The Rooster

November 18, 2005,

Ventura California Wildfire.

November 18, 2005.

Ventura, California Wildfire.

November 18, 2005.

Ventura California Wildfire.

November 18, 2005.

Ventura, California Wildfire.

November 18, 2005.

Ventura, California Wildfire.

November 18, 2005.

Ventura, California Wildfire.

November 18. 2005.

Ventura, California. Wildfires. Let's be happy the wind doesn't change.

November 18, 2005.

Ventura Country, California, the fires should stop once they meet the ocean.

November 23, 2005.

Victor Yushchenko or the Ukraine Orange Party.

Morning Papers - It's Origins

Rooster "Cock-A-Doodle-Do"

"Okeydoke"

History

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 23, the 327th day of 2005. There are 38 days left in the year.

1765, Frederick County, Md., repudiated the British Stamp Act.

1897 John A. Love patents a pencil sharpener.

1897 A.J. Beard patents the "Jenny Coupler", that connects railroad cars.

1903, singer Enrico Caruso made his American debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, appearing in "Rigoletto."

1917 Edward A. Johnson becomes the first Black elected to the New York state legislature

1919 Marcus Garvey launches the “Black Star Lines” as a part of his plan for a Black-owned and operated shipping line that sails between America, the Caribbean, and Africa. With stock sold only to Blacks at $5 per share, the Line raises $700,000 in its first year and purchases three ships.

1936, Life, the magazine created by Henry R. Luce, was first published.

1943, during World War II, U.S. forces seized control of Tarawa and Makin atolls from the Japanese.

1945, most U.S. wartime rationing of foods, including meat and butter, ended.

1959, the musical "Fiorello!," with music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, opened on Broadway.

1963, President Johnson proclaimed Nov. 25 a day of national mourning following the assassination of President Kennedy.

1971, the People's Republic of China was seated in the U.N. Security Council.

1980, some 4,800 people were killed by a series of earthquakes that devastated southern Italy.

1985, retired CIA analyst Larry Wu-tai Chin was arrested and accused of spying for China. (He committed suicide a year after his conviction.)

Ten years ago: Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic grudgingly accepted the U.S.-backed peace plan for the former Yugoslavia after meeting with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

Free-lance photographer Charles Rathbun was booked in Hermosa Beach, Calif., for investigation of murder in the disappearance of model Linda Sobek. (Rathbun was later convicted of Sobek's murder.) Movie director Louis Malle died in Beverly Hills, Calif., at age 63.

Five years ago: In a setback for Al Gore, the Florida Supreme Court refused to order Miami-Dade County officials to resume hand-counting its election-day ballots. Meanwhile, Gore's lawyers argued in a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court that the high court should stay out of the Florida election controversy.

One year ago: Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko declared himself the winner of Ukraine's disputed presidential election and took a symbolic oath of office. (He won a court-ordered revote in December 2004.)

Dan Rather announced he would step down as principal anchorman of "The CBS Evening News" in March 2005.

Missing in Action

1968 CUTHBERT BRADLEY G. FORT MADISON IA REM RETURNED ID 12/20/91
1968 RUHLING MARK J. PITTSBURGH PA 03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE IN 98
1969 JONES GRAYLAND INDIANAPOLIS IN
1971 ALTUS ROBERT W. SHERIDAN OR
1971 PHELPS WILLIAM CORTLAND NY

November 22

1965 DOUGLAS THOMAS E. WARREN OH
1965 MILLER RICHARD A. NEW YORK NY
1965 PIRKER VICTOR J. TROUT CREEK MT
1965 WINKLER JOHN ANTHONY ALEXANDRIA VA
1966 CRECCA JOSEPH BLOOMFIELD NJ 02/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1966 VISCONTI FRANCIS E. SYRACUSE NY
1966 WILSON GORDON S. HOBART IN SEEN SUBJ IN PARA REMAINS RETURNED 04/10/86
1969 BEDINGER HENRY J. HATBORO PA 03/27/73 RELEASED BY PL ALIVE IN 98
1969 COLLINS RICHARD F. HUNTINGTON PARK CA
1969 DEUTER RICHARD C. CHICAGO IL
1969 QUINN MICHAEL E. MADELIA MN

November 21

1964 NIPPER DAVID ATLANTA GA
1965 TOMS DENNIS L. ROCK MN FELL OFF SHIP?
1967 REYNOLDS DAVID R. BUFFALO NY
1972 STAFFORD RONALD D. OXFORD NE

November 20

1967 BUTLER WILLIAM W. LOS ANGELES CA 03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1967 CRINER NORBERT B. 03/73 RELEASED BY DRV
1967 MARTIN JOHN M. GLENSHAW PA
1969 BALDRIDGE JOHN ROBERT JR. MEMPHIS TN
1969 RENELT WALTER A. WILMOT SD
1972 BREUER DONALD C. NEW YORK NY

November 19

1966 JOHNSTONE JAMES M. FORT MILL SC
1966 WHITED JAMES L. OKLAHOMA CITY OK
1967 CLOWER CLAUDE D. BEAUMONT TX 03/15/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE IN 96
1967 CROXDALE JACK L. II LAKE CHARLES LA
1967 DE HERRERA BENJAMIN D. COLORADO SPRINGS CO
1967 ESTES WALTER O. WILLIAMSTOWN MI 09/30/77 REMAINS RETURNED BY SRV
1967 FORD DAVID E. WILSON CT 03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1967 IANDOLI DONALD PATTERSON NJ
1967 KLINCK HARRISON HOYT LOS ANGELES CA REMAINS RETURNED 08/14/85
1967 LIGON VERNON P. FRANKFORT KY 03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV DECEASED
1967 STIER THEODORE G. PASADENA CA 03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV " ""TED"" ALIVE AND WELL 98"
1967 TEAGUE JAMES E. HARRISBURG AR 09/30/77 REMAINS RETURNED BY SRV
1967 VISSOTZKY RAYMOND WALTON STOUGHTON MA 03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE IN 98

November 18

1966 ARNOLD WILLIAM T. WEST ALLIS WI ACFT DOWNED AT SEA
1967 BURDETT EDWARD B. MACON GA 03/74 DRV RETURNED REMAINS DIC 11/18/67
1967 DARDEAU OSCAR M VILLE PLATTE LA REMAINS RETURNED 11/25/87
1967 HAUER LESLIE J. DETROIT MI 06/77 REMAINS RETURNED
1967 LEHNHOFF EDWARD W. FORT SCOTT KS REMAINS RETURNED 11/25/87

November 17

1965 BOWLING ROY H. SAN BERNARDINO CA WRONG REMAINS RETURNED 03/18/77 ON DPMO REMAINS RETURNED LIST
1965 HIEMER JERRY A. MEMPHIS TN
1965 TAYLOR JESSE JR. LOS ALAMITOS CA REMAINS RETURNED 12/21/75
1967 CAPPELLI CHARLES R. PROVIDENCE RI GOOD CHUTE REMAINS RETURNED 04/89
1967 EMRICH ROGER GENE MIAMI FL POSS DEAD REM RET ID 02/25/97
1967 KEY WILSON D. HAYES NC 03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98
1967 MC GRATH WILLIAM DARRELL COLTON CA POSS DEAD REMAINS RECOVERED 12/04/85
1968 DERBY PAUL D. MENOMONIE WI

Cranberry Relish Recipe

This is a great cranberry relish for all turkey dishes and turkey sandwiches, and a tasty alternative to a more traditional cranberry sauce. The relish consists of raw cranberries, apples, and an orange, all put through a grinder with sugar added to macerate. The resulting relish is truly delicious. A few years ago I was served this relish at my uncle's house; he had received some as a gift from a friend who is a professional chef in San Francisco. I begged my uncle to ask his friend for the recipe. He did, and here it is: Preparation time: 15 minutes.2 cups washed raw cranberries2 skinned and cored apples1 large seedless orange2 cups sugarRun fruit through a grinder (Very Important to use an old fashioned grinder) medium sized blade. Add sugar. Let sit at room temperature until sugar dissolves.

