Drug enforcement agents raided the Everett headquarters of an advocacy group for medical marijuana patients, confiscating what police documents say was more than 1,000 plants and computers that the owners say contain personal information of about 200 men and women authorized to use the drug for medicinal purposes.
So far, no one has been arrested or charged with a crime.
Fearful of potential repercussions and unsure of the officers' ultimate aim, patients in the CannaCare network of marijuana users have been "laying low," said one, terrified that they may be prosecuted for using a substance authorized by their physicians. "Who knows what they're doing with our information?" said Steve Newman, who has multiple sclerosis and has been associated with CannaCare for two years. "It makes me concerned -- really, really concerned. But we're pretty helpless. Nobody can say much about it."
A detective assigned to the federally funded West Sound Narcotics Enforcement Team, which launched Friday's raid, scoffed at the notion that CannaCare -- run out of the home of medical marijuana advocate Steve Sarich -- was anything other than a drug-dealing enterprise.
Detective Roy Alloway said it was "absurd" to think that the number of plants Sarich was tending would be covered by his medical authorization. "It's clear that Sarich is a guy that's selling drugs," said Alloway, who noted that state law allows no more than a 60-day supply of marijuana for medical use. The amount found in Sarich's home, he said, was "not even close."
#1
"Duude, quick, Bogart the stash! It's The Man, man!"
Posted by: Mike ||
01/19/2007 11:33 Comments ||
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#2
"Director of the Washington ACLU's Marijuana Education Project" Sound like one kewl job! If your a stoner/burnout. I wonder if the "Director" has held any press conferences? I bet he sounds like Tommy Chung.
I wonder if it has unusual handling and how it handles rough seas. I also wonder if a person used to standard boats would need extra training in figuring out how this beast handles differently.
#5
I guessing it's not very scalable at all. Stresses on the struts are proportional to size^4 (weight (LxLxL) x lenght of lever arm) while the ability to handle the stress is proportional to the cross sectional area of the level arm (size^2).
Posted by: ed ||
01/19/2007 13:59 Comments ||
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#6
Looks like windshield wipers on steroids...
Posted by: DanNY ||
01/19/2007 15:08 Comments ||
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#7
A correct exegesis of PROTEUS reveals him to be the Chief God/Lawgiver on THE PLANET OF THE APES.
Lansing, Michigan -- The former Alcona County treasurer has been accused of embezzling more than $1.2 million of the county's money to invest in a Nigerian scam, officials said. Thomas Katona, 56, of Harrisville was arrested and charged with nine counts of embezzling, a 10-year felony, and one count of forgery, a 14-year felony, said the office of Attorney General Mike Cox. "The citizens of Michigan should rest assured that public officials who mishandle public monies will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Cox said in a news release.
Katona was first elected treasurer in 1993, a position he had held for 13 years. County treasury employees learned from local bank officials in 2006 that Katona had directed unauthorized wire transfers to overseas accounts, including beneficiaries closely linked to the "Nigerian advance fee fraud scheme," officials said. A December audit revealed that the county now has a shortage of more than $1.2 million.
#3
I'm getting a bunch of emails these days saying I've won some Euro email lottery (anywhere from half a million to 1 million Euros).
I usually write 'em back saying I'm demanding the money by courier service within 10 days or I'll report 'em to InterPol, the FBI, and other authorities.
hiya prince!
sory in heer the sultan man got ya down. ima never met any sultan before? your ever heer of ricky henderson before? we was used to call him sultan of swat. dire straits ima thinkin is sultan of swing or sumthin to but im never met them. family fites are always trublesum but ifn you pray about it things wurk out. you try prayin on this? jesus heers you prayers. just looker for a kingdom hall near you and theyn show you how. but ifn that dont help ima know a guy who is can help you with you oil refinery. his name in dick chainey. mebbe you herd of him before. as for the cash you can male me a chek and im helper you get yer money again. jus remeber to tithe 10% at the church fer jesus helpin you get the money.
sincerely,
muckford doo
#8
LOL. Ship have you saved all of Muck's memos?
