Schwarzenegger visits state's Capitol Hill Dems Jan 6, 2009
But Congress is now in Democratic hands, and President Bush is cool to some Schwarzenegger initiatives, including his pushes on global warming and universal health coverage ... The governor also met with California's two Democratic senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, and held an early-evening session open to all 53 of the state's House members ... The governor also described his appeal to Democratic voters, even though he says he remains a loyal Republican "We are out there in a unique... (Yahoo News -- Arnold Schwarzenegger)
Corporate wellness, Safeway style Jan 6, 2009
Eric Ward finally said goodbye to Baby Roo ... Coupled with lunchtime walks, his new exercise plan helped him get rid of the kangaroo-pouch pot belly that he had nicknamed Baby Roo ... "There are a lot of companies that basically are saying, 'You're on your own completely,' " Ward said. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
Quakes jolt Indonesia - only 1 death reported Jan 6, 2009
Dozens were injured and 135 homes and other buildings were badly damaged or toppled in the province ... The Indonesian Health Ministry was sending an aid team to Manokwari on Sunday night as well as 4 tons of medical supplies and baby food, spokeswoman Lily Sulistyowati said ... Relief agency World Vision Indonesia was flying in 2,000 emergency provision kits, including canned food, blankets and basic medical supplies, said spokeswoman Katarina Hardono. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
FRESH START... Jan 6, 2009
NEW YORK (AP) -- Caution returned to Wall Street Monday as investors gave back some gains from last week's rally even as they found encouragement from President-elect Barack Obama's calls for an economic stimulus package ... Some retreat was to be expected after investors sent the Dow Jones industrial average to a two-month high on Friday; investors are wary about pouring more money into the battered market with economic data still weak and fourth-quarter earnings reports coming later this month... (The Drudge Report)
Obama unlikely to get stimulus bill this month Jan 6, 2009
Congressional Democrats said Sunday that President-elect Barack Obama probably will have to wait until next month before getting the chance to sign an economic aid bill his team once hoped would be on his desk by his swearing-in Jan. 20 ... Obama planned to meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev ... Obama said Congress should pass a plan designed to create 3 million jobs. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Like a Virgin: The Press Take On Teenage Sex Jan 6, 2009
In fact, the only way the study's author, Janet Elise Rosenbaum of Johns Hopkins University, could reach such results was by comparing teens who take a virginity pledge with a very small subset of other teens: those who are just as religious and conservative as the pledge-takers ... He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, holds a BA in philosophy from Notre Dame and an MS in Communications from Boston University. (Wall Street Journal)
Ill. impeachment panel may end without FBI tapes Jan 6, 2009
Blagojevich, 52, a two-term Democrat, is charged along with former chief of staff John Harris with a scheme to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Barack Obama's election as president ... Roland Burris, the man appointed by Blagojevich to fill the seat left vacant by Obama, arrived in Washington prepared to fight to be seated, despite pledges from Senate Democrats not to confirm anyone appointed by Blagojevich ... Get Your AA, BA, Masters or PhD at a Top Online School. (Yahoo News)
How Obama can partner with philanthropy Jan 6, 2009
With violence in the Mideast, the spreading economic crisis, the tragedy in Mumbai and the risk of state failure in troubled regions, President-elect Barack Obama has had a glimpse of the in-box that awaits him ... For example, among the most imaginative approaches to combatting poverty was the creation of microfinance by Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus, operating on a small Ford Foundation grant ... Bypassing the commercial banking system and its self-imposed constraints, Yunus' Grameen... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Palestinians say 2nd UN school hit by airstrike Jan 6, 2009
Palestinian health official Said Joudeh says three people were killed and four wounded in the airstrike in the northern Gaza town of Jebaliya ... Apple CEO Steve Jobs says hormone imbalance is cause for weight loss. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
Bush Legacy In California: 'Zilch' Jan 6, 2009
