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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: Philadelphia Inquirer
SOURCE: Philadelphia Inquirer (12-10-07)
Somewhere in the ground overlooking the Delaware River, amid the trees and brush at a Paulsboro oil-storage terminal, is a long-forgotten piece of American history. Identified on a British map 230 years ago as a "rebel fort," the site was the nation's first federal land purchase, made the day after the Declaration of Independence.
It's the "birthplace of homeland security," says a group of local historians, preservationists and municipal officials who hope to restore the fort as a national historic site.
They hope to uncover its earthen walls - and possibly a few brick or stone tunnels - as well as artifacts such as cannon and musket balls and other relics.
But their plans have hit a snag.
Fort Billingsport, which held off British ships for about a month in 1777, seems poised for another battle, this one over historic preservation.
It's the "birthplace of homeland security," says a group of local historians, preservationists and municipal officials who hope to restore the fort as a national historic site.
They hope to uncover its earthen walls - and possibly a few brick or stone tunnels - as well as artifacts such as cannon and musket balls and other relics.
But their plans have hit a snag.
Fort Billingsport, which held off British ships for about a month in 1777, seems poised for another battle, this one over historic preservation.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 19:50
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Name of source: AP
SOURCE: AP (12-8-07)
An independent pollution-control agency has rejected environmentalists' claims that a planned landfill could desecrate possible burial grounds near the ruins of a once-thriving prehistoric city.
The Illinois Sierra Club and American Bottom Conservancy failed to show that Madison's approval process for a landfill near the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site was "fundamentally unfair," the Illinois Pollution Control Board ruled Thursday.
The St. Louis suburb, which approved the landfill in February, would get roughly $1 million a year in fees from Houston-based Waste Management Inc., the nation's largest garbage hauler.
The Illinois Sierra Club and American Bottom Conservancy failed to show that Madison's approval process for a landfill near the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site was "fundamentally unfair," the Illinois Pollution Control Board ruled Thursday.
The St. Louis suburb, which approved the landfill in February, would get roughly $1 million a year in fees from Houston-based Waste Management Inc., the nation's largest garbage hauler.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 19:47
SOURCE: AP (12-10-07)
Las Vegas is building a museum about some of its founding fathers and most influential figures — guys with names like Bugsy, Lefty and Lansky.
The mob museum will stand as frank acknowledgment of the major role mobsters played in developing Las Vegas into the gambling capital of America and giving the city its rakish glamour during the 1940s and '50s.
"Let's be brutally honest, warts and all. This is more than legend. It's fact," said Mayor Oscar Goodman, a former defense attorney whose clients once included mobsters Meyer Lansky and Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro. "This is something that differentiates us from other cities."
The mob museum will stand as frank acknowledgment of the major role mobsters played in developing Las Vegas into the gambling capital of America and giving the city its rakish glamour during the 1940s and '50s.
"Let's be brutally honest, warts and all. This is more than legend. It's fact," said Mayor Oscar Goodman, a former defense attorney whose clients once included mobsters Meyer Lansky and Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro. "This is something that differentiates us from other cities."
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 23:18
SOURCE: AP (12-10-07)
The new Polish prime minister suggested that a World War II museum be set up in Poland, presenting it in remarks published Monday as an alternative to German plans to commemorate people displaced during and after the war.
Donald Tusk made the proposal for a museum in Gdansk a day before his first visit to Germany since taking office — a trip meant to help improve relations that cooled under his nationalist predecessor, Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
Tusk argued that Gdansk, a port city in northern Poland, would represent well "all the dimensions of this tragic world war," noting that the war began in the region "and in a sense also ended here," with the founding of the anti-communist Solidarity movement in 1980.
Donald Tusk made the proposal for a museum in Gdansk a day before his first visit to Germany since taking office — a trip meant to help improve relations that cooled under his nationalist predecessor, Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
Tusk argued that Gdansk, a port city in northern Poland, would represent well "all the dimensions of this tragic world war," noting that the war began in the region "and in a sense also ended here," with the founding of the anti-communist Solidarity movement in 1980.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:56
SOURCE: AP (12-8-07)
Printed part way down page 3 of the Troy Sentinel on Dec. 23, 1823, it was easy to miss.
Between beekeeping tips and a wedding announcement was a seasonal poem. Submitted anonymously, the poem charmed editors who published it anyway. It started like this:
"'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house ..."
The rest is Christmas history.
"Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" spread beyond this bustling, blooming Hudson River city as papers and almanacs elsewhere reprinted it. The poem helped cement the popular image of Santa as a "right jolly old elf" with a twinkle in his eye and eight reindeer (no Rudolph yet). Quoted by kids, co-opted by advertisers, celebrated in songs and shows, it is one of the most famous American poems.
And 184 years later, there are still dissenting views about who wrote it.
Clement Clarke Moore claimed credit 21 years after the poem appeared in the Troy paper. Moore was a wealthy Bible scholar, the sort of man that the phrase "pillar of society" was meant to describe - pious, accomplished, esteemed family - and the claim was universally accepted.
Or almost so.
Between beekeeping tips and a wedding announcement was a seasonal poem. Submitted anonymously, the poem charmed editors who published it anyway. It started like this:
"'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house ..."
The rest is Christmas history.
"Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" spread beyond this bustling, blooming Hudson River city as papers and almanacs elsewhere reprinted it. The poem helped cement the popular image of Santa as a "right jolly old elf" with a twinkle in his eye and eight reindeer (no Rudolph yet). Quoted by kids, co-opted by advertisers, celebrated in songs and shows, it is one of the most famous American poems.
And 184 years later, there are still dissenting views about who wrote it.
Clement Clarke Moore claimed credit 21 years after the poem appeared in the Troy paper. Moore was a wealthy Bible scholar, the sort of man that the phrase "pillar of society" was meant to describe - pious, accomplished, esteemed family - and the claim was universally accepted.
Or almost so.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:38
SOURCE: AP (12-7-07)
A rare daguerreotype of abolitionist John Brown was bought Friday by an unidentified bidder for $97,750, an auctioneer said.
The buyer, who bid by telephone, declined to be identified or to talk about the purchase, auctioneer Wes Cowan said.
Cowan, an occasional appraiser on the PBS show "Antiques Roadshow" and host of the public television series "History Detectives," had estimated a sale price of $60,000 to $80,000.
The buyer, who bid by telephone, declined to be identified or to talk about the purchase, auctioneer Wes Cowan said.
Cowan, an occasional appraiser on the PBS show "Antiques Roadshow" and host of the public television series "History Detectives," had estimated a sale price of $60,000 to $80,000.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:32
SOURCE: AP (12-6-07)
Israeli archaeologists uncovered a 2,000-year-old mansion believed to have been home to Queen Helene of Adiabene, whose clan ruled a region now in Iraq.
The remains of the building were unearthed just outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, underneath layers of a more recent settlement that was hidden until recently under the asphalt of a small parking lot in east Jerusalem.
Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast War. Palestinians see the eastern part of the city as capital of a future state.
The dig site is in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan, built on a slope that houses the most ancient remnants of settlement in Jerusalem and is known to scholars as the City of David.
The remains of the building were unearthed just outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, underneath layers of a more recent settlement that was hidden until recently under the asphalt of a small parking lot in east Jerusalem.
Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast War. Palestinians see the eastern part of the city as capital of a future state.
The dig site is in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan, built on a slope that houses the most ancient remnants of settlement in Jerusalem and is known to scholars as the City of David.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 20:16
SOURCE: AP (12-7-07)
A few dozen graying Pearl Harbor survivors observed a moment of silence on Friday in honor of their comrades who perished in the Japanese bombing of Oahu 66 years ago.
