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Jan.-April / May-June / July-August / Sept.-Dec. 2004

   "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

September 2004

2004 - Flooding / Virginia - September 1st, 2004: "RICHMOND, Va. - "An area of about 20 blocks of downtown Richmond was roped off and was declared uninhabitable Tuesday [08/31/04] after the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston flooded the city and other parts of central Virginia with a foot or more of rain. At least five people were killed." [By Larry O'Dell, A.P.]

2004 - Trivia / World Debt - "The Masonic bankers during the last 25 years have lent money to the governments of the industrial nations, which find it harder and harder to repay their enormous debt. The private sector has become exactly that much richer. This monetary power has enough money to stop any intransigent politicians. Popularly elected politicians no longer have any means of conducting the policies they wish. They cannot take back their power until the debts are paid. For every dollar borrowed, the politicians relinquish more power. The developing countries are in much worse situation. They are not even able to pay interest on their loans.
   "During 1982-1990 the banks of the industrial nations received $1,345 trillion in interest and annuity from these poor countries." [Juri Lina, The Barnes Review, September/October 2004, p. 13]

2004 - Economic Slavery? - "Interest charges are always included in today's prices, which makes all goods and services very expensive and leaves very little money in the wallet. The economic historian John King has pointed out that because of interest, businesses must constantly raise their prices. This is camouflaged as inflation. He recommended abolishing interest as soon as possible, so as to avoid economic catastrophe. Everyone must now help pay interest. It is included in all prices—about 77 percent of rental rates, for instance. Taxes and other fees and imposts add up. Thus we have become slaves of the bankers. All goods would be only half as expensive without interest payments.
   "According to the Swedish historian Herman Lindqvist, the Freemasons decided in the 1810s that wages should be fixed at the poverty level. Such an attitude shows an enormous contempt for ordinary people. Between the years 1860 and 1910 almost a million Swedes left for America in connection with several years of famine, poverty and difficulties in providing for themselves." [Juri Lina, The Barnes Review, September/October 2004, p. 13]

2004 - Mass Slaying / Iraq - September 1st, 2004: BAGHDAD, Iraq - "A gruesome video posted Tuesday [08/31/04] on a Web site purported to show Iraqi militants beheading a Nepalese worker and shooting 11 others in the first mass slaying of foreign hostages during the Iraqi insurgency." [By Ravi Nessman, A.P.]

2004 - Tariffs on U.S. Goods - September 1st, 2004: "GENEVA - The European Union, Japan, Brazil and five other countries won World Trade Organization approval to impose tariffs worth more than $ 150 million a year on U.S. imports after Congress failed to end a corporate subsidy." [By Warren Giles, Bloomberg News]

2004 - Suicide Bombers / Israel - September 1st, 2004: "BEERSHEBA, Israel - Palestinian suicide bombers blew up two buses in this Israeli desert city [Beersheba] Tuesday [08/31/04], killing 16 passengers and wounding more than 80." [By Steve Gutkin, A.P.]

2004 - Suicide Bomber / Russia - September 1st, 2004: "MOSCOW - A woman strapped with explosives blew herself up outside a busy Moscow subway station Tuesday night [08/31/04], killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 50 in the second terrorist attack to hit Russia in a week." [A.P.]

2004 - Volcanic Eruption / Japan - September 1st, 2004: "In its biggest eruption in 21 years, on September 1st, Mt. Asama poured molten rock, ash and smoke down its slopes. No injuries have been reported. Mount Asama is near the popular mountain resort town of Karuizawa and about 30 miles southeast of Nagano, site of the 1998 Winter Olympics. Its last major eruption was in 1783." [Based on: News Services, 09/18/04]

2004 - Hostage Release / Iraq - September 2nd, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Militants released seven foreign hostages Wednesday [09/01/04] after their employer [Kuwait & Gulf Link Transport Co.] paid $500.000 ransom. At the same time, France mustered support from Muslims at home and abroad to push for the release of two French journalists still held captive in Iraq." [By Ravi Nessman, A.P.]

2004 - Trial Delayed / Enron Corp. - September 2nd, 2004: "A federal judge in Houston agreed Wednesday [09/01/04] to delay until next year the trial of five former executives from Enron Corp.'s defunct broadband unit." [Compiled from: A.P., Bloomberg News, & St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

2004 - Birth of Panda Twins / Hua Mei - September 2nd, 2004: "San Diego's native-born panda, Hua Mei, gave birth to twins Wednesday [09/01/04] less than a year after she was sent into a Chinese breeding program." [From Staff & Wire Reports, S.L.P.D.]

2004 - Hurricane Evacuation / Florida - September 2nd, 2004: "MIAMI - Nearly a half-million people were ordered to evacuate as Hurricane Frances swirled toward Florida on Wednesday [09/01/04], just weeks after Charley's devestating visit, threatening to deliver the most powerful one-two punch to hit a state in at least a century." [By John Pain, A.P.]

2004 -  President Martin Torrijos / Panama - September 2nd, 2004: "Martin Torrijos, son of the late dictator Omar Torrijos, took office as Panama's president Wednesday [09/01/04]." [News Services]

2004 - Foreign Relations / Israel & Syria - September 2nd, 2004: "JERUSALEM - Israeli leaders warned Syria on Wednesday [09/01/04] that it bears the blame for a double suicide bombing by Hamas fighters because it harbors the group's leadership, and they hinted at possible retaliation." [A.P.]

2004 - Hostage Standoff / Russian School - September 2nd, 2004: "BESLAN, Russia - Heavily armed guerrillas, some wearing explosive belts, stormed into a school Wednesday [09/01/04] morning in southern Russia near the separatist region of Chechnya and took several hundred [actually, about 1,181] students, teachers and parents hostage after a deadly shootout." [By Peter Baker & Susan B. Glasser, Washington Post]

2004 - Investigation / Pro-Israeli Lobbists - September 2nd, 2004: "WASHINGTON - Investigators are focusing on two employees of the main pro-Israeli lobbying group into an inquiry into whether a pentagon analyst provided them with secret U.S. material on Iran that they funded to Israel. The two employees of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee are Steven Rosen, director of foreign policy issues, and Keith Weissman, an Iran expert, said Nathan Lewin, an attorney for the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee." [A.P.]

2004 - Status / Migrant Social Security Benefits, U.S.A. - September 2nd, 2004: "If some members of Congress have their way, undocumented migrants would be barred from seeking to reclaim the billions of dollars they paid into Social Security. Instead, the money would go to pay for the retirements of U.S. citizens. Neither the migrants nor the Mexican government appears to be fighting the issue, despite what's at stake: A little-known Social Security account called the 'earnings suspense file,' which grows by about $6 billion a year and now stands at about $376 billion."

*Commentary: "And how do we know, how can we really be absolutely sure, that Social Security will be available in the coming years? for anybody? What, with the cost of making war and all, how can we really be sure that there will be anything left? How can we even know for sure there will be a planet left? By trusting that corporations are looking out for the peoples best interests?" [E.M.]

2004 - Psychic Flap / RCGA - September 3rd, 2004: "Questions about the role of a consultant [David Z. Levin] who claimed psychic powers could harm a major fund raising effort by the St. Louis Research Chamber and Growth Association, some officials say." [By Eric Heisler, St Louis Post-Dispatch]

2004 - Hidden Tomb / Egyptian Sphinx - September 3rd, 2004: "Egypt's antiquities chief revealed on Thursday [09/02/04] a 2,500-year-old hidden tomb under the shadow of one of Giza's three giant pyramids. The tomb contains 400 pinkie-finger-sized statues and six coffin-sized niches carved into granite rock." [News Services]

2004 - Hostage Siege / Russia - September 4th, 2004: "BESLAN, Russia - The three-day hostage siege at an elementary school in southern Russia ended in chaos and bloodshed Friday [09/03/04]. Witnesses said Chechen militants set off bombs before Russian commandos stormed the building. Hostages, many of them children who were half naked and covered in blood, fled in terror. Officials estimated the death toll at more than 200. Some of the terrorists escaped into the city. Early today [09/04/04], 531 people remained hospitalized, including 283 children, health officials said." [By Mike Eckel, A.P.]

*Trivia: "Officials reported more than 340 dead and about 700 wounded by late Saturday [09/04/04]." [Washington Post]

*Trivia: "The three-day seige in Beslan in Russia's North Ossetia region ended in chaos that left 330 people dead, including 171 children, Ustinov [Vladimir Ustinov] said." [News Services, 09/15/04]

*Trivia: "Teachers from the southern Russian school that was the scene of a deadly siege by armed militants have counted 1,326 people who were held hostage - a tally higher than official figures to date, a Russian newspaper reported Saturday [09/18/04]." [News Services, 09/19/04]

2004 - Hospitalization / Bill Clinton - September 4th, 2004: "NEW YORK - Former President Bill Clinton was hospitalized with chest pains and shortness of breath Friday [09/03/04] and will undergo heart bypass surgery next week." [A.P.]

2004 - Record Medicare Increase / U.S.A. - September 4th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - Medicare premiums for doctor visits will rise 17 percent next year, the federal government said Friday [09/03/04]. The increase of $11.60 a month is the largest in the program's 40-year history." [A.P.]

2004 - President Emile Lahoud / Lebanon - September 4th, 2004: "Lebanon's parliament amended the country's constitution  Friday [09/03/04] to extend pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud's term, ignoring U.S. calls to hold an election to choose the head of state." [News Services]

2004 - Hurricane Frances / Bahamas, Florida - "Hurricane date(s): September 5th-6th, 2004. Number of recorded deaths: 35." [Based on: The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2005, p. 207]

*Trivia: "Massive Hurricane Frances trudged ashore with 115 mph wind and pelting rain late Saturday [09/04/04], knocking out power to 2 million people and forcing Floridians to endure a frightening night amid roaring gales that shredded roots and uprooted trees." [Based on: Allen G. Breed, A.P.]

*Trivia: "Hurricane Frances made landfall at Sewall's Point near Stuart, Florida on September 5th, 2004. Wind speed: 105 mph; Storm surge: 4-6 feet; Damage: $6.8 billion." [Based on: A.P., 09/27/04]

*Trivia: "Hurricane Frances killed 23 people in Florida and wiped out up to half of Georgia's pecan crop. [....] Florida citrus growers lost about half of their grapefruit crop during Frances." [Based on: A.P., 09/28/04]

2004 - Health Concern / South Bass Island, Ohio - "State health officials have interviewed 1,377 people who have come down  with chills, fever, diarrhea and vomiting since early June [2004] after visiting South Bass Island, which is about halfway between Toledo and Cleveland. [....] At least 43 private wells have tested positive for coliform bacteria, which could signal the presence of other harmful bacteria. Investigators suspect that this could mean that there is widespread groundwater contamination." [A.P.]

2004 - Health Status / Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine - September 5th, 2004: "Ukranian reformist candidate Viktor Yushchenko fell ill after having dinner with Ukranian Security Service chief Ihor Smeshko and his deputy Volodymyr Satsyuk on Sept. 5 [2004]." [A.P., 12/16/04]

*Trivia: "New tests reveal Ukranian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko's blood contains the second-highest level of dioxin poisoning ever recorded in a human - more than 6,000 times the normal concentration, according to the expert analyzing the samples. [....]" [Based on: Emma Ross, A.P., 12/16/04]

2004 - Earthquakes / Japan - September 6th, 2004: "Two strong earthquakes, one magnitude 6.9 and the second magnitude 7.3, rattled western Japan on Sunday night [09/05/04], injuring 14 people, shaking buildings in Tokyo and triggering tsunamis." [News Services]

2004 - Bush Blunder - September 6th, 2004: "While speaking in Poplar Bluff, Missouri on Labor Day, Reuters reports that Bush offered an unexpected reason for cracking down on frivolous medical lawsuits: 'We've got an issue in America. Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many Ob-Gyns aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country.' President Bush didn't even pause or acknowledge his error and dove right into the final part of his argument against Edwards calling him a 'pro-trial lawyer,' saying, 'I think you've got to make a choice. My opponent made his choice, and he put him on the ticket. I made my choice. I'm for medical liability reform now.' "

2004 - Israeli Assault / Gaza - September 7th, 2004: "GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli helicopters attacked a Hamas training field early today [09/07/04], killing at least 13 Palestinians and wounding 25 in the bloodiest strike in Gaza in months, officials from both sides said." [A.P.]

