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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: http://www.thewest.com.au
SOURCE: http://www.thewest.com.au (5-7-08)
Germany today banned two regional far-right organisations suspected of denying the Nazis’ slaughter of six million Jews and launched early morning raids against their members.
Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the groups outlawed were the Collegium Humanum and the Association for the Rehabilitation of Those Persecuted for Questioning the Holocaust (VRBHV)”.
Based in Germany’s most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the neo-Nazi groups are “collecting pools for organised Holocaust deniers”, the ministry said in a statement.
“The groups’ activities consist of publishing anti-Semitic propaganda and glorifying the National Socialists’ (Nazis’) brutal dictatorship.
Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the groups outlawed were the Collegium Humanum and the Association for the Rehabilitation of Those Persecuted for Questioning the Holocaust (VRBHV)”.
Based in Germany’s most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the neo-Nazi groups are “collecting pools for organised Holocaust deniers”, the ministry said in a statement.
“The groups’ activities consist of publishing anti-Semitic propaganda and glorifying the National Socialists’ (Nazis’) brutal dictatorship.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 - 11:12
Comments
Name of source: NYT
SOURCE: NYT (5-7-08)
As Israel toasts its 60th anniversary in the coming weeks, rejoicing in Jewish national rebirth and democratic values, the Arabs who make up 20 percent of its citizens will not be celebrating. Better off and better integrated than ever in their history, freer than a vast majority of other Arabs, Israel’s 1.3 million Arab citizens are still far less well off than Israeli Jews and feel increasingly unwanted.
On Thursday, which is Independence Day, thousands will gather in their former villages to protest what they have come to call the “nakba,” or catastrophe, meaning Israel’s birth. For most Israelis, Jewish identity is central to the nation, the reason they are proud to live here, the link they feel with history. But Israeli Arabs, including the most successfully integrated ones, say a new identity must be found for the country’s long-term survival.
“I am not a Jew,” protested Eman Kassem-Sliman, an Arab radio journalist with impeccable Hebrew, whose children attend a predominantly Jewish school in Jerusalem. “How can I belong to a Jewish state? If they define this as a Jewish state, they deny that I am here.”
On Thursday, which is Independence Day, thousands will gather in their former villages to protest what they have come to call the “nakba,” or catastrophe, meaning Israel’s birth. For most Israelis, Jewish identity is central to the nation, the reason they are proud to live here, the link they feel with history. But Israeli Arabs, including the most successfully integrated ones, say a new identity must be found for the country’s long-term survival.
“I am not a Jew,” protested Eman Kassem-Sliman, an Arab radio journalist with impeccable Hebrew, whose children attend a predominantly Jewish school in Jerusalem. “How can I belong to a Jewish state? If they define this as a Jewish state, they deny that I am here.”
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 - 11:03
SOURCE: NYT (5-5-08)
A 246-foot tall, rocket ship-like monument to the late ruler of Turkmenistan, topped with a golden statue of himself that rotates to always face the sun, will be removed from the center of the Turkmen capital, state news media there have reported.
A decision by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov to move the monument was his latest step in dismantling the personality cult of Saparmurat Niyazov, whose often bizarre decrees turned the isolated, energy-rich country into the punch line of a bad international joke.
The president had already reversed Mr. Niyazov’s order renaming the days of the week and months of the year in honor of himself and his family. He had also ended the bans on opera, ballet and the circus, which Mr. Niyazov had decreed un-Turkmen, and lifted restrictions on the Internet.
A decision by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov to move the monument was his latest step in dismantling the personality cult of Saparmurat Niyazov, whose often bizarre decrees turned the isolated, energy-rich country into the punch line of a bad international joke.
The president had already reversed Mr. Niyazov’s order renaming the days of the week and months of the year in honor of himself and his family. He had also ended the bans on opera, ballet and the circus, which Mr. Niyazov had decreed un-Turkmen, and lifted restrictions on the Internet.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 18:10
SOURCE: NYT (5-5-08)
A memorial to Boris N. Yeltsin was dedicated late last month in a central spot in Russia’s most illustrious cemetery, a landscape of earnest tributes to generals and composers, mathematicians and diplomats. The veil was lifted, and there it was: a slab that brought to mind a giant, wobbly, tricolor birthday cake.
Many passers-by do not know what to make of it, which seems fitting, given that it honors a man whose legacy these days remains just as confounding.
Mr. Yeltsin, who died a little over a year ago, is still glorified by some as the founder of a Russia that rose from the debris of the Soviet Union, a visionary who spurned the old order and tried his best to lead his people through troubled times. Others scorn his name, holding his erratic style responsible for the deprivation, lawlessness and anxiety of those early years.
Many passers-by do not know what to make of it, which seems fitting, given that it honors a man whose legacy these days remains just as confounding.
Mr. Yeltsin, who died a little over a year ago, is still glorified by some as the founder of a Russia that rose from the debris of the Soviet Union, a visionary who spurned the old order and tried his best to lead his people through troubled times. Others scorn his name, holding his erratic style responsible for the deprivation, lawlessness and anxiety of those early years.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 18:07
SOURCE: NYT (5-5-08)
As envisioned by its designer, the memorial to the victims who died on Sept. 11, 2001, when United Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pa., would follow the topography of the bowl-shaped land, creating a circular pathway ringed by trees, all focused on the “sacred ground” of the crash site near the bottom of the circle.
But almost from the moment the winning entry for the memorial was chosen in 2005 over 1,058 others it has been beset by controversy, most of it coming from critics who see Islamic symbolism in the design.
The critics complain that the shape of the memorial — designed by Paul Murdoch, an architect based in Los Angeles — is an Islamic crescent, that a wind-chime tower mirrors an Islamic minaret and that the memorial would point east toward the Islamic holy city of Mecca.
But almost from the moment the winning entry for the memorial was chosen in 2005 over 1,058 others it has been beset by controversy, most of it coming from critics who see Islamic symbolism in the design.
The critics complain that the shape of the memorial — designed by Paul Murdoch, an architect based in Los Angeles — is an Islamic crescent, that a wind-chime tower mirrors an Islamic minaret and that the memorial would point east toward the Islamic holy city of Mecca.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 17:59
SOURCE: NYT (5-4-08)
BLACK liberation theology was a radical movement born of a competitive time.
By the mid-1960s, the horns of Jericho seemed about to sound for the traditional black church in the United States. Martin Luther King Jr. was yielding to Malcolm X. Young black preachers embraced the Nation of Islam and black intellectuals sought warmth in the secular and Marxist-tinged fire of the black power movement.
As a young, black and decidedly liberal theologian, James H. Cone saw his faith imperiled.
“Christianity was seen as the white man’s religion,” he said. “I wanted to say: ‘No! The Christian Gospel is not the white man’s religion. It is a religion of liberation, a religion that says God created all people to be free.’ But I realized that for black people to be free, they must first love their blackness.”
Dr. Cone, a founding father of black liberation theology, allowed himself a chuckle. “You might say we took our Christianity from Martin and our emphasis on blackness from Malcolm,” he said.
By the mid-1960s, the horns of Jericho seemed about to sound for the traditional black church in the United States. Martin Luther King Jr. was yielding to Malcolm X. Young black preachers embraced the Nation of Islam and black intellectuals sought warmth in the secular and Marxist-tinged fire of the black power movement.
As a young, black and decidedly liberal theologian, James H. Cone saw his faith imperiled.
“Christianity was seen as the white man’s religion,” he said. “I wanted to say: ‘No! The Christian Gospel is not the white man’s religion. It is a religion of liberation, a religion that says God created all people to be free.’ But I realized that for black people to be free, they must first love their blackness.”
Dr. Cone, a founding father of black liberation theology, allowed himself a chuckle. “You might say we took our Christianity from Martin and our emphasis on blackness from Malcolm,” he said.
