Morning Papers - continued...

The Trenton Times

Report: Iraqis losing religious freedom
9/14/2007, 10:21 a.m. EDT
By MATTHEW LEE
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Religious freedom has sharply deteriorated in Iraq over the past year because of both the insurgency and violence targeting specific faiths, despite the U.S. military buildup intended to improve security, says a State Department report to be released Friday.
The Annual Report on International Religious Freedom finds that all worshippers are targeted for attacks and the violence is not confined to the well-known rivalry between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
"The ongoing insurgency significantly harmed the ability of all religious believers to practice their faith," says the 22-page executive summary of the report, obtained by The Associated Press ahead of its official release by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

http://www.nj.com/newsflash/topstories/index.ssf?/base/politics-13/118977844932850.xml&storylist=


Princeton seeks more students, more diversity
9/14/2007, 9:27 a.m. EDT
By GEOFF MULVIHILL
The Associated Press
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — With a $136 million complex of Collegiate Gothic-style stone buildings that feature huge, mahogany-trimmed dorm rooms, an art gallery and a 65-seat theater, Princeton University is preparing for its biggest increase in undergraduate enrollment since it started admitting women.
The university wants to use the added capacity to add more diversity to a campus that's one of the most prestigious places in higher education.
Princeton has ranked in at least a tie for first in the U.S. News and World Report rankings of the best universities for each of the past eight years. It accepts only about 10 percent of the nearly 19,000 students who apply each year.

http://www.nj.com/newsflash/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-27/1189777165293170.xml&storylist=jersey


Trentonian

Nation’s big-time mayors arrive for a taste of Trenton
By Staff Report
TRENTON — Some of the most influential voices in urban America arrive in Trenton today to help Mayor Douglas H. Palmer celebrate the crowning accomplishment of his political career: his rise to the presidency of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
But Palmer’s detractors are determined to rain on his parade. One group that blames him for many ills of the city plans a protest outside the Trenton Marriott at 12:30 p.m., just as more than 30 American mayors will be checking in.
Another group of critics, also spreading their message through anonymous blogs, spent yesterday planting curbside signs urging the public to read its Internet site, called missingmayor.com. A city road crew was spotted yanking out one of the signs.
Now in his 18th year as mayor, Palmer is believed to be serving his last term, which has prompted a variety of mayoral wannabes to put themselves forward as leaders with solutions to Trenton’s many social problems.

http://www.trentonian.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Daily;jsessionid=cNFGGqnKyTRc1JFvS1rykT7N6fspnCDB28CTsR2jhrHj3nBdcKnp!-547604190?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTRN%2FHome&r21.content=%2FTRN%2FHome%2FTopStoryList_Story_675819



‘Trenton Speaks’ freely on new Internet site
By Joe D'Aquila
TRENTON — They’ve been called haters, malcontents and Johnny-come-latelies by the objects of their ire, and dismissed as insignificant, disgruntled, and even evil.
But now they’re being called something that really hurts — deleted.
They’re the vitriol-spewing Internet mavens who have for years found a home on a popular New Jersey Web site affiliated with newspapers other than this one, where matters of import to the Capital City were discussed and debated, often with a critical eye cast toward the powers that be.
But that all came crashing to a halt this week when nearly every comment posted on the Web board was deleted from existence nearly as quickly as it was put up — that is, if the message contained anything critical of the city’s administration or
was authored by someone seen as a critic.

http://www.trentonian.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Daily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTRN%2FHome&r21.content=%2FTRN%2FHome%2FTopStoryList_Story_674735



White House: Iraq Lags on Benchmarks
By JENNIFER LOVEN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House told Congress Friday that Iraqi leaders
gained little new ground on key military and political goals, a discouraging assessment a day after President Bush said progress justifies a large continued U.S. military presence there.
The report underscored the difficulty of Bush's argument that a continuing American sacrifice was creating space for Iraqi leaders to make gains on tamping down the sectarian fighting that leaves Iraq persistently fractured and violent.

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


Bhutto to Return to Pakistan on Oct. 18
By MATTHEW PENNINGTON
Associated Press Writer
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto will return to Pakistan from an eight-year exile on Oct. 18 to campaign for office, her party said Friday. The government said she was free to come back but would have to face corruption cases against her.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim, vice president of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, said she would land in Karachi and would bring democracy to Pakistan. Supporters, throwing flower petals and lighting firecrackers, chanted: "Long Live Benazir! Prime Minister Benazir!"

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


Powerful Aftershocks Terrorize Indonesia
By ANTHONY DEUTSCH
Associated Press Writer
PADANG, Indonesia (AP) -- Powerful earthquakes struck Indonesia for a third day Friday, terrorizing thousands of people who slept outside in fear of tsunami and falling debris. Seismologists warned that the worst may be yet to come.
The massive 8.4-magnitude quake that shook Southeast Asia on Wednesday has been followed by dozens of strong aftershocks that have killed at least 13 people, damaged hundreds of homes and churned up a 10-foot-high tsunami.
On Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey measured one aftershock jolting the area at magnitude 6.4.

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


Gulf Coast Recovering From Humberto
By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press Writer
HIGH ISLAND, Texas (AP) -- Some residents of Texas and Louisiana fired up generators to cut through the darkness after Hurricane Humberto sneaked up on the Gulf Coast, knocking out power to thousands and flooding streets before fizzling into a tropical depression.
Humberto, the first hurricane to hit the U.S. in two years, steadily lost its punch Thursday after sloshing ashore in Texas as a stronger storm than initially expected and then dragging across Louisiana. One death was blamed on the storm.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HURRICANE_HUMBERTO?SITE=NJTRT&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Russia: Vote Approves Putin's PM Choice
By STEVE GUTTERMAN
Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia's lower house of parliament confirmed President Vladimir Putin's choice as prime minister Friday, approving a previously obscure official in a vote whose result was a foregone conclusion. Putin said the new premier, Viktor Zubkov, was among at least five people who could hope to succeed him.
The comment was an indication that the president wants Russians to consider Zubkov as a candidate, but not necessarily the front-runner for his backing in the March presidential vote.
"It's good that one more person has emerged, and that Russian citizens will have a choice," RIA-Novosti quoted Putin as saying.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/RUSSIA_GOVERNMENT?SITE=NJTRT&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Sep 14, 10:27 AM EDT

Madonna at Kabbalah Conference in Israel
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Madonna joined other devotees of Kabbalah, Judaism's mystical sect, at a Tel Aviv hotel Thursday on the occasion of the Jewish New Year.
The 49-year-old singer, who wore a shiny black zipper jacket and a red hat with a plaid brim, is attending a Kabbalah conference during a private visit to the Holy Land.
She arrived Wednesday night but didn't speak to the media.
Madonna was raised a Roman Catholic but has become a follower of Jewish mysticism in recent years. She plans to visit sites sacred to Kabbalah devotees during her stay.

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


Belichick, Patriots Fined
By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Bill Belichick is ready for his close-up.
The Patriots' coach escaped suspension for using a video camera to spy on opposing coaches, with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell deciding instead on Thursday night to fine him $500,000 and dock the team $250,000 and a first-day draft pick next year.
It was the biggest fine ever for a coach and the first time in NFL history a first-round draft pick has been confiscated as a penalty. But Belichick will be on the sideline Sunday night, as planned, when the Patriots play the San Diego Chargers.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBN_NFL_SPYING?SITE=NJTRT&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT



Merck closes $366 million deal to buy NovaCardia for heart drug

By LINDA A. JOHNSON
TRENTON (AP) - Pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. said today it has completed its acquisition of NovaCardia Inc., a tiny drug development company with a promising experimental heart drug, for $366.4 million in stock.
Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based Merck said the deal is expected to result in a charge of 15 cents per share in its third quarter. That's equal to about $325 million of the purchase price and will be accounted for as costs for in-process research and development.
The buyout price of $366.4 million includes $16.4 million to pay for cash and investments that San Diego-based NovaCardia had on hand.
Merck, the world's No. 7 drugmaker, said it would give more information on its 2007 profit forecast with its third-quarter financial results on Oct. 22.

http://www.trentonian.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Daily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTRN%2FBusiness&r21.content=%2FTRN%2FBusiness%2FHeadlineList_Story_662034


Stocks Pare Losses After Lower Open
By TIM PARADIS AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks pared their losses after opening lower Friday following a government report that August retail sales excluding autos fell sharply.
The report suggested consumers held off spending in the face of turmoil in the financial markets, though perhaps helped cement arguments of those calling for the Federal Reserve to cut its benchmark federal funds rate when policymakers meet Tuesday.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WALL_STREET?SITE=NJTRT&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


At least 5 Atlantic City casinos plan to go smoke-free in light of new law
By WAYNE PARRY
ATLANTIC CITY (AP) - Smokers may soon be out of luck: At least five of Atlantic City's casinos are making gambling areas smoke-free.
The move comes in response to a law passed in February requiring gambling floors to be at least 75 percent smoke-free. The city's 11 casinos must tell the state by Saturday how they plan to comply with the law.
Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which owns four casinos here — Harrah's Atlantic City, the Showboat Casino-Hotel, Bally's Atlantic City and Caesars Atlantic City — said yesterday it will spend $7 million to open smoking lounges ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 square feet apiece. Tropicana Casino and Resort has a similar plan.
That would leave the gambling floor totally smoke-free; patrons would have to enter one of the lounges in order to light up.

http://www.trentonian.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Daily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTRN%2FBusiness&r21.content=%2FTRN%2FBusiness%2FHeadlineList_Story_666029


The Trentonian's Strange But True Blog

Radar, a Belgian draft horse and reigning Guinness World Record holder as the 'Tallest Living Horse,' at 6ft 6in, and Thumbelina, a miniature sorrel brown mare and the world's 'Smallest Living Horse,' 17.5 inches,

http://www.trentonian.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Daily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTRN%2FBusiness&r21.content=%2FTRN%2FBusiness%2FContentTab_News_658039



Community Options honors Caren Franzini
By Trentonian Online News Team
TRENTON — Community Options honored Caren Franzini, CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, as their person of the year for her help in employing individuals with disabilities. The event was held last Friday at the Morven Museum and Garden in Princeton.
The non-profit organization recognized Franzini for her dedication and commitment to non-profit organizations, entrepreneurships and urban development. According to Community Options, Franzini has shared the same
goals as the organization such as employing individuals with disabilities. The organization noted that Franzini was the catalyst that pushed the first domino to create a chain reaction for Community Options innovative programs, specifically The Daily Plan It in Princeton.

http://www.trentonian.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Daily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTRN%2FBusiness&r21.content=%2FTRN%2FBusiness%2FTopStoryList_Story_674306



The Star Ledger

State threatens lawsuit over child health rules
Thursday, September 13, 2007
BY SUSAN K. LIVIO
Star-Ledger Staff
Gov. Jon Corzine threatened yesterday to take legal action against the Bush administration to challenge new rules that would exclude thousands of children from the government-sponsored FamilyCare health insurance program next year.
In a strident letter mailed to the White House, Corzine called the rules "unreasonable" because they would make some children wait a year to apply, and limit enrollment to families from the lowest rungs of poverty.

