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The ring of coral in crystal waters around the Surin Island chain off Thailand's west coast forms a sturdy defense against the sea. So when the tsunami struck on Sunday it punched a few holes in the reef, but the structure mostly held firm. The reef, says Thai marine environmentalist Thon Thamrongnavasawadi, may have saved many lives. Only a handful of people on the islands are known to have perished -- most scrambled to safety as the first wave exploded against the coral. Tragically, across much of Asia, coastal communities found themselves with no such shield against nature's fury. The...

More moviegoers used the Thanksgiving weekend to catch up with the hits "National Treasure" and "The Incredibles" than to see the year's two biggest holiday-theme flicks or the new epic "Alexander." "National Treasure," in which Nicolas Cage follows a centuries-old legend to a mother lode of historical riches, finished in first place by earning an estimated $33.1 million from Friday to yesterday. Pixar Animation's "The Incredibles," the bemused tale of superheroes put out to pasture in suburbia, took second with an estimated $24.1 million. The weekend's two new movies, "Christmas With the Kranks" and Oliver Stone's "Alexander," both settled into...

Some left-leaning Californians say they would rather leave the United States -- and go to Canada or elsewhere -- than stay with George W. Bush as president. ''I certainly don't love the climate of Vancouver, but I love the sanity,'' said Steve Crawford, 54, a singer and actor working as a volunteer at the Democratic Party offices in Santa Monica. He and his wife, Karen, have been investigating selling their home in Pacific Palisades, an upmarket area close to the coast, and moving to Canada. ''For someone like me, if this happens, I can't in good conscience allow myself to...

BROWNSVILLE -- Former President Carter on Thursday called the Bush administration's decision to wage war against Iraq "ill-advised and unnecessary," adding the resulting campaign "has turned out to be a tragedy." The former Democratic president also said Bush's environmental policies are perhaps the worst in the nation's history. Carter made the comments at the Rio R.V. Park after wrapping up a four-day birding trip with his wife, Rosalynn, in the lower Rio Grande Valley. "President Bush's war was ill-advised and unnecessary and based on erroneous statements, and has turned out to be a tragedy," Carter said. "And my prayer has...

VANCOUVER - General manager Brian Burke dropped the gloves in support of Todd Bertuzzi on Thursday, criticizing the media for vilifying the Vancouver Canucks forward who has been suspended for the rest of the NHL season and the playoffs for attacking Steve Moore of the Colorado Avalanche. Burke said he wouldn't talk about the length of the suspension because he will be pleading for the league to reinstate Bertuzzi at a later date. The Canucks are also deciding if they will appeal the NHL's ruling. In classic Burke style, he ripped into the media for casting Bertuzzi as a villain....

After months of media buzz, the so-called liberal talk-radio network -- officially known as Air America Radio -- announced yesterday it will launch on March 31 in four cities with comedy-oriented programming headlined by comedians Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo.

Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Vancouver Canucks center Todd Bertuzzi had a one hour disciplinary hearing on Wednesday for intentionally injuring Colorado Avalanche center Steve Moore. The incident took place on Monday during Colorado's 9-2 victory at GM Place. Colin Campbell, the NHL's vice president and disciplinarian, is expected to issue his ruling Thursday morning. Bertuzzi was suspended indefinitely just hours after the game by the National Hockey League. Moore remains in a Vancouver hospital bed with a broken neck, a concussion and deep cuts on his face. Bertuzzi punched Moore in the head from behind and then jumped on...

With consumer confidence shaky and unemployment at a nine-year high, American anxiety about China's export prowess and the exodus of U.S. jobs overseas is emerging as a significant political issue. Just Tuesday, three of President Bush's cabinet secretaries traveled to the Midwest to tout the administration's tax cuts and got an earful about China instead. "How can a tax cut help our economy when it will be spent in stores importing ... goods mainly from China?" Michael Repzer, controller of W.G. Strohwig Tool & Die of Richfield, Wis., asked the secretaries of Treasury, commerce and labor as they visited a...

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! THIS HAS GOT TO STOP! We're killing more Brits than the Iraqis are.

A perfect solution for radio stations...

I want to ask you French folks something: What gives? Why would you prefer to side with a Germany — a country that destroyed you — than countries like the United States and Britain that saved you?

Recently a reader took me to task for inconsistency. "You were a dove during the Kosovo war," she told me. "Why are you a hawk on Iraq?"