The mountains skid down hill.

Hengduanshan Mountain Range Situated at the juncture of Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan in the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it has an average elevation of 2,000 to 6,000 meters (click here). Its highest peak, Gonggashan, is 7,556 meters above sea level.

That is just the mountain range elevations and doesn't account for the continental crust below the range where the friction point was that caused the epicenter to be defined.

10 kilometers beneath these mountains - 10 kilometers is the depth of the mountain crust. Earth's crust upto 50 in places.

In south-central China’s Sichuan Province, the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau cascades steeply downward toward a deep, round basin. The ruggedness of the terrain and the heights of the mountains are testaments to the tremendous geologic forces shaping the land. On May 12, 2008, the population of Sichuan Province got a more tangible and tragic reminder...

If one examines this image closely it begins to become very clear that the region was bound to achieve a major earthquake in its history. The dynamics of the geology is clearly illustrated in this image. There was a lot of pressure to cause the quake and its epicenter. It was destined to happen. This was no accident, it just needed the right 'push' and it was over.

The earthquake damage isn't contained. It is questionable it will be.

...Earthquake dams present a dual danger. Apart from the upstream floods that occur as a lake builds behind the natural dam, the piles of rubble that form the dam may be unstable. Another quake or simply the pressure of water behind it could burst the dam, sending a wall of water downstream. Downstream floods may also occur when water begins to cascade over the top of the dam. Thousands of people were evacuated from Beichuan on May 17 when one such lake threatened to burst, said China Daily.


Residents from Qingchuan county are evacuated after warnings that a lake formed when the nearby Qingzhu River blocked by landslides could burst its banks. [Xinhua]

Water overflows from a lake formed after landslides blocked a river in Qingchuan county, Sichuan, yesterday. The natural overflow eased the threat of flooding. Xu Jingxing (click here)

21 lakes formed, 'no danger yet' (click here)

CHENGDU: Twenty-one lakes have formed after landslides blocked rivers in Sichuan, but they "do not pose a serious danger at the moment", the vice-governor of the province said yesterday.
Expert teams have reached all the lakes to monitor the situation, Li Chengyun told a media briefing, adding that various water projects in the province are basically safe.
At least two water conservancy specialists, accompanied by at least 10 People's Liberation Army personnel, are monitoring each of the lakes.
"Preliminary monitoring stations have been set up near each lake," he said....

USA ranked 96 of 140 (Which is Iraq's Rank) countries on the Global Peace Index

Japan is ranked 5th, China ranks 67, France is 36, United Kingdom is 49, Russia is ranked 132 (The five legitimate nuclear nations are China, France, the UK, Russia and the USA) and Myanmar is ranked at 126.

World map of the Global Peace Index. Countries appearing more blue are ranked as more peaceful on the Index, countries appearing more red are ranked as less peaceful.

The Methodogy (click here)

The indicatorsTwenty-four indicators of the existence or absence of peace were chosen by the panel, which are divided into three key thematic categories. Many of the indicators have been "banded" on a scale of 1-5; qualitative indicators in the index have been scored by the Economist Intelligence Unit's extensive team of country analysts, and gaps in the quantitative data have been filled by estimates. Indicators of quantitative data such as military expenditure or jailed population have been normalised on the basis of:

x = (x-Min(x)) / (Max (x) - Min (x))

Where Min (x) and Max (x) are respectively the lowest and highest values in the 140 countries for any given indicator. The normalised value is then transformed from a 0-1 value to a 1-5 score to make it comparable with the other indicators. Measures of ongoing domestic and international conflict...

Jailed members of a society are considered to be 'internal conflict.' Think about it. Laws are created to govern domestic peace and tranquility, when the laws create criminals of their populous due to strife and/or culture, that clearly indicates the government has turned against the people. The USA has a large number of its population in prison under the current regime, as well as the international crimes they exhibit in regard to invasion and coveting of sovereign countries. Of those that remain 'out of jail' such as Tom DeLay, are they appropriately out of jail and how much of the populous have 'changed' behaviors adversely to primary belief systems to remain out of peril with its govenment?

In the case of a country such as the USA which states to practice democracy based in a capitalistic economy, how much of the behaviors of its 'businesses' both government and private have changed in order to survive a hostile regime in DC ? As a result what has happened to the middle class, labor force, unions and instruments of democracy that empowers upward economic movement through opportunity ?

Bush apologises over Quran row

Morning Papers - continued...

Iraq - Also known as The Bush/Cheney/McCain Regime

"The Dead Enders of the USA"

Senator Changes Course, Balks at Funding Iraq War
by David Welna
Listen Now [3 min 45 sec]
All Things Considered
May 20, 2008 · The Senate's No. 2 Democrat voted for years to fund a war he opposed from the start, but he now says such votes are over. Majority Whip Dick Durbin has declared in recent weeks that he has no intention of voting for President Bush's final emergency supplemental spending request to fund the Iraq war.


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90645095



Investigations into civilian abuse in Basra
The January 2008 Aitken report discussed six cases of abuse investigated by the Royal Military police
Wednesday May 14 2008
Baha Mousa
Mousa, 26, died on September 15 2003. The Iraqi hotel worker suffered 93 injuries at the hands of British soldiers. He was detained along with other Iraqis by members of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment. They were hooded, stressed and deprived of food and sleep. A postmortem found Mousa's injuries consistent with a "systematic beating".
In spite of a £20m military investigation and court martial, a proper narrative of how Mousa came to die has never emerged because of what Mr Justice McKinnon, a military judge advocate, described as a "closing of ranks".
Last year's court martial led to the conviction of one member of the regiment, Corporal Donald Payne, 35, who became the first British convicted war criminal after he admitted treating the Iraqis inhumanely. He was jailed for a year and dismissed from the army. Others in the regiment, including the former commander in Iraq, Colonel Jorge Mendonca, 43, were cleared on a judge's orders due to lack of evidence.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/14/iraq.military



Swimming to Iraq...
It's another photo out of Iraq, another scene of children in a tortured piece of real eastate, Sadr City.
But unlike a photo that moved many to tears a couple weeks ago, a photo of a dying child in the aftermath of a bomb, this is one that inspires, at least to smile.
The photo is simple: A bunch of boys frolicking in a pond. One poses in a little boy flex for the camera. And smiles, widely. The others are oblivious to the camera, having too much fun with the water, as dark and questionable as it might look to adult eyes.
In that sense, it's a vacation photo we've all seen before. Boys acting like fools, ignoring the world around them and focused completely on the moment, and on having fun.
What's different in this photo, of course, is the world around them. Look at the building in the background. How many times have explosives hit it? Look at the water they're playing in? Is it rain runoff? Is it percolating up from broken water mains?

http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/11898



How Iran pulls the strings in Iraq
By Roger Hardy
BBC Middle East analyst
Iran played a crucial role in securing the recent ceasefire in the Sadr City area of Baghdad, just as it helped broker an earlier truce in the southern city of Basra.
Its role in curbing fighting between Iraqi Shia factions sheds a revealing light on the extent of its influence in the country.
It also appears that the Iraqi president, Kurdish politician Jalal Talabani, has been a key intermediary between the Iraqi government and the Iranians.
Phase One: Basra
The latest phase in the Shia power struggle in Iraq began in March when, without warning, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki sent his forces to break the power of the militias who had taken over Basra.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7401438.stm




