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Republicans killed more than 350,000 Ohio votes -- enough to have put John Kerry in the White House

Was the 2004 Election Stolen?
Republicans prevented more than 350,000 voters in Ohio from casting ballots or having their votes counted -- enough to have put John Kerry in the White House. BY ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.
Page 1 2 3 4

The complete article, with Web-only citations, follows. For more, see exclusive documents, sources, charts and commentary.
Like many Americans, I spent the evening of the 2004 election watching the returns on television and wondering how the exit polls, which predicted an overwhelming victory for John Kerry, had gotten it so wrong. By midnight, the official tallies showed a decisive lead for George Bush -- and the next day, lacking enough legal evidence to contest the results, Kerry conceded. Republicans derided anyone who expressed doubts about Bush's victory as nut cases in ''tinfoil hats,'' while the national media, with few exceptions, did little to question the validity of the election. The Washington Post immediately dismissed allegations of fraud as ''conspiracy theories,''(1) and The New York Times declared that ''there is no evidence of vote theft or errors on a large scale.''(2)

But despite the media blackout, indications continued to emerge that something deeply troubling had taken place in 2004. Nearly half of the 6 million American voters living abroad(3) never received their ballots -- or received them too late to vote(4) -- after the Pentagon unaccountably shut down a state-of-the-art Web site used to file overseas registrations.(5) A consulting firm called Sproul & Associates, which was hired by the Republican National Committee to register voters in six battleground states,(6) was discovered shredding Democratic registrations.(7) In New Mexico, which was decided by 5,988 votes,(8) malfunctioning machines mysteriously failed to properly register a presidential vote on more than 20,000 ballots.(9) Nationwide, according to the federal commission charged with implementing election reforms, as many as 1 million ballots were spoiled by faulty voting equipment -- roughly one for every 100 cast.(10)

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen


The Boston Globe

Bristol Myers to build manufacturing plant in Mass.
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff June 1, 2006
Pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb will locate a $1.1 billion manufacturing facility at Ft. Devens, Mass., the Army base 35 miles north of Boston that has been decommissioned under the Pentagon's base realignment and closure process, according to government officials briefed on the expansion.
The plans for the new facility call for 750,000 square feet of manufacturing space and at least 550 new jobs, the officials said.
"I am thrilled that Bristol Myers Squibb chose Massachusetts for its manufacturing facility," Sen. Edward M. Kennedy said in a statement. "BMS's decision to build this new facility and create 550 good manufacturing jobs reflects our continued leadership in biotechnology and the life sciences."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/06/01/bristol_myers_to_build_manufacturing_plant_in_mass/


Two years is timely? I don't mind the asking but what good are two year old records and is this an undue burden on the industry? Talk about investigative lag time. The agencies are two years behind in their investigations? Really?


FBI wants Internet records kept 2 years: source
By Jeremy Pelofsky and Michele Gershberg June 1, 2006
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation wants U.S. Internet providers to retain Web address records for up to two years to aid investigations into terrorism and pornography, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
The request came during a May 26 meeting between U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller with top executives at companies like Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Time Warner Inc.'s AOL.
"I think there is less of a willingness to passively go along with this type of request than there might have been a year ago," said the source, mentioning the recent uproar over a report that telephone companies had provided call records to the National Security Agency.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/06/01/fbi_wants_internet_records_kept_2_years_source/


Cape Cod homeowners face massive insurance rates hikes
June 2, 2006
HYANNIS, Mass. --Cape Cod homeowners who retained their policies even after some major insurance companies pulled out of the region are now facing rate as high as 200 percent from insurers still serving the area.
At least four remaining insurers are in the process of increasing premiums. The Patrons Group, Quincy Mutual Fire Insurance Co., The Norfolk & Dedham Group and AIG are among those companies raising rates, according to local agents.
Some rate increases took effect recently, and others will be implemented in coming weeks.
Rates are going up by as much as 200 percent for The Patrons Group; 70 percent for Quincy Mutual; and 66 percent for AIG Private Client Group, one of a few companies that still insures Cape homes with a replacement cost of more than $1 million.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/06/02/cape_cod_homeowners_face_massive_insurance_rates_hikes/


The Miami Herald

Analyst's new job: visualizing Cuba after Castro dies
From top CIA Cuba analyst in Washington to academia in Miami, Brian Latell is making his mark talking about what to expect on the day Castro dies, and not all exiles like what he has to say.
By OSCAR CORRAL
ocorral@MiamiHerald.com
Oscar Corral's blog Miami's Cuban Connection
The secrets landed on Brian Latell's CIA desk from just about everywhere: spy satellite photos, reports from infiltrators in the Cuban government, communications intercepts, U.S. spies debriefing Cuban intelligence officers begging for asylum.
The analyst would weigh each, assign levels of urgency, then pass the scoops up the U.S. chain of command, where top officials from the secretary of state to the president used them for decades to formulate Cuba policy and to try to understand Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Today, eight years into his retirement from his post as a top intelligence official in charge of Latin America and Cuba, Latell is using his analyst skills to decipher another complex place: Miami.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14719744.htm


Florida beefs up storm readiness
Gov. Jeb Bush signed into law a series of measures to strengthen Florida's preparation for hurricanes, including one that overrides local standards for gas stations and grocery stores.
BY GARY FINEOUT
gfineout@MiamiHerald.com
Web Vote Does Gov. Bush's hurricane preparation legislation make you feel better about the this year's hurricane season?
TALLAHASSEE - Coinciding with the start of what could be another hyperactive hurricane season, Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday signed into law a series of measures meant to help Floridians withstand the fury of nature.
Many of the new laws are reactions to some of the shortcomings and frustrations that arose from the eight storms that pounded Florida over the past two years.
There are new standards for gas stations and high-rise condominiums to be equipped with backup power generators. A start to undoing building code exemptions for the Panhandle, which witnessed tremendous devastation during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. And there are hundreds of millions of dollars for repairs, renovations and bolstering of homes, shelters and government buildings to help them better withstand the next round of storms.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14720683.htm


Astronauts make repairs to space station
MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A two-man crew retreated safely inside the international space station early Friday after extending their spacewalk so that they could replace a video camera on a construction platform at the orbiting outpost.
The task was the last during the 6 1/2-hour spacewalk for Russian commander Pavel Vinogradov and U.S. flight engineer Jeff Williams, who successfully completed their half-dozen maintenance jobs. They got behind schedule, though, and the camera chore was still unfinished when the decision was made to extend the spacewalk for less than an hour.
The longest spacewalk of eight hours and 56 minutes was performed in 2001.
NASA controllers conferred with their Russian counterparts about whether to call off that last task or precede as planned. They decided to go ahead after the Russians agreed that the crew's space suits could endure the extra time in space, and the new camera was replaced successfully.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14719225.htm


Presidential election pits unappealing pair
When Alán García and Ollanta Humala face off in the presidential election Sunday, many Peruvians say they will be voting for the lesser of two evils.
BY TYLER BRIDGES
tbridges@MiamiHerald.com
PIURA, Peru - Voters in Peru's presidential election Sunday will be choosing between one candidate who says he has learned from his disastrous presidency 20 years ago and another who says he will not turn into a military dictator.
Polls show voters tilting toward former President Alán García over retired Lt. Col. Ollanta Humala in the runoff, although Humala led the vote in the first round of balloting April 9.
But while there are fears that the losing candidate could challenge the results and provoke street clashes, the prevailing attitude among voters here is disillusionment with having to choose between two men who are so widely mistrusted.
That is particularly true among the 45 percent of Peruvians who voted for neither the left-of-center García nor the ultra-nationalist Humala in the first round.
''I don't want to vote for either one,'' said Manuel Villacorta, a retired Navy sailor. ``During García's presidency [1985-90], I had to wake up at 2 a.m. to get in line to buy a pound of rice, a pound of sugar and 10 pieces of bread. But Humala wants to be a military dictator.''

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14720945.htm


Soldier in Afghan abuse case acquitted
ALICIA A. CALDWELL
Associated Press
FORT BLISS, Texas - Pfc. Damien M. Corsetti, the last soldier charged in the Army's investigations of prisoner abuse in Afghanistan, could only weep when he learned he was acquitted of abuse charges.
Corsetti, 26, was cleared by a court-martial panel Thursday of charges of assault, maltreatment, dereliction of duty, using hashish and drinking on duty. The panel deliberated for just 30 minutes.
"I just said, 'Thank you, Jesus,'" said a red-faced Corsetti. He wiped away tears and hugged his family and several former soldiers who testified on his behalf during the three-day trial.
Prosecutors said Corsetti was dubbed the "King of Torture" and "The Monster" while working at an American detention facility at Bagram Air Field in 2002 and 2003. They alleged that he hit, kicked, sat on and threatened to sexually assault three detainees, including a former top al-Qaida operative in Southeast Asia and the brother-in-law of a Sept. 11 hijacker. He was also accused of exposing himself to a detainee.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14719201.htm


Iran challenged to put up or shut up
OUR OPINION: POLICY CHANGE OFFERS A WAY TO AVERT CONFRONTATION
How's this for going the last mile to show that the United States is serious about finding a diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear standoff: Offer to reverse a decades-long policy against direct negotiations with a state sponsor of terrorism. This is not a question of ''rewarding Iran'' for its misbehavior, as critics would have it, but rather a matter of making Iran decide whether it wants to be a pariah nation or take a path that could bring significant benefits to its own people.
Good-faith agreement
The Bush administration is right to pull out all the diplomatic stops to head off a showdown with Iran. The dramatic policy change announced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice challenges Iran to put up or shut up. If it really wants to avoid a dangerous military confrontation, and if it really seeks only to acquire nuclear energy for peaceful uses, then it should be prepared to sit down with the United States and European allies to hammer out an agreement in good faith.
With this move, the administration has given itself an alternative to the stalled talks between Iran and the EU3 -- Germany, France and the United Kingdom -- and a looming military confrontation. The agreement by six world powers announced yesterday to offer a package of incentives to convince Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program -- or else -- suggests the U.S. initiative has already borne fruit.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/14720936.htm


RIA Novosti

Iranian drone plane buzzes U.S. aircraft carrier in Persian Gulf
TEHRAN, May 30 (RIA Novosti) - A pilotless Iranian reconnaissance plane circled for 25 minutes over a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf before returning safely to its base, a senior Iranian official said Tuesday.
"Our pilotless reconnaissance plane flew over the USS Ronald Reagan in the Persian Gulf unnoticed to the Americans for 25 minutes," the official said, according to Iran's Fars agency.
He did not say when the flight took place, but added that U.S. radars picked up the unmanned aerial vehicle after 25 minutes, and that four USAF fighters and two helicopters were scrambled to intercept it. However, the Iranian plane had already crossed the border back into Iran and landed at its base.
"This points to holes in the U.S. military reconnaissance systems deployed in the Persian Gulf," the Iranian official said.

