Bones on rooftop may be from 9/11 victims

Construction workers have found bone fragments that may be the remains of those who died in the World Trade Center attacks on the roof of a neighboring skyscraper damaged on September 11, 2001, a city official said Tuesday.
The fragments, handed to the office of the city's chief medical examiner who will establish whether they are human and try to identify them, were found during work to dismantle the Deutsche Bank building.
The 41 story building was struck by falling debris when the Twin Towers collapsed and has been vacant ever since, pending a decision on how to safely demolish it.
Ellen Borakove, director of public affairs for the city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, said less than 10 small fragments had been found on the roof over the past week."We don't know yet if they are human. We have to do some further examination to determine that," Borakove said, adding those tests could take about a week."If they do turn out to be human, we will have to see if we can extract DNA to see if we can identify them," she said.

U.S. official: Al Qaeda's No. 2 in Iraq killed

Al Qaeda in Iraq's No. 2 operative was killed during a raid by coalition and Iraqi forces, a U.S. Defense Department official said Tuesday.
Abu Azzam, a "significant" figure in the al Qaeda network in Iraq, was slain early Sunday in Baghdad during a joint operation, a military official spokesman in Iraq said.
Azzam had a personal relationship with terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi and held senior positions in the al Qaeda in Iraq network in Baghdad and Falluja, he said.
"This creates a void for al Qaeda in Iraq, in their leadership, for a while," the spokesman said.
According to the military, Azzam and another man fired at coalition forces as they entered a residential high rise apartment just before 5 a.m. The forces killed Azzam and wounded the other man.
Two women were not injured, the spokesman said.
The military spokesman said Azzam's full name is Abdulla Najim Abdulla Mohammed al Juwari and he also went by the name of Abu Salwa.
U.S. and Iraqi forces have launched several raids in recent weeks aimed at disrupting al Qaeda in Iraq, which is led by al Zarqawi.
U.S. and Iraqi officials announced last week that two men described as top al Qaeda leaders in the northern city of Mosul were captured during a September 5 raid.

'Absolutely he's lying,' Holloway's mom says

The mother of a missing Alabama teen said Tuesday that a Dutch man was lying when he denied that he and two other youths had sex with the young woman before she disappeared during a trip to Aruba.
Beth Holloway Twitty, responding Tuesday to statements from Joran van der Sloot in an interview with the magazine show "A Current Affair," said van der Sloot has admitted sexually assaulting her missing daughter, Natalee Holloway.
Holloway Twitty, appearing Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America" and CBS's "The Early Show," said van der Sloot and the brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe told Aruban authorities they had sex with her daughter after leaving a bar on the night of May 30....

Hostage Shared Meth With Courthouse Shooter

The woman who says she gained the trust of suspected courthouse gunman Brian Nichols by talking about her faith in God discloses in a new book that she gave him methamphetamine during the hostage ordeal...In her book, "Unlikely Angel," released Tuesday, Smith says Nichols had her bound on her bed with masking tape and an extension cord. She says he asked for marijuana, but she did not have any, and dug into her crystal methamphetamine stash instead.
Smith, who has been in a mental hospital and has flunked out of drug rehabilitation programs, says the seven-hour hostage ordeal led her to stop using drugs. She says she has not touched drugs since the night before she was taken hostage.

Rain on Cindy Sheehan's parade

Is Cindy jealous of Katrina? Of Rita? Someone identified as "Cindy Sheehan," the newly arrested Peace Mom, is vexed that Hurricane Rita stole Cindy's thunder. That was after Rita bumped Katrina out of the way. Rita's wet, windy weekend tantrum on the Gulf Coast, in fact, so seduced the newspapers and television networks that Cindy's splashy anti-war protests in Washington were bumped out of the biggest, blackest headlines. Rita is no longer even a tropical depression over Tennessee, but Cindy rallied gamely yesterday, giving the cameras at the White House front gate an eyeful. Mrs. Sheehan was arrested with a dozen other protesters as onlookers chanted, "The whole world is watching." But Saturday was a different story. The someone called "Cindy Sheehan" wrote at the DailyKos.com Web site early Saturday evening: "I am watching CNN and it is 100 percent [Hurricane] Rita. Even though it is a little wind and a little rain, it is bad, but there are other things going on in this country today ... and in the world." The comment was one of a dozen entries, including speech transcripts and press releases, credited to Mrs. Sheehan at the site, which says 79 percent of the "page viewers" are Democrats. Bush-bashing is the daily ritual. But was "Cindy Sheehan" actually Cindy Sheehan? "I am very certain she did not post it," says Morrigan Phillips, a spokesman (Mrs. Sheehan has three) who has taken questions for Mrs. Sheehan on her cross-country protest tour. "She was pretty busy on Saturday." The description by "Cindy Sheehan" of the Category 4 hurricane as "little" set off a squall of its own. One soaked East Texas resident shot back a reply to Daily Kos: "You bask in your fan's adulation, party with your celebrity friends and play the star. Shame on you, you're jealous of others' suffering. You've become a caricature, and I no longer support you."

U.S. Forces Leaving Base in Uzbekistan

U.S. Envoy Says U.S. Forces Will Leave Their Base in Uzbekistan

A senior State Department official said Tuesday the president of Uzbekistan made it clear that American forces must leave their air base in the Central Asian country, and the U.S. intends to do so "without further discussion."
The demand came as relations soured following U.S. criticism of Uzbekistan's crackdown on anti-government protesters in May.
"The Uzbek government made it clear that we need to leave the base, and we intend to leave it without further discussion," Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried told reporters after meeting with President Islam Karimov.In July, the Uzbek government invoked a provision of the basing agreement with the United States that requires all American forces to leave within six months.
Fried said the United States will withdraw the base within the period demanded by the Uzbek authorities. "We respect the deadline," he said.
The former Soviet republic hosted the U.S. troops for operations in Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Eleven priests in Chicago area removed

Eleven priests suspected of sexual misconduct with minors more than 20 years ago have been barred from clerical work, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago said Monday.
The men cannot present themselves as priests, engage in public ministries or act as an agent of the archdiocese, although they have not been removed from the priesthood, said Chancellor Jimmy Lago.
Lago would not disclose specific allegations or the priests' names or parishes.
The 11 were among a group of 14 priests whose alleged sexual misconduct was forwarded to Vatican officials two years ago by Cardinal Francis George, archdiocese officials said. One of the priests has died and two other cases will be decided by pending canonical trials.The Vatican studied the cases last year and authorized George to conduct a review that included opinions from advocates for the priests and advisers, Lago said.

Brown Defends Katrina Response, Blames State Leaders

Michael Brown, the former head of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, defended the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina before a congressional committee and called the state and local governments in Louisiana ``dysfunctional.''
``We can't deny the point that it worked in the other states and it didn't work in Louisiana,'' Brown told the House Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation and Response to Hurricane Katrina. ``The people of FEMA are tired of being beat up and they don't deserve it.''
Brown resigned from FEMA on Sept. 12 after widespread criticism of the government's response to Katrina, which swept ashore Aug. 29, devastating parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, killing more than 1,000 people.

Parents protest governor's decision to give schools two days off

Hundreds of thousands of Georgia children got a break from classes Monday after Gov. Sonny Perdue asked schools to close for two days as a hedge against possible fuel shortages, leaving many parents struggling to arrange child care.
The shortages that Perdue feared never materialized, largely because Hurricane Rita proved less damaging to Gulf Coast refineries than initially expected.
Parents learned of the governor's decision late Friday afternoon. Many families had to scramble over the weekend to make alternate arrangements for their children.
Two mothers brought their grade-schoolers to the Capitol on Monday for a "teach-in" on the steps, just yards from Perdue's office.
"It's certainly caused a lot of problems for working parents today, and it causes problems for these kids who need to be learning and not just hanging out, watching the Cartoon Network at home," said mother Randy Faigin David of suburban Atlanta.

Search-and-rescue to resume Sunday

Emergency official: Up to 1,000 may be trapped in parish

ABBEVILLE, Louisiana:As many as 1,000 people who did not follow mandatory evacuation orders in one southwestern Louisiana parish may need to be rescued, an emergency management official said Saturday.
But the mission to save them was to resume Sunday morning, after Gov. Kathleen Blanco called off the efforts amid approaching nightfall, threats of more flooding and 30 mph winds on Vermilion Bay and Vermilion River.
"We can't put the rescuers at risk, because then they become the victims," she said.The rescuers, who traveled in several hundred boats, planned to go out again starting at 7 a.m. (8 a.m. ET).The governor said that Gen. Robert LeBlanc, the director of Vermilion Parish's Emergency Operations Center, had told her that 250 people had been rescued, but perhaps four times that number needed help.The National Weather Service said floodwater will continue to rise Sunday. LeBlanc said he hoped to get everybody out in two days, if the wind dies down.

"No survivors in Afghan helicopter crash"

KABUL, Afghanistan :A U.S. Chinook helicopter crashed Sunday in Afghanistan, killing all on board, the U.S. military said. It did not appear to have been shot down.
It was not immediately known how many people were on the aircraft when it crashed.
The CH-47 chopper was supporting military operations when it went down near Daychopan district in southern Zabul province, a military statement said.
"There is no indication at this time that this is a result of hostile fire," U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara told The Associated Press. "There are no survivors."
U.S. military ground forces reached the crash scene and were providing security for recovery operations.There have been a string of helicopter crashes in Afghanistan this year, including two U.S. military Chinooks.In late June, suspected insurgents shot down a U.S. Chinook in volatile eastern Kunar province near the border with Pakistan. All 16 U.S. forces on board were killed.In April, 15 U.S. service members and three American civilians were killed when their Chinook went down in a sandstorm while returning to the main U.S. base at Bagram.

