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UNITED NATIONS - U.N. diplomats abandoned contentious efforts to draft a treaty that would outlaw human cloning and will likely settle for a weaker declaration that won't seek a comprehensive ban, officials said. The last-minute agreement on Thursday appeared to be a major blow to President Bush (news - web sites), who had called for a total ban on cloning when he spoke before the U.N. General Assembly in August. While there is near universal support among the United Nations (news - web sites)' 191 members to ban reproductive cloning — the cloning of babies — countries have wrestled over...

What are FReepers fixing to eat during these hot August days? I try to have something substantial without heating up the kitchen. We have only a charcoal grill and concluded a few weeks back that it's too much work to use very often -- no doubt those w/ gas grills are using them regularly as they aren't as much trouble.

The Honorable Rod Paige Speaks on the President's Accomplishments in Education COLUMBUS, OH - On Thursday, May 27, 2004, the Honorable Rod Paige joined U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi, Ohio Bush-Cheney '04 Educators for Bush Chair Dr. George Tombaugh, members of the "Educators for Bush" leadership team and Bush-Cheney '04 supporters to announce the national "Educators for Bush" team. The press conference highlighted the President's strong record on education reform and contrasted Sen. John Kerry's record on education issues. "President Bush has set a bold vision for American education - a vision that sets clear goals for student achievement and then...

<p>Technically, Stephen Thaler has written more music than any composer in the world. He also invented the Oral-B CrossAction toothbrush and devices that search the Internet for messages from terrorists. He has discovered substances harder than diamonds, coined 1.5 million new English words, and trained robotic cockroaches. Technically.</p>

New Forms of School Choice: The Real McKaysSchool Choice Forces Emboldened by Recent String of Judicial and Legislative Victories By Robert Holland Printer Friendly   Email a Friend The fastest-growing voucher program in the land is the McKay Scholarship, which three years ago emerged in the choice-friendly climate of Florida. As of July 2003, more than 9,200 Florida special-education students were using McKays to attend private schools equipped to accommodate them. (Special education is education lingo for  individualized instruction developed  to meet the needs of each student judged to have a disability.) McKays predate the June 2002 Zelman decision. But the...

<p>Tony Marcano, ombudsman of The Bee, asks a good question: “How does a newspaper go about effectively covering 133 candidates” in the California recall?</p> <p>"There’s no precedent for it," writes Marcano. "There’s nothing in the universal campaign coverage playbook about how to handle a three-digit candidates’ list, particularly one with such a motley cast of characters."</p>

Members of Congress will soon have the opportunity to approve legislation that will grant low-income families in the District of Columbia the chance to choose where their children attend school. If every Member of Congress who uses private schools votes to give disadvantaged D.C. families the same access, the legislation will pass. In the past three years, every piece of parental choice legislation would have passed if those who exercised choice in their own families had voted with supporters of school choice. Earlier this year, The Heritage Foundation conducted a survey of Members of Congress on school choice. Of those...

VIENNA: The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said on Friday that North Korea has been guilty of nuclear "blackmail" and could not be trusted, though he was encouraged by the six-country talks that took place in Beijing. "I don't think they can be trusted," head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IDEA) Mohamed ElBaradei said in an interview on BBC television. "However, we would like to work with them and bring them back to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)." Pyongyang expelled the IAEA's inspectors at the start of the year and then withdrew from the NPT, the global pact...

<p>Many advocates of children with special needs, including myself, are becoming increasingly concerned over the current trend of local school districts to blame rising taxes on special education.</p> <p>Time and time again, school district officials have blamed their financial woes on federally mandated services required for special education students by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Already faced with many challenges, parents of special needs students are now being blamed for budgetary shortfalls in many local and city schools.</p>

American Federation of Teachers Statement on the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill 7/9/03 11:38:00 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk, Education Reporter Contact: Leslie Getzinger of the American Federation of Teachers 202-585-4373 or lgetzing@aft.org WASHINGTON, July 9 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is a statement by Sandra Feldman, president, American Federation of Teachers on the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill: The House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill pitifully shortchanges education funding. It comes in $8 billion below No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) authorized levels, slashes...

