Traverse City Film Festival


Special to the Record-Eagle/Greg UndeenLights from the State Theatre reflect off a limousine as the opening night show of the Traverse City Film Festival lets out. "Mad Hot Ballroom" received a standing ovation and wild applause that could be heard outside on the street by hundreds waiting for the next viewing.

Traverse City Eagle Record

Lights go up at State Theatre

By MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS
Record-Eagle staff writer

TRAVERSE CITY - There was no red carpet and only one limousine arrival, but the excitement on Front Street was palpable as moviegoers arrived at the historic State Theatre for the opening film of the first Traverse City Film Festival.

Under the flashing lights of the newly polished marquee Wednesday evening, festival volunteers hawked popcorn and festival T-shirts, friends and families took snapshots of each other, and camera crews panned the growing line that had snaked nearly to the Cass Street intersection by 7:30 p.m.

Inside, ushers and concessionaires got last-minute instructions, donned vintage jackets and hats, and filled boxes with popcorn as fast as the machine could spill it out.

With two Traverse City policemen on mountain bikes providing security, Marilyn Agrelo, director of the opening film "Mad Hot Ballroom," stepped out into the street to snap a shot of the film title spelled out in large red letters on the marquee.

Meanwhile, Old Town Playhouse actor Thomas Pritchard as "Chief Brodie" entertained those waiting with his megaphone and bright yellow "Amity P.D." jeep festooned with sharks and nets to promote Thursday's showing of "Jaws" at the Open Space Cinema.

"Greatest thing that ever happened to Traverse City," remarked Chris Okoren of Pentwater, as she took her place in line. A part-time resident of Key West, Fla., Okoren compared the festival to ones she has been to there. "This is a gift to Traverse City, and Michael Moore should be patted on his back," she said.

Friends Carol Sullivan of Westland and Ann Ramroth of Livonia had plans to go to Stratford this week but canceled them to come to the film festival instead.

"We just thought it would be fun to be a part of something so exciting," said Sullivan.

Shortly after 8 p.m., when the sold-out audience had taken their seats, festival founder and Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore took the stage unannounced with co-founders Doug Stanton and John Robert Williams.

"Welcome to the State Theatre!" Moore shouted to thunderous applause.

After thanking all those who are helping with the five-day festival, including the Herrington-Fitch Family Foundation, which put up a big chunk of the event's $250,000 budget, the often-controversial Moore made reference to the festival's broad-based community support.

"This is the America of liberty, where we can all have our different beliefs and opinions but where we can all come together for the good of the community," he said.

Organizers planned the festival in just two months. Among its 31 domestic, foreign language, independent and documentary films are seven premieres and four free classics that will be shown nightly at dusk at the waterfront Open Space Cinema.

Only one screening of "Mad Hot Ballroom" was originally scheduled for Wednesday but an extra showing was added after the first sold out last week. The 2005 documentary, introduced Wednesday night by Agrelo, follows a group of fourth- and fifth-graders as they participate in a ballroom dance program at their New York City public schools.

Agrelo told the audience before the show began not to leave before the credits because of a surprise.

As applause reverberated across the theater, a spotlight flashed on the stage and Moore led Elsa Melys Ulelio and Kelvin Munoz from the winning team out on stage. They danced as the audience clapped and cheered.

"This community should be so proud," said Nancy Osborne, a Fort Myers, Fla, resident who is visiting friends in Benzie County. "Do you know what it takes to do this, to bring those two kids here?"

http://www.record-eagle.com/2005/jul/28filmfest.htm

Child stars, director of 'Mad, Hot Ballroom' in TC
All attend film's showing
BY GARRET ELLISON
Record-Eagle staff writer
TRAVERSE CITY - After spending the last couple months touring the country promoting "Mad Hot Ballroom," Elsa Melys Ulelio and Kelvin Mu¤oz are still shaking their heads, wide-eyed.
"I was like, that's me! I don't believe it," Mu¤oz said when he saw himself on the big screen for the first time.
Mu¤oz and Ulelio are two of the children who star in the documentary, which follows a group of New York City children growing up and learning ballroom dancing as an elective at school.
"Mad Hot Ballroom" kicked off the Traverse City Film Festival last night with a sold-out show at 8 p.m. and an extra showing at 10 p.m. The film was released May 13.
Both children were attending the early screening, accompanied on the trip here by Mu¤oz's parents, Cecilio and Ana Taveras. Also on hand was director Marilyn Agrelo. The children were also expected to dance on stage at the State Theatre as part of the event.
Cecilio said he never would have believed it all.
"I see him in the movie and I'm like, 'Wow, that's my son,'" he said.
Mu¤oz and Ulelio attend P.S. 115 in Washington Heights, one of three schools where producers chose to shoot. Ulelio dances the rumba in the film.
"It wasn't tough," she said. "It was like one, two, three steps - it was easy."
Outside the State Theatre, Kathryn Wade of West Bloomfield recognized Mu¤oz from the film.
"I just saw it last week," she said. "I loved it, it was one of the best things I've seen lately - just fantastic."
The movie marks the directorial feature debut of Agrelo, a 15-year veteran of independent films, who also accompanied the kids to the film festival.
"To my surprise they called me from Paramount Classics to tell me Michael Moore wanted my film for this festival," she said. "It's really an honor to be the opening film for the inaugural festival."
Misconceptions were targeted in her film, which she describes as "my little love poem to New York."
"When I set out to make this film, I wanted to show what the neighborhoods of New York are really like," she said. "Not the places commonly associated with New York, like the Empire State Building, but the street vendors and the people."
She said in New York - like in Traverse City - there are old neglected theaters which the people have risen up to preserve.
"I think it's good for people to realize we're all really the same," she said. "That's why it makes me happy to bring this little New York story to Traverse City."

http://www.record-eagle.com/2005/jul/28madhot.htm


Locals to perform prior to Opera House movies
BY LINDSAY VANHULLE
Record-Eagle staff writer
TRAVERSE CITY - Several area teenagers will get a chance to perform for moviegoers prior to films at the City Opera House during this week's Traverse City Film Festival.
The musicians, which include two adults from Interlochen Center for the Arts, will each perform two numbers to help display local talent, said Robert Hughes, City Opera House venue manager.
"The idea originally was to bring in some local talent," Hughes said. "(It's) just to show anybody who's coming in from out of town that we've got some talented kids in this town."
The students will perform as moviegoers come into the theater and find their seats, he said.
Performing prior to all four Opera House shows Thursday are Kelly Sitek and Claire Gibbons on vocals, Jessie Aja on drums, Miles Kaufmann on piano and Jeff Cavistan on bass.
There will be no performances before the 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. shows Friday, but the two evening performances will include four members of the Traverse City Central High School 2004-2005 Choral-Aires - Sitek, Amanda Wyskochil, Gibbons and Kathleen Loup. The band again includes Aja, Kaufmann and Cavistan.
Saturday's shows at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. will feature Jack Fivecoate on harmonica, Reese Gallagher on guitar and John Tornga on bongos. All three will sing. The 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows will have Matt Harting on guitar and Wyskochil on vocals.

Harting will have a guitar solo at the 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday shows, and Interlochen instructors Rick and Lynn Church will sing and play piano at the 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows Sunday.

http://www.record-eagle.com/2005/jul/28fflocals.htm


A LOT OF THE VENUES ARE SOLD OUT. This is interesting though that most of us didn't pick up the content to the extent Mike did. They sound like great films. I hope they all come out on DVD eventually.

