ABC News: People of the Year: Bloggers

ABC News: People of the Year: Bloggers
As a driving force in politics this year, bloggers covered the 2004 presidential campaigns and election. Political candidates also used them as valuable campaign tools.
This week, their influence has become readily apparent. Dozens of bloggers have been filing firsthand reports from the areas devastated by southern Asia's deadly tsunamis.
Bloggers around the world have made themselves useful, encouraging donations to relief groups, posting the names of the missing and expressing sympathy for the victims.

Massive Public Response to Tsunami Aid Appeals

Reuters - People worldwide opened their hearts and wallets on Thursday to give millions of dollars to the victims of Asia's tsunamis, jamming phone lines and web sites and outpacing their own governments in their generosity.

Oh no you didn't...

I work at tech support for Portland State. A caller phoned me this afternoon asking me to reset the password for her account, as she had forgotten it. She had faxed me a copy of her ID, in accordance with our policy.
The faxed copy of her ID, the numbers were not all legible.
So, I asked her to please tell me what her student ID number was.
"I faxed it," she said.
"Yes ma'am, I understand that. Unfortunately, not all of the numbers are readable. Could you read them to me please?"
I then hear the woman frantically digging through her purse. Slamming it, cursing under her breath.
"123456789" as she read me her ID, in a machine gun, rapid style, inaudible fashion. She then said, "Thats the number you have right in front of you.."
"I'm sorry," I said. "Would you mind reading it again a bit slower?"
She didn't.
Again with the machine gun thing.
I asked her for her login name, which eventually allowed me to fulfill her request and give her the new password she needed.
"123456789" I said.
Machine gun style.
She said she couldn't hear me.
I was shocked.

Suns Nash is Player of the Week

For the third consecutive week and fifth time in the first eight weeks of the season, a Suns player was named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week as Steve Nash took the honor for December 20-26. Nash is the third Suns player (Amaré Stoudemire-2, Shawn Marion-2) to win a POW award this season.

Nash guided the Suns to a perfect 3-0 week and extended the team's winning streak to 11 games, tying the second-longest win streak in franchise history. In last night's 106-94 victory over Toronto, Nash set an NBA record for most consecutive winning games with double figures in assists with 11 (prev. 10, Magic Johnson, twice in 1986-87).

Home for the holidays

PortlandTribune.com - Sometimes the holidays aren’t really the holidays without at least one visit to the airport.
That’s when the holiday really gets started, when families scattered around the globe the rest of the year become whole again. Children return home from college, soldiers come home from war and grandparents get all wide-eyed at how much the grandchildren have grown.
Something about holiday greetings at the airport helps us gloss over the pains of the year in the face of the promise of good times to come.

Happy everything to everybody

Copyright 2004 Bumblemeh Productions

Santa smiles on Suns

Amare Stoudemire had 30 points, 11 rebounds and five steals -- and Shawn Marion scored 29 points -- to lead the Suns to their season-best 10th consecutive victory, 109-102 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night.

The Suns -- winners of nine in a row earlier this season -- improved to 23-3, the NBA's best start since the Bulls went 41-3 in 1995-96.

Steve Nash had 17 points and 14 assists, and sealed the victory with four free throws in the last 23.1 seconds. Nash has had at least 10 assists in each of the 10 victories. Only Magic Johnson -- in 1986-87 -- has managed that feat in NBA history.

Nash can become the first player ever to hand out at least 10 assists in eleven straight wins when Phoenix hosts Toronto Sunday.

Last night, the Suns became the first team in NBA history to win 10 in a row after a 50-loss season.

Play ball?

Baseball Boosters Watching DC Expos Deal
Washington DC's surprise rejection last week of a baseball financing plan that had been agreed to only the day before has gotten Portland baseball enthusiasts excited.

Skating Championship to Draw Thousands to Portland

In early January more than a hundred thousand figure skating fans are expected to descend on Portland for the 2005 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Organizers are expecting big names and a big economic impact.

Portland Launches 10-Year Homelessness Plan

OPB News - Portland Monday became one of the first cities on the West Coast to launch a federally-backed 10 year plan to end homelessness.

'Lemony Snicket' Tops Box Office in Debut

"Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" brought in $30.2 million of good fortune to debut in first place at the weekend box office.

