The FOX News Network is a matter of National Security. You will never hear the words "Global Warming" on this news channel. Rupert Murdoch needs to spend more time in Australia to know what they are going through because of the drought from Global Warming. They are looking to their first desaliation plant.
Cheney Observer
Big Bush donors got $1.2 billion from U.S., Ohio
Monday, October 31, 2005
Associated Press
Toledo- Thirty Ohioans who raised a combined $4.1 million for President Bush's re- election campaign have received more than $1.2 billion in public money for their companies and clients, a newspaper reported.
Since Bush took office in 2001, the federal government has given those companies more than $447 million in subsidies, contracts and other payments, according to records analyzed by The Blade. Ohio has awarded them about $800 million in the last six years, the paper reported Sunday.
Business leaders and lobbyists who raised money for Bush were called "Pioneers" if they raised at least $100,000 and "Rangers" if they raised $200,000; some also were given political appointments.
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1130765444282160.xml&coll=2
Iran: Halliburton Involvement May Be Part Of Larger Diplomatic Effort
By Andrew Tully
The involvement of the U.S. company Halliburton in a project to develop oil fields in Iran could be part of the larger effort to convince Iran to abandon any nuclear-weapons program it might have. That's the opinion of analysts looking at a new and controversial deal involving Halliburton and Iranian companies. U.S. law generally prohibits U.S. companies from operating in Iran, but exceptions are written into the law to allow such deals if they serve greater diplomatic ends. RFE/RL spoke to analysts to see what may be going on behind the scenes.
Washington, 11 January 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Details of the agreement are sketchy, but it likely involves a Halliburton subsidiary based outside of the United States and the Iranian companies Oriental Kish and Pars Oil and Gas.
Halliburton spokeswoman Wendy Hall yesterday appeared to distance the company from the deal. She was quoted as saying Oriental, not Halliburton, signed the main contract. Halliburton, in turn, would likely provide subcontracting services.
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/01/e0a0a332-1150-42d1-b235-9e7198c82059.html
This article is from January. It was of interest to realize companies are made aware of regulations on a regular basis.
Halliburton set to begin work in Iran
By Lisa Sanders, CBS.MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 4:14 PM ET Jan. 11, 2005
DALLAS (CBS.MW) -- Halliburton, under investigation for its operations in Iran, is set to begin oilfield services work in that country as a subcontractor for Oriental Kish, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Company: Halliburton Company
AHAL59.16, +1.53, +2.7%) spokeswoman Wendy Hall said that she did not know the value of the contract and noted that Oriental had won the contract, not Halliburton. Halliburton's products-and-services division is to help Oriental Kish, which is based in Iran, develop the South Pars natural-gas field.
"Halliburton's business is clearly permissible under applicable U.S. laws and regulations," Hall said. "Also, we are in the service business, not the foreign-policy business. We have followed and will continue to follow applicable laws."
She added that Halliburton has no ownership in Oriental Kish and had played no role in its creation.
Because of Iran's suspected links to terrorism, U.S. companies are severely restricted in their dealings with the country. The 1996 Iran-Libya Sanctions Act limits companies to an investment of $20 million or less a year in Iran's oil and gas sectors, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
However, "separately incorporated foreign subsidiaries are not included in the definition of U.S. persons under the current Iranian executive order," a U.S. Treasury official said. "If a U.S. person is involved, that person may be in violation of the sanctions."
The Halliburton unit is registered in the Cayman Islands as Halliburton Products and Services.
"These entities and activities are staffed and managed by non-U.S. personnel," Hall said.
In July, the company said in a regulatory filing that a federal grand jury was investigating Halliburton operations in Iran. See archived story.
Iran, with 10 percent of the world's proven oil reserves, is OPEC's second-largest oil producer. It's also second in the world to Russia in terms of largest natural-gas reserves, the EIA said.
The EIA estimated the South Pars field is the world's largest gas field, with 280 trillion to 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and more than 17 billion barrels of liquids. With about $15 billion in investment, the field is Iran's largest energy project, the EIA said.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B9C0AE3B3-8A65-4883-97C1-0ADF2F78BBF3%7D&siteid=google&dist=google
Halliburton Pays Dearly but Finally Escapes Cheney's Asbestos Mess
By Allan Sloan
Tuesday, January 11, 2005; Page E03
It's time for yet another Halliburton story -- but not the one you may be expecting. This isn't about the endlessly scrutinized Iraq contracting business of the big energy services company that Dick Cheney ran before he became vice president. And it's not about Halliburton's profit-boosting accounting change during Cheney's regime, or the scandals and problems currently affecting some of the firm's far-flung projects.
