Defusing Buffalo Power Play Boosts Rangers http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/sports/hockey/04nhl.html?pagewanted=print
A big reason for the Rangers’ success against Buffalo has been their ability to frustrate the Sabres’ power play. In the series, which is tied 2-2, Buffalo has converted only 3 of 25 chances, including 1 of 13 in two losses at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers, who have had power-play woes at times this season, are 5 of 19 in the series. Both of their goals in a 2-1 victory in Game 4 were on the power play.
(In a series that has gone approximately 277 minutes, Buffalo has clearly dominated at best 35 of those minutes. During that time they went ahead 3-0 in the second period of game 1; and they erased a 1-2 deficit in period 3 to prevail 3-2 in game 2. Overall Buffalo has scored 10 goals, including an empty-netter. So, in approximately 240 minutes, the Rangers have outscored Buffalo, while giving up 5 goals. In other words, the Rangers are dominating, including giving up 6 shots in the first forty minutes of the away game 2.)Thanks to all who sent items recently. news@piratecatradio.com
Egypt plays host as great Satan eyes up axis of evil
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2071328,00.html
Close to 60 different flags are flying in the hot sunshine of Sharm el-Sheikh as an international conference on Iraqi stabilisation and security gets under way today. Iraq's neighbours are here in force and being urged to do more to help as the US and Britain hone their exit strategies. But no one is betting that it will have much immediate effect on the mayhem in Iraq. Nouri al-Maliki, the Shia prime minister of Iraq, is leading his country's delegation to the two days of talks in the Egyptian Red Sea resort and is hoping that a combination of multilateral support and greater regional goodwill can help provide some light at the end of a very dark tunnel. The background to all this is the grandly named International Compact for Iraq, an initiative co-chaired by the UN, the World Bank and Iraq itself. It aims to build a framework for security, good governance and regional economic integration with the ambitious goal of a stable and prosperous Iraq within five years. The broader purpose of the conference is to talk about what is at stake, for Iraq and the region, on the clear if unspoken assumption that the Americans and British are on their way out and that the neighbours need to more to help clear up the mess. The big hope is that Syria and Iran can be persuaded to play a more constructive role and end their support for the Sunni insurgency and Shia militias respectively. But the pre-conference messages from Damascus and Tehran - attacking US policy and repeating calls for an immediate withdrawal - are hardly encouraging. The big event at Sharm al-Sheikh is expected to come tomorrow. Nothing has yet been finalised, but that is the likely moment for talks between Dr Rice and her Iranian counterpart, Manuchehr Mottaki, the highest-level encounter between Washington and Tehran for close to 30 years. That will be billed as "the axis of evil meets the great Satan," though the symbolism - like that of the entire conference - could turn out to be greater than any substance
'Herald Tribune' defends Iran nuke ad http://www.jpost.com/servlet
The International Herald Tribune newspaper has defended its acceptance of an advertisement seeking bids for two large scale nuclear reactors in Iran. The ad appeared on April 20. Inviting bidders to help in the construction of two pressurized light water reactors in the Bushehr province, the ad also ran in the Financial Times on April 25. Iran announced on April 15 that it is seeking bids for two additional reactors to be located near Bushehr for producing electricity. The announcement came as Iran and Russia remained at loggerheads over funding for the first plant in the same region. An IHT spokesman, asked whether accepting such an ad was appropriate, wrote: "We believe that advertising should be as free and open as the dictates of honesty and decency allow. In our view, advertising is an essential ingredient in the broad concept of a free press."
Chavez braced for assassination attempt http://www.plenglish.com
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez slammed an assassination plan against him with the participation of Cuban-born terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. Addressing an act on May 1 for recovering control in the Orinoco Oil Belt, Chavez stated that the recent release of Posada Carriles, termed as the "biggest terrorist of Latin America," is linked to assassination plans. The Venezuelan leader accused the US government of protecting the criminal, responsible for the mid-air explosion of a Cuban airplane in 1976 that cost the life of 73 people, and impeding his extradition to trial in this country. Chavez has mobilized all security and intelligence bodies to neutralize any attempt of aggression against Venezuela, including assassination.
UN: Bolivia Embodies Social Change http://www.plenglish.com
Special UN rapporteur on the Right to Food Jean Ziegler stated on Friday that Bolivia is an example of country where social transformations favors equally everyone. After almost a week in La Paz to analyze advances in this aspect, the expert told Prensa Latina that health and education programs, supported by Cuba, are an example of the change President Evo Morales leads. Free medical services, a Zero Malnutrition program and the national campaign to teach 1.2 million people to read and write work toward the UN Millennium Goals, from which other governments are still far away, said the rapporteur. According to the official, the international community must learn from democracy in Bolivia, including the nationalization of hydrocarbons, "an exemplary decision." He explained the mission he leads examines national policies and programs established by the Bolivian government to facilitate availability and access to food and water. The top commissioner also supports Bolivia's wish to enter the Permanent Human Rights Council in Geneva, in recognition of its work in that matter.