2004 - Typhoon Songda / Japan - September 7th, 2004: "A powerful typhoon in southern Japan caused landslides and floods, left tens of thousands without power, and injured at least 23 people [09/06/04]. [....] As much as 24 inches of rain were expected today [09/07/04] in parts of Kyushu." [News services]

2004 - Fatality / Israeli Spy Satellite - September 7th, 2004: "An Israeli spy satellite plunged into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after launch Monday [09/06/04]." [News Services]

2004 - Toughened Rules / Internet Porn, China - September 7th, 2004: "Chinese makers and distributors of pornographic materials sent through the Internet, mobile phones and other communication devices will face penalities as severe as life in prison under new rules." [News Services]

2004 - Hurricane Ivan / Barbados, Greneda, Jamaica, Cuba, U.S. Gulf Coast - "Hurricane date(s): September 7th-16th, 2004. Number of recorded deaths: 115." [Based on: The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2005, p. 207]

2004 - Trivia / U.S. Pensions - September 8th, 2004: "CHICAGO - Retirees and older workers who've toiled for their companies for decades long have viewed their pensions as money in the bank, even before the checks arrived. Now, some are beginning to wonder just how secure their pensions really are. [....] And with 81 percent of corporate benefit plans underfunded, according to Wilshire Associates Inc., workers increasingly are uneasy." [By David Carpenter, A.P.]

2004 - Floods & Landslides / China - September 8th, 2004: "Floods and landslides triggered by torrential summer rains have killed at least 143 people and left dozens missing in southwestern China, officials and state television reported Tuesday [09/07/04]." [News Services]

2004 - Anti-American Attacks / Iraq - September 8th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Sunni Muslim insurgents and Shiite Muslim militimen mounted attacks on U.S. soldiers in the Baghdad area Monday [09/06/04], Tuesday [09/07/04] and today [09/08/04] that raised the U.S. military's three-day death toll to 15 and illustrated the dangers that continue to confront American forces in the Iraqi capital." [By Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post]

2004 - Hurricane Ivan / Grenada - September 9th, 2004: "ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada - The most powerful hurricane [Ivan] to hit the caribbean in nearly a decade killed at least 12 people in Grenada, damaged 90 percent of its homes and destroyed a prison that left criminals running loose, officials said Wednesday [09/08/04]. [....] Ivan is expected to reach Jamaica by Friday or Saturday and then aim for Cuba, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said." [A.P.]

2004 - Crash Landing / Genesis Capsule - September 9th, 2004: "DUGWAY, Utah - Parachutes failed to open as NASA's Genesis space capsule plunged back to Earth Wednesday [09/08/04], causing it to take a tragic tumble from the heavens and bury itself in the desert sands of western Utah, perhaps seriously damaging precious cargo revealing the origins of the solar system." [By Guy Gugliotta, Washington Post]

2004 - Videotape / Ayman al-Zawahri? - September 9th, 2004: "In a videotape broadcast by Al-Jazeera, al-Zawahri says the United States will ultimately be defeated in Iraq and Afghanistan." [A.P., 10/30/04]

2004 - Israeli Terror Warning / Sinai Peninsula - September 9th, 2004: "... The Israeli government urged citizens not to visit Egypt, citing a 'concrete' terror threat to tourists in an area. The warning, issued Sept. 9 by the counterterrorism center in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office, identified the Sinai Peninsula as the target of a potential attack." [Alexander Zavis, A.P., 10/08/04]

2004 - Tribute / Ahmad Shah Massood, Afghanistan - September 9th, 2004: "About 20,000 Afghans paid tribute Wednesday [09/09/04] to slain anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massood, packing a stadium in Kabul ringed with security personnel to guard against attacks by still-active Islamic militia. At the ceremony, Afghan leaders eulogized 'The Lion of Panjshir,' fabled for his defiance of occupying Soviet forces in the 1980's, and later the Taliban. He was killed by suspected al-Qaida suicide attackers two days before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in the United States." [News Services]

2004 - Evacuation / Florida Keys - September 10th, 2004: "KEY LARGO, Fla. - Tourists and residents throughout the Florida Keys were sent packing Thursday [09/09/04] to avoid the wrath of Hurricane Ivan, even as millions of disaster-stricken residents struggled to pick up the pieces from Hurricane Frances and Charley." [By Hilary Roxe, A.P.]

2004 - Suspicious Letters / U.S. Governors - September 10th, 2004: "HELENA, Mont. - At least five Western and Midwestern governors [Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, Washington, and Utah] received envelopes in the mail Thursday [09/09/04] rigged to ignite when opened. [....] All were postmarked from the Ely State prison in Ely, Nev., officials said." [By Robert H. Reid, A.P.]

*Trivia: "The number of letters sent to governors and rigged to ignite as of 09/15/04 amounted to at least twenty." [E.M.]

2004 - Five Million Tires / U.S.-Mexican Border - September 10th, 2004: "CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - With 5 million discarded tires littering the background, the United states and Mexico announced an accord Thursday [09/09/04] to clean up the mountains of rusty cars, smashed school buses and rotting rubber that are a blight on the border. Environmental officials from both countries said the first step of the massive cleanup would be to start burning the tires for fuel in cement factories." [A.P.]

2004 - Car Bomb / Australian Embassy, Indonesia - September 10th, 2004: "JAKARTA, Indonesia - Suspected Muslim militants detonated a car bomb Thursday [09/09/04] outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, killing nine people and wounding 173 in a bloody strike at a key U.S. ally in the war in Iraq." [By Chris Brummit, A.P.]

2004 - Religious Forum / John Danforth - September 13th, 2004: "John Danforth, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a former senator from Missouri, says he is actively trying to create a new forum for leaders of the world's faiths to involve themselves in resolving the conflicts in a world of terrorism." [News Services]

2004 - 2nd Bankruptcy / US Airways - September 13th, 2004: "ARLINGTON, Va. - US Airways Group Inc., the nation's seventh-largest airline, filed for bankruptcy protection Sunday [09/12/04] for the second time in two years." [A.P.]

2004 - "Grave Incitement" / Israel - September 13th, 2004: "Tens of thousands of Jewish settlers and their backers demonstrated in Jerusalem on Sunday [09/12/04] against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to evacuate all settlements from Gaza and four West Bank enclaves. [....] At a cabinet meeting Sunday morning, Sharon warned of statements of 'grave incitement' that were 'directing toward a civil war.' In 1995, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by an ultra-nationalist Jew opposed to Rabin's policy favoring territorial concessions to the Palestinians in exchange for peace. Some Israeli commentators have compared the current atmosphere to the vitriolic period preceding Rabin's death." [News Services]

*Trivia: "More than 100,000 Israelis rallied Saturday [05/15/04] night in favor of a pullout from the Gaza Strip, a massive show of strength by the long-dormant opposition movement. [....] Demonstrators packed Tel Aviv's Rabin Square, where Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was killed in 1995 by a Jewish extremist opposed to peace efforts. Israeli media estimated the crowd at up to 150,000 people, one of the largest rallies by Israel's so-called peace camp since Rabin's death. [....] Members of Sharon's Likud Party recently vetoed the pullout plan, although polls have shown a solid majority of Israelis favor the proposal." [A.P., 05/16/04]

2004 - Why Jews Should Vote Republican - September 13th, 2004: "If it's an election year, it must be time for my quadrennial column urging Jews to vote Republican. Though I feel a bit like Sisyphus, I'll try not to be a sourpuss.
   "Here are some of the questions I usually get on this subject:

[....]

* Republicans support Israel only because they think it portends the Second Coming of Jesus.

   "I don't think this is true, but even if it were, what's the problem? Republicans support Israel for many reasons. They sympathize with Israel's predicament as a tiny outpost of enlightenment and liberty amid a raging sea of fanaticism and backwardness. They appreciate Israel's loyalty to the United States. Democrats, by contrast, tend to see Israel as the oppressor of the Palestinians - 'a people of color,' in the argot of the left - and therefore as unworthy of support. [....] Finally, Israel has had no better friend in the White House than President George W. Bush. It would be a well-deserved expression of appreciation if Jewish votes provided the margin of victory for this best of all friends to Israel." [Based on: Mona Charon, Copyright Creators Syndicate, 09/13/2004]

2004 - Need For Transparency / U.S. Govt. Contracts - September 13th, 2004: "Given the increased government buying fueled by the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq, there is a need for transparency. Early unofficial estimates have federal contractors taking home a total approaching $400 billion in 2004, up from $250 billion in 2002. Last year alone, Halliburton saw its Pentagon contracts rise from $468 million to $3.92 billion, elevating it to seventh-largest defense contractor from 37th." [Scott Amey, General Counsel for Project on Government Oversight; Copyright: Project on Government Oversight]

2004 - Mad Cow / Japan - September 14th, 2004: "Japan has confirmed a new case of mad cow disease, the third discovery of the brain-wasting illness in the country this year, an official said Monday [09/13/04]." [News Services]

2004 - Status / HIV/AIDS - September 14th, 2004: "Young people are at grave risk for HIV. Fully one-half of the new HIV infections in the United States are occuring in people under age 25. One-third of the 37.8 million people living with HIV worldwide today are under 25, and people under 25 account for half of the new infections occuring in the world." [Thomas J. Coates, Special to the Baltimore Sun]

2004 - Fallout / WTC Cleanup - September 14th, 2004: "NEW YORK - Hundreds of people who worked on the World Trade Center cleanup have filed a class-action suit against the leaseholder of the towers and those who supervised the job, alleging they did little to protect workers from dust, asbestos, and other toxins in the air. [....] Andrew Schneider of the Post-Dispatch [St. Louis] reported in February 2002 that the U.S. Geological Survey team found that some of the dust at ground zero was as caustic as liquid drain cleaner and alerted all government agencies involved in the emergency response." [A.P.]

2004 - Depression-Causing Antidepressants? - September 14th, 2004: "BETHESDA, Md. - Top Food and Drug Administration officials said publicly for the first time Monday [09/13/04] that scientific trials of frequently prescribed antidepressants [Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Serzone, and Remeron] have powerfully demonstrated that children that took the medications faced an increased risk of suicide. [....] Concerns about a possible link between the drugs and suicide were raised in the media and by some psychiatrists in 1990." [Based on: Elizabeth Shogren, Los Angeles Times]

2004 - 1st Implantable Lens / Nearsightedness - September 14th, 2004: "The first implantable lens for nearsightedness was approved Monday [09/13/04] by the Food and Drug Administration [U.S.A.]." [A.P.]

2004 - Closed / Eiffel Tower - September 15th, 2004: "The Eiffel Tower was closed Wednesday [09/15/04] because of a strike by employees. It was reopened when the strike ended Thursday [09/16/04]."

2004 - Insurgent Attacks / Iraq - September 15th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents bombed a Baghdad shopping street full of police recruits and fired on a police van north of the capital Tuesday [09/14/04] in two attacks that killed at least 59 people." [Washington Post]

2004 - Status / U.S. Casualties, Iraq - September 15th, 2004: "Since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, more than 1,000 U.S. military personnel have been killed and more than 7,000 wounded or injured, the vast majority after President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat." [Ron Harris, St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

2004 - Penalty / PIMCO MMS Funds - September 15th, 2004: "The investment advisor, sub-advisor and principal underwriter and distributor for PIMCO MMS Funds are penalized $11.6 million for failing to disclose revenue sharing arrangements with brokerage firms and the conflicts created by them." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, p. A 10, 12/21/04]

2004 - Tropical Storm Jeanne / Puerto Rico - September 15th, 2004: "YABUCOA, Puerto Rico - Tropical storm Jeanne slammed into Puerto Rico on Wednesday [09/15/04]. [....]" [A.P., 09/16/04]

2004 - Message on Global Warming / Tony Blair - September 15th, 2004: "British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Tuesday [09/14/04] of the threat posed by climate change and urged support for the principles of the Kyoto accord on global warming. The treaty has been rejected by President George W. Bush, who says it is unfair to U.S. industry." [News Services]

2004 - Hurricane Ivan / Alabama - September 16th, 2004: "Hurricane Ivan made landfall at Gulf Shores, Alabama (damages Pensacola) on September 16th, 2004. Wind Speed: 130 mph; Storm Surge: 10-16 feet; Damage $3-$10 billion." [Based on: A.P., 09/27/04]

*Trivia: "Hurricane Ivan caused 52 deaths in the United States and damaged gulf-front condominiums in Florida and Alabama." [Based on: A.P., 09/28/04]

2004 - Decapitated Bodies / Iraq - September 16th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Villagers found three decapitated bodies north of Baghdad on Wednesday [09/15/04]. [....]" [A.P.]