Monday, May 5, 2008 - 15:06
SOURCE: NYT (5-4-08)
AS this historic Democratic primary season enters its next grueling phase, the party has become embroiled in a conflict between antagonists who would seem better cast as allies. Senator Barack Obama is a black candidate who has built his career on de-emphasizing race, while Senator Hillary Clinton is a white liberal who has been sensitive to minorities, and the issues facing them, during her long years of political activism.
And yet, in contest after contest, particularly in large states with diverse ethnic populations, support for the two candidates has reflected the sort of splits that normally divide Democrats from Republicans. And the pattern is likely to be repeated on Tuesday, when voters go to the polls in Indiana, a predominantly white state and North Carolina, which has a substantial black population.
How did this happen in the party that identifies itself with racial reconciliation?
The answer may begin in the identities, and ambitions, of the two candidates, but it reaches back to the tangled roots of modern political history.
And yet, in contest after contest, particularly in large states with diverse ethnic populations, support for the two candidates has reflected the sort of splits that normally divide Democrats from Republicans. And the pattern is likely to be repeated on Tuesday, when voters go to the polls in Indiana, a predominantly white state and North Carolina, which has a substantial black population.
How did this happen in the party that identifies itself with racial reconciliation?
The answer may begin in the identities, and ambitions, of the two candidates, but it reaches back to the tangled roots of modern political history.
Monday, May 5, 2008 - 15:05
SOURCE: NYT (5-4-08)
Sometimes, as Senator Barack Obama seemed to argue earlier this year, a flag pin is just a flag pin.
But it can never be that simple for anyone with direct experience of the 1988 presidential campaign. That year, the Republicans used the symbols of nationhood (notably, whether schoolchildren should be required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance) to bludgeon the Democrats, challenge their patriotism and utterly redefine their nominee, Gov. Michael S. Dukakis of Massachusetts.
The memory of that campaign — reinforced, for many, by the attacks on Senator John Kerry’s Vietnam war record in the 2004 election — haunts Democrats of a certain generation.
The 1988 campaign was, in many ways, the crucible that helped create Bill Clinton’s centrist philosophy and his fierce commitment to attack and counterattack, which drove the politics of the 1990s.
But it can never be that simple for anyone with direct experience of the 1988 presidential campaign. That year, the Republicans used the symbols of nationhood (notably, whether schoolchildren should be required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance) to bludgeon the Democrats, challenge their patriotism and utterly redefine their nominee, Gov. Michael S. Dukakis of Massachusetts.
The memory of that campaign — reinforced, for many, by the attacks on Senator John Kerry’s Vietnam war record in the 2004 election — haunts Democrats of a certain generation.
The 1988 campaign was, in many ways, the crucible that helped create Bill Clinton’s centrist philosophy and his fierce commitment to attack and counterattack, which drove the politics of the 1990s.
Sunday, May 4, 2008 - 20:03
SOURCE: NYT (5-2-08)
A book published on Thursday asserts that a black radio journalist convicted of murdering a white Philadelphia police officer more than 26 years ago is not guilty of the crime and that it was actually committed by another man who is now deceased.
The book, “The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal,” by J. Patrick O’Connor, asserts that Officer Daniel Faulkner died on Dec. 9, 1981, from shots fired by Kenneth Freeman, a business partner of the brother of the convicted man, Mr. Abu-Jamal, who has been on death row for 25 years for a crime he says he did not commit.
The book, published by Chicago Review Press, is the latest to cast doubt on the conviction, which critics have said was tainted by racism, police corruption and judicial bias, turning Mr. Abu-Jamal into a cause célèbre for death penalty opponents....
Hugh Burns, chief of the appeals division in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the case in 1982, dismissed the new accusations, saying, “There is zero credible evidence Freeman was involved.”
The book, “The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal,” by J. Patrick O’Connor, asserts that Officer Daniel Faulkner died on Dec. 9, 1981, from shots fired by Kenneth Freeman, a business partner of the brother of the convicted man, Mr. Abu-Jamal, who has been on death row for 25 years for a crime he says he did not commit.
The book, published by Chicago Review Press, is the latest to cast doubt on the conviction, which critics have said was tainted by racism, police corruption and judicial bias, turning Mr. Abu-Jamal into a cause célèbre for death penalty opponents....
Hugh Burns, chief of the appeals division in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the case in 1982, dismissed the new accusations, saying, “There is zero credible evidence Freeman was involved.”
Sunday, May 4, 2008 - 17:42
SOURCE: NYT (5-4-08)
SAPELO ISLAND, Ga. — When Wevonneda Minis first came to this marshy barrier island where her ancestors had been rice-cultivating slaves, she learned of the dream her great-great-grandfather, Liberty Handy, had the night before he died. In the dream, people told her, a black cat scratched him.
The handing down of stories like that through the generations lies at the very marrow of life here among the rutted dirt roads and palmetto fronds of Hog Hammock, a community of about 400 acres, some 50 mostly elderly people and one store. Here, people remember the last time someone was bit by a snake (40-odd years ago) or called the midwife out of retirement (1968). They know the origin of the island’s odd place names — Behavior Cemetery, Nanny Goat Beach.
Reachable only by boat or ferry, Hog Hammock is one of the last settlements of the Geechee people, also called the Gullah, who in the days before air-conditioning and bug repellent had the Sea Islands virtually to themselves and whose speech and ways, as a result, retained a distinctly African flavor. But now, the island has been discovered by speculators and wealthy weekenders.
The handing down of stories like that through the generations lies at the very marrow of life here among the rutted dirt roads and palmetto fronds of Hog Hammock, a community of about 400 acres, some 50 mostly elderly people and one store. Here, people remember the last time someone was bit by a snake (40-odd years ago) or called the midwife out of retirement (1968). They know the origin of the island’s odd place names — Behavior Cemetery, Nanny Goat Beach.
Reachable only by boat or ferry, Hog Hammock is one of the last settlements of the Geechee people, also called the Gullah, who in the days before air-conditioning and bug repellent had the Sea Islands virtually to themselves and whose speech and ways, as a result, retained a distinctly African flavor. But now, the island has been discovered by speculators and wealthy weekenders.
Sunday, May 4, 2008 - 17:41
Name of source: History Today
SOURCE: History Today (5-2-08)
A 16th-century shipwreck is thought to be the oldest uncovered in Sub-Saharan Africa. The 500-year-old treasure ship was discovered off the Atlantic coast of Namibia on April 1st by diamond company Namdeb. Human remains, thousands of Spanish and Portuguese gold coins, and elephant tusks have been found already. Three bronze canons are thought to originate from early 16th-century Spain. Experts from Spain and Portugal are due to arrive at the site amidst speculation that the ship may be linked to Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias. Thought to be the first European to sail round the Cape of Good Hope, Dias disappeared in 1500.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 23:32
SOURCE: History Today (5-1-08)
Dramatic events in a remote Persian wilderness exactly a hundred years ago heralded the beginning of a new era in the Middle East. A wealthy British entrepreneur, William Knox D’Arcy (1849-1917), had secured a concession to prospect for oil in the country in 1901. After several years of exhausting andsy seemingly fruitless work, a drilling team led by a maverick British explorer, George Reynolds (1852-1925) was about to strike gold. During the early hours of May 26th, 1908, a short distance from an ancient settlement known as Masjid-i Suleiman, in south-western Persia, the ground suddenly started to rumble and, as men shouted with excitement and fear, a gushing, stinking black torrent spurted high into the air.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 17:16
Name of source: National Security Archive
SOURCE: National Security Archive (5-6-08)
The White House yesterday admitted to a federal magistrate judge that it has no computer back-up tapes with data written before May 23, 2003, and that it cannot track the history of individual hard drives within the White House system that may contain missing e-mails.
