johnhanblog

War Of Anti-War, Pro-War Protesters

Thousands of anti-war protesters, including a sizeable contingent of
military veterans, rallied outside the White House to demand an end to
the Iraq war. They were confronted by counter-protestors who support
President Bush.

Baghdad Bomb Strikes Bakery, Killing 11

A car bomb struck a bakery crowded with customers lining up for bread to
end their daytime Ramadam fast; 11 people were killed. Meanwhile,
Islamic extremists warned Sunni tribal leaders who cooperated with the
U.S. would be hunted down and killed.

War Critics Question Obama's Fervor

Sen. Barack Obama has been a critic of President Bush's invasion of Iraq
since the beginning, but as The Washington Post reports, some antiwar
Democrats believe the presidential candidate's antiwar talk hasn't been
consistent or strong enough. 

# posted by John @ 9/15/2007 05:53:00 PM 0 comments

NEWS

Another quake hits Indonesia
---------------------------------------------
Despite the intensity of a shallow undersea earthquake, a quirk of
nature sent
the full force of the resulting tsunami out to sea, preventing a repeat
of the
2004 Indian Ocean disaster that killed more than 230,000 people most of
them
on Sumatra.

Needy students given food for weekend
---------------------------------------------
Today and every Friday, more than 50,000 children are taking backpacks
full of
food home from school in programs that have quietly swept the nation.
The goal
is to keep needy kids and their families from going hungry on weekends.

Humberto brings more than rain
---------------------------------------------
While thousands of people in Louisiana and Texas will have a heavy
cleanup job
from the unexpected force of Hurricane Humberto, the storm's strongest
effect
could be an emotional one.

MONEY

Showdown at GM today as union prepares to strike
---------------------------------------------
The United Auto Workers union has picked General Motors as the lead
company
and potential strike target in contract negotiations with the Detroit
Three, a
local union official said Thursday.

Car weight limits a big, fat problem
---------------------------------------------
Some motorists may be too big for their cars.

# posted by John @ 9/14/2007 07:29:00 AM 0 comments

WHITE HOUSE PREVIEW: IN TONIGHT'S SPEECH, PRESIDENT BUSH IS EXPECTED TO
ANNOUNCE PLANS TO PULL 5,700 TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ BY THE YEAR'S END

# posted by John @ 9/13/2007 04:57:00 PM 0 comments

NEWS

Japan's Abe hospitalized for stress
---------------------------------------------
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was hospitalized Thursday for
psychological
stress and exhaustion a day after suddenly announcing his resignation,
his
doctors said, compounding political confusion in the world's
second-largest
economy. Kyodo News agency reported the ruling Liberal Democratic Party
would
hold its election for party president on Sept. 23.

Hurricane Humberto hits Texas
---------------------------------------------
Hurricane Humberto made landfall in Southeast Texas early Thursday,
bringing
heavy rains and winds of up to 80 mph as it made its way to eastern
Louisiana,
the National Weather Service said.

U.S.: 45 Taliban killed in Afghanistan
---------------------------------------------
Airstrikes and Afghan army gunfire killed more than 45 suspected
Taliban
fighters in a clash in a southern province just as the holy month of
Ramadan
began, the U.S.-led coalition said.

MONEY

Bank of America raises ATM surcharge
---------------------------------------------
In a move that's expected to prompt higher fees industrywide, Bank of
America
has raised, to $3, the amount it charges non-customers to withdraw cash
from
most of its ATMs.

Airlines get serious about hiring again
---------------------------------------------
After nearly six years of shrinking their workforces, most of the USA's
biggest airlines are finally hiring again. But the big carriers are
finding
that it's a different game than their last employment buildup before
2001.
After years on the hiring sidelines, they're finding that the ready
pools of
applicants have dwindled.

# posted by John @ 9/13/2007 11:46:00 AM 0 comments

Crude oil hits $80 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange for
first time ever as traders eye inventory drop.

# posted by John @ 9/12/2007 05:21:00 PM 0 comments

Senate Democratic leaders rejected Gen. David Petraeus' plan to withdraw
up to 30,000 U.S. troops from Iraq by next summer, saying it doesn't go
far enough. It's "unacceptable to the American people," said Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid. 

# posted by John @ 9/12/2007 05:18:00 PM 0 comments

http://www.bloglines.com/blog/johnDispatch

# posted by John @ 9/12/2007 01:03:00 PM 0 comments

Americans are living longer than they used to, but not as long as people
in more than three dozen other countries. According to new government
figures, the life expectancy for Americans is up to nearly 78 years, the
longest in U.S. history.

# posted by John @ 9/12/2007 12:16:00 PM 0 comments

Two powerful earthquakes reported in Indonesia with preliminary
magnitudes of 7.8 and 8.0. Tsunami alert issued.

