Seattle Post Intelligencer
North, central Florida fight over water
By RON WORD
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- North and central Florida aren't feeling very neighborly at the moment as they battle over water from the St. Johns and Ocklawaha rivers to meet central Florida's exploding population demands.
Central Florida plans to take millions of gallons of water a day out of the rivers, angering north Florida residents and officials who say that could cause grave environmental damage, particularly to the north-flowing St. Johns.
"It is madness. We do not believe there is surplus water in the river," said Neil Armingeon, a St. Johns riverkeeper. The position is a privately funded advocate for the river. "We are not going to stand by and let the St. Johns and Ocklawaha rivers be degraded."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110ap_water_wars.html
Food worker union calls for end to diacetyl in cooking oil; lawmakers seek investigation
By ANDREW SCHNEIDER
P-I SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
North America's largest union for hotel, restaurant and kitchen workers has called on manufacturers of cooking oils to stop using a lung-destroying butter-flavoring additive called diacetyl, and members of Congress have called for a federal investigation into the use of the additive, including where and how it's being used and whether workers are being harmed.
"It could pose a serious health risk to commercial cooks and UNITE HERE is calling for fast action by the food industry to cease the use of diacetyl flavoring in commercial and home cooking products," the union representing 450,000 workers said in a written statement.
The union was reacting to an article last month in the Seattle P-I, which reported the results of laboratory analysis of 23 cooking oils, sprays and margarines used by both home and professional cooks.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/347255_diacetyl14.html
Tread carefully during dark days: Winter sees more traffic accidents
In a walkable city, drivers and walkers must learn to share the roads
By KATHY MULADY
P-I REPORTER
Two weeks before Christmas, teacher's aide Agnes Meserole left her sister's house in Ballard after lunch to walk to St. Alphonsus School.
Along the way, the 71-year-old woman, a familiar face in the neighborhood, planned to drop some letters in the mailbox in a median strip between two lanes of traffic. Meserole was in the crosswalk, just a few feet from the mailbox when she was struck by a car.
Her injuries were massive and she died two days later.
"It is hard to believe. It could happen to anyone at any time. It happens a lot, and I don't think a lot of people are aware of it," said Meserole's niece, Laura Ness.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/347250_pedestrian14.html
Seattle police working to a new set of beats
Boundaries designed to reflect changing neighborhoods
By SCOTT GUTIERREZ
P-I REPORTER
For the first time in a few years, Seattle Police Officer Debra Pelich had to adjust to a new beat.
On Friday, she drove around First Hill and lower Capitol Hill in the newly formed "David 3" sector, taking note of parks, side streets, the hot spots, and the usual transients. She planned to visit businesses and even stopped to watch a parking attendant collect money from deposit boxes.
"We have these pay-box looters, so I want to know if he really works there. Those are the things you get to know, like who are my regular guys who collect the money?" said Pelich, a 13-year veteran assigned to the West Precinct.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/347249_police14.html
Bush soaks in Dubai culture in Mideast
By ANNE GEARAN
AP DIPLOMATIC WRITER
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- President Bush on Monday got a flavor of this cosmopolitan banking and business hub, whose glass skyscrapers and booming construction have turned it into the capital of Middle East bustle.
The soaring Persian Gulf city-state is Bush's second stop in the seven-state United Arab Emirates federation, following his gentle lecture on democracy in Abu Dhabi and an opulent picnic at a desert horse camp Sunday. The Dubai visit is part of a trip aimed at invigorating Mideast peace talks and keeping pressure on Iran.
Even before Bush touched down in Dubai, he had an impact. The government declared Monday a national holiday and shut down many main roads and bridges.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_bush_mideast.html?source=mypi
'Atonement' honored at Golden Globes
By DAVID GERMAIN
AP MOVIE WRITER
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Unlike a crippling writers strike that has dragged on for months, Hollywood's first big awards show was over in a flash, with no key winners, no stars in sight and no real fun for fans of show business glitz.
The Golden Globes on Sunday honored such films as the tragic romance "Atonement," the crime saga "No Country for Old Men," and the bloody musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street."
Yet no one film gained critical momentum that might set it ahead of the pack for the Academy Awards on Feb. 24, and a compressed Globes show highlighted what a joyless awards season this is for Hollywood.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/1402ap_golden_globes.html?source=mypi
Israel: 'No options' out on Iran nukes
By LAURIE COPANS
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a powerful parliamentary panel on Monday that Israel rejects "no options" to block Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, a meeting participant said.
The statement was the Israeli leader's clearest indication yet that he is willing to use military force against Iran.
