=NIreland%20Omagh%20Bom

Somali fisherman survives after tsunami
HAFUN, Somalia -- Clinging to the wreckage of their wooden boat, the two Somali brothers had just enough time to wave goodbye before a crashing wave separated them forever.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apafrica_story.asp?category=1105&slug=Somalia%20Surviving%20the%20Tsunami

Trinidad kicks off Carnival extravaganza

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad -- Masqueraders covered themselves in mud and motor oil Monday to start Carnival, swaggering through the streets to pounding beats and having one last dirty dance before showering and slipping into jeweled bikinis and feathered headdresses.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/aplatin_story.asp?category=1102&slug=Trinidad%20Carnival

Leftist party triumphs in Mexican state

ACAPULCO, Mexico -- For generations, leftist activists have fought the Institutional Revolutionary Party in the southern state of Guerrero through the ballot box and the rifle. After skirmishes, massacres and hundreds of martyrs, they were celebrating victory Monday with dancing and the honking of horns in the state's famous resort, Acapulco.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/aplatin_story.asp?category=1102&slug=Mexico%20Elections

The Times - London

Chechen rebel in call for peace talks as ceasefire holds
From Jeremy Page in Moscow
ASLAN MASKHADOV, the Chechen rebel leader, urged the Kremlin yesterday to begin talks to end a decade of conflict as local officials revealed that a ceasefire he ordered last week had been effective.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1474813,00.html

MacArthur sails into history
By Edward Gorman, Sailing Correspondent
ELLEN MacARTHUR last night sealed her place in history when she became the fastest person to sail round the world non-stop, reaching the finish line just before 10.30pm on her 72nd day at sea and taking one day and eight hours off the previous 72-day, 22-hour record.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4041-1475336,00.html

Watchdog calls for close look at Prince of Wales's investments
By Greg Hurst, Political Correspondent
PARLIAMENT’S most senior spending watchdog yesterday took the unprecedented step of demanding access to details of investments that generate the private income of the Prince of Wales. Sir John Bourn, Comptroller and Auditor General, told MPs that he wanted to study the accounts of the Duchy of Cornwall, which last year provided the Prince with £11.9 million in revenue.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1475133,00.html

Low-skilled immigrants to be barred from settling
By Richard Ford, Home Correspondent
Charles Clarke set out the Government’s plans to cut back on immigration from outside Western Europe
BRITAIN is to shut the door on non-Western European low-skilled workers settling permanently in the country under government plans announced yesterday.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1475067,00.html

Backdoor ban for smoking at work
By Sean O’Neill

LEADING restaurateurs have joined forces with private clubs, theatres and publicans to fight a backdoor attempt to introduce a smoking ban.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1474919,00.html

Hercules crash bodies flown home
The bodies of 10 British troops killed when their Hercules plane crashed in Iraq are being returned to Britain, the RAF said. A repatriation ceremony will take place at 1.30pm at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire where most of the men were based, a spokesman confirmed. The C130 Hercules, from Lyneham, went down on Sunday, January 30, 25 miles north-west of Baghdad, killing the 10 men on board. Today their bodies will be flown back from Basra on a C17 plane.

Energy policy shake-up demanded
MPs are being warned of the need for an urgent and fundamental shake-up of UK energy policy. The call for action comes from the Renewable Energy Foundation. The charity's Manifesto 2005 urges an approach to renewable that ensures supplies are secure, reliable, economical, clean and sustainable.

Top scientist under attack
One of Britain's leading scientists has been rebuked by MPs for his "heavy handed" conduct of a review into the future of a world-renowned medical research institution. The Commons Science and Technology Committee said that Professor Colin Blakemore, who chaired a task force looking at National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) in Mill Hill, north London, had been "inappropriately forceful". However it said that it could find "no specific credible evidence" to support complaints that he had tried to "coerce" members of the task force into accepting his views.

Government under fire over MRSA
A leading scientist has criticized Government's attempts to tackle the MRSA super bug and claimed proven measures for reducing MRSA infection rates have been overlooked. In an article in Microbiology Today, Dr Mark Enright, from the University of Bath, said the Government's efforts to raise basic standards of hospital hygiene were likely to have a limited effect on MRSA infection rates. Dr Enright said more extreme measures, such as isolating patients with MRSA infections, should be adopted if the Government was serious about bringing the MRSA epidemic in the UK to an end.

Mrs Blair, a PR man and bad PR
By Joanna Bale
The agent responsible for her tour of Australia has been linked to disputes over charity money
THE PR guru who is organizing Cherie Blair’s tour of Australia was accused of “abhorrent behavior” during a recent charity scandal.
Max Markson has been named in two Australian parliaments in recent years in relation to disputes over money allegedly owed to charities.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1474980,00.html

Crack open the champagne – the divorce has come through
By Helen Nugent

MUSIC blares from the speakers, partygoers nibble on canapés and the hostess looks resplendent in a little black dress. Then, as the party gets into full swing, the cake is wheeled out. The lettering reads: “Delighted to be Divorced.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1474751,00.html

Home truths
The debate about immigration appears to be growing up
No subject provokes such confusion and consternation as asylum and immigration. This is the one issue on which today’s Times/Populous poll finds the Tories well ahead of Labour (on crime and taxation, they are virtually level-pegging). Which may help to explain why Michael Howard has made so much of immigration and why Tony Blair is so keen to wrestle this issue, too, to a political draw.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,542-1474840,00.html

The Chicago Sun Times

Gov touting Illinois wine industry after bottling it up 2 years ago
February 7, 2005

SPRINGFIELD -- In his State of the State address, Gov. Blagojevich pledged to help the fledgling Illinois winemaking industry develop its full potential as a tourism draw for the southern part of the state.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-wine07.html

Complaints flow in over voting problems
February 7, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Some polling stations were shuttered. Others ran out of ballots. A provincial governor's name was left off the list of candidates. And some minorities complain it is all a plot to silence them.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/iraq/cst-nws-elec07.html

Military adjusting so it will have enough troops, Rumsfeld says

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Sunday there is no question the U.S. military is being stretched due to fighting a long, hard war in Iraq, but insisted that a heavy emphasis on recruiting and retention should eventually ease the problem.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/iraq/cst-nws-rums07.html

