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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: AP
SOURCE: AP (3-26-08)
The National Archives is joining with a Web site to make historical records of tens of thousands of deceased Vietnam War veterans available electronically for the first time.
The interactive site — http://www.footnote.com — is a Web re-creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall. The site allows access to thousands of pages of casualty records and agency photos. People can search by name, hometown, birthdate, tour date, or dozens of other categories.
Such information now is typically found only at National Archives locations, including the headquarters in College Park, Md., and by poring through files organized by topic. That makes searches a hit-or-miss proposition with long odds of finding relevant information, the agency said.
The interactive site — http://www.footnote.com — is a Web re-creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall. The site allows access to thousands of pages of casualty records and agency photos. People can search by name, hometown, birthdate, tour date, or dozens of other categories.
Such information now is typically found only at National Archives locations, including the headquarters in College Park, Md., and by poring through files organized by topic. That makes searches a hit-or-miss proposition with long odds of finding relevant information, the agency said.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 14:18
Comments
SOURCE: AP (4-4-08)
Nearly four decades after their deaths, four combat photographers received a museum burial Thursday as family, friends and former colleagues recalled how the men gave their lives to show the world "Vietnam as they saw it."
A UH-1 Huey helicopter carrying the four photographers was shot down over a steep mountainside in southern Laos on Feb. 10, 1971. Human remains were recovered years later, in 1998, along with camera parts, film, broken watches and bits of wreckage.
The remains have been interred at the foot of the Newseum's soaring glass memorial dedicated to fallen journalists. A small silver plaque was inscribed with the names of the four: Larry Burrows, 44, of Life magazine; Henri Huet, 43, of The Associated Press; Kent Potter, 23, of United Press International, and Keisaburo Shimamoto, 34, a freelancer working for Newsweek.
A UH-1 Huey helicopter carrying the four photographers was shot down over a steep mountainside in southern Laos on Feb. 10, 1971. Human remains were recovered years later, in 1998, along with camera parts, film, broken watches and bits of wreckage.
The remains have been interred at the foot of the Newseum's soaring glass memorial dedicated to fallen journalists. A small silver plaque was inscribed with the names of the four: Larry Burrows, 44, of Life magazine; Henri Huet, 43, of The Associated Press; Kent Potter, 23, of United Press International, and Keisaburo Shimamoto, 34, a freelancer working for Newsweek.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 14:16
SOURCE: AP (4-4-08)
A leading anti-Semitism watchdog group called Friday for a South Korean cosmetics company to halt an ad campaign with Nazi references.
The Coreana Cosmetics Co. television ad for a skin lotion shows a young woman in a short skirt and military-style trench coat, holding a soldier's cap that appears to have the swastika-gripping eagle Nazi insignia. Background noises of an explosion and crowds cheering in response to a man's unintelligible speech are heard.
A version shown in previews and posted on the Web contained the slogan: "Even Hitler didn't have the East and West."
The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center said in a statement that it sent a letter to company leaders calling for the ad campaign to be withdrawn.
The Coreana Cosmetics Co. television ad for a skin lotion shows a young woman in a short skirt and military-style trench coat, holding a soldier's cap that appears to have the swastika-gripping eagle Nazi insignia. Background noises of an explosion and crowds cheering in response to a man's unintelligible speech are heard.
A version shown in previews and posted on the Web contained the slogan: "Even Hitler didn't have the East and West."
The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center said in a statement that it sent a letter to company leaders calling for the ad campaign to be withdrawn.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 13:58
SOURCE: AP (4-5-08)
Germany's foreign minister has suggested that Germany and Poland could organize an exhibition that would examine "the whole spectrum" of the two neighbors' history.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier suggested in an article for Saturday's edition of the Polish daily Dziennik that the show could mark the 40th anniversary in 2010 of a groundbreaking visit to Poland by West German Chancellor Willy Brandt.
Brandt dropped to his knees at the Warsaw Ghetto monument in a dramatic show of humility over Nazi Germany's actions in the war and the Holocaust.
"Why don't we ask German and Polish historians on this occasion to conceive a major exhibition that can be shown prominently in Warsaw and Berlin?" Steinmeier wrote in the piece, which his ministry released before his departure Sunday on a visit to Poland.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier suggested in an article for Saturday's edition of the Polish daily Dziennik that the show could mark the 40th anniversary in 2010 of a groundbreaking visit to Poland by West German Chancellor Willy Brandt.
Brandt dropped to his knees at the Warsaw Ghetto monument in a dramatic show of humility over Nazi Germany's actions in the war and the Holocaust.
"Why don't we ask German and Polish historians on this occasion to conceive a major exhibition that can be shown prominently in Warsaw and Berlin?" Steinmeier wrote in the piece, which his ministry released before his departure Sunday on a visit to Poland.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 13:57
SOURCE: AP (4-5-08)
One of Quebec's most historic buildings was caught up in a massive fire and collapsed late Friday. No injuries were reported, police said.
Witnesses said there was a fire followed by an explosion at the Quebec City Armory, which was built in 1884 and houses the Voltigeurs, a Canadian Forces reserve unit and the oldest French infantry regiment in the country.
Witnesses said there was a fire followed by an explosion at the Quebec City Armory, which was built in 1884 and houses the Voltigeurs, a Canadian Forces reserve unit and the oldest French infantry regiment in the country.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 13:29
SOURCE: AP (4-3-08)
Answers to the mystery of what befell the heirs of the last czar of Russia nearly a century ago may rest behind locked laboratory doors in Moscow and New England.
DNA test results to be announced within months on bone fragments found in Russia last year could prove that none of Czar Nicholas II's family escaped execution in the Bolshevik Revolution — not even Anastasia, the teenage princess whose identity various women have claimed over the decades.
Evgeny Rogaev, who heads a genetic research team working in Moscow and at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, is not immune to the effect his work could have on how his fellow Russian citizens view that turbulent chapter in their history.
DNA test results to be announced within months on bone fragments found in Russia last year could prove that none of Czar Nicholas II's family escaped execution in the Bolshevik Revolution — not even Anastasia, the teenage princess whose identity various women have claimed over the decades.
Evgeny Rogaev, who heads a genetic research team working in Moscow and at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, is not immune to the effect his work could have on how his fellow Russian citizens view that turbulent chapter in their history.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 13:16
SOURCE: AP (4-4-08)
A remote-controlled submarine scouring the shipwrecked remains of an Australian warship has revealed new clues to a World War II battle that cost more than 700 lives. But the mystery persists: What caused Australia's worst maritime tragedy?
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 14:42
SOURCE: AP (4-3-08)
A lawyer for one of three white teens accused of defacing a Confederate monument at the state Capitol says his client will admit to the vandalism, which he says was done as a statement against slavery.