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1189658496216280.xml&coll=1


Rebate checks are in the mail, really
by Tom Hester
Friday September 14, 2007, 10:42 AM

The checks - the much-awaited property tax relief checks, that is - are in the mail.
With Gov. Jon Corzine standing by, the final wave of this year's state Homestead Rebate checks were loaded on to a U.S. postal truck in Ewing today for delivery to 1.1 million nonsenior homeowners.
The average rebate is $966, more than three times the average amount homeowners received last year, $285.
"This benefit represent a dramatic increase in relief, particularly to middle-class families," Corzine told reporters at a Treasury Department check printing center. The governor noted that the average rebate this year for the largest group of non-senior homeowners - the 680,000 with incomes under $100,000 - is approximately $1,000. That amount is more than three times greater than the $316 they received last year.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/09/rebate_checks_are_in_the_mail.html


NJ student faces charges after Lehigh swimming team drinking party
by Associated Press
Friday September 14, 2007, 10:20 AM
Nineteen members of the Lehigh University swim team were charged with underage drinking after police broke up a party.
Two team members who lived at the home in Bethlehem, Pa. -- 19-year-old Mac S. Tichner of Brookville, N.Y., and Darren Podolak, 20, of Medford -- were charged with corruption of minors, furnishing alcohol to minors and reckless endangerment.
Police heard loud music coming from a house and found kegs, bottles of liquor and a beer pong table when they went inside, authorities said Thursday.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/09/nj_student_faces_charges_in_le.html


Top Harrah's casino boss in Atlantic City will step down
by Judy DeHaven
Friday September 14, 2007, 10:48 AM
The most senior casino boss of the Harrah's Entertainment network in Atlantic City announced he will step down by the end of the year.
Ken Condon, a 29-year casino veteran who has been president of Bally's - one of four A.C. casinos owned by Harrah's - for eight years, said Thursday he has submitted his resignation. The 52-year-old casino boss, who was born in Orange and started his casino career as a host at Resorts, said he will remain at Bally's to help transition a new top person.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/09/harrahs_casino_boss_in_atlanti.html


Before the Bell: Consumer confidence tumbles
by Abby Gruen and Sam Ali
Friday September 14, 2007, 8:40 AM

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/09/before_the_bell_consumer_confi.html



Sydney Morning Herald

Earth's vital signs poor: report
More wood was removed from forests in 2005 than ever before, one of many troubling environmental signs highlighted today in the Worldwatch Institute's annual check of the planet's health.
The Washington-based think tank's "Vital Signs 2007-2008" report points to global patterns ranging from rising meat consumption to Asian economic growth it says are linked to the broader problem of climate change.
"I think climate change is the most urgent challenge we have ever faced," said Erik Assadourian, director of the Vital Signs project.
"You see many trends in climate change, whether we are talking about grain production which is affected by droughts and flooding. Or meat production as livestock production makes up about 20 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions," he said.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/earths-vital-signs-poor-report/2007/09/14/1189276943121.html


Rate of child deaths more than halved: UN
FOR the first time since record keeping began in 1960, the number of deaths of young children around the world has fallen below 10 million a year, the UN Children's Fund says.
This public health triumph has arisen, UNICEF officials said, partly from campaigns against measles, malaria and bottle-feeding, and partly from improvements in the economies of most of the world outside Africa.
The estimated drop, to 9.7 million deaths of children under five, "is a historic moment", said Ann Veneman, UNICEF's executive director, noting that it shows progress towards the UN Millennium Development Goal in 1990 of cutting the rate of infant mortality by two-thirds by 2015.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/rate-of-child-deaths-more-than-halved-un/2007/09/13/1189276898618.html


On Borrowed Time: Australia's Environmental Crisis and What We Must Do About It
Author: Lindenmayer David
Global warming, biodiversity loss, salinity . . . There is no doubt Australia's environmental problems appear huge and overwhelming. Not only is our unique natural heritage under threat, but the consequences for agriculture, tourism and the economy may be catastrophic. Can anything be done to halt the destruction?
The good news is much can be done. In this powerful and passionate book, David Lindenmayer argues that Australia does have the knowledge and resources to tackle our environmental problems. In addition, he outlines creative and impressive solutions we can all be a part of. One of Australia's leading ecologists, Professor Lindenmayer delivers a timely message about the scale and urgency of the crisis we face.

http://www.penguin.com.au/lookinside/spotlight.cfm?home=penguin&SBN=9780143006961


Plans for giant battery to store wind power unveiled
The British arm of German utility E.ON said on Thursday it was developing a giant battery to store wind and solar power for times of high demand.
The prototype will be the size of four large shipping containers and contain the power of 10 million standard AA batteries - 1MW of electricity for four hours, said E.ON UK.
The battery should be operational by late 2009 and will help solve one of the main problems of wind and solar power, added the power firm, which has around 8.1 million electricity and gas customers.
"Green power is only generated from wind farms when the wind blows, and that might not be when the power's needed by customers," said Bob Taylor, MD of Energy Wholesale and Technology.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/plans-for-giant-battery-to-store-wind-power-unveiled/2007/09/13/1189276889016.html


Forgiving Amish help killer's widow
Jon Hurdle in PhiladelphiaSeptember 14, 2007
AN AMISH community that lost five girls in a Pennsylvania schoolhouse shooting massacre last year has donated money to the widow of the gunman.
The Nickel Mines Accountability Committee, which was set up to handle more than $US4.3 million ($5 million) in donations from around the world after the shootings, said it had given an unspecified "contribution" to Marie Roberts, a mother of three.
Her husband, Charles Carl Roberts, a local milk truck driver who was not Amish, tied up and shot 10 Amish schoolgirls aged six to 14 in their classroom on October 3, killing five of them before turning the gun on himself.
After the shootings, members of the deeply religious Amish community in Lancaster County, about 100 kilometres west of Philadelphia, said they wanted to forgive the gunman.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/forgiving-amish-help-killers-widow/2007/09/13/1189276898631.html


Al-Qaeda releases video of dead US pilot
An al-Qaeda led group in Iraq appealed to Americans today to reject the policies of President George W Bush and issued a video apparently showing the remains of a US pilot killed in a crash last year.
The video posted on the internet by the media arm of the Islamic State in Iraq showed the body of a dead man in a flight suit wearing a parachute harness and lying in an open area.
"O people of America, Iraq has taken many of your soldiers and Bush is the cause of this," said an off-camera insurgent on the video, which also included footage of Iraqi children it said were killed in a US air strike.
The video also showed an Air Force ID card bearing the name of Troy Gilbert, a US pilot whose plane crashed in November 2006. Originally listed as missing, he was declared dead based on human remains found at the site of the crash, according to a US military website.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/alqaeda-releases-video-of-dead-us-pilot/2007/09/14/1189276943875.html


New east-west line may cut congestion
THE NSW Government is to consider an east-west underground railway dubbed the Anzac Line, and a radical plan for a western Sydney fast train.
But the construction of a crucial CBD rail link and second harbour crossing - the former centrepiece of the Government's rail expansion plan - is in doubt.
Transport chiefs, including the heads of RailCorp and State Transit, are expected to be told today that the CBD link - which would have included three new city stations and provide badly needed relief for the congested North Shore Line and City Circle - should be postponed. It was to have been built by 2017.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/new-sydney-tunnel-proposal/2007/09/13/1189276899575.html


Men linked to Tamil Tigers
THREE Australian men provided the Tamil Tigers with more than $1 million worth of military resources, a court has been told.
Aruran Vinayagamoorthy, 33, and Sivarajah Yathavan, 36, of Melbourne, and Arumugan Rajeevan, 41, of Sydney, allegedly used the Melbourne-based Tamil Co-ordinating Committee to raise funds for Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also known as the Tamil Tigers.
The prosecutor, Mark Dean, SC, told Melbourne Magistrates Court that the men were members of the Australian branch of the Tigers and maintained contact with the group in Sri Lanka.
Mr Dean said $1.9 million was deposited into a bank account owned by Vinayagamoorthy and the Tamil Co-ordinating Committee between 2001 and 2005. He alleged $1.25 million was used to purchase items for the Tigers.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/men-linked-to-tamil-tigers/2007/09/13/1189276898669.html


'Prophet' polygamist denies aiding rape
The rape trial of a US polygamist sect leader has started with prosecutors alleging he ordered a 14-year-old girl to marry and have sex with a cousin despite her protests.
Warren Jeffs, 51, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which broke from the Mormon Church because of differences over polygamy, denies two charges of acting as an accomplice to rape.
Jeffs, a self-proclaimed prophet whose followers believe he is descended from Jesus, was arrested in August last year outside of Las Vegas after being included on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list.
He could face five years to life in prison if he convicted at the court hearing in Saint George, south of Salt Lake City.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/prophet-polygamist-denies-aiding-rape/2007/09/14/1189276943422.html


