This is nuts. There is nothing there except weathered concrete due to a leak from the soil behind the wall. This was front page The Chicago Tribune yesterday. They should be ashamed. The dignity that can be afforded it is URBAN ART. It is called the Lady of the Underpass. Our Lady of the Underpass
A water stain on the wall of the Kennedy Expressway at West Fullerton Ave. is drawing onlookers for its resemblance to the Virgin Mary.
(Tribune photo by David Klobucar)
April 18, 2005 Faithful see Mary on underpass wall
For some in crowd at Kennedy viaduct, seeing is believing

By Jennifer Lebovich
Tribune staff reporter
Published April 19, 2005
Does this look like the Virgin Mary to you?

24.3%
Yes (1085 responses)

75.7%
No (3374 responses)

4459 total responses
(Poll results not scientific)

Obdulia Delgado turned toward the on ramp of the Kennedy Expressway when she saw something in the middle of traffic that made her stop.http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0504190294apr19,1,867798.story?coll=chi-news-hed To be honest. If I were to be assessing the appearence of this ... well.... let's just say it looks like a body part.  

Christian Psychosis. Someone saw the 'Holy Spirit' on April 17, 2005 in the clouds as a sign from god. What? That's nuts. I used to this as a child. What do I see? A bat. A flying bat that eats insects. George Walker Bush is making this country crazy !! 

Morning Papers - continued...

The Moscow Times

Ratzinger of Germany Is Elected Pope
VATICAN CITY -- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, the Roman Catholic Church's leading hard-liner, was elected the new pope on Tuesday evening in the first conclave of the new millennium by cardinals intent on sticking to conservative policy.
He chose the name Pope Benedict XVI and called himself "a simple, humble worker."

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/04/20/002.html

Following Europe's Caucasus Lead
While it is prevailing in the military struggle in Chechnya, Russia is losing the struggle for democracy and socioeconomic development in the North Caucasus. As Moscow and its Chechen allies have placed increasing pressure upon militants and extremists in Chechnya, the low-intensity conflict has been spreading outward through neighboring republics where frustrations have been increasing. Survey research shows that there are many causes of Islamist extremism in this region, but chief among them are poverty, unemployment and political corruption

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/04/20/006.html

George's Georgia Trip: Just a One-Night Stand?
With unseasonal tardiness, spring came to Tbilisi earlier this month. Almost overnight, the surrounding hills turned a luxuriant green, crowds poured onto the streets, and workers came out in force for a frenzy of urban embellishment. The urgent pace of the painting and decorating has been quite breathtaking, spurred on by the anticipation of the official state visit by U.S. President George W. Bush on May 10.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/04/20/009.html

United Russia Group Calls for Liberal Policies
A group of influential United Russia politicians on Tuesday called for the party to adopt a more liberal platform in what appeared to be a move sanctioned by the Kremlin to form a liberal faction that could sideline existing liberal parties.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/04/20/003.html

Rice Calls the Kremlin's Grip 'Very Worrying'
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday called the Kremlin's tight grip on power and the media "very worrying" and urged President Vladimir Putin not to cling on to power beyond his current term.
Rice made some of the sharpest U.S. criticism to date of the Kremlin's record on democracy at the start of a visit to Moscow.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/04/20/012.html

Main Streets Blocked Off for Victory Day Rehearsals
By Anatoly Medetsky
Staff Writer
Traffic police blocked several streets in central Moscow during rush hour Tuesday evening for the first of five days of rehearsals for a Victory Day parade.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/04/20/011.html

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Beluga whale apparently leaves Del. River
Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. - The beluga whale that spent a week in the Delaware River was en route to the ocean when he was last seen, and officials were taking to the air Tuesday to make sure.
Wildlife and Coast Guard officials said that the 12-foot mammal known as Helis had not been spotted Tuesday morning.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/11428454.htm

Camden bishop comments on new pope
By Mitch Lipka
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Camden Bishop Joseph Galante said he was surprised by the choice for the new pope, expecting it would be someone younger and from outside of Europe.
But, Galante said, he realized the choice of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was consistent with past selections of older candidates to follow a lengthy papacy.

"What the important message is, is the continuity of the church," said Galante, leader of 445,000 Catholics in the South Jersey diocese.
He said the cardinals who selected Ratzinger might also be reaching out to Europe itself. "The church in Europe is not in good shape," Galante said.
He said he does not foresee dramatic changes at the Vatican - but noted that is is difficult to predict what a new pope will do because the role is so different from being a cardinal or bishop.

"His style I expect will be somewhat different," Galante said.

I always loved horses as a kid.

