The Australian
US media drive to undercut Zarqawi
Correspondents in Washington
April 11, 2006
THE US military is conducting a propaganda campaign to magnify the threat posed by al-Qa'ida leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in an effort to turn Iraqis against the Jordanian-born terrorist.
The Washington Post reported yesterday that the propaganda effort may have overstated Zarqawi's importance to the Iraq insurgency and helped the Bush administration tie the war to the terror network responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Military documents show that for the past two years US military leaders have been using Iraqi media and other outlets in Baghdad to publicise Zarqawi's role in the insurgency. The documents explicitly list the "US home audience" as one of the targets of a broader propaganda campaign, the Post said.
As a result, senior military intelligence officers believe the importance of Zarqawi may have been exaggerated.
According to the newspaper, Colonel Derek Harvey, who served as a military intelligence officer in Iraq, told a US Army meeting at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: "Our own focus on Zarqawi has enlarged his caricature, if you will - made him more important than he really is, in some ways.
"The long-term threat is not Zarqawi or religious extremists, but these former regime types and their friends."
Colonel Harvey said at the meeting that while Zarqawi and other foreign insurgents in Iraq have carried out deadly bombing attacks they remain "a very small part of the actual numbers".
Largely aimed at Iraqis, the Zarqawi campaign began two years ago and was believed to be continuing.
It has included leaflets, radio and television broadcasts and at least one leak to an American journalist, the newspaper said.
The documents state that the US propaganda campaign aims to turn Iraqis against the Jordanian by playing on their perceived dislike of foreigners.
Officers familiar with the propaganda program were cited as saying that one goal was to drive a wedge into the insurgency by emphasising Zarqawi's terrorist acts and foreign origins.
"Villainise Zarqawi/leverage xenophobia response," a US military briefing document from 2004 states. US authorities claim some success with that effort, noting that some tribal Iraqi insurgents have attacked Zarqawi loyalists.
The military's propaganda program largely has been aimed at Iraqis, but seems to have spilled over into the US media, the report said. One briefing about US "strategic communications" in Iraq, prepared for the top US commander in Iraq, GeorgeW. Casey, describes the "home audience" as one of six major targets.
The report said that a "selective leak" about Zarqawi was made to Dexter Filkins, a reporter for The New York Times, based in Baghdad. Filkins's resulting article, about a letter supposedly written by Zarqawi and boasting of suicide attacks in Iraq, ran on the Times front page on February 9, 2004.
The Post said leaks to reporters from US officials in Iraq were common but official evidence of a propaganda operation using an American reporter was rare.
Filkins told the newspaper that he was not told at the time that there was a psychological operations campaign aimed at Zarqawi but said he assumed that the military was releasing the letter "because it had decided it was in its best interest to have it publicised".
US military chief spokesman Mark Kimmitt told The Post that "there was no attempt to manipulate the press".
"We trusted Dexter to write an accurate story, and we gave him a good scoop," General Kimmitt said.
Colonel James A. Treadwell, who commanded the military's psychological operations unit in Iraq in 2003, told the paper that it was military policy not to aim "psyops" at Americans.
"It is ingrained in us: you don't psyop Americans. We just don't do it," Colonel Treadwell said.
He added that he left Iraq before the Zarqawi program began but was later told about it.
With satellite television, email and the internet, it was impossible to prevent some carryover from propaganda campaigns overseas into the US media, Colonel Treadwell said. Such carryover was "not blowback, it's bleed-over", he said.
Zarqawi has a $US25 million ($34.5 million) bounty on his head.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18778053-2703,00.html
Nepal plunges deeper into chaos
April 11, 2006
KATHMANDU: Nepal's political crisis deepened yesterday as pro-democracy protests against the king sparked further violence, with mobs rampaging and a crackdown by security forces leaving three people dead.
The Nepalese Government declared a daytime curfew and kept shoot-on-sight orders in place for the third consecutive day as it battled to contain the wave of protests.
Despite the curfew, about 1500 people gathered in the Kirtipur area of Kathmandu during the morning and blocked a major road with boulders.
The crackdown by security forces in recent days left three protesters dead and more than 800 people in jail, and the Government threatened more force could be used to restore order, saying Maoist rebels had infiltrated the protests and fired on security forces.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18778322-2703,00.html
Berlusconi may lead united opposition
Natasha Bita, Rome
April 11, 2006
FACING defeat in Italy's election today, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is planning to forge a single party in opposition.
The billionaire media tycoon who swept to power five years ago with another party of his own invention, Forza Italia, now wants to meld his Centre-Right House of Freedoms coalition into a unified People's Party.
But a key ally, National Alliance leader Gianfranco Fini - a reformed fascist who is Italy's Foreign Minister - warned that he would take control of the House of Freedoms coalition from Mr Berlusconi if his right-wing party wins more votes than the moderate Forza Italia.
"If we win the most votes, I will be leader," he said.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18778328-2703,00.html
Albanian gangs running Kosovo
Tom Walker, Pristina
April 11, 2006
KOSOVO, the former Yugoslav province, is falling into the grip of Albanian organised crime gangs, casting a shadow over attempts by the international community to turn it into a fully fledged independent state by the end of this year.
Participants in talks in Vienna, sponsored by the UN, on the "final status" of Kosovo, are concerned that the mafia networks that smuggled guns into the disputed province from Albania in 1997 and 98 are using the same channels for a burgeoning trade in illicit petrol, cigarettes and cement. Prostitution and drugs are also popular staples of the black economy.
The profits are ploughed into shopping centres and hotels, which are going up as part of a building boom in the province. Petrol stations are especially popular - there are more than 2000 of them catering for a population of two million.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18778323-2703,00.html
Gaza ceasefire shot down within hours
Abraham Rabinovich, Jerusalem
April 11, 2006
ISLAMIC Jihad, the most aggressive of the Palestinian militias, blinked briefly yesterday under Israeli pressure when its armed wing in the Gaza Strip said it would stop firing rockets into Israel for a week.
A statement issued by the group said the halt in rocket attacks was intended to ease the suffering of the Palestinian population and to test Israel's claim that its shelling of the strip was only in retaliation for the firing of rockets from Gaza.
"We want to show the world that we are only defending ourselves and that we don't love bloodshed," the statement said.
But it was overridden within hours by the organisation's political wing.
"Islamic Jihad is going to escalate its attacks on the Zionist entity by all possible means," said Khader Habib, a senior official. "We are going to teach the Government of Tel Aviv a lesson that they are not going to forget."
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18778052-2703,00.html
It would be nuts to bomb Iran, says Britain
Tom Baldwin, Washington
April 11, 2006
BRITAIN has tried to silence renewed sabre-rattling from within the US administration for military action against Iran, saying the idea that the White House wants a nuclear strike is "completely nuts".
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw insisted that Britain would not support pre-emptive military action against Tehran, adding: "I'm as certain as I can be sitting here that neither would the United States."
Many analysts in the West suspect Tehran is attempting to build its own nuclear weapons. Over the weekend, Iran allowed UN inspectors to examine some of the atomic plants which, it maintains, are designed solely for production of electricity.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Straw said: "There is no smoking gun, there is no casus belli. We can't be certain about Iran's intentions and that is, therefore, not a basis on which anybody would gain authority to go for military action."
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18778062-2703,00.html
Jaafari's term blocked
April 11, 2006
BAGHDAD: The Sunni Arab bloc in Iraq's parliament has rejected a new term for Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and will ask the Shi'ites to present new names for consideration for the top government post.
Iraqi Accordance Front spokesman Dhafir al-Ani said the Sunnis would deliver a letter to Shia leader Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim saying that they "still have reservations about Jaafari".
"We will ask the Shi'ite alliance to present names for other candidates so that discussions and decisions can be made on the names," Mr Ani said.
His statement came as Kurdish politicians reaffirmed their opposition to Mr Jaafari. That leaves the Shi'ites little choice but to reconsider their nominee to overcome the deadlock on the new government.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18778049-2703,00.html
Gaza ceasefire shot down within hours
Abraham Rabinovich, Jerusalem
April 11, 2006
ISLAMIC Jihad, the most aggressive of the Palestinian militias, blinked briefly yesterday under Israeli pressure when its armed wing in the Gaza Strip said it would stop firing rockets into Israel for a week.
A statement issued by the group said the halt in rocket attacks was intended to ease the suffering of the Palestinian population and to test Israel's claim that its shelling of the strip was only in retaliation for the firing of rockets from Gaza.
"We want to show the world that we are only defending ourselves and that we don't love bloodshed," the statement said.
But it was overridden within hours by the organisation's political wing.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18778052-2703,00.html
Vaile points finger at Alexander Downer
Caroline Overington
April 11, 2006
DEPUTY Prime Minister Mark Vaile has tried to shift most of the blame for the wheat scandal on to cabinet colleague Alexander Downer, repeatedly telling the Cole inquiry yesterday he did not have "ministerial responsibility" for issues involving the UN.
During a tense 87 minutes in the witness stand, Mr Vaile was forced to admit he put Australia's good name at risk to defend rogue wheat trader AWB, without ever trying to find out whether it was paying kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime.
