RIA Novosti
Israel never proved use of Russian missiles by Hizbollah - Ivanov
MAGADAN, August 25 (RIA Novosti) - Israel never provided Russia with evidence that Hizbollah militants used Russian-made anti-tank missiles in Lebanon, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Friday.
"Nobody has ever shown us evidence that Hizbollah has Kornet anti-tank systems," Ivanov, who is also deputy prime minister, said as he began his trip to Russia's Far East and the United States Thursday.
Kornet is a third generation missile system designed to destroy tanks, including those fitted with explosive reactive amour, fortifications, entrenched troops, as well as small-scale targets.
Ivanov said that in recent years there have been rumors about the sale of Russian-made weaponry to Middle East countries and the possibility that some of these weapons ended up in the hands of terrorists.
"All these accusations simply reflect internal political problems in Israel," he said, adding that they were "complete rubbish."
Ivanov said Russia should not assume responsibility for weapons sold to foreign countries during the Soviet era, and critics should be more careful in determining the origin of weapons.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060825/53115965.html
Russian, U.S. defense ministers to discuss N. Korea, Middle East
WASHINGTON, August 25 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian and U.S. defense ministers will discuss North Korea's nuclear program and the situation in the Middle East at a meeting this weekend in Fairbanks, Alaska, the Pentagon's press secretary said Friday.
Eric Ruff said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld would also discuss bilateral defense cooperation at the meeting, set for August 27.
Ivanov's official agenda includes unveiling a monument to U.S. and Russian pilots who fought against Nazi Germany during WWII, a ceremony originally planned for June.
But U.S. media reports point to a possible connection to the meeting between U.S. and Chinese leaders earlier this week, part of a global effort to persuade North Korea to return to the negotiating table at the stalled six-party talks on its controversial nuclear program.
Before traveling to the U.S., Ivanov, who is also a deputy prime minister, will visit several cities in the Russian Far East, including Magadan, Vladivostok and Anadyr during his five-day trip starting Thursday.
He will hold meetings with senior officers of the Pacific Fleet on the combat training of the fleet's personnel and social programs for Navy servicemen. The minister will also meet with local administration and defense industry officials to discuss reforms in the Russian shipbuilding industry.
Ivanov is scheduled to return to Moscow August 29.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060825/53139610.html
Russian defense minister heads to Far East, U.S.
MOSCOW, August 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov left Moscow on a five-day working visit to the Russian Far East and the United States, a ministry spokesman said Thursday.
Ivanov, who is also a deputy prime minister, will meet August 27 with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Rumsfeld, in Fairbanks, Alaska.
"During the meeting, the Russian and U.S. defense ministers will discuss global security and bilateral cooperation in the defense sphere," Colonel Vyacheslav Sedov said.
Before traveling to the U.S., Ivanov will visit several cities in the Russian Far East, including Magadan, Vladivostok and Anadyr.
He will hold meetings with senior officers of the Pacific Fleet on the combat training of the fleet's personnel and social programs for navy servicemen. The minister will also meet with local administration and defense industry officials to discuss reforms in the Russian shipbuilding industry.
Ivanov is scheduled to return to Moscow August 29.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060824/53098050.html
Update 1: St. Petersburg cathedral fire localized
ST. PETERSBURG, August 25 (RIA Novosti) - A fire raging in a cathedral in central St. Petersburg has been localized, local emergency services said Friday.
The main 80-meter-high dome of Trinity Cathedral, built in Russia's second biggest city in 1835, has collapsed. One of the cathedral's four smaller blue domes has also been consumed by the fire.
Hundreds of people have gathered round the cathedral, a major city landmark which recently underwent restoration.
An Emergency Situations Ministry Mi-8 helicopter was called in to tackle the flames, emergency services said earlier.
Icons and other valuable items are being evacuated and left outside the main entrance under police guard, he said.
No one has been hurt in the incident. Around thirty firefighting units are working at the site.
The first report of the fire came at 5:30 p.m. local time (13:30 GMT), emergency services said earlier.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060825/53155223.html
Russia might tear up ISR Missile Treaty-Defense Ministry source
MOSCOW, August 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia could unilaterally withdraw from the Treaty on Intermediate and Shorter Range Missiles, a Defense Ministry official said Friday.
"If there is a pressing need, Russia will pull out of the ISRM Treaty unilaterally," the ministry representative said. "There have been such precedents, in particular, the U.S. withdrawal from the ABM Treaty."
The United States announced it was pulling out of the 1972 ABM Treaty, which covered nuclear weapons for 20 years, in June 2002.
The Russian representative said that in 20 or 30 years any country could have intermediate range missiles.
"Moscow considers this treaty to be a relic of the Cold War. When this document was signed, only Russia and the U.S. had such missiles," the official said.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060825/53149698.html
Authorities refuse to let Madonna perform near Moscow University
MOSCOW, August 25 (RIA Novosti) - Authorities in Moscow have refused to allow the Madonna concert to be held on a hill overlooking the capital in front of Moscow State University, an official said Friday.
The pop diva is expected in Moscow September 11 as part of her controversial 'Confessions on a Dance Floor' tour. Moscow authorities said Tuesday the venue for the concert could be changed for security reasons.
"No permission has been given for Madonna's show on Vorobyovy Gory hill," Alexei Laushkin of the western Moscow administration said, adding the concert might be held in the north of the city.
Nikolai Kulikov, in charge of security issues in the Moscow government, said Tuesday that security concerns, including a blast at a market place Monday, prompted city authorities to consider an alternate site for the American pop icon's upcoming concert.
He said the large number of expected fans - up to 250,000 - could mean the concert would have to be moved from Vorobyovy Gory to the more spacious Tushino airfield in northwest Moscow.
However, Kulikov assured ticket holders that the concert would not be canceled under any circumstances, even in light of the bomb attack at a Moscow market that claimed 11 lives.
"Life must go on despite these blasts," he said, adding that security would be tighter.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060825/53127476.html
Tehran dictates its terms
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Pyotr Goncharov) - Iran's response to the proposals made by the international community and the reaction to it proved a greater surprise than expected.
It is not that the official Tehran's answer defiantly ignored the UN Security Council's resolution, which demanded that it stop all uranium enrichment activities by the end of August. It is not even that it was done in a way typical of Iran's current diplomacy. Mohammad Saidi, international affairs advisor at Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said that the country's response "gives Europe [as negotiator with Iran on behalf of the UN - P. Goncharov] a unique chance to return to dialogue and to the negotiation table." Although it seems that everything was actually the other way round: it was Resolution 1696 dated July 31 that gave Iran "a unique chance to return to the negotiation table" and thus avoid potential diplomatic, economic and other sanctions. At least, this is what the six international mediators, including Russia and China, which are considered to sympathize with Iran, have said.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060824/53102894.html
Lavrov, Rice discuss Iran's response by phone
MOSCOW, August 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's foreign minister discussed Iran's reaction to proposals from six world powers mediating the country's nuclear problem in a telephone conversation with the U.S. secretary of state on Thursday, the Russian foreign ministry said.
On Tuesday, Iran responded to incentives from the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany largely aimed at persuading the Islamic Republic to end work on enriching uranium, by saying it was ready for "serious talks."
In their conversation, which had been initiated by the U.S. side, Sergei Lavrov and Condoleezza Rice also considered the implementation of a UN resolution on the Israeli-Lebanese conflict.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060824/53104219.html
Grigory Perelman - Jewish genius of Russian math
MOSCOW. (Boris Kaimakov, RIA Novosti political commentator) - It seems we have forgotten how to say wow on hearting exciting news. Now we'll have to learn it again.