Nice tip

Phoenix Suns forward Quentin Richardson, back right, tips in the ball over Denver Nuggets forward Bryon Russell, back left, to score the winning basket as time runs out in the Suns' 107-105 victory in Denver on Monday night, their ninth straight win. Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin, front, looks on.
At 22-3, Steve Nash and the Suns are off to the NBA's best start since Dallas had the same record with Nash at the point in 2002. Not bad for a team that didn't get its 22nd win until March 15 last year.

Shaq issues Kobe a Christmas warning

Shaquille O'Neal can't wait to face his former teammate, Kobe Bryant, on Christmas Day. "He's a Corvette. I'm a brick wall. So you know what's gonna happen," said O'Neal, warning Bryant to stay out of the lane.

Exercise Program Specially Fit to Needs of Mentally Ill People

latimes.com
In Shape, a year old project, is designed to provide regular structured exercise for people with mental illness. The project also includes education in nutrition, weight loss and behavior modification. Each participant works with a mentor, and all classes and training take place in mixed settings among people who are not mentally ill.

The unusual, community-based effort targets a population that has been largely overlooked by a physical fitness boom that caters to an array of groups — from older people to babies to the physically disabled — but typically not to people with mental illness. Experts view In Shape as a model to improve the lives and life spans of millions of people with mental illness.

For First Time, Most Say Iraq War Was a Mistake

Washington Post
President Bush heads into his second term amid deep and growing public skepticism about the Iraq war, with a solid majority saying for the first time that the war was a mistake and most people believing that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld should lose his job, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
While a slight majority believe the Iraq war contributed to the long-term security of the United States, 70 percent of Americans think these gains have come at an "unacceptable" cost in military casualties. This led 56 percent to conclude that, given the cost, the conflict there was "not worth fighting" -- an eight-point increase from when the same question was asked this summer, and the first time a decisive majority of people have reached this conclusion.

Yahoo Maps Offer Live U.S. Traffic Conditions

Yahoo Inc. is set to offer an online service that lets users view live U.S. local traffic conditions on custom-created maps, the first site to do so nationally, the company said late last Wednesday.

Rollin'

Phoenix Suns guards Steve Nash, left, of Canada, and Quentin Richardson celebrate against the Washington Wizards in the fourth quarter Saturday, Dec. 18, in Phoenix. Nash scored 13 points and 11 assists while Richardson scored 19 points as the Suns defeated the Wizards 110-96.

Nash had 11 assists Saturday to become the first player to reach double digits in that category in eight consecutive games since Nick Van Exel in 1999-2000. The only other players to do that in which every game was a win were Magic Johnson (10), Oscar Robertson (8) and John Stockton (8).

Phoenix is averaging 109.5 points for the season, almost eight more than any other team in the league, and shooting an NBA-best 47.8 percent from the field.

The Suns have lost only once in 18 games, the best such stretch in team history. They've won eight straight overall. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Munch

Arizona Cardinals' Josh McCown (12) scores a touchdown on a quarterback keeper during the first quarter against the St. Louis Rams Sunday, Dec. 19, in Tempe, Ariz. The Cardinals won 31-7 and at 5-9, are still mathematically alive in the division race. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Video killed the radio star

Yahoo! adds video search
Yahoo! has added a video search function to its index. Searchers can search from some five million different videos in a variety of popular multimedia files.

Yahoo!'s video database contains video files in all the most common formats including media files, including MPEG, AVI, Microsoft's Windows Media, Apple Computer's QuickTime, and Real Networks' Real Media.

MacCentral: PowerBooks burn dual-layer DVDs with new MCE drive

MacCentral: PowerBooks burn dual-layer DVDs with new MCE drive
Irvine, Calif.-based MCE Technologies LLC on Wednesday announced it is shipping the 8X SuperDrive, a replacement for the optical drive in Apple Computer Inc.'s PowerBook G4 laptop. The new drive is capable of burning dual-layer DVD discs, capable of storing up to 8.5GB of information. The drive is compatible with all of Apple's 12-, 15- and 17-inch PowerBooks.

Man gets six months for hacking NASA computer

Man gets six months for hacking NASA computer
A Portland man was sentenced to six months in federal prison for breaking into a NASA computer systems in 2001 and causing more than $200,000 in damage.
Gregory Aaron Herns, 21, was a 17-year-old computer whiz at an alternative high school in southeast Portland when he hacked into the computer system at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Hotel Rwanda

See the trailer here.