The White House filing responded to an April 24, 2008, order from Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola of the U.S. District Court directing the White House to provide more precise information about e-mail customers and hard drives in use between 2003 and 2005, as a result of a lawsuit brought by the Archive in September 2007.
In its most recent statements to the court, the White House continued to claim that "emails sent or received in the 2003-2005 time period should be contained on existing back-up tapes." In her third declaration, White House Chief Information Officer Theresa Payton stated that of 438 EOP back-up tapes created between March 1 and September 30, 2003, "the earliest date on which data was written on any of the 438 tapes is May 23, 2003." Therefore, e-mails created between March and May 2003 that were improperly preserved or deleted from EOP computer systems prior to May 23 may not be recoverable from the back-up tapes.
The White House filing responded to an April 24, 2008, order from Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola of the U.S. District Court directing the White House to provide more precise information about e-mail customers and hard drives in use between 2003 and 2005, as a result of a lawsuit brought by the Archive in September 2007.
In its most recent statements to the court, the White House continued to claim that "emails sent or received in the 2003-2005 time period should be contained on existing back-up tapes." In her third declaration, White House Chief Information Officer Theresa Payton stated that of 438 EOP back-up tapes created between March 1 and September 30, 2003, "the earliest date on which data was written on any of the 438 tapes is May 23, 2003." Therefore, e-mails created between March and May 2003 that were improperly preserved or deleted from EOP computer systems prior to May 23 may not be recoverable from the back-up tapes.
"What is most shocking is that if anyone at the White House was deleting their e-mails during the invasion of Iraq, those e-mails are not on any back-up tapes," said Archive director Tom Blanton.
"This filing again confirms that the e-mail back-ups are spotty at best, and EOP cannot assure the court that there are back-up tapes for all components during the period when e-mails were lost or destroyed," commented Sheila Shadmand of Jones Day, counsel for the Archive.
"The White House learned in October 2003 that e-mails from the Vice President's office may not have been preserved. In October 2005, EOP first discovered that potentially millions of e-mails were missing," said Archive general counsel Meredith Fuchs. "But in May 2008, the White House still can't figure out which e-mails are lost but continues to speculate that the e-mails 'should' be on back-up tapes."
Ms. Payton also informed the court that 583 current EOP employees were working at the White House between March 2003 and October 2005, the period when at least 5 million e-mails allegedly were not preserved. The White House said it is unable to answer the court's question regarding hard drives that may contain missing e-mails, however, because "OA does not know what hard drives these 583 individuals used during that timeframe or if the hard drives are still in existence."
The White House's most recent filing comes in litigation brought by the National Security Archive against the Executive Office of the President and the National Archives and Records Administration to preserve and restore missing e-mail federal records. A chronology of the litigation is available on the Archive's Web site. The suit was filed on September 5, 2007; a subsequent virtually identical lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has been consolidated with the Archive's lawsuit.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 23:18
Name of source: Fox News
SOURCE: Fox News (5-6-08)
An ancient Egyptian necklace was stolen from a museum in Dayton, Ohio, according to WHIO TV.
The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery artifact, made from carnelian gems, has been estimated to be several thousand years old, the station reported.
The thief damaged the case that held the necklace, which has been on display since it was donated in the 1940s, said Lynn Simonelli, the museum's vice president of collection and research.
The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery artifact, made from carnelian gems, has been estimated to be several thousand years old, the station reported.
The thief damaged the case that held the necklace, which has been on display since it was donated in the 1940s, said Lynn Simonelli, the museum's vice president of collection and research.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 23:17
Name of source: San Francisco Chronicle
SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle (5-6-08)
The newspapers all said it was the grandest spectacle of the age - that great day exactly 100 years ago today when what looked like the entire United States Navy steamed through the Golden Gate, 16 battleships bristling with guns and trailing plumes of black coal smoke.It was popularly nicknamed the Great White Fleet, sent on an around-the-world voyage by President Theodore Roosevelt, who famously liked to quote an old African proverb: "speak softly, but carry a big stick."
Perhaps a million people saw the fleet steam in the Golden Gate, and millions more saw it in South America, Australia, Japan, China, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Suez, Italy, Greece and France.
The Great White Fleet was a spectacle on many levels. Sending around the world a fleet this size - those 16 battleships and dozens of escorts - had never been done before.
The ships were painted white with gilt trim to show this was a goodwill voyage. But the message was not lost on other countries, particularly Japan.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 17:13
Name of source: WaPo
SOURCE: WaPo (5-6-08)
Identifying with the common man has been a requisite in presidential elections for almost two centuries. But the stakes are especially high in a race largely defined by an economic crisis, and campaign experts say the candidates have gone especially far in their appeals.
In the past six weeks, Clinton hammered down a shot of Crown Royal whiskey -- not necessarily the first choice of the workingman -- and chased it with a beer. Obama visited a Pennsylvania sports bar and sampled a Yuengling after making sure it wasn't "some designer beer." Clinton told stories about learning to shoot behind the cottage her grandfather built. Obama went bowling....
Presidential candidates have strived relentlessly downward in social class ever since the 1840s, when William Henry Harrison created what historians now call the "common-man myth." While most of his peers campaigned from their estates, Harrison traveled the country and spoke under a banner depicting a log cabin and a bottle of hard cider. He won the presidency by a landslide, and his campaign model became the new standard.
With few exemptions since, American voters have picked presidents who mimic the public's most ordinary habits -- men who regularly mention drinking, or NASCAR, or old-fashioned farm work. Ronald Reagan liked to be photographed chopping wood. George H.W. Bush spoke longingly about pork rinds. Bill Clinton stopped at McDonald's while on the campaign trial, even when it required a side trip. And George W. Bush is a champion brush-clearer.
Disruption to this role-playing occurs only when a politician makes a blunder so glaring that it reveals him to be a jester in costume. Gerald Ford bit into a tamale without husking it while campaigning on the Mexican border in 1976, and he extolled its deliciousness before realizing he had consumed the wrapper. John F. Kerry ordered a cheesesteak at Pat's in Philadelphia and asked for Swiss cheese, even though Pat's had specialized in subs with Cheez Whiz for 70 years.
In 1994, George W. Bush arranged for several media outlets to follow him on the first day of dove-hunting season. He fired his gun, killed a bird and looked like a real woodsman until officials identified his kill as a Texas songbird, a protected species easily distinguished from doves by experienced hunters. Bush paid a $130 fine.
"If you can look like the common man and make your opponent appear out of touch, you've pretty much won the election," said Richard Shenkman, a George Mason professor who has written several books about presidential campaigning. "The American people, given the choice between reality and the myth, almost always pick the myth. . . . We tell ourselves their average day is just like ours."
In the past six weeks, Clinton hammered down a shot of Crown Royal whiskey -- not necessarily the first choice of the workingman -- and chased it with a beer. Obama visited a Pennsylvania sports bar and sampled a Yuengling after making sure it wasn't "some designer beer." Clinton told stories about learning to shoot behind the cottage her grandfather built. Obama went bowling....
Presidential candidates have strived relentlessly downward in social class ever since the 1840s, when William Henry Harrison created what historians now call the "common-man myth." While most of his peers campaigned from their estates, Harrison traveled the country and spoke under a banner depicting a log cabin and a bottle of hard cider. He won the presidency by a landslide, and his campaign model became the new standard.
With few exemptions since, American voters have picked presidents who mimic the public's most ordinary habits -- men who regularly mention drinking, or NASCAR, or old-fashioned farm work. Ronald Reagan liked to be photographed chopping wood. George H.W. Bush spoke longingly about pork rinds. Bill Clinton stopped at McDonald's while on the campaign trial, even when it required a side trip. And George W. Bush is a champion brush-clearer.