Instead, let's talk about Halliburton's well-executed $5 billion escape from its asbestos problems, most of which Cheney created when he orchestrated Halliburton's purchase of Dresser Industries in 1998. Few people connect this problem with Cheney, but they should, given that he was in charge at the time and got a raise as a result of buying Dresser.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64535-2005Jan10.html
Big Oil's comeuppance
What Yukos case shows about 'rule of law'
By Deirdre Griswold
A strange legal battle in Houston over control of a significant portion of Russia's oil wealth has exploded several myths used to justify capitalist counter-revolution in the former Soviet Union.
The case involves Yuganskneftegas--the main asset of the privately owned Yukos oil company. It was auctioned off by the Russian government and is now in the process of being nationalized. Yukos had been in danger of falling completely under the control of the U.S. oil oligarchy.
After the breakup of the USSR, foreign capitalists moved quickly to grab control of what had been state property at fire-sale prices. But in most cases, this foreign imperialist ownership was concealed through various legal and illegal mechanisms.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who would become the CEO of Yukos, emerged almost overnight as a billionaire because of his connections to foreign money. After Khodorkovsky was jailed in late 2003 by the Russian government for fraud and evading $27.5 billion in taxes, two U.S. citizens--Steven M. Theede and Bruce K. Misamore--took over as chief executive officer and chief financial officer, respectively, of Yukos.
http://www.workers.org/ww/2005/yukos0113.php
Asian importers hushed by vanishing oil premium
* Asian premium cost importers $5b to $10b extra every year
* China, India lead global oil demand
NEW DELHI: Asian oil importers may try to persuade their core Middle East crude suppliers to bring down sky-high prices when they meet this week, but for the time being, at least, they cannot claim to be unfairly singled out.
Since September, for the first time in many years, refiners in Japan, South Korea, India and China have paid less for Saudi and other Middle East crudes than the United States or Europe.
The estimated $1.00-$1.50 a barrel “Asian premium” has cost importers an extra $5-$10 billion every year, a recent US study showed.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_9-1-2005_pg5_22
Greek shipping firm fined $12,000 for oil spill
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER NEWS SERVICES
OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology has fined a Greek shipping company $12,000, saying the crew of one of its tankers made mistakes that led to an oil spill in the Columbia River.
The agency estimates that 519 gallons of oil spilled from the Rosa Tomasos on Aug. 30, 2003, when a fuel tank overflowed onto the deck and over the side of the vessel as it was being refueled at the Hayden Island Anchorage west of Vancouver, Wash.
Department of Ecology investigators said the crew did not slow down the transfer of oil after the tank was 80 percent full, and they alleged the chief engineer ignored an automated monitoring system that signaled the tank was getting full.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/207137_spill08.html
Fuel Saving Tips
Have your car tuned regularly. An engine tune-up can improve car fuel economy by an average of 1 mile per gallon.
Keep your tires properly inflated. Underinflated tires can decrease fuel economy by up to 1 mile per gallon.
Slow down. The faster you drive, the more gasoline your car uses. Avoid exceeding posted speed limits for safety and to get the best fuel economy possible.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Abrupt starts require about twice as much gasoline as gradual starts.
Pace your driving. Unnecessary speedups, slowdowns and stops can decrease fuel economy by up to 2 miles per gallon. Stay alert and drive steadily, not erratically. Keep a reasonable, safe distance from the car ahead of you and anticipate traffic conditions.
Use your air conditioner sparingly, The use of air conditioning can reduce fuel economy by as much as 2 miles per gallon under certain speeds and operating conditions.
Avoid lengthy engine idling. Turn your engine off when you are delayed for more than a couple of minutes.
Plan your trips carefully. Combine short trips into one to do all your errands. Avoid traveling during rush hours if possible, to reduce fuel-consumption patterns such as starting and stopping and numerous idling periods. Consider joining a car pool.
http://api-ep.api.org/industry/index.cfm?objectid=EE7DB6C3-935F-11D5-BC6B00B0D0E15BFC&method=display_body&er=1&bitmask=002007006006000000
Good, Better, Best: How to Improve Gas Mileage
Whether you are shopping for a new car or just trying to maintain the one you have, you can take some steps to get the best mileage out of your gas purchases. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, offers these tips to use fuel efficiently:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/fuelalrt.htm
Energy Savings
All Sectors, Home, Commercial Building, Automobile Transportation, Manufacturing, Federal Government Program, Nonprofit and Other Organizations
These links are provided solely as a service to our customers, and therefore should not be construed as advocating or reflecting any position of the Energy Information Administration (EIA). In addition, EIA does not guarantee the content or accuracy of any information presented in linked sites.
