| Congress Takes Action on Cluster Bombs, Child Soldiers
This law recognizes the need to prevent cluster bombs from being used in civilian-populated areas," said Colby Goodman, who directs the Child Soldiers and Arms Transfers program at the U.S. section of Amnesty International (AIUSA). "Congress has taken an important step to protect innocent lives and to demonstrate respect for international humanitarian law," according to AIUSA. Copyright © 2007 IPS-Inter Press Service. .
We've helped folks worldwide; time to help neighbors
We saw the devastation from recent wildfires in California and shook our heads in sympathy.We saw homes destroyed by rare January tornadoes and were thankful to be spared.Then the rivers started rising in Central Illinois.The people coping with flooding along the Vermilion River and its tributaries aren't from some far off state. They are friends and neighbors; they relatives and co-workers; they are the people who stood in lines with us at stores during the holidays.This area has always been quick to respond to those in need, from victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to victims of Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami/earthquake. Now our help is needed just up the road.People who would like to volunteer can contact Pontiac City Hall at (815) 844-3396. Monetary donations can be made to the American Red Cross of the Heartland, other disaster service agencies or relief funds being established in Pontiac.
'Judicial hellhole' is junk journalism
I note the Dec. 19 publication of Mary Ann Cavazos' story "South Texas called a judicial hellhole for 6th straight year." Most reputable papers have stopped printing this garbage. It is strictly a spin document, released with little or no research, and is designed solely to influence future members of juries to vote for corporate and insurance interests, who fund the publishing of the document. During this year, where the Rio Grande Valley and Texas Gulf Coast earned the second spot of judicial hellholes across the entire country, can you point me to a single eight-figure verdict in Corpus Christi or the Rio Grande Valley? While I spent much of the year in a Senate race, and thus am not completely up to speed on the issue, I can find no one who can point me to a single million-dollar verdict this year in Corpus Christi.
Cher Presents 'Love Sees No Color' Premiere at Los Angeles Fundraiser ...
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Cher, the Oscar(R), Emmy(R) and Grammy(R) Award-winning singer, songwriter, actor, author and humanitarian, and the Cher Charitable Foundation will hold the inaugural west coast benefit of the Foundation on Wednesday, November 28, at 2000 Constellation Avenue, outdoors in the plaza area, between Avenue of the Stars and Century Park East in Century City. The event will include a V.I.P. reception from 6:00-7:00 pm, followed by an elegant dinner and the premiere of the short film "Love Sees No Color." "Love Sees No Color" is an ambitious 12-minute film starring songwriter, recording artist and international peace activist Nassiri. The music in the film is sung by thousands of children in 15 languages in 18 countries, and was filmed by 18 of the world's most talented directors and producers.
Field Fisher Waterhouse receives top rankings for Personal Injury and ...
Law firm, Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP, have received top rankings for its personal injury and clinical negligence work in leading legal directory, Chambers UK 2008. The directory is a clients guide to the UK legal profession. Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP has been ranked in the top tier of Chambers UK 2008, in the categories for Personal Injury, Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury: Industrial Disease. Field Fisher Waterhouse has worked on a number of high-profile personal injury and clinical negligence cases over the last year which is reflected in the rankings. Chambers is internationally regarded, and ranks law firms according to specialist areas. Industrial disease is a new subcategory within the personal injury category featured in Chambers UK 2008.
Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas are teaching the rest of the nation how ...
Never base your music on an identity crisis just ask Chris Gaines. Don't remember Gaines? In one of the greatest missteps in recent music history, Garth Brooks attempted to transfigure himself from paunchy Fortune 500 cowboy to pouty goth-rock singer Chris Gaines, proving that Brooks belongs in Nashville, not the nightclub circuit. Brooks' music, in contrast, is a different story, at least when consummate punk supergroup Me First and the Gimme Gimmes has its way with it. From the Brooks opener "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" to "Desperado" and "Annie's Song," the Gimme Gimmes punkify 12 of your favorite (and most dreaded) country songs on Love Their Country. Fans of the Gimme Gimmes know that the band's punk karaoke/cover song crossbreeding of genres is no identity crisis, and they no doubt know the Gimme Gimme drill: Pick a genre (they've done everything from show tunes to bar mitzvah ditties), cook up blast beat and high gain arrangements à la NOFX, and finish off with plenty of "Yeah!" and "Woo!" A bevy of great songs are skewered on Love Their Country our fave is Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again," which surprisingly opens with the intro to The Misfits' "Astro Zombies." .
Midseason premieres hold over TV fans
Don't let the writers' strike get you down. While anxiously awaiting the Lost season opener or skimming through various marathons on VH1, it might be easy to forget that some shows are just hitting the airwaves. To keep you in the know, here are the synopses of a few midseason TV show premieres and some new seasons of old favorite reality shows as well. 'American Idol' 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays on FOX. Premiered Jan. 16. Plotline: Singers vie for their chance at stardom and a recording contract while enduring the criticism of celebrity judges and the votes of America. Starring: Host Ryan Seacrest, judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. Why it's worth watching: If you've enjoyed past seasons of the show and have watched this season's audition shows, the talent keeps on improving and the worst still makes you cringe.
Patent licencers raising some ire
Chicago lawyer Raymond Niro is used to being a target of criticism for his aggressive enforcement of patents. But one of his critics has gotten under his skin.
An anonymous blogger has written numerous posts about lawsuits that Niro and his firm, Niro Scavone, Haller & Niro, are involved in. The blogger has targeted Niro and other lawyers and their clients that own patents but often don't make any commercial products. Instead the patent holders extract licensing fees from users of its technology and sue them if they decline to pay.
Detractors have characterized the patent-licensing companies and their lawyers as "patent trolls."
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