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2006
People News History Archives
US
- Iraq
- People
- Police
- Military
- Politics
- "12,000
Iraqi policemen killed since '03; 6 U.S. soldiers killed."
... "Some 12,000 Iraqi policemen have been killed since the ouster of Saddam
Hussein, the country's interior minister said Sunday, as clashes, a suicide
bomber and weekend explosions killed more than a dozen Iraqi officers and
six American soldiers." ... "Police and police recruits have been frequent
targets of insurgent attacks. In one of the worst single attacks, a suicide
car bomber detonated his explosives near a line of national guard and police
recruits waiting to take physicals in February 2005. The blast in Hillah,
about 60 miles south of Baghdad, killed 125." ... "Police have also been
blamed for violence. Gunmen in Iraqi army and police uniforms have been
responsible for recent bank robberies in Baghdad and the kidnapping of
more than 40 workers and volunteers at the Iraqi Red Crescent." ... "The
Iraqi Ministry of Health estimated in November that 150,000 Iraqi civilians
been killed in the war that began in 2003. Other estimates put the figure
as low as 51,000 or as high as 600,000." -APvia
-USATODAY
20061221
Religious
- Books
- People
- Virginia- Minnesota
- Michigan
- US
Immigration - Virgil
H Goode Jr - "Va.
Lawmaker's Remarks on Muslims Criticized: Republican
Had Decried the Use of the Koran for Congressman's Oath of Office." ...
"[Virginia Republican] Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. (R-Va.) is coming under
sharp criticism for lashing out against the decision by [Minnesota Democrat]
Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who will become the first Muslim member of Congress
next month, to use the Koran during a swearing-in ceremony." ... "In a
recent letter to constituents, Goode, a five-term congressman from Rocky
Mount, wrote that he does "not subscribe to using the Koran in any way"
and added: "The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the
voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt
the Virgil Goode position on immigration, there will likely be many more
Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran."" ... "When
members of Congress are sworn in, they simply raise their right hand. In
a ceremony afterward, they may take the oath of office on a Christian Bible,
another religious book or no book at all." ... "Ellison, who was born in
Detroit [Michigan], could not be reached to comment." -By
Zachary A. Goldfarb -WashingtonPost
20061206
Global
- Climate
- Ocean
- Animal- Food
- Environment
- Science
- People
- Business
- Politics
- "Some
happy that a family film flaunts dire facts." ...
"Michael Hirshfield has long struggled to get across his earnest but wonky
message: that global warming and overfishing are killing off the oceans'
food supply." ... "Then, along came the animated movie "Happy Feet" and,
voila, tens of millions of youngsters -- and their parents -- across the
country are suddenly aware that man-made problems are threatening the penguins
near the South Pole, and almost everything else in the South Seas." ...
"The blockbuster film, the top box-office hit for the past three weekends,
is about emperor penguins struggling to survive with a depleted food supply,
and one tap-dancing penguin's epic search to learn what is causing the
colony's fish to disappear." ... "A study published recently in the journal
Science predicted that if overfishing of depleted seafood populations continued
at current rates, the world would run out of commercial stocks by 2048."
-By John Donnelly
-Boston/Globe
20061205
US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Government
- Military
- Technology
- Money
- Politics
- People
- Flying
- Vehicles
- Alabama-
"U.S.
Army Battling To Save Equipment: Gear Piles Up at
Depots, Awaiting Repair." ... "Field upon field of more than 1,000 battered
M1 tanks, howitzers and other armored vehicles sit amid weeds here at the
15,000-acre Anniston Army Depot [Alabama] -- the idle, hulking formations
symbolic of an Army that is wearing out faster than it is being rebuilt."
... "The Army and Marine Corps have sunk more than 40 percent of their
ground combat equipment into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according
to government data. An estimated $17 billion-plus worth of military equipment
is destroyed or worn out each year, blasted by bombs, ground down by desert
sand and used up to nine times the rate in times of peace. The gear is
piling up at depots such as Anniston, waiting to be repaired." ... "The
depletion of major equipment such as tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles,
and especially helicopters and armored Humvees has left many military units
in the United States without adequate training gear, officials say. Partly
as a result of the shortages, many U.S. units are rated "unready" to deploy,
officials say, raising alarm in Congress and concern among military leaders
at a time when Iraq strategy is under review by the White House and the
bipartisan Iraq Study Group." ... "Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army's
chief of staff, is lobbying hard for more money to repair what he calls
the "holes" in his force, saying current war funding is inadequate to make
the Army "well." Asked in a congressional hearing this past summer whether
he was comfortable with the readiness levels of non-deployed Army units,
Schoomaker replied: "No."" ... "Despite the work piling up, the Army's
depots have been operating at about half their capacity because of a lack
of funding for repairs." -By Ann Scott Tyson
-WashingtonPost
20061109
US- Afghanistan
- Military
- People
- Law
- Investigation- Journalism
- "AP:
Startling findings in Tillman probe." ... "The latest
inquiry into Tillman's death by friendly fire should end next month; authorities
have said they intend to release to the public only a synopsis of their
report. But The Associated Press has combed through the results of 2 1/4
years of investigations — reviewed thousands of pages of internal Army
documents, interviewed dozens of people familiar with the case — and uncovered
some startling findings." ... "Investigators are looking at who pulled
the triggers and fired at Tillman; they are also looking at the officers
who pressured the platoon to move through a region with a history of ambushes;
the soldiers who burned Tillman's uniform and body armor afterward; and
at everyone in the chain of command who deliberately kept the circumstances
of Tillman's death from the family for more than a month." ... "Military
investigators under Gimble's direction this year visited the rugged valley
in eastern Afghanistan where Tillman was killed. It was a risky trip; the
region is even more dangerous today than it was in 2004." -By
Scott Lindlaw and Martha Mendoza -AP
via -Yahoo
20061107
US
- Iraq
- Military
- People
- TV
- Money
- Oil
- Politics
- Japan
- New
York
- "Rupert
Murdoch -- who once predicted Iraq war could lead to $20/barrel oil --described
war casualties as "minute"." ... "On November 6,
News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch reportedly said at a conference
in Tokyo [Japan] that U.S. casualties in Iraq, "by the terms of any previous
war are quite minute," as the weblog Democratic Underground noted.
