Saturday, September 17, 2005

Bush's Katrina pledge rattles right - National - theage.com.au: "Bush's Katrina pledge rattles right
By Julian Borger
Washington
September 18, 2005
Page Tools



US president George Bush's promise to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast 'higher and better' has triggered a wave of anxiety among conservatives in his own party, shocked at the expansion of the federal role in disaster relief.
COOL! TURN UP YOUR SPEAKER! RT

Video in the News: Why Harvest Moon Looms Large: "Video in the News: Why Harvest Moon Looms Large
With the harvest moon scheduled to shine Saturday, September 17, our video shows why it's so big and bright, how it got its name, and more."

Web Edition - NewsGator Online

Web Edition - NewsGator Online: "Samuel Goldwyn
'I had a monumental idea this morning, but I didn't like it.'"

Web Edition - NewsGator Online

Web Edition - NewsGator Online: "Gary Trudeau
'I've been trying for some time to develop a lifestyle that doesn't require my presence.'"

Friday, September 16, 2005

County lists sex offender information on Internet

County lists sex offender information on Internet:
County lists sex offender information on Internet
The Web site has names, photos and details of 193 deemed predatory to help the public be aware
Friday, September 16, 2005
KIMBERLY A.C. WILSON

Some of the faces on a new Multnomah County Web site are smiling. But visitors to the site aren't likely to smile back.

On Thursday, the Department of Community Justice launched its revised catalog of predatory sex offenders, a rogue's gallery of 193 convicted rapists, child molesters and sexual abusers under supervision by Multnomah probation officers.

Some are would-be pimps; others target children for sex; still others attack strangers on darkened streets. A few are calculating, and many are opportunistic. Most are men, but two are women.
Advertisement





In all, the county supervises about 900 sexual offenders, 22 percent of them identified as 'predatory.' That's a legal term for offenders who have demonstrated a tendency to victimize or injure others, and who have been convicted for crimes such as rape, sodomy, sex abuse and sexual penetration.

The site, www.co.multnomah.or.us/dcj/acjsoffendersup.shtml, features the names, photographs, addresses and other information about each offender currently on probation or post-prison supervision, as well as contact information for the offender's probation officer.

Most of them are in regular contact with probation"

USATODAY.com - Congressman says hijacker documents destroyed

USATODAY.com - Congressman says hijacker documents destroyed: "Congressman says hijacker documents destroyed
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Pentagon employee was ordered to destroy documents that identified Mohamed Atta as a terrorist two years before the 2001 attacks, a congressman said Thursday.

The employee is prepared to testify next week before the Senate Judiciary Committee and was expected to name the person who ordered him to destroy the large volume of documents, said Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa."

USATODAY.com - Cages kept children from hurting each other, parents say

USATODAY.com - Cages kept children from hurting each other, parents say: "Cages kept children from hurting each other, parents say
CLEVELAND (AP) — The parents under investigation for having some of their 11 adopted children sleep in cages defended their actions, saying the homemade 'enclosures' were meant to protect youngsters who set fires and injured each other."

Web Edition - NewsGator Online

Web Edition - NewsGator Online: "Hansell B. Duckett
'What this country needs is more free speech worth listening to.'"

Web Edition - NewsGator Online

Web Edition - NewsGator Online: "Casey Stengel
'There comes a time in every man's life and I've had many of them.'"

Web Edition - NewsGator Online

Web Edition - NewsGator Online: "P. G. Wodehouse
'At the age of eleven or thereabouts women acquire a poise and an ability to handle difficult situations which a man, if he is lucky, manages to achieve somewhere in the later seventies.'"

Konquest Online » Roman Villa Discovered Via Google Earth

Konquest Online » Roman Villa Discovered Via Google Earth: "While searching around his hometown in Google Earth, Luca Mori stumbled on what looked like the meanders of an ancient river. On the satellite image, it looks like “prominent, oval, shaded form more than 500 metres long.“. However, his eye caught what he described as “rectangular shadows“. He led further analysis only to convince himself that these shadows could be nothing else than a human construction."

BBC NEWS | Business | Insurers being sued over Katrina

BBC NEWS | Business | Insurers being sued over Katrina: "Insurers being sued over Katrina
A row of houses in Biloxi, Mississippi, destroyed by Hurricane Katrina
Emotions are running high over the post-Katrina clean-up
Five US insurance companies are being accused of trying to trick Hurricane Katrina survivors out of millions of dollars in damage payouts.

