Dublin, on U.S. Inauguration Day, didn't seem
to notice. Oh, they played a few clips that night
of the American president saying, "The survival
of liberty in our land increasingly depends on
the success of liberty in other lands."
But that was not their lead story.
The picture on the front page of The Irish
Times was a large four-color picture
of a small Iraqi girl. Her little body was a
coil of steel. She sat knees up, cowering,
screaming madly into the dark night. Her white
clothes and spread hands and small tight face
were blood-spattered. The blood was the blood of
her father and mother, shot through the car
window in Tal Afar by American soldiers while she
sat beside her parents in the car, her four
brothers and sisters in the back seat.
A series of pictures of the incident played
on the inside page, as well. A 12-year-old
brother, wounded in the fray, falls face down out
of the car when the car door opens, the pictures
show. In another, a soldier decked out in battle
gear, holds a large automatic weapon on the four
children, all potential enemies, all possible
suicide bombers, apparently, as they cling
traumatized to one another in the back seat and
the child on the ground goes on screaming in her
parent's blood.
No promise of "freedom" rings in the cutline
on this picture. No joy of liberty underlies the
terror on these faces here.
I found myself closing my eyes over and over
again as I stared at the story, maybe to crush
the tears forming there, maybe in the hope that
the whole scene would simply disappear.
But no, like the photo of a naked little girl
bathed in napalm and running down a road in
Vietnam served to crystallize the situation there
for the rest of the world, I knew that this
picture of a screaming, angry, helpless, orphaned
child could do the same.
The American news media, having missed the
story to begin with, took over a year to
investigate.
This is a story about an entire city that was
taken over by al Qaeda. It's called Tal Afar and
about 200,000 people who live there became
prisoners in their own homes when terrorists took
control and turned it into their town.
They used Tal Afar as a base to train
insurgents and launch attacks around Iraq. Last
fall, as correspondent Lara Logan found out when
she traveled there, U.S. and Iraqi forces were
determined to recapture Tal Afar, and the Bush
administration has pointed to that operation as a
model for how to fight and win the rest of the
war.
Ah, but there can be only good news from Iraq.
Two weeks later, Bush resolutely promises that
things will change
Last week in Cleveland, I told the American
people about the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar,
which was once a key base of operations for al
Qaeda and is now a free city that gives us reason
to hope for a free Iraq. I explained how the
story of Tal Afar gives me confidence in our
strategy, because in that city we see the
outlines of the Iraq we've been fighting for, a
free and secure people who are getting back on
their feet, who are participating in government
and civic life, and are becoming allies in the
fight against the terrorists.
And change they did... for the worse. Within
the year, the exact opposite has turned
out to be true for the town's citizens.
Four soldiers and 10 civilians died in the
blast in the northern city which US President
George W Bush held up as a model in a speech in
March.
The renewed violence comes as it appears the
US may be considering a major change in policy on
Iraq.
Reports of a change came after a visit to
Iraq by a senior Republican senator.
....
In another development, US officials said
that about 4,000 Iraqi policemen had been killed
performing their duties over the past two years,
with another 8,000 injured.
A year after Bush's brags of a city that
"gives me confidence in our strategy", it gets
even worse.
BAGHDAD (AP) - The Iraqi Interior Ministry on
Saturday raised the death toll in last week's
suicide truck bombing against a Shiite market in
Tal Afar to 152, which would make it the
deadliest single strike since the war started
four years ago.
A spokesman for the Shiite-dominated
ministry, Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, said the
number nearly doubled from previous estimates
after more bodies were pulled from the rubble in
the northwestern city.
....
The new details emerged as more violence
struck Baghdad and areas to the north and the
south, with at least nine people killed in car
bombings. The number of Iraqis killed in the past
seven days surged to nearly 550 despite a
U.S.-Iraqi security sweep now in its seventh
week.
And who does these dastardly deeds despite
strong words and strong American presence in the
town? Al Queda? Iranians? Whoever else is
involved, many are accusing the town itself.
Shiite policemen are being blamed for a wave
of shooting deaths Wednesday in Tal Afar that
authorities are characterizing as revenge for two
truck bombs that left dozens dead a day earlier.
An Iraqi army officer in Tal Afar said 70
people were killed, 40 kidnapped and 30 others
were wounded. An official at Tal Afar's hospital
confirmed all victims taken to the hospital were
shot in the head -- all males, between 20 and 50
years old.