# posted by John @ 9/12/2007 12:14:00 PM 0 comments

NEWS

Japan's Prime Minister Abe resigns
---------------------------------------------
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned on Wednesday, ending a
year-long term that was repeatedly damaged by blunders and scandal.

As commutes begin earlier, new daily routines emerge
---------------------------------------------
Americans are leaving home earlier and earlier to beat the rush and get
to work on time. Census data released today document the
ever-lengthening
commutes: In 2000, 1 worker in 9 was out the door by 6 a.m., the new
data says; by 2006, it was 1 in 8. That might not seem like a big
change, but it
has put more than 2.7 million additional drivers for a total of 15
million on pre-dawn patrol.

Most think founders wanted Christian USA
---------------------------------------------
Most Americans believe the nation's founders wrote Christianity into
the
Constitution, and people are less likely to say freedom to worship
covers
religious groups they consider extreme, a poll out today finds.

MONEY

Housing costs punish family budgets
---------------------------------------------
Sydney Lasry, a systems engineer, took a second job three years ago so
he
could afford to buy a $400,000 home in Severn, Md. His mortgage payment
hasn't
risen, but his property taxes have jumped by $1,000 since then, to
$3,200 a
year, and his home insurance has soared by $500, to $1,100.

Burger King has a new twist on fries: Fresh apples
---------------------------------------------
Hey, kids: wanna chow down on hot fries or chilled apple slices cut to
look like fries?

# posted by John @ 9/12/2007 08:42:00 AM 0 comments

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN DISSOLVES THE GOVERNMENT IN A MAJOR
POLITICAL SHAKE-UP BEFORE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

# posted by John @ 9/12/2007 08:37:00 AM 0 comments

TSUNAMI WARNING ISSUED AFTER MAGNITUDE 8 EARTHQUAKE ROCKS INDONESIA

# posted by John @ 9/12/2007 08:36:00 AM 0 comments

President Bush will announce this week plans to cut U.S. troops in Iraq
by about 30,000 -- to pre-'surge' levels -- by next summer, a senior
administration official says

# posted by John @ 9/11/2007 04:51:00 PM 0 comments

Crude oil settles at an all-time high of $78.23 a barrel on the New York
Mercantile Exchange.

# posted by John @ 9/11/2007 04:38:00 PM 0 comments

Hillary Clinton yesterday returned $850G in campaign cash tied to felon
fund-raiser Norman Hsu, as NY prosecutors are leading the probe into
Hsu's buck-raking.

# posted by John @ 9/11/2007 03:03:00 PM 0 comments

Housing price slump to continue through 2008, realtors' group says.

# posted by John @ 9/11/2007 01:11:00 PM 0 comments

OPEC agrees to boost crude output to 500,000 barrels a day, AP reports.

# posted by John @ 9/11/2007 01:09:00 PM 0 comments

NEWS

New bin Laden video shows 9/11 hijacker
---------------------------------------------
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden urged sympathizers to join the "caravan"
of
martyrs as he praised one of the Sept. 11 suicide hijackers in a new
video that emerged Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the attacks on the
World Trade Center and Pentagon.

A tense hearing, with no sign of consensus on the war
---------------------------------------------
After months of partisan stalemate, Congress and the rest of the nation
finally heard the U.S. military commander in Iraq and the top U.S.
diplomat there weigh in Monday on the increasingly fierce debate over
whether to stay the course or begin a concerted withdrawal of American
troops.

Pakistani lawyers appeal Sharif deportation
---------------------------------------------
Lawyers for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif filed a petition in the
Supreme Court on Tuesday challenging his deportation to Saudi Arabia,
setting up another confrontation between the judiciary and Pakistan's
military ruler as he battles to hold onto power.

# posted by John @ 9/11/2007 08:12:00 AM 0 comments

9/11 six years later, are we any safer?

As we approach the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks tomorrow, are
we any safer now than we were in 2001? Local leaders are giving their
assessments. And it's not all good news.

# posted by John @ 9/10/2007 03:02:00 PM 0 comments

Petreus Tells Congress Military Goals Being Met In Iraq

General David Petraeus told Congress the military objectives of the
surge in U.S. troops in Iraq "are in large measure being met." He said
he believes the U.S. military can reduce forces in Iraq to pre-surge
levels by next summer, or about 130,000 troops.

# posted by John @ 9/10/2007 03:00:00 PM 0 comments

Religious Books Removed From U.S. Prisons

Chaplains in federal prisons are removing religious books and materials
from prison libraries. It's a bid to stop prisons from becoming breeding
grounds for radical religious beliefs.

# posted by John @ 9/10/2007 12:19:00 PM 0 comments

Iraq PM: We Still Need U.S. Military

Iraq's prime minister has told lawmakers that U.S. military might is
still necessary to try and achieve some semblance of security across the
war-torn country. His assessment came hours ahead of a major report by
the top U.S. commander in Washington. 

# posted by John @ 9/10/2007 09:25:00 AM 0 comments