Maliki's Southern Strategy
Iraqi Security Forces have succeeded in temporarily pacifying Basra.
Even the most diehard Iraq hawks want to reduce the U.S. military footprint in Iraq and lean more heavily on Iraqi Security Forces to do the hard work of defeating insurgents and sectarian militias. Which is why recent developments in Basra have been so encouraging. At first, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's decision to confront Moqtada al-Sadr's Iranian-backed militas looked like a major strategic misstep. Now it appears to have transformed Iraqi politics, potentially paving the way for real reconciliation between Sunni and Shia.
Maliki had long depended on Sadr's support, on the street and in Iraq's parliament, where 32 Sadrists form a crucial bloc. And, so, understandably, Sadr's Sunni opponents -- who see him, rightly, as a power-mad half-literate street tough with delusions of grandeur -- were reluctant to trust Maliki. The same was true of Sadr's Shia rivals.

http://thecurrent.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/malikis-southern-strategy.php




Nearly 40,000 troops to be deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan
Soldiers will be replacements for those coming home
By David Wood Sun reporter
1:01 PM EDT, May 19, 2008
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has alerted nearly 40,000 active duty and National Guard soldiers that they will be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan starting this fall, in a sign that it expects hard fighting to continue on both fronts in what Pentagon officials call "the long war."
The Pentagon suggested that the troops will deploy for not more than 12 months rather than the 15-month rotations that have become the rule in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
The units will deploy beginning in late fall and will continue through the end of the year, Army officials said.
They are replacements for units slated to rotate home from the war. There are 155,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 33,000 in Afghanistan now.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/world/bal-troops0519,0,1396878.story



Iraq: Normalcy returns to beleaguered Baghdad suburb
BAGHDAD, 18 May 2008 (IRIN) - Residents of Baghdad's mainly Shia district of Sadr City are breathing a sigh of relief as a ceasefire between Shia militiamen loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr and US-backed government forces has brought to an end seven weeks of clashes that left daily life all but paralysed.
Schools, government offices and businesses have re-opened, mine clearing operations have begun and aid teams are bringing much needed relief items to those who had been cut off.
"We went through very bad and hard days since the clashes began," said Ammar Wathiq Yousif, a 39-year-old father-of-two from Sadr City. "We weren't able to leave our home and it was very hard to get food and other essentials.
"But since yesterday, when Iraqi security forces came into the area and the militants left, we've returned to our normal lives; I can drive my taxi in the streets, my two daughters have gone back to school and businesses have re-opened," he added.
But Yousif, like many of the other 2.5 million people living in this run-down area on the eastern side of the capital, complained about poor public services and a dilapidated infrastructure.
"We've only returned to our normal daily suffering, which is of course better than what we've been through the past few weeks. We lack many basic services, electricity is available for about six hours a day at best, and some streets are frequently flooded with sewage," he said.
10-point truce agreement
A 10-point truce agreement came into effect on 11 May but it was shaky from the start with sporadic clashes occurring in different parts of Sadr City. However, order was restored when Iraqi security forces fully took over the area on 16 May.
The main points of the agreement stipulate that Iraqi forces would take over security in Sadr City and would refrain from seeking US help to restore order. In return, the Mahdi Army militia would stop fighting US and Iraqi forces in the area.
Mine clearing operations
On 17 May, Iraqi authorities said they had already begun clearing mines planted by militants around Sadr City to trap Iraqi and US forces.
"Our military engineering teams started mine clearing operations on Friday [16 May] and so far have managed to dismantle 50 mines and roadside bombs," Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Mousawi, an Iraqi army spokesman, said in a statement.
"We are still in the first phase of the campaign and it will last for the coming few days to purge Sadr City from all these explosives. Residents are cooperating with our teams effectively," al-Mousawi said.
He added that the Iraqi government had allotted US$150 million to improve public services in Sadr City and create job opportunities.
Humanitarian aid
Awad Khalaf Hadi, a spokesman of al-Zahra, a non-governmental organisation in Sadr City, told IRIN that aid teams had resumed the delivery of relief items to areas they had been unable to access for weeks.
"Now, the municipality teams can go out and work normally in the streets, and we can reach all those in need and all the hospitals. Schools and other government offices are open after being deserted," Hadi said.
sm/at/ed
[END]

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/RMOI-7ERJUS?OpenDocument




Who profits from Iraq war? We all do
Monday, May 19, 2008, 09:41 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Columnist Nick Turse writes that it is no longer just defense contractors who profit heavily from the Iraq war- a wide variety of consumer companies rake in hundreds of millions from Pepsi to Krispy Kreme - and thus we all profit.
“In 1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower, in his famous farewell address as president, warned of the “acquisition of unwarranted influence” by what he called the “military-industrial complex” in the United States,” writes Turse. “Today, however, the “large arms industry” of Eisenhower’s day is only part of a complex equation. Civilian companies such as PepsiCo and IBM form the backbone of what more accurately can be described as a “military-corporate complex.” These businesses allow the Pentagon to function, to make war and to carry out foreign occupations.” Read full column here.
Does widespread profit contribute to the public acceptance of war - and does that prolong the war?

http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/opiniontalk/entries/2008/05/19/who_profits_fro.html




Morocco 'holds 11 over planned attacks'
RABAT (AFP) — Moroccan police have broken up a "terrorist network" of 11 people with links to Al-Qaeda that was planning attacks in Morocco and Belgium, the MAP national news agency said Monday.
The 11, who include a Moroccan resident in Belgium, were picked up in the central city of Fes and in Nador, in the north of the country, MAP said.
They had links with "groups sending volunteers to Iraq and camps of Al-Qaeda's branch in North Africa," the agency added, giving no names.
A source close to the government told AFP that the 11 were not connected to another group arrested earlier this year allegedly led by Abdelkader Belliraj, who has dual Moroccan and Belgian nationality.
That group faces charges including murder and attempted murder with firearms, robbery, money laundering, criminal association with terrorist intent and forging official and identity documents.
Belliraj is also reported to have been in the pay of Belgium's domestic intelligence service for years, but Moroccan authorities said he had confessed to several unsolved murders committed in Belgium in 1989.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h8mazbYsyx3BcColu60-U3MxX6SA




US Soldier Killed in Iraq;
Qur'an Desecrated;
Maliki Said to Replace Division Commander
' A U.S. soldier was killed Sunday and another injured when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Salahuddin province, the military said. At least 4,078 U.S. personnel have been killed since the Iraq war began in 2003, according to the independent website icasualties.org. A car bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol in east Baghdad killed two soldiers and a civilian, police said. Ten people, including four soldiers, were injured.'

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/05/19/18500214.php




US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,080
By The Associated Press – 20 hours ago
As of Sunday, May 18, 2008, at least 4,080 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,326 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
The AP count is the same as the Defense Department's tally, last updated Friday at 10 a.m. EDT.
The British military has reported 176 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Georgia, Netherlands, Thailand, Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, South Korea, one death each.

The latest deaths reported by the military:A soldier was killed Sunday when an explosive struck his vehicle in Salahuddin province.

The latest identifications reported by the military: No identifications reported.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gqgQCcv26kB1dkgZRZNHmbn_1J8gD90OBJ2G0




FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, May 19
Mon May 19, 2008 9:09am EDT
May 19 (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1300 GMT on Monday:

NINEVEH PROVINCE - The Iraq army killed one militant and arrested 78 others on Monday in Nineveh Province, in northern Iraq, the Defence Ministry said.