More Horses Contract Potentially Deadly Virus
Officials Euthanize Some Horses
POSTED: 12:12 pm EDT April 19, 2005
COLUMBIA, Md. -- Two more horses at the Columbia Horse Center have contracted the equine herpes virus, which sickened five other horses last month.
Maryland State agriculture officials said one horse is recovering but the other one died last week. Three of the first five sick horses had to be euthanized, officials said.
Officials at the horse center said it will remain closed until at least next month.
Agriculture officials said the virus causes upper respiratory infection and neurological disease. They said it can be spread through the air or by direct contact.
All of the stricken animals lived in the same barn.
Officials said the outbreak appears to be isolated and that the horse center was not at fault.

http://www.nbc4.com/news/4393666/detail.html

Wild horses offered for adoption in Tennessee
The livestock center at the university in West Tennessee is the eastern US adoption site for the Bureau of Land Management program that helps maintain an ecological balance of the animals on western ranges.
Some mustangs and burros are captured each year and made available to qualified people to adopt.
Qualifications include land on which to keep the animals.
The herd will be available for inspection on Friday. Adoptions will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday.

http://www.wbir.com/liveatfive/laf.aspx?storyid=25029

Australia's horses for all courses
By Tony Bourke
April 20, 2005 - 12:40AM
It is 73 years ago this month since Australia's most famous racehorse, Phar Lap, died in mysterious circumstances at Menlo Park, California, just days after his win in the world's then-richest race, the Agua Caliente Handicap in Mexico.
Since then, Australian horses have been sent overseas only sporadically, even with the opening up of Japan, Hong Kong and Dubai to international competition.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Horse-Racing/Australias-horses-for-all-courses/2005/04/20/1113854206893.html

Special-needs seniors, rescued horses bond
Special-needs seniors bond with steeds at Gilbert rescue ranch
Cary Aspinwall
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 19, 2005 12:00 AM
Most of the horses at Wildhorse Ranch Rescue have had rough lives - abuse, neglect and abandonment.
The gentle treatment they receive at the rescue ranch is the first kindness many have known - and for one group of special-needs seniors, horses such as Dunny are happy to return the kindness.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/0419gr-wildseniorsZ6.html

Unwanted Horse Summit Only the Beginning
by Tom LaMarra
Date Posted: 4/19/2005 12:46:52 PM
Last Updated: 4/19/2005 7:34:51 PM
The first Unwanted Horse Summit was called a success, though participants acknowledged devising ways to deal with tens of thousands of horses a year would take cooperation and compromise from all segments of the equine industry.
About 25 organizations were represented at the April 19 summit, organized by the American Association of Equine Practitioners in a fashion similar to that of the Medication Summit in 2001. The Unwanted Horse Summit was held in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the American Horse Council National Issues Forum.

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=27707

Attack on horses alarms Wallis area
By JESSE W. COLEMAN
Tuesday, April 19, 2005 1:56 PM CDT

Wallis police are asking for help in identifying the person or persons who stabbed and beat two horses over the weekend in the Austin County city, which edges Fort Bend County.

Police Chief David Fischer said a gray mare suffered injuries so severely that it had to be euthanized after being beaten with a club-like object and stabbed with a sharp instrument.

"The horse was beaten on the head with a club or bat and stabbed in the upper body," said Fischer.

He said the other horse suffered superficial injuries when it was stabbed.

"That horse was treated and is expected to recover," said Fischer.

The heinous attacks occurred late Saturday night or early Sunday morning in a pasture in the 6800 block of Highway 36, Fischer said.
"We need to find who did this to these horses," said Fischer. "It's horrible to attack horses like that. It's kind of sadistic."
Fischer said investigators did not have a suspect or suspects.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Wallis Police Department at 979-798-7111 or Austin County Crime Stoppers at 979-865-2949.
Fischer said the person or persons responsible for the attacks could face state felony animal cruelty charges.

http://www.herald-coaster.com/articles/2005/04/19/news/news03.txt

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ... ADIE SMITH?
Adie Smith rode over 300 winners in his career as a jump jockey before benefiting from the Jockey Club's realisation that former riders could play an important role in policing the sport.
It may well be a case of poacher-turned-gamekeeper, but at least the current crop of jockeys are comfortable in the knowledge that those who might influence a suspension know what they are talking about.

http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=racing/05/04/19/RACING_Happened_Smith.html

Hall of Famer Bailey reveals dark past
2-time Derby winner waged hard fight against alcohol
NEW YORK - Jerry Bailey is one of racing’s most accomplished jockeys, a two-time Kentucky Derby winner, a seven-time Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top rider and the winner of a record 14 Breeders’ Cup races.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7563303/

The Miami Herald

Family and Medical Leave Act may change
For six years, Patti Phillips felt the pull between work and family when her daughter battled cancer. Phillips' family not only needed her income as an inventory control worker for a soft drink company, they also relied on her health insurance benefit.
''My husband and I struggled to care for my daughter and my daughter was home alone a lot,'' Phillips said. ``I would cry all the way to work.''