Katona should team up with the Tennessee preacher's widow when they get out of jail. They'd make a great team.
For the 58th straight year, a mysterious visitor left birthday cognac and roses at Edgar Allan Poe's grave Friday, and he was watched by more onlookers than ever, a faithful viewer said... Big deal. Every year since she died in 2000, someone has left an empty 40oz of malt liquor and a used condom on the grave of Barbara Cartland.
NAIROBI - The death toll from an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Kenya has risen to 95 people, a government spokesman said on Thursday. The contagious disease hit remote areas of Kenyas north eastern and coastal provinces in mid-December and has since spread to neighbouring Somalia. The country has recorded nearly 60 new human infections since the end of last week.
The government has already spent 100 million shillings ($1.43 million) to provide medical care for affected areas, and two million heads of cattle have already been vaccinated, Alfred Mutua, the governments spokesman told a news conference.
Health officials at the Kenyan Dadaab refugee camp near the border with Somalia said 29 cases including five deaths had been reported by Thursday. The World Health Organisation has said a dilapidated infrastructure in the areas worst hit would make treatment difficult and feared the disease would spread quickly. A similar outbreak in 1997-1998 killed hundreds of people in Kenya.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Note to self, list Rift Valley Fever as a new contagious disease.
Specifics to follow.
There does not appear to be a sex or specific age group more susceptible to the disease amongst populations closely associated with animals such as the nomadic pastoralists, herders and those milking cattle. Where sheep or goats have become infected, cases are suspected to have originated from ritual slaughter, where raw warm flesh is handled and eaten. Apparent differences in attack rates are usually explicable on such a basis.
An important observation from Egypt and elsewhere is that RVF is a rural and semi rural disease and does not cause problems in heavily populated towns and cities. This was notably the case in Egypt, where cases could be found in peri-urban situations but not urban. There was no evidence for the amplification of RVF virus in the urban situations.
Daniel Pipes and Ken Livingstone will be speakers at 'A World Civilisation or a Clash of Civilisations' - a major conference taking place in London on Saturday 20 January at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. Gavin Esler will chair the opening debate between the Mayor and Daniel Pipes.
The conference will consider whether the much greater interaction of different backgrounds in a globalising world will create more common shared values in an increasingly global civilisation, or whether the alternative thesis is correct that a dynamic towards conflict and war is inevitable, created by the 'clash of civilisations'. It will consider how these issues relate to London as a diverse and multicultural city.
Hosted by the Mayor of London, the conference is being organised so that Londoners from different communities, faiths and political persuasions can come together to debate these views. Speakers will include writers, academics, religious figures and campaigners.
The Mayor said: 'London is the world's most international city and has among the most harmonious relations between its communities in the world. It has benefited greatly from globalisation and based its community relations on classic liberal principles - that you should be able to choose to do whatever you like, provided it does not interfere with other people. This is the policy of multiculturalism.
'An entirely opposite view has been put forward that the world is heading towards a clash of civilisations. If true, this would have huge practical consequences for London, which would have to reverse its liberal policies and prepare for such a clash. There would be serious implications for community relations and London's openness to globalisation.'
Daniel Pipes, who will debate with the Mayor, is Director of the Middle East Forum, an American think tank that advises US policymakers on the Middle East. Pipes has argued that 'there is not so much a clash of civilisations as a clash of civilisation versus barbarism'.
#1
It has benefited greatly from globalisation and based its community relations on classic liberal principles - that you should be able to choose to do whatever you like, provided it does not interfere with other people.
Jeez, Kenny, you mean like blowing up subway trains?