During his testimony - and in his written statement - Mr Vaile used the terms "I don't know" and "I have no recollection" more than 20 times.
The Trade Minister also conceded he did not know why the Government never investigated allegations against AWB, the former Australian Wheat Board.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18778673-601,00.html
Howard's ratings slip on IR laws
Dennis Shanahan, Political editor
April 11, 2006
SUPPORT for John Howard appears to be suffering because of his new industrial relations laws but Kim Beazley is not capitalising on the concern and confusion among Coalition voters.
While the Prime Minister's voter satisfaction has fallen markedly in the past two weeks, support for Labor and the Opposition Leader has also fallen.
Mr Beazley's satisfaction level has fallen to a record low as the Greens appear to have taken support from Labor over uranium sales to China, uranium mining in Australia and the rights of West Papuans.
According to the latest Newspoll survey, taken exclusively for The Australian last weekend, the Coalition's primary vote remained unchanged on 41 per cent while Labor support is down three percentage points to 39 per cent.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18778672-601,00.html
Nurses to do more GP work: Abbott
Patricia Karvelas and Adam Cresswell
April 11, 2006
MEDICARE will be widened to allow nurses to do more work traditionally done by GPs under plans being developed by Health Minister Tony Abbott to solve the nation's health workforce crisis.
It means the existing $10.40 Medicare rebate, which at present can only be claimed when nurses carry out immunisations and wound management on behalf of a GP, could be claimed for a wider range of services to patients.
The Government has not decided what these extra services might be, but potentially they could include assessing the lung function of patients with asthma and the blood glucose level for patients with diabetes.
Other options include funding nurses under Medicare to visit patients in their own homes to assess whether the case is an emergency requiring an ambulance or a GP visit.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18778668-601,00.html
The Seattle Times
Police arrest five in deaths of eight men
Police arrested five people on murder charges Monday in one of Canada's worst mass killings and said the deaths of eight men found on an isolated farm were part of "an internal cleansing" of a motorcycle gang.
Police said they made the arrests at a two-story farmhouse about six miles from where the eight were found shot to death in four vehicles scattered in a wooded field in Shedden, Ontario.
Police said investigators do not believe a biker gang war was imminent.
Asadabad, Afghanistan
Rocket hits school, killing 6 children
A rocket exploded in the middle of a packed school in eastern Afghanistan today, killing six children, police said.
The rocket landed in the yard of Salabagh School in Asadabad, close to a U.S.-led coalition base, said Mohammed Hasan, a police commander. He blamed Taliban insurgents for the attack.
At least 14 people were wounded, including one teacher and the school janitor, Hasan said.
Afghan market goods include U.S. secrets, data on troops
By Paul Watson
Los Angeles Times
BAGRAM, Afghanistan — No more than 200 yards from the main gate of the sprawling U.S. base here, stolen computer drives containing classified military assessments of enemy targets, naming corrupt Afghan officials and describing American defenses are on sale in the local bazaar.
Shop owners at the bazaar say Afghan cleaners, garbage collectors and other workers from the base arrive each day offering purloined goods, including knives, watches, refrigerators, packets of Viagra and flash-memory drives taken from military laptops. The drives, smaller than a pack of chewing gum, are sold as used equipment.
The thefts of computer drives have the potential to expose military secrets as well as Social Security numbers and other identifying information of military personnel.
A reporter recently obtained several drives at the bazaar that contained documents marked "Secret." The contents included documents that were potentially embarrassing to Pakistan, a U.S. ally; presentations that named suspected militants targeted for "kill or capture," and discussions of U.S. efforts to "remove" or "marginalize" Afghan government officials considered "problem makers" by the U.S. military.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002923948_intel11.html
Resistance grows to proposed deal on Enron charges
By Alicia Mundy
Seattle Times Washington bureau
WASHINGTON — The backlash is gaining momentum against a proposed federal settlement between Enron and the Snohomish County Public Utility District over the bankrupt energy company's disputed electricity charges.
On Monday, Snohomish County PUD officials said they will fight a proposal to seal certain Enron files, which they say would prohibit the utility from using hundreds of hours of unreleased Enron tapes and e-mails against the company in any federal litigation.
Utility officials and their allies in Congress also complained about the size of the offer to settle claims of excessive charges by Enron to the PUD, the Port of Seattle and the Grays Harbor Public Utility District.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002923867_enron11m.html
Space probe to crash into moon in search of water
By ALICIA CHANG
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — NASA plans to crash a space probe into the moon in 2009, a collision so violent it will be visible on Earth through a telescope, the space agency said Monday.
The moon crash, part of a larger mission that includes a lunar orbiter, is a quest for ice. Water is the key ingredient for supporting future human outposts on the moon.
NASA scientists say the collision should excavate a hole about a third the size of a football field and hurl a plume of debris into space. After the crash of the space probe, the mother ship that released it will fly through the plume and look for traces of water ice or vapor, similar to NASA's Deep Impact mission last July, which blasted into a comet.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002923834_moon11.html
Online poll on state coin hijacked
By Susan Gilmore
Seattle Times staff reporter
The online poll for the state's new quarter will start anew after robotic computer programs hijacked the voting system over the weekend.
All earlier votes are being tossed out.
Votes generated by computers, not people, pushed the tally over 1 million.
State technicians stopped the voting Monday and reworked the poll's computer code to keep participants from voting more than once from the same computer.
The voting was expected to be up and running today.
The "robotic" computer programs — in which votes were cast repeatedly for one of the choices — put one of the three examples — a Northwest Native-American-style depiction of an orca whale — way out front.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002923874_quarter11m.html
Sydney Morning Herald
Zarqawi used in US propaganda blitz
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By Thomas Ricks in WashingtonApril 11, 2006
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THE US military is conducting a propaganda campaign to magnify the role of the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, according to internal military documents and officers familiar with the program.
The effort has raised his profile in a way that some military intelligence officials believe may have overstated his importance and helped the Bush Administration tie the war to the organisation responsible for the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The documents say that the US campaign aims to turn Iraqis against Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian, by playing on their perceived dislike of foreigners. US authorities claim some success with the effort, noting that some tribal Iraqi insurgents have attacked Zarqawi loyalists.
For the past two years US military leaders have been using Iraqi media and other outlets in Baghdad to publicise Zarqawi's role in the insurgency. The documents explicitly list the "US home audience" as a target of a broader propaganda campaign.
Some senior intelligence officers believe Zarqawi's role might have been overemphasised by the propaganda campaign, which has included leaflets, radio and television broadcasts, internet postings and at least one leak to an American journalist.
Although Zarqawi and other foreign insurgents in Iraq have conducted deadly bombing attacks, they remain "a very small part of the actual numbers", Colonel Derek Harvey, who served as a military intelligence officer in Iraq, told an army meeting in Kansas last year.
In a transcript of the meeting, Colonel Harvey said, "Our own focus on al-Zarqawi has enlarged his caricature, if you will - made him more important than he really is, in some ways."
There has been a running argument among specialists in Iraq about how much significance to assign to Zarqawi, who spent seven years in prison in Jordan for attempting to overthrow the government there. After his release he spent time in Pakistan and Afghanistan before moving his base of operations to Iraq. He has been sentenced to death in his absence for planning the assassination of a US diplomat, Lawrence Foley, in Jordan in 2002. US authorities have said he is responsible for dozens of deaths in Iraq and have placed a $US25 million ($34 million) bounty on him.
The military's propaganda program has largely been aimed at Iraqis, but seems to have spilled over into the US media. One "selective leak" about Zarqawi was made to Dexter Filkins, a New York Times reporter based in Baghdad. Filkins's resulting article, about a letter supposedly written by Zarqawi and boasting of suicide attacks in Iraq, ran on the Times front page in February, 2004. The report also ran in The Sydney Morning Herald.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/zarqawi-used-in-us-propaganda-blitz/2006/04/10/1144521269057.html
Sharon's era formally comes to an end
April 11, 2006 - 7:01PM
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Ariel Sharon's tenure as Israel's prime minister came to a symbolic end on Tuesday at a cabinet meeting that formally designated Ehud Olmert to replace the comatose stroke victim.
Under Israeli law, Sharon will be categorised as permanently incapacitated and unable to serve as prime minister on Friday, 100 days after suffering his stroke.
Olmert, deputy prime minister when Sharon fell ill, was named interim prime minister at the time.
At a special session, the cabinet designated Olmert acting prime minister, an appointment which Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon said would go into effect on Friday. The title change will have no effect on his powers of office.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/sharons-era-formally-comes-to-an-end/2006/04/11/1144521328111.html
9-11 impact tape brings tears
US prosecutors at the death penalty hearing for Zacarias Moussaoui numbed jurors today with a tape recording of a final mobile phone call by one of the thousands of people killed in the attacks on New York's World Trade Centre.
Kevin Cosgrove, who was working on the 99th floor of the south tower, screamed out to an emergency dispatcher on the other end of the line: "Oh My God ... Aaaaarrggggghhhh .... " as the building collapsed in a vast cloud of smoke, flame and debris on September 11, 2001.
Cosgrove's voice faded, amid crashing sounds, before the line went dead.
Those in the courtroom in Virginia wiped away tears.
