FLORENCIA, Colombia – ed hardy A Colombian soldier held hostage for more than 12 years was freed by rebels Tuesday
and reunited with his family, ending an ordeal that prompted his father to hike halfway across the country wearing a symbolic chain around his neck to press for his son's
release.
Sgt. Pablo Emilio Moncayo was one of the longest-held hostages of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or the FARC. He was 19 when taken captive during an attack on a
mountain outpost on Dec. 21, 1997.
Moncayo was flown to the city of Florencia on a Brazilian military helicopter that picked him up at an unannounced spot in southern Colombia where the rebels turned him over to
a humanitarian team that included International Red Cross officials and a Colombian senator.
The soldier smiled warmly as he stepped down from the helicopter in camouflage fatigues and extended a hand urging his family to slow down as they excitedly rushed toward him,
then embraced. His mother and father carried white daisies, and his four sisters beamed as they hugged and kissed him.
Moncayo met a 6-year-old sister, Laura, for the first time.
His father, high school teacher Gustavo Moncayo, walked more than 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) across Colombia in 2007 to rally support for his son's release. During the walk,
he wore chains around his neck and wrists like those used at times by the rebels to bind their prisoners. And he continued wearing chains around his wrists since then in
solidarity with his son.
"I heard my father, that he wanted me to take off the chains. So I'm going to do that right now," the soldier said as he pulled the chains over his father's hands.
Moncayo appeared healthy, and he thanked the presidents of Ecuador, Venezuela and Brazil, saying they helped secure his freedom.
The family had been anxiously awaiting Moncayo's release since the FARC first announced last April that it planned to set him free. The event had been delayed while the rebels
and government accused each other of holding up the handover.
The Super Cougar helicopter loaned by ed hardy clothing carried a team including Sen. Piedad Cordoba, Red Cross
officials and a priest. Both the flight's departure and return were delayed by rain.
Moncayo's return came after guerrillas freed another soldier, 23-year-old Pvt. Josue Calvo, on Sunday in their first release of a captive in more than a year.
Cordoba, an opposition senator who has been a go-between in contacting the FARC, has said the guerrillas insist that after Moncayo they will end their unilateral releases and
press the government to negotiate a swap of jailed rebels for remaining captives.
President Alvaro Uribe has called the FARC's unilateral releases publicity stunts and has opposed a prisoner swap unless any guerrillas who are freed agree to abandon the
rebels.
Uribe welcomed Moncayo's release and thanked Brazil, the Red Cross and the Roman Catholic Church for their cooperation.
"Colombia receives those who return from captivity with open arms and rejects the kidnappers with the greatest strength," Uribe said in a statement.
The rebels still hold at least 20 police officers and soldiers, including Libio Jose Martinez, a 33-year-old sergeant who was captured during the same battle as Moncayo — a
raid on a communication post at an elevation of 12,470 feet (3,800 meters) on Patascoy mountain. At least 20 soldiers were captured during the attack but most were freed in
2001.
Before the helicopter flew back with Moncayo, the cheap ed hardy , Frank Pearl, criticized the Caracas-based TV channel Telesur, which is
funded in part by Venezuela's government, for releasing photos and videos of Moncayo with Cordoba.
Pearl said there had been an agreement the handover would be discreet, and "the government rejects that a media outlet like Telesur lends itself to do propaganda for a terrorist
group."
Telesur said in a statement that the footage was not recorded by any of its journalists and had been sent electronically to the channel as well as other media outlets. The
channel called Colombia's reaction "irresponsible."
Uribe, who leaves office in August after two consecutive four-year terms, is hugely popular in Colombia for aggressively fighting the FARC and dealing it crushing blows,
including the 2008 rescue of former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, three U.S. military contractors and 11 other captives.
The leftist FARC, the Western Hemisphere's last remaining major rebel army, has fought for nearly a half-century to topple a succession of governments.
Colombia's armed forces chief says he believes the FARC was behind a bombing in the administrative center of the Pacific port of Buenaventura last week that killed nine people.
Political analyst Leon Valencia, a former leftist guerrilla, said the FARC is trying to focus on its military efforts and has "a lot of interest in finishing with that issue of
kidnapping, which has caused so much pressure" for it.
Cordoba said she has been given the coordinates of a spot where the remains of Maj. Julian Guevara, a soldier who died in captivity in 2006, are to be turned over.
Estimates vary as to how many Colombian hostages remain in captivity.
The National Fund for Personal Freedom says there are discount ed hardy now 77 hostages in the country, including 21 police officers or
soldiers and 27 civilians held by the FARC, said Harlan Henao, the state fund's director. Other hostages are held by common criminals or by a smaller rebel group, the National
Liberation Army.
Some groups disagree, estimating there are more captives. The non-governmental organization Pais Libre says there are at least 136 people held hostage in Colombia.
2010年3月30日星期二
Tornado topples crane at Bahamas port, killing 3
FREEPORT, Bahamas – A tornado touched down during a ed hardy fierce thunderstorm in the Bahamas on Monday and toppled a port crane, killing three people and injuring at least four.
The crane collapsed at the Freeport Container Port on the western side of Grand Bahama, where trees were uprooted and windows blasted out of hotels as at least one tornado cut a destructive path on the island about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Florida.
Two people were inside the crane when it fell and both died, said Capt. Stephen Russell, director of the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency. Russell said a third person was also killed and four were injured at the port, but he had no details.
Witness Glen Marchesani told The Tribune newspaper that the dead and injured were part of a crew of around 10 men doing maintenance work on one of the port's 10 cranes when it came crashing down.
The foundation of the crane was ripped from the ground.buy ed hardy Mangled metal from the toppled crane splashed into the roiling water at the port or came to rest on a rocky embankment.
A government statement said the tornado damaged six of the port's cranes. The Bahamas Information Services said the port will likely be closed for days and is expected to operate at a reduced capacity when it reopens.