2004 - Americans Sentenced / Afghanistan - September 16th, 2004: "Edward Caraballo [8 yrs.], Jonathan Idema [10 yrs.], and Brent Bennett [10 yrs.] were sentenced to prison Wednesday [09/15/04] in Afghanistan."

2004 - Hurricane Jeanne / Dominican Republic, Haiti, Florida - "Hurricane date(s): September 16th-26th, 2004. Number of recorded deaths: 1,500+." [Based on: The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2005, p. 207]

2004 - Illegal? / War in Iraq? - September 17th, 2004: "LONDON - The United States and its coalition partners defended the war in Iraq on Thursday after U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan asserted that it was illegal because it didn't have Security Council support." [A.P.]

2004 - Western Hostages / Iraq - September 17th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - A team of kidnappers grabbed two Americans [Jack Hensley & Eugene Armstrong] and a Briton in a dawn raid on their home on an upscale Baghdad street Thursday [09/16/04]. The abduction underlined the increasing danger for foreingers  in the ebattled capital. [....] At least five other Westeners are currently being held hostage in Iraq, including an Iraqi-American man, two Italian  aid workers and two French reporters."  

2004 - TV Debut / 500 Nations - September 18th, 2004: "The Discovery Channel  aired 500 Nations, a chronological history of Native American peoples throughout North America. The show was hosted by Kevin Costner and was narrated by Native American peoples."

2004 - Volcanic Eruption / Mt. Asama, Japan - September 18th, 2004: "Volcanic ash sprinkled over downtown Tokyo on Friday [09/17/04] as one of Japan's most active volcanoes erupted for a fourth straight day, blowing gray smoke as high as a mile in the air. Mount Asama - about 90 miles west of Tokyo - erupted almost continuously throughout the day, setting off close to 600 tremors, according to the Meteorological Agency. Wind scattered ash across a wide area southeast of the 8,474-foot mountain. Small amounts were detected in the capital for the first time since an April 26, 1982 eruption. The mountain has rumbled for the past four days. In its biggest eruption in 21 years, on Sept. 1, it poured molten rock, ash and smoke down its slopes. No injuries have been reported. Mount Asama is near the popular mountain resort town of Karuizawa and about 30 miles southeast of Nagano, site of the 1998 Winter Olympics. Its last major eruption was in 1783." [News Services]

2004 - Earthquake / Aleutian Islands - September 20th, 2004: "A powerful earthquake [6.1] shook the Aleutian Islands on Sunday [09/19/04], but there were no reports of damage on the sparsely populated island chain." [News Services]

2004 - Trivia / Human Body Bacteria - September 20th, 2004: "From a cellular perspective, you might think the human body is mostly human. But you'd be wrong. It is actually mostly bacterial. The typical adult body harbors about 100 trillion bacterial cells from at least 500 species - 10 times the number of human cells. And that's not counting viruses and fungi." [Jane Brody, New York Times columnist]

2004 - Flooding / Northeast United States - September 20th, 2004: "WHEELING, W. Va. - Hundreds of people evacuated their homes Sunday [09/19/04] in parts of Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania as rivers and small streams were swollen beyond their banks by the torrential rain dumped by remnants of hurricane Ivan." [A.P.]

2004 - Senior Hamas Fatality / Gaza City - September 20th, 2004: "An Israeli helicopter fired a missle at a car in Gaza City late Sunday [09/19/04], residents said, killing a senior Hamas militant leader [Khaled Abu Shamiyeh]. [....] Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri said, 'Hamas will teach the enemy (Israel) a painful lesson.' " [News Services]

2004 - Intelligence Matters - September 21st, 2004: Florida Senator Bob Graham visited St. Louis [September 2004] to promote his new book, "Intelligence Matters: The CIA, the FBI, Saudi Arabia and the Failure of America's war on Terror."

2004 - Hamas Fatalities / Gaza City - September 21st, 2004: "GAZA CITY , Gaza Strip - Two Hamas militants were killed when their vehicle exploded in Gaza City on Monday [09/20/04] in an Israeli airstrike. Eight other people were injured, hospital officials said. It was the seconsd airstrike in as many days. The Islamic militant group threatened to retaliate with suicide bombings inside Israel." [A.P.]

2004 - Beheaded American / Iraq - September 21st, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - A video posted Monday [09/20/04] on a Web site showed the beheading of a man identified as American civil engineer Eugene Armstrong. [....] Earlier Monday [09/20/04], gunmen in Baghdad assassinated two clerics [Sheik Mohammed Jadoa al-Janabi & Sheik Hazem al-Zeidi] from a powerful Sunni Muslim group that has served as a mediator to release hostages. [....] On Monday [09/20/04], kidnappers released a group of 18 abducted Iraqi national Guard members after renegade Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for their release, an al-Sadr aide, Nail al-Kabi, told The Associated Press." [A.P.]

2004 - Car Bombing Statistics / Iraq - September 21st, 2004: "The number of car bombings so far in September [2004] in Iraq, 32, is the highest recorded in any single month during the conflict." [A.P.]

2004 - Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono / Indonesia - September 21st, 2004: "A U.S.-trained former general who led the fight against al-Qaida-linked extremists in Indonesia appeared headed for a landslide victory Monday [09/20/04] in a presidential runoff heralded as a key step for democracy in the world's most populous Muslim nation." [News Services]

2004 - Bankruptcy / Catholic Diocese, Tucson  - September 21st, 2004: "The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson  [Ariz.] filed for bankruptcy Monday [09/20/04], becoming the second U.S. diocese to seek court protection because of the cost of clerical sex abuse cases." [News Services]

2004 - Mysterious Bites / Midwest United States - September 21st, 2004: "A parasite small enough to float on the breeze like dust is believed to be the cause of mysterious bites that started showing up last month in southeast Kansas, officials say. [....] Last week [September 2004], the centers for Disease Control and Prevention began an investigation after reports spread into southwest Missouri and southern Nebraska." [News Services]

*Trivia: "Dermatologists are buzzing about the increase in bug bites, though they aren't sure which of the several subjects - from microscopic mites to tiny flies to chiggers -could be doing most of the damage. [....] Doctors have noticed an overall increase in bug bites of all kinds this season, including those of more common chiggers. [....] Weather conditions have been ideal for no-see-ums and mites, Camilo [St. Louis University entomologist Gerardo Camilo] said. St. Louis experienced the eighth-coolest summer in 150 years of the weather data collection and the fourth-driest September. That means more mites and flies, and it also entices people outside where they are likely to be bitten, Camilo said." [Tina Hesman, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 09/30/04]

2004 - Drinking Water Bacteria / American Airliners - September 21st, 2004: "WASHINGTON - The drinking water on more than one of every eight passenger airlines tested by the Environmental Protection Agency flunked the agency's standards for bacteria, the government said Monday." [Los Angeles Times]

2004 - Official Opening / National Museum of the American Indian - September 21st, 2004: "The newest addition to the Smithsonian Institution, the National Museum of the American Indian, is set to open today [09/21/04]."

2004 -  Beheaded American / Iraq - September 22nd, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - An al-Qaida-linked group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed Tuesday [09/21/04] to have beheaded the second [Jack Hensley] of two American hostages." [A.P.]

2004 - Nuclear Ultimatum / Iran - September 22nd, 2004: "The International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board of governors unanimously adopted a resolution Saturday [09/18/04] demanding that Iran freeze all uranium enrichment - including conversion - and warned that it faced being taken before the U.N. Security Council, which would impose sanctions." [A.P.]

2004 - Status / Global Warming, Antarctica - September 22nd, 2004: "WASHINGTON - Scientists monitoring glacier activity in Antarctica believe they have seen the beginning of one of the most feared consequences of global warming. Since 2002, some glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula have dramatically speeded up their march into the sea. [....] Several theorists and climate modelers predicted as early as the 1970s that global warming would cause ice shelves in the oceans around Antarctica to melt and release glaciers and that this would increase the amount of ice being pushed into the sea. [....] Nearly six cubic miles more ice than a normal flow would have produced has been dumped into the ocean every year, they [scientists] reported." [Cox News Service]

2004 - Raised / U.S. Short-Term Interest Rate - September 22nd, 2004: "WASHINGTON - In an effort to avert inflation, the Federal Reserve on Tuesday [09/21/04] nudged up its benchmark short-term interest rate by a quarter-point to 1.75 percent, tightening credit for the third time since June [2004] despite an uneven economy." [Knight Ridder Newspapers]

*Trivia: "The most hated sort, and with the greatest reason, is usury, which makes a gain out of money itself, and not from the natural object of it. For money was intended to be used in exchange, but not to increase at interest. [....] Wherefore of all modes of getting wealth this is the most unnatural." [Aristotle, Politics, Book One, part X]

*Trivia: "All usurers are thieves and belong in the gallows." [Martin Luther]

*Trivia: "Benjamin Franklin wrote of the British colonies in North America in the 1750s: 'Nowhere on Earth does one find a happier and more well-being people.' He explained that this was due to that 'we in the colonies make our own currency,' called 'colonial scrip.' He further explained: 'By issuing our own currency we can control its buying power, and we are not obliged to pay interest to anyone.'
   "In these British colonies in New England, there was a wealth contrasting sharply to the poverty and misery in England. There was enough money, and it was definitely interest free.
   "When the Masonic bankers in England heard Franklin's speech to the British Parliament, they made sure that Parliament forbade the colonies to use their own financial system and instead demanded they use interest money in gold and silver. Only an insufficient amount of this money was to be available. The money supply was reduced in half, and the colonies were forced to borrow money from the Bank of England. The result was steep interest and price increases. Within a year the streets were full of unemployed people." [Juri Lina, The Barnes Review, September/October 2004, pp. 9-10]

2004 - Civil Racketeering Trial / U.S. Tobacco Companies - September 22nd, 2004: "WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors on Tuesday [09/21/04] alleged that the nation's tobacco companies colluded for half a century to addict Americans to nicotine in cigarettes that the industry knew caused cancer. [....] The government is seeking a record $280 billion in 'ill-gotten gains' that the government maintains the tobacco industry earned in a fraud that has lasted more than 50 years. [....] In the last decade, the tobacco industry agreed to pay $246 billion to the states to settle a lawsuit over the cost of smoking-related health care. The settlement included limits on advertising, marketing and lobbying." [Bob Dart, Cox News Service]

2004 - Iraqi Women? / U.S. Custody - September 23rd, 2004: "The U.S. military says it has two Iraqi women in custody, Taha [Rihab Rashid Taha, 'Dr. Germ'] and Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash, a biotech researcher known as 'Mrs. Anthrax.' " [Kim Housego, A.P.]

2004 - Suicide Bomber / Jerusalem - September 23rd, 2004: "JERUSALEM - A Palestinian teenager blew herself up at a busy Jerusalem bus station Wednesday [09/22/04], killing two Israeli policemen who stopped her for a security check and wounding 16 bystanders in an attack that evaded Israeli's clampdown on the West bank for the Jewish holidays. [....] The Al Aqsa brigades identified the bomber as Zainab Abu Salem, 19, from the Aksar refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus. [....] It was the first suicide bombing in Jerusalem since Feb. 22, when eight passengers were killed in a bus attack." [By, Peter Enav, A.P.]

2004 - Tax Evasion / 82 U.S. Firms - September 23rd, 2004: "General Electric Co., Pepco Holdings Inc. and Citigroup Inc. are among 82 profitable U.S. companies that avoided paying federal taxes for at least one year between 2001 and 2003, according to a study by two research groups. Nine paid no taxes in all three years. Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which are funded by labor unions, said the companies used tax credits, dedutions and other legal accounting techniques to avoid taxes. Some companies also obtained refunds for taxes paid in previous years that amounted to $12.6 billion." [Compiled from Associated Press, Bloomberg news and Dow Jones News reports.]

2004 - Settlement / Computer Associates International - September 23rd, 2004: "NEW YORK - The former head of software maker Computer Associates International [Sanjay Kumar] was charged Wednesday [09/23/04] with securities fraud in a multibillion-dollar accounting scandal, and the company agreed to pay $225 million to stave off criminal charges." [A.P.]

