"A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished."   Proverbs 22:3 and Proverbs 27:12  KJV   Word study on this verse

'North American Parliament' under way worldnetdaily.com 5/31/8 ["A group supporting North American integration is holding its fourth annual "North American Model Parliament" for 100 university students from the U.S., Canada and Mexico.  The North American Forum on Integration, or NAFI, began is "Triumvirate" sessions Monday in Montreal's City Hall with a plan to conclude Friday.  According to the NAFI website, "Triumvirate 2008" brings together the students "to participate in an international negotiation exercise in which they will simulate a parliamentary meeting between North American political actors.""]
McCain proposal for joint action gains support apnews.excite.com 5/31/8 ["Gaining ground this political season is a proposed League of Democracies designed to strengthen support for the next president's overseas agenda and ensure a global leadership role for the United States.  John McCain, the virtually certain Republican presidential nominee, has endorsed the concept of a new global compact of more than 100 democratic countries to advance shared views and has discussed the idea with French and British leaders."]
Canada: Arch-Abortionist Morgentaler Granted Highest Humanitarian Service Award lifesitenews.com 5/31/8 ["The Canadian Labour Congress granted its highest honour, the Award for Outstanding Service to Humanity, to Dr. Henry Morgentaler, the father of Canada’s abortion movement."]
Marines bringing combat training to Indy indystar.com 5/31/8 ["About 2,300 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., will conduct urban warfare training from Wednesday through June 19 in and around Indianapolis.  ...“We don’t want anyone thinking that there’s an invasion happening or that we declared martial law or something like that,” Fletcher said."]
States grapple with fuel costs for school buses ap.google.com 5/31/8 ["he skyrocketing costs at the pump are forcing educators nationwide to trim programs, curb spending and cut down on fuel consumption. Schools are employing unusual cost-savings measures to salvage busted budgets, while lawmakers grapple with how to pay for popular classroom initiatives threatened by the need to pour more money into the fuel tank."]
Dow Chemical to raise prices 20% to combat high energy costs iht.com 5/31/8 ["...the biggest U.S. chemicals company  ...The company said its cost of energy and other feedstocks climbed 42 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier."]
 

Gay rights advocates score wins in NY, Calif. ap.google.com 5/30/8 ["Gay rights advocates had reason to celebrate on both coasts Thursday, with New York set to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere and California preparing to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples on June 17."]
New York to back same-sex unions from elsewhere iht.com 5/30/8 ["Governor David Paterson has directed all state agencies to begin to revise their policies and regulations to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, like Massachusetts, California and Canada."]
GM says 19,000 U.S. factory workers take buyouts reuters.com 5/30/8 ["...about 19,000 U.S. factory workers -- just over a quarter of its American blue-collar work force -- had taken buyout offers to leave the automaker."]
Workers shifting to 4-day week to save gasoline reuters.com 5/30/8 ["...the surge in gasoline prices is pushing more private employers as well as local governments to offer a four-day week as a perk that eliminates two commutes a week."]
World Bank creates 1.2 bln dollar food crisis fund news.smh.com.au 5/30/8 ["The World Bank also said it would boost its overall support for global agriculture and food to six billion US dollars next year, up 50 percent from four billion."]
European Parliament to ban Eurosceptic groups telegraph.co.uk 5/30/8 ["The European Union assembly’s political establishment is pushing through changes that will silence dissidents by changing the rules allowing Euro-MPs to form political groupings.  ...”These people are so scared of public opinion they are willing to set in stone the right to ignore it. Freedom requires the governing elite to be held to account. They must be getting very worried if they are enacting such dictatorial powers for themselves.”"]
Planned Parenthood Creates New Abortion Center Again With Fictitious Name lifenews.com 5/30/8 ["What does a parking facility have to do with abortion? Not much unless Planned Parenthood is building it. The abortion business is once again using a fictitious name on papers filed with local city officials to get approval to build a new abortion business without tipping off pro-life advocates."]
 

Fuel price strike puts France in gridlock telegraph.co.uk 5/29/8 ["French farmers and lorry drivers joined fishermen on Wednesday in protests against soaring fuel prices, blocking motorways and oil refineries, as other European countries followed suit."]
British PM warns of global oil 'shock' as fuel price protests spread afp.google.com 5/29/8 ["Record oil prices of around 135 dollars a barrel have contributed to protests worldwide over the rise in fuel and food costs, with fishermen and truck drivers taking the lead in Europe, blocking ports and road access to oil depots."]
Calif.: Same-sex marriages OK beginning June 17 ap.google.com 5/29/8 ["The state said it chose June 17 because the state Supreme Court has until the day before to decide whether to grant a stay of its May 15 ruling legalizing gay marriage."]
Rick Warren Goes Global time.com 5/29/8 ["The PEACE coalition is a plan of epic ambition, to turn at least half of the world's tens of millions of Christian churches into a giant "network of networks" dedicated to relieving the poverty and misery of the developing world.  ...His plan also carries an impressive sheaf of endorsements: from Billy Graham ("the greatest, most comprehensive and most biblical vision for world missions I've ever heard or read about."), President George W. and First Lady Laura Bush ("This is a miracle brought into being by love of God and neighbor")"]
Woman's Waking After Brain Death Raises Many Questions About Organ Donation lifesitenews.com 5/29/8 ["Had no detectable brain waves for more than 17 hours  ...The definition of "brain death" also remains controversial, but DCD is even more contested since the method leaves little time for ethical considerations. With "brain death" organs can be harvested at leisure since machines keep air flowing into the lungs and blood circulating; with DCD the stoppage of the heart necessitates very quick harvesting as organs deteriorate without blood flow."]
Record gas prices: 20 straight days money.cnn.com 5/29/8 ["Price for gas tops $4 a gallon in 11 states and Washington, D.C., according to AAA survey."]
Sodium benzoate removed from Diet Coke foodnavigator.com 5/29/8 ["However, the additive removal is only currently planned for products sold in Britain. The Coca-Cola Company could not confirm if any other countries would follow suit."]
 

