![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif) huffington_news |
| 2008-07-06 03:26 |
| Huffpollstrology: Candidates' Horoscopes, Polls And More For July 6 |
| Public |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/05/huffpollstrology-candidat_n_111022.html
Polls have come to dominate the media's horse race coverage of political campaigns. Pundits and reporters constantly use them to tell us who's hot and who's not -- but skip over the fact that plummeting response rates and variables like undecided voters and margins of error and often render these polls useless as anything other than lightweight diversions on par with horoscopes and political betting lines. Our HuffPollstrology chart helps keep you up to date on the latest poll results, along with the latest horoscope predictions, and the latest online political betting lines - and will hopefully help the polling junkies in the media keep polls in the proper perspective.
| |
|
|
|
|
mccain
|
43%
Gallup Daily |
 VIRGO August 29, 1936
It might feel as though you're finally coasting toward the finishing line in a project. There could be good news in other areas of your life too. A labour-saving device could make all the difference to your day. This could even be passed on to you by a neighbor. The world of glamour could be closer to that you than you think: perhaps prompting you to try out a different style.
|
30.5%
chance of
winning
|
obama
|
47%
Gallup Daily
|
 LEO August 4, 1961
A relationship could be now back on safer ground or at least moving towards it. Growing confidence in your ability to deal with an administrative system or new-found ability to steer your financial ship away from the rocks might result in you giving off a different aura. It won't be surprising if others find you exceptionally attractive! Invitations are probable and could include attending a unique event.
|
64%
chance of
winning
|
| weather report |
| East |
 |
New York, NY
75 degrees (F), 60% chance of rain. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. |
| south |
 |
Dallas, TX
97 degrees (F), 10% chance of rain. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. |
| midwest |
|
Chicago, IL
81 degrees (F), 10% chance of rain. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. |
| west |
 |
Los Angeles, CA
82 degrees (F), 0% chance of rain. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. |
Sources:
General Election Poll: Gallup Tracking Poll
The general-election results are based on combined data from June 30-July 2, 2008. For results based on this sample of 2,641 registered voters, the maximum margin of sampling error is +/-2 percentage points.
Horoscopes: horoscopes.co.uk
Weather: Weather.com
Betting Lines: Intrade Prediction Markets
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-06 02:11 |
| Salmonella Investigators Focus On Jalapenos |
| Public |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/05/salmonella-investigators_n_111021.html Investigators are seeing more signs that the salmonella outbreak blamed on tomatoes might have been caused by tainted jalapeno peppers and have begun collecting samples from restaurants and from the homes of those who have been sickened, according to health officials involved in the probe.
New interviews with those who became infected found that many had eaten jalapeno peppers, often in salsa served with Mexican food, according to two state health officials. So far, none of the jalapenos taken from restaurants and from the homes of those who became ill have tested positive for Salmonella saintpaul.
Echoing federal officials, who said this week that tomatoes remain the prime suspect, the health officials said that tomatoes cannot be ruled out as the cause of the outbreak. Investigators have been collecting samples of another possible suspect, cilantro, though the herb is less likely to be the source, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-06 01:55 |
| Audit Finds Nearly $50,000 In Credit Card Fraud At Education Department |
| Public |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/05/audit-finds-nearly-50000_n_111020.html U.S. Department of Education employees inappropriately used government credit cards to purchase $49,500 worth of goods and services, including meals, items at clothing stores and rental cars, for personal use, according to a review by the department's inspector general.
Auditors examining a sample of business travel expenses for fiscal 2006 found $18,256 in inappropriate charges made by 34 employees. The charges included payments to clothing retailers and restaurants near their homes or office.
Twenty-nine people used bank cards to withdraw about $17,600 more than allowed under the department's travel allowance for meals and incidentals. Four department workers made $13,570 in bank card withdrawals when they weren't on business travel. One logged 44 withdrawals totaling $8,560.
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-06 01:44 |
| Lindsay Graham Emerging As McCain's One-Man Kitchen Cabinet |
| Public |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/05/lindsay-graham-emerging-a_n_111019.html If Andrew Jackson created the notion of a president's "Kitchen Cabinet," Sen. John McCain is reinventing it months before his possible election to the White House.
And Sen. Lindsey Graham seems to be McCain's one-man Kitchen Cabinet.
Graham's visibility as the Arizona senator's closest political confidant has risen in recent weeks as the two men crisscross the country and travel abroad on McCain's presidential quest.
"There's nobody I trust more than Lindsey Graham," McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, said by phone Thursday from Mexico City. "I'm honored to have him travel with me and give me the counsel I need."
