Luciferian News Hour

Feb. 17

Hello Luciferians. This is Jim and the Dragon returning to you once again for another weekly news report about things you need to know. We also have a few stories you don’t need to know about, but we are going to tell you about them anyway.

Philippine Mud Disaster

A rain-soaked mountainside disintegrated into a torrent of mud in the eastern Philippines today, swallowing an entire village and an elementary school in sludge three stories high. At least 23 bodies were recovered, but 1,500 people remained missing and buried under 30 feet of mud.

The farming village on Leyte island, 420 miles southeast of Manila, was virtually wiped out, with only a few jumbles of corrugated steel sheeting left to show that the community of some 2,500 people ever existed.

"It sounded like the mountain exploded, and the whole thing crumbled,"  one survivor said. "I could not see any house standing anymore."

Two other villages were inundated, and about 3,000 evacuees were at a municipal hall.

"We did not find injured people," said one helicopter crewman. "Most of them are dead and beneath the mud."

The mud was so deep _ up to 30 feet in some places _ and unstable that rescue workers had difficulty approaching the school. The school had 246 students and seven teachers. Only one child and one adult has been recovered.

Dead-Eye Dick

Of course the big story in the United States this week was that Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a hunting companion Saturday while the two were hunting quail in Texas. News reports said Cheney turned to shoot at a bird and the shot from his gun sprayed Harry Whittington in the face and chest with shotgun pellets.

By mid-week we learned that Whittington, a millionaire attorney from Austin, was in intensive care in a Corpus Christi hospital after suffering a heart attack. It seems at least one of the pellets from that birdshot got in or close to the heart muscles and affected his heart. Also we learned that Whittington has about 100 or up to 200 pellets of shot in him. That means he appears to have taken the full force of the shot, not just a few. This was a much more serious incident than we were first led to believe. Cheney shot him directly in the face and chest.

Our question is what were these two high profile men doing with guns out in a Texas field shooting down little birds? Quail are so small it takes several of them to make a meal. That is if you are meat eaters. The other thought we have is this: If that had been one of us who shot a fellow hunter, you can be sure we would be on a police blotter somewhere for carelessly discharging a firearm causing injury. In Cheney’s case, the media waited a full day, until Sunday, to report the shooting to the police and the media. Also we noticed the reporters not only downplayed the story, they acted almost embarrassed to have had to mention it.

We should note that Cheney was later issued a warning citation for not paying for a $7 stamp allowing him to shoot upland game birds. His office said it had inquired about the required licenses and thought everything was covered. The Sheriff’s office said they investigated the incident and Mr. Cheney would not be charged.

The way we see it, Cheney violated at least three laws that are probably in the books in Texas. They are standard laws that most states follow. He should have been charged with careless discharge of a firearm causing injury to another person, failing to immediately report the incident to the police and leaving the scene of a crime. If you or I had done that, we would be sitting somewhere in a Texas jail waiting an appearance before a judge.

Iran Says “Remove” Israel

In a speech before a mass demonstration in Tehran on Saturday, the Iranian President called the Holocaust story a “fairy tale” and warned that Palestinians and "other nations" will eventually remove Israel from the region.

"We ask the West to remove what they created sixty years ago and if they do not listen to our recommendations, then the Palestinian nation and other nations will eventually do this for them," he said in a ceremony marking the 27th anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

"Do the removal of Israel before it is too late and save yourself from the fury of regional nations," the ultra-conservative president said. He said Europeans have become hostages of "Zionists" in Israel.

Plans To Attack

Strategists at the Pentagon are drawing up plans for devastating bombing raids backed by submarine-launched ballistic missile attacks against Iran's nuclear sites as a "last resort" to block Teheran's efforts to develop an atomic bomb.

Central Command and Strategic Command planners are identifying targets, assessing weapon-loads and working on logistics for an operation.

Russia Says No

Russia's top military chief, however, warned the United States against launching a military strike against Iran. And a top Russian diplomat voiced hope that close cooperation with China could help resolve the Tehran nuclear crisis.

With tension mounting over Iran's nuclear programs, Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky, the chief of Russia's general staff, warned that while Iran's military potential cannot compare to the United States', "it is hard to predict how the Muslim world will respond to the use of force against Iran."

"This may stir the whole world, and it is crucial to prevent anything like that," the general said. And we agree with him.

