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    "Most newspaper article events happen anywhere from days, to months, to years before they reach publication. Consequently, most newspaper articles on this timeline are preceeded by the date of the newspaper in which they appear." [E.M.]      *Color Code

November 2005

2005 - Astronomic Configuration - November 1st, 2005: "Sun [8 Scorpio], Moon [25 Libra], Mercury [1 Sagittarius], Venus [25 Sagittarius], Mars [17 Taurus R], Jupiter [1 Scorpio], Saturn [10 Leo], Uranus [6 Pisces R], Neptune [14 Aquarius], Pluto [22 Sagittarius], Chiron [28 Capricorn]."  

2005 - "Known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids" - November 1st, 2005: "On 1 Nov 2005 there were 719 known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids."

[Based on: http://spaceweather.com/ (near bottom of page)] - [11/01/05]

2005 - Bird Flu / Canada - November 1st, 2005: "Nearly three dozen wild ducks have tested positive for the H5 bird flu virus in Canada, officials said Monday [10/31/05]. But they said it was unlikely to be the same strain blamed for more than 60 human deaths in Southeast Asia. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A6, S.L.P.D., 11/01/05]

2005 - Death knell for St. Louis - November 1st, 2005:

Downtown St. Louis is having a difficult enough time keeping businesses. By closing Highway 40 from Kingshighway to Interstate 270, St. Louis will die a quick and painful death. Saving time and money are obvious considerations in the project, but the traffic problems, pollution and loss of time for commuters would be enormous.

[Based on: Opinion Page article (Death knell for St. Louis) by Barbara Erker-Baumstark, p. B8, S.L.P.D., 11/01/05]

2005 - Three Moons? / Pluto - November 1st, 2005: "Pluto has three moons, not one, new images from the Hubble Space Telescope suggest, researchers say. [....] Follow-up observations by the Hubble are planned in February [2006]. If they are confirmed, the International Astronomical Union will consider names for the objects. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A3, S.L.P.D., 11/01/05]

2005 - Insurgent Attacks / Iraq - November 1st, 2005: "A spate of insurgent attacks Monday [11/01/05] killed at least 20 holiday shoppers in the southern city of Basra and also took the lives of six American soldiers, making October the deadliest month for the U.S. military in Iraq since January. [....]" [Based on: Los Angeles Times]

2005 - Festival of Lights / India - November 1st, 2005: "Celebrations were tinged with mourning Tuesday [11/01/05] as Indians marked the Hindu festival of lights in the shadow of the weekend bombings that tore through two crowded markets, killing 59 people. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Higher Heating Costs? / U.S.A. - November 1st, 2005: "The profit-and-loss battles this winter could be more influenced by energy prices than ever before. And for some businesses, energy costs could rule the day. Natural gas, heating oil, propane - all will cost significantly more this winter. Businesses that rent could find themselves paying costs passed on by their landlords. [....]" [Based on: Knight Ridder Newspapers]

2005 - Two-day Rally / U.S. Stock Market - November 1st, 2005: "NEW YORK - Stocks have staged their biggest two-day rally in almost a year as oil prices closed below $60 a barrel and reports showed gains in consumer incomes and spending. The Standard & Poor's 500 index has risen 2.4 percent in the last two days. It is the biggest advance for the S&P 500 since November 2004. [....]" [Based on: Bloomberg News article, p. C6, 11/01/05]

2005 - "The Ultimate Crime" / War in Iraq - November 1st, 2005: "After the two-year smear campaign orchestrated by senior officials in the Bush White House against my wife and me, it is tempting to feel vindicated by Friday's [10/28/05] indictment of the vice president's chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby. [....] Why did I write the article? Because I believe that citizens in a democracy are responsible for what government does and says in their name. I knew that the statement in Bush's speech - that Iraq had attempted to purchase significant quantities of uranium in Africa - was not true. I knew it was false from my own investigative trip to Africa (at the request of the CIA) and from two other similar reports. And I knew that the White House knew it. [....] Valerie was an innocent in this whole affair. Although there were suggestions that she was behind the decision to send me to Niger, the CIA told Newsday just a week after the Novak article appeared that 'she did not recommend her husband to undertake the Niger assignment.' The CIA repeated the same statement to every reporter thereafter. The attacks on Valerie and me were upsetting, disruptive and vicious. They amount to character assassination. Senior administration officials used the power of the White House to make our lives hell for the last 27 months. But more important, they did it as part of a clear effort to cover up the lies and disinformation used to justify the invasion of Iraq. That is the ultimate crime. The war in Iraq has claimed more than 17,000 dead and wounded American soldiers, many times more Iraqi casualties and close to $200 billion. It has left our international reputation in tatters and out military broken. It has weakened the United States, increased hatred of us and made terrorist attacks against our interests more likely in the future. It has been, as Gen. William Odom suggested, the greatest strategic blunder in the history of our country. We anticipate no mea culpa from the president for what his senior aides have done to us. But he owes the nation both an explanation and an apology." [Based on: article by Joseph C. Wilson, p. B9, S.L.P.D., 11/01/05] - [As with most articles illustrated on this timeline, paragraph indents were removed to save space - E.M.]

*Trivia: "The amount of DU [Depleted Uranium] used in Iraq in 2003 is equivalent in atomicity to nearly 250,000 Nagasaki bombs."

[Based on: http://www.mindfully.org/Nucs/2003/Leuren-Moret-ICT13dec03.htm]

*Trivia: "[....] Britain and America not only used DU in this year's Iraq war [2003], they dramatically increased its use-from a minimum of 320 tons in the previous war to at minimum of 1500 tons in this one. And this time the use of DU wasn't limited to anti-tank weapons-as it had largely been in the previous Gulf war-but was extended to the guided missiles, large bunker busters and big 2000-pound bombs used in Iraq's cities. This means that Iraq's cities have been blanketed in lethal particles-any one of which can cause cancer or deform a child. In addition, the use of DU in huge bombs which throw the deadly particles higher and wider in huge plumes of smoke means that billions of deadly particles have been carried high into the air-again and again and again as the bombs rained down-ready to be swept worldwide by the winds. [....]"

[Based on: http://www.rense.com/general64/du.htm]

*Trivia:

There are two ways to determine if the use of a particular weapon in military operations is illegal. The easiest way is if the weapon is used in violation of a treaty that forbids its use and the State using it is a party to that treaty. If there is no treaty on a specific weapon, then one must determine if the use of that weapon would violate existing rules and principles of binding humanitarian (armed conflict) law. Under these rules (the "weapons test") – derived from The Hague Conventions, the Geneva Conventions, and all other sources of military law – a weapon may be banned if: (1) it has harmful effects outside the legal field of battle (the "geography" test); (2) it has harmful effects after the war is over (the "time" test); (3) its use is unduly inhuman or causes undue suffering (the "humaneness" test); or (4) it has a harmful effect on the environment (the "environment" test). The first two tests arise from the requirement that weapons may not be indiscriminate. Because there is no specific weapon treaty forbidding the use of depleted uranium, the illegality of DU must be shown by the second method.

Weaponry containing depleted uranium (DU) fails all four tests. [....]

[Based on: article by by Karen Parker, J.D. September 30, 2003 @
http://www.mindfully.org/Nucs/2003/Leuren-Moret-ICT13dec03.htm - bottom of page] Note: [Bold-face type & underline emphasis added - E.M.]

2005 - Promoted / David Addington & John Hannah - November 1st, 2005: "[....] Cheney promoted two of his advisers to fill the jobs handled by Libby, his confidant. David Addington, who has been the vice president's legal counsel, was named chief of staff, while John Hannah, his deputy national security adviser. Both men have been on Cheney's staff for more than four years. Addington has been a key figure in many of the White House's most controversial moves. He is the principal author of a memo that justifies the torture of terrorism suspects. He also headed the fight to keep secret the names of corporations involved in the vice president's energy task force, a position upheld by the Supreme Court in the case. Much like Cheney, Addington and Hannah were often at odds with the CIA before the war in Iraq, according to news reports. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A2, S.L.P.D., 11/01/05]

2005 - U.S. Supreme Court Nominee / Samuel Alito - November 1st, 2005: "[....] Alito [Samuel Alito] was chosen Monday [10/31/05] by President George W. Bush to take the place of retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Defrocked Lesbian Minister / United methodist Church - November 1st, 2005: "A lesbian minister [Rev. Irene 'Beth' Stroud] was defrocked Monday [10/31/05] by the highest court within the United Methodist Church. The panel found that she violated the denomination's ban on 'self-avowed, practicing homosexual' clergy. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - FCC Approval / SBC-AT&T, Verizon-MCI Deals - November 1st, 2005: "Federal regulators on Monday [10/31/05] approved SBC Communications' takeover of AT&T and Verizon Comminications' purchase of MCI, a move consumer activists called anticompetitive. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Voluntary Retirement Incentive / St. Louis Post-Dispatch - November 1st, 2005: "The St. Louis Post-Dispatch hits the streets today with a heavy heart and an institutional memory several hundred years lighter. Nearly 12 percent of the Post-Dispatch's news and editorial staff accepted a voluntary retirement incentive that will save the newspaper's new owner, Lee Enterprises of Davenport, Iowa, up to $7 million a year. The one-time offer was designed to cut operating costs amid an advertising slump that has rattled newsrooms from New York to Los Angeles. The newspaper offered the buyout in August, making it available to most employees age 50 and older with at least five years of service. [....] A total of 130 Post-Dispatch employees took the buyout. Among those eligible were technology, administrative and security workers. Both union and management employees were eligible. The newspaper employs about 1,300 people. Egger [Post Dispatch publisher, Terrance C.Z. Egger] said. Contained in the buyout total are 41 full-time and part-time employees in a newsroom that had 351 journalists before the early retirement deal was offered. The net reduction isn't known because some vacancies are expected to be filled. [....]" [Based on: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, p. C1 & C8, 11/01/05]

2005 - Bird Flu Plan / U.S.A. - November 2nd, 2005: "Four times, President George W. Bush tried to reassure a jittery world. 'There is no pandemic flu in our country or in the world at this time,' he said, even as he outlined a $7.1 billion plan to get the country prepared - just in case. [....] The ambitious vaccine change will take years to complete - Bush's goal is 2010 - and his plan drew immediate fire from critics who said it didn't provide enough protection in the meantime. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Trivia / Project Serpo - November 2nd, 2005: "Project Serpo - The Zeta Reticuli Exchange Program - The gradual release of confidential documents pertaining to a top secret exchange program of twelve US military personnel to Serpo, a planet of Zeta Reticuli, between the years 1965-78. [....] The information began to be released on 2 November 2005 by a retired senior official within the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) who calls himself “Anonymous”. Until he chooses to make his name known, this is the way he will be represented here. Anonymous reports that he is not acting individually and is part of a group of six DIA personnel working together as an alliance: three current and three former employees. He is their chief spokesman. Up to and including 21 December, the information was released in installments on a private UFO e-mail list moderated by Victor Martinez. The list contains about a hundred and fifty people, including many extremely well-known names in UFO research and related or leading edge scientific fields. Until permissions are granted, their names will be withheld out of courtesy and to respect confidentiality. [....]"

[Based on: http://www.serpo.org]

2005 - "What Did We Know?" - November 2nd, 2005: "Let me be frank: It has been a long political nightmare. For some of us, the nightmare has been merely intellectual. We realized early on that this administration was cynical, dishonest and incompetent, but we were unable to get others to see the obvious. For others - above all, of course, those Americans risking their lives in a war whose real rationale has never been explained - the nightmare has been all too concrete. [....] By a 3-to-1 margin, according to a Washington Post poll, the public now believes that the level of ethics and honesty in the government has declined rather than risen under Bush. So the Bush administration has lost the myths that sustained its mojo and, with them, much of its power to do harm. But the nightmare won't be fully over until two things happen. First, politicians will have to admit they were misled. Second, the news media will have to face up to their role in allowing incompetents to pose as leaders and political apparatchiks to pose as patriots. It's a sad commentary on the timidity of most Democrats that even now it's hard to get leading figures to admit that they were misled into supporting the Iraq war. Kudos to John Kerry for finally saying just that last week. And there is much justified criticism of the failure of major news organizations, this one included [The New York Times], to exert due diligence on rationales for the war. But the failures that made the long nightmare possible began during the weeks after 9/11 when the media helped our political leaders build a false picture of who the leaders were. So the long nightmare won't really be over until journalists ask themselves: What did we know, when did we know it and why didn't we tell the public?" [Based on: Other Views page article (Myths are crumbling as the nightmare seems to be ending) by Paul Krugman (The New York Times), p. C11, S.L.P.D., 11/02/05] - [Note: the title "What Did We Know" was specially created [as are the majority of titles on this timeline] to preceed this article. In consequence, it appears outside [not within] the quoted article text.] - [E.M.]

