FURTHERMORE. . .

POLITICAL WIRE - According to conservative columnist Robert Novak,
former Secretary of State and retired Army General Colin Powell is the
latest Republican to oppose President Bush's proposal for a "surge" in
US troops in Iraq. "The colonels will always say they need more troops.
That's why we have generals," explained Powell

http://www.politics1.com/index.htm

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AP - Global warming could spell the end of the world's largest remaining tropical rain forest, transforming the Amazon into a grassy savanna
before the end of the century, researchers said. Jose Antonio Marengo, a
meteorologist with Brazil's National Space Research Institute, said that
global warming, if left unchecked, will reduce rainfall and raise
temperatures substantially in the ecologically rich region. . . "The
worst case scenario sees temperatures rise by five to eight degrees
(Celsius) until 2100, while rainfall will decrease between 15 and 20 per
cent."

http://h2opower.blogspot.com/2007/01/global-warming-could-turn-amazon-into.html

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TIME - China was supposed to reduce its energy use per unit of GDP by
4% and pollution emissions by 2% last year. Instead, in most of the
country, energy consumption and pollution went up. The State
Environmental Protection Administration estimated that both chemical
oxygen demand in water (which is a measure of the amount of gunk in the
water that eats up oxygen that would normally sustain life in a river or
lake) and sulfur dioxide emmissions in the air had increased by 2% over
the past 12 months.

http://time-blog.com/china_blog/

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HAARETZ, ISRAEL - A Haifa University survey investigating Arabs and
Jews' views on one another reveals disturbing results. The poll showed
that 75 percent of Jewish students believe that Arabs are uneducated
people, are uncivilized and are unclean. On the other hand 25 percent of
the Arab youth believe that Jews are the uneducated ones, while 57
percent of the Arab's believe Jews are unclean. Over a third of the
Jewish students taking part in the survey confirmed that they are afraid
of Arabs. . . Data from the survey also showed that 75 percent of Jewish
students feel Arabs are violent, as opposed to 64 percent of Arab
students. . . 75 percent of Arab students showed willingness to meet
with Jewish students as opposed to less than 50 percent willingness
amongst Jewish students.

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/
CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3350467,00.html

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DOCUMENTARY CAPTURES ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN ATTEMPTS AT RECONCILIATION
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0110/p01s04-wome.html?s=hns

AP - Police plan to set up checkpoints beginning Wednesday to help curb
a crime wave that has claimed nine lives since the start of 2007, Mayor
Ray Nagin said, stopping short of imposing a curfew on this tourism-
dependent city. The checkpoints will operate between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.,
when about a third of the city's violent crime occurs, and will target
drug and alcohol violations as well as motorist insurance. The first one
was to be held in a crime-ridden area of the city. . .

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/10/D8MI7FEG0.html

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WASHINGTON TIMES - Despite widespread interest in the likely candidacy
of another influential black Democrat, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, Mr.
Sharpton said he's heard little substantive discussion of issues that
might influence his decision about running, the Associated Press
reports. "Right now, we're hearing a lot of media razzle-dazzle," Mr.
Sharpton said. "I'm not hearing a lot of meat, or a lot of content. I
think when the meat hits the fire, we'll find out if it's just fat, or
if there's some real meat there." Mr. Sharpton said the candidate who
impressed him most so far was former Sen. John Edwards, North Carolina
Democrat, who has made poverty the central issue of his campaign.

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20070110-124624-1815r_page2.htm

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JULIE APPLEBY, USA TODAY - Spending on health care rose at twice the
rate of general inflation in 2005, with consumers facing increased
deductibles and co-pays finding themselves spending more of their own
money, government researchers said in a report. Spending went up 6.9%,
with the total amount spent by individuals, insurers and the government
on health care hitting almost $2 trillion, or $6,697 per person. . .
Hospital spending continued to be a main factor in spending growth,
growing at nearly 8%, with increases in both in-hospital care and
out-patient services.

http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomHealth-TopStories/~
3/72782341/2007-01-09-costs-usat_x.htm

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AP - Sen. Tim Johnson's condition has been upgraded from critical to
fair, four weeks after he was hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage, his
office said Tuesday.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/time/nation/~3/73166273/0,8599,1575612,00.html

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GARRISON KEELER - THE VIRTUES OF NEWSPAPERS OVER COMPUTERS
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/01/10/keillor/

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METRO AREAS WHERE POVERTY IS INCREASING
http://governing.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/poverty_1.jpg

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THINK PROGRESS - Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) made headlines last month
after complaining about Congress' new schedule that requires members to
work five days a week: "Keeping us up here eats away at families," said
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), who typically flies home on Thursdays and
returns to Washington on Tuesdays. "Marriages suffer. The Democrats
could care less about families — that's what this says." . . . Yet, last
night, Kingston offered this advice to Americans living in poverty: work
longer hours. During House debate over the minimum wage, Kingston said
raising the minimum wage would do nothing for poor Americans. Instead,
if people marry and work longer hours, "they would be out of poverty,"
he said. "It's an economic fact."

