Friday, January 20, 2006

Hurricane Katrina Aftermath News Pictures #35

Headlights illuminate a sign in Buras, Louisiana January 19, 2006. Tackling a subject many people in New Orleans might consider a bad joke, experts laid out plans to boost the effectiveness of government, much of which collapsed in the chaos of Hurricane Katrina. Photo taken January 19, 2006. REUTERS/Lee Celano
Splintered wood, water damaged furnishings, demolished personal possessions and moss and mildew encrusted houses lie across the street from St. Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis, Miss., Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006. Although it has been over four months since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, areas remain to be cleaned up so recovery can begin. This damage sits adjacent to the the high school where Thursday President Bush touted the recovery efforts of the State and its residents. (AP Photo/Rogelio Solis)
Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Lewis Setliff, Commander of Task Force Guardian, looks on near the failed floodwall of the Industrial Canal Friday, Jan. 13, 2006, in New Orleans. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Interagency Performance Evaluation Team removed samples of the floodwall material along the canal as part of an investigation to allow inspectors to test and analyze the material to help determine why the floodwall performed as it did during Hurricane Katrina. A new, stronger, T-shaped beam is planned for replacement by June 1, 2006, which will restore the levee to pre-Katrina strength. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Workers remove the old I-beam retaining wall near the failed floodwall of the Industrial Canal Friday, Jan. 13, 2006, in New Orleans. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Interagency Performance Evaluation Team removed samples of the floodwall material along the canal as part of an investigation to allow inspectors to test and analyze the material to help determine why the floodwall performed as it did during Hurricane Katrina. A new, stronger, T-shaped beam is planned for replacement by June 1, 2006. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) More News Images on THE TENSION

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Outside New Orleans, Katrina Victims Feel Forgotten

GULF COAST HURRICANES

President Bush praises Gulf Coast residents for their rebuilding efforts during a visit to St. Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis, Miss. in this Jan. 12, 2006 file photo. Although it has been over four months since Hurricane Katrina hit the coast, areas remain to be cleaned up so recovery can begin. (AP Photo/Rogelio Solis, FILE) COMMENTLINE
Having lived in the Gulf Coast area during the Hurricane Katrina disaster, I am not sure I understand what the headline really means. Hey, but that's just me.

Folks who went right to work rebuilding their lives after the storm really didn't have much time for feeling forgotten or sorry for themselves. Pehaps the story is just an attempt to make news. As for me, I have a lot of empathy for the folks, but I'd rather go about my business without being gawked at.

NEWSLINES
"Beer, cigarettes, alcohol. I got the necessities," proprietor Morris Hartt, 51, jokes as he serves a thin trickle of mud-splattered customers.

"The only one that helps is me. What's been done, I did it myself," said Ned Malley, a 68-year-old welder. "You can't get no help down here."


NEWSBYTE
Outside New Orleans, Katrina victims feel forgotten
VENICE, Louisiana (Reuters) - At the mouth of the Mississippi River, where Hurricane Katrina flattened nearly everything in sight, residents consider themselves the "forgotten survivors."

With so much public attention paid to New Orleans, locals living on the decimated, southernmost spit of Louisiana fret that little is coming their way to help rebuild their houses and businesses that sat directly in Katrina's path. Read full story.

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Chirac Nuclear Comments Backfire in Europe

INTERNATIONAL

(image removed)

COMMENTLINE
You can't get much past those folks in Europe, can ya'?

NEWSLINE
"Jacques Chirac is an idiot," chided Belgian daily De Morgen in an editorial. "He lives in a time where France is no longer a world power, but he's still acting as if prolonging a Napoleonic dynasty."

NEWSBYTE
Chirac Nuclear Comments Draw Ire in Europe
PARIS (AP) -- President Jacques Chirac drew scorching criticism in Europe on Friday for suggesting France would consider a nuclear response to state-sponsored terrorism.

Chirac's headline-grabbing comments in a speech Thursday sent a warning to countries like Iran and sought to nip in the bud domestic debate about whether deeply indebted France still needs its expensive nuclear deterrent in the post-Cold War world. Read full story.

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50 Cent Sued for Copyright Infringement

50 CENTCOMMENTLINE
It's not that I care all that much about this story, I present it here only because it reaffirms my belief that unoriginality is about as unoriginal as you can get. In other words, "There ain't no class like no-class."