2005 - Elections Trivia / Zanzibar - November 2nd, 2005: "Zanzibar's incumbent president and his party were declared the winners Tuesday [11/01/05] of general elections marred by violence and allegations of fraud. Officials said nine people were killed in the latest clashes. Seif Shariff Hamad of the main opposition Civic United Front said five supporters died on the Zanzibar archipelago's second island, Pemba, on Tuesday. Incumbent president Amani Abeid Karume of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi won 53.2 percent of the vote, while Hamad had 46.1 percent, according to electoral chief Masauni Yussuf Massauni." [Based on: News Services]

2005 - Taurid Meteor Shower - November 2nd, 2005: "In recent nights, sky watchers have seen some spectacular fireballs. Experts suspect it's the Taurid meteor shower, a display caused by debris from Comet Encke. [....] Most years the Taurid shower is weak, producing few meteors, mostly dim. 2005 appears to be different. Earth may be passing through a 'swarm' of pebbles and rocks within the larger cloud of Taurid space dust. The pebbles are responsible for the fireballs. The 2005 Taurid meteor shower is not over. Indeed, it's just beginning. Forecasters expect the complex shower to peak during the first two weeks of November. So keep an eye on the sky! [....]"

[Based on: http://spaceweather.com/index.cgi] - [11/03/05]
[See also: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/03nov_taurids.htm]

2005 - "Fireball" / El Paso, Texas - November 2nd, 2005: "On. Nov. 2nd, a fireball streaked over El Paso, Texas, and when it exploded in mid-air it was brighter than a full moon. [....]"

[Based on: http://spaceweather.com/] - [11/08/05]

2005 - Secret Session / U.S. Senate - November 2nd, 2005: "Democrats forced the Senate into an unusual secret session Tuesday [11/01/05] to demand that the Republican majority further investigate the administration's handling of intelliegence related to the war in Iraq. [....] After a testy showdown that lasted more than two hours behind closed doors, Senate Republicans agreed to restart an inquiry into the administration's use of intelligence. [....]" At issue was a long-standing promise by Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., to broaden the panel's investigation into how intelligence was used to go to war. The committee concluded last year that the intelligence was erroneous. But Democrats wanted the inquiry to determine whether it had been intentionally misused to justify the war. [....] The Senate Intelligence Committee voted in June 2003 to investigate prewar intelligence on Iraq after U.S.-led forces found none of the nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs that Bush had charged Saddam Hussein with hiding when making his case for war. In February of last year, the panel agreed to expand its inquiry to determine whether assertions by Bush, his lieutenants and other public officials about Iraq's alleged weapons programs and ties to the al-Qaida terrorist network were backed up by intelligence. The committee's report in July of last year on the first phase of its investigation excoriated the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies for suffering from 'group think' and other flaws in erroneously concluding that Iraq was secretly stockpiling weapons in violation of a United Nations ban. But the second phase of the investigation has been held up by differences between Republicans and Democrats over requests for documents from the White House and whether statements about Iraq by members of Congress should be included in the review. [....] Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., dismissed accusations that calling the secret session was a political stunt. 'Having lost 2,025 of our best and bravest soldiers and 15,000 seriously wounded, with at least 25,000 innocent Iraqis having been killed over the invasion of Iraq based on intelligence which has now been discredited ... it is reasonable for us to ask whether any member of this administration or Congress misused the intelligence' to convince the public that war was necessary, Durbin said. On Tuesday [11/01/05], Reid and Frist agreed to name three Democrats and three Republicans on the intelligence committee, who will report to the leadership in two weeks on the progress of the panel's investigation." [Based on: Knight Ridder Newspapers article, p. A1 & A8, S.L.P.D., 11/02/05]

2005 - Trivia / Floodwall Designers, Louisiana - November 2nd, 2005: "The engineers who designed the floodwalls that collapsed during Hurricane Katrina did not fully consider the porousness of the Louisiana soil or make other calculations that would have pointed to the need for stronger levees with deeper pilings and wider bases, researchers say. [....]" [Based on: News Services]

2005 - Outside Inspectors / Gaza-Egypt Border - November 2nd, 2005: "Israel approved on Tuesday [11/01/05] the deployment of European inspectors at the Gaza-Egypt border. The decision is a breakthrough after weeks of slow-moving talks. It's also a major step after four decades toward giving Palestinians freedom of movement. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Sodomy Sentence / U.S. Army Chaplain - November 2nd, 2005: "A U.S. Army chaplain was sentenced Tuesday [11/01/05] to five years in prison after pleading guilty at his court-martial to three counts of forcible sodomy against enlisted men. Capt. Gregory Arflack, 44, a Roman Catholic priest serving as a chaplain with the 279th Base Support Battalion, also pleaded guilty to three counts of committing an indecent act, two counts of fraternization with enlisted service members and one count of conduct unbecoming an officer. The court-martial took place in Bamberg, Germany, where Arflack's unit is based. In addition to the prison term, Judge Col. R. Peter Masterton ordered that Arflack be dismissed from the Army and forfeit all benefits." [Based on: A.P. article, p. A11, S.L.P.D., 11/02/05]

2005 - Trivia / Government Farm Payments, U.S.A. - "Half of government farm payments over the past decade have gone to just 22 of the 435 congressional districts, according to an analysis by the Environmental Working Group. The group wants the federal government to cut payments to large farm operations and revise provisions that allow some to collect millions of dollars a year in subsidies. The Senate could vote on the issue this week." [Based on: News Services]

2005 - New Judge / Rep. Tom DeLay Campaign Finance Case - November 2nd, 2005: "The judge [Bob Perkins] in the campaign finance case against Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, was removed Tuesday [11/01/05] because of his donations to Democratic candidates and causes. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A4, S.L.P.D., 11/02/05]

2005 - Suicide Bus / Iraq - November 3rd, 2005: "A suicide bomber detonated a minibus Wednesday [11/02/05] in an outdoor market packed with shoppers ahead of a Muslim festival, killing about 20 people and wounding more than 60 in a Shiite town south of Baghdad. In other action, six U.S. military personnel were killed, two in a helicopter crash west of the capital. Also Wednesday, the U.S. command confirmed moves to step up training on how to combat roadside bombs - now the biggest killers of American soldiers in Iraq. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - U.N. Inspectors / Iran - November 3rd, 2005: "Iran has met a key demand from the International Atomic Energy Agency by opening a military site to U.N. inspectors looking for signs of a nuclear weapons program, diplomats said Wednesday [11/02/05]. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Purge of Reformers / Iran - November 3rd, 2005: "Iran said Wednesday [11/02/05] that it would fire 40 ambassadors and senior diplomats, many of them supporters of warmer ties with the West. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Charles & Camilla / U.S.A. - November 3rd, 2005: "Prince Charles dryly pronounced himself 'still here' and 'alive' Wednesday [11/02/05] on his arrival at the White House for a visit showing off his new bride, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. [....] Bush toasted the royal couple before dinner, saying their visit was a 'reminder of the unique and enduring bond between the United Kingdom and the United States.' " [Based on: News Services article, p. A3, S.L.P.D., 11/03/05]

2005 - Machinists Strike / Boeing Co. - November 3rd, 2005: "Boeing Co. officials have yet to decide whether to scrub any satellite launches or to hire replacement workers after machinists struck in California, Alabama and Florida, a spokesman said Wednesday [11/02/05]. [....] The machinists said Boeing had proposed ending retirement health care coverage for new employees and wants to eliminate caps on out-of-pocket expenses for medical premiums and co-pays." [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - "Will Not Torture?" / U.S.A. - November 3rd, 2005: "President George W. Bush's directive banning the torture of terrorism suspects applies to all prisoners - even if held in a secret prison reportedly set up by the CIA for its most important al-Qaida captives, a senior administration official said Wednesday [11/02/05]. National security adviser Stephen Hadley would not confirm or deny the existence of a secret compound in Eastern Europe that was described in a Washington Post account. The story said the facility was part of a covert prison system set up nearly four years ago that at various times has included sites in eight countries. Hadley said that 'while we have to do what is necessary to defend the country against terrorist attacks and to win the war on terror, the president has been very clear that we're going to do that in a way that is consistent with our values. And that is why he's been very clear that the United States will not torture,' Hadley said at a White House briefing. 'The Unites States will conduct its activities in compliance with law and international obligations.' " [Based on: News Services article, p. A3, S.L.P.D., 11/03/05]

2005 - Earth Entering / Solar Wind Stream - November 3rd, 2005: "Earth is entering an unexpected solar wind stream that could spark a geomagnetic storm. Sky watchers should be alert for auroras tonight."

[Based on: http://spaceweather.com/] - [11/03/05] 

2005 - We can't leave, but we can't "win," either - November 3rd, 2005:

[....] General Eric Shinseki was right when he said that "something on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers" would be needed for an effective post-Saddam occupation of Iraq. Paul Wolfowitz, then deputy secretary of defense and the architect of the Iraq war, was spectacularly wrong when he told Congress that "Shinseki's estimate was 'widely off the mark.... It's hard to conceive that it would take more forces to provide stability in post-Saddam Iraq than it would take to conduct the war itself.'" With our experience in Iraq, the Pentagon can now conceive it. Shinseki's rerward for accuracy and honesty, however, was losing his job. The clearest lesson from Iraq is that we are incapable of imposing democracy by the use of force. We have not been able to translate military victory into political success. Rumsfeld and Cheney imagined well-wishers strewing flowers before our troops after a victorious war overthrowing Saddam. The "shock and awe" turned out to be theirs and ours; we were totally unprepared for what has come after our quick military victory. We are a superpower that, inevitably, has been humbled. The power imbalance created by fall of communism allowed us to intervene wherever and whenever we choose to do so, but the risk was that we would overstep. Propelled by rage and arrogance after the attacks of 9/11, we did exactly that. It was a mistake that any president - Republican or Democrat - easily could have made. Indeed, hubris is always the sword upon which the mighty have fallen. From here on, any president will have to level with the American people before going to war. No more foreign misadventures. [....]" [Based on: Other Views page article (We can't leave, but we can't "win," either) by Thomas F. Eagleton, p. B9, S.L.P.D., 11/03/05]

2005 - Underequipped? / U.S. National Guard - November 3rd, 2005: "National Guard units in Illinois and Missouri are underequipped across the board, from vehicles to radios to night-vision devices, according to internal military figures. While Guard units' supplies are below full strength nationwide, as shown by a recent government study, military data on individual states paint a particularly stark picture for Illinois and Missouri. [....] 'If we don't have it, we can't train on it, and if we can't train then there's really no purpose to even go to drill,' Avery [Rep. Jim Avery] said. [....]" [Based on: St. Louis Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau article, p. A1, S.L.P.D., 11/03/05]

2005 - Anti-Psychotic Drugs / Alzheimer's Disease - November 3rd, 2005: "In short term, anti-psychotic drugs may boost death risk. [....] Researchers reviewed data from 15 studies, nine of them previously unreported, that had randomly assigned 5,110 people with dementia to be given an anti-psychotic or a placebo. Drugs used in the studies were aripiprazole (Abilify), olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel) and risperidone (Risperdal). About 87 percent of the participants, who averaged 81 years old, had Alzheimer's, and most were women. After about 10 to 12 weeks, 118 people taking the drugs (3.5 percent) had died, compared with 40 in the placebo group (2.3 percent). [....] Anti-psychotics are approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat schizophrenia but not to treat behavioral disorders in people with dementia; the agency has asked drug makers to note that on medication labels. Eight of the nine unreported studies were funded by drug manufacturers. [....] It [the study] is published in the Oct. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association; abstract available online at www.jama.com." [Based on Health Studies article, p. A7, S.L.P.D., 11/03/05]

