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Snuffysmith
After the Tsunami, 3 Families Fight to Rebuild Their Lives
By AMY WALDMAN
In Sri Lanka, lives must be restarted, houses rebuilt,
families reconstituted and losses weighed against others'
misfortune.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/internat...09lanka.html?th
Snuffysmith
Deadly Leak Underscores Concerns About Rail Safety
By WALT BOGDANICH and CHRISTOPHER DREW
Ten months ago, government safety officials warned about
the vulnerability of the nation's 60,000 pressurized rail
tank cars.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/national/09rail.html?th
Snuffysmith
California Politician's Rise Is Struck a Blow by Scandal
By JOHN M. BRODER
Once a rising political star, Kevin Shelley, the California
secretary of state, is now facing multiple inquires into
his finances.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/national/09shelley.html?th
Snuffysmith
For Unemployed, Wait for New Work Grows Longer
By JOHN LELAND
About 3.6 million American workers ran out of unemployment
insurance benefits last year, the most in at least three
decades.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/national/09jobless.html?th
Snuffysmith
Applying Brakes to Benefits Gets Wide G.O.P. Backing
By ROBERT PEAR
In his budget request to Congress, President Bush will try
to impose firm, enforceable limits on the growth of federal
benefit programs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/politics/09budget1.html?th
Snuffysmith
$18 Million Donated So Far for Inauguration
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The team collecting private donations to finance President
Bush's inaugural festivities has taken in $18 million,
putting it nearly halfway to its goal of at least $40
million.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/politics/09inaug.html?th
Snuffysmith
Applying Brakes to Benefits Gets Wide G.O.P. Backing
By ROBERT PEAR
In his budget request to Congress, President Bush will try
to impose firm, enforceable limits on the growth of federal
benefit programs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/politics/09budget1.html?th
Snuffysmith
Tsunami Tests U.S. Forces' Logistics, but Gives Pentagon a
Chance to Show a Human Face
By THOM SHANKER and JAMES BROOKE
The Defense Department is trying to balance its strategic
needs with the imperative to open up logistical bottlenecks
and begin ferrying water, food, medical supplies and
shelter.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/internat...ilitary.html?th
Snuffysmith
Mayday? Payday! Hit the Silk!
By TIMOTHY L. O'BRIEN
Now that other forms of compensation are simpler to
scrutinize, chief executives may be quietly bundling
potential riches in outsized retirement plans.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/business.../09gold.html?th
Snuffysmith
George Jetson, Meet the Sequel
By DANNY HAKIM
General Motors' latest hydrogen car prototype is a car
unlike any other and a glimpse of a possible, very
different, automotive future.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/business.../09auto.html?th
Snuffysmith
For Unemployed, Wait for New Work Grows Longer
By JOHN LELAND
About 3.6 million American workers ran out of unemployment
insurance benefits last year, the most in at least three
decades.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/national/09jobless.html?th
Snuffysmith
Malpractice Mythology
"Tort reform," the Bush administration's answer to the
problem of high medical malpractice costs, makes sense from
only one aspect: the political.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/opinion/9sun1.html?th
Snuffysmith
Exit, Snarling
An important moment in modern culture may have occurred
when Jon Stewart of Comedy Central went on CNN's
"Crossfire" last October and decided to be serious.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/opinion/9sun3.html?th
Snuffysmith
This Week @ U.S. News
Highlights from the magazine and usnews.com
January 10, 2005
===================================

COVER STORIES: The Dobson way

James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, perhaps more than anyone, will be most credible in leveraging evangelical power at the voting booth. That's partly because, politics aside, he's unrivaled as an evangelical leader. For Dobson, his followers, and many American evangelicals, writes Dan Gilgoff, "change might finally be in the offing. Next week brings the second inauguration of the most religious practicing evangelical president in modern history; he is expected to fill a string of Supreme Court vacancies with strongly conservative voices. And a handful of newly elected evangelical senators have already taken their seats on Capitol Hill."

An evangelical leader steps squarely into the political ring
http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a15504a120763a272335445a1


------------------------------

NATION & WORLD

--"Two weeks after the massive floods that took so many lives in so many different countries, many of those left to cope with the apocalyptic aftermath are finding it impossible to imagine the future, immobilzed by the prospect of putting their shattered lives back together," writes Susan Brink from Banda Aceh in Indonesia. "Well-meaning relief workers tell of rebuilding efforts but say they will take as long as three years. The survivors stare blankly, utterly unable to concieve of tomorrow, much less three years from now."