Godfrey Smith, director of the Freeport Container Port, declined to release the victims' names, saying company executives were still trying to contact relatives. He said further details about the fatalities would be released following an investigation.
Elsewhere on Grand Bahama, the storm blew out windows, stripped shingles and peeled off a few roofs. Wind-whipped debris hung from trees.
After hitting Grand Bahama, the storm moved toward Abaco island and the capital of Nassau on New Providence. No damage was immediately reported on those islands.
Hurricanes are common in the Bahamas but tornadoes are cheap ed hardy relatively rare. Pat Butler, a forecaster with the Bahamas Meteorology Department, said they occur about once every three years in the island chain.
Damage on Grand Bahama appeared to be greatest in and around Port Lucaya and Freeport, with witnesses reporting many uprooted trees, broken windows and damaged roofs and cars.
Several guests at the Island Seas Resort were taken to the hospital with minor scrapes from debris but none were seriously injured, said Hubert Gibson, the hotel's activity director.
"Everybody's OK. Everybody's in good shape. It just caught us off guard," he said.
Racquell Harvey, who works at the Port Lucaya Marina, said five boats were damaged as they seesawed in their berths while the storm whipped up white-crested waves around noon.
"The tornado just came out of nowhere," Harvey said at the marina's office. "We were thinking it was just a rain storm, then we saw it coming all of a sudden. It was kind of scary."
ed hardy shoes
ed hardy clothing
The crane collapsed at the Freeport Container Port on the western side of Grand Bahama, where trees were uprooted and windows blasted out of hotels as at least one tornado cut a destructive path on the island about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Florida.
Two people were inside the crane when it fell and both died, said Capt. Stephen Russell, director of the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency. Russell said a third person was also killed and four were injured at the port, but he had no details.
Witness Glen Marchesani told The Tribune newspaper that the dead and injured were part of a crew of around 10 men doing maintenance work on one of the port's 10 cranes when it came crashing down.
The foundation of the crane was ripped from the ground.buy ed hardy Mangled metal from the toppled crane splashed into the roiling water at the port or came to rest on a rocky embankment.
A government statement said the tornado damaged six of the port's cranes. The Bahamas Information Services said the port will likely be closed for days and is expected to operate at a reduced capacity when it reopens.
Godfrey Smith, director of the Freeport Container Port, declined to release the victims' names, saying company executives were still trying to contact relatives. He said further details about the fatalities would be released following an investigation.
Elsewhere on Grand Bahama, the storm blew out windows, stripped shingles and peeled off a few roofs. Wind-whipped debris hung from trees.
After hitting Grand Bahama, the storm moved toward Abaco island and the capital of Nassau on New Providence. No damage was immediately reported on those islands.
Hurricanes are common in the Bahamas but tornadoes are cheap ed hardy relatively rare. Pat Butler, a forecaster with the Bahamas Meteorology Department, said they occur about once every three years in the island chain.
Damage on Grand Bahama appeared to be greatest in and around Port Lucaya and Freeport, with witnesses reporting many uprooted trees, broken windows and damaged roofs and cars.
Several guests at the Island Seas Resort were taken to the hospital with minor scrapes from debris but none were seriously injured, said Hubert Gibson, the hotel's activity director.
"Everybody's OK. Everybody's in good shape. It just caught us off guard," he said.
Racquell Harvey, who works at the Port Lucaya Marina, said five boats were damaged as they seesawed in their berths while the storm whipped up white-crested waves around noon.
"The tornado just came out of nowhere," Harvey said at the marina's office. "We were thinking it was just a rain storm, then we saw it coming all of a sudden. It was kind of scary."
ed hardy shoes
ed hardy clothing
2010年3月28日星期日
Lawyer who found documents has long pursued church
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Jeff Anderson has filed thousands of ed hardy clothing lawsuits alleging sex
abuse by priests and won tens of millions of dollars for his clients, but he has had a bigger goal in mind for nearly two decades. He wants to bring his career-long legal
crusade against misconduct in the Roman Catholic Church right to the top.
He would love to question Pope Benedict XVI himself under oath. Though that is extremely unlikely given that the pope is a head of state, documents Anderson has unearthed have
the potential to take a scandal that has plagued dozens of dioceses around the world and place it at the doorstep of Vatican leadership.
The documents, which became publicly known in the past week after Anderson shared them with The New York Times, show that a Vatican office led by the pope, then Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger, halted a church trial against a Wisconsin priest accused of molesting some 200 boys at a school for the deaf.
"This is a tipping point," Anderson said. He found the documents in handling one of the dozens of lawsuits he has pending against various church officials, and hopes to use them
to bolster a separate federal lawsuit against the Vatican itself.
Since 1983, Anderson and the five other attorneys at his downtown St. Paul firm have sued thousands of Catholic priests, bishops, and dioceses over allegations of sexual abuse
by priests and other church leaders. He claims to have no idea how much he has won in settlements; in 2002 he estimated that it was around $60 million.
"It's not about the money," Anderson told The Associated Press ed hardy men accessories .
The self-described "former atheist" who rediscovered faith in God through his recovery from alcoholism professes a deep empathy with abuse victims — he calls them "survivors."
More than a decade after his legal battles with church officials began, Anderson's adult daughter revealed that as an 8-year-old she was molested by a therapist she was seeing
as Anderson and his first wife were going through a divorce. The therapist, Anderson said, was a former Catholic priest.
Anderson, 62, said the pain of that revelation "brought another dimension to the experience." But he said he concluded years earlier that the responsibility for shuffling around
problem priests and covering up their indiscretions would extend to the Vatican.
"I came to the stark realization that the problems were really endemic to the clerical culture, and all the problems we are having in the U.S. led back to Rome," Anderson said.
"And I realized nothing was going to fundamentally change until they did."
The Wisconsin documents tie Benedict, who as cardinal led the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to the decision in the mid-1990s not to defrock the Rev.
Lawrence Murphy despite allegations that the Milwaukee priest molested some 200 deaf boys from 1950 to 1975.
