Free Republic

Qwest Asks Workers To Take Unpaid Leave Qwest Communications International Inc. has asked employees to take unpaid leave as the No. 4 U.S. local telephone company tries to cut costs and pare its $26 billion debt load. Qwest, which has about 57,000 workers, said the voluntary program would run from July 1 through the end of September. No employees will be forced to take unpaid leave and the company had no total savings target for the program, Qwest spokesman Tyler Gronbach said. The program, which grew from an idea submitted through an employee suggestion box, is open to management and...

Forced out of Afghanistan, troops close to al-Qa'eda are regrouping in northern Kashmir, reports Philip Smucker in Tarshing. A jeep negotiates a gorge deep in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. Across its bonnet is a banner proclaiming the arrival of a leader from an organisation on the US government's list of terrorist groups.He and his warriors have come to fight in what is fast becoming "for some in the Islamic world" one of the holiest of guerrilla wars, the fight for the liberation of Indian-controlled Kashmir.Members of Harakat ul Majahedeen, which has long had ties to Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'eda network, suffered heavy...

<p>A novel plan to widen a notorious bottleneck in the state's electric grid is marching forward in Washington despite warnings in California that the work may not be needed.</p> <p>Path 15, a 90-mile stretch of the grid where three high-voltage lines dwindle to two, was linked to rolling blackouts last year that struck Northern California but spared the southern part.</p>

Hightened Alert Terror Alert Color Code May Increase During July Fourth Week June 28 — Government officials will discuss boosting the national color-coded terror alert from yellow to the more critical orange during next week's Fourth of July holiday festivities, law enforcement sources told ABCNEWS. The current Homeland Security Color Advisory Code of yellow indicates that federal authorities believe there is a serious, increased and predictable threat of terrorist activity. Orange indicates that a terrorist threat is more critical and may be likely to be carried out. Under orange, armed forces and law enforcement agencies coordinate various security measures as...

MIDI - CABARET George won't look forward to what is in store…no, it won't bring him glee They're putting something you know where…his Daschleoscopy Barney Frank says he is eager to help…he would do it for free They're putting something you know where…his Daschleoscopy Does that name fit?…oh, quite a bit 'Cause from a fascist to a commie…all who look there think of Tommy We're poking fun but for Tom it's deserved…on that we can all agree They're putting something you know where…his Daschleoscopy Does that name fit?…oh, quite a bit 'Cause from a fascist to a commie…all who...

IV. THE GRACE OF GOD In reference to Divine Grace, I believe, 1. It is a gratuitous affection by which God is kindly affected towards a miserable sinner, and according to which he, in the first place, gives his Son, "that whosoever believers in him might have eternal life," and, afterwards, he justifies him in Christ Jesus and for his sake, and adopts him into the right of sons, unto salvation. 2. It is an infusion (both into the human understanding and into the will and affections,) of all those gifts of the Holy Spirit which appertain to the regeneration...

<p>The desert winds swept over the sands and out to the sea. Waters churned and the ships, loaded with wine from the ancient city of Tyre, tumbled in the storm.</p> <p>Swamped, the Tanit and Elissa foundered around 800 B.C., coming to rest upright some 1,300 feet under the Mediterranean, too deep for recovery.</p>

AT least 50 beleaguered Zimbabwean commercial farmers have applied for land leases to the Mozambican government after they were ordered to cease operations or face imprisonment in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Independent has established. Reports from Mozambique say 50 farmers have submitted requests for land leases since President Robert Mugabe's controversial land reforms took a turn for the worst with a May 10 amendment to the Land Acquisition Act. The amendment stipulates that a farmer should stop farming 45 days after being served with a notice of acquisition and subsequently vacate the property at the end of another 45 days. Zimbabwean...

<p>The need to raise the limit on the national debt is an indelible reminder that President Bush's economic policies aren't working.</p> <p>The government is plunging deeper into debt while the stock market falls, corporate scandals mushroom and the economy seems to be in a state of limbo.</p>

Friday, June 28, 2002 ©2002 Associated Press URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/06/28/national2011EDT0852.DTL (06-28) 17:18 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) -- Amtrak and Bush administration officials closed a deal late Friday to help Amtrak get the $200 million it needs to keep passenger trains running through September. The deal helps Amtrak avert the first systemwide shutdown in its 31- year history, which had been threatened to begin next week. The Transportation Department will give Amtrak an immediate $100 million loan, then will join with Amtrak in asking Congress to provide the remainder. "Our goal was to ensure uninterrupted service for the over 750,000 Americans who rely...

I have mixed feelings about this week's landmark court decision striking down EU regulations on the curvature of fruit and veg. As a rule, I like my cucumbers straight and my bananas curved. I'm cool on EU regulation 1677/88 (if memory serves) requiring Class One cukes to curve less than 10mm every 10cm. But on bananas I'm a bender. The notorious EU regulation 2257/94 stating that bananas must be "free of abnormal curvature" and should be at least 5.5 inches long makes no sense, unless it was drafted by Paula Jones while still in shock.But, frankly, I had no idea...