Grigory Perelman from St. Petersburg has challenged the Creator and explained to him the ABCs of the Universe. The world has not been turned upside down, but offered Perelman the Fields Medal, often described as the "Nobel Prize of mathematics," and a million dollars. But, surprising the world once again, the genius has turned down all worldly blessings, and retreated to his tiny apartment on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, which he shares with his mother. The initiated will understand his logic - why take your medal and money when I'm entranced with my journey into the ultramundane?
My schoolmates and I wanted to get this million when we racked our brains over the Poincare conjecture forty years ago in our math group. This is, of course, an exaggeration - in real fact, we were talking nonsense. However, one of us has become a famous aircraft designer, another has won a prestigious Chebyshev prize in math, and two others are doing quite well in America. Unlike Perelman, we wouldn't have turned down a million, but we haven't proved the conjecture which preoccupied all his thoughts. Feel the difference! God is benevolent to those who think about him rather than Mammon.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060823/53055987.html
The Moscow Times
Pilot Ignored Weather Warning
By David Nowak and Oksana Yablokova
Staff Writers
Relatives of those killed in the Tu-154 jet mourning Thursday at a cordoned field where the plane went down near the Ukrainian village of Sukhaya Balka.
The pilot of the Pulkovo Airlines plane that slammed into the Ukrainian countryside, killing at least 170 on board, ignored a storm warning before taking off and subsequent warnings after the plane was in the air.
That revelation, which surfaced after air traffic controllers said they had notified commanding pilot Ivan Korogodin of the danger, is fueling speculation that bad weather -- and Korogodin's decision not to skirt it -- is the likeliest explanation for the crash.
Other theories, including a deadly lightning strike and terrorism, have been all but ruled out.
Pulkovo Flight 612 left Anapa, a Black Sea resort, shortly after 3 p.m., Tuesday, bound for St. Petersburg. A little more than a half-hour later the Tu-154 disappeared from radar screens. And a few minutes after that, it was seen plummeting into a grassy field. Forty-five children died in the crash.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/08/25/001.html
Restorers face long effort at Petersburg cathedral after fire
RIA NOVOSTI. August 25, 2006, 9:40 PM
ST. PETERSBURG, August 25 (RIA Novosti) - At least eighteen months will be needed to repair a St. Petersburg cathedral damaged in a major fire Friday, the head of a local museum protection watchdog said.
A fire broke out Friday afternoon in Trinity Cathedral, leading to the collapse of the main 80-meter-high dome of the major city landmark which recently underwent restoration. One of the cathedral's four smaller blue domes has also been consumed by the fire.
"The reconstruction will take about one and a half years," Vera Dementyeva said. "But this is possible given normal financing."
The head of emergencies' press-service said the fire, first reported at 5:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. GMT), had been localized in about three hours, with firefighters having made almost impossible job to save the entire cathedral.
"At the very start we presumed that all the cathedral's domes would collapse," Grigory Gorbunov said. "But firefighters did almost the impossible and prevented fire from spreading." He added that the cathedral had been saved mainly because an emergency ministry firefighting helicopter had arrived at the scene.
Mikhail Dudko, a representative of the Moscow Patriarchy, called on believers to repent in the wake of the fire. "The destruction of any a church, regardless of what caused it, is always a great sadness and always a certain symbol, because Orthodox people believe that coincidences do not happen," he said.
Built in Russia's second biggest city in 1835, The Trinity Cathedral is on the Unesco World Heritage List as part of St. Petersburg's historical center.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/doc/HotNews.html
Modern Martyrs
Yury Arabov, the longtime screenwriting partner of director Alexander Sokurov, mourns the death of the Russian intelligentsia in a new novel.
By Vladimir Kozlov
Published: August 25, 2006
Until recently, Yury Arabov was primarily known to the general public as the screenwriter of several notable films by art-house director Alexander Sokurov, and, to a rather smaller audience, as a poet. In the past year, though, he gained visibility when NTV television broadcast two high-profile miniseries for which he wrote the scripts: adaptations of Nikolai Gogol's "Dead Souls" and Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago."
Now, Arabov has published a novel, "Flagellants," which is a lament for the death of the Russian intelligentsia -- and, according to the author, a reflection of his own conflicted feelings about being an artist in present-day Russia.
The title of the book refers to the medieval Christians who practiced an extreme form of mortification by whipping their own flesh. The book's main character, a musician named Yakov, resorts to a similar practice as self-punishment for what he considers the betrayal of his own talent.
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/08/25/101.html
Lawyer's Jail Time Cut to 6 1/2 Years
The Moscow City Court on Thursday rejected an appeal to overturn the conviction of Yukos lawyer Svetlana Bakhmina, but slightly reduced her 7-year prison sentence to 6 1/2 years, a court spokeswoman said.
The sentence handed down against Bakhmina, 36, in April for embezzlement and tax evasion was reduced by six months after an appeal by her lawyers, said Anna Usachyova, the court's spokeswoman.
Her case is one of many investigations into Yukos managers, but her jailing has provoked particular criticism because she has two young sons.
The length of the prison term makes Bakhmina, a former deputy head of Yukos' Moscow legal department, ineligible for release under a current amnesty for mothers sentenced to prison terms of six years or less.
The court threw out the tax evasion charges on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired, but Interfax quoted Bakhmina's lawyer as saying that he believed that his client's sentence should have been reduced by half.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/08/25/042.html
Contract Soldiers Are Leaving Army
The Moscow Times
Professional soldiers are jumping ship because of low wages and a lack of social infrastructure, Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported Thursday.
Only 15 percent to 19 percent of volunteers sign up for a second hitch in the armed forces when their original three-year contract expires, the newspaper reported, citing a Defense Ministry survey.
As a result, the military will lose its core of professional soldiers within three years, the newspaper concluded, adding that the personnel drain would hit units on permanent combat readiness status the hardest.
These units contain the majority of volunteer soldiers, who signed up in 2004 and 2005.
The General Staff of the armed forces plans for 50 percent of the soldiers in the armed forces to be professionals by 2008.
In a poll conducted by the Defense Ministry's Sociology Center, 29 percent of current contract soldiers said they would not renew their contracts because the military provided no facilities for rest and relaxation such as clubs and gyms, the newspaper reported.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/08/25/013.html
They're Looking the Wrong Way
By Yulia Latynina
The Federal Forestry Agency has said it is ready to rent out 1 million hectares of forest to China, and preliminary agreements have been reached with the Tyumen and Sverdlovsk regions on 49-year rental contracts. Russia has not undertaken anything on this scale since selling Alaska to the United States in 1867.
The national media have not covered the deal and there has been no discussion in the State Duma. But 49 years is two generations. Will there be any chance the tenants will leave when the deal expires? Ossetians have been living in Ingushetia's Prigorodny District since 1944. What would happen if we asked them to give it back to the Ingush?
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/08/23/007.html
Energy Muscle Flexing Delivers Scant Results
Vedomosti
At the end of last week the State Statistics Service released some important news: Russia now produces more oil than any other country. That Russia had surpassed Saudi Arabia, if only temporarily, was not the only recent boost to the country's image as an energy superpower. Last week MSCI Barra increased the weighting of Gazprom in its MSCI Emerging Markets index, making the natural gas giant the "heaviest" of the emerging market companies included.
A strengthening of Russia's position in the international arena should go hand in hand with its energy might, but it seems only to have brought more problems. A sanctions battle with the United States has ended sadly: In response to an Agriculture Ministry ban on the import of meat from Michigan and a letter from Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref threatening all meat imports from the United States, the White House for the first ...
