The Japan Times
Japan looks to slash spending on U.S. forces
Japan plans to ask the United States to approve a further reduction in the amount of money Japan spends on supporting the presence of U.S. troops here, according to Japanese government sources.
http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050212a1.htm
Wyeth rheumatoid arthritis drug causes fatal side effects in 134 users
Rheumatoid arthritis drug Rheumatrex Capsule caused fatal side effects in 134 people between March 1999 and November 2004, according to a manufacturer's report.
http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050212a2.htm
Blaze at 'onsen' drilling site extinguished
A fire at an "onsen" hot spring drilling site in Kita Ward, Tokyo, was extinguished Friday, more than 24 hours after it broke out, local firefighters said.
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire Friday morning at a hot spring drilling site in Kita Ward, Tokyo.
Nobody was injured in the blaze, which began around 4:50 p.m. Thursday and was put out around 5:15 p.m. Friday. About 40 local residents have taken refuge at a community center and other places.
http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050212a5.htm
Immigration frees Kurdish asylum-seeker
By MASAMI ITO
Staff writer
A Kurdish asylum-seeker, recognized as a mandate refugee by the United Nations, was released from the Immigration Bureau in Tokyo's Minato Ward late Thursday evening after having been detained for four days, his lawyer said.
http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050212f2.htm
Taking play therapy to Sri Lanka tsunami orphans
By ANGELA JEFFS
Dr. Akiko Ohnogi is a vision in red. She is wearing red from top to toe -- from earrings to handbag and shoes -- because, put simply, "It's my favorite color."
http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fl20050212a1.htm
Just one step from oblivion
In May of 1985, British mountain climbers Simon Yates and Joe Simpson made what almost turned out to be the last decision of their lives: They attempted to scale Siula Grande, an ominous 6,400-meter peak in the Peruvian Andes that had never been climbed before. Not only that, they decided to do it "Alpine style" -- in what Yates called "one big push" -- with no supply camps along the way, just the packs on their backs.
http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?ff20050209a1.htm
ICELANDIC SURPRISE
DNA 'flip' highlights our ongoing evolution
By ROWAN HOOPER
Stung by the phenomenal success of the "Harry Potter" books, some people like to preach about the infantilization of culture, and some critics worry that adults are wallowing in childhood.
http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fe20050210rh.htm
The New York Times
Japan Urges North Korea to Rejoin Disarmament Talks
TOKYO, Feb. 11 - The day after North Korea declared that it possessed nuclear weapons, Japan's prime minister urged the North to re-engage in disarmament talks. He spoke as the clock was running down toward a new law that will put economic pressure on North Korea by barring most of its ships from Japanese ports starting March 1.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/12/international/asia/12korea.html
Mounting Discontent in Russia Spills Into Streets
MOSCOW, Feb. 11 - A month ago a small crowd of elderly men and women briefly blocked the highway to Moscow's main international airport to protest changes in pension benefits. It seemed insignificant then, but in retrospect it seems to have been the first stirrings of something long considered dead, or at least dormant, in Russia: the public protest.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/12/international/europe/12russia.html?hp&ex=1108270800&en=73ab03849012dd2f&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Rare and Aggressive H.I.V. Reported in New York
By MARC SANTORA and LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN
Published: February 12, 2005
A rare strain of H.I.V. that is highly resistant to virtually all anti-retroviral drugs and appears to lead to the rapid onset of AIDS was detected in a New York City man last week, city health officials announced on Friday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/12/health/12aids.html?hp&ex=1108270800&en=4d5d2b3eeae367e9&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Too Angry or Fearful to Vote, Sunni Iraqis Are Marginalized
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 11 - Abdullah Muhammad al-Ajili was standing next to his old Toyota pickup on the dusty road from Baghdad to Tikrit, simmering with resentment, the sleeves on his dark blue dishdasha rolled up on his forearms.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/12/international/middleeast/12sunnis.html?hp&ex=1108270800&en=51c5ba3d9d4dbd85&ei=5094&partner=homepage
'01 Memo to Rice Warned of Qaeda and Offered Plan
By SCOTT SHANE
Published: February 12, 2005
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 - A strategy document outlining proposals for eliminating the threat from Al Qaeda, given to Condoleezza Rice as she assumed the post of national security adviser in January 2001, warned that the terror network had cells in the United States and 40 other countries and sought unconventional weapons, according to a declassified version of the document.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/12/politics/12clarke.html?hp
CNN Executive Resigns Post Over Remarks
Eason Jordan, a senior executive at CNN who was responsible for coordinating the cable network's Iraq coverage, resigned abruptly last night, citing a journalistic tempest he touched off during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, late last month in which he appeared to suggest that United States troops had deliberately aimed at journalists, killing some.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/12/business/media/12cnn.html?hp&ex=1108270800&en=33f12fe86d93f7b2&ei=5094&partner=homepage
The Cheney Observer
MANCHESTER - By getting off to a fast start, the Cheney Tech boys basketball team made sure it wouldn't need a furious finish.