Strong Earthquake Rocks Eastern Indonesia

Strong Undersea Earthquake Rocks Eastern Indonesia; No Reports of Damage or Casualties

A magnitude 5.6 undersea earthquake rocked eastern Indonesian on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of damages or casualties, Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.
The earthquake struck in the morning and was centered beneath the Maluku Sea, about 115 miles east of Manado, a provincial capital on Sulawesi island in northeastern Indonesia, said Lukito, an official at the agency's Jakarta office.
He said there were no reports of a possible tsunami. The earthquake's epicenter was 20 miles beneath the Earth's surface.A magnitude 9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami on Dec. 26 killed more than 131,000 people in Indonesia's western Aceh province on Sumatra island and left a half million homeless. Three months later another strong tremor killed more than 900 on Nias and smaller surrounding islands, also in western Indonesia.
Sunday's quake jolted Manado and North Maluku's provincial capital of Ternate, added Lukito, who goes by a single name.
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin....

Fla. College Police Officer Fatally Shot

ORLANDO, Fla. : 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.

Haitian-American fights to run for president of Haiti

A wealthy U.S. businessman whose bid to run for president of Haiti was rejected by electoral authorities defiantly pledged Saturday to fight for a spot on the ballot in his native country's first election since the February 2004 ouster of Jean Bertrand Aristide.Dumarsais Simeus, owner of one of the largest black-owned business in the United States, said he has appealed to the Provisional Electoral Council to reverse its decision to strike his name from the list of presidential candidates in the Nov. 20 election and will do "everything possible," including filing a legal challenge if necessary, to participate in the race.
"This election, without us being allowed to participate as a presidential candidate, will have no legitimacy whatsoever," Simeus, the son of illiterate Haitian rice farmers, said at a news conference in the capital.
The electoral council late Friday issued a list of 32 approved presidential candidates a diverse group that includes former government officials from across the political spectrum and a leader of the rebellion that forced President Aristide out of office and into exile in South Africa.
Simeus, the 65 year old owner of a Texas based food services company, was rejected because he has U.S. citizenship, said Rosemond Pradel, the council's secretary general.

Typhoon Saola to Bring Rain to Tokyo as It Sweeps Pacific Coast

Typhoon Saola will bring heavy rain to Tokyo and surrounding areas as it heads northeast along Japan's Pacific coast, the country's weather agency said.
The typhoon was about 230 kilometers (143 miles) south of Choshi in Chiba prefecture, which borders Tokyo, at 11:50 a.m. local time, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency's Web site. The storm is heading northeast at about 30 kilometers an hour, and may bring up to 50 millimeters (2 inches) of rain per hour, the site said.
Saola, which the agency recognizes as the 17th typhoon this year, is the name in Vietnamese for a recently discovered type of forest-dwelling ox.
Typhoon Nabi earlier this month caused landslides and floods after battering southwest Japan with rain and winds as fast as 162 kilometers per hour

Rita batters Louisiana, Texas coasts

Category 3 storm nears early morning landfall

Hurricane Rita, packing winds of 120 mph, neared the Texas and Louisiana coasts early Saturday, lashing the region with strong winds and heavy rains as its storm surge caused renewed flooding in Katrina soaked New Orleans.
Forecasters said they expect Rita to make landfall early Saturday along the southwest Louisiana coast and upper Texas coasts as a Category 3 hurricane, with winds of 111 mph to 130 mph.
At 1 a.m. EDT, the National Hurricane Center placed the eye of the storm 40 miles southeast of Sabine Pass, along the state line between Texas and Louisiana. Rita was moving northwest at near 11 mph a path it was expected to follow until landfall.
Rita has weakened in intensity from its peak Category 5 status, when the massive storm had maximum sustained winds of 165 mph as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico. But forecasters and officials warned residents to take the storm seriously.
Port Arthur Mayor Oscar Ortiz, whose city is in the direct line of the projected path, said: "I'm afraid we're going to get it real bad."
Nearly everyone in the city of roughly 57,000 has evacuated. Ortiz said he is extremely concerned about Rita moving across Sabine Pass, pushing a large surge of water toward the city....

The 400 Richest Americans

For the third consecutive year, the rich got richer. In this, the 24th annual edition of the Forbes 400, the collective net worth of the United States wealthiest climbed $125 billion, to $1.13 trillion. Surging real estate and oil prices drove up several fortunes and helped pave the way for 33 new members (and nine retreads). Click on title for link....(sort by rank,net worth etc)

'Able Danger' Will Get Second Hearing

The Defense Department on Friday reversed its earlier decision to bar key witnesses from testifying about just how much information the U.S. government had on the Sept. 11 hijackers before they led the attacks that killed 3,000 people. The Senate Judiciary Committee has therefore scheduled a second hearing for next week on the formerly secret Pentagon intelligence unit called "Able Danger"
Former members of Able Danger say the group identified Sept. 11 hijackers, including Mohamed Atta, more than a year before the attacks. Although those Able Danger analysts say they told the Sept. 11 commission about their findings, former members of the panel have so far dismissed the claim.

FBI Agent Wounded in Wells Fargo Shootout

FBI Agent Wounded in Shootout to Capture Puerto Rican Nationalist Wanted in Wells Fargo Robbery

HORMIGUEROS, Puerto Rico :A gunbattle erupted Friday as FBI agents surrounded the hideout of a Puerto Rican nationalist leader wanted in the 1983 robbery of Connecticut armored truck depot, and at least one agent was wounded, police said.
Puerto Rico's top broadcast stations carried reports that Filiberto Ojeda Rios, who has been in hiding for 15 years, had been captured or killed. A law enforcement agent who spoke on condition of anonymity and Hector Pesquera, president of the Hostiano independence movement, told The Associated Press he was killed. But there was no official confirmation.
The robbery of $7.2 million from the Wells Fargo depot in West Hartford, Conn., is considered an act of domestic terrorism because it allegedly was carried out by 19 members of the Puerto Rican militant nationalist group Macheteros, or Cane Cutters.

Video: "George Bush Don't Like Black People (Remix)"

A rap jam was remixed......click title for video remix.

and from some other folks....go to google and type in a bad word(a**hole) and another video will come up under Film Strip International link.....

I guess some folks have a bit too much time on their hands and it's unfortunate some people really believe this stuff.....

HURRICANE RITA:RUN FOR YOUR LIVES

CLICK ON TIITLE FOR UPDATED HURRICANE ADVISORY

Texans flee colossal Rita
Category 5 storm is third most intense ever
As more than 1 million people scurried to get out of the way of Hurricane Rita, the Category 5 hurricane grew more turbulent, becoming the third most intense storm in history, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday night.
Officials said the barometric pressure near the eye of the storm was 897 millibars, a lower reading than Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into the Gulf Coast August 29.
Only Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 (888 mb), which struck Jamaica and the Yucatan Peninsula, and the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 (892 mb), which hit the Florida Keys, had lower pressures.
Max Mayfield, director of the hurricane center, said Rita could be even more damaging than Katrina....Rita brushed South Florida and the Florida Keys on Tuesday, pounding the area with heavy rain and strong winds from its outer squall bands.The storm caused storm surge flooding in some areas and spawned at least two tornadoes, forecasters said. LINK

CYOUINCOURT007: AFTER KATRINA PASSED THROUGH SOUTH FLORIDA I TITLED A POST "HURRICANE KATRINA:HEAD FOR THE HILLS"

NOW THE REALITY AND IRONY OF WHAT I SAID IS WITHOUT DISPUTE....THERE ARE REASONS WHY I SAID "HEAD FOR THE HILLS"....TO MAKE IT EASIER TO UNDERSTAND I SIMPLIFIED THIS TITLE"...RUN FOR YOUR LIVES".....MEANS EXACTLY THAT....

THIS HURRICANE SEASON IS DIFFERENT ALONG WITH THE NATURE OF THE BEAST.....WHEN HURRICANE ANDREW PLOWED OUR CITIES DOWN IT DID NOT REALLY BRING MUCH WATER(TO THOSE NOT ON/NEAR COAST)....IN CONTRAST WHEN KATRINA AND RITA CAME THROUGH THIS YEAR...THEY BROUGHT WITH THEM LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER CAUSED BY STORM SURGE AND RAIN FOR THOSE OF US NOT ON THE IMMEDIATE COAST....RAIN IN SUCH AREAS NOT ON THE IMMEDIATE COAST LEFT STREETS LOOKING LIKE CANALS.....RITA WILL BRING A DEVASTATING STORM SURGE WITH IT AND DROP LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER EVERYWHERE INCLUDING NON COASTAL AREAS.

ANOTHER TWIST(PARDON THE PUN) WHICH THIS YEARS HURRICANES ARE BRINGING IS A LARGE AMOUNT OF TORNADOS AND SHEAR RAW POWER UNRELENTING CONSTANT WIND.....MUCH OF THE DAMAGE I OBSERVED AFTER KATRINA(A CAT 2 WHEN IT STRUCK FL-CAT 2 DO NOT NORMALLY CAUSE THE GLASS ON YOUR SLIDING DOORS AND WINDOWS TO BUBBLE IN/OUT BUT KATRINA DID) WAS DIRECTLY THE RESULT OF TORNADOS....LOT'S OF THEM EVERYWHERE.....YES WIND,TORNADOS, RAIN AND FLOODING ARE A NORMAL PART OF HURRICANES BUT THIS YEARS ARE STRONGER,DROPPING LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER AND SPAWNING MANY-MASSIVE-TORNADOS....SO IN CONCLUSION....ANYONE IN THE POSSIBLE PATH OF THIS STORM WHO CAN, SHOULD SEEK SAFE SHELTER AS FAR AS POSSIBLE..THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO RIDE THIS ONE OUT MAY BE MAKING A DEADLY MISTAKE..BATTERIES,ICE,WATER,FLASHLIGHTS,GENERATORS,COOLERS,

CANNED GOODS,MANUAL CAN OPENER,BARBECUE OR SIMILAR ITEM,LIGHTERS,ETC WILL DO YOU NO GOOD IF YOUR HOUSE IS WASHED AWAY,RIPPED APART OR PICKED UP AND MOVED A FEW BLOCKS AWAY......SAFETY FIRST.