The three males, who were all 17 at the time of the crime, are scheduled to go to trial in juvenile court on April 10. They were charged with first-degree criminal mischief and their names have not been released because of their age.
The three males, who were all 17 at the time of the crime, are scheduled to go to trial in juvenile court on April 10. They were charged with first-degree criminal mischief and their names have not been released because of their age.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 13:16
SOURCE: AP (4-3-08)
The preacher in him would have continued speaking out against injustice, war and maybe even pop culture. He would likely not have run for president. He probably would have endured more harassment from J. Edgar Hoover.
Four decades after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. fell to an assassin's bullet, colleagues and biographers offer many answers to the question: What if he had lived?
For his children, however, the speculation is more personal. They know their lives would have turned out differently had they had their beloved father to guide and teach them.
Instead, history moves on, remaking the world in myriad ways. The nation has grappled with issues of race and inequity without the benefit of King's evolving wisdom. A generation has come of age celebrating him in a national holiday, like other figures of the frozen past.
Four decades after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. fell to an assassin's bullet, colleagues and biographers offer many answers to the question: What if he had lived?
For his children, however, the speculation is more personal. They know their lives would have turned out differently had they had their beloved father to guide and teach them.
Instead, history moves on, remaking the world in myriad ways. The nation has grappled with issues of race and inequity without the benefit of King's evolving wisdom. A generation has come of age celebrating him in a national holiday, like other figures of the frozen past.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 12:50
SOURCE: AP (4-3-08)
A history enthusiast has sued the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, claiming it lost several of his World War II-era photographs, including the shot of the flag raising on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima.
The man, Rodney Hilton Brown, says the photos were part of the World War II memorabilia that he lent to the museum, which is sited on a retired aircraft carrier usually docked in the Hudson River, initially in 1995 and again in 2005.
Mr. Brown, a mortgage broker who collects historical artifacts as a hobby, said that at least 8 of 52 pictures were missing when the museum returned his collection to his vacation home in Fairhaven, Mass., in November 2006.
The man, Rodney Hilton Brown, says the photos were part of the World War II memorabilia that he lent to the museum, which is sited on a retired aircraft carrier usually docked in the Hudson River, initially in 1995 and again in 2005.
Mr. Brown, a mortgage broker who collects historical artifacts as a hobby, said that at least 8 of 52 pictures were missing when the museum returned his collection to his vacation home in Fairhaven, Mass., in November 2006.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 12:41
SOURCE: AP (4-1-08)
The secrets of a female spy who posed as a cosmetics saleswoman during World War II and helped lead the resistance inside Nazi-occupied France have been unsealed.
Pearl Cornioley outfoxed the Nazis by, among other tricks, concealing secret messages in the hem of her skirt and helping airmen escape to safety, according to records unsealed at Britain's National Archives on Monday. The release follows Cornioley's death on Feb. 24.
The records shed light on a woman who quickly adapted to life as an agent but never forgot about her family in Britain, requesting in handwritten notes that officials in London send her mother and sisters timely birthday and Christmas presents.
Pearl Cornioley outfoxed the Nazis by, among other tricks, concealing secret messages in the hem of her skirt and helping airmen escape to safety, according to records unsealed at Britain's National Archives on Monday. The release follows Cornioley's death on Feb. 24.
The records shed light on a woman who quickly adapted to life as an agent but never forgot about her family in Britain, requesting in handwritten notes that officials in London send her mother and sisters timely birthday and Christmas presents.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 12:40
SOURCE: AP (4-3-08)
Abraham Lincoln's heartfelt letter to youngsters who asked him to free America's "little slave children" was sold at auction Thursday for $3.4 million.
The 1864 letter set a record for a Lincoln manuscript, as well as for any presidential and American manuscript, Sotheby's said.
It was purchased by an anonymous American private collector bidding by telephone.
Lincoln's hand-penned reply was contained in a letter to a woman who had mailed the children's petition from Concord, Mass.
The 1864 letter set a record for a Lincoln manuscript, as well as for any presidential and American manuscript, Sotheby's said.
It was purchased by an anonymous American private collector bidding by telephone.
Lincoln's hand-penned reply was contained in a letter to a woman who had mailed the children's petition from Concord, Mass.
Thursday, April 3, 2008 - 22:50
Name of source: http://www.thetimesnews.com
SOURCE: http://www.thetimesnews.com (3-31-08)
The first breaths of a Revolutionary War turning point were breathed in Alamance County, claim local historians who say they've pinpointed the exact location of the Battle of Clapp's Mill.
At a tour of local battle sites Saturday, Jeff Bright and Stewart Dunaway unveiled their estimation of events at Clapp's Mill which led to the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Using GPS technology and topographical map overlays, Bright and Dunaway located the spot, just off the banks of Beaver Creek, now submerged in Lake Mackintosh, where the battle's namesake mill operated.
"I'm not a historian. I'm a sociologist by trade but I'm proud of my history and Alamance County and I want this land to be preserved," Bright said, leading a tour just beyond Lake Mackintosh Park and Marina and a stone's throw from the Guilford County Line. "I had friends growing up who played here. We found all kinds of things around this site: horseshoes, musket balls and a button with ‘London 1765' on it."
At a tour of local battle sites Saturday, Jeff Bright and Stewart Dunaway unveiled their estimation of events at Clapp's Mill which led to the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Using GPS technology and topographical map overlays, Bright and Dunaway located the spot, just off the banks of Beaver Creek, now submerged in Lake Mackintosh, where the battle's namesake mill operated.
"I'm not a historian. I'm a sociologist by trade but I'm proud of my history and Alamance County and I want this land to be preserved," Bright said, leading a tour just beyond Lake Mackintosh Park and Marina and a stone's throw from the Guilford County Line. "I had friends growing up who played here. We found all kinds of things around this site: horseshoes, musket balls and a button with ‘London 1765' on it."
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 14:14
Name of source: Scoop.com
SOURCE: Scoop.com (4-2-08)
The many New Zealanders who lost their lives fighting on foreign fields are being remembered and honoured in New Zealand Post’s latest Stamp Issue; The ANZAC Series – Stories of Nationhood.
While the acronym ANZAC - Australia and New Zealand Army Corps - is now synonymous in New Zealand and Australia with service people who have served as peacekeepers in international hotspots and supported allied forces in international conflicts, it originated from those soldiers who were brought together on Turkey’s Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915.
There, on beaches and hills where almost 3,000 New Zealanders and over 8,000 Australians made the ultimate sacrifice, the ANZAC tradition was forged. It remains to this day an intensely shared emotional experience. The pride those soldiers took in the name and the comradeship that developed has endured, where today the ANZAC tradition forms an important part of what it is to be a New Zealander.