Seattle Post Intelligencer

U.S., partners end N. Korea nuke project
By PETER JAMES SPIELMANN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
NEW YORK -- The United States and its partners on Tuesday dealt the death blow to a project to build two light-water atomic reactors for North Korea to entice it into dismantling its nuclear weapons program, officials said.
The decade-old light-water reactor project had been mothballed for the last two years, kept barely alive in case North Korea showed signs of resuming International Atomic Energy Agency inspections and liquidating its ambitious self-proclaimed nuclear weapons program.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104AP_US_NKorea_Nuclear.html


Skull of Green River serial killer victim found
By ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
SEATTLE -- A weekend hiker found the skull of one of the 48 women Green River serial killer Gary Ridgway admitted murdering in his 2003 plea bargain with King County prosecutors.
The skull of Tracy Winston, who was 19 when she disappeared from Northgate Mall on Sept. 12, 1983, was found Sunday by a man hiking in a wooded area near Highway 18 near Issaquah, southeast of Seattle.
The sheriff's office used dental records to identify the skull, which Detective Tony McNabb said had been place alongside a dirt road sometime within the past two weeks. No other bones were found at the site.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Green_River.html


Malls say they work hard on security
By BRAD WONG
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
A day after a man opened fire on customers at the Tacoma Mall, Puget Sound-area shopping centers stressed that they are doing their best to provide the public with a safe environment.
But on Monday, as the bustling holiday season approached, that was about all spokespeople for regional malls were saying -- noting that security details are confidential.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/249275_mallsecurity22.html


More bird flu cases found in B.C.
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES
Canadian officials on Tuesday announced that they had discovered more cases of avian influenza on another duck farm outside of Vancouver, B.C., emphasizing again that the virus involved was not related to the virulent bird flu strain wreaking havoc in Asia.
"This second finding does not indicate a worsening situation," said Dr. Cornelius Kiley of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Burnaby, B.C.
Kiley refused to say exactly how many birds had tested positive for an H5 strain of bird flu, contending it was statistically meaningless. He said the public should be encouraged they found infected birds only at one of four farms near where the first bird had tested positive.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/249426_birdflu23.html


Mongolia hopes Bush visit lifts trade, aid
By ELAINE KURTENBACH
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
ULAN BATOR, Mongolia -- Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar said Tuesday he hopes President Bush's historic visit this week will lead to a free-trade agreement and more aid for his economically struggling country.
Enkhbayar said that during Bush's four-hour visit on Monday, the two leaders discussed economic cooperation, a trade agreement and scholarships for Mongolian students to U.S. universities.
"A free-trade agreement would give stimulus to sell our products and it will create jobs," Enkhbayar told The Associated Press in an interview.
Bush was the first U.S. president to visit Mongolia, a nation of 2.8 million people, and many in this former communist country sandwiched between Russia and China saw the trip as a show of support for its democratic system.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104AP_Mongolia_US.html


Cheney to headline DeLay fundraiser
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON -- A campaign fundraiser for embattled Rep. Tom DeLay postponed by Hurricane Rita in September is being rescheduled for Dec. 5 with Vice President Dick Cheney as the headliner.
"It points out that the party is behind (DeLay) and the (Bush) administration is supportive and wants to keep Congressman DeLay in office," Eric Thode, Republican chairman in DeLay's home county of Fort Bend, told the Houston Chronicle in a story published Tuesday.
The most expensive tickets for the event - $4,200 - includes a spot at a VIP reception and a photograph with the vice president.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1151AP_BRF_DeLay_Cheney.html


Mt. St. Helens Rockfall plumes draw notice
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Rockfall at Mount St. Helens kicked up a dust plume Tuesday that rose above the rim of the volcano's crater, drawing attention in the region.
"It's a nice sunny day and we're having the first couple of rockfalls that we've had in a while that are putting little dust plumes over the crater rim," said U.S. Geological Survey geologist Seth Moran at the agency's Cascade Volcano Observatory here, about 50 miles south of the mountain that erupted to deadly effect in May 1980.
Seismic activity has continued at low levels, Moran said.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1501AP_Mount_St_Helens.html


Honduras raises storm death toll to 32
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- The death toll from a tropical storm that slammed Honduras over the weekend rose to 32 with 13 people missing, officials said Tuesday.
Tropical Storm Gamma also killed three people in neighboring Belize, bringing the storms overall toll to at least 35.
Honduras had been reporting 11 dead but the number increased as authorities completed an assessment of the harder hit areas, said Luis Gomez, head of Honduras' disaster-response agency.
Some 36,000 people were driven from their homes or suffered property damage, said Hugo Arevalo, an aide to Gomez.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1102AP_Honduras_Storm_Deaths.html


Iraq: A consensus
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
At last, Iraq's disparate factions have found something on which they can agree: They want us out of their country. The closing memorandum of a meeting of 100 Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish leaders Monday "demands a withdrawal of foreign troops on a specified timetable, dependent on an immediate national program for rebuilding the security forces."
The U.N. mandate under which the occupation took place expires at the end of the year. And besides, we thought the objective was to give the Iraqis their country back, and now they've clearly asked to have it back, under a specific timetable.
Reaching this consensus among those representing the three major -- and often conflicting -- elements in Iraq offers valuable lessons for us Americans, who also find ourselves at times bitterly divided over the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
The first lesson is that the time has come for us, like the Iraqis, to face the unhappy reality of the situation, to talk to one another and seek the kind of compromise and conciliation necessary if there is to be any hope of resolution. They are having the conversation we should be having.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/249348_gohomed.asp


Protecting The Sound: Zero is right
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
The state has the right destination in mind with new oil spill prevention rules. We just hope the route to the goal of zero spills will be mapped clearly enough.
A new Department of Ecology report from the state outlines a series of rule and training improvements that could better protect state waters, particularly Puget Sound. The zero-spills goal, Ecology noted, comes from state law.
In examining the report, lawmakers, Gov. Christine Gregoire and the public will want to ask whether the ideas really reach the zero-spill goal. While the department favors placing more use of booms in the water while oil is being transferred, some exceptions would be allowed. A near-absolute requirement for the oil-containment devices might be easier for everyone. It's also likely the state could be clearer about banning over-water transfers in poor weather conditions.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/249351_oiled.asp


BBC News

Water crisis strikes Chinese city
Thousands of tons of water are being shipped in by road
Emergency measures are in force in the north-eastern Chinese city of Harbin, after water supplies were turned off.
The move came amid fears the city's drinking water could be contaminated after an explosion at a chemical factory upstream of the Songhua river.
Authorities in Harbin, home to 3.8m people, said the shut-off would last four days - though there are fears it could go on longer.
Schools and many businesses have shut, while flights from Harbin are sold out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4462158.stm


