Rooster "Cock-A-Doodle-Do"
"Okeydoke"
History
Today is Friday, Dec. 9, the 343rd day of 2005. There are 22 days left in the year.
1854, Alfred Lord Tennyson's famous poem, "The Charge of the Light Brigade," was published in England.
1608, English poet John Milton was born in London.
1872 P.B.S. Pinchback of Louisiana becomes first Black acting governor in United States when the Governor is impeached.
1907, Christmas seals went on sale for the first time, at the Wilmington, Del., post office; proceeds went to fight tuberculosis.
1940, British troops opened their first major offensive in North Africa during World War II.
1942, the Aram Khachaturian ballet "Gayane," featuring the surging "Saber Dance," was first performed by the Kirov Ballet.
1946 President Truman issues an order establishing a committee on Civil Rights to study federal policies and practices affecting Blacks.
1953 Oral re-arguments in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka continues to be heard before the U.S. Supreme Court.
1958, the anti-Communist John Birch Society was formed in Indianapolis.
1965, Nikolai V. Podgorny replaced Anastas I. Mikoyan as president of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.
1971 Ralph Bunche, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and Undersecretary-General of the United Nations, dies in New York City
1984, the five-day-old hijacking of a Kuwaiti jetliner that claimed the lives of two Americans ended as Iranian security men seized control of the plane, which was parked at Tehran airport.
1990, Solidarity founder Lech Walesa won Poland's presidential runoff by a landslide.
1992, Britain's Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their separation. (The couple's divorce became final Aug. 28, 1996.)
Ten years ago: U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., was chosen to become the new head of the NAACP.
Five years ago: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak announced he would resign and call a special election.
One year ago: Canada's Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage was constitutional.
Missing in Action
1967 LIRA JOSE T.
1968 FORD EDWARD BIRMINGHAM AL
1968 MINOR CARROLL WILLIAM GREENVILLE SC
1968 SHIMEK SAMUEL D. UNIONTOWN PA
1972 ACOSTA HECTOR M. SAN ANTONIO TX 03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE IN 98
1972 WILLIAMS BILLIE J. MALDEN MO REMAINS RETURNED I.D. 12/20/90
December 8
1965 CORLE JOHN T. PITCAIRN PA
1965 RICHTSTEIG DAVID JOHN CEDAR CITY UT 09/30/74 REMAINS RECOVERED
1966 ASIRE DONALD H. POMONA CA REM RETURNED 06/21/89
1966 HYDE MICHAEL LEWIS BOULDER CITY CO REMAINS RETURNED ID 04/17/91
1968 REX ROBERT ALAN RANDOLPH UT REMAINS RETURNED 09/96
1969 PIRRUCCELLO JOSEPH S. WRIGHT PATTERSON AFB OH
December 7
1965 DUNN JOHN HOWARD GLENDIVE MT "02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV (JACKSONVILLE, FL)" DIED 01/14/98
1965 FREDERICK JOHN WILLIAM JR MANITO IL 03/13/74 REMAINS RETURNED
1966 CARLSON JOHN WERNER CHICAGO IL
December 6
1963 GORTON THOMAS F. TOLEDO OH AC CRASH 2 REMAINS RECOVERED N/SUBJ
1963 HILL RICHARD D. HOUSTON TX AC CRASH 2 REMAINS RECOVERED N/SUBJ
1967 PASTVA MICHAEL JAMES LAKEWOOD OH
1968 MORALES FRANK A. JCRC SAYS KIA/DIC DOD SAY GROUND MOTORCYCLE REFNO 1335
1970 TAYLOR WALTER J. JR. MOSS POINT MS
December 5
1965 DIBBLE MORRIS F. CORNING NY KIA IN GROUND COMBAT REMAINS NOT LOCATED
1965 EISENBERGER GEORGE J. PAWHUSKA OK KIA IN GROUND COMBAT REMAINS NOT LOCATED
1965 HYDE JIMMY DON CADDO OK
1965 UPNER EDWARD C. ANNISTON AL KIA IN GROUND COMBAT REMAINS NOT LOCATED
1966 BEGLEY BURRISS NELSON HYDEN KY DISPUTED REMAINS IDENTIFIED 01 DEC 93
1966 WARREN ARTHUR LEONARD TOLEDO OH RADIO CONTACT UNINJURED REMAINS RETURNED 09/17/86
1967 RUSSELL DONALD MYRICK WESTBROOK ME REMAINS RETURNED 1994 ID'D 06/25/96
1968 BERRY JOHN A. NATURITA CO
1968 EVANS BILLY K. JR. ROANOKE VA
1969 CLARK JOHN C. II BROWNFIELD TX REMAINS RETURNED 11/03/97
1969 DANIELSON BENJAMIN F. KENYON MN
1969 HARROLD PATRICK K. FORT LEAVENWORTH KS REMAINS RETURNED 1997 DNA ID ANNOUNCED 10/12/97
December 4
1967 COLLINS ARNOLD NEW YORK NY
1970 GREEN GEORGE C. JR. ATTICA IN
December 3
1965 JOHNSON STANLEY GARWOOD APPLEGATE CA
December 2