#2
"Does NOT interfere with other people" > ergo ARMED "People's Wars" + ARMED "International-Global Proletariat Revolutions" + UNWILLINGNESS TO COOPER WID LOCAL GOVTS OR EVEN OTHER "LESSOR/
MONGRELIZED/IMPURE SOCIALISTS. Methinks hasn't watched THE VIEW this past week - contempor LEFTISM is about SUBSTITUTION OF ELITES + GETTING YOURS BY ANY MEANS. IOW, THE VIEW > is SSSSHHHHH about INTERFERENCE > becuz means TAKING FROM OTHERS WHAT MAY = MAY NOT BE DESERVED.
President Felipe Calderon signed an accord with businesses on Thursday to curb soaring tortilla prices and protect Mexico's poor from speculative sellers and a surge in the cost of corn driven by the U.S. ethanol industry. The corn tortilla is the basic staple of the Mexican diet and is especially crucial for the poor. The accord limits tortilla prices to 8.50 pesos ($0.78) per kilogram and threatens to use existing laws to achieve prison sentences of up to 10 years for company officials found hoarding corn. Some stores have been selling tortillas for as much as 10 pesos ($0.91) per kilogram.
It also raises quotas for duty-free corn imports to 750,000 metric tons (826,733 U.S. tons), most of which will come from the United States.
The measure is to be reviewed for possible modifications on April 30.
"The unjustifiable price rise of this product threatens the economy of millions of families," Calderon said. "We won't tolerate speculators or monopolists. We will apply the law with firmness and punish those who take advantage of people's need."
The rise in tortilla prices has been one of the first major challenges for the conservative who took office in December, putting him in an uncomfortable position between the interests of business and those of the poor.
Tortilla prices rose by 14 percent in 2006, more than three times the inflation rate, and they have continued to surge in the first weeks of 2007.
The rise is partly due to U.S. ethanol plants gobbling corn supplies and pushing prices as high as $3.40 a bushel, the highest in more than a decade.
But Calderon also blames price gouging by Mexican middlemen who grind corn into flour and sell it to thousands of tortilla sellers across the nation.
"The increases in the international corn market do not justify the tortilla hikes in this country in the last weeks," Calderon said.
Under the accord, corn flour will be limited to 5 pesos ($0.46) per kilogram and corn itself will not exceed 3.5 pesos ($0.32) per kilogram, which is about the current market price.
The agreement was signed by Mexico's major supermarket chains and bakers, including the world's largest tortilla maker, Monterrey, Mexico-based Gruma SA. It was also signed by associations for thousands of independent tortilla sellers.
Calderon did not specify how the prices would be enforced on vendors.
Lawmakers of the Democratic Revolution Party of leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had demanded the president impose price controls. Lopez Obrador, who narrowly loss the July election to Calderon, has seized the opportunity to blame the new government for deepening the misery of the poor. Weirdly enough, the price of torillas in Mexico makes governments rise and fall. Either a sudden spike in price or a major drop in demand could result in civil unrest.
#2
U.S. ethanol plants use 20% of the total corn crop. 25% next year at current trends. Great boon for farmers. Price has risen from a little over $2/bushel Jan. 2006 to $4.
Posted by: ed ||
01/19/2007 14:09 Comments ||
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#6
A boon for farmers, ed, but for people like me feeding livestock the higher price for feed will drive up the price for dead animal flesh at the grocery store. I don't particulary like subsidizing the ethanol industry.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
01/19/2007 16:08 Comments ||
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#7
I prefer harina (wheat) tortillas. Most of the campesinos, though, do indeed prefer the maiz (corn) variety.
#8
We will apply the law with firmness and punish those who take advantage of people's need.
Isn't that precisely the opposite of what Adam Smith would describe as leading to the Wealth of Nations? And this is the more conservative candidate who won the election. And it's all the fault of gringo farmers?
#9
Interesting to note that none of the proposed solutions involved educating the population and reforming the economic and legal systems so that people could make a decent living and afford to buy food at market prices.
#10
Because, DoDo, that would cut against the economic interests of the 40 Families, and no Mexican politician will do that - end of the graft if they do.