It's inescapable: New England's a dynasty
February 7, 2005

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- As hard as he will try, and Bill Belichick already is giving it his all, the New England Patriots coach never will be able to escape the topic he resists most: His team's arrival as a dynasty.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/sports/cst-spt-super07.html

He's learning to play in a whole new system
February 7, 2005

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- When Lance Williams arrived in Sarajevo last August to play basketball for the Bosna BH Telecom club, he didn't know what to expect from this former war zone.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/sports/cst-spt-lance07.html

Steppenwolf's 'Bluest Eye' has a blinding power
There is no more pernicious disease than self-hatred. And racism -- while by no means the only cause of such inward-turned loathing -- is unquestionably among its most potent sources.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/entertainment/cst-ftr-eye07.html

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Coal recouped
A state-of-the-art power plant is reclaiming the waste heaps that pollute Pennsylvania streams. As an "alternative" energy, it is controversial.
By Tom Avril
Inquirer Staff Writer
NEW FLORENCE, Pa. - Pennsylvania is littered with vast, abandoned piles of "boney" - a mixture of coal, rock and clay that chokes the life out of creeks and streams, turning them a sickly shade of yellowish-orange.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/10834835.htm

I don't like coal as a energy source, it still produces a lot of dirty air and carbon dioxide.

Resources on the Web about coal
History of Coal Mining in Pennsylvania

http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/enved/

go_with_inspector/coalmine/Coal_Mining_in_Pennsylvania.htm

Pennsylvania's new alternative energy requirement (State Legislature web site)

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/ALL/2003/0/SB1030.HTM

Map of US showing the alternative energy requirements in different states

http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energy/page.cfm?pageID=895#res

Electric industry site about power plants that burn "waste coal"

http://www.arippa.org/

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/10683000.htm

A post-tsunami homecoming
A Phila. surgeon helping aid efforts in India sees another victim: The beach he enjoyed as a youngster.
By Dawn Fallik
Inquirer Staff Writer
One in an occasional series.
MADRAS, India - As a child growing up here, E. "Bala" Balasubramanian and his friends would come to the beach every day after school - a 10-minute walk to a strip of sky and sea in a crowded city. They came every day, playing until it was time to go home for dinner.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/10822307.htm

This vote won't vindicate Bush
Leonard Pitts Jr.
is a columnist for the Miami Herald
Last year, the New York Times reported a statistical breakdown of terrorist attacks in Iraq that left my jaw hanging. According to these figures, that nation was sustaining about 2,300 such strikes a month. That works out to 76 bombings, shootings, mortar attacks and landmine explosions every day in a nation about the size of California.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/10834815.htm

The Toronto Star

Iraq duty ruled out: Pettigrew
Canadians may help train soldiers in nearby country
Decision hinges on upcoming NATO talks, minister says
SEAN GORDON
OTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWA—Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew says "there's no intention" of sending troops to boost NATO efforts in Baghdad to train Iraq's army, but he is leaving the door open to putting Canadian soldiers on neighbouring soil.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1107731409636&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154

Ottawa pushes end to Net drug sales
Critics say moves are to satisfy U.S.
Dosanjh denies link to mad-cow deal
SUSAN DELACOURT
OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF
OTTAWA—The federal government's plan to shut down Internet pharmacies to U.S. customers appears to have acquired new urgency over the past several weeks, with legislation expected as soon as the end of this month.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1107731409463&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154


Mr. Bush, did you forget about Africa?
Every once in a while, something so awful happens in Africa that the rest of the world momentarily takes note of the continent.
Twenty years ago, a devastating famine prompted Michael Jackson and friends to stage a nationally televised benefit concert that raised millions. More recently came the horrors in Rwanda and Sudan, prompting a lot of international indignation, if little else.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1107558612590&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795
Canadian children feel international responsibility
Change was afoot even before tsunamis hit
Kids understand the suffering of others
CHRIS MORRIS
CANADIAN PRESS
Forget the "me" generation. Experts say many children these days see themselves as part of a new generation of children without borders.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1107691265403&call_pageid=991479973472&col=991929131147

Puffy buckwheat pancakes to mark Shrove Tuesday
SUSAN SAMPSON
Get these pancakes while they're hot and billowy. Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday, the last day before Lent. Traditionally, pancakes were eaten on Shrove Tuesday to use up supplies of eggs, milk and butter — foods once forbidden during the 40-day period of abstinence before Easter.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1107691265376&call_pageid=991479973472&col=991929131147

High-speed Internet spreading to North
A crucial tool for communication
Less isolation for Nunavut residents
TARA BRAUTIGAM
CANADIAN PRESS
In a vast stretch of land where blizzards knock out telephones, temperatures are perpetually sub-zero and your nearest neighbour lives miles away, communication is a precious thing.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1107731409881&call_pageid=991479973472&col=991929131147

Ice and snow made for a tough stroll
JACK LAKEY
STAFF REPORTER
Walking on Victoria Park Ave. where it crosses Highway 401, meant pedestrians risked toppling to the road below, until the city cleared an icy sidewalk that had been overlooked.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1107731409547&call_pageid=968350130169&col=969483202845

Grants urged for needy students
Post-secondary education report due Monday Allow tuitions to rise, Rae's review
to recommend
LOUISE BROWN, ROBERT BENZIE AND HICHAM SAFIEDDINE
STAFF REPORTERS
A sweeping review of Ontario's colleges and universities will urge free tuition for the lowest-income students to improve access to higher learning, sources say.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1107558613134&call_pageid=968256289824&col=968342212737

Signs to warn pregnant women of alcohol dangers
FROM CANADIAN PRESS
BELLEVILLE, Ont. — Effective immediately licensed premises, beer stores and liquor stores must post signs warning women of the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant, Consumer and Business Services Minister Jim Watson announced today.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1107558612700&call_pageid=968256289824&col=968342212737

No good reason to bow to U.S. pharma's lobbying
MICHAEL GEIST
During the Internet boom of the 1990s, analysts frequently extolled the virtues of e-commerce, envisioning a world in which clicks would replace bricks.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1107731409397&call_pageid=968350072197&col=96904886385&DPL=IvsNDS%2f7ChAX&tacodalogin=yes

