Chavez's Censorship
Where 'Disrespect' Can Land You in Jail
By Jackson Diehl
Monday, March 28, 2005; Page A17
Venezuela's minister of communication and information, Andres Izarra, recently accused The Post and several other American media of being part of a campaign to defame Venezuela directed by the Bush administration and funded by the State Department. Apparently I drew Izarra's attention by writing several columns and editorials lamenting President Hugo Chavez's assault on press freedom and the independent judiciary and his support for anti-democratic movements elsewhere in Latin America.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5755-2005Mar27.html
China cracks down on ‘rogue’ journalists
(Reuters)
23 March 2005
BEIJING - China will ban journalists from reporting for five years if they make up stories or take bribes, Xinhua news agency reported, rules that are likely to worry free press advocates.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2005/March/theworld_March595.xml§ion=theworld
The Cheney Observer
The God Racket, From DeMille to DeLay
by Frank Rich
Cecil B. DeMille's epic is known for the parting of its Technicolor Red Sea, for the religiosity of its dialogue (Anne Baxter's Nefretiri to Charlton Heston's Moses: "You can worship any God you like as long as I can worship you.") and for a Golden Calf scene that DeMille himself described as "an orgy Sunday-school children can watch." But this year the lovable old war horse has a relevance that transcends camp. At a time when government, culture, science, medicine and the rule of law are all under threat from an emboldened religious minority out to remake America according to its dogma, the half-forgotten show business history of "The Ten Commandments" provides a telling back story.
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0325-31.htm
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
Oil barons play at lavish hot spots as consumers sweat at the pump
By CRAIG NELSON
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/27/05
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Snow skiing in the desert? Sure. The world's tallest building and largest shopping mall? Build them. An undersea luxury hotel? Why not?
Seemingly nothing is impossible these days in this desert kingdom on the northern coast of Arabia.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/0305/27oil.html
Oil's not well as speculators start to show restraint
Iain Dey
A MORE cautious mood is beginning to evolve in the market with regard to small and mid-sized oil companies, which have been difficult beasts to track.
Until recently, anyone who came to market claiming to own drilling rights on a patch of land in a fairly obscure part of the world was being welcomed by investors with open arms.
http://business.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=323552005
3 Fluor workers died in refinery blast
Contractors hired by Aliso Viejo company were not county residents.
By DIANA McCABE
The Orange County Register
Fluor Corp. said Friday that three of its employees died in the explosion and fire at a British Petroleum refinery in Texas City, Texas.
The engineering and construction company, based in Aliso Viejo, said none of its work force at the refinery is from Orange County.
Two workers – Rafael Herrera, 27, and Jim Hunnings, 58 – were from Baytown, Texas. The third employee, Daniel Hogan, 58, was from Glenmora, La.
The three men were attending a meeting near the part of the facility where Wednesday's explosion occurred, the company said.
Fluor, which has a contract with BP to assist with maintenance at the refining and chemical site, has about 115 employees at the site.
"Our hearts go out to the families and friends of our colleagues as well as those from other companies who were lost in this tragedy," Alan Boeckmann, Fluor's chief executive, said in a statement.
About 1,100 refinery employees and 2,200 contract workers were on site when the explosion took place. Fifteen people died, and more than 100 were injured in the explosion, which occurred during maintenance work in an area of the refinery that boosts the octane level of gasoline.
Those killed were all contract workers.
J.E. Merit Constructors Inc., a subsidiary of Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. in Pasadena, said it lost 11 workers. Fluor lost three. It was unclear who employed the 15th dead worker.
Investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the accident, the worst in the nation's chemical industry in nearly 15 years.
http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2005/03/26/sections/business/oc_region/article_457682.php
Centre all set to put GE business under scanner
ANUPAMA AIRY
Posted online: Monday, March 28, 2005 at 0054 hours IST
NEW DELHI, MARCH 27: The government is set to take a relook at General Electric’s (GE’s) business interests in India’s power sector given the US company’s “intransigent” attitude in reviving the Dabhol power project.
Despite serious attempts by the negotiating team of Indian lenders, GE and Bechtel continue to be adamant in their approach towards settling their contractual claims. In fact, they increased their earlier demand of $290 million to $350 million.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=86363
Yemen turns to gas resources to replace oil
Crude reserves in danger of running out by 2012
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Monday, March 28, 2005
SANAA: Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries in constant search for alternatives to its dwindling oil reserves, is hoping for a brighter future with a $2.5 billion gas project.
The dire situation even prompted President Ali Abdullah Saleh himself to admit recently that "our oil reserves are in danger of running out by 2012 and the government should look for alternative resources to oil." Yemen is seeking to exploit and market its gas reserves, currently estimated at about 10.2 trillion cubic feet - which along with the country's oil fields are located in the region of Marib, east of Sanaa.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=13774
Texas Accuses Bush of Trampling Its Autonomy in Death Penalty Case
By Charles Lane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 28, 2005; Page A02
As a presidential candidate in 2000, then-Gov. George W. Bush had a ready reply for those who would criticize the governance of his state: "Don't mess with Texas."
Yet, five years later, as president, Bush stands accused of doing just that. And the accuser is none other than the State of Texas, which says Bush is attempting to impose on a sovereign state not only his will, but also the will of an international court that has no authority over criminal justice in the United States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5441-2005Mar27.html
A Marine Son's Story
by Nicholas DeVincenzo
(Swans - March 28, 2005) My father was an Italian immigrant and a marine who fought in World War II. He died a few years back and had a military funeral. As his oldest son I was presented with the flag that draped over his coffin. That flag means a lot to me, and I know what it meant to my father. Why I am telling you about my father is to point out that though I have never served in the military or seen combat, I know indirectly what war does to people, and to their families.
My father was in and out of the mental wards of veterans and state hospitals most of his life. The last years of his life were spent in a veterans home in Menlo Park, New Jersey. Throughout my life I got to meet and see the side of war that isn't so glorious. As a young boy, because of my father's mental problems, other World War II vets helped me make sense of things; they explained to me that war is hell, and what it can do to the men and women who fight in them. They knew all too well what my father had gone through. I will always be grateful to them for their wisdom and kindness. So when I see men who did not serve, like Cheney, and Bush (who sort of served) waging a war of aggression predicated on lies, I am compelled to speak out against them.
http://www.swans.com/library/art11/ndevin01.html
Ford administration recommended Iran’s nuke programme
Press Trust of India
WASHINGTON, March 27. — Former US President Gerald Ford’s top officials had recommended the Iranian uranium enrichment programme — the shut-down of which the USA now demands, according to declassified US documents. The officials included Ford’s Secretary of State Mr Henry Kissinger, current Vice-President Mr Dick Cheney and Defence Secretary Mr Donald Rumsfeld.
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=8&theme=&usrsess=1&id=72475
Samples show further petroleum leaks outside refueling depot
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HAUSER, Idaho -- Soil samples indicate there is petroleum contamination outside the layers of containment of a leaky refueling depot outside of Hauser, the Idaho state Department of Environmental Quality said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=ID%20Depot%20Leak
Crude Futures Fall on Profit-Taking
03.27.2005, 10:30 PM
Crude futures fell Monday as traders took profits following the Easter holiday.
Light, sweet crude for May delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 34 cents to $54.50 a barrel, midmorning in Asia. Heating oil prices fell marginally to $1.5445 a gallon (3.8 liters).
Traders appeared to be unruffled about the impact on the crude market of last Wednesday's explosion at a BP refinery in Texas, after assurances from BP officials that the blast would not affect the U.S. supply. The officials said the rest of the refinery was running normally.
http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/ap/2005/03/27/ap1907170.html
Indian firm wants to drill for oil in Mindoro
By Donnabelle L. Gatdula
The Philippine Star 03/28/2005
An Indian oil and gas exploration firm is applying for a drilling contract in on-shore Mindoro, a ranking energy official said recently.
Energy Undersecretary Guillermo Balce said this is the first time that an India-based oil company will invest in the Philippine upstream oil and gas development.
He said the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Indian firm are now finalizing the contract. "We hope to sign a contract soon," he said.
