https://freerepublic.com/tag/by:sixmil/ en-us Thu, 21 Apr 2005 04:41:48 GMT Focus Forum 15 https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1387930/posts Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tried out her rusty Russian in a Moscow radio interview Wednesday, only to get caught out by a question on whether she might run for president. ADVERTISEMENT "Da (Yes)," Rice answered in Russian, before realizing her misunderstanding and hastily adding "Nyet" (No) -- seven times.Rice's interview on Ekho Moskvy radio turned into a linguistic ordeal when the Soviet expert and former provost of Stanford university fielded a schoolgirl listener's question on how she achieved her career success."It's too complicated to answer!" Rice, in Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin, started out in English. "It is... REUTERS https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1387930/posts#comment Thu, 21 Apr 2005 04:41:48 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1333196/posts <p>WASHINGTON — Emboldened by their success at the polls, the Bush administration and Republican leaders in Congress believe they have a new opportunity to move the nation away from the system of employer-provided health insurance that has covered most working Americans for the last half-century.</p> LA Times https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1333196/posts#comment Tue, 1 Feb 2005 04:45:52 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1247138/posts Along with security issues like war and terrorism, the economy and health care were near the top of the list of the nation's most important problems in an AP-Ipsos poll. In a poll by CBS News in October 2000, the most important problems were Social Security (news - web sites), education and health care. National defense and the military were at 2 percent. National security issues were picked by 55 percent of Americans as the most important problems facing the nation, according to the poll taken in early October — up from 43 percent who named national security issues in... AP https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1247138/posts#comment Sat, 16 Oct 2004 16:52:58 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1167284/posts WASHINGTON - It used to be only Superman who could see through concrete walls, but an exhibit at the National Building Museum shows mere mortals can do it too. AP Photo   Called "Liquid Stone," the show features variations of translucent concrete, a newfangled version of the old construction standby that offers a combination of aesthetics and practicality. AP https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1167284/posts#comment Thu, 8 Jul 2004 02:33:47 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1163456/posts Prices for medicines most used by older Americans rose steadily after the Bush administration enacted the new Medicare law late last year, the nation's largest group representing the elderly said on Wednesday. Reuters Photo   AARP, formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, said brand-name drug prices have climbed 3.4 percent -- or three times the rate of inflation -- since December. The jump was one of the sharpest quarterly spikes since 2000, the report said. The findings follow another AARP report this year that showed prices for drugs used most by the elderly grew 6.9 percent in... Reuters https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1163456/posts#comment Thu, 1 Jul 2004 02:48:10 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1163437/posts ... A crowd of mostly Hispanics gathered at two corners near the motel, holding large Mexican flags and chanting, "Let them go!" At one point the crowd of about 30 people blocked the street as three large vans pulled up to take away the immigrants. One person threw a rock at police and struck a squad car. About a dozen officers lined up shoulder to shoulder and cleared the street as the vans departed. An official from the Mexican Consulate office spoke to some of the immigrants to advise them of their rights to an attorney before they were taken... Associated Press https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1163437/posts#comment Thu, 1 Jul 2004 02:19:06 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1160664/posts Recent U.S. Border Patrol arrests of undocumented immigrants in San Bernardino County this month did not follow procedures of the Department of Homeland Security, eight congressmen learned Friday. As a result, the department is reviewing the operations of the newly formed Mobile Patrol Group at the border patrol station in Temecula, which has arrested more than 420 people in interior operations this month, said Suzanne Luber, a spokeswoman for the department. Such operations in the future will be reviewed and authorized by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection headquarters in Washington, D.C., Luber said. In a private meeting, Asa Hutchinson,... San Bernardino County Sun https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1160664/posts#comment Sat, 26 Jun 2004 14:26:01 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1133871/posts With pictures of the sadistic sexual abuse of Iraqis in Abu Ghraib prison still spilling out onto the front pages, it is not too early to draw some conclusions. The neoconservative hour is over. All the blather about "empire," our "unipolar moment," "Pax Americana" and "benevolent global hegemony" will be quietly put on a shelf and forgotten as infantile prattle. America is not going to fight a five- or 10-year war in Iraq. Nor will we be launching any new invasions soon. The retreat of American empire, begun at Fallujah, is underway. With a $500 billion deficit, we do not... WorldNetDaily https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1133871/posts#comment Wed, 12 May 2004 06:36:49 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1131810/posts SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Intel Corp. (Nasdaq:INTC - news) said on Friday it has scrapped the development of two new computer chips in order to rush to the