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-06 01:31 |
| Obama Repeats Call For Merit Pay In Front Of Powerful Teachers Union |
| Public |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/05/obama-repeats-call-for-me_n_111018.html Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Saturday thanked the National Education Association for its endorsement but also made it clear that he continues to support merit pay for teachers.
His position is a controversial one with the 3.2 million member group and it has earned him criticism when he addressed the NEA in 2007.
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-05 20:39 |
| Obama: Media Response To Iraq Remarks Overblown |
| Public |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/05/obama-response-to-iraq-re_n_111004.html ST. LOUIS — Barack Obama celebrated "active faith" as an obligation of religious Americans and a chief agent of societal change while speaking Saturday to a nearly all-black roomful of churchgoers, but hoping to reach far beyond them.
Earlier in the day as he flew from Montana to Missouri, Obama told reporters he was surprised at how the media has "finely calibrated" his recent words on Iraq, and reaffirmed his commitment to ending the war if elected.
Making a less than two-hour stop in the battleground state of Missouri, the Democratic presidential nominee implored the thousands attending a national meeting of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the nation's largest and most politically and civically active black denominations, to help fix national and local ills.
He preached individual responsibility, saying he knew he risked criticism for "blaming the victim" by talking of the need for parents to help children with homework and turn off the TV, to pass on a healthy self-image to daughters, and teach boys both to respect women and "realize that responsibility does not end at conception."
But Obama's main message was the government's duty to address what he said are "moral problems" _ such as war, poverty, joblessness, homelessness, violent streets and crumbling schools _ and to employ religious institutions to do it.
"As long as we're not doing everything in our individual and collective power to solve the challenges we face, the conscience of our nation cannot rest," he said.
Obama, who has made history by becoming the first black major-party presidential nominee, made frequent references to the civil rights movement and continuing struggles in the black community.
"We are not constrained by the accident of birth but can make of our lives what we will," Obama said. He was greeted when he arrived in the vast hall by the most thunderous cheering, waving and screaming that he has heard all week.
It was also his most enthusiastic delivery of late, employing preacher's cadences that were interrupted frequently by "Amens" and "yes."
Obama repeatedly referenced his religious faith in terms that would be familiar to white evangelicals as well as his black audience. Obama has highlighted faith and personal story over the past week as he campaigned in one-time GOP strongholds and talked more about God, country, and service than about rival Republican John McCain.
He hopes to draw more support from evangelical Christian voters than is typical for Democratic presidential candidates. Analysts are skeptical he can do that because of his support for abortion, gay rights and other issues.
And Obama was perplexed that his statement on Iraq was dissected as it was.
"I was a little puzzled by the frenzy that I set off by what I thought was a pretty innocuous statement," he said. "I am absolutely committed to ending the war."
On Thursday in North Dakota, Obama said that "I'll ... continue to refine my policy" on Iraq after an upcoming trip there. With a promise to end the war the central premise of his candidacy, the Obama campaign has struggled over the past two days to push back against Republicans and others who say his recent statement could be a softening or change in policy.
Obama has always said his promise to end the war would require consultations with military commanders and, possibly, flexibility.
"The tactics of how we ensure our troops are safe as we pull out, how we execute the withdrawal, those are things that are all based on facts and conditions," he said. "I am not somebody _ unlike George Bush _ who is willing to ignore facts on the basis of my preconceived notions."
McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said Obama needs to "understand that his words matter."
"We are all absolutely committed to ending this war, but on Thursday Barack Obama's words indicated that he also shared John McCains commitment to securing the peace beforehand," he said.
The Illinois senator also said he and rival-turned-ally Hillary Rodham Clinton plan to raise money together in a series of fundraisers in New York during the coming week.
Two events are scheduled for Wednesday night _ one for his campaign and one to help Clinton pay off debts from her primary race against him. A third, for Obama, is a cash-collecting breakfast Thursday morning with women.
The fundraisers will be the first joint appearances by the former foes since their lovefest in Unity, N.H., on June 27.
Obama said his aides and those to former President Clinton are still arranging their first campaign appearances together. What role Bill Clinton will play in Obama's campaign has been a glaring question mark ever since the former president made comments earlier this year that Obama's supporters said injected race into the nomination contest.
Obama plans to campaign next week in North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia, all Southern states that have been the province of Republicans but where his campaign thinks he can make inroads _ or even win _ in part because of their large black populations.
It "would be pretty foolish" not to try, Obama said.
"Democrats can't shrink the map and win," he told reporters. "The solid South for Republicans is part of that shrinkage of the map. ... I want to be greedy."