Bush Bribe Money

President Bush now says he wants $75 million in a supplemental budget to try to spur democracy in Iran, expanding a program that skeptics say can have little effect in the Islamic republic.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a congressional budget hearing this week that "The United States will actively confront the aggressive policies of the Iranian regime. At the same time, we will work to support the aspirations of the Iranian people for freedom and democracy in their country."

Rice said the funds would be used to broadcast U.S. radio and television programs into Iran and help pay for Iranians to study in America.

Iranian Oil Deals

In two interesting news releases this week, Iran announced that it is willing to provide additional crude oil to the Philippines if it is needed. The second story said China and Iran are close to settling plans to develop a new Iranian oil field. It would be a multibillion-dollar deal. It appears that Iran is playing its oil card to build strong political and business ties with the Far East, while it prepares for possible war with the west. Is this a picture of an angelic-inspired Armageddonist at work or what?

Russian Talks

Iran announced Tuesday it was deferring until next week talks with Russia on its nuclear plans, but gave no sign it was ready to stop enriching uranium on its own soil -- the key element in Moscow's plan.

A senior Iranian official said no actual uranium enrichment had yet taken place at the Natanz facility where Iran had halted work during negotiations with the European Union.

Russia and France called on Iran to cease "all activities connected with enrichment and processing" of nuclear fuel. Russia has offered to enrich uranium on Iran's behalf in a compromise designed to allay world fears that the Iranians might divert nuclear material into bombs.

Growing Cartoon Violence

Observers in Denmark say they are seeing few signs that the crisis over the publication of offensive cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad is easing.

Only today a Pakistani cleric announced a $1 million bounty for killing the cartoonist who drew the cartoons, as thousands joined street protests and Denmark temporarily closed its embassy and advised its citizens to leave the country.

Since a right-wing Danish newspaper printed the caricatures three embassy buildings have been burned, five diplomatic missions closed, Danish products boycotted and a price put on the heads of Danish nationals in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Danish aid organisations and non-governmental groups have been expelled, while the government's pro-democracy Arab Initiative has been foiled.

Algeria and Yemen arrested journalists working for newspapers that reprinted the controversial cartoons. On Sunday, Algeria closed two newspapers and arrested their editors for printing the images of the cartoons of the Prophet. Yemen detained three journalists Sunday and was seeking a fourth after closing three publications that printed the cartoons.

On Monday, police fired tear gas and wielded batons in northwestern Pakistan to stop about 7,000 students protesting the cartoons from marching on the governor's residence. By the following day, thousands rampaged in Pakistan's worst violence against the caricatures. They burned buildings housing a hotel, banks and a KFC, vandalized a Citibank and broke windows at a Holiday Inn and a Pizza Hut. Gunfire and rioting erupted Wednesday as more than 70,000 people joined the protest. This time they burned movie theaters, a KFC restaurant and a South Korean- run bus station. Three people died and dozens were injured in two cities.

Denmark's friends, especially in Europe, have been sucked into the controversy, especially where newspapers have reproduced the offensive caricatures.

The United States, initially slow to give Denmark its backing, is also reaping the consequences from the row at a delicate time, while the Iranian nuclear crisis and Middle East peace initiative dangle.

To make matters worse, a US t-shirt manufacturer is now marketing shirts with the offensive image imprinted on them. Of course the shirts are hot sellers.

Could it be that the Moslems are taking their religion a bit too seriously over this thing? The madder they get, the more resistance they are facing from a world filled with “infidels” that really don’t give a shit.

The Hamas Caper

Israel is threatening to cut all ties with the Palestinians if a prime minister affiliated to Hamas is chosen after parliament is sworn in this weekend. It also is threatening to close the Gaza strip, which has been a bone of contention for years. It recently was opened to the Palestinians under a peace agreement cut by the former leadership.

The leader of the militant Islamist movement, which won a landslide victory in last month's general election, said resistance would continue unless Israel ceased "aggression" toward Palestinian territory.

Terrorist List

The US National Counterterrorism Center maintains a list of 325,000 names of alleged international terrorism suspects or people who aid them, The Washington Post reports. Citing unnamed counterterrorism officials, the newspaper said the number has more than quadrupled since the fall of 2003. Few are US citizens, the report said. That seems like a large number of people with the capability of blowing themselves up for Allah.

