Morning Papers - continued

Haaretz

Democrats win U.S. House of Representatives, on brink of Senate power
By Reuters
Democrats swept Republicans from power in the United States House of Representatives and moved to the brink of control in the Senate, where they led in two tight races. Winning these two races would grant Democrats control of all of Congress.Democrats gained about 30 seats in the House, according to network projections of Tuesday's vote, riding to victory on a wave of public discontent with the Iraq war, corruption and Republican President George W. Bush.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785119.html


IDF: Hamas steps up production of Qassam rockets in Gaza Strip
By Amos Harel
Senior Israel Defense Forces officers believe that Hamas has managed to overcome the technological barrier that has so far prevented it from stockpiling a large number of Qassam rockets.According to the officers, the group succeeded in expediting its production of rockets in an effort to create a new level of deterrence vis-a-vis Israel in the Gaza Strip. IDF forces pulled out of the town of Beit Hanun Tuesday, but in fighting in other parts of the northern Gaza Strip, seven Palestinians were killed. Within several hours of the end of "Operation Autumn Clouds" there, four Qassams struck Ashkelon.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785089.html



18 Palestinians killed in IDF shelling in northern Gaza
By Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Israel was placed on high security alert Wednesday, hours after Israel Defense Forces artillery shells struck a residential area in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun early Wednesday, killing at least 19 Palestinians and wounding dozens of others. Hamas swore to avenge the deaths, and called on all Palestinian groups to renew attacks inside Israel.Palestinians hurled stones and Molotov cocktails Wednesday afternoon towards the Jewish area of Hebron following the strike. An IDF soldier was lightly wounded by a stone, and several Palestinians wounded by rubber bullets.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785380.html



White House urges restraint on both sides after Gaza shelling
By Haaretz Service and Agencies
The White House on Wednesday urged restraint after an Israel Defense Forces strike in Gaza killed 19 Palestinians, and said it hoped for a swift completion of the investigation into the attack."We deeply regret the injuries and loss of life in Gaza today. We have seen the Israeli government's apology and hope their investigation will be completed quickly," said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National Security Council."We call on all parties to show restraint so as to avoid any harm to innocent civilians," he said.
The European Union executive on Wednesday called the IDF attack "a profoundly shocking event." "The killing this morning of so many civilians in Gaza, including many children, is a profoundly shocking event. Israel has a right to defend itself, but not at the price of the lives of the innocent," EU external relations chief Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a statement.Syria also condemned the attack, and said the international community and United Nations Security Council had a duty to stop such "massacres" and hold Israel accountable.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785505.html



Israel expresses regret for Gaza deaths; IDF chief orders probe
By Amos Harel and Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and Agencies
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Wednesday expressed regret over the deaths of 19 Palestinians in shelling on a northern Gaza town, and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz appointed a general to investigate the incident.Peretz has asked Halutz to present him with the findings of the inquiry by Thursday evening.At least 50 people were wounded when artillery fire struck a residential area in the town of Beit Hanun. Eight children and four women were among the dead.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785473.html


Meshal: Hamas will retaliate for Gaza deaths 'by deed, not words
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent and Agencies
Hamas political chief in-exile Khaled Meshal said on Wednesday that Hamas will retaliate "by deed, not words" for a botched Israel Defense Forces shelling in northern Gaza, in which 19 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed in their homes in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun. "The truce [with Israel] ended at the end of 2005," Meshal said. "The armed struggle is free to resume, and the resistance is dictated by local circumstances.""There must be a roaring reaction so that we avenge all those vicitms," Me
Meshal said.Meshal blamed the United States and Arab governments for the Israeli attack, saying the shelling took place "under American cover and aided by a complete Arab silence."He also called for the formation of an international court to try Israeli leaders for war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785407.html



Senior U.S. official: We don't expect Israel to strike Iran
By Aluf Benn
A senior American official expressed doubts that Israel will attack Iran, during a meeting with Israeli reporters yesterday. "I do not think that Israel will attack Iran," the official said. "In all our discussions, the Israelis have emphasized that Iran is an international problem and Israel does not wish it to become an Israeli problem," he added.
The senior U.S. official also cast doubts on Israel's ability to strike at Iran's nuclear facilities.
"It would be significantly more complicated than the [1981] attack against the nuclear reactor in Iraq. That was a single reactor, and in Iran there are approximately 200 nuclear sites. True, some are more important than others, but it is difficult to be certain that all will be destroyed in one strike, and this is understood in Israel. The worst thing would be for you to try and not succeed," he said. "Israel understands this, and it is committed to the diplomatic process led by the international community versus Iran," the senior official added.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785084.html


U.S. said to favor Palestinian government of technocrats
By Aluf Benn
The Bush administration is in favor of the establishment of a "government of technocrats" in the Palestinian Authority in place of the current Hamas government, a senior American official told Israeli reporters yesterday. He said the U.S. is concerned about the lack of a Palestinian partner for peace talks with Israel, and expects a new Palestinian government to accept the conditions set by the Quartet (the United Nations, U.S., Russia and the European Union) - renouncing violence, recognizing the right of Israel to exist and upholding existing agreements. The international community has stood steadfast by the Quartet's conditions, which the Hamas government has refused to accept, the official said. He added that it was a waste to invest time in setting up a new government that would not accept these principles.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785083.html


UN confirms IDF used phosphorus, but not uranium, in Lebanon
By The Associated Press
BEIRUT - A UN team carrying out an environmental assessment of Lebanon after this summer's Israel-Hezbollah war confirmed that the Israeli military used artillery containing white phosphorous, but found no evidence of depleted uranium, a UN official said yesterday. Achim Steiner, UN undersecretary general and executive director of the UN Environment Program, said that samples taken by scientists confirmed "the use of white phosphorous-containing artillery and mortar ammunition" by the Israeli military during the conflict.
Last month, an Israeli cabinet minister acknowledged that the Israel Defense Forces used phosphorous shells against Hezbollah targets during the war, confirming Lebanese allegations for the first time. The Geneva Conventions ban using white phosphorous against civilians or civilian areas, but Israel has said that the weapons were used solely against military targets.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785082.html


40 complaints a year to the AG, zero investigations
By Nir Hasson
Twenty-four hours before the abduction of Corporal Gilad Shalit, Israel Defense Forces soldiers broke into the home of Mustafa Abu Ma'amar in Rafah. Special forces soldiers arrested him and his brother in their respective homes. A few weeks later, Abu Ma'amar told an attorney for the Public Committee Against Torture: "One or two days later (I discovered afterward that it was the same morning the soldier had been kidnapped), three interrogators came to where I was held at 6 A.M. [approx. one hour after the abduction - N.H.]. They didn't ask me anything, just started kicking and hitting me while an interrogator named Moti grabbed me by the neck and throttled me until I thought I was going to die. The other two grabbed me and forcibly removed me." The interrogators later used the "exercise technique," as Abu Ma'amar calls it. "They forced me to hold my legs to the chair legs, with the back of the chair to my right and nothing supporting my back. They pushed my back backwards and told me to 'exercise.' It made my stomach muscles cramp up and caused unbearable pain," Abu Ma'amar explained.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785068.html


Missile attack on INS Spear: IDF probe faults navy, ship's crew
By Amos Harel
An investigation carried out by the navy into the incident in which the INS Spear was damaged by an Iranian missile during the Lebanon war concluded that there were problems with the operational conduct of both senior officers and the ship's crew. According to the findings of the investigation, the navy paid only superficial attention to Military Intelligence warnings regarding the presence of such missiles in Hezbollah's arsenal. Furthermore, the ship's officers failed to report problems with various systems on the Spear, a Saar-5 Class missile boat.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785086.html


Mazuz orders review of wiretap procedures
By Yuval Yoaz
Attorney General Menachem Mazuz plans to change police and prosecution procedures for wiretapping, after problems plagued wiretaps in the sexual harassment case against former justice minister Haim Ramon. Mazuz and senior prosecutors and police officers will redraft the rules for transmitting material related to wiretaps conducted during an investigation. According to current regulations, faultily implemented in the Ramon case, when the need for a wiretap arises, the police ask the prosecutor handling the case, or the district prosecutor, to ask the court for an injunction permitting the tap. The police carrying out the wiretap eavesdrop on conversations either from taps on land-line phones or cellular ones, or by bugging a room or site, and determine if the conversations are included in a list of the investigation's targets according to parameters such as the speakers and the subject. If they believe the conversation is relevant, they continue to listen. If they do not believe it is relevant, they stop listening but recording continues.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785081.html


All of the fallen empires
By Shiri Lev-Ari
"Most Americans want 1954 back, with the addition of cappuccino and television," writes Richard Russo in his fifth novel, "Empire Falls," a novel that won him the Pulitzer Prize in 2002. The name of the book may come from a fictional American town in Dexter County, Maine, but it also hints at the social and cultural downfall that can be attributed to American society. "Empire Falls" is written in the style of the great American novel: realist, social, psychological. The novel describes several characters living in a small and godforsaken industrial town in Maine called Empire Falls. Most of Empire Falls' assets are owned by the wealthy Whiting family, or more accurately whoever remains of the family, including the domineering Mrs. Whiting and her handicapped daughter. Miles Roby, the novel's hero, is the manager of the local diner. Twenty years earlier he left the town where he was born, intending never to return, but ended up back there. He is recently divorced, the father of an adolescent daughter, Tick, and has been in love since his youth with a waitress who works at his restaurant.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785118.html



