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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: Deutsche Welle
SOURCE: Deutsche Welle (6-12-09)
The airing on Sarajevo-based FTV television, and on the Internet video-sharing website YouTube, may have seriously jeopardized Serbia's chances of joining the European Union.
A subsequent airing on Bosnian television coincided with an official visit by Serbia's foreign and defense ministers on Thursday. On Monday, EU foreign ministers are due to discuss Belgrade's progress in cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal.
Serbia's minister in charge of cooperation with the tribunal, Rasim Ljajic, told journalists at a hastily-arranged news conference that the footage was old.
A subsequent airing on Bosnian television coincided with an official visit by Serbia's foreign and defense ministers on Thursday. On Monday, EU foreign ministers are due to discuss Belgrade's progress in cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal.
Serbia's minister in charge of cooperation with the tribunal, Rasim Ljajic, told journalists at a hastily-arranged news conference that the footage was old.
Friday, June 12, 2009 - 04:30
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Name of source: Deustche Welle
SOURCE: Deustche Welle (6-10-09)
The cessation of bombing operations in the breakaway region of Kosovo on June 10, 1999, ended the last large-scale military confrontation between NATO and Serbia within ex-Yugoslavia.
In the decade since, Kosovo - which has been under United Nations administration and which declared independence in February of last year - has seen the return of a measure of stability. And NATO is expected to announce on Thursday that it is reducing the number of its troops in Kosovo by a third, from 15,000 to 10,000.
But a report published earlier this week by Amnesty International says the West has little reason to be proud of its record in terms of clearing up human rights abuses by ethnic Serbs and Albanians against one another.
In the decade since, Kosovo - which has been under United Nations administration and which declared independence in February of last year - has seen the return of a measure of stability. And NATO is expected to announce on Thursday that it is reducing the number of its troops in Kosovo by a third, from 15,000 to 10,000.
But a report published earlier this week by Amnesty International says the West has little reason to be proud of its record in terms of clearing up human rights abuses by ethnic Serbs and Albanians against one another.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 19:12
Name of source: Reuters
SOURCE: Reuters (6-10-09)
Secret documents from the days of Margaret Thatcher's government could emerge sooner than expected after Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced on Wednesday a cut in the time taken to release official papers.
He said the existing 30-year rule on the publication of state documents would be reduced to 20 years following a review chaired by Paul Dacre, editor of the Daily Mail.
Historian Hugh Pemberton welcomed the decision, but warned that a rush of extra documents could swamp civil servants tasked with selecting important papers for the public archives.
He said the existing 30-year rule on the publication of state documents would be reduced to 20 years following a review chaired by Paul Dacre, editor of the Daily Mail.
Historian Hugh Pemberton welcomed the decision, but warned that a rush of extra documents could swamp civil servants tasked with selecting important papers for the public archives.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 19:10
Name of source: BBC
SOURCE: BBC (6-10-09)
In a small room inside Kabul museum, staff are slowly unwrapping hundreds of stolen pieces of Afghanistan's past.
Worth a fortune on the black market, the smugglers' hoard was spotted and seized by customs officers at Heathrow airport in London.
More than 1,500 artefacts were recovered in an 11-day operation. Many are priceless objects of Islamic art looted in illegal excavations.
There are prehistoric tools - up to 6,000 years old - and ancient coins, as well as more recent Islamic tiles, inscribed basins and bronze candlesticks.
Worth a fortune on the black market, the smugglers' hoard was spotted and seized by customs officers at Heathrow airport in London.
More than 1,500 artefacts were recovered in an 11-day operation. Many are priceless objects of Islamic art looted in illegal excavations.
There are prehistoric tools - up to 6,000 years old - and ancient coins, as well as more recent Islamic tiles, inscribed basins and bronze candlesticks.
During Afghanistan's civil war, Kabul museum was on the front line. Used as a base by the Mujahedin, the building was badly damaged. But most devastating of all - 70% of its rich collection was systematically looted and smuggled abroad.
Much of what survived was then smashed to bits by the Taliban.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 19:02
SOURCE: BBC (6-9-09)
Nearly 40 years after the first of its 210 nuclear tests, France is preparing to compensate people affected by the fallout. The move leaves the UK isolated in its policy of rejecting liability for illnesses suffered by test participants, reports Aidan Lewis.
Early in the morning of 13 February, 1960, several thousand French servicemen gathered in the Algerian Sahara to witness "Gerboise Bleue" or "Blue Desert Rat", an atmospheric nuclear explosion four times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
But the test programme it launched also exposed participants and local populations to potentially lethal radiation.
Early in the morning of 13 February, 1960, several thousand French servicemen gathered in the Algerian Sahara to witness "Gerboise Bleue" or "Blue Desert Rat", an atmospheric nuclear explosion four times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
But the test programme it launched also exposed participants and local populations to potentially lethal radiation.
Both groups claim that they have been plagued by health problems, from aggressive cancers to minor cardio-vascular complaints.
Only now, with many of the veterans dead or dying, is the French government drawing up a bill that starts to satisfy their demands.
The High Court in London ruled on Friday that a group of more than 1,000 veterans has the right to sue the Ministry of Defence for compensation, but the case is likely to take years to reach any conclusion.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 18:58
SOURCE: BBC (6-9-09)
A hoard of gold coins found by a builder in the cellar of an Oxfordshire flat has sold at auction for £76,360.
The 400-year-old coins, minted during James I's reign, were valued by auctioneers at about £50,000 and were found in Chipping Norton 30 years ago.
They were bought by private buyers and trade dealers in a specialist coin auction in London.
The coins were known as Unites, signifying James I's intention to unify England and Scotland, and were worth about £1 in England when they were first produced.
The 400-year-old coins, minted during James I's reign, were valued by auctioneers at about £50,000 and were found in Chipping Norton 30 years ago.
They were bought by private buyers and trade dealers in a specialist coin auction in London.
The coins were known as Unites, signifying James I's intention to unify England and Scotland, and were worth about £1 in England when they were first produced.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - 16:51
SOURCE: BBC (6-9-09)
A sketchbook of some 32 drawings by Pablo Picasso worth about 8m euros ($11m; £6.8m) has been stolen from a museum in Paris, police have said.
The theft from the Picasso Museum was discovered on Tuesday afternoon but the exact time and circumstances have yet to be determined.
Initial investigations showed the sketchbook was held in an unlocked display case on the first floor.
Police sources told the Agence France-Presse news agency that the theft would probably have been committed between Monday evening and noon on Tuesday.
The theft from the Picasso Museum was discovered on Tuesday afternoon but the exact time and circumstances have yet to be determined.
Initial investigations showed the sketchbook was held in an unlocked display case on the first floor.
Police sources told the Agence France-Presse news agency that the theft would probably have been committed between Monday evening and noon on Tuesday.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - 16:42
SOURCE: BBC (6-8-09)
It's 200 years since the British-born "father of the American revolution" died. His words also helped shape modern Britain and France and yet few people know much about him at all.
There are statues of him in Paris and New Jersey and a monument to him in New York - though we still haven't reached a situation where, as French leader Napoleon Bonaparte said: "A statue of gold should be erected to him in every city in the universe."
Yet no high-level commemorations of his death have been planned. His writings rarely appear on the national curriculum in the UK. And ask a man or woman in the average British street who he is, and they are likely to reply "Er…"
Paine worked in various positions in America's early revolutionary government. But he was never accepted as one of the founding fathers largely because his restless spirit and appetite for revolution led him to another mass revolt, this time in France.