If you have an "Energy Savings" web site that is relevant and of a non-business nature link for this site, please contact us if you wish to be listed on this page.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/efficiency/energy_savings.htm
Driving Tips
We Test the Tips
What Really Saves Gas? And How Much?
By Philip Reed and Mike Hudson
Date Posted 08-16-2005
Gas-saving tips have an urban legend appeal.
Someone at a party might say, "Hey, did you know that if you drive with your windows up and the air conditioning on, it actually saves gas? It's more aerodynamic."
"Huh," you say, "I didn't know that. That's interesting."
Interesting, yes. True? Well, maybe not.
We took the top four fuel economy tips and put them to a real-world test. Our goal was simple: to see what tips produced a measurable difference in fuel economy. We say "measurable" (meaning detectable by an ordinary driver, not a lab technician) because most people want to see an improvement in their fuel economy that saves dollars, not just pennies.
http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/driving/articles/106842/article.html
USA Department of Energy
Gas mileage (MPG), greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution ratings, and safety information for new and used cars and trucks
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
American Petroleum Institute Hurricane Update - Don't expect to find citizen interests here but only industry interests.
http://api-ec.api.org/filelibrary/API%20Hurricane%20Update%2010-28-05.pdf
No information regarding Katrina or Rita
09/24/2005
Port of Houston Backgrounder
The Port of Houston is a 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located just a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico. The port is ranked first in the United States in foreign waterborne commerce, second in total tonnage, and sixth in the world. The Houston Ship Channel is home to a $15 billion petrochemical complex, the largest in the nation and second largest worldwide.
http://api-ec.api.org/filelibrary/PortofHoustonfacts.doc
Plentiful jobs, good pay lure students back into petroleum industry
By Steve Raabe
KRT Business News
DENVER - A resurgent interest in oil and gas careers may help avert a looming labor crisis in the energy industry.
Students are flocking back to petroleum education programs, enticed by plentiful job prospects, handsome salaries and cash bonuses.
Colorado School of Mines and the nation's other top engineering schools this year enrolled the largest number of undergraduate petroleum engineering students since 1987.
Ben Turner graduated last spring from the School of Mines with a degree in chemical engineering and an emphasis in petroleum refinement.
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/010905/oil_20050109019.shtml
Senate Body summons Secretary Petroleum over petroleum price hike
Saturday January 08, 2005 (1325 PST)
ISLAMABAD: Taking strong notice of recent hike in prices of petroleum products Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources has summoned Secretary Petroleum to appear before the committee and clear the situation.
The meeting is likely to take place next week where Secretary Petroleum will apprise the committee about the reason why petroleum prices went soaring up twice in one month.
The situation not only brought a rise in commodity prices but public transport fares were also increased.
http://paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=89756
US commentator dropped over Bush payment
January 9, 2005 - 10:39AM
A conservative columnist has been dropped by a major US syndication service because he accepted a payment from the Bush administration to promote a federal education law to fellow blacks and to give the education secretary media time.
Armstrong Williams, one of America's leading black conservative voices, has acknowledged that a company he runs was paid $US240,000 ($A315,872.6) by the Education Department to promote the No Child Left Behind law, and he called criticism of his relationship with the department "legitimate."
Tribune Media Services told Williams that it was halting distribution of his weekly newspaper column.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Breaking-News/US-commentator-dropped-over-Bush-payment/2005/01/09/1105205959049.html
MoneyLine by Neil Downing: Tax break possible in right conditions
01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Can you get a tax break by giving money to a charity for tsunami relief? Yes, but only if you're eligible -- and only if you give to the right kind of charity.
You probably aren't donating with tax breaks in mind. Still, it helps to know how the rules work, and how these rules -- including the latest twist out of Washington -- apply to you.
Here's a quick look at the key points:
Eligibility: Most taxpayers can't claim a federal income-tax deduction for the amount they contribute to a bona fide charity.
Why? In filling out their tax returns, most taxpayers claim what's known as the "standard deduction." Under current law, "Taxpayers who elect the standard deduction . . . may not claim a deduction for charitable contributions," according to a U.S. Treasury report.
The standard deduction isn't a bad thing. It's a lump sum amount you get to claim on your return, instead of listing all your deductions separately -- a process known as "itemizing."
But because most taxpayers claim the standard deduction -- mainly because they don't have enough in overall deductions to itemize -- they can't claim the break for charitable contributions.
http://www.projo.com/business/moneyline/projo_20050111_11money.161102.html
Oil spill follows fatal truck crash
Emergency crews remain at the scene of an oil spill in south-west New South Wales after a fatal truck crash last night.
