Man Finds 56-Pound Mushroom in Missouri
(Maysville is one of two small towns my parents grew up near)
Oct 27 The mushroom Ty Whitmore found on a relative's farm near the northwest Missouri community of Maysville this week tipped the scales at 56 pounds _ and that was only part of it.

Whitmore, 19, of Kansas City, was cutting firewood Monday when he saw the orange and yellow mushroom growing from the base of a maple tree. He cut it off with a saw and said the biggest half of it fell into a creek...Whitmore got it to his pickup truck, half a mile away, and had it weighed at a Maysville grocery store...

...The mushroom, measured Tuesday by a Missouri Department of Conservation, was 30 inches wide and 16 inches high. Harold Burdsall, a retired U.S. Forest Service fungus expert in Madison, Wis., said after looking at e-mailed photos that it was the biggest sulfur shelf mushroom he had ever seen.

James W. Kimbrough, an expert on molds, mildews and mushrooms at the University of Florida, said reference books list the biggest sulfur shelf mushroom as being about 20 inches wide...and the one Whitmore discovered has "got to be among the largest ever found in North America."

Burdsall says sulfur shelf mushrooms taste great, with a firm texture and plenty of flavor.

"If there are two wild mushrooms on the table, I'd always take that one, even over morels," he said.

The mushroom probably took about two weeks to grow. Whitmore said the part that fell into the creek was a larger clump growing on top of the one he got. He said the water was too cold and deep for him to retrieve it.

"It might have weighed 120 pounds altogether," he said.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/27/D8DGLAL85.html

Suicide Mistaken for Halloween Decoration

Oct 27 FREDERICA, Delaware .The apparent suicide of a woman found hanging from a tree went unreported for hours because passers-by thought the body was a Halloween decoration, authorities said...The body, suspended about 15 feet above the ground, could be easily seen from passing vehicles.

State police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Oldham and neighbors said people noticed the body at breakfast time Wednesday but dismissed it as a holiday prank. Authorities were called to the scene more than three hours later...
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/27/D8DGIS500.html

This shows the hypocrisy of the Hollywood anti-gun crowd. They claim they hate guns but they shure don’t mind getting rich using them to shoot people in the movies they make. Yeah, when you can afford security personnel and security systems it’s easy to say no one should have guns. How about disarming their guards?
I don't like guns, says the new James Bond
26/10/2005 Daniel Craig, the actor chosen to portray a tougher, grittier James Bond more akin to the cold-blooded killer conceived by the spy's creator Ian Fleming, admits he is scared of guns…"I hate handguns. Handguns are used to shoot people and as long as they are around people will shoot each other…Bullets have a nasty habit of finding their target and that's what's scary about them."
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/10/26/nbond26.xml

Economy Grows at an Energetic Rate in 3Q...
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20051028/D8DH2AVG8.html

Farmer Finds 11-Foot Python Curled in Corn
Oct 26 GERMANTOWN, Iowa This year's harvest will be memorable for Fred Schuknecht, not so much for his crop of corn, but what he found in it _ an 11-foot python.
"It was coiled up in a roll between two rows of corn. I thought it was a tire laying in the field," he said Wednesday.
...He and his father took the snake to town in a cardboard box and had it weighed at the grain elevator _ 45 pounds. They measured it at 11.5 feet.
...The Department of Natural Resources took the snake to a reptile nature center in Ames. Schuknecht said he since has learned that it belongs to a man near Germantown. "He'd been missing it since the first part of July," Schuknecht said.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/26/D8DG4ALO7.html

October 27, 2005

Bubba and Billy Bob, who are both from Fayetteville, Arkansas, traveled to Grand Lake, Oklahoma for a vacation. While walking along a busy downtown street, they see a sign in a store window which reads, "Suits $5.00 each, Shirts $2.00 each, and Trousers $2.50 a pair."

Bubba says to Billy Bob, "Lookee here! We could buy a whole gob of these clothes, take 'em back to Arkansas, sell 'em to all our friends, and make a fortune fer us."

Bubba continues, "Now when we go in there, don't you say a word, okay?
Just let me do the talkin', 'cause if they hear your accent, they might think we're ignorant, and they won't wanna sell them clothes to us. Now, I'll talk in a slow Oklahoma drawl so's they won't know."

They go in, and Bubba says with his best fake Oklahoma drawl, "I'll take 50 of them there suits at $5.00 each, 100 of them there shirts at $2.00 each, and 50 pairs of them there trousers at $2.50 each. I'll just back up my pickup and..."

The owner of the shop interrupts, "Ya'll from Arkansas, ain't you?"

"Well... yeah," says a surprised Bubba. "How come'd you know that?"

The owner replies, "Cause this here's a dry-cleaners."

Happy Birth Day Teddy Roosevelt
Teddy Roosevelt while Assistant Secretary of the Navy, he resigned during the Spanish-American War to organized the first Voluntary Cavalry, known as the "Rough Riders," which captured Cuba's San Juan Hill. He was Vice-President under William McKinley and in 1901 became America's youngest President.

Teddy Roosevelt was born this day, October 27, 1858. President Roosevelt warned in 1909: "The thought of modern industry in the hands of Christian charity is a dream worth dreaming. The thought of industry in the hands of paganism is a nightmare beyond imagining. The choice between the two is upon us."
www.AmericanMinute.com

Rosa Parks and history By Thomas Sowell
Excellent article. See:
http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/thomassowell/2005/10/27/173033.html

Israel should be ‘wiped off the map’ says Iran
October 26 2005 Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, Iran’s president, on Wednesday declared that Israel should be “wiped off the map” and warned Arab countries against developing economic ties with Israel in response to its withdrawal from Gaza.

His remarks, delivered at a conference in Tehran entitled “A World without Zionism”, led to diplomatic protests by the UK, France and Spain, while Shimon Peres, Israel’s deputy prime minister, said Iran should be expelled from the United Nations…

…US analysts noted that the president’s remarks were not a departure from hardline Iranian rhetoric and did not represent new policy.

But they said the rhetoric was aggressive and badly timed, and would serve to confirm western suspicions of Iran’s more confrontational approach that were raised by the new president’s speeches at the United Nations last month.

...The president told an audience of students there was “no doubt the new wave [of attacks] in Palestine will soon wipe off this disgraceful blot from the face of the Islamic world”.

“Anybody who recognises Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation’s fury,” he said, in remarks aimed at Arab states.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/14ee1ccc-465b-11da-8880-00000e2511c8.html

Campus Paper's Publications Targeted by Tolerance Vandals
October 25, 2005 (AgapePress) - The publisher of a conservative student newspaper at the University of Georgia says he finds it ironic that liberal students who champion tolerance on campus have apparently demonstrated extreme intolerance by vandalizing his fliers and newspapers.

David Kirby, publisher of the campus paper the Georgia Guard Dawg, says he recently put up 30 flyers advertising "Conservative Coming Out Day," a national holiday that recognizes how conservative views are often kept out of classrooms. But within a day of posting his flyers, he reports, all but three had been torn down.

In addition, Kirby says he discovered about 25 copies of the Guard Dawg had been removed from a distribution bin and tossed in a trash can. So far, no individual or group has yet been implicated in the vandalism against the fliers or the newspaper.

..."The homosexual rights group -- this was Gay Pride Week here at the university -- were really preaching tolerance," the campus paper publisher says. "They were saying, 'We all need to be tolerant to other viewpoints.' And yet, it was during this week that those who disagree with us -- namely the homosexual group -- were the ones who tore down our flyers. They were the intolerant ones, and that was the point of my column in the Red and Black."

The Red and Black to which Kirby refers is another student newspaper on campus, which recently published a column of his entitled "Conservative Views Kept Out of Class." In it he delineated a problem that he feels goes well beyond the university's classrooms to pervade many other aspects of campus life.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/10/252005g.asp

Hillary Clinton Proposes Massive Energy Tax
Oct. 26, 2005- Likely presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said yesterday that she backs a plan to hike gasoline taxes through the roof.

Speaking to a group of alternative energy investors in Washington, D.C., Clinton proposed to sock oil companies with $20 billion in new fees that would be used to fund research on clean energy - driving up costs for oil producers that they would inevitably pass along to consumers.

...Mrs. Clinton's whopping tax hike proposal comes just as prices at the pump are beginning to decline from records highs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which caused a bump in energy inflation that experts warned could tip the economy into recession.

Mrs. Clinton insisted that her $20 billion fee plan was "not about new energy taxes on consumers" - but she declined to say how oil companies would absorb the additional costs without charging consumers.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/10/26/115730.shtml

October 25,2005

JACK'S TELEPHONE NUMBER
Blonde Caller: "Can you give me the telephone number for Jack?"

Operator: "I'm sorry, I don't understand who you are talking about".

Blonde Caller: "On page 1, section 5 of the user guide it clearly states that I need to unplug the fax machine from the AC wall socket and telephone Jack before cleaning. Now, can you give me the number for Jack?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You just knew this had to be coming...
Piggy banks 'offend English Muslims'
October 24, 2005 British banks are banning piggy banks because they may offend some Muslims.

