Elvira, Elvira, Elvira...?
"Elvira" turns up at Fox Reality

By Kimberly Nordyke Thu Jun 14, 11:19 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Fox Reality has given the green light to "The Search for the Next Elvira," in which the Mistress of the Dark -- portrayed by Cassandra Peterson -- will seek "a surrogate handmaiden with whom to share her personal appearance duties."

The series will feature 13 contestants -- culled from an open "casket call" taking place July 13 at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Calif. -- competing to see whether they can look the part and present the same persona as the Elvira character. Three hourlong episodes will air starting at 9 p.m. October 13. After the second episode October 20, viewers can vote for the winner, who will be announced during the live finale on Halloween.

"We receive hundreds of Elvira appearance requests every year," said Peterson's manager, Eric Gardner. "We began dreaming of a world in which there would eventually be legions of franchised Elviras, including one in every shopping-mall atrium in the country each Halloween season. Fox Reality has given us the opportunity to anoint the first recruit."

Added Elvira: "There are simply too many ghastly engagements for one Mistress of the Dark to entertain. I am searching for someone to share my tricks with -- someone to help spread the Halloween spirit."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Soaps and Children; Hoorah!
Comedian Ellen DeGeneres sweeps daytime Emmy awards

By Arthur Spiegelman Sat Jun 16, 11:57 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian
Ellen DeGeneres dominated the 34th annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, winning awards for best talk show and best host for the fourth consecutive year. But she said the combative Rosie O'Donnell should have been honored in her stead.

Meanwhile, the Daytime Emmy for best dramatic series -- also known as soap operas -- ended in a tie for the first time, lending a note of unexpected drama to the evening.

The 70-year-old CBS show "Guiding Light," the oldest continual dramatic series on American television, shared the spotlight with "The Young and the Restless."

It was only the third time "Guiding Light" has won the top soap opera award despite its longevity. It was the seventh time "The Young and the Restless" has won.

When she won the award for best talk show host, beating O'Donnell and the other co-hosts of "The View," DeGeneres said the prize really belonged to O'Donnell, whose outspokenness shook up the program before she left this spring after a fight with a co-host and a failure to reach a new contract.

"I liked what she did. This was the year she should have won. I wanted to acknowledge Rosie because she has done a lot. ... I don't know who should replace her but I don't think it should be
Paris Hilton. That would not work," she said.

Bob Barker, who recently retired after 50 years as host of "The Price is Right," was named best game show host and said afterward the producers of the program were talking to O'Donnell as his replacement, though he did not think that would happen. He, too, declared himself a fan of O'Donnell, who did not attend the show.

Maura West of "As the World Turns" was named best dramatic actress and Christian Jules LeBlanc of "The Young and the Restless" was named best actor.

Genie Francis, whose character on "General Hospital" was written out in 2002 in traditional soap opera style -- by having her fall into a coma -- won best supporting actress for her triumphant four-week return.

"I have waited 31 years for this moment," Francis, who plays Laura Spencer said in reference to her many years on the show, which started when she was a 14-year-old.

Rick Hearst, who plays D.A. Ric Lansing on "General Hospital, was named best supporting actor, winning his second Daytime Emmy.

Kevin Clash, who plays Elmo on "Sesame Street," tied for best performer in a children's series with Carroll Spinney, who plays Oscar the Grouch on the show.

So, whose game is being played here, supporting a military dictator and who is winning?
U.S. backs, praises Pakistan's Musharraf

By STEPHEN GRAHAM, Associated Press Writer Sat Jun 16, 3:17 PM ET

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A senior U.S. envoy gave strong backing to the government of Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on Saturday, but balanced it with a call for more democracy amid growing opposition to his eight-year rule.

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte was visiting as Musharraf faces street protests for suspending the country's chief justice and as U.S. lawmakers question American backing for a military leader reluctant to yield power to civilians.

After talks with Musharraf and other senior officials, Negroponte praised Pakistan's front-line role in fighting terrorism, in which it has captured scores of al-Qaida suspects and lost hundreds of soldiers battling militants.

The message he delivered "is one of strong friendship and trust for and with the government and the people of Pakistan. We believe we have an excellent partnership," Negroponte told reporters.

Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup, has said he will ask lawmakers in the fall to award him a new five-year presidential term, and has yet to say whether he will keep his uniform.

Opposition leaders say his plans will breach the constitution and accuse him of trying to remove Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry in order to ensure that the Supreme Court rejects legal challenges to his continued rule.

More than 20,000 protesters were out Saturday cheering Chaudhry. Thousands have joined street protests against Musharraf since March 9, when he ousted the chief justice for alleged misconduct.

Washington has been steadfast in its public support for Musharraf, making clear that the global fight against al-Qaida and the war in neighboring
Afghanistan take priority.

That backing is critical to the general's chances of surviving upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections as the judicial crisis saps his domestic popularity. Pakistan's president is chosen by lawmakers, rather than in a direct vote.

Negroponte, who was joined in his talks by Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, said he had discussed with Musharraf "the importance of Pakistan's continued progress toward democracy."

Parliamentary elections expected at about the end of the year should be "fair, free and transparent," he said.

