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CAMP RED CLOUD, South Korea - The 2nd Infantry Division wants lap dancing banned in Area I nightclubs frequented by U.S. soldiers, according to documents to be presented this week to the Korean Special Tourist Association and local mayors. Club owners and mayors will have 30 days to respond to a proposed association and 2nd ID Good Commerce Practices Guide, which sets out standards expected of clubs near U.S. bases in Area I. Last year lap dancing was explicitly authorized in an attachment to the 2nd ID's 2002-2003 policy. The proposed guide states: "Though lap dancing is authorized under 2nd...

Blair 'to strip Mugabe of knighthood' By Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor 10 December 2003 Tony Blair said yesterday that he would consider tighter sanctions and having Robert Mugabe stripped of his honorary knighthood in an attempt to force "regime change" in Zimbabwe. The Prime Minister admitted that the restrictions on the Harare regime were failing. He said only £500,000 worth of assets had been seized from Mr Mugabe's associates. In a Commons statement, Mr Blair said he would try to use February's EU summit to impose "sharper" sanctions on Zimbabwe. He said he would "certainly look at the issue...

SEATTLE - A small trip of land in the back of a Lake City strip club ignited a firestorm of controversy. A couple of months ago, the Seattle City Council approved rezoning the land so Rick's Nightclub could add eight parking spaces. But on Monday, in a rare move, the council rescinded its own vote and took back the rezoning in what has become one of the most embarrassing controversies at City Hall. "The integrity and reputation of this council has been called into question," said Peter Steinbrueck, Seattle City Council. It turns out that three council members - Judy...

Two roadside bombs were detonated near a vehicle belonging to the US embassy Saturday afternoon south of Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported. Israel Radio reported that an American delegation is traveling in the area ahead of the IDF's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the PA's security takeover. The Radio reported that the bombs were more than likely targeting the American embassy vehicle, since IDF forces and vehicles have not been operating in the area.

Britons arrested trying to enter Gaza Strip The Israeli army has raided the West Bank offices of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement. Soldiers confiscated computers and documents, and arrested an American and an Australian. Earlier in the day, Israeli security forces arrested two British members of the group, who were trying to enter the Gaza Strip. Alice Coy and Nick Durie were taken for questioning at the border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, said the ISM. About 22 army jeeps surrounded the group's offices in the village of Beit Sahour, said George Rishmawi - a Palestinian close to...

A public policy group has issued two new studies warning that one million people currently covered by health insurance might lose all coverage because of the looming state budget deficits. The group is calling on the federal government to intervene and offer fiscal relief to the states. But a critic of the reports calls them a "premature call to action." The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), a left of center public policy organization, issued two separate reports warning that one million people currently covered by federal Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program "will be forced into...

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Scientists Create Crystal Möbius Strip A signature of arts and crafts sessions, the Möbius strip--a seemingly endless ribbon with only one side and one edge that can be made from construction paper and sticky tape--has been given a new look. According to a report published today in the journal Nature, scientists have succeeded in growing crystals in the form of Möbius structures. A piece of ribbon or paper can be twisted and turned easily, so a regular Möbius strip itself is no great feat of engineering. Crystals, in contrast, contain an inherently rigid structure. To manufacture their miniature Möbius strips,...