Morning Papers - continued...

The Daily Star (Lebanon)

Explosion rocks the area of Zouk Mosbeh
Thursday, June 07, 2007
A bomb went off in an area north of Beirut on Thursday, in the latest string of explosions that have shaken Lebanon since fighting erupted between army troops and Islamic militants in a northern refugee camp three weeks ago.
Security officials said the blast occurred in an industrial area in the town of Zouk Mousbeh, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Beirut and near the town of Jounieh. There was no immediate word on casualties.
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The explosion set off large fires and black smoke was seen billowing from the area.
Four explosions in Beirut and nearby areas have killed least one person and wounded 40 others since the clashes between Fatah Islam militans and Lebanese army troops started May 20 in the northern Nahr el-Bared refugee camp.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=82823


Conflicting reports of possible Turkish incursion into Iraq
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Hundreds of Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq early Wednesday to chase Kurdish guerrillas who attack Turkey from bases there, Turkish security officials said. One official said the troops had returned to their bases by the end of the day, but Turkey's foreign minister denied its troops had ever entered Iraq.
The senior security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, characterized the raid as a "hot pursuit" raid that was limited in scope. They told The Associated Press it did not constitute the kind of large incursion that Turkish leaders have been discussing in recent weeks.
One official said several thousand troops went 3 kilometers inside Iraq and were still there in late afternoon.
"It is a hot pursuit, not an incursion," one official said.
Another official said by telephone that it was "not a major offensive and the number of troops is not in the tens of thousands." He also said the Turkish troops went into a remote, mountainous area.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=82822


'Israel does not want war with Syria' - PM
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sought to calm speculation in Israel that war with Syria could erupt soon, saying Wednesday he wanted peace with Damascus and to avoid any miscalculations that could lead to hostilities. The apparent attempts to ease tensions with Syria came as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called off a summit with Olmert, seeking commitments that Israel will release frozen Palestinian funds and renew a cease-fire. Even so, the Palestinian Foreign Minister Ziad Abu Amr said Abbas and Olmert are likely to meet later in the month in Egypt under the auspices of the "Quartet" of Mideast peacemakers.
Olmert told a closed-door session of his powerful security Cabinet that although Israel has seen no signs that Syria plans to attack, there are concerns that Damascus might
misinterpret routine Israeli military activity as hostile and be spooked into a pre-emp-tive strike.
"Israel does not want war with Syria," a statement from Olmert's office quoted him as telling the meeting.
"We must avoid miscalculations that are liable to lead to a security deterioration," it
said, adding that Olmert had sent the same message to Syria through undisclosed diplomatic channels.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=82821


Iraqi premier warns against foreign 'conspiracies'
Militants abduct chaldean catholic priest as car bombings rock baghdad
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Iraq's beleaguered Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned on Wednesday against "conspiracies" in foreign capitals against his government calling on his generals to wield "iron fists" against those who would "lay the red carpet" for outside interference in Iraq. Violence continued unabated with the abduction of a Chaldean Catholic priest and five of his parishioners were kidnapped in Baghdad and the separate kidnapping of an Iraqi official in a raid on a ministry.
Car bombings shook the streets leading to Baghdad's most revered Shiite shrine on Wednesday, and police reported at least seven people killed while a local representative of revered Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani was gunned down outside his home.
In his toughly worded speech, at a conference of Iraqi Army division commanders, Maliki didn't specify which Iraqis or foreigners he fears may be working to oust him, but his largely ineffectual, year-old leadership has been under criticism both at home and abroad, including in the US Congress.
Former Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, a Parliament member, is believed to be working to gather additional political support to try to replace Maliki, whom he regards as a sectarian Shiite Islamist.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=82806


Oil experts expect fallout from Cyclone Gonu to be short-lived
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Thursday, June 07, 2007
KUWAIT: Oil prices will soar if Cyclone Gonu halts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the route for about a quarter of world crude supplies, but its impact will be temporary if oil facilities remain intact, experts said on Wednesday. Most oil and gas exports from the Gulf region, amounting to between 17 and 20 million barrels a day, pass through the strait between Oman and Iran, making it the world's most important oil passage.
"If shipping is halted through Hormuz, I think there is going to be a panic in world oil markets and prices could shoot to as high as $80, but of course for a very short period," Kuwaiti oil expert Kamel al-Harami said.
Cyclone Gonu, the strongest tropical storm to hit the region in decades, lashed Oman with heavy rains and winds on Wednesday, as thousands were evacuated from low-lying
areas there and in Iran.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=82802


Baghdad merchants wonder if blast walls are worth it
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Monday, June 04, 2007
BAGHDAD: Tall concrete blast walls surrounding hotels and government buildings have long been a feature of Baghdad's wartorn urban landscape, but now these tombstones are swallowing up the city's historic markets, much to the chagrin of merchants. The newest barriers, erected as part of a three-month-old security crackdown, are there to shield the city's main outdoor markets from the massive car bombs that have killed hundreds of people in recent months.
But local merchants complain that the new measures drive away customers, harden the country's sectarian rifts and disfigure the city.
"These concrete barriers hurt our businesses as much as they help us," says Ahmed Yas, a shopkeeper on Palestine Street, an upscale shopping thoroughfare in eastern Baghdad. "They prevent customers from approaching our shops because they completely cover the shopfronts, and the customers cannot park their cars anywhere close because there is no parking."
But at the same time, he grudgingly accepts the presence of the barriers "because they protect us from the danger of car bombs and the violent acts that frighten us."
The concrete caterpillars have crawled from the ironically named Green Zone, home of the US Embassy and Iraqi government, to the rest of the city, cutting off markets from main streets and slicing through battleground neighborhoods in several parts of the capital.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=82711



Banking on Baghdad: Inside Iraq's 7,000-Year History of War, Profit, and Conflict (Hardcover)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047167186X?ie=UTF8&tag=thedailystar-20&link_code=em1&camp=212341&creative=380429&creativeASIN=047167186X&adid=ccafbfb5-36b9-406b-9c1b-d3846a98281c


Saudi group agrees to provide oil for planned Malacca pipeline
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Malaysian, Indonesian and Saudi Arabian firms on Monday signed agreements for construction of a pipeline that aims to divert 20 percent of oil flowing through the strategic Malacca Strait, the project owner said. Malaysia's Trans-Peninsula Petroleum said it signed an agreement with Malaysia's Ranhill Engineers and Constructors.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=82566



Lebanese Army claims 'less resistance' at Nahr al-Bared
Èatah al-islam threatens to expand battle 'within the next two days'
By Rym Ghazal
Daily Star staff
Thursday, June 07, 2007
NAHR AL-BARED, North Lebanon: Heavy bouts of shelling and gunfire alternated with long periods of quiet on Wednesday as the Lebanese Army pounded away at the remaining posts held by Fatah al-Islam militants along the southern part of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp.
There were no new reports of casualties on Wednesday, keeping the official death toll at 114 people, including 46 soldiers and 38 militants, since fighting broke out on May 20. While an army source would not confirm any new troop injuries, medical sources said at least three wounded soldiers were taken to nearby hospitals on Wednesday.
"Our attacks have lessened and are now more targeted, since we have destroyed most of Fatah al-Islam's positions," the army source told The Daily Star on Wednesday. "The militants have decreased their resistance."

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=82817



Authorities seize Hizbullah weapons
Thursday, June 07, 2007
BEKAA: The Lebanese Army confiscated a truckload of weapons belonging to Hizbullah in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, security sources said Wednesday. The truck, which was seized late Tuesday at a random army checkpoint at Douriss, near Baalbek, contained rockets, machine guns, assault rifles and ammunition for the weapons.
Six Hizbullah members in the truck were let go, but the weapons were taken to a nearby army barracks.
It was not clear whether the Hizbullah members were transferring the weapons within the country or bringing the shipment in from Syria. The truck's destination was also unknown.
But An-Nahar newspaper claimed on Wednesday that the arms cache was planned for use in conflicts to be sparked in other Palestinian refugee camps after attempts failed to start a second front at the refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh in Sidon.
When contacted by The Daily Star, a Hizbullah spokesman refused to comment on the issue.
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http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=82820



US to lift ban on private cargo fights to Lebanon
By Lysandra Ohrstrom
Daily Star staff
Thursday, June 07, 2007
BEIRUT: US President George Bush announced plans on Tuesday to amend the 22-year-old ban on private US aircraft operating here, in a move designed "for the purpose of promoting peace and security in Lebanon." In a June 5 memorandum, Bush authorized a partial resumption of travel to allow commercial cargo carriers contracted by the government to transport humanitarian assistance or "any other cargo or material" to and from Lebanon.
A US Embassy spokesperson would not comment on whether the prohibition was relaxed to facilitate further deliveries of military assistance, but said the US "intends to maintain its very robust support to the Lebanese armed forces as a pledge to the Lebanese to support their sovereignty and independence."
Last week, American military cargo planes delivered six loads of assistance to support the Lebanese Army, including infantry supplies, ammunition and rifles. The shipments had been promised earlier - as part of the $250-million military assistance package America pledged to Lebanon at the Paris III donor conference in January - said the US Embassy spokesperson, but the US "was pleased to be able to join other international and regional partners in fulfilling Lebanon's request to expedite deliveries."

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=82819


Foreign powers weigh in on impasse in Beirut
France gives 'clear directives' to support unity government
By Mirella Hodeib
Daily Star staff
Thursday, June 07, 2007
BEIRUT: Foreign politicians promoted fresh efforts to solve the continuing political deadlock in Lebanon, while domestic political leaders expressed their hopes for a speedy end to the crisis at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp. France was among the most active mediators, with recently elected President Nicolas Sarkozy voicing his country's commitment to supporting Lebanon, in a letter sent to Progressive Socialist Party head Walid Jumblatt on Wednesday.
"France will never cease to fight for the sovereignty, independence and unity of Lebanon," the letter said.
Sarkozy said imminent presidential elections in Lebanon "should be a major step toward regaining full sovereignty."
He added that France, "as well as the rest of the international community," support stability in South Lebanon and the implementation of economic and social reforms pledged at the Paris III donor summit.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=82818


US to donate $3.5 million to Nahr al-Bared refugees
Thursday, June 07, 2007
US Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman said Wednesday his country intends to contribute $3.5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine refugees following a "Flash Appeal" from UNRWA for funds to help for residents of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp near Tripoli. The contribution will provide urgently needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees displaced by fighting between Fatah al-Islam and the Lebanese Army at the camp. Feltman announced the pledge at a briefing on the Nahr al-Bared situation by Premier Fouad Siniora at the Grand Serail. The US contribution will make up 28 percent of the $12.66 million total sought by UNRWA's Flash Appeal to provide humanitarian relief to the displaced.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=82814


Arab women entrepreneurs outpace Westerners by some measures
By Nour Samaha
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
BEIRUT: Arab women entrepreneurs and business-owners are ahead of their Western counterparts with regards to firm size and revenue levels, according to a report published Tuesday. The International Finance Cooperation (IFC) has launched a report giving insight into the role of women business owners in the Middle East, declaring it as "the first step" toward a deeper understanding of their role, characteristics and challenges. The report, conducted in collaboration with the World Bank and the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR), reveals the extent of growth of women as business owners, and the constraints that they are facing.
"There is a marked lack of quantitative information on the number and growth of women-owned enterprises with which to inform policy-making," stated the report. "This is coupled with a growing need for qualitative survey-based attitudinal information capturing the self-expressed viewpoints, concerns, challenges and needs of women business owners. It is known that in the region women enjoy high levels of formal education, yet their participation in the labor force is still low, and not much is known about women who own and operate their own enterprises."

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=82752


Banker fears negative GDP growth if Lebanese political crisis escalates
'Eventually investment will fall to alarming levels'
By Osama Habib
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
BEIRUT: A leading banker warned Monday that if the political dispute gets out of control Lebanon's GDP will suffer negative growth in 2007 and 2008. "In a worst-case scenario, all economic indicators will fall sharply and eventually local and foreign investments will drop to alarming levels," Markam Sader, the secretary general of the Association of Banks in Lebanon, told The Daily Star.
He added that if President Emile Lahoud formed a second government then the country would plunge into political uncertainty and probably chaos.
Businessmen, bankers and investors are holding their breaths as the presidential poll approaches with no sign that the main political groups will agree on one conciliatory candidate.
There is deep concern among investors that the financial market will be hit hard if Lahoud forms a second government.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=82751


Rival Lebanese politicians identify common socio-economic interests
EU invites opposing groups to find common ground on population's needs
Daily Star staff
Friday, June 01, 2007
BEIRUT: Rival Lebanese political parties seem to have a common interest: creating a just economic and social system. At least that's what the representatives of the main parties in the Parliament are conveying to the EU, which invited them to debate openly the future of socio-economic development of Lebanon.
Representatives of Hizbullah, Amal, the Free Patriotic Movement, Future movement, Lebanese Forces and the Phalange Party sat down with EU officials and independent economists from May 29-30 to reach a common understanding on economic and social issues that affect the entire population.
The EU said the objective of the meeting was to help develop a common vision of those economic and social policies that will benefit all of Lebanon. "The participants were able, collectively, to define a common economic and social vision of Lebanon," the EU said in a statement.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=82674