#13
Goes to the very soul + identity of the Nation + locals - its akin to telling Frenchies Wine + Escargots, or for Germans Sauerkraut + Sausages, ...etal. cultures is now forbidden. Telling the Frenchies they can't surrender, or the Germans they can't attack - its just not done.
Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a Madrassa as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage? This is the question Sen. Hillary Rodham Clintons camp is asking about Sen. Barack Obama.
If a Republican asked the question, he'd be hounded out of town. If Saint Hillary asks, it's time for a thoughful investigative story.
An investigation of Mr. Obama by political opponents within the Democratic Party has discovered that Mr. Obama was raised as a Muslim by his stepfather in Indonesia. Sources close to the background check, which has not yet been released, said Mr. Obama, 45, spent at least four years in a so-called Madrassa, or Muslim seminary, in Indonesia.
That perks my interest
"He was a Muslim, but he concealed it," the source said. "His opponents within the Democrats hope this will become a major issue in the campaign."
Let the bloodletting begin!
When contacted by Insight, Mr. Obamas press secretary said he would consult with his boss and call back. He did not.
I'll take that as a "Yes"
Sources said the background check, conducted by FBI agents researchers connected to Senator Clinton, disclosed details of Mr. Obama's Muslim past. The sources said the Clinton camp concluded the Illinois Democrat concealed his prior Muslim faith and education. "The background investigation will provide major ammunition to his opponents," the source said. "The idea is to show Obama as deceptive."
#3
Oh, Jeez. If he were EVER a Muslim and he became US president who is also now a Christian, where would that land him, in terms of apostate bounty hunters? Mr. Obama, please be careful and stay safe. Think this run through fully and ask someone besides a Democrat on risks. In our times, there are Abdul Rahmans.
#4
Clintons get out long knives, go after opponents. In other news, dog bites man, sun rises in east, and Francisco Fanco is still dead.
Thing is, I wonder if all those Democrats who are (so the MSM tells us) so giddy with Obamamania! will take offense when their own party's power elite starts cheap-shotting the black guy.
(FWIW, IMNTBHO Obama's ancestry and whether or not he spent any time in a madrassa in Indoneisa is irrelevant to whether on not you should vote for him. I won't, but that's because he's pro-abort and anti-WOT. I do give him credit for being more of an adult than Kos or Hillary! or Reid or Kennedy.)
Posted by: Mike ||
01/19/2007 9:45 Comments ||
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#5
This guy's all flash right now. Can't believe Hillary's jumping on him already. Could be an interesting lil' civil war within the Donk party we're watching unfold, although we all knew it would happen. There's no way he's nominated, even with the current hype if Hillary's still around in 2008!
Posted by: BA ||
01/19/2007 10:19 Comments ||
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#6
I don't care about his ancestry, either, Mike., but I do wonder whether that madrassah experience might lend a "they're only human" slant to his approach to the WoT. His being pro-choice/pro-abortion will only take conservative, pro-family votes away from him-votes he was not destined to have, anyway. Libertarians and middle of the roaders won't be turned away by his stance on abortion. This election will still depend on those folks.
#9
We've watched him from up here in Wisconsin for a few years. He says a lot of "normal" stuff, but his actions put him only VERY slightly more moderate than our own Progressive/Socialist/Communist Senator "Rusty" Feingold (Yeah, call him Rusty. We used to do that in grade school just to make him mad. Appearance is everything to this type of person).
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
01/19/2007 15:58 Comments ||
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Police on Thursday detained the head of a womens separatist group after she raided a cyber cafe to stop what she called immoral activities, a police official said. Asiya Andrabi, wife of a militant leader and chief of the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, was detained along with six other activists when they stormed the cyber cafe in Srinagar. She cant raid cyber cafes, restaurants and hotels and harass men and women. We have detained her, a police spokesman said. During the raid, DM activists questioned boys and girls on what they were doing in the crowded internet cafe and why they were sitting together. Did the boys and girls question the DM activists on why they're so goddamned nosy? Do they get sexual jollies out of bothering strangers?
