Morning Papers - continued...

Zoos

Winners of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo photo contest
Posted by Donna J. Miller
September 19, 2007 13:40PM
Categories: Photos
Amateur photographers were invited to submit photos taken between Memorial Day and Labor Day at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The winners were picked last week by a panel of judges made up of zoo employees and the event's sponsors.
George Fraatz of Lakewood took "Best of Show" with his close-up of a vulture perched in a tree at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. He won a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo and other prizes.
All winners receive family zoo memberships, tickets to the zoo and Discount Drug Mart gift cards.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/09/photo_safari_winners_picked_at.html



More Photos from ZOObilee!

http://www.clemetzoo.com/zblog/default.asp?Display=51


Deputies Investigate Stabbings, Thefts Of Pigs At Petting Zoo
By JOSH POLTILOVE The Tampa Tribune
Published: Sep 17, 2007
SUN CITY - Big Pig is such a docile animal that he waddles over to his owner to eat yogurt and drink canned soda out of her hand.
But the 400-pound family pet was treated like a wild boar late Saturday night or early Sunday morning when someone - maybe several people - broke into his petting zoo pen and stabbed him at least 10 times, said his owner, Cornelia Winn.
The attacker also took as many as five other pigs from Sun City Stables' pigpen, Winn said.
Her family originally thought as many as 15 had been stolen, but several returned to the pen from a wooded area nearby.
A pregnant pig that is expected to give birth in the next month also was stabbed. She sustained a gash about 10 inches long and 3 inches deep, running from her back to her belly, Winn said.

http://www.envirolink.org/external.html?itemid=200709170009160.386299


Second arrest in petting zoo pig stabbing investigation
Last Update: 9/18 1:28 pm
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Detectives say Richard Charles Pinegar III was arrested a short time ago and faces cruelty to animals charges.
William Andrew Lilley was arrested earlier in connection with the slashing and theft of pigs at Sun City Stables on September 16, 2007.
Additional arrests are expected.
An investigation determined that the suspects spent the day of September 16 consuming alcohol and decided to do some hunting.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=e296f954-eaf2-4d57-917a-530ac3721462


Pittsburgh Zoo welcomes polar bears
New exhibit, Water's Edge, features artic predators
Pillbox Julia Kennedy
The Pittsburgh Zoo’s newest exhibit, Water’s Edge, features a fictional pier town complete with boats, fish markets, and houses. It’s also the new home of a pair of polar bears.
The exhibit’s goals are to educate its visitors as well as provide the bears with a suitable habitat. Water’s Edge contains three primary exhibits, featuring pairs of polar bears, sea lions, and sea otters.
The exhibit contains facts such as how polar bears can travel at rates up to 25 miles an hour, and that a male polar bear can reach a weight of more than 1500 pounds. A sign listing Pier Town’s population statistics shows an increase in the human population directly correlating to a decrease in the polar bear population. Likewise, the exhibit provides facts about the living situation of polar bears in the wild.

http://www.thetartan.org/2007/9/17/pillbox/polar_bears


Greenville church service feels like a petting zoo
Congregation invites people, pets to special event
By Kate McGinty
Post-Crescent staff writer
GREENVILLE — Two goats sat in on a Lutheran service Sunday.
Daisy and Duke, a family's pet pygmy goats, joined congregants Sunday morning at Christus Lutheran Church for a special service that looked more like a petting zoo than worship.
For the first time, the church invited anyone to bring four-legged creatures to its contemporary service, an event timed partly by the upcoming celebration of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.
"Now more than ever people are thinking of their pet as a part of their family," said Patti Ruhle, ministries coordinator. "This is really meant to be an outreach to the community and to those who don't have a church … because you never know what might bring someone to a church."

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070917/APC0101/709170471/1003/APC01



Baboon adopts a chicken at Lithuanian zoo
VILNIUS (Reuters) - A lonely baboon in a private Lithuanian zoo has adopted a chicken he saved from certain death last month and the two have formed a fast friendship, the zoo's director said on Friday.
The chicken was intended as food for other animals in the zoo, but escaped and was sheltered by Mitis, a six-year-old Hamadryas Baboon, Edvardas Legeckas, who runs the zoo near the port city Klaipeda in western Lithuania, told Reuters.
Mitis has been fed chicken meat before, but this time he fell in love with his food, Legeckas said.
"He plays with the chicken, cleans its feathers, sleeps with it, and takes care as if it was his own baby child," the zoo director said.
"But I am not sure how long this affair would last, because baboon may finally realise this is food."
Baboons, with their distinctive long dog-like muzzles and heavy powerful jaws, are omnivorous, but usually prefer fruit. In the wild, they live in close-knit social groups.
"Obviously this baboon needed someone to communicate with," the director said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070914/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_lithuania_chicken;_ylt=Aqh7QvXHBy80TXLAT84rQ5qdk3QF



Baboon adopts a chicken at Lithuanian zoo
A lonely baboon in a private Lithuanian zoo has adopted a chicken he saved from certain death last month and the two have formed a fast friendship, the zoo's director said on Friday.
The chicken was intended as food for other animals in the zoo, but escaped and was sheltered by Mitis, a six-year-old Hamadryas Baboon, Edvardas Legeckas, who runs the zoo near the port city Klaipeda in western Lithuania, told Reuters.

http://www.thothweb.com/article5710.html



Family of girl injured by runaway gorilla sues Boston zoo
September 17, 2007
BOSTON
--It's been nearly four years since the gorilla named Little Joe escaped from the Franklin Park Zoo and injured a 2-year-old girl.
Now, a lawsuit brought by the family of Nia Simone Scott is going to trial. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the case, with the family accusing the zoo of failing to protect the public from the 350-pound gorilla.
Nia, now 6, sustained a gash on her head and other injuries when Little Joe knocked her from the arms of her teenage baby sitter. The family says medical bills totaled nearly $8,000.
It was the second time in six weeks the adolescent gorilla had escaped from the zoo's Tropical Forest exhibit, which has since undergone a $2.3 million renovation.
Little Joe was kept out of public view for about three years after the incident.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/09/17/family_of_girl_injured_by_runaway_gorilla_sues_boston_zoo/



300-pound gorilla attacked toddler at zoo, witness testifies

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/09/300pound_gorill.html?p1=MEWell_Pos4



Feast with the Beast to benefit The Zoo
The first Feast with the Beast benefitting The Zoo Northwest Florida is planned as an evening of exotic culinary fare.
The event will be 7 p.m. to midnight Sept. 28 and will include some of the Pensacola Bay Area's hottest restaurants: Skopelos, The Angus, Peg Legs, Side Lines, Zaxby's, Seville Quarter, Billy Bob's Beach Barbecue, The Fish House, Jimmy's Seafood, Moe's South West Grill � Gulf Breeze, CC's Wines, East River Smoke House, The Melting Pot, Chick-fil-a, Bagelheads-Downtown, Big Sexy Food, Inc, Appetite for Life, Madison's, Ed Smith Catering, Mesquite Charlie's and Buffalo's on the Bay.
The Zoo's naturally wild pathways will be lined with local restaurateurs as guests stroll through the zoo sampling cuisines from around the world. Take a ride on the Safari Line Ltd. Train through the 30 acres of wildlife preserve. Dance under the stars, with live entertainment from the Reunion Band, and party like an animal with your friends. Pose for a picture with an exotic "Beast.''

