The number of cancer deaths in the United States dropped slightly in 2003, the first such decline since 1930.
“It’s an important milestone that the number of Americans dying from cancer is decreasing,” said Dr. Michael Thun, vice president of epidemiology and surveillance research at the American Cancer Society. “We are making progress, and we have [...]

OK, we don’t know they made an effort to cover this up, but they didn’t announce it to the public, instead, the ranch owner leaked the info to the press:

Earlier, E&P had learned that the official confirmation of the shooting came about only after a local reporter in Corpus Christi, Texas, received a tip from [...]

Politics:
Public learns about Cheney shooting despite attempt to keep it quiet.
India withdraws 5,000 troops from Kashmir.
US says will cancel debt owed by Afghanistan.
Environment:
Massachusetts Technology Collaborative lauches green affordable housing project
Sweden plans to be world’s first oil-free economy.
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Sweden is to take the biggest energy step of any advanced western economy by trying to wean itself off oil completely within 15 years - without building a new generation of nuclear power stations.
The attempt by the country of 9 million people to become the world’s first practically oil-free economy is being planned by a [...]

The United States will cancel all debt owed to it by Afghanistan, which amounts to about $108 million, the State Department announced on Tuesday as it urged other nations to do the same.
The debt cancellation will be done via normal Paris Club procedures and State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Russia, Germany and other members [...]

Jamais Cascio at World Changing:

For the moment, high-efficiency, renewable energy housing — at least in the United States — is realistically only available to upper-middle-class homeowners. People in “affordable housing” developments, even new ones, rarely have access to super-efficient windows and insulation or rooftop solar. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative wants to change that, and has [...]

India has claimed to have withdrawn nearly 5,000 troops from Jammu and Kashmir following an improvement in the security situation in the state.
A senior military official said on Monday that the decision was taken following consultations between the Indian Army and the Defence Ministry along with a review of the situation on the ground. “The [...]

Politics:
Washington State passes gay rights bill.
US court OKs injunction against abortion ban.
The public actually think the president should get a warrent for wiretaps.
MyDD poll shows broad bipartison support for the Murtha plan.
Environment:
Ethanol Fuel More Advantageous Than Thought.
Willie Nelson markets biofuel.
Health:
Didgeridoo Playing Improves Your Sleep.
Other:
Pirate Papa: A Journal of Green Parenting.
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FORGET “WHISKEY RIVER.” WILLIE NELSON has a new fuel of choice. He is rollin’ toward California “about an hour west of Large Bird, N.M.,” on his tour bus. That’s apropos, actually, because he’s talking about biodiesel, a mix of regular diesel and refined vegetable oil that happens to be the fuel in the bus. Nelson [...]

Producing a gallon of ethanol gas from corn requires 95 percent less petroleum than producing a gallon from fossil fuels, a new study finds.
This method might also slightly reduce the production of greenhouse gases that speed up global warming, but the results on that point are not certain.
Full Story: Live Science.
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