New Zealand Herald


US invests $4.7m in NZ firm's gas-to-ethanol process
Auckland-based LanzaTech says a Silicon Valley investor has given it money to make ethanol from an untapped source: carbon monoxide gas.
In a statement from New York the company said it had developed a fermentation process in which bacteria consume carbon monoxide and produce ethanol.
Ethanol can be used as an alternative fuel or an octane-enhancing, pollution-reducing additive to petrol.
Sean Simpson, LanzaTech's co-founder and chief scientific officer, said the company would use the US$3.5 million ($4.7 million) investment from the venture firm, Khosla Ventures, to establish a pilot plant and do the engineering work to prepare for commercial-scale ethanol production.
Vinod Khosla, a co-founder of Sun Microsystems who formed Khosla Ventures in 2004, has invested in more than a dozen start-ups involved in "clean fuel" technologies.
He told the International Herald Tribune that LanzaTech stood out from the scores of proposals he sees each day for its ability to scale up to industrial proportions and the credibility of its founding scientists.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10436171



Lost trade opportunities for NZ in the Pacific
7:00AM Friday April 27, 2007
New Zealand is missing out on lucrative trade deals in the "American Pacific" according to the New Zealand-Pacific Business Council.
Gilbert Ullrich, council chairman, said New Zealand businesses were not taking enough advantage of the markets in places like Hawaii and Guam.
American Samoa and the Federated States of Micronesia were also markets that could be better tapped into, Mr Ullrich said, adding that Australia had, by comparison, done very well in such markets.
"The increased dialogue and expansion of business between our country and the Pacific area can only lead to greater opportunities into the US," he said.
Mr Ullrich made the comments ahead of a Pacific Futures conference in Auckland next week.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10436372



Pharmac playing 'Russian roulette' with allergies
5:00AM Friday April 27, 2007By Martin Johnston
Pharmac is gambling with the lives of allergy sufferers by refusing to buy them automatic adrenalin injectors, says an Auckland man who nearly died from his food allergy.
Paul Martin, who buys his own single-use EpiPen auto-injectors - and has been saved by them - spoke out yesterday after the death of Aucklander Grant Freeman.
The Herald reported yesterday that Mr Freeman, aged 38, died last Thursday after his hospital life-support was switched off. He had severe brain damage. His heart had stopped beating for several minutes two days earlier before being treated at the cafe where he had collapsed.
His sister Donna Whittle wonders if his meal was inadvertently contaminated with a trace of one of the foods he was allergic to - peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, seafood and chicken.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10436359


Lost spirit returns to arson church
Rangiatea Church was rebuilt after it burned to the ground in 1995, and yesterday it had some of its soul restored.
An arsonist destroyed the historic Kapiti Coast church, but its spirit was not destroyed.
Elders set about building a replica of the oldest surviving Anglican Maori Church, a building commissioned by Te Rauparaha and completed in 1851.
Prayer kneelers, orders of service, papers and a precious kiwi feather kete were among fire and water-damaged objects recovered from the ashes and preserved in freezers.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10436355


'Fagin' mother taught four daughters how to shoplift
A judge has likened a woman who coached her daughters in shoplifting to Fagin, the character in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, who recruits and trains children to steal.
In Tauranga District Court, Judge Thomas Ingram told Maria Ruhia Milina, 32, that he took a dim view of her "bringing her children up to act in a criminal way".
The Katikati woman, whose occupation was given as shop assistant, was accused of getting her four daughters aged 14, 12, 11 and 9 to put on up to three layers of clothing under what they were already wearing, after removing the price tags.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10436354



Tip-offs on missing Kiwi after appeals by US police
Florida police have received tips from the public after appealing for information on New Zealand teacher Leonard Taku, 45, who has been missing since Christmas Day.
Fox News yesterday reported Florida police had received tips in the wake of their appeal.
Mr Taku was holidaying in Florida, and was last seen at a car rental counter at Tampa Airport on December 25. He was extending for the third time his contract for a luxury Chrysler Crossfire convertible.
The car has since been found abandoned, undamaged, in the Ocala National Forest, but Tampa Airport Police Sergeant Peter Bright told Fox no clues were recovered because the area around the car had been cleared with a controlled burn.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10436381



Boat tragedy father: 'How will I ever get over it?'
The grief-stricken father of two children who died in a boating tragedy has told how their mother battled to save them as the family launch sank quickly in the Hauraki Gulf.
Lindsay Rowles, 53, said his wife Tania rushed to their children - Erina, 8, and Travis, 5 - who were sleeping in the cabin when their 7.3m boat started taking on water early on Anzac Day.
Realising they were sinking, Mr Rowles and two family friends who were on the fishing trip lifted the anchor so they could motor to a rocky outcrop 200m away.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10436392



The wickedest experience of my life, says roadside dad
Tim Church got more involved with the birth of his first child than he had expected after a traffic jam meant he delivered his son by the side of the road.
After being held up by half an hour on the way to Tauranga Hospital on Tuesday, Mr Church said he had no option but to pull over in Greerton and deliver the baby himself after his partner, Jodie White, said they would not make it in time.
The couple had left their Mt Maunganui home at 8.30am after Ms White went into labour.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10436327



Preschool plan 'dangerous'
The biggest early childhood group in the country is calling for a boycott of the Government's plan for free childcare, saying it is dangerous and "the biggest threat to the quality of early childhood education in our generation".
The Early Childhood Council - whose 1000 centres make up nearly half of the country's preschool facilities - has sent a memo to its members urging a blanket rejection of the policy, under which 3- and 4-year-olds will get 20 hours of free childcare a week.
It says the policy leaves centres reliant on "optional charges" and donations to make up the shortfall between what the funding provided and what they charged.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10436368



Child watching cartoons surrounded by weapons
An eight-year-old girl was found watching cartoons with a loaded pistol beneath her and a stun gun and sawn-off shotgun nearby during a police raid on drug dealers in Wellington.
Her father was one of more than 30 people in Wellington city, Kapiti Mana and Upper Hutt arrested during a five-day sting on mid and low-level cannabis dealers this week.
Detective Senior Sergeant Darrin Thomson, head of Wellington metro crime unit, told the Dominion Post the girl was watching television with a loaded pistol beneath the mattress she was sitting on when police arrived to search her father's house.
A pump-action .22 shotgun, a sawn-off shotgun, a semi-automatic pistol, a stun gun and ammunition, as well as methamphetamine, LSD, and cannabis were also found at the house.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=30&objectid=10436406



Government faces defeat over personal records bill
The Government appears headed for an embarrassing defeat over its proposal to tightly restrict access to birth, death and marriage certificates.
An outcry from historians, genealogists and researchers has prompted several of Parliament's smaller parties to revisit their stances on the Government's Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Amendment Bill.
It now seems that the group of smaller parties demanding significant change to the access provisions is large enough, with the National Party, to scuttle the Government bill.
United Future leader Peter Dunne yesterday said he felt that the Government bill in its present form was "sledgehammer to crack a nut stuff".

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=30&objectid=10436389



Curriculum plans bring warnings
Education groups caution against giving schools too much independence over the curriculum, saying it could result in wide variations in what students learn at different schools.
Submissions on the draft schools curriculum - due to be introduced in schools next year, were predominantly supportive of it.
However, groups ranging from the teacher unions, the Education Forum and the Office of the Childrens' Commissioner all warned that it was vague and could result in wide disparities.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=35&objectid=10436110



Asthma a factor for pupils with behaviour problems
Children with asthma may be at increased risk of behavioural, emotional and developmental problems, particularly if the asthma is severe, the results of a new study suggest.
Using data from a national health survey, researchers found that of more than 100,000 US children and teenagers, those with asthma were more likely to be diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety and learning disabilities.
More severe asthma increased the risk, as did living in a disadvantaged social or economic environment, according to the study, published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioural Paediatrics.
Compared with children whose parents described their asthma as mild, those with severe asthma were three to four times more likely to have ADHD, depression or a behavioural or learning disorder.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10436326



Word of God on CDs - with a British accent
A star-studded cast has been assembled to bring the Bible's stories to a digital listening audience
The history of casting Hollywood stars in epic stories from the biblical world has been chequered.
There have been some successes, such as Charlton Heston's towering 1956 portrayal of Moses in The Ten Commandments, but many more performances have had an appeal that is chiefly kitsch - from Liz Hurley's recent Delilah to Dennis Hopper's Samson in Turner Home Entertainment's The Bible Collection.
Now Terence Stamp is to take on the challenging role of God in an epic 20-CD verbatim version of the New Testament being put together in Chicago.
Luke Perry and Marisa Tomei will also be joining a 100-member cast, playing Judas and Mary Magdalene respectively. Former adolescent heart-throb Lou Diamond Phillips will be Mark, and John Heard is cast as Matthew.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10436305



Maori groups in High Court challenge to Te Arawa deal
The multimillion-dollar Te Arawa Treaty of Waitangi settlement reached last year headed to the High Court yesterday as several Maori groups argued for the transfer of 50,000ha of land to the iwi to be blocked.
The estimated $200 million settlement the Government reached with Rotorua's Te Arawa involved the return of more than 50,000ha of Crown forest land at Kaingaroa as well as $36 million in cash.
Three Maori groups, supported by several others, asked the High Court in Wellington to block the transfer of the land and strike it from the deed of settlement with Te Arawa.
They are also asking for a declaration the Government had breached a contractual undertaking, breached trust, breached a duty of loyalty, trust and confidence to the groups, and breached a statutory duty.
The groups - the New Zealand Maori Council, the Federation of Maori Authorities, and Ngati Tuwharetoa - began the two-day challenge yesterday, which Justice Warwick Gendall said he would decide by June.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10436323



Petrol price up four cents
Like interest rates, petrol and diesel prices were also on the rise today with a four cent per litre price hike across the major oil companies.
The increase takes the price of unleaded 91 octane to 155.9c a litre, 96 octane to 160.9c and diesel to 101.9c.
BP spokeswoman Diana Stretch said the price rise was due to increases in the international cost of refined petrol and diesel.
Caltex and Shell confirmed they had also raised prices by four cents.