Posted by: Fred ||
01/19/2007 00:00 ||
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What's a womens separatist group? Is it like the Rosie O'Donnell Brigades?
Posted by: ed ||
01/19/2007 8:25 Comments ||
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#2
Sounds like she's leading the Tailban Women's Auxiliary
Posted by: Steve ||
01/19/2007 10:54 Comments ||
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#3
The Wimminz Mooselimb Temperance Union, headed into a cybercafe near you...with an axe.
SACRAMENTO - The state Legislature is about to weigh in on a question that stirs impassioned debate among moms and dads: Should parents spank their children?
Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Mountain View, wants to outlaw spanking children up to 3 years old. If she succeeds, California would become the first state in the nation to explicitly ban parents from smacking their kids. As go the crazies, so goes the entire asylum, eh?
Making a swat on the behind a misdemeanor might seem a bit much for some ... I'd guess to everyone but Ms. Lieber
... and the chances of the idea becoming law appear slim, at best -- but Lieber begs to differ. ``I think it's pretty hard to argue you need to beat a child 3 years old or younger,'' Lieber said. ``Is it OK to whip a 1-year-old or a six-month-old or a newborn?''
The bill, which is still being drafted, will be written broadly, she added, prohibiting ``any striking of a child, any corporal punishment, smacking, hitting, punching, any of that.'' Lieber said it would be a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail or a fine up to $1,000, although a legal expert advising her on the proposal said first-time offenders likely only would have to attend parenting classes. Listen, I'm all for going after parents who REALLY abuse their kids. But, this is ridiculous. We already have to hand them over to be indoctrinated in Public School. Now we can't even discipline them? No wonder kids are such spoiled rotten brats these days.
But Lieber is optimistic that lawmakers will find her proposal hard to resist. Yeah, if'n you can't resist it, you MUST legislate it!
For the record, she does not have children and says she was not slapped as a child. But she does have a cat named Snoop, which her veterinarian told her never to hit. So, that makes her an "expert" in child discipline, eh? Only in Cali!
``And if you never hit a cat,'' Lieber said, ``you should never hit a kid.'' The mind boggles at that quote and why it's even in this article. Jeebus, Cali's worse off than even I thought.
Posted by: BA ||
01/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
And never, ever, grab a child who is running into traffic. That's assault, or kidnapping, or something foul.
#2
For the record, she does not have children and says she was not slapped as a child. But she does have a cat named Snoop, which her veterinarian told her never to hit.
Crazy Cat Women!
I think there should be limits to spanking a child. If they want to put a law on it, atleast define what's appropriate use, not totally try to ban it all, because a good spanking works.
#4
The problem is, just because there is a lawful question does not necessarily mean there is a legal problem. You should be able to correct a child. If you can't do that, how do you expect him to learn dicipline, or levels of thought associated with bad behavior?
#5
I see her plan. Its not about the children, its about feline abuse. I believe the cat has been talking to her and is using her and this issue to outlaw spanking of kittens. Yes, its clear to me know. My dog warned me about the cats but I didn't believe him until now. Next the cats will be demanding government to supply warm laps for every cat, small rodents to play with and disembowel, catnip, dog reeducation (death) camps. Its just the beginning people. We must resist.
CALIPHORNIA BANS BRAT SPANKING and GALACTIC STORM TROOPERS ala the original STAR WARS TRILOGY BIG BOOBS = "CLINTONIAN WET DREAM"__ Bwahahahahahahahaha COMMUNIST FASCIST AMERICA = SSSSSSHHHHHHHHH iff CaliPHornia telling Janet Jackson her nipples are now registered enemies of the Amerikan state!
#7
Ol' Sally the Crazy Cat Woman needs someone to explain that this kind of crap is already (or should be) covered by child abuse laws currently on the books. And correct me if I'm wrong, but that would be prosecuted as a felony if going by other states' statutes is any guide.
So, is she out to ban spanking, or lessen the penalty for some abuse cases (and yes, spanking or hitting an infant to me is abuse) to a misdemeanor?