The Beavers jumped out to a 19-2 lead after one quarter and cruised to a 65-42 Charter Oak Conference victory over Portland.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13939984&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161561&rfi=6
For those living with the disease, every day is HIV/AIDS Day
Originally printed 2/10/2005 (Issue 1306)
In 2004, Dick Cheney wasn't aware of the extent of the AIDS epidemic among Black women.
In 2005, George W. Bush doesn't care.
How else can we explain a proposed 2006 budget that flat-funds the Ryan White Act while simultaneously increasing funding for abstinence education programs that have led to an increase in sexual activity among teenagers in Bush's home state of Texas? Especially since, according to former Chair of the Federal Committee to the CDC Health Resource Services Administration on HIV & STD Prevention and Treatment Dr. Robert Fullilove, those very policies will lead to even more infections?
http://www.pridesource.com/article.shtml?article=11697
About the Filibuster and the "Nuclear Option"
What is the Filibuster?
The filibuster is one of our democracy's oldest and most important checks on the power of the majority. It preserves two of our bedrock values: protecting the rights of the minority and promoting compromise.
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=17707
Iraq likely swapping dictatorship for Iran-like rule
Robert Scheer
In a heightened display of saber rattling, President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been saying nasty things about Iran’s “unelected mullahs.”
This is apparently so we can tell the difference between the theocracy in place in Tehran and the one coalescing in Baghdad. Although things are looking slightly brighter for Iraq after its debut election, it is still not clear why the United States has spent incalculable fortunes in human life, taxpayer money and international goodwill to break Iraq and then remake it in the image of our avowed “axis of evil” enemy next door.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/editorial/10875241.htm
Halliburton's lost radioactive cargo is found
Associated Press
Published February 11, 2005
WASHINGTON -- A Halliburton Co. shipment of radioactive material that landed in New York in October was lost en route to Texas and was not found until Wednesday, when it turned up in Boston.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0502110271feb11,1,3105405.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
Moneymakers
Operations chief worked his way up at Halliburton
Andy Lane, 45, the chief operating officer at Halliburton, first worked for the company as an intern and has moved through the ranks to the No. 2 job at one of the city's highest profile companies.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3034335
Mixed Messages and Flip-Flops as the SEC Director Nomination Rule Stagnates
by William Baue
While the SEC retracts its promise allowing shareowners to file director nomination resolutions before rule enactment, lawsuits secure shareowner rights to nominate directors.
(SocialFunds.com) - Investors, particularly those holding Ashland (ticker: ASH), Microtune (TUNE), and MCI (MCIP--formerly WorldCom), as well as Halliburton (HAL), Qwest (Q), and Verizon (VZ), are getting mixed messages regarding shareowner nomination of director candidates. On the one hand, lawsuit settlements in cases involving corporate governance failures require the first set of companies to allow institutional investors to nominate directors. On the other hand, this week the staff at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Division of Corporate Finance allowed the latter companies to omit resolutions calling for shareowner access to the proxy to nominate directors.
http://www.csrwire.com/sfarticle.cgi?id=1636
Analysis: Cuban oil finds may bring change
By Les Kjos
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
Published February 11, 2005
MIAMI -- An oil discovery off Cuba and continued exploration by a variety of international interests could set off a series of changes in the energy and political landscape worldwide.
http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20050211-033608-5711r
Profiteering from the Iraq war
Burhanuddin Hasan
February 10, 2005 - As President Bush entered the second term of his office, he said in a newspaper interview that his re-election proved that Americans endorsed his decision to go to war against Iraq, and had given him a mandate to pursue his other foreign policy objectives, which include pre-emptive attacks on Iran and Syria. He repeated this frightening theme in his inaugural address on January 20 and his State of the Union Address. He broadly hinted that he would not hesitate to use force to spread democracy, freedom and liberty in regions under tyranny because "the survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world."
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m9604&l=i&size=1&hd=0
Bush Threatens to Veto Medicare Changes
JENNIFER LOVEN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - President Bush, faced with complaints from Republicans as well as Democrats about higher cost estimates for a new Medicare drug benefit, said Friday he would veto any attempt to change the law.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/10879721.htm
Bush appeal on Social Security draws ire of black leaders
BY NAFTALI BENDAVID
Chicago Tribune
WASHINGTON - (KRT) - President Bush and his supporters, as part of their all-out effort to push Social Security reform, have been quietly making the argument that African-Americans would particularly benefit from Bush's proposals - a message that is proving highly controversial.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/10879989.htm
Bush Nears First Win of Term With Class-Action Bill (Update1)
Feb. 11 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President George W. Bush is poised to claim the first legislative victory of his second term following Senate approval of a bill to move most class-action lawsuits from state to federal courts.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a_k.akCUqR1o&refer=us
Cano Petroleum Chosen as Lead Sponsor of All Outdoors TV
FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- All Outdoors TV, anational television show airing on DISH Network, DirectTV and SportsmansChannel as well as local stations in Texas, Louisiana and Arizona, is pleasedto have Cano Petroleum, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CAOP) as its lead sponsorfor the 2005 season. The show has an 18-year history, a loyal followingacross the country, and broadcasts to some 80 million households.Cano is fortunate to have been chosen as a premier partner of All OutdoorsTV. By sponsoring this popular television show, Cano highlights itscommitment to maintaining a healthy environment for America's families andfuture generations.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/02-11-2005/0002995006&EDATE=
Cano Petroleum to purchase Texas-based Square One for undisclosed sum
Exploration and production independent Cano Petroleum said it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Square One Energy, a Texas-based oil and gas operating company, for an undisclosed amount of cash. Square One’s assets include a 100 percent working interest in 11,000 acres of mature oil fields in....