Before leaving Montana, Obama spoke via satellite to a conference of the National Education Association, the largest teachers union.
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-05 18:51 |
| 2 Fires Still Raging Along California's Central Coast |
| Public |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/05/2-fires-still-raging-alon_n_110994.html LOS ANGELES — A wildfire threatening thousands of homes in Southern California spread slowly through scenic canyonlands Saturday, straining resources as crews struggled to contain hundreds of other blazes around the state.
"The firefighters are stretched thin, they are exhausted," and some have gone days without sleep, said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who visited a command post in Santa Barbara County.
A slew of wildfires, most ignited by lightning two weeks ago, has burned more than 800 square miles of land throughout California. The blazes have destroyed at least 69 homes and other buildings and contributed to the death of a firefighter who suffered a heart attack while digging fire lines.
About 1,400 fires have been contained, but more than 330 still burned out of control Saturday.
Schwarzenegger said the state's top priority was in the coastal region of Santa Barbara County, where nearly 2,700 homes were threatened by a four-day-old fire in the Los Padres National Forest that has consumed about 13 square miles.
Cooler, moist air Saturday morning kept the fire sluggish and helped firefighters trying to surround it, said Pat Wheatley, county spokeswoman. The fire was 24 percent contained, she said.
"It's just spreading in each direction, but they are holding the line beautifully," she said.
Crews hoped to make more progress before the return of late afternoon "sundowner" winds that on Friday evening sent flames racing up to homes.
More than 2,600 homes were under mandatory evacuation Saturday, and residents in another 1,400 were warned to be ready to flee if the flames gathered speed.
Wheatley said the mandatory evacuation orders were partially lifted later Saturday, allowing some residents of Goleta to return, but she did not know how many homes were affected.
The fire, which was burning in 15-foot-high, half-century-old chaparral, had the potential to roll through a hilly area of ranches, housing tracts and orchards between the town of Goleta and Santa Barbara.
"The advice is that you get prepared, that you get your belongings together and you stay very watchful," Wheatley said.
Temperatures were expected to reach the high 80s, and the smoke from the fire made for bad air quality.
Nearly 1,200 firefighters struggled to surround the blaze while a DC-10 air tanker and other aircraft dumped water and fire retardant along ridges and in steep canyons.
Investigators think the fire, which began Tuesday, was human-caused. The U.S. Forest Service on Saturday asked for public help in determining who set it and whether it was sparked accidentally or on purpose.
Meanwhile, cooler weather helped crews attacking a two-week-old blaze that has destroyed 22 homes in Big Sur, at the northern end of the Los Padres forest, but the fire continued to grow slowly on all flanks Saturday night.
The fire, which had blackened more than 110 square miles, was only 5 percent contained with full containment not expected until the end of the month, but morning fog that moved in from the sea helped prevent it from advancing on Big Sur's famed restaurants and hotels.
"We're gaining ground, but we're nowhere near being done," said Gregg DeNitto, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. "There's still a lot of potential out there. The fire has been less active the last couple of days. We've had favorable weather; they are taking every opportunity to get some line on it."
But the weather was expected to become hotter and drier over the next couple of days, he said, with winds and temperatures rising and humidity dropping.
"The fire still has the potential for movement and the potential to get out of our containment lines," he said.
A homeowner near Big Sur was arrested Friday after officials said he refused orders to stop setting his own backfires.
The governor noted that he recently ordered 400 National Guard troops to be trained in wildfire fighting so they could help fight the state's blazes. He also urged lawmakers to adopt his budget plan for a $70 million emergency surcharge on home and business insurance policies to buy more firefighting equipment.
California now has a year-round fire season and needs the money from the fee, which should cost the average homeowner about $1 a month, Schwarzenegger said.
Meanwhile, residents of Crown King, Ariz., who had left their homes for nearly a week because of a wildfire were allowed to return Saturday night. A thunderstorm that drenched the area Friday evening helped fire crews working to get a line around the blaze, which consumed more than 15 square miles of forest.
