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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: Telegraph (UK)
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (2-19-10)
A remarkable archive of letters has thrown new light on the despair of British commanders during the American War of Independence.
Their downbeat perspective contrasts dramatically with the exhortations of George III and his ministers in London who come across as hopelessly out-of-touch and absurdly optimistic.
The documents, part of a collection that have been in private possession for more than two centuries, reveal a much gloomier analysis by British generals than previously believed.
According to the collection which goes on sale at Sotheby's in New York in a series of auctions beginning in April, they began to despair of victory almost as soon as the conflict began in 1775.
Their downbeat perspective contrasts dramatically with the exhortations of George III and his ministers in London who come across as hopelessly out-of-touch and absurdly optimistic.
The documents, part of a collection that have been in private possession for more than two centuries, reveal a much gloomier analysis by British generals than previously believed.
According to the collection which goes on sale at Sotheby's in New York in a series of auctions beginning in April, they began to despair of victory almost as soon as the conflict began in 1775.
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 23:40
Comments
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (2-18-10)
The 35-year-old Titanic star told Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda: "I'd love to play Stalin very much. However, it is all about a script and there is no such script at the moment."
DiCaprio's Russian grandmother survived the Soviet era with its political purges, mass killings and all powerful secret police.
"My grandmother was telling me about the Second World War, the Gulags and other Russian tragedies.
"I really do not know whether I'll ever be able to play the role and there is no screenplay for that yet," he added....
DiCaprio's Russian grandmother survived the Soviet era with its political purges, mass killings and all powerful secret police.
"My grandmother was telling me about the Second World War, the Gulags and other Russian tragedies.
"I really do not know whether I'll ever be able to play the role and there is no screenplay for that yet," he added....
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 12:10
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (2-18-10)
In Roman mythology, the bough was a tree branch with golden leaves that enabled the Trojan hero Aeneas to travel through the underworld safely.
They discovered the remains while excavating religious sanctuary built in honour of the goddess Diana near an ancient volcanic lake in the Alban Hills, 20 miles south of Rome.
They believe the enclosure protected a huge Cypress or oak tree which was sacred to the Latins, a powerful tribe which ruled the region before the rise of the Roman Empire.
The tree was central to the myth of Aeneas, who was told by a spirit to pluck a branch bearing golden leaves to protect himself when he ventured into Hades to seek counsel from his dead father.
In a second, more historically credible legend, the Latins believed it symbolised the power of their priest-king.
They discovered the remains while excavating religious sanctuary built in honour of the goddess Diana near an ancient volcanic lake in the Alban Hills, 20 miles south of Rome.
They believe the enclosure protected a huge Cypress or oak tree which was sacred to the Latins, a powerful tribe which ruled the region before the rise of the Roman Empire.
The tree was central to the myth of Aeneas, who was told by a spirit to pluck a branch bearing golden leaves to protect himself when he ventured into Hades to seek counsel from his dead father.
In a second, more historically credible legend, the Latins believed it symbolised the power of their priest-king.
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 08:19
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (2-17-10)
In a letter to the Pope, the scholars said that making Pius XII a saint could do grave damage to relations between the Catholic Church and Jews and that he had become a de facto "symbol of Christian anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism".
Jewish groups have long claimed that Pius turned a blind eye to the Holocaust, but this is thought to be the first time that a group of Catholic theologians have issued such a strongly worded appeal to the Pope.
They endorsed demands made by Jewish groups that Vatican archives covering Pius's papacy, from 1939 to 1958, must be opened up before the Church decides whether his predecessor is worthy of being made a saint. They are believed to contain details of his efforts to save Jews from the Holocaust.
The Vatican recently said that there were so many files for its archivists to trawl through that the archives will not be made available until 2015.
The 18 Catholic scholars from Australia, Germany and the United States used the word "implore" twice in the letter, saying that if Pius was made a saint before the historical record was cleared up, it could irreparably harm Catholic-Jewish relations....
Jewish groups have long claimed that Pius turned a blind eye to the Holocaust, but this is thought to be the first time that a group of Catholic theologians have issued such a strongly worded appeal to the Pope.
They endorsed demands made by Jewish groups that Vatican archives covering Pius's papacy, from 1939 to 1958, must be opened up before the Church decides whether his predecessor is worthy of being made a saint. They are believed to contain details of his efforts to save Jews from the Holocaust.
The Vatican recently said that there were so many files for its archivists to trawl through that the archives will not be made available until 2015.
The 18 Catholic scholars from Australia, Germany and the United States used the word "implore" twice in the letter, saying that if Pius was made a saint before the historical record was cleared up, it could irreparably harm Catholic-Jewish relations....
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 19:16
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (2-17-10)
Catholic scholars from around the world have "implored" Pope Benedict XVI not to make a controversial wartime pontiff a saint before opening up to scrutiny secret Vatican archives.
In a letter to the Pope, the scholars said that making Pius XII a saint could do grave damage to relations between the Catholic Church and Jews and that he had become a de facto "symbol of Christian anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism".
They endorsed demands made by Jewish groups that Vatican archives covering Pius's papacy, from 1939 to 1958, must be opened up before the Church decides whether his predecessor is worthy of being made a saint. They are believed to contain details of his efforts to save Jews from the Holocaust.
The Vatican recently said that there were so many files for its archivists to trawl through that the archives will not be made available until 2015.
In a letter to the Pope, the scholars said that making Pius XII a saint could do grave damage to relations between the Catholic Church and Jews and that he had become a de facto "symbol of Christian anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism".
They endorsed demands made by Jewish groups that Vatican archives covering Pius's papacy, from 1939 to 1958, must be opened up before the Church decides whether his predecessor is worthy of being made a saint. They are believed to contain details of his efforts to save Jews from the Holocaust.
The Vatican recently said that there were so many files for its archivists to trawl through that the archives will not be made available until 2015.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 18:21
SOURCE: Telegraph (UK) (2-16-10)
Joe the Plumber, the mascot of the 2008 John McCain campaign for the US presidency, has lashed out at the veteran US senator from Arizona for "screwing up" his life.
Mr Wurzelbacher was thrust into the international spotlight when Mr McCain made repeated reference to him during one of the televised presidential debates. The two men had met days before and Mr Wurzelbacher had voiced fears about likely tax increases if Barack Obama were to become president.
But the unexpected notoriety caused him instant problems, with reports the next day that he practised plumbing without a licence.
Mr Wurzelbacher has no illusions about Mr McCain's motivations. "McCain was trying to use me," he told Scott Detrow, the reporter. "I happened to be the face of middle Americans. It was a ploy."
Mr Wurzelbacher was thrust into the international spotlight when Mr McCain made repeated reference to him during one of the televised presidential debates. The two men had met days before and Mr Wurzelbacher had voiced fears about likely tax increases if Barack Obama were to become president.
But the unexpected notoriety caused him instant problems, with reports the next day that he practised plumbing without a licence.
Mr Wurzelbacher has no illusions about Mr McCain's motivations. "McCain was trying to use me," he told Scott Detrow, the reporter. "I happened to be the face of middle Americans. It was a ploy."
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 20:44
Name of source: CNN
SOURCE: CNN (2-19-10)
The FBI announced that it has concluded its investigation into the 2001 anthrax mailings, saying Friday that a biodefense researcher carried out the attacks alone.
The anthrax letters killed five people and sickened 17 shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The letters, filled with bacterial spores, were sent to Senate Democratic leaders and news organizations.
The investigation into the anthrax mailings, code-named "Amerithrax," was one of the largest and most complex in the history of law enforcement, according to the FBI.
The anthrax letters killed five people and sickened 17 shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The letters, filled with bacterial spores, were sent to Senate Democratic leaders and news organizations.
The investigation into the anthrax mailings, code-named "Amerithrax," was one of the largest and most complex in the history of law enforcement, according to the FBI.
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 23:31
SOURCE: CNN (2-19-10)
Bush administration lawyers who wrote "torture" memos have been cleared of allegations of professional misconduct after a Justice Department internal investigation, which recommends no legal consequences for their actions.
The report by the Justice Department concludes the high-ranking lawyers who developed controversial legal guidance on waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques may have exercised poor judgment, but not professional misconduct.
The conclusion resulted from a decision by top career Justice Department executive David Margolis to reverse a recommendation of investigators that found the two lawyers' legal memos did constitute professional misconduct. That tentative conclusion, which was overruled by Margolis, said the lawyers should be referred to their state bar associations for potential disbarment.
But in the final report, the examination of the legal guidance written by Justice Department lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee found they did not constitute a professional breach that could have led to state disbarment.
The report by the Justice Department concludes the high-ranking lawyers who developed controversial legal guidance on waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques may have exercised poor judgment, but not professional misconduct.
The conclusion resulted from a decision by top career Justice Department executive David Margolis to reverse a recommendation of investigators that found the two lawyers' legal memos did constitute professional misconduct. That tentative conclusion, which was overruled by Margolis, said the lawyers should be referred to their state bar associations for potential disbarment.
But in the final report, the examination of the legal guidance written by Justice Department lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee found they did not constitute a professional breach that could have led to state disbarment.
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 23:28
SOURCE: CNN (2-17-10)
Peru's ancient Inca ruins of Machu Picchu should reopen April 1, more than two months after rain stranded hundreds of tourists at the popular spot, the government said.