He further stated: "I believe it was right to go in there. I believe that
certainly the execution that has followed that has included many mistakes.
But that's easy to say after the event." Murdoch, whose conservative media
empire includes Fox News Channel, the New York Post, and The Weekly
Standard, vocally supported the war in 2003, citing potential economic
benefits. As of November 3, according to CNN,
a total of 2,836 U.S. soldiers have been killed since the invasion of Iraq
in March 2003." -MediaMatters.org
20061103
Ted
Haggard - Drugs- Gay- Colorado
- Politics
- "Powerful
pastor's drug purchases shocks evangelicals." ...
"The Rev. Ted Haggard, who has resigned as one of the nation's top evangelical
leaders, admitted Friday he had contacted a male prostitute for a massage
and bought methamphetamine." ... "Haggard also acknowledged contacting
Mike Jones but has denied Jones' accusation that the two men regularly
had sex over three years." ... "The admissions -- after Haggard's earlier
denials that he even knew Jones -- resonated among America's evangelicals
and Christian leaders." ... "Haggard resigned as president of the National
Association of Evangelicals, an umbrella group representing more than 45,000
churches with 30 million members." ... "He also temporarily stepped aside
Thursday as senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado
Springs [Colorado], pending an internal investigation into Jones' allegations."
... "Haggard was one of a group of religious leaders who regularly participated
in conference calls with White House aides, Time magazine reported." -Contributed
to by Delia Gallagher -CNN
20061031
US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Military- Families
- "Army:
7 Families Misled On War Deaths: Review Finds Soldiers'
Families Given Incorrect Information On Their Deaths." ... "The families
of seven soldiers who died in Iraq or Afghanistan were given incorrect
or misleading information about the deaths, the Army has concluded after
a review of war casualty reports." ... "The best-known was Cpl. Patrick
Tillman, the former star player in the National Football League whose family
initially was told he had died a hero's death, killed by enemy forces in
Afghanistan. After Tillman's memorial service the family was told the truth:
He was killed unintentionally by gunfire from his fellow soldiers." ...
"More than 1,800 Army soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began in
March 2003; about 240 have died in Afghanistan. Overall, more than 2,800
U.S. military members have died since the start of the Iraq war."
-AP via
-CBSNews
20061024
Noteworthy
- US
- Guantanamo
Bay - Cuba
- Military
- Intelligence
- Torture
- Terrorism
- Prison
- Religion
- People
- War
Crimes - Law
Enforcement - Politics
- "Can
the '20th hijacker' of Sept. 11 stand trial? Aggressive
interrogation at Guantanamo may prevent his prosecution." ... "Mohammed
al-Qahtani, detainee No. 063, was forced to wear a bra. He had a thong
placed on his head. He was massaged by a female interrogator who straddled
him like a lap dancer. He was told that his mother and sisters were whores.
He was told that other detainees knew he was gay. He was forced to dance
with a male interrogator. He was strip-searched in front of women. He was
led on a leash and forced to perform dog tricks. He was doused with water.
He was prevented from praying. He was forced to watch as an interrogator
squatted over his Koran." ... "That much is known. These details were among
the findings of the U.S. Army's investigation of al-Qahtani's aggressive
interrogation at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba." ... "But only now is a picture
emerging of how the interrogation policy developed, and the battle that
law enforcement agents waged, inside Guantanamo and in the offices of the
Pentagon, against harsh treatment of al-Qahtani and other detainees by
military intelligence interrogators." ... "In interviews with MSNBC.com
- the first time they have spoken publicly -former senior law enforcement
agents described their attempts to stop the abusive interrogations. The
agents of the Pentagon's Criminal Investigation Task Force, working to
build legal cases against suspected terrorists, said they objected to coercive
tactics used by a separate team of intelligence interrogators soon after
Guantanamo's prison camp opened in early 2002. They ultimately carried
their battle up to the office of Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld,
who approved the more aggressive techniques to be used on al-Qahtani and
others." ... "Although they believed the abusive techniques were probably
illegal, the Pentagon cops said their objection was practical. They argued
that abusive interrogations were not likely to produce truthful information,
either for preventing more al-Qaida attacks or prosecuting terrorists."
... "And they described their disappointment when military prosecutors
told them not to worry about making a criminal case against al-Qahtani,
the suspected "20th hijacker" of Sept. 11, because what had been done to
him would prevent him from ever being put on trial." ... "Defense Department
e-mails seen by MSNBC.com show that a delegation visiting Guantanamo on
Sept. 25, 2002, included Alberto R. Gonzales, then the White House counsel
and now attorney general; David S. Addington, legal counsel to Vice President
Dick Cheney, now his chief of staff; Timothy E. Flanigan, the deputy White
House counsel; William Haynes III, the Pentagon general counsel; Larry
Thompson, then deputy attorney general; Christopher A. Wray, the principal
associate deputy attorney general, now head of Criminal Division at the
Justice Department; and John Yoo, a lawyer in the Justice Department's
Office of Legal Counsel, who reportedly had just helped write an Aug. 1,
2002, "torture memo" to Gonzales, defining torture narrowly as causing
pain equivalent to organ failure or death." ... "The visiting VIPs met
with Gen. Dunlavey and his staff, but not with any of the law enforcement
investigators who opposed the aggressive interrogations." ... "Under the
Military Commissions Act signed last week by President Bush, statements
made under torture would not be admissible in a military trial." ... "But
the law says a military judge could accept statements made under coercion.