US on track to break record for tornadoes ap.google.com 5/28/8 ["With the year not even half done, 2008 is already the deadliest tornado year in the United States since 1998 and seems on track to break the U.S. record for the number of twisters in a year, according to the National Weather Service. Also, this year's storms seem to be unusually powerful.  ...The strongest of those storms — those in the 136-to-200 mph range — have been more prevalent than normal, and lately they seem to be hitting populated areas more, he said. At least 22 tornadoes this year have been in the top part of the new Enhanced Fujita scale, rating a 3 (for "severe") or a 4 ("devastating") on the 1-to-5 scale."]
Iowa town measures the loss after deadly tornado ap.google.com 5/28/8 ["The damage in this town of about 1,000 was staggering: 222 homes destroyed, 21 businesses destroyed and more than 400 homes damaged. Among the buildings destroyed were the city hall, the high school and the town's sole grocery store and gas station."]
Deaths Exceed Births in Increasing Number of Major US Cities lifesitenews.com 5/28/8 ["While births outnumbered deaths by about 11,500 during the 1990s, the city has seen about 25,000 more deaths than births during this decade."]
Philadelphia to challenge boy scouts on gay stance reuters.com 5/28/8 ["Philadelphia officials plan to challenge a lawsuit by the local Boy Scouts that seeks to stop the city evicting the group because of its no-gays policy.  ...And the proposed fair market rent of $200,000 a year is more than double the most expensive office space based on square footage in Philadelphia, the suit says."]
Mandated Homosexual Adoptions Forces Catholic Church to Quit Adoption Agencies in England lifesitenews.com 5/28/8 ["In an effort to put an end to discrimination against same-sex couples, the British Government released an official statement in 2007 declaring that all adoption agencies must allow same-sex couples to adopt children with equal consideration, regardless of the sexual orientation of the adopting couple. At the time of the statement, Tony Blair and his cabinet gave a 21-month "delay" as a "sensible compromise" to allow Churches to adjust their respective protocols to become more 'tolerant' of same-sex couple adoption."]
UK: Fuel demo adds to road taxes row news.bbc.co.uk 5/28/8 ["Hundreds of lorry drivers protested in London and a two-mile line of lorries crawled along the M4 towards Cardiff.  Hauliers say diesel prices topping 120p a litre, plus the planned 2p fuel tax rise, will drive firms "to the wall". "]
South America to Have Single Currency in the Future, Lula Says bloomberg.com 5/28/8 ["Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the creation of a South American bloc is a step towards the adoption of a single regional currency."]
Home Prices See Steepest Drop in 20 Years abcnews.go.com 5/28/8 ["Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller said its national home price index fell 14.1 percent in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, the lowest since its inception in 1988. The quarterly index covers all nine U.S. Census divisions."]
Russia: giant of a new economic world order guardian.co.uk 5/28/8 ["..within the next year or two, Russia will overtake Germany to become the world's biggest car market.  ...Russia vies with Saudi Arabia to be the largest oil producer in the world: it has the second-largest oil reserves in the world, the largest gas reserves and the fourth-largest gold reserves."]
China:  Aftershocks destroy 420,000 more homes cnn.com 5/28/8 ["In total, authorities reported four aftershocks in the area Tuesday, all of them above magnitude 4.5, according to the U.S. Geological Survey."]
Merrill sees U.S. giving nod for Gulf FX change reuters.com 5/28/8 ["In a report entitled "U.S. Green Light for the GCC", the U.S. investment bank said the United Arab Emirates and Qatar will probably move to a currency basket in the next few months, with their respective currencies appreciating 5 percent before the end of the year."]
Mechanics, police say gas theft changing with times ap.google.com 5/28/8 ["The soaring price of crude oil has turned gas tanks into a cache of valuable booty, and Fortin has replaced several tanks punctured or drilled by thieves thirsting for the nearly $4-a-gallon fuel inside."]
Germany unveils memorial to gay victims of Holocaust iht.com 5/28/8 ["The Berlin mayor, Klaus Wowereit, who is gay, said at the opening Tuesday that "another part of our work of commemoration is becoming reality."  The designers of the monument included in the pavilion-sized slab a small window that lets visitors see a film of two men kissing."]
 

The U.S. housing crisis takes a toll on the auto industry iht.com 5/27/8 ["Home equity loans, used in at least one of every nine deals, are no longer a source of easy money for many prospective buyers. And used car prices have fallen nearly 6 percent as repossessed cars and gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs flood auction lots."]
European Union's new treaty approved in Germany ap.google.com 5/27/8 ["The treaty would alter the EU's decision-making process, envisioning more decisions by majority vote rather than unanimous endorsement. It would also provide for an EU president and a more powerful senior foreign policy official to give the bloc a stronger voice in global affairs.  ...The new treaty must be ratified by all 27 EU members to take effect. Only one country, Ireland, is holding a referendum, set for June 12. "]
Small business crunched by fuel prices reuters.com 5/27/8 ["In 2002, the United States had 112 million paid employees, according to Census Bureau data. About 56.4 million, or just over 50 percent, worked at companies with fewer than 500 employees.  But with crude oil prices now above $130 a barrel -- doubling in the past year and rising sixfold since 2002 -- the squeeze of absorbing these costs for transportation and utilities is intense as revenue comes under recession pressures."]
Subway sandwich contest: Homeschoolers not wanted wnd.com 5/27/8 ["The national chain's "Every Sandwich Tells a Story Contest" offers prizes and a chance to be published on the Subway website and in Scholastic's "Parent & Child" magazine but specifically excludes homeschoolers:  ...Subway's website promotion not only misspells "United" States, but offers the grand prize winner a "Scholastic Gift Bastket (sic) for your home.""]
 

Think oil prices hurt now? Just wait reuters.com 5/26/8 [""The hotter states will feel the pinch during the summer months but in the mid-America states where you get hot summers and cold winters, it's going to be very uncomfortable," he said.  "This is going to eat into the disposable income of American consumers -- supposing they have any left."  ...For many years, the consumer has been the engine of U.S. growth, accounting for around 70 percent of the economy.  But much recent spending has been done on credit, leaving Americans with a negative savings rate."]
Brazil's gays stage huge parade against bias reuters.com 5/26/8 ["More than a million gays and transsexuals paraded in Brazil's business capital Sao Paulo on Sunday in what was billed as the world's largest gay march to urge an end to violence and discrimination."]
Heaven Sustain Us: Environmentalists Have Taken Over the Dorms wsj.com 5/26/8 ["The sustainability folks have a much bigger agenda. As Mr. Bodner explains: "Sustainability, broadly speaking, is creating the ability for people to live on a planet that can support the population in an environmental way but also ultimately a way that promotes the good life for everyone, for social justice." And Kathleen Kerr, the head of residence life at the University of Delaware, told a gathering of college administrators last fall that the idea that "sustainability is mostly about the environment" is a "myth." In fact, she and a colleague offered a PowerPoint presentation listing other items that administrators might consider in this category. They included "Fair Trade," "Gender Equity," "Affirmative Action," "Multicultural Competence," "Worker's Rights" and "Domestic Partnerships.""]
Struggling home builders find unexpected saviors reuters.com 5/26/8 ["Hedge funds, private investors and even larger cash-flush home builders are eyeing valuable swathes of land held by troubled companies, according to bankruptcy attorneys and restructuring specialists. As long as private firms have the cash to keep a struggling home builder running, they think they can profit when the real estate market picks up again."]
 

