____________
____________
________
from Popular Science
from The Spokesman-ReviewA tax both sides agree on
White House, GOP favor reduction in corporate tax rate
Gunman: Killing is ‘what I like’
Body found in burned house believed to be sister
_____
In brief: From Wire Reports:
Benedict delivers Christmas message
Vatican City – Pope Benedict XVI wished Christmas peace to the world Tuesday, decrying the slaughter of the “defenseless” in Syria, urging Israelis and Palestinians to find the courage to negotiate and encouraging China’s new leaders to allow more religious freedom.
Delivering the Vatican’s traditional Christmas day message from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Benedict also encouraged Arab Spring nations, especially Egypt, to build just and respectful societies.
As the 85-year-old pontiff, bundled up in an ermine-trimmed red cape, gingerly stepped foot on the balcony, the pilgrims, tourists and Romans below backing St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers.
Less than 12 hours earlier, Benedict had led a two-hour-long Christmas Eve ceremony in the basilica. He sounded hoarse and looked weary as he read his Christmas message and then holiday greetings in 65 languages.
Iran planning naval maneuvers
Tehran, Iran – Iran is planning naval maneuvers in international waters near strategic Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes, the official IRNA news agency reported Tuesday.
The report quoted Iran’s navy chief, Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, as saying the maneuvers will begin Friday from the Strait of Hormuz to the northern part of Indian Ocean.
Iran in the past has threatened to close the strait over Western sanctions aimed at its suspect nuclear program but has not repeated the threat lately.
Bay Area nurses go on strike Christmas Eve
SAN FRANCISCO – Thousands of nurses at nine San Francisco Bay Area hospitals walked off the job on the morning of Christmas Eve – a day a hospital spokeswoman described as a time when “only the sickest of the sick are in the hospital.”
Registered nurses and technicians at seven hospitals operated by Sutter Health and at two San Jose hospitals affiliated with the Hospital Corporation of America went on a one-day strike at 7 a.m. Monday, said hospital officials and representatives with the California Nurses Association.
The strike – the eighth by the union since September 2011 – comes as both sides remain at odds in a lingering dispute over health benefits, staffing levels and other issues.
As in the previous strikes, both sides traded barbs, disagreeing over the need for a strike, the number of nurses who refused to show up for work and the quality of care the replacement nurses would provide.
Hospital officials also criticized the union for calling the strike on Christmas Eve.
“We are deeply disappointed the union is taking nurses away from the bedside, particularly during the holiday season, when only are sickest patients are with us,” said Carolyn Kemp, a spokeswoman for Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, one of the Sutter facilities hit by the strike.
Union spokeswoman Joanne Jung said the union called the strike because of the hospital’s demands to eliminate health benefits for nurses who work fewer than 30 hours a week, disagreements over sick pay and other issues.
Iran media report new cyberattack
TEHRAN, Iran – An Iranian semi-official news agency said there has been another cyberattack by the sophisticated computer worm Stuxnet, this time on the industries in the country’s south.
Tuesday’s report by ISNA quotes provincial civil defense chief Ali Akbar Akhavan as saying the virus targeted a power plant and some other industries in Hormozgan province in recent months.
Akhavan said Iranian computer experts were able to “successfully stop” the worm.
Iran has repeatedly claimed defusing cyber worms and malware, including Stuxnet and Flame viruses that targeted the vital oil sector, which provides 80 percent of the country’s foreign revenue.
Tehran has said both worms are part of a secret U.S.-Israeli program that seeks to destabilize Iran’s nuclear program.
The West suspects Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program, a charge Tehran denies.
_____
Egyptian constitution officially approved
Economic crunch looms for country
Syrian rebels make gains in north
Auto Vue drive-in closing next year
East Side’s last outdoor theater opened in 1953
Call centers still humming along
Region popular because accent is neutral; jobs offer stable employment, benefits
Judge merges suits over Wyoming wolf control
Obama heading back to Washington early
Holiday sales growth weakest since 2008
Many retailers do 40 percent of business during eight weeks
Many adults admit playing hooky
Survey finds almost half say they’ve lied about being sick
Gun reforms imperative
TrudyRubin Philadelphia Inquirer
This does not necessarily reflect the views of Cousin Sam.
BCS shakedown
Traditional hosts face new competion for title game
Ray dishes on her go-to meal
Aglio e olio is quick, simple and delicious
________
from The Wenatchee World
 |
| Chelan Falls orchard around 1913 |
_____
UW’s free online classes have a world market
New rules introduced for tracking livestock
Yakima Herald-Republic
Steinburg ‘blessed’ by new jobs after hardware closure
Waiting for some good news about ‘downtrodden’ Hispanics
Esther Cepeda Washington Post Writers Group
Waiting for some good news about ‘downtrodden’ Hispanics
Esther Cepeda Washington Post Writers Group
________
No comments:
Post a Comment