Halifax and NatWest banks have led the move to scrap the time-honoured symbol of saving from being given to children or used in their advertising, the Daily Express/Daily Star group reports here.

Muslims do not eat pork, as Islamic culture deems the pig to be an impure animal.
Salim Mulla, secretary of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, backed the bank move. "This is a sensitive issue and I think the banks are simply being courteous to their customers," he said. (Hey! I find Islam offensive...)

"The next thing we will be banning Christmas trees and cribs (mangers) and the logical result of that process is a bland uniformity," the Dean of Blackburn, Reverend Christopher Armstrong, said. (Psst! We already are...)

http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Piggy-banks-offend-UK-Muslims/2005/10/24/1130006056771.html

Take 'em to court, PM tells offended Muslims
24 October 2005 -Denmark-The Prime Minister rejects calls to stop public criticism of Muslims in the media. Offended groups can seek justice in the courts.

Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen rejected on Friday Muslim ambassadors' request that he get personally involved to tone down debate about Muslims.

The eleven ambassadors sent a letter to Rasmussen on Wednesday, requesting that he step in to stop 'the current smear campaign being carried out by the public and the media against Islam and Muslims'.

On Friday, Fogh rejected their call, saying that 'freedom of expression is the very foundation of Denmark's democratic tradition'.

'Freedom of expression has wide boundaries, and the Danish government has no means to influence the press,' said Rasmussen in his reply. 'Danish laws do forbid blasphemous statements or discriminating acts, and the offended party can bring such statements or acts before the court.'

...The ambassadors' request comes after heated debate over newspaper Jyllands-Posten's decision to run drawings of the prophet Mohammed, which is frowned upon by Islam... some of the drawings depicted Mohammed in a negative light, which only added to Muslims' ire.

http://denmark.dk/portal/page?_pageid=374,610572&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&ic_itemid=880447

Cuba's Religion Minister Calls Gospel Printing Operation 'Dangerous'

October 24, 2005 (AgapePress) - Cuba's Minister of Religion claims a Christian pastor in that country was engaged in subversive and dangerous actions. The church leader's alleged crime, apparently, was printing the Gospel of John.

Earlier this month, five plain-clothes police officers raided the home of Pastor Eliseo Rodriguez Matos in the Cuban city of Colon. The officers confiscated a printing press and printed Gospels of John, and the Assembly of God church pastor was taken to the local police station for interrogation.

Todd Nettleton is with Voice of the Martyrs, a ministry to persecuted Christians worldwide. He says the Minister of Religion had harsh words for Matos. The Havana-based official, an atheist named Caridad Diego, said the printing press was "very dangerous," a characterization the VOM representative sees as very ironic.

"It's just a small [device], almost like a mimeograph machine," Nettleton points out, "and yet the minister of religion for the whole country of Cuba considers it to be very dangerous." Of course, he notes, the Cuban government has recently stepped up its campaign against unregistered house churches. In that environment, printing and disseminating the gospel is an activity that would prove dangerous indeed -- dangerous for the believer involved.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/10/242005e.asp

Satanists and Witches see an opportunity in new hate bill
The Sunday Times – Britain October 23, 2005
THE government faces new embarrassment over the religious hatred bill with a warning that witches and satanists could use it to trigger police investigations of their critics.

The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill, now passing through parliament, has been used by Labour to bolster support among Muslims. Charles Clarke, the home secretary, says the bill is of “vital importance” to protect Muslims and other groups from “religious hatred”.

Opponents of the bill — including Rowan Atkinson, the comedian, and Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury...warned that it could also be abused by members of religious cults who could complain to the police about anyone who insulted their beliefs. A similar law in Australia was used by a jailed witch to launch a criminal prosecution of the Salvation Army after it criticised witchcraft.

…Under the act satanists and witches would be able to complain about priests vilifying their beliefs. The stirring up of hatred against people of any religious faith will carry a maximum seven-year jail sentence.

…Atkinson, who is considering writing a sketch to provoke a prosecution, said the problem with the bill was its scope: “The right to offend is far more important than the right not to be offended.”

Last week peers opposed to the bill proposed amending it to apply only to threatening behaviour. Ridiculing or insulting religious groups would still be allowed.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0%2C%2C2087-1838578%2C00.html

Ousted Leader Says Habitat Hides Christianity
Ousted Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller says he and the group's current leaders have disagreed about how much Habitat should embrace its Christian heritage.

The Alabama native says he's pleased that Habitat is getting news coverage for building homes for Gulf Coast hurricane victims, but is troubled that most reports seem to depict it as a secular organization.

At a ceremony in Washington, where he and his wife were honored for their volunteer efforts, Fuller said, "We get our motivation from the Bible."

He added, "In my opinion, you need to be faithful to who you are and not have a flexible agenda in saying to one group you're one thing and saying to another group you're something else."
http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=3988876&nav=8fap

I left my heart…but not my children in San Francisco… The article doesn’t mention the city’s pro-gay mentality, but I have to wonder if that is more of a factor than the ones the article sites… Maybe not though, perhaps all those folks left a long time ago?
Many with children planning to leave San Francisco
October 22, 2005 Nearly half the families in San Francisco with preschool children stated in a newly released survey their intent to move out of the city in the next three years, citing the lack of affordable housing, concern over public safety and the state of the public schools as their primary motivators.

The survey findings, contained in a report issued Friday by the mayor's office that looks at the declining population of children in San Francisco, confirms what many have known for a long time: The city has had a hard time attracting and retaining young families.

People under the age of 18 make up 15 percent of San Francisco's population of nearly 700,000 -- the lowest per-capita population of children among major cities in the United States. From 1990 to 2000, the proportion of San Francisco households with children decreased from 21 percent to 19 percent, according to U.S census data.

…Mayor Gavin Newsom said there's already a lot the city is doing to make San Francisco friendly to families, such as beefed-up funding for subsidized child care and health insurance for young people, the upgrading of neighborhood libraries, more money for park improvements and a growing commitment from City Hall to help fund the public schools.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/10/22/BAGS3FCBF41.DTL

Average U.S. Gas Price Drops 25 Cents
Retail gas prices across the nation fell an average of 25 cents in the past two weeks as refineries in the Gulf Coast steadily resumed production, according to a survey released Sunday.

Several factors contributed to the recent decline, including a seasonal decrease in demand and the resumption of production at many refineries knocked off-line by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"The supply and demand were grossly out of balance and remain somewhat out of balance in the gas market," Lundberg said. "But that balance is normalizing as refining capacity is brought back up."

Lundberg said she expected the cost-cutting to continue in the coming weeks unless an extreme winter drives up heating oil demand and affects the price of crude oil and its derivatives.

The lowest average price in the nation for regular unleaded among the stations surveyed was $2.20 a gallon in Tulsa, Okla. The highest price was $3.01 in Honolulu.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051023/ap_on_bi_ge/gas_prices

October 22, 2005

University to ban Bibles
Wants 'students of all faiths feel at home'
October 21, 2005 Edinburgh University in Scotland will begin banning Holy Bibles from its student halls of residence due to concern they are the source of discrimination against students of other faiths.

…A Gideon Bible is traditionally placed in the room of all new students, and there are currently about 2,000 bibles in the Pollock Halls campus near Holyrood Park. Gideons International has handed out 63 million Bibles worldwide in places such as hotels, prisons and hospitals.

…This is not the first removal of faith from Edinburgh University. Last year the school removed prayer from graduation ceremonies.

…An Edinburgh University spokesman says the university will make a final decision later but will take the wishes of the student body into account: "The student body is made up of diverse faith backgrounds which are evenly supported by the University Chaplaincy which pursues a policy of supporting all faiths and none."
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46970

I guess “tolerance” means we have to accept black racism... Compare this to the press coverage those idiotic Neo-Nazis in Ohio got last week. Did you see this on ABC, CBS, NBC, or CNN?
Professor: Exterminate white people (your tax money at work)
October 22, 2005 A visiting professor at North Carolina State University says the solution to the problems faced by many blacks is the extermination of "white people off the face of the planet."

Kamau Kambon, who taught Africana Studies at the Raleigh school last spring, told a panel at Howard University Law School Oct. 14 this action must be taken "because white people want to kill us," the Carolina Journal reported.

…Excerpts of the speech can be heard here (http://www.johnlocke.org/lockerroom/lockerroom.html?id=5854) and the entire event is archived by C-SPAN http://www.c-span.org/search/basic.asp?ResultStart=1&ResultCount=10&BasicQueryText=black+media+forum .

Kambon told the audience white people "have retina scans, they have what they call racial profiling (no, you moron, it's whatYOU call racial profiling, things like having to show a photo ID to vote), DNA banks, and they're monitoring our people to try to prevent the one person from coming up with the one idea. And the one idea is, how we are going to exterminate white people, because that in my estimation is the only conclusion I have come to. We have to exterminate white people off the face of the planet to solve this problem."

In his Oct. 14 session, Kambon told the panel blacks are "at war."

White people, he said, had set up an "international plantation" for blacks, which made "every white person on earth a plantation master."

"You're either supporting white people in their process of death, or you're for African liberation," Kambon said, according to the Journal.

