Sunday, January 27, 2008
Michael Moore Today
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
'SiCKO' is Going to the Oscars!
...But Not Across a Picket Line
"My first problem is, I'm going to have to return my dress." -- Michael Moore
Congrats to the Other Nominees
Friday, January 25th, 2008
"Sicko" Gets the Oscar High-Five ...a note from Michael Moore
Friends,
I just wanted to drop you a note to let you know (if you didn't already) the good news that "Sicko" has been nominated for this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary. It was a pleasant surprise when we got the news on Tuesday.
Of course, every reporter who's called me in the past few days wanted to know if I plan on giving an "anti-war" or "anti-Bush" speech, should "Sicko" win, as I did when we won the Oscar for "Bowling for Columbine" in 2003. (As you may recall, it was the 5th day of the war when those Oscars were held, and I said from the stage that, while I enjoy making nonfiction films, we live in fictitious times with a man of fiction in the White House. A ruckus ensued with a loud roar of cheers and boos, then someone cued the band to get me off the stage. As host Steve Martin said a few moments later, Teamsters were out back loading me into the trunk of a car.)
Well it's five years later and we are still at war. But there's no booing these days. 65% of the public is now opposed to the war and to Mr. Bush. The Academy, instead of cutting off the microphone, now nominates anti-war films for Best Documentary. That's right, three of the five nominees this year are Iraq War films!
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=223
H.R.676
Title: To provide for comprehensive health insurance coverage for all United States residents, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] (introduced 1/24/2007) Cosponsors (88)
Latest Major Action: 2/2/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR00676:@@@N
"Which congressional district am I in?"
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/what-can-i-do/boxscore/index.php?action=print
Thank Rep. James P. Moran
Information on
Representative James P. Moran
of Congressional District number 8 of Virginia
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/newmemberbio.cgi?lang=&member=VA08&site=ctc&address=&city=&state=VA&zipcode=&plusfour=
January 22nd, 2008 9:47 am
`No Country,' `Blood' tie for Oscar lead
By David Germain / Associated Press
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" led with eight Academy Awards nominations each Tuesday, among them best picture and acting honors for Daniel Day-Lewis and Javier Bardem — but it remained in doubt whether any stars would cross striking writers' picket lines to attend the ceremony.
"No Country for Old Men," a crime saga about a drug deal gone bad, and "There Will Be Blood," a historical epic set in California's oil boom years, will compete for best picture against the melancholy romance "Atonement," the pregnancy comedy "Juno" and the legal drama "Michael Clayton."
"Atonement" and "Michael Clayton" trailed with seven nominations each, including best actor for George Clooney in the title role of "Clayton." The lead players in "Atonement," Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, were shut out on nominations, however, with teenager Saoirse Ronin the only performer nominated for that film, for supporting actress.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mikeinthenews/index.php?id=10790
January 22nd, 2008 5:13 pm
Oscar nom exuberance tempered by strike
By David Germain / Associated Press
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Uncertainty rules the Academy Awards as "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" led Tuesday with eight nominations each, two other best-picture contenders trailed with seven, and a writers strike left the fate of the show itself up in the air.
Yet a sampling of reaction from nominees made one thing sound definite: Stars and filmmakers will skip the Oscars if the ceremony does not have the blessing of striking writers.
Hollywood's most glamorous night could go the way of the Golden Globes, whose telecast was scrapped because stars remained steadfast in support of writers and refused to come. If stars boycott and Oscar organizers push ahead with a broadcast ceremony, it could end up as a glorified clips show with no one on hand to collect their trophies and gush their thanks.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mikeinthenews/index.php?id=10794
Best documentary feature
“No End in Sight” (Magnolia Pictures)
A Representational Pictures Production
Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
“Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience” (The Documentary Group)
A Documentary Group Production
Richard E. Robbins
“Sicko” (Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company)
A Dog Eat Dog Films Production
Michael Moore and Meghan O’Hara
“Taxi to the Dark Side” (THINKFilm)
An X-Ray Production
Alex Gibney and Eva Orner
“War/Dance” (THINKFilm)
A Shine Global and Fine Films Production
Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine
http://www.oscars.org/80academyawards/nominees/index.html
Paul Wolfowitz Goes to Fashion Extremes in 'Fahrenheit 9/11'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bnpTK5mgZQ
January 24th, 2008 4:12 pm
Clinton will 'say anything and do nothing': Obama
By Alain Jean-Robert / AFP
ROCK HILL, South Carolina - Barack Obama fought back against rival Hillary Clinton with stinging attacks on her record Thursday as the Democratic rivals battled for votes in South Carolina and beyond.
The two White House hopefuls have taken their war of words to the airwaves in this conservative southern state where polls show Obama with a double digit lead over Clinton ahead of a Democratic primary here Saturday.
The state is critical for the young Illinois senator, following Clinton victories in New Hampshire and Nevada, and amid polls that show her as the frontrunner nationally.
Faced with a Clinton radio spot -- or advertisement -- claiming he endorses Republican ideas, Obama shot back with a denial and a drubbing of her record.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10803
January 24th, 2008 6:49 pm
Cheney says standing ovation tempts him to run again, ‘almost’
By Thomas Ferraro / Reuters
Vice President Dick Cheney received a sustained standing ovation from fellow conservatives on Wednesday, prompting the often-criticized vice president to joke about himself.
“A welcome like that, it’s almost enough to make me want to run for office again,” Cheney said, drawing laughter. “Almost, almost.”
Polls show most Americans disapprove of Cheney just as they do of his boss, President George W. Bush.
But Cheney was embraced at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank, where he urged Congress to pass a White House-backed surveillance bill. But first he subjected himself to some self-deprecating humor.
“I hold an office that has only one constitutional duty — presiding over the Senate and casting tie-breaking votes,” Cheney said.
“Before the Constitution was written, some, including Benjamin Franklin, believed that the vice presidency was entirely unnecessary. He said that if the office were to be created, anyone who served as vice president should be addressed as ‘Your Superfluous Excellency.’”
“That’s better than some of the things I’ve been called,” Cheney said, drawing more laughter.
Yes, because outside a group of demonstrators chanted, “Fire the liar, impeach Cheney.”
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10807
January 23rd, 2008 5:58 pm
Conflict king in docu race
War themes dominate nominations if not boxoffice
By Gregg Goldstein / Hollywood Reporter
PARK CITY -- War-oriented documentaries might have been dead on arrival at the 2007 boxoffice, but they dominated the documentary feature Oscar noms.
Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs' Iraq War investigation "No End in Sight," Richard E. Robbins' Iraq and Afghanistan soldier study "Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience," Alex Gibney and Eva Orner's Afghani torture victim story "Taxi to the Dark Side" and Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine's Ugandan conflict study "War/Dance" all made the cut on Tuesday. Michael Moore's health-care expose "Sicko" rounded out the field.
Moore's breakthrough "Fahrenheit 9/11," which grossed $119 million in 2004, proved there could be an audience for war documentaries and helped unleash the flood of conflict-themed docus and narrative films that flooded (and often bombed) last year at the boxoffice.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mikeinthenews/index.php?id=10801
January 22nd, 2008 8:21 pm
'No Country for Old Men,' 'There Will Be Blood' Lead Oscar Nominations With Eight Nods Each
Daniel Day-Lewis, Ellen Page among Best Actor, Actress nominees.
By Gil Kaufman / MTV News
Nobody knows what this year's Oscar telecast will look like due to the ongoing writers' strike, but one thing is for sure: "There Will Be Blood." The acclaimed Golden Globe-winning story of a California oilman starring Daniel Day-Lewis was one of the leading nominees for the 80th annual Academy Awards, along with multiple nominees "No Country for Old Men," "Atonement" and "Michael Clayton."
Among the surprise multiple nominees was teenage pregnancy comedy "Juno," which snagged nods for Ellen Page for Best Actress, first-time scripter Diablo Cody for Best Original Screenplay, Jason Reitman for Best Director, as well as a bid for Best Picture.
The Best Picture race is a strong one, pitting the George Clooney legal drama "Michael Clayton" against the Coen brothers-directed drug thriller "No Country for Old Men," against "Blood," the decade-spanning British romance "Atonement" and "Juno." "No Country" and "There Will Be Blood" earned eight nominations each, while "Michael Clayton" and "Atonement" scored seven.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mikeinthenews/index.php?id=10797
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2008, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®.
http://www.oscars.org/80academyawards/nominees/index.html
January 26th, 2008 9:00 pm
Obama regains momentum in S.C.
By Nedra Pickler / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama won the biggest triumph yet in the Democratic presidential race, a lopsided victory that restored his momentum leading into Super Tuesday.
It also was a stunning rejection of Hillary Rodham Clinton and perhaps even more so her husband, famously regarded as the "first black president." The black voters of South Carolina overwhelmingly said they wanted Obama in the White House instead of another Clinton.
Bill Clinton was the one who worked the state all week long as Obama's chief critic, even as his wife turned her attention to the states voting on Feb. 5 in anticipation of the loss. Voters listened — more than half said the former president's campaigning was an important factor in their decision, according to exit polls collected by The Associated Press and television networks.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10812
January 26th, 2008 10:14 pm
SC Dems see record turnout
Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The South Carolina Democratic Party broke its own turnout record in Saturday's presidential primary and eclipsed the number of ballots cast by residents in the Republican primary the week before.
With 98 percent of precincts reporting, more than 520,000 votes had been tabulated in Barack Obama's commanding victory. The returns easily eclipsed the 280,000 people who voted in the Democratic primary in 2004.
Democratic officials characterized the record-breaking vote as a sign that the party is resurgent in South Carolina.
"Even in this reddest of all states, Democrats can win," state party Chairwoman Carol Fowler said. "I hope it indicates Democrats are getting a new lease on life."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10813
Op-Ed Contributor
A President Like My Father
By CAROLINE KENNEDY
Published: January 27, 2008
OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.
Times Topics: John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Times Topics: Barack Obama
My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.
Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27kennedy.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
January 25th, 2008 4:08 am
Clinton, McCain win New York Times endorsements
By JoAnne Allen / Reuters
WASHINGTON - The New York Times on Thursday endorsed Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton and Republican Sen. John McCain for their party's nominations to contest the U.S. presidential election in November.
In selecting Clinton, a New York senator, the influential newspaper's editorial board said her experience gave her an advantage over her chief rival in the Democratic race, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, though on the major issues they were not that different.
"Hearing her talk about the presidency, her policies and answers for America's big problems, we are hugely impressed by the depth of her knowledge, by the force of her intellect and by the breadth of, yes, her experience," the newspaper said.
During her years in the Senate, Clinton has immersed herself in national security issues and has won the respect of world leaders and many in the American military, the newspaper said, adding that she would be a strong commander in chief.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10810
Joking !!!!
January 24th, 2008 5:02 pm
President Bush Says Usama Bin Laden May Not Be Captured During His Time in Office
Capturing Usama bin Laden has been one of President Bush's top priorities during his time in office, but the president now seems to doubt the Al Qaeda mastermind will be found before his term ends next January.
Speaking about his goals for his last year in the White House, Bush tells FOX News in an exclusive interview to air this weekend that if U.S. military and intelligence knew where bin Laden was, they would have apprehended him already.
"If we could find the cave he is in, I promise you — he would be brought to justice or wherever he's hiding," he tells FOX News in "George W. Bush: Fighting to the Finish," a documentary scheduled to air Sunday, Jan. 27, at 8 p.m. ET.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10805
January 27th, 2008 12:12 pm
Choate Students Protest Selection Of Rove To Speak At Graduation
Some Trying To Line Up Comic Colbert As An Alternate Choice
Wallingford (AP) — Students at Choate Rosemary Hall, the prestigious prep school attended by John F. Kennedy and Adlai Stevenson, are protesting the choice of former presidential adviser Karl Rove as this year's commencement speaker.
Some plan to walk out, while others are trying to bring comedian Stephen Colbert to campus for an alternate speech. The campus paper has urged the school to reject Rove.
“It's really just a minefield,” said Benjamin Firke, a senior who opposes Rove's visit.
Others said they're interested in what Rove has to say but are not sure the school's June commencement is the best venue because they are afraid he will overshadow the graduates.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10814
January 25th, 2008 7:09 pm
Judge wants explanation in CIA tape case
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal judge said Thursday that CIA interrogation videotapes may have been relevant to his court case, and he gave the Bush administration three weeks to explain why they were destroyed in 2005 and say whether other evidence was destroyed.
Several judges are considering wading into the dispute over the videos.
But U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts was the first to order the administration to provide a written report on the matter.
The decision is a legal setback for the Bush administration, which has urged courts not to get involved.
The tapes showed harsh interrogation tactics used by CIA officers questioning al Qaeda suspects Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri in 2002.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10811
A flagrant Neocon chairing a panel on Arms Control? Who's kidding who? The Arms Control will be how to control everyone else's arms while the USA seeks expansion of nuclear research. Give me a break. "Wolfowitz for Peace?" Not in my lifetime.
January 25th, 2008 1:31 am
Paul Wolfowitz named to chair advisory panel
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Paul Wolfowitz, an architect of the Iraq war who was forced to resign from the World Bank because of an ethics scandal, will chair a U.S. advisory panel on arms control, the State Department said on Thursday.
The former deputy secretary of defense and advocate of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq will head the State Department's International Security Advisory Board, which gives the department independent advice on arms control, disarmament, international security and other matters.
Wolfowitz was forced to resign as president of the World Bank last year after a bank panel found he broke several of its rules by involving himself in the promotion of his companion Shaha Riza, a Middle East expert at the bank.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10809
January 24th, 2008 6:45 pm
Kucinich calls for Bush impeachment
NATIONAL (NBC) - Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich may get excluded from Democratic presidential debates, but he's voicing his opinion on the House floor.
On Wednesday, Kucinich announced he'll be filing articles of impeachment against President Bush on Monday.
That's the same day of the president's State of the Union address.
The announcement comes as Kucinich railed the President and Vice President for how they have handled the war in Iraq.
In his lengthy statement, the Ohio congressman said, "The President and Vice President lied and 4,000 of our soldiers died. The President and Vice President lied and a million innocent Iraqis died in a war that'll cost us $2 trillion while people here in the states are losing their jobs, their health care, their homes, their dignity. Lies are weapons of mass destruction. Lies are also an impeachable offense. Monday, January 28th is the State of the Union. We already know the State of the Union, it's a lie."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10806
LOBBY DAY PARTICIPANTS: Lobby Day 2008 actually spans two days this year: first, a spectacular Training Day at UC Davis School of Medicine on Sunday, January 27; then, on Monday, a noon Rally (on the North steps of the Capitol), afternoon Lobby visits, then a closing Candlelight Vigil to reflect on the human toll of our current profit-driven private health insurance system at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (across the street from the Capitol) from 4:30 - 5 pm.