Heavy rain in January unleashed mudslides that cut off roads and blocked a rail line between Machu Picchu and the nearby city of Cusco.
Water levels at the Vilcanota River have receded enough to allow repairs to the rail line, said Martin Perez, head of Peru's Ministry of Exterior Commerce and Tourism.
Heavy rain in January unleashed mudslides that cut off roads and blocked a rail line between Machu Picchu and the nearby city of Cusco.
Water levels at the Vilcanota River have receded enough to allow repairs to the rail line, said Martin Perez, head of Peru's Ministry of Exterior Commerce and Tourism.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 18:11
Name of source: WaPo
SOURCE: WaPo (2-19-10)
The memorial to Gen. Grant and his dashing soldiers would preside, burnished and restored, over a transformed Union Square at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.
The dilapidated Sylvan Theater, the 1970s-vintage outdoor venue south of the Washington Monument, would be replaced with a multipurpose performance space that would serve food and souvenirs.
The under-used Constitution Gardens would be upgraded -- its lake reconstructed, its landscape rehabilitated.
There would be lots and lots of restrooms.
The Mall -- the worn out, trampled down, 700 acres of Washington that is visited by as many as 25 million people a year -- would get an end-to-end facelift, according to the draft of a National Park Service plan presented Thursday to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts....
The dilapidated Sylvan Theater, the 1970s-vintage outdoor venue south of the Washington Monument, would be replaced with a multipurpose performance space that would serve food and souvenirs.
The under-used Constitution Gardens would be upgraded -- its lake reconstructed, its landscape rehabilitated.
There would be lots and lots of restrooms.
The Mall -- the worn out, trampled down, 700 acres of Washington that is visited by as many as 25 million people a year -- would get an end-to-end facelift, according to the draft of a National Park Service plan presented Thursday to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts....
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 15:18
Name of source: AP
SOURCE: AP (2-18-10)
The Washington Monument and other memorials in the nation's capital probably won't get labels for confused visitors after all.
The National Park Service is backing away from a plan to add small stone labels to the major memorials on the National Mall after a federal arts panel rejected the idea....
The National Park Service is backing away from a plan to add small stone labels to the major memorials on the National Mall after a federal arts panel rejected the idea....
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 15:16
SOURCE: AP (2-17-10)
The Shroud sells.
That seems to be the early take on how major celebrations are shaping up in the Olympic city of Turin when the archdiocese this spring displays the Shroud of Turin, revered by many Christians as Jesus Christ's burial cloth but described by some as a medieval forgery.
At least 1 million reservations from around the world have already poured in to secure three to five minutes to admire the cloth that has fascinated pilgrims and scientists alike, organizers of the April 10-May 23 showing told a news conference in Rome on Wednesday....
That seems to be the early take on how major celebrations are shaping up in the Olympic city of Turin when the archdiocese this spring displays the Shroud of Turin, revered by many Christians as Jesus Christ's burial cloth but described by some as a medieval forgery.
At least 1 million reservations from around the world have already poured in to secure three to five minutes to admire the cloth that has fascinated pilgrims and scientists alike, organizers of the April 10-May 23 showing told a news conference in Rome on Wednesday....
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 15:15
SOURCE: AP (2-17-10)
A home renovation in Jerusalem's Old City has yielded a rare Arabic inscription offering insight into the city's history under Muslim rule, Israeli archaeologists said Wednesday.
The fragment of a 1,100-year-old plaque is thought to have been made by an army veteran to express his thanks for a land grant from the Caliph al-Muqtadir, whom the inscription calls "Emir of the Faithful."
Dating from a time when Jerusalem was ruled from Baghdad by the Abbasid empire, the plaque shows how rulers rewarded their troops and ensured their loyalty, archaeologists said.
The Abbasids conquered Jerusalem after numerous wars with the Fatimid empire in Egypt. The Abbasid caliphs valued Jerusalem as an Islamic holy site....
The fragment of a 1,100-year-old plaque is thought to have been made by an army veteran to express his thanks for a land grant from the Caliph al-Muqtadir, whom the inscription calls "Emir of the Faithful."
Dating from a time when Jerusalem was ruled from Baghdad by the Abbasid empire, the plaque shows how rulers rewarded their troops and ensured their loyalty, archaeologists said.
The Abbasids conquered Jerusalem after numerous wars with the Fatimid empire in Egypt. The Abbasid caliphs valued Jerusalem as an Islamic holy site....
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 12:16
SOURCE: AP (2-17-10)
Federal prosecutors in Utah are disclosing more about the confidential informant at the center of a two-year federal investigation into the looting of Southwestern artifacts.
In federal court filings Tuesday, U.S. attorneys in Salt Lake City said they're giving defense attorneys copies of the informant's agreement with FBI investigators, records of his payments and a copy of his criminal background check.
In federal court filings Tuesday, U.S. attorneys in Salt Lake City said they're giving defense attorneys copies of the informant's agreement with FBI investigators, records of his payments and a copy of his criminal background check.
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 12:13
SOURCE: AP (2-17-10)
It turns out Egypt's beloved boy-king wasn't so golden after all — or much of a wild and crazy guy, for that matter.
But will research showing King Tut was actually a hobbled, weak teen with a cleft palate and club foot kill enthusiasm for a mummy that has fascinated the world for nearly a century?
Not likely, historians say, even though the revelations hardly fit the popular culture depiction of a robust, exotically handsome young pharaoh, or a dancing "how'd-you-get-so-funky" phenom a la Steve Martin. The comedian parodied Tut on "Saturday Night Live" during a blockbuster King Tut traveling exhibit in the late 1970s, which packed U.S. museums and spawned a mini-industry in Tut tchotchkes.
But will research showing King Tut was actually a hobbled, weak teen with a cleft palate and club foot kill enthusiasm for a mummy that has fascinated the world for nearly a century?
Not likely, historians say, even though the revelations hardly fit the popular culture depiction of a robust, exotically handsome young pharaoh, or a dancing "how'd-you-get-so-funky" phenom a la Steve Martin. The comedian parodied Tut on "Saturday Night Live" during a blockbuster King Tut traveling exhibit in the late 1970s, which packed U.S. museums and spawned a mini-industry in Tut tchotchkes.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 18:29
SOURCE: AP (2-17-10)
France's national anthem blared across the tarmac on Wednesday as Nicolas Sarkozy made the first visit ever by a French president to Haiti, once his nation's richest colony — offering aid to a country prostrate after a catastrophic earthquake.
He said his visit had particular resonance given France and Haiti's historical ties and acknowledged that the "wounds of colonization" were perhaps still fresh in the minds of many Haitians, some of whom blame France for the country's troubles.
In 1825, crippled by the U.S.-led international embargo that was enforced by French warships, Haiti agreed to pay France 150 million francs in compensation for the lost "property" — including slaves — of French plantation owners.
He said his visit had particular resonance given France and Haiti's historical ties and acknowledged that the "wounds of colonization" were perhaps still fresh in the minds of many Haitians, some of whom blame France for the country's troubles.
In 1825, crippled by the U.S.-led international embargo that was enforced by French warships, Haiti agreed to pay France 150 million francs in compensation for the lost "property" — including slaves — of French plantation owners.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 18:17
Name of source: Toronto Star
SOURCE: Toronto Star (2-19-10)
John Babcock, Canada’s last World War I veteran, has died at the age of 109.
A 16-year-old when he went in search of military glory, Babcock was the last of the 650,000 men and women Canada recruited to serve in the “war to end all wars.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper saluted Babcock Thursday, paying tribute to “Canada’s last living link to the Great War, which in so many ways marked our coming of age as a nation.”...
Babcock’s death leaves behind two other known World War 1 vets: American Frank Buckles and British national Claude Choules, who lives in Australia....
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Friday, February 19, 2010 - 14:36
Name of source: St. Catharines Standard
SOURCE: St. Catharines Standard (1-25-10)
Niagara-on-the-Lake's most recognizable War of 1812 site is getting a major $2.75-million facelift.
Extensive restoration work of the 80-year-old replica of Fort George started about three weeks ago.
The project, the biggest in the national historic site's history, will stabilize the crumbling structure.
Six large bastions, or cannon platforms, and sections of decaying palisade, or wooden fence, are being replaced to strengthen the outer walls of the fort.
That work alone will cost taxpayers $2.5 million.
Extensive restoration work of the 80-year-old replica of Fort George started about three weeks ago.
The project, the biggest in the national historic site's history, will stabilize the crumbling structure.
Six large bastions, or cannon platforms, and sections of decaying palisade, or wooden fence, are being replaced to strengthen the outer walls of the fort.
That work alone will cost taxpayers $2.5 million.
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 14:27
Name of source: Niagara Falls Review (CA)
SOURCE: Niagara Falls Review (CA) (2-9-10)
Just the thought of moving is enough to stress most people out. Imagine having to pack up more than 20,000 artifacts - including a large moose head, among all the pieces -from a museum.
It's a big job that was put into the hands of professionals, but it also took plenty of help from dedicated volunteers and staff at the Niagara Falls Historical Museum.
For two days last week, moving trucks were loaded with boxes and wooden crates of all sizes and shapes from the former Lundy's Lane Historical Museum on Ferry Street. From there, they were transported for temporary safekeeping to the Victoria Avenue armoury, which will also be the home of the Niagara Military Museum.
The move, which has been two years in the making, was necessary in order to prepare for the $10-million expansion to the building on Ferry Street in time to commemorate the War of 1812's bicentennial.
