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Debate Rages on Marijuana-Flavored Candy

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/storymain.jsp?number=4

 

 

By Maura Kelly Lannan

 

CHICAGO (AP) - As lawmakers crack down on the sale of marijuana-flavored lollipops, another debate is raging between their manufacturers and hemp product advocates over what is in the candy.

 

Hemp advocates say the candy makers aren't being honest about what's in their confection and that publicity is hurting the sale of legal hemp products, made from a variety of the cannabis plant.

 

Chicago's City Council and Suffolk County, N.Y. both have passed laws banning the sale of marijuana-flavored candies. Lawmakers in Michigan, New Jersey and New York also have introduced legislation to ban or control the candies.

 

California-based Chronic Candy advertises that every lick of its candy is ``like taking a hit.'' The company, though, says the candies contain only hemp oil, a common ingredient in health food, beauty supplies and other household products.

 

``There is nothing illegal in our ingredients and they are ingredients that are in most hard candy in the United States,'' said Tom Durkin, a Chicago attorney who represents California-based Chronic Candy.

 

Though they have no proof, hemp advocates maintain the candies contain cannabis flower essential oil, which they say is distilled from the flowers of the cannabis plant. That, they say, is illegal.

 

Rusty Payne, a spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said cannabis flower essential oil would be illegal if it contains tetrahydrocannabinols, or THC, which is the illegal substance in marijuana, but he did not know whether it did.

 

Hemp oil has a nutty flavor, said Adam Eidinger, spokesman for Vote Hemp, an advocacy arm of the hemp industry.

 

``It tastes nothing like these lollipops,'' he said. ``These lollipops taste and smell like marijuana.''

 

Hemp has only a trace of THC, he said. It cannot be legally grown in the United States without a permit from the DEA, he said.

 

Hemp supporters acknowledge they cannot prove their claim about what's in the lollipops and neither the U.S. Food and Drug Administration nor the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration have tested the candies to determine their ingredients.

 

George Pauli, an associate director in the Office of Food Additive Safety at the FDA, said ingredients used in food and candy have to be approved generically by the FDA or be recognized as safe by scientists. Manufacturers are not required to register their formulas or ingredient lists with the FDA.

 

Payne said the DEA probably will test the lollipops in the future.

 

``Certainly, they are on the radar,'' he said. ``It's something we're aware of.''

 

While the debate over the lollipops' ingredients continues, states and cities across the country already are acting.

 

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has issued a subpoena seeking information on the advertising and marketing practices of Chronic Candy.

 

``Just because something isn't illegal doesn't make it right. These are lollipops that are clearly targeted at kids,'' Madigan said. ``As parents, you spend an enormous amount of time and energy saying to kids, 'Don't smoke, don't drink, don't do drugs.' Anything the glamorizes or lures them into these destructive behaviors shouldn't be promoted.''

 

Durkin, the Chronic Candy attorney, said the lollipops are geared toward adults and the company has never intentionally targeted children.

 

He also said the company had given Madigan's office a list of ingredients in the lollipops although a Madigan spokeswoman said the office does not have the list.

 

While Vote Hemp has raised concerns about the contents of the marijuana-flavored lollipops, the group is not pushing to ban the lollipops, board member Tom Murphy said.

 

``We are pushing to make sure that people understand the difference between hemp oil, which is legal, and something that is illegal,'' he said. ``What legislators and states choose to do is their own business.''

 

09/08/05 20:31

 

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Army speeds high-tech tools to soldiers

Published: August 15, 2005, 9:48 AM PDT

By Jonathan Skillings

Staff Writer, CNET News.com

http://netscape.com.com/Army%20speeds%20hi...341&tag=ns_gear

 

 

The U.S. Army is playing up its ability to get high-tech tools to soldiers in the field more quickly and more affordably.

 

Rather than weapons, the Army's Rapid Equipping Force is focusing on devices such as surveillance systems for searching out explosives, or handheld computers with voice recognition that carry a stockpile of phrases in Arabic. The goal isn't to devise the gadgets from scratch; instead, the unit looks for commercial products or items already in the production pipeline.

 

The use of off-the-shelf technology means that even with modifications for military use, the gear can get to soldiers much faster than it would through the traditional acquisition process, according to the head of the Rapid Equipping Force. The unit has about 20 people in Afghanistan and Iraq who work directly with soldiers and commanders to determine their requirements.

 

"What we don't want to do in my organization is develop (a tool) over a two- or three-year period and give it to the soldier three years from now," Col. Gregory Tubbs, director of the Rapid Equipping Force, said at a press briefing Friday, according to a transcript of the briefing. "If I'm looking for immediate warfighter needs, I want to help the soldier today."

 

The Army showed off some of the gadgets at the Pentagon press briefing.

 

The equipment included a number of remote-controlled devices for seeing around corners or over the next ridge. For instance, the Marcbot (multifunction agile remote-controlled robot) is a small, four-wheel vehicle--about the size of a large Tonka truck--that carries a video camera to let soldiers scan terrain for improvised explosive devices. Thirty Marcbots have already been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Rapid Equipping Force aims to ship out a "couple of hundred" more in the next six months or so.

 

The Marcbot, which costs about $8,000 apiece in its current version, is not intended to carry weapons.

 

Along the same lines is the Throwbot, a two-wheel gadget about the size of a soda can. Its name is descriptive: The Throwbot is meant to be tossed into buildings so that troops can survey the interior via camera before entering. About 1,000 are now in service.

 

The Tacmav (tactical mini air vehicle), meanwhile, is a commercially available model plane, with an 18-inch wingspan, that's modified for use in combat. It carries two video cameras and can be monitored from a laptop computer.

 

The Rapid Equipping Force has also turned out a "Palm Pilot-like" handheld to assist in translation when interpreters are not present. The gadget has a number of preset Arabic phrases that it can recite aloud when a soldier speaks the corresponding phrase in English.

 

A more sophisticated device that would also translate back from Arab into English remains farther off.

 

"I am looking at a two-way translator. I think that even gives you more power," Tubbs said. "But the technology's just not that--you know, as you well know, the Arabic language is much more complex than the English language."

 

One nonlethal weapon that Tubbs showed off was a modified paintball gun, the FN303. "Obviously, you don't want to injure civilians or people that aren't that much of a threat to you," he said.

 

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17 Warning Signs of a Bad Boyfriend

http://channels.netscape.com/ns/love/packa...nd/badboyfriend

 

 

You know the guy you're thinking about marrying is wrong for you if he has no friends, your parents and siblings don't like him, and his credit history doesn't check out.

 

Sometimes the best words of wisdom don't come from academics or scientists with impressive titles and educational credentials. Sometimes the best advice comes from people who have been there and done that in the real world. Such is the case with a recent letter published in the syndicated Dear Abby advice column that listed 17 signs that your boyfriend is NOT the one you should marry.

 

A married woman who said her husband now wanted a divorce passed along these tips to Dear Abby for the not-yet-married. If you see these red flags, she advises you to dump the guy:

 

1. If your parents or siblings have doubts about him, pay attention. Listen and check it out.

 

2. If your intended has nothing good to say about his ex, beware. This is a pattern. Divorce is rarely only one person's fault.

 

3. If his children have nothing to do with him, do not believe him if he says his ex brainwashed them against him. My stepchildren have told me it was because they hated him, and they have good reasons.

 

4. Look closely at his credit and job history. They are sure predictors of what your life will be like.

 

5. If he's over 30 and has no money, do not let him move in with you, and don't marry him until he's financially solvent. If he has any respect for you (and himself), he'll insist on it.

 

6. Be sure in your heart that you can live with him AS IS. You cannot change another person.

 

7. This is a biggie: Beware if he has no friends. It is not true that they all chose to side with his ex.

 

8. If your friends dislike him, pay attention. This is also true if he hates your friends.

 

9. If he has more than one DUI and still drinks, run!

 

10. If he is one personality at work or with others and another person alone with you, run.

 

11. If he has nothing to do with his parents, investigate why. Don't take his word for it.

 

12. If he's an expert at everything and brags a lot, understand that he will turn off a lot of people, eventually maybe even you.

 

13. If he has sexual problems, go with him to a doctor before you marry him. Believe me, his problem will become your problem.

 

14. If he is emotionally or verbally abusive, it will only get worse. Yelling, name-calling and glowering are classic signs of an abuser.

 

15. If he is never wrong and never apologizes, everything will be "your fault" forever. And after years of hearing it, you may even start to accept the blame.

 

16. If he does something wrong and says, "That wouldn't have happened if you hadn't (fill in the blank)," that's another sign of an abuser.

 

17. And if he's mean to children, pets, or animals, recognize that he's pathological, and the next victim could be you.

 

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Top Senate democrat opposes Roberts

Reid will not support a filibuster

 

Tuesday, September 20, 2005; Posted: 4:07 p.m. EDT (20:07 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/09/20/rob...s.ap/index.html

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid announced his opposition to Chief Justice-nominee John Roberts on Tuesday, voicing doubts about Roberts' commitment to civil rights and accusing the Bush administration of stonewalling requests for documents that might shed light on his views.

 

At the same time, two other Democrats edged toward expressions of support for Roberts, and Reid signaled he would not support any effort by die-hard critics in his own rank-and-file to block a vote on the nomination.

 

"I have reluctantly concluded that this nominee has not satisfied the high burden that would justify my voting for his confirmation based on the current record," the Nevada Democrat said on the Senate floor.

 

"The question is close, and the arguments against him do not warrant extraordinary procedural tactics to block the nomination," Reid said.

 

Taken together, the developments indicate Roberts remains on course for confirmation next week to succeed the late William H. Rehnquist and become the nation's 17th chief justice -- but may draw significant Democratic opposition.

 

Reid had successfully urged fellow Democrats to refrain from taking positions on the appointment until after the completion of last week's confirmation hearings and the regular Tuesday closed-door meeting of the rank-and-file. He told some associates of his decision in advance, and then informed fellow Democrats of his intentions during the meeting.

 

Within minutes, other Democrats had begun to signal their intentions.

 

"I've not seen anything that would cause me to vote against" Roberts, said Ben Nelson, who represents Republican Nebraska and often crosses party lines to support President Bush's legislative proposals.

 

"I'm inclined to vote for Roberts unless something else comes up," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Montana. "It's a close call."

 

Reid said much the same about the narrowness of the decision in remarks that nonetheless pleased women's groups and civil rights organizations that had feared he would support Roberts.

 

"This is a very close question for me. But I must resolve my doubts in favor of the American people whose rights would be in jeopardy if John Roberts turned out to be the wrong person for the job," he said.

 

Referring to publicly released memos that date to Robert's tenure as a Reagan administration lawyer, Reid said they showed the young attorney "played a significant role in shaping and advancing the Republican agenda to roll back civil rights protections."

 

"No one suggests that John Roberts was motivated by bigotry or animosity toward minorities or women," Reid added. "But these memos lead one to question whether he truly appreciated the history of the civil rights struggle. He wrote about discrimination as an abstract concept, not as a flesh and blood reality for countless of his fellow citizens."

 

Reid also said Roberts followed a "disingenuous strategy" at last week's confirmation hearings of suggesting that the views in the memos were not his own.

 

Democrats have tried without success to persuade the administration to release documents from Roberts' tenure as principal deputy solicitor general, a senior Justice Department job he held in the administration of the first President Bush. White House claims to shield the documents are "utterly unpersuasive," Reid said, adding that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales had refused to meet with Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont., to discuss the papers.

 

"The failure of the White House to produce relevant documents is reason enough for any senator to oppose this nomination. The administration cannot treat the Senate with such disrespect without some consequences," Reid said.

 

Dana Perino, White House deputy press secretary, said in response to Reid's remarks that Roberts was "clearly qualified in terms of intellect, ethics and temperament, and it would be unfortunate if some in the Senate use his confirmation to seek to change the historic approach to Supreme Court confirmations."

 

"In confirming recent nominees like Ginsburg, Breyer and Scalia, senators based their decisions on the qualifications of the nominee, not on whether or not the person doing the nominating was in their same party. The public does not want to see the Supreme Court become an extension of partisan politics," Perino said.

 

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was confirmed on a vote of 96-3 in 1993; the 1994 vote on Stephen Breyer was 87-9 and Antonin Scalia was confirmed 98-0 in 1987.

 

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Devin Leonard

http://www.fortune.com/fortune/author_arch..._id=1&year=2005

 

 

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Ore. Girls Charged With Attempted Murder

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp...072.htm&sc=1110

 

 

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) - Two girls were charged with attempted murder Tuesday after authorities said they put rat poison into milk cartons of two fellow students.

 

No one was seriously hurt in the incident. Both girls were being held at a juvenile detention facility.

