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Welcome to the USS George Washington The USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) is a nuclear powered aircraft carrier built by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia. The keel was laid on August 25, 1986 and the ship was commissioned on July 4, 1992. Two nuclear reactors are used for propulsion (the ship is capable of steaming more than one million miles before refueling) turning 4 five bladed screws that weigh 66,220 pounds each. The GW can travel at speeds over thirty knots and is 1,094 feet long, 257 feet wide and has a height equal to a...

Degrees of Separation: Gender Gap Among College Graduates Has Educators Wondering Where the Men Are By Michael A. Fletcher Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, June 25, 2002; Page A01 BALTIMORE -- As Morgan State University President Earl S. Richardson surveyed the sea of newly minted graduates at the school's 126th commencement last month, his joy was tempered by a question that has grown too conspicuous to ignore: Where are all the men? Not only were the head of student government, the senior class president and 96 of Morgan's 141 honorstudents women, but so were two-thirds of the university's 860 graduates....

YASSER Arafat says he wasn't the man in question when US President George W. Bush called for a change in the Palestinian leadership. Asked if Bush was referring to him, Arafat replied: "Definitely not." He then went on to express support for Bush's blueprint for Middle East peace, which proposed a Palestinian state in three years. Arafat, a survivor of decades of political turmoil, remains solidly entrenched as head of the Palestinian authority and gave no indication that he was willing to step aside. Over the years, it has been US and Israeli leaders who have come and gone, with...

There are still people left who believe that the Muslim world hates America because it doesn't really understand what fine fellows we Americans are. If only these benighted Mohammedans could spend time with us, they'd put aside those unfortunate Great Satan stereotypes and be our pals. You'd expect that from a tenth-grade girl, Oprah Winfrey, a Rotary Club member pie-eyed on a blue ribbon, and others who have a tough time believing in the existence of any human evil that can't be vanquished by sharing an "I love you, man" hug. You wouldn't expect it from a U.S. senator....

Laity,Drop Your Stones It has been extremely difficult and painful to confront the reality of the Church's abuse scandals.However, as with any scandal, now that it out in the open there is a real opportunity for healing to occur.As a layperson, my greatest concern at this point is how the laity has been addressing this issue. Those who have been most vocal seem to put all the responsibility on priests and bishops. How self-righteous we are. Perhaps it's time address the plank in our own eye.After all we, the laity, have our scandals to address.Though many of the lay groups...

U.S. Wealthy Distrust Wall Street, Fear Terrorism, Journal Says 2002-06-25 08:45 (New York) New York, June 25 (Bloomberg) -- The richest people in the U.S. distrust Wall Street and are fearful terrorism will affect the economy and securities markets, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a U.S. Trust Survey of Affluent Americans. According to the survey, being released today, 85 percent of respondents believe there should be tighter regulation regarding financial disclosure by publicly traded companies, the Journal said. Also, 73 percent said they don't trust the recommendations of equity analysts, and 66 percent said they don't trust the management...

Bush Throws Gauntlet at Saudis With Middle East Plan 25 June 2002 Summary The Bush administration's new Middle East peace plan will allow the United States to pursue its primary mission: hunting al Qaeda in the Gulf states. However, it will also strengthen Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and widen the split with the Saudis, who will be forced to seek closer ties with Iran and Iraq. Analysis U.S. President George W. Bush threw down the gauntlet June 24, when he outlined the new U.S. plan for peace in the Middle East and specifically set the terms for dealing with the...

FEMA information- 1-800-621-FEMA (3362)... call Wednesday. Home Information for Timberland Estates, Pinedale, Pinedale Estates and Clay Springs residents call(928) 524-4262 Call 8am-5pm for information. Only residents of burned communities- Heber-Overgaard residents should not call. 375,000 acres have burned. 345 houses, businesses and other structures have burned- many of them in Heber-Overgaard. More than 2800 homes/structures saved. 25,000 people evacuated. More than 2300 fire personnel fighting the fire. The fire is 0% contained. RED CROSS 602-336-6681 FIRE INFORMATION 928-537-4536 (Eagar, Arizona-AP) -- President Bush has paid a visit to some of the 30-thousand people forced out of their homes by a...

HOPE YEN, AP Business WriterTuesday, June 25, 2002 ©2002 Associated Press URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/06/25/financial1503EDT0188.DTL (06-25) 13:55 PDT NEW YORK (AP) -- Americans' anxiety about corporate scandals and jobs dragged down consumer confidence to a four-month low in June in a reflection of lingering weakness in the economy. The New York-based Conference Board said its Consumer Confidence Index fell to 106.4 this month from a revised 110.3 in May, the second biggest drop since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Analysts were expecting a reading of 106.0. Sales of previously owned homes also dipped, though the figure for May was still the fourth-highest...