Downtown Portland

Health agency provides talking books for Afghan women

USATODAY.com - In one of his last duties before leaving the administration, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced the delivery of thousands of interactive health education books for women in Afghanistan. The "talking books" designed by LeapFrog, are aimed at the 80% of Afghani women who cannot read or write.

Mobile games get fancier, more social

USATODAY.com - Who says "Solitaire" must be a solitary endeavor? Games tailored for cell phones are increasingly adding community-oriented elements, such as tournaments for top scores, head-to-head combat or chatting with other players.

Google Creating Online Reading Room

Google Creating Online Reading Room
Stacks of hard-to-find books are being scanned into Google Inc.'s widely used Internet search engine in its attempt to establish a massive online reading room for five major libraries.

Material from the New York public library as well as libraries at four universities — Harvard, Stanford, Michigan and Oxford — will be indexed on Mountain View, Calif.-based Google under the ambitious initiative announced late Monday.

Google is picking up the estimated $150 million tab to have employees on-site at the libraries begin scanning books, page by page. More than 50 million potential books are part of the project.

Downloading at 30,000 feet

FCC to Allow Wireless Access on Planes
WASHINGTON - Federal regulators voted Wednesday to give airline passengers high-speed Internet connections while they fly.
The unanimous vote by the Federal Communications Commission means air travelers could be surfing the Web by 2006.

"Atari Arcade Classics" come to Mac OS X

MacCentral: "Atari Arcade Classics" come to Mac OS X
Destineer subsidiary MacSoft on Tuesday announced the release of Atari Arcade Classics -- a three-in-one pack of previously released titles that have been remade for Mac OS X.

NBA - Suns 121, Magic 100

NBA - Suns 121, Magic 100
PHOENIX (AP) -- Even without Steve Nash, the Phoenix Suns were off and running.

Leandro Barbosa scored 19 points in relief of the foul-plagued Nash and the Suns set a team record for best start to a season with a 121-100 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday night.

"We've been trying to encourage him and get his confidence going,"Nash said, "and tonight he was terrific."

Barbosa, two weeks past his 22nd birthday. credited Nash's teaching.

"I talked to Steve Nash before the game, and he told me what to do on the court,"Barbosa said. "It worked."

The Suns improved to an NBA-best 18-3, their finest record 21 games into a season in the 37-year history of the franchise. Phoenix has won 14 of 15 for the first time in eight seasons.

"It means a lot," said Amare Stoudemire, who poured in 21 points. "It's down to where I know we're not pretenders, we're contenders."

Stoudemire was named player of the week for the second time this season.

Money well spent

U.S. Missile Defense Test Fails (Reuters) - The first test in nearly two years of a multibillion-dollar U.S. anti-missile shield failed on Wednesday when the interceptor missile shut down as it prepared to launch in the central Pacific, the Pentagon said.

About 16 minutes earlier, a target missile carrying a mock warhead had been successfully fired from Kodiak Island, Alaska, according to a statement from the Missile Defense Agency.

The aborted $85 million test appeared likely to set back plans for activation of a rudimentary bulwark against long-range ballistic missiles that could be fired by countries like North Korea.

In 2002, President Bush pledged to have initial elements of the program up and running by the end of this year while testing and development continued.

Livewire: News and Info Junkies Take New Look at RSS

Reuters - News and information junkies are taking a new look at RSS, a technology that helps them feed their habit without getting overwhelmed in the clutter of the information age.

Law targets mental health (Detroit News)

State lawmakers pass a bill that allows judges to order treatment, joining 24 other states with similar legislation.

Mental health crisis in British prisons

Fifty thousand prisoners - that's almost three quarters of all inmates in England and Wales - suffer from mental illness. Yet proper treatment is so scarce - all four thousand suitable secure psychiatric beds are already full.

Sony Says All Systems Go for PSP Launch

PC World - Sony's new handheld gaming device debuted in Japan this weekend, but won't be available in U.S. until next year. The PSP (PlayStation Portable) device features built-in support for IEEE802.11b wireless LAN, allowing users to connect to the Internet through an access point for online gaming and to download new games.