<p>Sweeping reform of the federal special-education program passed the House yesterday, but two Republican efforts to allow taxpayer support for handicapped students in private schools were defeated.</p> <p>By a vote of 251-171, the House passed a $125.9 billion, seven-year reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), with reforms to reduce paperwork and limit the practice of identifying children with reading and behavior problems as disabled.</p>

A Republican-led push to let parents send disabled children to private school with government money failed Wednesday as the House passed legislation renewing a 28-year-old law governing special education. Critics said the school choice proposals amounted to a dangerous expansion of the voucher program. Almost every Democrat and about one-fifth of Republicans joined to reject the ideas. The proposals were a major point of contention in the debate over reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The bill passed by a 251-171 vote. One plan would have enticed states to create private school options so parents could use public...

Congress soon will vote on legislation that has the psychiatric and mental-health communities agitated. Advocates of the bill say it will return to parents the power to decide whether a child should be medicated to get in school or stay there, and many see this measure as a warning bell for future debate about the legitimacy of childhood psychiatric disorders. The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has been scheduled for reauthorization in May as HR 1350. An amendment to it, the Child Medication Safety Act, introduced by Rep. Max Burns (R-Ga.), requires no taxpayer funding but mandates that "State...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Randi Stark Stanton Crenshaw Communications (212) 780-1900 ext. 508View an advocacy animation (363kb)Download the survey findings (619kb)Parents and Teachers Say Nation's Schools Fail Kids With Learning Disabilities-- National Center for Learning Disabilities launches call to action to Keep Kids Learning --New York, NY, January 15, 2003 - An overwhelming majority of parents and teachers say the nation's schools take too long to identify students with learning disabilities, according to a benchmark study released today by the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD). The study provides important insights given the Congressional debate set to take place early this...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured , along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 March 8 Solar Sail Credit: NASA / MSFC Illustration Explanation: Nearly 400 years ago astronomer Johannes Kepler observed comet tails blown by a solar breeze and suggested that vessels might likewise navigate through space using appropriately fashioned sails. It is now widely recognized that sunlight does indeed produce a force which moves comet tails and a large, reflective sail could be a practical means of propelling...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 March 3 Will the Universe End in a Big Rip? Illustration Credit & Copyright: Lynette Cook Explanation: How will our universe end? Recent speculation now includes a pervasive growing field of mysterious repulsive energy that rips virtually everything apart. Although the universe started with a Big Bang, analysis of recent cosmological measurements allows a possibility that it will end with a Big Rip. As soon as few...

<p>The landmark No Child Left Behind education bill signed into law by President Bush last January left untouched one of the most troubled federal programs serving the nation's schools: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). With Congress and the administration unable to reach agreement on overhauling IDEA, which serves 6 million children, Mr. Bush created the Commission on Excellence in Special Education, chaired by former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad. In July, following months of public hearings across the country, the Branstad panel came back with a lengthy report recommending changes to IDEA. Unfortunately, the report — like those by earlier panels that attempted to improve the program — failed to provide any real guidance on ways to deal with disabled students who are violent and engage in criminal behavior.</p>

<p>It hit the spot, did what needed to be done. The bible references were pure Bush. Only question was why it wasn't given in the Oval Office. I think I am correct in observing that modern presidents shy away from the Oval for addresses. But why? The big desk with the pictures behind is what people expect. That's where presidents talk.</p>

Posted on Mon, Nov. 25, 2002 A not quite purr-fect projectDespite selling only 12 of his pet doorbells, Tony Vena remains optimistic.By Reid KanaleyInquirer Staff Writer When Phoenix, a 9-year-old tabby cat, wants in or out of the house, he rings the doorbell.By pawing at special switches mounted cat-high inside and outside of his Vincentown, N.J., house, loud chimes announce Phoenix's need for egress or ingress.The cat's owner, Tony Vena, 72, a talkative former Philadelphia parking lot operator now living in busy semi-retirement, thinks he is on to something with that doorbell - which he invented with an eye...

A man's right to chooseIs it fair that women have reproductive rights while men have reproductive responsibilities? - - - - - - - - - - - -By Cathy YoungOct. 19, 2000 | In the wake of the Food and Drug Administration's recent approval of the abortion drug RU-486, there were familiar arguments about a woman's right to choose vs. the unborn child's right to life, as well as speculation about ways in which the drug would change the terrain of the abortion wars. As usual, though, these discussions completely ignored one group of people who still have...