* SUWAYRA - Iraqi police recovered two bodies with gunshot wounds and signs of torture from the Tigris river in Suwayra, 50 km (30 miles) southeast of Baghdad, police said. They said one of the bodies was beheaded.

* SUQ AL-SHIYUKH - A local Iraqi police chief was killed on Monday when a bomb placed under his bed exploded while he slept, in Suq al-Shiyukh, 320 km (200 miles) southeast of Baghdad, police said.

SALAHUDDIN PROVINCE - A leader of an al-Qaeda unit in Mosul was arrested on Monday in a nearby province, Abdul-Karim Khalaf, an Interior Ministry spokesman, told Reuters.

BAGHDAD - U.S. soldiers killed an attacker placing a roadside bomb north of Baghdad and seized munitions in others districts on Sunday, the U.S. military said.

NEAR RUTBA - Two dead bodies were found with gunshot wounds and signs of torture in a deserted area near Rutba, 360 km (220 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.

SULAIMANIYA PROVINCE - Iranian artillery shells were fired at the border area of Iraq's Sulaimaniya province. There were no casualities, a local government official said.

BAGHDAD - One Katyusha rocket wounded five people near Hurriya district in northwestern Baghdad, police said.

BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb wounded three people in Doura district in southern Baghdad, police said.

BAGHDAD - Iraqi army forces surrounded a Shi'ite mosque and arrested five men and confiscated weapons in Shaab district in northern Baghdad, the Iraqi military said.

TIKRIT - A car bomb killed one person and wounded six others in central Tikrit, 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

BAGHDAD - Three bodies were found in various districts of Baghdad on Sunday, police said.

BASRA - Gunmen killed two policemen in a drive-by shooting on a police patrol on Sunday in central Basra, 420 km (260 miles) southeast of Baghdad, police said.

SALAHUDDIN PROVINCE - One U.S. soldier was killed on Sunday when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Salahuddin province, north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

BAGHDAD - U.S. soldiers killed three militants after coming under attack on Sunday in Sadr City, in eastern Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

NINEVEH PROVINCE - Iraqi security forces arrested 56 wanted men during operations in in Nineveh province in northern Iraq, Interior Ministry spokesman Major-General Abdul-Karim Khalaf said.
(Compiled by Aws Qusay, editing by Michael Georgy)

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL19570284




Monday, May 19, 2008 - 10:17 AM HAST
4,500 Hawaii-based soldiers to deploy to Iraq by end of the year
Pacific Business News (Honolulu)
Some 4,500 soldiers based at Hawaii's Schofield Barracks will be deployed to Iraq later this year, the Pentagon announced Monday.
Approximately 1,000 soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division Headquarters and 3,500 soldiers from the 25th Infantry's 3rd Brigade will deploy to Iraq starting in the fall and continuing through the end of the year. A spokeswoman at the 25th Infantry Division's public affairs office said the Pentagon has not set a firm date for their departure.
The Hawaii soldiers are part of a deployment involving about 25,000 soldiers from the 25th Infantry division headquarters and seven brigade combat teams.
There are currently 4,000 Hawaii-based soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade serving in Iraq. Those soldiers left in November and December for 15-month deployments.

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/05/19/daily7.html




May 19, 2008, 11:42PM
More Texas troops headed to Iraq, Kuwait
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — More troops from Texas will be heading to Iraq and Kuwait.
The Defense Department on Monday announced four brigades from the Army National Guard will head overseas, including the 72nd Brigade Combat Team of the Texas National Guard.
DOD says the tasks will include base defense and route security in Iraq and Kuwait.
The Texas National Guard troops will begin deploying in spring 2009.
Also, the department said additional major units are scheduled to deploy, including one division headquarters and seven brigade combat teams.
Units receiving deployment orders include the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood. The deployment to Iraq begins in the fall.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/nation/5790891.html




40,000 troops told of fall deployment
Some have served multiple tours; strength in Iraq, Afghanistan would be maintained
By David Wood Sun reporter
May 20, 2008
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon alerted about 40,000 active-duty and National Guard soldiers yesterday that they will be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in the fall, a sign that the military expects hard fighting to continue through late next year.
The new orders will maintain the overall strength in Iraq at 15 combat brigades, about 130,000 troops, for next year. That is approximately the number of troops deployed in Iraq before President Bush ordered 25,000 additional troops deployed in January 2007.
The new deployments also will enable the Pentagon to keep the number of troops in Afghanistan at about 33,000, the current level. But senior Pentagon officials have said they are weighing a request to increase the troop levels in Afghanistan by two or possibly three brigades, about 10,000 troops.
The deployment plans announced yesterday will involve units and soldiers who have served two or three tours lasting as long as 15 months. Several of the units have been home less than 12 months, apparently violating a Pentagon goal of allowing soldiers at least a year between combat deployments.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/world/iraq/bal-te.troops20may20,0,6573372.story



Despite Iraq alert, troops ready for storm season
by Paul Purpura, The Times-Picayune
Tuesday May 20, 2008, 5:07 PM
The day after the Defense Department announced a Louisiana Army National Guard infantry brigade has been alerted for an Iraq deployment, the Guard said it has the manpower and equipment needed to respond to storms in the hurricane season that begins in coming weeks.
More than 1,200 high-water military vehicles, from Humvees to tactical trucks, are available, and another 320 vehicles are due to arrive in the state before the end of June, Lt. Col. Michael Deville, the Guard's acting logistics officer, said in a statement released this afternoon.
The Guard has about 8,000 troops available for this year's hurricane season, according to the statement.
"If the governor directs, the soldiers and airmen of the Louisiana National Guard are fully prepared to assist civil authorities in the event of another natural disaster or catastrophic event," the Guard said in the statement.

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/05/despite_iraq_alert_troops_read.html



Local Guard units may return to Iraq
By Matthew Pleasant
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 12:19 p.m.
HOUMA -- Local National Guard units may be deployed to Iraq in 2010, officials say, the second time they have traveled to the war-torn country in the past five years.
Units in Houma and Thibodaux are among more than 3,000 soldiers statewide attached the 256th Brigade Combat Team, who were alerted Monday for possible deployment by the Department of Defense.
The Houma and Thibodaux units have about 100 soldiers each, according to Maj. Michael Kazmierzak, a spokesman for the Louisiana National Guard.
"It’s an alert; they have not received mobilization orders," Kazmierzak said. "I can tell you that the entire brigade is alerted, and they are part of that brigade."