Wearing aloha shirts and orchid flower lei, the veterans stood on a pier overlooking the sunken hull of the USS Arizona and saluted the flag as a sailor sang "The Star Spangled Banner."
Survivors of each of the nine battleships bombed in the attack took turns setting wreaths before life preservers bearing the names of their ships.
"We're honoring the people who were killed. We're not here for ourselves, we're here for them," said George A. Smith, 83, who was on board the USS Oklahoma the morning of Dec. 7, 1941.
Overall, 2,388 Americans died in the Dec. 7, 1941, attacks, including some 900 still entombed in the Arizona.
Wearing aloha shirts and orchid flower lei, the veterans stood on a pier overlooking the sunken hull of the USS Arizona and saluted the flag as a sailor sang "The Star Spangled Banner."
Survivors of each of the nine battleships bombed in the attack took turns setting wreaths before life preservers bearing the names of their ships.
"We're honoring the people who were killed. We're not here for ourselves, we're here for them," said George A. Smith, 83, who was on board the USS Oklahoma the morning of Dec. 7, 1941.
Overall, 2,388 Americans died in the Dec. 7, 1941, attacks, including some 900 still entombed in the Arizona.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 17:37
SOURCE: AP (12-7-07)
A onetime other woman in Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s life has said she is considering voting for the former first lady.
“I can’t help but want to support my own gender, and she’s as experienced as any of the others — except maybe Joe Biden,” the woman, Gennifer Flowers, said in a recent telephone interview from her home here.
Ms. Flowers said that she was undecided, but that she backed abortion rights and had long wanted to see a female president. “I would love to see a woman president,” Ms. Flowers said. “I just didn’t think it would be her.”
“I can’t help but want to support my own gender, and she’s as experienced as any of the others — except maybe Joe Biden,” the woman, Gennifer Flowers, said in a recent telephone interview from her home here.
Ms. Flowers said that she was undecided, but that she backed abortion rights and had long wanted to see a female president. “I would love to see a woman president,” Ms. Flowers said. “I just didn’t think it would be her.”
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 16:41
SOURCE: AP (12-7-07)
In the year 1215, a group of English barons handed King John a document written on parchment. Put your royal seal on this, they said. John did, and forever changed the relationship between the monarchy and those it governed.
The document was the Magna Carta, a declaration of human rights that would set some of the guiding principles for democracy as it is known today.
While that original edict was initially ignored and John died the next year, its key ideas were included in other variations over the next few decades, most notably the right of Habeas Corpus, which protects citizens against unlawful imprisonment. More than 800 years later, about 17 copies survive, and one of those, signed by King Edward I in 1297, will go up for sale Dec. 18 at Sotheby's.
The document, which Sotheby's vice chairman David Redden calls "the most important document in the world," is expected to fetch a record $20-30 million.
The document was the Magna Carta, a declaration of human rights that would set some of the guiding principles for democracy as it is known today.
While that original edict was initially ignored and John died the next year, its key ideas were included in other variations over the next few decades, most notably the right of Habeas Corpus, which protects citizens against unlawful imprisonment. More than 800 years later, about 17 copies survive, and one of those, signed by King Edward I in 1297, will go up for sale Dec. 18 at Sotheby's.
The document, which Sotheby's vice chairman David Redden calls "the most important document in the world," is expected to fetch a record $20-30 million.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 13:01
SOURCE: AP (12-6-07)
Children carried gas masks to the playground. Military officers commanded civilian courts under martial law. Residents feared enemy troops would parachute into the mountains and then swarm the beaches.
This year's 66th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor offers reminders of how the assault upended the lives of Hawaii's civilians, in addition to the severe damage inflicted on the military.
"It was scary," said Joan Martin Rodby, who had to carry a gas mask everywhere as a 10-year-old — even as she sat for her fifth-grade class portrait in 1942. "It was more or less living in constant fear they were always going to come back."
Annual remembrances of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack often evoke images of burning ships in Pearl Harbor and exploding planes at Hickam Field. This year's observance will be no different. But the plight of civilians who survived the attack has attracted more attention because of deepening interest in the home front during World War II.
"Maybe the unsung heroes that we should remember and look at are the civilians that endured the attack on Pearl Harbor and the years after it," said Daniel Martinez, chief historian at the USS Arizona Memorial.
This year's 66th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor offers reminders of how the assault upended the lives of Hawaii's civilians, in addition to the severe damage inflicted on the military.
"It was scary," said Joan Martin Rodby, who had to carry a gas mask everywhere as a 10-year-old — even as she sat for her fifth-grade class portrait in 1942. "It was more or less living in constant fear they were always going to come back."
Annual remembrances of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack often evoke images of burning ships in Pearl Harbor and exploding planes at Hickam Field. This year's observance will be no different. But the plight of civilians who survived the attack has attracted more attention because of deepening interest in the home front during World War II.
"Maybe the unsung heroes that we should remember and look at are the civilians that endured the attack on Pearl Harbor and the years after it," said Daniel Martinez, chief historian at the USS Arizona Memorial.
Thursday, December 6, 2007 - 20:46
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 (12-11-07)
The Office of the Vice President is not an "agency" for purposes of the executive order on classification and therefore its classification and declassification activity no longer need be reported to the Information Security Oversight Office, the Justice Department finally informed ISOO Director Bill Leonard in a newly disclosed letter (pdf).
In a January 9, 2007 letter to the Attorney General, Director Leonard had questioned the OVP's refusal since 2003 to submit to normal oversight. He was following up on a complaint (pdf) filed with ISOO by the Federation of American Scientists, which was also forwarded to the Attorney General.
The OVP's position is not consistent with a "plain text reading" of the executive order, Mr. Leonard wrote (pdf) to the Attorney General at that time.
Be that as it may, the President's intention is that the Office of Vice President should not be considered an "agency" for purposes of oversight, Steven G. Bradbury of the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel wrote to Mr. Leonard on July 20, 2007 on behalf of the Attorney General. He cited another letter ((pdf) to that effect from White House counsel Fred Fielding.
The Bradbury letter to ISOO was obtained by blogger Marcy Wheeler, who disclosed it today on her blog EmptyWheel.
The Bush Administration's evident willingness to reinterpret -- not revise -- the executive order and to deviate from what is commonly understood as the order's "plain text" meaning illustrates the unreliability of executive orders as a safeguard of public rights, Ms. Wheeler stressed.
The move gave new resonance to a statement presented on the Senate floor last week by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) who described an Office of Legal Counsel opinion which he said concludes as follows:
"An Executive order cannot limit a President. There is no constitutional requirement for a President to issue a new Executive order whenever he wishes to depart from the terms of a previous Executive order. Rather than violate an Executive order, the President has instead modified or waived it."
What the President is claiming, Sen. Whitehouse said, is that "I don't have to follow my own rules, and if I break them, I don't have to tell you that I am breaking them."
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 17:38
Name of source: ABC News
SOURCE: ABC News (12-10-07)
A leader of the CIA team that captured the first major al Qaeda figure, Abu Zubaydah, says subjecting him to waterboarding was torture but necessary.
In the first public comment by any CIA officer involved in handling high-value al Qaeda targets, John Kiriakou, now retired, said the technique broke Zubaydah in less than 35 seconds....
In the first public comment by any CIA officer involved in handling high-value al Qaeda targets, John Kiriakou, now retired, said the technique broke Zubaydah in less than 35 seconds....
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 14:16
Name of source: BBC
SOURCE: BBC (12-10-07)
The former president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, has made a fiery outburst in court a few hours into the first day of his murder and kidnapping trial. Mr Fujimori shouted angrily: "I reject the charges entirely. I'm innocent."