Although we will gladly accept you if you can only make it for Monday, we have designed the Training Day to prepare you for Lobby Day; do whatever it takes to be present for both days. Because of space limitations at UCD SOM on Sunday, only if you can attend Monday will you be able to register for Training Day.
Please use the menu to the left to jump to the section of your interest.
http://www.calauhc.org/lobbyday2008/
Meet With the Walking Man
American patriot John Nirenberg began his 500 mile march to Washington D.C. in Boston at the birthplace of liberty--historic Faneuil Hall. From this place, the fight for independence began which resulted with the signing of our Constitution in 1787.
John Nirenberg believes that the Democratic Congress should act to uphold the Constitution and so his journey began on December 1. He marched through inclement weather and endured personal injury in order to meet with and deliver a petition for impeachment to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. His march ended in Washington D.C. on January 12, but the march is far from over--Pelosi will not meet with him.
We need to remind Pelosi that impeachment is enshrined in the fabric of the Constitution, and that to declare any part of the Constitution inoperative is as wrongheaded and treasonous as any of the Bush administration's illegal acts. Please write Speaker Pelosi and let her know it's time to put impeachment back on the table--and to invite John Nirenberg in.
We encourage you to change the title and add your own comments to the text below.
http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=10810406&PROCESS=Take+Action
continued…
Species adaptation to habitat. Perfect. The ability of animals in the wild to camouflage. Genetic diversity. An Owl in Winter. Click for sound.
January 25, 2008
Kansas City, Missouri
Photographer states :: I was so excited to see this on the way to work!Needless to say I was late.I took about 50 shots.He was kind enough to stay close and pose for me in three different locations.It may be hard to tell in this photo but it is snowing.
Bears can be domesticated. They were star circus performers at one time. They aren't that popular as 'an act' anymore.
...and Hannibal used elephants in war. The Middle Ages saw armor on draft horses. In the past, animals in use during war was not unusal, but, this is the year 2008. At at time when Earth is facing species endangerment at every turn, battle is not the place for them. It's not the place for people either. Tell that to a Neocon. Will someone please tell Neocons "The War Is Over." We don't have that many enemies anymore. The last venue to global peace among nations are terrorist networks and the USA hasn't done a darn thing to stop them, so much as enable them.
Voytek in the zoo: He soldiered on there until 1963
...As for Voytek, he was just happy to be part of the unit... ever ready to lend a helping paw.
The 250lb brown bear, standing more than 6ft tall, was possibly the most remarkable combatant of the Second World War, seeing action amid the hell of Monte Cassino in Italy.
After the war, he and his fellow troops were billeted in Scotland and he lived out his days in Edinburgh Zoo, dying in 1963....
The 250lb brown bear, standing more than 6ft tall, was possibly the most remarkable combatant of the Second World War, seeing action amid the hell of Monte Cassino in Italy.
After the war, he and his fellow troops were billeted in Scotland and he lived out his days in Edinburgh Zoo, dying in 1963....
Zoos
Zoo to unveil N.C.'s largest solar project
From Staff Reports
Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008 3:39 pm
ASHEBORO — The N.C. Zoo will be soon be catching a lot of rays.
It plans to flick the switch on the state's largest solar power project Tuesday.
The new solar power system is expected to produce 130,000 kilowatt-hours per year, which is the energy used by 11 to 13 average homes in North Carolina.
It's 104 kilowatts, 9,600 square feet and features three picnic pavilions, which will also provide covered catering space for the zoo.
The pavilions, called Solar Pointe, will be near the zoo’s North America Entrance.
Educational graphics include a monitor with direct connection to a Web site that shows a live readout of the energy being generated and the pollution being avoided.
Residents will also be able to view the information online.
pavilions are a gift in-kind from partner Carolina Solar Energy with contributions from the N.C. Zoo Society.
The zoo, in turn, is leasing the pavilions' roofs to Carolina Solar Energy.
Carolina Solar Energy will sell the electricity to Randolph Electric Membership Corporation, another zoo partner. It also receives a subsidy from N.C. Green Power.
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080124/NRSTAFF/45710809
Queens Zoo’s Carbon Impact Low
By Liz Skalka
The Wildlife Conservation Society, which owns and operates the Queens Zoo as well as other zoos around the City, has calculated its carbon footprint and is now aiming to decrease greenhouse gas emissions at all its parks.
A carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of greenhouse gases produced from human actions, thus measuring the impact of these actions on the environment. Greenhouse gases contribute to the heating of the earth.
“We can’t be a leader in global conservation if we don’t also live it at home,” said Steven Sanderson, president and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society. “Conservation globally includes conservation at home. We strongly support Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC: A greener, greater New York – an effort to make our City a leading example of how we all can take steps to lighten our carbon footprint.”
http://www.queenstribune.com/news/1201187848.html
Zoo society pushes for amphibian conservation
Posted Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:14pm AEDT
The Zoological Society of London has drawn up a list of the 100 most endangered species of amphibians, such as frogs and salamanders, which it says are threatened by extinction.
Society officials say amphibians are highly sensitive to pollution and climate change but because they are not cute and cuddly, they attract little or no conservation attention.
Helen Meredith, who coordinates the society's conservation program, says by saving the endangered amphibians, more can be learnt about saving other species.
"By conserving their environment, we're also conserving the environment for a greater number of species," she said.
"So in each case, when we work on a species, we just want to protect its habitat for the future, get local people interested in education about the species, and hopefully ensure that it can keep on surviving for millions of years to come."
-BBC
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/21/2143141.htm
A zoo gone wild?
John Diaz
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Tears welled in San Francisco Zoo director Manuel Mollinedo's eyes. After taking more than hour of questions that often challenged his professional judgment and competence, this one should have seemed easy. Yet this was the one that elicited emotion.
It was: Have zoos become an anachronism in 2008?
Mollinedo talked about growing up in East Los Angeles and the "very significant role" that zoos and other cultural institutions had on his life. He considers outreach to inner-city youth as the highest calling of a zoo executive.
"There's many children here that can benefit from an institution like the San Francisco Zoo because their parents don't have the money to take them to Africa ... they don't have the money to take them to Yosemite or some other place to see grizzly bears," Mollinedo said, his voice cracking at points during his meeting with The Chronicle editorial board Tuesday.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/27/ED6EUKNML.DTL
Fault lies with zoo over man's death
Kurt Wirth
Issue date: 1/25/08
Kurt Wirth is a junior majoring in communication. He can be contacted at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.
As you probably know by now, a tiger escaped from its pen on Christmas Day and mauled one young man to death and seriously injured his two brothers at the San Francisco Zoo. As a result, the tiger was shot and killed by the zoo. One of the men has admitted that all three had taken illegal drugs and consumed alcohol before visiting the zoo.
They also admitted to taunting the feline on top of a small fence surrounding a moat which encircled the 12.5-foot tall wall that enclosed the tiger.
But get this - police and crime scene investigators are actually investing their time and money in dusting for footprints on top of the moat's wall, strip-searching the vehicle in which the three traveled and inspecting the brother's cell phones.
The irrelevance of this investigation blows my mind.
Who cares? This massive investigation into the tiger's motivation behind its attack is senseless.
http://media.www.reflector-online.com/media/storage/paper938/news/2008/01/25/Opinion/Fault.Lies.With.Zoo.Over.Mans.Death-3167823.shtml
Counting Croaks: Help tally toads, frogs in area
By Gareth McGrath
Staff Writer
gareth.mcgrath@starnewsonline.com
In a few weeks, after the sun has set, Donna Finley and some friends are going to grab their raincoats, flashlights and the obligatory bug spray and head to some of the wettest spots on Bald Head Island just to listen.
For frogs.
Finley admits some of her friends were a bit skeptical when she first told them what she was doing, especially because the best time to hear the amphibians with whoopee on their minds is generally during or after a rainstorm.
"They said, 'You're doing what?'" she said with a laugh. "But people are interested when you start telling them about it because they've never thought about what it could mean if our frogs and toads start disappearing."
They are the bit players in dozens of children's stories, a staple of children's backyard adventures and the quintessential musicians that create much of the natural nighttime background noise heard in Southeastern North Carolina.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20080127/NEWS/801270410
Asian elephant and calf die in labor at Fort Worth Zoo
Staffers struggle with the loss of 40-year-old Babe
Associated Press
FORT WORTH — A 40-year-old elephant died while trying to give birth to a calf that also died, zoo officials said.
Babe, an Asian elephant that arrived at the Fort Worth Zoo in 1991 for its breeding program, was its oldest female elephant.
Last month, as the end of her 22-month gestation period neared, elephant keepers started watching her around the clock, zoo officials said.
Babe went into labor Sunday afternoon and her contractions continued for two days, but the calf did not move into the birth canal. Although Babe rested and did normal physical activity, her health unexpectedly declined and she died Thursday morning in her sleep.
Ron Surratt, the zoo's director of animal collections, said staffers were stunned and having a difficult time with the loss. The zoo has six other elephants.
A necropsy showed that Babe had a torn uterus, which probably caused her death, said zoo spokeswoman Remekca Owens. The calf that died during labor was full-term, she said.
In 2002, Babe gave birth to a full-term stillborn calf.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5487241.html
Special oil massage for jumbos at Lucknow zoo
By Kamna Mathur
Lucknow, Jan.25: While the entire north India is under cold wave, the jumbos at a zoo here are being given a special oil massage to prevent them from chill.
The mahouts at the zoo use about two and half kilogram of lukewarm mustard oil and massage the pachyderm for at least one hour after bath to keep their body warm. According to Ranu Singh, the Director of the zoo, such a massage helps in improving blood circulation and generating heat."Due to extreme cold, we felt that the animals must be facing problems. Hence, we first give the elephants a bath for cleanliness. Then we give them a hot oil massage. We massage them with mustard oil. This generates heat in their body.
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/210705.php/Special-oil-massage-for-jumbos-at-Lucknow-zoo
Tail-Braiding Animals Set To Come To Philadelphia
POSTED: 8:34 am EST January 25, 2008
UPDATED: 9:59 am EST January 25, 2008
PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Zoo's monkey house is getting two new animals from South America.
A pair of Bolivian grey titi monkeys is due to arrive sometime next week.
Zookeepers are preparing their habitat, which at first will be covered with brown paper to allow the monkeys to adjust to their new surroundings before they go on view to the public.
Zoo vice president Andrew Baker said the pair usually sits side-by-side and often will braid their long tails together. He said that's behavior you don't see in other monkeys.
In a family of grey titis, you often can see "three or four animals all lined up on a branch with all the tails twisted together," Baker said.
Adding to the fun: titi babies are on the horizon. The female is pregnant.
http://www.nbc10.com/news/15135380/detail.html
Lion cubs debut at San Diego Zoo
The public got its first glimpse of seven lion cubs born at the San Diego Zoo.
The cubs, which were born days apart from each other this past November, were very playful and very entertaining for those on hand.
Four of the seven cubs were born on November 2nd to 4-year-old Oshana, while the other three were born on November 6th to her sister Mina.
The pride can be seen daily in the mornings.
http://www.kare11.com/news/national/national_article.aspx?storyid=494368
Babe, Fort Worth Zoo's oldest female elephant, dies
07:55 PM CST on Friday, January 25, 2008
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
A 40-year-old Asian elephant named Babe died Thursday morning from labor-related complications at the Fort Worth Zoo, officials announced Friday.
Babe, the oldest female in the Fort Worth Zoo's herd of Asian elephants, died Thursday.
Babe was the oldest female in the zoo's herd of seven Asian elephants. Zoo officials said Babe went into labor Sunday afternoon, but the calf failed to move into the birth canal.
Babe died while sleeping about 7:30 a.m. Thursday. Zoo officials said the unborn calf also died.
"I can't remember a more difficult time for our elephant staff," Ron Surratt, the zoo's animal collections director, said in a prepared statement. "She will be deeply missed by all of the zoo's staff and our guests."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/012608dnmetfwelephant.59af6905.html
Minnesota Zoo reviews security after San Francisco tragedy
The mauling death by an escaped tiger in San Francisco is leading to a sober reckoning and lots of questions at the Minnesota Zoo.
By DAVID PETERSON, Star Tribune
Last update: January 25, 2008 - 9:41 PM
Nationally, the San Francisco tragedy has led to a new emphasis on zoo fatalities -- and near-misses. The Los Angeles Daily News for instance, reporting on calls to end the zoo industry's self-policing, mentioned these episodes:
August 2007: An alligator at the Los Angeles Zoo gets out and wanders for hours before being found.
July 2007: A tiger at the San Antonio Zoo attacks a keeper who forgot to close and lock a series of gates.
February 2007: A jaguar at the Denver Zoo kills a zookeeper who failed to follow precautions.
December 2006: A tiger at the San Francisco Zoo mauls a zookeeper during a public feeding.
Each morning, before the Minnesota Zoo's tigers are allowed back into their exhibit, someone walks the perimeter to be certain that an oak tree, weakened by disease, hasn't crumpled overnight and ripped out part of the fence or given the tigers a way to climb out.
And just in case the fence turned out not to be enough, guns are locked away in four spots scattered around the zoo.
http://www.startribune.com/local/south/14443852.html
British campaigners call for tribute to 'soldier bear'
LONDON (AFP) — Scottish campaigners are calling for a memorial to a bear which joined Polish troops on the front line during World War II and died in Edinburgh, media reported Saturday.
Voytek, a 113-kilogram, 1.8-metre (249-pound, nearly six feet) brown bear, was adopted by the Poles after they found it in Iran in 1943.
They gave the animal beer and cigarettes, trained it to carry mortar shells and even enlisted it as a soldier so that it could keep travelling with them.
At the end of the war, the troops were billeted to southern Scotland and Voytek went along too, before being sent to Edinburgh Zoo when they were demobilised.
The animal remained at the zoo until its death in 1963.
Now a teacher from southern Scotland, Garry Paulin, is writing a book about the bear and a campaign has started to have Voytek's life commemorated in a statue.
Campaigner Aileen Orr said she first heard about the bear as a child from her grandfather, a Scottish soldier.
"The story is totally amazing and it would be good if we could have some memorial in Scotland, perhaps at Holyrood (the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh), to celebrate the bear's life," she told the Scotsman newspaper.
Polish veteran Augustyn Karolewski, who still lives in Scotland, added: "He was like a big dog -- no-one was scared of him.
