The Moscow Times
Gorbachev Criticizes Putin on Benefits
By Oksana Yablokova
Staff Writer
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has added his voice to those criticizing President Vladimir Putin's policies, lambasting the government's bungled benefits reform and warning that efforts to strengthen the president's power base are curbing democratic freedoms.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/21/011.html
Public Chamber Left Toothless
By Nabi Abdullaev
Staff Writer
The State Duma on Friday gave its approval in a second reading to President Vladimir Putin's proposed Public Chamber but dumped dozens of amendments aimed at making it more transparent, accountable and powerful, leaving the would-be watchdog practically toothless.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/21/001.html
A Captive Chamber for a Captive Nation
President Vladimir Putin recently gave a touching rationale for the new Public Chamber, stating, "People have the right to make sure their voice is heard." The 10-page document approved by the State Duma in its second reading last Friday specifies the essentials of this new creation, outlining its mission, organization and responsibilities. Yet the question remains whether this body will become an effective vehicle for channeling society's interests and influencing government policy. This will depend on the answers to three very straightforward and pragmatic questions: How will the chamber be formed, operated and financed? Sadly, the bill on the Public Chamber responds by creating yet another arm of the all-mighty state to keep social interests at the mercy of the powerful bureaucracy.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/21/004.html
Scientist Accused of Selling Secrets
By Mike Eckel
The Associated Press
A Russian researcher said Friday he has been charged with selling state secrets and exporting dual-use technologies, becoming the latest in a series of scientists to fall foul of the Federal Security Service.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/21/012.html
Senators Tell Bush to Talk Tough in Slovakia
By William C. Mann
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President George W. Bush should be tough with President Vladimir Putin when they meet Thursday to put an end to "Russia's recent and dramatic backsliding with regard to democracy and the rule of law," Senate leaders of Bush's Republican Party said.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/21/013.html
Finding Russia's True Friends and Foes
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/18/006.html
The Jerusalem Post
ISREAL gets little support from it's allies. Not expected. Was the USA ever a true ally? YES, but, that changed with the re-election of Walker Bush. He has Neocon ideologues to keep happy with designs on a Christian Holy Land. I doubt if there is anything to worry about. The Middle East does not relish the USA occupation of any sovereign nation in the area. Nor do they consider Israel to be a wimp. A taste of Israel's ability is The Six Day War (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/67_War.html) speaks eons to the leadership that has sustained Israel until today.
The missing link
(Also known as betrayal.) - Israel is far better off with neighbors as friends with common interests and a real desire to live in harmony than dealing with a foreign invader that would see Israel as a military asset that needs defending from it's neighbors when that will do nothing but disrupt the area more and increase the danger for Israel's citizens. No more Bush !
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108869558172&apage=1
Analysis: Legal implications of new route
As this is being written, the precise route of the separation fence south and east of Jerusalem has not been officially revealed, but the facts and the general contours that have been published provide an adequate general picture of the government's intentions.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108869557547
Sharon and Mofaz sign evacuation orders
n yet another milestone on the path toward disengagement, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz signed evacuation orders Sunday night setting the wheels in motion for the actual evacuation of the Jews from the Gaza Strip and four northern West Bank settlements to begin in five months.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108783753812
I TOLD YOU SO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Freed prisoner killed on terror mission
A former security prisoner released in January 2004 in the deal struck with Hizbullah to secure the return of the bodies of three soldiers and businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum was one of two gunmen shot and killed by soldiers last Tuesday night while attempting an attack at Har Bracha, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108869558184
150 prisoners released, 350 to follow
About 150 Palestinian security prisoners were released early Monday morning from the Ketziot dentition facility, Army Radio reported.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108869556792
The Daily Mail & Guardian
A study in resilience
George Orwell said the future was a boot stamping on a human face, and for much of the 20th century Eritrea seems to have been that face. Michela Wrong tells the story of Eritrea in her latest book. Justin Hill reviews
I Didn’t Do It For You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation
By Michela Wrong
(Fourth Estate)
hen historians look for a way of encapsulating the story of the 20th century they could do a lot worse than pick Eritrea, the small country in the Horn of Africa that is the subject of the second book by Michela Wrong, author of an acclaimed book on the Congo, In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz.
http://www.chico.mweb.co.za/art/2005/2005feb/050218-eritrea.html
Bush: Why I won't admit trying dope
Bill Clinton said he'd tried it but hadn't inhaled. George Bush decided that it was best just to duck the issue altogether. "I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions," the president told a friend and adviser during his first presidential campaign. "You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried."