There is evidence the gunmen were members of
radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi
Army, a Turkmen Front Party official in Tal Afar
said.
Mosul police spokesman Gen. Said Ahmed said
the attackers stormed homes in the northern Iraqi
city's Wahda neighborhood about 11 p.m. Tuesday.
Attacks continued until early Wednesday
afternoon.
The conservative news media lets Dick Cheney repeat The Big Lie
WASHINGTON (AP) 'Äî Vice President Dick
Cheney repeated his assertions of al-Qaeda links
to Saddam Hussein's Iraq on Thursday as the
Defense Department released a report citing more
evidence that the prewar government did not
cooperate with the terrorist group.
Cheney contended that al-Qaeda was operating
in Iraq before the March 2003 invasion led by
U.S. forces and that terrorist Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi was leading the Iraqi branch of
al-Qaeda. Others in al-Qaeda planned the Sept.
11, 2001, attacks.
"He took up residence there before we ever
launched into Iraq, organized the al-Qaeda
operations inside Iraq before we even arrived on
the scene and then, of course, led the charge for
Iraq until we killed him last June," Cheney told
radio host Rush Limbaugh during an interview. "As
I say, they were present before we invaded
Iraq."
However, a declassified Pentagon report
released Thursday said that interrogations of the
deposed Iraqi leader and two of his former aides
as well as seized Iraqi documents confirmed that
the terrorist organization and the Saddam
government were not working together before the
invasion.
The Sept. 11 Commission's 2004 report also
found no evidence of a collaborative relationship
between Saddam and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda
network during that period.
The headline gave no indication that Cheney
was spouting the exact opposite of every
other piece of information we know. Contrary
evidence is given in the first paragraph, but the
story unfolds as Cheney wanted until the fourth
paragraph. Even the Pentagon chafed at this
bald-faced lie.
(CBS) WASHINGTON Saddam Hussein's government
did not cooperate with Al Qaeda prior to the U.S.
invasion of Iraq, the U.S. Defense Department
said in a report based on interrogations of the
deposed leader and two of his former aides.
Meanwhile, Vice President Dick Cheney
repeated his assertions of Al Qaeda links to
Saddam's Iraq, contending that the terrorist
group was operating in Iraq before the March 2003
invasion led by U.S. forces and that terrorist
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was leading the Iraqi branch
of Al Qaeda. Others in Al Qaeda planned the Sept.
11, 2001, attacks.
"He took up residence there before we ever
launched into Iraq, organized the Al Qaeda
operations inside Iraq before we even arrived on
the scene and then, of course, led the charge for
Iraq until we killed him last June," Cheney told
radio host Rush Limbaugh during an interview
Thursday. "As I say, they were present before we
invaded Iraq."
However, a declassified Pentagon report
released Thursday said that interrogations of
Saddam and two of his former aides as well as
seized Iraqi documents confirmed that the
terrorist organization and the Saddam government
were not working together before the invasion.
The Sept. 11 Commission's 2004 report also
found no evidence of a collaborative relationship
between Saddam and Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda
network during that period.
Democratic Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman of
the Senate Armed Services Committee, had
requested that the Pentagon declassify the report
prepared by acting Defense Department Inspector
General Thomas F. Gimble. In a statement
Thursday, Levin said the declassified document
showed why a Defense Department investigation had
concluded that some Pentagon prewar intelligence
work was inappropriate.
Let's look at how the BBC covered the story. Boldface in the original.
US Vice-President Dick Cheney has
repeated his assertion that the al-Qaeda network
had links with Iraq before the US-led invasion of
2003.
Mr Cheney told a US radio show: "They were present before we invaded Iraq."
Hours earlier, a declassified Pentagon report
said information obtained from Iraq's former
leader Saddam Hussein had confirmed they had no
strong ties.
Its publication followed pressure from
Democrats who suggest intelligence was twisted in
the run-up to the war.
The belief that Saddam Hussein's regime and
al-Qaeda were working together was an important
element in the Bush administration's case for
invading Iraq.
Critics have since suggested the administration
"cherry-picked" from available intelligence to
bolster that case.
Notice the difference in coverage. USA Today
simply has Cheney's assertions and says the
Defense Department passively "released a report
citing more evidence". Meanwhile, the BBC's
headline is more specific, about the US-led
invasion and saying explicitly there were "no
strong ties".