Tickets remain for Moore's top 5 'founder's favorites'
He says they focus on class and economy
FROM STAFF REPORTS
TRAVERSE CITY - Of the 31 movies being showcased during the Traverse City Film Festival, which are Michael Moore's favorites?
The ones that still have the most tickets left.
Of all of the screenings on the five-day schedule, showings for "The Ax," "Land of Plenty," "The Edukators," "My Summer of Love" and "The Talent Given Us" have more tickets than others remaining for sale. Those happen to be the festival founder and Oscar-winning filmmaker's favorites.
"There's a kind of thread that runs through these films," Moore said. "The thread is it's about class and the economy and the changing world that we live in."
"The Ax" is about a man who loses his job and after two years, has yet to find another. He proceeds to systematically eliminate some of the competition. Set in France, it's a dark comedy from director Costa-Gavras, who Moore described as "one of the greatest living directors in the world."
"It's not a violent film, though it sounds that way," Moore said. "It's the thing I like about any great movie - you never know what's going to happen next."
"Land of Plenty" is what Moore described as the rare film that tells a story grounded in post-Sept. 11 culture. It's about a security-obsessed man who drives around on the lookout for terrorists.
"It's one of the films that's in the festival where I had tears in my eyes at the end of it."
The German "The Edukators" was the one Moore said gave his "Fahrenheit 9/11" the most competition for grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival, though Moore's won. Moore didn't get a chance to see it himself until a few months ago.
"The Edukators" is about three 20-something have-nots who break into the homes of the well-to-do and rearrange the furniture, but don't steal anything.
"My Summer of Love" may be the most misunderstood among Moore's favorites, he said. A story about two teenage girls, one from a wealthy family and one working class, it does include the girls exploring a possible romantic relationship. But Moore said focusing on that misses the point.
"Everybody is focusing on the lesbian thing," he said. "Number one, they aren't lesbians, it's not a lesbian love story - they are two young girls who at one point in the film experiment with each other.
"But the film is really about the wealthy girl essentially uses the working class girl as her plaything. It's an allegory for those in power expecting those who are not in power to be at their beck and call."
"The Talent Given Us" was made by Andrew Wagner for $30,000 with a two-man crew. Wagner, who also wrote the script, got his parents and sisters to act in the story of a family traveling from Manhattan to Los Angeles to visit a son/brother.
Moore said the way it plays, it's hard to tell what's real and what's fiction. Besides that, he said, it's "a fun, well-acted wonderful story."

http://www.record-eagle.com/2005/jul/28fftickets.htm


Odds and ends from the Film Festival
FROM STAFF REPORTS
The show must go on, but probably not on the big inflatable screen at the Open Space if there's lightning. That's the word from the Traverse City Film Festival, which will keep a close eye on weather with help from the festival's volunteer weatherman, Greg McMaster.
If any Open Space film must be canceled due to weather conditions, a decision will be made by 7 p.m. Area broadcast media will be notified, signs will be posted at the Open Space and other festival venues, and the information will be listed on the Film Festival Web site, http://www.traversecityfilmfestival.org.
-
To get festivalgoers in a shark state of mind for tonight's showing of "Jaws" at the Open Space, local builder Jake Anderson and Ed Mulcahy at Old Town Playhouse have been busy building sharks and shark components. Their handiwork will be featured in a show that will be held about 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today at the Open Space. It will be repeated tonight starting around 8:30 p.m.
Components include four mechanical sharks and 10 sharks that he said are "basically a fin on a stick," all circling the water with help from 10 divers. They're hoping for a boat with an old sea captain to be on the water during the morning event, when Sheriff Brody might even be on shore with a bullhorn calling warnings.
Plans were still being finalized Wednesday, but look for the action in the harbor at the Open Space and maybe even extending over in front of the volleyball courts.

http://www.record-eagle.com/2005/jul/28ffnoteb.htm

Good movies and politics mix well, Moore says
By JOHN FLESHER
Associated Press Writer
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- Bathed in spotlight on a darkened stage, Michael Moore sounded downright conciliatory toward his detractors while welcoming a capacity crowd to a film festival in his adopted hometown.
"This is the America we want to believe in, where we can all have our various beliefs but come together for the greater good of the community," the left-wing documentary filmmaker said to a thunderous ovation.
The Oscar winner, known for humorous but bitingly satirical productions such as "Roger & Me" and "Fahrenheit 9/11," described good movies as a bridge across the political divide for people "tired of the hate, tired of the yelling, tired of ... the screamfests, the talk radio."
But chatting with fans Thursday at the inaugural Traverse City Film Festival, Moore acknowledged putting aside political differences could be tough for him - especially when hearing that more U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq.
"It's very hard to love a Republican at that moment," said Moore, who denounced the war and President Bush when accepting an Academy Award for "Bowling for Columbine" in 2003.
And he served notice that his next documentary, "Sicko," a critique of the nation's health care system, would pull no punches. The idea arose from a segment in one of Moore's former television shows with a mock funeral on the grounds of a health-maintenance organization refusing to pay for a dying man's surgery.
"Freaked-out" HMOs are warning employees what to do if approached by Moore and his camera crew, he said with a chuckle. "At this point we haven't shot anything yet and they're totally discombobulated."
Moore said he had no apology for making politically themed films: "When in this great democracy did 'political' become a dirty word?"
But such films are most effective when their primary goal is artistic excellence, he said, adding that liberals turn people off with too much "finger wagging" and too little humor.
"Comedy was the vehicle of the left a hundred years ago - Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin, the Marx brothers," Moore said. When making "Roger & Me," which showed how auto plant closings devastated his native Flint, "I thought by letting people laugh a little bit, they would actually leave the theater more angry about what was going on."
Moore, who now lives near Traverse City, founded the film festival with local movie buffs. It began Wednesday night with two showings of "Mad Hot Ballroom," a lighthearted documentary about a dance competition between elementary school children in New York City.
More than 1,100 people packed a historic downtown theater that had been closed for years until volunteers refurbished it for the festival.
Thirty other films were being shown over the next four days, most of them independently produced documentaries, dramas and comedies. None of Moore's films are on the list.
The event has inspired a rival conservative "freedom film festival" scheduled for this weekend. Among the titles: "Michael Moore Hates America."
But leaders of Moore's festival insist it's not a political platform, but a celebration of high-quality cinema involving hundreds of volunteers and businesses representing a variety of beliefs.
A local radio station that airs right-wing commentator Rush Limbaugh promoted the festival. State Rep. Kevin Elsenheimer, a Republican elected last fall after Moore campaigned for his opponent, penned a supportive column in the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
"I have to admit I've never seen any of his movies," said volunteer Bonnie Willings, 59. "I'm just grateful he's using his connections to bring all these great movies here."
---
On the Net:
Festival Web site: http://www.traversecityfilmfestival.org

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MI_MOORE_FILM_FESTIVAL_MIOL-?SITE=MITRA&SECTION=HOME

Opening Night

July 27, 2005.

The movie was "Mad Hot Ballroom" shown at 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM to sold out audiences.

Best Film, Chicago Film Festival. It's the most acclaimed documentary of the year -- and it will send you out on Front St. dancing a tango with a rose in your teeth! Inner-city kids from New York take up ballroom dancing and enter the big city-wide competition against children of all backgrounds. You will root and cheer, laugh and cry, in this uplifting, remarkable opening night movie for our first Traverse City Film Festival. Director and stars will be in attendance!

It was followed by an Opening Night Gala which was also sold out.

Special to the Record-Eagle/Greg Undeen
The State Theatre was full Wednesday night as patrons filled in for the opening of the Traverse City Film Festival,

The Rooster  

Morning Papers - It's Origins

Rooster "Crowing"

"Okeydoke"

History …

1586 Sir Thomas Harriot introduces potatoes to Europe

1588 Spanish Armada sails to overthrow England's Queen Elizabeth I

1851 Total solar eclipse captured on a daguerreotype photograph

1862 Confederate forces defeated at More's Hill, Mo

1866 Metric system becomes a legal measurement system in US

1868 14th Amendment ratified, citizenship to exslaves

1882 The opera "Parsifal" is produced (Bayreuth)

1883 Shocks triggered by the volcano Epomeo (Isle of Ischia, Italy)
destroyed 1,200 houses at Casamicciola killing 2,000

1896 City of Miami incorporated

1898 Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of the Retired Colourman"(BG)

1900 Hamburger created by Louis Lassing in Connecticut

1914 Austria-Hungary attacks Serbia-WW I begins

1914 Foxtrot 1st danced at New Amsterdam Roof Garden (NYC, by Harry Fox)

1915 10,000 blacks march on 5th Ave (NYC) protesting lynchings

1931 Congress makes "The Star-Spangled Banner" our 2nd national anthem

1932 Pres Hoover evicts bonus marchers from their encampment

1933 1st singing telegram delivered (to Rudy Vallee), NYC

1935 G Neujmin discovers asteroid #1386 Storeria

1938 K Reinmuth discovers asteroid #1485 Isa

1942 Nazis liquidate 10,000 Jews in Minsk Russia

1943 Italian Facist dictator Benito Mussolini resigns

1943 Pres FDR announces end of coffee rationing in US

1945 US Army bomber crashes into 79th floor of Empire State Bldg, 14 die

1945 US Senate ratifies UN charter 89-2

1959 Hawaii's 1st US election sends 1st Asian-Americans to Congress

1962 Mariner I launched to Mars falls into Atlantic Ocean

1964 Ranger 7 launched toward the Moon; sent back 4308 TV pictures

1967 Pirate Radio Station 390 (Radio Invicta) (England) closes down

1973 Skylab 3's astronauts (Bean, Garriott & Lousma) launched

1977 Roy Wilkins turn over NAACP leadership to Benjamin L Hooks

1978 600,000 attend Watkins Glen Summer Jam in NY

1978 Perth Observatory discovers asteroid #3188 & #3422

1978 Price of gold tops $200-an-oz level for 1st time

1980 Fernando Bela£nde Terry becomes president of Peru

1986 NASA releases transcript from doomed Challenger, pilot Michael Smith
could be heard saying, "Uh-oh!" as spacecraft disintegrated

1987 Angel Cordero Jr becomes the 4th jockey to win 6,000 races

1988 Israeli diplomats arrive in Moscow for 1st visit in 21 years

1988 Jordan cancels $1.3 billion development plan in West Bank

1988 Winnie Mandella's home in Soweto, South Africa destroyed by arson

1990 Blackout hits Chicago

1991 Expo's Dennis Martinez pitches baseball's 15th perfect game (Dodgers)

1991 Miguel Indurain of Spain wins the Tour de France bicycle race

2061 31st recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet

Missing in Action

1966 MC SWAIN GEORGE P. MONTROSE CA 03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE IN 98

International Herald Tribune

Cricket: Games in Zimbabwe divide New Zealand

New Zealand's cricketers will begin their tour of Zimbabwe next week in little doubt of the disapproval felt by the bulk of their compatriots.