There are statues of him in Paris and New Jersey and a monument to him in New York - though we still haven't reached a situation where, as French leader Napoleon Bonaparte said: "A statue of gold should be erected to him in every city in the universe."
Yet no high-level commemorations of his death have been planned. His writings rarely appear on the national curriculum in the UK. And ask a man or woman in the average British street who he is, and they are likely to reply "Er…"
Paine worked in various positions in America's early revolutionary government. But he was never accepted as one of the founding fathers largely because his restless spirit and appetite for revolution led him to another mass revolt, this time in France.
Katherine Mangu-Ward, associate editor of the right-leaning, Washington-based magazine Reason, says Paine is enjoying a comeback amongst both left-wing and right-wing American thinkers.
Cheryl Hudson of Oxford University says Paine, the history-shaping Brit, should be taught more widely in British schools: "At the centre of his thought was a profound trust in the people and in their 'common sense'. He encouraged the public's aspirations for a better, more democratic world and he expressed his support in a rigorous and robust vernacular style.
Monday, June 8, 2009 - 17:47
SOURCE: BBC (6-8-09)
The Royal Mint is issuing a limited edition £5 coin to mark 500 years since Henry VIII ascended to the throne.
A few of the "coins fit for a king" are cast in platinum, with a hefty price tag of £4,400. For ordinary subjects, there are cupro-nickel ones for £9.99.
Featuring the robust figure of Henry himself, they carry the words Rosa Sine Spina, meaning "rose without a thorn", which featured on coins in 1509.
All of the coins show the controversial king standing in front of a frieze of roses, which echoes the antique style of design much favoured in the carvings and tapestries of the period.
A few of the "coins fit for a king" are cast in platinum, with a hefty price tag of £4,400. For ordinary subjects, there are cupro-nickel ones for £9.99.
Featuring the robust figure of Henry himself, they carry the words Rosa Sine Spina, meaning "rose without a thorn", which featured on coins in 1509.
All of the coins show the controversial king standing in front of a frieze of roses, which echoes the antique style of design much favoured in the carvings and tapestries of the period.
Monday, June 8, 2009 - 12:42
SOURCE: BBC (6-6-09)
The UK's oldest man and one of Britain's two surviving WWI veterans has turned 113.
Henry Allingham joined the Royal Navy Air Service in September 1915 before transferring to the RAF in April 1918.
The Royal Navy hosted a birthday party on HMS President in London for his family, close friends and members of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
The birthday is another landmark for a man who is the last surviving founder member of the RAF and whose life has spanned three centuries and six monarchs.
Henry Allingham joined the Royal Navy Air Service in September 1915 before transferring to the RAF in April 1918.
The Royal Navy hosted a birthday party on HMS President in London for his family, close friends and members of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
The birthday is another landmark for a man who is the last surviving founder member of the RAF and whose life has spanned three centuries and six monarchs.
Saturday, June 6, 2009 - 19:39
SOURCE: BBC (6-5-09)
Former CIA agent Bernard Leon Barker, who took part in the Watergate burglary in Washington more than 30 years ago, has died in Miami at the age of 92.
In the course of a long and colourful career, Mr Barker was also one of the leaders of the failed CIA attempt to invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in 1961.
He had suffered from cancer and heart problems, the AP news agency said.
In the course of a long and colourful career, Mr Barker was also one of the leaders of the failed CIA attempt to invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in 1961.
He had suffered from cancer and heart problems, the AP news agency said.
Saturday, June 6, 2009 - 19:33
SOURCE: BBC (6-5-09)
An official inquiry has been started in Italy to determine whether a statue attributed to Michelangelo was really made by him.
The wooden statue of Christ on the Cross was bought by the Italian government for millions of dollars.
The authorities made their move after a number of experts declared that the statue was genuine.
But the statue is at the centre of a long-running dispute, with some experts insisting it is not a Michelangelo.
The row has been raging in Italy's art world for months.
The wooden statue of Christ on the Cross was bought by the Italian government for millions of dollars.
The authorities made their move after a number of experts declared that the statue was genuine.
But the statue is at the centre of a long-running dispute, with some experts insisting it is not a Michelangelo.
The row has been raging in Italy's art world for months.
Saturday, June 6, 2009 - 19:27
Name of source: Telegraph (UK)
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (6-9-09)
Their lungs still suffer the after-effects of Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons, but many veterans of Iran's devastating eight-year war with Iraq have thrown their influential voices behind the reformist contenders in Friday's presidential election.
As the men who saved the Islamic Republic from extinction, the "Basijis", or "volunteers", are hugely respected in Iranian society. Murals celebrate their deeds on countless street corners, while the hundreds of thousands who survive are regarded as embodying the values of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Yet increasingly, many veterans complain their identity has been hijacked by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hardliners. Today the term "Basiji" is generally used to refer to the militia of bearded, fundamentalist youths who attack liberal gatherings and harass young Iranians for wearing Western clothes.
According to Mr Salehi, Iran has about 500,000 surviving Basijis. The war with Iraq, between 1980 and 1988, was triggered by Saddam's invasion of his neighbour and became one of the deadliest in modern times, killing some 230,000 Iranian soldiers and claiming perhaps a million lives in total.
As the men who saved the Islamic Republic from extinction, the "Basijis", or "volunteers", are hugely respected in Iranian society. Murals celebrate their deeds on countless street corners, while the hundreds of thousands who survive are regarded as embodying the values of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Yet increasingly, many veterans complain their identity has been hijacked by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hardliners. Today the term "Basiji" is generally used to refer to the militia of bearded, fundamentalist youths who attack liberal gatherings and harass young Iranians for wearing Western clothes.
According to Mr Salehi, Iran has about 500,000 surviving Basijis. The war with Iraq, between 1980 and 1988, was triggered by Saddam's invasion of his neighbour and became one of the deadliest in modern times, killing some 230,000 Iranian soldiers and claiming perhaps a million lives in total.
Since then, Iran's regime has made a point of looking after veterans and the families of "martyrs", providing many of the injured with free homes and hospital treatment. But veterans complain that not all receive the help they need.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 18:47
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (6-10-09)
The bells of Malvern Priory could fall silent for the first time in more than 650 years because English Heritage has refused to allow bellringers to replace ageing parts.
The historic bells, which include one that dates from 1350, desperately need new frames to be installed high inside the tower.
However, English Heritage objected because it believed the A-frames from 1887 needed to be preserved.
The historic bells, which include one that dates from 1350, desperately need new frames to be installed high inside the tower.
However, English Heritage objected because it believed the A-frames from 1887 needed to be preserved.
There were no objections to updating the frame from the parish, the general public, the Victorian Society, or the Council for the Care of Churches.
However, English Heritage has stood its ground and took the case to an expensive and special consistory court hearing where the chancellor of the diocese heard the evidence and ruled the frames must stay.
Without the necessary replacement frames, the bell ringers say it is now just a matter of time before the bells become too difficult to ring.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 18:39
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (6-10-09)
The dig will uncover more of the enormous pit that surrounds the tomb of Qin Shihuang, China's first emperor.
The first excavation of the site lasted six years betweeen 1978 and 1984, during which 1,087 clay soldiers were discovered. A second excavation started in 1985 but was cut short after a year.
Altogether, archaeologists believe there may be as many as 8,000 life-size clay figures in the pits, as well as chariots and hundreds of horses. No two figures are alike, and craftsmen are believed to have modelled them after a real army.