NEWSBYTE
50 Cent Sued for Copyright Infringement
MIAMI (AP) - Rapper 50 Cent stole some of the lyrics for his 2003 hit "In Da Club" from a song by former 2 Live Crew frontman Luther Campbell, an attorney claims in a lawsuit.

Richard C. Wolfe filed the copyright infringement lawsuit against Curtis James Jackson, aka 50 Cent, in Miami federal court last week on behalf of Lil' Joe Wein Music. Read full story.

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Oil Prices Rise Above $67 Amid Iran Tension

TENSION IN THE NEWS

OIL PUMPCOMMENTARY
Expect even higher prices than before at the pump.

NEWSLINE
Adding to the market jitters was an audiotape in which Osama bin Laden warned that his fighters are preparing new attacks in the United States. The tape, portions of which aired Thursday on Al-Jazeera television, was the first from the al-Qaida leader in more than a year.

NEWSBYTE
Oil Prices Rise Above $67 Amid Iran Tension
Oil Prices Head Above $67 Amid Tension Over Iran, Nigeria, Threat of New U.S. Attacks
SINGAPORE Jan 20, 2006 (AP) -- Crude oil prices rose Friday amid concern over the Iranian nuclear dispute, unrest in Nigeria and new threats of attacks on the United States by al-Qaida.

Worries of possible sanctions against Iran, OPEC's second-largest producer, over its nuclear program and violence in oil-rich Nigeria have helped support oil prices so much so that even a report of growing supplies in the U.S. did not calm the market. Read full story.

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WSJ: Bin Laden Tape Poses Questions

WORLD

Osama bin Laden COMMENTLINE
I've been looking for in-depth intelligence analysis of bin Laden's last statements. Some analysts feel the symbolic offer of a truce is traditional, cultural protocol given an enemy before an attack.

NEWSLINE
"There's no question that this is troubling," said Ben Venzke, chief executive of IntelCenter, a Virginia firm that does analysis and intelligence gathering on terrorism for the Pentagon. "One of the theories is that he would only come out right before a major attack or after one."

NEWSBYTE
Bin Laden tape poses questions
WASHINGTON (WSJ via Pocono Record) -- Osama bin Laden released an audiotape after a year of public silence, threatening to attack the U.S. following a two-year period in which members al-Qaida's terror network struck targets in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

ALSO SEE
Past Tapes From Osama Bin Laden

FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives: Usama Bin Laden

RELATED
Bin Laden: Attacks on U.S. Being Prepared
CASABLANCA, Morocco, Jan. 19 (washingtonpost.com) -- The voice of Osama bin Laden was heard for the first time in more than a year Thursday, saying new attacks in the United States were being prepared but offering a "long-term" truce if U.S. forces withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan. The tape quieted speculation that his long silence meant he was dead.

Bin Laden Warns of Attacks in U.S. but Offers Truce
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 19 (NYT) -- Breaking more than a year's silence, Osama bin Laden warned Americans in an audiotape released on Thursday that Al Qaeda was planning more attacks on the United States, but he offered a "long truce" on undefined terms.

U.S. rejects bin Laden tape's 'truce' offer
CIA: Voice warning Americans believed to be al Qaeda leader's

(CNN) -- A CIA official believes an audiotaped message threatening the United States is from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who warns that plans for terror attacks are under way -- and also offers a "long-term truce."

'Bin Laden tape' warns of attacks
(BBC) -- Arabic TV station al-Jazeera has aired an audio tape, which CIA analysts say is by al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

U.S. Rejects Any 'Truce' With Bin Laden
WASHINGTON (AP) - Rejecting a suggestion by Osama bin Laden of a negotiated truce in the war on terror, Vice President Dick Cheney said there was only one way to deal with terrorists. "I think you have to destroy them," Cheney said. The vague offer of a truce - coupled with a threat of another...

US on bin Laden tape: No negotiations
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States dismissed on Thursday a conditional truce offered in a tape attributed to Osama bin Laden and said it "does not negotiate with terrorists."

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RIP: Wilson Pickett

IN THE NEWS

WILSON PICKETTNEWSLINE
"A fellow Detroiter, Wilson Pickett was one of the greatest soul singers of all time," Aretha Franklin said in a statement. "He will absolutely be missed. I am thankful that I got the chance to speak to him not too long ago."