Analysts foresee 'new world energy order' cnn.com 5/23/8 [" Market analysts call the Paris-based IEA the world's most reliable independent source of oil information and welcomed its decision to undertake a deep study of oil supplies.  But the IEA's new forecasts are likely to further upset markets. Oil prices hit an all-time high Thursday above $135 a barrel before falling back."]
Saudi Arabia gives 500 million dollars to world food appeal afp.google.com 5/23/8 ["Saudi Arabia has donated half a billion dollars (317 million euros) to a UN World Food Programme appeal to battle the global food price crisis, helping it reach a 755 million dollar goal, the WFP said Friday."]
Today's food crisis isn't a blip blogs.usatoday.com 5/23/8 ["For anyone wondering where food prices are really headed, the news that Beijing has begun buying up farmland in Africa and South America offers a troubling hint. When China began acquiring oil fields in the 1990s, it signaled both the end of China's self-sufficiency in oil and the start of a competition between China and other big oil importers that helped push crude prices to their current record levels."]
Unmarked chopper patrols NY city from high above ap.google.com 5/23/8 ["The helicopter's unmarked paint job belies what's inside: an arsenal of sophisticated surveillance and tracking equipment powerful enough to read license plates — or scan pedestrians' faces — from high above the nation's largest metropolis.  ...The camera has infrared night-vision capabilities and a satellite navigation system that allows police to automatically zoom in on a location by typing in the address on a computer keyboard."]
California: Fate of homeschooling in court's hands worldnetdaily.com 5/23/8 ["The Court of Appeal, which made the fateful decision on Feb. 28, 2008, to declare all homeschooling illegal unless the parent is a certified teacher, will now begin the process of considering the arguments. The current schedule anticipates oral arguments to begin this June..."]
Companies may cry "uncle" on oil uk.reuters.com 5/23/8 ["With the earnings agenda nearly empty, investors will pay close attention for any other intermittent announcements about energy prices and their impact on profitability."]
The oil price crisis: Not so difficult to understand worldtribune.com 5/23/8 [" Of the 2 million barrels per day Exxon Mobil refined in 2007 here in the United States, 90 percent were purchased from others.  Another theme of the day's testimony was that, if anyone is "gouging" consumers through the high price of gasoline, it is federal and state governments, not American oil companies. On the average, 15% percent of the cost of gasoline at the pump goes for taxes, while only 4% represents oil company profits."]
British Foreign Office to Promote Gay Agenda in Other Countries lifesitenews.com 5/23/8 ["The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office has announced that its embassies will now be collaborating with local homosexual activist organisations in other countries to promote acceptance of homosexuality overseas. The goal, officials said, is to join forces with these groups in attempting to force other countries to implement the full homosexualist political agenda of equating homosexuality with natural relations between men and women."]
South Carolina Principal Resigns Due to High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance Club lifesitenews.com 5/23/8 ["...in response to his school’s decision to approve a “Gay-Straight Alliance Club” (GSAC).  ...“Allowing the formation of this club on our campus conflicts with my professional beliefs and religious convictions,”  ...Walker also contended that the GSAC would conflict with the goals of the school’s abstinence education program."]
Council of Europe May Approve Homosexual Marriage lifesitenews.com 5/23/8 ["A few weeks ago the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) voted in favor of a non-binding resolution calling on European nations to make abortion a human right. The same assembly is soon to vote on a resolution calling for legalization of homosexual marriage.  The committee debating the resolution considered disparate treatment of “same-sex couples” to be “unlawful discrimination” and urged that European countries aspire to be “tolerant, pluralist and broadminded.”"]
 

UN expects food prices to remain high worldwide iht.com 5/22/8 ["Rice market conditions could ease as new crops are harvested around the world, said the Food and Agriculture Organization, which is based in Rome. But price pressures will remain high at least until October or November, when the bulk of paddy crops reach the market."]
UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Sending 220,000 Condoms to Myanmar Survivors lifesitenews.com 5/22/8 ["UNFPA also provides "manual vacuum aspirators, portable abortion devices that are easily used in primitive conditions such as refugee areas," in its kits."]
Texas seizure of polygamist-sect kids thrown out iht.com 5/22/8 ["The court also said the state was wrong to consider the entire ranch as a single household and to seize all the children on the grounds that some parents in the home might be abusers."]
San Francisco mayor condemns refusal to marry gays reuters.com 5/22/8 ["expressed outrage on Thursday that San Diego County may allow some clerks to decline to wed homosexuals.  ...said Newsom, a Democrat thinking about running for governor to succeed Arnold Schwarzenegger."]
High gas prices force cops to walk the beat more ap.google.com 5/22/8 ["With gasoline climbing toward $4 a gallon, police officers around the country are losing the right to take their patrol cars home and are being forced to double up in cruisers and walk the beat more."]
An Invitation and A Response sliceoflaodicea.com 5/22/8 [By Ingrid Schlueter  "Pastor Rick Warren has had vast financial resources to share with the world his solution to mankind’s problems. He, unfortunately, has chosen to introduce an entirely new generation to a social gospel, rather than the exclusive message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is telling that none of the E’s in his P.E.A.C.E. plan stand for “evangelism”. This is wrong.  I cannot agree to Rick Warren’s invitation. He has been biblically confronted repeatedly by those far more able than I regarding his numerous unbiblical teachings and the damage they have done to churches nationwide. We are to worship the Lord both in spirit and in truth."]
 

