The New Zealand Herald
Cutting emissions may harm Australian economy
CANBERRA - Australia has to accept that cutting greenhouse gas emissions may harm the economy, federal frontbencher Tony Abbott said today.
The health and ageing minister said it would be difficult to balance the fight against climate change with protecting jobs.
"It's very hard do both and that's what we need to face up to," Mr Abbott told the Nine Network.
"Particularly if we are going to do it soon, if we're going to dramatically cut emissions it is going to have an impact on the economy," he said.
Prime Minister John Howard has frequently attacked Labor for threatening jobs in the coal and forestry industries with its climate change policies.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10431670
Photos: Storm's severity even more unusual than first thought
The storm that flooded Northland this week is more rare than first thought - as much as a one-in-150-years event in some areas.
It was initially thought to have been a downpour that might be expected about once in every 50 years.
The storm was moving over Coromandel and Bay of Plenty this morning, but MetService said the worst of the weather was now over.
Leading climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger said today that based on statistical models, the intense rainfall in Northland was the kind of event that occurred only once in more than 100 years.
"For Whangarei Airport for the 24 hours we are looking at greater than a 125-year event," said Dr Salinger, of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10431630
Two varieties of Kit Kat recalled by Nestle
8:00PM Friday March 30, 2007
Two varieties of Kit Kats were recalled today because of the possibility they might contain small pieces of plastic.
The voluntary national recall was announced by Nestle New Zealand, the manufacturer.
The affected products are Kit Kat Caramel 65G and Kit Kat Cookie Dough 65G, with all "best before" dates up to and including February 14 next year.
Corporate services manager Maurice Gunnell said the company believed the plastic entered the packs during the production process.
The company was recalling the products as a precaution and consumers should ensure they didn't eat the specified varieties.
Consumers who had such Kit Kats should return them to where they were bought for a refund.
Mr Gunnell said no other Kit Kat products were affected.
Man drought on agenda
Email this storyPrint this story 8:00AM Friday March 30, 2007
A quota system is to be discussed as the early childcare industry desperately seeks a way to solve the dire shortage of male teachers.
The Early Childcare Council, representing 1000 centres, is pledging that the percentage of male teachers in the industry - below 1 per cent and one of the lowest rates in the world - will improve after a conference in Christchurch this week.
Education Minister Steve Maharey is against the idea of quotas. A spokeswoman said he preferred a system of encouraging men to enter early childcare teaching.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10431623
UK gives Iran note 'serious consideration'
LONDON - Britain is giving "serious consideration" to a formal note from the Iranian government about 15 captured military personnel, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said today.
"Such exchanges are always confidential, so we cannot divulge any details. But we are giving the message serious consideration, and will soon respond formally to the Iranian government," the spokeswoman said.
The note was received by the British embassy in Tehran.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10431635
US Senate approves '08 troops withdraw from Iraq
WASHINGTON - The US Senate today defied a veto threat by President George W. Bush and joined with the House of Representatives in backing a timetable for withdrawing American combat troops from Iraq.
In a mostly party-line 51-47 vote, the Democratic-controlled Senate told Bush to start withdrawing the troops this year with the goal of getting all combat soldiers out by March 31, 2008.
"The ball is in the president's court. We have done what we needed to do" by passing a bill with even more money for the troops and veterans than Bush requested, said House Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10431636
Dog meat on menu for Bangladesh students
DHAKA - The caterer at a dormitory on Bangladesh's Dhaka University has been fired after students complained they were served dog meat, officials say.
Students at the Hajji Mohammad Mohsin Hall protested after a student suspected that the meat on his plate was of a "dog or fox," instead of beef or mutton.
He drew the attention of other students, who rushed to the authorities demanding an immediate investigation.
"We have seized the menu and expelled the hall caterer," said Ahmed Zaman Anwar, provost of the 1,200-student dormitory.
"The offending meat has been sent for tests at a laboratory and we are waiting for the results."
Australian Navy reviews Iran security
CANBERRA - The Royal Australian Navy is reviewing security procedures for its personnel in the Persian Gulf following the seizure of 15 British sailors by Iranian forces.
The ongoing detention of the British personnel has sparked a diplomatic crisis, with London warning negotiations could "move into a new phase" if they are not released immediately.
The crew were taken prisoner at gunpoint in the disputed Shat al-Arab waterway between Iraq and Iran seven days ago.
The British were conducting searches of cargo vessels at the time, operating from small inflatable speed boats.
The work is also undertaken by Australian sailors, operating from similar speed boats with helicopter support.
HMAS Toowoomba, which is crewed by about 190 personnel, is the Australian warship currently patrolling the area.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10431709
Swiss gets 10 years for insulting Thai king
A Swiss man was sentenced to ten years in a Thai prison yesterday.
Oliver Jufer's "crime" was insulting the Thai King: in a drunken spree he vandalised several portraits of King Bhumibol Adulyadej with black spraypaint.
The 57-year-old Mr Jufer has one month to appeal, but Thai lawyers say he has little hope of success. Mr Jufer's imprisonment could not have come at a worse time for Thailand's image abroad, with its vitally important tourism industry already suffering from last year's military coup.
If they weren't already thinking twice, tourists will know a holiday in Thailand carries the risk of a lengthy jail sentence if you so much as criticise the King.
At the same time the generals have been pushing to have martial law reimposed in Bangkok to stop pro-democracy demonstrations. Mr Jufer's trial overshadowed an announcement from the military-backed government yesterday that elections will be held to restore democracy in December.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10431672
Brazil to offer free internet to jungle tribes
BRASILIA - Brazil will offer free satellite internet connections to indigenous tribes in the Amazon as part of its latest effort to crack down on illegal logging in the world's largest tropical rain forest.
"It's a way to open communications between indigenous communities, former slave villages, coconut crackers, river fishermen and the rest of society," said Environment Minister Marina Silva today after signing an accord putting the internet plan in place.
"These communities are the true protectors of their areas," she said.
Brazil, a relatively poor country that is the size of the continental United States, has struggled to protect its vast Amazon rain forest from illegal miners, loggers and ranchers.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10431659
Moscow boasts of plot to kill warlord
MOSCOW - The James Bond-like plot apparently used by the Kremlin to kill its most dangerous enemy - Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev - was laid bare by a Russian newspaper yesterday, angering the dead terrorist's supporters.
The 41 year-old rebel, known as "The Butcher of Beslan" because of his role in masterminding the siege of a school in the Russian city in 2004, was killed last July in what the FSB security service boasted was a sophisticated "special operation".
He died with at least three accomplices when a truck carrying an arms shipment for the rebels blew up.
The explosion was apparently so powerful, however, that the Kremlin has struggled to supply cast-iron proof that Basayev is really dead to this day and the circumstances of his demise remain murky.
His supporters claim that he died in an explosives accident while others, including the murdered reporter Anna Politkovskaya, have suggested that he may not be dead at all but had struck a deal with the FSB to disappear and change his identity.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=359&objectid=10431209
Russia tortures former Guantanamo prisoners – report
MOSCOW - The Kremlin and the United States have been accused of flouting international law in a damning new report which tells the depressing and little-known story of seven Russian men freed from Guantanamo Bay.
According to the report by Human Rights Watch, the men were released from Guantanamo without charge and returned to Russia to face a life of torture, harassment, and unfair trials.
All seven were arrested by US forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan during 2002 and only released from Guantanamo in 2004 on the promise that they would receive "humane treatment" on their return to Russia.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10431606
A Russian Diary: Anna Politkovskaya
The diary of murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya ensures that her questing, questioning voice cannot be silenced.
Next month will mark the six-month anniversary of the slaying of the campaigning reporter. This book is the diary she was preparing for publication shortly before her death.
It covers Russia's presidential elections of 2004 and the aftermath of Vladimir Putin's re-election - a "great political depression", as Politkovskaya describes it - culminating in the Beslan tragedy in September that year. The last section of the book follows the Yukos affair (which resulted in the jailing of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the richest man in Russia), the political fallout from Beslan and hundreds of forgotten show trials, disappearances and violent events all over Russia.
Even though the last entry was written more than two years ago, the benefit of hindsight makes this a particularly difficult read. You would have to be fairly stone-hearted to get through the short afterword, "Am I Afraid?", without choking up.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10431557
Dozens killed in battles with Somali rebels
MOGADISHU - Ethiopian and Somali troops used tanks and helicopters to launch a major offensive against insurgents in Mogadishu today, triggering battles that killed more than two dozen people.
With scenes of carnage shocking even by Somali standards, residents said the final death toll from the worst day of fighting since a war over the New Year could be much higher.
"People are worried, they did not know whether they will survive today or not," said Osman Gabayre, a local journalist who saw five dead civilians on the streets and the wreck of an Ethiopian army lorry hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10431645
Olmert sees 'revolutionary change'
JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said today there was a "revolutionary change" in the perception of the Arab states towards Israel, Israel's YNet news website reported.
YNet quoted Olmert as saying during a reception for his Kadima party faction: "There is a process here that the fighting in Lebanon (last year) has sharpened.
"This process has brought the influential countries in the Arab world to realise that Israel is not the biggest of all their troubles. This is a revolutionary change in their perception."
Arab leaders earlier on Thursday in Riyadh endorsed a five-year-old plan offering Israel normal ties with all Arab countries in return for its withdrawal from land seized in the 1967 Middle East war, the creation of a Palestinian state and a "just solution" for Palestinians displaced in 1948 with Israel's creation.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10431658
Gwynne Dyer: How to start a war - American style
"I don't want to second-guess the British after the fact," said US Navy Lieutenant-Commander Erik Horner, "but our rules of engagement allow a little more latitude. Our boarding team's training is a little bit more towards self-preservation."
Does that mean that one of his American boarding teams would have opened fire if it had been them in the two inflatable boats that were surrounded by Iranian Revolutionary Guard fast patrol boats off the coast of Iraq last Friday? "Agreed. Yes."
Just as well that it was a British boarding team, then.
The 15 British sailors and marines who were captured and taken to Tehran for "questioning" last week are undoubtedly having an unpleasant time, but they are alive, and Britain is only involved in two wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If it had been one of Horner's boarding teams, they would all be dead, and the United States and Iran would now be at war.
Horner is the executive officer of the USS Underwood, the American frigate that works with HMS Cornwall, the British ship the captive boarding party came from.
Interviewed after the incident by Terri Judd of the Independent, the only British print journalist on HMS Cornwall, he was obviously struggling to be polite about the gutless Brits, but he wasn't having much success.
"The US Navy rules of engagement say we have not only a right to self-defence but also an obligation to self-defence," Horner explained. "[The British] had every right in my mind and every justification to defend themselves rather than allow themselves to be taken. Our reaction was, 'Why didn't your guys defend themselves?"'
So there they are, eight sailors and seven marines in two rubber boats, with personal weapons and no protection whatever, sitting about 30cm above the water, surrounded by six or seven Iranian attack boats with mounted machine guns.
"Defend yourself" by opening fire, and after a single long burst from half a dozen heavy machine-guns there will be 14 dead young men and one dead young woman in two rapidly sinking inflatables, and your country will be at war. Seems a bit pointless, really.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10431575
Bono receives knighthood
DUBLIN - Irish rock star and rights campaigner Bono has received an honorary knighthood in recognition of his services to the music industry and for his humanitarian work.
"I couldn't be more proud," the U2 singer said at a ceremony at the British ambassador's residence in Dublin.
"I would like to thank Her Majesty's ambassador for pinning this award on me in my hometown, and the band for not bursting my balloon," he said in remarks carried on U2's website.
Bono is now a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, or KBE, but as he is an Irish citizen he will not be able to use the title 'Sir'.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10431644
Video: Japan quake kills one, hurts over 160
NOTO PENINSULA, Japan - A strong earthquake killed one person and injured at least 160 in central Japan today, demolishing houses, buckling roads, triggering landslides and cutting off water supplies to thousands of homes.
More than 1300 people evacuated to shelters after 44 houses collapsed and some 200 others, mostly wooden with heavy tile roofs, were seriously damaged by the 6.9 magnitude earthquake, which struck at 9:42am (1242 NZT), officials and media said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=68&objectid=10430886
Hicks could cash in while taxpayers foot bill
CANBERRA - David Hicks, the Australian Guantanamo Bay inmate who has admitted aiding the al Qaeda terror group, has become a major recipient of political and taxpayer largesse as he waits for a decision on the deal his lawyers have struck with American military prosecutors.
He could also become rich.
Celebrity agent Max Markson told smh.com.au Hicks could become a millionaire by selling his story as both book and movie.
His saga moves from a broken home in Adelaide to life as an itinerant kangaroo-skinner, guerrilla fighter in Albania, convert to Islam training and fighting with al Qaeda and Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba, Taleban fighter captured by a northern warlord in Afghanistan and, finally, inmate of the notorious Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=359&objectid=10431417
Blair warns Iran of 'different phase' if sailors not released
LONDON - Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Tehran today of a "different phase" if it did not free 15 British military personnel captured in the Gulf four days ago.
The sailors' capture and new UN sanctions imposed on Tehran on Sunday over its disputed nuclear programme have stoked tensions between the West and Iran and pushed oil prices to a 2007 high.
Russia and the United Arab Emirates today urged Iran to comply with UN demands that it halt sensitive nuclear work but Tehran says the UN resolution is illegal.
Iran, which denies any intention of making atomic weapons, has said it may charge the two boatloads of British sailors and marines with illegally entering its waters in the northern Gulf. Britain insists they were operating in Iraqi waters.
"What we are trying to do ... is to pursue this through the diplomatic channels and make the Iranian government understand these people have to be released and that there is absolutely no justification whatever for holding them," Blair said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=359&objectid=10431283
US House approves 2008 troop withdrawal from Iraq
WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives today voted to impose a September 1, 2008, deadline for withdrawing all American combat troops from Iraq, prompting a quick veto promise from US President George W. Bush.
In a mostly partisan 218-212 vote, House Democrats succeeded in attaching the deadline to legislation authorising more than US$124 billion in emergency funds, mostly for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year.
The narrow margin of the vote was far short of what Democrats would need to override any presidential veto.
But the vote was a significant victory for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and her fellow Democrats who took control of Congress in last November's elections on a pledge to end the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=359&objectid=10430626
Iraq: A country in ruins, a people in despair
The arm-wrestling competition is instigated over breakfast at the Hamra Hotel by the shaven-headed waiter. He plonks a beefy elbow on the cash desk and presents a hand. "You. Zarqawi," he says to one of the reporters living in the hotel, a slight New Yorker. He is referring to the dead Sunni leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. "Me. Moqtada," he adds, naming Moqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand Shiite preacher who leads the Mahdi Army, infamous for its sectarian death squads.
The waiter giggles. Then "Moqtada" twists "Zarqawi's" arm in a deft, powerful movement and pins it down. Contest over. Iraq's sectarian question is bloodlessly resolved. But only on this March morning, for a brief second, on the neutral ground of the Hamra Hotel, in what was once one of the more pleasant neighbourhoods of Baghdad.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=359&objectid=10430522
UN Secretary-General shaken by blast on first visit to Iraq
BAGHDAD - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was left shaken but unhurt today on his first visit to Baghdad after a Katyusha rocket landed just metres from a building where he was giving a news conference.
Moments after telling journalists he might boost the United Nations' presence in Iraq because of improved security, a thunderous blast sent shockwaves through the conference venue, startling Ban and sending him ducking for cover behind a podium.
Security guards grabbed hold of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who was standing next to Ban at the time and was dusted by small bits of debris that fell from the ceiling.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=359&objectid=10430466
Criticism mounts as Italian journalist is freed
10:15AM Thursday March 22, 2007
By Peter Popham
Criticism mounted yesterday of the prisoner swap that freed Italian war correspondent Daniele Mastrogiacomo from imprisonment by the Taleban.
Five Taleban commanders were released from jail in Kabul on Monday in exchange for the Italian, who had been held for two weeks.