The fight for life
http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a15504a120763a272335445a5



--In a letter from Indonesia, Thomas Omestad writes of the trip by Secretary of State Colin Powell to the tsunami zone. "Powell's hastily arranged tour of the region was aimed at demonstrating U.S. concern for the victims and reversing a perception that Washington's initial response to the disaster was sluggish. Ironically, even with U.S. military helicopters performing the most visible aid deliveries in places like Indonesia, Powell found himself repeatedly challenged as to whether America's pledge of $350 million was enough. Indeed, several other nations continued to pledge higher and higher amounts of relief assistance in a game of diplomatic one-upmanship."

A diplomat's sobering trip
http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a15504a120763a272335445a7



--"The emotional consequences of trauma and disaster constitute a vast new field of professional inquiry," writes Marianne Szegedy-Maszak. "After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a small mental health industry sprang up almost overnight, as post-traumatic stress disorder became as familiar a medical term as epilepsy. In the areas hardest hit by the tsunami, helping victims deal with the emotional effects of the breathtaking loss and devastation will be critical."

The borders of healing
http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a15504a120763a272335445a6


------------------------------

MONEY & BUSINESS

--While the new year brings some of the same uncertainties as last year, writes James M. Pethokoukis, "there's also a new element in the worry mix. President Bush, fresh off a decisive victory--at least compared with his 2000 win--has declared his intent to move forward with a bold domestic agenda to which investors need to pay close attention.
First and foremost is Bush's promise to tackle the issue of Social Security..." In this week's edition, U.S. News business writers look at all the angles of finance in 2005.

Capitol crunch
http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a15504a120763a272335445a4


--The debate is joined over reforming Social Security
http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a15504a120763a272335445a3


--Investors and savers must keep abreast of the ever-changing tax code
http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a15504a120763a272335445a11


------------------------------

HEALTH

--Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy that can threaten the life of both mother and child. It is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Last week, writes Nancy Shute, "researchers announced that they had found abnormally low levels of a placental growth factor in the urine of women who later went on to develop preeclampsia... The hope is that these findings, once confirmed and expanded, will lead to a good early test for preeclampsia."

Babies in peril
http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a15504a120763a272335445a2


--Avery Comarow writes about a pair of new studies that examine the role of inflammation in cornonary artery disease. The studies, in the latest New England Journal of Medicine, make a case for tracking not only LDL (bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol in known and potential heart patients but also their C-reactive protein. Elevated CRP is a signal of inflammation, which most heart experts now agree is involved in coronary artery disease.

Inflammatory findings
http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a15504a120763a272335445a8


------------------------------

COLUMNISTS

--Supporting those who serve
On Politics by Gloria Borger
http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a15504a120763a272335445a12


--I need somebody to blame
On Society by John Leo
http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a15504a120763a272335445a10


--In America, what price glory?
Editorial by Mortimer B. Zuckerman
http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a15504a120763a272335445a9
Snuffysmith
Justices to Hear Case on Secrets and Spies
--------------------

The CIA says a lawsuit by a former Soviet bloc couple could expose classified information.

By Greg Miller
Times Staff Writer

January 9 2005

WASHINGTON — It was enough to make the CIA salivate. At the height of the Cold War, a senior diplomat from a Soviet bloc country approached a U.S. Embassy official and said he and his wife wanted to defect to America.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,1768653.story
Snuffysmith
Shifting Alliances Shape Mayor's Race
--------------------

Once-united L.A. voter blocs are up for grabs. No one is expected to win outright in March.

By Noam N. Levey
Times Staff Writer

January 9 2005

With just eight weeks to go before the Los Angeles mayoral election, the leading candidates are seeking to win over critical voting blocs in a city whose electoral math has become as complex as its electorate.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ma...0,3020411.story
Snuffysmith
A Crescendo of Budget Problems
--------------------

A labor dispute between St. Louis musicians and symphony officials reflects the financial difficulties facing 90% of the country's orchestras.

By Stephanie Simon
Times Staff Writer

January 9 2005

ST. LOUIS — When the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra crashed to the brink of bankruptcy four years ago, local residents opened their wallets wide to keep the music playing.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,3366877.story
Snuffysmith
Administration Expands Anti-Lawsuit Push
--------------------

The Supreme Court will consider two cases -- one dealing with peanut farmers, the other with dot-com investors who say they were misled.