2004 - Pledge Protection Act - September 24th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - The House has approved a bill by Rep. Todd Akin, R. Mo., to strip federal courts of the right to hear cases involving the Pledge of Allegiance. The vote Thursday was 247 to 173." [By Philip Dine, Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau]

2004 - Favored TV Censorship / U.S.A. - September 24th, 2004: "Sixty-three percent of parents surveyed by the Kaiser Family Foundation said they favor new regulations to limit the amount of sex and violence in TV shows during the early evening hours, when children are more likely to be watching." [News Services]

2004 - Arab Infiltration / Gaza Strip - September 24th, 2004: "GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Arab gunmen made their way into a heavily fortified Israeli army post in the Gaza Strip under  cover of morning fog Thursday [09/23/04] and started shooting, killing three Israeli soldiers in a 45-minute firefight." [By Ibrahim Barzak, A.P.]

2004 - Tropical Storm Ivan / Texas - September 24th, 2004: "HIGH ISLAND, Texas - Tropical Storm Ivan, back again, swirled toward the Texas coast Thursday [09/23/04] with a potential for up to 10 inches of rain over the weekend." [A.P.]

2004 - Status / Nuclear Test Ban Treaty - September 24th, 2004: "UNITED NATIONS - Amid heightened concerns about nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran, more than forty countries joined forces Thursday [09/23/04] to press the United States and other nations to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test ban Treaty so it can finally take effect. [....] The United States has observed a nuclear testing freeze since 1992 but has not ratified the treaty, saying it neads to have periodic tests to maintain its arsenal and that the pact would do nothing to curb the nuclear ambitions of rogue nations. The treaty, which would outlaw all nuclear weapons test explosions, has been signed by 172 countries and ratified by 115. It was drafted at an international conference in Geneva and adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1996. [....] The treaty needs to be ratified by 44 specific countries, including the United States and China, and has only gained 32 of those to date." [A.P.]

2004 - Kidnappers / Iraq - September 25th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Kidnappers seized six Egyptians and four Iraqis working for the country's mobile phone company, authorities said Friday [09/24/04]." [A.P.]

2004 - Hurricane Jeanne / Florida - September 25th, 2004: "Hurricane Jeanne made landfall at Hutchinson Island, near Stuart, Florida on September 25th, 2004. Wind Speed: 120mph; Storm Surge: 4-6 feet; Damage: not yet known." [Based on: A.P., 09/27/04]

*Trivia: "Florida is the first state to get pounded by four hurricanes in one season since Texas in 1886. Two months remain in the year's hurricane season. [....] Jeanne also inflicted more damage on two industries hugely important to Florida: citrus and tourism. [....] About 2.3 million people in Florida had no electricity because of Jeanne. Nearly 47,000 people in the Panhandle were still without power in the area hit by Ivan." [A.P., 09/28/04]

2004 - Israeli / Palestinian Fighting, Gaza Strip - September 25th, 2004: "GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - An Israeli missle strike killed one Palestinian and wounded five early today, hours after militants killed an Israeli-American woman in the first deadly shelling of a Jewish settlement in Gaza in four years of fighting." [A.P.]

2004 - Died / White Buffalo - September 26th, 2004: "A buffalo [Miracle] considered sacred by some American Indians because it was born white has died of natural causes at the age of 10, its owner said. The animal, named Miracle, drew as many as 2,000 visitors a day in the year after its birth in 1994. Miracle died Sept. 19 and was buried in an unmarked grave, its owner, Dave Heider, told WCLOAM of Janesville on Friday [09/24/04]."

2004 - Status / Iraq Casualties - September 26th, 2004: "According to the ministry [Iraqi Health Ministry], the interim Iraqi government recorded 3,487 Iraqi deaths in 15 of the country's 18 provinces from April 5 [2004] - when the ministry began compiling the data - until Sept. 19 [2004]. Of those, 328 were women and children. Another 13,726 Iraqis were injured, the ministry said. [....] Many Iraqi deaths, especially of insurgents, are never reported, so the actual number of Iraqis killed in fighting could be significantly higher. During the same period, 432 American soldiers were killed. [....] Nearly a third of the Iraqi dead - 1,122 - were killed in August [2004], according to the statistics. May [2004] was the second deadliest month, with 749 Iraqis killed. Most of those killed lived in Baghdad; the ministry found that 1,068 had died in the capital." [Based on: Nancy A. Youssef, Knight Ridder Newspapers]

2004 - Trivia / Hurricane Deaths - September 26th, 2004: "Deaths during the 2004 hurricane season - Hurricane Charley: 36 [United States: 31; Cuba: 4; Jamaica: 1]; Hurricane Frances: 35 [United States: 33; Bahamas: 2]; Tropical Storm Gaston: 8 [all in Virginia]; Hurricane Ivan: 115 [United States: 43; Barbados: 1; Cayman Islands: 2; Dominican Republic: 4; Grenada: 39; Haiti: 3; Jamaica: 17; Trinidad and Tobago: 1; Venezuela: 5]; Hurricane Jeanne: 1,531 [Haiti: 1,500; Dominican Republic: 24; Puerto Rico: 7]. Total: 1,722 to date [09/26/04]." [Based on: A.P.]

*Trivia: "Together, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne have generated the largest relief effort ever undertaken by the Federal Emergency management Agency [FEMA]." [A.P., 09/28/04]

*Trivia: "Combined, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne have damaged more than one of every five Florida homes." [Jill Barton, A.P.]

2004 - Status / Reconstruction, Iraq - September 26th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - The fact that less than 7 percent of the $18 billion approved by Congress last year to rebuild Iraq has been spent exemplifies the postwar problems in that struggling country. [....] Figures supplied by the National Security Council late last week show just $1.2 billion of the reconstruction funding has been spent. And the administration wants to transfer three times that much - $3.5 billion - from reconstruction to security." [Based on: Philip Dine, Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau]

2004 - White Supremacists Rally / Valley Forge, Pa. - September 26th, 2004: "About 100 white supremacists rallied at Valley Forge National Historic Park on Saturday [09/25/04] as nearly twice as many opponents heckled them from a nearby hillside. [....] The Minnesota-based National Socialist Movement, which sponsored the rally, claims Washington [George Washington] held separatist and anti-Semitic views - a position disputed by most historians." [News Services]

2004 - Senior Hamas Fatality / Syria - September 27th, 2004: "DAMASCUS, Syria - In a hit claimed by Israeli security officials, a senior Hamas operative [Izz Eldine Subhi Sheik Khalil] was killed in a car bombing Sunday [09/26/04] outside his house. It was the first such killing of a leader of the Islamic militant group in Syria." [Based on: Albert Aji, A.P.]

2004 - Volcanic Unrest / Mount St. Helens - September 27th, 2004: "A strengthening series of earthquakes at Mount St. Helens prompted seismologists Sunday [09/26/04] to warn that the once-devestating  volcano may see a small explosion soon. The U.S. Geological Survey issued a notice of volcanic unrest in response to the swarm of hundreds of earthquakes that began Thursday [09/23/04]. [....] On Saturday and Sunday [09/25-09/26/2004], there were more than 10 temblors of magnitude 2.0 to 2.8, the most in a 24-hour period since the last dome-building eruption in October 1986, Scott [Willie scott] said. In 1980, the mountain erupted, killing 57 people, devestating hundreds of square miles  around the peak and spewing ash over much of the Northwest [United States]." [News Services]

*Trivia: "Mount St. Helens began rumbling more intensely Wednesday [09/29/04], prompting scientists to warn that a small or moderate eruption could happen in the next few days. Earthquakes ranging from magnitude 2 to 2.8 were coming about four times a minute, potentially weakening the lava dome in the crater of the 8,364-foot mountain, the U.S. geological Survey said." [News Services]

2004 - "Origins" - September 28th, 2004: "A four-part 'NOVA' presentation on PBS explores the origins of life in the universe tonight [09/28/04] and Wednesday [09/29/04]."

2004 - Stolen Diamonds / Paris, France - September 28th, 2004: "Thieves stole two diamonds worth more than $14.2 million from a display case at a Paris antique show near the Louvre on Monday [09/27/04], police said."

2004 - Cocaine Seizure / South America's Pacific Coast - September 28th, 2004: "The Coast Guard and Navy seized 30,000 pounds of cocaine from a boat off South America's Pacific coast this month [September 2004] in what authorities called the largest-ever seizure of the drug at sea." [News Services]

2004 - Price / Crude Oil - September 29th, 2004: "The price of crude oil rose above $50 a barrel for the first time on Tuesday [09/28/04]." [Brad Foss, A.P.]

2004 - Earthquake / California - September 29th, 2004: "PARKFIELD, Calif. - A strong earthquake shook California on Tuesday [09/28/04] from Los Angeles to San Francisco, cracking pipes, breaking bottles of wine and knocking pictures from walls. There were no immediate reports of injuries from the 6.0-magnitude quake and its more than 160 aftershocks." [A.P.]

2004 - Hostages Released / Iraq - September 29th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Kidnappers released two Italian aid workers and five other hostages Tuesday [09/28/04], raising hopes for at least 18 foreigners still in captivity." [Alexandra Zavis, A.P.]

2004 - School Shooting / Argentina - September 29th, 2004: "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - A high school student opened fire in a classroom in southern Argentina on Tuesday [09/28/04], killing four classmates and wounding five." [A.P.]

2004 - Status / British Casualties, Iraq - September 29th, 2004: "Two British soldiers perished in an ambush Tuesday [09/28/04] near the southern city of Basra, bringing the total killed in Iraq to 67." [A.P.]

2004 - Uprising Anniversary / Palestine - September 29th, 2004: "RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinians marked the fourth anniversary of their uprising Tuesday [09/28/04] amid signs that the militant group Hamas is preparing a political challenge to Yasser Arafat despite a series of Israeli military blows at the movement's leadership. [....] The uprising erupted on Sept. 28, 2000, after Ariel Sharon, then Israel's opposition leader, visited a sensitive Jerusalem hilltop revered by both Jews and Muslims. Palestinian riots broke out, and five months later Sharon defeated Ehud Barak in a special election for prime minister. The fighting has taken a heavy toll on both sides, killing more than 3,000 Palestinians and nearly 1,000 Israelis." [A.P.]

2004 - Iraq War Intelligence / Tony Blair - September 29th, 2004: "BRIGHTON, England - Prime Minister Tony Blair acknowledged to his Labor Party Tuesday [09/28/04] that the intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq had been wrong. [....] 'The evidence about Saddam having actual biological and chemical weapons, as opposed to the capability to develop them, has turned out to be wrong,' Blair said." [A.P.]

2004 - Status / Carbon Dioxide Levels, Antarctica - September 29th, 2004: "TOKYO - Carbon dioxide levels [average 367.9 parts per million] over Antarctica have risen 2.6 percent [9.4 ppm] from six years ago [1998], Japanese researchers said Tuesday [09/28/04]." [A.P.]

2004 - Earthquake / California - September 30th, 2004: "A moderate earthquake jolted an isolated area of central California on Wednesday [09/29/04], triggering a rock slide that closed part of a highway. The quake was unrelated to a temblor that rattled a nearby area a day earlier. The quake, with a magnitude of 5.0, could be felt as far south as Los Angeles - 80 miles away - but it apparently caused little damage outside of the rock slide. [....] There have been over 500 aftershocks from the earlier quake [09/28/04]. Two of the biggest, 5.0 and 4.5, shook the region Wednesday [09/29/04] morning."

2004 - Trivia / Kidnappings, Iraq - September 30th, 2004: "More than 140 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq and at least 26 have been killed." [Alexandra Zavis, A.P., 09/30/04]

2004 - Possible Pandemic? / Avian Flu - September 30th, 2004: "BANGKOK, Thailand - A day after Thai and international officials confirmed the probable human-to-human transmission of a virulent strain of avian influenza in this country, public health systems around the globe were scrambling to prepare for a possible pandemic. [....] The strain, A(H5N1), has killed 30 of the 42 Southeast Asians it infected in the last year as well as millions of chickens and wild birds across wide areas of Asia. It has also infected some pigs, household cats and even zoo tigers. [....] The so-called Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 to 1919 - believed, like the current strain, to have been a mutant virus that jumped from animals - killed 20 million to 100 million people. By comparison, AIDS, which is not airborne, has killed an estimated 22 million since 1981, according to the United Nations. [....] Human trials of the new vaccine ordered by the U.S. government are not expected to begin until the end of this year, at the earliest." [Based on article by Keith Bradsher & Lawrence K. Altman, New York Times]

2004 - Riverboat Development / Missouri - September 2004: "The Missouri Gaming Commission picks Pinnacle Entertainment to develop casinos on Laclede's Landing in downtown St. Louis and at Lemay in south St. Louis County. Both would float in manmade pools of water. The downtown casino would be near the top of the Landing, across from the Edward Jones Dome, as far from the Missippi River as legally permitted." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, p. C1, 12/31/04]

2004 - Struck Down / Patriot Act Provision - September 30th, 2004: "U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero struck down a provision of the Patriot Act that authorizes the FBI to force Internet service providers and telephone companies to turn over certain customer records. The companies are then barred from ever disclosing the search took place. [....] He noted that the Supreme Court recently said a 'state of war is not a blank check for the president when it comes to the rights of the nation's citizens.' 'Sometimes a right, once extinguished, may be gone for good,' Marrero wrote. [....] The government was authorized to pursue communications records as part of a 1986 law. Its powers were enhanced by the patriot Act in 2001." [A.P.]