Maxime Verhagen, foreign minister of Holland which has 1800 troops fighting the Taleban in southern Afghanistan, told reporters in Kabul, "When we create a situation where you can buy the freedom of Taleban fighters when you catch a journalist, in the short term there will be no journalists any more...The Dutch government will not give in to such situations, because otherwise you'll support the taking of hostages, and we don't want that."
Italy's commitment of troops to Afghanistan is unpopular with the Italian left, and Romano Prodi's government briefly collapsed last month after losing a vote on foreign policy.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=359&objectid=10430171
continued …
Friday, March 30, 2007
This confirms what many have speculated for a long time,...
...that Britain and the US are deeply involved in bombings and attacks inside Iraq which are subsequently attributed either to Sunni insurgents or shadowy terrorist cells
Some attacks being blamed on Iranians Steve Watson, February 5, 2007 An article in the Sunday Telegraph this weekend pointed towards evidence that an secretive and elite unit of the British army is actively engaged in recruiting and training Iraqi insurgents and terrorists as double agents.
Iraq toll touches 400 in three days
ALMOST 400 people have been killed in Iraq over the past three days, as insurgents and sectarian militias defied a massive US security crackdown billed as a last chance to restore order to Baghdad.
A series of coordinated bombings of Shiite marketplaces in and north of the capital undercut a latest plea from embattled Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for a joint effort to curb the bloodshed threatening to tear his country apart.
“The country is facing many challenges which need a consolidated front in which all Iraqis must participate,” Mr Maliki said.
Just hours later, 125 people were killed in marketplace bombings in Baghdad and the Shiite town of Khalis.
Claim: Soldiers test positive to DU
TWO Australian soldiers who served in the first Iraq war have tested positive to depleted uranium (DU) contamination despite assurances from the federal Government they had not been exposed, an anti-nuclear group said today.
Any such admission from the Government would leave it open to millions of dollars in compensation, said Pauline Rigby, project co-ordinator for the group Depleted Uranium Silent Killer (DUSK).
Urine samples from each of the men, who served in different areas of Iraq, were sent last year for uranium isotope analysis at the JW Goethe University in Germany at a cost of $1200 each under the auspices of DUSK and the Uranium Medical Research Centre (UMRC) in Canada, Ms Rigby said.
US forces kill Iraq dad, daughters
US forces opened fire on an unarmed Iraqi family's car and killed a father and his two young daughters, the man's wife said today.
The US military confirmed that three Iraqis were killed and three more wounded in yesterday's shooting in east Baghdad, after the car's driver ignored or missed signals for him to stop.
“They just opened fire randomly on us,” said Akhlas Abduljabbar, a Sunni housewife from Zafaraniyah, south of Baghdad, whose family was travelling through the war-torn city.
“They killed my husband and two daughters and my three-year-old boy was wounded in the head.
" The Americans' translator told me 'Flee, don't stay, they're going to kill you',” she added.
Mrs Abduljabbar identified her dead husband as Rifat Abduljabbar and the daughters as Fatima, 11, and Hafsat, 12.
She said she had heard that some Iraqi bystanders were also hurt.
The US military said the vehicle failed to respond to paratroopers' warning signals as it approached their patrol in the Adhamiyah security district.
RIGHT !!!
Morning Papers - continued ...
Michael Moore Today
"This is not a monarchy. There are ways to deal with it. And I would hope the president understands that."-- Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel
March 25th, 2007 5:59 pm
Hagel: Some See Impeachment As Option
GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel: Some Lawmakers See Impeachment As Option if Bush Continues Iraq Strategy
By Hope Yen / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - With his go-it-alone approach on Iraq, President Bush is flouting Congress and the public, so angering lawmakers that some consider impeachment an option over his war policy, a senator from Bush's own party said Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Senate's No. 2 Republican leader harshly criticized House Democrats for setting an "artificial date" for withdrawing troops from Iraq and said he believes Republicans have enough votes to prevent passage of a similar bill in the Senate.
"We need to put that kind of decision in the hands of our commanders who are there on the ground with the men and women," said Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss. "For Congress to impose an artificial date of any kind is totally irresponsible."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9488
"Get 'em both! A twofer!"
March 25th, 2007 5:44 pm
Larson Is Told: Impeach Bush
By Matthew Kauffman / Hartford Courant
WEST HARTFORD -- U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, promoted his views on Iraq to a mostly friendly audience in West Hartford Saturday, but nearly lost the crowd briefly when he stopped short of endorsing the impeachment of President Bush.
In a two-hour town meeting at the Elmwood Community Center, Larson praised House colleagues who joined him in narrowly passing legislation Friday requiring an end to combat in Iraq no later than September 2008. But Bush has promised to veto the legislation, prompting John L. Cochran of Manchester to suggest an alternate tack.
"As long as Bush is going to veto everything you try to do, it kind of cuts your options," Cochran, 82, said in a slow, even voice. "Maybe you'll be able to get a few more Republicans to vote on your side, but that doesn't sound too promising as far as really having enough to overcome a veto.
"From my viewpoint, I think the only option left is impeachment."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9486
March 25th, 2007 6:25 pm
2 bombs kill 5 U.S. soliders in Iraq
By Kim Gamel / Associated Press
BAGHDAD - Roadside bombs killed five U.S. soldiers in Iraq Sunday, including four in a single strike in a volatile province northeast of the capital, the military said.
In Baghdad, gunmen on rooftops opened fire on Iraqi soldiers, prompting fierce fighting in the narrow streets and alleys of one of the capital's oldest neighborhoods, a Sunni insurgent stronghold and a haven for criminals on the east side of the Tigris River. At least two civilians were killed and four others were wounded in the clashes, police said, as U.S. attack helicopters buzzed overhead.
Four U.S. soldiers were killed and two others were wounded, according to a statement, when an explosion struck their patrol in Diyala province, a religiously mixed area that has seen fierce fighting in recent months.
A roadside bomb also killed a soldier and wounded two others as they were checking for bombs on a road in northwestern Baghdad, the military said.
Thousands of U.S. reinforcements have been sent to the capital and surrounding areas to help the Iraqis tame the spiraling sectarian violence that flared after the bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra more than a year ago.
Sunday's deaths raise to at least 3,239 the members of the U.S. military who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003 — 114 of those since the security operation started on Feb. 14, according to an Associated Press count. In comparison, 123 U.S. troops deaths were reported in the 40 days preceding the start of the plan.
The clashes between gunmen and Iraqi soldiers in Baghdad's Fadhil neighborhood started about 1:30 p.m. when an attack on Iraqi army positions forced soldiers to call for U.S. assistance, Iraqi officials said. The U.S. military said it had no immediate reports about the fighting.
An Iraqi army colonel from the brigade in charge of the area said the gunmen were firing at army checkpoints and patrols from rooftops and the soldiers returned fire. He said the situation had largely calmed by late afternoon, but sporadic clashes continued.
"The soldiers raided some houses believed to be used by the gunmen today. Several suspects were arrested and they are being interrogated," the colonel said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The military sealed off all roads leading to the area, causing traffic jams, according to witnesses and police. Stores closed their doors as the streets emptied of people fleeing the fighting.
"The gunmen were shooting at every moving object. The streets were deserted and all shops closed," said Ghaith Jassim, the 37-year-old owner of a textile store in the area. "These frequent clashes have affected our work. We cannot earn our living. People and traders are afraid of coming to our area."
Jassim said the arrival of U.S. troops in the area briefly stopped the clashes but the fighting resumed when the Americans left.
Fadhil, one of Baghdad's oldest and poorest areas, is ridden with Sunni insurgents and common criminals and its narrow streets and alleys have been the site of frequent clashes.
A helicopter owned by the private security company Blackwater USA crashed in heavy gunfire in the area on Jan. 23, killing four civilian contractors. A fifth contractor in a second helicopter died of gunshot wounds.
The U.S. military, meanwhile, raised the death toll in a suicide truck bombing against a police station in Baghdad on Saturday to 33 police officers, saying 20 other policemen and 24 civilians were wounded. Iraqi police said 20 people were killed in the strike, which was the deadliest of a series of suicide bombings nationwide.
The new toll would raise to 87 the number of people killed or found dead in Iraq on Saturday — 60 in suicide bombings.
Suspected Shiite militants attacked a Sunni mosque on Sunday in apparent retaliation for one of those attacks — a suicide truck bombing against a Shiite mosque that killed 11 people in Haswa, 30 miles south of Baghdad.
The explosion on Sunday blew a hole in the roof of the mosque's minaret but caused no injuries, although two people were wounded after clashes erupted in the area following the blast. Local authorities imposed a curfew after gunmen opened fire on a funeral procession for the victims killed in Saturday's blast, raising fresh concerns about sectarian violence.
The number of execution-style killings in the capital has declined since the operation started on Feb. 14 — a development officials say is due to an agreement keeping Shiite militias off the street. Sunday's attack in Haswa highlighted concerns that militia factions are angry about being sidelined while the bombings continue.
On March 14, U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William C. Caldwell expressed optimism about the Baghdad security plan, but urged patience and cautioned that "high-profile" car bombings, which rose to a high of 77 in February, could "start the whole cycle of violence again."
The Islamic State in Iraq, an insurgent umbrella group that includes al-Qaida in Iraq, purportedly claimed responsibility for three other suicide bombings Saturday near the Anbar province city of Qaim, near the Syrian border, saying in an Internet statement that 45 policemen were killed and 48 were wounded.
The statement could not be independently verified, and police said only six people had been killed, including five policemen, and 19 other people wounded in the three attacks against checkpoints and a police station.
At least 31 people were killed or found dead elsewhere in Iraq, including two soldiers who died after a suicide car bomber struck an Iraqi army checkpoint in Baqouba and 22 bullet-riddled bodies of apparent victims of so-called sectarian death squads — most in Baghdad.
March 25th, 2007 7:35 pm
Iraq costs include the dear and ordinary moments of a life
By Beth Bragg / Anchorage Daily News
In the minutes before Spc. Abel Alejandro helped carry the flag-draped coffin of his friend and infantry team leader, he couldn't help but laugh while sharing a story about Daniel Woodcock, the Glennallen soldier killed this month in Iraq.
Woodcock, 25, was the kind of sergeant who put his soldiers ahead of himself, Alejandro said. "He would literally take his shirt off for you.''
Alejandro wasn't kidding. One cold day in Iraq -- and there are cold days in Iraq, Alejandro said -- Woodcock noticed that one of his soldiers wasn't dressed for the weather.
"He took off his Gore-Tex top and gave it to one of his privates because the private forgot to pack his,'' Alejandro said, grinning at the memory.
And then Alejandro was off to perform a duty he's drawn too many times in a nine-year Army career that's just about over: serve as a pallbearer. He and five other members of Woodcock's 82nd Airborne Division carried the casket at memorial and funeral services Friday at Ford Richardson.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9490
March 25th, 2007 7:41 pm
Americans keep Iraq war memorials up-to-date
By Scott Lindlaw / Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — The names of America’s war dead are etched in black marble with military precision, 46 to a column. Name, service branch, date of death in Iraq or Afghanistan — 3,217 so far, with another 300 going up next week.
Families of dead service members come here from around the country to visit the memorial built and maintained by the Marines’ Memorial Club. Resembling the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington, it is one of many markers, both public and private, that have sprung up across the country to honor fallen soldiers in real time.
It took the nation seven years of recrimination and reconciliation to dedicate the Vietnam wall, but this time around, Americans aren’t waiting for the shooting to stop. From beaches to bases, town squares to veterans’ clubs, they are building their monuments as fast as they can, even as the wars grind on.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9491
"They lie to you when they tell you time heals." -- Vietnam vet
Alberto Gonzales cuts and runs after taking just three questions from reporters
March 28th, 2007 6:09 pm
Gonzales ducks questions
News conference cut short after he's asked about firings
By Natasha Korecki / Chicago Sun-Times
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales rushed out of a Chicago news conference after just 2½ minutes Tuesday, avoiding questions about how his office gave U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald an undistinguished rating.
Gonzales, who is increasingly facing calls for his resignation, visited Chicago to promote a new ad campaign and had planned to spend 15 minutes with reporters. He left after taking just three questions about the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, a move that has drawn a firestorm of criticism.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9504
March 28th, 2007 6:31 pm
Lawmakers prod White House about Rove
By Laurie Kellman / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Lawmakers prodded the White House Wednesday for a new answer on whether President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove, will testify about the firings of federal prosecutors.
"We have not heard from you," Patrick Leahy of Vermont and John Conyers of Michigan, the Senate and House Judiciary committees' chairmen, wrote to President Bush's counsel, Fred Fielding.
The White House has indicated no willingness to move beyond Bush's initial offer to let Rove, former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and their deputies to speak to committee members, but only in private, without being sworn and off the record.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9505
"...we did not take into consideration we could be in a long war."
March 28th, 2007 7:06 pm
Worries grow over mental health of soldiers
Up to 20 percent of Iraq vets may have post-traumatic stress disorder
Reuters
WASHINGTON - Retired U.S. Navy medic Charlie Anderson twice thought about committing suicide: once when he feared he would be sent back to Iraq in 2004 and again last year when a friend and fellow veteran killed himself.
“I can’t say that I can’t go because we don’t do that, I also can’t go because I’m putting people in danger if I do,” he said of his first brush with suicidal thoughts, which came while he was awaiting his second deployment.
In the end, Anderson was not deployed but it sparked a two-year effort to get help for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), one of thousands of soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan facing a battle to re-enter everyday life.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9507
March 28th, 2007 7:06 pm
Worries grow over mental health of soldiers
Up to 20 percent of Iraq vets may have post-traumatic stress disorder
Reuters
WASHINGTON - Retired U.S. Navy medic Charlie Anderson twice thought about committing suicide: once when he feared he would be sent back to Iraq in 2004 and again last year when a friend and fellow veteran killed himself.
“I can’t say that I can’t go because we don’t do that, I also can’t go because I’m putting people in danger if I do,” he said of his first brush with suicidal thoughts, which came while he was awaiting his second deployment.
In the end, Anderson was not deployed but it sparked a two-year effort to get help for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), one of thousands of soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan facing a battle to re-enter everyday life.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9507
March 28th, 2007 2:04 am
Horror follows troops home
By Tom Roeder and Cary Leider Vogrin / Colorado Springs Gazette
FORT CARSON, CO - “Imagine you’re home in bed, sound asleep, then you wake up and hear glass breaking in your children’s room.
“Now imagine feeling that way for a year.”
The waking nightmare has followed Fort Carson Sgt. Christopher Cain and more than 1,500 other local soldiers home from Iraq.
Most of the mental health problems faced by homecoming troops are mild, Fort Carson officials say. Up to a third report a little sleeplessness here or paranoia there, the post’s top doctor said. These symptoms will disappear after a month or so at home for all but a few.
But a growing number of cases are more severe, like Cain’s. Nearly 600 Fort Carson soldiers were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder last year, up from 102 cases in 2003 when soldiers started returning from their first tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was the fourth straight year with a significant increase in the number of soldiers being diagnosed with PTSD.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9501
March 27th, 2007 1:24 am
Parents and Peace Activists To Press School Officials
ABC-7
ROCKVILLE, Md. - A Montgomery County parents' group is joining peace activists in raising questions about military recruiting efforts on high school campuses.
The parents have formed a group called Montgomery Coalition on Recruitment Issues which claims 180 members. They'll join members of Peace Action Montgomery at a meeting of the county's school board Monday night.
Some peace activists claim military recruiters have more access to public school students than recruiters from other groups. But Montgomery school officials say they comply with a federal law granting military recruiters equal access.
The groups contend recruiters have access to school lunchrooms and Junior ROTC programs and can bring military recruiting vans to school property. While other recruiters are must limit their activities to guidance offices.
March 28th, 2007 12:47 pm
Wounded vets look to life after military at job fairs
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO, TX - The booths with colorful posters, logo-bearing trinkets and enthusiastic recruiters are like those at most jobs fairs, but here at Fort Sam Houston on Tuesday, many of the job seekers come on crutches, missing limbs or with bandages, their fatigues and dark suits covering severe burns or other battle wounds.