Disruption to this role-playing occurs only when a politician makes a blunder so glaring that it reveals him to be a jester in costume. Gerald Ford bit into a tamale without husking it while campaigning on the Mexican border in 1976, and he extolled its deliciousness before realizing he had consumed the wrapper. John F. Kerry ordered a cheesesteak at Pat's in Philadelphia and asked for Swiss cheese, even though Pat's had specialized in subs with Cheez Whiz for 70 years.
In 1994, George W. Bush arranged for several media outlets to follow him on the first day of dove-hunting season. He fired his gun, killed a bird and looked like a real woodsman until officials identified his kill as a Texas songbird, a protected species easily distinguished from doves by experienced hunters. Bush paid a $130 fine.
"If you can look like the common man and make your opponent appear out of touch, you've pretty much won the election," said Richard Shenkman, a George Mason professor who has written several books about presidential campaigning. "The American people, given the choice between reality and the myth, almost always pick the myth. . . . We tell ourselves their average day is just like ours."
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 16:11
SOURCE: WaPo (5-4-08)
The new black revolution, as singer Gil Scott-Heron famously predicted, is not being televised.
It is raging online.
A growing cadre of young black activists is using the Internet in an attempt to eclipse traditional civil rights organizations such as the NAACP and hit the refresh button on the civil rights movement. Bloggers with names such as the Cruel Secretary, and blogs called What About Our Daughters? and the African American Political Pundit, have railed against groups in the "black-o-sphere," saying they do not understand young black Americans, are behind the times and react too slowly to incidents involving the younger generation.
The leaders of the fledgling movement -- Van Jones and James Rucker of ColorOfChange.org -- may not be familiar to many, but their work is. They circulated a letter and a petition last week promising that the Democrats will pay a "political price" if they overturn the will of black and young voters and choose Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y) as the party's nominee over Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).
It is raging online.
A growing cadre of young black activists is using the Internet in an attempt to eclipse traditional civil rights organizations such as the NAACP and hit the refresh button on the civil rights movement. Bloggers with names such as the Cruel Secretary, and blogs called What About Our Daughters? and the African American Political Pundit, have railed against groups in the "black-o-sphere," saying they do not understand young black Americans, are behind the times and react too slowly to incidents involving the younger generation.
The leaders of the fledgling movement -- Van Jones and James Rucker of ColorOfChange.org -- may not be familiar to many, but their work is. They circulated a letter and a petition last week promising that the Democrats will pay a "political price" if they overturn the will of black and young voters and choose Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y) as the party's nominee over Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 12:32
SOURCE: WaPo (5-4-08)
Almost eight years after al-Qaeda nearly sank the USS Cole with an explosives-stuffed motorboat, killing 17 sailors, all the defendants convicted in the attack have escaped from prison or been freed by Yemeni officials.
Sunday, May 4, 2008 - 21:37
SOURCE: WaPo (5-2-08)
The Senate has unanimously declared John McCain a natural-born citizen, eligible to be president of the United States.
That is the good news for the presumptive Republican nominee, who was born nearly 72 years ago in a military hospital in the Panama Canal Zone, then under U.S. jurisdiction. The bad news is that the nonbinding Senate resolution passed Wednesday night is simply an opinion that has little bearing on an arcane constitutional debate that has preoccupied legal scholars for many weeks.
Article II of the Constitution states that "no person except a natural born citizen . . . shall be eligible to the office of president." The problem is that the Founding Fathers never defined exactly what they meant by "natural born citizen," and the matter has never been fully tested in court. At least three pending cases are challenging McCain's right to be sworn in as president.
That is the good news for the presumptive Republican nominee, who was born nearly 72 years ago in a military hospital in the Panama Canal Zone, then under U.S. jurisdiction. The bad news is that the nonbinding Senate resolution passed Wednesday night is simply an opinion that has little bearing on an arcane constitutional debate that has preoccupied legal scholars for many weeks.
Article II of the Constitution states that "no person except a natural born citizen . . . shall be eligible to the office of president." The problem is that the Founding Fathers never defined exactly what they meant by "natural born citizen," and the matter has never been fully tested in court. At least three pending cases are challenging McCain's right to be sworn in as president.
Friday, May 2, 2008 - 16:37
Name of source: http://www.canada.com
SOURCE: http://www.canada.com (5-3-08)
There was nothing special to distinguish the casually dressed, middle-aged woman and man who arrived in Ottawa one morning this week on a flight from Washington. That's just the way they wanted it.
The woman, a conservator from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), was carrying one of the most important documents from American history. The man walking nearby was a NARA security officer on hand to make sure it arrived safely at its destination -- an exhibition hall at Library and Archives Canada in downtown Ottawa.
It's a common enough strategy to transport valuable historical material in such a seemingly nonchalant manner. The oldest surviving item printed in Canada, a 1752 copy of the Halifax Gazette, was once taken to Nova Scotia from Ottawa in the carry-on luggage of a Library and Archives employee. The less attention the better, goes the theory.
But the document brought to Ottawa this week will soon be flooded with attention. And it's not just any old priceless document.
Since 1783, when American and British negotiators formally ended the U.S. Revolutionary War by putting their signatures on a 10-article agreement in a Paris hotel room, the Treaty of Paris has never left the United States. In fact, it has been shown only rarely to the public.
Beginning Tuesday, however, it will be sitting under bulletproof glass in Ottawa as the centrepiece of an ambitious two-country exhibition that not only marks the 225th anniversary of the signing, but attempts to show how the treaty shaped the political and social development of the U.S. and what became Canada by establishing borders, fishing rights and opening Canada to United Empire Loyalist settlement.
The woman, a conservator from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), was carrying one of the most important documents from American history. The man walking nearby was a NARA security officer on hand to make sure it arrived safely at its destination -- an exhibition hall at Library and Archives Canada in downtown Ottawa.
It's a common enough strategy to transport valuable historical material in such a seemingly nonchalant manner. The oldest surviving item printed in Canada, a 1752 copy of the Halifax Gazette, was once taken to Nova Scotia from Ottawa in the carry-on luggage of a Library and Archives employee. The less attention the better, goes the theory.
But the document brought to Ottawa this week will soon be flooded with attention. And it's not just any old priceless document.
Since 1783, when American and British negotiators formally ended the U.S. Revolutionary War by putting their signatures on a 10-article agreement in a Paris hotel room, the Treaty of Paris has never left the United States. In fact, it has been shown only rarely to the public.
Beginning Tuesday, however, it will be sitting under bulletproof glass in Ottawa as the centrepiece of an ambitious two-country exhibition that not only marks the 225th anniversary of the signing, but attempts to show how the treaty shaped the political and social development of the U.S. and what became Canada by establishing borders, fishing rights and opening Canada to United Empire Loyalist settlement.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 14:34
Name of source: Toronto Star
SOURCE: Toronto Star (5-3-08)
Israeli historian Yosef Gorny owes his life to three strokes of good fortune, or so he says.
First, an errant German bomb destroyed his family's home near Warsaw in 1939, sending him fleeing with his parents into Russian-occupied Poland.
Next, Russian dictator Josef Stalin decided to transport 200,000 Jews from Poland to Siberia – the Gorny family among them.
By these fortuitous means, the trio managed to avoid the fate of millions of other Jews who perished in Nazi death camps during World War II.
Finally, with the war at an end, the 13-year-old and his parents made their way across Asia and Europe to Palestine, arriving illegally in 1947, only to be promptly clamped in detention.
It didn't matter. They were safe and, before long, they were free.
"We were wandering Jews," said Gorny, now 74 and a grandfather of five. "But we always had a target."
And that target was Israel.
On Thursday, the Jewish state will mark its 60th anniversary, and the day will be an occasion for stock-taking and as well as for celebration, for there is much to lament as well as honour in the country's six turbulent decades.