By David G. Savage
Times Staff Writer

January 9 2005

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration's drive this year to limit lawsuits will get off to a fast start next week, not in Congress but in the Supreme Court.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,7898052.story
Snuffysmith
Elections Officer's Letter Seeks Illegal Donations
--------------------

From Times Wire Reports

January 9 2005

The state's chief elections officer, accused of mishandling the presidential vote in Ohio, sent a fundraising letter for his own 2006 gubernatorial campaign that was accompanied by a request for illegal contributions.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...eadlines-nation
Snuffysmith
South Asian Quake Shifted Local Well Water
--------------------

From Times Wire Reports

January 9 2005

VIRGINIA

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...eadlines-nation
Snuffysmith
Ninth Body Is Found After Chlorine Gas Spill
--------------------

From Times Wire Reports

January 9 2005

Investigators wearing protective suits and oxygen tanks discovered the body of a factory worker missing since a train carrying chlorine gas wrecked and caused one of the nation's deadliest chemical spills in years.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...eadlines-nation
Snuffysmith
Anti-Terrorism Funds Misused, Audit Finds
--------------------

From Times Wire Reports

January 9 2005

An audit of Texas' spending of nearly $600 million in federal anti-terrorism funds found that some of the money was spent improperly. One county bought a trailer to haul lawn mowers to "lawn mower drag races," the report found.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...eadlines-nation
Snuffysmith
--------------------
Where Focus Groups Hold Court
--------------------

O.C. jury consultant uses business strategy to give attorneys upper hand

By Jean O. Pasco
Times Staff Writer

January 9 2005

The 12 people assembled around the conference table unanimously agreed someone should pay for what happened to Todd O'Malley.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ju...0,5574064.story
Snuffysmith
School Search Is an Education
--------------------

Homework. Class size. Sports programs. Parents and students shopping for just the right campus have plenty of questions.

By Jean Merl
Times Staff Writer

January 9 2005

They descend on campuses in droves. They listen to sales pitches, peer at science projects, scrutinize writing samples. They take notes and they bring questions. Lots of them.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sh...,0,789833.story
Snuffysmith
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...thern_democrats

DNC Chair Candidates Focus on the South
Snuffysmith
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6803475/site/newsweek/

The CIA: You're Fired
Snuffysmith
http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/2005...81549-5043r.htm

Torture plane owners may be CIA front
Snuffysmith
http://www.showmenews.com/2005/Jan/20050109News034.asp

Mystery man takes to the skies
Snuffysmith
http://www.indymedia.org/en/2005/01/112705.shtml

Amid Claims of Torture, USA plans Indefinite Detention Camps
Snuffysmith
Pakistanis advising US military on terrorism

* United States consulting foreign officers on combating Islamists

WASHINGTON: The United States, often criticised for not working with its allies, has for the past two years been quietly consulting a group of senior military officers from more than 20 countries, including Pakistan, Europe and the Arab world, for advice on combating terrorism.

Among the members are senior officers from several Arab states, Pakistan, Australia, France, Germany, Britain and the United States. CENTCOM did not provide a full list of countries involved in the project.

The team of 26 officers, known as the Combined Planning Group, has provided “fearless and frank” advice that one US member said has influenced American strategy.

They have been meeting for just over two years at the Tampa, Florida, headquarters of US Central Command, which is in charge of military operations in the greater Middle East, Horn of Africa and Central Asia — including hot spots such as Iraq.

US Col Mike Greer, a deputy director, said the team had “great influence” on some aspects of planning and strategy, bringing the input of its diverse members to bear.

“Counterterrorism is one of those issues that we obviously look at on a daily basis,” Australian Brig. Gen Ash Power, who heads the group, said on Friday. “We work on a range of things to give a different view on whatever (CENTCOM chief) Gen (John) Abizaid wants us to look at, than he may get from his US-only officers,” Power said in a telephone interview. “It’s fearless and frank advice, and he appreciates that.”

Unique in the US military, the team is being watched by other US military regional commands as a kind of “blueprint” for international cooperation and consultation, said German Col. Wolfgang-Ekkerhard Herbst, another deputy director of the group.

“The discussions are quite animated. People come at different issues from different backgrounds, quite obviously, and different approaches to providing solutions. But we end up with a consensus as to the best way to move ahead on things.”

As one non-American official outside the group put it, “It’s a truly effective, international think tank within CENTCOM on counterterrorism issues.”

Asked whether the international nature of the group had helped overcome such perceptions abroad, Power said:

“I don’t think that’s one of the aims of the formation of the Combined Planning Group, but I think it’s been one of the outcomes, where people in different uniforms walk around freely ... which no restrictions, and get access to things they wouldn’t normally get access to.”