Many seemed deeply disturbed by the call, played with a synchronised video tape, recreating the exact moment the tower fell.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/911-impact-tape-brings-tears/2006/04/11/1144521317324.html
The Washington Post
'We Decided Not to Be Invisible Anymore'
Pro-Immigration Rallies Are Held Across Country
By Dan Balz and Darryl Fears
Washington Post Staff WritersTuesday, April 11, 2006; Page A01
Hundreds of thousands of pro-immigration demonstrators mobilized on the Mall and in scores of cities across the country yesterday in a powerful display of grass-roots muscle-flexing that organizers said could mark a coming-of-age for Latino political power in the United States.
Calling for legal protection for illegal immigrants, the demonstrators -- the overwhelming majority of them Hispanic -- streamed past the White House in Washington, jammed streets near City Hall in Lower Manhattan, marched in Atlanta, held a small candlelight vigil in Los Angeles and, in Mississippi, sang the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" in Spanish.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/10/AR2006041001759.html
Pressure, Frustration Mount
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff WriterTuesday, April 11, 2006; Page A12
The immigrant demonstrators who flooded the streets of America's cities yesterday ratcheted up pressure on lawmakers to complete an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, while raising Republicans' frustration with President Bush for what they see as a muddled stand on the issue.
Bush, a former Texas governor, made immigration reform a signature issue after winning the presidency, advocating a guest-worker program that would offer illegal immigrants and foreign workers access to the U.S. labor market. But for months he has refused to get involved in the legislative details while Republicans in the House and Senate fought among themselves and took very different approaches.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/10/AR2006041001750.html
Challenger Claims Win in Italy
Slim Margin Over Berlusconi May Give Prodi Leadership of Divided Government
By William Magnuson
Special to The Washington PostTuesday, April 11, 2006; Page A14
ROME, April 11 -- Opposition leader Romano Prodi won control of Italy's lower house of Parliament, leading by only 25,000 votes out of 38 million cast but blocking flamboyant Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's hopes for a surprise comeback, according to official results announced early Tuesday morning.
Berlusconi's coalition appeared headed for victory in the Senate. A confidence vote in both houses is needed to confirm a new prime minister and cabinet. As a result, it is not certain that Prodi will become prime minister, but almost surely Berlusconi will not get a new term in the job, analysts said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/10/AR2006041000316.html
Bush Dismisses Talk of Using Force Against Iran
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff WriterTuesday, April 11, 2006; Page A02
President Bush dismissed yesterday talk of military action against Iran as "wild speculation" and emphasized that his doctrine of preempting threats does not necessarily mean the United States has to use force to stop other countries from developing weapons of mass destruction.
Bush did not deny reports that his administration has studied airstrikes as an option if Iran does not agree to abandon its alleged nuclear-weapon development program. He said he still considers the country part of an "axis of evil." But he emphasized that he wants to find a diplomatic solution to the standoff with Tehran and played down his policy of reserving the right to launch first strikes against potential enemies.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/10/AR2006041000422.html
Modern Mind-Set Pays In Out-of-Date Market
By Molly Moore
Washington Post Foreign ServiceTuesday, April 11, 2006; Page A14
PARIS -- As teenagers in a middle-class suburb of Paris, Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet and Nicolas Dhelft shared the same circle of friends, attended the same parties and watched the same movies.
Today, seven years out of business school, Kosciusko-Morizet, 28, is president of one of the fastest-growing online sales companies in France. At a time when youth unemployment here is more than 22 percent, the young French executive, who started his career at a bank in Richmond, has added 50 workers to his payroll in the past six months -- most of them English-speaking engineers and technicians.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/10/AR2006041001443.html
Government Authenticates Photos From Abu Ghraib
By Josh White
Washington Post Staff WriterTuesday, April 11, 2006; Page A16
Nearly two years after graphic photographs of detainee abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq were published worldwide, the U.S. government yesterday for the first time authenticated 74 of the images as being part of the original compact disc that was turned over to Army investigators in January 2004.
Responding to a federal court order as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in New York, Justice Department lawyers wrote in court papers that the previously published images "are identical" to those that investigators have used to look into abuse at the prison. Included among the images are such photos as Pvt. Lynndie R. England holding a leash attached to a naked detainee's neck, a detainee with female underwear placed on his head, detainees shackled to cell doors and beds in painful positions, and others piled in a naked pyramid. The iconic photograph of a detainee standing on a cardboard box, cloaked and hooded with wires coming from his hands, is also among the pictures.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/10/AR2006041001392.html
European Space Probe Reaches Venus Orbit
By MELISSA EDDY
The Associated PressTuesday, April 11, 2006; 5:02 AM
DARMSTADT, Germany -- After a 250 million-mile journey, a European space probe reached orbit around Venus on Tuesday on a mission to explore the planet's dense, hot atmosphere.
Mission controllers at the European Space Agency control center in Darmstadt cheered, applauded and embraced as they picked up the signal from the Venus Express craft indicating it had completed the orbital maneuver.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/11/AR2006041100255.html
In Canada, A Cautious Debate on Afghan Role
By Doug Struck
Washington Post Foreign ServiceTuesday, April 11, 2006; Page A16
TORONTO, April 10 -- Canadian lawmakers joined Monday in a show of patriotic support for the nation's troops in Afghanistan, tiptoeing around public opinion polls that show deep division over the increase in the force there and distrust of involvement with the U.S. military operations.
Canada's first open parliamentary debate on Afghanistan, which the government had feared would undercut backing for the military's growing role, turned instead into a parade of support for Canada's efforts.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/10/AR2006041001503.html
New Zealand Herald
Ice invasion under discussion
11.04.06 3.00pm
Biosecurity issues in Antarctica have been the focus of an international meeting in Christchurch. Delegates from France, the UK, Australia and America have met with their New Zealand colleagues at the Antarctica Non-Native Species Workshop which opened yesterday. Under scrutiny is the growing threat being posed to the Antarctic environment by invasions from outside species and what options can be considered to mitigate them. Delegates will develop a report which will be presented to the Antarctic Treaty meeting in Scotland in June
Bush admits he declassified intelligence
11.04.06 1.00pm
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush has acknowledged he ordered the declassification of parts of a prewar intelligence report on Iraq to respond to critics who alleged he manipulated intelligence to justify the war. Bush offered his first comment on a prosecutor's disclosure last week that he authorized Vice President Dick Cheney's former top aide, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, to declassify Iraq intelligence. The disclosure prompted a firestorm of criticism from Democrats who charged Bush was a hypocrite who denounces leaks of information while becoming the "leaker-in-chief." A Republican ally, Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, urged Bush on Sunday to "tell the American people exactly what happened." At issue is the administration's release in July 2003 of parts of an October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate that alleged Iraq under Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and was trying to develop a nuclear weapon. Bush said he declassified parts of the document to answer questions raised about why the United States invaded Iraq. "I wanted people to see what some of those statements were based on. I wanted people to see the truth. I thought it made sense for people to see the truth. That's why I declassified the document," he said. Bush, answering questions from an audience after a speech in Washington, would not comment on the allegation that he authorized Libby to release the information to reporters. But a senior administration official said Bush did not designate Libby or anyone else to release the information, trying to distance Bush from any tactical decisions made on how to release the information. The White House release of the parts of the National Intelligence Estimate came in response to charges from former ambassador Joe Wilson that Bush had manipulated intelligence to justify the war. Wilson later accused the White House of leaking the identity of his wife, who was then a CIA officer, Valerie Plame, to retaliate against him. Libby is accused of obstruction of justice and perjury in an investigation designed to discover who leaked Plame's name. White House officials have stressed that Bush was well within his legal authority to declassify the document. The new controversy erupted as Bush seeks to rebound from weak poll numbers and tries to bolster sagging American support for the Iraq war. Specter, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on "Fox News Sunday" that Bush owed "a specific explanation to the American people" of what happened. "The president has the authority to declassify information. So in a technical sense, if he looked at it, he could say this is declassified, and make a disclosure of it," he said. Wilson, speaking on ABC's "This Week," called on Bush to release transcripts of his and Cheney's testimony to the prosecutor. "It seems to me it is long past time for the White House to come clean on all of this," he said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10377008
Petrol price hike sees 6c rise
11.04.06 3.10pm
Petrol and diesel prices have been raised another six cents at three of the major oil companies, taking them close to record highs. BP raised its prices this morning to 161.9c per litre for 91 octane, 166.9c for 95 octane and 122.9c for diesel. Spokeswoman Diana Stretch said the price rise was due to significant increases in the international cost of product. "Over the last two weeks we've seen a 15 per cent increase in the New Zealand dollar cost of petrol," she said. Shell followed suit just before lunch, matching BP's increase. Spokeswoman Jackie Maitland said there had been an increasing rise in the cost of both the crude and finished product. Mobil matched BP and Shell this afternoon, increasing its prices six cents per litre across 91, 95 and diesel. Prices peaked on Monday last week when BP raised its price for 91 octane to 162.7 cents, then lowered it again the same day.
