One aspect of his presidency that Bush prides himself on is “Domestic Tranquility.” I was profoundly taken that does not exist across the state of Arkansas. Statewide there are problems with crime and the lack of funding for infrastructure integrity. The average town in suffering in the USA.
Arizona Republic
Thousands attend Rosa Parks' funeral
Associated Press
Nov. 2, 2005 11:50 AM
DETROIT - A soaring rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" moved thousands of mourners at the funeral of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks on Wednesday, with a preacher bidding: "Mother Parks, take your rest."
Former President Clinton, his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, and others paid their respects at Parks' open casket before the start of the funeral service that included the prayer in song by mezzo-soprano Brenda Jackson.
Those in the audience held hands and sang "We Shall Overcome" as family members filed past the casket before it was closed just before noon.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1102RosaParks02-ON.html
Flu fight could bring travel limits
Associated Press
Nov. 2, 2005 09:15 AM
WASHINGTON - Sustained person-to-person spread of the bird flu or any other super-influenza strain anywhere in the world could prompt the United States to implement travel restrictions or other steps to block a brewing pandemic, say federal plans released Wednesday.
If a super-flu begins spreading here, states and cities will have to ration scarce medications and triage panicked patients to prevent them from overwhelming hospitals and spreading infection inside emergency rooms, the plan says.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1102BushFlu02-ON.html
3-day mock disaster tests state's system
Dennis Wagner
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 2, 2005 12:00 AM
Gov. Janet Napolitano hunkered down Tuesday at the state's Emergency Operations Center, surrounded by disaster experts pointing at maps and talking about an evacuation around the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.
"Let's do it," the governor declared. "We're going through the decision checklist."
So began a three-day drill to evaluate Arizona's preparedness for a catastrophe at the nation's largest nuclear power facility.
State, county and local officials are being evaluated by inspectors from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on their handling of a mock accident at the plant 55 miles west of Phoenix.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1102paloverde02.html
Got bucks? See McCain's house
Catherine Reagor
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 2, 2005 12:00 AM
The McCain mansion is on the market, but unless you can prove you've got the means to make it yours, forget about taking a look-see.
Before would-be buyers can tour the north-central Phoenix estate, they must present a note from a lender showing they can afford the $4.25 million home.
The 11,171-square-foot property, near Glendale and Central avenues, is listed for nearly twice what the next priciest nearby home fetched.
Sen. John McCain and his wife, Cindy, want to downsize. Cindy, the daughter of liquor distribution magnate Jim Hensley, grew up in the home. It and the 1,750-square-foot guesthouse have since been expanded and renovated. The property has nine bedrooms, eight bathrooms and eight surveillance cameras.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1102mccain02.html
Cronkite Award winner never loses sense of humor
Eugene Scott
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 1, 2005 06:45 PM
The key to journalism excellence for Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Barry is a sense of humor, good observation and opportunity.
Barry received the Walter Cronkite Award on Tuesday at the 22nd annual awards luncheon of ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Cronkite presented the award to Barry at the Arizona Biltmore.
During his introduction, Cronkite said Barry, an author and former Miami Herald columnist, would have a difficult time finding material in Phoenix given the beautiful weather outside. But Barry even found humor in that.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1101T-barry-ON.html
Science Daily
FDIC's Powell to head hurricane recovery
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Donald Powell has been named federal coordinator of long-term Gulf Coast hurricane recovery efforts, a report said.
The 64-year-old Texan and major backer of President Bush will succeed U.S. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen. Allen will transition out of his short-term role by the end of the year under the plan announced in a release Tuesday from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
Allen has led frontline Gulf Coast recovery since replacing former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown -- the lightning rod for criticism of the government's disaster response, The Washington Post said.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20051102-09140000-bc-us-hurricanerecovery.xml
Combination Microbicides Protect Monkeys Against HIV-like Virus
Experiments in female monkeys have for the first time shown that when used in combination, vaginal gels known as microbicides can protect against an HIV-like virus. The research, funded largely by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), suggests that similar combination microbicides could potentially provide a safe, effective and practical way to prevent HIV transmission to women, according to study investigators.
The study, published online October 30 in the journal Nature, represents the first successful testing of combination microbicides in a primate model.