Mabus Rebellion

Saddam Hussein and the co-defendants were forced into court Monday, obviously against their will, as their trial continued before an Iraqi tribunal.

Hussein looked haggard and was wearing a blue robe instead of his usual crisp suit. His top co-defendant, still in his underwear, sat on the floor with his back to the judge. The co-defendants and their lawyers were boycotting the trial because they want the newly appointed chief judge removed. They claim that he is prejudiced against their lawyers.

Carrying the Koran, Saddam entered the court on his own, then stood before the court, pointed a finger and said “Down with Bush. Long live the nation. Why have you brought us with force? Your authority gives you the right to try a defendant in absentia. Are you trying to overcome your own smallness?”

When the judge responded, saying “the law will be implemented,” Saddam answered: “Degradation and shame on you Raouf.” He later called the judges “homosexuals.”

The Monday court session drew testimony from two hostile witnesses, former members of Saddam’s regime. Both men complained that they were being forced to testify and said they were unable to remember much.

On Tuesday, Saddam and at least one of the other co-defendants announced they were on a hunger strike in protest. Saddam said he had not eaten for three days.

After the Tuesday session, the trial was adjourned for two weeks, until Feb. 28.

Saddam and the seven co-defendants are on trial for the killing of nearly 150 Shiite Muslims in Dujail. If convicted, they could face the death penalty by hanging or firing squad.

Iraqi Leadership?

Shiite lawmakers Sunday chose incumbent Ibrahim al-Jaafari to be Iraq's new prime minister, finally taking a key step in forming a government two months after national elections.

Al-Jaafari is assured the post because Shiites won the most parliament seats in the Dec. 15 national elections. He won 64 votes in a caucus of Shiite legislators.

After parliament convenes within two weeks, members must choose the largely ceremonial position of president, who will then designate the alliance's choice as the new prime minister.

Al-Jaafari's designation paves the way for the Shiite alliance to begin talks in earnest with parties representing Sunni Arabs, Kurds, secularists and others to try to form a broad-based government. Once accomplished, the United States hopes it will calm the insurgency so American and other foreign troops can begin leaving. At least that is what they say.

Iraq War Update

A suicide bomber blew himself up in a line of Iraqis waiting to receive government payments, killing eight people and wounding about 30, including children on Monday.

Eleven other people were killed in attacks elsewhere in the country, including five members of a Shiite religious party and four policemen, among them a colonel.

The suicide attack occurred in a mostly Shiite eastern district of Baghdad as people lined up at a bank Monday morning to receive government checks to compensate for incomplete food rations.

In Afghanistan, a bomb hit a U.S. military vehicle Monday killing four American troops. The attack occurred as the soldiers were patrolling in an armored Humvee.

Guantanamo Base Controversy

A United Nations report said the United States must close its detention facility at Guantanamo Bay because it is really a torture camp where prisoners have no access to justice.

The White House rejected the recommendation.

The 54-page report summarized an investigation by five U.N. experts. It accused the United States of practices that "amount to torture" and demanded detainees be allowed a fair trial or freed. The investigators did not visit the detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, however.

New UN Leadership Ahead

U.S. ambassador John Bolton opened Security Council discussions this week on who is to be appointed the next U.N. secretary-general. Bolton, who serves as the council’s president, said the choice of a replacement for Kofi Annan will probably be the most important decision the world body will make this year. '

Annan's second five-year term ends on Dec. 31 and his successor must be approved by the General Assembly based on a recommendation from the council.

At the moment, the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain - are divided on when to choose the next U.N. chief and where he or she should come from.

By tradition, the job of secretary-general rotates by region - and Asian and African nations, who represent the majority of the 191 U.N. member states, believe it is Asia's turn to lead the United Nations.

That Venezuelan Oil

Venezuela has pledged to keep supplying oil to the United States despite a growing diplomatic row that has included the expulsion of envoys in recent days.

Bernardo Alvarez, the Venezuelan ambassador in Washington, said on Thursday: "We are - and we are going to be - a reliable source of oil for the world, including the United States."

Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela, said on Saturday, however, that he could shut his government's US-based refineries and sell oil to nations other than the United States if Washington decided to cut diplomatic ties. He said he did not want to take this route, however.

Venezuelan Effect On Oil

Venezuela might be having an impact on the price of oil on the world market for the year ahead, however.

The next meeting of oil ministers from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, may be more than two weeks away but Venezuela has fired the first salvo. It recommends that the oil cartel should cut its output by up to 1 million barrels a day.