Their departure to a weeklong training camp in Namibia - they will not enter Zimbabwe until Aug. 4 and the first of the two five-day test matches does not start until Aug. 7 - was accompanied by a vote in New Zealand's Parliament that condemned the tour, 110 to 10.


http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/07/27/sports/CRICKET.php


The Jerusalem Post

PM wraps up 'very successful' French visit with call for aliya
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon concluded his Paris visited by meeting with French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon returns to Israel Friday following a four-day visit to Paris that he termed very successful.
Sharon wrapped up the visit on Thursday by meeting French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy at his Paris hotel and with French Jewish leaders at the Paris International Convention Center.
The prime minister raised the ire of the French government last year by connecting anti-Semitism in France to his standard call for Diaspora Jews to make aliya. Sharon made sure to separate the two issues this time, but he did not mince words in repeatedly calling upon the audience to move to Israel.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1122518931272

Karadi: Protests won't wear us down
With settler leaders planning the largest-ever anti-disengagement march set to begin next Tuesday in Sderot, Police Insp.-Gen. Moshe Karadi convened the top police brass on Thursday to discuss how police would thwart the activist's plans to infiltrate Gush Katif.
During the evening meeting, Karadi and his officers refrained from making concrete decisions concerning the police's operational plan due to conflicting intelligence reports they had received on the Sderot plans.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1122448673715

Reporters on the Job: Pullout training
Jerusalem Post military correspondent reports from the fields of Re'em base tent city outside the Gaza Strip
Embedded with the Caracal Battalion: Playing mind games
By Arieh O'Sullivan, Jerusalem Post military correspondent
Posted: July 28, 2005
The Re'em base is a mammoth tent city outside the Gaza Strip with endless rows of canvas, screens and, yes, mud. For all the army's planning and checks, a burst water main has turned large swaths of the desert field into sticky mud flows.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1122518929581

J'lem Summit heads to Seoul
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
Reaching out to Christian supporters of Israel in Asia, a group of conservative Israeli thinkers and two parliamentarians from the Knesset's Christian Allies Caucus are traveling to South Korea next month for the second annual Jerusalem Summit Asia to shore up support for Israel against the increasingly global forces of Islamic fundamentalism.
The two day pro-Israel conference, which will be hosted by the President of South Korea and the Mayor of Seoul as well as the largest Christian Church in Asia, is expected to attract more than 2,000 people from over ten east Asian countries.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1122448676791

IRA: We will abandon 'armed campaign'
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON
British Prime Minister Tony Blair hailed the IRA's announcement ending its armed campaign as a step of "unparalleled magnitude" and said the disposal of IRA weapons must take place as soon as possible.
"This may be the day when finally, after all the false dawns and dashed hopes, peace replaced war, politics replaces terror on the island of Ireland," said Blair in a live televised statement at his Downing Street office.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1122518928997

The Cheney Observer

Cheney's lecture
July 26, 2005
In "The Jukebox Queen of Malta" (a World War II novel by New Englander Nicholas M. Rinaldi), Maltese women attacked downed German airmen with pitchforks. The British, who were defending the Mediterranean island from a possible invasion, intervened to save the enemy airmen's lives.
It wasn't that the British had sympathy for the Germans who were, after all, bombing Malta almost every day. Rather, they feared that should any Germans be killed in this fashion, their own airmen would be risk a similar fate at the hands of civilians if they were forced to parachute over hostile territory.
And that's a principle the American people should keep in mind as they think about the way our government treats its prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and other detention facilities. For if our side is believed to abuse its prisoners, or to deliberately ignore the provisions of the Geneva Conventions, then we should not be surprised if our enemies feel justified in behaving in a similar fashion. Our misdeeds put our own troops at risk.
Yet the Bush administration does not seem concerned about this principle. It has launched an effort to block legislation that is supported by key Republican senators, legislation that would forbid the American military from engaging in "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment" of detainees. The senators also propose banning the hiding of prisoners from the Red Cross and from using interrogation methods that are not authorized by a new Army field manual.

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050726/NEWS/507260337/1021

The IMMORAL Tactics of the Right Wing

Cavuto Disses a "Liberal" Guest for the Third Time This Week
In March of this year, Paul O'Neill, President Bush's former Treasury Secretary and a man who told the truth about what it was like to work inside the Bush White House, was a guest on Your World w/Neil Cavuto. O'Neill was invited on, ostensibly, to talk about his plan to fix Social Security. Only problem was, Cavuto interrupted O'Neill no less than 24 times so he wasn't able to say much. Through his endless interruptions, Cavuto clearly communicated his dislike for O'Neill and his lack of interest in what he had to say.
Today (July 27, 2005), one of Cavuto's guests was a civil rights lawyer named Michael Gross. Gross was on to talk about the false sense of security created by putting cameras and police officers on every corner, in every mall, and on every bus and train. While Cavuto wondered "What's the big deal?" and argued that we haven't had another attack since 9/11, Gross tried to communicate that we must get to the reasons behind bombings. He said we must "understand the problem" because if we don't, the bombers will win because they will "have created totalitarianism."
Cavuto interrupted Gross 16 times.
Comment: "Fighting terror" by bombing, by profiling, by searches and seizures, by surveillance, and by the Patriot Act is discussed and encouraged day in and day out and day in and day out on Fox News. Voices such as Gross' are effectively missing. Apparently the definition of "fair and balanced" on Fox is to invite guests with opposing points of view to appear on screen, period. Having the body there is all that seems to matter because when a guest is interrupted 16 times (conservatives aren't treated like that), the Fox anchor talks more than the guest (mouthing administration propaganda) and the alternative point is effectively silenced.
Cavuto has used three different tactics this week to discredit "liberal" guests. Here and here are the other two.

http://www.newshounds.us/2005/07/27/cavuto_disses_a_liberal_guest_for_the_third_time_this_week.php

Today (July 25, 2005), at the end of Your World w/Neil Cavuto, Cavuto read six emails about Kalb's Saturday appearance. Here they are:
Please give Marvin a happy pill. What a sour, dull person! If I wanted to hear a liberal monotone, I would listen to NPR.
In Marvin Kalb you were able to find a gust who knows less about economics and business than Bob Beckel.
It is good that you're fair and balanced, but that doesn't mean you should be fair and stupid.
Having a well respected, very intelligent, articulate liberal like Marvin Kalb adds to the depth of your show and demonstrates the fair and balanced advertising slogan.
We enjoyed Marvin Kalb's inaugural appearance on Cavuto on Business. However, did you pick out his shirt and tie?
Your constant interruption of your guests makes you the rudest, most arrogant person to your guests on the entire network. Your inclusion of Marvin Kalb about made me throw my shoe at my TV. If I was CEO of Fox News, you would be fired in a New York minute.
Comment: As I've said before, Fox is a well oiled machine. No "liberal" voice goes unanswered. Fox doesn't want its viewers to ponder anything a "liberal" says so it discredits "liberals" either during interviews, or afterward. Still, viewers like those above, continue to think that featuring the occasional, albeit discredited "liberal," means Fox News is "fair and balanced."

