blog-heap o' links
Fifteen camels, two zebras and several llamas and
pot-bellied pigs escaped from a circus visiting Amsterdam early Monday... "We
suspect that a giraffe kicked open a pen..." dailymail.co.uk/ ... 20:42:19
The
26-stone black bear had bolted into the water in fright after being shot with a
tranquilliser dart when it was found roaming a Florida beachfront
neighbourhood... thrashed and flailed in the waves, struggling for survival...
Wildlife officer Mr Warwick, 29, who works for the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Commission-wasted no time in stripping off to help. 'I wasn't sure what I was
going to do when I jumped in,'... 
Army Sgt. Edward J. O'Brien, of Omaha, Neb., will be buried
July 2 in Minneapolis, Minn.... In late November 1950, O'Brien was assigned to
E Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, then
deployed north of the Chongchon River, along the main road running south out of
Unsan, North Korea. On Nov. 26, the Chinese army struck the U.S. and Republic
of Korea (R.O.K.) forces during the Battle of the Chongchon River. As a result,
U.S. and R.O.K. forces, including the 35th Regiment, were forced to withdraw to
the south. O'Brien was last seen when opposing forces overran his company's
position about 10 miles southwest of Unsan. In 1998, a joint U.S./Democratic
People's Republic of Korea team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
(JPAC), excavated a site containing the remains of a U.S. soldier who died
south of Unsan in the general vicinity where O'Brien was last seen. The team
found human remains and two military identification tags with O'Brien's name on
them. A North Korean national told the team that he first uncovered the remains
while constructing his house, and that he buried them at the nearby site which
was excavated.... defenselink.mil/ ... 19:55:04Army Chief Warrant
Officer Robert C. Hammett, 39, of Tucson, Ariz., assigned to the 3rd
Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.Army Maj. Dwayne
M. Kelley, 48, of Willingboro, N.J., assigned to the 432nd Civil Affairs
Battalion, Green Bay, Wis.Army Sgt.
Alejandro A. Dominguez, 24, of San Diego, Calif.Army Spc. Joel A.
Taylor, 20, of Pinetown, N.C.Army Pfc. James M. Yohn, 25, of Highspire,
Pa.Army Spc. Joshua
L. Plocica, 20, of Clarksville, Tenn., died June 25 in Baghdad, Iraq, of
wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He
was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat
Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 19:53:41Army Pfc. Bryan
M. Thomas, 22, of Lake Charles, La., died June 23 in Baghdad, Iraq, of
wounds suffered in Salman Pak, Iraq, when his patrol encountered small arms
fire during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th
Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder,
Germany. The Department of Defense announced June 25 the death of Capt. Gregory
T. Dalessio, who was killed in the same incident. defenselink.mil/ ... 19:53:22Marine Staff Sgt.
Christopher D. Strickland, 25, of Labelle, Fla. died June 25, while
supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned
to 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton,
Calif. defenselink.mil/ ... 19:53:00Army Sgt. Ryan J.
Connolly, 24, of Vacaville, Calif., died June 24 in Khogyani, Afghanistan,
of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck a suspected landmine. He was
assigned to the 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat
Team, Bamberg, Germany. defenselink.mil/ ... 19:52:46Army Capt.
Gregory T. Dalessio, 30, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, died June 23 in
Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered in Salman Pak, Iraq, when his patrol
encountered small arms fire during combat operations. He was assigned to the
2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored
Division, Baumholder, Germany. defenselink.mil/ ... 19:52:31The
Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that
the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have
been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full
military honors.Army Sgt. Gene F. Clark, of Muncie, Ind., will be buried
June 28 in Muncie....Army Lt. Col.
