The Asian Tsunami makes for strange bedfellows.
A Giant Tortise and a Hippo.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Morning Papers - continued ...
Zoos
Inuit See Signs In Arctic Thaw
String of Warm Winters Alarms 'Sentries for the Rest of the World'
By Doug Struck
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, March 22, 2006; Page A01
PANGNIRTUNG, Canada -- Thirty miles from the Arctic Circle, hunter Noah Metuq feels the Arctic changing. Its frozen grip is loosening; the people and animals who depend on its icy reign are experiencing a historic reshaping of their world.
Fish and wildlife are following the retreating ice caps northward. Polar bears are losing the floes they need for hunting. Seals, unable to find stable ice, are hauling up on islands to give birth. Robins and barn owls and hornets, previously unknown so far north, are arriving in Arctic villages.
The global warming felt by wildlife and increasingly documented by scientists is hitting first and hardest here, in the Arctic where the Inuit people make their home. The hardy Inuit -- described by one of their leaders as "sentries for the rest of the world" -- say this winter was the worst in a series of warm winters, replete with alarms of the quickening transformation that many scientists expect will spread from the north to the rest of the globe.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/21/AR2006032101722.html
Zoo mourns 255yo tortoise
From correspondents in Kolkata, India
March 23, 2006
A FAMED 255-year-old tortoise brought to the eastern Indian city during the rule of the British East India Company has died, Zoo officials in Kolkata said today.
The giant Aldabra tortoise was one of four brought by British seamen from the Seychelles Islands as gifts to Robert Clive of the East India Company in 1875. It died after a string of illnesses, Kolkata Zoo director Subir Chowdhury said today.
"Adwaitya (The Only One), who delighted the zoo visitors for 131 years, died on Wednesday morning," Mr Chowdhury said. "His shell will be preserved in the zoo. All zoo employees are saddened by his death."
The three other tortoises given as gifts to Clive died soon after they arrived in Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, he said.
"Adwaitya spent his early days in Robert Clive's garden," the zookeeper said. He was later transferred to the Alipore zoo, located in the city's southern district, after it opened in 1875.
Despite his many years of life, he only became sick eight years ago when an infection was detected in his legs, Mr Chowdhury said. He was successfully treated at that time.
"Our records show the tortoise was born in 1750, but some have claimed he was born in 1705," he said. He added that the zoo will use a scientific method known as carbon-dating to determine his real age.
Adwaitya became ill several months ago after a crack developed around a wound on his chest, Mr Chowdhury said.
The average lifespan of an Aldabra tortoise is well beyond 100 years, according to the website of the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas.
Most of the tortoises are found on Aldabra, an atoll of four large coral islands in the Indian Ocean.
The atoll has been protected from human influence and is home to some 152,000 giant tortoises, the world's largest population of the animal, according to the United Nations world heritage body.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18581034%255E1702,00.html
Mexican Land Boom Creates Commotion in Whale Nursery
By JAMES C. MCKINLEY JR. (NYT) 895 words
Published: March 12, 2006
LAGUNA SAN IGNACIO, Mexico, March 7 - This remote lagoon, surrounded by salt flats, mesas and desert, has been a sanctuary for gray whales for centuries.
Every year they return in January to these quiet, protected waters to give birth and nurse their calves through the first few months of life. Then they mate again in a swirl of water and fins, and frolic in the warm waters, breaching and flopping their gargantuan bodies.
Fishermen, who serve as guides during the whales' three-month stay, ferry tourists to the center of the lagoon, and the whales play with the boats. Sometimes, enthusiastic visitors can pet and scratch the leviathans' blubbery, sensitive skin.
But the lagoon has proved a powerful draw for more than just nature lovers. The area's salt and oil deposits have long drawn development interests, pitting environmentalists and local fishing and tourism concerns against big companies and land speculators in battles that have intensified in recent years.
In 2000, for instance, environmentalists won a long-fought victory over the Mitsubishi Corporation, which had sought to build a giant salt-mining complex on the lagoon, which would have devastated fishing and the whale-watching industry.
Another company, Exportadora de Sal, has received a 50-year concession from the government to mine salt, suggesting another looming battle. Environmentalists also say that plans to exploit oil deposits near the lagoon and build a big marina near its entrance threaten the whales.
From ecologists' standpoint, though, perhaps the greatest threat to the lagoon is the land boom that is sweeping the peninsula. All across the Baja California, land speculators are buying out members of ranching and fishing cooperatives, which own vast tracts including beaches on some of the most pristine and rich marine habitats in the world.
But here, environmental groups have reached an unusual agreement with a cooperative that will help protect the lagoon, the last undisturbed gray whale nursery, from industrial development or land speculation.
Under the accord, the cooperative, the Ejido Luis Echeverría, has agreed to protect 120,000 acres around the lagoon from development, in return for a $675,000 trust fund put together by several groups, among them the Natural Resources Defense Council and Wildcoast.
Trust earnings go to the cooperative to be invested in projects to create permanent jobs and give its 43 members a stake in protecting the whales and their habitat.
''This is a long term project, a project for perpetuity,'' said the president of the cooperative, Raúl López. ''We have to be an example for the other cooperatives.''
Still, the Echeverría cooperative is only one of six that own land around the lagoon, and the environmentalists have their work cut out for them persuading the rest to commit themselves to protecting the whales.
Serge Dedina, the executive director of Wildcoast, has tried to convince the cooperative members that they have more to gain in the long run from developing tourism around the whales, as well as sustainable fisheries, than from a one-time windfall of cash for their land.
The gray whales migrate every year from the seas off Alaska to Mexico's waters. They begin arriving in January and stay until early April. The lagoon, along with two other less pristine bays, are vitally important to their survival, since it is here the mothers give birth and here the calves gain enough strength to handle the perils of the open ocean.
The lagoon is also home to 221 bird species. Ospreys, cormorants and pelicans fish the waters, while falcons, gold and bald eagles sweep the skies. Rare species like endangered peninsular pronghorns and green sea turtles can be spotted here, too.
The whales are the big draw, however. Eight camps are scattered along the southeastern shore of the bay and 16 boats have permits to take tourists out.
Mr. López said that the idea of the local cooperative, or ejido, was that the trust fund's support of small projects would bring in jobs and erase the temptation for people to sell out to mining or other development concerns.
But leaders of other cooperatives around the bay are not convinced. To the north, the San Ignacio Ejido is controlled by ranchers and businessmen who have little or no stake in the whale-watching business.
Their president, Rodrigo Martínez Zapien, a grocer, said most of the 81 members were ranchers or small-business men and would support selling their beaches to a salt-mining company or anyone else who would produce jobs. Already, they have been approached by land speculators, he said. ''The truth is there is not much interest in going to exploit this business of the whales,'' he said.
Others say they see the whales as a resource. The whale tours are a lot less work than hauling in fishing nets. And the money from the trust will help small businesses that provide jobs. The only other option, they say, is to sell, move to the city and run through the profit.
''Sure there have been people who have come around wanting to buy, but for us it doesn't interest us to sell the land, because almost all of us work in tourism now,'' said one local fisherman, Alejandro Ramírez, 35, who works at a whale-watching camp. ''If I sell out, sure, I'll have more money, but money in your hands goes quickly, and with this natural area my family has a way to make a living for a long time.''
Photo: A gray whale pops up for air in Baja California, where advocates of tourism and the environment clash with those favoring heavier development. (Photo by Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times)
Map of Mexico highlighting Laguna San Ignacio: For centuries, gray whales have given birth in Laguna San Ignacio.
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FB081FF638550C718DDDAA0894DE404482
All zoos have to be closed
2006/3/28
Two giant pandas are not coming to Taipei or anywhere else in Taiwan. China wants to send the pair to Taiwan as a gift, but the Council of Agriculture, the Cabinet agency in charge of authorizing their import, certainly will decide against it, now that President Chen Shui-bian has turned down the Chinese offer. The decision will be announced shortly.
The offer was rejected because President Chen believes the rare animals "will not be happy if they are kept in captivity or given away as presents." He wrote in his latest weekly A-bian e-newsletter he is convinced that giant pandas do not exist for the pleasures of humans, who like to think they could conquer nature, though they "must learn how to peacefully coexist with other species ... so all life on this earth will be preserved." He urged Chinese leaders to allow the pair to remain in their natural habitat instead of sending them to Taiwan.
Well said and done. The fact, however, is that not just giant pandas but all other animals in captivity or in the wild do not exist for the pleasures of the human race. Do you think cattle, swine, poultry, fish and whatnots love to live for our pleasures? Of course, none of the animals kept in a zoo want to continue to live the rest of their lives for the pleasures of those of us who want to watch them. Many of the animals have been captured and sent far away from the wild to the zoo. Not all of them like to live freely and breed willingly in their natural habitat. Some may prefer an easy life in captivity. Small herbivores, for instance, can live free from the constant threat of predators.
Besides, a few endangered species may need better human protection. If left in the wild, some rare animals would die out. The Asian lion is one such species. The giant panda may be another. That's why China has started breeding giant pandas in captivity. Incidentally, the two cubs China has decided to present to Taiwan have been bred in a wildlife park. They were not "born free" in their natural habitat and snatched out of the wild for the pleasures of humans. President Chen seldom means what he says. The only reason he doesn't want the two giant panda cubs to come to Taiwan is that they were presented to Lien Chan, honorary chairman of the Kuomintang, as a token of friendship China is trying to extend. Chen believes that friendship is nothing but a cover for Beijing's united front campaign to prevent a further leaning of Taiwan toward independence. Maybe. But the cubs are innocent. All our children would welcome them.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/editorial/detail.asp?onNews=&GRP=i&id=79347
Rahul Khanna makes a trunk call for PETA
By IndiaFM News Bureau, March 25, 2006 - 22:47 IST
For all those who were wondering where has actor Rahul Khanna disappeared, well he is back. He recently offered his services for PETA’s latest ad. Rahul Khanna has a soft spot for elephants. Khanna posed for the press with a baby elephant, pulling it free of its leg chains. Of course, because of PETA's motto that animals are not ours to eat, wear or use for entertainment, the elephant was played by a stand-in made of styrofoam.
"When PETA came to me with the proposal, I thought it was something I would want to be associated with," Khanna said. He added “The mark of a truly evolved civilization is that it treats its animals in a humane way.”
Elephants in Indian zoos live in appalling conditions. Some are chained year-round and many suffer from malnutrition and illness. Rahul Khanna and PETA are out to spread the message that elephants do NOT belong in zoos.
http://www.indiafm.com/news/2006/03/25/6876/
Fears for possums after death
From: AAP
By Jane Bunce
March 27, 2006
ONLY one member of the endangered possum species that is Victoria's state faunal emblem remains in captivity after its mate died in a Melbourne sanctuary.
Leadbeater's Possum, which lives in the mountain ash forests of Victoria's central highlands, was considered extinct until it was rediscovered in 1961 and a successful captive breeding program started.
The death of the second-last Leadbeater's Possum in Healesville Sanctuary this week marks the end of that program, author Peter Preuss said.
Mr Preuss, the biographer of the late amateur naturalist Des Hackett, said Mr Hackett had remarkable results breeding the possums in captivity.
By the 1980s he was able to hand over breeding colonies to zoos throughout Australia, with the hope the offspring could one day be released in the wild, he said.
"Unfortunately, the Leadbeater's Possum is a very politically sensitive animal," he said.
"Because their natural range is almost exclusively within Victoria's timber harvesting areas, Leadbeater's Possums were never released. Instead, colonies were exported to zoos throughout the world."
Mr Preuss, the author of a biography of Mr Hackett's work with the Leadbeater's Possum and Sugar Gliders, Bred To Be Wild, said Australia was ineffective in protecting its native wildlife.
He said when Mr Hackett died in 1997 there were thriving colonies of Leadbeater's Possums in zoos throughout the world and an estimated 5000 Leadbeater's Possum in the wild.
"Today, there are just 1000 left in the wild and only one lonely individual remains in captivity," he said.
"Thanks to Des Hackett, we had the chance to turn the tide of extinction for our state emblem.
"But because of a lack of communication between zoos and wildlife authorities, we may yet see this amazing animal become extinct."
The small nocturnal marsupial is grey with a white underbelly and face, and a black stripe down its back and on each cheek.
The weedy sea dragon, the helmeted honeyeater and pink heath are Victoria's other state emblems.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18625964-29277,00.html
JACKO JUMBO SALE
Skint sells Neverland zoo animal
MICHAEL Jackson is selling off the zoo animals from his Neverland Ranch.
The troubled singer is desperately trying to raise funds by letting his menagerie of exotic beasts go at bargain-basement prices.
Jackson has been frantically phoning round Hollywood trying to offload his collection of elephants, tigers, orangutans and giraffes.
He's so skint that he's willing to sell the expensive creatures for as little as a quarter of their true value.
A source close to the King of Pop said: "Michael's fortune is nothing like it used to be.
"When he refused to pay the staff at Neverland recently, every-one knew he had hit hard times.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16861536&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=jacko-jumbo-sale--name_page.html
Houston Zoo's elephants will benefit from expansion plans
$100 million in projects set to begin this fall
By SALATHEIA BRYANT
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
The Houston Zoo's Asian elephant trio of Methai, Shanti and Thai are about to get more room to roam.
Their expanded space will come with new barns, an additional pool, and several observation areas that will allow more intimate public viewing of their habitat.
The expansion will boost the pachyderm space to slightly more than 3 acres, giving the zoo space to grow its elephant herd to at least six animals.
Expansion of the elephant yard, scheduled to start in late fall, is one project in an extensive $100 million renovation blitz intended to improve the profile of the 84-year-old zoo.
"We're tearing down just about all the old stuff," said Sharon Joseph, director of animal programs. "We have made a commitment to keeping elephants. We're going into an intensive phase of growth and renovation."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3747417.html
Procedures reviewed after lion incident at zoo
By Brent Killackey
RACINE - When it comes to cats - especially large cats like lions - don't expect them to move when you want them to.
It took more than six hours Thursday to lure Elsa, a 1-year-old African lioness, far enough into an outdoor exhibit so that zoo employees could safety close a 4-by-4-foot metal door between the off-exhibit lion's den and the animal care staff's secure work area.
Discovery of that open door - and the potential that Elsa could get into that secure work area - prompted the evacuation of the zoo about 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
Zoo employees tried scaring Elsa further into the outdoor exhibit by shooting a fire extinguisher under another door, but apparently she wasn't close enough to care. And she wasn't immediately tempted by food in the outdoor exhibit because she had eaten a big breakfast.
http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2006/03/25/local/iq_3969175.txt
Local Zoo Targeted in Mayor's Budget Plan
March 25, 2006, 07:24 AM EST
Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero has completed his plan for next years' city budget. In it he's proposing several significant budget cuts, some of which affect funding for the city's Potter Park Zoo. The zoo is something that many want to see stick around, even if it's at a higher price.
Donna Martin hasn't been to Potter Park Zoo in five years, but Friday was special, it was her grand daughter Marissa's fourth birthday.
Donna Martin, Lansing resident: "This little one has just been squealing at plain old little squirrels, now look at this, it's priceless to me."
http://www.wlns.com/Global/story.asp?S=4680696&nav=0RbQ
What a zoo
March 25, 2006 - Getting the zoo grounds ready for spring
Despite the weather we promise spring is here. Many people can't wait to dig into the dirt and begin planting. It's time to see what the zoo's doing to get their grounds ready in this morning's what a zoo!
Getting the zoo grounds ready for spring is a year round task.
Caroll Moorhead is a landscape assistant at the Toledo Zoo and explains what goes on to prepare for all the seasons.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=local&id=4023967
Animals arrive for new zoo exhibit
(Daily Oklahoman, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Mar. 25--While construction continues on the Oklahoma City Zoo's new Oklahoma Trails exhibit, the animals that will occupy the new site have started to arrive.
Animal Management Director Dwight Scott said animals acquired for the new exhibit, scheduled to open in early summer, include a Western diamondback rattlesnake and a roadrunner.
Members of the Oklahoma City Zoological Trust met this week and discussed the animals and progress on the Oklahoma Trails exhibit.
On the wish list for the exhibit are black bears, hog-nosed and spotted skunks, grey and red foxes, woodchucks, a nine-banded armadillo and various native birds and reptiles, Scott said.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/03/25/1488586.htm
Bird flu scare hits zoo plan
SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
HYDERABAD: The bird flu scare has stalled exchange programmes at the Nehru Zoological Park in the city.
About a month ago, the zoo was all set to ship six pairs of painted storks to a zoo in Prague. And in exchange, receive blue and yellow macaws and Hahn's macaws from the zoo in the Czech Republic.
The zoo was supposed to receive two male and three female blue and yellow macaws and the same number of Hahn's macaws. Chennai was to be the point of exchange.
"A quarantine officer at Chennai, who is in-charge of checking and certifying the birds being sent and received from abroad, refused permission for the same citing bird flu threat,"said Nehru Zoological Park director V Kishan.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1464463.cms
Donations will help rebuild petting zoo
3/25/2006 4:38 PM
By: News 14 Carolina
SALISBURY, N.C. – Officials at the Salisbury Parks and Recreation Department say they’ve been overwhelmed by people volunteering to donate and help rebuild and repopulate the petting zoo at Dan Nicholas Park.
Investigators said the fire that destroyed the petting zoo, killing more than 40 animals, is suspicious.
Anyone wishing to donate can write a check to the Rowan County Dan Nicholas Park Animal Fund. Send it to the Salisbury Parks and Rec Department, care of Karen Wilkinson, P.O. Box 4053, 28145-4053.
http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/local_news/?ArID=116338&SecID=2
MLB: PHILLIES: Phanatic to make history at the Zoo on Monday
All children who wear red to the Zoo that day to receive a free ticket to the Phils vs. Dodgers game on April 8
/noticias.info/ With the help of a zoologist, MAB Paints and a crane operator from Capital Manufacturing, the Phillie Phanatic will unveil his true Phillies colors during a milestone event on the Impala Lawn at the Philadelphia Zoo on Monday, March 27. The festivities will begin at noon and lead off the Phillies Paint the Town Red week. The event is open to the public with zoo admission.
Highlights also include face painters, Phanstormers and performances by the Whiz Kids Band (which begin at 11:30 a.m.). Following the event, all children are invited to join in on a parade with the Phanatic.
As part of the celebration, all children 14 and under who wear red to the zoo that day will receive a free ticket to Verizon Kids Opening Day on April 8 when the Phils take on the Dodgers -- 3:05 p.m. -- at Citizens Bank Park.
The Philadelphia Zoo is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Click here for a full listing of Paint the Town Red Week events.
http://www.noticias.info/asp/aspComunicados.asp?nid=159279&src=0
The fun of a gateway getaway
St. Louis is more than a stop; it's a destination
By Patrick Foose
COX NEWS SERVICE
ST. LOUIS - So maybe St. Louis isn't the first place you think of for a getaway.
There are no mountains or beaches. But on the plus side, it's only about 51/2 hours from Lexington or a short plane ride.
St. Louis was near where Lewis and Clark started their expedition. It also was where Charles Lindbergh began his flying career and Chuck Berry learned to play guitar. And it was where the people rooted in the 19th century first saw some of what would become common in the 20th century at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exhibition, the largest of all world's fairs.