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/News200503280704.htm
BRITISH PETROLEUM TO STUDY UZBEK HYDROCARBON RESOURCES MARKET
UzReport.com [01:55] 28.03.2005
British Petroleum started to study cooperation opportunity with Uzbekistan on exploration, mining and transportation of hydrocarbon resources, senior manager of British company said.
http://www.uzreport.com/E/index.cfm?sec=1&subsec=2&n_ID=16225
Finding oil and gas the OHM way
STORIES BY IZATUN SHARI
OFFSHORE Hydrocarbon Mapping plc (OHM) is looking at providing its advanced technology for detecting the presence of offshore oil and gas reserves to major local petroleum companies.
“So far, we have spoken to four or five major oil companies in Malaysia. We are planning some projects or at least evaluating the potential of carrying out some projects applying the technology for companies,” OHM chief executive officer Dave Pratt told StarBiz.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/3/28/business/10231236&sec=business
Kuwait oil project to cost $8.5 billion
(AFP)
28 March 2005
KUWAIT CITY— Kuwaiti Energy Minister Shaikh Ahmad Fahd Al-Sabah said the cost of major plans to develop four oil fields with the assistance of foreign oil majors will be over $8.5 billion, newspapers reported yesterday.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/business/2005/March/business_March570.xml§ion=business
U.S. investigators urge more Army contract oversight
22 Mar 2005 21:43:48 GMT
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should put a Defense Department official in overall charge of the Army's use of private contractors to support U.S. forces deployed overseas, congressional investigators said in a report on Tuesday.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N22298637.htm
Congress on Steroids
03/22/2005 @ 12:29am
E-mail this Post
When appearing before the House Government Reform Committee last week, Mark McGwire didn't want to talk about his past. It was an appropriate place to develop historical amnesia. Over the last four years the Committee hasn't tried to investigate, let alone reform, any government scandals whatsoever. Steroids in baseball--yes, but falsified WMD evidence, Halliburton no-bid contracts, the outing of a CIA operative--no.
http://www.thenation.com/edcut/index.mhtml?bid=7&pid=2279
Beacon Power Receives Contract from Bechtel Bettis, Inc. to Demonstrate Advanced Flywheel-Based Power System
WILMINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 2005--Beacon Power Corporation (NASDAQ: BCON), a development stage company that designs, develops, and delivers sustainable energy storage and power conversion systems, has announced that it has been awarded a contract from Bechtel Bettis, Inc., to design and deliver an advanced flywheel-based power system demonstration unit.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050322005259&newsLang=en
TVA agrees to pay half of $3 million in questioned charges
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. The contractor overseeing the replacement of steam generators at a T-V-A nuclear station inflated its bill for labor, materials, travel, entertainment and supplies.
Bechtel Power Corporation then gave itself a 250-thousand dollar bonus.
All this is in an internal audit released under a Freedom of Information Act request by The Associated Press.
Bechtel billed T-V-A for three (M) million dollars in questionable charges for the work at the Sequoyah nuclear station near Chattanooga in 2003.
http://www.whnt19.com/Global/story.asp?S=3112674
Bush offers tough proposal to teachers
The teachers union faces political payback in Gov. Jeb Bush's proposal to change the class-size amendment.
BY MARC CAPUTO
mcaputo@herald.com
TALLAHASSEE - More than two years after saying he had ''devious plans'' to undo Florida's class-size law, Gov. Jeb Bush has proposed a scale-back that offers his nemesis, the state teachers union, an almost Faustian bargain: Agree to water it down or appear to oppose pay raises for teachers around the state.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/11196967.htm
Halliburton to Redeem $500 Million Notes
03.23.2005, 04:22 PM
Oilfield services firm Halliburton Co. said Wednesday it will redeem all of its $500 million floating rate senior notes due Jan. 26, 2007.
The redemption, which will be as of April 26, is the initial step in the company's plan to cut its debt since completing its asbestos settlement.
http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/ap/2005/03/23/ap1902992.html
Foxes and henhouses and government contracts
By LOREN STEFFY
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
SPRINGFIELD, ILL. — Trust the fox. That's the policy behind last week's indictment of a former procurement agent at Halliburton's KBR unit in Kuwait.
ADVERTISEMENT
The indictment, unsealed here Thursday, is the first involving Halliburton's much-maligned Iraq contracts.
According to a grand jury investigating the case, the KBR procurement agent, Jeff Mazon, inflated the bid he received from a Kuwaiti subcontractor, La Nouvelle General Trading & Contracting Co., for fuel tanker operations. La Nouvelle's managing partner, Ali Hijazi, then passed $1 million on to Mazon when he left KBR in late 2003, the indictment says.
The alleged malfeasance, though, wasn't unearthed by stalwart government auditors. Instead, it was Halliburton itself that brought the problem to the government's attention.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3098534
Former Enron assistant treasurer's sentencing delayed
By MARY FLOOD
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
A former Enron assistant treasurer who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud for lying to credit rating agencies had his sentencing postponed this week.
ADVERTISEMENT
Timothy Despain is now scheduled to be sentenced a year from now in March 2006.
Despain has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, and the government is granting him immunity from prosecution for any other possible criminal activity in connection with his work at Enron or his subsequent employer, Halliburton.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3099645
Bechtel sought $1.4 million too much in '03, TVA says
By NAOMI SNYDER
Staff Writer
Long-delayed report shows charges for flowers, wine and project manager's travel.
TVA decided contractor Bechtel Corp. overcharged the federal utility by $1.4 million for work at the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant near Chattanooga in 2003, including charges for flowers and wine to entertain some TVA employees and to pay for trips the project manager made between his Florida home and the plant.
http://www.tennessean.com/business/archives/05/03/67281436.shtml?Element_ID=67281436
DOE awards contracts to clean up Washington, Idaho nuclear sites
By SHANNON DININNY
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
YAKIMA, Wash. -- After months of delays, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded two contracts valued in the billions of dollars Wednesday to clean up portions of two nuclear sites in Washington and Idaho.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=WA%20Nuclear%20Cleanup%20Contracts
Patchwork early fix failed in Big Dig tunnel
By Casey Ross
Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - Updated: 04:45 PM EST
Big Dig managers failed in their attempts to fix defective tunnel walls a few years ago, raising questions about maintenance costs and the likelihood of a permanent repair.
Construction reports reviewed by the Herald show that problems worsened in tunnel walls even as patching efforts became more extensive when widespread leakage was discovered in 2000.
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=74692
The Seattle Post Intelligencer
A Word to the unwise -- program's grammar check isn't so smart
By TODD BISHOP
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Microsoft the company should big improve Word grammar check.
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. That sentence is a confusing jumble. However, it is perfectly fine in the assessment of Microsoft Word's built-in grammar checker, which detects no problem with the prose.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/217802_grammar28.asp
Getting There: Drivers can't lose licenses for being old
By JANE HADLEY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Question: Sandi Ellenwood of Snohomish is emotional on the subject of older drivers.
"Why is it that it seems like every week or two, I read some article about some elderly person hitting the gas instead of the brake, going through a stop sign, turning in front of somebody?" she asks.
"We all suffer diminished capacity as we get older. I really think it's a crime to let people drive on the road after a certain age without being retested to make sure their skills are sharp."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/217771_get28.html
Drought still ahead despite weekend's record rainfall
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF
What drought? Sunday's rainfall, measured at 0.64 inches at Sea-Tac Airport, matched the 1968 record for the day.
The downpour came after Saturday's rainfall of 1.51 inches broke the record for March 26.
But is this soggy weather enough to drown out the drought? Not yet, said Johnny Burg, a weather service meteorologist in Seattle. The region's precipitation still is 9 inches below normal for the water year, which begins in October.
"If we can get 7 to 8 more inches of rain soon, that might put a serious dent in the drought," Burg said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/217757_tl238.html
IRA rallies in memory of 1916 rebellion
By SHAWN POGATCHNIK
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
DUBLIN, Ireland -- Leaders of the IRA and its allied Sinn Fein party staged rallies Sunday across Ireland in memory of a failed 1916 rebellion - and in anger that their organizations today stand accused of covering up a Belfast killing.