http://www.petroleumnews.com/pntruncate/284465844.shtml
Portrush Petroleum Drilling in Alberta to Proceed
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 11, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Portrush Petroleum Corporation (TSX Venture Exchange:PSH) (OTCBB:PRRPF) announced today that Canadian Imperial Ventures has committed to a drilling program on the assembled land package covering approximately 50 sections (gross) in the Cranberry/Botha region of Northwest Alberta. Portrush earned its interest in these lands by participating in four exploratory wells drilled in 2001. The company earned up to 30% interest in a significant portion of these lands and will be carried for 40% of its current interest on any well drilled on its acreage.
http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/?d=72576
Terror, Fear, Nukes, Sports, Sex and a Little Business
This is what happened today (February 11, 2005) on "the most popular business show on the planet," Your World w/Neil Cavuto.
Some of Bush's poll numbers on Iraq and the Iraq war are sagging fairly substantially. For example, Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll released yesterday showed:
Sharp divisions remain on the question of whether going to war with Iraq was the right thing for the United States to do. Today 46 percent think the action was the right thing to do, down from 50 percent in June 2004, and 49 percent now say it was wrong, up from 42 percent.
Therefore, I thought it was interesting that Cavuto led with three segments about Sarin gas and fear today. Bush's poll numbers go up when he is painted as our protector-father-terror-fighter, fending off people who are out to get us, so what better way to help shore-up his numbers than to remind people that they still need to be afraid? To that end, and despite all the proof that Saddam had no ability to cause us harm, Fox still equates the Iraq war with the "war on terror." As a matter of fact, frequently when Fox goes to a report about Iraq, they show a full screen graphic saying "War on Terror" before cutting to the report.
http://www.newshounds.us/2005/02/11/terror_fear_nukes_sports_sex_and_a_little_business.php
Bush budget angers some city officials
New Haven may face significant reductions in grants for law enforcement, housing and community development next year if the recommendations contained in President Bush's recent budget proposal are followed.
http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=28362
3 now seeking Bush's job
As Republicans bide their time, a third Democrat, U.S. Rep Jim Davis, jumps into the race to replace Jeb Bush when the two-term governor leaves office.
BY LESLEY CLARK
lclark@herald.com
U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, a Tampa Democrat frequently mentioned as a potential gubernatorial candidate, took the plunge on Thursday, declaring that he will run for governor.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/10871030.htm
Profiteering from the Iraq war
Burhanuddin Hasan
February 10, 2005 - As President Bush entered the second term of his office, he said in a newspaper interview that his re-election proved that Americans endorsed his decision to go to war against Iraq, and had given him a mandate to pursue his other foreign policy objectives, which include pre-emptive attacks on Iran and Syria. He repeated this frightening theme in his inaugural address on January 20 and his State of the Union Address. He broadly hinted that he would not hesitate to use force to spread democracy, freedom and liberty in regions under tyranny because "the survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world."
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m9604&l=i&size=1&hd=0\
Cold weather forecast, OPEC fears cause uptick in oil prices
NEW YORK (AFP) - Crude oil prices drifted higher on global markets as traders turned skittish in the face of fresh forecasts calling for colder US weather and renewed fears about a production cut from the OPEC cartel.
http://www.turkishpress.com/business/news.asp?id=050208232319.6p1c0i78.xml
Oil Installations Are Secure, Says Naimi
Raid Qusti, Arab News
RIYADH, 9 February 2005 — Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi said yesterday that terrorist attacks in the Kingdom over the past two years had neither targeted nor harmed any oil plant in the Kingdom.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=58741&d=9&m=2&y=2005
Fight for Oil Wealth Fuels Violence in Delta
IN Nigeria's oil-rich Niger- Delta, the struggle among local leaders for oil revenue, oil smuggling routes and government funds, has fuelled violent clashes between rival armed groups, Human Rights Watch said in a report released at the weekend.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200502081003.html
STOCKS: As yen and oil decline, shares of exporters rise
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/08/bloomberg/sxstox.html
Bush budget will hit city housing
BY GLENN THRUSH AND GRAHAM RAYMON
STAFF WRITERS
February 8, 2005, 6:26 PM EST
The city's affordable housing programs face devastating cuts under President George W. Bush's new budget, city administration officials and advocates said Tuesday.