http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070917/LIFE/709170325/1004



Jack Hanna, Flamingo Stuck in Turnstile
3 days ago
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Animal expert Jack Hanna and an 11-month-old flamingo became trapped while trying to squeeze through an airport security turnstile. It took firefighters to finally get the flamingo out.
Hanna, the director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and a frequent guest on nationally televised talk shows, was returning from a zoo fundraiser with a mongoose, a small leopard and the flamingo. Three other people were with them.
The entourage arrived at the Ohio State University Airport just after midnight Sunday to find the terminal closed. The only way to leave the tarmac was through a 10-foot-tall metal turnstile with several horizontal bars — not the easiest exit to squeeze through when you're traveling with boxed-up animals, Hanna said.
"I never thought about the crate being square and the turnstile being round," he said.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j5fVLe4ocTfMQJ_28LfA9FUBb-Xg



Lehigh Valley Zoo Saddened by Deaths of Animals
Four animals at the Lehigh Valley Zoo and Trexler Nature Preserve have died in separate and unrelated incidents over the last two months, zoo officials said. The animals were two horses, an ostrich, and a zebra. "Animal deaths at the zoo are always painful for us because it is difficult to lose a friend," said executive director Stacey Johnson. "Even when we can discover the cause, and know that we did everything possible for the animal, it affects us deeply."

http://wfmz.com/view/?id=151234



Animal deaths puzzle Lehigh Valley Zoo officials
Loss of zebra last week was 4th in a month. Incidents are unrelated, says director.
By Daniel Patrick Sheehan Of The Morning Call
September 18, 2007
Lehigh Valley Zoo officials say they are baffled by the sudden death last week of a seemingly healthy 6-month-old zebra filly, which had sustained a serious bone fracture but had no outward signs of trauma.
The zebra is one of four animals that have died at the Schnecksville zoo in the past month. A 24-year-old female horse died of abdominal tumors Aug. 21 and a 13-year-old female horse died Aug. 31 of complications from anesthesia. An 8-year-old ostrich died Sept. 9 from a still-unidentified infection.

http://www.mcall.com/all-b1_5zoo-q.6048062sep18,0,2969470.story



Baboon adopts chicken at zoo
Posted Tue Sep 18, 2007 6:06am AEST
A lonely baboon in a private Lithuanian zoo has adopted a chicken he saved from certain death last month and the two have formed a fast friendship, the zoo's director said.
The chicken was intended as food for other animals in the zoo, but escaped and was sheltered by Mitis, a six-year-old Hamadryas Baboon, Edvardas Legeckas, who runs the zoo near the port city Klaipeda in western Lithuania, told Reuters.
Mitis has been fed chicken meat before, but this time he fell in love with his food, Mr Legeckas said.
"He plays with the chicken, cleans its feathers, sleeps with it, and takes care as if it was his own baby child," the zoo director said.
"But I am not sure how long this affair would last, because baboon may finally realise this is food."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/18/2035862.htm



Polar Bears’ Stash
Posted at 11:13 am September 17, 2007 by Kelly Murphy
When Polar Bear Plunge was built in 1996, a method for delivering live fish to the main pool on a variable schedule was included: a 10-inch diameter PVC pipe that runs underground from the fish tank behind the exhibit all the way to the front, right by the “point,” as we call it. Well, this system was good in theory but ended up having too many problems; it is now inoperable and no longer used. But the pipe is still there. Mind you, it runs directly into the pool, and therefore we are unable to access it except when we do our pool maintenance, which is about every 18 months. This pipe makes a great place for the polar bears to store things they don’t want us to have!

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/polar-bears-stash/



Big Beasts To Roam in New City Zoo
By Irina Titova
Staff Writer
At least five elephants, a herd of zebras and thousands more animals from St. Petersburg’s zoo will find a new spacious home near the Yuntolovsky reserve by 2011.
A decision on the construction of the new zoo in the Primorsky district was announced by Governor Valentina Matviyenko last week at a meeting of City Hall.
“It should be done in such a way that the animals will be living not in ‘communal apartments’ [cramped multi-family residences common in downtown St. Petersburg] but in luxurious separate accommodation,” Matvienko said. That way, she said “we can watch them with pleasure.”
“The city needs a zoo that is part of nature and not the one trapped in the center of the city,” she said.

http://www.sptimes.ru/story/23019



U.S. zoo works with Mongolia to save endangered vulture
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
A U.S. zoo, working in cooperation with Mongolia, has reported success in hatching and raising an endangered cinereous vulture.
The vulture chick was born May 14 at the Denver Zoo. Zoo staff members had to assist the chick in breaking out of its shell. Weighing only one-half pound, the bird had to be hand-fed for its first seven weeks.
To assure the bird would adapt to a wildlife habitat, zoo staff fed the bird using a hand puppet vulture to prevent the chick from associating its being fed with human contact. Today, the chick weighs 16 pounds.
The cinereous vulture population in the world has been decimated through illegal hunting, poisoning and the general encroachment by human communities. It is estimated that only 7,000 to 10,000 cinereous vulture couples exist today.
The Denver Zoo has worked with Mongolian officials to tag and track the vultures within the country. The information has allowed officials to develop a conservation program for the birds.
The Denver Zoo has also begun a program of artificial insemination to increase the number of vultures in the wild.

http://www.mongolia-web.com/content/view/1368/2/



New York physician examines healthy party scene and zoo life in new Memphis home
By Michael Donahue
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Two-weeks into living in Memphis, New York transplant Dr. Dan Otten was in a party whirlwind.
Saturday afternoon, he listened to bands and strolled by the booths at the Cooper-Young Festival. That night, he traveled a few blocks north to Zoo Rendezvous at the Memphis Zoo.
Dan, who moved to Memphis to work at the Stern Cardiovascular Center, agreed with a fellow New York transplant who described Cooper-Young as a blend of the Chelsea and Greenwich Village areas of New York City.
As for Zoo Rendezvous, where guests dress in animal-print attire and party while the animals are asleep, Dan said, "As you bring closure to the summer, having such a festive event is original and invigorating."
Zoos, he said, are "oftentimes under-valued treasures of a city. And to have this kind of a celebration in that kind of a venue is great."