"We've had a few challenges - including how to move the large moose head that used to hang above the front door of our museum and a large fire truck that will have to remain because it doesn't fit through the door," said Kathleen Powell, manager of city of Niagara Fall museums....
It's a big job that was put into the hands of professionals, but it also took plenty of help from dedicated volunteers and staff at the Niagara Falls Historical Museum.
For two days last week, moving trucks were loaded with boxes and wooden crates of all sizes and shapes from the former Lundy's Lane Historical Museum on Ferry Street. From there, they were transported for temporary safekeeping to the Victoria Avenue armoury, which will also be the home of the Niagara Military Museum.
The move, which has been two years in the making, was necessary in order to prepare for the $10-million expansion to the building on Ferry Street in time to commemorate the War of 1812's bicentennial.
"We've had a few challenges - including how to move the large moose head that used to hang above the front door of our museum and a large fire truck that will have to remain because it doesn't fit through the door," said Kathleen Powell, manager of city of Niagara Fall museums....
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 14:24
Name of source: Wheaton Leader (IL)
SOURCE: Wheaton Leader (IL) (2-15-10)
Ed Finch was dumbfounded at his discovery.
As museum director for the Stephenson County Historical Society in Freeport, one of Finch's duties is keeping track of all the artifacts and information received at the museum. While exploring a fireproof safe at the museum last week, Finch ran across documents in a box which had obviously been untouched for some time.
As he examined the contents of the box, a small sheaf of papers commanded his attention.
“I thought ‘Wow!’,” he said. “I didn’t know we had anything like that.” And, he soon learned, “No one else around here knew they existed.”
In his hands were a collection of letters written by none other than Ulysses S. Grant.
Finch could scarcely believe his eyes. The letters were a rare insight into Grant, who was U.S. President from 1869 to 1877 and was Commander in Chief of the Union forces during the Civil War. The letters were written on July 16, 1861; Feb. 17, 1862; Feb. 20, 1862; April 15, 1862; and Nov. 10, 1862....
As museum director for the Stephenson County Historical Society in Freeport, one of Finch's duties is keeping track of all the artifacts and information received at the museum. While exploring a fireproof safe at the museum last week, Finch ran across documents in a box which had obviously been untouched for some time.
As he examined the contents of the box, a small sheaf of papers commanded his attention.
“I thought ‘Wow!’,” he said. “I didn’t know we had anything like that.” And, he soon learned, “No one else around here knew they existed.”
In his hands were a collection of letters written by none other than Ulysses S. Grant.
Finch could scarcely believe his eyes. The letters were a rare insight into Grant, who was U.S. President from 1869 to 1877 and was Commander in Chief of the Union forces during the Civil War. The letters were written on July 16, 1861; Feb. 17, 1862; Feb. 20, 1862; April 15, 1862; and Nov. 10, 1862....
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 14:21
Name of source: WRVO
SOURCE: WRVO (2-3-10)
The governor's proposed budget cuts will likely mean that some state parks will have to close. At a legislative hearing late last week, NYS Parks Commissioner Carole Ash would not reveal which parks are on the chopping block.
During the legislative hearing, Ash said that she sees no alternative to closing some parks this summer given the 22 percent cut the governor has recommended to the Office of Parks and Historic Preservation....
During the legislative hearing, Ash said that she sees no alternative to closing some parks this summer given the 22 percent cut the governor has recommended to the Office of Parks and Historic Preservation....
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 14:20
Name of source: BBC History Magazine
SOURCE: BBC History Magazine (2-18-10)
This year marks the 1600th anniversary of the end of the Roman empire. To mark the occasion, next month’s edition of BBC History Magazine will investigate the reasons behind the empire's collapse and its legacy in Britain. Until then, we've come up with a few suggestions to get you in the mood.
If you’re keen to fine-tune your Roman knowledge, a wide-ranging study of their customs, beliefs and society can be found on the BBC History site. Or, for a more general overview of the Imperial decline, take a look at the timeline here.
After a more detailed account? There is a wealth of debate amongst historians surrounding the end of the Roman empire. If you fancy dipping into the world of scholarly thought, the straightforward introduction to academic discussions found here is a good place to start. Or to really get involved, why not attend one of the many Roman conferences to be held around the country in 2010? A few suggestions can be found here.
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 12:36
Name of source: BBc News
SOURCE: BBc News (2-19-10)
The true site of one of the most decisive battles in English history has been revealed.
Bosworth, fought in 1485, which saw the death of Richard III, was believed to have taken place on Ambion Hill, near Sutton Cheney in Leicestershire.
But a study of original documents and archaeological survey of the area has now pinpointed a site in fields more than a mile to the south west.
A new trail will lead from the current visitor centre to the new location.
The battle ended decades of civil war, which is now known as the Wars of the Roses.
The death of Richard ended the Plantagenet dynasty and ushered in the first Tudor king, Henry VII.
The traditional site has a flag at the crest of the hill, a stone to mark the spot where Richard fell and a recently renovated visitors' centre.
A long-running debate over the true location of the battle prompted a £1m, four-year project, led by the Battlefields Trust, to be set up.
Evidence such as cannon balls - now the largest collection of that date in Europe - and pieces of armour have been used to confirm the site.
Bosworth, fought in 1485, which saw the death of Richard III, was believed to have taken place on Ambion Hill, near Sutton Cheney in Leicestershire.
But a study of original documents and archaeological survey of the area has now pinpointed a site in fields more than a mile to the south west.
A new trail will lead from the current visitor centre to the new location.
The battle ended decades of civil war, which is now known as the Wars of the Roses.
The death of Richard ended the Plantagenet dynasty and ushered in the first Tudor king, Henry VII.
The traditional site has a flag at the crest of the hill, a stone to mark the spot where Richard fell and a recently renovated visitors' centre.
A long-running debate over the true location of the battle prompted a £1m, four-year project, led by the Battlefields Trust, to be set up.
Evidence such as cannon balls - now the largest collection of that date in Europe - and pieces of armour have been used to confirm the site.
Cannon balls
Of the most recent, and important finds made, was a gilded silver badge in the shape of a boar - Richard's personal emblem.
Experts believe this would have been given to one of the doomed king's closest companions and lost in the final stages of the battle.
Pete Riley, one of the team which surveyed the area, said: "The main part of this project was to identify where the battle was - and we have done that.
"Now we have got to understand the evidence we have picked up."
The original announcement was made in October but the exact location was kept a secret until now to protect it from treasure hunters.
Researchers also believe they have identified the medieval marsh where Richard III was dragged from his horse and killed.
Richard McKinder, operations manager for the site, said the visitors' centre will not have to move.
"A lot of American battlefields have had to move their interpretation centres because they are actually destroying what they are trying to interpret," he said.
"We are within walking distance of the battlefield, therefore they can use us as the main area for interpretation and then go and see the field itself."
Leicestershire County Council is now in negotiations with a number of landowners to gain full access to the area.
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 11:46
Name of source: NYT
SOURCE: NYT (2-18-10)
If you’ve ever been kidnapped by aliens from outer space, don’t complain to the British Ministry of Defense.
“Abduction is a criminal offense and as such is a matter for the civil police to handle,” the ministry advised a constituent from Lancashire. “The police can only investigate allegations of abduction if there is evidence to suggest that such a crime has taken place. As to date, the M.O.D. is not aware of any evidence which might substantiate the existence of extraterrestrial life forms, the matter of abduction by ‘aliens’ remains a nonissue as far as the M.O.D. is concerned.”
On Thursday, the British National Archives released thousands of pages of the government’s classically understated responses to sightings of flying saucers and other unidentified flying objects (which, a summary explains, some experts prefer to call “unidentified aerial phenomena” which “does not imply the existence of an ‘object’ of extraterrestrial origin”)....
While the documents contain no smoking space gun, they recall that some senior military figures took the reports of sightings seriously. Lord Mountbatten, the chief of the defense staff, “believed U.F.O.’s were real and of interplanetary origin,” a briefing document from the ministry said.
And the documents acknowledge that of the 11,000 U.F.O. reports logged between 1959 and 2007, about 10 percent could not be readily explained. That does not necessarily suggest that 1,100 flying saucers were sighted, the Air Ministry explained early in that period....
“Abduction is a criminal offense and as such is a matter for the civil police to handle,” the ministry advised a constituent from Lancashire. “The police can only investigate allegations of abduction if there is evidence to suggest that such a crime has taken place. As to date, the M.O.D. is not aware of any evidence which might substantiate the existence of extraterrestrial life forms, the matter of abduction by ‘aliens’ remains a nonissue as far as the M.O.D. is concerned.”
On Thursday, the British National Archives released thousands of pages of the government’s classically understated responses to sightings of flying saucers and other unidentified flying objects (which, a summary explains, some experts prefer to call “unidentified aerial phenomena” which “does not imply the existence of an ‘object’ of extraterrestrial origin”)....
While the documents contain no smoking space gun, they recall that some senior military figures took the reports of sightings seriously. Lord Mountbatten, the chief of the defense staff, “believed U.F.O.’s were real and of interplanetary origin,” a briefing document from the ministry said.
And the documents acknowledge that of the 11,000 U.F.O. reports logged between 1959 and 2007, about 10 percent could not be readily explained. That does not necessarily suggest that 1,100 flying saucers were sighted, the Air Ministry explained early in that period....