 

``The investigation reveals there was some premeditation and thought before the act,'' said Lake County District Attorney David Schutt. ``It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment event.''

 

He did not elaborate on any possible motive.

 

Stephanie Quesnoy, 12, and Holley Sweeney, 13, are accused of putting the poison in the milk cartons during lunch hour Monday at Daly Middle School, authorities said.

 

The school's principal notified police after the green, crystalline pellets of poison were found in the cartons.

 

``It wasn't until they finished their milk that they saw it at the bottom,'' Schutt said. ``I don't think it had time to work its way into the milk.''

 

The two victims and one of the suspects - who may have accidentally gotten some of the poison in her own milk - were evaluated at a hospital and released, Schutt said.

 

A hearing was scheduled Monday.

 

 

09/20/05 23:13

 

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Spacecraft contractors face showdown

 

Tuesday, September 20, 2005; Posted: 10:56 a.m. EDT (14:56 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/09/20/n...reut/index.html

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Price, rather than design or technology, may decide which top U.S. aerospace companies will win a contract to build a replacement for the space shuttle, an executive at Lockheed Martin Corp. said Monday.

 

NASA Monday laid out its most detailed vision yet for what would be a capsule-like vehicle that would rocket astronauts back to the moon by 2018, setting the stage for a showdown between Lockheed and an alliance of Boeing Co. Northrop Grumman Corp.

 

The space agency's definition of the spacecraft's design means the competition will focus on who can assemble the system's various components for cheaper, said Mike Coats, Lockheed's vice president and deputy for space exploration.

 

"What they've said is 'we want a simple reliable capsule like Apollo and Soyuz, so you go tell us how cheaply you can build it,"' he said in an interview, adding that could squeeze margins on contracts that could be worth up to $15 billion.

 

Both bidders have been preparing plans for months, but are still awaiting final guidelines from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on how soon it wants them to deliver the new spacecraft and other details.

 

The groups are writing their final proposals and expect NASA to chose a winner by March or April. Both consortiums have more than 50 employees working on the spacecraft.

 

The so-called Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) could realistically be launched by 2012 or even before, but that could still leave a gap during which the U.S. lacks a manned space vehicle, as the shuttle program is scheduled to be grounded in 2010.

 

"There's a big anxiety about what if you retire the shuttle in 2010 and you can't fly the CEV right away," said Mike Lounge, Boeing's business development director for space exploration systems. "That is important and we're trying to deal with how we would transition from shuttle to CEV."

 

While NASA chief Michael Griffin declined to say when the first human mission to Mars would be, elements of the "near-term" CEV match the needs of a Mars mission, including a six person crew size, Davis said.

 

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Study: $95 billion spent on medical research

Co-author questions 'whether we're getting our money's worth'

 

Tuesday, September 20, 2005; Posted: 8:04 a.m. EDT (12:04 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/09/20/medic...h.ap/index.html

 

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Total U.S. spending on medical research has doubled in the past decade to nearly $95 billion a year, though whether the money is being well spent needs much better scrutiny, a study has found.

 

The report in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association comes amid heightened public attention to medical research because of liability lawsuits over the painkiller Vioxx, political debate over stem cell research and the untapped potential of curing or preventing disease through mapping the human genome.

 

"If we're soon going to be spending $100 billion a year, we'd better have treatments that work over a long period of time against diseases that are important today and will be more important tomorrow," said Dr. Hamilton Moses III, co-author of the study and chairman of the Alerion Institute, which conducts studies on research policy.

 

"If we don't know those conditions are satisfied, we can't judge whether we're getting our money's worth," he said.

 

The study is part of a special issue of JAMA devoted to the state of U.S. medical research. What emerges from the issue is a picture of an amorphous, mostly profit-driven system, where industry research focuses on existing drugs and lets discovery-stage research lag behind.

 

The authors call on the medical industry, government and foundations to do better at investing in research on diseases with fewer effective treatments, such as Alzheimer's, and at translating basic research into new treatments and cures.

 

The authors have ties to the industry, medical schools and health companies, doing consulting work and sitting on drug company boards, according to financial disclosures published with the study.

 

The imbalance between late-stage and early-stage research is growing, the authors wrote, and is due partly to lengthy clinical trials required for new drug approval and partly to pure marketing. Companies often run costly studies to show their drugs work better than competitors' drugs.

 

In their funding analysis, Moses and his colleagues found that the industry sponsors 57 percent of medical research and the National Institutes of Health pays for 28 percent. That proportion has remained unchanged over the past decade.

 

The analysis also found that the United States spends about six cents of every health care dollar on medical research. But the nation spends only one-tenth of a cent of every dollar on longer-term evaluation of which drugs and treatments work best at the lowest cost.

 

"The data in this article make it plain that we are spending huge amounts of money, more than any other country, to develop new drugs and devices and other treatments," said Dan Fox, president of the Milbank Memorial Fund, a philanthropic group that works on health policy issues. "But we are not spending as much as we could to disseminate the most effective treatments and practices throughout the health system."

 

In separate JAMA articles, National Institutes of Health Director Elias Zerhouni said genetics advancements and stem cell discoveries require teams of experts who haven't worked together before, such as biologists and computer programmers, to convert basic science into new therapies.

 

And Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said threats such as terrorism and avian flu require more investment in health protection.

 

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Who says a lawyer needs law school?

 

Wednesday, September 21, 2005; Posted: 11:16 a.m. EDT (15:16 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/09/21/un...s.ap/index.html

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rebecca Valois is working to become a lawyer -- without setting foot in a law school.

 

She's studied for three years at the private Virginia practice of her mother-in-law, Judith Valois, who was admitted to the state bar in 1986 after getting her legal education from her husband.

 

They are "law readers" -- people who study law in offices or judges' chambers rather than classrooms.

 

California, Vermont, Virginia and Washington allow law readers to take bar exams after three or four years in apprenticeships registered with the state. Three other states -- New York, Maine and Wyoming -- let non-law school graduates take bar exams if they have a combination of office study and law school experience.

 

Fewer than 150 aspiring lawyers are getting their legal educations in programs that require no law school whatsoever, according to the bars of the states that allow the practice. By comparison, more than 140,000 students attend law schools approved by the American Bar Association, and thousands more attend schools not approved by the ABA.

 

Despite some challenges, law readers can achieve big things. Marilyn Skoglund, for instance, sits on the Vermont Supreme Court, and Gary Blasi is a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles.

 

"I'm really sort of a bizarre case," Blasi said. "The first time I was ever in a law classroom I was teaching law."

 

As the only law reader he knows who ended up a professor, Blasi doesn't recommend his route for others interested in teaching law in a university. However, he said there are benefits.

 

"If I were redesigning the entire legal education system it would definitely provide more of a real-world, mentored experience," Blasi said.

 

The next hurdle for Rebecca Valois, a 30-year-old mother of two in Centreville, Virginia, will come in February, when she gives the bar a try.

 

It won't be easy.

 

Only one law reader passed the Virginia bar last year out of nine attempts. In July 2003, seven law readers took the bar, but the only one to pass was Margaret Valois -- Rebecca's sister-in-law.

 

Judith Valois, who supervised the studies of both her daughters-in-law, said friends tease her about being the "Valois School of Law."

 

She said a big benefit to law reading is that students get one-on-one instruction from someone who cares about them. Indeed, the supervising lawyers cannot take money for the significant time they put into training their apprentices.

 

Barbara Macri-Ortiz in Oxnard, California, supervises the education of apprentice Jessica Arciniega because she wants to give something back. "I didn't have to pay for law school -- I should be able to help somebody else do the same thing," she said.

 

Macri-Ortiz -- who has some college but no bachelor's degree, which isn't a requirement for California's bar -- got her legal education through an apprenticeship at the United Farm Workers of America, where she worked for the union's founder, Cesar Chavez. Now she mostly represents the poor, and about a third of her work is pro bono.

 

A downside to skipping law school is that a degree can be a job requirement.

 

The elder Valois began working for the Veterans Affairs Department as a staff attorney in 1991. She worked her way through the ranks and in 1998 was set to become a senior Equal Employment Opportunity attorney when she learned that the job required a law degree. The VA ended up giving her a waiver and she got the job -- two years later.

 

Although the ABA maintains rigorous standards for approved law schools, it doesn't advise against law reading. Related groups see it as a state's right to allow an alternative to law school.

 

"The highest court of each state owns the decision about how to meet the need for consumer protection," said Erica Moeser, president of the National Conference of Bar Examiners in Madison, Wisconsin. "For some people, it's probably the only way that they can combine working and studying."

 

Even law-reading advocates caution that there is more to learn these days and it can be tough for a supervising attorney to provide guidance in legal areas outside his or her specialty.

 

"For most people -- the great majority of people -- it's not the best way to try to get a legal education," said Scott Street, secretary treasurer of the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners in Richmond. "Just putting in the time doesn't come anywhere close to assuring that you've got an education."

 

Washington is the only state where law readers pass the bar at a higher rate than traditional students.

 

Sheryl Phillabaum, chair of Washington's Law Clerk Committee, can't explain the success. "But anyone who has devoted so much time to getting through the program is mightily motivated," she said in e-mail.

 

Law readers don't qualify for federal student loans, and in Virginia -- unlike other states -- they can't get paid by the law firm training them.

 

"When you don't have loans, and you can't get paid for what you're doing, you are sacrificing a lot," Rebecca Valois said. "But you're getting a lot in return."

 

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FAA to propose cameras, wireless devices in planes

 

Wednesday, September 21, 2005; Posted: 11:26 a.m. EDT (15:26 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/09/21/airpl...s.ap/index.html

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The latest post-September 11 security change for commercial planes may be cameras in the cabin and wireless devices for flight attendants to alert the cockpit crew to an emergency.

 

The Federal Aviation Administration plans to propose those ideas Wednesday and then take public comment before deciding whether to mandate the changes, The Associated Press has learned.

 

The plan is to give pilots a better idea of what's happening in the cabin. The September 11 hijackers gained access to the flight desk after attacking flight attendants in the cabin.

 

"The purpose of monitoring is to identify anyone requesting entry to the flight deck and to detect suspicious behavior or potential threats," the FAA said in a notice to be published on Wednesday.

 

Airlines would have the option of using other ways to meet the requirement. Peepholes could be installed in the cockpit door, for example. Flight attendants could key the existing crew alert systems in a specific way to alert pilots of a security breach or unusual behavior.

 

The Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines pilots, supports the idea of using cameras to monitor passengers.

 

"Pilots have no way of knowing what's going on behind the door," said Capt. Denis Breslin, spokesman for the organization.

 

Pilots are less sure about the use of wireless devices. Among other things, they're concerned that the devices might allow people to send false alarms to pilots, Breslin said.

 

Association of Flight Attendants spokeswoman Corey Caldwell said her organization favors cameras and wireless devices. She doesn't believe false alarms pose much of a problem.

 

The government has made numerous changes to boost security since the September 11, 2001, attacks, including hiring a federal work force to screen passengers, adding many more undercover federal air marshals, forbidding items such as box-cutters from the cabin, and requiring airlines to install bulletproof doors on the cockpit.

 

David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, said cameras add another layer of security. Asked whether some might oppose cameras on privacy grounds, he said, "Any concerns about privacy are groundless because the cabin crew can see passengers all the time already."

 

The FAA would allow two years to install the cameras or come up with an alternative. The agency estimates the total cost of installing video systems would be $185.5 million over 10 years.

 

Federal safety officials have recommended installing cameras in the cockpit as a way for accident investigators to review pilots' performance after a crash. Pilots have strongly objected to that use for cameras because of privacy concerns.

 

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Study: $95 billion spent on medical research

Co-author questions 'whether we're getting our money's worth'

 

Tuesday, September 20, 2005; Posted: 8:04 a.m. EDT (12:04 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/09/20/medic...h.ap/index.html

 

 

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Total U.S. spending on medical research has doubled in the past decade to nearly $95 billion a year, though whether the money is being well spent needs much better scrutiny, a study has found.

 

The report in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association comes amid heightened public attention to medical research because of liability lawsuits over the painkiller Vioxx, political debate over stem cell research and the untapped potential of curing or preventing disease through mapping the human genome.

 

"If we're soon going to be spending $100 billion a year, we'd better have treatments that work over a long period of time against diseases that are important today and will be more important tomorrow," said Dr. Hamilton Moses III, co-author of the study and chairman of the Alerion Institute, which conducts studies on research policy.

 

"If we don't know those conditions are satisfied, we can't judge whether we're getting our money's worth," he said.

 

The study is part of a special issue of JAMA devoted to the state of U.S. medical research. What emerges from the issue is a picture of an amorphous, mostly profit-driven system, where industry research focuses on existing drugs and lets discovery-stage research lag behind.