Olmert's words won't matter without Washington's genuine support
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Editorial
Two positions taken by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday represent a significant shift in the public discourse at the top of the Jewish state's political ladder. Olmert released a statement on Wednesday announcing that Israel wants peace, not war, with Syria and that Israeli officials have communicated this message to Damascus through diplomatic channels. Separately, in a commentary published in Britain's The Guardian on Wednesday, Olmert expressed interest in achieving peace with the Palestinians on the basis of the Arab initiative, while insisting that "talks must be a discussion, not an ultimatum."
These remarks, if they are to be read as sincere, mark a point of departure in Olmert's two-year-old non-approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is the first time that the Israeli premier is at least giving the appearance of actively and publicly pursuing a peace process.
Olmert's article was titled "1967: Israel cannot make peace alone," but there is plenty of reason to believe that if it is sincere, a newly open-minded policy on the part of his government might be twinned with Arab - and especially Palestinian - enthusiasm. On the same page of The Guardian, no less a hard-liner than Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya laid out conditions that were virtually identical those of the Arab peace initiative, a thoughtful document that calls for no more than is mandated by existing United Nations Security Council resolutions. Haniyya's article was titled "1967: Our rights have to be recognized." If they are, it seems clear that Israel will have the "partner" for peace that it has long claimed to lack.
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In order for Olmert's words to be taken seriously, however, they will need to be backed up with public support from Washington. US President George W. Bush and his administration have to make clear that they have learned their lesson and are ready to engage with the region on a realistic basis that acknowledges not just the existence but also the influence of organizations like Haniyya's Hamas and Lebanon's Hizbullah. These parties cannot be wished away, and the widespread legitimacy and support they enjoy makes them, in fact, indispensable elements in any attempt to convince large swathes of the Arab population that any new peace process will be worth the effort.
A poll released this week demonstrates that America's Arab and Jewish communities are eons ahead of their government on such issues. Respondents from both groups indicated both a clearer understanding of the region's realities and a far greater appreciation of the need for dialogue and compromise. Olmert may indeed be coming around to a similar realization, but that will count for little without the overt and effective agreement of the Bush administration. If that is not forthcoming, Washington will remain out of step with the American people - and an otherwise achievable peace will remain out of reach.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&article_id=82805&categ_id=17


Chouf reserve is still recovering from war
By Maher Zeineddine
Daily Star correspondent
Thursday, June 07, 2007
CHOUF: The Chouf Cedars Nature Reserve reopened its gates to visitors in April after the ecological site incurred heavy damage during last summer's war with Israel. "Israeli raids targeted several roads leading to the reserve, having a negative impact on the reserve's biological diversity, economic situation, rural development and ecotourism," an official at the reserve told The Daily Star.
The number of visitors - who bring the reserve a vital source of revenue - has plummeted, causing development programs to regress, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The Chouf Cedars Reserve was declared a nature reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on June 29, 2005.
Covering some 500 square kilometers, the reserve is home to 32 animal species, 12 of which are at risk of extinction on the international level, such as the wolf and the badger. Three other species face the same risk on the local level, including the wildcat, tiger cat and hyena, according to the official.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=82810



Emergency panel called for in UN pact has yet to be empowered
'A cooperation plan should have been set up during the war to start immediately after the cease-fire'
By Dona Challita
Special to The Daily Star
Monday, May 28, 2007
Local environmental groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have criticized the government for what they say is the mismanagement of the clean-up effort along the coast following the oil spill that resulted from an Israeli attack during the 2006 war. Habib Maalouf, the head of the National Environmental Party (NEP).

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=25&article_id=82550


Sukleen to help environmental group sort trash
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Sukleen, a Lebanese waste-collection and cleaning company, announced on Tuesday it will provide the environmental association Nidaa al-Ard (Call of the Land) with the necessary tools and equipment for its 12-year-old project to separate waste in the southern region of Arab Salim. Sukleen's news conference was attended by Press Federation head Mohammad Baalbaki, Sukleen public-relations director Jad Neaimi and Nidaa al-Ard's president Zainab Mukalled Noureddine. "This important and fruitful cooperation coincides with the celebration of World Environment Day [on Tuesday]," Neaimi said.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=82788


Winning over the Palestinian card
By Michael Young
Daily Star staff
Thursday, June 07, 2007
It is a coincidence, but a useful one, that on the 40th anniversary of an Arab-Israeli war that prompted the Palestinian national movement to break free from the stifling embrace of the Arab states, that effort is repeating itself in Lebanon, albeit with uncertain success. There is much the Lebanese state can do to sustain the effort, to its own advantage.
For decades, under the leadership of Yasser Arafat, a primary aim of the Palestinian national movement was to defend what was known as the "freedom of Palestinian decision-making." Arafat took over a Palestinian Liberation Organization that, under Ahmad al-Shuqairi, was little more than an Egyptian plaything. Even earlier, Arafat and his comrades had to bat away persistent Syrian efforts to take over control of Al-Assifa, the armed branch of the national movement. By 1977, with the Syrian Army having imposed itself in Lebanon, the Palestinians would once again have to maneuver around Syrian priorities, though Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's peace negotiations with Israel would momentarily oblige the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Syria to overcome their differences.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=5&article_id=82803



Can Lebanon get a fair deal from free trade?
Without wto, 'the country will go to hell - and you can quote me' - sami haddad
By Osama Habib
Daily Star staff
Monday, June 04, 2007
BEIRUT: Globalization and free trade agreements are among the most hotly debated issues, not only in developing countries but in industrialized ones as well. The debate degenerates on some occasions into open battles between anti-globalization activists and law enforcement - as in the case of Rostock, Germany, where thousands of angry demonstrators clashed with riot police on Saturday.
Thomas Friedman, a prominent New York Times columnist, once said that that "globalization is like a locomotive train which no one can stop." Supporters of globalization believe that free trade will open new markets for all countries, improve efficiency, attract foreign investment, and reduce prices of essential commodities around the world.
The backers of the World Trade organization (WTO) also argue that countries joining free trade agreements will have a very good chance to attract badly needed investments in services, advertising and information technology.
However, anti-globalization activists say that globalization and capitalism perpetuate poverty in the less advanced parts of the world. Some economists in developing countries have urged their governments not to join the WTO because in their view many productive sectors, such as industry and agriculture, will be badly hurt if the markets are widely opened to cheap imports.
In Lebanon, the debate over the benefits of free trade agreements intensified as the Economy and Trade Ministry engaged in a new round of talks with WTO officials in Geneva on May 3.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=25&article_id=82729


The State

Rain helped, but drought isn't over
By JOEY HOLLEMAN - jholleman@thestate.com
TIM DOMINICK/TDOMINICK@THESTATE.COM
Irrigation equipment stands poised over a field in Lexington County. Despite the weekend’s rain from tropical depression Barry, S.C. farmers must still contend with drought conditions.
Tropical Storm Barry was beneficial for South Carolina, but the rainfall from the system only put a dent in drought conditions.
The State Drought Response Committee meets today in Columbia to determine whether to upgrade the official drought status. It’s currently at incipient, the first of four stages in drought classification.
The Savannah River basin — one of the driest areas of the state — received about 5 inches of rain from Barry, while the parched Upstate got less than a quarter of an inch.
Monday’s storms brought 0.7 of an inch to Columbia Owens Field, but less elsewhere in the Midlands.
Here’s how the rain impacted drought symptoms:
Farms: At Walter P. Rawl and Sons farming operation in Lexington County, the irrigation ponds were nearly dry last week. “We were going to make decisions (Monday) whether to abandon crops,” said farm manager Charles Wingard. The rain recharged the greens and ponds. Even if no more rain falls soon, the weekend rainfall should be enough to keep the crops growing for two weeks, long enough to make harvesting worthwhile.

http://www.thestate.com/156/story/83468.html



Libby may be jailed during appeal
Ex-Cheney chief of staff’s 30-month sentence puts heat on Bush; judge might not OK bail
By AMY GOLDSTEIN and CAROL D. LEONNIG - The Washington Post
WASHINGTON — Lewis “Scooter” Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months in prison and fined $250,000 for lying to investigators looking into the leak of a CIA officer’s identity.
The federal judge who presided over the case indicated that he may not be sympathetic to allowing Libby to remain free pending appeal, but scheduled a hearing on the matter for next week.
“Evidence in this case overwhelmingly indicated Mr. Libby’s culpability,” U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said moments before he handed out the sentence.
The sentence puts new pressure on President Bush, who may soon confront the choice of triggering a fresh political storm by pardoning a convicted perjurer or letting one of the early architects of his administration head off to prison.
The judge said he was sentencing Libby “with a sense of sadness. I have the highest respect for people who take positions in our government and appreciate tremendously efforts they bring to bear to protect this country.”

http://www.thestate.com/426/story/83389.html



Obama, Graham trade barbs as immigration debate boils over
By CHARLES BABINGTON - Associated Press Writer
Presidential politics and partisan resentments reached a boil in the Senate Wednesday night, as a heated exchange between Sens. Barack Obama and Lindsey Graham erupted on the chamber floor and continued in a nearby corridor.
Senators had been debating a contentious immigration overhaul for hours when Obama - the Illinois Democrat running for president - introduced an amendment that would end a key provision after five years rather than 14.
His target was a proposed point system that would make it easier for would-be immigrants to obtain visas based on their education levels or work skills rather than on having close relatives already living in the United States. "We can't weaken the essence of what America is by turning our backs on immigrants who to reunite with their family members," Obama said in his speech.
The amendment infuriated Graham, a South Carolina Republican with close ties to another presidential hopeful, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Pacing the Senate floor and waving Obama's amendment, Graham loudly accused Obama of undermining a delicate agreement whose advocates have shown political courage.

http://www.thestate.com/312/story/84722.html


SC budget with tax cuts still in limbo with hours left in session
By SEANNA ADCOX - Associated Press Writer
With just hours left before South Carolina lawmakers are set to adjourn for the year, the $7.4 billion state budget remains in limbo, leaving the possibility that residents won't see any tax savings and state employees will continue working without a pay raise.
Though the House and Senate are controlled by Republicans, the legislative session may end with few major proposals being approved - even though $1.5 billion in new revenue was expected.
The House has refused to finalize negotiations on the state spending plan until an agreement can be reached with the Senate on how to reform the state's Transportation Department and workers' compensation system. Compromise talks have stalled for more than a week.

http://www.thestate.com/312/story/85034.html



DOT bill, budget hit snag
$40 million dispute on Transportation Department overhaul blocks other key measures
By JOHN O’CONNOR - joconnor@thestate.com
WHAT’S ON DECK?
Three things to watch today as lawmakers try to finish their work this week. For midday updates, go to S.C. Politics Today.
Cigarette taxes — Though support is strong in the Senate, proposals to raise the cigarette tax by 30 to 45 cents a pack likely are out of time this year. Still, the Senate could act today.
Workers’ compensation changes — Lawmakers must reconcile differing House and Senate bills to tighten benefits or events covered by the insurance.
The budget — The House and Senate could work out a state spending plan quickly once other issues are resolved. Cuts to grocery and income taxes are likely.
3 DAYS TO GO?
Both the S.C. House and Senate are scheduled to reconvene at noon today in a legislative session scheduled to end Thursday. However, lawmakers may have to finish their work in two weeks, when they were scheduled to return to Columbia to consider vetoes by Gov. Mark Sanford.
A $40 million roadblock stands between House and Senate negotiators trying to draft a bill to restructure the state Department of Transportation.
The question of how much money to add to the $1 billion-a-year agency’s budget is central to resolving a legislative stalemate that has held up work on the state budget and other bills and incited acrimony in Columbia.
With just three working days left before the scheduled end of the 2007 session, lawmakers have little time to approve any compromise. And with no deal on Transportation, there might be no deal on a state budget, as well.
House members insist more money is needed for maintenance and construction of roads and bridges. The Senate argued that money should be a one-time addition.
“It’s painfully obvious to me that there’ll be no reform unless there’s money,” said Sen.

http://www.thestate.com/426/story/82328.html


Groups want Columbia to make waves on park plan
With ‘Wildwater’ event coming, advocates lament lag in greenway park project
By JEFF WILKINSON - jwilkinson@thestate.com
C. ALUKA BERRY/CABERRY@THESTATE.COM
Seth Baker, left, and Breanna Hughes, right, cool off in the Saluda River near Riverbanks Zoo Friday as Donnie Rutledge helps 5-year-old Austin Baker into an inner tube. Recreation advocates say more people could enjoy the area safely with the addition of the planned park, including restrooms and a ranger and rescue station.
Three influential regional boards today will urge Columbia City Council to take control of land around Riverbanks Zoo to build a new greenway park along the Saluda River.
Regional tourism leaders are frustrated because construction of the park — considered a centerpiece of the regional greenway — has been stalled for 10 months while the city has been working to get a handle on its finances.
“It’s a shame more attention hasn’t been paid to this,” said Satch Krantz, executive director of Riverbanks Zoo.
By accepting the land from SCE&G and the zoo, the city would take more responsibility for policing the often rowdy crowds at the Mill Race Rapids, especially during an international kayaking event next month.
The land acquisition also would be a first step toward building the Saluda Riverwalk, an estimated $6 million section of the regional Three Rivers Greenway running from I-26 to the Saluda’s confluence with the Broad River.

http://www.thestate.com/154/story/83254.html


S.C. State will not increase tuition
Board chairman says move is ‘honest attempt’ at curbing student costs
By JAMES T. HAMMOND - jhammond@thestate.com
South Carolina State University trustees approved a budget Tuesday that does not increase tuition for the academic year beginning in the fall.
The historically black, state-assisted university in Orangeburg charges annual tuition and required fees of $7,278.
“There are no gimmicks,” board chairman Maurice Washington said. “This is an honest attempt to hold the line on out-of-control tuition increases.”
Two other state-assisted universities have increased tuition this year: The College of Charleston, by 7.5 percent to $7,778; and Francis Marion University, by 7.3 percent to $7,038.
Clemson University’s trustees meet this morning to vote on tuition for next year. So far, Clemson officials have said they expect an increase of less than 10 percent.
The University of South Carolina trustees’ executive committee meets Friday to vote on next fall’s tuition and fees. USC officials have not indicated what they expect next fall’s tuition to be.

http://www.thestate.com/154/story/83353.html


Richland funds schools to the limit
Richland County Council approved the maximum funding for 2007-08 allowed by law for both Richland 1 and Richland 2.
Richland 1 will get $158.9 million in funding, about $1.4 million less than the district requested. Superintendent Allen Coles said the district likely will have to consider budget cuts.
Richland 2 will get $94.8 million, about $2.7 million more than anticipated. It will use the extra funds to increase teachers’ salaries and improve media center collections, board chairwoman Melinda Anderson said.