The implied admission that the president used marijuana comes in a series of taperecorded conversations between the future president and Doug Wead, an author and aide to the first president Bush, published on the eve of his fence-mending trip to Europe.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news/&articleid=197910
Shias stand firm against the bombers
Prayers were just ending at the al-Baya' mosque in west Baghdad on Friday when the two young men stepped from a minibus taxi and approached the entrance. They wore black, like the hundreds of worshippers gathered inside and outside, but something was wrong.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news/&articleid=197894
Yukos to fight bankruptcy in the US
Unfriendly Russian courts and a European court that offers no protection drove embattled Russian oil company Yukos to seek help to regain solvency in a U.S. bankruptcy court, its lead lawyer said on Thursday.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__business/&articleid=197809
Cold shoulder for Europe: Mugabe invites Russia to poll
The Russian Federation is the only European country among 32 nations invited by President Robert Mugabe to observe next month's crunch parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe, state radio reported on Saturday, quoting Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/&articleid=197901
Deaths spiral out of control in Aids crisis
South Africa's mortality rate has jumped by 59% in six years, fuelled by the HIV/Aids epidemic, according to new figures published this weekend by the country's central statistical office.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/&articleid=197895
Author Dalene Matthee dies aged 67
Johannesburg
21 February 2005 08:21
Acclaimed South African author Dalene Matthee died at the age of 67 on Sunday, news reports said.
Matthee penned more than a dozen novels including Circles in a Forest --an instant bestseller when it was published in 1984 -- and Fiela's Child published in 1986 and later adapted into a film.
Many of her books, written in Afrikaans, and translated -- in some cases into almost a dozen languages, are included as prescribed literature for students in South Africa and abroad.
She was admitted to hospital in Mossel Bay on Friday where she later died, her daughter told journalists.
Matthee was born in the Western Cape Province town of Riversdal in 1938. She studied music but later turned to writing children's studies, short stories and novels that earned her a host of prizes.
Her most recent work was a novel titled Dreamforest. - Sapa-DPA
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=197919&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/
The Cheney Observer
Govt will not cushion oil-price moves
The South African government will not be pursuing a way of cushioning spikes in the oil price for consumers any time soon, according to Minister of Minerals and Energy Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__business/&articleid=197828
Bush holds key to success of new intelligence czar
By David Morgan
‘He’s been a top diplomat. He’s had some very difficult assignments and he’ll need those diplomatic skills. But he’s going to have to be verytough to take on struggles with the CIA, the DOD’
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_19-2-2005_pg4_8
Greenspan Likes Bush's 'Ownership' Agent
The Fed chairman says private Social Security accounts could give a boost to the poor.
http://www.latimes.com/business/investing/la-na-greenspan18feb18,1,2981674.story?coll=la-headlines-business-invest
Keyes follows Cheney’s lead
Two families missing from a new PFLAG campaign about loving your GLBT relatives are those of “family values” politicians Alan Keyes and Dick Cheney: Keyes has cut off his daughter, Maya, while Cheney supports policies that heap shame on his daughter Mary. So much for right-wing Christian love.
By Marc Paige
An Advocate.com exclusive posted February 18, 2005
At 19 years old, Maya Keyes, daughter of former presidential and U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes, finds herself in a difficult position—one that is very familiar to millions of gay youth in our country, especially those who have grown up in right-wing Christian families. She loves her father, does not want to disappoint him, yet knows that her father thinks her sexual orientation is “sinful” and represents “selfish hedonism.” For the young gay daughter of a man who has often cited his religion to denigrate homosexuals, Maya Keyes has had to endure a father who has campaigned for years against her own welfare and equality.
http://advocate.com/html/stories/933/933_paige.asp
Liz Cheney Named to Lead State's Mideast, North Africa Initiatives by Rice
By: US Department of State
Published: Feb 18, 2005
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced the selection of Elizabeth Cheney as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and Coordinator for Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiatives.