The job fair, the ninth in a series sponsored by the Department of Defense, is designed to help wounded veterans -- especially those with the most severe injuries -- build a civilian life after their military career ends. Fort Sam houses the Army's only burn unit and new high-tech rehabilitation facility for amputees, so many of the wounded here will not return to active duty.
More than 23,000 military servicemembers have been wounded in action in Iraq, and because of advances in battlefield medicine, some of the most severe wounds including burns and limb losses are increasingly survivable. But once the medical care and rehabilitation are over, many veterans are uncertain what to do next, said Patricia Bradshaw, the DOD deputy undersecretary of civilian personnel.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9503
March 28th, 2007 11:17 am
Bush family hedges its bets for 2008
By Alexander Bolton / The Hill
George’s and Jeb’s followers are lining up against each other in the 2008 presidential election.
Many prominent GOP operatives close to President Bush have joined Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) while a majority of those close to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) are lining up behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R).
It is clear that the Bush family is hedging its 2008 bets, said one political scientist. Or the divergence could signal a schism between the two brothers’ politics. Or, as one fundraiser close to the Bush family argued, it may just be happenstance.
McCain’s campaign has signed the lion’s share of the best known lieutenants of the president’s election campaigns. Terry Nelson, Mark McKinnon, and Steve Schmidt, who worked on Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign, now serve McCain. Nelson served as Bush’s political director, McKinnon and Schmidt handled media strategy. Matt David, who handled rapid response, also works for McCain.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9502
October 7th, 2006 6:55 pm
Jeb Bush gets rude welcome
Police disperse angry protesters in Downtown T-station
By Ervin Dyer / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, in town for a fund-raiser for Sen. Rick Santorum, had a close encounter with a large group of anti-Republican protesters as he was making his way to the Duquesne Club, Downtown.
It was about 4:15 yesterday when Mr. Bush met up with the protesters near the corner of Liberty and Sixth avenues. The protesters were marching to join other pickets already gathered in front of the exclusive club, a little more than a block away at 325 Sixth Ave.
Protesters said Gov. Bush blew them a kiss, acknowledging the crowd of about 30 chanting pickets that was made up of United Steelworkers and members of Uprise Counter Recruitment, a tour traveling through 22 cities to support anti-war efforts.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/the06fix/index.php?id=260
"Bring the troops home."
Paint the White House Pink; CODEpink for impeachment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1HWW8xsp4c
Code Pink : Women for Peace
http://www.codepink4peace.org/
Alberto Gonzales cuts and runs after taking just three questions from reporters
March 29th, 2007 6:01 pm
E-Mail Shows Rove’s Role in Fate of Prosecutors
By David D. Kirkpatrick and Jim Rutenberg / New York Times
WASHINGTON, March 28 — Almost every Wednesday afternoon, advisers to President Bush gather to strategize about putting his stamp on the federal courts and the United States attorneys’ offices.
The group meets in the Roosevelt Room and includes aides to the White House counsel, the chief of staff, the attorney general and Karl Rove, who also sometimes attends himself. Each of them signs off on every nomination.
Mr. Rove, a top adviser to the president, takes charge of the politics. As caretaker to the administration’s conservative allies, Mr. Rove relays their concerns, according to several participants in the Wednesday meetings. And especially for appointments of United States attorneys, he manages the horse trading.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9510
March 28th, 2007 6:09 pm
Gonzales ducks questions
News conference cut short after he's asked about firings
By Natasha Korecki / Chicago Sun-Times
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales rushed out of a Chicago news conference after just 2½ minutes Tuesday, avoiding questions about how his office gave U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald an undistinguished rating.
Gonzales, who is increasingly facing calls for his resignation, visited Chicago to promote a new ad campaign and had planned to spend 15 minutes with reporters. He left after taking just three questions about the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, a move that has drawn a firestorm of criticism.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9504
March 28th, 2007 6:31 pm
Lawmakers prod White House about Rove
By Laurie Kellman / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Lawmakers prodded the White House Wednesday for a new answer on whether President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove, will testify about the firings of federal prosecutors.
"We have not heard from you," Patrick Leahy of Vermont and John Conyers of Michigan, the Senate and House Judiciary committees' chairmen, wrote to President Bush's counsel, Fred Fielding.
The White House has indicated no willingness to move beyond Bush's initial offer to let Rove, former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and their deputies to speak to committee members, but only in private, without being sworn and off the record.
Those terms — particularly Fielding's insistence on there being no transcript — have been dismissed by lawmakers.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9505
"...we did not take into consideration we could be in a long war."
March 28th, 2007 6:59 pm
Army Officer: Long-Term Morale a Concern
By Hope Yen / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The Army's new acting surgeon general said Tuesday she is concerned about long-term morale because the military lacks money to hire enough nurses and mental health specialists to treat thousands of troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.
"When the original plans were made, we did not take into consideration we could be in a long war," said Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock. She became surgeon general earlier this month after Kevin Kiley was forced to resign in a scandal over poor treatment of war-wounded at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
"We have not been able to do the hiring," Pollock told a House Armed Services subcommittee.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9506
"I have triggers every day, but I'm learning how to deal with them."
March 28th, 2007 7:06 pm
Worries grow over mental health of soldiers
Up to 20 percent of Iraq vets may have post-traumatic stress disorder
Reuters
WASHINGTON - Retired U.S. Navy medic Charlie Anderson twice thought about committing suicide: once when he feared he would be sent back to Iraq in 2004 and again last year when a friend and fellow veteran killed himself.
“I can’t say that I can’t go because we don’t do that, I also can’t go because I’m putting people in danger if I do,” he said of his first brush with suicidal thoughts, which came while he was awaiting his second deployment.
In the end, Anderson was not deployed but it sparked a two-year effort to get help for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), one of thousands of soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan facing a battle to re-enter everyday life.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9507
Tuesday, March 27th, 2007
'Go See Air Guitar Nation!' ...by Björn Turöque
Air Guitar Nation has received rave reviews from nearly every media outlet! But we still need your love!
Tickets are available here
If you’ve seen the film, you know it rocks. Please forward this info to friends in NY and LA. If you haven’t seen it, please check it out. It’s a well made, hilarious movie that will make you laugh out loud and actually get sucked in to the story, as the New York Times notes:
http://michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=850
Air Guitar Nation
http://www.airguitarnation.com/new/
"Those organizers do not violate a single city code."
Town Ordinance Doesn't Stop the War Memorial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7Lb9S9uNTM
"It was a twist in life they hadn't counted on."
March 28th, 2007 12:47 pm
Wounded vets look to life after military at job fairs
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO, TX - The booths with colorful posters, logo-bearing trinkets and enthusiastic recruiters are like those at most jobs fairs, but here at Fort Sam Houston on Tuesday, many of the job seekers come on crutches, missing limbs or with bandages, their fatigues and dark suits covering severe burns or other battle wounds.
The job fair, the ninth in a series sponsored by the Department of Defense, is designed to help wounded veterans -- especially those with the most severe injuries -- build a civilian life after their military career ends. Fort Sam houses the Army's only burn unit and new high-tech rehabilitation facility for amputees, so many of the wounded here will not return to active duty.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9503
Defund the war - Rebuild the Gulf Coast
http://veteransforpeace.org/Rebuilding_the_gulf_coast.vp.html
The Occupation Project
http://vcnv.org/project/the-occupation-project
Impeach the President
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=622
continued ...
"This is not a monarchy. There are ways to deal with it. And I would hope the president understands that."-- Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel
March 25th, 2007 5:59 pm
Hagel: Some See Impeachment As Option
GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel: Some Lawmakers See Impeachment As Option if Bush Continues Iraq Strategy
By Hope Yen / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - With his go-it-alone approach on Iraq, President Bush is flouting Congress and the public, so angering lawmakers that some consider impeachment an option over his war policy, a senator from Bush's own party said Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Senate's No. 2 Republican leader harshly criticized House Democrats for setting an "artificial date" for withdrawing troops from Iraq and said he believes Republicans have enough votes to prevent passage of a similar bill in the Senate.
"We need to put that kind of decision in the hands of our commanders who are there on the ground with the men and women," said Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss. "For Congress to impose an artificial date of any kind is totally irresponsible."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9488
"Get 'em both! A twofer!"
March 25th, 2007 5:44 pm
Larson Is Told: Impeach Bush
By Matthew Kauffman / Hartford Courant
WEST HARTFORD -- U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, promoted his views on Iraq to a mostly friendly audience in West Hartford Saturday, but nearly lost the crowd briefly when he stopped short of endorsing the impeachment of President Bush.
In a two-hour town meeting at the Elmwood Community Center, Larson praised House colleagues who joined him in narrowly passing legislation Friday requiring an end to combat in Iraq no later than September 2008. But Bush has promised to veto the legislation, prompting John L. Cochran of Manchester to suggest an alternate tack.
"As long as Bush is going to veto everything you try to do, it kind of cuts your options," Cochran, 82, said in a slow, even voice. "Maybe you'll be able to get a few more Republicans to vote on your side, but that doesn't sound too promising as far as really having enough to overcome a veto.
"From my viewpoint, I think the only option left is impeachment."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9486
March 25th, 2007 6:25 pm
2 bombs kill 5 U.S. soliders in Iraq
By Kim Gamel / Associated Press
BAGHDAD - Roadside bombs killed five U.S. soldiers in Iraq Sunday, including four in a single strike in a volatile province northeast of the capital, the military said.
In Baghdad, gunmen on rooftops opened fire on Iraqi soldiers, prompting fierce fighting in the narrow streets and alleys of one of the capital's oldest neighborhoods, a Sunni insurgent stronghold and a haven for criminals on the east side of the Tigris River. At least two civilians were killed and four others were wounded in the clashes, police said, as U.S. attack helicopters buzzed overhead.
Four U.S. soldiers were killed and two others were wounded, according to a statement, when an explosion struck their patrol in Diyala province, a religiously mixed area that has seen fierce fighting in recent months.
A roadside bomb also killed a soldier and wounded two others as they were checking for bombs on a road in northwestern Baghdad, the military said.
Thousands of U.S. reinforcements have been sent to the capital and surrounding areas to help the Iraqis tame the spiraling sectarian violence that flared after the bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra more than a year ago.
Sunday's deaths raise to at least 3,239 the members of the U.S. military who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003 — 114 of those since the security operation started on Feb. 14, according to an Associated Press count. In comparison, 123 U.S. troops deaths were reported in the 40 days preceding the start of the plan.
The clashes between gunmen and Iraqi soldiers in Baghdad's Fadhil neighborhood started about 1:30 p.m. when an attack on Iraqi army positions forced soldiers to call for U.S. assistance, Iraqi officials said. The U.S. military said it had no immediate reports about the fighting.
An Iraqi army colonel from the brigade in charge of the area said the gunmen were firing at army checkpoints and patrols from rooftops and the soldiers returned fire. He said the situation had largely calmed by late afternoon, but sporadic clashes continued.
"The soldiers raided some houses believed to be used by the gunmen today. Several suspects were arrested and they are being interrogated," the colonel said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The military sealed off all roads leading to the area, causing traffic jams, according to witnesses and police. Stores closed their doors as the streets emptied of people fleeing the fighting.
"The gunmen were shooting at every moving object. The streets were deserted and all shops closed," said Ghaith Jassim, the 37-year-old owner of a textile store in the area. "These frequent clashes have affected our work. We cannot earn our living. People and traders are afraid of coming to our area."
Jassim said the arrival of U.S. troops in the area briefly stopped the clashes but the fighting resumed when the Americans left.
Fadhil, one of Baghdad's oldest and poorest areas, is ridden with Sunni insurgents and common criminals and its narrow streets and alleys have been the site of frequent clashes.
A helicopter owned by the private security company Blackwater USA crashed in heavy gunfire in the area on Jan. 23, killing four civilian contractors. A fifth contractor in a second helicopter died of gunshot wounds.
The U.S. military, meanwhile, raised the death toll in a suicide truck bombing against a police station in Baghdad on Saturday to 33 police officers, saying 20 other policemen and 24 civilians were wounded. Iraqi police said 20 people were killed in the strike, which was the deadliest of a series of suicide bombings nationwide.
The new toll would raise to 87 the number of people killed or found dead in Iraq on Saturday — 60 in suicide bombings.
Suspected Shiite militants attacked a Sunni mosque on Sunday in apparent retaliation for one of those attacks — a suicide truck bombing against a Shiite mosque that killed 11 people in Haswa, 30 miles south of Baghdad.
The explosion on Sunday blew a hole in the roof of the mosque's minaret but caused no injuries, although two people were wounded after clashes erupted in the area following the blast. Local authorities imposed a curfew after gunmen opened fire on a funeral procession for the victims killed in Saturday's blast, raising fresh concerns about sectarian violence.
The number of execution-style killings in the capital has declined since the operation started on Feb. 14 — a development officials say is due to an agreement keeping Shiite militias off the street. Sunday's attack in Haswa highlighted concerns that militia factions are angry about being sidelined while the bombings continue.
On March 14, U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William C. Caldwell expressed optimism about the Baghdad security plan, but urged patience and cautioned that "high-profile" car bombings, which rose to a high of 77 in February, could "start the whole cycle of violence again."
The Islamic State in Iraq, an insurgent umbrella group that includes al-Qaida in Iraq, purportedly claimed responsibility for three other suicide bombings Saturday near the Anbar province city of Qaim, near the Syrian border, saying in an Internet statement that 45 policemen were killed and 48 were wounded.
The statement could not be independently verified, and police said only six people had been killed, including five policemen, and 19 other people wounded in the three attacks against checkpoints and a police station.
At least 31 people were killed or found dead elsewhere in Iraq, including two soldiers who died after a suicide car bomber struck an Iraqi army checkpoint in Baqouba and 22 bullet-riddled bodies of apparent victims of so-called sectarian death squads — most in Baghdad.
March 25th, 2007 7:35 pm
Iraq costs include the dear and ordinary moments of a life
By Beth Bragg / Anchorage Daily News
In the minutes before Spc. Abel Alejandro helped carry the flag-draped coffin of his friend and infantry team leader, he couldn't help but laugh while sharing a story about Daniel Woodcock, the Glennallen soldier killed this month in Iraq.
Woodcock, 25, was the kind of sergeant who put his soldiers ahead of himself, Alejandro said. "He would literally take his shirt off for you.''
Alejandro wasn't kidding. One cold day in Iraq -- and there are cold days in Iraq, Alejandro said -- Woodcock noticed that one of his soldiers wasn't dressed for the weather.
"He took off his Gore-Tex top and gave it to one of his privates because the private forgot to pack his,'' Alejandro said, grinning at the memory.
And then Alejandro was off to perform a duty he's drawn too many times in a nine-year Army career that's just about over: serve as a pallbearer. He and five other members of Woodcock's 82nd Airborne Division carried the casket at memorial and funeral services Friday at Ford Richardson.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9490
March 25th, 2007 7:41 pm
Americans keep Iraq war memorials up-to-date
By Scott Lindlaw / Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — The names of America’s war dead are etched in black marble with military precision, 46 to a column. Name, service branch, date of death in Iraq or Afghanistan — 3,217 so far, with another 300 going up next week.
Families of dead service members come here from around the country to visit the memorial built and maintained by the Marines’ Memorial Club. Resembling the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington, it is one of many markers, both public and private, that have sprung up across the country to honor fallen soldiers in real time.
It took the nation seven years of recrimination and reconciliation to dedicate the Vietnam wall, but this time around, Americans aren’t waiting for the shooting to stop. From beaches to bases, town squares to veterans’ clubs, they are building their monuments as fast as they can, even as the wars grind on.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9491
"They lie to you when they tell you time heals." -- Vietnam vet
Alberto Gonzales cuts and runs after taking just three questions from reporters
March 28th, 2007 6:09 pm
Gonzales ducks questions
News conference cut short after he's asked about firings
By Natasha Korecki / Chicago Sun-Times
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales rushed out of a Chicago news conference after just 2½ minutes Tuesday, avoiding questions about how his office gave U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald an undistinguished rating.