Women make up nearly half of all people living with HIV worldwide, and a vast majority of new cases of HIV infection in women result from heterosexual intercourse. "This study demonstrates that combination microbicides are feasible," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "We need to build on these promising animal studies and move toward establishing the safety and effectiveness of combination microbicides in women."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051102084659.htm
Lung Scarring Diseases Linked To Genes And Smoking
New research shows that idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP), a group of potentially fatal disorders that affects the lungs, may be caused by an interaction between a specific genetic background and cigarette smoking. In a study of 111 families that had at least two relatives with IIP, people who smoked cigarettes were three times more likely than non-smokers to develop the disease. The research was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), both institutes within the National Institutes of Health.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051102084611.htm
Physicist Sees Terahertz Imaging As Ultimate Defense Against Terrorism
John Federici, PhD, professor, department of physics, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and other physicists at NJIT recently received a U.S. Patent for a Teraherz imaging system and method. Since 1995, Terahertz imaging has grown in importance as new and sophisticated devices and equipment have empowered scientists to understand its potential.
"I see the Terahertz spectrum as one of the critical technologies for defense against suicide bombers and other terrorist activities," Federici said.
Federici's research has focused on the potential applications of Terahertz rays for directly detecting and imaging concealed weapons and explosives. Another application is the remote detection of chemical and biological agents in the atmosphere. In November of 2004, Federici and.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051101080318.htm
Arkansas Democrat
Pulaski County mayors offer $1 million to stem jail exodus
Eight Pulaski County mayors offered to add a total of $1 million in short-term funding for the county jail on Tuesday in hopes of halting inmate releases that have already dropped the jail’s population by nearly 200. “For that $1 million, we would look to the county to put whatever amount of dollars — new dollars — that they need to put into it to give us between 950 and 1,000 beds in the next year,” Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey said. “If the county comes back and says we don’t have any additional money, we’re back to the drawing board.” County Judge Buddy Villines received a letter from the mayors late Tuesday afternoon and said he would discuss the proposal with Sheriff Randy Johnson and other county officials. BY MONICA LEAS AND JILL ZEMAN
http://www.ardemgaz.com/ShowIndex.asp
Wal-Mart loses suit, must pay ex-exec
BENTONVILLE — A judge ruled Tuesday that former Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Vice Chairman Tom Coughlin is entitled to the multimilliondollar retirement package the company tried to revoke. BY MICHELLE BRADFORD
http://www.ardemgaz.com/ShowIndex.asp
Log Cabin Democrat
Choate stays in prison Decision unanimously deferred for 12 months
By RACHEL PARKER
LOG CABIN STAFF WRITER
A convicted murderer will remain in prison for now despite his terminal illness, the Arkansas Post Prison Transfer Board has decided.
Ricky Lynn Choate pleaded guilty in June 2004 to the first degree murder of his stepfather, Glenn R. Cannon. Only a few months after he shot Cannon with a shotgun, Choate dismissed his public defender and took the plea, saying he did not believe he would live through the trial because he had lung cancer. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Last week the post prison transfer board considered Choate's early release under Act 290 of 1995, which allows terminally ill or incapacitated offenders to be released.
Rhonda Sharp, spokesman for the board, said the unanimous vote was to defer a decision. The board will re-examine Choate's case in 12 months, she said. She added deferrals of three, six or 12 months are not uncommon.
Ray Short of Germantown, Tenn., is a son-in-law of the victim.
"We feel relieved," he said. "We feel like justice has been served, the right thing has been done. Theoretically he's going to die within a year. I don't understand him or anyone else thinking he needs to get out. He has not paid his debt to society yet, and that needs to happen regardless of whether he's ill or not."
Choate's brother, Mike Choate of Ada, Okla., also opposed his release. He said he believes justice has been served.
"I think he's in the place that he needs to be. He's got a lot of people that really care for him, but he did this to himself. Nobody else did this to him. He made the choice that put him there, and he needs to stay there."
http://www.thecabin.net/stories/110205/loc_1102050002.shtml
City shaves $100,000 off cost of municipal building
By JEREMY GLOVER
LOG CABIN STAFF WRITER
VILONIA - After a committee came up with nearly $100,000 in savings on the new municipal building project, the Vilonia City Council voted Tuesday night to accept a low bid from GAG Builders of Cabot.
