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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.
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Breaking News
This page features brief excerpts of news stories published by the mainstream media and, less frequently, blogs, alternative media, and even obviously biased sources. The excerpts are taken directly from the websites cited in each source note. Quotation marks are not used. Because most of our readers read the NYT we usually do not include the paper's stories in HIGHLIGHTS.
Name of source: NYT
SOURCE: NYT (5-14-09)
Under fire from Republicans for what she knew about harsh questioning of terror detainees, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday acknowledged that she had learned in 2003 that the C.I.A. had subjected suspects to waterboarding, but she asserted that the agency had misled Congress about its techniques.
At a tense press conference, Ms. Pelosi said for the first time that a staff member alerted her in February 2003 that top lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee had been briefed on the use of tough interrogation methods on terror suspects.
But she said the fact that she did not speak out at the time due to secrecy rules did not make her complicit in any abuse of detainees. She accused the C.I.A. and Bush administration of lying to Congress about what was actually transpiring with the detainees.
“I am saying that the C.I.A. was misleading the Congress and at the same time the administration was misleading the Congress on weapons of mass destruction,” Ms. Pelosi said.
Ms. Pelosi said she was told at that briefing [a briefing held in Sept. 2002] that waterboarding, one of the most controversial of the harsh techniques employed, was not being used.
At a tense press conference, Ms. Pelosi said for the first time that a staff member alerted her in February 2003 that top lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee had been briefed on the use of tough interrogation methods on terror suspects.
But she said the fact that she did not speak out at the time due to secrecy rules did not make her complicit in any abuse of detainees. She accused the C.I.A. and Bush administration of lying to Congress about what was actually transpiring with the detainees.
“I am saying that the C.I.A. was misleading the Congress and at the same time the administration was misleading the Congress on weapons of mass destruction,” Ms. Pelosi said.
Ms. Pelosi said she was told at that briefing [a briefing held in Sept. 2002] that waterboarding, one of the most controversial of the harsh techniques employed, was not being used.
Friday, May 15, 2009 - 14:06
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SOURCE: NYT (5-12-09)
The Vatican has opened its Secret Archives, the repository of centuries worth of documents pertaining to the Holy See, to let the world get a closer look at a document presaging England’s split from the Church of Rome. Dated July 13, 1530 and addressed to Pope Clement VII, the letter asks for the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon and includes the seals of dozens of peers of England who concurred with the request. A facsimile of the document will go on sale next month for about $68,000 from Venice-based publisher Scrinium, which plans a limited run of 199 copies.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 21:17
SOURCE: NYT (5-13-09)
No one would mistake the Stone Age ivory carving for a Venus de Milo. The voluptuous woman depicted is, to say the least, earthier, with huge, projecting breasts and sexually explicit genitalia.
Nicholas J. Conard, an archaeologist at Tubingen University in Germany, who found the small carving in a cave last year, says it is at least 35,000 years old, “one of the oldest known examples of figurative art” in the world. It is about 5,000 years older than some other so-called Venus artifacts made by early populations of Homo sapiens in Europe.
Another archaeologist, Paul Mellars of the University of Cambridge in England, agrees and goes on to remark on the obvious. By modern standards, he says, the figurine’s blatant sexuality “could be seen as bordering on the pornographic.”
The tiny statuette was uncovered last September in a cave in southwestern Germany, near Ulm and the Danube headwaters. Dr. Conard’s report on the find is being published Thursday in the journal Nature.
Nicholas J. Conard, an archaeologist at Tubingen University in Germany, who found the small carving in a cave last year, says it is at least 35,000 years old, “one of the oldest known examples of figurative art” in the world. It is about 5,000 years older than some other so-called Venus artifacts made by early populations of Homo sapiens in Europe.
Another archaeologist, Paul Mellars of the University of Cambridge in England, agrees and goes on to remark on the obvious. By modern standards, he says, the figurine’s blatant sexuality “could be seen as bordering on the pornographic.”
The tiny statuette was uncovered last September in a cave in southwestern Germany, near Ulm and the Danube headwaters. Dr. Conard’s report on the find is being published Thursday in the journal Nature.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 14:46
Name of source: Wall Street Journal
SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (5-13-09)
Deep-fried Twinkies, jars of moonshine and kegerators set up in the backs of recreational vehicles at Alabama's Talladega Superspeedway. To one scholar, these aren't just the trappings of a modern-day Nascar race weekend -- they're evidence of a hidden past.
"It's almost a direct carryover from the Middle Ages," says Karyn Rybacki, a professor of communication studies and public relations at Northern Michigan University. Ms. Rybacki, who studies stock-car racing, says the cultural elements of Nascar races -- where fans travel many miles to attend, wear the colors of their favorite teams and virtually knight popular drivers -- may be directly descended from medieval times, when people came in droves to make merry before another fast and dangerous form of competition, the joust.
"The more I dug into the history, the more I saw the parallels," says Ms. Rybacki, who has presented papers on the topic and wrote about it in a recent anthology "The Sporting World of the Modern South." She notes that the late Nascar hero Dale Earnhardt carried the moniker "The Black Knight."
"It's almost a direct carryover from the Middle Ages," says Karyn Rybacki, a professor of communication studies and public relations at Northern Michigan University. Ms. Rybacki, who studies stock-car racing, says the cultural elements of Nascar races -- where fans travel many miles to attend, wear the colors of their favorite teams and virtually knight popular drivers -- may be directly descended from medieval times, when people came in droves to make merry before another fast and dangerous form of competition, the joust.
"The more I dug into the history, the more I saw the parallels," says Ms. Rybacki, who has presented papers on the topic and wrote about it in a recent anthology "The Sporting World of the Modern South." She notes that the late Nascar hero Dale Earnhardt carried the moniker "The Black Knight."
Friday, May 15, 2009 - 14:05
Name of source: Telegraph (UK)
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (5-15-09)
The White House attempted to forestall criticism from President Obama's liberal supporters by promising improved legal safeguards.
President Obama stopped military commissions, which were trying suspects in the September 11, 2001 attacks on America by al-Qaeda as soon as he took over from George W Bush. President Obama ordered a review of the procedures, declaring the system did not work. But he was careful not to rule out the use of a modified tribunal system in future.
The new legal framework, which will try the most prominent Al-Qaeda suspects now at the Guantanamo Bay war on terror camp in Cuba, would include restrictions on the use of hearsay evidence against detainees. The revisions would also reportedly ban evidence obtained through coercion, such as waterboarding and other enhanced CIA interrogation techniques.
President Obama stopped military commissions, which were trying suspects in the September 11, 2001 attacks on America by al-Qaeda as soon as he took over from George W Bush. President Obama ordered a review of the procedures, declaring the system did not work. But he was careful not to rule out the use of a modified tribunal system in future.
The new legal framework, which will try the most prominent Al-Qaeda suspects now at the Guantanamo Bay war on terror camp in Cuba, would include restrictions on the use of hearsay evidence against detainees. The revisions would also reportedly ban evidence obtained through coercion, such as waterboarding and other enhanced CIA interrogation techniques.
Friday, May 15, 2009 - 10:23
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (5-14-09)
The Kimbell Art Museum will soon be the only US museum to display a Michelangelo painting after acquiring his earliest known work, a rare treasure that was tucked away and doubted as authentic for more than a century.