The accident, three kilometres south-east of Urana, has resulted in the road to Corowa being closed indefinitely.
Waste oil is leaking from a ruptured tanker and authorities are yet to remove the driver's body from the creek.
Inspector Dave Felton says he is not sure how much oil has been spilt.
"I'm led to believe it's the Urana Creek, the spill is actually on the eastern side, it's actually a lagoon area and we've been able to contain that spill in that area, which is quite fortunate," he said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200501/s1280450.htm
Tar Balls Wash Up On South Florida Beaches
POSTED: 8:25 am EST January 12, 2005
UPDATED: 1:06 pm EST January 12, 2005
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -- Crews cleaned up oily tar balls Wednesday that were washing ashore along a 25-mile stretch of beach from Fort Lauderdale to Miami Beach.
Beachgoers steered clear of the many tar balls.
"It's a shame and whoever's at fault should be fined for it, seriously fined. This is our main attraction," said beachgoer Richard D'Albert. "It will hurt us financially if we don't take care of our most valuable resource."
The tar balls were first reported Tuesday and their origin was not known. Tar balls form when a petroleum product congeals in seawater. Among the possible sources are ship fuel and cargo oil.
http://www.local10.com/news/4074218/detail.html
FLORIDA
Florida is aptly known as the "Sunshine State," but it can really be called the Beach State. There are more recreational beaches and barrier islands in Florida than any other state in the nation. Most of the top-rated beaches are found on barrier islands; Bahia Honda in the Florida Keys is an exception, being another National Winner. Florida has over 8,000 miles of shoreline, and beaches are found just about everywhere except where the Everglades meets the Gulf of Mexico and the Big Bend area, which is the juncture between the Florida panhandle and peninsula.
People come to Florida to relax, thaw out and enjoy a 360-degree horizon. Florida is sunshine, beaches and palm trees, and more Americans vacation in Florida than any other state in the nation. While Disney World in Orlando is the single largest draw, beaches are the number one destination for tourists by far. In fact, the state of Florida can be thought of as a souffle-soft in the middle and hard around the edges. Except for Orlando, the real money in Florida is located on the coastline.
http://www.drbeach.org/drbeach/florida_southeast/beach_florida_southeast.htm
Petroleum Import Deal Kicks Off Despite Earlier Claims of Betrayal
January 11, 2005
Posted to the web January 11, 2005
Catherine Sasman
Windhoek
THE first shipment of petroleum under the Namcor supply tender to Namibian empowerment company, Namibia Liquid Fuels, is expected to reach the Walvis Bay port around January 22.
The N$800 million per year petroleum contract remains unfettered by some controversy that very nearly derailed the lucrative deal.
A cloud of controversy covered the tender given to the company when another black economic empowerment company NAMENCO (Namibia Energy Corporation) instituted legal action against co-shareholder of Namibia Liquid Fuels, Sasol Oils, for allegedly reneging on an agreement to do maritime transportation of petro-chemicals from Durban in South Africa.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200501110687.html
Shell, ChevTex Hand Over Oil Fields to NPDC
January 11, 2005
Posted to the web January 11, 2005
Emeka Ugwuanyi
Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and ChevronTexaco Company have handed over the operation of some of the Joint Venture (JV) oil fields to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) following an understanding reached in that regard between the two oil companies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) last year.
The oil fields, according to NPDC, include ChevronTexaco's Aroh, Yorla and Oghareki oil fields which are said to have an estimated total oil reserve of over 100 million barrels as well as Shell's oil fields at Egbema East and West, Utapate, Oki and Ekweife, all in Imo State, also estimated to have a total reserve of over 500 million barrels.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200501110376.html
6 US Soldiers Killed, 40 Iraqis Killed in US Air Attacks, 20 Killed in Basra Bomb, 9 Killed in Other Attacks, 98 Arrested
Car Bomb Kills 20 in Basra, Police Say
By THOMAS WAGNER Associated Press Writer
Oct 31, 2:49 PM EST
BASRA, Iraq (AP) -- A car bomb exploded Monday night in a commercial district of Iraq's second-largest city of Basra, killing at least 20 people and wounding about 40, a police official said.
The car bomb in the southern city of Basra exploded about 8:30 p.m., police Lt. Col. Karim al-Zaidi. The restaurants had been packed in the evening with people breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Dazed survivors, their clothing stained with blood, stumbled in the darkness or wept in despair, and witnesses said body parts were strewn on the street of Iraq's second-largest city.
Also Monday, six American soldiers were killed in separate attacks. A Marine died in action Sunday, making October the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Iraq since January.
Four soldiers from the Army's Task Force Baghdad soldiers died when their patrol struck a roadside bomb in Youssifiyah, 12 miles south of Baghdad.