Gonzales, who is increasingly facing calls for his resignation, visited Chicago to promote a new ad campaign and had planned to spend 15 minutes with reporters. He left after taking just three questions about the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, a move that has drawn a firestorm of criticism.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9504
March 28th, 2007 6:31 pm
Lawmakers prod White House about Rove
By Laurie Kellman / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Lawmakers prodded the White House Wednesday for a new answer on whether President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove, will testify about the firings of federal prosecutors.
"We have not heard from you," Patrick Leahy of Vermont and John Conyers of Michigan, the Senate and House Judiciary committees' chairmen, wrote to President Bush's counsel, Fred Fielding.
The White House has indicated no willingness to move beyond Bush's initial offer to let Rove, former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and their deputies to speak to committee members, but only in private, without being sworn and off the record.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9505
"...we did not take into consideration we could be in a long war."
March 28th, 2007 7:06 pm
Worries grow over mental health of soldiers
Up to 20 percent of Iraq vets may have post-traumatic stress disorder
Reuters
WASHINGTON - Retired U.S. Navy medic Charlie Anderson twice thought about committing suicide: once when he feared he would be sent back to Iraq in 2004 and again last year when a friend and fellow veteran killed himself.
“I can’t say that I can’t go because we don’t do that, I also can’t go because I’m putting people in danger if I do,” he said of his first brush with suicidal thoughts, which came while he was awaiting his second deployment.
In the end, Anderson was not deployed but it sparked a two-year effort to get help for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), one of thousands of soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan facing a battle to re-enter everyday life.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9507
March 28th, 2007 7:06 pm
Worries grow over mental health of soldiers
Up to 20 percent of Iraq vets may have post-traumatic stress disorder
Reuters
WASHINGTON - Retired U.S. Navy medic Charlie Anderson twice thought about committing suicide: once when he feared he would be sent back to Iraq in 2004 and again last year when a friend and fellow veteran killed himself.
“I can’t say that I can’t go because we don’t do that, I also can’t go because I’m putting people in danger if I do,” he said of his first brush with suicidal thoughts, which came while he was awaiting his second deployment.
In the end, Anderson was not deployed but it sparked a two-year effort to get help for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), one of thousands of soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan facing a battle to re-enter everyday life.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9507
March 28th, 2007 2:04 am
Horror follows troops home
By Tom Roeder and Cary Leider Vogrin / Colorado Springs Gazette
FORT CARSON, CO - “Imagine you’re home in bed, sound asleep, then you wake up and hear glass breaking in your children’s room.
“Now imagine feeling that way for a year.”
The waking nightmare has followed Fort Carson Sgt. Christopher Cain and more than 1,500 other local soldiers home from Iraq.
Most of the mental health problems faced by homecoming troops are mild, Fort Carson officials say. Up to a third report a little sleeplessness here or paranoia there, the post’s top doctor said. These symptoms will disappear after a month or so at home for all but a few.
But a growing number of cases are more severe, like Cain’s. Nearly 600 Fort Carson soldiers were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder last year, up from 102 cases in 2003 when soldiers started returning from their first tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was the fourth straight year with a significant increase in the number of soldiers being diagnosed with PTSD.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9501
March 27th, 2007 1:24 am
Parents and Peace Activists To Press School Officials
ABC-7
ROCKVILLE, Md. - A Montgomery County parents' group is joining peace activists in raising questions about military recruiting efforts on high school campuses.
The parents have formed a group called Montgomery Coalition on Recruitment Issues which claims 180 members. They'll join members of Peace Action Montgomery at a meeting of the county's school board Monday night.
Some peace activists claim military recruiters have more access to public school students than recruiters from other groups. But Montgomery school officials say they comply with a federal law granting military recruiters equal access.
The groups contend recruiters have access to school lunchrooms and Junior ROTC programs and can bring military recruiting vans to school property. While other recruiters are must limit their activities to guidance offices.
March 28th, 2007 12:47 pm
Wounded vets look to life after military at job fairs
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO, TX - The booths with colorful posters, logo-bearing trinkets and enthusiastic recruiters are like those at most jobs fairs, but here at Fort Sam Houston on Tuesday, many of the job seekers come on crutches, missing limbs or with bandages, their fatigues and dark suits covering severe burns or other battle wounds.
The job fair, the ninth in a series sponsored by the Department of Defense, is designed to help wounded veterans -- especially those with the most severe injuries -- build a civilian life after their military career ends. Fort Sam houses the Army's only burn unit and new high-tech rehabilitation facility for amputees, so many of the wounded here will not return to active duty.
More than 23,000 military servicemembers have been wounded in action in Iraq, and because of advances in battlefield medicine, some of the most severe wounds including burns and limb losses are increasingly survivable. But once the medical care and rehabilitation are over, many veterans are uncertain what to do next, said Patricia Bradshaw, the DOD deputy undersecretary of civilian personnel.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9503
March 28th, 2007 11:17 am
Bush family hedges its bets for 2008
By Alexander Bolton / The Hill
George’s and Jeb’s followers are lining up against each other in the 2008 presidential election.
Many prominent GOP operatives close to President Bush have joined Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) while a majority of those close to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) are lining up behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R).
It is clear that the Bush family is hedging its 2008 bets, said one political scientist. Or the divergence could signal a schism between the two brothers’ politics. Or, as one fundraiser close to the Bush family argued, it may just be happenstance.
McCain’s campaign has signed the lion’s share of the best known lieutenants of the president’s election campaigns. Terry Nelson, Mark McKinnon, and Steve Schmidt, who worked on Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign, now serve McCain. Nelson served as Bush’s political director, McKinnon and Schmidt handled media strategy. Matt David, who handled rapid response, also works for McCain.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9502
October 7th, 2006 6:55 pm
Jeb Bush gets rude welcome
Police disperse angry protesters in Downtown T-station
By Ervin Dyer / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, in town for a fund-raiser for Sen. Rick Santorum, had a close encounter with a large group of anti-Republican protesters as he was making his way to the Duquesne Club, Downtown.
It was about 4:15 yesterday when Mr. Bush met up with the protesters near the corner of Liberty and Sixth avenues. The protesters were marching to join other pickets already gathered in front of the exclusive club, a little more than a block away at 325 Sixth Ave.
Protesters said Gov. Bush blew them a kiss, acknowledging the crowd of about 30 chanting pickets that was made up of United Steelworkers and members of Uprise Counter Recruitment, a tour traveling through 22 cities to support anti-war efforts.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/the06fix/index.php?id=260
"Bring the troops home."
Paint the White House Pink; CODEpink for impeachment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1HWW8xsp4c
Code Pink : Women for Peace
http://www.codepink4peace.org/
Alberto Gonzales cuts and runs after taking just three questions from reporters
March 29th, 2007 6:01 pm
E-Mail Shows Rove’s Role in Fate of Prosecutors
By David D. Kirkpatrick and Jim Rutenberg / New York Times
WASHINGTON, March 28 — Almost every Wednesday afternoon, advisers to President Bush gather to strategize about putting his stamp on the federal courts and the United States attorneys’ offices.
The group meets in the Roosevelt Room and includes aides to the White House counsel, the chief of staff, the attorney general and Karl Rove, who also sometimes attends himself. Each of them signs off on every nomination.
Mr. Rove, a top adviser to the president, takes charge of the politics. As caretaker to the administration’s conservative allies, Mr. Rove relays their concerns, according to several participants in the Wednesday meetings. And especially for appointments of United States attorneys, he manages the horse trading.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9510
March 28th, 2007 6:09 pm
Gonzales ducks questions
News conference cut short after he's asked about firings
By Natasha Korecki / Chicago Sun-Times
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales rushed out of a Chicago news conference after just 2½ minutes Tuesday, avoiding questions about how his office gave U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald an undistinguished rating.
Gonzales, who is increasingly facing calls for his resignation, visited Chicago to promote a new ad campaign and had planned to spend 15 minutes with reporters. He left after taking just three questions about the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, a move that has drawn a firestorm of criticism.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9504
March 28th, 2007 6:31 pm
Lawmakers prod White House about Rove
By Laurie Kellman / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Lawmakers prodded the White House Wednesday for a new answer on whether President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove, will testify about the firings of federal prosecutors.
"We have not heard from you," Patrick Leahy of Vermont and John Conyers of Michigan, the Senate and House Judiciary committees' chairmen, wrote to President Bush's counsel, Fred Fielding.
The White House has indicated no willingness to move beyond Bush's initial offer to let Rove, former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and their deputies to speak to committee members, but only in private, without being sworn and off the record.
Those terms — particularly Fielding's insistence on there being no transcript — have been dismissed by lawmakers.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9505
"...we did not take into consideration we could be in a long war."
March 28th, 2007 6:59 pm
Army Officer: Long-Term Morale a Concern
By Hope Yen / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The Army's new acting surgeon general said Tuesday she is concerned about long-term morale because the military lacks money to hire enough nurses and mental health specialists to treat thousands of troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.
"When the original plans were made, we did not take into consideration we could be in a long war," said Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock. She became surgeon general earlier this month after Kevin Kiley was forced to resign in a scandal over poor treatment of war-wounded at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
"We have not been able to do the hiring," Pollock told a House Armed Services subcommittee.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9506
"I have triggers every day, but I'm learning how to deal with them."
March 28th, 2007 7:06 pm
Worries grow over mental health of soldiers
Up to 20 percent of Iraq vets may have post-traumatic stress disorder
Reuters
WASHINGTON - Retired U.S. Navy medic Charlie Anderson twice thought about committing suicide: once when he feared he would be sent back to Iraq in 2004 and again last year when a friend and fellow veteran killed himself.
“I can’t say that I can’t go because we don’t do that, I also can’t go because I’m putting people in danger if I do,” he said of his first brush with suicidal thoughts, which came while he was awaiting his second deployment.
In the end, Anderson was not deployed but it sparked a two-year effort to get help for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), one of thousands of soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan facing a battle to re-enter everyday life.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9507
Tuesday, March 27th, 2007
'Go See Air Guitar Nation!' ...by Björn Turöque
Air Guitar Nation has received rave reviews from nearly every media outlet! But we still need your love!
Tickets are available here
If you’ve seen the film, you know it rocks. Please forward this info to friends in NY and LA. If you haven’t seen it, please check it out. It’s a well made, hilarious movie that will make you laugh out loud and actually get sucked in to the story, as the New York Times notes:
http://michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=850
Air Guitar Nation
http://www.airguitarnation.com/new/
"Those organizers do not violate a single city code."
Town Ordinance Doesn't Stop the War Memorial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7Lb9S9uNTM
"It was a twist in life they hadn't counted on."
March 28th, 2007 12:47 pm
Wounded vets look to life after military at job fairs
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO, TX - The booths with colorful posters, logo-bearing trinkets and enthusiastic recruiters are like those at most jobs fairs, but here at Fort Sam Houston on Tuesday, many of the job seekers come on crutches, missing limbs or with bandages, their fatigues and dark suits covering severe burns or other battle wounds.
The job fair, the ninth in a series sponsored by the Department of Defense, is designed to help wounded veterans -- especially those with the most severe injuries -- build a civilian life after their military career ends. Fort Sam houses the Army's only burn unit and new high-tech rehabilitation facility for amputees, so many of the wounded here will not return to active duty.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9503
Defund the war - Rebuild the Gulf Coast
http://veteransforpeace.org/Rebuilding_the_gulf_coast.vp.html
The Occupation Project
http://vcnv.org/project/the-occupation-project
Impeach the President
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=622
continued ...
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
HK restaurants' menu of endangered reef fish causes depletion in Asia seas
"Wally" the Napoleon Maori Wrasse in the Great Barrier Reef (click on)
Nao Nakanishi
HONG KONG
27-Mar-07
TURQUOISE fish with red dots stare at hungry tourists from a tank at a restaurant in Hong Kong, the capital of the world's live reef fish industry, a lucrative trade devastating reefs across the Pacific Ocean.
Considered a delicacy, demand for coral fish has exploded in line with China's booming economy and some species such as the humphead wrasse are already endangered.
Morning Papers - continued
Zoos
Tarongo Zoo: A Must See Destination in Syndey, Australia
A Review
Looking for a bit of entertainment on a Saturday afternoon I decided to venture out to yet another destination I had yet to explore, and being an animal lover, I decided on the Tarongo Zoo. A zoo neatly located off the coast of Sydney and accessible by both car and ferry.
While the car ride there is rather uneventful, a simple ride through a nice little town and a good view of some cute antique houses, the ferry is a beautiful little mini-tour of Sydney harbor. Ferries depart from Cicular Quay in downtown. However, since I was more closely located via car, I decided to drive. After having lunch in neighboring Crow's Nest, I departed for the zoo. Lucky for me, the zoo offers a large car park for $10.00, parking wasn't an issue.
What I thought was a small local zoo turned out to be a very large, intricately designed, and very comprehensive zoo. The Tarongo zoo houses hundreds of little animals from native Australian critters to animals of Africa, Asia, the Americans, and Europe. An animal lover couldn't ask for a better zoo. My first stop, a neatly organized bird exhibit with pelicans, and ducks of various colors and sizes. The cute little brown ducks with blue bills were my favorites besides the commanding pelicans which were swimming around the beautifully landscaped lake given to them and fishing for a meal. Lunch time at the Tarongo zoo is probably the best time to arrive, as all the animals are out in full force and either awaiting their meals, or having them. A very interesting experience, to be sure!
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/182825/tarongo_zoo_a_must_see_destination.htmlBottom of Form
Zoo Hopes 'Panda Porn' Will Help Pandas Mate (video)
(AP) CHIANG MAI, Thailand Chuang Chuang the panda has been spending his days in front of a big screen television watching panda porn.
Authorities at the Chiang Mai Zoo in northern Thailand hope the images will encourage him to mate with his partner, Lin Hui, and serve as an instructional lesson in how to do it right.
So far, it's been a tough sell, the zoo's chief veterinarian, Kanika Limtrakul, said Tuesday.
"Chuang Chuang seems indifferent to the videos; he has no reaction to what he's seeing on TV," Kanika said. "But, we're continuing to show him videos and hoping they will leave an impression."
Pandas are threatened by loss of habitat, poaching and a low reproduction rate. Females in the wild normally have a cub once every two to three years.
http://wbztv.com/national/topstories_story_086091613.html
Birth of tiger triplets brings zoo full circle
Tri-State Zoological Park still recovering from fire that killed 100 animals last year
By Daleen Berry
CUMBERLAND TIMES-NEWS (CUMBERLAND, Md.)
CUMBERLAND, Md. — After three years that included a deadly fire in 2006, tiger triplets born last week have brought a local zoo full circle.
The electrical fire last March killed about 100 of the Tri-State Zoological Park of Western Maryland animals, but owner Bob Candy is hoping the birth of the three tiger cubs Thursday will help put his expansion plans back on track. Those plans include not just rebuilding much of it, but also making the zoo “the best zoo in the state of Maryland.”
The baby tigers were born to Cheyenne and Khan, a pair of Siberian tigers that were among the first animals to arrive three years ago. Candy was concerned there might be complications with the pregnancy, since Cheyenne’s first litter died in October. But Candy said the mother tiger did great during both labor and delivery.
“She was just fine. She would walk over to be petted after each one (was born),” Candy said. “We take that as a good sign, because they (can) get very possessive (after giving birth)."
http://www.mineralwellsindex.com/statenews/cnhinsall_story_085113530.html
Inji, the Oregon Zoo's popular orangutan, has gallbladder surgery (video)
If you're planning a Spring Break trip to the Oregon Zoo, you'll miss one of the zoo's favorite attractions.
Inji, the 47-year-old matriarch of the zoo's orangutan clan, had her gallbladder removed Monday. Famous for her Super Bowl predictions, Inji is one of the zoo's original residents.
