News opinion 2008-04-29 Andanh.com

Missing miscreant Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:01:09 -0400
The only one missing from Jerry Holbert's cartoon of dictators is Fidel Castro (April 23). We shouldn't let Jimmy Carter back in the USA!

Lobel deserved better Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:00:15 -0400
I covered Bob Lobel's outstanding career for most of his nearly 30 years at WBZ-TV, during my tenure as the Boston Herald's TV-radio sports columnist and thoroughly...

Jailed Michael Skakel paints different picture of himself Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:53:22 -0400
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Artwork by caged Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel is going on display as part of a public prison artwork exhibition. Skakel, 47, who was convicted in...

Off endangered list, wolves face new pressure from hunters Sun, 27 Apr 2008 15:50:29 -0400
BILLINGS, Mont. - Tony Saunders stalked his prey for 35 miles by snowmobile through western Wyoming's Hoback Basin, finally reaching a clearing where he took out a .270-caliber...

Obama discounts race as a factor in presidential election Sun, 27 Apr 2008 15:47:08 -0400
WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said today that race is not the reason he is struggling to attract working-class votes and insisted he can win...

Teens who took kiddie pool over waterfall charged Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:31:25 -0400
KEENE, N.H. - Two college students have been charged with reckless conduct for trying to go over a river waterfall in an inflatable pool. Corey Loonan, 18, of Sandwich,...

Few states allow overseas troops to vote by e-mail Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:11:46 -0400
WASHINGTON - U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan can speak to their families by Web camera and fight insurgents using sophisticated electronic warfare. Yet when it comes to...

Ballpark funeral today for long-missing Ohio soldier Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:50:33 -0400
CINCINNATI - Thousands of people are expected to attend the funeral of a young Ohio soldier whose remains were found in Iraq last month, four years after he was kidnapped...

Bush tweaks candidates at correspondents' dinner Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:49:24 -0400
WASHINGTON - President Bush poked fun at his potential successors last night, expressing surprise that none of them were in the audience at the White House Correspondents'...

100 homes evacuated as Calif. wildfire burns out of control Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:41:34 -0400
SIERRA MADRE, Calif. - A wildfire in Southern California that has scorched 270 acres and forced the evacuation of about 100 homes in neighborhoods might not be under control...

Obama says no debates with Clinton between now and Indiana Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:41:04 -0400
WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama today brushed aside a challenge from Hillary Rodham Clinton to debate before the May 6 primaries in Indiana and...

'Miracle' escape for 150 as inferno claims Conn. complex Sun, 27 Apr 2008 01:40:21 -0400
NORWICH, Conn. - All but one of the 150 residents of a large apartment complex engulfed in a fast-moving inferno early yesterday morning have been accounted for, said officials,...

Senate GOP candidates start sparring Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:27:43 -0400
WASHINGTON - Think the historic Clinton-Obama race is nasty? In the Bay State, the two long-shot Republicans vying to challenge Sen. John Kerry this fall are exchanging jabs...

Watch continues for killer shark off Calif. coast Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:52:07 -0400
SOLANA BEACH, Calif. - Authorities kept watch yesterday over a stretch of Southern California beaches, scanning the waters for a great white shark they believe killed a triathlete...

Weed whacks patient's chance for transplant Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:49:13 -0400
SEATTLE - Timothy Garon's face and arms are hauntingly skeletal, but the fluid building up in his abdomen makes the 56-year-old musician look eight months pregnant. ...

Doomed Chernobyl reactor to be buried in giant steel coffin Sun, 27 Apr 2008 15:07:06 -0400
KIEV, Ukraine -Twenty-two years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, work is under way on a colossal new shelter to cover the ruins and deadly radioactive contents of the...

Scholars run down more clues to a Holocaust mystery Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:15:41 -0400
STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Budapest, November 1944: Another German train has loaded its cargo of Jews bound for Auschwitz. A young Swedish diplomat pushes past the SS guard and scrambles...