"He liked a cigarette, he liked a bottle of beer -- he drank a bottle of beer like any man."
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iEThuXEa1IfDmn-Fh1shq5PX1b5A
Zoo Leopards Find New Home at Preserve
Posted Jan 26, 08 6:00 PM CST in
(newser) – Brother-sister pair Sirius and Pitou grew up in a French traveling circus, spent the last nine years at the Monaco zoo, and have now found a new home at a wildlife preserve in South Africa. The 16-year-old leopards undertook their recent journey—sedated and via two airplanes—thanks to British actress and conservationist Virginia McKenna, the Telegraph reports.
McKenna persuaded Monaco's reigning prince, Albert II, to grant the leopards their freedom. Her animal welfare organization, Born Free, arranged the big cats' transport to a fenced-off area of the preserve, where they were last spotted feasting on antelope. Albert has promised McKenna that he will also release a camel, a hippo, and other zoo animals.
http://www.newser.com/story/17430.html?rss=y
Zoo welcomes tiger cubs for Chinese New Year
By MEERA VIJAYAN
Stripes of joy: The tiger cubs, Xi Xi, Fatt Fatt and Chai Chai, at the Saleng Zoo near Johor Baru.
JOHOR BARU: The Year of the Rat is fast approaching, but that has not stopped a privately-owned zoo here from delightedly welcoming the birth of three tiger cubs.
The 'babies' have been aptly named Xi Xi (Happiness), Fatt Fatt (Increased Fortune) and Chai Chai (Prosperity) in the spirit of the Chinese New Year.
Born two weeks ago in Saleng Zoo near here to Siberian Bengal tigers, nine-year-old Kasih and 12-year-old Kang, the cubs have just begun to open their eyes.
Zoo caretaker J. Sivapriyan said that the cubs were healthy and weighed about 2kg each.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/27/nation/20121737&sec=nation
VIDEO
Goose Chase
This school year, Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken unleashed a set of plastic cardboard dogs to scare off geese that enjoy congregating - and defecating - on the school's athletic field. Though not fully effective, school officials say the scarecrow dogs have worked better than previous schemes. The grass, however, remains a treacherous minefield of goose droppings.
Video by ROBERT MORAN / Inquirer Staff Writer
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/multimedia/13799907.html?adString=inq.multimedia/multimedia;!category=multimedia&randomOrd=011608014412
VIDEO
BooBoo's Birthday
Thirty-year-old BooBoo, the third oldest Andean bear in the U.S., celebrated his birthday, January 16, - actually, people celebrated it for him - at the Philadelphia zoo. The average Andean bear lives to be 25, so BooBoo is truly an oldtimer.
Video by ROBERT MORAN / Inquirer Staff Writer
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/multimedia/13842096.html?adString=inq.multimedia/multimedia;!category=multimedia&randomOrd=011608014804
National Zoo Tries to Get Asian Elephant Shanti Pregnant
2008-01-19 - Washington, United States
Its a bit early to decorate the nursery, but officials at the National Zoo are hoping that Shanthi the elephant will have another baby in 2009. Veterinarians conducted two artificial insemination procedures on Shanthi this week. Scientists will now monitor her hormones. If the level of progesterone in her blood remains high after 10 weeks, then shes most likely pregnant. An Asian elephants gestation period ranges from 20 to 22 months. In 2001, Shanthi gave birth to Kandula - the fifth elephant i...
http://www.elephant-news.com/index.php?id=3239
Shanthi means peace in Sinhalese. It also is translated to mean blessing.
In 2001, Shanti gave birth to Kandula, the fifth elephant in the world to be conceived by artificial insemination.
2007-03-00: Shanti Artificiallly inseminated in March 2007, without success.
2008-01-19: Zoo veterinarians artificially inseminated the 32-year-old elephant twice this past week. They will now monitor her hormones for signs of a pregnancy.
http://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=213
Endangered birds stolen from Nicaraguan zoo
Five armed men broke into a zoo in Managua, Nicaragua, Friday and stole 15 endangered birds and a raccoon.
Police are investigating the robbery of the raccoon, five bi-colored toucans, nine parrots and a macaw kept in the zoo's rescue center, zoo director Marina Argüello told U.S. newswire The Associated Press.
The thieves managed to get past a security guard in the rear of the zoo and headed straight for the rescue center, she said.
The toucans had been prepared for mating, she added.
The loss was “incalculable,” said Argüello, but the birds can gross up to $1,000 each in the underground market.
-Tico Times
http://www.ticotimes.net/dailyarchive/2008_01/0121083.htm
Govt asks zoo to answer animal cruelty accusations
Posted Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:48pm AEDT
The Victorian Government has asked Melbourne Zoo to respond to claims of animal neglect.
Melbourne Zoo has denied claims that animals have been mistreated, saying a widely reported incident involving an elephant was a case of a keeper protecting himself.
The reports said a former zoo staff member saw an elephant being repeatedly jabbed in the foot by a trainer.
Concerns have also been raised about the Healesville Sanctuary.
Victorian Premier John Brumby says the Government is expecting to receive a written response from zoo management soon.
"I have complete confidence in the zoos we run in this state, they have a very high level of concern for the animals in their care and I think they do a great job and our zoos are renowned around the world," he said.
"But I also understand they've made some statements today and defended their position."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/21/2143287.htm
Como Zoo wants help naming newborn orangutan
Associated Press - January 23, 2008 8:14 AM ET
ST. PAUL (AP) - The Como Zoo in St. Paul wants the public's help in naming its newborn orangutan.
Voters must choose from among three names. Votes must be accompanied by money, and the name that raises the most money, wins. All money goes toward the zoo's orangutan training program.
The three names to choose from are -- Jaya, Pandu and Bejo.
The male orangutan was born by Caesarean section last month.
Voting starts Thursday and runs through February 17th. The name will be announced the next day.
On the Net:
http://www.comozooconservatory.org
http://wkbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=7760437
City Zoo celebrates Frog Day in Pakistan
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
The Lahore Zoo on International Frog Day arranged a competition of poster making with themed threats to frogs in Pakistan and frog species in Pakistan. It was sponsored by WWF-P in which students leaped for frog conservation.
The Aizar School System, Allama Iqbal Town, stood first, the Lahore Grammar School, Junior Branch Gulberg, got second position and the EDCS Valencia got third position.
Wild Life, Punjab, Director Abdul Qadeer Mehal, Member Z M C Akbar Bhatti, University of Animal Sciences Dr Zulfiqar, and Zoo Education Officer Bushra Nisar Khan were the judges of the competitions.
All world association like Conservation of Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) and World Aquarium and Zoo Association (WAZA) and Zoo Outreach Organization (ZOO), South Asian Nation International Educators (SANIZE) and Amphibian Network of South Asia has declared 2008 as year of frog conversation to raise awareness of a looming , mass extinction of amphibian specie.
http://www.uniquepakistan.com/news/general/city-zoo-celebrates-frog-day-in-pakistan-20080123.html
Zoo chief wants elephants back
By GLORIA CAMPISI
Philadelphia Daily News
campisg@phillynews.com
215-854-5935
Maybe they can come home again.
And the Philadelphia Zoo is hoping its two young African elephants, scheduled to be moved in the spring to a conservation center in southwestern Pennsylvania for breeding, will do just that - accompanied by elephant babies, called calves.
The zoo's president and chief executive officer, Vikram Dewan, said yesterday that the idea of a new elephant enclosure at the Philadelphia Zoo is still a gleam in the eye of zoo planners.
But he didn't outright deny a 2011 time frame for the project, which animal activists say they have heard about.
Dewan yesterday said only, "2011 is a long way away for us.
"It's our long-term vision" to have an elephant exhibit at the zoo, and there is room to establish an elephant compound of more than 10 acres at the back of the zoo, Dewan said. The elephants' current habitat consists of a quarter-acre exercise yard, plus a barn where they sleep.
"We don't have a master plan," Dewan added. "It's merely a vision and a desire."
The zoo's energies right now are focused on a new aviary, to open on the zoo's 150th birthday on March 21, 2009, and a new children's zoo, to be unveiled in late 2009 and in regular use by 2010.
After all this is completed, the zoo could set its sights on raising money for a new elephant exhibit, he hinted.
The younger elephants, Kallie, 25, and Bette, 24, along with the zoo's one remaining elephant, Petal, 51, will be moved in April, May, or possibly June, to the Pittsburgh Zoo's new 724-acre International Conservation Center in Fairhope, Somerset County.
They will be the conservation center's first residents.
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20080124_Zoo_chief_wants_elephants_back.html
Muscovites Adopt Zoo Animals
MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) - Raccoons, penguins and kangaroos are the most popular animals among those of the city residents who "adopt" animals in the Moscow Zoo, spokesperson Raisa Koroleva told RIA Novosti.
She said that the "Adopt an animal" program was introduced more than ten years ago. People can help their favorite animals by signing a special agreement with the zoo and making donations over a chosen period of time, usually from three months to one year.
"Raccoons, penguins and kangaroos are very popular with private donors. Foxes also receive some attention. We have only one jerboa in the zoo and it is already spoken for, but those willing to adopt this very animal keep calling. Muscovites love chinchillas as well. Only one of them is available at the moment," Koroleva said.
According to her, companies prefer more "substantial" animals, like bears. All the brown bears at the zoo have been adopted already.
"The polar bear is being supported by the company which has a polar bear on its trademark. A company which produces bags has chosen a kangaroo. The largest rodent, the capybara, has been taken into care as well. An ecological movement has sponsored the white tiger," the spokeswoman continued.
"Before, the adoption agreements were mostly signed by companies," Koroleva said. "But lately, the proportion of private persons is rising. In 2007, we had 70 caretakers of whom 35 were companies and 35 were private individuals, while in the previous year we had 56 caretakers of whom 39 were organizations."
http://mnweekly.ru/local/20080124/55305606.html
continued...
Zoo to unveil N.C.'s largest solar project
From Staff Reports
Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008 3:39 pm
ASHEBORO — The N.C. Zoo will be soon be catching a lot of rays.
It plans to flick the switch on the state's largest solar power project Tuesday.
The new solar power system is expected to produce 130,000 kilowatt-hours per year, which is the energy used by 11 to 13 average homes in North Carolina.
It's 104 kilowatts, 9,600 square feet and features three picnic pavilions, which will also provide covered catering space for the zoo.
The pavilions, called Solar Pointe, will be near the zoo’s North America Entrance.
Educational graphics include a monitor with direct connection to a Web site that shows a live readout of the energy being generated and the pollution being avoided.
Residents will also be able to view the information online.
pavilions are a gift in-kind from partner Carolina Solar Energy with contributions from the N.C. Zoo Society.
The zoo, in turn, is leasing the pavilions' roofs to Carolina Solar Energy.
Carolina Solar Energy will sell the electricity to Randolph Electric Membership Corporation, another zoo partner. It also receives a subsidy from N.C. Green Power.
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080124/NRSTAFF/45710809
Queens Zoo’s Carbon Impact Low
By Liz Skalka
The Wildlife Conservation Society, which owns and operates the Queens Zoo as well as other zoos around the City, has calculated its carbon footprint and is now aiming to decrease greenhouse gas emissions at all its parks.
A carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of greenhouse gases produced from human actions, thus measuring the impact of these actions on the environment. Greenhouse gases contribute to the heating of the earth.
“We can’t be a leader in global conservation if we don’t also live it at home,” said Steven Sanderson, president and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society. “Conservation globally includes conservation at home. We strongly support Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC: A greener, greater New York – an effort to make our City a leading example of how we all can take steps to lighten our carbon footprint.”
http://www.queenstribune.com/news/1201187848.html
Zoo society pushes for amphibian conservation
Posted Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:14pm AEDT
The Zoological Society of London has drawn up a list of the 100 most endangered species of amphibians, such as frogs and salamanders, which it says are threatened by extinction.
Society officials say amphibians are highly sensitive to pollution and climate change but because they are not cute and cuddly, they attract little or no conservation attention.
Helen Meredith, who coordinates the society's conservation program, says by saving the endangered amphibians, more can be learnt about saving other species.
"By conserving their environment, we're also conserving the environment for a greater number of species," she said.
"So in each case, when we work on a species, we just want to protect its habitat for the future, get local people interested in education about the species, and hopefully ensure that it can keep on surviving for millions of years to come."
-BBC
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/21/2143141.htm
A zoo gone wild?
John Diaz
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Tears welled in San Francisco Zoo director Manuel Mollinedo's eyes. After taking more than hour of questions that often challenged his professional judgment and competence, this one should have seemed easy. Yet this was the one that elicited emotion.
It was: Have zoos become an anachronism in 2008?
Mollinedo talked about growing up in East Los Angeles and the "very significant role" that zoos and other cultural institutions had on his life. He considers outreach to inner-city youth as the highest calling of a zoo executive.
"There's many children here that can benefit from an institution like the San Francisco Zoo because their parents don't have the money to take them to Africa ... they don't have the money to take them to Yosemite or some other place to see grizzly bears," Mollinedo said, his voice cracking at points during his meeting with The Chronicle editorial board Tuesday.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/27/ED6EUKNML.DTL
Fault lies with zoo over man's death
Kurt Wirth
Issue date: 1/25/08
Kurt Wirth is a junior majoring in communication. He can be contacted at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.
As you probably know by now, a tiger escaped from its pen on Christmas Day and mauled one young man to death and seriously injured his two brothers at the San Francisco Zoo. As a result, the tiger was shot and killed by the zoo. One of the men has admitted that all three had taken illegal drugs and consumed alcohol before visiting the zoo.
They also admitted to taunting the feline on top of a small fence surrounding a moat which encircled the 12.5-foot tall wall that enclosed the tiger.
But get this - police and crime scene investigators are actually investing their time and money in dusting for footprints on top of the moat's wall, strip-searching the vehicle in which the three traveled and inspecting the brother's cell phones.
The irrelevance of this investigation blows my mind.
Who cares? This massive investigation into the tiger's motivation behind its attack is senseless.
http://media.www.reflector-online.com/media/storage/paper938/news/2008/01/25/Opinion/Fault.Lies.With.Zoo.Over.Mans.Death-3167823.shtml
Counting Croaks: Help tally toads, frogs in area
By Gareth McGrath
Staff Writer
gareth.mcgrath@starnewsonline.com
In a few weeks, after the sun has set, Donna Finley and some friends are going to grab their raincoats, flashlights and the obligatory bug spray and head to some of the wettest spots on Bald Head Island just to listen.
For frogs.