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/11436275.htm

South Florida housing starts plunge
Fewer new homes were built in Miami-Dade and Broward counties in the first quarter, and national home starts were down in March. The South Florida culprit: dwindling supply of land.
BY MATTHEW HAGGMAN
mhaggman@herald.com
The number of new single-family homes built in Miami-Dade and Broward counties dropped sharply in the first quarter of 2005, market research firm Metrostudy reported Tuesday.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/11436278.htm

'Endangered' redefined
OUR OPINION: RE-EXAMINE CHANGES TO RULES PROTECTING SPECIES
At a time of record population growth and new development in Florida, the state should make sure that its protections for 118 threatened and endangered species are stronger than ever. Yet it's not at all clear that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's 7-0 approval of a policy change will guarantee adequate safeguards to save Florida's panthers, manatees and other dwindling species.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/11437681.htm

The Chicago Tribune

Government Issues 12 New Food Pyramids
By LIBBY QUAID
Associated Press Writer
Published April 19, 2005, 9:58 PM CDT
WASHINGTON -- The government flipped the 13-year-old food pyramid on its side Tuesday, added a staircase for exercise and offered a dozen different models, all aimed at helping Americans trim their waistlines.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/sns-ap-fit-food-pyramid,1,645506.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Unwanted Pregnancies

LEGISLATION ON BIRTH CONTROL PILL TO BE HEARD IN MASSACHUSETTS
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering following their counterparts in Maine and expanding access to the so-called "morning after" birth control pill.

http://www.wcsh6.com/home/article.asp?id=21731

Many Catholics Reject Church Ban on Birth Control, Condoms for HIV Prevention; New Pope Unlikely To Have Differing Views
A large majority of Roman Catholics in the United States, Europe and developing nations largely ignore the church's teaching banning the use of artificial birth control, the... Baltimore Sun reports. The late Pope John Paul II in 1968 restated the Catholic Church's doctrine on the issue, saying that "every marriage must remain open to the transmission of human life" and that all forms of contraception are intrinsically evil. However, more than 75% of U.S. Catholics believe the church should allow the use of contraception, according to a recent Gallup poll (Roylance, Baltimore Sun, 4/10). Because U.S. Catholics tend to abide by the values they consider most important and "quietly ignor[e]" church teachings with which they disagree, many U.S. Catholics use birth control regularly, the New York Times reports (Murphy/Banerjee, New York Times, 4/11). In addition, Italy -- which is 97% Catholic -- has the lowest birth rate in all of Europe, and that rate has declined since 1978, when John Paul II became pope, according to the Sun (Baltimore Sun, 4/10).

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=22678>

Pakistan has lowest birth control rate, says Maqbool
Staff Report
LAHORE: Pakistan has the lowest contraceptive prevalence rate amongst the Muslim countries in the world, said Punjab Governor Lt Gen (r) Khalid Maqbool.
He was addressing a seminar on ‘Pakistan’s population: challenges and opportunities’ at the Punjab University campus on Wednesday. The seminar was organised by the PU Department of Sociology and the Population Council.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_14-4-2005_pg7_20

Emergency birth control
April 13, 2005
SINCE THE late 1990s, women in need of a ''morning after" emergency contraceptive have been able to get one by doctor's prescription. But the pill -- actually a short series of high-dose birth control pills -- loses effectiveness with any delay. Access would be much better if the Food and Drug Administration accepted a proposal -- endorsed by the FDA's own experts -- to make emergency contraception available over the counter. Since political pressure has kept the FDA from doing so, there is need for state legislation that makes Plan B, as the treatment is called, somewhat more available until the FDA sees fit to allow over-the-counter sales.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2005/04/13/emergency_birth_control/

Birth Control Lawsuit Filed Against Blagojevich
Apr 13, 2005 5:18 pm US/Central
CHICAGO (AP) Two Illinois pharmacists sued Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday for ordering them to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception even if it violates their religious beliefs.
The American Center for Law and Justice, which specializes in constitutional law, filed a lawsuit in state court in Springfield on behalf of Peggy Pace and John Menges, registered pharmacists who are both from Edwardsville.

http://cbs2chicago.com/health/local_story_103182053.html

Pharmacies Balk on After-Sex Pill and Widen Fight in Many States
By MONICA DAVEY and PAM BELLUCK
Published: April 19, 2005

CHICAGO, April 18 - As a fourth-generation pharmacist whose drugstore still sits on the courthouse square of his conservative small town downstate, State Senator Frank Watson knew exactly what side to take when Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich ordered pharmacies to fill prescriptions for women wanting the new "morning after" pill, even if it meant putting aside their employees' personal views.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/19/national/19pill.html?hp&ex=1113969600&en=7b067f84a90f74ef&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Boxer eyes prescription protection
Bill would secure birth control rights
Washington -- Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, citing reports that pharmacists have turned away women seeking birth control pills, has introduced legislation that she says would protect American women's access to contraception.
Boxer's proposal would require all pharmacies to fill all prescriptions or refer customers to someone who will, despite pharmacists' religious or ethical objections to the nature of the prescription.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/04/19/MNGO4CB6UJ1.DTL

Women

New attitudes color Iranian society, culture
By Barbara Slavin, USA TODAY
TEHRAN, Iran — In a city that only a few years ago was almost monochromatic — full of women draped head to toe in black — women and girls this winter are sporting pink coats, pink sweaters, pink head scarves, shoes and bags.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-02-28-iran-pink_x.htm

A region still dominated by the world’s greatest gender imbalances, the Middle East and North Africa have nonetheless seen sustained progress in the past two decades towards achieving gender parity in primary and secondary education, says the UNICEF’s Progress For Children Report launched globally in Geneva today.
i-Newswire, 2005-04-18 - UNICEF’s Report Card gives special focus to gender equality in education and takes as its point of reference the 2000 Dakar Conference and the Millennium Declaration goal aimed at "eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls' full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality."