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2007/sep/18/transplanted/



High hopes for rare tiger birth in Jerusalem Biblical zoo
By Jonathan Lis
There is great anticipation at the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem where keepers believe that a pair of Sumatran tigers have successfully mated after a long period of time.
Hannah, the female tiger, was seen mating with Avigdor, her male partner, following an eight-month effort that is part of a major project to preserve the endangered sub-species. At the zoo, the hope is that Hannah will soon prove to be carrying a cub.
"We are almost certain that during their first mating, six weeks ago, Hannah was not impregnated," Shmulik Yafuv, chief zoologist at the zoo, said this week.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/904535.html



Lehigh Valley Zoo investigates death of 6-month-old Zebra
The Associated Press
SCHNECKSVILLE, Pa. - Lehigh Valley Zoo officials are looking into the death of a six-month-old zebra colt.
Tests are being done on the remains of the zebra, which had suffered a serious bone fracture but otherwise appeared healthy with no outward sign of trauma.
In addition to the zebra, two horses and an ostrich have died at the zoo in the Trexler Nature Preserve in less than a month.
Executive Director Stacey Johnson says the deaths are unrelated, but have upset the zoo staff.
,,,
Information from: The Morning Call, http://www.mcall.com

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-09182007-1409324.html



New zoo for Accra
2007-09-17 16:08:12
Accra - The Management of the Accra Zoo is determined to keep a zoo in Accra irrespective of the relocation of the previous one at Kumasi to pave way for the building of the Presidential Palace.
The new zoo, started two weeks ago in the heart of the Achimota Forest, already has some monkey species feared to be nearly extinct such as the White Napped Mangabey and Diana. There are also parrots, peacocks, a donkey and some ducks.
The collection being the core of the new zoo would be beefed up within the next couple of weeks with other animal species through the collaboration of the West Africa Primate Conservation Action (WAPCA), an NGO.
Dr Richard Suu-Ire, Manager, Accra Zoo, in an interview with the sub-region.

http://www.kessbenfm.com/news_read.php?nid=1045



New Accra To Zoo Boost Ghana’s Tourism Industry
In October 2006, Professor Dominic Fobih, the then Minister for Lands Forestry announced in a ministerial briefing that the Accra Zoo was going to be relocated to the Kumasi Zoo to make room for a new presidential complex.
According to the Minister, the zoo was going to be built by the Ghanaian Government in collaboration with the London Zoological Society.
Many tourism enthusiasts were quite disturbed about the idea of destroying the Accra Zoo which served as a good Tourism Destination for Ghana.

http://www.ghanabloggers.com/2007/09/18/new-accra-to-zoo-boost-ghanas-tourism-industry/



Zoo gets $1 million grant for new elephant exhibit
September 18, 2007
SAN DIEGO: The San Diego Zoo has received a nearly $1 million state grant to help build a new elephant exhibit. The zoo is weeks away from breaking ground on the $45 million project.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070918-9999-1m18b2briefs.html



Binder Park Zoo to host 'Cheetahs in Conflict'
Submitted by Binder Park Zoo
Binder Park Zoo is proud to welcome Mary Wykstra, Kenya Representative for the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), for an evening reception and lecture presentation on September 24th beginning at 5:30. Mary is on a tour throughout the U.S. to raise awareness on the issues facing cheetah survival in Kenya and the CCF's long-term conservation projects to help save this endangered animal.
The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. with Hors d'oeuvres and beverages. Guests will have a chance to talk one-on-one with Mary about her work with cheetahs in Africa and then will get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at cheetah conservation in action at Binder Park Zoo.

http://battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070918/LIFESTYLE08/709180302



Chester Zoo dedicates lion cub to Rhys Jones
Sep 18 2007 by Ben Rossington, Liverpool Echo
LIONHEART Rhys Jones is having a cub dedicated to his memory at Chester Zoo.
The 11-year-old’s best pal James Rigby emailed bosses after seeing the newly-born Tejas on television and thinking of his friend.
He urged them to offer the cub in memory of Rhys, because he had the “heart of a lion.”
Now parents Melanie and Stephen will officially adopt the animal after being offered the opportunity by zoo bosses.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2007/09/18/chester-zoo-dedicates-lion-cub-to-rhys-jones-100252-19807411/



Zoo receives accreditation
© 2007, Springfield News-Leader
Dickerson Park Zoo has received accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the association announced today.
The Springfield zoo�s accreditation was granted by AZA�s independent accreditation commission.
To be accredited, the zoo underwent an investigation in areas including animal care, veterinary programs, conservation, education and safety.
AZA members must undergo an accreditation process every five years.
�Only the very best zoos and aquariums can meet tough Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation standards,� AZA President and CEO Jim Maddy said in a prepared statement.

http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070918/BREAKING01/70918032



Zoo breeds extinct toads
Forty toadlets give species chance for survival
By Catherine Kavanaugh
Daily Tribune Staff Writer
ROYAL OAK -- The dark-colored Wyoming toads have a dark future, but a captive breeding program at the Detroit Zoo and one clutch of eggs found in the wild gives curators hope.
Forty gray and black toadlets born to a toad brought in from New York and his local mate grow bigger every day in a quarantined room inside the National Amphibian Conservation Center at the zoo.
Curator Donna Shock and her assistant, Becky Johnson, watch over the toads -- now the size of a fingernail -- like doting parents, keeping the water temperature just right and providing a steady diet of five to 10 fruit flies a day each.

http://www.dailytribune.com/stories/091307/loc_frogs001.shtml



Indian zoo tries to save baby elephant orphaned and hurt when mother killed by train
2007-09-21 - BHUBANESWAR, India
Veterinarians at a zoo in eastern India struggled Friday to save an orphaned baby elephant who was injured when a train killed its mother, officials said.
The 4-month-old elephant was brought to the Nandankanan Zoo in the city of Bhubaneswar with slight injuries, but its chances of surviving without its mother were estimated at 50 percent, said zoo director Ajit Patnaik. The Nandankanan zoo earlier had the opportunity to take care of more than 20 orphaned wild baby elephants and nearly 50...

http://www.elephant-news.com/index.php?id=2761



Spicy Event: Zoo B Que brings its smoky flavor (and music and fun, too) to fall
by Lee B. Roberts
Journal Times
Tuesday, September 18, 2007 10:35 AM CDT
The sweet, smoky aroma of barbecue will fill the air this weekend when the second annual Zoo B Que takes place at the Racine Zoo.
This two-day benefit event, which is built around a national barbecue competition, sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, is a feast for all the senses.
The tasty portion of the Zoo B Que kicks off Friday night with a CEO Grill Off and party, and continues Saturday with the national barbecue competition, featuring 30 contestants from six states. Friday night’s contest pits local executives (each with a professional teammate) against one another in creating grilled specialties, and includes a People’s Choice contest as well. On Saturday, visitors can watch contestants — ranging from novice to veteran grill masters — prepare several different kinds of meat, in hopes of winning over the judges with their culinary skills.

http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2007/09/18/life/doc46eff0932af5f251456789.txt



Gather Up Your Little Ghosts and Goblins for Boo at the Zoo
Halloween is right around the corner and that means it's time for everyone's favorite Halloween event – Boo at the Zoo at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The safe, fun-for-all-ages event runs October 18 to 21 and 25 to 28 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
New this year is Boo Bayou. Step into the mystical bayou and experience creatures of the swamp. Learn about the importance of wetlands and the creatures that live there. Boo Bayou is located across from the popular Monster Mash Dance Party near Waterfowl Lake.
See what the animals are like at night and roam the Zoo to see entertainers and costumed characters. This spooky, but not-too-scary event includes magic shows, puppet shows and the Creepy Crawly Critter Animal Show. Venture through the Not-So-Haunted Greenhouse and catch a ride on the Jack-O-Lantern Express. Listen to your favorite tunes as Radio Disney rocks the Zoo Amphitheater.