http://www.newshounds.us/2005/07/25/marvin_kalb_read_this.php

Cavuto moved on again: "Senator, let me ask, delving you, if you don't mind into politics a little bit. Ah, I remember when you, in the earlier Iowa caucus, ah, decided to back Senator Kerry. Howard Dean of course was pretty, or, backing Howard Dean and Senator Kerry was upset. What is the relationship with you and Senator Kerry now? I know a lot of water has crossed under that bridge."
Harkin said his relationship with Kerry, "is excellent. Always has been. Always will be. I have a great deal of friendship and respect for Senator Kerry. I gave him a full heads up when I ah, at that time endorsed Howard Dean. He knew about it. We maintained contact through the whole process."
Comment: Fox News portrays Howard Dean as a full-fledged lunatic. John Kerry is still a flip flopping, French girlie man. As soon as Cavuto reminded his viewers that Tom Harkin endorsed Howard Dean, and as soon as Harkin said he has a "great deal of friendship and respect" for Kerry, his credibility went out the window. He became one of them. Cavuto managed to link Harkin to two of Fox's most hated Democrats, and anything Harkin said before, or after, was forgotten.
Democrats, liberals and progressives may appear on Fox, but Fox discredits them one way or another. Until Democrats educate themselves about how to appear on Fox News, this will continue to happen.

http://www.newshounds.us/2005/07/26/fox_trashes_another_clueless_democrat_fox_technique_963.php

Abortions soar as careers come first
By Alexandra Frean
Rising rate among under-14s disappoints health officials
THE abortion rate hit a record high last year, according to government figures published yesterday that also show a sharp rise in terminations to girls aged under 14.
In 2004 the abortion rate rose by 2.1 per cent to 17.8 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, the highest recorded, according to the Department of Health. This resulted in 185,415 women resident in England and Wales having an abortion, compared with 181,600 in 2003.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1710854,00.html

Shell fined £900,000 over platform deaths
By Chris Hardy
SHELL UK has been fined £900,000 following a “substantial catalogue of failures” which led to the death of two workers on a gas and oil production platform, north east of Lerwick.
Invergowrie man Keith Moncrieff (45) and 22-year-old Sean McCue, from Levenmouth, were overcome by a massive gas escape when they were sent down into the utility leg of the Brent Bravo platform to check a temporary patch on a leaking pipe.
The failure to replace the temporary repair allied to a series of circumstances nobody at Shell had foreseen would be connected, were at the heart of yesterday’s case at Stonehaven Sheriff Court when the company accepted that it had failed to ensure the safety of the two men.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2005/04/28/newsstory7068463t0.asp

19 July 2005 - Brent Bravo Decision Not to Hold Fatal Inquiry Overturned
The decision, by the Crown Counsel, not to hold a fatal inquiry into the deaths of two oil rig workers at the Shell Brent Bravo platform, namely Mr. Keith Moncrieff and Mr. Sean McCue, has been overturned by Scotland's Lord Advocate Mr. Colin Boyd and welcomed by both families of the deceased.
On September 11 2003, Mr McCue and Mr Moncrieff had been carrying out their duties within a utility leg of the platform, checking a temporary repair patch on a safety-critical pipeline within, when gas escaped and overcame the two men.
Shell admitted a series of health and safety breaches and was found to be in breach of health and safety regulations. A fine of £900,000 was imposed upon the company.
A statement from the Crown Office said:
"Crown counsel's original decision took into account the significant inquiry that had already been made in the course of investigations leading to the successful prosecution of the employer at Stonehaven Sheriff Court in March 2005.
"While fully understanding that approach, the Lord Advocate has concluded, on a personal consideration of the case, that it is in the wider public interest for a fatal accident inquiry to be held."
Article by Alexandra Johnston

http://www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk/NA/July_2005_News_Archive/190705Brent_Bravo_Decision_Not_to_Hold_Fatal_Inquiry_Overturned.htm

WPS Media Monitoring Agency
www.wps.ru
May 29, 2002
POLITICAL FORECASTS [press review]
The results of the summit and the fate of Russian democracy:
George Bush's preferences and expectations
According to a poll done by the National Public Opinion Research Center, on the eve of the presidential summit in Moscow most respondents (39%) expected the summits would have no substantial results at all. Slightly fewer respondents, 36%, hoped that the summit would be useful for Russia. Eight percent of respondents were convinced of this. And 17% of respondents were unsure. According to the [Vek] weekly, which published the results of the poll, the opinions of analysts showed very similar divisions.
Before the summit, [Profil] magazine decided to find out what regional leaders thought about Russia-US relations. The topic turned out to be very sensitive. Answering the question, "What would you talk to President George Bush about?" President of the Bashkortostan Republic Murtaza Rakhimov said, "At such a meeting I think I would say: Mr. President, do not try to rule the whole world and stop considering the whole planet as a zone of US interests. That will lead to no good, neither for the US nor for humanity as a whole." Chelyabinsk Governor Petr Sumin responded, "How should this be understood? Since September 11, Russia has supported the United Stated in fighting international terrorism, both morally and politically. You should appreciate it. However, as soon as we have a problem and the US might support us, it turns out that Russia 'does not have a market economy' and should be 'running errands' for the US." Governor of the Ulyanovsk region Vladimir Shamanov said, "Half-measures are not enough to stop terrorism.... It is a great mistake to underestimate the role and position of Russia in these terms. Moreover, it is becoming dangerous for both the US and its European allies.... Russia is full with Gorbachev's and Yeltsin's friendship with American and European leaders. That only deteriorated the situation. We live in a world of mutual compromises but not of unlimited concessions."

http://www.cdi.org/russia/208-12.cfm


Saudi Nuclear Intentions and the IAEA Small Quantities Protocol

Saudi Arabia’s recent signing of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Small Quantities Protocol on June 16, 2005, raises larger issues of possible nuclear ambitions on the Arabian Peninsula. With the cooling off of relations between Riyadh and Washington, and the resultant retreat of U.S. security assurances to the region, it would seem a logical conclusion for the Saudi government to begin to look for other means of self-preservation, especially when faced with two regional nuclear powers: Israel with a rumored 200-plus weapons, and Iran with a nascent program purportedly in development.

The controversy centers on Saudi Arabia’s request to the IAEA to sign the Small Quantities protocol in May, after an internal IAEA document came to light calling for a change in the status of the Protocol over concerns it may pose a proliferation risk. The Protocol allows states considered to be of low risk to opt out of more intensive inspection regimes in return for a declaration of their nuclear activities. In addition, the Protocol allows for the possession of up to 10 tons of natural uranium or 20 tons of depleted uranium, and 2.2 pounds of plutonium without reporting. While it does not appear that Saudi Arabia aspires to develop a domestic weapons grade uranium or plutonium-processing ability, 10 tons of natural uranium is still enough by most standards to produce between one and four nuclear devices (depending on their design). In theory, the Protocol is supposed to allow the IAEA to focus its efforts on other nations viewed as being of higher proliferation risk. Despite strong concerns of IAEA board members, the European Union, the United States and Australia that the Protocol may provide a loophole for would-be proliferators, the IAEA approved Saudi Arabia’s request to join the 75 other nations that are already Protocol signatories. Consequently, Saudi Arabia is exempt from normal UN inspections, effectively ceasing nuclear monitoring there, in exchange for a declaration tantamount to a self-policing agreement.

http://www.cdi.org/program/document.cfm?DocumentID=3050&from_page=../index.cfm

Ledger Enquirer

Man killed weeks after wedding
Couple met when stationed at Fort Sill, Okla.
BY MELANIE BENNETT
Staff Writer
Just a few weeks after her wedding, Sgt. Nova Reeves is making plans to bury her husband.
She's also trying to figure out why two friends -- one who lived just down the street -- would want to shoot Haywood Anthony Royal in the head, then burn his car and body in the back of a school playground, as police have charged.

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/12240301.htm

Officials say fire was intentional
Caused $100,000 in damage; no one was injured
BY JOEL GROSTEPHAN
Staff Writer
Arson is to blame in a fire that caused $100,000 in damage to three Baker Plaza Drive apartments early Wednesday, Columbus fire officials said.
"I was asleep. The guy in 102-B, Terry, woke me up," said Bernice Hall, whose apartment at E.J. Knight Gardens, 3811 Baker Plaza Drive, was not damaged. Her apartment is attached to the three that were damaged.

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/12239956.htm

Wachovia announces commitment to black community partnerships
Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Wachovia Corp., which last month apologized for slave ownership by two predecessor banks, said Thursday it will contribute more than $10 million over five years to community partnerships aimed at benefiting black Americans.
The Charlotte-based bank said its partnerships will focus on preserving and promoting black history and culture and improving economic and educational opportunities for blacks.

