Elephants such as C'Sar, a resident of the N.C. Zoo, are social and free-ranging creatures that can travel up to 10 miles a day.

An advocate for captive elephants (click here)
Hillsborough woman works to improve conditions for big beasts
By Meredith Geldmeir, Correspondent
HILLSBOROUGH -- Suzanne Roy has a passion for protecting animals. In her home office, one of Roy's five cats, one she bottle-fed as a kitten, lazes in a sun patch. The dog wanders in for a back scratch.
But some of Roy's animal friends are not so furry and definitely too large for the house -- because Roy also has a passion for elephants.
She reaches for a pile of photographs on her desk showing two circus elephants, Tina and Jewel; Tina's leg is chained to a truck tire. Jewel's skull and spine are protruding after she lost 1,000 pounds, one-seventh of her body weight, before the U.S. Department of Agriculture forced the circus to take her off the road.
As program director for In Defense of Animals, an international animal-welfare organization, Roy campaigns to improve the conditions of elephants in zoos and circuses....

Zoos

McCartney campaigns to stop kangaroo cull
13/03/2008 - 1:18:07 PM
Paul McCartney has spoken out in disgust at Australia's plans to cull a large number of kangaroos.
The former Beatle has added his support to a campaign by Vegetarians International Voice for Animals (VIVA!), who are desperate to halt the proposed killing of 500 of the marsupials near the country's capital, Canberra.
The animals have been targeted to be culled after the Australian government issued reports stating their large numbers impacted heavily on other species in the area.
The 65-year-old rocker, who has been an avid campaigner for animal rights, says: "There is an urgent need for action to protect kangaroos from a barbaric industry which slaughters them for meat and leather."
VIVA! Have long fought a battle against the killing of kangaroos for meat exportation.
McCartney's latest comments come just after the release of a new People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) poster campaign in which he describes the moment he decided to become a vegetarian.

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp?j=249183406&p=z49y84yyz


A solemn farewell for Detroit Zoo gorilla
Catherine Jun / The Detroit News
ROYAL OAK -- The chimps and gorillas at the Detroit Zoo's ape exhibit were more subdued Wednesday, as if they could sense something had changed.
"It's apparent all the other animals know that something's off," zookeeper Lindsay Maess said.
What was off was what was missing: Sunshine, the hulking, 550-pound silverback gorilla who had become a favorite of zoogoers and staff over the last decade. After fighting a flulike illness for weeks, he died Tuesday.
Advertisement
On Wednesday, staff members were awaiting test results to determine the cause of death. Some guess heart failure or possibly pneumonia.
And as is standard protocol, both primates and their human caregivers alike will be monitored for any cold or flu symptoms for the rest of the winter season.
"We take precautions when it comes to the safety of the staff and the safety of the animals," said Scott Carter, a zoo director.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080313/METRO/803130388/1409/METRO


Lincoln Park Zoo South Pond set for renovation
Water to be deeper, cleaner for wildlife
By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah Tribune reporter
March 13, 2008
Lincoln Park Zoo will pour almost $12 million into its historic South Pond next winter, in an effort to make the landmark cleaner, deeper and more inviting to wildlife and humans.
Officials said the renovation, approved by the Chicago Park District Board Wednesday, is scheduled to begin in October and finish in time for the paddleboat season in 2009.
"We want to restore it and make it a more natural environment," said Sharon Dewar, a zoo spokeswoman. "It's taking away the concrete and steel and making it a more natural environment that will be host to native wildlife."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/northwest/chi-zoo-pond_13mar13,0,537293.story


Zoo's rare tiger cub found dead
By Jamie Duncan
March 13, 2008 09:04pm
A RARE juvenile Sumatran tiger was found dead in a pool in its enclosure at Melbourne Zoo today.
The body of the five-month-old tiger, named Nakal, was found by his keepers in the pool in the enclosure he shared with his two siblings.
Zoos Victoria general curator Dan Maloney said it was unclear how Nakal died.
"We don't know at this point. We are trying to work it out,'' Mr Maloney said.
"He appears to have drowned in his exhibit pool, his habitat pool that he has played in many times.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23370803-5005961,00.html


Polk conservation board supports new zoo plan
By JASON PULLIAM
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
March 13, 2008
Backers of a plan to expand Blank Park Zoo and revive the south-side "superblock" scored their second victory in as many nights on Wednesday.
The Polk County Conservation Board voted 4-0 in support of a conceptual master plan for the superblock, framed between Southeast 14th Street, Southwest Ninth Street, Army Post Road and County Line Road. Board member Michelle McEnany was absent.
The board's support increases the likelihood that the current plan will be implemented after nearly two years of starts, stops and several scuttled plans. The plan also drew unanimous support from the Des Moines school board on Tuesday.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080313/NEWS05/803130413/-1/SPORTS0806


Bergerons welcome new zoo rules
Posted By Jeremy Ashley
Posted 22 hours ago
Owners of a local exotic animal sanctuary welcomed news of the Ontario government's plan to introduce new legislation aimed at imposing new rules for the province's 50 roadside zoos.
Joe and Pat Bergeron, who operate Bergerons' Exotic Animal Sanctuary on County Road 5 in Prince Edward County, are hopeful the new regulations will bring a new standard of care for animals at similar operations across the province.
"I know it's been coming, but it's been talked about for such a long time," said Pat Bergeron shortly before heading out to care for the dozens of animals at the site.
"As long as the health and happiness of the animals is front and centre, it should be a good thing."
The legislation, aimed at overhauling a 90-year-old law, is expected to set standards of care for small zoos and give the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals the right to inspect the operations. It is expected to be introduced this week after the provincial legislature resumes sitting.

http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=940563



Aching Zoo Resident Gets Alternative Medicine
Brazilian Tapir Moving Around Better Following Acupuncture
When San Antonio zookeepers noticed that George, a 38-year-old Brazilian tapir, seemed a bit sore and stiff, they decided to try traditional medicine.
But after the treatment didn’t seem to help George feel better, zoo officials decided to give an ancient remedy a try.
The zoo called on veterinarian Ben Espy, who had tried acupuncture on George in the past with success.
Anita Balan, a zoo supervisor recalled how well George responded to the ancient remedy.
“I got radio calls (saying), ‘Oh my gosh, there is something wrong. George is running around,’” Balan said. “So it obviously helps.”

http://tapirblog.tapirdesign.com/?p=56


Irwin zoo broke law 13 times - minister
By Rosemary Desmond
March 14, 2008 06:17pm
THE Irwin family's Australian Wildlife Hospital at Australia Zoo has breached environmental laws relating to koalas 13 times, the Queensland Government says.
Sustainability Minister Andrew McNamara said today he was concerned at repeated infringements by the Sunshine Coast-based hospital of regulations covering the release of injured koalas back into the wild.
Under Queensland environmental laws, koalas should be released into a location that is no more than 5km from the area where they were found, unless permission is granted for another location because there is no suitable environment within 5km.
"It is disappointing that an organisation held in such high regard has flouted regulations designed to protect the best interests of koalas in Queensland," Mr McNamara said.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23375040-5005961,00.html


Girl Falls Into Bear Exhibit at Zoo
15 hours ago
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Zoo officials in St. Louis say a young girl fell into a bear exhibit and received a minor head injury.
Zoo spokesman Wyndel Hill says the child is between the ages of 3 and 5. She had visited the zoo with her mother Wednesday, climbed on a rail and fell over into the exhibit.
Hill says neither of the two bears could have come in contact with the girl because of several security measures. They include a 6-foot-deep moat and a wall between the bears and the child.
The zoo plans to review security.
In 2004, one of the sun bears wounded a keeper in a separate part of the exhibit away from public view.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jOxVZcdp4PzuGBRyBdph_M4yLbLwD8VCNRFO0



2 New Penguins Make Zoo Debut
POSTED: 3:51 pm CDT March 13, 2008
UPDATED: 4:40 pm CDT March 13, 2008
OMAHA, Neb. -- There are a couple of new birds on ice at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo.
A king penguin and a macaroni penguin recently arrived from a rescue group in South Africa. When the two birds were found, zoo officials said, they were severely dehydrated and have since been nursed back to health.
There are already king penguins on display at the zoo's exhibit, but the zoo hopes to find a boyfriend for the female macaroni penguin.

http://www.ketv.com/entertainment/15587782/detail.html



Surprise! SF Zoo tiger had three babies, not one
By Linda Goldston
Article Launched: 03/13/2008 05:27:21 PM PDT
Make it triplets for Leanne the tiger.
Officials at the San Francisco Zoo had thought the Sumatran tiger gave birth to only one cub on March 6. But animal keepers were able to confirm this week that the 230-pound new mom had triplets.
"We're hoping in the next few days to conduct a physical exam," said Paul Garcia, zoo spokesman. "We might even see more."
Animal keepers and Jacqueline Jencek, chief zoo veterinarian, began to suspect there was more than one cub two days after Leanne gave birth. But Leanne had licked the video camera being used to monitor mom and the baby, limiting the view. And parts of the nesting box built for Leanne and her new babies are not visible from the camera.
"One of our keepers saw them when Leanne went out (of the nesting box) to get a drink of water," Garcia said. "She counted three."
Leanne and her cubs won't be disturbed for at least a few more days. And even then, Garcia said the cubs will not be gathered for a physical examination until the mother tiger steps out for food or a drink of water.
"We're kind of watching the routine Leanne is doing," he said. "Typically in the morning, she's getting up to eat and get water."