 

The authors call on the medical industry, government and foundations to do better at investing in research on diseases with fewer effective treatments, such as Alzheimer's, and at translating basic research into new treatments and cures.

 

The authors have ties to the industry, medical schools and health companies, doing consulting work and sitting on drug company boards, according to financial disclosures published with the study.

 

The imbalance between late-stage and early-stage research is growing, the authors wrote, and is due partly to lengthy clinical trials required for new drug approval and partly to pure marketing. Companies often run costly studies to show their drugs work better than competitors' drugs.

 

In their funding analysis, Moses and his colleagues found that the industry sponsors 57 percent of medical research and the National Institutes of Health pays for 28 percent. That proportion has remained unchanged over the past decade.

 

The analysis also found that the United States spends about six cents of every health care dollar on medical research. But the nation spends only one-tenth of a cent of every dollar on longer-term evaluation of which drugs and treatments work best at the lowest cost.

 

"The data in this article make it plain that we are spending huge amounts of money, more than any other country, to develop new drugs and devices and other treatments," said Dan Fox, president of the Milbank Memorial Fund, a philanthropic group that works on health policy issues. "But we are not spending as much as we could to disseminate the most effective treatments and practices throughout the health system."

 

In separate JAMA articles, National Institutes of Health Director Elias Zerhouni said genetics advancements and stem cell discoveries require teams of experts who haven't worked together before, such as biologists and computer programmers, to convert basic science into new therapies.

 

And Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said threats such as terrorism and avian flu require more investment in health protection.

 

 

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Silicone implant maker closer to market

FDA OKs Inamed's product under undisclosed conditions

 

Wednesday, September 21, 2005; Posted: 1:10 p.m. EDT (17:10 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/09/21/breas...s.ap/index.html

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A second manufacturer of silicone gel-filled breast implants moved a step closer to returning the implants to the market Wednesday, when the FDA announced that the company's products can be approved under certain conditions.

 

The Food and Drug Administration did not detail what conditions were required of Inamed Corp. before its implants would be approved for sale in the United States.

 

The FDA's finding goes against a recommendation by a government advisory panel last April that Inamed's implants not be approved. The panel, which voted 5-4 against recommending Inamed's implants, cited safety concerns that were not addressed by the company's research.

 

The FDA said Wednesday that Inamed has subsequently provided additional information to address those concerns.

 

Inamed also said it would not sell a particular style of implant that had raised particular safety concerns, according to the FDA.

 

"We respect the thoroughness of the FDA review process and are pleased with this decision," said Nick Teti, president of Inamed, in a statement.

 

The company said the FDA's conditions were "generally in line with our expectations" but declined to provide details, saying it would work with the FDA on a confidential basis to address them.

 

However, Amy Allina, program director at the National Women's Health Network, criticized the lack of information describing how Inamed may have addressed safety concerns about the implants.

 

"A decision like this puts women in a bad spot," she said. "It forces the question, do you trust the FDA or not? At this point we have to say these products do not have appear to have answered the safety questions the agency posed."

 

In July, another manufacturer, Mentor Corp., cleared the same regulatory hurdle as Inamed did Wednesday. The FDA advisory panel voted in April to recommend approval of the Mentor's application to market the implants, which had been banned because of health concerns.

 

Proponents who have sought the return of the product say silicone-gel implants look and feel more natural than the salt water-filled implants sold without restriction.

 

But some women who received them have described silicone oozing out of their bodies and years of pain and other symptoms, which they blame on faulty implants.

 

Silicone-gel breast implants first went on the market in 1962, before the FDA required proof that all medical devices be safe and effective. They were banned 13 years ago.

 

The implants largely have been exonerated of concerns that they might cause serious or chronic illnesses such as cancer or lupus. But aside from the risk of breakage, they can cause infection and painful scar tissue.

 

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Jury screened for England court-martial

 

Wednesday, September 21, 2005; Posted: 1:19 p.m. EDT (17:19 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/09/21/prisoner...d.ap/index.html

 

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) -- Officers were screened as potential jurors Wednesday as the court-martial got under way for U.S. Army Pfc. Lynndie England, one of the most visible figures in the scandal over the treatment of inmates at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.

 

England is being court-martialed on seven counts of conspiracy and prisoner abuse. The 22-year-old reservist from rural West Virginia is shown in a number of graphic photos -- including holding a prisoner on a leash -- which were taken by Abu Ghraib guards in 2003.

 

She faces up to 11 years in a military prison if convicted.

 

England broke with the pattern of her co-defendants on Tuesday by opting for an all-officer jury. Selection began Wednesday, and opening remarks by prosecutors and defense attorneys were scheduled for the afternoon. The first witnesses in the case are expected to testify Thursday.

 

A military judge ruled Tuesday that prosecutors may use a statement England gave to investigators implicating herself.

 

Capt. Jonathan Crisp, her lead defense lawyer, has said he plans to base much of his defense on England's history of mental health problems that date to her early childhood. He said he also will focus on the influence exerted over her by Pvt. Charles Graner, the reputed ringleader of the abuse.

 

Graner, who England has said fathered her young son, was convicted in January and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

 

Two of England's co-defendants were convicted by juries made up of officers and enlisted personnel, and the other six made plea deals. Most were members of the Maryland-based 372nd Military Police Company.

 

In May, England made a plea agreement that eventually fell apart, but this time "there's not going to be a deal," Crisp said.

 

The judge presiding over England's case, Col. James Pohl, had ruled in July that neither of two statements England made in January 2004, when she implicated herself in the abuse, would be admissible. He said he believed she did not fully understand the consequences when she waived her rights against self-incrimination before speaking to the investigators.

 

On Tuesday, however, the judge said he now thinks England knew what she was doing when she signed a waiver before making the second statement. Her first statement remains inadmissible.

 

In her attempted plea deal, England pleaded guilty to all of the same counts she faces this week in exchange for an undisclosed sentencing cap.

 

Pohl threw out the plea deal and declared a mistrial during the sentencing phase because Graner's testimony contradicted England's guilty plea.

 

Graner, testifying as a defense witness, had said pictures he took of England holding a prisoner on a leash were meant to be used as a training aid. But in her guilty plea, England said the pictures were being taken purely for the amusement of the Abu Ghraib guards.

 

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'Lost' actors reflect on life on the island

 

Wednesday, September 21, 2005; Posted: 10:49 a.m. EDT (14:49 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/21/t...s.ap/index.html

 

 

HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- After guardedly making his way through a darkened tunnel, Dr. Jack Sheppard found himself bewildered and facing a harrowing decision.

 

His trust and character are tested again in ABC's "Lost," which won the best drama series Emmy on Sunday and returns for its highly anticipated second season on Wednesday.

 

"Anytime people are in very extreme circumstances, dealing with life and death and dealing with survival -- I think we can find truth in those moments," said Matthew Fox, who plays the reluctant leader of a group of plane crash survivors stranded on a mysterious island.

 

"Lost" fans, who have patiently waited all summer for answers following last season's two-hour finale, will finally find out what's beyond the metal hatch that leads deep into the earth.

 

The answer -- while still cryptic -- was revealed last week to thousands of frenzied fans who turned out at Waikiki Beach for a special screening of the new season's first episode and to catch a glimpse of the "Lost" stars. It was a red carpet event like no other, complete with screaming fans, crashing surf and a sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

 

It was in marked contrast to last year where the crowds who turned out to see an unknown ABC pilot filmed in Hawaii didn't know who the actors were.

 

"There is a slight difference, isn't there? It's quite shocking," said Naveen Andrews, who plays former Iraqi soldier Sayid.

 

With thrilling twists, unpredictable story lines and a diverse cast, "Lost" has attracted a loyal following. The official "Lost" magazine comes out soon and the recently released DVD box set of the first season is a top seller at Amazon.com.

 

"The success of a show to this level is always surprising. It takes on a level of pop culture which you can never fully predict," said Dominic Monaghan, who plays rock-star junkie Charlie. "Because of that, it's a little trippy."

'We have to deliver'

 

The show's first season was so well received, cast members realize they must deliver a standout sophomore season.

 

"We're dealing with an immense kind of pressure to keep the quality up," Andrews said. "It's make or break this season, quite frankly. ... We have an audience now. We can't let them down."

 

Monaghan agrees.

 

"There's more pressure now because we're not the hot new show, we're just the hot show," he said. "So we kind of have to back that up now instead of being about the hype. We have to deliver."

 

"Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof said viewers can relate to the characters, often picking their favorites.

 

"At the end of the day, the show at its core is about the characters," he said. "I think the reason people really love this show is they find the island mysteries are compelling, but they watch every week because they really bond with the people."

 

One of the most popular characters is the enigmatic outdoorsman Locke, played by Terry O'Quinn, the oldest cast member at 53.

 

"One of the reasons I've been able to make it work is because I'm very sympathetic with the character," O'Quinn said. "He's a seeker for answers and for something to believe in. He's skeptical. He's dubious and he's been burnt and I've been all those things."

 

Through flashbacks, viewers this season will see different sides of the castaways, who may share more in common than just sitting in coach seats on the ill-fated Oceanic Airlines flight No. 815.

 

Fox said his character is trying to rationalize the paranormal experiences on the island.

 

"Jack is a very scientific man, very logical and obviously with everything he has seen on this island, he's going to have to find a way to snap out of this denial and start confronting this real reality he's existing in," Fox said.

 

Evangeline Lilly, who plays sexy jailbird Kate, said viewers will see a more aggressive character.

 

"I just think the environment she's in is very savage and eventually the savage side of Kate is going to have to come out a little more than we've seen so far," she said.

 

Michael, played by Harold Perrineau, struggles this season. In last season's finale, Michael's young son Walt is kidnapped on the high seas by a group of men. Walt makes a startling appearance in Wednesday's episode.

 

"After the plane crash and all the other stuff, someone snatches your kid. It can't get any worse than that," Perrineau said. "Michael goes from bad to worse this year. You'll see him dig deep to really deal with what's going on."

'One episode at a time'

 

In all the madness, there will be some love on the island this season.

 

"We're in the 9 o'clock slot now," Andrews said, referring to the show's new time. "Men and women alone on the island, they have needs. Needs that must be fulfilled."

 

"Lost" has been a ratings winner for ABC, which took mostly unknown actors cast by Lindelof and J.J. Abrams and created one of the network's most expensive pilots ever around them.

 

Fans have also embraced the diversity of characters.

 

"That's what's great about it. Everyone is so different. Different ages. Different nationalities," said Australian Emilie de Ravin (Claire).

 

The characters include a young Korean couple who exclusively speak to each other in their native language. Lindelof said English was not an option for Jin and Sun.

 

"I think there's this sort of interesting American conceit, 'Everybody else on the planet should speak English,"' he said. "The fact that there are people who don't speak English, we sort of demand they adapt to us, as opposed to the other way around.

 

"So we wanted to make a commentary on language."

 

Lindelof said as long the characters "bounce off each other" in interesting ways, have real conflicts and continue to develop, the show will continue to be compelling.

 

"For how long? Who knows," he said. "But all I know is we write one episode at a time and we've been doing OK so far."

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Researchers snoop on keyboard sounds

Computer eavesdropping yields 96 percent accuracy rate

 

Wednesday, September 21, 2005; Posted: 1:40 p.m. EDT (17:40 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/09/2...g.ap/index.html

 

 

BERKELEY, California (AP) -- If spyware and key-logging software weren't a big enough threat to privacy, researchers have figured out a way to eavesdrop on your computer simply by listening to the clicks and clacks of the keyboard.

 

Those seemingly random noises, when processed by a computer, were translated with up to 96 percent accuracy, according to researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

 

"It's a form of acoustical spying that should raise red flags among computer security and privacy experts," said Doug Tygar, a Berkeley computer science professor and the study's principal investigator.

 

Researchers used several 10-minute audio recordings of people typing away at their keyboards. They fed the recordings into a computer that used an algorithm to detect subtle differences in the sound as each letter is struck.

 

On the first run, the computer had an accuracy of about 60 percent for characters and 20 percent for words, said Li Zhuang, a Berkeley graduate student and lead author of the study. After spelling and grammar checks were deployed, the accuracy for individual letters jumped to 70 percent and words to 50 percent.

 

The software learned to improve as researchers repeatedly fed back the same recordings, using results of spelling and grammar checks as a gauge on correctness. In the end, it could accurately detect 96 percent of characters and 88 percent of words.

 

"If we were able to figure this out, it's likely that people with less honorable intentions can -- and have -- as well," Tygar said.

