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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (677408)	3/29/2005 1:31:32 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 769670

yup -- no trade holding more tham 2 secs

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (677408)	3/29/2005 1:32:27 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Jackson Meets With Schiavo's Parents in Florida ( an opportunist reverend ???) INELLAS PARK, Fla. (AP) -- The parents of Terri Schiavo met and prayed Tuesday with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who called her impending death "an injustice." Joining the conservatives who have rallied to the parents' cause, the liberal Jackson said he would call state senators who opposed legislation that would have reinserted Schiavo's feeding tube and ask them to reconsider. Terri Schiavo was in her 12th day without food and water. Her husband and guardian, Michael Schiavo, has insisted that he was carrying out her wishes by having her feeding tube pulled. His lawyer said Monday that an autopsy was planned to show the extent of Terri Schiavo's brain damage. Jackson's arrival Tuesday was greeted by some applause and cries of "This is about civil rights." "I feel so passionate about this injustice being done, how unnecessary it is to deny her a feeding tube, water, not even ice to be used for her parched lips," said Jackson, who has run for president as a Democrat. "This is a moral issue and it transcends politics and family disputes." "I wanted the Reverend Jackson here for moral support," said Mary Schindler, Terri Schiavo's mother. "I feel good with him here. Very strong. He gives me strength." University of South Florida political science professor Susan MacManus said Jackson's appearance shows that the life-and-death issues surrounding their daughter resonate beyond white, Christian conservatives. "A person of faith, and not just a white, conservative person of faith will be seen as a welcomed change," MacManus said. Schiavo's father, Bob Schindler, said he visited his daughter Tuesday and said she was "failing." "She still looks pretty darn good under the circumstances," Schindler said. "You can see the impact of no food and water for 12 days. Her bodily functions are still working. We still have her." After Jackson's news conference, a man was tackled to the ground by officers when he tried to storm into the hospice, Pinellas Park police said. Dow Pursley, 56, of Scranton, Pa., was shocked with a Taser stun gun and was arrested on charges of attempted burglary and resisting arrest without violence, police spokesman Sanfield Forseth said. The man had two bottles of water with him but did not reach the hospice door, police said. He is the 47th protester arrested. On Monday, George Felos, the attorney for husband and guardian Michael Schiavo, said that the chief medical examiner for Pinellas County, Dr. John Thogmartin, had agreed to perform an autopsy. He said her husband wants definitive proof showing the extent of the brain damage. An attorney for the Schindlers, David Gibbs III, said her family also wants an autopsy. "We would certainly support and encourage an autopsy to be done, with all the unanswered questions," Gibbs said. Felos said he had visited Schiavo for more than an hour Monday and said she looked "very peaceful. She looked calm." "I saw no evidence of any bodily discomfort whatsoever," Felos said, although he added her breathing seemed "a little on the rapid side" and her eyes were sunken. Doctors have said Terri Schiavo, 41, would probably die within a week or two when the tube was removed on March 18. She suffered catastrophic brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped for several minutes because of a chemical imbalance. The parents on Monday pressed again for President Bush, Congress and the president's brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, to intervene to have the feeding tube reinserted. A small group of supporters protested outside the White House gates. As Schiavo drew closer to death, extra police officers blocked the road in front of the Florida hospice, and an elementary school next door was closed so students could avoid the crowd. President Bush's aides have said they have run out of legal options. At least two more appeals filed by the state seeking the feeding tube's reconnection were pending, but those challenges were before a Florida appeals court that had rejected the governor's previous efforts in the case.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (677408)	3/30/2005 10:11:23 AM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 769670

Economy Grows at Solid Pace at End of 2004 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 9:42 a.m. ET WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy -- supported by solid business and consumer spending -- grew in the closing three months of 2004 at an annual rate of 3.8 percent. It's expected to perform even better in the opening quarter of this year. The reading on the gross domestic product, released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday, turned out to be the same as a previous estimate made a month ago. Before Wednesday's report was issued, some economists were forecasting economic growth for the October-to December quarter of 2004 to be revised slightly higher to a pace of 4 percent. That would have matched the economy's growth rate in the third quarter of last year. GDP, the broadest gauge of the economy's fitness, measures the value of all goods and services produced within the United States. The fourth quarter's economic performance was admirable, analysts said. ``The economy is not sprinting but it is jogging along nicely,'' said Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics. For the current January-to March quarter, the economy is expected to grow at a rate of around 4 percent or slightly faster, according to some analysts' projections. Economic growth probably will slow a bit in the April-to-June period but still be healthy, they said. Feeling good about the economy's growth but concerned about the prospects of inflation taking off, Federal Reserve policy-makers at their March 22 meeting boosted short-term interest rates for a seventh time since last June, when the Fed's rate-raising campaign began. Fed policy-makers also sent a strong signal that further rate increases were likely in the months ahead to combat unwanted inflation. An inflation gauge tied to the GDP report and closely monitored by the Fed showed prices -- excluding food and energy -- rising at a rate of 1.7 percent in the final quarter of 2004. That was up from a previous estimate for the quarter and marked a big pickup from the 0.9 percent increase registered in the third quarter. The Fed, at the March meeting, said the economy is growing ``at a solid pace despite the rise in energy prices.'' Oil prices, which surged late last year and recently hit record highs, have retreated some in recent days. The Fed also said that ``labor market conditions continue to improve gradually.'' The overall economy has performed better than the jobs market, where progress at times has been uneven. The economy added a sizable 262,000 jobs in February, the most since October. Analysts are hopeful that another 220,000 were created in March, when the government releases a new employment report on Friday. President Bush wants to see the economy and the jobs situation on firm footing as he tries to sell the American public on his vision of overhauling Social Security. A cornerstone of his plan would allow workers to set up individual investment accounts in stocks and bonds, using a big chunk of payroll taxes to do that. In the GDP report, consumer spending, the lifeblood of the economy, grew at a 4.2 percent rate in the final quarter of 2004. That was the same as a previous estimate for the quarter and down from a 5.1 percent growth rate in the third quarter of last year. Business spending on equipment and software increased at a whopping 18.4 percent pace in the fourth quarter. That was better than a previous estimate and up from a 17.5 percent pace in the third quarter. Some economists said they'll be looking closely to determine whether high energy prices make consumers and business cautious, something that could slow economic growth. One measure of after-tax profits in the GDP report showed profits rebounding in the final quarter of 2004, growing by 12.5 percent, compared with a decline of 4.2 percent in the third quarter. Handsome profits should help companies cope with the impact of high energy prices as well as rising prices for other goods, including raw materials, some analysts said.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (677408)	3/30/2005 10:13:05 AM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 769670