At three mass rallies in Dublin and the two major cities in Northern Ireland, Belfast and Londonderry, Sinn Fein leaders said the killers of Robert McCartney were being cowards by refusing to admit their crime.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Ireland%20Sinn%20Fein
Iraqi anthrax scientist kept her secret
By CHARLES J. HANLEY
AP SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Iraqi scientist Dr. Rihab Taha is seen in this undated file video image from APTN. (AP Photo via APTN)
In early 2003, as war fever built in Washington, an Iraqi scientist faced a fateful choice.
Rihab Rashid Taha could try to lower the heat by finally telling U.N. inspectors what happened to Iraq's "missing" anthrax.
Or she could remain silent, rather than risk Saddam Hussein's wrath.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Iraq%20Anthrax%20Mystery
Rights of foreigners on death row examined
By HOPE YEN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court is considering whether Texas and other states can execute 51 Mexicans who say they were improperly denied legal help from their consulates, a dispute testing the effect of international law in U.S. death penalty cases.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1154&slug=Scotus%20Death%20Penalty
Schiavo receives last rites, communion
By MARK LONG
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Msgr. Thaddeus Malanowski, center, talks to reporters outside the Woodside Hospice Sunday afternoon March 27, 2005 after giving Terri Schiavo Easter communion and a drop of wine on her tongue earlier in the day. Terri Schiavo has been without food and water for nine days. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. -- Terri Schiavo was given last rites and Easter communion - a drop of wine, but no bread - as relatives of the brain-damaged woman asked protesters gathered outside her hospice to tone down their behavior.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Brain%20Damaged%20Woman
Plan to wipe out exotic deer sparks debate
By TERENCE CHEA
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
POINT REYES STATION, Calif. -- They are easily spotted from the road here, lounging in fields and munching grass with little fear of predators.
Introduced for hunting six decades ago, fallow and axis deer are popular with tourists eager to see wildlife at Point Reyes National Seashore. But park rangers see them as an invasive species that threaten native deer and elk, devour excessive amounts of vegetation, hurt agriculture and possibly spread disease.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Invasive%20Deer
Churchgoers remember Texas blast victims
By KRISTEN HAYS
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Becky Hogan, background center in white, follows the casket of her husband, Daniel Hogan, at the end of the funeral services Sunday, March 27, 2005, at First Baptist Church in Texas City, Texas. Hogan was among 15 people killed in last week's explosion at a BP refinery in Texas City. (AP Photo/Brett Coomer)
TEXAS CITY, Texas -- Churchgoers at Easter Sunday services were urged to support friends and neighbors who are grieving for loved ones lost in last week's deadly explosion at a BP oil refinery.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Plant%20Explosion
… isms
Central Washington adds gender identity to discrimination ban
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- Central Washington University has became the third university in the state and one of 25 nationwide to bar discrimination against openly gay, bisexual and transsexual staff and students.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=WA%20Central%20Washington%20Bias
Judge throws out suit claiming discrimination in child abuse probes
March 25, 2005, 4:36 PM
DETROIT (AP) -- A discrimination lawsuit against the agency in charge of investigating child abuse complaints has been stopped in its tracks by a judge's ruling that the union that brought the case did not have legal standing.
http://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw113534_20050325.htm
House Passes Bill Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation
DOVER, Del.
(AP)- After more than three hours of debate today, the state House passed this year's version of a bill prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Like several predecessors that have failed to win passage, the bill won House passage by a slim margin-- 22-18 --and faces an uncertain future in the Senate.
http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3125124&nav=MXEFXuOi
Social Security faces another discrimination suit
By Melissa Harris
Sun Staff
Originally published March 25, 2005
ABOUT 110 black women have formed a group supporting a class-action lawsuit alleging discrimination at Social Security Administration headquarters in Woodlawn.
The women's suit began less than a year after Social Security announced a $7.75 million settlement in a similar discrimination case involving nearly all of the black men employed at the agency's headquarters between 1987 and 2002.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.federal25mar25,1,6238842.story?coll=bal-local-howard&ctrack=1&cset=true
Gay Rights Bills Move Forward In Maine, Die in Arkansas
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: March 25, 2005 5:01 pm ET
(Washington) The Judiciary Committee of the Maine legislature has voted to support an anti-discrimination bill to provide protections for gays and lesbians.
The legislation, was submitted by Democratic Gov. John Baldacci and Republican Sen. Karl Turner. It would amend the Maine Human Rights Act to include sexual orientation among the protected classes in areas of housing, employment, education, credit and public accommodation.
http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/03/032505maineArk.htm
W Cape premier tells of racism towards wife
Sheena Adams
March 26 2005 at 04:56PM
Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool says his wife often endures racist remarks and disrespectful behaviour. Interviewed this week at a Cape Town symposium on racism, he said the problem ran so deep in the province that his wife, Rosieda Shabodien, was often on the receiving end of racism.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=14&click_id=6&art_id=vn20050326113024860C402460
French Muslim Band Sings Against Racism, Terror
The band’s albums have sold a record number in France.
By Hadi Yahmid, IOL Paris Correspondent
PARIS, March 26 (IslamOnline.net) – In France, rap music no longer conjures up images of hip-hopping boys and girls or doped teenagers after a Muslim band has given it a new look.
http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2005-03/26/article06.shtml
RACISM: The ugly face of the Beautiful Game
'I CELE-BRATED like a monkey because they were treating me like one,' said Samuel Eto'o after scoring in a La Liga match in Zaragoza this season.
This will be the first season ever in Spanish football that an African footballer finishes top scorer in La Liga.
It will also be the season remembered for finally putting racism in Spain's football stadiums in the spotlight.
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/sports/story/0,4136,85405,00.htm
Film is still a monument to racism
By Andrea Lewis
KRT FORUM
March 2005 marks the 90th anniversary of the release of D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation," a film that remains one of the most groundbreaking and controversial in movie history. "The Birth of a Nation" set the foundation for the long history of racially bigoted filmmaking in America.
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/opinion/11231529.htm
First black female lieutenant files discrimination complaint against Jersey City
March 26, 2005, 10:08 PM EST
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- The first black female lieutenant in the city's police department has filed a discrimination complaint over her transfer out of the internal affairs unit after six months on the job, according to a published report.
In charges filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Christine Petersen accused Mayor Jerramiah Healy and Police Chief Robert Troy of discriminating against her by transferring her to the uniformed division, allegedly
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--policebiascomplai0326mar26,0,3950714.story?coll=ny-region-apnewjersey
New trial date set in Reno for Walgreen's discrimination suit
RENO A May Eighth, 2006 trial date has been set in a Nevada court on a lawsuit by four black men alleging discrimination by a clerk at a Walgreen Drug Store in Reno.
The new trial date was set for the Houston men after Deerfield (Illinois)-based Walgreen Company hired a new legal team. Two trial dates were canceled last year.
http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=3129386
Discrimination trial exposes police secrets
Biting testimony likely to cause rifts among officers
By DERRICK NUNNALLY
dnunnally@journalsentinel.com
Posted: March 26, 2005
Although jurors won't get to discuss the merits of the discrimination lawsuit against former Police Chief Arthur Jones in federal court until sometime Monday, testimony in the three-week trial tore gaping holes in the blue wall of silence that ordinarily shrouds the inner workings of the Milwaukee Police Department.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/mar05/313066.asp
Stories Creek’s ex-principal sues;
claims discrimination - 3/26/05
By PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT, C-T Staff Writer
Dr. Jennifer Locklear, former principal of Stories Creek Elementary School, has filed a civil rights discrimination lawsuit in federal court against the Person County Board of Education and Schools Supt. Ronnie G. Bugnar alleging sexual and racial discrimination.
http://www.roxboro-courier.com/newsnowstories/ts032605-2.htm
Dolly the sheep scientist is accused of racial discrimination
Camillo Fracassini
PROFESSOR Ian Wilmut, the scentist who created Dolly the sheep, has been accused of racial discrimination by an Asian colleague who claims that he was forced from his job because of his colour.