Philadelphia targets 2006 for city-wide wireless Internet
Business details to be unveiled by city this week
But some U.S. states have banned projects by public sector
DAVID HO
COX NEWS SERVICE
PHILADELPHIA—Above the Liberty Bell and outside Independence Hall, there's something in the air besides the weight of history.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1107731409418&call_pageid=968350072197&col=969048863851

Editorial: Civic gay wedding furor unwarranted
Should civic officials in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada be allowed to refuse to perform same-sex weddings on religious or moral grounds?
In its opinion late last year on the federal government's proposed same-sex marriage bill, the Supreme Court of Canada left no doubt that religious officials have that right. But it remained silent on whether government employees who officiate at civil ceremonies at city and town halls across Canada can also opt out of performing same-sex weddings.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1107558612567&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795

The Wilmington Star News

Storm Damage May Hasten Death of Sequoia
The Associated Press
A giant sequoia believed to be the second-largest tree in the world may not live much longer after suffering damage from heavy snow and strong wind, according to officials at Sequoia National Park.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050207/APA/502071004&cachetime=5

Florida parents of missionary killed in shoot down seek answers
By BILL KACZOR
Associated Press Writer
The parents of a missionary killed with her adopted baby when a plane was shot down in Peru renewed their quest for answers Monday after learning prosecutors had dropped a criminal investigation of CIA operatives.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050207/APN/502071064&cachetime=5

Greenspan speaks in Scotland
Speech praises early free-market advocate
By Martin Crutsinger
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan paid tribute on Sunday to the father of modern economics, saying that 18th century philosopher Adam Smith was "a towering contributor to the development of the modern world."

http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050207/NEWS/202070325/1002/FRONTPAGE

N.C. fears Medicaid cut may be near
Associated Press
RALEIGH Local and state officials fear that President Bush’s budget will provide little increases for Medicaid, leaving them to make the difficult decision of who gets or doesn’t get medical treatment.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050207/NEWS/50206019/1002/BUSINESS

Let's clear the air in restaurants
North Carolina restaurants would be healthier, safer places for employees and customers alike if smoking were banned. It's time it was.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050206/EDITORIAL/502060407/1016/editorial

We hope this is right
If you're confused about how President Bush's Social Security plans would work, you are not alone. Reporters who attended a pre-State of the Union speech news conference with somebody the White House press office insisted could be identified only as "a senior administration official" left with differing interpretations, rather like theologians who've pondered the Dead Sea Scrolls.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050205/EDITORIAL/502050356/1016/editorial>

Sunnis offer to help draft Iraq constitution

BAGHDAD - Facing the prospect of a Shi'ite Muslim landslide, Sunni politicians offered on Saturday to participate in mapping the nation's political future. But Sunni rebels showed no sign of compromise, killing two US soldiers and at least 33 Iraqis in a string of attacks.

Officials of the Shi'ite-led United Iraqi Alliance that has rolled up a big lead in Sunday's elections said it wants the prime minister post in the upcoming government - casting doubt on chances that US-backed Prime Minister Ayad Allawi can keep his job. Mr Allawi's ticket is running a distant second.

The Iraqi election commission released no new election returns on Saturday in contests for the 275-seat National Assembly, but predicted it would announce final vote totals by Thursday.

However, partial returns from about 35 per cent of the 5,200 polling centres showed the Shi'ite-led ticket, endorsed by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, with about two-thirds of the votes to 18 per cent for Mr Allawi, a secular Shi'ite. Shi'ites are believed to make up two-thirds of Iraq's 26 million people.

Most of those returns were from Shi'ite provinces where the Alliance, whose leaders have links to Iran, had been expected to run strong. No returns have been announced from heavily Sunni Arab provinces.

But many Sunnis apparently stayed at home on election day, heeding boycott calls by hardline clerics or fearing insurgent attacks. That has raised fears that the Sunni Arab minority, estimated at 20 per cent of the population, may not accept a new Shi'ite-dominated government, fueling the Sunni-led insurgency.

In a bid to avoid political marginalisation, a group of Sunni Arab parties that refused to participate in the election said on Saturday that they want to take part in the drafting of a permanent constitution - a chief task of the new National Assembly.

The groups were mainly small movements and it was not clear whether they represent a major portion of the Sunni Arab community. The initiative was spearheaded by Sunni elder statesman Adnan Pachachi, who ran for a National Assembly seat.
He told CNN that he had talked with Shi'ite and Kurdish leaders about a role for the Sunnis in drafting a new constitution 'and they all welcomed this idea'.

Nevertheless, there was little sign that armed Sunni groups - including nationalists, supporters of Saddam Hussein and Islamic zealots - were ready to join in any national reconciliation.

Strong detonations rumbled through Baghdad at sunset, and police said insurgents had fired mortar shells near Baghdad's international airport. -- AP

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sub/latest/story/0,5562,299661,00.html

The Cheney Observer

Halliburton Watch

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/

Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) confirmed today that the Army Field Support Command (AFSC) has informed KBR that the Army Materiel Command (AMC) has approved AFSC's request for a deviation from the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause that could impose a 15 percent withholding on future invoices to the U.S. Government under the LOGCAP III contract. KBR is a subsidiary of Halliburton.
i-Newswire, 2005-02-07 - Although AMC determined that the FAR clause can apply to contingency contracts, it has delegated the authority to determine whether or not to implement the withholding to AFSC, the Army agency that administers KBR's LOGCAP III contract. AFSC has informed KBR that it will assess the situation on a task order by task order basis and that, at the present time, the withholding will continue to be deferred.

http://i-newswire.com/pr5609.html

Halliburton exempt from Army withholding
U.S. Army won't withhold portion of disputed payments for work in Iraq.
February 3, 2005: 5:59 PM EST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army on Thursday said Halliburton Co.'s Kellogg Brown and Root unit would not be slapped with a blanket 15 percent withholding on the payment of disputed bills involving billions of dollars of work in Iraq.

http://money.cnn.com/2005/02/03/news/fortune500/halliburton.reut/

Army pays Halliburton despite disputes
UPI - Thursday, February 03, 2005

Date: Thursday, February 03, 2005 4:28:12 PM EST By PAMELA HESS, UPI Pentagon Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- The Pentagon has waived a requirement to withhold 15 percent of its payments to Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root while the Army assesses possible overcharges, the company announced Thursday.