Web Store Scores With One-Item-Only Sales

AP - Woot.com takes an unusual approach in the crowded field of Internet retailing. It sells just one item each weekday, starting at midnight local time in suburban Dallas, where the company is based, until it sells out.

Woot — short for "Wow! Loot!" — doesn't tell its shoppers how many watches, laptops or hot-tub phones it has. It just sells what it has in stock, and when the item is gone, sometimes within hours, that's it — there are no rain checks, nothing else to buy. Shoppers have to wait until midnight for the next offering.

The site has developed a fanatical following.

FCC Requests Tape of Olympics

Reuters - The Federal Communications Commission has asked for a tape of NBC's broadcast of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics after it received at least one indecency complaint.

Can these indecency complaints get any more stupid? I mean, seriously?

Fla. Woman Fired Over SpongeBob Balloon

PALM HARBOR, Fla. - A Burger King employee was fired after she refused to return a 10-foot-tall SpongeBob Squarepants balloon that she sold for $1,025 in an Internet auction.
Viney Richards, 36, said a manager gave her the 50-pound balloon after it was taken down from the restaurant's roof.
But when she asked permission to be photographed by The Tampa Tribune, which was writing a story about the balloon's listing on the Internet auction house eBay, she was told to stop talking to the media and return the balloon.
"I really like my job at Burger King," Richards said. "But I just couldn't give back the SpongeBob."
She said she was fired from her $6.15-an-hour job on Wednesday.
The balloon was one of several listed on eBay. Dozens of the balloons have been stolen from the roofs of Burger Kings from Florida to Utah since the release of "The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie," authorities said.

AFI Names Its Top 10 Movies of the Year

AP - The superhero adventures "Spider-Man 2" and "The Incredibles" made the American Film Institute's list of 2004's top 10 movies.

Hilltop Karaoke

A dream I had that woke me in the early morning hours prompted this recording, as I was to groggy to write or type it.

Rep. Hooley Criticizes Administration on Armor Issue

By Colin Fogarty OPB News - Oregon Congresswoman Darlene Hooley is emerging as one of the loudest critics among Democrats in calling for armor-plated vehicles for soldiers in Iraq.

Supreme Court to hear file-sharing case

USATODAY.com - The Supreme Court agreed Friday to consider whether two Internet file-sharing services may be held responsible for their customers' online swapping of copyrighted songs and movies.

Video games used to help hospitalized kids relax

USATODAY.com - Letting children play video games on a Game Boy in the operating room before undergoing surgery can help relax them better than tranquilizers or holding Mommy's hand, researchers say. Doctors found that allowing children a few minutes to play the games reduced their anxiety until the anesthesia took effect.

Supreme Court to Hear ISP, Cable Dispute

The Supreme Court agreed last week to consider whether cable companies must open their high-speed lines to rival Internet providers.
Justices will hear two cases challenging a lower ruling forcing cable companies to share their lines.

C-3PO cometh

This photo released by the Gadget Shop shows "Robosapien," the brainchild of NASA scientist Dr. Mark W. Tilden, which uses the science of applied biomorphic robotics that enable his walking and movements to appear human (AFP/HO/File)

US to build wireless network for future warfare

The Pentagon, which invented the precursor to the internet 40 years ago, has laid the first connections for a secure, wireless information network that proponents say will fundamentally transform warfare, a US newspaper reported.

Underwater tunes

An Apple Mini iPod is seen encased in a H2O Audio SV-iMini, a fully waterproof housing and headphone set made for the digital music player Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2004, in San Francisco. The unit looks great and allows for full use of the iPod mini's controls. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Berlin sunset : A balloon flies next to the top of Berlin's Cathedral 25 November 2004, as the day winds up (AFP/DDP/Michael Kappeler)

I wear my sunglasses at night...

April Jones of the Occhiali da Sole sunglass boutique in Virginia wears a pair of the Oakley 'Thump' digital music eyewear. The recently released music eyeware plays MP3/WMA/WAV music files.(AFP/Paul Richards)

You think YOUR head hurts...

This X-ray picture shows a 5-centimeter nail stuck in an unidentified South Korean patient's skull Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004. According to a Seoul hospital, doctors found the nail after the man came to the hospital, complaining about a severe headache. They speculate that the nail stuck in the man's head four years ago in an accident but the man didn't know about it. The nail was removed in a surgery last Saturday. (AP Photo/Yonhap).

