09 - Friday

Still kludging. Am posting to the blog, and will give a catch-up when my system is restored...............;-( Dan

12/09/2005 - Friday

CLIPPINGS is also online here - where you can track down new and old postings and stories

Note: The Ledger has some good stuff, not online this AM. If put up later, will post. --Dan

PLAINFIELD_________________________________________________________________________________

PLAINFIELD TODAY: No posting today, Dan is on a vacation day
..........
No Plainfield stories today in Ledger, Courier, or Plainfield Plain Talker

TRI-COUNTY AREA___________________________________________________________________________

Union County:
............... - Freeholder salaries: "Freeholders eyes 5.3% hike; Pay would be $29,500"
............... - Gun buyback: "County again is offering gun buyback"
Berkeley Heights: "Couple gets help playing Santa to Katrina victims"
Highland Park: "Human Relations Commission's quality-of-life survey finds good news"
Springfield: "4 massage parlors closed; concern some may be brothels"


NEW JERSEY________________________________________________________________________________

Corzine's Senate seat: It's Menendez!
............... - Ledger: "It's Menendez for the U.S. Senate"
............... - Courier: "Menendez accepts Senate nomination"
............... - Jersey Journal: "Menendez' big day finally here"
............... - Politics NJ: "Menendez wins Corzine backing "
............... - NY Times: "Democrats Ponder a Senate Primary Against Menendez"
............... - Brief bio: "Menendez bio box"
............... - Events timeline: "Major events in Menendez's career"
............... - Congressional record: "Congressional votes reveal social liberal"
............... - Cuban-American reaction - AP: "Menendez Inspires Pride in Cuban-Americans"
.................... - Bergen Record: "'Senator Menendez' sounds magnificent to Hispanic ears"
.................... - Home News Tribune: "Latinos root for Menendez"

Lame Duck Legislature:
............... - Campaign reform: "Campaign reform awaiting Codey OK"
...................... The law --if Codey signs it-- will protect local pay-to-play ordinances which may
...................... be more strict than the state law, an unexpected victory for reformers
............... - Taxes: "Assembly proposes water tax for residents"
............... - Eating while driving: "Bill could make driving while eating a serious violation"
............... - Adoption records: "Bill would allow more access to adoption records"

Essex County: "Federal probe urged in Essex over Authority's coverup of foreclosure"
Newark: "City settles with PA for $450M; will help budget shortfall"
Merck: "Merck accused by New England Journal of Medicine of doctoring Vioxx study"


NATION / WORLD____________________________________________________________________________

Scandal Central:
.......... - Iraq-al Qaeda 'link': "Qaeda-Iraq Link U.S. Cited Is Tied to Coercion Claim"
.......... - CIA 'renditions' and Condi: "Papers reported Rice's denial US allows torture but didn't note administration's narrow definition"
................. This is for fact freaks. 'Media Matters' is a site reviewing/comparing/critiquing
................. media attention to news on a daily basis. Bookmark it if you can never know enough!
.......... - Abramoff Affair: "Records show Sen. Burns' Abramoff meetings"
............... - Cal. Congressman involved: "Pombo accepted money from tribe employing Abramoff"

Homeland Security - Agence France Presse: "US terror watchlist 80,000 names long"
Patriot Act: "Renewal of the Patriot Act clears hurdle and meets filibuster threat"
Rumsfeld resigning? - NY Daily News: "Rummy exit expected; Lieberman eyed for job"
Supreme Court nomination - AP: "Congressional Black Caucus to Oppose Alito"


OF INTEREST________________________________________________________________________________

Development: "Somerville mayor wants all to begin proposals with traffic, schools impact studies"
Real Estate: "Home builder Toll Brothers lowers its 2006 forecast"
Lennon - Gone 25 years: "Yoko joins Lennon tribute in Central Park"

08 - Thursday

Still kludging. Am posting to the blog, and will give a catch-up when my system is restored...............;-(
Dan

12/08/2005 - Thursday

CLIPPINGS is also online here - where you can track down new and old postings and stories


PLAINFIELD_________________________________________________________________________________

PLAINFIELD TODAY:
.......... - "Plainfield Action Services seeks coats, children's Holiday items"

Policing plan: "New Plainfield crime policy takes effect; Police union objects"
FY2006 Budget: "Plainfield may not have budget until 2006; Layoffs, late state aid contribute to delay"
Fashion networking event [last item]: "Fashion networking event at Chez Maree"
Plainfielders indicted in Bound Brook robbery: "4 indicted in attack, robbery of bicyclist"