The museum declined to disclose how much it paid for "The Torment of Saint Anthony," a 15th-century oil and tempera painting on a wood panel that depicts scaly, horned, winged demons trying to pull the saint out of the sky. Experts believe he painted it when he was only 12 or 13 years old.
Only four such works – including this one – by the artist exist, and two of them are unfinished. Most of his paintings are frescoes, the famous scenes on the ceiling and wall of Rome's Sistine Chapel.
The painting will be displayed at the Kimbell starting this fall after a summer exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Lee said he may loan the painting to other museums later for travelling exhibits.
The museum declined to disclose how much it paid for "The Torment of Saint Anthony," a 15th-century oil and tempera painting on a wood panel that depicts scaly, horned, winged demons trying to pull the saint out of the sky. Experts believe he painted it when he was only 12 or 13 years old.
Only four such works – including this one – by the artist exist, and two of them are unfinished. Most of his paintings are frescoes, the famous scenes on the ceiling and wall of Rome's Sistine Chapel.
The painting will be displayed at the Kimbell starting this fall after a summer exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Lee said he may loan the painting to other museums later for travelling exhibits.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 17:04
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (5-14-09)
In a new book, "40 More Years – How the Democrats Will Rule the Next Generation", he writes in typically barnstorming fashion: "Republicans shouldn't be worried. They should be in agony. They should be throwing up. The Republican brand is the worst political party brand in history."
History, he argues, is on his side.
"There have been long periods where one party generally has the upper hand. You never win every election – the Democrats won't win every election – but for 40 years the underlying dynamics in demographics stay with them," he told The Daily Telegraph.
From 1896 to 1932 there was just one Democratic president and from 1932 to 1968 just one moderate Republican, Eisenhower. Since 1968 the Republicans have generally held sway, exploiting the backlash to the liberal society.
But in the first decades of the 21st century, young voters have swung heavily to the Democrats, a crucial advantage given that voting behaviour in the US is generally set when people are in their 20s.
History, he argues, is on his side.
"There have been long periods where one party generally has the upper hand. You never win every election – the Democrats won't win every election – but for 40 years the underlying dynamics in demographics stay with them," he told The Daily Telegraph.
From 1896 to 1932 there was just one Democratic president and from 1932 to 1968 just one moderate Republican, Eisenhower. Since 1968 the Republicans have generally held sway, exploiting the backlash to the liberal society.
But in the first decades of the 21st century, young voters have swung heavily to the Democrats, a crucial advantage given that voting behaviour in the US is generally set when people are in their 20s.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 15:20
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (5-13-09)
A former Ku Klux Klan boss who twice ran for US president has secretly set up home in Austria where he is running a birdwatching business.
David E Duke, who was once a KKK Grand Wizard, runs a business selling photographs of rare birds and other wildlife in a village near Salzburg.
The discovery has outraged his neighbours in Austria which has struggled to shake off the scourge of a new wave of far right politicians.
Mr Duke, who has previously denied Adolf Hitler used gas chambers in the holocaust, has rented a house by the Zeller lake near the city.
David E Duke, who was once a KKK Grand Wizard, runs a business selling photographs of rare birds and other wildlife in a village near Salzburg.
The discovery has outraged his neighbours in Austria which has struggled to shake off the scourge of a new wave of far right politicians.
Mr Duke, who has previously denied Adolf Hitler used gas chambers in the holocaust, has rented a house by the Zeller lake near the city.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 18:36
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (5-9-09)
British veterans of the "forgotten" Italian Campaign during the Second World War are to take their rightful place among the heroes of the liberation of Europe with a series of events to mark the 65th anniversary of the campaign.
For decades, they have been dismissed as the "D-Day dodgers", their exploits overshadowed by the Normandy Landings.
Now, to mark the anniversary of the fighting, a number of special "battlefield tours" have been organised, many to be attended by veterans from the conflict.
On May 22, there will also be a service held at Monte Cassino – a historic abbey scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the entire war – organised by the Royal British Legion. Up to 500 people are expected to attend.
For decades, they have been dismissed as the "D-Day dodgers", their exploits overshadowed by the Normandy Landings.
Now, to mark the anniversary of the fighting, a number of special "battlefield tours" have been organised, many to be attended by veterans from the conflict.
On May 22, there will also be a service held at Monte Cassino – a historic abbey scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the entire war – organised by the Royal British Legion. Up to 500 people are expected to attend.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 18:31
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (5-13-09)
Frederick Toben, an Australian 'revisionist historian', has been sentenced to three months in jail after publishing offensive material about Jews and the Holocaust on his website.
Toben, 65, had been banned in 2002 from circulating anti-Semitic material on the website of the Adelaide Institute and had promised to abide by the order.
But a civil case brought by Jeremy Jones, former president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, found Toben had breached the order 24 out of an alleged 28 times.
Toben, 65, had been banned in 2002 from circulating anti-Semitic material on the website of the Adelaide Institute and had promised to abide by the order.
But a civil case brought by Jeremy Jones, former president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, found Toben had breached the order 24 out of an alleged 28 times.
The material he had published claimed that the Holocaust never happened and implied that Jewish people who challenged Holocaust deniers were of "limited intelligence".
Toben, who was given 14 days to appeal against the sentence, has said he has no regrets and was ready to be jailed.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 18:23
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (5-13-09)
A macabre catch by Thai fishermen could finally solve the mystery over missing victims of a notorious act of repression by the army.
A haul of skulls and other body parts has been linked to five shipping containers on the sea bed off the southern Chon Buri province.
Some believe they hold the bodies of pro-democracy protesters killed by the army in 1992. Police have said that their divers will examine the containers within the week.
Over the years rumours have suggested that the bodies were scattered by aircraft over the jungle or buried at a remote army camp. According to the official tally, 52 people died when troops opened fire on protesters in Bangkok during “Black May” in 1992. But victims’ groups say that 357 people are still missing.
A haul of skulls and other body parts has been linked to five shipping containers on the sea bed off the southern Chon Buri province.
Some believe they hold the bodies of pro-democracy protesters killed by the army in 1992. Police have said that their divers will examine the containers within the week.
Over the years rumours have suggested that the bodies were scattered by aircraft over the jungle or buried at a remote army camp. According to the official tally, 52 people died when troops opened fire on protesters in Bangkok during “Black May” in 1992. But victims’ groups say that 357 people are still missing.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 18:21
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (5-13-09)
A collection of personal letters and photographs from Queen Mary to a friend spanning half a century has been revealed for the first time before being sold at auction.
The birth and christening of Queen Elizabeth II are detailed in the collection, which also includes cheques made out to Queen Mary from her friend, Kate Rube.
Mrs Rube, and later her daughter Elizabeth Gillman, corresponded with the wife of George V from the turn of the 20th century and into the 1950s.
The birth and christening of Queen Elizabeth II are detailed in the collection, which also includes cheques made out to Queen Mary from her friend, Kate Rube.
Mrs Rube, and later her daughter Elizabeth Gillman, corresponded with the wife of George V from the turn of the 20th century and into the 1950s.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 18:17
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (5-12-09)
The territorial dispute between the two countries now extends beneath the South Atlantic itself and to the submerged boundaries of continental plates.
The application has gone to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. But Argentina, which lodged its claim over the same area of seabed last month, denounced Britain's move.
