Ice Storm in Holly Michigan Yesterday at the same time there was three feet of snow in New Mexico.  

Morning Papers

Morning Papers

Rooster "Cock-A-Doodle-Do"

"Okeydoke"

The Ides of March

March 15...

44 B.C., Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of nobles that included Brutus and Cassius.

1493, Christopher Columbus returned to Spain, concluding his first voyage to the Western Hemisphere.

1913, President Wilson held the first open presidential news conference.

1919, The American Legion is formed in Paris, France.

1937, The first blood bank in the world is established in Chicago, Illinois.

1944, during World War II, Allied bombers again raided German-held Monte Cassino.

1956, The musical My Fair Lady, with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, makes its debut performance in New York City.

1964, actress Elizabeth Taylor married actor Richard Burton in Montreal; it was her fifth marriage, his second.

1975, Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis died near Paris at age 69.

1977, the U.S. House of Representatives began a 90-day test to determine the feasibility of showing its sessions on television.

1989, A large rally in Budapest calls for democracy and national independence for Hungary.

Missing in Action

1965 CLYDESDALE CHARLES F. PITTSBURGH PA DITCH AT SEA NO RECOVERY
1966 HOLMES DAVID H. BELMONT MA SAR UNABLE TO LOCATE PILOT
1966 MC ELROY GLENN DAVID SIDNEY IL
1966 NASH JOHN M. TIPTON IN
1966 SCOTT MARTIN R. TULSA OK POSS DEAD
1966 STEWART PETER J. WINTER HAVEN FL POSS DEAD
1967 FREDERICK PETER J. LONG ISLAND CITY NY
1967 SMITH DEAN JR. SAVANNAH GA
1967 THOMPSON VICTOR HUGO III HOUSTON TX 08/73 REMAINS RECOVERED
1971 SEXTON DAVID M. HURON OH

March 16…

1751, James Madison, fourth president of the United States, was born in Port Conway, Va.

1802, Congress authorized the establishment of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is published.

1915, the Federal Trade Commission was organized.

1926, Jerry Lewis, American motion-picture actor and director, known for his screwball comedies. Born Joseph Levitch to a family of professional stage performers in Newark, New Jersey, Lewis was introduced to comedy while watching his father and other Jewish performers in the so-called Borscht Belt dinner theaters of upstate New York. He is probably best known for his antics as the frantic, blundering sidekick of American actor Dean Martin.

1935, Adolf Hitler scrapped the Treaty of Versailles.

1945, during World War II, Iwo Jima was declared secured by the Allies.

1966: United States astronauts Neil Armstrong and David Scott, aboard Gemini 8, achieve the first linkup of a crewed spacecraft with another object, an Agena rocket.

1968, during the Vietnam War, the My Lai Massacre was carried out by U.S. troops under the command of Lt. William L. Calley Jr.

1969, "1776," a musical about the writing of the Declaration of Independence, opened on Broadway.

1971: Simon and Garfunkel win the Grammy Award for Best Album for Bridge Over Troubled Water and the Grammy for Best Record for the title song.

1984, William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Beirut, was kidnapped by gunmen; he died in captivity.

1985, Terry Anderson, chief Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press, was abducted in Beirut; he was released in December 1991.

Missing in Action

1962 NAU GEORGE PACOIMA CA FLYING TIGERS NOT ON LISTS BASED LA CA DISAP BETW QUAM&PHILIPPINES 93ARMY ON BOARD 3ARVN
1966 UNDERWOOD PAUL GERARD HORNELL NY REMAINS RETURNED - ID 02/04/98
1968 ERICKSON DAVID WAYNE MINNEAPOLIS MN
1968 KRAUSMAN EDWARD L. BURBANK CA
1969 BARNES CHARLES R. FULLERTON PA
1969 BATT MICHAEL L. DEFIANCE OH
1969 BOBE RAYMOND E. TARRANT AL
1969 FOSTER MARVIN L. HUBBARD TX
1969 SMITH DAVID R. DAYTON OH
1971 SCRIVENER STEPHEN RUSSELL TAMPA FL
1971 SEELEY DOUGLAS MILTON MARIETTA OH

Successful social engineers

By Ed Quillen
Denver Post Columnist
Most years, you don't have to sit for very long at a Lincoln Day dinner to hear one of the Republican speakers denounce "social engineering." It does have an ominous sound, but in truth, the GOP was founded for just that purpose in 1854 and has succeeded magnificently. Nor is it just a historical curiosity; the party continues to promote "social engineering" today on both the state and national level.

… This vision came to pass in the U.S. Congress of 1862 with the passage of the Homestead Act, the Transcontinental Railroad Act and the Morrill Act for land-grant colleges. Our West was organized on Republican principles to be populated by people who would vote Republican. That's social engineering on a continental scale, and it's a great Republican success story.

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~150~2762433,00.html

Keeping the Democracy in Democrat

Comment: Andrew Sullivan: New York warms to Hillary... next it could be America
Something quite unusual is happening to Hillary Rodham Clinton. She’s becoming popular.
In New York state, where she is the junior senator, her approval ratings are in the stratosphere. When she became senator, many sceptical New Yorkers — they’re not pushovers — were partly persuaded by the Republican campaign against her.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2088-1502357,00.html

Democrats warn of slowdown over judge rule
DAVID ESPO
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Democrats threatened Tuesday to slow or stop most Senate business if Republicans unilaterally change the rules to assure confirmation of President Bush's controversial court appointments.
Any such change would mark "an unprecedented abuse of power," Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., wrote Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. "The power to confirm judges includes the right to use well-established Senate rules to reject nominees."

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/11142253.htm

Democrats Issue Warning on Bush Judicial Nominees
By Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats on Tuesday threatened to slow down the U.S. Senate if Republicans outlaw procedural hurdles that have been used to block President Bush's most controversial judicial nominees.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid warned in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist that he and fellow Democrats would permit swift action on critical matters, but stall others.

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=1004951&tw=wn_wire_story

Md. Democrats Start Vying for Senate Seat
Updated: Tuesday, Mar. 15, 2005 - 6:08 PM
By FOSTER KLUG Associated Press Writer
COCKEYSVILLE, Md. - Sen. Paul Sarbanes' surprise announcement that he will retire at the end of his fifth term has sent tremors through Maryland's Democratic party, as prominent politicians scramble to see if they have a shot at the job.
On Tuesday, Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger said that he will set up an "exploratory committee" in the next few weeks to examine his chances of winning the Democratic nomination in 2006.

http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=447178

Storm Dump
House Democrats `Optimistic' That Ethics Rules Will Be Repealed
March 14 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Representative Alan B. Mollohan, the ranking Democrat on the House ethics committee, said he is ``optimistic'' changes made in January to rules governing how the committee conducts business will be repealed.
The committee, formally called the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, came to a standstill last week when Democrats voted against rules to organize committee business. Their objection is over three rules passed by the full House that they believe weaken the ethics committee's ability to investigate congressional misconduct.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aijNs0kMEaC0&refer=us