The Syrian-American Rift
By Akiva Eldar
As the U.S. congressional elections approach, thousands of party activists are shuttling between synagogues and Evangelical churches, competing with their pro-Israel declarations to garner votes and money. But as of next Tuesday, the rules of the political game in Washington will change: In come the political advisers seeking to rescue Client Number One from the Iraqi vale of tears. James Baker, Bush Sr.'s secretary of state, is expected to present Bush Jr. with a plan detailing an escape from the quagmire. Edward Djerejian, who heads the James Baker Institute for Public Policy and is involved in drafting the plan, has said in private conversations that the document will recommend
Bush lift the boycott on Syria and advance Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Djerejian, who was American ambassador to both Syria and Israel, has maintained close relations with the regime in Damascus. He wrote in the last issue of Foreign Affairs: "Syria poses both a danger and an opportunity. The [Bashar] Assad regime could undermine security arrangements in southern Lebanon, hinder progress in Iraq and continue to support Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and radicals in Hamas. But it could also play a constructive role in the region - a possibility that has yet to be fully explored. The Bush administration's engagement with the Syrians from 2003 to 2005 left both sides frustrated. Washington felt that Damascus offered too little too late, and Damascus felt that Washington constantly increased its demands and refused to be satisfied.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/781527.html


After reaching 900, where do we go now?
By Ami Ginsburg
The main headline in the capital market section of TheMarker on June 20, 2006, was one that conservative newspapers would consider too daring. "Five reasons to invest in the stock market now," it blared. On that day the Tel Aviv 25 (Maof) Index hit 818 points.The five reasons were: prices recently have not been so high (a month earlier the Maof had reached 900); interest rates have already risen (since then they have been raised once and lowered once); the economic situation has been excellent (and essentially unchanged, although the growth rate has declined slightly); the capital market reforms have reduced the risk of a bubble forming; and the emerging markets have let off a lot of air (which they have in the meantime mostly reinhaled). When that issue was published, obviously no one knew that three weeks later war would erupt in Lebanon. We did not know how heavy a price that war would exact - in human lives, in property, in political upheaval and uncertainty.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785103.html


San Francisco Chronicle

BIG VICTORIES DEMOCRATS SEIZE CONTROL OF THE HOUSE AND CLOSE IN ON THE SENATE Congress: Pelosi set to become speaker after angry voters send firm message to GOP
Carolyn Lochhead, Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
(11-08) 04:00 PST Washington -- Voters angry about the Iraq war and congressional corruption turned out in huge numbers Tuesday to hand Democrats decisive control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 12 years and leave them poised to oust the Republican majority in the Senate.
The historic election ends six years of nearly uninterrupted one-party rule in Washington, with President Bush as weakened today as he was emboldened by his 2004 re-election. Democratic inroads into former Republican bastions of the West and Midwest served as a stinging rebuke to Bush and his party, and an astonishing resurgence for Democrats who just two years ago seemed lost in the wilderness.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/11/08/MNGSMM8CRB1.DTL


ANALYSIS: As voters embrace change, Pelosi vows cooperation
Marc Sandalow, Washington Bureau Chief
Wednesday, November 8, 2006

(11-08) 04:00 PST Washington -- The last time a Democrat held the speaker's gavel was in January 1995, when then-party leader Dick Gephardt handed it to Newt Gingrich after an election that Republicans branded a revolution.
The politically turbulent period that followed produced a balanced budget, a welfare reform bill, two government shutdowns, an impeached president and ultimately the election of George W. Bush.
The gavel will now be handed back to a Democrat, Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, who will become the first woman and first Californian to serve as speaker, following a coast to coast repudiation of Republican leadership.
The anti-war, anti-Bush, anti-Congress sentiments that gave Democrats their biggest gains in a quarter-century would seem to set up a titanic clash between the liberal speaker from San Francisco and the conservative president from Texas.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/08/MNGSMM8CPH1.DTL


Challenger defeats Pombo in a stunner
Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 8, 2006

(11-08) 08:18 PST -- Democratic challenger Jerry McNerney, a relative newcomer to politics, unseated seven-term GOP Congressman Richard Pombo of Tracy on Tuesday in a stunning demonstration of voter disenchantment with the Republican Party leadership nationally.
McNerney, a wind energy consultant from Pleasanton, took Northern California's 11th Congressional District with 53 percent of the vote. Pombo, who held a leadership position in the Republican-held House, received 47 percent. More than 10,000 votes divided the two candidates this morning.
Incumbent GOP Rep. John Doolittle of Rocklin (Placer County), meanwhile, beat his Democratic challenger, Charlie Brown, 45 percent to 40 percent. Libertarian candidate Dan Warren had 5 percent.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/08/MNG9LM8JDV4.DTL


Is Boxer the next target for Schwarzenegger?
Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political rehabilitation and re-election has Democrats wondering whether he'll take on Sen. Barbara Boxer when her term comes up in 2010.
Termed-out state Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, has already raised the question, and so has former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.
The thinking? "His wife is part of the Kennedy clan, and so it would be natural for a glamorous Kennedy star to elevate himself to the U.S. Senate as the next Barack Obama,'' Brown said.
After all, "here's a guy investing $15 million to $20 million of his own money in the governor's race,'' Brown said. "That can't be what he's after."
Speier said she heard Schwarzenegger recently in San Francisco saying how much he enjoys public service. That convinced her he intends to stay in the game.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/08/BAG11M872545.DTL


State voters back infrastructure bonds
Greg Lucas and Michael Cabanatuan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
(11-08) 08:36 PST -- California voters approved a package of infrastructure bonds that would launch a record $40.1 billion in public works spending -- from highways and housing to schools and levees.
Propositions 1A , 1B, and 1E all won easily with more than 60 percent of the vote. Propositions 1C, a housing shelter fund, and 1D, a school facilities bond, also surged ahead to win. Proposition 84, a bond for a variety of water and land preservation projects, won with 53 percent of the vote.
"All of them seem to be pretty strong," said state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, who backed the bonds, on Tuesday night. "We put the largest state bond proposal ever on the ballot, and appear to have passed it. It required a two-thirds vote (of the Legislature) to do that, and it proves if everyone works together, you can get things done. And it comes at a perfect time. It could be a wonderful jobs program for California as well."

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/08/BAG9LM8JJE8.DTL


Alternative fuel proposition defeated
Matthew Yi, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Wednesday, November 8, 2006

(11-08) 08:48 PST SACRAMENTO -- Proposition 87, which would have taxed oil production in California to help fund alternative fuel development in the state, was defeated Tuesday, after a campaign in which both sides spent a total of $156 million.
"I think voters looked carefully at this initiative, and while there is widespread agreement on developing alternative fuels, this measure isn't the way for us to get there," said No on 87 spokesman Bill George.
Beth Willon, a spokeswoman for the yes campaign, said the oil industry's nearly $100 million campaign spending to defeat the measure was tough to overcome.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/08/BAG9LM8JTC4.DTL


ABORTION: Early returns reject Prop. 85, which requires doctors to notify unwed teen's parents
Rachel Gordon, Carrie Sturrock, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
California voters appeared to be narrowly rejecting a proposed constitutional amendment that would make it harder for teenage girls to get abortions, early election returns showed Tuesday.
Similar to a measure on the fall 2005 ballot, Proposition 85 would have required physicians to notify a parent or guardian when an unmarried girl younger than 18 sought an abortion and would have imposed a 48-hour waiting period before the procedure could be performed.
The law would not have required a parent or guardian to consent to the abortion.
With 31 percent of precincts reporting, Prop. 85 was losing 48 percent to 51 percent.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/08/MNG4UM89CQ1.DTL


EMINENT DOMAIN: Measure to restrict government power over private land being rejected
Patrick Hoge, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Voters were poised Tuesday to reject Proposition 90, a measure that supporters said would stop the government from using eminent domain to take private property on behalf of developers, but which critics said would actually hobble land-use regulation.
The "Protect Our Homes Act" -- one among a handful of similar efforts in various states -- had 49.4 percent of the vote with 32.1 percent of precincts reporting.
Proponents said Prop. 90 was a necessary reaction to the June 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed New London, Conn., to seize the home of Susette Kelo and others so a developer could build a hotel, condominiums and commercial space on the site.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/08/MNG4UM89C81.DTL


60 Iraqis Are Killed or Found Dead Today
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
(11-08) 06:33 PST BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) --
At least 60 Iraqis were killed or found dead on Wednesday, including seven who died from injuries received in the previous day's suicide bombing of a coffee shop in a Shiite district of Baghdad. Today, Iraqi police said a pair of mortar rounds slammed into a soccer field in Baghdad's Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, killing at least eight players and bystanders.
The mortars struck at just after 4:30 p.m. as a game was in progress between young men from the sprawling slum that is home to about 2.5 million people, a captain with the local police force, Mohammed Ismail, said.
Another 20 people were injured in the attack, Ismail said.
Dozens of people have been killed in recent days in mortar attacks by rival Sunni and Shiite groups on residential areas in Baghdad.
U.S. forces, meanwhile, said they killed 14 suspected insurgents, detained 48, and rescued a kidnapped Iraqi policeman in a pair of raids beginning on Tuesday afternoon. There was no word on U.S. casualties in those actions, although separately, the military said a Marine assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division died on Wednesday from wounds sustained in fighting in Anbar province.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/11/08/international/i063319S26.DTL


Real work begins for both sides
David Lazarus
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
In the run-up to Tuesday's election, the Democrats ran largely on President Bush's record and the war in Iraq. Now the real work begins.
It's time for the Democrats to put aside their political posturing and finally show leadership on some of the economic issues that the Republicans, distracted by the urgent need to cut taxes for rich people, have largely ignored for six years.
Here, then, are some helpful reminders for members of both parties who may have forgotten that public service means serving the public, not the public getting repeatedly serviced.
Let's take them in order of magnitude, from relatively fixable to stratospherically difficult.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/08/BUGT3M7LPS1.DTL


Same-sex marriage: 7 states OK ban -- but it trails in Arizona
Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Ballot measures to ban same-sex marriage were winning in seven of eight states late Tuesday, with voters in Arizona poised to be the first in the nation to turn down such a measure.
The measures, all constitutional amendments to limit marriage to heterosexuals and some to ban domestic partnerships, passed in Virginia, South Carolina and Tennessee and were winning in Colorado, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Idaho. A proposal to create domestic partnerships in Colorado appeared headed to defeat with just 45 percent of the vote when more than half of the state's precincts had reported their results.
The votes came at the end of a campaign season marked by important developments in the arenas of same-sex marriage and gay politics.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/08/MNG82M8A501.DTL&type=politics