http://en.rian.ru/onlinenews/20060530/48833304.html


First Mi-28N helicopter passes factory tests
ROSTOV-ON-DON, South Russia, May 30 (RIA Novosti, Sergei Rudkovsky) - The first mass produced Mi-28N Night Hunter military helicopter was given to Russia's Defense Ministry after successfully completing factory tests, the chopper's manufacturer said Tuesday.
"The serial helicopter will join two other experimental Mi-28N helicopters being tested by the Defense Ministry, and will have to confirm its performance, and undergo avionics tests, including testing of armaments systems," the Rostov Helicopter Plant, or Rostvertol, said.
The company said the Mi-28N had successfully passed factory flight and armament tests and that it met design specifications.
In March 2006, a state commission led by Russian Air Force commander Vladimir Mikhailov approved production of an experimental batch of helicopters. Mikhailov also said the Defense Ministry planned to buy 50 Mi-28Ns by 2010.
The helicopter is primarily designed to locate and destroy enemy armored vehicles, personnel, small surface ships, and low-speed air targets and fortifications, and to lay mine fields day or night in adverse weather conditions.
High reliability and powerful weaponry make the chopper competitive on global aircraft markets, Rostvertol said. Military experts said the helicopter's effectiveness was four to five times higher than any existing helicopters of its type.

http://en.rian.ru/onlinenews/20060530/48833202.html


Gulf nations will not survive war in Iran
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Marianna Belenkaya) -- What do the Gulf nations think about the situation around Iran?
“Our region will not survive a new war, another aggravation of tensions,” said Qatar Foreign Minister Hamad Bin Jassim Al-Thani during a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
Their conversation took place during the 5th foreign ministers’ meeting of the intergovernmental forum devoted to dialog on cooperation in Asia. The forum took place in Doha, and was the last event for the Russian Foreign Minister’s first tour of the Arab Gulf nations – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar.
In principle, political discussions are not in the forum’s traditions. Its main task is to discuss opportunities for Asian countries’ cooperation in specific fields, such as energy, finances, education, transportation, environmental protection, prevention and dealing with emergencies (the latter direction was suggested by Russia). However, considering the tense situation around Tehran, and the fact that success of many projects depends on regional stability, the participants in the forum could not ignore the Iranian problem, at least in the lobby and during press conferences, all the more so since many conferees are taking an active part in the Iranian negotiating process, including Russia, China, Gulf countries, and Iran itself.
Tehran is not yet a co-sponsor or leader of any of the forum’s 20 directions, but it is playing a key role in regional affairs. Implementation of specific projects, and participation in dialog on practical issues is a very effective instrument of diplomacy. The forum-initiated numerous business projects are the best alternative to a military scenario. By increasingly covering a military option, the media are creating the impression that the negotiating process is doomed.
On the eve of the recent meeting of negotiators on Iran in London, the Los Angeles Times wrote that the U.S. had embarked on the strategy of deterring Iran with the help of the Gulf nations. However, such articles only further provoke Tehran and exacerbate its already difficult relations with the Arab neighbors. Commenting on the Los Angeles Times publication at the request of the media, the Qatar Foreign Minister said: “We would welcome very much if the United States coordinated its actions with the Gulf Cooperation Council.”
One gets the impression that the Arab countries do not know whether they should be getting ready for war, or watch the negotiating process as idle onlookers. This is why they were eager to hear Russia’s opinion from its Foreign Minister – what should they expect? Nobody can answer this question precisely but during his tour of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar, Sergey Lavrov made it clear that Moscow would do everything for the talks to continue.
The Arab countries of the Persian Gulf are enthusiastically backing the position of Russia, which believes that negotiations are the only way of settling the Iranian problem. In the event of a military scenario, these countries may suffer as much, or even more than Iran.
Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow was not considering any hypothetical scenarios, hoping that eventually the talks would produce results. Their success depends on two factors. The first one is an ability of the six negotiators – the EU3, Russia, China, and the U.S. – to preserve a common platform. The second factor is Tehran’s constructive position, which is indispensable. Neither factor is guaranteed in the least. But there is no other way out for the time being. A military scenario is too dangerous, which the situation in neighboring Iraq shows. Aware of this, Western and Eastern diplomats are emphasizing the need to continue the negotiations. Sometimes, it is hard to understand what stands behind some official statements. But decision-makers should remember what the Qatar Foreign minister said – the Gulf region will not survive another war.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060524/48579360.html


Kazakh-Chinese oil pipeline a new reality of global politics
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Dmitry Kosyrev)
The commissioning of a Kazakh-Chinese oil pipeline this month was an event of global importance. It is the first eastward pipeline from Kazakhstan, which had supplied its oil only to the West before. And it is the first pipeline oil China will receive.
For Russia, the pipeline is part of its eastern economic policy, which is gaining importance in Moscow.
The nearly 1,000 km long Atasu-Alashankou pipeline will deliver up to 20 million tons of oil a year to the Xinjiang Uygur province of China. The province, which is located closest to the European part of Russia, had been regarded a dormant and underdeveloped part of China. The situation has changed.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060531/48867896.html


Russia's Lavrov says Iran 6 could solve nuclear crisis at talks
ANKARA, May 31 (RIA Novosti)-A meeting on Thursday between the six nations leading efforts to solve crisis around Iran's nuclear programs could bring a solution, Russia's foreign minister said Wednesday.
Sergei Lavrov called on the participants in the negotiations to avoid making "sharp movements" and wasting a real chance to resolve the situation.
"We hope proposals can be drawn up at tomorrow's meeting in Vienna that will open up a chance for a peaceful resolution [of the problem]," Lavrov said.
Representatives of the five UN Security Council members and Germany are due to meet in Vienna, home of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
But Lavrov played down suggestions that Iranian representatives might join the talks, saying that he had seen no document saying that officials from the Islamic Republic would attend.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060531/48883571.html


Weapons in space: How can Russia respond to U.S. threat?
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Kislyakov)
This summer the United States plans to publish its new space doctrine stipulating the deployment of weapons in circumterrestrial space. Colonel Anthony Russo, head of the U.S. Strategic Command's space division, said the new policy would remove any ambiguity about official responsibility for figuring out who was behind any attack on U.S.-owned commercial satellites. First of all, this concerns the Department of Defense. But we will come back to this issue a bit later.
Anyone can see the danger being posed by space-based strike weapons.
During his visit to China in August 2005, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said both the United States and Russia were using outer space for military purposes, but no weapons had been orbited to date. "It would be difficult to imagine the consequences of their possible deployment. To the best of my knowledge, we orbit commercial satellites from 30 to 40 countries, and the issue of launch vehicles is irrelevant," said Ivanov.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060601/48912954.html


Russia sticking to non-proliferation commitments - minister
ST. PETERSBURG, May 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russia rigorously complies with all its commitments on nuclear non-proliferation, the country's defense minister said Friday.
"Rumors that Russia is covertly providing [nuclear] assistance to Iran is nothing but propaganda," Sergei Ivanov, who is also deputy prime minister, said following talks in Russia's second city with his German counterpart, Franz Josef Jung.
Ivanov said the construction of a nuclear power plant in Bushehr, Iran, with Russian help had nothing to do with non-proliferation regulations.
"Supplies of fuel to the plant are possible if only [the spent fuel] is then returned to Russia," he said
Iran has come under heavy international pressure to re-impose a moratorium on its nuclear research program, which some countries say is being used as cover to develop a nuclear bomb. The Islamic Republic has denied the allegations, and says it is interested only in nuclear power for civilian purposes.
Russia proposed setting up a joint venture to enrich uranium for Iran on Russian soil as a solution in the long-running dispute. Ivanov said this offer, as well as proposals to construct new-technology reactors, would dispel suspicions that Iran was developing nuclear weapons.
Jung agreed with Ivanov that Iran had a legitimate desire to develop nuclear technology for civilian purposes.
"But if the country obtains nuclear weapons, it would pose threat to global security," he said.
He stressed the importance for Iran to continue contacts with Russia, the European Union, the United States and China in search of a solution, and added that diplomacy was the most constructive way to resolve the crisis.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060526/48652254.html


Russia should make 20-30 ballistic missiles a year - expert
MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russia needs to produce up to 30 intercontinental ballistic missiles a year to maintain a strategic nuclear balance with the United States, a senior security expert said Tuesday.
Alexei Arbatov, head of the international security center at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told RIA Novosti that if Russia continued to produce only 6-8 Topol-M missiles a year it would have only 150 such missiles and three nuclear submarines in 10-15 years.
No country currently has missiles like the Topol-M, which is capable of penetrating anti-missile defense systems, he said, "and is unlikely to possess them in the next 20 years."

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060411/45553177.html


First mobile Topol-M missile regiment to be put on combat duty in 2006
MOSCOW, April 13 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's first missile regiment equipped with mobile Topol-M ballistic missile systems will be put on combat duty in 2006, the missile's chief designer said Thursday.
Yuri Solomonov, director and chief designer at the Institute of Heat Technology, said other countries would be not able to design such missiles for another 15-20 years.
He also said Topol-M could be deployed as a silo-based or mobile system.
Russia has five missile regiments equipped with silo-based Topol-M missiles.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060413/45846421.html


Kosovo decision to set precedent - Russian CE representative
STRASBOURG, (France) June 1 (RIA Novosti) - A decision on the status of the Serbian province of Kosovo will set a precedent in Europe, Russia's official representative at the Council of Europe said Thursday.
Alexander Orlov said the decision on granting it independence "could become universal for the rest of Europe."
Kosovo has been under the administration of the UN since 1999 but it is widely assumed the Albanian-majority population will be granted independence from Serbia, which should mark the final carving up of the old Yugoslavia following Montenegro's May 21 vote to secede from Serbia.
Orlov said this could set an example for decision-making on the status of other provinces, including Transdnestr, a breakaway region in Moldova, and South Ossetia and Abkhazia, self-proclaimed republics in Georgia.
Orlov said the United Nations was playing the key role in talks on the status of Kosovo but added that the Council of Europe could help the province determine its constitutional system, control the observation of human rights and the rights of ethnic minorities.
Russia has consistently advocated the rights of Serbs living in Kosovo, many of whom have been driven out of the province, and highlighted the plight of the Orthodox Church, whose buildings have often been attacked.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20060601/48929638.html


Chechnya's president Alkhanov says conflict over
MOSCOW, June 1 (RIA Novosti)- Chechnya's president said Thursday that he believed the conflict in the troubled southern republic was over and said a European delegation would be expected in the capital by the year's end.
"I am not idealizing the situation in Chechnya," Alu Alkhanov told Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) radio. "We understand only too well that there are many problems. But I believe that the Chechen conflict...is over."
Alkhanov said the region's problems were the result of the long years of fighting.
He also said that Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, would host a meeting with representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, one of Europe's most respected bodies, whose rapporteurs have often been critical of the situation in the North Caucasus.
"By the end of the year, a roundtable with PACE representatives will be held in the Chechen capital," Alukhanov said.
In response to a question about his allegedly poor relations with Chechnya's prime minister, Ramzan Kadyrov, Alukhanov said they occasionally had disagreements but they had no impact on life in the republic.
"There are problems in [every] family," he said. "But our personal relations cannot and will not influence the situation in Chechnya, the state of affairs in the republic."