The first excavation of the site lasted six years betweeen 1978 and 1984, during which 1,087 clay soldiers were discovered. A second excavation started in 1985 but was cut short after a year.
Altogether, archaeologists believe there may be as many as 8,000 life-size clay figures in the pits, as well as chariots and hundreds of horses. No two figures are alike, and craftsmen are believed to have modelled them after a real army.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 11:27
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (6-9-09)
Thousands of stolen Italian artefacts, including ancient Etruscan treasures, medieval papal letters and even a book preface handwritten by Mussolini, have been discovered piled up in the Illinois home of an antique dealer, according to the FBI.
The secret collection of John Sisto ran to some 3,500 items and was discovered by relatives after his death in 2007, squirrelled away in hundreds of boxes stacked five feet high at his home in Berwyn.
Nearly half the items were identified as stolen and will be returned to Italy, the FBI said.
Investigators said the collection, valued between $5 million and $10 million, had been shipped to Mr Sisto over two decades by his father, who lived in Italy and probably bought the treasures from thieves who looted them from churches, libraries and museums.
The secret collection of John Sisto ran to some 3,500 items and was discovered by relatives after his death in 2007, squirrelled away in hundreds of boxes stacked five feet high at his home in Berwyn.
Nearly half the items were identified as stolen and will be returned to Italy, the FBI said.
Investigators said the collection, valued between $5 million and $10 million, had been shipped to Mr Sisto over two decades by his father, who lived in Italy and probably bought the treasures from thieves who looted them from churches, libraries and museums.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - 16:56
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (6-6-09)
As America's first black president attends D-Day commemmorations in Normandy, the Second World War's forgotten African-American soldiers say they enjoyed more freedom in Britain in the 1940s than in the segregated United States.
Their faces were missing from the Hollywood films that heaped glory on US forces and and their stories were missing from the books, exhibitions and museums that commemorated the Normandy landings.
“Where we were in The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan?” asked Charles Sprowl, 87, referring to two of the best-known films about the events of June 6, 1944. “Where we were we in the history books?” The former corporal in the 490th Port Battalion, who dodged German bullets and rockets as he carried supplies ashore on Utah beach that day, believes that oversight is belatedly being put right.
Their faces were missing from the Hollywood films that heaped glory on US forces and and their stories were missing from the books, exhibitions and museums that commemorated the Normandy landings.
“Where we were in The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan?” asked Charles Sprowl, 87, referring to two of the best-known films about the events of June 6, 1944. “Where we were we in the history books?” The former corporal in the 490th Port Battalion, who dodged German bullets and rockets as he carried supplies ashore on Utah beach that day, believes that oversight is belatedly being put right.
In all, about 2,000 African Americans took part in the landings on June 6, 1944, and about a million black personnel served in the US forces during the war. In recent years, their contribution has started to receive official acknowledgement - the Tuskegee airmen of America’s first black aviation combat unit were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W Bush in 2007.
Mr Obama invited the airmen to his inauguration, saying their breakthroughs had paved his way to the White House. And on Memorial Day last week, he became the first president to send a wreath to the African American Civil War Memorial honouring the 200,000 black troops who fought for the North in that conflict.
The role of African American veterans is high in the president’s mind, aides say. Mr Obama’s speechwriters are still working on his words for Saturday, but the forgotten faces of D-Day could be in line for a belated tribute from the highest level.
Sunday, June 7, 2009 - 21:33
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (6-5-09)
D-Day anniversary commemorations could be thrown into chaos after threats from French trade unionists to sabotage electricity and gas supplies to all major events.
As world leaders including Gordon Brown and Barack Obama prepare to arrive in Normandy along with thousands of World War II veterans, organisers received warnings from militant power workers they would stop public address systems and lighting from working.
They said they would break into electricity sub stations and cut supplies to specially-erected stages, as well as to cathedrals, museums, and all other structures and buildings set to be used by the dignitaries and old soldiers.
The threats are part of an on-going campaign of lightening raids by French power workers calling for a 10 per cent pay rise and an end to the outsourcing of jobs.
As world leaders including Gordon Brown and Barack Obama prepare to arrive in Normandy along with thousands of World War II veterans, organisers received warnings from militant power workers they would stop public address systems and lighting from working.
They said they would break into electricity sub stations and cut supplies to specially-erected stages, as well as to cathedrals, museums, and all other structures and buildings set to be used by the dignitaries and old soldiers.
The threats are part of an on-going campaign of lightening raids by French power workers calling for a 10 per cent pay rise and an end to the outsourcing of jobs.
Sunday, June 7, 2009 - 21:18
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (6-5-09)
Charles Donald Albury, co-pilot of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, has died after years of congestive heart failure, aged 88.
Mr Albury died on May 23 in hospital.
During the Second World War, he helped fly the B-29 Bockscar that dropped the weapon on Aug. 9, 1945. He also witnessed the deployment of the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima three days earlier as a pilot for a support plane. His plane dropped instruments to measure the magnitude of the blast and levels of radioactivity for the Hiroshima mission led by Col. Paul Tibbets Jr.
Mr Albury said he felt no remorse, since the attacks prevented what was certain to be a devastating loss of life in a US invasion of Japan.
Mr Albury died on May 23 in hospital.
During the Second World War, he helped fly the B-29 Bockscar that dropped the weapon on Aug. 9, 1945. He also witnessed the deployment of the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima three days earlier as a pilot for a support plane. His plane dropped instruments to measure the magnitude of the blast and levels of radioactivity for the Hiroshima mission led by Col. Paul Tibbets Jr.
Mr Albury said he felt no remorse, since the attacks prevented what was certain to be a devastating loss of life in a US invasion of Japan.
Sunday, June 7, 2009 - 21:17
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (6-6-09)
It is a picture of what might have been, of a "beautiful, kind-looking lady", her face wrinkled by the passage of time over a life never lived: Holocaust victim Anne Frank at the age of 80.
The 'age progression' image shows the diarist as she might have appeared today had she not died of typhus and starvation at the age of 15 in Bergen Belsen in March 1945, just a few weeks before the Nazi concentration camp was liberated by British troops.
Created for the Anne Frank Trust UK to mark her birthday on Friday - using the same techniques developed to artificially age missing people such as toddler Madeleine McCann - it is hoped the picture will help inspire Britain's school children to think about the kind of lives they would like to lead, and to remember the loss of six million people in the Holocaust.
The Trust will launch a competition for children to write a letter to their 80-year-old selves, one of a number of projects being run across the world to mark the anniversary and challenge racist attitudes.
The 'age progression' image shows the diarist as she might have appeared today had she not died of typhus and starvation at the age of 15 in Bergen Belsen in March 1945, just a few weeks before the Nazi concentration camp was liberated by British troops.
Created for the Anne Frank Trust UK to mark her birthday on Friday - using the same techniques developed to artificially age missing people such as toddler Madeleine McCann - it is hoped the picture will help inspire Britain's school children to think about the kind of lives they would like to lead, and to remember the loss of six million people in the Holocaust.
The Trust will launch a competition for children to write a letter to their 80-year-old selves, one of a number of projects being run across the world to mark the anniversary and challenge racist attitudes.
Sunday, June 7, 2009 - 21:14
Name of source: Foxnews
SOURCE: Foxnews (6-10-09)
The offer comes 10 days after the FEMA housing program officially ended and amid growing worries that federal officials would start evicting tenants.