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/12247984.htm

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Army Mechanic Acquitted of Desertion
By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press Writer
FORT STEWART, Ga. — An Army mechanic who refused to go to Iraq while he sought conscientious objector status was acquitted of desertion Thursday but found guilty of a lesser charge and sentenced to 15 months behind bars.
Sgt. Kevin Benderman, 40, also was given a dishonorable discharge and a reduction in rank to private on the charge of missing movement. If he had been found guilty of desertion, he could have faced five years in prison.

http://www.ajc.com/hp/content/shared-gen/ap/US_Presidential_Cabinet/Objecting_Soldier.html

Tests Show Hair Not From Ala. Missing Teen
ORANJESTAD, Aruba — Strands of hair found in Aruba did not come from missing U.S. teenager Natalee Holloway, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said Thursday.
The hair, which was found attached to duct tape on July 17, was subjected to genetic testing at the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Virginia, and the results showed they did not come from the 18-year-old who has been missing for two months, said spokeswoman Judy Orihuela.

http://www.ajc.com/hp/content/shared-gen/ap/Latin_America_And_Caribbean/Aruba_Missing_Teen.html

EPA delays report showing drop in fuel efficiency
NEW YORK TIMES
Published on: 07/28/05
DETROIT — With Congress poised for a final vote on the energy bill, the Environmental Protection Agency made an 11th-hour decision on Tuesday to delay the planned release of an annual report on fuel economy.
But a copy of the report, embargoed for publication Wednesday, was sent to The New York Times by a member of the EPA communications staff just minutes before the decision was made to delay it. The contents of the report show that loopholes in American fuel economy regulations have allowed automakers to produce cars and trucks that are significantly less fuel efficient, on average, than they were in the late 1980s.

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/0705/28fuel.html

continued...

Daniel Pearl was brutaly murdered in Pakistan leaving his expecting spouse, Marianna. This is she and her son, Adam. We are lucky to have them. Since, his murder The Daniel Pearl Foundation has grown to inspire dialogue with Muslim communities, a music festival and much of the diplmatic work accomplish by the Foundation has been lead by Daniel's father. He much loved and admired.  

July 26, 2005. Alta, Norway. With all the wet weather for a week now the photogarpher was finding it difficult to spend time outdoors with her twelve year old son. I can only imagine what the icefields look like about now. 

July 27, 2005. Bombay, India. 200 bodies recovered so far. 

July 27, 2005. Smoke from the Boise Idaho Fire as seen from Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  

Morning Papers - continued ...

The Seattle Post Intelligencer

New consultant holds out hope for monorail project
Phelps says cutting costs can reduce future debt
By LARRY LANGE
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Reducing the cost of the monorail may be one way to salvage the troubled project, says a former Sound Transit board member hired to critique the system's finances.
Tacoma businessman Kevin Phelps said yesterday that reducing the monorail's cost will be the big factor because that could reduce the amount of money to be borrowed and, eventually, reduce what could be a staggering debt.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/234319_phelps28.html

This should be the decision of the people of Seattle. If I were them I'd want an independent assessment. I am sure the administration in DC is handing out all kinds of advice on how to stop rail stations from being built opting for airline travel. Etc. If a rail station can't be put there than a bus stop or terminal with connections to rail needs to be considered.

First Hill light rail station opposed by chief of Sound Transit
Earl cites tunneling problem
By JANE HADLEY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
The First Hill light rail station should be deleted from the proposed line from Westlake Center to Husky Stadium, Sound Transit Chief Executive Officer Joni Earl recommended yesterday.
Earl said the recommendation is "unwelcome news" to many Sound Transit board members, but an exhaustive analysis of the technical, cost and other factors made the decision inescapable. Poor soils mean the tunnel must be built 210 feet underground, eliminating conventional tunneling methods.
"The risk of building the First Hill station is too large for the taxpayers and the agency," Earl said.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/234310_transit28.html

Ressam receives 22-year sentence
But U.S. judge lashes out at Bush policies on suspectsTERRORIST AHMED RESSAM IS SENTENCED
By PAUL SHUKOVSKY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
The case of Ahmed Ressam, convicted terrorist and would-be airport bomber, ended yesterday with a 22-year sentence and a stern lecture from a judge that America can fight terrorism without abandoning the Constitution.
U.S. District Judge John Coughenour handed out a sentence to the 38-year-old Algerian that was about midway between the prosecution and defense requests. Ressam was arrested in Port Angeles with explosives found in the trunk of his rental car. His intent: bomb Los Angeles International Airport in 1999 during the busy travel days between Christmas and New Year's Day.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/234304_ressam28.html

Outside oversight urged in county elections
Sims likes idea of 'turnaround team'
By NEIL MODIE
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
A "turnaround team" of outside experts should take over management of King County's dysfunctional elections division, a task force said yesterday in the wake of the county's bungled 2004 election.
In a report to County Executive Ron Sims, the independent panel emphasized the urgency of taking that radical step to change the county's "seriously flawed organizational culture."
It also said the county should institute a vote-by-mail system with regional voting centers in 2006, urge the Legislature to move the September primary election to early June, automatically restore voting rights to former felons upon release from prison and reduce to four from six the number of annual elections.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/234318_elex28.html

Authorities crack down on crime family
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- Federal agents and police on Thursday arrested about 20 members and associates of the Genovese organized crime family on racketeering charges, authorities said.
The suspects included longtime capo Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello, the FBI said. He and the other suspects were to be arraigned later Thursday in federal court in Manhattan. No further details were immediately available.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Mob%20Arrests

WHERE HAVE WE SEEN THIS BEFORE? There is no deterrent to domestic violence.

Pregnant Philadelphia woman still missing
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHILADELPHIA -- Community leaders asked for help in finding a pregnant woman who has been missing for more than a week, offering a $10,000 for information about her whereabouts.
LaToyia Figueroa, 24, is five months pregnant and has a 7-year-old daughter, and friends and relatives said she would never abandon the girl voluntarily.
She was last seen walking from a friend's house in Philadelphia on July 18 after going to a doctor's appointment. Police said she remained missing Thursday and have declined to speculate about what happened to her.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Missing%20Pregnant%20Woman

Judge gets in swipe at Bush administration
By GENE JOHNSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
SEATTLE -- The sentence itself was fairly straightforward: An Algerian man received 22 years for plotting to bomb the Los Angeles airport on the eve of the millennium. It was what the judge said in imposing the term that raised eyebrows.
U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said the successful prosecution of Ahmed Ressam should serve not only as a warning to terrorists, but as a statement to the Bush administration about its terrorism-fighting tactics.
"We did not need to use a secret military tribunal, detain the defendant indefinitely as an enemy combatant or deny the defendant the right to counsel," he said Wednesday. "The message to the world from today's sentencing is that our courts have not abandoned our commitment to the ideals that set our nation apart."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Millennium%20Terror

Bomb on crowded train in India kills 7
By JOY BANERJEE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
LUCKNOW, India -- A bomb exploded Thursday on a crowded passenger train in northern India, killing at least seven people and injuring 50, a railway official said.
The train was traveling from the eastern city of Patna to New Delhi when the bomb exploded, said R.K. Singh, the top official for Indian Railways. He did not elaborate.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=India%20Train%20Blast

Record rains kill more than 500 in India
By RAMOLA TALWAR BADAM
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
BOMBAY, India -- Rescuers searched for survivors buried under debris Thursday and rushed aid to villages cut off by record-breaking rains that have paralyzed Bombay and its surrounding state and killed more than 500 people this week.
Officials said 273 people have died in Bombay since Tuesday when the hectic, cosmopolitan city that is home to India's financial and movie industries was hit by an unprecedented deluge of up to 37.1 inches of rain, the highest one-day total recorded in India's history. Much of it came over a few evening hours.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=India%20Monsoon

Pakistani police arrest Pearl suspect
By ASIF SHAHZAD
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
LAHORE, Pakistan -- An Islamic militant who set up the initial meeting between Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and his kidnappers has been arrested in eastern Pakistan, a senior police official confirmed Thursday.
Pearl was abducted Jan. 23, 2002, and later beheaded in the southern city of Karachi - believed to be a hotbed for Islamic militants - while he was researching a story.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Pakistan%20Pearl%20Killing

U.N. to help prosecute Afghan drug cases
By DANIEL LOVERING
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A team of anti-drug investigators, lawyers and judges will start prosecuting major narcotics cases in Afghanistan - the world's largest opium and heroin producer - as part of a new U.N. program launched Thursday.
The Criminal Justice Task Force, which includes 36 investigators, 33 prosecutors and 15 judges - all Afghans - will assist in the arrest and trial of serious drug offenders, said Elizabeth Bayere, a spokeswoman for the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Afghan%20Drugs

Rice asked if Bolton testified in leak case
By LIZ SIDOTI
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- A Democratic opponent of John Bolton asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday whether the nominee for U.N. ambassador had testified to a grand jury about the leak of CIA operative's identity.
Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee say they want to determine whether Bolton was truthful when he wrote on a questionnaire for his confirmation hearing that he has not been interviewed in any recent investigations.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1152&slug=UN%20Ambassador

UNDERSTANDABLE. The Repuglicans are obstructionists to their own nominees.