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/politics/nyc-bud0209,0,3260619.story?coll=nyc-homepage-breaking2
California's rice, cotton groups aim to fight Bush subsidy cuts
JIM WASSERMAN
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO - California's cotton and rice farmers, who receive more than $500 million a year in federal crop subsidies, are preparing to fight President Bush's proposed subsidy cuts.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/10848766.htm
Yemen Petroleum Company relies on Microsoft technology to streamline new business processes
Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) has announced that it is set to deploy a whole new IT infrastructure based on Microsoft technology, which will give it complete control over its financial management and business processes.
http://www.ameinfo.com/news/Detailed/53535.html
Report faults Hanford contractor, DOE for failing to adequately study cost savings of project
By SHANNON DININNY
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
YAKIMA, Wash. -- A contractor at the Hanford nuclear reservation failed to adequately analyze the economic benefits of using a still-standing building to dispose of some nuclear waste, the U.S. Department of Energy's inspector general said Tuesday in a new report.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=WA%20Hanford%20Canyon%20Report
Aircraft Carrier Fight Pains Gov. Jeb Bush
President Bush's defense blueprint calls for eliminating an aircraft carrier, and that's making life difficult for his brother Jeb, governor of Florida where the USS John F. Kennedy is based.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2005/02/08/national/w140833S12.DTL
Amid sweeping cuts in US budget
Bush plans renewed assault on Medicaid
By Joseph Kay
8 February 2005
Use this version to print Send this link by email Email the author
At the center of the sweeping domestic spending cuts unveiled by the Bush administration Monday is the proposal for a major assault on Medicaid, the main government program that pays for health care for the poor and disabled in the US.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/feb2005/medi-f08.shtml
Michael Moore Today
WMD FINALLY FOUND
North Korea Nuclear Timeline
No Good Option As N. Korea Seeks Nuclear Acceptance
Bush Doctrine Gets Nuclear Reaction
George W. Bush's Split Vision
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
Iraqis Frustrated by Shortages in Oil-Rich Country
BAQUBA, Iraq ( CNN) -- "No gas, no fuel. This is destruction, not freedom!"
It is just another morning at the pump at a fuel station in Mansuriye, northeast of Baquba, where tempers of the weary civilians waiting for gasoline in oil-rich Iraq are flaring.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=1403
Despite Record of Atrocities, U.S. Moves to Normalize Ties with Indonesia Military
By Jim Lobe / OneWorld.us
WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb 11 (OneWorld) - U.S. human rights groups are expressing concern over reports that the Bush administration is preparing to renew the Indonesian armed forces' eligibility to participate in a key training program despite continuing reports of abuses committed by the army in the tsunami-devastated province of Aceh.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=1405
9/11 Report Cites Many Warnings About Hijackings
By Eric Lichtblau / The New York Times
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 - In the months before the Sept. 11 attacks, federal aviation officials reviewed dozens of intelligence reports that warned about Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, some of which specifically discussed airline hijackings and suicide operations, according to a previously undisclosed report from the 9/11 commission.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=1377
The China Daily
US rejects one-on-one North Korea talks
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-12 09:28
Arguing it was burned before in one-on-one talks with North Korea, the United States said Friday it had no interest in resuming direct discussions on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/12/content_416201.htm
Trade surplus hits US$6.48b in January
(xinhua)
Updated: 2005-02-12 11:56
China's trade surplus for January reached a record high of US$6.48 billion while its export rise by 42.2 percent over the same period of last year, customs statistics showed on Tuesday.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/12/content_416227.htm
Japan action severe violation of Chinese sovereignty
(chinadaily.com.cn/Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-12 09:17
Officials with the Department of Asian Affairs under the Chinese Foreign Ministry has solemnly raised the issue of Diaoyu Islands with the Japanese side, the website of the ministry said.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/12/content_416200.htm
China to host World Botanical Garden Conference
(xinhua)
Updated: 2005-02-11 12:50
The Third World Botanical Garden Conference will be held in Wuhan, an industrial and commercial metropolis on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, in September of 2007.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/11/content_416163.htm
China projects 8 percent annual growth
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-11 09:18
China should keep up its strong economic expansion over the next five years, with annual growth of 8 percent driven by abundant labor and a big domestic market, the State Council Development Research Center says Thursday.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/11/content_416115.htm
G7's unfulfilled duty
Updated: 2005-02-07 09:22
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.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/07/content_415771.htm
The Los Angles Times
ALSO KNOWN AS "Will someone else continue to fund North Korea?"
U.S. Refuses One-On-One North Korea Talks
WASHINGTON — Arguing it was burned before in one-on-one talks with North Korea, the United States said Friday it had no interest in resuming direct discussions on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/ats-ap_top11feb11,0,710853.story
CIA Operation in Iran Failed When Spies Were Exposed
WASHINGTON — Dozens of CIA informants in Iran were executed or imprisoned in the late 1980s or early 1990s after their secret communications with the agency were uncovered by the government, according to former CIA officials who discussed the episode after aspects of it were disclosed during a recent congressional hearing.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-cia12feb12,0,5143074.story?coll=la-home-headlines
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "Who gets the research grants and who doesn't!!"
NIH Chief Calls for Ethics Summit
Dr. Elias Zerhouni, who banned drug company payments to agency scientists, wants a wider discussion on conflicts in medical research.