Photos: Eight-storey building collapses in Istanbul
ISTANBUL - An eight-storey building collapsed in Istanbul on Thursday and one man was rescued but authorities said they did not expect many casualties as people ran away when they heard the building start to crack.
It was not clear how many people were inside the building in the Sirinevler district on the European side of Istanbul, but most people had left the building before the collapse, Istanbul's governor Muammer Guler said.
A 32-year-old man was rescued from the rubble as teams worked into the night.
"Most of the people left the building when they heard cracking sounds, but a few people re-entered to get their things," Guler said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436401



Taleban video of boy beheading man angers Afghans
SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan - A Taleban video of a 12-year-old boy beheading a man accused of spying has angered many Afghans, drawing condemnation from tribal and religious leaders.
"It's very wrong for the Taleban to use a small boy to behead a man," religious teacher Mullah Attullah told Reuters on Thursday.
"I appeal to the Taleban to please stop this because non-Muslims will think Islam is a cruel and terrorist religion.
"The Taleban do not follow the laws of Islam. They are taking advice from foreigners."
The video released this week shows the boy in a camouflage jacket and a white headband using a knife to behead a blindfolded man accused of being a spy for foreign forces as men cry "Allahu Akbar! (God is Great)".

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436402


Military denies banning Iraq combat for Prince Harry
LONDON - The military denied newspaper reports that it was banning Prince Harry from serving in combat in Iraq, but acknowledged his deployment was under review.
A decision to cancel his mission would be an embarrassing reversal that could hand a propaganda victory to insurgents, undermine US and British assertions that southern Iraq is becoming safe and anger the prince himself.
Harry, third in line to the throne, is due to head to Iraq with his "A" Squadron of the Blues and Royals regiment in the coming weeks as part of the latest British troop rotation. He would patrol the desert in a Scimitar light reconnaissance tank.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436397


Physicist Hawking gets taste of zero-gravity
APE CANAVERAL, Florida, - British physicist Stephen Hawking took a flight on Thursday that gave the renowned scientist, who is confined to a wheelchair, a taste of the weightlessness of space.
Hawking, 65, and an entourage of caretakers and other thrill-seekers took off from the space shuttle's runway at the Kennedy Space Centre in a specially modified jet that dives through the sky to give passengers an experience of zero gravity.
They returned to the space centre in Florida about two hours later.
Hawking acknowledged before the flight that experiencing weightlessness, even for a few seconds, would be sweet relief from the bondage of a daily life immobilised by a debilitating and irreversible neuromuscular disorder.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436405


It's 20 lightyears away - but still close to Earth
Scientists have discovered a planet not much bigger than Earth that could be covered in oceans and has the right temperature to support life - and it is only 20.5 lightyears away.
By 2020, it should be possible for a telescope to take a close enough look at the discovery, which has yet to be named, to see if there is any sign of life.
The newly found planet is older than our solar system. It is revolving around the star known as Gliese 581, a "red dwarf" in the Libra constellation.
Its "year" lasts only 13 days because it is 14 times closer to its star than the Earth is to the sun.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10436085




US military commander detained
The commander of Camp Cropper, the United States military prison in Iraq, has been detained by military police and is under investigation.
Lieutenant Colonel William Steele will face a hearing before a panel of officers to decide whether he should face a court martial, a spokeswoman said last night.
NBC said Steele could be prosecuted for "aiding the enemy" and having improper relationships with his translator and another Iraqi woman.


The Sarkozy political story the French aren't allowed to read
PARIS - The French media is crammed with election coverage but has published, or broadcast, hardly a word on the topic that most obsesses the Paris media-political village.
Just over a week before the second round of the presidential election, a legally-enforced code of silence surrounds the state of relations between the frontrunner, Nicolas Sarkozy, and his wife, Cecilia.
Cecilia Sarkozy, 49, briefly split with her husband two years ago and then returned amid great public fanfare. She voted with Sarkozy - and presumably for Sarkozy - in the first round of the election.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436346



House sets timeline for Iraqi pullout by March
WASHINGTON - Defying President George W. Bush's veto threat, the House of Representatives yesterday approved a bill providing new war funds while setting a target timeline for the withdrawal of all United States combat troops from Iraq by March 31 next year.
By a mostly partisan vote of 218-208, the Democratic-led House narrowly approved the US$124 billion ($168 billion) emergency spending bill, ignoring Bush's promise to veto any bill that sets deadlines for withdrawing the troops.
The Senate is expected to approve the legislation today, sending it to Bush for what will be only his second veto in more than six years as President.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436341



Hugh Grant arrested over 'baked beans attack'
LONDON - Hugh Grant has been arrested and questioned by police after a photographer accused the British actor of attacking him with a tub of baked beans.
Photographer Ian Whittaker told the Daily Star tabloid that he and Grant, 46, clashed near the home of the Four Weddings and a Funeral star.
Whittaker said Grant abused and kicked him on Tuesday before lobbing the beans. The paper printed photos of Grant with a plastic tub of food raised over his head.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436307



India court orders Gere's arrest for 'obscene' kiss
JAIPUR - An Indian court ordered the arrest of Hollywood star Richard Gere on Thursday for repeatedly kissing Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty at an AIDS campaign event, saying it was an obscene act committed in public.
Gere's kisses on Shetty's cheeks at an event to promote AIDS awareness in New Delhi sparked protests in some parts of India, mostly by Hindu vigilante groups, who saw it as an outrage against her modesty and an affront to Indian culture.
The order by a court in the northern city of Jaipur came in response to a complaint by a local lawyer.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436400



Fire closes trains into south London, 200 evacuated
LONDON - Trains were shut and more than 200 people evacuated today because of a large fire near railway tracks in south London, the fire brigade and Southeastern trains said.
"A range of buildings of one or two floors in an area of 150 by 50 metres, 60 per cent of buildings are alight," a fire brigade spokeswoman said.
The fire took place on Canal Approach, near Deptford Park in Lewisham.
The spokeswoman said a 200 metre exclusion zone had been thrown up around the area and about 200 people evacuated by police. No one was hurt and about 40 firefighting trucks were on the scene.
Southeastern said all trains had been cancelled into busy London Bridge, Cannon Street and Waterloo East stations.
Some services were being diverted to Blackfriars and Victoria, but passengers were advised to delay travel.



EU and Iran report progress in nuclear talks
ANKARA - The EU and Iran said they had made progress at talks designed to end a standoff over Tehran's uranium enrichment programme that the West fears could be used for the manufacture of nuclear weapons.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's top negotiator Ali Larijani plan to hold a joint news conference on Thursday but have already agreed to meet again in two weeks' time. No details of the progress were immediately known.
Wednesday's talks between Solana and Larijani in the Turkish capital Ankara were extended into a dinner where they huddled together without aides for more than an hour, with the Iranian taking copious notes.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436253



Navy's frigates break down at sea
The navy's two warships, the Anzac frigates Te Kaha and Te Mana, both broke down at sea earlier this year, it has been revealed.
Both ships had engine problems and it is also believed the navy's supply ship, the tanker HMNZS Endeavour, had an engine breakdown which left it drifting briefly in the Hauraki Gulf last month.
Te Mana had problems with its diesel engines during exercises as it crossed the Tasman to Sydney with its sister ship.
The navy said Te Mana could not use its diesel engines, designed to allow the ship to cruise at a lower economical speed, and had to run its gas turbine.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10436414



Safer Down syndrome tests on way
The Government is expected to announce a full-scale screening programme for Down syndrome testing because the current tests put unborn babies' lives at risk.
An announcement on the project is expected in or before next month's Budget.
The head of a group set up to advise the Ministry of Health on Down syndrome screening said yesterday that the current form of screening, without a blood test from the woman, was "unsafe, inequitable and should not continue".
The screening now relies mainly on maternal age and an ultra-sound check at 11-14 weeks of pregnancy of the depth of fluid in part of the fetal neck - called nuchal translucency testing.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10436387



New Zealanders keen on frequent internet use
A study released today shows New Zealanders have taken to the world wide web in a big way.
If you're an "average" user, according to the survey by comScore, you went online about every other day, spending a total of 20 and a half hours on the internet during the month.
In March, 1.9 million New Zealanders aged 15 or older used the internet, viewing 3.6 billion pages of content.
The survey indicated that the sites most frequently being visited are:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10436211



China plans online marriage list to tackle bigamy
Worried your husband-to-be is already married?
In China you will soon be able to check on a nationwide registry of marriage details, designed to stamp out bigamy, the official Xinhua agency reported.
The system, recording the date, place and names of every marriage, should be up and running by 2010, Xinhua quoted the Civil Affairs Ministry as saying.
Simplified marriage procedures have led to a rise in bigamy in recent years, Xinhua said.
China is in the middle of a crackdown on official corruption, with those who take extra wives and mistresses being targeted.