However, he said it was up to Musharraf alone to answer the question dominating Pakistan's domestic politics of whether he should quit as army chief — the main source of his power — if he remains president.

Adm. William Fallon, commander of the U.S. Central Command, met separately Saturday with the Pakistani president.

A presidential aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Musharraf had told his visitors about efforts to seal the Afghan border, where Pakistan says it has deployed 90,000 troops.

In January, Negroponte told Congress that Pakistan had to do more to address the "sanctuary" that Taliban fighters enjoy in Pakistan before security can improve in Afghanistan.

On Friday, Negroponte insisted those remarks, made when he was director of national intelligence, were couched with appreciation for Pakistan's cooperation and sacrifices.

He declined to reassess of the situation in Pakistan's tribal regions, where the Taliban are believed to draw support and which are considered a possible hiding place for al-Qaida chief
Osama bin Laden.

____

Associated Press Writer Munir Ahmad in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Market manipulation, just old fashion genocide, or do observers simply have it all wrong?
Tainted foods are daily problem in Asia

By MARGIE MASON, AP Medical Writer 1 hour, 53 minutes ago

HANOI, Vietnam - As Nguyen Van Ninh needles his chopsticks through a steaming bowl of Vietnam's famous noodle soup, he knows it could be spiked with formaldehyde. But the thought of slurping up the same chemical used to preserve corpses isn't enough to deter him.

"I think if we don't see those chemicals being put in the food with our own eyes, then we can just smack our lips and pretend that there are no chemicals in the food," he said, devouring a 30-cent bowl of "pho" on a busy Hanoi sidewalk. "Why worry about it?"

While the discovery of tainted imports from China has shocked Westerners, food safety has long been a problem in much of Asia, where enforcement is lax and food poisoning deaths are not unusual. Hot weather, lack of refrigeration and demand for cheap street food drives vendors and producers to find inexpensive — and often dangerous — ways to preserve their products.

What's exported, for the most part, is the good stuff. Companies know they must meet certain standards if they want to make money. But in the domestic market, substandard items and adulterated foods abound, including items rejected for export.

Formaldehyde, for instance, has long been used to lengthen the shelf life of rice noodles and tofu in some Asian countries, even though it can cause liver, nerve and kidney damage. The chemical, often used in embalming, was found a few years ago in seven of 10 pho noodle factories in Hanoi.

Borax, found in everything from detergent to Fiberglas, is also commonly used to preserve fish and meats in Indonesia and elsewhere. Farmers in various countries often spray produce with banned pesticides, such as DDT.

"The people who do this want to make money. And if they're stupid and greedy, this is a bad combination," said Gerald Moy, a food safety expert at the
World Health Organization in Geneva. "It's the wild West."

The quality of Asian food has come under harsh scrutiny after toxic substances were discovered in several Chinese exports.

Wheat gluten tainted with the industrial chemical melamine has been blamed for killing or sickening thousands of dogs and cats in North America. Fish containing pufferfish toxins, drug-laced frozen eel and juice spiked with harmful dyes were among other unsafe products shipped to the U.S.

Diethylene glycol, a sweet-tasting thickening agent also used in antifreeze, has been blamed for the deaths of at least 51 people in Panama after the chemical was imported from China and mixed into cough syrup and other medicines. The U.S.
Food and Drug Administration has halted all shipments of Chinese toothpaste to test for the same chemical reportedly found in tubes sold in Australia, the Dominican Republic and Panama.

The problems in Asia are not limited to China. Ice cream and sweets made with the same industrial dyes used for coloring garments have been found outside schools, and farmers have been caught dipping fruits in herbicide, to add shine, a day before going to market.

In India, pesticides often taint groundwater and produce. Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been dueling with a New Delhi environmental group, which alleged it found unacceptable levels of pesticides in soft drinks.

Street food is another problem. Millions grab everything from chicken kebabs to rice porridge from unregulated food stalls where hygiene is often poor. Unsafe preservatives are sometimes added, and vendors typically use the cheapest oils and ingredients.

But the food is hot, cheap and tasty — a combination that often overrides safety concerns in countries where many still live on $2 a day.

"Asking for food quality would be a luxury," said Alex Hillebrand, chemical and food safety adviser at WHO's regional office in New Delhi. "They're hungry people."

Some countries, such as Thailand, are trying to improve domestic food safety. In bustling Bangkok, where pots bubble and woks sizzle at makeshift kitchens pitched on sidewalks, markets are issued test kits that can detect up to 22 contaminants.

No one knows the extent of chemical-laced food in Asia or how it will affect public health.

"It might be that you consume it today, but you don't see any effects for 10 years," said Peter Sousa Hoejskov, a food quality and safety officer at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Thailand. "Some foods have issues that are developing over a long, long time and others you have an immediate reaction."

China has faced outrage among its own citizens in recent years. Whiskey laced with methanol, a toxic wood alcohol, was blamed for killing at least 11 people in southern Guangzhou. Local media in Shanghai uncovered the sale of phony tofu made from gypsum, paint and starch.