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_8563943?nclick_check=1



Rare North Island brown kiwi hatches at the Smithsonian's National Zoo
March 13, 2008 10:48 PM
Early Friday morning, March 7, one of the world’s most endangered species—a North Island brown kiwi—hatched at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo Bird House. Keepers had been incubating the egg for five weeks, following a month long incubation by the chick’s father, carefully monitoring it for signs of pipping: the process in which the chick starts to break through the shell. The chick remained in an isolet for four days and is now in a specially designed brooding box.
The box will be not be on exhibit, but will be accessible on Friday, March 14, by webcam on the Zoo’s Web site at http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Birds/Kiwi/default.cfm. Since kiwis are nocturnal, the best time to view the chick exploring and foraging in its box will be in the evening.
The sex of the chick is still unknown and is difficult to determine by sight. For this reason, Bird House staff enlisted the help of National Zoo geneticists. Using DNA samples swabbed from the inside of the egg and from the bird’s beak, the geneticists hope to decipher its sex in the coming weeks.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2008/03/13/rare_north_island_brown_kiwi_hatches_at_the_smithsonians_national_zoo.html



Alan Alda at the N.C. Zoo
Posted on: March 13, 2008 11:28 PM, by Coturnix
He was here last Tuesday for filming of a scientific documentary for PBS:
He was doing important work on an upcoming PBS special "The Human Spark", a three-part documentary about what makes us human, due to air next year.
Alda, who also met with researchers at Duke University on Monday, started filming last week and said he will tape additional segments in France, England and South Africa, as well as in the Pacific Northwest. Duke primatologist Brian Hare suggested the NC Zoo as a shooting location, zoo spokesman Rod Hackney said.

http://scienceblogs.com/clock/2008/03/alan_alda_at_the_nc_zoo.php



Advisers to urge review of S.F. Zoo
Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, March 14, 2008
Nearly three months after a tiger escaped from its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo and mauled a teenage boy to death, a city advisory commission will ask the Board of Supervisors to instigate a review of the facility's setup and exercise more control over the privately run zoo.
Some Animal Control and Welfare commissioners are worried that changes made at the zoo over the past couple of months only focused on public safety. They want the city to force the zoo to focus more on animal welfare "and less on the entertainment of humans," said Commissioner Christine Garcia.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/13/BAJPVJBJB.DTL


Oakland Zoo's expansion plans ruffling feathers
Residents upset about losing open space
By Momo Chang, STAFF WRITER
Article Created: 03/14/2008 02:32:22 AM PDT
OAKLAND — The Oakland Zoo is planning its first major expansion in nearly 50 years, hoping to push into 45 acres of Knowland Park, boost its annual visitors by 100,000 and add new animal exhibits, a veterinary hospital and a gondola ride.
The new exhibits are part of "California!," which will showcase the state's native plants and animals such as the grizzly bear, mountain lion, jaguar, wolf, eagle and California condor.
But some zoo neighbors aren't happy about the zoo's eastward expansion into Knowland Park. They don't want lose open space to the zoo, noting that the 525-acre Knowland Park is public land deeded to the city.
"We're not opposed to the zoo as an entity," said Jason Webster, a member of the grass-roots group Friends of Knowland Park, which wants to preserve the open space. "A majority of us respect the zoo. We're asking the zoo to restrict expansion."
About 50 residents met with Councilman Larry Reid, whose district includes the zoo, and zoo staff at a Feb. 28 community meeting to discuss the expansion. But it may be a moot point.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_8570274


World's smallest deer at Queens Zoo
The news to hit the Wildlife Conservation Society's Queens Zoo is the arrival of Josephine, the world's smallest deer and Napoleon's new mate.
Zookeepers say this imperial pair took a liking to each other almost immediately, forming a bond similar to that of their historic namesakes. While Napoleon Bonaparte shared passionate love letters with Josephine, the pudu share more practical things, such as trees for shelter and greens for food. Hopefully, this pint-sized pair, native to South America, not France, will make their own history at the Queens Zoo.

http://queenscrap.blogspot.com/2008/03/worlds-smallest-deer-at-queens-zoo.html


Zoo expansion plan renews plea to preserve tropical garden
By ERIC STAATS (Contact)
6:52 p.m., Saturday, March 8, 2008
In the 1920s, Henry Nehrling came to Naples, then an isolated outpost, and planted a tropical garden that made a mark on Florida horticulture that’s still revered today.
The 13-acre achievement _ what’s left of it _ sits on the northern edge of the Naples Zoo, which last month unveiled an expansion master plan that is raising concerns anew about the garden’s fate.
The land underneath the zoo, including the Nehrling tract, is publicly owned by Collier County government after voters approved a referendum in 2004 to tax themselves to save the historic attraction.
The zoo plan identifies Nehrling’s plantings with numbered circles spread through new exhibits for black bears and red wolves, a reef exhibit, a walk-through aviary and an elevated boardwalk through a canopy of trees.

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/mar/08/zoo-expansion-plan-renews-plea-preserve-tropical-g/

continued...

2 right whales spotted with rope tangled in mouths - The Marine Mammal Protection Act - Same law that protects Polar Bears

March 13, 2008 11:56 AM

By Globe Staff
Scientists today are continuing to monitor two female right whales off Cape Cod that were spotted earlier this week with rope tangled in their mouths.
The entanglement is “relatively mild” and because the rope is not wrapped around other body parts, “no immediate threat exists,” according to a press release from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies.
Both of the whales are breeding females, which are particularly valuable because there are less than 400 still alive. “They help this critically endangered species recover by reproducing and thus adding to the population,” said Tanya Gabettie, a spokesperson for the Center for Coastal Studies, in an e-mail.
An aerial survey team noticed the first whale Tuesday afternoon during a routine flyover of Cape Cod Bay. The whale, which researchers know by the number 2645, was diving and feeding with at least 10 other whales. The Center for Coastal Studies sent a disentanglement team in a boat to get a closer look.

The team noticed another whale, which is know by the nickname Wart, that also had rope caught in its jaws. Both whales appeared to be feeding normally, despite the rope. However, scars on the whales indicated that the entanglement was once more severe, officials said.
This year that have been four reported right whale entanglements off the East Coast, including the pair spotted Tuesday.

Report: Sonar use could harm whales (click here)
By James Halpin, Associated Press Writer
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A naval exercise off the Australian coast using submarine-hunting sonar could kill whales or cause them to become stranded, the International Whaling Commission warned in a report.
Environmental groups say the mid-frequency sonar U.S. and Australian forces plan to use can cause hearing loss and tissue damage in whales and can alter their diving habits. Deep-diving species such as the beaked whale are especially at risk, they say, because rapid surfacing can result in the bends, a decompression sickness that can be fatal.
"The reality is the strandings are only the tip of the iceberg," said Marsha Green of the Ocean Mammal Institute. "Most of the animals that are injured are going to die and sink to the bottom."
The biennial exercise, from June 19 to July 2, will be held off the Australian coast near Queensland and the Northern Territory. More than 20,000 U.S. and 7,500 Australian troops are expected to take part. The exercise will include 125 aircraft and 30 vessels, officials said.
"This is an area where there are beaked whales, and beaked whales have been sensitive to mid-frequency sonar," IWC scientific committee chairman Arne Bjorge told The Associated Press at the group's annual meeting, held in Anchorage last week....

Dated

Spain sees first Baluga born in European zoo
November 04 2006 at 03:47PM
Masdrid - Yulka, a whale in a Spanish zoo, has given birth to the first Beluga born in captivity in Europe.
After a six-month pregnancy and an eight-hour labour, Yulka gave birth to the grey blue baby of undisclosed sex on Thursday, the Valencia Zoo in eastern Spain said in a statement.
The baby whale weighed 90kg and measured 1.20m.
A team of experts will attend to the young mammal to give it the best chance of survival. The zoo noted the mortality rate for newborn Belugas was high.
It will be at least a month before the public is allowed to see the zoo's new arrival.
Belugas are a creamy white as adults but dark blue or grey at birth, and have a rounded, cuddlesome appearance and a short snout. They can live for up to 30 years.