TRI-COUNTY AREA___________________________________________________________________________

Cranford: "Homeland Security grant buys fire alarm, sprinkler system for Cranford firehouse"
Linden: "Goldman Sachs plans to sell the Linden electric cogeneration plant"
New Brunswick: "City OKs a tax break for part of big project involving hotel, condos, more"
Scotch Plains: "Bid to put house on Cooper Road island denied"
Summit: "Pedestrian safety effort steps up as third is hit on Morris Avenue"
Westfield: "Council hopeful seeks new election; lost in recount by one vote"


NEW JERSEY________________________________________________________________________________

Corzine's Senate seat:
............... - Trenton Times: "Menendez said to be choice for Senate"
......................... Inexplicably, the Ledger did not run a story -- go figure
............... - Courier: "Corzine to name Menendez successor"
............... - NY Times: "Corzine Is Said to Have Picked a Replacement"
............... - Washington Post: "Sen. Corzine Prepares to Announce Successor"

Menendez' House seat: "Who replaces Menendez? Until next election, no one"

Lame Duck Legislature:
............... - Drug-free school zones - Ledger: "Commission explains proposal to shrink zones"
......................... - Courier: "Commission backs drug-free zone revisions"

Elections - ELEC Fines: "Newark mayoral hopeful Cory Booker faces record election fines over '02 reports"
Juvenile Justice - Ledger: "Harvey orders second chances for kids"
............... - Courier: "New police rules stress second shot for juveniles"
Student harassment in schools: "Court backs tough rules giving students more anti-bias protection"


NATION / WORLD____________________________________________________________________________

President's Remarks on war on terrorism to Council on Foreign Relations: "Transcript"
............... - Rep. Murtha responds at press conference to Bush speech: "Transcript"

Scandal Central:
.......... - CIA's secret prisons - NY Times: "More Questions as Rice Asserts Detainee Policy"
............... - LA Times: "Rice Fails to Clarify U.S. View on Torture"
............... - LA Times: "Pentagon Memo on Torture-Motivated Transfer Cited"
......................... Classified memo is blacked out -- though summarized -- in a court filing
.......... - Plamegate: "New grand jury in CIA leak case hears from Fitzgerald"

Student Loans: "Supreme Court rules Social Security can be taken to repay old student loans"
Supreme Court: "Sen. Specter Predicts Long, Tough Questioning for Alito"


OF INTEREST________________________________________________________________________________

Voting Machines: "States Face a Jan. 1 Deadline to Meet Reliability Standards"
Better schools for city kids are possible: "Schools build 'cultures of excellence;' bold, systematic leadership is key to success"
.......... - The study, 'Gaining Traction, Gaining Ground' is here [PDF file]
Photographing NJ's beauty: "Choroszewski celebrates 25 years in new book"
The Lion, the Witch and the Christians: "Christians battle over 'Narnia'"
Health: "US releases Spanish translation of food pyramid"
Holocaust series planned: "Mel Gibson Developing Holocaust Mini-Series"


DISASTERS AND AID OPPORTUNITIES_________________________________________________________

FEMA Preparedness: "FEMA chief had warning year earlier that agency was unprepared"

07 - Wednesday

Still kludging. Am posting to the blog, and will give a catch-up when my system is restored...............;-(
Dan

12/07/2005 - Wednesday

CLIPPINGS is also online here - where you can track down new and old postings and stories


PLAINFIELD_________________________________________________________________________________

PLAINFIELD TODAY:
.......... - "Merchants' windows reflect Holiday themes"

Note: Holiday Concert: PHS Concert Chorus, Tomorrow [Thursday], 7 PM, PHS Auditorium


Policing plan: "Restructuring plan implemented via personnel order after union input led to changes"
.................... You would never guess this is the subject of the story from the headline
Resident plans community meeting [next to last item]: "Meeting called to get past divisiveness"
Drive-by shooting gang related?: "Gunman is sought in shooting of teen"
West Front Street robbery [last item]: "City convenience store robbed of hundreds of dollars"


TRI-COUNTY AREA___________________________________________________________________________

New Providence: "After 27 years as cop, chief is stepping up to become borough administrator"
Vauxhall/Union: "Planning board says no to Target and BJ's stores"
Westfield - Death by leaked email?: "Councilman says sorry for 'satire' in e-mail"