The federal government is offering 3,400 survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita who have not found permanent housing a chance to buy the temporary federal trailers they live in now for as little as one dollar.
A FEMA official told a House panel last month that the government would start sending eviction notices on June 1 to hurricane survivors still living in temporary housing and try to connect them to agencies that can help them. But he added it would take months before the evictions began.
The federal government is offering 3,400 survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita who have not found permanent housing a chance to buy the temporary federal trailers they live in now for as little as one dollar.
A FEMA official told a House panel last month that the government would start sending eviction notices on June 1 to hurricane survivors still living in temporary housing and try to connect them to agencies that can help them. But he added it would take months before the evictions began.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 18:33
SOURCE: Foxnews (6-10-09)
Iran's hard-line president accused his election rivals of using "Hitler" smear tactics to sway voters ahead of Friday's national vote — adding that they should face jail for insulting him.
The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his main pro-reform opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, have accused each other using Hitler-like propaganda tactics in order to win on Friday. The president's harsh allegations against his rivals, including Mousavi, during Wednesday's rally indicated that the mudslinging between the candidates was not slowing down.
The race is neck-and-neck and has displayed Iran's deep political divides. Ahmadinejad has accused Mousavi's supporters of corruption. Mousavi accuses Ahmadinejad of isolating Iran with his attacks on the United States, his combative line on Iran's nuclear policy and his questioning of the Holocaust. He has also hammered Ahmadinejad for letting Iran's economy stumble despite the nation's vast oil and gas reserves
The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his main pro-reform opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, have accused each other using Hitler-like propaganda tactics in order to win on Friday. The president's harsh allegations against his rivals, including Mousavi, during Wednesday's rally indicated that the mudslinging between the candidates was not slowing down.
The race is neck-and-neck and has displayed Iran's deep political divides. Ahmadinejad has accused Mousavi's supporters of corruption. Mousavi accuses Ahmadinejad of isolating Iran with his attacks on the United States, his combative line on Iran's nuclear policy and his questioning of the Holocaust. He has also hammered Ahmadinejad for letting Iran's economy stumble despite the nation's vast oil and gas reserves
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 17:50
SOURCE: Foxnews (6-10-09)
Convicted terrorist Thedore 'Ted' Kaczynski, who launched a string of deadly bomb attacks across America, is fighting to stop his diaries being auctioned off.
Kaczynski is nearing the end of a five-year battle with U.S. authorities over the sale of his personal possessions, which also include tools, typewriters and clothing.
Proceeds from the auction would go to four surviving victims of the attacks who are owed $15m in restitution by Kaczynski.
Kaczynski is nearing the end of a five-year battle with U.S. authorities over the sale of his personal possessions, which also include tools, typewriters and clothing.
Proceeds from the auction would go to four surviving victims of the attacks who are owed $15m in restitution by Kaczynski.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 17:39
SOURCE: Foxnews (6-7-09)
A U.S. Army veteran who has masqueraded as a D-Day paratrooper for the elite 82nd Airborne Division for decades is due to receive France’s highest military award despite discrepancies in his service accounts.
Howard Manoian told of landing behind enemy lines on D-Day as a paratrooper, but National Archives records prove he served as a member of a less glamorous chemical warfare unit that came ashore on Utah Beach and ran a supply dump.
The French government still plans to award the Legion of Honor to Manoian, despite being aware of the discrepancies.
Howard Manoian told of landing behind enemy lines on D-Day as a paratrooper, but National Archives records prove he served as a member of a less glamorous chemical warfare unit that came ashore on Utah Beach and ran a supply dump.
The French government still plans to award the Legion of Honor to Manoian, despite being aware of the discrepancies.
Sunday, June 7, 2009 - 21:26
Name of source: The Times (UK)
SOURCE: The Times (UK) (6-11-09)
Leonardo López Luján’s new find lies only a few yards to the west, in what must have been one of the most important ritual arenas of the ancient capital.
The relief panel portraying the goddess Tlaltecuhtli dwarfs almost all other Aztec art that we know, and would be a fitting marker for a royal tomb. If one exists, what would it be like?
Two elaborately decorated burial urns — those of “outstanding military captains” and thus high in the Aztec hierarchy — were found in the temple precincts some years ago and contained obsidian and jade ornaments and spear points alongside the ashes of their owners. Some of the finest Aztec jewels so far found use stones and precious metal in dazzling combinations.
These give us some idea of what we might expect from a royal interment: but so far we do not have a single Aztec imperial burial.
The relief panel portraying the goddess Tlaltecuhtli dwarfs almost all other Aztec art that we know, and would be a fitting marker for a royal tomb. If one exists, what would it be like?
Two elaborately decorated burial urns — those of “outstanding military captains” and thus high in the Aztec hierarchy — were found in the temple precincts some years ago and contained obsidian and jade ornaments and spear points alongside the ashes of their owners. Some of the finest Aztec jewels so far found use stones and precious metal in dazzling combinations.
These give us some idea of what we might expect from a royal interment: but so far we do not have a single Aztec imperial burial.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 18:29
SOURCE: The Times (UK) (6-9-09)
A prehistoric complex, including two 6,000-year-old tombs, has been discovered by archaeologists in Hampshire.
The Neolithic tombs, which until now had gone unnoticed under farmland despite being just 15 miles from Stonehenge, are some of the oldest monuments to have been found in Britain.
Archaeologists say they will hold valuable clues about how people lived at the time and what their environment was like.
The discovery is also close to Cranborne Chase, one of the most well researched prehistoric areas in Europe.
The Neolithic tombs, which until now had gone unnoticed under farmland despite being just 15 miles from Stonehenge, are some of the oldest monuments to have been found in Britain.
Archaeologists say they will hold valuable clues about how people lived at the time and what their environment was like.
The discovery is also close to Cranborne Chase, one of the most well researched prehistoric areas in Europe.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - 17:10
SOURCE: The Times (UK) (6-10-09)
MI5 and KGB files have at last revealed the identity of the agent who passed Britain’s atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union — and triggered the Cold War.
For ten years a Soviet spy codenamed “Eric” fed Britain’s nuclear secrets to Moscow, paving the way for the Cold War. The KGB treasured him as its “main source” of atomic intelligence; MI5 suspected him, trailed him, opened his letters and monitored his every move. But he was never caught.
Today, 70 years later, with the opening of MI5 and KGB files, “Eric” can finally be identified as Engelbert (Bertie) Broda, a brilliant Austrian scientist who evaded Britain’s spy-catchers for a decade while working as a Soviet mole in the heart of the wartime nuclear research programme.
The KGB archives are now sealed, but for a brief window in the mid-1990s a KGB officer named Alexander Vassiliev gained access to the files and began transcribing their contents. Vassiliev’s notebooks form the basis of a new book, published in the US this month, revealing Broda’s pivotal role in Soviet atomic espionage.
For ten years a Soviet spy codenamed “Eric” fed Britain’s nuclear secrets to Moscow, paving the way for the Cold War. The KGB treasured him as its “main source” of atomic intelligence; MI5 suspected him, trailed him, opened his letters and monitored his every move. But he was never caught.
Today, 70 years later, with the opening of MI5 and KGB files, “Eric” can finally be identified as Engelbert (Bertie) Broda, a brilliant Austrian scientist who evaded Britain’s spy-catchers for a decade while working as a Soviet mole in the heart of the wartime nuclear research programme.