The call from OPEC’s fourth biggest producer comes days after the cartel trimmed the demand outlook for this year, and follows a sharp fall in prices this week. The drop was triggered by swelling oil and petroleum product inventories in the US, the world’s biggest oil consumer.

Rafael Ramirez, Venezuelan energy minister, said that for the level of demand there was overproduction of about 1m barrels a day.

“I think we should cut between 500,000 and 1m,” said Mr Ramirez, who is one of the most hawkish ministers in OPEC.

Traditionally OPEC has cut supplies in spring and summer. But this changed last year with China emerging as the world’s second biggest oil consumer.

With global oil production operating close to capacity there was little flexibility to boost output if there was a severe supply disruption.

However, the prospect of OPEC cutting oil supply when prices remain near $60 a barrel, not just for delivery now but for the next six years, would be a tough political act.

Anti-Chavez Efforts

Washington wants to curb Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's anti-American influence by lobbying allies to try to expose any anti-democratic policies, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said this week.

In what she called an "inoculation" strategy, Rice said she is seeking support from Europe and other Latin American nations to highlight U.S. charges that Chavez abuses his power to target political opponents and business leaders.

"The international community has just got to be much more active in supporting and defending the Venezuelan people," Rice told a congressional hearing. It seems to us Chavez is doing a good job of defending the Venezuelan people against the United States. It would be wise for Rice and President Bush to change their attitudes and try to make a few friends in these leftist Latin American countries. It is also time to lift sanctions against Cuba.

Coca For Breakfast

Bolivia's foreign minister says coca leaves, the raw material for cocaine, are so nutritious they should be included on school breakfast menus.

"Coca has more calcium than milk. It should be part of the school breakfast," the official was quoted as saying in a Bolivian newspaper.

The new leftist government of Evo Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president, has vowed to promote the legal uses of coca, the plant used to make cocaine, which is revered in Andean culture and is commonly chewed or made into tea. Morales, a former coca farmer, says he is not promoting its use for making cocaine, however.

Old Bolivia Dictator Sought

Morales called on Washington this week to deport former president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada to face charges related to bloody protests that preceded his resignation three years ago.

Morales made the appeal during a Mass for the more than 30 protesters and police killed in unrest in La Paz during February 2003.

Further violence in October that year claimed 67 lives and led de Lozada to quit and flee to the United States. He is still hiding out here.

Laying Down Arms

More than 500 right-wing Colombian paramilitaries laid down their arms Wednesday as part of the country's disarmament program. The ceremony that took place in southern Colombia was part of the country's controversial Peace and Justice Law, which grants paramilitaries turning in arms full amnesty from prosecution or reduced sentences. The law has come under heavy fire from those who say Colombia is allowing known killers and human rights violators to go free.
  
     

Preval Wins In Haiti

Haiti declared Rene Preval the country's next president Thursday after reaching a deal over vote fraud claims and averting a possible explosion of violence.

The deal was cut under pressure from Brazilian officials, whose military led the United Nations peacekeeping force in Haiti after violent demonstrations broke out. Thousands of people were protesting what they called voter fraud after it was learned that the Christian Democrat leader Leslie Manigat captured just enough votes to steal the required 50 percent victory Preval needed to be declared the winner.

Haitians turned out in record numbers to vote for a president. Some 63% of the 3.5 million registered voters cast ballots, far more than in any other election held since the Duvalier clan was ousted from power in 1986.

The voters showed a clear preference: Preval, the man who was president from 1996 to 2000 and this time headed The Hope movement.

Supporters of Preval have taken to the streets, protesting that he was robbed of an outright victory. The protesters claim of vote fraud was supported week when hundreds of smashed ballot boxes, vote counting materials and empty polling bags were found in a garbage dump.

Bacteria Wars

It might be a good idea to wear protective rubber or latex gloves when you go shopping. A survey recently conducted in South Korea shows that shopping cart handles are the most bacteria-infested items among some commonly used objects by shoppers.

The Korea Consumer Protection Board tested six items that are commonly handled by the public and ran tests for their bacteria content.

Shopping cart handles led the way with 1,100 colony forming units of bacteria per 10 sq cm followed by a mouse used on computers in Internet cafes, which had an average of 690 colony forming units.