The former president, who could receive up to 30 years in prison if convicted, was told by a judge to calm down.
He is accused of authorising two death squad massacres in the early 1990s in which 25 people were killed. He denies the charges.
The former president, who could receive up to 30 years in prison if convicted, was told by a judge to calm down.
He is accused of authorising two death squad massacres in the early 1990s in which 25 people were killed. He denies the charges.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 23:19
Name of source: Telegraph (UK)
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (12-11-07)
France will today request the return to French soil of the remains of its last emperor and first president, Napoleon III.
After lying ignored in a crypt in an English abbey for 120 years, the exiled emperor's ashes are suddenly the subject of a French ministerial delegation intent on repatriating them to the republic he helped bring about....
After a number of foreign adventures, his forces were roundly defeated in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, prompting him to flee with his wife, Empress Eugenie, to Chislehurst, Kent, where he remained in exile until his death in 1873.
After lying ignored in a crypt in an English abbey for 120 years, the exiled emperor's ashes are suddenly the subject of a French ministerial delegation intent on repatriating them to the republic he helped bring about....
After a number of foreign adventures, his forces were roundly defeated in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, prompting him to flee with his wife, Empress Eugenie, to Chislehurst, Kent, where he remained in exile until his death in 1873.
Despite the ignominy of his later years - especially the crushing defeat by the Prussians at the Battle of Sedan - France owes much to Napoleon III.
He had a huge hand in turning Paris into the elegant city so loved by tourists today - he replaced its unhygienic medieval streets with wide boulevards, created sewage systems and built parks and impressive apartment blocks for the masses.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:55
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (12-11-07)
Leonardo Da Vinci may have been an Arab, according to scientists who have studied a single, complete fingerprint found on one of his paintings.
The print, taken from the artist's left index finger, was discovered after an exhaustive three-year trawl through his works by researchers at the University of Chieti.
Professor Luigi Capasso, an anthropologist who led the team, said the central whorl of the fingerprint was a common pattern in the Middle East.
"Around 60 per cent of the Middle Eastern population have the same structure," he said.
The print, taken from the artist's left index finger, was discovered after an exhaustive three-year trawl through his works by researchers at the University of Chieti.
Professor Luigi Capasso, an anthropologist who led the team, said the central whorl of the fingerprint was a common pattern in the Middle East.
"Around 60 per cent of the Middle Eastern population have the same structure," he said.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:39
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (12-10-07)
Dressed in black and wrapped in silent contemplation, Baroness Thatcher wiped away a tear at the Cenotaph as she remembered the dead of the Falklands War at the Battle Day ceremony.
Some in the 70-strong crowd of old soldiers and expatriate islanders had wondered whether, at the age of 82, the former prime minister would be strong enough to attend the ceremony organised by the Falkland Islands Association.
As always, the Iron Lady would not be deterred. Flanked by Admiral Lord West, the security minister who was commander of the frigate Ardent when it was sunk in the Falklands, she stood proudly as the bugle sounding Last Post mingled with the chimes of Big Ben announcing the eleventh hour.
Some in the 70-strong crowd of old soldiers and expatriate islanders had wondered whether, at the age of 82, the former prime minister would be strong enough to attend the ceremony organised by the Falkland Islands Association.
As always, the Iron Lady would not be deterred. Flanked by Admiral Lord West, the security minister who was commander of the frigate Ardent when it was sunk in the Falklands, she stood proudly as the bugle sounding Last Post mingled with the chimes of Big Ben announcing the eleventh hour.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:12
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (12-10-07)
An ancient doctor's surgery unearthed by Italian archaeologists has cast new light on what a trip to the doctor would have been like in Roman times. Far from crude, the medical implements discovered show that doctors, their surgeries and the ailments they treated have changed surprisingly little in 1,800 years.
Sore joints were common, patients were often told to change their diets, and the good doctor of the seaside town of Rimini even performed house calls.
Archaeologists have spent the past 17 years at the Domus del Chirurgo - House of the Surgeon - painstakingly excavating the site and compiling the world's most detailed portrait of medical treatment in Roman times. Their discoveries go on public display for the first time on Tuesday.
Sore joints were common, patients were often told to change their diets, and the good doctor of the seaside town of Rimini even performed house calls.
Archaeologists have spent the past 17 years at the Domus del Chirurgo - House of the Surgeon - painstakingly excavating the site and compiling the world's most detailed portrait of medical treatment in Roman times. Their discoveries go on public display for the first time on Tuesday.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 20:36
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (12-7-07)
A century-old mystery surrounding the fate of the “Mad King” who built Bavaria’s celebrated fairytale castles has taken a new twist after an historian claimed that he was murdered.
The allegation comes from an art expert turned sleuth who claims that contemporary portraits of Ludwig II prove that far from killing himself in a fit of melancholy, he was assassinated to put an end his extravagant spending.
Ludwig’s body was found on June 13, 1886, in the knee-deep waters of a lake not far from Neuschwanstein Castle, his most fanciful creation, whose soaring towers and turrets now draw tourists from all over the world.
After a cursory investigation, the death was declared suicide by drowning - a verdict fiercely protected by his successors, who have forbidden any modern scientific examination of his remains.
But art historian Siegfried Wichmann now claims that he can prove that Ludwig was murdered, after an investigation that has taken up half his life and has drawn upon his own wartime experience. “I can say that, professionally, I have never been wrong in all my career,” said Mr Wichmann, who is the leading authority on Bavarian paintings from the late 19th century.
The allegation comes from an art expert turned sleuth who claims that contemporary portraits of Ludwig II prove that far from killing himself in a fit of melancholy, he was assassinated to put an end his extravagant spending.
Ludwig’s body was found on June 13, 1886, in the knee-deep waters of a lake not far from Neuschwanstein Castle, his most fanciful creation, whose soaring towers and turrets now draw tourists from all over the world.
After a cursory investigation, the death was declared suicide by drowning - a verdict fiercely protected by his successors, who have forbidden any modern scientific examination of his remains.
But art historian Siegfried Wichmann now claims that he can prove that Ludwig was murdered, after an investigation that has taken up half his life and has drawn upon his own wartime experience. “I can say that, professionally, I have never been wrong in all my career,” said Mr Wichmann, who is the leading authority on Bavarian paintings from the late 19th century.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 17:30
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (7-12-07)
Germany will be asked to explain why Bavarian courts failed to hand over a former SS/Obersturmfuehrer , indicted as a Nazi war criminal, to the Danish authorities at a meeting of European Union justice ministers.
Last week The Daily Telegraph reported that Germany continues to shelter Søren Kam, a Dane who is accused of murder and is wanting for questioning for his alleged role in the deportation of hundreds of Danish Jews to Nazi concentration camps.
Last week The Daily Telegraph reported that Germany continues to shelter Søren Kam, a Dane who is accused of murder and is wanting for questioning for his alleged role in the deportation of hundreds of Danish Jews to Nazi concentration camps.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 17:27
Name of source: International Herald Tribune
SOURCE: International Herald Tribune (12-9-07)
When Kosovo recently held a contest to design a flag, the organizers insisted that it reflect the multi-ethnic population, shunning the nationalist symbols of the past.
But dozens of artists chose to ignore that edict. They submitted variations of the red and black Albanian flag, whose two-headed eagle has for decades been proudly displayed at weddings and on the battlefield, while being equally reviled by many Serbs, who make up a minority in this breakaway province of Serbia.
As Kosovo prepares to declare its independence from Serbia - the culmination of a long and bloody struggle - this artistic rebellion underlines the challenge this small but proud territory faces to forge a secular national identity, one that can overcome ethnic and religious resentments.