Dr Prim Singh, former head of nuclear reprogramming at the Roslin Institute in Midlothian, claims that he was passed over for promotion and given second-rate laboratory equipment.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-1543596,00.html
Bigotry rages in Trumbull
Hate-laced fliers left in Trumbull
By GENEVIEVE REILLY greilly@ctpost.com
TRUMBULL — On a day when Christians observed Good Friday and Jews celebrated Purim, some residents woke up to find hate-filled fliers tossed in their driveways Friday morning.
http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_2623185
Root out racism
MPs must not exploit ignorance
Leader
Sunday March 27, 2005
The Observer
Racist incidents are on the rise. Asylum seekers are being killed. Asian women and children are being harassed in the street. It must be the fault of the police because, well, it always is, isn't it? They need more diversity training. They have to take the issue more seriously. It's time to weed out the racists from the ranks. This is an easy, even comforting, argument to make and one with a foothold in fact. As we report today, elements of Britain's constabulary still have an enormous task ahead to combat racism in their midst.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,6903,1446321,00.html
Protesters cite racism
Blame lack of Air India inquiry on fact victims weren't 'white Canadians'
By AJAY BHARDWAJ
EDMONTON -- Indo-Canadian protesters calling for an inquiry into the Air India bombing say the government would have gotten answers quickly if the dead were "white Canadians." "It took 20 years and there are no answers yet," said protest organizer Amarjeet Sohi.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/OttawaSun/News/2005/03/27/973284-sun.html
Racism, sexism will be topic of 'Law Day'
The oppression experienced by women of color will be explored during a law symposium at UC Davis on Friday, April 1.
"The Future of Critical Race Feminism," presented by the UCD Law Review, will look at the future of feminism and the role of critical race feminism in the movement. It is free and open to the public.
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/Stories/0,1413,136~32730~2785251,00.html
Tribes protest use of Fighting Sioux nickname, logo
By Elisa L. Rineheart
Herald Staff Writer
Carrying a 13-feathered eagle staff - an ancient warriors sign of American-Indian leadership - Frank Sage, a New Mexico Navajo, on Saturday protested UND's use of Fighting Sioux nickname and logo outside the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/11240955.htm
Keeping Democracy in Democrat
AKA 'Neocons are Dangerously Lurking Everywhere'
Democrats support PM on stem cells
March 26, 2005 - 2:14PM
The Australian Democrats have thrown their support behind Prime Minister John Howard's decision not to push for extended restrictions on the scientific use of excess IVF embryos.
Mr Howard failed to reach an agreement with the states on a planned one-year extension of the agreement, now freeing up the use of embryos created after April 5, 2002, for certain types of stem cell research.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Democrats-support-PM-on-stem-cellss/2005/03/26/1111692669750.html
Democrats walk out of House
Govt policy debate ends in turbulence
POST REPORTERS
The parliamentary debate on government policy statement drew to a turbulent close yesterday after the opposition staged a walk-out, its second under House Speaker Pokin Polakun's moderation, to protest against his decision denying former Democrat leader Chuan Leekpai a chance to speak.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/26Mar2005_news04.php
APA Democrats React to Bush’s Social Security Plans
By Sam Chu Lin, Mar 25, 2005
Rep. Mike Honda (San Jose), chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and other members of the group are taking aim at President Bush’s proposal to privatize Social Security. He and newly elected Rep. Doris Matsui (Sacramento), Rep. Xavier Becerra (Los Angeles) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (San Jose) participated in a half-hour teleconference last week with the Asian Pacific American media to share their concerns.
Lofgren, who represents a large number of Asian Pacific Americans in the Silicon Valley area, predicted her APA constituents have a lot to gain or lose in the Social Security debate. “I think it’s worth noting that Social Security provides retirement security to almost 800,000 Asian American and Pacific Islander families,” Lofgren stated. “[Many] AAPI seniors rely on Social Security for all of their income — actually 30 percent as compared to 17 percent for seniors generally. Because life expectancies actually are longer for AAPIs, Social Security has a greater role in the lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.”
“You can’t afford to have an annuity that runs out when you turn 85,” Becerra pointed out, “and when you’re going to live until 95. Social Security offers you a guaranteed benefit with a cost-of-living increase every year until you die. You cannot outlive Social Security.”
http://news.asianweek.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=e97d122447b1720cf918c84c868e87b3&this_category_id=169
Democrats: Bush is out of touch
[U.S. News] WASHINGTON, March 26 : President Bush is out of touch with the American people on Social Security reform, but Democrats would work with him on reform, a congressman said Saturday.
Rep.Sander Levin, D-Mich.,, giving the Democrat's weekly Saturday radio address, said Bush's proposal for privatized Social Security accounts would result in major government borrowing and benefit cuts.
http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=90740
Summary Box: GOP ads hit Democrats over voter ID bill
Associated Press
STREET FIGHT: State Republicans are taking their fight over a voter identification bill to the streets, with ads to begin running in eight cities Monday that slam state Democrats.
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/11238726.htm
Lakewood Democrats line up for committee seats in Nov. race
A possible candidate would be first black committeeman
Published in the Asbury Park Press 03/26/05
By RICHARD QUINN
TOMS RIVER BUREAU
LAKEWOOD — The race for two Township Committee seats is off to an active start.
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050326/NEWS02/503260450/1070/NEWS02
Liberal Democrats' proposals for a local income tax
From Mr Stuart Sexton
Sir, The Liberal Democrats propose to replace council tax by a local income tax (Charles Kennedy’s Comment, March 21). Under it they say about 25 per cent of us will pay a little more tax and most of the rest will stay about the same. Not a lot of change.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,59-1544327,00.html
Democrats blast Pataki aide for sending out posters of himself
March 27, 2005, 10:23 AM EST
ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York Democrats claim one of the Pataki administration's top appointees is wasting taxpayer dollars to promote his political ambitions.
Secretary of State Randy Daniels has sent posters of himself to 25,000 barbers and beauticians, asking that they be displayed in their establishments, the New York Daily News reported Sunday. The posters include a full-color studio portrait of Daniels and his name in bold type.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--daniels-barbersho0327mar27,0,1750075.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
Democrats dissatisfied with lack of bills passed
Minority status makes it difficult to get vote support
BY JIM HOUSTON
Staff Writer
ATLANTA - With the 2005 legislative session wrapping up this week, House Democrats are looking back on this session from an unprecedented perspective.
It's the first time in more than a century that researchers will need patience and a microscope to find a bill authored by a House Democrat that made its way into law.
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/11240028.htm
Seattle Post Intelligencer continued...
Racist Scots spurn tolerance plea
MURDO MACLEOD
POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
mmacleod@scotlandonsunday.com
TWO years of anti-racism campaigning by the Scottish Executive have failed to make any impact on disturbingly high levels of prejudice.
Research commissioned by the Scottish Executive into the effectiveness of its £1m anti-discrimination drive has revealed that racism is just as much of a problem now as in 2001, before the scheme got off the ground.
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=324402005
The anachronism of Catholic discrimination
(Filed: 28/03/2005)
Imagine a religion that was once considered so abhorrent that a country's head of state is still forbidden not only to belong to it, but also to marry anyone who does. Moreover, even his or her distant relations become ineligible to become head of state if they marry someone who adheres to this faith.
http://www.opinion.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2005/03/28/dl2801.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2005/03/28/ixopinion.html
New trial date set in Reno for Walgreen's discrimination suit
March 26, 2005, 10:30 PM EST
A May eighth, 2006 trial date has been set in Washoe County District Court on a lawsuit by four black men alleging discrimination by a clerk at a Walgreen Drug Store in Reno. The new trial date was set for the Houston men after Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreen Company hired a new legal team. Two trial dates were canceled last year.
http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3129641&nav=8faOXwvK
Facing discrimination, local woman quits job
By Nada S.Mussallam
27 March 2005
ABU DHABI — A UAE female national has resigned, protesting against bad language and too much pressure at workplace to the extent that she could not have a break for offering prayer. S.A., former supervisor at a major hyper market chain lodged a complaint with the labour ministry saying many pressures at work have forced her to tender her resignation.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2005/March/theuae_March817.xml§ion=theuae
Adalah accuses Education Min. of employment discrimination
By Yulie Khromchenko
The Education Ministry has issued discriminatory guidelines regarding employment of Arabs in renovations in educational institutions, an Arab rights group has complained to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/557423.html
Jurors Expected To Get Discrimination Case Against Arthur Jones Monday
POSTED: 2:44 pm CST March 27, 2005
MILWAUKEE -- Jurors are expected to start deliberating Monday in the trial of 17 white police officers who say they were not promoted because of their race.
http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/news/4321131/detail.html
How the humble potato can fight bigotry
CALUM MacDONALD
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http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/35854.html
MP raises concerns about Blair’s speech to Christians -22/03/05
A Labour MP has raised concerns ahead of a lecture to be given by the Prime Minister today to the Christian social action group Faithworks.