A court may have to decide which category, torture or coercion, encompasses
such techniques as a fake trip to Egypt, sleep deprivation, and being forced
to do dog tricks. The new law also extends legal protection from prosecution
for war crimes to any U.S. personnel who used coercive tactics, if they
believed in good faith that what they were doing was lawful." (1, 2,
3,
4)
-By Bill Dedman -MSNBC
20061018
US- Iraq
- People
- "10
troops slain, brings American October death toll to 69."
... "The U.S. military reported Wednesday that 10 American troops had been
killed the day, raising the death toll so far this month to 69 and putting
October on track to be the deadliest month for coalition forces since January
2005." ... "According to an Associated Press count, October also is on
the way to being the deadliest month for Iraqis since the AP began tracking
deaths in April 2005. In October, 767 Iraqis have been killed in war-related
violence, an average of 45 every day." ... "The actual number is likely
higher, as many killings go unreported." ... "For the U.S. military, October's
death toll is on a pace that, if continued, would make the month the deadliest
for coalition forces since January 2005, when 107 U.S. troops died. The
war's deadliest month for U.S. forces was November 2004, when 137 troops
died. At least 2,785 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq
war started in March 2003, according to an AP count."
-AP via -USATODAY
20060926
George
Allen - Virginia
- College
- Sports
- Political
- Terrorism
- History
- 2008
Election - 2006
Election - "New
'N Word' Woe For George Allen: Well-Known Professor
Says Va. Senator Used Racial Slur; Allen Denies It." ... "A noted political
scientist joined one of [Virginia Republican] Sen. George Allen's former
college football teammates in claiming the senator used a racial slur to
refer to blacks in the early 1970s, a claim Allen dismisses as "ludicrously
false."" ... "Larry J. Sabato, one of Virginia's most-quoted political
science professors and a classmate of Allen's in the early 1970s, said
in a televised interview Monday that Allen used the epithet." ... "Sabato's
assertion came on the heels of accusations by Dr. Ken Shelton, a radiologist
who was a tight end and wide receiver for the University of Virginia in
the early 1970s when Allen was quarterback. He said Allen not only used
the n-word frequently but also once stuffed a severed deer head into a
black family's mailbox." ... "Separately, the Washington Post reported
that Christopher Taylor, 59, an anthropologist at the University of Alabama,
said that during a visit to Allen's Virginia home in 1982, Allen referred
to turtles in a pond on his property and said that only "the [racial slur]
eat them."" ... "Allen, a Republican, has been mentioned as a possible
presidential candidate in 2008. Questions about racial insensitivity have
dogged him during his [2006] re-election bid against Democrat Jim Webb."
-AP via
-CBSNews
20060910
Money
- People
- 2006
Election - Intelligence
- "In
a Pivotal Year, GOP Plans to Get Personal: Millions
to Go to Digging Up Dirt on Democrats." ... "Republicans are planning to
spend the vast majority of their sizable financial war chest over the final
60 days of the [2006 Election] campaign attacking Democratic House and
Senate candidates over personal issues and local controversies, GOP officials
said." ... "The National Republican Congressional Committee, which this
year dispatched a half-dozen operatives to comb through tax, court and
other records looking for damaging information on Democratic candidates,
plans to spend more than 90 percent of its $50 million-plus advertising
budget on what officials described as negative ads." ... "The hope is that
a vigorous effort to "define" opponents, in the parlance of GOP operatives,
can help Republicans shift the midterm debate away from Iraq and limit
losses this fall." (1, 2)
-By Jim VandeHei and Chris Cillizza
-WashingtonPost
20060830
US
- Iraq
- Government
- Military
- People
- Money
- Politics
- "Soldiers
die, CEOs prosper." ... "More than 2,600 US soldiers
have died in Iraq. July's toll for Iraqi civilians was 3,500, the deadliest
month of the US occupation. Iraq's civil war is on pace to kill 25,000
to 30,000 civilians by year's end. If you add in the tens of thousands
of deaths from the 2003 invasion (we do not know the exact number because
the Pentagon won't comment), researchers will inevitably say that the body
count has crossed 100,000." ... "As [American] soldiers have died in displaying
personal patriotism, the pay gap between soldiers and defense CEOs has
exploded. Before 9/11, the gap between CEOs of publicly traded companies
and army privates was already a galling 190 to 1. Today, it is 308 to 1.
The average army private makes $25,000 a year. The average defense CEO
makes $7.7 million." ... "The top profiteers after 9/11 were the CEOs of
United Technologies ($200 million), General Dynamics ($65 million), Lockheed
Martin ($50 million), and Halliburton ($49 million)." ... "While Army privates
died overseas earning $25,000 a year, David Brooks, the disgraced former
CEO of body-armor maker DHB, made $192 million in stock sales in 2004.
He staged a reported $10 million bat mitzvah for his daughter. The 2005
pay package for Halliburton CEO David Lesar, head of the firm that most
symbolizes the occupation's waste, overcharges, and ghost charges on no-bid
contracts, was $26 million, according to the report's analysis of federal
Securities and Exchange Commission filings." ... "``Those examples take
the cake, especially because it's all related to their government contracts,
which is money straight out of the taxpayer's pocket," Leondar-Wright said."