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 10:45
SOURCE: NYT (2-16-10)
A new mini-series about John F. Kennedy’s presidency that is being prepared by the History channel does not yet have a cast or a premiere date. Not a frame of footage has been shot. It does, however, have prominent critics who want it brought to a halt.
The critics, including Theodore C. Sorensen, a former Kennedy adviser, say they have read the scripts for the project and that those contain errors of fact and emphasis. But like a similar controversy over a 2003 television film about Ronald Reagan, the dispute over the embryonic Kennedy series seems to say as much about the enduring place of the Kennedys as a battleground in the culture wars as it does about history itself.
The mini-series, called “The Kennedys,” is the brainchild of Joel Surnow, a creator of the Fox action show “24” and an outspoken political conservative. That raised alarms among Kennedy partisans when the History channel said in December that it would pick up the project.
Now a documentary filmmaker who makes no secret of his liberal politics is releasing an Internet video in which Kennedy scholars say the scripts offer a portrait of the president and his family that is, at best, inaccurate, and at worst, a hatchet job.
“It was political character assassination,” the filmmaker, Robert Greenwald, said of the screenplays in a telephone interview. “It was sexist titillation and pandering, and it was turning everything into a cheap soap opera of the worst kind.” Mr. Greenwald said he is hoping that his 13-minute video and an accompanying petition, at stopkennedysmears.com, will take on lives of their own on the Web. A title card at the film’s conclusion reads: “Tell the History Channel I refuse to watch right-wing character assassination masquerading as ‘history.’ ”...
Mr. Kronish, the “Kennedys” screenwriter, said that the History channel’s standards for producing its mini-series are more rigorous than the broadcast networks’, and that his finished scripts will require bibliographic annotations and legal vetting before filming proceeds. He also said that he was drawing upon nonfiction works, including books by Seymour Hersh, Robert Dallek, David Talbot and others. “If I’m wrong,” he said, “I guess all of them are wrong.”...
The critics, including Theodore C. Sorensen, a former Kennedy adviser, say they have read the scripts for the project and that those contain errors of fact and emphasis. But like a similar controversy over a 2003 television film about Ronald Reagan, the dispute over the embryonic Kennedy series seems to say as much about the enduring place of the Kennedys as a battleground in the culture wars as it does about history itself.
The mini-series, called “The Kennedys,” is the brainchild of Joel Surnow, a creator of the Fox action show “24” and an outspoken political conservative. That raised alarms among Kennedy partisans when the History channel said in December that it would pick up the project.
Now a documentary filmmaker who makes no secret of his liberal politics is releasing an Internet video in which Kennedy scholars say the scripts offer a portrait of the president and his family that is, at best, inaccurate, and at worst, a hatchet job.
“It was political character assassination,” the filmmaker, Robert Greenwald, said of the screenplays in a telephone interview. “It was sexist titillation and pandering, and it was turning everything into a cheap soap opera of the worst kind.” Mr. Greenwald said he is hoping that his 13-minute video and an accompanying petition, at stopkennedysmears.com, will take on lives of their own on the Web. A title card at the film’s conclusion reads: “Tell the History Channel I refuse to watch right-wing character assassination masquerading as ‘history.’ ”...
Mr. Kronish, the “Kennedys” screenwriter, said that the History channel’s standards for producing its mini-series are more rigorous than the broadcast networks’, and that his finished scripts will require bibliographic annotations and legal vetting before filming proceeds. He also said that he was drawing upon nonfiction works, including books by Seymour Hersh, Robert Dallek, David Talbot and others. “If I’m wrong,” he said, “I guess all of them are wrong.”...
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 16:15
SOURCE: NYT (2-17-10)
Most Americans believe that colleges today operate like businesses, concerned more with their bottom line than with the educational experience of students, according to a new study. And the proportion of people who hold that view has increased to 60 percent, from 52 percent in 2007.
At the same time, nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said that colleges should use federal stimulus money to hold down tuition, even if it means less money for operations and programs.
The study, a joint project of Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, also found that most Americans believe that colleges could admit a lot more students without lowering quality or raising prices, and that colleges could spend less and maintain a high quality of education....
In “Iron Triangle,” a 2008 study of 25 college presidents, Public Agenda and the center found that most saw an unbreakable link between the cost of running their operations, the number of students they can educate and maintaining educational quality.
To serve more students or offer higher quality education, the college presidents said, would require more money — and conversely, cuts in their budgets would inevitably translate into either a smaller number of students or diminished educational quality....
At the same time, nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said that colleges should use federal stimulus money to hold down tuition, even if it means less money for operations and programs.
The study, a joint project of Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, also found that most Americans believe that colleges could admit a lot more students without lowering quality or raising prices, and that colleges could spend less and maintain a high quality of education....
In “Iron Triangle,” a 2008 study of 25 college presidents, Public Agenda and the center found that most saw an unbreakable link between the cost of running their operations, the number of students they can educate and maintaining educational quality.
To serve more students or offer higher quality education, the college presidents said, would require more money — and conversely, cuts in their budgets would inevitably translate into either a smaller number of students or diminished educational quality....
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 10:07
Name of source: FOX News
SOURCE: FOX News (2-18-10)
Former President Bill Clinton acknowledged “remorse” for his role in the events that led to his impeachment and acquittal Wednesday, even as he renewed his attacks on his old nemesis, former independent counsel Kenneth Starr.
“I expressed my remorse at the time,” the former president told a Manhattan audience during a childhood obesity event Wednesday afternoon. “And my remorse does not have anything to do with whether what was done was legal or constitutional.”
Rather, Clinton went on to decry the alleged excesses of the independent counsel’s office that investigated him on a broad array of allegations, ranging from purported improprieties in Arkansas real estate transactions to allegations of perjury relating to his sexual indiscretions.
“No serious, objective observer doubts that there was rampant, flagrant abuse of power” in those probes, Clinton said, adding that “a lot of the people who should have been commenting on it were stunningly silent.”
The comments came after Clinton was asked about a new book revisiting his legal and constitutional battles against Starr in the complex of scandals that consumed the latter part of the Clinton presidency. The former president said he has not read "The Death of American Virtue: Clinton vs. Starr," written by Ken Gormley and published Tuesday by Crown Books....
“I expressed my remorse at the time,” the former president told a Manhattan audience during a childhood obesity event Wednesday afternoon. “And my remorse does not have anything to do with whether what was done was legal or constitutional.”
Rather, Clinton went on to decry the alleged excesses of the independent counsel’s office that investigated him on a broad array of allegations, ranging from purported improprieties in Arkansas real estate transactions to allegations of perjury relating to his sexual indiscretions.
“No serious, objective observer doubts that there was rampant, flagrant abuse of power” in those probes, Clinton said, adding that “a lot of the people who should have been commenting on it were stunningly silent.”
The comments came after Clinton was asked about a new book revisiting his legal and constitutional battles against Starr in the complex of scandals that consumed the latter part of the Clinton presidency. The former president said he has not read "The Death of American Virtue: Clinton vs. Starr," written by Ken Gormley and published Tuesday by Crown Books....
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 22:18
Name of source: The Telegraph (UK)
SOURCE: The Telegraph (UK) (2-18-10)
The US government has reached a historic $1.25 billion settlement with black farmers who were discriminated against when they tried to get loans and other assistance.
The settlement puts to rest a class-action lawsuit launched in 1997 by thousands of African-American farmers left out of programs because of alleged racism in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the landmark settlement was the result of President Barack Obama's focus on civil right issues.
"The USDA under the Obama Administration has made civil rights a top priority, which is why we are working to implement a comprehensive program to take definitive action to move USDA into a new era as a model employer and premier service provider," Mr Vilsack said in a statement.
Mr Obama praised Vilsack's efforts in modernising USDA operations and said the Pigford II case, named after North Carolina farmer Timothy Pigford, reflected his commitment "to treat all our citizens fairly....
The settlement puts to rest a class-action lawsuit launched in 1997 by thousands of African-American farmers left out of programs because of alleged racism in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the landmark settlement was the result of President Barack Obama's focus on civil right issues.
"The USDA under the Obama Administration has made civil rights a top priority, which is why we are working to implement a comprehensive program to take definitive action to move USDA into a new era as a model employer and premier service provider," Mr Vilsack said in a statement.
Mr Obama praised Vilsack's efforts in modernising USDA operations and said the Pigford II case, named after North Carolina farmer Timothy Pigford, reflected his commitment "to treat all our citizens fairly....
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 22:17
Name of source: LocalNet
SOURCE: LocalNet (2-17-10)
President Nicolas Sarkozy is bringing a French plan to rebuild Haiti with him on Wednesday's visit to the Caribbean country, a trip officials hope will usher in a new era between France and its former colony.
Some Haitians are welcoming France's new interest in their earthquake-shattered nation as a counterbalance to the United States, which has sent troops there three times in the past 16 years.
But Sarkozy's visit, the first ever by a French president to what was its richest colony, is also reviving bitter memories of the crippling costs of Haiti's 1804 independence.
A third of the population was killed in an uprising against exceptionally brutal slavery, an international embargo was imposed to prevent slave revolts elsewhere and 90 million pieces of gold were demanded by Paris from the world's first black republic.
The debt hobbled Haiti, it seemed for life....
