One-Minute World News
[The following joke is from the Sofia News Agency, Bulgaria, newswire.]
- - Black and White - - -
- Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother:
"Why is the bride dressed in white?"
"Because white is the color of happiness," her mother explained. "And today is the happiest day in her life."
The child thought about this for a moment.
"So why is the groom wearing black?"
- - - Wisconsin News (Northwoods - local) - - -
This week's Florence Mining News (P.O. Box 79, Florence, WI 54121) contains the following entertainment article of interest:
Wisconsin Singers bring high octane show to Florence- - - Local weather - - -
Florence Mining News, 09-APR-2008 (Hank Murphy)
[Excerpt:] - Hold on to your hats and prepare to be wowed.
If the Wisconsin Singers live up to their billing, those who attend their performance in Florence should expect nothing less.
The 16-member song and dance troupe, backed by a 10-piece band and stage and lighting effects, makes its first appearance in Florence at 7 p.m. Sunday at the High School gymnasium.
The collegiate singers, dancers and instrumentalists will perform a high-energy song and dance revue that highlights popular American music from the jukebox era through unforgettable Top 40 chart toppers.
After noting 8-inches of new snow in my backyard yesterday morning I see we have more snow in the forecast. The weather gurus are currently predicting 5 to 9 inches between tonight and early Saturday.
- - - U.S. Election 2008 - - -
If Dems Talk About 'Winning' in Iraq, Everybody Loses
AlterNet, 10-APR-2008 (Ira Chernus)
[Published summary:] - The Petraeus hearings trapped Democrats into talking about whether the 'surge' is working, not that the U.S. has no right to be there.
[Excerpt:] - It was supposed to be a "cakewalk." General Petraeus would come to Congress, armed with his favorite charts showing that the "surge" had dramatically reduced violence in Iraq. He would earn universal acclaim for his plan to "pause" troop reductions from July until after the election -- the same plan that John McCain counts on to help him win that election. When it comes to Iraq, though, the Bush administration's cakewalks never seem to turn out as planned.
- - - More news - - -
Did McCain Avoid Voting on a Key 9/11 Bill Because He's Afraid of the Neocons?
AlterNet, 10-APR-2008 (Cliff Schecter, PoliPoint Press)
[Published summary:] - McCain's official calendar says he was in California on the day of a key security vote, but he was actually in the Senate, voting on 15 other bills.
[Excerpt:] - McCain had 16 votes that day [March 13, 2007]. He made 15 of them. The only one he missed was the one to codify the 9/11 Commission recommendations. And coincidentally, of course, Neocons hated those recommendations, because they talked about meeting with the Iranians and Syrians, for example, instead of just blowing them up.
- - - Pakistan News - - -
Militants reappear in Imam Dheri area
The News, Pakistan 10-APR-2008
[Excerpt:] - MINGORA - Militants linked to cleric Maulana Fazlullah on Wednesday appeared in Imam Dheri area of Swat valley, as they cleaned a mosque, prayed and went back to an undisclosed location. Eyewitnesses told 'The News' that local Taliban had already started activities in Matta and Kabal tehsils. "Militants came out in vehicles and briefly patrolled the area," the sources added.
- - - More news - - -
Tribals seek replacement of FCR with Sharia
The Frontier Post, Peshawar 10-APR-2008 (Ali Hussain)
[Excerpt:] - ISLAMABAD - Expressing concerns over the immediate repeal of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), the tribal elders have called for a genuine elected Jirga to replace the black laws with Sharia. "There are concerns amongst the tribal people over the immediate repeal of the FCR as it is being worried that whether the U.S. hands are not operative behind this for the completion of its agenda in the tribal areas", Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Amir Jamat-e-Islami (JI) told a news conference here Tuesday after his meeting with elders from all eight agencies.
- - - World Briefing - - -
UNITED STATES: Retirement jitters on the rise
The Christian Science Monitor, 10-APR-2008 (Mark Trumbull)
[Excerpt:] - A confluence of adverse forces -- notably falling wealth and rising inflation -- is making many Americans less confident about their well-being in retirement. On Wednesday, an annual survey of Americans recorded the largest-ever plunge in retirement confidence in 18 years of polling. It's not uncommon for long-term confidence to ebb and flow with changes in the economy, but the sharp drop reflects larger factors led by rising medical costs and an unusual plunge in home values. That doesn't mean the outlook for retirement is completely bleak. But the sobering trends have several implications, analysts say.
Russian Army Fails to Impress Americans
Kommersant, Moscow 10-APR-2008
"American experts doubt the effectiveness of the Russian military reform"
[Excerpt:] - Yesterday an influential brain trust Heritage, Washington D.C. hosted a conference on the reform of the Russian armed forces. It took the participants two hours to unanimously acknowledge that there was no revival of Russia's military might to be observed, and there was hardly any hope for Russia to create a modern and effective army by 2020.
- - - More news - - -
Russia to fight terrorists ideologically
Pravda, 09-APR-2008
[Excerpt:] - It is well-known that foreign intelligence often uses Non-governmental organizations (NGO) both to obtain useful information and to force concealed influence on political processes. It was a headache for the authorities to realize that terrorists use exactly the same methods.
[Blog note: In reference to a statement in this article, someone needs to tell the Russians that the U.S. doesn't have a "Parliament".]