Zoo officials said Inji stopped eating normally in December. Her caretakers later discovered she had gallstones. Some have been treated with medicine, but others required surgery.
The surgery carried some risk for Inji. Zoo officials said the animal's age and orangutans' sensitive respiratory systems could complicate surgery. But officials at the zoo said the Inji risked fatal complications if the gallstones went untreated.
Inji will be out of sight to zoo visitors while she's recuperating.
Need an Inji fix? Check her out here:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/03/inji_the_oregon_zoos_popular_o.html
Rosamond zoo needs $5k more for ocelots
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park has raised $31,060 in its effort to bring a mother-daughter pair of ocelots to Central New York later this spring.
Zoo officials need about $36,000, which means they need about $5,000 more.
The small South American cats are at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. To donate, call Debbie Messina at 435-8511, ext. 132, or e-mail her at dmessina@syracusezoo.org.
http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2007/03/rosamond_zoo_needs_5k_more_for.html
WSPA urges municipalities to support Bill 154, protect zoo animals
Call comes after raid on roadside zoo, London council vote
Attention: Assignment Editor, City Editor, News Editor, Travel/Tourism Editor, Government/Political Affairs Editor
TORONTO ONTARIO PRESS RELEASE ROADSIDE ZOOS--(CCNMatthews - March 27, 2007) - The World Society for the Protection of Animals is calling on municipalities across Ontario to support Bill 154 following a vote by London council earlier this week to endorse the proposed "roadside zoo" legislation.
Councillors in London - home to one of the worst roadside zoos in the province - voted Monday to endorse MPP David Zimmer's private member's bill, "An Act to Regulate Zoos," which would require all zoos be licensed and comply with professional welfare and public safety standards.
Ontario is home to more zoos than any other province yet has the weakest laws in the country for ensuring animals confined in these facilities are treated well. Many of these zoos are small, grossly substandard facilities that lack the trained professional staff to properly care for their animals.
WSPA has been actively campaigning for Bill 154 along with other animal welfare groups and welcomed the news of the vote by London council. "WSPA encourages other municipalities to follow London's leadership and voice their support for provincial zoo regulations," said Melissa Tkachyk, Campaigns Officer for WSPA Canada.
A recent poll of Ontarians suggested 97 per cent agreed that zoos should be required by law to meet professional, animal welfare and public safety standards. Thousands of others have written letters and signed petitions in support of such a law, as new cases of horrific conditions at roadside zoos have come to light.
On March 16, the Ontario SPCA seized 28 animals from the Kerwood Wolf Centre west of London in the
Township of Adelaide-Metcalfe. SPCA inspectors said the animals lacked food and water and many were being forced to lay in their own excrement. One horse had to be euthanized. At the time of the raid, the owner was already facing charges stemming from the seizure of 18 animals last year.
http://www.ccnmatthews.com/news/releases/show.jsp?action=showRelease&searchText=false&showText=all&actionFor=642528
Belgrade Zoo needs to move!
Category: Animal Behavior • Animal Rights • Balkans • Politics
Posted on: March 27, 2007 2:59 PM, by Coturnix
Long time ago, I mentioned here something about the Belgrade Zoo. The power of Google brought a Belgrader, Sonja, to my blog, who alerted me to the dire conditions in which the Zoo is right now and the existence of her website (made by her and her students) called Zoo SOS whose goal is to force the City government of Belgrade to move the Zoo from its present location to a better place outside town (not having to deal with the Animal Rights terrorists there, they must have placed a link to PETA by mistake - they do not know the distinction between Animal Rights and Animal Welfare).
Belgrade Zoo is located on Kalemegdan, the most ancient (from Roman through Turkish times) part of Belgrade. The zoo is small, and most of it is on stone and concrete. You can see some pictures of it here (just keep clicking on "Next" until you see them all).
Belgraders love their zoo. It is one of the favourite spots to spend a weekend. But it is also depressing to see animals crowded in small cages. It is especially painful for those of us who have seen modern zoos, like the one here in Asheboro, where animals are free to roam over many acres of land specifically designed to mimic their natural habitats.
http://scienceblogs.com/clock/2007/03/belgrade_zoo_needs_to_move.php
Roanoke pledges $500,000 to help improve Mill Mountain Zoo
ROANOKE, Va. The city of Roanoke has pledged 500-thousand dollars to help improve Mill Mountain Zoo.
The is the biggest grant in zoo history and would be given over three years in three installments. It's linked to the zoo's ability to raise matching funds from other sources.
Zoo officials hope to make improvements such as fixing aging exhibits and building a new quarantine facility.
The zoo wants to become more financially stable and upgrade existing exhibits prior to an accreditation inspection this summer.
The Mill Mountain Zoo has an annual budget of about 700-thousand dollars, which is funded largely by gate admissions, programs and private donations. About ten percent of its money comes from government sources.
http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=6286722&nav=S6aK
Get In With The Lemurs at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
Our exciting new exhibit In With The Lemurs opens to the public on Friday. Beating the rush to mingle with these amazing primates is BBC Radio One Breakfast Show’s Dominic Byrne who will officially launch the exhibit tomorrow, come along to see Dominic in action.
Dominic has been a big fan of Whipsnade for many years and regularly visits to see the animals, particularly Barclay the Californian sea lion.
The popular newsreader, together with some of his Breakfast Show pals, will be the first to step into the lemurs’ “bachelor pad” and meet the lively inhabitants!
http://www.zsl.org/zsl-whipsnade-zoo/news/get-in-with-the-lemurs-at-zsl-whipsnade-zoo,348,NS.html
New Polar Bear On Exhibit At Denver Zoo (video)
(CBS4) DENVER A 22-year-old male polar bear named Frosty arrived at Denver Zoo in December and was put out on public exhibit with his new mate, resident female, Voda Tuesday.
Frosty, came to Denver Zoo from Tulsa Zoo on a breeding loan sanctioned by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP).
Frosty has acclimated well to his new surroundings and he and Voda can be seen on exhibit daily in Denver Zoo’s Northern Shores.
http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_086224401.html
City votes to keep elephants at zoo
Juno and Savannah will stay at the El Paso Zoo for the rest of their days.
By a 6-2 vote Tuesday, the El Paso City Council ended a debate that began at this council's first meeting in June 2005 by deciding to keep the two female elephants, ages 55 and 45, rather than send them to a Tennessee sanctuary.
Zoo Director Steve Marshall, who took over at the zoo in January and asked for time to evaluate the situation before making a recommendation, assured council members and the public that the zoo's three-quarter-acre habitat exceeds national standards for two or even three elephants.
"Do these animals need to be moved?" Marshall said. "The answer is no."
Ray Darnell, director of the Albuquerque Bio Park, and Mike Keele, deputy director of the Oregon Zoo in Portland, agreed.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_5535180
Red panda twins make debut at Sydney zoo
SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - Twin red pandas made their public debut at Sydney's Taronga Zoo on Wednesday, the latest additions to a breeding program that aims to ensure the survival of the endangered species.
Zoo keepers cuddled and showed off the three-month-old males, named Jinshu and Tenzin, trying to weigh the wriggling cubs on some scales.
The proud parents, meanwhile, Wanmei and Mayhem, completely ignored the visitors crowding around the enclosure and continued their morning snooze.
"They're just brilliant, they're beautiful. It's amazing to be able to hold an endangered animal in my hands knowing that we've just contributed to the world population," said a Taronga Zoo worker who gave her name as Bobby-Jo.
http://www.reuters.com/article/gc08/idUSL289338120070328
Panda Cam makes voyeurism cute again
The National Zoo is one of only five zoos in the country with giant pandas, but the zoo is a bus ride and a Metro stop away. Normally, people who just want a quick panda fix, or don’t like pretending that they’re interested in gazelles would be out of luck. Fortunately, the National Zoo website has the Panda Cam, a continuous feed of those beasts are up to.
As of lunchtime Monday, Tai Shan was pressing his panda face into a rock, asleep. But then a weird mist floated by for a while. Fortunately, the panda seemed unharmed.
The pandas cost a bundle, so the least we can do is get our money’s worth by monitoring them constantly.
http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/?p=129
News from the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/default.cfm?cam=LP2
The Club Penguin Alphabet
This is stupid but who cares!
A is for Aunt Arctic! B is for Beacon! C is for Club Penguin! D is for Dumb People that think the iceburg will tip!E is for Everybody plays the game! F is for Fish! G is for Games that rock! H is for Hackers! I is for Ice Fishing! J is for Jumping Pink Puffle! K is for Kings of the castle igloo! L is for Losers that get their friend’s penguin banned forever! M is for Money that you get for playing games! N is for hand Numbing weather! O is for Other penguins to play with! P is for Penguin! Q is for Questions that we ask Aunt Arctic! Ris for Rockhopper! S is for Super parties!T is for tubes in sled racing! U is for Underground Mine! V is for Vultures that hack! W is for Winter all the time! X is for Xtra fun!
Y is forYour own igloo styles! Z is for puffles zoos in your house!
http://born2bajedi.wordpress.com/2007/03/27/the-club-penguin-alphabet/
Zoos try cross-country panda breeding
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Biologists at the National Zoo in Washington are attempting to impregnate the zoo's female panda with sperm from a California donor.
Sperm from Gao Gao, a male panda at the San Diego Zoo, was flown first class across the country to attempt to impregnate Mei Xiang, a mother of one at the National Zoo, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
JoGayle Howard, a theriogenologist specializing in the reproductive biology of endangered species, said zoo staff members have been analyzing Mei Xiang's hormone levels to determine the proper time for insemination.
http://www.arcamax.com/newsheadlines/s-176352-462872?source=1930
Nudging nature for newborns
As the mating season shifts into high gear, some animals are getting help getting acquainted. Some offspring leave for other zoos to conserve species and expand breeding pools.
BY Maricella Miranda
The stork doesn't deliver a bundle of joy to all Minnesota Zoo animals.
Sometimes, it takes a little finessing to persuade the big bird to make a stop.
It doesn't help that strict rules govern which animals can breed and when, and where their babies will end up.
Rules aside, some pairs become intimate more often and willingly than others, said Tony Fisher, collections manager at the Minnesota Zoo. But it will take a lot of planning and staff time this year to romance Amur tigers and sun bears.
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_5534544
Bill would ban circus elephants from city
Group wants all animal performers barred
by amy zimmer / metro new york
MAR 28, 2007
MANHATTAN. The circus is coming to town and animal rights activists are gearing up for a fight.
For groups backing City Councilwoman Rosie Mendez’s proposed ban on exotic animal performers, last night’s annual elephant walk by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey outfit was the first salvo. On Saturday — timed to the start of the show — they plan to fire back at a rally outside Madison Square Garden.
“Bears don’t naturally wear tutus or ride bicycles,” said John Phillips, executive director of the city’s League of Humane Voters. “Tigers don’t naturally jump through flame hoops.”
http://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/Bill_would_ban_circus_elephants_from_city/7670.html
New Polar Bear On Exhibit At Denver Zoo (video)
(CBS4) DENVER A 22-year-old male polar bear named Frosty arrived at Denver Zoo in December and was put out on public exhibit with his new mate, resident female, Voda Tuesday.
Frosty, came to Denver Zoo from Tulsa Zoo on a breeding loan sanctioned by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP).
Frosty has acclimated well to his new surroundings and he and Voda can be seen on exhibit daily in Denver Zoo’s Northern Shores.
http://cbs4denver.com/pets/local_story_086224401.html
New Ride Coming to Fort Wayne Zoo
(Fort Wayne - WANE) The African Veldt at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo may be closed to make way for its replacement, the African Journey which isn't expected to be completed until 2009. But that doesn't mean there won't be a new attraction at the zoo this year. A new ride called the Sky Safari is now under construction at the zoo. It should be finished sometime yet this spring. The ride will allow visitors to get a bird's eye view of the zoo and the work being done in what used to be called the African Veldt. Riders will sit 38 feet above the ground in chairs suspended by cables. According to zoo director Jim Anderson, the ride resembles a ski lift. Cost for the Sky Safari will be $2.00. Just because the African area of the zoo is being renovated doesn't mean you won't be able to see any of the animals. Giraffes, monkeys, leopards and birds will be visible. The zoo opens April 21
http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=6266136&nav=0RYbS7wV
Berlin Zoo's polar bear cub makes public début
With a sniff and a stumble, Berlin Zoo's irresistibly cuddly baby polar bear made his public debut Friday, delighting hundreds of excited children who packed around the pen's railings.
"We want Knut! We want Knut!" chanted a group of third graders who came to see the zoo's star, dubbed "cute Knut" by the German media.
Ambling cautiously over the uneven, grassy ground, Knut clambered over a log and sniffed curiously at the legs of his handler, Thomas Doerflein.
"I'm so happy to be able to see him today," said Leila Klamann, 9, whose class was visiting the zoo. "And he's so cute!"
http://www.kare11.com/news/national/national_article.aspx?storyid=247961
Animal antics enthral kids at zoo
More than 900 pre-school children from around the Waikato monkeyed around at Hamilton Zoo yesterday to promote outdoor activities.
The event was organised by Sport Waikato for children under five, and included a tour round the zoo, bubble blowing and games.
Crowds of cheering pre-schoolers watched zoo staff feed ring-tailed lemurs, spider monkeys, kunekune pigs and giraffes.
Six-month-old Abby Lamb, who was accompanied by her mum Kate and one-year-old cousin Flynn Barlow, watched the zoo's chimpanzees at play.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/waikatotimes/4003335a6579.html
Army Brigade Begins Work With Baghdad Zoo
New mission aims to increase support and attendance.
By Sgt. Robert Yde
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, March 23, 2007 -- “It was kind of a shock because I didn't know they had a zoo,” Sgt. 1st Class Herbert Mowery said of his initial reaction upon learning that one of his new responsibilities would be working with the staff of the Baghdad Zoo.
Mowery, the special projects noncommissioned officer for the 15th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, recently moved with his battalion from Forward Operating Base Falcon located in southern Baghdad to FOB Prosperity located in the International Zone.
With this move came new missions, among those overseeing an area of Baghdad known as Al-Zawra Park, which is home to the once renowned Baghdad Zoo.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1805932/posts
Zoo stingray exhibit adds special touch
Bethany Noble
special for the republic
Mar. 24, 2007 12:00 AM
Valley residents are lining up to experience aquatic life in an interactive exhibit at the Phoenix Zoo.
Stringray Bay, a special exhibit at the zoo, has people of all ages returning again and again for this "touching experience." More than 30 stingrays swim around this 12,000-gallon tank and greet visitors who place their hands in it to feel the rays' silky skin. When a visitor has a piece of frozen fish in hand, the rays flock to it.
The stingrays have had their barbs filed down to prevent stinging.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/0324tr-zoo0323Z6.html
Canned pet food at Toledo Zoo
March 23, 2007 - Some animals at the Toledo Zoo are fed canned pet food in their diets. So were any animals in danger?
As soon as the veterinarian staff heard about the poisoned pet food, they quickly checked the cans that are given to the animals. Canned pet food for some animals at the zoo is considered a treat.
Chief Veterinarian Wynona Shellabarger of the Toledo Zoo says, "If we were nursing them along for a medical reason or wanted to entice them for a medical reason we sometimes will use the Tasty Choice canned food items on occasion."
Luckily, none of the food stocked at the zoo was contaminated.
"It is not something we use regularly. Actually the stock that we had was not on the recall list either, so we were fine with that."
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=local&id=5145366
The thief who didn't bargain for the solidarity of monkeys
By Michael McCarthy Environment Editor
Published: 24 March 2007
It was all for one and one for all when SpongeBob the monkey was snatched from his zoo cage. His fellow monkeys attacked the kidnapper and drew blood - and this led to the thief's downfall.
Marlon Brown, 23, was convicted yesterday of stealing SpongeBob, an endangered Bolivian squirrel monkey, from his enclosure at Chessington World of Adventures. Brown had denied the theft but the blood found in SpongeBob's cage proved he played a part in the theft, Kingston Crown Court was told.