You Tube attack leads to expulsion
Four pupils from a Hastings high school have been expelled in the wake of an attack on a schoolmate that was filmed and posted on the internet.
Two boys aged 14 and 16 were charged with assault after the victim was lured to a park and attacked on March 30.
Their principal confirmed yesterday the boys would not be returning to the school.
A board of trustees meeting decided the two accused, a 15-year-old who filmed the attack and a fourth pupil would be expelled.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10436075


Campus shooting puts focus on Facebook
At a moment of great trauma, the students of Virginia Tech - and a wider world of horrified onlookers - have turned to the social networks of the internet to connect, to share their grief, to remember victims, to offer prayers and to debate.
Responses to the massacre by a generation of youngsters have underscored, as if it needed it, how communications have been revolutionised by websites such as Facebook and MySpace, and how quickly these operations have woven themselves into the lives of people on campus and further afield.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10435341



Twisted propaganda tales of US heroes in Iraq
WASHINGTON - Truth, it is famously said, is the first casualty of war.
And thus it has been for two of the most celebrated official heroes of America's campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
One was Pat Tillman, the pro-football star who gave up the NFL's riches to serve, and ultimately die for, his country.
The other was a blonde teenage girl from West Virginia whose capture and rescue in the early days of the Iraq conflict inspired the TV drama-documentary 'Saving Jessica Lynch.' Now however the two stories have returned to haunt the Pentagon.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436206



Former US spy chief defends controversial interrogation
NEW YORK - A former US spy chief said tough US interrogation of terrorist suspects had proven more valuable than any of the other intelligence gathered by US authorities, according to the 60 Minutes television show.
In an interview to be broadcast on the CBS network show on Sunday, former CIA director George Tenet defended the agency's interrogation techniques, which human rights groups say border on torture.
"I know that this programme has saved lives. I know we've disrupted plots," Tenet told the programme. "I know this programme alone is worth more than the FBI, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency put together, have been able to tell us."
Tenet, who was CIA director between 1997 and 2004, would not talk about the techniques used, but said that "enhanced interrogation" was not torture.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436218


April bloodiest month for UK troops in Iraq
BAGHDAD - British troops in Iraq passed a bloody milestone this week with the killing of soldier Alan Joseph Jones, 20, a gunner on a Warrior fighting vehicle, who was shot dead by gunmen in the southern city of Basra.
A total of 11 British soldiers have been killed in Iraq so far this month, the highest number of casualties suffered by British forces in a single month since March 2003, when 27 were killed in the opening days of the US-led invasion.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436222



Executed in US may be awake as they suffocate
MIAMI - Some prisoners executed by lethal injection in the United States may die of suffocation while they are still conscious and in pain, University of Miami researchers have said in a study that concluded the drugs do not work as intended.
The study, published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine, raised new questions about whether the lethal cocktail violates the US constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Lethal injection is the primary method of execution for 37 US states and the federal government, though more than a dozen states have halted or suspended the procedure because of legal or ethical questions.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436201



Obama lays siege to Clinton's black support on home patch
NEW YORK - When a cellphone started to ring on the podium as Senator Barack Obama was addressing members of the National Action Network in New York a few days ago, he quickly improvised. "There's something humming down here. Is that Hillary calling?"
The network is mostly black-based and was founded by the Rev Al Sharpton, who was also on the stage. The joke brought the house down because of the truth behind it. Obama is laying siege to the black support in New York state that Hillary Clinton used to be able to take for granted.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436156


Video: Bush shows off his dance moves

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436260


The New Zealand Herald had this listed under “Terrorism”

Bush ready to veto Democrat bill that calls for Iraq pull-out
WASHINGTON - President George Bush is poised to veto a bill that would require the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by next spring, after the powerfully symbolic measure was passed yesterday by the Democrat-controlled Congress.
The move came as the US commander in Iraq, referring to the war, said: "This effort may get harder before it gets easier".
The Senate voted 51-46 to pass a funding bill that came with an attachment demanding the start of a troop withdrawal in October.
The House of Representatives passed a similar measure the previous day.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=340&objectid=10436409



Oldest tree a palm with crown of fronds
5:00AM Friday April 20, 2007
The branches of Earth's oldest tree probably waved in the breeze like a modern palm, scientists say, based on two intact tree fossils that help explain the evolution of forests and their influence on climate.
The 385-million-year-old fossils, which scientists believe are evidence of Earth's earliest forest trees, put to rest speculation about fossilised tree stumps discovered in Gilboa, New York, in 1870. Scientists believe these early forests absorbed carbon dioxide, cooling the Earth's surface.
Linda VanAller Hernick, a palaeontologist at the New York State Museum, and colleague Frank Mannolini found a crown and part of a trunk in 2004 and a 8.5m trunk portion of the same species in 2005. They represent Wattieza, a tree that looked like a palm with a crown of fronds that grew up to 9m-high and reproduced through spores.
- REUTERS



'Kryptonite' unearthed
5:00AM Wednesday April 25, 2007
Kryptonite, which robbed Superman of his powers, is no longer the stuff of comic books and films. A mineral found by geologists in Serbia has virtually the same chemical composition as the fictional kryptonite from outer space, used by the superhero's nemesis Lex Luthor to weaken him.
The mineral will be called jadarite.



Dyslexia about which side of the brain you use to read
Auckland University psychologist Karen Waldie has been carrying out a brain-mapping study that shows dyslexics try to read with the right side of their brains, not the left. Using a new magnetic resonance imaging machine, or MRI, she has mapped the brains of dyslexics and non-dyslexics as they perform verbal and non-verbal tasks.
In the non-verbal tasks, dyslexic brains work in exactly the same way as others, however, the verbal tasks show increased blood flow to the right hemisphere of the dyslexic brain, proving that dyslexics try to read the wrong way with the right side.
Dr Waldie's work is physical proof that dyslexia is a neurological condition and may help us to understand the best way forward in remediation. Her results indicate that the brain may be more flexible than we originally thought.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10435774



Chaos reigns in the star nursery and Nasa has pictures to prove it
A dazzlingly detailed image released by Nasa scientists shows the chaotic conditions in which stars are born and die - in this case in a huge nebula in of our Milky Way galaxy.
The image, made from a series of 48 shots taken by the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope in 2005, depicts star birth in a new level of detail.
It provides a view spanning 50 lightyears across the Carina Nebula. A nebula is an immense cloud of hot interstellar gas and dust.
This messy and chaotic region includes at least a dozen brilliant stars estimated to be 50 to 100 times the mass of the sun, astronomers said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=325&objectid=10436084



Chickens related to T-Rex
CHICAGO - Tiny bits of protein extracted from a 68-million-year-old dinosaur bone have given scientists the first genetic proof that the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex is a distant cousin to the modern chicken.
"It's the first molecular evidence of this link between birds and dinosaurs," said John Asara, a Harvard Medical School researcher, whose results were published in last week's edition of the journal Science.
Scientists have long suspected that birds evolved from dinosaurs based on a study of dinosaur bones, but until recently, no soft tissue had survived to confirm the link.
That all changed in 2005 when Mary Higby Schweitzer of North Carolina State University reported finding soft tissue, including blood vessels and cells, in a T-Rex bone dug out of sandstone from the fossil-rich Hell Creek Formation in Montana.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10434893



Pig cell transplants bring new hope for sick Kiwis
Experimental pig cell transplants into humans with type-1 diabetes are to resume in New Zealand after an 11-year break - raising hopes of better treatment for people with the incurable disease.
"Scientific approval has been given, which is a major breakthrough," the Auckland pioneer of the treatment, Professor Bob Elliott, told the Herald yesterday.
Nicola Zimmerman, a 25-year-old architect and former Elliott patient with diabetes, was ecstatic that the treatment was a step closer to possibly being an option for her.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10434607


Broccoli's anti-cancer trait found
Eating foods like broccoli and soy has been linked to lower cancer rates, and California researchers say they may have discovered the biological mechanism behind the protective effect.
Using cells in a lab dish, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that a compound resulting from digesting vegetables like broccoli, and genistein, which is found in soy, reduce the production of two proteins needed for breast and ovarian cancers to spread. They will next test the theory in mice.
The findings highlight "an entirely unique mechanism ... Preventing the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells is crucial," said Dr Alan Kristal, associate head of the cancer prevention programme at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10434565



Happy rats give a clue to drug addiction
A surprise finding in rats has given scientists a clue to understanding drug addiction in people.
A single dose of morphine was found to lower the rats' inhibitions, even after the drug left their systems.
The painkiller blocked the brain's ability to strengthen connections, or synapses, that reduce reward or pleasure, researchers from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, reported in the journal Nature.
"What we have found is that the inhibitory synapses can no longer be strengthened 24 hours after treatment with morphine, which suggests that a natural brake has been removed," said Julie Kauer, a professor of molecular pharmacology, physiology and biotechnology at Brown.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10436321


Leatherback turtles in an online race for species survival
Researchers who have made their life's work the study of the Pacific leatherback turtle have come up with a novel way to save it from extinction.
The leatherback, which is as old as the dinosaurs to which it is closely related, and which sailed blithely through the cataclysmic event that wiped out all its earthbound cousins 65 million years ago, is now on the verge of disappearing.
In 1980 there were more than 115,000 adult female leatherback turtles, but today there are fewer than 25,000 worldwide. In 1988, 1367 female leatherbacks came to nest on Playa Grande in Las Baulas, the national park on the coast of Costa Rica, which is their last bolt-hole on that coast. In 2001 there were only 67.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10435099



Massive twist and stretch as Einstein proved right about universe
For decades physicists have been asking the question: did Albert Einstein get it wrong? After half a century, seven cancellations and US$700 million ($927 million), a mission to test his theory about the universe has finally confirmed he was a mastermind - or at least half proved it.
The early results from Gravity Probe B, one of Nasa's most complicated satellites, has confirmed "to a precision of better than 1 per cent" the assertion Einstein made 90 years ago - that an object such as the Earth distorts the fabric of space and time.
But this - what is referred to as the "geodetic" effect - is only half of the theory. The other, "frame-dragging", stated that as the world spins it drags the fabric of the universe behind it.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10435281



John Duder: More power in our rivers
Much importance is being put on developing renewable energy sources in New Zealand, almost invariably referring to wind, geothermal and even solar.
What is usually overlooked is that New Zealand's electricity supply is predominantly renewable and sustainable in broad terms, principally from hydroelectric plants.
In an average rainfall-snow melt year, about 65 per cent of generation comes from the big dam stations in the South Island and along the Tongariro-Waikato system in the North Island, together with a number of smaller stations run by local power generators such as TrustPower.
It is evident that hydro is often damned because of the "dam" syndrome, with its attendant adverse perceptions of drowned lands and scenic rivers. What appears to be incorrectly presumed is that hydro is fully exploited and cannot be increased.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10436078


Michael Richardson: China eases hostility over climate crisis
China is rapidly emerging as a key player in climate change politics, both as a major cause of the greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet and as a partner in international efforts to curb emissions.
China's role as a leading contributor to global warming was underscored by the recent spurt in growth recorded by its already supercharged economy.
The unexpected rise of just over 11 per cent in gross domestic product for the first quarter means that the world's most populous nation could overtake the United States as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases this year or next - at least a year earlier than the International Energy Agency predicted five months ago.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=244&objectid=10436077



Clean cars on agenda for automotive industry
More stringent vehicle-emissions legislation, plus proper incentives, will play a major role in pushing the introduction of new powertrains and fuels, say automotive industry experts.
"If it hadn't been for US emission regulations in the early 1960s, we would still have carburetors on our cars," said Rinaldo Rinolfi, executive vice president at Fiat Powertrain Technology.
Experts at a powertrain technologies conference in Amsterdam agreed that carmakers, legislators and consumers all have a role to play in moving toward cleaner cars.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=281&objectid=10435246

continued ...