"The British insistence in assuming extended competence over the Malvinas [Falkland Islands], South Georgia and Southern Sandwich Islands and their surrounding maritime areas is unacceptable and inadmissible," said Jorge Taiana, the Argentine foreign minister. "Such competences only correspond to the sovereign state: the Republic of Argentina."
The application has gone to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. But Argentina, which lodged its claim over the same area of seabed last month, denounced Britain's move.
"The British insistence in assuming extended competence over the Malvinas [Falkland Islands], South Georgia and Southern Sandwich Islands and their surrounding maritime areas is unacceptable and inadmissible," said Jorge Taiana, the Argentine foreign minister. "Such competences only correspond to the sovereign state: the Republic of Argentina."
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 07:09
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (5-13-09)
On the third day of his visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, he crossed into the West Bank to visit Bethlehem.
While acknowledging the suffering of Palestinian people following the establishment of Israel in 1948, the Pope nevertheless urged moderation, telling Palestinians they should not use violence and extremism.
In his most sensitive speech yet of his tour of the Holy Land, the Pope sent a message of solidarity with moderate Palestinians such as Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah leader and president of the Palestinian Authority, who welcomed him to Bethlehem.
"The Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbours, within internationally recognised borders,'' the Pope said.
He placed the Vatican firmly in line with the United Nations and European Union in favouring the 'two state solution'' for the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict, envisaging two countries.
While acknowledging the suffering of Palestinian people following the establishment of Israel in 1948, the Pope nevertheless urged moderation, telling Palestinians they should not use violence and extremism.
In his most sensitive speech yet of his tour of the Holy Land, the Pope sent a message of solidarity with moderate Palestinians such as Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah leader and president of the Palestinian Authority, who welcomed him to Bethlehem.
"The Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbours, within internationally recognised borders,'' the Pope said.
He placed the Vatican firmly in line with the United Nations and European Union in favouring the 'two state solution'' for the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict, envisaging two countries.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 07:00
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (5-13-09)
As a nation, we are used to watching Hollywood distort history to suggest that some of Britain's finest moments of the Second World War were achieved by Americans.
However, a US science writer has now claimed that Britain's two most famous aircraft were not as significant in defeating the Luftwaffe as we might like to believe.
Tim Palucka asserts that the British fighters were able to outmanoeuvre their German opponents because they were running on a special high-octane fuel created in the US.
He claims that the 100-octane fuel increased the Spitfire's speed by 25mph at sea level and by 34mph at 10,000 feet.
This proved vital during dog fights over the Channel and the skies above England in 1940, Mr Palucka writes in the journal Invention And Technology.
However, a US science writer has now claimed that Britain's two most famous aircraft were not as significant in defeating the Luftwaffe as we might like to believe.
Tim Palucka asserts that the British fighters were able to outmanoeuvre their German opponents because they were running on a special high-octane fuel created in the US.
He claims that the 100-octane fuel increased the Spitfire's speed by 25mph at sea level and by 34mph at 10,000 feet.
This proved vital during dog fights over the Channel and the skies above England in 1940, Mr Palucka writes in the journal Invention And Technology.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 06:57
Name of source: Times (UK)
SOURCE: Times (UK) (5-15-09)
The American who swam to see Aung San Suu Kyi is a Vietnam veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to his ex-wife.
Yvonne Yettaw, the mother of six children with John Yettaw, said that her ex-husband received a disability pension from the US Department of Veterans’ Affairs because of his illness.
“You can’t raise your voice. You cannot touch him without startling him. I lived with the man. Yes, he has it,” she told The Times. “He also has bipolar but I don’t believe he has been diagnosed with that. I would call him that. He gets an idea. He goes and does it and gets in trouble,” she said.
Yvonne Yettaw, the mother of six children with John Yettaw, said that her ex-husband received a disability pension from the US Department of Veterans’ Affairs because of his illness.
“You can’t raise your voice. You cannot touch him without startling him. I lived with the man. Yes, he has it,” she told The Times. “He also has bipolar but I don’t believe he has been diagnosed with that. I would call him that. He gets an idea. He goes and does it and gets in trouble,” she said.
Friday, May 15, 2009 - 10:22
SOURCE: Times (UK) (5-12-09)
The big lesson out of all this stuff is: don’t do it again.” That is, don’t invade countries in pursuit of a few Islamic terrorists and turn the whole population against you.
That is the message from David Kilcullen, an Australian academic turned military strategist and one of the most influential advisers to General David Petraeus. Kilcullen, the author of a thoughtful new book on lessons from fighting radical Islamists, is blunt about the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan — and invasions in general.
“Al-Qaeda is already starting to burn itself out”, he says. “Provided we don’t do anything egregiously stupid like keeping invading countries, the trend lines are not good for it.” Iraq, which he calls “a disaster of our own making”, is “exactly the type of conflict we need to avoid”. He agrees that after the 9/11 attacks “there was no option but to do something”. But he holds that the US-led mission conflated “the Taleban with al-Qaeda and the Afghan state with the Taleban”.
Kilcullen’s book, The Accidental Guerrilla, is a perceptive addition to the flood of “what went wrong” books on these wars.
That is the message from David Kilcullen, an Australian academic turned military strategist and one of the most influential advisers to General David Petraeus. Kilcullen, the author of a thoughtful new book on lessons from fighting radical Islamists, is blunt about the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan — and invasions in general.
“Al-Qaeda is already starting to burn itself out”, he says. “Provided we don’t do anything egregiously stupid like keeping invading countries, the trend lines are not good for it.” Iraq, which he calls “a disaster of our own making”, is “exactly the type of conflict we need to avoid”. He agrees that after the 9/11 attacks “there was no option but to do something”. But he holds that the US-led mission conflated “the Taleban with al-Qaeda and the Afghan state with the Taleban”.
Kilcullen’s book, The Accidental Guerrilla, is a perceptive addition to the flood of “what went wrong” books on these wars.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 15:47
SOURCE: Times (UK) (5-13-09)
A Soviet mole who recruited a network of communist spies at Oxford before and during the war has been unmasked as Arthur Wynn, a distinguished former civil servant who was also “Agent Scott” of the KGB.
Historians have speculated for years about the true identity of “Scott”, a British spy known to have recruited the Oxford Ring of spies and informants in parallel to the better-known Cambridge Ring of Soviet agents.
Agent Scott first came to light when the KGB briefly permitted access to its files in 1992, but his true identity has been revealed after the discovery of a document written by the KGB’s former head of counter-intelligence. The double life of the British former bureaucrat was exposed in the American Weekly Standard magazine by the historians John Earl Haynes, Harvey Klehr and Alexander Vassiliev, a former KGB officer who gained access to the Soviet archives in the 1990s.
Historians have speculated for years about the true identity of “Scott”, a British spy known to have recruited the Oxford Ring of spies and informants in parallel to the better-known Cambridge Ring of Soviet agents.
Agent Scott first came to light when the KGB briefly permitted access to its files in 1992, but his true identity has been revealed after the discovery of a document written by the KGB’s former head of counter-intelligence. The double life of the British former bureaucrat was exposed in the American Weekly Standard magazine by the historians John Earl Haynes, Harvey Klehr and Alexander Vassiliev, a former KGB officer who gained access to the Soviet archives in the 1990s.