Two other soldiers from the 29th Brigade Combat Team were also killed in a bombing Monday near Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad. The U.S. military also said a Marine was killed Sunday near Amiriyah, 25 miles west of Baghdad.
Those deaths raised the death toll for October to more than 90, the highest monthly total since January when 107 American service members died. The latest deaths brought to 2,025 the number of U.S. service members who have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003.
In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said there is no readily apparent explanation for why the number of U.S. casualties was higher in October than in previous months. But he said the roadside bombs - which the military calls improvised explosive devices, or IEDs - are getting more sophisticated.
"We see an adversary that continues to develop some sophistication on very deadly and increasingly precise stand-off type weapons - IEDs, in particular. They're obviously quite capable of killing large numbers of noncombatants indiscriminately, and we're seeing a lot of that, too," Di Rita told reporters.
Before dawn Monday, Marines backed by jets attacked suspected positions near the Syrian border, destroying two safe houses believed use by al-Qaeda figures, a U.S. statement said. The statement made no mention of casualties, but Associated Press Television News video from the scene showed residents wailing over the bodies of about six people, including at least three children.
At the local hospital, Dr. Ahmed al-Ani claimed 40 Iraqis, including 12 children, were killed in the attack. But the claim could not be independently verified.
APTN footage from the scene showed Iraqi men digging through the rubble of several destroyed concrete buildings with a pitchfork or their hands. In the building of a nearby home, women cried over the bodies of about half a dozen blanket-covered bodies lined up on a floor. Some of the blankets were opened for the camera showing a man and three children.
"At least 20 innocent people were killed by the U.S. warplanes. Why are the Americans killing families? Where are the resistance fighters?" one middle-aged man told APTN. "We don't see democracy. We just see destruction." He didn't give his name.
Elsewhere, two separate mortar attacks in Baghdad and northern Iraq killed three Iraqi people and wounded 11 on Monday.
In other strikes in the capital, two car bombs and five drive-by shootings killed five Iraqis and wounded 10, police said. The body of an Iraqi civilian who had been kidnapped and killed in captivity also was found dumped on a city street.
On Friday and Saturday, U.S. and Iraqi forces conducted several raids in Baghdad, detaining 98 Iraqis for being suspected resistance fighters and finding large weapons caches, the U.S. command said Monday.
Deadly car bomb hits Basra
6 U.S. soldiers killed in other violence
Monday, October 31, 2005; Posted: 3:28 p.m. EST (20:28 GMT)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A deadly car bomb exploded Monday night in a commercial district in central Basra, causing many casualties, police said.
Police Lt. Col. Karim al-Zaidi said at least 20 people were killed, 40 injured, according to The Associated Press.
Emergency crews were removing body parts from the area in front of a busy restaurant in the city's Algiers Street area, which had been packed with families enjoying an evening out as the holy month of Ramadan draws to a close, Reuters reported.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/31/iraq.main/index.html
Karl Rove's Consigliere
When the president's political guru landed in hot water, he turned to a flamboyant Democrat for help. Will that work?
By Michael Isikoff
Newsweek
Oct. 24, 2005 issue - When Karl Rove emerged after four grueling hours before a federal grand jury in Washington last Friday, his lawyer Robert Luskin made one more attempt to figure out just where his client stood. He approached special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald outside the hearing room and asked if Rove's fortunes had changed in the two-year-old inquiry of who leaked the name of CIA agent Valerie Plame. But Fitzgerald, ever tight-lipped, wasn't giving anything up. He curtly told the lawyer that "no decisions" had been made, Luskin says.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9711925/site/newsweek/
Rove's lawyer helped fend off indictment
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- The decision not to indict deputy White House chief of staff Karl Rove in the CIA leak case came after last-minute negotiations with his lawyer.
Citing sources, Newsweek reported Rove's defense lawyer Robert Luskin presented special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald with evidence last week that gave the prosecutor "pause."
Luskin reportedly showed Fitzgerald an e-mail Rove sent to former press aide Adam Levine on July 11, 2003, saying Levine could come to his office to discuss a personnel matter.
The e-mail was sent just minutes after Rove had finished discussing White House critic Joe Wilson's wife's work for the CIA with Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper -- the same conversation that Rove originally failed to disclose to the grand jury.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20051030-21485500-bc-us-leak-rove.xml
DEM TO DUBYA: AX ROVE
By GEOFF EARLE Post Correspondent
October 31, 2005 -- WASHINGTON — The Senate's top Democrat called yesterday for presidential adviser Karl Rove to resign — or be fired.