 

Researchers said there is some limitation to their technique. For one, their work did not take into account the use of a computer mouse or the "shift," "control," "backspace" or "caps lock" keys. They did, however, describe approaches for taking those into account.

 

The use of a computer mouse is another challenge, the researchers said.

 

The Berkeley research builds on the findings of an International Business Machines Corp. study in which 80 percent of text was recovered from the sound of keyboard clicks.

 

The IBM team, however, relied on controlled conditions such as using the same keyboard and training the software with known text and corresponding sound samples.

 

Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer of Counterpane Internet Security Inc., called the study "a great piece of research." He said audio eavesdropping is just one of many possible techniques to spy on PC users.

 

"If the bad guys can get access to your physical space, they can eavesdrop on your stuff," he said. "They can install a camera or a keyboard logger on the wire. They can install a microphone."

 

The Berkeley researchers built their system using off-the-shelf equipment.

 

"We didn't need high-quality audio to accomplish this," said Feng Zhou, another Berkley graduate student and study author. "We just used a $10 microphone that can be easily purchased in almost any computer supply store."

 

The Berkeley researchers, part of the Team for Research in Ubiquitous Secure Technology, will present their results November 10 at a computer and communications security conference in Alexandria, Virginia.

 

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Girls charged with putting rat poison in milk

 

Wednesday, September 21, 2005; Posted: 10:45 a.m. EDT (14:45 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/21/poison.milk.ap/index.html

 

 

KLAMATH FALLS, Oregon (AP) -- Two girls were charged with attempted murder Tuesday after authorities said they put rat poison into milk cartons of two fellow students.

 

No one was seriously hurt in the incident. Both girls were being held at a juvenile detention facility.

 

"The investigation reveals there was some premeditation and thought before the act," said Lake County District Attorney David Schutt. "It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment event."

 

He did not elaborate on any possible motive.

 

Stephanie Quesnoy, 12, and Holley Sweeney, 13, are accused of putting the poison in the milk cartons during lunch hour Monday at Daly Middle School, authorities said.

 

The school's principal notified police after the green, crystalline pellets of poison were found in the cartons.

 

"It wasn't until they finished their milk that they saw it at the bottom," Schutt said. "I don't think it had time to work its way into the milk."

 

The two victims and one of the suspects -- who may have accidentally gotten some of the poison in her own milk -- were evaluated at a hospital and released, Schutt said.

 

A hearing was scheduled Monday.

 

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Airliner fakes emergency so passengers can watch soccer game

 

Wednesday, September 21, 2005; Posted: 12:47 p.m. EDT (16:47 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/09/...y.ap/index.html

 

LIMA, Peru (AP) -- A chartered jet carrying 289 Gambian soccer fans pretended it needed to make an emergency landing so they could watch their team compete in the FIFA Under 17 World Championships, officials said Wednesday.

 

The plane, claiming to be low on fuel, landed Tuesday near the stadium in Peru's northern coast city of Piura.

 

"It truly was a scam," said Betty Maldonado, a spokeswoman for Peru's aviation authority, CORPAC. "They tricked the control tower, saying they were low on fuel."

 

Emergency crews were scrambled ahead of the unscheduled landing by the Lockhead L1011 Tri-Star, owned by Air Rum Ltd., Maldonado said.

 

The Air Rum plane, which she said was chartered by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, should have made its approach to the capital, Lima, but instead flew directly to Piura, entering Peruvian air space "without permission."

 

The passengers were permitted to attend African team's 3-1 victory over Qatar on Tuesday night, she added, but the plane remained in Piura on Wednesday while authorities determined what penalty, if any, to levy against the airline.

 

Gambian newspaper Daily Observer reported on its Web page Wednesday that the group of fans had been delayed for a week in a hotel in the small West African nation and were forced Friday to watch their country's victory over Brazil on television.

 

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Mexican Minister Dies in Helicopter Crash

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp...=20050921DLM101

 

 

By MORGAN LEE

MEXICO CITY (AP) - A helicopter carrying the Cabinet minister in charge of Mexico's federal police, his deputy and seven others crashed in cloud-shrouded mountains outside Mexico City on Wednesday, killing everyone on board, President Vicente Fox said.

 

The Bell helicopter was carrying Public Safety Secretary Ramon Martin Huerta - a trusted Fox ally whose ministry heads the federal police - Federal Preventive Police Chief Tomas Valencia, five other passengers and a crew of two.

 

It had taken off from a military base in Mexico City and was headed to a ceremony at the maximum-security La Palma prison, 35 miles west of Mexico City, when it was crashed in dense clouds.

 

``They all died in the line of duty,'' Fox said in a televised address.

 

Rescuers had spent hours searching the sparsely populated forests outside Mexico City for the helicopter.

 

``We are probably looking at an accident,'' Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal told reporters before the helicopters wreckage was discovered.

 

Mexican media began speculating within hours of the helicopter's disappearance about the possible involvement of drug trafficking groups.

 

The flight was on its way to a swearing-in ceremony for prison guards, the culmination of an effort to purge corrupt officials from a prison holding notorious Mexican drug gang leaders.

 

The prison was cordoned off earlier this year by federal troops after investigators found evidence that reputed drug lords Osiel Cardenas and Benjamin Arellano Felix had joined forces and were operating their networks from behind bars.

 

Fox created the Public Safety Department after taking office in 2000, combining federal police forces overseeing prisons, highways and borders - including the Federal Preventative Police.

 

A key Fox ally, Huerta was appointed to lead the agency in August 2004 after the previous secretary, Alejandro Gertz Manero, resigned to return to private life.

 

Valencia had been promoted to his police chief post, answering to Huerta, in January after his predecessor was fired for his role in the botched response to an attack by a mob in Mexico City that left two federal agents dead.

 

Huerta was Fox's campaign director when Fox ran for governor of the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, and served as interior secretary after Fox's election in 1995. When Fox became president, Huerta took over as interim governor of Guanajuato.

 

Huerta, who has a degree in business administration, worked as a college professor and was an activist in Fox's conservative National Action Party before he launched his government career.

 

 

09/21/05 20:30

 

 

---------------------------------------------------

 

Crippled Jet Lands Safely at L.A. Airport

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp.../2148436698.htm

 

 

By GILLIAN FLACCUS

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A JetBlue airliner with faulty landing gear touched down safely Wednesday evening at Los Angeles International Airport after circling the region for three hours with its front wheels turned sideways and unable to retract into the plane.

 

The pilot landed using the back wheels first and then eased onto the front tires, which smoked, popped and sparked as the plane slowed. The landing was made at an auxiliary runway set apart from the main terminals.

 

Emergency crews from across the area, which had massed near the runway, helped the 139 passengers and six crew members. Within minutes, the plane's door was opened and passengers with their carry-on luggage walked down a stairway onto the tarmac.

 

Some passengers shook hands with emergency workers, talked on their cell phones and waved to cameras. One firefighter carrying a boy across the tarmac put his helmet on the child's head.

 

No injuries were immediately reported, authorities said.

 

``It was a very, very smooth landing. The pilot did an outstanding job,'' fire Battalion Chief Lou Roupoli said moments after the plane touched down.

 

JetBlue flight 292 left Bob Hope Airport in Burbank at 3:17 p.m. for New York's JFK airport, said JetBlue spokesman Bryan Baldwin.

 

The Airbus A320 first circled the Long Beach Airport, about 30 miles south of Burbank, and then was cleared to land at Los Angeles International Airport. It stayed in flight to burn off fuel before landing, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Donn Walker.

 

As the plane landed in Los Angeles, spectators gathered on buildings and stood on parked cars to see first-hand an ordeal that was broadcast on local and national television that showed the nose wheel turned perpendicular.

 

The runway where the plane landed and an adjacent runway will be closed indefinitely, cutting arrivals to LAX in half, Walker said. Departures also will be affected.

 

 

09/21/05 21:48

 

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Wrong man pays child support to Peterson mistress

 

Wednesday, September 21, 2005; Posted: 6:54 p.m. EDT (22:54 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/21/amber.frey.ap/index.html

 

FRESNO, California (AP) -- The former mistress of convicted murderer Scott Peterson is back in the spotlight after a DNA test showed that her first child was not fathered by the man who was paying child support.

 

Anthony Flores, 29, has been paying Frey $175 a month for nearly four years, his attorney, Glenn Wilson, said Wednesday. The father of the 4-year-old girl is actually Fresno restaurant owner Christopher Funch, Wilson said.

 

No one answered the telephone at Porky's Rib House on Wednesday, and Funch did not have a listed home number.

 

Wilson said Flores was preparing to file a court motion seeking visitation rights, which he has been denied, when the man received word last week that he was not the child's father.

 

Frey's attorney, Gloria Allred, said Wednesday that her client never intended to deceive Flores.

 

"Amber, in good faith, always believed that Mr. Flores was her child's father," Allred said.

 

Frey, a massage therapist from Fresno, was Peterson's mistress when he killed his pregnant wife, Laci, in December 2003. Her testimony helped prosecutors convict the fertilizer salesman, who was sentenced to death.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jet makes emergency landing

Flames shot off the front landing gear

 

Wednesday, September 21, 2005; Posted: 9:31 p.m. EDT (01:31 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/21/airliner....y.ap/index.html

 

 

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A JetBlue airliner with its front landing gear stuck sideways safely landed Wednesday, balancing on its back wheels as it slowed on the runway at Los Angeles International Airport.

 

Flames shot off the front landing gear as the plane ground to a halt with firefighters at the ready.

 

The aircraft with landing gear problems had circled the Los Angeles area for more than two hours as the pilots dumped fuel over the ocean and officials tried to determine how to make an emergency landing.

 

The pilots discovered the plane's front wheels were turned sideways and stuck as they tried to retract the gear shortly after takeoff.

 

The back landing gear was also down as the plane circled, but it appeared to be in the correct position. Officials planned to try to land the aircraft, relying on the back wheels, at Los Angeles International Airport, which has longer runways than surrounding airports and more emergency equipment.

 

JetBlue Flight 292 left Burbank's Bob Hope Airport at 3:17 p.m. with 139 passengers headed for New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, said airline spokesman Bryan Baldwin.

 

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Donn Walker said the Airbus A320 was dumping fuel over the Pacific to lighten the plane for an emergency landing.

 

"After leaving Burbank, pilots reported a landing gear indication light on, meaning there may be a problem or issue with the landing gear," Baldwin said. He said the crew decided to head for a nearby airport to attempt to land.

 

The plane first circled the Long Beach Airport, about 30 miles south of Burbank, then was cleared to land at Los Angeles, said LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles.

 

JetBlue is based in Forest Hills, New York.

 

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Bible Textbook for Public Schools Planned

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp.../1521501548.htm

 

 

By RICHARD N. OSTLING

An interfaith group released a new textbook Thursday aimed at teaching public high school students about the Bible while avoiding legal and religious disputes.

 

The nonprofit Bible Literacy Project of Fairfax, Va., spent five years and $2 million developing ``The Bible and Its Influence.'' The textbook, introduced at a Washington news conference, won initial endorsements from experts in literature, religion and church-state law.

 

American Jewish Congress attorney Marc Stern, an adviser on the effort, said despite concern over growing tensions among U.S. religious groups, ``this book is proof that the despair is premature, that it is possible to acknowledge and respect deep religious differences and yet still find common ground.''

 

Another adviser, evangelical literature scholar Leland Ryken of Wheaton College, called the textbook ``a triumph of scholarship and a major publishing event.''

 

The colorful $50 book and forthcoming teacher's guide, covering both Old and New Testaments, are planned for semester-long or full-year courses starting next year.

 

The editors are Cullen Schippe, a retired vice president at textbook publisher Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, and Chuck Stetson, a venture capitalist who chairs Bible Literacy. The 41 contributors include prominent evangelical, mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Jewish and secular experts.

 

Religious lobbies and federal courts have long struggled over Bible course content. To avoid problems, Bible Literacy's editors accommodated Jewish sensitivities about the New Testament, attributed reports about miracles to the source rather than simply calling them historical facts and generally downplayed scholarly theories - about authorship and dates, for example - that offend conservatives.

 

Educators know biblical knowledge is valuable - 60 percent of allusions in one English Advanced Placement prep course came from the Bible - and that polls show teens don't know much about Scripture. Yet few public schools offer such coursework, partly due to demands for other elective classes, partly over legal worries. The U.S. Supreme Court's 1963 decision barring schoolroom Bible recitations said that ``the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities'' if ``presented objectively as part of a secular program of education.''

 

The textbook follows detailed principles in a 1999 accord, ``The Bible and Public Schools,'' brokered by Bible Literacy and the First Amendment Center, a nonpartisan program of the Freedom Forum devoted to constitutional liberties. That accord is endorsed by seven major educational organizations and Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups.