___
Associated Press writers Samantha Young in Sacramento, Lisa Leff in San Francisco, Amanda Fehd in Berkeley and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-06 03:26 |
| Huffpollstrology: Candidates' Horoscopes, Polls And More For July 6 |
| Public |
http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=494124a7bf93e21720f55948e8fdfb9a
Polls have come to dominate the media's horse race coverage of political campaigns. Pundits and reporters constantly use them to tell us who's hot and who's not -- but skip over the fact that plummeting response rates and variables like undecided voters and margins of error and often render these polls useless as anything other than lightweight diversions on par with horoscopes and political betting lines. Our HuffPollstrology chart helps keep you up to date on the latest poll results, along with the latest horoscope predictions, and the latest online political betting lines - and will hopefully help the polling junkies in the media keep polls in the proper perspective.
| |
|
|
|
|
mccain
|
43%
Gallup Daily |
VIRGO August 29, 1936
It might feel as though you're finally coasting toward the finishing line in a project. There could be good news in other areas of your life too. A labour-saving device could make all the difference to your day. This could even be passed on to you by a neighbor. The world of glamour could be closer to that you than you think: perhaps prompting you to try out a different style.
|
30.5%
chance of
winning
|
obama
|
47%
Gallup Daily
|
LEO August 4, 1961
A relationship could be now back on safer ground or at least moving towards it. Growing confidence in your ability to deal with an administrative system or new-found ability to steer your financial ship away from the rocks might result in you giving off a different aura. It won't be surprising if others find you exceptionally attractive! Invitations are probable and could include attending a unique event.
|
64%
chance of
winning
|
| weather report |
| East |
|
New York, NY
75 degrees (F), 60% chance of rain. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. |
| south |
|
Dallas, TX
97 degrees (F), 10% chance of rain. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. |
| midwest |
|
Chicago, IL
81 degrees (F), 10% chance of rain. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. |
| west |
|
Los Angeles, CA
82 degrees (F), 0% chance of rain. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. |
Sources:
General Election Poll: Gallup Tracking Poll
The general-election results are based on combined data from June 30-July 2, 2008. For results based on this sample of 2,641 registered voters, the maximum margin of sampling error is +/-2 percentage points.
Horoscopes: horoscopes.co.uk
Weather: Weather.com
Betting Lines: Intrade Prediction Markets
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http://postsecret.blogspot.com/2008/07/sunday-secrets.html    PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.      -----Email Message----- Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2008 12:07 AM Subject: i'm ready to lose everything It's interesting - though you tagged this photograph as "I'm ready to love everything" and to me it looks like "I'm ready to lose everything," I wonder if in fact these vastly different phrases would still translate to the same meaning...               -----Email Message----- To: Frank Warren I was reading PostSecret today and I happened to scroll down to the end of the page, and saw a photo of Kristin - a childhood friend that lived around the block from me in Florida. I did hear when she died, but I was very surprised to see the suicide hotline with Kristin's picture on it. After researching how the Kristin Brooks Hope Center was founded I had to pass along to Kristin's husband, Reese, that the love he has for her is overwhelming. His devotion to her memory is remarkable, and I just wanted him to know that a friend who knew Kristin a long time ago was proud that she married someone like him. Their child is blessed to have parents like Kristin and Reese. Thank you for all you do to help people in dark places find their light.  -----Email Message----- From: Reese Butler [Founder, Kristin Brooks Hope Center] The ability and opportunity to connect with one of Kristin's childhood friends was a miracle and a gift from the PostSecret community. After Kristin's death I desperately tried to reach out to all the people she grew up with. It was important to me that people who did know her learned what happened to her and how they can prevent others from falling to the same fate. For over 3 years the PostSecret community has helped people learn that they share some of the deepest and darkest secrets and are not alone Thanks for this miracle. -----Email Message----- From: Frank Warren Subject: Struggling to meet a July 9th deadlineThe Kristin Brooks Hope Center needs your help today. Become a member of the 99 CLUB. Call Reese directly to arrange for a larger donation 202-669-8500 (yes, that is Reese's direct phone number, please be respectful). You can also make a quick and easy PayPal donation. All donations are fully tax deductible.  
175 Comments | Post A Comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend | Link
| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-05 18:51 |
| 2 Fires Still Raging Along California's Central Coast |
| Public |
http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=8237b0ea53a598041716d769abeebf5c LOS ANGELES — A wildfire threatening thousands of homes in Southern California spread slowly through scenic canyonlands Saturday, straining resources as crews struggled to contain hundreds of other blazes around the state.
"The firefighters are stretched thin, they are exhausted," and some have gone days without sleep, said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who visited a command post in Santa Barbara County.
A slew of wildfires, most ignited by lightning two weeks ago, has burned more than 800 square miles of land throughout California. The blazes have destroyed at least 69 homes and other buildings and contributed to the death of a firefighter who suffered a heart attack while digging fire lines.
About 1,400 fires have been contained, but more than 330 still burned out of control Saturday.
Schwarzenegger said the state's top priority was in the coastal region of Santa Barbara County, where nearly 2,700 homes were threatened by a four-day-old fire in the Los Padres National Forest that has consumed about 13 square miles.