Related Links
How members of Oxford spy ring were exposed by MI5's Peter Wright
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 15:23
SOURCE: Times (UK) (5-12-09)
The American journalist Roxana Saberi was jailed for espionage in Tehran after obtaining a confidential Iranian document about the American invasion of Iraq, it was claimed today.
Saleh Nikbakht, one of Ms Saberi's Iranian lawyers, revealed that a document Ms Saberi had obtained while working as a translator for a powerful clerical lobby had been used as evidence to convict her on charges of espionage.
Ms Saberi, 32, was released on Monday after an appeal court dismissed charges of spying and reduced her eight-year prison term to a two-year suspended sentence.
Saleh Nikbakht, one of Ms Saberi's Iranian lawyers, revealed that a document Ms Saberi had obtained while working as a translator for a powerful clerical lobby had been used as evidence to convict her on charges of espionage.
Ms Saberi, 32, was released on Monday after an appeal court dismissed charges of spying and reduced her eight-year prison term to a two-year suspended sentence.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 07:23
SOURCE: Times (UK) (5-13-09)
David Miliband hailed President Obama’s efforts to kick-start the Middle East peace process yesterday as a once in a generation opportunity to resolve the 60-year conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.
The Foreign Secretary, speaking before talks in Washington with Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, said that this was the first US Administration since that of Jimmy Carter in the Camp David talks of 1978 to have “thrown itself into the peace process from day one”. He also praised Mr Obama’s team for recognising “the regional context” of the need to broker a settlement that not only allows Israel to live in peace alongside a new Palestinian state but also with the 21 other Arab nations.
Today, on his return to London, Mr Miliband will meet Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s Foreign Minister, before a flurry of intense American-led diplomacy over the next month.
The Foreign Secretary, speaking before talks in Washington with Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, said that this was the first US Administration since that of Jimmy Carter in the Camp David talks of 1978 to have “thrown itself into the peace process from day one”. He also praised Mr Obama’s team for recognising “the regional context” of the need to broker a settlement that not only allows Israel to live in peace alongside a new Palestinian state but also with the 21 other Arab nations.
Today, on his return to London, Mr Miliband will meet Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s Foreign Minister, before a flurry of intense American-led diplomacy over the next month.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 07:09
Name of source: Spiegel Online
SOURCE: Spiegel Online (5-15-09)
"Go ahead and write that we country bumpkins don't think much of this talk of graves," said Heinrich Keritz, a Jamlitz local in his mid-50s, leaning against the barbed wire fence holding a telescope. "All our taxes being are used and at the end, nothing will be found." Keritz looked angrily at the piles of earth, meter-high weeds and the backhoe.
Heinrich Keritz is the stereotype of a morose backwoodsman. To understand him, one has to know the story of his village. Jamlitz, a small town with some 600 residents on the border of the Spreewald forest south of Berlin. Tucked between rapeseed fields and a spruce forest, the village only rarely sees an urban tourist. Jamlitz residents don't like the flurry of publicity. The only feature setting this village apart from any other is its proximity to the "camp."
That is how Jamlitz locals refer to the Lieberose camp, a satellite of the Nazis' Sachenhausen concentration camp. At the end of 1943, some prisoners from Sachsenhausen were transported to Jamlitz and forced to build a training area for the SS division "Kurmark." There were more deaths in the Jamlitz barracks than in similar labor camps. Every day, dozens of prisoners were killed or died from exhaustion. Only 400 of a total 8,000 prisoners survived the war.
Sixty years have now passed since the horrific crimes in the camp. But the stories live on in Jamlitz -- about bones hidden in the forest, about haggard camp victims, about people on a death march begging for water, about SS men spending nights drinking and shooting.
Heinrich Keritz is the stereotype of a morose backwoodsman. To understand him, one has to know the story of his village. Jamlitz, a small town with some 600 residents on the border of the Spreewald forest south of Berlin. Tucked between rapeseed fields and a spruce forest, the village only rarely sees an urban tourist. Jamlitz residents don't like the flurry of publicity. The only feature setting this village apart from any other is its proximity to the "camp."
That is how Jamlitz locals refer to the Lieberose camp, a satellite of the Nazis' Sachenhausen concentration camp. At the end of 1943, some prisoners from Sachsenhausen were transported to Jamlitz and forced to build a training area for the SS division "Kurmark." There were more deaths in the Jamlitz barracks than in similar labor camps. Every day, dozens of prisoners were killed or died from exhaustion. Only 400 of a total 8,000 prisoners survived the war.
Sixty years have now passed since the horrific crimes in the camp. But the stories live on in Jamlitz -- about bones hidden in the forest, about haggard camp victims, about people on a death march begging for water, about SS men spending nights drinking and shooting.
Friday, May 15, 2009 - 09:24
SOURCE: Spiegel Online (5-13-09)
They committed their alleged crimes more than six decades ago but have escaped justice. Dozens of suspected Nazi war criminals are enjoying the twilight of their lives. For investigators into World War II atrocities, it is a race against time.
For Charles Zentai, Tuesday was a good day: His extradition from Australia to Hungary was halted at the last minute after the government in Budapest withdrew its opposition to the 87-year-old's application for bail. Zentai, who now lives in Perth, Western Australia, is suspected of having tortured and murdered the 18-year-old Hungarian Jew Peter Balazs in November 1944 and then dumping his body in the Danube River.
The Australian police had arrested Zentai in July 2005 -- but the trial and the decision about what to do with the elderly man were repeatedly postponed. It looks increasingly unlikely that he will ever face justice in a Hungarian court.
Zentai is just one of dozens of suspected Nazi war criminals around the world who have evaded justice.
For Charles Zentai, Tuesday was a good day: His extradition from Australia to Hungary was halted at the last minute after the government in Budapest withdrew its opposition to the 87-year-old's application for bail. Zentai, who now lives in Perth, Western Australia, is suspected of having tortured and murdered the 18-year-old Hungarian Jew Peter Balazs in November 1944 and then dumping his body in the Danube River.
The Australian police had arrested Zentai in July 2005 -- but the trial and the decision about what to do with the elderly man were repeatedly postponed. It looks increasingly unlikely that he will ever face justice in a Hungarian court.
Zentai is just one of dozens of suspected Nazi war criminals around the world who have evaded justice.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 18:29
SOURCE: Spiegel Online (5-12-09)
James Mitchell's new life begins with the same ritual every morning: He goes jogging, wearing Adidas shorts and a black tank top, his iPod in his ear. Then he gets into his luxury SUV and drives back to luxury home on Lake Vienna Drive in Pasco County, Florida.
The hacienda-style house, with a natural stone façade, columned walkways and palm trees in front of the door is brand-new. Mitchell has just had it built, in the midst of an upscale, gated community.
The freestanding garage to the right of the house is big enough for three or four cars, and a mountain bike is mounted to the back of the SUV. Mitchell, a tanned man in his late 50s with silver-gray hair, a neatly trimmed beard and trendy sunglasses, spends two hours a day exercising. In fact, exercise plays an important role in his new life under Florida's blue skies.