China's ice capital of Harbin
Central Harbin retains its international feel
Harbin, the Chinese city at the centre of a scare about a possibly polluted river, is better known for ice than water.
Each winter, the snow-bound city hosts an ice festival which draws tourists from across Asia.
Elaborate ice sculptures - some the size of a house - depict everything from China's latest rocket launch to international symbols like the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben.
This international feel extends throughout the city, which owes its development over the last century to Russian financiers and emigres as much as more recent Chinese rule.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4462294.stm


Venezuela gives US cheap oil deal
The deal will help tens of thousands of poorer Massachusetts residents
Officials from Venezuela and Massachusetts have signed a deal to provide cheap heating oil to low-income homes in the US state.
The fuel will be sold at about 40% below market prices to thousands of homes over the winter months.
Local congressman William Delahunt described the deal as "an expression of humanitarianism at its very best".
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is one of the Bush administration's biggest adversaries in Latin America.
He first announced his plan to provide cheap heating oil directly to lower-income Americans while visiting Cuba in August.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4461946.stm


Merkel to tour European capitals
Mrs Merkel is more pro-US than her predecessor
New German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to embark on a tour of European capitals a day after she was sworn in as leader.
She will visit Paris and Brussels, before heading to London on Thursday.
BBC Europe correspondent Tim Franks says the issue likely to top the agenda both in Brussels and London will be the EU's unresolved budget.
Mrs Merkel has also made it clear that she wants to repair the frayed relationship with the US.
That intention lies behind her stopping off at Nato headquarters when she arrives later in the day in Brussels, our correspondent says.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4462056.stm


Doubts grow over US Afghan strategy
Even after nationwide elections there is no respite from violence
It is four years since the fall of the Taleban regime. The United States has spent billions of dollars on its operations in Afghanistan - but what does it have to show for it?
With no end in sight to the insurgency led by remnants of that regime and insecurity still holding back development in large parts of the country, it is a question that many more people are asking.
There has been significant political progress, with the election of President Hamid Karzai last year and a new parliament due to convene next month after September's vote.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4457876.stm


Ukraine marks Orange Revolution
Viktor Yushchenko said the nation had done much to be proud of
Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko has urged supporters not to give up on his government, a year after a wave of protests helped sweep him to power.
Mr Yushchenko was speaking at a rally in Kiev to mark the first anniversary of the so-called Orange Revolution.
The demonstrations of a year ago were in support of Mr Yushchenko, the loser in a rigged presidential poll.
Some are disappointed that problems persist, but analysts say many expectations in 2004 were unrealistic.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4459224.stm

The people of Ukraine are marking the first anniversary of the so-called 'Orange Revolution'.
Mass protests against 2004's allegedly rigged election led to a new pro-Western government. Tim Allman reports.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolavconsole/ifs_news/hi/newsid_4450000/newsid_4458600/nb_wm_4458624.stm


Doubts grow over US Afghan strategy
Even after nationwide elections there is no respite from violence
It is four years since the fall of the Taleban regime. The United States has spent billions of dollars on its operations in Afghanistan - but what does it have to show for it?
With no end in sight to the insurgency led by remnants of that regime and insecurity still holding back development in large parts of the country, it is a question that many more people are asking.
There has been significant political progress, with the election of President Hamid Karzai last year and a new parliament due to convene next month after September's vote.
But it is almost as if this is happening in a parallel universe, some say. There is no sign of it translating into peace.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4457876.stm


Oil prices hit $59 on storm fear
Snowstorms ahead of Thanksgiving could push prices up further
Oil prices have risen above $59 a barrel on fears snowstorms may hit the US north-east over Thanksgiving.
US light sweet crude rose 31 cents to $59.15 in Asian trading, having settled at $58.84 in New York on Wednesday.
Brent crude climbed $1.07 to $56.41 a barrel. Oil prices hit five-month lows last week, but have since risen in response to the recent cold snap.
Forecasts of a storm over the weekend have pushed prices higher as experts fear supplies may not meet demand.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4462190.stm


Irish PM's daughter on Impac list

Cecilia Ahern's 2004 debut is being made into a film
The daughter of Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern has joined Peter Ackroyd, Tom Wolfe and Muriel Spark on the longlist for the IMPAC literary award.
Cecilia Ahern's debut novel PS, I Love You is among 132 books up for a 100,000 euro (£68,000) prize - the highest value literary award for a single work.
Novels by VS Naipaul, Roddy Doyle, Ken Follet and Angela Levy have also been nominated by libraries in 43 countries.
Judges will announce the overall award winner in June next year.
PS, I Love You - the story of a young widow left a series of letters to be opened each month following her husband's death - is being made into a film.
Ms Ahern, 24, has published two other novels since her debut came out last year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4461036.stm


New York Times

Still Searching for a Strategy Four Years After Sept. 11 Attacks
By ADAM LIPTAK
Published: November 23, 2005
Four years after the terrorist attacks of 2001, the government has yet to settle on a consistent strategy for holding and punishing people it says are terrorists. Its efforts remain a work in progress, notable for false starts and a reluctance to have the executive branch's broadest claims tested in the courts.
Last year, three Supreme Court decisions turned back the administration's boldest positions. Government lawyers do not seem eager to give the justices a vehicle for elaboration, at least not one that involves Jose Padilla, an American citizen captured on American soil.
Mr. Padilla's lawyers filed an appeal in the Supreme Court last month, asking a fundamental question: "Does the president have the power to seize American citizens in civilian settings on American soil and subject them to indefinite military detention without criminal charge or trial?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/23/national/nationalspecial3/23legal.html?hp&ex=1132808400&en=d4f0867f5f3a9c57&ei=5094&partner=homepage


In Strong Terms, Rome Is to Ban Gays as Priests
By IAN FISHER and LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: November 23, 2005
ROME, Nov. 22 - A new Vatican document excludes from the priesthood most gay men, with few exceptions, banning in strong and specific language candidates "who are actively homosexual, have deep-seated homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called 'gay culture.' "
The long-awaited document, which has leaked out in sections over the last few months, was published Tuesday in Italian by an Italian Catholic Web site, AdistaOnline.it.
The document appears to allow ordination only for candidates who experienced "transitory" homosexual tendencies that were "clearly overcome" at least three years before ordination as a deacon, the last step before priesthood. It does not define "overcome." Several critics worried that that language would make it nearly impossible for men who believe their basic orientation is gay - but who are celibate - to become priests.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/23/international/europe/23vatican.html?hp&ex=1132808400&en=c9e133cd43f7df1f&ei=5094&partner=homepage


After Complaints, FEMA Extends Deadline for Evacuees in Hotels
By ERIC LIPTON
Published: November 23, 2005
WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 - Responding to an outpouring of criticism, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced on Tuesday that most of the estimated 150,000 hurricane evacuees still living in hotel rooms would have an extra month to find other housing before the federal government stops footing the bill.
HOW TO HELP A partial list of relief organizations and other information on the Web.
YOUR STORY Share your experiences via e-mail or in this forum.
A week ago, the agency said it would stop paying most hotel bills as of Dec. 1. The goal was to encourage evacuees to find less expensive and more permanent housing while they awaited the reconstruction of New Orleans and other cities devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
But the deadline was widely condemned as unreasonable and harsh in Congress, in state capitals and in city halls across the South.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/23/national/nationalspecial/23fema.html


