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> Mon., Feb. 3, 2003
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Shuttle Columbia Accident
Jordanians Protest Iraq War
Work Stoppage Ends, Chavez Claims Victory
Healthcare Providers Resist Smallpox Vaccines
It's 1984 Again
Nuclear Reactor Active in Czech Republic
Shuttle Columbia Accident (2:29)
As NASA this morning warned that the debrief field from the
Shuttle Columbia accident is larger than they originally thought,
the nation mourned the 7 crew members, including an Israeli
man, and an Indian and African-American Woman, who all died.
Yet as Dr Michio Kaku, Professor of Theoretical Physics at
the City University of NY told KPFA's Chris Welch the accident
could have been even more of a disaster.
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Jordanians Protest Iraq War (3:37)
U.S. Army spokesman said today that U.S. military instructors
have begun training members of the "Iraqi opposition"
at a base in Hungary ahead of likely American-led war against
Iraq. The spokesman said training will involve courses on
self-defense, laws of armed conflict, human rights and ethical
decision-making. This as Jordan and Greece said today that
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein must cooperate fully with UN
inspectors adding that Hussein has the key to defusing a looming
war crisis. Meanwhile, Greek foreign Minister George Papandreou,
whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency,
said in Amman that a war could have very negative consequences
for the wider region and that the EU is working to achieve
a diplomatic solution that would avert war. Oula Al-Farawati
reports from Amman.
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Work Stoppage Ends, Chavez Claims Victory (3:20)
Yesterday, February 2nd, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
and his supporters celebrated four years in office and the
defeat of the two month opposition economic shut-down. On
the same day, the opposition gathered its forces to launch
another campaign to oust President Chavez from office, this
time via a petition drive for a recall referendum and a constitutional
amendment. Gregory Wilpert and Carol Delgado report from Caracas,
Venezuela.
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Healthcare Providers Resist Smallpox Vaccines (3:30)
As Florida is about to begin the first phase of it Smallpox
vaccination plan this week, healthcare providers, like the
St Vincent Health System in Arkansas who today announced they
will not participate in federal smallpox vaccinations, and
many others around the country are resisting the federal plan.
On January 24th, Connecticut became the first state to begin
the voluntary vaccinations. Only 4 doctors came forward; eight
nurses backed out at the last minute. At least 80 hospitals
across the country have refused to take part in the program.
Nurses unions are expressing concerns ranging from serious
reservations to outright opposition. Kellia Ramares explores
the reluctance of health care workers to participate in a
program that has a goal of ultimately vaccinating ten and
a half million people.
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It's 1984 Again (3:24)
Last week the American Civil Liberties Union issued a report
warning of a potential surveillance society - arguing surveillance
powers are growing like a monster in our midst. Today, there
are more surveillance cameras in New York City than in any
other city in the nation. After Sept. 11, a growing infrastructure
of video surveillance has increased in some of the most sacred
public spaces and is now involving more private businesses.
Many privacy advocates want to know what they're watching.
As Geoff Brady reports, weekly surveillance camera tours in
New York City offer an open dialogue to the quiet build up
of cameras in Manhattan neighborhoods.
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Nuclear Reactor Active in Czech Republic
(3:23)
And as we look at the Shuttle Columbia accident and the growing
links between space exploration and the nuclear arms race,
Eastern Europe is one place where both industries are active
as a result of the Cold War. However activists in Central
Europe are continuing their fight against the Temeline Nuclear
Power plant in the Southern Czech Republic. The plant is the
last of the Soviet Chernobyl-type nuclear power stations to
be built in Eastern Europe and many consider it to dangerous
to operate. Groups of Austrian activists have taken up hunger
strikes on the Czech-Austrian boarder near the site of the
power station to protest the start-up of the second reactor
at Temeline last month. FSRN's Charles Michael Ray has this
story.
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