Extreme Weather

Nearly 3 Feet of Snow on N.M.
Wednesday March 16, 2005 2:46 AM
LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) - A slow-moving storm dumped nearly 3 feet of snow on parts of northern and eastern New Mexico, closing major highways, schools and some government offices Tuesday.
``I've lived here for all my life, and this is one of the worst as far as how quick it (snow) accumulates,'' said Steve Lucero, owner of a tow truck service at Las Vegas, where 2 feet of snow had fallen since the storm developed Monday.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4868393,00.html

Frosty visit nips fruit buds
By Sue Vorenberg
Tribune Reporter
March 15, 2005
Say a chilly goodbye to your apricots and plums, Albuquerque gardeners.
The sensitive trees might like the snow's moisture, but Monday night's chill - and tonight's predictions for even colder temperatures - probably will kill this year's buds and render them fruitless, said Curtis Smith, a horticulturalist at New Mexico State University's Extension Service in Albuquerque.

http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_local/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19858_3622941,00.html

Storm steers out
Kids frolic. Crews handle slush and wrecks. Cold's on way.
By Maggie Shepard
Tribune Reporter
March 15, 2005
Albuquerque schoolchildren and teachers took the day off, but the late-winter storm today was a different story for police and city crews, who were in a frenzy.
The storm has dumped about 4 inches of snow at the Albuquerque International Sunport since Monday and almost twice that in some parts of the city. It was making its way out of Albuquerque this afternoon, headed east, and a cold front was poised to move in behind it with the threat of freezing pavement.

http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_local/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19858_3622935,00.html

The Guardian

Hospitals deny patients facts on death rates
Guardian investigation under freedom of information extracts first data on heart surgeons and reveals successes and failures of system
Sarah Boseley, John Carvel and Rob Evans
Wednesday March 16, 2005
The Guardian
Ten years after the Bristol babies scandal, patients are still being denied the information they need to make an informed choice about heart surgery, a Guardian investigation has discovered.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,11381,1438600,00.html

Man who ate friend's brain jailed for life
Breathtaking failure of mental health system alleged at trial of killer
Patrick Barkham
Wednesday March 16, 2005
The Guardian
A psychiatric patient who walked out of a mental health ward and ate the brain of a friend he cooked in a frying pan was given two life sentences yesterday for killing two men.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,2763,1438551,00.html

Berlusconi to pull out troops from Iraq
PM forced into pledge after outrage at killing of Italian officer
John Hooper in Rome, Ewen MacAskill and Richard Norton-Taylor
Wednesday March 16, 2005
The Guardian
Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, yesterday announced that he would begin withdrawing his country's troops from Iraq in September under pressure from public opinion.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1438619,00.html

45 days' jail for US officer who had cousins thrown into Tigris
Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington
Wednesday March 16, 2005
The Guardian
An American army platoon leader who ordered his troops to throw two Iraqi prisoners into the Tigris river was sentenced yesterday to 45 days in military prison and given a $12,000 (£6,200) fine.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1438751,00.html

Pentagon 'hid' damning Halliburton audit
Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington
Wednesday March 16, 2005
The Guardian
The Pentagon stood accused of sitting on a damaging report from its own auditors on a $108.4m (£56.6m) overcharge by Halliburton for its services in Iraq yesterday.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1438694,00.html

Home truths
Alexander Masters thought he knew exactly what homelessness was. But then he met Stuart, begging in a shop doorway. It was the start of an unorthodox friendship that culminated in an extraordinary book about the life of one of Britain's 'chaotic underclass'

http://society.guardian.co.uk/homelessness/story/0,8150,1438160,00.html

Forget 'romance' of IRA, sisters tell America
Angelique Chrisafis and Jonathan Freedland
Wednesday March 16, 2005
The Guardian
The McCartney sisters arrived in Washington yesterday vowing to strip the IRA of its "romantic" image in America.
They said they intended to tell President George Bush, who they will meet in the White House tomorrow, about the murder of their brother Robert in Belfast in January and what they allege is an IRA cover-up.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,2763,1438681,00.html

MCCARTNEYS APPEAL TO BUSH
The family of slain Belfast man Robert McCartney is taking its case for justice all the way to the White House, but the IRA’s political wing Sinn Fein is warning them to keep out of Northern Ireland politics.
His sisters have arrived in Washington for two days of meetings with President George W Bush, coinciding with the March 17th St Partick’s Day celebrations.

http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=107315&region=3

The Belfast Telegraph

'New kids on block' key targets in €2m raid
By Tom Brady, Nicola Anderson and Frank Khan
16 March 2005
Gardai believe the gang responsible for the €2m security van heist in Dublin may have been 'new kids on the block'.
Descriptions of the raiders involved in the abduction and robbery vary but they are thought to be fairly young and unlikely to have been linked to similar crimes in the past.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=620600

Apology doesn't ease hurt, says Garda's family
By Kim Kelly in Dublin
14 March 2005
The devastated family of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe has said an apology from his three IRA killers does not alleviate the hurt.
statement released yesterday from IRA men Kevin Walsh, Pearse McAuley, Jeremiah Sheehy and Michael O'Neill said they "regretted" the death of Garda McCabe.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=619849

McCartney family to meet Senators in US
Sisters battle for hearts and minds
16 March 2005
Five grieving sisters from Belfast began a battle today for the hearts and minds of Irish America.
At issue was IRA criminality and the cover-up of their brother's murder.
After weeks of lobbying the IRA and Sinn Fein, the McCartney sisters will plead their case in Washington, vowing to dispel any romantic American vision of paramilitarism in Northern Ireland.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=620629

Family of murder victim flies in
We're here in America for Robert
By Sean O'Driscoll
16 March 2005
Catherine McCartney prepared to talk about murder yesterday while listening to a Billy Connolly comedy tape.
She, her sisters and Robert McCartney's fiancée, Brigdeen, were flying British Airways when the captain insisted they move up to the cabin crew area.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=620625

Man beaten with iron bar in gang horror
By Michael McHugh
16 March 2005
An Ulster man has told of his terror after he was tied to a bed and maimed by an gang who beat him with an iron bar.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=620630

Adams turns to his old friends in New York
By David Usborne in New York
16 March 2005
Gerry Adams was on stage as a guest on Monday night of New York's transport workers' union explaining how comfortable he feels in America, when one of the myriad orange, green and white balloons festooning the hall popped with a loud bang. "That," he said without pause, "also makes me feel at home."

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=620605

Asbestos alert may shut skyscraper
By John Lichfield in Paris
15 March 2005
The famous Montparnasse Tower, the only skyscraper in central Paris and one of the tallest buildings in Europe, is riddled with asbestos and may have to be emptied for up to three years.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=620240

American troops stole millions from Holocaust 'Gold Train'
By David Usborne in New York
14 March 2005
Lifting the veil on one of the least advertised and least edifying scandals of the Second World War, the US government has settled a complaint that American army officers requisitioned an entire train loaded with valuables seized by the Nazis from Jewish families in Hungary and then kept much of the contents for themselves.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=619745

Bush TV: news or covert propaganda?
By Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles
14 March 2005
The Bush administration has produced look-alike news propaganda clips and then persuaded television stations across the country to air them uncritically and, often, uncut. As many as 20 government departments have produced fake news which stations broadcast as though they had produced the segments themselves, according to The New York Times.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=619741

The New York Times

Israeli Forces Pull Back From West Bank Town
By REUTERS
Published: March 16, 2005
Filed at 5:45 a.m. ET
JERICHO, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces pulled back from Jericho on Wednesday, strengthening the hand of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as he seeks to commit militants to a formal ceasefire so that he can talk peace with Israel.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-mideast.html?hp&ex=1111035600&en=ea868971225c0b6c&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Iraqi Assembly Meets for the First Time
By EDWARD WONG
Published: March 16, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 16 - Seven weeks after Iraqis defied insurgent threats to take part in the country's first free election in decades, and as a series of explosions shook the heart of the capital, members of the constitutional assembly convened here today for the first time.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/16/international/middleeast/16cnd-iraq.html?hp

This is a new approach to the gas chamber.