This could be Iceland. Not sure. Doesn't matter. These are the radar elements to MDS.

No doubt Iceland didn't want to be the target of Russian missiles. The Brits should begin negotiations for a military base there. I mean even Russia has been known to attend conferences in Iceland. The pathetic aspect of this is that Iceland deployed troops to assist the USA as an ally. Bush is a jerk ! They can't be left without a defense force. They are a benign, little country considered to be part of Europe. Enough already. Iceland is not wealthy either. The USA should be ashamed of itself.

U.S. to Remove Military Forces And Aircraft From Iceland Base
By Josh WhiteWashington Post Staff WriterFriday, March 17, 2006; Page A14
The United States plans to withdraw four Air Force fighter jets and a rescue helicopter squadron from its military base in Iceland by September, a move that will leave the island nation with virtually no military defenses and that has caused diplomatic tension between the two NATO allies.
Bush administration officials told Icelandic leaders this week that the United States would remove the F-15 fighter jets and several helicopters from Keflavik Naval Air Station, a base that has provided for Iceland's security since 1951 as part of a bilateral agreement. The base was first used as an air bridge to Europe during World War II and later played a role in deterring the advance of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, when the U.S. military patrolled Icelandic airspace and conducted anti-submarine missions in the North Atlantic.

I told you so.

Way to go, North Korea. China must be seething that US/Japanese relations have warmed to the point of allowing the missile defense shield to forward deploy.

Gates plays down Russian missile fears (click on above)

Robert Gates, US defence secretary, on Wednesday downplayed comments by a top Russian general who warned that Moscow would target Poland and the Czech Republic if they participated in a controversial US missile defence system.

U.S. missile shield expansion may trigger new arms race - expert (click on)

MOSCOW, April 25 (RIA Novosti) - U.S. plans to expand and deploy elements of its missile defense system around the world threaten the start of a new arms race, a Russian expert said Wednesday.
In January, the U.S. announced plans to deploy a radar facility in the Czech Republic and a missile base in Poland to counter possible attacks from Iran or North Korea, whose nuclear programs have provoked serious international concerns. Moscow has strongly opposed the U.S. plans, saying they would threaten Russia's security and destroy the strategic balance of forces in Europe.
Sergei Rogov, head of the Institute of the U.S. and Canadian Studies, said that today strategic stability in the world is maintained by treaties limiting strategic offensive weapons and banning strategic missile defenses, which are due to expire in the near future.
"START I strategic arms reduction treaty will expire in two years. START II treaty will die without even coming into force and the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty will expire in six years," Rogov said. "Eventually, for the first time in 40 years Russia and the United States will have no treaties limiting offensive and defensive weapons. This would mean a game without rules."

Putin pledges to continue Yeltsin's dream for decent life - 1 (click on)

MOSCOW, April 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's first post-Soviet leader Boris Yeltsin dreamed of making life in Russia decent, and the country's leadership will continue working to achieve this goal, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.
"Boris Nikolayevich, however difficult it was for him and whatever difficulties the country was going through, always believed in Russia's revival and transformation, respected the talent and power of the Russian nation," Putin said at a mourning reception in St. George's Hall, the biggest and most solemn hall of the Kremlin palace.
"He sincerely tried to do everything possible to make the life of millions of Russians worthy of such a proud title," the Russian leader said, adding that this was Yeltsin's dream. "We will walk toward this goal."
Yeltsin was buried at a central Moscow cemetery Wednesday following a memorial ceremony attended by Russian and foreign dignitaries and earlier by thousands of ordinary Russians.

This is more proof of EXACTLY how much George Bush and Dick Cheney don't care about any issue unless it fits their politics

Wall Street: Stocks close higher with focus on earnings

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

By Joe Bel Bruno, The Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Wall Street was mixed yesterday, recovering from an early loss as investors shrugged off disappointing housing and consumer confidence data to focus on stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings. The Dow Jones industrials set a new trading high, and resumed their trek toward 13,000.

I don't care if this was released in 2003. The lack of equity of improvement for the American citizen is disgusting compared to the vast profits of the financial markets. This article belly aches about CEO salaries. Funny, I wasn't paying close attention to CEOs actually.

Press Release from United for a Fair Economy

For immediate release - April 14, 2004

Contact: Betsy Leondar-Wright, (617) 423-2148 x113

Ratio of CEO Pay to Average Worker Pay Reaches 301 in 2003
Average Worker Takes Home $517 a Week; Average CEO $155,769 a Week

BOSTON — After declining for the last two years, the gap in pay between average workers and large company CEOs surpassed 300-to-1 in 2003. In 2002, the ratio stood at 282-to-1. In 1982, it was just 42-to-1.
According to Business Week’s 54th Annual Executive Compensation Survey, published this week, the average large company CEO received compensation totaling $8.1 million in 2003, up 9.1% from the previous year. Business Week’s survey covers the 365 largest companies that have reported their executive pay to date.

America needs to rebuild it's infrastructure. One based in an economy with a strong manufacturing sector producing the goods WE NEED to bring the USA to an the status of "Carbon Free Society." No other country has the needs the USA has. It's time we address our needs in the way we need them addressed.

This report regarding OSHA does not only reflect just that of quality of work environments of workers, but, also reflects issues of people/customers of that environment as well.

Example: Hospitals. A complaint in 2002 to OSHA regarding 'air quality' that was causing issues of 'hospital acquired infections' was referred out from the federal authority to the local board of heatlh which stated 'when the fans on the building were running properly the dirty air was circulated quickly enough' so no one was affected.

The complaint to OSHA resulted when during a severe storm, the entire back up electrical system went out and the building fans stopped the frequent air exchanges. It was only then that the hospital personnel realized the sewage system leaked air back up into the five story building.

Within twenty minutes a large hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina filled with sewer gases and OSHA did nothing with the complaint. When the maintainence workers were asked about it, they stated they knew they had to keep the fans running well all the time.

It's a wild Party for the Planet at the NEW Zoo

Connor Haynes, 2, of Merrill gives a cracker Sunday to Hodari, a male giraffe, during the Earth Day Party for the Planet at the NEW Zoo in Suamico. Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette

Zoo animal baby shower invitation

Morning Papers - continued ...

Zoos

If You Want to Know if Spot Loves You So, It’s in His Tail
By SANDRA BLAKESLEE
Every dog lover knows how a pooch expresses its feelings.
Ears close to the head, tense posture, and tail straight out from the body means “don’t mess with me.” Ears perked up, wriggly body and vigorously wagging tail means “I am sooo happy to see you!”
But there is another, newly discovered, feature of dog body language that may surprise attentive pet owners and experts in canine behavior. When dogs feel fundamentally positive about something or someone, their tails wag more to the right side of their rumps. When they have negative feelings, their tail wagging is biased to the left.
A study describing the phenomenon, “Asymmetric tail-wagging responses by dogs to different emotive stimuli,” appeared in the March 20 issue of Current Biology. The authors are Giorgio Vallortigara, a neuroscientist at the University of Trieste in Italy, and two veterinarians, Angelo Quaranta and Marcello Siniscalchi, at the University of Bari, also in Italy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/science/24wag.html?ex=1178078400&en=0de4195af5317509&ei=5070&emc=eta1



In a Lonely Place, Saved by Puppies
The wily and resourceful young screenwriter Mike White writes movies that seem as if they were cooked up by the skinny, self-consciously awkward guy who always ends up alone in a corner at the office holiday party. As it happens, Mr. White, who sometimes acts in the films he and others write, is a skinny, seemingly self-aware guy, though given his résumé — “Chuck & Buck,” “The Good Girl,” “School of Rock” and “Nacho Libre” — it’s a safe bet he doesn’t often play the wallflower, at least in Hollywood.

http://movies2.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/movies/13dog.html


Hogs Fed Bad Pet Food Are Quarantined
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 5:06 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Salvaged pet food contaminated with an industrial chemical was fed to hogs in as many as six states, federal health officials said Tuesday. It was not immediately clear if any of the hogs entered the food supply for humans.
Food safety officials have quarantined hogs at farms in California, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and possibly Ohio. The urine of hogs in some states has tested positive for the chemical, melamine, the Food and Drug Administration said.
''At this point, I don't have a definitive answer other than to say that the issue is being addressed,'' Stephen Sundlof, the FDA's chief veterinarian, told reporters when asked if any of the hogs had entered the food supply. A poultry farm also may be involved, he added.
The FDA also said it planned to begin testing a wide variety of vegetable proteins at firms that imported the ingredients to make everything from pizza dough to infant formula, and protein shakes to energy bars. The ingredient list includes wheat gluten, corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein and rice bran.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Pet-Food-Recall.html?ex=1176868800&en=eb084fb3bcdde6d4&ei=5070&emc=eta1



Bridge over zoo, creek being replaced
Associated Press
CLEVELAND - A crumbling 75-year-old bridge must come down next weekend to make room for a new one, but the demolition must be delicate since it straddles a zoo, creek and railroad tracks.
A five-second series of blasts will topple the historic Fulton Road Bridge over Big Creek Valley and part of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The bridge, in disrepair for years, closed to traffic in October.
Its six concrete arches up to 110 feet high still cross a valley and pieces of its deck have been removed to prepare for the implosion on Saturday. A new, similarly designed bridge is expected to take its place late in 2009.
The demolition crew must take care in bringing down the 50 million-pound concrete and steel structure so not to harm the homes, zoo animals, creek and railroad tracks underneath.
"They don't want the grenade effect" of debris scattering in all directions, Cuyahoga County Engineer Robert Klaiber said.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/17119527.htm