Car Hits Pedestrians, Kills 1 in Las Vegas

Car Strikes About a Dozen Pedestrians on Las Vegas Strip, Killing One; 11 Sent to Hospital

A car plowed into pedestrians along the crowded Las Vegas Strip on Wednesday, killing one and critically injuring at least three, authorities said. Police arrested the driver at the scene.
The car jumped the curb about 5:15 p.m. and drove into people walking in front of the Bally's and Paris hotel-casinos, officials said.
Eleven people were taken to hospitals, county fire spokesman Bob Leinbach said.One person was pronounced dead at University Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said. Seven other people, all adults, were being treated at the hospital. Their conditions were not immediately available.
After striking the pedestrians, the burgundy Buick crashed into a wall and came to a stop in a landscaped area in front of Bally's.
The car's driver was arrested, police spokesman Jose Montoya said. It was not known whether the man, whose identity was not immediately available, was injured.Montoya said police were investigating whether the car with California license plates was stolen...

Donations Found at La. Official's Home

Police Find Cases of Food, Clothing and Tools in New Orleans Official's Home

Police found cases of food, clothing and tools intended for hurricane victims at the home of the chief administrative officer for a New Orleans suburb, authorities said Wednesday.
Officers searched Cedric Floyd's home because of complaints that city workers were helping themselves to donations for hurricane victims. Floyd, who runs the day to day operations in the suburb of Kenner, was in charge of distributing the goods.Police plan to seek a charge of committing an illegal act as a public official against Floyd, and more charges against other city workers are possible, police Capt. Steve Caraway said.The donations filled a large pickup truck four times. "It was an awful lot of stuff," Caraway said.
The donated materials must be processed as evidence but eventually will be distributed to victims. "We have lots of families that are begging for these supplies," said Attorney General Charles Foti, whose office assisted in the investigation....

Jet emergency faked so fans can watch soccer

Crew claims to be low on fuel, lands to let Gambian passengers see match

LIMA, Peru: The crew of a chartered jet pretended they needed to make an emergency landing so 289 Gambian soccer fans on board could watch their team compete in a youth soccer championship, officials said Wednesday.
The plane, claiming to be low on fuel, landed Tuesday in Peru's northern coast city of Piura where the FIFA Under 17 World Championship was taking place.
"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...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 airspace

Engulfed evidence puts New Orleans court cases in doubt

Evidence from an estimated 3,000 criminal cases in New Orleans has been submerged in the toxic floodwaters that swamped police headquarters and the courthouse. It's unknown whether the evidence will be usable in prosecutions.
Thousands of witnesses and victims involved in the cases are scattered across the nation, and New Orleans authorities face an enormous task in locating them.
More than three weeks after the flooding from Hurricane Katrina began to devastate New Orleans, the crippling impact to the city's justice system is becoming more clear. A problem that began with the breakdown of the city's police force during the chaos and looting that accompanied the flooding has ballooned into a crisis local and federal officials say could make it difficult for New Orleans to maintain order on its own for years.
The 1,700-member New Orleans police force which had about one-third of its officers flee the city or go missing during the flooding has been propped up by hundreds of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement agents.
FBI Director Robert Mueller, whose agency has been helping the city's recovery efforts, said Wednesday that most of the department's buildings and much of its equipment have been "wiped out."...

CONSPIRACY THEORY ALERT: "Cold-war device used to cause Katrina?"

I HEARD ABOUT WEATHER MANIPULATIONS BEFORE AND AFTER KATRINA THEY HAVE RESURFACED...

USA TODAY

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP): An Idaho weatherman says Japan's Yakuza mafia used a Russian-made electromagnetic generator to cause Hurricane Katrina in a bid to avenge itself for the Hiroshima atom bomb attack and that this technology will soon be wielded again to hit another U.S. city.
Meteorologist Scott Stevens, a nine-year veteran of KPVI TV in Pocatello, said he was struggling to forecast weather patterns starting in 1998 when he discovered the theory on the Internet....Stevens, who is among several people to offer alternative and generally discounted theories for the storm that flooded New Orleans, says a little known oversight in physical laws makes it possible to create and control storms especially if you're armed with the Cold War era weapon said to have been made by the Russians in 1976. Stevens became convinced of the existence of the Russian device when he observed an unusual Montana cold front in 2004. .....

CYOUINCOURT007:A CASE OF COASTTOCOASTAM RADIO(WHICH I ENJOY NIGHTLY) MAKING IT TO THE MSM...MUAHAHAHA....I'M IN AGREEMENT WITH MAX MAYFIELD AND HIS THOUGHTS ON THE CYCLES OF HURRICANE SEASONS OVER TIME....VERY ACTIVE SEASONS WITH MANY MAJOR HURRICANES.

Iraq War Protestors On Trial

Iraq war protesters go on trial in upstate N.Y.
NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
ITHACA, N.Y. : Four activists go on trial in federal court in Binghamton today on charges stemming from a protest on St. Patrick's Day 2003 in which they poured blood inside a military recruiting center.
It appears to be the first federal felony prosecution in the country related to protests against the Iraq war.
Penalties include up to eight years in prison and $360,000 in fines if the activists are convicted on four charges, the most serious of which is a felony charge of conspiracy to impede an officer of the United States. The activists -- Daniel Burns, Teresa Grady, Clare Grady and Peer De Mott of Ithaca, who have dubbed themselves the St. Patrick's Four -- are followers of the Catholic Worker Movement. They were tried in local court last year on less serious charges; that trial ended with a hung jury.
Now, federal prosecutors are pursuing the case.
It's likely the nation's first prosecution of civilians on conspiracy charges stemming from a protest against the Iraq war, according to Bill Quigley, a law professor at Loyola University in New Orleans who is advising the St. Patrick's Four."This is the first federal felony criminal conspiracy trial that has been brought against non-violent, anti-war protesters as far as we can tell," Quigley said. "This is the first one certainly in a decade and maybe in several decades. It may go back to Dr. Spock in the Vietnam War era."
Benjamin Spock, the pediatrician and author, was convicted in 1968 of conspiring to encourage draft resisters.He was sentenced to two years in prison but his conviction was later overturned.The four Ithacans will defend themselves. But various lawyers, including Quigley, who is the director of the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola, are helping them.

NTSB: Chicago Train Wreck Was Preventable

NTSB Acting Chairman Says Automatic Braking Might Have Prevented Chicago-Area Train Derailment

A fatal train derailment this weekend might not have happened if the route had an automatic system that applies a train's brakes when an engineer fails to do so, federal officials said Monday.
"I believe it (the braking system) would have prevented this type of accident," said National Transportation Safety Board acting chairman Mark Rosenker.
Metra has automatic braking systems on three of its 11 routes serving Chicago and its suburbs, but commuter rail officials say it is expensive and not essential.Investigators are trying to determine why a Metra train was traveling nearly 70 mph Saturday when it derailed while switching tracks, a maneuver that required it to slow to 10 mph. Two people were killed in the accident.

New Antipsychotic Drugs Criticized

Federal Study Finds No Benefit Over Older, Cheaper Drug

Expensive new antipsychotic drugs that are among the most widely prescribed pills in medicine are no more effective and no safer than an older, cheaper drug that has been largely discontinued, according to the most comprehensive comparative study ever conducted.
The surprising result of a federally funded study released yesterday challenges widespread assumptions among psychiatrists about the best way to treat serious mental illness and underscores the extent to which physicians, patients and policymakers can be blindsided by self-interested research by drugmakers....The study also paints a sobering picture of the state of treatment of schizophrenia, a disabling illness that afflicts about 3.2 million Americans with symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations and disordered thinking: Every drug, old and new, caused serious side effects, and the vast majority of patients stopped taking each of them."The study has vital public health implications," said Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, which funded the study. "It is the largest, longest and most comprehensive, independent trial ever done to examine existing therapies for this disease."

Slater avoids grope charges if he behaves

Actor Christian Slater was told by a prosecutor Monday to stay out of trouble for six months under a deal to drop charges of groping a woman.
At a hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court, Assistant District Attorney Vanessa Puzio informed the actor as long as he did not get re-arrested, prosecutors would drop all charges against him, including forcibly touching the woman, sexual abuse in the third degree and disorderly conduct.
If convicted of the charges, he could face up to one year in jail.
Slater did not say anything as he left court but his attorney, Eric Franz, told reporters: "The case is dismissed and we are very pleased with the outcome. It was everybody's decision that it was the appropriate resolution."
At a July hearing, Slater turned down an offer by prosecutors of three days of community service if he would plead guilty to the charges. In rejecting that deal, Franz said the case "warrants dismissal."Slater, 36, was arrested May 31 after a woman accused him of groping her while she was buying a soda in Manhattan in the early hours of the morning. Slater was appearing on Broadway at the time in "The Glass Menagerie."

Federal charges filed in Katrina-related scam

Two people accused of posing as American Red Cross volunteers and taking in as much as $2,000 have been charged in California in the first federal case involving an alleged Hurricane Katrina relief scam, prosecutors said.
Federal law bars anyone from impersonating a Red Cross worker. A conviction can lead to five years in prison.
Tino Lee, 44, of Burbank and Gina Liz Nicholas, 19, of Glendale, California, were charged Friday, the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement. Both were in custody pending a Monday hearing. It wasn't immediately clear if they had attorneys who could comment.Authorities said the two set up a table with a collection box outside a Best Buy store in Burbank and displayed fliers that read: "Help Now. American Red Cross Relief For Hurricane Katrina."They had collected as much as $2,000 in cash, as well as a check for $200, before their arrest Thursday night, authorities said. Police took them into custody after determining they lacked the paperwork to prove they represented the relief group. A 14-year-old girl also received a citation to appear in Juvenile Court."We have taken a zero-tolerance position against those who would use a national tragedy such as Hurricane Katrina to line their pockets with money intended for victims," U.S. Attorney Debra Wong Yang said.