2004 - Internet Search Engine / Clusty.com - September 30th, 2004: "The little-known Pittsburgh company [Vivisimo Inc.] is taking aim at Google and other industry leaders with a new search engine called Clusty.com, scheduled to make its debut today after four years of fine tuning." [Compiled from Associated press, Bloomberg News, and St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports] [Link: 1]

2004 - Stray Hydrogen Bomb / Georgia Coast? - September 30th, 2004: "SAVANNAH, Ga. - The U.S. government is sending a team of 20 scientists to check out a report of unusual radiation readings that could be coming from a hydrogen bomb that was lost off the Georgia coast in 1958. [....] The bomb, believed buried in 10 to 15 feet of mud at the bottom of the sea, became one of 11 'Broken Arrows' - nuclear bombs lost during air or sea accidents, according to U.S. military records. The Air Force has long insisted that there is no risk of a nuclear blast from the bomb off Georgia because the plutonium capsule needed to trigger an explosion was removed before the ill-fated flight. Duke [Derek Duke] who lives in Statesboro, Ga., has disputed that point over the years. He sites a Pentagon memo from 1996 that referred to the bomb as a 'complete weapon.' The Air Force has said that memo was wrong. Duke approached Air Force officials more than three years ago, but they decided at the time not to renew the search for the bomb. The Air Force argued that it was better left undisturbed, because it contains uranium and 400 pounds of conventional explosives." [Russ Bynum, A.P.]

2004 - 1st U.S. Presidential Debate / Miami, Florida - September 30th, 2004: "President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry spent most of the debate this evening answering questions about the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq. Both agreed the single most greatest threat to the world today is nuclear proliferation. President Bush qualified the answer by saying, nuclear weapons 'in the hands of a terrorist.' " [E.M.]

2004 - Deployment / Ballistic Missle Defense System [BMDS], U.S.A. - September 30th, 2004: "One hundred miles south of Fairbanks in central Alaska and in the waters of the sea of Japan, America this week will begin deploying the first components of what will eventually be the most expensive weapons system ever devised: a national missile defense shield. [....] What used to be called 'Star Wars' is now called BMDS, or Ballistic Missle Defense System. The two phases being deployed this week are the GMD - Ground-based Missle Defense - and the Aegis Missle Defense System. The Boeing Co's Integrated Defense Systems unit in St. Louis is the prime contractor for the GMD element, though little of the work is done here." [Based on: St Louis Post-Dispatch, p. C10, 09/30/04] 

October 2004

2004 -  Car Bombs / Baghdad - October 1st, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - The last day [September 30th, 2004] of the worst month of car bombings in Iraq proved the most horrifying. Children gathering for candy from American soldiers at the opening of a sewage treatment plant bore the brunt Thursday [09/30/04] of a series of car bombings that killed at least 35 youngsters and 14 adults. About 200 people - many of them children - were wounded in the attacks." [Colin McMahon, Chicago Tribune]

*Trivia: "42 dead, 35 of them children, in a Sept. 30 blast as U.S. troops handed out sweets in western Baghdad." [A.P., 01/13/05]

2004 - Israeli Raid / Gaza Strip - October 1st, 2004: "JEBALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip - Israeli troops struck deep inside the largest Palestinian refugee camp  Thursday [09/30/04], battling masked gunmen in an unprecedented campaign to stop deadly rocket fire on Israeli towns. Twenty-eight Palestinians were killed and 131 wounded, the bloodiest single-day toll in fighting in 30 months." [Ibrahim Barzak, A.P.]

2004 - Drug Removal / Vioxx - October 1st, 2004: "Merck & Co. voluntarily removed Vioxx on Thursday [09/30/04] from the worldwide market after a three-year trial showed patients who took the drug for more than 18 months had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke than those taking a placebo." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

2004 - Price-Fixing / Bayer Corp. - October 1st, 2004: "Bayer Corp., the U.S. subsidiary of Bayer AG of Germany, will plead guilty and pay a $33 million criminal fine for its involvement in a conspiracy to fix chemical prices, the Justice Department said. Court papers filed Thursday [09/30/04] at U.S. District Court in San Francisco show that Bayer admitted conspiring from 1998 to 2002 with unnamed entities and individuals to suppress market competition by fixing the prices of polyester polyols, a chemical used to strengthen numerous consumer products, including grocery bags. Over the summer [2004], Bayer AG pleaded guilty and said it would pay a $66 million fine in a case involving a rubber chemical price-fixing conspiracy." [- From wire reports, 09/30/04]

2004 - Tropical Storm Meari / Japan - October 1st, 2004: "The death toll from Tropical Storm Meari rose to 19 Thursday [09/30/04] after searchers found more victims . [....]" [News Services]

2004 - Status / Kyoto Protocol, Russia - October 1st, 2004: "MOSCOW - Russia's Cabinet approved the Kyoto Protocol on Thursday [09/30/04] in a crucial step toward putting the long-delayed climate change treaty into effect, although without participation by the United States. But final approval by the Russian Parliament, which would push the treaty past its required ratification threshold, was not guaranteed." [A.P.]

2004 - Audiotape / Ayman al-Zawahri? - October 1st, 2004: "An audiotape broadcast by Al-Jazeera and attributed to al-Zawahri calls on young Muslims to strike the United States and its allies." [A.P., 10/30/04]

2004 - Whole Grain Cereals / General Mills - October 1st, 2004: "MINNEAPOLIS - The Trix rabbit and Lucky Charms leprechaun are going on a whole-grain diet. General Mills said Thursday [09/30/04] that it will convert its breakfast cereals to whole grain." [Joshua Freed, A.P.]

2004 - Blocked / Same Sex Marriage Ban, U.S. House - October 1st, 2004: "WASHINGTON - A house vote Thursday [09/30/04] blocked further action this year on a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages." [Cox News Service]

2004 - Volcanic Activity / Ambrym Volvano, Vanuatu Islands - October 2004: "Since at least October 2004, the Ambrym Volcano has been sending sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. By March 2005, it was the largest point source of sulfur dioxide on the planet. [....]" [Link: 1]

2004 - Eruption / Mount St. Helens - October 2nd, 2004: "Mount St. Helens Friday [10/01/04] sent a cloud of steam and ash up to 10,000 feet into the sky. The event was the first in 18 years."

2004 - Israeli Offensive / Gaza Strip - October 2nd, 2004: "JEBALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip - Israeli aircraft struck more targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday [10/01/04] as the army massed an armored force in apparent preparation for a major operation against militants in Jebaliya, the Palestinians' biggest refugee camp. About 200 tanks, armored personnel carriers and armored bulldozers assembled along Israel's border to the north and to the east of Gaza." [Ibrahim Barzak, A.P.]

2004 - Suicide Bomber / Pakistani Mosque - October 2nd, 2004: "SIALKOT, Pakistan - A suicide attacker carrying a bomb in a briefcase struck a Shiite mosque crammed with hundreds of worshippers in eastern Pakistan, killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 50 during Friday [10/01/04] prayers."

2004 - Failure to Report / U.S. Army Reservists - October 2nd, 2004: "WASHINGTON - About one third of the former soldiers involuntarily called to active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan have failed to report on time, the Army acknowledged Friday [10/01/04], but it said no one has yet been classified as AWOL."

2004 - U.S. & Iraqi Offensive / Samarra, Iraq - October 2nd, 2004: "Backed by warplanes and tanks, about 5,000 troops - 3,000 Americans and 2,000 Iraqi, swept in to seize the city hall, the main mosque and other important sites in Samarra." [Zidan Khalaf, A.P.]

2004 - Bomb Attacks / India - October 3rd, 2004: "GAUHATI, India - Suspected separatists hit nine targets - a railroad station and eight markets - with bombs and gunfire across two states in northeastern India on Saturday [10/02/04], killing more than 40 people." [Wasbir Hussain, A.P.]

2004 - Status / Israeli Offensive, Gaza Strip - October 3rd, 2004: "About 2,000 soldiers have taken control of a 5-mile-deep chunk of northern gaza to halt the firing of homemade rockets into Israel." [Ibrahim Barzak, A.P.]

2004 - Earthquakes / California - October 3rd, 2004: "Two earthquakes [the largest, a 4.0] struck early Saturday [10/02/04] in the same area that was rocked by a powerful temblor earlier in the week." [News Services

2004 - "Code red" / Mount St. Helens - October 3rd, 2004: "CASTLE ROCK, Washington - Scientists watching Mount St. Helens, which erupted with a minor explosion for the first time in 18 years Friday [10/01/04], said Saturday [10/02/04] that they were expecting a more powerful and possibly life-threatening explosion within a day or so. The government scientists had said they anticipated more explosions from beneath the mountain's lava dome after a series of earthquakes set off a plume of steam and ash on Friday, rising 10,000 feet into the air but posing no threat to health or safety. But Saturday, after the earthquakes intensified, a small steam emission and a continuous 50-minute tremor suddenly created a more serious situation at Mount St. Helens, the most active volcano in the lower 48 states. The government raised the advisory for volcanic activity to Level 3, the equivalent of a 'code red' and the highest stage in a system used to indicate the likelihood and severity of volcanic eruptions." [Based on: Sarah Kershaw, New York Times]

2004 - Tropical Storm Lisa / Atlantic Ocean - October 3rd, 2004: "Lisa, which also became a hurricane briefly Friday [10/01/04], was the 12th named storm and eighth hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs June 1 to Nov. 30." [News Services]

2004 - U.S. Precision Strikes / Fallujah, Iraq - October 3rd, 2004: "The U.S. command says it has inflicted significant damage on al-Zarqawi's terrorist network during weeks of 'precision strikes' against suspected terrorist hideouts in Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad." [Zidan Khalaf, A,P.]

2004 - Quantum Encryption - October 4th, 2004: "A new computer network is a nightmare for hackers but a dream for bankers and spies. It's so secure that even the simplest attempt to evesdrop will interrupt the flow of data and alert administrators to the snooping. [....] Quantum cryptography depends on a defining discovery in physics: Subatomic particles can exist in multiple states at once until something interacts with them. So, even observing photons used in quantum encryption changes them, ruining the codes. The project, funded with about $4 million from the U.S. military, isn't alone in developing quantum cryptography. MagiQ Technologies of New York has begun selling units for commercial use, and a group in Europe has made the first quantum-encrypted bank transaction." [Theo Emery, A.P.]

2004 - Muslim Minority / Europe - October 4th, 2004: "The minimum birthrate necessary to keep a society going is 2.1 children per woman. Europe's birthrate is 1.5 and falling. The immigrants who are taking the place of Germans, Italians, French and others are largely Muslim. It is estimated that in England, Muslim worshippers at mosques already outnumber congregrants of the Church of England every weekend.
   "About 5 percent of the European Union is Muslim, and historian Bernard Lewis told a German newspaper that Europe would be majority Islamic by the end of the century 'at the latest.' As Timothy Savage has noted in The Washington Quarterly, the United nation's estimates that Europe's native population will decline by 100 million or more in the next 50 years. The Muslim minority in Europe is quite fecund, however, and will double in size by 2015." [Mona Charen, Creators Syndicate]

2004 - Car Bombs / Iraq - October 5th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents detonated a pair of car bombs Monday [10/04/04] in Baghdad. One was near the symbol of U.S. authority in Iraq - the Green Zone, home to the U.S. Embassy and key government offices - and the other near hotels occupied by hundreds of foreigners. Other explosions brought the day's bombing toll to at least 24 dead and more than 100 wounded." [Bassem Mroue, A.P.]