But dozens of artists chose to ignore that edict. They submitted variations of the red and black Albanian flag, whose two-headed eagle has for decades been proudly displayed at weddings and on the battlefield, while being equally reviled by many Serbs, who make up a minority in this breakaway province of Serbia.
As Kosovo prepares to declare its independence from Serbia - the culmination of a long and bloody struggle - this artistic rebellion underlines the challenge this small but proud territory faces to forge a secular national identity, one that can overcome ethnic and religious resentments.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:41
Name of source: Independent (UK)
SOURCE: Independent (UK) (12-10-07)
A Nobel Prize-winning scientist who provoked a public outcry by claiming black Africans were less intelligent than whites has a DNA profile with up to 16 times more genes of black origin than the average white European.
An analysis of the genome of James Watson showed that 16 per cent of his genes were likely to have come from a black ancestor of African descent. By contrast, most people of European descent would have no more than 1 per cent.
"This level is what you would expect in someone who had a great-grandparent who was African," said Kari Stefansson of deCODE Genetics, whose company carried out the analysis. "It was very surprising to get this result for Jim."
An analysis of the genome of James Watson showed that 16 per cent of his genes were likely to have come from a black ancestor of African descent. By contrast, most people of European descent would have no more than 1 per cent.
"This level is what you would expect in someone who had a great-grandparent who was African," said Kari Stefansson of deCODE Genetics, whose company carried out the analysis. "It was very surprising to get this result for Jim."
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:35
Name of source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au
SOURCE: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au (12-6-07)
Wheat grains nearly 5,000 years old found at a Chinese archaeological site two years ago, have revealed that western man travelled to China much earlier than previously thought.
The research, published by Professor John Dodson and Professor Xiaoqiang Li, shows there are no modern wild varieties of the wheat and barley, which were found in the region in a domesticated form, and carbon dated to 2,650BC.
It is now thought they originated in the Middle East, which showed exchanges between China hundreds of years before the Silk Road, previously thought to be the earliest contact, around 200BC.
The research, published by Professor John Dodson and Professor Xiaoqiang Li, shows there are no modern wild varieties of the wheat and barley, which were found in the region in a domesticated form, and carbon dated to 2,650BC.
It is now thought they originated in the Middle East, which showed exchanges between China hundreds of years before the Silk Road, previously thought to be the earliest contact, around 200BC.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:29
Name of source: http://www.topnews.in
SOURCE: http://www.topnews.in (12-9-07)
Archaeologists in Romania have discovered 3,000-years-old well-preserved wood and ropes at Beclean in the country’s northern Bistrita-Nasaud County.
Valeriu Kavruk, curator of the Museum of the Eastern Carpathians based in Sfantu Gheorghe, central Romania, said that the objects, found in the bed of a vastly salted river near Baile Figa, have been well conserved due to the salted mud.
Lab tests with Carbon 14 revealed that the articles dated from 1000 B. C, Kavruk said.
Valeriu Kavruk, curator of the Museum of the Eastern Carpathians based in Sfantu Gheorghe, central Romania, said that the objects, found in the bed of a vastly salted river near Baile Figa, have been well conserved due to the salted mud.
Lab tests with Carbon 14 revealed that the articles dated from 1000 B. C, Kavruk said.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:27
Name of source: http://www.manilatimes.net
SOURCE: http://www.manilatimes.net (12-8-07)
An archeological site full of metallurgy tools and pottery dating back nearly 3,000 years ago has been discovered in Vietnam’s central Khanh Hoa province, local newspaper Pioneer reported Friday.
The Vietnam Archeology Institute found a number of bronze molds and bronze-refining tools, eight tombs and over 126,000 pieces of pottery in the Vinh Yen 50-square meter site in Van Ninh district.
The Vietnam Archeology Institute found a number of bronze molds and bronze-refining tools, eight tombs and over 126,000 pieces of pottery in the Vinh Yen 50-square meter site in Van Ninh district.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:24
Name of source: Times (London)
SOURCE: Times (London) (12-7-07)
Stonehenge may be placed on the list of endangered World Heritage sites after the Government abandoned all the options it was considering for relieving congestion on the road that runs past it.
It means the site will be blighted indefinitely by heavy traffic on the A303, which passes close to the stones.
Despite spending more than £23 million over ten years on developing proposals, the Government decided that the various alternatives, including turning the road into a dual carriageway and burying it in a tunnel, were either too expensive or unacceptable on environmental grounds.
Unesco, the United Nations cultural body, said that it would consider placing Stonehenge on its endangered list when the World Heritage Committee met in Montreal in July.
It means the site will be blighted indefinitely by heavy traffic on the A303, which passes close to the stones.
Despite spending more than £23 million over ten years on developing proposals, the Government decided that the various alternatives, including turning the road into a dual carriageway and burying it in a tunnel, were either too expensive or unacceptable on environmental grounds.
Unesco, the United Nations cultural body, said that it would consider placing Stonehenge on its endangered list when the World Heritage Committee met in Montreal in July.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:22
SOURCE: Times (London) (12-7-07)
Stonehenge may be placed on the list of endangered World Heritage sites after the Government abandoned all the options it was considering for relieving congestion on the road that runs past it.
It means the site will be blighted indefinitely by heavy traffic on the A303, which passes close to the stones.
Despite spending more than £23 million over ten years on developing proposals, the Government decided that the various alternatives, including turning the road into a dual carriageway and burying it in a tunnel, were either too expensive or unacceptable on environmental grounds.
Unesco, the United Nations cultural body, said that it would consider placing Stonehenge on its endangered list when the World Heritage Committee met in Montreal in July.
It means the site will be blighted indefinitely by heavy traffic on the A303, which passes close to the stones.
Despite spending more than £23 million over ten years on developing proposals, the Government decided that the various alternatives, including turning the road into a dual carriageway and burying it in a tunnel, were either too expensive or unacceptable on environmental grounds.
Unesco, the United Nations cultural body, said that it would consider placing Stonehenge on its endangered list when the World Heritage Committee met in Montreal in July.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:22
Name of source: Mara Farrell, co-founder of Fishkill Historical Focus, a historic preservation group, in the NYT
SOURCE: Mara Farrell, co-founder of Fishkill Historical Focus, a historic preservation group, in the NYT (12-9-07)
IT’S a beautiful thing to have a Revolutionary War site like the Fishkill Encampment and Supply Depot, a nationally registered landmark, in your town. But when the military camp — where thousands of George Washington’s troops were stationed to keep the British from moving past New York City and capturing the Hudson River — is also home to the heavily trafficked Route 9 corridor, pleading for its survival can sometimes feel like a never-ending battle.
You see, the problem is that in recent years, Route 9 has become a giant strip mall with big-box stores, gas stations and motels. In its wake, grand and historic Hudson Valley landmarks like the Rapalje House and Van der Voort estate, where Samuel Loudon printed the first edition of the New York State Constitution, have been razed, forests have been sheared and ancient stone walls turned into gray dust. The biggest growth stems from Fishkill and goes all the way up to Poughkeepsie.
A passer-by would hardly notice the Fishkill Encampment and Supply Depot. Aside from the Van Wyck Homestead, which served as a headquarters, there is no trace of the depot’s remains. And yet archaeological and scholarly research has revealed that the camp was a one-of-a-kind military city.
You see, the problem is that in recent years, Route 9 has become a giant strip mall with big-box stores, gas stations and motels. In its wake, grand and historic Hudson Valley landmarks like the Rapalje House and Van der Voort estate, where Samuel Loudon printed the first edition of the New York State Constitution, have been razed, forests have been sheared and ancient stone walls turned into gray dust. The biggest growth stems from Fishkill and goes all the way up to Poughkeepsie.