"White people want to kill us," he said. 'I want you to understand that. They want to kill you," he said. "They want to kill you because that is part of their plan."

Kambon, recipient of a Citizen's Award in 1999 by the local, left-wing newspaper Independent Weekly, previously was a professor of education at St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, a historically black institution, the Journal said.
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46973

Judge Blocks New Georgia Voter ID Law
October 18, 2005 ATLANTA — A federal judge blocked Georgia from enforcing a new state law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.

In issuing the preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy said the law amounts to an unconstitutional poll tax because the state is not doing enough to make ID cards available to those who cannot afford them… A driver's license with a photo is sufficient under the law. But those who do not have a license must obtain a state ID card, which can cost up to $35. The governor said such cards would be given free to those who cannot afford the fee…

Voter and civil rights groups sued over the new law, which eliminates the use of other forms of voter identification, such as Social Security cards, birth certificates or utility bills. (none of which have photos, by the way, how do these folks cash checks without ID’s…?)

The requirement "is most likely to prevent Georgia's elderly, poor and black voters from voting," Murphy wrote. "For those citizens… the loss of their right to vote — is undeniably demoralizing and extreme." (The requirement to prohibit the use of photo IDs is most likely to allow voter fraud to continue in order to unfairly affect elections…)
http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,172654,00.html

The Good old 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday upheld Seattle Public Schools' use of race as a tiebreaker in assigning students to popular high schools, and the plaintiffs vowed to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The ruling comes on the heels of decisions by federal appellate judges in the 1st and 6th Circuits upholding local school authorities' use of race as a factor in student-assignment plans in Massachusetts and Kentucky. Plaintiffs in all three cases sued on the basis that the school districts' plans violated their individual rights to equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Here's how the racial tiebreaker worked: When a high school received more applicants than it had seats for, a series of tiebreakers gave assignment preference to students.

...if the racial balance of the school's student body varied by 15 percent or more from the white-nonwhite districtwide ratio — 40 percent white to 60 percent minority — students were given preference if they brought the student body closer to that ratio.

...School districts face a "strict scrutiny" standard laid down by the U.S. Supreme Court in prior equal-protection cases: They must show that the government has a "compelling interest" in using racial categories and that these actions are "narrowly tailored" to not favor one race over another.

...The four judges who wrote the dissenting opinion challenged the idea that racial diversity in schools was a compelling state interest, saying that the research was inconclusive on whether it benefited students academically.

The harm of inciting racial hostility outweighed any vague benefit of diversity, Judge Carlos Bea wrote."The way to end racial discrimination is to stop discriminating by race," he wrote.

Kathleen Brose said she cares about diversity, but she cares more about children being able to attend their neighborhood school...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002574236_race21m.html

High school hosts 'National Coming Out'
October 19, 2005 A Maryland high school is observing "National Coming Out Week" with events organized by the campus Gay/Straight Alliance, prompting protests from parents.

The activities at Pikesville High School in Pikesville, Md., ...include... a homosexual film festival, according to local WJZ-TV.

...The observance, which began Monday, encourages homosexuals to admit their sexual preference to others and encourages heterosexuals to show support.

...Many Pikesville parents, noticing the police presence, found out about the observance for the first time when they arrived Monday morning at the school campus...

...The event comes as Time magazine's controversial cover story on "gay teens" is being denounced by critics as blatant homosexual propaganda – which is not surprising, since the Time journalist who researched and wrote the story is a homosexual with a long history of advancing "gay" causes, including the promotion of anonymous homosexual orgies...

School Principal Dorothy Hardin says she understands the concerns of parents but believes they shouldn't worry because the message is tolerance, understanding and awareness.
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46911

Myths About Gun Control By John Stossel
http://realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-10_19_05_JS.html

Pro-Lifers Unconvinced About 'Ethical' Embryonic Research http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200510\CUL20051019b.html

October 21, 2005

Two Redneck hunters from Mississippi got a pilot to fly them to Canada to hunt moose. They bagged six.
As they started loading the plane for the return trip home the pilot said the plane could take only four moose.
The two good old boys objected strongly. "Last year we shot six, and the pilot let us put them all on board; he had the same type of plane as yours."
Reluctantly, the pilot gave in and all six were loaded.
However, the little plane couldn't handle the load and went down a few moments after take-off.
Climbing out of the wreck Bubba asked the Earl, "Any idea where we are?"
"Yaaah, I think we's pretty close to where we crashed last year."

Are asthmatic cats allergic to humans?
Oct 19 ...veterinarians in Scotland said ...Irritants such as cigarette smoke, dusty homes and human dandruff can increase inflammation in feline lungs and worsen asthma in cats.

"There is a percentage of asthmatic cats whose asthma has been triggered by things people do, or possibly by people themselves," said Nicki Reed, of the University of Edinburgh's Hospital for Small Animals in Scotland...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051019/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_asthma_cats;_ylt=Ao_8_OwJf5Rt8IvniGi95VvtiBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA
Justices question Southern Nevada anti-prostitution ordinance
Oct 19, 2005, Nevada State Supreme Court justices questioned Wednesday whether high school cheerleaders trying to flag down motorists for a car wash might run afoul of a broadly written ordinance targeting pushy Las Vegas-area prostitutes.

Justices Michael Douglas and Ron Parraguirre raised the possibility during a hearing on an appeal filed by Lani Silvar, charged under the Clark County ordinance with misdemeanor "loitering for the purpose of prostitution."

…Under the ordinance, police can arrest someone who "repeatedly beckons to, stops, attempts to stop or engage persons passing by in conversation, or repeatedly stops or attempts to stop motor vehicle operators by hailing, waiving of arms or other bodily gestures."
http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4001656&nav=8faO

Court Rules Kansas Can't Single Out Gay Sex
Kansas cannot punish illegal underage sex more severely if it involves homosexual conduct, the state's highest court ruled unanimously Friday in a case watched by national groups on both sides of the gay rights debate.
[yet a crime against a homosexual gets tougher sentence than a crime against a straight person. Why isn't that wrong then?]

..."Moral disapproval of a group cannot be a legitimate state interest," said Justice Marla Luckert, writing for the high court.

...Attorney General Phill Kline's office has described Limon as a predator, noting that he already has two similar offenses on his criminal record. Kline contended that such a behavior pattern warranted a tough sentence and that courts should leave sentencing policy to the Legislature.

...A lower court had said the state could justify the harsher punishment as protecting children's traditional development, fighting disease or strengthening traditional values...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051021/ap_on_re_us/sodomy_case

Kennedy tries another tack on 'hate crimes'
After a failed attempt at passing "hate crimes" legislation, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., is trying to attach an amendment favored by homosexual-rights activists to another bill, an activist group warns.

Kennedy sought to pass the controversial legislation – adding "sexual orientation" to the hate-crimes law – through the "Child Safety Act," but this time the vehicle is "The Streamlined Procedures Act of 2005," which deals with federal criminal procedures, says Concerned Women for America.

…The House amendment to the Children's Safety Act – which, among other things, creates a national website for child sex offenders and stipulates that sex felons face up to 20 years in prison for failing to comply with registration requirements – passed 223-199…

Current "hate crimes" law includes stiffer penalties for federal offenses when the attacker is motivated by the actual or perceived race, religion or ethnic background. The Conyers provision adds to that list sexual orientation, gender and disability.

…Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, argues "criminalizing thoughts as well as actions, and creating special categories of victims, are contrary to our entire system of laws."

"Furthermore, granting special protections based on one's 'sexual orientation' has repeatedly been rejected by Congress," he said. "It is shocking that a bill designed to protect children from sexual predators is now being used to protect the sexual preference of homosexuals."

CWA notes that under Pennsylvania’s newly enacted hate-crimes law, 11 Christians were arrested and jailed overnight last year for singing and preaching in a Philadelphia public park at a homosexual street festival.

…"Homosexual activists have redefined any opposition to homosexuality as 'hate speech,'" CWA says. "Laws already criminalize speech that incites violence. It's easy to imagine a scenario in which any incident involving a homosexual can be blamed on people who have publicly opposed homosexual activism."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46943

Charges dropped against jailed dad
Massachusetts man arrested for protest of homosexual kindergarten curriculum
October 20, 2005 A Massachusetts district attorney dropped its case today against a father arrested while attempting to secure a promise from school officials to notify parents before teaching about homosexuality in his son's kindergarten class.

...But the criminal trespass case has no legal connection to the ban that Lexington School Superintendent Paul Ash continues to impose against Parker, which keeps him from all school property in the town. (which means he can’t even pick his son up at school, or vote there either…)

The ban is a source of contention among Parker's supporters, who see it as a punitive act of intimidation, since Parker has never demonstrated himself to be a danger to anyone, Article 8 says.

…At the hearing this morning, a group of homosexual-rights activists gathered with signs to demonstrate against Parker…
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46945

Greenland icecap thickens slightly despite warming
OSLO - Greenland's ice-cap has thickened slightly in recent years despite wide predictions of a thaw triggered by global warming, a team of scientists said on Thursday...

...But satellite measurements showed that more snowfall was falling and thickening the ice-cap, especially at high altitudes, according to the report in the journal Science.