Finley admits some of her friends were a bit skeptical when she first told them what she was doing, especially because the best time to hear the amphibians with whoopee on their minds is generally during or after a rainstorm.
"They said, 'You're doing what?'" she said with a laugh. "But people are interested when you start telling them about it because they've never thought about what it could mean if our frogs and toads start disappearing."
They are the bit players in dozens of children's stories, a staple of children's backyard adventures and the quintessential musicians that create much of the natural nighttime background noise heard in Southeastern North Carolina.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20080127/NEWS/801270410
Asian elephant and calf die in labor at Fort Worth Zoo
Staffers struggle with the loss of 40-year-old Babe
Associated Press
FORT WORTH — A 40-year-old elephant died while trying to give birth to a calf that also died, zoo officials said.
Babe, an Asian elephant that arrived at the Fort Worth Zoo in 1991 for its breeding program, was its oldest female elephant.
Last month, as the end of her 22-month gestation period neared, elephant keepers started watching her around the clock, zoo officials said.
Babe went into labor Sunday afternoon and her contractions continued for two days, but the calf did not move into the birth canal. Although Babe rested and did normal physical activity, her health unexpectedly declined and she died Thursday morning in her sleep.
Ron Surratt, the zoo's director of animal collections, said staffers were stunned and having a difficult time with the loss. The zoo has six other elephants.
A necropsy showed that Babe had a torn uterus, which probably caused her death, said zoo spokeswoman Remekca Owens. The calf that died during labor was full-term, she said.
In 2002, Babe gave birth to a full-term stillborn calf.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5487241.html
Special oil massage for jumbos at Lucknow zoo
By Kamna Mathur
Lucknow, Jan.25: While the entire north India is under cold wave, the jumbos at a zoo here are being given a special oil massage to prevent them from chill.
The mahouts at the zoo use about two and half kilogram of lukewarm mustard oil and massage the pachyderm for at least one hour after bath to keep their body warm. According to Ranu Singh, the Director of the zoo, such a massage helps in improving blood circulation and generating heat."Due to extreme cold, we felt that the animals must be facing problems. Hence, we first give the elephants a bath for cleanliness. Then we give them a hot oil massage. We massage them with mustard oil. This generates heat in their body.
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/210705.php/Special-oil-massage-for-jumbos-at-Lucknow-zoo
Tail-Braiding Animals Set To Come To Philadelphia
POSTED: 8:34 am EST January 25, 2008
UPDATED: 9:59 am EST January 25, 2008
PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Zoo's monkey house is getting two new animals from South America.
A pair of Bolivian grey titi monkeys is due to arrive sometime next week.
Zookeepers are preparing their habitat, which at first will be covered with brown paper to allow the monkeys to adjust to their new surroundings before they go on view to the public.
Zoo vice president Andrew Baker said the pair usually sits side-by-side and often will braid their long tails together. He said that's behavior you don't see in other monkeys.
In a family of grey titis, you often can see "three or four animals all lined up on a branch with all the tails twisted together," Baker said.
Adding to the fun: titi babies are on the horizon. The female is pregnant.
http://www.nbc10.com/news/15135380/detail.html
Lion cubs debut at San Diego Zoo
The public got its first glimpse of seven lion cubs born at the San Diego Zoo.
The cubs, which were born days apart from each other this past November, were very playful and very entertaining for those on hand.
Four of the seven cubs were born on November 2nd to 4-year-old Oshana, while the other three were born on November 6th to her sister Mina.
The pride can be seen daily in the mornings.
http://www.kare11.com/news/national/national_article.aspx?storyid=494368
Babe, Fort Worth Zoo's oldest female elephant, dies
07:55 PM CST on Friday, January 25, 2008
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
A 40-year-old Asian elephant named Babe died Thursday morning from labor-related complications at the Fort Worth Zoo, officials announced Friday.
Babe, the oldest female in the Fort Worth Zoo's herd of Asian elephants, died Thursday.
Babe was the oldest female in the zoo's herd of seven Asian elephants. Zoo officials said Babe went into labor Sunday afternoon, but the calf failed to move into the birth canal.
Babe died while sleeping about 7:30 a.m. Thursday. Zoo officials said the unborn calf also died.
"I can't remember a more difficult time for our elephant staff," Ron Surratt, the zoo's animal collections director, said in a prepared statement. "She will be deeply missed by all of the zoo's staff and our guests."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/012608dnmetfwelephant.59af6905.html
Minnesota Zoo reviews security after San Francisco tragedy
The mauling death by an escaped tiger in San Francisco is leading to a sober reckoning and lots of questions at the Minnesota Zoo.
By DAVID PETERSON, Star Tribune
Last update: January 25, 2008 - 9:41 PM
Nationally, the San Francisco tragedy has led to a new emphasis on zoo fatalities -- and near-misses. The Los Angeles Daily News for instance, reporting on calls to end the zoo industry's self-policing, mentioned these episodes:
August 2007: An alligator at the Los Angeles Zoo gets out and wanders for hours before being found.
July 2007: A tiger at the San Antonio Zoo attacks a keeper who forgot to close and lock a series of gates.
February 2007: A jaguar at the Denver Zoo kills a zookeeper who failed to follow precautions.
December 2006: A tiger at the San Francisco Zoo mauls a zookeeper during a public feeding.
Each morning, before the Minnesota Zoo's tigers are allowed back into their exhibit, someone walks the perimeter to be certain that an oak tree, weakened by disease, hasn't crumpled overnight and ripped out part of the fence or given the tigers a way to climb out.
And just in case the fence turned out not to be enough, guns are locked away in four spots scattered around the zoo.
http://www.startribune.com/local/south/14443852.html
British campaigners call for tribute to 'soldier bear'
LONDON (AFP) — Scottish campaigners are calling for a memorial to a bear which joined Polish troops on the front line during World War II and died in Edinburgh, media reported Saturday.
Voytek, a 113-kilogram, 1.8-metre (249-pound, nearly six feet) brown bear, was adopted by the Poles after they found it in Iran in 1943.
They gave the animal beer and cigarettes, trained it to carry mortar shells and even enlisted it as a soldier so that it could keep travelling with them.
At the end of the war, the troops were billeted to southern Scotland and Voytek went along too, before being sent to Edinburgh Zoo when they were demobilised.
The animal remained at the zoo until its death in 1963.
Now a teacher from southern Scotland, Garry Paulin, is writing a book about the bear and a campaign has started to have Voytek's life commemorated in a statue.
Campaigner Aileen Orr said she first heard about the bear as a child from her grandfather, a Scottish soldier.
"The story is totally amazing and it would be good if we could have some memorial in Scotland, perhaps at Holyrood (the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh), to celebrate the bear's life," she told the Scotsman newspaper.
Polish veteran Augustyn Karolewski, who still lives in Scotland, added: "He was like a big dog -- no-one was scared of him.
"He liked a cigarette, he liked a bottle of beer -- he drank a bottle of beer like any man."
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iEThuXEa1IfDmn-Fh1shq5PX1b5A
Zoo Leopards Find New Home at Preserve
Posted Jan 26, 08 6:00 PM CST in
(newser) – Brother-sister pair Sirius and Pitou grew up in a French traveling circus, spent the last nine years at the Monaco zoo, and have now found a new home at a wildlife preserve in South Africa. The 16-year-old leopards undertook their recent journey—sedated and via two airplanes—thanks to British actress and conservationist Virginia McKenna, the Telegraph reports.
McKenna persuaded Monaco's reigning prince, Albert II, to grant the leopards their freedom. Her animal welfare organization, Born Free, arranged the big cats' transport to a fenced-off area of the preserve, where they were last spotted feasting on antelope. Albert has promised McKenna that he will also release a camel, a hippo, and other zoo animals.
http://www.newser.com/story/17430.html?rss=y
Zoo welcomes tiger cubs for Chinese New Year
By MEERA VIJAYAN
Stripes of joy: The tiger cubs, Xi Xi, Fatt Fatt and Chai Chai, at the Saleng Zoo near Johor Baru.
JOHOR BARU: The Year of the Rat is fast approaching, but that has not stopped a privately-owned zoo here from delightedly welcoming the birth of three tiger cubs.
The 'babies' have been aptly named Xi Xi (Happiness), Fatt Fatt (Increased Fortune) and Chai Chai (Prosperity) in the spirit of the Chinese New Year.
Born two weeks ago in Saleng Zoo near here to Siberian Bengal tigers, nine-year-old Kasih and 12-year-old Kang, the cubs have just begun to open their eyes.
Zoo caretaker J. Sivapriyan said that the cubs were healthy and weighed about 2kg each.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/27/nation/20121737&sec=nation
VIDEO
Goose Chase
This school year, Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken unleashed a set of plastic cardboard dogs to scare off geese that enjoy congregating - and defecating - on the school's athletic field. Though not fully effective, school officials say the scarecrow dogs have worked better than previous schemes. The grass, however, remains a treacherous minefield of goose droppings.
Video by ROBERT MORAN / Inquirer Staff Writer
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/multimedia/13799907.html?adString=inq.multimedia/multimedia;!category=multimedia&randomOrd=011608014412
VIDEO
BooBoo's Birthday
Thirty-year-old BooBoo, the third oldest Andean bear in the U.S., celebrated his birthday, January 16, - actually, people celebrated it for him - at the Philadelphia zoo. The average Andean bear lives to be 25, so BooBoo is truly an oldtimer.
Video by ROBERT MORAN / Inquirer Staff Writer
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/multimedia/13842096.html?adString=inq.multimedia/multimedia;!category=multimedia&randomOrd=011608014804
National Zoo Tries to Get Asian Elephant Shanti Pregnant
2008-01-19 - Washington, United States
Its a bit early to decorate the nursery, but officials at the National Zoo are hoping that Shanthi the elephant will have another baby in 2009. Veterinarians conducted two artificial insemination procedures on Shanthi this week. Scientists will now monitor her hormones. If the level of progesterone in her blood remains high after 10 weeks, then shes most likely pregnant. An Asian elephants gestation period ranges from 20 to 22 months. In 2001, Shanthi gave birth to Kandula - the fifth elephant i...
http://www.elephant-news.com/index.php?id=3239
Shanthi means peace in Sinhalese. It also is translated to mean blessing.
In 2001, Shanti gave birth to Kandula, the fifth elephant in the world to be conceived by artificial insemination.
2007-03-00: Shanti Artificiallly inseminated in March 2007, without success.
2008-01-19: Zoo veterinarians artificially inseminated the 32-year-old elephant twice this past week. They will now monitor her hormones for signs of a pregnancy.
http://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=213
Endangered birds stolen from Nicaraguan zoo
Five armed men broke into a zoo in Managua, Nicaragua, Friday and stole 15 endangered birds and a raccoon.
Police are investigating the robbery of the raccoon, five bi-colored toucans, nine parrots and a macaw kept in the zoo's rescue center, zoo director Marina Argüello told U.S. newswire The Associated Press.
The thieves managed to get past a security guard in the rear of the zoo and headed straight for the rescue center, she said.
The toucans had been prepared for mating, she added.
The loss was “incalculable,” said Argüello, but the birds can gross up to $1,000 each in the underground market.
-Tico Times
http://www.ticotimes.net/dailyarchive/2008_01/0121083.htm
Govt asks zoo to answer animal cruelty accusations
Posted Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:48pm AEDT
The Victorian Government has asked Melbourne Zoo to respond to claims of animal neglect.
Melbourne Zoo has denied claims that animals have been mistreated, saying a widely reported incident involving an elephant was a case of a keeper protecting himself.
The reports said a former zoo staff member saw an elephant being repeatedly jabbed in the foot by a trainer.
Concerns have also been raised about the Healesville Sanctuary.
Victorian Premier John Brumby says the Government is expecting to receive a written response from zoo management soon.
"I have complete confidence in the zoos we run in this state, they have a very high level of concern for the animals in their care and I think they do a great job and our zoos are renowned around the world," he said.
"But I also understand they've made some statements today and defended their position."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/21/2143287.htm
Como Zoo wants help naming newborn orangutan
Associated Press - January 23, 2008 8:14 AM ET
ST. PAUL (AP) - The Como Zoo in St. Paul wants the public's help in naming its newborn orangutan.
Voters must choose from among three names. Votes must be accompanied by money, and the name that raises the most money, wins. All money goes toward the zoo's orangutan training program.
The three names to choose from are -- Jaya, Pandu and Bejo.
The male orangutan was born by Caesarean section last month.
Voting starts Thursday and runs through February 17th. The name will be announced the next day.
On the Net:
http://www.comozooconservatory.org
http://wkbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=7760437
City Zoo celebrates Frog Day in Pakistan
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
The Lahore Zoo on International Frog Day arranged a competition of poster making with themed threats to frogs in Pakistan and frog species in Pakistan. It was sponsored by WWF-P in which students leaped for frog conservation.
The Aizar School System, Allama Iqbal Town, stood first, the Lahore Grammar School, Junior Branch Gulberg, got second position and the EDCS Valencia got third position.
Wild Life, Punjab, Director Abdul Qadeer Mehal, Member Z M C Akbar Bhatti, University of Animal Sciences Dr Zulfiqar, and Zoo Education Officer Bushra Nisar Khan were the judges of the competitions.
All world association like Conservation of Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) and World Aquarium and Zoo Association (WAZA) and Zoo Outreach Organization (ZOO), South Asian Nation International Educators (SANIZE) and Amphibian Network of South Asia has declared 2008 as year of frog conversation to raise awareness of a looming , mass extinction of amphibian specie.
http://www.uniquepakistan.com/news/general/city-zoo-celebrates-frog-day-in-pakistan-20080123.html
Zoo chief wants elephants back
By GLORIA CAMPISI
Philadelphia Daily News
campisg@phillynews.com
215-854-5935
Maybe they can come home again.
And the Philadelphia Zoo is hoping its two young African elephants, scheduled to be moved in the spring to a conservation center in southwestern Pennsylvania for breeding, will do just that - accompanied by elephant babies, called calves.
The zoo's president and chief executive officer, Vikram Dewan, said yesterday that the idea of a new elephant enclosure at the Philadelphia Zoo is still a gleam in the eye of zoo planners.
But he didn't outright deny a 2011 time frame for the project, which animal activists say they have heard about.
Dewan yesterday said only, "2011 is a long way away for us.
"It's our long-term vision" to have an elephant exhibit at the zoo, and there is room to establish an elephant compound of more than 10 acres at the back of the zoo, Dewan said. The elephants' current habitat consists of a quarter-acre exercise yard, plus a barn where they sleep.
"We don't have a master plan," Dewan added. "It's merely a vision and a desire."