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060601/48935733.html



Putin meets with famous Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho
MOSCOW, June 1 (RIA Novosti) - President Vladimir Putin Thursday held a meeting with Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho in his residence outside Moscow.
The best-selling author of esoteric novels is coming to the end of a two-week tour around Russia, which began May 15, and the Russian leader said his writing was more than just understandable for readers in his country.
"What you write about and the way you write is close to the heart of a Russian, it goes straight to the heart," Putin said while welcoming the novelist at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo.
The 58-year-old author, whose books focus on religious mysticism, said at a news conference in Moscow that he was on a "pilgrimage", during which he would spend three months away from home. After starting in Ukraine, he also plans to visit Italy, Bulgaria, Germany and Tunisia.
Coelho said that during his 17-day tour of Russia he had had a chance to be in direct contact with Russians and he understood that Russia and Brazil had a great deal in common despite the geographical distance that separated the two countries.
The Brazilian novelist said he found Russia to be strong and optimistic.
The author of international bestsellers The Alchemist, The Valkyries, The Pilgrimage, and The Manual of the Warrior of Light last held book signings in Russia in September 2002. Coelho's official Web site put his sales in Russia during the last visit at 250,000 in the space of two weeks.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060601/48934990.html



Aeroflot says Russian Regional Jet deal worth $630 million
MOSCOW, May 31 (RIA Novosti) - Aeroflot (RTS: AFLT) said Wednesday that a deal to buy 30 mid-range Russian Regional Jets would cost $630 million.
In mid-May shareholders of Russia's national carrier approved a deal to buy the planes from Sukhoi Civil Aircraft.
The RRJ project is a family of medium-range passenger aircraft developed by Sukhoi in cooperation with major American and European aviation corporations, including Boeing, Snecma, Thales, Messier Dowty, Liebherr Aerospace, and Honeywell.
Aeroflot and Sukhoi, a subsidiary of the Sukhoi state aircraft manufacturing holding, signed the RJJ contract in December 2005. The first deliveries are scheduled for 2008.
Sukhoi plans to produce at least 700 RRJs, and intends to sell 35% of them to North America, 25% to Europe, 10% to Latin America, and 7% to Russia and China.
The RRJ market is estimated at 5,400-5,600 units until 2023 and valued at $100 billion.

http://en.rian.ru/business/20060531/48887111.html



The Feodosia blockade: when enough is enough
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti defense commentator Viktor Litovkin). -- Almost a week after protesters blocked the Ukrainian seaport of Feodosia over a "suspicious" cargo including HMWVs and other military materiel unloaded shortly before from U.S. cargo ship Advantage, the Ukrainian defense minister actually admitted to having lied to his people.
At first the Defense Minister Anatoly Gritsenko insisted the USS Advantage had delivered only "construction materials" for the overhaul of the local military training base, but then had to backtrack in a televised statement, saying the cargo included armaments and military equipment for the joint U.S.-Ukrainian tactical exercise Sea Breeze 2006.
However, "inconsistencies" in official statements is something the Ukrainians have long got accustomed to. The real reason for the upheaval is much simpler. The protest just goes to show that the people are against letting NATO and the U.S. in and letting their country out into the orbit of the Alliance.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060601/48934056.html


War in Iraq as a precursor to war in Iran
MOSCOW, (RIA Novosti political commentator Pyotr Romanov) -- When the United States was preparing to occupy Iraq, a popular joke appeared in Russia that went as follows: an American lady asks a friend, "I just never seem to remember how this country is spelled, Iraq or Iran?"
I believe that today a majority of U.S. citizens know only too well where their soldiers are dying and where they can be sent fairly soon. The war in Iraq has become a kind of a precursor to a war in Iran. The similarity lies not so much in the countries' geographical proximity or resembling names, but rather in the similar approach to solving all difficult political problems demonstrated by the White House under George W. Bush, who, as is well known, has chosen the doctrine of pre-emptive strikes against any suspicious or potential adversary.
In the case of Iraq, suspicions of it possessing weapons of mass destruction were enough for invasion. Now the United States calls for attacking Tehran, though unable to prove that it poses a real threat to the world. The most competent expert in the nuclear field, the IAEA, has so far been unable to formulate its clear-cut position.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060414/46422821.html



The Chicago Tribune

Fix planned for dam where 3 drowned
By Angela Rozas
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 1, 2006, 8:27 PM CDT
The real danger at the Glen D. Palmer Dam in Yorkville lies well beneath the surface of the tranquil Fox River. It's in the rolling, churning water at the bottom of the dam's steep 6-foot drop-off that can pull objects or people into a perilous loop.
On Thursday, six days after three men drowned in that rollover, officials with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and town officials announced they would start reconstruction on the dam in the next week or so. They will replace the steep dam drop-off with a graduated concrete four-step structure designed to eliminate rollover.
Water flowing over the dam will encounter a roughly 1.2-foot drop, then another, and another and another, until the water flows calmly onto the next level.
The $2.7 million reconstruction was planned before the deaths Saturday of Villa Park resident Craig Fliege, 38, and the two brothers, Mark Sperling, 27, of Yorkville and Bruce Sperling, 31, of Lombard, who tried to save him, officials said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-060601dam-drownings,1,5608815.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Power problems hit Loop
By Charles Sheehan and James Janega
Tribune staff reporters
Published June 2, 2006, 12:32 AM CDT
A leaky 4-inch water pipe flooded a downtown electrical substation Thursday, cutting power to three buildings in a 19-block area in Chicago's Loop, snarling traffic, interrupting shopping and causing lights to blink in offices, including the Daley Center courthouse and City Hall.
Elevators at the Daley Center shut down and escalators at Marshall Field's and the Thompson Center locked to a halt.
Field's customers looked around in puzzlement as lights dimmed for a few moments.
Water Management Department spokesman Tom LaPorte said workers would have to excavate the pipe to see what caused the leak. The pipe serves a bathroom in a Chicago Transit Authority elevated train station, he said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060601outage,1,810458.story?coll=chi-news-hed



Chicago Sun Times - The weather in Chicago is "Pesky"

Daley taxes to the max for schools
June 1, 2006
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
Mayor Daley has signed off on an up-to-the-limit school property tax increase -- totaling $55 million -- for the 10th time in the 12 years since his public school takeover, an influential alderman disclosed Wednesday.
Instead of raising high school class size for the first time under Daley and laying off teachers, Chicago School Board members will be asked to raise school property taxes to the maximum allowed by the property tax cap.
The $55 million increase will cost Chicago homeowners $11.50 for every $100,000 of assessed valuation, according to Ald. Patrick O'Connor (40th), chairman of the City Council's Education Committee.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-skul01.html


Ryan lawyers set the stage for appeal
file:ryan
June 1, 2006
BY MIKE ROBINSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
Advertisement
George Ryan's lawyers set the stage Thursday for the former governor's appeal of his racketeering and fraud conviction by filing 70 pages of court papers asking for a new trial on the grounds that juror misconduct "taints the verdict in this case."
"Justice requires the District Court to set aside a tainted verdict such as this without regard to the length of the trial, the high profile nature of the prosecution, the resources expended or any other issues unrelated to the legal errors that deprived the defendant of a fair trial before an impartial jury," the defense attorneys said.
Much of the document was a painstaking rehashing of the agony that followed the April 18 guilty verdict at the close of a seven-month trial when goings-on in the jury room began to come to light and both sides spent two weeks haggling over whether they showed unfairness to Ryan.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/ryan01.html


If Flex Fuel is simply a tool to sell gas guzzlers then nothing has been achieved in the USA. FlexFuel with cars that have high economy makes sense but this hideous.

FlexFuel Car Advertisement by GM

http://www.gm.com/company/onlygm/livegreengoyellow/index.html?directEntry=cornulator&milesNumber=1&carNumber=1


Chicago jumps 3 spots on environmental list
June 1, 2006
BY GARY WISBY Environment Reporter
Chicago is the fifth most "sustainable" city in the nation, finishing behind three West Coast cities -- Portland, Ore., San Francisco and Seattle in that order -- and Philadelphia.
That's according to a ranking of the 50 largest U.S. cities released Wednesday by Sustain Lane.com, which rated Chicago No. 8 last year. The city was one behind New York then, but jumped two places ahead because New York stayed seventh.
A sustainable city minimizes its long-term impact on the environment while maximizing the quality of life for its residents, said Warren Karlenzig, who directed the ranking.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-ranking01.html


2 Cook Co. mosquito samples West Nile positive
June 1, 2006
FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS
Advertisement
Samples from two collections of mosquitoes in northern Cook County tested positive Thursday for West Nile virus, according to a release from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
One sample was collected May 18 in Skokie and the second was taken May 24 in an unincorporated area near Norridge, according to the release.
They mark the second and third positive samples taken this year, the other being in DuPage County on May 22, according to the release.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/westnile01.html



War in Iraq
U.S. troops gun down pregnant Iraqi woman
June 1, 2006
BY HAMZA HENDAWI
Advertisement
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The shooting death of a pregnant Iraqi, apparently by U.S. troops, as she was rushing to a hospital threw an intense spotlight Wednesday on the issue of Iraqi civilian deaths.
Iraqi police and witnesses said the troops gunned down the woman and her cousin in their car. The U.S. military said the car entered a clearly marked prohibited area but failed to stop despite repeated signals; shots were fired to disable the vehicle, it said.
More than 4,000 Iraqis -- many of them civilians -- have been killed in war-related violence this year. The figures show that civilians, not Iraqi security forces, are increasingly the casualties of violence.
Much of the violence is the result of Iraqi attacks. But on Tuesday, Nabiha Nisaif Jassim, a 35-year-old pregnant woman, and her cousin Saliha Mohammed Hassan, 57, became the latest victims of what many Iraqis think is the American troops' disregard for life.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/iraq/cst-nws-iraq01.html