2004 - Ansari X Prize / Burt Rutan - October 5th, 2004: "MOJAVE, Calif. - Aviation legend Burt Rutan won the $10 million Ansari X Prize on Monday [10/04/04] with another flight to space for his SpaceShipOne, capping an eight-year quest in the St. Louis-based competition." [Eli Kintisch, St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

2004 - Died / Rodney Dangerfield - October 5th, 2004: "Died this date [10/05/04] in history: actor/comedian, Rodney Dangerfield [Jacob Cohen]. He was 82."

2004 - Maj. Gen. Alu Alkhanov / Chechnya - October 5th, 2004: "Russian and Chechen officials have taken extraordinary security measures to safeguard the inauguration for Maj. Gen. Alu Alkhanov, a top regional police official who was elected Aug. 29 in a vote widely criticized as being rigged." [News Services]

2004 - Vice Presidential Debate / United States - October 5th, 2004: "Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards debated in Cleveland this evening [10/05/04]."

2004 - ESSI Contract / Iraq - October 6th, 2004: "Defense contractor Engineered Support Systems Inc. won a contract worth up to $26.2 million to provide radio equiptment to Afghan border police, the Cool Valley [Mo.]- based company said Tuesday [10/05/04]." [Compiled from Associated Press, Bloomberg News and Post-Dispatch reports]

2004 - Guilty Plea / Timothy Despain - October 6th, 2004: "Former Enron Corp. Assistant Treasurer Timothy Despain pleaded guilty Tuesday [10/05/04] to charges he conspired to commit securities fraud. He also agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors." [Compiled from Associated Press, Bloomberg News and Post-Dispatch reports]

2004 - Short Supply? / Flu Vaccine, U.S.A. - October 6th, 2004: "Flu vaccine will be in short supply this season, and public health officials say only people at high risk of complications for the illness should get the vaccine." [Based on: article by Tina Hesman, St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

*Trivia: "Two months after [ Dec. 2004] the government recommended that scarce flu shots be reserved for people most at risk, health officials are now worried that tens of thousands of doses could go to waste, and they are considering easing restrictions. [....]" [Based on: A.P. article, 12/17/04]

2004 - Plutonium Shipment / U.S.A. to France - October 6th, 2004: "A trans-Atlantic shipment of plutonium from the United States appeared of France's western coast Tuesaday [10/05/04], activists said. [....] The environmental group Greenpeace was leading a string of protests against the pending arrival of 308 pounds of military-grade plutonium taken from U.S. nuclear warheads. The highly radioactive substance is being brought to France for conversion into a commercial fuel." [News Services]

2004 - Trivia / WMD, Iraq - October 7th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - Contradicting the main argument for a war that has cost more than 1,000 American lives, the top U.S. arms inspector [Charles Duelfer] said Wednesday [10/06/04] he found no evidence that Iraq produced weapons of mass destruction after 1991. [....] Contrary to prewar statements by President George W. Bush, Saddam did not have chemical and biological stockpiles when the war began and his nuclear capabilities were deteriorating, not advancing, Duelfar said." [Based on: Ken Guggenheim, A.P.]

2004 - Held in Contempt / Judith Miller - October 7th, 2004: "Miller held in contempt." [Based on: Illustrated Timeline, p. A13, S.L.P.D., 10/30/05]

2004 - Questioned Safety / Celebrex - October 7th, 2004: "BOSTON - The safety of Celebrex and other pain relievers was questioned Wednesday [10/06/04] ... they feared the drug might raise the same risk of heart problems as those blamed on the arthritis medicine Vioxx. Celebrex, which was developed in St. Louis, was the first of a class of pain relievers, called Cox-2 inhibitors." [A.P.]

*Trivia: "New research [University of Pennsylvania] suggests that top-selling pain reliever Celebrex does not carry the same heart attack risk as Vioxx, a similar drug pulled from the market in September [2004] because of safety concerns. [....]" [A.P., 12/07/04]

2004 - Drug for Liver Disease  / Lamivudine [3TC] - October 7th, 2004: Headline, p. A9: "Study: AIDS drug works on liver disease." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

2004 - Trivia / Child Mortality - October 8th, 2004: "UNITED NATIONS - In Sierra Leone, one in four children dies before age 5. In Iraq, one in 10 does not make it to the fifth birthday. Across the globe, poor care for newborns, malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and measles snuff out lives of the very young, according to a U.N. report being released today. [....] One in 12 children worldwide does not live to age 5, with half of all those deaths occuring in sub-Saharan Africa." [A.P.]

2004 - Explosions / Cairo, Egypt - October 8th, 2004: "CAIRO, Egypt - An explosion Thursday night [10/07/04] tore through a resort hotel where Israelis were vacationing at the end of a Jewish holiday, killing at least 35 people and wounding more that 160, officials said. Israeli security officials said a car bomb caused the explosion, which was followed by two smaller blasts at other tourist sites in the Sinai. [....] The huge blast collapsed a 10-story wing of the luxury Hilton hotel built by Israel when it controlled Taba from 1967 to 1989." [Sarah El Deeb, A.P., apparent typo, by St. Louis Post-Dispatch, underlined by [E.M.]

2004 - Rocket Attack / Baghdad - October 8th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Rockets struck a Baghdad  hotel housing foreign contractors and journalists late Thursday [10/07/04] . [....] A Fallujah doctor said the attack killed 10 people, including a groom on his wedding night, and wounded the bride and 16 others." [Alexandra Zavis, A.P.]

2004 - Death Toll Trivia / Nigeria - October 8th, 2004: "Violence between Christians and Muslims over the last three years has left more than 53,000 people dead in a central Nigerian state, officials said Thursday [10/07/04]. It was the first official report of a death count from sectarian violence in the region. A government-appointed comittee said 53,787 people died in the state of Plateau between September 2001 and May, when the government declared a state of emergency there after a massacre left hundreds dead in the town of Yelwa. The tallies were based on figures gathered from people who said they had lost relatives. Among the dead were 17,459 children, 17,397 women and 18,931 men, according to the report released Thursday [10/07/04] [News Services]

2004 - Health Warning / Remicade - October 8th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - Patients taking Remicade for rheumatoid arthritis suffered a type of cancer, lymphoma, at three times the rate of the general public, manufacturer Centocor warned doctors Thursday [10/07/04]." [A.P.]

2004 - Health Warning / Steroid Use - October 8th, 2004: "LONDON - Doctors have been giving steroids to head trauma patients for more than 30 years, but the first major study of the practice has concluded that they are useless and may even have killed thousands of people. Experts said the report, published this week in the medical journal The Lancet, is a complete and alarming suprise for all.' " [A.P.]

2004 - Rocket Attack / Afghan Capital - October 8th, 2004: "KABUL, Afghanistan - A rocket slammed into the Afghan capital near the U.S. Embassy and other diplomatic missions early today [10/08/04], a day before landmark elections. All U.S. Embassy staff members were ordered to briefly take cover in an underground bunker. [....] It was the first apparent attack in Kabul since Aug. 28, when a car bomb outside a private U.S. security firm killed 10 people, three of them Americans who were helping train anti-narcotics police." [A.P.]

2004 - Commentary / U.S. Health Care - October 8th, 2004: "The United States must limit access to health care to curb drastically escalating costs, two renowned policy experts [Henry J. Aaron & Gail Wilensky] said Thursday [10/07/04] during a conference on health issues at Washington University [Mo.]." [Rachel Melcer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

2004 - Earthquake / Manila, Phillippines - September 8th, 2004: "A 6.4 earthquake shook Manila in the Phillippines today. Reportedly, an earlier earthquake hit region a few weeks ago." [Based on: CNN News, 10/08/04]

2004 - 2nd U.S. Presidential Debate / St. Louis Mo. - October 8th, 2004: "The second Presedential Debate in the United States, between President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry, took place this evening at Washington University, in University City, Mo." [E.M.]

2004 - Earthquake / Nicaragua - October 9th, 2004: "A powerful earthquake [6.9] rocked Nicaragua's western coast on Saturday [10/09/04]. No major injuries or damage was immediately reported." [News Services, 10/11/04]

2004 - Video Release / Ayman al-Zawahri - October 9th, 2004: "Ayman al-Zawahri, bin-Laden's chief deputy, is seen in a tape that aired Sept. 9, 2004." [A.P.,10/30/04]

2004 - Torrential Rains / India - October 10th, 2004: "Unseasonably heavy downpours have triggered landslides and submerged large areas in northeastern India, Bangladesh and Nepal the past three days." [News Services]

2004 - Died / Christopher Reeve - October 10th, 2004: "Died this date in history: Actor, Christopher Reeve. He was 52."

2004 - Presidential Election / Afghanistan - October 10th, 2004: "KABUL, Afghanistan  - Three years after the fall of the Taliban, Afghans voted in huge numbers Saturday [10/09/04] to elect their president for the first time." [Los Angeles Times]

2004 - Tropical Storm Matthew / Louisana - October 10th, 2004: "Tropical storm Matthew flooded roads and homes across southeastern Louisana on Saturday [10/09/04] as it blew moved across the Gulf of Mexico with high tides and torrential rains." [News Services, St Louis Post-Dispatch, apparent typo underlined by [E.M.]

2004 - Prime Minister John Howard / Australia - October 10th, 2004: "Prime Minister John Howard and his conservative coalition easily won re-election Saturday [10/09/04] as voters endorsed his economic platform despite misgivings about his decision to send troops to Iraq." [News Services]

2004 - Trivia / Solar Minimum? - "Solar physicist David Hathaway has been checking the sun every day since 1998, and every day for six years there have been sunspots. Sunspots are planet-sized "islands" on the surface of the sun. They are dark, cool, powerfully magnetized, and fleeting: a typical sunspot lasts only a few days or weeks before it breaks up. As soon as one disappears, however, another emerges to take its place. Even during the lowest ebb of solar activity, you can usually find one or two spots on the sun. But when Hathaway looked on Jan. 28, 2004, there were none. The sun was utterly blank. It happened again last week, twice, on Oct. 11th and 12th. There were no sunspots. 'This is a sign,' says Hathaway, 'that the solar minimum is coming, and it's coming sooner than we expected.' [....] 'Contrary to popular belief,' says Hathaway, 'the solar cycle is not precisely 11 years long.' Its length, measured from minimum to minimum, varies: 'The shortest cycles are 9 years, and the longest ones are about 14 years.' What makes a cycle long or short? Researchers aren't sure. 'We won't even know if the current cycle is long or short - until it's over,' he says." [NASA News]  

2004 - President Abdullahi Yusuf / Somalia - October 11th, 2004: "NAIROBI, Kenya - Members of Somalia's transitional parliament on Sunday [10/10/04] elected former army Col. Abdullahi Yusuf as interim president for the war-torn Horn of Africa nation, the parliament speaker said." [A.P.]

2004 - Status / Mount St. Helens Volcano - October 11th, 2004: "Mount St. Helens vented a new column of steam Sunday [10/10/04], a lazy plume that rose out of the crater of the volcano. The billow of steam rose from an area where a large upwelling or bulge of rock has been growing in the crater. The plume rose several hundred feet above the 8,364-foot volcano. The steam emission followed an increase in earthquake activity over the previous two days, with quakes of magnitude 2.4 occurring every two minutes until Sunday, when the vibrations were more frequent but weakened to magnitude 1 or less." [News Services]

2004 - Beheaded / Kenneth Bigley, Iraq - October 11th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - A videotape of the beheading of British hostage Kenneth Bigley  appeared Sunday [10/10/04] on an Islamist Web site, showing the civil engineer pleading that he wanted 'to live a simple life' moments before he was decapitated." [A.P.]

2004 - Weapons for Cash / Sadr City, Iraq - October 12th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Shiite fighters in track-suits and sneakers unloaded cars full of machine guns, mortars and land mines Monday [10/11/04] at several police stations. They were trading weapons for cash in Baghdad's Sadr City district, the center for Shiite resistance in Iraq." [A.P.]

2004 - President Sergei Bagapsh / Georgia - October 12th, 2004: "Electoral officials in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region on Monday [10/11/04] declared an opposition candidate [Sergei Bagapsh] the winner of the province's presidential election, but the decision did little to ease tension over the disputed vote." [News Services]

2004 - Test Launch / Ghauri V Missle, Pakistan - October 12th, 2004: "On Oct. 12, Pakistan launched a Ghauri V missle, which has a range of 930 miles and could reach several Indian cities. Officials in Pakistan, however, said the test was not intended as a message to new Delhi. India and Pakistan routinely test missles." [A.P., 11/29/04]

2004 - Limited Women's Rights / Saudia Arabia - October 12th, 2004: "RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Woman may neither vote nor run in Saudi Arabia's first nationwide elections, the government announced Monday [10/11/04]. [....] Saudi women have limited freedoms. Without written permission from a male guardian, they are barred from traveling, getting an education or working. Under no circumstances may they drive, mix with men in public or leave home without covering themselves with black cloaks." [A.P.]