http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_18200.shtml
Man found guilty of destroying signs supporting Bush
By Larry Carson
Sun Staff
Originally published February 18, 2005
A man caught using a bayonet to cut up two large Bush-Cheney signs in Ellicott City during a spate of political-sign vandalism last fall was convicted of property destruction yesterday by Howard County District Judge Neil Edward Axel. Two other charges were dismissed.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.lizon18feb18,1,4355511.story?coll=bal-local-howard&ctrack=1&cset=true
“I don’t support an amendment to the Constitution banning gay marriage. I think it’s a matter that should be left to the states. As a conservative, I don’t support constitutional amendments generally unless the cause is clear and evident. The issue here, of course, is that some people think a constitutional amendment is necessary in order to preserve the rights of the states. I happen not to come down on that side of the issue and, indeed, there are many Republicans who do [not]. I think if you looked at our national convention, for example, among the prominent speakers — Gov. Schwarzenegger, Rudy Giuliani — feel the same way. It’s not an issue that sets the Republican Party apart in one great mass. It’s an issue upon which people differ.”
Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney and mother of lesbian Mary Cheney, on NPR’s “Fresh Air,” Feb. 9. (via AndrewSullivan.com, Feb. 10)
http://www.newyorkblade.com/2005/2-18/viewpoint/ontherecord/otr.cfm
HUH? SAY WHAT? Schwarzeneggar and Giuliani are Repuglican Liberals? Is that what she was trying to imply?
Gov. Bush: Hydrogen powered buses the start of clean fuel in Florida
BRENDAN FARRINGTON
Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. - Florida doesn't have its first hydrogen fueling station yet, but it's got a hydrogen-powered bus ready to fill up.
The 12-seat, $1 million-plus vehicle was brought into a vacant lot Friday where the state's first hydrogen fueling station will be built. Gov. Jeb Bush announced a proposal for $15 million in grants and tax incentives for companies who help Florida develop and use the clean-burning fuel.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/10937136.htm
Jeb Bush heading to Colombia on trade mission
Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Jeb Bush will leave Sunday on a trade mission to Colombia, the sixth-largest trading partner with the state.
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/breaking_news/10937373.htm
Devious Plan 5.0 may be class-size amendment ultra-lite
By MARK LANE
FOOTNOTE
Last update: February 18, 2005
We're now up to Devious Plan Version 5.0. Early reviews claim this one really is new and improved, has fewer bugs and might be released to the public.
Gov. Jeb Bush announced the upgrade Monday. He wants to replace the class-size amendment with class-size amendment lite. And he would throw in a minimum teacher salary for good measure.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/03AreaEAST03021805.htm
Abercrombie praises Bush on Social Security
President Bush's announcement that he'll consider lifting the cap on income that is subject to the Social Security tax has drawn a positive reaction from Democrats. Rep. Neil Abercrombie called the change of position "a positive development."
http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2005/02/14/daily60.html?jst=b_ln_hl
Report: Oil Revenues May Not Reach Chad's Poorest
By Serena Parker
Washington
Inaugurated amid much fanfare in July 2003, the Chad-Cameroon pipeline delivers oil from the landlocked African country of Chad to ports on Cameroon's Atlantic coast. The World Bank-financed project aims to ensure that oil revenues are distributed across Chadian society instead of benefiting the ruling elite.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-02-18-voa63.cfm
Oil States Says It Overbilled Client
02.18.2005, 06:09 PM
Oil States International Inc. reported Friday that it overbilled a South American customer by $439,000.
http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2005/02/18/ap1838315.html
India and China take seat at global oil table
India joins China in the energy contest as oil production dips at home
KEITH BRADSHER
Posted online: Saturday, February 19, 2005 at 0047 hours IST
MUMBAI, FEBRUARY 18: India, sharing a ravenous thirst for oil, has joined China in an increasingly naked grab at oil and natural gas fields that has the world’s two most populous nations bidding up energy prices and racing against each other and global energy companies.
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=64976
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Judge Rules in Favor of Plaintiffs
Release:
Attached is the Order granting Plaintiffs' Motion for SummaryJudgment and awarding a permanent injunction against the Navy.Federal District Court Judge Terrence W. Boyle ruled today:Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgement and request for a permanentinjunction were GRANTED. The Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgementwas DENIED, except for with respect to the CZMA (Coastal Zone ManagementAct) claim, which is GRANTED. The Navy is enjoined from taking anyfurther activity associated with the planning, development, or construction of an OLF in Washington and Beaufort Counties withoutFirst complying with its obligations under NEPA.