 

Stetson said ``the important thing was not to compromise on peoples' beliefs. They are what they are.'' To Schippe, the key to effective education is respect for the biblical text, constitutional law, scholarship, various faith traditions and divergent interpretations.

 

The new textbook was tested in two high schools. Bible Literacy will offer online teacher training through Concordia University in Portland, Ore.

 

The First Amendment Center's Charles Haynes told the news conference that public schools constantly ask him for advice on what Bible course material to use but he's had nothing he could recommend - ``nothing, that is, until now.''

 

Haynes says the only previous textbook, decades old, was inadequate because it treated the Bible only as literature, slighting its religious significance.

 

Another program, favored by evangelical groups and used in hundreds of schools, comes from the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools of Greensboro, N.C. It provides a teacher's outline with the Bible itself as the textbook.

 

On the Net:

 

Bible Literacy Project: http://www.bibleliteracy.org

 

 

09/22/05 15:21

 

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Interfaith coalition unveils public school Bible course

 

Thursday, September 22, 2005; Posted: 4:09 p.m. EDT (20:09 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/09/22/bi...k.ap/index.html

 

 

(AP) -- An interfaith group released a new textbook Thursday aimed at teaching public high school students about the Bible while avoiding legal and religious disputes.

 

The nonprofit Bible Literacy Project of Fairfax, Virginia, spent five years and $2 million developing "The Bible and Its Influence." The textbook, introduced at a Washington news conference, won initial endorsements from experts in literature, religion and church-state law.

 

American Jewish Congress attorney Marc Stern, an adviser on the effort, said despite concern over growing tensions among U.S. religious groups, "this book is proof that the despair is premature, that it is possible to acknowledge and respect deep religious differences and yet still find common ground."

 

Another adviser, evangelical literature scholar Leland Ryken of Wheaton College, called the textbook "a triumph of scholarship and a major publishing event."

 

The colorful $50 book and forthcoming teacher's guide, covering both Old and New Testaments, are planned for semester-long or full-year courses starting next year.

 

The editors are Cullen Schippe, a retired vice president at textbook publisher Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, and Chuck Stetson, a venture capitalist who chairs Bible Literacy. The 41 contributors include prominent evangelical, mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Jewish and secular experts.

 

Religious lobbies and federal courts have long struggled over Bible course content. To avoid problems, Bible Literacy's editors accommodated Jewish sensitivities about the New Testament, attributed reports about miracles to the source rather than simply calling them historical facts and generally downplayed scholarly theories -- about authorship and dates, for example -- that offend conservatives.

 

Educators know biblical knowledge is valuable -- 60 percent of allusions in one English Advanced Placement prep course came from the Bible -- and that polls show teens don't know much about Scripture. Yet few public schools offer such coursework, partly due to demands for other elective classes, partly over legal worries. The U.S. Supreme Court's 1963 decision barring schoolroom Bible recitations said that "the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities" if "presented objectively as part of a secular program of education."

 

The textbook follows detailed principles in a 1999 accord, "The Bible and Public Schools," brokered by Bible Literacy and the First Amendment Center, a nonpartisan program of the Freedom Forum devoted to constitutional liberties. That accord is endorsed by seven major educational organizations and Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups.

 

Stetson said "the important thing was not to compromise on peoples' beliefs. They are what they are." To Schippe, the key to effective education is respect for the biblical text, constitutional law, scholarship, various faith traditions and divergent interpretations.

 

The new textbook was tested in two high schools. Bible Literacy will offer online teacher training through Concordia University in Portland, Ore.

 

The First Amendment Center's Charles Haynes told the news conference that public schools constantly ask him for advice on what Bible course material to use but he's had nothing he could recommend -- "nothing, that is, until now."

 

Haynes says the only previous textbook, decades old, was inadequate because it treated the Bible only as literature, slighting its religious significance.

 

Another program, favored by evangelical groups and used in hundreds of schools, comes from the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools of Greensboro, North Carolina. It provides a teacher's outline with the Bible itself as the textbook.

 

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WHO warns of more bird flu cases

Third confirmation in Indonesia

 

Thursday, September 22, 2005; Posted: 6:53 p.m. EDT (22:53 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/09/2...dflu/index.html

 

GENEVA (CNN) -- The World Health Organization has announced a third confirmed case of H5N1 avian flu in Indonesia and warns of more to come.

 

But it also said Thursday there is still no evidence that the virus is spreading directly from person to person.

 

The latest patient, an 8-year-old boy, is being treated in a hospital along with a dozen more suspected cases. Another three suspected cases, all children, died this week.

 

"Given the experience of other H5N1-affected countries in Asia, the detection of further human cases in Indonesia or elsewhere would not be surprising," the WHO said in a statement.

 

The source of the illnesses is still under investigation. While there is no evidence of a mutant virus strain, or any other indication that the disease is spreading between people, WHO spokeswoman Maria Cheng told CNN that not every victim has had "obvious contact" with birds.

 

The victims' homes are scattered, but all are within a roughly 50-mile ring around Jakarta, she added.

 

Along with Indonesian investigators, half a dozen scientists from the WHO and one from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's field station in Thailand are helping to collect tissue samples and interviewing patients along with their close contacts, Cheng said.

 

Laboratory samples from the suspected cases have been sent to a WHO laboratory in Hong Kong, and results are expected by the middle of next week.

 

"Obviously, we'd like to get results as soon as possible," she said.

 

Cheng added that the surge in reported cases may be due to improved surveillance since July, when a 38-year-old man and his two young daughters became the first three Indonesians to die of avian flu. Last week, the WHO said it was unable to determine how they caught the illness, and that "testing and monitoring of more than 300 close contacts failed to detect any further cases."

 

Jakarta's zoo was closed last week after 19 birds were found infected with the virus. Some of the suspected human cases are workers at the zoo.

 

Earlier this week, Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari said the situation could be considered an "epidemic," but took a step back on Wednesday.

 

"The extraordinary status of this contagious disease should not be considered as a frightening epidemic," he said, and promised an "all-out effort" to contain the virus.

 

In its most dramatic step, the Indonesian government said Wednesday it would start ordering mass killings of chickens on farms with infected birds, a measure that has long been urged by the WHO and other health experts. Until now, Indonesia has declined to order mass culls, saying it doesn't have the money to compensate its poultry farmers.

 

Indonesia has fired the country's chief of animal health control for allegedly failing to check the spread of the disease, The Associated Press reported.

 

Forty-four hospitals have been prepared to accept bird flu patients and the government said it could forcibly admit anyone with symptoms of the disease.

 

"We are observing 11 cases, including the one that died yesterday," I Nyoman Kandun, the head of disease control at Indonesia's health ministry, said Thursday. He was referring to a girl who died on Wednesday at Jakarta's infectious diseases hospital, Reuters reported.

 

Initial testing showed the girl did not die of bird flu, but further blood samples have been sent to a Hong Kong laboratory.

 

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has swept through poultry populations in large swaths of Asia since 2003, killing at least 63 people and resulting in the deaths of tens of millions of birds.

 

Most human cases have been linked to contact with sick birds. But the World Health Organization has warned the virus could mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans -- possibly triggering a global pandemic that could kill millions.

 

A top WHO official said the agency was prepared to begin distributing large-scale quantities of an antiviral drug to treat bird flu in humans "if and when a pandemic starts."

 

Dr. Shigeru Omi, director for WHO's Western Pacific region, told reporters at a WHO conference in New Caledonia that the U.N. agency was ready to open its stockpile of oseltamivir, an antiviral drug, to help avert a global pandemic of the disease.

 

WHO regards a pandemic as a multi-country outbreak of bird flu, in which the disease has been passed from human to human.

 

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Freight trains collide head-on in Virginia

 

Thursday, September 22, 2005; Posted: 2:04 p.m. EDT (18:04 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/22/trains.co...e.ap/index.html

 

 

NEWSOMS, Virginia (AP) -- Two CSX freight trains collided head-on early Thursday, injuring several people and leaving some of the wrecked rail cars burning, state police said.

 

The collision occurred about 3 a.m. along a rail line in rural southeastern Virginia just north of the North Carolina state line, State Police Sgt. D.S. Carr said.

 

Carr could not say how seriously injured the people were or if they were rail workers or residents. The trains were believed to be carrying rocks, he said.

 

A CSX spokesman in Jacksonville, Florida, did not immediately return a telephone message left by The Associated Press.

 

The collision happened on a rail line that runs parallel to state Route 671 and was blocking at least two roads, said Tiffany Elliot of the Virginia Department of Transportation.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board was being alerted.

 

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Police: Driver aimed at crowd

Driver accused of assaulting his mother

 

Thursday, September 22, 2005; Posted: 5:18 p.m. EDT (21:18 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/22/pedestria...k.ap/index.html

 

 

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- A driver intentionally steered his car onto a sidewalk on the crowded Las Vegas Strip and then accelerated in a deadly scene resembling "humans being mowed down like a lawnmower," police said Thursday.

 

One person died and 13 were hospitalized, many with major injuries, after Wednesday's crash. A 27-year-old man faces charges of murder and attempted murder, Deputy Police Chief Greg McCurdy said.

 

"It appears he did this intentionally. The reason is questionable," McCurdy said Thursday.

 

The man, Stephen Michael Ressa of Rialto, California, had also been sought by his hometown police in a near-fatal assault Monday on his mother, who owned the car Ressa was driving in Las Vegas.

 

The victims, including 11 tourists, were walking in front of the Bally's and Paris hotel-casinos on Wednesday when the car struck them, then crashed into a wall and came to a stop in a landscaped area in front of Bally's.

 

The injured were strewn along the sidewalk and were being treated in the street by emergency personnel as stunned tourists looked on. Traffic on the Las Vegas Strip was stopped for almost five hours.

 

Ressa was unhurt and was arrested at the scene by an off-duty officer, police said.

 

Ressa was held Thursday without bail at the county jail and is scheduled to appear in court Friday.

 

During interviews with detectives, Ressa appeared lucid and correctly answered questions about his ability to determine right and wrong, McCurdy said. But Ressa's statements were "bizarre in nature," McCurdy said.

 

Results of alcohol and drug tests were pending.

 

The dead man was identified as Gordon Kusayanagi, 52, of Hollister, California. Seven of the injured remained in hospitals Thursday, three in critical condition, spokeswomen said.

 

Rialto police Det. Sgt. Reinhard Burkholder said Ressa was wanted for questioning in the assault on his 54-year-old mother.

 

"He punched her numerous times in the face and choked her into unconsciousness and stood over her with a butcher knife," Burkholder said.

 

Ressa may have been under the influence of methamphetamine, Burkholder said.

 

He was not being pursued by officers when he crashed in Las Vegas, police said.

 

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House OKs Faith As Head Start Hiring Issue

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050922/ap_on_go_co/head_start

 

 

 

 

 

By BEN FELLER, AP Education Writer Thu Sep 22, 6:09 PM ET

 

WASHINGTON - The House voted Thursday to let Head Start centers consider religion when hiring workers, overshadowing its moves to strengthen the preschool program's academics and finances.

 

 

The Republican-led House approved a bill that lets churches and other faith-based preschool centers hire only people who share their religion, yet still receive federal tax dollars.

 

Democrats blasted that idea as discriminatory.

 

Launched in the 1960s, the nearly $7 billion Head Start program provides comprehensive education to more than 900,000 poor children. Though credited for getting kids ready for school, Head Start has drawn scrutiny as cases of financial waste and questions about academic quality have surfaced nationwide.

 

Overall, the House bill would insert more competition into Head Start grants, require greater disclosure of how money is spent, and try to improve collaboration among educators in different grades. Yet on Thursday, the dispute over religion eroded the bipartisan support for Head Start's renewal.

 

The House passed the bill 231-184; only 23 Democrats voted for it.

 

GOP lawmakers, with backing from the White House, contend that preschool centers should not have to give up their religious autonomy in order to receive federal grants.

 

"This is about our children, and denying them exemplary services just because the organization happens to be a religious one is just cruel," said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.

 

The Republican plan would, for example, let a Catholic church that provides Head Start services employ only Catholic child-care workers.

 

Democrats and Republicans offered different interpretations of whether the Constitution, federal law and court rulings protected — or prevented — federally aided centers from hiring based on religion.

 

"Congress should not be in the business of supporting state-sponsored discrimination," said Rep. Alcee Hastings (news, bio, voting record), D-Fla. Said Rep. Lynn Woolsey (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif.: "The (Republican) majority has decided to choose religious discrimination over what could have been a rare bipartisan agreement."