While the acronym ANZAC - Australia and New Zealand Army Corps - is now synonymous in New Zealand and Australia with service people who have served as peacekeepers in international hotspots and supported allied forces in international conflicts, it originated from those soldiers who were brought together on Turkey’s Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915.
There, on beaches and hills where almost 3,000 New Zealanders and over 8,000 Australians made the ultimate sacrifice, the ANZAC tradition was forged. It remains to this day an intensely shared emotional experience. The pride those soldiers took in the name and the comradeship that developed has endured, where today the ANZAC tradition forms an important part of what it is to be a New Zealander.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 14:11
Name of source: Reuters
SOURCE: Reuters (4-6-08)
Vandals desecrated 148 graves in the Muslim section of a military cemetery in northern France, hanging a pig's head on one of the headstones, police said on Sunday.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the attack "a hateful act" and around 100 police were sent to the Notre-Dame de Lorette cemetery near Arras to hunt for clues.
State prosecutor Jean-Pierre Valensi said the vandals struck overnight, daubing insults on the graves.
"They directly referred to Islam and there were also insults directed at the justice minister," Valensi said, referring to Rachida Dati, whose parents came from North Africa.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the attack "a hateful act" and around 100 police were sent to the Notre-Dame de Lorette cemetery near Arras to hunt for clues.
State prosecutor Jean-Pierre Valensi said the vandals struck overnight, daubing insults on the graves.
"They directly referred to Islam and there were also insults directed at the justice minister," Valensi said, referring to Rachida Dati, whose parents came from North Africa.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 13:56
SOURCE: Reuters (4-7-08)
A large cache of stone tools estimated to be up to 35,000 years old has been discovered on the site of one of Australia's largest iron ore mines, sparking calls on Monday for the site's preservation.
Archaeologists uncovered the tools on the site of the A$1 billion ($920 million) Hope Downs iron ore mine, about 310 kilometres (192 miles) south of Port Hedland, in western Australia's ore-rich Pilbara region.
Archaeologists uncovered the tools on the site of the A$1 billion ($920 million) Hope Downs iron ore mine, about 310 kilometres (192 miles) south of Port Hedland, in western Australia's ore-rich Pilbara region.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 13:46
SOURCE: Reuters (4-3-08)
Using written symbols such as hearts, arrows and hands, the ancient Aztecs maintained an arithmetic system that was far more complex than previously understood, scientists said on Thursday.
The Aztecs, an empire in central Mexico toppled by Spanish invaders in 1519, has long been recognized for its sophistication in architecture, engineering, astronomy and other fields. And the new research confirms arithmetic can be added to the list.
The researchers examined hundreds of drawings in two manuscripts dating back to between 1540 and 1544 that were used to document agricultural properties by the Aztec people in the city-state of Tepetlaoztoc, near modern Mexico City.
The Aztecs, an empire in central Mexico toppled by Spanish invaders in 1519, has long been recognized for its sophistication in architecture, engineering, astronomy and other fields. And the new research confirms arithmetic can be added to the list.
The researchers examined hundreds of drawings in two manuscripts dating back to between 1540 and 1544 that were used to document agricultural properties by the Aztec people in the city-state of Tepetlaoztoc, near modern Mexico City.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 12:51
Name of source: International Herald Tribune
SOURCE: International Herald Tribune (4-6-08)
ROME: In ancient times the Appian Way, which links Rome to the southern city of Brindisi, was known as the regina viarum, the queen of the roads. But these days its crown appears to be tarnished by chronic traffic congestion, vandalism and, some of its guardians grumble, illegal development.
"Look at this!" bristled Rita Paris, the Italian state archaeological official responsible for the Appian Way, peering through a weathered bamboo screen lining the road while bumpily maneuvering her car through a patch of uneven ancient stones. "You can bet that it was once a canopy that was walled in and transformed into a home."
"Look at this!" bristled Rita Paris, the Italian state archaeological official responsible for the Appian Way, peering through a weathered bamboo screen lining the road while bumpily maneuvering her car through a patch of uneven ancient stones. "You can bet that it was once a canopy that was walled in and transformed into a home."
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 13:55
Name of source: Telegraph (UK)
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (4-7-08)
The earliest-known printed book bearing the stamp of William Caxton, the father of British printing, has been saved for the nation by the National Trust at a cost of almost £500,000.
The book, dated 1487 and printed in Latin, is the only surviving example of the earliest edition of the Sarum Missal, the most commonly used rite for celebrating Mass in pre-Reformation Britain.
The book, dated 1487 and printed in Latin, is the only surviving example of the earliest edition of the Sarum Missal, the most commonly used rite for celebrating Mass in pre-Reformation Britain.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 13:54
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (4-7-08)
Gordon Brown is considering repealing the 1701 Act of Settlement as a way of healing a historic injustice by ending the prohibition against Catholics taking the throne.
But doing so would have the unforeseen consequence of making a 74-year-old German aristocrat the new King of England and Scotland.
Without the Act, Franz Herzog von Bayern, the current Duke of Bavaria, would be the rightful heir to the British Crown under the Stuart line.
The bachelor, who lives alone in the vast Nymphenberg Palace in Munich, is the blood descendant of the 17th-century King Charles I.
But doing so would have the unforeseen consequence of making a 74-year-old German aristocrat the new King of England and Scotland.
Without the Act, Franz Herzog von Bayern, the current Duke of Bavaria, would be the rightful heir to the British Crown under the Stuart line.
The bachelor, who lives alone in the vast Nymphenberg Palace in Munich, is the blood descendant of the 17th-century King Charles I.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 13:50
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (4-7-08)
Margaret Thatcher at her peak would sweep to power in a general election held today, according to an opinion poll for The Daily Telegraph.
The YouGov survey emphatically confirms the enduring political appeal of the country's first woman prime minister, who left office undefeated 18 years ago.
Baroness Thatcher comfortably surpassed Tony Blair when people were asked who they would pick to lead the country at the height of their powers if they had the choice. David Cameron, the Conservative leader, trailed far behind both - but was still ahead of Gordon Brown.
The YouGov survey emphatically confirms the enduring political appeal of the country's first woman prime minister, who left office undefeated 18 years ago.
Baroness Thatcher comfortably surpassed Tony Blair when people were asked who they would pick to lead the country at the height of their powers if they had the choice. David Cameron, the Conservative leader, trailed far behind both - but was still ahead of Gordon Brown.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 13:47
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (4-3-08)
Rome's ancient monuments are so poorly guarded that tourists are taking away mementos of their visit to the Eternal City with impunity.