NEWSBYTE
Wilson Pickett dies of heart attack at 64
NEW YORK (AP) -- Wilson Pickett, the soul pioneer best known for the fiery hits "Mustang Sally" and "In The Midnight Hour," died of a heart attack Thursday in a Reston, Virginia, hospital, according to his management company. He was 64. Read full story.

ALSO SEE
Wilson Pickett Biography on All Music Guide

Wilson Pickett Collection at Amazon.com

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Thursday, January 19, 2006

Post Shutters Blog After Readers Trash Comments

NEWS IN THE NEWS

COMMENTLINE
The politics of denial are indeed strong politics to confront. In this case, folks are made to confront the truth about the fact that Jack Abramoff had directed substantial campaign contributions to both major parties -- and that truth doesn't fit well within with a particular group's talking points.

I will never understand why the hallmark of liberal tolerance is strangled by many a liberal individual's intolerance.

NEWSLINE
"We're not giving up on the concept of having a healthy public dialogue with our readers, but this experience shows that we need to think more carefully about how we do it," Brady wrote on the newspaper's Web site. "There are things that we said we would not allow, including personal attacks, the use of profanity and hate speech."

NEWSBYTE
Paper Shutters Blog After Ombudsman Post
(AP) -- The Washington Post shut down one of its blogs Thursday after the newspaper's ombudsman raised the ire of readers by writing that lobbyist Jack Abramoff gave money to the Democrats as well as to Republicans. Read full story.

RELATED
'Wash Post' Web Editor Explains Decision to Shut Off Blog Comments
(E&P) -- NEW YORK Jim Brady, executive editor of The Washington Post’s Web site, who took down a popular reader blog Thursday after it overflowed with profane and hateful messages about Ombudsman Deborah Howell, said the blog would likely return in the future. But, he said the Web site would have to find some better screening technology to filter out obscenities.

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Full Text of bin Laden Tape

WORLD

COMMENTLINE
Presented below for your perusal is the full text of the new audiotape from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. I have taken the liberty to highlight certain pasaages that could have been copied and pasted directly from liberal-left and Democrat talking points.

NEWSBYTE
Bin Laden appears to be addressing the American people:

My message to you is about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and how to end them. I did not intend to speak to you about this because this issue has already been decided. Only metal breaks metal, and our situation, thank God, is only getting better and better, while your situation is the opposite of that.

But I plan to speak about the repeated errors your President Bush has committed in comments on the results of your polls that show an overwhelming majority of you want the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. But he (Bush) has opposed this wish and said that withdrawing troops sends the wrong message to opponents, that it is better to fight them (bin Laden's followers) on their land than their fighting us (Americans) on our land.

I can reply to these errors by saying that war in Iraq is raging with no let-up, and operations in Afghanistan are escalating in our favor, thank God, and Pentagon figures show the number of your dead and wounded is increasing not to mention the massive material losses, the destruction of the soldiers' morale there and the rise in cases of suicide among them. So you can imagine the state of psychological breakdown that afflicts a soldier as he gathers the remains of his colleagues after they stepped on land mines that tore them apart. After this situation the soldier is caught between two hard options. He either refuses to leave his military camp on patrols and is therefore dogged by ruthless punishments enacted by the Vietnam Butcher (U.S. army) or he gets destroyed by the mines. This puts him under psychological pressure, fear and humiliation while his nation is ignorant of that (what is going on). The soldier has no solution except to commit suicide. That is a strong message to you, written by his soul, blood and pain, to save what can be saved from this hell. The solution is in your hands if you care about them (the soldiers).

The news of our brother mujahideen (holy warriors) is different from what the Pentagon publishes. They (the news of mujahideen) and what the media report is the truth of what is happening on the ground. And what deepens the doubt over the White House's information is the fact that it targets the media reporting the truth from the ground. And it has appeared lately, supported by documents, that the butcher of freedom in the world (Bush) had decided to bomb the headquarters of the Al-Jazeera in Qatar after bombing its offices in Kabul and Baghdad.

On another issue, jihad (holy war) is ongoing, thank God, despite all the oppressive measures adopted by the U.S Army and its agents (which is) to a point where there is no difference between this criminality and Saddam's criminality, as it has reached the degree of raping women and taking them as hostages instead of their husbands.