-By Derrick Z. Jackson
-Boston/Globe
20060829
People
- Jobs
- "Ranks
of uninsured Americans grow." ... "The percentage
of people with job-based health insurance dropped again last year, helping
push up the level of uninsured Americans to 15.9% of the population, the
highest since 1998." ... "Estimates released Tuesday by the Census Bureau
show that 46.6 million people lacked health insurance in 2005, up from
45.3 million in 2004. Unlike in other recent years, there was no increase
in the rate of enrollment in government-based programs, such as Medicaid,
which had helped to offset declines in private insurance." ... "Job-based
health insurance, which is the way most Americans get their coverage, began
falling in 2001, even as health insurance premiums rose at double-digit
annual rates. Last year, premium growth averaged 9.2%, lower than in previous
years, but still three times inflation." -By Julie
Appleby -USATODAY
20060815
US
- Mexico
- US
Immigration - 2006
Election - Politics
- California
- New
York - Texas
- Florida
- New-Jersey
- Illinois
- Georgia
- North
Carolina - Indiana
- South
Dakota - Delaware
- Missouri
- Colorado
- New
Hampshire - Ohio
- "Census
Shows Growth of Immigrants." ... "The number of immigrants
living in American households rose 16 percent over the last five years,
fueled largely by recent arrivals from Mexico, according to fresh data
released by the Census Bureau." ... "Coming in the heart of an election
season in which illegal immigration has emerged as an issue, the new data
from the bureau’s 2005 American Community Survey is certain to generate
more debate." ... "By far the largest numbers of immigrants continue to
live in the six states that have traditionally attracted them: California,
New York, Texas, Florida, New Jersey and Illinois." ... "Immigrants also
continue to flow into a handful of states in the Southeast, like Georgia
and North Carolina, a trend that was discerned in the 2000 census." ...
"But it is in the less-expected immigrant destinations that demographers
find the most of interest in the new data." ... "Indiana saw a 34 percent
increase in the number of immigrants; South Dakota saw a 44 percent rise;
Delaware 32 percent; Missouri 31 percent; Colorado 28 percent; and New
Hampshire 26 percent." ... "“It’s the continuation of a pattern that we
first began to see 10 or 15 years ago,” said Jeff Passel, senior research
associate at the Pew Hispanic Center, who has examined the new census data.
“But instead of being confined to areas like the Southeast, it’s beginning
to spill over into some Midwestern states, like Indiana and Ohio. It’s
even moving up into New England.”" ... "Over all, immigrants now make up
12.4 percent of the nation’s population, up from 11.2 percent in 2000.
That amounts to an estimated 4.9 million additional immigrants for a total
of 35.7 million, a number larger than the population of California." (1,
2)
-By Rick Lyman -NYTimes20060720
People
- Poverty
- History
- Hurricane
Katrina - New
Orleans - Louisiana
- "Bush's
Poverty Talk Is Now All but Silent: Aiding Poor Was
Brief Priority After Katrina." ... "Poverty forced its way to the top of
President Bush's agenda in the confusing days after Hurricane Katrina battered
the Gulf Coast and flooded New Orleans [Louisiana]. Confronted with one
of the most pressing political crises of his presidency, Bush, who in the
past had faced withering criticism for speaking little about the poor,
said the nation has a solemn duty to help them." ... ""All of us saw on
television, there's . . . some deep, persistent poverty in this region,"
he said in a prime-time speech from New Orleans's Jackson Square, 17 days
after the Aug. 29 hurricane. "That poverty has roots in a history of racial
discrimination, which cut off generations from the opportunity of America.
We have a duty to confront this poverty with bold action."" ... "As it
happened, poverty's turn in the presidential limelight was brief. Bush
has talked little about the issue since the immediate crisis passed, while
pursuing policies that his liberal critics say will hurt the poor. He has
publicly mentioned domestic poverty six times since giving back-to-back
speeches on the issue in September. Domestic poverty did not come up in
his State of the Union address in January, and his most recent budget included
no new initiatives directed at the poor." ... "The number of Americans
living in poverty has risen each year Bush has been president, increasing
to 37 million in 2004 from 31.6 million in 2000. Overall, 12.7 percent
of the nation's population lives in poverty, which for a family of four
means an income less than $20,000 a year." -By Michael
A. Fletcher -WashingtonPost
20060716
Lebanon
- Israel
- Military
- Terrorism
- Politics
- US
- "Desperate
choices inside Lebanon: Many are trapped amid Israeli
siege." ... "After days of bombardment and blockade by Israel, many Lebanese
and visitors faced a tough choice: to leave through the last remaining
exit routes or hunker down with extra candles, water, and powdered milk."
... "Tens of thousands have fled this tiny country since Thursday, after
Israel began bombing targets in southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut in
retaliation for the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah. But
most of Lebanon's 4 million residents remain, unfazed by the familiar sounds
of war around them." ... "Israeli officials said they feared that Hezbollah,
a popular political party here that is considered a terrorist group in
the United States, would transport the soldiers out of the country, so
they laid siege to Lebanon, closing its ports and bombing the only airport
and major highways to the outside world." ... "The blockade trapped many
of the estimated 25,000 visiting Americans, among them Melani Cammett ,
a Harvard-affiliated professor living in the Back Bay, her husband, and
their two children, ages 3 and 5." -By Farah Stockman
and Andrew Lee Butters with contribution by Rana Fil
-Boston/Globe
20060705
Ken
Lay - Enron
- Energy
- Business- Accounting
- Law
- Colorado
- "Enron's
Founder Kenneth Lay, 64, Dies in Colorado (Update9)."
... "Kenneth Lay, who built Enron Corp. into the world's largest energy
trader and was convicted of the fraud that led to its collapse, died today
near Aspen, Colorado. He was 64." ... "Lay's defense lawyer Mike Ramsey
said through a spokeswoman that his client died ``from what appears to
have been a heart attack.''" ... "Lay and his successor as Enron's chief
executive officer, Jeffrey Skilling, 52, were convicted May 25 of spearheading
the fraud that plunged Enron into bankruptcy in December 2001. Lay and
Skilling were scheduled to be sentenced in October. Lay, who was also convicted
of bank fraud, was facing the rest of his life in federal prison." ...