Case Stirs Fight on Jews, Juries and Execution

OAKLAND, Calif., March 15 - The convictions of dozens of death-row inmates in California are coming under legal scrutiny because of accusations that Jews and black women were excluded from juries in capital trials in Alameda County as "standard practice."
A former Alameda prosecutor, John R. Quatman, made the contentions in a sworn declaration in the habeas corpus case of Fred H. Freeman. Mr. Freeman is a condemned inmate who is seeking to overturn his conviction in 1987 in a killing and robbery at a bar in Berkeley.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/16/national/16juries.html?hp&ex=1111035600&en=6d86794da61cd1f2&ei=5094&partner=homepage

And Now, the Counterfeit News
Published: March 16, 2005
The Bush administration has come under a lot of criticism for its attempts to fob off government propaganda as genuine news reports. Whether federal agencies are purchasing the services of supposedly independent columnists or making videos extolling White House initiatives and then disguising them as TV news reports, that's wrong. But it is time to acknowledge that the nation's news organizations have played a large and unappetizing role in deceiving the public.
As documented this week in an article in The Times by David Barstow and Robin Stein, more than 20 federal agencies, including the State Department and the Defense Department, now create fake news clips. The Bush administration spent $254 million in its first four years on contracts with public relations firms, more than double the amount spent by the Clinton administration.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/16/opinion/16wed1.html?8br

A Dubious Account Led to 9 Years in Prison
By JIM DWYER
Published: March 16, 2005

On Sept. 6, 1996, as Raffaela Stride watched the evening news, she saw the Queens district attorney announce the arrest of a drug gang that operated inside bars in Bayside and Flushing. The district attorney, Richard A. Brown, said the gang was led by three men, one of them named John McDonnell. The investigation, including wiretaps and surveillance, had been under way for a year, Mr. Brown said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/16/nyregion/16release.html

U.S. Military Says 26 Inmate Deaths May Be Homicide
By DOUGLAS JEHL and ERIC SCHMITT
Published: March 16, 2005

WASHINGTON, March 15 - At least 26 prisoners have died in American custody in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002 in what Army and Navy investigators have concluded or suspect were acts of criminal homicide, according to military officials.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/16/politics/16abuse.html?hp&ex=1111035600&en=943ed6fbc944e7de&ei=5094&partner=homepage

ROVE TERRORISM. Everytihing you didn't want to know about the incapacities of your government and NOW are afraid to know. Hideous stuff.

U.S. Report Lists Possibilities for Terrorist Attacks and Likely Toll
By ERIC LIPTON
Published: March 16, 2005

WASHINGTON, March 15 - The Department of Homeland Security, trying to focus antiterrorism spending better nationwide, has identified a dozen possible strikes it views as most plausible or devastating, including detonation of a nuclear device in a major city, release of sarin nerve agent in office buildings and a truck bombing of a sports arena.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/16/politics/16home.html?hp&ex=1111035600&en=083f2bf6b69b9744&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Jailed Journalists

World gets more deadly for journalists:
[World News]: By MARTIN SIEFF, UPI Senior News Analyst WASHINGTON, March 14 : It was not a good year for freedom of the press around the world.More than 30 brave Iraqi journalists and media employees who took seriously their new freedom to report openly and fearlessly paid for it with their lives.
And ominous restrictions on press freedom are being monitored in Russia, China -- and the United States.

http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=85731

Human Rights Commission a "prison for journalists"
Agence France-Presse
Geneva,

March 14, 2005

23:45 IST
Reporters Without Borders (RWB) on Monday condemned the UN Human Rights Commission as the "world's biggest prison for journalists" after its member countries imprisoned 70 journalists.
There were 27 jailed journalists in China, 21 in Cuba, 13 in Eritrea, 9 in Nepal - all member countries of the commission, the group said in a statement. A further 62 cyber-activists were jailed in China.
"It is unacceptable that the most repressive countries in the world are members of a body of which one of the main tasks is to condemn human rights violations," RWB said.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1279333,0005.htm

UN Human Rights Commission A Prison For Journalists
Date: Tuesday, March 15 @ 07:02:09 EST
Topic: Journalists View
Condemning the UN Human Rights Commission as the "world's biggest prison for journalists", Reporters Without Borders (RWB) called on the UN to immediately reform the mechanisms and functions of the commission. The member countries of UN Human Rights Commission have 70 journalists imprisoned of which 27 are jailed journalists in China, 21 in Cuba, 13 in Eritrea and 9 in Nepal.
UN Human Rights Commission began its annual meeting on Monday in Geneva. The aim of the 53-member country member forum, which continues to April 22 is to highlight instances of abuse such as torture and disappearances and to corroborate respect for fundamental freedoms.

http://journalists.net/modules.php?name=AvantGo&file=print&sid=242

Malawi ghost story lands journalists in jail
Two journalists have been arrested in the east African nation of Malawi after reporting that their president had left his palace due to a fear of ghosts.
The Malawian journalists, who work for the BBC and Reuters, were arrested along with the personal assistant to the vice-president.
All three have been jailed and the journalists have been charged with reporting news likely to cause fear and alarm in the community.
President Bingu wa Mutharika has denied the reports that he left his palace because he believed it was haunted.
He says he is not afraid of ghosts and believes one of his rivals is behind the story.
The president's religious adviser now denies telling journalists that priests were being used to cleanse the building of evil spirits.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1324271.htm

HOW BAD DOES Georgie want Osama bin Laden because he never ran a good campaign in Afghanistan? Badly enough.