2005 - Failed Effort / Machinists Strike, Northwest Airlines - November 3rd, 2005: "Defiant Northwest Airlines mechanics still picket. Their union urges them to stay strong. However, observers and some strikers say the effort is as good as over. Northwest says it's nearly finished hiring permanent replacements, including many former strikers. Many of the mechanics, cleaners and custodians who walked out on Aug. 20 have gotten other jobs. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Forced to Resign [2nd Time] / David Blunkett, Britain - November 3rd, 2005: "British cabinet minister David Blunkett was forced to resign Wednesday [11/02/05] for the second time in less than a year. The move is a major embarrassment for Prime Minister Tony Blair, who had strongly backed his scandal-prone friend The latest controversy comes after Blunkett quit as home secretary in December after a messy love affair with a married American magazine publisher, Kimberly Quinn. The affair made him a target for satire - inspiraing a play and a TV drama. On Wednesday [11/02/05], Blunkett acknowledged he had breached ministerial guidelines by taking lucrative corporate positions during his brief spell out of office, and that his job as work and pensions secretary had become untenable." [Based on: News Services article]

2005 - Newspaper Stocks Trivia / Private Capital Management L.P. - November 3rd, 2005: "The investor pushing for the sale of Knight Ridder Inc., the country's second-largest newspaper chain, has more than tripled its position in newspaper stocks since early 2003, including the new owner of the Post-Dispatch. Private Capital Management L.P., a  money manager for wealthy people, is the talk of the newspaper industry. PCM quietly has accumulated about $4.5 billion worth of newspaper stock, including 12 percent to 22 percent of seven newspaper companies, Deutsche Bank analyst Paul Ginnochio said Wednesday [11/02/05] in a research report. [....] But PCM lit a fire under Knight Ridder stock this week after it wrote a letter to the newspaper chain's directors, urging them to pursue a competitive sale of the company. Based in Naples, Fla., PCM threatened to support aggressive moves that would change Knight Ridder's board and install new management if a sale wasn't pursued. [....]" [Based on: S.L.P.D. article, p. C1 & C3, 11/03/05]

2005 - Belated Escape Confirmation? / Omar al-Farouq, Afghanistan - November 3rd, 2005: "Prison doors and cells have been fortified at the U.S. military jail in Afghanistan, a U.S. official said Wednesday [11/02/05] - but only after a breakout in July [2005] by four captives, one believed to be an al-Qaida leader. The Pentagon's belated confirmation of the identity of that one - Omar al-Farouq, a lieutenant of Osama bin Laden - sparked anger in Southeast Asia. Al-Farouq had been captured in Indonesia in 2002 and handed over to U.S. authorities. On Wednesday [11/02/05], Indonesian officials accused the United States of failing to inform them of the escape. [....] Last month, the four escapees boasted about their breakout on a video broadcast on Dubai-based television station Al-Arabiya. [....] The prison holds more than 500 militants. It's a building next to runways and the command center at Bagram, the U.S. military headquarters in Afghanistan. Several razor-wire fences surround the base. Areas outside remain mined from Afghanistan's quarter-century of war. Military officials have declined to elaborate on how the men escaped. But the officials say nobody else has managed to do so. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A11, S.L.P.D., 11/03/05]

2005 - Deer Cams? / Missouri - November 4th, 2005: "Just in time for the high holy days of deer season in Missouri comes word that researchers at the University of Missouri are mounting tiny TV cameras on captive deer to figure out what deer do and why: how they move, spread disease and why they manage to run in front of so many cars. [....] Eventually the videos will be available on the Internet. In the meantime, if you're going out in the woods this year, smile." [Based on: Opinion Page article (Bucks gone wild!!), p. C12, S.L.P.D., 11/04/05]

2005 - Bad for Heart? / Potbelly - November 4th, 2005: "Well-toned hips and a trim waist - not just the pounds you carry - appear to be one of the best protections against heart attacks, according to a study of thousands of people in different countries. Researchers reported in today's issue [11/04/05] of The Lancet medical journal that a hip-to-waist ratio is a better predictor of the risk of heart attack than bodymass index, the current standard. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Bird Flu Outbreak / China - November 4th, 2005: "China reported its fourth bird flu outbreak in three weeks Thursday [11/03/05]. The virus killed nearly 9,000 chickens in a northeastern village, prompting authorities to destroy 369,900 other birds. [....]" [Based on: News Services]

2005 - Not Guilty Plea / I. Lewis Libby - November 4th, 2005: "Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff [I. Lewis Libby] pleaded not guilty Thursday [11/03/05] to charges of lying to the FBI and a grand jury about his conversations with reporters in the CIA leak investigation. His lawyer promised to fight the accusations in a trial that could bring government secrets into open court. [....]" [Based on: Washington Post]

2005 - Settlements / ImClone Systems Inc. - November 4th, 2005: "A physician and another friend of imprisoned ImClone Systems Inc. former Chief Executive Samuel Waksal have agreed to pay a total $2.8 million to settle civil insider-trading charges in the stock scandal that brought down Martha Stewart. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday [11/03/05] announced the settlement of the civil suit against Zvi Fuks, a doctor credited with pioneering cancer treatment research, and Sabina Ben-Yehuda. [....]" [Based on: Business Page article, p. B2, S.L.P.D., 11/04/05]

2005 - Delayed? / Meat Labeling Plan, U.S.A. - November 4th, 2005: "The Senate sent a $100 billion food and farm spending bill to President George W. Bush on Thursday [11/03/05]. The measure includes a two-year delay on lables telling grocery shoppers where their meat comes from. Approved on an 81-18 vote, the food and farm spending bill would postpone mandatory meat labeling until 2008. Originally sought by Western ranchers and required by law in 2004, country-of-origin labeling has stalled under pressure from meatpackers and supermarkets who call it a record-keeping nightmare. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A3, S.L.P.D., 11/04/05]

2005 - War Crimes Court / Desire Munyaneza - November 4th, 2005: "Survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide watched as the first person charged under Canada's War Crimes Act appeared in court in handcuffs Thursday [11/03/05] to face allegations he took part in the slaughter of his fellow countrymen. Desire Munyaneza, 39, a Hutu, was arraigned last month in Montreal on two counts of genocide, two counts of crimes against humanity and three charges of war crimes. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Trivia / Fourth Summit of the Americas - November 4th, 2005: "President George W. Bush will depart Washington today [11/03/05], taking leave for a few days from controversies over the CIA leak investigation, his Supreme Court nominees and low approval ratings, to visit a part of the world where he is liked even less. Tens of thousands of protesters are preparing for his arrival tonight in the seaside resort of Mar del Plata for the fourth Summit of the Americas. Mass demonstrations are planned for Friday [11/04/05] - coinciding with the opening of the two-day summit meeting - to decry Bush's policies, including his support for a continentwide free trade zone, the Iraq war and what critics call U.S. neglect of Latin American issues. [....] Bush will be among 34 heads of state from countries in the Western Hemisphere - with the exception of Cuban leader Fidel Castro - expected to attend the meeting. He faces a tough crowd, both inside and outside the session. Some polls have shown Bush's disapproval rating to be as high as 70 percent to 80 percent in large South American countries such as Argentina and Brazil. [....]" [Based on: Cox News Service article, p. A14, S.L.P.D., 11/03/05]

*Trivia: "[....] Chavez, top Cuban officials and demonstrators at a separate 'People's Summit' here [Argentina], claim Bush wants to open up Latin America to more corporations that will end up enslaving already poor workers. At the summit site, thousands of demonstrators began assembling to criticize Bush's trade push in the region where an estimated 220 million people are living in poverty. [....] [Based on: The Washington Post article, p. A14, S.L.P.D., 11/04/05]

*Trivia: "[....] At the American summit, the United States and 28 other countries supported setting a date to restart negotiations on creating the trading bloc. But because Brazil and four other nations preferred to wait for world trade negotiations to take place next month, no agreement was reached on new talks. So Sunday [11/06/05], Bush appeared determined to move on from the divisions over the FTAA talks and focus on those World Trade Organization negotiations in Hong Kong. The talks are aimed at cutting tariffs worldwide. In the hopes that success in the global talks would invigorate the FTAA's chances, Bush said he agrees with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that the United States must drop agriculture subsidies so it is easier for farmers in the developing world to compete. Bush said the United States promises to reduce and then eliminate those 'trade-distorting subsidies' - as long as Europe does the same. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, 11/07/05]

*Trivia: "Trade ministers representing most of the world's governments reached a deal in Hong Kong on Sunday night [12/18/05] that sets a deadline for wiping out subsidies of agricultural exports by 2013. [....]" [Based on: New York Times, 12/19/05]

2005 - Plans to Investigate? / Secret CIA Jails - November 4th, 2005: "The European Union and the continent's top human rights group said Thursday [11/03/05] that they would investigate allegations that the CIA set up secret jails in Eastern Europe and elsewhere to interrogate terrorism suspects, and the Red Cross demanded access to any prisons. [....] Europe's top human rights organization, the Council of Europe, said it, too, would investigate. [....] In implicating Poland and Romania, Human Rights Watch examined flight logs of CIA aircraft from 2001 to 2004, said Mark Garlasco, a senior military analyst with the New York-based organization. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

*Trivia: "The European Union has formally requested answers from the United States about reports of secret U.S.-run prisons for terrorism suspects in Europe, and the United States will reply 'to the best of our ability,' the State Department said Wednesday [11/30/05]. [....] It would be illegal for the U.S. government to hold prisoners in isolation and difficult conditions in secret prisons in the United States. It has long been assumed that the CIA operates overseas sites to get around U.S. law and to keep terrorism suspects out of the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article (U.S. will reply to EU questions about secret prisons), p. A2, S.L.P.D., 12/01/05]

2005 - Eighth Night of Riots / Paris, France - November 4th, 2005: "The street rampage of angry youths continued to expand Thursday [11/03/05] accross immigrant-dominated suburbs of Paris, with gangs attacking commuter trains, elementary schools and businesses in an eighth night of violence, according to police officials. [....] Local police officials said that as many as 177 cars and trucks were set ablaze by rioters Wednesday night [11/02/05] and Thursday morning as many residents of the towns' high-rise, subsidized housing projects cowered in their apartments. [....] The rioting began after two Muslim boys - a 17-year-old immigrant from Tunisia and a 15-year-old whose parents are from Africa - were electrocuted when they hid in a high-voltage power substation while trying to avoid a police checkpoint in the northeastern Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois. [....] Relatives said the youths were being chased by the police. Police officials deny that." [Based on: Washington Post]

2005 - Senate Vote / Alaska Artic Drilling, Etc. - November 4th, 2005: "The Senate on Thursday [11/03/05] narrowly approved a five-year plan to trim a wide range of federal benefit programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, and to allow drilling for oil and natural gas in a wilderness area of Alaska. The budget bill was approved 52-47. Five Republicans crossed party lines to oppose the measure, while two Democrats voted for it. [....] The Senate budget plan would reduce the growth of Medicare and Medicaid, trim farm programs across the board and increase premiums paid by corporations for insurance of private pension benefits. [....]" [Based on: New York Times]

*Trivia: "House leaders late Wednesday [11/09/05] abandoned an attempt to push through a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil drilling, fearing it would jeopardize approval of a sweeping budget bill today [11/10/05]. They also dropped from the budget measure plans to allow states to authorize oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts - regions currently under a drilling moratorium. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A5, S.L.P.D., 11/10/05]

2005 - Delayed / Confirmation Hearings, Samuel Alito - November 4th, 2005: "Resisting White House pressure, Senate leaders decided Thursday [11/03/05] to delay confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito until after the holiday season, beginning the proceedings Jan. 9 with the aim of holding a confirmation vote Jan. 20. [....]" [Based on: Los Angeles Times article, p. A3, S.L.P.D., 11/04/05]

2005 - Declining Support / President George W. Bush - November 4th, 2005: "[....] An AP-Ipsos poll of 1,006 adults said Bush's approval rating was at 37 percent, compared with 39 percent a month ago. About 59 percent of those surveyed said they disapproved. [....] A Washington Post-ABC News poll of 1,202 adults found on every key measure of presidential character and performance that Bush has never been less popular with the American people. venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who for years has swapped harsh rhetoric with the Bush administration, has described the proposed free trade zone as an 'imperialist plan' to enhance U.S. economic dominance over Latin America and the caribbean. [....]" [Based on: Staff Reports and News Services, p. A8 & A14, S.L.P.D., 11/04/05]

