Archives for March 2012

More Colo. wildfire evacuees wait to return home

CONIFER, Colo. (AP) — Residents of about 180 homes who fled a wildfire southwest of Denver earlier this week were waiting Friday to hear when they could return while other families were welcoming the chance to go back to their neighborhood. Coe Meyer viewed his burned home for the first time Thursday, three days after […]

The ruins of a home destroyed by a wildfire are pictured near Conifer, Colo., on Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Two people died in the wildfire that started Monday afternoon. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

CONIFER, Colo. (AP) — Residents of about 180 homes who fled a wildfire southwest of Denver earlier this week were waiting Friday to hear when they could return while other families were welcoming the chance to go back to their neighborhood. Coe Meyer viewed his burned home for the first time Thursday, three days after high winds apparently

Canada hikes retirement age to 67 in fed budget

TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s Conservative government said Thursday that it is raising the retirement age to 67 from 65 for pension benefits as the finance minister introduced a federal budget features the biggest cutbacks since the mid-1990s. Jim Flaherty presented a budget that sees cuts of a total of $5.2 billion in annual federal spending, […]

March 30, 2011: Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff attends the Secure Retirement Option announcement in Vancouver, BC. Canada's conservative government has implemented what amounts to a drastic shift in legislation surrounding retirement age, which was an issue long championed by Ignatieff and other Liberal politicians. (Photo by Dave Chan)

TORONTO (AP) — Canada's Conservative government said Thursday that it is raising the retirement age to 67 from 65 for pension benefits as the finance minister introduced a federal budget features the biggest cutbacks since the mid-1990s. Jim Flaherty presented a budget that sees cuts of a total of $5.2 billion in annual federal spending,

Afghan policeman kills 9 sleeping fellow officers

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan policeman shot to death nine of his fellow officers as they slept in a village in an eastern Taliban stronghold on Friday, police said, blaming the attack on the insurgents. The gunman opened fire with his assault rifle after waking up at 3 a.m. ostensibly to take over guard […]

Afghan security forces are seen after Taliban militants opened fire on delegation of senior Afghan officials in Panjwai, Kandahar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, March. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Allauddin Khan)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan policeman shot to death nine of his fellow officers as they slept in a village in an eastern Taliban stronghold on Friday, police said, blaming the attack on the insurgents. The gunman opened fire with his assault rifle after waking up at 3 a.m. ostensibly to take over guard duty at a small command post in

US consumer spending up 0.8 pct., but income lags

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers boosted their spending in February by the most in seven months. But Americans’ income barely grew, and the saving rate fell to its lowest point in more than two years. The Commerce Department said Friday that consumer spending rose 0.8 percent last month. Income grew 0.2 percent, matching January’s weak […]

FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2012 file photo, Laurie Hanson looks over clothing at the Adorn clothing store in Montpelier, Vt. U.S. consumers boosted their spending in February by the most in seven months. But Americans' income barely grew, and the saving rate fell to its lowest point in more than two years, according to the Commerce Department, Friday, March 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers boosted their spending in February by the most in seven months. But Americans' income barely grew, and the saving rate fell to its lowest point in more than two years. The Commerce Department said Friday that consumer spending rose 0.8 percent last month. Income grew 0.2 percent, matching January's weak increase.

Clinton, Saudi Arabia explore Syria crisis

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sought to work out a unified strategy on the crisis in Syria in talks with Saudi officials on Friday as further violence stymied U.N. efforts to convince Damascus to implement a cease-fire. Clinton’s talks with Saudi King Abdullah and other officials come ahead […]

Saudi Arabia's permanent representative to the League of Arab States Ahmad al-Qattan, center, attends the Arab League summit in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, March, 29, 2012. The annual Arab summit meeting opened in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Thursday with only 10 of the leaders of the 22-member Arab League in attendance and amid a growing rift between Arab countries over how far they should go to end the one-year conflict in Syria. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sought to work out a unified strategy on the crisis in Syria in talks with Saudi officials on Friday as further violence stymied U.N. efforts to convince Damascus to implement a cease-fire. Clinton's talks with Saudi King Abdullah and other officials come ahead of a

Politics May be Keeping Doctors’ Hands Tied in Treating ‘Fracking’ Symptoms

(MintPress) – Just as oil speculation plays a role in the natural gas industry, more are speculating the effects hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, has on human health. In February, the state of Pennsylvania passed a law that acts as a gag order on doctors who feel that a patient’s symptoms could be caused by […]

In this July 27, 2011 file photo, the sun shines over a Range Resources well site in Washington, Pa. The company is one of many drilling into the Marcellus Shale layer deep underground and "fracking" the area to release natural gas. The federal government needs to track safety hazards tied to thousands of unregulated pipelines gathering new oil and gas supplies released through the fracking process, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

(MintPress) – Just as oil speculation plays a role in the natural gas industry, more are speculating the effects hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, has on human health. In February, the state of Pennsylvania passed a law that acts as a gag order on doctors who feel that a patient’s symptoms could be caused by chemical exposure