Pa. school board rescinds “intelligent design” policy
Dover, Pa. – The Dover school board on Tuesday rescinded its policy of presenting “intelligent design” as an alternative to evolution in high school biology classes, two weeks after a federal judge found the concept was religious and not scientific.
There was no discussion by members of the Dover Area School Board before the voice vote Tuesday night. Most of the school- board incumbents who had defended the policy were ousted in the November election.
The policy, approved in October 2004, required that a statement be read to students about “intelligent design” before ninth-grade lessons on evolution. The statement said Darwin’s theory is “not a fact” and referred students to an “intelligent-design” book.
On Dec. 20, a federal district judge sided with eight families who argued that “intelligent design,” which attributes the existence of complex organisms to an unidentified intelligent cause, is biblical creationism in disguise.
The judge said the board’s real purpose was “to promote religion in the public-school classroom.”
PROVIDENCE, R.I.
Medical marijuana gets state’s approval
Rhode Island on Tuesday became the 11th state to legalize medical marijuana and the first since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that patients who use the drug can still be prosecuted under federal law.
The House overrode a veto by Gov. Don Carcieri, 59-13, allowing people with illnesses such as cancer and AIDS to grow as many as 12 marijuana plants or buy 2.5 ounces of marijuana to relieve their symptoms. Those who do are required to register with the state and get an identification card.
Federal law prohibits any use of marijuana, but Colorado, Maine, Vermont, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington allow it to be grown and used for medicinal purposes.
NORFOLK, Va.
Captain faulted in ’04 blast that killed 21
An explosion that destroyed a tanker and killed 21 seamen nearly two years ago was caused by the captain’s “stunningly” unsafe order to his crew to open vapor-filled cargo tanks for cleaning, the Coast Guard said in a report Tuesday.
Opening the hatches on 22 empty tanks caused the highly flammable vapors to escape onto the deck, where the crew of the Bow Mariner was working, according to the report. A spark ignited the mixture of air and vapors from a gasoline additive.
The investigation also found that Capt. Efstratios Kavouras abandoned ship without sending a distress call or trying to save his crew, contributing to the high death toll.
The 570-foot Bow Mariner sank about 50 miles off the Virginia coast on Feb. 28, 2004. Twenty-one of the 27 crew members died. Kavouras was among the 18 whose bodies were never found.
BEIJING
Journalist freed early as visit to U.S. looms
A Chinese journalist who was jailed on subversion charges after reporting on corruption has been released early from prison, ahead of a planned U.S. visit by President Hu Jintao, a U.S.-based activist announced today.
Jiang Weiping was released Tuesday after the one year remaining on his sentence was commuted, and he was with his family in the northeastern city of Dalian, said John Kamm, executive director of the Duihua Foundation in San Francisco.
Hu is due to visit the U.S. early this year, and Beijing frequently releases prominent prisoners in connection with high-level official contacts with the U.S.
MEXICO CITY
“Grand Warlock” fields ’06 predictions
President Vicente Fox’s party will again win Mexico’s presidency, Germany will win the World Cup and U.S. President Bush will try to win back the American public with big spending on space travel.
That’s all in the stars for 2006, Antonio Vazquez, Mexico’s self- proclaimed “Grand Warlock,” predicted Tuesday.
Mexico’s constitution bars Fox from seeking a second six-year term. The July 2 presidential election’s front-runner in most public opinion polls is Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who stepped down as Mexico City mayor last year to run for president with the leftist Democratic Revolution Party.
Speaking at Mexico City’s press club, the 66-year-old Vaz quez said, “In coming months, I see Lopez Obrador dropping, dropping, dropping,” though he couldn’t clarify exactly why.
Vazquez has been making annual predictions based on tarot card readings and his scrutiny of the stars since 1980, and has become famous in recent years for making incorrect sports predictions.
SANTIAGO, Chile
Peru petitions Chile to extradite Fujimori
Peru formally asked Chile on Tuesday to extradite former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori on human rights and corruption charges.
Peru’s ambassador to Chile and a Peruvian special prosecutor delivered to Chile 12 sealed boxes of documents detailing allegations that include 25 death- squad killings in the 1990s, illegal phone tapping, diversion of state funds to the intelligence service, bribery of politicians, and the transfer of $15 million to Fujimori’s spy chief, Vladimiro Montesinos.
Fujimori has been under arrest in Chile at Peru’s request since his surprise arrival two months ago from Japan.