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=143&art_id=qw116262774376B215


Meet the swan who’s crazy in love with a plastic boat!
Posted on Sunday, November 05, 2006 (EST)
Meet world’s oddest couple - a black swan named Schwarzer Peter and a bird-shaped pedal-boat that has won his undying love.
London, Nov 5 (ANI): Meet world’s oddest couple - a black swan named Schwarzer Peter and a bird-shaped pedal-boat that has won his undying love.
The swan has recently been moved to a zoo with his plastic lover.
Biologists in Muenster, north-western Germany, said that the rare Black Australian Swan has been showing all the typical signs of love, which includes circling around its plastic lover, staring endlessly at it and making crooning noises.
The swan now refuses to fly south for winter without his mate. Park keepers say that the lovesick swan refused to leave the boat on the Aasee Lake, which also should be taken off during the cold weather.

http://news.sawf.org/Lifestyle/26158.aspx


Veterinary Hospital Opens at Sacramento Zoo
Special to SacUnion.com
Published: November 3, 2006
SACRAMENTO—On Nov. 9, the Sacramento Zoo hosted the long-awaited Grand Opening of the Dr. Murray E. Fowler Veterinary Hospital. Mary Healy, Sacramento Zoo’s Director and CEO turned the first shovel of dirt almost a year ago at the groundbreaking on December 1, 2005. This November she will be joined by Heather Fargo, Mayor of Sacramento and Councilman, Rob Fong. Also present will be Board President, Steve Brand and Dr. Murray E. Fowler, Director Emeritus, whom the hospital is named after.

http://www.sacunion.com/pages/sacramento/articles/8642/


Reported by Allison Martin
Memphis Zoo expanding space for elephants
Updated: Nov 13, 2006 07:19 AM EST
Elephants are some of the most beloved animals at the zoo, but some worry the massive animals don't have enough room to roam. The Memphis Zoo is one of at least 40 zoos across the country expanding the space it gives its elephants.
It's part of a national trend toward elephant conservation, amidst some concerns the animals may be better served roaming free.

http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=5632522


Whooping cranes move to Jacksonville Zoo
The 4-month-old chicks won't be on display for four to six weeks.
The Times-Union
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is now home to two young whooping cranes.
It's the first time the zoo has ever had any of the birds, whose worldwide population is about 500.
The two 4-month-old chicks are in quarantine and will not be on display for four to six weeks, depending on how they grow and adapt. Then they'll go on display in the zoo's Wild Florida exhibit.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/110406/met_6000966.shtml


Miami zoo hosts poop exhibit
News Type: Event — Seeded on Fri Nov 3, 2006 3:34 PM EST
MIAMI - Meadow muffins. Guano. Feces. Solid waste. Caca. The words for poop are endless, but the Miami Metrozoo has another term to add to the list: educational.
Now on display is a 5,000-square-foot exhibit on excrement titled "The Scoop on Poop," which invites visitors to explore the science of scat. The exhibit is filled with photos of animals in some of their most indelicate moments. Stool sample models abound: haylike football-sized balls (elephant), kidney-bean-looking pellets (porcupine) and coallike lumps coated with fur (black bear).
Beyond the "ick" factor, however, zoo officials and the exhibit's creators say there is a lot of information being imparted. Visitors can smell the stench of flowers that mimic dung to attract flies for pollination. Videos include one of a hippo spreading its droppings around to mark its territory. Simple games include "Who Dung It?"

http://thehardmiddle.newsvine.com/_news/2006/11/03/426372-miami-zoo-hosts-poop-exhibit-


Fundraiser at Niabi Zoo to help teacher’s girls
Nick Loomis/QUAD-CITY TIMES A photograph of Niccole Thode holding her sister, Marissa Kunzman, hangs near the carousel at Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley, Ill., during a benefit held for the girls Friday. Their mother, Karla Kunzman, a teacher at Grant Wood Elementary School in Bettendorf, died July 2 from congenital heart failure at the age of 29. The benefit was held at Niabi because Kunzman loved the zoo and often brought her students there for field trips. Niccole lives with her father and stepmother, Jayson and Julie Sage of Davenport. Marissa lives with her father and Karla’s widowed husband, Mitch Kunzman of Sherrard, Ill.
COAL VALLEY, Ill. — Photographs of Karla Kunzman show her smiling as she poses with family members in her journey from small girl to marriage and mother of two young daughters.
Family, friends and supporters from Grant Wood Elementary School in Bettendorf celebrated her life with smiles and a few tears Friday during the Nighttime at Niabi fundraiser at Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley. The first-grade teacher at Grant Wood from Sherrard, Ill., died unexpectedly July 2 of a congenital heart defect.

http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2006/11/04/news/local/doc454c27292549a179269931.txt


NO to All Amendments and YES to the Metro Zoo Proposal
The six amendments that appear on the ballot (numbers are not consecutive since two were taken out) do not belong in the state Constitution. They should not be approved this Tuesday, November 7th. The Metro Zoo proposal should be approved.
Constitutional Amendment No. 1 which deals with the state’s planning and budget process sounds good in principle. It looks like it would promote fiscal discipline in the legislative budget by having fixed spending limits, but this is dangerous in an economic downturn. It is preferable that the entire Legislature votes and makes spending decisions year after year. Vote NO.
Constitutional Amendment No. 3 requires a 60% majority for approval by voters to change the state Constitution as opposed to the current simple majority, 50% plus one. Raising the percentage protects the Constitution from frivolous amendments, but impeding the voting public’s simple majority is wrong. Vote NO.

http://www.diariolasamericas.com/news.php?nid=16275


Estates leave Columbus Zoo $4.2 million
Published: Nov. 4, 2006 at 5:32 PM
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's endowment fund boosted its bottom line by more than $4 million thanks to two bequests.
Zoo officials said they waited to announce the gifts, made in 2003 and 2004, until all legal details of the estates were settled, the Columbus Dispatch said.
Officials said the donations -- $2 million and $2.2 million -- are two of the largest bequests in the zoo's history and came as a surprise, the Dispatch said. The zoo's development department had not worked with the estates, learning of the gifts through letters from the estates' attorneys.
Officials said the gifts will go into an endowment used to fund special education and conservation projects, and to buy animals, the Dispatch said.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/2006/11/04/estates_leave_columbus_zoo_42_million/6093/


Zoo Receiving Donation for Tiger Exhibit
Posted: 7:41 PM Nov 1, 2006
Last Updated: 10:23 PM Nov 1, 2006
November 1 - A donor is giving the Sedgwick County Zoo money for an Asian tiger exhibit, but there's a catch. The community must come up with part of the cash.
The piece of land between the Downing Gorilla Forest and the Asian forest could soon become an Asian tiger exhibit. An anonymous donor is giving the zoo $1 million dollars to build the exhibit.
The zoo must match the million with other contributions. If that happens, then the donor will kick in another million to complete the total $3 million cost of the exhibit.
Visitors at the zoo say they'll be excited to see the new exhibit. If the zoo meets its fundraising goals, the exhibit could be open by late 2008 to early 2009.

http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/4545701.html


Thai elephants arrive at Taronga Zoo
PM - Thursday, 2 November , 2006 18:42:00
Reporter: Kathryn Roberts
MARK COLVIN: Four of the eight Asian elephants at the centre of an animal welfare row have arrived in Sydney.
There have been two years of legal argument and protests in Australia and Thailand about their move.
The group arrived in a huge Russian plane this morning from Cocos Island where they'd spent 90 days in quarantine.
They were taken to Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo under police watch. The hope is that they'll be able to breed there.
Animal activists have been fighting the move, but now that the elephants are here they say they'll keep watch to ensure they are healthy and happy.
Kathryn Roberts reports.
KATHRYN ROBERTS: In June, animal rights protesters in Thailand temporarily stopped the transfer of the eight elephants from the Thai countryside to Bangkok airport.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1780058.htm


Puma Dies At Lincoln Park Zoo
CHICAGO (STNG) ― Lincoln Park Zoo veterinarians euthanized a 19-year-old female puma on Wednesday, saying the cat had been steadily declining due to conditions related to old age.
Though a full necropsy report will not be completed for about a week, the puma had been undergoing treatment for severe arthritis in her spine and was known to have progressive renal (kidney) failure, according to a release from the zoo.
Over the past few weeks, staff noticed mild changes in the puma's behavior, including a decrease in activity, and continued a close watch, the release said. During the past week, the puma lost her appetite and began vomiting and losing weight at an alarming rate.
Pumas, also known as mountain lions and/or cougars, are powerful predators native to the Americas. Once found throughout the United States, they were hunted for sport and killed by farmers and ranchers who feared for their livestock. By the 20th century, pumas had been eliminated from the Midwest and East and are now classified as threatened.