Sallys legislative priorities include increasing educational and economic opportunity, improving public health, protecting the environment, and increasing social justice. She is well-known for authoring laws to increase Californias minimum wage, make human trafficking a crime, reduce air pollution, protect vulnerable seniors and protect the rights of the developmentally disabled. Sallys legislation has included a number of bills that were first of their kind in the nation. These bills deal with subjects as diverse as womens healthcare and victims rights.
Sally represents the 22nd District, considered the Heart of Silicon Valley, where she lives with her husband David. They are proud to be active in neighborhood and community activities, enjoy hiking and windsurfing and take seriously their role as pet guardians for a politically astute black-and-white cat.
More Tranzi nonsense from the California State Legislature.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
01/19/2007 10:43 Comments ||
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#12
This is why WE need election district reform in California. If these yahoos had to compete for their jobs they wouldn't even attempt to pass stupid, mindless, and over-reaching laws like this. Spanking kids when they are younger precludes having to put them in jail or prison when they get older. Before you whine my LLL Mo0nb@+ friends I mean spanking not abusing, parent should know the difference. Ask ANY successful person about what happened if they misbehaved and you will get a lesson on corporal punishment. I particularly like the stories comedians use about their childhood. Bill Cosbys first two albums were almost all stories about how he was punished by his Farther and Mother. Anyone watch Everybody hates Chris? How about Eddie Murphys stand-up routine where he demonstrates his mothers ability to launch a shoe from across the room and hit a moving target (him). Do you think Arnold was spanked as a child? How about George Bush? Condi Rice? However I distinctly remember Jihad Johnny Walkers mom proclaiming that she never spanked or punished her son.
Seriously, with all the ballot propositions we have to vote on every election, I'm thinking we could do without the state legislature altogether. They really are worse than worthless.
#14
``I think it's pretty hard to argue you need to beat a child 3 years old or younger,'' Lieber said. ``Is it OK to whip a 1-year-old or a six-month-old or a newborn?''
No, Ms. Lieber, but it's just fine to rip up a fetis with a coat hanger.
#15
Would apply to 3 years and younger. It's a slippery slope.
I agree with this guy that 18 months is reasonable:
Experts in child psychology disagree whether spanking is a legitimate or effective way for parents to discipline their children. Professor Robert Larzelere, who has studied child discipline for 30 years, said his research shows spanking is fine, as long as it's used sparingly and doesn't escalate to abuse.
``If it's used in a limited way,'' the Oklahoma State University professor said, ``it can be more effective than almost any other type of punishment.'' He added that children 18 months old or younger shouldn't be spanked at all, because they can't understand why it's happening.
As for Lieber's proposal, the professor said: ``I think this proposal is not just a step too far, it's a leap too far. At least from a scientific perspective there really isn't any research to support the idea that this would make things better for children.''
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Drug enforcement agents raided the Everett headquarters of an advocacy group for medical marijuana patients, confiscating what police documents say was more than 1,000 plants and computers that the owners say contain personal information of about 200 men and women authorized to use the drug for medicinal purposes.
Lansing, Michigan -- The former Alcona County treasurer has been accused of embezzling more than $1.2 million of the county's money to invest in a Nigerian scam, officials said. Thomas Katona, 56, of Harrisville was arrested and charged with nine counts of embezzling, a 10-year felony, and one count of forgery, a 14-year felony, said the office of Attorney General Mike Cox. "The citizens of Michigan should rest assured that public officials who mishandle public monies will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Cox said in a news release.
NAIROBI - The death toll from an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Kenya has risen to 95 people, a government spokesman said on Thursday. The contagious disease hit remote areas of Kenyas north eastern and coastal provinces in mid-December and has since spread to neighbouring Somalia. The country has recorded nearly 60 new human infections since the end of last week.
SACRAMENTO - The state Legislature is about to weigh in on a question that stirs impassioned debate among moms and dads: Should parents spank their children?