"Enron's implosion from accounting fraud wiped out more than 5,000 jobs
and $1 billion in employee pensions virtually overnight. Shareholders claimed
more than $25 billion in losses as a result of the crime." -By
Andrew Dunn -Bloomberg
20060704
US
- Afghanistan
- Military
- People
- Nevada
- "Fallen
Soldier Gets a Bronze Star but No Pagan Star." ...
"At the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in the small town of Fernley, Nev.,
there is a wall of brass plaques for local heroes. But one space is blank.
There is no memorial for Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart." ... "That's because
Stewart was a Wiccan, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has refused
to allow a symbol of the Wicca religion -- a five-pointed star within a
circle, called a pentacle -- to be inscribed on U.S. military memorials
or grave markers." ... "The department has approved the symbols of 38 other
faiths; about half of are versions of the Christian cross. It also allows
the Jewish Star of David, the Muslim crescent, the Buddhist wheel, the
Mormon angel, the nine-pointed star of Bahai and something that looks like
an atomic symbol for atheists." ... "Stewart, 34, is believed to be the
first Wiccan killed in combat. He was serving in the Nevada National Guard
when the helicopter in which he was riding was shot down in Afghanistan
last September. He previously had served in the Army in Korea and Operation
Desert Storm. He was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star."
(1, 2)
-By Alan Cooperman -WashingtonPost
20060628
Political
- Map
- People
- Texas
- DeLay
- "Justices
Back Most G.O.P. Changes to Texas Districts." ...
"The Supreme Court today upheld the basic outlines of a Republican Congressional
redistricting plan in Texas, refusing to toss out a sharply contested political
map engineered by the former House majority leader, Tom DeLay." ... "The
court handed a smaller victory to the Democratic plaintiffs in the case,
ruling that one Congressional district in southwestern Texas had been drawn
in a way that violated the rights of Hispanic voters there." ... "But the
court rejected the larger premise — that Texas Republicans had unconstitutionally
reorganized the political map to solidify their majority in Congress. The
decision means that Texas will be required to adjust some boundaries."
... "The court upheld the state's ability to break with the tradition of
redrawing Congressional districts only right after the official federal
census every 10 years, potentially opening the door for legislatures in
other states to rewrite their own Congressional maps at will throughout
the decade, or when a new party takes over a state capital." -By
Anne E. Kornblut and John O'Neil -NYTimes
20060625
US
- World
- Money
- "Buffett
to Give Gates, Family Charities $37 Billion (Update1)."
... "Warren Buffett, the world's second- richest person, will give away
85 percent of his $44 billion fortune starting in July, a Berkshire Hathaway
Inc. spokesman said today, in the biggest individual pledge to charity
ever." ... "Most of the money will go to the foundation started by his
close friend Bill Gates, the only person in the world with a bigger personal
fortune than Buffett, the 75-year-old Berkshire Hathaway chairman and chief
executive officer." ... "Buffett's commitment, based on the $3,071.09 closing
price of Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares June 23, is valued at more than
$37 billion, exceeding the more than $29 billion that Microsoft Corp. Chairman
Gates earmarked for his foundation." -By Nancy Kercheval
-Bloomberg
20060621
US
- Iraq
- People
- "Army
takes older recruits." ... "The U.S. Army, aiming
to make its recruiting goals amid the Iraq war, raised its maximum enlistment
age by another two years on Wednesday, while the Army Reserve predicted
it will miss its recruiting target for a second straight year." ... "People
can now volunteer to serve in the active-duty Army or the part-time Army
Reserve and National Guard up to their 42nd birthday after the move aimed
at increasing the number of people eligible to sign up, officials said."
... "It marked the second time this year the Army has boosted the maximum
age for new volunteers, raising the ceiling from age 35 to 40 in January
before now adding two more years." (1, 2) -By Will
Dunham -Reuters
20060608
Iraq
- US
- Military
- Money
- "Condolence
payments to Iraqis soar: Military gave nearly $20m
to families of civilians." ... "The amount of cash the US military has
paid to families of Iraqi civilians killed or maimed in operations involving
American troops skyrocketed from just under $5 million in 2004 to almost
$20 million last year, according to Pentagon financial data." ... "The
dramatic spike in what's known as condolence payments -- distributed to
Iraqi families whose loved ones were caught in US crossfire or victimized
during US ground and air assaults -- suggests that American commanders
made on-the-spot restitution far more frequently, according to congressional
aides and officials familiar with a special fund at the disposal of military
officers in Iraq." ... "Defense Department officials maintain that the
payments -- which officials said range from a few hundred dollars for injuries
such as a severed limb to $2,500 for the death of a relative -- mirror
a local custom commonly known as ``solatia," in which families receive
financial compensation for damages or human losses. They stressed that
the payments shouldn't be seen as an admission of guilt or responsibility."