..."The overall ice thickness changes are ... approximately plus 5 cms (1.9 inches) a year or 54 cms (21.26 inches) over 11 years," according to the experts at Norwegian, Russian and U.S. institutes led by Ola Johannessen at the Mohn Sverdrup center for Global Ocean Studies and Operational Oceanography in Norway.

However, they said that the thickening seemed consistent with theories of global warming
(How convenient, if it melts: global warming, if it thickens: global warming)
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1234998

Missouri law requiring abortion physicians to have clinical privileges at a hospital within 30 miles (Hmmm. Sounds like a reasonable law to me…)
10/20/2005 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo- A Springfield abortion clinic leading a legal challenge against a new state law unexpectedly shut down Thursday, leaving Missouri with just two abortion clinics.

The Springfield Healthcare Center had won a temporary restraining order last month from a federal judge against a new Missouri law requiring abortion physicians to have clinical privileges at a hospital within 30 miles.

But clinic administrator Michelle Collins said the sudden decision to close the clinic after about 30 years of business "has nothing to do with the lawsuit whatsoever." But the lawsuit will be dropped as a result, she said.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/missouristatenews/story/ED86E7E68016C4D5862570A0006B4758?OpenDocument

Hurricane postpones another homosexual party
Theme for Florida Keys Fantasy Fest: 'Freaks, Geeks, and Goddesses'
October 21, 2005 …Wild costumes and plenty of exposed skin are common at the annual Fantasy Fest in Key West, Fla.

For the second time this year, an Atlantic hurricane is forcing the postponement of a popular homosexual event filled with "unthinkable debauchery."

...For those not familiar with the perennial party in the week leading up to Halloween, the Associated Press describes it this way:

Fantasy Fest, which began in 1979 as a small food fair and parade, is a huge event in the nation's gay community. There are AIDS fundraisers, drag queen beauty contests, costume parties, lots of drinking and women wearing nothing but paint from the waist up.

The Miami New Times calls it a "time for parades, beads, wild costumes, and unthinkable debauchery ... packed with plenty of scary, silly, and downright naughty parties."

...Fantasy Fest is the biggest money maker for the Florida Keys, drawing up to 60,000 people who spend millions of dollars...
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46960

ACLU: Rio Rancho teachers can refuse to teach intelligent design
October 20, 2005 RIO RANCHO, N.M. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico has advised science teachers in Rio Rancho that they do not have to discuss or teach a theory called intelligent design, and that they should contact the ACLU if they're disciplined for refusing.

(OK, does it work the other way too? What if teachers don't want to teach some of the political correct stuff and homosexual programs forced on them? Can they ignore the rulings that say 1st graders can't pass out Christmas cards that mention Jesus?)

The Rio Rancho school board in August adopted a policy allowing alternative theories of evolution to be discussed in science classes. (nope, don't want to teach alternative theories)

..."We wanted science teachers to know that the ACLU supports them and that the Constitution does give them some control over this situation," ACLU Executive Director Peter Simonson said Tuesday. (it does?)

"To allow the study of intelligent design in the science classroom not only would violate the school district's standards on science education, but it also would be an unconstitutional endorsement of religion," he said. "To focus only on intelligent design to the exclusion of other religions would give rise to an unconstitutional endorsement of religion," according to the letter, signed by Simonson and staff attorney George Bach.
(ID endorses no particular religion. It just proposes the idea that an intelligent being created everything. It still teaches the million/billion years side, unlike creationism)
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/33957.html

October 20, 2005

An older couple were lying in bed one morning.
The husband takes his wife’s and she responds, "Don't touch me."
"Why not?" he asked.
She answered, "Because I'm dead."
The husband asked..."What are you talking about? We're both lying here in bed together and talking to one another!"
She said, "No, I'm definitely dead."
He insisted, "You are not dead. What in the world makes you think you're dead?"
"Because I woke up this morning and nothing hurts."

Salem witch trial
October 20, 2005 Craige McMillan commentator: On Friday, Oct. 14, a communist judge in Salem, Ore., ruled that it was "unfair," and therefore unconstitutional, for voters to express their will on the subject of land-use planning. The reason? It could result in an unequal outcome. Our Constitution insures, therefore, not equal opportunity, but equal outcomes.

Communists believe that all property either belongs to – or should belong to – the state. We as citizens are only wards of that state...

Last year, Oregon voters decided to uphold private property rights because they felt the "takings" through land-use regulations had become excessive. People who had bought property 20, 30 or 40 years ago found they could no longer build their retirement home or subdivide their family farm for retirement income. All they could do was pay property taxes.

Measure 37 was passed by over 60 percent of the state's voters. It allowed cities and counties to continue to prohibit development through land-use planning – but said they would have to pay the owner for the lost value of his or her land. Barring that – development could proceed...

...Not only are judges like Mary James an affront to the separation of powers and the voice of the people, they have twisted the wording of the constitution to mean precisely the opposite of what it actually says...
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46934

House Passes 'Cheeseburger Bill'
Oct. 20, 2005 The House says if you supersize your fries and your waistline follows, don't blame the food sellers.

By a vote of 307-to-119 it easily approved a measure, nicknamed the cheeseburger bill, to prevent people from suing restaurants and food sellers for obesity-related problems.

Supporters argued that frivolous lawsuits won't make anyone skinnier...

...The head of the National Restaurant Association praised the vote. Steven Anderson says it is "irrational" to hold restaurants and food companies legally responsible for what people decide to eat and how much of it...
http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/10/19/154542.shtml

Senate Bill Would Blunt Property Ruling
Oct. 20, 2005 Reacting to a Supreme Court ruling, the Senate on Wednesday moved to bar some federal funds from projects where people's homes are seized for private development.

An amendment to the transportation, treasury and housing spending bill would prevent any money in the bill from being spent on projects that seek to use the power of eminent domain to build shopping malls or other commercial developments.

"People should not be forced out their homes at the will of any private development," said Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., who offered the amendment. The bill is expected to pass the Senate this week.

...Separately, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is pushing a bill that would ban the use of any federal funds in construction projects that rely on the Supreme Court decision to seize property.

Eminent domain is typically used for public works projects that benefit entire communities, such as highways, airports or mass transit projects. The measure approved Wednesday would continue to allow federal funds to be used when property is confiscated for public use.
http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/10/19/173550.shtml

Court sides with 5-year-old after school censors Jesus
October 20, 2005 Officials at a New York state school may have violated the constitutional free-speech rights of a kindergarten student who included an image of Jesus in his homework assignment, according to an appeals court decision.

...Antonio Peck, who attended Catherine McNamara Elementary School in Baldwinsville, N.Y., as a kindergarten student during the 1999-2000 school year, included an image of Jesus and other religious elements in a poster created in fulfillment of a homework assignment on the environment.

The student reportedly was expressing his belief that God was the only way to save the environment.

School officials rejected one version of the poster and then obscured a portion of the second version when it was placed on display at an assembly, citing concerns over its "religious" nature.

Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based public-interest law firm, filed suit over the second poster.

"To allow a kindergarten poster to be displayed for a few hours on a cafeteria wall, along with 80 other student posters, is far from an establishment of religion," said Mathew D. Staver, president and general counsel of Liberty Counsel. "To censor the poster solely because some might perceive a portion of it to be religious is an egregious violation of the Constitution."

...The second version of the poster depicted a robed, praying figure of Jesus, a church with a cross, people picking up trash for recycling, children holding hands around a globe, clouds, trees, a squirrel and grass.

In its opinion, the 2nd Circuit panel said the district court "overlooked evidence that, if construed, in the light most favorable to Peck, suggested that Antonio's poster was censored not because it was unresponsive to the assignment ... , but because it offered a religious perspective on the topic of how to save the environment."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46920

House Passes Lawsuit Protection for Gun Industry
October 20, 2005 Gun makers, distributors and dealers moved one step closer Thursday to being exempt from liability lawsuits unless they violate a law or federal regulation or their products are defective. The House of Representatives passed the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" by a vote of 283 to 144.

...supporters pointed to the language of the bill and argued that it clearly only protects law-abiding and ethical gun dealers.

"It does not interfere with traditional remedies for damages resulting from defects in the design or manufacture of the products," explained Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) co-sponsor of the House version of the proposal. "The bill provides no shelter to those who would sell firearms illegally. It does not affect suits against anyone who has violated other state or federal laws."

Boucher introduced the bill because of what he believes are the nefarious motives of the gun control groups, which often fund lawsuits against gun dealers and makers.

...Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) complained about "people who want to make gun manufacturers liable for what others do with their firearms.
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200510\NAT20051020a.html

ACLU Puts Abstinence-Only Sex Ed in Its Crosshairs
October 18, 2005 ...the ACLU has added a new objective in its quest to defend the civil rights of American citizens: eliminate from public schools sex-education programs that encourage teens to remain sexually pure until marriage.

...What does the ACLU propose in place of the abstinence-only-until-marriage programs?
"They want comprehensive sex education [in] kindergarten and above with a full push towards homosexuality and abortion and access to contraception," says Linda Klepacki of Focus on the Family Action....

...Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council points out that the incidence of teen pregnancies had risen sharply before abstinence programs were adopted, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

"Since approval of abstinence programs, however," Perkins notes, "the national teen pregnancy rate has fallen as much as 22 percent." And that is why his organization has written to the governors in all of the 18 states targeted by the ACLU, encouraging them to help the youth of their state by fully implementing abstinence education. And the Alliance Defense Fund will defend them if challenged by the ACLU, he adds...

Earlier this year, the ACLU filed a lawsuit to eliminate federal funding for a highly successful abstinence-based sex ed program called the Silver Ring Thing, which encourages teens to sign a voluntary pledge to abstain from sexual activity until marriage and to wear a ring signifying their vow. The ACLU argued that federal funding to the Silver Ring Thing constitutes an unconstitutional endorsement of religion, and that the program fails to adequately separate religious components from its abstinence message...
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/10/182005c.asp

Number Overstated for Storm Evacuees in Hotels
October 19, 2005 - The Red Cross and federal government said Tuesday that they had been significantly overreporting the number of Hurricane Katrina evacuees in hotels. Instead of 600,000 people, 200,000 remain in hotels, the charity said.

...Local officials in cities that included Dallas and Houston, where many evacuees settled, said the Red Cross figures seemed high.

"We kind of looked at those numbers ourselves and thought they were exaggerated," said Frank J. Librio, a spokesman for Mayor Laura Miller of Dallas...http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/19/national/nationalspecial/19housing.html?ei=5090&en=5c5363a6a3fac7cb&ex=1287374400&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

Natural gas drops 4%, near 2-week low
~~ Stocks top 3 trillion cubic feet; crude nears 3-month low
Oct. 20, 2005 SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Natural-gas futures fell 4% Thursday after a government report revealed that domestic supplies of the heating fuel climbed above 3 trillion cubic feet for the first time since mid-December of last year.

The weakness in natural-gas prices combined with a rise in oil supplies to pull crude futures prices to their lowest levels since late July.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?siteid=bigcharts&dist=bigcharts&guid=%7B90C78046-8CF1-4EE7-9508-A07088C6B78D%7D

Bird-flu epidemic in humans 'science fiction' (hopefully...but...)
Spain's ag minister says it's 'solely and exclusively a veterinary problem'
October 19, 2005The agriculture minister of Spain calls fears the bird flu moving westward across Europe will create a global outbreak among humans "science fiction."

"The idea of a pandemic among humans is something from science fiction," Elena Espinosa said on the private radio station Cadena Ser, according to Agence France-Presse.
Claiming it's currently "solely and exclusively a veterinary problem," Espinosa said human infections in Asia were "in very specific poultry raising situations where the families lived with the chickens and infection was due to constant inhalation."

...The main fear among scientists is that while H5N1 does not spread easily from person to person, it could mutate into a form transmissible with seasonal flu in humans, potentially killing millions as was the case in the 1918 influenza pandemic... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46929

October 18, 2005

Quake killed over 3000 militants
October 17, 2005 Intelligence sources have confirmed that over 3000 terrorists who were waiting for an opportunity to cross into India from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were killed in the October 8 earthquake.

A top intelligence officer told rediff.com that while hundreds of terrorists were killed because of the huge buildings crumbling, most others were killed due to massive explosions that took place because of fire breaking out in their ammunition dumps...the figure of 3000 was tentative and the number of militants killed could be much more...
http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/oct/17quake10.htm?q=tp&file=.htm

Some Students Wear Pajama Bottoms in Class
(I've seen this at WAL-MART too...)
Oct 17 There's a new fad of students _ mostly girls _ wearing pajama bottoms to school, and so far administrators are not making a fuss about it. ..."There's a fine line there, and I think sometimes we need to pick our battles. Should we get into a tussle over pajamas?" said Eileen Nicholas, student and family services teacher specialist for Ogden district..."Pajama bottoms would be an improvement for some of our kids," said Ogden High School Principal Ed Jenson.

"Some days you don't want to get dressed up for school. Like when it's raining and cold. You just want to be cozy," said Ben Lomond junior Elvia Escalante, 16.
(So what’s so hard about expelling kids for violating a dress code?)
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/17/D8DA2SRG0.html

Teen Magazines Send Mixed Messages
October 17, 2005 In Teen People a girl tells readers, "I made out with him for hours -- with my parents right down the hall."

CosmoGirl! readers are given a toll-free number to call for emergency contraception in case a condom breaks during intercourse. On the same page is a photo of a girl approaching a guy with a box of condoms and a can of whipped cream. Its caption reads, "Sophia's got Chad totally whipped."

...millions of young people are falling prey to the gratuitous sex in teen magazines targeted at girls ages 13-17...Young girls can read about "A Day in the Life of a Teen Nudist" in the September 2005 issue of Elle Girl. Obscured pictures of nude males and females accompany the article to illustrate the teen's involvement in a nudist colony...In addition, these magazines are blatant in their seductive advertisements, display of sexy lingerie and promotion of Planned Parenthood, America's largest abortion provider.

… the influence of the media is so strong that is it defining the young people of today......Even more disturbing is that the magazine pitches these topics as a health issue while being quick to include a question about virginity and a claim that abstinence is the only effective means of contraception. In other words, they are sending mixed messages to a vulnerable generation..."The ying and yang of being simultaneously irresistible and virginal fill page after page," she explained. "Impressionable teens [and pre-teens] are being whip-sawed by the mixed messages."
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/10/172005a.asp

Murder Rate Drops to 40-Year Low
Oct. 18, 2005 …the nation's murder rate dropped in 2004, taking it to the lowest level in 40 years, the FBI reported Monday... 5.5 murders for every 100,000 people.

That's a decline of 3.3 percent from 2003 and the lowest murder rate since 1965, when it was 5.1.

Overall, the number of violent crimes, which also include aggravated assaults and robberies, fell by 1.2 percent last year. Property crimes - burglaries, larceny/theft and car theft - dropped 1.1 percent in 2004, compared with 2003.
http://newsmax.com/archives

Eminent Domain in N.J. - Now They Just Steal Land
Oct. 17, 2005 Union Township, N.J. -- Carol Segal has a problem: He wants to build townhouses on the six acres of land he owns in New Jersey's Union Township and has contracted with a developer to build 100 townhouses there.

But the township government wants to develop the property themselves, and - incredibly - they have voted to take his land through the eminent domain process and let a local developer with political connections do the job.

...According to the Star-Ledger, Segal, a 65-year-old retired electrical engineer, has spent about $1.5 million to acquire the property over the past 10 years and has been dickering with township officials over the past five years about his development plans. He claims negotiations fell apart after he refused to use the developers that township officials wanted him to use.

At that point, on May 24, the five-member township committee voted unanimously to authorize the municipality to seize Segal's land through eminent domain and name its own developer, AMJM Development, paving the way for the developer to build 90 or so townhouses on Segal's land, according to the Star Ledger...
http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/10/17/145458.shtml

DA Earle: DeLay Evidence Missing
Oct. 17, 2005 The most compelling piece of evidence cited by Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle to implicate House Majority Leader Tom DeLay in a money laundering and conspiracy case can't be located, Earle's prosecution team admitted on Friday.

...DeLay's lawyer, Dick DeGuerin immediately pounced on the development, telling the Chronicle that the lack of a list "destroys" Earle's case. "That's astonishing, astonishing that they would get a grand jury to indict and allege there is a list and then they have to admit in open court the first time they appear in open court that there is no list," DeGuerin said.

Prosecutor Earle engaged in similar tactics in 1993, when he twice indicted Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison only to have the case dismissed both times. Earle indicted a third time, but when the case went to trial he failed to produce any evidence and was forced to dismiss all charges.
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/10/17/100045.shtml

DeLay judge supports MoveOn.org
Perkins contributed to Kerry, DNC, Soros front
October 17, 2005 When Rep. Tom DeLay is booked this Friday on charges of money laundering, the presiding judge will be a Democrat Party activist who has contributed money to the presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic National Committee and the George Soros-backed MoveOn.org.
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46895

News that you can't live without. I guess the AP is desperate for news stories about Karl:
Karl Rove's Garage Proves to Be Typical
Oct 17 He is "the architect" who steered George W. Bush to victory four times, twice as Texas governor and twice as president.

But can Karl Rove organize his own garage? Can the master of Bush's political planning figure out where to put the ladders, paint cans and cardboard boxes?

Rove's wife, Darby, raised the white garage door one morning last week to show journalists outside the million-dollar brick home that the deputy chief of staff, assistant to the president and senior adviser wasn't home… The inventory, seen from outside:

Some cardboard file boxes stacked one on top of the other, labeled "Box 6," "Box 4" and what appears to be "Box 7." No sign of boxes 1, 2, 3 and 5.

What appear to be paint cans stacked alongside a folded, folding chair.

A rather large wood crate marked "FRAGILE" and painted with arrows indicating which way is up. On top of the crate, two coolers.

A tall aluminum ladder.

A snow shovel leaned in front of another cardboard box.

Wicker baskets inside of wicker baskets on top of a shelf running the length of the rear wall. Transparent plastic storage bins crammed with indiscernible stuff. Another cardboard box.