NASA details plan for craft that will fly to the moon

The United States plans to send astronauts back to the moon as soon as 2018 on a mission that would be cheaper and more ambitious than man's first trip to the lunar surface nearly 40 years ago, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said Monday.NASA wants to send a crew of four to the moon in a spaceship that resembles the capsule developed for the Apollo program in the 1960s. But this capsule would be able to land on either solid ground or water. The Apollo capsule only splashed down at sea.It would also be safer than its forerunner. And it would be roomier, taking a crew of four to the moon rather than Apollo's three.
"Think of it as Apollo on steroids," Griffin said of the new ship.
Griffin said the cost of the moon program would be $104 billion. Adjusted for inflation, that's roughly 55% of the cost of the first moon landing in 1969. He said NASA's budget would not need to grow to pay for the new effort and vowed not to raid other programs for funds. Savings would come from retiring the space shuttle in 2010."This is not about new money," Griffin said. "This is about a budget which keeps NASA ... approximately where it is today."...

Tyco executives sentenced up to 25 years

Dennis Kozlowski, the former Tyco International Ltd. chief executive, and the company's former chief financial officer, Mark Swartz, were sentenced on Monday to up to 25 years in prison. They had both been found guilty of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from the U.S. company.
Judge Michael Obus handed down the sentence. He presided over the pair's larceny and conspiracy trial in Manhattan Supreme Court.Kozlowski and Swartz were also ordered to pay total restitution of $134 million US.Before the sentencing a prosecutor urged the judge to give the maximum 15 to 30 years in prison and to not show any leniency. Assistant District Attorney Owen Heimer said Kozlowski "engaged in a shocking spree of self-indulgence," spending the stolen money on a Manhattan apartment, artwork and a lavish birthday party for his wife.

Wal-Mart Accused of Denying Lunch Breaks

Wal-Mart Accused of Depriving Employees Lunch Breaks in First of About 40 Cases Against Retailer

"I will prove the reason they did this was for the God Almighty dollar," Furth said in his opening statement.
Nine jurors must side with the plaintiffs to prevail. Millions of dollars also are sought to punish the company for the alleged wrongdoing.The case concerns a 2001 state law, which is among the nation's most worker friendly. Employees who work at least six hours must have a 30-minute, unpaid lunch break. If they do not get that, the law requires they are paid for an additional hour of pay.The lawsuit covers former and current employees in California from 2001 to 2005.Wal-Mart declined to give an opening statement, reserving its right to give one later. Its lawyers also declined comment.In court documents, the Bentonville, Ark., company claims that workers did not demand penalty wages on a timely basis. Wal-Mart adds that it did pay some employees their penalty pay and, in 2003, most workers agreed to waive their meal periods as the law allows.The Bentonville, Ark.-based company also says some violations were minor, such as demanding employees punch back in from lunch and work during their meal breaks. In essence, workers were provided a shorter meal period than the law allows.....

Hope for the Best but Prepare for the Worse...

At this time you should be finishing preparations if not already completed.

I COULD NOT STRESS IT ENOUGH.....NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THESE HURRICANES....STAY INDOORS AND STAY SAFE...

BULLETIN: TROPICAL STORM RITA ADVISORY NUMBER 8NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FLORIDA:

...RITA EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE BEFORE REACHING THE FLORIDAKEYS AND THE SOUTHERN FLORIDA PENINSULA...AT 5 PM EDT...2100Z...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ISSUED FOR LAKEOKEECHOBEE IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA. AT 5 PM EDT...THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA HAS MODIFIED WATCHES ANDWARNINGS FOR CUBA. A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THECUBAN PROVINCES OF VILLA CLARA...MATANZAS...CIUDAD DE HABANA...ANDLA HABANA. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THEPROVINCES OF CIEGO DE AVILA...SANCTI SPIRITUS...CIENFUEGOS...ANDPINAR DEL RIO. A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN FLORIDAPENINSULA FROM GOLDEN BEACH SOUTHWARD TO FLORIDA CITY AND WESTWARDTO EAST CAPE SABLE...AND FOR ALL OF THE FLORIDA KEYS FROM OCEANREEF TO THE DRY TORTUGAS...INCLUDING FLORIDA BAY. A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE EXUMAS AND FOR ANDROSISLAND IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS INEFFECT FOR ALL OF THE REMAINDER OF THE BAHAMAS.

Click on title for the rest of the bulletin.....

The Good,The Bad and The Ugly...

Latest post's start Wednesday night @ 11:31 P.M. and carry over until this one........so make sure you scope em out and stay "In The Loop".....

Then post a comment here telling me your thoughts on just what the heck is going on....Granny fired,partial birth infant brain vacuming is ok,the pledge is not,Israel gives up Gaza and weapons flow......on and on....it continues...

It's a boy for Britney Spears

(PARTIED WITH HER IN THE LAST 9 MONTHS?)

It's a boy for America's favorite pop tart, Britney Spears and hubby Kevin Federline.
The 23 year old singer, who reportedly went into early labor Sept. 9, arrived at UCLA Medical Center at 6 a.m. yesterday, according to Us Weekly. She delivered her bundle of joy via C-section shortly before 1 p.m.
Reportedly, Brit's 27 year old unemployed hubby was by her side through it all. Because, he didn't really have anywhere else to be . . . .
Although the couple have not officially named their progeny, sources say they plan to call The Child of Federline Preston Michael Spears Federline.
He is, of course, Britney's first child and Federline's third. The wifebeater wearing, droopy pants dad has two children, Kori, 3, and Kaleb, 1, with exgirlfriend, Shar Jackson.
Sources say the Cheetos chomping Spears mom and her newborn should be returning to her $7 million Malibu manse within the next few days. : )

14-year-old Missing from Ontario found safe in Mexico

A 14-year-old girl kidnapped last week from Ontario has been found safe.
Police say Elias Flores Martinez the girl's uncle snatched her last Tuesday after she was dropped off by her father at Ontario High School. An amber alert was issued for Laura Martinez, after her mother got a call from her kidnapper.
Elias called he said, I have your daughter then he put her on the phone. She said my uncle has taken me. That's the last we heard from her.
That's the last police heard from her, until yesterday. Laura Martinez was able to call police from a bus station in Mexico while her uncle was in the bathroom.
Mexican authorities came to her rescue. They say she was in good condition. Police still have not found Elias Martinez.

Texas County Bans Parking Near Bush Ranch

Texas County Bans Parking on Roads Near President Bush's Ranch

Two weeks after Cindy Sheehan left her anti-war campsite by the road leading to President Bush's ranch, county commissioners have banned parking along 23 miles of roads in the area.
Before the 4-1 vote Tuesday, McLennan County Commissioner Ray Meadows said about 80 residents had complained of blocked roads, loud music and public health and safety concerns during the 26-day protest near Bush's ranch outside Crawford, about 20 miles west of Waco.
"It's not a First Amendment issue. It's a safety issue," Meadows said, adding that "no parking" signs could be put up this week.......Paul McDaniel, a Vietnam combat veteran, told commissioners the campsite is "sacred ground hallowed by the tears of families and mothers of our fallen heroes and the blood of our fallen sons and daughters."
"The First Amendment allows us reasonable access to the president to express our rights," McDaniel said.
Commissioners deferred action on Meadows' proposal to prohibit residing, erecting shelters or placing sewage receptacles in right-of-way areas on all county roads. So for now, camping in the ditches is not banned.

Federal judge declares Pledge unconstitutional

A federal judge in Sacramento ruled Wednesday that teacher-led recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools violates the Constitution's protection of religious freedom because the pledge refers to "one Nation under God."

The ruling, by U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton, revives a legal challenge to the 51-year-old version of the Pledge. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected that challenge last year. The case may be headed that way again. Derek Gaubatz, lawyer for students who want to keep the Pledge, says the decision will be appealed to the Supreme Court "if necessary ... as quickly as possible."
In June 2004, five of the Supreme Court's nine justices found that Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow did not have custody of his school age daughter and thus could not challenge school district policy that allowed teachers to lead students in a voluntary recitation of the Pledge.The decision enabled the high court to dodge a battle over whether the phrase "under God" carries a religious meaning that is unacceptable under the Constitution's First Amendment, which forbids government endorsement of religion. The court also avoided deciding whether reciting the Pledge in schools is a coerced religious practice.Newdow refiled the case in January and added as plaintiffs two sets of anonymous atheist parents who also have children in Sacramento-area schools. On Wednesday, Karlton ruled that the new plaintiffs were qualified to sue although Newdow isn't.Because the Supreme Court had rejected Newdow's challenge on procedural grounds and not on its merits, Karlton wrote, he was required to reinstate an earlier federal appeals court ruling in the case that had struck down the recitation of the pledge.....

Virginia University Coed Still Missing From Her Dorm

"A freshman college student has been reported missing," stated Virginia Commonwealth University Officials.
Americas Amber Alert News Center Virginia(TAA) :Taylor Marie Behl, age 17, of Vienna in Fairfax County, remains missing more than a week. She was last seen leaving her dorm room around 10 p.m. last Monday, September 5, 2005. Also missing is Behl's car, a white 1997 Ford Escort with Virginia tags JPC-2848.Taylor Marie Behl, age 17, of Vienna in Fairfax County, was last seen leaving her dorm room around 10 p.m. Monday. Also missing is Behl's car, a white 1997 Ford Escort with Virginia tags .Taylor Marie Behl, age 17, of Vienna in Fairfax County, was last seen leaving her dorm room around 10 p.m., Monday.

ANYONE WITH INFORMATION PLEASE CALL (804) 828-1196 OR

CALL 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) OR CONTACT YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITIES.....................................

18 burned by faulty gym lighting

COLUMBIA, Tennessee: A malfunctioning light bulb in a school gym exposed more than 100 people to short-wave radiation for an hour, sending 18 to the hospital with severe sunburns and swollen eyes.
The incident occurred during a September 11 memorial event held Friday at the Baker Elementary School in Columbia. Attendees, many of whom were military veterans, said they started to feel symptoms soon after the event began.
"While I was sitting in the auditorium, my forehead started itching real bad," said Fred Young, 73. "When I got home I looked into the mirror and my face looked real red."Most victims were older adults who were sitting together under the broken lamp. No children were admitted to Maury Regional Hospital, according to Dr. David Turner.Dr. Michael Richardson, another emergency room doctor, said the symptoms, similar to overexposure from a tanning bed, were produced by a radiation leak from a halide bulb. The bulbs, commonly used in gyms, are designed with a special membrane that blocks the UV rays, but occasionally the membranes break........