The KGB archives are now sealed, but for a brief window in the mid-1990s a KGB officer named Alexander Vassiliev gained access to the files and began transcribing their contents. Vassiliev’s notebooks form the basis of a new book, published in the US this month, revealing Broda’s pivotal role in Soviet atomic espionage.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - 16:39
Name of source: AP
SOURCE: AP (6-10-09)
A red notebook of 33 pencil drawings by Pablo Picasso stolen from the Paris museum bearing his name will be hard for thieves to sell, France's culture minister said Wednesday.
The theft was discovered Tuesday morning by an employee of the Picasso Museum. The notebook had been kept in a second-floor glass display case that can only be opened with a special instrument.
Museum head Anne Baldassari said she didn't think it was a commissioned theft — one specifically ordered up by an unscrupulous collector — but added the museum was "waiting to hear from the investigation."
The theft was discovered Tuesday morning by an employee of the Picasso Museum. The notebook had been kept in a second-floor glass display case that can only be opened with a special instrument.
Museum head Anne Baldassari said she didn't think it was a commissioned theft — one specifically ordered up by an unscrupulous collector — but added the museum was "waiting to hear from the investigation."
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 18:22
SOURCE: AP (6-9-09)
But how did an innocuous Civil War-era memo bearing Abraham Lincoln's signature end up in the state archives of Hawaii, which was still a kingdom at the time? State researchers are trying to find out.
The memo dated Sept. 22, 1862, orders the secretary of state at the time to affix the U.S. seal to a separate piece of paper, a proclamation dated the same day.
Hawaii records indicate they've had the memo — but not the proclamation — for at least 74 years.
The memo dated Sept. 22, 1862, orders the secretary of state at the time to affix the U.S. seal to a separate piece of paper, a proclamation dated the same day.
Hawaii records indicate they've had the memo — but not the proclamation — for at least 74 years.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - 17:25
SOURCE: AP (6-9-09)
A group of Baltic Sea divers say they have found the wreck of a Soviet submarine that sank with a crew of 50 during World War II.
One of the divers, Marten Zetterstrom, says the S-class submarine was located near the Aland Islands between Sweden and Finland.
Zetterstrom says all crew members died when the vessel exploded in 1940, probably after hitting a mine.
One of the divers, Marten Zetterstrom, says the S-class submarine was located near the Aland Islands between Sweden and Finland.
Zetterstrom says all crew members died when the vessel exploded in 1940, probably after hitting a mine.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - 16:23
SOURCE: AP (6-8-09)
Archaeologists have pulled a 400-year-old slate tablet from what they think was an original well at Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, a historic preservation group announced Monday.
The slate is covered with faint inscriptions of local birds, flowers, a tree and caricatures of men, along with letters and numbers, according to Preservation Virginia, which jointly operates the dig site with the National Park Service. It was found May 11 at the center of James Fort, which was established in 1607 along the James River in eastern Virginia.
Researchers at NASA Langley put the slate through three-dimensional digital analysis so they could decipher its pictures and text. The imaging system normally is used to inspect materials for aerospace use.
The slate is covered with faint inscriptions of local birds, flowers, a tree and caricatures of men, along with letters and numbers, according to Preservation Virginia, which jointly operates the dig site with the National Park Service. It was found May 11 at the center of James Fort, which was established in 1607 along the James River in eastern Virginia.
Researchers at NASA Langley put the slate through three-dimensional digital analysis so they could decipher its pictures and text. The imaging system normally is used to inspect materials for aerospace use.
Monday, June 8, 2009 - 18:28
SOURCE: AP (6-8-09)
Crews on Monday began digging up an unmarked grave believed to be holding victims of the Spanish Civil War, in the country's first such court-ordered exhumation.
The Association for the Recovery of Historic Memory said volunteers were digging up part of a cemetery in the northwestern town of Santa Marta de Tera in search of the bodies of four men believed to have been assassinated by a right-wing militia at the beginning of the 1936-39 war.
The excavation was the first to be ordered by a judge since the association began searching a decade ago for the bodies of tens of thousands of people believed to have been killed by supporters of dictator Francisco Franco and dumped in unmarked graves during the war and the dictatorship that followed.
The Association for the Recovery of Historic Memory said volunteers were digging up part of a cemetery in the northwestern town of Santa Marta de Tera in search of the bodies of four men believed to have been assassinated by a right-wing militia at the beginning of the 1936-39 war.
The excavation was the first to be ordered by a judge since the association began searching a decade ago for the bodies of tens of thousands of people believed to have been killed by supporters of dictator Francisco Franco and dumped in unmarked graves during the war and the dictatorship that followed.
Monday, June 8, 2009 - 17:39
Name of source: CNN
SOURCE: CNN (6-10-09)
A lone gunman wounded a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday before being injured by return fire, according to police and a museum statement.
The suspect was identified as James von Brunn, an 88-year-old white supremacist from Maryland, two law enforcement officials told CNN.
Gunfire at the entrance of the museum wounded at least two people Wednesday, emergency officials said.
The suspect was identified as James von Brunn, an 88-year-old white supremacist from Maryland, two law enforcement officials told CNN.
Gunfire at the entrance of the museum wounded at least two people Wednesday, emergency officials said.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 15:58
SOURCE: CNN (6-8-09)
Former first lady Laura Bush said Monday she knows why former Vice President Dick Cheney feels the need to attack President Obama's policies, and publicly defend his own administration's legacy.
"I think that's [Cheney's] right as a citizen of the U.S., and I think he also feels obligated, and so I understand why he wants to speak out," Laura Bush said in an interview on ABC's Good Morning America broadcast Monday. "On the other hand, George feels like as a former president that he owes President Obama his silence on issues, and that there's no reason to second guess any decisions that he makes."
The former first lady said that she and her husband have discussed the civil war over the Republican Party's future, but downplayed the intra-party conflict.
"I think that's [Cheney's] right as a citizen of the U.S., and I think he also feels obligated, and so I understand why he wants to speak out," Laura Bush said in an interview on ABC's Good Morning America broadcast Monday. "On the other hand, George feels like as a former president that he owes President Obama his silence on issues, and that there's no reason to second guess any decisions that he makes."
The former first lady said that she and her husband have discussed the civil war over the Republican Party's future, but downplayed the intra-party conflict.
Monday, June 8, 2009 - 12:31
SOURCE: CNN (6-8-09)
"National treasures," Maj. Gen. Vincent Boles said Saturday evening.
It marked the first time in history the U.S. Army recognized 350 soldiers held as slaves inside Nazi Germany. The men were beaten, starved and forced to work in tunnels at Berga an der Elster where the Nazi government had a hidden V-2 rocket factory. Berga was a subcamp of the notorious concentration camp Buchenwald.
"These men were abused and put under some of the most horrific conditions," the general told a private gathering of Berga survivors. "It wasn't a prison camp. It was a slave labor camp."
No ranking Army official had ever uttered the words "slave labor camp" in reference to the men's captivity at Berga. Boles knew the gravity of his statement -- that he was setting the historical record straight after 64 years.
It marked the first time in history the U.S. Army recognized 350 soldiers held as slaves inside Nazi Germany. The men were beaten, starved and forced to work in tunnels at Berga an der Elster where the Nazi government had a hidden V-2 rocket factory. Berga was a subcamp of the notorious concentration camp Buchenwald.
"These men were abused and put under some of the most horrific conditions," the general told a private gathering of Berga survivors. "It wasn't a prison camp. It was a slave labor camp."