Cracks Found in Protective Foam On an Unused Shuttle Fuel Tank
By WARREN E. LEARY
Published: November 23, 2005
WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 - NASA engineers have found tiny cracks in the foam insulation of a space shuttle fuel tank and suspect that those cracks are related to the foam debris that has come loose during launchings, agency officials said Tuesday.
Although engineers are still looking for the main reason behind the foam shedding during the launching of the Discovery in July, a detailed examination of the tank that was to have flown on that mission may provide a clue, John Chapman, a project manager at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, said at a news conference televised from the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
While studying the tank and its appendages with new scanning techniques at the agency's Michoud tank factory in New Orleans, technicians found nine hairline cracks in a foam ramp that protects fuel lines outside the tank, Mr. Chapman said. Only two of the weblike cracks were visible on the surface, he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/23/national/23shuttle.html


Screening for Abnormal Embryos Offers Couples Hope After Heartbreak
By LAURIE TARKAN
Published: November 22, 2005
After enduring six miscarriages and undergoing six artificial inseminations and two in vitro fertilizations, Kelly Santos, at the age of 35, was dealt the final blow.
"My doctor told me that I would never have a biological child," said Ms. Santos, who lives in Gillette, N.J. The diagnosis was a chromosomal translocation, a mix-up in the arrangement of a few genetic pieces that leads to a high proportion of abnormal embryos and a 90 percent rate of miscarriage.
"It was depressing having all those miscarriages, but when they told me it was over, I wanted to kill myself," she said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/22/health/22gene.html


2nd Music Settlement by Spitzer
By JEFF LEEDS
Published: November 23, 2005
A second major record company has reached a settlement with the New York attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, to resolve accusations that it made payoffs to persuade radio programmers to play certain songs, the attorney general said yesterday.
The $5 million settlement with the Warner Music Group, the nation's third-biggest record company, was the latest in Mr. Spitzer's widening investigation, which has exposed payments to radio programmers in exchange for playing music and routine manipulation of playlist information.
In July, Sony BMG Music Entertainment reached an agreement with Mr. Spitzer. The two record companies that have not settled - the Universal Music Group, a unit of Vivendi Universal, and the EMI Group - remain under investigation, as do many big radio chains, according to people involved in the inquiry.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/23/business/media/23payola.html


Haaretz

Hezbollah releases video footage of Monday's fighting in Ghajar
By Amos Harel, and Eli Ashkenazi, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Hezbollah released video footage on Tuesday documenting Monday's fighting in Ghajar, in which four militants were killed while attempting to kidnap an Israel Defense Forces soldier. The video footage shows rockets hitting a number of IDF vehicles, and smoke rising from them. The group claims that it succeeded in hitting IDF posts and destroying Israeli armored personnel carriers.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/648256.html


Annan: Early Israeli vote could freeze peace process
By Reuters
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's call for early elections could lead to a temporary standstill in the Middle East peace process, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Monday.
"During this election period, maybe there are certain proposals or issues that cannot be pushed, and things are going to be at a standstill for a while," Annan said when asked about the impact on the peace process of Sharon's move.
"I hope that these elections will go smoothly and we can get back to pressing the parties on the peace process," he told reporters.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/648563.html


UN chief: Arab leaders worried Syria could become the next Iraq
By The Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who just returned from the Mideast, said Arab leaders are worried that Syria could become the next Iraq.
Annan said on Monday that the issue of Syrian cooperation with an investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri came up in every capital he visited.
"They're all concerned and anxious to see Syria cooperate and to see the issue settled diplomatically and not lead to a situation that destabilizes possibly Syria and Lebanon," Annan said. "They're worried if we are leading to another Iraq situation."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/648558.html


Bush is not a Likudnik
By Shmuel Rosner
WASHINGTON - It's kind of a novelty for the Bush administration: A Middle Eastern arena, and it nonetheless favors stability over revolution, continuity over change. Here is also an opportunity to refute allegations that are widespread in the world, that the president of the United States is actually a Likudnik.
Between the Likud of Benjamin Netanyahu, or Silvan Shalom, or Limor Livnat, or even Shaul Mofaz, and Ariel Sharon's new centrist party - Bush opts for the center. And even this, it must be admitted, is a move rightward compared to the stance of previous administrations on the eve of elections in Israel. After all, nearly every administration - Republican and Democrat alike - prefered working with Labor governments, not those of Likud, and cheered when the latter was defeated.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/648789.html


Sharon: Life in Likud has become unbearable
By Mazal Mualem, Gideon Alon and Yuval Yoaz
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced his resignation yesterday from the Likud and the establishment of a new political party, which he will lead in the upcoming elections.
Thirteen Likud MKs, including ministers Ehud Olmert, Meir Sheetrit, Tzipi Livni, Abraham Hirchson and Gideon Ezra, have joined Sharon in the new party, which has been temporarily labeled "National Responsibility."
Other Likud members who have joined Sharon include Ruhama Avraham, Eli Aflalo, Yaakov Edri, Ze'ev Boim, Roni Bar-On, Marina Solodkin, Omri Sharon and Majali Wahabi.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/648286.html


Reports: Germany to sell Israel submarines at discount price
By Reuters
BERLIN - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's outgoing government has agreed to sell two submarines to Israel for a deeply discounted price, German news magazines reported on Saturday.
Der Spiegel and Focus magazines said the two Dolphin class submarines would be built in Kiel for a total of about one billion euros (e1.17 billion) and the federal government, leaving office on Tuesday, would pick up one-third of the cost.
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After the Gulf War in the early 1990s Germany gave two Dolphin class submarines to the Israel's navy, which then bought a third for a fraction of the price.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/647321.html


PA official: Arafat died after toxin injected into his ear
By Haaretz Staff
Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat died after a poison was injected into his ear, according to statements made by senior PA official Ahmad Abdul Rahman that appeared yesterday in the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper.
Abdul Rahman, who serves as an advisor to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, granted an interview to the paper on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of Arafat's death.
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According to Abdul Rahman, who is also a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, Arafat was poisoned at the end of September 2003 and lost 13 kilograms over the course of 16 days. Doctors were unable to identify Arafat's ailment during this period. Abdul Rahman added that Arafat loved the closeness of the people around him. He said there is no doubt that one of them injected a poison into his ear, which caused his death over the long term.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/646438.html


Don't let up on Iran
By Haaretz Editorial
The effort to stop the "Iranian bomb" took on extra importance in the wake of the call by Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to "wipe Israel off the map." The radical comment clarified the severity of the threat facing Israel and generated worldwide condemnation. But Israel cannot allow expressions of sympathy to suffice when it faces an enemy threatening to destroy it and aiming to arm itself with the means necessary to do so.
In the last year, there has been heightened international awareness of the increasing danger from Iran, and Western countries have carried out a pressure campaign on Tehran in an effort to keep it from enriching uranium, which could be used to create nuclear weapons. The negotiations led to the signing of a suspension agreement a year ago, but Iran did not meet the conditions. Over the weekend, Tehran rejected an additional compromise, whereby its uranium would be transferred to Russia for enrichment. The rulers of Iran stand by their "right," anchored in international agreements, to enrich uranium within the borders of their country.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/645916.html