God Hates Gay Evangelicals Will Pastor Ted's love of hot man sex open the narrow mind of the religious right?
By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist
Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Let's assume it's all true. Let's assume that Ted Haggard is just deliriously, stupidly, crazyjuicy gay. I know, not much of a stretch, but let's go with it.
Yes, Pastor Ted, disgraced former leader of 30 million blithely homophobic evangelical Christians, yet another of those flamboyant semi-insane Liberace-with-a-Bible megachurch preachers, a man who had weekly conference calls with George W. Bush, a man who lobbied Congress on behalf of homophobic Supreme Court nominees, Ted has had so much gay sex with a male prostitute it makes Mark Foley look like child's play (so to speak). Fair enough?
Furthermore, let's assume the reaction of Haggard's stunned flock is also true, that many of his devout Christian set are "devastated" and "shocked" and "pulverized" and "beaten with God's own giant rod of icky homo scariness" (note: quotes not verified) about Ted's utter obvious gayness.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2006/11/08/notes110806.DTL


Blue wave of change
Wednesday, November 8, 2006

THE MESSAGE from American voters in Tuesday's midterm elections was ... change the course.
That national mood was evident from the earliest returns. Americans were angry about the war in Iraq and the corruption and scandals that have enveloped Capitol Hill.
As a result, the Democrats regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time since 1994 and, as the counting went on late into the night, were inching within striking distance of claiming a majority in the U.S. Senate.
It was a historic night for the House and one of pride and elevated clout for San Francisco. "Speaker Nancy Pelosi" is about to become a reality. After two decades in Congress, the nation's first female speaker has all the qualities for the job -- the right blend of toughness and compassion, the knack for building and rewarding loyalties. Last night, she set the right tone by promising to bring "civility and bipartisanship" to Washington and to lead with integrity and honesty.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/11/08/EDG8LM7A2I1.DTL


EDITORIAL
Hussein's trial
Wednesday, November 8, 2006

IT WAS a sham trial with rulings, evidence and compliant judges all tilted toward a guilty verdict, say critics. No, it was a judicial milestone ushering in new era of Iraqi law, according to President Bush.
In truth, the trial and conviction of Saddam Hussein was neither. His months in the dock were no model of impartial justice. But the testimony and facts more than justified the outcome. A tyrant was found guilty of crimes against his people.
Only Hussein's ultra-loyalists would argue his innocence. The real measure of this trial is whether it can inspire confidence in a fledgling Iraqi judiciary.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/11/08/EDG6PKE1EO1.DTL


New Zealand Herald

Our disappearing heritage, under threat from climate change

Thursday November 9, 2006
From archaeological ruins in Scotland to 13th century mosques in the Sahara, climate change could destroy some of the world's most important natural and cultural heritage sites.
Achim Steiner, head of the United Nations Environment Programme, says sites that have existed for thousands of years "may, by virtue of climate change, very well not be available to future generations".
Rising sea levels and increased temperatures threaten seaside cities that have lasted for centuries, some of the world's most important national parks, and a coral reef in Belize that Charles Darwin once described as "the most remarkable reef in the West Indies".
Tom Downing, co-author of a newly released study called The Atlas of Climate Change says: "Our world is changing, there is no going back."
The study cites damage already done to wildlife parks such as the Donana National Park in southern Spain, a 50,000ha wetland that has lost more than 100 plant species in the past century because of increased water use.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10409795



Sunday drive fuels greenhouse gases

Thursday November 9, 2006By Simon Collins
Forget the work commute, it's the weekend escape to the outdoors that has been found to be driving Kiwis' greenhouse gas emissions.
A $2.7 million Opus and Massey University study shows social and recreational trips account for 30 per cent of all private, non-business-owned vehicle kilometres travelled, against only 25 per cent for commuting.
And most people buy their cars with a view to getting away at weekends - even if they actually use it mainly around town.
Research leader Darren Walton says this combination will make it much harder to cut carbon-dioxide emissions from private transport than in countries where cars are used mainly for commuting.
"All the public transport in the world is not going to address the issue if in the weekend they hop in a four-litre Land Rover and go down to Taupo," he said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10409880


Nuclear power 'will slow climate change'

Thursday November 9, 2006
LONDON - The International Energy Agency has urged governments to build more nuclear plants to slow climate change and increase energy security, throwing its weight behind the push for atomic power.
In its annual World Energy Outlook, a 596-page response to a G8 call for a sustainable energy blueprint, the agency said unless leaders took action world demand for fossil fuels would rise by more than 50 per cent, with carbon emissions.
Energy conservation and investment in nuclear power could cut consumption by 10 per cent by 2030, the IEA said, equivalent to China's energy use today. Carbon emissions would drop by 16 per cent, what the United States and Canada emit between them.
"We are on course for an energy system that will evolve from crisis to crisis," said Claude Mandil, executive director of the adviser to 26 industrialised nations. "That may mean skyrocketing prices, or more frequent blackouts."
By 2030, oil could soar to US$130.30 ($197) a barrel if energy investment and government policies fall short, the IEA warned.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10409787


'Silent pandemic' poisoning our children

Thursday November 9, 2006By Jeremy Laurance
Chemical pollution may have harmed the brains of millions of children around the globe in what scientists are calling a "silent pandemic".
The world is bathed in a soup of industrial chemicals which are damaging the intellectual potential of the next generation and may increase the incidence of degenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease, they say.
One in every six children has a developmental disability, such as autism, attention deficit disorder or cerebral palsy, the effects of which may be lifelong.
The role of low-level pollutants such as lead and mercury on the developing brain have been recognised for decades and measures taken to reduce exposure to a minimum.
But scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston say there are at least 202 chemicals with the capacity to damage the human brain whose effect at low levels of exposure are unknown.
They say limits for exposure to chemicals should be set for pregnant women and young children, recognising the unique sensitivity of the developing brain.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10409779



Tax likely to doom coal-fired Marsden B, says minister

Thursday November 9, 2006

A state-imposed carbon tax could end plans for a coal-fired Marsden B power station, Energy Minister David Parker says.
Mr Parker, who is also the Minister for Climate Change Issues, said the Government favoured renewable energy sources over fossil fuels such as coal, and had already signalled a cost on carbon emissions for electricity generators.
"So on that basis, Marsden B is unlikely to go ahead," he said.
Mighty River Power, the state-owned enterprise behind the Marsden B scheme, said the project would only proceed if it were economically viable.
The company was granted resource consent to fire up the mothballed station using coal last year, but this has been appealed against in the Environment Court.
Mighty River's external affairs general manager, Neil Williams, said the consent application was only one step of the process and did not necessarily mean the station would be built.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10409814


Builder's collapse devastates homebuyers

Thursday November 9, 2006By Wayne Thompson
A company that builds houses from Waiuku to Whangarei has gone into liquidation, leaving customers wondering whether they will get back their deposits of $25,000 to $50,000.
Meridian Homes Ltd of Orewa had 30 contracts for homes, with half under construction, said joint liquidator Paul Sargison.
Managing director Dean Hopper blamed the collapse of the six-year-old company mainly on significant delays in getting building consents for homes.
By the time the council gave consent, he said, the cost of the building had exceeded the original contract price and profit was lost.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10409886



Tasers seen by police as valuable addition to crime-fighting arsenal

Thursday November 9, 2006
Frontline police report that Taser stun guns have been a valuable addition to their crime-fighting arsenal and officers are keen to see them widely deployed, Commissioner Howard Broad says.
The stun guns were introduced on September 1 for a one-year trial for use in parts of greater Auckland and Wellington before a decision is made on whether they will become a mainstream crimefighting tool.
At a parliamentary select committee meeting yesterday, Mr Broad denied suggestions Tasers were a stepping stone to eventually having an armed police force.
"I do not believe at this point that the circumstances in New Zealand warrant the general arming of police," he said.
But Mr Broad said there was "overwhelming" support for Tasers from those carrying them.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10409890


Violent video games banned in jail

Thursday November 9, 2006
Criminals can blame National for no longer being able to play violent video games in prison.
Corrections Minister Damien O'Connor confirmed in Parliament yesterday that PlayStation and Xbox games were taken off prisoners after the National Party asked questions about them.
"Most of those PlayStations were in the youth units. The question did prompt the department to look at its policy," Mr O'Connor said.
"We do not have a policy covering this area and management decided to withdraw those PlayStations until an appropriate policy could be developed."
National Party Corrections spokesman Simon Power said there had been 11 PlayStation and Xbox game consoles at Rimutaka, Waikeria and Ngawha prisons that cost $5000. The 58 games the prisons had available included violence and use of weapons ranging from guns to chainsaws.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10409883


Breast cancer delays slammed

Thursday November 9, 2006
National MP Jackie Blue says mastectomy rates in New Zealand are high because women choose surgery rather than face delays getting radiation therapy.
Dr Blue, a former breast cancer doctor, was questioning Health Minister Pete Hodgson in Parliament yesterday.
She asked: "When will the Government realise that, despite its own rhetoric, staff shortages and growing waiting lists are making some women choose to have their breast removed rather than wait and wait for radiation therapy?"
Mr Hodgson said he did not know if women were choosing mastectomies because of waiting times.
"The member is suggesting that, because there is a shortage of radiation therapy, that women are proactively changing their choice as to the type of treatment they have.
"I can't say if that is or is not happening. What I can say is that about 2000 or 2500 people in Auckland each year receive radiation therapy and 30 have been offered radiation therapy in Australia."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10409877