Zimbabwe militants seize farm of Commercial Farmers' Union president
Telegraph, UK 10-APR-2008 (Sebastien Berger)
[Excerpt:] - Zanu PF militants have invaded the farm of Commercial Farmers' Union president Trevor Gifford, saying he is never to return home. Mr Gifford, who has spent a frantic week in Harare trying to assist at least 60 fellow farmers cope with their own invasions around the country was not at home near Chipinge, about 220 miles south east of Harare, when the mob of about 30 wearing Zanu-PF T-shirts arrived at his security gate.
OLYMPICS THREAT: Two terrorist groups nabbed in China's Xinjiang
China View, 10-APR-2008 (Xinhua)
[Excerpt:] - BEIJING - China has cracked two terrorist groups in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Ministry of Public Security said here on Thursday. The terrorists, who numbered 45 in all, had attempted to carry out sabotage to undermine the Beijing Olympic Games, ministry spokesman Wu Heping told a press conference. In the first case, police in Xinjiang netted a 10-member terrorist group led by Aji Muhammat, between Jan. 4 and Jan. 11, Wu said. The police also seized 18 explosive devices, 4 kg of explosives, seven detonators, 100 kg of raw material for making explosives and "a mass of text materials on starting a 'holy war'" during the raid, he said. Police investigations indicated that the group was sent by "East Turkistan" separatists from abroad to carry out anti-Olympic terrorist attacks. Aji Muhammat and his gang have confessed to the police, Wu said.
U.S. Army cyber colonel in call to network arms
The Register, UK 09-APR-2008 (Lewis Page)
[Excerpt:] - The officer in charge of U.S. Army efforts in network warfare has issued a resounding call to battle for American cyber warriors. "We have to pick up the pace... respond, react, be proactive enough to stay out ahead of the speed of megabytes," said Colonel Wayne Parks, quoted on Govexec.com.
Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad Funded by Bulgaria Drug Traffic
Novinite-Sofia News Agency, Bulgaria 09-APR-2008
[Excerpt:] - Part of the large profits from the illegal drugs trade carried out by Bulgarian and Arab organized crime groups have been used to fund Middle Eastern terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad. This is one of the main conclusions of the Report on the situation in the Bulgarian Interior Ministry and its efforts to combat drugs production and distribution by MP Mincho Spasov, Chair of the Parliamentary Interior Committee. The report is to be discussed Wednesday afternoon, after the regular Committee meeting on Tuesday was put off. It reveals there were constant leakages of classified information from the Interior Ministry structures to the mafia.
- - - Religious News - - -
Schism -- Saudi Blogger's Answer to Wilders Film
Arab News, 10-APR-2008 (Ebtihal Mubarak)
[Excerpt:] - JEDDAH - A Saudi blogger has made a six-minute video entitled "Schism" by portraying texts from Christian sources out of context, similar to the way Dutch MP Geert Wilders made his recently-released anti-Qur'an film entitled "Fitna." In his film, Raid Al-Saeed, 33, shows verses of the Bible that call for war and illustrated them with clips of extremist Christian groups that preach violence.
[Blog note: Article includes a screenshot. (Why does the woman in this picture look so familiar?)]
Islam is taking off in Estonia
(Blog) Bonjour l'Estonie, 10-APR-2008 (Marge Tubalkain-Trell, Abdul Turay)
[Full text:] - TALLINN - The Koran, the holy book which was recently published for the first time in Estonian, has been on the best sellers list for months. The liberalization of immigration policy, meanwhile, is likely to lead to an increase in the number Muslims settling in the country. 3000 copies of the Koran have been sold since it was first published in December 2007. To put this in the context of a small nation, best selling CDs sell about 5000 copies.
- - - Related - - -
Quiet genius who brought the East
The Baltic Times, Riga 09-APR-2008 (Marge Tubalkain-Trell)
[Excerpt:] - There is no doubt the Koran would not have been translated [into Estonian] if it weren't for the work of one remarkable man, Haljand Udam -- geologist, scientist, linguist, translator, writer, and genius. The Baltic Times spoke to the friends and family of the man who single-handedly made the most important cultural event of the year in Estonia possible, including his widow who has never spoken to the press before.
BENIN: Voodoo ritual for Betancourt
News 24, Cape Town 10-APR-2008
[Excerpt:] - COTONOU - Voodoo priests cried out in tongues and made sacrificial offerings on Wednesday, imploring God and the ancestors to help free French-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt from the hands of Colombia's Farc rebels.
Russian church alarmed by military conscription of clergy
RIA Novosti, Moscow 09-APR-2008
[Excerpt:] - A senior Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) official expressed concern on Wednesday over the planned conscription of over 100 clergymen this year, drawing parallels with Soviet-era mass persecution of the clergy.
- - - Other News - - -
Island of Sark embraces democracy after 400 years
Times of London, 10-APR-2008
[Excerpt:] - Sark, which lies 80 miles off the south coast of England, has been governed by a mix of landowners and elected people's deputies since it was settled in the 1600s... Universal suffrage will finally be bestowed on the island's population, with every islander resident for more than a year now entitled to vote in Sark's elections.
Chip of Easter Island statue's ear costs Finn $17,000
China View, 09-APR-2008 (Xinhua)
[Excerpt:] - A tourist from Finland who broke an earlobe off an Easter Island Moai statue is being allowed to return home after paying a 17,000 U.S. dollar fine and agreeing to not return for three years, police said Tuesday. Marko Kulju, 26, deposited the money into a bank account overseen by the court that handled his case, the Easter Island prosecutor's office said in a statement.
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