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/lincoln.park.zoo.2.333260.html


I do for zoo! Couple adopt animals as wedding gifts
By Staff reporter
THERE were no toasters or dinner plates waiting for newlyweds Damon and Joannah Barnard.
Instead their wedding list was made up of bats, elephants, tapirs and sealions.
Because the Burtonwood couple decided that instead of traditional presents, they wanted zoo adoptions as gifts from Chester Zoo.

http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/display.var.999126.0.i_do_for_zoo_couple_adopt_animals_as_wedding_gifts.php


Thai elephants on display in Taronga Zoo
Four thai elephants that have arrived in Sydney after being in quarantine on the Cocos Islands will be on display to the public from today.
The elephants are part of a group of eight, with the rest to arrive in the next few days.
Their arrival has been delayed by about 18 months after animal welfare groups took legal action to try to stop it.
Taronga Zoo spokesman Guy Cooper says they will be housed in a new enclosure and used in a breeding program.
"Elephants are undoubtedly a big long-term investment and if you're going to go into it you need the best facilities you can develop," he said.
Five of the eight elephants will be kept in Sydney and the other three will go to Melbourne.
Animal welfare groups say they will monitor the elephants for signs of distress.
Zoo officials say the animals are in good health.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200611/s1780190.htm


Taronga Zoo's elephants take the stage
November 3, 2006 - 2:18PM
Taronga Zoo's new Asian elephants have taken to the stage like pros in their first public appearance.
A few excited children and a large media throng gathered at the pachyderms' new enclosure, where the four female elephants celebrated their long-awaited arrival with a roll in the dirt.
The animals are among eight elephants that began a controversial journey from Thailand in June and have been held in quarantine on the Cocos Islands, 2,750km north-west of Perth in the Indian Ocean.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Taronga-Zoos-elephants-take-the-stage/2006/11/03/1162340034822.html



Zebra dies at Virginia Zoo in freak accident
07:01 PM EST on Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Associated Press
CNORFOLK (AP) -- A young zebra at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk has died in a freak accident following a rabies shot.
Zoo spokeswoman Alison Swank says zookeepers administered the shot with a blow dart gun, but the zebra bolted, struck a fence and fell backward.
Swank says the zebra was having trouble breathing and died within minutes Friday from a broken neck.
The City of Norfolk wanted to keep the death under wraps to avoid news coverage of the animal's death. Zoo administrators say they were following new rules from the mayor's office.

http://www.wvec.com/news/topstories/stories/wvec_top_110106_zebra.8d70eb6.html



Press Release: Microsoft Makes a Splash at the Georgia Aquarium With National Essay Contest
Published by ImagingInsider.com November 1st, 2006 in NewsStream
Nov. 1, 2006 — Microsoft® Game Studios is teaming up with the Georgia Aquarium to introduce an educational initiative that will help excite and inform students about the complexity of and caring for marine life. Microsoft Corp., the Georgia Aquarium and AirTran Airways today announced a national essay contest on marine conservation and the importance of preserving aquatic life.

http://www.imaginginsider.com/?p=13612

continued...

Agency faces action for delay in protecting polar bears

One might ask, "Why the DeLay (click here) ?" - CRONY Politics. There is no other reason.

When Polar Bears are classified, there will be no drilling in ANWR.

The USA Government under Republicans of any breed is corrupt.

Just that simple.

Republicans are 'invested' in anciet economics and companies that should have been out of business a long, long time ago. Realize the global climate dynamics causing this crisis with Polar Bears and then realize the USA under a majority of Republican Presidents and legislators have not moved from ancient methods of energy production.

The Republicans' personal holdings, with Cheney as King of the Corruption Hill, see only the wealth and an economic strategy that has sustained their party for decades. They reject alternative energies, alternative fuels, have askewed ideas regarding science, reject conservation as an important national directive (Otherwise they won't be seeking to drill ANWR.), do not value children unless they are growing up to be soldiers, do not respect the future of Americans so much as their immediate bank rolls and fiscal needs, do not see public transportation as important or necessary to a society in need of alternative methods of travel, they seek exploitation of the USA Treasury as a methodology to supporting their economics while giving exceptionally little consideration to social needs, such as SCHIP and other national crisises.

So when they run out of 'propaganda' they simply ignore 'The Rule of Law' and do as they please to achieve their directives. They are human rights violators and in ignoring the law while diverting a nation's wealth into initiatives of illegal wars, they control power that is adverse to the best outcome of an entire nation and hence its allies.

No one should be surprised or shocked the Bush/Cheney administration's EPA is doing the "W"rong thing. They don't intend to do anything else. Ever.

March 13, 2008, 6:38PM
Alaska's US Senators Seek ANWR Drilling (click here)
By STEVE QUINN Associated Press Writer
JUNEAU, Alaska — With oil hitting $110 a barrel, gas prices reaching record highs and energy costs growing prohibitive, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Thursday it's time to reconsider oil exploration on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
She, along with fellow Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, introduced legislation to open up ANWR should oil prices reach $125 for five straight days.
"You get to a point where maybe there is a tipping point when it comes to driving action on an issue like ANWR," Murkowski told The Associated Press. "People are talking about what's going on with the high price of gasoline and the high price of energy that we are feeling acutely at home."
The 1.2 million-acre coastal strip has long been protected from efforts to open the area east of Prudhoe Bay oil field to energy companies.
If opened, Murkowski said revenues would be used by the federal government for alternative energy development, plus energy relief programs for low-income families....




The US government agency responsible for including the polar bear on its list of endangered species faced a new legal challenge yesterday over its failure to protect the supreme Arctic predator. Environmental groups were ready to sue the Bush administration in federal court in California, claiming the Fish and Wildlife Service was in breach of its own mandate.
A decision on classifying the polar bear as threatened due to climate change was due to have been made by January 9, a year after consultations began on the issue. Officially, the service says it is still reviewing technical data and more than 670,000 comments on the issue but its own inspector general has announced a preliminary investigation into the delay to determine whether a full investigation is warranted....

Well, boys and girls that's all for today's news.

Back tomorrow !!!!!

You are going to love this one. Remember good 'ole Neil Bush? Ready? It's a good one.

Neil Bush, younger brother of U.S. President George W. Bush, talks to journalists after a meeting with Paraguay's President Nicanor Duarte in Asuncion, Feb. 28, 2008. Bush is visiting Paraguay with members of the Universal Peace Federation church.(AP Photo/STR)


This is Neil, Georgie's younger brother. Imagine for a minute you could sit down with some million/billionaire friends and come up with a scheme that would seek to solve the world's problem by promoting peace. If you were Neil Bush what would you do? Ready? It's a winner.

Why not come up with a way to alleviate any necessity of the USA for Middle East oil. That would bring peace, right?


ASUNCION, Parguay (AP) — Neil Bush, younger brother of U.S. President George W. Bush, called on Paraguay's president as the guest of a business federation founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.
A presidential press office source, who spoke on condition of not being named, confirmed the younger Bush met President Nicanor Duarte on Thursday along with a delegation from the Universal Peace Federation, a group associated with Moon.
Duarte himself had no statement on the meeting.
Antonio Betancourt, a spokesman for the federation, said that Bush visited Duarte and later met with an opposition congressional leader, Sen. Miguel Abdon Saguier, and that both expressed interest in the Bush family and discussed local matters.
Betancourt said Bush later attended a leadership seminar sponsored by the federation.
The federation's Web site says it is trying to promote peace in the Middle East, South Asia and other regions, as well as proposing an 50-mile, $200 billion tunnel linking Siberia and Alaska....



A tunnel.



A Rev. Sun Myung Moon Tunnel.



A tunnel stretching from Alaska to Russia.



What a pipe dream, huh?



A tunnel to carry Russian crude and gas under the Bering Strait (click here - one will notice the 'crawford link - thought that was a nice touch) to Alaska to meet up with the Alaskan pipeline and into the lower 48, never having to worry about importing Middle East oil ever again and HENCE bringing about world peace. I am quite sure Neil actually believes that will settle everything between Hamas, Fatah and Israel.

Morons ! Complete absolute M O R O N S !!!!!!!!!!