Death toll 10 as second quake rocks Sumatra
THE death toll from two huge earthquakes and a series of powerful aftershocks that hit Indonesia's Sumatra island has reached 10 and is likely to rise, with more victims feared trapped in the rubble.
More than 200 people were injured as buildings collapsed in the large provincial Sumatran towns of Padang and Bengkulu.
Indonesia, Australia and other countries in the region feared being hit by tsunami, but the earthquakes and more than 20 large aftershocks off Sumatra did not generate devastating waves, seisomologists said.
The continuing quakes that began on Wednesday night were strong enough to have sparked a tsunami, but the movement of tectonic plates between Asia and Australia apparently pushed water away from populated areas.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/second-quake-rocks-sumatra/2007/09/13/1189276898600.html



FIA fine McLaren $100 million and take away points
Formula One leaders McLaren have been kicked out of the 2007 constructors' title race and fined $US100 million ($119 million) in spying controversy involving Ferrari information.
However, the governing FIA ruled that championship leader Lewis Hamilton and team mate Fernando Alonso could keep their points in the drivers' contest.
"The WMSC (World Motor Sports Council) has stripped Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of all constructors points in the 2007 FIA Formula One world championship and the team can score no points for the remainder of the season," the FIA said.
"Furthermore the team will pay a fine equal to $US100 million, less the FOM income lost as a result of the points deduction," it added.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/motorsport/mclaren-penalised-120m/2007/09/14/1189276931610.html



Putin's political ambitions back on march
ANALYSIS
THE appointment of Viktor Zubkov as Russia's new Prime Minister has intensified speculation that Vladimir Putin harbours ambitions of remaining in office beyond next year's presidential election.
Although Mr Zubkov, 65, an economist, is a member of the so-called St Petersburg set, the cabal of former KGB officers and Putin loyalists that has seized control of key levers of power at the Kremlin, no one in Russia - not even those who have heard of him - regards him as a serious contender in the presidential contest.
Mr Zubkov, who previously headed Russia's federal monitoring service, has been a key figure in Mr Putin's fight against the post-Soviet Union oligarchs who took advantage of the Government's weakness to acquire control of some of the country's prized economic assets.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/putins-political-ambitions-back-on-march/2007/09/13/1189276898625.html


Howard's mortal fears exposed
The members of John Howard's cabinet felt a dread sense of foreboding about the forthcoming election when they saw a Newspoll last week showing Labor was 18 percentage points ahead. But Howard's next step took the level of hopefulness among his ministers from low to zero.
Appalled at the Government's standing in the poll, low and ebbing lower, the Prime Minister was gripped by a moment of existential terror. He asked Alexander Downer to canvass sentiment in the cabinet to test his support among the 18 people who run the Government.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/howards-mortal-fears-exposed/2007/09/13/1189276898096.html


Google finds space on NASA airstrip
IN THE annals of perks enjoyed by America's corporate executives, the founders of Google may have set a new standard: an uncrowded, federally managed runway for their private jet only a few minutes' drive from the office.
For $US1.3 million ($1.55 million) a year, Larry Page and Sergey Brin get to park their wide-body Boeing 767-200 - a customised former Qantas jet - as well as two other jets used by top Google executives, on Moffett Field, an airport run by NASA that is generally closed to private aircraft.
It is a perk that is likely to turn other Silicon Valley tycoons green with envy, as no other private jets have landing rights there. But it may not sit well with a community that generally considers itself proud to have Google in its midst.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/biztech/google-finds-space-on-nasa-airstrip/2007/09/13/1189276905147.html


Privacy concerns over Google 'candid camera' feature
The Street View feature of Google Maps, with its close-up views of city streets and recognisable shots of people, could violate a Canadian law protecting individual privacy.
Google introduced street-level map views in May, giving web users a series of panoramic, 360-degree images of nine US cities. Some of the random pictures feature people in informal poses who can clearly be identified.
Canada's Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart wrote to Google in early August asking for more details. She said if the Street View product were expanded to Canada without being amended, it could well violate privacy laws.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/concerns-over-google-candid-camera-feature/2007/09/13/1189276858785.html


Wikipedia cracks two-millionth mark
Wikipedia published its two-millionth article in the English language version of the anyone-can-edit encyclopedia, a symbolic milestone for the world's largest user-generated web publishing site.
Wikipedia, the sixth most visited network of websites worldwide behind commercial operators Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Time Warner and eBay, is available in 250 languages. Combined, Wikipedia has published more than eight million articles.
On September 10, an article on "El Hormiguero," a popular Spanish TV show, was created by Wikipedia contributor Zzxc to become the two millionth article in the English Wikipedia. The article is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EltHormiguero/

Since the reference project started in 2001, more than 100,000 registered users have made at least 10 edits each to Wikipedia articles, according to the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit charitable organization that operates Wikipedia.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/wikipedia-cracks-twomillionth-mark/2007/09/13/1189276859147.html


Beijing shows off new airport terminal
Beijing showed off its new multibillion-dollar airport terminal today - a mammoth glass and steel structure with a gracefully sloping roof that the owners said is meant to impress visitors to China's capital for the 2008 Olympics.
Terminal 3 at the Beijing Capital International Airport is a centerpiece project for the Olympics designed to relieve the overloaded airport's other two terminals and accommodate the city's torrid growth for the next seven years, executives with the airport's state-run holding company said at a tour for foreign media.
The terminal, which is scheduled to open for testing in February and full operation in July, is outfitted with a state-of-the-art baggage handling system, a rail terminal to carry passengers into the city and gates and a runway capable of handling Airbus' huge A380 superjumbo.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/beijing-shows-off-new-terminal/2007/09/13/1189276855702.html


Beijing China's most beautiful
Dirty, polluted, congested and razed of many old buildings - but Beijing has still been chosen as China's most beautiful city.
The host to next year's Summer Olympics beat 558 mainland cities as well as former British colony Hong Kong, which came in second in the survey by the China Institute of City Competitiveness, a non-profit organisation.
Southern boomtown Shenzhen came third for "its role as the pioneer of China's opening up and reform policies", while glitzy Shanghai got fourth place "for being the country's financial centre", the official China Daily reported.
Institute chairman Gui Qiangfang said the assessment took into consideration Beijing's design, infrastructure, architecture, culture and natural beauty.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/beijing-voted-chinas-most-beautiful/2007/09/11/1189276685810.html


SPECIAL FEATURE: 2007 Frankfurt motor show
drive.com.au, 10/09/07
The Drive team is in Frankfurt to give you a look at some of the new cars and concept vehicles starring at one of the world's biggest motor shows.
Frankfurt motor show news

http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=43303&s_rid=smh:ClassiePuff

continued...

I wonder if it's 'Osama bin Laden Proof?'

The Burj tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, still under construction, is seen in a Friday, Aug. 17, 2007 file photo. The Burj will become the world's tallest building by next year. The Burj Dubai surpassed Canada's Toronto-based CN Tower on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007, which at 555.3 meters (1,822 feet), had been the world's tallest free-standing structure since 1976, the developers said in a press release. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

The Rudy Principle - Newsprint to line my Bird Cage with...

This 'counter-culture' ad based in Bush Rhetoric is being displayed in the New York Times tomorrow. It's an attempt to raise money from the Bush Base. Just that simple. It's angry and "W"rong in only the way Republicans can be "W"rong. If I didn't feel so bad for the nation of people we are I might first feel sympathy for the general caught up in the middle of funding raising for the Republicans, but, thirdly I'd have a great deal of sympathy for the Republican Party and their inability to save themselves from themselves.

The obvious principle involved here is money and plenty of it. The General's testimony has little to do with effective government policy so much as party politics. We knew it would take on this characteristic and here it is.

The Iraq War isn't about national security, it's about money. It's about money for Republican cronies and it's about money for the Iraqi Central Government. It's time the Iraqis stand up and take care of themselves without gluts of American money and munitions. The more munitions in a country the size of Texas the more killing that will go on.

I am going to bring up 'one more time' the article that brings attention to the 'cherry picking' of information regarding Iraq that was presented by the General.

Just for the record, the Republicans Party at every turn has been verbose in putting forth their agenda in the face of a reality they refuse to address. I would remind anyone listening to Neocon Nonsense on the airwaves, radio or television, that the 'authorities' noted to be speaking as if they know more than the General or the Senate were never under oath. However, the listeners and viewers to this mess of 'spin agents' actually believe these people. Amazing.

The view from Baghdad: Mounting death toll which makes a mockery of US optimism (click here)
By Kim Sengupta
Published: 11 September 2007
By the time General Petraeus had finished speaking yesterday the slaughter in Iraq for the previous 24 hours could be tallied. It was not an exceptionally violent day by the standards of Iraq: seven US soldiers lay dead and 11 injured in the capital; other instances of sectarian violence included a suicide bomb which had killed 10 and wounded scores near Mosul while 10 bodies were found in Baghdad. Three policemen were killed in clashes in Mosul, and a car bomb outside a hospital in the capital had exploded, killing two and wounding six.
In Baghdad, on the surface the overt violence appears to have diminished. There are fewer loud explosions. But, the city is now being partitioned by sectarian hatred and fear; by concrete walls and barbed wire. Claims that the US military strategy is paving the way for a stable society bear little resemblance to the reality on the ground.
The US is accused of manipulating figures relating to violence to fit their case, ignoring evidence which shows that the influx of 30,000 troops has done little to end the continuing bloodshed.
The death of Omar al-Husseini in the Huriya district of Baghdad is one of many which does not even figure in the American reckoning. His killers, masked and carrying guns, dragged him away as his mother wept and his father pleaded for mercy. That was the last time they saw their son alive. Three weeks later they heard that he had been killed.
Omar was 20. His killers were Shia, he was a Sunni, the victim of a spree of murders which has ethnically cleansed neighbourhoods through the city. But both the US military and the Iraqi police have told his parents that as far as they are concerned the abduction and killings were purely criminal acts. This means, statistically, that his death is not included by the US in the calculations for sectarian killings produced yesterday.
The causes behind the daily death toll, if addressed at all, draw conflicting accounts. Mourners carried the coffin of a young mother along the streets of Sadr City yesterday. She had been killed, said the locals, along with her two daughters when US and Iraqi government forces had stormed four homes. The US military confirmed they had exchanged small-arms fire during the operation, but insisted they had no reports of civilian casualties. Also yesterday, attendants at the Baghdad morgue did their round of collecting bodies, nameless victims of faceless killers....