For more than 300 years, people have been passing through St. Louis on their way to becoming something else.
Those who stayed created a town with enough interest to keep a visitor busy for days.
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/living/travel/14183660.htm
continued …
Inuit See Signs In Arctic Thaw
String of Warm Winters Alarms 'Sentries for the Rest of the World'
By Doug Struck
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, March 22, 2006; Page A01
PANGNIRTUNG, Canada -- Thirty miles from the Arctic Circle, hunter Noah Metuq feels the Arctic changing. Its frozen grip is loosening; the people and animals who depend on its icy reign are experiencing a historic reshaping of their world.
Fish and wildlife are following the retreating ice caps northward. Polar bears are losing the floes they need for hunting. Seals, unable to find stable ice, are hauling up on islands to give birth. Robins and barn owls and hornets, previously unknown so far north, are arriving in Arctic villages.
The global warming felt by wildlife and increasingly documented by scientists is hitting first and hardest here, in the Arctic where the Inuit people make their home. The hardy Inuit -- described by one of their leaders as "sentries for the rest of the world" -- say this winter was the worst in a series of warm winters, replete with alarms of the quickening transformation that many scientists expect will spread from the north to the rest of the globe.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/21/AR2006032101722.html
Zoo mourns 255yo tortoise
From correspondents in Kolkata, India
March 23, 2006
A FAMED 255-year-old tortoise brought to the eastern Indian city during the rule of the British East India Company has died, Zoo officials in Kolkata said today.
The giant Aldabra tortoise was one of four brought by British seamen from the Seychelles Islands as gifts to Robert Clive of the East India Company in 1875. It died after a string of illnesses, Kolkata Zoo director Subir Chowdhury said today.
"Adwaitya (The Only One), who delighted the zoo visitors for 131 years, died on Wednesday morning," Mr Chowdhury said. "His shell will be preserved in the zoo. All zoo employees are saddened by his death."
The three other tortoises given as gifts to Clive died soon after they arrived in Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, he said.
"Adwaitya spent his early days in Robert Clive's garden," the zookeeper said. He was later transferred to the Alipore zoo, located in the city's southern district, after it opened in 1875.
Despite his many years of life, he only became sick eight years ago when an infection was detected in his legs, Mr Chowdhury said. He was successfully treated at that time.
"Our records show the tortoise was born in 1750, but some have claimed he was born in 1705," he said. He added that the zoo will use a scientific method known as carbon-dating to determine his real age.
Adwaitya became ill several months ago after a crack developed around a wound on his chest, Mr Chowdhury said.
The average lifespan of an Aldabra tortoise is well beyond 100 years, according to the website of the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas.
Most of the tortoises are found on Aldabra, an atoll of four large coral islands in the Indian Ocean.
The atoll has been protected from human influence and is home to some 152,000 giant tortoises, the world's largest population of the animal, according to the United Nations world heritage body.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18581034%255E1702,00.html
Mexican Land Boom Creates Commotion in Whale Nursery
By JAMES C. MCKINLEY JR. (NYT) 895 words
Published: March 12, 2006
LAGUNA SAN IGNACIO, Mexico, March 7 - This remote lagoon, surrounded by salt flats, mesas and desert, has been a sanctuary for gray whales for centuries.
Every year they return in January to these quiet, protected waters to give birth and nurse their calves through the first few months of life. Then they mate again in a swirl of water and fins, and frolic in the warm waters, breaching and flopping their gargantuan bodies.
Fishermen, who serve as guides during the whales' three-month stay, ferry tourists to the center of the lagoon, and the whales play with the boats. Sometimes, enthusiastic visitors can pet and scratch the leviathans' blubbery, sensitive skin.
But the lagoon has proved a powerful draw for more than just nature lovers. The area's salt and oil deposits have long drawn development interests, pitting environmentalists and local fishing and tourism concerns against big companies and land speculators in battles that have intensified in recent years.
In 2000, for instance, environmentalists won a long-fought victory over the Mitsubishi Corporation, which had sought to build a giant salt-mining complex on the lagoon, which would have devastated fishing and the whale-watching industry.
Another company, Exportadora de Sal, has received a 50-year concession from the government to mine salt, suggesting another looming battle. Environmentalists also say that plans to exploit oil deposits near the lagoon and build a big marina near its entrance threaten the whales.
From ecologists' standpoint, though, perhaps the greatest threat to the lagoon is the land boom that is sweeping the peninsula. All across the Baja California, land speculators are buying out members of ranching and fishing cooperatives, which own vast tracts including beaches on some of the most pristine and rich marine habitats in the world.
But here, environmental groups have reached an unusual agreement with a cooperative that will help protect the lagoon, the last undisturbed gray whale nursery, from industrial development or land speculation.
Under the accord, the cooperative, the Ejido Luis Echeverría, has agreed to protect 120,000 acres around the lagoon from development, in return for a $675,000 trust fund put together by several groups, among them the Natural Resources Defense Council and Wildcoast.
Trust earnings go to the cooperative to be invested in projects to create permanent jobs and give its 43 members a stake in protecting the whales and their habitat.
''This is a long term project, a project for perpetuity,'' said the president of the cooperative, Raúl López. ''We have to be an example for the other cooperatives.''
Still, the Echeverría cooperative is only one of six that own land around the lagoon, and the environmentalists have their work cut out for them persuading the rest to commit themselves to protecting the whales.
Serge Dedina, the executive director of Wildcoast, has tried to convince the cooperative members that they have more to gain in the long run from developing tourism around the whales, as well as sustainable fisheries, than from a one-time windfall of cash for their land.
The gray whales migrate every year from the seas off Alaska to Mexico's waters. They begin arriving in January and stay until early April. The lagoon, along with two other less pristine bays, are vitally important to their survival, since it is here the mothers give birth and here the calves gain enough strength to handle the perils of the open ocean.
The lagoon is also home to 221 bird species. Ospreys, cormorants and pelicans fish the waters, while falcons, gold and bald eagles sweep the skies. Rare species like endangered peninsular pronghorns and green sea turtles can be spotted here, too.
The whales are the big draw, however. Eight camps are scattered along the southeastern shore of the bay and 16 boats have permits to take tourists out.
Mr. López said that the idea of the local cooperative, or ejido, was that the trust fund's support of small projects would bring in jobs and erase the temptation for people to sell out to mining or other development concerns.
But leaders of other cooperatives around the bay are not convinced. To the north, the San Ignacio Ejido is controlled by ranchers and businessmen who have little or no stake in the whale-watching business.
Their president, Rodrigo Martínez Zapien, a grocer, said most of the 81 members were ranchers or small-business men and would support selling their beaches to a salt-mining company or anyone else who would produce jobs. Already, they have been approached by land speculators, he said. ''The truth is there is not much interest in going to exploit this business of the whales,'' he said.
Others say they see the whales as a resource. The whale tours are a lot less work than hauling in fishing nets. And the money from the trust will help small businesses that provide jobs. The only other option, they say, is to sell, move to the city and run through the profit.
''Sure there have been people who have come around wanting to buy, but for us it doesn't interest us to sell the land, because almost all of us work in tourism now,'' said one local fisherman, Alejandro Ramírez, 35, who works at a whale-watching camp. ''If I sell out, sure, I'll have more money, but money in your hands goes quickly, and with this natural area my family has a way to make a living for a long time.''
Photo: A gray whale pops up for air in Baja California, where advocates of tourism and the environment clash with those favoring heavier development. (Photo by Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times)
Map of Mexico highlighting Laguna San Ignacio: For centuries, gray whales have given birth in Laguna San Ignacio.
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FB081FF638550C718DDDAA0894DE404482
All zoos have to be closed
2006/3/28
Two giant pandas are not coming to Taipei or anywhere else in Taiwan. China wants to send the pair to Taiwan as a gift, but the Council of Agriculture, the Cabinet agency in charge of authorizing their import, certainly will decide against it, now that President Chen Shui-bian has turned down the Chinese offer. The decision will be announced shortly.
The offer was rejected because President Chen believes the rare animals "will not be happy if they are kept in captivity or given away as presents." He wrote in his latest weekly A-bian e-newsletter he is convinced that giant pandas do not exist for the pleasures of humans, who like to think they could conquer nature, though they "must learn how to peacefully coexist with other species ... so all life on this earth will be preserved." He urged Chinese leaders to allow the pair to remain in their natural habitat instead of sending them to Taiwan.
Well said and done. The fact, however, is that not just giant pandas but all other animals in captivity or in the wild do not exist for the pleasures of the human race. Do you think cattle, swine, poultry, fish and whatnots love to live for our pleasures? Of course, none of the animals kept in a zoo want to continue to live the rest of their lives for the pleasures of those of us who want to watch them. Many of the animals have been captured and sent far away from the wild to the zoo. Not all of them like to live freely and breed willingly in their natural habitat. Some may prefer an easy life in captivity. Small herbivores, for instance, can live free from the constant threat of predators.
Besides, a few endangered species may need better human protection. If left in the wild, some rare animals would die out. The Asian lion is one such species. The giant panda may be another. That's why China has started breeding giant pandas in captivity. Incidentally, the two cubs China has decided to present to Taiwan have been bred in a wildlife park. They were not "born free" in their natural habitat and snatched out of the wild for the pleasures of humans. President Chen seldom means what he says. The only reason he doesn't want the two giant panda cubs to come to Taiwan is that they were presented to Lien Chan, honorary chairman of the Kuomintang, as a token of friendship China is trying to extend. Chen believes that friendship is nothing but a cover for Beijing's united front campaign to prevent a further leaning of Taiwan toward independence. Maybe. But the cubs are innocent. All our children would welcome them.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/editorial/detail.asp?onNews=&GRP=i&id=79347
Rahul Khanna makes a trunk call for PETA
By IndiaFM News Bureau, March 25, 2006 - 22:47 IST
For all those who were wondering where has actor Rahul Khanna disappeared, well he is back. He recently offered his services for PETA’s latest ad. Rahul Khanna has a soft spot for elephants. Khanna posed for the press with a baby elephant, pulling it free of its leg chains. Of course, because of PETA's motto that animals are not ours to eat, wear or use for entertainment, the elephant was played by a stand-in made of styrofoam.
"When PETA came to me with the proposal, I thought it was something I would want to be associated with," Khanna said. He added “The mark of a truly evolved civilization is that it treats its animals in a humane way.”
Elephants in Indian zoos live in appalling conditions. Some are chained year-round and many suffer from malnutrition and illness. Rahul Khanna and PETA are out to spread the message that elephants do NOT belong in zoos.
http://www.indiafm.com/news/2006/03/25/6876/
Fears for possums after death
From: AAP
By Jane Bunce
March 27, 2006
ONLY one member of the endangered possum species that is Victoria's state faunal emblem remains in captivity after its mate died in a Melbourne sanctuary.
Leadbeater's Possum, which lives in the mountain ash forests of Victoria's central highlands, was considered extinct until it was rediscovered in 1961 and a successful captive breeding program started.
The death of the second-last Leadbeater's Possum in Healesville Sanctuary this week marks the end of that program, author Peter Preuss said.
Mr Preuss, the biographer of the late amateur naturalist Des Hackett, said Mr Hackett had remarkable results breeding the possums in captivity.
By the 1980s he was able to hand over breeding colonies to zoos throughout Australia, with the hope the offspring could one day be released in the wild, he said.
"Unfortunately, the Leadbeater's Possum is a very politically sensitive animal," he said.
"Because their natural range is almost exclusively within Victoria's timber harvesting areas, Leadbeater's Possums were never released. Instead, colonies were exported to zoos throughout the world."
Mr Preuss, the author of a biography of Mr Hackett's work with the Leadbeater's Possum and Sugar Gliders, Bred To Be Wild, said Australia was ineffective in protecting its native wildlife.
He said when Mr Hackett died in 1997 there were thriving colonies of Leadbeater's Possums in zoos throughout the world and an estimated 5000 Leadbeater's Possum in the wild.
"Today, there are just 1000 left in the wild and only one lonely individual remains in captivity," he said.
"Thanks to Des Hackett, we had the chance to turn the tide of extinction for our state emblem.
"But because of a lack of communication between zoos and wildlife authorities, we may yet see this amazing animal become extinct."
The small nocturnal marsupial is grey with a white underbelly and face, and a black stripe down its back and on each cheek.
The weedy sea dragon, the helmeted honeyeater and pink heath are Victoria's other state emblems.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18625964-29277,00.html
JACKO JUMBO SALE
Skint sells Neverland zoo animal
MICHAEL Jackson is selling off the zoo animals from his Neverland Ranch.
The troubled singer is desperately trying to raise funds by letting his menagerie of exotic beasts go at bargain-basement prices.
Jackson has been frantically phoning round Hollywood trying to offload his collection of elephants, tigers, orangutans and giraffes.
He's so skint that he's willing to sell the expensive creatures for as little as a quarter of their true value.
A source close to the King of Pop said: "Michael's fortune is nothing like it used to be.
"When he refused to pay the staff at Neverland recently, every-one knew he had hit hard times.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16861536&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=jacko-jumbo-sale--name_page.html
Houston Zoo's elephants will benefit from expansion plans
$100 million in projects set to begin this fall
By SALATHEIA BRYANT
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
The Houston Zoo's Asian elephant trio of Methai, Shanti and Thai are about to get more room to roam.
Their expanded space will come with new barns, an additional pool, and several observation areas that will allow more intimate public viewing of their habitat.
The expansion will boost the pachyderm space to slightly more than 3 acres, giving the zoo space to grow its elephant herd to at least six animals.
Expansion of the elephant yard, scheduled to start in late fall, is one project in an extensive $100 million renovation blitz intended to improve the profile of the 84-year-old zoo.
"We're tearing down just about all the old stuff," said Sharon Joseph, director of animal programs. "We have made a commitment to keeping elephants. We're going into an intensive phase of growth and renovation."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3747417.html
Procedures reviewed after lion incident at zoo
By Brent Killackey
RACINE - When it comes to cats - especially large cats like lions - don't expect them to move when you want them to.
It took more than six hours Thursday to lure Elsa, a 1-year-old African lioness, far enough into an outdoor exhibit so that zoo employees could safety close a 4-by-4-foot metal door between the off-exhibit lion's den and the animal care staff's secure work area.
Discovery of that open door - and the potential that Elsa could get into that secure work area - prompted the evacuation of the zoo about 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
Zoo employees tried scaring Elsa further into the outdoor exhibit by shooting a fire extinguisher under another door, but apparently she wasn't close enough to care. And she wasn't immediately tempted by food in the outdoor exhibit because she had eaten a big breakfast.
http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2006/03/25/local/iq_3969175.txt
Local Zoo Targeted in Mayor's Budget Plan
March 25, 2006, 07:24 AM EST
Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero has completed his plan for next years' city budget. In it he's proposing several significant budget cuts, some of which affect funding for the city's Potter Park Zoo. The zoo is something that many want to see stick around, even if it's at a higher price.
Donna Martin hasn't been to Potter Park Zoo in five years, but Friday was special, it was her grand daughter Marissa's fourth birthday.
Donna Martin, Lansing resident: "This little one has just been squealing at plain old little squirrels, now look at this, it's priceless to me."
http://www.wlns.com/Global/story.asp?S=4680696&nav=0RbQ
What a zoo
March 25, 2006 - Getting the zoo grounds ready for spring
Despite the weather we promise spring is here. Many people can't wait to dig into the dirt and begin planting. It's time to see what the zoo's doing to get their grounds ready in this morning's what a zoo!
Getting the zoo grounds ready for spring is a year round task.
Caroll Moorhead is a landscape assistant at the Toledo Zoo and explains what goes on to prepare for all the seasons.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=local&id=4023967
Animals arrive for new zoo exhibit
(Daily Oklahoman, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Mar. 25--While construction continues on the Oklahoma City Zoo's new Oklahoma Trails exhibit, the animals that will occupy the new site have started to arrive.
Animal Management Director Dwight Scott said animals acquired for the new exhibit, scheduled to open in early summer, include a Western diamondback rattlesnake and a roadrunner.
Members of the Oklahoma City Zoological Trust met this week and discussed the animals and progress on the Oklahoma Trails exhibit.
On the wish list for the exhibit are black bears, hog-nosed and spotted skunks, grey and red foxes, woodchucks, a nine-banded armadillo and various native birds and reptiles, Scott said.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/03/25/1488586.htm
Bird flu scare hits zoo plan
SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
HYDERABAD: The bird flu scare has stalled exchange programmes at the Nehru Zoological Park in the city.
About a month ago, the zoo was all set to ship six pairs of painted storks to a zoo in Prague. And in exchange, receive blue and yellow macaws and Hahn's macaws from the zoo in the Czech Republic.
The zoo was supposed to receive two male and three female blue and yellow macaws and the same number of Hahn's macaws. Chennai was to be the point of exchange.
"A quarantine officer at Chennai, who is in-charge of checking and certifying the birds being sent and received from abroad, refused permission for the same citing bird flu threat,"said Nehru Zoological Park director V Kishan.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1464463.cms
Donations will help rebuild petting zoo
3/25/2006 4:38 PM
By: News 14 Carolina
SALISBURY, N.C. – Officials at the Salisbury Parks and Recreation Department say they’ve been overwhelmed by people volunteering to donate and help rebuild and repopulate the petting zoo at Dan Nicholas Park.
Investigators said the fire that destroyed the petting zoo, killing more than 40 animals, is suspicious.
Anyone wishing to donate can write a check to the Rowan County Dan Nicholas Park Animal Fund. Send it to the Salisbury Parks and Rec Department, care of Karen Wilkinson, P.O. Box 4053, 28145-4053.
http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/local_news/?ArID=116338&SecID=2
MLB: PHILLIES: Phanatic to make history at the Zoo on Monday
All children who wear red to the Zoo that day to receive a free ticket to the Phils vs. Dodgers game on April 8
/noticias.info/ With the help of a zoologist, MAB Paints and a crane operator from Capital Manufacturing, the Phillie Phanatic will unveil his true Phillies colors during a milestone event on the Impala Lawn at the Philadelphia Zoo on Monday, March 27. The festivities will begin at noon and lead off the Phillies Paint the Town Red week. The event is open to the public with zoo admission.
Highlights also include face painters, Phanstormers and performances by the Whiz Kids Band (which begin at 11:30 a.m.). Following the event, all children are invited to join in on a parade with the Phanatic.
As part of the celebration, all children 14 and under who wear red to the zoo that day will receive a free ticket to Verizon Kids Opening Day on April 8 when the Phils take on the Dodgers -- 3:05 p.m. -- at Citizens Bank Park.
The Philadelphia Zoo is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Click here for a full listing of Paint the Town Red Week events.
http://www.noticias.info/asp/aspComunicados.asp?nid=159279&src=0
The fun of a gateway getaway
St. Louis is more than a stop; it's a destination
By Patrick Foose
COX NEWS SERVICE
ST. LOUIS - So maybe St. Louis isn't the first place you think of for a getaway.
There are no mountains or beaches. But on the plus side, it's only about 51/2 hours from Lexington or a short plane ride.