French officials say Sarkozy will announce details of "a French plan for the reconstruction of Haiti" _ if Haitian officials agree. It differs little from proposals from Haitian, U.S. and U.N. officials to decentralize power away from the devastated capital and boost agriculture and tourism.
The trip brings Sarkozy to an island where, French officials acknowledge, fascination with things French duels with strong, lingering resentments.
One official close to the French presidency, briefing reporters in Paris on condition of anonymity, hinted that France is not deaf to calls for reparations, calling Sarkozy's visit "an occasion to show that France is mobilizing to give Haitians control of their destiny and pay past debts."...
Some Haitians are welcoming France's new interest in their earthquake-shattered nation as a counterbalance to the United States, which has sent troops there three times in the past 16 years.
But Sarkozy's visit, the first ever by a French president to what was its richest colony, is also reviving bitter memories of the crippling costs of Haiti's 1804 independence.
A third of the population was killed in an uprising against exceptionally brutal slavery, an international embargo was imposed to prevent slave revolts elsewhere and 90 million pieces of gold were demanded by Paris from the world's first black republic.
The debt hobbled Haiti, it seemed for life....
French officials say Sarkozy will announce details of "a French plan for the reconstruction of Haiti" _ if Haitian officials agree. It differs little from proposals from Haitian, U.S. and U.N. officials to decentralize power away from the devastated capital and boost agriculture and tourism.
The trip brings Sarkozy to an island where, French officials acknowledge, fascination with things French duels with strong, lingering resentments.
One official close to the French presidency, briefing reporters in Paris on condition of anonymity, hinted that France is not deaf to calls for reparations, calling Sarkozy's visit "an occasion to show that France is mobilizing to give Haitians control of their destiny and pay past debts."...
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 22:03
Name of source: NPR
SOURCE: NPR (2-17-10)
[I]s the D.C. dysfunction really so unusual? In a word, yes.
Historians and politicos alike say the current rancor on the Hill is, indeed, historic, and has been building over recent decades to a level unlike any in modern times. Some had to reach back to the late 1800s and the progressive movement to find comparable Capitol Hill acrimony. It exceeds that of the 1940s, when Harry Truman ran against a "do-nothing" Congress to win the White House, and the sharp partisanship of the more recent administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
"People who remember the period of the mid-20th century likely remember a time of a lot of cross-party coalitions in Congress," says Morris Fiorina, a senior fellow at Stanford University's conservative Hoover Institution. Those long-ago memories may include a coming together under President Reagan to shore up Social Security.
"But," says Fiorina, "it's been terrible for a long time."...
The current polarization began in the 1960s, with the Democrats' internal divisions over Vietnam, says historian Buck Melton. Later, he says, it grew as the Nixon-era Watergate scandal divided Republicans. And it has accelerated with new media and parties shrunk to accommodate a narrowing menu of special interests.
But earlier, from the 1940s into the early 1960s, there existed something of a national consensus on issues, he says, and the two main parties "tended to meet somewhere in the middle."
"The Eisenhower administration, for example, simply slowed down FDR's New Deal and didn't try to end it," says Melton, distinguished writer in residence at Mercer University....
Historians and politicos alike say the current rancor on the Hill is, indeed, historic, and has been building over recent decades to a level unlike any in modern times. Some had to reach back to the late 1800s and the progressive movement to find comparable Capitol Hill acrimony. It exceeds that of the 1940s, when Harry Truman ran against a "do-nothing" Congress to win the White House, and the sharp partisanship of the more recent administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
"People who remember the period of the mid-20th century likely remember a time of a lot of cross-party coalitions in Congress," says Morris Fiorina, a senior fellow at Stanford University's conservative Hoover Institution. Those long-ago memories may include a coming together under President Reagan to shore up Social Security.
"But," says Fiorina, "it's been terrible for a long time."...
The current polarization began in the 1960s, with the Democrats' internal divisions over Vietnam, says historian Buck Melton. Later, he says, it grew as the Nixon-era Watergate scandal divided Republicans. And it has accelerated with new media and parties shrunk to accommodate a narrowing menu of special interests.
But earlier, from the 1940s into the early 1960s, there existed something of a national consensus on issues, he says, and the two main parties "tended to meet somewhere in the middle."
"The Eisenhower administration, for example, simply slowed down FDR's New Deal and didn't try to end it," says Melton, distinguished writer in residence at Mercer University....
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 22:02
Name of source: BBC
SOURCE: BBC (2-18-10)
Prehistoric seas were filled with giant plankton-eating fish which died out at the same time as the dinosaurs, new fossil evidence suggests.
Scientists from Glasgow, Oxford and the United States have identified fossil evidence which shows the fish existed between 66 and 172 million years ago.
They believe it may be a "missing piece in the evolutionary story of fish, mammals and ocean ecosystems".
The findings of the research are published in the journal, Science.
Scientists from Glasgow, Oxford and the United States have identified fossil evidence which shows the fish existed between 66 and 172 million years ago.
They believe it may be a "missing piece in the evolutionary story of fish, mammals and ocean ecosystems".
The findings of the research are published in the journal, Science.
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 18:48
SOURCE: BBC (2-18-10)
Former New York City police chief Bernard Kerik, hailed as a hero after the 9/11 attacks, has been sentenced to four years in jail.
Kerik pleaded guilty in November to eight charges, including lying to the White House and tax evasion.
He lied while being vetted for the post of homeland security chief in 2004.
Federal judge Stephen Robinson said the fact that Kerik, 54, used the attacks for "personal gain and aggrandisement" was "a dark place in the soul for me".
Kerik pleaded guilty in November to eight charges, including lying to the White House and tax evasion.
He lied while being vetted for the post of homeland security chief in 2004.
Federal judge Stephen Robinson said the fact that Kerik, 54, used the attacks for "personal gain and aggrandisement" was "a dark place in the soul for me".
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 18:39
SOURCE: BBC (2-18-10)
A Nazi helmet worth £1,700 has been stolen from The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent.
Police said the German SS camouflage head gear was taken from a stall in the dockyard's Main Gate Road on Sunday at about 1100 GMT.
The green helmet, which has a red flag with a white circle and a swastika painted on the side, dates back to World War II.
Police said the German SS camouflage head gear was taken from a stall in the dockyard's Main Gate Road on Sunday at about 1100 GMT.
The green helmet, which has a red flag with a white circle and a swastika painted on the side, dates back to World War II.
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 12:55
SOURCE: BBC (2-18-10)
A wooden object claimed to be a replica of the Biblical Ark of the Covenant has gone on display at a Zimbabwe museum.
The "ngoma lungundu" belongs to the Lemba people - black Africans who claim Jewish ancestry.
They say the vessel was built almost 700 years ago from the remains of the original Ark, which the Bible says was used to store Moses' 10 Commandments.
For decades the ancient vessel was thought to be lost, until it was found in a storeroom in Harare recently.
The "ngoma lungundu" belongs to the Lemba people - black Africans who claim Jewish ancestry.
They say the vessel was built almost 700 years ago from the remains of the original Ark, which the Bible says was used to store Moses' 10 Commandments.
For decades the ancient vessel was thought to be lost, until it was found in a storeroom in Harare recently.
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 12:50
SOURCE: BBC (2-17-10)
Scientists have analysed the DNA of ancient giant European wild cattle that died out almost 400 years ago.
They have determined the first mitochondrial genome sequence from aurochs (Bos primigenius) from bone found in a cave in England.
The work was carried out at the University College Dublin's Animal Genomics Laboratory and Conway Institute using new technology that allows billions of base pairs of DNA to be sequenced.
The technology was similar to that used to analyse human hair preserved in Greenland's permafrost to give clues to what the owner, who lived 4,000 years ago, looked like.
They have determined the first mitochondrial genome sequence from aurochs (Bos primigenius) from bone found in a cave in England.
The work was carried out at the University College Dublin's Animal Genomics Laboratory and Conway Institute using new technology that allows billions of base pairs of DNA to be sequenced.
The technology was similar to that used to analyse human hair preserved in Greenland's permafrost to give clues to what the owner, who lived 4,000 years ago, looked like.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 18:27
Name of source: Science Daily
SOURCE: Science Daily (2-18-10)
A study led by University of Pittsburgh researchers could finally lay to rest the millennia-old conjecture that the ancient empire of Carthage regularly sacrificed its youngest citizens. An examination of the remains of Carthaginian children revealed that most infants perished prenatally or very shortly after birth and were unlikely to have lived long enough to be sacrificed, according to a Feb. 17 report in PLoS One.
The findings -- based on the first published analysis of the skeletal remains found in Carthaginian burial urns -- refute claims from as early as the 3rd century BCE of systematic infant sacrifice at Carthage that remain a subject of debate among biblical scholars and archaeologists, said lead researcher Jeffrey H. Schwartz, a professor of anthropology and history and philosophy of science in Pitt's School of Arts and Sciences and president of the World Academy of Art and Science. Schwartz and his colleagues present the more benign interpretation that very young Punic children were cremated and interred in burial urns regardless of how they died.
Schwartz and his coauthors tested the all-sacrifice claim by examining the skeletal remains from 348 urns for developmental markers that would determine the children's age at death. Schwartz and Houghton recorded skull, hip, long bone, and tooth measurements that indicated most of the children died in their first year with a sizeable number aged only two to five months, and that at least 20 percent of the sample was prenatal.