As for torturing men, they have used burning chemical acids and drills on their joints. And when they give up on (interrogating) them, they sometimes use the drills on their heads until they die. Read, if you will, the reports of the horrors in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo prisons.

And I say that, despite all the barbaric methods, they have not broken the fierceness of the resistance. The mujahideen, thank God, are increasing in number and strength ? so much so that reports point to the ultimate failure and defeat of the unlucky quartet of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz. Declaring this defeat is just a matter of time, depending partly on how much the American people know of the size of this tragedy. The sensible people realize that Bush does not have a plan to make his alleged victory in Iraq come true.

And if you compare the small number of dead on the day that Bush announced the end of major operations in that fake, ridiculous show aboard the aircraft carrier with the tenfold number of dead and wounded who were killed in the smaller operations, you would know the truth of what I say. This is that Bush and his administration do not have the will or the ability to get out of Iraq for their own private, suspect reasons.

And so to return to the issue, I say that results of polls please those who are sensible, and Bush's opposition to them is a mistake. The reality shows that the war against America and its allies has not been limited to Iraq as he (Bush) claims. Iraq has become a point of attraction and restorer of (our) energies. At the same time, the mujahideen (holy warriors), with God's grace, have managed repeatedly to penetrate all security measures adopted by the unjust allied countries. The proof of that is the explosions you have seen in the capitals of the European nations who are in this aggressive coalition. The delay in similar operations happening in America has not been because of failure to break through your security measures. The operations are under preparation and you will see them in your homes the minute they are through (with preparations), with God's permission.

Based on what has been said, this shows the errors of Bush's statement ? the one that slipped from him ? which is at the heart of polls calling for withdrawing the troops. It is better that we (Americans) don't fight Muslims on their lands and that they don't fight us on ours.

We don't mind offering you a long-term truce on fair conditions that we adhere to. We are a nation that God has forbidden to lie and cheat. So both sides can enjoy security and stability under this truce so we can build Iraq and Afghanistan, which have been destroyed in this war. There is no shame in this solution, which prevents the wasting of billions of dollars that have gone to those with influence and merchants of war in America who have supported Bush's election campaign with billions of dollars ? which lets us understand the insistence by Bush and his gang to carry on with war.

If you (Americans) are sincere in your desire for peace and security, we have answered you. And if Bush decides to carry on with his lies and oppression, then it would be useful for you to read the book "Rogue State," which states in its introduction: "If I were president, I would stop the attacks on the United States: First I would give an apology to all the widows and orphans and those who were tortured. Then I would announce that American interference in the nations of the world has ended once and for all."

Finally, I say that war will go either in our favor or yours. If it is the former, it means your loss and your shame forever, and it is headed in this course. If it is the latter, read history! We are people who do not stand for injustice and we will seek revenge all our lives. The nights and days will not pass without us taking vengeance like on Sept. 11, God permitting. Your minds will be troubled and your lives embittered. As for us, we have nothing to lose. A swimmer in the ocean does not fear the rain. You have occupied our lands, offended our honor and dignity and let out our blood and stolen our money and destroyed our houses and played with our security and we will give you the same treatment.

You have tried to prevent us from leading a dignified life, but you will not be able to prevent us from a dignified death. Failing to carry out jihad, which is called for in our religion, is a sin. The best death to us is under the shadows of swords. Don't let your strength and modern arms fool you. They win a few battles but lose the war. Patience and steadfastness are much better. We were patient in fighting the Soviet Union with simple weapons for 10 years and we bled their economy and now they are nothing.

In that there is a lesson for you.

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Sen. Hillary Clinton Talks Iran Strike

POLITICS

B2BCOMMENTLINE
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

NEWSLINES
"We cannot and should not - must not - permit Iran to build or acquire nuclear weapons."

"We cannot take any option off the table..."

NEWSBYTES
Hillary talks Iran strike
Clinton blasts Bush administration’s handling of country’s possible development of nuclear weapons

PRINCETON, N.J. (Newsday.com) -- A tough-talking Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton Wednesday suggested she would back a military strike on Iran if that country's radical Islamic government attempts to build nuclear weapons.

Hillary Clinton Says White House Has Mishandled Iran
(NYT) -- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton last night criticized the Bush administration for its response to Iran's nuclear program, saying it had chosen to "downplay" the crisis over the past several years.