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?StoryId=CqGgV0eidDxmTAgfSBgLIDxj0B24

NOW, why would Jeb need a successor?

Word is Bush has idea on heir
Two former advisers tell top Republicans that Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings is Jeb Bush's favorite.
By STEVE BOUSQUET and ADAM C. SMITH
Published February 3, 2005
TALLAHASSEE - Two former top advisers to the governor are telling prominent Republicans that Jeb Bush favors Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings as his successor.
Bush's former chief of staff, Sally Bradshaw, and former communications director, Karen Unger, made a flurry of calls last week to get the word out.

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/02/03/State/Word_is_Bush_has_idea.shtml

NOW HOW IT IS that Cheney gets prosecution against someone who threatened to kill him and Michael Moore doesn't?

Man to stand trial after threatening Vice President Cheney

Homer Shoup
(Grand Rapids, February 3, 2005, 8:17 p.m.) A judge found a Wayland man competent to stand trial for allegedly threatening Vice President Dick Cheney.
Homer Shoup was in federal court in Grand Rapids Thursday morning where a judge ruled he is mentally competent.
In late October , Shoup dropped of a package off at the WOOD TV8 studios in Grand Rapids, then called 911 to say he was turning his van into a bomb and going to blow it up outside a Lansing building where Cheney was speaking at the time.

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2900075&nav=0RceVy3u

John Baer Cheering the old stuff
MINDLESS APPLAUSE FOR BUSH SPEECH
IT WAS A mix of almost unending annoyance and a few fresh moments.
I loved it, for example, when Dick Cheney popped a cough drop, or a No-doze, or a nitro.
But last night's State of the Union struck me mostly as simplistic applause lines anchored by two powerful personal appearances, a tedious tradition freshened by the presence of a few real people.

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/10803332.htm

Kufuor argues for deregulation of petroleum sector
Accra, Feb. 3, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday made another strong argument for the deregulation of the petroleum sector although he noted that it was bound to cause some shock to the system and said the Government would take a decision on it this year. "In the short term, it is likely to result in a rise in inflation," he said in his first State of the Nation address of his second term delivered to Parliament in Accra.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=74654

Q4 2004 Royal Dutch Petroleum Co (Shell) Earnings Conference Call - TRANSCRIPT
CCBN, Date: Feb 2005
RD reported record net income of $18.5b, 48% higher than 2003. Record cash from operations of nearly $26b was up 18%. The Co. will reduce its SEC-proved reserve base at the end of 2003 by around 1.4b boe to nearly 13b barrels. The Co. expects to buy back 3.0-3.5b shares. Q&A Focus: Reserves, CapEx, downstream business.

http://www.researchandmarkets.com/transcript_info.asp?trans_id=52484

This Week In Petroleum
Released on February 2, 2005
Information courtesy the US Department of Energy
The First Sign of Spring
Earlier today, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his hole in Pennsylvania and saw his shadow, thus signaling, potentially, six more weeks of winter. While Punxsutawney Phil is a famous harbinger of spring, some people also look for other signs of its early arrival. For some it will be the first time they see a robin, for others the first bud seen on a tree, and for sports fans it will be the sound of baseballs hitting gloves as pitchers and catchers report to spring training. But for oil market analysts, one sign that spring may be coming soon is when the spot price of gasoline rises above that of heating oil. Looking at spot prices for both of these products in recent days, the spot price of gasoline may not be too far away from surpassing that for heating oil.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/print?id=58753315

The Guardian
BAE thrashes out carrier deal
The Ministry of Defence and defence group BAE Systems are reportedly close to finalising a deal over management of a £4bn contract to build two aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1407190,00.html

Bush Administration Pays Halliburton For Services Never Rendered
February 05, 2005
By: Evelyn Pringle
InAs of June 2004, the Government Accounting Office estimated that more than $1 billion in taxpayer money had been wasted due to illegal overcharges by contractors in Iraq, since the onset of the war. Furthermore, experts say that once the total is calculated correctly, the losses could very well add up to billions more.

http://www.independent-media.tv/item.cfm?fmedia_id=10364&fcategory_desc=Under%20Reported

False alarm forced evacuation at K-25 building

February 3, 2005
OAK RIDGE (AP) -- There was a false alarm Thursday morning that cleared the huge K-25 building at the government nuclear weapons complex in Oak Ridge.
About 600 workers dismantling the three-mile-long, U-shaped building were evacuated for about one and a half hours.

http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=2897355

Govt says solution to Dabhol power plant in sight

Thu February 3, 2005 7:46 PM GMT+05:30
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The government expects a solution to a dispute over the mothballed $2.9-billion Dabhol power plant set up by bankrupt U.S. energy giant Enron Corp, the power minister said on Thursday.
The 2,184-megawatt Dabhol power plant in Maharashtra was shut down in May 2001 after a billing dispute with a state utility, which had contracted to buy all the power.

http://www.reuters.co.in/locales/c_newsArticle.jsp?type=businessNews&localeKey=en_IN&storyID=7527886

I-93 leak fix to take precedence in cost recovery: AG Reilly
By Cyndi Roy/ State House News Service
Thursday, February 3, 2005
Less than a year before the project's scheduled completion, Attorney General Thomas Reilly on Tuesday was officially designated to lead the effort to recover money from managers and contractors on the $14.6 Big Dig. Reilly immediately said his top priority, one that takes precedence over any potential settlement, is to make sure leaks plaguing the massive underground highway are fixed. He offered no specific timetable.

http://www2.townonline.com/woburn/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=176487

Before September leak, Big Dig officials knew of tunnel problems
February 6, 2005
BOSTON -- Months before a massive leak in a Big Dig tunnel last fall, project officials found that a smaller leak in a nearby wall was caused by a similar construction deficiency, but didn't publicly reveal the problem.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/02/06/before_september_leak_big_dig_officials_knew_of_tunnel_problems/

India tells West: take our oil, please

By PATRICK BRETHOUR and DAVE EBNER
From Friday's Globe and Mail

Calgary — India calls it the Gold Rush of the 21st century, the tantalizing prospect of abundant oil and gas riches off the coast of one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050203.windioil0203/BNStory/Business/

I'VE GOT SOME 'PROBLEM' WITH THE CONCEPT OF 'VALUE' IN Bush/Cheney Foreign Policy

Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Bushʼs Inaugural Speech

Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Bush's Inaugural Speech

WASHINGTON, DC — The following Op-Ed article by AHI President Gene Rossides appeared in The National Herald of January 29, 2005, page 11, The Hellenic News of America of February 1, 2005, page 3 and The Hellenic Voice of February 2, 2005, page 5.
Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Bush's Inaugural Speech

By Gene Rossides

President Bush in his inaugural address devoted largely to foreign policy, used language that implied an expansive foreign policy in support of liberty, freedom and democracy worldwide.