Study: Aid not reaching poor

World Bank report says better-off usually benefit the most

MUMBAI, India: Overwhelming evidence shows that most health programs don't reach the world's poorest people, a World Bank official said Wednesday.
A study by the bank found that donors often believed that simply by spending aid money in low-income countries the poor would benefit, said Davidson Gwatkin, who advises the bank on health and poverty issues.
But the reality was that aid efforts targeted at entire societies usually only ended up benefiting the better-off, not the poor, he told delegates at an international conference in Bombay on health problems in the developing world. The conference was organized by the Global Forum for Health Research, a Geneva-based organization.
"In many universal programs, the gaps are huge and it's the poor who cannot access the basket of services," Gwatkin said the study found.
The study, "Reaching the Poor," was done by the World Bank in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Dutch and Swedish governments. Gwatkin discussed its general findings Wednesday and said the completed report will be released next month in Washington.
"There is overwhelming evidence that we're not doing as well as we should have or as we thought we were," he said.

Judge: Mich. Law Against Type of Abortion Unconstitutional

A federal judge has declared unconstitutional Michigan's law aimed at banning a procedure that opponents call partial-birth abortion.
In a ruling dated Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Page Hood in Detroit ruled the law places an "undue burden" on women's right to choose an abortion. The parties in the lawsuit learned of the ruling Wednesday.
Hood also said the law is confusing and vague, and its exceptions for the health or life of the mother are meaningless and unconstitutional.
"The act does not describe any specific procedure to be banned," Hood wrote. "The act also does not distinguish between induced abortion and pregnancy loss."
Previous attempts by state lawmakers to stop the abortion procedure were struck down by federal courts in 1997 and 2001.
The Michigan Catholic Conference said it disagrees with the judge's ruling and will urge Attorney General Mike Cox to appeal.
"The fight to end heinous partial-birth abortions will continue," Michigan Catholic Conference spokesman Dave Maluchnik said.Doctors label the procedure "intact dilation and extraction," or D&X. During the procedure, generally performed in the second trimester, a fetus is partially removed from the womb and the skull punctured..........

Women embrace new freedom in Bamiyan

BAMIYAN, Afghanistan : The five men traveled three hours across rugged Afghan terrain to take their troubles to the provincial governor. Their problem: A local warlord was blocking a crucial irrigation project; no bribe, no water. After listening patiently to their story, the governor agreed to send police to the remote district to deal with the local commander and his armed thugs. "I will solve the problem," the governor said. "We'll have to do it by force."
The extortionist warlord is all too typical in Afghanistan. The decisive governor, who declined to name the offender to avoid further trouble, is anything but. Habiba Sarabi is the first woman to run a province in Afghan history.
Perhaps more than anywhere else in Afghanistan, women in Bamiyan province are leaping into the political space created by the U.S.-led overthrow of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban militia four years ago. They are more likely to run for office and to vote than other Afghan women.
Sixteen women will be on ballots in Bamiyan province Sunday, when voters choose candidates for the provincial council and the lower house of the Afghan National Assembly, known as the Wolesi Jirga. Elsewhere, some provinces couldn't field enough female candidates to fill the seats reserved for them.
In Bamiyan, 48% of registered voters are women, who are a majority in some districts. Nationwide, women are less than 42% of voters.The enthusiasm with which Bamiyan women embrace politics reflects the relatively moderate brand of Islam that predominates in the remote province, best known for the 1,500-year-old giant Buddha statues the Taliban destroyed in March 2001...

U.S. Briefing on Iran Alleges Pattern of Concealment, Deception

In a presentation for International Atomic Energy Agency officials and the 35 countries on its governing board, U.S. Energy Department officials detail evidence claiming to show that Iran remains committed to developing a nuclear weapon and is deceiving the international community, ABC News has learned.
ABC News has obtained a copy of the 43-slide PowerPoint computer presentation, which was delivered to IAEA Board members in the run-up to its meeting Monday, when Iran's nuclear program will be the subject of debate.

U.S. officials have been working hard to persuade members of the agency's governing board that Iran remains determined to develop a nuclear weapon and should be referred to the United Nations Security Council for violations of its agreements with the IAEA.
'Pattern of Concealment'
The presentation, including both satellite imagery and talking points, argues that Iran's claims that it seeks only a peaceful nuclear power program "do not hold up under scrutiny." To support its claims, it cites "long standing safeguards violations" and a "pattern of concealment," including the construction of "dummy buildings" at Natanz, Iran's uranium enrichment complex, to conceal ventilation shafts.
The briefing's second section addresses the apparent lack of plausible reasons for Iran's investment in nuclear power, noting that Iran lacks the uranium ore to support a commercial-scale nuclear power industry, and that similar investments in its oil and gas infrastructure would reap far greater economic rewards. The presentation concludes by arguing that Iran's development of the nuclear fuel cycle:mining, uranium conversion, enrichment:is scaled to the size of a nuclear weapons program and not a nuclear power one.
According to a U.S. official familiar with the Iranian nuclear issue, the unclassified presentation is the work of two Energy Department labs: Los Alamos National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories.
There is no consensus yet among IAEA Board members that Iran is guilty of maintaining a nuclear weapons program. France, Germany and the United Kingdom have been urging Iran to resume a suspension of its nuclear activities to avoid a potential referral of the matter to the United Nations.

Grandma Fired for Missing Work to Babysit

Grandmother Fired for Missing Work While Caring for Granddaughter; Parents Were in New Orleans

KANSAS CITY: When forced to decide between caring for her 18-month-old granddaughter whose parents were stranded in New Orleans or leaving the girl with strangers so she could show up for her assembly line job, Barbara Roberts chose to be a grandma. And for that, she was fired.Roberts says she didn't know if her daughter and son-in-law were even alive when she called the Positronic Industries factory in Mount Vernon the day Hurricane Katrina came ashore to say she wouldn't be in. But at least she was sure Trisana was safe.
The 54-year-old, $7-plus-per-hour worker had made the four-hour drive to Columbia from Mount Vernon on Saturday to watch the girl while her parents were away. Roberts had planned to be in her own bed by Sunday night.Tina Roberts and her husband, Chris Hardin, had flown to New Orleans on Aug. 26 so Hardin, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, could attend meetings. It was supposed to be a weekend business trip.Hardin tried to reschedule the flight home the afternoon of Aug. 27 as the Category 5 hurricane approached, but he was told the airline had canceled all flights because of the storm."We had made arrangements for a caregiver to overnight with Trisana on Sunday and we would be back Monday," Hardin said. "But then there was a Category 5 hurricane with a bull's-eye on our butts, so we called Barb and said we didn't know when we would be coming home. We truly didn't know what would happen down there."With no other relatives in the area to take care of Trisana, Roberts said she had no choice but to call work on Aug. 29 and tell her boss she would be missing a few days."There was no decision to make it was already made," Roberts said."My daughter could have died down there. This was family. You don't walk out on a child especially my grandbaby."Hardin and his wife spent a couple days locked down in a Sheraton hotel safe from looters and the chaos that befell most of New Orleans after the levees broke and finally made it back to Columbia on Thursday. Shaken up, they asked Roberts to stay one more day.

Aruba Court: Suspects Can Stay Free

ORANJESTAD, Aruba: A court ruled Wednesday that three suspects in the disappearance of a U.S. teenager can remain free without conditions: overturning an earlier decision that restricted their travel.
The appeals court ruled there was a "lack of sufficient grounds and serious suspicions" to keep the restrictions on Joran van der Sloot and two Surinamese brothers, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, the Aruban prosecutor's office said.
The three young men remain suspects in the May 30 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
Holloway, 18, vanished on the final night of a high school graduation trip to the Dutch Caribbean island. Extensive searches have failed to find any trace of her in Aruba.
Van der Sloot, 18, and the Kalpoe brothers the last people seen in public with the American teen were released from jail on Sept. 3 on the condition they remain available for questioning.
Van der Sloot, who is Dutch, has since left for college in Holland, where he traveled with the court's permission. The Kalpoe brothers were barred from leaving Aruba.

Dealers Smuggle Weapons Into Gaza From Egypt

RAFAH, Gaza Strip: Palestinian gunrunners smuggled hundreds of assault rifles and pistols across the Egyptian frontier into Gaza, dealers and border officials said Wednesday. The influx confirmed Israeli fears about giving up border control and could further destabilize Gaza.Black market prices for weapons dropped sharply, with the price of AK-47 assault rifles nearly cut in half, to $1,300, and even steeper reductions for handguns.
The Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has tried to impose order since the Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza on Monday, but militant groups scoffed at a new demand by the Palestinian Authority that they must disband after parliamentary elections in January, saying they would not surrender their weapons.
Israel voiced concern about chaos along the Egypt-Gaza border in the three days since its pullout, sending messages to the United States, Egypt and the Palestinians. "We will not put up with this," Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said.
Egypt had assured Israel that it would prevent weapons smuggling once its troops took over from Israel along the Gaza frontier, and Cairo and the Palestinian Authority pledged to seal the border by Wednesday evening. Thousands had crossed unhindered since Monday.
Around 8 p.m. Wednesday, about two Wednesday, about two hours after the deadline for closing the border, an Egyptian officer bellowed into a bullhorn for Palestinians to stop entering Egypt and prepare to return to Gaza.The frontier was still porous later, however, with the Egyptian police pushing back Palestinians scaling the wall on the Gaza side and trying to sneak through the barbed-wire fence on the Egyptian side. Up to 750 Egyptian border guards were expected Thursday, the police said.Palestinian security forces in Gaza appeared to be doing little to stop infiltrators.At midday, Hamas militants blew a hole in the Gaza wall, making it even easier for people to enter the 18-foot-wide buffer zone leading to Egypt's fence.One arms dealer, interviewed in a car outside the Rafah cemetery, said hundreds of AK-47's had been smuggled from Egypt since Monday. He said he sold his guns to militants but declined to say how many pieces his runners brought back.Another dealer said competitors reported having $1 million worth of loot confiscated, including grenade launchers.