Archaeologists said yesterday that Trajan's Forum, in the heart of the city's classical ruins, had been stripped of all the fragments of statues and shards of amphorae that adorned the site until recently.
To highlight the problem, a reporter from Il Messaggero newspaper carried away large boxes full of ancient artefacts during the daytime without being challenged.
An archaeologist working at the site, who asked not to be named, said: "Everything has been taken from Trajan's Forum. The close-circuit television cameras are pointless, and the gates are practically non-existent. Even a child could climb over them.
Archaeologists said yesterday that Trajan's Forum, in the heart of the city's classical ruins, had been stripped of all the fragments of statues and shards of amphorae that adorned the site until recently.
To highlight the problem, a reporter from Il Messaggero newspaper carried away large boxes full of ancient artefacts during the daytime without being challenged.
An archaeologist working at the site, who asked not to be named, said: "Everything has been taken from Trajan's Forum. The close-circuit television cameras are pointless, and the gates are practically non-existent. Even a child could climb over them.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 12:46
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (4-3-08)
FIA president Max Mosley has escalated the "sick Nazi orgy" row threatening to engulf Formula One by alluding to the links between BMW and Mercedes and Adolf Hitler's regime in a response to criticism from carmakers.
Mosley, 67, who has come under fire following revelations in the News of the World at the weekend, issued a swift response to earlier statements this morning from four car manufacturers that refers to the history of the two German companies, "particularly before and during the Second World War".
Forgetting the boundaries: Max Mosley has done the unthinkable and mentioned the War
Mosley, who has already sent a letter to FIA members apologising for any embarrassment caused by the reports, and said he would be taking legal action against the publication, took little time in replying.
He said: "Given the history of BMW and Mercedes Benz, particularly before and during the Second World War, I fully understand why they would wish to strongly distance themselves from what they rightly describe as the disgraceful content of these publications.
Mosley, 67, who has come under fire following revelations in the News of the World at the weekend, issued a swift response to earlier statements this morning from four car manufacturers that refers to the history of the two German companies, "particularly before and during the Second World War".
Forgetting the boundaries: Max Mosley has done the unthinkable and mentioned the War
Mosley, who has already sent a letter to FIA members apologising for any embarrassment caused by the reports, and said he would be taking legal action against the publication, took little time in replying.
He said: "Given the history of BMW and Mercedes Benz, particularly before and during the Second World War, I fully understand why they would wish to strongly distance themselves from what they rightly describe as the disgraceful content of these publications.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 01:26
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (4-2-08)
The Royal Mint has unveiled the biggest changes to Britain's coinage in 40 years to a chorus of disapproval.
Historians, designers, and MPs have criticised the changes which show elements of the Queen's coat of arms on the reverse of seven coins from the penny to the pound.
In pictures: The designs which will feature on the reverse of seven British coins
The six designs on the 1p through to the 50p coins can be pieced together to form a complete image of the royal coat of arms.
The £1 coin features the complete Royal shield. The design, chosen after a nationwide competition, is designed to underline the Government's commitment to the Union.
Historians, designers, and MPs have criticised the changes which show elements of the Queen's coat of arms on the reverse of seven coins from the penny to the pound.
In pictures: The designs which will feature on the reverse of seven British coins
The six designs on the 1p through to the 50p coins can be pieced together to form a complete image of the royal coat of arms.
The £1 coin features the complete Royal shield. The design, chosen after a nationwide competition, is designed to underline the Government's commitment to the Union.
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Thursday, April 3, 2008 - 23:02
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (4-2-08)
The term "listed building" is to be scrapped, in England at least.
Those who live in or own one of the 370,000 properties protected for their historical or archaeological merit will have to get used to living in a "registered heritage asset."
The changes are proposed in the draft Heritage Bill which will also enable landscapes, for example Capability Brown parkland or farmed landscapes in national parks, to be registered as "heritage assets" for the first time.
Though it has survived for 40 years, the term "listing" is to be abolished in the interests of simplifying a system that currently has listed buildings and scheduled ancient monuments.
Those who live in or own one of the 370,000 properties protected for their historical or archaeological merit will have to get used to living in a "registered heritage asset."
The changes are proposed in the draft Heritage Bill which will also enable landscapes, for example Capability Brown parkland or farmed landscapes in national parks, to be registered as "heritage assets" for the first time.
Though it has survived for 40 years, the term "listing" is to be abolished in the interests of simplifying a system that currently has listed buildings and scheduled ancient monuments.
Thursday, April 3, 2008 - 22:52
Name of source: NYT
SOURCE: NYT (4-7-08)
Few scandals in recent years have provoked as much anger and dismay across Europe as the saga of Max Mosley, the overseer of grand prix motor racing who made tabloid news last weekend in a front-page exposé and accompanying Web video showing him in a sadomasochistic orgy with five supposed prostitutes in a London sex “dungeon.”
But beyond the licentiousness of the episode, it was the suggestion of Nazi undertones in the role-playing during the session in a basement in London’s fashionable Chelsea district that led to demands for Mr. Mosley’s resignation as president of the Paris-based Federation Internationale de l’Automobile. Known as the F.I.A., it is the international governing body of motor sports, and has presided over the expansion of Formula One racing into one of the world’s richest sports.
Family history has added to the notoriety: Mr. Mosley, 67, is the younger son of Britain’s 1930s fascist leader, Sir Oswald Mosley, and the society beauty Diana Mitford, whose secret wedding in Berlin in October 1936 was held at the home of the Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels and included Hitler as a guest of honor.
But beyond the licentiousness of the episode, it was the suggestion of Nazi undertones in the role-playing during the session in a basement in London’s fashionable Chelsea district that led to demands for Mr. Mosley’s resignation as president of the Paris-based Federation Internationale de l’Automobile. Known as the F.I.A., it is the international governing body of motor sports, and has presided over the expansion of Formula One racing into one of the world’s richest sports.
Family history has added to the notoriety: Mr. Mosley, 67, is the younger son of Britain’s 1930s fascist leader, Sir Oswald Mosley, and the society beauty Diana Mitford, whose secret wedding in Berlin in October 1936 was held at the home of the Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels and included Hitler as a guest of honor.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 13:41
SOURCE: NYT (4-4-08)
ST. HELENA ISLAND, S.C. — In the hour between sunset and nightfall, the view from this slate-blue cabin consists of a steadily darkening palette. The salt marsh silvers into stone gray, the grassy hummocks ash away into soft black. A blue heron, perhaps feeling conspicuously colorful, flies away.
The scene was intended to soothe the sore eyes of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But as evidence of just how much he needed the kind of solace it offered, Dr. King died before the cabin was finished. He was assassinated 40 years ago on Friday.