Zoos

King of tasting events is back at zoo
Guests at a previous King of Feasts event set about sampling the specialties. (COURTESY)
King of Feasts at the Sacramento Zoo is Saturday, June 24 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. For one night only Sacramento's dining scene converges on the beautiful grounds of the Sacramento Zoo.
Guests will enjoy mouth-watering specialties offered by the area's finest restaurants and experience the richness and diversity of wines from Northern California. On this special evening the stars of the zoo (the animals) share the spotlight with Sacramento's most innovative restaurateurs, wineries and breweries; creating an unforgettable event.
King of Feasts is sponsored by the Sacramento Bee, KGBY and KFBK.
Visitors can stroll through the zoo listening to live music or bid on one-of-a-kind items at the silent auction and, of course, delight in the variety of exotic wildlife. During the evening, they can groove to the music of Nagual, with their unique mix of Latin jazz and rhythm, making for an enjoyable listening experience. As they leisurely walk through the zoo they will also encounter Carnival of Chaos, Bay Area street entertainers.
Participating restaurants, breweries and wineries are the following:
Restaurants: Bandera Restaurant, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Classique Catering, Delta King Hotel, Dos Coyotes Border Caf , Elephant Bar Restaurant, Fat Cat Scones, Fosco's Fine Italian Market, Howe It's Done, JR's Texas BBQ, Kelli's Gourmet Cookies, The Melting Pot, Panera Bread Co., River City Brewing Co., Shari's Berries, Strada Pasta & Grill, Sun Flour Baking Company, The Supper Club, The Tower of Chocolate, Trader Joe's, Vic's Ice Cream, Whole Foods Market, Zinfandel Grille, and Zoofari Catering.
Breweries: Hoppy Brewing Company, River City Brewing Co., and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Wineries/Spirits: Bacardi USA, Carvalho Family Winery, Delicato Five Rivers, Korbel, Little Boomey, Maley, Night Owl, Quail Creeks, Rutherford Vintners, Scribner Bend Vineyards, Stone Creek, Sutter Home, Trinity Oaks, Valley of the Moon, and Virgin Vines.
Beverages: Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Disani Water, Peets Coffee & Tea, and Starbucks Coffee Company.
Proceeds from this event benefit the Sacramento Zoo. Tickets are $45 general admission and $40 for Sacramento Zoo members - adults only.
Advance purchase is advised. Visit the Zoo's Web site at http://www.saczoo.com, call 916-264-5888 or come to the Sacramento Zoo to purchase tickets.

http://www.dailydemocrat.com/entertainment/ci_3887487


Zoo expecting a big baby – an elephant Zoo
By Sheldon S. Shafer
sshafer@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
Forget the pitter-patter of little feet -- the Louisville Zoo is preparing for the arrival of a very big baby.
Mikki, a 20-year-old African elephant, is pregnant by artificial insemination and due to deliver what should be a 150- to 200-pound calf next spring, after a 22- to 24-month gestation. Its sex has not been determined.
It's Mikki's first pregnancy and the zoo's first elephant pregnancy, an occurrence that zoo Director John Walczak yesterday termed "fantastic."
"We've been working on this for years," he said.
Mikki was born in the wild on an African preserve and came to the Louisville Zoo when she was 2, said zoo spokeswoman Diana DeVaughn. Mikki shares the zoo's recently renovated elephant habitat with Punch, a female Asian elephant who at 37 is too old to breed.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/NEWS01/606010374/1008/NEWS01


American Zoo Association Recommends OvoControl To Contracept Birds
Jun 1, 2006
Pest Control Buzz Online Newsletter
RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. — The American Zoo Association (AZA) Contraception Center has updated their recommendations to include OvoControl, manufactured by Innolytics, for birds.
Many modern zoos routinely contracept their wildlife, consistent with “family planning” principles — not too many and not too few. OvoControl is the first product available to zoos to contracept birds.
According to the AZA Contraception Center Web site, “OvoControl interferes with the hatchability of avian eggs. The active ingredient, nicarbazin, is registered both by the FDA and EPA. Originally used as a drug to control coccidiosis in chickens, the compound has been developed and registered for hatch control in pest birds, initially for use in resident Canada geese. Further EPA registration applications in other avian species are pending.”

http://www.pestcontrolmag.com/pestcontrol/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=330616



Stop Work Order On Taman Zoo View And Ukay Bestari
KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 (Bernama) -- The Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) today issued a stop work order on Daya Tenaga Muda Sdn Bhd, the developer of Taman Zoo View and Ukay Bestari located above Kampung Pasir, Hulu Klang, where a landslide occurred on Wednesday.
MPAJ's President Datuk Ahmad Safii Saidin said the council also established a technical committee to indentify the cause of the 4.45 pm incident with two persons confirmed dead so far and two more missing.
"MPAJ found that the developer failed to complete the retaining wall in time last year, and was only completed last week," he told reporters when met at the scene here Thursday.
Ahmad Safii said the drainage system on the hill also failed to drain out the water and this caused the water to seep into the soil making it soft.
The company also failed to seek advise and views from the Malaysian Public Works Institute (IKRAM) and the Department of Environment (DOE) on the soil conditions there.
MPAJ will come up with a complete report within 10 days and would monitor the development on the hill, he said.
Meanwhile the Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting who visited the scene said the investigating team consist of the Gradient Unit of the Public Works Department, DOE, Geoscience Department, MPAJ's Technical Unit and IKRAM.
"The focus of the investigations is why the retaining wall was not strong enough," he said.

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=201303



Dreamnight At The Zoo Is Friday
Open House For Families Of People With Disabilities
posted June 1, 2006
"Dreamnight,” an international event hosted voluntarily by zoos and aquariums throughout the world, will take place on Friday, June 2, from 6-9 p.m. at The Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park.
This is a free open house for chronically ill children, children with disabilities, and their families. The Zoo staff volunteer their time each year to provide interactive activities, behind-the-scenes glimpses, food, drinks, and mementos.
“Our Zoo collaborates with Orange Grove Centers, so we’ve been able to open this event to developmentally disabled adults as well,” said Miranda Cagle, Chattanooga Zoo.
The Zoo serves as a community partner making animals and the facility accessible to numerous groups and populations with special needs year round. During the summer, the Zoo and the Therapeutic Recreation Division of the Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department will host a “Zoo-a-bility” day camp for children ages six to 14.
The “Dreamnight” event is free for the children, their immediate family and for groups with caretakers, but reservations are requested. For more information and to make reservations call 697-1319.

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_86849.asp



Zoo traffic gets a new view
By Cindy Larson clarson@news-sentinel.com
Families going to the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo via Interstate 69 no longer have to drive by strip joints to get there.
On Thursday, City Councilman Tom Didier, R-3rd District, held a news conference to celebrate the completion of several projects that will make it easier for visitors to get to the zoo. It marked the fulfillment of a campaign promise Didier made when he ran for office in 2003.
Previously, zoo traffic was directed off I-69 to the intersection of Goshen Road and Coliseum Boulevard, where motorists would pass by adult entertainment venues. Didier got the idea to redirect traffic off I-69 onto Lima Road, allowing motorists to bypass non kid-friendly sights en route to the zoo.
Dealing with multiple governmental agencies proved to be a challenge for the freshman City Councilman. Didier finally called Mayor Graham Richard, who assembled a team to help Didier accomplish his goal.
“Tom has really been steadfast in keeping his campaign promise,” said City Councilman John Crawford, R-at large.
The project involved posting new signs on the interstate, Lima Road, at the intersection of Coliseum Boulevard and Wells Street, and Franke Park Drive. In addition, a new signal was added at the intersection of Wells Street and Franke Park Drive, and turn lanes were added. The intersection project cost $241,400, with the at-large councilmen contributing $30,000 in income tax dollars and Didier contributing $120,000 of his 2004 and 2005 allotment.
Zoo Director Jim Anderson said 60 percent of the zoo’s visitors are from outside the county. “Clear, logical directions from the interstate are very important,” he said.

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/nation/14718099.htm



Zoo closed Saturday -- for evening 'Zoobilation'
Kevin Hicks
Staff writer
(June 1, 2006) — Monroe County's Seneca Park Zoo will be closed all day Saturday so staffers can prepare the facility for that evening's fundraiser, Zoobilation '06: A Night at the Zoobys.
Zoobilation, the Seneca Park Zoo Society's largest gala fundraiser, will be 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. A portion of the proceeds will help build a pool for Genny C. and Lilac, the zoo's African elephants.
Admission is $75 per person or $150 for a patron. Patron tickets include valet parking, a gift and two complimentary drink tickets. The Seneca Park Zoo is at 2222 St. Paul St. Tickets will be available at the gate. For more information or reservations, call (585) 336-7200.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/NEWS01/606020352/1001/BUSINESS



Marvin Jones, 77; Was a Pioneer Record-Keeper of Zoo Animals' Longevity
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
May 2, 2006
Marvin Jones, 77, an expert on the longevity of mammals in captivity who compiled family trees of animals in zoos worldwide, died of heart failure April 4 at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego.
As a volunteer at the Bronx Zoo in New York in 1944, Jones began keeping records on captive animal populations before it was commonly done. He was hired as the first registrar of animal collections at the San Diego Zoo in 1981.
Much of what is known about the longevity and breeding of captive animals is because of Jones' work, said Dr. Kurt Benirschke, a researcher at the San Diego Zoo.
For instance, Jones' extensive record-keeping showed that toco toucans started breeding in a number of zoos at the same time, for unexplained reasons, in 1977.
Jones was born in 1928 in Philadelphia. Drafted into the Army in 1951, he left active duty as a sergeant in 1972 and began consulting with the San Diego Zoo. After retiring, he became the zoo's registrar emeritus in 1996 and continued to work with zoos throughout the world.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-passings2.2may02,1,5344398.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california



Zoos to be open tomorrow in Egypt
date: 23 04, 2006
Cairo, April. 23 (BNA) Zoos will be open tomorrow in Egypt on the occasion of spring day after a closure of 45 days due to bird flu, this was decided by Egyptian authorities.
Egyptian daily said that the decision includes the opening of Al- Jeeza zoo and other parks and zoos in Alexandria, Bani Seweef, Faiom, Al Areesh and Kafr Al Shaikh.