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/08/22/009.html
In the Spotlight
The tabloids are having a good time with "Dances on Ice." Zhizn reported that pop star Sergei Lazarev was in agony after doing the splits.
By Anna Malpas
Published: August 25, 2006
After a Russian version of the British show "Strictly Come Dancing" proved a hit with its formula of famous people learning to dance, television bosses took an imaginative leap and commissioned shows in which famous people learned to figure skate.
Unfortunately, two different channels had the same idea. The result is that Rossia began broadcasting a show called "Dances on Ice" last Sunday, while Channel One is due to launch "Stars on Ice" on Sept. 2.
It's an unfortunate situation that could perhaps only occur in Russia, where there are so many skating champions available as partners for celebrities that, quite possibly, no one was even double-booked.
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/08/25/111.html
Michael Moore Today
Public hero, private grief
By Chelsea Conaboy / Concord Monitor
CONCORD, NH -- Jean Durgin said goodbye to her son's friend after a brief visit at her Henniker home recently. She asked him to come by again soon. He said it's been a busy summer. She smiled. When he was gone, she lifted her glasses to wipe away tears.
More than two months after 23-year-old Russell Durgin was killed while fighting in Afghanistan, his mother's mood can change from day to day, minute to minute.
Sometimes she's telling stories, pressing her hand to her chest and looking up to the ceiling as she laughs. In a moment, she talks tearfully and bitterly about the war and the way in which it took her son.
Russell Durgin, an Army sergeant, died June 13 defending the sniper team he had led on a mission in the remote Korengal Valley. In the weeks that followed his death, his body was received home with honors befitting a hero: a flag flown in his name above the State House, a candlelight vigil attended by hundreds and a flag-lined funeral procession. Friends and strangers alike turned out to salute him.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7699
Marines to recall troops to active duty
By Lolita C. Baldor / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The Marine Corps will soon begin ordering thousands of its troops back to active duty because of a shortage of volunteers for Iraq and Afghanistan — the first involuntary recall since the early days of the war.
Up to 2,500 Marines will be brought back at a time, and there is no cap on the total number who may be forced back into service as the military helps fight the war on terror. The call-ups will begin in the next several months.
The number of troops in Iraq has climbed back to 138,000 — the prevailing number for much of last year. Troop levels had been declining this year, to a low of about 127,000, amid growing calls from Congress and the public for a phased withdrawal. Escalating violence in Baghdad has led military leaders to increase the U.S. presence there.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7698
Veteran protests against Iraq war
By Julie Waggoner / Colorado Daily
Gene Grazer, 82, marched up and down the stretch of sidewalk in front of Boulder's Army and Marine Corps recruiting centers at the corner of 30th and Walnut Streets Monday carrying a sign that read “Support the troops: bring them home now.”
He said public opinion has changed in the past year, and since that time he's gotten more support.
“The tide has changed,” Grazer said. “I get more thumbs up by far than middle fingers.”
Grazer served as a medic in France, Belgium and Germany during World War II and is now a member of the anti-war organization Veterans For Peace.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7700
U.S. soldier killed in Iraqi province
Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - An American soldier was killed in combat Saturday in Anbar province, the stronghold of the Sunni Arab insurgency west of Baghdad, the U.S. military announced.
The soldier was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, a military statement said. It gave no details except to say the soldier "died from wounds sustained due to enemy action" while operating in Anbar province.
At least 2,605 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7690
Anti-war protest planned
KENNEBUNKPORT (AP) - A group opposed to the war in Iraq is planning a demonstration during President Bush's visit this weekend.
Within minutes of his arrival, the president joined his father, former President George H.W. Bush, aboard his fishing boat.
People across New England who oppose the war in Iraq are being invited to join in Saturday's demonstration, according to Bruce Gagnon, one of the organizers. Gagnon said the demonstrators are upset with Congress as well as Bush.
"It's a bipartisan war. We're critical of all of those who're funding the war. One of our key demands is to stop the funding for the war," he said Thursday.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7710
When George W. Bush comes to Maine we have to get out and protest against his visit. Bush, and his team of neo-cons, have illegally invaded Iraq and today are spending $8.5 billion a month on the occupation. Already 2,611 American soldiers have died in Iraq and more than 19,511 have been seriously wounded. Well over 100,000 Iraqi people, mostly innocent civilians have died as a result of this immoral war.
It is imperative that we speak out loudly and clearly that Bush is not welcome in our state. Our Maine Congressional delegation should be there with us on the picket line saying that they will support hearings into whether Bush committed impeachable offenses. But, sadly, they will be absent. Nor will our elected officials be there to apologize to the public about their votes in favor of funding the war/occupation to the tune of $304 billion of our hard-earned tax dollars. That is money that could have gone a long way in helping Mainers get health care and other needed social services. It's money that could have been used creating good jobs in our state building rail systems, solar power and windmills instead of more weapons for endless war.
Please join with us on August 26. There will be people there from all over Maine, New Hampshire and other states.
http://www.kportprotest.org/
Kennebunkport Town of: School Consolidated
25 School St, Kennebunkport, ME
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.784549,58.007813&q=Kennebunk+Consolidated+Middle+School&ie=UTF8&cid=37062500,-95677068,17023488399332179625&li=lmd&z=14&t=m
Sen. Clinton to Meet Lamont in N.Y.
By Susan Haigh / Associated Press
HARTFORD, Conn. -- New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will meet Friday with Democratic Senate candidate Ned Lamont to discuss how she can help his campaign in a three-way race against Sen. Joe Lieberman, now an independent candidate.
"Senator Clinton looks forward to meeting with Ned Lamont and discussing how she can be helpful to his campaign," Howard Wolfson, Clinton's campaign strategist, said Wednesday.
Tom Swan, Lamont's campaign manager, said Clinton reached out to Lamont on the night of the Democratic primary and later contributed money from her political action committee.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/the06fix/index.php?id=149
A Mother's Pain
By Cindy Sheehan
The only thing I ever wanted to be my entire life was a Mom. I never even thought of having a career because I always wanted to have babies. My own family was pretty dysfunctional when I was growing up and I just wanted to have a family of my own to love and nurture.
When Pat and I found out that we were pregnant with Casey, our first, we were ecstatic. We had been married for over a year when we decided that we wanted to start our family and we were pregnant the first month that we tried.
Casey was born on Memorial Day, May 29th, 1979. I couldn't take my eyes off of my darling newborn son. He was so alert and his eyes would pierce my soul and it always seemed like he knew what I was thinking. He was such a good baby although he liked to stay up late at night. Casey and I watched many old black and white movies while we rocked in the rocking chair that Grandpa Miller gave us.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=719
Hit the Brakes...
Victor Kittila's Pretrial Hearing Has Been Adjourned
Hi,
The pretrial hearing has been adjourned without a new date having been set. Apologies for the late notice, we only heard about this late this evening. Thank you for all of your support thus far and we will let you know when a new date is set.
Peace,
JoAnn & Victor
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=718
A War Resister's Invisible Fence
By Mike Ferner, Navy corpsman 1969-72
Sitting at the computer, wearing my official Electronic Monitoring Ankle Bracelet is certainly better than sitting in jail…but it still does a pretty good job of reminding you you're are now in the criminal class.
On August 4, Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Charles Wittenberg sentenced me for two felony convictions for spraypainting “Troops Out Now!” on a highway overpass on January 1 of this year. Part of the sentence includes 60 days under house arrest, tethered to the 1,050 sq. ft. of my home in Toledo like it has one of those “invisible fences” for dogs at the front and back doors. The ankle bracelet ($60.00 weekly service fee) communicates with a black box ($40.00 installation fee) tied into the phone line to a company in Indiana that monitors the whole business by computer. I wonder how many and who are my fellow “monitorees,” and whether I should buy some stock. Incarceration in its various forms is clearly America's growth industry.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=717
Teacher Placed On Leave For Hanging Foreign Flags
Geography Teacher At Carmody Middle School Refuses To Take Down Flags
ABC-7
LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- A Jefferson County geography teacher was placed on paid administrative on the second day of school for hanging several flags from other countries in his classroom.