St. Louis was near where Lewis and Clark started their expedition. It also was where Charles Lindbergh began his flying career and Chuck Berry learned to play guitar. And it was where the people rooted in the 19th century first saw some of what would become common in the 20th century at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exhibition, the largest of all world's fairs.
For more than 300 years, people have been passing through St. Louis on their way to becoming something else.
Those who stayed created a town with enough interest to keep a visitor busy for days.
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/living/travel/14183660.htm
continued …
Monday, March 27, 2006
Click on to animate
March 27, 2006 at 6:00 AM.
Cooling off as winter approaches with severe storms at the equator.
My wish is a rock solid winter in Antartica. I want the iceshelves back. Come on, babe, come on.
Morning Papers - concluded
The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is:
Scott Base
Snow
-13.0°
Updated Monday 27 Mar 7:59PM
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:
36 °F / 2 °C
Overcast
Humidity:
81%
Dew Point:
30 °F / -1 °C
Wind:
Calm North
Pressure:
29.97 in / 1015 hPa
Visibility:
10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV:
0 out of 16
Clouds:
Overcast 6000 ft / 1828 m
(Above Ground Level)
end
Scott Base
Snow
-13.0°
Updated Monday 27 Mar 7:59PM
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:
36 °F / 2 °C
Overcast
Humidity:
81%
Dew Point:
30 °F / -1 °C
Wind:
Calm North
Pressure:
29.97 in / 1015 hPa
Visibility:
10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV:
0 out of 16
Clouds:
Overcast 6000 ft / 1828 m
(Above Ground Level)
end
At least twelve inches. The picnic table accumulation is interesting. Dome.
March 20, 2006.
Kearney, Nebraska.
Winter in March - Climate Change
March 25, 2006.
Waynesville, North Carolina
Near the Balsam Gap entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway at 3,300 feet. This section of the parkway closes in any winter weather because of snow and ice at the higher elevations. Drive a few miles away from this spot and the snow is almost a foot deep with large ice chunks hanging from the tunnel entrances. This entrance is off The Great Smokey Mountains Expressway near Waynesville, NC.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Iraq was a disarmed country. It wasn't their fault they were invaded by oil barron Neocons.
Iraq was invaded without conscience.
What did you all expect other countries were doing?
They were giving the Iraqis a fighting chance.
War has killed 100,000 Iraqis: study
Last Updated Fri, 29 Oct 2004 06:25:07 EDT
CBC News
LONDON - Nearly 100,000 more Iraqis have died during the American-led occupation than would have been expected otherwise, a study posted on The Lancet medical journal's website Thursday estimates.
Propaganda !!!! Congratulations. The American Media has sunk to an all time low !
The spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.
Ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect
Ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect
From the R & R archives ...
I just went through all the illegal nature of the invasion last week.
Dah.
The American people have criminals in the White House. NO OTHER COUNTRY besides a coalition of a few small nations eager for the monies dangled over their heads and Bush's chronic chaperon, Tony Blair, ever consented to the invasion into Iraq.
Bush and Powell and Rumsfeld acted on NO proof.
Bush went to the United Nations to INSURE there were no weapons of mass destruction. As a result Sweden paid for UN Inspectors to survey Iraq.
Let's face it folks, Bush intended to invade Iraq no matter the outcome of what occurred with the United Nations Inspectors. Stop kidding yourselves. It has been a foregone conclusion from a long time ago Bush was to invade Iraq. Do I have to remind everyone about September 12, 2001? Bush turned to his terror advisor and stated, "It was Iraq." Mr. Clarke replied, "No, sir, it was al Qaeda."
...and the point is what exactly?
This is proof. The USA media is Bush's propaganda rags. All should take notice. Amazing.
Russians Helped Iraq, Study SaysPapers Show Hussein Was Tipped Off About U.S. Strategy During Invasion
By Ann Scott Tyson and Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, March 25, 2006; A01
Russian officials collected intelligence on U.S. troop movements and attack plans from inside the American military command leading the 2003 invasion of Iraq and passed that information to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, according to a U.S. military study released yesterday.
The intelligence reports, which the study said were provided to Hussein through the Russian ambassador in Baghdad at the height of the U.S. assault, warned accurately that American formations intended to bypass Iraqi cities on their thrust toward Baghdad. The reports provided some specific numbers on U.S. troops, units and locations, according to Iraqi documents dated March and April 2003 and later captured by the United States.
"The information that the Russians have collected from their sources inside the American Central Command in Doha is that the United States is convinced that occupying Iraqi cities are impossible, and that they have changed their tactic," said one captured Iraqi document titled "Letter from Russian Official to Presidential Secretary Concerning American Intentions in Iraq" and dated March 25, 2003.
A Russian official at the United Nations strongly rejected the allegations that Russian officials gave information to Baghdad. "This is absolutely nonsense," said Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian mission to the United Nations. She said the allegations were never presented to the Russian government before being issued to the news media.
Russia was among the nations opposed to the U.S. war with Iraq. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on the eve of the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003 that an American attack would have grave consequences. He urged Washington to resolve its conflicts with Baghdad peacefully.
The study gives no indication who the alleged sources inside the U.S. Central Command might have been, or whether American officials believe the Kremlin authorized the transfer of information to Hussein's government.
The Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East and is headquartered in Tampa, did not respond to requests for comment. A State Department spokeswoman declined to comment.
The U.S. military and defense officials who released the study said the revelations about Russia in the captured documents came as a surprise. They said they believe the captured Iraqi documents are authentic.
"Certainly, sure, I was surprised," said Army Brig. Gen. Anthony A. Cucolo III, director of the Joint Center for Operational Analysis and Lessons Learned under the Joint Forces Command in Norfolk. He said he thinks the alleged Russian intelligence-sharing was linked to Moscow's commercial interests in Iraq. "Essentially, it's driven by economic interests," he told reporters at the Pentagon. "I don't see it as an aberration. I see it as a follow-on to economic engagement." Retired Lt. Col. Kevin M. Woods, the project director, said he has "no reason to doubt the Iraqi documents."
The 210-page study, called the Iraqi Perspectives Project, draws on declassified information from an internal U.S. military report that was based on the examination of more than half a million files of Iraqi documents and dozens of interviews with former senior Iraqi military and political leaders. Some of that information remains classified.
The study offers little analysis of the consequences for the U.S. military of the alleged Russian-supplied intelligence, which was received by what the study depicts as a hopelessly confused Iraqi chain of command.
One document, for example, was sent to Hussein as rumors swirled in Baghdad that the main American military push would come not from the south -- as it in fact did -- but through Jordan into western Iraq, a misperception that U.S. Special Forces units operating throughout the western desert were seeking to create.
"Significantly, the regime was also receiving intelligence from the Russians that fed suspicions that the attack out of Kuwait was merely a diversion," the study says, citing the March 25 document.
Another captured Iraqi document, dated April 2, 2003, said Russian intelligence had reported to Hussein more detailed and potentially damaging information: The Americans had their heaviest concentration of forces, 12,000 troops and 1,000 vehicles, near the Iraqi city of Karbala and were moving to cut off Baghdad.
In fact, the Army's 3rd Infantry Division and other U.S. forces at the time were making a precarious move through a narrow strip of land known as the Karbala Gap, where they anticipated major resistance from the Iraqi Republican Guard and possible chemical or biological weapons attacks.
One senior Republican Guard commander, Raad Majid Rashid al-Hamdani, issued a warning in line with the Russian intelligence when he told Hussein's son Qusay that the main U.S. attack was coming past Karbala. But Hamdani was largely ignored by Qusay Hussein and other generals, to his dismay, he told the authors of the study while describing the internal debates in an interview. "It was the kind of arguments that I imagine took place in Hitler's bunker in Berlin. Were all these men on drugs?" he said.
Michael E. O'Hanlon, a defense expert at the Brookings Institution, said the passing of information on U.S. troop movements during combat, if true, constituted "a stark betrayal." He added: "I think we should be demanding a fairly clear explanation from Moscow."
But Celeste A. Wallander, director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that although Russia probably had intelligence on U.S. war plans, she is skeptical that the Kremlin would have ordered that it be passed to Hussein's government.
It is more likely that a "freelancing" Russian official such as the ambassador in Baghdad personally shuttled the information, she said.
"If it were the case that the Kremlin had approved passing along what the Russian military knew about American war planning, that would be extraordinary," Wallander said.
"If it were ordered, it would be a direct action that would in effect help another country to use more effectively their military forces against U.S. forces."
Staff writer Colum Lynch at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Russians Helped Iraq, Study SaysPapers Show Hussein Was Tipped Off About U.S. Strategy During Invasion
By Ann Scott Tyson and Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, March 25, 2006; A01
Russian officials collected intelligence on U.S. troop movements and attack plans from inside the American military command leading the 2003 invasion of Iraq and passed that information to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, according to a U.S. military study released yesterday.
The intelligence reports, which the study said were provided to Hussein through the Russian ambassador in Baghdad at the height of the U.S. assault, warned accurately that American formations intended to bypass Iraqi cities on their thrust toward Baghdad. The reports provided some specific numbers on U.S. troops, units and locations, according to Iraqi documents dated March and April 2003 and later captured by the United States.
"The information that the Russians have collected from their sources inside the American Central Command in Doha is that the United States is convinced that occupying Iraqi cities are impossible, and that they have changed their tactic," said one captured Iraqi document titled "Letter from Russian Official to Presidential Secretary Concerning American Intentions in Iraq" and dated March 25, 2003.
A Russian official at the United Nations strongly rejected the allegations that Russian officials gave information to Baghdad. "This is absolutely nonsense," said Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian mission to the United Nations. She said the allegations were never presented to the Russian government before being issued to the news media.
Russia was among the nations opposed to the U.S. war with Iraq. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on the eve of the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003 that an American attack would have grave consequences. He urged Washington to resolve its conflicts with Baghdad peacefully.
The study gives no indication who the alleged sources inside the U.S. Central Command might have been, or whether American officials believe the Kremlin authorized the transfer of information to Hussein's government.
The Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East and is headquartered in Tampa, did not respond to requests for comment. A State Department spokeswoman declined to comment.
The U.S. military and defense officials who released the study said the revelations about Russia in the captured documents came as a surprise. They said they believe the captured Iraqi documents are authentic.
"Certainly, sure, I was surprised," said Army Brig. Gen. Anthony A. Cucolo III, director of the Joint Center for Operational Analysis and Lessons Learned under the Joint Forces Command in Norfolk. He said he thinks the alleged Russian intelligence-sharing was linked to Moscow's commercial interests in Iraq. "Essentially, it's driven by economic interests," he told reporters at the Pentagon. "I don't see it as an aberration. I see it as a follow-on to economic engagement." Retired Lt. Col. Kevin M. Woods, the project director, said he has "no reason to doubt the Iraqi documents."
The 210-page study, called the Iraqi Perspectives Project, draws on declassified information from an internal U.S. military report that was based on the examination of more than half a million files of Iraqi documents and dozens of interviews with former senior Iraqi military and political leaders. Some of that information remains classified.
The study offers little analysis of the consequences for the U.S. military of the alleged Russian-supplied intelligence, which was received by what the study depicts as a hopelessly confused Iraqi chain of command.
One document, for example, was sent to Hussein as rumors swirled in Baghdad that the main American military push would come not from the south -- as it in fact did -- but through Jordan into western Iraq, a misperception that U.S. Special Forces units operating throughout the western desert were seeking to create.
"Significantly, the regime was also receiving intelligence from the Russians that fed suspicions that the attack out of Kuwait was merely a diversion," the study says, citing the March 25 document.
Another captured Iraqi document, dated April 2, 2003, said Russian intelligence had reported to Hussein more detailed and potentially damaging information: The Americans had their heaviest concentration of forces, 12,000 troops and 1,000 vehicles, near the Iraqi city of Karbala and were moving to cut off Baghdad.
In fact, the Army's 3rd Infantry Division and other U.S. forces at the time were making a precarious move through a narrow strip of land known as the Karbala Gap, where they anticipated major resistance from the Iraqi Republican Guard and possible chemical or biological weapons attacks.
One senior Republican Guard commander, Raad Majid Rashid al-Hamdani, issued a warning in line with the Russian intelligence when he told Hussein's son Qusay that the main U.S. attack was coming past Karbala. But Hamdani was largely ignored by Qusay Hussein and other generals, to his dismay, he told the authors of the study while describing the internal debates in an interview. "It was the kind of arguments that I imagine took place in Hitler's bunker in Berlin. Were all these men on drugs?" he said.
Michael E. O'Hanlon, a defense expert at the Brookings Institution, said the passing of information on U.S. troop movements during combat, if true, constituted "a stark betrayal." He added: "I think we should be demanding a fairly clear explanation from Moscow."
But Celeste A. Wallander, director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that although Russia probably had intelligence on U.S. war plans, she is skeptical that the Kremlin would have ordered that it be passed to Hussein's government.
It is more likely that a "freelancing" Russian official such as the ambassador in Baghdad personally shuttled the information, she said.
"If it were the case that the Kremlin had approved passing along what the Russian military knew about American war planning, that would be extraordinary," Wallander said.
"If it were ordered, it would be a direct action that would in effect help another country to use more effectively their military forces against U.S. forces."
Staff writer Colum Lynch at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Mother Russia
Pays the price, works the seasons through
Frozen days, he thinks of you
Cold as ice but he burns for you
Mother russia, can’t you hear him too?
Mother’s son, freedom’s overdue
Lonely man, he thinks of you
He isn’t done, only lives for you
Mother russia, can’t you hear him too?
Punished for his written thoughts
Starving for his fame
Working blindly, building blocks
Number for a name, his blood flows frozen to the snow
Red blood, white snow
He knows frozen rivers won’t flow
So cold, so true
Mother russia--he cries for you
Ooh ooh ...
Bah dah dah dah ...
Punished for his written thoughts
Starving for his fame
Working blindly, building blocks
Number for a name his blood flows frozen to the snow
Red blood, white snow
He knows frozen rivers won’t flow
So cold, so true
Mother russia--he cries for you
Frozen days, he thinks of you
Cold as ice but he burns for you
Mother russia, can’t you hear him too?
Mother’s son, freedom’s overdue
Lonely man, he thinks of you
He isn’t done, only lives for you
Mother russia, can’t you hear him too?
Punished for his written thoughts
Starving for his fame
Working blindly, building blocks
Number for a name, his blood flows frozen to the snow
Red blood, white snow
He knows frozen rivers won’t flow
So cold, so true
Mother russia--he cries for you
Ooh ooh ...
Bah dah dah dah ...
Punished for his written thoughts
Starving for his fame
Working blindly, building blocks
Number for a name his blood flows frozen to the snow
Red blood, white snow
He knows frozen rivers won’t flow
So cold, so true
Mother russia--he cries for you
Sorry I am late
I was away from Net access.
I wasn't far enough from civilization that I don't know what complete fools the media has made over themselves about Russia and Iraq.
Americans are so narcisstic.
What did you all expect?
I have said over and over again, the war in Iraq is an illegal war. Russia had every right to do what it did. For the stunts Bush and Rumsfeld pulled and continue to do so everyone in the USA needs to be grateful Russia and China have been tolerant with us.
I ran an entire proof the the illegality of the war in Iraq just last week I believe. Bush even went against the legislature of the USA.
The American Media is a propaganda machine. Now, we have proof !
I'll start soon. I need to get something to eat. It's been a long day away.
I wasn't far enough from civilization that I don't know what complete fools the media has made over themselves about Russia and Iraq.
Americans are so narcisstic.
What did you all expect?
I have said over and over again, the war in Iraq is an illegal war. Russia had every right to do what it did. For the stunts Bush and Rumsfeld pulled and continue to do so everyone in the USA needs to be grateful Russia and China have been tolerant with us.
I ran an entire proof the the illegality of the war in Iraq just last week I believe. Bush even went against the legislature of the USA.
The American Media is a propaganda machine. Now, we have proof !
I'll start soon. I need to get something to eat. It's been a long day away.
Friday, March 24, 2006
I found this an enchanting picture. Shows the dynamics of Earth highlighted against it's place in the universe.
March 4, 2006.
Atami, Brazil
Photograher states :: Thunder clouds popped into the sky during dusk time in a Southern Brazilian beach, with intense lightning activity. The brightest star seen in the photo is Canopus, the second brightest star of all, far south in declination.
Morning Papers - It's Origins
American Port Security and other port issues
Cameroon: Limbe Ports Authority Credit Union Budget Drops
March 23, 2006
Posted to the web March 23, 2006
Francis Tim Mbom
The budget of the National Ports Authority Cooperative Credit Union Limited, NPACCUL, in Limbe, has dropped from FCFA 238,257 500 last year to FCFA 193,397 500 for the fiscal year 2006.NPACCUL President, Joseph Azefor, disclosed the drop during their annual general assembly session that held in Limbe on Saturday, March 18 at the Presbyterian Youth Centre, PYC, Hall.
Azefor in a presentation of the accounts of the Union for last year said only FCFA 188,197 251 were realised. This prompted the budget to be limited at FCFA 193 million.
Giving reasons for the drop in what was realised last year, Azefor said that the Union recorded a drop in savings as well as loans that members requested by 1.63 percent.
Thus out of some FCFA 188 million that the Union budgeted to reap as interest from loans, only FCFA 108 million was realised.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200603230248.html
Management of ports
Rezaul Huq, Lalmatia, Dhaka
Recently, I had the opportunity of passing through the international airport of Dhaka and felt so bad. Let alone providing comfort, the airport doesn't provide the minimum facilities that the passengers need. One will have the impression that there is no management. Dhaka and Chittagong airports are infamous for smuggling, transfer of cash foreign currency, pilferage of home bound passengers' belongings etc. The domestic airports are no exception.
There is no alternative to placement of management of airports to private or foreign management companies as the airports serve as mirror of the country. To encourage foreign investors and greater number of tourists in the country, the UPA Government of India has recently reached an agreement with a private sector consortium for management of New Delhi and Mumbai airports and upon observing their performance other imports shall be handed over in phases. The US government had many years ago transferred management of both air and seaports to private management, of which a British Company named Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. Ltd (P&O) has been managing six seaports including New York. The P&O has recently been sold to Dubai Ports World, a company owned by the government of UAE. The company has not yet taken over management of those seaports but both Democrat and Republican Senators have already suggested cancellation of the contract as they fear security of their country might be jeopardized owing to management of Vital Ports by a Muslim State.
The reasons for transfer of management are very simple. All the governments are mainly trying to ensure private sector participation to help the country grow rapidly reducing workload of the governments and combat corruption. In the process, revenue earnings of the governments grow which in turn could be utilised for development of infrastructures.
The government in order to create an ideal situation for foreign investment as a test case, signed an agreement with Thai Airlines for management of Chittagong airport but could not deliver physical possession due to resistance by a section of officials fearing loss of jobs supported by a powerful political lobby.
Recently,the Chittagong Port Authority held a meeting with Port labour leaders and Port Dock Workers and Employees Association for preparation of international tender documents for appointment of a company for management and operation of the new container terminal at Chittagong. Immediately came objection from the Mayor who threatened to shut down activities of the port if management of the container terminal was transferred to a private management group.