The comments by Alice Mahon came in an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programe this morning, when the Halifax MP went head-to-head with Faithworks founder Rev Steve Chalke.
The Prime Minister is expected today to refocus the debate over religion and politics away from recent rows over abortion. He will highlight issues ranging from his party's support for the Make Poverty History campaign to new opportunities for religious activists to get involved in public services, in an address and webcast.
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_050322fwks.shtml
The World According to Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart director quits
Washington, March 26 (Reuters): Wal-Mart Stores Inc’s former vice-chairman Thomas Coughlin resigned as director on Friday over a company probe into unauthorised use of corporate gift cards and personal reimbursements that has also been reported to federal prosecutors.
Coughlin, who still sat on three board committees, including one for strategic planning and finance, resigned at Wal-Mart's request in a disagreement over the matter, the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050327/asp/business/story_4539652.asp
Wal-Mart Easter sales softer, spring program delayed
By MarketWatch
Last Update: 5:00 PM ET March 26, 2005
E-mail it Print Discuss Alert Reprint RSS
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Wal-Mart Stores, in its weekly update, said Easter-related sales were softer than those of the year earlier and its launch of spring-season sales was delayed. See full story.
Wal-Mart director bounced after probe
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) - An internal probe into the alleged misuse of company funds has apparently cost Thomas Coughlin his seat on the board of Wal-Mart - and could soon land him in trouble with the feds to boot. See full story.
http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7BDDB262A7-3B2E-4751-AF43-C7E21A59FC99%7D&siteid=google&dist=google
Wal-Mart Says March Sales Are Increasing Within Its Forecast
March 26 (Bloomberg) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, said March sales at stores open at least a year are rising within its forecast as shoppers bought more food. Sales of Easter and spring merchandise have been slower.
Wal-Mart has forecast a gain of at least 4.1 percent from the year-earlier month. The discounter updated results through yesterday in a recorded call.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=atOUKg5Ih0UA&refer=top_world_news
Wal-Mart exec resigns in probe
From staff and new services
A high-profile Wal-Mart Stores Inc. board member resigned Friday after an internal probe turned up evidence of financial improprieties of up to a half-million dollars.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/business/11238116.htm
Wal-Mart Sees Sales Same or Better
Reuters
Mar 26, 2005 — CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
The world's largest retailer said food sales exceeded general merchandise sales in the week ended Friday, the fourth week of the five-week March sales reporting period, which ends on April 1.
Kent State Seventh After Round One At Wal-Mart National Invitational Tournament
Peter Laws
03/27/2005
TUCSON, Ariz. — The Kent State University men’s golf team is in seventh place following the first round of the 2005 Wal-Mart National Invitational Tournament here today (March 27). Senior Peter Laws fired an opening round 67 to pace the Golden Flashes to a 3-under 285 in the first round. Kent State trails TCU by nine shots.
http://www.kentstatesports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=23&url_article_id=1896&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2
Wal-Mart plans more SuperCenters in northern Nevada
ASSOCIATED PRESS
RENO, Nev. (AP) - Wal-Mart is expanding its reach in northern Nevada with plans to construct at least five more SuperCenters.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2005/mar/27/032710730.html
Wal-Mart: Love it or hate it
Passions about chain run high
By Eric Fetters
Herald Writer
At least once a week, Robin Fenton does what much of the country does every month: She shops at Wal-Mart.
To avoid the crowds, the Marysville resident often goes to the 24-hour supercenter at the Tulalip Indian Reservation's Quil Ceda Village in early morning or late at night.
http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/03/27/100loc_walmart001.cfm
Friend or foe? Wal-Mart alters Utah landscape
Convenience and low prices often win over staunchest foes
By Erin Stewart, Doug Smeath and Nicole Warburton
Deseret Morning News
Janet Mortenson doesn't sugarcoat it — she hates Wal-Mart.
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600121592,00.html
Seattle Post Intelligencer continued...
Philippine rebels threaten U.S. troops
By JIM GOMEZ
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Masked youths from the Communist New People's Army stage a "lightning rally" at the northern suburb of Caloocan north of Manila on Monday March 28, 2005 to celebrate the 36th founding anniversary of the Maoist movement. Communist guerrillas on Monday renewed their threat against U.S. troops on training missions in the Philippines, saying the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq prove they "can be made to bleed and die" despite their superiority. The sign reads.,"Armed Revolution is the Answer to Poverty." (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
MANILA, Philippines -- Communist guerrillas on Monday renewed their threat against U.S. troops on training missions in the Philippines, saying the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq prove they can be killed despite their superior military power.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Philippines%20Communist%20Rebels
U.S. bases in Afghanistan get $83M upgrade
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KABUL, Afghanistan -- The United States is spending $83 million to upgrade its two main air bases in Afghanistan, an Air Force general said Monday, the latest indication that American forces will remain in the country for years.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Afghan%20US%20Bases
U.N.: Opium farming slows in Afghanistan
By STEPHEN GRAHAM
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
An Afghan sells goods in a makshift shop under a building destroyed on a main street in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 27, 2005. Three years after the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan remains the world's fifth-least developed country. (AP Photo/Tomas Munita)
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan farmers are growing less opium this year because of a government ban and fear that their crops will be destroyed in an internationally sponsored crackdown, according to a U.N. report released Sunday.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Afghan%20Drugs
Myanmar junta leader promises democracy
By DENIS D. GRAY
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Myanmarfs Senior Gen. Than Shwe, the leader of nation's military junta, reviews military units during 60th anniversary ceremonies Sunday, March 27, 2005, in Yangon at Armed Forces Day celebrations. Gen. Than Shwe told assembled military units and others that Myanmar is moving toward a new democratic order but gave not time table as to when the military junta would give up its 43 year rule. (AP Photo/David Longstreath)
YANGON, Myanmar -- The head of Myanmar's ruling junta said Sunday the country was moving toward democracy but gave no indication of when the military would relinquish its 43-year grip on power in the country the U.S. has labeled an "outpost of tyranny."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Myanmar%20Democracy
Dozens of Lebanese still held in Syria
By BASSEM MROUE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- The last time Sonia Eid saw her son Jihad was 14 years ago, when she watched from a distance as the Lebanese army corporal, blindfolded and bound to a line of other prisoners, was led into interrogation at Syria's notorious Mazzeh prison.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Prisoners%20in%20Syria
'08 White House race draws Iowa's interest
By MIKE GLOVER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Potential White House candidates are calling Iowa's top political operatives. Trips to the Midwest are on the schedule. Personal notes to the state's top Democrats and Republicans are in the mail.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apelection_story.asp?category=1130&slug=2008%20Early%20Feelers
Kennedy, Chafee could face off in R.I.
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- It would be the battle of the dynasties: Kennedy versus Chafee. The son of a Democratic icon against the son of a revered Republican senator and governor in the nation's smallest state.
Rep. Patrick Kennedy is considering a run against Sen. Lincoln Chafee for the only congressional seat held by a Republican in heavily Democratic Rhode Island. The mere prospect of such a matchup next year has set tongues in motion.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apelection_story.asp?category=1132&slug=Kennedy%20Senate
I always loved horses as a kid...
Putnam senior gets hooked on horses, takes aim at national finals
By Shannon Crawley-Serpette
ntputnam@ivnet.com
Sarah Tenczar of Lake Thunderbird rides her Paint horse, Shania. Tenczar is competing in the Illinois High School Association Rodeo. She currently is tied for second place in pole bending - her favorite event. Tenczar hopes to qualify for the National High School Rodeo Finals this summer in Gillette, Wyo.