The cabin is part of the Penn Center, founded in 1862 as one of the country’s first schools for freed slaves and used more than 100 years later by Dr. King as a retreat center for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
The scene was intended to soothe the sore eyes of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But as evidence of just how much he needed the kind of solace it offered, Dr. King died before the cabin was finished. He was assassinated 40 years ago on Friday.
The cabin is part of the Penn Center, founded in 1862 as one of the country’s first schools for freed slaves and used more than 100 years later by Dr. King as a retreat center for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 13:10
SOURCE: NYT (4-3-08)
About one-third of America’s eighth-grade students, and about one in four high school seniors, are proficient writers, according to results of a nationwide test released on Thursday.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 12:44
Name of source: WaPo
SOURCE: WaPo (4-6-08)
T he intersection where it all began that catastrophic night, the once-ragged corner of 14th and U streets, is now a crossroads at the center of Washington affluence.
Seventh Street is a neon-lit pathway lined with boutiques, taverns, restaurants serving fusion cuisine and a world-class convention center.
On H Street, east of Union Station, condos sell for more than $1 million, and new nightclubs throb with the young and hip.
Forty years ago, the conditions on Seventh Street NW, 14th Street NW and H Street NE -- three corridors at the core of Washington's cultural and economic soul -- were beyond desperate.
Seventh Street is a neon-lit pathway lined with boutiques, taverns, restaurants serving fusion cuisine and a world-class convention center.
On H Street, east of Union Station, condos sell for more than $1 million, and new nightclubs throb with the young and hip.
Forty years ago, the conditions on Seventh Street NW, 14th Street NW and H Street NE -- three corridors at the core of Washington's cultural and economic soul -- were beyond desperate.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 13:31
SOURCE: WaPo (4-4-08)
The peace symbol -- three simple lines within a circle -- turns 50 today. It's had a colorful and often turbulent life, which is odd considering that it's supposed to symbolize, you know, peace.
Unveiled at a British ban-the-bomb rally on April 4, 1958, the peace symbol's peak of potency was in the 1960s, when it was the emblem of the anti-Vietnam War movement and all things groovily counterculture. (Said its late creator, British graphic designer Gerald Holtom: "I drew myself . . . a man in despair . . . put a circle around it to represent the world.") The symbol has marched in service of many causes over the years: civil rights, women's rights, environmentalism, gay rights, anti-apartheid, the nuclear-freeze movement and the latter-day antiwar crowd.
Unveiled at a British ban-the-bomb rally on April 4, 1958, the peace symbol's peak of potency was in the 1960s, when it was the emblem of the anti-Vietnam War movement and all things groovily counterculture. (Said its late creator, British graphic designer Gerald Holtom: "I drew myself . . . a man in despair . . . put a circle around it to represent the world.") The symbol has marched in service of many causes over the years: civil rights, women's rights, environmentalism, gay rights, anti-apartheid, the nuclear-freeze movement and the latter-day antiwar crowd.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 13:14
Name of source: Memphis Magazine
SOURCE: Memphis Magazine (4-1-08)
The civil rights struggle in Memphis during the late 1960s is usually defined by two names: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the world-famous practitioner of nonviolent protests, and Henry Loeb, the stubborn mayor who opposed him during the sanitation workers' strike.
But many others — men and women, white and black — played key roles in the battle for human dignity. Some worked behind the scenes; others stood at King's side. For the first time in our magazine's long history, we tracked down ten of the most important figures from that tumultuous period. Here, in their own words, they tell what it was like in those dark days leading up to the death of King, and where they were when they heard the awful news.
Forty years have passed, but their words and memories remain as strong
and relevant as they were during 1968. While most of us are merely passive readers of history, these brave men and women actually helped change it. They are the true pioneers of the civil rights movement in America.
But many others — men and women, white and black — played key roles in the battle for human dignity. Some worked behind the scenes; others stood at King's side. For the first time in our magazine's long history, we tracked down ten of the most important figures from that tumultuous period. Here, in their own words, they tell what it was like in those dark days leading up to the death of King, and where they were when they heard the awful news.
Forty years have passed, but their words and memories remain as strong
and relevant as they were during 1968. While most of us are merely passive readers of history, these brave men and women actually helped change it. They are the true pioneers of the civil rights movement in America.
Monday, April 7, 2008 - 13:14
Name of source: NBC News
Name of source: Dallas Morning News
SOURCE: Dallas Morning News (3-31-08)
While President Bush's advisers were taking offers on an ideal spot for his library and museum, they probably should have paid more attention to the virtual real-estate market.
Officials finally settled on Southern Methodist University in Dallas to house the $250 million complex.
But online, some of the very best addresses are gone — snapped up for a mere fistful of dollars by squatters who have no connection to the library yet hope to make fun of the president, protect him or simply cash in on his name.
At one time, the Bush Library Foundation owned the easiest Web site to remember: www.GeorgeWBushLibrary.com.
But whether on purpose or because of an oversight — foundation spokesman Taylor Griffin wasn't sure — it lost that domain name last year. Illuminati Karate, a Web company in Raleigh, N.C., picked it up for less than $10.
Officials finally settled on Southern Methodist University in Dallas to house the $250 million complex.
But online, some of the very best addresses are gone — snapped up for a mere fistful of dollars by squatters who have no connection to the library yet hope to make fun of the president, protect him or simply cash in on his name.
At one time, the Bush Library Foundation owned the easiest Web site to remember: www.GeorgeWBushLibrary.com.
But whether on purpose or because of an oversight — foundation spokesman Taylor Griffin wasn't sure — it lost that domain name last year. Illuminati Karate, a Web company in Raleigh, N.C., picked it up for less than $10.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 13:49
Name of source: PRweb
SOURCE: PRweb (4-3-08)
Bob Skilnik, author of "Beer & Food: An American History" (ISBN 0977808610, Jefferson Press, Hardcover, $24.95), argues that industry embellishments and poor research have distorted the true date of Repeal on December 5, 1933, which signified the revocation of the 18th Amendment and the enactment of the 21st Amendment and brought back the manufacture and sale of all alcoholic beverages.
"Congressional events leading up to April 7, 1933 allowed only the resumption of sales for legal beer with an alcoholic strength of no more than 3.2% alcohol by volume (abv), weak by today's standards. Congress had earlier passed the so-called Cullen-Harrison Bill which redefined what constituted a legally 'intoxicating' beverage. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the bill on March 23, 1933. The bill's passage took the teeth out of the bite of the Volstead Act of 1919 and raised the Prohibition-era legal limit of alcoholic drinks from .05% abv to 3.2% abv."
