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Pentagon must improve long-term reserve planning, report says By David McGlinchey dmcglinchey@govexec.com The Defense Department has been making its recent personnel decisions and reservist mobilizations with a short-term focus that could compromise the nation's long-term military goals, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released this week. "Faced with some critical shortages, [Defense] changed a number of its personnel policies to increase force availability," according to the report (GAO-04-1031). "These changes addressed immediate needs and did not take place within a strategic framework that linked human capital goals with [Defense's] organizational goals to fight the global war on terrorism."...

SACRAMENTO - Inland lawmakers acted on hundreds of bills last month, but also found time to raise hefty campaign contributions from donors with a stake in some of the legislation. Lawmakers finished their two-year legislative session in the early hours of Aug. 28, culminating four weeks of lengthy floor sessions and frenetic lobbying. They also collected about $2 million at fund-raisers near the Capitol. The money, mostly given in amounts from $1,000 to $3,200, will be used for legislators' own November races or to help other candidates. But some critics say the end-of-session quest for political cash feeds a perception...

Through several years of drought, Colorado and neighboring states have relied on Lake Powell to deliver water downstream. But as the reservoir's water levels drop, fears of a water war, or of severe shortages, rise.Lake Powell, the desert oasis that has served Colorado as a crucial fail-safe for water deliveries throughout the Southwest during five years of hard drought, is now more than half empty. If the drought persists a year or two more, the 186-mile-long reservoir in Utah and Arizona could be drained dry as early as 2007, federal officials say. That would propel Colorado - and 30 million...

<p>When things were darkest in his presidential campaign, John Kerry turned to his "band of brothers" -- a group of veterans whom he had relied on in Vietnam 30 years ago.</p> <p>"We're a little older, a little grayer, but we still know how to fight for our country," Kerry said Tuesday, claiming his victory in the New Hampshire primary. It came in no small part by highlighting a war-hero history that should serve him well in upcoming campaign tests.</p>

Residents of Nevada Town Concerned Over Unguarded Nuclear Shipments Report by J.J Johnson - Sierra Times.com Pahrump, Nevada - While an upcoming drill by the Office of Homeland Security that includes a mock detonation of a ‘dirty bomb’ in Seattle goes forward, residents of a community 60 miles west of Las Vegas are concerned about unguarded radioactive shipments through their town. Map of Area Photo Mark Day - Sierra Times.com Talk Radio of Pahrump (www.pahrumpradio.com)’s directors first spotted the 4 radioactive shipments leaving Las Vegas heading west on State Rt. 160. Las Vegas has fought hard to prevent shipments...

Reprinted from ScienceDaily Magazine ...Source:             University Hospitals Of Cleveland Date Posted:    Thursday, August 08, 2002Web Address:   http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/08/020807065733.htm New Clinical Trials Explore Treatment To Restore Sexual Desire CLEVELAND -- For millions of women, decreased sexual desire is often an unfortunate consequence of hysterectomy or menopause. Diminished sexual desire can lead to feelings of unhappiness, concern, frustration, and leave a lasting impact on a woman's relationship with her partner. An investigational hormone patch developed by Proctor & Gamble and now in clinical trials may offer hope to post-menopausal women who have experienced a decline in sexual desire. The clinical trials of a thin, nearly-transparent...

<p>What a shame it is that all of the "grave" concerns expressed by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle recently over what the White House knew last summer about future terrorist attacks don't extend to the important congressional role in appropriating the funds to fight the war against terrorism and protect the homeland from future murderous assaults.</p>