In one corner, the rear wheel of a bicycle sticks out, along with what appears to be a helmet.

Another ladder, this one green, leaning sideways.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/17/D8D9UP0G0.html

‘Non-Partisan’ Congressional Black Caucus
There is not a single Republican in the 43-member Congressional Black Caucus. Since the group’s founding in 1971, only three black Republicans – Sen. Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, Rep. Gary Franks of Connecticut and Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma -- have been elected to Congress and none chose to join the Black Caucus.

When asked about his relationship with the Black Caucus, Watts told the Fox News show, “Hannity and Colmes” that Caucus members “said that I had sold out and [was an] Uncle Tom. And I said well, they deserve to have that view. But I have my thoughts. And I think they're race-hustling poverty pimps.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Black_Caucus#History

Palestinians Killing Each Other
More Palestinians have been killed this year by fellow Palestinians than by Israeli soldiers, according to a Palestinian government report released this week. The Washington Times called it the latest sign that chaos in the Gaza Strip and West Bank is replacing the intifadah at the top of the Palestinian agenda.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20051018-123536-4946r.htm

October 17, 2005

I thought we had to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination...
White Legislator Charges Black Caucus With Racial Discrimination
October 14, 2005 A white lawmaker in Tennessee has been barred from becoming a member of the state's Black Caucus. State representative Stacey Campfield says he attempted to join the black political group in order to better serve the large minority constituency in his precinct. However, the Knoxville Republican says a leader of the Black Caucus told him that, because he is not black, he cannot become a full member or even obtain a copy of the group's bylaws without a court order or an attorney general's opinion.

...Members of the Black Caucus have labeled Campfield a racist white separatist, but he dismisses those accusations by pointing out that it is the Caucus that is engaging in racial separatism. "I was never a big believer in separate but equal," he argues. "I don't think it worked in the 1960s and I don't think it works now. I think we need to go with full, equal membership. If we're going to have equality, let's have equality across the board."

Campfield feels the Black Caucus membership policies are racist and has been vocal and controversial in his public criticism of what he sees as the group's discriminatory practices.

...Recently, the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) joined the Nashville chapter in calling on the state Republican leadership to publicly censure Campfield for remarks he made comparing the Caucus to the Ku Klux Klan... (Hmmm... a bit like the pot calling the kettle black...)
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/10/142005c.asp

More of the pot calling the kettle black...
MADONNA WARNS: ALL WILL GO TO HELL IF DON'T TURN FROM WICKED BEHAVIOR
The former Material Girl now believes "the beast is the modern world that we live in!"

"The material world. The physical world. The world of illusion, that we think is real. We live for it, we're enslaved by it. And it will ultimately be our undoing," Madonna explains in her new documentary film, I'M GOING TO TELL YOU A SECRET.

In the movie, Madonna warns how people "are going to go to hell, if they don't turn from their wicked behavior."

Chris Wallace: Media Bias 'Astonishing'
Oct. 16, 2005 "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace said Friday that since leaving the mainstream networks behind to join Fox he's noticed an "astonishing" amount of biased reporting on the part of his former colleagues.

"I came from the mainstream media and I didn't used to feel this way," Wallace told WRKO Boston radio host Howie Carr.

..."Fox News wouldn't exist if it weren't for this kind of stuff going on in the mainstream media," Wallace told Carr. "That's why people are fed up with that and want the antidote to it because they get it and they've gotten it for years - the so-called bias in the objective press."
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/10/16/80900.shtml

University finds student Social Security numbers on Internet
October 15, 2005 MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- Montclair State University has warned 9,100 undergraduate students that it accidentally posted their names and Social Security numbers on the Internet for nearly four months.

...Information technology staff at the university became aware of the problem after an undergraduate student notified them that he has stumbled upon the information while making an Internet search on Google.

"He just happened to stumble over it," Frechette said. "Fortunately, he was quick to alert our IT department."

The files with the information were removed Oct. 7. The state Attorney General's Office was also contacted so that they could request that Google and other Internet search engines clear out their caches and erase any remaining links to the information...
Frechette said there were no more links remaining by Wednesday evening.

...The university advised students to get new copies of their credit reports and alert police if there was anything suspicious.

...Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey earlier this year approved a law under which New Jersey colleges will phase out use of Social Security numbers on class rosters, grade postings and student identification cards. (that is a good move)
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/ny-bc-nj--numbersmix-up1015oct15%2C0%2C4035952%2Cprint.story

High School Band Pulls Song Over One Letter
October 16, 2005 In preparation for a guest appearance at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, the marching band at C.D. Hylton High School had a logical and seemingly innocuous idea: play a Georgia-themed song. They decided on "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," by the Charlie Daniels Band.

But early this month, a local newspaper, the Potomac News, published a letter by a Woodbridge resident who, after having seen the C.D. Hylton Bulldawg Marching Band perform the country-western hit at a football game, wondered how a song about the devil could be played at school events, because of the separation of church and state.

Fearing bad public reaction, Hylton's longtime band director, Dennis Brown, pulled the song from the playlist. "I was just being protective of my students. I didn't want any negative publicity for C.D. Hylton High School," he said.

But Brown's strategy backfired. The decision has created a furor, and even Charlie Daniels has weighed in... "I am a Christian, and I don't write pro-devil songs. Most people seem to get it. It's a fun little song," Daniels said Friday in a telephone interview from Mokena, Ill., where he was scheduled to perform a concert. "I think it's a shame that the [marching band director] would yield to one piece of mail. If people find out that he can be manipulated that easily, he's going to have a hard way to go."

....As for that nettlesome letter writer, Robert McLean? He said he meant to start a philosophical debate, not to wreck any student's marching band experience. Besides, he said, "It was one of the first 45s I had as a kid."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/15/AR2005101501492_pf.html

N.J. Cops Find Alligator in Flooded Yard
Oct 15 Piscataway police recovered a 3-foot long alligator in the backyard of a house on Saturday. "It's not normal to find an alligator around here," said Lt. George Maurer. He added with a chuckle, "I know we've had a lot of rain."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051015/ap_on_re_us/brf_flooding_alligator&printer=1

October 14, 2005

Poll: Hurricane Survivors Report Progress
Oct 14, 2005 Almost two-thirds of the people who sought Red Cross help after Hurricane Katrina say they have either returned home or definitely plan to return with the remainder pondering whether to go home, a poll of these hurricane survivors found.
http://townhall.com/news/ap/online/headlines/D8D7HK400.html

Greek Cave Puzzles Archaeologists
October 14, 2005 ATHENS -- Deep under a quiet valley in southern Greece, archaeologists are struggling to unravel a 1,400-year-old tragedy that wiped out a rural Byzantine community.

Sometime in the late 6th century, a group of at least 33 young men, women, and children sought sanctuary from an unknown terror in a sprawling subterranean network of caves in the eastern Peloponnese...At the time, Greece, which was part of the Byzantine Empire, was reeling under a wave of invasions by Slavs and Avars -- a nomadic people of Eurasia -- some of whom may have penetrated as far south as the Peloponnese.

Carrying supplies of food and water, oil-lamps, a large Christian cross and their small savings, the refugees apparently hunkered down to wait out the threat. But experts believe the sanctuary became a tomb once supplies ran out.

...many huddled in what look like small family clusters -- 113 fired clay pots, a large bronze processional cross inscribed with the Lord's Prayer in Greek, cheap jewelry and over 200 coins.

...The refugees -- Greek-speaking Christians -- probably entered the caves through a near-vertical, 14-meter shaft. "They seem to have had warning of an imminent danger, and fled to a hiding place they knew," Kormazopoulou said.

...The coins helped date the events to just after A.D. 575. A Byzantine chronicle mentions a Slav invasion of the Peloponnese in A.D. 587, but so far no archaeological evidence has been found to back that up.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/10/14/251.html

Vegetable vendors snare a plum target
Armed forces disguised as merchants capture major Hamas fugitive
10/13/2005 HEBRON, West Bank — Israeli forces disguised as vegetable vendors captured a senior Hamas operative who had been on the run for eight years, while others caught a 14-year-old boy whom militants tried to push into becoming a suicide bomber, the army said Wednesday.
...Undercover forces — some disguised as vegetable vendors — arrested Ibrahim Ighnimat, a Hamas militant linked to a 1997 suicide bombing that killed three Israelis, four shooting attacks and the kidnapping and killing of an Israeli soldier, the army said...Israel has been hunting for Ighnimat, 47, for eight years and has doggedly collected information about him, said Lt. Col. David Kimchi, commander of the operation.

...In another raid, the army arrested a 14-year-old Palestinian boy who told his interrogators that militants from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades — which has ties to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement — pressured him to carry out a suicide bombing after he quarreled with his father... Salah's parents said that after they quarreled with him about a month ago, five armed Al-Aqsa militants came to their house to tell them to leave the boy alone. Last week, they came again, this time to take him away for a suicide bombing, said his father, Moussa al Jitan.

