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It’s getting downright dangerous to venture outside. Ticksare abundant and mosquito-borne West Nile virus is sweepingthe U.S. Two infected dead crows were even found on theWhite House lawn.

West Nile virus first turned up in New York, but it’s nowmoving south, especially to Louisiana, where 16 people havecome down with the disease. After major rains and flooding,which can attract mosquitoes, the disease has turned up inTexas as well. Several cases are suspected in Mississippi,Oklahoma and North Dakota.

“It is going to be here to stay,” says Daniel O’Leary, ofthe Centers for Disease Control. “We are going to have tolive with it in our midst.”
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A U.S. attack on Iraq could profoundly affect the Americaneconomy, because this time, the United States would have tofoot most of the bills. Eleven years ago, the Persian Gulfwar cost the U.S. and its allies $61.1 billion. $48.4billion of that was paid by other nations. The cost of thatwar in 2002 dollars was $79.9 billion.

In 1991, our allies paid almost 80 percent of it. This timearound, it looks like we’ll have to pick up the tabourselves. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Japan divided the costof the 1991 war with the United States, but none of them hasoffered to assist with financing a war against Iraq. “Justopen a map,” says a member of the Kuwaiti royal family.”Afghanistan is in turmoil, the Middle East is in flames,and you want to open a third front in the region?”
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Bill Mallow, who was one of a handful of scientists willing to do research into unusual objects such as alleged alien implants, has died. Because of the controversial nature of this material and the fear of scientists that they may suffer career damage if they work on it, he leaves behind him a significant void. It is unlikely that any scientist without an agenda of dismissal, open or otherwise, will come forward to replace him in this work.
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FBI agents have conducted a second search of the Marylandapartment of former Fort Detrick scientist Steven Hatfill,on suspicion that he may be the anthrax terrorist who sentletters that left five people dead and at least 13 othersill last fall. Fort Detrick is the headquarters of the U.S.Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, andanthrax samples are stored there.

The FBI says it has uncovered new information. They alsosearched a rental storage unit in Ocala, Florida. BothHatfill’s apartment and the storage unit have been searchedpreviously, and agents said they found nothing immediatelyincriminating in the first searches.
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