1965 AUSTIN CARL BENJAMIN WOODBURN OR
1965 LOGAN JACOB DRUMMOND SEATTLE WA
1965 ROBERTS GERALD RAY SAN MARCOS TX REM RET 93-94 IDENTIFIED 10/30/96
1966 BOTT RUSSELL P. WORCHESTER MA
1966 BERGER JAMES R. MANSFIELD OH 02/18/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE IN 98
1966 BURNS DONALD R. MINERAL WELLS TX 03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV DECEASED
1966 CORDIER KENNETH W. CANTON OH 03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1966 DUCAT BRUCE C. BETHESDA MD 03/18/77 SRV RETURNED REMAINS TO PCOM
1966 DYER IRBY III MIDLAND TX
1966 GREGORY ROBERT R. CAPE GIRADEAU MO POSS DIED IN CAPT REMAINS RETURNED 03/02/88 ID 06/09/88
1966 LANE MICHAEL C. CORAL GABLES FL 02/18/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1966 MC RAE DAVID EDWARD DECATUR GA CMDR THINKS SUBJ DID NOT GET OUT
1966 MOORBERG MONTE LARUE GRAND ISLAND NE PROB KIA PIC PUBLISHED REMAINS RETURNED 08/14/85
1966 NYSTROM BRUCE A. MARION OH POSS DEAD
1966 REHMANN DAVID G. LANCASTER CA "02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV SAN DIEGO, CA" ALIVE AND WELL 96/98
1966 STARK WILLIE E. OMAHA NE
1966 STUTZ LEROY W. EFFINGHAM KS 03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1966 SULANDER DANIEL A. MINNEAPOLIS MN
1966 WORRELL PAUL L. PHILADELPHIA PA POSS DEAD REMAINS RETURNED 08/14/85
1967 CROSBY RICHARD A. SPOKANE WA
1967 LEEPER WALLACE W. WELLINGTON CO
1967 MOREIDA MANUEL J. HARLINGEN TX
1967 STRANGE FLOYD W. CHICO CA
1969 DUNLAP WILLIAM C. TUCSON AZ REMAINS IDENTIFIED 2/26/90
1969 SANDERLIN WILLIAM D. FORT WORTH TX REMAINS IDENTIFIED 2/26/90
1969 SHANLEY MICHAEL H. JR. LA MESA CA REMAINS RETURNED 3/90 09/93 MOTHER DID NOT ACCEPT I.D IN 1990
1969 VANDEN EYKEL MARTIN D. II WHEATON IL GRP BURIAL/ARMY SYS NO POSITIV ID ON MARTIN 2/02/90 WF/MOTH/1 SON ACCEPT-1 SON REJECTS
1972 SHINE ANTHONY C. PLEASANTVILLE NY REMAINS RETURNED 09/96
December 1
1965 MC CORMICK JOHN V. BURT MI REMAINS RETURNED 04/06/88
1965 REITMANN THOMAS EDWARD RED WING MN
1966 NICOTERA CARL 01/73 PRG SAYS DIC 12/05/66 DISCREPENCIES !!!!!!!!!
1969 ROGERS BILLIE LEE GARY IN
November 30
1965 RICHARDSON STEPHEN G. SEATTLE WA
1967 KUSHNER FLOYD H. DANVILLE VA 03/16/73 RELEASED BY PRG ALIVE AND WELL 98
1968 BADER ARTHUR E. ATLANTIC CITY NJ SFG REMAINS RETURNED 7-31-89 ID 2/08/90
1968 FITTS RICHARD A. ABINGTON MA REMAINS RETURNED 04/89
1968 LA BOHN GARY R. WIXON MI REMAINS RETURNED 3/08/89 ID 2/08/90 QUESTIONABLE
1968 MEIN MICHAEL H. CAPE VINCENT NY REMAINS RETURNED 3/08/89 ID 2/08/90
1968 SCHOLZ KLAUS D. AMARILLO TX REMAINS RETURNED 3/08/89 ID 2/08/90
1968 STACKS RAYMOND C. MEMPHIS TN REMAINS RETURNED 3/08/89 ID 2/08/90
1968 TOOMEY SAMUEL K. III INDEPENDENCE MO REMAINS RETURNED 3/08/89 ID 2/08/90
1970 STRINGER JOHN C. II HAZARD KY
November 29
1952 DOWNEY JOHN T. ALIVE IN 99 RELEASED 730312 BY CHINA
1952 FECTEAU RICHARD 711212 RELEASED
1967 JONES LOUIS F. SAN ANGELO TX
1967 MILLNER MICHAEL MARYSVILLE CA
November 28
1965 REYNOLDS JON A. WILMINGTON DE 02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1965 RUTLEDGE HOWARD E. SAN DIEGO CA 02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV DECEASED
1966 HOEFFS JOHN H. OCEANSIDE CA
1970 SMITH RONALD E. COVINGTON IN
1972 EARNEST CHARLES M. OPELIKA AL
1972 HARVEY JACK R. GARDINER ME
1972 JONES BOBBY M. MACON GA
November 27
1968 GURNSEY EARL F. GEORGETOWN CA RELEASED BY SIHANOUK 01/06/69 DECEASED 29 MAY 82
1968 STUIFBERGEN GENE PAUL AUGUSTA MI
Homemade Ginger Ale Recipe
A few weeks ago, I got together with a few other food bloggers for lunch at a terrific diner - Canteen in San Francisco. Lunch was fabulous, truly. Make your way there if you get a chance. One menu item that struck my fancy was homemade ginger ale, which they made fresh to order. After lunch, on my way out the door, I stopped the waitress to ask how they made it. She gave me a general idea, which I have attempted to recreate in the steps shown here. The Canteen version includes a little touch of ground clove and cardamon if I recall correctly. I didn't add those spices, without them the ginger ale still turned out just great. It's quite easy to make. You may need to adjust the proportions depending on how intense or sweet you want your drink.