marketplace a more efficient chip technology more than a year ahead of schedule. AP Photo Related Quotes AMDINTCDJIANASDAQ^SPC 14.9126.4710117.341917.961098.70 +0.54+0.49-123.92-19.78-15.29 delayed 20 mins - disclaimerQuote Data provided by Reuters   Analysts said the move showed how eager the world's largest chip maker was to cut back on the heat its chips generate. Intel's method of cranking up chip speed was beginning to require expensive and noisy cooling systems for computers. The chips being... Reuters https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1131810/posts#comment Sat, 8 May 2004 08:41:04 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1127684/posts NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Friday as worries that the Federal Reserve will start laying the groundwork for higher interest rates when it meets next week offset positive earnings from big companies like Procter & Gamble Co. (PG). Five sessions of losses left the Nasdaq with its biggest weekly fall for two years. The Dow Jones industrial average (DJI) closed down 46.70 points, or 0.45 percent, at 10,225.57. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (SPX) dropped 6.65 points, or 0.60 percent, to 1,107.24. The technology-focused Nasdaq Composite Index (IXIC) fell 38.63 points, or 1.97 percent, at 1,920.15.... Reuters https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1127684/posts#comment Sat, 1 May 2004 01:59:21 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1124403/posts The poison arrives in an ice cream truck, "Happy Birthday to You" crackling from a single speaker wired to the roof. On this street in Anaheim, the neighborhood kids drop their bikes and balls and make a beeline for their mothers to beg for money. OC Register https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1124403/posts#comment Mon, 26 Apr 2004 03:06:15 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1117128/posts While Linux (news - web sites) advocates look to desktop software to challenge Microsoft's desktop championship, a new top-ranked contender is coming from a direction that's both unexpected and obvious: Google. • More On Storage • More On Security & Privacy • More On Servers • More On Small Biz • More On Mobile & Wireless • More On Networking Google Photo A Menu of Upgrades Amp up your PC without breaking the bank. Plus, the latest hard drives and RAM Demystified.   But first, Google needs to overcome privacy concerns, as proposed terms of service for its upcoming... TechWeb https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1117128/posts#comment Wed, 14 Apr 2004 01:41:40 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1116488/posts These guys sound like content license nazis, so here is just a link to the article. The Hollywood Reporter.com https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1116488/posts#comment Tue, 13 Apr 2004 03:07:36 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1114197/posts BusinessInfosys reverses outsourcing trend Bangalore, April 8. (AP): Infosys Technologies, which has risen to become the country's second-largest software maker thanks largely to outsourced work from the West, plans to reverse that trend by investing US$20 million to create nearly 500 consulting jobs in the United States. The company has set up a subsidiary in Fremont, California to provide business consulting to American corporations. The new company, Infosys Consulting, has begun ``aggressive hiring in America,'' Infosys chief executive officer Nandan Nilekani told reporters Thursday. ``As we are looking to expand our global footprint, we are creating local employment in the... The Hindu https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1114197/posts#comment Fri, 9 Apr 2004 05:38:25 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1110738/posts WASHINGTON (AP) - President George W. Bush's administration cited 55 countries Thursday, including Canada, in its annual review of countries it alleges have the worst trade barriers faced by U.S. exporters. The report, which also named three trading groups, is intended to guide administration negotiating strategy in the coming year in attacking alleged barriers that are causing the greatest harm to U.S. companies. If direct talks with a country do not produce results, then the administration can bring a case against the country before international regulators with the World Trade Organization. The United States is running record trade deficits, with... AP https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1110738/posts#comment Sat, 3 Apr 2004 18:40:16 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1104128/posts Every two months or so, the financial markets fix their attention on the Fed's Open Market Committee meeting, eager for any hint about the bank's next move.And since June, the Fed, aside from a few clues in its post-meeting statements, hasn't budged.The Fed's aggressive rate cuts from 2001-2003 to a 45-year low of 1% have helped revive economic growth, but hiring remains tepid. So if the recovery starts to falter, how much ammunition does the Fed really have left in its monetary arsenal? Some say not much. Sherry Cooper, chief economist for Toronto-based BMO Nesbitt Burns, said the Fed has... Investor's Business Daily https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1104128/posts#comment Wed, 24 Mar 2004 05:08:05 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1097176/posts <p>The government's longtime chief analyst of Medicare costs said yesterday that Bush administration officials threatened to fire him last year if he disclosed to Congress that he believed the prescription drug legislation favored by the White House would prove far more expensive than lawmakers had been told.