James J. Walton, 41, of Rockville, Md., assigned to a Military
Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.Army Spc. Anthony
L. Mangano, 36, of Greenlawn, N.Y., assigned to 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry
(Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition), New York Army National
Guard, Geneva, N.Y.Army Sgt. Nelson D. Rodriguez Ramirez, 22, of Revere, Mass.,
who was assigned to 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance
and Target Acquisition), New York Army National Guard, Geneva, N.Y.Army Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks, 36, of
Queens, N.Y., who was assigned to 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance,
Surveillance and Target Acquisition), New York Army National Guard, Geneva,
N.Y.Army Staff Sgt.
Du Hai Tran, 30, of Reseda, Calif.,died Jun. 20 in
Baqubah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated
near his unit while on patrol during combat operations. He was assigned to the
Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck,Germany. defenselink.mil/ ... 16:45:44Marine Sgt.
Matthew E. Mendoza, 24, of San Antonio, Texas, died June 20 while
conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned
to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine
Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. 
John McCain... on Monday proposed a $300 million
government prize to whoever can develop an automobile battery that far
surpasses existing technology. The bounty would equate to $1 for every man,
woman and child in the country, "a small price to pay for helping to break the
back of our oil dependency..." examiner.com/ ... 14:43:47
After days of media mockery, Barack Obama has decided to
stop using a presidential-looking seal that his campaign designed and affixed
to his podium on Friday... "What a bizarre and dumb idea," railed NBC political
director Chuck Todd. "It really feeds the arrogance narrative..."
Marine Capt. Eric
Daniel Terhune, 34, of Lexington, Ky.Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew Francis
Whitacre, 21, of Bryant, Ind.Army Spc. Jason
N. Cox, 21, of Elyria, Ohio, died June 16 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds
suffered near Hillah, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive
device. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade
Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:51:41The
Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that
the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have
been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full
military honors.Navy Lt. Cmdr. Ralph C. Bisz, U.S. Navy, of Miami Shores,
Fla.Navy Hospitalman
Marc A. Retmier, 19, of Hemet, Calif.Navy Petty Officer First Class Ross L.
Toles III, 37, of Davison, Mich.Army Pvt. Eugene
D. M. Kanakaole, 19, of Maui, Hawaii, died June 11 in Balad Iraq, of
injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the
87th Engineer Company, 8th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort
Hood, Texas. The incident is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:49:28Army Sgt. 1st Class
Gerard M. Reed, 40, of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., died June 11 in
Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident. He was
assigned to the 86th Combat Support Hospital, Fort Campbell, Ky. This incident
is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:49:16Marine Sgt.
Michael Toussiant-Hyle Washington, 20, of Tacoma, Wash.Marine Lance Cpl.
Layton Bradly Crass, 22, of Richmond, In.Marine Pfc. Dawid Pietrek, 24, of
Bensenville, Ill.Marine Pfc. Michael Robert Patton, 19, of Fenton,
Mo.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn...
[21yo man] ...arrested... after he ordered his pet to attack two officers.
Lucky for them that 9-foot-long pythons aren't very obedient... Officers were
called... on a report that he was threatening his girlfriend with the pet
reptile... Marine Lance Cpl.
Kelly E. C. Watters, 19, of Virginia Beach, Va. died June 11, from
wounds suffered while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine
Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 23:01:43Marine Lance Cpl.
Javier Perales Jr., 19, of San Elizario, Texas, died June 11, from a
non-hostile incident in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd
Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force,
Camp Lejeune, N.C. The incident is currently under investigation. hosted.ap.org/ ... 22:16:38As of
Monday, June 16, 2008, at least 4,099 members of the U.S. military have died in
the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press
count. The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least
3,340 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's
numbers... 
Train
services were disrupted in parts of eastern India for three hours after flocks
of agitated crows snapped overhead powerlines when railway workers tried to
clear their nests... 
Nearly 800 rats have
been trapped from one rat-infested house... 
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind... A spider monkey new to the city's
Washington Park Zoo used a garden hose to scale the walls of a moat and make a
break for freedom. Workers were cleaning the moat... hosted.ap.org/ ... 22:52:32A weedy
sea dragon at the Georgia Aquarium has something to celebrate this Father's
Day. One of the rare creatures is pregnant for only the third time ever at a
U.S. aquarium... dads carry the eggs in this family... Army Sgt. John D.
