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
