CAMPUS Former Planned Parenthood President to speak in Ward
Karen Mulhaufer, former president of Planned Parenthood and founder of the Women's Information Network, an organization that assists young women in networking in the D.C. area, will speak about having a career in politics from a noncandidate point of view today at 6 p.m. in Ward 2.
The event, co-sponsored by SPA Undergraduate Council and Women's Initiative, will focus on issues such as the generational design of gender issues, according to Emily Pfefer, vice president of the SPA Council.
"She will be able to share some insight about networking with other young women in the D.C. area," Pfefer said. "But the night will mainly focus on political life, like being in a political interest group."
-RACHEL TRAINER
METRO Courteous hit man leaves targets a way out
Fairfax County and Stafford County, Va., residents have been receiving threatening, albeit considerate, e-mails from senders who claim they have been hired to kill them, according to The Washington Post. But the hired guns leave recipients with a final option - pay a given amount of money, and they will call off the hit.
It's the newest ploy in electronic extortion - just another way to get people's financial information, Fairfax and Stafford County officials told The Post. According to a police spokeswoman, the killer's message says, "'I've been hired to kill you, it's one of your friends, I'm watching you. However ... I don't believe you did what they said, and I'm going to give you a chance to pay me, and I won't kill you.'"
The amount specified in the e-mails has varied and the spelling is often poor, but The Post noted that officials have yet to draw any linkages between the recipients.
-CHRISTOPHER COTTRELL
NATIONAL McCain says 'no' to signing statements
Republican presidential candidate and Arizona Sen. John McCain caught reporters' attention last week when he announced he would not issue a single signing statement if elected president, The Washington Post reported Monday.
"Never, never, never, never," McCain said. "If I disagree with a law that passed, I'll veto it."
McCain's position starkly contrasts that of President Bush, who has received much political flak for his frequent use of such statements. The senator's refusal has even proven more resolute than that of his Democratic opponents, according to The Post.
While Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., condemned Bush's disregard for legislation, each maintained they could imagine circumstances where signing statements would be necessary, according to a questionnaire last year conducted by the Boston Globe.
Signing statements authorize the president to specify which parts of a bill passed by Congress he will obey and which he will disregard before signing it into law. -C.C.
INTERNATIONAL Beijing's new airport terminal largest in the world
A massive addition to Beijing International Airport is scheduled to begin receiving passengers soon, the BBC reported yesterday.
The architects, Foster and Partners, designed the new airport terminal to resemble a Chinese dragon, according to the BBC. Skylights in the roof represent the dragon's scales, and its shape can only been seen from the air.
Its creators called it "the biggest building in the world," as it will accommodate 50 million passengers per year. Beijing is already home to the world's ninth busiest airport, a figure that is expected to rise, according to the BBC.
In a country without labor unions or public appeals, construction went on nonstop for four years. The Chinese government is spending $39 billion, most of which is going to architectural makeovers or additions, to prepare for the world's arrival at the 2008 Olympics.
The new projects have displaced nearly 1.25 million Beijing residents, the BBC noted. -C.C.