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001620homemade_ginger_ale.php
The Boston Globe
Scientists: Greenland glaciers retreating
By Alicia Chang, AP Science Writer December 9, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO --Two of Greenland's largest glaciers are retreating at an alarming pace, most likely because of climate warming, scientists said Wednesday.
One of the glaciers, Kangerdlugssuaq, is currently moving about 9 miles a year compared to 3 miles a year in 2001, said Gordon Hamilton of the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute.
The other glacier, Helheim, is retreating at about 7 miles a year -- up from 4 miles a year during the same period.
"It's quite a staggering rate of increase," Hamilton said at the American Geophysical Union annual meeting.
Glaciers play a major role in discharging water into oceans. Sea levels have swelled globally an estimated 4 inches to 8 inches during the past century due to melting glaciers and polar ice -- enough to cause some places to be awash at high tide or during severe storms.
Melting of Greenland ice and calving of icebergs from glaciers is responsible for about 7 percent of the annual rise in global sea level.
Global warming is frequently blamed for retreating glaciers around the world. The rapid retreat of Greenland glaciers suggest that climate change is a factor, Hamilton said.
Meanwhile, one of the fastest melting glaciers in North America has reached the halfway point of disintegration and will continue retreat for another two decades.
Alaska's Columbia Glacier -- about the size of Los Angeles -- has shrunk 9 miles since the 1980s. It is expected to lose an additional 9 miles in the next 15 to 20 years before the bed of the glacier rises above sea level.
The glacier, which moves about 80 feet a day, currently releases about 2 cubic miles of ice every year into the Prince William Sound on the south coast of Alaska.
Understanding what happens during Alaskan glacier retreat could help explain the phenomenon in Greenland, said Tad Pfeffer, associate director of the University of Colorado's Institute of Arctic and Alpine.
Pfeffer said climate change warming trends do not directly explain the shrinking Columbia Glacier and other tidewater glaciers. Instead, scientists think the retreat is triggered by a slow warming trend that began five centuries ago.
Significant thinning of the Columbia Glacier is thought to be caused by huge chunks of iceberg that break off into the sound as a result of seawater pressure rather than climate change, Pfeffer said.
The glacier, which is up to 3,000 feet thick, has thinned up to 1,300 feet in some places in the last two decades.
------
On the Net:
American Geophysical Union: http://www.agu.org/
University of Colorado's Institute of Arctic and Alpine: http://instaar.colorado.edu/
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2005/12/09/scientists_greenland_glaciers_retreating/
Whiteout conditions reported as snow continues to fall
Airplane hit by lightning on its approach to Logan Airport
By Boston.com Staff And Associated Press December 9, 2005
Travel across eastern Massachusetts was reduced to a near standstill this afternoon by heavy, wind-blown snow.
Whiteouts on many highways forced motorists to pull over to the side of the road to wait for visibility to improve.
Speed limits were dropped on the Massachusetts Turnpike and a portion of Route 2 has been shutdown in the Littleton area because of an accident.
The National Weather Service has sent out bulletins warning of the serious situation.
In addition to the blizzard-like conditions, a series of thunderstorms moved across the region and lightning hit an airplane on its approach to Logan Airport this afternoon.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/12/09/whiteout_conditions_reported_as_snow_continues_to_fall/
First big winter storm sweeps into New England
By Ray Henry, Associated Press Writer December 9, 2005
The first major storm of the winter dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of New England Friday, pelted others with sleet and freezing rain, and even packed jolts of thunder and lightning.
The storm, which moved into the Northeast from the Ohio River Valley, intensified as it passed south of Nantucket on Friday morning, said Charlie Foley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass.
In Boston, a plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Logan International Airport after it was struck by lightning as it approached the runway. No injuries were reported among the 35 passengers and three crew members on board Comair Flight 5437 from Baltimore, but an airport spokesman said the plane suffered minor damage.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/12/09/first_big_winter_storm_sweeps_into_new_england/
Foreclosures up 35 percent this year
By Ken Maguire, Associated Press Writer December 7, 2005
BOSTON --Home mortgage foreclosure filings are on the rise in gritty cities and leafy suburbs, according to a new report showing a 35 percent increase statewide through October.
Filings in suburban Reading more than tripled and there's been a 113 percent increase in Lawrence compared with the same period last year, according to Land Court filings tracked by Framingham-based ForeclosuresMass.
"It spans the whole gamut of income levels," said Jeremy Shapiro, president of ForeclosuresMass.
The number of foreclosures filed through Oct. 31 was 9,459, compared with 7,003 in the same 10-month period last year, the report said. Essex County had the largest increase, at 50 percent.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/12/07/foreclosures_up_35_percent_this_year/?p1=MEWell_Pos1
Sellers chop asking prices as housing market slows
Cuts of up to 20% are now common as analysts see signs of a 'hard landing'
By Kimberly Blanton, Globe Staff December 9, 2005
Boston-area homeowners trying to sell their houses are sharply reducing asking prices -- in some cases, by $100,000 or more -- in response to the sudden slowdown in the real estate market.
Demand for single-family homes has declined as prices have risen in recent years and interest rates have begun to climb, causing the number of properties on the market to pile up.
The median price of a single-family home in Massachusetts has dropped 7 percent in the past two months, to $349,000 for sales that closed in October. But reductions in asking prices of 10 percent or 20 percent are now common in both high and moderately priced neighborhoods, according to real estate agents and listings of homes for sale. In Cambridge, price cuts averaged $300,000 in a sampling of a dozen houses listed in the $1.25 million to $4.3 million price range. In suburbs like Tewksbury and Hopkinton, homes originally listed for around $500,000 have been slashed to the low $400,000s.