The Vatican is defending that decision, saying the ed hardy belts case reached the Vatican only in 1996, two years
before Murphy died. Church officials also say Murphy had repented in a letter to Ratzinger, and that the case's statute of limitations had run out. They decry criticism over the
case as an effort to smear the pope.
The Milwaukee lawsuit does not name Pope Benedict or other Vatican leaders as defendants, but Anderson hopes to use it to bolster a separate lawsuit filed eight years ago in
U.S. District Court in Oregon.
In that case, an unidentified plaintiff claims he was sexually abused as a teenager in 1965 or 1966 by the Rev. Andrew Ronan at St. Albert's Church in Portland, Ore. According
to court documents, Ronan was accused of abusing boys in the mid-1950s as a priest in the Archdiocese of Armagh, Ireland. He was transferred to Chicago, where he admitted
abusing three boys at St. Philip's High School, and after that was sent to Oregon.
The church removed Ronan from the priesthood in 1966. He died in 1982.
The lawsuit says the Vatican had to approve the international transfer. The Holy See claims it is protected by the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which prohibits U.S.
lawsuits against foreign countries.
Several lower courts have produced differing rulings on the suit, and the Holy See has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to settle the question. The high court has not decided
whether it will hear the case.
Anderson said his legal team will attempt to use documents from the Milwaukee lawsuit to show the Vatican was heavily involved in decisions about how to deal with problem
priests.
Legal scholars have long been skeptical of Anderson's chances of ed hardy jewelry penetrating the Vatican's foreign
sovereignty. He said it may be difficult to persuade judges to consider documents from another lawsuit, but added that he feels "closer than we've ever been before."
"If there's anyone to press this case, it's Jeff," said David Clohessy, national director for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a longtime ally of Anderson. "Jeff
doesn't get sole credit, and he wouldn't claim it, but he was among the very first to see the magnitude of this cover-up and is still among the most dedicated to its undoing."
Jeffrey Lena, the Berkeley, Calif.-based attorney for the Holy See in the Oregon case, declined to comment for this story.
Andrew Eisenzimmer, a lawyer for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, has sparred frequently with Anderson and declined to be interviewed. In earlier interviews with the
AP, he described Anderson as "prone to exaggeration" but also said he's been undeniably successful.
Anderson has always had a flair for the public relations aspect of his work, and a visit to his office the day after the Milwaukee story broke found him fielding interview
requests from numerous media outlets as lawyers and researchers combed through documents on the large, dark wood table in his office.
Anderson was raised Lutheran and his first wedding was in the Catholic Church, though he said his spiritual journey no longer involves church attendance. His office, however, is
full of religiously symbolic art and sculpture, as well as items salvaged from churches — including a kneeler and confessional booths.
Anderson downplays the significance of the Christian objects, pointing out he also displays Buddhist and Native American religious relics.
"I like religious iconography," he said ed hardy scarves .
abuse by priests and won tens of millions of dollars for his clients, but he has had a bigger goal in mind for nearly two decades. He wants to bring his career-long legal
crusade against misconduct in the Roman Catholic Church right to the top.
He would love to question Pope Benedict XVI himself under oath. Though that is extremely unlikely given that the pope is a head of state, documents Anderson has unearthed have
the potential to take a scandal that has plagued dozens of dioceses around the world and place it at the doorstep of Vatican leadership.
The documents, which became publicly known in the past week after Anderson shared them with The New York Times, show that a Vatican office led by the pope, then Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger, halted a church trial against a Wisconsin priest accused of molesting some 200 boys at a school for the deaf.
"This is a tipping point," Anderson said. He found the documents in handling one of the dozens of lawsuits he has pending against various church officials, and hopes to use them
to bolster a separate federal lawsuit against the Vatican itself.
Since 1983, Anderson and the five other attorneys at his downtown St. Paul firm have sued thousands of Catholic priests, bishops, and dioceses over allegations of sexual abuse
by priests and other church leaders. He claims to have no idea how much he has won in settlements; in 2002 he estimated that it was around $60 million.
"It's not about the money," Anderson told The Associated Press ed hardy men accessories .
The self-described "former atheist" who rediscovered faith in God through his recovery from alcoholism professes a deep empathy with abuse victims — he calls them "survivors."
More than a decade after his legal battles with church officials began, Anderson's adult daughter revealed that as an 8-year-old she was molested by a therapist she was seeing
as Anderson and his first wife were going through a divorce. The therapist, Anderson said, was a former Catholic priest.
Anderson, 62, said the pain of that revelation "brought another dimension to the experience." But he said he concluded years earlier that the responsibility for shuffling around
problem priests and covering up their indiscretions would extend to the Vatican.
"I came to the stark realization that the problems were really endemic to the clerical culture, and all the problems we are having in the U.S. led back to Rome," Anderson said.
"And I realized nothing was going to fundamentally change until they did."
The Wisconsin documents tie Benedict, who as cardinal led the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to the decision in the mid-1990s not to defrock the Rev.
Lawrence Murphy despite allegations that the Milwaukee priest molested some 200 deaf boys from 1950 to 1975.
The Vatican is defending that decision, saying the ed hardy belts case reached the Vatican only in 1996, two years
before Murphy died. Church officials also say Murphy had repented in a letter to Ratzinger, and that the case's statute of limitations had run out. They decry criticism over the
case as an effort to smear the pope.
The Milwaukee lawsuit does not name Pope Benedict or other Vatican leaders as defendants, but Anderson hopes to use it to bolster a separate lawsuit filed eight years ago in
U.S. District Court in Oregon.
In that case, an unidentified plaintiff claims he was sexually abused as a teenager in 1965 or 1966 by the Rev. Andrew Ronan at St. Albert's Church in Portland, Ore. According
to court documents, Ronan was accused of abusing boys in the mid-1950s as a priest in the Archdiocese of Armagh, Ireland. He was transferred to Chicago, where he admitted
abusing three boys at St. Philip's High School, and after that was sent to Oregon.