(01-04) 17:10 PST -- President Bush once remarked at a White House party that in the famously liberal enclave of San Francisco, his supporters were so rare that "you could probably fit them all in one room." ... With just 15 days remaining for the Bush administration, political observers note that the Republican president's chilly relationship with the decidedly blue state - a relationship that is poised to undergo a revolution with Democratic President-elect Barack Obama - means that many here... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
Palestinians say strike on 2nd UN school kills 30 Jan 6, 2009
Hospital director Bassam Abu Warda confirmed the 30 deaths from the second airstrike ... THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information ... Palestinian health official Said Joudeh confirmed the death toll from the airstrike in the northern Gaza town of Jebaliya. (Yahoo News -- Politics)
Al Franken wins Minnesota Senate seat in recount Jan 6, 2009
If the recount decision holds up President-elect Barack Obama's Democrats will control at least 58 of the 100 Senate seats in the new U.S. Congress, with one more possible once the Illinois seat vacated by Obama is filled ... "After 62 days of careful, painstaking inspection of ballots, I am proud to stand before you as the next senator from Minnesota," Franken, 57, told a news conference in front of his Minneapolis home with his wife Franni beside him ... A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader... (Yahoo News -- Politics)
BA trading conditions "broadly unchanged" Jan 6, 2009
BA said traffic in December fell by 3 ... 51 million while BA's passenger load factor -- a measure of how full its aircraft were -- fell by 0 ... (Reporting by Matt Scuffham; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien). (International Herald Tribune -- Travel)
Hebrew scholar Jacob Kabakoff was 90 (2) Jan 6, 2009
Hebrew scholar Jacob Kabakoff was 90 ... Published: Friday, December 26, 2008 1:10 AM EST Jacob Kabakoff, dean of the Cleveland College of Jewish Studies (now Siegal College) from 1952-68, died Dec. 17 in White Plains, N.Y. He was 90 ... After leaving Cleveland, Dr. Kabakoff, a noted Hebrew scholar, served as professor of Hebrew at Lehman College of The City University of New York until 1986. (Cleveland Jewish News, OH)
BA says passenger traffic fell 3.4 pct in December Jan 6, 2009
BA says passenger traffic fell 3 ... BA says passenger traffic fell 3 ... 4 percent in December compared with a year earlier as the global economic crisis deepened. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Guv approves earlier presidential primary Jan 5, 2009
But the approval of SB 113 also paves the way for state lawmakers to keep their jobs longer and the governor to resurrect his earlier promise of reapportionment reform, two issues likely to land on the new Feb. 5 ballot ... A top consultant for Assembly Speaker Fabian N;;ez, D-Los Angeles, is leading a ballot initiative effort to change that into a total of 12 years in either house ... Another ballot initiative to likely appear in February is reapportionment. (Yahoo News -- Arnold Schwarzenegger)
6 Hurt In S.F. Stolen Car Chase Jan 5, 2009
Article:S.F. stolen car caper sends 6 to hospital:/c/a/2009/01/04/BATP153LAK.DTL Article:S.F. stolen car caper sends 6 to hospital:/c/a/2009/01/04/BATP153LAK.DTL ... The incident began shortly after 12:30 p.m. on San Bruno Avenue near Bacon Street in the city's Portola district, where the driver of a stolen car passed a police car ... They chased the driver on foot, over a fence and into the backyard of a house near Mansell Street, where police caught a suspect identified by Gittens as Antoine... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
Despite Video, BART Urges Patience On Probe Jan 5, 2009
BART appeals for calm as footage shows shooting. Article:BART appeals for calm as footage shows shooting:/c/a/2009/01/04/BA0R153LGU.DTL Article:BART appeals for calm as footage shows shooting:/c/a/2009/01/04/BA0R153LGU.DTL ... BART appeals for calm as footage shows shooting. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
S.F. Bills Victim For Tiger Attack Medical Bill Jan 5, 2009
Article:S.F. files lien for tiger attack medical bill:/c/a/2009/01/02/BAKQ1530M2. DTL Article:S.F. files lien for tiger attack medical bill:/c/a/2009/01/02/BAKQ1530M2 ... Paul Dhaliwal is about to be sent to state prison to serve a 16-month sentence he was given in Santa Clara County in August for violating probation by leading police on a 140-mph chase. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
Israeli troops and tanks slice deep into Gaza Jan 5, 2009