Aragon, 22, of Antioch, Calif., died June 12 in Kadamiyah, Iraq, of wounds
suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was
assigned to the 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team,
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky. defenselink.mil/ ... 22:46:27Army Sgt. Steve
A. McCoy, 23, of Moultrie, Ga., died June 10 at Brooke Army Medical Center,
San Antonio, Texas, of wounds suffered on March 23 in Baghdad, Iraq, when his
vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 4th
Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division,
Fort Stewart, Ga. defenselink.mil/ ... 22:45:20Army Staff Sgt.
Tyler E. Pickett, 28, of Saratoga, Wyo., died June 8 in Kirkuk Province,
Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using
improvised explosive devices. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 22nd
Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light
Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y. 
A tornado damaged the building housing a nuclear research
reactor at Kansas State University... in Manhattan in Riley County... no damage
to the reactor, which had been shut down properly earlier in the day... apnews.myway.com/ ... 22:32:24BLENCOE, Iowa... Boy Scouts who came to the aid of their
colleagues after a tornado that killed four of their comrades and injured 48
people were hailed as heroes Thursday for helping to administer first aid and
search for victims buried in their flattened campsite... 
Illegal "tiger bone wine" is still being made and sold by
some animal parks in China, say campaigners... made from carcasses soaked in
rice wine... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 14:24:21
Twenty-three dolphins have died after becoming stranded on
the Cornish coast... One was believed to be pregnant... Rescuers helped seven
of the animals rejoin their pod out at sea. Two dolphins had to be put down,
one of them was found stranded at Trellisick... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 14:23:43
A mission is under way to rescue more than
100 whales trapped in a bay in the north of Madagascar. About 30 whales have
already died and experts are being flown in from across the world... Army Pfc.
Thomas F. Duncan, III, 21, of Rowlett, Texas, died June
9 in Sinjar, Iraq, of wounds suffered during combat operations. He was assigned
to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash. The incident is
under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 15:27:58The
Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that
the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have
been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full
military honors.Army Sgt. 1st Class W.T. Akins, of Decatur, Ga., will be
buried on June 26 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.Army Sgt. 1st Class
David R. Hurst, 31, of Fort Sill, Okla., died June 7 in Baghdad, Iraq,
of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade
Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), located at Fort Polk, La.
Democrats accused John McCain on Wednesday of being
confused and unsympathetic for saying it's "not too important" when U.S. troops
leave Iraq... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 20:57:10The
Irish Republic is due to vote in a referendum on the Lisbon treaty, which would
change the way in which the European Union is run. All other 26 EU states have
left the issue to their parliaments, but Ireland is obliged to hold a popular
vote on changes to its constitution. All of the main Irish parties back the
treaty but the No campaign has been putting up a strong challenge... Not one, not two, but five tornadoes whirled through the
south and southwest suburbs [of Chicago] on Saturday damaging homes and
businesses... 
Relatives of the British divers who were missing for two
days in Indonesian waters have spoken of their relief after they were found
safe and well... had been exploring the waters near the Komodo National Park.
They were swept away by currents and found on a remote island 20 miles away.
One of the group said they had spent nine hours adrift, and had had to throw
rocks to scare off a Komodo dragon... 