No ranking Army official had ever uttered the words "slave labor camp" in reference to the men's captivity at Berga. Boles knew the gravity of his statement -- that he was setting the historical record straight after 64 years.
It was a bittersweet moment. More than 100 of the Berga soldiers died at the slave camp or on a forced death march of more than 200 miles in April 1945. About 80 of the 350 soldiers had been singled out for being Jewish by the Nazis.
The six Berga survivors present -- Fahrer, 86; Morton Brooks, 83; Sidney Lipson, 85; Peter Iosso, 83; Wallace Carden, 84; and Edward Slotkin, 84 -- looked on stoically as Boles spoke privately with them.
Monday, June 8, 2009 - 12:27
SOURCE: CNN (6-7-09)
When then-President-elect Barack Obama first asked Hillary Clinton to be his top diplomat, she turned him down and recommended others for the job, the secretary of state said in an interview broadcast Sunday.
When her name was mentioned in the media as a possible member of Obama's cabinet, Clinton said, she found the idea "absurd."
"And then when he called and asked me to come see him, and we had our first conversation, I said, 'You know, I really don't think I'm the person to do this, I want to go back to my life. I really feel like I owe it to the people of New York.' And I gave him a bunch of other names of people who I thought would be great secretaries of state."
But Obama "was quite persistent and very persuasive," Clinton said.
When her name was mentioned in the media as a possible member of Obama's cabinet, Clinton said, she found the idea "absurd."
"And then when he called and asked me to come see him, and we had our first conversation, I said, 'You know, I really don't think I'm the person to do this, I want to go back to my life. I really feel like I owe it to the people of New York.' And I gave him a bunch of other names of people who I thought would be great secretaries of state."
But Obama "was quite persistent and very persuasive," Clinton said.
Some analysts have raised questions about how much power Clinton actually has in the administration, given that Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have done a great deal of international outreach themselves. The president has also appointed special envoys to focus on several key regions.
Sunday, June 7, 2009 - 21:23
SOURCE: CNN (6-6-09)
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown misspoke on stage during ceremonies for the 65th anniversary of D-Day at Omaha Beach, France, Saturday.
Discussing U.S.–Great Britain cooperation during the invasion, Brown said, “Next to Obama Beach, we join President Obama in paying particular tribute to the spectacular bravery of American soldiers who gave their lives”.
He stumbled again on a second reference to Omaha Beach before saying it correctly.
There was no reaction on the face of President Obama during the slip as he sat next to Britain's Prince Charles.
Discussing U.S.–Great Britain cooperation during the invasion, Brown said, “Next to Obama Beach, we join President Obama in paying particular tribute to the spectacular bravery of American soldiers who gave their lives”.
He stumbled again on a second reference to Omaha Beach before saying it correctly.
There was no reaction on the face of President Obama during the slip as he sat next to Britain's Prince Charles.
Sunday, June 7, 2009 - 21:13
SOURCE: CNN (6-5-09)
The woman who stabbed pregnant actress Sharon Tate to death will be considered for parole from prison a month after the 40th anniversary of the killings that cast a shadow of fear over southern California.
Susan Atkins, 61, has been denied parole in 17 previous hearings, but the former "Manson Family" member now is terminally ill with brain cancer and is paralyzed.
Atkins -- who was initially sentenced to death along with Manson and three others -- will have her 18th parole hearing on September 2, according to a spokesman with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
In July of last year, Atkins -- California's longest-serving female inmate -- was denied a compassionate release in a unanimous decision by the California Board of Parole Hearings.
Susan Atkins, 61, has been denied parole in 17 previous hearings, but the former "Manson Family" member now is terminally ill with brain cancer and is paralyzed.
Atkins -- who was initially sentenced to death along with Manson and three others -- will have her 18th parole hearing on September 2, according to a spokesman with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
In July of last year, Atkins -- California's longest-serving female inmate -- was denied a compassionate release in a unanimous decision by the California Board of Parole Hearings.
Saturday, June 6, 2009 - 19:15
SOURCE: CNN (6-6-09)
World leaders gave thanks Saturday to military veterans for their efforts in the D-Day landings of 65 years ago at a ceremony in northwest France, warning that their legacy must not be forgotten as the world faces renewed threats of tyranny.
More than 150,000 allied troops, about half of them Americans, took part in D-Day on June 6, 1944, overwhelming German forces in an operation that proved a turning point in driving the Nazis out of France.
The speeches were followed by a 21-gun salute, a lone trumpter playing taps and a flyover by American, British and French jets.
More than 150,000 allied troops, about half of them Americans, took part in D-Day on June 6, 1944, overwhelming German forces in an operation that proved a turning point in driving the Nazis out of France.
The speeches were followed by a 21-gun salute, a lone trumpter playing taps and a flyover by American, British and French jets.
Saturday, June 6, 2009 - 18:59
Name of source: Times (UK)
SOURCE: Times (UK) (6-10-09)
The Cold War spy and traitor George Blake whose betrayal of secret intelligence to the KGB led to the execution of 40 British agents, was at the heart of a confidential Government appeal to newspaper editors in 1961, according to an official history of the D-Notice system published today.
The D-Notice arrangement in which a senior retired military figure provides guidance to newspapers and broadcasters on stories that might damage national security - launched in 1912 and still in existence today - swung into action when Blake was about to go on trial charged with espionage.
Rear Admiral Sir George Thomson, D-Notice Secretary at the time, wrote a private and confidential letter on May 1 1961 in which he told selected editors that Blake was an MI6 intelligence officer, but he asked them not to reveal this piece of information. Naming MI6 officers was and is banned under the D-Notice rules even, apparently, when a member of the service is secretly working for a hostile foreign intelligence agency, such as the KGB.
The admiral asked the editors that, “if they mentioned any of his [Blake's] published appointments, not to mention this connection, nor MI6’s connection with the Foreign Office”. At that time the existence of MI6 was not officially declared.
The D-Notice arrangement in which a senior retired military figure provides guidance to newspapers and broadcasters on stories that might damage national security - launched in 1912 and still in existence today - swung into action when Blake was about to go on trial charged with espionage.
Rear Admiral Sir George Thomson, D-Notice Secretary at the time, wrote a private and confidential letter on May 1 1961 in which he told selected editors that Blake was an MI6 intelligence officer, but he asked them not to reveal this piece of information. Naming MI6 officers was and is banned under the D-Notice rules even, apparently, when a member of the service is secretly working for a hostile foreign intelligence agency, such as the KGB.
The admiral asked the editors that, “if they mentioned any of his [Blake's] published appointments, not to mention this connection, nor MI6’s connection with the Foreign Office”. At that time the existence of MI6 was not officially declared.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 15:55
Name of source: Spiegel Online
SOURCE: Spiegel Online (6-10-09)
When it comes to sea floors, that of the Baltic Sea counts among the most cluttered. Barrels of toxic waste, World War II munitions and a wide variety of other detritus has settled to the bottom of the northern European body of water over the years.
On Tuesday, a team of Swedish and Finnish divers announced the most recent find: a Soviet submarine sunk by Finnish mines in the Winter War of 1939-1940. Speaking to the press on Tuesday, the divers said that they found the S-2 sub near the Aland Islands, located between Finland and Sweden.
"I think it has been 10 years since people started searching," Marten Zetterstrom, a member of the team which found the sub, said according to the Associated Press. "I've been part of it for four to five years."