Gay marriage ruling put California churches in quandary chron.com 5/21/8 ["The 4-3 ruling, which held that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry, has prompted conservative and liberal congregations alike to discuss whether gay and lesbian members will be allowed to wed in their churches, synagogues and temples."]
Federal court rules against military gays policy ap.google.com 5/21/8 ["The military cannot automatically discharge people because they're gay, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday in the case of a decorated flight nurse who sued the Air Force over her dismissal."]
As Prices Rise, Crime Tipsters Work Overtime nytimes.com 5/21/8 ["Calls to the Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers hot line in the first quarter of this year were up 30 percent over last year. San Antonio had a 44 percent increase. Cities and towns from Detroit to Omaha to Beaufort County, N.C., all report increases of 25 percent or more in the first quarter, with tipsters telling operators they need the money for rent, light bills or baby formula.  ...In some cases, the quality of the tips is lagging as people grasp for any shred of information that might result in an arrest."]
UK: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult' guardian.co.uk 5/21/8 ["Demonstrators from the anti-Scientology group, Anonymous, who were outside the church's £23m headquarters near St Paul's cathedral, were banned by police from describing Scientology as a cult by police because it was "abusive and insulting"."]
Oil prices pass $135 after report of supply drop ap.google.com 5/21/8 ["Many investors believe the dollar's protracted decline over the past year has been the most significant factor behind oil's rise from about $66 a barrel a year ago to today's highs."]
Tornadoes claim more lives in U.S. this year iht.com 5/21/8 ["Meteorologists who keep records for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration say that the United States is having its deadliest tornado season in a decade and that this year may be on pace to set a record for the most tornadoes."]
 

U.S. currency is ruled discriminatory against the blind iht.com 5/20/8 ["A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled, 2 to 1, that the Treasury Department had failed to demonstrate that it would be too burdensome to make bills of different sizes, or add features that can be read by touch, to distinguish bills of different value.  ...What will happen next is not clear. The government could ask the full circuit court to review the panel's ruling, or it could seek quick review by the Supreme Court.  ...the government spent more than $4 billion producing currency in the decade before his ruling"]
Court strikes down state ban on abortion method reuters.com 5/20/8 ["A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that a Virginia law banning an abortion procedure was unconstitutional because it infringed on a woman's right to end her pregnancy.  ...a federal appeals court last year struck down a broad Michigan abortion ban.  Critics had charged the Virginia law, which has never taken effect, was one of the most restrictive abortion measures in the country."]
Harry Potter Author Gets Quebec Anti-homophobia Award lifesitenews.com 5/20/8 ["When accused of using the politically correct declaration to produce more publicity after the completion of the series, Rowling said, "[Dumbledore] is my character. He is what he is and I have the right to say what I say about him," and that anyone who disagrees belongs to the "lunatic fringes" of Christianity."]
Bees and biodiversity linked to food shortage iht.com 5/20/8 [""Here in Germany, there has been a 25 percent drop in bee populations across the country; in the eastern United States, there has been a 70 percent decline in bee stocks," Djoghlaf said. "If pollinators disappear, so too will many species of plants. If we take away one link, the chain is broken.""]
Oil price hits record above 129 dollars afp.google.com 5/20/8 ["Weakness in the dollar has also supported prices, with commodities priced in the US currency becoming cheaper for holders of stronger currencies."]
Massachusetts Senator Proposes Additional $300,000 for Pro-Homosexual Programs in Schools lifesitenews.com 5/20/8 ["Group calls for strong public response against taxpayer funding of homosexual activism in schools"]
China to Relocate More Than 12 Million Quake Victims bloomberg.com 5/20/8 ["The earthquake displaced 12.4 million people, including 5 million made permanently homeless. Officials want to house people in shelters to prevent the spread of disease with the onset of the rainy season in Sichuan, the worst-hit region, and surrounding provinces. The government appealed to overseas donors to make sending tents a priority."]
Germany's strength lies in 'old economy' iht.com 5/20/8 ["The persistence of heavy manufacturing symbolized the country's inability or unwillingness to transform itself into a modern, services-oriented economy like the United States or Britain, two oft-used yardsticks.  Today, the manufacturing sector in Germany is growing as a proportion of the country's total economic output, and Germany looks set to outpace far larger economies like China and the United States as the world's largest merchandise exporter for the fourth year running."]
French Government Seeks "Universal Decriminalization" of Sodomy lifesitenews.com 5/20/8 ["The French government plans to use its upcoming presidency of the European Union to push for the universal decriminalization of sodomy, according to news reports.  It has also announced its endorsement of the "International Day Against Homophobia" (IDAHO), a day that commemorates the World Health Organization's decision to declassify homosexual orientation as a mental disorder in 1990."]
 

`Disaster fatigue' leads to drop in giving ap.google.com 5/19/8 ["Experts say it is one reason Americans have contributed relatively little so far to victims of the Myanmar cyclone and China's earthquake.  Ironically, the more bad news there is, the less likely people may be to give.  ...could be especially troubling now for Americans, many of whom are worried about their jobs and rising food and gas prices."]
Supreme Court upholds law on child pornography latimes.com 5/19/8 ["The Supreme Court today upheld a strict new federal law that makes it a crime to send messages over the computer that offer or seek child pornography, even when no such pornography exists."]
Economy falters, and the repo man gains iht.com 5/19/8 ["Last year, as real estate faltered, the gears went into reverse. The number of boats sold fell 8 percent."]
Britain OKs Hybrid Human Cloning Combining Animal and Human DNA iht.com 5/19/8 ["embers of the British Parliament, on a lopsided vote, approved allowing scientists to make hybrids combining animal and human DNA in human cloning attempts. The House of Commons rejected an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill that would have prevented it.  MPs voted 336 to 176 against the amendment from Tory former minister Edward Leigh."]
Debt-squeezed Gen X saves little usatoday.com 5/19/8 ["For years, experts have warned that too many of the USA's 79 million baby boomers aren't financially ready for their coming retirements. Yet, if the boomers have had it hard, it's nothing compared with those next in line: Generation X — people such as the Shorts. The Gen Xers, generally defined as those born from 1965 through 1980 — now 27 to 43 years old — have even less assurance than the boomers of receiving company pensions and projected Social Security benefits."]
U.S. shooters feel pinch as ammo costs soar reuters.com 5/19/8 ["Ammo prices for many popular guns have more than tripled in the last three years, driven in large part by surging demand for metals in rapidly industrializing China.  ...the cost of rifle ammunition has doubled and even tripled in the past two years, with similar increases for some hand gun ammunition."]
 