Nasa
scientists have said they could be on the verge of a breakthrough in their
efforts to forecast earthquakes... found a close link
between electrical disturbances on the edge of our atmosphere and impending
quakes on the ground below... Just such a signal... "huge..." was spotted
in the days leading up to the recent devastating event in China... One study
looked at over 100 earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.0 or larger in Taiwan over
several decades. The researchers found that almost all of the earthquakes down
to a depth of about 35km were preceded by distinct electrical disturbances in
the ionosphere... Many in the scientific community remain deeply sceptical...
news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 20:32:56A strong
earthquake measuring 6.1 has hit southern Iceland, 50km (30 miles) from the
capital, Reykjavik. In the town of Selfoss, near the epicentre, buildings were
damaged and up to 20 people needed treatment for minor injuries... Residents in
the capital felt buildings shake and aftershocks were felt in the south-west of
the country... "Iceland is sitting on a plate boundary
where the North America and Eurasian plates are drifting apart. So it's a
country of volcanoes and earthquakes and so earthquakes are common but large
earthquakes are relatively rare..." news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 20:08:33A strong
aftershock in south-west China has rocked a lake formed by a recent earthquake
that has been threatening to burst its banks... caused landslides on mountains
near the Tangjiashan lake... The lake threatens to flood about one million
people in the disaster zone... lake's water-level was continuing to rise
dangerously on Sunday despite the drainage channel... threat posed by more than
30 quake lakes formed during the earthquake has become one of the most pressing
issues in the aftermath of the quake... Government figures put the quake death
toll at 69,130 with another 17,824 people missing... hosted.ap.org/ ... 19:50:30Water poured
from a massive lake formed by China's deadly earthquake in a carefully
engineered diversion Saturday to ease the threat of flooding for a million
people in the sprawling disaster zone... en.epochtimes.com/ ...
19:36:45Boxun News, a Chinese-language Web site based outside
China, reported that an unnamed expert has claimed that there was a nuclear explosion near the epicenter of the Sichuan
earthquake, based on witness reports and the discovery of concrete rubble
believed to have come from an underground military installation. The news of
this nuclear explosion has raised questions about the cause of the
earthquake... people saw something erupt from the top of a mountain next to the
valley... "It looked like toothpaste being squeezed out.... No, it wasn't
[magma]. It was these concrete pieces. The eruption lasted about three
minutes..." The half-mile-wide valley was covered with debris 10 - 20 inches
thick, covering the valley floor for almost 1.5 miles. No major construction
was occurring in the area at the time of the earthquake... thickness of the
concrete pieces seemed to match that used in China's underground military
bases... Chinese Internet surfers commented that right after the quake military
Special Forces blocked traffic heading toward the epicenter on the mountain,
and men in white chemical protective clothing in military vehicles were also
spotted driving toward the mountain. Rescue personnel near the epicenter were
all military... msnbc.msn.com/ ... 19:30:59A strong
earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 struck southwestern Greece on
Sunday, killing at least two people, injuring more than 100 and leveling dozens
of homes... apnews.myway.com/ ... 19:29:19RENO, Nev....
A months-long swarm of earthquakes picked up again Sunday as a
string of minor temblors rattled Reno, causing
downtown high-rises to sway and knocking items off walls and shelves... no
immediate reports of injuries or major property damage... about 20 minor quakes
reported on the western edge of Reno over 12 hours ending about noon.
Magnitude-3.9 and 3.7 quakes struck within a couple minutes of each other
shortly before 11 a.m. and were preceded by 3.2 and 3.0 quakes early Sunday...
The disease that is
devastating amphibian populations around the world could be tackled using
"friendly" bacteria, research suggests... "In the group we exposed to chytrid
[fungus] about 50% to 60% have died.... But of the ones where we added the
bacterium (Janthinobacterium lividum) none have died, and we're about 140 days
in now..." news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 22:37:20Last
month, the Scottish Government announced the European beaver is to be
reintroduced legally to Scotland for the first time in more than 400 years.
Environment Minister Michael Russell has given the go-ahead for up to four
beaver families to be released in Knapdale, Argyll, on a trial basis. The
beavers will be caught in Norway and released in Spring 2009... Icelandic and Norwegian
companies have begun exporting whalemeat to Japan. About 60 tonnes of meat from
fin whales caught in the 2006 Icelandic hunt was reportedly sent with a much
smaller amount of minke meat from Norway... Conservation groups say the trade
will damage attempts to bridge the gap between pro- and anti-whaling nations...