...Omar was 20. His killers were Shia, he was a Sunni, the victim of a spree of murders which has ethnically cleansed neighbourhoods through the city. But both the US military and the Iraqi police have told his parents that as far as they are concerned the abduction and killings were purely criminal acts....

...But both the US military and the Iraqi police have told his parents that as far as they are concerned the abduction and killings were purely criminal acts...

...purely criminal acts....

This is corruption. It is Iraqi corruption which illustrates clearly the USA has no control over the circumstances they find they are currently dying within. For a very long time, there has been corruption in Iraq. The 'primary' people coming forward to be Iraqi police and miltiary are Shi'ites. This so called crime noted in this article is a crime committed by Shi'ites. We already know the ease at which Baghdad has been cleansed of Sunnis dictates the corruption of the police within Baghdad and the fact there still exists, per the General's report, 'factions' of power within the Iraqi police that run their own game.

The reason this is corruption is because not all circumstances in Iraq are treated equally. The reason they are not treated equally is because there is more and more reason for the Iraqis to point to 'favoritism' by the USA military in arming Sunnis in An Albar while their Mosques are being destroyed and the Shia people being killed within them. It can be stated that the Sunnis are taking up arms against al Qaeda and that maybe true, however, that does not mean that is their only plan. Therefore, in arming the Sunni militias in hopes they will become Iraqi police and military only increases apprehension in the Shia and Kurdish sectors of the country.

Iraq 'clearly' is partitioning to 'separatist' societies. The General openly admits there are definately Sunnis areas of Iraq and the same holds true for Kurds and Shia. Iraq's Constitution calls for provincial authorities along sectarian and ethnic lines, in that the Constitution calls for equity in sharing the wealth of Iraq, namely the oil. However:

Official Says Iraqi Oil Talks Deadlocked (click here)

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 13, 2007
Filed at 3:25 p.m. ET
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's main political parties are deadlocked over a key oil law and the legislation has been sent back to party leaders to see if they can salvage it, an official involved in the talks said Thursday.
The Wednesday meeting failed after Shiite and Sunni Arab representatives were unable to agree with Kurdish negotiators, said the official, who represented a Shiite party in the talks and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the process.
Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh, a Kurd, confirmed there were disagreements but refused to give details. ''There are problems but the negotiations are still going on,'' he told The Associated Press....

One thing for sure, the Sunnis in An Albar are recognizing the Americans because the General is now willing to take over the same roll as others played in An Albar, al Qaeda in Iraq or not. I might add, the General is willing to take up this roll with the same folks that killed Americans and allied themselves with al Qaeda in Iraq to do so. In my opinion, Bush's strategy of 'The Surge' is simply a surrender to the will of militias. "IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM, JOIN 'EM. And in all honesty, what choice did Petraeus have?"

This move by the USA has not only awakened the preceived threat of the Shia and the Kurds but also other ethic lines of authority, namely the leadership of Syria and Iran. The tensions that exist today in Iraq are directly related to the domination of Sunnis for decades over the Shia facilitated by the USA relationship with Arabia for oil. The hatred was there under Saddam of the Shia and Kurds exhibited by mass killings, the drought of the Shia wetlands and a battle for survival by the Shia of Southern Iraq as recent as 2002 whereby 50,000 died resisting the ravages of the Sunni dominated government under Saddam. The Kurds and Shia of Iraq are never going to trust a dominant central authority again. They want provincial authority to deal with their own people their own way and they will be backed by every surviving Shia authority from Lebanon to Syria to Iran forever.

The USA under BUSH, not Petraeus (the man is doing his job and dealing with Bush his testimony almost sounds like brainwashing) is causing too many problems. Wide spread problems across the region, exhibited by the desire of Saudi Arabia and Jordan to be interested in nuclear technology provided by Bush's India Dealings. That is ONLY the political picture. There is the humanitarian crisis that screams for the removal of USA troops while the neighboring countries provide protection and relief to the people there. In all honesty, with all the walls and partitioning currently underway and completed in Iraq I don't see more problems breaking out. How could there be more problems, Iraqis are leaving THEIR country at 100,000 per month?

If indeed Syria and Iran are involved with the Shia in Iraq; for one I am not surprised as I know from reading articles from the region there are humanitarian efforts coming across the border from Iran; the USA will never stop it so long as the fear of a greater conflict exists facilitated by the current strategy to arm Sunnis to control An Albar. The fear for the Shi'ite populous by these sovereign countries including networks of Shia throughout the region including Hezbollah in Lebanon will continue until the Shia are left in a peaceful existance on some of the most religiously precious land to them.

The 'quality of life' of these people is rarely addressed by any Bush report. The suffering that now exists in Iraq is secondary to any and all military objectives. And what exactly are those objectives? To 'instill' a foreign idea of democracy in a society that practices Sharia Law. The Iraqi Consitition recognizes Sharia Law, otherwise the populous would not vote for the Constution in Iraq. Where are we going with this? The USA is going to declare war on Syria? On Iran? I don't think so, because we already know if that is the case Russia is in the conflict and we are off to the races with any and all outcomes possible.

Basically, the best outcome for the country of Iraq will take on a path similar to that of Lebanon. The difference there being the humantarian needs of the Iraqis that have reached dangerous levels. I remind these people are in profound poverty with dangers of being pushed over the edge to complete collapse of their 'vital' infrastructure. We already know the delicate nature of the conditions that some support exists in Iraq. If a war expands as Bush would like to see happen, into Iran and Syria, there would easily be genocide of 8 million people and the USA would become the greatest enemy to the world of nations with blind ambitions to destroy anything in it's path to accomplish whatever desires are possible for wealth and control.

The control demanded by The Republicans is irrational and paranoid. It also serves the purpose for greater war and huge profits for the Republican political crony infrastructure.

The war the people of the USA need to fight is in Afghanistan and may very well be beyond those Afghan borders.

Entertain THIS thought. A stable and sustainable democray in Afghanistan among people like the Pashtun. The people that welcomed the arrival of American soldiers. Imagine the reality that exists for stabilizing the region Afghanistan is a member of when it has an infrastructure of cities, hamlets, medical facilities, clean water, sustainable energy, craftmen, shepards, farmers without a Poppy culture, teachers and schools. Ever hear of the Domino Effect? Want the people of Pakistan now suffering under Musharraf politically to have a 'safe haven?' Want the neighboring countries of Afghanistan to sustain their striving for peace? Do you want an ally in Afghanistan or more and more instability in a country that suffered the ravages of al Qaeda and the Taliban? How about a 2 mile runaway in Kabul hosting an International Airport?

The USA needs to leave Iraq. For a lot of reasons. Stability of the region does not rely on Iraq. The other side of Iran is Afghanistan. A country progressive in bringing quality of life to the Muslim society of Afghanistan will have the same exact outcome as anything in Iraq.

We have allies in Afghanistan holding their own and even seeing a margin of hope to dominating the conflict. If we 'need to end it' in the Middle East, stabilizing Afghanistan rather than abandoning it is a far more viable option than what is occurring in Iraq. I strongly suggest we redirect our efforts while political solutions and diplomacy are pursued with Iraq.

Enough.

There are just some issues that can't be placed on the back burner because conservative media wants a fight over a war.

No Child Left Behind needs to be repealed and a far better system of educational standards placed at the top of the agenda of our nation's educational priorities.

This abominal legislation has caused impoverishment of the nation's educational standards.

Typical of a Republican directive, the Secretary of Education turned to BUSINESS Coalition to renew this terrible legislation. The speech alone is one of the most pathetic speeches I've ever heard. It is adversarial, it speaks NOT to the best interest of children but only to the result of Republican politics.

Business has no place in the management of the USA educational system. We aren't the handmaiden to moronity or the mother of invention to corporations. We are a nation of people that deserve to have their children educated in public schools at levels that are standardized.

The Republican agenda for children include pulling in Business Coalitions, no different than Cartels, to harness the future of children to be sure they have a designer workforce.

There are schools failing all over this country because they are 'punished' for their inabiltiy to meet artificial standards set by business cartels which results in reduced funding for the schools that need it most. I find the Spelling 'idea' of appropriate education nothing more than pandering to cronies while victimizing our youngest citizens. Impeachment is too good a word for what needs to be done to this Secretary of Education and the adminisration in DC that sees children as a workforce rather than young minds with a future to be nurtured.

When is this exploitation of the American people going to end !?

As a result of a federal law that victimizes students, their parents and those that attempt to organize quality education at the local level there are independant organizations that actually believe they will matter to an administration dominated by corporate vision and greed.

I encourage anyone to join these organizations and 'Take Back America's Educational System' and protect the future of our children.

This is an example:

Project Tomorrow

www.tomorrow.org

Whatever happened to the PTA, did Bush's White House get rid of them, too?