The church removed Ronan from the priesthood in 1966. He died in 1982.
The lawsuit says the Vatican had to approve the international transfer. The Holy See claims it is protected by the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which prohibits U.S.
lawsuits against foreign countries.
Several lower courts have produced differing rulings on the suit, and the Holy See has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to settle the question. The high court has not decided
whether it will hear the case.
Anderson said his legal team will attempt to use documents from the Milwaukee lawsuit to show the Vatican was heavily involved in decisions about how to deal with problem
priests.
Legal scholars have long been skeptical of Anderson's chances of ed hardy jewelry penetrating the Vatican's foreign
sovereignty. He said it may be difficult to persuade judges to consider documents from another lawsuit, but added that he feels "closer than we've ever been before."
"If there's anyone to press this case, it's Jeff," said David Clohessy, national director for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a longtime ally of Anderson. "Jeff
doesn't get sole credit, and he wouldn't claim it, but he was among the very first to see the magnitude of this cover-up and is still among the most dedicated to its undoing."
Jeffrey Lena, the Berkeley, Calif.-based attorney for the Holy See in the Oregon case, declined to comment for this story.
Andrew Eisenzimmer, a lawyer for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, has sparred frequently with Anderson and declined to be interviewed. In earlier interviews with the
AP, he described Anderson as "prone to exaggeration" but also said he's been undeniably successful.
Anderson has always had a flair for the public relations aspect of his work, and a visit to his office the day after the Milwaukee story broke found him fielding interview
requests from numerous media outlets as lawyers and researchers combed through documents on the large, dark wood table in his office.
Anderson was raised Lutheran and his first wedding was in the Catholic Church, though he said his spiritual journey no longer involves church attendance. His office, however, is
full of religiously symbolic art and sculpture, as well as items salvaged from churches — including a kneeler and confessional booths.
Anderson downplays the significance of the Christian objects, pointing out he also displays Buddhist and Native American religious relics.
"I like religious iconography," he said ed hardy scarves .
2010年3月16日星期二
All sides playing hardball on health care bill
WASHINGTON – With time and tempers short, buy ed hardy everyone's playing hardball in the drive to pass — or stop — President Barack Obama's massive health care legislation by the weekend.
Business groups are spending $1 million a day to depict the bill as a job killer in television ads in the home districts of 26 wavering House Democrats. A new ad barrage from supporters of the legislation went up Tuesday in 11 districts, some overlapping. And unions are threatening some of those lawmakers to come through for Obama — or pay the price in the fall elections.
Obama has summoned members to the White House one by one for private, face-to-face persuasion, and also met larger groups. White House aides said he plans at least one more public health care event this week, including remarks in Fairfax, Va., on Friday. Diverse administration resources are being employed: Even the Navy secretary is in the game.
"We here in Congress are giving a new meaning to March madness," Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, an opponent of the legislation, said Tuesday.
At stake is a bill that would cover some 30 million uninsured people,ed hardy clothing end insurance practices such as denying coverage to those with a pre-existing conditions, require almost all Americans to get coverage by law and try to slow the cost of medical care nationwide. The comprehensive legislation could affect nearly every American, from those undergoing annual checkups to people facing major surgery.
Activists on both ends of the political spectrum are energized. Tea party volunteers, who rallied Tuesday in Washington, are planning to flood congressional offices with e-mails opposing the legislation as a step toward socialism. And some on the political left have joined in calling for the bill's defeat because it leaves out a federal insurance option.
The sought-after Democrats — mainly moderates, but also a few liberals — are mostly trying to stay out of sight. They include 37 who voted against the bill last year and a smaller number who are having second thoughts after supporting it the first time. Walking briskly, lawmakers duck in and out of the House chamber during votes, avoiding eye contact with reporters.
Moderate Rep. Mike McMahon, D-N.Y., is feeling the push and pull. Elected with strong labor support two years ago, he voted against the bill in November, pleasing constituents in his Republican-leaning district on Staten Island who saw it as a government power grab.
Last week, McMahon received a visit from Mike Fishman, president of ed hardy caps the Service Employees International Union's local 32BJ. The blunt message: If you can't support health care reform, we can't support you.
The union is threatening to switch its allegiance if he votes against the bill. "Everyone will be looking very, very closely at this vote," Fishman's spokesman, Matthew Nerzig, said with understatement.
At the White House on Tuesday, Obama met with health care executives, including Sister Carol Keehan, head of the Catholic Health Association. In a break with other abortion opponents, the Catholic hospitals are advocating for the bill.
"We think the bill as written now meets the test of no federal funding for abortion," Keehan said in an interview. She's letting anti-abortion Democrats know her position announced over the weekend.
An estimated $200 million has been spent for political advertising on ed hardy shoes health care since the beginning of last year, with groups favoring Obama's overhaul holding a slight edge. In the final stretch, however, opponents have gotten the upper hand and supporters are rushing to catch up.
A coalition of business groups led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce went up with ads last week. The group is now spending an estimated $1 million a day, enough for 25 to 40 television ads, said Evan Tracey, president of Kantar Media-CMAG, which tracks political advertising. The ads frame the health care bill as a drag on the economy, raising taxes and saddling companies with expensive new mandates.
Liberal groups are hoping they won't be too late. Health Care for America Now and several labor unions have announced a $1.7 million ad buy focusing on the districts of 17 undecided Democrats. Their ads portray the health insurance industry as a profit-hungry predator.
"The ads are designed to get people fired up, so that members feel it coming back from their districts," said Tracey. "Members are on notice that they may be voting on this now, but their constituents will be voting on it in November."
House Democratic leaders are still short of the 216 votes ed Hardy Women clothing they need. While broad outlines of the $1 trillion, 10-year measure are well known, critical final details are still being ironed out. Lawmakers are awaiting a cost report from the Congressional Budget Office on compromises worked out with Obama to reconcile versions passed earlier by the House and Senate.
Democratic leaders are considering using a legislative procedure that would allow them to pass fixes to the Senate bill without taking a direct vote on the underlying legislation. The maneuver is a kind of legislative fig leaf to spare House Democrats from directly voting to approve a Senate bill many of them had bitterly criticized. While Republicans also used the tactic when they controlled the House, they are indignant that Democrats would employ it on legislation of such significance.
The crucial group of some three-dozen House Democrats is split roughly into two camps: those who possibly could switch their earlier "yes" votes to "no," sinking the legislation, and those who might switch from "no" to "yes," salvaging it.
Then there's Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, who says he has a dozen lawmakers ready to vote against the bill unless it incorporates a tougher firewall against taxpayer-subsidized abortion coverage, although his numbers seem to be dwindling. Stupak said Tuesday he has received only gentle overtures from the White House so far.
Democratic leaders have assigned House Energy and Commerce ed hardy men accessories Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, a California liberal, to negotiate with Stupak, and the two men talk daily. Stupak said a few of his anti-abortion colleagues have been called by high-ranking administration officials. Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who backed the bill in November but is undecided now, said she has heard from several Cabinet secretaries.
Another one, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, was surprised to hear from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, said Stupak, who declined to identify the lawmaker.
Stupak said the members of his group have politely told administration officials they need to negotiate through him.
Business groups are spending $1 million a day to depict the bill as a job killer in television ads in the home districts of 26 wavering House Democrats. A new ad barrage from supporters of the legislation went up Tuesday in 11 districts, some overlapping. And unions are threatening some of those lawmakers to come through for Obama — or pay the price in the fall elections.
Obama has summoned members to the White House one by one for private, face-to-face persuasion, and also met larger groups. White House aides said he plans at least one more public health care event this week, including remarks in Fairfax, Va., on Friday. Diverse administration resources are being employed: Even the Navy secretary is in the game.
"We here in Congress are giving a new meaning to March madness," Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, an opponent of the legislation, said Tuesday.
At stake is a bill that would cover some 30 million uninsured people,ed hardy clothing end insurance practices such as denying coverage to those with a pre-existing conditions, require almost all Americans to get coverage by law and try to slow the cost of medical care nationwide. The comprehensive legislation could affect nearly every American, from those undergoing annual checkups to people facing major surgery.
Activists on both ends of the political spectrum are energized. Tea party volunteers, who rallied Tuesday in Washington, are planning to flood congressional offices with e-mails opposing the legislation as a step toward socialism. And some on the political left have joined in calling for the bill's defeat because it leaves out a federal insurance option.
The sought-after Democrats — mainly moderates, but also a few liberals — are mostly trying to stay out of sight. They include 37 who voted against the bill last year and a smaller number who are having second thoughts after supporting it the first time. Walking briskly, lawmakers duck in and out of the House chamber during votes, avoiding eye contact with reporters.
Moderate Rep. Mike McMahon, D-N.Y., is feeling the push and pull. Elected with strong labor support two years ago, he voted against the bill in November, pleasing constituents in his Republican-leaning district on Staten Island who saw it as a government power grab.
Last week, McMahon received a visit from Mike Fishman, president of ed hardy caps the Service Employees International Union's local 32BJ. The blunt message: If you can't support health care reform, we can't support you.
The union is threatening to switch its allegiance if he votes against the bill. "Everyone will be looking very, very closely at this vote," Fishman's spokesman, Matthew Nerzig, said with understatement.
At the White House on Tuesday, Obama met with health care executives, including Sister Carol Keehan, head of the Catholic Health Association. In a break with other abortion opponents, the Catholic hospitals are advocating for the bill.
"We think the bill as written now meets the test of no federal funding for abortion," Keehan said in an interview. She's letting anti-abortion Democrats know her position announced over the weekend.
An estimated $200 million has been spent for political advertising on ed hardy shoes health care since the beginning of last year, with groups favoring Obama's overhaul holding a slight edge. In the final stretch, however, opponents have gotten the upper hand and supporters are rushing to catch up.
A coalition of business groups led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce went up with ads last week. The group is now spending an estimated $1 million a day, enough for 25 to 40 television ads, said Evan Tracey, president of Kantar Media-CMAG, which tracks political advertising. The ads frame the health care bill as a drag on the economy, raising taxes and saddling companies with expensive new mandates.
Liberal groups are hoping they won't be too late. Health Care for America Now and several labor unions have announced a $1.7 million ad buy focusing on the districts of 17 undecided Democrats. Their ads portray the health insurance industry as a profit-hungry predator.
"The ads are designed to get people fired up, so that members feel it coming back from their districts," said Tracey. "Members are on notice that they may be voting on this now, but their constituents will be voting on it in November."
House Democratic leaders are still short of the 216 votes ed Hardy Women clothing they need. While broad outlines of the $1 trillion, 10-year measure are well known, critical final details are still being ironed out. Lawmakers are awaiting a cost report from the Congressional Budget Office on compromises worked out with Obama to reconcile versions passed earlier by the House and Senate.
Democratic leaders are considering using a legislative procedure that would allow them to pass fixes to the Senate bill without taking a direct vote on the underlying legislation. The maneuver is a kind of legislative fig leaf to spare House Democrats from directly voting to approve a Senate bill many of them had bitterly criticized. While Republicans also used the tactic when they controlled the House, they are indignant that Democrats would employ it on legislation of such significance.
The crucial group of some three-dozen House Democrats is split roughly into two camps: those who possibly could switch their earlier "yes" votes to "no," sinking the legislation, and those who might switch from "no" to "yes," salvaging it.
Then there's Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, who says he has a dozen lawmakers ready to vote against the bill unless it incorporates a tougher firewall against taxpayer-subsidized abortion coverage, although his numbers seem to be dwindling. Stupak said Tuesday he has received only gentle overtures from the White House so far.