A passer-by would hardly notice the Fishkill Encampment and Supply Depot. Aside from the Van Wyck Homestead, which served as a headquarters, there is no trace of the depot’s remains. And yet archaeological and scholarly research has revealed that the camp was a one-of-a-kind military city.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:19
Name of source: Israel News
SOURCE: Israel News (12-6-07)
"His golden year was 1940, when his armies invaded Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Holland, and Belgium and defeated France ... By mid 1942, his country controlled the largest land area in Europe… He refused to surrender and continued to fight for two more years, but, his bitter end came in the spring of 1945 when he took his own life…. Who is he?"
According to Palestinian Media Watch, a Palestinian media and education watchdog, this was the question put to listeners of the "Voice of Palestine" radio contest. The winner who called in first and correctly identified Adolf Hitler as the mystery leader, was promised a $150 cash prize.
You can read the transcript as many times as you want, but you won't find a single mention of the Holocaust.
But this is by no means an isolated incident, a special study conducted by the organization's Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook provides an extensive overview of the Palestinian Authority's admiration for Hitler.
"The full broadcast presents Hitler heroically, detailing his two Medals' of Honor in WWI, his rise to power, his launching of WWII and specifies country after country that he conquered. His victories in 1940 are coined 'his golden year,' while his defeat and death are coined: 'his bitter end.' Not surprisingly, though citing his victories and 'bitter' fall in great detail, the Holocaust is not mentioned," Marcus and Crook wrote.
According to Palestinian Media Watch, a Palestinian media and education watchdog, this was the question put to listeners of the "Voice of Palestine" radio contest. The winner who called in first and correctly identified Adolf Hitler as the mystery leader, was promised a $150 cash prize.
You can read the transcript as many times as you want, but you won't find a single mention of the Holocaust.
But this is by no means an isolated incident, a special study conducted by the organization's Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook provides an extensive overview of the Palestinian Authority's admiration for Hitler.
"The full broadcast presents Hitler heroically, detailing his two Medals' of Honor in WWI, his rise to power, his launching of WWII and specifies country after country that he conquered. His victories in 1940 are coined 'his golden year,' while his defeat and death are coined: 'his bitter end.' Not surprisingly, though citing his victories and 'bitter' fall in great detail, the Holocaust is not mentioned," Marcus and Crook wrote.
Monday, December 10, 2007 - 22:15
Name of source: NYT
SOURCE: NYT (12-9-07)
For the second time in a decade, fungus is threatening France’s most celebrated prehistoric paintings, the mysterious animal images that line the Lascaux cave in the Dordogne region of southwest France, scientists say.
No consensus has emerged among experts over whether the invading patches of gray and black mold are the result of climate change, a defective temperature control system, the light used by researchers or the carbon dioxide exhaled by visitors.
But after inspection by a team of microbiologists, the government has approved a new treatment of the blemishes with a fungicide and ordered that the cave be sealed off for as long as four months so that its delicate environment can be stabilized.
The Lascaux paintings, with their astonishing array of horses, bulls, stags, ibexes and oxen, some at rest, others galloping, charging and leaping, are thought to be 15,000 to 17,000 years old. The early Europeans who roamed this region used crushed minerals to create some 600 images in red, ochre, deep brown and black, some so powerful and vivid that they are considered among the finest examples of Paleolithic cave art.
No consensus has emerged among experts over whether the invading patches of gray and black mold are the result of climate change, a defective temperature control system, the light used by researchers or the carbon dioxide exhaled by visitors.
But after inspection by a team of microbiologists, the government has approved a new treatment of the blemishes with a fungicide and ordered that the cave be sealed off for as long as four months so that its delicate environment can be stabilized.
The Lascaux paintings, with their astonishing array of horses, bulls, stags, ibexes and oxen, some at rest, others galloping, charging and leaping, are thought to be 15,000 to 17,000 years old. The early Europeans who roamed this region used crushed minerals to create some 600 images in red, ochre, deep brown and black, some so powerful and vivid that they are considered among the finest examples of Paleolithic cave art.
Sunday, December 9, 2007 - 17:05
SOURCE: NYT (12-7-07)
The 427 suitcases, trunks, crates and bundles recovered after Willard closed in 1995 turned out to belong to patients who had spent decades in this vast state mental institution. In them were the remnants of lives left behind when their owners entered the locked gates.
Now a handful of artifacts once packed away, and the stories behind them, are on display at the New York Public Library’s Science, Industry and Business Library in Midtown through Jan. 31.
“The history of mental health is almost always told by psychiatrists and hardly ever by patients or through patients’ lives,” said Darby Penney, “so this is pretty amazing.” Ms. Penney, who worked in the New York State Office of Mental Health, and Dr. Peter Stastny, a psychiatrist and documentary filmmaker, spent years piecing together what happened to 25 patients from their belongings, medical records and interviews.
Now a handful of artifacts once packed away, and the stories behind them, are on display at the New York Public Library’s Science, Industry and Business Library in Midtown through Jan. 31.
“The history of mental health is almost always told by psychiatrists and hardly ever by patients or through patients’ lives,” said Darby Penney, “so this is pretty amazing.” Ms. Penney, who worked in the New York State Office of Mental Health, and Dr. Peter Stastny, a psychiatrist and documentary filmmaker, spent years piecing together what happened to 25 patients from their belongings, medical records and interviews.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 19:10
SOURCE: NYT (12-6-07)
For some four decades, William D. Walsh browsed auction catalogs in search of the ancient artifacts that would gratify his passion for classical antiquity.
From Greek terra cotta vases to Roman marble heads to Etruscan urns, he gradually assembled a private gallery of more than 200 pieces of varying shapes, sizes and materials at his home in Menlo Park, Calif.
Today nearly all of those antiquities are to go on view at Fordham University in the Bronx as a permanent gift from Mr. Walsh, a financier and philanthropist.
From Greek terra cotta vases to Roman marble heads to Etruscan urns, he gradually assembled a private gallery of more than 200 pieces of varying shapes, sizes and materials at his home in Menlo Park, Calif.
Today nearly all of those antiquities are to go on view at Fordham University in the Bronx as a permanent gift from Mr. Walsh, a financier and philanthropist.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 18:24
SOURCE: NYT (12-6-07)
The campaign of Rudolph W. Giuliani began running a new television advertisement yesterday in New Hampshire and Boston.
Mr. Giuliani says: “I remember back to the 1970s and the early 1980s. Iranian mullahs took American hostages, and they held the American hostages for 444 days. And they released the American hostages in one hour, and that should tell us a lot about these Islamic terrorists that we’re facing. The one hour in which they released them was the one hour in which Ronald Reagan was taking the oath of office as president of the United States. The best way you deal with dictators, the best way you deal with tyrants and terrorists, you stand up to them. You don’t back down. I’m Rudy Giuliani, and I approve this message.”...
Although the hostages were freed less than an hour after Mr. Reagan was sworn in as president, the complex deal that led to their release was brokered by President Jimmy Carter’s administration. The hostages were released because the United States agreed to return nearly $8 billion in frozen assets to Iran, most of which Iran used to pay off foreign creditors. Some suggest that the Iranians continued to hold the hostages until Mr. Reagan was sworn in as a final affront to Mr. Carter; others say that there were logistical reasons for the delay. And while the advertisement seems to invoke Mr. Reagan as an example of standing up to terrorists, some members of his administration later went on to sell arms to Iran as ransom for hostages held in Lebanon, and to divert the profits to rebels fighting the Marxists in Nicaragua, contrary to official government policy.