Hand straps on buses were next with 380 units, followed by bathroom doorknobs at 340. Rounding out the list were elevator buttons at 130 colony forming units and hand straps on subways at 86.

Bird Flu Is Coming

A United Nations medical expert warns that the spread of bird flu from Asia to eastern Europe and now west Africa has increased the chance the virus will mutate and set off a pandemic.

Dr. David Nabarro said there is no evidence yet of any change in the virus, which has killed at least 88 people since 2003.

Almost all the deaths have been linked to contact with infected poultry, but experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans, setting off a pandemic.

Also scientists have confirmed that wild swans in Italy, Greece and Bulgaria have tested positive for the deadly strain of bird flu.

By mid week dead swans in Germany and Austria also tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu, and Iran confirmed an outbreak of the virus.

Border Wars

Mexican criminal syndicates are stepping up their attacks on American agents patrolling the border as US authorities intensify efforts to stem the flow of immigrants and drugs into the United States.

In recent months, scores of Border Patrol agents have been fired upon or pelted with large stones as well as with cloth-covered stones that have been doused with flammable liquid and set ablaze. Since October, agents have been attacked in more than 190 cases.

Most of the attacks have occurred along the Mexican border near San Diego, but shootings also have been reported along the border in Texas.

Gore’s “Truth”

Paramount's new specialty division has acquired worldwide rights to Participant Prods.' global-warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," featuring Al Gore.

The film, which had its world premiere at last month's Sundance Film Festival, weaves the science behind the issue of global warming with the former vice president's personal history and longtime commitment to communicating the pressing need to reverse the effects of global climate change.

Paramount specialty division president John Lesher called the film "a visually mesmerizing and shocking look at the serious and dire state of our planet." He added, "We are very proud to help Al Gore expose the urgency of global warming to the widest possible audience."

Global Warming Issue

Backers of the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol this week renewed their pleas to the United States to do more to fight global warming, even though their own records are patchy in the year since the pact went into force.

Many experts said that time to slow a rise in temperatures widely blamed on burning fossil fuels was running out. A British report said the nation might resemble the tropics by 3000, with rising seas from melting ice swamping the coasts.

The United Nations, the European Commission and many environmental groups all urged tougher action beyond Kyoto, which entered into force on February 16, 2005 and runs to 2012.

"We need the full participation of all major emitting countries -- such as the United States, the world's leading economy, but also the world's leading polluter," European Commissioner Stavros Dimas said in marking the anniversary.

He warned that the world needed to strengthen action to contain global warming or would "run out of time to contain climate change". Most scientists say warming will bring a more chaotic climate with more heat waves, droughts and floods.

NASA has said that 2005 was the warmest year at the earth's surface since records began in the 1860s. Another recent study showed that concentrations of greenhouse gases were at the highest in 650,000 years.

Ozone Hole

The hole in the ozone layer could grow significantly over the next few years, reigniting fears over skin cancer, cataracts and damage to vulnerable plant life.

According to scientists in Germany, changes in the sun's activity have delayed natural repairs to the layer of gas high in the stratosphere, and are about to trigger further ozone loss. They say the ozone layer, which shields the Earth from the worst of ultraviolet radiation, will not begin to recover until the end of the decade.

Monster Snow Storm

A record-breaking storm buried sections of the Northeast under more than 2 feet of snow Sunday, marooning thousands of air travelers and making even a walk to the corner store treacherous.

The National Weather Service said 26.9 inches of snow fell in Central Park, the most since record-keeping started in 1869. The old record was 26.4 inches in December 1947.

Wind gusting as high as 60 mph blew the snow sideways and raised a risk of coastal flooding in New England. And in a rare display, lightning lit up the falling snow before dawn in the New York and Philadelphia areas, producing muffled winter thunder. It was a dandy storm.

African Drought

International aid agencies are warning of a growing humanitarian crisis caused by drought in the Horn of Africa.

The UN estimates that over 17 million people in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, and adjoining smaller countries will require food assistance for the next six months.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has begun emergency relief to 500,000 people in southern Somalia.

The drought is so bad in Somalia, at least seven people have died of dehydration over the past month as severe water shortages force many to drink their own urine.

Communities in southern and central Somalia were living in searing 104-Fahrenheit heat with only three glasses a day per person for drinking, washing and cooking.