Israel vs. the Vatican, Round II
November 18, 2005; 13:08
1.
Sources in the Catholic Church read my report on the negotiations between Israel and the Church, and on the U.S. tour of Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Ministry Nimrod Barkan and got angry.
If he would have invested his time in negotiations instead of going to Washington, they said, the problem would have already been solved. Reports on his meetings here arrived in Rome as Barkan met with several Church officials, law makers on Capitol Hill, and National Security Council officials. Today he will also meet activists in the Jewish community, some of whom are involved in a religious dialogue with the Catholic Church.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerBlog.jhtml?itemNo=647303&contrassID=25&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=1&listSrc=Y&art=1


USA Today

Gamma weakens into tropical depression
By Freddy Cuevas, Associated Press Writer
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Tropical Storm Gamma weakened into a tropical depression Sunday after killing 12 people in the Central American countries of Honduras and Belize.
People walk in a flooded street in San Pedro Sula, Honduras as Tropical Storm Gamma soaked Central America.
Carlos Perez, La Prensa/AP
Gamma, the 24th named storm of an already record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season, has been nearly stationary off the coast of northern Honduras, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
"Gamma's not looking very healthy right now," hurricane specialist Stacy Stewart said a few hours before the storm was downgraded.
Maximum sustained winds decreased to 35 mph — below the threshold of 39 mph to be considered a tropical storm. Gamma's forecast path over the next three days shifted eastward, indicating the Gamma's center could move south of Jamaica by Wednesday.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/stormcenter/2005-11-20-gamma_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA


CIA chief: Interrogation methods 'unique' but legal
By John Diamond, USA TODAY
LANGLEY, Va. — CIA interrogators use "a variety of unique and innovative ways" to collect "vital" information from prisoners but strictly obey laws against torture, CIA Director Porter Goss said.
Director Porter Goss says the CIA has had to put "a lot of judgment in the hands of individuals overseas" within legal requirements.
By Ron Edmonds, AP
In his first interview since the clash this month between the Bush administration and the Republican-controlled Senate on restricting interrogations, Goss said the CIA remains officially neutral on the proposal by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to ban "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment of detainees by CIA or military officers. But Goss made clear that techniques that would be restricted under McCain's proposal have yielded valuable intelligence.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-11-20-cia-detainees_x.htm


U.S. unprepared for super-flu pandemic
By Hope Yen, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is unprepared for the next flu pandemic, lacking the manufacturing capacity to provide 300 million doses of a vaccine for three to five more years, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said Sunday.
"What we all learned from (Hurricane) Katrina is that sometimes we have to think very clearly about the unthinkable," Leavitt said. "We're not as prepared as we need to be. ...We will not have enough for everyone."
Getty Images for Meet the Press
Leavitt
A strain of a bird flu that has killed 67 people in Asia has sparked concerns of a super-flu that could kill millions worldwide, and U.S. officials acknowledge that the strain in its current form could reach here through a migratory bird.

http://usatoday.com/news/health/2005-11-20-flu-preparedness_x.htm


The truth about God in public schools
By Charles C. Haynes
Attacks on the "Godless public schools" have been at the top of the culture-war hit list for more than 40 years. Hardly a day goes by without some politician or televangelist reminding Americans of how the Supreme Court kicked God out of the schools in the 1960s — and how the nation has been sliding down a slippery slope of moral and spiritual decline ever since.
The banishment of the Deity from the classroom is a compelling story that plays well in a nation where millions of citizens take their faith seriously. There's only one problem:
It isn't true.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-11-20-faith-edit_x.htm


Holiday travelers face more complex travel
WASHINGTON (AP) — If you're flying for the holidays you have lots to think about: what to pack — and leave behind — what to wear and how early to get to the airport.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-11-22-holiday-travel_x.htm


DeLay appears in court amid new push to drop charges
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Hoping to regain his post as House majority leader when Congress reconvenes in January, Rep. Tom DeLay asked a judge Tuesday to throw out the campaign-finance case against him.
However, the judge said that the Republican congressman will have to wait until at least December for a decision, and that the conspiracy and money-laundering case would probably not go to trial before the first of the year.
DeLay and two Republican fundraisers are accused of illegally funneling $190,000 in corporate donations to GOP candidates for the Texas Legislature. The direct use of corporate money for political purposes is illegal in Texas.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-11-22-delay_x.htm


Supreme Court justices have already acted on some Alito decisions
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long before Samuel Alito takes a seat on the Supreme Court, his words precede him.
Assuming President Bush's nominee wins Senate confirmation, he will join seven colleagues on the bench who have already concurred with his opinions or scoffed at them, echoed his dissents or strongly disparaged them.
As a judge on the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Alito has written hundreds of opinions or dissents in his 15 years on the federal bench. A few of those cases have gained a spot on the selective Supreme Court docket; even more have been affirmed or reversed through the prism of high court rulings on other appellate cases.
Alito has lost some close cases in the Supreme Court; two years ago he was soundly rejected in the case of a former elevator operator who was seeking Social Security disability payments.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-11-22-scotus-alito_x.htm


Fla. teacher pleads guilty in sex case
TAMPA (AP) — A female teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday to having sex with a 14-year-old student, avoiding prison as part of a plea agreement.
Former middle school teacher Debra Lafave sits with her attorney John Fitzgibbons before the start of her sentencing hearing Tuesday.
By Chris O'Meara, AP
Debra Lafave, 25, whose sensational case made tabloid headlines, will serve three years of house arrest and seven years' probation. She pleaded guilty to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-22-fla-teacher_x.htm


Crosby gets better of Ovechkin
By Alan Robinson, The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby insists he didn't draw any extra motivation going against the NHL's other super rookie, Alexander Ovechkin, for the first time. He certainly looked like he did. (Related item: Game report)
Sidney Crosby rushes the net and scores on Washington's Olie Kolzig during Pittsburgh's 5-4 victory.
Gene J. Puskar, AP
Crosby weaved through two defensemen to score during Pittsburgh's four-goal first period, then helped hold off a frantic Washington Capitals rally with a no-look, spin-move pass to set up Ziggy Palffy's second goal of the game in a 5-4 Penguins victory Tuesday night.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/games/2005-11-22-capitals-penguins-ovechkin-crosby_x.htm


About Michael Moore

MADONNA AMAZED BY FATHER'S MOORE FRIENDSHIP
Pop superstar MADONNA is amazed her father has struck up a friendship with MICHAEL MOORE, because he is a firm supporter of US President GEORGE W BUSH.
Republican TONY CICCONE, who lives near Moore's Michigan home, first befriended the FAHRENHEIT 9/11 documentary-maker when Madonna asked him to deliver a case of his wine to mark staunch Democrat Moore's birthday.
The 47-year-old singer says, "Here's the irony of all ironies: he's now really good friends with Michael Moore.
"They live near each other in northern Michigan, where my father has his vineyards, and several things happened.
"It was Michael's birthday, and I wanted to send him a gift. I said, 'Dad, would you drive over a case of your wine? Can you do that for me?'
"He put a whole basket together with pasta and a sausage, and he and my stepmother went bearing gifts."
And Madonna was astonished to receive a phone call from her father expressing his admiration for Moore: "He called me later and casually said, 'Oh yeah, we stayed and had a cup of tea.
"'He's so nice, we really liked him.' I'm like, 'You are kidding me Dad!'"