Hindustan Times

India voices concern over F-16s
Press Trust of India
New Delhi,
March 16, 2005
15:42 IST
Ahead of her Islamabad visit, India on Wednesday conveyed to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice its concern over proposed sale of F-16 fighter planes to Pakistan, saying it might create 'some complications'.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1281446,0008.htm

Musharraf kid causes alarm at airport
Press Trust of India
Islamabad,
March 16, 2005
16:15 IST
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's son Bilal was stopped and made to miss his flight at San Francisco Airport after his child's nappy bag was found to contain traces of explosive material TNT, a media report said on Wednesday.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/7598_1281554,000500020000.htm

Coup strengthened Maoists: Koirala
Nepal's King Gynendra "has taken a hardline stand and imposed censorship on the media. We want that emergency should be lifted," the leaders said during their 30-minute meeting with Patil and impressed upon him the need for restoration of democracy in that country.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/7598_1280782,000500020009.htm

Pakistan detains another Musharraf plot suspect
Reuters
Pakistani security agencies have arrested a member of an outlawed militant group suspected of involvement in a December 2003 attempt to kill President Pervez Musharraf, an intelligence official said on Tuesday.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/7598_1280737,000500020000.htm

Michael Moore Today

http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Italy to Pull Troops
That's How the Coalition Crumbles

Italy to Start Pulling Troops from Iraq in Sept
ROME (Reuters) - Italy will start to withdraw its soldiers from Iraq this September, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Tuesday, adding to the list of U.S. allies looking to cut their troop levels. "We will begin to reduce our contingent even before the end of the year, starting in September, in agreement with our allies," Berlusconi said in an interview on state Italian television RAI.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=1822

Nations Leaving Iraq Amid Anti-War Gains
By William J. Kole / Associated Press
ROME - Italy said Tuesday it will start drawing down its 3,000-strong contingent in Iraq in September, putting a fresh crack in President Bush's crumbling coalition. Bulgaria also called for a partial withdrawal, and Ukraine welcomed home its first wave of returning troops.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=1824

Anti-war groups plan to mark second anniversary of US invasion of Iraq
NEW YORK (AFP) - Anti-war groups say they are gearing up for a series of national demonstrations, including acts of civil disobedience, to mark the second anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, spokespeople said.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=1827

Group to stage anti-war march
By Deborah S. Morris / Newsday
Anti-war groups are putting the finishing touches on plans to take to city streets on Saturday, the second anniversary of the Iraq war's launch.
The War Resistors League plans to rally, march and block the entrances to three military recruitment centers across the city on that day to protest the war in Iraq, as well as in Afghanistan.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=1828

Don’t Ask, Don’t Recruit
Antiwar students shift tactics to getting military recruiters off their campuses
By Nolan Konkoski / Metroland
From Brooklyn high schools to Seattle community colleges and now to the University of Albany, students across the country are targeting on-campus military recruiters as part of a new strategy in the antiwar movement. Using the military’s open discrimination against gays and lesbians as its entry point, the UAlbany chapter of Campus Action is arguing that the presence of recruiters from the Marine Corps, Army, Navy and Air Force is a violation of the school’s own regulations.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=1829


New York Times Exposé:

Bush Propaganda Riddles Our Airwaves!
T.S.A. Video U.S.D.A. Videos State Dept. Video
Ready-Made 'News'

Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News
By David Barstow and Robin Stein / New York Times
It is the kind of TV news coverage every president covets.
"Thank you, Bush. Thank you, U.S.A.," a jubilant Iraqi-American told a camera crew in Kansas City for a segment about reaction to the fall of Baghdad. A second report told of "another success" in the Bush administration's "drive to strengthen aviation security"; the reporter called it "one of the most remarkable campaigns in aviation history." A third segment, broadcast in January, described the administration's determination to open markets for American farmers.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=1797

T.S.A. Report on Airport Security
This video news release features a "reporter" who is a public-relations professional working under a false name for the Transportation Security Administration.

http://www.nytimes.com/video/html/2005/02/26/politics/lowbandwidth/windowsmedia/20050226_SECURITY_VIDEO.html

Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News
By DAVID BARSTOW and ROBIN STEIN
Published: March 13, 2005

It is the kind of TV news coverage every president covets.
"Thank you, Bush. Thank you, U.S.A.," a jubilant Iraqi-American told a camera crew in Kansas City for a segment about reaction to the fall of Baghdad. A second report told of "another success" in the Bush administration's "drive to strengthen aviation security"; the reporter called it "one of the most remarkable campaigns in aviation history." A third segment, broadcast in January, described the administration's determination to open markets for American farmers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/13/politics/13covert.html

UNBELIEVEABLE Mike. Incredible Stuff. Talked about a government of the few. This is impeachable stuff. Why do you suppose Bush isn't impeached yet?

http://www.usda.gov/agency/oc/bmtc/vidnews.htm

This State Department Mess has been out since May 22, 2003? Oh, my. These lies date back before the Elections. The Elections were contaminated.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/obs/vid/c9993.htm

Not to be believed Mike ! Oh my !!

Ready Made Reports.

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2005/03/12/politics/20050313cover_graphic.html

Do you know, Mike, this is undermining even further our integrity as a nation. I'll go so far as to say China has taken it's stance with Taiwan because it wants to protect it any further from the lying of the USA propaganda. You know this stuff makes this country completely skeptical to the point of trustworthiness. There was a day when the USA could point a finger at propaganda as it existed in other countries, all this negates that right. Other countries are now pointing a finger at us. You know the ones leaving Iraq behind are no longer feeling confident in the assertions of this government. How can they believe Bush? Italy doesn't know where to turn in realizing what happened regardless the pumped out Op-Ed at the New York Times. I don't blame them. The USA ain't the USA anymore, Mike.

Thank you.

…isms

UN meet on gender equality calls for empowering women
PTI United Nations March 12: Contending that empowering women is a major tool for development and poverty reduction, delegates at a UN conference on gender equality here urged nations across the world to take steps to help end discrimination against women in all fields.
The UN commission on status of women, which reviewed the implementation of platform of action on women’s rights adopted in Beijing 10 years ago, identified several areas in which gender equality is yet to be achieved and called on all states at the end of its two-week conference yesterday to take step to fill the gaps and meet the challenges.

http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=03137

Stop gender bias, MAS told
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Airlines (MAS) management should review its collective agreement (CA) to bring it in tandem with the spirit of Article 8(2) of the Federal Constitution, which prohibits gender discrimination.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said it was time the principle of the legislation was translated and reflected in the airline’s management policies.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/3/13/nation/10406143&sec=nation

Gender Gap Widens
More people are saving regularly but the gap between men and women is widening, new research from National Savings and Investments (NS&I) suggests.
The NS&I Winter Savings Survey has revealed a widening gap between men and women, with more men saving regularly, saving a greater amount in absolute terms and as a percentage of income. Despite women aspiring to save more than men, men now have an average of 50% more savings than women.

http://50connect.co.uk/50c/articlepages/finance_index.asp?sc=consolidatingdebt&aID=12159

Summers gets vote of no confidence
Signals he'll stay despite faculty call
By Marcella Bombardieri and David Abel, Globe Staff March 16, 2005
CAMBRIDGE -- Members of Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences passed a vote of no confidence yesterday in Lawrence H. Summers, dealing a stunning rebuke to the president of one of the world's top universities.

