Top Scoops

Al Jazeera Bolivia's president has suspended the work of agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration, accusing them of spying inside Bolivia. Speaking in the coca-producing region of Chimore in central Chapare province on Saturday, Evo Morales ...
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Al Jazeera Bolivia's president has suspended the work of agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration, accusing them of spying inside Bolivia. Speaking in the coca-producing region of Chimore in central Chapare province on Saturday, Evo Morales said the US agency had supported the opposition and encouraged political violence that left 19 people dead. Morales said, "There were DEA agents that were doing political espionage ... financing criminal groups so that they could act against authorities, even the president." SEARCH NZ JOBS #this_text { text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; } #this_text a { font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 90%; color: #943517; text-decoration: underline; } #this_text a:hover { font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 90%; color: blue; text-decoration: underline; } Win a holiday on MasterCard #this_text { text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; } #this_text a { font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 90%; color: #943517; text-decoration: underline; } #this_text a:hover { font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 90%; color: blue; text-decoration: underline; } Pause live TV with MY SKY HDi He also directly accused DEA officials of disrupting government activities during the unrest in five of the country's nine departments in September by "funding civic leaders with the aim of sabotaging airports in eastern Bolivia ... to prevent visits from officials."Relations with the United States have been tense since La Paz expelled the US ambassador in September after accusing him of encouraging divisions by offering support to opposition figures.Bolivia is the world's third-largest cocaine producer after Colombia and Peru. The coca plant, from which cocaine is derived, has many uses in traditional Andean culture.Morales was the leader of the Bolivian coca-growers union before becoming the country's first indigenous president. Bolivian police, working with DEA agents, have dramatically increased their cocaine seizures under Morales.THE MICHELLE THAT OBAMA SHOULD AVOIDProgressive Review - DC School Chancellor Michelle Rhee is getting rave reviews everywhere except in real DC, where our egocentric, bullying, my-way-or-the-highway approach is making new enemies every day. This is no longer just a local concern, however, as there are reports that Obama plans to appoint her to a high position in his administration, encouraged by uninformed articles like one in Newsweek that claimed, "The chancellor of the D.C. system, Michelle Rhee, has proposed an innovative teachers' contract that could allow her to reward the best teachers and dismiss the bad ones. Educators everywhere are watching to see what Obama says and does. If he backs Rhee's proposal, he will send a powerful signal to struggling inner-city schools that reform is possible. If he fudges or says nothing, it will be a signal that little will change for the poor and mostly black children in the capital's nearly dysfunctional apparatus."Rhee has made no secret of her determination to break the union. With the support of Mayor Adrian Fenty and the promise of funds from private foundations, she wants to offer teachers a choice of two contracts. Under the first, teachers can make up to $130,000 in merit pay-but they must forgo tenure. Or they can choose to keep tenure, but accept a much more modest pay raise (the average teacher's salary in Washington is $65,902)."What Newsweek and other media don't tell you is that the increase in salary is being funded by donations from private foundations with absolutely no guarantee the money will still be there a few years down the pike. It short, it amounts to a first class con being perpetrated with the aid of third rate media.Following are some other things about Rhee you may not know: Washington Post Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee told the D.C. Cou

Black Friday '08: Throw them 'bows for some cheap CDs and DVDs
We glossed over a bunch of items in the article and talked to students who've survived the madness. Melinda and I have both been out there in the early morning hours just to get some bargains, but I'm mainly shopping for cheap CDs and DVDs.
Local music goes vinyl at CD expo
Kalamazoo Record and CD Expo at Expo Center and Fairground Dec. 14 By Allen Brewer Western Herald For record collectors and music enthusiasts alike, there is little that feels better than finding that rare first pressing of an album or a replacement for that vinyl a roommate stole. As such, be on the lookout Dec. 14 for the [...]
Great Falls teen musicians raising money with fruit
Every year, music students at Great Falls High and C.M. Russell High go on tour to share their talents with the rest of the region. These trips have taken them to Seattle, Portland, Edmonton and other cities in the northwest. But the tours aren't cheap, so every fall the music departments sell fruit, nuts and candies to raise money.
Since Twitter Won't Sell, Who Should Facebook Buy?
The hot rumor today is that Facebook and Twitter held “several weeks of serious talks” about an acquisition recently, which have since come to an end after the two were unable to reach an agreeable price for the microblogging service. Alas, there are greater tragedies. While Twitter might be the “it” startup of 2008 , it somewhat famously has zero revenue. Meanwhile, although Facebook has ...
'I'm a gigaholic'
From the Sex Pistols to Oasis - a life of 5,000 gigs
CD: Hercules And Love Affair
Back in the 1970s disco was not the tired, cheap wig and office party affair that it is today. Before the Bee Gees, before everything went distinctly D*I*S*C*O, the genre belonged to the underground, to the gays, the blacks, the Latinos, to the energised minorities.
Here's something to do
If you want to check out some of the local bands or even hear national acts, such as The Secret Handshake, Sector 7G is the place. Most concerts begin at either 7 or 8 p.m. and end at 11:30 p.m. on weekends and 10:30 p.m. on weekdays.
Meet Britain's biggest gigaholic
After more than 5,000 gigs over 35 years, rock fan Ray Morrissey can claim to be Britain's most prolific concert-goer.
New York: Ice and a slice of the Big Apple
New York is no longer a shoppers' paradise but it's still a vibrant exciting city says Maggie O'Sullivan.
Top Scoops
Al Jazeera Bolivia's president has suspended the work of agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration, accusing them of spying inside Bolivia. Speaking in the coca-producing region of Chimore in central Chapare province on Saturday, Evo Morales ...