Sun may be misleading northern hemisphere tramper
11.04.06 1.00pm
Missing English tourist Robert Atkin may be disorientated because he is used to tramping in the northern hemisphere. David Park, who has been running the Kauaeranga Valley Christian Camp in the area for several years, said the tramper from the northern hemisphere may be using the sun to get a wrong steer as he tried to find his way out of some of the most inhospitable bush areas on the Coromandel. He said "everything may be backwards to him" because he was used to tramping in the northern hemisphere and not the southern hemisphere and he may be heading in the wrong direction. Searchers headed out for the sixth day looking for Mr Atkin, 26, today as fears for his safety grow.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10376974
Italian general election too close to call
11.04.06 1.00pm
ROME - Italy's election is still too close to call, with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his rival Romano Prodi neck-and-neck in a race that has split the nation and raised the specter of chronic political instability. More than 10 hours after voting stations closed, Italy's two main political blocks both claimed to be ahead in the race for the upper house (Senate), while Prodi's center-left alliance was slightly ahead in the lower house count. However, a leading pollster declined to declare a winner, saying the vote in both houses was balanced on a knife's edge. "The exceptional draw in both the upper and lower house does not enable us to give an indication on the final outcome of the election," said the Nexus research institute, which had earlier declared first Prodi winner and later Berlusconi.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10377015
Wheat probe pulls Howard and ministers further into scandal
11.04.06By Greg Ansley
CANBERRA - The deepening scandal over Australian wheat kickbacks to the regime of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein yesterday reached the highest political office in the land, with Prime Minister John Howard asked to explain himself to the inquiry into the affair. Howard, who has agreed to provide a statement and to appear before the commission of inquiry if required, follows yesterday's appearance by Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister Mark Vaile and evidence to be given today by Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. Howard, who could appear as early as Thursday, would be the first Prime Minister to be called before such an inquiry since Labor's Bob Hawke in 1983. Vaile and Downer are the first Cabinet ministers to face an inquiry since then-Labor Health Minister Carmen Lawrence in 1995.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10376913
Blair unveils peers list after sleaze row
11.04.06 1.00pm
LONDON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair today unveiled the names of 23 people appointed by him and other party leaders for life to the House of Lords, the culmination of a process that sparked a "cash for honours" row. The new peers will pack the benches of all political parties in parliament's upper chamber, which has increasingly frustrated Blair's plans by amending or delaying key pieces of legislation. Four men Blair had originally nominated were absent from the list after they withdrew their names amid allegations the ruling Labour Party was awarding peerages in return for funding. Facing claims of sleaze, Labour said last month it had received nearly £14 million pounds in previously undeclared loans from 12 businessmen, some of whom were nominated as Lords after lending the money.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10376993
120 feared dead in Ghana boat capsize
11.04.06 9.30am
ACCRA - About 120 people were feared drowned after a boat packed with passengers and goods capsized on Ghana's Lake Volta, one of the world's largest reservoirs, police in the West African country said on Monday. "There were 150 passengers on board but only 30 have been rescued. The rest are feared dead," police spokesman Kwesi Ofori said. He said the accident happened on Saturday and a search party was still looking for survivors. "Police, fishermen and the fire service are involved in the search." Ofori said the boat was probably overloaded. He said it hit a stump as it travelled across the lake, which covers 8,500 square km.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10376978
Whale 1, Japanese ferry 0
11.04.06
Japan's coastguard searched for a giant whale that it suspects collided with a passenger ferry, injuring 97 people. The ferry was on its way to Kagoshima from Tanegashima Island off Kyushu. Whales are common in the area.
German shop worker finds cocaine instead of bananas
11.04.06 2.20pm
MUNICH - A supermarket worker's discovery of 20kg of cocaine hidden in a case of fruit had German police going bananas. A spokesman for Bavarian state police said officers dug through 4600 cartons of bananas after a man working at a Munich grocery store found the drugs in a shipment of fruit from Colombia. "A worker unloading a case saw that there weren't any bananas under the first layer," a spokesman for Bavarian state police said on Monday. In their place, he said was 20KG of drugs. Around 30 police officers were set to search through the remainder of the shipment but found no more suspicious packages.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10377018
Belarussian president banned from EU
11.04.06 5.20am
The European Union last night banned Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko and 30 ministers, prosecutors and regional election officials from entering the bloc. EU foreign ministers took the move after a March 19 poll they considered rigged.
Rare cheetah in Canberra
11.04.06 8.20am
Canberra's National Zoo and Aquarium has shown off a rare king cheetah, one of fewer than 30 in existence. The 10-month-old cheetah is the first and only one of its type in Australia. The king has stripes on its spine, as opposed to the normal cheetah dot pattern.
continued …
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Monday, April 10, 2006
Bird flu candidate
The American Bald Eagle.
There has been irresponsible dialogue lately in an attempt to make light of the Bird Flu. It is no joke. Precious species are at risk as well as poultry used in diets globally.
There has been discussion to remove the American Bald Eagle from the 'Endnagered Specise List.' I think at this point in time that would be even more irresponsible since we do not know how well they will do with a globally spreading disease that could drastically affect their recovered population.
Don't remove the American Bald Eagle or any other bird species from an endangered list worldwide. Protection of all bird species is vital to a healthy planet.
Morning Papers - continued ...
Zoos
Psycho kitty terrorizes Connecticut neighbors
Town orders house arrest on 'Lewis' after he ambushed the Avon lady
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Residents of the neighborhood of Sunset Circle say they have been terrorized by a crazy cat named Lewis. Lewis for his part has been uniquely cited, personally issued a restraining order by the town's animal control officer.
"He looks like Felix the Cat and has six toes on each foot, each with a long claw," Janet Kettman, a neighbor said Monday. "They are formidable weapons."
The neighbors said those weapons, along with catlike stealth, have allowed Lewis to attack at least a half dozen people and ambush the Avon lady as she was getting out of her car.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12057893/
Pet Store Chain Probed Over Sick Puppies
ATLANTA Mar 28, 2006 (AP)— The Georgia Department of Agriculture is investigating a pet store chain accused of selling puppies infected with a parasite.
Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin has warned dog owners to be careful.
A total of 151 puppies at six locations of The Pet Company in the Atlanta area were examined. Of those, 138 tested positive for Giardia, a parasite that can be transmitted between animals and humans.
It is not clear how many infected dogs have been sold to the public. The state is seeking citations and fines against the New Windsor, N.Y.-based stores.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=1779320&health=true
Common Practices At Petting Zoos Put Visitors At Risk
ATLANTA, GA, March 2006. While petting zoos pose a risk for gastrointestinal illness, most visitors aren't aware that simple prevention measures could prevent infection. In addition, some engage in behaviors that might increase their risk of infection according to several studies being presented this week at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases. Researchers from the CDC today release the results of a case-control study of an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 associated with two Florida petting zoos, in which they interviewed visitors who did and did not get sick to identify which behaviors were predictors of infection. Some behaviors that were most strongly associated with illness were feeding a cow or goat, touching a goat and stepping in manure or having manure on your shoes. Not surprisingly, simple handwashing after visiting the petting zoo, including lathering with soap and washing hands before eating and after visiting the petting zoo, were found to protect against infection.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=39947
Kids animated over zoo competition
Monday, Apr 10, 2006Cassaundra Baber Observer-Dispatch
In a moment almost unheard of in an elementary school, Bonnie Sliker begged her students to be louder.
"There's no energy boys and girls," Sliker, a music teacher, told the students during a rehearsal for the "It's A Zoo!" Theater Competition. "This is the opening of your show. It seems like you're bored with this. Tell me the story of 'The Jungle Book.'"
The Utica Rotary initiated the "It's A Zoo" Theater Competition concept three years ago as an effort to raise money to build a pavilion for the Utica Zoo. Funds raised still benefit the zoo, but the focus has become more directed on how the dramatic arts shape children's literacy, said chairwoman Maria Pavelock .
"When a child brings a connection to a storyline by playing a character, it brings a whole new concept to reading," Pavelock said. "It brings an emotional connection to literature."
Each school — this year there are 14 — adapts a piece of nature- or animal-themed children's literature into a theater production, complete with vocals and choreography. Performances began last week and will continue until April 28, when a panel of judges will select eight finalists to compete at Utica College's Strebel Auditorium for the grand prize — a trip to the Bronx Zoo.
http://www.uticaod.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060410/NEWS/604100317/1001
Wash hands after visiting petting zoos
By JANET CROMLEY Los Angeles TimesApril 3, 2006
Those cute petting zoo animals that your kids love to touch may be harboring another type of critter that isn't so cuddly - Escherichia coli O157:H7. Researchers reported that of 1,700 visitors at petting zoos in central Tennessee, 62 percent did not use hand sanitizer stations after visiting the animals. Another report found that 28 percent of visitors to the 2005 South Carolina State Fair did not use hand-washing facilities. Other risky behaviors included bringing food and drink into the zoo. Since October 2004, petting zoos in North Carolina, Florida and Arizona have been linked to outbreaks afflicting nearly 200 visitors, mostly children.
One of Canada's oldest zoos closes after political and management missteps
Les Perreaux, Canadian Press
Published: Friday, March 31, 2006
(CP) - Canadian zoos could have their pick from a menagerie of more than 750 birds and animals after the Quebec City zoo closed Friday, throwing polar bears, parrots and peacocks into an uncertain future.