Cooler, moist air Saturday morning kept the fire sluggish and helped firefighters trying to surround it, said Pat Wheatley, county spokeswoman. The fire was 24 percent contained, she said.
"It's just spreading in each direction, but they are holding the line beautifully," she said.
Crews hoped to make more progress before the return of late afternoon "sundowner" winds that on Friday evening sent flames racing up to homes.
More than 2,600 homes were under mandatory evacuation Saturday, and residents in another 1,400 were warned to be ready to flee if the flames gathered speed.
Wheatley said the mandatory evacuation orders were partially lifted later Saturday, allowing some residents of Goleta to return, but she did not know how many homes were affected.
The fire, which was burning in 15-foot-high, half-century-old chaparral, had the potential to roll through a hilly area of ranches, housing tracts and orchards between the town of Goleta and Santa Barbara.
"The advice is that you get prepared, that you get your belongings together and you stay very watchful," Wheatley said.
Temperatures were expected to reach the high 80s, and the smoke from the fire made for bad air quality.
Nearly 1,200 firefighters struggled to surround the blaze while a DC-10 air tanker and other aircraft dumped water and fire retardant along ridges and in steep canyons.
Investigators think the fire, which began Tuesday, was human-caused. The U.S. Forest Service on Saturday asked for public help in determining who set it and whether it was sparked accidentally or on purpose.
Meanwhile, cooler weather helped crews attacking a two-week-old blaze that has destroyed 22 homes in Big Sur, at the northern end of the Los Padres forest, but the fire continued to grow slowly on all flanks Saturday night.
The fire, which had blackened more than 110 square miles, was only 5 percent contained with full containment not expected until the end of the month, but morning fog that moved in from the sea helped prevent it from advancing on Big Sur's famed restaurants and hotels.
"We're gaining ground, but we're nowhere near being done," said Gregg DeNitto, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. "There's still a lot of potential out there. The fire has been less active the last couple of days. We've had favorable weather; they are taking every opportunity to get some line on it."
But the weather was expected to become hotter and drier over the next couple of days, he said, with winds and temperatures rising and humidity dropping.
"The fire still has the potential for movement and the potential to get out of our containment lines," he said.
A homeowner near Big Sur was arrested Friday after officials said he refused orders to stop setting his own backfires.
The governor noted that he recently ordered 400 National Guard troops to be trained in wildfire fighting so they could help fight the state's blazes. He also urged lawmakers to adopt his budget plan for a $70 million emergency surcharge on home and business insurance policies to buy more firefighting equipment.
California now has a year-round fire season and needs the money from the fee, which should cost the average homeowner about $1 a month, Schwarzenegger said.
Meanwhile, residents of Crown King, Ariz., who had left their homes for nearly a week because of a wildfire were allowed to return Saturday night. A thunderstorm that drenched the area Friday evening helped fire crews working to get a line around the blaze, which consumed more than 15 square miles of forest.
___
Associated Press writers Samantha Young in Sacramento, Lisa Leff in San Francisco, Amanda Fehd in Berkeley and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
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I have two tickets for the alkaline trio show at HOB on Wednesday, but I have to work. Anyone want to buy them off me?
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 |
|
Well, there's no other community for me to say this in but I'm sure the choir here will enjoy the preaching. Mods can feel free to delete this if they see fit.
I usually can't stand arena football. It seems like the players are so unmotivated because they know they can just get the ball back in a few minutes to score, so no one seems to give it their all. Today on ESPN I felt my opinion changing. I saw two really good playoff games. I guess when the caliber of competition is upped that much, it makes a difference.
Did I see I saw two games? Actually, I saw one really good playoff game, and then a few minutes ago I saw 59:59 of a good game and then complete ridiculousness for the last second of it. ( I won't spoil by saying who won, but I will say that the last second of the game I am referring to is exactly what's wrong with arena football... )
I don't even pay attention to arena football, and I'm hella pissed about this. Whether you like the organization or not, the players dedicate a whole year to this and are screwed over doubly in the playoffs. The NFL has its controversies, but at least they aren't usually so far against common sense.
If this entry's still around in a few hours maybe someone can post a YouTube or ESPN video of what happened. I'm going to bed once I see the UFC results.
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-06 02:11 |
| Salmonella Investigators Focus On Jalapenos |
| Public |
http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=7664bc86947cef71e86802738f52a3ac Investigators are seeing more signs that the salmonella outbreak blamed on tomatoes might have been caused by tainted jalapeno peppers and have begun collecting samples from restaurants and from the homes of those who have been sickened, according to health officials involved in the probe.