Mitchell is the man who, on the behalf of the administration of former President George W. Bush, developed the rules of the program that was somewhat shamefacedly referred to as "special interrogation techniques" and was authorized by the president in the summer of 2002. In truth, Mitchell developed a torture manual. His client was the CIA. The American foreign intelligence agency has engaged in its own share of dubious practices over the years, activities it initially treated as praiseworthy and would later come to bitterly regret. But now it has become clear that the CIA, ironically enough, outsourced its torture practices in interrogations during the darkest years of the Bush administration. It entrusted the development and supervision of these interrogations to a private security firm run by James Mitchell and his partner, Bruce Jessen.
The hacienda-style house, with a natural stone façade, columned walkways and palm trees in front of the door is brand-new. Mitchell has just had it built, in the midst of an upscale, gated community.
The freestanding garage to the right of the house is big enough for three or four cars, and a mountain bike is mounted to the back of the SUV. Mitchell, a tanned man in his late 50s with silver-gray hair, a neatly trimmed beard and trendy sunglasses, spends two hours a day exercising. In fact, exercise plays an important role in his new life under Florida's blue skies.
Mitchell is the man who, on the behalf of the administration of former President George W. Bush, developed the rules of the program that was somewhat shamefacedly referred to as "special interrogation techniques" and was authorized by the president in the summer of 2002. In truth, Mitchell developed a torture manual. His client was the CIA. The American foreign intelligence agency has engaged in its own share of dubious practices over the years, activities it initially treated as praiseworthy and would later come to bitterly regret. But now it has become clear that the CIA, ironically enough, outsourced its torture practices in interrogations during the darkest years of the Bush administration. It entrusted the development and supervision of these interrogations to a private security firm run by James Mitchell and his partner, Bruce Jessen.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 06:46
Name of source: AFP
SOURCE: AFP (5-13-09)
The US military on Wednesday handed control of ancient Ur, the biblical birthplace
of Abraham, back to Iraqi authorities, who hope now to relaunch it as a major tourism site.
"We officially announce the taking over of Ziggurat of Ur from our friends the Americans," Talib Kamil al-Hassan, governor of Dhi Qar province, said at a ceremony to mark the return of the site six years after the American invasion.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 21:34
Name of source: http://www.wsmv.com
SOURCE: http://www.wsmv.com (5-14-09)
While digging near a Burger King restaurant at the corner of Columbia Pike and Southeast Parkway, the body of a Civil War Union soldier was uncovered.
The remains of the soldier were found scattered in a 2-foot grave.
The remains of the soldier were found scattered in a 2-foot grave.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 21:33
Name of source: AP
SOURCE: AP (5-14-09)
The California Senate has approved legislation that would designate a day each year to honor slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk.
The bill by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, would designate each May 22 — Milk's birthday — as a "day of special significance" to recognize the late San Francisco supervisor's contributions to the state.
It would not be an official holiday so there would be no cost to state government. The bill encourages but doesn't require schools to teach about Milk's legacy.
The bill by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, would designate each May 22 — Milk's birthday — as a "day of special significance" to recognize the late San Francisco supervisor's contributions to the state.
It would not be an official holiday so there would be no cost to state government. The bill encourages but doesn't require schools to teach about Milk's legacy.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 21:31
SOURCE: AP (5-13-09)
A white fraternity that traces its roots to the Civil War and
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee is again facing complaints over its
antebellum-themed events.
This time, University of Alabama alumnae are upset after Kappa Alpha Order members wearing Confederate uniforms and carrying battle flags paraded past a historically black sorority as the women celebrated the group's 35th anniversary.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 13:49
SOURCE: AP (5-13-09)
The gunman who tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II would like to convert to Christianity at a baptism ceremony at the Vatican after his release from prison in January, according to his lawyer.
Over the years, Mehmet Ali Agca has made frequent claims that he is the Messiah or Jesus Christ, raising questions about his mental health and leading to speculation that he had converted to Christianity.
Agca is currently serving a prison term for killing Turkish journalist Abdi Ipekci. The gunman is due to be released on Jan. 18, 2010.
Over the years, Mehmet Ali Agca has made frequent claims that he is the Messiah or Jesus Christ, raising questions about his mental health and leading to speculation that he had converted to Christianity.
Agca is currently serving a prison term for killing Turkish journalist Abdi Ipekci. The gunman is due to be released on Jan. 18, 2010.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 18:29
SOURCE: AP (5-11-09)
From busting up John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust in 1911 to going after Microsoft's use of its Windows monopoly, antitrust policy has been an important element of the U.S. regulatory landscape.
Now, in tough recession times, the Obama administration is swinging back the pendulum, maintaining that lax enforcement over the past decade has worsened economic woes and hurt consumers by failing to protect business competition.
What are antitrust laws and how can such government policies affect business and the economy?
Here are some questions and answers.
Now, in tough recession times, the Obama administration is swinging back the pendulum, maintaining that lax enforcement over the past decade has worsened economic woes and hurt consumers by failing to protect business competition.
What are antitrust laws and how can such government policies affect business and the economy?
Here are some questions and answers.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 - 22:54
Name of source: WaPo
SOURCE: WaPo (5-14-09)
Deterred by immigration laws and the lackluster economy, the population growth of Hispanics and Asians in the United States has slowed unexpectedly, causing the government to push back estimates on when minorities will become the majority by as much as a decade.
Census data being released today also showed that fewer Hispanics are migrating to suburbs and newly emerging immigrant areas in the Southeast, including Arkansas, Tennessee and Georgia. Instead, Hispanics are staying in traditional gateway locations such as California.
The nation's overall minority population continues to rise steadily, increasing 2.3 percent in 2008 to 104.6 million, or 34 percent of the total population. But the slowdown among Hispanics and Asians continues to shift conventional notions on when the tipping point in U.S. diversity will come -- estimated to occur more than three decades from now.
Census data being released today also showed that fewer Hispanics are migrating to suburbs and newly emerging immigrant areas in the Southeast, including Arkansas, Tennessee and Georgia. Instead, Hispanics are staying in traditional gateway locations such as California.
The nation's overall minority population continues to rise steadily, increasing 2.3 percent in 2008 to 104.6 million, or 34 percent of the total population. But the slowdown among Hispanics and Asians continues to shift conventional notions on when the tipping point in U.S. diversity will come -- estimated to occur more than three decades from now.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 21:28
SOURCE: WaPo (5-13-09)
The financial health of the Social Security system has eroded more sharply in the past year than at any time since the mid-1990s, according to a government forecast that ratchets up pressure on the Obama administration and Congress to stabilize the retirement system that keeps many older Americans out of poverty.
The report, issued yesterday by the trustees who monitor the government's two main forms of help for the elderly, shows that Medicare has become more fragile as well and is at greater risk than Social Security of imminent fiscal collapse. Starting eight years from now, the report says, the health insurance program will be unable to pay all its hospital bills.
The findings put a stark new face on the toll the recession has taken on the two enormous entitlement programs. They also intensify a political debate, gathering strength among Democrats and Republicans, over how quickly President Obama should tackle Social Security when health-care reform is his administration's most urgent domestic priority.
The report, issued yesterday by the trustees who monitor the government's two main forms of help for the elderly, shows that Medicare has become more fragile as well and is at greater risk than Social Security of imminent fiscal collapse. Starting eight years from now, the report says, the health insurance program will be unable to pay all its hospital bills.