Bush to press for Arafat's ouster at G-8 Janine Zacharia and Lamia Lahoud Jun. 26, 2002 US President George W. Bush plans to try to persuade his allies at the G-8 summit opening in Canada today that they, too, should urge the Palestinians to rid themselves of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and elect new leadership, US officials said yesterday. While European leaders said publicly they would not advocate Arafat's ouster, a senior administration official said nevertheless there was "no doubt" Bush would try to persuade his European allies to do so. "Obviously we would want to have our international...

DAVID ESPO, AP Special CorrespondentTuesday, June 25, 2002 ©2002 Associated Press URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/06/25/financial1836EDT0372.DTL (06-25) 15:37 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Treasury Department put off a planned debt auction on Tuesday and President Bush urged Congress to increase the government's ability to borrow, saying action was essential "as we fight for freedom" against terrorism. Bush's request set off a round of maneuvering between Republican and Democratic leaders of the House, each side looking for advantage before the midterm elections. House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., said his party was eager to help increase the debt ceiling -- if GOP leaders agree...

CNBC: Massive fraud at WorldCom -- Earnings inflated

RAT ATTACK [Or: The Left is self-destructing as we speak...] Note to FR, from summer: I myself have never used the word "RAT" before to describe a Democrat, but today I find there is no other word appropriate to describe the kind of animalistic attack that has now exploded on the left - all because the GOP and Nader got together not long ago. GOP Grover Norquist's weekly meeting -- attended recently by Nader -- was the spark that lit the flame in this firery exchange below, between a certain Dem web site and Nader's campaign manager (who affirmed she...

A man is suing a pub in Australia after slipping on grease allegedly left by a fellow drinker who had taped pork chops to his feet as a joke. Troy Bowron, 25, broke his arm and says he had to give up his job as an upholsterer's apprentice. He is claiming A$750,000 (£280,000) in compensation from the Jannali Inn in southern Sydney and its owner, Kelly Wells, for "permitting the use of pork chops as footwear in circumstances that the defendant knew, or should have known, that such use would have produced a hidden trap".Mr Bowron is also suing the...

The American government has been accused of trying to undermine the International Criminal Court because it wants prosecution immunity for its troops on UN missions in Bosnia and elsewhere. The United Nations Security Council is engaged in intense lobbying and debate, behind the scenes, before the crucial vote on the American move, due in 48 hours. The two resolutions, introduced by Richard Williamson, the US ambassador to the UN for political affairs, want immunity from prosecution for troops on UN-supported and mandated missions. The first one deals specifically with the force in Bosnia and the second with UN operations as...

Australian school boys seeking an under-age drink in pubs made a crucial mistake when they forged proof-of-age documents. The photographs used in their faked driving licences showed the boys wearing school uniforms. The schoolboys from Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, had used a computer and printer to forge the driving licences. These were to be shown as proof that the 16 and 17 year olds were old enough to be drinking in pubs. But the flaw in their plan was uncovered by pub bouncers who spotted that the identity pictures showed them dressed for school. "With the person's photograph on the...

HELL FREEZES OVER                Eason Jordan, CNN’s chief news executive, apologized on behalf of the network yesterday for giving more attention to the statements of a suicide bomber’s family than to the parents of one of his victims.                It looks like the Israeli / right-wing Jewish pressure campaign on the network has already begun to bear immediate fruit. I almost never watch cable news or pundit television because it gives me a migraine, but I was at the gym yesterday and they had the TVs on.  ...

U.S. Expresses Concern About Israel's FutureTue Jun 25, 5:26 PM ETBy Steve HollandWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday expressed concern about the future of Israel unless a Palestinian state is created and stressed that Israel has responsibilities to foster a climate of peace. Photos Reuters Photo Audio/Video (AP) Amid Arab complaining that President Bush ( news - web sites)'s Middle East speech on Monday was tilted toward Israel, U.S. officials made clear that more was expected of Israel than waiting on the Palestinians to choose a replacement for President Yasser Arafat ( news - web sites) and carry...

George Bush was facing his first serious rift with Tony Blair last night after Britain joined the European Union and the United Nations in rejecting American calls for Yasser Arafat to be ousted as leader of the Palestinian authority. In a sharp rebuff to President Bush, Downing Street and Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, said it was up to the Palestinian people to decide their leader. President Bush's speech delighted the Israeli government, but was greeted with anger and despair in the Arab world, bringing protests that the US is trying to dictate to the Palestinians who should be their...

<p>LANSING -- - A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the state can register and track convicted sex offenders as long as it doesn't make that information public.</p> <p>U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts reversed part of her June 3 decision that the registry was unconstitutional. Her new decision allows the Michigan State Police to keep a sex offender registry limited to law enforcement agencies.</p>