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20080520/ARTICLES/805200325/1211/NEWS01&title=Local_Guard_units_may_return_to_Iraq




Local U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers To Be Deployed
POSTED: 1:27 pm EDT May 20, 2008
UPDATED: 1:36 pm EDT May 20, 2008
WASHINGTON, Pa. -- A Pennsylvania U.S. Army National Guard unit based in Washington, Washington County, will be going back to Iraq.
This is the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division.
The deployment includes the 128th Brigade Support Battalion in Beechview, the 110th Infantry Regiment in Mount Pleasant, the 107th Field Artillery in New Castle and the Second Brigade Troops Battalion in Johnstown.
The unit is expected to be deployed in late 2009.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/16340029/detail.html




256th Brigade alerted for Iraqi duty in 2010
By SANDY DAVIS
Published: May 20, 2008 - Page: 5A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.
The Department of Defense announced Monday that more than 3,000 soldiers from the Louisiana Army National Guard’s 256th Brigade Combat Team have been placed on alert for deployment to Iraq in 2010.
“An alert is a get ready to go, but it’s not a done deal,” said Maj. Michael Kazmierzak, a Louisiana National Guard spokesman.
“More than likely, the alert will be followed up with deployment orders and the soldiers need to be prepared to go.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/19089519.html




Four National Guard brigades alerted for 2009 Iraq Operations
May 19, 2008
The Department of the Army today joined the Department of Defense in announcing May 19 the alert of four Army National Guard Brigade Combat Teams for planned rotations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
More than 14,000 Army National Guard Soldiers are being notified by the Army to prepare for deployment to Iraq in 2009. These units are being informed in advance to provide them the opportunity to plan, conduct world-class training, and to provide some degree of predictability for the Citizen-Soldiers, their Families and their respective employers.
The 72nd Brigade Combat Team, Texas National Guard traces its lineage and honors back to the first iteration of the 36th Infantry Division, which was originally organized at Camp Bowie (Fort Worth), TX, on 18 July 1917, and which drew from units of the Texas and Oklahoma National Guard. The 72nd Brigade Combat Team includes Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 72nd Brigade; the 536th Forward Support Battalion; and the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 141st Infantry Regiment.

http://www.army.mil/-newsreleases/2008/05/19/9263-four-national-guard-brigades-alerted-for-2009-iraq-operations/




NC-based brigade scheduled for another Iraq tour
Posted: May. 19, 2008
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The Department of Defense says a brigade of paratroopers from Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne Division will return to Iraq later this year as part of a regular rotation of troops.
The 3,500-member 3rd Brigade Combat Team is scheduled to deploy in the fall along with seven other major Army units. The 82nd Airborne said its brigade returned to North Carolina last September after a 15-month deployment to Iraq.
The Pentagon said the latest units will be deployed for 12 months instead of 15 months.
The 82nd said last week its 1st brigade would return from Iraq in July. Until the 3rd brigade leaves, the entire division will be at its home base for the first time in three years.

http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/2908479/




DoD Announces Force Adjustments
The Department of Defense announced today the alert of additional major units scheduled to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The announcement involves four brigades from the Army National Guard.

All four brigades will have a security force mission and be assigned tasks to assure freedom of movement and continuity of operations in the country. Those tasks will include base defense and route security in Iraq and Kuwait.

These deployments will involve approximately 14,000 personnel who will begin deploying in the spring of 2009. They are receiving alert orders now in order to provide them the maximum time to complete their preparations. It also provides a greater measure of predictability for family members and flexibility for employers to plan for military service of their employees.

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11933



Ghost Squadron Operates Out of a Historical Combat Outpost in Baghdad
1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq - A 'b-roll' video package story and Windows Media File radio beeper concerning Soldiers from 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, MND-B conducting operations from a historical combat outpost, is now available.
Soldiers from Bulldog Troop, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment conduct clearing and security operations from a former Christian college and provide security for a historical Christian seminary and chapel in Baghdad's East Rashid District.
For the broadcast quality version of this video, please contact the Media Relations Staff with DVIDS at 678-421-6612 or e-mail news@dvidshub.net.
judythpiazza@newsblaze.com

http://newsblaze.com/story/20080519071708tsop.nb/newsblaze/IRAQ0001/Iraq.html




Maine unit alerted to possible deployment
By Portland Press Herald
Staff Report
May 20, 2008 09:40 AM
A Maine-based unit of a National Guard brigade received an alert order for possible deployment to Afghanistan in 2010 on Monday night, according to the Maine Army National Guard.
The unit in Brewer is one of the components of the 86th Brigade Combat Team from the Vermont National Guard. The approximately 160-member unit, Bravo Company, is part of the 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry. The tour would be for 12 months.

http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/027336.html




DoD Announces Grey Wolf Deployment
By MAJ Steven Lamb, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs
May 20, 2008 - 11:20:48 AM
Blackanthem Military News
FORT HOOD, Texas - The Department of Defense announced the deployment of eight units to Iraq beginning in late fall and continuing through the end of 2008. The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division is among those eight according to the May 19 news release.
"Our forces have been training and are ready to answer the call," says Maj. Gen. Daniel P. Bolger, commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division.
This marks the third tour for the combined arms, heavy-armored brigade, which is now under the command of Col. Gary Volesky.
Grey Wolf first deployed in 2004 for a year-long rotation in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II and has recently returned from a 15-month long deployment in support of OIF 06-08 in Iraq’s Diyala Province.

http://www.blackanthem.com/News/living/DoD-Announces-Grey-Wolf-Deployment16691.shtml

continued...

When there is a truce, normalcy in Iraq returns immediately. The USA Troops need to leave.

Sadr City, the truce is based on the fact the USA troops will not attend to security issues. The longer the USA deployments continue, the greater the risk for returning violence.

One might ask, why aren't the USA troops welcome?

US: 500 youths detained in Iraq; 10 in Afghanistan
Associated Press - May 19, 2008 5:43 AM ET
NEW YORK (AP) - The U.S. military is holding about 500 juveniles suspected of being "unlawful enemy combatants" in detention centers in Iraq.
A total of 2,500 youths under the age of 18 have been detained for periods of up to a year or more since President Bush's anti-terrorism campaign began in 2002. Almost all those who have been detained are in Iraq. About 10 are currently being held in Afghanistan.
The disclosure has been made by the United States to a U.N. committee on children.
The ACLU and other civil liberties groups have denounced the practice as abhorrent. And they say it's in violation of U.S. treaty obligations.

http://www.kfvs12.com/Global/story.asp?S=8344658&nav=8H3x

The Budapest Zoo

Morning Papers - continued...

Zoos

Budapest Zoo And Botanical Garden
"The Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden is not only a place where you can see animals from Hungary and from far away, but also a place for education and entertainment. The garden has been a protected area since 1986.
The Zoo is home to numerous strictly protected plant and animal species. Beside this, the protection of the biodiversity of the Carpathian basin is fundamental to its mission. Several hundred mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and water creatures live here.
Some of the buildings of the Zoo and botanical garden which can still be seen today were designed by the famous Transylvanian architect, Károly Kós, and by Dezső Zrumeczky between 1909 and 1912. The main entrance decorated with elephants, the Elephant House, the Small and the Big Cliff, the Palm House, the Monkey House, the Pheasant House, the Deer House, the Rodent House, the Bird House, and the Bambi House were all built at this time.
The building of the Aquarium uses the most advanced technology; the volume of water totals 150,000 litres. More than 150 species of the world's various seas can be seen here.
The palaeontological waxworks is situated under the Palm House, next to the Aquarium. The exhibition shows the extraordinary reptiles and dinosaurs of the Palaeozoic era, as well as the giant animals of the ice age, through dioramas and models.
There is wheelchair access throughout the Zoo and Botanical Garden. Cashiers stop selling tickets one hour, and the animal houses close half an hour before closing time. From March until October the Zoo remains open for an extra half an hour at weekends and on holidays."
Address: 1146 Budapest, District XIV, Állatkerti krt. 6-12.
Phone: 1/273-4901
Source: hungarystartshere.com
Photo by: Rigó Tibor
20.05.2008

http://xpatloop.com/news/budapest_zoo_and_botanical_garden



Wayne Co. may delay zoo vote
Officials eye fall ballot for proposed 0.1-mill tax
Jennifer Chambers / The Detroit News
PONTIAC -- Leaders in Oakland and Macomb counties have created regional authorities to promote an August millage request for the Detroit Zoo, but Wayne County officials say they want the proposal to go before voters in the fall.
Last week, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners approved creation of the Oakland County Zoological Authority, whose members are expected to place the question of a zoo tax on the Aug. 5 primary ballot. Macomb County commissioners formed an authority last month and recently began appointing authority members.
Commissioner Bernard Parker said the Wayne County Commission plans to discuss the creation of a zoo authority, but it does not have another meeting scheduled until June, well after the May 27 deadline to file language for the August ballot.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/METRO01/805200326/1409/METRO