http://www.clemetzoo.com/pressroom/index.asp?action=details&pressrelease_id=1265



Indiana Girl Left Behind At Zoo On Church Trip
11-Year-Old Wandered City Alone For 6 Hours Before Finding Help
(CBS) MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. A young girl from Indiana found herself alone in Chicago after she was left behind following a church outing.
Her mother says the 11-year-old was with her church group at the Lincoln Park Zoo, but she says her daughter was left to wander around Chicago by herself.
CBS 2’s Mike Puccinelli spoke to the mother and daughter Tuesday in an exclusive interview.
Fairhaven Baptist Church in Chesterton, Ind., routinely takes its young members on field trips. Trouble is, Taylor Neal found herself left behind after one of those trips. The church would not comment Tuesday about the incident.
“I wasn’t scared at all,” Taylor said.

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_261184536.html



Motorist Runs Down Ducklings Outside Zoo
POSTED: 6:06 pm EDT September 18, 2007
UPDATED: 7:16 pm EDT September 18, 2007
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, N.J. -- Carol Kirshenbaum can't get the images out of her mind.
"I have never seen anything like that done deliberately," she said.
View Images
Kirshenbaum said she watched in horror Saturday afternoon as a driver intentionally ran over two Muscovy ducklings from Bridgeton's Cohanzick Zoo just outside the zoo's entrance.
"One minute, two little cute babies are crossing the street, and the next minute they're on their sides, kicking and bloody," Kirshenbaum said.

http://www.nbc10.com/news/14144850/detail.html



MarylandZoo.TV - Brew at the Zoo (Video)

http://blip.tv/file/385778


Topeka Zoo steadily attempting to roar back
Cub's birth, reaccreditation seen as significant steps
By Barbara Hollingsworth
The Capital-Journal
Published Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Adia is putting on a show.
Her mom, Asante, saunters near the outskirts of the Lion's Pride exhibit where human moms point at her for small children in strollers. Three-month-old Adia sneaks up behind Asante.

http://www.cjonline.com/stories/091907/loc_200827244.shtml



Gardening Field Trip Flora at the NC Zoo
By Dolly R. Sickles
Posted: Sep. 19, 2007
All right all you wild animals and tracked-out kids, today the optimistic gardeners are making a road trip to the North Carolina Zoo in the lovely little town of Asheboro.
Just a quick 45-minute or hour trip from the capital city, the Zoo will be a hopping place today. No oppressive temperatures, no glaring direct sun, no summertime overcrowding. Just cool fresh air and rustling trees.

http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/house_and_home/blogpost/1834282/



Buffalo Zoo Receives AZA Accreditation
Sep 18, 2007 06:44 PM EDT
(Buffalo, NY, September 18, 2007) - - The Buffalo Zoo was granted full professional accreditation for the next four years by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) at the organization's national conference being held this week in Philadelphia. James W. Smyton, chair of the Zoo's board of directors and Dr. Donna M. Fernandes, president of the Buffalo Zoo, attended the hearing of the accreditation commission held on Sunday, September 16th.

http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=7094927



Queen of Spain visits the giant pandas in Madrid Zoo
By m.p. - Sep 19, 2007 - 6:17 PM
Queen Sofía was at Madrid Zoo on Wednesday, for the official presentation of the pair of giant pandas which have been loaned to Spain by China following a visit by the King and Queen to Beijing this June.
Seven year old Bing Xing (Ice Star) and four year old Hua Zui Ba (Coloured Mouth) arrived at the zoo on 8th September, and are amongst only five giant pandas in Europe, and the only two in Spain. It is hoped that they will breed in the 10 years they are due to remain here.
The male, Bing Xing, was the only one of the pair who was seen during the ceremony which took place outside the panda house, and which included a rendition of ‘The Song of the Panda’ by children from the Beata Filipina primary school in Madrid.
It was composed in memory of Chulín, who was born in Madrid Zoo in 1982 and died there in 1996.

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_12558.shtml



Zoo's baby elephant turns 6 months old
650-lb. toddler shows off tricks to celebrate
By Sheldon S. Shafer
sshafer@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
Scotty, the Louisville Zoo's pride and joy, can raise each of his legs on command and, at least sometimes, can hold on to the tail of his mother, Mikki, with his still-developing trunk.
In addition to learning a trick or two, the baby African elephant is learning to be calm around people and to show some patience, said Dave Campbell, the zoo's elephant-area supervisor.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/NEWS01/709190818/1008/NEWS01



Discount online for Zoo
Florida residents can get 50 percent off admission through November with a discount ticket available for purchase online at www.napleszoo.org.
The public can see the new Leopard Rock exhibit, a baby Colobus monkey and new animals in the Zoo's featured wildlife areas.
Regular price for Zoo admission is $18.50 for adults and $9.95 for children ages 3 to 12. Full-day resident tickets are $9.25 for adults and $4.95 for children.
As an added value, visitors who become zoo members will get full ticket price credit toward the purchase of an individual, family or grandparent Zoo membership.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18827956&BRD=2605&PAG=461&dept_id=523946&rfi=6



Yahoo, Yahoo, Yahoo, I went to the Zoo
Yeeeeeeahhhhhhh!!!!
I went to the zoo yesterday, the tropical zoo in Palm Cove to be exact, and I loved it!!!!!! It was definitely one of the highlights of my stay...
And guess what! I cuddled a Koala, lots of Kangaroos and Wallabies and a Wombat... well, I didn't exactly cuddle the wombat, but I could pet it... cranky little buggers...
But the Koalas were amazing and they had a maternal station with baby koalas.... they're called joeys...
and I saw a breeding cassowary and dingoes and cockatoos and budgies and parrots and snakes and lizards and emus and frogs and kookabooras and cute zookeepers and northern hairy nosed wombats and southern hairy nosed wombats and common wombats and crocs (lots of diffrent sized crocs, freshwater, salties etc) and....
So it was soooo exciting....

http://www.travelblog.org/Australasia/Australia/Queensland/Cairns/blog-203580.html



Denver Zoo: New hours, lower fees start Oct. 1
By Rocky Mountain News
September 21, 2007
New hours and lower fees are on the horizon at the Denver Zoo as summer fades into the sunset.
Starting Oct. 1 through the end of March, the zoo will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission tickets will be on sale until 4 p.m. each day.
Admission fees during that period will be $9 for ages 12-64; $5 for children 3-11; and $7 for visitors age 65 and up.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5704037,00.html



Bellin Health Donates Ultrasound to NEW Zoo
Sep 19, 2007 05:27 PM EDT
The NEW Zoo staff in Suamico can cross a much-needed piece of medical equipment off its wish list. Bellin Health donated an ultrasound machine to the zoo.
Bellin recently purchased new machines and didn't know what to do with its older model, until a Bellin official took a trip to the zoo and realized its animal hospital needed an ultrasound machine.
Zoo director Neil Anderson says this donation will significantly upgrade the level of care for the animals.