The findings -- based on the first published analysis of the skeletal remains found in Carthaginian burial urns -- refute claims from as early as the 3rd century BCE of systematic infant sacrifice at Carthage that remain a subject of debate among biblical scholars and archaeologists, said lead researcher Jeffrey H. Schwartz, a professor of anthropology and history and philosophy of science in Pitt's School of Arts and Sciences and president of the World Academy of Art and Science. Schwartz and his colleagues present the more benign interpretation that very young Punic children were cremated and interred in burial urns regardless of how they died.
Schwartz and his coauthors tested the all-sacrifice claim by examining the skeletal remains from 348 urns for developmental markers that would determine the children's age at death. Schwartz and Houghton recorded skull, hip, long bone, and tooth measurements that indicated most of the children died in their first year with a sizeable number aged only two to five months, and that at least 20 percent of the sample was prenatal.
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 18:33
Name of source: Pilot Online (VA)
SOURCE: Pilot Online (VA) (2-18-10)
North Carolina's curriculum controversy may soon be history. The proposal to start high school history courses at 1877 is likely to disappear in the next curriculum draft due in April.
"I would expect that will not be part of that second draft," said Vanessa Jeter, communications director for the state Department of Public Instruction, on Wednesday. "I would expect there will be more U.S. History in high school."
"I would expect that will not be part of that second draft," said Vanessa Jeter, communications director for the state Department of Public Instruction, on Wednesday. "I would expect there will be more U.S. History in high school."
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 16:56
SOURCE: Pilot Online (VA) (2-17-10)
North Carolina's education officials have confronted a firestorm of criticism about a proposal to teach only post-Reconstruction American history in high school, leaving lessons on the Founding Fathers and the Civil War to fifth- and seventh-grade classes....
...[S]tate educators say the proposed change in curriculum standards addresses a need to teach U.S. history after 1877 more in-depth, and is not an attempt to thwart learning about the Constitution or the Emancipation Proclamation.
"There would be a deeper study of those major events," said Rebecca Garland, chief academic officer for the state Department of Public Instruction. "It was not to leave history out, but to put it in smaller time chunks to make it more manageable."...
Department spokeswoman Linda Fuller said that an idea that would maintain the entire U.S. history curriculum but split it into two courses - supported by many educators and members of the public - will be considered in revisions of the curriculum. That also would alleviate concerns about some students who move into the state missing out on learning American history in lower grades.
The comment period on the first draft has been extended to March 2, she said, and the input will be taken into account in additional drafts. A proposal is expected to be presented to the state school board by the fall, with the final version implemented in 2013.
...[S]tate educators say the proposed change in curriculum standards addresses a need to teach U.S. history after 1877 more in-depth, and is not an attempt to thwart learning about the Constitution or the Emancipation Proclamation.
"There would be a deeper study of those major events," said Rebecca Garland, chief academic officer for the state Department of Public Instruction. "It was not to leave history out, but to put it in smaller time chunks to make it more manageable."...
Department spokeswoman Linda Fuller said that an idea that would maintain the entire U.S. history curriculum but split it into two courses - supported by many educators and members of the public - will be considered in revisions of the curriculum. That also would alleviate concerns about some students who move into the state missing out on learning American history in lower grades.
The comment period on the first draft has been extended to March 2, she said, and the input will be taken into account in additional drafts. A proposal is expected to be presented to the state school board by the fall, with the final version implemented in 2013.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 13:10
Name of source: New York Times
SOURCE: New York Times (2-17-10)
The discovery of the nearly intact Hindu temple was a reminder of the long religious trajectory of the country that now has the world’s largest Muslim population. In few places on earth have three major religions intermixed with such intensity and proximity as in Indonesia’s island of Java. If the sultan of Yogyakarta’s palace lies at the heart of this city, Java’s spiritual center, the world’s largest Buddhist monument, Borobudur, and one of its largest Hindu temples, Prambanan, stand in its outskirts.
About 90 percent of Indonesians are now Muslim, with only pockets of Buddhists and Hindus left. But Hinduism and Buddhism, Java’s dominant religions for a much longer period, permeate the society and contribute to Indonesia’s traditionally moderate form of Islam.
For more than a decade, proponents of a more orthodox version of Islam have gained ground in Indonesia. More women are wearing head scarves and more Indonesians are adopting Arabic-style religious rituals as fundamentalists press for a purge of pre-Islamic values and ceremonies. But Indonesia’s traditional Islam provides a counterpoint.
About 90 percent of Indonesians are now Muslim, with only pockets of Buddhists and Hindus left. But Hinduism and Buddhism, Java’s dominant religions for a much longer period, permeate the society and contribute to Indonesia’s traditionally moderate form of Islam.
For more than a decade, proponents of a more orthodox version of Islam have gained ground in Indonesia. More women are wearing head scarves and more Indonesians are adopting Arabic-style religious rituals as fundamentalists press for a purge of pre-Islamic values and ceremonies. But Indonesia’s traditional Islam provides a counterpoint.
It all began last August when the private university decided to build the library, “the symbol of knowledge of our religion,” next to the mosque, Mr. Muhammad said. In the two decades the university had occupied its 79-acre campus outside Yogyakarta, no temple had ever been found. But chances were high that they were around. Most of the nearby villages had the same prefix in their names: candi, meaning temple.
By Dec. 11, a construction crew had already removed nearly seven feet of earth. But the soil proved unstable, and the crew decided to dig 20 inches deeper. A backhoe then struck something unusually hard.
The crack the backhoe left on the temple wall would become the main sign of damage on what experts say could be the best-preserved ancient monument found in Java.
Researchers from the government’s Archaeological Office in Yogyakarta headed to the campus the next day, excavated for 35 days and eventually unearthed two 1,100-year-old small temples. In the main temple, 20 feet by 20 feet, a perfectly preserved statue of Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity, sat next to a linga, the symbol of worship for the god Shiva, and a yoni, the symbol of worship for the goddess Shakti.
In the adjacent secondary temple, about 20 feet by 13 feet, researchers exhumed another linga and yoni, as well as two altars and a statue of Nandi, the sacred bull that carried Shiva.
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 13:00
Name of source: Independent (UK)
SOURCE: Independent (UK) (2-18-10)
The round clay outline of a human body decorated with necklace, belt and bracelets has provided archaeologists with the first glimpse in possibly 1,400 years of a lost West African civilisation.
The discovery of 80 clay figurines from burial mounds in a remote area of northern Ghana is being hailed as evidence of the existence of a hitherto unknown but sophisticated society. It is hoped that the find will provide information about the region's pre-Islamic history.
A combined research team from the universities of Ghana and Manchester believe that the hundreds of mounds in the 20 square mile area of the dig were ancient shrines.
"These finds will help to fill a significant gap in our scant knowledge of this period before the Islamic empires developed in West Africa," said Professor Tim Insoll of Manchester University. "They were a sophisticated and technically advanced society: for example, some of the figurines were built in sections."
The discovery of 80 clay figurines from burial mounds in a remote area of northern Ghana is being hailed as evidence of the existence of a hitherto unknown but sophisticated society. It is hoped that the find will provide information about the region's pre-Islamic history.
A combined research team from the universities of Ghana and Manchester believe that the hundreds of mounds in the 20 square mile area of the dig were ancient shrines.
"These finds will help to fill a significant gap in our scant knowledge of this period before the Islamic empires developed in West Africa," said Professor Tim Insoll of Manchester University. "They were a sophisticated and technically advanced society: for example, some of the figurines were built in sections."
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 08:37
Name of source: Times (UK)
SOURCE: Times (UK) (2-18-10)
A Red Army soldier who appeared in an iconic photograph of a Soviet flag flying from the ruins of Hitler’s Reichstag has died, aged 93.
Abdulkhakim Ismailov had fought all the way to Berlin from the Battle of Stalingrad three years earlier, where the destruction of the German Sixth Army turned the tide against the Nazi regime in the Second World War.
But he was only recognised half a century later as one of three soldiers raising the Hammer and Sickle flag in a picture that was staged by the Tass photographer Yevgeny Khaldei in May 1945, three days after Berlin fell to the Soviet Army.
He was decorated as a Hero of Russia in 1996 after being named as one of the soldiers standing beneath the man holding the flagpole.
Abdulkhakim Ismailov had fought all the way to Berlin from the Battle of Stalingrad three years earlier, where the destruction of the German Sixth Army turned the tide against the Nazi regime in the Second World War.
But he was only recognised half a century later as one of three soldiers raising the Hammer and Sickle flag in a picture that was staged by the Tass photographer Yevgeny Khaldei in May 1945, three days after Berlin fell to the Soviet Army.
He was decorated as a Hero of Russia in 1996 after being named as one of the soldiers standing beneath the man holding the flagpole.
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 08:13
Name of source: Der Spiegel International
SOURCE: Der Spiegel International (2-17-10)
The Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania has protested against the inclusion of a Romanian film about anti-communist partisans in the Berlinale festival program. They say the main character was fascist and anti-Semitic.
The Berlin International Film Festival is no stranger to controversy and, as it celebrates its 60th anniversary, another scandal may be brewing.
The Romanian film "Portrait of the Young Man as a Fighter," which deals with anti-communist partisans in post-World War II Romania, has been accused of glossing over the anti-Semitism of its main character.
The Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania has protested at the inclusion of the film in the Berlinale's Forum section this year. The film by 36-year-old Romanian director Constantin Popescu tells the story of a group of anti-communist fighters, led by Ion Gavrila Ogoranu, who hid out in the Carpathian Mountains until well into the 1950s.