Crocs arrive in time for zoo opening
20 May 2008
The miniature crocodiles were destined to become handbags, shoes and trinkets - but they are now happily swimming around Norfolk's newest zoo.
Nineteen spectacled caimans from South America are settling into their new home at the Amazona tourist attraction at Cromer as it gears up to opening next month.
But they owe their lives to officials at Heathrow airport who halted a consignment of 250 youngsters heading to the Asian leather trade because of some irregularities, and found them homes in zoos around the country.
They are now 2ft long, and will grow up to 2m, said Jim Irwin-Davies, director of the new zoo, which is specialising in South American animals on the edge-of-town site set among woodland and lakes.
The trade was legal, and the caimans would have been turned into fancy fashion goods. But there was something wrong with the paperwork or crating - so through contacts at the airport quarantine 20 of them headed to Norfolk where they have been living at Cromer's sister zoo at Thrigby near Yarmouth.

http://www.northnorfolknews.co.uk/content/northnorfolknews/news/story.aspx?brand=NNNOnline&category=news&tBrand=NNNonline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED20%20May%202008%2006%3A42%3A51%3A980



Viewers get up close and personal at zoo
By Staff reporter
CHESTER Zoo's visitors were given access all areas to the award-winning tourist attraction thanks to the Five television series Zoo Days.
From the comfort of their armchairs, viewers got up close and personal with some of the zoo's 7,000 animals and got to know the dedicated keepers and vets.
Now people are going to be given the chance to see a little more of the zoo for real.
Special VIP experiences and tours are being offered, taking people behind the scenes, meeting the keepers and vets, visiting animal houses and areas previously unseen by general visitors and finding out about real life at the 110-acre zoo.

http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/wirralnews/display.var.2282917.0.viewers_get_up_close_and_personal_at_zoo.php



Animal group calls for changes at Calgary zoo after elephant injures keeper
14 hours ago
CALGARY — An animal advocacy group is calling for changes to how elephants are handled at the Calgary Zoo after a keeper was injured by an animal over the weekend.
Lisa Wathne with People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals is calling on the zoo to use protective barriers that separate the keepers from the animals at all times.
Calling the practice "protected contact," Wathne says in a letter to the zoo's president that keeping the animals separate protects elephants by preventing keepers from using corporal punishment.
"Protected contact eliminates the beatings, bullhooks and chains that are routinely used on elephants when they are handled using the free-contact system," Wathne says in the letter.
Brent Vanhooft was taken to hospital on Sunday afternoon after a 2,000-kilogram Asian elephant named Swarna bumped him into a wall, causing lacerations and bruising to his face.

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gAC_NCTDp1DhvvW6O1O5_1i1hRnQ



Happy Birthday to Twycross Zoo
May 20 2008 By SiâN Powell
JOE the gorilla is aping around for visitors to celebrate 45 years of Twycross Zoo.
The "gentle giant" was one of the first animals at the zoo, near Nuneaton, when it was created by Molly Badham and Nathalie Evans in 1963.
He was hand-reared by the groundbreaking duo and since then Joe has witnessed a transformation of the site - which now attracts 500,000 visitors a year.
The zoo now houses the world's most comprehensive collection of primate species and is a member of a number of world zoological associations.
Zoo spokeswoman Kim Riley said Joe had proved a big hit with visitors over the years.

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/north-warwickshire-news/2008/05/20/happy-birthday-to-twycross-zoo-92746-20935983/



Cats on Tour through Egypt: Cairo Zoo
I thought we head of to the Giza Zoo, what do you think about that?
Oh Mommy, that sounds greeeaaat! Do they have other kitties there?
Well, I guess they are all a bit bigger than we are!
The Cairo Zoo at Giza is considered as one of the most beautiful zoos in the world. Also it is one of the most ensely inhabited by the various animal and plant species. The Giza Zoo is located near the west bank of the Nile. It is not far from down town Cairo. The Zoo is under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture in Egypt.
On 1st March 1891 the Zoo at Giza was opened for the public. It is distinguished for its rare imported plants, walks that are paved with colored pebbles set in beautiful mosaic pictures, and its streams, lakes, bridges, and hilly habitats for the various animals. These hilly areas are planted with cactus trees. Egypt's moderate climate is helping to preserve the lives of animals from different regions without the use of air-conditioning for cooling or warming.

http://chica-pumuckl.blogspot.com/2008/05/cats-on-tour-through-egypt-cairo-zoo.html



Frogs, Hogs & Dogs at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Posted by Donna J. Miller
May 20, 2008 07:15AM
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's first Frogs, Hogs & Dogs event begins Thursday, featuring endangered frogs, red river hogs and New Guinea singing dogs.
Activities offered through Monday: Meet the frog, hog and dog keepers; learn how to make origami leaping frogs; meet Vern, the zoo's frog mascot, who will pass out free Frogs, Hogs & Dogs stickers.
Visit clemetzoo.com or call 216-661-6500.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/05/frogs_hogs_dogs_at_the_clevela.html



Zoo Brew
The Oregonian
May 20, 2008 12:57PM
The Oregon Zoo Foundation hosts the second annual Zoo Brew.featuring Northwest craft brews,
food from the Oregon Zoo's executive chef, Paul Warner, and live music featuring Sam Bamboo and Pat O'Neal's Dixieland Jazz Band.
5 -10 p.m.Friday, May 30, Oregon Zoo, 4001 S.W. Canyon Rd; $25 advance, $30 at the door includes commemorative glass and 10 tasting tickets.
503-226-1561.
Proceeds from the event help "bring back the roar" of lions, which left the zoo in 1997, and
support other ongoing conservation efforts.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/thebeerhere/2008/05/zoo_brew_may_30th_likely_to_se.html



Potawatami Zoo Gets Help From Kindergartners
The Potawatomi Zoo receives a big financial boost from some of it's smallest patrons.
The zoo received a check for nearly $1,200 from the kindergartners at Wilson Primary.
The students picked the zoo for their 'Kids Care Project' after learning the zoo needed money to help improve animal habitats.
Wilson Primary Principal Mary Jo Costello says, "We thought, 'what a great project for our kids even if we only donate a few hundred dollars.' But it was something to get them to care about their community and get them involved to make a change."
Zoo officials say the money will be used for all the animals.
Two other schools along with Wilson primary have raised over $2,000 for the zoo.