http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/madonna%20amazed%20by%20fathers%20moore%20friendship



Michael Moore Today

http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Anti-war mom urges students to protest
DEMONSTRATIONS TIMED TO COLIN POWELL VISIT
By Elise Ackerman / Mercury News
Cindy Sheehan, the Bay Area mother whose protest outside President Bush's Texas ranch last summer galvanized the anti-war movement, urged students Wednesday morning to demonstrate against Colin Powell during a scheduled three-day appearance at De Anza College that started later in the day.
Powell is this month's featured speaker in the Celebrity Forum Series presented by the Foothill-De Anza Community College District at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino.
Students for Justice, the anti-war group that invited Sheehan, is holding evening vigils outside Flint Center during Powell's talks and will stage a mock war crimes tribunal to examine Powell's role in U.S. military actions in Iraq and elsewhere today at 1:30 p.m. at the student center.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4843


Sorry, George, I'm In the Majority ...from Michael Moore
11/19/05
Dear Mr. Bush:
I would like to extend my hand and invite you to join us, the mainstream American majority. We, the people -- that's the majority of the people -- share these majority opinions:
1. Going to war was a mistake -- a big mistake. (link)

THE WAR WAS A MISTAKE
CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll, November 11-13, 2005
"In view of the developments since we first sent our troops to Iraq, do you think the United States made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq, or not?"
54% Made a mistake 45% Did not make a mistake
CBS News Poll, October 30 - November 1, 2005
"Looking back, do you think the United States did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq, or should the U.S. have stayed out?"
50% Should have stayed out 42% Did right thing

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4924


2. You and your administration misled us into this war. (link)

THE BASTARDS LIED
Newsweek Poll, November 10-11, 2005
"Do you think Dick Cheney deliberately misused or manipulated pre-war intelligence about Iraq's nuclear capabilities in order to build support for war with Iraq, or did not deliberately misuse pre-war intelligence?"
52% Misused 33% Did not misuse
NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll, November 4-7, 2005
"Do you think President Bush gave the country the most accurate information he had before going to war with Iraq, or do you think President Bush deliberately misled people to make the case for war with Iraq?"
57% Misled 35% Most accurate
Pew Research Center Poll, November 3-6, 2005
"Before the war the U.S. and Britain claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. These weapons have not been found. Why do you think they made this claim? Was it mostly because they were themselves misinformed by bad intelligence, or was it mostly because they lied to provide a reason for invading Iraq?"
43% They lied 41% They were misinformed
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, October 30 - November 2, 2005
"In making its case for war with Iraq, do you think the Bush Administration told the American public what it believed to be true, or intentionally misled the American public?"
55% Intentionally misled 44% What it believed to be true

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4924


3. We want the war ended and our troops brought home. (link)

BRING 'EM HOME
NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll, November 4-7, 2005
"Do you think that the United States should maintain its current troop level in Iraq to help secure peace and stability, or should the United States reduce its number of troops now that Iraq has adopted a constitution?"
57% Reduce number 36% Maintain level
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, October 30 - November 2, 2005
"Do you think the number of U.S. military forces in Iraq should be increased, decreased, or kept about the same?"
47% Decreased 36% Same 15% Increase
CBS News Poll, October 30 - November 1, 2005
"Should the United States troops stay in Iraq as long as it takes to make sure Iraq is a stable democracy, even if it takes a long time, or should U.S. troops leave Iraq as soon as possible, even if Iraq is not completely stable?"
50% Leave ASAP 43% Stay as long as it takes

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4924


4. We don't trust you. (link)

WE DON'T TRUST YOU
AP/Ipsos Poll, November 7-9, 2005
Now I'm going to read you some words that might be used to describe a person. As I read each word, please tell me whether you think the word describes George W. Bush, or not.
Stubborn: 82% Yes 17% No
Ethical: 47% Yes 51% No
Honest: 42% Yes 57% No
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, October 30 - November 2, 2005
Please tell me whether the following statement applies to Bush or not:
a. He understands the problems of people like you?
Yes: 34% No: 66%
b. He is a strong leader
Yes: 47% No: 53%
c. He can be trusted in a crisis
Yes: 49% No: 49%

YOU GUYS HAVE TO BE JOKING ABOUT THE 49% WHO SAID 'YES.' WHAT ABOUT KATRINA?

La. toll rises as evacuees find dead in return to homes
By Kevin Johnson and Richard Willing / USA TODAY
More than a month after the official search for victims of Hurricane Katrina ended, the death toll in Louisiana has jumped by 104 as returning families in the New Orleans area continue to find bodies.
Many of the newly discovered victims are elderly people who sought refuge in attics and upper floors from the rising waters throughout New Orleans' devastated 9th Ward, said Frank Minyard, the coroner in greater New Orleans.
"Some people are just now getting back to their homes and to the homes of their relatives," Minyard said. "The bodies are still coming in."

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/covington.php?id=59

d. He is honest and trustworthy
Yes: 40% No: 58%
e. He shares your values
Yes: 40% No: 58%

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4924


Now, I know this is a bitter pill to swallow. Iraq was going to be your great legacy. Now, it's just your legacy. It didn't have to end up this way.
This week, when Republicans and conservative Democrats started jumping ship, you lashed out at them. You thought the most damning thing you could say to them was that they were "endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party." I mean, is that the best you can do to persuade them to stick with you -- compare them to me? You gotta come up with a better villain. For heaven's sakes, you had a hundred-plus million other Americans who think the same way I do -- and you could have picked on any one of them!
But hey, why not cut out the name-calling and the smearing and just do the obvious thing: Come join the majority! Be one of us, your fellow Americans! Is it really that hard? Is there really any other choice? George, take a walk on the wild side!
Your loyal representative from the majority,
Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
mmflint@aol.com

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=188


Bush's Approval Rating Falls Again, Poll Shows
Wall Street Journal
President Bush's positive job rating continues to fall, touching another new low for his presidency, the latest Harris Interactive poll finds.
Bush's current job approval rating stands at 34%, compared with a positive rating of 88% soon after 9/11, 50% at this time last year, and 40% in August.
And he's not alone. Cabinet members, Congressional leaders and both parties in Congress have also seen their ratings slip, with Democrats seeing one of the biggest dips in approval, the telephone poll of 1,011 U.S. adults shows.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4911


The Republicans are Pathetic, especially those in the House. But, consider the source, they were lead by Tom DeLay.