Iraqi leaders discuss unity govt; 5 die in Baghdad violence Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:09:22 -0400
BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister met today with the Sunni Arab vice president to discuss reintegrating Sunni political parties into the Shiite-dominated government as...

Massive gunbattles break out in Tijuana; 13 dead, 9 wounded Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:54:40 -0400
TIJUANA, Mexico - Massive gunbattles broke out between suspected drug traffickers who fired at each other while speeding down heavily populated streets of this violent border...

Korean tries to set himself on fire during Seoul torch run Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:53:06 -0400
SEOUL, South Korea - A North Korean defector tried to set himself on fire to halt the Olympic torch relay through Seoul, while thousands of police guarded the flame today...

Palestinian plight is flip side of Israel's independence joy Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:47:14 -0400
JALAZOUN REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank - Mohammed Shaikha was 9 when the carefree rhythm of his village childhood - going to third grade, picking olives, playing hide-and-seek...

Afghan president safe after fleeing gunfire at Kabul event Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:46:49 -0400
KABUL, Afghanistan - Suspected Taliban militants attacked a ceremony attended by the Afghan president today, unleashing automatic weapons fire that sent foreign dignitaries...

I could have sworn I had a kid, your honor Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:17:01 -0400
In a scam to get support payments from her ex-husband for a child that does not exist, a woman in Albuquerque, N.M., rented a child, faked DNA tests and convinced a judge...

Worker escapes factory fire in Casablanca that kills 55 Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:04:11 -0400
CASABLANCA, Morocco - A fire roared through a mattress factory yesterday, killing 55 people and injuring a dozen others, the official news agency reported. Most of the...

As spelling changes, Portugal feels the empire striking back Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:47:09 -0400
LISBON, Portugal - Portugal's former empire is striking back - through language. As Brazil rises on the international stage and its one-time colonial master wanes,...

Our view: I-93 commuters have friend in Lynch, foe in CLF Sun, 27 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT
New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch says he's committed to the widening of Interstate 93 between Salem and Manchester. And he wants the project done as soon as possible.
That's good to hear. We've been critical of the governor in the past for not being a strong enough voice in support of this important project.

Taylor Armerding: People come together to mend a torn life Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:51:00 EDT
Taylor Armerding
I'm meeting Margaret Pena for the first time, and I can't stop thinking about threads.
Everybody's life is a weave of them — family, friends, experiences, successes and failures — that eventually form a virtual garment. For a fortunate few, it's a beautiful and unspoiled thing. For most of us, there is some damage here and there, but it holds together. In some, it is frayed, decayed or torn to pieces. But sometimes, even when the fabric gets torn in a way that seems irreparable, new threads knit it back together into something even better.

Forum: Drug companies sell us on new ailments they can cure Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:30:00 EDT
Saturday morning TV is rife with ads for sugared cereals aimed at children, who lack the expertise to evaluate it critically. Children are targeted with the well-founded expectation that they will badger parents to buy the highly sweetened cereal. Some give in and indulge the child. Like parents, physicians are human too, and may find themselves unable to resist the pleas of their patients for drugs that promise to free them from all discomfort.

Jim McAllister: Land feud fueled witchcraft allegations Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:15:00 EDT
Jim McAllister
In 1728 the Massachusetts General Court created a new Essex County town that was to be known as Middleton. The community would consist of lands that had once belonged to Andover, Salem, Boxford and Topsfield, and its creation would bring to an end one of the longest and deadliest land feuds in the county's history.

My take: Budget season brings fear-mongering Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:10:00 EDT
One sign of budget season is a chorus of dire warnings that if taxpayers don't vote for a Proposition 21/2 override or money isn't found hidden under some virtual rock, there will have to be devastating cuts in — all together now — police, fire and high school sports. Maybe teachers, too. This technique, when used at the federal level to push for national security spending, is what all good liberals decry as "fear mongering." Just once, I'd love to see a headline that says, without an override, a dozen mid-level administrative assistants will be cut.