Sen. Clinton: Bush 'Downplaying' Iran Threat
(NewsMax.com) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton called for United Nations sanctions against Iran as it resumes its nuclear program and faulted the Bush administration for "downplaying" the threat.

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Chocolate New Orleans Anyone?

GULF COAST

CARTOON
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Purported Bin Laden Audio Tape Warns of Attacks

WORLD

A video grab from an audiotape broadcast by Qatari news channel al-Jazeera television shows an undated picture of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. The White House flatly rejected a truce offer made on a purported audiotape by Osama bin Laden and said that US intelligence was trying to verify the recording's authenticity.(AFP/AL-JAZEERA) COMMENTLINE
News has it there is a statement on an audio tape now circulating purported to be Osama bin Laden where he suggests a conditional truce based on what he assumes to be growing U.S. public opinion against the war in Iraq.

Are we to believe the idea that the man who has issued orders that all Americans are enemies and are to be killed now wants to make a truce?

Is there no irony in historical repetition as once again some folk's dissent at home is used to judge the will and honor of all Americans?

Perhaps Al-Qaida sees a pivotal moment coming in the Middle East with the rise of Iran's power in the region, helped along by instability in Iraq, leading to a nuclear exchange with Israel.

I am not comforted in the fact that the liberal-left and many Democrats use almost verbatim the same anti-war rhetoric as bin Laden and his pals.

NEWSLINE
On the tape, the speaker alleged to be bin Laden charges that President Bush is misleading the American people.

NEWSBYTES
Purported Bin Laden Audio Tape Warns of Attacks
(washingtonpost.com) -- A man purported to be Osama bin Laden warned that al Qaeda is preparing new terrorist attacks in the United States but indicated the group was open to a truce in response to U.S. public opinion against the war in Iraq, according to an audiotape aired by an Arabic television network today.

Purported bin Laden voice: 'It's only a question of time'
Audiotape warns Americans of impending attacks, offers truce
(CNN) -- An audiotaped message purported to be from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden warns that plans for terror attacks in the United States are under way -- and also offers a "long-term truce."

Purported bin Laden tape talks of attacks, truce
CAIRO (AP) -- Al-Jazeera on Thursday aired an audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden, who says al-Qaeda is making preparations for attacks in the United States but offering a truce "with fair conditions."

Arab TV Airs Audiotape Said to Be From bin Laden
(NYT) --The unconfirmed tape emerged a week after a U.S. strike aimed at Al Qaeda leaders, and more than a year since his last message.

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China Beat Columbus to New World?

BOOKS, ARTS, HISTORY

A copy of a map that collector Liu Gang claims proves controversial theories that famed Chinese mariner Zheng He was the first person to discover America and circumnavigate the world.(AFP/Frederic J. Brown)COMMENTLINE
When reading the story please note that the authenticity of the map in question has yet to be verified and it just may end up in the same museum that exhibits the Hitler Diaries and the Fiji Mermaid.

NEWSLINE
The consequences of the discovery of this map could be considerable. If it does indeed prove to be the first map of the world, "The history of New World discovery will have to be rewritten."

NEWSBYTE
China beat Columbus to it, perhaps
An ancient map that strongly suggests Chinese seamen were first round the world
(The Economist) -- THE brave seamen whose great voyages of exploration opened up the world are iconic figures in European history. Columbus found the New World in 1492; Dias discovered the Cape of Good Hope in 1488; and Magellan set off to circumnavigate the world in 1519. However, there is one difficulty with this confident assertion of European mastery: it may not be true. Read full story.

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Geocaching Puts a Few Authorities on Edge

TECHNOLOGY

GeocacheCOMMENTLINE
More tension news headlines:

The story linked below, Geocaching puts authorities on edge, presents the usually overblown CNN perspective on the news.

If you haven't heard of it, geocaching is simply a high-tech treasure-hunt game using global positioning devices. The picture above left (click to expand) represents the "treasure" found in a typical geocache.

Because curious folks may pillage the containers used in the game, most of the treasures are not hidden in plain sight in populated areas.

In any case, I offer the story linked below for your perusal.

NEWSLINE
"I dare say I have heard of no more than five or 10 incidents," said Roth, whose Web site lists more than 225,000 caches in 219 countries. "

NEWSBYTE
Geocaching puts authorities on edge
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- In a game of global positioning called geocaching, the lowly treasure hunt has gone high-tech -- but it can also be a game of risk when terrorism-sensitive authorities find the goods first. Read full story.