Bush stated; "From the day of our founding we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value…

… The President asked two questions in the concluding part of his speech: "Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?"

...President Bush also needs to take action against Turkey for (1) its violations of the rights of its Kurdish citizens which amounts to ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and genocide; (2) its thousands of political prisoners; (3) its jailed journalists; (4) its lack of religious freedom for the Ecumenical Patriarchate; (5) its failure to reopen the Halki Patriarchal School of Theology illegally closed in 1971; and (6) its failure to acknowledge the Armenian genocide.

Unless President Bush acts to change U.S. policy towards Turkey to accord with his eloquent phrases in his inaugural speech, the answers to his two questions will be "no."

Gene Rossides is President
of the American Hellenic Institute and
former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury

http://www.hellenicnews.com/readnews.html?newsid=3003&lang=US

The Tin Commandments
Covet not the ass next door
by Alan Bisbort - February 3, 2005

On a visit to Atlanta earlier this week, I noticed a new affectation sweeping the fringes of red culture. On placards the size of real-estate transaction signs, the Ten Commandments are posted in front yards, augmenting the "God Bless America" ribbons on the rear-ends of homeowners' SUVs.

This was not deep in the Dark Ages of red culture. This was not Cobb County, where these signs are no doubt mandatory and where the school board has placed anti-evolution stickers on biology texts. This was Southern suburbia, where I grew up, two counties removed from Cobb. To my surprise, I didn't find myself flinching in horror at the "hidden agendas" of the Ned Flanderses and Church Ladies compelled to make such public pronouncements of self-righteousness. Rather, I refamiliarized myself with the actual words of the Ten Commandments. It was then that I decided to see if the "values"-laden Republicans who lord over us and shove the commandments down our throats, actually adhere to their own preachings.

Need I add the obvious answer? Of course they don't! The Republican "values" crowd would be lost without their hypocrisies. Indeed, hypocrisy is the glue that holds America together. James Hillman nailed it in his recent book, A Terrible Love of War : "Hypocrisy in America is not a sin but a necessity and a way of life. It makes possible armories of mass destruction side by side with the proliferation of churches, cults, and charities. Hypocrisy holds the nation together so that it can preach, and practice what it does not preach."

Check out the commandments for yourself, found in Exodus, Chapter 20, 1-18.

­ "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me."

Moses (quoting God) told his people that they must stop worshipping false idols. I take this to mean that no other objects of worship besides God are allowed, including money, stocks, oil, real estate and Paris Hilton videos. Please deposit all such items in the receptacles at the back of the church on your way out the door. Praise the Lord.

­ "Thou shalt not make for yourself a carved (or graven) image" and worship it.

That put me in mind of my Republican neighbor, who's out polishing his Hummer every other day.

­ "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."

Does telling a U.S. Senator, "Go fuck yourself" on the floor of Congress qualify?

­ "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."

Hey, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Exxon, Target, Office Max, Circuit City and all other big Bush donors, if you don't close on Sundays you're living in sin.

­ "Honor thy father and mother."

When GWB was told that his father opposed the decision to go into Iraq, the son said, "I have a higher father that I follow ..."

The old man's out of the loop as usual.

­ "Thou shalt not murder."

Where to begin? Iraqi civilians (100,000+), U.S. soldiers (1,400+) ... and counting.

­ "Thou shalt not commit adultery."

The roll call of lechers forms on the right: Newt Gingrich, Robert Livingston, Henry Hyde, Bill O'Reilly, Jack Ryan, Neil Bush, Daddy Bush, Phil Giordano, Strom Thurmond, Dick Morris, Schwarzenegger, Giuliani, Kerik ...

­ "Thou shalt not steal."

Where to begin? Cheney's Halliburton, with no-bid contracts and price gouging. Daddy Bush's Carlyle Group, which has a key to the U.S. Treasury. Enron, thief of thousands of Americans' retirement savings. The Bushprano Family (W, Jeb, Neil, Marvin), just follow the money ...

­ "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."

Colin Powell, is that cornmeal in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me? When Colin held that vial of kitty litter up at the U.N. and insisted it was proof of an Iraqi WMD program, he knew it was a lie. Ditto Condi Rice, and her 9/11 Commission testimony. Ditto, Dick Cheney every time he opens his mouth. Ditto, Swift Boat Veterans. Ditto, every utterance about Social Security.

­ "Thou shalt not covet they neighbor's house, wife, servant or hand-maid, ox or ass or anything else that is his."

And that includes his oil.

http://hartfordadvocate.com/gbase/News/content?oid=oid:98708

Candor gets counseling
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A Marine general who told a forum, “It's fun to shoot some people,” has been counseled about choosing his words more carefully, the Marine Corps commandant said Thursday.
Lt. Gen. James Mattis, who has commanded troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, made the comments Tuesday while speaking in San Diego about strategies for the war on terror. Mattis is the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/10811132.htm

Qatar awards $420 million tender within New Doha International Airport construction project
07-02-2005 , 01:40
The New Doha International Airport (NDIA) Steering Committee on Sunday signed an agreement with a consortium of four companies formally awarding them the dredging and reclamation works contract for Qatar’s new airport project.