The initial bid by GAG Builders was $998,000. A Municipal Building Oversight Committee was established a month ago to find ways to get the price for the building under $900,000.
Committee chairman Ken Belote said savings totaling $98,193 had been cut, including $19,950 in site work, $22,100 in electrical work and $26,850 in cabinetry and furnishings.
Belote said the committee did not do anything that would take away from the safety and integrity of the building. He added many of the areas cut would have to be added back onto the building after its completion.
http://www.thecabin.net/stories/110205/loc_1102050003.shtml
Hope Star
Officer hospitalized after chase with drug dealer
By TODD BURROW, Hope Star Writer
A police chase late Monday afternoon sent a Hope Police Department officer to a local hospital and an alleged dope dealer to jail.
La Quan Haynes is in custody today and is charged with three counts of aggravated assault, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a felon in possession of a fire arm by a certain person, fleeing law enforcement officials and resisting arrest, Hope Police Chief J.R. Wilson said.
Wilson said the department received a 911 call Monday afternoon from a resident who observed and heard a truck spinning its wheels in her neighborhood.
Hope patrol officer Jason Pauley responded to the area and did not see the vehicle in question, Wilson said.
Wilson said other officers searched the area and initially could not find the truck but began a lookout for it.
http://www.hopestar.com/articles/2005/11/01/news/news1.txt
Subway robbed overnight
By TODD BURROW, Hope Star Writer
The local Subway sandwiches and salads eatery was robbed overnight, and an undetermined amount of cash was stolen and left two employees with shattered nerves.
Hope Police Department officials said about 11:29 p.m. Monday, the two employees were counting the shift's sales receipts when they heard the front store window smashed.
The employees ran out of the back door and phoned police.
Sgt. David Johnson, officer Johnny Weaver and investigator Jesus Coronado, all with the Hope Police Department, arrived and surveyed the building and determined the robber used a tire tool to gain entrance.
Subway store manager Curtis Sweeney said his employees were shaken, and he doubted one employee will be able to stay with the sandwich shop because of a previous robbery in which a villain used a knife to steal money just after the store closed.
http://www.hopestar.com/articles/2005/11/01/news/news2.txt
Siftings Herald
Judge denies new trial for Buckley
By Donna Hilton
Circuit Judge John Thomas denied Gyrone Buckley's request for a new trial, saying the evidence presented at his 1999 trial was sufficient for a jury to find him guilty, according to the ruling the judge signed Oct. 18.
Buckley, 51, was convicted of two counts of delivery of a controlled substance, crack cocaine, and given a life sentence in prison on each count by a jury.
In an appeal to the Arkansas Supreme Court, Buckley claimed his conviction should be reversed because an agent with the South Central Drug Task Force testified that Buckley had been a drug dealer for 10 years. Since the agent had not been working as a task force agent for 10 years, Buckley claimed the agent did not personally know that as fact.
http://www.siftingsherald.com/articles/2005/11/01/news/news1.txt
The Guard
Nurse faces med charges
Administrator launches investigation into missing drugs
- BEJESUS WERE running wild after having been scared out of many little ones who dared to enter Heuer's Shoe Store during the annual Downtown Batesville Fun and Safe Halloween trick-or-treat event Monday night. Nancy Jones lay in state, occasionally leaping up to scare people. Despite the rain, there was a good turnout. (J. Ross Jones)
Published on 11/1/2005
Instead of administering prescription medications to her patients, a nursing home employee took the drugs herself, according to an affidavit filed with the Independence County District Court.
The arrest warrant charges Angel Ann Carter, 40, of Batesville, with nine counts of class C felonies, each involving the theft of prescription drugs from Wood-Lawn Nursing Home residents.
The affidavit states that Beverly Ellis, a licensed practitioner nurse at the facility, reported to the director of nursing that four doses of Nubain prescribed for a resident were missing. An internal investigation revealed that only Ellis and Carter had access to the dosage and both were given drug tests.