Bush isolated from reality
Republicans still deny the obvious about
Reagan, that he was showing signs of senility as
early as 1983. George W. Bush may not be Ronald
Reagan senile or even Dan Quayle stupid, but he
doesn't seem to live in the real world.
PELLEY: Do you think you owe the Iraqi people
an apology for not doing a better job?
BUSH: That we didn't do a better job or they
didn't do a better job?
PELLEY: Well, that the United States did not
do a better job in providing security after the
invasion.
BUSH: Not at all. I am proud of the efforts
we did. We liberated that country from a tyrant.
I think the Iraqi people owe the American people
a huge debt of gratitude, and I believe most
Iraqis express that. I mean, the people
understand that we've endured great sacrifice to
help them. That's the problem here in America.
They wonder whether or not there is a gratitude
level that's
PELLEY: Americans wonder whether . . .
BUSH: Yeah, they wonder whether or not the
Iraqis are willing to do hard work necessary to
get this democratic experience to survive. That's
what they want.
Two months later, the exact opposite
was proven. Bush may think that "the Iraqi
people owe the American people a huge debt of
gratitude" but he is completely out of touch with
reality if he thinks "most Iraqis express"
gratitude by rioting in the streets.
BAGHDAD (AP) - Tens of thousands of Shiites -
a sea of women in black abayas and men waving
Iraqi flags - rallied Monday to demand that U.S.
forces leave their country. Some ripped apart
American flags and tromped across aStars and
Stripes rug.
....
Fearing suicide attacks, car bombings or
other mayhem in the capital, Iraq's generals
ordered all vehicles off the streets for 24 hours
starting at 5 a.m. Monday, normally a work day.
The capital was eerily quiet, shops were
shuttered and locked and reports of sectarian
violence fell to near zero.
Police and morgue officials reported finding
just seven bodies dumped in the capital, only the
second time the number of sectarian assassination
and torture victims had dipped that low in the
course of the Baghdad security operation. A total
of 24 people were killed or found dead in the
country Monday, according to police and morgue
reports.
Don Imus exposes the playground mentality of the far right
I don't even want to wade through the crap to
provide cites. You all know the story. If not,
look it up. Wikipedia
entry on Don Imus. I just want to address
some of the whiners on the right who claim that
his firing from CBS Radio and MSNBC is an assault
on the First Amendment and somehow a Free Speech
issue. I laugh. Where were you guys when the
Dixie Chicks were getting bounced off radio
stations for being patriotic and Texan enough to
be ashamed of Bush? Where were you when Bill
Maher lost his job for stating an opinion about
the 9/11 hijackers? The same sleazy
conservatives who approved of gay prostitute Jeff
Gannon getting face time with George W. Bush
at White House Press conferences and dismissed
the pathetic case against Mark
Foley are the same sleazy conservatives
arguing the exact opposite standard for
Imus.
The radical right is getting louder as their
numbers (and members) shrivel. It would be fun
to watch if it weren't so pathetic and
annoying.
The moral relativism from the right is
exposed, as we see different rules for hate radio
than for adults. Here's a good essay by Digby
on Don Imus
More coming
I must say, The Exact Opposite essays
are easy to write. Just watch the news, read DailyKos and
follow the links. Since I was away for a couple
of weeks, the examples in the news
recently have grown and grown.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
--////
"By the way, did I mention that Rudy Giuliani has been married more
times than Mitt Romney has been hunting?" -- EarlG, democraticunderground.com
Froma Harrop: Feeding Students to the Lenders (creators.com)
Al Lord is a rich man. As head of SLM Corp., he made $255 million in five years. He's now building his own private golf course in a Washington, D.C., suburb. And to think he did it off a federal program that's supposed to help low-income students. Ahhhhh. The Bush years.
TIM SAMPSON: The Rant (memphisflyer.com)
I know the jury's still out on this one, but until the entire story is out, I'm giving Alec Baldwin the benefit of the doubt.
It is a great blog, BTW. Thanks for the original link that hooked me in. :)
I hope you will give Bill Moyer's new show (on PBS) "Bill Moyer's Journal" a plug.
