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Jena Protests Evoke Memories Of 60s

Thousands Pour Into Tiny Louisiana Town For Rally

POSTED: 6:43 pm PDT September 19, 2007
UPDATED: 6:25 pm PDT September 20, 2007

JENA, La. -- Drawn by a case tinged with one of the most hated symbols of Old South racism - a hangman's noose tied in an oak tree - tens of thousands of protesters rallied Thursday against what they see as a double standard of prosecution for blacks and whites.

The plight of the so-called Jena Six became a flashpoint for one the biggest civil-rights demonstrations in years. Five of the black teens were initially charged with attempted murder in the beating of a white classmate.

Old-guard lions like the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton joined scores of college students bused in from across the nation who said they wanted to make a stand for racial equality just as their parents did in the 1950s and '60s.

Race Case Teen's Convictions Tossed...

(CNN) -- A Louisiana appeals court Friday vacated the remaining conviction of a teenager accused in a violent, racially charged incident in Jena, Louisiana, his attorney said.

Mychal Bell's defense team will be filing a motion to get him out of prison.

Bob Noel said the 3rd District Court of Appeals in Lake Charles threw out the conviction for second degree battery against Mychal Bell, saying the charges should have been brought in juvenile court.

Rethinking retirement: More boomers choosing to work

By Taylor Gandossy
CNN

(CNN) -- As a high tech executive, Jean Dibner managed people and money. Now, instead of supervising employees, she controls clay and bronze, drawing in details instead of dollars.
Dibner

Jean Dibner, a former high tech executive, is now an award-winning sculptor.

"I had accidentally stumbled upon sculpture when I was taking a pottery class," Dibner said, explaining her leap from the high tech world to art. "It didn't matter if I was good at it or not, I really did want to try it."

A decade later, after voluntarily retiring from the high-tech world, her sculptures are award-winning and mostly commissioned.

As companies pare away pension plans and the future of Social Security seems increasingly precarious, more and more baby boomers are choosing to work beyond the age of traditional retirement.

But others, like Dibner, see a prolonged career as a way to explore new interests or test untried talents.

Nearly six in 10 baby boomers who intend to work after retirement say they want a job that gives them a greater sense of purpose, according to a 2005 MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures New Face of Work Survey.

Felix becomes Category 5 hurricane

By MARGARET WEVER, Associated Press Writer 44 minutes ago

ORANJESTAD, Aruba — Felix rapidly strengthened into a dangerous Category 5 hurricane and churned through the Caribbean Sea on a path toward Central America, where forecasters said it could make landfall as "potentially catastrophic" storm.

Felix was packing winds of up to 165 mph as it headed west, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It was projected to skirt Honduras' coastline on Tuesday before slamming into Belize on Wednesday.

"As it stands, we're still thinking that it will be a potentially catastrophic system in the early portions of this week, Tuesday evening, possibly affecting Honduras and then toward the coast of Belize," said Dave Roberts, a hurricane specialist at the center in Miami.

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig resigns in storm over sex sting in airport men's roo

OHN MILLER
Associated Press Writers

Idaho's Senior U.S. Senator Larry Craig takes a moment before he announces his resignation from the senate at the old Boise Depot train station overlooking downtown Boise, Idaho Saturday morning Sept. 1, 2007. (AP Photo/Matt Cilley)

BOISE, Idaho — Sen. Larry Craig on Saturday signaled the end of a quarter-century career representing Idaho in Congress, resigning under pressure from fellow Republicans worried about the election impact of his arrest in an airport restroom sex sting.

"I apologize for what I have caused," Craig said. "I am deeply sorry."

With his wife Suzanne and some of their children at his side, the 62-year-old Craig announced his resignation at a historic Boise train station.

Among those attending was Republican Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, who will appoint a successor for the remaining 15 months of Craig's term.

Rep. in sex scandal: I wasn't read rights

TITUSVILLE, Fla. --

(AP) -- State Rep. Bob Allen said in court filings that he wasn't informed of his rights before making statements to police after he was arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution.Allen's attorney is trying to have some statements the Merritt Island Republican made to police thrown out. Allen denies wrongdoing and has vowed to fight the charges.

Attorney Greg Eisenmenger said Allen was never informed of his Miranda rights to remain silent until he was booked into the jail, after which police asked no more questions.

Two New York firefighters killed in massive blaze

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Two firefighters were killed Saturday while battling a blaze at a building just south of New York's ground zero, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, calling it "another cruel blow" to the city.

The firefighters became trapped, Bloomberg told reporters. Both were taken to Beekman Hospital in cardiac arrest and later were pronounced dead, he said.

Doctors said the amount of carbon monoxide in their lungs was enough to cause cardiac arrest, Bloomberg said.

Both firefighters were in FDNY Ladder Company 5, which also lost firefighters in the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.

Bloomberg identified one of the victims as Joseph Graffagnino, 34, an eight-year veteran with FDNY.

The second firefighter's name was not released because relatives had not been notified, the mayor said.

"I'd like to remind everyone, these are the men and women who rush into danger when we run away," Bloomberg said. "They make the ultimate sacrifice."

The mayor said another "five or six" firefighters were hurt while fighting the blaze, but all had either been released from area hospitals or soon would be.

The seven-alarm fire began about 3:40 p.m. on the 14th or 15th floor of the Deutsche Bank building and spread through several floors. Its cause was not immediately known.

4 charged in JFK Airport terror plot

By ADAM GOLDMAN, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - Four Muslim men were foiled from carrying out a plot to destroy John F. Kennedy International Airport, kill thousands of people and trigger an economic catastrophe by blowing up a jet fuel artery that runs through populous residential neighborhoods, authorities said Saturday.

Three men were arrested and one was being sought in Trinidad on Saturday. In an indictment charging the four men, one of them is quoted as saying the plot would "cause greater destruction than in the Sept. 11 attacks." One of the suspects, Russell Defreitas, a U.S. citizen native to Guyana and retired JFK employee, said the airport was a symbol that would put "the whole country in mourning."

House approves second anti-spyware bill in two months

I-SPY targets effect of unwanted software; third time charm?

May 02, 2007 (Computerworld) -- The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday passed an anti-spyware bill that would make it a criminal offense for an individual to place unauthorized code on a computer and use it to obtain or transmit personal information or to impair the security protections on the system.
The Internet Spyware Prevention Act (I-SPY), or HR 1525, provides for fines and prisons terms of up to five years for those responsible for such acts. The bill was introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va) and will now be sent to the full House of Representatives for consideration.

20 must-have Firefox extensions

These plug-ins give you souped-up functionality, better look and feel, and streamlined development tasks. And some are just plain cool.

March 07, 2007 (Computerworld) -- A freshly installed copy of Firefox is a great software package, but what makes this open-source browser so special is the ability to customize it via extensions and themes to really make it yours. The problem is, there are so many available add-ins, it's tough to know what's worth installing and what's just going to junk up your system.

That's where we come in. We've ferreted out 20 of the best extensions and add-ins used and recommended by hardcore Web surfers, developers and IT pros. Whether you're looking for more streamlined surfing, improved look and feel, cool design tools or serious Web development help, there's something (and more than likely several things) here for you.