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/03/16/summers_gets_vote_of_no_confidence/

Workers call proposed ban discrimination
One questioned smoking as a health-risk measure. Officials said hiring nonsmokers could save millions.
By Stephanie L. Arnold
Inquirer Staff Writer
For Malla Keenan of Havertown, the line has been crossed.
An office assistant in the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office and a longtime cigarette smoker, Keenan views a possible ban on hiring smokers for county jobs as discrimination.
"I'm a smoker. But, if I smoke on my own time outside, I don't understand why it should matter," said Keenan, who is "50-something" and has tried to quit several times.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/11136680.htm

ACLU Applauds California Judge’s Decision Ending Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples in Marriage
March 14, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: media@aclu.org
Statement of ACLU Attorney Christine Sun
SAN FRANCISCO -- Today's decision is a landmark for the law, and an important development for the entire nation. With plain but compelling logic, the court has shown us all why in a nation committed to fairness, same-sex couples must not be shut out of marriage. But this decision is most important to the thousands upon thousands of same-sex couples who desperately need the protection that marriage gives, and who deserve the dignity it brings. Gay people are firefighters, teachers, doctors and neighbors; we deserve the same rights and protections as other Americans. Our constitution promises liberty to all; this decision takes us a step closer to that promise.

http://www.aclu.org/LesbianGayRights/LesbianGayRights.cfm?ID=17714&c=101

Sikh soldier 'was taunted by officer about white partner'
By Adam Fresco
A WOMAN Sikh soldier was told by a colonel that she should “stick to her own kind” after he heard rumours that she was dating a white major, an employment tribunal was told yesterday.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1525932,00.html

EU court rules against discrimination in student loans
15.03.2005 - 17:39 CET By Lucia Kubosova
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Court of Justice has ruled that students asking for a loan in a member state other than their own may not be discriminated against.
The Court's decision, presented on Tuesday (15 March) refers to provisions applied in England and Wales under which student loans for maintenance costs are available only for the UK citizens or nationals "settled" in the UK who have lived there for the three years before starting their course.

http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=18670

Church Clarifies On 'Racism in Church' Report
Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
March 14, 2005
Posted to the web March 15, 2005
Pretoria, South Africa
The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) has issued a clarification following media reports that racism is rife in the Church in South Africa.
This followed news published on Sunday, March 13, 2005, by the Sunday Times headlined "Racism Shock in Catholic Church".

http://allafrica.com/stories/200503150635.html

Laila Rouass was a victim of racism in school:
[Entertainment News]: London, Mar 15 : Former Channel V VJ and model Laila Rouass has confessed that she was picked on at school because of her colour.

http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=85985

Anti-racism drive report is sought
By ABDULRAHMAN FAKHRI
BAHRAIN has been urged by the United Nations to do more to combat racial discrimination in the country. The government's claim that there is no racial discrimination in the country is too good to be true, say UN watchdogs. Bahrain's laws do not do enough to combat racism, says the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=106843&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=27361

Grey 'cited' for racism slur

Johannesburg - Veteran Waratahs centre Nathan Grey has been "cited" with the Sanzar rugby body by the Johannesburg-based Cats after an alleged racial incident at the weekend, a South African rugby spokesperson said on Tuesday.

http://www.news24.com/News24/Sport/Rugby/0,,2-9-838_1676724,00.html

Students protest racism on campus
By Ellen Lokajaya, For the Camera
March 15, 2005
About 130 University of Colorado students and faculty stood shoulder to shoulder in protest for an hour at the Norlin Quad on Monday to raise awareness about racism, homophobia and sexism at CU.
The protest — organized by Shoulder 2 Shoulder, a coalition of alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff — was in response to a string of recent reports of racism, including derogatory graffiti in dorms, a fight over the use of a racial slur and reported hate mail being sent to students and faculty of color.

http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/buffzone_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2448_3622326,00.html

CU wants racism cases reported
Victims asked to step forward so officials can track incidents
By Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News
March 15, 2005
BOULDER - University of Colorado officials urged victims Monday to report racial harassment, even if the chance of catching the offender is small.

http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_3622083,00.html>

Foreign Students Go Online to Combat Racism

Jordanian students standing outside a dormitory last October, where a Vietnamese student was killed a day before.
Fed up with facing what they say is the constant threat of racial discrimination and violence, foreign students studying in St. Petersburg have gone online with the aim of setting up an international student association to defend their rights.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/03/16/015.html

I always liked Horses as a Kid

Judge Makes Decision On Abused Horses
LAST UPDATE: 3/15/2005 4:44:16 PM
Posted By: Carly Miller
A judge has made a decision about 7 horses, found starving, hungry and severely malnourished, at a home in South Bexar County.
"I'm going to go ahead and award the horses to the refuge," said Judge Edmundo Zaragoza.
Investigators say 7 horses nearly starved to death under the care of Roy Quinones. But on Tuesday, a judge gave them a new lease on life.

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=B124C2A5-EBFC-494A-B646-8F70C1BC92A1

Suspect cut tails of local family's horses
BY ANDREW DOWD
Journal staff
Four town of Eau Pleine horses would have quite the tale to tell - if they could talk - about vandals taking their tails.
In a bizarre case of vandalism, the tails of the prize-winning show horses owned by the Tackett family were cut off and stolen on Feb. 18.

http://www.wisinfo.com/journal/spjlocal/285446525778777.shtml

RFD-TV DOCUMENTARY ON REAL DESIRE
Posted by Jeremy Rangiawha 12:58 PM 16-Mar-2005
A television documentary about 2002 Horse of the Year Real Desire will premiere on RFD-TV March 31, 2005.
RFD-TV, an American-based rural television network, is available through the Dish Network channel 9409 and DirecTV channel 379.

http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=22834

State will investigate sick horses
State officials are investigating a possible animal cruelty case involving dozens of sick horses.
John and Suzy Rose of Moorcroft have been ordered by the Wyoming Livestock Board to find new homes for 66 horses from their original 115-horse herd.
Many of the horses are anemic, covered in ticks and have gnawed tails. Some have died.

http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/articles/2005/03/15/news/news8.txt

Judge raises bond amount for owner to reclaim horses
SPRINGFIELD -- A judge says William Zobel will have to pay at least $105,000 to regain possession of about 120 horses that were seized from his ranch two months ago. That’s $40,000 higher than the bond amount in a court order issued last week.
Circuit Judge Don Burrell issued the new order on Tuesday morning after Greene County prosecutors said the bond amount of $65,000 in Burrell’s first order would not cover the costs of caring for the horses since they were seized from Zobel’s ranch west of Republic on Jan. 8-9. Zobel's lawyer, Pat Merriman, vowed on Tuesday afternoon to fight the judge's ruling all the way to Missouri Supreme Court.

http://www.ky3.com/newsdetailed.asp?id=7731

Horses Quarantined In Bacterial Infection Outbreak
March 15, 2005, 11:44 AM EST
An outbreak of a bacterial infection sends dozens of horses to quarantine in Louisville, but it's not a major cause for concern.
Officials say it's more like a major inconvenience. It's called Steptococus Equy, but hardboots call it "strangles," a bacterial infection that generally takes hold in younger horses, causing abcesses in the throat.

http://www.wkyt.com/Global/story.asp?S=3079801

Hot money adds to Cheltenham intrigue
By Richard Edmondson at Cheltenham
15 March 2005
For National Hunt racing it has dawned, the day anticipated all year, when those involved wake unusually early to a freezing morn and the promise of gifts and certain excess.
There is something childlike about the expectancy the Cheltenham Festival engenders, and, while it may not spread to the 12 days of Christmas, there is an extra card and an extra afternoon this spring as the great gathering in the Cotswolds stretches to four days for the first time.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/features/story.jsp?story=620378


Unwanted pregnancies

Abortion: The facts
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, leader of six million Catholics, says it ought to be an election issue. Tony Blair disagrees. So should it be?
16 March 2005
The history
The Ancient Greeks and Romans allowed abortions. The early philosophers argued that a foetus did not become formed and begin to live until at least 40 days after conception for a male, and around 80 days for a female.
From the 16th century, the Christian doctrine of passive conception held that the foetus was only given a soul in the fifth month.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=620582