The Cheney Observer - Day Three

The Bush Coup



New Jersey Gov Corzine: We're in a recession
Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:45pm EDT
By Joseph A. Giannone
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, who once led Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs, on Wednesday told Reuters the U.S. economy already is in a recession that could persist, and that federal authorities have only taken the first steps toward turning things around.
"I certainly concur with the view that we are in a recession," Corzine said in an exclusive interview at Reuters' U.S. headquarters in New York. "We have pretty strong indications that we have seen a major, major downshift in the economy. I think we'll find we started in the last quarter of last year."

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1220997020080312



Big candidate lineup set for Rep. Hunter's seat
By Michele Clock
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
March 13, 2008
A rare, open seat in Congress' 52nd District is drawing a crowded field of candidates, including one especially familiar name.
Republican Duncan D. Hunter will go after the seat his father, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, has held more than a quarter century.
Advertisement
The elder Hunter declined to run for re-election to pursue an ill-fated presidential bid.
His absence creates the only vacant congressional seat in the county this year. Yesterday was the filing deadline for the district's June 3 primary election.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080313-9999-1m13file.html



Toll of toxic trailers
Anthony Lane
Published 13 March 2008
Two and a half years after Hurricane Katrina 114,000 people are still living in cramped trailers - now it seems many have been exposed to a cancer-causing chemical
Two and a half years after Hurricane Katrina, 38,000 families, or approximately 114,000 people, have yet to receive the compensation promised by the federal government and are still living in cramped trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).
But just when it seemed that post-Katrina New Orleans could not bear witness to greater suffering or government incompetence, Fema made a stunning announcement. Families living in many of these trailers have been exposed to toxic levels of a cancer-causing chemical.

http://www.newstatesman.com/200803130016



Abramoff's former law firm comments on new indictment
Claiming to be one of many victims of former powerhouse lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the now convicted felon's former employer, the Greenberg Traurig law firm, has responded to criminal charges handed down in an indictment earlier this week. In a statement to KUAM News, director of communications Jill Perry wrote, "This indictment involves rogue conduct by Jack Abramoff. We strongly deny these charges and are confident we will prevail when all the facts are known."
Perry adds Abramoff's plea agreement acknowledged the law firm was a "victim" of their former employee's actions and his conduct. The organization adds they have cooperated with all investigation and, "Have worked to ensure that any former clients were fairly treated. We will address this matter with the same seriousness."
Greenberg Traurig was named in the indictment along with Abramoff and former Superior Court of Guam administrative director Tony Sanchez. They are accused of improperly using more than $300,000 from the Superior Court for lobbying services, as well as various expenses of Greenberg Traurig employees, including political assistance, research on Open Skies, travel, golf trips, and numerous dinners at Abramoff's restaurant, Signatures.

http://www.kuam.com/news/26871.aspx



US House passes resolution to create independent ethics panel
Mike Rosen-Molina at 11:00 AM ET
[JURIST] The US House of Representatives [official website] Tuesday voted 229-182 [roll call] to pass a resolution [HRES 895 materials] creating an independent ethics panel to investigate allegations of malfeasance against House lawmakers. The Office of Congressional Ethics will consist of six non-House members of "exceptional public standing." This represents the first time that the House has delegated the authority to investigate alleged ethics violations to non-House members. Supporters said that the independent panel would help restore public confidence, while opponents worried that it would encourage frivolous investigations. The New York Times has more.
Government watchdog groups praised the outcome of the vote, saying that it showed the House was serious about dealing with ethics violations. Common Cause [advocacy website] called the move a "tremendous improvement to the current system," and noted that the panel would help to improve the House's image [press release] after a series of corruption scandals, including those involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham [JURIST news archives].

http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/03/us-house-passes-resolution-to-create.php



Sanchez, Abramoff indicted
By Stephanie Godlewski
Pacific Daily News
smgodlewski@guampdn.com
A second superseding indictment has been brought against former Superior Court of Guam Administrative Director Tony Sanchez. A few new names and charges have been added.
Sanchez was initially indicted along with California attorney Howard Hills in December 2006, and a superceding indictment came in against the pair in March of 2007, adding more charges to the case.

http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080313/NEWS01/803130301/1002



Condoleezza Rice to avoid Argentina during South American trip
By Alexei Barrionuevo
Published: March 12, 2008
RIO DE JANEIRO: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to arrive in Brazil on Thursday for a two-day visit to South America just days after Colombia's assassination of a top rebel leader enraged Ecuador's president and drew threats of military action by President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela.
Notably absent from Rice's previously scheduled visit to Brazil and Chile, however, will be Argentina, where the first elected female president in the country's history, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, was inaugurated in December. The omission underscores Washington's angst with the new Kirchner government, which has continued to strengthen ties with Chávez while accusing the United States of political motives in an investigation into an alleged $800,000 secret campaign contribution from Venezuela to Kirchner.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/12/africa/rice.php



Five years on, Rice admits mistakes in Iraqi reconstruction
20 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Almost five years after the start of the Iraq war, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged Wednesday that US-led efforts to rebuild the country should have begun much earlier.
"I would have to admit, I think we've learned that, yes, it is really important to be able to help others build their states, to help others build their nations," she told US lawmakers.
She was replying to a question on whether the administration of President George W. Bush had changed its mind on the controversial issue of helping other countries with "nation-building."
"My view is, it is still something that we need to do with civilians," Rice, who was national security advisor at the time of the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, told a congressional committee.
She was defending the administration's 2008-2009 budget which has earmarked some 249 million dollars to create 351 diplomatic posts devoted to "nation-building."

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jh4gBeAoLnHACbhFfGs0MS7AViCw
continued...

The Bush Coup - Part II



Romney to McCain: I would be 'honored' to be your running mate
The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/12/2008 01:16:08 PM MDT
Posted: 9:12 AM- WASHINGTON -- Mitt Romney says he would be "honored" to be chosen as a running mate to the Republican presidential nominee.
Romney dropped out of the presidential race in February after falling behind in the delegate count in Super Tuesday contests to John McCain. McCain has now clinched enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee.
Romney's comments came on Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes."
He has recently been suggested as a promising option for a McCain ticket by former White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove and other political commentators.
Others say he would not help McCain attract evangelical voters or voters from the South _ segments where both men more often lost to former candidate Mike Huckabee.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8545354

Is there one, just one international venue where Condi Rice was actually successful? Nope ! "...The name of the report was "Bin Laden Determined to Strike Within the USA..."

Rice doubts any solution soon in Nagorno-Karabakh
Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:21pm EDT
By Susan Cornwell
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed doubt on Wednesday that the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh can be solved soon, saying there are problems on both sides.
Rice spoke at a Capitol Hill hearing after two lawmakers expressed concern about the possibility of another war in the Caucasus region and asked why the Bush administration was seeking more military aid for Azerbaijan than Armenia.
Nagorno-Karabakh was seized by pro-Armenian forces from Azerbaijan in a war in the 1990s in which 35,000 people died.
Sixteen soldiers from both sides died in clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh this month, one of the worst breaches of the 1994 cease-fire there. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matt Bryza visited the region afterwards and expressed concerns to both Armenian and Azeri officials that the clashes not recur.
"In the immediate future I don't know that Nagorno-Karabakh can get solved," Rice said at the House appropriations subcommittee hearing on the State Department's budget.

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1242026020080312


Bush's Federal Judges 'Hostile' to Civil Rights, Liberals Say
By Monisha Bansal
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
March 13, 2008
(CNSNews.com) - Noting that the next president will have the opportunity to appoint several federal judges, liberal legal experts said the Bush administration's "legacy will harm American's rights."
President George W. Bush has appointed 277 judges to lifelong terms - almost one-third of the federal judiciary - including two Supreme Court justices, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito.
"While he's only served eight years, [he] will leave a legacy that will harm and do great damage to all of the rights and protections that we Americans cherish so much," Nan Aron, president of the liberal Alliance for Justice, told Cybercast News Service.
"We're going to see increasing numbers of decisions coming down, not just from the Supreme Court, but the courts of appeal from around the country, hostile to the environment, consumer protections, civil and women's rights and hostile to civil liberties," she said.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200803/POL20080313a.html



The Roe v. Wade of Gun Rights
By Ken Blackwell
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Editor's Note: This column is part II of a two-part series co-written by Ken Blackwell and Sandy Froman. Part I can be found here.

The two red-hot issues fused by the District of Columbia v. Heller case -- guns and judges -- are two of the most divisive in American politics.

D.C. v. Heller could become one of the most important cases in American history, with profound political and policy implications.