No Child Left Behind Should Be Defeated

Wanting to change "no child left behind"
Posted 9/12/2007 6:17p
by Kristy Mergenthal
SILVIS, Illinois --
It's been a controversial way for schools to get the funding they need, no child left behind has one test that fits all even though kids don't learn the same way, now a Quad City teacher went to Capital Hill to voice her concerns.
As a member of the national education association, special ed teacher Tammy Smith recently traveled to Washington to talk with congressman Phil Hare about rejecting the current language in the reauthorization of no child left behind.
"As it stands right now my children who are fourth grade age take fourth grade tests despite the fact that their not functioning at that level" said Tammy.
Congressman Hare agrees, every child in every school district is different that's why he's asking very little of the bill to be salvaged.

http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=7067027&nav=1sW7


No Child Left Behind: 2007 Results
The scorecard is in and Fayette County has reason to celebrate. The Kentucky Department of Education released the latest round of test scores and a record number of schools have met the federal "No Child Left Behind" targets. 36 of 50 schools met federal guidelines, this is a record number. But there is even more good news, all but one school showed improvement….
…The good news dampened a little bit Monday night when the school system was notified by the Kentucky Board of Education that two schools, Jessie Clark Middle and Tates Creek High School had been flagged and might not be correct. If true, it could change their status and prevent them from making all their goals. The Fayette County School System has asked for a review of the data. So Fayette County showed improvement, but how about the rest of Kentucky? The Department of Education reports 75% of public schools met "No Child Left Behind" requirements. 884 of the states 1,167 public schools met their goals, 283 did not.
For complete reports:

http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Testing+and+Reporting+/Reports/No+Child+Left+Behind+Reports/2007+No+Child+Left+Behind+%28NCLB%29+Briefing+Packet+and+Reports.htm

http://www.wtvq.com/midatlantic/tvq/news.apx.-content-articles-TVQ-2007-09-12-0006.html



Fayette County Schools Show Improvement in ?No Child Left Behind? Grade
By Chris Dietz
E-mail Biography
A record number of Fayette County Schools achieved adequate yearly status in the most recent No Child Left Behind Results. 36 of the System’s 50 schools achieved all their targets to reach adequate yearly progress status. A majority of the 14 schools, that missed the overall mark, showed great improvement and their students’ reading and math proficiency.

At a news conference Tuesday to announce the results, Fayette County Schools Superintendent Stu Silberman told Action News 36 the positive numbers show, ”what it really means is where the rubber is hitting the road in our classrooms we’ve got great things happening.” Silberman said the results were something which should be celebrated,”We feel really good about the trend and again we are not where we want to be yet.”

http://www.wtvq.com/midatlantic/tvq/news.apx.-content-articles-TVQ-2007-09-12-0009.html



No Child Left Behind Act faces overhaul, political donnybrook
Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Sunday, September 9, 2007
In 2002, two of Congress' liberal Democratic lions - Rep. George Miller of Martinez and Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy - stood behind President Bush as he signed the No Child Left Behind Act, a law they promised would shine a bright light on the failures in America's public schools and kick-start reforms.
Five years later, Miller, now chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, is still a believer. But after traveling the country - listening to complaints from parents, teachers, school administrators and governors about the law's testing regime and stiff sanctions - he now admits it needs fixing.
"We've learned a lot, and we shouldn't ignore that evidence," said Miller, who is leading the overhaul of the law in the House, which starts this week. "What we're trying to do in this reauthorization bill is to look for those changes to make this a smarter, fairer, better law."
Reform is coming to No Child Left Behind, but the question is what kind. Teachers unions, which bitterly oppose the law, are pushing to relax its rigid testing rules and penalties. Business groups, eager for better-educated workers, want to see the tough accountability measures preserved or expanded. Many states and local school districts are clamoring for more flexibility in implementing the law, which expires this year.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/09/MNA5S0CNB.DTL

Zoo Claims Worlds First Penguin Crossing - click for article

Happy feet received a safety feat when zoo keepers at a Devon zoo in the UK installed a ‘pedestrian crossing’ for 80 African and Macaroni penguins — with claims to be the first ‘zebra crossing for penguins’ in the world.

Zoos

White tiger dies at Nehru Zoo
Hyderabad, September 07: Rudra, a 12-year-old male white tiger in the Nehru Zoological Park died.
The zoo authorities informed that the tiger had been suffering from chronic tumour in the neck region for 20 days. Rudra was brought here from Nandankanan Zoological Park in the year 2000.
Preliminary report of post mortem revealed that the big cat had died of respiratory failure. With Rudra’s death, the zoo is now left with five male and four female white tigers.

http://www.siasat.com/english/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=205048&Itemid=79&cattitle=Hyderabad


Lowry Zoo Loves Lucy
By LENORA LAKE, Tribune correspondent
Published: September 12, 2007
TAMPA - An abandoned 2-month-old Florida panther being raised at Lowry Park Zoo should be 'an ambassador for her species,' say staff members caring for her.
Calusa, named after an American Indian tribe, has grown from about 2 pounds to 10 pounds since the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission placed the spotted cub with the zoo Aug. 8.
For the past month, the zoo's veterinary staff has been feeding the cub - known as Lucy - first with a bottle and now with solid food, treating her for parasites, checking a laceration on her head to be sure it is healing and monitoring her growth. For almost three weeks, one of the staff members took her home at night. Now she can stay by herself in the animal hospital.
David Murphy, the zoo's veterinarian, said the wildlife commission is expected to OK displaying her at the zoo, 1101 W. Sligh Ave., within six to eight weeks.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/sep/12/me-lowry-zoo-loves-lucy/?news-breaking



Denver Zoo visitors get eyeful as baby giraffe born
By John Ingold Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 09/07/2007 05:23:36 PM MDT
Sure, she's a long-legged stunner with eyelashes into the next zip code. Yeah, she just gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
But the glow of the expectant mother aside, who wants to be on display while in labor?
That's where Masika found herself a few days ago, hanging out in her giraffe enclosure at the Denver Zoo, soaking in admiration from the zoo's visitors when — BAM! — baby Kang decided he wanted to get some of that attention too, and now. And so it came to pass that Masika the giraffe went into labor in front of complete strangers.
Not impressed? You try giving birth to a 6-foot 1-inch, 165-pound child in front of an audience. She's only 13 feet tall herself, people!

http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_6818462



SF Zoo's Lion House Reopens Amidst Changes

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KCBS) - The San Francisco Zoo is ready to reopen its Lion House, eight months after a zookeeper was mauled while feeding a Siberian tiger.
KCBS' Doug Sovern reports that new safety measures are in place.
As Sovern explained, the lions and tigers seemed slightly less than totally thrilled to see reporters on site. They prowled inside their cages, waiting to be fed chunks of horse meat.
The zoo's executive director, Manuel Mollinedo, explained new steel mesh on the cages, a feeding chute, and a greater distance between the public and the big cats should head off another attack.
"The physical changes that we have done are going to prevent that," he offered. "We also revisited all of the zoo protocol and as long as the staff follows the protocol, I feel very confident that we will not have a reoccurrence of what happened."

http://www.kcbs.com/pages/910278.php?contentType=4&contentId=886113


7 held in Miraj for theft of peacocks
7 Sep 2007, 0432 hrs IST , TNN
PUNE: The Bharati Vidyapeeth police on Thursday arrested seven men from Miraj in the Sangli district for allegedly stealing 12 peacocks and couple of sandalwood from the Rajiv Gandhi zoo at Katraj, sometime on Monday night. However, the police failed to recovered the stolen birds and the sandalwood. Meanwhile, the birds which were located in the zoo premises on Wednesday haven’t been brought to the cages in last two days. The seven suspects were produced before the judicial magistrate (first class) Sanjay Yadav, who remanded them to police custody till September 11.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pune/7_held_in_Miraj_for_theft_of_peacocks/articleshow/2345767.cms


Lily the lion steps into the zoo spotlight
Friday, September 07, 2007
By Linda McKee
Infant Barbary lion Lily rests in the arms of her keeper after a gruelling day of meeting her adoring public for the first time at Belfast Zoo yesterday.
Lily was rescued from her zoo enclosure in June after she was rejected by her mother Fidda at birth, and reared by keeper Linda Frew in her home.The tiny lion cub has taken up residence in her new paddock at Belfast Zoo, where she was born earlier this summer.A second cub in the litter was less lucky and was killed by the lioness.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article2939402.ece


Zoo plans $7.5M space where kids can go apeAll-weather facility will include multitude of hands-on activities
By JENNI LAIDMANBLADE STAFF WRITER
It wasn’t that long ago when most children had a favorite climbing tree, a stream to splash in, and a good place to hunt for turtles.As early as May, 2009, the Toledo Zoo plans to provide children all of the above, with the creation of a new $7.5 million kids area at the zoo.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070907/NEWS38/709070435/-1/NEWS


The zoo over time
Friday, September 07, 2007
1882: Jeptha H. Wade donates 73 acres and 14 American deer to Cleveland and the exhibit becomes known as Wade Park. Animals kept at the East Side park in the early days were mostly of local origin.
1907: Cleveland City Council decides to move the zoo to its current location between Fulton Road and West 25th Street to make way for the Cleveland Art Museum.
1940: Cleveland Natural History Museum assumes control of zoo.
1956: New pachyderm building opens, mostly to house animals acquired on safari.
1957: Cleveland Zoological Society takes over operations.
1959: Nearby Big Creek overflows, wiping out the zoo's reptile collection and damaging several buildings.
1962: Lion and tiger exhibits open, with moats separating the animals from the public.
1968: City of Cleveland transfers zoo ownership to Cleveland Metropolitan Park District.
1972: Veterinary hospital opens to care for 1,000 animals of 341 species.
1982: Zoo gains accreditation from national Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
1985: Collection of fish and invertebrates moves to the zoo from Cleveland Aquarium in Gordon Park.
1992: The 87,000-square-foot, $30 million RainForest exhibit opens.
1997: The $10.3 million, eight-acre Wolf Wilderness exhibit opens.
2000: The $10 million Australian Adventure, a renovation of the zoo's 40-year-old Children's Farm into an eight-acre mockup of a working Australian ranch, opens.
2004: The $9 million Sarah Allison Steffee Center for Zoological Medicine opens.


Cleveland zoo's veterinary care is on display for visitors
At zoo's med center, visitors can observe exams, surgery
Friday, September 07, 2007
Michael Scott
Plain Dealer Reporter
A fat-tailed lemur with a sinus infection was the perfect patient Thursday at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
He was anesthetized and feeling no pain. Not during a blood test or an oral exam. Not during a rectal exam.
And not even when his furry animal underside was fully exposed.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/118915655942440.xml&coll=2


GTA's last polar bear heads back up north
Sep 07, 2007 04:30 AM
Curtis Rush Staff Reporter
Polar bear lovers are out in the cold in Toronto.
The last polar bear has left the Toronto Zoo and the exhibit has shut down while a $12 million, two-year redevelopment begins.
The zoo has shipped off 27-year-old Bisitek to northern Ontario, where she is to enjoy "a restful retirement" at the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, according to zoo officials.
The move was made to allow the zoo to launch a bigger and better polar bear habitat and tundra phase, where Arctic wolves, reindeer, snowy owls and other animals would be introduced.
The project is expected to be completed in 2009.