As an elected representative, the Honourable Mayor should carefully consider the situation and support activities that are development-friendly.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/03/24/d60324110281.htm
Cruise Passengers Unaware of Risks in Int'l Ports of Call
MIAMI - When cruise line passengers participate in onshore excursions like the one that killed 12 people in Chile, they need to take their own legal precautions and not rely on cruise ship company liability, experts said on Thursday.
Passengers be particularly careful when they choose tours that aren't affiliated with the cruise line, said Paul Ruden, senior vice president for the American Society of Travel Agents. That appears to be the case in Chile, according to the cruise line.
Ruden acknowledged some people choose local operators that don't coordinate with cruise lines because they may offer cheaper tours. "If you're comfortable being out on your own, that's fine, but you're taking the same risk of being out on your own that you would anywhere," he said.
Four others were injured in Wednesday's crash in northern Chile. Local authorities said the group was returning to a Celebrity Cruises ship when the bus swerved to avoid a truck and plummeted 300 feet.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=nation_world&id=4019313
The Container That Changed the World
By VIRGINIA POSTREL
Published: March 23, 2006
THE political showdown over a Dubai company's plan to operate terminals at six American ports briefly focused public attention on one of the most significant, yet least noticed, economic developments of the last few decades: the transformation of international shipping.
Just as the computer revolutionized the flow of information, the shipping container revolutionized the flow of goods. As generic as the 1's and 0's of computer code, a container can hold just about anything, from coffee beans to cellphone components. By sharply cutting costs and enhancing reliability, container-based shipping enormously increased the volume of international trade and made complex supply chains possible.
"Low transport costs help make it economically sensible for a factory in China to produce Barbie dolls with Japanese hair, Taiwanese plastics and American colorants, and ship them off to eager girls all over the world," writes Marc Levinson in the new book "The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger" (Princeton University Press).
For consumers, this results in lower prices and more variety. "People now just take it for granted that they have access to an enormous selection of goods from all over the world," Mr. Levinson said in an interview. That selection, he said, "was made possible by this technological change."
When the first container ship set sail
50 years ago, businesses and regulators treated distribution not as a single process but as a series of distinct modes: ships, trucks and trains. Every time the transportation mode changed, somebody had to transfer physically every box or barrel.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/23/business/23scene.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Let’s use eminent domain to take U.S. ports
By Richard Foster
Jonesville Resident
Guest Column
I, along with the Liberal left, recently criticized the President for grossly violating our national security and sound conservative economic principles by allowing the sale of our ports’ control to a state-owned company of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — and rightly so.
However, a recent sore point that has liberals and conservatives alike (and about which you’ll hear more; I promise) steaming mad may be a solution — eminent domain.
What is eminent domain and why may it be an issue? Simply put, eminent domain is the Constitutional concept that gives the government license to seize private property for the public good at fair market value.
This is the vehicle that allows the government to build highways, railroads, airports, government buildings for the public good — the good of all. Such seizures are fitting and proper.
This may be a solution. Government intrusion into quasi-private business is not new (airport security), and therein lies the solution. Of the billions of our tax dollars that Congress finds to waste every year, is it possible that they could reallocate some of the hard earned money they steal from us everyday through income taxes to the purchase of all our ports of entry that import international goods?
http://www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2006/03/23/news/news16.txt
Ports alert in hunt for dud-cheque Frenchman
By MOHAMMED ASLAM
AN all-ports alert was issued to stop a Frenchman leaving Bahrain, after he issued a dud cheque in a business transaction.
Officials at all exit points were ordered to detain the man if he tried to leave the country, as police searched for him, the Lower Criminal Court heard.
The 42-year-old defendant was later arrested as he left a medical complex, in December 2003, two weeks after the arrest warrant was issued.
A court later issued a travel ban on the defendant, who is accused of passing a dud cheque with a face value of 50,000 Saudi riyals (BD5,000).
He failed to turn up for the latest court hearing and the case was adjourned until July 12, when a verdict will be issued.
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=138909&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=29004
Ports help Hutchison
By Vicki Kwong Bloomberg News
THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2006
HONG KONG Hutchison Whampoa, which owns the world's largest port operator, said Thursday that 2005 profit from managing container terminals rose 14 percent as cargo shipments increased.
Hutchison Port Holdings had 10.2 billion Hong Kong dollars, or $1.3 billion, in profit before interest and taxes last year, compared with a restated 8.96 billion dollars in 2004. Sales rose 11 percent to 29.9 billion dollars.
Hutchison, which operates 247 berths in 42 ports, said it handled 51.8 million standard 20 foot, or 6 meter, containers last year, an increase of 8 percent from 2004. The company is investing more in cargo terminals to meet rising demand. It formed a venture last year to manage the second phase of the $16 billion Yangshan deep-water port in Shanghai.
Hutchison Port and four other companies, including A.P. Moeller- Maersk, will invest 4 billion yuan, or $498 million, to build four berths in Yangshan, which will double the eastern Chinese port's cargo capacity by 2010.
The company is expanding its container-handling capacity at Yantian in Shenzhen and it is building its first dry- bulk cargo terminal in the eastern Chinese port of Dalian.
Hutchison Port's shares are not publicly traded. Hutchison Whampoa's shares fell 0.2 percent to 72.85 dollars in Hong Kong before the earnings were announced.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/23/bloomberg/sxport.php
Capitalism's momentum in Dubai sheds light on doomed ports deal
By Greg Dobbs
03/22/2006
DUBAI — If pictures are truly worth a thousand words, some stunning visual images here in the United Arab Emirates speak volumes about this country that planned to manage major American ports before questions about terrorism torpedoed the deal. But this modern metropolis feels more like Disneyland than Terrorland.
In fact, I have struggled to get my arms around a description of place, and I’ve settled on an omnipresent image here: There are more construction cranes than you’ve ever seen in your life — reportedly, between 20 and 40 percent of all the cranes on Earth. Given that there was scarcely a single crane on Denver’s horizon the first 10 years we lived in Colorado, this horizon is striking.
The most entertaining, if not the most important example of headlong construction is “Ski Dubai,” an undulating, artificially chilled, steel-and-iron slope of manmade snow, attached to the biggest shopping mall in the Middle East, if not the world. Not bad when it’s 120 degrees outside! When I packed for this trip, I forgot to bring my skis. Silly me.
http://www.canyoncourier.com/story_display.php?sid=2553
The implications of homeland security
By Josef Braml for ISN Security Watch (23/03/06)
The creation of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - the centerpiece of President George W. Bush’s National Strategy for Homeland Security - is the most wide-ranging reorganization of the American government since the end of the Second World War. Two dozen federal agencies, formerly dispersed over an array of different departments, were concentrated under the roof of the DHS, which has approximately 180,000 employees and an annual budget of US$40 billion.
Nevertheless, Hurricane Katrina dramatically demonstrated how little the reorganization has improved the efficiency of US homeland security. The DHS has also implemented measures with foreign policy consequences that could yield consequences for Europe.
The Bush administration’s homeland security concept requires other countries to comply with US domestic needs, and has led to transatlantic rifts, in particular concerning the Container Security Initiative (CSI), entry requirements for non-permanent residents (in particular students), guidelines for business travelers and tourists, and personal data protection provisions.
Port security
About 90 per cent of the country’s imports reach the US via containers through seaports. In January 2002, the US initiated the CSI. Worldwide bilateral agreements obliged partner countries (including European countries such as Belgium, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Spain) to install security systems in their ports, and to allow US security personnel to conduct security checks within their borders. Thus, some of the costs for the inspections of seaports have been shifted to other countries. In return, imports from these countries may pass more quickly through security controls in US ports, providing them with a competitive advantage vis-à-vis non-cooperating ports and countries.
The EU Commission objected and argued that the CSI would also impede fair competition within the EU. Moreover, bilateral agreements with individual EU member states undermine the authority of the commission. In March 2004, a more comprehensive US-EU agreement defused the transatlantic and intra-European dispute. However, the stipulated principle of reciprocity requires the US to meet the same security standards it requires from its partners. Yet security in US ports still begs improvement, as a 10 March New York Times editorial suggested: “With initial efforts focused on bolstering security abroad, the protection of American ports has lagged badly.”
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=15214
I Always Loved Horses as a Kid
Two Horses Wounded By Bird Shot
(CBS4) KERSEY, Colo. Two miniature horses were treated after being wounded by bird shot pellets in rural Weld County near Kersey on Tuesday afternoon.
Sheriff's deputies were called to the 25000 block of County Road 45 at about 3 p.m. on Tuesday to investigate the apparent shooting.
Investigators said the horses were out of their pen and on an adjacent property when the shooting happened. A red and white paint horse was hit by 27 bird shot pellets. A buckskin horse was hit wounded by 36 pellets.
Deputies said the horses were treated at a local veterinarian clinic.
Officials said the case was still under investigation.
http://cbs4denver.com/pets/local_story_082124335.html
24 horses die in barn blaze; cause under probe
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 03/24/06
STAFF REPORT
UPPER FREEHOLD — An electrical problem may have triggered an early-morning barn fire that killed 24 horses -- 12 of them foals -- at Perretti Farms today, a spokesman for the farm said.
Fire officials and State Police are investigating what may have started the fire, which destroyed a 12-stable barn on the sprawling 900-acre horse farm in the township's Cream Ridge section.
But Bob Marks, a Perretti Farms spokesman, said he heard from fire officials that an electrical problem may have been the cause. The horses, which included the Hambletonian Oaks contender My Starchip, may have died from smoke inhalation, Marks said.
Phones were down at the Route 526 property today, and the farm's owner, William J. Perretti, declined to speak at length about the fire when reached at his Florida home.
"You've got to put your chin up and go, that's all,'' Perretti said. "We're doing the best we can.''
State Police responded to the fire about 6:25 a.m.
Sgt. Jeanne Hengemuhle said all 24 horses in the roughly 20-year-old barn were trapped, and eventually died.
Perretti Farms bills itself as the state's largest horse farm. Located on about 900 acres, the farm breeds standardbred and thoroughbred horses, according to its Web site. The Web site features videos and profiles of racehorses and studs that are standing at the farm.
The farm was founded in the late 1980s by Perretti, an automotive dealer and restaurateur, the Web site states.
About 9 a.m., State Police cars blocked the entrance to the farm, on Route 526 near Red Valley Road. The charred frame of the barn was visible from Route 526.
Several front-end loaders and a number of workers were milling around the barn, while news vans and photographers lined the road. About 15 horses grazed on the rolling terrain several hundred feet from the barn. The tops of several rides at Great Adventure amusement park were visible in the distance.
The Hope Fire Department, Millstone Township Fire Department and New Egypt Fire Department all responded to the scene, Hengemuhle said. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, Monmouth County Fire Marshal and the State Police Arson and Bomb units are all investigating.
A horse barn fire on Thanksgiving night in 2000 at Gaitway Farm in Manalapan killed 20 standardbred horses.
That fire claimed the lives of many of the stars of the trotters and pacers racing circuit, including world record-holder Cam Knows Best, the runner-up in the 1998 Little Brown Jug race at Dover Downs in Delaware. The blaze was caused by a submersible water heater left unattended in the barn, authorities said.
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060324/NEWS/60324015
Horse welfare on the Royal agenda
Anna Tyzack
23 March, 2006
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visited a Cairo equine clinic, while back in the UK the Princess Royal unveils a scheme to improve equine welfare in Romania
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The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited sick horses in a Cairo clinic yesterday. The visit to the Cairo-based operations of the equine welfare charity Brooke Hospital was the one element of a five-day royal programme in Egypt that the Duchess specifically requested. Meanwhile, Princess Anne is also showing her commitment to equine welfare by today launching a five-year scheme which aims to improve the welfare of farm horses in Romania.
The Duchess first became aware of the Brooke's pioneering efforts to raise the standard of equine welfare overseas at a fundraising event in 2004, and Prince Charles visited one of the Brooke's Luxor clinics in 1995. “The request for the visit came from Clarence House,” explained Niki Austin of the Brooke. “Obviously they are both horse lovers and they made time to see and hear what we do.”
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/82026.html
Fire engulfs Ocean Downs horse barn
One animal dead in Worcester racetrack blaze
By John Purnell
Worcester County Times
BERLIN -- A smoky blaze tore through a large horse barn at Ocean Downs Racetrack on Wednesday evening, but quick work by firefighters prevented it from spreading to a number of nearby buildings.
The fast response from fire crews across Worcester County kept the flames from nearby stables that house horses at the historic harness track for the winter off-season, fire officials said.
"It was pretty fast work," said Ocean City Fire Chief Roger Steger. "We got lucky this time."
Steger said the blaze was contained within a half hour. A caretaker at the track reportedly suffered minor injuries while helping to lead the horses away from the barn, fire officials said.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060323/NEWS01/603230304/1002
How about some horse sense?
The family of a Saginaw man who died shortly after appearing in the noonday sun as Captain, the Texas Rangers mascot, is considering a lawsuit against the baseball team.
They're suggesting that the heavy costume, lack of training and weather conditions contributed to his death.
I feel sorry for the family, but how about some personal responsibility here?
Anybody who is asked to put on a heavy, fuzzy horse suit and hop around in the noon-day sun ought to have sense enough to say "Whoa!"
http://blogs.dfw.com/startle_grams/2006/03/how_about_some_.html
Strong Contender should live up to name
Ward hopes colt can give him another Derby win
By RICHARD DEAN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
In 2001, John Ward saddled Monarchos to a Kentucky Derby win. Five years later, the trainer has a Derby hopeful in Strong Contender.
Monarchos and unbeaten Strong Contender have something in common. They're sons of Maria's Mon.
But there are little physical similarities according to Ward.
"Monarchos was a medium-sized, compact horse," said Ward. "Strong Contender is a great big long, lanky animal.
"But as far as genetics, Maria's Mon put a lot of stamina in these horses, and that's the similarity. It's amazing how deep they are as far as their stamina goes. I was always amazed that Monarchos could kick at five-eighth of a mile and he could sustain that pace."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3742383.html
Woman offers $4,000 to capture horse killer
Updated: 03/22/2006 09:30:38 PM
One animal lover has come forward to contribute a reward for information to catch the person who mutilated a horse in Waseca County.
Kim, who asked that her last name not be used, said she was moved after hearing the horse’s owner. “It's like having your child taken,” said the owner of Mr. Peabody, who also asked to remain anonymous. “He was my baby."
"Tears definitely came to my eyes,” Kim said. “It was very heart wrenching."
Kim has offered $4,000 for the capture of those responsible.
Images of the mutilated horse have inspired Kim and dozens of others to offer to help with the identification of Mr. Peabody’s killer.
Kim says the story made her fear for her own horses – and even her family.
"I decided right away that I had to do something,” she said. “I hope that other people will step forward and do whatever they can, donate a little bit of money, raise a little bit of money to put more money together and I think it might help bring someone forward."
A fund has been established at the Wells Fargo Bank on East Elm Ave, in Waseca.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Waseca County Sheriff, at (507) 835-0500.
http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S15021.html?cat=1
Duchess visits Cairo hospital for horses
By Caroline Davies in Cairo
(Filed: 23/03/2006)
The Duchess of Cornwall made a special visit to the Brooke Hospital for sick donkeys, mules and horses, tucked away in a shabby Cairo backstreet yesterday.
The visit to the hospital, which offers free veterinary care to beasts of burden, was at the duchess's instigation; the one element of a five-day royal programme in Egypt, that she specifically requested.
She and the Prince of Wales were shown animals bearing terrible physical injuries that are suffered at the hands of their owners who work them, sometimes without rest, either ferrying tourists around the pyramids or carrying heavy loads in the city's brick kilns.
The hospital was established by Dorothy Brooke, the wife of Major General Geoffrey Brooke, who headed the British Cavalry in Egypt.
She was appalled by the plight of ex-cavalry First World War horses sold to stone quarries in Cairo, and raised £20,000 by putting an appeal in The Daily Telegraph. She opened the hospital in 1934.
Today the charity runs clinics around the world. Lady Weir, chairman of the Brooke Board, showed the royal couple round. "[The Duchess] was really moved by it and she wants to do something to support our work," she said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/03/23/ncam123.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/03/23/ixhome.html
Horses provide paycheck
There are many ways to earn a living working with horses.
Date published: 3/23/2006
By CATHY JETT
Tommy Seay of Culpeper set out to ride his horse from coast to coast, and ended up as co-host of a new TV show called "Best of America by Horseback."
Seay, a trail outfitter who runs the stables at Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria, organized "The American Transcontinental Trail Ride" in 1995. When he decided to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the event last year, his wife, Pat Seay, convinced him to trailer their horses to some of the places they'd enjoyed most.
"We thought about videotaping it just for fun, and then someone suggested contacting RFD TV," Tommy Seay said.
RFD TV is a cable channel covering rural America.
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/032006/03232006/173726
Letter: Why not let surplus horses be slaughtered?
Let me in on this debate. People all over the world eat horse meat. I thought a number of times when I was in the military I was eating horse meat and monkey meat, too.
We have forced horse slaughter plants to be closed in this country. Why? Because animal rights people don't like it. There is a great market for horse meat. We eat cows, goats, sheep, hogs, deer, antelope, elk and buffalo. What difference does it make? Lewis and Clark were glad to eat horse meat and, at times, the only thing better was dog meat.
Now I wouldn't be complaining, but we taxpayers are paying for the support in feeding these BLM horses which nobody wants. We have to control the amount of horses because of overpopulation, just like the buffalo in the park. It's called overgrazing. People who have pet horses have an idea of what it costs BLM taxpayer horses to feed (Feb. 22 Gazette article).
Heck, let's get this horse meat on the market. Perhaps I will try a steak or two.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/03/23/opinion/letters/57-reader-7.txt
Hundreds of camels, horses block road to Pyramids
March 23, 2006
By DPA
Cairo, March 23 (DPA) Traffic came to a standstill and the streets were blocked in a protest that saw 400 camels and horses clog the Cairo avenue leading to the Egyptian pyramids.
Camel and horse owners who make money offering pyramid visitors rides on their animals took to the streets Wednesday to protest against being chased out of the tourist site by the tourism police.
Tourism police require those who work in tourism-related activities to hold a work permit - but the animal owners have said that the tourism authorities have denied them this.
In response, the camel and horse owners took their animals on to al-Haram Street, one of Egypt's longest roads a few kilometres from the Pyramids. The police urged them to clear the street for traffic to resume - and they eventually complied.
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/10888.php/Hundreds_of_camels_horses_block_road_to_Pyramids
Student & horses take to the arena
Christina Voss
Issue date: 3/23/06 Section: News
Media Credit: Erich Pilcher
Kirkwood's Horse Science Technology prepares students for equestrian careers.
Kirkwood Community College is one of the few community colleges in the country that allows a student to bring horses on to campus thanks to a program called Horse Science Technology.
The program helps prepare students for a variety of positions within the equine industry. From studying such subjects as genetics, breeding, horsemanship, training, nutrition, management, judging and other general courses, students learn the complete overview of what it takes to own and maintain healthy successful horses.