http://i-newswire.com/pr15585.html

Strategies to Promote Diversity in the Workplace - 04/18/2005
Nearly one out of five U.S. workers claims that racial or gender discrimination still exists in the workplace, according to a recent survey conducted by the New York City-based staffing firm Hudson.
The results of the survey indicate that "a lot of companies have hopped on the merry-go-round" of racial and gender equality "but not all the seats are filled," says Amanda Fernandez, the firm's director of consulting services.

http://www.occupationalhazards.com/articles/13271

Population Action International: Bush's Global Gag Rule Only Making Matters Worse; New Reports, Redesigned Web Site Illustrate Effects on Women in Developing Countries

4/19/2005 4:51:00 PM
To: National Desk, Health Reporter
Contact: Tawana Jacobs of Population Action International, 202-557-3422 or 240-893-2725 (cell), tjacobs@popact.org

WASHINGTON, April 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Four years since the reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule by President George W. Bush on Jan. 22, 2001, the policy continues to erode family planning and reproductive health services in developing countries, according to new case studies made available today on the Global Gag Rule Impact Project's Web site -- http://www.globalgagrule.org.

Key Findings Include:

-- In addition to severe financial losses, the gag rule has resulted in the loss of technical assistance and contraceptive donations to key nongovernmental organizations in Ethiopia, worsening the country's supply shortage.

-- By preventing regional partnerships, the gag rule is crippling efforts in Ghana to address reproductive health and HIV/AIDS in a coordinated and effective manner.

-- Nongovernmental organizations in Tanzania are struggling to sustain current levels of service since refusing to accept the terms of the gag rule; meanwhile, demand for supplies and services is ever increasing.

Background on the Global Gag Rule

Also known as the Mexico City Policy, the Global Gag Rule mandates that no U.S. family planning assistance be provided to foreign nongovernmental organizations that use money from any other source to perform abortions -- in cases other than those threatening a woman's life, rape or incest -- provide counseling and referrals for abortion or lobby to make abortion legal or more available in their country. There is no evidence that it has reduced the incidence of abortion globally. On the contrary, the gag rule impedes the very services that help women avoid unwanted pregnancies from the start.
http://www.usnewswire.com/
-0-
/© 2005 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=46082

Carr to have coffee behind bars
20apr05
NSW Premier Bob Carr says he is looking forward to having a cup of coffee at a Gloria Jean's coffee outlet in a women's prison.
The coffee chain has built a store at the Dillwynia Correctional Centre, in Sydney's west, where inmates will sell coffee to visitors and staff.
The prisoners will not be paid by Gloria Jean's, but will receive a normal prison allowance.
Mr Carr said he would have a cup of coffee at the store when he next visited the prison.
"When I visit the prison I will," he told reporters.
Mr Carr said the outlet would help prisoners develop valuable work skills.
"Rehabilitation is part of the prison system," he said.
"We've got a large services economy these days and to have inmates trained in serving coffee just makes good sense for society."

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,15028814%255E1702,00.html

The Tah Tah Box. Radio Girl. Got milk? 

Elvstroem, ridden by Nash Rawiller passes the finishing line to win the Dubai Duty Free. 

Morning Papers - concluding

The Tah Tah Box

Dengue fever susceptibility
18 Apr 2005

A novel susceptibility gene for dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease with an estimated global incidence of 50 million cases per year, is reported in the May issue of Nature Genetics.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=22995

Myriad Genetics Presents New Data on Cancer Drugs at AACR
SALT LAKE CITY, April 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Myriad Genetics, Inc.(Nasdaq: MYGN), announced today that it is presenting data on its cancer drugcandidate MPC-6827, and the anti-tumor activity of drug candidate MPC-2130during the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in Anaheim,CA, April 16-20, 2005.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/04-18-2005/0003432078&EDATE=

Nanogen Enters Into Supply and License Agreement With deCode Genetics
Monday April 18, 8:00 am ET
SAN DIEGO, April 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nanogen, Inc. (Nasdaq: NGEN - News), developer of advanced diagnostic products, announced today that it has entered into a supply and license agreement with deCode Genetics to provide a new genomics assay for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery, validation and screening. The assay incorporates a full range of Nanogen's products, including the Eclipse® Dark Quencher, new DNA linker technology, modified bases and novel fluorescent dyes, and allows rapid SNP analysis on a large number of patient samples.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050418/lam043.html?.v=5

OccuLogix Appoints Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D. to Its Board of Directors
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 2005--OccuLogix, Inc. (NASDAQ:RHEO)(TSX:RHE), announced today that Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D. has been appointed to its Board of Directors.
Dr. Omenn is Professor of Internal Medicine, Human Genetics, and Public Health at the University of Michigan. He served as Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and as Chief Executive Officer of the University of Michigan Health System from 1997 to 2002. He was formerly Dean of the School of Public Health, and Professor of Medicine and Environmental Health, University of Washington, Seattle. His research interests include cancer proteomics, chemoprevention of cancers, public health genetics, science-based risk analysis, and health policy. He was principal investigator of the beta-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET) of preventive agents against lung cancer and heart disease; director of the Center for Health Promotion in Older Adults; and creator of a university-wide initiative on Public Health Genetics in Ethical, Legal, and Policy Context while at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He served as Associate Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Associate Director, Office of Management and Budget, in the Executive Office of the President in the Carter Administration.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050418005644&newsLang=en