Carter tested positive for the drug, the affidavit states.
http://www.guardonline.com/story.php?ID=68740
Benton Courier
Benton teacher finalist for national award
By Lynda Hollenbeck
Courier Staff
Tuesday, November 1, 2005 4:37 PM CST
A Benton Middle School teacher has been recognized statewide for her outstanding teaching ability and, if her peers' wishes are fulfilled, could receive national acclaim.
Libby Austin is one of three Arkansas finalists for the national Excellence in Mathematics Teaching competition.
One of the finalists from the state will be named a 2005 Presidential Awardee for Mathematics, which includes a $10,000 cash award and an all-expense-paid, week-long celebration for two in Washington, D.C. Other gifts will be provided by program sponsors from throughout the county.
Austin was nominated for the award by Stacey Shelnut, assistant principal at Benton Middle School.
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching were established in 1983 by an act of Congress and are administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation. Each year the program recognizes outstanding mathematics and science teachers from throughout the United States and four U.S. jurisdictions for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession.
http://www.bentoncourier.com/articles/2005/11/01/news/85hnews.txt
Benton County Record
Arkansas contracts for voting machines
BY MICHAEL R. WICKLINE
Posted on Wednesday, November 2, 2005
Secretary of State Charlie Daniels said Tuesday that he intends to award a multimillion-dollar state contract to provide new voting machines to Arkansas’ 75 counties to Election Systems & Software Inc. of Omaha, Neb.
Daniels said he selected Election Systems over Diebold Election Systems Inc. of Allen, Texas, based on the cost, trade-in options for existing machines and ES&S ’ experience with numerous Arkansas counties.
He estimated the cost at $ 15. 2 million based on each county’s preliminary voting equipment selections. Final terms still must be negotiated.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg§ion=News&storyid=135103
End ‘bickering’ in school case, Beebe tells sides
BY SETH BLOMELEY
Posted on Wednesday, November 2, 2005
The rhetoric on all sides in the school funding case has gotten too heated and everyone needs to chill, Attorney General Mike Beebe said Tuesday.
“The worst thing we can do for our kids is let this bickering and backbiting and animosity and distrust continue to flourish,” Beebe said.
The attorney general, who is defending the Legislature and Gov. Mike Huckabee in the case, was speaking to a meeting of the Arkansas Association of Secondary School Principals at a Little Rock hotel.
“All of us have to step back,” Beebe said.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg§ion=News&storyid=135104
Woman shot
BY KATE WARD Northwest Arkansas Times
Fayetteville police were questioning "a person of interest" Tuesday evening following a shooting on Brophy Circle earlier in the day.
Police were called to Washington Regional Medical Center at about 4 p.m. after a man driving a black Pontiac Firebird reportedly dropped off a female gunshot victim at the hospital.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=nwat§ion=News&storyid=33956
Council approves impact fees for fire and police services
BY ADAM WALLWORTH Northwest Arkansas Times
The Fayetteville City Council approved impact fees for fire and police with a vote of 7-1 Tuesday night.
Ward 3 Alderman Bobby Ferrell cast the lone dissenting vote on the fees, which are intended to generate money to help cover the cost of capital needs caused by growth.
Ferrell proposed an amendment to the ordinance enacting police impact fees that would have sent the matter to voters at a Jan 10, 2006, special election. That amendment failed with a vote of 6-2. He argued that it would be prudent for the council to follow the guidance of City Attorney Kit Williams, who expressed concern over potential litigation.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=nwat§ion=News&storyid=33953
Coughlin wins first legal battle
By Tracy M. Neal Staff Writer tracyn@nwanews.com
Posted on Wednesday, November 2, 2005
BENTONVILLE — The retirement agreement between Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Tom Coughlin, the retailer’s former vice chairman, prevents the retailer from suing him, according to Tuesday’s ruling of Circuit Judge Jay Finch.
Wal-Mart claims Coughlin defrauded the company of thousands of dollar for his personal use.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=bcdr§ion=News&storyid=27206
Group tries to identify, prioritize conservation areas
BY DREW TERRY Northwest Arkansas Times
Posted on Wednesday, November 2, 2005
Future conservation efforts in and around Fayetteville could be the result of a meeting Tuesday of local residents interested in the subject.
The Fayetteville Natural Heritage Association presented to a crowd of nearly 30 a study being conducted to identify and rank areas for conservation. "Fayetteville is a special place," said Karen Rollet-Crocker, the association board member leading the effort. "I have lived here for 20 years, and it’s meant so much to me personally. We just don’t want to lose our natural characteristics."
