Sydney Morning Herald
It's official: last year was hottest ever
Last year was Australia's hottest on record, new figures show.
The Bureau of Meteorology annual climate summary shows 2005 was more than one degree warmer than the average temperature between 1961 and 1990, the world standard used to track temperature change.
The figures, released today, have forced the federal government to defend its action on climate change and global warming.
Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell says he recognises climate change is the biggest modern-day environmental challenge.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/its-official-last-year-was-hottest-ever/2006/01/04/1136050469779.html
2005 was hot to trot
These facts about the weather condition in Australia, NSW amd Sydney have been taken from the official Bureau of Meteorology site.
Australia
Australia has recorded its warmest year on record with the 2005 annual mean temperature at 1.09°C above the standard average, making it the warmest year since reliable records began in 1910.
A 1°C increase in mean temperatures is equivalent to many southern Australian towns shifting northward by about 100km
April had the largest Australian mean monthly temperature anomaly ever recorded, with a monthly anomaly of +2.58°C breaking the previous record of +2.32°C set in June 1996
The January-May period was the 2nd driest on record
Preliminary data indicate average total rainfall throughout Australia for 2005 was about 399mm, compared with a long-term average of 472mm
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/2005-was-hot-to-trot/2006/01/04/1136050479467.html
Disaster zones declared as fires still burn
Firefighters are still battling to contain bushfires on the NSW central coast, one of three devastated areas declared natural disaster zones by the state government.
Weekend fires swept through bushland on the Central Coast and farmland around Junee, in state's south-west, gutting eight houses and destroying huge tracts of bush and farmland.
Today's declarations mean the local government areas of Gosford, Junee and Upper Lachlan are eligible for extra assistance under the Natural Disaster Relief Arrangements.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/disaster-zones-declared-as-fires-still-burn/2006/01/04/1136050468518.html
NSW landowners brace as gusts fan blaze
January 6, 2006 - 5:59PM
Landowners are on high alert as a large bushfire continues to burn out of control in a rugged national park in NSW's central west.
Firefighters are preparing for possible flare-ups as gusty winds looked set to fan the blaze in the Weddin Mountains National Park, near Grenfell.
Nearby property owners were advised to prepare their own firebreaks as almost 200 firefighters, aided by two helicopters and six fixed-wing aircraft, worked to backburn key tracts of bushland.
But rain elsewhere in the state came as a mixed blessing for firefighters.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking-news/nsw-landowners-brace-as-gusts-fan-blaze/2006/01/06/1136387617534.html
Body of Antarctic expeditioner returned
By Andrew Darby
January 6, 2006 - 11:16AM
Authorities have rejected a report claiming the death of an Australian expeditioner in Antarctica was being treated as "suspicious".
Building tradesman Peter Orbansen was found dead at a remote base, Davis Station, on November 19.
A seasoned expeditioner, the 43-year-old had been at the scientific Australian base on the Antarctic coast 4,700 km south of Perth for less than a fortnight.
He was scheduled to work for the summer at a place he knew well.
An investigation into the death was carried out by the Davis station leader, who is sworn as an Australian Federal Police special constable.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/body-of-antarctic-expeditioner-returned/2006/01/06/1136387592874.html
Whalers fire harpoon toward activists
January 6, 2006 - 6:55PM
Greenpeace says a Japanese whaling vessel fired a harpoon between two inflatable boats crewed by anti-whaling protesters in Antarctic seas.
The incident occurred as the dangerous cat and mouse battle between protesters and whalers continued, with Greenpeace reporting at least 20 minke whales had been slaughtered in the past 48 hours.
But the environmental activist group claimed some success, maintaining its tactics of harassment had allowed other whales to escape the harpoons.
Greenpeace expedition leader Shane Rattenbury said protesters' Zodiac inflatable boats were on the water trying to get between hunted whales and harpooners for the second day running, with whalers and protesters both having some success.
Mr Rattenbury said the stakes for whalers as the Antarctic clash entered its second week, were increasing.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking-news/whalers-fire-harpoon-toward-activists/2006/01/06/1136387619751.html
Death toll in Java landslide put at 300
At least 300 people in an Indonesian village in central Java have probably been buried and killed by a landslide unleashed by heavy rain, the United Nations has said.
A torrent of mud slammed into Sijeruk village, 370 kilometres east of Jakarta, in the second disaster to hit the island this week caused by monsoonal rains and, activists say, deforestation.
A district welfare official, Umar Yulianto, put the death toll at 16, but the the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva said that "local authorities fear at least 300 people" were buried in the village.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/death-toll-in-java-landslide-put-at-300/2006/01/05/1136387576076.html
DNA could prove executed man innocent
January 6, 2006 - 2:46PM
Roger Keith Coleman.
Photo: AP
Virginia Governor Mark R Warner has ordered DNA evidence to be retested to determine if a man executed in 1992 was innocent.
If the testing shows Roger Keith Coleman did not rape and kill his sister-in-law in 1981, it will be the first time in the United States a person has been exonerated by scientific testing after his execution, according to death penalty opponents.
Warner said he ordered the tests because of technological advances that could provide a level of forensic certainty not available in the 1980s.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/dna-could-prove-executed-man-innocent/2006/01/06/1136387610845.html
Thieves ruin Lauren's Christmas
NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney has described a robbery at the home of Sydney bashing victim Lauren Huxley as a "loathsome act".
Among the items stolen were unopened Christmas gifts given to the 19-year-old, who is still recovering in hospital after being bashed, bound and doused with petrol at her Northmead home in November.
Part of the home was destroyed by fire, and the Huxley family had moved to a block of units at Northmead while their daughter fought for her life in Westmead Hospital.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/thieves-ruin-laurens-christmas/2006/01/04/1136050448824.html
Sydney to Hobart boat capsizes, crew hurt
Five crew members have been rescued from their stricken yacht in wild seas off NSW's far south coast.
NSW water police reached the sailors about 7.50am (AEDT) today, ending their 13-hour ordeal.
"The crew have been transferred to the police launch Fearless and the yacht has been left adrift and the emergency beacon will continue to flash until it's picked up by whoever," Australian Maritime Safety spokesman Greg Smith said.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/sydney-to-hobart-boat-capsizes-crew-hurt/2006/01/04/1136050464243.html
Ice rink disaster: hopes fade for survivors
Hopes are fading of finding alive four people trapped under the collapsed roof of an ice rink in the German Alps as the death toll rose to at least 11, many of them children.
Authorities said they feared a total of 15 people may have died in yesterday's tragedy, on one of the final days of the Christmas school holidays.
Battling the cold, rescuers who had worked through the night scrambled to recover the four skaters, using backhoes and their hands to remove metal, concrete and snow.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/ice-rink-disaster-hopes-fade-for-survivors/2006/01/04/1136050465472.html
Java floods leave 61 dead, thousands homeless
JAKARTA: Rescuers struggled to reach isolated villages and recovered dozens more corpses yesterday as the death toll from flash flooding on the Indonesian island of Java reached 61, including two rescue workers.
Television footage showed a crying survivor carrying a dead baby, and policemen hauling injured survivors on stretchers from destroyed villages in Jember district, eastern Java.
Local officials scrambled to provide food, shelter and medicine to more than 5400 people made homeless by the flooding, which was triggered by heavy weekend rains that sent mud, water and logs crashing into villages, destroying hundreds of buildings early on Monday.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/java-floods-leave-61-dead-thousands-homeless/2006/01/03/1136050442692.html
Rescuers dig by hand to reach 13 trapped after mine blast
A COAL mine in West Virginia where 13 miners were missing after a methane explosion is reported to have been warned of multiple safety violations.
Almost 24 hours after the accident there had been no contact with the trapped miners as rescuers dug by hand to prevent sparks from heavy boring equipment setting off another blast.
The blast, about 85 metres below the surface, occurred early on Monday as two teams were reopening the mine after the holiday weekend. A fire inspector had examined the mine shortly before the shift started and found no problems.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/rescuers-dig-by-hand-to-reach-13-in-us-mine/2006/01/03/1136050442686.html
Twelve miners found alive in coal mine
The peal of church bells just before midnight spread the word that a miracle had occurred in a West Virginia mining town.
A dozen miners buried alive in the Sago Mine for more than 40 hours by an explosion and cave-in were found safe and sound.
"Oh, my God, oh, my God," gasped Anna McCloy, a 25-year-old mother of two whose husband, Randal, 26, was among the missing. "They're alive. I can't believe it. They're alive."
Scores of residents gathered at the Sago Baptist Church in Tallmansville erupted with shouts of joy when the good news reached them. Some began singing hymns, others hugged and kissed each other, and a few jumped up and down with tears in their eyes. Even hard-bitten miners buried their faces in their hands and wept.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/twelve-miners-found-alive-in-coal-mine/2006/01/04/1136050488411.html
Bali nine accused feared he'd be shot
AN accused Australian drug courier, Michael Czugaj, has told a court in Denpasar that he thought he would be shot if he did not carry part of a $4 million heroin stash to Australia.
His evidence yesterday appeared not to sway the chief prosecutor, David Adji, who will make his sentencing demand when Czugaj's trial resumes in two weeks. "If you are asking if the packages were strapped to his body, I can prove that in my sleep," Mr Adji said afterwards.
Indonesian laws carry the death sentence for trafficking.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/bali-nine-accused-feared-hed-be-shot/2006/01/03/1136050442655.html
Visas traded for sex, says former migration staffer
THE British Home Office is investigating claims that immigration officials operated a sex- for-visas scam and ignored vital security checks.
A former administration officer at the main immigration centre in Croydon, south of London, was quoted by The Sun as saying that women were helped to stay in Britain in return for sex.
Anthony Pamnani, 23, said he quit after four years in disgust at the behaviour, which he said also included mocking any "ugly" applicants. Those considered good looking would be seen straight away, while others had to queue for hours, he said.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/visas-traded-for-sex-says-former-migration-staffer/2006/01/03/1136050442673.html
Sick passenger placed in isolation
Tests are being done on a man who was taken into isolation at a Sydney hospital after arriving on a flight from Taiwan.
But Prince of Wales Hospital is refusing to confirm reports the man, whose age is not known, has a suspected case of avian influenza.
"We haven't got a diagnosis at this stage," a hospital spokesman said.
He arrived at Sydney Airport and was admitted to Prince of Wales between 1pm (AEDT) and 1.30pm, the spokesman said.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/sick-passenger-placed-in-isolation/2006/01/04/1136050483384.html
Lack of drug subsidies may threaten supply
THE growth in Australia's spending on prescribed drugs has dwindled to a fraction of Federal Government forecasts, according to the pharmaceutical industry which is pressing for an easing in savings measures.
A spokesman for drug companies yesterday warned that the Government's mandatory price cuts on new generic medicines threatened to discourage the supply of medicines to Australia.
Figures provided by the drugs industry group Medicines Australia show the growth in spending on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme last November was just 1.4 per cent ahead of costs incurred in November 2004.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/lack-of-drug-subsidies-may-threaten-supply/2006/01/03/1136050442576.html
Eight bodies found after US air strike
Eight corpses, including those of two children, were pulled from the rubble of a house in northern Iraq after it was bombed by US aircraft.
The air strike came as a team of international monitors started to review contested results from Iraq's December general elections following accusations of fraud by Sunni-based and secular parties.
The US military confirmed it attacked a house in Baiji, 200 kilometres north of Baghdad, yesterday after an unmanned drone spotted three men planting a roadside bomb and then fleeing into the building.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/eight-bodies-found-after-us-air-strike/2006/01/04/1136050470680.html
Saddam prefers firing squad: report
Jailed former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein told two of his lawyers that if he is sentenced to death for war crimes, he would rather die by firing squad than by hanging, The Washington Times reported.
"I don't value this life that much. Every human being has his time to go," lawyer Issam Ghazzawi said Saddam told him when they met in a basement of a Baghdad courthouse on December 7 during a break in his trial.
The quotes were published in Tuesday's paper.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/saddam-prefers-firing-squad-report/2006/01/03/1136050439742.html
Use earbuds with caution warns expert
The ever-popular earbuds used with many iPods and other MP3 players may be more stylish than the bigger and bulkier earmuff-type headphones, but they may also be more damaging to one's hearing, according to a Northwestern professor.
"No-one really knows for sure" the levels at which iPod users listen to music, but "what we do know is that young people like their music loud and seldom worry about any decline in hearing ability," said Dean Garstecki, chairman of Northwestern's communication sciences and disorders department.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking/use-earbuds-with-caution-warns-expert/2005/12/30/1135732715757.html
Healthy change of emphasis
It has long been something of a mystery why Australian drama seems to overlook one very important section of our society - indigenous Australians.
In any average year the number of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander faces that pop up in prime-time series could be counted on one hand ... and when they do it's not usually in starring roles.
But that all changes from this week when SBS premieres RAN: Remote Area Nurse, set on a Torres Strait island and with a cast largely made up (aside from the eponymous nurse and a few others) of indigenous Australian actors.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/northern-exposure/2005/12/31/1135915728298.html
Trial and error as horses slip up on lush new track
BARRIER trials at Rosehill were postponed yesterday because the lush track was causing horses to slip. This comes only six months after the track was lambasted by trainers and jockeys due to the wear and tear of the surface.
The trials were called off when jockeys expressed safety concerns after four horses lost their footing in the first heat held on the returfed inside grass.
"The track looked great but the horses couldn't get a grip on it," officiating steward Allan Reardon said. "Six of the nine riders approached me straight after the trial.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/horseracing/horses-slip-up-on-lush-new-track/2006/01/03/1136050443080.html
Rare Magna Carta copy not such a big deal after all
AUSTRALIA'S 709-year-old version of Magna Carta, whose official ownership has only recently been settled, has become the subject of another indignity - a $25 million write-down.
The ink-on-vellum document displayed at the Parliament in Canberra is one of only four of the final version of the historic charter surviving, and had been valued at $40 million in 2002.
But a new Federal Government valuation has slashed this to $15 million, the Department of Parliamentary Services has confirmed to the Herald.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rare-magna-carta-copy-not-such-a-big-deal-after-all/2006/01/03/1136050442558.html
Abramoff scandal a charities windfall
From the Oval Office to Capitol Hill, prominent Republicans are scrambling to shed campaign contributions linked to the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, as his guilty pleas in fraud and corruption cases opened a painful debate within the party over its leadership and direction.
President George Bush is giving $US6000 ($8000) in political contributions from Abramoff, his wife and a client to charity, but will keep more than $US100,000 that Abramoff collected for Mr Bush's 2004 re-election campaign, officials said.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/abramoff-scandal-a-charities-windfall/2006/01/05/1136387576073.html
Michael Moore Today
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
O'Reilly Backs Criminals
No Spin Zone
Letterman 1 - O'Reilly 0
"I have the feeling that 60% of what you say is crap..." and with that Dave Letterman captured the essence of what is Bill O'Reilly. Earlier in the segment Bill O'Reilly said, "The Soldiers and Marines are noble they are not terrorists and when people call them that like Cindy Sheehan; called the insurgents freedom fighters we don't like that. " This quotation is a perfect example of O'Reilly's sophistry. Notice where he pauses, not after that, but rather after Cindy Sheehan, implying not only that does she view the insurgents as freedom fighters but that she views the troops as terrorists. It is exactly the same technique Bush used in linking Iraq and 9/11. It wasn't simply an awkward sentence but a device O'Reilly uses frequently to smear others. You don't debate with someone who has no respect for the facts, for someone who quotes out of context. You point out as Dave did that it is crap. You don't argue the fine points you can never win that sort of argument with a LIAR. When someone flings shit like O'Reilly does, you don't need to identify it point by point you can smell it.
http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/002750.html
Back Up Video Link
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/01/04.html#a6571
Felonious Tentacles
Bush to Give Up $6,000 Linked to Abramoff
By Pete Yost / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - President Bush's re-election campaign is giving up $6,000 in campaign contributions connected to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who faced more guilty pleas as part of a broad-ranging political corruption investigation.
The once-powerful lobbyist was due in federal court in Miami later Wednesday to plead guilty to fraud charges stemming from his purchases of a Florida gambling boat fleet called SunCruz. The plea is part of an agreement with prosecutors requiring him to cooperate in a broad corruption investigation into members of Congress.
In a plea agreement with government prosecutors Tuesday, Abramoff agreed to tell the FBI about alleged bribes to lawmakers and their aides on issues ranging from Internet gambling to wireless phone service in the House.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5383
George jettisons only 6% of dirty money raised by lobbyist
Top Republicans Give Up Abramoff Donations
Associated Press
President Bush, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and his successor Roy Blunt Wednesday joined the growing list of officials shedding political donations from Jack Abramoff, the once powerful lobbyist who has agreed to testify in a broad-ranging political corruption investigation.
Bush's re-election campaign is giving up $6,000 in campaign contributions connected to Abramoff, who pleaded guilty Tuesday to fraud, corruption and tax evasion charges in Washington. The lobbyist was due in federal court in Miami Wednesday afternoon to plead guilty to fraud charges stemming from his purchases of a Florida gambling boat fleet called SunCruz.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5384
Anger as Britain admits it was wrong to blame Iran for deaths in Iraq
By Kim Sengupta, Ben Russell and Terri Judd / Independent
MPs and soldiers' families have demanded an explanation from the Government after a U-turn over claims that Iran was complicit in the killing of British soldiers in southern Iraq.
Britain has dropped the charge of Iranian involvement after senior officials had repeatedly accused the Tehran regime of supplying sophisticated explosive devices to insurgents. Government officials now acknowledge that there is no evidence, or even reliable intelligence, connecting the Iranian government to the infra-red triggered bombs which have killed 10 British soldiers in the past eight months.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5418
Cannon to Return Abramoff Donations, Not Tribal Contributions
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, will return $2,000 in contributions from lobbyist Jack Abramoff, but will not return $7,000 in contributions from the Indian tribes that employed the lobbyist, the congressman's chief of staff said.
Cannon had refused to refund the contributions as the monthslong investigation into Abramoff's lobbying practices unfolded, but his chief of staff, Joe Hunter, said that with Abramoff's plea agreement Tuesday, it is appropriate to give back the money.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5388
Key Democrat Says Spying Violated Law
By Scott Shane / New York Times
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 - The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said on Wednesday that the limited Congressional briefings the Bush administration has provided on a National Security Agency eavesdropping program violated the law.
In a letter to President Bush, the representative, Jane Harman of California, said the briefings did not comply with the National Security Act of 1947. That law requires the House and Senate Intelligence Committees to be "kept fully and currently informed" about the spy agencies' activities.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5406
Surveillance Court Is Seeking Answers
Judges Were Unaware of Eavesdropping
By Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post
The members of a secret federal court that oversees government surveillance in espionage and terrorism cases are scheduled to receive a classified briefing Monday from top Justice Department and intelligence officials about a controversial warrantless-eavesdropping program, according to sources familiar with the arrangements.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5408
Bush Appointments Avert Senate Battles
By Thomas B. Edsall / Washington Post
President Bush yesterday made a raft of controversial recess appointments, including Julie L. Myers to head the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau at the Department of Homeland Security, in a maneuver circumventing the need for approval by the Senate.
Myers, a niece of former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Richard B. Myers and the wife of the chief of staff to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, had been criticized by Republicans and Democrats who charged that she lacked experience in immigration matters.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5409
Bush bypasses Senate in 17 recess appointments
Kansas City Star
WASHINGTON — President Bush on Wednesday bypassed the Senate to install former Navy Secretary Gordon R. England as deputy secretary of defense.
He used a similar maneuver to name Julie L. Myers as assistant secretary of homeland security for immigration and customs enforcement. Myers grew up in Johnson County.
In all, Bush named 17 persons to government positions, using recess appointments to bypass senators who had blocked the nominations.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5412
Immigration Nominee's Credentials Questioned
By Dan Eggen and Spencer S. Hsu / Washington Post
The Bush administration is seeking to appoint a lawyer with little immigration or customs experience to head the troubled law enforcement agency that handles those issues, prompting sharp criticism from some employee groups, immigration advocates and homeland security experts.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5410
Michael has this indomitable sense of fairness and priority. He has listed the criminals in alphabetical order.
Blunt fund will donate Abramoff contributions to charity
By Sam Hananel / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Rep. Roy Blunt's political action committee will donate to charity $8,500 in contributions received from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Republican said Wednesday.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5386
January 4th, 2006 6:20 pm
Burns pushed for Indian school program shortly after donations
By Jennifer McKee / Missoulian
HELENA - U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns first pushed for a tribal school construction program sought by lobbyist Jack Abramoff's clients within two months of receiving $75,000 in campaign donations from the indicted lobbyist's tribal clients in 2002.
The money is among the nearly $150,000 Burns, R-Mont., announced Thursday he is either returning or donating to charity. Burns is seeking his fourth six-year Senate term in 2006.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5395
Cantor donates Abramoff money to charity
WAVY-TV
RICHMOND, Va. U-S Representative Eric Cantor will turn over approximately 10-thousand dollars in political donations from former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his wife.
Cantor -- the chief deputy Republican whip -- will donate the money to the William Byrd Community House. The group assists families and children in need in Richmond.
Rob Collins is Cantor's chief of staff. He told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that Abramoff was --quote-- "a dishonest guy who did dishonest things."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5387
Prosecutor in DeLay case subpoenas Abramoff documents
By Suzanne Gamboa / Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The prosecutor in the Texas money laundering case against Rep. Tom DeLay issued subpoenas today looking for links between lobbyist Jack Abramoff and fundraising by the former majority leader.
District Attorney Ronnie Earle issued the subpoenas in Austin the same day that Abramoff pleaded guilty in Washington to federal charges of conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5373
Frist gives money back to tribe linked to Abramoff
By Bill Theobald / Gannett News
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist decided today to return a $2,000 campaign contribution from an Indian tribe represented by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
The contribution was made in October 2003 by the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan to Volunteer Political Action Committee, which is controlled by the Tennessee Republican.
Abramoff pleaded guilty yesterday to three felony counts of fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion. Some of those charges were related to his work with Indian tribes who run casinos, including the Saginaw Chippewas. Abramoff promised to protect the tribes from federal taxation and competition from new casinos.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5401
Hastert donates Abramoff-linked money
Lawmakers rush to shed financial ties to tainted lobbyist
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert became the latest lawmaker to dump campaign contributions from clients of high-flying lobbyist Jack Abramoff, giving about $70,000 to charity Tuesday.
The donation came after Abramoff pleaded guilty to corruption charges and agreed to cooperate with a federal corruption investigation in Washington.
"The speaker believes that while these contributions were legal, it is appropriate to donate the money to charity," a spokesman for the Illinois Republican, Ron Bonjean, said. Bonjean did not specify which group or groups would receive the money.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5375
Today is January 6, 2006. The attacks on the USA happened over four years ago. I don't call this progress, regardless, of what the 'Loser' Spin Zones say.
Suicide Bombing in Afghan Town Kills 10 as U.S. Ambassador Visits
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A suicide bomb exploded in a crowded market Thursday in an Afghan town just a few hundred yards from where the U.S. ambassador was meeting with local leaders. Ten Afghans were killed and 50 wounded in the deadliest of a recent series of attacks.
Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann was not hurt in the blast. A purported Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility and said the insurgents hoped to kill ''high-ranking Americans.''
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5413
At least 134 killed in attacks across Iraq
80 killed in one bombing
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- In the deadliest day in Iraq in nearly four months, at least 134 people were killed and scores were wounded in separate insurgent-bomb attacks, authorities said Thursday.
In Ramadi, 80 people were killed and dozens wounded when a bomber detonated near an Iraqi police recruitment and screening drive, according to a U.S. Marine news release.
About 1,000 people were waiting in line to apply for positions on the reconstituted Iraqi police force, officials said.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5415
A Taliban, huh? NO CLUE !
Taliban Is Blamed for Beheading Teacher
By Noor Khan / Associated Press
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Taliban militants beheaded a teacher in a central Afghan town while his wife and eight children watched, officials said Wednesday, describing the latest in a string of attacks targeting educators at schools where girls study.
Four men stabbed Malim Abdul Habib eight times late Tuesday before decapitating him in the courtyard of his home in Qalat, said Ali Khail, a spokesman for the provincial government of Zabul, where the attack took place.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=5414
The Miami Herald
Get brrrrr-aced for a biting cold blast
Residents may want to keep Fido inside and cover some plants as temperatures could dip to the 30s this weekend.
BY EVAN S. BENN
ebenn@MiamiHerald.com
Even South Florida can get pretty chilly sometimes.
Want proof? Stick around for the weekend.
Residents may wake up Saturday and Sunday to the coldest temperatures felt in South Florida so far this winter, forecasters said.
The National Weather Service issued a ''special weather statement'' warning of near-freezing temperatures caused by a cold front moving today into Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
The possibility of temperatures dipping to the low 40s to mid 30s means owners of plants and pets may want to bring them inside tonight and Saturday night.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13560432.htm
JEB SINS !!!!!
Bush signs slots bill
By ERIKA BOLSTAD
ebolstad@MiamiHerald.com
Gov. Jeb Bush signed into law today a bill that allows four Broward parimutuels to begin offering slot machines.
That means that as soon as this summer, three race tracks and a fronton could offer slot machines -- in addition to the dog and horse racing and jai alai matches they already offer.
They must wait, however, until the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation draws up day-to-day guidelines for operating slots. Those rules also would include the way the slots work and guidelines that ensure the fairness of the machines.
They would also include rules on what kind of background checks employees would undergo and how the proceeds from slot machines would be audited. Proceeds from the machines will be taxed at 50 percent, money that will go toward education in Florida. Lawmakers haven't yet determined how they will spend the money, an estimated $100 million in the first year of operation.
Lawmakers passed the slots legislation during a special session in December, after first failing to write any laws during the regular session in May.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13548031.htm
JEB MAKES PENANCE !!
Gove. Bush wants $600M to stormproof state
Gov. Jeb Bush will call on Florida lawmakers to spend nearly $600 million to help prepare homes, shelters, and a response plan for hurricanes.
BY GARY FINEOUT
gfineout@MiamiHerald.com
TALLAHASSEE - After watching the state endure devastating hurricanes over the past two years, Gov. Jeb Bush wants to spend nearly $600 million in the coming year to help the state prepare and withstand the next round of deadly storms.
Bush, who came under criticism for the delayed response efforts during Hurricane Wilma in October, wants to use the money on everything from helping shore up homes built before stronger building codes, buying generators for special needs shelters to expanding the state's hurricane sales tax holiday.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13562380.htm
Bloodshed in Iraq leaves 132 dead
JASON STRAZIUSO
Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Suicide bombers infiltrated a line of police recruits and a crowd of Shiite pilgrims Thursday as insurgents killed 125 civilians and seven U.S. troops, escalating attacks while political factions worked to forge a coalition government.
The stark surge in post-election violence produced familiar but heartrending images on a day that was the fourth deadliest since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
A woman and an infant girl in a bright red jumpsuit lay in a pool of blood, their faces covered by a sheet as men ferried the wounded in pushcarts in Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad. Ball bearings lay scattered on the bare earth next to Shiite Islam's holiest shrine in Iraq.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13559398.htm
Abramoff pleads guilty in Miami federal court
BY JAY WEAVER
jweaver@MiamiHerald.com
Former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges in Washington on Tuesday, pleaded guilty Wednesday in a separate case in Miami involving the purchase of Broward-based SunCruz Casinos, a fleet of gambling ships.
Sporting a beige baseball cap, Abramoff blew into Miami for only a few hours to enter his guilty plea to federal fraud charges.
Abramoff wore the cap as he arrived in a black Lincoln Town Car accompanied by his two lawyers. He took it off during his plea hearing, then donned it again as he dashed out the side door of the Miami federal courthouse.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13548351.htm
Teen dodges media over Iraq caper
A Fort Lauderdale teen who went to Iraq without telling his parents is back in school, where officials are deciding how to punish him.
By JENNIFER LEBOVICH, ANGELA TABLAC AND EVAN S. BENN
ebenn@MiamiHerald.com
Farris Hassan, the 16-year-old globe-trotting overachiever, promised to meet a curious public Tuesday, to tell -- in his own words -- how he ended up in Iraq, without anyone's permission, and created an international stir in the process.
When the moment of truth arrived, he ducked.
At first, Farris' family said he would speak at 7 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., they promised a statement would be forthcoming shortly.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13543299.htm
SunCruz deal greased Abramoff's downfall
Jack Abramoff's South Florida legal troubles stemming from his SunCruz Casinos purchase heightened pressure on the lobbyist to cooperate with authorities investigating his Washington connections.
By JAY WEAVER
jweaver@MiamiHerald.com
He made a name for himself in power-hungry Washington as a big-time lobbyist, collecting multimillion dollar fees from Indian tribes and courting mostly Republican lawmakers with an enviable fundraising network.
But Jack Abramoff's lobbying empire began crumbling this summer in South Florida where he and a business partner were indicted on charges of defrauding lenders in their purchase of Broward-based SunCruz Casinos, a fleet of gambling ships.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13546928.htm
Family awaiting aid for months
The Miami Herald has been following the plight of Joe and Susan Sency, the parents of three young children, as they try to rebuild their lives after Wilma destroyed their mobile home in Davie.
BY DARRAN SIMON
dsimon@MiamiHerald.com
A displaced Davie family who moved to Texas after Hurricane Wilma searching for a new home is still waiting for FEMA aid.
More than a month after the Federal Emergency Management Agency tried to deposit the money it had promised the couple into the wrong bank account, Joe and Susan Sency and their three daughters continue to live in a hotel room.
Susan tried to make the best of Christmas in a hotel in Weatherford, Texas. She put a seven-inch pine tree on a shelf in the room. She gave her 4-year-old twin daughters, Samantha and Paige, a Tinkerbell and a princess blanket.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13543297.htm
Castro's home a surf away
A new Google Internet program allows users to zero in on the homes of famous people, including the alleged homes of Fidel Castro.
BY RUI FERREIRA
rferreira@MiamiHerald.com
Want to see a satellite photograph of Fidel Castro's home in Havana? How about one of a Cuban air force base, showing even some warplanes?
Well, anyone can, with Google Earth, an Internet program launched last June to easily display satellite photos of virtually any place in the world and allow visitors to mark specific places -- like Castro's home.
The satellite images of Havana are, in fact, marked with two places for the home of Castro, whose private life has long been kept virtually secret because of what the 79-year-old leader claims have been the more than 600 assassination attempts against him.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/americas/13543423.htm
This is an interesting comparison
Traffic Major incidents at a glance
http://traffic.herald.com/showrealtime.asp?city=MFD&index=Bulletins
Webcams - those money making machines
http://www.destinationwebcam.com/Miami.htm
Changes hit new lows
BY KAI WRIGHT
pmproj@progressive.org
The GOP assault on America's social safety net hit new lows with the Dec. 21 budget deal, which will gut public health insurance.
The process was tawdry. Negotiators emerged from a weekend conference meeting at 1 a.m. on Dec. 19 with a 774-page tome that the House leadership had moved to a vote by 6 a.m.
Representatives got just five bleary-eyed hours to review a bill that radically reshapes public health insurance, weakens child support and foster care, threatens disability insurance and further erodes public assistance.
On the Senate side, Republicans got their partisan wish only with Vice President Dick Cheney's tie-breaking vote.
Republicans boasted that they were reducing the deficit. But these same Republicans are planning to increase the deficit by an even bigger margin early next year in the next round of tax breaks planned for the nation's wealthiest.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/13543444.htm
Padilla swoops into Miami court
Terrorism suspect Jose Padilla arrived in Miami-Dade County under heavy escort and was whisked to federal court for his first appearance on conspiracy charges.
BY JAY WEAVER
jweaver@MiamiHerald.com
One of the nation's most controversial terrorism suspects, Jose Padilla, appeared briefly in a Miami federal court Thursday evening to face criminal charges for the first time since being detained about four years ago as an ``enemy combatant.''
Padilla was flown in a military jet from South Carolina to Homestead Air Reserve Base, then taken by helicopter to Watson Island.
With a Black Hawk helicopter flying cover, a convoy of U.S. marshals and Highway Patrol troopers raced him to the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami before his initial court appearance.
His hearing lasted about five minutes, but it was a significant development in Padilla's case, representing his transfer from indefinite military detention to civilian custody.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13562373.htm
Ariel Sharon undergoes emergency surgery
RAVI NESSMAN
Associated Press
JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon returned to the operating room to undergo emergency surgery Friday after a brain scan revealed a rise in intracranial pressure and some bleeding in his brain, doctors said.
Sharon's blood pressure also rose and one of his brain lobes expanded slightly, said Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, the director of Hadassah Hospital, where Sharon is being treated. Sharon's aides rushed to the hospital to be with him during the surgery, his second in two days.
"It was decided to bring the prime minister to the operating room in order to deal with these two issues, to drain the bleeding and to decrease the intracranial pressure," he said.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13559400.htm
Phone alert helped nab kidnap suspect
A man accused of abducting his 13-year-old niece more than a week ago is apprehended in Orlando after being sighted twice in South Florida.
BY JENNIFER LEBOVICH
jlebovich@MiamiHerald.com
The search for a missing North Carolina teenager who was abducted by her uncle ended Thursday when law enforcement officials found the two in Orlando.
Samuel Lee Lively, 41, was spotted twice in South Florida before he was arrested near a day labor camp in Orlando.
His 13-year-old niece, Tabatha Lively, was found with him and was put in the custody of Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
A telephone alert, sent out by the Fort Lauderdale-based company A Child is Missing, helped snare Samuel Lively hours after he applied for work in Orlando.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13560438.htm
Activist under fire from Venezuela
Chávez government officials accuse a Venezuelan human rights activist in South Florida of being a CIA agent. The mother of two says she's a victim of political persecution.
BY CASEY WOODS
cwoods@MiamiHerald.com
Patricia Andrade, a Venezuelan community activist in South Florida, has joined the ranks of those who have sought her help as victims of political persecution.
After two years of carefully cataloging human rights violations in Venezuela and reporting them to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Andrade today finds herself in an odd situation: She's preparing a report to detail her own persecution from afar.
Last month, lawmakers allied with President Hugo Chávez denounced her as a CIA agent and a coup plotter in an elaborate press conference that was carried live on Venezuelan television. As proof of the conspiracy, they played tapes Dec. 13 of conversations the lawmakers said were between Andrade and another activist in Venezuela, Tamara Suju, in which efforts to undermine the Chávez government were discussed.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13562367.htm
Peru recalls ambassador after Chávez's statements
Peru's government complained of meddling by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.
By TYLER BRIDGES
tbridges@MiamiHerald.com
LIMA - Peru recalled its ambassador to Venezuela on Thursday and accused President Hugo Chávez of meddling in its affairs after Chávez met with Peruvian presidential candidate Ollanta Humala on a visit to Caracas.
Chávez's comment at the public meeting with Humala on Tuesday that his election would represent ''the second Peruvian independence'' especially irked Peruvian authorities, according to media reports here.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13564505.htm
'Brokeback Mountain' leads SAG award nods
DAVID GERMAIN
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - This could be the year gay-themed films dominate Hollywood's awards season. The cowboys-in-love drama "Brokeback Mountain," a potential Academy Award front-runner, led nominees Thursday for film prizes from actors and directors unions, including performers Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams and Jake Gyllenhaal and filmmaker Ang Lee.
Along with Ledger and Gyllenhaal, playing old sheepherding buddies who conceal a homosexual affair from their families, the Screen Actors Guild nominated Philip Seymour Hoffman for his role as gay author Truman Capote in "Capote" and Felicity Huffman for her gender-bending turn as a man preparing for sex-change surgery in "Transamerica."
Ang Lee, who directed "Brokeback Mountain," and Bennett Miller, who made "Capote," earned nominations for best filmmaker from the Directors Guild of America.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13556435.htm
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