If David Ben-Gurion – Israel's first prime minister – were to return to life and gaze upon what has become of the nation he helped to create, would he be pleased or disheartened?
"I think that Ben-Gurion would be happy and sorry as well," said Gorny.
That assessment might well describe this country on the eve of its diamond anniversary – a land of happiness and of sorrow as well....
First, an errant German bomb destroyed his family's home near Warsaw in 1939, sending him fleeing with his parents into Russian-occupied Poland.
Next, Russian dictator Josef Stalin decided to transport 200,000 Jews from Poland to Siberia – the Gorny family among them.
By these fortuitous means, the trio managed to avoid the fate of millions of other Jews who perished in Nazi death camps during World War II.
Finally, with the war at an end, the 13-year-old and his parents made their way across Asia and Europe to Palestine, arriving illegally in 1947, only to be promptly clamped in detention.
It didn't matter. They were safe and, before long, they were free.
"We were wandering Jews," said Gorny, now 74 and a grandfather of five. "But we always had a target."
And that target was Israel.
On Thursday, the Jewish state will mark its 60th anniversary, and the day will be an occasion for stock-taking and as well as for celebration, for there is much to lament as well as honour in the country's six turbulent decades.
If David Ben-Gurion – Israel's first prime minister – were to return to life and gaze upon what has become of the nation he helped to create, would he be pleased or disheartened?
"I think that Ben-Gurion would be happy and sorry as well," said Gorny.
That assessment might well describe this country on the eve of its diamond anniversary – a land of happiness and of sorrow as well....
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 14:06
Name of source: Huffington Post (Blog) (Click on the photo below to see all of the photos in the collection. Takes time to load.)
SOURCE: Huffington Post (Blog) (Click on the photo below to see all of the photos in the collection. Takes time to load.) (5-3-08)
Sean Malloy, a professor at the University of California Merced, "recently unearthed 10 previously-unpublished photographs illustrating the aftermath on the Hiroshima bombing."
These photographs, taken by an unknown Japanese photographer, were found in 1945 among rolls of undeveloped film in a cave outside Hiroshima by U.S. serviceman Robert L. Capp, who was attached to the occupation forces. Unlike most photos of the Hiroshima bombing, these dramatically convey the human as well as material destruction unleashed by the atomic bomb.
These photographs, taken by an unknown Japanese photographer, were found in 1945 among rolls of undeveloped film in a cave outside Hiroshima by U.S. serviceman Robert L. Capp, who was attached to the occupation forces. Unlike most photos of the Hiroshima bombing, these dramatically convey the human as well as material destruction unleashed by the atomic bomb.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 13:03
Name of source: Cronaca
SOURCE: Cronaca (4-25-08)
Archaeologists have revealed plans to uncover the 2000 year-old tomb of ancient Egypt's most famous lovers, Cleopatra and the Roman general Mark Antony later this year.
Zahi Hawass, prominent archaeologist and director of Egypt's superior council for antiquities announced a proposal to test the theory that the couple were buried together.
He discussed the project in Cairo at a media conference about the ancient pharaohs.
Hawass said that the remains of the legendary Egyptian queen and her Roman lover, Mark Antony, were inside a temple called Tabusiris Magna, 30 kilometres from the port city of Alexandria in northern Egypt.
Until recently access to the tomb has been hindered because it is under water, but archaeologists plan to drain the site so they can begin excavation in November.
Zahi Hawass, prominent archaeologist and director of Egypt's superior council for antiquities announced a proposal to test the theory that the couple were buried together.
He discussed the project in Cairo at a media conference about the ancient pharaohs.
Hawass said that the remains of the legendary Egyptian queen and her Roman lover, Mark Antony, were inside a temple called Tabusiris Magna, 30 kilometres from the port city of Alexandria in northern Egypt.
Until recently access to the tomb has been hindered because it is under water, but archaeologists plan to drain the site so they can begin excavation in November.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 12:56
Name of source: Bloomberg News
SOURCE: Bloomberg News (5-6-08)
A medieval processional cross that was looted from Poland by the Nazis and discovered decades later in an Austrian garbage bin has been returned to the heirs of the countess who owned it before the war.
The Limoges enamel cross was part of the Dzialynska collection at Goluchow Castle in Poland, according to a statement from the Commission for Looted Art in Europe, a London-based organization which helps families recover property stolen by the Nazis. The 13th-century cross features enameled plaques with images of the crucifixion and the apostles.
The Limoges enamel cross was part of the Dzialynska collection at Goluchow Castle in Poland, according to a statement from the Commission for Looted Art in Europe, a London-based organization which helps families recover property stolen by the Nazis. The 13th-century cross features enameled plaques with images of the crucifixion and the apostles.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 12:44
Name of source: LiveScience
SOURCE: LiveScience (5-6-08)
The effects of a massive volcanic eruption in Peru more than 400 years ago might have significantly impacted societies and agriculture world-wide, according to a new study of historic records.
Huaynaputina erupted in southern Peru on Feb. 19, 1600, driving volcanic mudflows that destroyed villages for many miles around and spewing a huge column of smoke and ash into the atmosphere.
The eruption of Huaynaputina represents the largest known eruption in South America in the past 500 years, said study leader Ken Verosub of the University of California, Davis.
Huaynaputina erupted in southern Peru on Feb. 19, 1600, driving volcanic mudflows that destroyed villages for many miles around and spewing a huge column of smoke and ash into the atmosphere.
The eruption of Huaynaputina represents the largest known eruption in South America in the past 500 years, said study leader Ken Verosub of the University of California, Davis.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 12:38
SOURCE: LiveScience (5-5-08)
The Dust Bowl drought of the 1930s was arguably one of the worst environmental disasters of the 20th century. New computer simulations reveal the whipped-up dust is what made the drought so severe.
Scientists have known that poor land use and natural atmospheric conditions led to the rip-roaring dust storms in the Great Plains in the 1930s. Climate models in the past few years also have revealed the effect of sea surface temperatures on the Dust Bowl.
"What is new and what had not been done before is to work out whether the dust storms from the drought and land use had any impact on the drought," said Richard Seager of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) in New York.
And they did.
"You had dust storms that were unprecedented in the recent historical record," said lead researcher Benjamin Cook of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. "So it was on the level of dust emissions that nobody in living memory and probably much before that had ever seen."
Using computer simulations, Cook, Seager and Ronald Miller of LDEO found the "black blizzards" exacerbated the drought and pushed it northward into the Great Plains.
Scientists have known that poor land use and natural atmospheric conditions led to the rip-roaring dust storms in the Great Plains in the 1930s. Climate models in the past few years also have revealed the effect of sea surface temperatures on the Dust Bowl.
"What is new and what had not been done before is to work out whether the dust storms from the drought and land use had any impact on the drought," said Richard Seager of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) in New York.
And they did.
"You had dust storms that were unprecedented in the recent historical record," said lead researcher Benjamin Cook of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. "So it was on the level of dust emissions that nobody in living memory and probably much before that had ever seen."
Using computer simulations, Cook, Seager and Ronald Miller of LDEO found the "black blizzards" exacerbated the drought and pushed it northward into the Great Plains.
Monday, May 5, 2008 - 15:44
Name of source: Independent (UK)
SOURCE: Independent (UK) (5-6-08)
The former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein feared catching Aids or some other venereal disease during his US-supervised captivity, according to excerpts from his prison writings, published in a leading Arab newspaper yesterday.
The London-based daily Al-Hayat said its correspondent had obtained the material from the US authorities, and the US military confirmed that pages of Saddam's writings have been released.
They describe how, when Saddam found US guards were also using his laundry line to dry clothes, he demanded that they stop.