http://www.thestate.com/154/story/83369.html


Richland panel OKs grants to preserve buildings
The Richland County Conservation Commission has OK’d seven grants totaling $199,268 for the preservation of historically significant buildings:
Harriet Barber House: (1880), Barberville Loop, Hopkins, $37,500
Old Killian School: (1875), 2621 Clemson Road, $14,000
Monteith School: (1890), 6818 N. Main St., $10,000
Pine Grove Rosenwald School: (1923), 937 Piney Woods Road, $37,500
Sesqui Log Cabin: (mid- to late 1700s), Sesquicentennial State Park, $37,500
701 Whaley St.: (1904), $50,000
Slave cabin in Lower Richland: (1830-1852), $12,768

http://www.thestate.com/154/story/83373.html



Fairfield schools have new superintendent
Samantha Ingram began Tuesday as Fairfield County’s superintendent of schools. The school board voted unanimously May 18 to name Ingram to the position. A native of Mobile, Ala., Ingram follows Clarence Willie, who is retiring.

http://www.thestate.com/154/story/83372.html


Jackson School to get additional renovations
The Kershaw County School Board approved $65,000 in extra renovations for Jackson School and six of its mobiles. Two classes and a boys’ bathroom are included in that figure.
The new renovations push the cost of the project from $310,000 to $375,000.
The renovations are intended to keep the school up to date until a new facility can be built, a project that likely is several years away.

http://www.thestate.com/154/story/83375.html


$16 public transit fee on vehicles remains in force
Richland County Council decided Tuesday as it finalized its 2007-08 budget to leave in place a $16-per-vehicle fee for public transit.
The vote was 6-5 to delay consideration of the issue until the fall, when it will have been collected a full year. In its first year, the fee is projected to bring in $4.3 million, roughly $1 million more than needed to pay for the bus system.

http://www.thestate.com/154/story/83370.html



‘She was a good child ... too independent, sometimes’
By ADAM BEAM - abeam@thestate.com
Sara Elizabeth “Beth” Sease was a spunky, stubborn softball player who did what she set her mind to, her mother said Monday.
That’s why the 14-year-old took her sister’s boyfriend’s car after she was told not to early Sunday morning.
Sease died when she lost control of the car and it overturned on Spring Hill Road at about 12:15 a.m. Sunday, according to the Highway Patrol. She was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected.
Sease’s mother, Sara Berry Sease, said there were empty beer cans and beer bottles in the back seat of the car.
“With Beth, I wouldn’t say she wouldn’t drink because she probably would,” Sease said. “I know Beth would not drink and drive because she has lost too many friends to drinking and driving.”

http://www.thestate.com/426/story/82316.html


U.S. Marshals Service arrests wanted man
A man wanted by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department on charges of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature was taken into custody Tuesday by U.S. marshals.
Travis Jamal Lawson, 28, was apprehended in Atlanta by members of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, according to a U.S. Marshals Service release.
Lawson is at Cobb County jail, awaiting extradition proceedings, the release said.
— Lee Higgins

http://www.thestate.com/154/story/83356.html


Deputy on the job again
By ISHMAEL TATE - itate@thestate.com
After a childhood of constant movement in a military family, Richland County Sheriff’s Deputy Jerry Hurd considered himself a pro at adjusting to change.
But Hurd’s life changed forever as he crossed Percival Road on May 26, 2002.
“The next thing I remember, I was facedown on the roadway, and my friend was rubbing my shoulders, waking me up.”
He had been hit by a Buick and badly injured. His back was broken, his spinal cord in shock, and his left leg so mangled it had to be amputated below the knee several days later.
He was paralyzed from the waist down.
For the next two days, Hurd was unconscious. He underwent a series of emergency surgeries, followed by months of rehabilitation.

http://www.thestate.com/156/story/84423.html


Cigarette tax hike prospects snuffed
By JOHN O’CONNOR - joconnor@thestate.com
Efforts to raise South Carolina’s lowest-in-the nation cigarette tax have failed as lawmakers will adjourn today without resolving the issue.
With record state revenues and disagreement on whether to spend the money on health care or tax cuts, lawmakers said there was no reason to raise the tax in the session’s final hours.
The bill made historic progress this year after a seven-year push, with the House approving a 30-cents-per-pack increase and the Senate eyeing a 45-cent increase. The state has not raised its 7-cents-per-pack tax since 1977.
The House plan would tie the state with neighboring Georgia’s levy and put it 2 cents higher than North Carolina’s. The Senate plan would give the state the 40th-highest per-pack tax, 2 cents less than in Delaware and West Virginia.
“Chances are looking slimmer and slimmer, unfortunately,” said Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Richland, who supports raising the tax. “It probably still boils down to that we haven’t reached consensus on how the money will be spent.”

http://www.thestate.com/426/story/84510.html


Budget, tax-cut logjam broken
Negotiators agree on grocery tax cut but remain split on whether income tax breaks will benefit all
By JOHN O’CONNOR - joconnor@thestate.com
State residents can expect $176 million in tax cuts next year, according to a budget agreement between House and Senate negotiators.
The plan includes reducing the state sales tax on groceries to 1 percent on Nov. 1, saving residents $90 million. In addition, lawmakers have agreed to cut income taxes by $86 million — though they have yet to decide which residents would get a larger rebate.
The budget has been uncertain for weeks, as the House held up work while trying to negotiate compromises on Transportation Department reorganization and changes in workers’ compensation rules.
House Ways and Means chairman Dan Cooper, R-Anderson, said the budget would not receive final approval until work was completed on those two bills, on which lawmakers made little progress Tuesday.
“I think we got an agreement based on the outcome of those two bills,” Cooper said. “At least we’ll have the document mostly prepared.”

http://www.thestate.com/426/story/83431.html


More data sought in prison porn investigation
The state attorney general’s office Friday asked for additional information in a pornography probe initiated at the Department of Corrections.
Attorney General Henry McMaster’s office is soliciting the hard drives from computers used by two employees at the department who were under investigation in February.
The office also is seeking reports and evidence gathered by the department surrounding the death of a former security director, George Allan Roof.
In addition, the office wants the reports and records of disciplinary sanctions involving a male lieutenant at Lee Correctional Institution accused of sexual assault by one or more female fellow employees.

http://www.thestate.com/155/story/80013.html


Detective charged in peeping Tom case
The head of Charleston County’s detectives has been arrested after neighbors told police he was on a roof, staring into the bedroom window of an adjoining home, authorities said.
Sheriff’s Capt. Jesse Gene Hammet, 43, was placed on administrative leave after North Charleston police arrested him Friday on two counts of violating the state’s peeping Tom law, Charleston County sheriff’s spokesman Capt. John Clark said.
— The Associated Press

http://www.thestate.com/155/story/83354.html


Ex-teacher sentenced for having sex with student
A former elementary school teacher pleaded guilty Friday to having sex with an 11-year-old student and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, Laurens County prosecutor Jerry Peace said.
Wendie Ann Schweikert, 37, who taught at E.B. Morse Elementary School, was arrested in May 2006 and charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor and committing a lewd act on a minor in Laurens and Greenville counties.
According to state law, Schweikert will have to register as a sex offender. She was taken to jail immediately after her plea Friday.

http://www.thestate.com/155/story/80006.html


Ex-mayor gets prison on counterfeit charges
The former mayor of Lake City was sentenced Friday to five months in prison, followed by house arrest and probation, after he pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of counterfeit currency, the U.S. attorney’s office says.
LaRue Alford, 46, will spend the first six months of his three-year probation in home confinement, U.S. Attorney Reggie Lloyd said.
Federal agents began investigating Alford after a man who gave the mayor counterfeit money started cooperating with authorities.
In recorded conversations, Alford told the informant he wanted to get more fake money to give to his nephew to buy drugs.
— The Associated Press

http://www.thestate.com/155/story/80008.html


Murder plot gets man 440 years in prison
A man found guilty of federal charges associated with conspiring to kill his sister-in-law for life insurance benefits has been sentenced to 440 years in prison.
Darry Wayne Hanna was sentenced Thursday to 20 years on each of the 22 counts against him by U.S. District Judge Terry L. Wooten.
Federal prosecutors said Darry Hanna shot and killed his sister-in-law Teresa Hanna in 2003 at the request of her husband, Davy Hanna. The brothers planned to split the insurance money, prosecutors said.
A state judge threw out murder charges against both men in 2005. Prosecutors then charged the brothers with mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy.
Davy Hanna committed suicide in jail while awaiting trial.
— The Associated Press

http://www.thestate.com/155/story/80010.html


Teen charged in slaying of neighbor, 81
A teen has been charged with murder after his 81-year-old neighbor was stabbed to death in a robbery, Spartanburg County deputies said.
Margaret Goodwin Seay was stabbed in the head, arms and chest after a man came to her home and demanded money, authorities said. Seay called 911 Wednesday morning but later died at a hospital, a police report said.
David Viron Louis Garrett, 17, was arrested Wednesday and charged with murder, armed robbery and burglary, deputies said.
— The Associated Press

http://www.thestate.com/155/story/78896.html


‘It’s time’ for I-73, federal official says
By BRUCE SMITH - The Associated Press
MYRTLE BEACH — U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters stood near a highway snarled with three miles of beach traffic Friday and said an Interstate 73, which could one day link Michigan to South Carolina, was badly needed.
“For too long this project has been stalled in an endless jam of studies, findings and reviews,” Peters said. “It’s time to move forward and move on.”
Some sections of I-73, a proposed 1,100-mile road, have been built. Eventually, plans are for the road to wind from northern Michigan to South Carolina, weaving through Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina.
The interstate will run 90 miles across South Carolina, giving the 14 million tourists who visit the Myrtle Beach area each year their first direct interstate link to the Grand Strand. The area’s beaches are the heart of South Carolina’s $16 billion tourism industry.
“It should take one hour to travel the 65 miles from I-95 to Myrtle Beach. Because of all the traffic, the slower speeds and all the stoplights, it can sometimes take hours to get here,” Peters said. “What one time was a very pleasant drive has turned into a long trial of traffic and frustration.”

http://www.thestate.com/155/story/79948.html



Coastal insurance best fixed by private market
THE COASTAL INSURANCE bill that seems headed to Gov. Mark Sanford’s desk avoids some of the more severe remedies bandied about earlier this year. Instead, the Legislature, at the urging of the governor and his new insurance director, wisely has embraced some prudent measures designed to stimulate the private market for insurance, rather than usurp it with major government intervention.
The insurance crunch on the coast is real. Rates have gone way up — including increases of up to sevenfold for condo owners at the beach. That’s tremendously expensive, but it reflects the broad retrenching in the insurance markets to recognize increased risk. What’s more alarming: Some homeowners were being dumped by their companies and finding themselves unable to get new insurance.
Some remedies, however, could have been worse than the problem they were intended to fix. One knee-jerk reaction was a movement to make the state insurance director an elected post. The reaction by Gov. Sanford, including the appointment of a new director, shows that the current executive appointment model can respond to issues well.
The bill moving through the Legislature includes efforts to prompt a more stable private market for insurance and to attract more underwriters. It would offer tax incentives to make properties more durable to storms. These breaks would apply only to primary residences, not second homes at the beach — a step that correctly focuses relief on those who need it. It also requires companies to give 90 days’ notice before dropping coverage, so customers have time to shop around.

http://www.thestate.com/168/story/83522.html



Really fixing U.S. health care
By PAUL DEMARCO - Guest columnist
Imagine you were involved in a discussion about U.S. public schools when someone said: “Socialized education is ruining this country. Tuition should be provided by businesses to their employees or by the government to the very poor. Otherwise, you make your own way.”
That sounds quite strange. America is committed to a nationwide system of taxpayer-supported public schools. Only the staunchest libertarian would question that commitment. But substitute the word “medicine” for “education” in the quotation and change “tuition” to “health insurance” and you have an accurate description of the state of health care in our country.
Why the difference? Why do we so easily accept the notion of public schools but remain so suspicious of public health care?
In a word, profit. The insurance companies know that they can continue to milk the system for decades more until it finally implodes, and they are not going quietly. They are betting that you will sit idly by and watch our system bled dry by an industry ruled by shareholder profits and outrageous CEO compensation.
In a decade or two, when your middle-class neighbor goes bankrupt from an uncovered illness, change will come. But right now Big Insurance is engaged in the same song and dance that Big Tobacco bedazzled us with for years.

http://www.thestate.com/140/story/82358.html



House overrides autism veto; bill now law
The House easily overrode Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of a bill Thursday extending insurance coverage to children with autism.
The vote was 114-0.
After voting, House members turned toward the balcony and gave families representing children who have the disorder a standing ovation.
Before the vote, Rep. B.R. Skelton, R-Pickens, chastised the governor for striking down the measure.
"He has four healthy children and I don't think he has ever met anybody who didn't have healthy children," Skelton said.
The Senate had previously overrode the veto, also unanimously.
The governor' s office maintains the provision will raise health care costs.

http://thestatecom.typepad.com/ygatoday/2007/06/house_overrides.html


Protester arrested in flag desecration case
By ERIC OLSON - The Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. — A member of the Kansas group that has drawn criticism for protesting at soldiers’ funerals has been arrested for letting her 10-year-old son stomp on a U.S. flag during a demonstration. She promised Wednesday to challenge the state’s flag desecration law in court.
Shirley Phelps-Roper, 49, will be charged with flag mutilation, disturbing the peace and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikov said Wednesday.
Phelps-Roper, a member of the Westboro Baptist Church, acknowledged that she allowed her son Jonah to stand on the flag Tuesday — something she says is protected by the U.S. Constitution.
“It’s utter nonsense,” said Phelps-Roper, a lawyer. “I don’t know what else to tell you other than that we’ll see them in federal court.”
Phelps-Roper is a daughter of Westboro’s founder, the Rev. Fred Phelps. Members have protested at more than 280 military funerals in 43 states since June 2005, she said.