The Arkansas Forestry Commission earmarked $20,000 from the Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Grant Funds toward the project, which will incorporate Geographic Information System mapping analysis developed by the Nature Conservatory under the direction of a broad-based Science Advisory Council.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=nwat§ion=News&storyid=33954
Blythville Courier has good news
http://www.blythevillecn.com/paper/Today/pages/1.html
The DeQueen Bee
2,751 residents submit applications for sales tax refund
Friday, October 07, 2005 (10:27 pm PDT)
DE QUEEN — A total of 2,751 people had filed for sales and use tax refunds when the City of De Queen closed its refund office at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to a press release from De Queen City Hall.
The refund application process ran from Sept. 6 through Oct. 6 with a rush of applications within the last two days.
Applicants were allowed to submit sales receipts for a refund or apply by presenting their 2004 income tax return. The vast majority of applications were filed using income tax returns, according to the release.
Applications will be processed by the special administrator for the refund, and a list of claims will be presented to the De Queen City Council for final approval.
http://www.dequeen.com/topstories/more.php?id=2170_0_6_0_C
Thomas sentenced to death for monument store slayings
Sunday, October 02, 2005 (6:06 pm PDT)
MURFREESBORO – A Pike County jury sentenced Mickey David Thomas Jr., 31, of Broken Bow, Okla. to death by lethal injection. At 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, the jury, which had previously found Thomas guilty of two counts of capital murder in the June 2004 killing of two women in De Queen, returned the death sentence after approximately three hours of deliberations.
The jury’s decision ended the three-day trial in Pike County. Due to pre-trial publicity, Circuit Judge Charles Yeargan had granted a change of venue from Sevier County Circuit Court to Pike County Circuit Court. Tuesday, Sept. 27, Thomas was found guilty of the execution style slaying of Mona Lee Shelton, 46, the owner of Cornerstone Monuments in De Queen and Donna Marie Cary, 45, a customer at the business.
Judge Yeargan told the jury at the opening of court at 9 a.m. Wednesday, that they would hear additional evidence for deliberations in deciding on an appropriate sentence.
http://www.dequeen.com/topstories/more.php?id=2150_0_6_0_C
The Morning News
Judge Rules Against Wal-Mart In Coughlin Suit
Door Still Open For Further Litigation
By Anita French
The Morning News
Wal-Mart lost a major round in its effort to reclaim part of a retirement settlement with former Vice Chairman Tom Coughlin after a judge Tuesday dismissed a large part of the Bentonville-based retailer's suit against Coughlin.
But Coughlin isn't home free, as the judge refused to dismiss Wal-Mart's suit entirely, saying the company could still pursue a legal case against him.
Coughlin attorney William Taylor of Washington said he was "grateful" Finch agreed with Coughlin's argument Wal-Mart is bound by its retirement agreement.
"Tom devoted 27 years of his life to Wal-Mart and looks forward to a retirement in which he can enjoy his family and serve his community. There is no legal or factual basis for Wal-Mart to pursue any further claims against Tom, and we hope and expect that Wal-Mart will put this matter behind them," Taylor said.
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2005/11/02/front/01wmcoughlin.txt
Shooting Victim In Critical Condition
Person Of Interest In Shooting Leads Police On Chase
By Trish Mehaffey
The Morning News
FAYETTEVILLE -- A young woman was in critical condition from a gunshot wound Tuesday night at Washington Regional Medical Center. She was dropped off by a man named as "a person of interest" in the shooting incident, according to police.
Lt. Mike Reynolds said police received a call regarding a shooting victim about 4 p.m. from Washington Regional Medical Center. A woman in her late teens or early 20s was dropped off at the hospital by a man driving a black Firebird. The man, also in his late teens or early 20s, was found in Prairie Grove after leading police on a vehicle chase.
The man crashed his Firebird on Arkansas 62, near the Lincoln Hill area and then ran on foot from police but was caught a short time later, Reynolds said.
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2005/11/02/front/03fzshooting.txt
Guard Unit Called To Iraq
180 Soldiers To Spend Year Providing Security
By Don Dailey
ROGERS -- A 180-member National Guard battery based in Rogers will be mobilized for a one-year tour of duty in Iraq.