… In January 2004, the Doha International Airport Steering Committee awarded a contract to the US engineering firm Bechtel to design, construct and project-manage the $5.5 billion new airport. Bechtel’s plan calls for the overall project to be split into some 20 parts, each of which will be tendered to local and international companies.

http://www.menareport.com/en/business/179789

Halliburton Unit Wins Role on British Aircraft Carriers
By REUTERS
Published: February 7, 2005

LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Halliburton unit Kellogg Brown & Root was chosen by Britain on Monday to coordinate construction of two aircraft carriers worth 2.9 billion pounds ($5.4 billion) that will be the Royal Navy's largest ships.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/07/business/business-arms-britain.html

SEC Lets Halliburton Exclude Resolution
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday sided with Halliburton Co. and ruled that the company could exclude an annual-meeting resolution that would have given shareholders more say in nominating directors.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/10839712.htm

Halliburton Investor Relations Retained as Counsel to EDAP TMS S.A.; Company to Begin Enhanced Shareholder Communications and Outreach Program
Monday February 7, 5:34 am ET
DALLAS, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- EDAP TMS S.A. (Nasdaq: EDAP - News), has retained Halliburton Investor Relations to assist the company in its efforts to communicate with the investment community.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050207/larstr4_1.html

MOUNTAIN VIEWS: ENRON, HALLIBURTON STORIES FADING FROM FRONT PAGES OF U.S. NEWSPAPERS
By John Hanchette
OLEAN -- My world outlook as an aging curmudgeon journalist grows more skeptical week by week. I notice one trend more disturbing than most others. News stories I think should be on the front pages of major newspapers are relegated to the inside. Waaaay inside. Sometimes they're not even in the news section.

Once again, reality bites the governor
By Randy Schultz
Palm Beach Post Editor of the Editorial Page
Sunday, February 06, 2005
To understand why Gov. Bush has such a prickly relationship with The Post, you have to understand that the paper has an annoying habit of using facts to prove him wrong.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2005/02/06/a1e_schultzcol_0206.html

The Sydney Morning Herald

Death toll in tsunami disaster tops 295,000
February 8, 2005 - 1:10AM

The number of people believed killed in December's tsunami disaster topped 295,000 today, six weeks after the catastrophe, as Indonesia again increased its number of dead.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Asia-Tsunami/Death-toll-in-tsunami-disaster-tops-295000/2005/02/08/1107625149749.html

US tsunami response inadequate: poll
February 8, 2005 - 3:04PM

Australians approved of the use of the US military to help tsunami victims but believed the US response to the tragedy has been inadequate, according to a new international poll.
The GMI poll asked people in 20 key countries if they believed the use of US military to deploy aid to victims of the Asian tsunami on Boxing Day was appropriate.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Breaking-News/US-tsunami-response-inadequate-poll/2005/02/08/1107625192259.html

Tsunami aid pledges slow to come: UN
February 8, 2005 - 5:34AM

About six weeks after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami, the UN has received little more than a third of aid funding pledged by governments, a senior official said.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Breaking-News/Tsunami-aid-pledges-slow-to-come-UN/2005/02/08/1107625162972.html

Power outages hit net users
By Online Staff
February 3, 2005

Strong winds and heavy rain which hit Sydney and Melbourne have affected some Optus services, a company spokesperson said today.

http://smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/03/1107228828392.html

AFL premiers show class despite rain
February 4, 2005 - 2:49PM

Atrocious weather in Mt Gambier made Port Adelaide's first internal trial match of the pre-season more of a trial than a game, but veteran Gavin Wanganeen said it still gave some of the AFL premier's youngsters a chance to show some promising signs.

http://smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/04/1107476786203.html

Eastern states cop bizarre weather
February 2, 2005 - 10:20PM

Dust, hail, lightning and snow - Australia's eastern states were in the weather gods' firing line this week.
While Sydney was pummelled by high winds and hail on Wednesday, towers of red dust swept across western Queensland and northern NSW.

http://smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/02/1107228772035.html

Eastern states cop bizarre weather
February 3, 2005 - 12:48AM

Australia's eastern states have been battered by extreme weather conditions this week.
Heavy rain, lightning, strong winds and hail hit Sydney yesterday afternoon for the second day running.

http://smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/03/1107228779247.html

Melbourne braces for another lashing
February 3, 2005 - 8:12AM

The State Emergency Service (SES) received more than 2,500 calls for help overnight as heavy rain and winds flooded houses and brought down trees, with further calls expected as the wild weather continues today.

http://smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/03/1107228797605.html

Search for Sydney's $7m lottery winner
February 8, 2005 - 12:52PM

A Sydneysider has won $7.025 million in the $2 jackpot lottery.
But authorities have been unable to contact the owner of the winning ticket which was purchased on Sydney's northern beaches.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Search-for-Sydneys-7m-lottery-winner/2005/02/08/1107625185392.html

One jump ahead of a ban on freedom
February 8, 2005

One European communist took on Robert Menzies - and won, writes Steve Meacham.
Seventy years ago a chain-smoking, multilingual, Czech writer jumped into Australian history. Egon Erwin Kisch - "the jumper" - became one of the most celebrated figures in the country, his name in the headlines, his features prominent in political cartoons.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/One-jump-ahead-of-a-ban-on-freedom/2005/02/07/1107625137837.html

Life imitates art, but the camera captures both
February 8, 2005

Traditional craftsmanship ... detail from The Girl with Green Eyes, one of the Greg Parsons images apparently designed solely for visual pleasure.
Modern marriage and historic treasures come into focus, writes Robert McFarlane.
Documentary photography again dominates Sydney exhibitions this month. At the Museum of Sydney, Roslyn Sharp's Getting Married shows, in 10 gently lyrical colour essays, how differently we now choose to wed.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Arts/Life-imitates-art-but-the-camera-captures-both/2005/02/07/1107625128355.html

Childcare tragedy: toddler choked on pebble
February 8, 2005 - 12:59PM

A four-year-old girl who died suddenly at a Sydney childcare centre last week choked on a pebble, according to an interim coroner's finding made public today.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Childcare-tragedy-toddler-choked-on-pebble/2005/02/08/1107625185749.html

Habibs find their house ransacked
By Tom Allard and Cynthia Banham
February 8, 2005

The Sydney home of the former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib was ransacked over the weekend after a mysterious break-in while he and his family were staying with friends.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Habibs-find-their-house-ransacked/2005/02/07/1107625139209.html

Brit-knees' $6.5m saga
February 8, 2005 - 7:41AM

Britney Spears is suing eight insurance companies that refused to pay out when she cancelled her world tour last year.
The pop star was forced to axe the tour when she suffered a knee injury, but is now demanding she be reimbursed the $6.5 million costs.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/08/1107625169829.html?from=top5