2005 - Spread Bogus Iraq Uranium Report / Rocco Martino? - November 4th, 2005: "Italy's spymaster identified an Italian occasional spy named Rocco Martino on Thursday [11/03/05] as the disseminator of forged documents that described efforts by Iraq to buy hundreds of tons of uranium ore from Niger for a nuclear weapons program, three Italian lawmakers said Thursday. The spymaster, Gen. Nicolo Pollari, director of the Italian military intelligence agency known as SISMI, disclosed that Martino was the source of the forged documents in closed-door testimony to a parliamentary committee that oversees secret services, the lawmakers said. Sen. Massimo Brutti, a member of the committee, told reporters that Pollari had identified Martino as a former intelligence agency informer who had been 'kicked out of the agency.' The revelation came on a day when the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed that it had shut down its two-year investigation into the origin of the forged documents from Italy. The information about Iraq's desire to acquire the uranium ore, known as yellowcake, was used by the Bush administration to help justify the invasion of Iraq, notably by President George W. Bush in his State of the Union address in January 2003. But the information was later revealed to have been based on forgeries. [....] Martino has long been suspected of being the person responsible for peddling the false documents on the Iraq-Niger connection. But this was the first time that his role was formally disclosed by Italian intelligence. Neither Martino nor his lawyer was available for comment. Brutti also told reporters that the Italian intelligence agency had warned the United States in early 2003 that the Niger-Iraq documents were false. 'At about the same time as the State of the Union address, they said that the dossier doesn't correspond to the truth,' Brutti said. He made the claim more than once, but gave no supporting evidence. Amid confusing statements by various lawmakers, he later appeared to backtrack in conversations with both The Associated Press and Reuters, saying that because SISMI never had the documents, it could not comment on their merit." [Based on: New York Times article by Elaine Sciolino & Elisabetta Povoledo (Italy alleges ex-spy spread bogus Iraq uranium report), p. A11, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/04/05]

2005 - Strong earthquake / Bismark Sea - November 5th, 2005: "A strong earthquake occurred at 10:48:23 (UTC) on Saturday, November 5, 2005. The magnitude 6.2 event has been located in the BISMARCK SEA. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)"

[Based on: preliminary earthquake report @: http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/usfbai.htm]

2005 - Resignation / Editor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch - November 5th, 2005: "Ellen Soeteber, the top editor of the Post-Dispatch, jolted her own newsroom Friday afternoon [11/04/05], announcing her resignation in a teary farewell that cited her inability to come to terms with management over personal financial considerations and newspaper resources. Soeteber, 55, an East St. Louis native who in January 2001 became the newspaper's sixth editor, broke the news in a hastily arranged newsroom meeting on the paper's fifth floor. [....] Post-Dispatch Publisher Terrance C.Z. Egger named Managing Editor Arnie Robbins, 52, as Soeteber's successor. The changes take effect Dec. 1 [....]" [Based on: St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

2005 - Deadly Tornado / Indiana - November 6th, 2005: "A tornado touched down in Kentucky, jumped the Ohio River and cut a 15-to 20-mile-wide swath through two Indiana counties. [....] The twister, with winds of at least 158 mph, ripped through a mobile home park in Evansville, killing at least 17. Five other deaths were confirmed. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A1, S.L.P.D., 11/07/05]

2005 - Riots Trivia / Paris, France - November 6th, 2005: "The unrest that triggered scores of arson attacks on targets from the Mediterranean to the German border reached into Paris overnight. Police said early Sunday [11/06/05] that 13 cars were burned in the French capital. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A10, S.L.P.D., 11/06/05]]

*Trivia: "[....] The corrosive gap between America's whites and its racial minorities, especially African-Americans, is the product of centuries: slavery, followed by cycles of poverty and racial exclusion that denied generation after generation the best that the United States could offer. France, on the other hand, is only beginning to struggle with a much newer variant of the same problem: the fury of Muslims of North African descent who have found themselves caught for three generations in a trap of ethnic and religious discrimination. [....] So far, although hundreds of cars and buses have been burned and dozens of businesses destroyed in violence that has spread to at least a dozen towns, most rioters appear to be teenage boys bent more on making the news than making a coherent political statement. Oliver Roy, a French scholar of European Islam, said the danger was a long-range one. So far, he said, the attacks on the police and the torching of cars have less the character of a religious war than of 'a local sport, a rite of passage.' [....] Mayor Manuel Valls of Evry, a Paris suburb that has seen violence in recent days, said, 'We've combined the failure of our integration model with the worst effects of ghettoization, without a social ladder for people to climb.' " [Based on: New York Times article by Craig S. Smith, p. A10, S.L.P.D., 11/06/05]

2005 - Trivia / Bogus Iraq Reports - November 6th, 2005: "[....] Four U.S. officials said the Italian military intelligence agency known as SISMI passed three reports to the CIA station in Rome between October 2001 and March 2002 outlining an illegal deal for Iraq to buy uranium ore, known as yellowcake, from Niger. [....] One of the reports passed by SISMI contained language that turned out to have been lifted verbatim from crudely forged documents that outlined the purported uranium-ore deal, the U.S. officials said. 'SISMI was involved in this; there is no doubt,' said a U.S. intelligence official who has closely followed the matter. The United States obtained complete copies of the forgeries in October 2002. Five months later, the International Atomic Energy Agency determined that the documents were fakes, shortly before the invasion of Iraq, and the White House later conceded that Bush shouldn't have made the allegations. The Italian government has denied that SISMI was involved in concocting or passing the forged documents. A July 2004 Senate Intelligence Committee report said three reports on the alleged deal were passed to the CIA in that period, but it didn't disclose the name of the foreign intelligence service that had provided them. Two of the U.S. officials said SISMI had passed similar reports about the alleged deal, based on the forgeries, to the intelligence services in Britain, France and Germany. Britain has continued to stand by a 2002 'white paper' report that charged that Iraq had sought to buy yellowcake in Africa. Bush cited the British assertion in his 2003 State of the Union address rather than the U.S. intelligence reports, which had been disputed by some CIA experts and by the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research. The U.S. oficials were reacting to the reported testimony by SISMI Director Nicolo Pollari on Thursday [11/03/05] in a closed-door Italian parliamentary committee hearing. After the hearing, Italian lawmakers said Pollari had pinned the passing of the forgeries on a former SISMI informer named Rocco Martino. Pollari denied that any Italian intelligence agency was involved in concocting the fakes or disseminating them. News reports have quoted Martino as saying he had obtained the documents from a contact at the Niger Embassy in Rome, but this was the first time he was officially identified. Key questions remain about how the Niger claim made it into the Bush administration's case for war, including who concocted the forged documents and why the claim was in Bush's State of the Union after being cut from a draft of a presidential speeech some two months earlier." [Based on: Knight Ridder Newspapers article (U.S. again blames Italy for bogus Iraq reports) , p. A3, S.L.P.D., 11/06/05]

2005 - "Operation Steel Curtain" / Syrian Border, Iraq - November 6th, 2005: "About 3,500 U.S. and Iraqi troops backed by warplanes dropping 500-pound bombs assaulted a town near the Syrian border Saturday [11/05/05]. The town is reputed to be a crossing point for foreign guerrillas. The operation in Husaybah, about 200 miles northwest of Baghdad, the capital, was one of the largest since U.S. forces retook the Sunni triangle city of Fallujah a year ago. [....]" [Based on: Los Angeles Times article (Iraqi government soldiers join U.S. troops in offensive), p. A13, S.L.P.D., 11/06/05]

2005 - Riots Continue / France - November 7th, 2005: "President Jacques Chirac promised Sunday [11/06/05] to restore public order across France, but unrest spread for an 11th night. Rioters battled police, threw Molotov cocktails and rammed a car into a housing project. [....]" [Based on: News Services]

*Trivia: "[....] France's worst civil unrest in decades entered a 12th night Monday [11/07/05], as rioters in the southern city of Toulouse set fire to a bus after sundown and pelted police with gasoline bombs and rocks. [....] The Les Tilleuls youths noted that France had welcomed their parents as laborers years ago, often to do menial jobs most French did not want. Now, there are no jobs - or no one willing to give them one, they said. 'This isn't good for anything,' says Farid, 20, angrily shaking his French identity card. He and the others refused to give their surnames, saying they fear repercussions from police or in the community. [....] In terms of material destruction, the unrest is France's worst since World War II - and never has rioting struck so many different French cities simultaneously, said security expert Sebastian Roche, a director of research at the state-funded National Center for Scientific Research. [....] Villepin said 'organized criminal networks' are backing the violence and that youths taking part are treating it as a game, trying to outdo one another. He did not rule out the possibility that radical Islamists are involved, saying: 'That element must not be neglected.' France's community of Muslims, at about 5 million, is Western Europe's largest. [....] Nearly 600 people were in custody Monday night, and fast-track trials were being used to punish rioters. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A9, S.L.P.D.]

2005 - Hindu Mob Attack / Muslim Village - November 7th, 2005: "A Hindu mob attacked a Muslim village in northern India, burning homes and killing three people, after hearing rumors that cows, considered holy by Hindus, were slaughtered for Islamic celebrations, police said Sunday [11/06/05]. Police said no cattle had been killed in Mehndipur village in the northern Uttar Pradesh state." [Based on: News Services]

2005 - Democrats' hypocrisy is hurting America - November 7th, 2005:

Let's reprise what the president had to say on the threat posed by Saddam Hussein:
   "If he refuses or continues to evade his obligations through more tactics of delay and deception, he and he alone will be to blame for the consequences.... Now, let's imagine the future. What if he fails to comply, and we fail to act, or we take some ambiguous third route which gives him yet more opportunities to develop this program of weapons of mass destruction...? Well, he will conclude that the international community has lost its will. He will then conclude that he can go right on and do more to rebuild an arsenal of devestating destruction. And some day, some way, I guarantee you, he'll use the arsenal. And I think every one of you who's really worked on this for any length of time believes that, too."
   Here's the hitch: That was Bill Clinton in 1998, not George W. Bush in 2002.
[....]
   Sen. Jay Rockefeller - the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee and now a full member of the "Bush lied" chorus - declared: "I do believe that Iraq is an immediate threat" and "we can no longer afford to wait for a smoking gun." And Sens. Evan Bayh, Joseph Biden, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Kerry and John Edwards all voted for the war.
   Most of these Democrats had access to the same intelligence as the president. But now, in one of the most repugnant and craven partisan ploys in modern American history, Democrats have decided that they cannot accept their own responsibility in what they clearly consider to be a mistake - except in beleiving Bush's "lies."
[....]
   Does anyone doubt that if there were no insurgency and Iraq were as far along in the democratic process as it is now, the Democrats would be boasting about their bi-partisan support for the war and cackling about how Democrats were right about "nation-building" all along?
   But they don't care. In their America, partisanship begins at the water's edge.

[Based on: Other Views page article by Jonah Goldberg (Democrats' hypocrisy is hurting America), p. B9, S.L.P.D., 11/07/05]

*Trivia: "Sunday [8/10/03] The Washington Post published the results of a lengthy investigation into the Bush administration's claims about an Iraqi nuclear weapons program. The story also described the creation within the White House last August [2002] of a special group charged with winning support from Congress, from the United Nations if necessary and from the American people for a war against Iraq. [....]
   "September 11th left me emotionally battered, struggling and scared, and it was precisely that fear that George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleezza Rice tapped into - in me and everyone else - with their calculated, misleading conjurings of mushroom clouds, poisons and diseases.
   "Only later did I realize that the real campaign for this war began in the spring of 1997, with the creation of the Project for the New American Century, a group of conservative acedemics, ideologues and once-and-future government functionaries. Cheney, Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush and many senior officials in the current administration signed its founding statement of principles.
   "On January 26, 1998, the Project issued a public letter to then-President Bill Clinton. It called for regime change in Iraq, by force if necessary.
   "Not quite four years later, the attacks of September 11th supplied an aching touchstone through which the Project, whose backers had returned to positions of power throughout government, could build support for its new-world-order objectives. Facts can be debated and the meaning of intelligence estimates can be argued, but the emotional, psycological and political power of September 11th is enduring and unassailable." [Based on: article by Eric Mink, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 08/13/03]

*Further reading ...