By IBRAHIM BARZAK and JASON KEYSER, Associated Press Writers ... Thousands of Israeli troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships surrounded Gaza's largest city and fought militants at close range Sunday, the first full day of an overwhelming ground offensive in the coastal territory ... Backing up the troops, mobile artillery units fired shells that exploded in veils of white smoke over Gaza's urban skyline. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
Critics say Newark barbed wire ban helps criminals Jan 5, 2009
Some business owners in this crime-plagued city say recent enforcement of a decades-old ordinance prohibiting some types of barbed wire and razor wire is making Newark more attractive to thieves ... The order was backed up by a previously little-used 1966 ordinance that states: "No barbed wire fence or other fence or wall having barbed or sharp projections facing outward, or otherwise endangering the traveling public, shall be permitted adjacent to or along the line of any street or public... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
BART appeals for calm as footage shows shooting Jan 5, 2009
(01-04) 19:38 PST Oakland -- BART's police chief asked for patience from the public on Sunday after video footage surfaced showing one of his officers fatally shooting an unarmed man who was on the ground on a station platform on New Year's Day, and after an attorney for the dead man's family said he planned to sue the transit agency for $25 million ... BART officials have said only that his handgun discharged at about 2:15 a.m. Thursday at the Fruitvale Station in Oakland and that the bullet... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
Monte Rio Man Held In Partner's Death Jan 5, 2009
Article:MONTE RIO / Man arrested after partner found dead:/c/a/2009/01/03/BAO4153HTL.DTL Article:MONTE RIO / Man arrested after partner found dead:/c/a/2009/01/03/BAO4153HTL.DTL ... As bad as 2008 was for retailers, it could get even worse in 2009 ... Popular S.F. DJ embarks on a quest to expand his brand into fashion. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
China targets Google in crackdown on pornography Jan 5, 2009
Pornography is banned in China, though the government's Internet police struggle to block Web sites based abroad. The government announcement said Google and Baidu, China's two most heavily used search engines, had failed to take "efficient" measures after receiving notices from the country's Internet watchdog that they were providing links to pornographic material ... Baidu did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment, and phones at Sina and Sohu rang unanswered. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Featured Property: 2 green condos in Berkeley Jan 5, 2009
A visit to the two four-bedroom, three-bath townhouses at 1411 and 1413 Seventh St. therefore includes the opportunity to see a small display of the artifacts unearthed during their construction, as well as information on the 240-square-foot home that was built on the site in 1895 ... Tucked behind an open-slatted wooden fence, they are clad in a blend of cement fiber siding softened with board and baton finish on the upper floors and a dark gray stucco underneath ... The inclusion of exposed... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Waterford Wedgwood calls in administrators Jan 5, 2009
By ROBERT BARR, Associated Press Writer ... The administration process in Britain is a form of bankruptcy protection ... For the six months ending Oct. 4, the Dublin-based company reported its net loss rose to euro75. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Oil rises above $47 as OPEC cutbacks take hold Jan 5, 2009
Oil prices rose above $47 a barrel Monday on evidence that OPEC production cutbacks were taking hold and news of more unrest in oil-rich Nigeria ... 49 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by midday in Europe ... In the oil-rich Middle East, tensions were high as thousands of Israeli troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships surrounded Gaza's largest city and fought Hamas militants at close range Sunday, as the offensive moved from airstrikes to artillery... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Interference hunter keeps pulsar waves clear Jan 5, 2009
(01-05) 04:00 PST Green Bank, W.Va ... Although buffered by ridgetops in a West Virginia mountain valley, 50 miles from the nearest town of any size, the Green Bank observatory is under an audio assault unlike any it has faced in the 50 years since Congress created the quiet zone ... While Green Bank is one of many radio telescope observatories around the world, it's unique because it features the world's largest steerable radio telescope. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Sooners' DB takes shot at Tebow Jan 5, 2009
Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks, a sophomore from Tulsa, Okla. called Florida's Tim Tebow the fourth-best quarterback in the country Sunday ... "If you look at the three best quarterbacks in the country, (they) came from the Big 12," Franks said. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Janny Hu's Off the backboard Jan 5, 2009
off the backboard By Janny Hu. Article:off the backboard By Janny Hu /:/c/a/2009/01/03/SP90152K7T.DTL Article:off the backboard By Janny Hu /:/c/a/2009/01/03/SP90152K7T.DTL ... off the backboard By Janny Hu. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Well-planned Pleasanton now a sought-after city Jan 5, 2009
She has the reputation of being a well-run, midsize city with a strong economic base, whose charms are especially attractive to young families: Sixty-four percent of the city's 23,311 households consist of married couples; 40 percent of households have children under the age of 18 living in them. Included among those amenities are two public high schools ranked in the top 400 in the nation by Newsweek; housing stock with a variety of architectural styles dating back to the 1850s and a range from... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Nancy Gay analyzes wild-card weekend Jan 5, 2009
Experience, defense, luck and the importance of great punting - after watching San Diego's Mike Scifres pin the Colts inside their 20 on all six of his attempts, tell me again why Ray Guy isn't in the Pro Football Hall of Fame ... Miami's Chad Pennington was as good as any quarterback in the NFL during the regular season at protecting the ball ... As a team, the Dolphins led the NFL in turnover margin (+17); they lost the ball 13 times while forcing 30 takeaways. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
S.F.'s ambiguous attitude toward brothels Jan 5, 2009
The sex shops exist in plain sight from the Sunset District to downtown, serving clients who walk into so-called spas, often with bathtubs, wall-to-wall mirrors and scantily clad women ... To defend the raid-related cases, the health department used lawyers from the city attorney's office to back up their case ... Police officials say that like other vice crimes, prostitution is investigated based on public complaints. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Stanford Beats Arizona Jan 5, 2009
After Arizona scored the game's first basket, Fields tied it by flying in from the wing for a dramatic tip-in dunk of a Goods miss ... Bay Area: Santa Clara loses at New Hampshire as Broncos' record falls to 7-9 ... As bad as 2008 was for retailers, it could get even worse in 2009. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
The next bubble to burst? Jan 5, 2009
Barring an unprecedented economic turnaround, our retail glut will yield a sizable wave of store closures once the holiday season passes ... Mervyns, based in Hayward, will generate about 10 million square feet of vacant space ... Without population growth, spending on typical big-box goods like hardware, basic clothing or housewares is a relatively fixed pie. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Fantasy predictions 2009: Granger ready to step up Jan 5, 2009
You're a shameless, unabashed fan of:All Cleveland teams ... If he lands with a team in need of a starter in the backfield, I think LeSean McCoy will be productive from the giddy-up ... The first player drafted in fantasy football leagues. (ESPN -- Football News)
Researchers focus on bringing missing bees back Jan 5, 2009
The National Academy of Sciences in 2006 found declining populations of several bee species, along with other native pollinators like butterflies, hummingbirds and bats ... And that's what scientists appear to be doing on a larger scale across the country in hopes of bringing bees back ... As bad as 2008 was for retailers, it could get even worse in 2009. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
4.2 quake rattles remote area of Sonoma County Jan 5, 2009
2 quake rattles remote area of Sonoma County:/c/a/2009/01/04/BA8M153KFJ.DTL Article:4. 2 quake rattles remote area of Sonoma County:/c/a/2009/01/04/BA8M153KFJ.DTL ... The temblor occurred at 9:27 a.m., 13 miles east of Cloverdale and 2 miles southeast of The Geysers, where geothermal forces by more than 20 power plants are harnessed to provide energy for several North Bay counties. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
Protesters in S.F. and Europe blast Israel Jan 5, 2009
"This is the least we could do to protest our government's action," said the U.S. citizen, who fled the West Bank in 1989 and brought his wife and four children to the rally ... In Europe, tens of thousands of people demonstrated in major cities on Saturday against Israel's bombardment of Gaza ... Shoe-throwing has become a popular way to express protest and contempt since an Iraqi journalist pelted U.S. President George W. Bush with a pair of shoes in Baghdad last month. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Bulletin Board Jan 5, 2009