</p> washingtonpost.com https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1097176/posts#comment Sun, 14 Mar 2004 00:48:44 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1094647/posts WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. trade deficit widened to a record $43.1 billion in January, as rising oil prices helped keep imports near historic highs and exports retreated despite the weaker dollar, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT The monthly trade gap was larger than the mid-point analyst estimate of $42.1 billion. Average prices for imported oil leapt to $28.55 per barrel in January, the highest since March 2003. Jon Lonski, chief economist at Moody's Investors Service (News - Websites) in New York, said the widening trade gap was "consistent with other signs of an economy that appears to... Reuters https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1094647/posts#comment Wed, 10 Mar 2004 15:00:13 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1087368/posts By Dick Satran NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street's secret weapon last year was a declining dollar, which provided extra firepower to nudge corporate earnings higher when a shaky recovery was just getting under way. Related Quotes DJIANASDAQ^SPC 10583.922029.821144.94 +3.78-2.75+0.03 delayed 20 mins - disclaimerQuote Data provided by Reuters   Officially, Washington always supports a strong dollar. The dirty little secret, though, is that U.S. policy makers love to see it drop like it did last year, since this bolsters exports and boosts corporate profits -- both of which help American stocks. But now that the currency is rising in value,... Reuters https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1087368/posts#comment Sat, 28 Feb 2004 16:49:25 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1084915/posts TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Modern-day slavery is alive and well in Florida, the head of a human rights center said Tuesday as it released a report on people forced to work as prostitutes, farmworkers and maids across the state. Human traffickers bring thousands of people into the United States each year and Florida is believed to be one of the top three destinations, along with New York and Texas, according to the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights at Florida State University. Newsday.com https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1084915/posts#comment Wed, 25 Feb 2004 04:39:17 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1068703/posts Immigration: For those who think that illegal aliens are a good deal because they will work for such low wages, consider this figure — $9 billion.That rather large sum is Rep. Dana Rohrabacher's low-end estimate of how much is spent each year on health care for illegal immigrants, not by themselves but by others. So while illegal alien labor might be cheap for businesses that employ undocumented workers, it isn't, as Rohrabacher points out, for taxpayers.Rohrabacher arrives at the $9 billion figure by multiplying $21 billion, the amount of uncompensated health care services provided last year by the American Hospital... INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1068703/posts#comment Sat, 31 Jan 2004 02:03:23 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1067175/posts Companies that send jobs overseas could kiss their state contracts goodbye if two Colorado lawmakers have their way. Democratic state Sens. Deanna Hanna of Lakewood and Terry Phillips of Louisville said too many companies are moving jobs out of state or overseas, hurting the state economy. Hanna said she was shocked when workers for EDS, a Texas-based company that has a contract for computers for the state human services programs, recently told lawmakers it was sending technical support jobs to workers in India and Pakistan. Hanna said her measure (Senate Bill 170) would require companies to keep workers assigned to... AP / Denver Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1067175/posts#comment Thu, 29 Jan 2004 01:26:28 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1060080/posts NEW YORK (Reuters) - IBM will hire 15,000 new employees -- 50 percent more than originally planned -- in areas like software and services because of a rebound in the economy, a top executive said on Saturday. Armonk, New York-based International Business Machines Corp (NYSE:IBM - news)., which has faced criticism for its plans to shift some U.S. workers to cheaper locations such as India and China, will add about 4,500 net jobs in the United States this year, according to Randy MacDonald, IBM's senior vice president for human resources. "We are going to hire more in the U.S. than... Reuters https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1060080/posts#comment Sun, 18 Jan 2004 02:10:31 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1043917/posts Immigration: For someone who thinks of himself as a straight-shooter, President Bush sure gets mealy-mouthed when the subject turns to illegal immigration. Take his news conference early last week. It was devoted mainly to the capture of Saddam Hussein. But one reporter asked for a clarification of his position on illegal immigration in the wake of comments the week before by Tom Ridge, head of the Homeland Security Department.Ridge told a town hall meeting in Florida that most illegal immigrants in the U.S. are not a threat to national security and should be given "some kind of legal status." Ridge... INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1043917/posts#comment Sat, 20 Dec 2003 07:26:43 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1040489/posts NEW YORK (Reuters) - International Business Machines Corp., the world's largest computer company, will move the work of as many of 4,730 U.S. software programers to India, China and elsewhere, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. ADVERTISEMENT The unannounced plan, which the newspaper said it viewed in company documents, would replace thousands of workers at IBM facilities in Southbury, Connecticut, Poughkeepsie in New York, Raleigh, North Carolina, Dallas, Boulder in Colorado, and elsewhere in the United States. The Wall Street Journal said that about 947 people will be notified during the first half of 2004 that their work... Reuters https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1040489/posts#comment Mon, 15 Dec 2003 06:24:37 GMT