http://english.bna.bh/?ID=44036



Adoptions draw human, animal closer
For Zhang Yifeng's third birthday, his mother gave him a present more surprising than the typical toy cars or baseballs she adopted a chimpanzee for him.
Zhang's mother made a donation to the Beijing Zoo in June last year and, in return, the zoo allowed her to adopt the chimpanzee for her son.
Zhang's parents, who named the creature Ding Ding, take him to the zoo almost every weekend to visit his "good friend."
"I love Ding Ding," said the boy.
Zhang is not alone. More private individuals and households have adopted and befriended animals of the Beijing Zoo after the zoo's donation and adoption programme was initiated in early 2001.
The programme is designed to raise money to take better care of the animals. It also aims at getting more individuals, households and enterprises involved in the efforts to protect wild animals, said Ye Mingxia, an official with the Beijing Zoo's publicity department.

http://english.people.com.cn/200604/22/eng20060422_260347.html



Foundation to meet in Memphis; panda payments in question
By Bartholomew Sullivan
sullivanb@shns.com
April 22, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The Giant Panda Conservation Foundation, some of whose members left for China last week to discuss the possibility of lowering the $1 million lease payment Memphis and three other U.S. zoos with pandas pay each year, will meet in Memphis on May 9.
Memphis Zoo director Chuck Brady says he has no confidence the group in China will reach a breakthrough on the lease issue.
The delegation will assure Chinese leaders that the American zoos with pandas -- in San Diego, Atlanta, Memphis and Washington -- will live up to their obligations, he said.
The four zoos sent representatives to China last year and the Chinese have visited the four U.S. facilities. But when it came to a discussion of the fees, Brady said the Chinese were very cordial but said they'd have to think about it.
Brady said the long-term future of pandas in North America will ultimately require a different fee structure, but he said he said he wanted to assure everyone that the zoo's financial plan for Ya Ya and Le Le is sound.
Giving them up "is not something we are contemplating," he said.
Memphis was the last of the four to get a pair of pandas, so its lease is the last to expire. San Diego is in year 10 of a 12-year lease and Atlanta is in year seven of 11. When their lease deadlines get closer, Brady predicted, "that's when the negotiations are going to be critical."
Chris Vehrs of the Maryland-based American Zoo and Aquarium Association said some foreign zoos are paying as little as $250,000 a year for their pandas.
Contact Washington correspondent Bartholomew Sullivan at (202) 408-2726.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local/article/0,2845,MCA_25340_4641976,00.html

continued …

May 29, 2006

Hutchinson, Kansas

May 29, 2006.

Hutchinson, Kansas

Morning Papers - continued ...

Zoos

Condor chick No. 3 hatches with help, thrives at zoo
Endangered species - The hatchling's Sunday arrival thrills its parents, both avian and human
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
KATY MULDOON
Whew!
The tense, life-or-death drama that defined the Oregon Zoo's California condor hatching season ended this week when keepers helped a third chick hatch on Sunday, then on Monday tricked its parents into thinking they'd done all the work so that they would accept the chick.
By Tuesday, all three newcomers to the endangered species were thriving, said Shawn St. Michael, the zoo's assistant curator for birds.

http://www.oregonlive.com/science/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/science/114904234488540.xml&coll=7



Detroit Zoo Fundraiser Nears
Boomerang Silent Auction Included
POSTED: 12:12 pm EDT May 31, 2006
The Detroit Zoo will host its annual fundraiser, Sunset at the Zoo, next week.
The fun-filled event will feature live music, dancing, food from Detroit's top restaurants, and a boomerang silent auction with local and national celebrities.
The celebrities were given blank boomerangs to decorate any way they wish.
The boomerangs from Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Lions players, as well as Jay Leno, go on display next week. With the help of Fran, owner of Beyond Blossoms, Local 4's Rhonda Walker made a boomerang handbag.
Tickets are now on sale for Sunset at the Zoo and start at $125. The event takes place at 7 p.m. on June 16. To purchase tickets, call 248-541-5717 ext. 3750.
For information on Beyond Blossoms, go to http://www.beyondblossomsusa.com/

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/9298388/detail.html



Hemmed-in hippo sparks cruelty charges against B.C. zoo
SHANE DINGMAN
Globe and Mail Update
The Greater Vancouver Zoo faces charges under provincial prevention of animal cruelty legislation after investigators alleged it had been keeping a baby hippopotamus in a dank concrete shed for at least 19 months.
The British Columbia branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said Wednesday that following an eight-month investigation into the living conditions of Hazina, a 2½-year-old hippo featured in a Telus commercial, the hippo's enclosure may have been fine as a temporary shelter but the five metre by six-metre pen no longer meets the needs of one of the Earth's largest land mammals.
“It was okay when she was a baby, in 2004,” said Marcie Moriarty, general manager of the SPCA's cruelty-investigations department. “But, as all people should know, babies grow.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060531.whipponew0531/BNStory/National/home



Sacramento Zoo Presents New Lemurs
The Sacramento Zoo proudly presented the newest members of its family today, one female and two male black and white ruffed lemurs. Zoo keepers discovered the newborns on April 23. They say the 7-year-old, first-time mom has been taking excellent care of its babies.
Unlike most primates whose offspring cling to their bodies, ruffed lemurs place their newborns in a nest. In the wild the female prepares a cavity in a tree using branches and leaves for nesting material. The infants are left in the nest while their mother forages for food. At the Sacramento Zoo, keepers prepared two nests for the family. One is a tub and the other a covered cat litter box. The new mom has been gently moving the babies, using her mouth, from one to the other as she sees fit.
While ruffed lemurs are capable of having up to six infants at a time, typically two or three youngsters are born. Like all lemurs, black and white ruffed lemurs are endangered because of habitat loss, forest fires, and land clearing for agriculture or hunting.
Black and white ruffed lemurs are one of the few primate species to be successfully reintroduced to the wild. The first release took place in 1997 when five, zoo-born lemurs were released into the Betamona Natural Reserve in eastern Madagascar. Several more releases have been made since then into the same protected area.
The Sacramento Zoo partners with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Ruffed Lemur Species Survival Plan®, Madagascar Fauna Group, and the Malgasy Government to breed this species and to educate the public on how they can help these and other lemurs in the wild.
The Sacramento Zoo is located near the corner of Land Park Drive and Sutterville Road in William Land Park.
For more information about the zoo and lemurs, call 916-264-5888 or visit the Zoo's Web site by clicking the link above.

http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=17877



Zoo's big cat speed stars ZOOM into action
Thursday, 1 June 2006, 12:20 pm
Press Release: Auckland Zoo
MEDIA RELEASE
1 June 2006
Zoo’s big cat speed stars ZOOM into action
Young cheetah brothers Anubis and Osiris begin their official ambassador roles at Auckland Zoo this weekend with the launch of the ZOOM Cheetah Experience to the public.
The chance to meet and touch the fastest land animal on the planet, and feel the reverberations of that famous feline purr that keepers liken to the gentle idling of a V8 engine, is as much for their benefit as yours, says Auckland Zoo director, Glen Holland.
“These magnificent young cats, who turn one this Sunday, have been reared especially under the Cheetah Outreach Ambassador Training Programme to be advocates and ambassadors for their species. They’re therefore very social, and meeting people is a very positive and stimulating experience for them,” says Glen, who grew up with cheetah in his native South Africa.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0606/S00007.htm



PLAY AT THE ZOO
Wichita Grand Opera will present a free outdoor concert, "Opera on the Lake," at Bradley Fair on Saturday.
BY CHRIS SHULL
The Wichita Eagle
Opera returns to the open air at 7 p.m. Saturday when Wichita Grand Opera presents "Opera on the Lake" at Bradley Fair.
The evening will feature condensed versions of three operas --"The Magic Flute," "Lucia di Lammermoor" and "I Pagliacci" -- with favorite arias and scenes sung by singers from Wichita Grand Opera's roster of Kansas-based stars.
Rodney Miller, dean of the College of Fine Arts at Wichita State, will narrate the action, and lush melodies will transport listeners to a fairy tale forest, the eerie Scottish moors, and a pretty Sicilian village.
Diego Crovetti, a conductor and opera coach from Milan, Italy, will make his U.S. debut conducting the Wichita Grand Opera Orchestra. The closing piece on the program will feature the Three Kansas Tenors -- David Camp, Richard Novak and Patrick Greene -- singing the stirring "Nessun Dorma" from "Turandot."
After the opera concert at around 9 p.m., the Boeing Jazz Band will play hits from the swing era for listening and dancing.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/14709725.htm


Zoo gets $600,000 from state
MAINTENANCE: The money will help the Lake Superior Zoo complete some needed fixes, but won't cover everything.
BY CHRIS HAMILTON
NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Duluth's Lake Superior Zoo will get some much-needed repairs thanks to the recent state bonding bill, city officials and lawmakers said this week.
But like a lot of Duluth departments and facilities these days, even more work is required at the zoo, and city money is scarce.
Last weekend, the Minnesota Legislature approved $600,000 for the zoo, which is owned and run by the city with a $1 million annual operating budget. The state funding was $200,000 more than the city had asked for.