The divers found the submarine in February, but waited until Tuesday to announce the find so they could confirm its identity. Markus Lindholm an expert based in Aland, said that pictures of the wreck indicate that the front of the submarine was missing, likely destroyed when the vessel cruised into a Finnish mine field in 1940. All 50 people on board were killed.
On Tuesday, a team of Swedish and Finnish divers announced the most recent find: a Soviet submarine sunk by Finnish mines in the Winter War of 1939-1940. Speaking to the press on Tuesday, the divers said that they found the S-2 sub near the Aland Islands, located between Finland and Sweden.
"I think it has been 10 years since people started searching," Marten Zetterstrom, a member of the team which found the sub, said according to the Associated Press. "I've been part of it for four to five years."
The divers found the submarine in February, but waited until Tuesday to announce the find so they could confirm its identity. Markus Lindholm an expert based in Aland, said that pictures of the wreck indicate that the front of the submarine was missing, likely destroyed when the vessel cruised into a Finnish mine field in 1940. All 50 people on board were killed.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 11:58
Name of source: Lee P. Ruddin
SOURCE: Lee P. Ruddin (6-9-09)
Historians from the Centre for First World War Studies at Birmingham University are planning to publish the longest known memoir later this year.
Written by lance corporal Geoffrey Husbands, the 250,000-word manuscript gives detailed information on political, social, psychological and other aspects of the war not normally examined in such depth in other shorter memoirs.
Captain Alexander Stewart’s 260-page diary, “Somme: The Experiences of a Very Unimportant Officer,” was similarly unearthed by a relative and published in 2007 to critical acclaim.
Written by lance corporal Geoffrey Husbands, the 250,000-word manuscript gives detailed information on political, social, psychological and other aspects of the war not normally examined in such depth in other shorter memoirs.
Captain Alexander Stewart’s 260-page diary, “Somme: The Experiences of a Very Unimportant Officer,” was similarly unearthed by a relative and published in 2007 to critical acclaim.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - 18:46
Name of source: www.sun-sentinel.com (South Florida)
SOURCE: www.sun-sentinel.com (South Florida) (6-8-09)
Treasure Coast amateur fossil collector James Kennedy appears to have made an unprecedented archaeological discovery that might help confirm a human presence here up to 13,000 years ago.
A 15-inch-long prehistoric bone fragment found near Vero Beach contains a crude engraving of a mammoth or mastodon on it, said Dr. Barbara Purdy, emeritus professor of anthropology at the University of Florida.
The only comparable images are found in European cave paintings, she said in an interview Friday. The bone contains "the unmistakable incising of an ancient proboscidean [elephant]," she said.
A 15-inch-long prehistoric bone fragment found near Vero Beach contains a crude engraving of a mammoth or mastodon on it, said Dr. Barbara Purdy, emeritus professor of anthropology at the University of Florida.
The only comparable images are found in European cave paintings, she said in an interview Friday. The bone contains "the unmistakable incising of an ancient proboscidean [elephant]," she said.
Kennedy found the brown and tan bone two years ago and put it under his sink. About two months ago, he took it out for cleaning and spotted unusual lines. He had been considering selling it at a flea market.
Instead, he showed it to a fellow collector, William Roddenberry of Vero Beach, who was amazed. They took it to the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville for examination.
This month, a Florida State University archaeologist is leading a team that is taking soil samples from the site at the administration building. That is in preparation for a scientific excavation there next year to help try to settle whether or not humans co-existed here with mammoths and other extinct species.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - 17:11
Name of source: Science Daily
SOURCE: Science Daily (6-9-09)
More than 100 feet deep in Lake Huron, on a wide stoney ridge that 9,000 years ago was a land bridge, University of Michigan researchers have found the first archeological evidence of human activity preserved beneath the Great Lakes.
The researchers located what they believe to be caribou-hunting structures and camps used by the early hunters of the period.
A paper about the findings is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Co-authors are O'Shea and Guy Meadows, director of the Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratories and a professor in the departments of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, and Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences.
O'Shea and Meadows found features that they believe to be hunting pits, camps, caribou drive lanes and stone piles used to attract the caribou to the drive lanes. Drive lanes are long rows of rocks used to channel caribou into ambushes. The 1,148-foot structure they believe is a drive lane closely resembles one on Victoria Island in the Canadian subarctic.
The researchers located what they believe to be caribou-hunting structures and camps used by the early hunters of the period.
A paper about the findings is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Co-authors are O'Shea and Guy Meadows, director of the Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratories and a professor in the departments of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, and Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences.
O'Shea and Meadows found features that they believe to be hunting pits, camps, caribou drive lanes and stone piles used to attract the caribou to the drive lanes. Drive lanes are long rows of rocks used to channel caribou into ambushes. The 1,148-foot structure they believe is a drive lane closely resembles one on Victoria Island in the Canadian subarctic.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - 17:08
Name of source: Oakland Tribune
SOURCE: Oakland Tribune (6-5-09)
Construction crews working on a sidewalk on Dennison Street near the Oakland estuary Friday morning unearthed what is believed to be a human skull, possibly a remnant from an American Indian burial site, Oakland police said.
The skull was found about 10:15 a.m. about 3 feet below ground when the construction crew started digging to remove two sections of sidewalk on a contract job for AT&T to replace an underground cable, police said.
The construction site is adjacent to the Hide-A-Way Cafe on the 1900 block of Dennison, near the Embarcadero, and local historians say that area was indeed the site of numerous American Indian burial grounds, also known as shellmounds.
A similar case occurred in January, when human remains — which were later determined to be those of an American Indian child of about four years of age — were found underneath an Alameda street when public works crews dug up a section of the 3000 block of Washington Street.
The skull was found about 10:15 a.m. about 3 feet below ground when the construction crew started digging to remove two sections of sidewalk on a contract job for AT&T to replace an underground cable, police said.
The construction site is adjacent to the Hide-A-Way Cafe on the 1900 block of Dennison, near the Embarcadero, and local historians say that area was indeed the site of numerous American Indian burial grounds, also known as shellmounds.
A similar case occurred in January, when human remains — which were later determined to be those of an American Indian child of about four years of age — were found underneath an Alameda street when public works crews dug up a section of the 3000 block of Washington Street.
Monday, June 8, 2009 - 18:21
Name of source: The Inependent Mail (South Carolina)
SOURCE: The Inependent Mail (South Carolina) (6-5-09)
State archaeologists working in the Pee Dee River on Friday found two cannons used in the Civil War.
Chris Amer, deputy state archaeologist and head of the Underwater Archaeology Division at the University of South Carolina, teamed up with the Pee Dee Research and Recovery Team, state archaeologist and USC research associate professor Jon Leader, representatives from Francis Marion and East Carolina universities and students plan to raise the five-ton cannons used aboard the C.S.S. Pee Dee. They expect to raise a third.
They have also found the site where Mars Bluff once stood in Marion County. Mars Bluff was a Confederate naval yard from 1862 to 1865, built inland because of its wealth of natural resources and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.
Chris Amer, deputy state archaeologist and head of the Underwater Archaeology Division at the University of South Carolina, teamed up with the Pee Dee Research and Recovery Team, state archaeologist and USC research associate professor Jon Leader, representatives from Francis Marion and East Carolina universities and students plan to raise the five-ton cannons used aboard the C.S.S. Pee Dee. They expect to raise a third.
They have also found the site where Mars Bluff once stood in Marion County. Mars Bluff was a Confederate naval yard from 1862 to 1865, built inland because of its wealth of natural resources and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.