"Bringing breweries back online on April 7, 1933 in states whose legislatures agreed to go 'wet' again gave a tremendous shot in the arm of an economy in the throes of the Depression. In just forty-eight hours, $25,000,000 had been pumped into various beer-related trades as diverse as bottling manufacturers to the sawdust wholesalers whose product lay strewn on the floors of saloons. For the first day of nationwide beer sales, it was estimated that the federal tax for beer brought in $7,500,000 to the United States Treasury."
"Congressional events leading up to April 7, 1933 allowed only the resumption of sales for legal beer with an alcoholic strength of no more than 3.2% alcohol by volume (abv), weak by today's standards. Congress had earlier passed the so-called Cullen-Harrison Bill which redefined what constituted a legally 'intoxicating' beverage. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the bill on March 23, 1933. The bill's passage took the teeth out of the bite of the Volstead Act of 1919 and raised the Prohibition-era legal limit of alcoholic drinks from .05% abv to 3.2% abv."
"Bringing breweries back online on April 7, 1933 in states whose legislatures agreed to go 'wet' again gave a tremendous shot in the arm of an economy in the throes of the Depression. In just forty-eight hours, $25,000,000 had been pumped into various beer-related trades as diverse as bottling manufacturers to the sawdust wholesalers whose product lay strewn on the floors of saloons. For the first day of nationwide beer sales, it was estimated that the federal tax for beer brought in $7,500,000 to the United States Treasury."
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 13:24
Name of source: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
SOURCE: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk (4-3-08)
Ten years to the day after Lord Saville opened his investigation into Bloody Sunday, families today remained in the dark as to when the report would be published.
A spokeswoman for the inquiry - which probed the deaths of 13 men in the Bogside on January 30, 1972 and another man who died later - told the Telegraph that the report was "not imminent".
On the tenth anniversary of the inquiry's start, with unionists again attacking the mounting costs, the families said they were still waiting for answers.
A spokeswoman for the inquiry - which probed the deaths of 13 men in the Bogside on January 30, 1972 and another man who died later - told the Telegraph that the report was "not imminent".
On the tenth anniversary of the inquiry's start, with unionists again attacking the mounting costs, the families said they were still waiting for answers.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 13:07
SOURCE: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk (3-4-08)
Martin Luther King III was just 10 years old when his father was shot on the balcony outside room 306, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, on 4 April, 1968. Now 50 years old, he remembers the day vividly.
"My siblings and I were watching the evening news at home in Atlanta and we heard 'Dr Martin Luther King Jr has been shot,'" says King III, who will lead a march tomorrow to that motel, now home to the National Civil Rights Museum.
"We ran to our mother's room, and she was preparing to leave because she had already had a call to say my father had been shot and she should get to Memphis as quickly as possible. She didn't know how bad the injury was."
"My siblings and I were watching the evening news at home in Atlanta and we heard 'Dr Martin Luther King Jr has been shot,'" says King III, who will lead a march tomorrow to that motel, now home to the National Civil Rights Museum.
"We ran to our mother's room, and she was preparing to leave because she had already had a call to say my father had been shot and she should get to Memphis as quickly as possible. She didn't know how bad the injury was."
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 01:57
Name of source: http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk
SOURCE: http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk (4-3-08)
Isambard Kingdom Brunel is often credited as being the first man to master many of the engineering innovations that fuelled Britain’s industrial revolution. Now, it seems, Portland cement can be added to the list.
Archaeologists working on the site of Brunel’s Great Western Dockyard development next to Brunel’s ss Great Britain, have discovered what is thought to be the first ever substantial use of Portland cement in the construction of a major building.
Archaeologists working on the site of Brunel’s Great Western Dockyard development next to Brunel’s ss Great Britain, have discovered what is thought to be the first ever substantial use of Portland cement in the construction of a major building.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 13:05
Name of source: Independent (UK)
SOURCE: Independent (UK) (4-3-08)
The strip's last big show was in AD549. Then the Barbarians arrived and laid it to waste, and for the next millenium and a half it was no more than a very large allotment with a fancy name.
But now, after the centuries of neglect and years of debate and campaigning, Circus Maximus is finally to get some attention. Beginning on 20 June, the city's archeological authorities are to begin a careful and respectful restoration.
Eugenio La Rocca, Superintendent of Rome and lecturere in archeology at Rome's Sapienza University, said: "We are trying to realise the old dreams that Rome has maintained from the 19th century up to the present. We will do our best to restore this site, which was of the utmost importance in our history.
But now, after the centuries of neglect and years of debate and campaigning, Circus Maximus is finally to get some attention. Beginning on 20 June, the city's archeological authorities are to begin a careful and respectful restoration.
Eugenio La Rocca, Superintendent of Rome and lecturere in archeology at Rome's Sapienza University, said: "We are trying to realise the old dreams that Rome has maintained from the 19th century up to the present. We will do our best to restore this site, which was of the utmost importance in our history.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 13:03
Name of source: http://www.mcall.com
SOURCE: http://www.mcall.com (4-3-08)
Moravian College has decided to buck the recommendation of state historians and dismantle recently discovered root cellars, which may be as old as Bethlehem, to make way for a $25 million dormitory and classroom building.
The root cellars are in the middle of a footprint for the new building that is scheduled to open next year on the Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus.
''We're committed to honoring and documenting history, but at the same time, we are also committed to safe, affordable and quality housing for students,'' college spokesman Michael Wilson said.
The root cellars are in the middle of a footprint for the new building that is scheduled to open next year on the Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus.
''We're committed to honoring and documenting history, but at the same time, we are also committed to safe, affordable and quality housing for students,'' college spokesman Michael Wilson said.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 13:01
Name of source: http://www.huliq.com
SOURCE: http://www.huliq.com (4-3-08)
An archaeological dig in Cambridge has uncovered surprising ancient remains and the foundations of the world’s largest telescope of the late Victorian era.
Archaeologists from the University of Cambridge Archaeological Unit, recently working at the site of the new Kavli Institute for Cosmology in the grounds of the University’s observatory in west Cambridge, have unearthed an extraordinary series of deposits.
The Observatory hill-top has long been known as both a location of early settlement and, in Medieval times, as Gritrow, a hamlet specialising in gravel quarrying. Accordingly, the site was peppered with oblong pits characteristic of small-scale quarrying, themselves dated to the 16-18th centuries.
However, within their fills were also found significant quantities of Iron Age and Early Roman pottery, indicating that the early settlement had been destroyed and redeposited by the quarrying.
Moreover, appearing like some sort of giant bull’s-eye, cut down through the quarries was the 13m diameter, brick-and-concrete ring foundation (with an enormous plinth in its centre) of the Newell Telescope.