2005 - Abuse of Power? / U.S. Patriot Act - November 7th, 2005: "Lawmakers expressed concern Sunday [11/06/05] that the FBI was aggressively pushing the powers of the anti-terrorist USA Patriot Act to gain access to private phone and financial records of ordinary people. [....] Under the Patriot Act, the FBI has been issuing more than 30,000 national security letters allowing the investigations each year, a hundredfold increase over historic norms. The Washington Post reported Sunday [11/06/05], quoting unidentified government sources. The security letters, which were first used in the 1970s, allow access to people's phone and e-mail records, as well as financial data and the Internet sites they surf. The 2001 Patriot Act removed the requirement that the records sought be those of someone under suspicion. [....] Issued by the FBI without review by a judge, the letters are used to get electronic records from 'electronic communications service providers.' Such providers include Internet service companies but also universities, public interest organizations and almost all libraries, because most provide access to the Internet. The Patriot Act provision involving national security letters was enacted permanently in 2001, so it was not part of Congress' debate last summer over extending some provisions. As the Dec. 31 deadline has approached for Congress to renew provisions of the act, the House and Senate have voted to make noncompliance with a security letter a criminal offense." [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Deceptive Prewar Statements? / U.S.A. - November 7th, 2005: "A government document raises doubts about claims that al-Qaida members received training for biological and chemical weapons in Iraq. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats defended on Sunday [11/06/05] their push for a report on how President George W. Bush's administration handled prewar intelligence. [....] 'We cannot have a government which is going to manipulate intelligence information. We've got to get to the bottom of it,' Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' [....] The document from February 2002 showed that the agency questioned the reliability of al-Qaida senior military trainer Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi. He could not name any Iraqis involved in the effort or identify any chemical or biological materials or say where the training was taking place, the report said. [....] Levin said Bush, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell and Intelligence and diplomatic officials cited chemical and biological training by Iraq as they gathered support for the war. This was months after the information from the defense agency in February 2002, he said. 'This newly declassified information provides additional dramatic evidence that the administration's prewar statements were deceptive,' Levin said. 'More than a year before Secretary Powell included that charge in his presentation to the United Nations, the DIA had said it believed the detainee's claims were bogus.' White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters with Bush on his South American trip that he had not seen a report about the documents." [Based on: A.P. article (Document indicates White House knew source linking Iraq, al-Qaida was flawed), p. A6, S.L.P.D., 11/07/05]

2005 - Available on Internet / NBC Nightly News - November 7th, 2005: "NBC News said Monday [10/31/05] that it would begin making its 'NBC Nightly News' broadcast available for free on the Internet starting next week. [....] The first newscast available on the Internet will be on Nov. 7." [Based on: News Services, 11/01/05]

2005 - Pirate Raid / Cruise Liner, Somalia Coast - November 7th, 2005: "The violent attack on a cruise liner off Somalia's coast [11/05/05] shows pirates from the anarchic country on the Horn of Africa are becoming bolder in their efforst to attack ships, a maritime official warned Sunday [11/06/05]. [....] That gang is one of three well-organized pirate groups on the 1,880-mile coast of Somalia. The country has had no effective government since opposition leaders ousted a dictatorship in 1991 and then turned on oneanother. Warlords control the nation of 7 million. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Suicide Bomber / Iraq - November 8th, 2005: "A suicide bomber blew up his vehicle Monday [11/07/05] at a checkpoint south of Baghdad and killed four American soldiers, the military said. The U.S. command also announced that five soldiers from an elite unit were charged with kicking and punching Iraqi detainees. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Cancer Trivia? / U.S.A. - November 8th, 2005: "[....] Half of all men and one-third of women in the United States will develop cancer in their lifetime. Thanks to advances in early detection and treatment, the number who survive has more than tripled over the past three decades. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article (Cancer study focuses on follow-up), p. A3, S.L.P.D., 11/08/05]

2005 - Fashioning deadly fiascos -

   I've said it before and I'll say it again. Men are simply not biologically suited to hold higher office. The Bush administration has proved that once and for all.
[....]
   The former Powell chief of staff, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, who often verbalizes what Colin Powell does not say because the ex-secretary of state does not want to be in a public catfight with the cabal, charged on NPR that the cabal issued directives that led to the abuse of prisoners by U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
[....]
   The colonel also described how Vice shaped war policy. Cheney's fiercly ideological staff monitored the National Security Council staff in such Big Brother fashion that some of the NSC staff "quit using e-mails for substantive conversations because they knew the vice president's alternate national security staff was reading their e-mails now."
   Wilkerson said that there was an NSC memo that made a compelling argument for a large number of troops being necessary in Iraq, "and to this day, I don't know whether that memorandum ever got to the president of the United States."

[Based on: article by Maureen Dowd (Fashioning deadly fiascos), p. B7, S.L.P.D., 11/08/05]

2005 - Ancient Church / Israel - November 8th, 2005: "Israeli prisoners Ramil Razilo ... and Biton Maymon on Sunday [11/06/05] clean ancient mosaics from what may be the Holy Land's oldest church. Razilo found the mosaics while removing rubble at Megiddo Prison in Israel." [Based on: A.P. picture article, p. A6, S.L.P.D., 11/08/05]

*Trivia: "[....] Archaeologists said the church dated from the third century - decades before Constantine legalized Christianity across the Byzantine Empire. 'It's the oldest archaeological remains of a church in Israel, maybe even in the entire region,' said Yotam Tepper, the excavation's head archaeologist. [....] Razilo was helping to excavate the area before the construction of new wards for 1,200 Palestinians. [....] Two mosaics inside the church - one covered with fish, an ancient Christian symbol that predates the cross - tell the story of a Roman officer and a woman named Aketous who donated money to build the church in the memory 'of the god, Jesus Christ.' " [Based on: Washington Post article (Prisoner uncovers ancient church), p. A6, S.L.P.D., 11/08/05]

2005 - U.S. Troop Rotation Trivia / Iraq - November 8th, 2005: "The Pentagon announced on Monday [11/07/05] a troop rotation for Iraq that will keep at least 92,000 soldiers there through 2008. On paper, that's much smaller than the force now in Iraq. But a Pentagon spokesman said no decision to reduce troop levels next year had been made. [....] About 17 combat brigades are now in Iraq, with about 3,500 soldiers in each. Monday's announcement did not include any Marine Corps units, although they apparently will be added later. [....] The announcement said Rumsfeld's deisions 'may result in changes to this rotation.' " [Based on: A.P. article (Rotation will keep 92,000 soldiers in Iraq), p. A7, S.L.P.D., 11/08/05]

2005 - Trivia / Gasoline Prices, U.S.A. - November 8th, 2005: "For the fifth consecutive week, average retail gasoline prices have dropped nationwide, falling below $2.40 a gallon for the first time since early August. [....]" [Based on: Business Page article, p. C2, S.L.P.D., 11/08/05]

2005 - Foiled Terrorist Plot / Australia - November 8th, 2005: "Australian authorities arrested 16 suspects today [11/08/05] and said they had foiled a major terrorist attack on the country. [....] Among the men arrested was the radical Muslim cleric Abdul Nacker Ben Brika, also known as Abu Bakr. He is an Algerian-Australian who has said he would be violating his faith if he warned his students not to join the jihad, or holy war, in Iraq. [....]" [Based on: News Services article, p. A6, S.L.P.D., 11/08/05]

2005 - Arrested / Alberto Fujimori, Chile - November 8th, 2005: "Exiled former president Alberto Fujimori's attempt to return to Peru to resurrect his political career ended with his arrest in Chile early Monday [11/07/05]. Peruvian officials said they hope to extradite him to face charges of corruption and human rights abuses commited during his decade-long [1990-2000] presidency. [....]" [Based on: Washington Post]

2005 - Inquiry / Jewish Activist's Prison Death - November 8th, 2005: "Relatives of former Jewish Defense League activist Earl Krugel are calling for an investigation into his death at a federal prison in Phoenix. [....] He had been imprisoned for plotting to bomb a mosque in Culver City, Calif., and the field office of Arab-American Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, Calif. [....] Krugel's sister, Linda, said she was told that an inmate had hit her brother on the head with a chunk of cement while he was exercising on the prison grounds, three days after he arrived at the prison. State and federal law enforcement officials speaking on the condition of anonymity have said Krugel was attacked by a white supremacist." [Based on: Los Angeles Times article (Inquiry into Jewish activist's prison death is sought), p. A10, S.L.P.D., 11/08/05]

2005 - Big Spender / Michael Bloomberg - November 8th, 2005: "New York's billionaire mayor, Michael Bloomberg, spent more than $77 million to get re-elected Nov. 8, according to campaign finance reports released Monday [12/05/05]. The spending amounts to more than $103 per vote." [Based on: News Services article (Big Spender), p. A4, S.L.P.D., 12/06/06]

2005 - Supreme Court Review? / U.S. Tribunals - November 8th, 2005: "The Supreme Court agreed Monday [11/07/05] to review a constitutional challenge to the administration's military trials for foreign terrorism suspects. [....] The administration had urged the court to stay on the sidelines until after the trials, arguing that national security was at stake. [....] Last year, the justices took up the first round of cases stemming from the war on terrorism. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring, wrote in one case that 'a state of war is not a blank check for the president when it comes to the rights of the nation's citizens.' " [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Washington Homecoming? / Ahmad Chalabi - November 8th, 2005: "Ahmad Chalabi, who helped bamboozle the Bush administration into invading Iraq, will arrive in Washington today to begin an eight-day visit to the United States. The proper way to welcome him would be to slap handcuffs on him. Instead, Mr. Chalabi, who is now Iraq's deputy prime minister, has appointments with Treasury Secretary John Snow and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; he may meet with Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. He has a speech scheduled before the American Enterprise Institute, the neoconservative think-tank which nurtured the pre-war hallucinations about how painless the entire Iraq enterprise would be. [....] How did Ahmad Chalabi even get a U.S. travel visa, much less an appointment with the secretary of state? The Senate if feuding over pre-war intelligence failures, for which Mr. Chalabi bears much blame. Mr Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis ... Libby, is under fresh indictment for lying about his involvement in a case involving bogus intelligence. New York Times reporter Judith Miller spent 85 days in jail protecting Mr. Libby, but may be drummed out of the Times for her gullibility in buying Mr. Chalabi's claims about Saddam's non-existent weapons of mass destruction. Mr. Chalabi, 60, is an MIT-educated mathematician who later became an international banker and a fugative from bank fraud charges in Jordan. He has survival skills that a cockroach would envy. When the Iraqi people rejected his kind offer of becoming their new American-allied ruler, he began forging alliances with the other side. He made nice with Muqtada al Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric, and then with the government of Iran. Indeed, in April 2004, U.S. troops raided his offices looking for evidence that he'd tipped off Iran that U.S. cryptographers had broken their codes. With friends like this.... Lately he's been in Tehran, cozying up to Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Just two weeks ago, Mr. Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be 'wiped off the map.' Now Mr. Chalabi is back in Washington with his neo-con pals, who wanted Saddam removed in part so Israel would be more secure. This is a mark of just how desperate the Bush administration is over Iraq, that Ahmad the bamboozler - who helped break things in the first place - is now seen as a key to putting things back together. Desperate, or clueless." [Based on: Opinion Page article (A Washington homecoming for a cockroach), p. B6, S.L.P.D., 11/08/05]

*Trivia: "Ahmad Chalabi, Iraq's deputy prime minister, will meet with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today [11/09/05] in a visit that would have been unimaginable two years ago. 'He is an official and a representative of the government of Iraq,' State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said in explaining Rice's decision to meet with the Shiite leader. [....]" [Based on: News Services]

2005 -  "We do not torture" / President George W. Bush - November 8th, 2005: "President George W. Bush defended on Monday [11/07/05] U.S. interrogation practices and called the treatment of terrorism suspects lawful. 'We do not torture,' Bush declared in response to reports of secret CIA prisons overseas. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article (Bush insists that terror suspects are being treated according to law), p. A5, S.L.P.D., 11/08/05]

*Trivia: "Well, I guess that settles that. 'We do not torture,' said President George W. Bush on Monday. Never mind all those torture pictures from Abu Ghraib. Never mind all those torture stories from Guantanamo Bay. Never mind the 2002 Justice Department memo that sought to justify torture. Never mind reports of U.S. officials sending detainees to other countries for torture. Never mind Dick Cheney lobbying to exempt the CIA from rules prohibiting torture. 'We do not torture,' said the president. And that's that, right? I mean, if you can't believe the Bush administration, who can you believe? No torture. Period, end of sentence. But... What does it say to you that the claim even has to be made? [....] What a difference a presidency makes. 'We do not torture,' he says. In the name of fighting terror, we have terrorized and in the name of defending our values, we have betrayed them. We have imprisoned Muslims in America and refused to say if we had them, why we had them, or even to provide them attorneys. We have passed laws making it easier for government to snoop into what you read, who you talk to, where you go. We have equated dissent with lack of patriotism, disagreement with treason. And we have tortured. I'd never suggest we ought not fear terrorism. But we should also fear the nation we are becoming in response. We should fear the fact that we have abrogated moral authority, retreated from moral high ground, become like those we once chastised. 'We do not torture,' says the president. I can remember when that went without saying." [Based on: Other Views page article (If only we could believe "we do not torture"), p. B3, S.L.P.D., 11/13/05] - [Paragraph indents removed to save space - E.M.]