 

Rep. John Boehner (news, bio, voting record) of Ohio, the Republican chairman of the House education committee, said former

President Clinton signed four bills into law that allowed religiously based hiring. Boehner rejected appeals to withdraw the religion-based amendment. The House passed the amendment 220-196 along near party lines. Ten Democrats voted for it. That vote came before the final vote on the overall bill.

 

Without a change in law, Boehner said, "Faith-based organizations are forced to relinquish their protected rights to hire individuals who share their beliefs."

 

On academics, the bill would prod Head Start centers to work with school districts and teach to state academic standards or risk losing their federal money. That strategy of academic coordination helped win bipartisan support for the bill, very different from the last time.

 

By a single vote in 2003, the House passed a bill that would have let up to eight states apply for control over Head Start, drawing opposition from every Democrat. That experimental shift in power died when Congress didn't pass a Head Start law that year, and the new bill does not include the provision.

 

The bill would temporarily halt the federal test given to hundreds of thousands of 4-year-old and 5-year-old children in Head Start until a

National Academy of Sciences review is completed.

 

The

Government Accountability Office found this year that the test, called the National Reporting System, has numerous flaws. Rep. Ron Kind (news, bio, voting record), D-Wis., asked for the suspension and Boehner agreed, saying the test should not be given until Congress is assured its results are accurate.

 

The House bill, approved 48-0 by the chamber's education committee in May, would reauthorize the Head Start program through 2011. A similar measure in the Senate is pending.

 

___

 

On the Net:

 

Information on the bill, H.R. 2123, can be found at Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov/

 

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Wearing PJs in public all the rage

Some schools unhappy with casual trend

 

Thursday, September 22, 2005; Posted: 1:29 p.m. EDT (17:29 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/09/22/pj...c.ap/index.html

 

(AP) -- "Pajama Day" was once a novelty at school, the chance to be silly and wear attire usually reserved for the privacy of home. But these days many young people -- 11-year-old Haley Small included -- are wearing PJs in public, anytime and just about anywhere.

 

Haley's favorite look: a T-shirt, flip-flops and pajama bottoms, with designs on them ranging from Snoopy to monkeys, basketballs to smiley faces.

 

"Part of it is because it's cute; but the majority of it is because it's comfortable," says the sixth-grader, who lives in Glen Rock, New Jersey, and often wears her PJs, "so I can sleep the extra five minutes." Pajama bottoms are better than jeans, she adds, because they're cool but less constricting.

 

Public pajama-wearing grew out of college students' long-standing habit of rolling out of bed and into class. Now pajamas are a fashion statement, with such retailers as Old Navy, Target and J.C. Penney offering myriad styles for adults, teens and preteens.

 

The trend isn't popular with everyone, though. School officials from Houston County, Georgia, to Katy, Texas, to Southfield, Michigan, to Bakersfield, California, have banned pajama-wearing at school.

 

And even some under-30s think it's inappropriate to wear them anywhere but home.

 

"It isn't a matter of being too casual," says Olga Shmuklyer, a 28-year-old New Yorker who readily acknowledges to being a member of the "flip-flop" generation. She simply thinks pajamas aren't flattering, for anyone. "They look like vagrants," says Shmuklyer, whose own college-age sister wears pajamas in public, much to her "dismay."

 

Others have noted adults getting in on the act. Preston Kirk says he was taken aback when one of the twentysomething cast members in his community theater group in Marble Falls, Texas, came to rehearsal in pajamas. "It took me an hour to figure it out," Kirk, who's 60, says of the woman's outfit. "But then, I'm 'old school."'

 

Haley's mom, Ellyn Small, says that the first time her daughter wanted to wear pajamas to school, "I was dead set against it." Then she realized other kids were doing it and didn't mind so much.

 

"The pajama bottoms and T-shirts cover just as much of her body, if not more than the clothes she would normally wear," Small says. "I'm sure there will be plenty of times down the road for me to put my foot down and tell her she can't do or wear something."

 

Bob Hallman, another New Yorker whose 15-year-old sports sleepwear in public, says he's also fine with it. "All I ask is that they wear PJs appropriately," he says. "Not too big and too loose, not too small and too tight."

 

Kristina Philips, a 20-year-old junior at Ashland University in Ohio, says she'll wear pajamas to early classes, informal meetings or when she's feeling too sick to wear regular clothes.

 

"But once you start wearing slippers with them, people start to make jokes about a pajama party," she says, recalling how one student got teased for doing so her freshman year.

 

She also believes that K-12 schools are well within their rights to impose pajama bans.

 

Haley, the 11-year-old in New Jersey, thinks they shouldn't make such a big deal. She says that few people at her school, teachers included, have said anything about her pajamas. She does concede, however, that she may not be given so much slack, one day.

 

"It would depend on what type of job I had and what day it was," she says. "If I had a press conference or something, I'd wear something nice. But I'm not a very dressed-up person myself. If you found me in a skirt, that would be amazing."

 

For now, retailers say the demand for pajamas only seems to be growing.

 

Valerie Bent, who launched the Las Vegas-based Big Feet Pajama Company a month ago, says she's heard from many people who want to wear her company's pajamas for outdoor activities -- fishing, camping and snowboarding, among them. And some young people also have told her they plan to wear the one-piece, footed PJs to school.

 

"I'm a kid at heart. But I couldn't even imagine wearing these out in public," Bent says, laughing. "But I guess if you're really brave ..."

 

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Top 10 Reasons They Don't Like You at Work

http://channels.netscape.com/careers/packa...oworkershateyou

 

 

By Kate Lorenz

CareerBuilder.com Editor

 

When you walk into the breakroom, do the lively conversations stop? Do the groups quickly disband as everyone scrambles to head back to their offices? Do you think to yourself, 'Was everybody’s break really over, or were they just trying to avoid me?'

 

If any of the following situations describe you, these might be the reason you feel left out:

 

1. 'The sky isn’t really blue -- it’s actually cyan'

Do you incessantly spout unnecessary or obscure information that would make Cliff Clavin from the TV show 'Cheers' jealous? Lose the 'know-it-all' attitude or you’ll make a career of lunching alone.

 

2. Chains of Love

Are you never around because you’re always out on a "smoking break?" Limit your puffs to standard break times.

 

3. Workaholic Wannabe

Do you mosey in late, take extra-long lunches and don’t really start to roll up your sleeves and dig into some serious work until about 2 p.m.? Then, do you make sure everyone sees you working past 5 p.m.? Well you’re not impressing anyone; rather, you’re annoying those who already have put in a full day before you even get warmed up.

 

4. People Magazine—Office Edition

You’re very good at filing away information -- about everyone in the office! If you want to keep friends, learn to keep a secret.

 

5. Devil’s Advocate

Do you feel compelled to take the other side of every argument just to make a point? Well stop it! Nothing is more exhausting for your co-workers than knowing you’re always ready to challenge them no matter what they say.

 

6. Yadda Yadda Yadda

Do you barge into cube after cube forcing one-way conversations on your innocent victims? If the only response you receive is, 'Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh,' then they’re not interested in your blabber. Now get back to work!

 

7. Oh my ba-a-aby!

Related to the yadda-yadda-yadda talker is the baby babbler who incessantly gushes about her children. Only family and close friends should be privy to details about every syllable uttered, step taken or diaper dirtied. It’s wonderful that you love your baby, but just keep the bragging brief.

 

8. Mr. Un-Clean

Leaving dishes in the sink, old food in the fridge, food splattered inside the microwave and crumbs on the break table is a surefire way to annoy fellow workers. Clean up your act.

 

9. What's that on your nose?

Do you constantly follow your boss around, laugh at all her jokes and drop her name in countless conversations? If so, then you are a brownnoser. Working in an office does require a certain amount of 'schmoozing' the boss, but you don’t have to tie yourself up in a pretzel to impress her -- while alienating everyone else in the office.

 

10. Big Mouth

Are your phone conversations loud enough to be from the speaker phone even though they’re not? Dial down the volume to keep the peace.

 

If you recognize yourself in any of these scenarios, take heed. It’s time to change your ways. Of course you can never please everyone, but healthy interoffice relationships are necessary to properly perform your duties and for future advancement in the company. So get rid of some of your annoying habits and you’re sure to gain some new friends.

 

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New evolution spat in schools goes to court

 

Friday, September 23, 2005; Posted: 1:59 p.m. EDT (17:59 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/09/23/li...reut/index.html

 

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -- A new battle over teaching about man's origins in U.S. schools goes to court for the first time next week, pitting Christian conservatives against educators and scientists in a trial viewed as the biggest test of the issue since the late 1980s.

 

Eleven parents of students at a Pennsylvania high school are suing over the school district's decision to include "intelligent design" -- an alternative to evolution that involves a God-like creator -- in the curriculum of ninth-grade biology classes.

 

The parents and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) say the policy of the Dover Area School District in south-central Pennsylvania violates the constitutional separation of church and state, which forbids teaching religion in public schools.

 

They also argue that intelligent design is unscientific and has no place in a science curriculum.

 

Intelligent design holds that nature is so complex it must have been the work of an God-like creator rather than the result of natural selection, as argued by Charles Darwin in his 1859 Theory of Evolution.

 

The school board says there are "gaps" in evolution, which it emphasizes is a theory rather than established fact, and that students have a right to consider other views on the origins of life. In their camp is President George W. Bush, who has said schools should teach evolution and intelligent design.

 

The Dover school board says it does not teach intelligent design but simply makes students aware of its existence as an alternative to evolution. It denies intelligent design is "religion in disguise" and says it is a scientific theory.

 

The board is being represented by The Thomas More Law Center, a Michigan-based nonprofit which says it uses litigation to promote "the religious freedom of Christians and time-honored family values."

 

The center did not return phone calls seeking comment.

 

The trial begins on Monday in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and is expected to last about five weeks.

'Orwellian' efforts

 

Dr. John West of the Discovery Institute, which sponsors research on intelligent design, said the case displayed the ACLU's "Orwellian" effort to stifle scientific discourse and objected to the issue being decided in court.

 

"It's a disturbing prospect that the outcome of this lawsuit could be that the court will try to tell scientists what is legitimate scientific inquiry and what is not," West said. "That is a flagrant assault on free speech."

 

Opponents including the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Association of Biology Teachers say intelligent design is an attempt by the Christian right to teach creationism -- the belief that God created the world -- in public schools under the guise of a theory that does not explicitly mention God. The Supreme Court banned the teaching of creationism in public schools in a 1987 ruling.

 

"Intelligent design is ultimately a science stopper," said Dr. Eugenie Scott of the National Council for Science Education, a pro-evolution group backing the Dover parents.

 

"It's a political and religious movement that's trying to insinuate itself into the public schools," she said.

 

But the American public appears to back the school district.

 

At least 31 states are taking steps to teach alternatives to evolution. A CBS poll last November found 65 percent of Americans favor teaching creationism as well as evolution while 37 percent want creationism taught instead of evolution.

 

Fifty-five percent of Americans believe God created humans in their present form, the poll found.

 

Earlier this month a top Roman Catholic cardinal critical of evolution branded scientific opponents of intelligent design intolerant and said there need not be a conflict between Darwin's and Christian views of life's origins.

 

Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, a top Church doctrinal expert and close associate of Pope Benedict, said Darwin's theory did not clash with a belief in God so long as scientists did not assert that pure chance accounted for everything from "the Big Bang to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony."

 

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Actress: Emergency landing 'surreal'

 

Friday, September 23, 2005; Posted: 5:11 a.m. EDT (09:11 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/23/airliner....y.ap/index.html

 

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Actress Taryn Manning says flying in an airliner that was the subject of a breaking news story she sat watching on inflight TV was the most "out of body experience I ever had."

 

Manning, who has appeared in such films as "Hustle and Flow," "Crossroads" and "8 Mile," was among 140 passengers on the JetBlue airliner that had to make an emergency landing Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport after its front landing gear became stuck in a sideways position. No one was hurt.

 

JetBlue airliners have satellite television monitors installed in the backs of the seats so passengers can watch TV during their flights.

 

"When we saw our plane on TV as 'breaking news' ... it was the most surreal, out of body experience I ever had," Manning told talk-show host Craig Ferguson during a taping of "The Late Late Show" on Thursday.

 

While the plane circled Southern California for three hours to burn off excess fuel before landing, Manning said she, like other passengers, wrote a note to her family.

 

"I just composed a little something so that if anything happened they would know that our last goodbye wasn't on the phone," she said.

 

The passengers displayed a range of emotions during the ordeal, according to the actress.

 

"A lot of the women of course were crying," she said. "There was a gentleman across the way who was writing in his journal and crying, and seeing that isn't easy."

 

When the plane finally touched down safely amid a shower of sparks and smoke as its front tire disintegrated, Manning said passengers burst into a deafening round of cheers and applause.