The findings put a stark new face on the toll the recession has taken on the two enormous entitlement programs. They also intensify a political debate, gathering strength among Democrats and Republicans, over how quickly President Obama should tackle Social Security when health-care reform is his administration's most urgent domestic priority.
Related Links
HNN Hot Topic: Social Security Kaiser Foundation: The Medicare Part A Hospital Insurance Trust Fund has faced projected funding shortfalls throughout its history.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 19:52
SOURCE: WaPo (5-13-09)
The Obama administration signaled yesterday that it may be rethinking its promise to release several dozen photos depicting abuse or alleged abuse of detainees held in U.S. custody abroad.
Justice Department officials told a federal judge late last month that the U.S. government did not intend to fight a court order to turn over a total of 44 photos, which were sought by the American Civil Liberties Union under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
A U.S. attorney was unequivocal in a letter to the judge on April 23: "The parties have reached an agreement that the Defense Department will produce all the responsive images by May 28, 2009."
But White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters yesterday that President Obama has "great concern" about the impact that releasing the photos would have on soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Justice Department officials told a federal judge late last month that the U.S. government did not intend to fight a court order to turn over a total of 44 photos, which were sought by the American Civil Liberties Union under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
A U.S. attorney was unequivocal in a letter to the judge on April 23: "The parties have reached an agreement that the Defense Department will produce all the responsive images by May 28, 2009."
But White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters yesterday that President Obama has "great concern" about the impact that releasing the photos would have on soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 19:27
Name of source: The Washington Times
SOURCE: The Washington Times (5-13-09)
Merchant mariners who survived German U-boats and lived for six more decades may finally get a financial reward from legislation approved by the House on Tuesday.
The measure passed by voice vote would provide a monthly benefit of $1,000 to those who served in the U.S. Merchant Marine between Dec. 7, 1941, and Dec. 31, 1946. Of the 250,000 merchant mariners during World War II, fewer than 10,000 are believed to still be alive.
The merchant mariners carried some 95 percent of the tanks, supplies and troops across the Atlantic and Pacific during World War II. Between 1941 and 1944, enemy forces sank more than 800 of their ships. Some 9,500 merchant mariners were killed or died of wounds, a greater casualty rate than any of the military services, including the Marines.
But the mariners were excluded when Congress in 1944 passed the GI Bill of Rights that gave service members education and housing benefits, VA health care and small-business loans. President Roosevelt, in signing the act, said he hoped Congress would soon extend similar benefits to merchant mariners.
The measure passed by voice vote would provide a monthly benefit of $1,000 to those who served in the U.S. Merchant Marine between Dec. 7, 1941, and Dec. 31, 1946. Of the 250,000 merchant mariners during World War II, fewer than 10,000 are believed to still be alive.
The merchant mariners carried some 95 percent of the tanks, supplies and troops across the Atlantic and Pacific during World War II. Between 1941 and 1944, enemy forces sank more than 800 of their ships. Some 9,500 merchant mariners were killed or died of wounds, a greater casualty rate than any of the military services, including the Marines.
But the mariners were excluded when Congress in 1944 passed the GI Bill of Rights that gave service members education and housing benefits, VA health care and small-business loans. President Roosevelt, in signing the act, said he hoped Congress would soon extend similar benefits to merchant mariners.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 17:15
Name of source: National Geographic News
SOURCE: National Geographic News (5-13-09)
An island for ancient elites has been found in central Mexico, archaeologists say. Among the ruins are a treasury and a small pyramid that may have been used for rituals.
The island, called Apupato, belonged to the powerful Tarascan Empire, which dominated much of western Mexico from A.D. 1400 to 1520, before the European conquest of the region.
The island, called Apupato, belonged to the powerful Tarascan Empire, which dominated much of western Mexico from A.D. 1400 to 1520, before the European conquest of the region.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 17:12
Name of source: BBC
SOURCE: BBC (4-19-09)
The memoirs of China's former communist leader who was sacked after the Tiananmen protests have been published.
Zhao Ziyang's book lifts the lid on discussions within the party that led to the brutal crushing of the protest movement.
The publication of the book comes just weeks before the 20th anniversary of the killings.
The book is believed to have been based on secret tapes recorded while Mr Zhao, the party's former general secretary, was under house arrest.
Zhao Ziyang's book lifts the lid on discussions within the party that led to the brutal crushing of the protest movement.
The publication of the book comes just weeks before the 20th anniversary of the killings.
The book is believed to have been based on secret tapes recorded while Mr Zhao, the party's former general secretary, was under house arrest.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 17:01
SOURCE: BBC (5-13-09)
Officials in the former communist Czechoslovakia had planned to build an underground rail link under Austria to the Adriatic, a Czech newspaper says.
The 410km-long (255 miles) tunnel would have drastically shortened the journey to the seaside for the landlocked country, Lidove Noviny reports.
The earth from the excavation would be dumped in the sea to form an artificial Czechoslovak island - Adriaport.
But the 1975 plan never got off - or under - the ground, the newspaper says.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 18:49
SOURCE: BBC (5-12-09)
Frank Lachner, 42, damaged the model after pushing past guards when it was displayed at a Berlin museum last year.
Mr Lachner, an ex-policeman, said he had been protesting against the presence of the waxwork 500m (500yds) from a Holocaust memorial.
The museum said the waxwork portrayed a key historical figure.
Mr Lachner, an ex-policeman, said he had been protesting against the presence of the waxwork 500m (500yds) from a Holocaust memorial.
The museum said the waxwork portrayed a key historical figure.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 06:32
SOURCE: BBC (5-13-09)
Mr Demjanjuk, 89, was flown to Germany on Tuesday from the United States, where he waged a long battle against deportation, partly on health grounds.
But a spokesman for Stadelheim jail in Munich said "doctors have determined he is fit to remain in custody".
He faces charges of being an accessory to the deaths of 29,000 Jews.
But a spokesman for Stadelheim jail in Munich said "doctors have determined he is fit to remain in custody".
He faces charges of being an accessory to the deaths of 29,000 Jews.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 06:28
Name of source: Daily Mail (UK)
SOURCE: Daily Mail (UK) (5-14-09)
A £25million plan to revitalise Stonehenge -including diverting a nearby main road - was unveiled by the Government yesterday.
Proposals for a visitor centre were given the ‘go-ahead in principle’ by the Stonehenge Programme Board.
Culture Minister Barbara Follett and Transport Minister Lord Adonis, who chair the board, said the prehistoric site was currently ‘short of ideal’ for visitors.
The new centre, to cater for 800,000 tourists a year, would be located 1.5 miles west of the site and would also involve closing a section of the A344 near Amesbury in Wiltshire.
Proposals for a visitor centre were given the ‘go-ahead in principle’ by the Stonehenge Programme Board.
Culture Minister Barbara Follett and Transport Minister Lord Adonis, who chair the board, said the prehistoric site was currently ‘short of ideal’ for visitors.
The new centre, to cater for 800,000 tourists a year, would be located 1.5 miles west of the site and would also involve closing a section of the A344 near Amesbury in Wiltshire.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 13:46
Name of source: Time
SOURCE: Time (5-14-09)
When the tanks and troops blasted their way into Beijing's Tiananmen Square 20 years ago, crushing the student-led protest movement that had captivated the world, the biggest political casualty was Chinese Communist Party chief Zhao Ziyang, the man who had tried hardest to avoid the bloodshed.