BETHESDA, Md. — The director of the National Institutes of Health — describing consulting payments from drug companies as a "systemic problem" that threatened the integrity of his agency — has called for a summit of government and academic leaders to address conflicts of interest throughout American medical research.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-nih12feb12,0,7388584.story?coll=la-home-headlines
The World According to Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart looms over P&G, Gillette
Chain's private labels challenge famous brands
By CONSTANCE L. HAYS
New York Times
Did Wal-Mart's power and the proliferation of store brands have anything to do with Procter & Gamble's decision Friday to buy Gillette for $57 billion?
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3014599
Wal-Mart narrows January sales view
By Carla Mozee, MarketWatch
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Wal-Mart said Saturday it expects same-store sales growth in January of 2.5 percent, which would be at the lower half of its forecasts.
http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B1146948D-E819-4119-AFDC-643A0A8A1BA7%7D&siteid=google&dist=google
Ruling OKs union vote at Wal-Mart
By Kristi Arellano
Denver Post Staff Writer
Workers in the tire and lube section of Loveland's Wal- Mart Supercenter have gotten the OK from the National Labor Relations Board to vote on whether they want to unionize.
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~2680398,00.html
More than 1,000 mourners bid farewell to slain Wal-Mart clerk
TYLER, Texas A 19-year-old Wal-Mart clerk who was kidnapped and killed was remembered today as a beautiful, compassionate woman with a bright smile.
More than one-thousand mourners turned out for Megan LeAnn Holden's funeral in Tyler, Texas. Photos of Holden in her softball uniform, at her sister's wedding and being silly with friends were shown on a large screen behind her coffin.
http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=2875358
Suspect in Wal-Mart clerk's death balks at extradition
Associated Press
BISBEE, Ariz. - An ex-Marine charged in the kidnapping and killing of a Texas college student and sought by authorities there declined to be extradited today from Arizona.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3008273>
Nickel's 3-Year Rally May End as Ikea, Wal-Mart Reduce Demand
Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Nickel, the best performer on the London Metal Exchange since 2003, may record its first annual drop in four years as buyers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Ikea use cheaper alternatives in products ranging from coffee tables to desks and mirrors.
Nickel for immediate delivery will probably drop to an average of $13,000 a metric ton this year from $13,741 in 2004 on the LME, based on the median estimate from 20 analysts surveyed since Dec. 15 by Bloomberg News.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=ahDiG22AKZck&refer=top_world_news
Critics Say Wal-Mart Vote Had Political Cost
POSTED: 10:45 am EST January 25, 2005
NASHUA, N.H. -- Critics said that voting against a proposed Wal-Mart store in Nashua cost two leaders of the city's Conservation Commission their jobs.
http://www.thewmurchannel.com/news/4127523/detail.html
Wal-Mart, the bank?
By 2010, you may be able to open Wal-Mart accounts, visit Wal-Mart dentists, rent Wal-Mart cars.
January 26, 2005: 4:05 PM EST
By Parija Bhatnagar, CNN/Money staff writer
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - It's already the king of retailing. Give it another five years or so and Wal-Mart may be on its way to conquering other valuable little nuggets of the business world.
For instance, why shouldn't the world's largest retailer open its own Wal-Mart banks? The opportunity is clearly there given that 20 percent of Wal-Mart shoppers currently don't have their own bank accounts, according to market research firm Retail Forward.
http://money.cnn.com/2005/01/26/news/fortune500/walmart_future/?cnn=yes
Devil demands pride of place on Wal-Mart shelf
VIVEK SINHA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
[ THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2005 01:13:17 AM]
NEW DELHI: Mirc Electronics — the second largest Indian manufacturer of colour televisions— has initiated the first step towards a deal with Wal-Mart for putting made-in-India televisions on the shelves of the largest retailer in the world.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1001992.cms
Ill wind for Wal-Mart
As managers meet in KC, retail giant faces angry squall
By RANDOLPH HEASTER
The Kansas City Star
“There's a downside to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart hurts people, communities and democracy. It's about more than just low prices.”
Mary Lindsay, Kansas City organizer for ReclaimDemocracy.org
More than 6,000 Wal-Mart managers today wrap up their annual meeting in Kansas City, where they reviewed performance and analyzed the coming year for the world's largest company.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/business/10732756.htm
Wal-Mart prices trump image
David van den Berg
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 27, 2005 12:00 AM
Wal-Mart has launched a nationwide campaign to boost its image, but that effort had no impact on Brandy Geary's decision to shop at the company's new Supercenter in Gilbert on Wednesday, its first day in business.
Geary, a stay-at-home mom, said the only thing that might affect her decision to shop at Wal-Mart would be if prices increased.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/0127gr-walmartopeningZ12.html
Wal-Mart to Pay Retired Coughlin for 2 Years
1/27/05 11:57:49 AM
By Lance Turner, Arkansasbusiness.com Daily Report
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday that it will continue to pay retired company Vice Chairman Thomas M. Coughlin for the next two years, and it outlined Coughlin's no-compete agreement with the company.
http://arkansasbusiness.com/news/headline_article.asp?aid=39748
Wal-Mart January sales come up short
By Jennifer Waters, MarketWatch
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s sales for January slightly missed Wall Street's expectations Thursday after results at Sam's Club fell well below forecasts.