Rejected Calls to Pull the Film
The Bucharest-based institute sent a protest letter to the Berlinale on Monday, demanding that the film be withdrawn from the festival program because Ogoranu was a member of the "fascist, anti-Semitic and racist Miscarea Legionara." The Miscarea Legionara, or Legionary Movement, was a fascist organization set up in Romania in 1927, which was committed to the "Christian and racial" renewal of the country....
The Berlin International Film Festival is no stranger to controversy and, as it celebrates its 60th anniversary, another scandal may be brewing.
The Romanian film "Portrait of the Young Man as a Fighter," which deals with anti-communist partisans in post-World War II Romania, has been accused of glossing over the anti-Semitism of its main character.
The Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania has protested at the inclusion of the film in the Berlinale's Forum section this year. The film by 36-year-old Romanian director Constantin Popescu tells the story of a group of anti-communist fighters, led by Ion Gavrila Ogoranu, who hid out in the Carpathian Mountains until well into the 1950s.
Rejected Calls to Pull the Film
The Bucharest-based institute sent a protest letter to the Berlinale on Monday, demanding that the film be withdrawn from the festival program because Ogoranu was a member of the "fascist, anti-Semitic and racist Miscarea Legionara." The Miscarea Legionara, or Legionary Movement, was a fascist organization set up in Romania in 1927, which was committed to the "Christian and racial" renewal of the country....
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 19:18
SOURCE: Der Spiegel International (2-13-10)
Exactly 65 years ago, on Feb. 13, 1945, Allied bombers decimated the city of Dresden with a deadly combination of explosive and incendiary bombs. The resulting firestorm killed some 25,000 people and left the city in ruins.
It was not the most deadly of the many firestorms Allied planes visited upon Nazi Germany during World War II. But for many, it has become a symbol of excessive violence. Many in Germany's far right, in fact, refer to the event as the "bombing Holocaust," an apparent attempt to relativize Nazi Germany's enormous World War II crimes. Saturday will once again see neo-Nazis descend on Dresden for a demonstration.
Meanwhile, the city continues to rebuild, with many of Dresden's historical structures now returned to their pre-war glory. In addition, a remodelling of Germany's military museum in Dresden is currently underway that has been designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. SPIEGEL ONLINE spoke with Libeskind about Dresden's relationship to its past and about the challenges of designing a military museum for Germany....
It was not the most deadly of the many firestorms Allied planes visited upon Nazi Germany during World War II. But for many, it has become a symbol of excessive violence. Many in Germany's far right, in fact, refer to the event as the "bombing Holocaust," an apparent attempt to relativize Nazi Germany's enormous World War II crimes. Saturday will once again see neo-Nazis descend on Dresden for a demonstration.
Meanwhile, the city continues to rebuild, with many of Dresden's historical structures now returned to their pre-war glory. In addition, a remodelling of Germany's military museum in Dresden is currently underway that has been designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. SPIEGEL ONLINE spoke with Libeskind about Dresden's relationship to its past and about the challenges of designing a military museum for Germany....
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 19:17
Name of source: Moscow Times
SOURCE: Moscow Times (2-17-10)
Forensic experts in St. Petersburg have confirmed that bloodstains found on a sofa on which the famed 19th-century poet and author Alexander Pushkin is said to have died were indeed left by the poet.
“The results of our medical research allow us to state that it is the poet’s blood on this historic sofa,” Yury Molin, deputy head of the Leningrad region’s legal and medical department, said at a news conference in the city’s Pushkin Apartment Museum earlier this month.
Pushkin died on Feb. 10, 1837, at the age of 37, after a duel with the French-born Georges d’Anthes. He was shot in the stomach and died at his home on the Moika River, now the Pushkin Apartment Museum, two days later.
Research proved that the blood on the sofa was located on the exact spot where Pushkin’s wound have been bleeding.
“For that purpose the researchers put a paper model of Pushkin’s body on the sofa, and then put the waistcoat Pushkin was wearing during his fatal duel on the model. The bloodstains on the waistcoat matched the place where the bloodstains were found on the sofa,” Molin said.
“The results of our medical research allow us to state that it is the poet’s blood on this historic sofa,” Yury Molin, deputy head of the Leningrad region’s legal and medical department, said at a news conference in the city’s Pushkin Apartment Museum earlier this month.
Pushkin died on Feb. 10, 1837, at the age of 37, after a duel with the French-born Georges d’Anthes. He was shot in the stomach and died at his home on the Moika River, now the Pushkin Apartment Museum, two days later.
Research proved that the blood on the sofa was located on the exact spot where Pushkin’s wound have been bleeding.
“For that purpose the researchers put a paper model of Pushkin’s body on the sofa, and then put the waistcoat Pushkin was wearing during his fatal duel on the model. The bloodstains on the waistcoat matched the place where the bloodstains were found on the sofa,” Molin said.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 15:45
Name of source: culture24.org.uk
SOURCE: culture24.org.uk (2-8-10)
The convoluted campaign to restore the Cutty Sark, Greenwich's 19th century naval icon, is expected to be completed in time for the 2012 Olympics in London after the government confirmed the final funds for the £46 million rebuild had been secured.
A £3 million grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will complete the project to re-open the Grade I listed ship to the public for the first time since November 2006.
Led by National Maritime Museum Chairman Lord Stirling, the appeal to save the ship was largely backed by more than £23 million in Heritage Lottery Fund money.
The future of the 1869 clipper had been thrown into serious doubt by a disastrous fire in May 2007 which ravaged restoration work and devastated the timbers of the ancient vessel....
A £3 million grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will complete the project to re-open the Grade I listed ship to the public for the first time since November 2006.
Led by National Maritime Museum Chairman Lord Stirling, the appeal to save the ship was largely backed by more than £23 million in Heritage Lottery Fund money.
The future of the 1869 clipper had been thrown into serious doubt by a disastrous fire in May 2007 which ravaged restoration work and devastated the timbers of the ancient vessel....
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 13:26
Name of source: Chronicle of Higher Education
SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education (2-17-10)
Every few minutes during a talk last week at the University of California at Irvine, the same thing happened. A student would get up, shout something critical of Israel, be applauded by some in the audience, and be led away by police.
The speaker -- Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the United States -- was repeatedly forced to stop his talk. He pleaded for the right to continue, and continued. University administrators lectured the students and asked them to let Oren speak. In the end, 11 students were arrested and they may also face charges of violating university rules....
All of this raises the question: Is interrupting a campus speaker ever a legitimate form of free expression?
Most higher education leaders welcome vocal protests outside a speaking venue and quiet protest (leaflets, for example) inside, but draw the line at interrupting speakers....
Many other experts on free speech and protest agree -- and some are disappointed that national organizations are defending the right to shout repeatedly during a campus talk.
"That's definitely not free speech," Jarret S. Lovell, a professor of politics at California State University at Fullerton, said of the interruptions at Irvine and similar tactics elsewhere. Lovell is a scholar of protest and the author of Crimes of Dissent: Civil Disobedience, Criminal Justice, and the Politics of Conscience (New York University Press)....
Yet another perspective holds that some, modest interruption (less than what took place at Irvine) may be seen as an expression of free speech that doesn't limit the right of a speaker to be heard.
Cary Nelson, national president of the American Association of University Professor, said he holds that view, although he said this was not a question on which there was an AAUP policy. And he said that he believes that "most faculty members regard interruption as unacceptable."...
Nelson said that one of the most moving and effective protests he ever attended was as an undergraduate at Antioch College in the early 1960s. George Lincoln Rockwell, the founder of the American Nazi Party, was the speaker. No one shouted at him, although the students considered him hateful.
"The audience was totally silent and then, during the question period, no one would ask him a question and he began cursing at the audience, but no one would speak," Nelson said....
The speaker -- Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the United States -- was repeatedly forced to stop his talk. He pleaded for the right to continue, and continued. University administrators lectured the students and asked them to let Oren speak. In the end, 11 students were arrested and they may also face charges of violating university rules....
All of this raises the question: Is interrupting a campus speaker ever a legitimate form of free expression?
Most higher education leaders welcome vocal protests outside a speaking venue and quiet protest (leaflets, for example) inside, but draw the line at interrupting speakers....
Many other experts on free speech and protest agree -- and some are disappointed that national organizations are defending the right to shout repeatedly during a campus talk.
"That's definitely not free speech," Jarret S. Lovell, a professor of politics at California State University at Fullerton, said of the interruptions at Irvine and similar tactics elsewhere. Lovell is a scholar of protest and the author of Crimes of Dissent: Civil Disobedience, Criminal Justice, and the Politics of Conscience (New York University Press)....
Yet another perspective holds that some, modest interruption (less than what took place at Irvine) may be seen as an expression of free speech that doesn't limit the right of a speaker to be heard.
Cary Nelson, national president of the American Association of University Professor, said he holds that view, although he said this was not a question on which there was an AAUP policy. And he said that he believes that "most faculty members regard interruption as unacceptable."...
Nelson said that one of the most moving and effective protests he ever attended was as an undergraduate at Antioch College in the early 1960s. George Lincoln Rockwell, the founder of the American Nazi Party, was the speaker. No one shouted at him, although the students considered him hateful.
"The audience was totally silent and then, during the question period, no one would ask him a question and he began cursing at the audience, but no one would speak," Nelson said....