Outmaneuvered by his hard-line rivals, Zhao was stripped of power and placed under house arrest. The daring innovator who had introduced capitalist policies to post–Mao Zedong China spent his last 16 years virtually imprisoned, rarely allowed to venture away from his home on a quiet alley in Beijing. As his hair turned white, Zhao passed many lonely hours driving golf balls into a net in his courtyard.
Yet as it turns out, Zhao never stopped thinking about Tiananmen. Through courage and subterfuge, he found a way, in the isolation of his heavily monitored home, to secretly record his account of what it was like to serve at China's highest levels of power — and more amazingly, he sneaked his memoir out of the country. Published this month, Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang provides an intimate look at one of the world's most opaque regimes during some of modern China's most critical moments. It marks the first time a Chinese leader of such stature — as head of the party, Zhao was nominally China's highest-ranking official — has spoken frankly about life at the top.
Outmaneuvered by his hard-line rivals, Zhao was stripped of power and placed under house arrest. The daring innovator who had introduced capitalist policies to post–Mao Zedong China spent his last 16 years virtually imprisoned, rarely allowed to venture away from his home on a quiet alley in Beijing. As his hair turned white, Zhao passed many lonely hours driving golf balls into a net in his courtyard.
Yet as it turns out, Zhao never stopped thinking about Tiananmen. Through courage and subterfuge, he found a way, in the isolation of his heavily monitored home, to secretly record his account of what it was like to serve at China's highest levels of power — and more amazingly, he sneaked his memoir out of the country. Published this month, Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang provides an intimate look at one of the world's most opaque regimes during some of modern China's most critical moments. It marks the first time a Chinese leader of such stature — as head of the party, Zhao was nominally China's highest-ranking official — has spoken frankly about life at the top.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 13:45
Name of source: Washington Post
SOURCE: Washington Post (5-14-09)
The flashlight beam lit up the dark interior of Abraham Lincoln's left boot, as if the inside of a tomb, and at the bottom was the smooth and shiny indentation made by the martyred president's heel.
The odor of fine leather still clung to the top of the boot, where white cloth pull straps were sewed. When the light hit a maroon section of the hide, bootmaker Michael Anthony Carnacchi whispered: "Aha. There's your original color."
A group of National Park Service curators and conservators craned to peer inside -- and, in a way, back in time, to the night in 1865 when Lincoln pulled on his boots and clomped to the carriage that took him to Ford's Theatre.
It was a solemn moment this week when Carnacchi, along with Park Service museum curator Gloria Swift and other Park Service experts, probed the interior and exterior of the hallowed items simply labeled "Boots, Lincoln's" on a typed catalogue card.
The odor of fine leather still clung to the top of the boot, where white cloth pull straps were sewed. When the light hit a maroon section of the hide, bootmaker Michael Anthony Carnacchi whispered: "Aha. There's your original color."
A group of National Park Service curators and conservators craned to peer inside -- and, in a way, back in time, to the night in 1865 when Lincoln pulled on his boots and clomped to the carriage that took him to Ford's Theatre.
It was a solemn moment this week when Carnacchi, along with Park Service museum curator Gloria Swift and other Park Service experts, probed the interior and exterior of the hallowed items simply labeled "Boots, Lincoln's" on a typed catalogue card.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 01:56
Name of source: Reuters
SOURCE: Reuters (5-12-09)
BERLIN – A German court fined an unemployed man 900 euros ($1,227) Tuesday for knocking the head off a waxwork figure of Adolf Hitler in a Berlin museum.
Minutes after the Madame Tussauds museum opened in the German capital in July, the 42-year-old pushed past security staff ripped off its head. The man, an ex-policeman, said he found it inappropriate to display an exhibit showing the Nazi leader only some 500 meters from Berlin's Holocaust memorial.
The waxwork of a glum-looking Hitler in a mock bunker stirred debate in Germany even before it went on display...Madame Tussauds said the museum avoided politics, arguing Hitler stood for a significant part of German history and his waxwork therefore had a legitimate part in the exhibition.
The restored figure was returned to the museum in September and is now displayed behind a glass wall.
Minutes after the Madame Tussauds museum opened in the German capital in July, the 42-year-old pushed past security staff ripped off its head. The man, an ex-policeman, said he found it inappropriate to display an exhibit showing the Nazi leader only some 500 meters from Berlin's Holocaust memorial.
The waxwork of a glum-looking Hitler in a mock bunker stirred debate in Germany even before it went on display...Madame Tussauds said the museum avoided politics, arguing Hitler stood for a significant part of German history and his waxwork therefore had a legitimate part in the exhibition.
The restored figure was returned to the museum in September and is now displayed behind a glass wall.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 22:07
SOURCE: Reuters (5-13-09)
A campaign by heirs of Polish aristocrats to recover a palace seized by the communists has exposed Poland's continued failure to resolve the restitution of property to former owners after two decades of democracy.
The Branicki family says it has now decided to demand the return of the entire estate at Wilanow Palace, not just family heirlooms and archives as previously planned, due to frustration over lack of progress in a legal battle dating back to 1990.
The baroque palace of Wilanow, situated in a rolling green park in a southern suburb of Warsaw and now a museum, has been dubbed "the Polish Versailles." It was built in the late 17th century by the Polish king Jan III Sobieski.
The Branicki family says it has now decided to demand the return of the entire estate at Wilanow Palace, not just family heirlooms and archives as previously planned, due to frustration over lack of progress in a legal battle dating back to 1990.
The baroque palace of Wilanow, situated in a rolling green park in a southern suburb of Warsaw and now a museum, has been dubbed "the Polish Versailles." It was built in the late 17th century by the Polish king Jan III Sobieski.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 18:15
Name of source: http://www.pnj.com
SOURCE: http://www.pnj.com (5-13-09)
Gov. Charlie Crist was among those Tuesday at Tallahassee's Mission San Luis to launch a campaign to emphasize the history and culture Florida shares with Spain.
For the next six years, Visit Florida officials said, the program will allow the state and visitors to embrace the 1513 discovery of Florida, the 1559 founding of Pensacola and the 1565 founding of St. Augustine, all of which are an opportunity to bolster the state's cultural and nature-based tourism efforts.
Last year, an estimated 62 million visitors to the state participated in cultural or nature-based activities.
Ed Schroeder, director of Pensacola's Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the Viva Florida campaign spotlights Pensacola's role in the history of Florida and the country.
For the next six years, Visit Florida officials said, the program will allow the state and visitors to embrace the 1513 discovery of Florida, the 1559 founding of Pensacola and the 1565 founding of St. Augustine, all of which are an opportunity to bolster the state's cultural and nature-based tourism efforts.
Last year, an estimated 62 million visitors to the state participated in cultural or nature-based activities.
Ed Schroeder, director of Pensacola's Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the Viva Florida campaign spotlights Pensacola's role in the history of Florida and the country.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 21:44
Name of source: Chronicle of Higher Ed
SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Ed (5-13-09)
Everyone knows that young people came out to vote and overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama in last year’s presidential election. Now the Millennials, as the younger generation is known, will usher in a liberal era and end the culture wars, according to the Center for American Progress.
In two reports released today — one based on a new survey and the other drawing on much recent data — the center, a liberal research organization, augurs a progressive future.