The case will directly affect 90 million American gun owners. Whether they have a constitutional right to own guns immediately makes their ownership either a protected right or merely a privilege that the government can restrict at will. Either way everyone else in our society is indirectly affected.

http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/KenBlackwell/2008/03/13/the_roe_v_wade_of_gun_rights



Goldman Sachs finds the rough in Japan
By Lindsay Whipp
Published: March 12 2008 20:06 Last updated: March 12 2008 20:06
Competition at the prestigious Narita Golf Club is usually confined to its manicured greens, where many of Japan’s business elite would entertain clients during the indulgent years of the country’s bubble economy.
Fast forward past Japan’s lost decade to 2008 and any aggression has shifted from the tee to the courthouse as the passion that some Japanese have for golf has spurred a group of disgruntled members to take on the mighty Goldman Sachs. If they succeed this would be the US investment bank’s third failed golf course in­vest­ment in Japan, so the stakes are high for both sides when members’ votes on Goldman’s rehabilitation plan for the club are counted on March 19.
The Japanese arm of Goldman Sachs, which bought the club in 2006, put it into bankruptcy protection in October after a number of members demanded the return of their deposits. The club has debts of Y43.7bn ($428m), of which Y29.4bn is membership deposits and Y14.3bn is a loan to the club Goldman bought back from the lender. The club could not afford to repay the deposits and continue to operate, and so filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/860e5662-f03e-11dc-ba7c-0000779fd2ac.html



March 12, 2008, 3:08PM
Sector Glance: Coal Producers Slide
NEW YORK — Shares of coal producers pulled back Wednesday, after a Goldman Sachs analyst suggested that ramped-up production will drag down spot prices and stock values sooner than many on Wall Street currently believe.
Analyst Michael Molnar said that historically high spot prices will lead companies to increase production, which will offset current bullish demand.
"The incentive of huge profits possible at current spot pricing will likely trump many of the barriers in getting production to market," he said in a client note.
Spot prices have been driven by demand from emerging markets, especially China and India. Most recently, supply concerns caused by flooding and power outages in coal powerhouses such as Australia and South Africa have driven U.S. coal prices even higher.
Here's how some major U.S. coal producers performed Wednesday:
Peabody Energy Corp., down $2.68, or 5 percent, to $50.68.
Massey Energy Co., down $1.16, or 3.2 percent, to $35.
Arch Coal Inc., down $2.74, or 5.7 percent, to $45.23.
Foundation Coal Holdings Inc., down $1.94, or 3.6 percent, to $51.53.
Consol Energy Inc., down $1.73, or 2.5 percent, to $68.86.
Alpha Natural Resources Inc. down 74 cents to $39.02.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5613908.html


Goldman Sachs reported as likely to buy a 20% stake in Shriram Credit
By Bangalore Bureau
Last update: 7:04 a.m. EDT March 12, 2008
165.59, +2.58, +1.6%) is close to buying a 20% stake in privately-owned Shriram Credit Co. for INR3 billion in a bid to enter India's equity and commodity brokerage business, the Economic Times reported, citing unnamed sources.
The U.S.-based financial services major, which will buy the stake through a preferential share issue, can also raise its holding by another 5% at a later stage, the report said.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/goldman-sachs-reported-likely-buy/story.aspx?guid=%7BA3C304A9-E229-45F6-8D11-CC924F771281%7D


BB+ Brazil vs. AA- Goldman Sachs: Who's Got the Better Credit Rating?
posted on: March 12, 2008 about stocks: GS
It wasn’t that long ago that Brazil was a fiscal basketcase. But these days, the global credit markets are telling us that it’s a better credit than Goldman Sachs (GS).
As of Monday morning, Goldman’s 2037 6.75% bonds were trading at 85.441, implying a yield of 7.9%. Brazil’s 2037 7.125% 2037 bonds have rallied to 107.19 - generating a yield of 6.647%.
When these two bonds were issued, Goldman’s commanded a rate that was 37.5bps lower than the nation of Brazil. In less than a year, Goldman’s 30-year bonds have backed up 130bps, and are now paying a 340bps premium vs. the 30-year U.S. government bond.
With Goldman sporting a market cap of $61 billion (down 40% from last year’s high), and shareholders equity of $42.8 billion (as of 11/07), those AA minus-rated 7.9% yielding bonds seem to have plenty of cushion under them.
Brazil has performed incredibly well since 2005, when it owed the world $400 billion. Today, it is a net creditor, and expecting to be upgraded to “investment grade” later this year, according to Merrill Lynch (MER).
AA minus bonds are yielding higher than BB+.
Is there a disconnect here? It appears that markets have become so distrusting of the rating agencies that investors will even doubt the credit rating of Goldman itself.
Disclosure: I own GS.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/68206-bb-brazil-vs-aa-goldman-sachs-who-s-got-the-better-credit-rating



WHAT IS THIS?

AOL and Goldman Sachs?

Really ?

Online Video Service NextNew Receives $15 Million Funding; Goldman, Velocity, Pittman Invest
By Rafat Ali - Wed 12 Mar 2008 08:45 AM PST
Online video production and distribution service NextNew Networks has received $15 million in a new second round of funding...the round was co-led by Goldman Sachs and Velocity Interactive Group (Jon Miller is already on the board from before). Previous investors Spark Capital has invested again as has Saban Media Group and Bob Pittman.
NextNew, co-founded by former MTVN (NYSE: VIA) exec Herb Scannell, former Sundance COO Jed Simmonds, former Hanna-Barbera president Fred Seibert, raised a $8 million round in 2006. I have been skeptical of video production studios like NextNew and since the company started, many other competitors have entered the field. It is a hits-driven business in a medium where a definition of hit is still being defined.
Meanwhile, NextNew has also announced a deal with AOL (NYSE: TWX) to provide AOL Video with about 2,000 episodes from some of the short-form videos it has produced since its debut last March. AOL will create a separate video channel for NextNew shows within its portal.

http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-online-video-service-nextnew-receives-15-million-funding-goldman-veloci/

continued...

The Bush Coup - Part III




They are anticipating The Avian Flu is more the issue !

Bio-fuels push up feed costs
POULTRY FACTS
There were 2,792 chicken producers in Canada in 2006.
Canada produced 973.6 million kilograms of chicken worth $1.55 billion, 60 per cent of which came from Quebec and Ontario.
The average chicken farm produced 348,700 kilos of meat.
Domestic chicken consumption was 31.8 kilos per person.
Exports consisted of 5.5 million chicks, worth almost $10 million.
SOURCE: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2006 statistics
Pilgrim's Pride cuts output, jobs as feed cost soars
Mar 13, 2008 04:30 AM
Lisa Wright
Business reporter
Go ahead, grab another drumstick.
Canadian farmers aren't counting their chickens, so to speak, as their poultry-producing pals south of the border struggle with sky-high costs for feed and an oversupply of the popular protein.
That's forcing the world's largest producer to close nearly half of its distribution centres in the United States.
There isn't a poultry glut in Canada yet, but the industry is keeping a close watch on the U.S. chicken scene after Pilgrim's Pride Corp. announced yesterday it will slash 1,100 jobs and close a huge North Carolina chicken-processing complex along with six of its 13 distribution centres by June, citing "unprecedented increases" in feed costs.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/345249



Royal Veterinary College uses @RISK from Palisade to combat avian flu
By WebitPR (www.webitpr.com) - March 12, 08 at 13:05
The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is using @RISK risk analysis software from Palisade (www.palisade-europe.com) as part of its research aimed at developing methods for controlling and preventing the occurrence of dangerous and infectious diseases in animals. A key area of research for the RVC, the UK's largest vet school and one of the most highly regarded veterinary research centres in Europe, is avian flu.

http://www.edubourse.com/finance/actualites.php?actu=38219



Conger: Coming up with a flu plan
By Clayton Conger, Syndicated columnist
GHS
Posted Mar 12, 2008 @ 12:17 AM
LEXINGTON PARK, Md. - Interest in avian flu seems to have waned recently, but its threat is still present in several rural areas, principally in the Orient. A previously unknown and dangerous strain of the H5N1 bird flu has emerged from southern China and has spread from birds to people in Southeast Asia, marking a third wave of avian flu and rekindling fears of a global pandemic.

http://www.dailynewstribune.com/opinion/x346135634



Spraying away bird flu?
March 12 2008 at 03:03PM
Tokyo - Japanese researchers said on Wednesday they were in the final stage of developing a painless bird flu vaccine which is sprayed up the nose instead of being injected.
The nasal spray could make it easier to vaccinate people in developing countries with limited medical resources, which have borne the brunt of avian influenza since an outbreak in 2003.
Researchers sprayed the vaccine into the noses of mice and monkeys and found it was effective against H5N1, the strain of bird flu that can be deadly for humans, as well as its subtypes.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=31&art_id=nw20080312104728297C146669&set_id=