The claim has been made by Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood who has launched legal proceedings.

He said representatives for the firms had been asking people to sign forms saying they sustained flood damage, which is not covered by their policies."

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Home prices continue uptick

Home prices continue uptick:
Home prices continue uptick
The Portland area's median home price jumps 19.4 percent since last year, setting a record; the average price hits $300,100
Thursday, September 15, 2005
DYLAN RIVERA

Even as home-price escalation appeared to cool in some of the nation's hottest markets, housing prices in the Portland area rose faster than ever in August.

The area's median home sales price jumped by 19.4 percent over August 2004 -- a record since the Regional Multiple Listing Service began tracking sales in 1992. The median sale price was $253,100, compared with $212,000 a year ago -- a rise of $41,100, according to the report released Wednesday."

Web Edition - NewsGator Online

Web Edition - NewsGator Online: "Roger Allen
'In case you're worried about what's going to become of the younger generation, it's going to grow up and start worrying about the younger generation.'"

KR Report: 'Confused' Chertoff Delayed Federal Katrina Response

KR Report: 'Confused' Chertoff Delayed Federal Katrina Response: "KR Report: 'Confused' Chertoff Delayed Federal Katrina Response

By E&P Staff

Published: September 14, 2005 12:30 PM ET

NEW YORK In a major scoop, three reporters with Knight Ridder's Washington bureau report that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, not ex-FEMA chief Michael Brown, was the “federal official with the power to mobilize a massive federal response to Hurricane Katrina.”

In a damning allegation, they suggest that Chertoff “may have been confused about his lead role in disaster response and that of his department.”"

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Mangia... Mangia..
Italian Potluck Night at the Clubhouse..

This Wednesday at 5:00pm for Social Hour 5:30.. Let's EAT! Bring your favorite Italian dish to share. If you bring extra people ...Bring extra food. We all pay a dollar a head in addition... Except those with Season Passes.

Sign up in the clubhouse.. Remember signing up helps the volunteers that set up for the affair know what to get ready.

See you there. New folks in the community... Come on down.We welcome you to the neighborhood and look forward to meeting you.

Emergency response equipment goes on public display

EDITOR:
Tommorow (Thursday) at 5:00pm there will be a CERT meeting at City Hall. Training of individuals in our community to respond and use equipment such as mentioned in this story will start with this meeting. I will be there and Bill Furgason will be there. Won't you come join us and plan for the future safety of our community here at LVH?

Emergency response equipment goes on public display:
Emergency response equipment goes on public display
Agencies will show and explain how Homeland Security money has helped with local preparations
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
HOLLY DANKS

HILLSBORO -- As the floodwaters rose in New Orleans, so did anger about the slow response of government agencies to catastrophic Hurricane Katrina.

One of the major complaints was that with Department of Homeland Security dollars focused on fighting terrorism, no one was prepared for a natural disaster.

Emergency responders say that won't be the case in Washington County. They are inviting the public to see what Homeland Security grants have provided during an equipment display from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday at the Hillsboro Stadium."

Time to fly

Time to fly:
Time to fly
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
KATY MULDOON

Cool morning air will succumb to the first hint of midday heat. A young California condor will step through a door into a boxed-in corner of the pen where he has lived since spring.

He'll reach his beak into a carcass placed there as a lure. Suddenly, another door will slide open. Cautiously, he'll investigate and find that it leads out.

Out to a grassy ridge on the edge of Pinnacles National Monument in Central California. Out to the wild, where he belongs."

Senator may run for governor

Senator may run for governor:
Senator may run for governor
Wednesday, September 14, 2005

METSGER Welches Democrat

State Sen. Rick Metsger, D-Welches, said Tuesday that he may join the crowded race for governor.

Metsger said he will file an exploratory effort next week to test whether he can mount a challenge in the Democratic primary against Gov. Ted Kulongoski. Lane County Commissioner Peter Sorenson has joined the Democratic primary, and state Sen. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, has launched an exploratory candidacy.


The Republican race has already attracted Salem attorney Kevin Mannix, Portland attorney Ron Saxton and state Sen. Jason Atkinson, R-Central Point."

Toyota Says It Plans Eventually to Offer an All-Hybrid Fleet - New York Times

Toyota Says It Plans Eventually to Offer an All-Hybrid Fleet - New York Times: "Toyota Says It Plans Eventually to Offer an All-Hybrid Fleet

By BLOOMBERG NEWS
Published: September 14, 2005

FRANKFURT, Sept. 13 (Bloomberg News) - The Toyota Motor Corporation said this week that all its vehicles would eventually be run by hybrid gasoline-electric motors, as record fuel prices curb demand for conventional automobiles.