Fight on over Kansas abortion records:
[World News]: TOPEKA, Kan.,, March 15 : A legal tug-of-war is under way between two Kansas abortion clinics and the state attorney general, who wants women's names, the Washington Post reports.
The clinics are resisting efforts by Attorney General Phill Kline to obtain the medical records of more than 80 women who received late-term abortions in 2003.

http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=86127

Republican Party Will Likely Face Abortion Debate in 2008
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 15, 2005

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- When a pro-life candidate ran for the chairmanship of the national Democratic Party, he opened up a national debate over abortion and eventually found himself booed off the stage by stalwart abortion advocates. In 2008, Republicans may find themselves immersed in their own abortion debate.
Some of the leading names touted as possible presidential candidates in 2008 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggar -- are not pro-life.

http://www.lifenews.com/nat1230.html

Birth control programme women won't have a hassle adhering to
In just two years, the patch became the most popular contraceptive in the United States
March 15, 2005
By Lee Rondganger and Di Caelers
It's a contraceptive alternative that will change women's lives - and it's finally available in this country.
Called Evra, the new product is a 4cm by 4cm patch which is applied weekly, usually to the upper arm or buttock. It is removed every seven days and a new one is applied.
After three weeks women have a Patch-free week, during which they menstruate.

http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=129&fArticleId=2447160

Male birth control pill sought
Variety of studies are under way
By ERIKA NIEDOWSKI
The Baltimore Sun
March 13. 2005 8:00AM
The birth control pill was no longer an option for Jim Segermark's wife, and undergoing a vasectomy himself seemed nothing short of barbaric.
So, a few years ago, the 42-year-old father of two from Minnesota devised a new male contraceptive device: a tiny implantable clip that blocks the flow of sperm - without cutting or cauterizing a man's plumbing.

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050313/REPOSITORY/503130393/1013/NEWS03

New birth control patch arrives in SA
March 14 2005 at 01:14PM
Cape Town - In 2002 Time magazine called the first birth control patch "the coolest invention" of the year - and now the patch has come to South Africa.
For the first time, South African women can choose a contraceptive they only have to think about once a week.
At the official launch of the contraceptive in Cape Town, Dr Alan Alperstein, head of the reproductive health unit at Groote Schuur Hospital and part of the international research team that conducted trials for the patch, promised an easy-to-use, extremely effective product, that "sticks well".

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=14&click_id=117&art_id=vn20050314121947150C662316

The Cheney Observer

Boston 'Big Dig' Safety Report Sparks Outrage
By Greg Frost March 15, 2005
BOSTON (Reuters) - The centerpiece of Boston's $14.6 billion "Big Dig" highway project may not be safe to drive in, according to a published report on Tuesday that sparked outrage and worry among motorists.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/03/15/boston_big_dig_safety_report_sparks_outrage/

Bush names aide to sell US image
US President George W Bush has chosen one of his closest advisers as an envoy to improve the image of the US abroad, especially in Muslim countries.
Karen Hughes has been nominated to the position of undersecretary of state for public diplomacy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4351707.stm

NJ official says Bush rule on mercury emissions harmful to state

By DONNA DE LA CRUZ
Associated Press Writer
March 15, 2005, 5:12 PM EST
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration's new rule on mercury emissions does nothing to protect the health of New Jersey residents, and the state will challenge the order in court, the Garden State's top environmental official said Tuesday.
"This EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) rule is so far short of what public health and the law requires," said Bradley Campbell, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--epa-mercury0315mar15,0,184194.story?coll=ny-region-apnewjersey

Under Criticism, Greenspan Defends Backing Bush Tax Cuts
WASHINGTON, March 15 - Alan Greenspan, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, defended himself today against Democratic lawmakers who say he contributed to soaring budget deficits by endorsing President Bush's tax cuts in 2001.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/15/business/15cnd-fed.html

Bush Hints at Peaceful Role for Hezbollah
By Sonni Efron, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — In an unusual overture to what the United States calls a terrorist group, President Bush suggested today that Hezbollah should lay down its arms and become part of the political mainstream in Lebanon.
"We view Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, and I would hope that Hezbollah would prove that they're not by laying down arms and not threatening peace," Bush said during an Oval Office meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-031505mideast_lat,0,1891708.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Govt to facilitate Chinese investors in petroleum: Jadoon
Tuesday March 15, 2005 (1514 PST)
Opinion Poll Open
• Created on January, 01 2004
• Closed on December, 31 2004
• Question: "Do you support the notion of One Currency among SAARC nations ?"
This poll has been closed, view the result of this poll.
Show Result
ISLAMABAD, March 16 (Online): Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Amanullah Khan Jadoon has said that the government of Pakistan would encourage and facilitate the Chinese investors in setting up of oil refinery, Steel Mill in Punjab, mining of marble and granite in NWFP and oil and gas exploration activities.

http://paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=97782

Petroleum Development Adds to Natural Gas Commodity Options
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va., March 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PetroleumDevelopment Corporation (Nasdaq: PETD) today announced that the Company hasadded to previously announced natural gas and oil commodities optionspositions to protect against possible price instability in future months. TheCompany purchased natural gas put options (floors) to provide downsideprotection. The costs of these puts are offset by the sale of calls(ceilings). The strike prices for the floors and ceilings were set at levelsthat allowed two floors to be purchased for each ceiling sold.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/03-15-2005/0003198267&EDATE=

Petroleum prices soar nationwide

KARACHI: The Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC) has increased the prices of petroleum products nationwide.

http://www.geo.tv/main_files/business.aspx?id=69586

A Lightning Bolt Named Bolton
Time Out
March 15, 2005
Jamie Weinstein
Last summer, I went to fairly small meeting in South Florida in which a government official from the State Department made a speech and answered questions. The man's name was John Bolton, and as far as I know, he has no relation to Michael Bolton -- either the singer or the character in the movie Office Space. This, of course, is a good thing.

http://www.cornellsun.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/03/15/423642aa4a02a

UPDATE 1-Bush brushes off qualms about Social Security
Tue Mar 15, 2005 09:19 PM ET
(Updates with late Bush comments, Senate action)
WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Tuesday brushed aside a new poll showing a lack of enthusiasm for changing Social Security and said he was just beginning his campaign for private retirement accounts.

http://www.reuters.com/financeNewsArticle.jhtml?type=bondsNews&storyID=7912623

Pentagon Audit Calls Halliburton's Price 'Illogical'
A new report questions $100 million in possible excess charges on the oil firm's Iraq contract.
WASHINGTON — Pentagon auditors said Halliburton Corp. might have overcharged the U.S. by more than $100 million on a contract to deliver fuel to Iraq in the early days of the war, according to a report released Monday.
Among other items, the Pentagon's Defense Contract Audit Agency said Halliburton had charged $27.5 million to deliver $82,100 worth of liquefied petroleum gas. The DCAA called the price "illogical."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-halliburton15mar15,1,6021644.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=3&cset=true

Pentagon Auditors: Halliburton Overcharged $100 Million
President Asked When and How U.S. Taxpayers and Iraqi People Will Be Repaid
By: Committee on Government Reform Minority Office U.S. House of Representatives