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/12/09/sellers_chop_asking_prices_as_housing_market_slows/?p1=MEWell_Pos2
Spate of child killings horrifies Japan
By Kana Inagaki, Associated Press Writer December 9, 2005
TOKYO --Armed policemen patrol streets on the way to school, education officials draw up safety maps and young students carry alarms to call for help in an emergency. A spate of grisly crimes targeting schoolchildren has horrified Japan and dealt a serious blow to its image as a safe country for children.
The killings -- one girl's corpse was stuffed into a box and another victim was stabbed a dozen times in the chest -- have put authorities on alert and worried parents on edge.
This relatively peaceful country is reassessing such traditions as letting young children walk long distances to school on their own. Along with the school uniform and first book bag, the walk to school -- sometimes taking 40 minutes in rural areas -- has long been a rite of passage for children entering the first grade.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2005/12/09/spate_of_child_killings_horrifies_japan/
Michael Moore Today
Qaeda-Iraq Link U.S. Cited Is Tied to Coercion Claim
By Douglas Jehl / New York Times
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 - The Bush administration based a crucial prewar assertion about ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda on detailed statements made by a prisoner while in Egyptian custody who later said he had fabricated them to escape harsh treatment, according to current and former government officials.
The officials said the captive, Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, provided his most specific and elaborate accounts about ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda only after he was secretly handed over to Egypt by the United States in January 2002, in a process known as rendition.
The new disclosure provides the first public evidence that bad intelligence on Iraq may have resulted partly from the administration's heavy reliance on third countries to carry out interrogations of Qaeda members and others detained as part of American counterterrorism efforts. The Bush administration used Mr. Libi's accounts as the basis for its prewar claims, now discredited, that ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda included training in explosives and chemical weapons.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5118
US isolated at world climate talks
By Mary Milliken and Timothy Gardner / Reuters
MONTREAL - Industrialized and developing nations were close to a deal on Friday to start work on extending the Kyoto Protocol to fight global warming past 2012, but the United States resisted calls for new commitments to combat climate change.
On the final day of the November 28-December 9 U.N. conference on climate change, environmentalists said they were losing hope that the United States -- the largest producer of heat-trapping greenhouse gases -- would sign a separate agreement for all nations, not just Kyoto members.
Although the United States is not one of the 157 countries that have subscribed to Kyoto, Canada wants a deal on open-ended talks among all countries about long-term cooperation on climate change.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5128
Rumsfeld: Too Incompetent For Bush to Fire
Reporters Tom DeFrank and Dana Milbank were on MSNBC last night discussing the Rumsfeld resignation rumors. (On Thursday, DeFrank reported in the New York Daily News that “White House officials are telling associates they expect Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to quit early next year.”)
They both said that Rumsfeld would have been fired long ago if things hadn’t been going so poorly in Iraq. Firing Rumsfeld now would simply be too embarrassing for the administration. It’s the key to Rumsfeld’s success: he’s so incompetent, it’s impossible to let him go –
http://thinkprogress.org/2005/12/09/rumsfeld-fire/
Bulgaria to withdraw troops from Iraq by end-year
SOFIA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Bulgaria will withdraw its 334-strong light infantry battalion from Iraq by the end of the year and after Iraqi parliamentary elections on Dec. 15, Defence Minister Veselin Bliznakov said on Friday. With the decision, the poor Balkan state is speeding up a pullout originally expected to take several months.
At Washington's request, Sofia's Socialist-led government delayed a plan to withdraw soon after winning June elections, but Bliznakov said troops would be home before the new year.
"The fifth contingent of Bulgaria troops will come back by the end of this year at the latest. We expect the last group of troops to come back by Dec. 31," he told journalists on returning from a visit to the United States.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5123
Texas GOP Wonders About DeLay's Future
By Wendy Benjaminson / Associated Press
PEARLAND, Texas - Republicans in this suburban Houston district who have sent Rep. Tom DeLay to Washington 11 times are wondering whether his legal troubles preclude a 12th trip in 2006.
"He's lost a lot of credibility with me," said Sandra Alldredge, who described herself as a lifelong Republican and DeLay voter. "I always thought he did real well for the local district," she said, but his recent indictment "puts a cloud over everything. I may have to vote for a Democrat this time."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5126
Congressional Scandals Register With Voters
By Donna Cassata / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - When Republicans seized power in Congress a decade ago, they pledged to sweep out the stench of scandal and restore bonds of trust with the people. Now, the people may be wondering whether the new bosses are the same as the old bosses, or possibly more corrupt.
A House Republican leader has been indicted for money laundering. The Senate GOP leader is under investigation for a financially well-timed stock sale. The probe of a lobbyist threatens to ensnare more than half a dozen members of Congress of both parties and the Bush administration.
It wasn't supposed to be this way.
Politicians work under an elaborate set of ethical rules, toughened in several waves of change. The public was given reason to expect a tempering, at least, of the abuses of the past — Abscam, Keating Five, Koreagate, high crimes and misdemeanors.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5125
Clinton: Bush 'flat wrong' on climate
MONTREAL, Quebec (AP) -- Former U.S. president Bill Clinton told a global audience of diplomats, environmentalists and others on Friday that the Bush administration is "flat wrong" in claiming that reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to fight global warming would damage the U.S. economy.
With a "serious disciplined effort" to develop energy-saving technology, he said, "we could meet and surpass the Kyoto targets in a way that would strengthen and not weaken our economies."