Your view: Letters to the editor Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:05:00 EDT
N.H. Senate should consider marijuana bill
To the editor:
Recently, I sat down with state Rep. Carolyn Gargasz at a forum hosted by Kaley Smith and the NH-Legislative Youth Advisory Council. One of the topics was House Bill 1623, which reduces penalties for a quarter-ounce of marijuana to a fine of $200. The current penalties for marijuana possession are a maximum fine of $2,000, up to a year in prison, and loss of student loans. The bill does not change the laws for cultivation or distribution. It passed in the House by a 193-141 margin.

Our view: On care and feeding of our tourist economy Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:51:00 EDT
It's almost May, and the region's tourism industry has reason to be concerned about what the new season has in store for it.
The falling dollar may actually work to local businesses' advantage, prompting more Americans to stay home this summer while serving as a lure for those from abroad to visit this country.

Our view: Tough times everywhere Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:48:00 EDT
President Bush may still be in denial — he says the U.S. economy is not in a recession, but simply going through a period of slower growth — but those on Beacon Hill don't have the luxury of ignoring the obvious.

David Shribman: Democrats' passion for their candidates could prove costly Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:48:00 EDT
PITTSBURGH — It seems so quiet around here, and a bit lonely, too.
They're gone. Vanished. No signs in the streets, no ads on television. No irritating automatic phone calls. The whole political road show has moved on, to Indiana and North Carolina and parts beyond. To places where nobody knows your bowling score.

View from Beacon Hill: Costs key to health reform Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:38:00 EDT
BOSTON (AP) — It may be the least sexy buzz-phrase on Beacon Hill, but "cost containment" could make or break the state's landmark, and oft-scrutinized, health-care law.
Soaring enrollment in subsidized health-care plans have sent lawmakers scrambling to find more money to keep the law, which requires nearly everyone in Massachusetts be insured, from collapsing. Gov. Deval Patrick is asking for an extra $153 million to cover rising costs in the current fiscal year and observers are questioning whether the $869 million budgeted for the subsidized Commonwealth Care program in the new fiscal year, which begins July 1, is enough.

Letter: Save the trees, get rid of the beavers Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:38:00 EDT
To the editor:
First of all, I am not a "tree hugger;" but as I travel through the Tri-town area I notice an increase of stands of dead maples in areas that never had so much water. Apparently, these newly created "ponds" are the result of overprotecting the beaver population.

Letter: Legislature thwarts effort to fund schools properly Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:38:00 EDT
To the editor:
In Beverly, Hamilton, Wenham and Ipswich, the main topic of concern and conversation is overrides.
In these communities, and in many others across the state, good, caring parents are battling to save the most basic elements of quality in their public schools' curriculums including classroom size, art education, sports, computer opportunities and training, and bus transportation.

Letter: System needed to investigate complaints against police Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:07:00 EDT
To the editor:
There needs to be an independent police complaints commission set up in the U.S.
Police officers have extraordinary powers. There is nothing to my knowledge that is independent of all bodies of law enforcement.

Letter: This time liberals, courts have gone too far Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:58:00 EDT
To the editor:
I just wanted to thank your paper for informing the working-class taxpayers of the commonwealth of Massachusetts of the most outrageous and blatant act of liberalism that America has seen in government.

Letter: Council salaries could fund mayor's raise Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:45:00 EDT
To the editor:
Mayor Driscoll deserves to be paid a salary commensurate with the job. Not only has she done an excellent job as our mayor, but finding the money to increase the pay is easy and revenue neutral. First, eliminate the self-serving ordinance that ties the City Council salaries to that of the mayor. Second, drop their health insurance coverage. The job is part time and not deserving of health insurance coverage. Councilor Sosnowski must do a lot of driving — even at the gas prices of today — to cover the $21,000 (including health insurance) he is paid annually. And councilor, there are plenty of Salem taxpayers who would gladly walk in your shoes just to have the health insurance and would willingly waive the $8,000 annual salary. What happens with municipalities who excessively compensate their legislative body is that people stay on not to serve the city, but to serve themselves. The city could pay our mayor $100,000 annually and save $10,000 in the process.