The group was the brainchild of now-retired Gen. Tommy Franks, the former CENTCOM chief who led the US invasion of Iraq and the war in Afghanistan. reuters


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Snuffysmith
Hot hires: white-collar workers
Finally, the US job market expands for professionals in fields like
accounting. By Ron Scherer

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0110/p01s01-usec.html?s=hns
Snuffysmith
New fare war adds to pressure on airlines
Delta leads price-cutting, while judges OK labor cutbacks for other old
carriers. Is 2005 the year of the shakeout? By Alexandra Marks

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0110/p02s01-usec.html?s=hns
Snuffysmith
Planning pomp amid trying circumstances
How do you swear in and celebrate a reelected George W. Bush with so
many dying in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Asia? By Linda Feldmann

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0110/p02s02-uspo.html?s=hns
Snuffysmith
US churches rush to fill void from tsunami
Believers have raised funds and packed boxes while struggling to
understand why disasters happen. By G. Jeffrey MacDonald

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0110/p03s01-ussc.html?s=hns
Snuffysmith
Privatize Fannie Mae
It's time for Fannie Mae, the largest home mortgage company in the US,
to go private.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0110/p08s02-comv.html?s=hns
Snuffysmith
Diplomatic Bridge Building
The nomination of Robert Zoellick as deputy secretary of State should
reassure US allies.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0110/p08s03-comv.html?s=hns
Snuffysmith
Help kids make sense of tsunamis
Make it meaningful in a way that will build character and compassion;
hold them close. By Barbara Curtis
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0110/p09s01-coop.html?s=hns
Snuffysmith
Europe's investors need to know US committed to fiscal stability
European business leaders have been among our strongest supporters, and
whether we like it or not, we need them. By Felix G. Rohatyn

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0110/p09s02-coop.html?s=hns
Snuffysmith
East meets West in funny ways
In Shanghai, China, the Hooters, KFCs, and 7-Elevens may not be what an
American would expect. By Nancy Johnston
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0110/p11s01-woap.html?s=hns
Snuffysmith
Many cheery returns
The fourth quarter gave investors something to celebrate. But 2005 may
be more subdued. By Thomas Watterson
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0110/p13s01-wmgn.html?s=hns
Snuffysmith
For better returns, look abroad
Most international mutual-fund categories turned in impressive returns
last year. By Thomas Watterson
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0110/p16s01-wmgn.html?s=hns
Snuffysmith
Snared by Their Shelters
--------------------

Thousands of wealthy Americans are paying dearly for questionable tax-avoidance schemes, and blaming the experts who proposed them.

By Evan Halper
Times Staff Writer

January 10 2005

As one of the state's top energy regulators, Michael Peevey is familiar with complicated schemes. Now he finds himself caught in one.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pe...0,4517331.story
Snuffysmith
States Battling Meth May Put Controls on Cold Pills
--------------------

By Stephanie Simon
Times Staff Writer

January 10 2005

ST. LOUIS — Over-the-counter cold pills may be removed from store shelves across much of the Southwest and Midwest this year as officials struggle to crack down on methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant that can be brewed from decongestants and other common household items.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/f...lines-frontpage
Snuffysmith
Bush's Budget Moves Have Made the Future a Voiceless Victim
--------------------

Ronald Brownstein

January 10 2005

It may be difficult to believe, but as the debate on Social Security begins, what Washington needs most is another lobbying group. This one would advocate for the interests of Americans not yet born.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...,4897120.column
Snuffysmith
Democrats Name Campaign Leader
--------------------

From Reuters

January 10 2005

WASHINGTON — Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, a former advisor in the Clinton White House, was selected Sunday as head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...eadlines-nation
Snuffysmith
Expatriates Eager to Rock the Iraqi Vote
--------------------

With hopes high, they are scrambling to be able to cast ballots at 'a pivotal point in history.'

By P.J. Huffstutter
Times Staff Writer

January 10 2005

DEARBORN, Mich. — When Saddam Hussein rose to power in Iraq, Sajad Zalzala was a toddler — too young to walk by himself in the streets of Baghdad, but old enough to sense that he lived in danger.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...eadlines-nation
Snuffysmith
From Behind the Scenes She Recruits Bush's Team
--------------------

Dina Powell, the White House's top headhunter, is the youngest person to ever hold the job. And she's more than happy to stay in the shadows.

By Johanna Neuman
Times Staff Writer

January 10 2005

WASHINGTON — As President Bush puts the finishing touches on his second-term team, one of the most powerful — and purposely least known — White House figures in the effort is a 31-year-old, Egyptian-born woman who is the administration's chief headhunter and recruiter.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...eadlines-nation
Snuffysmith
Bush Praises Choice of Abbas as New Palestinian President
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN
U.S. officials cautioned that Israel and the Palestinians
needed to take concrete steps to capitalize on Mahmoud
Abbas's election.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/10/politics/10diplo.html?th
Snuffysmith
To Try to Net Killer, Police Ask a Small Town's Men for DNA
By PAM BELLUCK
In an effort to solve a three-year-old murder, police are
seeking DNA samples from all 790 men in a Cape Cod town.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/10/national/10cape.html?th
Snuffysmith
WASHINGTON MEMO
Hot Topic: How U.S. Might Disengage in Iraq
By DAVID E. SANGER and ERIC SCHMITT
All over Washington, there is talk about new ways to define
when the mission in Iraq is accomplished.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/10/politics/10policy.html?th
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