http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=7100670



Knoxville Zoo uses animals as teaching tools for Knox County students
By: LaSaundra Brown, Reporter
Date created: 9/19/2007 3:42:24 PM
Last updated: 9/21/2007 9:39:58 AM
The zoo is just one of six different museums around town the kids will visit, to learn about social studies and science. The zoo has found the program to be a great way to engage kids. Chad Fifer is the zoo's education specialist. He says animals can relate to just about every school subject.

http://www.wbir.com/life/programming/local/liveatfive/story.aspx?storyid=49245&provider=gnews



Local moms plead: 'Oprah, save our zoo!
Two local women are taking the plight of The Zoo to a higher authority: The Oprah Winfrey Show.
"We're just stay at home moms, and we love The Zoo," said Keena Landrum.
She and Linda Kellner are faithful watchers of the Oprah show, and one day Landrum visited the show's website where there was a question about "Why is your community so great?"

http://www.gulfbreezenews.com/news/2007/0920/Community/008.html



Zoo move on hold again as safari park plan axed
By Ashfaq Ahmed, Staff Reporter
Published: September 19, 2007, 23:21
Dubai: Animals cramped in Dubai's small zoo will continue to suffer as construction of a new bigger zoo has once again been delayed, Gulf News has learnt.
Although a Dubai Municipality official said in July construction of the new Dubai Zoo would start in August, the ambitious plan to have the biggest zoo in the region, which included a safari and night zoo, never took off as the project has been thrown out of Dubailand - the last planned venue for the zoo.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/09/20/10154773.html



Students, socialites rally 'round The Zoo
FROM STAFF REPORTS Gulf Breeze News
news@gulfbreezenews.com
Traci L. Pitre/Special to Gulf Breeze News Joe Snider enjoys the train ride at the Zoo during the recent Rotary Family Day celebration while his father Paul watches ahead for the wildebeest.
Santa Rosa County students are pitching in to "change" the future of The Zoo of Northwest Florida - by donating loose change to help raise funds!
"Our community is so excited about this effort that there was already a bucket of change waiting at the front office this morning when I arrived to set out the collection bottles," says school coordinator, Kim Aldridge, Gulf Breeze Elementary School teacher. "Thousands of students visit The Zoo each year and we need to show our support. It makes 'cents' that together we can make a difference to save our wonderful zoo. We can help them one coin at a time!"

http://www.gulfbreezenews.com/news/2007/0920/Front_Page/003.html



Change is Good
Posted at 12:38 pm September 19, 2007 by Suzanne Hall
Fall is coming, and change is in the air at the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Research Station. Last week the weather changed again, and we have had delightfully cool mornings followed by moderate daytime temperatures for several days. The new bus route past the panda facility has proved to be pretty uneventful for the bears (see blog, A New Day in Panda Canyon), as a few days out Mei Sheng and Su Lin don’t even blink when the buses pass by. Mei Sheng is being prepped for his departure to China, scheduled to occur sometime next month. But the biggest changes are visible right there on the Panda Cam.
Our not-so-giant panda is growing by leaps and bounds! I watched her closely on Sunday and Monday night (my data collection nights until late next month) and was amazed. She is so big now that it is hard for Bai Yun to lie down and hold the baby up off the ground. Invariably, when she is picked up, parts of her slop over momma’s paws and flop onto the ground. Only when sitting in an upright posture can Bai Yun seem to contain the cub on her body!

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/change-is-good/


The Sounds of Shoebills
Posted at 8:23 am September 19, 2007
by Matt Anderson
Studying animal bioacoustics and unraveling the meaning of calls doesn’t come as first nature to us. We are primarily visual animals and as such perceive our world, first and foremost, in terms of what we see around us. Many other species utilize other senses much more readily. If we are to truly understand the sensory ecology of another species we really need to imagine ourselves in their world.

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/the-sounds-of-shoebills/

continued...

Elephants painters seen behind-the-scenes at the Virginia Zoo

Zookeeper Jill Tarrant hands Cita, a 38-year-old African elephant, a paintbrush as fellow zookeeper Aubry Jacobsen, left, helps Kristen Buck of New York City steady the canvas for the elephant's painting at the Virginia Zoo.

The e-mail stated, "This is not coolaid, this is the river that is causing cancer in Greece."

Stated that the city in Greece has experienced an increase to 34% in it's cancer rate in the past two years. They state this is not a form of dangerous algae, it is however toxic waste. I placed it here because there isn't much on the net about this stuff and the residents are asking for international awareness to write their Greek Ambassadors.



WATER PROTEST
Oropos official files suit over heavily polluted water in their area
The mayor of Oropos, north of Athens, yesterday filed a legal suit against all parties responsible for the high toxicity of the municipality’s drinking water and invited local manufacturers, believed to be causing the pollution, to talks on solving the problem. “We don’t have to meet only in court,” Giorgos Gavriil told Kathimerini. “We must remind them that that it is a crime to pollute the (River) Asopos with their waste and that they should finally use environmentally friendly materials to create their products,” he added. Tests on drinking water in Oropos and the nearby municipality of Oinofyta have revealed high levels of depleted chromium. “Every day we test the water, and every day we find it is dangerous,” Gavriil said.


Oropos drinking water is toxic (click here)
The municipality of Oropos, north of Athens, has instructed some of its residents to stop drinking tap water after tests found it to contain toxic substances, in the second case of dangerously contaminated water being detected recently.
Giorgos Gavriil, the mayor of Oropos, told Kathimerini he issued an urgent call to residents to stop drinking tap water in the areas of Halkoutsi, Pefkias and Nea Ekali.
«There is not just microbiologic contamination, but a contamination from heavy metals. The chromium is above allowable levels, while there are traces of depleted chromium. The water is unsuitable for drinking and cooking,» said Gavriel.
Samples were taken from three wells used to supply homes with water. Officials pointed out that water is only drawn from the wells - which have since been shut down - during the summer months.
Drinking water in the winter period is drawn from other reserves, according to officials.
Gavriil blamed the highly polluted area of Oinofyta nearby as being responsible for polluting his district.
«The Asopos River is not just the carrier (of pollution). Analysis shows there is extensive pollution in the water table,» he said referring to water collected underground in porous rocks.
«Depleted chromium does not just come from the river,» he added.
Tests showed in July that water from the Asopos River in Oinofyta is highly polluted due to untreated waste dumped in the river from the industrial plants in the area.
Since then government officials have decided to stop drawing drinking water from the Asopos but evidence now indicates that the broader area has been affected.
Water in the Oropos area has also been found in the past to be unfit for human consumption. According to tests held on other Oropos wells, the water was found to have very high concentrations of nitrates and iron and is only suitable for irrigation purposes.

...just in case the nation has forgotten what decency looks like...