http://www.thestate.com/166/story/84577.html


Transplant team’s plane crashes, killing 6
Patient awaiting lifesaving organ could become accident’s 7th victim
By COREY WILLIAMS and JEFF KAROUB - The Associated Press
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The patient lay on the operating table, prepped for transplant surgery. In the air over Lake Michigan, a twin-engine plane sped his way, carrying a team of surgeons and technicians, along with a donor organ on ice.
The plane never made it, crashing into the lake’s choppy waters and killing all six people aboard Monday.
Now the critically ill patient could become the accident’s seventh fatality.
“It was a very sad moment in the operating room” when word was received that the plane had gone down on its way from Milwaukee, said Dr. Jeffrey Punch, chief of transplant surgery at the University of Michigan Health System hospital in Ann Arbor.
Hospital officials and organ-donation authorities would not identify the transplant patient other than to say he was a man, and would not say what type of organ he was awaiting, citing medical privacy rules. But one of the doctors killed was a cardiac surgeon, suggesting the patient was about to get a new heart or lungs.

http://www.thestate.com/166/story/83388.html


Scientists convert skin cells into embryonic stem cells
By RICK WEISS - The Washington Post
WASHINGTON — Three teams of scientists said Wednesday they had coaxed ordinary mouse skin cells to become what are effectively embryonic stem cells — without creating or destroying embryos in the process. It’s an advance that, if it works with human cells, could revolutionize stem cell research and defuse one of the hottest bioethical controversies of the decade.
In work being published online, the scientists reported two new ways of turning back the biological clocks of skin cells growing in laboratory dishes. Thus rejuvenated, the cells gave rise to daughter cells that were able to become all the parts needed to make a new mouse.
If the process works with human cells, as scientists suspect it will with some modifications, it would mean that a person’s own skin cells could be converted directly into stem cells without having to collect healthy human eggs or destroy human embryos — steps that until now have been required to obtain embryonic stem cells.

http://www.thestate.com/166/story/84425.html


Scientists say Iceman killed by arrow injury
By FRANK JORDANS - The Associated Press
GENEVA — A prehistoric hunter known as Oetzi whose well-preserved body was found on a snow-covered mountain in the Alps died more than 5,000 years ago after being struck in the back by an arrow, scientists said in an article published Wednesday.
Researchers from Switzerland and Italy used newly developed medical scanners to examine the hunter’s frozen corpse to determine that the arrow had torn a hole in an artery beneath his left collarbone, leading to a massive loss of blood.
That, in turn, caused Oetzi to go into shock and suffer a heart attack, according to the article published online in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
Even today, the chances of surviving such an injury long enough to receive hospital treatment are only 40 percent, according to the article.

http://www.thestate.com/166/story/84426.html


Senate probe at Corrections a hopeful sigh
WE DON’T WANT to let the Legislature get out of town without complimenting the Senate’s decision to launch a probe into problems documented and alleged at the Department of Corrections.
Not because we’re convinced that the department is badly run or among the worst run in the state — we don’t know whether the former is true and we seriously doubt that the latter is — but simply because this is one of those all-too-rare instances of our Legislature attempting to perform the oversight function that a legislature is supposed to perform.
As we have frequently noted, and as Sen. Vincent Sheheen recently argued on these pages, empowering the executive branch of government is only half the task our state must accomplish if we are to have a well-functioning government. The other half is turning the Legislature into a branch of government that can serve as an effective check on an empowered executive.

http://www.thestate.com/168/story/84678.html


Affordable housing
NOW THAT cities and counties can create affordable housing trust funds, they should waste no time working to ensure their communities offer adequate shelter for poor and moderate-income families.
As areas such as Columbia and Charleston grow, housing prices continue to climb, making it harder to buy or rent. It’s important that growing cities remain accessible to citizens from all walks of life. The trust funds would provide dedicated funding to help many from the state’s working class — from firefighters to dental assistants to child care workers — stay in those communities.
The new state law allows cities and counties to create and operate funds individually or by region, financing them in various ways including, but not limited to, donations, bond proceeds and grants and loans from a state, federal or private source. The law does not allow new or additional taxes. Local governments would be required to give preference to programs or projects that promote development or rehabilitation of affordable housing for individuals or families with annual incomes below 50 percent of the median income for the local area.

http://www.thestate.com/168/story/80098.html


The New Zealand Herald

G8 leaders agree 'unspecific' greenhouse gas cuts
Page 1 of 2 View as a single page 7:10AM Friday June 08, 2007
By Jeff Mason and Thomas Krumenacker
HEILIGENDAMM, Germany - World leaders agreed today to pursue substantial but unspecified cuts in greenhouse gases and work with the United Nations to clinch a new deal to fight global warming by 2009.
The agreement, sealed at a G8 summit on the Baltic coast, binds the world's largest polluter, the United States, more closely into international efforts to curb the gases scientists say are causing dangerous changes to world weather patterns.
But it does not commit the club of industrialised nations -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States -- to the firm emissions reduction targets that the summit host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, had wanted.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10444312


US Congress votes to expand stem cell research
7:50AM Friday June 08, 2007
By Thomas Ferraro
Photo / Reuters
WASHINGTON - The Democratic-led US Congress defied President George W. Bush today and gave final approval to legislation to roll back his restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research.
But the 247-176 vote by the House of Representatives on the measure already passed by the Senate was short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a promised veto by Bush, who rejected a similar bill last year.
"If this bill were to become law, American taxpayers would for the first time in our history be compelled to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos," Bush said in a statement. "Crossing that line would be a grave mistake."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10444316


Paris Hilton out of jail for 'medical reasons' (+photos)
Page 1 of 2
Updated 7:45AM Friday June 08, 2007
By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES - Hotel heiress Paris Hilton was let out of jail and put under house arrest today after serving three days of a three-week sentence, sparking a debate over whether fame worked for her or against her.
Officials said Hilton, 26, a symbol for many of the privileges and excesses of American celebrity culture, was released from jail for undisclosed medical reasons but was fitted with an electronic ankle bracelet to track her movements and ordered confined to her house for the next 40 days.
During a news conference, Steve Whitmore of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's office declined to reveal the medical issue that led to her "reassignment" or say why she could not be treated in jail.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1501119/story.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10444311


Peacekeeping closer for Darfur
5:00AM Friday June 08, 2007
Washington - The UN and the African Union are close to a deal on fielding 23,000 peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region, but full deployment is not expected until at least next year.
Sudan has still to agree to the "hybrid" UN-AU force, after it refused to have an operation controlled solely by the UN. Top UN and AU officials approved a revised plan, which the AU's Peace and Security Committee and the UN Security Council are expected to endorse.
Should Sudan delay approval, the US and Britain want to push for sanctions, including a no-fly zone over Darfur to help put an end to fighting that has uprooted more than two million people. Experts estimate 200,000 people have died.
In Heligendamm, Germany, US President George W. Bush said on the first day of a summit of the Group of Eight industrial nations: "I want to see people helping Darfur by joining us and sending clearer and stronger messages to President [Omar] Bashir of Sudan."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10444291


Lightning knocks out Giuliani's microphone
5:00AM Friday June 08, 2007
Rudolph Giuliani at St Anselm College, New Hampshire. Photo / Reuters
New Hampshire - As a sign from the Almighty, it could not been clearer: God does not like Rudy.
During a debate among Republican candidates at a small Catholic university college here, "America's mayor", as Rudy Giuliani now calls himself, was setting out his position on abortion. A bishop had compared his stance on abortion to Pontius Pilate's position on the crucifixion of Jesus: personally opposed to it but willing to allow it happen.
Giuliani was in mid-flow when a bolt of lightning struck the debating hall and knocked out his microphone. The sound returned, only for more lightning to bring the proceedings to a brief halt.
For religious conservatives, it may well be the sign they were hoping for.
- INDEPENDENT

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10444293


Dropped gun charge not a go-ahead to take up arms - police
5:00AM Friday June 08, 2007
By David Eames
Greg Carvell and his wife Nicola after his case was thrown out in the Auckland District Court yesterday. Photo / Dean Purcell
The dismissal of charges against an Auckland gun-shop owner who opened fire on a machete-wielding robber is not an invitation to other shopkeepers to take up arms against intruders, police warn.
"There will be people who take from [yesterday's] decision the message that it's okay to arm yourself against the possibility of attack," spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty said yesterday.
"The dismissal of the charges should not be seen to carry the message that people in business, or anywhere, should have weapons at the ready for self-defence."
Her comments come after two justices of the peace threw out a charge of illegal possession of a pistol against Auckland gunstore owner Greg Carvell, ruling the Crown failed to prove a prima facie case.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10444307



Team NZ riding the wave
5:00AM Friday June 08, 2007
By Julie Ash
The partying lasted until 6am in the Team New Zealand headquarters when the last of the jubilant crew staggered back to their hotel, their grins as wide as the winning margin in the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Around 300 people made up of crew, their families and guests, including the Minister for the America's Cup Trevor Mallard, celebrated the win New Zealand-style with a vast barbecue, a bouncy castle for the kids and copious quantities of beer and wine.
Even members of the defeated Luna Rossa team swallowed their pride and left their own post-match party to join the Kiwi celebrations as a band formed from Team NZ crew members belted out homegrown pop favourites by The Exponents and Dave Dobbyn.
"It was quite a big night and fair enough frankly," said Grant Dalton.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10444309


Hubbard already planning revamp for hosting America's Cup
Page 1 of 2 View as a single page 5:00AM Friday June 08, 2007
By Stuart Dye
The America's Cup final doesn't start in Spain for two weeks yet - but planning is already under way for Auckland to host the next series.
Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard said last night that a marine events precinct would be needed to capitalise on the chance for Auckland to "secure its place on the international marine events calendar".
Many Kiwis were bleary-eyed yesterday after watching Emirates Team New Zealand's last race in their 5-0 demolition of Italian syndicate Luna Rossa. Others were still celebrating after waking up to the news that Team NZ had claimed the Louis Vuitton Cup and won the right to a rematch against America's Cup holders Alinghi.
And while the nation crosses its fingers for the cup series beginning on the morning (NZ time) of Sunday, June 24, provision is already being made for a defence of the cup in 2010.
Judith Bassett, chairwoman of Auckland Regional Holdings, said the existing America's Cup bases from 2003 would be made available again.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10444306


Dolphin sanctuary proposed
New 8:00AM Friday June 08, 2007
A marine mammal sanctuary is New Zealand's last chance of saving Maui's dolphin from extinction, Forest and Bird said yesterday as it announced a proposal for a sanctuary off the north-west coast of the North Island.
The dolphin, the North Island sub-species of Hector's dolphin, is listed as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union, and just 111 remain. The sanctuary would be set up along the northwest coast of the North Island, from Maunganui Bluff near Dargaville in the north to Cape Egmont, Taranaki, in the south, including the inner harbours and estuaries.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10444286


Sedition trial for Tongan legislators
New 7:00AM Friday June 08, 2007
Five Tongan legislators will stand trial on sedition charges for their alleged role in a riot last year that left eight dead and destroyed much of the centre of the capital.
After a preliminary hearing, a police magistrate ruled that the MPs should be tried in the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court. The five have been campaigning for the Government to speed up political reforms.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10444284


Bicycle helmets recalled
5:00AM Friday June 08, 2007
The Warehouse has recalled one of its stocked bicycle helmets, saying there is a risk the polystyrene inner may detach from the plastic shell.
It wants all customers who bought a Hud bicycle helmet in the last year to return it to their nearest Warehouse store. Customers will receive a full refund or replacement helmet.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10444282


It's just money down the drain
Page 1 of 2 View as a single page 5:00AM Friday June 08, 2007
By Bernard Orsman
The leaking fire hydrant site in Penrose which has been left unfixed by Metrowater for weeks. Photo / Kenny Rodger
Ratepayers' money is pouring down the drain in Penrose because Metrowater has not responded to repeated calls to fix a big leak.
"It's like a river running down the street. Swimming pools, Olympic-sized swimming pools of water being wasted," builder Sam Finnie said.
Mr Finnie and factory project manager Wayne Prendergast have contacted the Auckland City Council-owned water business three times since May 11 about the leak in Autumn Place. Four weeks later, water is still spilling from the broken hydrant.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10444255


Scramble to keep babies safe after torrent floods hospital
Page 1 of 2 View as a single page 5:00AM Friday June 08, 2007
By Beck Vass
Patients and staff had to wait outside after the break in the water pipe flooded the hospital. Photo / Martin Sykes
North Shore Hospital staff scrambled to get portable heaters to a baby unit yesterday as they dealt with a flood.
The torrent of water from a broken pipe cut heating to the building and threatened medical equipment worth millions of dollars.
Staff and patients were evacuated and ambulances were diverted to Waitakere and Auckland City Hospitals.
A valve on a large heating and hot water pipe burst, sending water through the emergency care, radiation and outpatient areas from 8.20am.
Equipment was being tested last night, and the extent of any damage and how much it will cost to repair had not been assessed.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10444294


Crippled US windsurfer determined to battle on
5:00AM Friday June 08, 2007
Bruce Kendall
A former top American windsurfer who suffered debilitating long-term injuries after a water collision involving Olympic champion Bruce Kendall says what caused the accident needs to be determined before she will accept a settlement.
Kimberly Birkenfeld now uses a wheelchair after the accident in August 2002 when her windsurfer and a boat being driven by Kendall collided in waters off Greece.
Birkenfeld originally sought US$15 million ($19.86 million) in damages from Yachting New Zealand (YNZ) and Kendall, her former coach.
However, YNZ and Kendall won orders limiting the amount of funds payable to about $500,000, which was upheld by the High Court and the Supreme Court after Birkenfeld appealed.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10444290


Maori remains handed over
5:00AM Thursday June 07, 2007
The remains of 11 Maori and Moriori are returning to New Zealand today after a handover ceremony in Hobart, Tasmania.
The ancestral bones were donated to the Royal Society of Tasmania by individual collectors and amateur scientists between 1848 and 1879.
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery indigenous collections curator (repatriation) Zoe Rimmer said the skeletons were never put on display.
Te Awanuiarangi Black and Susan Forbes, from Te Papa, collected the remains yesterday. They said it was the end of a long and painful chapter.
Ms Forbes said the remains known as "koiwi tangata" were mostly Maori but three were Moriori from the Chatham Islands.
Members of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre attended the ceremony, where Mr Black paid respects to his people in Maori.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=252&objectid=10444078


Bishop wages war for Maori vets
5:00AM Tuesday June 05, 2007
Archbishop Whakahuihui Vercoe of Rotorua has made a claim - reportedly for $170 million - to the Waitangi Tribunal backing Maori Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange.
Wairoa lawyer Paul Harman lodged the claim with the tribunal in Wellington on behalf of the archbishop, who served as a chaplain in Vietnam in 1968, and the Vietnam Veterans Action Group, representing about 2000 Maori Vietnam veterans and their families.
Archbishop Vercoe is the former head of the Anglican Church in NZ.
Speaking on behalf of Archbishop Vercoe, who is ill, the Rev Tom Poata said while the Anglican prelate had developed a close relationship with all soldiers, the only way forward he could see for veterans was for a claim to be made through the tribunal.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=252&objectid=10443625

continued...