Voluntary simplicity movement re-emerges iht.com 5/18/8 [""If you think about some of the shifts we're having economically - shifts in oil and energy - it may be the right time," said Mary Grigsby, associate professor of rural sociology at the University of Missouri and the author of "Buying Time and Getting By: The Voluntary Simplicity Movement."  "The idea in the movement was 'everything you own owns you,"' said Grigsby, who sees roots of the philosophy in the lives of the Puritans. "You have to care for it, store it. It becomes an appendage, I think. If it enhances your life and helps you do the things you want to do, great. If you are burdened by these things and they become the center of what you have to do to live, is that really positive?""]
Passport cards called security vulnerability washingtontimes.com 5/18/8 ["Joel Lisker, a former FBI agent who spent 18 years countering credit-card fraud at MasterCard, said the new cards pose a serious threat to U.S. security. "There really is no security with these cards," he said."]
One country's table scraps are another country's meal iht.com 5/18/8 ["...Americans waste an astounding amount of food — an estimated 27 percent of the food available for consumption, according to a government study — and it happens at the supermarket, in restaurants and cafeterias and in your very own kitchen. It works out to about a pound of food every day for every American.  ...America's Second Harvest — The Nation's Food Bank Network, a group of more than 200 food banks, reports that donations of food are down 9 percent, but the number of people showing up for food has increased 20 percent."]
That Wave of Retirees? Not So Big businessweek.com 5/18/8 [""It's no secret that some are delaying retirement," says Bruce Schobel a vice-president and actuary at New York Life Insurance and a former adviser at the Social Security Administration. After all, boomers face falling stock and housing values plus skyrocketing health-care and energy costs. These are all reasons to stay on the payroll. Meanwhile, stock losses have led 14% of retirees to consider returning to work, according to the AARP."]
 

As food prices shoot up, so do backyard gardens csmonitor.com 5/17/8 ["This year, 39 percent of people with backyards told the Garden Writers Association they planned to grow vegetables this year. That's up 5 percent from last year, after remaining relatively stable with only small increases for much of the past decade."]
Morgan Stanley cut 1,500 jobs this week guardian.co.uk 5/17/8 ["...across its investment banking, trading and asset management businesses, a person familiar with the situation said Friday, a 5 percent reduction of non-broker employees."]
Fed's Direct Loans to Banks Climb to Record Level bloomberg.com 5/17/8 ["The Federal Reserve's direct loans of cash to commercial banks climbed to the highest level on record in the past week as money-losing lenders increasingly turn to the central bank for funds."]
ECB pumps 25 billion dollars into money markets afp.google.com 5/17/8 ["The operation is being carried out together with the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, and is part of a series of steps to provide liquidity to encourage lending between banks in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis and an ensuing credit crunch."]
Abortifacient Morning After Pill Now Sold off the Shelf in Canada lifesitenews.com 5/17/8 ["The only regulatory recommendation made by NAPRA is that the drug be stocked close to the pharmacy dispensary so that customers may ask questions if they choose.  Canada is now the fifth country to allow MAP to be sold as an over-the-counter product after Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and India."]
 

California Supreme Court overturns gay marriage ban latimes.com 5/16/8 ["ruled today that same-sex couples should be permitted to marry, rejecting state marriage laws as discriminatory.  The state high court's 4-3 ruling was unlikely to end the debate over gay matrimony in California. A group has circulated petitions for a November ballot initiative that would amend the state Constitution to block same-sex marriage, while the Legislature has twice passed bills to authorize gay marriage. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed both."]
US President Bush launches Israel visit ynetnews.com 5/16/8 ["the American leader is in the country to mark Israel's 60th anniversary and take part in the Presidential Conference organized by Shimon Peres."]
Congress Defies Bush, Passes Farm Bill foxbusiness.com 5/16/8 ["includes a boost in farm subsidies and more money for food stamps amid rising grocery prices.  Bush has threatened to veto the $290 billion bill, saying it is fiscally irresponsible and too generous to wealthy corporate farmers in a time of record crop prices.  But Congress disagreed, passing the bill by overwhelming margins in both chambers -- enough to override a veto."]
Growing Deficits Threaten Pensions washingtonpost.com 5/16/8 ["The funds that pay pension and health benefits to police officers, teachers and millions of other public employees across the country are facing a shortfall that could soon run into trillions of dollars.  But the accounting techniques used by state and local governments to balance their pension books disguise the extent of the crisis facing these retirees and the taxpayers who may ultimately be called on to pay the freight, according to a growing number of leading financial analysts. "]
Study: Half of Americans on Medicine time.com 5/16/8 ["The most widely used drugs are those to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol — problems often linked to heart disease, obesity and diabetes.  ...Americans buy much more medicine per person than any other country."]
Freddie Mac reports loss and $5.5 billion fund-raising effort iht.com 5/16/8 ["ne of the largest buyers of home loans in the United States, announced a fresh wave of bad news Wednesday, revealing losses that were smaller than expected only because of accounting tactics that minimized the impacts of bad loans.  It also announced plans for a $5.5 billion fund-raising effort to bolster its finances after Fannie Mae, its larger government-sponsored rival, made a similar move last week."]
 

US foreclosure filings surge 65 percent in April ap.google.com 5/15/8 ["More U.S. homeowners fell behind on mortgage payments last month, driving the number of homes facing foreclosure up 65 percent versus the same month last year and contributing to a deepening slide in home values, a research company said Tuesday."]
Top California court to rule on gay marriage Thursday reuters.com 5/15/8 ["...on Thursday on whether it is constitutional for the the nation's most populous state to bar gays from marrying."]
Schwarzenegger urges lottery bonds for budget uk.reuters.com 5/15/8 ["...unveiled on Wednesday a revised $144.35 billion budget plan for the state's next fiscal year that proposes using state lottery revenues to back bonds whose proceeds would help close a $17.2 billion shortfall and build a rainy-day reserve.  California could raise up to $15 billion by selling the debt, which voters would need to approve, the governor said."]
SKorea steps up fight against worst bird flu outbreak afp.google.com 5/15/8 ["Nationwide, more than 6.8 million chickens and ducks have been slaughtered since the latest outbreak began around April 1. But the ministry has reported 40 cases of bird flu at 31 places nationwide."]
Alaska first state to hit $4 a gallon gasoline: AAA reuters.com 5/15/8 ["Gasoline price analysts will have a better handle on how many states are likely to reach $4 a gallon this summer once the Memorial Day weekend passes, said Sundstrom. That holiday weekend is May 23-26. "]
Red Cross: Up to 128,000 may have died in Myanmar ap.google.com 5/15/8 ["The State Department renewed an appeal for the junta to allow in outside disaster relief experts and more assistance. "This is not a political issue. This really is simply a humanitarian issue," said deputy spokesman Tom Casey.  The European Union's top aid official, Development Commissioner Louis Michel, said he was not opposed to the idea of parachuting aid into Myanmar, but said he did not think it was workable. Others have suggested unilateral air drops to circumvent the junta's restrictions. "]
 