Clinton, a champion of the Kyoto Protocol, the existing emissions-controls agreement opposed by the Bush administration, spoke in the final hours of a two-week U.N. climate conference at which Washington has come under heavy criticism for its stand.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5122
Inuit sue US over climate policy
By Richard Black / BBC
People living in the Arctic have filed a legal petition against the US government, saying its climate change policies violate human rights.
The Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) claims the US is failing to control emissions of greenhouse gases, damaging livelihoods in the Arctic.
Its petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights demands that the US limits its emissions.
Temperatures in the Arctic are rising at about twice the global average.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5121
U.S. angered by Martin's climate comments
MONTREAL (CP) — With one day of talks to go at the UN climate conference, desperate efforts to draw the United States into the global effort to curb greenhouse emissions appear to have hit a brick wall, and Prime Minister Paul Martin is being blamed.
An official with close contacts in the U.S. delegation said any hopes of drawing Washington into the process were killed when Martin pointed a finger of blame at the United States in a news briefing at the conference.
"That was a big mistake," said the delegate, speaking on condition of anonymity Thursday. He said the U.S. delegation, which is directed from Washington by Vice-President Dick Cheney, was deeply angered by Martin's comments.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5124
Scotland: Stop the War!
Submitted by davidswanson on Thu, 2005-12-08 19:55. Media
London, Day 2: Scotland Trip
Scotland: Stop the War!
By David Swanson
Today, Cindy Sheehan and Scottish mothers who have lost their sons in Iraq held a rally outside the Scottish parliament, spoke at a cross-party meeting of Members of the Scottish Parliament, were welcomed to the City of Glasgow by the Lord Provost, and addressed an anti-war rally in Glasgow. This, plus the trips up to Scotland from London and back took Cindy and Andrew Burgin and me about 16 hours, so we're a wee bit knackered, but we're learning to speak the lingo – and I'm going to run out for fish and chips after posting this.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/5489
An Urgent Appeal: Please Release Our Friends in Iraq
Four members of Christian Peacemaker Teams were taken this past Saturday, November 26, in Baghdad, Iraq. They are not spies, nor do they work in the service of any government. They are people who have dedicated their lives to fighting against war and have clearly and publicly opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq. They are people of faith, but they are not missionaries. They have deep respect for the Islamic faith and for the right of Iraqis to self-determination.
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/freethecpt
An Open Letter to Wealthy Patriots, from a Gold Star Mother
--A message from Celeste Zappala
George Bush will be speaking at the World Affairs Council in Philadelphia on Monday. Tickets for the event are sold out, however, the luncheon tickets that are closest to Mr. Bush were sold for $10,000. I would like to be at a table close enough to Mr. Bush so that he could meet with me.
I was one of the Gold Star Mothers who camped on the road side ditch in Crawford, Texas waiting to meet with George Bush. I watched him roll past me on his way to a local fundraiser. He never stopped to talk to the Gold Star Mothers.
On Monday he will be in Philadelphia, the City where I live and where my fallen son Sgt. Sherwood Baker grew up. I will be outside of the hotel where he is speaking hoping to ask again, "for what noble cause did my son die?"
I would like to be inside, I would wish to be seated at the $10,000 a seat table, with other patriots. Maybe then Mr. Bush would be willing to speak to me, look at my son's picture and tell me why Sherwood was killed looking for the weapons of mass destruction.
Thank you for your consideration,
Celeste Zappala
--Mother of Sgt Sherwood Baker, the First PA National Guardsman to die in combat since 1945, killed in Baghdad, 4/26/04 while protecting the Iraq Survey Group as they looked for the Weapons of Mass Destruction
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=559
Politics or Not, Bronx Warmly Receives Venezuelan Heating Oil
By Michelle Garcia / Washington Post
NEW YORK -- A green Citgo tanker truck chugged up a hill with a grim view of tenement buildings, elevated subways and treeless sidewalks to deliver Venezuelan heating oil, a "humanitarian" gift from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Moments before the orange-gloved worker snaked the hose to a Bronx tenement, Eartha Ferguson, a manager and resident of a low-income building, said: "I call it a gift of survival. It comes at a good time, a very needed time."
Chavez's gift, which arrived on Tuesday and is being distributed this week, may be nothing more than a chance to tweak the nose of the Bush administration, which has long opposed the South American leader. But few residents in the South Bronx, where 41 percent live on incomes below the federal poverty line, are inclined to worry about international politics.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5120
John Lennon 1940-1980:
History Professor Jon Wiener Discusses Lennon's Politics, FBI Files and Why Richard Nixon Sought to Deport Him
25 years ago today John Lennon died after being shot dead by a gunman named Mark Chapman. Millions mourned the death of perhaps the most famous Beatle. Today memorials are being held across the world.
On this anniversary, we pay tribute to Lennon’s life with historian Jon Wiener, author of "Gimme Some Truth: The John Lennon FBI Files" and "Come Together: John Lennon in His Time."
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/12/08/1421215
John Lennon
248 pages
Investigation conducted when the FBI learned that John Lennon contributed $75,000 to a group planning to disrupt the Republican National Convention in 1972.
http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/lennon.htm
American Anti-War Activists March in Cuba
By Anita Snow / Associated Press
HAVANA - American anti-war activists marched Wednesday from the eastern Cuban city of Santiago toward the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay to protest treatment of terror suspects there.
The 25 members of the Witness Against Torture group had hoped to begin their daylong march a day earlier, but spent Tuesday negotiating with Cuban communist officials about how close they could get to the American military installation, the protesters said by telephone.