http://www.fox28.com/News/index.php?ID=37637



Orangutan escapes pen at US zoo
Zoo officials say the animal was easily sedated and captured
A 29-year-old male orangutan named Bruno escaped from his enclosure at Los Angeles Zoo on Saturday evening after making a hole in the wire fencing.
About 3,000 visitors were shepherded towards the front exits while Bruno roamed free for about 20 minutes.
Zoo staff said Bruno never managed to enter the public areas and was quickly sedated by his keepers.
"He was calm and responded well to the staff," promotions co-ordinator Gina Dart said. "He was never aggressive."
Once out of his enclosure, instead of trying to flee, Bruno hid in an area behind his pen, where one of his keepers spotted him, the Los Angeles Times reported.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7407050.stm



Henry Doorly Zoo has Plans for Rosenblatt Land
Posted: May 18, 2008 09:39 PM EDT
Updated: May 19, 2008 11:40 AM EDT
OMAHA (KPTM) - Plans for Omaha's downtown baseball stadium could change the face of the city's largest tourist attraction. The Henry Doorly Zoo says it wants to use the land at Rosenblatt Stadium to build several new exhibits.
In all it would be a 100 million dollar project. One of the biggest parts of the plan would be an arctic center that would house polar bears, walruses, and large crabs. But not only would the plan add exhibits, it would keep the parking lots here at Rosenblatt, something zoo leaders were worried about losing.
Dr. Lee Simmons describes the plan as an ambitious "wish list" for the zoo. And there's still a lot of work to do, says Dr. Simmons.

http://www.kptm.com/Global/story.asp?S=8344137



Fejervary Zoo may lose some animals
Davenport, IOWA-- A Davenport alderman says his task force will recommend removing the exotic animals from Fejervary Zoo.
Third Ward alderman Bill Boom says his committee will tell the city council Wednesday that Fejervary Zoo needs to change.
He says it should be paired with the Putnam Museum and become more of an educational experience for Davenport.
Boom says it's too expensive to keep all the animals but the committee would like to maintain the petting zoo.
"I'm excited that they want to keep the zoo going. I'm excited that they want to have things for children to do and I think it's really wonderful. I think we can work together as a team and really make it a special place for everyone," zoo visitor Deb Gustafon said.
Boom says that the zoo's current budget of $150,000 would stay the same.

http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=8344495



'Flying' penguins and pandas for Adelaide Zoo
Posted Mon May 19, 2008 6:32pm AEST
Updated Mon May 19, 2008 6:33pm AEST
Wang Wang is one of two giant pandas which will be brought to Adelaide from China soon. (Adelaide Zoo)
The Adelaide Zoo will begin a major upgrade in September after confirmation of $19 million of State Government funding.
Premier Mike Rann announced the funding while at the Washington National Zoo in the US today.
The head of the Zoo, Chris West, says the money will be used to build a new entrance and a fence, which will also incorporate an underwater fairy penguin enclosure.
"People will be able to walk to the zoo and they'll see fairy penguins flying underwater," he said.
Mr West says the money will also be used to help prepare for the arrival of two giant pandas from China.
"Some of the figures from the American zoos are 70 per cent increase in visitation when pandas arrive," he said.
The pandas are expected to arrive late next year.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/19/2249420.htm



Smithsonian to unveil new National Zoo master plan
May 19, 2008 - 6:08am
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Smithsonian Institution is expected later this week to release its favored plan for improvements at the National Zoo.
The master plan at the zoo was last updated in 1984. The new version calls for an aerial tram across the zoo, new visitor centers and expanded exhibits.
A public plaza would be built at what is now the site of the Great Ape House, and the zoo would get nearly 600 additional parking spaces. Older exhibits would be revamped. and educational and administrative facilities would be expanded.
The tram would stop at the zoo's four entry gates.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Smithsonian Institution is expected later this week to release its favored plan for improvements at the National Zoo.
The master plan at the zoo was last updated in 1984. The new version calls for an aerial tram across the zoo, new visitor centers and expanded exhibits.
A public plaza would be built at what is now the site of the Great Ape House, and the zoo would get nearly 600 additional parking spaces. Older exhibits would be revamped. and educational and administrative facilities would be expanded.
The tram would stop at the zoo's four entry gates.

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1406289




Cockatoo dies at Columbian Park Zoo
Updated: May 19, 2008 11:11 AM EDT
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - A Moluccan cocatoo died at the Columbian Park Zoo in Lafayette during the weekend of May 17. Zoo Director Claudine Laufman said the death was unexpected.
The cockatoo, named Maui, was recovering from recent surgery to repair a broken bone in her wing. Laufman said a necropsy, or animal autopsy, has been conducted to learn more about the bird's medical condition. Test results could take several weeks to complete.
Maui was 19 years old and had been an Animal Ambassador for the Zoo. Laufman said Maui was used in hundreds of educational programs for nearly 20 years. Laufman said she was one of the Zoo's most popular animals and had an extensive vocabulary.
Maui was hatched on February 9, 1989, and arrived at the Columbian Park Zoo in April of that year. The Moluccan cockatoo is indigenous to an island chain in Indonesia known as the Moluccas. The species is protected due to declining population caused by habitat loss and extensive trapping during the 1980s.
Laufman said Moluccan cockatoos can live to be more than 70. She said the Columbian Park Zoo plans to acquire another Moluccan cocatoo for use in outreach programs in the near future.

http://www.wlfi.com/Global/story.asp?S=8345972&nav=menu591_3



Injured zookeeper may have gotten too close to elephant calf
Canwest News Service
Published: 2 hours ago
CALGARY - A zookeeper injured by a female elephant may have gotten too close to a nine-month-old calf, Calgary Zoo staff said Monday.
Brent Van Hooft, a keeper at the zoo for 30 years, suffered cuts, bruises and other injuries to his face and chest after Swarna, a 34-year-old female Asian elephant, knocked him down on Sunday.
Staff said Swarna has developed a strong attachment to nine-month-old Malti. Van Hooft, 48, was in the enclosure with Swarna, nine-month-old Malti and Malti's mother, Maharani, when Swarna pushed him from behind while he was cleaning the floor.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=9953b1ee-48ba-48d5-bfbc-8c3ccb3f2c66




Zoo stages mating game for elephants
Staff members believe the two females and one male need more time to get acquainted.
By ASHLEY BELAND, The Times-Union
It's a story that those familiar with the game of love can relate to: Moki and Chana are at odds with each other over a guy, but he can't seem to choose between the two of them.
This particular love triangle is between three African elephants at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, whose relationships will hopefully yield offspring to help sustain their species.
In October 2006, the Jacksonville Zoo exchanged two female African elephants with Lee Richardson Zoo in Kansas to bring in new females to mate with a bull African elephant, Ali.
"They had two females that could reproduce and the Jacksonville Zoo had two that could not reproduce," said Gina Stiles, marketing and membership manager at the Jacksonville Zoo. "They didn't have the facilities to house any more elephants, so we traded."

