Those sections go to about one third of our audience. We corrected the headline the next day in the Accuracy Watch, on the cover of our Northwest section and read by far more people than the Voices can reach. And we'll correct in the Voice sections Thursday, as per policy. I also apologized to French personally.

French talked to me a couple of times last week, at one point even asking me for advice on how he could extricate himself from the ethical morass. I don't advise politicians, explained to him that he'd have to figure that out for himself and offered him a chance to talk to the editorial page folks about a letter or even an op-ed column.

USDA Recalls 143M Pounds Of California Beef

CBS News consumer safety correspondent Nancy Cordes first reported on Westland/Hallmark's use of sick, or "downer" cows, on a January broadcast of the CBS Evening News.Cordes reported that meat-industry officials said at the time that there was no way to know if the cows actually entered the meat supply and that ailing livestock would have had to pass a gauntlet of USDA veterinarians and inspectors before being slaughtered and sent to market.But Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer now says his department has evidence that Westland did not routinely contact its veterinarian when cattle became non-ambulatory after passing inspection, violating health regulations."Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, Food Safety and Inspection Service has determined them to be unfit for human food and the company is conducting a recall," Schafer said in a statement.A phone message left for Westland president Steve Mendell was not immediately returned.Federal officials suspended operations at Westland/Hallmark after an undercover Humane Society video surfaced showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts.Two former employees were charged Friday.

Windows Live Platform Services: A guide for the perplexed

All about Microsoft

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Ozzie didn't talk specifics about any of the plumbing that makes it possible. But David Treadwell, Corporate Vice president of Live Platform Services, with whom I had a chance to meet at the conference this week, shed some light on what Microsoft is building to enable all the fancy "entertainment mesh" and "connected productivity" scenarios that Microsoft is promising to provide in the coming years.

POP QUIZ: Elaine Lamb

Each week The Advocate asks a different "quiz taker" for his or her current favorites in pop culture.

WHERE I’M SURFING (WEB SITE):eBay.com — "I like to kind of shop that.

The Barr Code

Still, all is not lost for the elder statesman from Arizona. In every election, at least some Republican voters have shown themselves as willing as their Democrat counterparts to lay principles aside for electoral victory. Unfortunately for McCain, the number of conservative voters predisposed to do this again this year, after the disappointing experience of the last eight years, is unlikely to be sufficient for him to overcome his considerable ideological baggage, especially since many of those voters already have tasted of much more exciting and principled candidates like Paul and Huckabee.

Del Norte seeking reliable Internet

A study for rural broadband connectivity is making its way to Crescent City, which could quell service disruption problems.

Redwood Coast Connect is inviting the public to attend a meeting on making broadband more accessible to Del Norte from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Cultural Center. There will be a short presentation before the meeting opens for public comment.

Redwood Coast Connect is conducting a study to see where broadband services are needed and wanted in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity Counties. The project's purpose is to identify opportunities for broadband development in the rural counties.

California Emerging Technology Fund, with a consortium of regional funders, awarded Redwood Coast Connect $500,000 to determine supply and demand. Redwood Coast Connect will also be handing out paper surveys and doing random phone surveys this month.

Give Until It Works

Only charitable contributions that were completed during the 2007 calendar year may be deducted from your taxable income. Another important caveat is that you need to itemize your deductions. If you opt for this year's standardized deduction, it eliminates the itemized deductions that include things like mortgage interest payments, property taxes, and -- yes -- philanthropy.You also have to make your donation to a qualified charitable organization. Most churches and charities qualify. Spending $3,000 to fund your nephew's band does not. That's important. Donating to a hurricane relief charity that has a valid tax identification number and is a registered, non-profit organization, is deductible, but helping out an affected family directly is not. If you have any doubt about the deductibility of the contribution, Publication 78 -- available from the IRS Web site -- provides a cumulative list of qualified charities and organizations.