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/14711386.htm



S.F. Zoo offers space for rescued seal pups
Staff Report
The San Francisco Zoo is providing space for rescued northern elephant seal pups as the Marine Mammal Center continues its $25 million upgrade in the Marin Headlands.
The first four of what will be several groups of orphaned seal pups arrived at the zoo Wednesday for the last phase of their recuperation and rehabilitation before returning to the ocean.
Space for the pups is limited at the center, which is being upgrading into a state-of-the-art hospital for marine mammals.
The zoo will provide swimming and recuperation space for the seals, which need the room to continue developing muscular and motor skills needed for prolonged swimming.
The pups
Advertisement
are 3 to 6 months old and weigh between 75 and 90 pounds. They will be ready for release once they reach 150 to 200 pounds.
The pups likely will be released at Point Reyes National Seashore or Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in San Mateo County.

http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_3887327



Canada zoo charged with animal cruelty
June 01 2006 at 10:45AM
Vancouver - A commercial zoo was charged on Wednesday with animal cruelty for keeping a baby hippopotamus alone for 19 months in a small, dark shed on a concrete floor.
"Even inmates in prison don't spend their lives alone," said Eileen Drever, the animal protection constable who investigated the zoo.
It is the first time a major Canadian zoo was charged, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which employs Drever.
Prosecutors laid two counts of causing an animal to be in distress, after the Greater Vancouver Zoo, a private amusement park in this west coast metropolis, failed to comply with Drever's orders to improve the animal's life.
She likes to lick visitors
The zoo operators could face a fine of up to $1 800 or six months in prison.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=22&art_id=qw1149124865613B253


Clive library, zoo hook up
Summer reading begins this month with the addition of live animals.
By NICOLE WARNER
REGISTER CORRESPONDENT
June 1, 2006
Paws, Claws, Scales, and Tales will come to the Clive library this month in the form of a children's summer reading program. The idea is to make reading fun - and that will include a partnership with Blank Park Zoo officials who will provide hands-on activities and live animals for library programs.
"We put a real emphasis on fun over the summer," said Vicki Hibbert, library director. "I think the zoo will be pretty popular because it's a new partnership. It will be neat to see different animals."
The library will begin accepting registrations on Monday. The reading program starts June 19 and continues until the second week in August.
Participants will learn about various animals through reading opportunities and activities, and those with pets may bring pictures for an animal wall of fame. While children as young as 18 months can participate in the reading program and earn prizes, only children 5 and older may participate in the live-animal programs.
Children participating in the program keep reading logs detailing how many hours they read or how many books they have read - or have been read to them if they are too young to read. Prizes are earned at different levels of achievement, from trinkets such as key chains and bracelets to the top prize of a free book. At other levels readers can earn zoo passes, Iowa Cubs tickets, stuffed animals, and food coupons to Subway or McDonalds.
Suzy Piel, the youth librarian, said kids always have a lot of fun with the reading program.
"The kids are excited to come in to see what the next adventure will be," she said.
Weekly programs are held for all ages: Toddler time, baby laptime, alien mystery party, baby sign class and animal calligraphy are some of the sessions planned.
"We're very proud of all our youth programs," Hibbert said.
Parents whose children have participated in the summer reading program in the past say it is fun, but it is also beneficial to their children.
Diana Hernandez of Clive said she likes that the program motivates children to read over the summer.
"It helps expose them to more things than if they were reading on their own," she said.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/NEWS08/606020329/1001/NEWS

Kyodo

S. Korea's opposition GNP wins big in local elections
Jun. 1 SEOUL, South Korea
Park Geun Hye (L), chairwoman of the main opposition Grand National Party, and Oh Se Hoon, who won the Seoul mayoral election, shake hands at GNP headquarters in Seoul on June 1 after the party's big victory in local elections. (Kyodo)

http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstPhotos/index.php?photoid=13434


S. Korea's ruling party chief resigns following election defeat
SEOUL, June 1 KYODO
South Korea's ruling party chief resigned Thursday to take responsibility for a crushing defeat in Wednesday's local elections.
''I have decided to resign from the party chairmanship to take full responsibility for the election results,'' Chung Dong Young said in a news conference after a meeting of senior party members.

http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=250196



N. Korea invites U.S. nuclear negotiator to visit Pyongyang
BEIJING, June 1 KYODO
North Korea on Thursday invited the chief U.S. delegate to the six-way nuclear talks to visit Pyongyang for discussions on the process, which has stalled due to a row over U.S. financial sanctions on entities suspected of aiding the North's illicit activities.
A statement by a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, said that Pyongyang invites U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill to visit the North to explain the U.S. position in person.
''If the U.S. has a true political intention to implement the joint statement we kindly invite once again the head of the U.S. side's delegation to the talks to visit Pyongyang and directly explain it to us,'' the statement said.
In the joint statement issued by the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia at the end of their talks in September, Pyongyang agreed to abandon its nuclear programs in return for energy assistance, security assurances and other benefits.
But the talks have been deadlocked since the six countries met in Beijing in November, with the North complaining about sanctions the United States imposed on entities suspected of laundering money or counterfeiting for Pyongyang.
Most recently, North Korea has said it will not go back to the talks until the release of funds frozen in North Korean accounts at Macao-based Banco Delta Asia, a bank that has been designated by Washington as a money-laundering concern.




Iran rebuffs U.S. offer to join nuclear talks
TEHRAN, June 1 KYODO
Iran on Thursday rebuffed the U.S. offer to take part in talks on Iran's nuclear program on condition that Tehran immediately suspends all enrichment activities, saying it presents no ''new and rational solution'' to the nuclear dispute.
The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency attributed the remarks to Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
In a major policy shift, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday the United States is conditionally prepared to join three European Union nations -- Britain, France and Germany -- in holding direct talks with Iran on its nuclear program.
In announcing the policy shift, Rice said Iran has two choices -- facing ''great costs'' by maintaining the current course of pursuing its suspected nuclear weapons development or receiving ''real benefit and longer-term security'' by abandoning it.
She said Tehran must ''alter its present course and cooperate in resolving the nuclear issue, beginning by immediately resuming suspension of all enrichment-activities, as well as full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and returning to implementation of the additional protocol, which would provide greater access for the IAEA.''
Rice warned Iran that it will face ''stronger political and economic sanctions'' if it continues its enrichment-related activities.
The United States had earlier said repeatedly that it would not join negotiations with Iran, while supporting diplomatic efforts by the three EU nations.
==Kyodo




China, Arab countries agree to boost energy cooperation
BEIJING, June 1 KYODO
China and 22 Arab countries agreed Thursday to boost cooperation in the areas of energy and antiterrorism as they wrapped up two days of talks in the Chinese capital.
A bilateral action plan, one of several documents signed at the end of the ministerial meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum, said the countries will hold their first talks on oil issues between 2006 and 2008, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported.




Jet lands safely with landing gear problem in Yogyakarta
Jun. 1 YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia
An Indonesian passenger aircraft with 159 people on board managed to land safely at Yogyakarta airport in the earthquake-hit region of Java Island on June 1 after developing a problem with its front landing gear after takeoff, witnesses said. (Kyodo)




American cherries arrive in Japan
Jun. 1 OSAKA, Japan
California-grown American cherries arrive at Kansai airport on June 1. (Kyodo)

http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstPhotos/index.php?photoid=13447


Revised ordinance bars gangs from sponsoring foreign entertainers
TOKYO, June 1 KYODO
An amended government ordinance entered force Thursday, banning companies linked to organized crime syndicates from sponsoring foreign singers and dancers entering Japan on entertainment visas.
The updated Justice Ministry ordinance is aimed at tackling human trafficking as foreign women who have entered Japan as entertainers have often been forced to work for low wages as hostesses in bars or nightclubs or to engage in prostitution.



Osaka Pref. falls to 3rd in terms of population, topped by Kanagawa
OSAKA, June 1 KYODO
Japan's No. 2 business center Osaka Prefecture fell to third place in terms of population as of May 1, dropping from the second spot it had maintained since the 1960 national census, the Osaka prefectural government said Thursday.
Kanagawa Prefecture, which is located just southwest of No. 1 Tokyo, slipped into second place.


London mayor and Tokyo governor sign Partnership Agreement
Jun. 1 LONDON, Britain
London Mayor Ken Livingstone (L) and Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara sign a Partnership Agreement in London on May 31 to promote best practices between the two capitals. (Kyodo)



Ruling bloc eyes vote on conspiracy bill at Fri. Diet panel
TOKYO, June 1 KYODO
The ruling coalition told the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan on Thursday that it intends to accept the DPJ-proposed revisions to a bill that would criminalize the act of conspiracy even if no actual crime is committed, while proposing a vote on the bill at a Diet committee scheduled for Friday.
The move has revived chances for the bill to be enacted during the current Diet session scheduled to adjourn June 18.




Olympic hammer champ Murofushi makes victorious comeback
May. 30 OSTRAVA, Czech Republic
Japanese hammer thrower Koji Murofushi made a dramatic comeback after a yearlong absence with a come-from-behind victory at the 45th Golden Spike meet on May 29. (Kyodo)



Golf: Teshima, Tanihara, Oda share 1st-round lead at JCB Classic Sendai
SHIBATA, Japan, June 1 KYODO
Taichi Teshima, Hideto Tanihara and Komei Oda shot 4-under-par 67s to share the lead after the first round of the JCB Classic Sendai on Thursday.
Teshima, who is looking for his fourth career title, and Tanihara each had six birdies and two bogeys, while Oda carded five birdies against one bogey at Omotezao Kokusai Golf Club in Miyagi Prefecture.




Baseball: Toritani homer lifts Tigers over Eagles
NISHINOMIYA, Japan, June 1 KYODO
Takashi Toritani hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning as the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers edged the Rakuten Eagles 2-1 in interleague play on Thursday.
Toritani connected off Hisashi Aikyo (3-3) for his fourth home run of the season, making a winner of Shinobu Fukuhara (1-1), who held Rakuten to one run and five hits in 6-1/3 innings at Koshien Stadium.



Soccer: Moniwa arrives in Germany to join Japan's World Cup squad

Defender Teruyuki Moniwa arrived in Germany on Thursday to join Japan's World Cup squad after being called up as a replacement for injured Makoto Tanaka.



JAL plane features Japan World Cup squad
Jun. 1 TOKYO, Japan
A Japan Airlines plane featuring the Japan World Cup squad stands by at Tokyo's Haneda airport June 1 ahead of its first flight between Narita and Milan, Italy, on June 2 and further flights until early July. The plane will fly between Haneda and Frankfurt and between Kansai airport and Cologne before and after the team has matches for World Cup finals. (Kyodo)



NAGO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (R) makes a toast with Papua New Guinean Prime Minister Michael Somare, who co-chairs the fourth summit of leaders of Japan and Pacific island nations with Koizumi, at the Bankoku Shinryokan convention center in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, on May 26. (Kyodo)

http://photo.kyodonews.com/


Prosecutors grill Livedoor's Horie over alleged financial fraud

http://photo.kyodonews.com/feature.asp?colum_id=53


Stars and Stripes

17 names added to MP memorial at Mannheim
MANNHEIM, Germany — Maj. Andy Johnson paused to maintain his composure when talking about the loss of Staff Sgt. James Dennis McNaughton.
Without uttering a word, Johnson conveyed his deep respect for McNaughton, a 27-year-old soldier attached to the Mannheim-based 18th Military Police Brigade during its deployment to Iraq last year. McNaughton, a former New York City policeman who responded to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, was killed Aug. 2 by sniper fire in Baghdad.
“He was the kind of guy — and I know you hear this all the time — he’s the kind of guy you wanted to be around,” Johnson said. “The other two officers in my section loved him. They hung on every one of his stories. He just had these funny stories about being a policeman or being a soldier.”