LA Mayor Cuts Short Mexican Tour http://www.latimes.com/news
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who cut short his trip to Central America and Mexico in the wake of the May Day clash between Los Angeles police and protesters, is scheduled to speak this afternoon about the matter, into which the FBI has opened an inquiry. The mayor, speaking to reporters Thursday in Mexico City on a stop during a trade mission, said he would welcome the FBI's investigation into the violence at the end of mostly peaceful immigrant rights marches and rallies. The mayor, who was seeking to stimulate trade and encourage international cooperation in fighting street gangs, announced late Thursday night that he was flying back to Los Angeles today, and his office had scheduled a 3 p.m. news conference. New questions about how commanders handled Tuesday's incident at MacArthur Park have been raised after sources said that the Los Angeles Police Department removed dozens of elite officers from immigration protest duty in the hours before a violent clash with marchers and reporters that left 10 people injured. Police Chief William J. Bratton escalated his criticism of the officers' tactics and said the department's three investigations would focus on the actions not only of line officers but also of the top brass who gave the orders. Bratton and other LAPD officials declined to discuss the deployment plan or other specific details of the investigation. But the disclosure of the shift provides more details of how commanders managed the protest and suggests that police might have been caught off guard by its scope. Three platoons of the highly trained Metro Division, which were originally set to be at MacArthur Park for the end of the immigration march and rally, instead were sent home or to other assignments, including one in South Los Angeles, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it involves ongoing investigations. (The size of a platoon varies, but sources estimated that the total number of officers moved were 50 to 80.) The redeployments occurred shortly before a group of agitators began throwing bottles and other debris at the remaining officers. As crowds grew and tensions rose, officers came under attack, sources said, and commanders scrambled to get some of the departed officers back. Some arrived just as the confrontation began. The sources said it was not clear why commanders ordered the platoons to depart. Bob Baker, president of the L.A. Police Protective League, said his organization had heard from its members about the redeployment and said some officers thought not enough officers were at the scene. "Why would you take away assets when you know what happened at that location a year before?" Baker said, referring to similar disturbances that occurred at the end of the 2006 May Day rally at the park. Even with the reduced staffing, several hundred LAPD officers -- including many not in the Metro unit -- were in the vicinity when commanders decided to clear the area. It is not clear whether extra officers might have changed the outcome.
LAPD officers fired at least 240 rounds of foam, sponge or fiber projectiles as they swept through the park about 6:15 p.m. The move came after police had clashed with a small group of protesters near the intersection of 7th and Alvarado streets. Sources have said that neither the top commander nor captain was on the skirmish line as officers confronted the crowd. Bratton also said the LAPD's order to scatter, which was made from a police helicopter, in English, was inadequate. On Thursday, Chief Bratton offered a more detailed and pointed critique of the police actions, particularly those involving Telemundo anchor Pedro Sevcec, who was broadcasting from under a canopy. He was pushed to the ground while on live television as police shoved through.He also said he was troubled by reports that police used force on women and children who had gone to the park to play. "The idea that officers would be firing -- some of these devices send out five or six projectiles with one shot -- that is a concern," Bratton said. Andre Birotte, the LAPD's inspector general, said part of his investigation would focus on whether there were adequate resources and training for the officers involved. "Were there sufficient planning and resources detailed and dedicated to this event, and was LAPD's response appropriate to the actions of the crowd?" Birotte said. "If they thought they were undermanned, it could play a role in why they used the force they used. We are going to look at that issue." The FBI said in a statement that its "preliminary inquiry" will examine "whether the civil rights of protesters taking part in the May 1st immigration rally were violated." The FBI has opened similar probes after other recent high-profile LAPD incidents, including the fatal shooting in 2005 of a 13-year-old. Mexico's consul general in Los Angeles, Ruben Beltran, said in Mexico City that he trusted Bratton to deal with the issue in an honest and candid way. Beltran, who witnessed the melee in the park, said Chief Bratton called him Wednesday in Mexico to say that the Police Department would reach out to the immigrant community and take its investigation seriously.
House GOP hits shift of spy funds to study climate
http://washingtontimes.com
The House next week will consider the Democrat-crafted Intelligence Authorization bill, which includes a provision directing an assessment of the effects that climate change has on national security. Democrats, who outnumber Republicans on the committee, blocked the minority from stripping the warming language from the bill. Intelligence panel Chairman Silvestre Reyes, Texas Democrat, said the climate-change study is one of several shifts his party has made to intelligence policy. Few details about its method were available. "There are other parts of the government better suited to doing this type of study," said Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican. "Our government should not commit expensive spy satellites and human intelligence sources to target something as undefined as the environment." Several Republicans trotted out the statistic that the government already spends $6.5 billion annually on global-warming related issues through several agencies, including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. "It's hard to imagine how anyone could believe that climate change represents a more clear and present danger to the United States than radical Islamic terrorists armed with bombs, but that's essentially what Democrats have concluded in this bill," said Brian Kennedy, a spokesman for Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican. The House is expected to vote Wednesday or Thursday on the overall authorization measure, which identifies how intelligence appropriations can be spent in 2008. It is not clear whether Democrats will allow Republicans to offer amendments to the bill.