Battery C of the 1st Battalion, 142nd Field Artillery Brigade will be mobilized in two stages and sent to Fort Dix in New Jersey for training, said Capt. Kristine Munn, public affairs officer with the Arkansas National Guard.
Specifics of the battery's mission were not available, Munn said, but it is expected to provide security while in Iraq.
Because it is an artillery battery, it will be in an unusual, but not unique, position of providing security.
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2005/11/02/front/03rzrogers142nd.txt
Sydney Morning Herald
Police on standby for terror cell raids
Security agencies are poised to swoop on alleged terrorist cells throughout the country once Parliament passes an amendment to the anti-terrorism laws today.
The Prime Minister, John Howard, said yesterday he had received new, "specific" intelligence this week from spies and police indicating a "potential terrorist threat".
"The immediate passage of this amendment would strengthen the capacity of the law enforcement agencies to effectively respond to this threat," he said.
The Opposition agreed to the amendment after its leader, Kim Beazley, was briefed on the intelligence. Security agencies believe the new law increases their chances
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/police-on-standby-for-terror-raids/2005/11/02/1130823281888.html
DNA of forensic boss 'found on Lees's handcuffs'
By Lindsay Murdoch in Darwin
November 3, 2005
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DNA belonging to the director of the Northern Territory's forensic unit was found on handcuffs allegedly used to restrain Joanne Lees, a court heard yesterday.
Forensic biologist Carmen Eckhoff told the Supreme Court sitting in Darwin that she discovered the DNA of her director, Peter Thatcher, on the handcuffs, made from cable ties, in May 2004 - three years after Ms Lees was attacked and her boyfriend Peter Falconio allegedly murdered in the NT outback.
Questioned about how Dr Thatcher's DNA got on the handcuffs, Ms Eckhoff told the court: "You will have to ask him. I wasn't there when he was handling it."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/dna-of-forensic-boss-found-on-leess-handcuffs/2005/11/02/1130823281906.html
Bumps in night become whoosh of collapse
By Darren Goodsir Urban Affairs Editor
November 3, 2005
The residents of the Kerslake unit complex have long grown accustomed to strange bumps in the night. It's part of living above one of the trickiest sections of the 3.6 kilometre Lane Cove Tunnel project - an incessantly noisy work site that promises to one day deliver traffic calm to the resigned residents surrounding one of the city's most desperately needed roads.
But in the eerie quiet of early yesterday, about 2.05am, the "distant thunder" and "dull vibrations" that the 47 tenants have come to associate with almost-constant drilling, turned into a distinctly different sound.
"It was more like a grating, something
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/strangest-bump-in-the-night/2005/11/02/1130823281930.html
Wanted: single male with taste for the fast lane
Ready to settle down, but only with the best … Makybe Diva yesterday with strapper Christine Mitchell at Lee Freedman's property near Geelong.
Photo: Sebastian Costanzo
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By Andrew Stevenson
November 3, 2005
Who will be the lucky boy then? Having banked almost $15 million in prizemoney, Australia's most popular mare, Makybe Diva, is officially in the market for suitors.
First, however, there is a paddock full of knee-high grass waiting near Geelong and an old mare named Blinkie, an 18-year-old broken-down racehorse, to keep her company.
There will be no change of heart on retirement. As her trainer, Lee Freedman, promised on Tuesday, Makybe Diva might be a national symbol, but she is no Nellie Melba. Next year, the mare will put a spring in the step of one well-bred sire. A foal would be expected by October 2007, and the offspring, if a colt, might find itself on sale by Easter 2009. A race start to tantalise the fans is unlikely before 2010.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/horseracing/wanted-single-male/2005/11/02/1130823282442.html
Michael Moore Today
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
What if your government lied to you and no one said anything?
Senate Emerges From Closed Session on Iraq
By Liz Sidoti / Associated Press
In a day of political drama, Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session Tuesday, questioning intelligence that President Bush used in the run-up to the war in Iraq and accusing Republicans of ignoring the issue.
"They have repeatedly chosen to protect the Republican administration rather than get to the bottom of what happened and why," Democratic leader Harry Reid said.