2005 - Costliest Year Ever / Catastrophe Damages, U.S.A. - November 8th, 2005: "U.S. property and casualty insurers paid out a record $40.8 billion in the third quarter to homeowners and businesses that were hit by Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters, according to an insurance data group. The ISO's Property Claim Services unit said Monday [11/07/05] the preliminary estimates for the July-September period indicate that 2005 will be the costliest year ever for castrophe damages." [Based on: Business page article (Payouts after hurricanes set record: $40.8 billion), p. C2, S.L.P.D., 11/08/05]

2005 - Trivia / Coffe & Cola - November 9th, 2005: "Here's good news for women who love coffee: Drinking it doesn't seem to cause long-term high blood pressure. But the same study says that for some reason, women who drink cola do seem to have a greater risk of high blood pressure. Researchers were surprised at that but cautioned that the study was inconclusive. Both beverages have caffeine, which has been shown to cause short-term increases in blood pressure. But the coffee drinkers in the study were no more likely than abstainers to develop high blood pressure over 12 years. [....] The government-funded study appears in today's [11/09/05] issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article by Lindsey Tanner, p. A11, S.L.P.D., 11/09/05]

2005 - Secured / Husaybah, Iraq - November 9th, 2005: "U.S. and Iraqi forces secured the town of Husaybah after four days of fighting along the Syrian border, the Marine commander said Tuesday [11/08/05]. [....]" [Based on: News Services]

2005 - Trade Deal / U.S. & China - November 9th, 2005: "The United States and China on Tuesday [11/08/05] signed a deal limiting imports of Chinese clothing and textile products into the U.S., capping three months of negotiations. [....] 'Instead of terms that ensure that there is a true transition to unrestricted trade after 2008, the agreement imposes tight quotas on the products of greatest importance to American families: shirts, pants and underwear,' said Laura E. Jones, executive director of the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel." [Based on: A.P. article, p. C3, S.L.P.D., 11/09/05]

2005 - Fined / Bank of New York - November 9th, 2005: "The nation's oldest bank, The Bank of New York, has agreed to pay $38 million in fines and adopt reforms to end a long-running federal investigation into fraud and money laundering, prosecutors said Tuesday [11/08/05]. In exchange, U.S. Attorney Roslynn Manuskopf of Brooklyn and U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia of Manhattan said they would not prosecute the bank for failing to enforce federally mandated anti-money laundering measures and other banking rules." [Based on: Business Page article, p. C2, S.L.P.D., 11/09/05]

2005 - Launch / Venus Express - November 9th, 2005: "A European-built probe designed to explore the hot, dense atmosphere of Venus blasted off early today on a Russian booster rocket, beginning a five-month journey to Earth's neighbor. The European Space Agency's Venus Express probe lifted off at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and headed into orbit. [....] Not only is Venus the nearest planet to Earth within the solar system, but the two share also roughly the same mass and density. Both have inner cores of rock and are believed to have been formed at roughly the same time." [Based on: A.P. article, p. A11, S.L.P.D., 11/09/05]

2005 - Bar Pardon? / I. Lewis Libby - November 9th, 2005: "Four Senate Democrats challenged President George W. Bush on Tuesday [11/08/05] to rule out a pardon for I. Lewis Libby, the former White House aide charged with perjury and obstruction of justice in the CIA leak case. [....] Reid [Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada] challenged the president to 'avoid falling in the footsteps of his father, who pardoned six men, some were convicted, some were indicted in the Iran-Contra scandal.' Shortly before leaving office, former President George Bush pardoned former Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger and five other former officials who had served Ronald Reagan. The five were involved in the Iran-Contra affair, in which arms were secretly sold to Iran, with the proceeds funneled to anti-communist guerrillas in Nicaragua. [....] Also signing Tuesday's letter with Reid were Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Chuck Schumer of New York and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan." [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - U.N. Mandate Extension / Iraq - November 9th, 2005: "The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday [11/08/05] to extend the mandate of the multinational force in Iraq for a year. [....] The force now comprises 157,000 American soldiers and 22,000 soldiers from other countries. Al-Jaafari requested the yearlong extension in a letter to the council last month." [Based on: News Services]

2005 - State of Emergency / France - November 9th, 2005: "The French government declared a state of emergency Tuesday [11/08/05], enabling police to impose curfews and other extraordinary measures to combat the worst riots in recent history. [....]" [Based on: Los Angeles Times]

2005 - News Science Standards / Kansas - November 9th, 2005: "The Vote: The Kansas Board of Education approved science standards that cast doubt on the theory of evolution. Critics Say: The changes are not science, and the new standards make Kansas 'a laughingstock.' Supporters Say: The standards will expose students to legitimate scientific questions about evolution. [....] The standards change the definition of science to allow for nonnatural explanations and cast significant doubt on the theory made famous by Charles Darwin. [....]" [Based on: Knight Ridder Newspapers article, p. A1, S.L.P.D., 11/09/05]

2005 - Banned / Same-Sex Marriage, Texas - November 9th, 2005: "Texas voters overwhelmingly approved on Tuesday [11/08/05] a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, making their state the 19th to take that step. In Maine a proposal to repeal a new gay-rights law was trailing by a wide margin. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Ethics Training / White House Workers - November 9th, 2005: "White House workers, from presidential advisers to low-ranking aides, began attending mandatory lectures on ethical behavior and the handling of classified documents Tuesday [11/08/05] after the recent indictment of a high-level official in the CIA leak case. [....]" [Based on: News Services]

2005 - Worst Gonorrhea Rate / St. Louis, Mo. - November 9th, 2005: "St. Louis leads the nation in rates of gonorrhea, according to statistics released  Tuesday [11/08/05] by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The city ranked second in chlamydia and fifth in syphilis nationwide. St. Louis has long ranked high in cases of sexually transmitted diseases. The CDC report provided 2004 data on three STDs - gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia. Young people, minorities and men who have sex with men were at greatest risk. Syphilis and chlamydia rates rose nationwide, while gonorrhea rates dropped to a historic low. Health officials estimate that 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year, almost half among people from 15 to 24. Most of the infections go undiagnosed. [....] Chlamydia was the most common STD nationwide, with a total of about 930,000 cases reported last year, according to the CDC report. Federal health officials said the actual number of cases is far higher, about 2.8 million new cases each year. [....] Gonorrhea hit an all-time low nationally, with about 330,000 cases reported. The national rate of 113.5 cases per 100,000 people was the lowest since the government started tracking cases in 1941. But syphilis has been steadily increasing since it hit a historic low in 2000. The rate of reported early-stage syphilis was 2.7 cases per 100,000 in 2004, up 29 percent since 2000. [....]" [Based on: S.L.P.D., pp. A1 & A15, 11/09/05]

2005 - 2nd Lawyer Slain / Saddam Hussein Trial - November 9th, 2005: "Three masked gunmen in a speeding vehicle killed a second lawyer [Adel al-Zubeidi] in the Saddam Hussein trial Tuesday [11/08/05], casting doubt on Iraq's ability to try the case. [....]." [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Democratic Victories / New Jersey & Virginia - November 9th, 2005: "Democrats swept both governors' races Tuesday [11/08/05], with Sen. Jon Corzine winning New Jersey and Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine taking Virginia despite a last-minute campaign push for his opponent from President George W. Bush. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Ordered by U.S. Pentagon / Humane Treatment of Prisoners - November 9th, 2005: "Thrown on the defenseive after the abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon has issued a broad new directive mandating that detainees be treated humanely and has banned the use of dogs to intimidate or harass suspects. [....] On Tuesday, the Senate voted 55-43, largely along party lines, against legislation that would create a commission modeled after the one that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Democrats contend that investigations into abuse allegations by the Pentagon have been incomplete. [....]" [Based on: News Services]

2005 - Retired / Judith Miller - November 10th, 2005: "Judith Miller - the New York Times reporter who was first lionized and then criticized by her own newspaper for her role in the CIA leak case - has retired, the paper said Wednesday [11/09/05]. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Defeated / Shimon Peres - November 10th, 2005: "A fiery union leader [Amir Peretz] won a stunning victory over Shimon Peres in the leadership contest for Israel's Labor Party, officials said today [11/10/05]. The vote deals a blow to the elder statesman that could have deep implications for the shaky governing coalition. Election officials announced that Peres had been defeated by Amir Peretz. [....]" [Based on: News Services]

*Trivia: "[....] Peretz promised to 'separate' Labor from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government and return to the opposition. He is much more dovish than Sharon in dealing with the Palestinians and has opposed the government's cuts in social spending. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, 11/11/05]

2005 - Major Defeat / Tony Blair - November 10th, 2005: "British lawmakers on Wednesday [10/09/05] rejected tough anti-terrorism legislation that would have allowed suspects to be detained for 90 days without charge. [....] Lawmakers, including 49 members of Blair's Labor Party, opted instead for a maximum detention period for terrorism suspects of 28 days without charge. That is still double the current 14-day maximum. [....]" [Based on: News Services]

2005 - Fatality / Azahari bin Husin - November 10th, 2005: "One of Southeast Asia's most wanted terrorists apparently blew himself up Wednesday [11/09/05] to escape capture, the national police chief said. The blast is also believed to have killed two other suspects. The explosion was apparently the work of Azahari bin Husin, a native of Malaysia said to be in his 40s. He was a key figure in Jemaah Islamiyah, a terrorism network with links to al-Qaida. Azahari was known as the 'Demolitian Man' for his expertise with explosives. His group has been blamed for a series of bombings as well as failed plots in Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A9, S.L.P.D., 11/10/05]

*Trivia: "[....] Police initially said Azahari blew himself up Wednesday [11/09/05] to avoid capture when his hide-out in east Java province was raided. But Sutanto said Thursday [11/10/05] that Azahari was fatally shot as he reached to detonate his suicide belt, and that another suspected militant holed up with him set off the device. The resulting explosion ripped off the roof of their rented house. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A13, S.L.P.D., 11/11/05]

2005 - Trivia: / The Day After Roswell - November 10th, 2005: "A program entitled: UFO Files: The Day After Roswell, aired on The History Channel. The program mentioned that Mr. Corso died in 1998." [E.M.]

*Trivia: "Backed by documents newly declassified through the Freedom of Information Act, Colonel Corso [Retired], former head of the Foreign Technology Desk at the U.S. Army's Research and Development department, reveals for the first time [1997] his personal stewardship of alien artifacts from the 1947 Roswell crash, and discloses the government's astonishing role in the Roswell incident." [Link: 1]

2005 - Suicide Bombs? / Western Hotels, Jordan - November 10th, 2005: "Three blasts [11/09/05] target hotels owned by Western chains. A-Qaida is suspected. [....] No group immediately asserted responsibility for the attack. But several government officials said the coordination and execution - apparently by suicide attackers - bore the mark of the al-Qaida network. [....]" [Based on: Washington Post article (Bombs kill over 50 in Jordan), p. A1, S.L.P.D., 11/10/05]

*Trivia: "[....] On Jordanian television Sunday [11/13/05], the surviving suspect [Sajda Mubarak al-Rishawi] said she tried to blow herself up at a crowded wedding party at the Radisson SAS Hotel, but the explosives vest she wore under an evening gown failed to detonate. [....]" [Based on: Knight Ridder Newspapers article (Bomber [Safah Mohammed Ali] may be former U.S. detainee), p. A6, S.L.P.D., 11/14/05] - [Brackets text added - E.M.]