Reps. Waxman and Dingell reveal that Defense Department auditors have determined, in a report withheld from Congress, that Halliburton overcharged by more than $100 million under its no-bid Iraq oil contract.
Excerpts from Audit Report
The cost or pricing data and the information other than cost or pricing data submitted by the offeror are not adequate.
Our examination of the $875,255,894 proposal disclosed $108,409,622 in questioned costs and $1,255,333 in unresolved costs.

http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_19023.shtml

Bush's plan won't bolster economy
Fernando Sereix
Cooper City
Posted March 15 2005
and find out how to get one week extra!
Click here or call 1-877-READ-SUN.
It seems that President Bush, after having failed to secure Iraq and tap its oil fields to pay for this endless war, is now looking for other ways to bolster the U.S. economy.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/sfl-brmail834mar15,0,2635590.story?coll=sfla-news-letters

Why are Halliburton documents so hard to find?
Sometimes the government plays hard to get. But once in a while, with persistence, you can score.
Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and John Dingell (D-MI), the ranking members on the House Government Reform and Energy and Commerce Committees, respectively, caught and released an internal Department of Defense audit report detailing how Halliburton has overcharged the U.S. taxpayers roughly $100 million for one task in Iraq. In a letter to President Bush, Dingell and Waxman note that this report and others have been withheld from Congress and the public. (Unless you’ve been asleep for the past two years, you know that Halliburton has enjoyed voluminous profits from no-bid contracts it’s received in Iraq from the US.)
Now why would the U.S. government withhold information which shows that a private company has been overcharging taxpayers? That could be the Eternal Question. But, the real questions are: Why are we still doing business with this company? And who at the Pentagon is keeping this vital information from the public? If anyone out there has some leads, let us know.

http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2005/03/why_are_hallibu.html

Halliburton in Australia: the publicly funded war profiteer
Peter Boyle
What began as a class assignment for Nick Calacouras, a final-year journalism student at the University of Technology Sydney — a small investigative project into subcontractors who handle Australia's foreign aid turned into a research project that swallowed eight months of his life. It also led to the most comprehensive account to be published so far on the Australian operations of the controversial US corporation Halliburton.
Halliburton is the No. 1 corporate beneficiary of the war against Iraq, raking in US$18 billion in contracts to rebuild the country's oil industry and providing logistical services to the US occupation troops, according to the US-based Corpwatch's 2004 alternative annual report on Halliburton, Houston, We Have A Problem.

http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2005/619/619p12.htm

Environmental groups attack natural gas bill
By SCOTT HARPER, The Virginian-Pilot
© March 15, 2005
Last updated: 10:42 PM
VIRGINIA BEACH - A nationwide coalition of 23 environmental groups is asking Gov. Mark R. Warner to veto a bill that would allow energy companies to explore and drill for natural gas deposits off Virginia's coast.
In a letter sent Monday to Warner, groups including the Sierra Club, the Ocean Conservancy, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth said the gas bill would "establish a chilling precedent" nationwide in its attempt to overturn drilling bans on both American coasts imposed in 1982 .

Cheney helped Bolton's appointment as ambassador: report:
[World News]: New York, Mar 14 : John Bolton, a known UN basher, was nominated US ambassador to the world body under pressure from Vice President Dick Cheney, Bush adviser Karl Rove and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice refused to make him her chief deputy, a media report said.

http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=85230

Bush to U.N.: Screw You!
March 15, 2005
By Bernard Weiner, The Crisis Papers

Traditionally, a lame-duck president has a two-year window of opportunity to successfully push his foreign and domestic agenda. Karl Rove knows this well.
"It's only going to get worse for House Republicans," Fertik continues, "because George Bush is determined to march them off the cliff for privatization. It is important to remember that 2006 is an off year, and the people who turn out most reliably in the off year are Social Security recipients! And it is essential to remember that every House member is up for election in 2006, compared to just one-third of the Senate."

BUSH'S STRATEGIES
1. Circling the Bush-Bunker Wagons.
Clearly, from the Administration's point of view, there were far too many leaks and covert acts of disloyalty to The Leader during the first term - from the State Department, CIA, EPA, etc. - so everything is being done to make sure that will not happen again. The various departmental purges and staff changes at the top are a key part of ensuring a more leakproof environment.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/crisis/05/002_bw.html

Fo shizzle, Gizoogle boosts slang
By Stephen A. Crockett Jr.
WASHINGTON POST
There are words and phrases that manipulate their way into the collective language of coolness -- making them so uncool.
"You da man!" is one such phrase. A few years ago, it had 50-year-old guys in office slacks pointing finger guns.
And who can forget "Wassup?!"?
After this story, we can add all things "izzle."

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/11131374.htm

Cheney will say anything.

Bush has mandate for Social Security plan, Cheney says
Posted on Sunday, March 13 2005 @ 23:40:15 PST by JWSmythe
crazedsiamese submitted: "BY CRAIG GILBERT
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
WASHINGTON - (KRT) - In an interview Tuesday, Vice President Dick Cheney said the Bush re-election victory provided a mandate "for the notion of personal retirement accounts" and that Democrats would pay a political price among younger voters if they blocked them.

http://freeinternetpress.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3130

Xenophobia and Politics
Steven E. Landsburg, 03.28.05
Why protectionism is a lot like racism.
Not long ago in American history accidents of birth were considered legitimate grounds for employment discrimination. Political platforms contained phrases like: "Federal contracts, whenever possible, should be performed by white workers." Politicians demanded tax incentives to reward firms for hiring whites instead of blacks or showing other kinds of favoritism. Those same politicians endorsed "Right to Know" legislation to alert consumers when products were produced by the "wrong" kind of workers. They embraced slogans like "Buy white!"

http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2005/0328/046.html?partner=commentary_newsletter

Jeb Bush Brushing Up for President 2008?
Posted by Senior Editor on 2005/3/14 7:45:43
Jeb Bush would be one of the top contenders for the 2008 Republican nomination.
He has instant name recognition; is the popular governor, twice elected, of one of the key swing states Republican must win; and presumably he has the Bush national organization ready to go behind him.

http://www.theconservativevoice.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3771

Edge restates third-quarter results
Petroleum company revises Q4 and fiscal 2004 figures
By Jennifer Inez Ward, MarketWatch
Last Update: 7:26 PM ET March 15, 2005
E-mail it Print Alert Reprint RSS
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Edge Petroleum Corp. late Tuesday said it will restate third-quarter financial results and revise fourth-quarter and fiscal 2004 results to correct for accounting of some expenses.
Free! Sign up here to receive our After the Bell Report e-Newsletter!
The Houston-based company said its restated third-quarter earnings were $2.7 million, or 20 cents a share. Previously, the company reported third-quarter earnings of $2.5 million, or 18 cents a share.

http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7BBB9004C9-53CA-4E43-B6E5-8ABEDF2BA976%7D&siteid=google&dist=google

Compton Petroleum gets OK to buy back up to 5% of shares

Canadian Press
March 15, 2005
ADVERTISEMENT
CALGARY (CP) - Compton Petroleum Corp. has received regulatory approval to buy back up to five per cent of the energy company's stock.