Sponsored by Kevin Peay of RealSource and Diane Caruso of Caruso and Associates, 6-9:30 p.m. Hyatt Regency, 5 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, $20, reservation requested, (510) 339-9014 ... Sponsored by Lucy Liou of Keller Williams, Tina Shea of J. Rockcliff, Wenli Whiteside of Bank of America and Eleanor Ng of Wells Fargo, 10 a.m.-noon, 760 Camino Ramon, #200, Danville, free, reservation required, (925) 819-0752 ... As bad as 2008 was for retailers, it could get even worse in 2009. (San Francisco Chronicle)
STATUS QUO: Outsourcing surgeryTraveling for Treatment Jan 5, 2009
If you need knee surgery, or back rehab, or God forbid, the dental nightmare my husband faced last year - two crowns, two fillings and two root canals to the tune of $3,700 - it may be time to think selfishly, act globally and consider the benefits of medical travel ... Twenty years ago, the phrase "medical tourism" generally evoked images of bargain-basement boob jobs, not state-of-the-art heart surgery ... "Institutions are slowly jumping on the bandwagon.". (San Francisco Chronicle)
Renting to a friend? Put agreement in writing Jan 5, 2009
Beginning today, Rent Watch, a feature that focuses on Bay Area apartment rentals, replaces Rental Roundtable. Look for more regular features on the Bay Area rental market in the Real Estate section in the coming weeks ... To reach the fair housing enforcement center in the San Francisco office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, call (800) 347-3739. (San Francisco Chronicle)
'Never Tell a Lie,' by Hallie Ephron Jan 5, 2009
That, coupled with its title, is the moral of Hallie Ephron's amusing new thriller, "Never Tell a Lie." A better lesson might be: Be careful whom you insult - even high school outcasts may come back to haunt you ... After five years of trying to have a baby, including a terrible miscarriage the year earlier, Ivy is "voluminously pregnant" with their first child and has just started an eight-week maternity leave from her Cambridge dot-com job at Mordant Technologies - one of Ephron's little jokes... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Where is the economy headed in 2009? Jan 5, 2009
In this time of uncertainty, the spotlight will shine on three economic advisers to President-elect Barack Obama, including UC Berkeley's Christina Romer, who has been tapped to head his Council of Economic Advisers. Romer, a popular undergraduate professor and expert on the Great Depression, will share Obama's ear with Larry Summers, named to head his National Economic Council, and Timothy Geithner, the president-elect's nominee for Treasury secretary ... Geithner served most recently as... (San Francisco Chronicle)
'Wildwood,' by Roger Deakin Jan 5, 2009
Even after logging our forests with ruthless abandon, Americans remain rich in the arboreal department, joint custodians of a woodsy Fort Knox that includes national parks, wilderness reserves, national and state forests, even the domesticated groves that shade city parks and boulevards ... The willow tree, with its "strong, fibrous wood that won't snap," is perfect for cricket bats ... As bad as 2008 was for retailers, it could get even worse in 2009. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Jett Travolta autopsy to get extra scrutiny Jan 5, 2009
(01-04) 04:00 PST Freeport, Bahamas. The Bahamas will use two pathologists to ensure a careful autopsy on John Travolta's son, who died at the actor's vacation home in Grand Bahama, the territory's health minister said Saturday ... The 16-year-old was found collapsed in a bathroom on Friday after having a seizure and hitting his head on the bathtub, said a police officer who declined to be named because she was not authorized to speak on the matter. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Binding contract require 3 elements Jan 5, 2009
The buyer's Realtor requested the deposit back, and my Realtor told me it wouldn't be worth fighting, so I followed her advice ... If the buyer wants to back out of the contract using excuses that are not listed in the signed contract, I would consider this a default and (depending on the terms and conditions of the contract) you would be entitled to keep the earnest money deposit ... Obviously if the buyer does have a valid reason, you probably would not want to have to go to court to litigate... (San Francisco Chronicle)
PROFILE: Stephen Lockhart, M.D.The Activist Doctor Jan 5, 2009