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 13:25
Name of source: Sun-Sentinel (Florida)
SOURCE: Sun-Sentinel (Florida) (2-15-10)
First, farming and development robbed the Everglades of its life-giving water flows. Now, making up for those environmental mistakes risks robbing the Everglades of its history.
Multibillion-dollar plans to recreate once-natural water flows to the Everglades involve building massive reservoirs and filter marshes across hundreds of thousands of acres south of Lake Okeechobee.
But saving an environmental treasure threatens to trample sacred ground. Some of the land identified for restoration includes historic sites where South Florida's earliest Native American inhabitants lived and buried their dead.
An infusion of federal money has been a shot in the arm for long-stalled Everglades restoration construction. Now South Florida's tribes and other advocates for preserving historic sites are calling for caution as construction plans spread to more land.
Saving what remains of the Everglades shouldn't mean disturbing what remains of some of the Everglades' earliest human inhabitants, said archaeologist Bob Carr, executive director of the Archaeological and Historical Conservancy in Davie.
"Our mission is to preserve as many of the sites as possible in South Florida," Carr said. "We are not convinced that destroying them is a necessity of restoration."
There are "serious problems" with the locations of some proposed construction projects, said Fred Dayhoff, a consultant for the Miccosukee Tribe. Also, the pending deal to add at least 73,000 acres of U.S. Sugar Corp. land to Everglades restoration could jeopardize even more historic sites, Dayhoff said.
Multibillion-dollar plans to recreate once-natural water flows to the Everglades involve building massive reservoirs and filter marshes across hundreds of thousands of acres south of Lake Okeechobee.
But saving an environmental treasure threatens to trample sacred ground. Some of the land identified for restoration includes historic sites where South Florida's earliest Native American inhabitants lived and buried their dead.
An infusion of federal money has been a shot in the arm for long-stalled Everglades restoration construction. Now South Florida's tribes and other advocates for preserving historic sites are calling for caution as construction plans spread to more land.
Saving what remains of the Everglades shouldn't mean disturbing what remains of some of the Everglades' earliest human inhabitants, said archaeologist Bob Carr, executive director of the Archaeological and Historical Conservancy in Davie.
"Our mission is to preserve as many of the sites as possible in South Florida," Carr said. "We are not convinced that destroying them is a necessity of restoration."
There are "serious problems" with the locations of some proposed construction projects, said Fred Dayhoff, a consultant for the Miccosukee Tribe. Also, the pending deal to add at least 73,000 acres of U.S. Sugar Corp. land to Everglades restoration could jeopardize even more historic sites, Dayhoff said.
"We have to figure out how to avoid these sites," said Dayhoff, a retired national park ranger who worked at Everglades National Park. "If someone came along and said, 'We are going to use your [ancestors'] cemetery to store stormwater on,' you would probably get a little excited."
Burial sites, campgrounds and midden mounds — containing archaeological-rich discards of Native American life — are among the evidence of the past that can be found in the path of Everglades restoration.
Many of the sites were living areas or temporary campgrounds for the ancestors of the Tequesta, the name given to Native Americans along the South Florida coast when the Spanish explorers arrived, Carr said.
They often were located on higher ground that through the centuries continued to serve as living areas for the Seminoles and Miccosukee, who followed the Tequesta to South Florida.
Many of the sites have long been registered with the Florida Division of Historical Resources and flagged for protection.
Some of those historic sites are within the more than 40,000 acres of stormwater treatment areas already built. A 1996 report prepared by Carr's firm identified sites threatened by stormwater treatment area construction plans.
Pottery shards and human remains — some from 4,000 years ago — were among the finds that offer a picture of prehistoric life in South Florida. In addition to helping tell the human story, animal and plant remains serve as a "barometer of change" in the environmental record, Carr said.
"It's a rare glimpse into how these ancient people were surviving and living," Carr said.
Three of the historic sites were protected by berms, creating their own island preserves within the stormwater treatment areas.
But preservation isn't always an option, according to the South Florida Water Management District, which leads Everglades restoration.
One of the stormwater treatment areas now covers a site where human teeth and decorated ceramic pottery shards were found, possibly dating back to 2000 B.C., according to a state archaeological report.
Preservation wasn't an option in that case because of the need to use as much land as possible for water treatment, said Georgia Vince, who coordinates the district's response to dealing with historic sites.
"It's a delicate balance," Vince said. "As we move forward … that will be a large issue. We will run into this again."
When officials determine they can't build around historic sites, they are supposed to "mitigate" for the damage. That can mean erecting a sign explaining the historical significance of the location. Sometimes, remains and artifacts are relocated.
For the stormwater treatment area construction project, mitigation called for more in-depth archaeological study of the affected sites to create a historic record of what was found. That report has not yet been completed.
Two other historic sites that archaeologists identified for protection were supposed to be left outside of the stormwater treatment area, but a follow-up visit after construction showed that they "disappeared," Carr said.
Federal and state laws set standards for how to treat Native American remains and artifacts, but don't necessarily require canceling or altering construction projects.
The federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, passed in 1990, established new provisions for working with tribes to protect human remains and other "cultural items." It includes penalties for illegal trafficking of those historic items. If a site is to be excavated, the law calls for consulting with tribes and determining if anything found there should be removed or remain.
State Rep. Mark Pafford is calling for more follow-through from state agencies about historic preservation requirements. Everglades restoration planners "have the science" to work around historic sites and the state should make preserving them a higher priority, said Pafford, D-West Palm Beach.
"We don't spend a lot of time talking about where we came from," Pafford said.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 11:19
Name of source: BBC News
SOURCE: BBC News (2-16-10)
Sir Paul McCartney has told the BBC he hopes the famous Abbey Road Studios can be saved, after reports that it has been put up for sale by owner EMI.
Selling the studios, best known for being the place where the Beatles recorded their albums, could raise £30m for the debt-stricken record company.
Sir Paul told the Newsnight programme some people associated with the studio may be "mounting some bid to save it".
EMI and its private equity owner Terra Firma have declined to comment.
It is not known if any sale would see the site continue as a record studios or be converted for another use.
"There are a few people who have been associated with the studio for a long time who were talking about mounting some bid to save it," said Sir Paul.
"I sympathise with them. I hope they can do something, it'd be great."
Selling the studios, best known for being the place where the Beatles recorded their albums, could raise £30m for the debt-stricken record company.
Sir Paul told the Newsnight programme some people associated with the studio may be "mounting some bid to save it".
EMI and its private equity owner Terra Firma have declined to comment.
It is not known if any sale would see the site continue as a record studios or be converted for another use.
"There are a few people who have been associated with the studio for a long time who were talking about mounting some bid to save it," said Sir Paul.
"I sympathise with them. I hope they can do something, it'd be great."
Zebra crossing
EMI recently revealed that it needs to raise more than £100m from investors to prevent it from breaching its banking arrangements with US lending giant Citigroup.
Earlier this month, the record company also reported a pre-tax loss of £1.75bn for the year to 31 March 2009.
Abbey Road Studios still draws Beatles fans from around the world, many of whom pose for photographs on the nearby zebra crossing to imitate the front cover of the Beatles' last recorded album, Abbey Road.
The building in the St John's Wood area of London is a converted 1831 Georgian townhouse.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 10:50
Name of source: ABC News
SOURCE: ABC News (2-12-10)
Former President Bill Clinton left New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia this morning after stent surgery on Thursday afternoon.
"President Bill Clinton was released from in excellent health," Clinton spokesman Douglas Band said in a statement issued this morning. "He looks forward in the days ahead to getting back to the work of his foundation, and to Haiti relief and recovery efforts."
"President Bill Clinton was released from in excellent health," Clinton spokesman Douglas Band said in a statement issued this morning. "He looks forward in the days ahead to getting back to the work of his foundation, and to Haiti relief and recovery efforts."
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 21:58
Name of source: Guardian (UK)
SOURCE: Guardian (UK) (2-14-10)
For more than three and a half centuries, the death of René Descartes one winter's day in Stockholm has been attributed to the ravages of pneumonia on a body unused to the Scandinavian chill. But in a book released after years spent combing the archives of Paris and the Swedish capital, one Cartesian expert has a more sinister theory about how the French philosopher came to his end.
According to Theodor Ebert, an academic at the University of Erlangen, Descartes died not through natural causes but from an arsenic-laced communion wafer given to him by a Catholic priest.
Ebert believes that Jacques Viogué, a missionary working in Stockholm, administered the poison because he feared Descartes's radical theological ideas would derail an expected conversion to Catholicism by the monarch of protestant Sweden. "Viogué knew of Queen Christina's Catholic tendencies. It is very likely that he saw in Descartes an obstacle to the Queen's conversion to the Catholic faith," Ebert told Le Nouvel Observateur newspaper....
According to Theodor Ebert, an academic at the University of Erlangen, Descartes died not through natural causes but from an arsenic-laced communion wafer given to him by a Catholic priest.
Ebert believes that Jacques Viogué, a missionary working in Stockholm, administered the poison because he feared Descartes's radical theological ideas would derail an expected conversion to Catholicism by the monarch of protestant Sweden. "Viogué knew of Queen Christina's Catholic tendencies. It is very likely that he saw in Descartes an obstacle to the Queen's conversion to the Catholic faith," Ebert told Le Nouvel Observateur newspaper....
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 20:44