Tornado season deadliest in a decade usatoday.com 5/14/8 ["Before this weekend's storms, Forbes said Mississippi already had 49 tornadoes, exceeding the average over the past decade of 39 twisters for the entire year.  Alabama has had 45 twisters, exceeding its yearly average of 42, and Arkansas has had 49, already above its annual average of 48, Forbes said."]
Congress urges Bush to halt oil reserve shipments ap.google.com 5/14/8 ["Lawmakers disagreed on what — if any — impact the suspension might have on gasoline prices and acknowledged it was but "a modest step" in addressing public anger over soaring energy costs."]
Bernanke Says Fed to Boost Loans to Banks as Needed bloomberg.com 5/14/8 ["The flight from risk since August has made financial institutions reluctant to lend to each other, driving up banks' borrowing costs."]
UK: Repeat abortions rise to record levels telegraph.co.uk 5/14/8 ["Repeat abortions are now at record levels – in 2006, almost 60,000 were carried out on women who had previously had a termination, a rise of five per cent over two years. Some were having their fifth and even sixth abortions."]
GPS grows as a crime-fighting tool in U.S uk.reuters.com 5/14/8 ["Other countries are watching closely. GPS monitoring is already established in parts of Europe but applied more narrowly, and it's growing fast in Latin America, said Jeff Durski, spokesman for iSECUREtrac Corp, based in Omaha, Nebraska, which manufactures the devices and leases them to police and courts."]
UN alert: One-fourth of world's wheat at risk from new fungus worldtribune.com 5/14/8 ["Scientists and international organizations focused on controlling wheat stem rust have said 90 percent of world wheat lines are susceptible to Ug99. The situation is particularly critical in light of the existing worldwide wheat shortage."]
 

Quake kills thousands in western China iht.com 5/13/8 ["...magnitude of 7.9, ravaged a mountainous region outside Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, just after lunchtime Monday, destroying 80 percent of structures in some of the towns and small cities near its epicenter, Chinese officials said. Its tremors were felt as far away as Vietnam and set off another, smaller quake in the outskirts of Beijing, 900 miles away."]
Scarlet Is Our Color newswithviews.com 5/13/8 [By Jim R. Schwiesow  "That God has broken our pride in our power is not the worst of it, we are seeing increasingly the punishments for our national sins and our refusal to keep faith with the Eternal God our creator and our master. Perversions lie upon this land like a filthy blanket. The land stinks of the rottenness of the lusts that prevail. We now find ways to make iniquitous pursuits seem righteous.  ...The 10 most deadly natural disasters ever in the United States have all happened within the past 10 years."]
[TN Govenor] Bredesen: Deep Budget Cuts are Necessary myfoxmemphis.com 5/13/8 ["Gov. Phil Bredesen outlined a series of deep cuts to bridge a nearly half-billion-dollar hole in Tennessee's upcoming spending plan during a speech to lawmakers Monday.  ...Tennessee's revenue situation is suffering because "our economy is in a recession and energy costs are soaring," Bredesen said in a somber 16-minute speech."]
 

Citigroup aims to shed $400 billion of assets reuters.com 5/10/8 ["...within three years and boost revenue by up to 10 percent annually, in a bid to restore profitability after huge losses tied to flagging mortgage and credit markets.  ...More jobs will be cut, on top of 13,200 announced this year."]
Federal regulators close Arkansas bank ANB Financial ap.google.com 5/10/8 ["It was the third closure this year of an FDIC-insured bank. Douglass National Bank, a Missouri bank with $58.5 million in assets, was shut in January; another Missouri institution with assets of $18.7 million, Hume Bank, was shut down in March.  Both were dwarfed in size of ANB Financial, where regulators found lax lending standards, mostly for construction and development loans for projects in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, as well as Arkansas."]
Gas jumps above $3.67, oil passes $126 on Venezuela concerns ap.google.com 5/10/8 ["Chavez has been linked to Colombian rebels previously, but the paper reported it had reviewed computer files indicating concrete offers by Venezuela's leader to arm guerillas. That appears to heighten the chances that the U.S. could impose sanctions on one of its biggest oil suppliers.  "If we put on sanctions, I'm sure Chavez would threaten to cut off our oil supply," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Alaron Trading Corp. "Obviously that would have a major impact on oil prices.""]
US stocks decline as AIG reveals need for cash, oil surges iht.com 5/10/8 ["The world's largest insurer, like many of its peers in the financial services sector, has seen its investments in the credit markets plunge in value."]
UN halts aid to Myanmar after junta seizes supplies breitbart.com 5/10/8 [" WFP spokesman Paul Risley said Friday that all "the food aid and equipment that we managed to get in has been confiscated." The shipment included 38 tons of high-energy biscuits."]
Awakening Narnia with Bacchanalian feasts crossroad.to 5/10/8 [By Berit Kjos  "A book review of Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis  ...A captivating storyteller, Lewis make his fantasies come alive in the reader's imagination. Many forget that magic, divination and astrology -- both real or imagined -- clash with God's Word:"]
Corn Climbs to Record as U.S. Sowing Delays May Curb Production bloomberg.com 5/10/8 ["Corn futures in Chicago, up 74 percent in the past year, rose for a fourth day today, gaining as much as 1.4 percent to $6.39 a bushel.  There's a ``forecast for rain this weekend in the U.S. Midwest, stoking concerns about planting delays for corn crops,''..."]
 