My wife, Karen Bals, and I climb throughout the Sierra ... This is a hospital that I think will be recognized as a national leader in providing community-based medicine ... I like background elevator music. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Severe retail downturn forecast for 2009 Jan 5, 2009
The shift could recast much of the Bay Area retail landscape, blighting shop-lined streets with boarded storefronts, clearing out shopping centers and doing in struggling malls ... After one of their worst holiday seasons in decades, few retailers are in expansion mode and few banks are eager to hand stores cash, so much of the space is likely to sit empty for the foreseeable future ... "In the more marginal malls, a quarter to a half of the space will have the lights turned off, and then you'll... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Well-planned Pleasanton now a sought-after city Jan 5, 2009
She has the reputation of being a well-run, midsize city with a strong economic base, whose charms are especially attractive to young families: Sixty-four percent of the city's 23,311 households consist of married couples; 40 percent of households have children under the age of 18 living in them. Included among those amenities are two public high schools ranked in the top 400 in the nation by Newsweek; housing stock with a variety of architectural styles dating back to the 1850s and a range from... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Cautionary story of fund manager's suicide Jan 5, 2009
The brothers played football in the street, rode bikes all over town and climbed in nearby hills ... In 1980, Eric Von der Porten, then a staffer in Texas congressman Phil Gramm's office, met Cathy Coons, an analyst for the Small Business Administration, at a pickup baseball game in front of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington ... After working at Bank of America, Berkeley International and elsewhere, gaining experience in commercial lending, mergers and acquisitions and leveraged buyouts, Von... (San Francisco Chronicle)
India gives Pakistan evidence over Mumbai attacks Jan 5, 2009
NEW DELHI India gave Pakistan the most detailed evidence yet that it says ties the militants who attacked Mumbai to "elements" in Pakistan responding Monday to weeks of demands from Islamabad for proof that the siege was launched from across the border. India has blamed the November attacks that killed 164 people on Pakistani-based militants, but Islamabad has denied the accusations and requested proof ... India has blamed the three-day siege on Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant group based in... (Yahoo News)
Taliban whopper: claim 5,220 foreign troops killed Jan 5, 2009
Taliban militants have attacked. KABUL, Afghanistan The Taliban has long exaggerated its military successes, but its recent claim that it killed more than 5,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan last year may be the militia's most startling yet ... The Taliban said last week on its Web site that it killed 5,220 U.S. and NATO troops in 2008 an exaggerated figure nearly 20 times the official death toll. (Yahoo News)
Smoking ban leads to major drop in heart attacks Jan 5, 2009
In a ruling which could pave the way towards huge lawsuits against tobacco. ATLANTA A smoking ban in one Colorado city led to a dramatic drop in heart attack hospitalizations within three years, a sign of just how serious a health threat secondhand smoke is, government researchers said Wednesday ... The study, the longest-running of its kind, showed the rate of hospitalized cases dropped 41 percent in the three years after the ban of workplace smoking in Pueblo, Colo. (Yahoo News)
Teens' abuse of cough medications soaring Jan 5, 2009
Article:SAN FRANCISCO / Teens' abuse of cough medications soari:/c/a/2006/12/06/BAGK6MQA271. DTL Article:SAN FRANCISCO / Teens' abuse of cough medications soari:/c/a/2006/12/06/BAGK6MQA271. (Yahoo News -- Substance Use)
Roland Burris is the new senator from Illinois Jan 5, 2009
The circumstances under which Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich named former state Attorney General Roland Burris to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama are far from ideal. On Dec. 9, federal authorities arrested the Democratic governor on corruption charges involving what U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald referred to as a "public corruption crime spree." Fitzgerald alleged that Blagojevich was preparing to auction off the Obama seat to the highest bidder ... Before the... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Has Israel's response exceeded its right to defend itself? Jan 5, 2009