National Zoo Welcomes Unusual Sight for Earth Day
April 22, 2007 - 12:57pm
Nathan Hager, WTOP Radio
WASHINGTON -- National Zoo visitors on Earth Day might notice something a little different. No, it's not a new animal exhibit.
They're impossible to miss along Rock Creek Parkway near the National Zoo. The hundreds of thin, blue tubes jutting from the banks are not a weird, new art project.
"We're planting a thousand native trees down along Rock Creek right here," says Frank Clements, the acting zoo park manager.
He says the new trees are part of an ongoing effort to reforest this part of the creek.
So, what's the deal with the blue tubes?
"That's there to protect these young seedlings from deer," says Bob Lamb with Friends of the National Zoo.
Friends of the National Zoo amassed enough volunteers to get 1,000 saplings planted in a half-hour.
The volunteers say putting in a few hundred trees was a great way to spend Earth Day.
"Yeah, it's fun!" one young girl says.
"Who knows what [else] I would've done?" says one man. "Probably nothing."
(Copyright 2007 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
Nathan Hager, WTOP Radio
WASHINGTON -- National Zoo visitors on Earth Day might notice something a little different. No, it's not a new animal exhibit.
They're impossible to miss along Rock Creek Parkway near the National Zoo. The hundreds of thin, blue tubes jutting from the banks are not a weird, new art project.
"We're planting a thousand native trees down along Rock Creek right here," says Frank Clements, the acting zoo park manager.
He says the new trees are part of an ongoing effort to reforest this part of the creek.
So, what's the deal with the blue tubes?
"That's there to protect these young seedlings from deer," says Bob Lamb with Friends of the National Zoo.
Friends of the National Zoo amassed enough volunteers to get 1,000 saplings planted in a half-hour.
The volunteers say putting in a few hundred trees was a great way to spend Earth Day.
"Yeah, it's fun!" one young girl says.
"Who knows what [else] I would've done?" says one man. "Probably nothing."

http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=1122037



Gladys Porter Zoo Director saves turtles
April 22, 2007 03:41 PM EDT
Dr. Patrick Burchfield has been recognized by a national organization for his drive to save endangered species. Dr. Patrick Burchfield, director of the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville says he feels very humbled these days.
Each year, the U.S. fish and wildlife service honors 16 people nationwide for the national recovery champion award. Thousands of nominations were submitted, but only 16 among them, Dr. Burchfield, received the honor.
For decades, Burchfield has been dedicated to the endangered Kemps Ridley sea turtle recovery effort. 99 % of the turtles nest in an 80 mile stretch of beaches in Mexico. But in 1978 Burchfield says the turtles were declared the most endangered species in the world. Burchfield was so worried; he spent countless hours working to save the turtles.

http://www.team4news.com/Global/story.asp?S=6409252&nav=0w0v



Zoo promotion snarls traffic
A promotion at the Louisville Zoo has drawn so many customers that police have temporarily closed down a couple of roads in the area to alleviate gridlock.An official with MetroSafe Dispatch said the eastbound exit ramp from Interstate 264 to Newburg Road was closed as of about 2 p.m. due to traffic problems. Portions of Trevilian Way also were closed at Newburg and Poplar Level roads. The zoo was offering $1 admission today as part of an Earth Day celebration.
Bindi orders furry merchandise off zoo shelves
Bindi Irwin has joined the anti-fur campaign, instructing Australia Zoo to take a drink holder covered in fake fur off its shop shelves because it sent out the wrong message.
The eight-year-old daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, believes it is important to carry on her father's conservation message, her mother Terri Irwin said.
"Last night she came to me with a drink holder from the shop here at the zoo," Mrs Irwin told The Mail on Sunday's You magazine.
"It was covered in fake fur.
"She said she didn't think we should sell it because it gave the message that fur was OK, even if it was fake. And it's not OK.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/bindi-orders-furry-merchandise-off-zoo-shelves/2007/04/23/1177180524312.html



Animals in party mood as Palm Beach Zoo celebrates Earth Day
By Paola Iuspa-Abbott South Florida Sun-Sentinel Posted April 23 2007
West Palm Beach -- It was as if the black bears, the tigers, the monkeys and even the butterflies at the Palm Beach Zoo knew it was Earth Day on Sunday. Or so visitors and zoo volunteers thought. They had rarely seen the bears hugging and fighting playfully; the tigers chasing each other and plunging into a pond; and the monkeys climbing and poking each other restlessly."Did anybody give them an Earth Day pill to make them active?" Diane Gant of Royal Palm Beach, asked. "The monkeys are running a rampage."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pzoo23apr23,0,2643578.story?coll=sfla-news-palm


A case of mistaken sex for zoo
Taipei - A Taiwan zoo has become the laughing stock for having mistaken a female elephant for a male for 28 years, a newspaper said on Sunday.The Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung, south Taiwan, received two baby African elephants from a US zoo in 1979, believing they were a male and a female, the Taipei Times reported.Since then, the Shoushan Zoo raised the two elephants, Ali and Annie, as a couple and even held a much-publicized wedding for them in 2002. Annie died in 2003.Although Annie never gave birth, zookeepers apparently never suspected both animals were females because Ali, now 33 and weighing five tons, was larger, stronger and more violent than Annie.The truth about Ali's sexual identity came out after a crocodile at the Shoushan Zoo bit off the arm of a vet who was giving the animal anaesthesia shots in order to treat its illness.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=nw20070423014639352C366671



Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Warns Of Threat To Endangered Orangutans
Reported by Laura Forbes
lforbes@fox21news.com
Aired (04-22-07)
At the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the orangutans are thriving. But in the wild, they are endangered. Zoo keepers said they are losing their habitat as companies harvest palm oil. It is an ingredient found in many everyday products.
There are an estimated 45,000 Bornean orangutans left in the wild. There are 15 times more deer than that in the state of Colorado alone. And there are even fewer Sumatran orangutans- less than 8,000. If something is not done soon, they could be extinct in the wild in ten years.

http://fox21news.com/Global/story.asp?S=6409737


Shah Faisal Town gets mini zoo
Staff Report KARACHI: The Hasrat Mohani Model Park and a mini-zoo, located in Rifah-e-Aam Society, Shah Faisal Town, was inaugurated by City Nazim Mustafa Kamal late Saturday night.This is the first model park in all 18 towns where a mini zoo has been built. What is also noteworthy is that it was established by the town’s own funds. The inaugural ceremony was converted into a meeting in which a large number of area residents, MNAs, MPAs, nazims of the Shah Faisal and Malir towns and town officials participated…
…Meanwhile, an awareness walk to mark World Earth Day was organised by the Jamshed Town administration. The walk began at Quaid’s Mausoleum and was attended by Provincial Minister for Environment and Alternative Energy Dr Saghir Ahmed, City Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil, Acting Town Nazim Ziauddin Jamal and a large number of school children and people from different segments of life.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C04%5C23%5Cstory_23-4-2007_pg12_1


Transfer of zoo saves city jobs
Continued subsidy would have added to Lansing deficit
Tom Lambert Lansing State Journal
The regionalization of Potter Park Zoo comes at an ideal time for Lansing as the city faces a $6.6 million deficit, a top financial official said.
Without turning the zoo over to Ingham County, the budget shortfall would have forced city officials to make deeper cuts, likely eliminating more jobs, said Jerry Ambrose, the city's finance director.
The city already proposes eliminating 32 vacant positions in next year's budget, which starts July 1.

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070423/NEWS01/704230346/1001/opinion


Students Spending Entire Week at Local Zoo
It's going to be a wild, wild week for a group of local students. Nearly 60 third graders from Cornell Elementary School in Okemos are spending the whole week at the Potter Park Zoo for a special learning experience called the "big zoo lesson."
Each student will "adopt" an animal that they'll research and observe every day. They'll hold class right at the zoo and use the information they gather to put together a project about the animal.
Jennifer Eddy, Cornell Elementary Teacher: "Each day they become more comfortable and more knowledgeable about the zoo, how it works and the wonderful opportunities that are out there."
This is the seventh year students have taken part in the big zoo lesson.



At zoo, love is in the air
Spring is a popular season -- for visitors and for mating animals
By Chris Emery
sun reporter
Originally published April 23, 2007
Romance is abloom at the zoo.The sea otters, Elvis and Mary, are sharing Gatorade and carrot popsicles. The okapis, Hiari and Karen, are getting acquainted over a leafy snack. And the zebras - well, everyone knows that zebras have no shame.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.journal23apr23,0,6439855.story?coll=bal-local-headlines


National Zoo's panda won't be deported
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The capital city’s most photogenic resident will be staying in town a while longer. Facing deportation after his upcoming second birthday, giant panda cub Tai Shan will instead continue to call the National Zoo home.
A crowd of panda lovers and dignitaries gathered for a Tuesday morning news conference at the Giant Panda Habitat erupted in cheers when China’s ambassador to the United States, Zhou Wenzhong, said his country has “agreed that the stay of Tai Shan will be extended two more years.”
“The giant panda is a gift of nature for not only China, but for the whole world,” Ambassador Zhou said.

http://www.examiner.com/a-691841~National_Zoo_s_Panda_won_t_be_deported.html



Dylan at the zoo: Will he or won’t he?
FROM BLADE STAFF AND WIRE SERVICES
Bob Dylan fans in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan: You can write “July 12 at the Toledo Zoo” on your calendar, but use a pencil.While the concert booking Web site Pollstar lists a Dylan show at the zoo on that date, it hasn’t been 100 percent confirmed, said Dan Kemer, vice president of marketing and booking at Live Nation.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070424/ART10/70424019



Food, music herald Staten Island Zoo's Festa Italiana
Fund-raising event is scheduled June 2-3 at the West Brighton animal park
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
By KIAWANA RICH
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Who needs Perillo and the $800 airfare to Italy?
All things Italian will be on offer right here at home, at the second annual SI Bank & Trust Festa Italiana at the Staten Island Zoo, West Brighton, on June 2 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and June 3 until 7 p.m.

http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1177416924268100.xml&coll=1



W.Va. Army captain honored for zoo rescue
By CARA SPAZIANIThe Journal MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Crouching down to the ground, Capt. William Sumner wasnt petting just any ordinary cheetah.
As a captain in the U.S. Armys 354 Civil Affairs Brigade during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, Sumner, a Martinsburg resident, was responsible for the wartime rescue of the Baghdad Zoo.
That rescue, which took place after the fall of Baghdad, included caring for cheetahs once owned by the son of Iraqs former president, Saddam Hussein.
"They were Uday Husseins cheetahs," Sumner said. "He would take them out on the town with him, in the car. They were fairly tame animals, so we played with them on a regular basis."
Sumner was recognized in March for his efforts in helping to rescue the animals of the Baghdad Zoo by being presented with the first recognition award by The Earth Organization, an international conservation group.