NT photo/David Manley
LAKE THUNDERBIRD — A former city girl turned rodeo competitor is hoping her horse skills will land her a place at the National High School Rodeo Finals this summer.
http://www.newstrib.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=16394&SectionID=1&SubSectionID=60
Trainers Move Top Horses to Avoid Disease
March 26, 2005, 12:56 PM CST
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Kentucky Derby contender Sun King and 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper were among two dozen horses moved to Churchill Downs from a Florida training facility where a bacterial disease has been found.
The horses, trained by Bobby Frankel and Nick Zito, arrived at Churchill Downs on Friday and Saturday, said John Asher, vice president of communications for the track.
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-rac-horse-quarantine,1,1741178.story?coll=sns-ap-sports-headlines
Horses moved from Florida facility to avoid disease
LOUISVILLE (AP) — Kentucky Derby contender Sun King and 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper were among two dozen horses moved to Churchill Downs from a Florida training facility where a bacterial disease has been found.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/horses/2005-03-26-horses-quarantined_x.htm
Rigors of Dubai trip keep top horses home
By GARY WEST
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH, Texas - Most of the American horses that have traveled during the years to Dubai for the world's richest race, the $6 million World Cup, were near the end of their careers. And if they weren't near the end when they left for Dubai, they certainly were when they returned.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/11232044.htm
American horses favored at Dubai
Wire reports
Posted March 26 2005
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates · Roses in May and three other American-based horses are the ones to beat at the $6 million Dubai World Cup, as the world's richest race will be without an entry from one of racing's most powerful stables.
The ruling Maktoum family, owner of Godolphin Racing, has won the World Cup five of the nine times it has been run, with U.S. horses taking the other four. Today, Godolphin will not be represented for the first time in the event's history.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-horses26mar26,0,6835324.story?coll=sfla-sports-headlines
Elloree Trials is about philosophies of life, not just horses
By SHIRLEY UPTON, T&D Elloree Correspondent
While there's sure to be plenty of horsing around at today's popular Elloree Trials, the fun will not be exclusive to the race track. Beauty contestants will even be espousing their philosophies of life.
http://www.timesanddemocrat.com/articles/2005/03/25/news/doc4244e59721c3c134056334.txt
Horses poisoned
JESSICA LAWRENCE
27mar05
MEMBERS of a Brisbane pony club are in shock after two horses were poisoned in the latest in a series of vicious attacks.
http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,12664368%255E2765,00.html
’Too many’ horses in crater
Story and photos By VALERIE MONSON, Staff Writer
HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK – The sight has become almost synonymous with the painted cinder cones, shimmering silverswords and nene of Haleakala crater: horses ambling down Sliding Sands Trail carrying tourists on their backs.
It’s certainly nothing new. Other than by foot, horses have been the preferred way of navigating the rugged crater for years. That’s how Mark Twain visited Haleakala a century ago, how cowboys used to chase down cattle when all sorts of animals wandered the desertlike floor and how National Park Service workers still haul supplies to the backcountry cabins.
http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=7264
Movement of horses restricted in Plettenberg Bay
March 27, 2005, 15:00
The movement of horses from the Southern Cape area of Plettenberg Bay has been restricted after two horses died suspectedly of the highly contagious African horse sickness.
A number of horses participating in a polo tournament at Kurland, near Plettenberg Bay, will not be allowed to return to the Western Cape. Gideon Bruckner, the provincial director of veterinary services, says that as the Cape Metropole is an African horse sickness free zone, the horses will only be allowed to be moved once it is safe.
Bruckner says horse owners have been told to vaccinate and spray their horses with insecticide and to stable them at night. "All the horse owners know that no-one can be moved from the Plettenberg Bay area outside the control area, so movement to the Western Cape is still subject to the normal control measures. So there is no reason for concern about the outbreak in Plettenberg Bay for the free area."
http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/general/0,2172,100816,00.html
Competition lets youths build confidence, show their skills
By HEATH DRUZIN
hdruzin@theadvocate.com
Advocate staff writer
Advocate photo by Paula Ouder
Katie Strawbridge grimaces Saturday as she loses her egg in the egg-and-spoon race during the Deep South Stock and Horse Show Association's Open Horse Show at BREC's Greenwell Springs Park.
Wearing blue jeans and tiny boots with nickel-size spurs, her blonde curls spilling out of her white cowboy hat, Tara Mixon -- all 35 pounds of her -- stood holding the reigns in the shadow of her 900-pound quarter horse, B.D.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/032705/new_horses001.shtml
Frankel, Zito move top horses from Palm Meadows to avoid strangles
Trainers Bobby Frankel and Nick Zito are moving their top horses away from Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida to Churchill Downs in an effort to prevent possible quarantine of the horses due to an outbreak of the contagious equine respiratory disease strangles, which was discovered at the facility.
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=53649&subsec=1
Horses for courses
27 March 2005
Two hours' north of Auckland is the coastal resort of Tutukaka, where the fish are world-famous and the horses can read your mind, writes Anna Scrivenger.
We were barely on speaking terms by the time we reached Tutukaka. Hitting solid gridlock on the way out of Auckland was clearly my fault for delaying our departure. Spending the last 20km taking pot-luck with various turn-offs was the result of his stubborn refusal to consult a map. The last 10 minutes of conversation had consisted of a series of hisses, tuts and groans and when we finally parked in the darkness, we were about ready to go home again.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3229114a2120,00.html
U.S. horses rule run in the desert
The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - It's party time in the desert for Ken Ramsey.
After Roses in May won the $6 million Dubai World Cup on Saturday night - and added $3.6 million to Ramsey's bank account - the owner hoisted a giant glittering gold cup overhead, received congratulations from Dubai's ruling sheiks and said he plans to stick around for a while.
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/03/27/d7.sp.horses.0327.html
Woman charged in mistreatment of seven horses
MIDDLETOWN -- A Haddam woman is accused of not properly sheltering and caring for her seven horses.
Following a three-month-long investigation by the town’s animal control officer and the state Department of Agriculture, Linda Plyler, 50, of 79 Cedar Lake Road, was arrested on a warrant March 20 and charged with seven counts of cruelty to animals.
http://www.middletownpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14229450&BRD=1645&PAG=461&dept_id=10856&rfi=6
Mustang selloff stirs fears over their fate
A wild horse from Southeast Oregon finds a home, but fans of the animals say others could end up in foreign meat markets
Sunday, March 27, 2005
MICHAEL MILSTEIN
Horse number 92015845, holding his head tall, had a dignity that Karen Sisson saw in his pictures on the Internet.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1111748386291610.xml
Riding center helps children with special needs
Ryan's Hope uses horses in hippotherapy sessions
By Matt Woo, Special to Collierville Appeal
March 27, 2005
More than 300 guests arrived at Cedar Wood Farms for the grand opening of Ryan's Hope Therapeutic Riding Center. The riding center, which officially opened Feb. 26, is part of the Collierville-based Ryan's Hope Foundation, which provides support, relief and recreation to families with exceptional-needs children.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/collierville_appeal/article/0,1426,MCA_15699_3648349,00.html
Seattle Post Intelligencer continued...