The afternoon halt in Senate business let Democrats steer the spotlight to the war in Iraq, an issue on which the president is doing badly in public opinion polls.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4746
Newsview: Bush Allies Say He's Lost His Way
By Ron Fournier / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The building blocks of President Bush's career — his credibility and image as a strong and competent leader — have been severely undercut by self-inflicted wounds, leading close allies to fret about his presidency. They say he's lost his way.
These senior Republicans, including past and current White House advisers, say they believe the president can find his way back into people's hearts but extreme measures need to be taken. Shake up his staff, unveil fresh policies, travel the country and be more accountable for his mistakes — these and other solutions are being discussed at the highest levels of the GOP.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4753
Some conservatives question Rove's future
By Adam Entous / Reuters
WASHINGTON - Breaking with the White House and fellow conservatives, Republican Sen. Trent Lott and the head of the Cato Institute questioned on Tuesday whether top White House adviser Karl Rove, who remains in legal jeopardy in a CIA-leak probe, should keep his policy-making job.
Rove was not indicted on Friday along with Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis Libby. But lawyers involved in the case said Rove, President George W. Bush's top political adviser and deputy chief of staff, remains under investigation and may still be charged by prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4748
Iraqi Official Aims to Refurbish Image
By Hamza Hendawi / Associated Press
Politically savvy and a sharp dresser with a perpetual grin, Ahmad Chalabi has gone from Washington insider, to alleged Iranian spy, to someone the Bush administration cannot afford to ignore — all in the space of two years.
Chalabi, a deputy prime minister, plans to travel this month to Washington to refurbish a reputation tainted by the since-discredited claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. At home, Chalabi has quit a Shiite political alliance criticized for its strong ties to Iran.
All this points to one thing: Chalabi is maneuvering to become Iraq's next prime minister after elections in less than two months.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4747
Pentagon: Top al-Qaida Operative Escaped
By Alicia A. Caldwell / Associated Press
A man once considered a top al-Qaida operative escaped from a U.S.-run detention facility in Afghanistan and cannot testify against the soldier who allegedly mistreated him, a defense lawyer involved in a prison abuse case said Tuesday.
Omar al-Farouq was one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants in Southeast Asia until Indonesian authorities captured him in the summer of 2002 and turned him over to the United States.
A Pentagon official in Washington confirmed Tuesday evening that al-Farouq escaped from a U.S. detention facility in Bagram, Afghanistan, on July 10. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4752
Oil Execs to Be Asked to Justify Profits
By H. Josef Herbert / Associated Press
Top executives of three major oil companies will be asked by senators next week why some of their industry's estimated $96 billion in record profits this year shouldn't be used to help people having trouble paying their energy bills.
Lee Raymond, chairman of Exxon Mobil Corp., Jim Mulva, chief executive of ConocoPhillips, and John Hofmeister, president of the U.S. unit of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, will be among the industry executives to be questioned at a Senate hearing, according to congressional and industry officials.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because a final list of witnesses yet to be completed. The three companies together earned more than $22 billion during the July-September quarter this year when crude oil prices soared briefly to $70 a barrel and motorists were paying well over $3 gallon at the pump after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast.
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Rumsfeld hints at more troops in Iraq
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Coming off one of the deadliest months for American troops, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld indicated that the number of U.S. forces in Iraq could rise temporarily as Iraqis prepare to vote in mid-December parliamentary elections.
"We have had a pattern of increasing the number of coalition forces during periods when there was an expectation that the insurgents and terrorists would like to try to disrupt the political process," Rumsfeld told Pentagon reporters.
Rumsfeld and Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said they expect insurgents to expand their attacks as the elections approach, but would not say exactly how they plan to protect U.S. soldiers from the growing number of roadside bombs.
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Democrats Push to Delay Alito Hearings
By David Espo / Associated Press
Senate Democrats pushed on Tuesday for a 2006 date for hearings on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, challenging President Bush's call for confirmation by year's end.
"There's no way you can do an honest hearing by the end of December, or a fair hearing," said Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In a jab at the White House and the Senate Republican leadership, Leahy said he and the panel's chairman, Sen. Arlen Specter could likely agree on a date for confirmation hearings if left to themselves.
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