BUENOS AIRES probes AND BOGOTA, conclude COLOMBIA — Facing an economic slowdown after years of brisk growth, Latin American nations from Mexico to Argentina have launched stimulus plans amid fears of recession, rising poverty and social unrest. Central banks have moved to stabilize currencies, boost employment and bolster consumer confidence in an attempt to limit the fallout from the global economic crisis. Brazil, the region's largest economy, has pumped tens of billions of dollars into shoring up its currency and once-booming housing and auto sectors, while announcing an additional $3. 6 billion in tax cuts last week, along with $10 billion in credit for indebted Brazilian firms. Mexico, dependent on the flagging U. S. The first step would be keeping their penalty-killing unit off the ice. McDonald, who has been stuck in his own scoring drought lately, was attempting to enjoy the day off Monday, but couldn't help think back to Anaheim's latest off-night, a 4-0 loss Sunday to visiting Edmonton. In 2006, "hate crime events" involving gender and disability combined accounted for only 0. 8% of incidents, compared to 18. 8% of incidents motivated by the victim's sexual orientation. Evidence abounds that, like racial minorities, gay Americans are subjected to violence because of who they are. In reality, the plunger is a huge magnet used for lifting the shape (which happens to be a foot-tall seated elf playing a flute). Moses maintains a grotesque museum (hint: he's a retired coroner) in an unassuming upstate New York town. Anyone moved by Oates' classic tales of contemporary malevolence -- "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" and "Heat," for example -- will find much here to keep the ghoulish fires burning.

Southwest allegedly was allowed to fly dozens of planes that didn't comply with FAA safety regulations, including some that hadn't been inspected for cracks that could potentially tear a plane apart mid-flight . Mahor:Expensive. She was happy to take pictures, but she wasn't setting foot inside . After a few minutes, the Mahor girl exited the hangar with the news we were all awaiting. "Prada," she said. "Oh," said her mother . The board could allocate those votes Monday. The final batch is an estimated 1,600 absentee ballots that were initially rejected because of administrative errors or other problems . "And Baghdad is the prize for those who seek the restoration of strong central government in Iraq. "A brief tour of some of the provinces:DiyalaIn Baqubah, the capital of Diyala province, buildings are pockmarked with bullet holes, a reminder of the failures of the election in January 2005. Most Sunni Arabs stayed home from the polls then, angry about the U. S invasion and the policies that followed . The only evidence against him was a bloodhound named Dakota whose handler said the dog found Espalin's scent at the fires days and weeks after they were set in 2004. Though arson investigators suspected him of lighting 40 fires, mostly trees and bushes in Riverside, Espalin was tried on only 21 counts at his first trial, which ended with the jury deadlocked 9 to 3 for acquittal . Between 50 cents and $1 per dryer -- and a minimum of $100,000 from the company -- goes to the foundation. KitchenAid mixers.

Leading ad categories for Viacom's youthful audience -- including movies, fast food and video games -- tend to be "slowdown resistant," he said. Viacom, the parent of MTV, Paramount Pictures, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and BET, posted net income of $270 million, or 42 cents a share, compared with $203 million, or 29 cents a share, in the year-earlier period . He could make some great catches. "So could Irvin, who is the second member of Dallas' vaunted "Triplets" on offense to make the Hall, along with QB Troy Aikman . Some are feared to have died in custody. Isaias rejects criticisms, calling the constitution "only a paper," dismissing those in jail as "crooks," and bristling at the suggestion that he's worried about holding a free vote. "Do you think I'm scared of elections in this country?" he said . military in hopes that many will eventually be integrated into the Shiite-dominated Iraqi security forces. The airstrike comes at a time when members of the groups, typically paid $10 a day, are coming under deadly attacks by Al Qaeda in Iraq and other militants because of their affiliation with the U. S . The law could not have done that because the drug remains illegal under federal law, the majority said. SAN FRANCISCO -- — The California Supreme Court weakened the effect of the state's beleaguered medical marijuana law, ruling Thursday that employers may fire workers for using physician-recommended marijuana while off duty, even if it did not hurt their job performance. Supporters of medical marijuana immediately criticized the court's 5-2 ruling, saying it undermined the 1996 law, which prohibits the state from criminalizing the medical use of the drug. Hundreds of medical marijuana users have complained that they have been fired, threatened with termination or not hired by California companies because of their drug use, according to one advocacy group. In siding with employers, the California Supreme Court said the Compassionate Use Act passed by voters and later amended by the Legislature imposed no requirements on employers. "The Compassionate Use Act does not eliminate marijuana's potential for abuse or the employer's legitimate interest in whether an employee uses the drug," Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar wrote for the majority. Justice Joyce L