"I explained to them that they are young and they could have young people's diseases," Saddam wrote. "My main concern was to not catch a venereal disease, an HIV disease, in this place." He said some of the soldiers ignored his request.
The London-based daily Al-Hayat said its correspondent had obtained the material from the US authorities, and the US military confirmed that pages of Saddam's writings have been released.
They describe how, when Saddam found US guards were also using his laundry line to dry clothes, he demanded that they stop.
"I explained to them that they are young and they could have young people's diseases," Saddam wrote. "My main concern was to not catch a venereal disease, an HIV disease, in this place." He said some of the soldiers ignored his request.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 12:35
Name of source: http://www.katu.com
SOURCE: http://www.katu.com (5-1-08)
CRESWELL, Ore. - A cannon round from the World War I era exploded Wednesday while a man tried to disassemble the projectile to recycle the brass.
Vernal Miller, 50, suffered serious injuries to his legs and lower torso. He was transported by air ambulance to Sacred Heart Medical Center, where he was listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit.
"What it looks like at this point is a man was working with ammunition," Lt. Byron Trapp of the Lane County Sheriff's Office said at the scene Wednesday. "He suffered pretty significant injuries."
Vernal Miller, 50, suffered serious injuries to his legs and lower torso. He was transported by air ambulance to Sacred Heart Medical Center, where he was listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit.
"What it looks like at this point is a man was working with ammunition," Lt. Byron Trapp of the Lane County Sheriff's Office said at the scene Wednesday. "He suffered pretty significant injuries."
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 12:31
Name of source: AFP
SOURCE: AFP (5-5-08)
A new building boom is sweeping Germany -- royal palaces destroyed during or after World War II that are set to rise again.
Planning is underway to rebuild long-destroyed palaces in Berlin, Hanover and Potsdam; a former royal hunting lodge in the west could also rise again soon; a palace in Dresden is nearing completion and last year, the exterior of a Braunschweig palace was completed.
After World War II, many German cities rebuilt damaged and destroyed palaces and historic buildings. But urban planners in both East and West Germany also demolished many ruined buildings on ideological and aesthetic grounds.
This latest wave of reconstruction stems directly from the demise of former communist East Germany in 1990 and the successful reconstruction of Dresden, according to Gabi Dolf-Bonekaemper, a professor at Berlin's Technical University.
Planning is underway to rebuild long-destroyed palaces in Berlin, Hanover and Potsdam; a former royal hunting lodge in the west could also rise again soon; a palace in Dresden is nearing completion and last year, the exterior of a Braunschweig palace was completed.
After World War II, many German cities rebuilt damaged and destroyed palaces and historic buildings. But urban planners in both East and West Germany also demolished many ruined buildings on ideological and aesthetic grounds.
This latest wave of reconstruction stems directly from the demise of former communist East Germany in 1990 and the successful reconstruction of Dresden, according to Gabi Dolf-Bonekaemper, a professor at Berlin's Technical University.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 12:29
SOURCE: AFP (5-4-08)
A new, simplified family tree of
humanity has dealt a blow to those who contend that
the enigmatic hominids known as Neanderthals
intermingled with our forebears.
Neanderthals were a separate species to Homo sapiens, as anatomically modern humans are known, rather than offshoots of the same species, the new organigram published Sunday by the journal Nature declares.
The method, invented by evolutionary analysts in Argentina, marks a break with the conventional technique by which anthropologists chart the twists and turns of the human odyssey.
Monday, May 5, 2008 - 13:53
Name of source: AP
SOURCE: AP (5-2-08)
The Turkish gunman who shot and wounded Pope John Paul II is applying for Polish citizenship because he wants to live in the country of the late pontiff, whom he called his "spiritual brother."
But the Polish Foreign Ministry said the chances of Mehmet Ali Agca getting citizenship are "minimal" since he hasn't provided any "good service" to John Paul's mostly Catholic homeland.
Agca also wants to be transferred to a prison in Poland to serve the remainder of his sentence on a different conviction, lawyer Haci Ali Ozhan told The Associated Press.
"He has chosen Poland because it is country of the pope," Ozhan said. "Because the pope forgave him and paid close attention to him, we believe that the application will be accepted."
But the Polish Foreign Ministry said the chances of Mehmet Ali Agca getting citizenship are "minimal" since he hasn't provided any "good service" to John Paul's mostly Catholic homeland.
Agca also wants to be transferred to a prison in Poland to serve the remainder of his sentence on a different conviction, lawyer Haci Ali Ozhan told The Associated Press.
"He has chosen Poland because it is country of the pope," Ozhan said. "Because the pope forgave him and paid close attention to him, we believe that the application will be accepted."
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 12:25
SOURCE: AP (5-4-08)
The 130-acre property was exactly what Michel Guite and his family wanted: an old Vermont farm with mountain views, rolling hills and meadows.
There was, however, one wrinkle: The property included a small family cemetery — with the grave of a War of 1812 veteran — surrounded by a fence on a scenic knoll.
His proposal to move the graveyard so he can build a house and barn has set off protests. The town has passed a resolution aimed at blocking the move, a descendant of one occupant of the graveyard is trying to fight him in probate court and opponents including military veterans have asked the town to take over the cemetery and keep it where it is.
There was, however, one wrinkle: The property included a small family cemetery — with the grave of a War of 1812 veteran — surrounded by a fence on a scenic knoll.
His proposal to move the graveyard so he can build a house and barn has set off protests. The town has passed a resolution aimed at blocking the move, a descendant of one occupant of the graveyard is trying to fight him in probate court and opponents including military veterans have asked the town to take over the cemetery and keep it where it is.
Monday, May 5, 2008 - 15:41
SOURCE: AP (5-4-08)
Documents released Monday show how the British government tried to send thousands of Palestine-bound Jewish survivors of the Nazi genocide back to postwar Germany without inflaming world opinion.
Could it be done? The answer was no. It was just two years after the end of the war and the world was outraged by the systematic murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazis in what became known as the Holocaust.
Despite the best efforts of early spin doctors to portray the move in the most sympathetic light, the decision to turn away the more than 4,500 Jews on board the Exodus refugee ship turned into a humanitarian and public relations debacle for Britain.
The story is detailed in more than 400 pages of formerly secret documents at Britain's National Archives made available to the public on Monday.
Could it be done? The answer was no. It was just two years after the end of the war and the world was outraged by the systematic murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazis in what became known as the Holocaust.
Despite the best efforts of early spin doctors to portray the move in the most sympathetic light, the decision to turn away the more than 4,500 Jews on board the Exodus refugee ship turned into a humanitarian and public relations debacle for Britain.
The story is detailed in more than 400 pages of formerly secret documents at Britain's National Archives made available to the public on Monday.
Monday, May 5, 2008 - 14:29
SOURCE: AP (5-4-08)
Mildred Loving, a black woman whose
challenge to Virginia's ban on interracial marriage
led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down
such laws nationwide, has died, her daughter said
Monday.
Peggy Fortune said Loving, 68, died Friday at her home in rural Milford. She did not disclose the cause of death.
Loving and her white husband, Richard, changed history in 1967 when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld their right to marry. The ruling struck down laws banning racially mixed marriages in at least 17 states.
They had married in Washington in 1958, when she was 18. Returning to their Virginia hometown, they were arrested within weeks and convicted on charges of" cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth," according to their indictments.
The couple avoided a year in jail by agreeing to a sentence mandating that they immediately leave Virginia. They moved to Washington and launched a legal challenge a few years later.
Monday, May 5, 2008 - 10:56
SOURCE: AP (5-2-08)
- Like many boys in the South, Sam White got hooked on the Civil War early, digging up rusting bullets and military buttons in the battle-scarred earth of his hometown.