Cuba and the United States have had no diplomatic relations for more than four decades, and the American base is surrounded by a miles-wide Cuban military zone peppered with mines.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5117
San Francisco Chronicle
Tongue-rolling captain in video skit demands apology
Jaxon Van Derbeken and Charlie Goodyear, Chronicle Staff Writers
Friday, December 9, 2005
(12-09) 12:14 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- The highest-ranking San Francisco police officer facing suspension in connection with video skits that city officials have labeled sexist and racist accused Mayor Gavin Newsom and Police Chief Heather Fong of smearing his name and demanded a public apology.
Capt. Rick Bruce, 49, has been on leave from the Bayview station for the past four months for reasons unrelated to the videos. One of the skits shows several people, including other officers, a homeless woman and a transgender person, rolling their tongues suggestively and saying, "Oh, captain." The video shows Bruce flicking his tongue in separate shots in return.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/09/MNGE8G5L1V9.DTL
Schwarzenegger names centrist judge to state high court
Bob Egelko and Lynda Gledhill, Chronicle Staff Writers
Friday, December 9, 2005
(12-9) 13:10 SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today named Carol Corrigan, a state appeals court justice in San Francisco with a moderate reputation, as his first appointee to the California Supreme Court.
Corrigan, 57, is a Republican who spent 13 years as an Alameda County prosecutor before winning judicial appointments from a series of Republican governors. Gov. George Deukmejian named her to the Alameda County Municipal Court in 1987, and Gov. Pete Wilson put her on the Superior Court bench in 1991 and then on the Court of Appeal in 1994.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/09/MNGI3G5KS64.DTL
Buy, Borrow, Buy
Couple uses leverage to build an empire of eight vacation properties
By Carol Lloyd, Special to SF Gate
Friday, December 9, 2005
Forty-four and divorced with three kids, Lori Sacco has little of the struggling, unemployed single mom about her. With golden hair and lightly tanned skinned, she fairly glows with health and good fortune.
"There's not that much waterfront land out there," she says. "So I think prices are going to continue to go up."
Sitting in one of Sacco's many living rooms, it's difficult to argue with her. Outside cathedral windows, the Russian River reflects a blue sky that seems the very color of optimism. Poplars, redwoods, conifers wave their limbs like a congregation hearing the word.
http://sfgate.com/columnists/lloyd/
Williams' fate now up to governor
State prepares for possible violence if execution occurs
Mark Martin, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Friday, December 9, 2005
Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spent more than an hour with lawyers for Stanley Tookie Williams and prosecutors pushing for his death sentence Thursday, hearing final arguments before he makes a decision on Williams' bid to avoid lethal injection.
Schwarzenegger now has fewer than four days to weigh Williams' past as a convicted four-time murderer and gang leader against his present work as an anti-gang crusader. Williams, who has written eight children's books from his Death Row cell, is pleading for clemency based on his value as "a unique voice'' against street violence, one of his attorneys said.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/09/BAGTAG51KH38.DTL
The matching of the penguins
Four birds move from Boston to S.F. to propagate
Patricia Yollin, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, December 9, 2005
Cross-country moves are never easy, especially for those not prone to migration. Home invasions, beak-wrestling, macho moments -- for an African penguin relocating from Boston to San Francisco, these things are bound to happen.
And they have. The four New England Aquarium birds that met the media on Thursday afternoon had been adjusting to their five tank mates at the Steinhart Aquarium for three days, after a monthlong quarantine.
"Things are going very smoothly," said biologist Pam Schaller. "If there wasn't territoriality, I'd be concerned. Once we have reproduction, things will settle down."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/09/BAGR9G557O1.DTL
Chinese Village Surrounded After Shootings
By AUDRA ANG, Associated Press Writer
Friday, December 9, 2005
(12-09) 11:14 PST BEIJING, China (AP) --
Hundreds of riot police armed with guns and shields have surrounded and sealed off a southern Chinese village where authorities fatally shot demonstrators this week, villagers said Friday.
Although riot police often use tear gas and truncheons to disperse demonstrators, it is extremely rare for security forces to fire into a crowd — as they did in putting down pro-democracy demonstrations in 1989 near Tiananmen Square. Hundreds, if not thousands, were killed.
During the demonstration Tuesday in Dongzhou, a village in Guangdong province, thousands of people gathered to protest the amount of money offered by the government as compensation for land to be used in the construction of a wind power plant.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/12/09/international/i092407S20.DTL
S.F. clinics getting high false-positive rate on oral HIV test
Sabin Russell, Chronicle Medical Writer
Friday, December 9, 2005
A promising new oral HIV test being considered for home use has produced at least 47 false positives at San Francisco public health clinics, throwing a scare into those who received the results and raising questions about the test's suitability for widespread use in the United States and abroad.
The OraQuick Advance HIV test approved for professional use by the Food and Drug Administration in March 2004 detects in just 20 minutes antibodies to the virus that causes AIDS, using fluid swabbed from the mouth.
Its speed and ease of use make the test a particularly suitable candidate for HIV prevention and treatment efforts that stress frequent testing and speedy access to care for those who test positive.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/09/MNGHEG5GMT1.DTL&type=science
Trademark office OKs 'Dykes on Bikes'
Motorcycle group's name on its way to becoming registered
Julian Guthrie, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, December 9, 2005
A lesbian motorcycle group in San Francisco declared victory Thursday in their fight for a federal trademark for the name "Dykes on Bikes."