America votes: Democrats win control of the US House

6.15pm Wednesday November 8, 2006
WASHINGTON - A disappointed President George W. Bush is to urge his opponents to work with him after the Democrats seized control of the House of Representatives today.
Democrats swept Republicans out of power in the US House of Representatives today riding public doubts about the war in Iraq and President George W Bush's leadership to victory.
The win is likely to slam the brakes on Bush's legislative agenda in his final two years, make Democrat Nancy Pelosi the first female Speaker of the House and give Democrats a chance to investigate his administration's most controversial policy decisions such as the war in Iraq.
Two years after a decisive election victory for Bush and his Republicans, Democrats picked up the 15 seats they needed to recapture control of the 435-seat House for the first time since 1994.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said the outcome of the elections was "not what we would've hoped."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10409757


Keeping a NZ blip on US radar

Thursday November 9, 2006
Foreign Minister Winston Peters last night put forward a case for improving relations with the United States, saying New Zealand could not work alone to achieve international peace, prosperity and security.
"The reality is that it's just not possible to get very far on these goals without the United States on board," he said in a speech to a business awards dinner in Auckland organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand.
"By the same token, the United States cannot do everything itself, either. It also needs friends and partners, both on big global issues and on tricky regional concerns."
Mr Peters has made improving the relationship with the US a priority since he became Foreign Minister.
"It is not about sudden, big breakthroughs but about making solid, sustainable, cumulative progress over time," he said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10409836


Pardon for NZ soldier executed as a coward

Thursday November 9, 2006By Martin Johnston and Agencies
Fred Ryan proudly wears the military medals of his relative Private Victor Manson Spencer, who has been pardoned by the British Government after being executed during World War I.
Private Spencer, born in Otautau, Southland, faced a firing squad in France in February 1918 for desertion.
Two other New Zealanders, Jack Braithwaite and Frank Hughes, executed in the 1914-18 war for mutiny and desertion respectively, were also pardoned, the British Government confirmed yesterday.
The pardon, enacted by legislation announced in August, covers 306 men shot at dawn. The British Defence Ministry said that as well as British troops it applied to three from New Zealand, 23 from Canada, two from the West Indies, two from Ghana and one each from Sierra Leone, Egypt and Nigeria.
No Australian soldiers were executed for cowardice or desertion during the war although 121 were found guilty of offences punishable by death.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10409821


Interpreters executed for 'turning their back on Iraq'

Thursday November 9, 2006By Phil Sands
AMMAN - Iraqi interpreters working with the British Army in Basra are being systematically hunted down and executed.
At least 16 have been kidnapped and shot in the head over the last fortnight, their bodies dumped in different parts of the city. Another three are still missing. In a single mass killing, 12 interpreters were murdered.
"This is not a general threat against Iraqi security forces, interpreters are specifically being killed," an Iraqi police officer familiar with the case said.
"It has been happening at a low level for the last year, but the campaign is getting worse.
"First they get letters warning them to stop co-operating with the occupation forces, then they are killed. The interpreters are the major target now.
"Word spreads about who is working with the British - neighbours, people in the street, police officers all see the interpreters. Their identities don't remain very secret and someone is going around trying to kill them and they're succeeding."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10409863


Pakistani soldiers die in bombing

Thursday November 9, 2006

ISLAMABAD - A suicide bomber killed 35 Pakistani soldiers at an Army training ground last night in a northwestern area known to be a stronghold of an Islamist militant group.
The blast, the most serious militant attack against the Pakistani military, took place in the town of Dargai, in North West Frontier Province.
Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (Movement for the Implementation of Mohammad's Sharia Law) ran a school that security forces attacked in a nearby tribal area late last month, killing 80 people.
"It was a suicide attack. The bomber wrapped a chadar [cloak] around his body and came running into the training area and exploded himself where recruits had gathered for training," a military official said.
The group, which backs Afghanistan's Taleban, was banned by the Government in 2002.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10409866


Doctor pushes drug therapy for marijuana addiction

Thursday November 9, 2006
Drugs are needed to treat cannabis addiction because standard therapies are not working, a United States drug expert says.
Heavy marijuana users wanting to stop are commonly directed towards cognitive behavioural therapy because no medication exists. These psycho-therapies aim to change addictive behaviour by addressing people's attitudes, thoughts and beliefs.
But Dr Francis Vocci, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, says only 35 per cent of addicts who use these therapies are successfully treated.
Speaking to the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and Other Drugs Conference in Cairns, he said the poor results strengthened the case for medications to supplement treatment.
Research was under way in several countries to develop approved drugs to manage the withdrawal, help with abstinence and prevent relapse.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10409777


US votes: First woman US Speaker a Bush nightmare

6.30pm Wednesday November 8, 2006By Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON - Nancy Pelosi spearheaded the Democratic takeover of the US House of Representatives today positioning herself to become the first woman to lead the chamber - and President George W. Bush's worst political nightmare.
House Democratic leader since 2003, the California liberal framed the elections as a referendum on Bush, his unpopular Iraq war and the scandal-rocked, Republican-led House.
"Democrats support change," Pelosi told a victory party in Washington. "Democrats propose a new direction for all Americans, not just the privileged few."
Pelosi, 66, appears certain to be elected House speaker by fellow Democrats when the new 110th Congress convenes in January, replacing Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10409797


US votes: Bush faces lame duck presidency

7.00pm Wednesday November 8, 2006By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON - By taking the US House of Representatives, Democrats may hasten President George W. Bush's lame-duck status and pressure him into changing his Iraq policy, analysts said.
But Bush, facing strong opposition in the US Congress for the first time since taking office in 2001, can help himself and his legacy by reaching out to Democrats for some legislative accomplishments as he did when he was Texas governor from 1995 to 2000, they said.
"It makes it possible for him to be more than a lame duck," said Bruce Buchanan, a University of Texas political scientist who watched Bush work with Democrats in Texas. "If he plays hard ball, he won't get a thing."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10409800


US Votes: Schwarzenegger wins but Republican Governors fall

6.00pm Wednesday November 8, 2006
Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back but many of his fellow Republican Governors, will not.
The action-star-turned-politician won a second and final term today, easily turning aside a challenge from Democrat Phil Angelides in the populous California state.
But elsewhere Democrats took governors' seats from Republicans in five states, nearing a majority of the offices for the first time since 1994 and giving them a potential advantage in 2008 presidential battlegrounds.
Governorships in New York, Ohio, Maryland, Massachusetts and Arkansas all fell into Democratic hands, according to media projections.Republicans retained power in Florida, California and Texas, three of the four most populous states and all crucial players in presidential elections.
``We are 99 percent sure we will have a majority of 26 (of the 50) states, possibly more,'' said Brian Namey, a spokesman for the Democratic Governors Association.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10409786


Lawmakers among those snagged by US voting problems

1.00pm Wednesday November 8, 2006
CINCINNATI - Late poll openings and malfunctions with some new electronic voting machines hampered balloting today in US congressional elections, and even some lawmakers encountered problems.
Election officials and experts reported machine malfunctions in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas, but they said many of the problems were minor and temporary.
An estimated 10,000 lawyers working for the Republican and Democratic parties were standing by across the country to intervene if problems arise, while the US Justice Department dispatched more than 850 observers to 22 states.
Ohio Rep. Jean Schmidt, one of many Republicans who could lose her seat because of voter anger over the war in Iraq, was among the first in line to vote at 6.30am but her paper ballot was rejected by the machine at her suburban polling station. Election officials put it aside to be counted later.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10409745


Pernod's $2000 bottle of champagne

5.40am Thursday November 9, 2006
French wines and spirits group Pernod Ricard says it will soon offer the world's most expensive champagne, which will cost about $2000.


Alcohol tax discussed by the EU

Thursday November 9, 2006
Raising taxes on beer and other favourite tipples raised hackles at European Union finance ministers' talks yesterday, the debate ending without any deal on increasing tax rates in line with inflation.
Fearing a backlash from beer drinkers back home, Germany was one of several countries foaming over an EU plan to push up minimum tax rates on alcohol by 31 per cent.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10409803


Fedex cancels Airbus A380 order

11.40am Wednesday November 8, 2006
US freight giant FedEx said today it had become the first airline to cancel its order for Airbus' troubled A380 superjumbo, ordering instead 15 new Boeing 777 Freighters.
FedEx Express, a unit of FedEx Corp, said it had pulled out of an order for 10 freighter versions of the European superjumbo "after Airbus announced significant delays in delivery of the A380", news agency AFP reported.
Instead, FedEx Express said it was buying 15 Boeing 777 Freighter planes with options to purchase another 15.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10409708



Oil: Opec offers support

8.40am Wednesday November 8, 2006
Oil prices slid below US$60 a barrel on Tuesday but drew support from Gulf producers, including leading Opec exporter Saudi Arabia, who held out the prospect of deeper output cuts to remove excess supply.
US crude was trading 53 cents lower at US$59.50 a barrel by 1552 GMT. London Brent was 52 cents down at US$59.23.
Prices rose 88 cents on Monday after Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries would take action when it meets on Dec. 14 if world markets remained imbalanced.
Naimi, oil minister of the world's top exporter, noted "very high" stockpiles of fuel worldwide.
Traders said the news flow was keeping prices in a range between US$59 and US$60.
"When it's above US$60, it's sold into. It's quite well supported by the prospect of Opec cuts when it gets below US$59," said Christopher Bellew of Bache Financial brokerage.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10409707


continued …

Camouflage

October 31, 2006

Tiszakaut, Hungary 

Camouflage

October 31, 2006.