NEW JERSEY________________________________________________________________________________

2005 General Election:
............... - Governor's Race: "Corzine won most costly race with lowest voter turnout"
............... - Assembly Races: "Assembly races break spending record"

Corzine's Senate seat:
............... - GOP - NY Times: "GOP Puts Its Muscle Behind a Younger Kean"
.................... - Ledger: "Elizabeth Dole adds clout to Kean Senate bid"
.................... - Courier: "Dole stumps for Kean in bid for U.S. Senate"

Lame Duck Legislature:
............... - Stem Cell research: "$575 million stem cell plan on table; Codey and Cohen compromise"

Agent Orange cleanup: "EPA opposes state's Passaic River cleanup plan"
Drugs - Rich kids, poor neighborhoods connection: "Mendham, Chester kids make round trip drug buy in 44 minutes"
Drug-free school zones - Editorial, Courier: "Smaller may be better for drug-free school zones"
Giants/Jets Stadium: "Giants and Jets to unveil game plan for stadium"
Medicare overbilling: "St. Barnabas to settle on overbilling, agrees to pay back $3.2M"
Public Records: "Appeals panel rules names of hospital patients are confidential"
Schools Construction Corp. - Editorial, Ledger: "SCC fails to learn from its mistakes"
Newark: "Homeland Security grant buys Newark SUVs, cars"


NATION / WORLD____________________________________________________________________________

Scandal Central:
.......... - CIA's secret prisons - Deutsche Welle: "Merkel: US Admitted Wrongful Abduction of German"
............... - CIA sued by kidnapped German - AP: "German Man Alleges CIA Torture in Lawsuit"
............... - Rice's explanation - Guardian, UK: "US defence of 'rendition' tactic makes no sense says legal expert"
............... - Editorial, NY Times: "Secretary Rice's Rendition"
.................... "Condoleezza Rice is in no position to convince the world that the United States has not,
.................... does not and will not torture prisoners."
USA Patriot Act - Washington Post: "Federal jury acquits Florida Professor on main charges"


OF INTEREST________________________________________________________________________________

Bush's 'Holiday' cards: "Conservative Christian Bush supporters upset at generic holiday card"
Christmas, start of Chanukah fall on same day this year: "Latkes for Santa?"
Jewish calendar software and homepage: "Calendar Maven's Hebrew Calendar Home Page"
Beerwatch: "Red MacGregor, from Scottish island of Orkney, is 'biscuit' of a beer"
School Soda sales wars: "Lines Are Drawn for Big Suit Over Sodas"
Immigrants - Mexican: "Study: Illegal Immigrants Not Primarily Drawn by Jobs"


DISASTERS AND AID OPPORTUNITIES_________________________________________________________

Katrina - Response: "Within first few day, FEMA official acknowledged Katrina response 'Broken'"
.......... - Aftermath: "Emotional damage lingers; Experts say impact far beyond what they've ever faced"
.......... - The state of New Orleans [chart]: "Before and after"

06 - Tuesday

Still kludging. Am posting to the blog, and will give a catch-up when my system is restored...............;-( Dan

12/06/2005 - Tuesday

CLIPPINGS is also online here - where you can track down new and old postings and stories


PLAINFIELD_________________________________________________________________________________

PLAINFIELD TODAY:
............... - "Get Into The Spirit Of The Holidays!"

Plainfield Fire Div. responds: "Fire eats through North Plainfield home"
............... Plainfield's 92-foot ladder truck provides unique advantages in firefighting
Plainfield Performing Arts Center lends space: "Miss New Jersey practices in Plainfield for next pageant"