The zoo's energies right now are focused on a new aviary, to open on the zoo's 150th birthday on March 21, 2009, and a new children's zoo, to be unveiled in late 2009 and in regular use by 2010.
After all this is completed, the zoo could set its sights on raising money for a new elephant exhibit, he hinted.
The younger elephants, Kallie, 25, and Bette, 24, along with the zoo's one remaining elephant, Petal, 51, will be moved in April, May, or possibly June, to the Pittsburgh Zoo's new 724-acre International Conservation Center in Fairhope, Somerset County.
They will be the conservation center's first residents.
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20080124_Zoo_chief_wants_elephants_back.html
Muscovites Adopt Zoo Animals
MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) - Raccoons, penguins and kangaroos are the most popular animals among those of the city residents who "adopt" animals in the Moscow Zoo, spokesperson Raisa Koroleva told RIA Novosti.
She said that the "Adopt an animal" program was introduced more than ten years ago. People can help their favorite animals by signing a special agreement with the zoo and making donations over a chosen period of time, usually from three months to one year.
"Raccoons, penguins and kangaroos are very popular with private donors. Foxes also receive some attention. We have only one jerboa in the zoo and it is already spoken for, but those willing to adopt this very animal keep calling. Muscovites love chinchillas as well. Only one of them is available at the moment," Koroleva said.
According to her, companies prefer more "substantial" animals, like bears. All the brown bears at the zoo have been adopted already.
"The polar bear is being supported by the company which has a polar bear on its trademark. A company which produces bags has chosen a kangaroo. The largest rodent, the capybara, has been taken into care as well. An ecological movement has sponsored the white tiger," the spokeswoman continued.
"Before, the adoption agreements were mostly signed by companies," Koroleva said. "But lately, the proportion of private persons is rising. In 2007, we had 70 caretakers of whom 35 were companies and 35 were private individuals, while in the previous year we had 56 caretakers of whom 39 were organizations."
http://mnweekly.ru/local/20080124/55305606.html
continued...
Annual zoo run draws hundreds
Racers relish chance to bond
By NATALIA MIELCZAREK • Staff Writer • January 27, 2008
As some 1,700 Middle Tennesseans lined up at the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere to run or walk 3.1 miles Saturday afternoon, a father-daughter team sat quietly on a bench.
Bundled up in thick jackets, David Spalding, 72, and his daughter Shari Spalding said the walk was a chance for them to catch up. Even though they live under the same roof, they said they spend most of their time with David Spalding's wife, who has Alzheimer's disease.
As it neared the 3 p.m. start, the Spaldings joined the crowd. David Spalding's wife, he said, stayed home with a caretaker....
Kenya is the next Rwanda...Stop the violence now...the international comunity has to react...it could be a coup...
Kenya is in a rough neighborhood. I would think extremists feared by the people would be the last venue of government allowed.
They are afraid of their new leadership. They are afraid of losing their democracy.
Kenya Violence Augurs Ethnic Split (click here)
Kenya Violence Brings A Bloody End To Uneasy Coexistence Among Ethnic Groups
ELDORET, Kenya, Jan. 22, 2008
Kenya Violence Brings A Bloody End To Uneasy Coexistence Among Ethnic Groups
ELDORET, Kenya, Jan. 22, 2008
...In many regions, the violence following President Mwai Kibaki's re-election has brought a bloody end to decades of coexistence among Kenya's ethnic groups, transforming villages, cities and towns where Kenyans had lived together _ however uneasily at times _ since independence from Britain in 1963.
Some worry the change may be permanent, boding ill for democracy in this once-stable African country.
Much of the fighting has pitted other tribes against Kibaki's Kikuyu, long dominant in Kenyan politics and the economy. The vote tapped into a well of resentment that resurfaces regularly at election time in Kenya, but this year's bloodshed has been the most brutal and sustained by far.
"Polarization of the communities here is growing day by day," said Ben Rawlence, a researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The longer the political stalemate continues, the more likely the ethnic map of Kenya will be permanently altered."...
This type of violence has happened before in Kenya. That doesn't mean it won't get out of hand.
Why isn't the international community stating things like, "...there they go playing the tribal card again..." and stopping this mess before it gets started. Imflammatory politics that lead to known violence should be punishable by review of the World Court !
Kenya violence planned before election (click here)
Politicians have exploited deeply rooted divisions among 42 tribes since early '90s
Nick Wadhams, Chronicle Foreign Service
Sunday, January 13, 2008
...Molo and the surrounding areas have long been a flash point of violence. It is a diverse place, with residents from across Kenya's ethnic spectrum. This is also the home turf of the former dictator Moi, who came from the small Kalenjin tribe and fanned resentment in a divide-and-rule tactic that he adopted from his predecessor, Jomo Kenyatta, and the British colonialists who ran Kenya until independence in 1963.
Each time election season comes around, politicians play the tribal card as a way to whip up support, hobble the political opposition and accumulate land for their fellow tribesmen.
"We've had a long history of ethnic violence in Kenya that has been politically manipulated since the 1992 and 1997 elections," said Binaifer Nowrojee, director of the Open Society Initiative for East Africa, based in New York. "Events of the last two weeks show how rapidly we can deteriorate, and that's what's scaring everybody. The danger is that we can become Rwanda, but we're not there yet."
Most of the victims here are Kikuyu, just like the victorious incumbent, Kibaki. The president has been accused of bestowing jobs and land upon Kikuyus, who are the country's largest ethnic group. The attackers, on the other hand, are supporters of opposition leader Odinga from several tribes - mostly Luo and Kalenjin, who claim to have been shortchanged for decades....
Death toll in Kenya violence reaches 30 (click here)
August 18, 1997
Web posted at: 1:29 p.m. EDT (1729 GMT)
MOMBASA, Kenya (CNN) -- Five people were reportedly killed near Kenya's Indian Ocean port city of Mombasa Monday, the latest victims in a wave of violence that President Daniel arap Moi blamed on tribalism and opposition groups.
Police said one man guarding his property was killed at a settlement north of Mombasa Island by unidentified attackers, and local journalists said four people were killed in a separate attack in Likoni, just south of the island.
The latest casualties raised the death toll to at least 30 people killed since Wednesday. Violence erupted on that day in Likoni, when more than 100 armed people attacked and burned a local police station and district officer's compound, killing seven policemen....
...Odinga put the death toll higher, saying 30 people had been burned to death and blaming the government for trying to divert attention away from the electoral dispute.
"What is now emerging is that criminal gangs, on a killing spree, working under police protection, are part of a well orchestrated plan of terror to spread and escalate the levels of violence," Odinga said in a statement.
Two truckloads of soldiers were deployed as sporadic gunfire rang out and smoke poured from torched homes and vehicles. Barricades blocked Kenya's main western highway outside the town and police turned back cars heading towards the area.
Shooting continued late into the day.
"It is as if every tribe is against us, and no one is protecting us," said Dominic Karanja, a Kikuyu watching troops dismantle roadblocks that he had helped build...
The Rwanda Genocide occurred in 100 days. It only take a fire storm that can't be stopped !
Scores killed in Kenya Rift Valley (click here)
Published: Sunday 27 January 2008 08:29 UTC
Last updated: Sunday 27 January 2008 15:48 UTC
Nairobi - Communal violence in Kenya's Rift Valley has claimed over 80 lives in three days. More than half of them were killed in the provincial capital Nakuru. Many were hacked to death with machetes.The latest violence broke out on Thursday between supporters of President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga, who belong to different ethnic groups. December's disputed election results have engulfed the country in a wave of violence which has left over 700 people dead.After visiting refugee camps in the west of the country, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan reported seeing evidence of "gross and systematic human rights abuses". He insisted the abuses should not remain unpunished.Mr Annan, who is continuing his mediation efforts, on Thursday succeeded in bringing President Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga together for their first direct talks but without achieving a breakthrough.
Refugee camps are prone to violence. Nakuru has a large refugee camp. If the violence spreads into the camp it could cause deaths in the thousands. Could be the beginning of civil disturbance that can't be stopped. Refugees can also act as recruits.
Spillover effect (click here)
Until Thursday Nakuru town had escaped the post-election violence that has seen more than 600 people killed across the country. But the Rift Valley has been particularly hit by the violence.
"This could be a spillover of the violence from neighbouring areas of Molo and Kuresoi", Magenyi said.
Violence in those districts has led to an escalation in the numbers of displaced people arriving in Nakuru. Their accounts in turn fuel anger in Nakuru....
...Nakuru is a town of about 300,000 with a large proportion being of the Kikuyu community. However the Rift Valley is historically dominated by the Kalenjin and land clashes in the province have broken out over the last two decades.
The violence comes despite a symbolic meeting meeting on 24 January between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga in Nairobi, brokered by African Union mediator Kofi Annan.
Kofi Annan needs to be careful. It almost appears as though they are coming for him.
Why isn't the international community stating things like, "...there they go playing the tribal card again..." and stopping this mess before it gets started. Imflammatory politics that lead to known violence should be punishable by review of the World Court !
Kenya violence planned before election (click here)
Politicians have exploited deeply rooted divisions among 42 tribes since early '90s
Nick Wadhams, Chronicle Foreign Service
Sunday, January 13, 2008
...Molo and the surrounding areas have long been a flash point of violence. It is a diverse place, with residents from across Kenya's ethnic spectrum. This is also the home turf of the former dictator Moi, who came from the small Kalenjin tribe and fanned resentment in a divide-and-rule tactic that he adopted from his predecessor, Jomo Kenyatta, and the British colonialists who ran Kenya until independence in 1963.
Each time election season comes around, politicians play the tribal card as a way to whip up support, hobble the political opposition and accumulate land for their fellow tribesmen.
"We've had a long history of ethnic violence in Kenya that has been politically manipulated since the 1992 and 1997 elections," said Binaifer Nowrojee, director of the Open Society Initiative for East Africa, based in New York. "Events of the last two weeks show how rapidly we can deteriorate, and that's what's scaring everybody. The danger is that we can become Rwanda, but we're not there yet."
Most of the victims here are Kikuyu, just like the victorious incumbent, Kibaki. The president has been accused of bestowing jobs and land upon Kikuyus, who are the country's largest ethnic group. The attackers, on the other hand, are supporters of opposition leader Odinga from several tribes - mostly Luo and Kalenjin, who claim to have been shortchanged for decades....
Death toll in Kenya violence reaches 30 (click here)
August 18, 1997
Web posted at: 1:29 p.m. EDT (1729 GMT)
MOMBASA, Kenya (CNN) -- Five people were reportedly killed near Kenya's Indian Ocean port city of Mombasa Monday, the latest victims in a wave of violence that President Daniel arap Moi blamed on tribalism and opposition groups.
Police said one man guarding his property was killed at a settlement north of Mombasa Island by unidentified attackers, and local journalists said four people were killed in a separate attack in Likoni, just south of the island.
The latest casualties raised the death toll to at least 30 people killed since Wednesday. Violence erupted on that day in Likoni, when more than 100 armed people attacked and burned a local police station and district officer's compound, killing seven policemen....
...Odinga put the death toll higher, saying 30 people had been burned to death and blaming the government for trying to divert attention away from the electoral dispute.
"What is now emerging is that criminal gangs, on a killing spree, working under police protection, are part of a well orchestrated plan of terror to spread and escalate the levels of violence," Odinga said in a statement.
Two truckloads of soldiers were deployed as sporadic gunfire rang out and smoke poured from torched homes and vehicles. Barricades blocked Kenya's main western highway outside the town and police turned back cars heading towards the area.
Shooting continued late into the day.
"It is as if every tribe is against us, and no one is protecting us," said Dominic Karanja, a Kikuyu watching troops dismantle roadblocks that he had helped build...
The Rwanda Genocide occurred in 100 days. It only take a fire storm that can't be stopped !
Scores killed in Kenya Rift Valley (click here)
Published: Sunday 27 January 2008 08:29 UTC
Last updated: Sunday 27 January 2008 15:48 UTC
Nairobi - Communal violence in Kenya's Rift Valley has claimed over 80 lives in three days. More than half of them were killed in the provincial capital Nakuru. Many were hacked to death with machetes.The latest violence broke out on Thursday between supporters of President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga, who belong to different ethnic groups. December's disputed election results have engulfed the country in a wave of violence which has left over 700 people dead.After visiting refugee camps in the west of the country, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan reported seeing evidence of "gross and systematic human rights abuses". He insisted the abuses should not remain unpunished.Mr Annan, who is continuing his mediation efforts, on Thursday succeeded in bringing President Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga together for their first direct talks but without achieving a breakthrough.
Refugee camps are prone to violence. Nakuru has a large refugee camp. If the violence spreads into the camp it could cause deaths in the thousands. Could be the beginning of civil disturbance that can't be stopped. Refugees can also act as recruits.
Spillover effect (click here)
Until Thursday Nakuru town had escaped the post-election violence that has seen more than 600 people killed across the country. But the Rift Valley has been particularly hit by the violence.
"This could be a spillover of the violence from neighbouring areas of Molo and Kuresoi", Magenyi said.
Violence in those districts has led to an escalation in the numbers of displaced people arriving in Nakuru. Their accounts in turn fuel anger in Nakuru....
...Nakuru is a town of about 300,000 with a large proportion being of the Kikuyu community. However the Rift Valley is historically dominated by the Kalenjin and land clashes in the province have broken out over the last two decades.
The violence comes despite a symbolic meeting meeting on 24 January between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga in Nairobi, brokered by African Union mediator Kofi Annan.
Kofi Annan needs to be careful. It almost appears as though they are coming for him.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
I'll look at the news tomorrow.
I'll also do a feature tomorrow evening.
It's easy to rank rhetoric due to sentiment others might have. When Bush and Cheney first declared war on the American people and started a propaganda campaign that was the lead up to an illegal invasion I stated, "There were no WMD in Iraq." A lot of people dismiss that as rhetoric. How could I know something that seemed a mystery to most and a complete lie to the propagandist in the Oval Office?
Well. There were limited possibilities. The United Nations did have tight controls on Iraq at the time and there just weren't enough funds to produce such weapons. Besides that there were scientific articles regarding these substances that were proving they could not sustain in the desert. The biologicals and chemical agents quickly degraded with any contact with carbon based surface such as concrete or sand. So, to believe Saddam Hussein had these great storehouses fo WMD somewhere buried in subterranian vaults just wasn't logical. It was a fairy tale.