hey kennyboy : heart attack today !!!! saw rescue squad parking in front of your RANCH!!!!! Hey Flipper, How's the market doing? Are you making lots of money? LOL!

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (677408)	3/30/2005 10:52:22 AM
From: Hope Praytochange	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Hey Flipper, How's the market doing? Are you making lots of money? LOL! ouch ..............it hurts !!!!!!!

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (677408)	3/30/2005 11:53:06 AM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 769670

does it hurt you, kennyboy: Hey Flipper, How's the market doing? Are you making lots of money? LOL!

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (677408)	3/30/2005 4:53:46 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 769670

Stocks Move Higher on Tepid G.D.P. Report By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 4:32 p.m. ET NEW YORK (AP) -- Modest growth in the gross domestic product and a drop in oil prices led gave Wall Street its best day of 2005 Wednesday as investors at least temporarily set aside inflation fears and picked up bargains in a heavily sold-off market. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained more than 135 points for the session. According to the Commerce Department, fourth-quarter GDP grew at an annual rate of 3.8 percent, less than the 4 percent economists forecast. The department's price index rose 2.9 percent for the quarter, more than Wall Street expected, but was offset by increases in consumer spending and capital expenditures by businesses. Along with an upbeat report on the nation's oil reserves, the GDP report prompted Wall Street's strongest day of 2005 on heavy volume. All three major indexes saw their biggest one-day point gains since Dec. 1. ``Normally you wouldn't see this GDP report as a good thing, but with inflation out there, a little bit less growth is viewed as a positive,'' said Larry Peruzzi, senior equity trader at The Boston Company Asset Management. ``It cools things down just enough, without getting too cold.'' According to preliminary calculations, the Dow rose 135.23, or 1.3 percent, to 10,540.93. Broader stock indicators also gained ground. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up 16.05, or 1.38 percent, at 1,181.41. The Nasdaq composite index gained 31.79, or 1.61 percent, to 2,005.67, after falling to a five-month low on Tuesday. The Nasdaq closed above the psychologically important 2,000 mark for the first time since March 21. The drop in oil prices came after the Energy Department reported a 5.4 billion barrel increase to the nation's crude oil reserves. Light, sweet crude futures were down 24 cents at $53.99 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, though oil prices had fallen as low as $52.50 per barrel earlier in the session. The dollar fell against most major currencies, while gold prices rose. The bond market built on Tuesday's strong gains, with the yield on the 10-year Treasury note slipping to 4.55 percent, from 4.58 percent late Tuesday. Investors were also looking ahead to a pair of economic reports Friday -- the Labor Department's March employment figures and the Institute for Supply Management's monthly report on the industrial sector. Economic data, particularly employment data, has been closely watched as the Federal Reserve plots its rate-tightening policy, and Wall Street is eager to know whether the next hike will be a 0.25 percentage point move like all the others, or a more aggressive half-point rise. ``It's hard to see a sustainable advance with the precarious nature of interest rates here and how they're moving higher. Who's to say when that stops?'' asked Steven Goldman, chief market strategist with Weeden & Co. in Greenwich, Conn. ``Until we get a handle on what's going on with rates it's difficult to know what's next, and that puts a bit of a lid on stocks.'' Qwest Communications International Inc. lost 2 cents to $3.77 after a Goldman Sachs analyst said the company would likely continue to pursue a merger with MCI Inc., which agreed to a $7.6 billion takeover by Dow industrial Verizon Communications Inc. MCI rose 35 cents to $24.13, while Verizon advanced 57 cents to $35.43. Morgan Stanley climbed $1.67 to $55.28 after the company said three more executives would leave the brokerage house following a management shakeup. Dissident shareholders and former executives have increased calls for Chief Executive Philip Purcell to resign, saying the departure of other executives won't be enough to right the company. Shares of The Walt Disney Co. rose 45 cents to $28.35 a day after the company officially parted ways with Miramax chiefs Bob and Harvey Weinstein. Disney will retain the Miramax name and film library, and the Weinstein brothers will take the Dimension label and its catalog as the core of a new venture-funded studio. American International Group Inc. lost $1.04 to $57.16 after the company said it will delay filing its annual report. The embattled insurer said it discovered improper documentation for a controversial transaction with a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. unit at the center of state and federal investigations. French telecommunications equipment maker Alcatel rose 5 cents to $12.30 after reiterating its full-year earnings outlook, which called for double-digit earnings per share for 2005 and a single-digit rise in sales. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by more than 2 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 1.68 billion shares, compared with 1.76 billion traded on Tuesday. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies was up 10.27, or 1.7 percent, at 614.90. Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 0.29 percent. In Europe, France's CAC-40 dropped 0.42 percent, Britain's FTSE 100 shed 0.37 percent and Germany's DAX index lost 0.10 percent. ^------ On the Net: New York Stock Exchange: nyse.com Nasdaq Stock Market: nasdaq.com