Expert: Hurricane Ivan caused sand loss
By CAIN BURDEAU
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
NEW ORLEANS -- New measurements of Hurricane Ivan's erosion of beaches, dunes and barrier islands along the Gulf of Mexico underscore how vulnerable the American shoreline is to such storms, a U.S. Geological Survey oceanographer says.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apscience_story.asp?category=1501&slug=Hurricane%20Erosion
Wash. workers find apparent mammoth bones
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SELAH, Wash. -- A construction crew has unearthed what appear to be mammoth bones at least 10,000 years old north of this central Washington town and northeast of Yakima, the company owner says.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apscience_story.asp?category=1501&slug=Mammoth%20Bones
U.N.: 20 kids die daily in Congo camps
By BRYAN MEALER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
CHE, Congo -- Disease and a lack of clean water are killing 20 children every day in squalid camps of eastern Congo, victims of ethnic-driven violence that has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to U.N. officials.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apafrica_story.asp?category=1105&slug=Congo%20Victims%20of%20Disaster
Zimbabwe clergyman urges Mugabe's ouster
By MICHAEL HARTNACK
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Zimbabwean Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters give the party's open hand salute during an election rally in Harare, Zimbabwe, Sunday, March 27, 2005. Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the MDC, held the rally ahead of parliamentary elections set for March 31. Zimbabwe's ruling party is confident it will win a two-thirds majority in this week's parliamentary elections, an official said, while the opposition countered that worsening poverty would drive people to the polls to protest President Robert Mugabe's policies. (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)
HARARE, Zimbabwe -- One of Zimbabwe's most outspoken church leaders on Sunday called for a peaceful uprising against President Robert Mugabe's autocratic rule, days before a parliamentary election that rights groups say already is tainted by years of violence and intimidation.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apafrica_story.asp?category=1105&slug=Zimbabwe%20Election
Social Engineering
Damaged social structure strengthening crime
Dennis Morrison
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Over the past 35 years the level of deviant behaviour in major metropolitan and urban population centres of developing countries has risen dramatically. This is reflected most visibly in the proliferation of security guards in public buildings, offices, stores, places of entertainment and so on.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/html/20050326T220000-0500_77552_OBS_DAMAGED_SOCIAL_STRUCTURE_STRENGTHENING_CRIME.asp
With mixed feelings, French government dismantles 35-hour workweek
07:08 AM EST Mar 28
LAURENCE FROST
PARIS (AP) - Sophie Guilbaud not only holds a full-time job, she also helps run her son's nursery and treats herself to regular weekdays of shopping, movies and art shows.
The secret to her balancing act is a remarkable piece of social engineering - France's 35-hour workweek. Introduced under the Socialists but headed for effective abolition by legislators Tuesday, "les 35 heures" have been a boon for some but, critics argue, a big drain on the economy.
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/business/050327/b032708.html
IM attacks on the increase
By
Vivienne Fisher, iTnews
23 March 2005 15:38 AEST Internet
Organisations need to be aware of the security risks associated with instant messaging (IM), according to one security firm.
Security company Websense has reported a 300 percent increase of attacks that use instant messaging and malicious websites in the first quarter this year, compared to the fourth quarter 2004.
http://www.itnews.com.au/newsstory.aspx?CIaNCID=37&CIaNID=18341
Seattle Post Intelligencer continues…
Cuban dissidents' wives allowed to protest
By ANITA SNOW
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Georgina Noa, left, and Georgina Gonzalez, second from left, hold flowers as they shout "Freedom", Havana, Cuba, Sunday, March 27, 2005. About 30 wives of political prisoners dressed in white and each carrying a single orange gladiola after Easter services at Santa Rita Catholic Church marched demanding freedom for their husbands and other political prisoners. (AP Photo/Jorge Rey)
HAVANA -- One week after being confronted by a group of pro-government counter protesters, the wives of jailed dissidents marched peacefully Sunday after Easter services to demand the release of their husbands.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/aplatin_story.asp?category=1102&slug=Cuba%20Protests
EU: Castro shares interest in closer ties
By VANESSA ARRINGTON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
HAVANA -- A top European Union official said Cuban President Fidel Castro shares the bloc's interest in strengthening ties and tackling sensitive issues such as human rights and called on all parties to avoid "useless provocations."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/aplatin_story.asp?category=1102&slug=Cuba%20EU
Guantanamo officers leave without appeal
By ALEXANDRA OLSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Three army officers involved with the detention camp for terror suspects have left the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay without appealing their punishments for "personal misconduct," an official said Saturday.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/aplatin_story.asp?category=1102&slug=Guantanamo%20Investigation
Magazine offers reward for Tasmanian tiger
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOBART, Australia -- A magazine has offered a $983,000 reward to anyone who can produce proof of the Tasmanian tiger - a dog-like, striped creature long believed to be extinct.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apaa_story.asp?category=1106&slug=Tasmanian%20Tiger%20Reward
Unwanted Pregnancy
Women Opt For Spring-Loaded Birth Control
Springs Prevent Pregnancy, Block Fallopian Tubes
POSTED: 2:24 pm PST March 25, 2005
UPDATED: 2:57 pm PST March 25, 2005
SAN DIEGO -- A few months ago, Sherry Pascual started having periods that were so painful that doctors removed the lining of her uterus.
"After the ablation, they don't want you to get pregnant because you can't physically carry a pregnancy," Pascual said.
http://www.10news.com/health/4319246/detail.html
Abortion-List Grab Battle Heats Up
(CBS/AP) Planned Parenthood is denouncing prosecutors in Kansas and Indiana for trying to seize patient medical records from clinics, calling the actions a coordinated attempt to intimidate health care providers and patients.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/23/health/main682683.shtml
Kansas Senate passes abortion bills
By DAVID KLEPPER and MICHELLE BURHENN
The Kansas City Star
TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate passed a bill Friday to require abortion clinics to retrieve tissue samples from fetuses aborted by girls under the age of 14.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/11234032.htm
Clinic bill has now cleared both chambers by veto-proof margins
JOHN HANNA
Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. - A bill sought by anti-abortion activists to strengthen state regulation of abortion clinics has cleared the Legislature with enough support to override a veto from Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/11233408.htm
Oregon Legislators Debate Bills to Tighten Abortion Regulations
The proposed measures will toughen the state’s abortion restrictions, including a requirement to notify parents before performing abortions on minors.
Saturday, Mar. 26, 2005 Posted: 8:09:52AM EST
On Thursday, legislators in the state House Judiciary Committee debated four measures to regulate abortion in Oregon, drawing emotional responses from pro-life and pro-choice proponents.
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/1508/section/oregon.legislators.debate.bills.to.tighten.abortion.regulations/1.htm
Abortion notification likely bound for California ballot
By GARY DELSOHN
March 24, 2005
Most of the attention has been drawn to the heat of a possible special election fight between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and organized labor this year, but another highly charged measure might be first to qualify for the ballot.
A constitutional amendment requiring abortion providers to notify the parent or guardian of unemancipated minors 48 hours before performing an abortion is well on its way to qualifying, supporters say.
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/national/article/0,1406,KNS_350_3651845,00.html
Clinton's move to the middle
Viewed more favorably than when elected senator, Hillary etches a common-ground persona ahead of at least one future campaign
BY KEN FIREMAN
WASHINGTON BUREAU
March 27, 2005
WASHINGTON - It was budget week, and Democrats and Republicans were careening toward a series of bruising party-line votes. But Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton wanted to talk about something in short supply: common ground.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-ushill274193009mar27,0,3675898.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines
Navy wife's abortion case is heading to appeals court
'02 ruling made the service pay for the procedure, but the government wants money back
By MIKE BARBER
Seattle Post-intelligencer
SEATTLE - After learning that she carried a baby with almost no brain and no chance of survival, a devastated young Navy wife from Everett, Wash., pleaded in Seattle federal court to force her military medical program to pay for an abortion.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3103039
Vatican stands by bishop sacked in Argentine abortion row
By Justin Stares in Buenos Aires
(Filed: 27/03/2005)
Argentina's relations with the Vatican grew increasingly strained this weekend after the government sacked a bishop in a row over the country's ban on abortion.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/03/27/warg27.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/03/27/ixworld.html
The sheikh ruled: Sometimes it's alright to have an abortion
By Ruth Sinai
There was nothing about the appearance of the young woman who stood up to speak at Rahat's new community center that hinted at the heretical statement she was about to make.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/557078.html
Birth Control Pills - Controlling Unwanted Pregnancy
Publish Date : 3/24/2005 6:12:00 AM Source : Health Care Guide Khalsa News Network
Most women have heard of "the pill", but many of us do not know exactly what it is and how it works. In this article, you will learn what oral contracteptives are and how they work in a woman's body.
http://www.kntimes.com/articles/fullstory0305-insight-health+care-status-25-newsID-21691.html
N.J. must tell rape victims of emergency birth control
With a law signed this week, it joins a short list of states where hospitals must volunteer the info.