Russia to help Slovakia upgrade nuke capacity http://www.bbj.hu/news/news
Slovakia has two power plants with six units, including four designed by Soviet experts. Two units generate power at the Bohunice plant in the west of the country. Another two units operate at the Mochovce plant in the south, and the third and fourth units of the plant are to be commissioned by 2012. During his Russian visit last November, Slovakia's Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek said his country was ready to set up a consortium with Russia to complete the third and fourth units. "But that plant does not belong to Slovakia, as 66% is controlled by an Italian company, and the decision will be up to it," the minister said in a reference to Italy's utility Enel, which acquired 66% in the Mochovce power plant almost a year ago. Russia and Slovakia agree that energy is the area of the most intensive bilateral cooperation, which, apart from nuclear power, includes gas and oil. Russian natural gas giant Gazprom, which covers 100% of Slovakia's gas imports. Slovakia, which enjoys discounted gas price rates as a transit nation for Russian natural gas, fears that possible gas price hikes could complicate the government's efforts to maintain low inflation, which is the major condition for entering the euro zone in 2009. Slovakia is the second transit nation for Russian energy exports to Europe after Ukraine, pumping Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline. European consumers have expressed serious concerns about the reliability of Russian energy exports after Moscow's pricing spats with Belarus, another transit country, early this year and with Ukraine last year. The tensions led to shortfalls in Europe.
Stunning' Nepal Buddha art find http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6624117.stm
Paintings of Buddha dating back at least to the 12th century have been discovered in a cave in a remote area of Nepal's north-central region. The find was in the Mustang area, 250km (160 miles) northwest of Kathmandu. It was set in sheer 14,000ft (4,300m) cliffs in Nepal's remote Himalayan north. The team of international researchers - including film makers, climbers and archaeologists - from Nepal, Italy and the US were told of the works of art by a sheep herder. In passing conversation he said that he had seen a cave with old paintings in it several years ago as he took shelter from the rain. It turned out to be a treasure trove of Buddhist art. Besides the main mural, other paintings were discovered which the team believes are marginally older. A nearby cave had manuscripts written in the Tibetan language, which were photographed by the team to be translated later by experts, along with pre-Christian era pottery shards. The team has refused to divulge the exact location of the caves to prevent the possibility of visitors disturbing the centuries-old art.
Dog Destroys Elvis' Teddy Bear at Museum
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin
A guard dog has ripped apart a collection of rare teddy bears, including one once owned by Elvis Presley, during a rampage at a children's museum. "He just went berserk," said Daniel Medley, general manager of the Wookey Hole Caves near Wells, England, where hundreds of bears were chewed up Tuesday night by the 6-year-old Doberman pinscher named Barney. Barney ripped the head off a brown stuffed bear once owned by the young Presley during the attack, leaving fluffy stuffing and bits of bears' limbs and heads on the museum floor. The bear, named Mabel, was made in 1909 by the German manufacturer Steiff. The collection, valued at more than $900,000, included a red bear made by Farnell in 1910 and a Bobby Bruin made by Merrythought in 1936. The bear with Elvis connections was owned by English aristocrat Benjamin Slade, who bought it at an Elvis memorabilia auction in Memphis, Tenn., and had loaned it to the museum. "I've spoken to the bear's owner and he is not very pleased at all," Medley said. A security guard at the museum, Greg West, said he spent several minutes chasing Barney before wrestling the dog to the ground. (submit by BBB)
AGGRESSIVE ELEPHANT SEAL MENACES SONOMA BEACHES
A rogue elephant seal nicknamed Nibbles has run rampant near the mouth of the Russian River in recent weeks, killing a dozen harbor seals, biting a surfer and jumping out of the water to attack a pit bull terrier on Easter. One witness said the 2,500-pound male, who often lunges at his victims, is the most aggressive elephant seal he's ever seen. "This bull does straight-out murder," said Keary Sorenson of Sebastopol, a former surfer who volunteers for government and nonprofit agencies in Sonoma County. "A week ago, I saw him chase down a female harbor seal, use chest blows to crush her, then bare his upper canine teeth and drive them down onto her head and back." Warning signs have gone up on beaches near Jenner, and officials cautioned the public Monday not to swim or wade in the estuary waters around Goat Rock Beach or approach the big seal should they see him basking in the sun. Kayakers also have grown wary, scouting the estuary from overlooking bluffs before going for a paddle. Kathie Lowrey, who lives nearby and was outside washing her car before going to church, saw the dog emerge from the water, drop the stick and begin to shake off droplets of water. "I saw the elephant seal come out of the water like a torpedo, angle down on the dog and land on him," said Lowrey. "Somehow the dog wriggled out and turned and squared off with the seal." Erinn Flaherty, the dog's owner, said Garcia told her Sativa barked defiantly at the seal while Garcia hurled the stick at him. Garcia then escaped with the dog, which suffered a puncture wound the diameter of a quarter in one thigh. soon after the bull first appeared, he tried unsuccessfully to mate with the (much smaller) female harbor seals. Then, last year, after trying again to mate, he turned violent and began to kill. This year, he is staying around well past his usual departure date at the end of March, and now has started to consume his kills. (submit by DJ Mom)
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