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070424/NEWS01/704240380/1001/NEWS10



Tulsa Zoo Opens Elephant Demonstration Yard
By MIRANDA ENZOR
Editorial Assistant
After nine long months of construction, the Tulsa Zoo opened its Elephant Demonstration Yard April 13. The Demonstration Yard was dedicated to Larry Nunley for his 32 years of service with the Tulsa Zoo.
The Yard is located at the front of the Tulsa Zoo. Seating for the Demonstration Yard is designed to look like a stadium where visitors can watch the elephants as they interact with their keepers. Weather permitting, the Tulsa Zoo plans to host demonstrations daily at 11 a.m. through Oct. 31.
“It is truly an honor to be part of this elephant group,” Nunley said during the dedication ceremony.
The Tulsa Zoo is home to three Asian Elephants named Sneezy, Gunda and Sooky. There are two recognized species of elephants in the world: Asian and African. Elephants are the largest land mammal in the world and belong to the pachyderms class which means thick-skinned. They generally live 60-70 years, have the largest brains (up to 12 pounds) and can weigh tens-of-thousands of pounds. The most noticed versatile characteristic of elephants are their trunks, which contains more than 40,000 muscles and are used for defense, eating, drinking, smelling and covering their bodies with water or mud.

http://www.gtrnews.com/greater-tulsa-reporter/1825/tulsa-zoo-opens-elephant-demonstration-yard



Perth Zoo welcomes new African lions
Perth Zoo has taken delivery of two African lions weighing 180 kilograms each.
The four-year-old brothers, Nelson and Mandela, will be company to the 14-year-old lioness Manzi, who recently lost her mate Alastair, 21.
The young males have been shown off for the first time today after arriving from Queensland four days ago.
Zoo keeper Trueman Faulkner says the brothers are to be part of a future breeding program at the zoo.
"They're the most social of all the large cats so it's imperative we house them in a pride rather than house them on their own," he said.
The lions are expected to be part of a future breeding program to help the species.
Perth Zoo chief executive officer Susan Hunt says they will look at bringing in another female at some stage.
"It's still early days - we have to really look at the genetic mix and whether or not our exhibit is large enough but we'd love to bring cubs back to Perth Zoo," she said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200704/1905432.htm?perth



Umphrey's McGee and the Disco Biscuits Playin' at the Zoo for Mother Earth

http://www.livemusicblog.com/reviews/07/04/23/umphreys-mcgee-disco-biscuits-green-apple-music-festival.php




K2: Clouded Leopards
Posted at 9:00 am
April 23, 2007
by Maureen O. Duryee
K2 is the abbreviated spelling we use to represent our clouded leopard sisters, Kya and Kilat, when we list them on the show board for our Wild Ones show lineup. But don’t let the shortened spelling fool you, they are exceptionally important animals in our collection at the San Diego Zoo. A census taken in April 2003 states there are only 162 clouded leopards in 54 institutions worldwide. Needless to say, this species of cat is endangered. But even more impressive is the fact that just a handful of clouded leopards are known to be in shows and educational presentations worldwide.

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/k2-clouded-leopards/



Cincinnati Zoo Preps For Birth Of Rare Baby Rhino
Posted By: Deb Haas
The Cincinnati Zoo is getting ready for the birth of its third Sumatran Rhino calf.
The zoo's female rhino, Emi, is on day 473 of pregnancy. Gestation for Sumatran rhinos is about 16 months.
Terri Roth works at zoo and explains why Emi's pregnancy is so significant. "The Cincinnati Zoo is the only place in the world successfully breeding Sumatra rhinos. Our breeding program is the spark of hope for the species. This is the calf number 3, so we're pretty excited about it."
Zoo volunteers are watching four monitors, following Emi's every move, watching for signs she's ready to deliver the calf.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=8ef5631b-753a-49a2-8eb0-78f6af6be2c7



Maryland Zoo Helps To Save Mountain Gorillas (video)
(WJZ) BALTIMORE The powerful mountain gorilla is an endangered species and the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is directly connected to efforts to save them. The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project is headquartered at the Maryland Zoo. Chief veterinarian Mike Cranfield is in charge. He travels to Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo five or six times a year to treat the mountain gorilla. "We're one of the first groups to actually treat these animals in their own habitat," Cranfield said."Mike has achieved a miracle...with his understanding of the relationship between the people, livestock and the mountain gorillas. With limited resources, he has done a great job," said MGVP Chairman Roger Powell.There are only 720 of them left in the world.

http://wjz.com/topstories/local_story_113175116.html



Kumasi Zoo welcomes Accra ZooAwal Muhammed
Posted: Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The management of the Kumasi Zoo has organized an official welcoming ceremony for the animals transferred from Accra Zoo to Kumasi Zoo with a call on the general public to patronize the zoo.
The occasion which took place at the premises of the Kumasi Zoo witnessed a host of zoologists, wildlife groups from various second cycle institutions, businessmen and other animal lovers.
The Minister of Lands Forestry and Mines Prof. Dominik Fobin disclosed that the animals were transferred to Kumasi due to the work currently going on at the presidential residence in Accra .
He noted that land had been acquired at Achimota forest in Accra where an ultra modern zoo will be built for the national capital.
Prof. Fobin said, government has put in place measures to redevelop the Kumasi Zoo to meet the status that befits the Garden City. His ministry, he said, will continue to bring in more animals to beef up the present ones so that the zoo can attract more visitors.
He urged both management and workers to collaborate and adopt measures to finance the zoo for the proper up keep of the animals.
The KMA boss Madam Patricia Appiadjei announced that KMA had awarded contracts on the drainage system at the zoo and the Urban Roads Dept is taking steps to renovate all roads leading to the zoo.
Torgui Kporklu II chief of Alakplo in Accra , the chairman of the Accra Zoo Board, congratulated the staff of the Kumasi Zoo for the safe delivery of the animals from Accra.

http://www.accra-mail.com/mailnews.asp?id=937



Fmr. zoo train operator not surprised by weekend crash (video)
Ten people hurt when a train ride at the Memphis Zoo tipped over are recovering at home tonight.
The Memphis Zoo is still not releasing the identity of the train's operator or what his or her future is with the zoo.
Action News 5 reporter Blair Simmons talked to a former zoo train operator and he says he's not surprised by this weekend's crash.
Marleigh Patton's Girl Scout trip to the zoo turned into a train wreck Saturday when the train ride she was on with five of her friends crashed.
She says the train was taking a curve too fast, "me and Adriana was screaming stop, stop," says Patton.

http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=6414742



Bindi orders furry merchandise off zoo shelves
Bindi Irwin has joined the anti-fur campaign, instructing Australia Zoo to take a drink holder covered in fake fur off its shop shelves because it sent out the wrong message.
The eight-year-old daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, believes it is important to carry on her father's conservation message, her mother Terri Irwin said.
"Last night she came to me with a drink holder from the shop here at the zoo," Mrs Irwin told The Mail on Sunday's You magazine.
"It was covered in fake fur.
"She said she didn't think we should sell it because it gave the message that fur was OK, even if it was fake. And it's not OK.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/bindi-orders-furry-merchandise-off-zoo-shelves/2007/04/23/1177180524312.html



Wild Asia's annual Responsible Tourism Awards
Find out about this year's Responsible Tourism Award and how to apply.
http://www.wildasia.net/main.cfm?page=article&articleID=308



Wild Asia's Seed Grants
One of the most direct ways in which Wild Asia supports conservation is through our Seed Grant programme - small financial support to those that need a kick start to get an idea off the ground.
About our Seed Grants
Small – up to USD 1,000 financial grants – to anyone that has a good idea, innovation or initiative, that needs a helping hand. Projects can be anywhere in Asia, and managed by anyone from any nationality. What you have to demonstrate is how you will be able to have an impact on people, cultures, nature or our environment.

http://www.wildasia.net/main.cfm?page=article&articleID=319




Scientists uncover the long and short of being a dog
In a pioneering investigation of canine DNA scientists have discovered the genetic trick that has allowed small dogs to shrink in size from their wolf-like ancestors.
A major study of more than 3200 dogs from 143 different breeds has found the part of the canine genome that is responsible for producing diminutive stature in breeds such as bichon frise, chihuahua and pekinese.
The part of the canine genome responsible for small size is not a gene but a "regulatory sequence" that controls a separate gene responsible for a key growth factor.
Scientists found that all small dogs they examined had the same kind of regulatory sequence, which they believe can explain the huge variations in dog size - the largest of any mammal.
"The identification and characterisation of a key genetic variant that accounts for differences in dog size is particularly exciting because the underlying gene is present in all dogs and other diverse species, including humans," said Eric Green, of the US National Human Genome Research Institute.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10433195


Penguins prepare nests for mating
(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-04-13 09:13
Chicago - They're the rock stars of the bird world these days, the Rolling Stones of the feathered set. But the penguins at the Shedd Aquarium are showing it's not all film premieres -- think "Happy Feet" and "March of the Penguins" -- and sushi. It's rocks. Real rocks a bird can build a nest out of.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-04/13/content_849784.htm#