Info: Brian A. Roth, Mayor of Plymouth, (252) 7934257
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Navy Response to U.S. District Court Raleigh Ruling on OLF Case
"We are disappointed in Judge Boyle's decision today. We presented anhonest and compelling case, and we believe today's decision is the wrongone . both from a legal perspective and from the perspective of nationalsecurity. While this is a disappointment, we believe it is onlytemporary. We will continue to pursue this matter through the court system, and areconfident that we will ultimately reach a favorable resolution."
Judge to Navy: No OLF
By BILL SANDIFER Staff Writer
RALEIGH -- The Navy, on Friday, found itself locked out of Washington County -- for the second time -- in its bid to build an outlying landing field. The action follows a ruling against the Navy by Federal Judge Terrence Boyle.
Boyle, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, granted a motion for summary judgment argued for by a law team representing Beaufort and Washington counties and a coalition of conservation organizations. The ruling short-circuits a civil trial and ends the legal involvement of the Eastern District. The next stop for the case, should the Navy appeal, is the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va.
http://www.wdnweb.com/articles/2005/02/19/news/news01.prt
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Audit: Monitor system gaffe cost Big Dig $10 million-plus
By Casey Ross
Friday, February 18, 2005
In yet another slap against Big Dig waste, a new state report concludes that taxpayers have been charged more than $10 million in overruns for a bungled highway monitoring system that still isn't finished.
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=69269
Tract near PDX can lure big retailers
The Portland City Council approves rezoning of the Cascade Station project to allow anchor stores
Friday, February 18, 2005
DYLAN RIVERA
The Portland City Council gave final approval Thursday to zoning changes that allow big-box retailers at the long-stalled Cascade Station development by Portland International Airport.
Cascade Station Development Corp., a Bechtel Corp. unit that has development rights on the airport-owned tract, has said it could start construction as early as June. Various retail tenants are under consideration for the project, including Ikea, the Swedish furniture and housewares store; Kohls department stores; and Lowe's home improvement stores.
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1108732841202430.xml
KBR, politics merge again
Rice appoints ex-ambassador to policy post; he intervened on contract
By DAVID IVANOVICH
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - The former U.S. ambassador to Kuwait who personally intervened to demand that Halliburton Co. sign a controversial contract with a little-known Kuwaiti firm has been chosen to become a special coordinator for Iraq.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3045351
Will LNG Save America's Oil-Addicted Economy?
Pacific News Service, Commentary,
Franz Schurmann, Feb 18, 2005
Later this year, Americans will likely hear the acronym LNG and see new tankers carrying LNG sailing into some U.S. ports. LNG is intended to save the heart and core of American civilization -- to save our automotive civilization from possible rust and decay, and the Republicans from political decline.
LNG stands for "Liquefied Natural Gas," and the tankers, coming from many parts of the world, will be carrying gas that has been liquefied at around -260F.
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=03526b3a8c2f6135572099822208d0f9
AIDS deaths soaring in South Africa
JOHANNESBURG In an implicit but devastating account of the havoc AIDS is wreaking here, the South African government reported Friday that annual deaths increased 57 percent from 1997 to 2003, with common AIDS-related diseases like tuberculosis and pneumonia fueling much of the rise
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/18/news/africa.html
PetroKazakhstan Inc. - Turgai Petroleum Court Case
Friday February 18, 9:00 am ET
CALGARY, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - PetroKazakhstan Inc. (the "Company") announces that the Collegia for Civil Cases of the South Kazakhstan Oblast Court (the "Collegia") has issued its opinion in the case brought by ZAO Turgai Petroleum ("Turgai"), against the Company's Kazakhstan refining subsidiary, TOO "PetroKazakhstan Oil Products" ("PKOP").
Turgai is a joint venture between the Company and Lukoil and is engaged in the production of crude oil from the Kumkol North field in Kazakhstan. PKOP operates the Shymkent refinery.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050218/to262_1.html
Innovative oil program in Chad insufficient: report
NAIROBI , KENYA
Saturday, Feb 19, 2005,Page 6
A year after Chad joined the ranks of African oil exporters, development groups question whether a government weakened by corruption and instability has the will and the ability to use its new wealth to combat poverty.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2005/02/19/2003223687
Halliburton, Business As Usual?
Feb 19, 2005, 14:38
Newsweek
Halliburton's CEO says his company is pulling out of Iran. But a corporate subsidiary is still going ahead with a deal to develop Tehran's natural gas fields.