The fin whale is listed as Endangered on the internationally recognised Red
List of Threatened Species. But Iceland maintains populations are high enough
in the North Atlantic that a small annual kill, such as the seven caught in
2006, is sustainable. This is Iceland's first whalemeat export to Japan in
nearly 20 years... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 20:34:53A moth
found on only four previous occasions since 1853 has been rescued from a
spider's web close to where it was first recorded. The black-winged and orange
bodied Ethmia pyrausta is so rare it has gained almost mythical status...
news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 20:28:29A
bloodsucking insect is being used to collect blood samples from animals at
zoos, London Zoo has said... simplifies collecting blood from animals, who do
not have to be sedated... The bugs are humanely killed after the blood samples
are collected... z hosted.ap.org/ ... 20:22:14Federal
officials have confirmed what biologists have long thought: The Caribbean monk
seal has gone the way of the dodo. Humans hunting the docile creatures for
research, food and blubber left the population unsustainable, say biologists
who warn that Hawaiian and Mediterranean monk seals could be the next to go.
The last confirmed sighting of a Caribbean monk seal was in 1952 between
Jamaica and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula... the only seal to become extinct from
human causes... there are fewer than 1,200 Hawaiian and 500 Mediterranean monk
seals remaining, and their populations are declining... hosted.ap.org/ ... 20:21:02Three
endangered California condors were returned to the wild Friday after undergoing
treatment for lead poisoning at the Los Angeles Zoo. Three other condors
continued to receive treatment at the zoo... program is trying to create a
self-sustaining population of the species, which was on the brink of extinction
in the 1980s and even now number only in the low hundreds... hosted.ap.org/ ...
20:19:56Australian officials say they are having success with a captive
breeding program aimed at saving an endangered native bird, the regent
honeyeater... Twenty-seven of the yellow and black birds were fitted with radio
transmitters and released May 1 into Chiltern Mount Pilot National Park in
Victoria state... hosted.ap.org/ ... 20:16:54
A
Javan Rhino... world's rarest rhino... was captured on video attacking a camera
set up in an Indonesian jungle to study the habits of the animal, apparently
because she sensed the lens was a threat to her calf... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 20:05:43
The giant panda's
courtship and mating sequence - from boisterous beginning to noisy ending - has
been filmed in the wild for what may be a TV first... illustrates behaviour
that is rarely displayed in zoos... the loud calls which will make viewers
think instantly of the Wookie character from the hit Star Wars movies...
At least seven people were killed on Sunday by tornadoes
and violent thunderstorms spawned by a powerful spring storm system that moved
across the United States' midsection... The storms fired up Sunday afternoon
and brought hail and high winds on a frontal boundary from Texas to
Minnesota... there have been more than 100 people killed in the United States
by tornadoes so far this year... Tornadoes are blamed for an average of 54 U.S.