Eric Hamlin said the flags were part of a world geography lesson plan at Carmody Middle School and refused to take them down. The school's principal escorted Hamlin out of class Wednesday morning after he refused to remove the flags of China and Mexico.
The school district placed him on administrative leave for insubordination, citing a Colorado law that makes it illegal to display foreign flags permanently in schools.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7714
U.S. built major Iranian nuclear facility
By Sam Roe / Tampa Tribune
In the heart of Tehran sits one of Iran's most important nuclear facilities, a dome-shaped building where scientists have conducted secret experiments that could help the country build atomic bombs. It was provided to the Iranians by the United States.
The Tehran Research Reactor represents a little-known aspect of the international uproar over the country's alleged weapons program. Not only did the U.S. provide the reactor in the 1960s as part of a Cold War strategy, America also supplied the weapons-grade uranium needed to power the facility—fuel that remains in Iran and could be used to help make nuclear arms.
As the U.S. and other countries wrestle with Iran's refusal this week to curb its nuclear capabilities, an examination of the Tehran facility sheds light on the degree to which the United States has been complicit in Iran developing those capabilities.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7713
Katrina caravan makes its way through Palm Springs
By Gil Diaz / NewsChannel 3
Next week is the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans continues to rebuild and thousands of displaced residents are still trying to return home. Some of them are going back with the help of a special caravan making its way through the West Coast.
A group of community activists have formed the Social Change Caravan Coalition. This caravan departed from Seattle on Wednesday and worked its way down along the coast picking up displaced residents. And this morning, that caravan will be making a stop in Palm Springs.
Last night, that caravan made it all the way to Riverside. It will be headed to Houston before arriving in New Orleans.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7712
The Boston Globe
Fire heavily damages Russian cathedral
By Irina Titova, Associated Press Writer August 25, 2006
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia --A fire raged through a 19th century cathedral in this former imperial capital Friday, collapsing the main rooftop dome and sending clerics scurrying to save treasured icons.
The fire erupted in the early evening and burned through scaffolding outside the soaring blue central dome of Trinity Cathedral, a duty officer at the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said.
The central dome collapsed and one of four smaller cupolas surrounding it -- painted a striking light blue and in some cases spangled with gold stars -- was also destroyed, St. Petersburg emergency department spokeswoman Lyudmila Rubasova said. There were no reports of injuries, she said.
Firefighters battled to save the other three cupolas as emergency workers and church employees removed icons and other religious articles. A helicopter brought in to fight the blaze dumped water on the historic structure.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2006/08/25/fire_damages_19th_century_russian_church/
Flight diverted to Bangor in 1 of 6 airline incidents
By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent
A Boeing 767 carrying 118 passengers from Manchester, England, to Chicago was diverted to Bangor International Airport this afternoon because of a reported threat to the aircraft while it was en route, the Transportation Security Administration said.
Nenette Day, a spokeswoman for the FBI, said that the nature of the threat was not immediately clear. The plane landed at about 12:45 p.m. She said FBI agents would be interviewing the passengers and flight crew to determine what had happened aboard the plane, American Airlines Flight 55.
The TSA released a statement saying the plane was also being searched by dogs. Arlene Murray, a spokeswoman for the FAA, only said that the diversion was for "security reasons."
American Airlines spokesman John Hotard said that the flight would continue to Chicago as soon as a new crew arrived. The crew that worked the transatlantic leg of the trip had worked too many hours and needed to be relieved, Hotard said.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2006/08/flight_diverted.html
Suspect charged in shooting rampage, sent for evaluation
By Wilson Ring, Associated Press Writer August 25, 2006
ESSEX, Vt. --A man who allegedly went on a shooting rampage after a fight with his ex-girlfriend was released from one hospital Friday and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation at another after a mental health counselor called him suicidal.
Meanwhile, a picture emerged of Christopher A. Williams as an ex-convict with a history of drugs and legal scrapes, one of which had eerie parallels to the circumstances of Thursday's killings.
In his first court appearance, Williams, 27, pleaded not guilty to two counts each of first-degree murder and attempted murder in Thursday's shooting spree, which began at his ex-girlfriend's home, continued at an elementary school and ended at a friend's home. The school was not in session at the time.
Williams was ordered held without bail.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2006/08/25/suspect_charged_in_shooting_rampage_sent_for_evaluation/
Stem-cell firm optimistic on ethical concerns
A microscopic view of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells. A Massachusetts company said on Wednesday it had developed a way to make human embryonic stem cells without harming the original embryo, a finding it said could dispel ethical objections to promising medical research using such cells. (REUTERS/University of Wisconsin/Handout)
By Jim Finkle August 25, 2006
WORCESTER, Massachusetts (Reuters) - A U.S. company that developed a way to make human embryonic stem cells without harming the original embryo said on Friday it was optimistic the technique would overcome ethical concerns that have held back funding for stem cell research.
California-based Advanced Cell Technology Inc. developed the technology to quell the raging ethical debate in the United States over the harvesting of embryonic stem cells, which under current methods results in destruction of human embryos.
"For most rational people this removes the last rational objection for opposing this research," Advanced Cell's chief scientist, Robert Lanza, said in an interview at the company's Worcester research center.
The White House on Thursday said it was encouraged by a new method and Bush believed it deserved a good look.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/08/26/stem_cell_firm_optimistic_on_ethical_concerns/
Mayor to form civilian panel for complaints about police
Gives no power to subpoena
By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff August 25, 2006
Mayor Thomas M. Menino said yesterday he will appoint a three-member civilian board to review police misconduct cases, breaking a stalemate over civilian oversight in the Boston Police Department.
The appointees on the Civilian Review and Mediation Board will serve as representatives of the public, with powers to examine internal police investigations of officers accused of wrongdoing, city officials said.
The board will review all allegations of serious misconduct, such as assault or illegal drug use, that are dismissed by the department's Internal Affairs Division, the officials said. It will also look into less serious cases if a member of the public appeals the decision by Internal Affairs.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/08/25/mayor_to_form_civilian_panel_for_complaints_about_police/
Commuter rail head steps down under fire
Service complaints had risen sharply
Paul Lundberg, head of the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad, had been heavily criticized. (Courtesy mbcr.net)
By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff August 25, 2006
The head of the consortium that runs the MBTA's commuter rail system has resigned under withering criticism about late trains and chronic poor service, which worsened after the Big Dig tunnel closings sent more commuters to trains.
Paul Lundberg, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad, was responsible for the management and operation of the commuter rail system and its 1,750 employees.
After meeting with the consortium's top officials on Wednesday, Lundberg submitted his resignation around 6 p.m., officials said. Lundberg did not return phone calls yesterday.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/08/25/commuter_rail_head_steps_down_under_fire/
Place your bets on next Harvard president
Gambling website has declared odds for picking a new chief
By Marcella Bombardieri, Globe Staff August 25, 2006
Word around campus is that the search for a new Harvard president is still wide open. But bookmakers in Costa Rica have already declared the odds.
On the Internet gambling website Bodog.com, Elena Kagan, the popular Harvard Law School dean, is the favorite at 3 to 1. She's followed by another Harvard insider, provost Steven E. Hyman, at 7 to 2, and then by Stanford's provost, John Etchemendy, at 4 to 1.