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=37586


Civilian temporary workers on USAREUR bases will be fired
By Nancy Montgomery, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Thursday, June 1, 2006
HEIDELBERG, Germany — Civilian temporary workers on bases throughout U.S. Army Europe will be fired within the next two weeks, and permanent workers who quit will not be replaced under “belt-tightening” measures ordered Friday by the Army’s vice-chief of staff.
How many workers would be fired was not known Wednesday. The Army’s Installation Management Agency-Europe (IMA-E), said it planned to institute the cost-cutting measures — including the firings — right away.
“The guidance given to us was to implement,” said Kim Waltz, IMA-E spokeswoman. And, she said, the guidance was applied throughout IMA.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=37590


Army commanders are told to rein in spending until supplement arrives
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Thursday, June 1, 2006
ARLINGTON, Va. – With Congress continuing to delay passage of the Pentagon’s wartime emergency 2006 supplemental budget request, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody has ordered a four-step, five-week belt-tightening plan to keep the service financially afloat.
Military commanders had hoped Congress would approve the supplemental request to fund Iraq and Afghanistan operations before the Memorial Day recess, but the House and Senate could not agree on a common bill. The Senate came up with legislation totaling $109 billion, while the House version matched the Bush administration’s $94.5 billion request.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=37591


Tribal dynamics back up Iraqi town's security
Marines' alliance with Abu Mahals provides support for fragile government
By Andrew Tilghman, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, June 1, 2006
HUSAYBAH, Iraq — One year ago, tribal warfare broke out in this dusty border town and many families from one prominent tribe, the Abu Mahals, were forced from their homes in a bloody purge that left many tribal leaders dead — some beheaded.
In November, the U.S. Marines forged a strategic alliance with the exiled Abu Mahals and their militia. Working side-by- side, the Americans and Iraqis mounted a massive house-by-house sweep designed to rid the city of insurgents.
Today, the Abu Mahal tribe is back in charge. The local Iraqi army commander is an Abu Mahal and his brother is chief of the newly-formed police department. The majority of the new police department is made up of men from the Abu Mahal tribe.
As the Marines seek to stabilize the city and quell the once-persistent insurgency here, they often turn to the Abu Mahals to help them run the fledgling government, provide security and keep watch for outsiders looking to stir up trouble.
“As an American, you don’t really want to do things that way, but not everyone can make the trains run on time and these are the guys who have done it,” Lt. Col. Nick Marano, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines commander, said.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=37585


Sentence expected Friday in Yokosuka killing
USS Kitty Hawk sailor faces possible life imprisonment
By Allison Batdorff and Hana Kusumoto, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, June 1, 2006
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The USS Kitty Hawk sailor on trial for the robbery-murder of a Yokosuka woman is to be sentenced Friday by three judges in a Yokohama courtroom.
Prosecutor Toshimi Honda sought a sentence of life imprisonment for 21-year-old Airman William Oliver Reese but the victim’s family asked for the death penalty during closing arguments and statements last month.
The U.S. Navy handed Reese over to Japanese custody less than a week after the Jan. 3 robbery-killing of Yoshie Sato, a 56-year-old Yokosuka woman.
According to police and investigator reports, Reese approached Sato on her way to work. He asked her for directions to nearby Yokosuka Naval Base, then grabbed her purse. When she started yelling for help, Reese dragged Sato into a building entrance, threw her against a cement wall, and beat her for 11 minutes, punching and stomping on her face and stomach. He took 15,000 yen, about $130, from her purse and left.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?article=37578&section=104


Study cites military on domestic violence
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press Writer
U.S. Video
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Defense Department does not gather adequate records on domestic violence, making it difficult to tell how big a problem it is in the military, congressional investigators said Wednesday.
The Government Accountability Office also said there is insufficient information on the disciplinary actions taken by military commanders against service members involved in domestic violence. The office, Congress' investigative arm, recommended that the Defense Department work to ensure that all discipline is reported.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DOMESTIC_ABUSE_MILITARY?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Committee votes to end ‘10-year rule’ for pay to ex-spouses
By Tom Philpott, Special to Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, June 1, 2006
The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to end the “10-year rule” used by the government for more than two decades to screen court orders seeking automatic payment of retired pay to former military spouses.
The change is one of three adjustments to the Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act (USFSPA) in the Senate’s version of the 2007 defense authorization bill (S 2766). All three are intended to streamline administration of the controversial 1982 law, said Senate staff.
If approved by the full Congress, the changes would be the first made to the military ex-spouse law in 14 years. They would ease how future court orders are handled for former spouses rather than past court orders.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?article=37580&section=104


Tax code change allows troops in combat zones to contribute to IRAs
Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, June 1, 2006
President Bush has signed a bill amending the tax code to allow servicemembers in combat zones to also contribute to Individual Retirement Accounts, the White House announced Wednesday.
The Heroes Earned Retirement Opportunities Act, which Bush signed on May 29, means that troops can both contribute to IRAs and take advantage of the tax-free status of their pay. Until this year, the federal tax code prohibited servicemembers from doing both at the same time.
The HERO Act is also retroactive to tax year 2004, officials said. Any servicemembers who did not make IRA contributions during 2004 or 2005 while also eligible for the combat zone tax exclusion can now do so. Further, the retroactive filings can be made until May 28, 2009 — three years after the date of enactment.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?article=37587&section=104


Re-up bonuses cut for some Marine specialties
Career Marines face summer deadline to collect extra cash
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, June 1, 2006
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marines are ending re-enlistment bonuses for several specialties, but career Marines in those jobs can still get the bonuses if they hurry, said Maj. Jerry Morgan, who runs the Selective Reenlistment Bonus Program.
Career Marines — those who have re-enlisted at least once — have until June 30 to get re-enlistment bonuses for 123 Military Occupational Specialities that have met their annual retention numbers.
Career Marines have until Aug. 31 for the 86 MOSs that have not yet met their retention goals, Morgan said.
Marines on their first enlistment are ineligible to collect re-enlistment bonuses for 148 MOSs that have met the quotas in their zone, but have until Aug. 31 to get bonuses for the 46 MOSs that have yet to meet the goals, Morgan said.
Marines can receive up to $45,000 in one lump sum to re-enlist for four years depending on specialty and years of service, Morgan said

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?article=37576&section=104


94th Engineer Battalion leaving Germany after half-century
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, May 31, 2006
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — The 94th Engineer Battalion cased its colors here Tuesday and will return to the U.S. after more than 50 years in Germany.
First Armored Division Commander Maj. Gen. Fred D. Robinson Jr. told soldiers from the unit their battalion did remarkable things over the past two years as part of the Global War on Terror.
The 94th, stationed in Germany since 1955, deployed to Kuwait in January 2003 and supported the 3rd Infantry Division’s attack on Baghdad.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?article=37569&section=104



Marine irked at inclusion in Haditha case
By THOMAS WATKINS
Associated Press Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A Marine captain who was relieved of command after members of his battalion were accused of killing civilians in Haditha, Iraq, denied any role in the slayings and complained that he had become a "political casualty."
"It makes my blood boil to see my name lumped in with this massacre, when I was in a different city not playing any role in this incident," Capt. James Kimber told The Associated Press.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MARINES_IRAQ_INVESTIGATION?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Iraqis announce own probe of killings
By PATRICK QUINN
Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The U.S. military ordered American commanders to hold ethical training on battlefield conduct, and the Iraqi government Thursday announced its own investigation into reports that U.S. Marines killed unarmed civilians last year.
Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the commander of U.S.-led forces in Iraq, said the ethical training would emphasize "professional military values and the importance of disciplined, professional conduct in combat," as well as Iraqi cultural expectations.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_US_MILITARY?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


89 Gitmo detainees on hunger strike
By ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/BRENNAN LINSLEY
World Video
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- More Guantanamo Bay detainees have joined a hunger strike, raising the total to 89, and six of them were being force-fed, the U.S. military said Thursday.
The strike - which last weekend jumped from three participants to 75 - is now the biggest of the year at the U.S. prison on Cuba, where about 460 men are being held on suspicion of links to al-Qaida or the Taliban.
The U.S. military said the detainees were trying to pressure the United States to release them, but a human rights attorney described the strike as a desperate appeal for justice.
Six hunger strikers were being force-fed, said Navy Cmdr. Robert Durand - two more than last weekend.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GUANTANAMO_HUNGER_STRIKE?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Schwarzenegger to order troops to border
By AARON C. DAVIS
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/PAUL SAKUMA
U.S. Video
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed Thursday to send the California National Guard to the Mexican border, ending a 17-day standoff with the Bush administration, a Schwarzenegger spokesman said.
The two sides had been at odds over whether California Guardsmen would join the effort to bolster the Border Patrol and who would pay for it.
They reached an agreement under which California will contribute about 1,000 Guardsmen for border duty and the federal government will pick up the full cost, said Schwarzenegger spokesman Adam Mendelsohn.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IMMIGRATION_NATIONAL_GUARD?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Military plan for border has some worried
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/ALDEN PELLETT
U.S. Video
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Bush administration plans to deploy thousands of National Guard troops to shore up the U.S.-Mexico border were getting mixed reviews Tuesday, with members of Congress questioning whether it would strain a force stretched thin by wars and natural disasters.
Pentagon officials tried to tamp down those concerns, insisting that the decision to use up to 6,000 Guard members to help secure the porous 2,000-mile border will not overtax the guard or impair troops' ability to train or prepare for combat.
Other military experts, however, suggested that moving Guard troops to the four border states for two- to three-week shifts won't be nearly enough to get the job done.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IMMIGRATION_MILITARY?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Number of gays leaving military rises
U.S. Video
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of military members discharged under the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on homosexuals rose by 11 percent last year - the first increase since 2001, officials said Wednesday.
A Pentagon spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, said 726 service members were discharged under the policy during the 2005 budget year that ended last Sept. 30. That compares with 653 discharges the year before. She released the figures after a gay rights advocacy group said it had obtained the statistics on its own.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MILITARY_GAYS?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


FBI investigating $50M Air Force contract
By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/JOE CAVARETTA
U.S. Video
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI is investigating the award of a $50 million publicity contract for the Air Force's Thunderbirds aerial stunt team to a company with ties to a recently retired general, military and law enforcement officials said Friday.
The Air Force canceled the contract with Strategic Message Solutions in February, after two losing bidders complained that the company had an unfair advantage, including its decision to make retired Gen. Hal M. Hornburg a partner, according to a federal lawsuit over the contract.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AIR_FORCE_CONTRACT?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