Largest Canadian March for Life Ever - 8,000 Attend Massive Rally on Parliament Hill reuters.com 5/9/8 ["A massive crowd of pro-life demonstrators, the majority of whom were youth, gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa today to issue a call to legislators and Canadians as a whole to put an end to abortion in Canada."]
City Council in Bay Area Declares Bankruptcy nytimes.com 5/9/8 ["In a potentially ominous harbinger for some cities in California and elsewhere, the Vallejo City Council voted to declare bankruptcy Tuesday night in the face of dwindling tax revenues, the housing market meltdown and a faltering economy."]
Argentine farmers revive massive strike kansascity.com 5/9/8 ["After more than a month of failed negotiations with government officials, thousands of farmers have re-created roadblocks and held back production all over this country to protest a controversial increase in agricultural export taxes.  The country's four main farm groups set up 150 roadblocks around Argentina on Thursday, blocking soybeans, rice and other grains from reaching markets. They also were refusing to release their own production of the grains."]
Putin, now prime minister, sets policy agenda iht.com 5/9/8 ["As much as 70 percent of the food in Russia's major cities is imported, he said, suggesting that costs for food staples were especially vulnerable to inflation in a time of rising global transportation costs. "To lower prices, we must increase our production," he said."]
Russian parliament confirms Putin as prime minister ap.google.com 5/9/8 ["He said Russia's economy could surpass Britain's this year and become the world's sixth-largest.  Putin also acknowledged problems that have persisted amid the oil-fueled economic recovery that coincided with his presidency. He said Russia must lessen its reliance on its energy resources but also ease taxes to boost sluggish oil production, and warned of the toll taken by the nation's drinking and smoking habits."]
Vladimir Putin pledges to transform economy of Russia into a world leader timesonline.co.uk 5/9/8 ["His comments caused the stock price of Gazprom to surge higher, making the Russian utility the third-largest company in the world, pushing aside China Mobile and GE, the American industrial giant, which slumped to fifth place. Gazprom, which supplies a quarter of European gas demand"]
 

Myanmar cyclone toll may top 100,000 : U.S. diplomat canada.com 5/8/8 ["Villarosa said that the 100,000 figure was not a confirmed death toll but was based on estimates provided by an international non-governmental organization. She declined to identify the organization.  She said recent estimates by the Myanmar government put the death toll at 70,000 deaths, primarily in the delta area."]
Russia's Medvedev takes power and pledges freedom reuters.com 5/8/8 ["and nominated his predecessor Vladimir Putin as prime minister, ushering in an unprecedented period of dual rule."]
Survey shows US honey bee deaths increased over last year ap.google.com 5/8/8 ["Last year's survey commissioned by the Apiary Inspectors of America found losses of about 32 percent.  ...This is the second year the association has measured colony deaths across the country. This means there aren't enough numbers to show a trend, but clearly bees are dying at unsustainable levels and the situation is not improving, said vanEngelsdorp, also a bee expert with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture."]
'Gay' indoctrination starts in Minneapolis worldnetdaily.com 5/8/8 ["District spokesman Ross Bennett told WND the program already has been launched in one school and was under consideration by the district's curriculum committee for other uses.  He said he knew of one principal in one school who had requested help because of "bullying" that he believed was focused on sexual orientation issues, and the district considers the HRC promotional program another tool for teachers and administrators to use."]
Consumer borrowing unexpectedly surges in March ap.google.com 5/8/8 ["...at the fastest pace in four months, more than double the increase of the previous month, in what was seen as a sign of rising economic stress.  The Federal Reserve reported Wednesday that consumers increased their borrowing at an annual rate of 7.2 percent, compared with a 3.1 percent rate of increase in February."]
Oil jumps over $123 on drop in diesel, heating oil supplies ap.google.com 5/8/8 ["At the pump, gas prices rose for the first time since last week."]
 

Russia to swear in new leader uk.reuters.com 5/7/8 ["Eight years ago, Putin's long ceremonial march through golden Kremlin halls captured for many ordinary Russians the glory of the Russian state.  ...Putin has said he sees no problem working with Medvedev with whom he shares views on Russia's future. But Russia's history knows few examples of such smooth coexistence."]
Rice prices hit records amid Burmese disaster timesonline.co.uk 5/7/8 ["Full details of the damage are not yet clear, say World Food Programme officials, but the growing fear is that millions of tons of salt water have flooded onto the precious rice paddies, making them unfit for planting for some time.  ...The price of rice has trebled across Asia this year, hitting a record $25.07 per 100 pounds on April 24. Some local market prices have risen tenfold in the past year and several governments have responded by imposing export bans. Rice is currently trading around $20.96 per 100 pounds."]
Israel throws 60th birthday bash under cloud of uncertainty afp.google.com 5/7/8 ["While the big bash is on Thursday, celebrations will continue for weeks and some foreign dignitaries will only join in later, including US President George W. Bush who is scheduled to travel to Israel next week."]
UBS' muni bond exit seen raising borrowing costs reuters.com 5/7/8 [" Muni issuers, such as cities, states, schools and hospitals, may also end up paying more to sell their debt in the wake of fewer investment banks.  "The No. 4, 5 and 6 in the business are probably not too upset because margins will increase. And if UBS is not around to underwrite a deal, they will be able to charge more on a deal,""]
In food price crunch, more Americans seek help reuters.com 5/7/8 [""People don't want to talk about hunger in America because that's not supposed to have happened. Didn't we take care of that a generation or two ago?" said Kevin McGuire, Food Stamp director for Maryland. "Well, not really." The number of beneficiaries jumped 12 percent in Maryland from a year ago.  ...Doherty said people's food stamps are running out more quickly due to higher prices -- often within two weeks."]
ADB to provide 500 million dollars to combat food crisis afp.google.com 5/7/8 ["The Asian Development Bank will provide 500 million dollars (320 million euros) in immediate assistance to member nations hit hardest by soaring food prices, the head of the bank announced Tuesday."]
"Super-spike" could lift oil to $200: Goldman reuters.com 5/7/8 ["Oil hit a new record near $121 a barrel on Tuesday, continuing an advance which has seen it double over the past 12 months.  ...The "super-spike" theory argues that a lack of adequate supply growth along with price-insulated demand growth in non-OECD countries will lead to a dramatic and continuous rise in oil prices that will ultimately lead to a sharp correction in oil demand."]
 