The future of America's most prestigious university has joined the fate of Fidel Castro and the outcome of Project Runway as debate topics in the increasingly popular world of online gambling, whose sites are often based overseas to skirt US laws.
About 600 bets have been placed on the Harvard presidency so far, according to Calvin Ayre, the flamboyant founder of Bodog, who was featured on the cover of Forbes's billionaire issue and named one of People's ``hottest bachelors." The wagers must be between $5 and $50.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/08/25/place_your_bets_on_next_harvard_president/
Immigration hearing roils emotions
2 sides in N.H. sound off over guest-worker plan
By James Vaznis, Globe Staff August 25, 2006
CONCORD -- New Englanders on both sides of the proposed guest-worker plan for illegal immigrants sounded off at a special US House Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday, with witnesses offering low-key testimony while passions bubbled up beyond the hearing room doors.
Across from the New Hampshire State House, the site of the hearing, immigrant rights protesters chanted their support for a US Senate-approved bill that includes the guest-worker plan and a path to citizenship for most of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country.
On the other side of the State House about a dozen people who want tighter immigration laws held signs such as ``No Surrender, No Amnesty."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/08/25/immigration_hearing_roils_emotions/
Attacks against homeless increasing, activists say
Report indicates trend on the rise across the nation
By Beth Rucker, Associated Press August 25, 2006
NASHVILLE -- Tara Cole, who had been living on the streets of Nashville for more than three years, spent her last night alive sleeping on a boat ramp along the Cumberland River.
She was killed in the early hours of Aug. 11, when two unknown males pushed her into the river, according to witnesses. Other homeless people couldn't save her.
``She was one person, but it terrorized the whole homeless population," said Howard Allen, a homeless man who helped organize a nightly vigil for Cole.
Police said a body pulled from the river this week is probably that of the 33-year-old Cole, and investigators interviewed people overnight Wednesday after surveillance videos helped them identify suspects.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/08/25/attacks_against_homeless_increasing_activists_say/
California wetlands restored after 107 years
By Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press August 25, 2006
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- The ocean flowed into historic wetlands yesterday for the first time in more than a century after bulldozers peeled back the last layer of an earthen dam.
Environmentalists who worked for 30 years to restore the massive Bolsa Chica area cheered and sipped champagne as the salty water poured into the fragile ecosystem that had been tapped as an oil field for decades.
The event capped a two-year project that cost more than $100 million and shunted a portion of the scenic Pacific Coast Highway onto an overpass.
Officials said it would take at least six hours for the ocean water to fill the 387-acre basin. The area had been separated from the ocean since 1899, when a duck-hunting club diked ponds to make it easier to catch their prey.
The eight state and federal agencies involved in the project call it the largest and most ambitious restoration of coastal wetlands in the history of California, where 95 percent of saltwater marshes have been given over to development.
The Bolsa Chica wetlands project is at the cutting edge of a new and evolving science, said Shirley Dettloff, a member of the conservation group Amigos de Bolsa Chica and a former member of the California Coastal Commission.
``Not many wetlands have been restored in the world, especially in an oil field," said Dettloff, who has fought for the wetlands for 30 years. ``Even we locals sometimes forget that this was the second-largest functioning oil field in the state of California . . . since the 1930s."
The degraded wetlands are already home to 200 species of birds, including six endangered and threatened species, said Marc Stirdivant, executive director of Bolsa Chica Land Trust.
Tidal flows and ebbs will fill and drain the basin twice a day, restoring a natural rhythm that should replenish the fragile ecosystem and could attract more species.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/08/25/california_wetlands_restored_after_107_years/
Second suspect in German terror plot arrested
By Craig Whitlock, Washington Post August 25, 2006
BERLIN -- A second suspect in last month's attempted train bombings in Germany was taken into custody yesterday after an international manhunt. But investigators appeared no closer to answering the central questions surrounding the plot: what was the motive and why was Germany the target?
Jihad Hamad, 20, a Lebanese citizen who had been living in Germany, turned himself in to Lebanese authorities early yesterday in the city of Tripoli, according to the German federal prosecutor's office. Investigators said Hamad and his accomplice had fled Germany after they planted suitcase bombs on two trains in Cologne on July 31 in an attempt to kill scores of people.
The bombs failed to detonate and German police were able to identify two men who left the suitcases from surveillance videos from the Cologne train station. The other suspect, a Lebanese student identified as Youssef Mohamad el Hajdib, 21, was arrested early Saturday. Both men face charges of attempted mass murder, among other crimes.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2006/08/25/second_suspect_in_german_terror_plot_arrested/
Afghan police dispute US account of raid
August 25, 2006
AFGHANISTAN
KABUL -- A predawn raid by American troops in eastern Afghanistan left seven suspected Al Qaeda fighters and one child dead, the US military said in an account that was disputed by police who say those killed were two families sorting out a feud. The raid was aimed at capturing a ``known Al Qaeda facilitator" in the village of Asmar in Kunar province, said Colonel Tom Collins, a spokesman for the US-led coalition. The seven dead Al Qaeda suspects included the facilitator, he said. Four others were detained. Afghan officials, however, said those targeted in the compound were from two families trying to resolve a dispute through village elders.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/08/25/afghan_police_dispute_us_account_of_raid/
Lessons on terrorism
August 25, 2006
ELEVEN SUSPECTS were brought to court in London this week, charged with involvement in the plot to blow up several airliners over the Atlantic. The foiling of their alleged conspiracy will inevitably be scrutinized for what it reveals about the changing character of the terrorist threat five years after Sept. 11. Even though there is some uncertainty about the scope of the plot and possible links to Al Qaeda, there are important general lessons to be gleaned.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2006/08/25/lessons_on_terrorism/
Under the microscope
August 25, 2006
THE DISCOVERY by scientists that embryonic stem cells can be isolated and cultivated without destroying the embryo might not mean this method becomes the preferred one for generating such cells. But the advance calls the bluff of President Bush and other opponents of federal support for this research. If the cells can be created without destroying the embryo, can the opponents continue to object to funding stem cell experimentation?
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2006/08/25/under_the_microscope/
Rescued turtles return to sea
After long rehab, a journey begins
By Jenna Russell and Erin Conroy, Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent August 25, 2006
OSTERVILLE -- Set down on the sand a stone's throw from the ocean, the turtles seemed to pause to sniff the salty air of freedom. Then the smallest one lurched toward the water, as a cheer went up from hundreds of jubilant onlookers.
The sea turtles released from captivity yesterday on Cape Cod had come a long way since they last felt the chilly kiss of the Atlantic. Rescued from Cape beaches late last fall after they failed to migrate south, most were near death from exposure to frigid waters. But yesterday, after nearly a year of recovery, 14 of the endangered creatures once again swam free, in the largest simultaneous release of rescued turtles ever seen in the Northeast
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2006/08/25/rescued_turtles_return_to_sea/
Researchers seek wounded whale
By Cristina Silva, Globe Staff August 25, 2006
Cape Cod environmentalists are searching for a severely wounded humpback whale that swam away after a rescue in what specialists are calling the worst incident of entanglement they have seen in 20 years of caring for marine life.
The humpback, about 38 feet long, had been spotted 30 miles off Chatham by a tuna fisherman in a plane about 10 a.m. Wednesday, said Scott Landry , a research assistant for the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies.
A heavy rope from a fishing trap was wrapped so tightly around the whale's tail that it had sliced off part of its flesh, exposing mounds of tissue, said Landry, who helped cut the rope off after inspecting the whale from an inflatable boat.
It appeared the whale had been ensnared for several weeks because its injuries were so severe and the animal was underweight, indicating the rope had prevented it from feeding sufficiently, Landry said.