Government alerts states bordering West Bengal on bird flu
The central government Wednesday alerted states neighbouring West Bengal, where a fresh outbreak of bird flu has left over 190 birds dead over the past nine days.
Tests at the Bhopal's High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) found the presence of bird flu virus in samples from Nayamukundapur in Raghunathgunj block II and Dohapara village in Murshidabad-Jiagunj block of the Murshidabad district, following which the central government alerted adjoining states of Bihar, Orissa, Manipur and Jharkhand.
The Department of Animal Husbandry, after notifying the fresh poultry deaths, said about 90 broiler chicken died in Budhra Village of Jiaganj block on March 5, while 100 birds in backyard poultry in Nayamukundpur village in Raghunathganj-II block were killed due to the H5N1 virus.
Both centres are just a few kilometres from the place where avian influenza was reported last month.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/FullcoverageStoryPage.aspx?id=49fbfe80-1b1e-4433-81d3-1f9a9f7b41d7BirdfluhitsIndia_Special&MatchID1=4663&TeamID1=5&TeamID2=2&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1173&PrimaryID=4663&Headline=States+bordering+WB+alerted+on+bird+flu



Fingers crossed at swannery
By Miriam Phillips
ABBOTSBURY Swannery's boss has his fingers crossed for a normal year' as they open their doors to the public tomorrow.
This comes after a nightmare few months for the famous sanctuary. A bird flu outbreak in January was followed by a storm earlier this week which flooded the grounds and destroyed 80 nests.
The swannery has been sealed off to the public since January 10 when three dead mute swans tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus.

http://www.thisisdorset.net/display.var.2118992.0.fingers_crossed_at_swannery.php



India To Cull 50,000 Birds Amid New Avian Flu Outbreak
March 10, 2008 4:36 p.m. EST
Siddique Islam - AHN South Asia Correspondent
Kolkata, India (AHN) - Health workers have begun culling of poultry in an attempt to combat a fresh bird flu outbreak in the country's eastern state West Bengal, officials said on Monday. State workers planned to destroy nearly 50,000 domestic birds in two districts where officials found infected poultry.
Culling began in a radius of five kilometers (3.1 miles) around the new area of infection. While 22,400 birds are to be culled in Raghunathganj-II, the culling target in respect of Jiaganj is 27,200 birds.
In January 2008, the H5N1 virus affected hit 13 of the state's 19 districts, including Murshidabad, bringing down poultry sales by more than 70 per cent.
The authorities had to cull more than 3.4 million birds in the state after the World Health Organization (WHO) described January's outbreak as the worst in India.
No humans in India are known to have caught the disease, which has killed at least 235 people worldwide according to the WHO.

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7010288399



Bird flu shows signs of mutation - China expert
Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:38am EDT
HONG KONG, March 11 (Reuters) - A Chinese expert on respiratory diseases says the H5N1 bird flu virus has shown signs of mutation and urged vigilance at a time when seasonal human influenza is at a peak, newspapers reported on Tuesday.
"When avian flu is around and human flu appears, this will raise the chances of avian flu turning into a human flu. We have to be very alert and careful in March," Zhong Nanshan was quoted by the Ming Pao newspaper as saying.
"People who were killed by bird flu last year and this year were too poor to seek treatment. If you happen to have high fever and pneumonia, you must seek treatment fast," said Zhong, director of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases in China's southern Guangdong province.
Experts are worried about seasonal flu, because it could get mixed up with a deadly novel strain, such as the H5N1 bird flu virus. Such a hybrid would not only become easily transmissible between people, but packed with great killing power.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSHKG228879



EDUCATION LIBERTY CITY CHARTER
Pioneer Liberty City Charter School faces closure
Liberty City Charter School -- the county's first charter school -- could be shut down Wednesday by the Miami-Dade School Board.
Posted on Wed, Mar. 12, 2008
By KATHLEEN McGRORY
Liberty City Charter School, one of the state's first charter schools and a bellwether for hundreds of others that followed, could soon be closing its doors.
The Miami-Dade School Board on Wednesday will consider pulling the plug on the once-touted elementary school, which played a key role in the political careers of its founders, former Gov. Jeb Bush and current state Board of Education Chairman T. Willard Fair.
The school has been in a state of financial emergency for two years, a problem that Principal and CEO Katrina Wilson-Davis blamed on a legal battle that the school lost to a previous landlord. It contributed to the school now being $1 million in debt.

http://www.miamiherald.com/519/story/453143.html


Rascal Flatts and Sheryl Crow to perform in Sioux Falls
Elizabeth Gorder
egorder@argusleader.com
March 12, 2008
Some big names are coming to Sioux Falls, including Rascal Flatts and Sheryl Crow, for the Sanford Festival June 2-7.
But don't get too excited just yet - the performance won't be open to the public.
Dr. Michael Saba of Sanford Health said the event is a gesture of appreciation to Sanford employees to thank them for what they've done to put the organization on the international map.
Rascal Flatts and Sheryl Crow will perform on Saturday night. The event will be themed “Imagine.”
Performances on Saturday night are not open to the public due to space restrictions.
Other big names invited to the event are NBC medical coorespondent Dr. Bob Arnot, Catherine Bach, President Bush's brother Neil Bush, Sen. Bill Frist and Ali and AJ.
Not all invited guests have confirmed yet, said Jolene Loetscher, spokesperson for Sanford.

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080312/UPDATES/80312041/1003/business



Bills that don't pass Tuesday essentially dead for session
By ANDREA JONES, BEN SMITH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/11/08
Tuesday is "crossover day" at the Capitol, the official do-or-die day on which bills must be approved in their chamber of the Legislature to have a fighting chance at becoming law…
…A House measure that proposed a constitutional amendment to make English the state's official language was voted down, but a Senate bill that essentially would do the same will be on the floor of that chamber today. That law prohibits a state agency from "requiring an employee to speak or learn any language" to get promoted or to keep a job.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/03/10/crossover_0311.html


Pentagon Dismisses KBR Contaminated Water: Troops Should ‘Just Drink Bottled Water’
On Sunday, the AP reported that contractor KBR has been providing “unmonitored and potentially unsafe” water to U.S. troops in Iraq. According to a Pentagon Inspector General’s report, dozens of soldiers fell sick, suffering “skin abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections, diarrhea and other illnesses” after using the “discolored, smelly water for personal hygiene and laundry.”
In a press briefing on Monday, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell dismissed KBR’s gross negligence. He responded by joking about how everyone knows the water in Iraq is unsafe, and advised everyone to avoid drinking it:
You know, we’ve all been to Iraq several times. Everywhere you go they make it perfectly clear that you don’t want to drink the water, so I’m a little surprised myself that this is an issue. As I understand it, the bottled water, which is what you’re supposed to be drinking in Iraq, had no issues whatsoever in the testing that was done. Evidently, there was some issue with some of the other water that was, I guess, primarily meant for washing. […]
But I think our encouragement is always — for journalists and warfighters alike is read the signs and just drink the bottled water.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/kbr-water/


Farmington approves revenue bond for Halliburton
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 03/12/2008 05:42:24 AM MDT
FARMINGTON, N.M.—The Farmington City Council has approved an industrial revenue bond for Halliburton Energy Services, with Mayor Bill Standley breaking a tie to grant the bonds.
Under the bonds, Farmington gives up an estimated $15,000 annually for 30 years in property taxes and about $200,000 in one-time gross receipts taxes.
But Councilor Dan Darnell says the bonds will let the company do more business.
Proponents argued that the breaks are worth it to keep Halliburton's tax money and 200 jobs in the city. But opponents contend the international company shouldn't need help.
Halliburton will use the revenue toward a $24 million facility to combine and expand its Farmington operations.
The company estimates the project will mean $234,000 more in taxes annually once it's finished.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_8544092

continued...

The USA Military CONTINUES to Create Its Own War. How else is the country of Iraq going to get rid of them. Its 5 years already !!!