Since only a small percent of the students in the program are eligible to stable their own horses on campus, many of the students in the program use Kirkwood's horses. Kirkwood owns 30 Arabians, Saddlebreds and Quarter Horses ranging from green colts to finished show horses. Students use these horses for riding and training.
http://www.kirkwoodcommunique.com/media/paper684/news/2006/03/23/News/Student.Horses.Take.To.The.Arena-1713030.shtml?norewrite200603241847&sourcedomain=www.kirkwoodcommunique.com
Tiny horses make gentle family pets 'The older you get, the smaller you want your horses.'
Alice Stanley
Foal lotta love: Miniature horses go way beyond your average beasts of burden.
Date published: 3/23/2006
By BEN SELLERS
As has happened many times before, Alice Stanley and her husband, Doug, are getting ready to be proud parents this spring.
Several pregnant mares are in the pastures at their 9.5-acre Fairway Miniature Horse Farm in Caroline County.
One of the hardest parts of this process, Alice Stanley said, is coming up with new names. She keeps a running list of potential monikers for when a foal arrives.
"I look at the baby, look at the names, and see if one fits."
For the Stanleys, keeping the horses is a labor of love.
Alice is involved with local search-and-rescue-dog operations, while Doug helps maintain the fairways and greens as assistant superintendent of Fredericksburg Country Club.
Indeed, when folks ask why they collect the pint-sized equines, Alice Stanley's usual answer is that they're fun.
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/032006/03232006/172732
Emirates races horses to Dubai
Posted: Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Dubai
The Emirates SkyCargo transferred eight thoroughbred horses on a charter flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Dubai last week, well in time for one of the richest horseracing events, the Dubai World Cup.
The horses arrived well rested in their air stables, which are specially manufactured horse stalls on pallets, each designed to carry three. The air stables are roomier, allow better movement, and are more comfortable than conventional stalls. The horses were accompanied by a stable of 11 grooms, all comfortably travelling on one of Emirates SkyCargo's fully owned Airbus A310-300F freighters.
This journey was also the cargo division A310F's first maiden voyage across the Atlantic from Dubai. Each of the three wide-bodied A310Fs in its fleet, emblazoned with the red and gold Emirates SkyCargo logo, has a gross payload of 39 tonnes and the capacity to carry 21 horses using air stables.
http://www.tradearabia.com/tanews/newsdetails_snSTN_article102438_cnt.html
Barrel racer
By Herald Democrat
Nancy Hiatt has been riding horses since before she could walk.
Being the daughter of a farmer and horse trader in Indiana, she had every opportunity to learn about horses from the best of the best. Her dad, Leonard "Barney" Summers bought horses out West and shipped boxcar loads of unbroken quarterhorses to their farm to be broken. At an early age Nancy began breaking the horses so that they were rideable and could be sold.
She said back then she never dreamed she would still be riding and training horses when she was a great-grandmother. But she is and she has a cabinet full of belt buckles, a championship saddle and lots of other honors she’s collected along the way for her riding talent.
http://www.heralddemocrat.com/articles/2006/03/22/local_news/news11.txt
Horses dragging Hollywood stars away from Iceland
Filming for the Hollywood movie "Stardust" starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro will start in Iceland next weekend.
Substantial parts of the movie were to be filmed in Iceland but it seems that horses might keep the movie stars away..
Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Sienna Miller and Charlie Cox are among the stars in this Matthew Vaughn-directed adaptation of Neil Gaiman's fantasy novel.
Morgunbladid reports that horses also have a major role in this Paramount project but unfortunately it is illegal to import horses to Iceland.
http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=192388
Horses power graceful sport
LAKEWOOD RANCH - This is the second in a series of stories running this week in which The Herald explores the Triple Crown of Polo and the lifestyle surrounding the sport.
JOHN SIMPSON
Herald Staff Writer
When close, the horses sound like little earthquakes. From far away, the graceful beasts are silent but resemble poetry in motion.
As the Sarasota Polo Club prepares to host the first event of the 2006 Triple Crown of Polo series Sunday, the riders and horses practiced Tuesday on the club's open, green fields.
Polo player James Uihlein, 24, traded his skates in for a saddle not too long ago. An ice hockey player for 15 years, Uihlein has been playing polo for a year and a half.
Often compared to hockey, polo has a few differences, Uihlein said.
"You're thinking for two," Uihlein said. "That's the main difference. In other sports, you can get mad at yourself. In polo, you have to figure out what you did wrong with the horse."
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/14155550.htm
ROYAL HELP FOR ROMANIAN HORSES
By Rosamond Hutt, Community Newswire
ROYAL Horses Norfolk, 22 Mar 2006 - 10:04
The Princess Royal was today due to launch a project which aims to radically improve the welfare of farm horses in Romania.
The Princess will unveil the five-year scheme, run by Norfolk-based equestrian charity International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH), at the Romanian embassy in London.
The ILPH insisted it is a lack of knowledge, resources and awareness of horse welfare and not deliberate cruelty that has led it to take action in Romania.
Since the fall of Communism and the break-up of mechanised collective farms the country has seen a return small plots of land farmed mainly by horsepower.
http://www.communitynewswire.press.net/article.jsp?id=250093
Change of stalls spooks horses
TURF TALK
MARTIN HANNAN
I BELIEVE that I can point to the crux of the problem afflicting starting stalls on which British racecourses depend. Horses have been hurt and jockeys and stall-handlers injured or risked their skins because of snags with the new Steriline stalls, which are being introduced on a phased basis across the country.
The Jockey Club are monitoring the situation, and RaceTech, the firm who provide and operate the stalls, and the Australian manufacturers have carried out modifications to these vital pieces of equipment. Unsurprisingly, the authorities say that these teething problems can be sorted out, but as I indicated in TurfTalk last week, I believe that I may have discovered the reason why a number of horses have freaked out in the stalls.
http://sport.scotsman.com/racing.cfm?id=1708312005
THIS WAS LAST YEAR'S EVENT
Hitch up yer horses
By Emilie H. Wheeler
Festival of the American West rolls back time
It's not quite the late 1880s, but it's probably as close as you can get in 2005.
The Festival of the American West will begin Wednesday and go for four days at the American West Heritage Center in Wellsville. It will include everything from a reenactment of the Pony Express rides from the 1860s to a performances by 2003 and 2004 yodeling champions.
In its 34th consecutive year, the center has switched things up a bit for the August festival. Instead of the eight-day festival, the actual entertainment section has been shortened to four days.
"We're just going to try a bit of a different format and see if it works," said Executive Director Matt Dahl, who was hired for the position last fall. "Entertainers tend to get worn out after eight straight days."
The educational portion of the festival -- which typically includes workshops on everything from cabin quilt piecing to painting -- is still on the docket, but started Friday and will run through the end of the festival. The workshops required an early registration that has since closed, Dahl said.
Other highlights this year include an American West Art Show, featuring work from 16 Utah artists, a keynote address and historical lectures by Roger D. McGrath, a History Channel star, and the main event, the Wild West Show.
"The Wild West Show is new this year," Dahl said. "It'll be similar to how the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show was."
That show will last about one hour and will be performed once Wednesday and Thursday and twice Friday and Saturday. It will include the Pony Express reenactment, Charro roping skill demonstrations, an award-winning equestrian group, Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Cody actors, American Indian powwows and 13-year-old Carin Mari Lechner's yodeling talents.
Another highlight this year is Larry Nielson's Iwo Jima artistic creation. The Utah artist's original wood painting was presented to President George W. Bush in 2002, but he kept a print, which has since been signed by more than 900 war veterans. The print -- which illustrates the raising of the U.S. flag by Marines in 1945 -- will be on display and might be on hand for local veterans to sign, Dahl said.
Dahl said he expects between 10,000 and 12,000 people to come to the festival this year. Although it is a valley tradition, he said a smaller percentage of all attendees are locals.
"We have a lot of visitors from the outside," he said, mentioning several RV parties that come through for the occasion. "People plan their family reunions and whatever around this."
The American West Heritage Center is 160-acre museum of Western American life in the late 1880s and early 1990s. The Living History Site is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day to visitors.
http://hjnews.townnews.com/articles/2005/07/31/news/news02.txt
Wellington, FL-Olympic equestrian champion Laura Kraut is putting her decades of knowledge about world-class competition horses to work on the World Wide Web. Kraut and her husband Bob, a grand prix rider and trainer by his own right, are hoping to help other riders stay at the top of their game with a new e-venture called SummitTack.com.
(I-Newswire) - Wellington, Fl—August 1, 2005--Olympic equestrian champion Laura Kraut is putting her decades of knowledge about world-class competition horses to work on the World Wide Web. Kraut and her husband Bob, a grand prix rider and trainer by his own right, are hoping to help other riders stay at the top of their game with a new e-venture called SummitTack.com.
SummitTack.com, an online retailer of tack and supplies for competition horses of all disciplines, features products the husband-wife team has personally used during its 20-plus years of active competition in equestrian show jumping. The site features dozens of high-quality products designed with performance in mind.
“Just like a basketball athlete needs the proper shoes to perform at his highest level, competition horses need the best saddle pads and other gear to help them be the best they can be,” said Bob Kraut, owner of Summit Tack LLC. “I believe in the products we offer at SummitTack.com because we have used them every day for years ¬ and we know they work.”
Indeed, the Krauts are no strangers to the equestrian circuit. Laura began riding at the age of three. In 1992, aboard Simba Run, she was named as the first alternate for the U.S. squad at the Barcelona Olympic Games. Kraut and another horse called Liberty were members of the U.S. show jumping team that finished sixth at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney Australia, and in 2001, horse and rider won the U.S. Open Jumping Championship.
The Krauts credit products like LPC Artroflex, Walsh Weighted Training Boots and Supracor Classic Cool Grip saddle pads for helping them post winning performances in these professional competitions. As new products hit the market, SummitTack.com continues to expand its catalog of equestrian aids from reputable vendors that serious competitors can trust.
“Summit Tack helps serious competitors achieve success,” Bob said. “Unlike other tack stores, the owners of Summit Tack have used the products we sell in both every day and extreme conditions. Our mission is to provide our customers with exceptional quality, innovation and attractive pricing.”
About Summit Tack
Founded in January 2005, SummitTack.com is an online retailer of tack and supplies for competition horses of all disciplines. Bob and Laura Kraut, two equestrian competitors with a track record for success, launched the site to help other serious competitors locate the best products at the best prices.
http://i-newswire.com/pr38939.html
Horse racing’s fate comes down to the wire
By Vince Devlin - Missoulian - 03/24/06
MISSOULA (LEE) — The Western Montana Fair Commission has spoken, in a sense, by not speaking.
Now it’s up to Missoula County commissioners to decide whether horse racing will continue at the fair this summer.
They’ll decide Tuesday at 3 p.m. in room 201 of the Courthouse Annex.
Their advisory board recommended racing continue when, late Wednesday night, a motion by board member Kim Latrielle to cancel the meet died for the lack of a second.
Chairman Buck Smith explained that, since the board had previously voted for racing to continue, that decision remained the board’s position.
The meet has been in jeopardy since it was learned insurance costs are skyrocketing, with the cost of premiums to insure jockeys going from $1,000 to $2,000 a day, and the deductible from $1,000 to $10,000 for each claim.
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/03/24/montana/c04032406_01.txt
Dubai World Cup Odds Released at All Horse Racing
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 23, 2006--All Horse Racing (http://www.allhorseracing.com), an international gaming company, today released the latest odds on who will win the world's richest race, the $6,000,000 Dubai World Cup.
"A field of 11 from five different countries will test their spirit and mettle when they line up at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse," commented Leonard Manley, Director of Marketing at Allhorseracing.com.
Yesterday, post positions were drawn in an elaborate ceremony held at the luxurious Madinat Theatre in downtown Dubai. Although the richest race was only hours away, many of this year's attendees were in a playful spirit. "In the wonderful city of Dubai, it is impossible not to enjoy yourself," said Manley.
Brass Hat is the odds on favourite. Trainer William "Buff" Bradley feels that the five-year-old gelding's calm demeanor may be more important than the animal's ability to finish strongly. "I think that might be his greatest asset -- the way he handles things and does everything we ask," Bradley said.
However, Brass Hat has other strong contenders to battle and it is anybody's race on Saturday.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060323005490&newsLang=en
The Kentucky Derby - A Historical Look at Horse Racing’s Finest
March 23rd, 2006
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby, the premier horse race of all horse races, has a checkered history that spans 130 years. At first, it struggled to survive, owing its success to the men and women who created and sustained it.
The dream started with a young man, Col. M. Lewis Clark, grandson of Gen. William Clark, the explorer. He visited England and France in 1872 and decided that he would start a racetrack in Kentucky to revive the state’s horse breeding industry. Development began soon after the trip on 80 acres he obtained from his two uncles, John and Henry Churchill. Funding was through membership subscriptions that sold at $100 a piece. The track was officially opened on May 17, 1875. Four races were held that day and the winner of the featured race, the Kentucky Derby, was a horse named Aristides. Two African Americans, Oliver Lewis and Ansel Williamson, trained and jockeyed Aristides. Throughout the years, the Kentucky Derby became the focal event for Churchill Downs.
Eventually, the Kentucky State Fair held activities at Churchill Downs, but the main attraction was then and still is today betting on that special horse to win. In 1875, the prize for winning was $2,850. The purse jumped to $5,460 in 1890 with Riley leading the pack as the thoroughbreds crossed the finish line. The winner of the Kentucky Derby in 1896 was Ben Brush with the first-place prize money totaling $4,850. The winner’s purse would remain at that figure for the next 17 years.
In 1913 there was a slight increase in prize money, but the following year the winner’s proceeds skyrocketed to $9,125. That same year Old Rosebud won by a hefty 8 lengths, setting a track record of 2:03 for the 2/5-mile oval. By 1915, the Derby had developed a reputation as a premier sporting event due to a 3-year publicity push. The Golden Jubilee Derby in 1924 featured a purse of $52,775. Through the years, the prize money continued to grow. In 1970, Secretariat became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years, with a Derby win timed at 1 minute, 59 seconds. The net for Secretariat’s owners was a whopping $127,800. In May of 2004 the winner of the Derby took home a record $5,854,800.
While Churchill Downs was the hub of betting, racing, and other activities, it went through leadership changes quite frequently. Col. M. Lewis Clark and his Louisville Jockey Club started the annual show in 1875. Although the first Kentucky Derby had been a success, there were financial problems. In an attempt to provide a more secure financial situation, the race was incorporated under the New Louisville Jockey Club on November 24, 1894. William F. Schulte became president and Col. M. Lewis Clark was appointed the presiding judge.
Tragedy struck with the suicide of Clark in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 22, 1899. Financial problems plagued the track again and former mayor, Charles Grainger, Charlie Price, and Matt J. Winn took over on October 1, 1902. The first sign of profitability was in 1903. The Kentucky Jockey Club took over all 4 racetracks in Kentucky in 1918-1919. Churchill Downs-Latona became the legal name of the track in 1937 after the sale of several of the other racetracks. October 6,1949, marked the death of Col. Matt J. Winn, the man credited with making the Kentucky Derby the most prestigious race in the world. Bill Corum took over the helm and modernized the track.
The Kentucky Derby was televised for the first time on May 3,1952. In December of 1958, Bill Corum died and was replaced by Wathen Knebelkamp. Under new direction, Churchill Downs underwent more renovation. Also, the City of Louisville tried to purchase the racetrack, but the aldermen had the final word and wouldn’t allow it. Around 1968 there was another battle for ownership of Churchill Downs and this time the Derby Protection Group became the highest bidder.
Lynn Stone was named the new president in 1970. He was successful in fending off 2 more attempts to take over the racetrack. But when financial problems arose, Stone resigned in August 1984, to be replaced by Thomas Meeker. Through the good leadership of Meeker, Chairman Warner Jones, and the current Chairman William Farish, Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby have flourished.
Besides the controversy related to takeovers and changes in leadership, there were legal issues as well. In 1908, betting began to be a problem to the point that the Louisville city administration was cracking down on bookmakers. A loophole made it possible to continue the parimutuel betting that Col. Clark had imported in 1875 from France. Problems arose again and there was a government ban on horseracing in 1945, but VE Day changed everything and the Derby continued on June 9th of that year.
As was noted earlier, African Americans have played a key role since the first race and have made major contributions throughout the derby’s history. Alonzo Lonnie Clayton was an early jockey who, at in 1892 the age of 15, rode Azra, making him the youngest jockey to achieve victory. Erskin Henderson was the 6th African American to win the Kentucky Derby, riding Joe Cotton in 1885. Babe Hurd rode Appollo in 1882 and won. George Garrett Lewis, another African American, jockeyed Fonso in the 1880 Derby. These are 4 of 15 African Americans who won the Kentucky Derby and have their names enshrined in the Kentucky Derby Museum.
In addition, women jockeys have been active in the Derby; the five who have run for the roses are Patti Cooksey, Diane Crump, Julie Krone, Andrea Seefeldt, and Rosemary Homeister. Also, It has been fairly common throughout the years that women have been owners.
The Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs have become the hallmark of first-class horseracing by dealing with adversity and making adjustments. The Derby is a horserace unlike any other in terms of prestige, excitement, and quality competitors. Those who have played an important role in making the Derby a yearly tradition include the jockeys, trainers, breeders, administrators, owners, and those magnificent creatures, the horses that have run for the roses for 130 years. The brainchild of Col. M. Lewis Clark is much more than a horserace. It is an American institution.
http://www.bestsyndication.com/Articles/2006/p/penn_f/032306-kentucky_derby.htm
The Jordan Times
Zarqawi ordered to surrender
AMMAN (AFP) — The State Security Court president has given Jordanian fugitive Abu Mussab Zarqawi 10 days to surrender and face trial in connection with hotel bombings late last year.
"I give you 10 days from the date of publication of this notice to surrender to the judicial authorities to face trial," said a statement published in the press on Wednesday and signed by the head of the tribunal.
"If you do not surrender during that time you will be considered fugitive," it said.
The surrender notice was also addressed to five Iraqis and a Jordanian indicted along with Zarqawi last week for the Nov. 9 triple hotel bombings in Amman that killed 60 people.
But according to court papers obtained by AFP, Iraqi woman would-be suicide bomber Sajida Rishawi will be the only suspect to stand trial for the hotel bombings, which were claimed by Zarqawi's Al Qaeda group in Iraq.
Rishawi was arrested four days after the bombings and later shown confessing on state television how she tried but failed to activate an explosives belt at the Radisson SAS Hotel where a wedding party was in full swing.
The military prosecutor accused the suspects in the hotel bombings of "conspiring to carry out terror acts by using explosive material that led to the deaths of individuals" and "possession of illicit explosive material."
The same notice to surrender was also served on six suspects — two Syrians and four Iraqis — indicted along with six others over deadly rocket attacks in August on Aqaba Port where US warships were moored.
Zarqawi also claimed that attack in which a Jordanian soldier was killed.
Friday-Saturday, March 24-25, 2006
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/homenews/homenews5.htm
56 Iraqis die in violence
Troops rescue Western hostages
BAGHDAD (AP) — The American military spokesman said on Thursday that major violence in Iraq was confined to just three of Iraq's 18 provinces, but the fighting raged on with at least 56 more Iraqis reported killed in shadowy execution-style slayings, bombings and gunbattles.
For the third day running, insurgent forces hit a major police and jail facility, this time a suicide car bomber in central Baghdad.
The attacker detonated his explosives at the entrance to the interior ministry major crimes unit in the Karradah district, killing 10 civilians and 15 policemen stationed there, authorities said.
As insurgent forces raised the stakes with the attacks, the US military announced late Thursday that it was in the second day of an operation with Iraqi soldiers "to disrupt anti-Iraqi forces and to find and destroy terrorist caches in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news1.htm
Jordan backs Lebanon's dialogue — King
His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday said Jordan support Lebanon's national dialogue, which is a basic step towards enhancing the Arab country's unity and stability. King Abdullah told UN special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen at a meeting that Lebanon's independence should be respected. The King called for full cooperation with the probe into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. Larsen, who briefed the King on developments in Lebanon, told Jordan TV after the meeting that "Jordan works hand-in-hand" with the UN to help achieve peace and security in the region — Petra
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/homenews/homenews1.htm
US-Iran talks may prove dialogue of deaf
By Edmund Blair
Reuters
TEHRAN — US-Iranian talks to discuss Iraq could open a valuable channel of communication between the two foes, but analysts say a history of missed opportunities dampens hopes of any broader dialogue developing.
In a worst-case scenario, talks could descend into a "dialogue of the deaf," offering hardliners on both sides the chance to declare contacts a failure and exacerbating an already tense standoff over Iran's nuclear programme, the analysts add.
Washington accuses Tehran of fomenting unrest in Iraq, which Iran blames on the US-led forces that invaded. But despite the exchange of accusations, analysts say both are worried about worsening violence in Iraq, pushing them to agree to talks.
Iraqi political sources have said they expected the US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, to meet with Iran's representatives this week. Iran has not announced its team.
"There is a degree of urgency among both parties not to see Iraq slide into civil war," said Anoush Ehteshami, a leading Iran scholar at Britain's Durham University.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news2.htm
Bird flu forces Israeli-Palestinian cooperation
By Mehdi Lebouachera
Agence France-Presse
GAZA CITY — The discovery of deadly bird flu in both Israel and the Palestinian territories is pushing the two sides to work together despite plummeting relations as Hamas prepares for government.
Israel confirmed Thursday that the H5N1 strain that is dangerous to humans had been found in poultry in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, hot on the heels of its detection in both the Gaza Strip and six farms inside Israel.
Israeli officials said cooperation with the Palestinians on bird flu so far had been "strong and tight" and said a way needed to be found for that to continue even after a Hamas-dominated government takes power on Monday because of the threat to human health.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news5.htm
In Egypt, virus outbreak leaves many jobless
By Omar Sinan
The Associated Press
CAIRO — Jobless and broke, Hamada Ismail called off his wedding and broke up with his fiancee — all because of bird flu.
Its outbreak last month in Egypt has forced the closing of hundreds of poultry stores, including the one Ismail had worked at for years, slaughtering chickens. It also has put hundreds of poultry farms and restaurants out of business in a country where unemployment already is sky-high.
"Of course I can't afford it," Ismail, in stained clothes and half-torn black sandals, said recently of his now-cancelled wedding. "I cannot even feed myself," said the visibly angry young man.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news7.htm
Kingdom on maximum alert
By Mohammad Ghazal
A worker takes a chicken out of its coop in a poultry market near the capital on Thursday. The Health Ministry declared a state of maximum alert after the H5N1 strain of bird flu was discovered in the West Bank and Israel (AP photo by Nader Daoud)
AMMAN — The government on Thursday set a one-week deadline for families who breed poultry in the Jordan Valley to get rid of the birds, after which the authorities will start culling home-bred fowl in the area.
The Kingdom declared that it was on maximum alert after the deadly H5N1 virus was detected in Israel and the West Bank, Minister of Health Saeed Darwazeh said in a statement received by The Jordan Times yesterday.
The bird flu strain that can be fatal to humans was found on Thursday in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, according to the Israeli agriculture minister, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
A ministry official said the H5N1 strain was found in the Beqaot Settlement in the Jordan Valley just across the river from the Kingdom, AFP reported.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/homenews/homenews2.htm
Arab Israelis struggle to keep hold in parliament
By Wafa Amr
Reuters
BE'INEH — “Fifteen minutes of your time every four years is not too much to ask. You must vote,” one Arab Israeli lawmaker shouted through his megaphone.
“Vote for us or for any other Arab party,” called Azmi Bishara to a small audience in the northern Israeli village of Be'ineh-Njeidat.
Days before the March 28 election, Arab Israeli parties are struggling to ensure enough votes to keep their toehold in the Israeli parliament, battling apathy and frustration among voters as well as discouragement by some Islamist leaders.
Although Arabs make up a fifth of Israel's six million people, parties catering specifically to Arab interests hold only eight seats in the 120-member parliament.
Many Arabs feel left out within Israel and lack confidence in the ability of often bickering Arab parties to effect change.
“People are in a dilemma, if they vote, they don't make a difference, if they don't vote, they lack representation,” said building worker Mahmoud Khatib, 38.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news6.htm
Iraq, Mideast conflict top Arab summit agenda
KHARTOUM (AFP) — Arab leaders meet in Khartoum for their annual summit Tuesday under pressure to take a more active role in Iraq and find a common stance on dealing with a Hamas-led Palestinian government.
They are also expected to discuss the three-year-old conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region, which has killed some 300,000 people — a potentially awkward situation for host Sudanese President Omar Beshir.
Iraq is looking for the two days of meetings to deliver an unreserved condemnation of anti-regime violence, as well as more political backing from Arab countries.
"We want clear support for the political process in Iraq," a high-ranking foreign ministry official said.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news4.htm
Stark problems await Hamas-led PA
Two Arab Israelis scuffle Thursday with a member of the ultraright-wing Herut Party during election campaigning in the mostly Arab section in Tel Aviv. Part of the right-wing party's electoral platform is to exchange populations of Palestinians and Israelis (AP photo by Ariel Schalit)
By Alistair Lyon
Reuters
LONDON — Battered, bloated and broke, the Palestinian Authority faces an uncertain future under a new Hamas leadership at odds with the PLO, Israel and the West.
The Islamist movement's rise to power has shattered the status quo, rocking Palestinian institutions, alarming Israel and posing a dilemma for US and European Union donors.
Some Palestinians argue that Israeli policies have so undermined the PA that it should be dissolved, a move that would in legal theory force Israel to take back the burden of running the lands it occupies.
"The PA is no longer relevant," argued Manuel Hassassian, the Palestinian envoy to London, saying Israeli policies had shredded its ability to govern. "What will its function be? I'd rather be under occupation with the occupying power in charge." Horrified by Hamas' January election win, some Israeli politicians favour writing off the PA, but analysts say a more pragmatic approach may emerge once Israel's own polls are over next week.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news3.htm
Festival of Jordan opens today
AMMAN (JT) — Around 80 producers from the Kingdom will gather at the Wild Jordan Nature Centre in Amman on Friday and Saturday for the "Festival of Jordan," supported by Fair Trade Jordan.
The festival is a two-day marketplace for goods featuring a wide range of handicrafts, home produce, herbs and medicinal plants, according to a statement released by Fair Trade Jordan.
The event will also be a celebration of skills, as many of the artisans will demonstrate their skills live.
"The festival's goal is to start creating awareness on fair trade because we're hoping that these interim results will create a specialised niche market that will demand fair trade goods and link small businesses to potential customers, which will help them market their products," Fair Trade Jordan Coordinator Lianne Romahi told The Jordan Times.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/homenews/homenews7.htm
Queen Noor wins public service award
AMMAN (JT) — The Common Wealth Awards has announced that Her Majesty Queen Noor is the winner of the 2006 award for public service for her advocacy of global peace-building, human rights and conflict recovery issues.
Fellow recipients of the 2006 Common Wealth Award are John Glenn for government; Mike Nichols for dramatic arts; Rita Dove for literature; and Anderson Cooper for mass communications.
The honourees will receive a shared prize of $250,000 at the Common Wealth Awards celebration April 1 at the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, according to a statement released by the organisers.
The Common Wealth Awards of Distinguished Service were first presented in 1979 by the Common Wealth Trust, created under the will of the late Ralph Hayes, an influential business executive and philanthropist. Hayes conceived the awards to reward and encourage the best of human performance worldwide.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/homenews/homenews4.htm
continued …
Cameroon: Limbe Ports Authority Credit Union Budget Drops
March 23, 2006
Posted to the web March 23, 2006
Francis Tim Mbom
The budget of the National Ports Authority Cooperative Credit Union Limited, NPACCUL, in Limbe, has dropped from FCFA 238,257 500 last year to FCFA 193,397 500 for the fiscal year 2006.NPACCUL President, Joseph Azefor, disclosed the drop during their annual general assembly session that held in Limbe on Saturday, March 18 at the Presbyterian Youth Centre, PYC, Hall.
Azefor in a presentation of the accounts of the Union for last year said only FCFA 188,197 251 were realised. This prompted the budget to be limited at FCFA 193 million.
Giving reasons for the drop in what was realised last year, Azefor said that the Union recorded a drop in savings as well as loans that members requested by 1.63 percent.
Thus out of some FCFA 188 million that the Union budgeted to reap as interest from loans, only FCFA 108 million was realised.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200603230248.html
Management of ports
Rezaul Huq, Lalmatia, Dhaka
Recently, I had the opportunity of passing through the international airport of Dhaka and felt so bad. Let alone providing comfort, the airport doesn't provide the minimum facilities that the passengers need. One will have the impression that there is no management. Dhaka and Chittagong airports are infamous for smuggling, transfer of cash foreign currency, pilferage of home bound passengers' belongings etc. The domestic airports are no exception.
There is no alternative to placement of management of airports to private or foreign management companies as the airports serve as mirror of the country. To encourage foreign investors and greater number of tourists in the country, the UPA Government of India has recently reached an agreement with a private sector consortium for management of New Delhi and Mumbai airports and upon observing their performance other imports shall be handed over in phases. The US government had many years ago transferred management of both air and seaports to private management, of which a British Company named Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. Ltd (P&O) has been managing six seaports including New York. The P&O has recently been sold to Dubai Ports World, a company owned by the government of UAE. The company has not yet taken over management of those seaports but both Democrat and Republican Senators have already suggested cancellation of the contract as they fear security of their country might be jeopardized owing to management of Vital Ports by a Muslim State.
The reasons for transfer of management are very simple. All the governments are mainly trying to ensure private sector participation to help the country grow rapidly reducing workload of the governments and combat corruption. In the process, revenue earnings of the governments grow which in turn could be utilised for development of infrastructures.
The government in order to create an ideal situation for foreign investment as a test case, signed an agreement with Thai Airlines for management of Chittagong airport but could not deliver physical possession due to resistance by a section of officials fearing loss of jobs supported by a powerful political lobby.
Recently,the Chittagong Port Authority held a meeting with Port labour leaders and Port Dock Workers and Employees Association for preparation of international tender documents for appointment of a company for management and operation of the new container terminal at Chittagong. Immediately came objection from the Mayor who threatened to shut down activities of the port if management of the container terminal was transferred to a private management group.
As an elected representative, the Honourable Mayor should carefully consider the situation and support activities that are development-friendly.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/03/24/d60324110281.htm
Cruise Passengers Unaware of Risks in Int'l Ports of Call
MIAMI - When cruise line passengers participate in onshore excursions like the one that killed 12 people in Chile, they need to take their own legal precautions and not rely on cruise ship company liability, experts said on Thursday.
Passengers be particularly careful when they choose tours that aren't affiliated with the cruise line, said Paul Ruden, senior vice president for the American Society of Travel Agents. That appears to be the case in Chile, according to the cruise line.
Ruden acknowledged some people choose local operators that don't coordinate with cruise lines because they may offer cheaper tours. "If you're comfortable being out on your own, that's fine, but you're taking the same risk of being out on your own that you would anywhere," he said.
Four others were injured in Wednesday's crash in northern Chile. Local authorities said the group was returning to a Celebrity Cruises ship when the bus swerved to avoid a truck and plummeted 300 feet.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=nation_world&id=4019313
The Container That Changed the World
By VIRGINIA POSTREL
Published: March 23, 2006
THE political showdown over a Dubai company's plan to operate terminals at six American ports briefly focused public attention on one of the most significant, yet least noticed, economic developments of the last few decades: the transformation of international shipping.
Just as the computer revolutionized the flow of information, the shipping container revolutionized the flow of goods. As generic as the 1's and 0's of computer code, a container can hold just about anything, from coffee beans to cellphone components. By sharply cutting costs and enhancing reliability, container-based shipping enormously increased the volume of international trade and made complex supply chains possible.
"Low transport costs help make it economically sensible for a factory in China to produce Barbie dolls with Japanese hair, Taiwanese plastics and American colorants, and ship them off to eager girls all over the world," writes Marc Levinson in the new book "The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger" (Princeton University Press).
For consumers, this results in lower prices and more variety. "People now just take it for granted that they have access to an enormous selection of goods from all over the world," Mr. Levinson said in an interview. That selection, he said, "was made possible by this technological change."
When the first container ship set sail
50 years ago, businesses and regulators treated distribution not as a single process but as a series of distinct modes: ships, trucks and trains. Every time the transportation mode changed, somebody had to transfer physically every box or barrel.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/23/business/23scene.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Let’s use eminent domain to take U.S. ports
By Richard Foster
Jonesville Resident
Guest Column
I, along with the Liberal left, recently criticized the President for grossly violating our national security and sound conservative economic principles by allowing the sale of our ports’ control to a state-owned company of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — and rightly so.
However, a recent sore point that has liberals and conservatives alike (and about which you’ll hear more; I promise) steaming mad may be a solution — eminent domain.
What is eminent domain and why may it be an issue? Simply put, eminent domain is the Constitutional concept that gives the government license to seize private property for the public good at fair market value.
This is the vehicle that allows the government to build highways, railroads, airports, government buildings for the public good — the good of all. Such seizures are fitting and proper.
This may be a solution. Government intrusion into quasi-private business is not new (airport security), and therein lies the solution. Of the billions of our tax dollars that Congress finds to waste every year, is it possible that they could reallocate some of the hard earned money they steal from us everyday through income taxes to the purchase of all our ports of entry that import international goods?
http://www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2006/03/23/news/news16.txt
Ports alert in hunt for dud-cheque Frenchman
By MOHAMMED ASLAM
AN all-ports alert was issued to stop a Frenchman leaving Bahrain, after he issued a dud cheque in a business transaction.
Officials at all exit points were ordered to detain the man if he tried to leave the country, as police searched for him, the Lower Criminal Court heard.
The 42-year-old defendant was later arrested as he left a medical complex, in December 2003, two weeks after the arrest warrant was issued.
A court later issued a travel ban on the defendant, who is accused of passing a dud cheque with a face value of 50,000 Saudi riyals (BD5,000).
He failed to turn up for the latest court hearing and the case was adjourned until July 12, when a verdict will be issued.
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=138909&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=29004
Ports help Hutchison
By Vicki Kwong Bloomberg News
THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2006
HONG KONG Hutchison Whampoa, which owns the world's largest port operator, said Thursday that 2005 profit from managing container terminals rose 14 percent as cargo shipments increased.
Hutchison Port Holdings had 10.2 billion Hong Kong dollars, or $1.3 billion, in profit before interest and taxes last year, compared with a restated 8.96 billion dollars in 2004. Sales rose 11 percent to 29.9 billion dollars.
Hutchison, which operates 247 berths in 42 ports, said it handled 51.8 million standard 20 foot, or 6 meter, containers last year, an increase of 8 percent from 2004. The company is investing more in cargo terminals to meet rising demand. It formed a venture last year to manage the second phase of the $16 billion Yangshan deep-water port in Shanghai.
Hutchison Port and four other companies, including A.P. Moeller- Maersk, will invest 4 billion yuan, or $498 million, to build four berths in Yangshan, which will double the eastern Chinese port's cargo capacity by 2010.
The company is expanding its container-handling capacity at Yantian in Shenzhen and it is building its first dry- bulk cargo terminal in the eastern Chinese port of Dalian.
Hutchison Port's shares are not publicly traded. Hutchison Whampoa's shares fell 0.2 percent to 72.85 dollars in Hong Kong before the earnings were announced.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/23/bloomberg/sxport.php
Capitalism's momentum in Dubai sheds light on doomed ports deal
By Greg Dobbs
03/22/2006
DUBAI — If pictures are truly worth a thousand words, some stunning visual images here in the United Arab Emirates speak volumes about this country that planned to manage major American ports before questions about terrorism torpedoed the deal. But this modern metropolis feels more like Disneyland than Terrorland.
In fact, I have struggled to get my arms around a description of place, and I’ve settled on an omnipresent image here: There are more construction cranes than you’ve ever seen in your life — reportedly, between 20 and 40 percent of all the cranes on Earth. Given that there was scarcely a single crane on Denver’s horizon the first 10 years we lived in Colorado, this horizon is striking.
The most entertaining, if not the most important example of headlong construction is “Ski Dubai,” an undulating, artificially chilled, steel-and-iron slope of manmade snow, attached to the biggest shopping mall in the Middle East, if not the world. Not bad when it’s 120 degrees outside! When I packed for this trip, I forgot to bring my skis. Silly me.
http://www.canyoncourier.com/story_display.php?sid=2553
The implications of homeland security
By Josef Braml for ISN Security Watch (23/03/06)
The creation of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - the centerpiece of President George W. Bush’s National Strategy for Homeland Security - is the most wide-ranging reorganization of the American government since the end of the Second World War. Two dozen federal agencies, formerly dispersed over an array of different departments, were concentrated under the roof of the DHS, which has approximately 180,000 employees and an annual budget of US$40 billion.
Nevertheless, Hurricane Katrina dramatically demonstrated how little the reorganization has improved the efficiency of US homeland security. The DHS has also implemented measures with foreign policy consequences that could yield consequences for Europe.
The Bush administration’s homeland security concept requires other countries to comply with US domestic needs, and has led to transatlantic rifts, in particular concerning the Container Security Initiative (CSI), entry requirements for non-permanent residents (in particular students), guidelines for business travelers and tourists, and personal data protection provisions.
Port security
About 90 per cent of the country’s imports reach the US via containers through seaports. In January 2002, the US initiated the CSI. Worldwide bilateral agreements obliged partner countries (including European countries such as Belgium, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Spain) to install security systems in their ports, and to allow US security personnel to conduct security checks within their borders. Thus, some of the costs for the inspections of seaports have been shifted to other countries. In return, imports from these countries may pass more quickly through security controls in US ports, providing them with a competitive advantage vis-à-vis non-cooperating ports and countries.
The EU Commission objected and argued that the CSI would also impede fair competition within the EU. Moreover, bilateral agreements with individual EU member states undermine the authority of the commission. In March 2004, a more comprehensive US-EU agreement defused the transatlantic and intra-European dispute. However, the stipulated principle of reciprocity requires the US to meet the same security standards it requires from its partners. Yet security in US ports still begs improvement, as a 10 March New York Times editorial suggested: “With initial efforts focused on bolstering security abroad, the protection of American ports has lagged badly.”
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=15214
I Always Loved Horses as a Kid
Two Horses Wounded By Bird Shot
(CBS4) KERSEY, Colo. Two miniature horses were treated after being wounded by bird shot pellets in rural Weld County near Kersey on Tuesday afternoon.
Sheriff's deputies were called to the 25000 block of County Road 45 at about 3 p.m. on Tuesday to investigate the apparent shooting.
Investigators said the horses were out of their pen and on an adjacent property when the shooting happened. A red and white paint horse was hit by 27 bird shot pellets. A buckskin horse was hit wounded by 36 pellets.
Deputies said the horses were treated at a local veterinarian clinic.
Officials said the case was still under investigation.
http://cbs4denver.com/pets/local_story_082124335.html
24 horses die in barn blaze; cause under probe
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 03/24/06
STAFF REPORT
UPPER FREEHOLD — An electrical problem may have triggered an early-morning barn fire that killed 24 horses -- 12 of them foals -- at Perretti Farms today, a spokesman for the farm said.
Fire officials and State Police are investigating what may have started the fire, which destroyed a 12-stable barn on the sprawling 900-acre horse farm in the township's Cream Ridge section.
But Bob Marks, a Perretti Farms spokesman, said he heard from fire officials that an electrical problem may have been the cause. The horses, which included the Hambletonian Oaks contender My Starchip, may have died from smoke inhalation, Marks said.
Phones were down at the Route 526 property today, and the farm's owner, William J. Perretti, declined to speak at length about the fire when reached at his Florida home.
"You've got to put your chin up and go, that's all,'' Perretti said. "We're doing the best we can.''
State Police responded to the fire about 6:25 a.m.
Sgt. Jeanne Hengemuhle said all 24 horses in the roughly 20-year-old barn were trapped, and eventually died.
Perretti Farms bills itself as the state's largest horse farm. Located on about 900 acres, the farm breeds standardbred and thoroughbred horses, according to its Web site. The Web site features videos and profiles of racehorses and studs that are standing at the farm.
The farm was founded in the late 1980s by Perretti, an automotive dealer and restaurateur, the Web site states.
About 9 a.m., State Police cars blocked the entrance to the farm, on Route 526 near Red Valley Road. The charred frame of the barn was visible from Route 526.
Several front-end loaders and a number of workers were milling around the barn, while news vans and photographers lined the road. About 15 horses grazed on the rolling terrain several hundred feet from the barn. The tops of several rides at Great Adventure amusement park were visible in the distance.
The Hope Fire Department, Millstone Township Fire Department and New Egypt Fire Department all responded to the scene, Hengemuhle said. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, Monmouth County Fire Marshal and the State Police Arson and Bomb units are all investigating.
A horse barn fire on Thanksgiving night in 2000 at Gaitway Farm in Manalapan killed 20 standardbred horses.
That fire claimed the lives of many of the stars of the trotters and pacers racing circuit, including world record-holder Cam Knows Best, the runner-up in the 1998 Little Brown Jug race at Dover Downs in Delaware. The blaze was caused by a submersible water heater left unattended in the barn, authorities said.
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060324/NEWS/60324015
Horse welfare on the Royal agenda
Anna Tyzack
23 March, 2006
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visited a Cairo equine clinic, while back in the UK the Princess Royal unveils a scheme to improve equine welfare in Romania
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The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited sick horses in a Cairo clinic yesterday. The visit to the Cairo-based operations of the equine welfare charity Brooke Hospital was the one element of a five-day royal programme in Egypt that the Duchess specifically requested. Meanwhile, Princess Anne is also showing her commitment to equine welfare by today launching a five-year scheme which aims to improve the welfare of farm horses in Romania.
The Duchess first became aware of the Brooke's pioneering efforts to raise the standard of equine welfare overseas at a fundraising event in 2004, and Prince Charles visited one of the Brooke's Luxor clinics in 1995. “The request for the visit came from Clarence House,” explained Niki Austin of the Brooke. “Obviously they are both horse lovers and they made time to see and hear what we do.”
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/82026.html
Fire engulfs Ocean Downs horse barn
One animal dead in Worcester racetrack blaze
By John Purnell
Worcester County Times
BERLIN -- A smoky blaze tore through a large horse barn at Ocean Downs Racetrack on Wednesday evening, but quick work by firefighters prevented it from spreading to a number of nearby buildings.
The fast response from fire crews across Worcester County kept the flames from nearby stables that house horses at the historic harness track for the winter off-season, fire officials said.
"It was pretty fast work," said Ocean City Fire Chief Roger Steger. "We got lucky this time."
Steger said the blaze was contained within a half hour. A caretaker at the track reportedly suffered minor injuries while helping to lead the horses away from the barn, fire officials said.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060323/NEWS01/603230304/1002
How about some horse sense?
The family of a Saginaw man who died shortly after appearing in the noonday sun as Captain, the Texas Rangers mascot, is considering a lawsuit against the baseball team.
They're suggesting that the heavy costume, lack of training and weather conditions contributed to his death.
I feel sorry for the family, but how about some personal responsibility here?
Anybody who is asked to put on a heavy, fuzzy horse suit and hop around in the noon-day sun ought to have sense enough to say "Whoa!"
http://blogs.dfw.com/startle_grams/2006/03/how_about_some_.html
Strong Contender should live up to name
Ward hopes colt can give him another Derby win
By RICHARD DEAN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
In 2001, John Ward saddled Monarchos to a Kentucky Derby win. Five years later, the trainer has a Derby hopeful in Strong Contender.
Monarchos and unbeaten Strong Contender have something in common. They're sons of Maria's Mon.
But there are little physical similarities according to Ward.
"Monarchos was a medium-sized, compact horse," said Ward. "Strong Contender is a great big long, lanky animal.
"But as far as genetics, Maria's Mon put a lot of stamina in these horses, and that's the similarity. It's amazing how deep they are as far as their stamina goes. I was always amazed that Monarchos could kick at five-eighth of a mile and he could sustain that pace."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3742383.html
Woman offers $4,000 to capture horse killer
Updated: 03/22/2006 09:30:38 PM
One animal lover has come forward to contribute a reward for information to catch the person who mutilated a horse in Waseca County.
Kim, who asked that her last name not be used, said she was moved after hearing the horse’s owner. “It's like having your child taken,” said the owner of Mr. Peabody, who also asked to remain anonymous. “He was my baby."
"Tears definitely came to my eyes,” Kim said. “It was very heart wrenching."
Kim has offered $4,000 for the capture of those responsible.
Images of the mutilated horse have inspired Kim and dozens of others to offer to help with the identification of Mr. Peabody’s killer.
Kim says the story made her fear for her own horses – and even her family.
"I decided right away that I had to do something,” she said. “I hope that other people will step forward and do whatever they can, donate a little bit of money, raise a little bit of money to put more money together and I think it might help bring someone forward."
A fund has been established at the Wells Fargo Bank on East Elm Ave, in Waseca.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Waseca County Sheriff, at (507) 835-0500.
http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S15021.html?cat=1
Duchess visits Cairo hospital for horses
By Caroline Davies in Cairo
(Filed: 23/03/2006)
The Duchess of Cornwall made a special visit to the Brooke Hospital for sick donkeys, mules and horses, tucked away in a shabby Cairo backstreet yesterday.
The visit to the hospital, which offers free veterinary care to beasts of burden, was at the duchess's instigation; the one element of a five-day royal programme in Egypt, that she specifically requested.
She and the Prince of Wales were shown animals bearing terrible physical injuries that are suffered at the hands of their owners who work them, sometimes without rest, either ferrying tourists around the pyramids or carrying heavy loads in the city's brick kilns.
The hospital was established by Dorothy Brooke, the wife of Major General Geoffrey Brooke, who headed the British Cavalry in Egypt.
She was appalled by the plight of ex-cavalry First World War horses sold to stone quarries in Cairo, and raised £20,000 by putting an appeal in The Daily Telegraph. She opened the hospital in 1934.
Today the charity runs clinics around the world. Lady Weir, chairman of the Brooke Board, showed the royal couple round. "[The Duchess] was really moved by it and she wants to do something to support our work," she said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/03/23/ncam123.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/03/23/ixhome.html
Horses provide paycheck
There are many ways to earn a living working with horses.
Date published: 3/23/2006
By CATHY JETT
Tommy Seay of Culpeper set out to ride his horse from coast to coast, and ended up as co-host of a new TV show called "Best of America by Horseback."
Seay, a trail outfitter who runs the stables at Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria, organized "The American Transcontinental Trail Ride" in 1995. When he decided to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the event last year, his wife, Pat Seay, convinced him to trailer their horses to some of the places they'd enjoyed most.
"We thought about videotaping it just for fun, and then someone suggested contacting RFD TV," Tommy Seay said.
RFD TV is a cable channel covering rural America.
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/032006/03232006/173726
Letter: Why not let surplus horses be slaughtered?
Let me in on this debate. People all over the world eat horse meat. I thought a number of times when I was in the military I was eating horse meat and monkey meat, too.
We have forced horse slaughter plants to be closed in this country. Why? Because animal rights people don't like it. There is a great market for horse meat. We eat cows, goats, sheep, hogs, deer, antelope, elk and buffalo. What difference does it make? Lewis and Clark were glad to eat horse meat and, at times, the only thing better was dog meat.
Now I wouldn't be complaining, but we taxpayers are paying for the support in feeding these BLM horses which nobody wants. We have to control the amount of horses because of overpopulation, just like the buffalo in the park. It's called overgrazing. People who have pet horses have an idea of what it costs BLM taxpayer horses to feed (Feb. 22 Gazette article).
Heck, let's get this horse meat on the market. Perhaps I will try a steak or two.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/03/23/opinion/letters/57-reader-7.txt
Hundreds of camels, horses block road to Pyramids
March 23, 2006
By DPA
Cairo, March 23 (DPA) Traffic came to a standstill and the streets were blocked in a protest that saw 400 camels and horses clog the Cairo avenue leading to the Egyptian pyramids.
Camel and horse owners who make money offering pyramid visitors rides on their animals took to the streets Wednesday to protest against being chased out of the tourist site by the tourism police.
Tourism police require those who work in tourism-related activities to hold a work permit - but the animal owners have said that the tourism authorities have denied them this.
In response, the camel and horse owners took their animals on to al-Haram Street, one of Egypt's longest roads a few kilometres from the Pyramids. The police urged them to clear the street for traffic to resume - and they eventually complied.
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/10888.php/Hundreds_of_camels_horses_block_road_to_Pyramids
Student & horses take to the arena
Christina Voss
Issue date: 3/23/06 Section: News
Media Credit: Erich Pilcher
Kirkwood's Horse Science Technology prepares students for equestrian careers.
Kirkwood Community College is one of the few community colleges in the country that allows a student to bring horses on to campus thanks to a program called Horse Science Technology.
The program helps prepare students for a variety of positions within the equine industry. From studying such subjects as genetics, breeding, horsemanship, training, nutrition, management, judging and other general courses, students learn the complete overview of what it takes to own and maintain healthy successful horses.
Since only a small percent of the students in the program are eligible to stable their own horses on campus, many of the students in the program use Kirkwood's horses. Kirkwood owns 30 Arabians, Saddlebreds and Quarter Horses ranging from green colts to finished show horses. Students use these horses for riding and training.
http://www.kirkwoodcommunique.com/media/paper684/news/2006/03/23/News/Student.Horses.Take.To.The.Arena-1713030.shtml?norewrite200603241847&sourcedomain=www.kirkwoodcommunique.com
Tiny horses make gentle family pets 'The older you get, the smaller you want your horses.'
Alice Stanley
Foal lotta love: Miniature horses go way beyond your average beasts of burden.
Date published: 3/23/2006
By BEN SELLERS
As has happened many times before, Alice Stanley and her husband, Doug, are getting ready to be proud parents this spring.
Several pregnant mares are in the pastures at their 9.5-acre Fairway Miniature Horse Farm in Caroline County.
One of the hardest parts of this process, Alice Stanley said, is coming up with new names. She keeps a running list of potential monikers for when a foal arrives.
"I look at the baby, look at the names, and see if one fits."
For the Stanleys, keeping the horses is a labor of love.
Alice is involved with local search-and-rescue-dog operations, while Doug helps maintain the fairways and greens as assistant superintendent of Fredericksburg Country Club.
Indeed, when folks ask why they collect the pint-sized equines, Alice Stanley's usual answer is that they're fun.
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/032006/03232006/172732
Emirates races horses to Dubai
Posted: Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Dubai
The Emirates SkyCargo transferred eight thoroughbred horses on a charter flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Dubai last week, well in time for one of the richest horseracing events, the Dubai World Cup.
The horses arrived well rested in their air stables, which are specially manufactured horse stalls on pallets, each designed to carry three. The air stables are roomier, allow better movement, and are more comfortable than conventional stalls. The horses were accompanied by a stable of 11 grooms, all comfortably travelling on one of Emirates SkyCargo's fully owned Airbus A310-300F freighters.
This journey was also the cargo division A310F's first maiden voyage across the Atlantic from Dubai. Each of the three wide-bodied A310Fs in its fleet, emblazoned with the red and gold Emirates SkyCargo logo, has a gross payload of 39 tonnes and the capacity to carry 21 horses using air stables.
http://www.tradearabia.com/tanews/newsdetails_snSTN_article102438_cnt.html
Barrel racer
By Herald Democrat
Nancy Hiatt has been riding horses since before she could walk.
Being the daughter of a farmer and horse trader in Indiana, she had every opportunity to learn about horses from the best of the best. Her dad, Leonard "Barney" Summers bought horses out West and shipped boxcar loads of unbroken quarterhorses to their farm to be broken. At an early age Nancy began breaking the horses so that they were rideable and could be sold.
She said back then she never dreamed she would still be riding and training horses when she was a great-grandmother. But she is and she has a cabinet full of belt buckles, a championship saddle and lots of other honors she’s collected along the way for her riding talent.
http://www.heralddemocrat.com/articles/2006/03/22/local_news/news11.txt
Horses dragging Hollywood stars away from Iceland
Filming for the Hollywood movie "Stardust" starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro will start in Iceland next weekend.
Substantial parts of the movie were to be filmed in Iceland but it seems that horses might keep the movie stars away..
Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Sienna Miller and Charlie Cox are among the stars in this Matthew Vaughn-directed adaptation of Neil Gaiman's fantasy novel.
Morgunbladid reports that horses also have a major role in this Paramount project but unfortunately it is illegal to import horses to Iceland.
http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=192388
Horses power graceful sport
LAKEWOOD RANCH - This is the second in a series of stories running this week in which The Herald explores the Triple Crown of Polo and the lifestyle surrounding the sport.
JOHN SIMPSON
Herald Staff Writer
When close, the horses sound like little earthquakes. From far away, the graceful beasts are silent but resemble poetry in motion.
As the Sarasota Polo Club prepares to host the first event of the 2006 Triple Crown of Polo series Sunday, the riders and horses practiced Tuesday on the club's open, green fields.
Polo player James Uihlein, 24, traded his skates in for a saddle not too long ago. An ice hockey player for 15 years, Uihlein has been playing polo for a year and a half.
Often compared to hockey, polo has a few differences, Uihlein said.
"You're thinking for two," Uihlein said. "That's the main difference. In other sports, you can get mad at yourself. In polo, you have to figure out what you did wrong with the horse."
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/14155550.htm
ROYAL HELP FOR ROMANIAN HORSES
By Rosamond Hutt, Community Newswire
ROYAL Horses Norfolk, 22 Mar 2006 - 10:04
The Princess Royal was today due to launch a project which aims to radically improve the welfare of farm horses in Romania.
The Princess will unveil the five-year scheme, run by Norfolk-based equestrian charity International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH), at the Romanian embassy in London.
The ILPH insisted it is a lack of knowledge, resources and awareness of horse welfare and not deliberate cruelty that has led it to take action in Romania.
Since the fall of Communism and the break-up of mechanised collective farms the country has seen a return small plots of land farmed mainly by horsepower.
http://www.communitynewswire.press.net/article.jsp?id=250093
Change of stalls spooks horses
TURF TALK
MARTIN HANNAN
I BELIEVE that I can point to the crux of the problem afflicting starting stalls on which British racecourses depend. Horses have been hurt and jockeys and stall-handlers injured or risked their skins because of snags with the new Steriline stalls, which are being introduced on a phased basis across the country.
The Jockey Club are monitoring the situation, and RaceTech, the firm who provide and operate the stalls, and the Australian manufacturers have carried out modifications to these vital pieces of equipment. Unsurprisingly, the authorities say that these teething problems can be sorted out, but as I indicated in TurfTalk last week, I believe that I may have discovered the reason why a number of horses have freaked out in the stalls.
http://sport.scotsman.com/racing.cfm?id=1708312005
THIS WAS LAST YEAR'S EVENT
Hitch up yer horses
By Emilie H. Wheeler
Festival of the American West rolls back time
It's not quite the late 1880s, but it's probably as close as you can get in 2005.
The Festival of the American West will begin Wednesday and go for four days at the American West Heritage Center in Wellsville. It will include everything from a reenactment of the Pony Express rides from the 1860s to a performances by 2003 and 2004 yodeling champions.
In its 34th consecutive year, the center has switched things up a bit for the August festival. Instead of the eight-day festival, the actual entertainment section has been shortened to four days.
"We're just going to try a bit of a different format and see if it works," said Executive Director Matt Dahl, who was hired for the position last fall. "Entertainers tend to get worn out after eight straight days."
The educational portion of the festival -- which typically includes workshops on everything from cabin quilt piecing to painting -- is still on the docket, but started Friday and will run through the end of the festival. The workshops required an early registration that has since closed, Dahl said.
Other highlights this year include an American West Art Show, featuring work from 16 Utah artists, a keynote address and historical lectures by Roger D. McGrath, a History Channel star, and the main event, the Wild West Show.
"The Wild West Show is new this year," Dahl said. "It'll be similar to how the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show was."
That show will last about one hour and will be performed once Wednesday and Thursday and twice Friday and Saturday. It will include the Pony Express reenactment, Charro roping skill demonstrations, an award-winning equestrian group, Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Cody actors, American Indian powwows and 13-year-old Carin Mari Lechner's yodeling talents.
Another highlight this year is Larry Nielson's Iwo Jima artistic creation. The Utah artist's original wood painting was presented to President George W. Bush in 2002, but he kept a print, which has since been signed by more than 900 war veterans. The print -- which illustrates the raising of the U.S. flag by Marines in 1945 -- will be on display and might be on hand for local veterans to sign, Dahl said.
Dahl said he expects between 10,000 and 12,000 people to come to the festival this year. Although it is a valley tradition, he said a smaller percentage of all attendees are locals.
"We have a lot of visitors from the outside," he said, mentioning several RV parties that come through for the occasion. "People plan their family reunions and whatever around this."
The American West Heritage Center is 160-acre museum of Western American life in the late 1880s and early 1990s. The Living History Site is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day to visitors.
http://hjnews.townnews.com/articles/2005/07/31/news/news02.txt
Wellington, FL-Olympic equestrian champion Laura Kraut is putting her decades of knowledge about world-class competition horses to work on the World Wide Web. Kraut and her husband Bob, a grand prix rider and trainer by his own right, are hoping to help other riders stay at the top of their game with a new e-venture called SummitTack.com.
(I-Newswire) - Wellington, Fl—August 1, 2005--Olympic equestrian champion Laura Kraut is putting her decades of knowledge about world-class competition horses to work on the World Wide Web. Kraut and her husband Bob, a grand prix rider and trainer by his own right, are hoping to help other riders stay at the top of their game with a new e-venture called SummitTack.com.
SummitTack.com, an online retailer of tack and supplies for competition horses of all disciplines, features products the husband-wife team has personally used during its 20-plus years of active competition in equestrian show jumping. The site features dozens of high-quality products designed with performance in mind.
“Just like a basketball athlete needs the proper shoes to perform at his highest level, competition horses need the best saddle pads and other gear to help them be the best they can be,” said Bob Kraut, owner of Summit Tack LLC. “I believe in the products we offer at SummitTack.com because we have used them every day for years ¬ and we know they work.”
Indeed, the Krauts are no strangers to the equestrian circuit. Laura began riding at the age of three. In 1992, aboard Simba Run, she was named as the first alternate for the U.S. squad at the Barcelona Olympic Games. Kraut and another horse called Liberty were members of the U.S. show jumping team that finished sixth at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney Australia, and in 2001, horse and rider won the U.S. Open Jumping Championship.
The Krauts credit products like LPC Artroflex, Walsh Weighted Training Boots and Supracor Classic Cool Grip saddle pads for helping them post winning performances in these professional competitions. As new products hit the market, SummitTack.com continues to expand its catalog of equestrian aids from reputable vendors that serious competitors can trust.
“Summit Tack helps serious competitors achieve success,” Bob said. “Unlike other tack stores, the owners of Summit Tack have used the products we sell in both every day and extreme conditions. Our mission is to provide our customers with exceptional quality, innovation and attractive pricing.”
About Summit Tack
Founded in January 2005, SummitTack.com is an online retailer of tack and supplies for competition horses of all disciplines. Bob and Laura Kraut, two equestrian competitors with a track record for success, launched the site to help other serious competitors locate the best products at the best prices.
http://i-newswire.com/pr38939.html
Horse racing’s fate comes down to the wire
By Vince Devlin - Missoulian - 03/24/06
MISSOULA (LEE) — The Western Montana Fair Commission has spoken, in a sense, by not speaking.
Now it’s up to Missoula County commissioners to decide whether horse racing will continue at the fair this summer.
They’ll decide Tuesday at 3 p.m. in room 201 of the Courthouse Annex.
Their advisory board recommended racing continue when, late Wednesday night, a motion by board member Kim Latrielle to cancel the meet died for the lack of a second.
Chairman Buck Smith explained that, since the board had previously voted for racing to continue, that decision remained the board’s position.
The meet has been in jeopardy since it was learned insurance costs are skyrocketing, with the cost of premiums to insure jockeys going from $1,000 to $2,000 a day, and the deductible from $1,000 to $10,000 for each claim.
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/03/24/montana/c04032406_01.txt
Dubai World Cup Odds Released at All Horse Racing
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 23, 2006--All Horse Racing (http://www.allhorseracing.com), an international gaming company, today released the latest odds on who will win the world's richest race, the $6,000,000 Dubai World Cup.
"A field of 11 from five different countries will test their spirit and mettle when they line up at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse," commented Leonard Manley, Director of Marketing at Allhorseracing.com.
Yesterday, post positions were drawn in an elaborate ceremony held at the luxurious Madinat Theatre in downtown Dubai. Although the richest race was only hours away, many of this year's attendees were in a playful spirit. "In the wonderful city of Dubai, it is impossible not to enjoy yourself," said Manley.
Brass Hat is the odds on favourite. Trainer William "Buff" Bradley feels that the five-year-old gelding's calm demeanor may be more important than the animal's ability to finish strongly. "I think that might be his greatest asset -- the way he handles things and does everything we ask," Bradley said.
However, Brass Hat has other strong contenders to battle and it is anybody's race on Saturday.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060323005490&newsLang=en
The Kentucky Derby - A Historical Look at Horse Racing’s Finest
March 23rd, 2006
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby, the premier horse race of all horse races, has a checkered history that spans 130 years. At first, it struggled to survive, owing its success to the men and women who created and sustained it.
The dream started with a young man, Col. M. Lewis Clark, grandson of Gen. William Clark, the explorer. He visited England and France in 1872 and decided that he would start a racetrack in Kentucky to revive the state’s horse breeding industry. Development began soon after the trip on 80 acres he obtained from his two uncles, John and Henry Churchill. Funding was through membership subscriptions that sold at $100 a piece. The track was officially opened on May 17, 1875. Four races were held that day and the winner of the featured race, the Kentucky Derby, was a horse named Aristides. Two African Americans, Oliver Lewis and Ansel Williamson, trained and jockeyed Aristides. Throughout the years, the Kentucky Derby became the focal event for Churchill Downs.
Eventually, the Kentucky State Fair held activities at Churchill Downs, but the main attraction was then and still is today betting on that special horse to win. In 1875, the prize for winning was $2,850. The purse jumped to $5,460 in 1890 with Riley leading the pack as the thoroughbreds crossed the finish line. The winner of the Kentucky Derby in 1896 was Ben Brush with the first-place prize money totaling $4,850. The winner’s purse would remain at that figure for the next 17 years.
In 1913 there was a slight increase in prize money, but the following year the winner’s proceeds skyrocketed to $9,125. That same year Old Rosebud won by a hefty 8 lengths, setting a track record of 2:03 for the 2/5-mile oval. By 1915, the Derby had developed a reputation as a premier sporting event due to a 3-year publicity push. The Golden Jubilee Derby in 1924 featured a purse of $52,775. Through the years, the prize money continued to grow. In 1970, Secretariat became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years, with a Derby win timed at 1 minute, 59 seconds. The net for Secretariat’s owners was a whopping $127,800. In May of 2004 the winner of the Derby took home a record $5,854,800.
While Churchill Downs was the hub of betting, racing, and other activities, it went through leadership changes quite frequently. Col. M. Lewis Clark and his Louisville Jockey Club started the annual show in 1875. Although the first Kentucky Derby had been a success, there were financial problems. In an attempt to provide a more secure financial situation, the race was incorporated under the New Louisville Jockey Club on November 24, 1894. William F. Schulte became president and Col. M. Lewis Clark was appointed the presiding judge.
Tragedy struck with the suicide of Clark in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 22, 1899. Financial problems plagued the track again and former mayor, Charles Grainger, Charlie Price, and Matt J. Winn took over on October 1, 1902. The first sign of profitability was in 1903. The Kentucky Jockey Club took over all 4 racetracks in Kentucky in 1918-1919. Churchill Downs-Latona became the legal name of the track in 1937 after the sale of several of the other racetracks. October 6,1949, marked the death of Col. Matt J. Winn, the man credited with making the Kentucky Derby the most prestigious race in the world. Bill Corum took over the helm and modernized the track.
The Kentucky Derby was televised for the first time on May 3,1952. In December of 1958, Bill Corum died and was replaced by Wathen Knebelkamp. Under new direction, Churchill Downs underwent more renovation. Also, the City of Louisville tried to purchase the racetrack, but the aldermen had the final word and wouldn’t allow it. Around 1968 there was another battle for ownership of Churchill Downs and this time the Derby Protection Group became the highest bidder.
Lynn Stone was named the new president in 1970. He was successful in fending off 2 more attempts to take over the racetrack. But when financial problems arose, Stone resigned in August 1984, to be replaced by Thomas Meeker. Through the good leadership of Meeker, Chairman Warner Jones, and the current Chairman William Farish, Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby have flourished.
Besides the controversy related to takeovers and changes in leadership, there were legal issues as well. In 1908, betting began to be a problem to the point that the Louisville city administration was cracking down on bookmakers. A loophole made it possible to continue the parimutuel betting that Col. Clark had imported in 1875 from France. Problems arose again and there was a government ban on horseracing in 1945, but VE Day changed everything and the Derby continued on June 9th of that year.
As was noted earlier, African Americans have played a key role since the first race and have made major contributions throughout the derby’s history. Alonzo Lonnie Clayton was an early jockey who, at in 1892 the age of 15, rode Azra, making him the youngest jockey to achieve victory. Erskin Henderson was the 6th African American to win the Kentucky Derby, riding Joe Cotton in 1885. Babe Hurd rode Appollo in 1882 and won. George Garrett Lewis, another African American, jockeyed Fonso in the 1880 Derby. These are 4 of 15 African Americans who won the Kentucky Derby and have their names enshrined in the Kentucky Derby Museum.
In addition, women jockeys have been active in the Derby; the five who have run for the roses are Patti Cooksey, Diane Crump, Julie Krone, Andrea Seefeldt, and Rosemary Homeister. Also, It has been fairly common throughout the years that women have been owners.
The Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs have become the hallmark of first-class horseracing by dealing with adversity and making adjustments. The Derby is a horserace unlike any other in terms of prestige, excitement, and quality competitors. Those who have played an important role in making the Derby a yearly tradition include the jockeys, trainers, breeders, administrators, owners, and those magnificent creatures, the horses that have run for the roses for 130 years. The brainchild of Col. M. Lewis Clark is much more than a horserace. It is an American institution.
http://www.bestsyndication.com/Articles/2006/p/penn_f/032306-kentucky_derby.htm
The Jordan Times
Zarqawi ordered to surrender
AMMAN (AFP) — The State Security Court president has given Jordanian fugitive Abu Mussab Zarqawi 10 days to surrender and face trial in connection with hotel bombings late last year.
"I give you 10 days from the date of publication of this notice to surrender to the judicial authorities to face trial," said a statement published in the press on Wednesday and signed by the head of the tribunal.
"If you do not surrender during that time you will be considered fugitive," it said.
The surrender notice was also addressed to five Iraqis and a Jordanian indicted along with Zarqawi last week for the Nov. 9 triple hotel bombings in Amman that killed 60 people.
But according to court papers obtained by AFP, Iraqi woman would-be suicide bomber Sajida Rishawi will be the only suspect to stand trial for the hotel bombings, which were claimed by Zarqawi's Al Qaeda group in Iraq.
Rishawi was arrested four days after the bombings and later shown confessing on state television how she tried but failed to activate an explosives belt at the Radisson SAS Hotel where a wedding party was in full swing.
The military prosecutor accused the suspects in the hotel bombings of "conspiring to carry out terror acts by using explosive material that led to the deaths of individuals" and "possession of illicit explosive material."
The same notice to surrender was also served on six suspects — two Syrians and four Iraqis — indicted along with six others over deadly rocket attacks in August on Aqaba Port where US warships were moored.
Zarqawi also claimed that attack in which a Jordanian soldier was killed.
Friday-Saturday, March 24-25, 2006
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/homenews/homenews5.htm
56 Iraqis die in violence
Troops rescue Western hostages
BAGHDAD (AP) — The American military spokesman said on Thursday that major violence in Iraq was confined to just three of Iraq's 18 provinces, but the fighting raged on with at least 56 more Iraqis reported killed in shadowy execution-style slayings, bombings and gunbattles.
For the third day running, insurgent forces hit a major police and jail facility, this time a suicide car bomber in central Baghdad.
The attacker detonated his explosives at the entrance to the interior ministry major crimes unit in the Karradah district, killing 10 civilians and 15 policemen stationed there, authorities said.
As insurgent forces raised the stakes with the attacks, the US military announced late Thursday that it was in the second day of an operation with Iraqi soldiers "to disrupt anti-Iraqi forces and to find and destroy terrorist caches in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news1.htm
Jordan backs Lebanon's dialogue — King
His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday said Jordan support Lebanon's national dialogue, which is a basic step towards enhancing the Arab country's unity and stability. King Abdullah told UN special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen at a meeting that Lebanon's independence should be respected. The King called for full cooperation with the probe into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. Larsen, who briefed the King on developments in Lebanon, told Jordan TV after the meeting that "Jordan works hand-in-hand" with the UN to help achieve peace and security in the region — Petra
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/homenews/homenews1.htm
US-Iran talks may prove dialogue of deaf
By Edmund Blair
Reuters
TEHRAN — US-Iranian talks to discuss Iraq could open a valuable channel of communication between the two foes, but analysts say a history of missed opportunities dampens hopes of any broader dialogue developing.
In a worst-case scenario, talks could descend into a "dialogue of the deaf," offering hardliners on both sides the chance to declare contacts a failure and exacerbating an already tense standoff over Iran's nuclear programme, the analysts add.
Washington accuses Tehran of fomenting unrest in Iraq, which Iran blames on the US-led forces that invaded. But despite the exchange of accusations, analysts say both are worried about worsening violence in Iraq, pushing them to agree to talks.
Iraqi political sources have said they expected the US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, to meet with Iran's representatives this week. Iran has not announced its team.
"There is a degree of urgency among both parties not to see Iraq slide into civil war," said Anoush Ehteshami, a leading Iran scholar at Britain's Durham University.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news2.htm
Bird flu forces Israeli-Palestinian cooperation
By Mehdi Lebouachera
Agence France-Presse
GAZA CITY — The discovery of deadly bird flu in both Israel and the Palestinian territories is pushing the two sides to work together despite plummeting relations as Hamas prepares for government.
Israel confirmed Thursday that the H5N1 strain that is dangerous to humans had been found in poultry in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, hot on the heels of its detection in both the Gaza Strip and six farms inside Israel.
Israeli officials said cooperation with the Palestinians on bird flu so far had been "strong and tight" and said a way needed to be found for that to continue even after a Hamas-dominated government takes power on Monday because of the threat to human health.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news5.htm
In Egypt, virus outbreak leaves many jobless
By Omar Sinan
The Associated Press
CAIRO — Jobless and broke, Hamada Ismail called off his wedding and broke up with his fiancee — all because of bird flu.
Its outbreak last month in Egypt has forced the closing of hundreds of poultry stores, including the one Ismail had worked at for years, slaughtering chickens. It also has put hundreds of poultry farms and restaurants out of business in a country where unemployment already is sky-high.
"Of course I can't afford it," Ismail, in stained clothes and half-torn black sandals, said recently of his now-cancelled wedding. "I cannot even feed myself," said the visibly angry young man.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news7.htm
Kingdom on maximum alert
By Mohammad Ghazal
A worker takes a chicken out of its coop in a poultry market near the capital on Thursday. The Health Ministry declared a state of maximum alert after the H5N1 strain of bird flu was discovered in the West Bank and Israel (AP photo by Nader Daoud)
AMMAN — The government on Thursday set a one-week deadline for families who breed poultry in the Jordan Valley to get rid of the birds, after which the authorities will start culling home-bred fowl in the area.
The Kingdom declared that it was on maximum alert after the deadly H5N1 virus was detected in Israel and the West Bank, Minister of Health Saeed Darwazeh said in a statement received by The Jordan Times yesterday.
The bird flu strain that can be fatal to humans was found on Thursday in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, according to the Israeli agriculture minister, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
A ministry official said the H5N1 strain was found in the Beqaot Settlement in the Jordan Valley just across the river from the Kingdom, AFP reported.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/homenews/homenews2.htm
Arab Israelis struggle to keep hold in parliament
By Wafa Amr
Reuters
BE'INEH — “Fifteen minutes of your time every four years is not too much to ask. You must vote,” one Arab Israeli lawmaker shouted through his megaphone.
“Vote for us or for any other Arab party,” called Azmi Bishara to a small audience in the northern Israeli village of Be'ineh-Njeidat.
Days before the March 28 election, Arab Israeli parties are struggling to ensure enough votes to keep their toehold in the Israeli parliament, battling apathy and frustration among voters as well as discouragement by some Islamist leaders.
Although Arabs make up a fifth of Israel's six million people, parties catering specifically to Arab interests hold only eight seats in the 120-member parliament.
Many Arabs feel left out within Israel and lack confidence in the ability of often bickering Arab parties to effect change.
“People are in a dilemma, if they vote, they don't make a difference, if they don't vote, they lack representation,” said building worker Mahmoud Khatib, 38.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news6.htm
Iraq, Mideast conflict top Arab summit agenda
KHARTOUM (AFP) — Arab leaders meet in Khartoum for their annual summit Tuesday under pressure to take a more active role in Iraq and find a common stance on dealing with a Hamas-led Palestinian government.
They are also expected to discuss the three-year-old conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region, which has killed some 300,000 people — a potentially awkward situation for host Sudanese President Omar Beshir.
Iraq is looking for the two days of meetings to deliver an unreserved condemnation of anti-regime violence, as well as more political backing from Arab countries.
"We want clear support for the political process in Iraq," a high-ranking foreign ministry official said.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news4.htm
Stark problems await Hamas-led PA
Two Arab Israelis scuffle Thursday with a member of the ultraright-wing Herut Party during election campaigning in the mostly Arab section in Tel Aviv. Part of the right-wing party's electoral platform is to exchange populations of Palestinians and Israelis (AP photo by Ariel Schalit)
By Alistair Lyon
Reuters
LONDON — Battered, bloated and broke, the Palestinian Authority faces an uncertain future under a new Hamas leadership at odds with the PLO, Israel and the West.
The Islamist movement's rise to power has shattered the status quo, rocking Palestinian institutions, alarming Israel and posing a dilemma for US and European Union donors.
Some Palestinians argue that Israeli policies have so undermined the PA that it should be dissolved, a move that would in legal theory force Israel to take back the burden of running the lands it occupies.
"The PA is no longer relevant," argued Manuel Hassassian, the Palestinian envoy to London, saying Israeli policies had shredded its ability to govern. "What will its function be? I'd rather be under occupation with the occupying power in charge." Horrified by Hamas' January election win, some Israeli politicians favour writing off the PA, but analysts say a more pragmatic approach may emerge once Israel's own polls are over next week.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news3.htm
Festival of Jordan opens today
AMMAN (JT) — Around 80 producers from the Kingdom will gather at the Wild Jordan Nature Centre in Amman on Friday and Saturday for the "Festival of Jordan," supported by Fair Trade Jordan.
The festival is a two-day marketplace for goods featuring a wide range of handicrafts, home produce, herbs and medicinal plants, according to a statement released by Fair Trade Jordan.
The event will also be a celebration of skills, as many of the artisans will demonstrate their skills live.
"The festival's goal is to start creating awareness on fair trade because we're hoping that these interim results will create a specialised niche market that will demand fair trade goods and link small businesses to potential customers, which will help them market their products," Fair Trade Jordan Coordinator Lianne Romahi told The Jordan Times.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/homenews/homenews7.htm
Queen Noor wins public service award
AMMAN (JT) — The Common Wealth Awards has announced that Her Majesty Queen Noor is the winner of the 2006 award for public service for her advocacy of global peace-building, human rights and conflict recovery issues.
Fellow recipients of the 2006 Common Wealth Award are John Glenn for government; Mike Nichols for dramatic arts; Rita Dove for literature; and Anderson Cooper for mass communications.
The honourees will receive a shared prize of $250,000 at the Common Wealth Awards celebration April 1 at the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, according to a statement released by the organisers.
The Common Wealth Awards of Distinguished Service were first presented in 1979 by the Common Wealth Trust, created under the will of the late Ralph Hayes, an influential business executive and philanthropist. Hayes conceived the awards to reward and encourage the best of human performance worldwide.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/homenews/homenews4.htm
continued …
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