So, when I state "We don't belong in Iraq. We never did." The "We never did" takes care of itself. We know more than ever, Bush and Cheney did a song and dance after September 11th to a terrified nation and sold us on the invasion into Iraq. But the part that says, "We don't belong in Iraq" never gets clarified enough and still seems like rhetoric. So, I thought I'd clear that up and PROVE beyond a shadow of a doubt why we don't belong in Iraq and why all the candidates stating same are flat out "W"rong.
...tomorrow then....
I'll also do a feature tomorrow evening.
It's easy to rank rhetoric due to sentiment others might have. When Bush and Cheney first declared war on the American people and started a propaganda campaign that was the lead up to an illegal invasion I stated, "There were no WMD in Iraq." A lot of people dismiss that as rhetoric. How could I know something that seemed a mystery to most and a complete lie to the propagandist in the Oval Office?
Well. There were limited possibilities. The United Nations did have tight controls on Iraq at the time and there just weren't enough funds to produce such weapons. Besides that there were scientific articles regarding these substances that were proving they could not sustain in the desert. The biologicals and chemical agents quickly degraded with any contact with carbon based surface such as concrete or sand. So, to believe Saddam Hussein had these great storehouses fo WMD somewhere buried in subterranian vaults just wasn't logical. It was a fairy tale.
So, when I state "We don't belong in Iraq. We never did." The "We never did" takes care of itself. We know more than ever, Bush and Cheney did a song and dance after September 11th to a terrified nation and sold us on the invasion into Iraq. But the part that says, "We don't belong in Iraq" never gets clarified enough and still seems like rhetoric. So, I thought I'd clear that up and PROVE beyond a shadow of a doubt why we don't belong in Iraq and why all the candidates stating same are flat out "W"rong.
...tomorrow then....
Friday, January 25, 2008
The USA Economy has been exported with tax breaks from Republicans, while the nation sinks into insoluble debt
The American Economy. An Economy of Conscience. See comments below. Thank you.
If $3-a-gallon gasoline doesn't make you hate the big oil companies, the shocking revelations in Chris Paine's thought-provoking documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? will.- V. A. Musetto, New York Post (click here)
Hydraulic excavators are parked at a Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ltd. branch in Kanagawa Prefecture, on Oct. 8, 2007. Photographer: Robert Gilhooly/Bloomberg News
Everywhere one looks to find hope in the USA Economy there is none. Why is Wall Street still afloat, even though the USA has been abandoned? Because the marketability of products is still alive in other economies.
Traditionally American Companies that have exported in the past, preserving high paying American jobs to support the market demands of the USA; now derive their income from foreign markets, bolstered by Republican tax breaks that bankrupt the USA Treasury.
Just that simple. The Bush Republicans have abandoned the USA economy depriving it of anything except government issue GI uniforms.
Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Caterpillar Inc., the world's largest maker of bulldozers and excavators, said fourth-quarter earnings rose 11 percent as international demand overcame slower sales in the U.S., where recession is ``a definite threat.''
Net income increased to $975 million, or $1.50 a share, from $882 million, or $1.32, a year earlier, the Peoria, Illinois-based company said today in a statement. Caterpillar rose the most in fourth months in New York trading after beating average analyst estimates for profit and sales, which gained 10 percent to $12.1 billion.
Sales rose by more than third in both Europe and Asia, countering a slowdown in U.S. construction and mining demand. The deepest U.S. housing slump in more than a decade contributed to an 11 percent drop in North American machine sales for 2007.
``While we expect anemic growth in the U.S. economy, we continue to see positive conditions for our sales in most of the rest of the world,'' Chief Executive Officer Jim Owens said in the statement.
The company beat the average of 17 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg for profit of $1.49 a share and sales of $11.4 billion. Caterpillar rose $1.98, or 3 percent, to $67.23 at 10:54 a.m. in New York stock Exchange composite trading. Earlier it reached $67.75 in the biggest gain since Sept. 18. The stock had gained 9.2 percent in the 12 months before today.
The machinery maker forecast sales may rise 5 percent to 10 percent this year, with ``below average'' growth in North America. Overseas revenue may climb as much as 13 percent....
And why would the Republicans undermine the USA economy without a care otherwise?
Why?
Why, did you say?
To destroy the union structure that insured the best work force in the world received their share of the wealth. That's why !!!
The GM-Toyota Hanging Chad (click here)
January 24, 2008 02:32 PM ET
General Motors and Toyota both want this story to go away—but it only seems to be intensifying.
Everybody in the auto industry knows that sooner or later, Toyota will unambiguously surpass GM in sales and become the world's biggest automaker. So when it happens, it should be anticlimactic—an iconic moment, sure, marking the end of GM's 77-year reign as the No. 1 carmaker. But then everybody will just go on with the business of building and selling cars.
Unless the two auto giants tie. Or the horse race is too close to call. Or there's a technical dispute over the numbers. All of which seem to have happened, dragging out a story that even journalists are getting tired of.
Both GM and Toyota reported selling 9.37 million vehicles worldwide in 2007. But that's just a round number, so auto analysts are looking a few more digits past the decimal point to see who actually sold more. Executives at Toyota hate this story because it draws unwanted attention in the United States to a surging importer, and at first they refused to elaborate on their rounded number. But a besieged Toyota executive in Japan finally agreed to add an extra digit to the number, pegging Toyota's 2007 sales at a more precise 9.366 million. GM's number comes out to 9.369 million, about 3,000 more cars than Toyota—so that settles it! "GM Edges Toyota for Global Sales Title," Automotive News proclaimed in a headline on Wednesday. The American giant can keep the title for one more year, after all....
Rather than working with their unions, following market trends in cutting edge transportation that would free the USA of fossil fuels, what did American corporation do?
What did they do?
They continued to fuel the most corrupt industry the USA has ever entertained, "Cheney's Big Oil." That's what they did. Rather than leading, the auto maufacturers were followers. Bad idea !!!
We need new manufactering in the USA, that fills it's need to lead into the next decade. We need it now. Consumer products of conscience. Electric cars, high speed rail and alternative energy sources. It's not that hard. An economy laced with progressive ideas. Industries where tax breaks belong while out dated and antiquated technologies are refused those incentives due to their poor environmental records leading to far lower carbon dioxide emisssions in USA products.
The USA has the advantage to change it's way and become a global leader in alternatives while it sheds it's old economy. This is the choice of Americans. They want out of the Bush/Cheney nightmare. The question remains, who can bring that to us?
No More Neocons In Government !!!!!
GM downplays possibility of cuts (click here)
Fri, January 25, 2008
By SUN MEDIA NEWS SERVICES
TORONTO -- General Motors Corp. and the Canadian Auto Workers union both say the company still needs to determine what new vehicles will be built at car-assembly complex in Oshawa, but they're downplaying speculation that production cuts are on the way.
GM Canada spokesperson Stew Low said yesterday the company had studied the possibility of producing more rear-wheel drive cars at one point, but abandoned that plan once the U.S. passed a fuel efficiency bill in December. "The inference that this was a program that was approved, that there was money set aside, that Oshawa was identified as the manufacturing location, is not correct," Low said. "It was only at the study phase and it never saw the light of day."...
If $3-a-gallon gasoline doesn't make you hate the big oil companies, the shocking revelations in Chris Paine's thought-provoking documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? will.- V. A. Musetto, New York Post (click here)
Hydraulic excavators are parked at a Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ltd. branch in Kanagawa Prefecture, on Oct. 8, 2007. Photographer: Robert Gilhooly/Bloomberg News
Everywhere one looks to find hope in the USA Economy there is none. Why is Wall Street still afloat, even though the USA has been abandoned? Because the marketability of products is still alive in other economies.
Traditionally American Companies that have exported in the past, preserving high paying American jobs to support the market demands of the USA; now derive their income from foreign markets, bolstered by Republican tax breaks that bankrupt the USA Treasury.
Just that simple. The Bush Republicans have abandoned the USA economy depriving it of anything except government issue GI uniforms.
Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Caterpillar Inc., the world's largest maker of bulldozers and excavators, said fourth-quarter earnings rose 11 percent as international demand overcame slower sales in the U.S., where recession is ``a definite threat.''
Net income increased to $975 million, or $1.50 a share, from $882 million, or $1.32, a year earlier, the Peoria, Illinois-based company said today in a statement. Caterpillar rose the most in fourth months in New York trading after beating average analyst estimates for profit and sales, which gained 10 percent to $12.1 billion.
Sales rose by more than third in both Europe and Asia, countering a slowdown in U.S. construction and mining demand. The deepest U.S. housing slump in more than a decade contributed to an 11 percent drop in North American machine sales for 2007.
``While we expect anemic growth in the U.S. economy, we continue to see positive conditions for our sales in most of the rest of the world,'' Chief Executive Officer Jim Owens said in the statement.
The company beat the average of 17 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg for profit of $1.49 a share and sales of $11.4 billion. Caterpillar rose $1.98, or 3 percent, to $67.23 at 10:54 a.m. in New York stock Exchange composite trading. Earlier it reached $67.75 in the biggest gain since Sept. 18. The stock had gained 9.2 percent in the 12 months before today.
The machinery maker forecast sales may rise 5 percent to 10 percent this year, with ``below average'' growth in North America. Overseas revenue may climb as much as 13 percent....
And why would the Republicans undermine the USA economy without a care otherwise?
Why?
Why, did you say?
To destroy the union structure that insured the best work force in the world received their share of the wealth. That's why !!!
The GM-Toyota Hanging Chad (click here)
January 24, 2008 02:32 PM ET
General Motors and Toyota both want this story to go away—but it only seems to be intensifying.
Everybody in the auto industry knows that sooner or later, Toyota will unambiguously surpass GM in sales and become the world's biggest automaker. So when it happens, it should be anticlimactic—an iconic moment, sure, marking the end of GM's 77-year reign as the No. 1 carmaker. But then everybody will just go on with the business of building and selling cars.
Unless the two auto giants tie. Or the horse race is too close to call. Or there's a technical dispute over the numbers. All of which seem to have happened, dragging out a story that even journalists are getting tired of.
Both GM and Toyota reported selling 9.37 million vehicles worldwide in 2007. But that's just a round number, so auto analysts are looking a few more digits past the decimal point to see who actually sold more. Executives at Toyota hate this story because it draws unwanted attention in the United States to a surging importer, and at first they refused to elaborate on their rounded number. But a besieged Toyota executive in Japan finally agreed to add an extra digit to the number, pegging Toyota's 2007 sales at a more precise 9.366 million. GM's number comes out to 9.369 million, about 3,000 more cars than Toyota—so that settles it! "GM Edges Toyota for Global Sales Title," Automotive News proclaimed in a headline on Wednesday. The American giant can keep the title for one more year, after all....
Rather than working with their unions, following market trends in cutting edge transportation that would free the USA of fossil fuels, what did American corporation do?
What did they do?
They continued to fuel the most corrupt industry the USA has ever entertained, "Cheney's Big Oil." That's what they did. Rather than leading, the auto maufacturers were followers. Bad idea !!!
We need new manufactering in the USA, that fills it's need to lead into the next decade. We need it now. Consumer products of conscience. Electric cars, high speed rail and alternative energy sources. It's not that hard. An economy laced with progressive ideas. Industries where tax breaks belong while out dated and antiquated technologies are refused those incentives due to their poor environmental records leading to far lower carbon dioxide emisssions in USA products.
The USA has the advantage to change it's way and become a global leader in alternatives while it sheds it's old economy. This is the choice of Americans. They want out of the Bush/Cheney nightmare. The question remains, who can bring that to us?
No More Neocons In Government !!!!!
GM downplays possibility of cuts (click here)
Fri, January 25, 2008
By SUN MEDIA NEWS SERVICES
TORONTO -- General Motors Corp. and the Canadian Auto Workers union both say the company still needs to determine what new vehicles will be built at car-assembly complex in Oshawa, but they're downplaying speculation that production cuts are on the way.
GM Canada spokesperson Stew Low said yesterday the company had studied the possibility of producing more rear-wheel drive cars at one point, but abandoned that plan once the U.S. passed a fuel efficiency bill in December. "The inference that this was a program that was approved, that there was money set aside, that Oshawa was identified as the manufacturing location, is not correct," Low said. "It was only at the study phase and it never saw the light of day."...
The $34 to $69 Billion Economic Stimulus Package - University Health Care - Costs less than Iraq. Saves Lives.
The Republicans don't want Universal Health Care because it takes away funding to their war cronies and limits there ability to wage WWIII. Your next President will decide the path to WWIII or PEACE. Think about it America !
The fact is plainly obvious. Americans need competent health care in the face of a failing privatized industry. Universal health care insures a healthy nation and work force. Enough already !!
Which do you perfer? War? Or a government that takes of it's own and minds it's own business with international relationships that support democratic principles supported through economic trade policies? It seems to me, that after six long years of failed wars and spending, the choice is obvious !
That price tag, by the way, includes all Americans, Veterans and those already on government subsidized programs. Veterans might even be able to get enough attention to keep them from suicide. Would be nice.
Warm to universal coverage (click here)
Americans show far more enthusiasm for universal health coverage than many of the candidates for president, a recent survey shows. The clear message: Candidates, for Congress and state offices as well as president, shouldn't be so cautious.
Americans may be divided about the form that health coverage should take, but they're united on the need for better access to health insurance: 81 percent of the respondents in a survey performed by the Commonwealth Fund, a health care research group, said employers should cover all or part of the cost of health insurance, while 68 percent "strongly or somewhat" favored an individual mandate to carry health insurance, similar to the requirement to carry car insurance. And 66 percent said they felt the responsibility for coverage should be shared between employers, individuals and the government.
When survey respondents were separated by partisan affiliation, Republicans showed slightly less enthusiasm for universal coverage -- but still, a majority of respondents supported a requirement that everyone carry health insurance and want that responsibility to be shared....
The fact is plainly obvious. Americans need competent health care in the face of a failing privatized industry. Universal health care insures a healthy nation and work force. Enough already !!
Which do you perfer? War? Or a government that takes of it's own and minds it's own business with international relationships that support democratic principles supported through economic trade policies? It seems to me, that after six long years of failed wars and spending, the choice is obvious !
That price tag, by the way, includes all Americans, Veterans and those already on government subsidized programs. Veterans might even be able to get enough attention to keep them from suicide. Would be nice.
Warm to universal coverage (click here)
Americans show far more enthusiasm for universal health coverage than many of the candidates for president, a recent survey shows. The clear message: Candidates, for Congress and state offices as well as president, shouldn't be so cautious.