86-Car Crash

An intense snow squall cut visibility nearly to zero and caused an 86-vehicle chain reaction pileup, stacking cars four deep for about 300 yards on an icy western Michigan freeway Sunday.

At least 25 people were hurt but no one suffered life-threatening injuries.

The series of wrecks started Sunday afternoon when the lake-effect squall created whiteout conditions on a low-lying section of U.S. 31 along the Lake Michigan shore.

Algerian Floods

Torrential rains have left some 50,000 refugees from Western Sahara in urgent need of aid, the United Nations said.

Flood waters have destroyed mud brick houses and other shelters in three camps in the desert region of Algeria, said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

One woman was believed killed and several injured as the torrent struck the three refugee camps.

Firing Squad

An Indonesian court has sentenced two Australian men to death by firing squad for playing a key role in attempting to smuggle heroin from the island of Bali.

The two were convicted of being the masterminds in a group of nine Australians arrested in April last year. Four others have been given life terms and the rest are yet to be sentenced.

Trade Sanctions

The EU on Monday gave the United States three months to avoid retaliatory sanctions after Brussels won a long-running trade dispute, a threat which if carried out would add to transatlantic trade tensions.

The World Trade Organization's highest court, the appellate body, rejected a U.S. appeal against an earlier ruling that Washington violated global trade rules in the export tax row.

The decision paves the way for the European Union to hit U.S. exports with new duties that could reach billions of euros.

Arab-Run Ports

The Bush administration has approved a deal in which a United Arab Emirates company would operate six major ports in the United States.

A U.S. government panel has determined that DP World will not endanger national security.

DP World, based in Dubai, has offered $6.8 billion for the purchase of a British firm that operates the ports of Baltimore, Miami, New York, New Jersey, New Orleans and Philadelphia.

The deal involves acquisition of the London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co.

Tough China Trade Talk

The Bush administration announced it will step up enforcement of U.S. trade laws governing China, following a top-to-bottom review of America's trading relationship with the Asian giant.

The increased enforcement will be led by a new chief counsel for China trade enforcement within the office of U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman.

Portman announced a number of steps in a 29-page report detailing the findings of a six-month review of America's economic relationship with China.

"The time has come to readjust our trade policy with respect to China," Portman said. "As a mature trading partner, China should be held accountable for its actions and required to live up to its responsibilities, including opening markets and enforcing intellectual property rights."

Portman vowed to "use all options available" to meet this goal.

The administration's announcement followed news last Friday that America's trade deficit with China rose to $201.6 billion, the largest deficit the United States has ever incurred with a single country.

In the meantime, US Senators Byron Dorgan and Lindsey Graham have proposed a bill that would rescind normal trade relations status between the United States and China because of China’s unfair trade practices. They say the China trade tactics, including keeping the yuan artificially weak, are responsible for the huge US trade deficit.

China warned that such a bill would harm growing bilateral economic ties.

Wal-Mart Hand Slapping

The state board that oversees pharmacies voted this week to require Wal-Mart to stock those “morning-after” contraception pills at its Massachusetts pharmacies, a spokeswoman at the Department of Public Health said.

The unanimous decision by the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy comes two weeks after three women sued Wal-Mart in state court for failing to carry the pill in its Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores in the state.

The women argue state policy requires pharmacies to provide all "commonly prescribed medicines." Apparently officials at Wal-mart consider popping one of these little pills the morning after sex the same as having an abortion. A bunch of self-righteous Christians just got their hands slapped.

Sour Sugar Deals

Protecting the US sugar ind­ustry from foreign competition is costing thousands of jobs, with confectionery companies moving to countries with lower sugar prices, according to a government report published on Tuesday.

The report, by the Commerce Department, said efforts to shield domestic sugar producers from competition resulted in the loss of more than 10,000 jobs between 1997 and 2002. The industry is one of the most protected in the US, leading to sugar prices that are more than double the market rate. In 2004 the US price for refined sugar was 23.5 cents per pound, compared with a world price of 10.9 cents.

Top Rubber Maker

Thailand has the potential to give the European Union a run for its money as the top supplier in the US $300 million global market for condoms, a report by KResearch said.

Since it has an abundant supply of natural rubber, Thailand should be able to move up from being the second-largest exporter of condoms. Annual sales of the Thai condom industry are estimated $16.5 million. We supply Luciferians with news they need to know!