Ivanhoe to sell Savage River asset
February 8, 2005 - 12:49PM

International explorer and developer Ivanhoe Mines Ltd is selling its Australian iron ore mine to focus on developing a $US 1 billion-plus project in Mongolia's Gobi Desert.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Breaking-News/Ivanhoe-to-sell-Savage-River-asset/2005/02/08/1107625185180.html

Nudists warn of stiff opposition to laws
February 8, 2005 - 11:44AM

Nudists have reignited their push for clothing-optional beaches in Queensland, fearing new laws will further strip them of their fondness for baring all.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Breaking-News/Nudists-warn-of-stiff-opposition-to-laws/2005/02/08/1107625181632.html

The Los Angeles Times

THE REPUGLICANS are attempting to CAUSE scandals throughout the Democrats to remove enough Senators to replace them hopefully with Repuglicans so they have their 'sixty' majority. That is good news since that clearly indicates regardless their boasting of only requiring a clear 51% majority for all their measures in regard to judges and added value corruption which is probably one of the taxes they seek instead of income tax. An added value sales tax on the backs of consumers. But, at any rate this indicates a CLEAR AND CONCISE victory for Democrats who are protected by the USA Constitution which would require an amendment and lots of debate before being referendum to go to the states. As a matter of fact The Dems could easily philabuster the voting on such an amendment. THE DESPERATE 'WILES' OF BUSH !! They won't stop at Reid. The Repuglicans will make it look as though the Democrats are scandal ridden and try to shut down the party in this country.

Senate's Reid Blasts GOP 'Hit Piece'
Democratic leader says Republicans are using a tactic similar to one used to oust his predecessor.

WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada hit back at the Republican Party on Monday for targeting him with an attack reminiscent of one used to help oust his predecessor, Tom Daschle.
Standing in the Republican-led Senate, Reid called on President Bush to repudiate and pull a "hit piece" against him by the Republican National Committee.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-reid8feb08,1,5938529.story?coll=la-politics-pointers

GOP Fears a Redistricting Backfire
Schwarzenegger plan is seen as jeopardizing control of Congress.

SACRAMENTO — Worried about losing clout in Congress, influential Republicans in Washington are telling Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that he should drop his effort to redraw congressional voting districts in time for next year's elections and limit his focus to reshaping the state Legislature.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-congress8feb08,1,4124394.story?coll=la-politics-pointers

CAN YOU ALL FIND A WAY TO MAKE THESE ISSUES STICK? We still don't know what happened to the Hercules Cargo Plane from Britain and it's potential relation to the American Helicopter shot down. DC is as corrupt as they come, we can make them the focus of plenty of investigation and demands for more investigations if we try to clean up our government rather than accept complacency in their attempt to undermine it. The REPUGLICANS intend to make Democrat into a bad word.

'91 Memo Warned of Mercury in Shots
A memo from Merck & Co. shows that, nearly a decade before the first public disclosure, senior executives were concerned that infants were getting an elevated dose of mercury in vaccinations containing a widely used sterilizing agent.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-vaccine8feb08,0,624328.story?coll=la-home-headlines

President Putting 'Big' Back in Government

WASHINGTON — Even as President Bush proposes significant cuts in healthcare, farm subsidies and other domestic programs, his new budget makes one thing clear about the legacy of his first term in the White House: The era of big government is back.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-assess8feb08,0,7191816.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Black Leaders Express Anger at Boy's Death
LAPD's fatal shooting of an auto-theft suspect, 13, prompts questions over why the department has not yet revised its policy on firing at moving cars.

By Natasha Lee and Richard Winton, Times Staff Writers
As black community leaders expressed growing anger over the death of a 13-year-old boy shot Sunday by a Los Angeles police officer, Police Chief William J. Bratton sought Monday to explain why the department hasn't changed its policy on firing at moving vehicles, a year after he said it should be revised.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-shoot8feb08,0,3872370.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Climate Change

Only huge emissions cuts will curb climate change
15:59 03 February 2005
NewScientist.com news service
Jenny Hogan, Exeter

To have half a chance of curbing global warming to within safe levels, the world's greenhouse gas emissions need to fall dramatically to between 30% and 50% of 1990 levels by 2050, a new study suggests.

This is needed to achieve the European Union's ambition of trying to limit global warming to below 2°C over this period - a crucial goal which now appears wildly optimistic.

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6964

Climatologists pursue greenhouse gas danger levels
18:17 01 February 2005
NewScientist.com news service
Jenny Hogan, Exeter

An international conference entitled "Avoiding dangerous climate change" began on Tuesday with a warning that coming up with a global definition of dangerous climate change may be "mission impossible".
Around 200 scientists have gathered for the meeting in Exeter, UK, to thrash out the risks that climate change poses to the world and feed this information to the policy makers who must decide what to do about it.

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6959

Climate change bodes ill for Australia
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The World Today - Thursday, 3 February , 2005 12:50:00
Reporter: Rachel Carbonell
KAREN PERCY: In the UK an international climate change conference has heard dire predictions about Australia's environmental future, including the one we reported yesterday from a Canberra-based scientist who says climate change is causing 160,000 deaths a year.

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2005/s1295333.htm

Storms a 'warning' of future climate change

THE storms that have created chaos across Australia's eastern states were an ominous glimpse of a future wrecked by greenhouse gas emissions, a peak environment body said today.
Dust storms, raging winds, hail, flooding, blizzards and freezing temperatures hot on the heels of South Australia's devastating bushfires were the early warnings of a climate fundamentally altered by greenhouse gases, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) said.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12137094-2,00.html

Climate change cards put on the table
A summit of scientists from around the world is meeting this week at the ‘Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change’ conference at the UK Met Office's headquarters in Exeter .
The conference is exploring the global risks presented by different levels of global warming and has highlighted that:
Climate change is a real threat which cannot be ignored
Climate change presents both a direct threat and an indirect threat – its impacts will cascade between systems vertically and horizontally.
Climate change can be mitigated, but only by a concerted worldwide effort by governments, businesses and individuals.

http://continuitycentral.com/news01729.htm

Region would not escape climate change
TARA GREAVES
03 February 2005 06:45
East Anglia would not escape the fall-out if the worst did happen and the Antarctic Ice Sheet melted, Norfolk scientists warned yesterday .

http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED02%20Feb%202005%2018%3A55%3A59%3A693

NEW CLIMATE CHANGE THREAT TO BIRDS
By Ben Pindar, Community Newswire
NATURE Climate Newcastle, 3/2/2005, 10:20am
Pioneering new research carried out by a wildlife charity and two teams of university researchers has today revealed that moorland birds may be as vulnerable as songbirds to climate change.

http://services.press.net/pressnet/communitynewswire/index.jsp?story_id=707536&setStyle=mlStory&returnStyle=heading.cnw

Climate change: scientists have bleak news for the pols
AFP: 2/3/2005
EXETER, England, Feb 3 (AFP) - The effects of global warming are already apparent, unexpected problems are looming and there are no "magic bullets" for tackling the peril, a top forum of climate scientists warned here Thursday.