SpongeBob's kidnapping last July sparked a nationwide campaign requesting the public's help to find him. The primate was spotted by a member of the public two days later, playing with children in Brixton, south London. He was handed in to the local police station and suspicion fell on Brown, who was later arrested.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article2387822.ece
Zoo Atlanta Announces Opening Of Two New Exhibit
Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Dennis Kelly, joined by Mickey Brown, Executive Vice-President Customer Service Organization for Georgia Power, announced today that construction on habitats for two new species is underway at Zoo Atlanta. The two new habitats will be home to a pair of warthogs and a family group of nine meerkats. The warthog habitat is expected to open in mid-May and the meerkat habitat will open early summer.
“Georgia Power generously provided the Zoo with a gift that will enable us to further enhance our Member and guest experience,” said Dennis Kelly, Zoo Atlanta president and CEO. “Warthogs and meerkats are unique African species that guests are sure to enjoy.”
Construction of the new warthog and meerkat habitats was funded through the generous support of Georgia Power. The company has supported Zoo Atlanta’s educational and conservation efforts over the last twenty years.
http://www.huliq.com/16297/zoo-atlanta-announces-opening-of-two-new-exhibit
Zoo hosts international meeting on how chimps think
CHICAGO Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo is hosting an event billed as the first scientific meeting on how chimpanzees think.
The "Mind of the Chimpanzee" conference has drawn the world's leading primatologists to the zoo. Experts have gathered to discuss chimps' apparent mental capacity for empathy, problem-solving and even deception.
The meeting began yesterday and runs through tomorrow.
A public lecture by primate expert Jane Goodall tomorrow on Navy Pier is sold out.
http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=6274146&nav=1sW7
Byculla zoo makeover will be a mock-up of continents
Foreign consultants at work, Rs 100-cr project gives animals living areas like natural habitats, water body to depict Indian Ocean
Kavitha Iyer
Mumbai, March 24: Coming to the Byculla zoo soon is an impression of the single land mass that the continents were before plate tectonics got to work millions of years ago. That is the theme recommended by international consultants engaged by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to draw up a comprehensive master plan for the beleaguered zoo’s overhaul.
Over the past week, representatives of the Bangkok-based HKS Designers & Consultants International Co Ltd and US-based landscape designers Portico Group have made presentations to leaders of all political parties in and bureaucrats of the BMC. On Saturday, Mayor Shubha Raul even made her first official visit to the zoo.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=228299
Graham Norton: I wanted to be a zoo keeper
Comedian is a closet animal lover
Graham Norton has revealed his childhood ambition: to be a zoo keeper.
'It sounded like the glamorous side of being a farmer,' he says.
'The first time I visited a zoo was in Dublin when I was five; most of the exotic creatures seemed to be just sleeping heaps of fur.
'Then I learnt the plan to work with animals involved actual study rather than hanging round swinging from tyres, and I can't really imagine working with them now.'
Graham, 41, started his showbiz career in radio before achieving television stardom. The only animal he actually gets to look after is his pet mutt.
'My life is ruled by my freakishly large dog, Bailey,' he tells The Times Magazine.
http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/celeb_news/celebrity_gossipGraham_Norton_I_wanted_to_be_a_zoo_keeper_article_113657.html
Zoo Boss Shocked To Learn Of Burton's Employment
The director of Auckland Zoo says he was shocked to learn that a well-known psychiatric patient who killed his mother was working at the Zoo.
Mark Burton was working part-time for a rehabilitation organisation Second Chance, which has a contract with the Zoo.
Mark Burton killed his mother the day after he had been discharged from Southland Hospital's mental health unit in 2001.
He was found not guilty of murder on the grounds of insanity, and has since been in the care of the Mason Clinic in Auckland.
The Auckland Zoo director, Glen Holland, says the zoo was not a suitable place for a psychiatric patient to be working, as part of his reintegration back into society.
http://www.newswire.co.nz/main/viewstory.aspx?storyid=364883&catid=35
Oklahoma City Zoo goes native
Edmond area students converge on new exhibit
Patty Miller
The Edmond Sun
Some Edmond-area students headed down south to Padre, Texas, for spring break while others traveled south down Martin Luther King Boulevard to the Oklahoma City Zoo. The latter were part of the record-breaking numbers who visited the new zoo exhibit titled Oklahoma Trails, touted as “Totally Native, Totally Wild.”
“Sunday’s total was 15,301 people, and it broke all records for daily attendance,” said Tara Henson, director of marketing and public relations.
She said Sunday’s excellent weather, spring break, as well as the opening of Oklahoma Trails on March 10, all played a role in the high attendance.
The Oklahoma Trails exhibit has 11 distinct life zones and showcases more than 100 species of animals as well as trees and plants native to Oklahoma.
http://www.edmondsun.com/homepage/local_story_083195747.html?keyword=leadpicturestory
3/24/07 - The male Amur tiger named Sivaki, at the Potter Park Zoo, weighing in at 217 pounds, displays his fangs as one of the other tigers comes close to the hanging deer hide he has claimed. The tigers turned two years-old and the Zoo celebrated by giving them a treat-meat stuffed cardboard fawns made by school children and a fresh deer skin.
Robert Killips | Lansing State Journal
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=A3&Dato=20070324&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=703240801&Ref=PH
Pink Martini at the Oregon Zoo concerts
Check out Portland's own Pink Martini at the Wells Fargo Summer Concert series at the Oregon Zoo.
Concert-goers enjoy spectacular music and gourmet picnics at the zoo's park-like amphitheater. Wednesday "Plus" Concerts feature the best of World Music. Concerts are $9.75 general admission, or free for zoo members at the "Plus" level or higher. Premium Concerts feature world-renowned artists at a great price.
http://www.traveloregon.com/Explore-Oregon/Portland-Metro/Upcoming-Events/Performing-Arts/Pink-Martini-at-the-Oregon-Zoo-concerts.aspx
In the lush and fertile land called Oregon, where the vineyards and forests and rivers are known far and wide for their epic abundance, there came a gentle rumbling amongst the people. This rumbling came to be known as an “art scene,” meaning that this place also had a mysterious gift for nurturing the smart and interesting and talented people who came to its shores. In other parts of the world, these people might feel out of place or ahead of their time or even a little crazy. And yet, when they would land on Oregon soil, often after a long cross-country trip that involved camping, they would begin to thrive.
http://www.traveloregon.com/Book-Of-Oregon/Oregon-Artist.aspx
Hogle Zoo Orchestrates Plans for Elephant's Pregnancy
Getting pregnant doesn't usually require the help of Delta Air Lines, Federal Express and a team of experts from Germany. But that's exactly what's unfolding in Salt Lake City tonight.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1030818&comments=true
Hogle Zoo Orchestrates Plans for Elephant's Pregnancy
March 25th, 2007 @ 9:47pm
John Hollenhorst Reporting
Getting pregnant doesn't usually require the help of Delta Air Lines, Federal Express and a team of experts from Germany. But that's exactly what's unfolding in Salt Lake City tonight.
In fact, it's zero hour at Hogle Zoo for a very special and very large female. She weighed in this morning at more than 7,000 pounds.
It's the big girl's big night. And if the chemistry is right, it could be the beginning of a very long pregnancy.
Christie the elephant was born in the wild and has lived in the zoo since age 2. She's now grown up and 21. Christie is ready for a new chapter in the book of life-- the natural act of being a mom.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1030818
Zoo's blues
Baltimore's financial struggles reflected across the country
BY NICOLE FULLER
SUN REPORTER
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 26, 2007
Throughout the sprawling Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, it seems as though virtually everything is in dire need of repair: cracked wooden steps at the mansion, old and leaky roofs, broken gates. For too long, officials say, the zoo's finances have been so abysmal that much of the needed maintenance was simply ignored.
And in a move last week that highlighted how grim the financial situation has become, the zoo's board decided to cancel a plan to take in three elephants from Philadelphia this summer. The reason: The zoo was unable to raise the private financing for an exhibit expansion to accommodate the animals.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-te.md.zoo26mar26,0,5243192.story?coll=bal-home-headlines
Monroe zoo welcomes new colt
MONROE -- Louisiana Purchase and Gardens Zoo welcomed 16 Percheron draft horses as part of a new attraction. Just recently, that number increased to 17.
Julie, one of the 10 mares, gave birth to her first colt, Bella, on Friday. She was one of four pregnant mares the zoo received when the huge, brown horses arrived from Iowa earlier this month.
Mother and daughter were doing fine Sunday afternoon. Bella took a nap as Julie stood close by eating grass and eyeing visitors.
"Every birth is a major celebration," said Craig Perry, the horse's owner and breeder. "The major part is seeing them in working capacity doing what they're trained to do."
Perry said Percheron draft horses are typically used for pulling plows on farms, so pulling a 24-person wagon around the zoo is a normal workload. "They've been doing it for hundreds of years," Perry said. "It's what they're bred to do."
Bella is no exception.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070326/BREAKINGNEWS/70326002
Chaffee Zoo Approved for Reaccreditation (video)
03/26/2007 - The Fresno Chaffee Zoo exceeds the American Zoo Association's standards. Monday morning in Denver, Colorado, the AZA gave it a four year accreditation.
Accreditation means the zoo can be part of the endangered species survival plan.
Animals like elephants and tigers attract large numbers of visitors.
A year ago, the AZA tabled the accredication to give the new non-profit zoo board, time to show that it is able to manage the zoo under AZA standards.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=5145466
Berlin Zoo's Panda Yan Yan Suddenly Died, Bild-Zeitung Reports
By Kenneth Wong
March 27 (Bloomberg) -- Yan Yan, the 22-year-old female panda which German and Chinese scientists unsuccessfully tried to get impregnated, died yesterday at Berlin Zoo, Germany's Bild-Zeitung reported.
The cause of Yan Yan's death is unknown and an autopsy will take place today, the newspaper said. Her death leaves 28-year- old male partner Bao Bao the only remaining panda at the zoo.
Yan Yan was born in 1985 in the Chinese city of Fuping and sent to Germany in 1995, a year after former Chinese Premiere Li Peng promised Germany a female panda. Panda is an endangered species with a count of about 1,600, according to the report.
In 2004, after eight futile attempts to impregnate Yan Yan, including showing her ``panda porno'' to stimulate copulation with Bao Bao, a Chinese delegation of experts was sent to Germany to help and that too failed, according to Bild.
(Bild Zeitung 3-27 7)
For the newspaper's Web site, see http://www.bild.de
To contact the reporter on this story: Kenneth Wong in Berlin at kwong11@bloomberg.net.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=awRZwVHYtsNs&refer=germany
Thai zoo officials trying to turn male panda onto porn ahead of mating season
CHIANG MAI, Thailand (AP) - Chuang Chuang the panda has been spending his days in front of a television watching panda porn.
Authorities at the Chiang Mai Zoo in northern Thailand hope the images will encourage him to mate with his partner, Lin Hui, and serve as an instructional lesson in how to do it right. So far, it's been a tough sell, the zoo's chief veterinarian, Kanika Limtrakul, said Tuesday.
"Chuang Chuang seems indifferent to the videos, he has no reaction to what he's seeing on TV," Kanika said. "But, we're continuing to show him videos and hoping they will leave an impression."
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/070327/K032702AU.html
Get in touch with animals at Mead Valley hands-on zoo
By LEEZEL TANGLAO
The Press-Enterprise
Video: Mr. Joe's farm
MEAD VALLEY - Stacey and Joe Clahassey have no shortage of animals on their 3-acre Mead Valley farm.
They have 27 goats, nine alpacas, five miniature horses, six sheep, three geese, five desert tortoises and several dogs and cats.
They also have nontraditional animals such a pair of emus and a two-hump camel named Oscar that the public can see and touch.
"We invite people to come visit us for the purpose of a hands-on experience with animals, so we call ourselves a more hands-on zoo than a petting zoo," said Stacey Clahassey, 43, who helps run the nonprofit farm with her husband. "You get to interact more in their natural environment on a farm than if you went to a petting zoo."
Many of the animals roam free around the Clahasseys' farm and approach new people with curiosity.
"If you go to the San Diego Zoo down south you wouldn't be able to pet a camel," said Joe Clahassey, also 43. "If you come here you can pet the camel, you can pet alpacas. We've got emus running around, so it's a little different from other petting zoos or even other zoos."
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_zoo27.3ee4939.html
Zoo's lion J.B. euthanized
18-year-old cat put down after liver disease diagnosis
J.B., the 18-year-old lioness at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, was euthanized after veterinarians diagnosed her with liver disease, zoo officials announced yesterday.
The lion's keepers first noticed J.B. was ill March 17 when her appetite decreased and she appeared lethargic, said Rebecca Gullott, the zoo's mammal collection and conservation manager.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.lion27mar27,0,2092498.story?coll=bal-local-headlines
Dated
Stolen monkeys rescued by police
Police have found 18 monkeys that were stolen from zoos during two raids in Tunstall, Staffordshire.
Four out of five endangered marmosets, which were stolen from an East Sussex zoo 11 days ago, were among those found in a house full of monkeys.
It was thought that the cute creatures, which are worth several hundred pounds each, were stolen to order for illegal collectors of rare animals.
Two 35-year-old men have been arrested by police.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_5130000/newsid_5134700/5134786.stm
Zoos Targets for Exotic Animal Thieves
European thieves are stealing exotic animals like marmosets and penguins for rich collectors
AP) Missing marmosets, abducted alligators, purloined penguins: Thieves are targeting Europe's zoos and safari parks to supply animal collectors who want to own ever more exotic species.
Conservationists say the practice is harming animals, threatening vital breeding programs, and adding to an already flourishing illegal trade in exotic birds and animals.
"We live in a designer world and people are not satisfied any more with a budgie or a canary _ they want something more exotic," said John Hayward, a former police officer who runs Britain's National Theft Register, the only national database of animal thefts in Europe.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/10/ap/tech/mainD8K1S7J02.shtml
continued …
Tarongo Zoo: A Must See Destination in Syndey, Australia
A Review
Looking for a bit of entertainment on a Saturday afternoon I decided to venture out to yet another destination I had yet to explore, and being an animal lover, I decided on the Tarongo Zoo. A zoo neatly located off the coast of Sydney and accessible by both car and ferry.
While the car ride there is rather uneventful, a simple ride through a nice little town and a good view of some cute antique houses, the ferry is a beautiful little mini-tour of Sydney harbor. Ferries depart from Cicular Quay in downtown. However, since I was more closely located via car, I decided to drive. After having lunch in neighboring Crow's Nest, I departed for the zoo. Lucky for me, the zoo offers a large car park for $10.00, parking wasn't an issue.
What I thought was a small local zoo turned out to be a very large, intricately designed, and very comprehensive zoo. The Tarongo zoo houses hundreds of little animals from native Australian critters to animals of Africa, Asia, the Americans, and Europe. An animal lover couldn't ask for a better zoo. My first stop, a neatly organized bird exhibit with pelicans, and ducks of various colors and sizes. The cute little brown ducks with blue bills were my favorites besides the commanding pelicans which were swimming around the beautifully landscaped lake given to them and fishing for a meal. Lunch time at the Tarongo zoo is probably the best time to arrive, as all the animals are out in full force and either awaiting their meals, or having them. A very interesting experience, to be sure!
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/182825/tarongo_zoo_a_must_see_destination.htmlBottom of Form
Zoo Hopes 'Panda Porn' Will Help Pandas Mate (video)
(AP) CHIANG MAI, Thailand Chuang Chuang the panda has been spending his days in front of a big screen television watching panda porn.
Authorities at the Chiang Mai Zoo in northern Thailand hope the images will encourage him to mate with his partner, Lin Hui, and serve as an instructional lesson in how to do it right.
So far, it's been a tough sell, the zoo's chief veterinarian, Kanika Limtrakul, said Tuesday.
"Chuang Chuang seems indifferent to the videos; he has no reaction to what he's seeing on TV," Kanika said. "But, we're continuing to show him videos and hoping they will leave an impression."