Islamic Democracy is an oxymoron

This is a map of the (those underlined) Holy Cities of Shia Islam (click here). The focus of 'democracy' in The Middle East has to surround Human Rights. As a form of government it is not a viable option.

The fact that Bush/Cheney even conceived of such a concept is proof enough of their illegitimate and incompetent strategy for the Middle East.

The article in The New York Times today raises the issue to a legitmate conversation about what 'type' of government actually works with half the world's population, namely Muslim, and how does The West interface with it.

"...The consensus among democracy advocates, diplomats and citizens interviewed around the Middle East is that the reverse is true. Elections, it appears, have increasingly become a tool used by authoritarian leaders to claim legitimacy...."

Certainly, the 'idea' of warring with Islam is the worst concept in reducing extremism such as noted with The Taliban and it's affiliation with al Qaeda. Confronting Islam with violence only begets more of it. It is why a 'pluralistic' society in Iraq, Iran or otherwise won't work. Won't work today or any other century to come.

Recognize this. "The Hem of the Skirt/Robe/Shadow They Cast." If Christians find themselves 'giddy' about that concept, realize that Roman Catholics worship The Pope and on a regular basis seek to 'kiss his ring' or 'touch his garment.' That is the same concept in Islam. The 'holy men;' the mufties, the clerics, the Imams, the Ayatollahs in the case of the Shia are all authorities and worshipped as deity no different than The Pope is worshipped as a diety. The holders of the 'faith' the 'wisdom' of the 'everlasting truth' to the religion.

Now, extrapolate that into political factions and what do you have? You have a people enthralled with their faith over and above anything their government can do. That is why elected officials without a 'familial' connection to Mohammad are viewed as disposable. If elected and unable to 'deliver' governing based in Islamic 'fundamentalism (if there is such a thing)' then the leaders are considered a corruption to the people. They are then assassinated. It happens in Iraq chronically because the government is viewed as a 'quasi-Bush regime' rather than an inspired 'branch' of religious pretext.

I have once before done an expose' on the difference between Shia and Sunni and why the two could never co-exist as is demanded by Bush in preserving Iraq as a sovereign authority. I have explained the injustice of the Shia by The West in favoring the Sunnis and nearly annhilating their lineage to Mohammad. The 'prejudice' of The West of 'The Ayatollah' has given Sunnis 'the idea' that killing off the Shia, including Hezbollah, is the right and just thing. It isn't difficult to 'push' Sunni Islamists into destroying other factions of faith as they believe they are the 'ones' most correct. It is why the Shia have been so radicalized and why The Grand Ayatallah al Sistani is such a rarity in Islam and a very important figure. To match him with a Sunni equivalent it would have to be the Jordanian King, as both believe in peace over confrontation and are moderates when it comes to their political views; separating those political views from religious views. In Jordan and in the opinion of The Grand Ayatollah al Sistani, the world of Islam has to find a 'peace' with a greater world different than them. Definitively, they identifiy 'peace' and not 'domination.'

The King of Jordan has lectured about the 'diffuseness' of Islam and the allowance of different 'ideology' within the faith and how that needs to be contained in order to contain the violence. The King of Jordan does not recognize violence as a legitimate form of belief and has demonstrated that over and over and especially since the bombings of Amman, a city of over a half million people. The Jordanian King has a strong lineage that can be traced to Mohammad. That lineage is very powerful in The Middle East. His protectionism of his people is a strong indication to 'the will of Allah.' King Abdullah is a good and decent man, with a father that found approaching 'The West' in benevolence a better path for his people. A path that brings Jordan a better quality of life. The extremists would argue 'that quality of life' is a corruption of 'the faith' but with King Abdullah being of such a strong lineage to Mohammad it is easily argued differently and extremism more easily viewed as an 'abberation' of the faith rather than a central belief.

Elections in these countries need to be somewhat limited to parliamentary elections, such as that which Iran has. The parliaments 'give voice' to the desire and needs of the people. The leaders of these nations of people seek 'the voice' of their people to guide their decisions. It is the only place a democratic concept can be implimented with success and mostly unquestionable authority. The Parliament is not the decision maker as in the USA Constitution, which is SUPPOSED to have a strong legislature as the dominating policy maker of 'the people.' The Parliaments of Islam are more an advocacy role and not a 'law making' role. The rules they pass are viewed as 'the need and will' of the people of Allah but not the ultimate authority. The ultimate authority is always Allah and to that end is where violence dominates the process. When government 'strays' from Islamic principle that is where members of 'the faith,' whom could be anyone find their legitimacy in violence.

In Iraq. The government has been 'instilled' primarily by 'exiles,' the folks that spoke English and what Bush and Cheney, the power brokers, wanted to hear. The people of Iraq were completely ignorant to the 'concept' of democracy although familiar with elections. They elected parliments which answered to Saddam Hussein, their dictator. So, to attempt to 'teach' the people of Iraq about democracy as dictated by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Madison, Monroe and Adams and all the other non-Islamic white guys takes a whole lot of time realizing the 'audience' to the instruction is listening with 'ears for Allah' and not 'the right to individual freedom' from The Burger Court. I understand that violence and why it is never ending. It will be never ending until the USA leaves Islam. Iraq. Iraq is 'the heart' of Islam along with Mecca. And. Right now. The Shia feel they are under seige. I am not certain they are not. Hence, the 'rise' of Iran.

We don't belong in Iraq.

We never did.

Oppose the draft.

Troops home now.

Don't say I never warned anyone. This is the Arctic Supercell meeting the Equatorial Heat Transfer System. Not a pretty picture. 12 hour loop.

June 7, 2007

0130z

Enhanced Infrared Satellite of the USA

These are the two air masses and they are on a collision coarse.

June 6, 2007

0130z

Enhanced Infrared satellite of southeast USA.

12 hour loop at title

June 7, 2007

0017 gmt

Tropical Atlantic Satellite

There is too much heat in the Gulf of Mexico for there to be only a minor storm. The Supercell over the middle of North America is pulling huge amounts of frigid air from the Arctic Circle. Combine that with the heat of the equator and there will be another significant tropical storm. Even the air masse of Africa looks threatening. Welcome to the summer of 2007. Everyone take cover !

Here comes trouble (12 hour loop)

June 6, 2007

2230z

Water vapor satellite of north and west hemisphere.

Besides the supercell which is and will reek havoc over the center of the continent, the Gulf and near shore southeast USA will be seeing severe weather if not another hurricane. The entire Gulf Coast should be on a watch for quickly flaring tropical storms.

Toddler cheetahs debut at zoo

Three two-year old cheetahs debuted at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. flaunting their polka-dotted coats for zoo-goers to see, May 31, 2007. The three two-year old cheetahs were transferred from White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee, Fla., to be a part of the National Zoo's participation in the nation's cheetah breeding program.

Mesozoic dinosaurs

When most people (and that includes palaeontologists and dinosaur specialists) think of Brachiosaurus, they think of the east African taxon B. brancai, named by Werner Janensch in 1914. But they shouldn't: the 'real' Brachiosaurus is B. altithorax from the Morrison Formation of Colorado [later reported from Utah, Wyoming and Oklahoma], named by Elmer Riggs in 1903. The two species are actually quite different, leading Greg Paul to coin a new name - Giraffatitan - for the African taxon. This photo, kindly provided by Dr Matt Wedel (aka Dr Vector), shows the mounted B. altithorax skeleton that stands outside The Field Museum in Chicago. The little chap on the left is brachiosaurophile Mike P. Taylor. Mike's stuff on brachiosaurs, phylogenetic nomenclature and what-not can be downloaded from his website.

Morning Papers - continued ...

Greening The Bronx: Historic Renovation of Zoo’s Lion House Seeks LEED Gold
Posted on May 2nd, 2007 in New York City, LEED, The Bronx by Stephen
If you haven’t been paying much attention to The Bronx lately (and after the Yankees’ miserable April, I wouldn’t blame you), there’s quite a bit of sustainable construction taking place throughout the borough that’s definitely worth your while.
I’ve written here before about Via Verde, winner of the New Housing New York Legacy Project’s first design competition, which will seek a LEED Gold rating. The Bronx Library Center became the first publicly-funded building in the City to receive LEED certification when it earned Silver back in January, and Majora Carter and her Sustainable South Bronx organization continue to do great work in a variety of capacities across the borough. (There’s still no word on what, if any, sustainable design elements we’ll see at new Yankee Stadium, which is rapidly rising out of the ground across the street from the old ballpark.)
The Bronx Zoo is also catching up to the rest of the borough with a restoration project designed by FXFOWLE. Its Beaux-Arts Lion House building (which has been closed to the public since the Zoo moved the lions outdoors nearly twenty years ago, image above via NY Times), is being converted into an exhibition on the island of Madagascar. The project is part of a larger renovation of the Zoo’s Astor Court, and FXFOWLE hopes to earn LEED Gold for its efforts. The renovation itself is scheduled for completion this summer, while the exhibition itself won’t open until next year (and it sounds like it’ll be worth the wait, especially if you’re into thirteen foot long crocodiles).

http://www.greenbuildingsnyc.com/?p=185



Global warming puts the heat on Costa Rica's frogs
5:00AM Thursday May 24, 2007
By John McPhaul
SAN JOSE - Global warming is the top suspect for the disappearance of 17 amphibian species from Costa Rican jungles, scientists said yesterday, warning that monkey and reptile populations were also plummeting.
Five of the amphibian species were found only in Costa Rica, meaning their disappearance from the country's jungles spells extinction, said Alvaro Herrero, a biologist with Costa Rica's National Biodiversity Institute.
Among the now-extinct species is the golden toad, named for its shimmering yellow colour, and two varieties of harlequin frog, identified by their black and green stripes.
Herrero said scientists had yet to identify a precise mechanism for the disappearance of the amphibians, which began decades ago, but a prime suspect was a fatal fungus that has invaded their habitats.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10441455&ref=emailfriend



Miller Park Zoo plans to 'candle' eagle egg soon
By Scott Richardson
BLOOMINGTON -- Zoo workers may take a closer look at an eagle egg at Miller Park Zoo if an eaglet doesn't hatch before Friday, zoo director John Tobias said Tuesday. New video Eagle cam Eagle watch
Tobias said he may “candle” the egg, a process in which light is shined through the shell to see what’s inside. Closer examination also will reveal if an eaglet tried to break out. Birds sometimes fail to escape the shell and die, he said.
“It’s time to take a closer look,” Tobias said. “One way or the other we have to resolve this.”
“They are both staying really protective. I haven’t given up hope,” added Susie Ohley, the zoo’s marketing coordinator.
Beauty, the zoo’s mature female eagle, and her companion male, Mathata, continue to take turns incubating the last remaining egg of two Beauty laid in a four-day period in early May. The eggs were the first Beauty laid in her 13 years at the zoo.