But some beasts like a pair of grizzly bears are probably too old to be moved, even if a new home can be found for the lumbering orphans. Devastated zookeepers say they have no intention of destroying any animals, but they have yet to hear the shut-down plan from the zoo's owner, the Quebec government.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=05b2b7fd-289a-4f67-8065-1ea5c264e58b&k=72993
Senate approves dedicated state money for outdoors, arts
PATRICK CONDON
Associated Press
ST. PAUL - What do ice fishing, deer hunting, parks and trails, clean water, zoos, museums and public broadcasting have in common?
All those things would get a larger, guaranteed slice of money under a wide-ranging constitutional amendment approved by the state Senate on a 42-22 vote Monday. If the House of Representatives follows suit, the amendment would appear on this November's ballot, asking voters if they'd favor increasing the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent to pay for it.
Senators who support the money say those disparate sources of spending are tied together by their importance to Minnesota's quality of life. And all have suffered, they say, by diminished state funding in recent years.
"This gives Minnesotans a chance to affirm why they live in Minnesota," said Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul. "We live here for our outdoors, our parks and trails, but also for our museums and culture."
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/politics/14253813.htm
Senate approves dedicated state money for outdoors, arts
PATRICK CONDON
Associated Press
ST. PAUL - What do ice fishing, deer hunting, parks and trails, clean water, zoos, museums and public broadcasting have in common?
All those things would get a larger, guaranteed slice of money under a wide-ranging constitutional amendment approved by the state Senate on a 42-22 vote Monday. If the House of Representatives follows suit, the amendment would appear on this November's ballot, asking voters if they'd favor increasing the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent to pay for it.
Senators who support the money say those disparate sources of spending are tied together by their importance to Minnesota's quality of life. And all have suffered, they say, by diminished state funding in recent years.
"This gives Minnesotans a chance to affirm why they live in Minnesota," said Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul. "We live here for our outdoors, our parks and trails, but also for our museums and culture."
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/politics/14253813.htm
March 22, 2006
With health experts warning that bird flu could hit the United States sometime within the next 6 to 12 months, zoo officials are making plans to protect their valuable bird collections from the deadly disease.
Bob Jenkins, director of animal care at the San Francisco Zoo, is keeping a close eye on news reports about the H5N1 strain of the virus, which he fears may hit California sooner rather than later.
The zoo houses 378 birds from 75 species, including exotic chickens and rare raptors.
"We have a very broad collection, so if the avian flu showed up here, it could decimate a significant portion of the live animals we have on view for the public," he said.
Of particular concern is the facility's bald eagle breeding program, in which chickens sit on eagle eggs to keep them warm.
"We'd probably be walking around in moon suits to make sure that the avian flu doesn't arrive there, because that's a very important program," Jenkins said, referring to the space-suit-like bio-containment uniforms frequently worn by officials handling diseased animals.
In ten years, he said, almost 90 bald eagle chicks have been raised in this program and released into the wild.
Rapid Response
While U.S. zoos rush to put protective plans into place, foreign facilities have already experienced problems.
In late February the Cairo Zoo in Egypt shut down for weeks after several birds at the facility died of bird flu.
The Tower of London's famous ravens have been moved indoors to protect them from the possible arrival of bird flu in Great Britain.
And infected birds at an Indonesian zoo forced a temporary closure last September after several employees and visitors were hospitalized with signs of influenza.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0322_060322_zoos_flu.html
What might be fun for kids may lead to bacterial infection and gastrointestinal illness, reports a study that was conducted on petting zoos and feeding animals. The results of the study further project that most people were unaware that simple preventive measures such as hand washing could prevent such infections. The results of three such similar studies would be presented at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases, to be held at Atlanta, on Monday. Contact with animals, animal faeces, surfaces that have been touched by people following petting of animals, drinking or eating while feeding or petting animals can provide for an ideal background for bacterial growth, paving way for increased risk of bacterial infection. At least 34 people developed illness related to E.coli infection (O157:H7) at two Florida petting zoos, the previous year. This research was carried out by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in association with Health Department of Florida. Feeding or touching a cow or goat, having manure on shoes or stepping in manure, drying hands on clothes after washing them at the zoo were found to result in increased risk of infection and illness. On the other hand, washing of hands and feet wit soap and lather following a visit to the zoo has a protective effect.
Penguin pines for lady companion
An endangered penguin is pining for his life-long mate who has died of old age.
Pugwash, a 12-year-old South African Blackfoot penguin, can only watch as three other couples in his colony carry out their mating rituals.
Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park in Devon have been searching for a new companion for him ever since Cherry, Pugwash's mate of eight years died.
The park spokeswoman said they needed to find another zoo with a solitary female penguin of the same species.
The park has contacted a number of zoos without success.
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/15/2006
St. Louis Zoo president Jeffrey Bonner doesn't limit his concerns to those 90 acres in Forest Park where nearly 3 million visitors a year oooh and aaah at the lions and tigers and bears.Bonner's zoodom is a far-flung place that stretches around the world - to Ethiopia where Grevy's zebras are fighting to survive and Guam, where Micronesian kingfishers are doing the same - and back again to the Show-Me state, where hellbenders are having a rough go in Ozark streams and American burying beetles still aren't feeling our love."The Zoo is a little bit like an iceberg," Bonner will tell you. "What you see when you visit the Zoo as a casual visitor is just the upper little tiny piece of it. What's really interesting is happening where you can't see it. It's happening in places around the globe."
BY BILL McGRAW
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
Leaders of the Detroit Historical Society are scheduled to appear this morning before the Detroit City Council to continue discussions about taking over operations of the Historical Museum and Dossin Great Lakes Museum.
The arrangement would be similar to the one the council approved last week with the Detroit Zoological Society, the nonprofit organization that will operate the Detroit Zoo while the city remains owner of the property and animals.
The museums are city treasures and have many fans, but they don't occupy the same place in the hearts of metro Detroiters as the zoo. There's another difference as well: Happily absent in the discussions between the council and Historical Society has been the contentiousness of the zoo talks, even though the society, like its counterpart with the zoo, is heavily composed of suburban residents.
http://www.usnewswire.com/
Psycho kitty terrorizes Connecticut neighbors
Town orders house arrest on 'Lewis' after he ambushed the Avon lady
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Residents of the neighborhood of Sunset Circle say they have been terrorized by a crazy cat named Lewis. Lewis for his part has been uniquely cited, personally issued a restraining order by the town's animal control officer.
"He looks like Felix the Cat and has six toes on each foot, each with a long claw," Janet Kettman, a neighbor said Monday. "They are formidable weapons."
The neighbors said those weapons, along with catlike stealth, have allowed Lewis to attack at least a half dozen people and ambush the Avon lady as she was getting out of her car.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12057893/
Pet Store Chain Probed Over Sick Puppies
ATLANTA Mar 28, 2006 (AP)— The Georgia Department of Agriculture is investigating a pet store chain accused of selling puppies infected with a parasite.
Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin has warned dog owners to be careful.
A total of 151 puppies at six locations of The Pet Company in the Atlanta area were examined. Of those, 138 tested positive for Giardia, a parasite that can be transmitted between animals and humans.
It is not clear how many infected dogs have been sold to the public. The state is seeking citations and fines against the New Windsor, N.Y.-based stores.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=1779320&health=true
Common Practices At Petting Zoos Put Visitors At Risk
ATLANTA, GA, March 2006. While petting zoos pose a risk for gastrointestinal illness, most visitors aren't aware that simple prevention measures could prevent infection. In addition, some engage in behaviors that might increase their risk of infection according to several studies being presented this week at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases. Researchers from the CDC today release the results of a case-control study of an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 associated with two Florida petting zoos, in which they interviewed visitors who did and did not get sick to identify which behaviors were predictors of infection. Some behaviors that were most strongly associated with illness were feeding a cow or goat, touching a goat and stepping in manure or having manure on your shoes. Not surprisingly, simple handwashing after visiting the petting zoo, including lathering with soap and washing hands before eating and after visiting the petting zoo, were found to protect against infection.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=39947
Kids animated over zoo competition
Monday, Apr 10, 2006Cassaundra Baber Observer-Dispatch
In a moment almost unheard of in an elementary school, Bonnie Sliker begged her students to be louder.
"There's no energy boys and girls," Sliker, a music teacher, told the students during a rehearsal for the "It's A Zoo!" Theater Competition. "This is the opening of your show. It seems like you're bored with this. Tell me the story of 'The Jungle Book.'"
The Utica Rotary initiated the "It's A Zoo" Theater Competition concept three years ago as an effort to raise money to build a pavilion for the Utica Zoo. Funds raised still benefit the zoo, but the focus has become more directed on how the dramatic arts shape children's literacy, said chairwoman Maria Pavelock .
"When a child brings a connection to a storyline by playing a character, it brings a whole new concept to reading," Pavelock said. "It brings an emotional connection to literature."