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/254145


Zoo a must-see -- mom
By JACQUELINE LEBLANC
leblanc.jacqueline@dailygleaner.com
Published Friday September 7th, 2007
Appeared on page A5
Five-year-old Tyson Wiggins fills his palms with grains and kneels towards the small slit in the boards that surround the petting zoo at the FREX.
A small goat squeezes its head through a slit and sniffs Tyson's full hand. As the goat begins to chomp on the grains, Tyson scrunches his nose and looks at his mother.

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/rss/article/67900


Yahoo at the Zoo Pictures

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/lf/031802zooanimals/im:/070912/ids_photos_wl/r1559689063.jpg;_ylt=Ajkdv2ndKdm8Qan1.Ob_vreaK8MA


Zoo reopens Lion House for public feedings 10 months after mauling
Patricia Yollin, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, September 7, 2007
For almost 10 months now, the big cats in the Lion House at the San Francisco Zoo have enjoyed their own private dining room. They could gnaw on hunks and chunks of meat, and the occasional beheaded rabbit, in churchlike silence.
That's about to change. The cavernous building, which has been closed to the public since a keeper was mauled by a Siberian tiger on Dec. 22, reopens today - with $250,000 in safety upgrades.
On Thursday morning, the media got a preview of the ritual that has been one of the zoo's biggest attractions for 67 years, and is believed to be the only remaining scheduled public feeding of lions and tigers in North America.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/07/BAMMS0JIB.DTL


Meerkats have a home at the zoo
September 7, 2007 12:23 pm — Three small, furry Southern Belles have arrived at the Seneca Park Zoo.And this morning, Monroe County and Seneca Park Zoo officials unveiled the girls’ new home – a meerkat exhibit at the zoo, 2222 St. Paul St.Meerkats are small mammals and members of the mongoose family. They are very social, living in colonies, known as “mobs” of up to 30. Each animal is about a foot-long.Three female meerkats, ages 4, 5 and 6, from the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas have already moved into a habitat in the northern end of the zoo’s main building, right by Roscoe, a white rhinoceros who has lived at the zoo for over a year, said Zoo Director Larry Sorel.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070907/NEWS01/70907007/1002/NEWS


Ukrainian zoo names skunks Clinton and Bush
KHARKOV, September 7 (RIA Novosti) - A zoo in Kharkov, Ukraine's second-largest city, has named the country's only pair of skunks after two U.S. presidents, Bush and Clinton, a spokesman for the zoo said Friday.
The skunks, known for their ability to excrete a foul-smelling odor when alarmed, are the last captive pair remaining in a Ukrainian zoo, the spokesman explained, adding that their names were chosen to reflect the species' geographic origin - North America.
The animals were presented to the zoo as a gift two weeks ago, and since then they have not excreted their trademark odor.
Asked about their taste preferences, the spokesman said that ate everything, from fruit and vegetables to fish and meat.
"Most of all, they like juices," he said.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070907/77397491.html


Captive breeding of tigers begins in Nandankanan Zoo
From our ANI CorrespondentBhubaneshwar, Sept 7: The famous Nandankanan Zoo in Bhubaneshwar has restarted breeding of tigers in captivity for maintaining a viable population. The zoo launched a captive breeding programme with its youngest group of three tigers now four-years-old, and the authorities find it to be the right time to go for planned breeding.The famous zoo currently has 28 tigers -- 10 white and 18 normal coloured ones.Zoo officials believe genetic management of captive population is essential for a successful programme through maximum avoidance of inbreeding, as it causes reduction in reproduction as well as revival of the species.

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/172113.php/Captive-breeding-of-tigers-begins-in-Nandankanan-Zoo



Panda pair leave Shanghai for Spain
By Huang Zhiling (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-09-08 09:53

SHANGHAI -- At 7:59 am Beijing time Saturday morning, two giant pandas took off on a 747 freighter from Shanghai directly to Spain.
The pandas are on their way to Spain's Madrid Zoo for a 10-year stay which is part of the Giant Panda International Conservation Cooperation Project between China and Spain.
Bing Xing and Hua Zuiba, the panda duo, will land in Madrid Saturday evening after flying for nearly 14 hours, said Michael Drake, Managing Director for TNT Greater China.
TNT, the world's leading express and mail delivery provider, has been appointed the official carrier, overseeing all stages of the panda transfer.
They panda pair will then be transported to the Madrid Zoo. After a brief break to help them acclimatize to the local environment, they will make their official debut in late September 2007, he told chinadaily.com.cn.
Seven-year-old male panda Bing Xing, whose name means "Star of Ice," weighs 140 kilograms, and four-year-old female Hua Zuiba, whose name means "Cuty Lips," weighs 93 kilograms.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/08/content_6091134.htm


Oleson Park Zoo to survive
Talks aim to keep popular FD site thriving
By BILL SHEA, Messenger staff writer
Animal lovers can look forward to the future survival of the Oleson Park Zoo, according to Fort Dodge officials and leaders of a private support group.The more upbeat assessment of the site’s future comes a few weeks after the Friends of the Oleson Park Zoo threatened to disband and sell most of the animals. That led to a public protest on the steps of the Municipal Building on Aug. 13 at which people chanted ‘‘Save the zoo.’’

http://www.messengernews.net/News/articles.asp?articleID=12406


Wet weather puts zoo on the map
By Staff reporter
COME rain or shine, Chester Zoo has something for everyone this autumn.
Following one of the wettest summers on record, the 110-acre zoo has splashed out to make sure there is fun for all the family, even in a downpour.
A special rainy day route around the zoo has been planned out and a Wet Walk leaflet will be given to zoo visitors who brave the weather.
The leaflet also has a special voucher which gives a paying adult a free child place on a return visit.
Sharon Leeson, the zoo's Head of Marketing and Development, said: "Despite sometimes atrocious conditions over the summer, we have been lucky in that spells of bad weather have not deterred our visitors.

http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/wirralnews/display.var.1674007.0.wet_weather_puts_zoo_on_the_map.php


Zoo passed up polluted parkland
History: For decades, chemicals were dumped at the 65-acre site that Blank Park Zoo had wanted

Safety: It's safe to play and fish at what is now a popular park, environmental experts report
By MELISSA WALKER
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
September 8, 2007
Copyright 2007, Des Moines Register and Tribune CompanyA Polk County park eyed for a major expansion of Blank Park Zoo sits atop a decades-old military dump site that officials fear has left soil and a popular fishing spot contaminated with pesticides, asbestos and chemical compounds.That is one reason zoo officials decided last month to back away from a proposed land swap that would have transferred ownership of the 65 park acres to the city, paving the way for a $57 million zoo expansion."The city told us that right now, with their initial findings, they did not want the zoo to move on to that property," said Jim Hourigan, president of the Blank Park Zoo Foundation. "They thought the levels that were detected were high enough that we should look for a site elsewhere. ... I don't think they want the liability associated with owning it."
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070908/NEWS05/709080342/1001/NEWS&lead=1


Zoo Babies (Video)
Saturday September 8th, 2007
I went to my annual trip to the zoo yesterday. Here is some mandatory zoo footage. There are also four photos on 23.

http://www.solitude.dk/archives/20070908-1555/


Career profile: N.E.W. Zoo president preserves Reforestation Camp goals
By Laurie Weyenberg Press-Gazette correspondent
To explain the importance of Judy Krawczyk's job, it's important to know how the N.E.W. Zoo began.
In 1948, sparks from a train passing though the Suamico area set a fire that destroyed many trees. Francis Evrard (chairman of the county's Agricultural Conservation Commission) suggested that the land be reforested, using inmates. He felt this was a good way to rehabilitate prisoners while restoring the land. It was known as "Evrard's Folly". But with no better idea, a prison camp was built. Harry Barth and his wife, Aurelia, and their children were hired to run the camp. In March 1950, the first inmates arrived at the "Reforestation Camp" and the planting of 250,000 seedlings soon began. Harry Barth and Francis Evrard talked about the beauty of the area and how nice it would be if they could bring city children out to the camp to learn about nature. They also shared a dream of someday building a zoo.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070909/GPG03/709090586/1250/GPGlife

September 09, 2007
Zoo special backs up I-275 traffic
Zoo-goers looking to take advantage of Lowry Park Zoo's $3 admission day backed up traffic along I-275 and Sligh Ave. Sunday afternoon, Tampa police said.
To alleviate congestion, police had asked the zoo to close its parking entrances, said Dana N. Metz, Director of Marketing for the Lowry Park Zoo. However, visitors who can find other parking accommodations will be allowed to enter the park.

The Zoo, Tel Aviv and Egyptian Embassy
As part of Uplan my class got to go to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. Which was so cool. They have loads of animals mentioned in the Bible, and some that aren't...like penguins for example. The enclosures are pretty big, and all the animals seem interested enough, so it wasn't one of those bad person zoos. They even have breeding programs, though the only breeding we saw was between two randy penguins.My class all made a picnic and we had this for lunch. I made the eggplant and zuccini mix, which was damn good!

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/yoniforsyth/year_in_israel/1189350900.html

Edinburgh Zoo
http://andytheweirdo.vox.com/edinburgh-zoo/

Pricey pandas eat up conservation funds'Champagne to beer': Zoo wants to keep fluffy favorites but pay China less for the privilege.