Do You Have A Plan? (Personal) newswithviews.com 5/6/8 [By Devvy Kidd  "Mark my words: the inflation you're seeing is going to morph into hyper-inflation.  ...Remember Katrina? The government didn't fail. The people weren't ready for disaster and the suffering was horrific."]
2 die in Somalia riot over food prices iht.com 5/6/8 ["as tens of thousands of people protested in the Somali capital against high food prices.  Poor weather, high fuel costs and rising demand have contributed to rising prices of rice and other staple foods in much of the world. But in Africa, prices of some staples have increased more than 50 percent over the past few weeks."]
Who should MDs let die in a pandemic? Report offers answers ap.google.com 5/6/8 ["Now, an influential group of physicians has drafted a grimly specific list of recommendations for which patients wouldn't be treated. They include the very elderly, seriously hurt trauma victims, severely burned patients and those with severe dementia."]
Abortion Makes Mother's Day a Solemn Occasion for Many Women lifenews.com 5/6/8 ["It may seem incongruous to talk about abortion in connection with Mother's Day. After all, this is a holiday meant to celebrate the amazing, life-affirming gift of motherhood. Yet, in our schizophrenic society, it's possible that some women will go in to facilities to have abortions on Saturday and be expected to join in the celebrations of Mother's Day on Sunday."]
 

The Four Horsemen Approach - Famine Is In The Air newswithviews.com 5/5/8 [By Greg Evensen  "I have been sounding the call for your total commitment and preparation as one crises leads to another. I have laid out before you the need to store food, water, natural medicines, weapons, rugged winter clothing, extra tools and hardware. I have suggested geographical locations and travel routes to many of you who just couldn’t quite figure it out. Further, I have warned you of shortages of fuels, bulk foods and ammunition. The message has been loud and clear. I know also that it has been easier to shove all this aside and get on with other, simpler things. Simple times are over."]
Asia fears rising poverty, social unrest from soaring food prices afp.google.com 5/5/8 ["Prices for the benchmark Thai variety of rice, a food stable across much of Asia, are at about 1,000 dollars a tonne, up threefold from the last ADB annual meeting held in Japan one year ago.  Meat prices have risen by 60 percent in Bangladesh in the year ending in March, and by 45 percent in Cambodia and 30 percent in the Philippines, according to a report issued Saturday by the ADB."]
States' welfare caseloads starting to rise usatoday.com 5/5/8 ["Federal data for the last half of 2007 show welfare rolls rose about 0.6%, and 27 states reported increases. That follows a decline of 68% since the federal law imposed work requirements, time limits and penalties for recipients who don't follow the rules."]
Pawnbrokers thrive as US economy falters afp.google.com 5/5/8 ["Dave Adelman, president of the National Pawnbrokers Association which represents 2,400 pawnbrokers, said the average pawn loan is 60 dollars, which "helps pay the rent, keep the lights on and gas in their cars to get to work.""]
 

Fed expands auction, accepts wider collateral to boost liquidity marketwatch.com 5/3/8 ["The Federal Reserve, along with other central banks, said Friday that it was increasing the funding it is providing to banks and announced that, for the first time, it was willing to accept bonds backed by auto loans and credit cards."]
Surplus U.S. food supplies dry up usatoday.com 5/3/8 ["While the previous surpluses were costly and sharply criticized, much of the food found its way to the poor, here and abroad. Today, says USDA Undersecretary Mark Keenum, "Our cupboard is bare."  U.S. government food surpluses have evaporated because, with record high prices, farmers are selling their crops on the open market, not handing them over to the government through traditional price-support programs that make up for deficiencies in market price. "]
Gulf States May End Dollar Pegs, Kuwait Minister Says bloomberg.com 5/3/8 ["The idea of dropping the peg ``has been started by other Gulf countries and they are partially going this way because the dollar has been going down for some time,'' al-Shimali said yesterday.  ...All the GCC states, apart from Oman, are planning to form a single Gulf currency by 2010."]
Berkshire net income falls 64 percent because of derivatives ap.google.com 5/3/8 ["because it recorded an unrealized $1.6 billion loss on its derivative contracts, and its insurance businesses generated lower profits."]
Planned Parenthood Abortion Businesses Getting Bigger, Pro-Lifer Knows Why lifenews.com 5/3/8 ["Sedlak says Planned Parenthood is pushing for its affiliates to engage in laboratory services and clinical research.  "Planned Parenthood currently is engaged in some activities, such as providing pap smears, that require it to send material to local laboratories for analysis," Sedlak explained to LifeNews.com.  "Planned Parenthood could save money if it did this laboratory analysis itself. However, it would obviously need a certain volume of business to make the investment in equipment and personnel worthwhile," he said."]
 

Defiant Abominations of the Money Changers! lasttrumpetministries.org 5/2/8 ["On the 13th day of March 2008, a rare "closed door" session was held by the United States House of Representatives. It was only the fourth time in the history of the United States that the House of Representatives closed the doors and met in absolute secrecy.   ...House Rule XVII, clause 9, forbids the Representatives from revealing what was discussed.  ...The news media said almost nothing about the secret conclave, but it was mentioned only that one of the items being discussed was the new surveillance techniques that are going to used by the U.S. Government to watch every American."]
Congressional Record: March 13, 2008 (House) Permission To Resolve Into Secret Session fas.org 5/2/8 ["My presumption is, and I think that's accurate because of my discussions with the Republican whip, the discussion will be with reference to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act."]
Western ports return to normal after workers' war protest ap.google.com 5/2/8 ["Thousands of dockworkers at 29 ports in California, Oregon and Washington were no-shows for the morning shift, leaving ships and trucks idle at ports from Long Beach to Seattle, said Pacific Maritime Association spokesman Steve Getzug.  Some longshore workers in San Francisco and Seattle joined rallies with other anti-war protesters. But no longshore workers could be found protesting at the giant Long Beach-Los Angeles port complex."]
Time to Stockpile Food? abcnews.go.com 5/2/8 ["For consumers concerned about rising food prices, stockpiling probably makes little economic sense, said Bill Knudson, a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Michigan State University.  "The thing about stockpiling is that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy," he said. "The easiest way to raise food prices is if everybody went out and stockpiled food."   ...Knudson said that when you compare that 4-5 percent increase to the compounded interest that families could make by saving their money instead, there is almost no financial incentive to stockpile."]
Bush offers $770m for food crisis news.bbc.co.uk 5/2/8 ["The new money would come in addition to some $200m the US president released for emergency food aid two weeks ago, but Mr Bush warned that "more needs to be done"."]