New interviews with those who became infected found that many had eaten jalapeno peppers, often in salsa served with Mexican food, according to two state health officials. So far, none of the jalapenos taken from restaurants and from the homes of those who became ill have tested positive for Salmonella saintpaul.
Echoing federal officials, who said this week that tomatoes remain the prime suspect, the health officials said that tomatoes cannot be ruled out as the cause of the outbreak. Investigators have been collecting samples of another possible suspect, cilantro, though the herb is less likely to be the source, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-06 01:55 |
| Audit Finds Nearly $50,000 In Credit Card Fraud At Education Department |
| Public |
http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=a6b2ef500e0e36172fce0e01bfa8218c U.S. Department of Education employees inappropriately used government credit cards to purchase $49,500 worth of goods and services, including meals, items at clothing stores and rental cars, for personal use, according to a review by the department's inspector general.
Auditors examining a sample of business travel expenses for fiscal 2006 found $18,256 in inappropriate charges made by 34 employees. The charges included payments to clothing retailers and restaurants near their homes or office.
Twenty-nine people used bank cards to withdraw about $17,600 more than allowed under the department's travel allowance for meals and incidentals. Four department workers made $13,570 in bank card withdrawals when they weren't on business travel. One logged 44 withdrawals totaling $8,560.
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-06 01:44 |
| Lindsay Graham Emerging As McCain's One-Man Kitchen Cabinet |
| Public |
http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=22e62bcc71573078c4b13925182d7ec2 If Andrew Jackson created the notion of a president's "Kitchen Cabinet," Sen. John McCain is reinventing it months before his possible election to the White House.
And Sen. Lindsey Graham seems to be McCain's one-man Kitchen Cabinet.
Graham's visibility as the Arizona senator's closest political confidant has risen in recent weeks as the two men crisscross the country and travel abroad on McCain's presidential quest.
"There's nobody I trust more than Lindsey Graham," McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, said by phone Thursday from Mexico City. "I'm honored to have him travel with me and give me the counsel I need."
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-06 01:31 |
| Obama Repeats Call For Merit Pay In Front Of Powerful Teachers Union |
| Public |
http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=2ca85e48500c9de2e7fb8d181165d8ef Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Saturday thanked the National Education Association for its endorsement but also made it clear that he continues to support merit pay for teachers.
His position is a controversial one with the 3.2 million member group and it has earned him criticism when he addressed the NEA in 2007.
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-05 20:39 |
| Obama: Media Response To Iraq Remarks Overblown |
| Public |
http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=f47fb2a167653881853d8b6ec39bcd68 ST. LOUIS — Barack Obama celebrated "active faith" as an obligation of religious Americans and a chief agent of societal change while speaking Saturday to a nearly all-black roomful of churchgoers, but hoping to reach far beyond them.
Earlier in the day as he flew from Montana to Missouri, Obama told reporters he was surprised at how the media has "finely calibrated" his recent words on Iraq, and reaffirmed his commitment to ending the war if elected.
Making a less than two-hour stop in the battleground state of Missouri, the Democratic presidential nominee implored the thousands attending a national meeting of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the nation's largest and most politically and civically active black denominations, to help fix national and local ills.
He preached individual responsibility, saying he knew he risked criticism for "blaming the victim" by talking of the need for parents to help children with homework and turn off the TV, to pass on a healthy self-image to daughters, and teach boys both to respect women and "realize that responsibility does not end at conception."
But Obama's main message was the government's duty to address what he said are "moral problems" _ such as war, poverty, joblessness, homelessness, violent streets and crumbling schools _ and to employ religious institutions to do it.
"As long as we're not doing everything in our individual and collective power to solve the challenges we face, the conscience of our nation cannot rest," he said.
Obama, who has made history by becoming the first black major-party presidential nominee, made frequent references to the civil rights movement and continuing struggles in the black community.
"We are not constrained by the accident of birth but can make of our lives what we will," Obama said. He was greeted when he arrived in the vast hall by the most thunderous cheering, waving and screaming that he has heard all week.
It was also his most enthusiastic delivery of late, employing preacher's cadences that were interrupted frequently by "Amens" and "yes."
Obama repeatedly referenced his religious faith in terms that would be familiar to white evangelicals as well as his black audience. Obama has highlighted faith and personal story over the past week as he campaigned in one-time GOP strongholds and talked more about God, country, and service than about rival Republican John McCain.
He hopes to draw more support from evangelical Christian voters than is typical for Democratic presidential candidates. Analysts are skeptical he can do that because of his support for abortion, gay rights and other issues.