Number of attacks decreases on Baghdad highway to airport

Attacks on and around the 7-mile highway linking Baghdad to its international airport have dropped 41% since May, the result of increased U.S. and Iraqi troop presence and new tactics to battle insurgents along one of the world's most dangerous roads.
There hasn't been a suicide car bombing on the road since April, according to U.S. military statistics through August.U.S. officers attribute the decline to an influx of Iraqi troops who have been stationed at key points along Airport Road, which goes by the military designation Route Irish."Route Irish is definitely not the most dangerous road in Iraq any longer, and everyone who uses it knows it," says Lt. Col. Geoffrey Slack, commander of the New York National Guard's 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment.In May, insurgents staged 49 attacks on the road and in surrounding neighborhoods, including assaults with deadly roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades, according to statistics from Slack's battalion, which was responsible for the area until a recent hand-over.Violence in the road's area peaked in November 2004. That month, insurgents launched 52 attacks, including 13 car bombs, according to the military statistics. The number of attacks fell to 29 in August, mostly small-arms fire.Airport worker Hana Abdul Aziz, 28, was on her way to work in a bus with other airport employees one morning last November when the bus came under attack.Aziz remembers glass and blood flying through the air. A woman sitting next to her was killed in the attack. "She got a bullet in her head and died immediately," she says.For most of the past year, the New York battalion has been responsible for securing the road and surrounding neighborhoods. U.S. military officials declined to discuss numbers, but American battalions generally number about 800 troops.In June, an Iraqi police commando unit was assigned to work alongside the American troops. Iraqi battalions typically have about 750 troops, says Lt. Col. Fred Wellman, spokesman for the command responsible for training Iraqi troops.The additional Iraqi troops, along with U.S. counterparts, were deployed at seven armed checkpoints at the entries to the road. The checkpoints are staffed around the clock and can carefully watch vehicles entering the highway.The airport highway has been hotly contested. It is heavily used by American and coalition forces, contractors, diplomats and Iraqis working with them. Surrounding the airport is a large U.S. military facility that serves as headquarters for coalition forces.

New Orleans Nursing Home Owners Charged With Negligent Homicide

In a day of reckoning across battered New Orleans,the owners of a nursing home were charged in the deaths of dozens of patients killed by Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters, the death toll in Louisiana jumped to 423, and the mayor warned that the city is broke, unable to make its next payroll.
Mayor C. Ray Nagin said the city was working "feverishly" with banking and federal officials to secure lines of credit through the end of the year.
Amid the discouraging news, there were also clear signs of progress on many fronts: The New Orleans airport reopened to commercial flights, the port resumed operations, and the mayor said dry sections of the ravaged city — including the French Quarter and the central business district — could be reopened during the daytime as early as Monday, provided the Environmental Protection Agency finds the air and water are safe.
"We're out of nuclear-crisis mode and into normal, day-to-day crisis mode," Nagin saidThe death toll climbed by more than half in a single day to 423, including last week's grisly discovery of 34 dead patients and staff members at St. Rita's nursing home in the town of Chalmette in hard-hit St. Bernard Parish.
Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti charged the husband-and-wife owners of St. Rita's with 34 counts of negligent homicide for not doing more to save their elderly patients. The case represents the first major prosecution to come out of the hurricane.
"The pathetic thing in this case was that they were asked if they wanted to move them and they did not," Foti said. "They were warned repeatedly that this storm was coming. In effect, their inaction resulted in the deaths of these people.".

U.S. Raids Militant Stronghold in Iraq

U.S. Forces Raid Stronghold in Iraq, Capturing al-Qaida Militant, Killing Four Others

U.S. forces widened their operations against insurgents in northern Iraq on Tuesday, launching an attack on the Euphrates River stronghold of Haditha only days after evicting militants from Tal Afar. Residents also reported American air strikes in the same region near Qaim.
The Americans called in bombing raids in Haditha, 140 miles northwest of the capital. They captured one militant with ties to al-Qaida in Iraq and killed four others.
In the volatile city of Qaim, about 80 miles northwest of Haditha, residents said clashes broke out between insurgents and coalition forces. The U.S. military did not confirm the air strike.In the south, a roadside bomb killed four people near Basra an attack that was a twin to a deadly bombing in the area last week. Iraqi police said the dead were four American contract workers, but U.S. officials were unable to confirm the nationalities of the victims. Last Wednesday, a roadside bomb near Basra hit a passing convoy of U.S. diplomatic security guards, killing four Americans.
President Jalal Talabani, meanwhile, said in Washington that Iraq would not set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, declaring at a news conference with President Bush that the American force still was needed. The Bush administration is under increasing pressure at home to set a date to begin pulling out the 140,000 U.S. troops.
"We will set no timetable for withdrawal. A timetable will help the terrorists," Talabani said. He said he hoped Iraqi security forces could take responsibility for the country by the end of 2006.

Ophelia becomes a hurricane--again

Residents warned to prepare as outer bands lash Carolina coast

North Carolina's governor urged residents of low-lying areas and coastal islands to head for safety Tuesday as Hurricane Ophelia methodically churned toward the state's southeastern corner with heavy rains and strong winds.
The fickle, slow-moving storm reached hurricane intensity again Tuesday evening after reconnaissance aircraft measured 75 mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.
The storm's outer bands were lashing the coast between Charleston and Wilmington Tuesday evening.
During the past week, Ophelia has wobbled four times between hurricane and tropical storm status as it moved erratically up the East Coast, making three loops along the way.
At 8 p.m., the center of Ophelia was 105 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina, and 110 miles south of Wilmington, North Carolina. The storm was moving north-northwest at 3 mph.
Wilmington, the largest city on the North Carolina coast, is expected to start feeling hurricane force winds of at least 74 mph early Wednesday.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington and East Carolina University in Greenville canceled classes for Wednesday.
Ophelia's strongest winds were relatively far from the center -- 50 to 60 miles -- and will reach the coast well ahead of the center of the storm, according to the hurricane center.
The hurricane's center is forecast to make landfall later Wednesday afternoon north of Wilmington before turning slightly east and moving across the lower Outer Banks, though the storm has been difficult to predict.
North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley warned residents along the coast to prepare for a storm that could cause several days of widespread flooding, blocked roads and power outages.
"If you live in low-lying areas, flood-prone areas -- you know where they are -- you need to get out," Easley said.

11 Children Found at Ohio Home With Cages

The 11 children removed from a house where authorities say some of them slept in homemade cages are polite, well-behaved, well-dressed and appear to have been well-fed, neighbors and authorities said Tuesday.
Their adoptive parents, Michael Gravelle, 56, and Sharen Gravelle, 57, denied in a custody hearing Monday that they abused or neglected the children, who are ages 1-14 and have conditions that included autism and fetal alcohol syndrome.
No charges had been filed as of Tuesday afternoon, and messages left with the couple's lawyer were not immediately returned.The Gravelles have said a psychiatrist recommended they make the children sleep in the cages, Huron County Prosecutor Russell Leffler told the Norwalk Reflector. The parents said the children, including some who had mental disorders, needed to be protected from each other, according to a search warrant on file at Norwalk Municipal Court.
Leffler refused to speak with an Associated Press reporter Tuesday at his office.
Dr. Gregory Keck, founder of an Ohio organization that works with adoptive parents of special needs children, said county officials contacted him in late August, asking whether the arrangement at the Gravelles could be considered appropriate.
"I said, 'No, I couldn't imagine any situation in which children should be kept in cages,'" said Keck, director of the Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio, who has not worked with the Gravelles.

WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER

A VOW TO KEEP THE MEMORY ALIVE........

WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER OUR NEW DAY OF INFAMY........MY HEART ACHES FOR THOSE WHO MISS THEIR LOVED ONES........THOSE WHO WILL NEVER GET TO SEE THEIR WIVES,HUSBANDS,DAUGHTERS,BROTHERS.....UNCLES,AUNTS .....THE CHILDREN WHO WILL NEVER SEE THEIR PARENTS AGAIN...

WE WILL KEEP THE CANDLE BURNING,TEACH OUR FUTURE CHILDREN ABOUT THE HEROES AND THE SACRIFICES MADE ...WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN AQUILLE LAURO,TANZANIA,KENYA,DAR ES SALAM,THE FIRST TRADE CENTER ATTACK AND THE MANY LIVES RIPPED APART BY TERRORIST'S WORLDWIDE...OUR STRENGTH IN LIBERTY AND FREEDOM WILL ENDURE LONG PAST THE COWARDLY ATTACKS OF FANATICAL BARBARIANS WHO CAN NEVER DEFEAT THE BEAUTY OF WHAT WE STAND FOR.....WE SHALL REMAIN WIDE AWAKE AND DILIGENT TO DEFEND OUR FREEDOM FROM ENEMIES DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN.........WE WILL NOT BEND...WE WILL NOT BOW... WE WILL NOT BREAK, BUT WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER...

Berger fined for taking papers

Former National Security Adviser Samuel R. Berger was fined $50,000 by a federal judge yesterday for illegally taking classified documents out of the National Archives by stuffing them in his pants. U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson, in ordering the fine, ignored a recommendation by government lawyers that Mr. Berger -- the Clinton administration's most senior national security official -- pay a $10,000 fine as part of a plea agreement reached in April. "The court finds the fine is inadequate because it doesn't reflect the seriousness of the offense," Judge Robinson said in handing down the sentence. She also ordered Mr. Berger to surrender his access to classified government materials for three years, perform 100 hours of community service and serve two years' probation. He also was ordered to pay $6,905 for the administrative costs of his two-year probation. Mr. Berger, who served as national security adviser for President Clinton from 1997 to 2000, had faced one year in prison and a $100,000 fine, but his plea agreement reduced the fine and kept him out of jail. He told the court yesterday he let "considerations of personal convenience override clear rules of handling classified material." He described the removal of the documents as a lapse of judgment that occurred while he was preparing last year to testify before the September 11 commission investigating intelligence and security failures."In this case, I failed. I will not again," Mr. Berger said.