Democratic leaders have assigned House Energy and Commerce ed hardy men accessories Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, a California liberal, to negotiate with Stupak, and the two men talk daily. Stupak said a few of his anti-abortion colleagues have been called by high-ranking administration officials. Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who backed the bill in November but is undecided now, said she has heard from several Cabinet secretaries.
Another one, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, was surprised to hear from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, said Stupak, who declined to identify the lawmaker.
Stupak said the members of his group have politely told administration officials they need to negotiate through him.
2010年3月14日星期日
AP source: Beckham to miss World Cup
MILAN, Italy – David Beckham will miss the World buy ed hardy Cup and most if not all the Los Angeles Galaxy season after tearing his left Achilles' tendon Sunday while playing for AC Milan.
His international career for England is all but over. It remains to be seen how much he'll have left for the Galaxy and Major League Soccer.
"He will miss the World Cup for sure," a person familiar with the injury told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made. The person said it was likely the 34-year-old midfielder will play again.
Beckham was injured without getting hit during AC Milan's 1-0 Italian League win over visiting Chievo Verona.
With only a few minutes remaining and the score 0-0, Beckham was by himself with the ball at his feet, shifted his weight and reached a hand down to his left heel. Beckham then stood up and snapped his wrists like he was breaking a twig in half in a gesture to show the AC Milan bench he knew the tendon was broken.
Visibly in pain and in tears, Beckham went to ed hardy clothing the sideline for medical attention, leaving Milan a man short because all three substitutes had been used.
"He felt the muscle begin to come up, which is a typical symptom when you break an Achilles' tendon," Milan coach Leonardo told Sky. "This is a real blow."
Sky reported that Beckham said, 'It's broken, it's broken," when he came off.
Club physician Jean Pierre Meersseman told Italy's Sky TV that Beckham will fly to Finland, where he will be treated by specialist surgeon Dr. Sakari Orava.
"He'll go to Finland tomorrow and will be operated on probably tomorrow afternoon or Tuesday morning," Meersseman said.
While Beckham has not been a starter for England in recent matches, he was likely to make the World Cup roster as a reserve. Although no longer a top player, he was still useful for his free kicks and crosses, especially when England needed second-half goals.
And for many, he was the most-known soccer player in the world, a fashion icon with a celebrity wife, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham. A 2002 movie was even named after him, "Bend it Like Backham."
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star was ed hardy caps on his second loan stint to AC Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy as he looked to boost his chances of making England coach Fabio Capello's 23-man World Cup roster. With no chance to play in the World Cup, his international career is likely over after 17 goals and 115 appearances, second in English history behind only goalkeeper Peter Shilton's 125 matches from 1970-90.
Beckham was England's captain from November 2000 through the 2006 World Cup. He was due back with the Galaxy after the World Cup.
"He'll probably be out for five or six months," AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani told Sky. "I saw him really suffering. In the changing room I hugged him and told him that if he wants he can join us next year, too."
It was yet another blow for Major League Soccer, already facing the threat of a players' strike ahead of the season opener on March 25. Beckham is the league's highest-paid player with a $32.5 million, five-year contract and its biggest draw.
"We just received the information about David's unfortunate injury," MLS commissioner Don Garber said. "We wish him a speedy recovery."
Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said it was too early to tell exactly how long Beckham will be out. He didn't want to discuss the impact the injury would have on Los Angeles' season. He wouldn't blame the injury on the loan.
"Players get hurt whether they're on loan or not," he said. "Injuries are unfortunately part of the game."
Capello and his England assistant Franco Baldini spoke with ed hardy shoes Beckham on the telephone to offer best wishes, according to British news agency The Press Association.
In April 2002, Beckham broke a bone in his left foot during a European Champions League game against Spain's Deportivo La Coruna. His injury and recovery were front-page news to fixated England fans.
England fell short in the 2002 World Cup and yet again in 2006, still hoping for its first title since 1966.
Beckham returned Sunday to AC Milan's starting lineup after a reserve-appearance in Wednesday's 4-0 Champions League loss at Manchester United, his first match at Old Trafford against his old club since he left after the 2002-03 season. Beckham was treated Sunday for a deep cut to his right cheek following a collision early in the first half.
With the game scoreless, Beckham nearly scored in the 84th, but Chievo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino stopped his close-range effort.
"Beckham came here because he wanted to help Milan return to the top and he was looking to get a jersey for the national team and participate in the World Cup," Milan defender Gianluca Zambrotta said. "If other victories come, there will surely be a dedication for David Beckham."
Sunday's win moved Milan (17-4-7) within one point of ed Hardy Women clothing Serie A leader Inter Milan (17-3-8) with 10 games remaining.
His international career for England is all but over. It remains to be seen how much he'll have left for the Galaxy and Major League Soccer.
"He will miss the World Cup for sure," a person familiar with the injury told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made. The person said it was likely the 34-year-old midfielder will play again.
Beckham was injured without getting hit during AC Milan's 1-0 Italian League win over visiting Chievo Verona.
With only a few minutes remaining and the score 0-0, Beckham was by himself with the ball at his feet, shifted his weight and reached a hand down to his left heel. Beckham then stood up and snapped his wrists like he was breaking a twig in half in a gesture to show the AC Milan bench he knew the tendon was broken.
Visibly in pain and in tears, Beckham went to ed hardy clothing the sideline for medical attention, leaving Milan a man short because all three substitutes had been used.
"He felt the muscle begin to come up, which is a typical symptom when you break an Achilles' tendon," Milan coach Leonardo told Sky. "This is a real blow."
Sky reported that Beckham said, 'It's broken, it's broken," when he came off.
Club physician Jean Pierre Meersseman told Italy's Sky TV that Beckham will fly to Finland, where he will be treated by specialist surgeon Dr. Sakari Orava.
"He'll go to Finland tomorrow and will be operated on probably tomorrow afternoon or Tuesday morning," Meersseman said.
While Beckham has not been a starter for England in recent matches, he was likely to make the World Cup roster as a reserve. Although no longer a top player, he was still useful for his free kicks and crosses, especially when England needed second-half goals.