And Obama was perplexed that his statement on Iraq was dissected as it was.
"I was a little puzzled by the frenzy that I set off by what I thought was a pretty innocuous statement," he said. "I am absolutely committed to ending the war."
On Thursday in North Dakota, Obama said that "I'll ... continue to refine my policy" on Iraq after an upcoming trip there. With a promise to end the war the central premise of his candidacy, the Obama campaign has struggled over the past two days to push back against Republicans and others who say his recent statement could be a softening or change in policy.
Obama has always said his promise to end the war would require consultations with military commanders and, possibly, flexibility.
"The tactics of how we ensure our troops are safe as we pull out, how we execute the withdrawal, those are things that are all based on facts and conditions," he said. "I am not somebody _ unlike George Bush _ who is willing to ignore facts on the basis of my preconceived notions."
McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said Obama needs to "understand that his words matter."
"We are all absolutely committed to ending this war, but on Thursday Barack Obama's words indicated that he also shared John McCains commitment to securing the peace beforehand," he said.
The Illinois senator also said he and rival-turned-ally Hillary Rodham Clinton plan to raise money together in a series of fundraisers in New York during the coming week.
Two events are scheduled for Wednesday night _ one for his campaign and one to help Clinton pay off debts from her primary race against him. A third, for Obama, is a cash-collecting breakfast Thursday morning with women.
The fundraisers will be the first joint appearances by the former foes since their lovefest in Unity, N.H., on June 27.
Obama said his aides and those to former President Clinton are still arranging their first campaign appearances together. What role Bill Clinton will play in Obama's campaign has been a glaring question mark ever since the former president made comments earlier this year that Obama's supporters said injected race into the nomination contest.
Obama plans to campaign next week in North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia, all Southern states that have been the province of Republicans but where his campaign thinks he can make inroads _ or even win _ in part because of their large black populations.
It "would be pretty foolish" not to try, Obama said.
"Democrats can't shrink the map and win," he told reporters. "The solid South for Republicans is part of that shrinkage of the map. ... I want to be greedy."
Before leaving Montana, Obama spoke via satellite to a conference of the National Education Association, the largest teachers union.
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-05 20:00 |
| Iran Says It Won't Halt Nuclear Work |
| Public |
http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=e21c538c2da3d974d677deede4c6dea5 TEHRAN, Iran — Iran indicated Saturday that it has no plans to meet a key Western demand that it stop enriching uranium, a day after Tehran sent the European Union a response to an international offer of incentives for halting enrichment.
The content of that response has not been made public and there was caution about the prospects of progress.
"It was not something that made us jump up and down for joy," said one European official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was confidential. "We are in a holding mode until we get a chance to look at it more closely."
White House press secretary Dana Perino told reporters traveling with President Bush en route to a G-8 summit in Japan that the U.S. administration was still evaluating Iran's response.
"We're going out to consult with our allies about what Iran's response means," Perino said. "We'll just have to see how this is received by others before we make a formal response."
A positive response could open the way to renewed negotiations that might help cool recent sharp exchanges between officials on both sides. In recent weeks the U.S. and Iran have traded threats and warnings over possible American or Israeli military action.
But Iranian government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham insisted Tehran would not change the central part of its controversial program. Uranium enrichment can produce either fuel for a nuclear reactor or the material for a warhead. Iran insists its enrichment work is intended to produce fuel for nuclear reactors that would generate electricity.
"Iran's stand regarding its peaceful nuclear program has not changed," Elham told reporters. He said Iran was ready to negotiate on its program "within the framework of the international rules and regulations."
He did not elaborate. But Iranian state media reported Friday that EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, have agreed to hold the latest in a series of talks in the second half of July.
The European official, however, said no firm decision will be made by Solana to meet with Jalili until the contents of the Iranian response had been evaluated.
Iran's ambassador to Belgium presented the response to the incentives package to Solana in Brussels, Iranian state media reported Friday. European officials said they were studying the Iranian response and were consulting among themselves and with the United States, Russia and China on what to do next.
Acting on behalf of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, Solana offered the modified package of economic incentives to Iran during his June visit to the country. The offer is meant to persuade Iran to halt enrichment, which the six world powers fear Iran could use to produce weapons.
Iran has repeatedly insisted it will not give up enrichment, but it had said the incentives package had some "common ground" with Tehran's own proposals for a resolution to the standoff.
Separately, EU nations also approved new sanctions against Iran in June, imposing additional financial and travel restrictions on a list of Iranian companies and experts, including the country's largest bank.