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?ID=36841

Global warming hotheads would burn sceptics at the stake
Notebook by Mick Hume
NEVER MIND the posters of Michael Howard as a flying pig, or the advertisements that expose our children to the stunted genitals of that Crazy Frog from the mobile ringtone. The most shocking advert today is the one about the apocalyptic dangers of climate change from the government-funded Carbon Trust. Unlike the other two ads it has not provoked public controversy, but to my mind its message is as crude as a Tory pig or an amphibian flasher.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1054-1469711,00.html

Crops face extinction in global warming
By Stephanie Peatling
February 4, 2005

Australia faces an ever-shrinking water supply, the extinction of plant and animal species and the loss of billions of dollars from a less productive agriculture sector, says a submission to an international global warming conference.
A joint presentation by the Australian Greenhouse Office, the Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO said the 2002-03 drought cost Australia 1.6 per cent of its gross domestic product - about $10 billion - and about 70,000 jobs.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Science/Crops-face-extinction-in-global-warming/2005/02/03/1107409988362.html

Using global warming to create conditions for life on Mars
WASHINGTON -- Injecting synthetic "super" greenhouse gases into the Martian atmosphere could raise the planet's temperature enough to melt its polar ice caps and create conditions suitable for sustaining biological life. In fact, a team of researchers suggests that introducing global warming on the Red Planet may be the best approach for warming the planet's frozen landscape and turning it into a habitable world in the future.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-02/agu-ugw020305.php

Horrors of Global Warming Highlighted

The threat of global warming is fast approaching mankind, scientists warn. (Reuters).
EXETER, England, February 3 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A top scientist forum in Britain raised the stakes for the dangers of global warming, with concerned scientists even outlining a timeline for the massive horrors awaiting the globe unless swift actions are taken
The three-day conference, that was wrapped up in the south western British city of Exter Thursday, February 3, focussed on scientists’ latest assessment of the global warming problem, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2005-02/03/article08.shtml

LIKE I'VE said before, there are a very few papers I would trust with my life, "The New Zealand Herald" is one of them.

The New Zealand Herald

Bush budget cuts hit poor hardest, say campaigners

George W. Bush explains his budget cuts to the media after a cabinet meeting in Washington. Picture / Reuters

08.02.05 1.00pm

WASHINGTON - Vulnerable people who depend on the government for health care, housing and education will be badly hit by President George W Bush's fiscal 2006 budget, advocates for the poor said on Monday.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10010012

Peace moves highlight changed landscape post-Arafat

08.02.05 1.00pm
By Rupert Cornwell

WASHINGTON - For half a century in the Middle East, pessimism has been the smart call.
As a cemetery of false hopes, the Palestinian/Israeli conflict has no rival. But, after four years of violence, intifada, and retribution, the stars in the firmament of peace suddenly are more favourably aligned than for many years, including even 2000, when there was the Camp David peace marathon between Yasser Arafat and Ehud Barak.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10009999

YESTERDAY "The New York Times" stated the USA Military needed an upgrade to old stocks. Well, hello. The rest of the world sees it differently. The NY Times would have seen it differently as well if they hadn't become Bush's Propaganda Rag.

US upgrade could breach nuclear test ban treaty

08.02.05 1.00pm
By Andrew Buncombe

WASHINGTON - As it accuses Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons, the US is preparing to upgrade and renew parts of its own ageing nuclear arsenal.
Critics believe the upgrades could lead the US to breach the treaty banning the testing of nuclear weapons.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10009998

Pope's stay in hospital extended - Vatican

08.02.05

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul's stay in hospital has been extended "for a few more days", the Vatican said on Monday.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10009979

Nato mountain rescue troops scour Afghan crash site

08.02.05

KABUL - Helicopters dropped Nato mountain rescue troops on Monday at the site of an Afghan airliner crash on a snow-covered mountain near Kabul, the first time anyone has been able to reach the area since last week's accident.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10009955

American scientists redesign nuclear arms

08.02.05

American scientists are designing a new generation of nuclear arms that are meant to be sturdier, more reliable and have longer lives, the New York Times has reported.
It said that instead of using the latest technology to make small, light yet powerful missiles, American designers were looking at how to make arms that were more robust, in part to avoid the uncertainties and deteriorations of nuclear old age.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10009958

Cyclone heads for land

08.02.05

Severe tropical Cyclone Harvey was heading for the Australian coast and intensifying, with high winds of up to 190 km/h lashing the southern Gulf of Carpentaria.
Harvey was rated a category three cyclone on a scale of one to five.
Late yesterday it was about 100km north of Wollogorang in the Northern Territory and 130km north-west of Mornington Island in Queensland.
Harvey was expected to make its landfall in a largely unpopulated area and would miss Mornington Island.
- AGENCIES

Snowslide kills six Indian soldiers

08.02.05

An avalanche has killed six Indian soldiers guarding a main road tunnel in Kashmir, cutting off the disputed region from the rest of India, police said.
The 1.5km Jawahar tunnel connects the Kashmir Valley with its winter capital, Jammu, and the plains of India.
Officials say snowfall this winter in southern Kashmir is the heaviest in five years.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10009926

Cook Islands cyclone weakens, little damage so far

07.02.05 8.07am

The Cook Islands today seemed to have escaped the worst of Cyclone Meena which had been forecast to cause widespread devastation.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10009851

The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is:

Scott Base

Some cloud

-6.0°

Updated Tuesday 08 Feb 9:59PM

end