2004 - Incommunicado al-Qaida Suspects / U.S. Custody - October 12th, 2004: "NEW YORK - At least 11 al-Qaida suspects have 'disappeared' from view in U.S. custody, and some may have been tortured, a human rights group says. [....] The report says the prisoners include the man alleged to have planned the Sept. 11 attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. Also included, the report says, is Abu Zubaydah, believed to be a close aid to Osama bin Laden." [A.P.]

2004 - Held in Contempt / Matthew Cooper & Time - October 13th, 2004: "Cooper, Time held in contempt." [Based on: Illustrated Timeline, p. A13, S.L.P.D., 10/30/05]

2004 - 3rd U.S. Presidential Debate / Tempe, Arizona - October 13th, 2004: "President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry met in Tempe, Arizona, for their third and final debate before the November election."

2004 - Trivia / Metal Prices - NEW YORK - October 14th, 2004: Stocks fell Wednesday [10/13/04] for the fourth day in five as a plunge in metal prices weighed on shares of raw-material producers, such as Alcoa Inc. and Phelps Dodge Corp." [Compiled from Associated Press, Bloomberg News and St. Louis Post-Dispatch Reports]

2004 - Locusts / West Africa - October 14th, 2004: "Swarms of locusts that have devastated crops and pastures across West Africa may hit countries as far away as Pakistan, a U.N. agency said Wednesday [10/14/04] as it announced an intensified control campaign." [News Services]

2004 - Trivia / Womens Rights - October 14th, 2004: "UNITED NATIONS - Eighty-five current and former heads of state and government have signed a statement endorsing a U.N. plan adopted 10 years ago to ensure every women's right to education and health care, and to make choices about childbearing. President George W. Bush's administration refused to sign because the statement mentions 'sexual rights.' " [A.P.]

2004 - Investigation / Circulation Reporting - October 14th, 2004: "The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating circulation reporting in the newspaper industry following several disclosures of fraudulent practices in recent months." [Compiled from Associated Press, Bloomberg News and St. Louis Post-Dispatch Reports]

2004 - Trivia / Ralph Nader, Pennsylvania - October 14th, 2004: "A state court knocked Ralph Nader off Pennsylvania's presidential ballot on Wednesday [10/113/04], citing thousands of fraudulent signatures including 'Mickey Mouse' and 'Fred Flintstone.' " [News Services]

2004 - Lift Off / International Space Station Crew - October 14th, 2004: "A Russian rocket [Soyuz TMA-5] carrying a new Russian-U.S. crew to the international space station lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome today [10/14/04]." [News Services]

2004 - Relations Status / European Union & Israel - October 14th, 2004: "JERUSALEM - Israel is set on a collision course with the European Union and could turn into a pariah state, like South Africa during the apartheid years, if the Mideast conflict is not resolved, Israel's Foreign Ministry warns in a confidential 10-year forecast. [....] The forecast, written for internal consumption, was obtained by the Associated Press on Wednesday [10/13/04]." [A.P.]

2004 - Implantable Computer Chip [VeriChip] / U.S.A. - October 14th, 2004: "The Food and Drug Administration [U.S.A.] said Wednesday [10/13/04] that Applied Digital Solutions of Delray Beach, Fla., could market its VeriChip, an implantable computer chip about the size of a grain of rice." [A.P.]

2004 - Ramadan Begins - October 15th, 2004: "The Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins."

2004 - Earthquake / Taiwan - October 15th, 2004: "A strong earthquake [7.0] rocked Taipei, Taiwan's capital during lunchtime today [10/15/04], shaking tall buildings for about a minute." [News Services]

2004 - Status / U.S. Trade Gap - October 15th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - The nation's trade gap widened in August [2004] to $54 billion, the second largest in history, as oil imports soared to a record and exports stalled." [Bloomberg News]

2004 - Miners Insurance / U.S.A. - October 15th, 2004: "Coal miners are lining up in Benton, Ill., this week for union health insurance, vowing to fight a ruling that released their former employer from having to pay for coverage. About 5,000 active and retired miners and their dependent's in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia lost their coverage this month when bankrupt Horizon Natural Resources was sold to financier Wilbur Ross Jr. and Massey Energy Co." [- From staff and wire reports, St. Louis Post Dispatch]

2004 - Status / U.S. Budget Deficit - October 15th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - The federal deficit rose to a record $413 billion in the 2004 fiscal year, the Treasury Department announced Thursday [10/14/04]."

2004 - Sentenced / Franklin C. Brown - October 15th, 2004: "HARRISBURG, Pa. - Franklin C. Brown, the former chief counsel of drugstore chain Rite Aid Corp., was sentenced Thursday [10/14/04] to 10 years in prison for conspiring to inflate earnings and obstruct justice. [....] Jurors found Brown guilty on 10 of 11 charges, including conspiracy to defraud Rite Aid, conspiracy to obstruct justice, witness tampering and obstructing grand jurors." [Bloomberg News]

2004 - Proposed / Giant Casinos, Britain - October 15th, 2004: "LONDON - Prime Minister Tony Blair's government said Thursday [10/14/04] it would introduce legislation within weeks to allow giant casinos offering unlimited jackpots to set up across Britain." [A.P.]

2004 - Trivia / Marsh & McLennan Cos. - October 15th, 2004: "ALBANY, N.Y. - New York's attorney general on Thursday [10/14/04] sued insurance giant Marsh & McLennan Cos. and implicated American International Group Inc. and several other insurers in misconduct." [A.P.]

*Trivia: "Marsh & McLennan Cos.,  the world's largest insurance broker, slashed its dividends Tuesday [03/01/05] and said it will cut 2,500 jobs after a $676 million net loss from settling New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's bid-rigging accusations. [....]" [Based on: Bloomberg News, 03/02/05]

2004 - Suicide Bombers / Green Zone, Iraq - October 15th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two suicide bombers detonated explosive-laden backpacks Thursday [10/14/04] inside the heavily barricaded Green Zone, killing four Americans and at least two other people." [Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times]

2004 - "Globally Threatened" / Amphibians - October 15th, 2004: "Researchers reported that 1,856 species, 32.5 percent of the known species of amphibians, are 'globally threatened,' meaning they fall into the categories of vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered as determined by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. By comparison, 12 percent of bird species and 23 percent of mammal species are threatened." [Based on: A.P.]

2004 - Status / Jewish Settlements, Gaza Strip - October 2004: "JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Thursday [10/14/04] all 8,200 Jewish settlers will be pulled out of the Gaza Strip starting next summer. He also ordered Israeli forces to pull out of a Gaza refugee camp, the focus of a monthlong offensive." [A.P.]

*Trivia: "When, on the Day of Atonement, you walk into a synagogue, you stand up for the very first prayer that you recite. It is the only prayer for which you stand. You repeat three times a short prayer called the Kol Nidre. In that prayer, you enter into an agreement with God Almighty that any oath, vow, or pledge that you may make during the next twelve months shall be null and void. The oath shall not be an oath; the vow shall not be a vow; the pledge shall not be a pledge. They shall have no force or effect." [Benjamin H. Freedman]      

2004 - Status / Minamata Poisoning Incident, Japan - October 16th, 2004: "Japan's top court ordered the government Friday [10/15/04] to pay $703,000 in damages to victims of the Minamata Bay mercury poisining. The ruling came 22 years after the case was filed over an industrial pollution disaster that killed more than 1,700 people and caused mothers to give birth to deformed babies.
   "The Minamata poisoning incident was Japan's worst case of industrial pollution. Since the 1950's, hundreds of people have contracted Minamata disease - a neurological disorder caused by mercury poisoning - from eating tainted fish. The disease was first discovered in the 1950s and named for Minamata Bay in southern Japan, where a company [Chisso Corp.] dumped tons of mercury compounds.
   "The court said the government and Kumamoto prefecture (state) failed to stop chemical manufacturer Chisso Corp. from dumping tons of mercury compounds into Minamata Bay beginning in the 1930s." [News Services]

2004 - "Black Box" Warnings / Antidepressants, U.S.A. - October 16th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration on Friday [10/15/04] ordered that all antidepressants carry 'black box' warnings that they 'increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior' in children who take them. [....] 'Antidepressants increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior ... in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder and other psychiatric disorders,' the warning begins. Those risks must be balanced against clinical need, the label indicates in a warning surrounded by a black box, hence the 'black box' designation." [A.P.]

2004 - Crashed / U.S. Army Helicopters, Iraq - October 17th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two U.S. Army helicopters crashed in Baghdad on Saturday [10/16/04], killing two slodiers, as the military reported that four other American military personnel had died in car bombings elsewhere in Iraq." [Log Angeles Times]

2004 - Trivia / Prisoner Abuse, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - October 17th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - many detainees at Guantanamo Bay were regularly subjected to harsh and coercive treatment, several people who worked in the prison said in recent interviews, despite long-standing assertations by military officials that such treatment had not been used except in some isolated cases.
  "In interviews with the New York Times, military guards, intelligence agents and others describe a range of procedures that included treatment they said was highly abusive. They said it took place over a long period of time, as well as rewards for prisoners who cooperated with interrogators.
   "One regular procedure that was described by people who worked at Camp Delta, the main prison facility at the naval base in Cuba, was making uncooperative prisoners strip to their underpants, having them sit in a chair while shackled to a bolt in the floor. The prisoners were then forced to endure strobe lights and screamingly loud rock and rap music played through two close loudspeakers, while the air conditioning was turned up to maximum levels, said one military official who witnessed the procedure.
   "The official said that was designed to make the detainees uncomfortable, as they were accustomed to high temperatures both in their native countries and in their cells.
   "Such sessions could last for up to 14 hours with breaks, said the official, who described the treatment after being contacted by The Times." [By Neil A. Lewis, New York Times News Service]

*Trivia: "[....] In a story published last fall [2004] in The New York Times Magazine, a senior Bush adviser explained the administration's concept of reality to former Wall Street Journal correspondent Ron Suskind. 'We're an empire now,' the adviser declared. 'When we act, we create our own reality.' [....]" [Based on: article by Eric Mink, S.L.P.D., p. B7, 06/22/05]

2004 - Trivia / Biological & Chemical Defense Testing Site / Utah Desert - October 17th, 2004: "The Army is planning to expand the nation's leading biological and chemical defense testing site in Utah's remote western desert to make it a training ground for counterterrorism operations. [....] In 1991, Dugway began anthrax testing, eventually testing several deadly germs to find a way to detect biological agents in times of war. Dugway now stores the pathogens in a secure laboratory." [News Services]

2004 - "Million Worker March" / Washington, D.C. - October 18th, 2004: "Hundreds of workers gathered at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday [10/17/04] to demand health care, better wages, guaranteed Social Security benefits and an end to the war in Iraq. [....] Standing on the Lincoln Memorial steps where his father delivered his 'I have a dream' speech in 1963, Martin Luther King III told the crowd that civil rights, workers and anti-war activists must come together in common cause." [News Services]

2004 - Extortion Charges / C. Clive Munro - October 19th, 2004: "A stock analyst [C. Clive Munro] issued an unfavorable report [August 2004] about the parent company of St. Louis-based Hardee's that cost investors $160 million in stock value - and then threatened to do more of the same if the company didn't pay him off, according to federal charges announced here [St. Louis] Monday." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

2004 - Anglican & Episcopal Church Relations  - October 19th, 2004: "An Anglican church commission Monday [10/18/04] urged the Episcopal church in the United States to apologize for electing a gay bishop last year. In the 93-page report issued in London, the commission also asked the Episcopal bishops not to elect another gay bishop, and asked American and Canadian bishops to refrain from blessing same-sex unions." [By Tim Townsend, St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

2004 - Dedication / Eckankar Spiritual Center - October 19th, 2004: "At 11:00 a.m. on October 19, 2004, the dedication of the new Eckankar Spiritual Center took place. [....]"