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), noting that President Bush once said he would ax anyone involved in the leak of CIA officer Valerie Plame's name, told CNN's "Late Edition," "If he's a man of his word, Rove should be history."
Bush, in fact, later amended his original stand by saying he would fire anyone convicted of a crime.
Reid earlier in the day said Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney must "come clean with the American public" and...
http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/56579.htm
Reid Calls for Rove to Resign
Posted on Sunday, October 30 @ W. Europe Standard Time by webmaster
The leader of the Senate Democrats today called for White House chief political strategist Karl Rove to resign, saying it's time for President Bush to "come clean" with the American people about the administration's role in the disclosure of a CIA...
The leader of the Senate Democrats today called for White House chief political strategist Karl Rove to resign, saying it's time for President Bush to "come clean" with the American people about the administration's role in the disclosure of a CIA operative's name. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), speaking on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," said both Bush and Vice President Cheney owe an apology to the American public. JavaScript is required to display this interactive graphic. If it is turned off, please enable JavaScript in your browser preferences.
http://www.lasalute.net/article36059.html
Valerie Plame, the Spy Who Got Shoved Out Into the Cold
By Richard Leiby
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 29, 2005; Page C01
What's ahead for Valerie Plame?
Lost in the din of the leak scandal that has consumed Washington is the very personal impact on the willowy blond CIA operative at its center. Plame, 42, wife of former U.S. ambassador Joseph Wilson, has become the most famous spy in the world, but her career has been derailed. It appears likely she will leave the CIA, some acquaintances say, but she hasn't publicly signaled her plans.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/28/AR2005102801172.html
Valerie Elise Plame Wilson[1] (born April 19, 1963 in Anchorage, Alaska) is a United States Central Intelligence Agency officer, who was identified as a CIA operative in a newspaper column by Robert Novak on July 14, 2003. The ensuing political controversy, commonly referred to as the Plame affair, or the CIA leak scandal, led, in late 2003, to a Justice Department investigation into possible violation of criminal statutes, including the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerie_Plame
Plame now spends her days at CIA desk job
By NANCY BENAC
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Valerie Plame, left, is seated with her husband, former diplomat Joseph C. Wilson, in their Jaguar convertible near the White House in Washington in this Nov. 18, 2003, photograph for the opening spread of Vanity Fair. (AP Photo/Vanity Fair, Jonas Karlsson, File)
WASHINGTON -- Joe Wilson says it was mutual love at first sight when he and Valerie Plame spotted each other at a crowded diplomatic reception eight years ago. Well, yes and no.
For Plame, the stars in her eyes that night were quickly followed by a LexisNexis computer search the next day to make sure the guy with all the fantastic stories about his life as a globe-trotting diplomat was really legit.
It is classic Valerie Plame: The silhouetted woman at the center of the CIA leak investigation is said to be warm and genuine, but also a savvy professional. Tough, too, fellow CIA officers would add.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1152AP_Plame_Profile.html
Sen. Reid Says Miers Was Not a Mistake
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the Senate's minority leader, said on ABC's "This Week" today that Bush's nomination of Harriet MIers was not a mistake and he believes she could have done well in a nomination hearing. He urged the president not to be too quick to move to the right on a nomination and to steer toward the middle.
Here's the transcript from that portion of the show:
STEPHANOPOULOS: You urged President Bush to consider Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court. Was that a mistake?
REID: Oh, no. Just like you heard John Cornyn -- John Cornyn says that the Supreme Court needs people like Harriet Miers. People who have tried cases, people who are trial lawyers, 40 percent, approximately 40 percent of everyone that has served on the Supreme Court had been people with no judicial experience. Some of the great justices in the history of this country...
http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/campaignforthecourt/2005/10/sen_reid_says_m.html
Direction of court uncertain
Sunday, October 30, 2005
By PATRICK JOHNSON
SPRINGFIELD - The John Roberts era of the U.S. Supreme Court begins tomorrow, but what direction the court will go in is a mystery, a panel of law professors said yesterday.
Speaking before about 100 people at the 10th annual Supreme Court Review at Western New England College, panelists said the most anyone can say right now about the Roberts Court is: "Who knows?"
In addition to the relatively unknown Roberts succeeding 19-year Chief Justice William Rehnquist, the court is facing the uncertainty of replacing retiring Sandra Day O'Connor.
http://www.masslive.com/springfield/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-1/113066190981460.xml&coll=1
New Orleans policemen fired for AWOL
BEIJING, Oct. 30 -- Fifty-one New Orleans Police Department employees were fired on Friday for abandoning their posts during and after Hurricane Katrina.
Of the 51, 45 were officers and six were civilian employees.