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2006/08/25/researchers_seek_wounded_whale/
More tropical fish sighted in R.I. water
August 25, 2006
NEWPORT, R.I. --An unusually large number of tropical fish have been spotted this summer in Rhode Island waters by divers, fishermen and environmentalists.
Among the fish seen so far: juvenile orange filefish, snowy grouper and lookdowns. A local lobsterman pulled up a large trigger fish in one of his traps.
"We're always catching tropicals during the summer months, but I mean there are a lot more. Probably about double the amount," Jean Bambara, an aquarist at Save the Bay's Exploration Center in Newport, told The Providence Journal.
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2006/08/25/more_tropical_fish_sighted_in_ri_water/
I always loved horses as a kid.
Top horses out of WEG
American dressage rider Debbie McDonald and Irish event rider Mark Kyle will take no further part in the Aachen action due to concerns about their respective horses Brentina (pictured) and Drunken Disorderly.
Debbie can take some consolation from the fact that she and Brentina helped the American team to win the bronze medal in the dressage, but Mark has no such reprieve as his horse was spun at the first veterinary inspection before the eventing competition got underway.
American team vet Dr Tim Ober said: “Brentina had a slight swelling after the competition on Wednesday. While a diagnosis is pending further evaluation by USEF veterinary staff, Debbie McDonald and Klaus Balkenhol have decided it is not in the best interest of Brentina to ask her to continue in the individual competition at these games.”
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/weg/article.php?id=93160
Disease alert over Gipsy horses
Animals grazing on common thought to be carrying illness
Simon Bristow
GIPSY horses grazing in the East Riding are suspected of bringing a potentially fatal equine disease to the area.
Horses on Swinemoor Common, near Beverley, are thought to be carrying equine strangles, a highly contagious respiratory illness which can kill horses of all ages and breeds.
As it is not a notifiable disease, owners do not have to inform the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of an outbreak, but it is understood to have been identified among horses at a yard in Willerby.
Owners across the region have begun vaccinating their horses in an attempt to keep the illness at bay. It is threatening a number of equestrian events and businesses and has caused the cancellation of the annual Ryehill Show in Holderness on September 3.
The disease is a bacterial infection which attacks the lymph nodes under a horse's jaw, causing the glands to swell and abscesses to form around the neck and throat.
It can lay dormant on land, wood, clothing and equipment and, while infected horses may develop resistance, they can carry the bacteria indefinitely.
Horses which have had the disease may be left with scar tissue after the abscesses have burst or been removed.
http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=1084&ArticleID=1717240
Travers buildup focus on horses
PAUL POST, The Saratogian
08/24/2006
SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The attention is on the horses, especially Bernardini and Blue Grass Cat, as the clock ticks down to Saturday's $1 million Travers Stakes.
But despite their calm exteriors, trainers Tom Albertrani and Todd Pletcher are doing all they can to contain their own excitement for the main event on the Saratoga Race Course calendar.
Pletcher won last year's race with Flower Alley, while for Albertrani, entering the Travers with an even-money favorite is the fulfillment of a boyhood dream.
'To me, Saratoga's the premier race meet in the world, and this is the premier race at Saratoga,' Pletcher said. 'When you've got two top 3-year-olds that brings a lot more excitement to the table.'
His horse, Blue Grass Cat, is coming off a breakthrough performance in The Haskell and heads into the Travers with 2-1 morning line odds. Shrewdly, Pletcher is playing the underdog, attempting to put the pressure and limelight on Albertrani, who trains Preakness winner Bernardini.
http://www.saratogian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17104154&BRD=1169&PAG=461&dept_id=17708&rfi=6
Travers shapes up as a two-horse race
By Mark Blaudschun, Globe Staff August 24, 2006
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- The preliminaries are over. Races have been won -- impressively in the case of the two favorites, Bernardini and Bluegrass Cat -- and now it is time to posture, perhaps, or project.
Such was the case yesterday morning at Saratoga as Travers week kicked off with the draw for the 137th Travers Stakes on Saturday.
``Premier race at the premier racetrack," said Todd Pletcher, who trains two of the seven horses in the Travers field, including Bluegrass Cat, who was established as the second choice at 2-1 in the morning line behind Bernardini, the even-money favorite.
Even Pletcher, who is again having a superb meet at Saratoga, concedes that Bernardini deserves the attention he is receiving. ``We're not kidding ourselves," said Pletcher. ``We've all got to step it up a notch. Bernardini has been awesome in every race of his life."
http://www.boston.com/sports/other_sports/horse_racing/articles/2006/08/24/travers_shapes_up_as_a_two_horse_race/
Powerful oilman T. Boone Pickens joins effort to save horses from slaughter
GLENVILLE, PA – The mom and pop horse rescue groups received a big shot in the arm recently when Texas oilman and rancher T. Boone Pickens lent his muscle to the battle to convince Congress to enact the Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.
Pickens, who owns a ranch in West Texas, entered the national spotlight after Hurricane Katrina by airlifting 800 abandoned dogs and cats out of New Orleans with 70% ultimately being reunited with their owners.
Pickens, founder of BP Capital and Mesa Petroleum, was emotionally driven to act upon learning that more than 100,000 horses are slaughtered in the U.S. every year to be eaten as a “delicacy” by diners in France, Belgium, and Japan. The oilman was persuaded to enter the fray by his wife, Madeleine, who raises thoroughbred horses.
“I was thrilled and deeply touched that someone as powerful and influential as T. Boone Pickens feels so strongly about our cause,” says Jo Deibel, President of the Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue, Inc. http://www.saveahorsenow.org/. “I, too, share Mr. Pickens’ feelings of horror about the horrible treatment given thoroughbreds auctioned off to kill buyers and processed as horseflesh to be eaten.”
http://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publish/article_35799.shtml
TV Program Will Focus on Wild Horses
Aug. 24, 2006 -- An organization that provides a sanctuary for Wyoming’s wild horses is among the segments that will be featured on a public affairs program that can be seen at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27, on KCWC, Wyoming Public Television. The program will be repeated Wednesday, Aug. 30, at 10:30 p.m.
The August edition of the University of the Wyoming program "Wyoming Signatures" features a segment on Wild Horses Wyoming (WHW), a new partnership of professionals in public education, business, range and livestock management and recreation dedicated to preserving wild mustangs. WHW rescues wild horses and give them sanctuary on a 23,000-acre ranch near Laramie.
Another segment features UW Professor of Chicano Studies Ed Munoz, who will give his perspective on the issues involving undocumented immigrants.
The final segment is a feature on the competitors, people and judges at the Laramie American Kennel Club Dog Show.
KCWC can be seen off-air or via cable in several Wyoming communities, including Casper, Cheyenne, Laramie, Riverton, Lander, Rock Springs, Green River, Powell, Cody, Sheridan, Gillette, Jackson, Pinedale and Big Piney. Check local listings for specific channel information.
http://www.uwyo.edu/news/showrelease.asp?id=9799
Riders from across the state display their horses (Video)
A horse show kicked off at the fair’s Coliseum early Thursday morning. It gave riders from all over the state a chance to show off their horses, and in the case of Jenny Green from Livingston Manor, New York, she showcased someone else's horse.
There are two free shows daily from Chevy Court. Tonight at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Billy Ray Cyrus will perform. At the Mohegan Sun Grand Stand, comedian Jeff Foxworthy will hit the stage with Jeff Bates. That show begins at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $45 and $40.
http://news10now.com/content/all_news/?ArID=77386&SecID=83
Woman Arrested After Horses Found Starving, In Filth
A Central Florida woman was arrested after 21 horses were found starving and living in filth, according to police.