Americans may be divided about the form that health coverage should take, but they're united on the need for better access to health insurance: 81 percent of the respondents in a survey performed by the Commonwealth Fund, a health care research group, said employers should cover all or part of the cost of health insurance, while 68 percent "strongly or somewhat" favored an individual mandate to carry health insurance, similar to the requirement to carry car insurance. And 66 percent said they felt the responsibility for coverage should be shared between employers, individuals and the government.
When survey respondents were separated by partisan affiliation, Republicans showed slightly less enthusiasm for universal coverage -- but still, a majority of respondents supported a requirement that everyone carry health insurance and want that responsibility to be shared....
Bush the Dictator, the USA cannot be 'assigned' a forever war by the Executive Branch. No handshakes with Cheney otherwise prision (click here)
Anyone besides me believe the USA Foreign Policies have failed? This doesn't even begin to address the mess currently between Eqypt and Palestine. Disaster. The world is a disaster and it's economies are tanking besides. Global economic depression brought on by a "Global War on Terror." Every person for themselves. Only a Bush and a Cheney could accomplish global anarchy.
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai appears on a large video screen as he delivers his opening speech for the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss Alpine resort town of Davos January 23, 2008. This year's annual meeting of some 2,500 political, business and cultural leaders will address the forum's overall theme 'The Power of Collaborative Innovation'.
Karzai says war "engulfing region" around Afghanistan (click here)
DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday that violence was engulfing his region and called on countries to confront militancy with action not rhetoric.
"While Afghanistan is still a critical battlefield, a rapidly spreading war is engulfing the wider region," Karzai said in a speech to the World Economic Forum.
"Our strategies in this war have often been short-changed by a host of deceptive rhetoric," he said. "Governments in the region need to move beyond rhetoric and cease to seek the pursuit of interests in the use of extremist politics".
Karzai did not accuse any country by name, but his relations with Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf have at times virtually broken down over Afghan complaints that Taliban insurgents operate from Pakistan's side of their common border.
Many al Qaeda and Taliban militants took refuge in the border areas after U.S.-led troops drove Afghanistan's Taliban government from power after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Afghanistan is now battling an intense Taliban insurgency while Pakistani forces are confronting pro-Taliban militants in different parts of the northwest, near the Afghan border....
Government can't be trusted on Afghanistan, lawyers argue
ALEXANDER PANETTA
Canadian Press
January 24, 2008 at 4:23 PM EST
OTTAWA — Human-rights lawyers pushing for a stop to prisoner transfers argued in court Thursday that Canada's government cannot be trusted to tell the truth about what goes on in Afghanistan.
Lawyer Paul Champ told a Federal Court hearing that the government would clearly have covered up prisoner abuses by Afghan authorities had it not been for the ongoing legal battle.
In a secret policy shift almost three months ago, Canadian soldiers stopped transferring detainees to Afghan authorities after they were convinced some had been beaten in violation of the Geneva conventions.
“The government shouldn't be making those decisions,” Mr. Champ said during a break in proceedings.
Members of Parachute Company, Third Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group lead detainees from a residential compound in southwest Kabul in this 2004 file photo. (MCpl Brian Walsh)
“It should be the court because (the government has) shown in the past they're wrong and the consequence of their errors has been that torture had been committed.”
The move came after the government spent nearly a year dismissing abuse allegations and ridiculing opponents who raised them.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080124.wdetaineereax0124/BNStory/Afghanistan/home?cid=al_gam_mostemail
Turkey launches fourth air raid on Iraqi Kurds (click here)
By Tom Chivers and agencies
Last Updated: 2:29am GMT 16/01/2008
Turkish aircraft have bombed targets in northern Iraq as part of their ongoing campaign against Kurdish rebels, according to the Turkish army.
One-hundred thousand Turkish troops are camped near the Iraqi border, and in October the country's parliament authorised cross-border military attacks against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for the coming year. Turkey, together with the USA and EU, consider the PKK to be a terrorist organisation. The strikes, described as "intensive", hit PKK positions in the Avasin-Basyan and Hakurk regions of the country, said the statement, which was posted on a website by the Turkish military.
The statement said that "maximum care" was taken to avoid civilian casualties, although no figure was given. "The aircraft returned safely to base after successfully completing their mission," it added.
The strike was the fourth such cross-border air attack confirmed by the Turkish military since Dec 16 last year. There have also been ground operations intended to stop militants entering Turkey.
Iraqi Kurds in the region claim that there have also been two more, unconfirmed, air raids....
Remeber these? The million dollar Anti-Death machine, guaranteed to keep American forces safe while destroying any living thing in it's path?
U.S. soldier in Iraq becomes first to die in attack on new MRAP vehicle
By Associated Press
BAGHDAD (AP) - A soldier killed over the weekend south of Baghdad was the first American casualty in a roadside bomb attack on a newly introduced, heavily armored vehicle, a military spokeswoman said Tuesday.
The V-shaped hull of the huge MRAP - Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected - truck is designed to deflect blasts from roadside bombs, a weapon that has killed more American soldiers than any other tactic used by Sunni insurgents and militia fighters in Iraq.
The soldier who died Saturday was the gunner who sits atop the MRAP vehicle. Three crew members tucked inside the cabin were wounded. The vehicle rolled over after the blast and it was not clear how the gunner died - from wounds in the explosion or in the subsequent roll-over.
Maj. Alayne P. Conway, deputy spokeswoman for the 3rd Infantry Division, said the attack and the death were under investigation.
There now are more than 1,500 of the costly vehicles in service in Iraq and the Pentagon is working to get at least 12,000 more, using $21 billion provided by Congress. MRAPs cost between $500,000 and $1 million, depending on their size and how they are equipped.
http://www.klewtv.com/news/national/13970682.html
And while Bush lusts after dictatorship, Cheney seeks to destroy the USA Constitution.
Cheney Again Calls For Telecom Immunity
By Jason Lee Miller - Thu, 01/24/2008 - 11:26am.More BS from the BA
Let me preface by saying I think the current administration – from the top all the way down to appointees who blindly cooperate – should be tried for treason. That way we bring any allegations of bias or slant to the forefront and you know where I stand. No need to bring in theories about what lies beneath the words; the words are out in the open.
That doesn't make me anti-Republican or anti-conservative. It makes me anti-this-administration, which has about 10 months left to screw with everything, and protesting against governmental abuses of power is the American way – not the liberal or conservative way.
So, what's fired me up this morning is Vice President Cheney's latest call to expand the government's ability to spy on the American people whenever it wants for whatever reason without accountability, whether it is Constitutional or not, and his demand that the people be denied their right to even the pursuit of justice via lawsuits against the telecommunications industry for participating in illegal government activities.
Is there anything less ideologically American than the US government not only abusing its power to get around Constitutional authority but also denying the people their right to hold them (and co-abusers) accountable for it? Wasn't that the whole point of our break from Britain? The madness of King George, redux.
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/01/24/cheney-again-calls-for-telecom-immunity
Reid Clears Hurdle for Bush-Cheney Spying Bill
The Nation Thu Jan 24, 3:24 PM ET
The Nation -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid cleared a key hurdle for the FISA Amendments Act on Thursday, advancing President Bush's preferred version of the spying bill, a move opposed by the majority of Reid's Democratic colleagues. The vote, 60-34, sets the Senate on a course to validate more warrantless spying by the Bush administration and provide retroactive amnesty to telephone companies accused of breaking surveillance laws -- an unpopular approach.
The ACLU, which has collaborated with a network of constitutional activists and bloggers to oppose the administration's surveillance policies, condemned the Democratic leadership in unusually tough language after the vote. "Under Democratic leadership, the Senate will now continue its debate on surveillance with a bill that resembles something from the administration's playbook. Six months after being hoodwinked into passing the Protect America Act, Americans are still waiting for Congress to grow a spine," read an official statement released Thursday afternoon.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080124/cm_thenation/15274927
Bush has far bigger problems than Iraq as Commander and Chief. When are these people going to be impeached !!!
Bush plan for Iraq would be a first
No OK from Congress seen; Constitutional issues raised
By Charlie Savage
Globe Staff / January 25, 2008
WASHINGTON - President Bush's plan to forge a long-term agreement with the Iraqi government that could commit the US military to defending Iraq's security would be the first time such a sweeping mutual defense compact has been enacted without congressional approval, according to legal specialists.
After World War II, for example - when the United States gave security commitments to Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, and NATO members - Presidents Truman and Eisenhower designated the agreements as treaties requiring Senate ratification. In 1985, when President Ronald Reagan guaranteed that the US military would defend the Marshall Islands and Micronesia if they were attacked, the compacts were put to a vote by both chambers of Congress.
By contrast, Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki have already agreed that a coming compact will include the United States providing "security assurances and commitments" to Iraq to deter any foreign invasion or internal terrorism by "outlaw groups." But a top White House official has also said that Bush does not intend to submit the deal to Congress.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/25/bush_plan_for_iraq_would_be_a_first/
Taliban seize Nato supplies in Pakistan
By Isambard Wilkinson in Tank, Pakistan
Last Updated: 3:38am GMT 25/01/2008
The suspected mastermind behind Benazir Bhutto's assassination has stolen sophisticated Nato equipment by raiding the alliance's supply lines running through Pakistani territory.
Baitullah Mehsud, the Taliban commander who American officials hold responsible for Miss Bhutto's death, has emerged as a threat to the flow of supplies for British and American forces fighting in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Mehsud's increasing prominence shows how Pakistan under President Pervez Musharraf is steadily falling under the sway of Islamist militants.
Mr Musharraf, who is touring Europe, will speak in London today on "a vision for Pakistan and regional harmony". His critics believe, however, that turmoil in Pakistan is fuelling the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and helping to destabilise South Asia as a whole.
A senior government official, based near the frontier town of Tank, told The Daily Telegraph that Mehsud's men regularly ambushed container lorries carrying hardware bound for Nato forces in Afghanistan.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/25/wpak125.xml
Imran Khan Brings Anti-Musharraf Campaign to U.S.
by Steve Inskeep
Audio for this story will be available at approx. 9:00 a.m. ET
Alex Wong
Imran Khan holds a briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, Jan. 24, 2008. Getty Images
Morning Edition, January 25, 2008 · A former cricket star who leads one of Pakistan's minority parties spent time in Washington this week meeting with lawmakers and speaking out against U.S. support of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
Imran Khan, an international celebrity since his days as a sports star, leads a much smaller party than that of Benazir Bhutto, the leader who was killed last month. But in Pakistan, he's nearly as well known as Bhutto.
And he says that next month's elections there won't be real, if they happen at all.
Musharraf removed the independent judges who would referee them. Yet Khan knows the president remains a U.S. ally in the war on terrorism.
"Gen. Musharraf has done a brilliant PR job here where he has convinced the people that he is one man holding these hordes of terrorists, the bastion against these extremists...." Khan says.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18402782
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai appears on a large video screen as he delivers his opening speech for the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss Alpine resort town of Davos January 23, 2008. This year's annual meeting of some 2,500 political, business and cultural leaders will address the forum's overall theme 'The Power of Collaborative Innovation'.
Karzai says war "engulfing region" around Afghanistan (click here)
DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday that violence was engulfing his region and called on countries to confront militancy with action not rhetoric.
"While Afghanistan is still a critical battlefield, a rapidly spreading war is engulfing the wider region," Karzai said in a speech to the World Economic Forum.
"Our strategies in this war have often been short-changed by a host of deceptive rhetoric," he said. "Governments in the region need to move beyond rhetoric and cease to seek the pursuit of interests in the use of extremist politics".
Karzai did not accuse any country by name, but his relations with Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf have at times virtually broken down over Afghan complaints that Taliban insurgents operate from Pakistan's side of their common border.
Many al Qaeda and Taliban militants took refuge in the border areas after U.S.-led troops drove Afghanistan's Taliban government from power after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Afghanistan is now battling an intense Taliban insurgency while Pakistani forces are confronting pro-Taliban militants in different parts of the northwest, near the Afghan border....
Government can't be trusted on Afghanistan, lawyers argue
ALEXANDER PANETTA
Canadian Press
January 24, 2008 at 4:23 PM EST
OTTAWA — Human-rights lawyers pushing for a stop to prisoner transfers argued in court Thursday that Canada's government cannot be trusted to tell the truth about what goes on in Afghanistan.
Lawyer Paul Champ told a Federal Court hearing that the government would clearly have covered up prisoner abuses by Afghan authorities had it not been for the ongoing legal battle.
In a secret policy shift almost three months ago, Canadian soldiers stopped transferring detainees to Afghan authorities after they were convinced some had been beaten in violation of the Geneva conventions.
“The government shouldn't be making those decisions,” Mr. Champ said during a break in proceedings.
Members of Parachute Company, Third Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group lead detainees from a residential compound in southwest Kabul in this 2004 file photo. (MCpl Brian Walsh)
“It should be the court because (the government has) shown in the past they're wrong and the consequence of their errors has been that torture had been committed.”
The move came after the government spent nearly a year dismissing abuse allegations and ridiculing opponents who raised them.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080124.wdetaineereax0124/BNStory/Afghanistan/home?cid=al_gam_mostemail
Turkey launches fourth air raid on Iraqi Kurds (click here)
By Tom Chivers and agencies
Last Updated: 2:29am GMT 16/01/2008
Turkish aircraft have bombed targets in northern Iraq as part of their ongoing campaign against Kurdish rebels, according to the Turkish army.
One-hundred thousand Turkish troops are camped near the Iraqi border, and in October the country's parliament authorised cross-border military attacks against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for the coming year. Turkey, together with the USA and EU, consider the PKK to be a terrorist organisation. The strikes, described as "intensive", hit PKK positions in the Avasin-Basyan and Hakurk regions of the country, said the statement, which was posted on a website by the Turkish military.
The statement said that "maximum care" was taken to avoid civilian casualties, although no figure was given. "The aircraft returned safely to base after successfully completing their mission," it added.
The strike was the fourth such cross-border air attack confirmed by the Turkish military since Dec 16 last year. There have also been ground operations intended to stop militants entering Turkey.
Iraqi Kurds in the region claim that there have also been two more, unconfirmed, air raids....
Remeber these? The million dollar Anti-Death machine, guaranteed to keep American forces safe while destroying any living thing in it's path?
U.S. soldier in Iraq becomes first to die in attack on new MRAP vehicle
By Associated Press
BAGHDAD (AP) - A soldier killed over the weekend south of Baghdad was the first American casualty in a roadside bomb attack on a newly introduced, heavily armored vehicle, a military spokeswoman said Tuesday.
The V-shaped hull of the huge MRAP - Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected - truck is designed to deflect blasts from roadside bombs, a weapon that has killed more American soldiers than any other tactic used by Sunni insurgents and militia fighters in Iraq.