The father said Salah did not want to go, adding that he would not let them take him. The teenager did not leave the house until Israeli forces arrested him Monday, a move his parents welcomed.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_3111450

President's 'terrible' rating better than last 7 presidents
Worst approval marks from LBJ to Clinton all lower than Bush's
October 13, 2005 Despite the fact President Bush's job approval ratings have dropped to the lowest point of his presidency, they still remain higher than the low-point ratings of the last seven presidents, including his predecessor Bill Clinton.

A new survey from the Pew Research Center shows Bush's job approval at 38 percent... Data from six polling organizations in October show an average of 39.5 percent job approval for Bush.

But according to the Gallup Organization, that's a higher mark than the low points for all commanders in chief dating back to Lyndon Johnson in the mid 1960s.

Low points for the previous 7 presidents:
Bill Clinton: 37 percent
George H. W. Bush: 29 percent
Ronald Reagan: 35 percent
Jimmy Carter: 28 percent
Gerald Ford: 37 percent
Richard Nixon: 24 percent
Lyndon Johnson: 35 percent

The Power Line blog notes: "The reality is that ...in the face of a media onslaught against the Bush administration that has no parallel in modern history, and following months of little but bad news: gas prices, hurricanes, and casualties in Iraq (the only news most people hear from that part of the world)."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46832

Networks Cover Iraq War as 'Bad News Brigade,' Survey Shows
October 14, 2005 A news analysis of the three network evening newscasts indicates that when providing coverage of the war in Iraq, ABC, CBS and NBC are "TV's Bad News Brigade."

Network reporters are giving the public an inordinately gloomy portrait of the war while downplaying the positive accomplishments of U.S. soldiers and Iraq's new democratic leaders…The conclusions in the report…are based on a survey of broadcast network news coverage of the Iraq war so far this year. MRC analysts reviewed all 1,388 Iraq stories broadcast on ABC's "World News Tonight," the "CBS Evening News" and "NBC Nightly News" from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30....

"It is probably predictable that journalists would emphasize bad news, but network TV's profoundly pessimistic coverage has shortchanged the accomplishments of both the U.S. military and Iraq's new leaders and has certainly contributed to the public's growing discontent with the war," Noyes added.

"Just as it would be wrong for reporters to conceal any bad news, it is wrong for journalists to downplay the good news that is being made in Iraq," Noyes noted. "Reporters have the responsibility to fully inform citizens about progress that is being made amid great sacrifice, and they are not doing so."

...By August and September, positive stories had fallen to seven percent and the percentage of bad news stories swelled to 73 percent of all Iraq news, a ten-to-one disparity.

...One-third of those optimistic stories (32) appeared on just two nights: January 30 and 31, just after Iraq's first successful elections.

-- Few stories focused on the heroism or generous actions of American soldiers. Just eight stories recounted episodes of heroism or valor by U.S. troops, and another nine stories featured instances when soldiers reached out to help the Iraqi people. In contrast, 79 stories focused on allegations of combat mistakes or outright misconduct on the part of U.S. military personnel.

-- It's not as if there was no "good news" to report. NBC's cameras found a bullish stock market and a hiring boom in Baghdad's business district, ABC showcased the coalition's successful effort to bring peace to a Baghdad thoroughfare once branded "Death Street," and CBS documented how the one-time battleground of Sadr City is now quiet and citizens are beginning to benefit from improved public services...
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200510\NAT20051014a.html

It's funny how in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950 even though the standards were much stricter (no sex ,no profanity) we had no shortage of good entertainment. Film makers natural inclination is to continually push the envelope, if allowed. What would have been shocking 30 years ago is now accepted as normal. To me it matters little if it is actual or simulated sex, especially with current computer technology simulated sex can look as real as... real sex...

Hollywood Studios Say Child Porn Bill Is Too Sweeping...
Oct. 12, 2005 Tucked deep inside a massive bill designed to track sex offenders and prevent children from being victimized by sex crimes is language that could put many Hollywood movies in the same category as hard-core, X-rated films.

The provision added to the Children's Safety Act of 2005 would require any film, TV show or digital image that contains a sex scene to come under the same government filing requirements that adult films must meet.

Currently, any filmed sexual activity requires an affidavit that lists the names and ages of the actors who engage in the act. The film is required to have a video label that claims compliance with the law and lists where the custodian of the records can be found. The record-keeping requirement is known as Section 2257, for its citation in federal law. Violators could spend five years in jail.

Under the provision inserted into the Children's Safety Act, the definition of sexual activity is expanded to include simulated sex acts like those that appear in many movies and TV shows. (why not? Are they worried the meanies will ban simulated sex with children...?)

Industry officials contend that the way the provision is written, a sex scene could trigger the provision even if the actors were clothed (sex is sex whether you're naked or not. ... Bottom line here is the problem is not cesureship of simulated child sex but just plane lousy writing on the part of Hollywood to where for lack of plot and good writing they have to rely on sex).

"From the creative side of the street, there's concern that the government of federal law enforcement would get involved in what you were doing," one industry source said. "At some point, people would be faced with the decision: 'Do I include the scene and register a 2257 or leave it out?' " (if you have to wonder, it probably shouldn't be there in the first place).
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001265009

October 13, 2005

N.O. Floodwater Not as Toxic As Feared, Experts Say
October 12, 2005 The floodwater that covered New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina was not unusually toxic and was "typical of storm water runoff in the region," according to a study published yesterday.

Most of the gasoline-derived substances in the water evaporated quickly, and the bacteria from sewage also declined over time, the scientist leading the study said. The water's chief hazard was from metals that are potentially toxic to fish. However, no fish kills have been reported in Lake Pontchartrain, where the water that once covered 80 percent of the city was pumped.

"What it most looks like is the storm water that is present in New Orleans every time it rains," said John H. Pardue, an environmental engineer at Louisiana State University, who headed the team whose research was published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

…Tests results released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found no human or animal fecal bacteria in fish or shellfish sampled in the Gulf of Mexico a month ago.

Industrial chemicals, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and brominated flame retardants (PBDEs), either were not found in the fish or were in the same concentrations as before the storm. Previous studies had shown no contamination from oil-derived chemicals.

...Despite the visible sheen on the water in many places, the concentration of various gasoline compounds was very low. Dangerous substances such as benzene and toluene evaporate quickly, with "half-lives" of two to 20 hours, and are unlikely to remain in the sludge…

…At an American Red Cross shelter in Gonzales, La., shelter manager Missy Stehr said the last buses leaving were taking people to Denver, where a church has paid for 18-month stays at local apartments.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/11/AR2005101101909.html

A long way from MTV videos...
Madonna's parenting secrets
10/13 /05 Madonna is a worldwide pop icon, once notorious for her desire to shock... as she nears 50, she has become a puritanical parent who is a disciplinarian with her children... she has banned television and punishes her daughter's messiness by confiscating her clothes.

...The woman who made her name as a mass media idol, continues: "My kids don't watch TV. We have televisions but they're not hooked up to anything but movies... "TV is trash. I was raised without it. We don't have magazines or newspapers in the house either."

...47- year- old Madonna is strictest of all about Lourdes's clothes... "My daughter has a problem picking things up in her room, so if you leave your clothes on the floor, they're gone when you come home," she explains... Bad behaviour is repaid by chores. "Lola has to earn all her clothes back by being tidy, making her bed, hanging up her clothes," she says...
http://www.thisislondon.com/til/jsp/modules/Article/print.jsp?itemId=20627059

Dutch unveil the toughest face in Europe with a ban on the burka
October 13, 2005 THE Netherlands is likely to become the first country in Europe to ban the burka, under government proposals that would bring in some of the toughest curbs on Muslim clothing in the world.

The country’s hardline Integration Minister, Rita Verdonk, known as the Iron Lady for her series of tough anti-immigration measures, told Parliament that .. the “time of cosy tea-drinking” with Muslim groups had passed and that natives and immigrants should have the courage to be critical of each other. She recently cancelled a meeting with Muslim leaders who refused to shake her hand because she was a woman.

...Mrs Verdonk admitted that a complete ban on the garment would be legally tricky because of freedom of religion legislation. However, she said that she would prohibit the garments “in specific situations” on grounds of public safety. The ban is likely to be enforced in shops, public buildings, cinemas, train and bus stations and airports, as well as on trains and buses.

The Netherlands has become preoccupied by Islamic terrorism after the investigation into the murder of the film-maker Theo van Gogh uncovered a network of Muslim extremists dedicated to destroying the country. Attention has turned to the burka because police authorities have become concerned that a terrorist could use one for concealment.

...Last year two Muslim women lost a court case against their college that had banned them from wearing burkas during their social work and childcare course. The judge backed the college in its claim that children had to be able to see who was caring for them, prompting the women to drop the course...

...the Netherlands shifts to the right:

Immigrants must pass an exam on Dutch language and culture before being allowed to move to the Netherlands.

Immigrants guilty of any minor crime, such as shoplifting, during their first three years in the country can be deported.