Investigators said Laurie Hubler, 71, kept the horses on a 19-acre farm just north of Ocala, Fla.
Hubler was charged with animal cruelty after the discovery.
A judge ordered Hubler not to have any horses after Sept. 1. So, when she gets out of jail, the county will work with her to find homes for the animals.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
http://www.local6.com/news/9733874/detail.html
TN Walking Horse to be Named
Posted: 8/24/2006 6:09:17 PM
There's a huge celebration underway in Bedford County Thursday night. It's the 68th year of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration.
The festivities were scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., and organizers expected a quarter-million attendees.
The World Grand Champion Tennessee Walking Horse will be named, in addition to 20 other champions.
For more than 60 years, people have come from across Tennessee and the country to celebrate their famous walking horse.
Tickets were still available for the event, except for boxed seats, which have a 13-year waiting list.
http://www.newschannel5.com/content/news/21591.asp
California Equestrian and his Morgan Horse to be Featured at the 2006 World Equestrian Games
By Michael LiCalsi
The American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) is pleased to announce that the famed Morgan horse Santa Fe Renegade (Gradell’s Vigilante X Sable N’ Mink) and his trainer, Eitan Beth-Halachmy, will be the main attraction during the closing ceremonies of the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, on September 3. Santa Fe Renegade is owned by Bernice Ericksmoen of Granite Bay, CA.
The event-filled ceremony will take place before 50,000 spectators and be televised worldwide in more than 140 countries. The National Broadcast Company (NBC) will be televising the event in the United States. As the main attraction, the pair will present a 10-minute performance in cowboy dressage. Cowboy dressage blends classical dressage with the speed and excitement of Western reining, creating a new and exciting style of dressage rarely seen by European horse enthusiasts.
http://www.usef.org/content/newsDisplay/viewPR.php?id=1532
Free Horse Health Resource at Your Fingertips
by: Kimberly S. Brown, Editor
August 2006 Article # 7488
The award-winning web site www.TheHorse.com has just made all articles on the site available free to registered users. After completing the registration process, you can read any of the nearly 7,500 articles on the site. You also can sign up for a free weekly electronic horse health newsletter.
As a not-for-profit company, we realize that the archive of veterinary-approved information contained in the nearly 7,500 articles on TheHorse.com is a useful resource to ALL horse owners, and we value the opportunity to share that information for the benefit of horses worldwide. Even if you are a magazine subscriber or have registered with TheHorse.com before, you must log into the site to make sure you are fully registered in our new database, then you may read EVERYTHING on TheHorse.com web site for FREE!
Following are some of the benefits you can have through TheHorse.com.
http://www.thehorse.com/viewarticle.aspx?ID=7488
Nelson joins campaign to ban horse slaughter
Texan Willie Nelson is raising his voice in defense of a symbol of the West — wild horses.
The country singer is the latest to join an effort to ban the slaughter of horses in the U.S. for consumption of their meat abroad. The House is scheduled to vote Sept. 7 on a bill aimed at ending the practice.
“If you’ve ever been around horses a lot, especially wild horses, you know they are part of the American heritage. I don’t think its right that we kill them and eat them,” said Nelson, whose hits include “Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.”
In a news release issued this week, he touts a Sept. 5 Washington rally in support of the bill. Nelson said he won’t be at the rally, but his daughter Amy will, along with other celebrities, including former “10” star Bo Derek and Jennifer Pryor, wife of the late comedian Richard Pryor.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/nation/15346324.htm
Vernon Downs Gets Approval For Horse Racing's Return
Last Update: 8/25/2006 12:02:25 AM
This story is available on your cell phone at mobile.9wsyr.com
Vernon, Oneida County (WSYR-TV) - It looks like horse racing will return to Vernon Downs. The New York State Racing and Wagering Board has approved Vernon Downs' request to hold horse races again. It's been two years since the last horse race.
The Racing and Wagering Board Chairman Daniel D. Hogan says "this is an exciting time for the harness fan with racing returning to Vernon Downs after a two year hiatus."
http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=CA6357E4-7CA1-49A2-B0D9-D320B4A46122
Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees
By RICHARD MAUNTAH -- Toronto Sun
Brown surprised by honour
A look at the 10 other new members (people and horses) to be inducted into the hall of fame tonight:
- The late Steve Stavro, whose Knob Hill Stables won two Sovereign Awards as Canada's leading owner and breeder and two Horse of the Year titles with Thornfield and Benburb.
- Jim Day, a four-time Sovereign Award-winning trainer who during his tenure at Sam-Son Farms conditioned champions Dance Smartly, Sky Classic Dauphin Fabuleux, and Ruling Angel.
- David C. Cross, best remembered as the trainer of 1983 Kentucky Derby winner Sunny's Halo.
- Jacques Hebert, who has driven over 100 winners each year since 1971 and at 64, is still active on the Quebec harness circuit.
- Bold Ruckus, who for 10 years was Canada's leading sire and has a total of 62 stakes winners including champions Bold Ruritana, Beau Genius, and Kiridashi.
- Lauries Dancer, a daughter of Northern Dancer, who competed with the best three-year-old fillies in North America en route to her Horse of the Year title in 1971.
- Armbro Feather, Canada's top older pacing mare in 1989 and a winner of $1.4 million in her career.
- As Promised, a 71-time race winner whose offspring has amassed $14 million in earnings.
- Major stakes winner Run The Table, who has sired 268 winners of $100,000 or more in their careers including Jays Table and Cathedra.
- Armbro Emerson, a millionaire pacer and exceptional broodmare sire.
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/HorseRacing/2006/08/24/1773321-sun.html
Endurance horse dies in Aachen
Abigail Butcher in Aachen
24 August, 2006
An Anglo Arab gelding was euthanased earlier today having been taken ill during the first few kilometres of the endurance competition on Monday
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A horse has died after being taken ill in the endurance world championships in Aachen on Monday. Dubai, an 11-year-old chestnut gelding, was competing for Denmark with owner/rider Ingelise Kristoffersen.
The Anglo Arab suffered a severe episode of myopathy (tying up) a few kilometres after the start. He was treated at the scene by a vet and then transported to provisional treatment facilities at the Soers. He was later taken to a horse clinic in Kerken, Germany, and his condition was confirmed as "stable" at noon on Tuesday.
However, despite intensive care and therapy, the gelding was euthanased earlier today (Wednesday) after he began to lose kidney function.
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/93189.html
Social Events Add Flavor to 111th Annual Monmouth County Horse Show
Equestrian News Release
Freehold, NJ – August 23, 2006 – The 111th Annual Monmouth County Horse Show was held last week from August 16-20 at East Freehold Park in New Jersey. As one of the oldest continuous equestrian events in the country, the horse show benefited the Jane H. and John Marshall Booker Cancer Center at Riverview Medical Center and offered a variety of exciting events for the entire family.
The community event attracted talented equestrians, sponsors, horse enthusiasts, hundreds of spectators, and children of all ages. Various social functions provided riders some time to relax and visit among friends, and gave spectators a chance to meet some of the grand prix professionals.
With delicacies provided by David’s World Famous Catering, horse show competitors enjoyed dinner and cocktails at the “Welcome to the Jersey Shore” annual exhibitors’ party on Saturday, August 19th. Family Day, also held on Saturday, presented kids the opportunity to experience horses and other animals first hand with pony rides and a petting zoo. Face painting and other activities added to the fun before the day’s final entertainment- the Doggie Costume Contest! Dogs of all shapes and sizes sparked laughter and applause as they paraded hilarious costumes for prizes awarded by Carol Stillwell.
http://www.equestrianmag.com/news/monmouth-county-horse-show-fun-8-06.html
About Town: Fun Horse Show
Photo: Brad Arnold
Atop her horse Redman, "Hopalong" Cassidy Hamman stretches to make a deposit during the flag race at the Camp Tuckabatchee benefit fun horse show at the Ottawa 4-H Fairgrounds Sunday. Cassidy and Redman earned second place in the contest.