Erected on the site in 1891, and having a 25” lens, in its day this was the largest telescope in the world. It stood there until 1955 when its mechanism was moved to Athens.
Archaeologists from the University of Cambridge Archaeological Unit, recently working at the site of the new Kavli Institute for Cosmology in the grounds of the University’s observatory in west Cambridge, have unearthed an extraordinary series of deposits.
The Observatory hill-top has long been known as both a location of early settlement and, in Medieval times, as Gritrow, a hamlet specialising in gravel quarrying. Accordingly, the site was peppered with oblong pits characteristic of small-scale quarrying, themselves dated to the 16-18th centuries.
However, within their fills were also found significant quantities of Iron Age and Early Roman pottery, indicating that the early settlement had been destroyed and redeposited by the quarrying.
Moreover, appearing like some sort of giant bull’s-eye, cut down through the quarries was the 13m diameter, brick-and-concrete ring foundation (with an enormous plinth in its centre) of the Newell Telescope.
Erected on the site in 1891, and having a 25” lens, in its day this was the largest telescope in the world. It stood there until 1955 when its mechanism was moved to Athens.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 12:59
Name of source: Nature News
SOURCE: Nature News (4-2-08)
The fate of a fourteenth-century pocket calculator is hanging in the balance between museum ownership and private sale.
The device is a brass astrolabe quadrant that opens a new window on the mathematical and astronomical literacy of the Middle Ages, experts say. It can tell the time from the position of the Sun, calculate the heights of tall objects, and work out the date of Easter.
The device is a brass astrolabe quadrant that opens a new window on the mathematical and astronomical literacy of the Middle Ages, experts say. It can tell the time from the position of the Sun, calculate the heights of tall objects, and work out the date of Easter.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 12:57
Name of source: Boston Globe
SOURCE: Boston Globe (4-3-08)
Fossilized excrement found in an Oregon cave has given scientists the hardest evidence to date that humans roamed the New World at least 1,000 years earlier than previously believed.
The prehistoric poop, deposited in a cave some 14,300 years ago, contains DNA from the forebears of modern-day Native Americans, according to the research.
The discovery reported today by the journal Science added fresh weight to emerging theories that Stone Age people from Asia somehow bypassed ice sheets sealing off North America before 11,000 BC. Nearly all scholars agree that humans were present by then, but until recently few archaeologists accepted that an earlier arrival was even possible because of the formidable ice barriers.
The prehistoric poop, deposited in a cave some 14,300 years ago, contains DNA from the forebears of modern-day Native Americans, according to the research.
The discovery reported today by the journal Science added fresh weight to emerging theories that Stone Age people from Asia somehow bypassed ice sheets sealing off North America before 11,000 BC. Nearly all scholars agree that humans were present by then, but until recently few archaeologists accepted that an earlier arrival was even possible because of the formidable ice barriers.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 12:48
Name of source: CNN
SOURCE: CNN (4-3-08)
Christine King Farris was sewing an Easter dress for her daughter in their Atlanta home one rainy April evening when the nightly news was interrupted by a special report.
The newscaster announced that Farris' younger brother, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., had been shot in Memphis, Tennessee. Another update came minutes later: King was in critical condition.
"It was a horrible moment," Farris said of that night in 1968. "I tried to call my sister-in-law; the lines were busy. I tried to call my parents; the lines were busy. I couldn't get anybody."
The newscaster announced that Farris' younger brother, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., had been shot in Memphis, Tennessee. Another update came minutes later: King was in critical condition.
"It was a horrible moment," Farris said of that night in 1968. "I tried to call my sister-in-law; the lines were busy. I tried to call my parents; the lines were busy. I couldn't get anybody."
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 12:43
Name of source: The Root (webzine published by Henry Louis Gates for the WaPo)
SOURCE: The Root (webzine published by Henry Louis Gates for the WaPo) (4-2-08)
D.C. had its riot at last. For years, Negroes in the capital had watched as Watts, Detroit, Newark -- even Rochester, New York -- exploded in racial outrage. And though it shared the frustrations expressed in cities elsewhere, black Washington had held calm, either because its second-class citizens were intimidated by proximity to such concentrated power, or because they were too comfortable in the middle-class advantages of federal jobs.
All the way down 7th Street that night, we witnessed a righteous chaos. It was grief and lifelong frustration released in a burning, destructive fury. We saw poor people tearing up their own neighborhoods; targeting stores, but mindless of apartments above them; breaking windows and burning shops along the commercial strip long known its for exploitative merchandising. Jewelers, haberdashers and merchants of cheap furniture routinely sold at high prices to captive shoppers, often charged ruinous credit rates.
All the way down 7th Street that night, we witnessed a righteous chaos. It was grief and lifelong frustration released in a burning, destructive fury. We saw poor people tearing up their own neighborhoods; targeting stores, but mindless of apartments above them; breaking windows and burning shops along the commercial strip long known its for exploitative merchandising. Jewelers, haberdashers and merchants of cheap furniture routinely sold at high prices to captive shoppers, often charged ruinous credit rates.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 12:34
SOURCE: The Root (webzine published by Henry Louis Gates for the WaPo) (4-2-08)
Forty years later there are two particularly poignant and enduring images associated with Dr. King's assassination. The first is the circle of men surrounding Martin's body on that Memphis balcony as they point in the direction of the shooter. The second is Coretta Scott King's mournful and resolute face beneath her widow's black veil.
Both images capture the radicalizing power of Dr. King's murder. Together they reveal how responses to racial terrorism are often gendered. Many black men are like TheRoot.com contributor Professor Michael Dawson, who found his authentic political voice emerging from the ashes of his beloved, burning city in the aftermath of King's death. Like the men on the balcony, they became the vocal and visible leaders of the continuing movements against injustice.
Many black women swallow their pain, gird their loins and persist against impossible odds when the men they love are destroyed. They are like Medgar's Myrlie, Malcolm's Betty, and Martin's Coretta. Much less visible and vocal, these women become the symbols of strength and endurance in the aftermath of men's murders.
Both images capture the radicalizing power of Dr. King's murder. Together they reveal how responses to racial terrorism are often gendered. Many black men are like TheRoot.com contributor Professor Michael Dawson, who found his authentic political voice emerging from the ashes of his beloved, burning city in the aftermath of King's death. Like the men on the balcony, they became the vocal and visible leaders of the continuing movements against injustice.