'In the future, the cars you see from Toyota will be 100 percent hybrid,' Kazuo Okamoto, executive vice president, told reporters in Frankfurt Monday, without giving a specific timetable."

A Line in the Sand - New York Times

A Line in the Sand - New York Times: "Op-Ed Contributor
A Line in the Sand

By JENNY PRICE
Published: September 14, 2005

Los Angeles

IT'S summer's end, and in Los Angeles that means we fold up the beach chairs, wash off the boogie boards, and take stock of who won and who lost in the annual Malibu summer beach wars. We've had an especially exciting round of battles this year.

In California, all beaches are public below the high tide line. The residents of Malibu, however, have long defied the state laws that require beachfront communities to maximize public access. In the last few years, the Coastal Commission has stepped up enforcement. On Memorial Day, as any Doonesbury reader knows, Hollywood mogul David Geffen finally gave up his 22-year battle and opened the public accessway next to his beach house."

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Katrina over Alabama Sent by email from Jim Rose and Charles Burke

By clicking on each picture it will become greatly enlarged. Use your browser's back arrow to return.















e Posted by Picasa

USATODAY.com - New FEMA chief takes center stage after years in wings

USATODAY.com - New FEMA chief takes center stage after years in wings: "New FEMA chief takes center stage after years in wings
By Peter Eisler and Mimi Hall, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — R. David Paulison, the new head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is a seasoned disaster-response expert who has spent years as a behind-the-scenes administrator. Yet he redefined the nation's emergency preparedness with just five words: duct tape and plastic sheeting.
"

Jack Kelly: No shame

Jack Kelly: No shame: "ack Kelly: No shame
The federal response to Katrina was not as portrayed

Sunday, September 11, 2005

It is settled wisdom among journalists that the federal response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina was unconscionably slow.



Jack Kelly is national security writer for the Post-Gazette and The Blade of Toledo, Ohio (jkelly@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1476).


'Mr. Bush's performance last week will rank as one of the worst ever during a dire national emergency,' wrote New York Times columnist Bob Herbert in a somewhat more strident expression of the conventional wisdom.

But the conventional wisdom is the opposite of the truth.

Jason van Steenwyk is a Florida Army National Guardsman who has been mobilized six times for hurricane relief. He notes that:

'The federal government pretty much met its standard time lines, but the volume of support provided during the 72-96 hour was unprecedented. The federal response here was faster than Hugo, faster than Andrew, faster than Iniki, faster than Francine and Jeanne.'"

Monday, September 12, 2005

USATODAY.com - Ford, Honda unveil latest hybrid autos

USATODAY.com - Ford, Honda unveil latest hybrid autos: "Ford, Honda unveil latest hybrid autos
By Terence Chea, The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — Three major automakers unveiled their latest hybrid cars and technology at an environmental conference Friday, promoting their most fuel efficient vehicles as gas prices soar in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The new Honda Civic hybrid is displayed at the Sierra Summit.
By Ben Margot, AP

Ford Motor Co., Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. brought their hybrid vehicles, which run on a combination of gasoline and electricity, to the first national convention of the Sierra Club, the country's largest environmental organization."

A Rush of Stories - New York Times

A Rush of Stories - New York Times: "A Rush of Stories

By BOB HERBERT
Published: September 12, 2005

'I was in the attic for four days, with no food, water, nothing. Just roaches crawling all over me. And I seen a rat, too. I had to use a board to hold my head above the water, 'cause it was up to my neck. So help me, I thought I was going to die.'
Skip to next paragraph

More Columns by Bob Herbert

- Bernice Jones, 64, who finally managed to pry her way out of the attic and was taken by boat to the Superdome.

'They wanted to take my grandmother to Iowa. She's 90 years old and has Alzheimer's. What was she gonna do in Iowa?'

- Donald McCray, 52, who is looking after his grandmother, Susie Hudson, in a shelter in Gonzales, La."

Shielding a Basic Freedom - New York Times

Shielding a Basic Freedom - New York Times: "Shielding a Basic Freedom


Published: September 12, 2005

For 69 long days, Judith Miller, a reporter for The New York Times, has been sitting in a Virginia jail as punishment for doing her job. It should be clear by now that keeping Ms. Miller behind bars for refusing to testify in an investigation into how the name of a C.I.A. operative was leaked to another journalist concerns more than one reporter or one news organization or even one prosecutor's investigation. It increasingly endangers one of the pillars of the nation's freedoms: an unfettered press telling the public what is really going on. It is time for those in Congress who talk about freedom so eloquently and so often to stand up for this basic principle."