Tiszakurt, Hungary 

Morning Papers - continued

Zoos

Zoo trend: Let the elephants go

http://www.newscloud.com/read/75843

Seauuyeflttle has a problem elephant that it's not releasing: The current thought among experts in the animal world, particularly the members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, is that elephants need room to roam. Even with conscientious veterinarians and keepers, they say, quarter-acre habitats like Philadelphia's are not sufficient for the world's largest land mammal.

http://www.newscloud.com/read/75843


Avalon trumpets arrivals
Monday, November 6
DANIEL BREEN

THREE elephants arrived at Avalon Airport yesterday as part of the journey to their new home at Melbourne Zoo.
The trio, which travelled in specially made pens, arrived at Avalon about 1.30pm after boarding a plane from Thailand.
Avalon Airport general manager Tim Anderson said the elephants were later loaded on to Melbourne-bound trucks. The process took about an hour.
Mr Anderson said the elephants ranked among the airport's more bizarre arrivals.
``It's always good to have jumbos at Avalon Airport,'' he said. ``It's the first time in my 10 years at Avalon that we've had something like this, but we were very pleased to participate.''

http://www.geelonginfo.com.au/readarticle.asp?articleid=21286


Come to the Zoo for an elephant-sized birthday
Monday, 6 November 2006, 9:08 amPress Release: Auckland Zoo

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0611/S00040.htm


AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL
MEDIA RELEASE
6 November 2006

Come to the Zoo for an elephant-sized birthday party

On Saturday (18 November) Auckland Zoo is putting on one of its biggest ever birthday parties for two very special girls – elephants Burma and Kashin, and all zoo visitors are invited.
Animal Planet Elephants’ Birthday will celebrate Burma and Kashin’s combined birthdays, and to mark the occasion the elephants will be painted up in traditional Thai style. The party, which runs from 11am to 2pm, will start with guests singing Happy Birthday at Animal Planet Elephant Clearing. Burma and Kashin will then lead an elephant parade to the Band Rotunda. Visitors can bring a picnic, play some larger-than-life birthday games and share in a slice of a traditional birthday cake. Along with giveaways, spot prizes, face-painting and entertainment, there will be an elephant-painting auction to raise money for Auckland Zoo’s Conservation Fund.
Burma was born in October 1982 in Myanmar (formerly Burma), and takes her name from her birthplace. She arrived at the zoo in 1990 and quickly settled in with Kashin who has been at the zoo since 1972. Born in December 1968, Kashin is 14 years older than Burma, and their ages aren’t their only differences.


Swan Mistakes Boat for Another Swan
November 5, 2006 - A black swan in the German city of Munster has taken a fancy to a plastic pedalboat that looks like a swan.
The swan, named "Black Peter," has been following the boat, which has a two- metre- (six feet) high, white, glass-fibre superstructure shaped like a swan, since the springtime on Aasee lake in the city.
The owner of the boat agreed to move the boat, together with Black Peter to the nearby Munster zoo for the winter months as the swan refused to fly south.
Jorg Adler, the head of Munster Zoo, was not surprised by Black Peter's penchant for the swan pedalboat.
"It is because the plastic boat looks like a swan. This happens from time to time in the animal world. It isn't that unusual. Let's see if it will last, " he said.


Zoo showcases hunting birds
By Laura Rineerlrineer@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Jeff Simpson’s favorite hunting buddy is very different from the others he knows. She is a female, and she could tear his hand to shreds with her talons if provoked.That’s because this hunting buddy is a 9-year-old red-tailed hawk, which has killed a range of prey from mice to squirrels and muskrats.“She did actually catch a rattlesnake one time in Texas,” said Simpson, a licensed falconer. “And the rattlesnake bit her. Luckily they have an immunity to it (venom).”Simpson was part of a Birds of Prey presentation Sunday afternoon at Miller Park Zoo, where he told stories of his hunting adventures and talked about red-tailed hawks.

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2006/11/05/news/doc454ea2e3cbf9a244417247.txt


Zoo story: Is she or isn't she?

It's sort of like the guessing game that plays out weekly in the celebrity tabloids. Have they just gained a few pounds, or is Britney, Gwyneth or J.Lo sporting a baby bump?But in this case, the possible mom-to-be doesn't have the trim waist of most starlets or much of a Hollywood following. She's close to 700 pounds and has a thick coat of honey-kissed white hair. And her fans are mostly limited to Charm City.
Alaska, the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore's only female polar bear, might deliver a pair of cubs in December or January, hopeful zoo officials say. Or she might not.There's no pregnancy test for polar bears. And the gestation period is tricky: A female bear can carry an embryo for months, but with the least bit of stress, she can lose the pregnancy. So now, all zoo officials and her adoring public can do is wait, as Alaska remains holed up in one of the zoo's breeding dens.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.bear06nov06,0,7525167.story?coll=bal-local-headlines



Don't give up control of animals at zoo
The Lehigh County commissioners plan to vote Wednesday on ''selling'' the surviving 92 animals at the Lehigh Valley Zoo for $1 to the organization it leases the zoo to. I consider this a ''reverse lease'' because the county already is giving the zoo operators $1.9 million of taxpayer money and $5 million worth of property. In a little over a year, the zoo got rid of more than 70 animals — either dead or disposed of.The government is ''selling'' the county animals because, it says, it shouldn't be running a zoo. I think it also will make it easier for the private people to dispose of more animals without giving any information to the public.
The zoo lease will be evaluated by November 2007 and the county can terminate it. If it is terminated, what happens to the animals then?

http://www.mcall.com/news/opinion/letters/all-burtonnov06,0,2338997.story?coll=all-newsopinionletters-hed


Veteran built Great Bend zoo
BY BECCY TANNER
The Wichita Eagle
This is one in a series of vignettes celebrating Kansas history. The series' name comes from the state motto, Ad astra per aspera: "To the stars through difficulties."
Brit Spaugh didn't have much money, and neither did Great Bend.
But as World War II drew to a close, the Navy veteran went back to his hometown with an idea: Create a zoo and park that would delight area children.
Within two decades, Spaugh would receive national attention for his zoo. It was a favorite for Kansas baby boomers and their parents.
On Aug. 5, 1965, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service announced that for the first time in more than a century, captive trumpeter swans had produced cygnets.
Only two zoos were successful -- the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens and Great Bend's Brit Spaugh Zoo.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/local/15938303.htm


Rare albino alligator returns to Arizona zoo
PHOENIX -- One of only 25 pure albino alligators in the country has returned to the Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park west of Phoenix. The 5-foot-long female alligator spent the summer in an Ohio zoo. The gator, which comes from an alligator farm in Louisiana, is named Marie Laveau, after the famous New Orleans voodoo priestess.
The reptile is 4 1/2 years old and grows about a foot a year. She'll be about 10 feet long and 400 pounds at maturity.
Wildlife World Zoo is home to several other alligators, but Marie Laveau will be kept away from them. "Alligators tend to fight with each other, so we wouldn't want to risk such a rare animal," said Jack Ewert, the zoo's deputy director.
Because albino alligators have no pigmentation for camouflage, they would not survive in the wild, Ewert said.
"They're a quirk of nature," he said.
Two 7-year-old boys recently stared wide-eyed at the gator during a visit to the zoo.
"It's really, really white. I wish I could take it home," Keegan Jasalsky said.
Elijah Gonzales just thinks she's cool. "But if I found it in my backyard, I'd jump over the fence!"

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=5637406


Beluga Baby Is a First in Europe
The aquarium at the Zoo of Valencia, Spain has a new sensation. "Yulka" the Beluga whale has given birth to Europe's first baby whale to be born in captivity.
If you thought nine months was long, try 16 months. That's the gestation period for Beluga whales -- and for one such whale in the Zoo of Valencia, the waiting came to an end on Thursday.
For the first time ever in Europe, a Beluga whale gave birth to a cub in captivity. The eight-year-old mother named Yulka -- the youngest of her kind to give birth in a zoo -- finally brought her baby into the world following eight hours of labor.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,446692,00.html


I have 2 questions about zoo tycoon - complete collection?
My first question is ... how do I get the Dodo? I have already tried naming an exhibit Doflopnok...but nothing happens...am I doing something wrong? And my second question is ... are there any animals that can be put together in the same exhibit except the zebras and gazelles?

http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index.php?qid=20061106080332AAYfUpr


Zoo raises $25,000 for new tiger exhibit
Special to the American
Nearly $25,000 was raised to fund the new lion and tiger exhibits at the Hattiesburg Zoo this past weekend.
The Hattiesburg Zoological Society’s White Tiger Encounter featured a special “paws-on” event with a pair of rare 7-week-old white tiger cubs Friday night and a public showing of the cubs Saturday and Sunday, with proceeds funding the zoo’s new multi-million dollar lion and tiger exhibits.
The project received a boost from the city of Hattiesburg as it pledged all admissions, gift shop, concessions and ride revenues collected during the weekend go toward the exhibit, while both ride operators at the park donated their share of their weekend profits.