Each school — this year there are 14 — adapts a piece of nature- or animal-themed children's literature into a theater production, complete with vocals and choreography. Performances began last week and will continue until April 28, when a panel of judges will select eight finalists to compete at Utica College's Strebel Auditorium for the grand prize — a trip to the Bronx Zoo.
http://www.uticaod.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060410/NEWS/604100317/1001
Wash hands after visiting petting zoos
By JANET CROMLEY Los Angeles TimesApril 3, 2006
Those cute petting zoo animals that your kids love to touch may be harboring another type of critter that isn't so cuddly - Escherichia coli O157:H7. Researchers reported that of 1,700 visitors at petting zoos in central Tennessee, 62 percent did not use hand sanitizer stations after visiting the animals. Another report found that 28 percent of visitors to the 2005 South Carolina State Fair did not use hand-washing facilities. Other risky behaviors included bringing food and drink into the zoo. Since October 2004, petting zoos in North Carolina, Florida and Arizona have been linked to outbreaks afflicting nearly 200 visitors, mostly children.
One of Canada's oldest zoos closes after political and management missteps
Les Perreaux, Canadian Press
Published: Friday, March 31, 2006
(CP) - Canadian zoos could have their pick from a menagerie of more than 750 birds and animals after the Quebec City zoo closed Friday, throwing polar bears, parrots and peacocks into an uncertain future.
But some beasts like a pair of grizzly bears are probably too old to be moved, even if a new home can be found for the lumbering orphans. Devastated zookeepers say they have no intention of destroying any animals, but they have yet to hear the shut-down plan from the zoo's owner, the Quebec government.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=05b2b7fd-289a-4f67-8065-1ea5c264e58b&k=72993
Senate approves dedicated state money for outdoors, arts
PATRICK CONDON
Associated Press
ST. PAUL - What do ice fishing, deer hunting, parks and trails, clean water, zoos, museums and public broadcasting have in common?
All those things would get a larger, guaranteed slice of money under a wide-ranging constitutional amendment approved by the state Senate on a 42-22 vote Monday. If the House of Representatives follows suit, the amendment would appear on this November's ballot, asking voters if they'd favor increasing the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent to pay for it.
Senators who support the money say those disparate sources of spending are tied together by their importance to Minnesota's quality of life. And all have suffered, they say, by diminished state funding in recent years.
"This gives Minnesotans a chance to affirm why they live in Minnesota," said Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul. "We live here for our outdoors, our parks and trails, but also for our museums and culture."
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/politics/14253813.htm
Senate approves dedicated state money for outdoors, arts
PATRICK CONDON
Associated Press
ST. PAUL - What do ice fishing, deer hunting, parks and trails, clean water, zoos, museums and public broadcasting have in common?
All those things would get a larger, guaranteed slice of money under a wide-ranging constitutional amendment approved by the state Senate on a 42-22 vote Monday. If the House of Representatives follows suit, the amendment would appear on this November's ballot, asking voters if they'd favor increasing the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent to pay for it.
Senators who support the money say those disparate sources of spending are tied together by their importance to Minnesota's quality of life. And all have suffered, they say, by diminished state funding in recent years.
"This gives Minnesotans a chance to affirm why they live in Minnesota," said Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul. "We live here for our outdoors, our parks and trails, but also for our museums and culture."
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/politics/14253813.htm
Linklater's Scotland
MAGNUS LINKLATER
IT IS a cold, wet winter's day, and the animals don't like it. The ring-tailed lemurs are staying determinedly inside their hut. Two sea eagles sit hunched on a branch, their expressions indicating distaste. A couple of grey-crowned cranes pick their way delicately through the mud, looking like Morningside ladies on their way to church. Only the painted hunting dogs seem oblivious to the climate, tearing around their enclosure, then gathering at one end in a menacing pack - like a gang of youths in search of an asbo.
A zoo rarely looks its best in these conditions. It's hard for a chimp to radiate enthusiasm when the rain is seeping into his fur. Only the ducks seem to enjoy it. But something seems to have happened to Edinburgh Zoo since I was last here. I watch the hunting dogs, not from behind grim iron railings or a concrete barrier, but from an African hut, which I reached along a raised walkway. It seem as though I'm almost on top of them; infra-red CCTV cameras let me intrude on their most intimate moments; from a glass-fronted space I can imagine myself part of the pack.
Zoos set to appeal COA decision on giant panda offer
Panel convened by council did not inspect facilities at Taipei City Zoo, says director
Two Taiwan zoos vowed yesterday to appeal a Council of Agricultural decision to reject China's offer of two giant pandas, saying that the council's reasons for doing so were "inadequate" and "without basis."
On Friday, an ad hoc advisory panel convened by the COA announced that Taiwan was unable to accept the pair of pandas because the animals would not receive proper care as required under animal protection laws and other international agreements.
But Taipei City Zoo Director Chen Bao-chung argued the panel never inspected the facilities at the zoo, therefore it does not have substantiated evidence to discredit the zoo's preparations or ability to care for the two pandas.
He also said that although the construction of the building to house the pandas is only 53 percent complete, staff members have already been professionally trained to care for the animals.
Zoos and wildlife parks singled out for awards
01 April 2006
A New Zealand zoo and wildlife park have been recognised for their conservation programmes.
Pukaha Mount Bruce and Auckland Zoo have shared the international Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (ARAZPA) award for In Situ Conservation – awarded for exceptional effort towards habitat preservation, species restoration, and support of biodiversity in the wild.
Pukaha Mount Bruce – responsible for the breeding and husbandry of a range of endangered New Zealand species for release to the wild as part of National recovery programs – has played a key role in the survival of some of New Zealand's most threatened wildlife.
Pukaha Mount Bruce has embarked on a forest restoration program and for the first time in New Zealand's history, species have been successfully re-established on the mainland in the wild, at a site where they had become extinct.
Separately, Auckland Zoo was recognised for its work with the Campbell Island Teal.
One of Canada's oldest zoos closes
By LES PERREAUX
CP) - Canadian zoos could have their pick from a menagerie of more than 750 birds and animals after the Quebec City zoo closed Friday, throwing polar bears, parrots and peacocks into an uncertain future.
But some beasts like a pair of grizzly bears are probably too old to be moved, even if a new home can be found for the lumbering orphans. Devastated zookeepers say they have no intention of destroying any animals, but they have yet to hear the shut-down plan from the zoo's owner, the Quebec government.
"We have an obligation to these animals, and there is nobody here who is going to euthanize these animals just because the zoo is closed," keeper Karl Fournier said in an interview.
Texas State Aquarium receives accreditation
The Texas State Aquarium announced Friday it has received accreditation by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's Accreditation Commission.
Accreditation is granted for five years and is based on collection care, veterinary programs, conservation, education and safety.
Founded in 1924, the AZA represents 210 accredited zoos and aquariums, mostly in North America.
Adriana Garza
IDA ACTION ALERTS 1. IDA Accuses Philly Zoo of Violating Endangered Species Act IDA Submits Legal Notification for Transfer of Off-Exhibit Elephant to Sanctuary IDA and Marianne Bessey of Friends of Philly Zoo Elephants notified the Philadelphia Zoo by letter this week it is in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) for its mistreatment of Dulary, an endangered Asian elephant. IDA and Friends of Philly Zoo Elephants charge the Zoo with breaching the ESA's prohibition on the "take" of endangered species, which is defined not only as killing, but also "harming" and/or "harassing" a species of animal protected under the Act. IDA and Friends of Philly Zoo Elephants base the charges on two unacceptable housing conditions: 1) For over six months, the Zoo has restricted Dulary to an isolated stall in a concrete-floored barn, severely limiting her access to fresh air and outdoor exercise. According to eyewitness reports, Dulary is frequently only allowed outside for approximately 45 minutes a day, when the Zoo brings the African elephants into the barn. Zoo caretakers have stated on several occasions that Dulary was not allowed to exercise outdoors at all.
SF ZOO GETS RENEWED ACCREDITATION
03/30/06 8:20 PST
SAN FRANCISCO(BCN)
The San Francisco Zoo announced today that it was officially accredited Wednesday by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The association, a non-governmental organization that the U.S. Department of Agriculture recognizes as a regulating body for major zoos and aquariums, reviews its accredited facilities every five years. The San Francisco Zoo was due for accreditation last year, but that process was tabled for one year while the new executive director, Manuel Mollinedo, settled in, education director Joe Fitting said today.
"Anytime you have a transitional management team it is not uncommon (for the AZA) to give a year for the new team to get acclimated,'' Fitting said. He said the association had renewed the zoo's accreditation at its recent review "with the highest marks possible.''
Red Tide Causes Sea Turtle Die-Off in El Salvador
The culprit is microscopic in size, but its effects are monstrous. Deadly algal blooms— known as “red tide” for the reddish pigments contained in these single-celled organisms at the base of the ocean’s food web—have caused the deaths of some 200 sea turtles.
The event occurred in November 2005 off the southern coast of El Salvador. Soon after the first appearance of the red-tinged water, some of the region’s people fell ill. The government responded by closing shellfish beds in the area, warning against eating seafood from affected areas. The first reports of dead and dying sea turtles washing up on shore occurred in the second week of December. Most of the victims were olive ridley turtles, and a few green and hawksbill turtles were among those stranded.