More girls attend school, but gender gap remains: UN
GENEVA: More girls in countries around the world are going to school, though the gender gap in many regions remains wide, according to a new report by the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (UNICEF) published Monday.
The latest “Progress for Children” report says the world has made impressive gains in getting the same number of girls as boys into school. Out of the 180 countries for which information is available, 125 are expected to have gender parity this year.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_19-4-2005_pg4_10

Socialist International President Scolds SDF for Gender Imbalance

April 18, 2005
Posted to the web April 18, 2005
Clovis Atatah
The President of Socialist International Women, Italian-born Pia Locatelli, has scolded the SDF for having no female MP.
Speaking at a Socialist International Women regional meeting in Yaounde, April 16, that brought representatives from several African countries, Locatelli said it is simply unacceptable that a socialist party like the SDF should have no female representation in the National Assembly.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200504181394.html

The Japan Times

Threats of bomb, anthrax, death: Chinese interests in Japan under siege
The National Public Safety Commission said Tuesday there have been 25 acts of vandalism and harassment against Chinese interests in Japan, including diplomatic missions and schools, reported since April 9, when the first wave of unruly anti-Japan protests took place in China.
The commission's chairman, Yoshitaka Murata, said that of the incidents reported up to Monday, Chinese diplomatic establishments were targeted in 14 cases, including a bomb threat made against a consulate, while 11 were against other Chinese-related establishments.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050420a1.htm

Nakagawa livid over China's lack of remorse
Shoichi Nakagawa, minister of economy, trade and industry, blasted China on Tuesday for offering no apology or compensation for violence and damage caused by participants in recent anti-Japan protests, saying he doubts whether the country is truly governed by rule of law.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050420a5.htm

The Australian

Beijing deal a price cut bonanza
Steve Lewis and Catherine Armitage
April 20, 2005
THE prices of imported clothing, sporting goods and motor vehicles are likely to fall under a planned free trade pact with China, which the Howard Government expects will deliver a $24billion-plus economic windfall over a decade.
Trade analysts have welcomed China's agreement to begin formal talks with Australia on a wide-ranging deal that could be completed in two years.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15025635%255E601,00.html

Privacy laws blunt police bid to expose touring pedophiles
Simon Kearney and Mark Dodd
April 20, 2005
AUSTRALIAN pedophiles have been free to prey on children overseas because federal police have been hindered from warning their international counterparts by privacy restrictions.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15025639%255E601,00.html


Global Warming

Global warming: Nuclear power no solution
Jim Green
Have the nuclear industry and its supporters suddenly gained an environmental consciousness? While they're not planning to close their dangerous, polluting reactors nor begin dealing responsibly with their legacy of toxic radioactive wastes, they are now professing deep concern about climate change — and argue that nuclear power is the only solution.
Even environmentalists are turning to nuclear power, we're told. It's not true — you could count them on one hand — but the nuclear boosters and the mainstream media aren't letting the facts get in the way of a good story.

http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2005/622/622p9.htm

Japan researchers look to seaweed in fight against global warming
Jun Sugimori Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
A group of private and academic research institutes is studying the viability of tackling the gargantuan project of building a seaweed plantation in the Pacific Ocean to absorb carbon dioxide and produce biofuel.
The group, which includes Mitsubishi Research Institute, Tokyo University and Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, is studying the viability of the plantation, which they hope could be vital in the fight against global warming.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20050419wo71.htm

The New Zealand Herald

Pope says open to dialogue with cultures, faiths
20.04.05 9.05pm

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI, widely expected to be a stern defender of Roman Catholic orthodoxy, said on Wednesday that he wanted open dialogue both within his own Church and with other faiths and cultures.
Speaking in Latin during his first public Mass, German-born Joseph Ratzinger said he felt a sense of inadequacy after being elected pontiff, but believed his predecessor John Paul II was guiding him at the start of his papacy.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10121527

Annan urges China and Japan to resolve differences
A Chinese man places flowers in front of a giant poster depicting World War II for the 60th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II. Picture / Reuters
19.04.05 4.00pm
By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has encouraged Chinese and Japanese leaders to meet at the forthcoming Asia-Africa summit in Indonesia and resolve their differences peacefully.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10121298

Nine Australians face further interrogation in Bali
Four of the nine Australians cover their faces while in custody at the police headquarters in Denpasar, Bali. Picture / Reuters
19.04.05 1.00pm

CANBERRA - Nine Australians will face further interrogation in Bali today after being accused of trying to smuggle more than 11kg of heroin out of Indonesia.
Family members of the nine were expected to start arriving in Indonesia today, after four of the accused were detained at Bali airport on Sunday, allegedly with heroin strapped to their bodies.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10121287

Baby dies of meningitis days before vaccination due
19.04.05 1.00pm

The killer disease meningitis has claimed the life of an eight-month-old boy just days before he was due to be vaccinated.
The vaccination campaign began in Manawatu yesterday but it was too late for the baby who died in Starship Hospital in Auckland on Sunday after suffering the blood-poisoning effects of meningococcal disease.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10121273