The six nations _ the U.S., China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany _ first offered a package of economic, technological and political incentives to Tehran nearly two years ago on condition that it suspend enrichment.
The standoff has led to increasingly tense exchanges about the possibility of a military strike by Israel or the U.S. An Israeli military exercise last month was seen as a warning to Iran.
The commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards has said that Iran would consider any military action against its nuclear facilities as the beginning of a war. However, the general also has said he thinks a strike by Iran's adversaries is unlikely.
____
Associated Press Writer George Jahn contributed to this report from Vienna, Austria.
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| huffington_news |
| 2008-07-05 18:51 |
| 2 Fires Still Raging Along California's Central Coast |
| Public |
http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=8237b0ea53a598041716d769abeebf5c LOS ANGELES — A wildfire threatening thousands of homes in Southern California spread slowly through scenic canyonlands Saturday, straining resources as crews struggled to contain hundreds of other blazes around the state.
"The firefighters are stretched thin, they are exhausted," and some have gone days without sleep, said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who visited a command post in Santa Barbara County.
A slew of wildfires, most ignited by lightning two weeks ago, has burned more than 800 square miles of land throughout California. The blazes have destroyed at least 67 homes and other buildings and contributed to the death of a firefighter who suffered a heart attack while digging fire lines.
About 1,400 fires have been contained, but more than 330 still burned out of control Saturday.
Schwarzenegger said the state's top priority was in the coastal region of Santa Barbara County, where nearly 2,700 homes were threatened by a four-day-old fire in the Los Padres National Forest that has consumed about 13 square miles.
Cooler, moist air Saturday morning kept the fire sluggish and helped firefighters trying to surround it, said Pat Wheatley, county spokeswoman. The fire was 24 percent contained, she said.
"It's just spreading in each direction, but they are holding the line beautifully," she said.
Crews hoped to make more progress before the return of late afternoon "sundowner" winds that on Friday evening sent flames racing up to homes.
Wheatley said about 4,000 homes were under a warning Saturday afternoon _ a situation not as urgent as a mandatory evacuation _ in four canyons at the northern end of the blaze.
The fire, which was burning in 15-foot-high, half-century-old chaparral, had the potential to roll through a hilly area of ranches, housing tracts and orchards between the town of Goleta and Santa Barbara.
"The advice is that you get prepared, that you get your belongings together and you stay very watchful," Wheatley said.
Temperatures were expected to reach the high 80s, and the smoke from the fire made for bad air quality.
Nearly 1,200 firefighters struggled to surround the blaze while a DC-10 air tanker and other aircraft dumped water and fire retardant along ridges and in steep canyons.
Investigators think the fire, which began Tuesday, was human-caused. The U.S. Forest Service on Saturday asked for public help in determining who set it and whether it was sparked accidentally or on purpose.
Meanwhile, cooler weather helped crews attacking a two-week-old blaze that has destroyed 20 homes in Big Sur, at the northern end of the Los Padres forest.
The fire, which had blackened 107 square miles, was only 5 percent contained, but morning fog that moved in from the sea helped prevent it from advancing on Big Sur's famed restaurants and hotels.
"We're gaining ground, but we're nowhere near being done," said Gregg DeNitto, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. "There's still a lot of potential out there. The fire has been less active the last couple of days. We've had favorable weather; they are taking every opportunity to get some line on it."
But the weather was expected to become hotter and drier over the next couple of days, he said, with winds and temperatures rising and humidity dropping.
"The fire still has the potential for movement and the potential to get out of our containment lines," he said.
A homeowner near Big Sur was arrested Friday after officials said he refused orders to stop setting his own backfires.
The governor noted that he recently ordered 400 National Guard troops to be trained in wildfire fighting so they could help fight the state's blazes. He also urged lawmakers to adopt his budget plan for a $70 million emergency surcharge on home and business insurance policies to buy more firefighting equipment.
California now has a year-round fire season and needs the money from the fee, which should cost the average homeowner about $1 a month, Schwarzenegger said.
___
Associated Press writers Samantha Young in Sacramento, Lisa Leff in San Francisco and Amanda Fehd in Berkeley contributed to this report.
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![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) apeystar |
| 2008-07-05 21:47 |
| Independence Day Celebration |
| Public |
 happy |
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joybeans, apeystar, megaflytron, and habibekindheart
From top left:
levi, habibekindheart, joybeans,
gender_euphoric, megaflytron, apeystar,
pious26 and her wee baby girl,
Joy's son, Michael, jamming on Guitar Hero for the Wii
Not pictured were 4 other LJ folks, and 4 more kids.
The kids don't have LJs.
Yet.
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![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}