... "But amid reports that US Marines paid $2,500 per victim after dozens
of civilians were killed on Nov. 19 in the town of Haditha -- killings
now engulfed by allegations of a massacre -- the fourfold increase in condolence
payments raises new questions about the extent to which Iraqi civilians
have been the victims of US firepower." -By Bryan
Bender -BostonGlobe
20060607
Government
- Military
- Computer
- Database
- Identity
Theft - People
- Homes
- Education
- Consumer
- "Data
on 2.2M Active Troops Stolen From VA: Pentagon Says
Data on About 2.2 Million Active-Duty Troops Among Material Stolen From
VA Employee." ... "Nearly all active-duty military, Guard and Reserve members
about 2.2 million total may be at risk for identity theft because their
personal information was among those stolen from a Veterans Affairs employee
last month." ... "In a new disclosure Tuesday, VA Secretary Jim Nicholson
said the agency was mistaken when it said over the weekend that up to 50,000
Navy and National Guard personnel were among the 26.5 million veterans
whose names, birthdates and Social Security numbers were stolen on May
3." ... "The number is actually much higher because the VA realized it
had records on file for most active-duty personnel because they are eligible
to receive VA benefits such as GI Bill educational assistance and the home
loan guarantee program." (1, 2)
-Hope Yen -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
20060530
Nepal
- Religion
- People
- History
- "Nepal
faces Hindu backlash over declaration as secular state:
Nepal's Hindu majority is denouncing the recent move to end Nepal's longtime
status as the world's only Hindu state." ... "The May 18 declaration by
Nepal's parliament ending the country's distinction as the world's only
Hindu state was one of the several hard decisions taken by the new government
to coax Maoist rebels to join in a peaceful political process. But the
move has bred new conflict with the country's Hindu majority." ... "Hindu
groups in Nepal - which have strong backing from powerful Hindu fundamentalist
organizations in neighboring India - have termed the declaration of a secular
Nepal as "defamatory" and "dangerous," and have said that it could provoke
a "religious crusade" in this tiny Himalayan nation." ... "Following the
announcement, Hindu groups organized rallies in at least four districts
here, and forced the southern industrial town of Birgunj to close for two
days last week. Hindu holy men in saffron gowns have been taking to the
streets in the capital, Kathmandu, and other cities demanding the reversal
of the declaration. Hindu leaders warn that this is just the beginning
of what would be a nationwide campaign in the country, which is 80 percent
Hindu." ... "The country's kings are believed to be the incarnations of
Vishnu -one of the top three gods in the extremely populous Hindu pantheon
that theoretically has 330 million gods." ... "While Hindus have strong
reservations, Buddhist groups representing 12 percent of the population
in Nepal, as well as Muslim, Kirat, Jain, Christian, and other minority
groups, have welcomed the declaration. But those who have been most vocal
in welcoming the move are the ethnic minorities." ... ""Hinduism lies at
the root of racial discrimination in Nepal for the last 238 years of dynastic
rule," argues Krishna Bhattachan, an anthropologist who leads a movement
of ethnic minorities in Nepal. "One state religion has meant the dominance
of one culture, one caste, and one language."" -By
Bikash Sangraula -CSMonitor
20060521
US
- Mexico
- Workers
- Economy
- US
Immigration - History
- "Give
and take across the border: 1 in 7 Mexican workers
migrates -- most send money home." ... "The current migration of Mexicans
and Central Americans to the United States is one of the largest diasporas
in modern history, experts say." ... "Roughly 10 percent of Mexico's population
of about 107 million is now living in the United States, estimates show.
About 15 percent of Mexico's labor force is working in the United States.
One in every 7 Mexican workers migrates to the United States." ... "Mass
migration from Mexico began more than a century ago. It is deeply embedded
in the history, culture and economies of both nations. The current wave
began with Mexico's economic crisis in 1982, accelerated sharply in the
1990s with the U.S. economic boom, and today has reached record dimensions."
... "Three-quarters of the estimated 12 million illegal migrants in the
United States come from Mexico and Central America. Mexicans make up 56
percent of the unauthorized U.S. migrant population, according to the Pew
Hispanic Center. Another 22 percent come from elsewhere in Latin America,
mainly Central America and the Andean countries." -By
Carolyn Lochhead -SFGate.com
20060518
US
- Memorial
Day - Military
- Homeless
- Poverty
- Health
- Government
- Money
- Politics
- Iraq
- Calif.
- "Number
of Homeless Vets Called a 'Disgrace': A Third of
Homeless Men in the U.S. Have Served in the Military." ... "One of every
three homeless males in the United States is a veteran, and each night
as many as 200,000 men and women veterans go to sleep with no place to
call home, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs." ... "With
Memorial Day approaching, Democratic members of the House Veterans Affairs
Committee held a forum on homeless veterans." ... "Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif.,
who chaired the forum, was blunt. "It's a disgrace that we let any of our
vets get in this position. If we spend a billion dollars every 2½
days in Iraq, we can spend a lot more for those who have served us but
will be out on the streets tonight."" ... "According to recent statistics,
the VA provided health care services to more than 100,000 homeless veterans
in 2004, and the agency spent more than $1 billion to assist tens of thousands
of homeless and at-risk veterans." (1, 2)
-By Dean Norland -ABCNEWS.com
20060514
US
- Vietnam
- US
Immigration - Mother's-Day
- People
- Des-Moines
- Iowa-
"Mom
gives up possessions so son can live, succeed: 'Because
of her, I will have a bright future,' says Hung Bui of Des Moines [Iowa],
a top speech and acting student." ... "Hung Bui weeps when he recalls the
long road of self-sacrifice his mother paved for him to be successful."
... "In Vietnam, Bui's mother, Thuy Phung, sold her car and valuables to
pay for hospital care he needed when he was 2 months old." ... "After the
family immigrated to the United States in 1998, Phung tirelessly worked
and cared for Bui, his three older brothers and their father." ... "On
Mother's Day, Bui, now 17, honors the person who has endured extraordinary
sacrifices to help him become the person he is today." ... ""All her life,
she has been working and building a comfortable life for the people around
her," Bui said of his mother. "But she doesn't think much of her life.
All she wants is my love." ... ""I will dedicate everything to her. Because
of her, I am; because of her, I am going to college. Because of her, I
will have a bright future."" -DesMoinesRegister/News
Mother's-Day
- Woman
- People
- Illinois
- "An
Amazing Mother's Day Gift: She gave her twins to
her best friend." ... "From the moment she saw the ultrasound--the black-and-white
images of the twin girls in her womb--Anese Adams knew she wanted the babies
to be adopted by her best friend." ... "Cynthia Rice had been godmother
to Adams' two older children, playing an integral part in their upbringing.