If you shove me in the checkout line at the local market, can I club you across the head with a baseball bat in self-defense ... The truce was imperfectly observed - Israel, for its part, never lifted the crushing siege it had imposed against the Gaza Strip as promised, and continued to kill and capture Hamas members in the West Bank, while Hamas permitted sporadic rocket fire ... The escalation of rocket fire preceding the bombardment was provoked by Israel's own act, when it raided the Gaza... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Bush-Cheney deserve censure for declaring war against the Constitution Jan 5, 2009
The resolution should express a congressional intent to prevent repetitions by the President-elect Barack Obama or his successors. The objective is not Bush-Cheney bashing, but to restore a republican form of government in which "We the People" are sovereign, and the president is checked and publicly scrutinized by Congress and the courts ... They maintained that the entire post-9/11 world is an active battlefield where United States military force may be used to kill suspected members of al... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Murdered man's lifesaving gift unites parents with new friend Jan 5, 2009
Article:SAN FRANCISCO / Transforming tragedy / Murdered man's l:/c/a/2004/05/25/BAGMH6R3FJ1. DTL Article:SAN FRANCISCO / Transforming tragedy / Murdered man's l:/c/a/2004/05/25/BAGMH6R3FJ1 ... He hitchhiked his way around war-torn Lebanon, lived in China, met with victims of land mines in Cambodia and Vietnam and spent two years in the Sinai region of Egypt, giving scuba lessons and taking visitors diving among sharks. (Yahoo News -- Organ Donation & Transplants)
49ers can't say 'sorry' enough Jan 5, 2009
Asian American leaders told San Francisco 49ers co-owner John York on Tuesday that they want more than an apology for the team's bawdy training film that stereotyped Chinese Americans as bespectacled and bucktoothed ... They want the football players to spend more time in the community ... This wasn't York's first apology and probably won't be his last. (Yahoo News -- Asian Americans)
Obama adds 'Neighborhood Ball' to festivities Jan 5, 2009
President-elect Barack Obama is adding a "Neighborhood Ball" to the list of inaugural parties planned just over two weeks from now ... In announcing the plan Monday morning, Obama said in a statement that he doesn't want citizens of the District of Columbia or elsewhere to feel left out of the celebration surrounding his elevation to the presidency on Jan. 20 ... Obama said he wanted to make sure that "we had an event that would be open to our new neighborhood here in Washington, D.C., and also... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
Obama rejoins family in Washington Jan 5, 2009
Obama bids Midwest goodbye, lands in Washington. Article:Obama bids Midwest goodbye, lands in Washington:/n/a/2009/01/04/national/a160145S79 ... DTL Article:Obama bids Midwest goodbye, lands in Washington:/n/a/2009/01/04/national/a160145S79. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
Analysis: Israel fighting ghost of Lebanon Jan 5, 2009
But it also underscores a central issue underlying the Gaza conflict and Israel's position: The Jewish state has lost a large measure of its capacity to intimidate and control its regional enemies, a new vulnerability that dates back to the stalemate with Lebanon's Hezbollah militia in 2006 ... Even Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah mocked Israel in recent days, telling Palestinians they are experiencing a rerun of his group's monthlong conflict with Israel, offering them an analysis of Israel's... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
Bipartisan Panels Tapped To Pick Judges Jan 5, 2009
Article:Feinstein taps bipartisan panels to pick judges:/c/a/2009/01/04/BA9N152UDJ.DTL Article:Feinstein taps bipartisan panels to pick judges:/c/a/2009/01/04/BA9N152UDJ.DTL ... Dianne Feinstein has named bipartisan committees to screen candidates in California, with Louise Renne, a former San Francisco city attorney, heading the Bay Area panel ... Feinstein and fellow Democrat Barbara Boxer say they will take turns recommending nominees to Barack Obama for U.S. District Court, U.S. attorney and... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
Braves still shopping Jan 5, 2009
Well, hello again, denizens, it s good to be back from Colorado s perfectly powdery slopes with femurs, wrists and my back intact and spirits rejuvenated by a snowboarding vacation. After the business of baseball slowed to a crawl through the holidays, things figure to pick up substantially this week for many teams including the Braves ... First, before we go any further, we have to discuss Andruw Jones and the fact that, according to agent Scott Boras, the fallen former Braves star will be a... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Sports)