Children who attend pre-school do better in life, report says
19.04.05 1.00pm

WASHINGTON - Children enrolled in quality pre-school programmes are more likely to graduate from high school, hold down jobs and less likely to be on welfare or end up in jail, said a report released on Monday.
The report by the advocacy group Legal Momentum and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Workplace Centre, analysed recent studies on the economic and other impact of good early education.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10121285

Metal workers union to deal directly with employers
19.04.05 1.00pm

Bosses' representatives have refused to negotiate with unions over the metals agreement, prompting bargaining with employers directly, the union says.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10121276

Briton admits quadruple murder
19.04.05 1.00pm

LONDON - A former rubbish collector pleaded guilty on Monday to murdering his girlfriend, her twin sister and an elderly couple in northern England last July.
Police had charged Mark Hobson, 35, after a massive investigation following the discovery of the naked bodies of 27-year-old Claire and Diane Sanderson, and former Spitfire pilot James Britton and his wife Joan.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10121283

Sharon signals possible delay in Gaza pullout
19.04.05 1.00pm

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon signalled he might delay a Gaza withdrawal until mid-August to avoid an annual Jewish mourning period that marks the destruction of two biblical temples.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10121284

Kashmir frontier ‘softening’ shows success
19.04.05

NEW DELHI - Declaring their peace process irreversible, nuclear rivals India and Pakistan agreed last night to open up the heavily militarised frontier dividing Kashmir, capping a successful visit by President General Pervez Musharraf.
In a rare show of unity, Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said they would work towards a "soft border" in Kashmir, opening meeting points for divided families and boosting cross-border trade, travel and co-operation.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10121175

The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) isn't available today, so this is from yesterday:

Scott Base

Clear

-30.0°

Updated Wednesday 20 Apr 2:59AM

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:

45 °F / 7 °C
Overcast

Humidity:
81%

Dew Point:
39 °F / 4 °C

Wind:
Calm

Pressure:
30.23 in / 1024 hPa

Visibility:
10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers

UV:
0 out of 12

Clouds (AGL):
Overcast 1200 ft / 365 m

end

March 19, 2005. Alaskan snow drift. Not a little amount of snow. GOD'S COUNTRY. 

Alaskan Island cliffs. Shore birds live among them. 

The glacier scoured tops of Alaskan islands. 

House in the village. 

Culture of a church in Alaska 

Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska 

Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska 

St. George's Island, Alaska 

Northern exposure ... a herd of musk ox graze in an area proposed as a site for oil exploration in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Photo: AP
 

Samir Kassir, an influential Lebanese newspaper columnist and opposition organizer, has long spoken out about the role of Syria in Lebanon. Photo Credit: Michael Robinson-chavez -- The Washington Post

Journalism at Risk - The Disappearance of "Deep Throat"

AKA "Bush gets away with murder!"

Journalism at Risk

A New Power Rises Across Mideast
Advocates for Democracy Begin to Taste Success After Years of Fruitless Effort
By Scott Wilson and Daniel Williams
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, April 17, 2005; Page A01
First of two articles
BEIRUT -- Early this year, a small group of advertising executives, journalists and political operatives began meeting around the crowded tables of a popular cafe here to plot an opposition media strategy for Lebanon's spring parliamentary elections.
Among them was Said Francis, whose urbane crew cut and black turtleneck sweater suggested his position as the regional creative director of the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. Employing reams of scratch paper, cigarettes and coffee, the group members argued over color schemes and slogans.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58609-2005Apr16.html

Judge expects Supreme Court to decide confidentiality of journalists' sources
By CHELSEA DEWEESE for the Missoulian

Thomas Hogan, chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, speaks to students, faculty and community members Tuesday afternoon at the University of Montana School of Law's Castles Center. Judge Hogan discussed the First Amendment and journalists' privilege to keep sources confidential when subpoenaed to testify in court.
Photo by LIZ GRAUMAN/Missoulian
The U.S. Supreme Court may soon be in a position to determine whether to create a federal shield law for reporters, a U.S. District Court judge said Tuesday during a guest lecture at the University of Montana.
"It may well be an opportunity to adopt a common-law privilege," U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan said during a presentation at the UM School of Law entitled "Protecting Deep Throat."

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/04/14/news/local/znews04.txt

Zim court acquits British journalists

A Zimbabwean court on Thursday acquitted two British journalists from the Sunday Telegraph newspaper accused of illegally covering last month's parliamentary elections.
"I find both of them not guilty and I will acquit them," said Magistrate Never Diza.
"All in all, the state failed to produce evidence for the accused to answer," she said.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=234976&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/

Journalists facing increase in government meddling, challenges
Published: Monday, April 18, 2005

There are a few cardinal rules in journalism:
1) Tell the truth; this means delivering a balanced, fair accounting of what happened.
2) Report what's newsworthy in a timely fashion; in other words, give the readers or viewers what they need and when they need it in order to make sound decisions about their lives.
3) And perhaps above all, engender trust.
If a newspaper or a television news station can't make good on the latter, then the first two issues are likely out the door. Does it matter if you tell the truth and do so in a timely fashion, if the audience doesn't trust you? If a tree falls in the forest with no one to hear it, does it make a sound?