People can bring in a husband or wife only once they are 24 years old, and do not depend on welfare benefits.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0%2C%2C13509-1823334%2C00.html

Bush doesn't care about the poor
Since Bush took office, according to the Heritage Foundation, federal anti-poverty spending -- including Medicaid, food and nutrition programs, housing, earned income tax credit and child credits, plus other programs -- increased 42 percent. This is nearly double the rate of increase under President Clinton. Some critics claim increased poverty has driven up poverty costs. But poverty rates have increased less than 1 percent under Bush, and remain lower than the average poverty rates under Clinton...
http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/larryelder/2005/10/13/171089.html

Ocgtober 12, 2005

Rest In Peace: The Quantum Sleeper
A man has created a safety bed which he claims will provide protection against hurricanes, tornadoes, thieves, kidnappers, and terrorists. The inventor's Web site calls it "the safest rest you've ever had."
When a motion sensor detects a threat, the "Quantum Sleeper" automatically folds up around its occupant. Inside the bulletproof canopy, an alarm awakens the protected sleeper, who can spray tear gas on the intruder...It’s bulletproof, airtight/watertight with a rebreather, backup power and air filtered and has one-way mirrors so intruders can watch themselves futilely try to get in while you sit inside and laugh and call your friends (and the police) on your cell phone, shortwave or CB radio. Most important it has a "toiletry system." ...with the optional CD and DVD players, microwave oven, and refrigerator while remaining protected against gas attacks, bullets, fires, hurricanes, floods, kidnappers, stalkers and homicidal maniacs. http://www.qsleeper.com/

Another crapy idea…
Patent filed for dog poo cement
A German architect has filed an application for a new type of cement made of dog poo. Friedrich Lentze, 57, from Berlin, applied for a patent for his "odourless heating and building material" made from the dog poo cleaned from the streets of the German capital every day.

He said: "The loads of dog poo that are gathered every day actually make a great mortar with fantastic insulating properties."

He added that dung had for centuries been used as building material and he had combined it with modern materials to come up with a new type of insulating cement.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1568620.html

I never knew how much danger my parents exposed me to as a child!!
In the pursuit of safety, teeter-totters and swings are disappearing from playgrounds
July 18, 2005 Andrea Levin is grateful that Broward County schools care about her daughter's safety. But this year when they posted a sign that demanded "no running" on the playground, it seemed like overkill.

…Broward's "Rules of the Playground" signs, bought from an equipment catalogue and displayed at all 137 elementary schools in the district, are just one of several steps taken to cut down on injuries and the lawsuits they inspire.

How about swings or those hand-pulled merry-go-rounds? "Nope. They've got moving parts. Moving parts on equipment is the number one cause of injury on the playgrounds."

Teeter-totters? "Nope. That's moving too."

Sandboxes? "Well, I have to be careful about animals" turning them into litter boxes.

Cement crawl tubes? "Vagrants. The longer they are, the higher possibility that a vagrant could stay in them. We have shorter ones now that are made out of plastic or fiberglass."

… Swings, merry-go-rounds, teeter-totters and other old standards are vanishing from schools and parks around the country, according to the National Program for Playground Safety.

…"We could do a lot more if we didn't have to watch our back every single second," said Graziose, who has led a playground safety committee for 17 years. "We sometimes get a letter from the attorney before we even get an accident report from the school." Since 1999, Broward County schools paid out about $561,000 to settle 189 claims for playground accidents… [it would be better to end frivolous lawsuits? Perhaps lawyers should be banned.]
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cplaygroundjul18%2C0%2C4929507.story

Officials Call 'Speak English' Sign Discriminatory
Tavern Sign Reads 'For Service, Speak English'
October 7, 2005 COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Civil Rights Commission has ruled a sign in the window of a southwest Ohio tavern declaring, "For Service, Speak English," is discriminatory.

The panel said Thursday the Pleasure Inn... violated the state civil rights law. Commission spokeswoman White said the tavern could be ordered to remove the sign, to pay for advertisements about nondiscrimination, and its staff could be ordered to undergo diversity training or cultural sensitivity training.

Ohio law says it is unlawful for any proprietor of a place of public accommodation to deny the full enjoyment of the accommodations based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age or ancestry. The commission said the English-only rule serves no purpose other than to discriminate against non-English speaking individuals.

Housing Opportunities Made Equal, a Mount Auburn-based agency that handles fair-housing issues for eight counties, including Warren, where the tavern is located, filed a complaint with the commission in July after callers complained.
http://www.nbc4i.com/news/5070718/detail.html

I suppose the owner will have to accept Pesos, Rubles, or Euros in payment and not discriminate by requiring payment in U.S. currency... The sign is about as intimidating as requiring voters to show a photo ID when voting...

Petition urges Congress to curb ACLU
A grass-roots group is mobilizing more than 100,000 Americans to urge Congress to pass a bill that would curb the ACLU by denying plaintiff attorneys the right to collect attorneys fees in lawsuits targeting religion in the public square.

The petition (http://www.cfra.info/33/petition.asp?PID=9854380&NID=1 ) by the Center for Reclaiming America calls for "a stand against the ACLU's radical agenda, which undermines our nation's moral and religious heritage."

The petition reads:

As a concerned citizen, I am taking a stand against the ACLU's radical agenda, which undermines our nation's moral and religious heritage. I join with citizens across the nation in protest of ACLU policies and actions to strip faith in God from the public square while promoting anti-family and pro-homosexual initiatives. I am calling on leaders in government and media to tell the truth about the ACLU's radical agenda. Furthermore, I demand lawmakers take the necessary steps to eliminate the monetary motives behind the ACLU's campaign to remove all mention of God from the public square. The ACLU does not represent me nor the vast majority of American citizens.

The legislation by Rep. John Hostettler, R-Ind., would amend the Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Act of 1976 to prohibit prevailing parties from being awarded attorneys fee in religious establishment cases but not in other civil rights filings.

In August, another advocacy group asked Congress to probe the ACLU for "widespread use of frivolous lawsuits following its legal action against New York City for allegedly violating citizens' rights by random searches on subways.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46784

Arkansas Mother Gives Birth to 16th Child
Oct 12 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Michelle Duggar just delivered her 16th child, and she's already thinking about doing it again...Jim Bob Duggar, 40, said he and Michelle, 39, want more children.
"We both just love children and we consider each a blessing from the Lord. I have asked Michelle if she wants more and she said yes, if the Lord wants to give us some she will accept them," he said.

...The Learning Channel is doing [a] show about the family's construction project, a 7,000-square foot house that should be finished before Christmas. The home, which the family has been building for two years, will have nine bathrooms, dormitory-style bedrooms for the girls and boys, a commercial kitchen, four washing machines and four dryers.

Jim Bob Duggar, who sells real estate, previously lost his bid for the U.S. Senate. He said he expects to run for the state Senate next year but isn't ready to make a formal announcement.

Michelle Duggar had her first child at age 21, four years after the couple married. http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/12/D8D6KS7O1.html

Shepherds wanted -- accountancy skills preferred
Oct 11 Do you have an accountancy qualification and are you familiar with the bureaucracy of the European Union? Perhaps a career as a shepherd on the plains of southern Hungary beckons.

…Not only are herd numbers growing, but shepherds must have accountancy skills and, since the country joined the EU last year, be capable of applying for grants, the newspaper Nepszabadsag reported Tuesday.

Ference Silay, who trained as an architect, is an ethnic Hungarian from Romania who now earns a living from the award-winning herd he owns in Domaszek, southern Hungary.

"Being a shepherd isn't just sitting next to your dog on the field all day, smoking a pipe," he told the paper.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051011/od_nm/hungary_shepherds_dc&printer=1

Prosecutor Earle refuses to accept supoena
Oct 11 Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay's defense team tried Tuesday to serve Texas prosecutor Ronnie Earle with a subpoena, but Earle refused to accept it, DeLay lawyer Dick DeGuerin said. Alleging misconduct with grand jurors, the defense team wants to compel Earle to explain his behavior.

...DeGuerin said acceptance of the subpoena was voluntary Tuesday because it had not been stamped by a court official, but added the defense team would go through the court procedure Wednesday and redeliver it. He said Earle, district attorney for Travis County, would then be obligated to accept the subpoena, but could file a motion to have it dismissed.

...Acceptance simply involves signing a paper acknowledging delivery...The subpoenas asked that the prosecutor and the two assistants appear in court or submit to a deposition in which the defense lawyers would question them.

...DeGuerin wants Earle to answer 12 questions about conversations he had with grand jurors, including whether the prosecutor became angry when a grand jury decided against an indictment of DeLay and why that decision was not publicly released.

...DeLay has accused Earle _ a Democrat _ of pursuing the case against him for political reasons. Earle has denied any political motives [but he is making a movie about this].

In a motion filed last week, the defense team said that from Sept. 29 through Oct. 3, Earle and his staff "unlawfully participated in grand jury deliberations and attempted to browbeat and coerce" the grand jury that refused to indict DeLay.

The motion said Earle then attempted to cover up and delay public disclosure of the refusal, and also "incited" the foreman of the first grand jury to violate grand jury secrecy by talking publicly about the case _ in an effort to influence grand jurors still sitting.

...DeGuerin is asking for all documents, notes, telephone records and other relevant materials from Earle's staff. "I am determined to put on record the steps taken by you and your staff to obtain a replacement indictment against my client, Tom DeLay," DeGuerin said in a letter to the prosecutor.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/11/D8D66AU00.html


David Bennett <><
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