Video games and health care

Dr. Harvey Magee starts a virtual assessment of an injured soldier seen on a computer screen during a demonstration of the Simulation Technologies for Advanced Trauma Care (STATCare) Friday, Dec. 10, 2004, at the Video Game Entertainment Industry Technology and Medicine Conference in Marina Del Rey area of Los Angeles. The PC-based multimedia simulation gives health care providers interactive training on virtual patients who respond as humans to simulated emergency scenarios to treatment and drugs. The program was co-developed by funding by the U.S. Army Medical Research Material Command. A study done by Dr. James Rosser of the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City has shown a significant correlation between video game experience and proficiency at laparoscopic surgery. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

'It's a filler.'

Edwin Depke of St. Louis enjoys his coffee while standing in front a ad for the new Hardee's Monster Thickberger Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2004. The burger includes two 1/3 slabs of Angus beef, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese and mayonnaise on a buttered sesame seed bun. Depke said of the Monster, 'It's a filler.' (AP Photo/James A. Finley)

Mmmmm....

Willy Wonka Exclusive Trailer

I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself. I came across the trailer for the upcomming Willy Wonka film, which is sure to be amazing. It isn't even on Warner Brothers site yet, and its only started to circulate online in the last few hours. Have a look here.
Enjoy.

Disabilities expert moves research team from OHSU to PSU

A national expert on disabilities has moved from Oregon Health & Science University to the faculty of Portland State University's graduate school of social work. Three researchers and 14 staff members made the move with her.

Christmas ships trimmed for river light show

The decorated boats head out Thursday on the Columbia and Willamette rivers, starting the parade's 50th holiday season.

Fantastic weekend

Here it is three days later, but the more I think about last weekend, the more I realize how amazing it was. A very dear friend flew in for a suprise visit from back East, I received a lot of warm affirmation regarding a truly crappy work situation, and my family was able to stop by to watch my Phoenix Suns beat up on the hometown Blazers. I hope this if foreshadowing for the traditionally intense holiday season.

China Computer Maker Acquires IBM PC Biz

AP - China's biggest computer maker, Lenovo Group, said Wednesday it has acquired a majority stake in IBM Corp.'s personal computer business in a deal valued at US$1.75 billion (euro1.32 billion) — one of the biggest Chinese overseas acquisitions ever.

Ray Charles Receives 7 Grammy Nominations

AP - Six months after his death, Ray Charles is having a career year. He's the subject of the critically acclaimed biopic "Ray," his posthumous album, "Genius Loves Company," has become a best seller, and on Tuesday, it received seven Grammy nominations — more than any other album by the musical icon.

Body Struggles When Sleeping Time Changes

AP - A researcher studying sleep for NASA has found the body has more difficulty adjusting to different sleep times than previously thought.

Report Links Lack of Sleep and Obesity

Two studies report that sleep loss can contribute to obesity. Researchers found that when men slept 10 hours, they awoke with normal appetites. But when they slept only four hours they were hungry. And what they wanted to eat wasn't lean meats, fruits or vegetables. NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports.

Toshiba, Memory-Tech develop dual-format DVD

Toshiba and Memory-Tech said Tuesday they have developed a DVD that can play on both existing machines and the upcoming high-definition players, raising hopes for a smooth transition as more people dump old TV sets for better screens. The disc is said to have a dual-layered surface that can store both types of data on the same side.

Child Advocates Win $27M Calif. Lottery

AP - A couple who provide funerals for dead abandoned babies and helped inspire a law to save unwanted newborns have won a $27 million jackpot in the California lottery.

Guess Who...

Online School That Gave Cat an MBA Is Sued

AP - The Pennsylvania attorney general's office Monday sued an online university for allegedly selling bogus academic degrees — including an MBA awarded to a cat.

Images of Saturn reveal kinks, theft

  
USATODAY.com - New images from the Cassini spacecraft reveal undulating kinks in one of the rings and theft of ring dust by a moon.
Scientists speculate that the shepherd moon Prometheus might be gravitationally pulling material away from Saturn's F ring. The kinks are seen in greater detail than ever before and the thievery has been photographed for the first time.