RELATED
Geocaching.com, The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site

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Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Fears of Condi Spurred Hillary's Racial Remarks: Dick Morris

POLITICS

Dick MorrisCOMMENTLINE
I don't always agree with Dick Morris. Sure, he is a reformed Clintonista, but therein lies Dick's inability to always get it right. However, because he has been a long-time politico, I respect his opinions and present the link below to Thursday's Op-Ed for your perusal.

NEWSLINES
"[Hillary Clinton] did not attend Sharpton's annual King Day celebration last year or the year before even though she was invited," he added.

"Now [Sen. Clinton] comes, all of a sudden, and makes a militant statement unlike what she did at the other King Day events she attended. It is all because she wants to appease Sharpton so he doesn't give her a hard time when she runs for president."

NEWSBYTE
Fears of Condi Spurred Hillary's Racial Remarks
Dick Morris - Thursday, Jan. 19, 2006
(NewsMax.com) -- Sources close to New York civil rights leader Rev Al Sharpton tell me that Hillary used his annual Martin Luther King Day forum to liken the House Republican majority's conduct of the House of Representatives to a "plantation" because she fears a Sharpton challenge in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary. Read full story.

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Bill Clinton Can Re-Apply for Law License

POLITICS

Bill and MonicaCOMMENTLINE
We'll file this one under the "Most corrupt administration" heading often incorrectly reserved for the current administration.

NEWSLINE
On Clinton's last full day as president, Jan. 19, 2001, he agreed to a five-year license suspension. The agreement came on the condition that Whitewater prosecutors would not pursue criminal charges against him after he lied under oath about his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

NEWSBYTE
Bill Clinton Can Re-Apply for Law License
(NewsMax) -- The five-year suspension of Bill Clinton’s Arkansas law license in connection with the Monica Lewinsky affair ends this week, but an aide declined Tuesday to say whether the ex-president is seeking reinstatement.

The Arkansas Supreme Court's Committee on Professional Conduct, citing court policy, would not say whether Clinton is seeking reinstatement. Clinton spokesman Jay Carson said the former president has other matters pending. Read full story.

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Hurricane Katrina Aftermath News Pictures #34

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For a Small State, Louisiana Has a Lot of Crooks

GULF COAST

POLICECOMMENTLINE
Folks back home in Alabama and Mississippi may stew a little about this story. All I can say is calling New Orleans the "Big Easy" may hit pretty close to home in more ways than one.

NEWSLINE
"It's Louisiana. There's a deep willingness of the people who live there to look at corruption and not condemn it."

NEWSBYTE
For a small state, Louisiana has a lot of crooks
Despite its ragged reputation, Louisiana isn't the worst state when it comes to public scandals. In terms of raw numbers of federal public corruption convictions, California, Florida and Ohio are worse.

From 1995 to 2004, there were 871 federal public corruption convictions in California, according to the U.S. attorney general's office. Florida had 813 convictions. New York had 790. Ohio and Pennsylvania were even with 515 convictions each. Louisiana's toll: 310. Read full story.

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Obama Backs Clinton's Criticism of GOP

POLITICS

Sen. ClintonCOMMENTLINE
Since Hill stuffed her foot into her mouth over the MKL holiday, we have heard quite a few Democrats defend her remarks. Imagine the irony if some lowly Republican Senator had said anything of the sort. These same Democrats defending life on the plantation would be the first in line to call for the offending Republican to be frog-walked out, stripped and broken like Jason McCord, and then made to resign.

Leave it to First Lady Laura Bush, speaking all the way from Nigeria, to treat Hillary's gaffe with all of the grace Sen. Clinton doesn't possess.

When complaining about the consolidation of power, Democrats need look no farther than themselves to blame for not being elected into a majority. But then again, that would mean the Dems would be taking responsibility and offering solutions. The truth of the matter is most Americans haven't wanted Democrats to run things ... or Americans simply would have voted differently. Things may change in the future, but that's the way they are now and all the whining in the world won't make Democrats into better leaders.

NEWSBYTES
Obama Backs Clinton's Criticism of GOP
WASHINGTON (washingtonpost.com) -- Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday defended Sen. Hillary Clinton for describing the House of Representatives as a "plantation," saying he felt her choice of words referred to a "consolidation of power" in Washington that squeezes out the voters.

