October 30, 2000 -
Funeral
homes of tomorrow are on the Web
- (IDG) -- His father's ashes stowed in
a cardboard box in his carry-on bag, Chicago lawyer Kent
Maynard Jr. knew as he flew home earlier this year that
he had to plan a military funeral for the retired Air
Force colonel whose name he shared. His father had asked
to be cremated, and Maynard wanted to minimize his
dealings with funeral directors. So he turned to the
Net, going online to buy a wooden urn with an Air Force
insignia along with a case for a flag folded by an Air
Force platoon. He also posted a free obituary at a
virtual cemetery...
October 12 2000 - ELECTION.COM manages both paper and Internet elections anywhere in the world for private organizations or political jurisdictions...
October 04 2000 -
The Legacy of Gun Control
- A little film about Gun Control...
September
19, 2000 - Frankel
Case Sparks New Debates -
Insurance companies, state regulators
and federal lawmakers agree Martin
Frankel took advantage of shortcomings
in state insurance rules to swindle
more than $200 million from insurance
companies. But they're divided over
whether imposing new federal
regulations would safeguard against
similar fraud in the future...
September
19, 2000 - Corpse
found a year after death -
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) -
Janice Petrowsky just wanted to be
left alone. In death, she got what she
wanted. A year after she died at her
woodland home, the skeletal remains of
the 56-year-old recluse known as
"The Witch" were found on
her kitchen floor, propped up with a
pillow and surrounded by her pets'
rotting bodies. Neighbors said
Petrowsky's only contact with them had
been her angry demands to stay away.
Occasional messages, laced with
profanity, were left on answering
machines. And sometimes, they said,
she fired a BB gun at children who
came too close. When they began to
notice Petrowsky's absence, they kept
it to themselves. Officials said that
while the woman's remains were too
badly decomposed to determine the
cause of her death, it did not appear
suspicious. Officials said Petrowsky
appeared to have made an effort to
make her last days on earth
comfortable. Officials said Petrowsky
had brushed off every attempt to help
her.
September
19, 2000 - $80 Million Given to
Smithsonian $80 Million Given to
Smithsonian WASHINGTON (AP), One
of the country's wealthiest
entrepreneurs is giving $80 million to
refurbish the Smithsonian
Institution's National Museum of
American History. The gift, from West
Coast developer Kenneth E. Behring,
will be announced Tuesday, The
Washington Post and USA Today
reported. Behring also gave the
Smithsonian $20 million three years
ago. Behring's money does not come
with directions on how it is to be
used. But the 72-year-old college
dropout who started his career as a
used-car salesman said he hopes it
helps the Smithsonian depict the
pursuit of the American Dream. ``The
museum should talk about who we are,''
Behring told the Post. ``Sometimes it
is easy to forget how we started, who
made the country. I hope we can put
something here to inspire people to
chase the American dream.'' Lawrence
M. Small, secretary of the
Smithsonian, said ``Behring Center''
will be added to the name of the
museum at the front of the building,
which opened in 1964 and houses the
original Star-Spangled Banner,
Edison's light bulb and other American
artifacts.
September
20, 2000 - Teen Charged in
Beheading of Mother MERCED, Calif.
(AP), A teen who was found near his
mother's decapitated body, sitting in
a pool of her blood and reading the
Bible, was charged Wednesday with
killing her. David Lange, 18, had been
sent home Friday from his
house-painting job after repeatedly
rambling to his boss, ``I am not
evil,'' the boss, Hector Ramos, said
Wednesday. Ramos said he told Aurelia
Lange, 50, that her son needed help
and that she said she would consider
getting counseling for him. She died
Friday from a severe beating and stabs
to her lungs and heart. No plea was
entered during a brief court
appearance Wednesday, and the case was
continued until Sept. 28 so Lange's
public defender has more time to
prepare. Lange's father spoke briefly
with the lanky youth in a hallway
before he was led into court, and
later left the courtroom without
comment. Aurelia Lange's body was
discovered after her daughter Ronnie
Lange, who didn't live at the home,
phoned 911 and asked deputies to check
on her mother, saying the woman had
called her and said she fell down a
flight of stairs. Merced County
Assistant Sheriff Henry Strength said
the daughter also reported that the
mother said her ``son was getting out
of hand and that she was having
arguments with him.''
October 12 2000 - Blast
Rocks U.S. Navy Ship, 6 Die - "A powerful explosion rocked a U.S. Navy
ship in port on the Arabian Peninsula Thursday in an
apparent suicide terrorist bombing that killed at least
four Americans and injured more than 30, the Defense
Department said. Twelve sailors were missing. No one has
claimed responsibility, U.S. officials said..."
September
26 2000 - AUDIO
FROM "ALL THINGS CONSIDERED"
ON NPR (National
Public Radio) - Gore In Florida (14.4
| 28.8)
-- Democratic presidential nominee Al
Gore addressed a group of senior
citizens in St. Petersburg, Florida
today. Billed as a major policy
address, today's speech was designed
to draw a sharp contrast between
Gore's prescription drug plan and that
of his Republican rival George W.
Bush. The Bush campaign quickly
accused his opponent of making up
facts about the Texas Governor's
Medicare plan, as the presidential
race enters its final two weeks. NPR's
Anthony Brooks is with the Gore
campaign today.
September
25 2000 - AUDIO
FROM "ALL THINGS CONSIDERED" ON NPR (National
Public Radio) - Harry
Browne: 'Go Away Government, So Long Taxes' - Libertarian
presidential candidate Harry Browne is campaigning on a
'Government Go Away'/no-income-tax platform. He insists the
government has no constitutional mandate for handling
education, healthcare or even law enforcement. Tariffs and
excise taxes are sufficient for the limited federal role
Browne wants. Browne complains there are many obstacles
standing in the third parties' path to victory, but predicts
that before the end of the decade there could be a
Libertarian president. 
Browne
and other Third party candidates have been excluded from the
three presidential debates, but some of those candidates
will hold their own "shadow debate," in which
Browne predicts "sparks will fly." Listen
as Morning Edition's Bob Edwards talks to Harry
Browne.