Many black women swallow their pain, gird their loins and persist against impossible odds when the men they love are destroyed. They are like Medgar's Myrlie, Malcolm's Betty, and Martin's Coretta. Much less visible and vocal, these women become the symbols of strength and endurance in the aftermath of men's murders.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 12:32
SOURCE: The Root (webzine published by Henry Louis Gates for the WaPo) (4-4-08)
When masses of dispossessed black people descended on the National Mall during the March on Washington to demand equal rights in the world's most powerful country, King's "I Have a Dream" speech gave disenfranchised people abroad reason to persist in their own battles against injustices at home. He made them believe that fairer political systems where within reach whether their oppressors where white, black, or brown.
King recognized that by speaking to a larger audience he was putting the U.S. on the hook by putting its racial hypocrisy on the world stage. He also knew he could influence events in other countries, where political leaders might look to follow America's lead, or masses of people might follow the lead of black American civil rights activists. He used moral persuasion at both ends.
"Something is happening in our world," King said on April 3, 1968 in Memphis, the night before he was gunned down. "The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee -- the cry is always the same: 'We want to be free.' "
Today streets are named for King in Bonn, Germany, (Martin Luther King Strasse) in Nantes, France (Rue Martin Luther King), in Cambridgeshire, England (Martin Luther King Close ), in Calcutta, India (Martin Luther King Sarani), in Port-au-Prince Haiti (Avenue Martin Luther King), and in Mexico, Brazil, and countless other countries.
King recognized that by speaking to a larger audience he was putting the U.S. on the hook by putting its racial hypocrisy on the world stage. He also knew he could influence events in other countries, where political leaders might look to follow America's lead, or masses of people might follow the lead of black American civil rights activists. He used moral persuasion at both ends.
"Something is happening in our world," King said on April 3, 1968 in Memphis, the night before he was gunned down. "The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee -- the cry is always the same: 'We want to be free.' "
Today streets are named for King in Bonn, Germany, (Martin Luther King Strasse) in Nantes, France (Rue Martin Luther King), in Cambridgeshire, England (Martin Luther King Close ), in Calcutta, India (Martin Luther King Sarani), in Port-au-Prince Haiti (Avenue Martin Luther King), and in Mexico, Brazil, and countless other countries.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 12:13
Name of source: Press Release
SOURCE: Press Release (4-4-08)
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum today
launched World is Witness, a new initiative that opens a window into the lives
of people affected by genocide and its long-term consequences.
A project of the Museum's Genocide Prevention Mapping Initiative that documents and maps threats of genocide and related crimes against humanity, World is Witness brings together testimonies, photographs, videos, and other first-hand data in Google Earth, situating eyewitness accounts in their geographic location. World is Witness can be found in Google Earth's Global Awareness folder under the heading, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, or at the Museum's Web site, www.ushmm.org/maps/.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 11:55
Name of source: Politico
SOURCE: Politico (4-3-08)
Since the public supposedly can’t stand the media, and newspaper circulation keeps dropping, it seems an inauspicious moment to open a $450 million museum dedicated to the news.
However, that’s what happens next week, when the Newseum unlocks its doors along Pennsylvania Avenue, the tourist-friendly strip linking the White House and the U.S. Capitol.
But with journalism being about ideas, not artifacts, how does the Newseum justify a $20 admission fee to inform visitors about the news — especially when most Washington museums charge nothing?
For Charles Overby, the Newseum’s chief executive, the purpose is not to create a shrine glorifying journalists or replicating a reporter’s DNA on white walls. No, he’s trying to provide visitors with a memorable — and informative — experience.
However, that’s what happens next week, when the Newseum unlocks its doors along Pennsylvania Avenue, the tourist-friendly strip linking the White House and the U.S. Capitol.
But with journalism being about ideas, not artifacts, how does the Newseum justify a $20 admission fee to inform visitors about the news — especially when most Washington museums charge nothing?
For Charles Overby, the Newseum’s chief executive, the purpose is not to create a shrine glorifying journalists or replicating a reporter’s DNA on white walls. No, he’s trying to provide visitors with a memorable — and informative — experience.
Friday, April 4, 2008 - 01:47
Name of source: Justin Ewers in US News & World Report
SOURCE: Justin Ewers in US News & World Report (4-3-08)
Five years into the war in Iraq, military history seems to be experiencing a golden age. Hollywood has been cranking out war movies. Publishers have been lining bookstore shelves with new battle tomes, which consumers are eagerly lapping up. Even the critics have been enjoying themselves. Two of the last five Pulitzer Prizes in history were awarded to books about the American military. Four of the five Oscar nominees for best documentary this year were about warfare. Business, for military historians, is good.
Except, strangely enough, in academia. On college campuses, historians who study military institutions and the practice of war are watching their classrooms overflow and their books climb bestseller lists—but many say they are still struggling, as they have been for years, to win the respect of their fellow scholars. John Lynn, a professor of history at the University of Illinois, first described this paradox in a 1997 essay called "The Embattled Future of Academic Military History." The field, he wrote, with its emphasis on predominantly male co mbatants and its decidedly nontheoretical subject matter, "has always been something of a pariah in U.S. universities." For years, military historians have been accused by their colleagues of being, by turns, right wing, morally suspect, or, as Lynn puts it, "just plain dumb." Scholars who study D-Day or the Battle of Thermopylae may sell books and fill lecture halls, but they don't have much success with hiring committees.
Except, strangely enough, in academia. On college campuses, historians who study military institutions and the practice of war are watching their classrooms overflow and their books climb bestseller lists—but many say they are still struggling, as they have been for years, to win the respect of their fellow scholars. John Lynn, a professor of history at the University of Illinois, first described this paradox in a 1997 essay called "The Embattled Future of Academic Military History." The field, he wrote, with its emphasis on predominantly male co mbatants and its decidedly nontheoretical subject matter, "has always been something of a pariah in U.S. universities." For years, military historians have been accused by their colleagues of being, by turns, right wing, morally suspect, or, as Lynn puts it, "just plain dumb." Scholars who study D-Day or the Battle of Thermopylae may sell books and fill lecture halls, but they don't have much success with hiring committees.
Thursday, April 3, 2008 - 19:21
Name of source: BBC
SOURCE: BBC (3-31-08)
A medieval game that is almost exclusively played in the South East has been recognised as a sport.
The Sports Council agreed that Stoolball, which is played by up to 4,000 people in Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, met its criteria.
A round willow bat and wickets made of wooden boards on stakes are used to play the game which has links to the development of cricket.
The National Stoolball Association hopes its profile will now be raised.
The Sports Council agreed that Stoolball, which is played by up to 4,000 people in Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, met its criteria.
A round willow bat and wickets made of wooden boards on stakes are used to play the game which has links to the development of cricket.
The National Stoolball Association hopes its profile will now be raised.
Thursday, April 3, 2008 - 19:19