SC orders zoos to stop breeding of animals
Nandagopal
Saturday, October 14, 2006
(Thiruvananthapuram):
The Supreme Court has directed all zoos in India to stop breeding animals beyond their capacity. The Thiruvananthapuram Zoo, one of the oldest in the country, is spread over just 60 acres of land but has nearly 500 animals. The zoo is now facing a severe space crunch with its huge deer population going out of control. With nearly 70 sambar deer and over a 100 spotted deer the zoo has more than it can handle."Deer are prolific breeders. In wild it does not matter as nature takes care of that. Predators and the fighting within keep the population under control," said P N Unnikrishnan, Director, Thiruvananthapuram Zoo.A female deer can have up to two calves a year and the young ones are ready to mate in a year and a half. The population multiplies quickly and releasing them in the wild is not an option.Burgeoning populationDeer bred in captivity can be hunted down easily and they transmit diseases that are absent in wild deer. Moreover, inbreeding has considerably weakened their gene stock. "The main problem is the breeding of two species, sambar deer and the spotted deer. We have them sterilised. Now their population is under control," said Abu S, Superintendent, Thiruvananthapuram Zoo. "In Europe they resort to taking these animals as feed for their natural predators," said said Unnikrishnan.It is animals like the spotted deer, which have created a problem. Their burgeoning population is hard to keep under control. As a result many of them have been sterilised, a fact, which may well have animal activists up in arms. But for now, that seems to be the only way out.

http://www.ndtv.com/environment/wildlife.asp?id=94788&callid=1


Exotic Pets: Disaster Waiting to Happen?
BY AMY ELLIS NUTT c.2006 Newhouse News Service
MOUNT HOPE, Ohio -- The monkey rattled the bars of its cage, then threw pieces of food at the small crowd gathered around its metal crate. Crouching, two children giggled and reached tentatively toward the animal.A tag on the cage identified the occupant for sale: "Java macaque, 6 years old, missing a little hair."What the sign did not say was this: Ninety percent of macaques are carriers of the herpes-B virus -- relatively harmless to monkeys, but so virulent to humans it can liquefy the brainstem and turn the spinal cord to mush.Ninety miles southwest of Cleveland, in the heart of Amish country, buyers and sellers had come on a recent weekend to the Mid-Ohio Exotic Animal Auction to inspect and perhaps buy creatures whose native lands were thousands of miles away. Many were potential carriers of some of the most dangerous diseases known to man.

http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/nutt3100606.html


On a mission
SINGAPOREANS these days are likely to link wildlife campaigns to a homegrown group rather than the established west-based environmental organisations.
The locally established Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) is pushing animal issues into the national consciousness of a society often perceived as materialistic. From radio advertisements to billboards, exhibition at public places and talks at schools, Acres is showing Singaporeans their ugly treatment of animals.
Since its establishment in 2001, its teams on wildlife rescue, zoo check, and research and education have rolled out campaigns to make the country an animal-friendly city-state.
Acres, a member of the World Society for the Protection of Animals, aims to end illegal wildlife trade through undercover investigations. It also assists the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) with confiscation of illegally held animals.

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/10/3/lifefocus/15402123&sec=lifefocus


Great Plains Zoo Earns AZA Accreditation
Leaders at the Great Plains Zoo announced Monday their facility has been recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a top honor in the industry.This, just one year after the Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum was in disrepair. A task force was put together to deal with the structural and financial issues that needed to be addressed. Achieving this accreditation places it among the top 10 percent of zoos and aquariums in the country. But zoo officials say this achievement doesn't mean their work is over. In preparation for the accreditation team's visit over the summer, the Great Plains Zoo staff spent months working to make sure the zoo is putting its best foot forward. “This is a large facility, 45 acres, and we scoured every bit of it,” said Elizabeth Whealy, President of the Great Plains Zoo.

http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6371.cfm?Id=0,51448



Chained together?
Racking horse group hopes it has resolved controversy that depleted its membership
By Paul Huggins DAILY Staff Writer
phuggins@decaturdaily.com · 340-2395

PRICEVILLE — The dingy aluminum chains hanging loosely above some hooves this week have the luster of a gold medal to many racking horse owners and trainers.
For the first time, World Celebration has allowed the controversial devices that help the show horse exaggerate its four-beat gait.
Though the conflict isn't likely to die soon, the fact that show classes featuring chained horses are so popular makes it evident the chains are here to stay.
Through Thursday night, 99 horses had shown in the nine "specialty action" chained classes. Excluding the pleasure division, which features horses that double as the trail riding mounts, the chained classes were the most popular among the strictly show horse division.

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/060930/chain.shtml



Sounds of neighing horses used to scare away wild elephants
GUWAHATI: Wildlife authorities in Assam will soon play recorded sounds of horses neighing to scare away hungry wild Asiatic elephants currently locked in deadly turf wars with humans.
"We shall be recording the sound of horses neighing and then play the same over loudspeakers in areas where elephant depredation is very serious in an attempt to scare away the pachyderms," Assam’s chief wildlife warden M Malakar said.
This was among other measures devised at an emergency meeting of experts, officials, elephant owners, and locals that concluded at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam to ease the alarming man-elephant conflict in the region.
"The idea to chase wild elephant herds using horses whinny was given at the meeting by a village elder and we decided to implement his suggestion on an experimental basis," Assam forest and wildlife minister Rockybul Hussain said.

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=110379&version=1&template_id=40&parent_id=22


Fort Worth: He says slaughter is humane; opponents call it cruel
07:59 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 30, 2006
By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News
WASHINGTON – With Congress heading for a showdown vote on whether to ban horse slaughter, the head of the Fort Worth Zoo is weighing in on behalf of the slaughterhouse industry, arguing that zoos will find it harder to keep their lions and tigers happy and healthy without access to federally inspected horse meat.
Many zoos use horse meat. Carnivores like it. It's cheaper and more abundant than zebra, giraffe or water buffalo and more nutritious than beef or chicken. But Fort Worth Zoo director Michael Fouraker's stance, in a letter to a slaughterhouse lobbyist released Tuesday, angered animal rights groups, which found it appalling for him to speak out on behalf of an industry they deem cruel.
The horse meat industry says it can't stay in business without the right to export meat for human consumption.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-horseslaughter_30met.ART0.North.Edition1.3e3747a.html



Wide-eyed youngster on view at the zoo
By JACOB BENNETTCourier & Press staff writer 464-7434 or bennettj@courierpress.comSaturday, August 19, 2006

Courtesy Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden
On July 25, a baby owl monkey was born at Evansville’s Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden. The baby, tucked in the middle, can be seen in the Kley building’s nocturnal exhibit crawling from its mother’s belly to her back, staying on her at all times.
Evansville has a new baby owl monkey, Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden officials announced Friday.
The baby, born July 25, is on display in the Kley building's nocturnal exhibit.
It brings the number of owl monkeys at the zoo to five. There have been 20 successful births since owl monkeys were brought to the zoo in 1969, officials said.
The baby stays on its mother at all times, crawling from her belly to her back.
The mother is almost 4 years old; the father is about 26. The male is the only owl monkey in North America caught in the wild; he came from Colombia, zoo officials said.
Owl monkeys are native to subtropical and tropical forests of South and Central America. There are only 22 owl monkeys in six zoos in North America.
The zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (entry gate closes at 4 p.m.) every day. Adult admission is $7 and children ages 3-12 are $6.Admission is free for children under 3. Vanderburgh County residents receive a $1 discount.

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/aug/19/wide-eyed-youngster-on-view-at-the-zoo/



Trust fund use eyed in repairs for Attleboro zoo
BY GEORGE W. RHODES/SUN CHRONICLE STAFFFriday, August 18, 2006 11:40 PM CDT
ATTLEBORO -- Park commission ers are mulling a request from Mayor Kevin Dumas to use special trust fund money for important improve ments to the zoo's rainforest exhibit.Dumas originally aimed to use $51,000 from the city's capital improvement budget to buy a new rainforest furnace and build a room to put it in.
However, the mayor has now decided trust funds created to sup port the tropical display would be a more appropriate source of money and would allow the city to take on other capital projects.
Dumas said he plans to use the city's $51,000 to improve other areas of Capron Park if commissioners approve his plan.

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2006/08/19/city/city4.txt



Baby gorilla dies at Canadian zoo
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A two-week-old gorilla has died at a Canadian zoo after her mother's nursing routine was disrupted by other females and feedings by staff failed to maintain the baby's strength, zoo officials said on Friday.
The gorilla died late Thursday after females in the Calgary Zoo's gorilla troop took her away from her mother three times after she was born, creating stress for both the mother, named Zuri, and the newborn, whose energy was sapped, veterinarian Sandie Black said.
Supplemental feedings by zoo staff helped with nutrition but added to both gorillas' anxiety, Black told reporters.
"What we believe happened late in the afternoon yesterday as we were working toward separating the baby from Zuri for another supplemental feed is that baby ran out of the very small store of energy newborns have," she said.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/8/19/worldupdates/2006-08-19T010719Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_-264119-1&sec=worldupdates



Zoo Tycoon 2 Marine Mania and Georgia Aquarium Contest
We're teaming up with the Georgia Aquarium to sponsor a national essay contest on marine conservation and the importance of preserving aquatic life, to celebrate the launch of “Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania.”
The national essay competition (US only) encourages students in grades six through eight to submit a 250- to 500-word essay focusing on why conservation of marine animals and the ocean is important.
The grand prize winner receives a trip for four to Atlanta and a special behind-the-scenes tour of the Georgia Aquarium, where the winner and his or her family can observe whale sharks and African black-footed penguins in their natural habitats from exclusive views of the exhibits. They can also speak directly with staff biologists to learn more about how to take care of the marine animals. Runners-up receive copies of “Zoo Tycoon 2” and all franchise expansion packs, including “Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania.”

http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/archive/2006/11/01/538576.aspx



An Animal Care Supervisor Who Cares
Posted at 1:23 pm November 1, 2006 by Zoo InternQuest Intern
Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal. To meet the Interns, read the Intern Profiles.
Gaylene Thomas’ job as an animal care supervisor for the San Diego Zoo is not like an animal keeper’s job. Her job entails more paper work such as setting employees’ schedules and evaluating employees, but she also contributes her expertise to the keepers on animal care decisions. By contrast, an animal keeper prepares diets, cleans the exhibits, and trains the animals daily to build a personal relationship with them.

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/general/zoo-internquest/an-animal-care-supervisor-who-cares/

concluding …

Just in case you were wondering why Bush doesn't care about Global Warming

 

While Antarctica experiences 'record heat' Bush seeks faster melting over the Arctic Circle

As ice melts, debate over Northwest Passage heats (click above link)

TORONTO — Melting ice is opening up the Northwest Passage and reviving a dispute between the United States and Canada over who controls the potentially lucrative shipping route.
The United States calls the passage an international strait, open to all. Canada claims control because it considers the passage an internal waterway, like the Mississippi River.

Until recently, the decades-long dispute has been mostly academic; thick sea ice blocks the passage for about 11 months of the year. But as global temperatures rise and polar ice caps melt, the ice-free season may lengthen, making the Northwest Passage a viable shipping route within decades or, the U.S. Navy says, even a few years.

Satellite photos show the ice cover in the Arctic Ocean is shrinking by about 3%-4% each decade, says John Falkingham, chief of ice forecasting for the Canadian Ice Service. The melt has accelerated, he says, to a rate of about 8% per decade since 2000. But because Arctic currents push drifting ice toward the Canadian archipelago, he predicts more ice in the passage for the near term. However, Falkingham says, "at the end of the century, there could be an extended summertime shipping season."

Click on for animation - The heat has to be record setting for this time of year in Antarctica. Holy Smokes.

There is widespread temperate readings (approximately zero degrees C) - click on

This is a hot spring time in Antarctica. There are multiple humidity readings of 90% or higher. Antarctica is in trouble.

Morning Papers - concluded

The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is:

Scott Base

Conditions :: Fine

Temperature is freezing, but only marginally. -6.0

Updated Monday 06 Nov 8:15PM


The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Ice Chime) is freezing at least one day out of the year:

19 F / -7 C

Mostly Cloudy Humidity:
39% Dew Point: -2 F / -19 C Wind: 12 mph / 18 km/h from the NNW

Pressure: 29.72 in / 1006 hPa
Windchill: 7 F / -14 C

Visibility: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV: 0 out of 16

Clouds: Mostly Cloudy 5000 ft / 1524 m
(Above Ground Level)

end

This far into this election season every voter should have their decision made.

The message tonight is real simple.

Get out and vote.

If you aren't interested in doing it for yourself, then do it for them. Give the next generations of Americans a country to be proud without debt and corruption.

Do the right thing.

Vote.

Vote for the candidate that offers a future of promise, health and happiness to the children that are counting on you to make the right decision.

It's Saturday Night 

One (Hu) Man One Vote by Johnny Clegg

Bayeza abafana bancane wema
Bayeza abafana bancane wemaBaphethe iqwasha, baphethe ibazooka
Bathi "Sangena savuma thina,
Lapha abazange bengena abazali bethu
Nabadala, bayasikhalela thina ngoba asina voti."

(The young boys are coming,
the young boys are coming.
They carry homemade weapons and a bazooka.
They say "We have agreed to enter a place
that has never been entered before
by our parents or our ancestors
and they cry for us, for we do not have the right to vote.)

Hayiyaah!

The west is sleeping in a fragile freedom
Forgotten is the price that was paid
Ten thousand years of marching through a veil of tears
To break a few links in these chains
These things come to us by way of much pain
Don't let us slip back into the dark
On a visible but distant shore -- a new image of man
The shape of his own future, now in his own hands -- he says:

One 'man, one vote -- step into the future
One 'man, one vote -- in a unitary state
One 'man, one vote -- tell them when you see them
One 'man, one vote -- it's the only way

Bayeza abafana abancane
(The young boys are coming)

Hayiyaah!

In the east a giant is awakening
And in the south we feel the rising tide
The soul inside the spark that gives breath to your life
Can no longer be made to hide
These things come to us by way of much pain
Don't let us slip back into the dark
On a visible but distant shore -- a new image of man
The shape of his own future, now in his own hands -- he says:

One 'man, one vote -- step into the future
One 'man, one vote -- in a unitary state
One 'man, one vote -- tell them when you see them
One 'man, one vote -- it's the only way

I would like the world to meet ...

... the new man in my life. Next to my two sons he is the most beautiful baby ever born. Biased of course.

Deven Roane

6 pounds, 8 ounces

18 inches long

He looks exactly like his father, my son, except for a dimple his Dad has in his chin. The child is perfectly charming and is my first grandson.

All the more reason to save the world from war and environmental disaster. This wonder of life belongs to my youngest son of age 25. My older son, age 27, has no desire to have children at this point because the world has become such a horrible place. That 'judgement' comes due to a connectedness my sons grew up with to the world and not just their own little slice of it.

Both my sons are moral men with interesting women in their lives that stand side by side with them in their belief systems. Neither of my sons pass judgement on the other's values either. They feel their views of the world are equally important and on the "big" issues regarding quality of life, they stand with me.

Deven is born into a family of people with strong feelings about a lot things, I wonder what his views will be and what wonderful part of this world he will come to play. I intend to foster every aspect of interest he has.

Thank you for your interest.

The late Steve Erwin and his daughter Bindi

Morning Papers - continued

Zoos

Scientists Gather For Orangutan Symposium At Oregon Zoo
PORTLAND, Oregon - In the film classic "Planet of the Apes," chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans speak English. Scientists are now exploring the abilities of orangs using symbols and syntax to express their thoughts. The public can learn more about this research and conservation issues facing orangutans during the Orangutan Symposium, Saturday, Nov. 4, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Oregon Zoo.

http://www.medfordnews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=332989&cp=10996



Extreme Animals Takeover San Diego Zoo
Extreme Animals have just signed a deal with San Diego Zoo to perform shows for zoo-goers that include rare and bizarre animals to teach people about the many different species on this planet. The shows will begin summer 2007. Cindy Johnson, founder of "Entertainment for Zoo!" the San Diego Zoo's own version of a live concert series, tells Noisebloid the show will include "bonobos, monkeys, pandas, hippos, giraffes, and other exotic animals." What kind of exotic animals? "Well, we are going to leave that a surprise, but I can assure you they will be 'extreme'!"

http://noisebloid.blogspot.com/2006/10/extreme-animals-takeover-san-diego-zoo.html



Wellington Zoo Celebrates Centenary
Wellington zoo is kicking off its centenary celebrations today.

The zoo started as an exhibit at the botanical gardens in 1906, after the donation of an ex-circus lion dubbed “King Dick” in honour of Prime Minister Richard Seddon.

The zoo moved to its current site in Newtown the following year.

To mark its centenary, today the Zoo is giving the first 100 children free admission, and is offering historic tours of the site.

Wellington Zoo's chief executive, Karen Fifield, says traditionally the city's inclement weather has been a problem for visitors.

She says the zoo also wants to encourage repeat visits by having regularly changing attractions.

http://www.newswire.co.nz/main/viewstory.aspx?storyid=343624


Students take time to serve zoo
Christina Holtzen

Despite busy college lives, students said they're still making time in their schedules to volunteer at the 15th annual Boo at the Zoo.

Nicole Barendt, senior economics major, said about 15 Alpha Phi Omega members planned on attending the Fort Worth Zoo event.

"Its a fun way to get community service hours," said Barendt, service vice president of Alpha Phi Omega, a community service fraternity.

The Fort Worth Zoo festival provides fun that's not too scary for children, said Lyndsay Nantz, the Zoo's public relations and development director.

About 150 volunteers a night, including 20 to 50 are TCU students, help out at the event, said Dennis Myrick, assistant human resources director of the Fort Worth Zoo.

http://www.tcudailyskiff.com/media/storage/paper792/news/2006/10/27/News/Students.Take.Time.To.Serve.Zoo-2406385.shtml?norewrite200610310814&sourcedomain=www.tcudailyskiff.com


Threatened frogs are VIPs for hotel — and Houston Zoo
The critters in Panama are being lodged in style amid rescue effort from fatal fungus
By JEANNIE KEVER
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
Like something from the pages of a fast-paced biological thriller, zookeepers from Houston and elsewhere have haunted the cloud forests of Panama for months, trying to save the revered Panamanian golden frog from a ruthless fungus slowly making its way southward, suffocating virtually all amphibians in its path.
As a result, about 300 frogs are lodged in relative splendor at the Hotel Campestre in El Valle de Anton, a town nestled in the crater of an extinct volcano about 50 miles southwest of Panama City.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4293861.html


Family of sick girl sues fair petting zoo
HILLSBOROUGH -- A Chapel Hill girl who allegedly suffers from permanent kidney and pancreas damage after getting sick from a petting zoo at the State Fair two years ago sued the petting zoo and its owner last week.
According to the lawsuit filed by Aedin Gray and her parents, the family visited the Crossroads Farm Petting Zoo on Oct. 23, 2004. The lawsuit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, is against the fair petting zoo and its owner, Jason Wilkie.
Aedin, then 2, contracted E. coli after visiting the animals, the lawsuit says. Within two weeks, she became ill with diarrhea, which got worse and forced her to be hospitalized for a month with complications that included kidney failure, pancreatic failure and then blood-clotting problems.
Two years later, Aedin's kidneys work at about 50 percent, according to the lawsuit. Her pancreas has stopped producing insulin, requiring constant monitoring, the lawsuits says.

http://www.chapelhillnews.com/106/story/3215.html


Discover tropics at the zoo
Throughout the cold and gray months of winter, plants will remain green inside the new Procter & Gamble Discovery Forest at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Avondale.
The three-story-high Discovery Forest, inside the zoo's new Harold C. Schott Education Center, includes plants and animals that could be found in a tropical forest. Many of the trees are 20 feet tall; most are from Florida. Some of the plants, such as papayas and star fruit, were started from seed.
Kids and adults can see the plants that produce some common food items: coffee, vanilla, bananas, chile peppers, cinnamon, pineapples, papayas, star fruit and chocolate.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061028/LIFE0803/610280308/1079/rss04


15 Foot Elephant on Video

http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/60741/Oregon_Zoo_15_ft_elephant.html


Zoo Expansion's Impact Has Earth in the Balance
By Charles Rabin, The Miami Herald
Can wildlife officials manage one of Miami-Dade's last reserves of pine rockland by setting controlled burns if a dramatic expansion of Metrozoo tourism facilities is built on land next door?
That's one thing voters must take into account on Nov. 7 when they decide whether to turn over 69 acres of public land at Miami Metrozoo to developers -- a move that some way could affect the adjacent pine rockland reserve for decades to come.
The only county question during November's midterm elections asks voters whether to authorize the county to contract for construction of a hotel, water park, restaurants and other amenities.
Backers say the facilities will significantly boost tourism. They also argue that protection of the 350-acre reserve is paramount and that the need to set controlled burns there at least once every seven years will be accommodated.
"I look at this whole thing as a mall, with us being like the anchor store," said zoo spokesman Ron Magill. "If they can't have controlled burns, I'll be the first against this project. I will go ballistic if I see things being done that are contrary to the environment."
Not so fast, say some conservationists.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/710575/zoo_expansions_impact_has_earth_in_the_balance_miamidade_voters/?source=r_science

In response to your inquiries…
Posted at 3:34 pm October 27, 2006 by Suzanne Hall
Once again, I thought I would take some time to answer a few of the questions that many of you have posed on the panda blog.
A few of you have asked about the fates of “senior pandas,” ones that are no longer contributing to the reproductive efforts of the captive panda population. Since space is limited at the Wolong center, older animals often do not live at the breeding facility. Instead, they are transferred to other zoos throughout China where they live out the rest of their lives as representatives of their species, visited by Chinese tourists who may not have the opportunity to visit Wolong. It seems, as in the case of Shi Shi, that the bears become honored members of that particular zoo’s population. To the best of our knowledge Shi Shi is living a pretty good life in Guangzhou.