"Israel clearly will not reconcile itself to a nuclear Iran," the meeting participant quoted Olmert as telling the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. "All options that prevent Iran from gaining nuclear capabilities are legitimate within the context of how to grapple with this matter."
The meeting participant spoke on condition of anonymity because the session was closed.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_israel_iran.html?source=mypi
Cyclists want action on dangerous storm drains
Grates parallel to roads can catch bike tires, cause crashes
By CASEY MCNERTHNEY
P-I REPORTER
When he realized what had happened and finally peered in a mirror, Jon Schaefer's face looked like it felt, having stopped his body flung off his road bike at about 20 mph.
His four front teeth were damaged and his glasses had been shattered. In sworn court statements, Schaefer said amnesia from the crash caused him to forget all but flashes of it.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/347205_drains14.html
Eagles recovering after disastrous dive into fish truck
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Most of the 30 eagles who survived a disastrous dive into a truck full of fish guts are close to recovery, said officials at the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge.
They say two birds have died, but most have perked up and may soon be released.
Another 20 eagles died after the birds mobbed the uncovered truck at Ocean Beauty Seafoods on Friday.
Workers from the seafood plant and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service washed the birds in dishwashing soap to help remove the fish oil. The birds spent the night drying out in a warehouse space, Gary Wheeler of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge told the Anchorage Daily News.
There was some concern that the birds would have to be sent to Anchorage for further treatment at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center, but most appeared to be doing well in Kodiak, he said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6600ap_wst_bald_eagles_killed.html
Oregon pulls out the big guns against starlings
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Carl Spackler is no military whiz-bang, but the Oregon Department of Transportation is relying on his tactics in its war on starlings.
"You must know your enemy," said Spackler. "You have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote."
Starlings are a continuing problem on the Interstate 5 Bridge, leaving an unsafe, unhealthy and unsightly mess.
Oregon is relying on Spackler's experience as a golf course greenskeeper and sworn enemy of gophers to use what he knows plus a propane cannon to keep them away.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/347221_starling14.html
High fuel prices could finally get airline mergers off the ground
By JOHN WILEN AND DAVID KOENIG
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- Airline executives have talked about consolidation in their industry for several years, even though they know successful combinations are about as elusive as an on-time flight on a Friday afternoon.
But the profit-sapping effect of a relentless rise in fuel costs may finally force them to action. That helps explain why the board of Delta Air Lines Inc. met Friday in New York to decide on what was once viewed as the unthinkable at the Atlanta-based carrier -- allowing management to open formal deal talks with one or more of its rivals.
Officials were mum Friday on the outcome of the meeting. Asked if the meeting had been completed, board member Walter Massey responded, "I can't talk about that." He then hung up the phone.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/347184_airlines14.html
Listening to music + exercising = a hit
Pumping up the volume makes a workout rock
By STEVEN KURUTZ
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Fitness magazines and Web sites love to ask readers about their favorite workout music while presenting their playlists or suggestions from celebrities. Self.com features the " '80s cardio playlist," which includes the short-shorts video classic "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham! On Fitnessmagazine.com, singer Rihanna reveals her favorite workout songs -- immodestly recommending four of her own for "when you have to pick up the pace on the treadmill."
The playlist fixation has a scientific basis: Studies have shown that listening to music during exercise can improve results, both in terms of being a motivator (people exercise longer and more vigorously to music) and as a distraction from negatives like fatigue. But are certain songs more effective than others?
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/347079_fitnessmusic14.html
Natural Medicine: Natural Treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or winter depression, is very common in the Pacific Northwest. The lack of sunlight in winter is thought to contribute to symptoms of SAD, including loss of energy, mild depression, oversleeping, overeating and carbohydrate cravings. Fortunately, there are several natural ways to combat these symptoms.
Light therapy is one of the easiest, non-invasive, natural ways to treat SAD and research supports its use. Light boxes providing 10,000 lux are used to stimulate light exposure with a goal of 30 minutes of direct facial exposure in the morning.
Fight carbohydrate cravings, which can contribute to and aggravate feelings of depression. Eat healthy protein from sources such as nuts, eggs, lean meats and beans regularly and with each carbohydrate serving. Choose complex carbohydrates such as fruits, grains and vegetables instead of simple ones such as white flours and sugars.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/347009_bastyr14.html
Malawi drops ties with Taiwan for China
By DEBBy WU
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The African nation of Malawi has cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of relations with China, which has been using its rising political and economic clout to reduce the number of countries who recognize the island.
Three Taiwanese diplomats said Monday that their nation was breaking diplomatic ties with Malawi.
Soon after, Chinese state media said Beijing and Malawi had established diplomatic relations late last month.