http://www.canada.com/businesscentre/story.html?id=32ed6fcd-1d6f-496e-b411-9d16ea621390

AG probes Big Dig firms; Romney rips Amorello
By Raphael Lewis and Sean P. Murphy, Globe Staff March 16, 2005
Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly has opened a fraud investigation of Big Dig contractors Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff and Modern Continental Construction Co., focusing on what Reilly called poor oversight and shoddy work that left the tunnels plagued with leaks, defective walls, and damaged fireproofing.

http://www.boston.com/news/traffic/bigdig/articles/2005/03/16/ag_probes_big_dig_firms_romney_rips_amorello/

jurisprudence
The law, lawyers, and the court.
We're on a Mission From God
Is the Ten Commandments case turning Scalia into a devotee of natural law?
By Michael McGough
Posted Wednesday, March 9, 2005, at 2:37 PM PT
Last week's oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court over the constitutionality of Ten Commandments displays on public property offered an embarrassment of riches for students of the court and of the culture wars in general. Among other revelations, we discovered that Justice David H. Souter uses the term "Roman" as a synonym for Roman Catholic—a quaint (and to some Catholics insulting) locution favored by high-church Episcopalians of past generations. But perhaps the biggest surprise, in more ways than one, was Justice Anton Scalia's insistence that most of the proffered "secular" rationales for Ten Commandments displays were absurd.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2114576/

The Hassle Factor
But I don't want to manage my own Social Security account!
By Thomas Geoghegan
Posted Wednesday, March 2, 2005, at 1:27 PM PT
Of the Bush plan to establish individual Social Security accounts, a lawyer friend of mine complains: It's one more damned thing I'd have to manage. I've got enough to handle already.
Isn't that the real issue? Let's forget the funding problem. Or even the risk of ending up with a lower benefit for retirement. Under the Bush plan, we'd be partly responsible. We'd have to hatch our own nest eggs. It's one more job the Republicans would give to us.
This is my gripe against the Bush plan: I've already got enough to do.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2114263/


The IndyStar

Woman escapes when grenade fizzles
Associated Press
March 15, 2005

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- A woman escaped possible death or serious injury when her estranged boyfriend pulled the pin from a hand grenade but it did not explode, police said.

http://www.indystar.com/articles/0/229356-9170-102.html

Utility: Gas furnace, lines didn't start fire
Investigators look for cause of blaze; services set for 1 of 3 girls who were killed.
By Kevin O'Neal
kevin.oneal@indystar.com
March 15, 2005

Citizens Gas & Coke Utility said its natural gas lines and a gas furnace did not cause a Near-Northside house fire that killed three girls Sunday morning.
Fire investigators, meanwhile, had not determined the cause or origin of the fire by Monday.

http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/229353-7235-102.html

The Boston Globe

Michael Schiavo attacks Gov. Bush
By Samantha Gross, Associated Press Writer March 16, 2005
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The husband of a brain-damaged woman accused Gov. Jeb Bush and state legislators of pandering to voters by trying to pass legislation preventing the removal of her feeding tube.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/03/16/michael_schiavo_attacks_gov_bush/

UN's Nuclear Chief Tells Iran to Open Up More
March 16, 2005
LONDON (Reuters) - The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog Wednesday hailed last week's offer by Washington of political concessions in European-led talks with Iran but said Tehran must open more to inspections for diplomacy to succeed.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/03/16/uns_nuclear_chief_tells_iran_to_be_more_open_1110976410/

Russian airliner crashes, killing 49
By Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press Writer March 16, 2005
MOSCOW -- A Russian airliner crashed and caught fire Wednesday while trying to land near an oil port along the Arctic coast, and all 49 people on board were killed, officials said.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/03/16/report_russian_plane_carrying_45_crashes/

Cardinal warns against 'Da Vinci Code'
March 16, 2005
VATICAN CITY -- If you're not among the millions who have already read "The Da Vinci Code," an Italian cardinal has a plea for you: Don't read it and don't buy it.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/03/16/cardinal_warns_against_da_vinci_code/

The Arab News
Lebanon to Figure Prominently in Abdullah’s Talks With Chirac
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News

JEDDAH, 16 March 2005 — Crown Prince Abdullah will pay a three-day visit to France from March 19 before leaving for Algiers to attend the Arab League Summit, press reports said quoting high-level sources.

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=60499&d=16&m=3&y=2005

87 Percent Saudis Back Women’s Participation in Elections
P.K. Abdul Ghafour & Abeer Mishkhas, Arab News

JEDDAH, 16 March 2005 — A survey conducted by an independent agency in Jeddah showed 87 percent Saudis backing women’s participation in elections. It also reflected the greater role of media in educating the public on the polls.

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=60527&d=16&m=3&y=2005

Haaretz

Jericho handover delayed at last minute
By Amos Harel, Arnon Regular and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondents, and News Agencies
The signing of an agreement formalizing the handover of the West Bank city of Jericho to Palestinian control was delayed at the last minute, a Palestinian commander said Wednesday.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/552537.html

The Weather in Australia is bizaare:

"Ingrid" makes landfall and weakens
Tropical Cyclone "Ingrid" made landfall over the northern Kimberley coast, near the town of Kalumburu, early this morning and continues to weaken as she moves over the land. The coastal resort at Faraway Bay appears to have copped the full force of "Ingrid" as she crossed the coast as a category 5 and reports indicate there is little left of the buildings. There were reports of wind gusts in excess of 280km/h before she quickly eased to a category 4 then category 3 cyclone. She is moving away from Kalumburu to the southwest at 5 km/h so the winds will gradually ease along the coastal areas but wind gusts to 175km/h can still be expected near the core of the cyclone with wind gusts to 140 km/h within 65km of the centre. Tides are expected to be higher than normal along the coast north and northeast of Kalumburu and heavy rain may cause flooding of low lying areas and significant river and stream rises in the north and east Kimberley.

Cold outbreak for southeast Australia
Very cold air is going to hit southeast Australia in the wake of a strong cold front which is currently moving through southern NSW. Above average temperatures early in the weak are now disappearing as cloud cover, the remains of TC "Willy", moves over the region ahead of the front which will bring the cold air up from the south. The front has already moved through Tasmania and the overnight temperatures were below freezing in some mountain areas. Snow falls are possible about the alpine areas and once the rain and showers clear the air will be so cold and dry that we could see some of the coldest mornings so far this year and some more frosts.

The New Zealand Herald

Osama's trail cold after near capture in Pakistan
16.03.05 1.00pm
by Nick Meo

Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, has admitted that the trail for Osama bin Laden has never been colder, despite the ploughing of millions of dollars worth of Pakistani and US army resources into the hunt for the al Qaeda leader.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10115540

The Weather in Antarctica (Crystal Wind Chime) is:

Scott Base

Some cloud

-14.0°

Updated Wednesday 16 Mar 9:59PM

Amazing. It's freezing at Glacier Bay !

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Ice Chime) is:

27 °F / -3 °C Clear

Humidity:
74%

Dew Point:
19 °F / -7 °C

Wind:
Calm

Pressure:
29.97 in / 1015 hPa

Visibility:
10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers

UV:
0 out of 16
Clouds (AGL):
Clear -

end