The Wildlife Conservation Society
The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild lands through careful science, international conservation, education, and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks. These activities change attitudes toward nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in sustainable interaction on both a local and a global scale. WCS is committed to this work because we believe it essential to the integrity of life on Earth.
U.S. Zoos Brace for Bird Flu Arrival
Maryann Mottfor
March 22, 2006
With health experts warning that bird flu could hit the United States sometime within the next 6 to 12 months, zoo officials are making plans to protect their valuable bird collections from the deadly disease.
Bob Jenkins, director of animal care at the San Francisco Zoo, is keeping a close eye on news reports about the H5N1 strain of the virus, which he fears may hit California sooner rather than later.
The zoo houses 378 birds from 75 species, including exotic chickens and rare raptors.
"We have a very broad collection, so if the avian flu showed up here, it could decimate a significant portion of the live animals we have on view for the public," he said.
Of particular concern is the facility's bald eagle breeding program, in which chickens sit on eagle eggs to keep them warm.
"We'd probably be walking around in moon suits to make sure that the avian flu doesn't arrive there, because that's a very important program," Jenkins said, referring to the space-suit-like bio-containment uniforms frequently worn by officials handling diseased animals.
In ten years, he said, almost 90 bald eagle chicks have been raised in this program and released into the wild.
Rapid Response
While U.S. zoos rush to put protective plans into place, foreign facilities have already experienced problems.
In late February the Cairo Zoo in Egypt shut down for weeks after several birds at the facility died of bird flu.
The Tower of London's famous ravens have been moved indoors to protect them from the possible arrival of bird flu in Great Britain.
And infected birds at an Indonesian zoo forced a temporary closure last September after several employees and visitors were hospitalized with signs of influenza.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0322_060322_zoos_flu.html
Area zoos work to restore trumpeter swan population
March 22, 2006 - If you had been hanging around North America about 150 years ago, you would have seen thousands of trumpeter swans. But, they disappeared. The Brookfield Zoo and the Lincoln Park Zoo are participating in a program to bring the music of the trumpeters back to the Midwest.
You are looking at a scene from Tuesday near Clinton, Iowa. Brookfield and Lincoln Park Zoo worked as a team to release a young male and young female trumpeter swan into a wetland along the Upper Mississippi. It's about turning back the hands of time.
"We're helping the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reintroduce swans into the wild. This will be our second year of participating. We gave them a cygnet at the end of last year," said Michelle Lyczk, Brookfield Zoo senior keeper.
Petting Zoos Can Lead To Bacterial
What might be fun for kids may lead to bacterial infection and gastrointestinal illness, reports a study that was conducted on petting zoos and feeding animals. The results of the study further project that most people were unaware that simple preventive measures such as hand washing could prevent such infections. The results of three such similar studies would be presented at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases, to be held at Atlanta, on Monday. Contact with animals, animal faeces, surfaces that have been touched by people following petting of animals, drinking or eating while feeding or petting animals can provide for an ideal background for bacterial growth, paving way for increased risk of bacterial infection. At least 34 people developed illness related to E.coli infection (O157:H7) at two Florida petting zoos, the previous year. This research was carried out by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in association with Health Department of Florida. Feeding or touching a cow or goat, having manure on shoes or stepping in manure, drying hands on clothes after washing them at the zoo were found to result in increased risk of infection and illness. On the other hand, washing of hands and feet wit soap and lather following a visit to the zoo has a protective effect.
Penguin pines for lady companion
An endangered penguin is pining for his life-long mate who has died of old age.
Pugwash, a 12-year-old South African Blackfoot penguin, can only watch as three other couples in his colony carry out their mating rituals.
Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park in Devon have been searching for a new companion for him ever since Cherry, Pugwash's mate of eight years died.
The park spokeswoman said they needed to find another zoo with a solitary female penguin of the same species.
The park has contacted a number of zoos without success.
Stolen animals have 'slim chance'
Animals stolen from zoos have little chance of survival because they tend to fall into the hands of people who do not know how to look after them properly, according to experts.
An entire colony of threatened marmoset monkeys, including two four-week-old babies, were stolen from a zoo in Devon early on Sunday.
Several exotic birds were also taken in the theft from Exmoor Zoo, while two cockatoos were stolen in a break-in at Birmingham Nature Centre on Friday night.
Indian zoos in sub-standard conditions
Bano HaraluMonday, March 20, 2006 (Guwahati):The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have started a campaign to try and shut down illegal zoos in the country and also bring in some accountability to the way zoos function. Recently, PETA volunteers visited all the zoos in the North East and captured on film the awful conditions of animals.Visitors at the zoo in Shillong come in with alcohol and tease animals and there's no one to stop them.Poor living conditionsEnclosures are in bad need of repair. Water troughs need to be cleaned and the cages have absolutely no enrichment or cover for the animals. The Aizawl zoo in Mizoram is no better. There is not a single guard around to supervise or stop people from behaving badly. All the enclosures are damaged and dirty. The animals are thin and beg for food and their water troughs are either dry or so unclean that there is algae and fungus growing in them. Conditions in Kohima zoo in Nagaland are also similar with the animals living in extremely unhealthy conditions. In the bigger zoo in Guwahati, the situation is no better either.
Newborn giraffe active, strong
BY JOHN A. TORRES FLORIDA TODAY Of a breed having once been described as a cross between a leopard, an ox and a camel, it's no wonder that Brevard Zoo's newest baby is funny looking.
But officials are thrilled with the 5-foot-9-inch, gangly-legged, long-necked male Masai giraffe.
They describe the yet-to-be-named, 6-day-old baby as "active and strong." He has been exercised once, but he won't be ready for viewing for two or three weeks.
His first photos were released Monday.
"He is so adorable," said zoo spokeswoman Andrea Hill.
The baby was born at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to Johari, on loan from the San Diego zoo, and her male counterpart, Raffiki. Only 62 Masai giraffes are held in U.S. zoos; the Association of Zoos and Aquariums has a goal of 150.
"It's so great to hear that he's born and his feet are on the ground," said Jane Ballentine, association spokeswoman in Maryland.
Contact Torres at 242-3649 or
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060321/NEWS01/603210337
Côte d'Ivoire zoo looks to South Africa for help
Once one of West Africa's most stunning zoos, Abidjan's menagerie became a sad victim of the country's political turmoil but help from South Africa could give it a facelift and its animals a new lease on life.Boasting more than 200 animals from about 50 different species, the zoo suffered from lack of attention and funding during the crisis years that the former jewel of West Africa has gone through, losing out on international tourism."Since its creation very few shelters and cages have been built, putting at risk the lives of animals exposed to bad weather," deplored the zoo's director, Ayekoue Yapo.About 100 animals died in three years, said Yapo, lamenting the fact that the establishment has to make do with a €50 000 annual budget, which is insufficient to feed, look after and protect the inmates.
SA to facelift 'stunning zoo' in Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, Abidjan - Once one of west Africa's most stunning zoos, Abidjan's menagerie became a sad victim of the country's political turmoil but help from South Africa could give it a facelift and its animals a new lease on life.Boasting more than 200 animals from about 50 different species, the zoo suffered from lack of attention and funding during the crisis years that the former jewel of west Africa has gone through, losing out on international tourism."Since its creation, very few shelters and cages have been built, putting at risk the lives of animals exposed to bad weather," deplored the zoo's director Ayekoue Yapo.
It's not all happening at the zoo
By
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/15/2006
St. Louis Zoo president Jeffrey Bonner doesn't limit his concerns to those 90 acres in Forest Park where nearly 3 million visitors a year oooh and aaah at the lions and tigers and bears.Bonner's zoodom is a far-flung place that stretches around the world - to Ethiopia where Grevy's zebras are fighting to survive and Guam, where Micronesian kingfishers are doing the same - and back again to the Show-Me state, where hellbenders are having a rough go in Ozark streams and American burying beetles still aren't feeling our love."The Zoo is a little bit like an iceberg," Bonner will tell you. "What you see when you visit the Zoo as a casual visitor is just the upper little tiny piece of it. What's really interesting is happening where you can't see it. It's happening in places around the globe."
Elephant programs fighting critics, space
BY DIANE JENNINGS
The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS - Jenny and Keke, two 30-something females, share a two-bedroom house with a 5,000-square-foot yard and a small pool. The digs were considered spacious, even elegant, when they opened in 1959. But today, the elephant house at the Dallas Zoo appears cramped and barren.
Officials hope to build a bigger, more attractive one soon. They'll have to if they want to retain accreditation by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association - not to mention Jenny and Keke.
The growing recognition that these large, majestic and intelligent animals require more space and improved living conditions led to new zoo standards that take effect in May. The new rules, which govern everything from yard, stall and herd sizes to exercise regimens, are forcing zoos across the nation to decide whether to expand or close their elephant exhibits.
Now, museums in the spotlight
March 8, 2006
BY BILL McGRAW
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
Leaders of the Detroit Historical Society are scheduled to appear this morning before the Detroit City Council to continue discussions about taking over operations of the Historical Museum and Dossin Great Lakes Museum.
The arrangement would be similar to the one the council approved last week with the Detroit Zoological Society, the nonprofit organization that will operate the Detroit Zoo while the city remains owner of the property and animals.