About Town is a weekly photo feature in The Times that highlights the achievements of people, organizations and events in the communities we serve. You are invited to submit photos by e-mail to beckyc@mywebtimes.com or call (815) 431-4042 for assistance.
http://mywebtimes.com/ottnews/archives/ottawa/display.php?id=265960
Saint Liam, '05 horse of the year, put down
Saint Liam, last year’s Horse of the Year, was euthanized Tuesday after the first-year stallion fractured a hind leg while being led to his paddock at Lane’s End Farm.
By Gregory A. Hall
The Courier-Journal
Saint Liam, last year’s Horse of the Year, was euthanized Tuesday after the first-year stallion fractured a hind leg while being led to his paddock at Lane’s End Farm.
Lexington veterinarian Larry Bramlage said Saint Liam fell with his left hind leg beneath his abdomen, breaking his tibia in so many pieces that surgery was impossible.
“They’re wonderfully made for their limbs going forward and back but, especially in the hind limb, … they don’t have very much bend side to side,” he said.
Bred in Kentucky by Edward P. Evans, Saint Liam was sold for $130,000 by Lane’s End at the 2001 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings auction. Agent Mike Ryan bought him on behalf of William and Suzanne Warren.
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060822/SPORTS08/60822039
Champion Horse Cloned by Texas Breeder
Maryann Mott
for National Geographic News
April 4, 2006
Meet Royal Blue Boon Too, the first commercially cloned horse in the United States.
The cost of the frisky foal: U.S. $150,000.
That may be a bargain, considering that the original Royal Blue Boon, a 26-year-old American Quarter Horse now past breeding age, has earned more than $380,000 as a competition and show horse.
"Cloning is a very powerful tool," said Mark Walton of Texas-based ViaGen, one of the companies that produced the clone, at a press conference last Thursday.
"It literally takes the guesswork out of breeding."
ViaGen hopes the foal, born on an Oklahoma farm February 19, marks the successful start to a partnership it has struck with Encore Genetics, a horse-breeding and marketing firm.
Until now, horse cloning has been a purely scientific experiment. The first cloned horse was produced by Italian scientists in 2003. Since then, several more have been created.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/04/0404_060404_horse_clone.html
Endangered horses get second chance
April 4, 2006
Special farms are being set up to breed two endangered Himalayan animals - the Tibetan Chamurti horse, and the yak.
Official estimates put the number of surviving yaks in the wild at 851, fewer than half that of 25 years ago.
Horse numbers are estimated at 2500.
The plans have not been universally welcomed, with plans to distribute the bred animals to local villagers and farmers.
Animal activists argue that the animals should be bred and released into their natural habitat.
The Chamurti horse is found only in India's Spiti valley, besides Tibet.
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/0604/006.shtml
Back then, 'school bus' was pulled by horses
Haslett pupils hang on tales of U.P. life from 101-year-old
By Hugh Leach
Lansing State Journal
HASLETT - When the nearby one-room school he had been attending closed, Bohn Musgrave was told he would have to ride a school bus - whatever that was.
"I had never heard of a school bus," Musgrave, age 101, told second-graders at Haslett's Ralya Elementary School last week. "On the first day of school, we got ready to go and looked down the road through the woods.
"We saw a big hay wagon pulled by a team of horses coming with about 25 kids sitting on it. That was our school bus."
Musgrave, who grew up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, shared stories from his youth with Ralya students who are preparing to learn about life in earlier times by spending a week at the Meridian Historic Village.
"Hearing somebody talk about what it was like in those days is better than just reading about it," said Blake Roe, 8.
Musgrave spoke separately with each of three second-grade classes as the students sat on the floor near his chair and seemed fascinated as he described growing up nearly a century ago.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060404/NEWS05/604040322/1006/news
Horses bed down in luxury stables
Apr 4 2006
By Luke Traynor, Liverpool Echo
THE FIRST horses for the Grand National meeting have started to arrive at Aintree.
This year a new stable yard has been opened to house some of the 350 animals which will race during the three days.
The man responsible for making sure every horse is looked after is 60-year-old stable manager Derek Thompson.
The veteran of 38 Grand Nationals, who lives in Melling Road, has to satisfy every trainer that each horse will receive the first-class Aintree treatment.
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0200sport/0600racing/tm_objectid=16902364&method=full&siteid=50061&headline=horses-bed-down-in-luxury-stables-name_page.html
Aintree sets standard in welfare of runners
The wrath of hell descends when horses die at Aintree, reckons Alan Lee, Racing Correspondent
FRONT of house, the wow factor at Aintree will be easy to identify this week — a new parade ring and winner’s enclosure, with terracing for 4,000 spectators, replaces the bewitching but primitive old weighing-room block, now preserved for posterity as a stylish bar.
But backstage, out of sight and mind for most of the 160,000 people flocking through the gates from tomorrow until Saturday, further changes are just as profound and beneficial for this most scrutinised of national events. Horses are being looked after better than ever.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,379-2119418,00.html
RIVERSIDE COUNTY LEADS NATION IN INFECTED HORSES (CorbettBrattin)
Monday, 8/1/2005 4:40:00amNews by the same author
OF THE SIXTEEN COUNTIES IN CALIFORNIA WHERE HORSES HAVE BEEN INFECTED BY THE WEST NILE VIRUS…RIVERSIDE COUNTY HAS BEEN HARDEST HIT.
13 HORSES HERE HAVE BEEN INFECTED. THERE HAVE BEEN TOTAL OF 48 CASES STATEWIDE..
EXACTLY HALF OF THEM, 24, HAVE DIED. THERE WERE 21 NEW CASES REPORTED LAST WEEK, PROMPTING STATE OFFICIALS TO URGE HORSE OWNERS TO VACCINATE THEIR ANIMALS.
http://www.knewstalk.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=234
Horses Suffering From West Nile Virus Down From 2005
Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 02:15 PM
Sabrina Sabbagh
MML News Reporter
Sonora, CA -- The number of California horses suffering from West Nile virus has dropped significantly.
Five additional cases of equine West Nile virus were reported last week, brining the total for the year to 13.
Last year at this time, nearly 150 horses had been affected. One statistic that hasn't changed: About half the horses that contract the disease die from it. Six horses have died of the West Nile virus so far this summer.
No infected horses in Tuolumne County or Calaveras County have been reported to date. For more information on West Nile Virus and the risk to humans, click here and go to Health Alerts on MyMotherLode.com.
Written by sabrina.sabbagh@mlode.com
http://www.mymotherlode.com/News/article/kvml/1155754598
Big horses draw big crowd
Jessie Faulkner The Times-Standard
McKINLEYVILLE -- Some folks had their spots staked out at the Mill Creek Marketplace before the three semi-trucks carrying the Budweiser Clydesdales and their trademark wagon turned off School Road just before noon on Friday.
By the time the larger-than-life steeds drew their red wagon around the center, finding a parking spot was neigh on impossible.
Brad Bill, the area sales manager for North Coast Mercantile Co. Inc. -- the local Budweiser distributor -- was among the Humboldt County crew taping off part of the parking lot, handing out brochures and answering questions from how much the horses weigh (2,000 pounds) to how long they have been on the road (roughly two months).
http://www.times-standard.com/fastsearchresults/ci_4056742
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