U.S. military says it killed young girl in Iraq
BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. soldiers fired a warning shot near a woman who "appeared to be signaling to someone" along a dangerous stretch of road north of Baghdad, but the bullet killed a young Iraqi girl, a military official said early Thursday.
The shooting took place Wednesday where several roadside bombs had recently been found in the volatile Diyala province. An exact location was not given in a military statement.
The girl appeared to be "around 10 years old," said Maj. Brad Leighton, a military spokesman.
There has been an increase in the use of women as suicide bombers in Iraq. But Leighton said preliminary reports indicated that soldiers didn't believe the woman posed a threat of being a bomber. Rather "they were afraid she was signaling to someone that the convoy was going by."
In its statement, the military said that "coalition forces fired a warning shot into a berm near a suspicious woman who appeared to be signaling to someone while the soldiers were in the area. A young girl was found behind the berm suffering from a gunshot wound."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2008-03-12-girl_N.htm


3 U.S. soldiers killed in rocket attack in Iraq
From a Times Staff Writer
March 13, 2008
BAGHDAD -- Three American soldiers were killed in a rocket attack Wednesday in southern Iraq, the U.S. military said.
The rocket also wounded two soldiers and a civilian when it hit a military outpost outside Nasiriya, the military said in a statement. It was not immediately clear who fired the rocket.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-iraq13mar13,1,6127336.story


US report shows increase in Iraq violence since January
* Defence Dept says rise partly due to recent offensives against militants
WASHINGTON: Iraq has seen some increased violence since January, including suicide and car bombings, despite a sharp overall decline in attacks in the past eight months, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
The rise in violence was partly as a result of recent US-led offensives against Islamist militants, including Al Qaeda in Iraq, the Defence Department said in its latest quarterly report on the war. The release of the report, which covers December through February, coincided with a surge of violence that killed 46 people across Iraq on Tuesday.
The Pentagon noted a rise in security incidents since January in Nineveh and Diyala provinces and other areas where it said Al Qaeda in Iraq militants have flocked since being driven from former strongholds by US-allied Sunni tribesmen.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C03%5C13%5Cstory_13-3-2008_pg4_9



Iraq’s Mehdi army attacks US base near Kut
By Reuters, March 13
US soldiers and Iraqi militants exchanged fire after a rocket attack from a Shi’ite Mehdi Army militia stronghold on a U.S. base southeast of Baghdad, Iraqi police said on Thursday.
An Iraqi police official, who asked not to be identified, said as many as 11 Katyusha rockets landed on the U.S. base near Kut, 170 km (105 miles) southeast of Baghdad, late on Wednesday.
Two Iraqi men, who the police source said were brothers, were killed and four others, including a 6-year-old girl, were wounded when U.S. soldiers responded to the rocket attack with mortar rounds, the official said.
A U.S. military spokeswoman said the Americans responded after four rockets were fired at the base. She had no information about civilian casualties but said no U.S. soldiers were hurt in the exchange.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2b972d2a-f0da-11dc-a91a-0000779fd2ac.html



Iraq refugee crisis grows
Kerry Sheridan, Washington
March 13, 2008
THE plight of people displaced by the Iraq war is getting worse, refugee experts warn.
Five years after the US-led invasion, a House of Representatives subcommittee heard that serious problems persist for the 2.5 million people displaced inside Iraq and the 2 million who have fled to other countries.
Even though the numbers have levelled off, ambassador Lawrence Foley said the most critical problem was worsening poverty among those displaced inside Iraq and in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey.
Mr Foley, senior co-ordinator for Iraqi refugee issues at the State Department, said Iraqis in other countries are often forbidden to work and so have depleted any remaining family resources.
Gregory Gottlieb, deputy assistant administrator for USAID's bureau for democracy, conflict and humanitarian assistance, said: "Iraq's IDP (internally displaced persons) and refugee crisis is deepening."
In 2007, he said, 60% of internally displaced people reported not receiving any food aid since becoming displaced and 20% reported seeking shelter in informal settlements with no clean water or electricity.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/iraq-refugee-crisis-grows/2008/03/12/1205126007288.html



U.S. soldiers, militia exchange fire in south Iraq
Thu Mar 13, 2008 3:30am EDT
BAGHDAD, March 13 (Reuters) - U.S. soldiers and Iraqi militants exchanged fire after a rocket attack from a Shi'ite Mehdi Army militia stronghold on a U.S. base southeast of Baghdad, Iraqi police said on Thursday.
A U.S. military spokeswoman said the Americans responded after four rockets were fired at the base in Kut late on Wednesday. Iraqi police said two civilians were killed but the U.S. military said it had no details of civilian casualties. (Baghdad newsroom; Editing by Ross Colvin)

http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSL13369817

The First Catholic Clergy Killed in Iraq - Northern Iraq used to be one of the safest areas before Turkey invaded the Kurds

Chaldean archbishop kidnapped in Iraq found dead (click at title to entry)
5 hours ago
MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) — The body of a kidnapped Chaldean Catholic archbishop was found in northern Iraq on Thursday, sparking outrage from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and an expression of deep sadness from Pope Benedict XVI.
"Yes, we found his body," Iraqi interior ministry spokesman Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf told AFP.
A report from Rome had said the body of Mosul Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho, who was kidnapped on February 29, was found in a grave near the city after the kidnappers telephoned the auxiliary archbishop of Baghdad, Shlemon Warduni.
Rahho, 65, was kidnapped after a shootout in which three of his companions were killed.
The Italian Roman Catholic Church's SIR news agency, quoting Warduni, said the kidnappers had telephoned to say that Rahho, who was in poor health, had died and that they had buried him.
"The kidnappers had told us already (Wednesday) that Monsignor Rahho was very ill, and yesterday afternoon they told us that he died. This morning, they telephoned us to say they had buried him," Warduni said, adding that the kidnappers indicated the location of the body.
"We still don't know whether he died from his poor health or was killed," Warduni said. "The kidnappers only told us that he was dead."
Raban al-Qas, the head of the Chaldean church in Iraq's northern Kurdish region, said there was no trace of any bullet wounds in Rahho's body....

The Antarctica Wind Chime

Atlantic Storm Lashes Southern England

March 6, 2008
1430z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite
What was that last week about an Anti-Cyclonic Vortex in the Mid-Atlantic?


Officials believe a tornado was to blame for two to three miles of damage in Caswell County.

Thursday, March 13, 2008
Severe storms cause damage to homes (click here)
03/04/2008 10:17 PM
By: Kira Mathis
ANDERSON, N.C. -- Just before 5 p.m. Tuesday, severe storms hit the town of Anderson in Caswell County.
"The wind just got up real strong and stuff was flying every which a way," said Herman Roberts, whose sister-in-law's house was damaged in the storm.
"The big trees, actually three trees, came up and fell in down in the house," he said.
But luckily everyone inside was OK.
Officials believe a tornado was to blame for two to three miles of damage in Caswell County. "Everybody's fine, there's a whole lot of damage in the yard and the boat shed is gone," Roberts said.
Caswell Emergency Management officials believe it was a tornado that caused damage for two or three miles in Anderson. Officials hope to take a closer look at the damage in the daylight on Wednesday.
"The fire department is taking care of everything as far as covering and helping the family and that's about all we can do for tonight," Jaither Clayton, with Caswell EMS, said.
The National Weather Service will be in Caswell on Wednesday to determine if a tornado touched down.

March 8, 2008
Ocracoke Island, North Carolina
I'd say the 'Atlantic Basin' is a bit aggitated, wouldn't you?

Publicado - Published: 11/03/2008
UNITED KINGDOM.- A powerful storm battered the south and west of Britain today, flooding homes and disrupting sea, air, rail and road travel, with forecasters warning of more potential damage to come.
An initial coastal surge early this morning, caused by a combination of strong winds, low pressure and a high spring tide, flooded some homes and businesses in Cornwall and parts of Wales, although the damage was less severe than feared.
The Environment Agency was warning of a risk of renewed flooding around high tide this evening. One severe flood warning was in place in Chichester, West Sussex, and there were another 22 flood warnings, mostly in the south and south-west of England.
"We are still urging people to find out about local warnings and to be prepared," an Environment Agency spokeswoman said.
Stephen Davenport, a senior forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: "There are still gales of 70-80mph to come this evening, in the south west, in a second wave. It will be windy elsewhere too, but calming down during the night.
"The next event comes on Tuesday night, and early Wednesday, when there will be more high winds, this time across Northern Ireland, southern Scotland, northern England and north Wales, with gusts of more than 70mph expected. There will also be gales then in the south and south west."

March 12, 2008

Chichester, United Kingdom

Photographer states :: Thought I'd go down to the coast at high tide to get some pictures of the abating storm we have just had,wind still gusting to 40 or 50 mph.Picture taken at Bognor Sussex UK,looking west on Bognor Pier.Two days ago I would have not been able to sneek from shelter when a glimpse of sunlight appearedset up tripod and click.The railings on the right denounces the promenade ,see how much shingle is behind.The cottages are about a mile and a half away.Would you venture out and get hit by a flying pebble.Picture taken directly into wind camera covered in spray.