I watched the first show on Friday night (here in NJ) and it rocked! His guest, Jon Stewart did a short bit that summed up the case against Alberto Gonzales to a tee - and it was easy to understand for the semi-political listners/readers. Moyers played the proverbial, "Devil's Advocate," beautifully. "Isn't it the President's prerogative to remove attorneys which he has appointed at will?" he queried Stewart. That question, of course, gave Stewart the opening for his simple explanation. Moyer's is such a great interviewer, he puts these, "hate radio" guys such as Limbaugh, Hannity, and O'Reilly to shame.
I just hope, however, that Bill looks both way before he crosses the street, because I KNOW his show is going to have an impact on the election in '08.
Thanks for the outstanding dedication you put into the site, day after day (or night after night)! I read you every day, first thing.
Lovely marine layer til noon, followed by a sunny afternoon.
Tonight, Monday:
CBS opens the night with a FRESH'How I Met Your Mother', followed by a FRESH'Old Christine', then a FRESH'2½ Men', followed by a FRESH'King Of Queens', then a FRESH'CSI: The 2nd One'.
Scheduled on a FRESHDave are Kirsten Dunst, Rob Magnotti, and Dinosaur Jr.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig are Frank Caliendo, Samantha Mathis, and the Noisettes.
NBC begins the night with a FRESH'Deal Or No Deal', followed by a FRESH'Heroes', then a FRESH'The Real Wedding Crashers'.
Scheduled on a FRESHLeno are Eric Bana, Oscar De La Hoya, and Kaiser Chiefs.
Scheduled on a FRESHConan are Dana Carvey, Jasper Redd, and Arctic Monkeys.
On a RERUNCarson Daly are Anthony Anderson and Silversun Pickups.
ABC starts the night with a FRESH 90-minute 'Dancing With The Stars', followed by a FRESH 90-minute 'The Bachelor'.
On a RERUNJimmy Kimmel (from 4/17/07) are Paul Reubens, Madden NFL cover athlete, Clyde Drexler, and Silversun Pickups.
The CW offers a FRESH'Everybody Hates Chris', followed by a FRESH'All Of Us', then a FRESH'Girlfriends', followed by a FRESH'The Game'.
Faux has a RERUN'House', followed by a FRESH'24'.
MY fills the night with a FRESH'IFL Battleground'.
A&E has 'Cold Case Files', 'CSI: The 2nd One', 'The Sopranos', and more 'The Sopranos'.
AMC offers the movie 'Conan The Barbarian', followed by the movie 'Misery', then the movie 'Lake Placid'.
BBC -
[12:00 PM] The Weakest Link - Episode 95;
[1:00 PM] What Not To Wear - Episode 1;
[2:00 PM] The Weakest Link - Episode 95;
[3:00 PM] How Clean Is Your House? - Episode 2;
[3:30 PM] How Clean Is Your House? - Episode 3;
[4:00 PM] Changing Rooms - Ep. 5 Maidstone;
[4:30 PM] Changing Rooms - Ep. 6 Merseryside;
[5:00 PM] Footballers Wive$ - Episode 3;
[6:00 PM] The Weakest Link - Episode 96;
[7:00 PM] BBC World News - BBC World News;
[7:30 PM] How Clean Is Your House? - Episode 4;
[8:00 PM] Waking the Dead - Episode 2;
[10:00 PM] Footballers Wive$ - Episode 2;
[11:00 PM] Waking the Dead - Episode 2;
[1:00 AM] In the City - Episode 6;
[2:00 AM] The Weakest Link - Episode 95;
[3:00 AM] Frances Tuesday - Episode 1;
[4:30 AM] Frances Tuesday - Episode 2;
[6:00 AM] BBC World News - BBC World News. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has 'Inside The Actors Studio', another 'Inside The Actors Studio', 'Six Feet Under', and another 'Six Feet Under'.
Comedy Central has 'Scrubs', another 'Scrubs', an old 'Jon Stewart', an old 'Colbert Report', 'Chappelle's Show', 'South Park', 'Scrubs', and another 'Scrubs'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJon Stewart is Christopher Hitchens.
Scheduled on a FRESHColbert Report are Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Bill Bradley.
FX has the movie 'Spider-Man 2', followed by a FRESH'The Riches'.
History has 'Modern Marvels', 'UFO Black Box: UFO Secrets', 'Cities Of The Underworld', and 'King Tut: Secrets Revealed'.