House Rejects Iraq Pullout After GOP Forces a Vote
Democrats Enraged By Personal Attack
By Charles Babington / Washington Post
Differences over policy on the Iraq war ignited an explosion of angry words and personal insults on the House floor yesterday when the chamber's newest member suggested that a decorated war veteran was a coward for calling for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops.
As Democrats physically restrained one colleague, who appeared as if he might lose control of himself as he rushed across the aisle to confront Republicans with a jabbing finger, they accused Republicans of playing political games with the war.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4926


Defense official: Rumsfeld given Iraq withdrawal plan
Plan calls for troops to begin pulling out after December elections
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The top U.S. commander in Iraq has submitted a plan to the Pentagon for withdrawing troops in Iraq, according to a senior defense official.
Gen. George Casey submitted the plan to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. It includes numerous options and recommends that brigades -- usually made up of about 2,000 soldiers each -- begin pulling out of Iraq early next year.
The proposal comes as tension grows in both Washington and Baghdad following a call by a senior House Democrat to bring U.S. troops home and the deaths of scores of people by suicide bombers in two Iraqi cities.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4927


Statement by the Press Secretary on Congressman Murtha's Statement
STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY
Congressman Murtha is a respected veteran and politician who has a record of supporting a strong America. So it is baffling that he is endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party. The eve of an historic democratic election in Iraq is not the time to surrender to the terrorists. After seeing his statement, we remain baffled -- nowhere does he explain how retreating from Iraq makes America safer.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/11/20051117-7.html


Statement by Michael Moore on the Bush Administration's Statement
STATEMENT BY MICHAEL MOORE
Unfortunately, the President doesn't understand that it is mainstream middle America who has turned against him and his immoral war and that it is I and the Democrats who represent the mainstream. It is Mr. Bush who is the extremist.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4910


Bush's Approval Rating Falls Again, Poll Shows
Wall Street Journal
President Bush's positive job rating continues to fall, touching another new low for his presidency, the latest Harris Interactive poll finds.
Bush's current job approval rating stands at 34%, compared with a positive rating of 88% soon after 9/11, 50% at this time last year, and 40% in August.
And he's not alone. Cabinet members, Congressional leaders and both parties in Congress have also seen their ratings slip, with Democrats seeing one of the biggest dips in approval, the telephone poll of 1,011 U.S. adults shows.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4911


Bombers Kill 74 at Two Mosques in Iraq
By Chris Tomlinson / Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Suicide bombers killed 74 worshippers at two Shiite mosques near the Iranian border Friday, while a pair of car bombs targeting a Baghdad hotel housing Western journalists killed eight Iraqis.
The suicide attackers targeted the Sheik Murad mosque and the Khanaqin Grand Mosque in Khanaqin, 90 miles northeast of Baghdad, as dozens of people were attending Friday prayers, police said. The police command said 74 people were killed and 75 wounded in the largely Kurdish town.
At sunset, dozens of people were still searching the rubble of the three-story Khanaqin Grand Mosque. As the men dug, 12-year-old Sarkhel Akram collected copies of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, then she kissed them and put them away.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4918


Students gather to protest military recruiting in schools
Anti-war sentiments creep into debates over tactics used to sign up service members on MPS campuses
By Sarah Carr / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
About 75 people, most of them high school and college students, rallied Thursday afternoon near Riverside University High School against military recruiting in the schools.
Shorewood students Alex Lincoln (left) and Jonas Yela, both 14, join a rally Thursday at Milwaukee's Riverside Park to protest recruiting in schools.
The rally was organized by an assortment of groups such as Students for Social Change and appeared to blend debate over recruiting tactics in the school with more general anti-war sentiment.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4915


Respect my privacy!
Groups work to bring the issue of student privacy rights before the State Board of Education
By Emmily Bristol / Las Vegas City Life
What could bring PTA moms, the ACLU of Nevada, a Democratic congresswoman and a handful of grassroots activists together? Oh, just a few military recruiters snatching up student information like Cookie Monster on a tasty chocolate chip binge.
As it stands today, military recruiters in Nevada are essentially getting a free pass to access student records -- and that's not sitting well with a growing number of folks.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4913


Calls to serve met with anger
Some parents say rejecting military's efforts isn't simple
By Colleen McCain Nelson / Dallas Morning News
When military recruiters first contacted her teenage son, Rosemary Galdiano was confused.
Michael Galdiano is college-bound and has never expressed an interest in enlisting. Yet military brochures filled the Galdianos' mailbox. Recruiters called the house. They even contacted the North Crowley High School senior on his cellphone.
Ms. Galdiano said she was shocked to learn that the military received her family's address and phone number as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4914


Westmoor students protest military
By Julia Scott / San Mateo County Times
DALY CITY — Students at Westmoor High School held a demonstration at lunchtime Thursday to protest military recruiters on campus, but the school principal canceled a speaker they had invited.
Administrators approved the protest, organized by a student club called Socially Active Youth (SAY) in solidarity with a national day of student activism against military recruiters and the war in Iraq. But Westmoor Principal Dick Morosi canceled an anti-war speaker, saying he had not been told about the speech.
Four or five students stood in the courtyard with a microphone and blasted the war in Iraq. Students wore the names of California soldiers who had died in the war and wondered out loud what it would be like if they, too, were to disappear. An "art table" was set up with a large sheet of paper for students to record their opposition to the war.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4920


Ex-CIA chief: Cheney 'VP for torture'
CNN
LONDON, England -- Former CIA director Stansfield Turner has labeled Dick Cheney a "vice president for torture."
In an interview with Britain's ITV news Thursday, Turner said the U.S. vice president was damaging America's reputation by overseeing torture policies of possible terrorist suspects, the UK's Press Association reported.
"I'm embarrassed the United States has a vice president for torture," Turner said, according to ITV's Web site. "He condones torture, what else is he?"
Turner said he did not believe U.S. President George W. Bush's statements that the United States does not use torture.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4916


Iraq Dogs President as He Crosses Asia to Promote Trade
By David E. Sanger / New York Times
PUSAN, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 18 - President Bush may have come to Asia determined to show leaders here that his agenda is far broader than Iraq and terrorism, but at every stop, and every day, Mr. Bush and his aides have been fighting a rearguard action to justify how the United States got into Iraq and how to get out.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4917


Camp Casey for Thanksgiving
When: November 22 - November 27, 2005
Where: Crawford, Texas (Camp Casey 2)
Sponsors
Gold Star Families For Peace
Crawford Peace House
Endorsed by
Iraq Veterans Against the War
Veterans For Peace
Code Pink
Schedule of Events
Tuesday, 11/22 - Civil Disobedience
Wednesday, 11/23 - Organization of Katrina relief/Meal Preparation
Thursday, 11/24 - Simple Thanksgiving Meal
Friday, 11/25 - Memorial Dedication
Saturday, 11/26 - March/Rally- Possible Interfaith Service
Thanksgiving is a time for families to gather to give thanks and celebrate the year's achievements. In this spirit, the family of Camp Casey and the Crawford Peace Movement will reunite in Crawford, Texas, this Thanksgiving to celebrate our work, remember those who are no longer with us, and share our stories, our lives, and the wealth of our community.
The past year has seen many tragic milestones in the war on Iraq. Despite the President's assertion that major combat ended last year, military operations have continued, and resulted in the destruction of the city of Falluja, 2,038 American deaths, 200,000 Iraqi deaths, 199 coalition deaths, and 15,353 American soldiers wounded. But this year has also been a year of victories for our movement (figures as of 11/04/05).