The museums are city treasures and have many fans, but they don't occupy the same place in the hearts of metro Detroiters as the zoo. There's another difference as well: Happily absent in the discussions between the council and Historical Society has been the contentiousness of the zoo talks, even though the society, like its counterpart with the zoo, is heavily composed of suburban residents.
Good-bye, mighty silos
March 8, 2006
Redford resident Rick Dove fought back tears Tuesday when he was driving along the Detroit River and came upon the demolition of the Medusa Cement silos, the last of the mighty industrial cylinders along the east riverfront.
Dove, 53, said he served as a deckhand from 1977 to 1992 on freighters -- such as the Medusa Challenger -- that delivered cement to the huge silos, which were landmarks for decades.
"I loved working on the boats," Dove said. "It was my life."
The remaining towers, just west of Chene Park, will be history in about a week, workers said.
With the silos almost gone, the shoreline east of the Renaissance Center has acres of vacant land that eventually will be transformed into housing and an extension of the Detroit RiverWalk, the 5-mile-long promenade.
But on Tuesday, with the ice floes running in the placid river, the riverfront was one of the most peaceful places in town -- once you got away from the kabooms of the silo demolition.
Jack Hanna on Capitol Hill to Urge Protection of Endangered Species; AZA Announces 'Two Million for $2 Million' Petition Drive
3/8/2006 8:00:00 AM
To: National Desk
Contact: Jane Ballentine of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, 301-562-0777 ext. 252
WASHINGTON, March 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Nationally known wildlife conservationist Jack Hanna is in Washington D.C., where he attended a Capitol Hill reception hosted by The Honorable Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and sponsored by Congressional Zoo and Aquarium Caucus Co-Chairs, The Honorable Julia Carson (D-IN) and The Honorable Spencer Bachus (R-AL). Hanna, who has long advocated an increase in funding for protection of endangered species, announced the launch of the AZA's "Two Million for $2 Million" nationwide petition drive. This drive seeks more than two million public signatures in favor of increasing the amount of federal dollars allocated to the Multinational Species Conservation Funds. The Multinational Species Conservation Funds have a 14-year track record of effectively helping protect endangered wildlife, with five separate funds dedicated to in- country conservation of African elephants, Asian elephants, rhinos and tigers, great apes, and marine turtles.
Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, also spoke to the crowd about several of the animals that were brought to the reception by the staff of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Salisbury Zoo, and the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
"Elephants, turtles, apes -- these are animals that people love and that face extreme risks to their continued survival in the wild," Hanna said. "The Multinational Species Conservation Funds are proven to work, even in fighting against rapidly escalating risks caused by poaching, habitat loss and human- animal conflict."
Hanna added: "We are in critical need of increased funding now, as dangers to endangered species, such as these and many other serious problems, only stand to multiply."
Administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the five Multinational Species Conservation Funds are authorized to receive $5 million apiece annually, yet Congress has never appropriated more than $1.4 million per year per program. The purpose of AZA's petition drive is to urge Congress to appropriate at least $2 million apiece -- hence the "Two Million for $2 Million." The petition drive will continue throughout the summer.
Programs supported by the Multinational Species Conservation Funds include: maintaining or increasing key populations of elephants, rhinos, tigers and great apes in the wild; providing anti-poaching protection for rhinos in Sumatra; and funding a domestic elephant chase squad to ward off wild elephants from farmers' fields in India, thus reducing human-elephant conflict.
According to Kristin L. Vehrs, AZA Interim Executive Director, Congress recognizes the important role that AZA and its accredited members play in global conservation, as well as the unique opportunities that accredited zoos and aquariums provide for people in their home districts to enjoy an up-close experience with animals.
"Each year, more than 143 million people visit AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums, which is more than attend NBA, NHL, NFL and Major League Baseball games combined. This degree of public support means that AZA and its members are well-positioned to ask the public to demonstrate support for increased wildlife conservation funding," Vehrs said.
AZA members are meeting with their Congressional representatives and Senators on Capitol Hill this week to urge their support for critical programs to protect endangered species and habitat. AZA works cooperatively with Congress, federal and state government agencies, international conservation organizations and others on legislative and regulatory matters regarding animal welfare, wildlife conservation field programs and conservation research/education initiatives.
Founded in 1924, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), envisions a world where all people respect, value and conserve animals and nature. AZA currently has 210 accredited members in the U.S. and Canada, Bermuda and Hong Kong, which are visited by more than 143 million people annually. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals and a better future for all living things.
For more information visit
http://www.elephantsinourfuture.org and http://www.aza.orghttp://www.usnewswire.com/
Wild animals 'to face circus ban'
The government is to ban certain wild animals from performing in travelling circuses, Animal Health Minister Ben Bradshaw has announced.
He said the use of some animals in circuses was "not compatible" with their welfare needs.
The RSPCA and Born Free Foundation have campaigned hard for a ban to be included in the Animal Welfare Bill.
An environment spokesman said deciding which species will be included will be "open to consultation".
Zoos not affected
The charities say seven tigers, five lions, an Asian elephant, an American black bear, eight camels and three zebra the are among animals still kept in three UK circuses.
Under the plans, a code of practice will be introduced to deal with the training of animals and the accommodation provided for them.
Trainers themselves will also be subject to regular inspections.
No More Elephants in Chicago's Zoos?
Read the tragic stories of Chicago's beloved elephants Ziggy and Mame
Chicago's 48th Ward Alderman Mary Ann Smith has introduced an ordinance requiring Chicago zoos to provide each of its elephants a minimum habitat of 10 acres. Many people think that if the ordinance passes, it will signal the end of elephants in Chicago's zoos.
Beth Stevens, PhD, president of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) Board of Directors and vice president of Disney's Animal Kingdom and animal programs, has said that "This ordinance is not just about elephants in Chicago. It is an attempt by animal rights activists to make Chicago a national example of getting elephants out of zoos today, and getting other species, such as giraffe, lions and gorilla, out of zoos tomorrow."
SPCA OPPOSES REPLACEMENT FOR AILING MARINELAND DOLPHIN
(New Zealand Press Association Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Wellington, March 9 NZPA - Replacing Marineland's ageing dolphins would go against worldwide trends to treat captive mammals more humanely, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) says.Napier's tourist attraction faces doubts about its future as the health of one of its performing dolphins deteriorates.SPCA national chief executive Robyn McDonald said the two dolphins were kept in a restricted area and in conditions highly contrary to what they would experience in the wild.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/03/08/1442264.htm
EDITORIAL: Our Solomon can handle this baby
PAUL TAGGART
Shona the dolphin, a Hawke's Bay icon for many years, appears to be close to the end of her life.
Sad though it is, she is long past the age she could have reached in the wild. Which tends to undermine the suggestion that her life has been tragic and unfulfilled. Although those who anthropomorphise sea mammals would probably never agree, whatever the evidence indicates.
However, it again raises the issue of Marineland's future. With one dolphin left apart from Shona - Kelly - the Napier attraction will soon be a single heart-beat away from not being viable.
Attempting to find replacement dolphins has just been too hard in the past, so Marineland has limped on, with its two superannuitants continuing to please the crowds.
http://www.hbtoday.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3675586&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=
continued …
Ripon, California is saturated. Elevation 62 feet above sea level. Latitude approximately 37.7 N.
April 8, 2006.
Ripon, California.
Photographer states :: The Stanislaus River has risen high enough to top the levee and flow onto the Jack Tone Golf Course in Ripon, California. The waterbirds love it, and we saw a large fish swim through the driving range. More rain is on the way today, too.
Morgan Hill, California is saturated. Elevation 350 feet above sea level. Latitude approx. 37.19
April 8, 2006.
Coyote, California.
All too often the public looks at the weather reports, especially of the west coast, and think they need to take an umbrella to work. It's far more than that.
Photographer states :: Access road across Coyote Creek between San Jose (CA) and Morgan Hill is closed due to flooding.
Antarctica Today. (click on to animate)
April 10,2006.
9:00 AM.
Antarctica, click to animate. Cooler and more hopeful. A rock solid winter. I want a rock solid winter. Come on Earth, you can do this.
Morning Papers - concluded ...
The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is:
Scott Base
Clear
-20.0°
Updated Monday 10 Apr 8:30PM
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is :
36 °F / 2 °C
Overcast
Humidity:
81%
Dew Point:
30 °F / -1 °C
Wind:
4 mph / 6 km/h from the SSE
Pressure:
29.81 in / 1009 hPa
Windchill:
33 °F / 0 °C
Visibility:
10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV:
0 out of 16
Clouds:
Mostly Cloudy 3800 ft / 1158 m
Overcast 4400 ft / 1341 m
(Above Ground Level)
end
Scott Base
Clear
-20.0°
Updated Monday 10 Apr 8:30PM
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is :
36 °F / 2 °C
Overcast
Humidity:
81%
Dew Point:
30 °F / -1 °C
Wind:
4 mph / 6 km/h from the SSE
Pressure:
29.81 in / 1009 hPa
Windchill:
33 °F / 0 °C
Visibility:
10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV:
0 out of 16
Clouds:
Mostly Cloudy 3800 ft / 1158 m
Overcast 4400 ft / 1341 m
(Above Ground Level)
end
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