deaths a year between 1997 and 2006... ap.google.com/ ... 20:51:21
In this photo provided by Gloria Folkers, an elephant
wanders through Gloria and Melvin Folkers' backyard in WaKeeney, Kan., on
Thursday, June 5, 2008. The elephant was one of two that escaped a traveling
circus...At least four tornadoes touched
down in western and central Kansas. Tornadoes were also reported in Nebraska
and Missouri, and a funnel cloud was spotted in Colorado... thesouthern.com/ ... 20:49:52Strong storms smashed houses, deluged neighborhoods,
toppled trees and left thousands without power across the Midwest on Friday in
the latest round of fierce weather. No injuries were reported. A tornado raked
a half-mile-wide path of destruction in northwestern Minnesota... Army Sgt. Shane
P. Duffy, 22, of Taunton, Mass.Army Spc. Jonathan D. A. Emard, 20, of Mesquite,
TexasArmy
Sgt. Cody R. Legg, 23, of Escondido, Calif.Army Maj. Scott
A. Hagerty, 41, of Stillwater, Okla., who was assigned to the 451st Civil
Affairs Battalion, Pasadena, TexasArmy Pfc. Derek D. Holland, 20, of Wind Gap, Pa.,
who was assigned to the 228th Brigade Support Battalion, Pennsylvania Army
National Guard, Bethlehem, Pa. Army Pfc. Joshua
E. Waltenbaugh, 19, of Ford City, Pa., died June 3 in Taji, Iraq, of
injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 4th
Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas. This incident is
under investigation. Here's all Barack Obama has to do to meet the world's
expectations if he's elected president of the United States: End an unpopular
war in Iraq, heal misery in nations hit by the global food crisis and stop
global warming in addition to building bridges to Muslim countries and reverse
the unilateralist approach of the Bush administration... Obama, precisely
because of his lofty yet undefined message of hope and renewal, can be all
things for all people - a blank canvas on which to project the world's
longings. And in that sense, if he is elected, he may very well be forced to
disappoint millions around the world... timesonline.co.uk/ ... 10:23:26Bob
Dylan... has backed the Illinois senator to do for modern America what the
generation before did in the 1960s... [Make a mess of civilized progress??
All together now... "uncleeear on the concept..."] reason.com/ ... 10:21:46[How rumors -- in this case
an alleged video of a racist rant by Michelle Obama -- get going...]
A Fairfax
County man was killed yesterday when swift-moving and violent thunderstorms
swept through the Washington [DC] region, toppling trees and power lines and
leaving hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power... worldnetdaily.com/ ...
20:49:42Authorities in Colorado Springs are reporting an 8-year-old boy
was treated for second-degree burns after he stepped on a hot patch of "coal
spoil" that reached 800 degrees Fahrenheit... superheated by sunlight... suntimes.com/ ... 20:45:45MOSCOW, Ind. -- Tornadoes ripped through this central
Indiana community and skipped over National Guard barracks full of sleeping
soldiers as thunderstorms battered the Ohio Valley, authorities said Wednesday.
One person died in flooding caused by thunderstorms during the night in West
Virginia... 
A
Bartlesville, Okla., man and a juvenile were arrested Monday night after
Winfield police found marijuana and drug paraphernalia in their vehicle. At
about 11 Monday night, a Winfield citizen reported seeing a possible drunk
driver entering the city limits from the north on U.S. 77... [Nothing about
alcohol found or any more about verified infractions, just the shakedown and
the pot found....] Barack Obama... 2004
Interview... I find it hard to believe that my God would
consign four-fifths of the world to hell. I can’t imagine that my God
would allow some little Hindu kid in India who never interacts with the
Christian faith to somehow burn for all eternity. That’s just not part of
my religious makeup. Part of the reason I think it’s always difficult for
public figures to talk about this is that the nature of politics is that you
want to have everybody like you and project the best possible traits onto you.
Oftentimes that’s by being as vague as possible, or appealing to the
lowest commong denominators... boston.com/ ... 10:09:50...The
Democrats' proportional system of awarding delegates gives special advantages
to candidates who win states by large margins - and Obama cleaned up in the
smaller states that Clinton had ignored while remaining close enough in the
larger ones to minimize her gains in delegates there... nydailynews.com/ ...
10:04:31...Analysts think the campaign's biggest problems were internal:
its failures in message and strategy. But most see some elements of truth in
her complaints. "There are degrees of plausibility and veracity," said Prof.
Doug Muzzio of Baruch College. "There is sexism, the love affair with Obama -
it's not just made up..." nydailynews.com/ ... 10:03:12
...The stunning magnitude of Hillary Clinton's
embarrassing loss to a relative rookie, paired with her husband's bizarre and
often sulfuric campaign rhetoric, have left both Democratic megastars somewhat
smaller than life - even if Hillary Clinton ends up on the ticket with Barack
Obama. "She won't be an 800-pound gorilla anymore, but she'll still be a
500-pound gorilla..." Army Spc.