Georgia's New Poll Tax - New York Times

Georgia's New Poll Tax - New York Times: "Georgia's New Poll Tax

Published: September 12, 2005

In 1966, the Supreme Court held that the poll tax was unconstitutional. Nearly 40 years later, Georgia is still charging people to vote, this time with a new voter ID law that requires many people without driver's licenses - a group that is disproportionately poor, black and elderly - to pay $20 or more for a state ID card. Georgia went ahead with this even though there is not a single place in the entire city of Atlanta where the cards are sold. The law is a national disgrace.

Until recently, Georgia, like most states, accepted many forms of identification at the polls. But starting this month, it is accepting only government-issued photo ID's. People with driver's licenses are fine. But many people without them have to buy a state ID card to vote, at a cost of $20 for a five-year card or $35 for 10 years. The cards are sold in 58 locations, in a state with 159 counties. It is outrageous that Atlanta does not have a single location. (The state says it plans to open one soon.) But the burden is also great on people in rural parts of the state."

CBS News | Yahoo, China, And Human Rights | September 9, 2005 11:30:06

CBS News | Yahoo, China, And Human Rights | September 9, 2005 11:30:06: "Yahoo, China, And Human Rights
(Page 1 of 2)

HONG KONG, Sept. 9, 2005



(AP / CBS)



'We think Yahoo's role is very sad in this case, and we hope Yahoo reexamines its policies.'
Abi Wright,
Committee to Protect Journalists


(Christian Science Monitor) This article was written by Robert Marquand.


The role of the U.S. Internet firm Yahoo in helping Chinese security officials to finger a journalist sentenced to 10 years for e-mailing 'state secrets' is filtering into mainland China. The revelation reinforces a conviction among many Chinese 'netizens' that there is no place security forces can't find them.

Yet if netizen reaction in China is resignation, the story of Yahoo's complicity in the arrest of Shi Tao, a journalist with the Contemporary Trade News in Hunan, brought a spontaneous uproar among Western human rights and business watchdogs.
"

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Micheal Yon in Iraq ...his latest dispatch from Mosul... read it... click the link on the left.

rt
Energy Ideas, Good and Bad - New York Times

Published: September 11, 2005

Congress has bounded back into post-Katrina Washington full of ideas about controlling gasoline prices and improving the energy picture generally. Some make sense and some are colossally bad.

In the latter category is the notion that consumers would be better off if the government acted by fiat, imposing price controls on gasoline or suspending gas taxes. A lot of otherwise level-headed people have spoken sympathetically about one or the other, including Senators Carl Levin, Maria Cantwell, Jon Corzine and Charles Schumer."
The Real Inventory - New York Times: "The Rural Life
The Real Inventory

EDITOR: A pretty good read rt

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG
Published: September 11, 2005

Earlier this summer, I e-mailed my brother a list of the animals we're raising on this farm. I called it an inventory, but it was really a way of acknowledging that perhaps my wife and I have gone too far. There are now five pigs in various stages of growth, and a large, comic parade of ducks and geese that settle onto the lawn like so many ships in a green sea. There are chicks in the basement and chickens in the mulch. And there are the longtime partners in this enterprise, the horses, dogs and cats. My brother - who has three pigs and four goats himself - wrote back and said, 'Wouldn't it be great to know the real inventory?'"
What Will It Take to Safeguard New Orleans? - New York Times: "What Will It Take to Safeguard New Orleans?


By BILL MARSH
Published: September 11, 2005
NEW ORLEANS has long lived with the hurricane protection that it, and the nation, were willing to pay for. Measured against the costs of Katrina's fury, however, better armor may suddenly seem more affordable.
Skip to next paragraph
Hurricane Katrina
Go to Complete Coverage




Building a Resilient City
Experts say the best protection for New Orleans would include major improvements in five areas.
Readers
Forum: Hurricane Katrina

With officials vowing to rebuild New Orleans, the question of how fully to defend the city against another catastrophe will be examined as never before."
DEPENDABLE CHARITIES:
DEPENDABLE CHARITIES
Sunday, September 11, 2005

Rely on these charities to deliver cash, goods and medical supplies to the people affected by the hurricane, with a minimum amount subtracted from your donation for expenses: