Monday, May 16, 2005

Morning Papers' - continued.

Haaretz

Pullout foes block key highways across country
Anti-disengagement activists Monday blocked several central highways and intersections across the country as thousands of police struggled to head off threatened efforts to bring traffic to a standstill.
Right-wing activists set tires ablaze at the entrance to Jerusalem during the morning rush hour, at the Latrun intersection on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and at the entrance to Holon several hours later. Police quickly cleared the burning tires from all locations.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/576262.html

High Court removes temporary injunction on separation fence
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
The High Court of Justice rescinded Monday the temporary injunctions imposed on separation fence construction works near West Bank settlements of Ariel and Immanuel.
The Israeli Defense Forces were allowed by the court to resume construction works until the court's next session on the petitions against the construction of the fence in the area.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/576709.html

IDF chief: Hamas building up popular army against PA
By Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondent
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Moshe Ya'alon said Monday that the "Hamas is building up an armed popular army against the Palestinian Authority."
"Its arming and gain of strength are rapid," Ya'alon told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee at a special farewell session held for him.
Ya'alon said that "this is the conclusion of a long period of [military] service and the conclusion of over 10 years of appearing before the committee since I was military intelligence chief."

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/576669.html

Hamas men elected in PA vote holding ongoing talks with IDF
By Haaretz Service
Prominent Hamas officials recently elected in Palestinian Authority municipal council elections are holding regular contacts with IDF liaison and coordination officers, a senior military official told Israel Radio Monday, comparing formal bans on talks with Hamas with past curbs on talks with the PLO.
Israel views Hamas as a terrorist organization, and publicly shuns all contact with it. Hamas, for its part, remains sworn to the eradication of the Jewish state by means of violence.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/576588.html

Four Israelis hurt in Gaza rocket attack; IDF wounds two Palestinians
By Amos Harel and Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies
Four Israelis were slightly injured by an anti-tank rocket near Rafah in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
In violence late Sunday, Israel Defense Forces soldiers shot and wounded two Palestinians near Ramallah. The military said they were throwing firebombs at an Israeli vehicle.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/576322.html

Israel lets PA deploy armed police in West Bank cities
By Amos Harel and Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondents
Israel has given its approval for the deployment of hundreds of armed Palestinian Authority police in all West Bank cities to crack down on crime. According to senior Israeli defense officials, the move is intended to strengthen the PA ahead of the transfer of additional cities to Palestinian control.
So far, Jericho and Tul Karm have been transferred to Palestinian control, with Israel conditioning the transfer of additional cities on the monitoring of wanted men and the confiscation of weapons.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/576110.html

IDF attacks Hezbollah posts after Har Dov shelling
By Amos Harel, Aluf Benn and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondents
The security situation on the Lebanese border heated up on Friday, as Israel Defense Forces planes, gunships and tanks destroyed Hezbollah posts in Lebanon, in response to Hezbollah shelling of IDF positions.
No IDF soldiers were wounded during the fighting. The number of Hezbollah casualties is unknown.
The border has been quiet since the IDF activity ended on Friday night. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said over the weekend, "We shall not open a northern front and have no interest in escalation there."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/575761.html

The dead who walk among us
By Gideon Levy
The days of commemoration are over. After honoring the memory of our dead who perished in the Holocaust and those killed in Israel's wars, the time has come to think about the next victims. They are walking among us. The fate of the next round's victims is almost sealed. This will be the last summer for the woman with the shopping bags who boards the bus that explodes, for the soldier at the bus stop, for the teenage girl at the mall, for the grandfather traveling to visit his grandchildren and for the foreign worker at the central bus station.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/576301.html

Hezbollah, IDF exchange fire near Mount Dov
By
Eli Ashkenazi, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Hezbollah gunners in Lebanon fired a barrage of at least nine mortar shells or Katyusha rockets Friday afternoon at an Israel Defense Forces outpost along the border in the Shaba Farms region. The incident was the third attack in the region in less than 48 hours.
There were no Israeli casualties.
The IDF responded by firing artillery shells at a Hezbollah position in southern Lebanon, and fighter jets bombed three Hezbollah outposts in southern Lebanon.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/575761.html

FM: Iran may have nuclear know-how in less than nine months
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Iran may develop the know-how to make nuclear weapons in six to nine months, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said on Friday. He called on the United Nations to impose sanctions on Iran.
"Iran poses an existential threat, and that's why I think that the entire world understands that it's impossible to give such an extremist regime the possibility of having a nuclear bomb that can essentially threaten the integrity of the world," Shalom said Friday in an interview with Israel Radio.
The day before, Shalom warned that Tehran was close to knowing how to make nuclear weapons.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/575337.html

Most Palestinians support Gaza pullout, according to poll
By The Associated Press
A majority of Palestinians believe that Israel's plan to unilaterally withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four northern West Bank settlements this summer is a positive step for peace, according to a poll released Friday.
Palestinian officials have criticized the disengagement plan, saying Israel has refused to coordinate the pullout with them and demanding that it be incorporated into the internationally backed road map peace plan, which envisions the creation of a Palestinian state by the end of the year.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/575833.html

Thousands mark last Independence Day in Gush Katif
By
Nir Hasson
Tens of thousands of people spent Independence Day in Gush Katif, to show solidarity with the residents and protest the disengagement plan.
According to organizers, some 65,000 supporters made the trip to the Gaza settlement bloc yesterday. But police said the true figure was closer to 45,000

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/575431.html

60,000 pour into Gush Katif to celebrate Independence Day
By Haaretz Service and Agencies
Israelis celebrated the state's 57th year of independence Thursday, flocking to parks and beaches as ceremonies marked the day more formally.
Some 60,000 people came to Gush Katif on Thursday to celebrate Independence Day and to rally against the disengagement plan.
Central arteries through the Gaza Strip were shut down to vehicular traffic and buses shuttled visitors from the Kissufim crossing to the central events in Gush Katif.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/574905.html


I always loved horses as a kid

Nation's Law Makers Hear about
Horses at Risk; Events at Capitol Intended to Save Wild Horses from Slaughter
3/7/2005 7:00:00 AM
To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor
Contact: Trina Bellak, Esq., 866-983-3456
News Advisory:
-- Events at Nation's Capitol Intended to Save 8,000-plus Wild Horses from Slaughter and to Help Pass Bills to End All Horse Slaughter in the United States

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=43922

Horses banned for Gaines Twp. family
Resident alleges double-standard

(ABC12 Image)
By
Randy Conat
Gaines Twp. — (03/07/05)-- A mid-Michigan man is angry after his request to keep
horses on his property was denied.
He says his daughters are heart broken because of politics.
Morgan Hallmark want their horses and can't understand why they can't have them. "They've been like the best horses ever," Morgan said.

http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/news/030705_NW_r2_gaines_horses.html

PEDERSEN HANDED 60 DAY SUSPENSION
Posted by
Jeremy Rangiawha 08:07 AM 08-Mar-2005 NZST
Jennifer Pedersen, the New York-based trainer who conditions
horses primarily for Ernie Paragallo’s Paraneck Stable, received a 60-day suspension from the New York State Racing and Wagering Board on Friday (March 4).
Pedersen was allegedly found in possession of what a board official called “injectibles.”
Pederson will continue to train pending an appeal of the charge.
The board cited Pedersen for violating a board rule that addresses the possession of hypodermic equipment and controlled substances.
Board officials could not speak directly to evidence related to the
case because of Pederson’s appeal, but board spokesperson Stacy Clifford said that officials found Pedersen "to be in possession of injectibles … at Aqueduct on March 3."

http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=22521

Racing: Aussie - it doesn't look good
08.03.05
by Michael Guerin

The man responsible for flying the Australian flag at the Interdominions tonight says it may not soar very high.
Victorian horseman Lance Justice will partner millionaire pacer Sokyola, and the pair are the only Australians favoured to break the local stranglehold on the series.
Sokyola was the only Australian heat winner on the first night of the $1.7 million Alexandra Park carnival and looks like the raiders' best chance of defending the Interdom title.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10114088

The following two are dated by interesting.

Students research, raise
horses for coming auction
By Michael Robot
Published: 3/7/2005

A group of Cook College students will
auction off a set of horses they have raised and researched since September, in an expanded program at the Equine Science Center that may raise thousands of dollars.
Over 30 students in the North American Equine Ranching Information Council's Young Horse Teaching and Research Program have been involved in studies with 12 yearlings that will culminate in the sixth annual benefit auction on May 1 at the Round House on Cook campus.
The auction marks the end of months of studies and
training by the students in the NAERIC program under the direction of Sarah Ralston, associate director who teaches at the Equine Science Center.

http://www.dailytargum.com/media/paper168/news/2005/03/07/PageOne/Students.Research.Raise.Horses.For.Coming.Auction-887173.shtml

Friesian
Horses for Sale: Friesian Horses ‘Interviewed' Before they are Offered for Sale
(PRLEAP.COM) SOLVANG, CA March 7, 2005 — When it comes to the purchase of a Friesian horse, the last thing a buyer wants to encounter is disappointment - disappointment that the horse is not as well trained as was promised or, worse yet, the disappointment that comes from the discovery that a horse is unmanageable. This is why Pieter Franken, the owner of Dutch Horsefriend in Solvang, California, flys to the Netherlands to personally "interview" each and every prospective addition to the stock of Friesian horses he sells to casual riders and show horse competitors.

http://www.prleap.com/pr/5077/

Farriers give
horses comfortable feet for Red Hills competition
Rusty Jenkins had a hunch that something was wrong with Grace, a 1-year-old horse he's been shoeing since birth.
An X-ray confirmed it - the horse has a bulge on her left foot that throws off her balance.
"It might be a difficulty," Jenkins said, holding his right hand against his jaw, as he walked from viewing the X-ray at the veterinarian's office. "Maybe."

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/breaking_news/11092076.htm

Zobel can reclaim confiscated horses, judge rules
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A man may reclaim 110 of the starving
horses seized from his ranch near Republic after a judge ruled Tuesday that their owner wasn't intentionally abusing the animals.
Greene County Circuit Judge Don Burrell ruled William Zobel must post a $65,000 bond to regain his horses, and a veterinarian with the Missouri Department of Agriculture will supervise their care. If Zobel fails to properly tend to the horses, Burrell authorized the
animals to be sold or adopted.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/11084878.htm

'These were my babies': Horse owners devastated by killer fire
MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press
TANNERSVILLE, Pa. - Connie Carbonara and her horse, Mighty Ben Hur, spent 24 years together, and the bond they shared was obvious.
He'd follow her around the pasture like a puppy
dog and bang his hoof against the concrete barn floor if she wasn't paying enough attention to him. She was a faithful visitor, spending hours a day, every day with the lame Appaloosa known simply as Ben.

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/politics/11092679.htm

The illustration is a bit racist.