NEW JERSEY________________________________________________________________________________

Corzine's Senate seat: "Corzine 'leaning' toward Menendez for Senate seat; Pair met in Hoboken"
Lame Duck Legislature:
............... - Drug laws - Ledger: "Drug-free zone shift advances"
.................... - Courier: "Bill would shrink size of drug-free school zones"
............... - Gas prices: "Senate panel OKs bill on gas gouging"
............... - No more 'acting': "Bill erases 'acting' from Codey's title"
Abbott District preschool programs: "Poorest preschoolers make big learning gains"
Bear Hunt - Ledger: "First bears killed, few incidents reported"
.................... - Courier: "Tensions mount as bear hunt begins"
DYFS - Ledger: "Irate Davy defends progress at DYFS, says improvements take time"
.................... - Courier: "Davy rails against child-welfare watchdogs over DYFS reform"
McGreevey: "McGreevey embraces the Episcopal church; lends support to inclusivity group"
Newark - Insiders profit: "In city's housing boom, a select few cash in"
.......... This is the Sunday story that was not online. Newark's no-bid contracts, discounts
.......... and tax breaks mean fast, fat profits for some unlikely home developers
NJ Lottery - Part 3 of 3: "Though strategies abound, luck's still your best bet"
.......... - Searchable data: "Numbers Game: Who Really Pays for the Lottery"
.......... You can search by ZIP or town; compare two towns, and get a sort of the top rankings
.......... by players, winners, average spent, etc. The Ledger has worked very hard on this and
.......... it shows. Note, however, that the Plainfield ZIPs - 07060, 07062 and 07063 - also contain
.......... North Plainfield and Watchung, which are not broken out separately. -- Dan
School voucher advocates adopt new term - Ledger: "Rally for aid plan; Tax credit bills avoid loaded 'voucher' term"
.................... - Courier: "Parents want state to fund school vouchers for poorest students"


NATION / WORLD____________________________________________________________________________

Scandal Central:
.......... - CIA's secret prisons - Der Spiegel's scoop: "A German Hub for Secret CIA Flights?"
............... - Tracking down the flights: "The Hunt for Hercules N8183J"
............... - CIA dirty tricks in Italy: "Ruse Misled Italians on Cleric's Abduction by CIA"
............... - Condi in Germany: "Rice defend US tactics, implies Europe aware of operations"
.......... - Abramoff Affair: "Montana's Sen. Burns did about-face after cash from Abramoff"
.......... - DeLay: "Worst charges against DeLay are upheld by judge in Texas"

OF INTEREST________________________________________________________________________________

Real Estate: "Six tips for thriving in a 'middle-ground' real estate market"
.......... Another good Sunday story that was not online!
Immigrants - Issues of Culture and Identity: "Program for Immigrants Stirs Worries on Both Sides"
Work's new Social Contract: "New Game at the office: Many young workers accept fewer guarantees"
Wikipedia: "Online encyclopedia tightens rules following false article"


DISASTERS AND AID OPPORTUNITIES_________________________________________________________

Katrina - Rebuilding: "FEMA loan cuts ripple down, threaten Louisiana agencies"

05 - Monday

Still kludging! Am posting to the blog, and will give a catch-up when my system is restored................;-( Dan

12/05/2005 - Monday

PLAINFIELD_________________________________________________________________________________

PLAINFIELD TODAY:



















.......... - "Katrina volunteers Caminiti and Plum honored by Mayor McWilliams"

Plainfield Symphony, others receive grants: "Freeholders give HEART grants to local groups"
People's Organization for Progress: "Group's march this afternoon honors bus boycott"
Obituary - Courier: "Jean M. Hamm, nurse program pioneer"
.......... - Ledger: "Jean M. Hamm, 91, first dean of nursing at Muhlenberg"


NEW JERSEY________________________________________________________________________________

Motor Vehicle Commission - Ledger: "Muslims decry photo license demands; Women cite their religious embarrassment"
............... - Courier: "Religious observance or driver's license? Some Muslims say they still choose"
............... - Asbury Park Press: "MVC apologizes to Muslims; Women were told to show hair for photos"
Policing: "Tasers off limits for N.J. cops due to risk"
NJ's memory lane of dirty deeds - Bob Braun, Ledger: "History of NJ's graft, greed and do-gooders"
NJ Lottery - Part 2 of 3: "Lure of scratch-off; Games appeal to lower-income gamblers"
.......... - Home News Tribune summarizes Sunday story: "Poor areas fuel lottery sales, says report"
US Attorney Chris Christie: "Again, the U.S. Attorney Is on a Statewide Blitz"
Fairfield: "Snow melts resistance to bulky lawn ornament"
............... And not the embarassment of a Ledger story?
Washington Twp [Gloucester County]: "Gay cop finds little sympathy"