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4872


Tax-Cut Measure Faces Bush Veto Threat
By Mary Dalrymple / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - A $60 billion bill the Senate passed to continue expiring tax cuts and shelter 14 million families from higher taxes faces a White House veto threat because it also includes a hefty tax increase for oil companies.
The legislation passed by senators early Friday would spare millions of families from paying increased taxes through the alternative minimum tax. Much of the bill, passed 64-33, preserves tax cuts approved in previous years that are set to expire unless lawmakers keep them alive.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4919


Hawkish Democrat Calls for Iraq Pullout
By Liz Sidoti / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - An influential House Democrat who voted for the Iraq war called Thursday for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, another sign of growing unease in Congress about the conflict.
"It is time for a change in direction," said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., one of Congress' most hawkish Democrats. "Our military is suffering, the future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf region."
Murtha estimated that all U.S. troops could be pulled out within six months. A decorated Vietnam veteran, he choked back tears during his remarks to reporters.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4904


Cheney Latest to Lash Out at Critics
By Mary Clare Jalonick / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney is joining President Bush and other Republicans in accusing Democrats of foul play for asserting that the administration misrepresented intelligence to build support for taking the nation to war in Iraq.
Cheney said Wednesday the accusation is "one of the most dishonest and reprehensible charges ever aired in this city."
"Some of the most irresponsible comments have, of course, come from politicians who actually voted in favor of authorizing force against Saddam Hussein," Cheney told the Frontiers of Freedom Institute, a conservative policy group.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4903


Open Letter to George's Mama
...a message from Cindy Sheehan
Dear Barbara,
On April 04, 2004, your oldest child killed my oldest child, Casey Austin Sheehan.
Unlike your oldest child, my son was a marvelous person who joined the military to serve his country and to try and make the world a better place. Casey didn't want to go to Iraq, but he knew his duty. Your son went AWOL from a glamour unit. George couldn't even handle the Alabama Air National Guard. Casey joined the Army before your son became commander in chief. We all know that your son was thinking of invading Iraq as early as 1999. Casey was a dead man before George even became president and before he even joined the Army in May of 2000.
I raised Casey and my other children to use their words to solve problems and conflicts….
...Your son's amazingly ignorant, arrogant, and reckless policies in Iraq are responsible for so much sorrow and trouble in this world.
Can you make him stop? Do it before more mothers' lives are needlessly and cruelly harmed. There have been too many worldwide already.
Sincerely,
Cindy Sheehan
Mother of Casey Sheehan
Founder and President of Gold Star Families for Peace
Founder of Camp Casey Peace Foundation

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=544


Not One More Mother's Child
By Cindy Sheehan
Foreword by Congressman John Conyers, Jr.
Introductions by Thom Hartmann and Jodie Evans
Cindy Sheehan lost her son Spc. Casey Austin Sheehan in an ambush in Sadr City, Baghdad, in early 2004. As information became available revealing that the war in Iraq was based on lies, she began speaking out against it and demanding the troops come home. In August 2005, she went to Texas, to ask President Bush to explain “the noble cause” for the war he cites in his speeches, and her efforts attracted thousands to create Camp Casey, and drew worldwide attention. This book is a clear, well-written statement of her case against the war and her plea for ending this senseless tragedy.

http://www.koabooks.com/client/client_pages/about_sheehanbook.cfm


82 Die in Attacks on Iraq Mosques, Hotel
By Robert H. Reid / Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Suicide bombers struck in eastern Iraq and the capital on Friday, killing at least 74 Shiite worshippers near the Iranian border and eight Iraqis at a hotel — the second attack against a compound housing Western media and contractors in less than a month.
At sunset, hours after the nearly simultaneous bombings of two mosques in the border town of Khanaqin, dozens of people were still searching for relatives and friends. Others collected shredded copies of the Muslim holy book, the Quran.
One survivor, Omar Saleh, said he was on his knees bowing in prayer when the bomb exploded at the Grand Mosque.
"The roof fell on us and the place was filled with dead bodies," Saleh, 73, said from his hospital bed.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4923


Home for the Holidays
Bush returns to DC to face a restless Congress
By Eric Roston / TIME
Washington is officially on holiday but politically on edge as President Bush returns Monday night from Asia to the White House. Still struggling in the polls, Bush has a full week and a Thanksgiving holiday to lower the political temperature before politicians return to the capital. After last week's tumult and partisan drama on Capitol Hill, Bush might be thankful that the lawmakers' November recess has arrived like the clang of the bell mercifully terminating a middle round in a heavyweight slugfest. Instead of irate, upper-cutting critics, awaiting him in Washington are a stack of budget bills primped for his pen and a National Turkey urgently seeking presidential pardon. He leaves Tuesday to celebrate the holiday at his home in Crawford, Tex.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4964


Everyone is invited.

http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/


Bush back from Asia trip, now faces Iraq worries
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush ended a week-long trip to Asia, which produced few tangible results.
Bush trumpeted shows of unity on Iran and North Korea, but made little concrete progress on trade and now has to confront growing opposition at home to his action in Iraq.
Even before Bush left Washington, White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley had warned not to expect too much of the president's trip to Japan, South Korea, China and Mongolia.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4963


War protest resuming despite Sheehan's delay to Crawford
Associated Press
War opponents say their protest near President Bush's ranch will resume this week although the fallen soldier's mother who led a 26-day vigil this summer will arrive later than planned.
Cindy Sheehan of Berkeley, Calif., has a family emergency and is scheduled to arrive Friday in time for the dedication of the Camp Casey Memorial Garden at the Crawford Peace House. It is named for her 24-year-old son who died in Iraq last year.
Other peace activists have been arriving in Crawford and plan to return Wednesday to the roadside where Sheehan set up camp in August. They say they expect to be arrested, because in September county commissioners enacted two ordinances banning roadside parking within a 7-mile radius of Bush's ranch and prohibiting camping in any county ditch.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4980


Crawford Peace House
Let us see what love can do
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/thanksgiving2005


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We as families of soldiers who have died as a result of war are organizing to be a positive force in our world to bring our country’s sons and daughters home from Iraq, to minimize the “human cost” of this war, and to prevent other families from the pain we are feeling as the result of our losses.

http://www.gsfp.org/


November 22nd, 2005 4:17 pm
Iraq Bomber Kills 17; U.S. Toll at 2,100
By Bassem Mroue / Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide car bomber attacked a police patrol Tuesday in the northern city of Kirkuk, killing at least 17 people, and three U.S. soldiers died in two separate attacks, pushing the American death toll in Iraq to 2,100, officials said.
In Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, insurgents fired a mortar at a U.S. ceremony attended by top officials to hand over a presidential palace to Iraqi authorities, sending the U.S. ambassador and top commander scrambling for cover but causing no injuries.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4979


LESS THAN A MONTH AND ANOTHER 100 DEAD. The loss is now averaging 26 per week dead.

Military Has Lost 2,000 In Iraq
By Josh White and Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, October 26, 2005; Page A01
The number of U.S. troops who have died in the Iraq war hit 2,000 yesterday, a toll felt deeply at big military bases across America that active-duty soldiers and families call home, as well as in hundreds of communities where the National Guard and reservists work, live and train.
The threshold was crossed with the Pentagon's announcement that Staff Sgt. George Alexander Jr., 34, of Killeen, Tex., had died at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas on Saturday of injuries suffered in Iraq earlier this month, when a bomb planted by insurgents exploded near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/25/AR2005102501185.html


Afghan roadside bomb kills U.S. soldier
Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan - A roadside bomb tore through an American armored vehicle in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing a U.S. service member and an Afghan interpreter, the military said.
The vehicle was part of military resupply convoy in Uruzgan province, an area wracked by Taliban rebel violence, a military statement said.
The death brought to 205 the number of U.S. troops killed in and around Afghanistan since the hard-line Islamic regime was ousted in 2001.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4982

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