The U.S. Patent and Trademark office twice rejected the group's application on the grounds the term "dyke" was offensive and derogatory. The office reversed itself after the group's lawyers appealed, submitting hundreds of pages of additional material that they said showed the slang word does not disparage lesbians.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/09/MNGQOG5D7P1.DTL
'Brokeback' tells a story some gays know all too well
Wyatt Buchanan, Steven Winn, Chronicle Staff Writers
Friday, December 9, 2005
The movie "Brokeback Mountain" opens in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles today and already is being hailed as one of the most important gay films ever made by Hollywood because it explores the challenges -- both personal and societal -- of a same-sex relationship.
Two major straight actors star in the movie and are intimate on screen, and the film's director, Ang Lee, is one of the best in the business. This is the most hotly anticipated gay film since 1993's "Philadelphia," in which Tom Hanks played a gay lawyer with AIDS and for which he won an Academy Award. Some in the industry believe the new film could win more than one Oscar.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/09/MNGHEG5GN91.DTL
Richmond seems not to learn
Chip Johnson
Friday, December 9, 2005
Cynthia Peters watched in horror from her kitchen window last July as a Richmond police officer chasing a suspect opened a secured gate to her yard as two other cops, guns drawn, waited for her pit bull Blu to step beyond the fence.
When it did, she said, the three officers opened fire with pistols and a shotgun, shooting the animal 11 times.
Peters and boyfriend Mark Parr -- who was arrested after protesting the killing of his dog -- complained to the City Council and were promised a thorough investigation by the police department's internal affairs unit.
Last week, Blu's owners finally got a response.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/09/BAGR9G55801.DTL
Haaretz
Red Cross finally opens door for MDA
By Yoav Stern
A new Red Cross emblem was accepted yesterday at an international conference in Geneva, paving the way for Israel to join the humanitarian organization after nearly six decades of exclusion.
The 192 signatories of the Geneva Conventions approved the new red crystal emblem in a vote after negotiations failed to resolve an Israeli-Syrian dispute blocking the deal.
The decision was made by a 70 percent majority of the member states, with the objection of all Muslim and Arab states, except for Jordan, which abstained.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/655787.html
Citing security reasons, Israel says won't honor bus convoy deal
By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Citing security considerations, Israel told international representatives Friday that it has no intention of implementing the agreement allowing bus convoys between Gaza and the West Bank until "better times."
During a Friday afternoon briefing for representatives of the international community in Tel Aviv, Brigadier-General Eitan Dangot, who is IDF liaison to Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, and Major General Yossi Mishlav, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, added that anyway there was no chance that the convoys could begin operating on the agreed-upon date (December 15) since Israel needed at least one week to make the necessary preparations.
At this stage, Israel has no intention of renewing talks with the Palestinian Authority on the matter.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/655199.html
Hezbollah accuses Israel of failed assassination attempt
By The Associated Press
A bomb blew up the car of a senior official of the military wing of the Hezbollah group on Friday night, but caused no casualties, police said.
The official had got out of the car seconds before the bomb exploded in the eastern city of Baalbek, a police official said Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Hezbollah blamed Israel for the "treacherous assassination attempt" and warned that it will retaliate.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/656018.html
Hamas says truce with Israel intact until end of the year
By Reuters
A Hamas spokesman said on Friday that a nine-month-old truce with Israel was still in effect, clarifying an earlier statement by a leader of the Islamic militant group indicating it had been called off.
"Hamas confirms that calm is still on, as of this moment, and this is a national consensus," said Mushir al-Masri, spokesman for Hamas in Gaza. "This is the official and final Hamas decision and position."
Earlier, Khaled Meshal, the Hamas chief-in-exile, told a rally in the Syrian capital Damascus: "The truce period that we had in the past is enough."
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/656000.html
Will the bomber vote? Terror and the 2006 election
Terrorism has frequently played a decisive role in Israeli elections over the past two decades.
Hardline challenger Yitzhak Shamir defeated Shimon Peres in 1988, two days after a bus was firebombed, killing schoolteacher Rachel Weiss and her three children.
Four years later, a rash of knife attacks helped unseat Shamir. In 1996, Hamas and Islamic Jihad suicide bombings cost Peres a 20-point lead, paving the way to an upset victory by Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2001 and again in 2003, concerns over intifada violence fueled successful campaigns by Ariel Sharon.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ArticleNews.jhtml?itemNo=654997&contrassID=13&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0
Snow joke
By Moshe Gilad
Last Update: 09/12/2005 11:38
The vagaries of the weather present the greatest gamble to those planning winter vacations. A person sits on his balcony in early December and reminisces about the lovely summer holiday he took nearly six months ago. No doubt about it - it's time to head out again, and soon. He looks around. His neighbors are washing their car in shorts and an undershirt. The weather has changed only slightly since his vacation in June. The newspaper promises fabulous prices and everything looks perfect.
But it's time to think again. The vast differences in climate between Europe and Israel can mislead vacationers. There is quite a difference between the balmy weather in our region, which has prompted the irises and anemones to bloom early, and the icy temperatures that led to a traffic jam 70 kilometers long in Holland. To avoid some common mistakes, here are the 10 Golden Rules for Winter Vacation Planning: If you are looking for a wonderful winter vacation with sunny blue skies and a reasonable, if somewhat pricey, array of tourism services, Israel is your best bet.
Don't plan a winter holiday in Europe thinking that the weather will be on your side, with a few friendly clouds and a gentle breeze.
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On a trip to Europe in December or January, there is a good chance of running into rain, snow, hail and howling winds that may make you reluctant to leave your heated hotel room. This is less important if you are planning to stay in a big city, where you can find shelter in nice warm museums, galleries and shopping malls, or stop into a pub or wine bar for a glass of mulled wine.