As an adult, he crisscrossed the Virginia countryside in search of wartime relics -- weapons, battle flags, even artillery shells buried in the red clay. He sometimes put on diving gear to feel for treasures hidden in the black muck of river bottoms.
But in February, White's hobby cost him his life: A cannonball he was restoring exploded, killing him in his driveway.
More than 140 years after Lee surrendered to Grant, the cannonball was still powerful enough to send a chunk of shrapnel through the front porch of a house a quarter-mile from White's home in this leafy Richmond suburb.
As an adult, he crisscrossed the Virginia countryside in search of wartime relics -- weapons, battle flags, even artillery shells buried in the red clay. He sometimes put on diving gear to feel for treasures hidden in the black muck of river bottoms.
But in February, White's hobby cost him his life: A cannonball he was restoring exploded, killing him in his driveway.
More than 140 years after Lee surrendered to Grant, the cannonball was still powerful enough to send a chunk of shrapnel through the front porch of a house a quarter-mile from White's home in this leafy Richmond suburb.
Sunday, May 4, 2008 - 21:36
SOURCE: AP (5-1-08)
After three decades of keeping mum, Barbara Walters is disclosing a past affair with married U.S. Senator Edward Brooke, whom she remembers as “exciting” and “brilliant.”
Appearing on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” scheduled to air Tuesday, Walters shares details of her relationship with Brooke that lasted several years in the 1970s, according to a transcript of the show provided to The Associated Press.
Appearing on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” scheduled to air Tuesday, Walters shares details of her relationship with Brooke that lasted several years in the 1970s, according to a transcript of the show provided to The Associated Press.
Friday, May 2, 2008 - 16:33
Name of source: BBC
SOURCE: BBC (5-6-08)
One of the Vikings' most important trading centres has been discovered in Ireland.
The settlement at Woodstown in County Waterford is estimated to be about 1,200 years old.
It was discovered during archaeological excavations for a road by-pass for Waterford city, which was founded by the Vikings.
The Irish government said the settlement was one of the most important early Viking age trading centres discovered in the country.
The settlement at Woodstown in County Waterford is estimated to be about 1,200 years old.
It was discovered during archaeological excavations for a road by-pass for Waterford city, which was founded by the Vikings.
The Irish government said the settlement was one of the most important early Viking age trading centres discovered in the country.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 12:23
SOURCE: BBC (5-5-08)
France has reopened a labyrinth of medieval quarries under the northern town of Arras which the British army converted into an underground hideout for 24,000 soldiers during World War I. The BBC's Emma Jane Kirby went to investigate.
Eighteen metres (60ft) underground and immediately I'm cold, slightly unnerved by the dimness of the light and very uncomfortable as the chalky ceilings constantly drip freezing water on my head.
Although these secret caves were a huge step up from the horror of the World War I trenches, this was no cushy billet either.
Used briefly as an air raid shelter in World War II, the caves were sealed and largely forgotten about. But now they are a museum.
Eighteen metres (60ft) underground and immediately I'm cold, slightly unnerved by the dimness of the light and very uncomfortable as the chalky ceilings constantly drip freezing water on my head.
Although these secret caves were a huge step up from the horror of the World War I trenches, this was no cushy billet either.
Used briefly as an air raid shelter in World War II, the caves were sealed and largely forgotten about. But now they are a museum.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 12:21
SOURCE: BBC (5-4-08)
The threat of a nuclear attack on the UK in the 1950s caused concern over the supply of tea, top-secret documents which have now been released reveal.
Government officials planning food supplies said the tea situation would be "very serious" after a nuclear war.
"It would be wrong to consider that even 1oz per head per week could be ensured," they stated.
The papers were released under the Freedom of Information Act by the National Archives at Kew.
Government officials planning food supplies said the tea situation would be "very serious" after a nuclear war.
"It would be wrong to consider that even 1oz per head per week could be ensured," they stated.
The papers were released under the Freedom of Information Act by the National Archives at Kew.
Sunday, May 4, 2008 - 22:51
Name of source: The Trail (WaPo blog)
SOURCE: The Trail (WaPo blog) (5-5-08)
After sitting on the story for nearly eight years, Arianna Huffington said this afternoon that John McCain told her soon after the 2000 election that he did not vote for George W. Bush.
The private conversation took place at a Los Angeles dinner party, she said, and the senator's wife Cindy said she didn't vote for Bush either. The liberal blogger, who posted the account on her website today, said McCain's declaration came after a tirade in which he criticized Bush's tactics against him in their battle for the GOP nomination.
"He never told me it was off the record," Huffington said in an interview. "It shows how far this man has fallen, that he could not even bring himself to vote for Bush and now he has embraced him."
Huffington said she is going public to counter "the media's love affair" with McCain and the lack of attention to a series of misstatements and reversals that have been overshadowed by the Democratic contest. "It is really important to unmask John McCain," she said.
Tucker Bounds, a spokesman for McCain, said "It's not true, and I ask you to please consider the source."
The private conversation took place at a Los Angeles dinner party, she said, and the senator's wife Cindy said she didn't vote for Bush either. The liberal blogger, who posted the account on her website today, said McCain's declaration came after a tirade in which he criticized Bush's tactics against him in their battle for the GOP nomination.
"He never told me it was off the record," Huffington said in an interview. "It shows how far this man has fallen, that he could not even bring himself to vote for Bush and now he has embraced him."
Huffington said she is going public to counter "the media's love affair" with McCain and the lack of attention to a series of misstatements and reversals that have been overshadowed by the Democratic contest. "It is really important to unmask John McCain," she said.
Tucker Bounds, a spokesman for McCain, said "It's not true, and I ask you to please consider the source."
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 01:07
Name of source: LAT
SOURCE: LAT (5-5-08)
Five years after his retirement, ex-firefighter Tom Bramell still likes to visit Station No. 6 for old times' sake, whistling in amazement at all the changes -- the strange faces and slick high-tech engines.
But one thing remains exactly the same, and it's what Bramell misses the most about his firefighting days. The sturdy little object hangs from the ceiling in the firehouse's engine bay, emitting its familiar faint orange glow.
He calls it the long-lived lightbulb of Livermore.
That's actually something of an understatement.
At 107 years and counting, the low-watt wonder with the curlicue carbon filament has been named the planet's longest continuously burning bulb by both Guinness World Records and Ripley's Believe It Or Not.
As objet d'art and enduring symbol of American reliability and ingenuity, it's been lauded by senators and presidents.
But one thing remains exactly the same, and it's what Bramell misses the most about his firefighting days. The sturdy little object hangs from the ceiling in the firehouse's engine bay, emitting its familiar faint orange glow.
He calls it the long-lived lightbulb of Livermore.
That's actually something of an understatement.
At 107 years and counting, the low-watt wonder with the curlicue carbon filament has been named the planet's longest continuously burning bulb by both Guinness World Records and Ripley's Believe It Or Not.
As objet d'art and enduring symbol of American reliability and ingenuity, it's been lauded by senators and presidents.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 01:03
Name of source: Times (UK)
SOURCE: Times (UK) (5-5-08)
“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it,” quipped Sir Winston Churchill. For a man remembered as a towering statesmen his prediction has proved overwhelmingly true - although not in Dundee.
This week, in a symbolic moment, the city where Churchill spent 15 years as an MP before being cast by voters into political wilderness will begin its reconciliation by unveiling its first memorial to Britain's most celebrated leader.
The small bronze plaque, just 70cm by 50cm (28x20in), may not look much, but its unveiling by Lady Soames, Churchill's youngest daughter, on Friday will mark an historic detente after 100 years of strained relations over the politician.
“This is the moment when the hatchet can finally be buried,” said Andrew Roberts, the award-winning historian, who will deliver a lecture as part of a series of events to mark the centenary of Churchill's election as MP in 1908.