IFC -
[06:45 AM Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.;
[08:20 AM Paper Chasers;
[09:55 AM George Washington;
[11:30 AM Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.;
[01:05 PM The Tao of Steve;
[02:35 PM Paper Chasers;
[04:10 PM George Washington;
[05:45 PM Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.;
[07:20 PM Life Tastes Good;
[09:00 PM Face;
[10:50 PM Media Lab Results;
[11:00 PM This Film Is Not Yet Rated;
[12:45 AM IFC News Special;
[01:00 AM Face;
[03:00 AM This Film Is Not Yet Rated;
[04:40 AM Life Tastes Good. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Sundance -
[04:00 AM Things To Do Before You're 30;
[06:00 AM In Short: Subway;
[06:00 AM It's All About Love;
[08:00 AM Tickets;
[10:00 AM Frankie Starlight;
[12:00 PM DIG!;
[01:00 PM Buried in the Backyard;
[02:00 PM n/a;
[04:00 PM We Have Arrived Bonnaroo 2004;
[06:00 PM Emir Kusturica, A Tender Barbarian;
[07:00 PM Episode 2;
[08:00 PM Buried in the Backyard;
[09:00 PM n/a;
[10:00 PM DIG!;
[12:00 AM Secret Ceremony;
[02:00 AM Mail Order Wife;
[04:00 AM n/a. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Actress Catherine Zeta Jones, left, and husband, actor Michael Douglas, pose for a photo during the 9th annual Michael Douglas and Friends Celebrity Golf event in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., Sunday, April 29, 2007.
Photo by Dan Steinberg
Natalie Portman says that for many of the world's poorest women, a small loan can change their lives.
The actress said in an interview for ABC's "This Week" that aired Sunday that she has met mothers younger than she is who had to work in poor conditions for low pay because that was the only job available to them.
Portman, who starred in the last three "Star Wars" films, has been working with FINCA International, an organization that provides small loans to people in developing countries.
Singer Stevie Wonder, right, performs for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill, left, at the First AME Church in Los Angeles, Calif., Sunday, April 29, 2007.
Photo by Stefano Paltera
"Young Frankenstein" will be working its way toward Broadway - by way of Seattle.
The musical based on the Mel Brooks' 1974 film comedy will play an out-of-town engagement at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Aug. 4-Sept. 1.
"Young Frankenstein," which will be directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, is planned for New York next season, although no date, theatre and cast have been announced. Brooks' last Broadway show, "The Producers," closed April 22 at the St. James Theatre, one of the houses in the running for his new musical.
Brooks wrote the music and lyrics for "Young Frankenstein" and co-wrote the book with Thomas Meehan, his "Producers" co-author.
Noel Gallagher and James Blunt are joining forces for a new charity project.
Razorlight, Paul Weller, Rod Stewart, Dirty Pretty Things and Ozzy Osbourne are also lending their support to the Gibson GuitarTown London campaign.
They are among 30 music acts who will each come up with a design for a 10ft high fibreglass Gibson Les Paul guitar which will be displayed around the capital as public art this summer.
At the end of the campaign in September, the guitars will be auctioned off to raise money for The Prince's Trust, Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and the Teenage Cancer Trust.
American photographer Spencer Tunick said Sunday he was hoping to draw his largest crowd of nude people for a shoot next month in Mexico City's enormous Zocalo plaza.
Tunick, famous for photographing crowds of nude people around the world, said the May 6 shoot could be bigger than one he did in 2003 with 7,000 volunteer models in Barcelona, Spain.
The historic Zocalo plaza measures about 21,000 square yards - the size of about five football fields - and can fit up to 85,000 people standing.
Actress Mia Farrow, with Mohamed Yahya, right, joins a protest against the violence in Darfur in front of the White House, Sunday, April 29, 2007, in Washington. As part of the campaign, Farrow, and other celebrities including Elton John, Mick Jagger and George Clooney, issued a statement Sunday calling for an end to the bloodshed and accusing the international community of failing to act.
Photo by Manuel Balce Ceneta
Scots actor Ewan McGregor has been immortalised in his Star Wars role by the US Postal Service.
The star, from Crieff in Perthshire, appears on one of 15 special edition postal stamps designed to commemorate the series' 30th anniversary next month.
The 41-cent stamp shows the 37-year-old in his role of Obi-Wan Kenobi fighting with Anakin Skywalker, the young Darth Vader.
Reality TV producer Mark Burnett and "Touched By An Angel" actress Roma Downey have married in Los Angeles, People magazine reported on Sunday.
