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They are an anonymous band of lower and mid-level managers who are risking their lives at the very heart of Japan’s nuclear crisis. But as the stricken reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant appears to stabilise, plant owners are still remaining tight-lipped about the so-called 'Fukushima Fifty' - the heroes fighting to save Japan from nuclear catastrophe. Fifty essential workers stayed behind to stop a catastrophic meltdown at the plant, as 750 of their colleagues were evacuated earlier this week when the over-heating seemed to be getting out of control. Five are now believed to have died, 15 are injured...

If there's one thing the recent health care vote proves, it's that Nancy Pelosi is the most focused House speaker since Tip O'Neill. I'm not talking about the merits of the bill that emerged from the House - the debate on that subject is far from over. I'm talking about Pelosi's behind-the-scenes leadership to get the job done in such a way that at-risk Democrats can still win re-election. The pundits portrayed the 220-215 tally and 39 Democratic no votes as signs of Pelosi's weakness. What they missed was that Pelosi got her majority while letting Democrats from conservative districts...

OAKLAND -- A former intern in Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums' office has pleaded no contest to credit-card theft after being accused of stealing bank account information from two mayoral staff members and a law firm where she previously worked, her attorney said Friday. Phelicia Williams, 27, of Oakland entered her plea this week in Alameda County Superior Court, where she had been scheduled for a preliminary hearing. She will be sentenced Aug. 20 by Judge Morris Jacobson. In exchange for her plea and her promise to pay $15,000 to the victims, prosecutors dropped five other felony counts, defense attorney Robert...

Dan Rather's lawsuit at CBS achieved its first purpose; it's put Dan Rather back in the spotlight. After having disappeared into the black hole of HDNet, Rather once again has become noteworthy enough to get an invitation on Larry King Live and the rest of the talkshows. However, if he had hoped to resurrect his reputation with the lawsuit, his colleagues have not been impressed (via QandO): Rather’s former colleagues at CBS have something to say. Take, for example, Don Hewitt, the legendary producer of “60 Minutes.” “Any news organization, print or broadcast, has the right to protect its reputation...

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2006 – A Michigan police officer says he has found his calling in the effort to foster a democratic Iraq and ultimately bring America's troops home. Iraqi police officers and Army Lt. Col. Alfred Bazzinotti, commander of 519th Military Police Battalion, hold up police uniforms in Baghdad. Coordinated by police Sgt. Ed Hude, members of several Michigan police departments have been sending body armor, handcuffs, uniforms and other items to help supply Iraqi police since October. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Since October, Sgt. Ed Hude, a 31-year veteran with the Mason, Mich.,...

Forty-three of John Bolton's former colleagues at the American Enterprise Institute want to set the record straight: They've sent a letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, defending Bolton's conduct and management style. "We were colleagues of John Bolton during his tenure as senior vice president of the American Enterprise Institute from January 1997 through May 2001. We are writing to tell you and your colleagues that the various allegations that have been raised before your Committee, concerning Mr. Bolton's management style and conduct in other organizations and circumstances, are radically at odds with our experiences in more than four...

Sonic Fusion Scientists have reported that by bombarding a liquid with sound they were able to produce nuclear fusion in a tabletop apparatus. But their colleagues doubt it. By W. Wayt Gibbs Image: Courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Russian Academy of Sciences (Rusi P. Taleyarkhan, J. S. Cho, C.D. West, R.T. Lahey,Jr., R.I. Nigmatulin and R.C. Block)SIX-MILLIMETER BUBBLE CLOUD is about to implode in a glass chamber filled with acetone. The implosion produces light and shock waves. Donald Kennedy, editor of the prestigious journal Science, knew he was in for a row if he...