This week, in a symbolic moment, the city where Churchill spent 15 years as an MP before being cast by voters into political wilderness will begin its reconciliation by unveiling its first memorial to Britain's most celebrated leader.
The small bronze plaque, just 70cm by 50cm (28x20in), may not look much, but its unveiling by Lady Soames, Churchill's youngest daughter, on Friday will mark an historic detente after 100 years of strained relations over the politician.
“This is the moment when the hatchet can finally be buried,” said Andrew Roberts, the award-winning historian, who will deliver a lecture as part of a series of events to mark the centenary of Churchill's election as MP in 1908.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 00:56
Name of source: http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com
SOURCE: http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com (5-2-08)
As governments, Jewish communities and Israeli embassies across Europe prepare to celebrate Israel’s 60th birthday, a cadre of Israel critics is making a push to be heard.
Muslim organizations across Europe are expected to mark the day as the anniversary of the Nakba — the Arabic term meaning “catastrophe” commonly used to refer to Israel’s independence and subsequent displacement of Palestinian Arabs.
“We expect some kind of demonstration in every European capital,” said Majed Bamya, the assistant to the director of the Palestinian Authority mission to the European Union in Brussels.
Jewish groups critical of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian-populated territories and treatment of the Palestinians also are planning public events to promote their viewpoints.
Muslim organizations across Europe are expected to mark the day as the anniversary of the Nakba — the Arabic term meaning “catastrophe” commonly used to refer to Israel’s independence and subsequent displacement of Palestinian Arabs.
“We expect some kind of demonstration in every European capital,” said Majed Bamya, the assistant to the director of the Palestinian Authority mission to the European Union in Brussels.
Jewish groups critical of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian-populated territories and treatment of the Palestinians also are planning public events to promote their viewpoints.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 00:49
Name of source: http://www.newarkadvocate.com
SOURCE: http://www.newarkadvocate.com (5-5-08)
Trying to preserve the Union during a tumultuous time in history, several prominent local men conspired and manufactured artifacts to support an emerging anti-slavery theory.
Known as Newark's Holy Stones, the artifacts later were proven to be fake. But two local men have done extensive research to discover the reasons behind the conspiracy.
Brad Lepper, an Ohio Historical Society archaeologist, first learned of the pair of hand-carved stones found in the Newark area in 1860 while he was a graduate student working at the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum in Coshocton, where the original stones are housed.
Known as Newark's Holy Stones, the artifacts later were proven to be fake. But two local men have done extensive research to discover the reasons behind the conspiracy.
Brad Lepper, an Ohio Historical Society archaeologist, first learned of the pair of hand-carved stones found in the Newark area in 1860 while he was a graduate student working at the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum in Coshocton, where the original stones are housed.
Monday, May 5, 2008 - 16:24
Name of source: http://www.independent.ie
SOURCE: http://www.independent.ie (5-3-08)
ENVIRONMENT Minister Dick Roche knew a month ago that the site of a possible pre-historic 'temple' had been unearthed on the route of the controversial M3 motorway.
The National Roads Authority alerted his department early last month that a pagan site - the size of three football pitches - dating from 3,500 BC had been discovered at Lismullen, Co Meath. It had not shown up in initial surveys.
Experts believe that the find could be one of the most significant archaeological discoveries ever unearthed here, and might be the site of a structure similar to Stonehenge but made with wood.
Yesterday the Tarawatch campaign alleged that Mr Roche had issued draft directions to preserve the site 'by record' - in effect, noting where the site was before destroying it to allow roadworks to begin.
Monday, May 5, 2008 - 16:20
SOURCE: http://www.independent.ie (5-4-08)
Priceless archaeological treasures are being "left exposed in open-air sites" because the National Museum of Ireland has accumulated so many artifacts that it has no place to store them.
An unanticipated consequence of the massive road-building programme is that archaeology is one of the State's largest growth industries.
An unanticipated consequence of the massive road-building programme is that archaeology is one of the State's largest growth industries.
Monday, May 5, 2008 - 16:19
Name of source: http://www.eveningsun.com
SOURCE: http://www.eveningsun.com (5-4-08)
Marilynn Phillips says she is "cautiously optimistic" about the response of the National Park Service to her concerns about the accessibility of the new Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center.
In fact, the disabilities-rights activist said she may hold off on filing a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission if the matter is addressed soon by park officials.
Phillips visited the newly opened center last week and said she was appalled at the alleged accessibility issues. On Wednesday, however, Phillips said she was encouraged by a conversation she had with one Park Service architect who specializes in accessibility.
In fact, the disabilities-rights activist said she may hold off on filing a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission if the matter is addressed soon by park officials.
Phillips visited the newly opened center last week and said she was appalled at the alleged accessibility issues. On Wednesday, however, Phillips said she was encouraged by a conversation she had with one Park Service architect who specializes in accessibility.
Monday, May 5, 2008 - 15:55
Name of source: http://www.centredaily.com
SOURCE: http://www.centredaily.com (5-4-08)
For decades, visitors willing to shell out a few extra dollars at Gettysburg National Military Park could be entertained - or bored - watching an electric light display showing troop movements in that pivotal Civil War battle.
With the opening of a new museum and visitor center that offers a bigger "wow" factor for the park's nearly 2 million yearly visitors, the National Park Service has decided that its 1960s-era electric battlefield map has outlived its usefulness.
As patrons of the new $103 million facility learn about the battle by immersing themselves in some new technology, the old center stands vacant, awaiting demolition next year. Before that happens, the 30-by-30-foot electric map inside it - embedded with more than 625 colored lights - will be dismantled and placed in storage.
With the opening of a new museum and visitor center that offers a bigger "wow" factor for the park's nearly 2 million yearly visitors, the National Park Service has decided that its 1960s-era electric battlefield map has outlived its usefulness.
As patrons of the new $103 million facility learn about the battle by immersing themselves in some new technology, the old center stands vacant, awaiting demolition next year. Before that happens, the 30-by-30-foot electric map inside it - embedded with more than 625 colored lights - will be dismantled and placed in storage.
Monday, May 5, 2008 - 15:48
Name of source: Reuters
SOURCE: Reuters (5-3-08)
British police have discovered forged documents were planted in the National Archives alleging top Nazi Heinrich Himmler was murdered on Winston Churchill's orders, the Public Record Office said on Saturday.
The investigation identified 29 forgeries that had been slipped into 12 files after 2000. The office said it would introduce improved security measures, including cameras in research areas, to ensure there is no repeat of the forgery.
Forensic examination revealed letterheads on documents purported to be written by Bernard Bracken, minister of information for wartime prime minister Churchill, in 1945 were made with a laser printer.
The investigation identified 29 forgeries that had been slipped into 12 files after 2000. The office said it would introduce improved security measures, including cameras in research areas, to ensure there is no repeat of the forgery.
Forensic examination revealed letterheads on documents purported to be written by Bernard Bracken, minister of information for wartime prime minister Churchill, in 1945 were made with a laser printer.
Monday, May 5, 2008 - 14:32
Name of source: Robert Fisk in the New Statesman
SOURCE: Robert Fisk in the New Statesman (5-1-08)
No wonder Seven Pillars of Wisdom - indeed, all of T E Lawrence's work - now tops the reading list of almost every senior US officer in Iraq. Long after his legend was established in Arabia and Damascus and at the Versailles Treaty negotiations - almost 90 years after he realised that his promises to his Arab allies were to be broken by Britain's adherence to the Balfour Declaration - Lawrence's wisdom is now serving to guide (and no doubt misguide) the Americans, who have walked into the hell-disaster of Iraq with no idea of how to retreat. If only, I say to myself each time I arrive in Baghdad, the Americans had read Lawrence before they invaded.
Sunday, May 4, 2008 - 17:45