Pandas are threatened by loss of habitat, poaching and a low reproduction rate. Females in the wild normally have a cub once every two to three years.
http://wbztv.com/national/topstories_story_086091613.html
Birth of tiger triplets brings zoo full circle
Tri-State Zoological Park still recovering from fire that killed 100 animals last year
By Daleen Berry
CUMBERLAND TIMES-NEWS (CUMBERLAND, Md.)
CUMBERLAND, Md. — After three years that included a deadly fire in 2006, tiger triplets born last week have brought a local zoo full circle.
The electrical fire last March killed about 100 of the Tri-State Zoological Park of Western Maryland animals, but owner Bob Candy is hoping the birth of the three tiger cubs Thursday will help put his expansion plans back on track. Those plans include not just rebuilding much of it, but also making the zoo “the best zoo in the state of Maryland.”
The baby tigers were born to Cheyenne and Khan, a pair of Siberian tigers that were among the first animals to arrive three years ago. Candy was concerned there might be complications with the pregnancy, since Cheyenne’s first litter died in October. But Candy said the mother tiger did great during both labor and delivery.
“She was just fine. She would walk over to be petted after each one (was born),” Candy said. “We take that as a good sign, because they (can) get very possessive (after giving birth)."
http://www.mineralwellsindex.com/statenews/cnhinsall_story_085113530.html
Inji, the Oregon Zoo's popular orangutan, has gallbladder surgery (video)
If you're planning a Spring Break trip to the Oregon Zoo, you'll miss one of the zoo's favorite attractions.
Inji, the 47-year-old matriarch of the zoo's orangutan clan, had her gallbladder removed Monday. Famous for her Super Bowl predictions, Inji is one of the zoo's original residents.
Zoo officials said Inji stopped eating normally in December. Her caretakers later discovered she had gallstones. Some have been treated with medicine, but others required surgery.
The surgery carried some risk for Inji. Zoo officials said the animal's age and orangutans' sensitive respiratory systems could complicate surgery. But officials at the zoo said the Inji risked fatal complications if the gallstones went untreated.
Inji will be out of sight to zoo visitors while she's recuperating.
Need an Inji fix? Check her out here:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/03/inji_the_oregon_zoos_popular_o.html
Rosamond zoo needs $5k more for ocelots
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park has raised $31,060 in its effort to bring a mother-daughter pair of ocelots to Central New York later this spring.
Zoo officials need about $36,000, which means they need about $5,000 more.
The small South American cats are at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. To donate, call Debbie Messina at 435-8511, ext. 132, or e-mail her at dmessina@syracusezoo.org.
http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2007/03/rosamond_zoo_needs_5k_more_for.html
WSPA urges municipalities to support Bill 154, protect zoo animals
Call comes after raid on roadside zoo, London council vote
Attention: Assignment Editor, City Editor, News Editor, Travel/Tourism Editor, Government/Political Affairs Editor
TORONTO ONTARIO PRESS RELEASE ROADSIDE ZOOS--(CCNMatthews - March 27, 2007) - The World Society for the Protection of Animals is calling on municipalities across Ontario to support Bill 154 following a vote by London council earlier this week to endorse the proposed "roadside zoo" legislation.
Councillors in London - home to one of the worst roadside zoos in the province - voted Monday to endorse MPP David Zimmer's private member's bill, "An Act to Regulate Zoos," which would require all zoos be licensed and comply with professional welfare and public safety standards.
Ontario is home to more zoos than any other province yet has the weakest laws in the country for ensuring animals confined in these facilities are treated well. Many of these zoos are small, grossly substandard facilities that lack the trained professional staff to properly care for their animals.
WSPA has been actively campaigning for Bill 154 along with other animal welfare groups and welcomed the news of the vote by London council. "WSPA encourages other municipalities to follow London's leadership and voice their support for provincial zoo regulations," said Melissa Tkachyk, Campaigns Officer for WSPA Canada.
A recent poll of Ontarians suggested 97 per cent agreed that zoos should be required by law to meet professional, animal welfare and public safety standards. Thousands of others have written letters and signed petitions in support of such a law, as new cases of horrific conditions at roadside zoos have come to light.
On March 16, the Ontario SPCA seized 28 animals from the Kerwood Wolf Centre west of London in the
Township of Adelaide-Metcalfe. SPCA inspectors said the animals lacked food and water and many were being forced to lay in their own excrement. One horse had to be euthanized. At the time of the raid, the owner was already facing charges stemming from the seizure of 18 animals last year.
http://www.ccnmatthews.com/news/releases/show.jsp?action=showRelease&searchText=false&showText=all&actionFor=642528
Belgrade Zoo needs to move!
Category: Animal Behavior • Animal Rights • Balkans • Politics
Posted on: March 27, 2007 2:59 PM, by Coturnix
Long time ago, I mentioned here something about the Belgrade Zoo. The power of Google brought a Belgrader, Sonja, to my blog, who alerted me to the dire conditions in which the Zoo is right now and the existence of her website (made by her and her students) called Zoo SOS whose goal is to force the City government of Belgrade to move the Zoo from its present location to a better place outside town (not having to deal with the Animal Rights terrorists there, they must have placed a link to PETA by mistake - they do not know the distinction between Animal Rights and Animal Welfare).
Belgrade Zoo is located on Kalemegdan, the most ancient (from Roman through Turkish times) part of Belgrade. The zoo is small, and most of it is on stone and concrete. You can see some pictures of it here (just keep clicking on "Next" until you see them all).
Belgraders love their zoo. It is one of the favourite spots to spend a weekend. But it is also depressing to see animals crowded in small cages. It is especially painful for those of us who have seen modern zoos, like the one here in Asheboro, where animals are free to roam over many acres of land specifically designed to mimic their natural habitats.
http://scienceblogs.com/clock/2007/03/belgrade_zoo_needs_to_move.php
Roanoke pledges $500,000 to help improve Mill Mountain Zoo
ROANOKE, Va. The city of Roanoke has pledged 500-thousand dollars to help improve Mill Mountain Zoo.
The is the biggest grant in zoo history and would be given over three years in three installments. It's linked to the zoo's ability to raise matching funds from other sources.
Zoo officials hope to make improvements such as fixing aging exhibits and building a new quarantine facility.
The zoo wants to become more financially stable and upgrade existing exhibits prior to an accreditation inspection this summer.
The Mill Mountain Zoo has an annual budget of about 700-thousand dollars, which is funded largely by gate admissions, programs and private donations. About ten percent of its money comes from government sources.
http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=6286722&nav=S6aK
Get In With The Lemurs at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
Our exciting new exhibit In With The Lemurs opens to the public on Friday. Beating the rush to mingle with these amazing primates is BBC Radio One Breakfast Show’s Dominic Byrne who will officially launch the exhibit tomorrow, come along to see Dominic in action.
Dominic has been a big fan of Whipsnade for many years and regularly visits to see the animals, particularly Barclay the Californian sea lion.
The popular newsreader, together with some of his Breakfast Show pals, will be the first to step into the lemurs’ “bachelor pad” and meet the lively inhabitants!
http://www.zsl.org/zsl-whipsnade-zoo/news/get-in-with-the-lemurs-at-zsl-whipsnade-zoo,348,NS.html
New Polar Bear On Exhibit At Denver Zoo (video)
(CBS4) DENVER A 22-year-old male polar bear named Frosty arrived at Denver Zoo in December and was put out on public exhibit with his new mate, resident female, Voda Tuesday.
Frosty, came to Denver Zoo from Tulsa Zoo on a breeding loan sanctioned by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP).
Frosty has acclimated well to his new surroundings and he and Voda can be seen on exhibit daily in Denver Zoo’s Northern Shores.
http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_086224401.html
City votes to keep elephants at zoo
Juno and Savannah will stay at the El Paso Zoo for the rest of their days.
By a 6-2 vote Tuesday, the El Paso City Council ended a debate that began at this council's first meeting in June 2005 by deciding to keep the two female elephants, ages 55 and 45, rather than send them to a Tennessee sanctuary.
Zoo Director Steve Marshall, who took over at the zoo in January and asked for time to evaluate the situation before making a recommendation, assured council members and the public that the zoo's three-quarter-acre habitat exceeds national standards for two or even three elephants.
"Do these animals need to be moved?" Marshall said. "The answer is no."
Ray Darnell, director of the Albuquerque Bio Park, and Mike Keele, deputy director of the Oregon Zoo in Portland, agreed.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_5535180
Red panda twins make debut at Sydney zoo
SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - Twin red pandas made their public debut at Sydney's Taronga Zoo on Wednesday, the latest additions to a breeding program that aims to ensure the survival of the endangered species.
Zoo keepers cuddled and showed off the three-month-old males, named Jinshu and Tenzin, trying to weigh the wriggling cubs on some scales.
The proud parents, meanwhile, Wanmei and Mayhem, completely ignored the visitors crowding around the enclosure and continued their morning snooze.
"They're just brilliant, they're beautiful. It's amazing to be able to hold an endangered animal in my hands knowing that we've just contributed to the world population," said a Taronga Zoo worker who gave her name as Bobby-Jo.
http://www.reuters.com/article/gc08/idUSL289338120070328
Panda Cam makes voyeurism cute again
The National Zoo is one of only five zoos in the country with giant pandas, but the zoo is a bus ride and a Metro stop away. Normally, people who just want a quick panda fix, or don’t like pretending that they’re interested in gazelles would be out of luck. Fortunately, the National Zoo website has the Panda Cam, a continuous feed of those beasts are up to.
As of lunchtime Monday, Tai Shan was pressing his panda face into a rock, asleep. But then a weird mist floated by for a while. Fortunately, the panda seemed unharmed.
The pandas cost a bundle, so the least we can do is get our money’s worth by monitoring them constantly.
http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/?p=129
News from the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/default.cfm?cam=LP2
The Club Penguin Alphabet
This is stupid but who cares!
A is for Aunt Arctic! B is for Beacon! C is for Club Penguin! D is for Dumb People that think the iceburg will tip!E is for Everybody plays the game! F is for Fish! G is for Games that rock! H is for Hackers! I is for Ice Fishing! J is for Jumping Pink Puffle! K is for Kings of the castle igloo! L is for Losers that get their friend’s penguin banned forever! M is for Money that you get for playing games! N is for hand Numbing weather! O is for Other penguins to play with! P is for Penguin! Q is for Questions that we ask Aunt Arctic! Ris for Rockhopper! S is for Super parties!T is for tubes in sled racing! U is for Underground Mine! V is for Vultures that hack! W is for Winter all the time! X is for Xtra fun!
Y is forYour own igloo styles! Z is for puffles zoos in your house!
http://born2bajedi.wordpress.com/2007/03/27/the-club-penguin-alphabet/
Zoos try cross-country panda breeding
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Biologists at the National Zoo in Washington are attempting to impregnate the zoo's female panda with sperm from a California donor.
Sperm from Gao Gao, a male panda at the San Diego Zoo, was flown first class across the country to attempt to impregnate Mei Xiang, a mother of one at the National Zoo, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
JoGayle Howard, a theriogenologist specializing in the reproductive biology of endangered species, said zoo staff members have been analyzing Mei Xiang's hormone levels to determine the proper time for insemination.
http://www.arcamax.com/newsheadlines/s-176352-462872?source=1930
Nudging nature for newborns
As the mating season shifts into high gear, some animals are getting help getting acquainted. Some offspring leave for other zoos to conserve species and expand breeding pools.
BY Maricella Miranda
The stork doesn't deliver a bundle of joy to all Minnesota Zoo animals.
Sometimes, it takes a little finessing to persuade the big bird to make a stop.
It doesn't help that strict rules govern which animals can breed and when, and where their babies will end up.
Rules aside, some pairs become intimate more often and willingly than others, said Tony Fisher, collections manager at the Minnesota Zoo. But it will take a lot of planning and staff time this year to romance Amur tigers and sun bears.
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_5534544
Bill would ban circus elephants from city
Group wants all animal performers barred
by amy zimmer / metro new york
MAR 28, 2007
MANHATTAN. The circus is coming to town and animal rights activists are gearing up for a fight.
For groups backing City Councilwoman Rosie Mendez’s proposed ban on exotic animal performers, last night’s annual elephant walk by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey outfit was the first salvo. On Saturday — timed to the start of the show — they plan to fire back at a rally outside Madison Square Garden.
“Bears don’t naturally wear tutus or ride bicycles,” said John Phillips, executive director of the city’s League of Humane Voters. “Tigers don’t naturally jump through flame hoops.”
http://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/Bill_would_ban_circus_elephants_from_city/7670.html
New Polar Bear On Exhibit At Denver Zoo (video)
(CBS4) DENVER A 22-year-old male polar bear named Frosty arrived at Denver Zoo in December and was put out on public exhibit with his new mate, resident female, Voda Tuesday.
Frosty, came to Denver Zoo from Tulsa Zoo on a breeding loan sanctioned by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP).
Frosty has acclimated well to his new surroundings and he and Voda can be seen on exhibit daily in Denver Zoo’s Northern Shores.
http://cbs4denver.com/pets/local_story_086224401.html
New Ride Coming to Fort Wayne Zoo
(Fort Wayne - WANE) The African Veldt at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo may be closed to make way for its replacement, the African Journey which isn't expected to be completed until 2009. But that doesn't mean there won't be a new attraction at the zoo this year. A new ride called the Sky Safari is now under construction at the zoo. It should be finished sometime yet this spring. The ride will allow visitors to get a bird's eye view of the zoo and the work being done in what used to be called the African Veldt. Riders will sit 38 feet above the ground in chairs suspended by cables. According to zoo director Jim Anderson, the ride resembles a ski lift. Cost for the Sky Safari will be $2.00. Just because the African area of the zoo is being renovated doesn't mean you won't be able to see any of the animals. Giraffes, monkeys, leopards and birds will be visible. The zoo opens April 21
http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=6266136&nav=0RYbS7wV
Berlin Zoo's polar bear cub makes public début
With a sniff and a stumble, Berlin Zoo's irresistibly cuddly baby polar bear made his public debut Friday, delighting hundreds of excited children who packed around the pen's railings.
"We want Knut! We want Knut!" chanted a group of third graders who came to see the zoo's star, dubbed "cute Knut" by the German media.
Ambling cautiously over the uneven, grassy ground, Knut clambered over a log and sniffed curiously at the legs of his handler, Thomas Doerflein.
"I'm so happy to be able to see him today," said Leila Klamann, 9, whose class was visiting the zoo. "And he's so cute!"
http://www.kare11.com/news/national/national_article.aspx?storyid=247961
Animal antics enthral kids at zoo
More than 900 pre-school children from around the Waikato monkeyed around at Hamilton Zoo yesterday to promote outdoor activities.
The event was organised by Sport Waikato for children under five, and included a tour round the zoo, bubble blowing and games.
Crowds of cheering pre-schoolers watched zoo staff feed ring-tailed lemurs, spider monkeys, kunekune pigs and giraffes.
Six-month-old Abby Lamb, who was accompanied by her mum Kate and one-year-old cousin Flynn Barlow, watched the zoo's chimpanzees at play.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/waikatotimes/4003335a6579.html
Army Brigade Begins Work With Baghdad Zoo
New mission aims to increase support and attendance.
By Sgt. Robert Yde
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, March 23, 2007 -- “It was kind of a shock because I didn't know they had a zoo,” Sgt. 1st Class Herbert Mowery said of his initial reaction upon learning that one of his new responsibilities would be working with the staff of the Baghdad Zoo.
Mowery, the special projects noncommissioned officer for the 15th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, recently moved with his battalion from Forward Operating Base Falcon located in southern Baghdad to FOB Prosperity located in the International Zone.
With this move came new missions, among those overseeing an area of Baghdad known as Al-Zawra Park, which is home to the once renowned Baghdad Zoo.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1805932/posts
Zoo stingray exhibit adds special touch
Bethany Noble
special for the republic
Mar. 24, 2007 12:00 AM
Valley residents are lining up to experience aquatic life in an interactive exhibit at the Phoenix Zoo.