Christopher D. McCarthy, of Virginia Beach, Va., died 1 June 2008 at
Forward Operating Base Ramadi, Iraq. His death is under investigation. He was
assigned to the U.S. Joint Forces Command, Joint Reserve Unit, Norfolk, Va.
defenselink.mil/ ... 23:50:58Army Spc. James
M. Finley, 21, of Lebanon, Mo.Army Pvt. Andrew J. Shields, 19, of Battleground,
Wash.Army Cpl. Justin
R. Mixon, 22, of Bogalusa, La., died June 1 in Baghdad Iraq, of wounds
suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was
assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
defenselink.mil/ ... 23:50:22Marine Cpl.
Christian S. Cotner, 20, of Waterbury, Conn., died May 30 from a
non-hostile incident in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Wing
Support Squadron 172, Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing,
III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan. The incident is currently under
investigation. Barack Obama clinched the Democratic presidential
nomination Tuesday, becoming the first black candidate to lead a major party
into a campaign for the White House. Vanquished rival Hillary Rodham Clinton
swiftly signaled an interest in joining the ticket as his running mate...
cnn.com/ ... 23:43:27
Bill Clinton sorry for 'scumbag' remarks... [Headline
of the election] vanityfair.com/ ... 01:10:40among the not-so-small cadre of Clinton friends and former
aides, concern about the company the boss keeps is persistent, palpable, and
pained. No former president of the United States has ever traveled with such a
fast crowd, and most 61-year-old American men of Clinton’s generation
don’t, either. "I just think those guys are radioactive..." breitbart.com/ ... 01:06:51Former president Bill Clinton dropped a hint Monday that
the end might be nigh for his wife Hillary's dogged campaign... "...this may be
the last day I'm ever involved in a campaign of this kind..." The Politico
website reported that far-flung members of Clinton's travelling staff had been
summoned back to New York for Tuesday evening and told their roles on the
campaign are ending... A customs official hid the
package in a suitcase belonging to a passenger arriving from Hong Kong as a
training exercise for sniffer dogs Sunday, but lost track of both drugs and
suitcase during the practice session... hosted.ap.org/ ... 14:01:52The
Latvian flag was in the game program along with a photo of the Latvian national
soccer team. Before the match, Czech organizers played Latvia's national
anthem. However, the Czech Republic was facing Lithuania on Tuesday night, not
Latvia... 
A
mountain lion... or cougar... attacked, killed and partially ate a [55yo] New
Mexico man, authorities said on Tuesday... at a spot close to his home, where
he lived alone and was known to bathe and shave outdoors... Department of Game
and Fish... shot and wounded the animal... the lion ran off... Since the late
19th century, there have been just over 100 [mountain lion] attacks on people
in North America, around 20 of them fatal... 
First there was
a wily coyote in Chicago's downtown. Then an ill-fated cougar on the North
Side. Now authorities have captured an alligator in the Chicago River...
President Bush has admitted to The Times that his
gun-slinging rhetoric made the world believe that he was a "guy really anxious
for war" in Iraq. He said that his aim now was to leave his successor a legacy
of international diplomacy for tackling Iran. In an exclusive interview, he
expressed regret at the bitter divisions over the war and said that he was
troubled about how his country had been misunderstood. "I think that in
retrospect I could have used a different tone, a different rhetoric..."
A public relations coordinator for a Texas museum recently
spotted the fossilized bones of a 75-million-year-old duckbilled dinosaur while
taking a tour of the area where a mummified duckbill was found eight years ago.
The mummified brachylophosaurus, nicknamed Leonardo, is on loan to the Houston
Museum of Natural Science... 
The secret of what happened before boy wizard Harry Potter
went to Hogwarts will be revealed through the unusual channel of a charity
auction next month. Author JK Rowling has penned an 800-word outline of a
prequel to the seven book series... The outline, which ends with the line "From
the prequel I am not working on -- but that was fun!" is one of 13 story
outlines written for the auction by famed authors... 