Monday, June 8, 2009 - 18:18
Name of source: The Moscow Times
SOURCE: The Moscow Times (6-9-09)
The only way to fight a real battle against the falsification of history -- something that President Dmitry Medvedev has made a priority after creating a special commission to handle this issue -- is to keep government archives as open as possible for historians. Unfortunately, the government is doing the exact opposite, depriving historians access to the most sensitive and important historical documents. Among other things, this is a violation of the Constitution.
Medvedev's commission "for counteracting attempts to falsify history to the detriment of Russia's interests" is headed by presidential chief of staff Sergei Naryshkin, who will control which documents remain classified and which ones are opened to the public. There are many reasons to be concerned that the documents most essential to an open and honest study and discussion of Russian and Soviet history will remain locked up.
Most of the documents connected with the 1940 execution of more than 20,000 Polish officers at Katyn, which was carried out by the NKVD under direct orders from Stalin, also remain locked away. After Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Yeltsin officially acknowledged the massacre and released many related documents from government archives, then-President Putin decided to do an about-face. The chief military prosecutor recently closed the investigation into the tragedy, and even the decision to halt criminal proceedings was deemed classified. The Kremlin's decision to sweep the matter under the carpet raises the question whether Russia really wants to break with Stalin's bloody past or whether it has a sick attachment to it.
Medvedev's commission "for counteracting attempts to falsify history to the detriment of Russia's interests" is headed by presidential chief of staff Sergei Naryshkin, who will control which documents remain classified and which ones are opened to the public. There are many reasons to be concerned that the documents most essential to an open and honest study and discussion of Russian and Soviet history will remain locked up.
Most of the documents connected with the 1940 execution of more than 20,000 Polish officers at Katyn, which was carried out by the NKVD under direct orders from Stalin, also remain locked away. After Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Yeltsin officially acknowledged the massacre and released many related documents from government archives, then-President Putin decided to do an about-face. The chief military prosecutor recently closed the investigation into the tragedy, and even the decision to halt criminal proceedings was deemed classified. The Kremlin's decision to sweep the matter under the carpet raises the question whether Russia really wants to break with Stalin's bloody past or whether it has a sick attachment to it.
Also classified -- or simply lost or destroyed -- are documents from Stalin's Politburo of 1939 related to the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the partitioning of Poland, the annexation of the Baltic states and the Soviet invasion of Finland.
The government continues to deny access to materials documenting the behavior of Soviet forces in Europe in 1945. This automatically provokes speculation that the scale of the looting, violence and rape carried out by Soviet soldiers and officers was greater than we have been led to believe.
Monday, June 8, 2009 - 18:13
Name of source: Vox
SOURCE: Vox (6-4-09)
World industrial production, trade, and stock markets are diving faster now than during 1929-30. Fortunately, the policy response to date is much better. The update shows that trade and stock markets have shown some improvement without reversing the overall conclusion -- today's crisis is at least as bad as the Great Depression.
Editor’s note: The 6 April 2009 Vox column by Barry Eichengreen and Kevin O’Rourke shattered all Vox readership records, with 30,000 views in less than 48 hours and over 100,000 within the week. The authors will update the charts as new data emerges; this updated column is the first, presenting monthly data up to April 2009. (The updates and much more will eventually appear in a paper the authors are writing a paper for Economic Policy.)
New findings:
* World industrial production continues to track closely the 1930s fall, with no clear signs of ‘green shoots’.
* World stock markets have rebounded a bit since March, and world trade has stabilised, but these are still following paths far below the ones they followed in the Great Depression.
* There are new charts for individual nations’ industrial output. The big-4 EU nations divide north-south; today’s German and British industrial output are closely tracking their rate of fall in the 1930s, while Italy and France are doing much worse.
* The North Americans (US & Canada) continue to see their industrial output fall approximately in line with what happened in the 1929 crisis, with no clear signs of a turn around.
* Japan’s industrial output in February was 25 percentage points lower than at the equivalent stage in the Great Depression. There was however a sharp rebound in March.
Editor’s note: The 6 April 2009 Vox column by Barry Eichengreen and Kevin O’Rourke shattered all Vox readership records, with 30,000 views in less than 48 hours and over 100,000 within the week. The authors will update the charts as new data emerges; this updated column is the first, presenting monthly data up to April 2009. (The updates and much more will eventually appear in a paper the authors are writing a paper for Economic Policy.)
New findings:
* World industrial production continues to track closely the 1930s fall, with no clear signs of ‘green shoots’.
* World stock markets have rebounded a bit since March, and world trade has stabilised, but these are still following paths far below the ones they followed in the Great Depression.
* There are new charts for individual nations’ industrial output. The big-4 EU nations divide north-south; today’s German and British industrial output are closely tracking their rate of fall in the 1930s, while Italy and France are doing much worse.
* The North Americans (US & Canada) continue to see their industrial output fall approximately in line with what happened in the 1929 crisis, with no clear signs of a turn around.
* Japan’s industrial output in February was 25 percentage points lower than at the equivalent stage in the Great Depression. There was however a sharp rebound in March.
Monday, June 8, 2009 - 14:44
Name of source: Daily Mail (UK)
SOURCE: Daily Mail (UK) (6-5-09)
Veterans contaminated during atomic tests more than 50 years ago will be able to sue the Government, the High Court said yesterday.
In a landmark ruling, Mr Justice Foskett said ten test cases could go to full trial, paving the way for claims of up to £100million.
The ageing survivors are demanding the Ministry of Defence reaches a settlement before they die.
A total of 1,011 blame their ill-health, including cancer, skin defects and fertility problems, on involvement in Britain's 1950s nuclear tests in Australia, the Monte Bello islands and Christmas Island.
In a landmark ruling, Mr Justice Foskett said ten test cases could go to full trial, paving the way for claims of up to £100million.
The ageing survivors are demanding the Ministry of Defence reaches a settlement before they die.
A total of 1,011 blame their ill-health, including cancer, skin defects and fertility problems, on involvement in Britain's 1950s nuclear tests in Australia, the Monte Bello islands and Christmas Island.
Sunday, June 7, 2009 - 21:16
Name of source: MSNBC
SOURCE: MSNBC (6-5-09)
Craft involved in major World War II disaster gets $8 million restoration.
In a nondescript shed in a English seaside village, the remains of a Nazi torpedo boat behind one of worst U.S. catastrophes in World War II rests on cradle of lumber.
And almost 65 years to the day after this German vessel played its part in a D-Day dress rehearsal gone wrong that ended with 749 Americans servicemen dead, three survivors of the Exercise Tiger disaster garner their first glimpse of E-boat S130.
The last-known remaining craft of its type was bought about two years ago by British military vehicle collector Kevin Wheatcroft for 1 pound (about $1.60). He is now planning to spend about five million pounds ($8 million) to return the boat to its original condition.
In a nondescript shed in a English seaside village, the remains of a Nazi torpedo boat behind one of worst U.S. catastrophes in World War II rests on cradle of lumber.
And almost 65 years to the day after this German vessel played its part in a D-Day dress rehearsal gone wrong that ended with 749 Americans servicemen dead, three survivors of the Exercise Tiger disaster garner their first glimpse of E-boat S130.
The last-known remaining craft of its type was bought about two years ago by British military vehicle collector Kevin Wheatcroft for 1 pound (about $1.60). He is now planning to spend about five million pounds ($8 million) to return the boat to its original condition.
Saturday, June 6, 2009 - 18:52