Net File-Sharing Doesn't Hurt Most Artists - Survey

Reuters - Most musicians and artists say the Internet has helped them make more money from their work despite online file-trading services that allow users to copy songs and other material for free, according to a study released on Sunday.

Online Christmans trees taking root

USATODAY.com - Thousands of families will trudge to the woods or a local lot this weekend if not sooner to find that perfect Christmas tree. And then there are those who will gladly trade the boots, the jackets, the saws and the gas-guzzling car trips for a mouse and Internet address or two. The traditional Christmas tree hunt has found its way to the Internet.

MacCentral: Troll Touch adds touchscreen to 17-inch PowerBook

MacCentral - Troll Touch on Monday announced its SlipCOVER Touchscreen System for Apple Computer Inc.'s PowerBook G4 17-inch model. Using the SlipCOVER, 17-inch PowerBooks can be converted to provide touch input capability.

The face of meth addiction is getting younger in Oregon

KATU 2 - PORTLAND, Ore. - Meth addiction has overtaken alcohol as the most treated drug problem among Oregon teens, trailing only marijuana.

UNICEF Cites 170 Million Malnourished Kids

By SADAQAT JAN, Associated Press Writer - Lack of food and education still afflict millions of children around the world, with nearly 10 million youngsters under age 5 dying each year from preventable diseases, the U.N. children's agency said Sunday.

Stevie Wonder Bashes Eminem for Jackson Criticism

Reuters - In a rare public outburst, Stevie Wonder has blasted Eminem for ridiculing Michael Jackson in a video, and suggested the rapper was hypocritical because he owed his success to poor and black people.

Wash. Center to Study Child Medical Ethics

AP - Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, which is affiliated with the University of Washington, is establishing a new center to examine ethics issues that arise in the care of children.

Yea Wendy's!

Say what you want about fast food, but this is cool.
Reuters - Wendy's International Inc. on Monday said it will allow customers to forego French fries included in its combo meals in favor of chili, a baked potato or a salad, at no extra charge, as it works to regain market share.

Minor Sanctions for U.S. Troops Who Balked in Iraq

Reuters - The U.S. military in Iraq has disciplined 18 soldiers who refused to go out on a transport convoy they thought was too dangerous, but the reservists will not face court-martial, a military spokesman said Monday.

Soldiers Challenge Enlistment Extensions

AP - Eight soldiers are challenging the Army's policy requiring them to serve longer than the terms of their enlistment contracts.

Suns Off to Best Start in 24 Years

Suns Off to Best Start in 24 Years
The Phoenix Suns left LeBron James in awe. "By far, they are the best team in the NBA right now," James said. "Just their ability to score, that's an amazing system that their coach has got them in."
Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash and Quentin Richardson each scored 21 points, and the Suns improved to an NBA-best 13-2 with their ninth victory in a row, 120-101 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
The Suns are off to the franchise's best start in 24 years and the victory streak matches the sixth-longest in team history.

'Blog' Tops U.S. Dictionary's Words of the Year

BOSTON (Reuters) - A four-letter term that came to symbolize the difference between old and new media during this year's presidential campaign tops U.S. dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster's list of the 10 words of the year.

Parry Center Workers Walk Out

Union workers at Portland's Parry Center for Children walked out on strike Monday morning. The 120 mental health counselors and housekeepers make up the entire Parry Center staff, except for managers.

'Ringback' tones may be next big fashion

USATODAY.com Instead of the usual dialing noise that people hear when phoning someone, callers to Verizon Wireless subscribers may soon find themselves listening to a song until the phone is answered. The "ringback" service is debuting in the United States in California and is slated to be available nationally by mid-2005.

Congress Negotiators Seal Special Ed Deal (AP)

AP - House and Senate negotiators agreed to major changes in federal special education law recently, pressing schools to ensure that children with disabilities get the same opportunities as others. The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, getting its first update since 1997, governs the daily school life of 6.7 million students.

Free credit report... No catch.

Prior to December 1, interested consumers had to pay approximately $30 for copies of their credit history. However, as a result of the landmark consumer protection law (the FACT Act), championed by Congresswoman Hooley, all Oregonians can request free annual credit reports from all three credit bureaus starting December 1, 2004. Visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com, a Web site that will give consumers free access to their annual credit reports from all three consumer credit reporting companies for the first time.