MICHAEL MOORE’S ‘Sicko’ will end American resistance to universal health care

By Pat Murphy
Sentinel Editor & PublisherCopyright © 2007 San Francisco Sentinel
A single movie — Michael Moore’s ‘Sicko’ scheduled for release June 29 — will end American resistance to universal health care.
Pre-screened in San Francisco last night, the film is airtight. It cannot be dismissed as propaganda....


Michael Moore Today

http://www.michaelmoore.com/

George threatens to veto health care for 10,000,000 children, accuses Dems of helping poor too much

September 21st, 2007 1:57 am
Bush Threatens Veto of Child Health Bill
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 — President Bush, bracing for a series of battles with Congress over spending, threatened today to veto a bill expanding a popular children’s health insurance program, calling it “a step toward federalization of health care.”
The program expires Sept. 30, and Congress is on the verge of renewing it by providing coverage to an additional 4 million children over the 6.6 million already enrolled — at an additional cost of $35 billion over five years. Mr. Bush says the bill would expand a program aimed at helping the poor beyond its original intent.
The veto threat is just one of nearly a dozen the White House has issued recently aimed at a variety of bills including measures on education spending and money for medical research. With the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, Mr. Bush and Congressional Democrats are headed for a showdown over spending similar to the one that preceded the government shutdown of 1995.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10255


Physicians for National Healthcare

http://www.pnhp.org/


Single-Payer National Health Insurance
Single-payer national health insurance is a system in which a single public or quasi-public agency organizes health financing, but delivery of care remains largely private.
Currently, the U.S. health care system is outrageously expensive, yet inadequate. Despite spending more than twice as much as the rest of the industrialized nations ($7,129 per capita), the United States performs poorly in comparison on major health indicators such as life expectancy, infant mortality and immunization rates. Moreover, the other advanced nations provide comprehensive coverage to their entire populations, while the U.S. leaves 46 million completely uninsured and millions more inadequately covered.


http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single_payer_resources.php


Thursday, July 26th, 2007
See the Movie, Start the Revolution ...a letter from Michael Moore
Friends,
I am overwhelmed by the response to "Sicko." And I'm not just talking about all the wonderful, heart-felt letters you've sent me and the stories you've shared with me about the abuse you've suffered from our health care system.
No, I'm talking about how thousands of you are taking matters into your own hands and using the movie to do something. From Seattle to New England, each day I learn of numerous groups holding meetings or dinners after the movie to discuss it and to plot a course for action. A church in Plano, TX took its weekly bible study group to see "Sicko." 70 people crammed into a Wisconsin coffee shop's back room. Groups are plotting over pancakes in Illinois and microbrew in Missouri. E-mail addresses are being exchanged in theater lobbies. A Connecticut group is inviting legislators to see "Sicko" and keeping a tally on their website. Local groups have been buying out theaters to have special screenings for their members. Information tables are set up, literature is distributed, action groups are formed.


http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=219


September 20th, 2007 7:03 pm
Bush: MoveOn.org ad on Petraeus 'disgusting'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A MoveOn.org political advertisement that criticized the top U.S. commander in Iraq was "disgusting," President Bush said Thursday, accusing Democrats of being afraid to criticize the anti-war group.
Bush told reporters at a White House news conference that MoveOn.org's ad in The New York Times about Gen. David Petraeus was a "sorry deal." The September 10 full-page ad was titled "General Petraeus or General Betray Us?"
"I felt like the ad was an attack, not only on Gen. Petraeus, but on the U.S. military," Bush said. "And I was disappointed that not more leaders in the Democratic Party spoke out strongly against that kind of ad."


http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10252


September 20th, 2007 7:05 pm
Senate OKs Cornyn's anti-MoveOn.org bill
By Suzanne Gamboa / Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Sen. John Cornyn won approval Thursday of a measure condemning a liberal group for criticizing the top military commander in Iraq — a measure similar to the one Cornyn was rebuffed for last week.
The Senate voted 72-25 to attach Cornyn's amendment criticizing MoveOn.org to the defense authorization bill.
Cornyn failed to get a similar amendment into the transportation and housing spending bill last week because it was ruled not germane to that bill.
"I can't believe that any member of this Senate would vote against this amendment which condemns this character assassination," Cornyn said from the Senate floor.


http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10253


Democrats Throw Their Base Under the Bus; Cave to Wing-Nuts on MoveOn Resolution
By Joshua Holland, AlterNet.
Posted September 20, 2007.
On the eve of the Petraeus hearings, I wrote that if the Democrats didn't call out the general on his partisan, politically motivated spin of the events unfolding in Iraq, they would prove their irrelevance on the issue of the ongoing occupation once and for all.
In the end, it was much worse than that. Today, Senate Democrats took the time to join their Republican colleagues in condemning an ad produced by MoveOn.org that -- accurately -- pointed out Petraeus' previous spin about progress in Iraq and warned that the general would "Betray Us." The resolution passed by a vote of 72-25. Among the presidential contenders in the senate, Hillary Clinton and Chris Dodd voted against the resolution and Barack Obama and Joe Biden abstained.


http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/63160/


September 20th, 2007 1:40 pm
Pope 'refused audience for Rice'
By David Willey / BBC News
Pope Benedict XVI refused a recent request by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss the Middle East and Iraq, Vatican sources say.
The Pope refused a request for an audience during the August holidays.
Senior Vatican sources told the BBC the Pope does not normally receive politicians on his annual holiday at the Castelgandolfo residence near Rome.
But one leading Italian newspaper said it was an evident snub by the Vatican towards the Bush administration.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10246


September 19th, 2007 7:58 pm
Senate Republicans block Iraq bill
By Susan Cornwell / Reuters
WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a plan to give U.S. troops in Iraq more leave time, defeating a proposal widely considered the Democrat's best near-term chance to change President George W. Bush's Iraq strategy.
The measure to give troops as much rest time at home as they spend deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan needed 60 votes to pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate; it received just 56 votes, with 44 against.
It had been offered by Sen. Jim Webb, a decorated Vietnam veteran and former Navy secretary who said U.S. troops are being "burned out" by repeated redeployments to Iraq.


http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10243



Clinton's Health-Care Plan Echoes What Rivals Offered
By Aliza Marcus / Bloomberg
Sept. 18 -- Hillary Clinton's new plan to provide health care for all Americans differs more from her 1993 proposal known as ``Hillarycare'' than it does from ideas offered by her chief Democratic rivals in the 2008 presidential campaign.
Clinton's proposal, presented yesterday in Iowa, draws on the same four principles that opponents Barack Obama and John Edwards already put on the table: Allowing many Americans the option of paying to join a new government-run plan, requiring insurance companies to accept all applicants and not charge more for those who are ill, giving subsidies to help families afford coverage and raising taxes on upper-income Americans to pay for it all.
``The big message is how similar the plans are,'' said Len Nichols, who worked on health-care issues for President Bill Clinton and is now director of the Washington-based New America Foundation's health program. ``These are very smart people who are very ambitious, and they are ending up with very much the same rough contours.''


http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10238



Taking the Temperature of the Presidential Candidates
Contributions from the Health Industry - January 1st to March 31st, 2007HMOs, pharmaceutical companies, physicians and other health professionals.


http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/sickos-for-sale/candidates/



Make Sure Your Rep. Supports H.R. 676
"Which congressional district am I in?"
CLiCK here and enter your address to find out.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/what-can-i-do/boxscore/index.php?action=print

H.R.676 Title: To provide for comprehensive health insurance coverage for all United States residents, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] (introduced 1/24/2007) Cosponsors (82) Latest Major Action: 2/2/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.


http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR00676:@@@N


Thank Joe Baca. He among the latest House members to co-sponsor bill HR 676.
Information onRepresentative Joe Bacaof Congressional District number 43 of California


http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/newmemberbio.cgi?lang=&member=CA43&site=ctc&address=&city=&state=CA&zipcode=&plusfour=


Artist on Artist: Tom Morello & Michael Moore

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=8272191

The best emergency workers in the world didn't have radios that worked and this idiot is touted as an icon of bravery.