GAO reports military unprepared for storm
By HOPE YEN
Associated Press Writer
U.S. Video
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government won't be ready for another major disaster such as Hurricane Katrina unless the Pentagon takes a more aggressive role in the federal response, congressional investigators said Monday.
Poor planning and confusion about the military's role contributed to problems after the storm struck on Aug. 29, 2005, and without immediate attention improvement is unlikely, the Government Accountability Office said.
It urged the Defense Department to establish procedures to speed aircraft, troops and reconnaissance gear to hurricane-stricken areas when local and state officials are overwhelmed as well as beef up communications support to Homeland Security officials, who have the lead role in a disaster.
"The devastation of Katrina and the issues it revealed serve as a warning that actions are needed," said the report by Congress' investigative arm. "Without urgent and detailed attention to improve planning, the military and federal government risk being unprepared."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/K/KATRINA_MILITARY?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


U.S. may shift to Persian Gulf air bases
By JIM KRANE
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/CHARLES J. HANLEY
U.S. Video
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The U.S. military is preparing for the day when air power from bases along the Persian Gulf will help ensure that friendly governments in Iraq and Afghanistan survive without American ground troops, a senior U.S. general said.
"We'll be in the region for the foreseeable future," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Allen G. Peck, deputy air commander of U.S. Central Command, which oversees the region. "Our intention would be to stay as long as the host nations will have us."
Agreements have been struck recently with Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates for long-term use of their bases. Already home to U.S. and allied fighter, transport and observation planes, the bases will become more critical if plans proceed to gradually withdraw ground forces from Iraq.
A capable Iraqi air force is years away and Iraqi infantry need the back-up and surveillance provided by U.S. warplanes, Peck said. The bases also could help rush soldiers into Iraq in a crisis. The Pentagon has been keeping thousands of troops in reserve in Kuwait, on Iraq's southern border.
Not everyone is convinced.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GULF_US_MILITARY_BASES?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


State of Iraqi police concerns Pentagon
By ROBERT BURNS
AP Military Writer
AP Photo/HARAZ N. GHANBARI
U.S. Video
WASHINGTON (AP) -- As Pentagon officials weigh the pace and timing of a sizable troop cut in Iraq, they worry more about the reliability of U.S.-trained Iraqi police than about the more developed Iraqi army.
Amid a recent rise in sectarian violence, questions about dependability are focused mainly on the Iraqi police. Their training has progressed more slowly than the army's, and their religious and tribal allegiances are more problematic.
The Iraqi army and police, along with smaller forces such as the border patrol, are crucial to the Bush administration's plan for reducing U.S. troop levels from 133,000 to perhaps 100,000 or fewer by the end of this election year.
As the U.S. public grows more impatient with the war, the administration is hoping it can draw down U.S. forces by transferring security responsibility to the Iraqis.
Yet the administration must assess how ready the Iraqis are to handle the volatile mix of sectarian violence, insurgent attacks and weak institutional support for the Army and police. Any doubts about the Iraqi ability to cope with those problems could complicate U.S. hopes for withdrawals.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ_MILITARY?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


New technology probes ancient manuscript
By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/NIKOLAS GIAKOUMIDIS
Science Video
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- The burnt remains of a 2,400-year-old scroll buried with an ancient Greek nobleman may help unlock the secrets of early monotheistic religion - using new digital technology.
A team of U.S., British and Greek experts is working on a new reading of the enigmatic Derveni papyrus, a philosophical treatise on ancient faith that is Europe's oldest surviving manuscript.
More than four decades after the papyrus was found in a grave in northern Greece, researchers said Thursday they are close to uncovering new text from the blackened fragments left after the scroll was burned on its owner's funeral pyre.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GREECE_ANCIENT_SCROLL?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Anna Nicole Smith: 'Yes, I am pregnant'
AP Photo/MANUEL BALCE CENETA
AP VIDEO
Anna Nicole Smith: 'Yes, I Am Pregnant'
Entertainment Video
NEW YORK (AP) -- Anna Nicole Smith has confirmed that she's pregnant, in a video clip posted on her Web site.
"Let me stop all the rumors. Yes, I am pregnant. I'm happy, I'm very very happy about it. Everything's goin' really, really good and I'll be checking in and out periodically on the Web and I'll let you see me as I'm growing," the 38-year-old former reality TV star and Playboy playmate says.
Smith, who is floating on an inflatable raft in a swimming pool as a small white dog barks in the background, did not provide any details.
Her lawyer and spokesman, Howard K. Stern, could not be reached by The Associated Press on Thursday for comment.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PEOPLE_ANNA_NICOLE_SMITH?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


AOL e-mail delayed by software glitch
Technology Video
NEW YORK (AP) -- Millions of AOL users encountered delays sending and receiving e-mail Thursday as the company worked to identify and fix a software glitch.
AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham said the company was investigating the cause of the problems, which began late in the morning.
He said millions of messages were stuck in a queue and all would eventually get delivered. But as technicians tried to fix the problem, he said, users faced difficulties accessing their accounts, particularly through AOL's Web interfaces.
The glitch affected both AOL.com e-mail for paid subscribers and its free AIM.com offering, which the Time Warner Inc. Internet unit began offering a year ago to lure nonsubscribers to its ad-supported sites.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AOL_E_MAIL_GLITCH?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


The Nation

Why Haditha Matters
Enough details have emerged from survivors and military personnel to conclude that in the town of Haditha last November, members of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment perpetrated a massacre. The killings may have been in retaliation for the death of a Marine lance corporal, but this was not the work of soldiers gone berserk. The targets (children from 3 to 14, an old man in a wheelchair, taxi passengers), the hours-long duration of killings, the number of Marines involved, the careful mop-up--all amount to willful, targeted brutality designed to send a message to Iraqis. As Representative John Murtha has pointed out, the patently false story floated afterward, blaming the killings on roadside bombs, and Marine payoffs to survivors imply a cover-up that may extend far up the chain of command.
What matters about Haditha? After all, Iraq is a place where civilians die every day. Many of them die as a result of insurgent car bombs, or at the hands of Sunni or Shiite militias. Many thousands of others died in US air attacks early in the war (as civilians did recently in airstrikes in another US war zone, Kandahar).
Even in this context there remains a distinctly sickening horror in close-up systematic killing of civilians that's at odds with the declared US mission in Iraq and is repugnant to our national ideals. Even under intense battlefield conditions, troops can instigate atrocities, or they can resist them. In the My Lai massacre, in 1968, Hugh Thompson Jr., an American helicopter pilot, saved many lives by putting himself between the guns of Charlie Company and the villagers whom those behind the guns--led by their officers--were wantonly killing. A generation of future US military officers were taught the details of the My Lai massacre as a particular lesson: What makes war crimes is criminal leadership. Whatever the responsibility of the unit commanders in Haditha, it is George W. Bush as Commander in Chief who has sent the clear message that human rights abuses and violations of international law are justified in the "war on terror."
That the Marines institutionally covered up Haditha until Time magazine raised questions with the Corps suggests that the moral damage from the Iraq War is broader than a single debased unit. That is what so powerfully motivates Murtha, a Marine and Vietnam veteran. Another Marine, Senator John Warner, is promising hearings, but his Armed Services Committee's toothless investigation of Abu Ghraib offers scant hope of serious inquiry. As with My Lai a generation ago, it is participants in the Haditha killings or cover-up--some haunted by what they saw or heard about--who are bringing details to the press.
What happened in Haditha and how it was covered up is only half the story. The rest is yet to unfold: whether Haditha kindles a long-overdue reckoning with the moral catastrophe of this war or the shock gets defused by low-level Congressional inquiries; whether Haditha turns out to have been the low point of the US military venture in Iraq or a foreshadowing of worse to come. What we need is not the "picture of what happened" promised by the White House but a full-scale investigation both of the massacre in Haditha and of the climate of impunity that allowed it to happen and to be ignored for so long.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060619/editors2


Galbraith Remembered
Richard Parker
At a May 31 memorial service at Harvard University's Memorial Church, economist and biographer Richard Parker eulogized John Kenneth Galbraith. This is the latest in The Nation's Moral Compass series, focusing on the spoken word.
John Kenneth Galbraith loved words. Above all, he loved words written or spoken about himself. On this, "Galbraith's First Law" left no confusion: "Modesty is a vastly overrated virtue." He would be immodestly pleased with us--and himself--here today.
I talked with Ken last, two days before he died. I'd dropped by Mt. Auburn Hospital to deliver a small surprise--the Japanese edition of my biography of him, which had just arrived in the mail. I could see he was clearly very weak, and knew his prognosis was not good. But propped up in bed, he became marvelously and completely alert when I explained what I'd brought.
He took the book from me, then turned it over several times before slowly paging through it. After a few minutes, he placed it on his lap. "Richard," he said gravely, "I do not read Japanese--but given the enormity and importance of the subject, I shall devote my remaining days to learning it."

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060612/parker


Voices of a New Movimiento
Roberto Lovato
Research support was provided by the Investigative Fund of The Nation Institute.
Under cover of an oak tree on a tobacco farm deep in the heart of rural North Carolina, Leticia Zavala challenges the taller, older male migrant farm workers with talk of a boycott and legalización.
"We will not get anything without fighting for it," declares the intense 5-foot-1 organizer with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC). Pen and notebook in hand, Zavala hacks swiftly through the fear and doubt that envelop many migrants. She speaks from a place, an experience, that most organizers in this country don't know: Her earliest childhood and adolescent memories are of migrating each year with her family between Mexico and Florida. "We have five buses and each of you has to decide for yourselves if you want to go to Washington with us," she says. After some deliberation most of the workers, many of whom have just finished the seven-day trek from Nayarit, Mexico, opt to get on another bus and join the May 1 marcha and boycott. They trust her, as do the more than 500 other migrant workers from across the state who heed the call from one of the new leaders of the movimiento that is upon us.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060619/lovato


Sorel's People
Richard Lingeman
The caricaturist Edward Sorel, a longtime contributor to The Nation and now a featured artist in The New Yorker, often spears politicians on the tip of his well-honed pen. In his new book Literary Lives (Bloomsbury), however, he unleashes his satirical darts at the inflated images of some great and not so great writers and thinkers. The book consists of irreverent comic-strip biographies of Tolstoy, Proust, Elliot, Yeats, Sartre, Jung, Brecht, Ayn Rand, Lillian Hellman and Norman Mailer. It is the gap between feet of clay and feats of greatness that sparks Sorel's perverse comic vision.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060612/lingeman

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Call the power company. Don't even touch it !

May 31, 2006. Guntersville, Alabama.