It was the first action taken against the "AWOL" or absent without leave officers.
"They have left right before the hurricane, or right after. They have not returned. We sent the letters out. And our policies actually allow us to terminate anyone who leave their assignment or their job for more than fourteen days." said Warren Riley, Acting Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department.
In addition, another 15 officers resigned after being placed under investigation for abandonment.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-10/30/content_3704256.htm
State officials work to keep Saints in New Orleans
By MARY FOSTER
Associated Press
BATON ROUGE, La. — While the New Orleans Saints played their first game of the season in Louisiana today, state officials were scrambling to make sure it would not be one of the last.
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NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, after meeting with team owner Tom Benson, Gov. Kathleen Blanco, and other officials, said he was committed to keeping the team in New Orleans.
"The Saints are Louisiana's team and have been since the late '60s when my predecessor Pete Rozelle welcomed them to the league as New Orleans' team and Louisiana's team," Tagliabue said. "Our focus continues to be on having the Saints in Louisiana."
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3426521
NINE INCH NAILS mainman Trent Reznor has posted the following message on the band's official web site:
"What a couple of days...
"We arrived in New Orleans Friday morning. A friend of mine at the mayor's office arranged for us to see the lower ninth ward that afternoon. I can't begin to express what I saw there. Utter, complete, incomprehensible devastation. Rob will soon be posting some photos, but you truly can not get a sense of how bad this is until you see it. These people have lost everything. A large portion of the city is simply GONE. I realized I had been assuming things were getting 'back to normal' here, but it will be a very long time before that happens — if ever. 200,000 people have been displaced, 7,000 are still unaccounted for.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=43566
Fearless Speech in Fearful Times:
An Essay Review of Capitalists and Conquerors, Teaching against Global Capitalism and the New Imperialism, and Teaching Peter McLaren
by David Gabbard and Karen Anijar Appleton
Capitalists and Conquerors: A Critical Pedagogy against Empire by Peter McLaren (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005)
Teaching against Global Capitalism and the New Imperialism: A Critical Pedagogy by Peter McLaren and Ramin Farahmandpur (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005)
Teaching Peter McLaren: Paths of Dissent, by Marc Pruyn and Luis M. Huerta-Charles (New York: Peter Lang, 2005)
"If there was any piece of legislation that I could pass it would be to blow up colleges of education." -- Reid Lyon, Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health
"The NEA is a terrorist organization." -- Rod Paige, Former U.S. Secretary of Education
"You tie their teaching methods to standards so that in a very aggressive way they learn to teach to the results of those tests, like a soldier," Mr. Carnevale says. "The voluntary military didn't always get the best of human capital. But what you did was make the training so rigorous it didn't matter." -- Anthony Carnevale, Senior fellow at the National Center on Education and the Economy.
When we first entered our careers in teacher education, we found it rare to identify colleagues who shared our concerns for the future of American democracy and the potential role that schools could play in shaping that future.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/agm301005.html
Halliburton remains intent on KBR sale or spinoff
Associated Press
Midland Reporter-Telegram
10/30/2005
HOUSTON (AP) -- Halliburton Co. remains intent on selling or spinning off KBR, its engineering and construction unit that is the largest U.S. contractor in Iraq, but executives at the oilfield-services conglomerate told analysts Tuesday no such action is imminent.
"No timeline has been set for the separation of KBR," Chief Financial Officer Cris Gaut said as executives discussed third-quarter earnings, which were released after financial markets closed Monday. "We will consider an initial public offering as well as private transactions."
Shares of Halliburton, which beat Wall Street's average third-quarter profit forecast but missed revenue expectations, fell $3.05, or nearly 5 percent, to $58.04 in midday trading Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange. Shares have traded in a 52-week range of $33.62 to $69.78.
http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15480576&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=474112&rfi=6
Rally: Give locals more Katrina reconstruction work
BATON ROUGE (AP) — A rally in Baton Rouge draws some 500 people angered about what they feel is a snub to help rebuild New Orleans.
The Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton issued a call during yesterday's gathering to give some of the 296,000 jobless Louisiana residents priority in jobs and contracts to help repair the damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
One man interested in working is Edward Hawkins. He'd like to use his fleet of bulldozers and other heavy equipment to help in the rebuilding effort. But he says he's been shut out by jobs that appear to be flowing to companies outside the state. Sharpton called it an example of how jobs are being fed to politically connected companies, specifically pointing a finger at Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney's company.
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco promised the rallying workers they'll soon have better access to jobs. Starting Monday, a free shuttle service will transport evacuees in Baton Rouge to New Orleans for work.
http://bizneworleans.com/109+M5d15c473acf.html
Alexander gave $5,000 to Delay campaign before Texan indicted
By MIKE MADDEN
Tennessean Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Sen. Lamar Alexander gave money to embattled former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's re-election campaign just before DeLay was indicted on conspiracy charges, federal records show.