Stewart rides wave of success, not horses
By Stefan Schumacher
Published:
Wednesday, March 9, 2005
Media Credit: Wendy Gorton Daily Trojan
Why can't she ride her horse? Why can't she ride her horses?"
This is what Larry King, in total seriousness, was demanding to know of one of his panelists last week, when discussing the return of Martha Stewart. King's interrogation about Stewart's equestrian freedom was just a small part of the media blitz that took place upon her release from prison.

http://www.dailytrojan.com/media/paper679/news/2005/03/09/Opinions/Stewart.Rides.Wave.Of.Success.Not.Horses-889335.shtml

Fighting for Wild Horses
by Gloria Hillard
Wild Mustang mares roam the Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary in Central California. Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary © 2005

Morning Edition, March 10, 2005 · Tucked into the omnibus-spending bill passed in December was the repeal of a 34-year-old law that prohibited the slaughter of wild horses, including mustangs. Now, horse lovers are incensed, and the dispute divides cattlemen and wild horse advocates.
Related NPR Stories

Phttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4529319

Horse Clone Lifts Hopes for Saving Rare Breeds
NPR.org, August 6, 2003 · Italian scientists announce the birth of the world's first cloned horse. The announcement gives hope to conservationists who think cloning technology may someday help save critically endangered relatives of the horse, such as the Somali Wild Ass and Koulan. Hear NPR's Joe Palca and NPR's John Nielsen.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1387488

Labrador sleigh
horses slay 2 cars
Last Updated Fri, 11 Mar 2005 08:54:06 EST
CBC News
HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, NFLD. - A tourism pitch went very wrong in Labrador this week when Belgian horses pulling a sleigh ran amok, demolishing two cars.
The horses, a brother and sister team named Rusty and Becky, belong to Happy Valley-Goose Bay farmer Tom Angiers.

Pasted from <
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/03/10/labrador-horses050310.html

Lake Louisa Park's Obstacle
Course Tests Riders, Horses
Run by volunteers, the event raised more than $1,700 for the state recreational area.
By LORETTA LYNN
Reporter Correspondent
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY -The sun was barely breaking the trees and morning dew was sprinkled across the grass and clay paths when
horses and riders ambled into the knoll area at Lake Louisa State Park for the second annual Obstacle Trail Challenge.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050310/REPORTER/503100330/1021

Rowan officials save hungry horses
3/9/2005 10:09 PM
By: Jason Bronis, News 14 Carolina
Horses in Need
It is possible that the horses' owner could face criminal charges.
SALISBURY, N.C. -- Animal Control officers in Rowan County seized five
horses Tuesday that they said were starving to death.
“They were in very poor condition, emaciated,” Animal Control Supervisor Clai Martin said. “Obviously they hadn’t had proper feed, proper hay and proper vet care.”
The horses lived at a farm on Highway 152 near Rockwell. Ten others at the farm were also found to be suffering from malnutrition. One of them, an 8-month-old colt, died Tuesday night.

http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/local_news/?AC=&ArID=88570&SecID=2

Horses, growth of town clash
Controversy is escalating over new rules for animals
By Connie Paige,
Globe Correspondent March 10, 2005
Sharon Kelly considers Cody and Winchester among her best friends.
ADVERTISEMENT

Connie Schwarzkopf considers Cody, Winchester, and others like them possible public-health menaces.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/03/10/horses_growth_of_town_clash/

Mullins denies calling horse players 'idiots'
UNION-TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICES
March 10, 2005
Horse racing's commissioner reacted yesterday to remarks made by trainer Jeff Mullins, who reportedly ridiculed fans for betting.
D.G. Van Clief, commissioner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, told The Associated Press that Mullins' comments "are inexcusable."

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20050310-9999-1s10briefs.html

Pimlico
$200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
5/20
Pimlico
$500,000 Pimlico Special Handicap
5/20
Belmont Park
$200,000 Shuvee Handicap
5/21
Churchill Downs
$100,000 Open Mind Stakes
5/21
Hollywood Park
$150,000 Lazaro Barrera Memorial Stakes
5/21
Pimlico
$1,000,000 Preakness Stakes
5/21
Pimlico
$200,000 Dixie Stakes
5/21
Pimlico
$100,000 Maryland Breeders' Cup Hcp
5/21
Belmont Park
$150,000 Sheepshead Bay Handicap
5/22

http://www.youbet.com/

French
horses chomping at the bit
By Peter Nicholls
Published: March 11 2005 20:43 Last updated: March 11 2005 20:43

Azertyuiop is not much of a name for a horse. It breaks the first rule of naming, having no connection with the horse’s breeding – Azertyuiop being by Baby Turk and a mare named Temara – and the second rule in not even being a meaningful word. However, there is some information to be gleaned, for Azertyuiop is named after the top row of letters on a French computer keyboard.
Azertyuiop, then, is French and at next week’s Cheltenham Festival is anti-post favourite, along with Moscow Flyer, for Wednesday’s Queen Mother Champion Chase, the race predicted to be the highlight of the world’s most prestigious jump meet. Now trained by Paul Nicholls in Somerset, Azertyuiop will be the best French import on show at Cheltenham, but he will not be the only one, for French imports are all the rage in Britain at present. Indeed, there will be more than 100 are likely to come under starters orders during the four-day festival, a reflection of the fact that the French are supplanting the role that Irish breeders traditionally held in British jump racing.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/dbe874fc-925c-11d9-bca5-00000e2511c8.html

American Horse Defense Fund: Senate Says, ‘Horses -— What's Not For Dinner’
3/11/2005 8:41:00 AM
To: National Desk
Contact: Trina Bellak of the American Horse Defense Fund, 866-983-3456
WASHINGTON, March 11 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The American Horse Defense Fund (AHDF), the nation's premier horse protection,
education and advocacy organization today declared the National Capitol Hill Week For Horses a success. The highlight of the week during which people from across the country came to weigh in with their representatives in the House and Senate, was the introduction of a bill to the Senate by Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.). The bill, S. 576, is a companion bill to one introduced recently by Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) and Ed Whitfileld (R-Ky.), H. R. 297. Both bills would reinstate the 34-year-old protection from slaughter for wild horses that was destroyed by a rider Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) had attached to a ‘must pass’ appropriations bill late last year. Under the Burns rider, all captured wild horses over the age of 10 or those offered but not adopted after three attempts must be sold ‘without limitation’, auctions and slaughter included.

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=44202

Stewards will discuss remarks with Mullins
By Steve Andersen
Daily Racing Form
ARCADIA, Calif. - Members of the Santa Anita board of stewards said Thursday that they would speak to trainer Jeff Mullins regarding controversial remarks attributed to him in a newspaper article last weekend and that one of Mullins's clients would be sanctioned for a heckling incident related to the comments.
A column in Sunday's Los Angeles Times quoted Mullins as saying that anyone who bets on
horses is "an addict or an idiot" and that "if you bet on horses, I would call you an idiot." Mullins said that his comments were taken out of context and that they were directed only to T.J. Simers, who wrote the column, and not to bettors in general.

http://espn.go.com/horse/news/2005/0311/2010457.html

AT THE RACES LAUNCHES DATABASE
At The Races has launched a
free five-year form database on its website.
Visitors to attheraces.com can access form via the racecards or by using a
search facility. From there they can call up information, statistics and results relating to horses, jockeys, trainers and owners.

http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=racing/05/03/11/RACING_At_The_Races.html

Racing: Herlihy looking forward to the finish line
At 45, Tony Herlihy has been driving
horses for 27 years, and working with them even longer. Picture / Martin Sykes
11.03.05

by Tony Herlihy

Tony Herlihy, just so you know, it was in 1985 that you were world harness-racing champion. Also, you've won the New Zealand harness-racing championship seven times.
I'm telling Herlihy these things because he couldn't tell me.
Almost apologetically, he said: "Oh, I should know, but I don't. It'll be in the records somewhere."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10114831

JULICH CHASING ELUSIVE MEADOWLANDS WIN
Posted by
Jeremy Rangiawha 09:30 AM 12-Mar-2005 NZST
Life has been good for retiree Richard Julich, who has owned racehorses on and off since 1967 but a trip to the Meadowlands' winner's circle is one thing that has eluded him.
The 76-Year-Old retiree will attempt to change that with a 5-Year-Old gelding named Nvincbl Artist who makes his next start Saturday night (March 12) in the first of two $25,000 divisions of round one of the Four Leaf Clover Series at the Meadowlands.
"We've been right there with this horse," said Julich from his
Florida winter home that he shares with his wife, Dale.

http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=22709

China parks will curb throwing
horses to lions
Safari parks in China have agreed to stop feeding their
lions and tigers large live animals such as horses – at least in public.
The gory eating habits could lead visitors to believe that animals, both hunter and prey, were only human playthings, Xinhua news agency on Wednesday quoted Xie Youxin, the deputy general manager of the Wild Animal World in Chengdu, as saying. “The bloody scene could also have implanted violent tendencies in youngsters,” he said. Chengdu is the
capital of southwestern Sichuan province.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_17-3-2005_pg9_2

More
horses removed from Adams County farm
Wednesday, March 16, 2005

By Rodney Hart
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
CAMP POINT, Ill. — Horse farmer Lawrence "Bud" Wietholder could face criminal charges after authorities removed 19 horses from his 900-acre Adams County farm Tuesday.
Wietholder, who has a history of violations in connection with the treatment of animals, tried to block the road leading to his farm so volunteers from the Rock Island area couldn't bring their trailers to load impounded horses.

http://www.whig.com/315740863536219.php

2 horses die of anthrax in Mongolia
http://www.chinaview.cn/ 2005-03-16 20:39:25
ULAN BATOR, March 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Two horses in Mongolia's Dornod province died Monday from anthrax, the Mongolian General Authority for Emergency Management (GAEM) said here Wednesday.
Authorities in the province have enforced martial law in the Halhgol County where the deaths occured and have begun an operation to disinfect the livestock in the district, a GAEM spokeswoman said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/16/content_2706630.htm

DATED

2 horses die of anthrax in Mongolia
http://www.chinaview.cn/ 2005-03-16 20:39:25
ULAN BATOR, March 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Two horses in Mongolia's Dornod province died Monday from anthrax, the Mongolian General Authority for Emergency Management (GAEM) said here Wednesday.
Authorities in the province have enforced martial law in the Halhgol County where the deaths occured and have begun an operation to disinfect the livestock in the district, a GAEM spokeswoman said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/16/content_2706630.htm

Over Three Dozen
Horses Quarantined At Training Center
March 15, 2005, 05:24 PM
By David McArthur
(LOUISVILLE) -- With only two months until the start of the spring meet at Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, a rarely found disease in Kentucky has infected a horse here. Now 43 thoroughbreds training at the Trackside facility on Poplar Level road have been quarantined and tested for the bacterial disease that can kill horses. WAVE 3's
David McArthur reports.

http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=3080613

Horses run wild after NY stagecoach crash
By Larry McShane, Associated Press Writer May 13, 2005
NEW YORK -- The wild West Side of Manhattan became Dodge City for a pair of
horses turned loose in traffic Friday when a truck collided with a 120-year-old stagecoach, sending the runaway equines on an unscheduled jaunt across town.

http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2005/05/13/horses_run_wild_after_ny_stagecoach_crash/

MONMOUTH PARK OPENING DAY 2005
Trainer Lukas to have stable of horses for meet
Four-time Eclipse Award winner puts Nicholl in charge of stable
Published in the Asbury Park Press 05/14/05
Today's 60th opening of the Monmouth Park season boasts the highest purses in history and bettors should see larger fields and more competitive racing. They will also see some new big-name stables on a regular basis.
The lure of $325,000 per day has attracted four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas, back at Monmouth Park for the first time since 2000. Lukas trains a string at Churchill Downs in Kentucky, which moves to Saratoga for the summer and California for the winter; Peter Hutton handles Lukas' Belmont Park-based horses; and now 36-year-old Sebastian Nicholl will be overseeing Lukas' string at Monmouth Park.

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050514/SPORTS/505140441/1002

HORSES GO BUGGY ON 14TH STREET
By JENNIFER FERMINO
May 14, 2005 -- In New York's first stagecoach accident of the century, two
horses led authorities on a wild and woolly chase yesterday, as they broke loose and charged pell-mell along 14th Street.
Hero and Princess sent pedestrians scurrying for their lives as the half-ton Percheron ponies bolted with nostrils flaring for several blocks.
The wild incident unfolded around 10 a.m. when the stagecoach the horses were pulling — in a publicity stunt for country singer Shania Twain's new perfume — was rear-ended by a van between Eighth and Ninth avenues.

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/46497.htm

DOPING PERIL FOR JP'S HORSES
By Stewart Maclean
FURIOUS fans last night threatened revenge on "traitor" shareholder John Magnier by doping his racehorses.
Militant supporters' group the Manchester Education Committee made the threat after he sold his 28 per cent stake to American tycoon Malcolm Glazer for £220million on Thursday.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=15516172&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=the-man-united-takeover--doping-peril-for-jp-s-horses-name_page.html

Officials seize
horses near Montalba
5-13-05
BY PAUL STONE
H-P Associate Editor
Four horses and a donkey allegedly lacking proper food and care were seized Thursday morning by representatives of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office.
The animals were seized from outside a residence at 419 CR 412, just east of Montalba, after authorities received a complaint that the animals were not receiving adequate care, Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor said Thursday morning.

http://www.palestineherald.com/articles/2005/05/13/news/news01.txt

East Valley Life

LOTS OF LOVING: After completing a lesson, Gary Woods rewards his horse, Emma Jet, with a kiss. Woods’ teaching method reflects his love and respect for horses.
Toru Kawana Tribune
Texas-born trainer abandons macho approach to horses for a gentler way
By Marija Potkonjak, Tribune
May 14, 2005
Gary Woods helps horses with people problems.
Woods is a horse communicator who has spent the past two years healing horses traumatized by the cruelty and ignorance of humans.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=41347

Cloud covers track
New EvD suffers more tragedies
Michael Krieg
mkrieg@theadvertiser.com

John Rowland/jrowland@theadvertiser.com
Tractors, not
horses, were the only things close to the track at the New Evangeline Downs, as seen in this aerial photograph taken on Friday - one day after two horses were euthanized and the rest of the weekend card was cancelled. The track is scheduled to reopen for business on Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT

OPELOUSAS - Questions about the track conditions at Evangeline Downs resurfaced again Thursday when jockeys refused to finish the race card.
The situation became more controversial Friday morning when EvD decided to temporarily cancel racing through May 18.
Track general manager Mike Howard didn't return calls seeking comment, but he did issue a statement in a press release saying the track is looking into the jockeys' complaints.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050514/SPORTS/505140346/1006

Two Delaware
Horses Finish Near the Front at the Derby
WILMINGTON- Delaware was well represented at Saturday evening's Kentucky Derby.
Three hometown favorites, Afleet Alex, Bellamy Road, and High Limit, were all from Delaware Park. Afleet managed to pull in a third place finish. Bellamy Road crossed the line at seventh. High Limit did not fare so well, ending the day in last place.

http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3314167&nav=MXEaZbvF

Abused Milan
horses are finding homes
By Deirdre Cox Baker
.
Horses rescued this spring from a west-central Illinois farm are being adopted out, and a special
training program was held Sunday for potential new owners.
.
“These are not tame horses,” said Deb Schone of Schone’s Friendship Farm in Milan, Ill. “They may look docile, but when you try to do something with them they are not.”

Pasted from <
http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?story_id=1050736&t=Local+News&c=2,1050736>

Escorts help keep riders,
horses calm before races

Pony rider Monie Graves escorted Grand Reward -- with jockey Jerry Bailey up -- to the starting gate in the fifth race yesterday. Like the horses Graves has escorted in past Derbies, Grand Reward finished out of the money. (BY KEITH WILLIAMS, THE COURIER-JOURNAL)
RELATED STORIES

jriley@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
Monie Graves, one of the "pony people" at Churchill Downs since 1985, is one of the last to talk to a jockey and his horse before the Kentucky Derby.
It is Graves'
job to ride a horse alongside the mounted jockey and to help warm up the racehorse on the way to the starting gate, making sure both the contender and rider stay calm and ready.
Asked how many Derby winners she had escorted since 1985, Graves shook her head and smiled.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050508/SPORTS08/505080380/1002

WHAT HAPPENED TO ... GRAHAM McCOURT?
Graham McCourt had a successful
career in the saddle and will always be remembered for springing the biggest surprise in Gold Cup history aboard 100-1 shot Norton's Coin in 1990.
Racing fans could no doubt recall him taking the Champion Hurdle aboard Royal Gait, too, but he was last heard of calling time on his tenure as a trainer back in 2002.
It will come as no shock to find that the 35-year-old is still very much involved in racing, this time in the role of assistant trainer at the Cotswold yard of David Wintle.

http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=racing/05/05/09/RACING_Happened_McCourt.html

WEATHER PROMPTS YORK SWITCH
Heavy rain over the weekend has forced York to alter the starting positions for three races at this week's May Festival.
The races were originally scheduled to be run over a mile using the round
course and have been switched to the shorter distance of seven furlongs using the straight course and appropriate spur.

http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=racing/05/05/09/RACING_York.html

Spooked horses spark concern

By Mica Thomas Mulloy, Independent Newspapers
Kim Foster walked through her Desert Hills property with an
orange sunset behind her and two horses in a corral to her side.
As the sky faded to a deep purple, she told the story of an event six weeks ago that left her devastated.

http://www.newszap.com/articles/2005/05/09/az/north_valley/anth04.txt

Family tradition of breeding horses continues
PUBLISHED: May 9, 2005
By Gina Joseph
Macomb Daily Staff Writer
Spring is a busy time on the farm, especially when six mares are ready to foal.
Advertisement

"This one was born two days ago," said Jack Faulk, pointing to a wobbly-legged foal nudging its nose against its mother's side. "She looks like she's going to be a pretty nice filly."

http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/050905/loc_horses001.shtml

Giacomo proves Derby is where dreams can soar
50-1 shot winning? Now that's an upset
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - One of those beautiful dawn's-coming moments long ago on the backside at Churchill Downs, great old thoroughbred trainer Charlie Whittingham explained why he kept at it. "No horseman," he said, "ever committed suicide with a good 2-year-old in the barn."

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7791999/

Luisa depends on horses
A YOUNG girl is depending on her passion for
horses to assist her family cope with the difficult times they might encounter in the future.
And even though 14-year-old Luisa Tuisasa of Navau in Ba has never attended school, she believes her determination to help and commitment towards her horses would be enough to see that her family's basic needs are met.

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=21070


THE DECISION STREAM

The Cheney Observer Revisited


Bush shows caution about plunging into Mideast peacemaking - Oh, really? - That's okay, Mubarak and Sharon are doing just fine !!

BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer

President Bush called for realism and took the long view Monday on Mideast peacemaking and development of democracy among Palestinians.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/12/20/national1452EST0601.DTL

Bush, Putin to meet in Slovakia in Feb. - (Perhaps Putin can talk some sense into Bush regarding the danger the USA is causing with Global Warming.)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush will meet in Slovakia in late February with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of an expanding effort by the White House to improve relations with European nations.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-12-20-bush-putin_x.htm

New group claims Sudan oil attack
Tuesday 21 December 2004
A previously unknown rebel group has claimed responsibility for an attack on an oil field in the Darfur region of western Sudan and said it was the group's first military operation.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0E977594-0BFB-4764-8F24-EECBA3647FCD.htm


Crude oil prices dip as market monitors U.S. weather cold snap

http://www.canada.com/businesscentre/story.html?id=ed544a56-90f5-43bf-862d-c100b7432e20

Al-Qaida rallies fighters to strike oil infrastructure
Associated Press
Dec. 20, 2004 12:00 AM
CAIRO - The Saudi branch of al-Qaida called for attacks against oil infrastructure in the Persian Gulf in a Web statement posted Sunday.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1220al-qaida20.html

Boost for Kenya’s dream of oil riches - Are there any other kind of dreams for Kenya besides oil. Is this the reason al Qaeda is interested in disrupting the government there and throughout Africa? To steal the wealth away from the citizens and use it for their network wars.

Willis Oketch
There is renewed interest in oil exploration in Kenya, amid reports that oil could be struck in the Lamu Basin.

http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=8875

The Failed Fuel Price Reduction: the Role of Oil Companies

Posted to the web December 20, 2004
Eguono Odjegba
ON the eve of the last strike threatened by labour, government announced a reduction in pump prices of diesel and petrol by N3, while it slashed that of kerosene by N10. To the masses, government's action earned it the respect of a people's representatives that have been listening to the voices of those that voted them into power. Based on this consideration, the Nigerian Labour Congress with its civil societies allies, backed down from going ahead with a proposed nationwide strike, which opinion poll reported would have recorded unprecedented success.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200412201161.html

Indian Oil Unit Targets Half Sri Lanka's Fuel Market in 4 Years
Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Indian Oil Corp. plans to use money from Sri Lanka's biggest share sale to help capture half the retail fuel market on the South Asian island in four years, said local Managing Director Mahadevan Nageswaran.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000080&sid=aYeyadpXRHok&refer=asia

Bush Fingers Torture Apologist for Attorney General (Updated)

by NewStandard Staff
With John Ashcroft resigning as America’s top cop, the White House is looking to replace him with an Enron-connected lawyer who once conjured a legal excuse for torturing prisoners of war.

Nov 11 - Following the resignation of Attorney General John Ashcroft, President Bush has selected the man who drafted a legal argument for disregarding international law in the so-called "war on terror" as the next head of the Justice Department. Though many consider White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales a less divisive figure than the highly unpopular Ashcroft, civil rights groups have expressed grave concerns over the nomination.

"Making Alberto Gonzales the Attorney General of the United States would be a travesty," said Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, in a press statement. "It would mean taking one of the legal architects of an illegal and immoral policy and installing him as the official who is charged with protecting our constitutional rights. The Gonzales memo paved the way to Abu Ghraib."

Ratner was referring to a memo authored by Gonzales at the behest of President Bush and leaked to the press early 2002, in which the White House Counsel wrote that laws prohibiting torture do not apply to "the President’s detention and interrogation of enemy combatants."
A later memo from Gonzales’ office puts forth the opinion that "physical pain amounting to torture must be equivalent in intensity to the pain accompanying serious physical injury, such as organ failure, impairment of bodily function, or even death" and for mental pain to amount to torture, "it must result in significant psychological harm of significant duration, e.g. lasting months or even years."

The American Civil Liberties Union likewise expressed trepidation over the nomination. Though he made clear that as an organization with a "record of uncompromising non-partisanship" the ACLU had no official position on the appointment of Gonzales, Executive Director Anthony Romero called "for a full and thorough Senate confirmation process that scrutinizes Mr. Gonzales' positions on key civil liberties and human rights issues."
Romero said that "particular attention should be devoted to exploring Mr. Gonzales' proposed policies on the constitutionality of the Patriot Act, the Guantánamo Bay detentions, the designation of United States citizens as enemy combatants and reproductive rights" and that he should be queried on the 2002 memo. "His confirmation hearings should also examine in detail Mr. Gonzales’ approval of the now-disavowed Justice Department memoranda that condoned the torture and incommunicado and indefinite detention of detainees captured during the Afghanistan conflict," added Romero.

Gonzales also faces criticism from activists opposed to capital punishment. A 2003 Atlantic Monthly article reported that when Gonzales was Bush’s legal counsel in Texas, he routinely failed to provide the governor with crucial details surrounding clemency petitions. The article, which relies on documents obtained by journalist Alan Berlow through the Texas Public Information Act, details several cases in which Gonzales drafted brief reports for Bush outlining the legal arguments and case histories of people about to be executed.

"A close examination of the Gonzales memoranda suggests that Governor Bush frequently approved executions based on only the most cursory briefings on the issues in dispute," wrote Berlow. "In fact, in these documents Gonzales repeatedly failed to apprise the governor of crucial issues in the cases at hand: ineffective counsel, conflict of interest, mitigating evidence, even actual evidence of innocence."
Most political analysts say they expect the Senate will approve Gonzales as the next Attorney General, but he is likely to face some tough questioning.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) told the Associated Press that Gonzales’ confirmation hearing "may be the only remaining forum in which to examine more fully the steps that were taken to weaken U.S. policy on torture in the period that led to the prison scandals at Abu Ghraib and Afghanistan."

Some also question Gonzales’ ties to Enron, which is under investigation by the same Justice Department Gonzales will head if confirmed. As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, Gonzales formerly worked for the law firm that represents the energy giant, and he accepted campaign contributions from the company when seeking election to the Texas Supreme Court in 2000.

Gonzales also received $4,000 while serving on the Court from individuals and organizations affiliated with Halliburton, which is currently under FBI scrutiny for allegedly overcharging taxpayers when providing fuel to troops in Iraq. According to Craig McDonald, director of Texans for Public Justice, a nonprofit which tracks the influence of money and corporate power in Texas politics, campaign finance records filed with the Texas Ethics Commission include a $2,000 contribution from the Brown & Root political action committee in 1999. Kellogg Brown & Root is a Halliburton subsidiary. They also show Gonzales received $2,000 from Halliburton’s executive vice president, Lester Coleman, in late 1999 and early 2000.
The Alliance for Justice -- a national association of environmental, civil rights, mental health, women's, children's and consumer advocacy organizations -- also put out a statement on Gonzales’ nomination. "Gonzales provided the Bush administration with the legal architecture to sidestep and ignore the rule of law that, as attorney general, he will be mandated to enforce," said the organization’s president Nan Aron. Aron also criticized Gonzales’ role as White House counsel in "selecting extremist judicial nominees."

"Gonzales has consistently pushed the limits of executive privilege in order to shield the Bush administration from oversight by Congress or scrutiny by the American people," added Aron. "The position of the country's chief law enforcement officer demands an impeccable level of integrity and commitment to the rule of law that Gonzales has not proven to possess."

In spite of all the concerns surrounding Gonzales’ nomination, the nation’s largest Hispanic advocacy organization hailed Bush’s choice. In a statement released by the National Council of La Raza, the group’s executive director, Janet Murguia, said, "We are very encouraged by the Gonzales nomination." Calling the nomination "an historic milestone for the Latino community," Murguia pointed out that, if confirmed, Gonzales will become the first Hispanic to serve as head of one of the four major cabinet posts.
© 2004 The NewStandard. See our
reprint policy.

http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=1218

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2005, changes will take effect in the requirements for the petroleum industry to report production levels, inventory levels and other data to California under the Petroleum Industry Information Reporting Act (PIIRA).

http://www.mysan.de/international/article16910.html

Mosul Attack Kills U.S. Soldiers, Halliburton Workers (Update2)
Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Insurgents fired explosives into a dining tent at a U.S. Army base in Iraq's northern city of Mosul today, killing more than 20 people, including at least 14 U.S. soldiers and seven civilians doing work for the Pentagon contractor Halliburton Co.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=a1Cbvlw132dM&refer=top_world_news

Ruling leaves retiree benefits intact
Halliburton sought to trim care for 4,000
By TOM FOWLER and JOHN ROPER

Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
A judge has ruled that Halliburton Co. cannot cancel or make major changes to the health care coverage for 4,000 retirees of a company it merged with in 1998 without making similar changes for other employees.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/2957114

Top Picks In Oil Services, Drilling
12.20.04, 12:45 PM ET
Merrill Lynch said the oil-services industry "is poised for continued growth in what is expected to be the longest-duration upcycle since the 1970s." (THE LONGEST DURATION UPCYCLE SINCE THE 1970s. Isn't that just a little odd considering this is the hottest time on this planet needing reductions in carbon based energy?)

