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Notifying partners of HIV-positive people an important weapon in fight against AIDS No. You do not want to get a telephone call from Luis Hernandez. It is his job to tell people that they might have been exposed to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. When a client at the San Francisco Department of Public Health's sexually transmitted disease clinic tests positive for HIV, Hernandez is often the one who breaks the news in a face-to-face counseling session. For the past year, he has had an added responsibility -- notifying sexual partners of newly diagnosed HIV-positives that they, too, should...

DETROIT -- No up-or-down vote necessary: Everyone from persons of interest to first-time callers will agree that 2005 offered more than its share of irritating words and phrases. Lake Superior State University on Saturday released its 2006 "List of Words and Phrases Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness." But please, don't call it "breaking news."

The controversial belief system that counts movie stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta as devotees is winning support from a Liberal member of Parliament. Toronto-area MP Derek Lee appears in a recruiting video used by the Church of Scientology to attract new members in the United States. Some critics have denounced Scientology as a brainwashing cult that harasses its opponents and exploits the vulnerable for financial gain. But Mr. Lee says he supports some of the group's programs and is particularly impressed by its approach to rehabilitating drug addicts. "I'm way past the point of viewing them as just a...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Tuesday said Iran had a right to a civilian nuclear program if it did not gain expertise or materials to build an atomic weapon. The United States is concerned that Iran's nuclear program is aimed at producing weapons, and Bush said he would be "speaking candidly about Iran" with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who are gathering in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. "It is very important for the world to understand that Iran with a nuclear weapon will be incredibly destabilizing," Bush said at...

Nokia Corp., the world's largest cellphone maker, unveiled its first handset with a built-in hard drive, taking aim at the market for iPods and other stand-alone digital-music players. Nokia, of Espoo, Finland, said the cellphone, earmarked to go on sale world-wide in the fourth quarter, will be able to store 3,000 songs and have a built-in Wi-Fi radio and camera. Dubbed the Nokia N91, the device will have a retail price of about €700, or about $908, before any subsidies by cellphone-service providers, Nokia officials said. That price compares with about $200 for an iPod mini with a similar storage...

A man was battered to death for simply saying "how are you" to a fellow customer at a shop counter. Witnesses told today that as Daniel Pater, 29, lay dying from his injuries, his killer stole his watch off his wrist and walked off. Two of Mr Pater's flatmates tried to help him but could not stop the stranger's punches.

I decided to change my ways. After a lot of soul searching, I've realized that the GOP does not have my best interests in mind. I can no longer support an administration and a party that cannot look beyond the immediate future and see the long-term consequences of their actions. I've thought about where this administration's policies will leave me and my future family in 30, 40, 50 years....and I do not like the picture. I never thought I would say this, but I'm turning blue. While some of you may call me a jackass, I am now proud to...

HELLO MULLAH, HELLO FATAH (CAMP OSAMA) Tune: "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (Camp Granada)" [which was to the tune, "Dance of the Hours"] Hello Mullah, Hello Fatah, Here I am at Camp Osama. Camp is very Entertaining, And they say we'll have some fun in basic training. I went bombing With Mohammed. He blew up like Halley's comet. No use going To the surgeons, There were parts of him enough for sixty virgins. All the Sunnis Hate the Saudis, And the innies Hate the outies, But there's one thing We agree on: All the beds are awful hard to get to ...

Hello Big Man - the words that told father of jungle kidnap boy that his son was safe By Peter Foster (Filed: 26/09/2003) After nine days lost in a "trance-like" state of anxiety, James Scott heard the words that told him beyond doubt that his son had come through the ordeal of 12-day trek in the jungles of Colombia. "Hello, Big Man," said 19-year-old Matthew over a scratchy Colombian telephone line - using the family nickname for his father, a very tall, retired orthopaedic surgeon. Despite his exhaustion, Matthew was sufficiently well to make light of his ailments, which included...

Hello, just introducing myself. I am an angry middle aged patriotic (Bush backin') white male. Glad to have found my 'fellow' patriots!!

Hi everybody. I've been a lurker for awhile now, and figured it was time to stop sneaking around the place and join the conversations with you great people. I look forward to taking part in many great threads with you all. Thanks for having me. Steve W.

Hollywood Couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones - Note Absence of Maureen Dowd Hollywood stars Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas have failed to stop Hello! magazine's defence case being heard in a trial over publication of their wedding pictures. The celebrity couple are in a legal fight with the magazine after it published pictures of their wedding in November 2000. They have sued them for £2m over publishing the pictures days ahead of a deal made with Hello!'s rival, OK! magazine. During a preliminary hearing at London's High Court on Monday, senior judge Andrew Morritt did criticise...

"ATF Night" continues to draw the BIGGEST Names in the movement to restore ALL of the Bill of Rights! This Thursday, September 19, in Culver City, California at "ATF Night" we will have as our Featured Speaker: Dr. Timothy WheelerDirector of Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership. Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership (DRGO) is a project of the Claremont Institute launched in 1994. Headed by Dr. Timothy Wheeler, a southern California surgeon, DRGO has become a nationwide network of more than 1,400 physicians, allied health professionals, and others who support the safe and lawful use of firearms. Motivated by deep-seated prejudice...

Absentee Voting Program Kicks Into High Gear By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2002 -- If you think your vote doesn't count, just ask George W. Bush and Al Gore. With the 2002 general election fast approaching Nov. 5, Federal Voting Assistance Program officials are sponsoring Armed Forces Voters Week, Sept. 1-7. The week is designed for military installations worldwide to highlight voting issues. "The objective is to create awareness of the electoral process and to motivate military members to participate in the upcoming general election," said Polli Brunelli, federal voting program director. "We want to...

Sexual Assault of Animals Now Illegal in Illinois Wednesday, July 31, 2002 By The Leader-Springfield Bureau Governor Ryan has signed into law a bill making sexual assault of animals illegal in Illinois. SPRINGFIELD -- Governor George Ryan signed a sexual assault bill into law last Thursday, with two new provisions to prosecute sexual crimes. One section of the new law is raising eyebrows. One provision of the new law makes it a Class 4 felony to engage in sexual conduct with an animal. If the act is done in the presence of a minor, or the animal suffers physical injury,...