By Marie McCullough
Inquirer Staff Writer
New Jersey has joined the short but growing list of states that require hospitals to tell sexual-assault victims about emergency contraception, the standard treatment to prevent pregnancy after rape.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/new_jersey/11216064.htm
Breastfeeding and birth control
Anne Smith, IBCLC
For the nursing mother who wants to space her pregnancies, there are many birth control options to choose from. Each method offers advantages and disadvantages. Lactation Consultant Anne Smith explains.
Nature's birth control
As long as the nursing mother is exclusively breastfeeding, (nursing frequently day and night with no supplemental feedings), the baby is younger than six months of age...
...and the mother has not started having periods,...
...and the mother has not started having periods,...
...and the mother has not started having periods,...
...and the mother has not started having periods,...
...she is more than 98 percent protected...
...98 percent protected...
...98 percent protected...
...against pregnancy. This period of exclusive nursing means not only no supplemental feedings of water or formula, but also little or no pacifier use. All of the baby's sucking needs are met at the breast, which means demand feedings around the clock. As long as the mother has had no vaginal bleeding after 56 days postpartum, and the baby receives no supplemental feeds, she has only about a 2 percent chance of becoming pregnant (this compares to the combined birth control pill, which is about 98 to 99 percent effective if taken every day without missing a dose).
http://pregnancyandbaby.com/read/articles/353.htm
The New Zealand Herald
Teens rewarded for surviving adversity
Dion Chamberlin has lost his mother but has put his life back together. Picture / Richard Robinson
28.03.05 1.00pm
by Joanna Hunkin
Dion Chamberlin was 13 when his mother went out one night and never came home.
To this day, he has no idea what happened.
"On Thursday, it will be two years since my Mum disappeared," said Dion.
"She went out one night - we're actually not sure where she went - but then she didn't come home the next morning. We never saw her again.
"The police say they've got no idea. She went to a guy's house at about midnight and she was on camera at a petrol station, and then they've got no idea where she went from there."
But Dion's story is one of hope, not heartache.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10117453
Death toll on roads worst in 10 years
28.03.05
by Louisa Cleave and Mathew Dearnaley
New Zealand was last night suffering its blackest Easter on the roads for 10 years, as the death toll from crashes reached eight.
With another day and night of the holiday break yet to go, police fear the toll may reach double figures for the first time since 1994.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10117431
Man dies after sniffing butane
28.03.05
A Hamilton man has died after inhaling the contents of a butane canister, police said today.
Ambulance and police were called to the home of Nicholas Grant Baxter, 23, after he collapsed and began frothing at the mouth.
Family members told police the dead man had been abusing solvents, including butane, for the last three weeks, Senior Sergeant Graham Shields said.
At the time of his death Mr Baxter had been sniffing butane while watching a movie in the lounge.
Mr Shields said family members attempted to revive him using CPR but were unsuccessful.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10117459
Sharon wins budget pledge to secure Gaza pullout
28.03.05 10.15am
JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cleared a major hurdle to a planned Gaza pullout, winning the support of a key opposition party for the state budget and avoiding an election that could have delayed the withdrawal.
In another boost for Sharon, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made clear on Sunday Washington was sticking to its support for Israel's intention to retain large West Bank settlement blocs in any final peace deal with the Palestinians.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10117438
Three safe after abandoning sinking boat
28.03.05 3.45pm
Three people are safe after they abandoned a sinking boat in the Bay of Islands this afternoon.
Northern Police Communications said the occupants made their way to shore after setting off a flare before the boat sank near Urupukapuka Island at Kokinga Point.
Urupukapuka Island is the biggest island in the Bay of Islands and was popularised by deep sea fishing author, Zane Grey.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10117463
The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is:
Scott Base
Some cloud
-20.0°
Updated Monday 28 Mar 8:59PM
Global Warming/Climate Change
As the Snow Lingers in Suburbia, Green Thumbs Are Getting Itchy
By LISA W. FODERARO
Published: March 27, 2005
SCARSDALE, N.Y., March 25 - They have endured their own sort of March Madness this year, a month of snow-draped shoots, freezing nights and a succession of raw, cloudy days that inspire little more than flipping through seed catalogs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/nyregion/27garden.html
Sierra Club sends message on Navy plan
By WADE RAWLINS, VALERIE BAUERLEIN AND DAN KANE, Staff Writers
The N.C. Sierra Club is passing out 7,000 postcards of Tundra Swans and messages urging North Carolina's U.S. senators to encourage the Navy to work with state leaders to find another location for the airstrip the Navy wants to build in Eastern North Carolina.
For months, Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr have said the dispute was a matter for the courts.
But the Sierra Club says it's time for the senators to get involved. They note that U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle issued a decision last month stopping the Navy from proceeding.
"They are the two elected officials in the best position to help, particularly Sen. Dole because of her position on the Armed Services Committee," said Molly Diggins, state director of the N.C. Sierra Club.
In halting the project, the court said the Navy hadn't adequately considered the environmental effects of the project or alternative sites. The Navy plans to appeal.
The site chosen by the Navy is about five miles from a wildlife refuge that hosts 100,000 migratory waterfowl each winter and poses a severe risk of birds striking aircraft about half the year.
"Other locations in North Carolina would be much better for our service men and women, and would also preserve this world-class refuge for wildlife," the postcards say.
Doug Heye, a Burr spokesman, said court decision showed the legal process was working.
"As long as this in the court, the senator does not believe that congress should intervene," Heye said.
Lindsay Taylor, a spokeswoman for Dole, said the senator understood the opposition to the Navy's preferred site and had passed along those concerns to the Navy.
"That being said, the case remains within the appropriate jurisdiction of the courts," Taylor said.
Blair 'fails to lead on global warming'
By Andrew Sparrow, Political Correspondent
(Filed: 28/03/2005)
Tony Blair's attempts to show international leadership in the battle to combat global warming were dismissed as inadequate yesterday by a committee of MPs.
The Commons environmental audit committee said it was "profoundly concerned" by the Prime Minister's approach to what it described as a "potentially catastrophic threat".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/03/28/nclim28.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/03/28/ixnewstop.html
Action urged on global warming
More action is needed to tackle climate change, a committee of MPs has warned.
The Commons environmental audit committee has criticised government suggestions that new technology and market mechanisms will reduce carbon dioxide emissions
http://www.epolitix.com/EN/News/200503/23dbcccc-96e9-4ce4-aa98-23c7aab80d2b.htm
Middlebury students are global warming inquisitors
March 27, 2005
The Middlebury students who awarded "Flat Earth Awards" to global warming skeptics ought to incorporate as the Pope Urban VIII Society.
Pope Urban is best remembered for persecuting Galileo for daring to suggest that the earth revolved around the sun.
That notion, Urban declared, "is absurd, false in theology, and heretical because expressly contrary to Holy Scripture."
The Middlebury students, under the guidance of something called the "Green House Network" of Portland, Ore., and their own Cardinal Bellarmine, professor Jon Isham, have determined that Holy Scripture requires that the planet is dangerously warming as a result of human production of carbon dioxide. Anyone who actually looks at the science and begins to doubt that Scripture is a dangerous heretic.
According to the Inquisitors of Middlebury, human-caused global warming "is not even a question anymore."
Their Holy Scripture is the politically-tweaked Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change computer projection of future global temperature trends. They banish as politically incorrect heresy the very substantial evidence that contradicts anthropogenic global warming theory.
Today's global warming skeptics aren't likely to tortured and burned at the stake, as were the heretics of Bellarmine and Urban's day. Still, one has to wonder what these Middlebury students are getting for their parents' $40,000 a year.
John McClaughry
Kirby
http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050327/NEWS/50326001/1022
Global warming allows beetles to attack whitebark pines
By SCOTT McMILLION Chronicle Staff Writer
There's an incredibly effective predator in the woods, a real life giant killer. And it is marching, taking new life and succor from the hot, dry climate that vexes so much of the West.
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2005/03/27/news/01beetles.txt
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:
34 °F / 1 °C
Overcast
Humidity:
87%
Dew Point:
30 °F / -1 °C
Wind:
Calm
Pressure:
29.21 in / 989 hPa
Visibility:
4.0 miles / 6.4 kilometers
UV:
0 out of 16
Clouds (AGL):
Overcast 1100 ft / 335 m
end