First Lady Assails Sen. Clinton for Remark
(AP) -- Laura Bush criticized Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday for suggesting that the Republican-controlled House is run like a plantation where dissenting voices are ignored.

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US Downplays Talk of Tension with Chile

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Apple Tweaks iTunes After Privacy Concerns

COMMENTLINE
Here's an update and workaround for the iTunes privacy problem that appeared last week.

RECENT UPDATE
The latest version of iTunes software's MiniStore is now turned off by default.

NEWSLINE
"As you select items in your library, information about that item is sent to Apple, and the MiniStore will show you related songs or videos," the note says. "Apple does not keep any information related to the contents of your music library."

The notification also provides a prominent new pointer to a button that will turn off the MiniStore, which does not exchange any information while inactive. As before, the feature can also be turned off by going to the menu of commands at the top of the software or by selecting a keyboard command.


NEWSBYTE
Apple tweaks iTunes following privacy concerns
Following a wave of privacy concerns last week, Apple Computer has begun prominently notifying customers about a new recommendation feature in its iTunes software, as well as spotlighting a simple way to turn it off.
(CNET) -- The new feature, a "MiniStore" pane in the software, provides music recommendations to iTunes users based on the songs currently in the software's active playlist. To do so, it sends information about those songs back to Apple, even if the tracks weren't originally purchased from the iTunes Music Store. Read full story.

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Oil Falls, Warm Weather Trumps Nigeria Tension

ECONOMY

COMMENTLINE
More tension making headlines in the news.

NEWSLINE
"There is a lack of heating demand. We're experiencing a very unusual warm pattern in the United States."

NEWSBYTE
Oil falls, warm weather trumps Nigeria tension
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil fell below $66 per barrel on Wednesday as unusually warm weather curbed heating demand in the United States and thwarted an early rally sparked by renewed threats from Nigerian militants to halt shipments from the world's eighth biggest crude exporter.

U.S. crude oil fell 51 cents to $65.80 a barrel, after climbing as high as $66.93, the highest since September 30, on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, Brent crude was down 54 cents at $64.36 on the International Petroleum Exchange. Read full story.

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Quotes From Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

COMMENTARY
The works and words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are best crystallized in quotes from his "I have a dream," speech.

Submitted for your approval, a number of quotes heard around the news sphere on MLK day.

NEWSLINES
"It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans -- the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans." New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin

"When you look at the way the House of Representatives has been run, it has been run like a plantation and you know what I'm talking about..." Sen. Hillary Clinton

"The President of the United States has been breaking the law repeatedly and persistently." Former VP Al Gore

"Al Gore's incessant need to insert himself in the headline of the day is almost as glaring as his lack of understanding of the threats facing America." Tracey Schmitt, RNC

"As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map." Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad quoted in BBC News article

"It has proven you can never categorize a region or place or stereotype them." Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee at Golden Globe Awards

"Dr. King was a very hated man.'' Rev. Jesse Jackson

"You cannot afford to talk about (political) parties when you've got a party that takes you for granted and a party that ignores you." Rev. Floyd Flake

"At the dawn of this new century, America can be proud of the progress we have made toward equality, but we all must recognize we have more to do." President Bush at Kennedy Center MLK celebration

RELATED
Nagin apologizes for 'chocolate' city comments
US mayor regrets 'God comments'
New Orleans Mayor Apologizes for Remarks About God's Wrath

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Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour

NEW RELEASE PICK OF THE WEEK

Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living ColourSOUNDBYTE
Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour
(AMG Review) -- Eleven years after Living Colour released its post-breakup compilation Pride and three years after their reunion album Collideøscope, Epic/Legacy released the career-spanning collection Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour. Since Living Colour had a career that burned like a supernova — bright and intense at its beginning in 1988, but by 1993, they had imploded — they're an ideal band for a compilation, and Everything Is Possible is indeed an excellent history of the band, drawing heavily from 1988's Vivid and its 1990 follow-up, Time's Up, while treating 1993's Stain as a footnote and sampling from the reunion record. As such, this is a lively portrait of the band at its peak, containing nearly all of the MTV and album rock radio hits (Stain's "Leave It Alone" is missing, but it's not noticeable), plus a healthy representation of the best album tracks. Read full review.

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Reviews from Amazon.com:

Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour

The Living Colour Collection

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