http://www.wilkesbeacon.com/news/2005/04/18/Opinion/Journalists.Facing.Increase.In.Government.Meddling.Challenges-927418.shtml

Journos jailed for libel
18/04/2005 08:18 - (SA)
Egypt boosts free speech
Cairo, Egypt - The Cairo Criminal Court on Sunday sentenced three journalists to one year in prison for libelling the housing minister, despite a year-old announcement by the president that he would scrap the law that allows such imprisonment.

http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1691596,00.html

Sophy Miller is taking on the might of an entire army
BILLY BRIGGS

http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/37238.html

Uzbekistan: Deputy Interior Minister Addresses Allegations Of New Dissident Repressions
The Uzbek public was recently shaken by a series of Internet articles alleging the country's interior minister was set to unleash a new wave of antidissident repressions. The articles featured the supposed text of the new order as well as a blacklist of people targeted and the preferred method of repressions. A group of prominent independent journalists wrote to the minister, Zakir Almatov, demanding an explanation. Today, Almatov's deputy met with the journalists.
Prague, 15 April 2005 (RFE/RL) -- The meeting between the journalists and the deputy interior minister was an unprecedented event in Uzbekistan.
The subject of the talks were a series of Internet articles written under the name of Safar Abdullaev.
The articles referred to the existence of a confidential document drafted by the Interior Ministry and detailing a plan for new state repressions for the years 2005-07.

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/04/f6d8a2e5-6a96-4725-9556-23f1b5304a72.html

Jailed Yemeni editor symbolises problems faced by fellow journalists
(AFP)
17 March 2005
SANAA - Newspaper editor Abdul Karim al-Khaiwani, who was sentenced to one year in jail last September after harshly criticizing the Sanaa regime, has become a symbol of the problems facing journalists in Yemen.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/todaysfeatures/2005/March/todaysfeatures_March36.xml&section=todaysfeatures

Free speech groups demand freedom for jailed journalists
EU envoy's Easter visit a chance to raise the cases of prisoners of conscience. By Rohan Jayasekera

Louis Michel and
Felipe Pérez Roque
International supporters of free expression urge a senior European envoy to call for the immediate freeing of 21 journalists and writers jailed by the Cuban authorities two years ago while in Havana for talks at Easter.
European Commissioner for Development Louis Michel meets with senior Cuban officials in Havana on 24-27 March. He will be considering how approach a trade-off deal on human rights offered by Cuba's foreign minister, Felipe Pérez Roque, the last time the two met, earlier this month.
Perez Roque has said that Havana is prepared to make "clear gestures" if the European Union withdraws its threat to table a resolution condemning Cuba's human rights record at this year's UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.

http://www.indexonline.org/en/news/articles/2005/1/cuba-eu-envoy-urged-to-raise-cases-of-prison.shtml

Zimbabwe expels British journalists after 14 days in jail
Andrew Meldrum in Pretoria
Saturday April 16, 2005
The Guardian
Two British journalists were deported from Zimbabwe yesterday after being acquitted of working without accreditation and overstaying their visas.
Toby Harnden, 35, chief foreign correspondent of the Sunday Telegraph, and Julian Simmonds, 45, a Telegraph photographer, were due to fly to South Africa last night after a magistrate gave them "the benefit of the doubt" on the visa charge and handed them over to immigration officials.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/zimbabwe/article/0,2763,1461102,00.html

A royal mess

By Tom de Castella
Published: April 15 2005 18:25 Last updated: April 15 2005 18:25

At what point do journalists working in the shadow of a repressive regime give up? There will be a few people asking themselves that question in today’s Zimbabwe. Another rigged victory for Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party - this time by a landslide that gives him the power to change the constitution and select his successor as president - is disastrous for most Zimbabweans. For objective journalism it is a catastrophe.

If things were not depressing enough, last week came the state media’s triumphalist coverage of Mugabe’s appearance at the Pope’s funeral - and that handshake. Just at a time when the independent press had the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on the ropes over the discrepancy between turnout and party results, Prince Charles changed the news agenda with an absent-minded squeeze of tyrannical flesh.

The future is bleak, then. But that has been the case for some time -over the past 18 months more than 70 journalists have been arrested and four newspapers forced to close. Many foreign correspondents have been deported, and at the time of going to press, two Sunday Telegraph journalists were on trial for entering Zimbabwe without accreditation and overstaying their visas. They could be jailed for two years.

Welshman Ncube, a constitutional lawyer and secretary-general of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), says Mugabe has been clever with the media. Just as he has allowed parts of the judiciary to remain independent, preserving a semblance of legitimacy, he has tolerated a degree of dissent from the press. “You can have your weeklies - the Independent and the Standard - because they are not seen as influencing the mass of the people,” Ncube says. “But an independent media in the sense of mass circulation daily papers? Forget it, it’s not possible as long as this dictatorship’s in place.”