And for many, he was the most-known soccer player in the world, a fashion icon with a celebrity wife, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham. A 2002 movie was even named after him, "Bend it Like Backham."
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star was ed hardy caps on his second loan stint to AC Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy as he looked to boost his chances of making England coach Fabio Capello's 23-man World Cup roster. With no chance to play in the World Cup, his international career is likely over after 17 goals and 115 appearances, second in English history behind only goalkeeper Peter Shilton's 125 matches from 1970-90.
Beckham was England's captain from November 2000 through the 2006 World Cup. He was due back with the Galaxy after the World Cup.
"He'll probably be out for five or six months," AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani told Sky. "I saw him really suffering. In the changing room I hugged him and told him that if he wants he can join us next year, too."
It was yet another blow for Major League Soccer, already facing the threat of a players' strike ahead of the season opener on March 25. Beckham is the league's highest-paid player with a $32.5 million, five-year contract and its biggest draw.
"We just received the information about David's unfortunate injury," MLS commissioner Don Garber said. "We wish him a speedy recovery."
Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said it was too early to tell exactly how long Beckham will be out. He didn't want to discuss the impact the injury would have on Los Angeles' season. He wouldn't blame the injury on the loan.
"Players get hurt whether they're on loan or not," he said. "Injuries are unfortunately part of the game."
Capello and his England assistant Franco Baldini spoke with ed hardy shoes Beckham on the telephone to offer best wishes, according to British news agency The Press Association.
In April 2002, Beckham broke a bone in his left foot during a European Champions League game against Spain's Deportivo La Coruna. His injury and recovery were front-page news to fixated England fans.
England fell short in the 2002 World Cup and yet again in 2006, still hoping for its first title since 1966.
Beckham returned Sunday to AC Milan's starting lineup after a reserve-appearance in Wednesday's 4-0 Champions League loss at Manchester United, his first match at Old Trafford against his old club since he left after the 2002-03 season. Beckham was treated Sunday for a deep cut to his right cheek following a collision early in the first half.
With the game scoreless, Beckham nearly scored in the 84th, but Chievo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino stopped his close-range effort.
"Beckham came here because he wanted to help Milan return to the top and he was looking to get a jersey for the national team and participate in the World Cup," Milan defender Gianluca Zambrotta said. "If other victories come, there will surely be a dedication for David Beckham."
Sunday's win moved Milan (17-4-7) within one point of ed Hardy Women clothing Serie A leader Inter Milan (17-3-8) with 10 games remaining.
2010年3月3日星期三
Obama takes charge, demands vote on health care
WASHINGTON – The end game at hand, President Barack Obama took buy ed hardy command Wednesday of one final attempt by
Democrats to enact bitterly contested health care legislation, calling for an "up or down vote" within weeks under rules denying Republicans the ability to kill the bill with
mere talk.
Appearing before a White House audience of invited guests, many of them wearing white medical coats, Obama firmly rejected calls from Republicans to draft new legislation from
scratch. "I don't see how another year of negotiations would help. Moreover, the insurance companies aren't starting over," the president said, referring to a recent round of
announced premium increases affecting millions who purchase individual coverage.
While Obama said he wanted action within a few weeks, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., seemed to hint a final outcome could take far longer. "We remain committed to
this effort and we'll use every option available to deliver meaningful reform this year," he said.
The results will affect nearly every American, mandating major changes in the ways they receive and pay for health care or leaving in place current systems that leave tens of
millions with no coverage and many others dissatisfied with what they do get. With Republicans united in opposition, there is no certainty about the outcome in Congress — or
even that Democrats will go along with changes Obama urged on Wednesday in what he described as a bipartisan gesture.
With polls showing voters unhappy and Democrats worried about this fall's elections, Obama also sought to cast the coming showdown in terms larger than health care, which is an
enormously ambitious undertaking in its own right. "At stake right now is not just our ability to solve this problem, but our ability to solve any problem," he said.
Republicans dug in for another struggle on Kevin Garnett an issue that they agreed would echo into the fall
campaign.
The Senate GOP leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said a decision by Democrats to invoke rules that bar filibusters would be "met with outrage" by the public. "This is really
not an argument between Democrats and Republicans. It's an argument between Democrats and the American people," he said.
At its core, the legislation under discussion still is largely along the lines Obama has long sought and GOP critics attack as a government takeover of health care. It would
extend coverage care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans while cracking down on insurance company practices such as denying policies on the basis of a pre-existing
medical conditions.
A new "insurance exchange" would be created in which private companies could sell policies to consumers under terms fixed by the federal government. Much of the cost of the
legislation, nearly $1 trillion over a decade, would be financed by cuts in future Medicare payments to hospitals and other providers and higher payroll taxes on individuals
earning more than $200,000 and couples over $250,000.
The president's appearance marked a presumably final pivot point in a long, uphill effort by Obama and other Democrats to enact far-reaching changes to the health care system —
and with his own administration at an important crossroads. Eager to turn attention to efforts to stimulate the economy and create jobs, the president is seeking a victory on
health care that can also give him a boost on other priority legislation.
At the same time, a defeat could damage Obama's Lebron James ability to help fellow Democrats heading into the
fall campaign. Failure on health care could well lead to a shake-up of the president's White House team, which has received criticism recently from Democratic lawmakers.
After nearly a year of struggle, the House and Senate passed separate bills late last year, and appeared on course for approving a final compromise version early in 2010. But
those efforts were abruptly abandoned when Republicans unexpectedly won a special election in Massachusetts. Sen. Scott Brown's victory gave the GOP an ability they had lacked,
the strength to sustain a filibuster, a form of opposition that requires supporters of a bill to post 60 Senate votes in order to cut off debate and force a final decision.
Democrats went into something of a political fetal position, and have begun to stir in recent days only as Obama asserted his determination with a bipartisan summit followed by
a revised set of proposals.