Hundreds expected to adopt animals at zoo
Meet Your Best Friend largest event of its kind
By Christy Strawser
Daily Tribune Staff Writer
ROYAL OAK -- The Detroit Zoo and Michigan Humane Society are teaming up again for the biggest off-site animal adoption event in the country, and this spring's Meet Your Best Friend at the Zoo is shaping up to be the best ever, said Humane Society spokeswoman Stephanie Baron.

http://www.dailytribune.com/stories/042507/loc_zoo001.shtml


Last Chance to See Zoo's Asian Elephant
April 24, 2007 - Dulary, the Philadelphia Zoo's Asian elephant, is almost ready to leave for her new home.
This weekend will likely be her last at the Philadelphia Zoo.
43-year-old Dulary has enjoyed a long and healthy life at the Zoo. She's moving to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, where she'll join a herd of seven Asian elephants.
Asian and African elephants are very endangered in the wild, and the Zoo is working hard to save elephants in their native homes. The Zoo funds the Bornean Elephant Conservation Unit to save pygmy elephants on the island of Borneo.
If you wish to visit Dulary before she leaves the Zoo, you will find her outside in the elephant habitat from 9:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday.
The Zoo staff will also blog about Dulary's travels.
You can read those blogs as well as get tickets or make a contribution at www.philadelphiazoo.org

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=animals_oddities&id=5241851



Endangered Species Reproduce With Zoo's Help
CINCINNATI -- Two cheetah cubs born at the Toledo Zoo were bred in Clermont County, according to officials at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens.
This marks the first time in the United States that a female cheetah has been sent to another zoo for breeding then returned to her home institution to give birth, officials said.
The cubs were born to the Toledo Zoo's 7-year-old female, Shaka, and the Cincinnati Zoo's male, Wild Boy. Shaka arrived at the breeding facility, which is managed by the Cincinnati Zoo, in August 2006 and returned pregnant in February to the Toledo Zoo.

http://www.wlwt.com/news/13013296/detail.html



Top Ten Zoo Animal Videos on YouTube
I have always enjoyed going to zoos. Zoos can provide great family outings. They are fun and educational, too. It is nice to see how zoos have changed over the years, developing more natural settings for the animals. I also love it when the animals are active and playing. So, when it is too cold and rainy to go to the zoo, you can enjoy browsing online for some good zoo animal videos. Here are my top ten zoo animal videos from YouTube.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/216419/top_ten_zoo_animal_videos_on_youtube.html



Zoos and Aquariums Make Major Impact on Conservation
SILVER SPRING, Md., April 19
PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) has released its annual Conservation Impact Report in advance of major Earth Day celebrations at accredited zoos and aquariums across the country."Accredited zoos and aquariums are much more than places to see animals -- they are leaders in wildlife conservation," said AZA President and CEO Jim Maddy. "From endangered species breeding to field conservation to educational programs, zoos and aquariums help maintain our planet's diverse wildlife and natural habitats while engaging the American public to appreciate and participate in conservation."

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,92300.shtml


The Junta inspects Andalusian zoos Pilar R. Quirós
European law imposes zoo conditions
Twelve Malaga centres pass inspection
...The new law has two main aims: one is to ensure animal health and well-being standards as well as public safety. The second is for centres to promote conservation programmes for animals in danger of extinction and increase the fauna in these cases....

http://www.surinenglish.com/noticias.php?Noticia=10416



Baby-making tapirs coming to Nashville zoo
By LEE ANN O’NEALStaff Writer
The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere expects to receive two tapirs this summer from Central America, but visitors won’t be able to see them for at least two years.
The female and male tapirs, named Houston and Romeo, respectively, will eventually be part of the zoo’s new South American exhibit, set to open in 2009, said Nashville Zoo President Rick Schwartz.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/NEWS01/70420056/1006



Toads on the Rebound
A Wyoming toad, photographed at the Central Park Zoo.
One of the most endangered amphibians in North America, the Wyoming toad has undergone an intensive captive breeding program, where toads are raised in zoos and released into Wyoming’s Laramie basin, where they were discovered in the 1940s.
During the 1970s and ‘80s, the toad disappeared from its already limited range, succumbing to threats such as toxic pesticides, habitat degradation, and disease. To reestablish the wild population, more than 50,000 toads, raised in captivity by ten zoos, have been successfully released.

http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/imageoftheweek/070423_wcs.html



Omega Parque to close doors
OMEGA PARQUE Jardim Zoológico will be closing this month due to difficulties the park has faced from local authorities.According to Phillippa Birchenough, founder of Omega Parque, “the park has experienced insurmountable problems with the road authorities and can no longer be a viable business commercially”.All the animals have already been re-homed and will go to member zoos of the European Associations of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) to continue on breeding programmes. Some will remain in Portugal while others are being sent to further destinations, such as Spain, France and even Israel.

http://portugalresident.com/portugalresident/showstory.asp?ID=18407


Iowa passes bill prohibiting wild animals as pets
Animal Protection Groups Applaud Passage of Bill Prohibiting Wild Animals as Pets in Iowa April 18, 2007DES MOINES, Iowa – The Animal Rescue League of Iowa and The Humane Society of the United States today praised state lawmakers for passing a bill to prohibit the private possession of dangerous wild animals. It passed the Senate unanimously and passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 80 to 19 last night. The animal welfare groups thanked Sen. Joe Seng (D-43), who is a veterinarian, and Rep. Todd Taylor (D-34), for shepherding the bill through to passage. The legislation now goes to Governor Culver and the organizations urge him to sign it into law.

http://bigcatrules.blogspot.com/2007/04/iowa-passes-bill-prohibiting-wild.html


I’m not sure this is a good idea. Alcohol and wild animals in pens???????

Bill will give state zoos right to serve alcohol
By TOM HUMPHREY, tomhumphrey3@aol.com April 24, 2007
NASHVILLE - Zoos in Knoxville, Nashville and Chattanooga could serve alcoholic beverages on a regular basis under legislation scheduled for a Senate floor vote Thursday, though some senators have criticized the proposal.
"I can't believe that we want to serve alcohol at our zoos," said Sen. Charlotte Burks, D-Monterey, during brief debate earlier. She said the facilities should be "for families and children, and I think we're setting a bad precedent to start this."

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/state/article/0,1406,KNS_348_5501051,00.html



Going Grrreen: Wildlife Conservation Society Partners With Eco-cell To Help Save The Environment

Media Contact:Amy Chilla 1-800-370-6580 X 2 Amy.Chilla@corecubed.com Louisville, KY – April 25, 2007 – ECO-CELL, a Louisville-based environmental cell phone recycling and green fund raising company, continues to answer the ‘call of the wild’ by announcing a national partnership with the New York based Wildlife Conservation Society (www.wcs.org). The partnership will enable the Wildlife Conservation Society to raise money through the collection of unused cell phones. Specifically, the new partnership will result in the installation of cell phone collection vaults at world-famous wildlife parks around New York City including The Central Park Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and the New York Aquarium. The partnership kicks off at Bronx Zoo’s Earth Day Party taking place April 21 and 22, 2007. The event will celebrate all things “Earth” with a host of fun, family-oriented activities. To date, ECO-CELL has grown its zoo partnerships across North America and Canada to 82 zoos since it’s inception in 2001.

http://www.prlog.org/10014634-going-grrreen-wildlife-conservation-society-partners-with-eco-cell-to-help-save-the-environment.html



Grand jury report: Zoo needs promotion
Orange County grand jury says Irvine Regional Park facility needs more patrons to avoid using more county funds.
By AMY TAXIN
The Orange County Register
SANTA ANA– The Orange County Zoo should seek to boost attendance to avoid tapping into more county money to sustain its operations, the Orange County grand jury said today in a report.
In a seven-page report on the status of the county's two zoos – one run by the county and another by the city of Santa Ana – the grand jury recommended that the county promote its zoo more to lure more patrons.
In the past two years, annual attendance at the Orange County Zoo – which is run by the county's Harbors, Beaches and Parks division in Irvine Regional Park – fell 38 percent, to 102,296, the report said.
The grand jury found both zoos "are managed suitably well." It recommended that the Orange County Zoo provide public restrooms and drinking fountains to make the site more attractive and that the Santa Ana Zoo develop a formal, written training plan for zookeepers.
To read the report, go to http://www.ocgrandjury.org/pdfs/orangecountyzoos.pdf.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/local/orange_villapark/article_1667142.php



Animals get Legislature's attention
Pet neutering among most divisive of bills
By Michael Gardner
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
April 23, 2007
SACRAMENTO – Every dog will have its day in the Capitol this year.
And so, too, will ordinary house cats, condors, circus elephants, bucking broncos, exotic kangaroos and pesky raccoons.
California lawmakers have introduced a pack of animal measures, ranging from mandatory spaying and neutering to providing farm animals more space in pens.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20070423-9999-1n23animals.html



Dated ::

Zoo Launches Campaign To Save Elephants
Written By 9 News
Created:6/20/2006 11:57:15 AM
Last Updated:6/22/2006 8:21:59 AM
The National Zoo has launched a new campaign to help save the endangered Asian elephant.The campaign has several elements, a new home for elephants at the Zoo's DC campus, conservation and science, an education outreach program, and a new research facility in Front Royal, Virginia.The Zoo hopes the work will ensure a future for Asian elephants both in zoos and in the wild.Construction on the new elephant house, called Elephant Trails, will begin next spring.The $60 million project is being paid for with federal funds and private donations.

http://www.wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=50264



Animal Rights Activists Blast LA Zoo Over Elephant Death
LOS ANGELES -- Animal rights activists on Tuesday blasted the Los Angeles Zoo's treatment of an elephant who died earlier this month and said they want federal officials to investigate the pachyderm's death.
Gita, the 48-year-old elephant who died June 10, stood constantly on her arthritic feet, even though most elephants lie down and sleep about four hours a night, according to Kristie Phelps with In Defense of Animals.
According to zoo officials, Gita was first spotted in a "downed position" at 5 a.m. the day of her death. But IDA activists said they believe zoo personnel may have spotted Gita's condition sometime before midnight the previous night -- leaving her suffering without care for at least five hours.