Burnett, 46, who produces such shows as "Survivor" and "The Apprentice," tied the knot with the 47-year-old Downey at their Malibu home on Saturday.
The ceremony was officiated by Della Reese, Downey's former co-star from "Touched By An Angel" and an ordained minister with her own church in Los Angeles.
Just $40 million of $854 million offered to the United States to help the Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Katrina has been used so far, and most of the offered aid was never collected, the Washington Post reported in Sunday's editions.
Key supplies and services such as mobile telephone systems, medicines and cruise ships to house victims were delayed or refused because the U.S. government could not handle them, the newspaper said.
The 2005 disaster so far has cost U.S. taxpayers more than $125 billion, and complaints continue about the slow pace of recovery in New Orleans, which was devastated by floods.
The United States declined 54 of 77 recorded offers of aid from three of its closest allies -- Canada, Britain and Israel -- according to a State Department table, the newspaper said.
Billionaire Donald Trump gave $10,000 to Gov. Arnold $chwarzenegger to help pay off his campaign debts, a little more than a month after the governor guest-starred on Trump's TV show "The Apprentice: Los Angeles," according to a campaign filing.
In an episode that aired March 18, $chwarzenegger hosted five of the show's contestants in his private conference room at the state Capitol.
The governor denies any link between the donation and the television appearance, but some political watchdog groups are skeptical.
The donation was Trump's first to $chwarzenegger, whom he described as great friend when he told a group of contenders that they would meet California's governor as a reward for winning a competition. The show features Trump and contestants vying to work for him.
Members of the band Kisschasy pose while wearing masks depicting (L-R) Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair, U.S. President George W. Bush, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and Australia's Prime Minister John Howard at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards in Sydney April 29, 2007.
Photo by Robert James Wallace
Egypt said Sunday it would seek the temporary return of some of its most precious artifacts from museums abroad, including the Rosetta Stone and a bust of Nefertiti.
The country's chief archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, said the Foreign Ministry would send letters this week to France, Germany, the United States and Great Britain requesting that the ancient artifacts be loaned to Egypt.
Hawass has previously demanded the permanent return of many of the artifacts, claiming some of them were taken illegally.
This time, the country is requesting museums loan the artifacts so they can be exhibited either at the 2011 opening of the Egyptian Museum, near the site of the Great Pyramids at Giza, or the Atum museum, which is set to open in the Nile Delta city of Meniya in 2010, the Supreme Council of Antiquities said in a statement.
Acrobats perform a stunt 200 meters (656 ft) above the ground at a scenic spot in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou province April 28, 2007. Picture taken April 28, 2007.
The French dislike themselves even more than the Americans dislike them, according to an opinion poll published on Friday.
The survey of six nations, carried out for the International Herald Tribune daily and France 24 TV station, said 44 percent of French people thought badly of themselves against 38 percent of U.S. respondents who had a negative view of the French.
Only 14 percent of Germans, 25 percent of Italians, 29 percent of Spaniards and 33 percent of Britons had a negative view of the French, according to the Harris/Novatris poll, which questioned more than 1,000 people in each country.
A boy listens to music on a portable device as he sits with another on the steps of the Ugrasen Ki Baoli in New Delhi, India, Sunday, April 29, 2007. Baolis are traditional water tanks and the Ugrasen Ki Baoli, or Baoli of King Ugrasen, is believed to be a 14th century monument located close to the central commercial area of Delhi. The water table in Delhi has however gone low over the years, leaving the Baoli dry.
Photo by Gurinder Osan
Over-harvesting fuelled by surging market prices is threatening to wipe out several species of wild orchids in eastern China, some of which command as much as $175,000 (87,400 pounds) a pot, state media reported on Friday.
Chinese horticulturalists warned that the lucrative trade had taken 10 species native to mountainous areas of Zhejiang province to the brink of extinction, the China Daily said.
Of more than 3,000 species native to China, Zhejiang used to be home to 2,400, but only 740 varieties remained, the paper said.
'Spaceloft XL' successfully launches in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico April 28, 2007. UP Aerospace 'Spaceloft XL' carried the cremated remains of 202 clients including the ashes of James Doohan, the actor who played 'Scottie' on Star Trek.
Photo by Jessica Rinaldi
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.
The idea is to have fun.
Do you have something to say?
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better,
amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican musicians?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
This is your place.