Mr. Giuliani says: “I remember back to the 1970s and the early 1980s. Iranian mullahs took American hostages, and they held the American hostages for 444 days. And they released the American hostages in one hour, and that should tell us a lot about these Islamic terrorists that we’re facing. The one hour in which they released them was the one hour in which Ronald Reagan was taking the oath of office as president of the United States. The best way you deal with dictators, the best way you deal with tyrants and terrorists, you stand up to them. You don’t back down. I’m Rudy Giuliani, and I approve this message.”...
Although the hostages were freed less than an hour after Mr. Reagan was sworn in as president, the complex deal that led to their release was brokered by President Jimmy Carter’s administration. The hostages were released because the United States agreed to return nearly $8 billion in frozen assets to Iran, most of which Iran used to pay off foreign creditors. Some suggest that the Iranians continued to hold the hostages until Mr. Reagan was sworn in as a final affront to Mr. Carter; others say that there were logistical reasons for the delay. And while the advertisement seems to invoke Mr. Reagan as an example of standing up to terrorists, some members of his administration later went on to sell arms to Iran as ransom for hostages held in Lebanon, and to divert the profits to rebels fighting the Marxists in Nicaragua, contrary to official government policy.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 18:23
SOURCE: NYT (12-7-07)
Mitt Romney asked the nation on Thursday not to reject his presidential candidacy because of his religion, assuring evangelical Christians and other religious voters that his values matched theirs in a speech that used the word “Mormon” only once....
Afterward, Mr. Romney’s advisers said privately that they hoped the speech would help him with his other, arguably larger, obstacle: lingering questions about the firmness of his convictions given his shifting positions and tone on issues like abortion, gay rights and gun control over the years.
When John F. Kennedy addressed the issue of his Roman Catholic religion in a similar speech when he was running for president in 1960, he took hostile questions hurled at him by ministers. Mr. Romney’s was a friendly crowd that included, in the front row, four of his five sons and his wife, Ann, as well as many affiliated with the campaign.
And Kennedy and Mr. Romney were reaching for different goals. Kennedy was trying to convince the ministers that his faith would not dictate his governance, while Mr. Romney was highlighting how the values he derived from his faith — and shared with religious conservatives — would inform his leadership.
To that end, he recalled the early days of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia in the fall of 1774, when Boston was occupied by British troops and war loomed.
Someone suggested the members pray, he said, but some there voiced objections, because there were too many divisions among various churches.
“Then Sam Adams rose, and said he would hear a prayer from anyone of piety and good character, as long as they were a patriot,” Mr. Romney said. “And so together they prayed, and, together, they fought, and together, by the grace of God, they founded this great nation.”
Afterward, Mr. Romney’s advisers said privately that they hoped the speech would help him with his other, arguably larger, obstacle: lingering questions about the firmness of his convictions given his shifting positions and tone on issues like abortion, gay rights and gun control over the years.
When John F. Kennedy addressed the issue of his Roman Catholic religion in a similar speech when he was running for president in 1960, he took hostile questions hurled at him by ministers. Mr. Romney’s was a friendly crowd that included, in the front row, four of his five sons and his wife, Ann, as well as many affiliated with the campaign.
And Kennedy and Mr. Romney were reaching for different goals. Kennedy was trying to convince the ministers that his faith would not dictate his governance, while Mr. Romney was highlighting how the values he derived from his faith — and shared with religious conservatives — would inform his leadership.
To that end, he recalled the early days of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia in the fall of 1774, when Boston was occupied by British troops and war loomed.
Someone suggested the members pray, he said, but some there voiced objections, because there were too many divisions among various churches.
“Then Sam Adams rose, and said he would hear a prayer from anyone of piety and good character, as long as they were a patriot,” Mr. Romney said. “And so together they prayed, and, together, they fought, and together, by the grace of God, they founded this great nation.”
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 18:15
SOURCE: NYT (12-6-07)
The Central Intelligence Agency in 2005 destroyed at least two videotapes documenting the interrogation of two Al Qaeda operatives in the agency’s custody, a step it took in the midst of Congressional and legal scrutiny about the C.I.A’s secret detention program, according to current and former government officials.
Thursday, December 6, 2007 - 20:47
Name of source: WaPo
SOURCE: WaPo (12-9-07)
Back then, chicken a la cheese won recipe contests, and an Amana Free-o-Frost was the answer to every woman's problems. Hugh Rodham woke up each morning in his thick-walled suburban dream home in Park Ridge, Ill., bellowing the songs of Mitch Miller and the Gang (Singalong favorites! "Ain't We Got Fun"!), and sat down each night to dinner served exactly at 6 p.m., over which he issued loud pronouncements about American self-reliance, as opposed to communists and deadbeats seeking handouts.That's when the argument would start. "Now, wait a minute," his wife, Dorothy Rodham, would suggest, voice soft as a housedress. "Sometimes things happen to people that they have no control over." Their daughter, Hillary, would follow the conversation, alternately agreeing with each, until Hugh had the last word. Fathers were the ultimate authority then. Fathers, and presidents.
It's safe to say that the dinner debate at 235 Wisner St. was never resolved for Hillary Rodham Clinton.
It's safe to say that the dinner debate at 235 Wisner St. was never resolved for Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Sunday, December 9, 2007 - 16:57
SOURCE: WaPo (12-8-07)
They came. They saw. They gifted.
That's about all we know of the foreign visitors who traveled to Bethlehem to see the infant Jesus.
The scene ingrained in the public imagination -- a stately procession of three kings in turbans, crowns, elaborate capes and fancy slippers, with an entourage of servants and camels trailing behind -- is a common image in books and films, but it isn't from Scripture.
In fact, there's no evidence in the Gospels that the Magi were kings, or even that there were three, much less that they sidled up to a manger on dromedaries exactly 12 days after Jesus's birth.
"Legends pop up when people begin to look closely at historical events," said Christopher Bellitto, assistant professor of history at New Jersey's Kean University. "They want to fill in the blanks."
That's about all we know of the foreign visitors who traveled to Bethlehem to see the infant Jesus.
The scene ingrained in the public imagination -- a stately procession of three kings in turbans, crowns, elaborate capes and fancy slippers, with an entourage of servants and camels trailing behind -- is a common image in books and films, but it isn't from Scripture.
In fact, there's no evidence in the Gospels that the Magi were kings, or even that there were three, much less that they sidled up to a manger on dromedaries exactly 12 days after Jesus's birth.
"Legends pop up when people begin to look closely at historical events," said Christopher Bellitto, assistant professor of history at New Jersey's Kean University. "They want to fill in the blanks."
Saturday, December 8, 2007 - 18:02
SOURCE: WaPo (12-6-07)
One of the many quirks of Ron Paul's unexpectedly vigorous campaign for the Republican presidential nomination has been that he has been able to generate such a fervent following despite a campaign manner that verges on the grandfatherly. But in a brief interview in New Hampshire a few days ago, Paul showed that he is capable of delivering a barbed line or two, albeit wrapped in a kindly septuagenarian smile.
Asked what he made of John McCain's comments at last week's GOP debate comparing Paul's opposition to the war in Iraq to the appeasement of Hitler in the 1930s, Paul let loose, saying that McCain was "confused historically."
"People in the 1930s who didn't want war didn't cause World War II. I think Hitler caused the war, not the Americans who argued for a pro-American foreign policy," he said.
"I don't think [McCain] understands the difference between isolationism and non-intervention. How can he condemn it if the Founders believed in it? George Washington, Jefferson, this was their strong advice."
Paul concluded with this zinger, saying with a smile and a shrug that he was "not too surprised" by McCain's invocation of Hitler: "I think he's angry and emotional. I think he sees his campaign coming to an end and is sort of striking out."