http://www.forbes.com/markets/currencies/2004/12/20/1220automarketscan09.html


Voucher ruling may take awhile
From Herald wire services
TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Supreme Court on Monday refused to expedite the appeal over Florida's original voucher law.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/education/10464079.htm

Cheney hunts quail in county; few other details released
Published Tuesday, December 21st, 2004
Vice President Dick Cheney made a trip to the Lowcountry on Monday afternoon for a bit of leisurely quail hunting.

http://www.islandpacket.com/news/briefs/story/4362521p-4131705c.html

No Mandate

Votes for second-term presidents
December 21, 2004
SCOT LEHIGH'S Dec. 15 column refers to dispirited Democrats looking for routes back to relevance ("Dems to Hollywood: The end"). This spin on the election first emerged in victory statements on Nov. 3 by President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, who interpreted the outcome as a historic and broad mandate that earned political capital for the administration. In fact, the historical record proves the opposite.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2004/12/21/votes_for_second_term_presidents/

On the morning of the 19th of December, 6 activists from 'Glasgow anti-war action' blockaded Weir Pumps Ltd in Glasgow who have been profiting from the war in Iraq. The company who are a supplier to Halliburton are part of a new campaign of direct action with the aim of causing the company sufficient disruption and economic damage, that they stop supplying components to Halliburton. Further, still, the company make parts for the Trident nuclear submarines based just thirty miles from Glasgow at Faslane. (Some activists involved with Glasgow Anti War Action are from Faslane Peace Camp.)

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/12/20/5005330

Campus Rivalry May Push Lawsuit - The Bushes are always making trouble by continually trying to expand government where it doesn't belong and taking it from where it does belong.
Higher education dispute is possibly linked to UF-FSU tensions.
By JOE FOLLICK
Ledger Tallahassee Bureau
TALLAHASSEE -- Forget constitutional questions about arcane government hierarchy.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041222/NEWS/412220338/1134

Halliburton's Sacrifice
New York Sun Staff Editorial
December 22, 2004
News that among those killed in the attack at Mosul, Iraq, yesterday were seven Halliburton workers prompted us to recall some of the political criticism leveled at the company during the presidential campaign. "Halliburton got billions in no bid contracts in Iraq. Dick Cheney got $2 million. What did we get? A $200 billion bill for Iraq. Lost jobs. Rising health care costs.

http://www.nysun.com/article/6670

DCF official quits, citing rushed bids
By Diane Hirth
DEMOCRAT CAPITOL BUREAU
DCF contract chief resigns, citing 'haste'
The Florida Department of Children and Families official responsible for contracts for client services has resigned, with warnings that DCF rushes too fast to bid out its services and inadequately monitors its private providers.

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/10471929.htmM

Indystar

Lilly seeks tax breaks on cascade of projects
Request that would shave $48 million off drug maker's bills goes to a vote Wednesday.

By Jeff Swiatek
jeff.swiatek@indystar.com

Continuing a spending spurt in its hometown, Eli Lilly and Co. is seeking property tax breaks on more than $700 million in new or renovated manufacturing plants, offices and labs.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050516/NEWS01/505160354/1006

Prison debts force hike in property tax
Marion County owes state $57 million; bills for homeowners could rise as soon as next year.
By Kevin Corcoran
kevin.corcoran@indystar.com

Marion County property owners will pay tens of millions more in taxes as the state pressures counties to cover $85.8 million in juvenile prison costs.
Any increase could begin as early as next year, but officials say they still are trying to determine the added cost to the average county homeowner.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050516/NEWS01/505160359/1006

Striving for character, not characters
Schools see the need and reap the benefits of teaching students positive behavioral traits

Clear conscience: Indian Creek Elementary third-grader Lucas Pelletier, who turned himself in for cheating in a math competition, congratulates Julie Martin on her win during practice for a contest. -- Adriane Jaeckle / The Star

By Andy Gammill and Robert King
andy.gammill@indystar.com

Lucas Pelletier's sleight of hand ate at his conscience for a year.
Every week, the 9-year-old Lawrence Township student heard his teachers talk about honesty, integrity and fair play. All he could think about was how he cheated to win a domino game in his school's Math Pentathlon.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050516/NEWS01/505160406/1006

Dropout factories
IPS high schools are among nation's worst in producing graduates.

One on one: At Manual High School, freshman Andrew Dyke gets homework help from media center director Lucille Koors, a former math and chemistry teacher. On average just 125 of the 450 freshmen who enter Manual in a typical year progress to their senior year on time. -- Adriane Jaeckle / The Star

Indianapolis Public Schools operates some of the worst dropout factories in the nation. Hundreds of students each year quit school, most landing in dead-end jobs or prisons. In some families, dropping out has become a way of life with neither parents nor children completing high school.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050516/OPINION/505160318/1002

38 bodies found dumped in Iraq
Police say men were executed in violence that has killed 450 in just over 2 weeks.

Dozens hurt: Ali Abbas (center) was one of 38 people injured Sunday in a suicide bomb attack on government buildings in Baqouba, Iraq. -- Mohammed Adnan / Associated Press

By Alexandra Zavis
Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The bodies of 38 men shot execution-style were found dumped around an abandoned chicken farm, a trash-strewn lot and an insurgent stronghold west of the capital, police said Sunday. The grisly finds were the latest in an endless stream of violence, much of it designed to destabilize Iraq's new government and hasten a U.S. retreat.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050516/NEWS06/505160430/1012

concluding...