Only weeks before Halliburton made headlines by announcing it was pulling out of Iran?a nation George W. Bush has labeled part of the "axis of evil" ? the Texas-based oil services firm quietly signed a major new business deal to help develop Tehran's natural gas fields.
http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_5803.shtml
Brussels braces for protests during Bush visit
Brussels braced for protests as the city prepared for a three-day visit by US President George W. Bush, who starts a conciliatory swing through Europe for talks with more than two dozen European leaders.
The American president arrives Sunday evening, confident he can heal the rift with Europe that opened during his first term, notably over the Iraq war.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1108783754400
Condi to replace Cheney next year?
Report: Vice president likely to step down 'due to his health'
Posted: February 19, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
Vice President Dick Cheney likely will step down next year due to health reasons and be replaced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, according to a report by geopolitical expert Jack Wheeler.
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42938
No proposal for equity in Yukos as yet: Petroleum Secy:
[India News]: New Delhi, Feb 19 : India has no proposal as of now to take equity in the confiscated assets of the Russian oil firm Yukos, Petroleum Secretary Sushil C Tripathi said today.
"We are interested in taking equity (in Russian oilfields) but we are not sure when it will be offered, at what price and what percentage of equity they will offer," he told reporters here.
http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=74687
Iran-India pipeline hits rough patch
S. P. S. PANNU
Long way to go
New Delhi, Feb 20: There seems to be a hex on the proposed Iran-India gas pipeline via Pakistan that has been mired in sands of political brinkmanship in the South Asian region for decades.
Just when everything seemed hunky-dory and talks were about to begin with the officials in these countries, questions are being raised about the economics of the entire project now that Pakistan is insisting on an annual transit fee of $600 million.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050221/asp/business/story_4404919.asp
Corruption hottest topic in Susilo, Clinton, Bush talks
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has held brief talks with visiting former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr. on Sunday, discussing topics related to the rebuilding and reconstruction of Aceh in the wake of Dec. 26 tsunami disaster.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20050221.A04&irec=5
BUSH WENT TO BEG FOR MONEY. DOESN'T HE ALWAYS. At home he is begging for SSI reform money, internationally anything that comes his way. I guess a ten gallon Texas hat can hold a lot of 'Buddy can you spare a dime.'
Bush seeks Europe aid on M-E
By Adam Entous in Brussels
February 21, 2005
From: Reuters
US President George W.Bush will appeal to Europeans today to replace disagreements over Iraq a new era of transatlantic unity with a goal of spreading democracy across the Middle East.
In a speech setting the tone for his Europe visit this week, Mr Bush will offer a conciliatory message, according to excerpts of the address released by the White House.
"America supports a strong Europe because we need a strong partner in the hard work of advancing freedom in the world," he is quoted as saying.
After two years of bitter divide over the wisdom of the Iraq war, Mr Bush will tell European leaders that "now is the time for the established democracies to give tangible political, economic, and security assistance" to Iraq.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12322255-23109,00.html
Unfinished hurricane business
Legislature has many storm-related issues to consider
The signs are encouraging that Gov. Jeb Bush and at least some legislators aren't overly anxious to leave the 2004 hurricane season behind.
It might be tempting to consider the Legislature's job done after the December special session, which addressed a handful of hurricane-related topics. It might be difficult for legislators from areas missed or barely brushed by Charley, Frances, Ivan or Jeanne to understand the extent of the damage or the needs that remain unmet.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050220/OPINION/502200637/1030
Bring back the NACA
BY STEVEN T. CORNELIUSSEN/SPECIAL TO THE DAILY PRESS
February 20, 2005
"Nothing," announced NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe in mid-December, "is as important to the future of our economy and our quality of life as transforming the air transportation system."
http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-65315sy0feb20,0,2661568.story
Kill me and oil stops: Chavez
From correspondents in Caracas
February 21, 2005
VENEZUELAN President Hugo Chavez has threatened to suspend oil exports to the US if someone tries to assassinate him, saying US President George W. Bush would be to blame.
"If they kill me, there will be a really guilty party on this planet whose name is the president of the United States, George Bush," Mr Chavez said on his weekly radio program, Hello, Mr President.
"If these perverse plans succeed, by the devil's hand ... forget about oil, Mr Bush."