*Trivia: "One day after Jordanian authorities presented to the world an Iraqi woman they said had taken part in the deadly Amman hotel terrorist attacks, investigators in Jordan said Monday [11/14/05] that she had volunteered to become a suicide bomber because three of her brothers were killed during 'operations' in Iraq. [....] While a videotaped confession showing al-Rishawi wearing the disarmed suicide belt was being broadcast around the world, details about her life, motivation and role in the attacks, which killed 57 people, began to emerge in Jordan and Iraq. One investigator said al-Rishawi had not shown any remorse during questioning. [....] On Sunday, Jordanian officials announced that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, was responsible for planning the bombings of the three hotels, which included the Grand Hyatt and the Days Inn. Authorities said they had identified three Iraqi men who killed themselves in the attacks, including a Mr. Ali, and that earlier in the morning they had arrested al-Rishawi, the wife of one of the men. Al-Rishawi gave a videotaped confession that was first broadcast in Jordan on Sunday night [11/13/05]. [....]" [Based on: New York Times article, p. A10, S.L.P.D., 11/15/05]

2005 - Strong Earthquake / Southwestern Siberia, Russia - November 10th, 2005: "A strong earthquake occurred at 19:29:54 (UTC) on Thursday, November 10, 2005. The magnitude 6.0 event has been located in SOUTHEASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)"

[Based on: preliminary earthquake report @ http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/usfga2.htm]

2005 - Go-around city - November 11th, 2005:

What an interesting idea. Let's close Highway 40 for up to five years.
   Not only will St. Louis continue be a fly-over city, it will now have the added distinction of being a drive-around city too.

[Based on: Opinion Page article by Lois Klayman, p. C12, S.L.P.D., 11/11/05] - [Typo? ... continue [to?] be ....]

2005 - Trivia / Fannie Mae - November 11th, 2005: "Mortgage giant Fannie Mae, struggling to untangle its accounting in an $11 billion scandal, disclosed Thursday [11/10/05] that new errors have been uncovered as it reached outside the company to hire a new finance chief. The government-sponsored company, which finances one of every five home-mortgage loans in the United States, also named Robert T. Blakely, CFO of MCI Inc., as its chief operating officer as it again missed a regulatory deadline for filing a financial report - this time for the third quarter. Fannie Mae hasn't filed an earnings report since late last year." [Based on: Business Page article, p. B2, S.L.P.D., 11/11/05]

2005 - Suicide Bombers / Iraq - November 11th, 2005: "Bombers killed 42 people Thursday [11/10/05] at a Baghdad restaurant favored by police and an army recruiting center to the north. [....] Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed in an Internet posting that it staged the attack in retaliation for U.S. and Iraqi operations near the Syrian border. Earlier, it claimed responsibility for Wednesday night's deadly hotel bombings in neighboring Jordan, linking those blasts to the conflict in Iraq. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Bird Flu / Persian Gulf? - November 11th, 2005: "China reported two new bird flu outbreaks in poultry Thursday [11/10/05] and quarantined 116 people, while Kuwait confirmed the first known cases in the Persian Gulf, in an imported peacock and a wild flamingo. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A5, S.L.P.D., 11/11/05]

2005 - Waning Violence / France - November 11th, 2005: "President Jacques Chirac for the first time directly addressed the inequalities and discrimination that have fuled two weeks of rioting across France, saying Thursday [11/10/05] that the country has 'undeniable problems' in its poor neighborhoods. Violence continued to slow under state-of-emergency measures and heavy policing, with far fewer skirmishes and fewer cars burned. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Trivia / U.S. Trade Deficit - November 11th, 2005: "The U.S. trade deficit swelled to $66.1 billion in September, far surpassing the previous record and providing a stark reminder of America's dependence on foreign capital to fund its import bill. [....]" [Based on: Washington Post article, p. B1, S.L.P.D., 11/11/05]

*Trivia: "[....] The chorus of worry grew especially loud Thursday [11/10/05] after the Commerce Department reported that imports exceeded exports by $66 billion in September. That represented an 11 percent increase from August and was, by a considerable margin, the biggest monthly current-account deficit ever. [....]" [Based on: article (Try looking at trade deficit from another perspective) by David Nicklaus, p. B1, S.L.P.D., 11/11/05]

2005 - Female President? / Africa - November 11th, 2005: "A former finance minister and Harvard graduate claimed victory Thursday [11/10/05] in Liberia's presidential election, a win that, if certified, would make her the first elected female leader in Africa. With more than 90 percent of the ballots counted, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf had 59 percent of the vote and former international soccer star George Weah nearly 41 percent, the national Elections Commission said." [Based on: News Services]

2005 - Indicted / Phillip R. Bennett - November 11th, 2005: "The former chief executive of Refco Inc., one of the world's biggest commodities brokerages, was indicted Thursday [11/10/05] on charges that he conspired to commit securities fraud. Phillip R. Bennett was charged in the indictment in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on the same day British commodities broker Man Group PLC announced it had won a bidding war to acquire Refco for $282 million in cash. Refco filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 17, a week after it announced that a $430 million debt to the company owed by a firm controlled by the ousted chairman and chief executive had been concealed." [Based on: Business Page article, p. B2, S.L.P.D., 11/11/05]

2005 - Trivia / U.S. Defense Policy Bill - November 11th, 2005: "The Senate voted Thursday [11/10/05] to prohibit foreign terrorist suspects at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from filing lawsuits in American courts to challenge their detentions. A Supreme Court ruling last year had granted such access. In a 49-42 vote, senators added the provision by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to a sweeping defense policy bill. [....] The Senate hopes to complete work next week on the bill. It already includes provisions barring abusive treatment of foreign prisoners and standardizing interrogation techniques. [....] In 2004, the Supreme Court said the 500 or so prisoners held there could file habeas corpus petitions in U.S. courts to fight their detentions. Many of the prisoners were captured in Afghanistan and have been held at Guantanamo for several years without being charged. Since that ruling, prisoner lawsuits against the government have piled up. In a separate war matter, the Senate voted 82-9 to require National Intelligence Director John Negroponte to provide the Senate and House intelligence committees with details of any clandestine facilities where the United States holds or has held terrorism suspects. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A2, S.L.P.D., 11/11/05]

2005 - Third-Quarter Sales / Solutia Inc. - November 11th, 2005: "Chemical maker Solutia Inc. on Wednesday [11/09/05] reported nearly flat net sales in its third quarter compared to the year-ago period as demand for its products was stifled by the impact of hurricanes Rita and Katrina. The company is based in Town and Country [Mo.]. [....]" [Based on: Staff Reports, p. B3, S.L.P.D., 11/11/05]

2005 - FTC Subpoenas / U.S. Oil Companies - November 11th, 2005: "The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has subpoenaed oil companies in an investigation into possible price gouging after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Gasoline at the pump soared to more than $3 a gallon as the hurricanes shut down U.S. Gulf Coast refineries. The FTC began the investigation in September as to whether fuel refineries and retailers had tightened supplies to artificially inflate prices." [Based on: Business Page article, p. B2, S.L.P.D., 11/11/05]

2005 - Warns Pennsylvania Town / Pat Robertson - November 11th, 2005: "Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson warned residents of a rural Pennsylvania town Thursday [11/10/05] that disaster may strike there because they 'voted God out' by rejecting school board members who favored teaching 'intelligent design.' All eight Dover, Pa., school board members up for re-election lost Tuesday [11/08/05] after trying to introduce intelligent design as an alternative to the theory of evolution. Intelligent design holds the belief that the universe is so complex that it must have been created by a higher power. 'I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God. You just rejected him from your city,' Robertson said on the Christian Broadcasting Network's '700 Club.' Eight families sued the district, claiming the policy violates the constitutional separation of church and state. A federal trial ended days before Tuesday's vote; no ruling has been issued." [Based on: News Services article (Robertson warns town that 'voted God out'), p. A3, S.L.P.D., 11/11/05]

2005 - Appetite Suppressant Hormone / Obestatin - November 11th, 2005: "Scientists have discovered a biological brake for a hunger hormone: a competing hormone that seems to counter the urge to eat. The substance is named obestatin. So far, it has been tested in laboratory rats only. But if it pans out, the discovery of the dueling hormones could lead not just to a new appetite suppressant, but it could also help unravel the complex ways that the body regulates weight. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Mayor Michael Sessions / Hillsdale, Michigan - November 11th, 2005: "Michigan town [Hillsdale] elects high schooler [Michael Sessions ] its youngest mayor ever. [....] He had saved $700 from his summer job to buy yard signs and business cards. That was his campaign. That, and the knocking on doors. [....]" [Based on: Detroit Free Press article, p. A14, S.L.P.D., 11/11/05]

2005 - F-2 Tornadoes / Iowa - November 14th, 2005: "[....] Stratford and Woodward, 30 miles to the south, were the hardest hit by the tornadoes that swept through central Iowa on Saturday afternoon [11/12/05]. The governor declared Hamilton and Dallas counties, north and west of Des Moines, disaster areas, making them eligible for state assistance. As many as 30 homes in Stratford were destroyed, and at least 40 in Woodward were severly damaged, officials said. Authorities said they believed all residents were accounted for. [....] National Weather Service meteorologist Karl Jungbluth said the tornadoes that struck Woodward and Stratford were both being classified as F-2 on the Fujita scale, which measures the strength of a tornado up to F-5, the strongest. Both towns were hit with winds that approached 150 mph." [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - Foreign Relations / Syria & Iraq - November 12th, 2005: "The Iraqi prime minister demanded Friday [11/11/05] that Syria do more to keep foreign fighters from crossing into western Iraq. Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said it was 'no secret' that foreign fighters were entering Iraq from Syria. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article (Iraq presses Syria on border crossings), p. A27, S.L.P.D., 11/12/05]

2005 - Security Breach / U.S. Credit Bureaus - November 12th, 2004: "A desktop computer stolen last month from one of the nation's three major credit bureaus contained Social Security numbers and other credit information for as many as 3,600 people, the company confirmed Friday [11/11/05]. TransUnion LLC, which along with Equifax Inc. and Experian Information Solutions checks consumers' credit on behalf of banks and other lenders, acknowledged the security breach. [....]" [Based on: Business Page article (3,600 have data stolen), p. A30, S.L.P.D., 11/12/05]

2005 - Veterans Day Speech / President George W. Bush - November 12th, 2005: "In a Veterans Day speech in Pennsylvania [11/11/05], the president mounted a defense against Democratic accusations that he manipulated prewar intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Making repeated references to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he reiterated his claim that Iraq has become the 'central front' in the fight against terrorism. [....]" [Based on: Front Page article (Bush on attack against Iraq critics), p. A1, S.L.P.D., 11/12/05]

*Trivia: "In a Veterans Day speech in Pennsylvania, President George W. Bush said this about criticism of the war in Iraq: 'While it is perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began.' Then the president promptly rewrote history. Mr. Bush's version goes like this: Before the war, Democrats in Congress and allied intelligence agencies agreed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction; after the war, bipartisan inquiries concluded the administration did not misrepresent that intelligence. Mr. Bush must be counting on short memories because both claims are inaccurate. [....] While it is true that the Senate found no evidence of the administration pressuring intelligence agencies to change their conclusions, it put off the related question of whether the administration distorted those conclusions. This was the so-called Phase 2 inquiry on which the White House and Senate Republicans have dragged their feet. [....] Mr Bush's speech and his well-timed use of servicemen and women as props amounted to a transparent attempt to play the patriotism card to silence critics of the war. Supporting the troops and opposing the war are not mutually exclusive. It is the hight of patriotism to insist that the president tell the truth to the American people and that the nation learn from past mistakes." [Based on: Opinion Page article (It's patriotic to ask questions), p. B8, S.L.P.D., 11/15/05]   

2005 - Settlement / Boeing Co. - November 13th, 2005: "Thousands of female employees involved in a gender discrimination lawsuit against Boeing Co. will be sharing in a $72.5 million settlement in the next few weeks. [....] Boeing admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to change its hiring pay, promotion and complaint investigation practices." [Based on: News Services]

2005 - Summit Failure / Middle East - November 13th, 2005: "A U.S.-backed summit meant to promote political freedom and economic change in the Middle East ended Saturday [11/12/05] without agreement, a blow to President George W. Bush's goals for the troubled region. A draft declaration on democratic and economic principle was shelved after Egypt insisted on language that would have given Arab governments greater control over which democracy groups receive money from a new fund. [....]" [Based on: A.P.]