Dems warn of delay in Roberts confirmation
By JESSE J. HOLLAND
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- In the eight days since President Bush nominated John Roberts to the Supreme Court, senators have fought more over access to the conservative judge's legal writings than over the candidate himself.
Even though no Democrat has announced plans to oppose Roberts' confirmation, Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats are digging in their heels on getting access to Roberts' paperwork from his time in the solicitor general's office. They say the Bush administration's withholding of those documents may cause a delay in getting Roberts confirmed to the seat being vacated by retiring Sandra Day O'Connor.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1154&slug=Roberts

Oh, so what !

Soldier who refused Iraq duty faces charge
By RUSS BYNUM
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
FORT STEWART, Ga. -- Sgt. Kevin Benderman turned his back on war, but he insists he never deserted the Army whose uniform he continues to wear six months after refusing to deploy to Iraq for a second tour.
Benderman served in Iraq during the 2003 invasion, but says he decided he could no longer be a part of the destruction he witnessed, even if that meant choosing his conscience over his commitment to his fellow troops.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1152&slug=Objecting%20Soldier

Egypt holds 15 in Sharm el-Sheik attacks
By MAGGIE MICHAEL
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
CAIRO, Egypt -- Police have detained at least 15 men in and around Sharm el-Sheik in connection with the weekend terrorist attacks on that Sinai Peninsula resort, security officials said Thursday.
Police are also searching for a green pickup truck in northern Sinai that may have been the getaway vehicle for some of those responsible for Saturday's three bombings that hospital officials said killed up to 88 people.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Egypt%20Resort%20Attacks

Two U.S. troops killed by roadside bombs
By TINI TRAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Insurgents launched coordinated attacks Thursday against Iraqi army checkpoints northeast of Baghdad, killing six Iraqi soldiers, police said. Roadside bombs killed two U.S. soldiers and ignited a train carrying fuel in the south of Iraq's capital.
The attacks began about 2:30 p.m. against four Iraqi checkpoints along a road between Baqouba and Baghdad, 35 miles to the southwest, police Col. Mudhafar Mohammed said.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Iraq

How is any agenda going to be brought forward if the party disintegrates into individual interests?

Clinton urges party unity, tough stance
By MIKE GLOVER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, on Monday pressed Democrats to adopt a tough stand on national security and urged the party to show a united front to counter "the hard-right ideology in Washington."
Speaking to the Democratic Leadership Council, the centrist group that helped her husband, Bill Clinton, secure the White House, the senator delivered a broad speech that touched on foreign policy, health care, education and fissures within her own party.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apelection_story.asp?category=1131&slug=Hillary%20Moderates

NASA pessimistic about solving debris woes
By MARCIA DUNN
AP AEROSPACE WRITER
SPACE CENTER, Houston -- NASA may never be able to prevent threatening chunks of insulation foam from breaking off the shuttle's fuel tank during launch, the agency's chief said Thursday, a day after future flights were ordered grounded because of the problem during Discovery's liftoff.
"We are trying to get it down to the level that cannot damage the orbiter," NASA administrator Michael Griffin told NBC's "Today."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apscience_story.asp?category=1501&slug=Space%20Shuttle

Zimbabwe wraps up crackdown on slums
By MICHAEL HARTNACK
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Zimbabwe's government on Thursday announced the completion of a crackdown on slums and street traders that left up to 2.4 million without homes or livelihoods, but the opposition said demolitions continued.
The campaign has sparked domestic and international criticism, with a U.N. envoy on Wednesday presenting a report condemning the crackdown and calling for urgent assistance to help those who have lost their homes and jobs.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apafrica_story.asp?category=1105&slug=Zimbabwe%20Crackdown

U.N. envoy presents report on Zimbabwe
By EDITH M. LEDERER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
UNITED NATIONS -- Despite opposition from China, Russia and African countries, a U.N. envoy presented her report condemning Zimbabwe's sweeping slum clearance to the Security Council Wednesday and called for urgent assistance to help those who have lost their homes and jobs.
China, which has close ties to President Robert Mugabe's government, and Zimbabwe's African neighbors had managed to keep the crisis in the African nation off the council's agenda, arguing that it was not an issue of international peace and security.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apafrica_story.asp?category=1105&slug=UN%20Zimbabwe

Nine women unofficially ordained in Canada
By JANIE GOSSELIN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
TORONTO -- Nine Roman Catholic women were unofficially ordained Monday as priests and deacons, undeterred by the threat of excommunication from their church.
The women - seven Americans, a Canadian and a German living in the United States - were ordained by Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger of Austria and Gisela Forster of Germany, who were unofficially declared bishops in 2003. The ordinations are not valid within the Catholic Church and seven women who tried it in 2002 were excommunicated by the Vatican.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apcanada_story.asp?category=1101&slug=Canada%20Woman%20Priests

Opponents want Bush barred from summit
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Opponents of President Bush launched a protest drive Wednesday urging court authorities to keep him from attending a November summit in Argentina, saying his presence would raise security concerns.
Lia Mendez, a candidate in Argentina's upcoming congressional elections, rallied with other members of the small Humanist Party outside the court complex where they sought a court order barring Bush from the Summit of the Americas.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/aplatin_story.asp?category=1102&slug=Argentina%20Summit%20Security

Brazil leader offers solace over dead man
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BRASILIA , Brazil -- Brazil's president on Wednesday expressed his condolences to the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian man shot dead by British police after being mistaken for a terror suspect in London.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke over the phone with Menezes' father and brother who live in the victim's hometown of Gonzaga, a statement released by the president's press office said.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/aplatin_story.asp?category=1102&slug=Brazil%20Britain%20Shooting

Global Struggle: War no more
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
Forget the war on terror. Now the Bush administration has a new description: "A global struggle against violent extremism."
That's a mouthful. But the issue is not just semantics; it will help define what resources ought to be used in that "struggle."
The U.S. government does not have a rich history of success when it calls one of its programs a "war" unless it involves a real military operation. We've had the "war on hunger," "war on poverty," "war on crime," "war on obesity" and our all-time least-successful, "war on drugs."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/234205_wared.html

Michael Moore Today

Definitely check out the 'Trailer'

Don’t forget the airing of Fahrenheit 911 on Showtime

SYNOPSIS:
Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore ("Roger & Me," "Bowling for Columbine") crafted this incendiary piece of skillful agitprop, an exploration of the tragic chain of events before and after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center of September 11, 2001. Pointing his finger at a global conspiracy of war, greed, and media manipulation, Moore leaves no political figure unscathed in his most passionate, outraged condemnation of a president and policies he considers illegitimate and incompetent.

UPCOMING AIRDATES:

Click on THE LITTLE CLOCK for aire time reminders.

Showtime Saturday 11:00 PM

Showtime Too Sunday 11:15 PM

Showtime Aug 14 11:00 PM

Showtime Aug 22 11:00 PM

Showtime Aug 30 11:00 PM

http://www.sho.com/site/schedules/product_page.do?seriesid=0&episodeid=123757

Steele Fundraiser Draws Rove, Democratic Attacks
Event Nets Money for Possible Senate Bid
By Matthew Mosk / Washington Post
Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele hosted the first major fundraiser in his as-yet-undeclared bid for U.S. Senate last night, attracting presidential adviser Karl Rove to headline a $1,000-a-person cocktail party in Washington.
The private affair was an attempt to introduce Steele to the ranks of national GOP donors who might not have encountered a man whose candidacy has become a top priority of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the arm of the party that recruits candidates.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3476

Fewer early sign-ups as Army struggles to recruit soldiers
By Dave Moniz / USA Today
The Army, which expects to miss its 2005 recruiting goal by about 12,000, already is falling behind for next year.
The pool of recruits who sign up as much as a year before they report for training is dwindling. So far, 3,100 have signed up for 2006, according to Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, Ky. The Army says it hopes to have 7,200 recruits in the pool by Oct. 1, when the 2006 recruiting year begins. By comparison:

The Army started the 2005 recruiting year with about 14,700 recruits in the delayed entry pool. It is making up some of the shortfall in recruiting by re-enlisting soldiers at a higher-than-expected rate. But the Army also has tried to trim this year's shortfall by rushing many delayed entry enlistees into basic training.