Obama said the use of rules that deny the minority the right to a filibuster had been used numerous times in recent years, including on passage of welfare reform legislation in
the 1990s and twice when President George W. Bush pushed tax cuts to passage. Health care "deserves the same kind of up or down vote" as those earlier measures, he said.
Under the rather complicated approach under discussion, the House would be asked to approve the bill that passed the Senate late last year, despite objections by many members of
the rank and file to several provisions. Simultaneously, both houses would also vote for a companion measure whose purpose would be to make changes in the first bill sought by
either House Democrats or the White House.
Obama said he was exploring GOP proposals for Kobe Bryant cracking down on fraudulent medical charges, revamping
ways to resolve malpractice disputes, boosting doctors' Medicaid reimbursements and offering tax incentives to curb unnecessary patient visits to doctors.
The ideas include an experiment that would establish special courts in which judges with medical expertise would decide malpractice allegations. The idea has been criticized by
the Center for Justice & Democracy, a consumer group that prefers the current system of awarding damages. It said health courts would be "anti-patient."
The White House and Democratic leaders said they hoped that Obama's maneuvering would at least win the votes of wavering conservative and moderates in their own party, even if
it didn't entice Republicans.
But there was no guarantee of success, despite Obama's vow to do everything in his power to succeed — and a White House announcement that he would travel to Pennsylvania and
Missouri next week to campaign for the legislation.
Democrats to enact bitterly contested health care legislation, calling for an "up or down vote" within weeks under rules denying Republicans the ability to kill the bill with
mere talk.
Appearing before a White House audience of invited guests, many of them wearing white medical coats, Obama firmly rejected calls from Republicans to draft new legislation from
scratch. "I don't see how another year of negotiations would help. Moreover, the insurance companies aren't starting over," the president said, referring to a recent round of
announced premium increases affecting millions who purchase individual coverage.
While Obama said he wanted action within a few weeks, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., seemed to hint a final outcome could take far longer. "We remain committed to
this effort and we'll use every option available to deliver meaningful reform this year," he said.
The results will affect nearly every American, mandating major changes in the ways they receive and pay for health care or leaving in place current systems that leave tens of
millions with no coverage and many others dissatisfied with what they do get. With Republicans united in opposition, there is no certainty about the outcome in Congress — or
even that Democrats will go along with changes Obama urged on Wednesday in what he described as a bipartisan gesture.
With polls showing voters unhappy and Democrats worried about this fall's elections, Obama also sought to cast the coming showdown in terms larger than health care, which is an
enormously ambitious undertaking in its own right. "At stake right now is not just our ability to solve this problem, but our ability to solve any problem," he said.
Republicans dug in for another struggle on Kevin Garnett an issue that they agreed would echo into the fall
campaign.
The Senate GOP leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said a decision by Democrats to invoke rules that bar filibusters would be "met with outrage" by the public. "This is really
not an argument between Democrats and Republicans. It's an argument between Democrats and the American people," he said.
At its core, the legislation under discussion still is largely along the lines Obama has long sought and GOP critics attack as a government takeover of health care. It would
extend coverage care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans while cracking down on insurance company practices such as denying policies on the basis of a pre-existing
medical conditions.
A new "insurance exchange" would be created in which private companies could sell policies to consumers under terms fixed by the federal government. Much of the cost of the
legislation, nearly $1 trillion over a decade, would be financed by cuts in future Medicare payments to hospitals and other providers and higher payroll taxes on individuals
earning more than $200,000 and couples over $250,000.
The president's appearance marked a presumably final pivot point in a long, uphill effort by Obama and other Democrats to enact far-reaching changes to the health care system —
and with his own administration at an important crossroads. Eager to turn attention to efforts to stimulate the economy and create jobs, the president is seeking a victory on
health care that can also give him a boost on other priority legislation.
At the same time, a defeat could damage Obama's Lebron James ability to help fellow Democrats heading into the
fall campaign. Failure on health care could well lead to a shake-up of the president's White House team, which has received criticism recently from Democratic lawmakers.
After nearly a year of struggle, the House and Senate passed separate bills late last year, and appeared on course for approving a final compromise version early in 2010. But
those efforts were abruptly abandoned when Republicans unexpectedly won a special election in Massachusetts. Sen. Scott Brown's victory gave the GOP an ability they had lacked,
the strength to sustain a filibuster, a form of opposition that requires supporters of a bill to post 60 Senate votes in order to cut off debate and force a final decision.
Democrats went into something of a political fetal position, and have begun to stir in recent days only as Obama asserted his determination with a bipartisan summit followed by
a revised set of proposals.
Obama said the use of rules that deny the minority the right to a filibuster had been used numerous times in recent years, including on passage of welfare reform legislation in
the 1990s and twice when President George W. Bush pushed tax cuts to passage. Health care "deserves the same kind of up or down vote" as those earlier measures, he said.
Under the rather complicated approach under discussion, the House would be asked to approve the bill that passed the Senate late last year, despite objections by many members of
the rank and file to several provisions. Simultaneously, both houses would also vote for a companion measure whose purpose would be to make changes in the first bill sought by
either House Democrats or the White House.
Obama said he was exploring GOP proposals for Kobe Bryant cracking down on fraudulent medical charges, revamping
ways to resolve malpractice disputes, boosting doctors' Medicaid reimbursements and offering tax incentives to curb unnecessary patient visits to doctors.
The ideas include an experiment that would establish special courts in which judges with medical expertise would decide malpractice allegations. The idea has been criticized by
the Center for Justice & Democracy, a consumer group that prefers the current system of awarding damages. It said health courts would be "anti-patient."
The White House and Democratic leaders said they hoped that Obama's maneuvering would at least win the votes of wavering conservative and moderates in their own party, even if
it didn't entice Republicans.
But there was no guarantee of success, despite Obama's vow to do everything in his power to succeed — and a White House announcement that he would travel to Pennsylvania and
Missouri next week to campaign for the legislation.
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