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/041408/met_268160506.shtml



John Ball Zoo Opens New Exhibit All About Frogs
GRAND RAPIDS — Frogs are in trouble. So are toads, salamanders and newts.
To raise awareness of this crisis, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums has highlighted 2008 as the "Year of the Frog" and zoos and aquariums around the country have partnered in efforts to get the word out about the plight of amphibians.
John Ball Zoo, along with several other zoos, have helped to save the toad from total extinction and even received an AZA Conservation Award for their role in the project .
In addition to participating in conservation efforts, John Ball Zoo will open a brand new frog exhibit.

http://fox17.trb.com/news/041408-wxmi-frogs,0,7476405.story



Buffalo Zoo Elephants Move to Ohio
Mark Leitner
The Zoo's three Asian elephants have been moved to a zoo in Columbus, Ohio.
BUFFALO (2008-04-14) Buki, Surapa, and Jothi are enjoying a holiday of sorts in Columbus, Ohio.
The Buffalo Zoo's three female Asian elephants have been transported to the Columbus Zoo, their temporary home,
while their historic house here undergoes a million dollar renovation.
Two of the elephants, Surapa and Jothi, were moved by truck Sunday night. Buki, who weighs about 8,000 pounds, was moved to Columbus on Monday.
Zoo President Dr. Donna Fernandes says it appears they're already becoming acclimated to their new surroundings.

http://publicbroadcasting.net/wned/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1260157&sectionID=1



Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem to be expanded
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
The Jerusalem Municipality has approved plans to expand the city's popular Biblical Zoo, the city said Monday.
The proposal, which was unanimously backed by the city and is now pending state approval, will see the area of the zoo increase from 250 dunams today to nearly 390 dunams.
"The expansion plan will make the Jerusalem Zoo one of the most beautiful cornerstones in Jerusalem," said Yehoshua Pollack, the head of the city's planning and construction committee.
The city's zoo has become the country's top tourist attraction with an entry fee, with nearly 700,000 visitors a year, the city said.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1208179712532&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull



Zoo farm goes green
14 April 2008
A ZOO farm in Wraxall is hoping to generate its own electricity by installing three wind turbines.
Owners of Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, Anthony and Christina Bush, have applied for planning permission to put up a 15KW turbine on their 310 acres.
The 50ft structure will provide a third of the attraction's electricity and staff are hoping it will the first of three.
The turbine, with 4.5m blades, will share a field with the resident llamas at the back of the zoo.

http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/content/twm/news/story.aspx?brand=Westonmercury&category=newsNorthSomerset&tBrand=westonmercury&tCategory=znews&itemid=WeED14%20Apr%202008%2017%3A37%3A18%3A977




Zoo should keep quiet on possible pregnancies
There are several of us that feel that until the zoo knows for sure about any of the animals possibly expecting that it should be kept quiet.
There are too many people, especially children, who get very upset when things go wrong.
By waiting, the zoo could then be thought of with excitement instead of being thought of in a negative way.
Also The Pantagraph is to blame for the premature pop-up on its Web site to click and see the pups. That was not good.
Teri Holmes
Normal

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/04/14/opinion/letters/131096.txt


African wild dogs debut at L.A. Zoo
5:16 PM, April 14, 2008
The L.A. Zoo last week introduced two endangered African wild dogs, the zoo's first in more than 40 years.
The pair of black, yellow, and white canines are brother and sister, and just over a year old. They most recently lived at New York's Bronx Zoo.
In their native sub-Saharan Africa, the dogs are predators that roam up to 30 miles a day hunting for food.
But they have declined in population recently because of human incursions into their habitat and from diseases such as rabies and canine distemper. Only about 5,000 exist worldwide; about 150 live in captivity in the United States.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2008/04/needs-editafric.html




ON THE ROAD IN BELIZE: They Call It 'The Best Little Zoo in the World' and It May Be All That
By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Editor
Belize, Central America (HNN) -- I'm not a big fan of zoos, the traditional kind, at least, but I'll make an exception for The Belize Zoo.
Begun in 1983 as what the zoo's web site (http://www.belizezoo.org/index.html) calls a "last ditch effort to provide a home for a collection of wild animals which had been used in making documentary films about tropic forests," the zoo has built a reputation as a tourist attraction and educational site in the savannas of Belize.

From those humble beginnings, the 29-acre Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center -- its full name -- is the best single place in this New Jersey-sized Central American country to learn about the wide variety of wildlife native to Belize.

It's an easy trip from Belize City, near Mile 30 on the Western Highway, the road to the capital city of Belmopan and San Ignacio and -- eventually the Guatemalan border. My main interest in this visit was to see a jaguar and I managed to get a close look at a traditional cat with the distinctive rosettes and a less common black or melanistic jaguar. I didn't get close enough to the latter, but a close examination will reveal rosettes in black jaguars. They're just difficult to see.

http://www.huntingtonnews.net/columns/080415-kinchen-belizezoo.html




Triplets of rare Siberian tigers born in Yalta zoo
The triplets of rare Siberian tigers were born in “Skazka” zoo, situated in Yalta city in southern Ukraine. It is the first private zoo in the CIS.
Zoo director Oleg Zubkov disclosed this to an UNIAN correspondent.
According to his information, the triplets were born to the family of tigress Yana and tiger Ular.
“This is not the first incident of tigers borning in the Yalta zoo, but it is a great event for us, because Siberian tigers are really very rare animals. The triplets are a very good present for us”, O. Zubkov noted.
Tiger cubs are in a good condition, they were not taken away from their mother. They have not been named as yet.
UNIAN’s reference. “Skazka” zoo war created in 1995. There are more than 700 animals and birds at present.
The Siberian tiger is the biggest cat in the world, and is recorded in the International Red Book. The protection of the Siberian tiger in the East of Russia is one of the main tasks of the Wild Nature World Fund (WWF).
permanent URL of article:

http://unian.net/eng/news/news-246590.html



Orissa zoo takes measures to beat the heat
Tuesday, 15 April , 2008, 22:34
Last Updated: Tuesday, 15 April , 2008, 22:55
Bhubaneswar: Orissa's Nandankanan Zoo has taken several measures like providing cold water and even a special summer menu to its captive animals to protect them from the heat wave that has gripped parts of the state.
“We have constructed 46 new water tanks and the water is being changed every day. Water will be sprinkled from time to time in select enclosures, including those of tigers, to keep the animals cool,” A K Patnaik, Director of the Zoo, told IANS.
Cold water would also be provided to animals like tigers, leopards, squirrel monkeys, and birds like cassowary and emu, he said.
“Besides, we will provide special foods like watermelon, green mango,sugarcane and papaya. These will be added to the diet of select animals and birds during peak summer,” Patnaik said.
For more news, analysis click here>> For more Science and Medicine news click here >>
Apart from that, all animals are also being given anti-stress medicines to prevent dehydration and other stress due to the heat.
“We have also done straw thatching over the existing roof of enclosures of the birds, mammal primates, lion, tigers, zebra and the reticulated python. We have opened a control room in the zoo hospital and formed a squad that monitors the health of the animals from time to time,” Patnaik said.
Nandankanan, which literally means 'garden of gods', was established in 1960 on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar and is home to 11 white tigers.
Steps have also been taken for people visiting the zoo. It has witnessed a steady increase in the number of visitors, touching an all time high of 1.7 million last year.
Many cities and towns, including capital Bhubaneswar, have already recorded temperatures of over 40 degree Celsius in the past four days, and weather officials say the mercury will only go up further.

