Concerned American- that is great about the irish. Thanks for sharing.

New law prompts Calif. county to halt all weddings

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Heterosexual couples are rushing to get married in a conservative California county that plans to halt all civil wedding ceremonies as gay marriage is set to be legalized.

Kern County Clerk Ann Barnett says Friday is the last day the county will perform civil weddings.

Starting Tuesday, when the California Supreme Court’s order legalizing same-sex marriage takes effect, Kern will issue new gender-neutral marriage licenses as required by law. But couples seeking to get hitched will have to go somewhere else for the ceremony.

Barnett says the increased demand for ceremonies would overwhelm her staff and pose office security risks. She made the announcement after learning she could not marry only couples of her choosing.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080613/ap_on_re_us/gay_marriage

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080613/ap_on_re_eu/ireland_eu_referendum

Ireland rejects EU reform treaty with 53.4 percent “no” vote

DUBLIN, Ireland – Electoral officials say Irish voters have rejected the European Union reform treaty with a national “No” vote of 53.4 percent.

The blueprint for modernizing the 27-nation bloc cannot become law without Irish approval and its defeat is a major blow to the EU.

Rural and working-class voters heavily rejected the treaty to modernize the EU’s powers and institutions in line with its rapid expansion since 2004.

Ireland was the only EU member to seek to ratify the Lisbon Treaty through a national referendum. All others are doing so only through their national governments.

Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen will join other EU leaders at a summit next week to try to negotiate a new way forward.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The inflation rate shot up in May at the fastest pace in six months, pushed higher by soaring costs for gasoline and other types of energy.

The Labor Department reported Friday that consumer prices rose by 0.6 percent last month, the biggest one-month increase since last November, as gasoline costs surged by 5.7 percent. Food prices, which have also been rising sharply, were up 0.3 percent as the cost of beef and bakery products showed big gains.

Core inflation, however, which excludes energy and food, edged up a more moderate 0.2 percent in May. That increase was right in line with expectations and should help relieve worries that the big increases in food and energy could be breaking through to more widespread inflation.

Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, said that the moderate gain in core prices showed price pressures are remaining contained despite fears at the Federal Reserve.

The Fed, which from September through April was aggressively cutting interest rates to fight a mounting economic slowdown, is now indicating that its biggest concern has changed from the threat of a recession to worries about inflation.

In a speech Monday, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said that the Fed will “strongly resist an erosion of longer-term inflation expectations.” Those comments have raised expectations that the Fed’s next move later this year will be to start raising interest rates.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080613/economy.html?.v=2

Myanmar says US aid can’t be trusted Fri Jun 13, 3:39 AM ET

YANGON, Myanmar – As individuals and aid agencies around the world dig into their pockets for funds to help Myanmar’s cyclone victims, the country’s ruling junta said Friday that such assistance from the United States could not be trusted.

State media has previously said Myanmar feared Washington was using the cover of humanitarian aid to invade the country and steal its oil reserves.

The suspicion continued Friday, when a media mouthpiece for the regime warned that “the goodwill of a big Western nation that wants to help Myanmar with its warships was not genuine” — a clear reference to the U.S.

Myanmar rejected humanitarian aid aboard naval vessels from the U.S., Britain and France, which sailed toward the Southeast Asian nation after Cyclone Nargis struck May 2-3.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080613/ap_on_re_as/myanmar

http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/tassava.WWII

I pulled the above rant out of my brain quickly and late at night. So if you can correct me on the facts or on my anger-generated arguments, please do.