Beckley Man Sentenced 1 to 15 Years Forty five year old Dennis Wayne Alexander was charged with the murder of Vickie Lawson of Beckley. He was accused of giving his victim a fatal dose of prescription pills. Friday Judge John Hutchinson said Alexander had been given the best rehabilitation West Virginia had to offer, and each time he was released the prognosis was poor. With that he sentenced Alexander to 1-15 years for controlled substance plus one year for manslaughter. Alexander is in Southern Regional Jail. He could face a chance for parole with a few years.

<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper have bought a $2.3 million home in Belle Meade, an affluent town of 3,000 bordering Nashville.</p> <p>The white frame, colonial-style home sits on a little over two acres filled with magnolia trees. The deed was signed June 17, records show.</p>

RMKS/WHEN OUR FOUNDING FATHERS SIGNED THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE ON JULY 4TH, 1776, THEY MUTUALLY PLEDGED THEIR LIVES, FORTUNES, AND SACRED HONOR TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE WORLD. DURING THE COURSE OF THE 7-YEAR WAR THAT FOLLOWED, 9 OF THE SIGNERS DIED OF WOUNDS OR HARDSHIPS, 17 LOST EVERYTHING THAT THEY OWNED, AND 5 WERE IMPRISONED OR CAPTURED. THEY RISKED ALL THEY HAD, SACRIFICING EVERYTHING FOR FREEDOM -- THEY ALL KEPT THEIR SACRED HONOR. (PARA) TODAY OUR COUNTRY IS AT WAR -- A VERY DIFFERENT AND NON- TRADITIONAL WAR AGAINST A VERY DANGEROUS AND ELUSIVE ENEMY. THIS ENEMY THREATENS...

ALBANY -- Six priests from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany were permanently removed from the ministry on Thursday because they each had at least one confirmed incident of sexually abusing a child, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard announced today. BENTLEY BERTOLUCCI MANCUSO PRATT ROSCH NOTE: All file photos; none available for Edward Leroux. Hubbard said in each case the abuse occurred more than 15 years ago. The move brings the Albany diocese into compliance with the nationwide policy adopted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on June 16, calling for the removal of any priest who had ever sexually...

Former Police Chief Guilty of Rape Email story to a friend Cambridge, New York - June 27, 2002 A former police chief faces up to 50-years in prison for raping a young girl. A jury found Thomas Levandowski, 47, of Hoosick Falls guilty on 54 charges Thursday. Levandowski was police chief in the village of Cambridge, New York which is on the Vermont border. He resigned several years ago. Levandowski was convicted of sexually abusing the girl for four-years, including while he was chief. He will be sentenced in August.

NEW YORK, JUNE 27, 2002 (Zenit.org).- In the wake of the clerical sex abuse scandals, a group of psychiatrists from the Pewaukee, Wisconsin-based Catholic Medical Association sent an open letter to the U.S. bishops. Here is the first part of the letter, slightly adapted. The second part of this letter appears Friday. * * * Psychiatrists Letter to the Catholic Bishops Your Excellencies: As a Catholic psychiatrist and psychologist who have treated a significant number of priests from various dioceses and religious communities over the past 25 years for same-sex attraction (SSA or homosexuality) and for pedophilia and ephebophilia (homosexual...

Special Dispatch Series - No. 389 June 13, 2002 No.389 Saudi Ambassador to London: 'I Want Peace with Israel; I Long to Die as a Martyr; Stoning and Amputating Hands Are at the Core of Every Muslim's Belief' Huda Al-Husseini, a correspondent for the Saudi owned London Arabic daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, conducted an extensive interview with Saudi Ambassador to London Ghazi Al-Qusaibi.[1] The following are excerpts from the interview:[2]I Had to Take a Stand on Suicide Bombers Answering a question about a poem he had written in praise of female suicide bomber Ayat Al-Akhras that sparked a media reaction...

Vouchers Okayed... but not in Vermont Email story to a friend Washington, DC - June 27, 2002 Vermonters for school choice are praising today's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. The nation's highest court ruled 5-4 in a Cleveland case that such vouchers are legal. The court basically says that providing money to parents who even send their kids to parochial schools does NOT violate the doctrine of separation of church and state. However, the group called Vermonters for Better Education, which supports school choice, pointed out that this ruling does not affect Vermont. Executive Director Libby Sternberg said the...

Join dozens of tax revolt organizations and fellow Freepers this Saturday, 11:30 a.m. on the North steps of the Capitol. If you plan to attend, stick this number in your pocket: 916-799-4247  That cellphone will be at the table and there will be a two-way radio there to reach others. We just need to check in with rally organizers as to where we might set up. There are going to be some great organizations represented here and we should network, network NETWORK!!  BREAKING NEWS: Mr. Grover Norquist President Americans for Tax Reform from Washington DC will be featured tomorrow. In...