 

"It sounded like Dodger Stadium in there," she said.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Quake strikes north of Los Angeles

 

Friday, September 23, 2005; Posted: 12:16 p.m. EDT (16:16 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/23/californi...s.ap/index.html

 

WHEELER RIDGE, California (AP) -- A magnitude 3.6 earthquake shook an area north of Los Angeles early Friday, one day after a series of quakes rumbled through the region.

 

There were no reports of injuries or damage from Friday's 3:21 a.m. quake, an aftershock to Thursday's temblors in the San Joaquin Valley about 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

 

The Thursday quakes began with a magnitude-3.4 jolt, which was quickly followed by a 4.7 quake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena.

 

There were also several lesser aftershocks.

 

"We felt it pretty good, like someone picked up the store and shook it," said Donald Sullivan, an employee at the Mettler Renegade truck stop and gas station.

 

The quakes happened near the White Wolf fault. The last time that fault caused a major earthquake was in 1952 when an estimated magnitude-7.5 quake killed 12 people and injured 18.

 

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Web Exclusive | Nation

Pattern of Abuse

EXCLUSIVE: A decorated Army officer reveals new allegations of detainee mistreatment in Iraq and Afghanistan. Did the military ignore his charges?

By ADAM ZAGORIN

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,...00.html?cnn=yes

 

 

Posted Friday, Sep. 23, 2005

The U.S. Army has launched a criminal investigation into new allegations of serious prisoner abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan made by a decorated former Captain in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, an Army spokesman has confirmed to TIME. The claims of the Captain, who has not been named, are in part corroborated by statements of two sergeants who served with him in the 82nd Airborne; the allegations form the basis of a report from Human Rights Watch obtained by TIME and due to be released in the next few days (Since this story first went online, the organization has decided to put out its report; it can be found here). Senate sources tell TIME that the Captain has also reported his charges to three senior Republican senators: Majority Leader Bill Frist, Armed Services Committee chairman John Warner and John McCain, a former torture victim in Vietnam. A Senate Republican staffer familiar with both the Captain and his allegations told TIME he appeared "extremely credible."

 

The new allegations center around systematic abuse of Iraqi detainees by men of the 82nd Airborne at Camp Mercury, a forward operating base located near Fallujah, the scene of a major uprising against the U.S. occupation in April 2004, according to sources familiar with the report and accounts given by the Captain, who is in his mid-20s, to Senate staff. Much of the abuse allegedly occurred in 2003 and 2004, before and during the period the Army was conducting an internal investigation into the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, but prior to when the abuses at Abu Ghraib became public. Other alleged abuses described in the Human Rights report occurred at Camp Tiger, near Iraq's border with Syria, and previously in Afghanistan. In addition, the report details what the Captain says was his unsuccessful effort over 17 months to get the attention of military superiors. Ultimately he approached the Republican senators.

 

The Human Rights Watch report—as well as accounts given to Senate staff—describe officers as aware of the abuse but routinely ignoring or covering it up, amid chronic confusion over U.S. military detention policies and whether or not the Geneva Convention applied. The Captain is quoted in the report describing how military intelligence personnel at Camp Mercury directed enlisted men to conduct daily beatings of prisoners prior to questioning; to subject detainees to strenuous forced exercises to the point of unconsciousness; and to expose them to extremes of heat and cold—all methods designed to produce greater cooperation with interrogators. Non-uniformed personnel—apparently working for the Central Intelligence Agency, according to the soldiers—also interrogated prisoners. The interrogators were out of view but not out of earshot of the soldiers, who overheard what they came to believe was abuse.

 

Specific instances of abuse described in the Human Rights Watch report include severe beatings, including one incident when a soldier allegedly broke a detainee's leg with a metal bat. Others include prisoners being stacked in human pyramids (unlike the human pyramids at Abu Ghraib, the prisoners at Camp Mercury were clothed); soldiers administering blows to the face, chest and extremities of prisoners; and detainees having their faces and eyes exposed to burning chemicals, being forced into stress positions for long periods leading to unconsciousness and having their water and food withheld.

 

Prisoners were designated as PUCs (pronounced "pucks")—or "persons under control." A regular pastime at Camp Mercury, the report says, involved off-duty soldiers gathering at PUC tents, where prisoners were held, and working off their frustrations in activities known as "F____a PUC" (beating the prisoner) and "Smoke a PUC" (forced physical exertion, sometimes to the point of collapse). Broken limbs and similar painful injuries would be treated with analgesics, the soldiers claim, as medical staff would fill out paperwork stating the injuries occurred during capture. Support for some of the allegations of abuse come from a sergeant of the 82nd Airborne who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Human Rights Watch quotes him as saying that, "To 'F____ a PUC' means to beat him up. We would give them blows to the head, chest, legs, and stomach, pull them down, kick dirt on them. This happened every day. To 'smoke' someone is to put them in stress positions until they get muscle fatigue and pass out. That happened every day. Some days we would just get bored so we would have everyone sit in a corner and then make them get in a pyramid. This was before Abu Ghraib but just like it. We did that for amusement.

 

"On their day off people would show up all the time," the sergeant continues in the HRW report. "Everyone in camp knew if you wanted to work out your frustration you show up at the PUC tent. In a way it was sport. The cooks were all U.S. soldiers. One day a sergeant shows up and tells a PUC to grab a pole. He told him to bend over and broke the guy's leg with a mini Louisville Slugger that was a metal bat. He was the cook."

 

The sergeant says that military intelligence officers would tell soldiers that the detainees "were bad" and had been involved in killing or trying to kill Americans, implying that they deserved whatever punishment they got. "I would be told, 'These guys were IED [improvised explosive device] trigger men last week.' So we would f___ them up. F___ them up bad ... At the same time we should be held to a higher standard. I know that now. It was wrong. There are a set of standards. But you gotta understand, this was the norm. Everyone would just sweep it under the rug ... We should never have been allowed to watch guys we had fought."

 

The Captain making the allegations, say those who have been in contact with him, gave lengthy statements to Human Rights Watch only after his attempts to report what he had seen and heard to his own chain of command, were met, he claims, with repeated brush-offs. He is currently in special forces training at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The two non-commissioned officers served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and likewise approached the watchdog group, but have not conferred with Senate staff. "The captain is a very sincere officer, and troubled by what he says he has seen," says another senior aide to a Republican senator. "Only an investigation can determine how accurate his account will prove to be."

 

The Human Rights Watch report describes the Captain, in particular, as deeply frustrated by his attempts to report the abuse to his own superiors, who repeatedly instructed him to keep quiet, to ignore what he'd seen and to consider the implications for his career. The Captain told Human Rights Watch and Senate staff that he had contacted legislators reluctantly, believing it was the only way he could get the army to take him seriously. He also said that "I knew something was wrong" as he watched Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on television in 2004 testifying before a Congressional committee that the U.S. was following the Geneva Convention to the letter in Iraq. The Monday morning after Rumsfeld's testimony, he told Human Rights Watch, "I approached my chain of command." Eventually, the captain says, he approached his company commander, battalion commander and representatives of the Judge Advocate Corps (the military justice system), trying in vain to get clarification of rules on prisoner treatment and the application of the Geneva Convention. At one point, the Captain asserts, his Company commander told him, in effect, "Remember the honor of the unit is at stake," and, "Don't expect me to go to bat for you on this issue ..."

 

The Captain also says he was told there were pictures of abuse that occurred at Camp Mercury similar to photos taken by Military Police at Abu Ghraib prison. It is not clear whether the Captain saw the pictures, but he has said, sources tell TIME, that the photos were so similar to what was depicted at Abu Ghraib that, when the scandal erupted, soldiers burned them out of fear that they too could be punished. The Captain has also told Senate staff that many of the actions he witnessed did not, at the time, violate his personal code of conduct. He was also under the impression that the conduct was in line with military policy. It was only later, Congressional sources tell TIME, that he became aware of what he regarded as a blatant contradiction in official U.S. policy. As the captain puts it, according to the report: "I witnessed violations of the Geneva Conventions that I knew were violations of the Geneva Conventions when they happened but I was under the impression that that was U.S. policy at the time. And as soon as Abu Ghraib broke and they had hearings in front of Congress, the Secretary of Defense testified that we followed the spirit of the Geneva Conventions in Afghanistan, and the letter of the Geneva Conventions in Iraq, and as soon as he said that I knew something was wrong. So I called some of my classmates [from West Point], confirmed what I was concerned about and then on that Monday morning I approached my chain of command ..."

 

An Army spokesman confirmed to TIME that a criminal investigation has begun into the allegations, and that the Captain has been given permission to speak to members of Congress about his concerns. Since the Abu Ghraib scandal became public, hundreds of cases of alleged abuse have emerged based on reports from the International Committee of the Red Cross, U.S. government documents, prisoner legal filings and other sources. The Army alone says it has conducted investigations into more than 400 allegations of detainee mistreatment. To date, more than 230 Army personnel have been dealt with in courts martial, non-judicial punishments and other administrative actions.

 

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American Held in Iraq Tells of Torture

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050923/ap_on_...stage_interview

 

 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - An American contract worker who was kidnapped in

Iraq and held more than 10 months says in an interview that his captors kept him blindfolded and bound throughout the ordeal.

 

 

Roy Hallums, 57, described his experience to "60 Minutes" reporter Lesley Stahl in a segment that will air Sunday on CBS.

 

Hallums also said the motive behind his kidnapping was ransom but he refused to give his captors contact information for his family to spare them from having to negotiate.

 

Hallums was rescued Sept. 7 by coalition troops from a 4-foot-high crawl space under a farmhouse. He returned to his hometown of Memphis two days later to a joyous family reunion.

 

"When I saw him come down off the plane, it was the happiest moment of my life," his ex-wife, Susan Hallums, told The Associated Press earlier this month.

 

Hallums, who worked for a contractor supplying food to the Iraqi Army, was captured Nov. 1 during an armed assault on the Baghdad compound where he lived. According to a release from CBS, he said that his captors used beatings to force him to criticize

President Bush in a videotape.

 

On the video that was monitored in Iraq in January, Hallums was seen with a rifle pointed at his head.

 

"I am please asking for help because my life is in danger because it's been proved I worked for American forces," he said on the video. "I'm not asking for any help from President Bush because I know of his selfishness and unconcern for those who've been pushed into this hellhole."

 

Hallums told "60 Minutes" that he believed the captors were related, ran "a family business" and were trying to get ransom money.

 

The kidnappers tried to force Hallums to give them a phone number for his family so they could ask for money, but Hallums did not reveal that information.

 

"I knew if I gave them the number, they would call them and ask for money," Hallums said. "I didn't want (my family) to deal with a call like that."

 

While he was missing, his ex-wife and two daughters set up a Web site, called world leaders, raised money for information and held candlelight vigils.

 

According to CBS spokesman Kevin Tedesco, the taped interview will show that the coalition unit that rescued Hallums had information that led them to the entrance of the crawl space, which was hidden by a refrigerator.

 

The FBI has been speaking with Hallums since his return to the United States, according to daughter Carrie Anne Cooper. She also said that the FBI was instrumental in the investigation into his kidnapping.

 

"I'm not totally here yet," Hallums said in the interview, "because that was my reality for 10 months."

 

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PERSONAL BUSINESS

 

Scooters: The Perfect Second Car?

These babies are scoring because of their mileage and maneuverability

http://netscape.businessweek.com/magazine/...etscape_autos05

 

High gas prices and traffic: They're the banes of a driver's existence. With neither about to improve anytime soon, there may be a small solution to these big problems. Scooters are an increasingly popular way to zip to errands, make parking a snap, and cut down on fuel costs.

 

 

 

Smaller and easier to use than their motorcycle cousins, scooters have long been popular in cities in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. But lately, the economics of scootering has helped them gain fans here in the U.S. With a final bill that won't exceed most credit-card limits, a scooter makes a great substitute for a station car or an ideal spare vehicle for errands. That's why sales are soaring in urban hot spots such as Miami and New York as well as in the suburbs.

 

All scooters share a basic ease of operation that makes it easy even for non-motorcyclists to get on and go. Start with the motor, where automatic "twist-and-go" transmissions are the rule. With no clutch to fuss about, you simply twist the throttle to take off. The brakes work just like a bicycle's, with a lever for each hand. Thanks to the positioning of the engine -- directly in front of the rear wheel -- scooters share a "step-through" design so you can sit upright, with your feet in front of you.