Asbestos Bill Stopped

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted to block legislation to create a $140 billion privately financed fund to compensate asbestos victims, and let asbestos-linked manufacturing companies off the hook. But sponsors vowed they would not let the bill die.

The Senate vote of 58-41 sustained an objection to the legislation from John Ensign, a Nevada Republican, on grounds that the fund could violate budget rules by forcing U.S. taxpayers to pick up some asbestos costs.

The legislation sought to remove asbestos injury claims from years of court litigation and pay them from a $140 billion fund financed by asbestos companies and their insurers. That approach is favored by W.R. Grace and Co., USG Corp. and some of the 70 other companies pushed into bankruptcy by tens of thousands of asbestos injury claims.

Mazda Hydrogen Car

Japan's Mazda Motor Corp. said it will begin leasing a dual-fuel car that can run on both hydrogen and gasoline in the auto industry's latest effort to reduce oil consumption in vehicles.

Most major auto makers are developing zero-emission hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars as a potential alternative to today's conventional gasoline and diesel engine cars.  But they believe they are decades away from mass production due to high development costs and lack of infrastructure.

Mazda said the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, based on its popular RX-8 sports car, gets around these problems by running on gasoline in the absence of a hydrogen fuelling station, and using existing engine parts and production facilities to lower costs.

The car is powered by Mazda's iconic rotary engine and can switch between hydrogen and gasoline fuel with the flick of a switch. It can cruise for a maximum 62 miles on hydrogen and 341 miles on gasoline it said.

Now for the lighter side of the news:

Two passenger planes of Macedonia's national carrier MAT were stacked above Skopje airport until a pack of stray dogs could be cleared from the runway to let them land safely, officials said Thursday.

A flight from Vienna and another from Zurich were ordered to circle the airfield Wednesday after security noticed the dogs "playing around" on the airfield's only runway.

Free Shoes

Thousands of shoes washed up on the beaches of the Dutch island of Terschelling, to the delight of local residents who are scrambling over each other to find matching pairs, security forces said.

The shoes were among many sundry objects, including toys, aluminum trunks, raincoats and even joints of meat, which fell into the sea when a container ship shed part of its load in a storm on Thursday night.

Police and security forces were sent to the scene to prevent inhabitants from making off with containers which were still intact, but they were allowing people to help themselves to anything that spilled out.

Press reports said the ship lost as many as 55 containers.

The only phantom at the feast, according to the daily newspaper, was the owner of the beachfront's

Head Hunter

Airport baggage screeners found a human head with teeth, hair and skin in the luggage of a woman who said she intended to ward off evil spirits with it.

Myrlene Severe, 30, a Haitian-born permanent U.S. resident, was charged Friday with smuggling a human head into the U.S. without proper documentation.

I wonder if anybody asked where she got it?

Skipping A Bet

A man staged his own disappearance in the Bighorn Mountains after losing $40,000 on a Super Bowl bet, police said.

Marvin Hackworth, 46, of Gillette, Wyoming, was reported missing on Feb. 6, the day after the Super Bowl.

Search and rescue teams spent two days looking for him in the rugged mountains in north-central Wyoming where he had told his wife he was headed to "clear his head" after losing the money.

Hard Day’s Night

The Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office in Virginia is under fire for the way they investigate certain prostitution cases. Undercover detectives have reportedly been having sex when they bust massage parlors for prostitution. Sheriff Howard Smith says the detectives are just doing what needs to be done in order to build a case and get a conviction. A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do to get that evidence.

Squirrel Hunting

In another less publicized hunting accident, a Michigan man was shot and injured when his hunting partner mistook his elbow for a squirrel.

State Police said George Arthur Sikkenga, 64, of Muskegon, was wounded in Golden Township, in Michigan's west-central Lower Peninsula.

Sikkenga was wearing camouflage clothing except for an orange hat, which he had covered with a hood after sitting down behind a tree.

His clothed elbow was all of him that was visible when his friend, Gregory Scott Wood approached from behind the tree with his 17-calibur rifle.

And that is the news for this week. Be sure to tune in tomorrow night at 10 p.m. for Infinite Chaos with Zurx and Sunday night at 10 p.m. for the Voice of Lucifer with Psychic and Prophet Aaron C. Donahue and his psychic sister, Jennifer Sharpe.

Remote Viewing students will want to stay tuned after Zurx’s show Saturday for another one of her on-line classes.

Thanks for listening. Good night.