By MARK DAVISThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 09/10/07
The zoo's top guy wants to extend Atlanta's love affair with its adult giant pandas beyond 2009, when the bears are scheduled to return to China.
But Lun Lun and Yang Yang, though easy to love, are pricey to keep.
The zoo has sent $1.1 million annually to China since the two pandas came to Atlanta in 1999. To date, it has spent more than $7 million in a loan agreement with the Asian nation, said Dennis Kelly, the zoo's president and CEO. From a strictly bottom-line perspective, the pandas are "consuming all the money we could spend on other conservation efforts," he said.
With two years left in the 10-year deal, Kelly said he and the board of directors are considering asking China to let the bears stay longer. But keeping them, he said, must meet "a long-term, sustainable strategy."
Translation: the champagne-and-caviar relationship needs to become a beer-and-wieners affair. The zoo would like to pay China less per year for its two Ailuropoda melanoleucas.
"If [Chinese officials] see the benefit of that, I'm sure we could come to a mutually beneficial agreement," Kelly said.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/living/stories/2007/09/09/panda_0910.html

Take a rainforest adventure at the zoo these holidays
Enjoy an action-packed rainforest adventure these September school holidays at Auckland Zoo, from 22 September to 7 October.
Join the search for the lost treasure at two free daily shows. Meet "Bugman" Ruud Kleinpaste and his amazing creepy-crawlies up close and be in to win the chance to have Paddlepop Lion attend your party. Kids and grown-ups can meet members of the Breakers basketball team and take the opportunity to help save endangered rainforest animals.
Make attending the daily rainforest adventure shows your first port of call, where Captain Tongue-Tied and first mate Paddlepop Lion need willing pirates and adventurers to help them solve the rainforest clues and locate the lost treasure.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0709/S00117.htm

Childhood Cancer Awareness at the Zoo

Sabrina Hall - shall@kgmb9.com
It's National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and in Hawaii it was kicked off at the Honolulu Zoo where kids with cancer shared their stories in hopes you might listen.
Taja survived lymphoma.
"I had cancer when I was two," said 5-year-old Taja Koch. Kaela battled leukemia.
"I was five years old," said Kaelo Teho, who is now seven.
And Mari also had leukemia when she was four.
"I was sick for two and a half years," said 15-year-old Mari Galiher.

http://kgmb9.com/kgmb/display.cfm?storyID=12387&sid=1183


Panda celebrates birthday at Chongqing Zoo
A panda named “YouYou” (友友) celebrated her one-year birthday last week (Sep 5) at Chongqing Zoo, China. The zoo prepared a butter cake for “YouYou” for celebration.

http://yeinjee.com/asianpop/chongqing-panda-celebrates-birthday/


Zoo-doo season
For two weeks: If you hope to get in on the Woodland Park Zoo's Fall Fecal Fest, the sale of zoo-animal manure for lawn and garden compost, the zoo needs to hear from you before Sept. 21. The zoo-doo sale is how the zoo rids itself of the mounds of mature manure stockpiled from its animal population.
The zoo is again holding a drawing for people to get in on the sale. Standard-size entry postcards — one per person — can be mailed to Zoo Doo, Woodland Park Zoo, 601 N. 59th St., Seattle, WA 98103. Include your name, day and evening phone numbers, the amount of zoo doo you'd like to buy and a preferred time (weekday or weekend) for pickup. No phone orders will be taken.
Cards will be drawn randomly, and those whose cards are chosen will be notified. The limit is one full truck per person, and prices vary from $60 for the largest amount to $4 for the smallest, a bag. Information is online at www.zoo.org, or call 206-625-7667.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003877357_here10m.html

Philadelphia Zoo Photos, Pt. II
10 09 2007
As promised, here is the second set of the better photos from my trip to the Philadelphia Zoo. I probably should (at the reccomendation of several commentors) register with Flickr and upload the lot of them, but that will have to wait until tomorrow (I’ll also go back and do likewise for the pictures on this computer as time permits). Let’s pick up where we left off, with one of my most favorite of big cats, the Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis);

http://laelaps.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/philadelphia-zoo-photos-pt-ii/

Princess to visit Marwell Zoo
MARWELL Zoo near Winchester is expecting a royal visitor next week.
The Princess Royal will be opening on Monday (September 17) the new 'South East Asia' exhibit, which is one of several new zones at the centre.
She has visited Marwell three times before, having unveiled 'Penguin World', 'Into Africa', and 'World of Lemurs' on her previous trips.

http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/hampshirenews/display.var.1677255.0.princess_to_visit_marwell_zoo.php

Meerkats favorite webcam animal at Riverbanks Zoo

COLUMBIA - Webcam fans have voted on their favorite ZooView animal, and the active, slender-tailed meerkat has stolen the show. Throughout the month of September, the meerkats will be the star of the SCE&G ZooView webcam. "This is not a huge surprise given the enormous popularity of meerkats," said Dargan Davis, public relations manager for Riverbanks Zoo and Garden.
http://www.gaffneyledger.com/news/2007/0910/Local_News/028.html

A New Day in Panda Canyon
Posted at 3:08 pm September 10, 2007 by Ellie Rosenbaum
As many of you are aware, the San Diego Zoo is embarking on a new project, Elephant Odessey, to provide an updated area for not only our elephants but many other species of animals and plants here at the Zoo. To accomodate this, an exciting new bus route has been instituted for the safety of all and to facilitate the construction project on Horn & Hoof Mesa: our tour buses are driving up Panda Canyon.

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/a-new-day-in-panda-canyon/

Guard knocked out in zoo break-in
A security guard at a wildlife centre near Dundee was knocked unconscious after she disturbed three youths in one of the animal enclosures.
Security at Camperdown Wildlife Centre had been heightened after vandals tortured and killed birds and animals there earlier this year.
In the latest incident, the 24-year-old was attacked after she found the youths in the deer enclosure on Sunday night.
Tayside Police appealed for anyone with information to contact them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/6987609.stm


In U.S. zoos, pandas have universal appeal
Los Angeles Times
The giant pandas of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. - and those of the San Diego Zoo - are hot tickets. The endangered bears, indigenous to China, have become so admired by Americans that there are fan clubs, panda cams enabling viewers to watch them remotely, and hundreds of products featuring pandas, such as T-shirts, clocks, mugs and mouse pads.At the National Zoo, the roly-poly mammals have been one of the capital's biggest tourist draws since two pandas took up residence in 2000. After the birth of cub Tai Shan in 2005, interest mushroomed. Now, the three are spending their first summer in an expanded habitat.On the West Coast, the San Diego Zoo's pandas recently welcomed a baby born Aug. 3. And in Atlanta, the zoo is getting ready for a big celebration to mark cub Mei Lan's first birthday on Sept. 6. But the news from the zoo in Memphis, Tenn., is not happy: Ya Ya didn't carry her baby to term.

http://www.newsday.com/travel/ny-a2col5360424sep09,0,6406180.story

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Celebrates 125th Anniversary Saturday
Submitted by Eugmc on September 10, 2007 - 11:22pm. 1882 was a big year for Cleveland. John D. Rockefeller unites his oil holdings into the Standard Oil trust. Of course, our Standard Oil is now a thing of the past but it wasn't just Standard Oil that was born that year. The Cleveland Zoo was formed.
Saturday, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will celebrate their 125th anniversary. The Zoo has a fun filled day of activities lined up. They are calling the event the "ZOObilee". This is just a sampling of the fun you can have if you want to "monkey around" and Saturday.

http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/2766

Baby Monkey at Irvine Park Zoo
The Irvine Park Zoo has a new addition to its attractions.
Visitors are going to the Chippewa Falls Zoo to catch a glimpseof the new born baby.The baby is no more than 10 inches long and clings to its mothers back so tightly that the zoo keepers haven't been able to tell the sex of the baby yet.
The zoo is excited about the new arrival but will only be able to keep the monkey for a short time.The baby is going to another zoo in a few months, where it can get used to being around people and living in captivity.Zoo keeper Jennifer London is sad to see the baby go, but says it's in the best interest for the baby monkey, who is small enough to fit through the cage and could get out.
Although the baby has to leave it's mother it will be going to a facility that is more secure than the current zoo.

http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/9700527.html

Dedicated elephant handlers happy but nervous about baby Malti
2 days ago
CALGARY (CP) — While it's unclear if a whole village is still required to raise a child, it certainly takes a few dozen people to raise an elephant.
As the Calgary Zoo's baby Asian elephant, Malti, trotted and pranced in front of her adoring crowd for the first time Monday, few paid attention to her ever-present, ever-watchful handlers. For months now, the zoo's crew of six elephant-keepers have been putting in long hours - often six days and nights in a row, with shifts stretching to 35 hours at a time.
Then there's the veterinarians, the health technicians, the supervisors and small army of volunteers bringing everyone hot meals.
Though Malti was born a month ago, the 24-hour care started long before her mother Maharani's 22-month gestation period ended.

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5g1Uo_w6lr7wemClv6Z5vZczAZ5Yg

'Extreme Makeover' coming to zoo's frogsAmphibians to get $500,000 home

By JENNI LAIDMAN

BLADE STAFF WRITER
The Toledo Zoo will bound into its Year of the Frog with the creation of a half-million-dollar amphibian pad next year, the zoo board learned yesterday.
The amphibian annum is the creation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums - which accredits member zoos nationwide, including Toledo - to draw attention to the rapid depletion of frogs and salamanders around the planet.
A fungal infection is eliminating frog populations around the world, while habitat destruction erodes important frog and salamander breeding ponds. Pesticides also play a role in the plague frogs face, and global warming appears to be a contributor. Not much is known about the fate of a third type of amphibian known as a caecilian.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/NEWS16/709110379

Lion Dies In Himachal Zoo
Tuesday 11th of September 2007
A lion has died in a zoological park in Himachal Pradesh, wildlife officials said Tuesday.'The autopsy report indicates that the 13-year-old lion, Shiva, died due to a liver problem,' said Sachin Bindra, the veterinarian who carried out the autopsy.The lion had been unwell for the past couple of weeks and died Monday. He was being kept at the Renuka Lion Safari zoological park in Sirmaur district, about 180 km from here.The zoo lost another lion in February this year. In the last few years, four lions have died in the zoo and many experts feel that inbreeding could be the reason for the deaths. There are now 12 lions left in the zoo.