The soldier who died Saturday was the gunner who sits atop the MRAP vehicle. Three crew members tucked inside the cabin were wounded. The vehicle rolled over after the blast and it was not clear how the gunner died - from wounds in the explosion or in the subsequent roll-over.
Maj. Alayne P. Conway, deputy spokeswoman for the 3rd Infantry Division, said the attack and the death were under investigation.
There now are more than 1,500 of the costly vehicles in service in Iraq and the Pentagon is working to get at least 12,000 more, using $21 billion provided by Congress. MRAPs cost between $500,000 and $1 million, depending on their size and how they are equipped.
http://www.klewtv.com/news/national/13970682.html
And while Bush lusts after dictatorship, Cheney seeks to destroy the USA Constitution.
Cheney Again Calls For Telecom Immunity
By Jason Lee Miller - Thu, 01/24/2008 - 11:26am.More BS from the BA
Let me preface by saying I think the current administration – from the top all the way down to appointees who blindly cooperate – should be tried for treason. That way we bring any allegations of bias or slant to the forefront and you know where I stand. No need to bring in theories about what lies beneath the words; the words are out in the open.
That doesn't make me anti-Republican or anti-conservative. It makes me anti-this-administration, which has about 10 months left to screw with everything, and protesting against governmental abuses of power is the American way – not the liberal or conservative way.
So, what's fired me up this morning is Vice President Cheney's latest call to expand the government's ability to spy on the American people whenever it wants for whatever reason without accountability, whether it is Constitutional or not, and his demand that the people be denied their right to even the pursuit of justice via lawsuits against the telecommunications industry for participating in illegal government activities.
Is there anything less ideologically American than the US government not only abusing its power to get around Constitutional authority but also denying the people their right to hold them (and co-abusers) accountable for it? Wasn't that the whole point of our break from Britain? The madness of King George, redux.
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/01/24/cheney-again-calls-for-telecom-immunity
Reid Clears Hurdle for Bush-Cheney Spying Bill
The Nation Thu Jan 24, 3:24 PM ET
The Nation -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid cleared a key hurdle for the FISA Amendments Act on Thursday, advancing President Bush's preferred version of the spying bill, a move opposed by the majority of Reid's Democratic colleagues. The vote, 60-34, sets the Senate on a course to validate more warrantless spying by the Bush administration and provide retroactive amnesty to telephone companies accused of breaking surveillance laws -- an unpopular approach.
The ACLU, which has collaborated with a network of constitutional activists and bloggers to oppose the administration's surveillance policies, condemned the Democratic leadership in unusually tough language after the vote. "Under Democratic leadership, the Senate will now continue its debate on surveillance with a bill that resembles something from the administration's playbook. Six months after being hoodwinked into passing the Protect America Act, Americans are still waiting for Congress to grow a spine," read an official statement released Thursday afternoon.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080124/cm_thenation/15274927
Bush has far bigger problems than Iraq as Commander and Chief. When are these people going to be impeached !!!
Bush plan for Iraq would be a first
No OK from Congress seen; Constitutional issues raised
By Charlie Savage
Globe Staff / January 25, 2008
WASHINGTON - President Bush's plan to forge a long-term agreement with the Iraqi government that could commit the US military to defending Iraq's security would be the first time such a sweeping mutual defense compact has been enacted without congressional approval, according to legal specialists.
After World War II, for example - when the United States gave security commitments to Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, and NATO members - Presidents Truman and Eisenhower designated the agreements as treaties requiring Senate ratification. In 1985, when President Ronald Reagan guaranteed that the US military would defend the Marshall Islands and Micronesia if they were attacked, the compacts were put to a vote by both chambers of Congress.
By contrast, Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki have already agreed that a coming compact will include the United States providing "security assurances and commitments" to Iraq to deter any foreign invasion or internal terrorism by "outlaw groups." But a top White House official has also said that Bush does not intend to submit the deal to Congress.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/25/bush_plan_for_iraq_would_be_a_first/
Taliban seize Nato supplies in Pakistan
By Isambard Wilkinson in Tank, Pakistan
Last Updated: 3:38am GMT 25/01/2008
The suspected mastermind behind Benazir Bhutto's assassination has stolen sophisticated Nato equipment by raiding the alliance's supply lines running through Pakistani territory.
Baitullah Mehsud, the Taliban commander who American officials hold responsible for Miss Bhutto's death, has emerged as a threat to the flow of supplies for British and American forces fighting in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Mehsud's increasing prominence shows how Pakistan under President Pervez Musharraf is steadily falling under the sway of Islamist militants.
Mr Musharraf, who is touring Europe, will speak in London today on "a vision for Pakistan and regional harmony". His critics believe, however, that turmoil in Pakistan is fuelling the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and helping to destabilise South Asia as a whole.
A senior government official, based near the frontier town of Tank, told The Daily Telegraph that Mehsud's men regularly ambushed container lorries carrying hardware bound for Nato forces in Afghanistan.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/25/wpak125.xml
Imran Khan Brings Anti-Musharraf Campaign to U.S.
by Steve Inskeep
Audio for this story will be available at approx. 9:00 a.m. ET
Alex Wong
Imran Khan holds a briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, Jan. 24, 2008. Getty Images
Morning Edition, January 25, 2008 · A former cricket star who leads one of Pakistan's minority parties spent time in Washington this week meeting with lawmakers and speaking out against U.S. support of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
Imran Khan, an international celebrity since his days as a sports star, leads a much smaller party than that of Benazir Bhutto, the leader who was killed last month. But in Pakistan, he's nearly as well known as Bhutto.
And he says that next month's elections there won't be real, if they happen at all.
Musharraf removed the independent judges who would referee them. Yet Khan knows the president remains a U.S. ally in the war on terrorism.
"Gen. Musharraf has done a brilliant PR job here where he has convinced the people that he is one man holding these hordes of terrorists, the bastion against these extremists...." Khan says.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18402782
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Why is Antarctica chronically warm now? Because it's vortex has extended to higher latitudes pulling in hot air all the time.
January 24, 2008
0721 gmt
Antarctica
January 24, 2008
1045 pm
Scott Base, Ross Island, Antarctica
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The weather in Antarctica is (Crystal Ice Chime) chronically warm.
January 23, 2008
0900 AM
Antarctica Temperature Satellite
The Warmest Reporting Stations
Time of Day is 7 PM
Rothera Point, Antarctica
Elevation :: 52 ft / 16 m
Temperature :: 37 °F / 3 °C
Conditions :: Light Rain Showers
Humidity :: 74%
Dew Point :: 32 °F / 0 °C
Wind :: 5 mph / 7 km/h from the West
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: 29.24 in / 990 hPa (Rising)
Visibility :: 16.0 miles / 25.0 kilometers
UV :: 0 out of 16
Clouds:
Scattered Clouds 984 ft / 300 m
Mostly Cloudy 6890 ft / 2100 m
(Above Ground Level)
Aviation
Flight Rule :: VFR ()
Wind Speed :: 5 mph / 7 km/h /
Wind Dir :: 260° (West)
Ceiling :: 6900 ft / 2100 m
Base San Martin, Antarctica
Elevation :: 13 ft / 4 m
Temperature :: 37 °F / 3 °C
Conditions :: Overcast
Humidity :: 81%
Dew Point :: 33 °F / 1 °C
Wind :: Calm
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: 29.28 in / 992 hPa (Rising)
Visibility :: 12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers
UV :: 0 out of 16
Clouds :: Overcast 4921 ft / 1500 m
(Above Ground Level)
Aviation
Flight Rule:
VFR ()
Wind Speed :: 0 mph / 0 km/h /
Wind Dir :: N/A
Ceiling :: 4900 ft / 1500 m
The Coldest Reporting Stations
Vostok, Antarctica
Elevation :: 11220 ft / 3420 m
Temperature :: -39 °F / -40 °C
Humidity :: 36%
Dew Point :: -49 °F / -45 °C
Wind :: 9 mph / 15 km/h from the West
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: in / hPa (Rising)
Visibility :: 12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers
Aviation
Flight Rule:
VFR ()
Wind Speed :: 9 mph / 15 km/h /
Wind Dir :: 260° (West)
Ceiling :: 100000 ft / 100000 m
University Wi Id 8904, Antarctica
Elevation :: 10761 ft / 3280 m
Temperature :: -30 °F / -34 °C
Wind :: 4 mph / 6 km/h from the ESE
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: in / hPa (Falling)
Aviation
Flight Rule :: NA
Wind Speed :: 4 mph / 6 km/h /
Wind Dir :: 110° (ESE)
Ceiling :: -
Amundsen-Scott, AA
Elevation :: 9285 ft / 2830 m
Temperature :: -29 °F / -34 °C
Conditions :: Partly Cloudy
Wind :: 6 mph / 9 km/h / 2.6 m/s from the ENE
Pressure :: 28.76 in / 974 hPa (Rising)
Windchill :: -46 °F / -44 °C
Visibility :: 6.2 miles / 10.0 kilometers
UV :: 2 out of 16
Clouds :: Few 200 ft / 60 m
Few 6000 ft / 1828 m
(Above Ground Level)
Aviation
Flight Rule:
VFR (NZSP)
Wind Speed :: 6 mph / 9 km/h / 2.6 m/s
Wind Dir :: 70° (ENE)
Ceiling :: Unlimited
The Warmest Reporting Stations are:
Base Marambio Centro Met. Antartico, Antarctica
Elevation:650 ft / 198 m
Temperature :: 46 °F / 8 °C
Conditions :: Partly Cloudy
Humidity:52%
Dew Point:34 °F / 1 °C
Wind:12 mph / 18 km/h from the NW
Wind Gust:-
Pressure:29.08 in / 985 hPa (Falling)
Visibility:19.0 miles / 30.0 kilometers
Clouds:Scattered Clouds 9843 ft / 3000 m
Mostly Cloudy 19685 ft / 6000 m
(Above Ground Level)
Base San Martin, Antarctica
Elevation:13 ft / 4 m
Temperature :: 42 °F / 5 °C
Conditions :: Overcast
Humidity:55%
Dew Point:31 °F / 0 °C
Wind:Calm
Wind Gust:-
Pressure:29.05 in / 984 hPa (Rising)
Visibility:12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers
UV:1 out of 16
Clouds:Overcast 9843 ft / 3000 m
(Above Ground Level)
The Coldest Reporting Stations are:
Vostok, Antarctica
Elevation:11220 ft / 3420 m
Temperature :: -41 °F / -40 °C
Conditions :: Clear
Humidity:41%
Dew Point:-50 °F / -45 °C
Wind:7 mph / 11 km/h from the NW
Wind Gust:-
Pressure: in / hPa (Rising)
Visibility:12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers
Raw METAR Aviation
Flight Rule:VFR ()
Wind Speed:7 mph / 11 km/h /
Wind Dir:320° (NW)
Ceiling:100000 ft / 100000 m
Amundsen-Scott, AA
Elevation:9285 ft / 2830 m
Temperature :: -24 °F / -31 °C
Conditions :: Partly Cloudy
Wind:12 mph / 18 km/h / 5.1 m/s from the NNE
Pressure:28.59 in / 968 hPa (Falling)
Windchill:-47 °F / -44 °C
Visibility:6.2 miles / 10.0 kilometers
UV:2 out of 16
Clouds:Few 6000 ft / 1828 m
Few 8000 ft / 2438 m
(Above Ground
Amundsen-Scott, AA
Elevation:9285 ft / 2830 m
Temperature :: -24 °F / -31 °C
Conditions :: Partly Cloudy
Wind:12 mph / 18 km/h / 5.1 m/s from the NNE
Pressure:28.59 in / 968 hPa (Falling)
Windchill:-47 °F / -44 °C
Visibility:6.2 miles / 10.0 kilometers
UV:2 out of 16
Clouds:Few 6000 ft / 1828 m
Few 8000 ft / 2438 m
(Above Ground Level)
January 16, 2008
0900
Antarctica Temperature Satellite
Monday, January 21, 2008
Bush officials narrow foreign horizons
Cartoon from The Arab News
The USA Executive Branch is a global horror. Bush goes to the Middle East in a peace initiative while having invaded Iraq illegally, causing the entire region to be destabilized, killed innumerable Iraqi citizens just because he could as a methodology to victory in order to expand the war, sent millions of Iraqis to refugee camps and cast a full one third of the country into poverty. It's called genocide by every defintion known to international law. If Saddam Hussein had done this in a proportional scale to Kuwait, he'd be hung by now. Oh, wait. He was hung and didn't accomplish nearly what Bush and Cheney did. That is simply amazing.
In this LA Times report, the word "Failed" and "Illegal" appears nowhere, except, in 'description.'
Saudi Arabia is not stupid. In order to prevent invasion across their borders in Bush's 'final war year' they lavished him with jewels and honors while wining him and dining him to insure their annual allotment of USA military hardware.
(click title to entry, thank you)
In the final year, Bush administration officials are scaling back ambitious diplomatic goals, and appear more intent on managing crises than on reaching legacy milestones.
By Paul Richter, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
January 21, 2008
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is beginning its last year in office by quietly scaling back its foreign policy ambitions as it struggles with new obstacles and rapidly dwindling influence.
Only a few months ago, senior officials predicted that before their exit, they could deliver the Middle East peace deal that had eluded so many predecessors. But this month, as President Bush toured Israel and the West Bank, officials made it clear that the deal he's now talking about is not a long-awaited final agreement, but a preliminary pact to set the terms for talks.
In addition, the administration's efforts to get North Korea and Iran to end their nuclear programs have suffered deflating setbacks in recent weeks. And although the administration's greatest foreign policy undertaking, Iraq, has seen encouraging security improvements, the goal of Iraqi political reconciliation remains distant.
The upshot is that the Bush administration is going to be spending the next year managing crises and tidying up messes until the next president takes over, rather than reaching legacy milestones, as officials recently had hoped.
How do you ask Americans to support an illegal war? Oh, wait. It's not Americans that support the Iraq War. It's Republicans that do.
Wasn't it Nixon that found political solice in Vietnam ? Just the same way George Walker Bush and Richard Cheney does with Iraq? These men are still in the Executive Branch? Why?
"Read my lips...just go out and kill Iraqis. The less there are the sooner we'll have control of the country and the less Americans will die."
The methodology seems fairly clear. I doubt these men would openly lie about committing war crimes. The Bush Surge Strategy was simply more soldiers to kill more people to get the civilian numbers down.
Anyone still wondering why there are insurgents?
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