2005 - U.S. Senate Vote / Detainees' Rights - November 13th, 2005: "For almost eight centuries, the 'great writ' of habeas corpus has been a bedrock principle of English and American law, from the Magna Carta to today's jails and courts. It's the means for a prisoner to contest his imprisonment before a judge. That's one reason legal experts were stunned when the Senate, after an hour of debate, voted Thursday [11/10/05] to overturn the Supreme Court's extension of habeas corpus protetion to 500-plus detainees at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. [....] The provision would reverse a 2004 Supreme Court decision that held that the detainees have the right to sue. Since then, almost 300 detainees have filed petitions in U.S. district court in Washington. [....] In an interview Thursday after the 49-42 vote, Graham [Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.] said his proposal was intended 'to correct the balance' in how terror suspects should be treated - as enemy combatants, not as potential criminal defendants. He said the action was needed because Congress' failure to set legal procedures for dealing with the detainees had forced the courts to step in. [....] Many legal experts said the reach of Graham's proposal was breathtaking. [....] Opponents are scrambling to overturn the Senate vote. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., is planning an amendment that would remove the habeas corpus provision from Graham's proposal, and the Senate may take that up Monday [11/14/05]. [....]" [Based on: Knight Ridder newspapers article, p. A2, S.L.P.D., 11/13/05]

2005 - Rounding the Sun / Sunspot NOAA 822 - November 13th, 2005: "Finally, a sunspot! After a month of low solar activity and few 'spots, a large active region is rounding the sun's eastern limb. Larry Alvarez of Flower Mound, Texas, snapped this picture [see link] of it flaring on Nov. 13th: [....] The name of the sunspot is NOAA 822, and it is crackling with M-class solar flares. So far the explosions have not been Earth-directed, but that could change later this week as the sun turns the 'spot to face our planet. Stay tuned."

[Based on: http://spaceweather.com/] - [11/14/05]

2005 - Strong Earthquake / Seram, Indonesia - November 13th, 2005: "A strong earthquake occurred at 10:25:01 (UTC) on Sunday, November 13, 2005. The magnitude 6.2 event has been located in SERAM, INDONESIA. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)"

[Based on: preliminary earthquake report @: http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/usfjag.htm]

2005 - National Homelessness & Hunger Awareness Week / U.S.A. - November 13th-19th, 2005: "The week of November 13-19 was National Homelessness and Hunger awareness week. Held annually during the week before Thanksgiving, it gives us pause to contemplate where our priorities are. [....]" [Based on: Other Views page article, p. C23, S.L.P.D., 11/24/05]

2005 - Major Earthquake / Honshu, Japan - November 14th, 2005: "A major earthquake occurred at 21:38:51 (UTC) on Monday, November 14, 2005. The magnitude 7.0 event has been located OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)"

[Based on: Preliminary earthquake report @: http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/usfkbr.htm]

2005 - Profit Trivia / Wal-Mart Stores Inc. - November 15th, 2005: "Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reported the smallest profit gain in four years after hurricanes shut stores and soaring energy prices crimped consumer spending. Lowe's Cos. said profit surged on a rise in home renovations. [....] Profit at Wal-Mart was cut by $40 million in expenses after hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma closed 10 stores. [....]" [Based on: Bloomberg News]

2005 - Paycuts / Northwest Airlines Pilots - November 15th, 2005: "Northwest Airlines Corp. pilots ratified a temporary pay-cut deal on Monday [11/14/05] that gives the nation's fourth-largest airline some of what it wants while negotiations continue on permanent concessions. The deal will slash hourly pay by 23.9 percent, saving Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September, $215 million per year." [Based on: Business Page article, p. C2, S.L.P.D., 11/15/05]

2005 - Strong Earthquake / Honshu, Japan - November 15th, 2005: "A strong earthquake occurred at 20:20:45 (UTC) on Tuesday, November 15, 2005. The magnitude 6.1 event has been located OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)"

[Based on: Preliminary earthquake report @: http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/usflbh.htm]

2005 - U.S. & Iraqi Offensive / Obeidi, Iraq - November 15th, 2005: "U.S. and Iraqi troops launched a fresh attack Monday [11/14/05] against an insurgent stronghold near the Syrian border despite calls by Sunni Arab leaders to halt such operations to encourage a big turnout in next month's election. The U.S. command said about 50 insurgents were killed. Two U.S. Marines were killed and at least seven were wounded in the fighting in the border town of Obeidi, according to a New York Times reporter who is embedded with the Marines. A Marine spokesman told The Associated Press that he cannot report casualties until 24 hours after they occur. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, p. A9, S.L.P.D., 11/15/05]

2005 - FDA Rejection / Morning-After Pill, Over-The-Counter - November 15th, 2005: "Federal health officials took unusual steps in rejecting nonprescription sales of emergency contraception, congressional investigators say. Some documents suggest that the decision was made even before scientists had finished reviewing the evidence. The independent audit is the work of the Government Accountability Office and was made public Monday [11/14/05]. It says the Food and Drug Administration's rejection in May 2004 of the morning-after pill deviated from 10 years of agency practice in moving prescription drugs to over-the-counter. [....] By law, the FDA is supposed to base decisions on science, not on politics or industry pressure. Top-ranking FDA officials have acknowledged that they overruled their own scientists' decision that nonprescription sales of emergency birth control would be safe." [Based on: A.P. article (FDA broke with practice in rejecting pill, audit says), p. A3, S.L.P.D, 11/15/05]

2005 - Status / Sunspot 822 - November 16th, 2005: "Sunspot 822 is enormous. From end to end it stretches some 140,000 km, about the diameter of Jupiter. Yesterday, Mila Zinkova of San Francisco photographed the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean. Among the sea gulls is sunspot 822; it's the one without the wings [see link]: [....] Sunspot 822 is crackling with M-class solar flares. So far the explosions have not affected Earth, but this could change in the days ahead. The sunspot is turning to face our planet, increasing the chances of an Earth-directed eruption. Stay tuned."

[Based on: http://spaceweather.com/] - [11/16/05]

2005 - New Test? / Alzheimer's Disease - November 16th, 2005: "Alzheimer's disease starts years or even decades before symptoms begin. Now scientists at Washington University [Mo.] and the University of Pittsburgh say they can see evidence of the disease in the brains and spinal fluid in people in the early stages of dementia and in a few people who don't yet have memory problems. Anne M. Fagan Niven, a researcher at Washington University, presented the results of the universities' joint study Tuesday [11/15/05] at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. [....] Fagan and her colleauges examined two dozen people, including some in the early stages of dementia and some with no symptoms of disease. The researchers drew fluid from the volunteers' spinal columns and probed the fluid to determine the levels of a protein called Amyloid-beta 42, which is also known as A-beta 42. The protein builds up in brains of people with Alzheimer's disease and forms plaques. The plaques kill brain cells, producing memory loss and other symptoms of the disease. In people without Alzheimer's disease, the protein is made in the brain, gets dumped into the spinal fluid and is finally flushed into the blood for disposal. But when the protein begins to build up in the brain, more A-beta gets absorbed into plaques leaving less to reach the spinal fluid, Fagan said. She and her colleagues found that people with symptoms of Alzheimer's disease had low levels of the A-beta 42 protein in their spinal fluid. [....] As expected, Fagan found that the people with dementia and low levels of the protein in spinal fluid also had A-beta 42 plaques in their brains. But three people who didn't show any symptoms of Alzheimer's disease also had low A-Beta 42 levels in their spinal fluid and plaques in their brains. The researchers are tracking the volunteers to find out whether they will eventually develop the disease. Fagan cautioned that the only definitive test for Alzheimer's disease is still a brain autopsy. The test will likely undergo many revisions and improvements but could be useful for diagnosing or ruling out Alzheimer's disease and screening people at risk of the disease once drugs to treat it are available." [Based on: Article by Tina Hesman (New test may detect Alzheimer's before it shows), p. A9, S.L.P.D., 11/16/05]

2005 - CIA Leak Case Trivia / Bob Woodward - November 16th, 2005: "Washington Post Assistant Managing Editor Bob Woodward testified under oath Monday [11/14/05] in the CIA leak case that a senior administration official told him about CIA operative Valerie Plame and her position at the agency nearly a month before her identity was disclosed. Woodward told Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald that the official casually told him in mid June 2003 that Plame worked as a CIA analyst on weapons of mass destruction, and that he did not believe the information to be classified or sensitive, according to a statement Woodward released Tuesday [11/15/05]. Citing a confidentiality agreement in which the source freed Woodward to testify but would not allow him to discuss their conversations publicly, Woodward and Post editors refused to disclose the official's name or give details about the testimony." [Based on: Staff Reports & News Services article (Bob Woodward testifies in CIA leak case), p. A4, S.L.P.D., 11/16/05]

*Trivia: "[....] When Woodward learned Plame's name, he told The Associated Press Wednesday [11/16/05], he was in the middle of finishing a book about the administration's decision to go to war in Iraq, and didn't want to be subpoenaed to testify. [....] Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, in announcing the charges, portrayed Libby as the first high-level government official to reveal Plame's identity to reporters in summer 2003. Legal experts said Wednesday [11/16/05] the disclosure that Woodward had a source - who was not Libby - could be used by Libby's lawyers to bolster their claim that Plame's identity was common knowledge among government officials and reporters. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article (Watergate reporter's version could help defense, attorneys say.), p. A2, S.L.P.D., 11/17/05]

2005 - State of Emergency Extension / France - November 16th, 2005: "France's lower house of parliament voted Tuesday [11/15/05] to extend a state of emergency for three months, after the government said the extra powers are still needed to end the country's worst civil unrest in four decades. [....]" [Based on: News Services]

2005 - Doctor's Settlement / Tenet Healthcare Corp. - November 16th, 2005: "Four doctors who worked at a hospital formerly owned by Tenet Healthcare Corp. agreed to pay $27.1 million to settle a federal investigation into claims they performed unnecessary procedures at the company's Redding Medical Center in California. Tenet also agreed to pay another $5.5 million to settle claims against the company, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott in Sacramento, Calif, said Tuesday [11/15/05]. Dallas-based Tenet had previously agreed to pay $54 million in August 2003 to settle government civil claims in the case." [Based on: Business Page article (4 doctors will pay $27 million in Tenet deal), p. C2, S.L.P.D., 11/16/05]

2005 - Manipulation - November 17th, 2005:

"I did not manipulate intelligence on Iraq." "I am not a crook." "We do not torture." "I did not have sex with that woman."
   When are presidents going to learn that denial means they've already lost the battle in the public's mind? The more they return to the theme, the more they seem like a criminal who returns to the scene of a crime.
   In fact, he did have sex with that woman, we do torture (at Abu Ghraib), and he was a crook. Draw your own conclusions about pre-war intelligence in Iraq.

[Based on: Opinion Page article by Christine Feely, p. C16, S.L.P.D., 11/17/05]

2005 - Leonids Meteor Shower - November 17th, 2005: "The most famous of all meteor showers, the Leonids, peaks this year on Nov. 17th. A few years ago, the Leonids were storming, filling the skies with bright meteors. But not this year. The 2005 Leonids are expected to be few (less than 20 per hour) and hard to see because of the glaring full Moon. This doesn't mean you shouldn't watch the shower; just don't expect a strong display."

[Based on: http://spaceweather.com/] - [11/10/05]

2005 - Bird Flu / Mainland China - November 17th, 2005: "China reported its first human cases of bird flu on the mainland Wednesday [11/16/05], as health workers armed with vaccine and disinfectant raced to inoculate billions of chickens and other poultry in a massive campaign to contain the virus. [....]" [Based on: