Breaking News
Follow Breaking News updates on RSS and Twitter
This page features brief excerpts of news stories published by the mainstream media and, less frequently, blogs, alternative media, and even obviously biased sources. The excerpts are taken directly from the websites cited in each source note. Quotation marks are not used.
Highlights
Breaking News
This page features brief excerpts of news stories published by the mainstream media and, less frequently, blogs, alternative media, and even obviously biased sources. The excerpts are taken directly from the websites cited in each source note. Quotation marks are not used. Because most of our readers read the NYT we usually do not include the paper's stories in HIGHLIGHTS.
Name of source: NYT
SOURCE: NYT (11-14-06)
William Alfred Shea was off by a decade and a half.
He once predicted that 15 minutes after he died, his name would be taken off the Queens stadium where the New York Mets play baseball. It took 15 years instead.
But Mr. Shea got the big picture right. Nothing lasts forever, certainly not a name on the facade of a ballpark, certainly not when huge bucks are at stake and corporate egos need nourishing.
For 42 years, the Mets’ home field has been called Shea Stadium. It is called that for a reason: to honor Mr. Shea, never mind that ever-shrinking numbers of the team’s fans have a clue who he was.
Mr. Shea, who died in 1991 at 84, was a lawyer and a power broker. He, as much as anyone, brought National League baseball back to a bereft city after the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants took a powder in 1957. The New York Metropolitan Baseball Club Inc. came into being in 1961. When it moved into a new home of its own in 1964, it made sense to many to name the home Shea Stadium.
It was an honor in the dictionary definition of the word: high regard or great respect. It is an honor that has now become a casualty of modern business.
Yesterday, the Mets made it official that their new playground, rising next to the old one in Flushing Meadows, will not be called Shea Stadium. The new name is Citi Field, in obeisance to Citigroup, the banking titan.
He once predicted that 15 minutes after he died, his name would be taken off the Queens stadium where the New York Mets play baseball. It took 15 years instead.
But Mr. Shea got the big picture right. Nothing lasts forever, certainly not a name on the facade of a ballpark, certainly not when huge bucks are at stake and corporate egos need nourishing.
For 42 years, the Mets’ home field has been called Shea Stadium. It is called that for a reason: to honor Mr. Shea, never mind that ever-shrinking numbers of the team’s fans have a clue who he was.
Mr. Shea, who died in 1991 at 84, was a lawyer and a power broker. He, as much as anyone, brought National League baseball back to a bereft city after the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants took a powder in 1957. The New York Metropolitan Baseball Club Inc. came into being in 1961. When it moved into a new home of its own in 1964, it made sense to many to name the home Shea Stadium.
It was an honor in the dictionary definition of the word: high regard or great respect. It is an honor that has now become a casualty of modern business.
Yesterday, the Mets made it official that their new playground, rising next to the old one in Flushing Meadows, will not be called Shea Stadium. The new name is Citi Field, in obeisance to Citigroup, the banking titan.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 - 14:58
Comments
SOURCE: NYT (11-14-06)
The Montauk Point Lighthouse was commissioned by President George Washington and completed in 1796 and may be the most recognized landmark on Long Island. If left unprotected, it could also be a few good storms away from falling down its steadily eroding bluff into the ocean.
So the Army Corps of Engineers is embarking on a $14 million plan to save the lighthouse by building a sea wall of boulders to protect the bluff. But a group of surfers say the boulders that would save the lighthouse would ruin Alamo, the world-renowned surf break just beyond its shadow, and they have a counterproposal.
Dude, just move the lighthouse back.
So the Army Corps of Engineers is embarking on a $14 million plan to save the lighthouse by building a sea wall of boulders to protect the bluff. But a group of surfers say the boulders that would save the lighthouse would ruin Alamo, the world-renowned surf break just beyond its shadow, and they have a counterproposal.
Dude, just move the lighthouse back.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 - 13:33
SOURCE: NYT (11-13-06)
CROSSING the Rappahannock is considerably easier for Jim Campi than it was for Ambrose Burnside.
Burnside, the ill-fated Union Army commander in the winter of 1862, endured mud, cold, communications breakdowns and unreliable supply lines — not to mention hostile fire — during his attempt to ford this Northern Virginia river.
Despite the cool drizzly weather of October 2006, Mr. Campi, the policy and communications director for the Civil War Preservation Trust, has no such problems. The Rappahannock’s muddy waters pass in the blink of an eye as his Honda Pilot purrs down I-95, cellphone and coffee mug at his side.
He’s headed for the same place as Burnside and his army of 110,000: Fredericksburg, on the southern banks of the river. Now a quaint tourist town, this was enemy territory for Burnside, who was on his way to a calamitous defeat at the hands of Robert E. Lee’s 75,000 Confederates.
Mr. Campi and his organization have just won their own battle on the same hallowed ground. Working with an unlikely ally — Tricord, a developer — as well as with local preservation groups, the trust managed to buy the pristine 208-acre Slaughter Pen Farm.
Burnside, the ill-fated Union Army commander in the winter of 1862, endured mud, cold, communications breakdowns and unreliable supply lines — not to mention hostile fire — during his attempt to ford this Northern Virginia river.
Despite the cool drizzly weather of October 2006, Mr. Campi, the policy and communications director for the Civil War Preservation Trust, has no such problems. The Rappahannock’s muddy waters pass in the blink of an eye as his Honda Pilot purrs down I-95, cellphone and coffee mug at his side.
He’s headed for the same place as Burnside and his army of 110,000: Fredericksburg, on the southern banks of the river. Now a quaint tourist town, this was enemy territory for Burnside, who was on his way to a calamitous defeat at the hands of Robert E. Lee’s 75,000 Confederates.
Mr. Campi and his organization have just won their own battle on the same hallowed ground. Working with an unlikely ally — Tricord, a developer — as well as with local preservation groups, the trust managed to buy the pristine 208-acre Slaughter Pen Farm.
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 22:23
SOURCE: NYT (11-12-06)
THE road map today is mostly virtual — an electronic image on a screen, at home or in the car, provided by Mapquest or a built-in satellite navigation system. Setting out on a long journey, I half expect to see the marker pins of a Google map rearing above the highway like giant hat pins, shadowing the pavement ahead.
Perhaps it is the contrast with digital maps that makes old-fashioned paper road maps seem rich and wonderful again. Those colorful guides once found in every glove compartment are gaining desirability not just as collectibles but as cultural records — even in archives as august as those of the Library of Congress.
C. Ford Peatross, curator of architecture, design and engineering collections in the library’s prints and photographs division, recently joined John Margolies, an expert on modern road maps, for a presentation in New York of Mr. Margolies’s artifacts of the road. Mr. Margolies’s maps, along with matchbooks, menus and other ephemera make up only part of a collection recording life on the road in America in the (mostly) 20th century.
Perhaps it is the contrast with digital maps that makes old-fashioned paper road maps seem rich and wonderful again. Those colorful guides once found in every glove compartment are gaining desirability not just as collectibles but as cultural records — even in archives as august as those of the Library of Congress.
C. Ford Peatross, curator of architecture, design and engineering collections in the library’s prints and photographs division, recently joined John Margolies, an expert on modern road maps, for a presentation in New York of Mr. Margolies’s artifacts of the road. Mr. Margolies’s maps, along with matchbooks, menus and other ephemera make up only part of a collection recording life on the road in America in the (mostly) 20th century.
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 18:16
SOURCE: NYT (11-11-06)
For most of the world, the cold war ended when the Berlin Wall came down. Not so in the Caribbean basin.
Here the stubbornness of old cold warriors in Washington and the equal tenacity of leftist governments in Cuba and Venezuela have kept a miniature cold war going. Just as it was 20 years ago, Nicaragua now finds itself smack in the middle of the conflict with the election this week of Daniel Ortega, the former Marxist rebel leader, as president.
Mr. Ortega faces a balancing act no politician would envy, both inside the country and on the world stage. On the one hand, to satisfy his supporters, he must fulfill promises to “eradicate poverty,” curb “savage capitalism,” and remain friendly with his leftist allies, Fidel Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. Venezuela, in particular, could be a source of cheap oil and money for social programs.
On the other hand, he can ill afford to lose more than $50 million a year in United States aid or credit from the International Monetary Fund.
Here the stubbornness of old cold warriors in Washington and the equal tenacity of leftist governments in Cuba and Venezuela have kept a miniature cold war going. Just as it was 20 years ago, Nicaragua now finds itself smack in the middle of the conflict with the election this week of Daniel Ortega, the former Marxist rebel leader, as president.
Mr. Ortega faces a balancing act no politician would envy, both inside the country and on the world stage. On the one hand, to satisfy his supporters, he must fulfill promises to “eradicate poverty,” curb “savage capitalism,” and remain friendly with his leftist allies, Fidel Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. Venezuela, in particular, could be a source of cheap oil and money for social programs.
On the other hand, he can ill afford to lose more than $50 million a year in United States aid or credit from the International Monetary Fund.
Saturday, November 11, 2006 - 21:25
SOURCE: NYT (11-10-06)
The accusations lodged against Robert M. Gates the last time he came before the Senate for confirmation, in 1991, sound eerily contemporary in the wake of the debate over skewed prewar intelligence on Iraq.
Mr. Gates, in the words of one Central Intelligence Agency subordinate, Jennifer L. Glaudemans, “politicized intelligence analysis,” insisting on slanted reports that became the basis for “momentous foreign policy decisions.”
The Senate will have to decide whether such claims, which did not prevent the C.I.A. veteran from becoming the agency’s director 15 years ago, have new relevance now that President Bush has named him to succeed Donald H. Rumsfeld as defense secretary.
Senators may revisit assertions that Mr. Gates falsely denied knowledge of the Reagan administration’s secret scheme to sell arms to Iran and use the proceeds to support the Nicaraguan contra rebels, an issue that derailed his first nomination to lead the C.I.A. in 1987.
Mr. Gates, in the words of one Central Intelligence Agency subordinate, Jennifer L. Glaudemans, “politicized intelligence analysis,” insisting on slanted reports that became the basis for “momentous foreign policy decisions.”
The Senate will have to decide whether such claims, which did not prevent the C.I.A. veteran from becoming the agency’s director 15 years ago, have new relevance now that President Bush has named him to succeed Donald H. Rumsfeld as defense secretary.
Senators may revisit assertions that Mr. Gates falsely denied knowledge of the Reagan administration’s secret scheme to sell arms to Iran and use the proceeds to support the Nicaraguan contra rebels, an issue that derailed his first nomination to lead the C.I.A. in 1987.
Friday, November 10, 2006 - 14:17
SOURCE: NYT (11-10-06)
The Army-issued memorial flag, tucked away in storage for decades at the Queens College library, was a tantalizing clue. But it needed some decoding.
On the flag were two stars and two numbers: a gold star followed by “58” and just below that a black star with “1235”.
Joel Allen, a history professor at the college who had been on a quest to track down the names of students who died during World War II, knew that the flag represented the number of Queens College students who served — 1,235 — and died — 58 — during the war.
But while the flag had survived the decades, the names of those it represented had long been lost.
That deeply disturbed Arnold Franco, a Manhattan insurance executive, a member of the Queens College class of 1943, who was one of the 1,235 — 60 percent of the student body at the time — who left the college to serve in the military. He found himself one morning about a year ago in his apartment on East 62nd Street, depressed at the thought that many of his soldier-classmates had been forgotten.
“I woke up and I said, ‘My God, there’s no World War II veterans memorial at the school,’ ” said Mr. Franco, 83, who urged school officials to begin the search for the dead students’ names and offered $100,000 to build a memorial on campus. His offer was accepted, and today, the memorial will be dedicated.
Mr. Franco, who was born and raised in Richmond Hill and majored in history at Queens College, which is in Flushing, served in an elite group of code-breakers during the war. He can still recite from memory the coded German message announcing the paratroop invasion that led to the Battle of the Bulge.
Yet the job of breaking the flag’s code fell to a newer group of recruits: six history majors at the college, led by Professor Allen, who began their research last winter.
On the flag were two stars and two numbers: a gold star followed by “58” and just below that a black star with “1235”.
Joel Allen, a history professor at the college who had been on a quest to track down the names of students who died during World War II, knew that the flag represented the number of Queens College students who served — 1,235 — and died — 58 — during the war.
But while the flag had survived the decades, the names of those it represented had long been lost.
That deeply disturbed Arnold Franco, a Manhattan insurance executive, a member of the Queens College class of 1943, who was one of the 1,235 — 60 percent of the student body at the time — who left the college to serve in the military. He found himself one morning about a year ago in his apartment on East 62nd Street, depressed at the thought that many of his soldier-classmates had been forgotten.
“I woke up and I said, ‘My God, there’s no World War II veterans memorial at the school,’ ” said Mr. Franco, 83, who urged school officials to begin the search for the dead students’ names and offered $100,000 to build a memorial on campus. His offer was accepted, and today, the memorial will be dedicated.
Mr. Franco, who was born and raised in Richmond Hill and majored in history at Queens College, which is in Flushing, served in an elite group of code-breakers during the war. He can still recite from memory the coded German message announcing the paratroop invasion that led to the Battle of the Bulge.
Yet the job of breaking the flag’s code fell to a newer group of recruits: six history majors at the college, led by Professor Allen, who began their research last winter.
Friday, November 10, 2006 - 13:29
SOURCE: NYT (11-9-06)
Scientists have found new genetic evidence that they say may answer the longstanding question of whether modern humans and Neanderthals interbred when they co-existed thousands of years ago. The answer is: probably yes, though not often.
In research being published online this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists reported that matings between Neanderthals and modern humans presumably accounted for the presence of a variant of the gene that regulates brain size.
Bruce T. Lahn of the University of Chicago, the report’s senior author, said the findings demonstrated that such interbreeding with relative species, those on the brink of extinction, contributed to the evolutionary success of modern humans.
In research being published online this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists reported that matings between Neanderthals and modern humans presumably accounted for the presence of a variant of the gene that regulates brain size.
Bruce T. Lahn of the University of Chicago, the report’s senior author, said the findings demonstrated that such interbreeding with relative species, those on the brink of extinction, contributed to the evolutionary success of modern humans.
Thursday, November 9, 2006 - 22:34
Name of source: CBS News
SOURCE: CBS News (11-13-06)
Lt. Col. Herbert Carter has a lot of memories about two of this country's hardest-fought battles — one against Adolf Hitler, the other against Jim Crow.
Carter made history in World War II as one of the first African-American fighter pilots, CBS News correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports. At age 22 he was an original member of the all-black Tuskegee Airmen, who had to fight for the right to fight for their country.
"We were told that we were lackadaisical. That was an insult, to say that you were too stupid to serve your country," Carter says.
At the time, black servicemen were seen more often in the kitchen than the cockpit.
"Our philosophy was that the antidote to racism and separatism was excellence in performance," Carter says....
There were about 1,000 black fighter pilots in the group. They flew more than 16,000 times during the war, won more than 900 medals — and the Germans never shot down a bomber they were protecting.
New York Rep. Charles Rangel led the fight to award the Tuskegee Airmen the highest honor Congress can bestow, the Congressional Gold Medal, as a tribute to their victories over there and their suffering over here.
"The sad part of the story is when they came home, they were just black men who served their country and were subjected to the same discrimination that existed before their heroic acts," says Rangel.
The Airmen have won a slew of other honors, but this medal can't come too soon for Carter.
"It simply says that the United States of America is saying, finally, a job well done," he says.
Carter is one of only about 130 known surviving Tuskegee pilots — old men now whose skills were recognized years ago, but who are only now getting the recognition they deserve.
Carter made history in World War II as one of the first African-American fighter pilots, CBS News correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports. At age 22 he was an original member of the all-black Tuskegee Airmen, who had to fight for the right to fight for their country.
"We were told that we were lackadaisical. That was an insult, to say that you were too stupid to serve your country," Carter says.
At the time, black servicemen were seen more often in the kitchen than the cockpit.
"Our philosophy was that the antidote to racism and separatism was excellence in performance," Carter says....
There were about 1,000 black fighter pilots in the group. They flew more than 16,000 times during the war, won more than 900 medals — and the Germans never shot down a bomber they were protecting.
New York Rep. Charles Rangel led the fight to award the Tuskegee Airmen the highest honor Congress can bestow, the Congressional Gold Medal, as a tribute to their victories over there and their suffering over here.
"The sad part of the story is when they came home, they were just black men who served their country and were subjected to the same discrimination that existed before their heroic acts," says Rangel.
The Airmen have won a slew of other honors, but this medal can't come too soon for Carter.
"It simply says that the United States of America is saying, finally, a job well done," he says.
Carter is one of only about 130 known surviving Tuskegee pilots — old men now whose skills were recognized years ago, but who are only now getting the recognition they deserve.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 - 00:57
Name of source: BBC
SOURCE: BBC (11-11-06)
The grave of Russian literary giant Boris Pasternak, author of Dr Zhivago, has been desecrated by vandals.
Wreaths taken from around the cemetery were set alight on top of the writer's gravestone, Russian TV reported.
Pasternak's daughter-in-law, Natalya, said she feared the monument, which features a sculpture of the writer, could be lost forever.
Wreaths taken from around the cemetery were set alight on top of the writer's gravestone, Russian TV reported.
Pasternak's daughter-in-law, Natalya, said she feared the monument, which features a sculpture of the writer, could be lost forever.
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 21:50
SOURCE: BBC (11-11-06)
Vandals have daubed Nazi swastikas on a war memorial in West Sussex.
Police officers also found anti-Semitic graffiti painted on one home and a shop close to the memorial in Chapel Road, Worthing, on Saturday morning.
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "This is offensive and racist graffiti. It's fairly large-scale."
The Royal British Legion said it was "dismayed and upset" by the graffiti, which was removed prior to the main service at 1100 GMT.
Police officers also found anti-Semitic graffiti painted on one home and a shop close to the memorial in Chapel Road, Worthing, on Saturday morning.
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "This is offensive and racist graffiti. It's fairly large-scale."
The Royal British Legion said it was "dismayed and upset" by the graffiti, which was removed prior to the main service at 1100 GMT.
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 21:46
SOURCE: BBC (11-10-06)
A retired Swedish gym teacher is the toast of Greece after returning a piece of sculpted marble taken from the Acropolis more than a century ago.
Birgit Wiger-Angner's family held the marble for 110 years, but she decided to return it to Athens after hearing about Greece's Elgin marbles campaign.
The small fragment comes from the Acropolis's Erechtheion temple.
The move has boosted the international campaign to persuade the British Museum to return the Elgin marbles to Athens.
Birgit Wiger-Angner's family held the marble for 110 years, but she decided to return it to Athens after hearing about Greece's Elgin marbles campaign.
The small fragment comes from the Acropolis's Erechtheion temple.
The move has boosted the international campaign to persuade the British Museum to return the Elgin marbles to Athens.
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 21:39
Name of source: AP
SOURCE: AP (11-12-06)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Nov. 11 -- An absentee ballot was mailed with what may have been a valuable, extremely rare stamp, but the envelope is now in a box that by law cannot be opened before September 2008.
While reviewing absentee ballots Tuesday night, Broward County Commissioner John Rodstrom noticed what looked like a small stamp collection on one envelope. There was no name on the envelope, so the vote contained inside did not count.
At least one of the stamps was from 1936, Rodstrom said later. But another really caught his eye: It had an upside-down World War I-era airplane -- the hallmark of a stamp known among collectors as the Inverted Jenny.
The 24-cent Jenny stamps were printed in 1918. Sheets were run through presses twice to process all the colors and, on one pass, four went through backward. Inspectors caught the errors on three sheets and destroyed them, but one sheet of 100 stamps escaped into circulation.
Stamp collectors have spent 88 years trying to find them all.
While reviewing absentee ballots Tuesday night, Broward County Commissioner John Rodstrom noticed what looked like a small stamp collection on one envelope. There was no name on the envelope, so the vote contained inside did not count.
At least one of the stamps was from 1936, Rodstrom said later. But another really caught his eye: It had an upside-down World War I-era airplane -- the hallmark of a stamp known among collectors as the Inverted Jenny.
The 24-cent Jenny stamps were printed in 1918. Sheets were run through presses twice to process all the colors and, on one pass, four went through backward. Inspectors caught the errors on three sheets and destroyed them, but one sheet of 100 stamps escaped into circulation.
Stamp collectors have spent 88 years trying to find them all.
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 21:48
SOURCE: AP (11-11-06)
The remains of a missing Air Force officer whose plane was shot down over North Vietnam in 1965 have been identified, the Pentagon announced.
Col. Charles J. Scharf, of San Diego, was flying his F-4C Phantom after a pair of bombing missions when he was shot by enemy fire.
The Pentagon said Thursday that his remains had been identified after specialists matched the DNA from gummed adhesive on envelopes of letters Scharf sent his wife Patricia to a bone fragment found near the crash site in a 1992 excavation.
Col. Charles J. Scharf, of San Diego, was flying his F-4C Phantom after a pair of bombing missions when he was shot by enemy fire.
The Pentagon said Thursday that his remains had been identified after specialists matched the DNA from gummed adhesive on envelopes of letters Scharf sent his wife Patricia to a bone fragment found near the crash site in a 1992 excavation.
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 21:38
SOURCE: AP (11-11-06)
BUTLER, Ga. -- A display in a central Georgia community divides the names of 800 local veterans into two lists, marked in large type: "Whites" and "Colored."
The display has been in the lobby of the Taylor County courthouse since 1944, honoring servicemembers who fought in World War II. The two lists are mounted side by side behind glass in two large frames.
John Cole Vodicka, an activist from Americus, is organizing a rally Monday at the courthouse to persuade the county commission to take down the display.
"They can't obviously be proud of the fact that the plaques continue to stay on the wall," he said.
In January, the Taylor County Commission unanimously decided to create an "integrated" list, with all the names together, along with additional names that weren't in the display designed before the war ended.
But the commission also decided to leave the "Whites" and "Colored" lists up in the lobby of the building.
"If we erase everything we find offensive or don't like, then it may happen again," said Sybil Willingham, chairwoman of the county's Historic Preservation Commission.
The display has been in the lobby of the Taylor County courthouse since 1944, honoring servicemembers who fought in World War II. The two lists are mounted side by side behind glass in two large frames.
John Cole Vodicka, an activist from Americus, is organizing a rally Monday at the courthouse to persuade the county commission to take down the display.
"They can't obviously be proud of the fact that the plaques continue to stay on the wall," he said.
In January, the Taylor County Commission unanimously decided to create an "integrated" list, with all the names together, along with additional names that weren't in the display designed before the war ended.
But the commission also decided to leave the "Whites" and "Colored" lists up in the lobby of the building.
"If we erase everything we find offensive or don't like, then it may happen again," said Sybil Willingham, chairwoman of the county's Historic Preservation Commission.
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 21:36
SOURCE: AP (11-12-06)
The message was simple: Write a letter to someone lost in the Korean War. Within a day, responses started pouring in for the latest effort by brothers Hal and Ted Barker to remember the war their father didn't like to discuss. In the three weeks since their plea went out, more than 500 letters and e-mails have arrived -- from daughters who lost their fathers to veterans who lost friends to schoolchildren thanking those who died for their freedom.
"It's been a catharsis for a lot of people," said Hal Barker, 59. "They write a letter telling the person who was lost how their life turned out."
It's been 11 years since the Barkers, inspired by their father's reticence, started the Korean War Project, an online memory bank for the 1950s conflict that claimed about 36,500 U.S. lives. They have helped comrades reconnect and tried to get relatives of the missing to submit DNA to the U.S. government to help with identification.
"It's been a catharsis for a lot of people," said Hal Barker, 59. "They write a letter telling the person who was lost how their life turned out."
It's been 11 years since the Barkers, inspired by their father's reticence, started the Korean War Project, an online memory bank for the 1950s conflict that claimed about 36,500 U.S. lives. They have helped comrades reconnect and tried to get relatives of the missing to submit DNA to the U.S. government to help with identification.
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 21:36
SOURCE: AP (11-10-06)
Gerald R. Ford is closing in on a record held by Ronald Reagan -- living longer than any other U.S. president. Ford, who turned 93 on July 14, will become the oldest president Sunday by living to 93 years and 121 days.
"The length of one's days matters less than the love of one's family and friends," Ford said in a statement this week from the Rancho Mirage compound he shares with former first lady Betty Ford, 88.
Ford was president from Aug. 9, 1974, when Richard Nixon resigned, until January 1977. He's suffered a variety of health problems in recent years, including undergoing heart procedures at the Mayo Clinic in August.
"He's doing very well. He's still recuperating," said Ford's chief of staff, Penny Circle.
"The length of one's days matters less than the love of one's family and friends," Ford said in a statement this week from the Rancho Mirage compound he shares with former first lady Betty Ford, 88.
Ford was president from Aug. 9, 1974, when Richard Nixon resigned, until January 1977. He's suffered a variety of health problems in recent years, including undergoing heart procedures at the Mayo Clinic in August.
"He's doing very well. He's still recuperating," said Ford's chief of staff, Penny Circle.
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 18:10
SOURCE: AP (11-10-06)
Forensic experts said Friday they found a new mass grave in northeastern Bosnia believed to contain the remains of more than 100 victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre where Serb forces buried some of the almost 8,000 victims.
The grave in Snagovo village, about 30 miles north of Srebrenica, was found after experts received a tip-off from an undisclosed source, said Murat Hurtic, head of Bosnia's Missing Persons Commission.
It is the seventh mass grave Hurtic's team has found near Srebrenica, the scene of Europe's worst massacre since World War II.
The grave in Snagovo village, about 30 miles north of Srebrenica, was found after experts received a tip-off from an undisclosed source, said Murat Hurtic, head of Bosnia's Missing Persons Commission.
It is the seventh mass grave Hurtic's team has found near Srebrenica, the scene of Europe's worst massacre since World War II.
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 18:09
SOURCE: AP (11-10-06)
Suspected Neo-Nazis scattered candles and tore up floral wreaths placed at a memorial stone on the 68th anniversary of Kristallnacht, police said Friday. The vandalism came Thursday at a memorial to Kristallnacht, or Night of the Broken Glass -- a prelude to the Holocaust that saw thousands of Jewish homes, synagogues and businesses destroyed in 1938. Police in Frankfurt an der Oder said the group tore up wreaths on a stone marking the site where the synagogue stood before it was burned down on Kristallnacht.
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 14:24
SOURCE: AP (11-11-06)
The National Gallery is buying one of the 19th century's best-known American paintings, ''The Gross Clinic'' by Thomas Eakins, for a record $68 million.
The sale price sets a record for a pre-World War II work of art created in the United States, The New York Times reported.
The Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art will share the work with Alice Walton, daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, The Washington Post reported. Alice Walton founded the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which is scheduled to open in 2009 in Bentonville, Ark.
The sale price sets a record for a pre-World War II work of art created in the United States, The New York Times reported.
The Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art will share the work with Alice Walton, daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, The Washington Post reported. Alice Walton founded the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which is scheduled to open in 2009 in Bentonville, Ark.
Saturday, November 11, 2006 - 20:17
SOURCE: AP (11-8-06)
The Dutch government plans to give a citation to troops who served as peacekeepers in Srebrenica but failed to stop the massacre of Bosnian Muslims 11 years ago in what was supposed to be a U.N.-protected safe haven.
The plan to award a unique insignia for duty at Srebrenica outraged survivors and victims' families Wednesday, who called it an insult to those who died.
The award was meant to heal a painful wound in the military, which felt unfairly blamed for the massacre and its reputation unjustly tarnished.
The plan to award a unique insignia for duty at Srebrenica outraged survivors and victims' families Wednesday, who called it an insult to those who died.
The award was meant to heal a painful wound in the military, which felt unfairly blamed for the massacre and its reputation unjustly tarnished.
Friday, November 10, 2006 - 18:23
SOURCE: AP (11-8-06)
Part of a speech by World War II Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels was played over the public address system before a high school soccer game, prompting an apology by the home team's principal.
Forestview High School principal Robert Carpenter said neither he nor his team's coach knew about the speech before the 90-second excerpt was played during pre-game training Saturday, according to a letter he sent Monday to visiting Charlotte Catholic High School.
Carpenter said in the letter the team had adopted the slogan "On to victory," and a German exchange student who plays on the team had taught other students how to say the phrase in German.
"Some of our more zealous students sought to capture this slogan in German and to play it on the PA," Carpenter wrote.
Forestview High School principal Robert Carpenter said neither he nor his team's coach knew about the speech before the 90-second excerpt was played during pre-game training Saturday, according to a letter he sent Monday to visiting Charlotte Catholic High School.
Carpenter said in the letter the team had adopted the slogan "On to victory," and a German exchange student who plays on the team had taught other students how to say the phrase in German.
"Some of our more zealous students sought to capture this slogan in German and to play it on the PA," Carpenter wrote.
Wednesday, November 8, 2006 - 22:24
Name of source: Times Online (UK)
SOURCE: Times Online (UK) (11-11-06)
EACTLY 88 YEARS ago today, the victorious allied powers were faced with a quandary that has stark parallels with today. Should they put Wilhelm II of Germany on trial or let him rot in Holland? For at the 11th hour on November 11, 1918, as the guns fell silent and the mourners stood still, the former Kaiser was on the move, the imperial train rumbling on between Venlo and Nijmegen, conveying him into Dutch country-house exile.
There was, just as there was with Saddam Hussein, a compelling case for trying him. His army had launched an unprovoked assault on a neutral country. It had deployed unusually vile forms of killing — chlorine gas attacks, Zeppelin bombing raids against urban civilian targets and unrestricted submarine warfare that included torpedoing cruise liners.
But was he personally responsible? Could a trial lead to counter allegations about Allied war crimes? Might trying a deposed head of state create an unfortunate precedent? Was this any way to treat Queen Victoria’s grandson? If German democracy collapsed, might it be necessary to restore the monarch? A trial could prove inconvenient.
F. E. Smith, the Attorney-General, however, assured the Imperial War Cabinet that it was inequitable to put U-boat captains on trial for war crimes but not their Supreme Warlord. He cited Edmund Burke’s reasoning in the trial of Warren Hastings: “You strike at the whole corps if you strike at the head.” Furthermore: “If this man escapes, common people will say everywhere that he has escaped because he is an emperor,” Smith explained. “They will say that august influence has been exerted to save him.”
A new world order was being created, based around the UN’s forerunner, the League of Nations. Trying this discredited old world relic would be a fitting start. The Cabinet agreed, as did the French.
Woodrow Wilson was less sure. “King Charles I was a contemptible character and the greatest liar in history”, the US President alleged, yet “he was celebrated by poetry and transformed into a martyr by his execution.” Nonetheless, Wilson went along with his allies and Article 227 of the Treaty of Versailles demanded that the ex-Kaiser stand trial before a special tribunal composed of five judges from each of the victorious powers....
There was, just as there was with Saddam Hussein, a compelling case for trying him. His army had launched an unprovoked assault on a neutral country. It had deployed unusually vile forms of killing — chlorine gas attacks, Zeppelin bombing raids against urban civilian targets and unrestricted submarine warfare that included torpedoing cruise liners.
But was he personally responsible? Could a trial lead to counter allegations about Allied war crimes? Might trying a deposed head of state create an unfortunate precedent? Was this any way to treat Queen Victoria’s grandson? If German democracy collapsed, might it be necessary to restore the monarch? A trial could prove inconvenient.
F. E. Smith, the Attorney-General, however, assured the Imperial War Cabinet that it was inequitable to put U-boat captains on trial for war crimes but not their Supreme Warlord. He cited Edmund Burke’s reasoning in the trial of Warren Hastings: “You strike at the whole corps if you strike at the head.” Furthermore: “If this man escapes, common people will say everywhere that he has escaped because he is an emperor,” Smith explained. “They will say that august influence has been exerted to save him.”
A new world order was being created, based around the UN’s forerunner, the League of Nations. Trying this discredited old world relic would be a fitting start. The Cabinet agreed, as did the French.
Woodrow Wilson was less sure. “King Charles I was a contemptible character and the greatest liar in history”, the US President alleged, yet “he was celebrated by poetry and transformed into a martyr by his execution.” Nonetheless, Wilson went along with his allies and Article 227 of the Treaty of Versailles demanded that the ex-Kaiser stand trial before a special tribunal composed of five judges from each of the victorious powers....
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 21:43
SOURCE: Times Online (UK) (11-10-06)
A DEEPLY moving last letter written by a British soldier executed by the Germans in 1916 has been discovered in an attic in Hastings. It casts fresh light on one of the most tragic episodes of the First World War.
Private David Martin, from Belfast, was one of a handful of soldiers left behind during the British retreat in 1914, and then trapped behind the lines in German-occupied France.
For 18 months, Martin and three other British soldiers were hidden by French peasants in a little village near the Somme, until they were betrayed, tried as spies, and shot by a German firing squad.
On the night before he died, 28-year-old Martin wrote to his wife, Mary, on a typewriter provided by his German gaoler. He was uneducated and his letter contains numerous spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, yet it is also extraordinarily touching: the final testament of a terrified man summoning up his last reserves of piety, pluck and patriotism.
Private David Martin, from Belfast, was one of a handful of soldiers left behind during the British retreat in 1914, and then trapped behind the lines in German-occupied France.
For 18 months, Martin and three other British soldiers were hidden by French peasants in a little village near the Somme, until they were betrayed, tried as spies, and shot by a German firing squad.
On the night before he died, 28-year-old Martin wrote to his wife, Mary, on a typewriter provided by his German gaoler. He was uneducated and his letter contains numerous spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, yet it is also extraordinarily touching: the final testament of a terrified man summoning up his last reserves of piety, pluck and patriotism.
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 21:40
SOURCE: Times Online (UK) (11-10-06)
ON CHRISTMAS DAY 1914, from a trench in northern France, a British soldier who signed himself “Boy” wrote a letter to his mother: “My Dear Mater, This will be the most memorable Christmas I’ve ever spent . . . just before dinner I had the pleasure of shaking hands with several Germans . . . It all seems so strange.” Boy was merely doing what so many soldiers of the Great War did as a matter of routine: putting his thoughts and observations into words, and committing them to paper. He knew he was recording history, but he cannot have suspected that he was creating an artefact that would one day be worth a small fortune.
This week, Boy’s Christmas Truce letter was sold at auction for £14,400, after the singer Chris de Burgh trumped 14 rival bidders.
This week, Boy’s Christmas Truce letter was sold at auction for £14,400, after the singer Chris de Burgh trumped 14 rival bidders.
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 18:00
Name of source: Telegraph (UK)
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (11-12-06)
The German government has called a crisis meeting about how it deals with art sold by or confiscated from Jews under the Nazis after controversy over paintings restored to their original families only to be auctioned for vast sums abroad.
Angela Merkel, the chancellor, has summoned culture ministers and museum directors from Germany's 16 federal states next week to discuss an overhaul of the "restitution" law, which critics say is stripping the country's museums of important works.
Under the law, paintings and sculptures that were parted with under duress must be returned to their owners or their heirs. But a heated debate over the way the law is operating was fuelled last week by two dramatic developments on the international art market: the sale of an important Expressionist work for a record price in New York, and an attempt through the courts to block the auction of a Picasso, owned by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Art Foundation.
Angela Merkel, the chancellor, has summoned culture ministers and museum directors from Germany's 16 federal states next week to discuss an overhaul of the "restitution" law, which critics say is stripping the country's museums of important works.
Under the law, paintings and sculptures that were parted with under duress must be returned to their owners or their heirs. But a heated debate over the way the law is operating was fuelled last week by two dramatic developments on the international art market: the sale of an important Expressionist work for a record price in New York, and an attempt through the courts to block the auction of a Picasso, owned by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Art Foundation.
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 21:32
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (11-10-06)
Markus Wolf, who died yesterday aged 83, was the highly successful East German Cold War spymaster who placed agents alongside two West German Chancellors.
Markus Wolf
Wolf was the head of the Hauptverwaltung Aufklarung, the East German foreign intelligence service, from 1952 until 1986, making a speciality of sending so-called "Romeo" spies into West Germany to seduce female government employees. The hallmark of Wolf's operations was the enormous patience with which he waited for his spies to achieve positions where they would be useful to their Communist masters.
Many of the women who succumbed to the ploy were lonely secretaries approaching middle age who had far greater access to government secrets than their lowly role might have suggested. But one progressed through the ranks of the West German security service to become its most highly placed female officer, while in 1975 another secured a post in the office of Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.
Dagmar Kahlig-Scheffler, codenamed Inge, was recruited by a Romeo spy who was actually on holiday in Bulgaria and was slowly manoeuvred through a succession of posts until she obtained a job in the Chancellery. The intelligence she passed to her handlers included the contents of confidential conversations between Schmidt and James Callaghan, in which the then British prime minister denounced the Americans as "arrogant" and "stupid".
But Wolf's most important agent was neither a Romeo spy nor one of the scores of lonely "Juliets" they seduced. Gunther Guillaume was part of a husband and wife team, just one of hundreds of potential spies, sent into the West in the 1950s. Guillaume worked in an East German publishing house with links to the secret police, the Stasi, which as well as running an extensive network of spies against its own people had ultimate control over Wolf's foreign intelligence service.
Markus Wolf
Wolf was the head of the Hauptverwaltung Aufklarung, the East German foreign intelligence service, from 1952 until 1986, making a speciality of sending so-called "Romeo" spies into West Germany to seduce female government employees. The hallmark of Wolf's operations was the enormous patience with which he waited for his spies to achieve positions where they would be useful to their Communist masters.
Many of the women who succumbed to the ploy were lonely secretaries approaching middle age who had far greater access to government secrets than their lowly role might have suggested. But one progressed through the ranks of the West German security service to become its most highly placed female officer, while in 1975 another secured a post in the office of Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.
Dagmar Kahlig-Scheffler, codenamed Inge, was recruited by a Romeo spy who was actually on holiday in Bulgaria and was slowly manoeuvred through a succession of posts until she obtained a job in the Chancellery. The intelligence she passed to her handlers included the contents of confidential conversations between Schmidt and James Callaghan, in which the then British prime minister denounced the Americans as "arrogant" and "stupid".
But Wolf's most important agent was neither a Romeo spy nor one of the scores of lonely "Juliets" they seduced. Gunther Guillaume was part of a husband and wife team, just one of hundreds of potential spies, sent into the West in the 1950s. Guillaume worked in an East German publishing house with links to the secret police, the Stasi, which as well as running an extensive network of spies against its own people had ultimate control over Wolf's foreign intelligence service.
Friday, November 10, 2006 - 18:41
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (11-11-06)
A notebook kept by Sir Winston Churchill's nurse has revealed a regimented routine in his final years which included her looking after his pet budgerigar.
Muriel Thomson looked after Sir Winston as he neared death and, in addition to making sure he had his cigars and whisky to hand, was expected to put the bird 'to bed'.
The former prime minister was an animal lover and it seems that, towards the end of his life, his budgie was seldom far from his side, even accompanying him to dinner.
"Whisky and soda, specs, cards; bird to be brought into dining room near his chair," Nurse Thomson wrote in her notes. "Tweeds; hanky in top pocket; boiler suit — slippers" and "after dinner… put bird to bed!!"
Muriel Thomson looked after Sir Winston as he neared death and, in addition to making sure he had his cigars and whisky to hand, was expected to put the bird 'to bed'.
The former prime minister was an animal lover and it seems that, towards the end of his life, his budgie was seldom far from his side, even accompanying him to dinner.
"Whisky and soda, specs, cards; bird to be brought into dining room near his chair," Nurse Thomson wrote in her notes. "Tweeds; hanky in top pocket; boiler suit — slippers" and "after dinner… put bird to bed!!"
Friday, November 10, 2006 - 18:22
Name of source: WaPo
SOURCE: WaPo (11-12-06)
It was getting toward dusk, the sun headed down on yet another day in the very long life of Frank Woodruff Buckles.
He had come to see the grave of Gen. John J. Pershing, on a hill in Arlington National Cemetery. Buckles once shook the great soldier's hand, chatted with him in Oklahoma City, 1920, after the war. Now he sat in a wheelchair on a small stage near the headstone and waited for the ceremony to begin: Veterans Day again.
He's a few months shy of 106, the youngest of 13 known U.S. veterans of World War I still living. When the fighting stopped 88 years ago yesterday, there were 4.7 million Americans in uniform. Now, a dozen men and a woman are left.
They are the last, Buckles and the others -- the end of the generation that parented the Greatest Generation, the adults of the Depression who struggled to feed the children who would grow to win that other world war, the big one everybody remembers.
He had come to see the grave of Gen. John J. Pershing, on a hill in Arlington National Cemetery. Buckles once shook the great soldier's hand, chatted with him in Oklahoma City, 1920, after the war. Now he sat in a wheelchair on a small stage near the headstone and waited for the ceremony to begin: Veterans Day again.
He's a few months shy of 106, the youngest of 13 known U.S. veterans of World War I still living. When the fighting stopped 88 years ago yesterday, there were 4.7 million Americans in uniform. Now, a dozen men and a woman are left.
They are the last, Buckles and the others -- the end of the generation that parented the Greatest Generation, the adults of the Depression who struggled to feed the children who would grow to win that other world war, the big one everybody remembers.
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 21:27
SOURCE: WaPo (10-31-06)
"[...]Aldrena Thirkill doesn't know what happened to her. As an adult,
she can remember surprisingly little of her life between 1959 -- when
the schools closed, with bitter fanfare and flamboyantly racist rhetoric
-- and 1964, when the county was grudgingly compelled to reopen public
schools on an integrated basis. Five years of her life:
lost. And so, Aldrena has begun to try to reconstruct what happened --
to her personality, her education, her family -- during this traumatic
period of her early youth. She has done so [...], but also by writing,
over and over, in academic paper after academic paper, what she can
remember, hoping that with each new writing exercise, some forgotten
fragment -- a scene, a person, a conversation -- will be unearthed. At
58, when many retired adults are taking up golf or gardening, she is
taking English composition classes at Marymount University in Arlington,
sitting beside classmates so young that segregation, to them, might as
well be the Revolutionary War.
She is by no means alone in her effort. In the fall of 2005, Virginia began issuing academic scholarships to repair even a small portion of the harm done to at least 2,000 African American schoolchildren who suffered a particularly acute form of deprivation during the hard-fought transition to integrated schooling. The fund, known as the Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Program, is an attempt to atone for the damage that Prince Edward -- with profound complicity from the state itself -- inflicted upon its most vulnerable citizens. The program pays the costs of a GED program or high school diploma for those who found jobs during the closings and may never have returned to school at all; it also pays for community college or an undergraduate or master's degree, up to $7,200 a year.
"It's difficult to start your life over when you are 58 years old, but we are never too old to learn and be filled with knowledge and wonder," says Ken Woodley, 49, editor of the Farmville Herald and the chief architect of the plan."There are people who see it as an opportunity to get a better job or go into business for themselves. I really believe that if someone discovers one author, one painter, their lives are enriched, and they are able to experience more of what life has to offer."
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 19:28
SOURCE: WaPo (11-12-06)
When she wasn't racing to school at St. Leo's in her blue uniform or buying sweets in Mugavero's Confectionery or playing on front stoops up and down the block, Little Nancy sometimes worked the front desk at the family home at 245 Albemarle St., taking down the requests and sad stories of the folks who arrived to seek help from Big Tommy, her dad.
Or maybe she was riding around with her dad and his bullhorn, as he touted his candidacy from a convertible.
The late Thomas J. D'Alesandro Jr., also known as Old Tommy or Tommy the Elder, was the flamboyant and legendary machine politician, a Roosevelt Democrat, whose only daughter is the woman poised to be the speaker of the House, second in line of succession from the presidency.
She grew up stuffing envelopes for her dad. She grew up watching how the political game was played. She saw how favors were handed out, how chits were called in. She watched her mother balance full-time motherhood with grass-roots organizing, and later followed her example. Albemarle Street was Nancy Pelosi's training ground, the center of a political universe forged from a community as tight-knit as an Italian village.
Critics deride Pelosi, 66, for a presumed lightweight liberalism they attribute to her latter-day home in San Francisco. But her liberalism -- and the keen political instincts and skill at the inside parry of the game -- can be traced more deeply and more precisely back to Albemarle Street, to the political empire that grew there when her father held court through decades of an intensely political life.
Or maybe she was riding around with her dad and his bullhorn, as he touted his candidacy from a convertible.
The late Thomas J. D'Alesandro Jr., also known as Old Tommy or Tommy the Elder, was the flamboyant and legendary machine politician, a Roosevelt Democrat, whose only daughter is the woman poised to be the speaker of the House, second in line of succession from the presidency.
She grew up stuffing envelopes for her dad. She grew up watching how the political game was played. She saw how favors were handed out, how chits were called in. She watched her mother balance full-time motherhood with grass-roots organizing, and later followed her example. Albemarle Street was Nancy Pelosi's training ground, the center of a political universe forged from a community as tight-knit as an Italian village.
Critics deride Pelosi, 66, for a presumed lightweight liberalism they attribute to her latter-day home in San Francisco. But her liberalism -- and the keen political instincts and skill at the inside parry of the game -- can be traced more deeply and more precisely back to Albemarle Street, to the political empire that grew there when her father held court through decades of an intensely political life.
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 18:29
Name of source: Reuters
SOURCE: Reuters (11-13-06)
U.S. civil rights leaders on Monday dug gold-tipped shovels into a trough of dirt to break ground for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the first monument to an African-American on the National Mall.
``As we turn these shovels we are just beginning to turn the dirt, and as we turn this dirt at this ground, let us go back to our communities and turn the dirt there,'' said former King aide Andrew Young, admonishing attendees to continue the slain leader's work against racism, poverty and violence.
Nearly 5,000 people, including TV show host Oprah Winfrey and former President Bill Clinton braved the morning cold to celebrate the life of the Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Speakers quoted King's sermons and speeches and paid tribute to his belief that non-violent protest could help end discrimination against black Americans.
Democrat Barack Obama from Illinois, the only African-American serving in the U.S. Senate and a possible presidential candidate in 2008, wondered what to tell his daughters when they visit the monument.
``I will tell them this man gave his life serving others,'' Obama said. ``I will tell them this man tried to love somebody. I will tell them that because he did those things they live today, with the freedom God intended, their citizenship unquestioned, their dreams unbounded.''
Construction officially begins on the crescent-shaped four-acre site in the spring and is scheduled to be completed in 2008.
``As we turn these shovels we are just beginning to turn the dirt, and as we turn this dirt at this ground, let us go back to our communities and turn the dirt there,'' said former King aide Andrew Young, admonishing attendees to continue the slain leader's work against racism, poverty and violence.
Nearly 5,000 people, including TV show host Oprah Winfrey and former President Bill Clinton braved the morning cold to celebrate the life of the Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Speakers quoted King's sermons and speeches and paid tribute to his belief that non-violent protest could help end discrimination against black Americans.
Democrat Barack Obama from Illinois, the only African-American serving in the U.S. Senate and a possible presidential candidate in 2008, wondered what to tell his daughters when they visit the monument.
``I will tell them this man gave his life serving others,'' Obama said. ``I will tell them this man tried to love somebody. I will tell them that because he did those things they live today, with the freedom God intended, their citizenship unquestioned, their dreams unbounded.''
Construction officially begins on the crescent-shaped four-acre site in the spring and is scheduled to be completed in 2008.
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 21:23
SOURCE: Reuters (11-10-06)
Looking to the future after their "seismic" loss of power in the U.S. Congress, some Republicans are turning to the past and the glory days of Ronald Reagan's presidency for inspiration.
"We are in the wilderness because we walked away from the limited government principles that minted the Republican Congress," Rep. Mike Pence wrote to colleagues after Democrats seized control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in this week's elections.
The Indiana Republican, a major voice of the conservative wing in the House who is seeking a leadership position in his party, described himself as dedicated to providing "a credible and persuasive voice for the Reagan agenda."
"Now is the time to return to the ideals that swept us into a governing majority," said John Shadegg of Arizona, quoting from the 1994 Contract with America, the manifesto of Reagan's ideological heirs. Shadegg also is seeking a leadership role.
As Pence, Shadegg and other figures maneuver for influence in the new Democratic-controlled Congress, the dominant Republican themes are fiscal discipline, tax cuts and conservative purity. They are not talking much about Iraq or foreign policy.
So far no Republican moderates have ventured into the leadership arena, and the one moderate who had been part of that circle, Deborah Pryce of Ohio, announced she is leaving after barely surviving her re-election bid.
But some of the dwindling band of moderate Republicans are speaking up, urging that their party move toward the center, where the recent election showed many American voters are most comfortable.
"We are in the wilderness because we walked away from the limited government principles that minted the Republican Congress," Rep. Mike Pence wrote to colleagues after Democrats seized control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in this week's elections.
The Indiana Republican, a major voice of the conservative wing in the House who is seeking a leadership position in his party, described himself as dedicated to providing "a credible and persuasive voice for the Reagan agenda."
"Now is the time to return to the ideals that swept us into a governing majority," said John Shadegg of Arizona, quoting from the 1994 Contract with America, the manifesto of Reagan's ideological heirs. Shadegg also is seeking a leadership role.
As Pence, Shadegg and other figures maneuver for influence in the new Democratic-controlled Congress, the dominant Republican themes are fiscal discipline, tax cuts and conservative purity. They are not talking much about Iraq or foreign policy.
So far no Republican moderates have ventured into the leadership arena, and the one moderate who had been part of that circle, Deborah Pryce of Ohio, announced she is leaving after barely surviving her re-election bid.
But some of the dwindling band of moderate Republicans are speaking up, urging that their party move toward the center, where the recent election showed many American voters are most comfortable.
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 18:05
SOURCE: Reuters (11-10-06)
Researchers in Timbuktu are fighting to preserve tens of thousands of ancient texts which they say prove Africa had a written history at least as old as the European Renaissance. Private and public libraries in the fabled Saharan town in Mali have already collected 150,000 brittle manuscripts, some of them from the 13th century, and local historians believe many more lie buried under the sand. The texts were stashed under mud homes and in desert caves by proud Malian families whose successive generations feared they would be stolen by Moroccan invaders, European explorers and then French colonialists.
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 14:26
SOURCE: Reuters (11-11-06)
It is 4.30 in the afternoon and the trees are"talking"
on a street corner in Hanoi's old quarter.
No one on the crowded pavement appears to be listening to the scratchy, nasal sounds that are actually coming from loudspeakers, obscured by trees, which are used for neighborhood announcements in Communist-run Vietnam.
The loudspeakers are a throwback to the 1960s and 1970s war years when they delivered news from the front and warned people to take shelter from American aircraft bombing during Hanoi's war with a U.S.-backed South Vietnam government.
More than three decades later, they are blaring announcements about the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that Hanoi is hosting on November 12-19.
It is Vietnam's international coming out party to showcase the higher standard of living it has achieved in the past two decades after a long history of war and poverty.
"This is an opportunity for Vietnam to promote businesses and introduce the economic potential of Vietnam to the international community," explained one announcement on the loudspeakers, which are mounted on pylons, sometimes near trees.
The daily 6.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. broadcasts in a male or female voice often politely begin with"Ladies and Gentlemen...". They end with an equally polite"thank you for listening to our broadcast" after covering topics such as Communist Party municipal committee meetings, avian flu prevention, vitamin regimens, sanitation and reminders to vaccinate against rabies.
Saturday, November 11, 2006 - 22:50
SOURCE: Reuters (11-9-06)
Christie's fall sale of Impressionist and modern art lived up to its billing as the biggest auction in history, led by a group of four Nazi-looted Klimts restored to their rightful heirs that raked in nearly $200 million.
The Klimts included a portrait that fetched the third-highest auction price ever, while new records were also set for Gauguin, Schiele and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner at the $491,472,000 sale.
In the end, however, the night belonged to Klimt, and to Maria Altmann, a Los Angeles nonagenarian and the niece of the Austrian couple Adele and Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer who lost the works to the Nazis.
The four paintings, led by the portrait ``Adele Bloch-Bauer II,'' fetched a total of $192.7 million including Christie's commission -- double the expectations for the works by the Austrian artist which had never been offered on the open market.
The Klimts included a portrait that fetched the third-highest auction price ever, while new records were also set for Gauguin, Schiele and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner at the $491,472,000 sale.
In the end, however, the night belonged to Klimt, and to Maria Altmann, a Los Angeles nonagenarian and the niece of the Austrian couple Adele and Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer who lost the works to the Nazis.
The four paintings, led by the portrait ``Adele Bloch-Bauer II,'' fetched a total of $192.7 million including Christie's commission -- double the expectations for the works by the Austrian artist which had never been offered on the open market.
Thursday, November 9, 2006 - 22:32
Name of source: Secrecy News, written by Steven Aftergood, is published by the Federation of American Scientists
SOURCE: Secrecy News, written by Steven Aftergood, is published by the Federation of American Scientists (11-13-06)
As Director of Central Intelligence from 1991-1993, Robert M. Gates, the nominee to be the next Secretary of Defense, grappled with questions of government secrecy more than almost any other agency head and helped to inaugurate a decade of increasing openness in intelligence and elsewhere.
Though he said the term "CIA openness" was "an oxymoron," Mr. Gates also expressed the view that the interests of the CIA would best be served by eliminating unnecessary restrictions on disclosure of Agency information.
He undertook several initiatives to increase openness in U.S. intelligence, some of which did not fail.
He directed the publication of unclassified and declassified articles from the CIA journal Studies in Intelligence; he began the process of declassifying records concerning major U.S. covert actions during the cold war; he signaled the CIA's willingness to cooperate in a government-wide program of declassifying records pertaining to the assassination of President Kennedy; and he initiated a program of declassification of National Intelligence Estimates on the former Soviet Union.
"Over the years, CIA's approach to dealing with the media and the public has been, at best, uneven," he said in a 1992 speech. It "took place against a backdrop of overall continuing and undifferentiated secrecy.... This is going to change."
Mr. Gates laid out his views on the subject and his new initiatives in "CIA and Openness," a speech to the Oklahoma Press Association, on February 21, 1992:
http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/gates1992.html
Most of Mr. Gates's changes in intelligence disclosure policy were incremental and did not fundamentally transform either internal or external communications. Many of the proposed changes were adopted half-heartedly or inconsistently, or later abandoned. Some were not implemented at all.
For example, at his 1991 confirmation hearing, Mr. Gates expressed support for the idea of declassifying the intelligence budget total, but he never did so.
An excellent proposal that he presented in his 1992 speech -- to "publish on an annual basis an index of all documents [CIA] has declassified" -- was never accomplished, though it remains a valuable and perfectly achievable objective, for CIA and other national security agencies.
Mr. Gates' halting efforts to increase openness were explicitly motivated by bureaucratic self-interest, but they were not less effective for that reason. To the contrary, he seemed to understand what few agency heads do: that openness and responsiveness to the public can advance the interests of an agency over the long run.
Mr. Gates has also displayed an appreciation for the role of congressional oversight that may yet serve him and the nation well.
"I sat in the Situation Room in secret meetings for nearly twenty years under five Presidents, and all I can say is that some awfully crazy schemes might well have been approved had everyone present not known and expected hard questions, debate, and criticism from the Hill," he wrote in his 1996 memoir "From the Shadows" (p. 559).
"And when, on a few occasions, Congress was kept in the dark, and such schemes did proceed, it was nearly always to the lasting regret of the Presidents involved. Working with the Congress was never easy for Presidents, but then, under the Constitution, it wasn't supposed to be. I saw too many in the White House forget that."
Monday, November 13, 2006 - 19:14
Name of source: Independent (UK)
SOURCE: Independent (UK) (11-12-06)
The Republican performance in this week's midterm elections has led many commentators to describe Bush as the most disastrous leader in US history. But what about the competition? We asked the experts to cast their votes:
George W Bush: chosen by Owen Dudley Edwards
The question "who is the worst US president" is something I have thought long and hard about and the answer is very simple: it is the incumbent president. I had previously thought that Nixon was the worst and there were other candidates such as Warren Harding - but they all pale in comparison to Bush. He has displaced all his predecessors. Nobody has been quite as appalling....
George W Bush - chosen by A C Grayling
Bush certainly is the worst president since the start of the 20th century. Before then, there was very little that US presidents could do. They did not have the same influence in world affairs that they have today. So since the start of the 20th century is the only basis for comparison. The first reason for Bush being the worst US president is his insensitivity and his ignorance. Before he became president he was asked questions such as what is the capital of Sweden - and he showed that he was very, very poorly prepared....
Herbert Hoover - chosen by Stefan Halper
The US has had a number of presidents who in various ways were unsuited to their era. There was Herbert Hoover, who was unable to grasp the dimensions of the Depression, and his willingness to engage in national resources was also very limited....
Calvin Coolidge - chosen by William Shawcross
The amazing thing about America is how many presidents have been good, not how many have been terrible. Never underestimate America or its leaders.
Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan were all dismissed at the time - but all made huge contributions to the West's security, and above all Europe. To dismiss George Bush as the worst is as absurd as it is fashionable. Afghanistan is still fragile but it is a far better place for the majority of its people than it was under the Taliban, whom Bush (and Blair) ousted....
George W Bush - chosen by Antony Beevor
Bush has been a completely disastrous president. The whole of his strategy - if you can give it that word, which I don't think you can - has been based on completely false historical parallels.
Part of the problem was the fact that the neocons were part of the Vietnam generation. The idea behind Vietnam was the domino theory, in which they believed that Communism would spread from country to country....
Jimmy Carter - chosen by Andrew Roberts
Carter was the worst US president, there is no question of that. I can't imagine how anyone can possibly think of citing anyone else. He brought America to its lowest ebb in the most disastrous decade to have struck America....
George W Bush: chosen by Owen Dudley Edwards
The question "who is the worst US president" is something I have thought long and hard about and the answer is very simple: it is the incumbent president. I had previously thought that Nixon was the worst and there were other candidates such as Warren Harding - but they all pale in comparison to Bush. He has displaced all his predecessors. Nobody has been quite as appalling....
George W Bush - chosen by A C Grayling
Bush certainly is the worst president since the start of the 20th century. Before then, there was very little that US presidents could do. They did not have the same influence in world affairs that they have today. So since the start of the 20th century is the only basis for comparison. The first reason for Bush being the worst US president is his insensitivity and his ignorance. Before he became president he was asked questions such as what is the capital of Sweden - and he showed that he was very, very poorly prepared....
Herbert Hoover - chosen by Stefan Halper
The US has had a number of presidents who in various ways were unsuited to their era. There was Herbert Hoover, who was unable to grasp the dimensions of the Depression, and his willingness to engage in national resources was also very limited....
Calvin Coolidge - chosen by William Shawcross
The amazing thing about America is how many presidents have been good, not how many have been terrible. Never underestimate America or its leaders.
Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan were all dismissed at the time - but all made huge contributions to the West's security, and above all Europe. To dismiss George Bush as the worst is as absurd as it is fashionable. Afghanistan is still fragile but it is a far better place for the majority of its people than it was under the Taliban, whom Bush (and Blair) ousted....
George W Bush - chosen by Antony Beevor
Bush has been a completely disastrous president. The whole of his strategy - if you can give it that word, which I don't think you can - has been based on completely false historical parallels.
Part of the problem was the fact that the neocons were part of the Vietnam generation. The idea behind Vietnam was the domino theory, in which they believed that Communism would spread from country to country....
Jimmy Carter - chosen by Andrew Roberts
Carter was the worst US president, there is no question of that. I can't imagine how anyone can possibly think of citing anyone else. He brought America to its lowest ebb in the most disastrous decade to have struck America....
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 23:12
SOURCE: Independent (UK) (11-10-06)
To casual observers, Timbuktu is a bit like Glastonbury without the mud: an ancient town, renowned for its remoteness, spiritual history, and world-famous music festival.
In future, they could have even more in common. Yesterday, the Somerset market town emerged as a leading contender in the competition to provide Timbuktu with a British twin.
The Cultural Mission of Timbuktu announced that Glastonbury was one of three finalists shortlisted from more than fifty UK towns and cities which applied for the post after reading about the vacancy in The Independent last month.
In future, they could have even more in common. Yesterday, the Somerset market town emerged as a leading contender in the competition to provide Timbuktu with a British twin.
The Cultural Mission of Timbuktu announced that Glastonbury was one of three finalists shortlisted from more than fifty UK towns and cities which applied for the post after reading about the vacancy in The Independent last month.
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 18:11
SOURCE: Independent (UK) (11-8-06)
From archaeological ruins in Scotland to 13th century mosques in the Sahara, the effects of climate change could destroy some of the world's most important natural and cultural heritage sites, a report has revealed.
Heritage sites that have existed for thousands of years "may, by virtue of climate change, very well not be available to future generations," said Achim Steiner, head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Seaside cities that have lasted for centuries, some of the world's most important national parks, and a coral reef in Belize that Charles Darwin once described as "the most remarkable reef in the West Indies, "are all at risk from rising sea levels and increased temperatures.
"Our world is changing, there is no going back," said Tom Downing, co-author of the study, entitled The Atlas of Climate Change.
Mr Steiner said: "Adaptation to climate change should and must include natural and culturally important sites."
Heritage sites that have existed for thousands of years "may, by virtue of climate change, very well not be available to future generations," said Achim Steiner, head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Seaside cities that have lasted for centuries, some of the world's most important national parks, and a coral reef in Belize that Charles Darwin once described as "the most remarkable reef in the West Indies, "are all at risk from rising sea levels and increased temperatures.
"Our world is changing, there is no going back," said Tom Downing, co-author of the study, entitled The Atlas of Climate Change.
Mr Steiner said: "Adaptation to climate change should and must include natural and culturally important sites."
Thursday, November 9, 2006 - 16:13
Name of source: Cleveland Plain Dealer
SOURCE: Cleveland Plain Dealer (11-11-06)
The "war to end all wars" didn't.