In 2004, the Army had more than 33,000 enlistees signed up ahead of time. It met its recruiting goals.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3475

Iraq Wants Quick Withdrawal of U.S. Troops
By Robert Burns / Associated Press
Iraq's transitional prime minister called Wednesday for a speedy withdrawal of U.S. troops and the top U.S. commander here said he believed a "fairly substantial" pullout could begin next spring and summer.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3471

US aims to sharply cut Iraq force within a year
By Peter Graff / Reuters
BAGHDAD - The United States hopes to sharply reduce its forces in Iraq by the middle of next year, its top commander on the ground said on Wednesday.
The remarks by General George Casey appear to have been the first time since the insurgency worsened sharply in April that top Pentagon officials have suggested a timeline for withdrawal.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3472

Tell the House - We Need an Iraq Exit Strategy
Contributed by Working Assets
The invasion of Iraq is quickly turning out to be the deadliest and most expensive mistake of the Bush presidency.
Despite the President's claims before he launched the invasion, no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq -- and we have now officially given up the search1. The capture of Saddam Hussein has not made us any safer here at home, or our soldiers any safer in the field. Our troops now face a growing insurgency with a seemingly endless supply of suicide bombers and increasingly sophisticated tactics.
The occupation is now costing us approximately $177 million per day, a total of close to $180 billion2 with no end in sight and very little reconstruction progress to show. American and Iraqi casualties continue to mount, and instead of being greeted as "liberators," our presence in Iraq seems only to inspire more anti-American violence.
It's time for a reality check on our Iraq policy -- we need an exit strategy. Representatives Abercrombie (D-HI), Jones (R-FL), Paul (R-TX), Kucinich (D-OH) and others have introduced "Homeward Bound," a resolution calling on the President to develop and implement a plan for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?itemid=19245

Rumsfeld tells Iraqis to get on with it
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Visiting US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Iraqi leaders to "get on with it" in preparing a new constitution, while an Iraqi official said US-led forces could hand over security for 10 cities by December.
Rumsfeld, on an unannounced visit to Baghdad, called on Iraqi leaders to draft and approve a constitution without delay, warning that any hold-up would fan the insurgency.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3474

Panel: Bush Was Unready for Postwar Iraq
By Barry Schweid / Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- An independent panel headed by two former U.S. national security advisers said Wednesday that chaos in Iraq was due in part to inadequate postwar planning.
Planning for reconstruction should match the serious planning that goes into making war, said the panel headed by Samuel Berger and Brent Scowcroft. Berger was national security adviser to Democratic President Clinton. Scowcroft held the same post under Republican Presidents Ford and George H.W. Bush but has been critical of the current president's Iraq and Mideast policies.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3478

Abu Ghraib Dog Tactics Came From Guantanamo
Testimony Further Links Procedures at 2 Facilities
By Josh White / Washington Post
Military interrogators at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq learned about the use of military working dogs to intimidate detainees from a team of interrogators dispatched from the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to court testimony yesterday.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=3470

The New Zealand Herald

Police arrest nine under terrorism laws in London
Police earlier today arrested three women after an armed raid on a public housing estate in south London. File picture / Reuters
29.07.05

LONDON - Police said on Thursday they had arrested nine men under anti-terrorism laws in south London as part of the investigation into bomb attacks on the capital.
A police spokeswoman said the suspects held in Tooting were not the three suspected bombers still being sought after the botched July 21 attacks on London's transport system. The fourth bomber was captured on Wednesday, police said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10338044

Nasa grounds shuttle fleet
28.07.05 1.00pm
By Irene Klotz

HOUSTON - Nasa today halted future shuttle flights after learning that a large chunk of insulating foam broke off Discovery's external fuel tank during launch, an echo of the problem that doomed sister ship Columbia and its crew 2-1/2 years ago.
The falling debris does not appear to have hit or damaged Discovery, which took off on Tuesday on a 12-day mission to the International Space Station, the agency said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=5&ObjectID=10338017

PM promises to create 5000 more apprenticeships
Prime Minister Helen Clark
28.07.05 11.30am

Labour has tossed another carrot the way of younger voters, promising to create 5000 more apprenticeship places.
Prime Minister Helen Clark announced the latest of her party's pledges in a speech to the Industry Training Federation Conference in Wellington this morning.
She said the additional apprentice places under the Government's Modern Apprenticeship scheme, which Labour introduced shortly after being elected, would bring the total to 14,000 in 2008 and showed the Government was committed to sustainable and quality growth in industry training.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10338015

Bombay paralysed by record rainfall as death toll rises
People walk back to their homes as traffic came to a standstill in Bombay after heavy rains. Picture / Reuters
28.07.05 9.00pm UPDATE

By Justin Huggler

DELHI - More than a third of Bombay was under water and the death toll was rising after the city suffered the heaviest rains ever recorded in India.
The BBC reported that at least 430 people had died in Bombay (Mumbai) and the Maharashtra state after catastrophic rain. Parts of suburban Bombay received almost three feet of rain in a single day.
Reuters reported that rescuers searching in Juigaon village, 150km south of Mumbai, estimated that 100 people were killed when a mudslide flattened more than 30 houses, bringing the state death toll to 270.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10338067

TOO BAD !!

US-Israel tensions rise over arms sale
28.07.05 1.00pm

JERUSALEM - Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz has cancelled a trip to Washington because of a dispute with the United States over Israeli arms sales to China, the Haaretz newspaper said on Wednesday.
The United States, Israel's closest ally and provider of US$2 billion ($2.96 billion) in annual defence aid, was still restricting arms deals with Israel as a result of the disagreement. Washington demands Israel adhere to US regulations.
Asked about the report, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told reporters during a visit to France: "We definitely have a certain problem but I am convinced that we shall overcome this matter."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10337987

LAIR !

Mugabe says UN envoy was pressured over report
Robert Mugabe
28.07.05 1.00pm

HARARE - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe says a special UN envoy told him she was under pressure to produce a damning report on the demolition of illegal homes and businesses, the official Herald newspaper reported on Wednesday.
But Anna Tibaijuka, the envoy sent by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to assess the crackdown, said on Wednesday the report spoke for itself, while British UN Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry denied any outside attempts to influence her findings.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10337983

Monster mice on the rampage
One of Gough Island's "monster mice" feeds on a dead seabird chick. Picture / Reuters
28.07.05

Giant mice are running amok on a small South Atlantic island, eating metre-high albatross chicks alive and threatening the world's most important seabird colony.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said rapacious rodents - ordinary house mice who have "evolved" to three times their normal size - are orchestrating avian carnage on Gough Island, home to about 10 million birds.
A society spokesman said it was not clear how the birds were killed: "The chicks weigh up to 10kg and the mice weigh 35g - it is like a tabby cat attacking a hippopotamus."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10337893

US aims to sharply cut Iraq force within a year
28.07.05

BAGHDAD - The United States hopes to sharply reduce its forces in Iraq by the middle of next year, its top commander on the ground said.
The remarks by General George Casey appear to have been the first time since the insurgency worsened sharply in April that top Pentagon officials have suggested a timeline for withdrawal.
Casey's comments came as a new poll showed most Americans now think the United States will lose the war in Iraq.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10337970

continued…

July 27, 2005. A sad good-bye to "Mira" the blind elephant seal by the people of Portland, Oregon. 

July 27, 2007. The annual Pony Penning of Chincoteague, Virginia took place this week. 

July 27, 2005. The latest edition to the Lincoln Park Zoo family. 

Morning Papers - continued ...

Zoo Mania

It's a baby ape for Lincoln Park

47th gorilla is born at North Side zoo
By William Mullen
Tribune staff reporter
Published July 27, 2005
Good news came in a small package to Lincoln Park Zoo Tuesday morning when keepers arrived at the apehouse and discovered that Kowali, a 27-year-old lowland gorilla, was holding her newborn baby.
The zoo had been expecting Kowali to give birth for the last two weeks. She chose to do so sometime between 5 p.m. Monday, when keepers locked the building and went home, and 7 a.m. Tuesday, when they arrived for work.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0507270140jul27,1,1326549.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

Zoo elephants stay in Thailand, for now
July 28, 2005 - 11:25AM
Animal rights groups are claiming a small victory for eight Asian elephants, after two Australian zoos agreed to keep the animals in Thai quarantine while a tribunal reviews their importation permits.
Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell last week announced the government had approved permits and captivity management plans for Taronga and Melbourne zoos to bring the elephants into Australia.
But animal rights activists have appealed against the decision in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), saying it does not meet national wildlife trade requirements.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Zoo-elephants-stay-in-Thailand-for-now/2005/07/28/1122143940858.html?oneclick=true
CHICAGO COUNCIL MEMBER CALLS ON ZOO ASSOCIATION, USDA TO UPGRADE ELEPHANT STANDARDS
In Wake of Chronic Health Problems, Premature Elephant Deaths at Zoos Across the Country, Resolution Calls on AZA to Increase Size of Animals’ Quarters
For Immediate Release:
July 27, 2005
Contact:
Debbie Leahy 757-622-7382
Chicago — Today, Chicago City Council member Mary Ann Smith (Ward 48) introduced two resolutions calling on the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to strengthen their current elephant-care standards. The resolutions point out that minimum space requirements fall far short of an elephant’s needs. PETA, In Defense of Animals, and Friends of Wankie have been rallying support for the resolutions.

http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=6812

Oregon Zoo favorite dies unexpectedly
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORTLAND -- Mira, the blind elephant seal that became an underdog favorite at the Oregon Zoo, has died unexpectedly.