“The story throughout this survey is one of conservative decline and progressive ascendancy among young people,” says the first report, “The Political Ideology of the Millennial Generation,” which identified 17 liberal and four conservative values and beliefs supported by a majority of 18- to 29-year-olds. (The conservative beliefs involved focusing more on domestic, not global, issues; promoting free trade; privatizing Social Security; and seeing government spending as inefficient.)
In two reports released today — one based on a new survey and the other drawing on much recent data — the center, a liberal research organization, augurs a progressive future.
“The story throughout this survey is one of conservative decline and progressive ascendancy among young people,” says the first report, “The Political Ideology of the Millennial Generation,” which identified 17 liberal and four conservative values and beliefs supported by a majority of 18- to 29-year-olds. (The conservative beliefs involved focusing more on domestic, not global, issues; promoting free trade; privatizing Social Security; and seeing government spending as inefficient.)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 21:09
Name of source: Chuck Jones at IraqiCrisis
SOURCE: Chuck Jones at IraqiCrisis (5-12-09)
I just got news that a few days ago Dr Amira Edan received a telephone call threatening that if she
does not resign her post as director of the Iraq Museum her house will be blown up.
This is a very serious threat.
Yesterday morning morning the employees of State Board of Antiquities and Heritage staged a walkout
in protest.
does not resign her post as director of the Iraq Museum her house will be blown up.
This is a very serious threat.
Yesterday morning morning the employees of State Board of Antiquities and Heritage staged a walkout
in protest.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 20:49
Name of source: PC World
SOURCE: PC World (5-12-09)
Facebook Boots Holocaust Denial Groups Facebook has removed two Holocaust denial groups claiming they violated Facebook's Terms of Service by promoting hate. The two groups in question, "Holocaust is a Holohoax" and "Based on the facts...there was no Holocaust," were removed from the site because messages from members posted on the group's Walls were found to be promoting hate speech.
Despite Facebook's decision to eliminate two Holocaust denial groups, numerous others remain on Facebook. These groups have names like "Holocaust: A Series of Lies," "Holocaust is a Myth," "the holocaust that the Jewish believe in is very big lie," "Holocaust denial & Anti-Zionism," three different groups named "F--K Israel And Their Holocaust Bulls--t," and "1,000,000 for the TRUTH about the Holocaust."
Facebook is allowing these groups to remain, because, in Facebook's view, these groups are engaging in legitimate discourse over a controversial issue and not crossing the line into hate speech.
Despite Facebook's decision to eliminate two Holocaust denial groups, numerous others remain on Facebook. These groups have names like "Holocaust: A Series of Lies," "Holocaust is a Myth," "the holocaust that the Jewish believe in is very big lie," "Holocaust denial & Anti-Zionism," three different groups named "F--K Israel And Their Holocaust Bulls--t," and "1,000,000 for the TRUTH about the Holocaust."
Facebook is allowing these groups to remain, because, in Facebook's view, these groups are engaging in legitimate discourse over a controversial issue and not crossing the line into hate speech.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 18:56
Name of source: Deutsche Welle
SOURCE: Deutsche Welle (5-13-09)
Thomas Blatt was one of the few to survive the Sobibor extermination camp in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II. The 82-year-old is now a key witness in the Munich trial of John Demjanjuk, who is alleged to have been a guard at Sobibor.
Deutsche Welle: Why did you decide to come to Germany for this trial?
Thomas Blatt: Because when I escaped from Sobibor, I promised myself that if I survived, I will do everything to tell the story of Sobibor. And that's what I'm doing. And I know that Demjanjuk knows a lot, because Demjanjuk was in the middle of the Holocaust. And he denies that it is him, that he was not a guard at Sobibor, but he was. I don't care if Demjanjuk is in jail or not. I do care that he should tell the truth. And the truth is, that he was a guard at Sobibor.
Sobibor was not a simple concentration camp. Sobibor was an extermination camp. At Sobibor the guards were simple murderers. In a concentration camp a guard was a guard, … responsible [for preventing] people from running away. But at Sobibor they were simple murderers...
Deutsche Welle: Why did you decide to come to Germany for this trial?
Thomas Blatt: Because when I escaped from Sobibor, I promised myself that if I survived, I will do everything to tell the story of Sobibor. And that's what I'm doing. And I know that Demjanjuk knows a lot, because Demjanjuk was in the middle of the Holocaust. And he denies that it is him, that he was not a guard at Sobibor, but he was. I don't care if Demjanjuk is in jail or not. I do care that he should tell the truth. And the truth is, that he was a guard at Sobibor.
Sobibor was not a simple concentration camp. Sobibor was an extermination camp. At Sobibor the guards were simple murderers. In a concentration camp a guard was a guard, … responsible [for preventing] people from running away. But at Sobibor they were simple murderers...
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 18:50
Name of source: CNN
SOURCE: CNN (5-13-09)
His was the first photo of a missing child to appear on a milk carton. Almost 30 years later, Etan Patz is still missing.
Etan was 6 when he disappeared on May 25, 1979, the Friday before Memorial Day. He was on his way to school in what is now the upscale Soho neighborhood of New York.
The boy's disappearance was one of the key events that inspired the missing children's movement, which raised awareness of child abductions and led to new ways to search for missing children. Etan's case was the first of the milk carton campaigns of the mid-1980s.
Etan was 6 when he disappeared on May 25, 1979, the Friday before Memorial Day. He was on his way to school in what is now the upscale Soho neighborhood of New York.
The boy's disappearance was one of the key events that inspired the missing children's movement, which raised awareness of child abductions and led to new ways to search for missing children. Etan's case was the first of the milk carton campaigns of the mid-1980s.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 18:13
Name of source: Guardian (UK)
SOURCE: Guardian (UK) (5-13-09)
A prominent former student leader of the 1989 pro-democracy protests is under arrest on charges of fraud, his family said today, weeks before the 20th anniversary of the crackdown in Tiananmen Square.
Relatives said Chinese authorities had secretly detained Zhou Yongjun for more than six months. He has permanent residence in the United States but had returned to China to see his parents.
"At first he was accused of spying and political crimes, but now they have switched to this financial fraud accusation," Zhou's partner, Zhang Yuewei, told Reuters from the couple's home in California, adding that the charge was unfounded.
"He's been under secret detention for a long time, since he tried to enter China last year. He wanted to see his father, who is old and sick, but I didn't want him to go."
Zhou, a leader of the Beijing Students' Autonomous Union, was jailed for two years following the suppression of the movement. He left for the US in 1993 but was sent to a labour camp after returning to see his family in 1998. He returned to the US in 2002.
Relatives said Chinese authorities had secretly detained Zhou Yongjun for more than six months. He has permanent residence in the United States but had returned to China to see his parents.
"At first he was accused of spying and political crimes, but now they have switched to this financial fraud accusation," Zhou's partner, Zhang Yuewei, told Reuters from the couple's home in California, adding that the charge was unfounded.
"He's been under secret detention for a long time, since he tried to enter China last year. He wanted to see his father, who is old and sick, but I didn't want him to go."
Zhou, a leader of the Beijing Students' Autonomous Union, was jailed for two years following the suppression of the movement. He left for the US in 1993 but was sent to a labour camp after returning to see his family in 1998. He returned to the US in 2002.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 07:42