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani at the scene of the World Trade Center collapse on Sept. 11, 2001, from a Home Box Office documentary.

By MICHAEL POWELL
Published: September 21, 2007



MICHAEL POWELL ruined the FCC and now he is ruining The New York Times. I swear that newsprint will let anyone through their front door. What did he do threaten to sue if The New York Times if they didn't elect Giuliani.

If I hear from either of these men again I'll puke !

Giuliani killed nearly 300 city employees that day and he is seen as a Cool Hand Luke. Give me a break ! Where is Rove, working at The Washington Post? Do Republicans ever do anything except harass the USA's electorate? Is that the only job they know? Seriously. Who in God's name wants to ever hear from Michael Powell again?

Look at this. He is running "Elect Giuliani Campaign" from the corrodors of The New York Times. Powell is the exclusive reporter on the Guiliani campaign? Because this is NOT election coverage, it's propaganda to foster 'feel good feelings' regarding a man that is in desperate need of retirement.

In a Volatile City, a Stern Line on Race and Politics (click here)
Rudolph W. Giuliani at a Harlem church a day after the 1993 mayoral election.
By MICHAEL POWELL
Published: July 22, 2007
Correction Appended
Those were grim days for race relations in New York City, the early 1990s. There were nearly 2,000 murders each year, blacks and whites died in high-profile racial killings, and a riot held a divided Brooklyn neighborhood in thrall for three dangerous nights.


Giuliani May See a Rival in Successor (click here)
By MICHAEL POWELL
Published: June 21, 2007
Seven weeks after the 2001 terror attacks, Rudolph W. Giuliani gave a last-minute electoral nod to a billionaire media mogul running for mayor.

I swear Republicans are sociopaths. Look at this, "New York: Yours, Mind and Theirs." So good of Michael Power to include 'theirs.'

New York: Yours, Mine and Theirs (click here)
By MICHAEL POWELL
Published: June 10, 2007
IT was another of those apocalypse-could-be weekends in New York. F.B.I. agents and police officers nabbed a retired cargo handler allegedly pursuing his golden-years dream of blowing up J.F.K., not to mention half of Queens.
MOVING FORWARD, GLANCING BACK New York has guarded and unguarded moments, whether in Queensboro Plaza, above, or Penn Station, below.
Adam Rountree/Associated Press
In Florida, Rudolph W. Giuliani — who just might need a T-shirt emblazoned “Yes, I’m That 9/11 Mayor” — opined that the arrest of this aging jihadist shows why we need a war on terror and a war in Iraq and a war in Afghanistan. And he would know because he’s a New Yorker and he was there.

There is even a video of 'The Decisive Moment.' Amazing.

TODAY IS GIULIANI DAY AT THE NEW YORK TIMES. It's a line the bottom of the bird cage issue. Hopefully, tomorrow there will be 'real news' rather than Giuliani/Powell propaganda. We are all 'pulling' for the news media that they will again find decency among the rubble of the USA !

The nation needs to get it's mind around this. It's not a simple issue. Bigotry lives.

...The cause of Thursday's demonstrations dates to August 2006, when a black Jena High School student asked the principal whether blacks could sit under a shade tree that was a frequent gathering place for whites. He was told yes. But nooses appeared in the tree the next day. Three white students were suspended but not criminally prosecuted. LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters said this week he could find no state law covering the act.
The incident was followed by fights between blacks and whites, and in December a white student, Justin Barker, was knocked unconscious on school grounds. According to court testimony, his face was swollen and bloodied, but he was able to attend a school function that night.
Six black teens were arrested. Five were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder , charges that have since been reduced for four of them. The sixth was booked as a juvenile on sealed charges.
Martin Luther King III, son of the slain civil rights leader, said punishment of some sort may be in order for the six defendants, but "the justice system isn't applied the same to all crimes and all people."...

...and now the Right Wing is trying to Swift Boat the nation again...to continue to justify an illegal war.

The media rather cower in the corner and support profit margins as they exist rather than take a stand and stop the killing of people in Iraq.

The media will ridicule MoveOn.Org into oblivion and consider it a job well done.

So much for freedom of speech. What was it exactly the General thinks he is defending in Iraq anyway? Certainly not the rights guaranteed under the USA Constitution to a country rid of corruption and an Executive Branch free of High Crimes and Misdemeanors. Articles like this in The Washington Post only support corruption and attacks on American rights as would be leveled by the likes of Lindsey Graham.

Just because there are big guns in Iraq doesn't interpret into national security, but, it looks that way to the average American that hasn't the time to seek the truth and educate themselves to 'vote well' but only to 'vote popularly.' Most American households are too busy with three jobs minimally and morgage payments to multiple lending institutions to even begin to understand what is best for the USA. Now that is what I call a strategy to undo a Democracy into Servitude.

Dan Rather happens to be right. The USA was 'Swiftboated' by the Right Wing.

Dan Rather as a younger anchor for CBS. The issue at hand is the oppression of the truth and to that end there is a lot to be said still today regarding the reports about Bush's extremely poor performance in the National Guard. Everyone knows when he was 'placed' there with the influence of his father it was to save him from being killed in Vietnam without the 'appearance' of a Draft Dodger.

In addition to this lawsuit by Mr. Rather there is also a book by Kathy Roth-Douquet and Frank Schaeffer which outlines the lies by Bush of his dishonet service to the USA (click here). I believe it is she that made an appearance around the talk shows when the book first came out in hardcover stating there were issues with Bush's service and although 'the letter' which appeared on "60 Minutes" had issues it nearly didn't matter. The fact of the matter is and I hope this comes out in the Rather lawsuit is the Republican Right Wing was at work over this issue and managed to undermine the credibility of the story. It isn't CBS that was the problem either and it makes them look as though they aren't a credible news agency, it is the power of the Right Wing and it's media to contort facts and focus to mislead the electorate into their 'hierarchy' of priorities.