Asked what he made of John McCain's comments at last week's GOP debate comparing Paul's opposition to the war in Iraq to the appeasement of Hitler in the 1930s, Paul let loose, saying that McCain was "confused historically."
"People in the 1930s who didn't want war didn't cause World War II. I think Hitler caused the war, not the Americans who argued for a pro-American foreign policy," he said.
"I don't think [McCain] understands the difference between isolationism and non-intervention. How can he condemn it if the Founders believed in it? George Washington, Jefferson, this was their strong advice."
Paul concluded with this zinger, saying with a smile and a shrug that he was "not too surprised" by McCain's invocation of Hitler: "I think he's angry and emotional. I think he sees his campaign coming to an end and is sort of striking out."
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 19:33
Name of source: Independent Catholic News
SOURCE: Independent Catholic News (12-7-07)
German archaeologists claim to have found traces of a glue they say was made by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago and used to mount silver laurel leaves on legionnaires' battle helmets.
Researchers at the Rhineland historical museum in Bonn said they had found remnants of the glue on a legionnaire's iron helmet unearthed near the town of Xanten. It had lain on what was once the bed of the Rhine for at least 1,500 years.
Frank Willer, the museum's chief restorer, said researchers came across the glue by surprise while removing a tiny sample of metal from the helmet with a fine saw. The heat from the tool caused silver laurel leaves decorating the helmet to peel off leaving thread-like traces of the glue behind.
Researchers at the Rhineland historical museum in Bonn said they had found remnants of the glue on a legionnaire's iron helmet unearthed near the town of Xanten. It had lain on what was once the bed of the Rhine for at least 1,500 years.
Frank Willer, the museum's chief restorer, said researchers came across the glue by surprise while removing a tiny sample of metal from the helmet with a fine saw. The heat from the tool caused silver laurel leaves decorating the helmet to peel off leaving thread-like traces of the glue behind.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 21:21
Name of source: Science Daily
SOURCE: Science Daily (12-7-07)
Although most scientists believe tuberculosis emerged only several thousand years ago, new research from The University of Texas at Austin reveals the most ancient evidence of the disease has been found in a 500,000-year-old human fossil from Turkey.
The discovery of the new specimen of the human species, Homo erectus, suggests support for the theory that dark-skinned people who migrate northward from low, tropical latitudes produce less vitamin D, which can adversely affect the immune system as well as the skeleton.
The discovery of the new specimen of the human species, Homo erectus, suggests support for the theory that dark-skinned people who migrate northward from low, tropical latitudes produce less vitamin D, which can adversely affect the immune system as well as the skeleton.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 21:20
Name of source: http://www.examiner.com
SOURCE: http://www.examiner.com (11-29-07)
The Smithsonian has all the money it needs to complete renovation of the National Museum of American History and reopen the site this summer, but it still has not set a firm opening date.
Officials will commit to a reopening date this February, according to director Brent Glass. The project has finished the demolition phase and is now moving into new construction; the property closed in September 2006.
Fundraising accounted for $39.1 million of the cost of the project, which totaled $85 million; the federal government will provide the rest.
Officials will commit to a reopening date this February, according to director Brent Glass. The project has finished the demolition phase and is now moving into new construction; the property closed in September 2006.
Fundraising accounted for $39.1 million of the cost of the project, which totaled $85 million; the federal government will provide the rest.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 21:01
Name of source: ECNmag.com
SOURCE: ECNmag.com (12-5-07)
The 40-ft. x 32-ft. American flag at Fort McHenry in 1814 was made just a few years after the dawn of the incandescent lamp, and now Smithsonian preservationists intend to protect it further with modern LED technology.
Best known as the Star-Spangled Banner, because of the Francis Scott Key poem that became the national anthem, the flag will return to public display when the National Museum of American History completes its renovation in summer 2008. The new gallery being constructed is airtight, has no electricity inside because of the fire risk, and will display the flag at a 10 degrees horizontal angle with just a few foot-candles of illumination because of the tattered fibers and the exhibit’s somber tone.
So it’s the quality, not the quantity, of illumination that caused Smithsonian managers to embark on the exhibit illumination project several years ago. The plan calls for using digital projectors with metal halide lamps until light-emitting diodes are ready. If the LEDs are ready in time, then they’ll be used from the start, but the project won’t be rushed due to the flag’s historical importance.
“Where this all stemmed from is the desire to limit the amount of energy from light going into the flag... We're fearful of anything that can cause chemical reactions within the fibers,” project manager Jeffrey Brodie explained. For example, in the conservation lab that's doubled as a public exhibit since 1998, there are fluorescent lamps along the edges of the wall to avoid shining directly on the flag, chief conservator Suzanne Thomassen-Krauss said....
Best known as the Star-Spangled Banner, because of the Francis Scott Key poem that became the national anthem, the flag will return to public display when the National Museum of American History completes its renovation in summer 2008. The new gallery being constructed is airtight, has no electricity inside because of the fire risk, and will display the flag at a 10 degrees horizontal angle with just a few foot-candles of illumination because of the tattered fibers and the exhibit’s somber tone.
So it’s the quality, not the quantity, of illumination that caused Smithsonian managers to embark on the exhibit illumination project several years ago. The plan calls for using digital projectors with metal halide lamps until light-emitting diodes are ready. If the LEDs are ready in time, then they’ll be used from the start, but the project won’t be rushed due to the flag’s historical importance.
“Where this all stemmed from is the desire to limit the amount of energy from light going into the flag... We're fearful of anything that can cause chemical reactions within the fibers,” project manager Jeffrey Brodie explained. For example, in the conservation lab that's doubled as a public exhibit since 1998, there are fluorescent lamps along the edges of the wall to avoid shining directly on the flag, chief conservator Suzanne Thomassen-Krauss said....
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 20:59
Name of source: http://www.inrich.com
SOURCE: http://www.inrich.com (12-5-07)
Colonial Beach, VA - After decades of fits and starts to honor the birthplace of James Monroe, a new visitors center is rising in the Westmoreland County woods where the fifth president of the United States roamed as a boy centuries ago.
Built of modern materials such as steel, glass, insulated roof panels and concrete siding, the 1,000-square-foot center will look like an 18th-century tobacco barn. It will contain exhibits about Monroe and bathroom facilities for visitors.
Milton Martin, a planning consultant for Westmoreland County, said the center on State Route 205 near Colonial Beach will be completed next year in time for Monroe's 250th birthday celebration.
Built of modern materials such as steel, glass, insulated roof panels and concrete siding, the 1,000-square-foot center will look like an 18th-century tobacco barn. It will contain exhibits about Monroe and bathroom facilities for visitors.
Milton Martin, a planning consultant for Westmoreland County, said the center on State Route 205 near Colonial Beach will be completed next year in time for Monroe's 250th birthday celebration.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 20:02
Name of source: http://www.indystar.com
SOURCE: http://www.indystar.com (12-5-07)
The Indiana History Center's elegant brick building on the Downtown Canal is most often visited by dedicated researchers or well-dressed adults attending evening receptions.
Soon, it might begin to look a bit more like Disney's Epcot Center.
Major changes are in store for the center, which is adding four permanent attractions that will be known as "The Indiana Experience."
New exhibits include a re-created 1940s nightclub and three-dimensional displays from Indiana's past brought to life by re-enactors.
The $20 million additions are part of the Indiana Historical Society's efforts to attract more visitors to the History Center.
More than 130,000 people are expected to use the center's facilities this year, spokeswoman Jeanne Scheets said, but the majority come for unrelated events for which the 9-year-old building is rented out.
"We really want to tip the scales in favor of people who are coming for our programming," Scheets said.
Soon, it might begin to look a bit more like Disney's Epcot Center.