 

To get rolling, 50cc models such as Aprilia's spritely DiTech start at under $3,000. In the middle of the pack, models such as Vespa's classic Granturismo or Honda's (HMC ) Big Ruckus have enough oomph to take two passengers to highway speeds and sell for over $5,000. The most powerful class of touring-style rides -- such as Yamaha's (YAMCY ) Majesty -- comfortably cruise at highway passing speeds and can cost $6,000 and above. Also expect to ante up for insurance -- around $400 per year for basic liability, fire, and theft -- plus helmets, and the cost of a motorcycle licensing course, if necessary. Check out motorcycles.org for state-by-state information on licensing and one-day scooter schools.

 

Running costs are even more appealing. Larger scooters get up to 60 miles per gallon; some, such as Aprilia's DiTech, can go twice as far on a gallon of gas. The DiTech's spartan efficiency comes from its high-revving, clean-running two-stroke 49cc power plant. A plus for this small engine is that in many states no special license is required on vehicles with engines under 50cc. The trade-off is a top speed south of 50 mph, so it's not the right choice for the highway. Rather the DiTech's sub-200-lb. weight and agile, short wheelbase make it a perfect runabout, easy to stash in small parking nooks at the deli or train station.

 

For longer journeys and more rugged urban byways, it's nice to have a little more power on tap. All the better if it's wrapped in a Vespa's timeless, forward leaning curves. Under the sculpted steel skin of the Granturismo, maker Piaggio has crammed a modern 198cc deep-purring, four-stroke single-cylinder engine that can comfortably -- and stylishly -- carry two adults, along with a few bags of groceries hung off the handy hook just below the handlebars.

 

If the Vespa is almost too pretty to risk the inevitable dings and dents of urban riding, the perfect substitute is Honda's Big Ruckus. With no metal or plastic panels to mar, this stripped-down ruffian barely notices the occasional sidewalk scrape. Its exposed frame not only looks tough but offers a great way to lock the bike up. Even bouncing over potholed Manhattan cross streets, the Big Ruckus feels more stable at higher speeds, thanks to a 249cc engine and a longer-wheel base.

 

For trips beyond city limits, a new class of supersized scooters offers the feel of a motorcycle but with less hassle. With its 400cc engine and tall windshield, Yamaha's Majesty is a great choice if you prefer to skip the train station and cruise directly to work at 65 mph on the highway. Once in the city, at 436 lb., Majesty is less agile than, say, the nimble DiTech in gridlocked traffic. But the Majesty offers features the DiTech can't touch, such as an underseat trunk big enough to hold two helmets -- or Chinese food for four. Next time you need to pick up a takeout order, why drive when you can scoot?

 

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Helicopter Crashes Into Ocean Off Kauai

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp..._0805helicopter

 

LIHUE, Hawaii (AP) - A tour helicopter carrying a pilot and five passengers crashed into the ocean near a reef, killing two people.

 

Three survivors managed to swim to the reef and refused medical treatment; the fourth was plucked from the water but was ``not responsive'' when taken to a hospital, according to Mary Daubert, Kauai County spokeswoman.

 

The helicopter operated by Las Vegas-based Heli USA Airways was carrying three men and three women when it crashed Friday afternoon, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. DesaRae Janszen.

 

Shortly before the crash, the pilot reported encountering wind shear, said Scott Ishikawa, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

 

 

 

Calls to Heli USA headquarters went unanswered Friday.

 

Heli USA operates helicopter tours in Hawaii over Kauai and Oahu, and over the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, according to the company's Web site.

 

On the Net:

 

Heli USA Airways: http://www.heliusa.com/

 

 

09/24/05 05:06

 

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Puppy Swallows 13-Inch Knife, Survives

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp...749.htm&sc=1120

 

 

PLANTATION, Fla. (AP) - Jane Scarola's veterinarian thought the X-ray was a joke. He's seen strange items get into the stomachs of dogs before, things like kebab skewers and small utensils. But a 13-inch serrated knife that somehow was swallowed by a 6-month-old puppy?

 

That was a new one.

 

``I was just flabbergasted,'' the vet, Jon-Paul Carew of Imperial Point Animal Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

 

Elsie, a Saint Bernard puppy, apparently had the blade between her esophagus and stomach for about four days before it was removed earlier this week in a 2-hour operation.

 

The puppy has an 8-inch scar, but is fine and back with her family. And the knife is back in Scarola's kitchen, albeit this time wrapped in a towel and placed in a cabinet atop the refrigerator.

 

``I'm going to frame it and give it to Dr. Carew,'' Scarola said. ``He should hang it. Everybody should know what puppies are capable of putting down their throats.''

 

Scarola used the knife to carve a turkey, and placed the blade on the counter - far from the edge.

 

She thinks one of her six other dogs - four Saint Bernards, a German shepherd and a Labrador - somehow got the knife, which eventually made its way to Elsie.

 

``She wants to eat everything and anything,'' Scarola said.

 

Information from: South Florida Sun-Sentinel, http://www.sun-sentinel.com

 

 

09/23/05 22:56

 

 

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Australian surfer fights off shark with his fists

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp...905shark_attack

 

 

SYDNEY, Sept 24 (Reuters) - An Australian surfer survived a shark attack by repeatedly punching a small shark he first thought was a seal, the second incident of its kind this month, local radio reported on Saturday.

 

Brad Satchell, 44, was surfing about 120 metres (390 feet) offshore at the popular Scarborough beach in Perth, capital of Western Australia state, on Friday when he was attacked.

 

"I actually had a smile on my face when I first saw the thing because I thought it was a seal," Satchell told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

 

He said he turned his surfboard on its side to use as a shield when the shark, which he said may may have been a bronze whaler more than a metre in length, began to attack him. He was unhurt and paddled to safety.

 

 

 

"I lifted my body out of the water and I just got my fists and I remember what I'd read in the paper. I just started punching and I connected with its head," Satchell said.

 

On Sept. 4, 40-year-old surfer Jake Heron was attacked off South Australia state's Eyre Peninsula as his two children watched in horror from the beach.

 

Heron was bitten on the arm and thigh and his surfboard was chomped in two by a four-metre shark but fought the shark off by kicking and punching it.

 

A marine biologist was killed by a shark while diving off the South Australian capital Adelaide in August, the second fatal shark attack in the area since last December.

 

Australia's first documented shark attack was in 1791 and there have been about 630 attacks in the past 200 years, about 190 of them fatal.

09/24/05 04:02

 

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Fla. College Police Officer Fatally Shot

http://sportsillustrated.netscape.cnn.com/...944.htm&sc=1110

 

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A university police officer working with the state to curb underage drinking was shot to death by an Orlando police officer outside the Citrus Bowl Saturday as fans were arriving for a football game, authorities said.

 

Mario Jenkins, a canine officer working with Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco agents, was killed, said University of Central Florida Police Sgt. Troy Williamson.

 

Williamson said Jenkins was wearing street clothes. He would not talk about the circumstances of the shooting.

 

``You've got about 50 police officers and beverage agents who are in complete shock at this point,'' Williamson said.

 

Witnesses told the Orlando Sentinel that the incident started when an undercover officer tried to break up a tailgate party. When he encountered resistance, they said, he fired three shots into the air. An Orlando Police officer saw the man with the gun and shot him several times, the newspaper said.

 

Authorities believed a third person was involved, said Barbara Jones, spokeswoman for the Orlando Police Department. Jones refused to say whether the person was injured.

 

The shooting occurred before a game between University of Central Florida and Marshall University, which UCF won.

 

``It's pretty freaky. You don't think you would see this at a UCF game,'' junior Nicole Jorgensen, 22, of Melbourne.

 

 

09/25/05 03:02

 

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Siblings accuse parents in caged kids case

 

Saturday, September 24, 2005; Posted: 9:11 p.m. EDT (01:11 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/24/caged.chi...n.ap/index.html

 

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) -- When Jesse and Jenna Gravelle heard the stories about a couple forcing their 11 adopted children to sleep in cages, they weren't surprised to hear their father and stepmother's names.

 

What shocked them, Jesse Gravelle said, was that adoption agencies would place children in Michael and Sheron Gravelle's custody.

 

"My dad and stepmother were pretty much cruel and neglectful," Jesse Gravelle, now 32, said Friday.

 

"There were no cages," his sister Jenna Gravelle, 31, said in a separate interview, but "both my brother and I felt like prisoners. We had to fend for ourselves."

 

The siblings described teenage years spent working long hours to pay for food and rent at their father's home, and said Jenna as a sixth-grader was temporarily removed from the home by social services over allegations that their father inappropriately touched her.

 

Officials are now investigating Michael and Sheron Gravelle over their treatment of 11 special needs children they adopted. Two weeks ago, authorities said they discovered some of the children, ages 1-14, had been locked in homemade cages at night and occasionally during the day as punishment.

 

No charges have been filed, and the Gravelles have denied harming the children, all of whom have been placed in foster care.

 

The adopted children have conditions such as autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, HIV and eating disorders. The Gravelles' attorney has said the "enclosures" built around their bunk beds were to stop them from doing such things as setting fires, eating batteries and cutting themselves.

 

Jesse Gravelle, who is estranged from his father, said that when he last tried to reconcile with his father in the mid-'90s the Gravelles didn't have any adopted children.

 

Lt. Randy Sommers of the Huron County Sheriff's Department took statements from Jenna and Jesse Gravelle last week and said they seemed credible. Both say they will testify if called.

 

Michael Gravelle's attorney, David Sherman, told The Plain Dealer newspaper last week that Jenna made up the abuse allegations against her father because she was upset with him for remarrying after her mother's death.

 

"Mr. Gravelle was never charged with any crime, and for good reasons," Sherman said. "There were significant problems with her."

 

Jenna Gravelle left her father's house at 16 and lived with friends, family and in group homes. She now has a degree in psychology and an 8-year-old son.

 

Jesse Gravelle finished high school but said he got into drugs and became homeless. He spent nearly a year in prison for drug trafficking.

 

He now lives in Farmington, New Mexico, and works in a microbrewery. He is divorced, with a daughter and stepdaughter.

 

The idea that an adoption agency would put children with his father and stepmother "blows my mind," he said. "I hope they don't get these kids back. Because I know they're going to try to get them back. Just like my dad went to court and got my sister back."

 

The Gravelles received government assistance to care for the children, but it's unclear how much. Cleveland's county-run agency paid the family at least $500 a month to care for one boy born with HIV.

 

The father "may have believed that he was trying to help those kids," Jesse Gravelle said. "But there's no way he was."

 

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Genocide convicts begin construction punishment

Rwanda's alternative punishment aimed at fostering reconciliation

 

Sunday, September 25, 2005; Posted: 8:46 p.m. EDT (00:46 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/09/25...e.ap/index.html

 

NTEKO, Rwanda (AP) -- Some 774 Rwandans convicted by community courts began excavating stones Sunday for road construction as punishment for their role in the 1994 genocide of more than half a million people in this small central African nation.

 

The community service is intended to foster reconciliation after the slaughter of members of the Tutsi ethnic minority and political moderates from the Hutu majority. The killings were orchestrated by the extremist Hutu government then in power.

 

The convicts began performing the alternative punishment after serving at least half of their sentences in jail. Community service is reserved for those who confessed their role in the 100-day genocide. Those convicted of rape and planning the slaughter, however, were serving their full sentences in prison.

 

Convicts are expected to build homes for genocide survivors, children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and other vulnerable members of the community. They also would be planting trees and taking part in programs intended to curb soil erosion on hillsides in this country that is also known as "Land of a Thousand Hills."

 

"We set up this system to address many problems simultaneously. This arrangement abolishes the culture of impunity, fosters reconciliation while at the same time rebuilding the country," Justice Minister Eda Mukabagwiza told the convicts, as they prepared to start work.

 

Some genocide survivors, however, were unhappy to see those who killed their relatives, stole their property and destroyed their lives receive what they considered to be lenient punishment.

 

"Maybe this is good for the country in general," said survivor Stanislas Niyongabo, 37. "But I don't see any direct benefit to survivors who lost everything during the genocide."

 

On Sunday, some of the convicts attempted to reach out and make peace with the rest of the country. Speaking on behalf of fellow convicts, Athanase Semana asked Rwandans to give them "another chance for us to become normal Rwandans."

 

"We came here with a lot of energy to pay back a debt that we owe to our country. We beg you to accept us back once we have finished our duties," he said in Nteko, 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of Rwanda's capital, Kigali.

 

The convicts were tried by the newly established community courts, known as Gacaca.

 

At least 760,000 Rwandans were accused of committing crimes during the genocide.

 

Those serving on the nine-judge Gacaca courts are elected from their communities and can impose penalties of up to 30 years in prison. Only conventional courts can impose the death penalty.

 

Rwandan officials said they turned to the Gacaca system to speed the judicial process, which has dragged on for more than a decade.

 

The genocide stopped only after Tutsi rebels led by Paul Kagame, now Rwanda's president, ousted the former Hutu-led government.

 

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