Through his political action committee, Tenn PAC, Alexander gave $5,000 to DeLay, the powerful Texas Republican who was indicted last month on charges he conspired to flout laws in his home state barring corporate contributions to campaigns there.
A review of Federal Election Commission records by The Tennessean found that the Tennessee Republican was the only senator to give money to DeLay's re-election account, formally called the Tom DeLay Campaign Committee.
Alexander personally delivered the check to DeLay less than two weeks before a Texas grand jury returned charges against DeLay, forcing his resignation as majority leader and handing political ammunition to Democrats who are trying to build a broad corruption case against the GOP.
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051029/NEWS02/510290356/1009/NEWS
Libby May Plea Bargain To Avoid Embarrassing White House Revelations…
TIME MICHAEL DUFFY Posted October 30, 2005 01:28 PM
READ MORE: Patrick Fitzgerald, Dick Cheney, Indictments, Scooter Libby, Anderson Cooper, Karl Rove, Halliburton
[...] Libby's lawyers said last week that they were "surprised" and "distressed" by the charges and noted that "a person's recollection and memory of events will not always match those of other people, particularly when they are asked to testify months after the events occurred." They have vowed to mount a "vigorous" defense, and one even told a colleague the case is winnable. But a number of veteran criminal-defense attorneys believe a trial will be avoided for one reason: Libby's lawyers face the prospect of calling veteran journalists' credibility into question and permitting the prosecutors to call some of the most senior officials in the government, like the Vice President, to the stand. In an environment in which little to nothing has gone right for the White House, politics alone could compel a Vulcan like Libby to take one for the team.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2005/10/30/libby-may-plea-bargain-to_n_9827.html
Obscene oil profits get typical response from Congress
Saturday, Oct 29, 2005
By Wesley Brown
Where is the outrage?
ExxonMobil, Shell and BP, the world's three largest publicly traded oil companies, together pulled in quarterly profits this week of more than $19 billion.
Believe this: The oil companies have us just where they want us now - bent over a barrel of oil.
Consider the fact that reporters are writing stories about "cheap gasoline" at $2.50 a gallon, the U.S. House speaker is begging Big Oil for relief, and Congress is poised to give oil companies new tax breaks to build more refineries and drill offshore.
In the midst of this surreal scenario, ExxonMobil on Thursday reported that its third quarter earnings had jumped 75 percent to a staggering $9.92 billion, an industry record.
Revenues in the quarter were $100.7 billion, up from $76.4 billion a year ago, making the Irving, Texas-based oil giant the first company in U.S. history to report quarterly earnings over $100 million.
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/10/29/WesleyBrown/330272.html
Blind trusts are starting to seem transparent
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has recently run into trouble with his blind trust, which turns out to be not so blind after all. Records have been subpoenaed by the Securities and Exchange Commission related to his sale of shares in HCA Inc., the health-care company founded by his father and brother, who still have a large investment in and some control over the company. Frist also held a substantial number of shares in the company; he ordered his shares sold shortly before the shares dropped 10 percent in value when the company reported lower earnings.
The SEC is investigating insider trading in the sale of the shares.
Public officials are required to put shares in so-called blind trusts in order to avoid conflicts of interest when elected to public office. It turns out that whatever stock is put into a "blind" trust remains there unless sold by the trustees, who then notify the owner that they have been sold. The owner can also order the trustees to sell shares held in the trust.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051030/OPINION/510300713/1029
Froma Harrop: Into the generational gale
01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, October 30, 2005
AMERICA SHOULD PREPARE for a big fat war between the generations. It's going to be ugly. On one side is the Baby Boom generation, which retires and claims a ton of government benefits. On the other are younger workers, forced to fund those benefits, plus pay the bills their elders left them.
When the war comes, the Federal Reserve chairman will have to be general. That person will likely be Bush nominee Ben Bernanke. The question is, for which side will he fight?
Outgoing Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan tried to represent both sides. He supported the Bush tax cuts. This gave comfort to today's taxpayers, who chose not to charge themselves for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the new Medicare drug benefit and the quarter-billion-dollar bridge to nowhere in Alaska.
… Given the president's tendency to give top jobs to those closest, we can give thanks that he did not nominate his banker brother. Neil Bush played a major role in the Silverado Savings & Loan fiasco, of the 1980s, which cost taxpayers $1 billion.
http://www.projo.com/opinion/columnists/content/projo_20051030_clharr.cdfb607.html
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