Mr Chavez said he was convinced that Washington had been "sketching out the assassination plans".
http://finance.news.com.au/story/0,10166,12321160-14305,00.html
Oil cash no cure for job woes: bank
February 21, 2005
A cash bonanza from higher oil prices will fail to create millions of jobs needed across the Middle East unless governments take tough reform decisions to lessen their dependence on energy, the World Bank said Sunday.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Markets/GB21Ag04.html
Savvy oil deal earns praise for Newfoundland
Canada agrees to give province $2b in revenues
By Barbara Stewart, Globe Correspondent February 20, 2005
ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland -- Canada's poorest and most isolated province badly needed a hero -- and Newfoundlanders think they have finally found one in their premier, Danny Williams.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2005/02/20/savvy_oil_deal_earns_praise_for_newfoundland/
Agencies eye federal cuts
Some fear local programs may be casualties of budget battle
By John DeSantis
Staff Writer
Morgan Meylor, 8, portraying Rosa Parks in a black history skit, stands ‘backstage’ at the Community Boys and Girls Club on Tuesday. If block grant money dries up, the agency might have to cut services.
Staff photos Logan Wallace
Programs that keep Wilmington children off the streets, provide for the homeless and remove lead paint from houses could lose all or some of their federal funding dollars under current provisions of President Bush’s proposed spending plan.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200550220010&source=email
Poll indicates public backs a higher tax on cigarettes
RALEIGH As lawmakers sit down to read the governor’s proposed state budget this week, they’ll have other data showing widespread support for an increase in the cigarette tax.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200550221003&source=email
COPING WITH THE BUSH MESS
Easley likely to keep higher sales tax
Associated Press
RALEIGH - Gov. Mike Easley’s budget proposal would retain a half-cent of the sales tax set to expire this summer but recommend eliminating the highest individual income tax bracket, according to a published report
http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2005202210344&source=email
Democratic candidate 'caught' at Cheney event
01:00 AM EST on Monday, February 14, 2005
BY LIZ ANDERSON, SCOTT MacKAY and SCOTT MAYEROWITZ
Journal Staff Writers
Why is Guillaume de Ramel, who filed papers last week to raise money for a run for the 2006 Democratic nomination for secretary of state, listed as having given $1,000 to the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign in August 2003?
http://www.projo.com/news/politicalscene/projo_20050214_polsc14.22e92ed.html
Cheney, the Shiites, etc.
Bob Dreyfuss , Tompaine.com
February 14, 2005
The Post reports this morning that Vice President Cheney’s daughter—no, not the gay one—is back from having a baby and is also back at the State Department. During the run up to the Iraq war, Liz Cheney was a senior official at State’s Near East affairs bureau, where she intimidated diplomats and policymakers at the anti-Cheney bureau, who knew she would tell daddy if they misbehaved—that is, if they criticized daddy’s war plans. Now she is back: this time as principal deputy assistant secretary.
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m9671&l=i&size=1&hd=0
Cheney Daughter Also Rises -- at State Department
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Elizabeth Cheney, the daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, will become the second-ranking U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, the State Department said on Monday.
Cheney, who previously worked in the department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and left to work on her father's 2004 re-election campaign, will become the bureau's principal deputy assistant secretary of state.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=peopleNews&storyID=2005-02-14T223534Z_01_N14676223_RTRIDST_0_PEOPLE-PEOPLE-CHENEY-DC.XML
SECRECY, TORTURE, PROPAGANDA MARK NEW AMERICAN POLITBURO PRACTICES
By Bill Gallagher
DETROIT -- Like their Soviet predecessors, the top leaders of the American politburo -- Dick Cheney and George W. Bush -- never admit their mistakes or acknowledge their authoritarian policies and police-state oppression. The very thought of apologizing for failures and injustice -- no matter how disastrous and obvious -- is repugnant to such regimes.
Comrades Cheney and Bush get away with their propaganda with the unflinching support of the American Pravda -- right-wing talk radio, the Fox News Channel, televangelists and the hallelujah chorus of evangelical preachers who use their pulpits to preach the party line. To a somewhat lesser extent, the corporate media -- with a few noble exceptions -- join in the unrelenting campaign to distort, deceive and lie about the administration's past failures and future plans.
The old Stalinists would treat the truth of their horrible deeds with feigned disbelief and denial.