Zoological Society wants center at county zoo for stranded seals
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Published: Tuesday, September 11, 2007
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE - The county Zoological Society is turning its attention to creating a facility for seals stranded on the shores of Cape May County.
The nonprofit group that works in conjunction with the county zoo says it wants to raise money to open and maintain a triage center for marine mammals.
Zoological Society Executive Director Bill MacQueen said he hopes the highly publicized plight of a blind seal stranded in Cape May Point will drive the desire to bring a facility to Cape May County.
The 200-pound harbor seal is currently at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, where officials are trying to find it a home but have had difficulty due to its special needs.
MacQueen said he hopes a triage center could eventually evolve into an exhibition and education center.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/capemay/story/7501019p-7398094c.html

Lehigh Valley Zoo panel rattles the cage for more funding
Tells Lehigh County plans went 'off course' after privatization.
By Romy Varghese Of The Morning Call
September 11, 2007
committee to Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham is recommending the county provide more money and support to the Lehigh Valley Zoo.The zoo is already receiving $1.9 million over five years under a lease with the county that began in November 2004. Its operator, the nonprofit Lehigh Valley Zoological Society, will receive its last payment of $200,000 in 2009.The county had turned the zoo over to private management as a way to salvage the money-losing operation. At the time, county officials expected the attraction to be self-sufficient after five years.

http://www.nj.com/southjersey/index.ssf/2007/09/stranded_seal_center_proposed.html

Zoo party for blind children
By Oscar Power

A NATIONAL charity for blind children, based in Highbridge, is already planning for Christmas - with a party scheduled for London Zoo.
THE National Blind Children's Society turned to the Al Fayed Charitable Trust (Harrods) for help with the party as it has supported the society's golf day for the past three years.
Harrods did not disappoint them and within weeks of the society's request they received a Harrods hamper, which will now be auctioned off and a donation of 25 teddy bears to be used at the children's party.
Tracy Wightman, national fundraising and public relations manger said: "We depend on these vital contributions to ensure that the charity's events are a success and the support of Harrods is greatly appreciated."
If you want information on how you can help with either the children's party or the golf day, contact Tracy Wightman on 01278-764778.

http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/wcsomersetnews/display.var.1680071.0.zoo_party_for_blind_children.php

Zoo’s annual tasting event hailed a success
By Melissa Russell/Correspondent
GateHouse News Service
Tue Sep 11, 2007, 11:25 AM EDT
Stoneham -
It was a wild affair in so many ways.
Wild, as in wild animals. Wild, as in wild weather. And wild, as in a wild success.
Powerful thunder and lightning and impressive downpours didn’t dampen the spirit of fun at Stone Zoo’s third annual A Wild Affair Saturday. When the rains came, zoo goers just picked up their cocktails and ducked under tents or into the mammal house to share space with the meerkats and marmosets.
The popular fundraising event Sept. 8 was a record breaker, zoo officials said, selling out in advance and bringing in $40,000 to support zoo programs.
Beginning as a one-time centennial celebration in 2005, the event has grown into a local tradition that attracted at least 600 people this year, said David Hirschberg, the zoo’s vice president of institutional advancement.

http://www.townonline.com/stoneham/homepage/x1822772856

Hildy, world's oldest giraffe, dies at Dallas Zoo
02:36 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 11, 2007
By KATIE MENZER

The Dallas Morning News

kmenzer@dallasnews.com
Hildy, the world's oldest giraffe, died this morning at the Dallas Zoo. She was 33.
Hildy was born at the Dallas Zoo on Oct. 9, 1973, and had lived there all her life. Kibo, one of Hildy's six children, was her constant companion at the zoo.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/091207dnmetgiraffe.c383dbd5.html

Taronga Zoo elephants in DNA tests
THEY were the DNA tests that had onlookers wondering if there had been some monkey business in the elephant enclosure.
But, as Taronga Zoo keepers were quick to point out yesterday, there was an innocent explanation for the decision to take cheek swabs from the massive animals.
The results will be subjected to DNA analysis and then studied by researchers hoping to establish a genetic map of wild elephant populations in their native Cambodia.
Zoo staff said the mammals, who understand their keepers' commands in Thai and English, had co-operated with the instruction to open their mouths so 15cm cotton swabs could be rubbed on the inside of their cheeks.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22402225-5006009,00.html

Lowry Park Zoo Cares For Panther Cub
TAMPA - An abandoned, 2-month-old Florida panther being raised at the Lowry Park Zoo should be "an ambassador for her species," say zoo staff members caring for her.
Calusa, named after an American Indian tribe, has grown from about 2 pounds to 10 pounds since the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission placed the spotted cub with the zoo Aug. 8.
For the past month, zoo veterinary staff members have been feeding the cub known as Lucy (first with a bottle and now with solid food), treating her for parasites, checking a laceration on her head to be sure it is healing and monitoring her growth. For almost three weeks, one of the staff members had to take her home at night. She now stays by herself in the animal hospital.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/sep/11/lowry-park-zoo-introduces-panther-cub/?news-breaking

Bing Lee launches Zoo-branded giftcards
NSW electrical retailer Bing Lee has launched a range of gift cards – one of which benefits Taronga Zoo.
The new range includes a specially designed and limited edition Francois Langur card which will send a percentage of money from each gift card sale to the Taronga Zoo Foundation. The foundation was established in 2000 and aims to be recognised as a world leader in the support for the conservation and presentation of Australian and exotic wildlife. Funds raised by the foundation are also used to enhance education programs and improving the exhibits and breeding facilities at both Taronga and Western Plains Zoos.

http://www.insideretailing.com.au/articles-page.aspx?articleType=ArticleView&articleId=1307


Zoo's giant rabbit Bunzilla dies
BLOOMINGTON — Bunzilla, a Flemish giant rabbit and a top attraction among young visitors at Miller Park Zoo, has died. He was age 6.Zoo marketing coordinator Susie Ohley made the announcement in an email on Tuesday, one day after the death of the massive rabbit that arrived at the facility on June 16, 2001.Bunzilla was born Feb. 16, 2001, she said. The average lifespan of a Flemish giant rabbit is 5.“He was a good old boy,” said John Tobias, superintendent of the zoo at 1020 S. Morris Ave. “He was popular so we thought we should let people know.”

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/09/11/news/doc46e6efa453f55208588821.txt

Fishing group opposes ban on set nets to save dolphin
5:00AM Thursday August 30, 2007

By Angela Gregory
Conservationists are pushing for swift action to help save Maui's dolphins. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey
Evidence surrounding the deaths of critically endangered Maui's dolphins does not support a need to ban set netting in west coast harbours of the North Island, says a fishing lobby group.
A draft plan released by Conservation Minister Chris Carter in Auckland yesterday to help protect Hector's and Maui's dolphins included proposals to set up marine mammal sanctuaries and ban set nets in areas where the dolphins roam.
There are thought to be only 111 Maui's dolphins left in New Zealand, the population ranging from Maunganui Bluff down to Taranaki.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10460657



Elusive fox the new Tasmanian devil
A campaign to prevent an ecological catastrophe by exterminating foxes introduced in Tasmania has become clouded in a mist of slander, intrigue and conspiracy theories.
The Government of the island state is convinced that a population of European red foxes has been introduced to the island, either by accident on container ships or deliberately in an act of malicious eco-terrorism.
Unlike mainland Australia, Tasmania has until now remained fox-free and boasts the country's healthiest populations of small marsupials such as bettongs, bandicoots and pademelons - exactly the kind of prey favoured by the rapacious Vulpes vulpes.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10460631#Scene_1



Abused donkeys carry weight of nation
Ethiopian farmer Fekadu Asfaw stood defiantly before an angry veterinarian, having just beaten his four severely malnourished donkeys.
"They are donkeys, aren't they? They have to be beaten to perform commands," Fekadu said.
Visibly furious, veterinarian Fissiha Gebre-ab turned to other farmers and their beasts of burden nearby with a harsh admonition: "Don't you know the saying that a farmer without a donkey is a donkey, because he has to carry the burden himself?"

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10460629#Scene_1



Number of ill horses continues to climb
BRISBANE - Almost half of the horses quarantined at a Queensland equestrian venue are now showing symptoms of horse flu.
Around 250 horses have been stuck at Warwick's Morgan Park, south-west of Brisbane, since a quarantine lockdown was imposed at the site on Sunday.
Around 100 horse owners and helpers who have stayed behind to care for the animals are facing a long wait at the venue - the flu must infect all of the horses at the site before the 30-day quarantine period can officially begin.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10460519#Scene_1


Tunnels to put the the kibosh on salamander squash
5:00AM Wednesday August 29, 2007
There's light at the end of the tunnel for salamanders.
CALGARY - Canadian researchers know why the salamander crossed the road, and now they hope to fix things so it won't have to.
The federal parks agency plans to install tunnels under a highway at a cost of about C$40,000 ($53,670) to end years of carnage among the long-toed salamander of Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta.
The project is aimed at diverting the 13cm-long amphibians under the pavement during their nocturnal journeys between a mountainside and a lake where they breed.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10460425


Island home planned for lizard species and rescue bid for seagrass
5:00AM Monday August 20, 2007By Tony Gee
Eight species of lizards are to be relocated to a local island as part of a plan designed to improve the health of Whangarei Harbour.
The plan, funded by Marsden Pt port owner Northport Ltd through a 10-year, $500,000 Whangarei Harbour Health Improvement fund, also includes work to restore beds of undersea grass.
Friends of Matakohe/Limestone Island Society intend to transfer eight lizard species to the island off suburban Onerahi in Whangarei Harbour.
Northport's fund is granting $10,660 to cover first-year costs of the three-year lizard relocation project.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=281&objectid=10458747

continued...

Rare antelopes breeding again in Kenya

This hand out file photo of the Kenya Wildlife Conservancy shows "Kenya", the first Kenyan born baby Bongo-antelope from an American-raised bongo, rests 05 February 2004 near its mother 'Mum' at the Mount Kenya Game ranch. The population of rare African antelopes that were bred in captivity and re-introduced to their native habitat three years ago has increased, Kenyan officials said.

Brainy Parrot Dies, Emotive to the End

Alex, a 31-year-old African gray parrot, knew more than 100 words and could count and recognize colors and shapes.