Stringray Bay, a special exhibit at the zoo, has people of all ages returning again and again for this "touching experience." More than 30 stingrays swim around this 12,000-gallon tank and greet visitors who place their hands in it to feel the rays' silky skin. When a visitor has a piece of frozen fish in hand, the rays flock to it.
The stingrays have had their barbs filed down to prevent stinging.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/0324tr-zoo0323Z6.html
Canned pet food at Toledo Zoo
March 23, 2007 - Some animals at the Toledo Zoo are fed canned pet food in their diets. So were any animals in danger?
As soon as the veterinarian staff heard about the poisoned pet food, they quickly checked the cans that are given to the animals. Canned pet food for some animals at the zoo is considered a treat.
Chief Veterinarian Wynona Shellabarger of the Toledo Zoo says, "If we were nursing them along for a medical reason or wanted to entice them for a medical reason we sometimes will use the Tasty Choice canned food items on occasion."
Luckily, none of the food stocked at the zoo was contaminated.
"It is not something we use regularly. Actually the stock that we had was not on the recall list either, so we were fine with that."
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=local&id=5145366
The thief who didn't bargain for the solidarity of monkeys
By Michael McCarthy Environment Editor
Published: 24 March 2007
It was all for one and one for all when SpongeBob the monkey was snatched from his zoo cage. His fellow monkeys attacked the kidnapper and drew blood - and this led to the thief's downfall.
Marlon Brown, 23, was convicted yesterday of stealing SpongeBob, an endangered Bolivian squirrel monkey, from his enclosure at Chessington World of Adventures. Brown had denied the theft but the blood found in SpongeBob's cage proved he played a part in the theft, Kingston Crown Court was told.
SpongeBob's kidnapping last July sparked a nationwide campaign requesting the public's help to find him. The primate was spotted by a member of the public two days later, playing with children in Brixton, south London. He was handed in to the local police station and suspicion fell on Brown, who was later arrested.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article2387822.ece
Zoo Atlanta Announces Opening Of Two New Exhibit
Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Dennis Kelly, joined by Mickey Brown, Executive Vice-President Customer Service Organization for Georgia Power, announced today that construction on habitats for two new species is underway at Zoo Atlanta. The two new habitats will be home to a pair of warthogs and a family group of nine meerkats. The warthog habitat is expected to open in mid-May and the meerkat habitat will open early summer.
“Georgia Power generously provided the Zoo with a gift that will enable us to further enhance our Member and guest experience,” said Dennis Kelly, Zoo Atlanta president and CEO. “Warthogs and meerkats are unique African species that guests are sure to enjoy.”
Construction of the new warthog and meerkat habitats was funded through the generous support of Georgia Power. The company has supported Zoo Atlanta’s educational and conservation efforts over the last twenty years.
http://www.huliq.com/16297/zoo-atlanta-announces-opening-of-two-new-exhibit
Zoo hosts international meeting on how chimps think
CHICAGO Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo is hosting an event billed as the first scientific meeting on how chimpanzees think.
The "Mind of the Chimpanzee" conference has drawn the world's leading primatologists to the zoo. Experts have gathered to discuss chimps' apparent mental capacity for empathy, problem-solving and even deception.
The meeting began yesterday and runs through tomorrow.
A public lecture by primate expert Jane Goodall tomorrow on Navy Pier is sold out.
http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=6274146&nav=1sW7
Byculla zoo makeover will be a mock-up of continents
Foreign consultants at work, Rs 100-cr project gives animals living areas like natural habitats, water body to depict Indian Ocean
Kavitha Iyer
Mumbai, March 24: Coming to the Byculla zoo soon is an impression of the single land mass that the continents were before plate tectonics got to work millions of years ago. That is the theme recommended by international consultants engaged by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to draw up a comprehensive master plan for the beleaguered zoo’s overhaul.
Over the past week, representatives of the Bangkok-based HKS Designers & Consultants International Co Ltd and US-based landscape designers Portico Group have made presentations to leaders of all political parties in and bureaucrats of the BMC. On Saturday, Mayor Shubha Raul even made her first official visit to the zoo.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=228299
Graham Norton: I wanted to be a zoo keeper
Comedian is a closet animal lover
Graham Norton has revealed his childhood ambition: to be a zoo keeper.
'It sounded like the glamorous side of being a farmer,' he says.
'The first time I visited a zoo was in Dublin when I was five; most of the exotic creatures seemed to be just sleeping heaps of fur.
'Then I learnt the plan to work with animals involved actual study rather than hanging round swinging from tyres, and I can't really imagine working with them now.'
Graham, 41, started his showbiz career in radio before achieving television stardom. The only animal he actually gets to look after is his pet mutt.
'My life is ruled by my freakishly large dog, Bailey,' he tells The Times Magazine.
http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/celeb_news/celebrity_gossipGraham_Norton_I_wanted_to_be_a_zoo_keeper_article_113657.html
Zoo Boss Shocked To Learn Of Burton's Employment
The director of Auckland Zoo says he was shocked to learn that a well-known psychiatric patient who killed his mother was working at the Zoo.
Mark Burton was working part-time for a rehabilitation organisation Second Chance, which has a contract with the Zoo.
Mark Burton killed his mother the day after he had been discharged from Southland Hospital's mental health unit in 2001.
He was found not guilty of murder on the grounds of insanity, and has since been in the care of the Mason Clinic in Auckland.
The Auckland Zoo director, Glen Holland, says the zoo was not a suitable place for a psychiatric patient to be working, as part of his reintegration back into society.
http://www.newswire.co.nz/main/viewstory.aspx?storyid=364883&catid=35
Oklahoma City Zoo goes native
Edmond area students converge on new exhibit
Patty Miller
The Edmond Sun
Some Edmond-area students headed down south to Padre, Texas, for spring break while others traveled south down Martin Luther King Boulevard to the Oklahoma City Zoo. The latter were part of the record-breaking numbers who visited the new zoo exhibit titled Oklahoma Trails, touted as “Totally Native, Totally Wild.”
“Sunday’s total was 15,301 people, and it broke all records for daily attendance,” said Tara Henson, director of marketing and public relations.
She said Sunday’s excellent weather, spring break, as well as the opening of Oklahoma Trails on March 10, all played a role in the high attendance.
The Oklahoma Trails exhibit has 11 distinct life zones and showcases more than 100 species of animals as well as trees and plants native to Oklahoma.
http://www.edmondsun.com/homepage/local_story_083195747.html?keyword=leadpicturestory
3/24/07 - The male Amur tiger named Sivaki, at the Potter Park Zoo, weighing in at 217 pounds, displays his fangs as one of the other tigers comes close to the hanging deer hide he has claimed. The tigers turned two years-old and the Zoo celebrated by giving them a treat-meat stuffed cardboard fawns made by school children and a fresh deer skin.
Robert Killips | Lansing State Journal
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=A3&Dato=20070324&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=703240801&Ref=PH
Pink Martini at the Oregon Zoo concerts
Check out Portland's own Pink Martini at the Wells Fargo Summer Concert series at the Oregon Zoo.
Concert-goers enjoy spectacular music and gourmet picnics at the zoo's park-like amphitheater. Wednesday "Plus" Concerts feature the best of World Music. Concerts are $9.75 general admission, or free for zoo members at the "Plus" level or higher. Premium Concerts feature world-renowned artists at a great price.
http://www.traveloregon.com/Explore-Oregon/Portland-Metro/Upcoming-Events/Performing-Arts/Pink-Martini-at-the-Oregon-Zoo-concerts.aspx
In the lush and fertile land called Oregon, where the vineyards and forests and rivers are known far and wide for their epic abundance, there came a gentle rumbling amongst the people. This rumbling came to be known as an “art scene,” meaning that this place also had a mysterious gift for nurturing the smart and interesting and talented people who came to its shores. In other parts of the world, these people might feel out of place or ahead of their time or even a little crazy. And yet, when they would land on Oregon soil, often after a long cross-country trip that involved camping, they would begin to thrive.
http://www.traveloregon.com/Book-Of-Oregon/Oregon-Artist.aspx
Hogle Zoo Orchestrates Plans for Elephant's Pregnancy
Getting pregnant doesn't usually require the help of Delta Air Lines, Federal Express and a team of experts from Germany. But that's exactly what's unfolding in Salt Lake City tonight.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1030818&comments=true
Hogle Zoo Orchestrates Plans for Elephant's Pregnancy
March 25th, 2007 @ 9:47pm
John Hollenhorst Reporting
Getting pregnant doesn't usually require the help of Delta Air Lines, Federal Express and a team of experts from Germany. But that's exactly what's unfolding in Salt Lake City tonight.
In fact, it's zero hour at Hogle Zoo for a very special and very large female. She weighed in this morning at more than 7,000 pounds.
It's the big girl's big night. And if the chemistry is right, it could be the beginning of a very long pregnancy.
Christie the elephant was born in the wild and has lived in the zoo since age 2. She's now grown up and 21. Christie is ready for a new chapter in the book of life-- the natural act of being a mom.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1030818
Zoo's blues
Baltimore's financial struggles reflected across the country
BY NICOLE FULLER
SUN REPORTER
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 26, 2007
Throughout the sprawling Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, it seems as though virtually everything is in dire need of repair: cracked wooden steps at the mansion, old and leaky roofs, broken gates. For too long, officials say, the zoo's finances have been so abysmal that much of the needed maintenance was simply ignored.
And in a move last week that highlighted how grim the financial situation has become, the zoo's board decided to cancel a plan to take in three elephants from Philadelphia this summer. The reason: The zoo was unable to raise the private financing for an exhibit expansion to accommodate the animals.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-te.md.zoo26mar26,0,5243192.story?coll=bal-home-headlines
Monroe zoo welcomes new colt
MONROE -- Louisiana Purchase and Gardens Zoo welcomed 16 Percheron draft horses as part of a new attraction. Just recently, that number increased to 17.
Julie, one of the 10 mares, gave birth to her first colt, Bella, on Friday. She was one of four pregnant mares the zoo received when the huge, brown horses arrived from Iowa earlier this month.
Mother and daughter were doing fine Sunday afternoon. Bella took a nap as Julie stood close by eating grass and eyeing visitors.
"Every birth is a major celebration," said Craig Perry, the horse's owner and breeder. "The major part is seeing them in working capacity doing what they're trained to do."
Perry said Percheron draft horses are typically used for pulling plows on farms, so pulling a 24-person wagon around the zoo is a normal workload. "They've been doing it for hundreds of years," Perry said. "It's what they're bred to do."
Bella is no exception.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070326/BREAKINGNEWS/70326002
Chaffee Zoo Approved for Reaccreditation (video)
03/26/2007 - The Fresno Chaffee Zoo exceeds the American Zoo Association's standards. Monday morning in Denver, Colorado, the AZA gave it a four year accreditation.
Accreditation means the zoo can be part of the endangered species survival plan.
Animals like elephants and tigers attract large numbers of visitors.
A year ago, the AZA tabled the accredication to give the new non-profit zoo board, time to show that it is able to manage the zoo under AZA standards.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=5145466
Berlin Zoo's Panda Yan Yan Suddenly Died, Bild-Zeitung Reports
By Kenneth Wong
March 27 (Bloomberg) -- Yan Yan, the 22-year-old female panda which German and Chinese scientists unsuccessfully tried to get impregnated, died yesterday at Berlin Zoo, Germany's Bild-Zeitung reported.
The cause of Yan Yan's death is unknown and an autopsy will take place today, the newspaper said. Her death leaves 28-year- old male partner Bao Bao the only remaining panda at the zoo.
Yan Yan was born in 1985 in the Chinese city of Fuping and sent to Germany in 1995, a year after former Chinese Premiere Li Peng promised Germany a female panda. Panda is an endangered species with a count of about 1,600, according to the report.
In 2004, after eight futile attempts to impregnate Yan Yan, including showing her ``panda porno'' to stimulate copulation with Bao Bao, a Chinese delegation of experts was sent to Germany to help and that too failed, according to Bild.
(Bild Zeitung 3-27 7)
For the newspaper's Web site, see http://www.bild.de
To contact the reporter on this story: Kenneth Wong in Berlin at kwong11@bloomberg.net.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=awRZwVHYtsNs&refer=germany
Thai zoo officials trying to turn male panda onto porn ahead of mating season
CHIANG MAI, Thailand (AP) - Chuang Chuang the panda has been spending his days in front of a television watching panda porn.
Authorities at the Chiang Mai Zoo in northern Thailand hope the images will encourage him to mate with his partner, Lin Hui, and serve as an instructional lesson in how to do it right. So far, it's been a tough sell, the zoo's chief veterinarian, Kanika Limtrakul, said Tuesday.
"Chuang Chuang seems indifferent to the videos, he has no reaction to what he's seeing on TV," Kanika said. "But, we're continuing to show him videos and hoping they will leave an impression."
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/070327/K032702AU.html
Get in touch with animals at Mead Valley hands-on zoo
By LEEZEL TANGLAO
The Press-Enterprise
Video: Mr. Joe's farm
MEAD VALLEY - Stacey and Joe Clahassey have no shortage of animals on their 3-acre Mead Valley farm.
They have 27 goats, nine alpacas, five miniature horses, six sheep, three geese, five desert tortoises and several dogs and cats.
They also have nontraditional animals such a pair of emus and a two-hump camel named Oscar that the public can see and touch.
"We invite people to come visit us for the purpose of a hands-on experience with animals, so we call ourselves a more hands-on zoo than a petting zoo," said Stacey Clahassey, 43, who helps run the nonprofit farm with her husband. "You get to interact more in their natural environment on a farm than if you went to a petting zoo."
Many of the animals roam free around the Clahasseys' farm and approach new people with curiosity.
"If you go to the San Diego Zoo down south you wouldn't be able to pet a camel," said Joe Clahassey, also 43. "If you come here you can pet the camel, you can pet alpacas. We've got emus running around, so it's a little different from other petting zoos or even other zoos."
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_zoo27.3ee4939.html
Zoo's lion J.B. euthanized
18-year-old cat put down after liver disease diagnosis
J.B., the 18-year-old lioness at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, was euthanized after veterinarians diagnosed her with liver disease, zoo officials announced yesterday.
The lion's keepers first noticed J.B. was ill March 17 when her appetite decreased and she appeared lethargic, said Rebecca Gullott, the zoo's mammal collection and conservation manager.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.lion27mar27,0,2092498.story?coll=bal-local-headlines
Dated
Stolen monkeys rescued by police
Police have found 18 monkeys that were stolen from zoos during two raids in Tunstall, Staffordshire.
Four out of five endangered marmosets, which were stolen from an East Sussex zoo 11 days ago, were among those found in a house full of monkeys.
It was thought that the cute creatures, which are worth several hundred pounds each, were stolen to order for illegal collectors of rare animals.
Two 35-year-old men have been arrested by police.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_5130000/newsid_5134700/5134786.stm
Zoos Targets for Exotic Animal Thieves
European thieves are stealing exotic animals like marmosets and penguins for rich collectors
AP) Missing marmosets, abducted alligators, purloined penguins: Thieves are targeting Europe's zoos and safari parks to supply animal collectors who want to own ever more exotic species.
Conservationists say the practice is harming animals, threatening vital breeding programs, and adding to an already flourishing illegal trade in exotic birds and animals.
"We live in a designer world and people are not satisfied any more with a budgie or a canary _ they want something more exotic," said John Hayward, a former police officer who runs Britain's National Theft Register, the only national database of animal thefts in Europe.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/10/ap/tech/mainD8K1S7J02.shtml
continued …
Monday, March 26, 2007
The time is 1300 (1 PM). The penguins in the foreground are napping.
The weather conditions are foggy.
The time is 2200
The current offshore is fairly fast. The iceberg comes into view and within 30 minutes is nearly gone. The burg is easily seen here. In 30 minutes it has moved to the left and the top is only bearly discernable.
The penguins swim in that current. That's incredible to realize.
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