Total sales for the Bentonville, Ark.-based behemoth rose 9 percent from the year-ago period to $19.80 billion. Sales at Wal-Mart Stores tallied $13.17 billion, up a robust 10.7 percent, while Sam's Club sales were $2.51 billion, up 1.4 percent over last year. International sales grew 8.6 percent to $4.12 billion.
http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B05E1DC6C-71A2-42B6-8A2D-C01713AC54AE%7D&siteid=google&dist=google
Wal-Mart hearing goes into overtime
Jody Paige
Published February 3, 2005
LOCKPORT -- More than 100 residents turned out for a public hearing on a controversial proposed Wal-Mart store that began at 7 p.m. Tuesday and continued until well after midnight before being adjourned until Wednesday evening.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-0502030404feb03,1,5780985.story?coll=chi-newslocalssouthwest-hed
Wal*Mart Employee Thwarts Criminal
Williston, Vermont - February 3, 2005
Police are crediting Wal-Mart employees in Williston with thwarting a potential homicide.
Police say 29-year-old Shawn Wood tried to steal a gun from the retailer Wednesday. Police say Wood arrived in Burlington from California a few days ago.
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=2899964&nav=4QcSVxye
THIS IS GROSSLY SAD.
Thousands Apply for Wal-Mart Jobs
23 Newsroom
Wal-Mart held a job fair there over the past three days. The first day about 2,700 people applied.
Wednesday, 1,300 job seekers interviewed, and Thursday about 450 people applied. The thousands who do not get hired will have another chance.
Hiring for the new Super Wal-Mart store on East State Street in Rockford will begin in early March. There will be 150 open positions for that store.
http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/1227802.html
Wal-Mart Wins Appeal in Overtime Ruling
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will get another chance to argue its case that it shouldn't have to pay millions in overtime to pharmacists after winning its appeal.
The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a new hearing in the case, saying a federal judge that ruled the company had violated the law by failing to pay overtime acted too quickly and should reconsider the evidence.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-rup3.6feb03,1,3452619.story?coll=la-headlines-business
Union Plans to Sue Wal-Mart Canada
Associated Press
TORONTO - A union Friday said it will file charges against Wal-Mart Canada for exhibiting "bad faith" during its first-ever contract talks by secretly planning to close the affected store.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/financial_markets/10879357.htm
Council looks to keep Wal-Mart out
BY LAUREN WEBER
STAFF WRITER
February 11, 2005
City Council members promised yesterday to seek legislative ways to keep Wal-Mart away, or to make it so inconvenient for the giant retailer that it abandons plans to enter the city.
"I'm interested in some kind of legislation that could help out," said Councilman Joseph Addabbo, a Democrat, citing his support for the union leaders who attended the Civil Service and Labor Committee hearing to protest Wal-Mart's labor practices.
http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzlabo114141423feb11,0,2925933.story?coll=ny-business-headlines
Unionized Wal-Mart employees fear second Quebec store to shut
By INGRID PERITZ
With reports from Rhéal Séguin in Quebec City and from Reuters
Friday, February 11, 2005 - Page A7
SAINT-HYACINTHE, QUE. -- There were shrugs of resignation in the housewares aisle and whispers of fear over in sporting goods. Wal-Mart, a store known for its greeters, yellow smiley faces and the famous Wal-Mart cheer, was not an especially happy place yesterday.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050211/WALMART11/TPNational/TopStories
UFCW Rejected Again By Wal-Mart Associates; Tire and Lube Associates in New Castle, PA, Say 'No' to Union Representation
Distribution Source : PRNewswire
Date : Friday - February 11, 2005
BENTONVILLE, Ark., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wal-Mart associates have once again voted against union representation in a democratic election that took place today in New Castle, Penn. Seventeen associates who work in the Tire and Lube Express department cast their votes in a secret- ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board.
http://press.arrivenet.com/bus/article.php/585878.html
Union rips Canada Wal-Mart
Bad-faith action could be filed
Frederic Tomesco
Bloomberg News
Feb. 12, 2005 12:00 AM
TORONTO - The United Food and Commercial Workers' Canadian arm said it plans to file a complaint against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for bargaining in bad faith after the retailer said it would close its first unionized outlet in North America.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0212walmart12.html
Wal-Mart Agrees to Pay Fine in Child Labor Cases
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
Published: February 12, 2005
al-Mart Stores, the nation's largest retailer, has agreed to pay $135,540 to settle federal charges that it violated child labor laws in Connecticut, Arkansas and New Hampshire.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/12/national/12wage.html
Council looks to keep Wal-Mart out
BY LAUREN WEBER
STAFF WRITER
February 11, 2005
City Council members promised yesterday to seek legislative ways to keep Wal-Mart away, or to make it so inconvenient for the giant retailer that it abandons plans to enter the city.
http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzlabo114141423feb11,0,2925933.story?coll=ny-business-headlines
Wal-Mart Might Open a Store in NYC
By Ketan Tanna & Jeff Miller
Posted: 2/11/2005 12:44 PM
(Rapaport…February 11, 2005) Retail giant, Wal-Mart Inc., is hoping to open a store within city limits of New York, about as far from downtown as the map would allow, in Rego Park, Queens.
http://www.diamonds.net/news/newsitem.asp?num=11388
WE SHALL OVERCOME !!