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/9399985/detail.html



Asian Elephants To Get New Habitat At National Zoo
POSTED: 4:24 pm EDT June 20, 2006
UPDATED: 7:26 pm EDT June 20, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The National Zoo kicked off a $60 million campaign to save the Asian elephant from extinction.
Only about 30,000 Asian elephants remain in the entire world, but the National Zoo's three Asian elephants are getting an impressive new habitat. The habitat will include four acres outdoors and a new indoor elephant house that's five times the size of the current elephant house.

http://www.nbc4.com/news/9400102/detail.html



Zoo board approves $225,000 for levy try
Officials hope donors will help fund effort
It could cost the Toledo Zoo nearly a quarter-million dollars to campaign for a 1-mill, 10-year capital improvement levy proposed for the November ballot.
A similar measure was defeated in May.
The zoo board approved spending $225,000 on the campaign yesterday. But zoo officials hope donors will pick up at least part of the tab, said Anne Baker, the zoo's executive director.
"What we don't bring in [in donations] will come out of the board's operating budget,'' she said.
The issue would bring the zoo a projected $8.6 million year. It will pay for pay for repairs to the aquarium's antiquated equipment, bigger elephant and hippo enclosures, a new "children's zone," and pay off $13 million in debt.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060620/NEWS38/606200383/-1/NEWS


Our endorsements
Repairing the buildings and other infrastructure of the Toledo Zoo is the basis for Issue 13, a 1-mill capital improvement levy that would run for 10 years. Preserving the zoo, one of Toledo’s most beloved institutions and most popular tourist attractions, is in the community’s best interest. Vote YES on Issue 13.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061106/OPINION02/61105009&SearchID=73279146380542



Preserve your Zoo...Thank you Lucas County Voters!
Your support for Issue 13 will allow for improvements necessary to preserve and maintain the Zoo that you know and love, as well as ensure the ability to continue the highest standards of animal care. This levy is about preserving the Zoo we have now - not for making the Zoo bigger.
Issue 13 is a 1.0 mill capital improvement initiative that it takes the place of a levy that expired in 2005.

http://www.toledozoo.org/supportzoo/support_levies.html


5 endangered marmosets stolen from zoo
Associated Press
London Five endangered monkeys were stolen from a zoo over the weekend, the latest in a recent string of thefts involving small primates across England, police said Monday.A family of silvery marmosets - male, female and 2-month-old baby - and a pair of Geoffrey marmosets were taken late Saturday from nesting boxes at Drusillas Park Zoo in East Sussex.Thieves also tried to break into a third enclosure holding small monkeys, zoo officials said.Zoos in Devon and Suffolk have also had small monkeys pilfered in recent weeks.

http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060620/NEWS/606200332/-1/State



Elephants at National Zoo to get $60m home
By Karlyn Barker, Washington Post June 22, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The National Zoo has announced plans for a new $60 million ``Elephant Trails" exhibit that will dramatically expand and upgrade its current facility for Asian elephants and try to be a centerpiece for breeding and conservation efforts to stop the endangered species from becoming extinct.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/06/22/elephants_at_national_zoo_to_get_60m_home/



Animals of Russia's arctic heading to MN Zoo
The Minnesota Zoo presented plans Thursday for its new exhibit featuring the animals that live on Russia's Arctic coast, including the Russian grizzly bear. The $23 million exhibit is called "Russia's Grizzly Coast" and it will be the zoo's most expensive addition since 1996. The new exhibit will also include wild boars, Amur leopards, sea otters, and a woolly mammoth dig. Minnesota Zoo Director Lee Ehmke said the 3.5-acre exhibit will open in 2008 and will be near the zoo's Central Plaza, at the opening of the facility's outdoor area.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=127694



More Animals and Security at Potter Park Zoo
Reporter: Natalie Johnson
Nearly a week after three Potter Park Zoo animals are killed, the zoo is getting ready for replacements.
Last Thursday night, two dogs slipped into the zoo and mauled four Patagonian Cavies. Three of them died.
The two dogs have been captured.
Potter Park Zoo is importing five Cavies from the Toronto Zoo in Canada.The zoo director doesn't exactly know how the dogs got in, but he says the zoo is taking extra precautions so it will not happen again.
The large South American rodent that survived the dog attack is expected to live, bringing the Potter Park Zoo Cavy count up to six once the others arrive.

http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/3204731.html



KIDS' KINGDOMOkinawa City park features zoo, museum, learning center
Cpl. Sarah M. Maynard
OKINAWA CITY, Okinawa (Jun 23, 2006) -- Got the blues during the long, hot, Okinawan summer days? Grab your hiking shoes and your thinking caps and head over to Kodomo no Kuni.
The park, also known as the Okinawa Kids' Discovery Kingdom, is a sprawling combination of a museum, zoo, and an interactive learning center. Each display has something for everyone.
The museum, aptly named the Wonder Museum, is a hands-on experience rivaling many leading museums. Adventurers, from young to old, can poke, probe and examine every exhibit in the building. The Recollections IV exhibit casts a rainbow shadow of every person who walks past. The Floating Words exhibit projects small words spoken by patrons onto a pool of water for ambitious explorers to catch. The Equilibrium Point exhibit uses sound to make liquid jump and dance. These are a few examples of the mind-boggling displays. The museum also features colorful and unique displays from local artists, focusing on the themes of world peace and harmony.

http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/Public%20Affairs%20Info/Archive%20News%20Pages/2006/060623-kingdom.html



Harriet, the world's oldest tortoise, dies aged 176
SYDNEY: A 176-year-old giant tortoise believed to have been studied by famed English naturalist Charles Darwin, has died in Australia after a short illness.
The extremely elderly tortoise, Harriet, was hatched on the Galapagos Islands in 1830 but lived out her final years at Australia Zoo in southeast Queensland where she was the star attraction.
Senior veterinarian John Hangar said the 150-kilogram (330-pound) reptile died on Thursday night after a short illness.
"She had been sick yesterday with, in effect, heart failure," Hangar told ABC radio.
"She had a fairly acute heart attack and thankfully passed away quietly overnight."
Hangar said Harriet, who had made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest living animal, had been credited with helping Darwin pioneer his theory of evolution.
"It's thought she may have been taken off there (Galapagos) by Charles Darwin," he said.
"She's spent a period of time in Britain and found herself at the Botanic Gardens in Brisbane from about 1850 or 1860 onwards and eventually she found her way up to Australia Zoo."
Harriet was originally named Harry, as she was mistakenly identified as male, an error which was not rectified for more than a century.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1037268



Orphan Lion Being Raised By Humans At Zoo
Cub's Mother Died During Delivery
POSTED: 9:13 am PDT June 23, 2006
UPDATED: 9:18 am PDT June 23, 2006
EBERSWALDE, Germany -- A lion cub is being raised by humans at a German zoo because her mother died during her Caesarian delivery.
The little lioness is called "Kismet," which means "fate."
Sadly, Kismet's mother accidentally smothered her firstborn cub.
At only 5 weeks of age, Kismet is already a charmer, delighting visitors of all ages at the zoo.
The cub is being fed a specially mixed formula milk, but she is also getting small pieces of beef.

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/9416897/detail.html

continued ...

Every living creature is struggling for survival. This is denial/negligence of government.

One seal claws at the ice as it tries to escape

Ice still grips Canada seal hunt boats

Doomed to die: This seal pup will drown if it does not find solid ice soon in the southern region. The northern areas are frozen solid by the continuous presence of the Arctic Vortex. We don't know how the seals are in those regions by lack of reports. The people on boats really should be rescued. When the northern sea ice starts to break up many of those ships will sink with the damage they sustained. This is not a 'fit' way to make a living anymore from an environmental perspective or a human rights perspective. The Canadian government needs to remove the fisherman from their boats. It's not at all a good circumstance for them.

By CHARMAINE NORONHA, Associated Press Writer Fri Apr 20, 6:08 PM ET
TORONTO - Commercial seal hunters off the eastern coast of Canada faced food and fuel shortages Friday as their vessels remained stuck in dense ice.
The boats were trapped when strong northeast winds generated by a powerful low-pressure system pushed ice toward the coast of northeastern Newfoundland and southern Labrador earlier this week.
"Conditions are terrible up there with the ice and that," said Ward George, a search-and-rescue coordinator in St. John‘s, Newfoundland. "So we‘re just waiting for the wind to change, to ease off on the pressure, and we‘ll do our work."
The Newfoundland hunt is third and largest phase of Canada‘s annual seal harvest, an event that has drawn widespread criticism around the world, including from celebrities such as Paul McCartney and French actress Brigitte Bardot.

There is no 'humaneness' here. Earth and Human Induced Global Warming has preempted all the arguments Pro and Con. There is no more safe hunting of seals, we don't even know what the populations are now. People should not be allowed to take this level of risk for a living. This is an outrage from all perspectives.

Seals Need Protection from Hunting and Climate Change

Fisheries Minister Responds to Danish Politician's View on Seal Hunt's Humaneness

Not fun. This is getting to be a regular occurrence. Is anyone in the White House paying attention?

April 23, 2007

Southern Kansas

Photographer states :: A small "rope" tornado spins through a cornfield just west of Highway 283 in Southern Kansas. The twister lasted for less then a minute.

I don't consider any tornado to be minor. A minute touchdown is a minute of damage. As the person who owns the cornfield.

Tornado kills 7 in Texas near Mexican border, authorities say

The storm hit about 7 p.m. outside Eagle Pass unincorporated area of Maverick County, about 150 miles south of San Antonio. It was among several storms that ripped through Texas on Tuesday.

Cantu said several mobile homes were still missing, but he didn't know how many. Two schools were destroyed, but both were empty when the tornado hit.

Officials from Piedras Negras, Mexico, across the Rio Grande, have confirmed three dead there, Eagle Pass Fire Chief Rogelio de la Cruz said.

Officials said 76 people were taken to Fort Duncan Medical Center, Eagle Pass' only hospital. Four were admitted, four were transferred to hospitals in San Antonio and Del Rio in critical condition, 32 were treated and discharged, the rest were still being evaluated, he said.