NATION / WORLD____________________________________________________________________________

Bush's speech on Iraq: "Bush's speech on Iraq War echoes voice of Duke U analyst"
.......... - Editorial - Courier: "Bush speech a good step toward honest Iraq dialogue"
............... Going on three years, with over 2,100 US dead and untold Iraqi deaths, this writer finds hope
............... in 'a rough strategy for success'?
9/11 Commission: "Commission alleges foot-dragging by Bush and Congress on security"
............... "God help us if we have another attack." -- Former NJ Governor Tom Kean
Condi's Image-maker: "The Man Behind the Secretary of State's Rock Star Image"
Scandal Central:
.......... - Secret CIA Prisons: "Bush Administration Unyielding on Secret Terror Camp Reports"
.......... - Rice defends US: "Rice to Defend U.S. on Reports of Prisons for Terror Suspects"
.......... - Woodwardgate - Frank Rich, OpEd - NY Times [hassle-free link]: "All the President's Flacks"
.......... - Plamegate - Investigative report, Truthout: "Rove Running Out of Answers, Time"

Iraq:
.......... - Mob throws shoes, dirt, stones at Allawi: "Allawi describes incident as assassination attempt"
.......... - Paid news stories allegations: "Military Admits Planting News in Iraq"
.......... - Senate wants explanation on stories: "Pentagon summoned to explain planting stories in Iraqi media"
.......... - Reconstruction graft investigation widens: "Army Officer Charged in Iraq Investigation"
.......... - Runup to War: "FBI Is Taking Another Look at Forged Prewar Intelligence"

Illegal workers: "Is America hooked on illegal labor? By sheer numbers, illegal immigrants becoming indispensable to US economy"
Medicare Drug plan: "Republicans Find They Have to Sell Drug Benefit Plan"


OF INTEREST________________________________________________________________________________

Web and Teens: "MySpace.com is fast becoming the online world's place to be"
Art inspired by Pabst Beer: "Distilled art: One man's obsession with an old brewery"
.......... The exhibit's reception is this Saturday at NJIT's Architecture School, corner of Warren and
.......... Summit Streets, Newark. 4 PM - Open to the public. Website: www.gosser.info/
Real Estate: "Building Homes for Disabled Soldiers"
Geek History: "Hewlett and Packard's garage workshop in Palo Alto restored"
Intelligent Design: "Intelligent Design meeting its maker? Even evangelicals suspect its motives"
Wikipedia: "The perils and benefits of an encyclopedia everyone helps write"


DISASTERS AND AID OPPORTUNITIES_________________________________________________________

Katrina - Rebuilding: "Habitat trying to nail housing deal; Plan recycles homes built for city workers"
.......... - "For thousands still living out of suitcases, finding a home is no easy task"
.......... - Some start over elsewhere: "Unlikely haven: African-Americans try to carve out a future in Utah"

04 - Sunday

PLAINFIELD_________________________________________________________________________________

PLAINFIELD TODAY:
.......... - "Mayor-elect Robinson-Briggs joins youngsters in Holiday Tree lighting, Santa's visit"

Here is a link to the last several days of CLIPPINGS

PHS / Westfield Thanksgiving Day game: "Courier News pictures are online"

Former Wardlaw headmaster house is on the market [not online]:
.......... The Courier features the 'Field House' on the cover of today's Real Estate section. Located in the
.......... 1000-block of Field Avenue, the house sits directly across from the rear of the duCret School.
.......... Asking price is $769,900. For sale by owner, Michael Bocknack, (908) 720-4928.


TRI-COUNTY_________________________________________________________________________________

Edison: "Stephensville Parkway residents mobilize to save boulevard trees Duke Energy wants to cut down"
Perth Amboy: "City's use of eminent domain hinders hospital's parking plan "
Rahway, Linden: "Rahway and Linden size up impact of Merck cuts"
Union County police and firefighters raise Katrina aid: "Officers help peers cope with Katrina"
Publisher of weekly papers also heads Dem PAC: "James Devine of Devine Media facing claims of conflict of interest"


NEW JERSEY________________________________________________________________________________

There is a long, well-researched article on who is benefiting from Newark's housing boom on the front page
of today's Ledger. But not online--go figure! A clique of insiders are making out big time with discounted land
prices, no-bid contracts, variances to cram houses on small lots, tax abatements and more. Will post later if
it comes online. --Dan