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/01/11/kingston-work-longer/

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SUN, UK - Every worker in Britain will now get at least 28 days a year
holiday thanks to a change in the law. New research has shown that up to
six million workers would benefit from an extra eight days holiday each
year under the plans. . . Workers in Ireland are entitled to 29 days;
the highest minimum entitlement is in Austria at 38 days.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2005300000-2007010669,00.html


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FARK - Hillary Clinton and Evan Bayh headed to Iraq. My God, did anyone
realize we were that desperate for troops?

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AGENCE FRANCE PRESS - Envoys of the Palestinian president have been
holding secret meetings with the top leader of the Hamas group in Syria.
. . Hamas and Fatah have repeatedly failed in recent months to form a
coalition because of disagreements over a political program and control
over key cabinet posts.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CF0F2C3A-ABD7-45B1-AC89-DD014AC7A42F.htm


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JACK MCENANY, LOST NATION - The former boy mayor of Cleveland, OH threw
his bandana in the presidential ring this week, much to everyone's –
including his family and staff's – surprise. He was my son's choice in
2004, but only because he thought he was a Hobbit. Now that my boy has
matured to the ripe old age of eight, he's not all that enthralled with
Kucinich anymore.

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OVERHEARD OUTSIDE A GEORGETOWN MOVIE THEATER: Dork: "So I think that's
what happened. It probably just didn't get much use over the
interregnum.". . . Chick: "Wait, did you just say "interregnum?". . .
Dork: "Yeah, 'interregnum.' It means a break or pause in a chain of
continuous events. . . Chick: "No no, I know what it means. I just never
thought I'd hear it actually used... in conversation... like, ever."

http://eavesdropdc.blogspot.com/

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JOHN MCCASLIN, WASH TIMES - The new CQ Press Congressional Staff
Directory for the 110th Congress contains some intriguing trivia . . .
Rep. John Hall, New York Democrat, is a professional singer and
songwriter best known for his stint with the popular rock band Orleans.
He recorded several major hits, including "Still the One," "Dance With
Me" and "Let There Be Music." . . . Sen. James M. Inhofe, Oklahoma
Republican, is the only member of Congress to fly an airplane around the
world. In the summer of 1991 he re-created Wiley Post's 1933 solo flight
around the globe. . . . Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, Maryland Republican,
holds 20 patents for his invention of respiratory support and safety
devices used by pilots, astronauts and rescue workers. . . . Sen.
Barbara A. Mikulski, Maryland Democrat, has co-authored with Marylouise
Oates two political novels/murder mysteries, "Capitol Offense" and
"Capitol Venture." . . . Sen. Jim Bunning, Kentucky Republican, is the
only member of Congress to have been enshrined in the National Baseball
Hall of Fame after a 15-year career as a professional pitcher.

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20070112-123023-4675r_page2.htm

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HEATHER CASSELL, BAY AREA REPORTER - The San Francisco Board of
Education opens the new year with many changes, as [Green] Mark Sanchez
was elected as the third openly gay person to serve as president on
Tuesday, January 9. . . Sanchez received unanimous votes by the
commissioners to become the new president. He was nominated by Norman
Yee, the former president. Yee joined the meeting briefly by phone from
his hospital bed, where he is recovering from an accident that occurred
last month when he was struck by a car while in a crosswalk. . .

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AP - Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- fiery
anti-American leaders whose moves to extend their influence have alarmed
Washington -- said they would help finance investment projects in other
countries seeking to thwart U.S. domination. The two countries had
previously revealed plans for a joint $2 billion fund to finance
investments in Venezuela and Iran, but the leaders said the money would
also be used for projects in friendly countries throughout the
developing world.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/01/13/venezuela.iran.ap/index.html?eref=
rss_topstories

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