Egypt's Opposition Sees Democracy Hope

As Mubarak Gains Re-Election, Egypt's Opposition Acknowledges Hope for Greater Democracy

Turnout was miserably low, voting irregularities were prevalent, and the result President Hosni Mubarak's re-election was known from the start. Still, some in the opposition said Friday that Egypt's flawed vote created momentum toward greater democracy.
Opposition movements, while unconvinced the government is sincere in its promises of reform, are vowing to fight harder in parliamentary elections set for November.
Wednesday's election was the first in which Mubarak, a key U.S. ally in power for 24 years, has faced opponents. Previously, he was re-elected in referendums in which he was the sole candidate.The integrity of the vote was seen as a key test of his government's commitment to democracy. While few opponents believed the vote was clean, some suggested it was clean enough to raise their hopes.The final results announced Friday by the elections commission held no surprises: the 77-year-old Mubarak won a new six-year term with 88.571 percent of the vote.His closest rivals, Ayman Nour of the opposition Al-Ghad party and Noaman Gomaa of the Wafd party, took 7.3 and 2.8 percent, respectively.

Coast Guard admiral to lead relief effort

Beleaguered FEMA chief Michael Brown sent home

Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown was replaced Friday as the man in charge of the Hurricane Katrina federal relief effort.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff named Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen to replace Brown.
Allen had been directing efforts in New Orleans as Brown's acting assistant. Chertoff said he informed Allen Friday morning that he would take over the entire FEMA mission in the region.
Brown, under fire over his qualifications and what critics call a bungled response to Katrina, will return to his duties in Washington as overall FEMA chief, Chertoff said."Admiral Allen has my full support in the very difficult work we have ahead," Chertoff said. The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security, as is FEMA. A senior administration official said President Bush approved Chertoff's decision.

Couple pleads guilty in Wendy's finger case

SAN JOSE, Calif. : A Nevada couple pleaded guilty Friday to all charges related to planting a human finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili in a scheme to extort money from the fast food restaurant chain.Anna Ayala, 39, and Jaime Placencia, 43, pleaded guilty to conspiring to file a false claim and attempted grand theft in a scheme that the Dublin, Ohio-based Wendy's International Inc. claimed cost it $2.5 million in lost sales because of bad publicity.
"Thankfully, law enforcement thwarted their successful efforts at theft," said Deputy District Attorney David Boyd.Ayala's attorney, Rick Ehler, said she was truly remorseful."There are a lot of people that work for Wendy's that were harmed, she always felt a lot of remorse about that," he said.Wendy's President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Mueller said he hoped the guilty pleas would "send a strong message and serve as a deterrent to others who may contemplate a fraudulent crime against the restaurant industry."Ayala claimed to have found the fingertip March 22 while eating chili with her family at a Wendy's in San Jose. Authorities said they believed it was a hoax, but the story of the tasteless finger food quickly circled the globe and became fodder for late-night comedy.

Saudi Arabia says 5 militants slain belonged to al-Qaeda

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Five militants killed during a three-day battle with security forces this week have been identified as al-Qaeda members on the country's most-wanted list, the Saudi Interior Ministry said Thursday.
Four policemen were also killed in the confrontation in the eastern Saudi city of Damman. The battle ended about midday Tuesday when special forces stormed the seaside villa the militants had taken over.
"It became clear that five of the deviant group were killed and authorities proved through DNA testing that they were part of a group of wanted men previously announced," said the statement, which was carried on the official Saudi Press Agency.
Saudi Arabia uses the term "deviant group" to describe al-Qaeda.
Thursday's statement was the first time that the authorities had given a final tally of the militants slain. One had already been identified as the No. 3 on the kingdom's new most-wanted list: Zaid Saad Zaid al-Samari, 31, a Saudi.
The other four, all Saudis, were named in the statement as: Saleh Mansour Mohsen al-Fereidi al-Harbi, 22; Sultan Saleh Hussan al-Haseri, 26; Naif Farhan Jalal al-Jehaishi al-Shammari, 24; and Mohammed Abdel-Rahman Mohammed al-Suwailmi, 23.
The government is waging a campaign against Islamic militants who have staged numerous terror attacks since May 2003. In a bid to cripple the economy, the militants have tended to target Westerners, who occupy important positions in the oil industry.
King Abdullah, who ascended the throne in early August after the death of his half-brother Fahd, has vowed to push ahead with the crackdown. al-Qaeda seeks to topple the Saudi royal family because of its close ties with the West, particularly the United States.
During the past year, Saudi forces have claimed a series of victories, killing or capturing all but one of the figures on the first list of 26 most-wanted militants, which was issued in December 2004.

and pray for all the victim's and their families of Hurricane Katrina...

Design for Flight 93 memorial chosen

The heroic struggle by airline passengers who thwarted a terror attack on the nation's capital on Sept. 11, 2001, will be commemorated in a 2,000-acre memorial site that includes a chapel with metallic wind chimes.
The "Crescent of Embrace" memorial, created by a team of designers led by Paul Murdoch Architects of Los Angeles, was chosen Wednesday by the Flight 93 Advisory Commission. The aim of the one-year competition was to honor the 40 passengers and crew who died after their plane was hijacked and crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania.
The chapel, featuring 40 chimes symbolizing each of the victims, will stand at the entryway to the vast park.
"The idea is, as the wind continues through the site, there will be sounds generated that will act as a living memory to those who died," Murdoch said.
The memorial in Shanksville, Pa., will also include pedestrian trails and a roadway leading to a visitor center and the actual crash site, which will be surrounded by a crescent of maple trees. The victims' names will be inscribed on a white marble wall.

Iraq army: 200 insurgents arrested in Tal Afar

U.S. military rescues American hostage after 10 months in captivity

U.S. and Iraqi forces have encircled the insurgent stronghold of Tal Afar, and Iraqi authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of 200 suspected insurgents there most of them foreign fighters.
The Iraqi military said 150 of those arrested Wednesday in this town near the Syrian border were Arabs from Syria, Sudan, Yemen and Jordan.
The joint forces have reported heavy battles on the outskirts of the city and several deadly bombings that have mainly killed civilians. Iraqi authorities reported most of the civilian population had fled the city, which is 260 miles north of Baghdad and about 35 miles from the Syrian border.

Hurricane Katrina Aftermath

Louisiana,Mississippi, & Alabama......Image Index Map containing the path of Katrina and the destruction she left behind......Click title for link......as you click on the boxes outlined you can select which area to observe.....select a box...click on it and see the destruction from a birds eye view.Images and Map courtesy of NOAA.

New Orleans will force evacuations

New Orleans' mayor ordered law enforcement agencies Tuesday night to remove everyone from the city who is not involved in cleaning up after Hurricane Katrina, whether they want to go or not.
Mayor Ray Nagin instructed all public safety officers "to compel the evacuation of all persons ... regardless of whether such persons are on private property or do not desire to leave," according to a written statement from his office.
The order did not apply to people in Algiers on the West Bank side of Orleans Parish.
Many residents have refused to leave New Orleans despite a mandatory evacuation and warnings from government officials that staying in the flooded city represents a health risk. Rescue workers say many holdouts have insisted on staying in their homes or makeshift residences rather than obey the mandatory evacuation order Nagin first put into effect on August 28, the day before Katrina crashed ashore.Some said they were concerned about their property being looted, while others were unaware of disaster's full extent, worried about their pets or concerned that conditions would be even worse in shelters.The standing water in New Orleans is contaminated with E. coli bacteria, a highly placed official in the New Orleans mayor's office told CNN on Tuesday.U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona said conditions in the city are "really unsafe at this point."

Aftermath widespread
The disaster area left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina covers the Gulf Coast from southeast Louisiana to Mobile, Alabama -- and at least 150 miles inland. The storm crushed houses, leaving some towns little more than wood piles.
The storm surge along the Mississippi coast reached more than 20 feet in some areas and knocked out power for most of the state as a diminishing Katrina continued its destructive trail northward last week.
Tuesday, more than 350,000 customers were still without electricity. All but one of Mississippi's major highways have reopened.
Other states were shouldering some of the burden by taking in evacuees and sending crews to help in search-and-recovery, cleanup or shelter operations.
The Louisiana Superdome was so heavily damaged during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath that it likely will have to be torn down, according to a spokesperson for Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.
Katrina sheared away much of the roof's covering, and rainwater began leaking into the stadium when it was being used as a shelter of last resort for thousands of residents stranded by the storm.
The Superdome is the home of the New Orleans Saints professional football team. The NFL season begins this weekend, and it is not clear where the Saints will play.

Gunman kills 'one of the best' explosives experts

BAGHDAD: Haqy Asaad made a living snipping wires off bombs around Baghdad.