Major changes are in store for the center, which is adding four permanent attractions that will be known as "The Indiana Experience."
New exhibits include a re-created 1940s nightclub and three-dimensional displays from Indiana's past brought to life by re-enactors.
The $20 million additions are part of the Indiana Historical Society's efforts to attract more visitors to the History Center.
More than 130,000 people are expected to use the center's facilities this year, spokeswoman Jeanne Scheets said, but the majority come for unrelated events for which the 9-year-old building is rented out.
"We really want to tip the scales in favor of people who are coming for our programming," Scheets said.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 19:26
Name of source: NYT Video
SOURCE: NYT Video (12-7-07)
Mitt Romney's speech drew inevitable comparisons to another speech from a half-century earlier by John F. Kennedy.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 18:12
Name of source: LAT
SOURCE: LAT (12-7-07)
Families with ties to the military, long a reliable source of support for wartime presidents, disapprove of President Bush and his handling of the war in Iraq, with a majority concluding the invasion was not worth it, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.
The views of the military community, which includes active-duty service members, veterans and their family members, mirror those of the overall adult population, a sign that the strong military endorsement that the administration often pointed to has dwindled in the war's fifth year.
Nearly six out of every 10 military families disapprove of Bush's job performance and the way he has run the war, rating him only slightly better than the general population does.
And among those families with soldiers, sailors and Marines who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, 60% say that the war in Iraq was not worth the cost, the same result as all adults surveyed....
The views of the military community, which includes active-duty service members, veterans and their family members, mirror those of the overall adult population, a sign that the strong military endorsement that the administration often pointed to has dwindled in the war's fifth year.
Nearly six out of every 10 military families disapprove of Bush's job performance and the way he has run the war, rating him only slightly better than the general population does.
And among those families with soldiers, sailors and Marines who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, 60% say that the war in Iraq was not worth the cost, the same result as all adults surveyed....
Other surveys have shown an erosion of support for Bush and the war among military personnel, including a 2005 poll by Military Times of their active-duty readers.
Now the disapproval of Bush appears to have transferred to his party. Republican leanings of military families that began with the Vietnam War -- when Democratic protests seemed to be aimed at the troops as much as the fighting -- have shifted, the poll results show.
When military families were asked which party could be trusted to do a better job of handling issues related to them, respondents divided almost evenly: 39% said Democrats and 35% chose Republicans. The general population feels similarly: 39% for Democrats and 31% for Republicans.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 17:55
Name of source: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
SOURCE: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk (12-5-07)
In addition to giving the world James Joyce, Daniel O'Donnell and the strap-on leprechaun beard, Ireland can now apparently take credit for a fair chunk of the English language as spoken today, including slang.
According to a (mildly controversial) new book, words such as 'gimmick', 'scam' and even 'dude' are all corruptions of the Irish used by the tens of thousands of migrants who arrived in the United States throughout the 19th century.
"Irish was a back-room language, whispered in kitchens and spoken in the saloons," says Daniel Cassidy, the New York-born author of How The Irish Invented Slang.
He was speaking shortly after his tome won the 2007 American Book Award for non-fiction.
The argument presented in How The Irish Invented Slang is that the language has had a far deeper influence on English, in particular American-English, than previously suspected.
According to a (mildly controversial) new book, words such as 'gimmick', 'scam' and even 'dude' are all corruptions of the Irish used by the tens of thousands of migrants who arrived in the United States throughout the 19th century.
"Irish was a back-room language, whispered in kitchens and spoken in the saloons," says Daniel Cassidy, the New York-born author of How The Irish Invented Slang.
He was speaking shortly after his tome won the 2007 American Book Award for non-fiction.
The argument presented in How The Irish Invented Slang is that the language has had a far deeper influence on English, in particular American-English, than previously suspected.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 17:42
Name of source: US Dept. of Defense
SOURCE: US Dept. of Defense (11-30-07)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified.
They are Maj. Robert F. Woods, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Capt. Johnnie C. Cornelius, of Maricopa County, Ariz., both U.S. Air Force. Cornelius was buried with full military honors on Nov. 10 in Moore, Texas, and Woods’ burial is being set by his family.
On June 26, 1968, Woods and Cornelius were flying a visual reconnaissance mission over Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, when their O-2A Skymaster aircraft crashed in a remote mountainous area. The crew of another aircraft in the flight saw no parachutes and reported hearing no emergency beeper signals. Immediate search efforts were unsuccessful.
They are Maj. Robert F. Woods, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Capt. Johnnie C. Cornelius, of Maricopa County, Ariz., both U.S. Air Force. Cornelius was buried with full military honors on Nov. 10 in Moore, Texas, and Woods’ burial is being set by his family.
On June 26, 1968, Woods and Cornelius were flying a visual reconnaissance mission over Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, when their O-2A Skymaster aircraft crashed in a remote mountainous area. The crew of another aircraft in the flight saw no parachutes and reported hearing no emergency beeper signals. Immediate search efforts were unsuccessful.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 17:41
SOURCE: US Dept. of Defense (12-5-07)
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Pfc. Donald M. Walker, U.S. Marine Corps, of Springfield, Ky. He will be buried Dec. 7 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
Walker was assigned to the Service Company, 1st Service Battalion, of the 1st Marine Division deployed near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. On Nov. 27, 1950, three Communist Chinese divisions launched an attack on the Marine positions. Over the next several days, U.S. forces staged a fighting withdrawal to the south, first to Hagaru-ri, then Koto-ri, and eventually to defensive positions at Hungnam. Walker died on Dec. 7, 1950, as a result of enemy action near Koto-ri. He was buried by fellow Marines in a temporary United Nations military cemetery in Hungnam, which fell to the North Koreans in December 1950. His identity was later verified from a fingerprint taken at the time of the burial.
During Operation Glory in 1954, the North Korean government repatriated the remains of 2,944 U.S. soldiers and Marines. Included in this repatriation were remains associated with Walker’s burial. The staff at the U.S. Army Mortuary in Kokura, Japan, however, cited suspected discrepancies between the biological profile from the remains and Walker’s physical characteristics. The remains were among 416 from Operation Glory subsequently buried as “unknowns” in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (The Punchbowl) in Hawaii.
In April 2007, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command exhumed remains from The Punchbowl believed to be those of Walker. Although the remains did not yield usable DNA data, a reevaluation of the skeletal and dental remains led to Walker’s identification.
Friday, December 7, 2007 - 17:39
Name of source: Reuters
SOURCE: Reuters (12-6-07)
Four 13th century copies of the Magna Carta, considered to be one of the most important documents in the history of democracy, go on public display next week for the first time in nearly 800 years.
The four, three of which date from 1217 and one from 1225, are held by Oxford University's Bodleian Library and represent nearly one quarter of the surviving 13th century Magna Carta manuscripts in the world.
"These three 1217 charters are a unique historical collection," said librarian Sarah Thomas. "No other institution can boast such a concentration of Magna Cartae."
The Magna Carta was signed by England's King John at Runnymede near Windsor just to the west of London in 1215 under intense pressure from rebellious barons who had captured London in protest at his exercise of arbitrary power over them.
The four, three of which date from 1217 and one from 1225, are held by Oxford University's Bodleian Library and represent nearly one quarter of the surviving 13th century Magna Carta manuscripts in the world.
"These three 1217 charters are a unique historical collection," said librarian Sarah Thomas. "No other institution can boast such a concentration of Magna Cartae."
The Magna Carta was signed by England's King John at Runnymede near Windsor just to the west of London in 1215 under intense pressure from rebellious barons who had captured London in protest at his exercise of arbitrary power over them.
Thursday, December 6, 2007 - 20:41