Corzine - Transition: "'Dr. No' returns to ailing capital; Corzine's aide Leone to set mood at Statehouse"
Corzine's Senate seat: "South Jersey Hispanic leaders back Andrews for Senate seat"
............... - An overview of State Sen. Nia Gill as a possibility is here
For Political Junkies - The Auditor: "Sunday, December 04, 2005"
Ethics in Government: "N.J. found deficient in monitoring for ethics violations"
Political Campaigns - OpEd, Ledger: "Are negative campaigns so bad?"
Chemical Plant Security - Courier: "US Senate aims to regulate chemical plant security"
............... - Editorial, Ledger: "Enforce chemical security"
Lame Duck Legislature: "Drug-free school zones, changes in public contracts law, bounty hunters on legislative agenda"
Pensions: "In Task Force Report, a Challenge"
Schools Construction Corp.: "To seafood seller, SCC's treatment is just a raw deal"
Abbott Schools: "Parenting program helps parents get most from school for their kids"
NJ Income Tax turns 30 - OpEd, Ledger: "Like it hate it, the income tax is a 'good' tax"
NJ Lottery: "The high price of a dream; Those who can least afford it play the most"
Fairfield - Bureaucratic fa-la-la: "Homeowner gets code citation for using snowplow in holiday lawn decorations"
Newark: "Clergy join police on the beat in Newark"
Merck - Vioxx trial: "Prominent cardiologist says Merck tried to 'trash' his and others' questions about Vioxx "
Corruption in South Jersey: Part 1 of 4 - Asbury Park Press: "Greed, go-go girls and graft"


NATION / WORLD____________________________________________________________________________

Scandal Central:
.......... - Plamegate - NY Times [hassle-free link]: "Fitzgerald targets Rove in more talks with journalists"
.......... - Cunningham Affair - OpEd, Washington Post: "Business As Usual: Corrupt"
.......... - CIA's secret prisons - BBC News: "US civil rights group to sue CIA"
............... - CIA flights - Agence France Presse: "US on defensive as reports of 'secret torture flights' pile up"
............... - Rice visiting Europe: "Rice To Address Secret Prison Issue in Europe"
............... - England's Blair involved? - Independent [UK]: "Blair faces allegations of complicity in torture"
............... - CIA held innocent German 5 months - Washington Post: "Wrongful Imprisonment: Anatomy of a CIA Mistake"
.......... - Abramoff Affair - NY Times [hassle-free link]: "Abramoff probe now includes his getting jobs for others at PR firms"
............... - The Nation: "The Abramoff Effect"
.......... - Iraq reconstruction contracts - Boston Globe: "Reservist faces graft charges on Iraq reconstruction contracts"

Iraq:
.......... - Bush 'Strategy' - Editorial, Minneapolis Star-Trib: "Bush creates illusion of progress in Iraq"
.......... - Lt. Gen. William Odom [USA, Ret.] - NiemanWatchdog: "Want stability in the Middle East? Get out of Iraq!"
.................... Gen. Odom served as the Army's Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence during the Reagan years;
.................... he is a Senior Fellow with the conservative Hudson Institute and a professor at Yale.
.......... - US Cities voice opposition to war - Detroit Free Press: "Resolutions part of trend, experts say"
.................... Dozens of cities have adopted resolutions, citing deaths and the financial costs. Chicago estimates
.................... it could pay 31,000 teachers for a year on its share of the costs.
.......... - Paid 'news' in Iraqi papers - Asia Times: "The bottom line: The Iraqi press is neither free, nor even Iraqi"
.......... - Fallujah - Independent journalist Dahr Jamail reports from Iraq: "“Pacified” Fallujah"
.......... - 'Peacemaker Teams' - A Mennonite-inspired ecumenical movement : "Profiles of the kidnapped team members"
.......... - 'Coalition of the willing' - Seattle PI: "Coalition eroding; 'vibrations of unease in US clearly have impact elsewhere'"


OF INTEREST________________________________________________________________________________

Real Estate:
.......... - Mortgage 'referral fee' scams: "The heat is on mortgage referral schemes"
.......... - 'Nontraditional' mortgages: "Lax lending rules put homes, owners at risk"
.......... - Price softening: "San Diego's price woes may presage U.S. dip"
Clothing donations - Getting them to people, not rag merchants: "Some ways to make meaningful clothing donations"
Elections - Vote-buying: 'Set a thief to catch a thief': "FBI Plants Fake Candidate in W.Va. Race"
Gay couples - Legal issues [NJ mentioned]: "Gay Couples Face Uncertain Legal Landscape"


DISASTERS AND AID OPPORTUNITIES_________________________________________________________

Katrina - Federal response: "Documents Governor released show Katrina's political storm, White House ineptitude"
.......... - Recovery: "Amid Katrina ruins, mortgage payments loom"