But the people who lived through World War I, and gave it that designation, perhaps figured that any conflict that killed 15 million soldiers and civilians would leave a lasting impression.
They also created an annual reminder of that war in Armistice Day - marking the truce that ended four years of battle on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.
Then came World War II and the realization of even greater losses. Armistice Day was changed to Veterans Day.
As the number of people who marked the original holiday dwindles, so, too, do the ranks of those who fought in a war that saw the first widespread use of airplanes, machine guns, tanks, submarines and poison gas.
But the people who lived through World War I, and gave it that designation, perhaps figured that any conflict that killed 15 million soldiers and civilians would leave a lasting impression.
They also created an annual reminder of that war in Armistice Day - marking the truce that ended four years of battle on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.
Then came World War II and the realization of even greater losses. Armistice Day was changed to Veterans Day.
As the number of people who marked the original holiday dwindles, so, too, do the ranks of those who fought in a war that saw the first widespread use of airplanes, machine guns, tanks, submarines and poison gas.
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 18:23
Name of source: San Francisco Chronicle
SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle (11-11-06)
A famed and well-loved literary figure strolls streets and alleys of North Beach in San Francisco. Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 87, has pale blue eyes accented by a fringe of white hair. His tall, slender form is held erect with gentle, patrician dignity. If you didn't know this Beat poet and City Lights bookstore co-founder was a big star of the counterculture, you might think he has a military bearing.
Actually, he does. The crusading publisher of fiery cultural broadsides like Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" is also a World War II Navy veteran. He was a "Splinter Fleet" skipper, commanding one of the frail, 110-foot, wooden subchasers assigned to secure convoys and coasts from U-boat attack.
Veterans Day is a time to honor those who served our country. It's also a good time to study what that period of service taught them. For Ferlinghetti, whose tour of duty ranged from Normandy Beach to Nagasaki, the aftereffects of what he did and saw were considerable. His military service is usually summarized in half a sentence. But there was a lot more to it than that. Like other vets, his story deserves exploration.
Actually, he does. The crusading publisher of fiery cultural broadsides like Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" is also a World War II Navy veteran. He was a "Splinter Fleet" skipper, commanding one of the frail, 110-foot, wooden subchasers assigned to secure convoys and coasts from U-boat attack.
Veterans Day is a time to honor those who served our country. It's also a good time to study what that period of service taught them. For Ferlinghetti, whose tour of duty ranged from Normandy Beach to Nagasaki, the aftereffects of what he did and saw were considerable. His military service is usually summarized in half a sentence. But there was a lot more to it than that. Like other vets, his story deserves exploration.
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 18:20
Name of source: LAT
SOURCE: LAT (11-11-06)
Maurice Floquet, 111, who had been France's oldest living World War I veteran, died Friday at his home in Montauroux in southern France, an association of veterans said.
With Floquet's death, only four French veterans of the Great War are still alive.
Born Dec. 25, 1894, Floquet joined the infantry in September 1914. He fought in France and Belgium and was seriously wounded twice. The first time, in the battle of the Somme in northern France, he was injured during hand-to-hand fighting and nearly suffocated on a clot of blood lodged in his throat, according to France's Defense Ministry.
With Floquet's death, only four French veterans of the Great War are still alive.
Born Dec. 25, 1894, Floquet joined the infantry in September 1914. He fought in France and Belgium and was seriously wounded twice. The first time, in the battle of the Somme in northern France, he was injured during hand-to-hand fighting and nearly suffocated on a clot of blood lodged in his throat, according to France's Defense Ministry.
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 18:18
Name of source: SOPnewswire
SOURCE: SOPnewswire (11-10-06)
Engineers are striving to restore full communications with NASA's Mars Global Surveyor on the 10th anniversary of the spacecraft's Nov. 7, 1996, launch.
The orbiter is the oldest of five NASA spacecraft currently active at the red planet. Its original mission was to examine Mars for a full Martian year, roughly two Earth years. Once that period elapsed, considering the string of discoveries, NASA extended the mission repeatedly, most recently on Oct. 1 of this year.
The orbiter has operated longer than any other spacecraft ever sent to Mars.
The orbiter is the oldest of five NASA spacecraft currently active at the red planet. Its original mission was to examine Mars for a full Martian year, roughly two Earth years. Once that period elapsed, considering the string of discoveries, NASA extended the mission repeatedly, most recently on Oct. 1 of this year.
The orbiter has operated longer than any other spacecraft ever sent to Mars.
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 18:08
Name of source: Richmond Times-Dispatch
SOURCE: Richmond Times-Dispatch (11-10-06)
The new National Museum of the Marine Corps solves a national problem, President Bush told an audience of 15,000 invited guests at Quantico yesterday.
"For too long, the only people who have the direct experience of the Marine Corps are the Marines themselves and the enemy who's made the mistake of taking them on," he said to applause.
Bush noted the $90 million museum off Interstate 95 guides visitors through interactive exhibits and galleries, including one that depicts boot camp. "No thanks," he said to laughter, adding, "The museum will not make you into a Marine. Only a drill instructor can do that."
"For too long, the only people who have the direct experience of the Marine Corps are the Marines themselves and the enemy who's made the mistake of taking them on," he said to applause.
Bush noted the $90 million museum off Interstate 95 guides visitors through interactive exhibits and galleries, including one that depicts boot camp. "No thanks," he said to laughter, adding, "The museum will not make you into a Marine. Only a drill instructor can do that."
Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 18:07
Name of source: Dan barry in the NYT
SOURCE: Dan barry in the NYT (11-11-06)
Once there were elevators gliding up the sides of the towers to reveal a city unfolding; now they are rusted in mid-rise. Once there were stairwells winding within those towers; now they are rotted through. The call for a better tomorrow, for “Peace Through Understanding,” is answered by the flutter and coo of its hidden inhabitants.
Seeing again the New York State Pavilion, the massive space-age remnant of the 1964 World’s Fair that looms just beyond the Grand Central Parkway, seeing it in all its premature decrepitude, you cannot help but wonder: If this was built to evoke the future, then may the gods have mercy on us all.
The city’s neglect of this gift bequeathed to it in 1967 has long been a prominent embarrassment, the elephant in the room that is the borough of Queens.
But the more years that go by, the more the structure becomes New York’s own “colossal wreck,” begging, as Shelley wrote in “Ozymandias,” that we look upon it and despair.
Seeing again the New York State Pavilion, the massive space-age remnant of the 1964 World’s Fair that looms just beyond the Grand Central Parkway, seeing it in all its premature decrepitude, you cannot help but wonder: If this was built to evoke the future, then may the gods have mercy on us all.
The city’s neglect of this gift bequeathed to it in 1967 has long been a prominent embarrassment, the elephant in the room that is the borough of Queens.
But the more years that go by, the more the structure becomes New York’s own “colossal wreck,” begging, as Shelley wrote in “Ozymandias,” that we look upon it and despair.
Saturday, November 11, 2006 - 20:24
Name of source: Media Matters
SOURCE: Media Matters (11-9-06)
In her syndicated column, Ann Coulter claimed that the Democratic Party made "pathetic gains" in the November 7 midterm elections. In fact, the Democrats' gains in the House are just slightly under the average for the party out of power in the White House in the sixth-year midterm elections over the past century, and the Democrats' Senate gains are above the average. Moreover, the 2006 elections were the first sixth-year midterms since 1918 in which control of both houses of Congress switched parties.
Friday, November 10, 2006 - 19:05
Name of source: Report of Lawrence Walsh
SOURCE: Report of Lawrence Walsh (8-4-93)
HNN: Defense Secretary-designate Robert M. Gates was implicated in the Iran-contra scandal of 1986.
He was not indicted by special counsel Lawrence Walsh. But Walsh in his report devoted a chapter to Gates and concluded:
Independent Counsel found insufficient evidence to warrant charging Robert Gates with a crime for his role in the Iran/contra affair. Like those of many other Iran/contra figures, the statements of Gates often seemed scripted and less than candid. Nevertheless, given the complex nature of the activities and Gates's apparent lack of direct participation, a jury could find the evidence left a reasonable doubt that Gates either obstructed official inquiries or that his two demonstrably incorrect statements were deliberate lies.
Friday, November 10, 2006 - 18:50
Name of source: Inside Higher Ed
SOURCE: Inside Higher Ed (11-9-06)
Whitman College called off classes Thursday for a day of diversity programs after photographs appeared online of some students wearing blackface at a party, as part of an attempt to dress like participants in the “Survivor” reality television show in which team members were divided by race, the Associated Press reported. At Texas A&M University, officials are denouncing an online video by three students in which one student, in blackface, plays the role of a “slave” who is whipped and sodomized by his “master.” Students have been holding forums about and protests of the video.
Thursday, November 9, 2006 - 19:40
Name of source: Sweden's News in English
SOURCE: Sweden's News in English (11-8-06)
Archaeologists excavating ancient graves in western Sweden have found shards from ceramic vessels made in the Roman Empire, in a find that could challenge assumptions about contacts between people in Sweden and the Romans.
Thursday, November 9, 2006 - 17:31