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/06/06/news/doc4665bfceb35e5961169799.txt


Zoo staff distraught as neighbour forces peacock cull
A zoo has been forced to destroy seven peacocks after a neighbour complained about the noise they made.
The birds were part of the Paignton Zoo’s flock of 100 peacocks, which are allowed to roam free in the grounds.
The seven birds that were killed had taken up residence on the edge of the zoo and occasionally strayed into neighbours’ gardens. They had made their roost beneath a large ash tree in the zoo’s grounds, which has also been cut down to stop others congregating there.
Staff at the zoo in Devon are deeply upset by the cull, which they say was forced on them after one neighbour made repeated complaints to Torbay Council.
Although some local people were pleased to see the birds, others complained that they were damaging their gardens and leaving mess everywhere.
Simon Tonge, the executive director of Paignton Zoo, said: “This is a nightmare for us. It has upset a lot of people and especially me, as I am in the business of keeping birds alive. I can understand people being upset when the birds are right under their windows. We tried moving the peacocks to the other side of the zoo, but they just made their way back.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1890188.ece


Stolen macaws back home in Wichita zoo (video)
9:22 p.m. Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Mac and Cheese are back.
The Sedgwick County Zoo welcomed home their beloved macaws who have been missing since April.
Police received a tip last Friday that led them to the birds.
Now they're putting together a criminal case against the alleged bird-nappers.
Although Mac and Cheese have missed their home in the zoo's jungle, officials say they look healthy.
"Thank you very much to the community for all of your efforts. Everyone out there has been keeping an ear out and an eye out for these birds."
Zoo visitors are excited that the birds back home, but it will be at least a month before Mac and Cheese make a public appearance.
Visit the Sedgwick County Zoo online at www.scz.org.

http://www.49abcnews.com/news/2007/jun/05/stolen_macaws_back_home_wichita_zoo/



Zoo project sparks development debate
By Amanda Iacone
The Journal Gazette
The Allen County commissioners debated with the County Council on Tuesday about how the county prioritizes spending on economic development issues.
The commissioners met with the council to discuss their budget requests for 2008. The commissioners handle an operating budget, plus the budgets for county economic development income tax money and the cumulative capital fund.
The commissioners divide ever-declining CEDIT money between the highway department and economic development projects. Some of that money is directed to groups like the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Alliance.
The council questioned how the commissioners prioritize how that economic development money is spent and what benchmarks determine whether that money actually creates jobs or increases wages.
Councilman Cal Miller, R- 4th, asked which projects would be affected or delayed if the council were to give $500,000 to help with the African Journey construction project at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/17329168.htm



Zoo slated for lion's share of funding
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
By Andy Sher
Nashville Bureau
NASHVILLE -- The Hamilton County legislative delegation agreed Tuesday to divide a $750,000 grant contained in a Bredesen administration budget amendment between the Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park and the Tennessee Aquarium.
Lawmakers said they will recommend to Finance Commissioner Dave Goetz that the zoo get 70 percent or $525,000 of the grant and the aquarium get 30 percent or $225,000.
That action would reverse a recommendation that Tennessee Aquarium President Charlie Arant made in a May 31 e-mail, according to a copy of the e-mail provided by a delegation member.
Mr. Goetz had asked the delegation to decide quickly how the split was to be made.
"Whatever they want," Mr. Goetz said when told of the apportionment made by the delegation.
E-mail Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com

http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/breaking.aspx?articleid=16333&zoneid=41



Sita, the tigress struggles in Orissa zoo
New Delhi: In the Nandankana Zoo in Orissa a tigress is struggling to survive after she was shot by poachers more than two months back.
Sita (as she is known in the Zoo) is rapidly deteriorating. Now the Nandankana authorities made an appeal to veterinarians in the hope that an expert can save the tigress.
Sita who has been in agony ever since, is admitted in the Nandankanan Veterinary Hospital. For the seven-year-old, the hospital is now her home as she has been here since the last two months.
The Royal Bengal tigress had suffered eleven gunshots and one bullet is still stuck in her body.
Though the best vets in the state are treating her, it cannot be ascertained whether she would survive.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/sita-the-tigress-struggles-in-orissa-zoo/42325-3.html



Bioparco, or Rome Zoo
Posted by MaxReger
31 May 2007
Rome's zoo is being gradually improved and has been renamed the Bioparco. A greater emphasis is now being placed on its ecological and environmental credentials. I visited it on a Wednesday afternoon. Apart from three Russians who asked me for directions to the exit, I was the only visitor. I think the animals were glad to see me. If you like wolves there are lots here. Very wolfish and sleek. Apart from its intrinsic merits, it's one of the few places in Rome where you can get away from the crowds.

http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12994



Rare Rhino Dies At San Diego Zoo
San Diego, CA -- A rare northern white rhinoceros died Wednesday at the San Diego Zoo, dwindling the critically endangered species' population to as few as 13 worldwide, zoo officials said.
Nadi was one of three northern white rhinos at the zoo's Wild Animal Park. No cause of death was given, but the female rhino had shown signs of old age, the zoo said in a statement.
Nadi, believed to be more than 40 years old, was brought from Africa in 1972 and was part of a group maintained at the Dv Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic.
She and another female rhino named Nola came to the Wild Animal Park in San Diego in 1989 as part of an effort to breed the species.

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=46750



Groups working to make city parks, zoo smoke-free
By DENISE HOEPFNER
The Lufkin Daily News
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Imagine spending quality time with the kids at the park or the zoo. Blue skies, sunshine and the sound of children laughing are probably prominent in that scenario. Clouds of cigarette smoke drifting by while you try to eat your picnic lunch? Not so much.
The Minors and Tobacco Coalition of Deep East Texas, a program of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council, on Thursday morning hosted a family fun event to "bring awareness that our parks and the zoo are not smoke-free zones," said Kim Simmons, ADAC intervention coordinator.

http://www.lufkindailynews.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/06/01/city/no_tobacco_day.html


Cheetah Brothers to Make Debut at National Zoo
Associated Press
Thursday, May 31, 2007; 9:18 PM
Three cheetahs named after characters in the Harry Potter books will make their public debut tomorrow at the National Zoo.
Two-year-old brothers Draco, Granger and Zabini arrived at the zoo last month from the White Oak Conservation Center in Florida. They were brought to D.C. to help bolster the zoo's participation in the nation's cheetah breeding program.
The cheetahs spent their first 30 days in the National Zoo's quarantine facility, where veterinarians and animal-care staff evaluated their health.
The zoo, which has studied cheetah breeding for more 25 years, plans to use a combination of natural and artificial methods to breed the animals.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/31/AR2007053102211.html



More animals, attractions still needed
Zoo’s new features help boost its appeal
The simple, positive fact about the Kansas City Zoo: It is — finally — making some much-needed improvements.
Although critics still have valid complaints, the zoo is on pace to attract the most visitors since 2001. Major projects planned in the next few years could further enhance its future.
People who attend tonight’s Jazzoo fundraiser, as well as families who will visit during the rest of the summer, will see plenty to like.
The zoo is cleaner than it has been in years. The pedestrian shortcut to the African exhibits is a real time-saver, especially for parents pushing strollers. The new carousel near the entrance is a colorful addition.
In recent months the zoo has added animals, including three young, active cheetahs that were entertaining visitors on a recent sunny day. Old favorites continue to please crowds, including kangaroos that calmly stand face to face with people who are just a few feet away.
It has taken zoo Director Randy Wisthoff and supporters much longer than hoped to secure private funds for major additions to the facility. But some impressive projects are in the works. The focus is to take care of a longtime lament of zoo visitors — the lack of animals near the zoo’s entrance.
The project that will capture the most attention is a new polar bear exhibit. The long-awaited attraction, financed by bond dollars approved by voters, is expected to be ready by 2009. Adding ever-popular penguins, at a privately financed exhibit, would make sense, too.
Officials plan to make it easier to get into the zoo by using private funds for a $10 million makeover of the main entrance.
With its expanses, the zoo is still a long, often-hot walk for some visitors who complain about the lack of animals along the way.
But the improvements should help reduce those criticisms and transform the zoo into a much more enjoyable Kansas City attraction.

http://www.kansascity.com/340/story/131239.html



Zoo promotes six in restructuring
St. Louis Business Journal - May 31, 2007
The Saint Louis Zoo's president and CEO, Jeffrey Bonner, announced Wednesday that several executives were promoted in a recent restructuring of responsibilities.
The Saint Louis Zoo named R. Eric Miller as senior vice president and director of zoological operations at the St. Louis Zoo. He joined the Zoo in 1981 and was named director of animal health and conservation in 1993. In his new post, Miller oversees animal health, education, conservation and research.
Jack Grisham has been named the Zoo's vice president of animal collections. Starting at the Zoo in the late 1960s, he rose to assistant curator of mammals before moving to the Oklahoma City Zoo as director of animal management in 1986, then to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. in 2003 as associate curator. He returned to the Saint Louis Zoo last fall as director of animal collections.
Wyndel Hill was named vice president of internal relations at the Saint Louis Zoo overseeing human resources, training, volunteer services, security, internal communications and visitor services there. He joined the Zoo in 1991 as director of human resources.

http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2007/05/28/daily45.html?jst=b_ln_hl



Tropical waterfall for city zoo
A new chimpanzee enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo is to be fitted with a tropical forest, waterfalls and exotic plants.
Water features will be created around the centre while inside will be transformed to recreate the chimps' native habitat.
Work on the Budongo Life Science Centre will start later this year, subject to planning permission.
The new centre is being built as the first part of a 20-year masterplan for the site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4850658.stm



Zoo's falcon leaves the nest; public asked to help find her
By Brian Alexander
Seattle Times staff reporter
Layla, a 9-year-old Peregrine Falcon flew out of the Woodland Park Zoo.
There's something missing at Woodland Park Zoo, but it probably won't show up in the lost and found.
Zookeepers are looking for their 9-year-old peregrine falcon, Layla, who flew the coop Thursday afternoon while being exercised.
She was last spotted by Greenlake residents, said zoo spokeswoman Gigi Allianic.
"We fly the birds, and they usually return, but she decided to take off, " Allianic said. "She doesn't have a history of going far."
It's not the first time Layla has spread her wings to explore Seattle, Allianic said. Once she was found in the University District.
The zoo is asking people who see the 16- to 18-inch-tall, grey-and-white bird to call the zoo at 206-684-4838. Layla is wearing a radio transmitter, and zookeepers will be out at 5 a.m. Friday trying to locate her.
One of the biggest concerns is making sure Layla gets fed, Allianic said.
"She's captive-bred so she's not trained to hunt," she said.
Zoo personnel plan to use food to lure the bird once they find her.
Peregrine falcons are the fastest birds in the world, Allianic said. They can dive at near 200 mph, she said.
Brian Alexander: 206-464-2026 or balexander@seattletimes.com

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003730512_webfalcon31m.html



Zoo Welcomes New Red Panda
By Herald Staff
Published 06/1/2007
Zoo Welcomes New Red Panda
SWAINTON: (Fri. 6.1) Cape May County Zoo has added a new male red panda to its collection at the 85-acre facility. The new addition is 1-year old Tate acquired from the Knoxville Zoo. Tate will become a permanent fixture at the zoo unlike female siblings, Cyanne and Curry who are just visiting.
The red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) at the zoo are found along the walkway in the African Savanna.
They are from the temperate forests of the Himalayas and some high mountain areas of China and Myanmar (Burma).
There are fewer than 2,500 adult red pandas and they are considered endangered because of habitat loss.
Cyanne and Curry will remain at the Cape May County Zoo until this fall when they will be sent to other facilities as part of the Panda Species Survival Plan’s breeding program.
Cape May County is hoping to bring another female red panda to the zoo soon – a mate for Tate. The mission of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium's Species Survival Plan Program is to help ensure the survival of selected wildlife species.
The zoo at 707 Route 9 North is free and open, weather permitting, 364 days a year – closed on Christmas.

http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/articles/3692/1/Zoo-Welcomes-New-Red-Panda



Post-Knut Doings Around Zoo Berlin
Who's German, beloved by millions, appears only in white from head to toe and is difficult to get an audience with? If you guessed Pope Benedict XVI you'll be forgiven, but in Berlin that could only describe the cuter than cute polar bear cub Knut. His "victory against all odds" story (only surviving cub of two, rejected by mother, hand-raised by keeper to the consternation of cruel and heartless animal activists) has only added to his attraction, and the crowds have been rushing Zoo Berlin to get a look at him. This isn't as easy as it seems -- his small size, innumerable adoring fans, and busy schedule (photo shoots with Annie Leibowitz for Vanity Fair, discussions with his security team regarding recent death threats, and meetings with his agents over high-dollar licensing deals) leave Knut only available to fans for two hours per day, and the wait to see the lil' fella can take up the entire afternoon. Thankfully, there are numerous ways to spend the remains of the day in the surrounding neighborhood.

http://gridskipper.com/travel/berlin/post+knut-doings-around-zoo-berlin-256692.php



New Accra zoo requires ¢44bn - Minister
Over 44. 8 billion cedis would be required to put up a new zoo for Accra,including stocking it with exhibits.
The process for the development of a new zoo in the Achimota forests has begun and terms of reference for the design of the zoo, including design standards and guidelines, have been prepared with the pre-contract phase estimated at 6,985,000,000 billion cedis, Prof.Dominic Fobih, Minster of Lands, Forestry and Mines has said.
He said these in response to a question on preparations made to enable Kumasi Zoo to receive animals from Accra Zoo and arrangements to construct a new zoo for the capital.

http://www.myjoyonline.com/archives/news/200706/5258.asp



Cranbeary Back On Exhibit At The Memphis Zoo
Last Update: Jun 1, 2007 8:25 PM
Posted By: Travis Bard
Polar Bear Cranbeary has returned to her home in the Memphis Zoo's Northwest Passage exhibit. Starting Friday, June 1, Zoo visitors can see her from 10:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily.
The 5-year-old female polar bear broke her leg in February and spent a few months recovering in the Zoo's on-site hospital. Cranbeary broke the femur in her left, rear leg after a 14-foot fall into the exhibit's dry moat.
Changes have since been made to the polar bear exhibit. Nearly three feet of pea gravel has been added to the bottom of the dry moat to form a cushion, and a wooden curb has been installed to prevent the polar bears from going to the edge.
To date, more than 300 get-well cards and 650 e-mails have been sent to Cranbeary and her keepers. All of which had been displayed in the Zoo's lobby since the incident.
Cranbeary came to Memphis from the Denver Zoo in early 2006. The trio of polar bears is the centerpiece of the Memphis Zoo's Northwest Passage exhibit.

http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=763d27b5-4402-4f78-a03f-d1a35e57e889



Marwell zoo offer is now even better
GENEROUS bosses at Marwell Zoo have extended a cut-price entry offer to mark its 35th birthday following an overwhelming response.
And staff have urged as many people as possible wanting to visit the popular attraction to avoid this Sunday. The promotion, run in the Daily Echo, will admit adults for just 40p and children for 25p - the prices when the park opened in 1972.
So many people have applied for the specially-priced tickets, originally only valid for this Sunday, that the tickets will now be valid until December 31, 2007.
Marwell is appealing to visitors not to turn up this Sunday if they can make it another day, as it is anticipating huge queues to get into the Colden Common attraction. Staff have urged visitors who decide they will come and not wait to use their tickets on a later date - including the main summer school holidays - to consider using public tranpsort.

