| In Africa, Bush wants AIDS plan renewed
But Bush seemed surprised that Obama's name would come up during this victory-lap journey that is celebrating some of his only foreign policies that make him popular."It seemed like there was a lot of excitement for me, wait a minute. Maybe you missed it," he joked during a news conference, speculating that a question about Obama was put to Kikwete instead of him because it was well known that "I wouldn't answer."Kikwete appeared to get the hint, declining at Bush's side even to discuss the prospect of a man with African roots becoming president of the United States."I don't think I can venture into that territory, either," Kikwete said. "The U.S. is going to get a new president, whoever that one is. For us, the most important thing is, let him be as good friend of Africa as President Bush has been." Bush's term ends next January.The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, has raised the number of Africans on anti-retroviral treatments from 50,000 to 1.2 million.Democrats want to strip requirements that one-third of the money go to abstinence-until-marriage programs and that some groups sign anti-prostitution pledges.Some Democrats also say that Bush's request for $30 billion over the next five years, twice his original commitment of $15 billion, is too little, and would merely continue the program at the current year's ramped-up levels.
ABC denies 'Jihad Sheilas' were duped
FOR as long as ABC journalists Mary Ann Jolley and Renata Gombac have been working on Jihad Sheilas, tension has been mounting within the corridors of the national broadcaster. Another ABC journalist, investigative reporter Sally Neighbour, had been working on securing the story of Australian women and radical Islam for the program she was working for, Four Corners. But it was Jolley and Gombac who persuaded Raisah bint Alan Douglas and Rabiah Hutchinson to be interviewed on camera. Jolley works for Foreign Correspondent and Gombac for the ABC's stand-alone investigative unit, which produces stories for programs across the news and current affairs division. They spent about six months working on this project, with a senior producer, Deb Masters, brought in at a later stage as executive producer.
Jefferson Twp. dog-sledders go distance to win
Now 21, Chris Murarik is leading six Alaskan Huskies on slick snow, competing against some of the best dog sled racers in the nation. Last week, he finished fourth at the New York Championship Race in Inlet, N.Y., after taking first place at the Tug Hill Challenge in Lorraine, N.Y. two weeks ago. "It's a thrill and a challenge in one," he said. "Every race is a new adventure with different twists and turns, out on fresh snow, out by yourself. You feel free." Murarik is a sprint racer, where dogs run at 20 mph for about six miles, compared to distance racers such as those in the Iditarod race taking place this week in Alaska, where those mushers travel an average of 6 mph along more than 1,150 miles. "The dogs have to trust you," Murarik said. "You have to get them working as one, and you're only as fast as your weakest dog.
EATS: Coastline brings island flavors to Coast
The spicy scent of the islands wafts from the little, one-time burger shack that has taken on a remodeling and a new life as Coastline Caribbean Restaurant. Travelers to Jamaica who learned to love jerk chicken, curried goat, fried plantain, oxtail, escoveitched fish, island-style beef patties and curried shrimp will welcome this new taste to the Coast. Those who never stepped on the islands but savor the world's different tastes just got another option. "Jamaican food is cultural food," said Mark Christie, whose name belies his Jamaican chef background. "It's all in the special spices." Christie is testing new dishes weekly to learn what customers prefer. The eatery on Hewes Avenue, just off Pass Road, opened only three weeks ago but already has a steady stream of customers, most preferring take-out because the place is small.
Hospital hurting for funds
People do not make this kind of money and the medical profession needs to realize this I know their work is valuable and their time is precious like most of us but you cannot get blood out of a turnip. I am affraid this whole country is going to have to down size and lower cost of goods and services because the public can no longer afford it. Insurance has cut out so much in claims and what they will not pay for many things, it too is a joke and highly unreliable. It all boils down to economics and unfortunately we are all suffering and until someone gets some common sense to do some good for this country and make some drastic changes this will not get any better. In the mean time there is little we can do. .
Mesa centers will offer retail, office, living
Together, the proposed Red Mountain Commons, Val Vista Retail Center and another unnamed center will bring to market nearly 800,000 square feet of space, roughly the size of a regional mall. At 427,000 square feet, Val Vista Retail Center, planned at the southeast corner of Val Vista Drive and Thomas Road is by far the largest of the three developments. Plans call for an undetermined anchor store, such as a JC Penny or Target. "We're out there right now combing the earth for potential anchors at this point," said Charles Carlise, president of Phoenix-based De Rito Partners Development, which is buying the property. De Rito is also planning several smaller "junior" anchors, ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 square feet, and smaller, infill retail stores.
iMovie '08 Library Compressor 1.2
Like it or not, iMovie '08 is the future of iMovie. And, truth be told, I actually like it. Not in comparison to iMovie HD, but as an easy-to-use movie-making program, iMovie '08 is actually pretty good. One useful feature of iMovie '08 is that, like iPhoto, it keeps a library of all your DV clips handy and available, regardless of which project you're currently editing, so you have to import each clip only once to make it available to any project. The downside of this approach is that your iMovie Events folder, which contains all your imported DV footage, can quickly grow to ginormous proportions—DV files are big . One solution to this dilemma is Nik Friedman's iMovie '08 Library Compressor 1.2 ( ; free). This AppleScript-based utility uses the H.264 codec to compress the DV files in your iMovie Events folder; since iMovie '08 supports H.264 video, you can still use these smaller files in your projects.
Mike Sweeney says he's signed with A's
Maybe this team can be sneaky-competitive this season if the cards fall the right way. Here's why. The team is now set up to platoon at three different positions this year. (Third base, right field and DH. And kind of at catcher, too, if Bowen mostly starts against righties.) Chavez, Ryan Sweeney (man there are a lot of duplicate names on this team right now) and Cust will all post significantly better numbers if they're not exposed to lefties too often, while Murphy, Brown and Mike Sweeney (sounds like Candace Bergen's law firm) are all good against lefty pitching. If the starting rotation comes together fast enough, I actually think the A's could steal a weak AL West. USS Mariner ran a sim last week which showed Oakland as (get this) the favorites in the division, although it didn't account for injury.
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