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from Examiner.com
[Information from this site may not be vetted.]
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from Mother Nature Network
These nutritional powerhouses can flourish in your yard or in containers.
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from PBS (& affiliates)
U.S. Gun Policy: Global Comparisons
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from The Spokesman-Review
NRA calls for armed police officer in every school
Some gun laws get support
But far-reaching steps not favored in new polls
David Lauter McClatchy-Tribune
Texas town lets its teachers pack concealed guns
Permit, board OK, training required
Boehner can’t get ‘Plan B’ backing
House vote canceled; fiscal cliff still looms
Boehner: Wait for panel’s ideas
Economy growth in 3Q ticks up
But fiscal cliff puts sustainability at risk
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In brief: From Wire Reports:
Washington – The House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a $633 billion defense bill for next year despite Pentagon complaints that it spares outdated but politically popular weapons at the expense of the military’s ability to fight.
The vote was 315-107 and sent the legislation to the Senate, where leaders hoped to wrap up the measure. The White House had threatened a veto of earlier versions of the bill, and spokesman Jay Carney said Thursday that the threat still stands.
The far-reaching policy bill that covers the cost of ships, aircraft, weapons and military personnel would authorize $528 billion for the Defense Department’s base budget, $17 billion for defense and nuclear programs in the Energy Department and $88.5 billion for the war in Afghanistan.
The bill is $1.7 billion more than Obama requested.
In a speech this week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta criticized the pressure on the Pentagon to keep weapons that it doesn’t want. “Aircraft, ships, tanks, bases, even those that have outlived their usefulness, have a natural political constituency. Readiness does not,” Panetta said.
Afghan’s warring parties meet for talks in Paris
Kabul, Afghanistan – Members of Afghanistan’s warring sides gathered near Paris on Thursday to begin informal talks about the country’s future as U.S. and NATO forces pull out.
It was the first time that senior figures in the Taliban and Hezb-i-Islami insurgent groups were to meet with Afghan government officials and members of the former Northern Alliance, which fought the Taliban for years.
Organizers of the two-day gathering, which is being hosted by a French think tank, hope it will generate helpful discussions but have said there will not be negotiations for a peace deal.
International efforts to bring the Taliban and other opponents of the Afghan government to the bargaining table are intensifying amid fears that the country could slide into civil war after the departure of most foreign troops by the end of 2014. U.S. and Afghan officials have been negotiating conditions for the presence of American forces to train, advise and assist after combat troops withdraw.
Polio vaccine dispensed under police guard
Lahore, Pakistan – Under police guard, thousands of health workers pressed on with a polio immunization program Thursday after nine were killed elsewhere in Pakistan by suspected militants who oppose the vaccination campaign.
Immunizations were halted in some parts of Pakistan and the U.N. suspended its field participation everywhere until better security was arranged for its workers. The violence risks reversing recent progress fighting polio in Pakistan, one of three countries in the world where the disease is endemic.
The Taliban have denied responsibility for the shootings. Militants have accused health workers of acting as spies for the U.S., alleging the vaccine is intended to make Muslim children sterile.
There were a few attacks on polio workers in July, but the current level of violence is unprecedented. A polio worker died Thursday after being shot in the head in the northwestern city of Peshawar a day earlier, said health official Janbaz Afridi.
His death raised to nine the number of Pakistanis working on the campaign who have been killed this week. Six of the workers gunned down were women, three of whom were teenagers. Two other workers were critically wounded. All the attacks occurred in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the southern city of Karachi.
Despite the threat, local officials in the eastern city of Lahore continued the vaccination drive Thursday under police escort.
GOP needs to change, McKenna says
YAKIMA – Attorney General Rob McKenna plans to join a private law firm after he leaves office in January and said it’s too early to say whether he might make another run for governor.
McKenna told the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board on Wednesday that he plans to remain engaged in politics. He said the national Republican Party has to change in order to remain relevant – such as rebranding to appeal to more minorities, women and young voters – and needs to replicate the data work done by President Barack Obama’s campaign in order to identify and mobilize voters.
“The Republican Party better figure out how to be consistently competitive,” he said. McKenna said he plans to volunteer for a GOP presidential candidate who is willing to lead the rebranding, mentioning potential hopefuls like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
Mortgage rates up
WASHINGTON – Average rates on U.S. fixed mortgages rose this week but remained near record lows, a trend that is leading more Americans to buy homes or refinance their loans.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on a 30-year loan increased to 3.37 percent from 3.32 percent last week. That’s just above the 3.31 percent rate of a month ago, the lowest on records dating to 1971.
The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage dipped to 2.65 percent from 2.66 percent last week. The record low is 2.63 percent.
The average fee for 30-year loans was 0.7 point, unchanged from last week. The fee for 15-year loans ticked up from 0.6 point to 0.7 point.
The average rate on a five-year adjustable-rate mortgage edged up to 2.71 percent from 2.70 percent last week. The fee also moved up to 0.7 point from 0.6 point.
The average rate on a one-year adjustable-rate mortgage declined to 2.52 percent from 2.53 percent. The fee for one-year adjustable-rate loans also ticked down to 0.4 point from 0.5 point.
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U.N. OKs military action in Mali
WSU researcher trying to get to root of Christmas tree rot
Spirit of Title IX took root at St. George’s as equality debate raged
Court finds Legislature slow on ed funding
Justices expect better results by end of session
VA Medical Center to be renamed
War heroes Mann, Grandstaff honored
Chicago likely location for new headquarters
U.S. home sales surge to three-year high
Momentum ‘likely to continue’
U.S. too slow on the draw
Amy Goodman
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from The Wenatchee World
Light quake near Waterville
WATERVILLE — A tremor measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale shook the Waterville Plateau Wednesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Service. The mild quake originated six miles north of Waterville at 2 p.m., and was felt by residents as far away as Orondo, Chelan and Coulee City.
The vibration was rated as “weak” to “light,” on the USGS measure, and caused no damage.
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Japanese dolls returned to owner 70 years after internment camps separate schoolgirls
Stephen Magagnini The Sacramento Bee
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