But if it's nature you are after, stormy weather can be quite trying. In Scotland, we watched in astonishment as a family with two small children got off the train at some godforsaken station and bravely marched into a freezing downpour. They were all wearing giant yellow rain slickers. Poised to leap over a puddle, they made their philosophy clear: "We don't change our plans for family outings just because of some minor downturn in the weather." They were Scots. In our family, we've never heard of that rule.
If you're looking for steamy hot weather, beaches, islands and boats, you could go to Thailand, of course, but for that you need more time and a long flight.
There is no point in booking a ski vacation if you don't want to ski.
Now that may sound silly and obvious, but I say this for good reason. People are often tempted by offers that sound interesting. Some of the most tempting deals during the winter season are ski vacations and some are quite inexpensive, and look promising. As you sit at home, leafing through the weekend newspapers, you imagine a holiday in white where you can wear all those beautiful thick sweaters you haven't taken out of the closet in years. You imagine yourself sitting on a hotel terrace, sipping wine, dining on fondue or a bowl of soup, joining all the skiers in the sauna or the swimming pool. In short - a perfect ski vacation, only without the skiing.
Don't be fooled. First of all, there isn't much to do at a ski resort apart from skiing. Second, you will soon feel like you did in boot camp, when you hid in an orchard outside the base, hoping to get out of doing the tough stuff. After half an hour, you start feeling uncomfortable. After two hours, you'll be ready to put your ankles on the line and learn how to ski just to be counted in.
There is no point in traveling to a ski resort where there is no snow.
This is not funny. With the weather being so unpredictable nowadays, it could happen. Over the past few years, many of the low slopes in Europe with altitudes below 1,200 meters have been short of snow. The site managers try to cover up the problem by bringing in snow cannons, transporting skiers to higher slopes, hiring helicopters and a host of other creative solutions. But if there is no snow, nothing will help.
A simple solution: Find out how much snow there is before you go. All self-respecting ski resorts have cameras set up on some of their slopes. So before pulling their warm socks out of the closet, skiers can get a precise report on how much snow there is out there.
Don't go to a summer resort in the winter.
The prices may be tempting, but the atmosphere at a beach resort that was built for the needs of summer vacationers can be pretty gloomy. Staying at a place like this is enough to trigger a bout of mild depression, not to mention fear of abandonment. You will keep asking yourself where everyone is and what you did wrong. This is the kind of mistake that is easy enough to make when you book a vacation from sunny Israel, where a trip to the beach in the winter can be a lot of fun. It's hard to have a good time and enjoy yourself at a resort where some of the cafes, restaurants and hotels are closed down, the pools stand empty, the wind is fierce, and the only tourists in sight are those who got a cheap deal, like you, and are heading for the nearest casino to warm their bones. Nearly all the beach resorts in Turkey fit into this category. The same goes for the holiday villages along the Black Sea in Bulgaria, on the Greek islands, on the French and Italian Rivieras, and along the coast of Spain.
Don't plan a shopping spree on Christmas Eve.
A vacation in the city is one of the best winter options. The museums are mounting their best exhibits, the theaters offer interesting plays and the soccer season is at its height, so you can buy tickets to a good match. Shopping, however, could be a problem. The stores are jammed with shoppers in December and I wouldn't advise getting caught in the rush just to pick up a few bargains. Better to wait another month and a half, when the end-of-season sales begin in Europe and the United States.
Don't expect great views from lookout towers
The Fisherman's Bastion is one of Budapest's most famous landmarks, and possibly one of its most beautiful. It is a kind of large observation deck with ornamental towers that overlooks the Danube River in the center of town. The distance to the river is very short - maybe a few dozen meters. When we got to the stone parapet, what we saw was a thick white cloud blocking the view entirely. A local fellow swore that the river was "just over there." He was probably right. There's no reason to think he wasn't. But this nice cloud that hovered over Budapest for three days made it a little hard to check out the facts for ourselves.
Forget about putting together an exact timetable.
The roads are blocked, the traffic moves slowly and sometimes flights are canceled. The slow pace is dictated by the weather. So don't waste your time constructing timetables on the trips that involve long hops between cities. In the winter it is much less likely that things will happen on schedule than in the summer.
What shoes to wear?
That remains a mystery. We have never visited Europe in the winter and said: "Wow, it's good we brought the right shoes along." Maybe there isn't such a thing. Usually we get there wearing the perfect shoes for wandering the streets of Tel Aviv or hiking up the Carmel, but five minutes after we exit the airport terminal we discover that they slip on the ice, are much too thin-soled and all our nice socks are sopping wet.
Don't visit Turin in the next few weeks.
Between February 10-26, this city in northern Italy will be hosting the Winter Olympics. It's a wonderful place, quite fascinating and highly recommended - but not now. The Olympic games are the sort of large-scale event that scrambles the brains of hotel proprietors and their ilk. Prices are high, the demand is huge, advertising campaigns attract even more customers, and confusion reigns. Turin will also be there next winter. Everything said here applies to Berlin this summer, when the German capital will be thrown into confusion by the World Cup games (for three weeks in June 2006).
Super cheap deals? Don't be so sure.
There may be some, but mainly for destinations you wouldn't want to visit for the reasons cited here. The good places are still expensive. A flight to New York may cost less than in the summer, but a little research shows that Big Apple hotels have never heard the word "cheap." A search for a room in Manhattan this week turned up nothing, but for $280 you can book a mediocre room in New Jersey. Any takers for a room in New Jersey?
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?sw=Snow&itemNo=655774
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