But the window to bear a child of her own was narrowing. Nearly 38, she
already had one miscarriage. Her reproductive system was scarred by fibroid
tumors, leaving her to struggle with the idea that "this might not be my
destiny."" ... "So Adams made a decision--these would be Rice's children."
... ""Cynthia is my rock," said Adams, 36, who lives on the Northwest Side
[Chicago, Illinois], 10 minutes away from Rice. "We are sisters without
the blood. ... And this is something I could do."" ... "If precise words
elude them in describing their arrangement, perhaps that's because it is
easier to explain what it is not." ... "The women are not lesbian partners.
(Adams is separated from her husband; Rice is unmarried.) Nor is this a
surrogacy, where a woman is hired to bear an infant. ("Someone asked me
if I was getting paid, and I was really offended," Adams fumed.) Neither
woman has a relationship with the father, who has legally consented to
the adoption, according to Rice's lawyer, Sara R. Howard." (1, 2,
3)
-By Bonnie Miller Rubin
-ChicagoTribune
20060511
Michael
Hayden - Secret
- Government
- Terrorism
- Telecommunications
- Intelligence
- Database
- People
- Business
- Law
- Civil
Liberties - Privacy
- Politics
- "NSA
has massive database of Americans' phone calls."
... "The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone
call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T,
Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement
told USA TODAY." ... "The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses
across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans
— most of whom aren't suspected of any crime. This program does not
involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations. But the spy agency
is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist
activity, sources said in separate interviews." ... ""It's the largest
database ever assembled in the world," said one person, who, like the others
who agreed to talk about the NSA's activities, declined to be identified
by name or affiliation. The agency's goal is "to create a database of every
call ever made" within the nation's borders, this person added." ... "For
the customers of these companies, it means that the government has detailed
records of calls they made — across town or across the country —
to family members, co-workers, business contacts and others." ... "The
three telecommunications companies are working under contract with the
NSA, which launched the program in 2001 shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks, the sources said. The program is aimed at identifying and tracking
suspected terrorists, they said." ... "The sources would talk only under
a guarantee of anonymity because the NSA program is secret." ... "Air Force
Gen. Michael Hayden, nominated Monday by President Bush to become the director
of the CIA, headed the NSA from March 1999 to April 2005. In that post,
Hayden would have overseen the agency's domestic call-tracking program.
Hayden declined to comment about the program." ... "The NSA's domestic
program, as described by sources, is far more expansive than what the White
House has acknowledged. Last year, Bush said he had authorized the NSA
to eavesdrop — without warrants — on international calls and international
e-mails of people suspected of having links to terrorists when one party
to the communication is in the USA. Warrants have also not been used in
the NSA's efforts to create a national call database." -By
Leslie Cauley with contributions by John Diamond
-USATODAY
20060414
Company
- People
- "Exxon
Chairman Gets $400 Million Retirement Package Amid Soaring Gas Prices:
Exxon Made Record Profits in 2005." ... "Last year, Exxon made the biggest
profit of any company ever, $36 billion, and its retiring chairman appears
to be reaping the benefits." ... "Exxon is giving Lee Raymond one of the
most generous retirement packages in history, nearly $400 million, including
pension, stock options and other perks, such as a $1 million consulting
deal, two years of home security, personal security, a car and driver,
and use of a corporate jet for professional purposes."
-ABCNEWS.com
20060330
Antonin
Scalia
- Photo
- Journalism
- Free
Speech - Law
- Politics
- Language
- Humor
- People- Massachusetts
- "Photographer:
Herald got it right." ... "Amid a growing national
controversy about the gesture U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
made Sunday at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross [Boston, Massachusettes],
the freelance photographer who captured the moment has come forward with
the picture." ... "“It’s inaccurate and deceptive of him to say there was
no vulgarity in the moment,” said Peter Smith, the Boston University assistant
photojournalism professor who made the shot." ... "Smith was working as
a freelance photographer for the Boston archdiocese’s weekly newspaper
at a special Mass for lawyers Sunday when a Herald reporter asked the justice
how he responds to critics who might question his impartiality as a judge
given his public worship." ... "“The judge paused for a second, then looked
directly into my lens and said, ‘To my critics, I say, ‘Vaffanculo,’ ”
punctuating the comment by flicking his right hand out from under his chin,
Smith said." ... "The Italian phrase means “(expletive) you.”" (1, 2)
-By Marie Szaniszlo -BostonHerald.com
20060307
Kansas
- Military
- Gay
- People
- "Dodge
City showdown at funeral." ... "This past Saturday
morning I [CNN's Ed Lavandera] found myself in a five-car caravan cutting
across the Kansas plains with about 30 religious protesters. In the back
of a truck, there were signs that read "Thank God for IED's" and "Thank
God for Dead Soldiers."" ... "This is a painful drama playing out at dozens
of military funerals across the country. The group is led by Fred Phelps."
... "He and his family have picketed and heckled military families at more
than 100 funerals since June. They say the soldiers are fighting for an
army that represents a country that accepts homosexuality." ... "Fred Phelps
is the pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka." ... "This is also
very much a story about another phenomenon the Phelps protest has created.
That's the birth of a group called the "Patriot Guard Riders." They're
a volunteer group that came together after hearing that so many military
families were being blindsided by the protesters." -By
Ed Lavandera -CNN
20060302
United
Arab Emirates - US
- Iran
- Iraq
- Kuwait
- Israel
- Global
- Politics
- History
- "Emirate
Wakes Up Famous. Thank You, America." ... "In the
1980's it [Dubai] built strong relations with Iran by serving as a waypoint
to the rest of the world and offering a lifeline during the Iran-Iraq war.