Letter: What are we willing to pay for? Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:45:00 EDT
To the editor:
Dennis Ryan and Richard Feyl have written letters to The Salem News taking issue with the plea for adequate support of public schools and other public services in my letter of April 7. I agree with Mr. Feyl in commending The Salem News for presenting opinion on several sides of an issue of public interest.

Letter: Ipswich culture in danger Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:45:00 EDT
To the editor:
The public school system is at a critical moment of its development. The public will decide the future of free education and the importance it will have in the growth and development of our communities. Schools are not a place to house children for the day. They are public institutions that ensure the quality of life and the future of growth and prosperity in our communities. The public will either support strong communities or rely on familiar and comfortable excuses. The public money invested in the education of a young child is public money saved on social programs for young adults who the system has failed by not providing them the knowledge of opportunities that a good education can yield.

As I See It: What's this world coming to? Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:18:00 EDT
Is it just me, or are you horrified by what's going on in the world? There have been disastrous floods and tornados which have left hundreds of people homeless or dead.
Then we've seen killings at high schools and colleges. Recently there was a scare at Bridgewater State College where my grandson Ross is a freshman. We've always thought schools were a safe place — no more. The availability of firearms is something that should be seriously looked into.

Letter: Story is best choice for selectman Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:17:00 EDT
To the editor:
In these crucial economic times when American families and municipalities find themselves financially strapped, we need to continue to have a proven, common-sense selectman to keep the Town of Newbury functioning well. We need Joe Story.

Letter: Creativity is man's peculiar advantage Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:16:00 EDT
To the editor:
Creativity is the quality which has rendered to man an enormous differential advantage in the perennially competitive "battle for life" among living beings on the Earth. Man's innovations have added comfort, grace and beauty, as well as survivability, on this planet. Absent creativity, homo sapiens (that's us) would/will likely be reduced to the fate of 90 percent of living organisms which have ever inhabited our globe: extinction.

Letter: No need for senior center in Newburyport Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:15:00 EDT
To the editor:
As a soon-to-be senior I would like to express my concerns about the proposed building of a senior center in Newburyport.
First, I believe that the city cannot afford to build a free-standing structure for the needs of one group of people. We are experiencing extremely tight budget years already. The strain of supporting even the maintenance and transportation costs for such a center would adversely affect the budgets of all other city services, including education, infrastructure, planning and public safety, areas that affect the entire citizenry.

No comparison Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:13:00 EDT
To the editor:
How can anyone compare Rockport's Motif #1 to Newburyport's clam shack ("Clam shack clash builds," April 21)? Motif #1 doesn't have a shower. In fact, no one lives there.
DON POLLARD
Ne

Letter: Farmers market a great idea Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:11:00 EDT
To the editor:
Just wanted to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the farmers market at the Mall in Newburyport on Sunday. I hope that it can continue. There's nothing better for us and the farmers than locally grown.

Letter: Thanks to all who help with library programs Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:11:00 EDT
To the editor:
The Newbury Town Library has been a busy place recently and there are many people and organizations to thank for some successful programming.
First of all, thanks go to The Daily News for providing space in the paper to let people know about the programs and also for offering this venue to thank them.

As I See It: McCain Part 2: That was then (flip); this is now (flop) Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:20:00 EDT
In my first article about John McCain (March 31), I wrote about how closely his policies are aligned with those of our current imperial president. It wasn't always so, but this could be John McCain's last chance to become president. If elected, he will be the oldest elected president at the age of 71. It is unlikely (never say never) that he'll mount this kind of effort at the age of 76. Completely unnoticed (or simply ignored) by the mainstream media, McCain began his transformation in 1996 to a candidate that would be more acceptable to evangelical Christians.

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