Judge denies Wal-Mart opponents' suit
By JOSEPH DEINLEIN
Times Herald
A St. Clair County Circuit judge ruled today the Marine City Planning Commission and City Commission followed the law when they rezoned a parcel that could become home to a Wal-Mart store.
http://www.thetimesherald.com/news/updates/11292.html
Wal-Mart: What About the Little Guy
by Chris Motola
As more and more familiar logos pop up along the Route 104 corridor, so do the concerns of smaller "mom and pop" retailers who fill the shops in Oswego's downtown. The question is: are the horror stories about Wal-Mart and similar companies driving the little guy out of business true, at least as far as Oswego and its neighboring communities are concerned?
http://www.oswegocountybusiness.com/issue76/76LittleGuy.html
Louisville woman held for forging checks at Madison Wal-Mart
By: Wayne Engle
Checks stolen from a car parked at a rest stop in Oldham County, Ky., were forged and used to purchase items at the Madison Wal-Mart Supercenter, resulting in the arrest of a Louisville, Ky., woman on 22 felony charges.
http://www.madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=253&ArticleID=22246&TM=57440.66
Wal-Mart "buy"
NEW YORK, February 8 (newratings.com) - Analysts at UBS maintain their "buy" rating on Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.NYS). The 12-month target price is set to $64.
In a research note published this morning, the analysts mention that according to media reports, Wal-Mart Stores is in talks to purchase Migros of Turkey or its Russian locations. Wal-Mart Stores has also recently set up a Hungarian subsidiary, the analysts say. The company is likely to use this subsidiary to enter the Hungarian and Russian markets, UBS adds.
http://www.newratings.com/new2/beta/article_685433.html
China Sales Soar for Wal-Mart, Carrefour in 2004
By Ketan Tanna
Posted: 2/8/2005 9:56 AM
(Rapaport...February 8, 2005) The world's top two retailers, Carrefour and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., posted sales of $1.9 billion and $7.63 billion respectively in China for 2004, according to the China's Ministry of Commerce.
http://www.diamonds.net/news/newsitem.asp?num=11352&type=all&topic=all
The Moscow News
104 Dead in Russian-Crewed Afghan Plane Crash
By Anna Arutunyan and Oleg Liakhovich
Early Monday, NATO-led rescue teams reached the crash site of the Afghan plane that crashed into a mountain 30 kilometers south-east of Kabul on Thursday. The wreckage was spotted on Saturday but efforts to reach it were thwarted by bad weather. The rescuers have found at least three bodies, Afghan army general Ahmad Pia Yastali was quoted by AFP as saying.
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-5-10
Bush States US Ambitions
By Robert Bridge The Moscow News
US President George W. Bush laid out plans for his next four years on Wednesday night, where once again the stress was placed on the need to "stay on the offensive" against America's enemies
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-5-14
Moscow Is Becoming More Attractive to Foreign Tourists
By Anna Arutunyan and Oleg Liakhovich
A forecast made by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) envisions Moscow making it into the top ten of the most popular tourist directions in the world by 2010. The Moscow City Tourist Committee's annual review also allows for optimism, revealing a significant growth of tourist inflow in comparison with past years.
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-5-12
The Moscow Times
Protests Spread to Transport, Defense Staff
Transportation and civilian defense workers on Thursday became the latest groups to take to the streets in protest, with transportation industry associations staging nationwide rallies against gasoline price hikes and poor quality gasoline, while the defense workers demonstrated in Moscow for a salary raise.
http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2005/02/11/002.html
$125M Hotel Deal Sets Record
In the largest-ever Russian property deal, British luxury hospitality chain Orient-Express Hotels has snapped up a 93.5 percent stake in St. Petersburg's historical Grand Hotel Europe as part of a $125 million investment plan.
http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2005/02/11/001.html
Summit Soul Mates in Slovakia
By Gregory Feifer
Don't expect much from the upcoming summit meeting between President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush in the Slovakian capital, Bratislava, on Feb. 24. That's not because the two won't agree on key issues, but because they understand each other all too well.
http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2005/02/11/006.html>
Xenophobia Is All the Rage
By Georgy Bovt
It seems symbolic that these kinds of things happen on NTV, of all channels. NTV, once considered a bastion of freedom in the Russian mass media. A channel founded not only by an oligarch but -- even more symbolically -- by the head of the Russian Jewish Congress at the time, Vladimir Gusinsky. Yet it was NTV that honored that consummate anti-Semite, Albert Makashov. It all happened last week on the political debate show, "K Baryeru!" The show's host, Vladimir Solovyov, admitted his Jewish heritage on live television, which is still a bold move in 21st-century Russia. It all happened only a week after the world marked the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, at which President Vladimir Putin publicly apologized to Europe for the anti-Semitic petition to the prosecutor general initiated by 19 State Duma deputies, who called for a ban on all Jewish organizations.
http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2005/02/10/005.html
Foreigners to Lose Access to Licenses
Russia will not allow foreign companies to bid for some of the nations largest reserves deposits, Natural Resources Minister Yury Trutnev said Thursday.