Mugabe’s media manipulation reached its apogee in the hands of former information minister Professor Jonathan Moyo. “Prof” is hated by journalists for his ruthless remoulding of the media, and mocked for his comical tirades on state television. In January he was sacked after he angered Mugabe by secretly plotting against Zanu-PF’s old guard. But the structures and laws he put in place live on: above all, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which requires newspapers to be licensed and every journalist to be accredited. It also bans the publication of “falsehoods”, which includes news that is “prejudicial against the state”. It was AIPPA that finished off the Daily News, a newspaper that had become a morning fixture for young, urban Zimbabweans.

In most countries the idea that one newspaper can determine a nation’s fate would be melodramatic and unwelcome. But in Zimbabwe this idea was plausible and hopeful. The Daily News launched in March 1999 and was soon selling more than 100,000 copies a day, far more than any other paper, and two or three times that of the state’s flagship, The Herald. Five years later it was shut down by the government. Since then, most of the 167 journalists have left the country or turned freelance. Only a skeleton online service survives. The Daily News arrived in the same year the MDC was set up and the fortunes of the two have been closely linked. Without a daily paper willing to give it space, the MDC will always struggle to get its message across. It did succeed in mobilising people during the election campaign but in between polls it struggles to remain visible and fight off Zanu-PF’s crude misinformation machine.

Propaganda is everywhere in the state media and can sound bizarre to foreigners, such as the Sunday News’ headline “Zanu PF tsunami buries MDC”. An analysis piece in December’s Herald shows the nature of political coverage: “The MDC used the resentment against the escalating prices and shortages of basic commodities as its launch pad. It was thus couched in violence and went on to base its whole campaign on the transient politics of the stomach, the strategy being economic sabotage to ensure the continuation of protest votes.”

That chilling phrase - “the transient politics of the stomach” - in a country where thousands are starving because of Mugabe’s fast-track land resettlement programme, says it all. Meanwhile, television schedules are interspersed with scenes of happy peasants hoeing fields in time to traditional music with lyrics written by government ministers.

In this war on truth, the journalists of the independent press must man the trenches. Vincent Kahiya, editor of the weekly Independent, was arrested twice last year, the first time for a story about Mugabe’s holiday to Malaysia. He and his colleagues were jailed for two nights in a cell with 30 others, a blocked toilet, no blankets and no room to sleep. In January, after a year of uncertainty and numerous court visits, they were taken off remand as the state had failed to produce a case. Kahiya says arrest, imprisonment and legal harassment, rather than prosecution, are the government’s tools. “All independent journalists have had to become paralegals,” he says. Many others say this results in self-censorship.

There is hope. Last month a court ordered the government’s media commission to license the Daily News to start publishing again. Whether the commission honours this, and whether the paper can repeat its past heroics with a staff of fewer than 30 journalists, remains to be seen. The miracle is that despite everything Mugabe’s regime has done, Zimbabwe’s independent journalists show no signs of giving up.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/282cede8-aca7-11d9-ad92-00000e2511c8.html

Michael Moore Today

http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Bolton Often Blocked Information;
Allegedly kept information vital to U.S. strategies on Iran
from Powell, Rice

Bolton Often Blocked Information, Officials Say
Iran, IAEA Matters Were Allegedly Kept From Rice, Powell
By Dafna Linzer / Washington Post
John R. Bolton -- who is seeking confirmation as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations -- often blocked then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and, on one occasion, his successor, Condoleezza Rice, from receiving information vital to U.S. strategies on Iran, according to current and former officials who have worked with Bolton.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2270

Senate Republican May Vote Against Bolton

GOP Lawmaker May Vote Against U.N. Nominee
By Siobhan McDonough / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - A top Senate Republican raised the possibility Sunday that he might vote against President Bush's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations if more accusations surface about John Bolton's alleged harassment of analysts who disagreed with his views.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2268

"His behavior back in 1994 wasn't just unforgivable, it was pathological."

U.N. Nominee Faces New Bullying Allegations
By Sonni Efron and Richard A. Serrano / Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON — A Texas businesswoman has written to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that John R. Bolton is unfit to serve as U.N. ambassador because he threatened, berated and harassed her in a dispute over an overseas contract.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2266

Reports Rock Support for Bush's U.N. Nominee John Bolton

Reports Rock Support for U.N. Nominee
By Sonni Efron / Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska signaled Friday that his support for the nomination of John R. Bolton as U.N. ambassador was wavering after new reports that Bolton ordered an intelligence analyst removed from his job.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=2255

Saturday, April 16th, 2005
Wassup?

Friends,

How's it going? Ready for the next step?
Let me know what you've been up to and any ideas you have about what our next move should be (write me at the addresses below).

Meanwhile, I'll be in conclave this week handing out goodie bags and running for pope. Wish me well!

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
Mike@michaelmoore.com
www.michaelmoore.com

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=182

I thought this picture of Dubai, United Arab Emirates was interesting taken on April 17, 2005. The color is thoughout the picture and not just sunrise or sunset color. This was not taken with a filter. The color is most likel caused from a 'soot' in the way of sand floating in the air.  

Some serious convection in Minneapolis on April 18, 2005. 

April 18, 2005, this was downtown, looking towards South Minneapolis/LynLake Region. These storms dropped 1.5 inch hail over the city last night, and two funnel clouds were spotted. All this and the ice on the lakes melted only two weeks ago!!