Haqy Asaad, an explosives expert with the Interior Ministry, was killed last week from a gunshot wound to the gut.
By Rick Jervis, USA TODAY
He was once flung back from the force of a roadside bomb that detonated prematurely, killing a colleague but only slightly wounding him.
In July, he carefully defused an explosives vest worn on a would-be suicide bomber outside the Green Zone, the fortified area housing U.S. and some Iraqi government offices.
He earned the nickname "Robot" from U.S. advisers for his dogged disarming of insurgents' bombs and was profiled in USA TODAY in July.
Asaad, an explosives expert with the Interior Ministry, was killed last week, not by bomb shrapnel but from a gunshot wound to the gut.
Gunmen ambushed him down the road from his home in southern Baghdad on Aug. 30. Officials are investigating the incident but believe Asaad was targeted by insurgents because of his job, said Brig. Hussein Muhssin, his supervisor.
Asaad was the eighth person in his unit to be killed either by bombs or insurgents. "I lost one of the best members of our department," Muhssin said. "He was so devoted to his work, very daring, brave and smart. But he was always in a rush. I warned him so many times our work needs to be cautious, accurate."
U.S. troops operating in Iraq are working to hand over security responsibilities to Iraqi units such as Asaad's. An increasing number of Iraqi troops are manning checkpoints, policing streets, leading raids on suspected insurgent hide-outs and disarming roadside bombs....Asaad had worked as an explosives expert with the Interior Ministry under Saddam Hussein. He lost his job in 2003, when former members of the ruling Baath Party were expunged from government under the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority, Muhssin said. But U.S. military officials rehired him last fall and dispatched him to Florida for explosives training, he said.
Armed with little more than a pocket tool, Asaad grew adept at defusing roadside bombs, the weapon of choice for insurgents, Muhssin said. Each month, he would hand over to U.S. explosives experts about 120 munitions including mortar and artillery shells collected from defused roadside bombs, said Maj. Alayne Conway, a spokeswoman with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which worked with Asaad.
"I can't just leave these bombs in all these neighborhoods," Asaad said in July. "I want to live in a peaceful Iraq someday."
In July, Asaad neutralized a bomb worn by a would-be suicide bomber. The bomber had been hit with shrapnel from another suicide bomber, leaving him nearly unconscious. Asaad disarmed the bomb and slipped the vest off the assailant to the cheers of U.S. and Iraqi personnel watching from a distance near the main entrance to the Green Zone.
"He was setting a standard for other Iraqis to follow," Conway said. "He knew that if he didn't do it, no one else would."
Asaad's success at his job was also making him a target among insurgents. He had received several threats the past few months, Muhssin said....

Hussein Confessed to Massacre Order, Iraqi President Says

The deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has confessed to crimes in meetings with investigators for the special tribunal that will try him later this year, President Jalal Talabani said in a televised interview Tuesday night. But a lawyer for Mr. Hussein's family dismissed the statement as a "fabrication." Speaking on the state-run Iraqiya network, Mr. Talabani, a Kurd, said investigators have told him the "good news" that Mr. Hussein had confessed to ordering the Anfal massacre against the Kurds in northern Iraq in 1988 and to ordering other executions.
"He confessed about the Anfal executions, and the orders issued by his name," Mr. Talabani said. "Saddam should be executed 20 times."...

Annan Failed to Curb Corruption in Iraq's Oil-for-Food Program, Investigators Report

A yearlong investigation has concluded that Secretary General Kofi Annan failed to curb corruption and mismanagement at the United Nations, but it did not find evidence to support charges that he improperly influenced the scandal-tainted oil-for-food program."His sins were ones of omission basically; there were things that he might well have done and should have done that he didn't do," a senior investigator said Tuesday.
Typical of the lapses, the investigator said, was Mr. Annan's failure to look more thoroughly into the activities of his son, Kojo Annan, to see if his working for a company that received an oil-for-food contract posed a conflict of interest for his father.It says that an Iraqi-American businessman, Samir Vincent, and a Korean lobbyist, Tongsun Park, tried to pass $1 million to Mr. Boutros-Ghali but that there was no evidence that Mr. Boutros-Ghali had received or agreed to receive the money.
The report says that Iraq also tried to secure another high level contact at the United Nations in 1997 when Mr. Park invested $1 million of Iraqi money in a company controlled by Maurice Strong, a Canadian entrepreneur then serving as Mr. Annan's coordinator for United Nations reform. The committee said it found no evidence that Mr. Strong himself was involved.
Mr. Vincent pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal charges of illegal lobbying for Iraq. Mr. Park, who was also charged, is believed to be in South Korea. Mr. Strong stepped aside from his post as Mr. Annan's special envoy to North Korea because of past associations with Mr. Park...

Ex-Chief of Palestinian Security Slain

Gunmen Kill Former Palestinian Security Chief Moussa Arafat in His Home

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP): Dozens of gunmen stormed the home of deposed Gaza security chief Moussa Arafat before dawn Wednesday and shot him dead, witnesses said.
Arafat, 65, a cousin of the late leader, Yasser Arafat, was fired earlier this year by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. It was not immediately clear who the gunmen were.

California Legislature Approves Same-Sex Marriage Bill

SACRAMENTO, Calif.: The California Legislature on Tuesday became the first legislative body in the country to approve same-sex marriages, as gay-rights advocates overcame two earlier defeats in the Assembly.
The 41-35 vote sends the bill to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose office had no comment on the bill when it cleared the Senate last week.
The bill's supporters compared the legislation to earlier civil rights campaigns, including efforts to eradicate slavery and give women the right to vote.
"Do what we know is in our hearts," said the bill's sponsor, San Francisco Democrat Mark Leno. "Make sure all California families will have the same protection under the law." Leno's bill had failed in the Assembly by four votes in June, but he was confident he could get it through on a second try after the Senate approved a same-sex marriage bill last week.
Democratic Assemblyman Paul Koretz called bans on gay marriage "the last frontier of bigotry and discrimination, and it's time we put an end to it."...

Typhoon Nabi Moves Through Sea of Japan After Battering Kyushu

Typhoon Nabi moved away from land after battering Kyushu and other parts of southwest Japan with rain and wind as high as 162 kilometers per hour. Seven people died, Kyodo News reported, citing authorities.
The center of Nabi was over the Sea of Japan, 230 kilometers (143 miles) north of Tottori city on Honshu at 8 a.m. local time, the Japan Meteorological Agency said in the most recent advisory on its Web site. Nabi's sustained wind speed fell to 108 kph this morning, the advisory said. It's moving northeast at 40 kph and is expected to reach the northern island of Hokkaido tomorrow.
Seven people are confirmed dead, 80 people were injured and as many as 352,000 people were advised to evacuate their homes, Kyodo News reported, citing authorities. Hundreds of flights have been canceled and oil shipments were stopped. At least 13 people are missing after landslides and floods in Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, police said yesterday.
The weather agency maintained warnings for high waves, storms, heavy rain and flooding for most coastal areas of Honshu and Kyushu. Winds of 90 kph extend as far as 170 kilometers from the center of Nabi, which means butterfly in Korean and is the 14th named storm of the season, the Japanese agency said. Six cities in Oita prefecture and three cities in Miyazaki prefecture in Kyushu had the most rain recorded in a single day, the weather agency said yesterday. More rain is forecast.There were reports of damage to 61 buildings in Kyushu and in neighboring Shikoku and the injuries occurred mostly in Kyushu and Okinawa, the Fire Disaster Management Agency said on its Web site.

United States: Hurricane Katrina Information Bulletin No. 7

In Brief
This Bulletin (no. 07/2005) is being issued for information only. It is based on updates from the American Red Cross (ARC), reflecting the status of the situation and information available at this time. The Federation is not seeking funding or other assistance from donors for this operation at this time. The American Red Cross webpage (www.redcross.org) contains additional information on the evolving situation, the relief response to Hurricane Katrina, a tracing link, as well as information on donating to the National Disaster Relief Fund. To access information in Spanish please refer to the ARC Spanish webpage www.cruzrojaamericana.org

Click title for link......The Situation,Red Cross and Red Crescent action, Reuniting Families,How to Help,Individual Client Services ,Community Services,Material Support Services,Organizational Support.....Bulletin contains phone numbers,addresses and plenty of info on the situation and how to help.

Rehnquist burial set for Wednesday

Body to lie in repose at Supreme Court

The casket bearing Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's body will be brought to the Supreme Court on Tuesday morning, marking the start of two days of somber ceremony honoring the nation's 16th chief justice.
Highlighting a career as a Supreme Court justice that began in 1972, Rehnquist's pallbearers will include some of his former law clerks. It wasn't publicly disclosed whether Rehnquist's designated successor, John Roberts, would be one of them.
Roberts on Monday called Rehnquist "a man I deeply respect and admire, a man who has been very kind to me for 25 years."
The tribute came as Roberts joined President Bush in the Oval Office where the president announced he had chosen the former Rehnquist law clerk to be the next chief justice.Rehnquist's casket will be placed in the Supreme Court's Great Hall on the Lincoln Catafalque, the structure on which President Lincoln's coffin rested at the Rotunda of the Capitol. Congress loaned the structure to the court. On display will be a 1994 portrait of the chief justice by painter Thomas Loepp.
The casket will arrive at the court at 10 a.m. ET.The justices, followed by the court staff, will pay their respects. The court invited the public to pay respects to Rehnquist from 10:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Tuesday and from 10 a.m. until noon on Wednesday.On Wednesday funeral services will be at 2 p.m. at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D.C., with funeral services open to friends and family.Burial at Arlington National Cemetery will be private.

Commander: Military Role in Relief Swells

Commander Says Troops Joining Katrina Relief Effort Will Likely Be Needed for Months, Not Weeks

More active-duty troops are joining the Hurricane Katrina relief effort than originally planned, and a senior commander said Monday they likely will be needed for months, not weeks.
Although the Pentagon said Saturday that 2,500 soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division were being dispatched to the New Orleans area, a spokeswoman for the division said Monday that 4,700 would be there by Tuesday.
Also going are combat and support forces from the 1st Cavalry Division and 13th Corps Support Command at Fort Hood, Texas, plus about 2,000 Marines. The Pentagon originally said the 1st Cavalry was sending 2,700 soldiers, but division spokesman Capt. George Lewis said Monday that 1,700 were going, plus 100 support troops.Thus the total for active-duty ground forces would be about 8,500, up from the 7,200 announced on Saturday.
Twenty-one Navy ships also are participating, including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman off the coast of Mississippi.
The Air Force said Monday that its aircraft have flown more than 1,000 missions, including helicopter crews that have rescued more than 3,600 people and evacuation flights that have moved 2,600 medical patients.
Navy Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. Northern Command which is responsible for military support to civilian authorities during domestic emergencies, told reporters at the Pentagon that in addition to the active-duty troops, there are about 38,000 National Guard troops in Louisiana and Mississippi. As commanders arrive on the scene of the disaster, some are requesting additional support from their home bases, he said.
"I'm not surprised the numbers are swelling just a little bit," Keating said in a telephone interview from his headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. He said he had toured the devastation with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Sunday.