Stranded on a Northern California beach, the seal was unable to cope in the wild after her retinas deteriorated, leaving her blind. When she arrived at the Oregon Zoo in 2002, keepers worked around her disability -- putting food in her mouth instead of tossing it, for example, and attaching noise-making beads to her training pole.

http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050727/NEWS06/507270357

Zoo looking to future; reaccreditation is a top priority
Possible county control and a national review process are looming as officials weigh local recommendations
By Tara White
The Capital-Journal
The Topeka Zoo may see more funding and increased cooperation as officials work to implement a citizens' review panel's recommendations for improvements.
The panel -- made up of nine community members appointed because of their knowledge of the zoo's fiscal or animal care policies -- released a report last week and presented its findings Tuesday to the Topeka City Council.

http://www.cjonline.com/stories/072805/loc_zoofuture.shtml

Commission authorizes $40 million loan for zoo land
By Daily News staff
July 26, 2005
Collier County commissioners today unanimously authorized a $40 million commercial loan that can be used to purchase the land underneath and surrounding Naples Zoo. Voters agreed to tax themselves by that much in November in an effort to save the landmark attraction, formerly known as Caribbean Gardens.
Commissioners also voted today to pay for another appraisal for the land, which stretches about 166 acres.

http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/news/article/0,2071,NPDN_14940_3954897,00.html

Zoo struggles to overcome management turmoil, funding questions
Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. - Its name once described it as "world famous," but Topeka's zoo has had three directors in seven years, and the number of annual visitors peaked more than a decade ago.
Now a new city report questions whether the zoo has enough money and calls on a nonprofit group to provide more help.
But Director Mike Coker believes the zoo's biggest problem is negative publicity from changes in its management.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/state/12227851.htm

Mother Panda Eats in Zoo Milestone
By DOUG WHITEMAN
The Associated Press
Tuesday, July 26, 2005; 4:41 PM
WASHINGTON -- The National Zoo's new mother panda appears to be showing confidence in her cub.
Zoo officials said Tuesday Mei Xiang left her cub alone for about three minutes on Monday so she could eat some bamboo and drink water. It was the first time she had eaten since the cub was born July 9.
Studies of giant pandas in the wild have found that new mothers will go as long as a month without eating or drinking.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/26/AR2005072601332.html

Syracuse zoo has second pregnant elephant; first due any day
By WILLIAM KATES
Associated Press Writer
July 26, 2005, 1:05 PM EDT
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Keepers at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo _ already awaiting the birth of one new baby elephant this summer _ will be pacing the floor again next year when a second baby is expected.
Romani, a 29-year-old Asian elephant, is due with her fourth calf in late spring or early summer of next year, Zoo Director Anne Baker said Tuesday.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--elephantbabies0726jul26,0,7762187.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

Petting zoos packed with playful critters — and germs
TRIBUNE PHOTO BY MONICA FOUTS
A youngster meets a kid during the Marias 4-County Fair. To prevent illness, health experts encourage visitors to the petting zoo or livestock barns to wash their hands.
Petting zoos provide great opportunities for kids to see animals up close, but parents and children should take steps to keep the outing disease-free, according to Dr. Jeanne Rankin, Montana's assistant state veterinarian.
"Hand washing is one of the most important practices in preventing the spread of disease for visitors to petting zoos," Rankin said.
Montana Department of Livestock will staff booths in the Livestock Pavilion and at the petting zoo during the Montana State Fair in Great Falls, July 29 through Aug. 6. Department representatives will provide information on biosecurity measures, along with the importance of good hygiene around animals.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050726/LIFESTYLE/507260305/1024

Rare species of ape dies at Jacksonville Zoo
Last Update: 7/26/2005 4:32:59 PM
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A rare ape at the Jacksonville Zoo has died, probably of heart disease.
Thirty-four-year-old Bosondjo was found dead Friday in his favorite hammock at the zoo. He had been under treatment for heart disease and hypothyroidism.
Bonobos are relatives of the chimpanzee. They were once called pygmy chimpanzees. They are native to the swampy equatorial forests of the left bank of the Congo River. The larger chimps are from the river's right bank.

http://www.fox30online.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=8615970F-A055-4A15-839E-88AE986BD558

Naples Zoo owner confident land can be saved
By LAURA LAYDEN, lllayden@naplesnews.com
July 26, 2005
Nothing is going to get David Tetzlaff down.
He still believes the Naples Zoo that his family has run for more than 35 years will be rescued. His optimism hasn't waned, even after finding out that the asking price for the land beneath and surrounding the zoo is nearly $30 million more than voters agreed to pay for it in an effort to save the landmark attraction.

http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/news/article/0,2071,NPDN_14940_3953692,00.html

Zoo Director Becomes Spider Monkey's Mom
The Associated Press
Monday, July 25, 2005; 4:54 PM
WAHPETON, N.D. -- With a 3 1/2-month-old baby, Kathy Diekman doesn't get a lot of sleep at night. Niko has been with her every night since his birth. Her husband, Tom Schmaltz, has moved to another room to sleep. "He's afraid he'll roll over on him," Diekman said.
When he was born April 3, Niko weighed a little more than a pound and was given only a slim chance of survival. His doctors say Diekman's nurturing has helped overcome those odds.
Niko is a different kind of baby: He is a spider monkey, and attaches himself to Diekman's hair.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/25/AR2005072500999.html

Topeka zoo -- Fix it again
Every few years, Topekans have to respond to some complaint of problems at their zoo
By The Capital-Journal editorial board
A great zoo needs three things: money, management and animals.
The Topeka Zoo has animals.
It appears to be lacking in money and management, according to a citizens' panel that studied the zoo at the request of the Topeka City Council.

http://cjonline.com/stories/072405/opi_zooed.shtml

Zoo's new aquatic exhibit drawing bigger crowds
It's a hit: The Indianapolis Zoo is now giving patrons special dolphin show tickets as they enter the zoo to help spread out traffic in the new Dolphin Adventure. Attendance is up 32 percent from the same time last year. -- Kelly Wilkinson / The Star
By Robert King
The dolphins at the Indianapolis Zoo are making friends fast.
The zoo's new Dolphin Adventure, which opened Memorial Day weekend, has ratcheted up zoo attendance by 32 percent over the same period a year ago, according to officials.
Spillover from the dolphins is being credited with bumping up crowds at the adjacent White River Gardens, which has seen attendance rise 44 percent.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050724/NEWS01/507240488

Keep the Detroit Zoo Alive!
By Clarence Dass Contributing Columnist
How many times have you been told that “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?”
It seems like we hear it all the time, but do we ever really take it seriously? Well, this past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit one of Detroit’s greatest cultural spots, and I realized that instead of worrying about what we’ve lost, we should worry about what we still have.
I’m not talking about Comerica Park, Ford Field, or the Fox Theater. I’m talking about the Detroit Zoo.
Is it only me, or has Detroit forgotten the that it has a zoo? It seems like anytime tourists visit Detroit, the only thing they hear about is Cass Corridor or 8 Mile Road.

http://www.southend.wayne.edu/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1511

A panda prescription for an ailing zoo
New cub to restore National Zoo's image
Mary Donahue, Online Staff Writer
7/24/2005
Between the continuous death of animals and a deteriorating physical appearance, the national treasure status of the Washington National Zoo seems to have been lost. But that glorious status can be restored by none other than a baby panda, roughly the size of a stick of butter. The baby panda cub's birth will not only help restore the positive image of the zoo, but the cub will also provide a much needed moral boost in light of recent animal deaths.
The National Zoo's problems began to surface back in 2002, beginning with the death of Ryma, a 17-year-old giraffe, and the starvation of two zebras. The animal deaths then continued throughout the following years, and included: a pygmy hippo, two red pandas, a cheetah, a lion, a lemur, another giraffe, a grey seal, an emu, a komodo dragon, an orangutan and a "partridge in a pear tree."

http://silverchips.mbhs.edu/inside.php?sid=5525

Zoo Animals Doing What They Can To Beat The Heat
Make WFMY News 2 Your Home Page
Even the polar bears are finding ways to get by.
Asheboro, NC -- The North Carolina Zoo is keeping an eye on their heat-sensitive animals but zookeepers say the animals are taking it all in stride.
The polar bears are taking frequent dips in their chilled pools to beat the heat.
The african elephants seem to be right at home.
Every animal at the zoo has some sort of shelter and shade to stay under during the day.

http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/local_state/local_article.aspx?storyid=45795

continued...