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/general/in-response-to-your-inquiries/


Updated veterinary center boosts zoo's accreditation hopes
By Jennifer Gokhman
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Last updated: Saturday, Oct 28, 2006 - 08:40:50 am PDT
Comments(0)
For many years at Micke Grove Zoo, staff have used one room to do veterinary procedures, hold quarantined animals and store items. Now, the veterinary and quarantine area has expanded and is officially open with some updated equipment.

The veterinary center was dedicated Friday as the Matt McCarty Veterinary Center for Matt McCarty Construction.
A stuffed bear receives anesthesia at the expanded veterinary center as the new equipment is on display at the Micke Grove Zoo on Friday. (Jennifer Gokhman/News-Sentinel)
"The project has expanded the space significantly," said Ken Nieland, zoo and interpretive services manager.

It is one step toward the zoo being accredited again. It lost its Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation in April.

The Micke Grove Zoological Society has been working on projects such as improving the east end of the zoo and building the veterinary center to boost the zoo back to accreditation status.

http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2006/10/28/news/8_zoo_061028.txt

ZOO in Rotteram

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=5131983


John T. Baron: Zoo millage upholds region's quality of life
Ingham County voters will be making critical decisions Nov. 7, as a number of quality of life issues are on the ballot. But one of the most important decisions voters will make is not really even a political issue - it's about supporting our zoo and the vital role it plays in our community.
From the educational and entertainment value Potter Park Zoo presents to the region, to the importance of attracting businesses to this community, the passage of the zoo proposal makes sense - and means just a few cents a day.
The zoo educates more than 40,000 youngsters each year through lessons from wildlife experts, observing animal behaviors and researching animals from all over the world. The week-long BIG Zoo Lesson brings the classroom into the community using innovative tools to teach conservation and develop compassion in our children for wildlife.

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20061029/OPINION02/610290652/1087/opinion

Human Zoo – how was it for you?
For those of you who didn’t make it down to London Zoo for this unique exhibit, here’s what happened.

The Human Zoo ran for four days from Friday 26 – Monday 29 August and was a unique event in that it gave a group of volunteers the opportunity to experience life as zoo exhibits, plus our visitors had the unique experience of viewing man in his essential form.
The event aimed to demonstrate the basic nature of man as an animal and examine the impact that Homo sapiens have on the rest of the animal kingdom.
The Human Zoo sparked international media coverage, with opposing opinions fuelling the debate.
Here are some examples of what the public thought of the Human Zoo:
I think that is a fabulous idea and personally I hope the exhibit - or at least the idea of the exhibit - travels to other countries.

Mychel Russell-Ward

Now I've seen just about everything! A "Human Zoo"? There is not one minuscule shred of evidence that evolution is true. Send me any of your so-called "evidence" and I will return ample and well-researched refutation of it.
John Battles


BRAVO! On the Human Zoo!!!
It's wonderful!! Please make it a permanent attraction. What a great idea.
Roy Moore


Equating the value of human life with that of "other animals" is dangerously wrong. It exhibits a frightening trend in modern society, and it is also an outrageous folly.
Emily Miller


FABULOUS! FANTASTIC!! BRILLIANT!!!
While this exhibit may be short lived I better understand why London Zoo stands out as one of the best in the world.
Jack Martin

http://www.zsl.org/london-zoo/news/human-zoo-how-was-it-for-you,185,NS.html


Zoo: All of Ingham County has chance to invest in better zoo, future
A Lansing State Journal editorial

Ingham County voters could choose to reject a small property tax increase to operate Potter Park Zoo.
But what would that accomplish for taxpayers in Lansing and the rest of Ingham County?
By contrast, a "yes" vote on Nov. 7 would create clear benefits for Lansing, Ingham County and the entire region.
That's why we endorse voting "yes" on the Ingham County/Potter Park Zoo millage.
This issue is on the November ballot for a single reason - the financial struggles of the city of Lansing. Under the strain of mid-Michigan's sputtering economy, the city is prioritizing spending. And the $1.6 million the city now spends on Potter Park Zoo could go to other needs.
But the benefits of a millage passage go far beyond budgetary relief for Lansing.
Even getting the zoo millage on the ballot was the result of persistent and high-minded discussion among city and county officials. And it flows from a realization that the zoo isn't just a Lansing asset, but a mid-Michigan one.
And if the zoo helps the entire region, it makes obvious sense to have the entire region support it.
Ingham County, of course, is not all of mid-Michigan. But by having Ingham County assume this burden, the first step is taken toward full regionalization of this particular community treasure.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061029/OPINION01/610290653/1086/opinion


Portland, Oregon
Hiking, salmon, beaches, vineyards, shopping, eating -- there's plenty to do in a week or more
By Mary Milz
Gannett News Service
He said: Let's go to Portland for a week.
She said: A week? Is there enough to do?
He said: Way too much.
Men's Journal recently ranked Portland as "The Best City to Live in the U.S." It's not a bad place to visit, either.
Situated where the Columbia and Willamette rivers meet in northwestern Oregon, the city is warm and welcoming, often described as having a small-town personality with big-city amenities. Its metro area of 1.7 million enjoys a temperate climate with average highs between 70 and 90 degrees in the summer and 35 to 45 degrees in the winter, and enough precipitation to keep the city very green. Portland has 9,400 acres of parks, including the 5,000-acre Forest Park just west of downtown.
Downtown is dense and vibrant, its streets lined with a diverse mix of distinctive shops, galleries, restaurants and nightclubs.
Not far from the city center, endless outdoor adventures await. Head an hour west and you're at the rugged Oregon coast. Go east, and you're downhill skiing on 11,235-foot Mount Hood -- year round. To the southwest, you'll find Oregon's burgeoning wine country.
Whether you're a rugged adventurer or an urban tourist, the Portland area is a great spot to spend a few days or a few weeks -- even with someone whose idea of perfect vacation is a bit different than yours.
She said: Take a hike!He said: Hot dam! Let's goto Bonneville
For a scenic excursion, nothing beats a drive along the Columbia River Highway, east of Portland. The historic two-lane road winds through the Cascade Mountain Range, providing breathtaking views of the Columbia River Gorge.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20061029/FEATURES05/610290341



Freak Bear in Zoo – the bear just loves to dance – very cute

http://shrekonline.blogspot.com/2006/10/freak-bear-in-zoo.html


Cameroon wildlife sanctuary awaits "Taiping Four"
By Tansa Musa
DOUALA, Cameroon, Oct 29 (Reuters) - An animal sanctuary in Cameroon, home to dozens of primates endangered by the illegal bushmeat trade, is preparing to welcome some famous guests: the "Taiping Four" gorillas smuggled to Malaysia four years ago.
Felix Lankester, director of the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon's main port city of Douala, said the centre had gone to great lengths to be ready for the return of the western lowland gorillas, currently held in Pretoria Zoo in South Africa.
Taiping Zoo in Malaysia acquired the animals, smuggled out of the West African country via Nigeria, in 2002 but Cameroon has been lobbying for their return ever since.
"We have constructed a quarantine facility as an annex to our existing gorilla facility," Lankester told Reuters at the weekend, dismissing earlier suggestions by Pretoria zoo that his centre did not have the right facilities to host the gorillas.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L29870379.htm


Peguins at the zoo

Originally uploaded by KatColorado. What a stunning penguin photo this is! The colour and clarity are superb and I love the way they are standing. Fantastic photo KatColorado and a big congratulations on having it chosen as today's icon!

http://twtme-icon-of-the-day-winners.blogspot.com/2006/10/peguins-at-zoo.html



Visiting the National Zoo in Malaysia

Malaysia is known internationally to be a multi racial country that is rich in tradition and culture. Last week the country was busy celebrating the Deepavali and Hari Raya festival and I was on a long holiday with my kids. My son love animals, he never misses any shows featured on Animal Planet. He was practically pestering me to take him to the zoo.
So last week I took my two kids to the National zoo located in Kuala Lumpur.

A concrete jungle of building and houses now surrounds the zoo that was once in a virgin jungle. This is because it is only 13km from the heart of Kuala Lumpur, which is one of the busiest cities in Malaysia. The best time to visit would be in the morning, as it could get quite hot during the afternoons. You will not be allowed to bring your own food or water but it should be purchased from the shops that are in the premises of the zoo.

http://www.travguides.com/2006/10/visiting-national-zoo.html



Irwin's fears for Bindi
The late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin explains in a previously unpublished interview how "awful" it would be for his daughter Bindi to grow up without him.
Irwin also reveals how the family employs armed bodyguards to protect them from stalkers and the paparazzi.
Terrorism and drugs scared him and he said "there are a lot of weirdos in this world".
Despite regularly dicing with crocodiles and venomous snakes, he said he wasn't "that worried about getting killed by animals".

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/irwins-fears-for-bindi/2006/10/25/1161749184501.html

concluding …