Only companies that are at least 51 percent Russian-owned will be allowed to participate in auctions for exploration and development licenses, Trutnev said, Interfax reported.
http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2005/02/11/041.html
The Boston Globe
Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Actress Catherine Zeta Jones received this year's Hasty Pudding Theatricals Woman of the Year award at Harvard University on Feb. 10, 2005. Known as much for their drag queen couture as their acting abilities, the group annually honors an actor and an actress for their contributions to the entertainment industry. Here, Zeta-Jones gets the traditional kiss from Hasty Pudding Theatricals President Mathew Ferrante (left) and Vice President of the Cast Sam Gale Rosen
http://www.boston.com/ae/events/gallery/zetajones_hasty_pudding/
AG backs legalizing same-sex marriage
Reilly says he'll oppose any constitutional ban
By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff February 12, 2005
After playing a key role in the efforts to fight legalization of gay marriage a year ago, Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly said yesterday that he now favors allowing legalized same-sex marriage in Massachusetts and that he will oppose any efforts to ban them.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/02/12/ag_backs_legalizing_same_sex_marriage/
Iraq's hard-line Shi'ites vow to resist US agenda
By Thanassis Cambanis, Globe Staff February 12, 2005
BAGHDAD -- A vociferous and well-organized faction of extremist Shi'ite Muslims is mobilizing to challenge the new government that emerges from Iraq's recent election and to push for a hard line against the United States.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/02/12/iraqs_hard_line_shiites_vow_to_resist_us_agenda/
Celtics roll over Knicks 111-94
February 12, 2005
BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics already had the Atlantic Division lead. Now they have a winning record to go with it.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/02/12/celtics_roll_over_knicks_111_94/
North Korea Plays for Hard Bargain with Nuke Boast
By Jon Herskovitz February 12, 2005
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has taken a calculated bargaining risk by announcing for the first time it has nuclear weapons, a South Korean official said Saturday, after the United States rejected North Korean calls for one-on-one talks.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/02/12/us_rejects_nkorea_demand_for_2_way_talks_on_nukes/
The Chosun Ilbo (South Korea)
Prolonged Nuclear Impasse Favors U.S. Hardliners
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government is downplaying the significance of a North Korean statement claiming possession of nuclear weapons and declaring its indefinite withdrawal from six-party talks on its nuclear program. Washington says Pyongyang’s statement contain "nothing new" and will only to isolate the Stalinist country further.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200502/200502110019.html
Seoul Must Urgently Rethink Its N. Korea Strategy
Pyongyang's announcement that it has developed nuclear weapons has significantly limited the diplomatic position of the Seoul government. It makes it difficult for the government to side with North Korea on the international stage. It will also become difficult to try and intervene should the United States have something drastic planned for the North.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200502/200502110023.html
North Korea Declares ‘Indefinite Suspension’ of Six-Party Talks
North Korea on Thursday said six-party talks aimed at resolving its nuclear issue had been “suspended indefinitely” over U.S. hostility, scuppering hopes of their early resumption. Experts on the Stalinist country view the statement as negotiation rhetoric, but the talks, which had shown signs of being close to a fresh start, now seem a way further off.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200502/200502100012.html
Nuclear Brinkmanship From Pyongyang - Again?
North Korea has declared it is indefinitely suspending participation in six-party talks on its nuclear weapons program. With a Foreign Ministry statement also announcing that Pyongyang has built nuclear weapons for “self-defense”, the North Korean nuclear crisis has come to yet another head.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200502/200502100025.html
Did a Bodyguard Kill First Lady Yook Young-soo?
An academic on Friday said first lady Yook Young-soo, who was killed in 1974 during an assassination attempt on her husband President Park Chung-hee, probably died from a bullet fired by a boduguard. Prof. Bae Myeong-jin of Soongsil University’s Electronic, Electrical and Information Department announced research indicating the first lady was not killed by her husband’s would-be assassin Moon Se-kwang, as had been widely believed.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200502/200502110020.html
U.S. Analyst Blows Gaff on 3,000 ‘Trivial’ Codenames
U.S. military analyst Bill Arkin has revealed about 3,000 codenames and details of U.S. Defense Department and CIA operations, MSNBC reported Thursday.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200502/200502110031.html
Forbes
Connoisseur's Guide
Most Expensive Lingerie
It's the most romantic time of the year again--or so the folks at Hallmark tell us--and with it comes the annual rush of harried gentlemen and love-struck suitors desperate to show their wives and girlfriends that they really, really do care.
http://www.forbes.com/2005/02/09/cx_ns_0209feat.html?partner=lifestyle_newsletter
continued with picture later ...