"Oh, that agricultural production problem in the Ukraine. There's no famine. It's just opponents of the people complaining and creating trouble. There is no gulag. We have no political prisoners. Our security police and the peoples' courts of justice will protect us from our enemies within and foreign interventionists."
http://www.niagarafallsreporter.com/gallagher202.html
Keyes' Daughter Calls Self 'Liberal Queer'
TOM STUCKEY
Associated Press
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The daughter of conservative Republican Alan Keyes referred to herself Monday as a "liberal queer" and urged support for gay and lesbian young people who have been deserted by their families.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/10900813.htm
Florida Marks 1945 U.S.-Saudi Meeting
KEN THOMAS
Associated Press
MIAMI - Pledging friendship and goodwill, descendants of President Franklin Roosevelt and the king of Saudi Arabia joined a group of veterans Monday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Roosevelt's groundbreaking meeting with King Abdulaziz that opened U.S.-Saudi relations.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/10899709.htm
Ex-Montana governor may be next envoy
Racicot a Bush favourite for Ottawa posting
Possible contenders also include beer tycoon
TIM HARPER
WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON—A former Montana governor who chaired George W. Bush's re-election campaign is emerging as a frontrunner among a pack of potential ambassadors to Canada.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1108336208497&call_pageid=970599119419
The Guardian
Last word on the revolution
For 14 years, until his death in July, the writer and political campaigner Paul Foot worked on one final book - about the struggle for the vote and the meaning of democracy. As this, the first of two exclusive extracts, shows, he remained a passionate activist until the very end
Monday February 21, 2005
The Guardian
I have been surprised by the number of times I have been urged to "go into politics". When I protested that I was already in politics, I was told that what was meant was "real politics", meaning parliament. Then and since, I took the view that the main job of socialists must be outside parliament, making the case for socialism and for socialist organisation where it matters most, in the rank and file. On the few occasions I have stood for elected office, I did so chiefly for propaganda reasons, and was suitably and comprehensively rebuffed.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/bookshelf/story/0,9061,1418892,00.html
Navy's new message: your country needs you, especially if you are gay
Admirals shed centuries of repression with pink press adverts
Patrick Barkham
Monday February 21, 2005
The Guardian
It is a liaison that would once have turned many military top brass purple with rage. Five years after the ban on homosexuality in the armed forces was lifted, the Royal Navy is entering into a partnership with Stonewall and actively seeking gay recruits by advertising in the pink press.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/military/story/0,11816,1418916,00.html
Crestor dose was double recommendation
Heather Tomlinson
Monday February 21, 2005
The Guardian
The UK's drug regulator recommended that patients start on the controversial cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor at half the dose that ultimately went on the market, the Guardian has learned.
In January 2003, the Committee on Safety of Medicines recommended that patients be started on a 5mg dose of the drug, rather than the 10mg preferred by the manufacturer, AstraZeneca. However the drug was launched in March that year in line with the drug firm's request. This is because the European regulatory process uses the views of several countries, and national regulators have the choice of going with the European decision or not approving the drug at all.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1419060,00.html
Nuclear destruction
Monday February 14, 2005
The Guardian
It comes as no surprise that North Korea has proudly announced its nuclear arsenal to the world (We have the bomb, say North Koreans, February 11). I am reminded of the telegram sent to US president Harry Truman at Potsdam announcing the first successful nuclear test: "Baby safely delivered."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,,1412132,00.html
US still has 110 nuclear weapons in UK
Richard Norton-Taylor
Thursday February 10, 2005
The Guardian
The US has more than 100 nuclear weapons at its Lakenheath base in Suffolk, three times the number previously thought, a respected US research agency said yesterday.
The 110 tactical nuclear bombs kept at the East Anglian base - the home of American F-15 strike jets - are among as many as 480 such weapons the US still deploys in Europe, says the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC), a private arms control and environmental group.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1409542,00.html
David Adam, science correspondent
Monday February 21, 2005
The Guardian
Lost: much loved robot submarine, last seen under 200 metres of Antarctic ice last Wednesday, answers to the name Autosub - reward.
The £1.5m British unmanned research sub was investigating the waters below the Fimbul ice shelf when it became trapped. Scientists don't know what went wrong, but say the submarine is stuck and unlikely to be recovered.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/news/story/0,12976,1419086,00.html
EU plan clears Spanish hurdle
Voter turnout is muted 42%
Nicholas Watt in Brussels and Ben Sills in Madrid
Monday February 21, 2005
The Guardian
The European constitution cleared its first major hurdle last night when Spanish voters overwhelmingly endorsed the historic document in the first of 10 referendums that will be held across Europe over the next 18 months.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/eu/story/0,7369,1419111,00.html
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