http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/hampshirenews/display.var.1442893.0.marwell_zoo_offer_is_now_even_better.php



Tortoises inspire imaginative merriment on a Glitterville field trip to the zoo!
By: Matt Mullins, BPJ
Date created: 6/1/2007 4:58:19 PM
Last updated: 6/1/2007 5:01:57 PM
Its summer and time for some warm weather adventures. This week we're heading to the zoo to encounter the best beasts Mother Nature has to offer.
The elephants were our first stop and they a remarkable animal. I would all the glitter at AC Moore and lots more to cover one of those things.
Further along our trek through the wild kingdom we're lucky enough to spot snow leopards and white tigers along with some wrestling lion cubs. They were all really cute but they all looked a little hungry too.
The zoo we visited has some wonderful enclosures including prairie dogs and penguins. Don't worry though; these two sets of critters were separated.
At the end of our journey through the zoo we found the animals we were looking for, Giant Aldabra Tortoises.
Tex and Al weigh between 300 and 500 pounds and are between 80 and 130 years old, that's a lot of birthday cakes!

http://www.wbir.com/life/programming/local/style/story.aspx?storyid=45846



Sea Lions Return To NYC
On Friday, Mayor Bloomberg was on hand to welcome back several sea lions to their home at the Bronx Zoo. The celebration was part of the reopening of the landmark Astor Court, one of the few intact turn of the century spaces in New York City. “I’m here because I’m not just the mayor of two-legged New Yorkers; I’m the mayor of all creatures in New York City,” Bloomy said before tossing the official first fish to Cleo, Indy, Adrienne and Kiani, the lone male on loan from Georgia (oh, yeah).
John Blauner, a spectator at the re-opening of the pool, said, “The sea lions are like the Radio City Rockettes.” Confused? We were too, until he explained that they seem to swim in unison.
In addition to feeding the marine mammals, the mayor thanked David T. Schiff, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which operates the Bronx Zoo, for his contribution to the renovation of the Lion House. “Schiff happens,” Mr. Schiff replied.
Steven E. Sanderson, President and CEO of the WCS, said that 44 million people visit the Bronx Zoo each year. “Generations of families have come to the zoo and built memories,” he said. Meanwhile, a young attendee at the Grizzly bear exhibit whined, “I’ve been here an hour and I haven’t seen a single animal.” Ahhh, memories.
Posted by Jane Warshaw at 4:10 PM

http://www.nypress.com/blogx/display_blog.cfm?bid=85228617



Zoo offering up-close look at stingrays
By Dan Petrella
GateHouse News Service
Fri Jun 01, 2007, 11:36 PM CDT
Brookfield, IL -
Zoo visitors are used to standing back and admiring animals from afar, but this summer Brookfield Zoo is inviting guests to reach their hands into the water to touch live stingrays.
Stingray Bay — the zoo’s largest temporary exhibit ever — features a 16,000-gallon saltwater pool on the East Mall with about two dozen rays of two different species. The Carribean-themed exhibit opened May 26 and runs through Labor Day.
Stingrays have gotten a bad rap for being dangerous animals, and their image wasn’t helped last summer when Steve Irwin from TV’s “The Crocodile Hunter” died after being pierced by a ray’s barb off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
The zoo hopes the exhibit will clear up some of the common misconceptions about these animals and make people more aware of their role in the ocean’s ecosystem.

http://www.chicagosuburbannews.com/hillside/homepage/x941626951



'Snake Lady' squeezes in lessons at Scovill Zoo
DECATUR - A 4-year-old boy slowly crept up to the snake, not sure if the much-bigger reptile would eat him.
"Now, honey, he has a mouth, and anything with a mouth can bite, but I've got his head," Scovill Zoo volunteer Maxine Maldaner reassured him, as she does with dozens of children every day.
The boy, who was visiting the zoo with his preschool class, worked up the courage to get just close enough so he could touch the snake that was curled around Maldaner's neck and over her shoulders.
The youngster walked away with a big smile on his face and knowledge he could only get by touching a real snake. "He's not slimy!"
Maldaner, with the help of her boa constrictor, Bo, teaches many lessons to hundreds of children who come through the reptile house.

http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2007/06/02/news/local_news/1023891.txt


Bubonic Plague Kills Animals in Denver Zoo
For some reason I thought the bubonic plague had been wiped out in North America. So much for that idea… You won’t see me at the Denver Zoo any time soon.
A Denver Zoo monkey has died of bubonic plague, apparently after eating a squirrel stricken with the disease, Colorado health and zoo officials said Monday.
Five squirrels and a rabbit found dead on zoo grounds tested positive for the flea-borne disease in recent weeks, Denver Zoo spokeswoman Ana Bowie said.
Zookeepers May 15 noticed the 8-year-old hooded capuchin monkey was lethargic, and the next day it was found dead in its enclosure….

http://www.simplydumb.com/2007/06/02/bubonic-plague-kills-animals-in-denver-zoo/



Northwest Yosemite Trip Report: Part 1
This made the first few miles of trail mostly shadeless and kind of ugly. It was never the most exciting stretch of trail, but now it was even less appealing.
Lou's back started bothering him early on, and not long after the Kibbie Lake turnoff he decided to cut his trip short. We parted just past the stream that forms the Emigrant Wilderness border, and he headed left to camp in the open slabs overlooking Cherry Creek Canyon. I continued up Kibbie Ridge alone, sorry to lose a good hiking companion but still glad to be out in the backcountry.
I was out of the burn area shortly after that, hiking through forest with occasional swampy meadows. I took a short break at Lookout Point for the view, but the sky was full of hazy high clouds that just weren't very photogenic. A mile or so after that, a couple of faster hikers passed me--the last people I saw on the trip.

http://tehipitetom.blogspot.com/2007/06/northwest-yosemite-trip-report-part-1.html



Lorikeets Land At Good Zoo
By CASEY JUNKINS Staff Writer
WHEELING — Visitors to the Good Zoo at Oglebay Park are now able to hold exotic birds in the palms of their hands at the new Lorikeet Landing exhibit, the first major and permanent exhibit added to the zoo under the park’s new master plan to offer exciting new options to its customers.
Douglas Dalby, chief executive officer of the Wheeling Park Commission, said the master plan for the park is to simply look at ways the park can be improved.
Lorikeet Landing replaces the deer exhibit that was closed last fall. Another permanent exhibit, The Colors of Nature, also is now open in the zoo’s main building.
According to Penny Miller, director of the Good Zoo, Lorikeet Landing will be very innovative, interactive and exciting for patrons of the zoo.
While acknowledging that the deer exhibit was once a very popular attraction at the zoo, Miller said it was time for a change.

http://www.news-register.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=20267


Oregon Zoo condor chick needs a little help to hatch
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Seventy-two hours is all the time a California condor chick should need to hatch out of its shell. Unfortunately, that deadline came and went for this season's last chick at the Oregon Zoo's Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation.
At 72 hours, the chick had made only a nickel-sized hole in its shell, far too small for it to emerge. Keepers were forced to step in and help, a worst-case scenario for them.
"We decided to intervene for fear that, if we didn't, the chick would not have been able to rotate and might have died in its shell," said Shawn St. Michael, condor curator. "We really don't like to intervene in the hatching, because we much prefer having the parents raise the chick."

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/1181071290163160.xml&coll=6



Royal Zoo Director Says Investigation Into Chimp Deaths Finished
POSTED: 1:16 pm CDT June 5, 2007
UPDATED: 1:22 pm CDT June 5, 2007
ROYAL, Neb. -- The director of Zoo Nebraska in northeast Nebraska said on Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had concluded its investigation into the escape and shooting deaths of three chimpanzees nearly two years ago.
Ken "Junior" Schlueter said the zoo in Royal will also soon learn whether it will be able to reopen this summer. The zoo closed last month after paperwork for its federal license renewal apparently did not reach the Agriculture Department.
Schlueter said that along with addressing the license renewal, the findings of the chimp escape investigation will be released at a public hearing. Schlueter said the time and location of the hearing has yet to be announced, but it could be in Omaha.
The zoo has faced troubles since the September 2005 shooting deaths of three escaped chimpanzees on zoo grounds.

http://www.ketv.com/news/13446584/detail.html



World Environment Day: Zoo takes the lead with campaign against plastic bags
NGOs demand legislation to protect city’s environment
Minister says Punjab needs own legislation on environmental problems
Staff Report
LAHORE: Environment Day was celebrated at the Lahore Zoo where visitors’ plastic shopping bags were replaced with paper bags on Tuesday. Many non-governmental organisations also celebrated the World Environment Day with seminars and discussions in which they demanded that the government make policies to protect the city’s environment.
Lahore Zoo administration told visitors that plastic bags were dangerous for animals. Boards displaying information on the impact of plastic bags on animals were also displayed in the zoo.
Environment Protection Minister Dr Anjum Amjad said on Tuesday that the formulation of environmental policies or legislation could not bring change unless they were implemented in the true spirit.The minister was addressing a seminar titled, Melting Ice, organised bythe Environment Protection Department at Alhamra.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C06%5C06%5Cstory_6-6-2007_pg13_10



Wounded, handicapped bat gives birth at Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem
By Jonathan Lis
Two months ago, Debbie, a 5-year-old fruit bat, broke her thumb when her hand became entangled in a net. For bats, this can be a fatal injury - but Debbie has managed to give birth and raise her cub.
Debbie is part of a flock of handicapped giant bats that were adopted by the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem a few years ago. All the bats in the flock are unable to fly, and they spend most of their time hanging from the ceiling with their heads dangling toward the ground.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/867491.html



Zoo's Glacier Run could open by 2009
By Sheldon S. Shafer
sshafer@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
Nearly $10 million has been raised to build new Louisville Zoo exhibits, including the Glacier Run for polar bears, seals and sea lions, officials said today..
The exhibit would open in 2009, if the zoo can secure $6 million in requested state aid this year, said zoo director John Walczak.
Glacier Run is expected to boost zoo attendance, which has leveled off since Gorilla Forest opened in 2002, hovering around 750,000 annually over the last two years.
Shea Reed, who lives near the zoo and visits at least twice a week year-round with sons John Patrick, 5, and Samuel, 2, agreed that Glacier Run should bring in the crowds.
“Polar bears are one of the most interesting animals for kids,” she said, adding that, since they come so often, her children are anxious to see anything new the zoo offers.
The Glacier Run exhibit is expected to cost just over $20 million.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070605/NEWS01/70605016/1008



Zoo puts Coast on the board
06.06.2007
By Peter Gardiner
MONOPOLY is the game and the Sunshine Coast, thanks to Australia Zoo's huge popularity, is one of only three Queensland locations to secure a place on its new Australian board.
The Australian public has voted for Steve Irwin's world famous wildlife sanctuary ahead of Brisbane and the Gold Coast. And for Sydney, home of the iconic Opera House, or Australia's very heart, Uluru, it was a case of do not pass go for one of 22 coveted board spots on the updated Here and Now Monopoly.
The Great Barrier Reef was deemed by Australians as another slice of Queensland worthy of being Monopoly hot property.

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3736914&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=



Oglebay zoo exbibits focus on nature's colors
by The Associated Press
WHEELING -- Color is the main attraction at two new interactive exhibits at the Good Zoo at Oglebay Park.
Lorikeet Landing features exotic, colorful birds that
visitors can hold in their hands. The Colors of Nature features a rainbow of animals, including transparent fish, camouflaged animals, an albino snake and a huge blue pigeon.
Zoo director Penny Miller said visitors can also experience the thrill of having a lorikeet land on their hand by luring the birds with a cup of nectar.
These rainbow lorikeets truly are like holding a rainbow in your hands,'' she said.

http://www.dailymail.com/story/Entertainment/2007060541/Oglebay-zoo-exbibits-focus-on-natures-colors/



California condors from S.D. make debut at Mexico City zoo
By S. Lynne Walker
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
June 5, 2007
LUIS J. JIMENEZ / Copley News Service
One of two California condors newly moved to a zoo in Mexico City lifted a wing.
MEXICO CITY – In the city's sunlight-dappled Chapultepec Zoo, a question hovered over a hushed crowd.
Would two California condors, just arrived from the San Diego Wild Animal Park, adapt to their new home in Mexico's capital?
As scientists and dignitaries watched yesterday morning, a male condor named Away who had lived at the Wild Animal Park since he was hatched in 1993 hopped onto a tall rock high above their heads.
He opened his magnificent wings, spreading them 9½ feet, and held his regal pose for the awe-struck audience below him on the ground.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20070605-9999-1n5condor.html


Md. Zoo president to step down
Grieb oversaw cost-cutting moves to financially stabilize facility
By Nicole Fuller
sun reporter
Originally published June 5, 2007
The president of the financially troubled Maryland Zoo in Baltimore announced yesterday that she will step down from her post in December to spend more time with her family.
Elizabeth "Billie" Grieb, 56, who has presided over the zoo since 2002, said she decided to quit so she could spend more time with her husband and their five children and four grandchildren. She said family considerations were the only reason she planned to leave the job.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.zoo05jun05,0,5915489.story?coll=bal-local-headlines



Enter the Zoo Tycoon Sweepstakes!

http://www.gamesforwindows.com/en-US/Community/NewsArticles/Pages/EntertheZooTycoonSweepstakes.aspx


The revolving door: why do zoo fundraisers and development professionals not last longer..?
There are some (USA) statistics that seem to show that fundraisers tend to change jobs on average every 18 months. Clearly this is not helpful in the zoo world, which must look to long term projects and long term relationships. So why do they jump ship so often? The following thoughts are not intended to be especially negative ( I had generally supportive attitudes from former employers - although sometimes I had to shout for them), but rather to provoke thought and debate:
Because (a positive reason) they want to learn new skills and develop their careers…?
Because in the zoo world development people can feel isolated..?
Because there is no prospect of advancement inside the zoo..?
Because the zoo’s funding targets are too short term and so impossible to make..?
Because there is insufficient support from management..?

http://zoofunding.wordpress.com/2007/06/05/the-revolving-door-why-do-zoo-fundraisers-and-development-professionals-not-last-longer/



Little sucker hushes puppy
The Dominion Post
Friday, 25 May 2007
ANDREW GORRIE
Dominion Post
HUSH PUPPY: Hugo the three-week-old Labrador Cross puppy gets his teeth into a baby pacifier at Wellington SPCA.
Like most three-week-old babies, Hugo has a dummy to suckle – the only difference is his is a solution to a dog of a problem.
Staff at Wellington SPCA gave the little labrador-cross pooch and his sister, Lottie, baby pacifiers because they were becoming ill from sucking on each other.
Lottie and Hugo were just a 1½ days old and already weak when they were found earlier this month floating in a box in a rubbish bin, SPCA spokeswoman Lisa Snow said.
"They wouldn't have lasted much longer in the bin."
Ms Snow, who has been caring for the puppies after the SPCA retrieved them, contacted Wellington Hospital after a nurse friend suggested giving them dummies.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4072676a10.html?source=email


Lord of the Rings horse in narrow escape
8:00PM Wednesday May 23, 2007
A small bowel tear has almost done what villains Saruman, Sauron and the black riders could not -- kill Lord of the Rings hero Aragorn's trusty steed.
Brego, who played Aragorn's mount in the Peter Jackson-directed Lord of the Rings trilogy, lives at the Kapiti Coast property of Ray and Jane Lenaghan.
Bought by Aragorn actor Viggo Mortensen after the production, the 22-year-old dutch warmblood stallion had lived in peaceful semi-retirement since the end of filming.
But about two weeks ago Mr Lenaghan, himself a vet, knew Brego was in trouble with colic and they had to get him to Massey University's equine hospital.
"I told Jane when I examined him that we would have to either take him to Massey or dig a hole," Massey News reported.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10441370&ref=emailfriend


Dated

200 trees removed to make way for zoo's rain forest exhibit
EVANSVILLE, Ind. Crews are removing trees to prepare for the arrival of an Amazonian rain forest in Evansville.
They're removing at least 200 trees to make way for a new eleven (m) million dollar exhibit at the Mesker Park Zoo.
Zoo officials want to make it clear that they'll be planting six to eight trees for every one removed.
The ten-thousand-square-foot exhibit will include 650 trees and plants found in the tropics. Many of them are already growing in greenhouses at the zoo.
Construction of Amazonia will take 18 months to two years. It's expected to become the zoo's new centerpiece exhibit with tropical trees, birds, monkeys and a jaguar. The project also includes a new parking lot and zoo entrance.

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5124080&nav=0Ra7


Zoo Atlanta Celebrates Baby Boom
Video Available
Video of Sukari, Baby
Web Editor: Tracey Christensen
Last Modified: 7/7/2006 7:29:25 PM
Sukari, an 8-year-old western lowland gorilla and daughter of the late Willie B., gave birth at Zoo Atlanta Thursday to her first offspring.
The newborn is the fifth born at Zoo Atlanta within the past 10 months. Four of the baby gorillas survived, making it the highest number of gorilla infants at Zoo Atlanta in its 118-year history.
“This outstanding track record in breeding western lowland gorillas is one indicator of how successful Zoo Atlanta’s Great Ape program has become,” said Dennis Kelly, Zoo Atlanta president and CEO. “Seeing the infants in their habitats is impressive and extremely inspiring.”
This baby is the fourth living offspring born to Zoo Atlanta’s newest silverback Taz. Sukari and the offspring are both doing fine and early indications are that they are already bonding.

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=81687


Giraffes at N.E.W. Zoo Draw Visitors
July 11, 2006 06:54 PM EDT
By: Jeff Alexander
They are the biggest attraction ever at the N.E.W. Zoo in Suamico.
Their names are Zuri and Hodari.
They're putting smiles on the faces of children -- and money in the zoo's bank account.
From the time the zoo opens until the time it closes, the lookout platform is crowded and full of excitement.
These two giraffes are spending their first summer here.
Zoo officials say they knew the giraffes would change everything at the zoo.
They say the number of visitors is soaring.
"Our attendance just for the month of June was up 31%, that's over 50,000 people who came here," said Neil Anderson, zoo manager.

http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=5125824


Baby white buffalo roams to zoo, looking for a name
AMANDA RIDLEY, Staff Writer
Published July 8, 2006
Lots of people like rare meat, and Hollywild Animal Park now has some of the rarest … on the hoof.
An all-white baby buffalo, born June 17 in Colorado, is on display at the animal park in northwestern Spartanburg County, zookeeper David Meeks said.
Baby buffalos typically are born orange or red. A white buffalo is said to be as rare as one in 10 million. It is a sacred figure for some Native American tribes.
Clemson University's John Gibbons, who specializes in the reproductive physiology of cows and horses, said white bison typically change colors as they mature, and the baby could darken in the next six months to a year.
Other white buffalos in the United States have attracted tourists from all over the world. National Bison Association Assistant Director Jim Matheson said breeders, in the past, have purposely tried to create a white bison to draw visitors.

http://www.goupstate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060708/NEWS/607080328/1051/NEWS01


1 week later, Oops is still on the loose
The search for Oops is still on a week after the Japanese macaque escaped from Mill Mountain Zoo.
"We're trying hard," said zoo director Sean Greene.
Zoo staff and volunteers searched an area of Mill Mountain on Saturday where there have been reported sightings of the monkey, Greene said. He did not want to elaborate on the location of the search because he fears people may scare Oops from the area.
The 20-pound, 11-year-old monkey escaped through an unlocked door during cage cleanings on July 2.
Greene has been talking with experts from other zoos and is considering hiring a professional animal trapper, he said.
Anyone who sees the monkey should call 911 or a hotline set up by the zoo at 343-3241, ext. 30. Staffers advise people not to approach the monkey because she could become dangerous if frightened.
-- Amanda Codispoti

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/wb/xp-73013


Zoo do spreads the fun
By Joanne Davidson
Denver Post Society Editor
Article Last Updated: 07/08/2006 04:12:26 PM MDT
A question that had dogged Do at the Zoo organizers almost from the start was: Because the Denver Zoo has plenty of elbow room, why is there way too much congestion at the animal park's signature fundraiser?
The solution was simple - don't crowd all the food booths into one area, spread them around - but for whatever reason it failed to materialize until this year when Mary Smith and her co-chair Marissa Tracey ran with the idea and configured things so that the 2,500-plus guests didn't grow old while waiting in line to taste the food and libations offered by 50 restaurants and liquor outlets.
They established three "destinations": the Zebra Lounge, where guests could also enjoy the Sinatra-style sounds of Danny Wein and the comedy of veterinarian Kevin Fitzgerald; Wild West, where the Railbenders, Buckwild and the Angie Stevens Band shared the stage with comedian Bryan Kellen; and Northern Shores, where Opie Gone Bad, the Manuel Molina Orchestra and comic J. Marc attracted just as much attention as the 6:45 p.m. sea lion show and a polar bear leap at 7:30. Even American Furniture Warehouse boss Jake Jabs got into the act, singing country favorites after Fitzgerald finished his last set.
Janus, Haselden Construction, Arrow Electronics and Richter Scale Productions sponsored these venues.

http://www.denverpost.com/style/ci_4011587


National Zoo Observes Panda's 1st Birthday
National Zoo observes 1st birthday of giant panda Tai Shan; cub gets No. 1-shaped fruitsicle
WASHINGTON, Jul. 9, 2006
By DERRILL HOLLY Associated Press Writer
(AP) One year ago, he was nearly hairless, pink and weighed about four ounces, less than most bagels. On Sunday, his first birthday, giant panda Tai Shan is an active, 56-pound cub and the star attraction of the National Zoo.
"He's like a rambunctious little toddler that loves to get into everything," said Dr. Suzan Murray, the zoo's chief veterinarian.
Murray has monitored every developmental benchmark for the black and white panda since his birth on July 9, 2005. Those included the opening of his eyes, the development of his distinctive markings, his heartbeat, his mobility, and even the frequency of his squeals, grunts and barks.
The cub still nurses, but he has advanced from milk provided by his mother, Mei Xiang, to eating bamboo. The woody perennial grass is the staple of adult pandas' diets, accounting for more than 90 percent of their nutrition.
"My next challenge is weaning Tai Shan from his mom," said Lisa Stevens, the zoo's curator of pandas and primates.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/09/ap/tech/mainD8IOJRSO0.shtml


A Shanghai dream for you, Singapore for zoo animals
BY BRINDA KHANDWALA
Monday, July 10, 2006 11:35:49 IST
Animal lover Anckur Choksey’s plans to revamp Rani Baug à la Singapore zoo, mired in red tape
“Mumbai has no tourist destination,” explained Anckur Choksey, owner of the new Orama Excite & Thrill theatre at Atria Mall, Worli. But before Anckur was known for giving Mumbai its first 4 D theatre, he was known as the man who would take up the task of redeveloping the Jijamata Udyan (more commonly known as Rani Baug), such that it becomes Mumbai’s numero uno tourist destination.
“When I saw the Singapore Zoo, I felt the urge to do something like that for our Mumbai zoo,” said the animal lover. “The city needs a place like that. Before proposing the idea here, I talked to the people involved in the making of the Singapore Zoo to know if the Jijamata Udyan could be redeveloped.”
Anckur spent a lot of time with Harrison Bernard, the ex-CEO of the Singapore Zoo, and his team. “Harrison Bernard is a name synonymous with that zoo. He has promised to help us.”

http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=fromthepress&subsection=inbombay&xfile=July2006_inbombay_standard10204

continued...

Zoo's baby elephant named Scotty

Grey Sebree, 12, touched Scotty's trunk.

(By Kylene Lloyd, The Courier-Journal)

By Sheldon S. Shafer

sshafer@courier-journal.com

The Courier-Journal

He’s still a baby, but this Scotty is so big it might take two transporters to beam him up.Scotty is the name that has been chosen for the Louisville Zoo’s baby African elephant, zoo officials said today.People who voted throughout May at the zoo preferred the name Scotty over Jonesy and Angus, the other two names that were also chosen as finalists by the zoo’s elephant caretakers. About 7,000 names were suggested in the contest sponsored by Norton Healthcare.Scotty, who was born March 18, is growing fast and currently weighs 410 pounds. His favorite things to do are play in the mud and jog in the elephant yard, zoo officials said.The name Scotty was submitted by several people. So the zoo staff chose a winner at random from the people who suggested Scotty. The winner was 12-year-old April Pile of Hudson, Ky....

New penguins arrive at city zoo

The rockhopper penguin chick is the first to hatch at Edinburgh Zoo in four years

Edinburgh Zoo has seen 23 new arrivals at its penguin enclosure in just the first few weeks of the breeding season.
Already, 22 gentoo chicks have hatched with several more expected over the next few weeks.
The zoo has also seen the arrival of its first rockhopper chick in four years. The penguin breed has proved hard to breed in captivity.
The chick, which was weighed on scales at the zoo on Thursday, was said to be doing well....

The Antarctica Ice Chime

Satellite is performing much better - 24 hour loop - the only views MISSING this week are 9 PM and Midnight (12 AM)

June 5, 2007
6:00 PM
Antarctica in it's "Austral Winter"


Title :: The Evolution of the Southern Polar Region During Austral Winter/Spring 2006

Authors :: Babakaeva, T. A.; McCormick, M. P.; Grose, W. L.; Kovacs, T.

Affiliation :: AA(Hampton University, 23 Tyler Street, Hampton, VA 23668 United States

Publication :: American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006 (click here), abstract #A54B-03

Publication Date :: 12/2006

Origin :: AGU

AGU Keywords :: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801, 4906), 0340 Middle atmosphere: composition and chemistry, 0341 Middle atmosphere: constituent transport and chemistry (3334), 3311 Clouds and aerosols

Abstract Copyright:(c) 2006: American Geophysical Union

Bibliographic Code:2006AGUFM.A54B..03B
Abstract :: A preliminary investigation of the South polar vortex region in the lower stratosphere during austral winter and spring of 2006 will be presented using CALIPSO, AURA/MLS, and UKMO assimilated data. The dynamical evolution of the polar region will be described using winds, temperatures, and potential vorticity obtained from the UKMO data. Concurrent attenuated backscatter data from the CALIOP instrument on CALIPSO will be used to infer the presence and pervasiveness of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) during this period and to demonstrate the correlation of the PSCs with temperature. In addition, the evolution of the ozone (O3) and chlorine monoxide (ClO) distributions in the polar region and the relationship to the PSCs during this period will be discussed using data obtained from the AURA/MLS instrument. The results illustrate the potential benefits of exploiting the synergy among the various data sets and instruments.

The continent is freezing this week.

The coldest spot:

12:00 AM VOST

Vostok, Antarctica

Elevation :: 11220 ft / 3420 m

Temperature :: -72 °F / -58 °C

Humidity :: 24%

Dew Point :: -82 °F / -64 °C

Wind :: 12 mph / 18 km/h / from the SSE

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in / hPa (Rising)

Visibility :: 12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers

Aviation Flight Rule :: VFR ()
Wind Speed :: 12 mph / 18 km/h /
Wind Dir :: 160° (SSE)
Ceiling :: 100000 ft / 100000 m

The warmest spot:

2:00 PM CLT

Palmer Station, Antarctica

Elevation :: 26 ft / 8 m

Temperature :: 29 °F / -2 °C

Humidity :: 70%

Dew Point :: 23 °F / -5 °C

Wind :: 9 mph / 14 km/h / from the SW

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: 29.44 in / 997 hPa (Rising)

Visibility :: 10.0 miles / 16.0 kilometers

Aviation Flight Rule :: VFR ()

Wind Speed :: 9 mph / 14 km/h /

Wind Dir :: 220° (SW)

Ceiling :: 100000 ft / 100000 m
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