In 1991, it became a haven for Kuwaitis who escaped Saddam Hussein's invading
armies, then in 2003 it became a haven for Iraqis escaping the second gulf
war. And in the years since, Dubai has gradually fashioned itself into
a refuge for Iranians, Arabs and others who have eschewed the call to America
or the West in exchange for a lifestyle that comes close, but is in keeping
with Middle Eastern values." ... "With 85 percent of the population made
up of foreigners, many of them second and third generation, the city faces
a simmering demographic and identity crisis." ... "Dubai is likely to confront
numerous other questions as a 45-day investigation of its [United States]
port management program gets under way, possibly illuminating the emirate's
struggles with money laundering and other illicit activities. A spotty
human rights record regarding foreign workers could also be a sticking
point, along with its participation in a continuing Arab boycott of trade
with Israel." -By Hassan M. Fattah with contributions
by Mohammed Fadel Fahmy -NYTimes
20060228
Iraq
- Religion
- Military
- US
- "Toll
in Iraq's Deadly Surge: 1,300: Morgue Count Eclipses
Other Tallies Since Shrine Attack." ... "Grisly attacks and other sectarian
violence unleashed by last week's bombing of a Shiite Muslim shrine have
killed more than 1,300 Iraqis, making the past few days the deadliest of
the war outside of major U.S. offensives, according to Baghdad's main morgue.
The toll was more than three times higher than the figure previously reported
by the U.S. military and the news media." ... "Hundreds of unclaimed dead
lay at the morgue at midday Monday -- blood-caked men who had been shot,
knifed, garroted or apparently suffocated by the plastic bags still over
their heads. Many of the bodies were sprawled with their hands still bound
-- and many of them had wound up at the morgue after what their families
said was their abduction by the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia of cleric
Moqtada al-Sadr." -By Ellen Knickmeyer and Bassam
Sebti-WashingtonPost
20060223
US
- Cuba
- Guantanamo
Bay - Government
- Military
- Prisons
- Secrecy
- People
- Media
- "Judge
orders Guantanamo captive IDs released: Defense Department
announces it will comply with ruling." ... "A federal judge ordered the
Pentagon on Thursday to release the identities of hundreds of prisoners
at Guantanamo Bay to The Associated Press, a move that would force the
government to break its secrecy and reveal the most comprehensive list
yet of those who have been imprisoned there." ... "Some of the hundreds
of detainees in the war on terrorism being held at the U.S. military base
in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been held as long as four years. Only a handful
have been officially identified." -AP
via -MSNBC
20060202
New
York
- Terrorism
- Government
- Environmental
- Air
- Health
- Science
- Politics
- Noteworthy
- People
- "Judge
Blasts EPA Ground Zero Appraisal." ... "A judge attacked
former Environmental Protection Agency chief Christine Todd Whitman for
reassuring Manhattan residents soon after the 2001 terrorist attacks that
the environment was safe to return to homes and offices while toxic dust
was polluting the neighborhood." ... ""No reasonable person would have
thought that telling thousands of people that it was safe to return to
lower Manhattan, while knowing that such return could pose long-term health
risks and other dire consequences, was conduct sanctioned by our laws,"
U.S. District Judge Deborah A. Batts wrote, calling Whitman's actions "conscience-shocking.""
... "The EPA's internal watchdog found the agency, at the urging of White
House officials, gave misleading assurances there was no health risk from
the dust in the air after the towers' collapse." ... "Quoting a ruling
in an earlier court case, the judge said a public official cannot be held
personally liable for putting the public in harm's way unless the conduct
was so egregious as "to shock the contemporary conscience."" ... "Given
her role in protecting the health and environment for Americans, Whitman's
"reassuring and misleading statements of safety after the Sept. 11, 2001
attacks are without question conscience-shocking," Batts said." ... "The
judge said Whitman knew that the collapse of the buildings released tons
of hazardous materials into the air that would have endangered the public
and yet she encouraged residents, workers and students to return to the
area." (1,
2)
-AP via -CBSNews
20060108
US
- Iraq
- Secret
- Military
- Health
- "
Marines died short of armor." ... "A secret Pentagon
study has found that as many as 80 percent of the marines who have been
killed in Iraq from wounds to their upper body could have survived if they
had had extra body armor. Such armor has been available since 2003, but
until recently the Pentagon has largely declined to supply it to troops
despite calls from the field for additional protection, according to military
officials." -By Michael Moss
-NYTimes via -NYTimes
20060106
US
- Iraq- Police
- Military
- Religious
- Terrorism
- Politics
- "134
killed at holy site, police post in Iraq: Five US
soldiers die in separate bombing." ... "Suicide bombers carried out twin
assaults yesterday on one of Shi'ite Islam's most sacred sites and a police
recruitment center, killing at least 134 people and wounding hundreds,
Iraqi officials said." ... "Five American soldiers were also killed by
a roadside bomb in the capital, the US military said." ... "The attacks
on the Shi'ite holy city of Karbala, about 60 miles southwest of Baghdad,
and Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Sunni-dominated Anbar Province in the
west, contributed to what was one of the bloodiest days since the US-led
invasion of the country in 2003." -By Nelson Hernandez
and Saad Sarhan -WashingtonPost
via -Boston/Globe
20060103
West-Virginia
- Disaster
- "Rescuers
race against time at West Virginia mine." ... "Rescue
workers raced against time on Tuesday with fading hopes of saving 13 trapped
coal miners, and officials said it would take a miracle for the men to
be found alive." ... "There had been no communication with the miners since
they were trapped after an explosion at 6:30 a.m. (11:30 a.m. British time)
on Monday at the Sago mine in central West Virginia." ... "Officials, who
reported poisonous gas in the mine, feared Tuesday night offered the last
hope of finding survivors." -By Jonathan Barnes with
contributions by Chris Swaney, Claudia Parsons, and Adam Entous -Reuters.co.uk