The Antarctica Ice Chime

It hasn't improved in Antarctica. 6 PM and 12 AM is missing from loop. (click for 24 hour loop)

September 19, 2007
1200 PM
Antarctica (click here for current 24 hour loop)

...and the high altitude vortices are transmitted in to surface winds as noted between these two satellites. That means the heat transfer sublimes the top ice and migrates down to do the same at lower latitudes and by the time it reaches sea level the air is hot and the Peninsula reflects much higher temperatures.


September 21, 2007
1200 AM
Antarctica




September 18, 2997
0600 gmt
Antarctica Jet Stream

The heat transfer vortexes are frequent. Their reach is to the top of the Blue Ice over Vostok. The patterns of Antarctica's air mass provide quick relief to any abatement of the vortexes due to it's inertia as noted below. Noted a five degree increase (from - 60C to -65C) during the time difference of these two satellite images. Inertia.


September 20, 2007
1800 gmt
Antarctica Jet Stream


September 20, 2007
1921
The South Pole Satellite

There are frequent heat transfer vortices landing on Antarctica on a regular basis and the sun is only at the Equator. It's nearly the first day of Spring in Antarctica. The vortices are no longer at high latitudes.




The majority of Antarctica is well above average temperatures:

The warmest reporting station :

Palmer Station

Elevation :: 26 ft / 8 meters

Temperature :: 34 F / 1 C

Humidity :: 67 %

Dew Point :: 27 F / -3 C

Wind :: 25 mph / 40 km/h from the NE

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: 29.52 in / 1000 hPa (Falling)

Visibility :: 3.0 miles / 4.8 kilometers


THE AVERAGE MEDIAN TEMPERATURE ACROSS THE CURRENT 55 REPORTING STATIONS IS - 16.5 C.

The coldest temperature of reporting stations ::

Vostok, Antarctica

Elevation :: 11220 ft / 3429 m

Temperature :: - 84 F / -64 C

Conditions :: Mist

Humidity :: 43%

Dew Point :: -90 F / -68 C

Wind :: 4 mph / 6 km/h from the East

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in / hPa (Falling)

Visibility :: 2.0 miles / 4.0 kilometers


Amundsen – Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica

Elevation :: 9285 ft / 2830 m

Temperature :: -57 F / -49 C

Conditions :: Snow Grains

Wind :: 9 mph / 15 km/h from the NE

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in / hPa (Falling)

Visibility :: 4.0 miles / 6.0 kilometers

UV :: 0 out of 16

Clouds :: Overcast 4035 ft / 1230 m

(Above the ground)

continued...

The weather in Antarctica, Ross Base (Crystal Ice Chime) is temperate:

September 21, 2007
1320
Scott Base, New Zealand, Antarctica

September 22, 2007 is the autumnal equinox (click on - choose time zone)

The evilest of all evil men would see the health of children compromised

President Bush during a news conference at the White House briefing room today.

..."Instead of posturing by sending him a bill they know he will reject, Mr. Bush said, the Democrats should embrace fiscal and social responsibility and pass a bill that provides for reasonable increases in spending on health insurance for uninsured children without veering toward the “federalization of health care.”...

Greed is at the basis of any and all Bush Tax Cuts to the point of endangering the wellness of our youngest citizens.

When is the nation going to impeach Bush and Cheney? They are grossly incompetent and in that incompetence lies danger to human life.

Not a named storm yet? Click here for 12 hour loop.

September 20, 2007

0915z

Enhanced Infrared Satellite GOES East

When the sun comes up the storm will probably have enough velocity to be named. There are currently two active named storms in the Pacific of which one has hurricane strength vorticity.

This article reflects the fact weather patterns due to Human Induced Global Warming have become so intricate to predict, the control for preventing adverse realities for USA populations is falling to local measures.

Station's storm spotting gets specific (click here)
No more entire county warnings for storms, flash floods, tornadoes
By Aldrich M. Tan of The Northwestern
A new warning system will help people better know if they are in the path of a severe storm.

Jeff Last, warning coordination meteorologist, said the National Weather Services station in Green Bay traditionally issues severe weather warnings for entire counties. Starting Thursday, the new system will focus more precisely on the area that faces the biggest threat from a storm.

It is not unusual for a severe storm to only hit certain parts of the county when a warning is issued for the entire county, Last said. If a storm is brewing very close to Oshkosh, the new warnings will indicate that the warning is for central Winnebago County....

At every turn Bush's war is being pushed out of Iraq if only for the Dead Republican Wood in the Senate and House

Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA), right, and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) hold a news conference to reintroduce their amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill.

The faces of those backing the Iraq War are doing so for political purposes in attempting to keep the chance they will win a Republican victory in 2008 and/or keep their Senate seats. Among those that back the continued occupation of Iraq are the likes of Lindsay Graham (click here).


Lindsay Graham has been in the Senate forever and caters to a constituency mired in flag waving (click here) at the enormous cost of national security to the USA and deaths to the Iraqi people.


Graham's argument for voting against the Webb Amendment was because it would be ill advised based on the history of powers of the Commander and Chief. The reality of an illegal war didn't matter to Graham. The fact war fatigue replaces any good judgement in soldiers on the battlefield didn't matter to Graham. The fact that decency alone in maintaining family relationships dictates a change in the length of deployment didn't matter to Graham. THE ONLY aspect of the vote regarding this amendment which mattered to Lindsay Graham is the 'Southern Republican Flag Waving' politics of honoring the tradition of extending the war powers of the Commander and Chief.


Mr. Graham's statement reads:


...“The Webb amendment intended to take care of the troops. I don’t question anyone’s intent, but if you really want to take care of the troops let them win.

“The Webb amendment was one of the more ill-advised approaches to fighting the War on Terror. It was a historic constitutional infringement on the power of the Commander in Chief allowing Congress to micromanage troop rotations and deployments. The amendment would have hurt the brave young men and women fighting the War on Terror and set a terrible precedent for fighting future conflicts....


MICROMANAGE.


The Congress, according to Lindsay, attempted to micromanage the war. Amazing. Is Congress taking control of the battlefield out of the hands of the commanders? No. What the Webb-Hagel Amendment states is that soldiers have to be given sufficient time off the battlefield to recuperate from it's demands. The Webb-Hagle Amendment was to insure the soliders on the battlefield were in a sound state of readiness to serve with intact health and family relationships. The likes of Lindsay Graham would see any soldier deployed for any length of time simply because a Commander and Chief demanded it of OUR military.


The people whom voted against the Webb-Hagle Amendment are Anti-American, don't care about our soldiers, care only about winning a hopeless war and seek only to play politics with the lives of our troops and the lives of the people of Iraq. Lindsay and those like him need to be replaced in their Senate and House seats to allow a legislature that benefits this country's security rather than defeats it. The current war in Iraq is served by a vast minority of people both in military deployments and those that support it in the electorate of the USA. The politics of killing while compromising the security of this country has to stop and it has to stop by ridding the legislature of people voting based upon 'historical' principles rather than sound reasoning.


The fact of the matter is, without Bush's private contractors in Iraq, the USA military's burden will increase enormously, the deployments will be more lengthy and deployments will become toxic to the well being of our military and national security.