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14650079




IRWIN'S DAD RECEIVES ZOO PAY-OFF
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
2008-04-15 15:59:37 -
The father of late TV host
Steve Irwin has severed ties with his son's Australian zoo following a row with the Crocodile Hunter's widow TERRI. Bob Irwin will receive a package worth more than A$1 million ($942,520/£471,260) and an annual pension of A$100,000 ($94,000/£47,000) from the Australia Zoo wildlife park. The conservationist, 68, set up the park 38 years ago but handed over control to his son in 1991.
Terri vowed to continue her husband's work when he was killed by a stingray in 2006 - but Irwin admitted he did not agree on "certain aspects" of how the zoo was run. He says, "Most times I went into Australia Zoo, I would have a difference of opinion with somebody or I may have an idea and it would not be listened to.
"I felt it was just better for everybody concerned if I left." Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray in 2006 while filming a documentary.

http://www.pr-inside.com/irwin-s-dad-receives-zoo-pay-off-r538080.htm



Lone gray wolf remains at Zoo
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
PORTLAND - The gray wolf pack at Oregon Zoo is down to one. Zoo veterinarians euthanized the nearly 13-year-old Ceann on March 21 following surgery to remove a tumor from her shoulder. The loss leaves the exhibit with a lone male, Marcus.
The wolves were born in April 1995 at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind., and arrived at the Oregon Zoo in June 1995.
According to Oregon Zoo veterinarian Mitch Finnegan, Marcus is getting older and has some significant medical issues that affect his mobility.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/1208285455162690.xml&coll=6



Edinburgh Zoo: Chimps with everything
Why have Edinburgh Zoo's primates been given a new £6m home, with an indoor climbing frame and climate control? Rob Sharp asks if the world's gone bananas
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
AP
They also have their own type of 'substrate', or material such as wood chippings, spread across the floor
Approaching this lustrous, hi-tech building, you might first notice its jaunty angles, exotic veneered wood and towering glass walls. Glinting in the sunlight, it looks like an upmarket holiday resort, or a boutique hotel. Behind the perfectly finished surface of the glazing that extends above you like a skyscraper, the interior is filled with plush green creepers, a forest's worth of vegetation.
Look closer still and you might well see something furry and brown dart past. These are not motorbikers on a day trip to see Zaha Hadid's latest monolith. They are, in fact, the inhabitants of the world's largest chimpanzee enclosure. Costing £6m, and boasting the world's biggest climbing frame for apes, Edinburgh Zoo's Budongo Trail will open on 1 May. Its backers hope it will become the centrepiece of a new £80m redevelopment of what is already one of the city's principal tourist attractions.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/edinburgh-zoo-chimps-with-everything-809468.html



Zoo made kosher for Passover 'Prohibition to eat hametz applies to animals as well as humans.'

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/Page/VideoPlayer&cid=1194419829128&videoId=1208179713653



New baby bearcat with UC ties at Zoo
BY JIM KNIPPENBERG
There’s a new bearcat in town, and it's not at the University of Cincinnati.
A still unnamed 3-month old female bearcat, or binturong, has moved into the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, taking the place of the beloved Alice, a star attraction and frequent guest at UC sporting events. Alice died in 2003 after 18 years of zoo residency and national appearances with David Letterman, Johnny Carson, Prince Charles and Newt Gingrich.
Zoo executive director Thane Maynard and UC president Nancy Zimpher made the joint announcement at a Wednesday morning press conference, both of them stressing that the new resident will serve to strengthen the more than 100-year-old relationship between the two institutions, which already share staffs and some resources.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080416/ENT/304160020



Zoo releases endangered turtles in sea
April 17, 2008 - 4:14PM
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Australia Zoo staff have released four young endangered turtles into the Pacific Ocean after their nest was trampled by beachgoers.
Staff from the zoo, owned by Terri Irwin, widow of the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, rescued 63 baby loggerhead turtles last Saturday from Wurtulla, on the Sunshine Coast.
Their nest had been severely compacted by people walking on the beach who were apparently unaware the nest was there, zoo staff member Kate Winter said.
Forty of the turtles were released on Saturday night, while a further 19 were taken to the Australian Wildlife Hospital.
The remaining four were taken out to sea, where they were released Wednesday into the Eastern Australian Current (EAC), where it is hoped they will reach maturity.
"The EAC is where the hatchling turtles would normally take four to five days to swim to," Ms Winter said.
The endangered loggerhead turtle nests at beaches all along Sunshine Coast.
"Just one in 1,000 loggerhead hatchlings survive to maturity at 30 years of age, so getting the remaining four out as soon as we could was just so important as every hatchling counts," Ms Winter said.

http://news.theage.com.au/national/zoo-releases-endangered-turtles-in-sea-20080417-26qw.html



Primatologist Jane Goodall: there's still hope for our planet
Copley News Service
A native of England, Jane Goodall has been studying chimpanzees in East Africa for nearly 50 years. Her work as a scientist, though sometimes controversial, has had a profound impact on primatology. The Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation is a leader in the effort to protect endangered chimpanzees and their habitats. She was recently interviewed by the Union-Tribune editorial board.
Q: You've spent decades studying primates. What have you learned that has some application for humans?
A: The first thing, which I think has very real implications for how we look out on the world and evaluate ourselves in relation to the natural world, is that for a long time there was a huge lot of arrogance among Western scientists and to some extent Western religion in believing that there was a very sharp line dividing us from the rest of the animal kingdom, and that there was a difference of kind rather than degree. And the chimpanzees make it so clear because the DNA of humans and chimps differs by only just over 1 percent.

http://halife.com/news/opinion0505.html



May 18, 2008, 15:50
Rare frogs are not about to 'croak'
Kiev Zoo has joined the campaign “2008 – Year of the Frog” led by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). The zoo will see its collection enlarged with rare species. It also plans to carry out research on the preservation of frogs and to hold a number of events to raise public awareness of the amphibian extinction crisis and to prevent some species from dying out.
The rarest species in the zoo is the yellow mantilla which populates the cool forests of Madagascar, which is now under threat of extinction as its number has been shrinking constantly.
This year the zoo has managed to get the mantilla to spawn. The zoo workers are now taking care of about 100 tadpoles, which they hope will mature into adult frogs and help lead towards a revival of the species.

http://www.russiatoday.ru/features/news/24904



How to keep your kids safe at petting zoo
By Dr. Elizabeth Smoots
Herald Columnist
If you want to scratch the chin of a goat or tickle the ear of a rabbit, a petting zoo can't be beat. It's the reason millions of families flock to the attractions at animal parks and fairs each year. After all, where else do city kids have a hands-on opportunity to get to know live animals up close and personal?
But the popular activity occasionally leads to unfortunate outbreaks of human disease. Why? Well, under certain circumstances, even cute and healthy-looking critters -- whether feathered, furry, four-legged, or otherwise -- can unwittingly pass germs to their human friends. That means it's up to us, the grown-ups, to keep the experience safe and fun.

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080520/LIVING/601177000


Police still checking reports of petting zoo mistreatment
LAKEWOOD — While authorities continued to investigate the operation of a petting zoo in the Industrial Park, officials said Monday original reports of mistreatment of animals were overstating conditions.
About 20 live animals were discovered in the yard of the Oorah organization at 1805 Swarthmore Ave. Friday night by Jeff Golub, chairman of the Industrial Commission.
Golub said he heard animal sounds while he was looking at a car for sale at the building. He called police on Saturday.
The building is the headquarters of Oorah and is in the Industrial Park.
Detective Lt. Joseph Isnardi said Monday the investigation into the supposedly illegal petting zoo is continuing.
"Charges are pending, and all parties agreed the animals needed medical treatment and food," Isnardi said.
Authorities found two ponies, one steer, four goats, one lamb, four wild turkeys, three rabbits, five live ducks and one dead duck at the facility, Isnardi said.

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/NEWS02/805200388

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