[Based on: http://www.eckankar.org/Campus/]

2004 - Political Trivia / Burma - October 20th, 2004: "Myanmar's tough but pragmatic prime minister was ousted Tuesday [10/19/04] by his hard-line army colleagues, clouding prospects for the freedom of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and for democracy in the military-led Southeast Asian nation formerly called Burma."

2004 - Typhoon Tokage / Japan - October 20th, 2004: "Typhoon Tokage made landfall on Japan's main islands today. It was the eighth typhoon [a record] to hit Japan this year." [E.M.]

2004 - Abducted CARE Official / Iraq - October 20th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen seized the head of CARE International's operations [Margaret Hassan] in Iraq on Tuesday [10/19/04]. She has worked on behalf of Iraqis for three decades." [A.P.]

2004 - Evacuation Trivia / Jewish Settlements - October 20th, 2004: "JERUSALEM - Israel's army chief of staff [Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon] on Tuesday [10/19/04] condemned a call from scores of rabbis for religiously observant soldiers to refuse to obey any orders to evacuate Jewish settlements. [....] Last week, Avraham Shapira, a former chief rabbi of Israel, stated that Sharon's plan violates Jewish law. He said observant soldiers should not participate in removing settlers from their homes. Sixty other rabbis also signed Shapira's statement." [A.P.]

2004 - Heavy Rains / Northern California - October 20th, 2004: "Heavy rains in Northern California knocked out power to at least 144,000 customers on Tuesday [10/19/04] and forced the evacuation of 200 residents, many in areas where wildfires burned as recently as a week ago." [News Services]

2004 - Mad Cow Disease / France - October 21st, 2004: "In France, a blood donor has been identified as France's eighth known victim of the human equivalent of mad cow disease." [E.M.]

2004 - Senior Hamas Fatality / Gaza Strip - October 21st, 2004: "Reportedly killed [by Israeli missles] this date in history: senior Hamas commander, Adnan Al-Ghoul." [E.M.]

2004 - The Living Planet Report - October 22nd, 2004: "GENEVA - Environmentists charge in a new report that Earth's ability to sustain life is in peril from mankind's reliance on fossil fuel, the spread of cities, the destruction of natural habitats foir farmland and overexploitation of the oceans. The document - the Living World Report - is the work of the World Wildlife Fund, which issued it Thursday [10/21/04]. The report says the biggest consumers of nonrenewable natural resources are the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Kuwait, Australia and Sweden. They leave the biggest 'ecological footprint,' the report says. Humans consume 20 percent more natural resources than the Earth can produce, the report says. [....] Use of fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil increased by almost 700 percent between 1961 and 2001, the study says. [....] Populations of freshwater, marine and land species fell on average by 40 percent between 1970 and 2000. The report cites urbanization, forest clearance, polution, overfishing and the introduction of non-native animals, such as cats and rats, which often drive out native species. The study is the group's fifth since 1998. This edition examines the 'ecological footprint' of the planet's entire population. [....] The world's 6.1 billion people leave a collective footprint of 33.36 billion acres, or 5.44 acres per capita. To allow the earth to regenerate, the average should be no more than 4.45 acres, the report says." [Based on: Jonathan Fowler, A.P.]

2004 - ECK Worldwide Seminar / "Year of the Missionary" - October 22nd, 2004: "ECKANKAR, Religion of the Light and Sound of God, began its annual New Year celebration with the ECK Worldwide Seminar in Minneapolis, MN [October 22-24, 2004]. The theme for this year is entitled: The 'Year of the Missionary.' " [E.M.]

2004 - Status / Kyoto Treaty - October 23rd, 2004: "MOSCOW - Russia's lower house of parliament ratified the Kyoto Protocol on cutting greenhouse gases Friday [10/22/04]. The vote all but ensures that after years of delays, the environmental pact will go into effect around much of the world. The treaty has been rejected by the United States, which in 1990 accounted  for 36 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. [....] Japan, Germany and other industrial nations have already adopted the treaty. The United States and Australia were the only major countries to reject it. [....] Communist legislator Petr Romanov voted against the treaty. He said the pact's strictures would slow economic growth. 'It threatens the economic security of Russia,' he said." [Based on: Mike Eckel, A.P.]

2004 - Failure to Comply / Inactive Reservists, U.S.A. - October 23rd, 2004: "WASHINGTON - More than 800 inactive reservists have failed to comply with Army orders to get back in uniform and report for duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, the Army said Friday [10/22/04]." [A.P.]

2004 - Car Bombings / Iraq - October 24th, 2004: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two car bombings in separate locations killed at least 20 Iraqi security officers Saturday [10/23/04] in the Sunni  Triangle north and west of the capital." [Based on: Karl Vick, The Washington Post]

2004 - Earthquakes / Japan - October 24th, 2004: "OJIYA, Japan - A series of powerful earthquakes and aftershocks rattled northern Japan on Saturday [10/23/04], killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 900. [....] The quakes - the most powerful recorded as magnitude-6.8 - were spread over several hours and centered on Ojiya, about 160 miles northwest of Tokyo." [Based on: Eric Talmadge, A.P.]

2004 - Volcanic Eruption / Manam Volcano - October 24th, 2004: "The island of Manam sits in the Bismarck Sea across the Stephan Strait from the east coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. Only 10 kilometers wide, the island results from the activity of the Manam Volcano, one of the country’s most active. In this image [see link] from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on October 24, 2004, a large ash plume has spread northwestward from an eruption of Manam, located at bottom right. The thermally active areas on the volcano have been detected by MODIS and are outlined in red. [....]"

[Based on: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12556]

2004 - Revelation / U.S. Detainee Transfer Memo - October 24th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - At the request of the CIA, the Justice Department drafted a confidential memo that authorized the agency to transfer detainees out of Iraq for interrogation - a practice that international legal specialists say contravenes the Geneva Conventions. [....] The draft opinion was written by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel and dated March 19th, 2004." [Based on: Dana Priest, The Washington Post]

2004 - Commissioned / U.S. Attack Submarine - Virginia - October 24th, 2004: "The Navy commissioned on Saturday [10/23/04] the lead ship of its latest class of fast-attack submarines specifically designed for post-Cold War security threats. [....] The 377-foot-long [nuclear-powered] sub is the first to be built without a periscope, using a high-resolution digital camera instead." [News Services]

2004 - Trivia / Infant Immune Systems - October 25th, 2004: "Infant immune systems can tolerate foreign tissue even of a different blood type, expanding transplant options, a Nature Medicine study says." [WSJ]

2004 - Massacre / Iraqi Soldiers, Iraq - October 25th, 2004: "Insurgents massacred dozens of Iraqi soldiers, unarmed on leave. In one of the most horrendous acts aimed at choking off cooperation with the U.S., the troops' buses were ambushed 95 miles east of Baghdad [10/24/04] and nearly 50 were executed with shots to the head." [WSJ]

2004 - 1st Space-Rocket Launch / Brazil - October 25th, 2004: "Brazil succeeded in launching its first rocket into space Saturday [10/23/04], recovering from a launch-pad accident last year that killed 21 space workers." [WSJ]

2004 - Missing Explosives / Iraq - October 26th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - As the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency confirmed Monday [10/25/04] that about 380 tons of explosives are missing from an Iraqi military complex, the issue quickly moved into the presidential campaign." [George Edmonson, Cox News Service]

2004 - Thyroid Cancer / William J. Rehnquist - October 26th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - Chief Justice William J. Rehnquist has thyroid cancer, a disclosure Monday [10/25/04] that caught even the closest Supreme Court observers off guard." [A.P.]

2004 - Bankruptcy / ATA - October 27th, 2004: "ATA [a low-cost airline based at Chicago's Midway Airport] filed for protection from creditors in Bankruptcy Court in Indianapolis." [Compiled from Associated Press, Bloomberg News and St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.]

2004 - Total Lunar Eclipse - October 27th, 2004: "On this date in history, a total lunar eclipse was visible in the United States [at approximately 9pm, C.S.T.]." [E.M.]

2004 - Cassini Spacecraft / Titan - October 27th, 2004: "PASADENA, Calif. - The Cassini spacecraft on Tuesday [10/26/04] cruised to within 745 miles of Titan, Saturn's planet-size moon, for the first close encounter with it. [....] Scientists and flight controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena had to wait hours to learn whether the mission was a success. While Cassini's cameras, radar system and other instruments were surveying the moon, its antenna was facing Titan and unable to communicate with Earth." [New York Times]

*Trivia: "High-quality images of Titan, Saturn's mysterious moon, tantalized and bewildered scientists Wednesday [10/27/04], and they warned that NASA's  Cassini spacecraft may have to make several passes over the frozen world before it gives up its secrets." [Washington Post, 10/28/04]

2004 - Approved / Artificial Spinal Disc - October 27th, 2004: "The Food and Drug Administration approved on Tuesday [10/26/04] the first artificial spinal disc for patients with persistant lower back pain." [News Services]

2004 - Genitically Modified Corn / E.U. - October 27th, 2004: "BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union head office on Tuesday [10/26/04] cleared the sale of food and food ingredients derived from a genetically modified corn variety produced by Monsanto Co., saying that labeling will give consumers a choice of whether to use it." [A.P.]

2004 - Status / Gaza Strip Withdrawl Plan - October 27th, 2004: "JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won approval Tuesday [10/26/04] for his plan to uproot all Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. The landmark parliamentary vote marked the first time Israel's lawmakers authorized abandoning settlements in lands that Palestinian Arabs claim for a state." [Graig Nelson, Cox News Service]

2004 - Trivia / American Airlines Flight 587 - October 27th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - American Airlines Flight 587 lost its tail and plummeted into a New York City neighborhood in November 2001, killing 265 people, because the copilot improperly used the rudder to try to steady the plane, federal safety investigators ruled Tuesday [10/26/04]." [A.P.]

2004 - Cut in Benefits / US Airways Group - October 27th, 2004: "US Airways Group can cut pilot pay 18 percent and trim benefits to save $1.85 billion over five years and help exit bankruptcy protection, a judge [Stephen S. Mitchell] ruled." [Compiled from Associated Press, Bloomberg News and St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.]

2004 - World Series Champions / Boston Red Sox - October 27th, 2004: "On this date in history, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series [in St. Louis]. They beat the St. Louis Cardnials four games to none."

2004 - Third Quarter Earnings / Lockheed Martin Corp. - October 27th, 2004: "Lockheed Martin Corp., the nation's [U.S.A.] largest defense contracter, said Tuesday [10/26/04] that third-quarter earnings rose 41 percent behind higher sales of military transport planes and an increase in the company's information technology business." [News Services]

2004 - Trivia / Kyoto Protocol - October 28th, 2004: "The Kyoto Protocol overcame its final legislative hurdle in Russia when the upper house of parliament ratified the global climate pact Wedneday [10/27/04] and sent it on to President Vladimir Putin for his signature - setting the stage for the treaty to come into force next year. [....] The pact will apply only to nations that ratify it." [News Services]

2004 - Trivia / Homo Floresiensis - October 28th, 2004: "WASHINGTON - A miniature, long-lost relative of modern humans has been discovered, shaking up science's view of how human beings evolved on Earth. [....] Scientists found Hobbit and six other skeletons of this lost species on Flores [last year, 2003], a remote Indonesian Island, according to a study to be published today in the scientific journal Nature. The discovery means that about 50,000 years ago, there were four species of humans roaming the Earth at the same time: Homo sapiens (modern humans), Homo Erectus, Neanderthals and this new relative, called Homo Floresiensis (also called Flores Man). [....] Scientists think Homo Floresiensis was wiped out 12,000 years ago in a massive volcanic eruption that also killed off the island's pigmy elephants, said co-discoverer Peter brown of the University of New England. [....] In Flores, so far the oldest modern-human bones are 11,000 years old." [Based on: Seth Borenstein, Knight Ridder Newspapers]

2004 - U.N. Hostages / Afghanistan - October 28th, 2004: "Reportedly kidnapped this date in history: Angelito Nayan, Anetta Flanigan, & Shqipe Hebibi [in Kabul, Afghanistan]. They were later released unharmed [11/22/04] after more than three weeks in captivity, officials said [11/23/04]." [E.M.]

2004 - Not Required / Anthrax Vaccine, U.S. Military - October 28th, 2004: "For the second time in a year, a federal judge ordered the military Wednesday [10/27/04] to stop requiring anthrax vaccines for U.S. military personnel. [....] U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said the Food and Drug Administration violated its own proceedures when it gave final approval to the vaccine last year [2003] because it failed to give the public a chance to comment." [News Services]

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