In a press conference in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, Foreign Affairs Minister Joyce Banda confirmed that her nation was breaking its 42-year diplomatic relationship with Taiwan in favor of China.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104ap_taiwan_malawi.html
In Pakistan, Sharif slams Musharraf
By SADAQAT JAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif said Monday that U.S-backed anti-terror operations have left Pakistan "drowned in blood," issuing some of his harshest criticism yet of President Pervez Musharraf.
Slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's party, meanwhile, said it may work with Musharraf after the Feb. 18 parliamentary polls, despite his apparent unpopularity and allegations that elements within his government may have been involved in the former prime minister's assassination.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104ap_pakistan.html
Congress faces war economy, election
By JIM ABRAMS
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- Still smarting from the partisan wars of 2007, Congress confronts a sinking economy, a lingering war and election-year politics as it gets back to work for the 2008 session.
The Democratic-led House reconvenes Tuesday with the familiar scenario of having to deal with a President Bush veto. The White House objected to one provision in a massive defense bill that opened the way for lawsuits against the Iraqi government.
The defense bill contains an additional pay raise for the military and Congress is expected to quickly fix the problem, either with a veto override vote - that would probably fail - or by removing the offending provision.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1153ap_congress_returns.html
Independents help McCain in Michigan
By LIZ SIDOTI
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
HOWELL, Mich. -- John McCain has an automatic advantage Tuesday when Michigan votes.
Not only did the Republican win the state eight years ago, but he also draws his support from across the political spectrum and Michigan voters of all stripes can participate in the GOP primary.
At the same time, the Democratic race in Michigan is of little or no consequence, so he won't be competing full-bore with Democratic candidates for the backing of independents as he did in New Hampshire last week.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1131ap_mccain_independents.html
Iraqi appeals court judge killed
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BAGHDAD -- Gunmen killed an appeals court judge as he headed to work in the western Baghdad district of Mansour on Monday, police and the deputy justice minister said.
Amir Jawdat al-Naeib, a high-ranking judge at the appeals court and a member of the Supreme Judicial Council, was ambushed by gunmen in two cars as he was being driven to work from his home in Mansour, police and Deputy Justice Minister Busho Ibrahim said. His driver was also killed.
The Supreme Judicial Council is a judicial supervisory body that swears in all judges and parliament, among other responsibilities.
Professionals, including academics, government officials, doctors, lawyers and judges, have often been targeted for assassination in recent years in Iraq. In October, an investigative judge in the northern city of Kirkuk, Zaher al-Bayati, narrowly escaped assassination when gunmen in a vehicle opened fire on him, killing two of his bodyguards.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_iraq_violence.html
Poll: McCain rising, Clinton holds on
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE RACE: The presidential race for Republicans, Democrats nationally (Washington Post-ABC News poll).
---
THE NUMBERS - DEMOCRATS
Hillary Rodham Clinton, 42 percent
Barack Obama, 37 percent
John Edwards, 11 percent
Dennis Kucinich, 2 percent
---
THE NUMBERS - REPUBLICANS
John McCain, 28 percent
Mike Huckabee, 20 percent
Mitt Romney, 19 percent
Rudy Giuliani, 15 percent
Fred Thompson, 8 percent
Ron Paul, 3 percent
Duncan Hunter, 2 percent
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1131ap_poll_2008_national.html
British Council offices reopen in Russia
By IRINA TITOVA
ASSOCIATED PREESS WRITER
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- A British cultural organization reopened offices in two Russian cities Monday in defiance of an order to close, reportedly prompting Russian authorities to summon the British ambassador to the Foreign Ministry.
The British Council offices in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg opened without incident Monday after a holiday break, despite Moscow's warnings that defying the order would worsen already tense relations between Britain and Russia.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1103ap_russia_britain.html
Thousands protest in ex-Soviet Georgia
By MISHA DZHINDZHIKHASHVILI
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
TBILISI, Georgia -- Tens of thousands of Georgians protested the election victory of U.S.-allied President Mikhail Saakashvili on Sunday, claiming fraud and demanding a recount.
The massive demonstration raised fears of instability in the former Soviet republic, which sits on a pipeline carrying Caspian oil to Western markets and has been battleground for influence between Russia and the United States.
It was a dramatic turnaround for Saakashvili, who rose to power as the hero of the 2003 Rose Revolution protests against fraudulent elections. He has since faced accusations of authoritarian leanings, and his popularity has fallen.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1103ap_georgia_opposition.html
Sea Launch countdown under way
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The long countdown has begun for the second attempt to launch a mobile voice and data services satellite from a Pacific Ocean platform.
The Boeing-built Thuraya-3 mobile satellite was scheduled to take off Tuesday from a spot on the equator. A 44-minute launch window opens at 6:49 a.m. EST, said Sea Launch Co., the world's only ocean-based space launch company.
The first attempt in November was foiled because of unusually strong currents that affected Sea Launch's oceangoing rocket platform.
The self-propelled platform and the launch command ship had to return to home port in Long Beach, resupply and sail back to the Pacific Ocean launch site.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1501ap_sea_launch.html
South Africa's top cop going on leave
By CELEAN JACOBSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
PRETORIA, South Africa -- South Africa's national police commissioner, who faces charges of corruption and trying to protect a convicted drug smuggler, has gone on extended leave, the president said Saturday.
The National Prosecuting Authority said Friday that charges would be filed imminently against Jackie Selebi, who also holds the largely ceremonial post of president of the international police agency Interpol. Selebi has consistently said he is innocent.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1101ap_safrica_police_commissioner.html
UN assails Sudan peacekeeper attack
By JOHN HEILPRIN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations Security Council opened the door Friday to new economic, political or military sanctions against Sudan because of an attack by its troops on a U.N. peacekeeping convoy earlier this week.
The council said it "condemns in the strongest possible terms" Monday's attack on U.N. peacekeepers by "elements of the Sudanese armed forces," saying any such attack is unacceptable. Sudan has acknowledged its troops shot at a U.N. convoy in West Darfur, damaging an armored personnel carrier, destroying a fuel tanker truck and severely injuring a Sudanese driver.
Because of the attack, the council said in a statement that it "expresses its readiness to take action against any party that impedes the peace process, humanitarian aid or the deployment" of the U.N. force, known as UNAMID, made up of U.N. and African Union troops and other personnel.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1101ap_un_sudan_darfur.html
China says democracy hurts Kenya
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIJING -- The election-related violence that has killed hundreds in Kenya is proof that Western-style democracy is a bad fit for Africa, said China, which has been under fire for its friendly relations with authoritarian leaders on the continent.
Pre-colonial Africa had plenty of consultative decision-making frameworks, but those were ignored when former European rulers "tyrannically" imposed Western democratic systems upon independence, the People's Daily newspaper said in a commentary Monday.
"Western-style democratic theory simply isn't suited to African conditions, but rather carries with it the root of disaster," said the paper, the official mouthpiece of China's ruling Communist Party.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1105ap_china_kenya_democracy.html
Group: Kenyan police have killed dozens
By TOM MALITI
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Police are behind dozens of deaths in Kenya's post-election turmoil, opening fire on both looters and opposition protesters under an unofficial "shoot to kill" policy, a leading human rights group said Sunday.
Human Rights Watch called on Kenya's government to lift its ban on demonstrations and order police not to shoot at protesters. The appeal came three days before the opposition planned nationwide protests that police have warned will be stopped.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1105ap_kenya_election_violence.html
Interpol chief resigns, faces charges
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LYON, France -- The president of Interpol has resigned the post to face corruption allegations in his native South Africa, the international police organization said Sunday.
Jackie Selebi, South Africa's national police commissioner, said in his letter of resignation to Interpol that he was stepping down as president because he did not want the allegations to sully the organization's reputation, Interpol said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1105ap_interpol_president_resigns.html
Greenpeace: Japan's whale kill halted
By RAY LILLEY
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Greenpeace said Monday it has disrupted the Japanese whale hunt off Antarctica by chasing the fleet's whale processing factory ship out of the whaling zone.
The six-vessel fleet "scattered and ran" early Saturday when it realized the Greenpeace vessel Esperanza was "heading toward them at high speed," Greenpeace expedition leader Karli Thomas told New Zealand's National Radio.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1106ap_antarctica_whaling.html
Edmund Hillary stood for adventure
By JOHN HEILPRIN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
The first time a climber lays eyes on Everest, it's hard not to imagine what it was like when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay topped out on the world's highest peak shortly before noon on May 29, 1953.
For almost everyone who studied the pictures of his epic first ascent with Tenzing, Hillary stood for adventure. The collective sense of triumph that seized the world with their success was etched into Hillary's famous photograph of Tenzing on Everest's summit. I stared at it as a child and dreamed.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1106ap_hillary_appreciation.html
Bush tanked the U.S. economy
Recession, like menopause, is a retrospective diagnosis. You don't know you're in one until you've been in it for at least two quarters (referring to a recession) or a year (for menopause). The question for me is not: Are we hitting a recession in 2008? It is: What has made the economy so buoyant that we didn't submerge into a recession several years ago?
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/soundoff/comment.asp?articleID=347046&source=mypi
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