At least a dozen Chinese babies died and more than 200 were sickened with symptoms associated with malnutrition after drinking infant formula made of sugar and starch with few nutrients. In another case, lard for human consumption was made with hog slop, sewage, pesticides and recycled industrial oil.

Some Vietnamese have been so shaken by news of tainted Chinese foods, they are changing their eating habits. They are avoiding Chinese-made products and paying more — up to $2 a bowl — for pho at an air-conditioned chain restaurant with signs promising no formaldehyde or borax.

"I am very, very worried about it," said Duong Thuy Quynh, 31, who was eating beef pho because she was also worried about bird flu in chicken. "I'm ready to pay more to protect myself and my family."

___

Associated Press writers Irwan Firdaus in Jakarta, Indonesia; Ashok Sharma in New Delhi, India; Anita Chang in Beijing; and Vu Tien Hong in Hanoi, Vietnam, contributed to this report.

Dishonest efforts to discredit honest truth never cease!
Moore says he didn't interview GM head

By JOHN FLESHER, Associated Press Writer 13 minutes ago

BELLAIRE, Mich. - Filmmaker
Michael Moore gave people in the rural county where he lives an early look at his new film "Sicko" on Saturday, and had some harsh words for critics of the documentary that launched his career.

"Manufacturing Dissent," a film that accuses Moore of dishonesty in the making of his politically charged documentaries, alleges that he interviewed then-General Motors Corp. Chairman Roger Smith, the elusive subject of Moore's 1989 debut "Roger & Me," but left the footage on the cutting room floor.

"Anybody who says that is a (expletive) liar," Moore told The Associated Press in an interview Saturday after a showing of "Sicko," his take on U.S. medicine, in the northern Michigan village of Bellaire.

Moore, who said he hadn't seen "Manufacturing Dissent," acknowledged having had "a good five minutes of back-and forth" with Smith about a company tax abatement at a 1987 shareholders' meeting, as reported by Premiere magazine in 1990. But that was before he began working on "Roger & Me" and had nothing to do with the film, Moore said.

A clip of the meeting appears in "Manufacturing Dissent," released in March. Filmmakers Rick Caine and Debbie Melnyk also interviewed an activist who said he saw Moore interview Smith in 1988 in New York.

Caine and Melnyk say that undercuts the central theme of "Roger & Me" — Moore's fruitless effort to interview Smith about the effects of GM plant closings in Flint, Moore's hometown. Moore, however, said the film wasn't primarily about interviewing Smith, but getting him to observe the economic devastation in Flint.

"If I'd gotten an interview with him, why wouldn't I put it in the film?" Moore said. "Any exchange with Roger Smith would have been valuable." And GM surely would have publicized any interview in response to the movie, he said.

"I'm so used to listening to the stuff people say about me, it just becomes entertainment for me at this point," Moore said. "It's a fictional character that's been created with the name of Michael Moore."

"Sicko" opens Monday in New York and two nights later in Washington before hitting screens nationwide June 29, but Moore gave Bellaire, a tourist village about 250 miles north of Detroit, a sneak peek as a fundraiser for the Democratic Party in rural Antrim County, where he lives. His wife and the film's executive producer, Kathleen Glynn, is the local party's vice chairwoman.

About 880 people paid $40 per ticket to watch the sardonic and sometimes heart-rending indictment of American health care. For an additional $60, they could attend a party with Moore at a restaurant across the street, where he autographed film posters, surgical gloves and even bandages.

The film chronicles the struggles of ordinary Americans — some with insurance coverage, others without — to navigate the health bureaucracy. Portraying insurance companies and supportive politicians in both parties as the villains, Moore contrasts the U.S. system with those of Canada, France and Great Britain, which have government-run programs.

He ends up accompanying a group of rescue workers who became ill after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to Cuba, where the film describes them as getting better care and cheaper drugs than at home.

The gloomy tone struck a chord with many who attended.

"I feel like Michael Moore's a digger for truth," said Carole Chirgwin of Traverse City.

The IQ of Granite, unleashed upon The World in revenge for 9/11.
TSA video counters 'sippy cup' claim

2 hours, 47 minutes ago

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Transportation Security Administration is denying allegations that an airport screener seized a toddler's sippy cup and mistreated his mother, taking the unusual step of posting security camera footage on its Web site.

The
TSA said in a statement that the incident and the videotape demonstrate that its "officers display professionalism and concern for all passengers."

At issue is whether Monica Emmerson, a former
Secret Service officer, was improperly detained June 11 after she spilled water out of her child's sippy cup at Washington's Reagan National Airport.

TSA has banned most fluids at airport security checkpoints for nearly a year because of concern about possible liquid explosives.

"I was distraught. I opened my son's sippy cup. I twisted off the top. I wanted to drink the water. It spilled out," Emmerson said Saturday.

Emmerson said an officer threatened to arrest her after the water spilled, telling her she was "endangering the public." She said there was no place to dump the water near the security area, and that she was worried when her son started wandering away from her.

The story quickly spread on the Internet this week after blogger Bill Adler, a Washington author, saw a note Emmerson wrote on a Web site for city parents. Adler interviewed Emmerson and relayed her account.

He wrote that a TSA screener seized her 19-month-old's cup after asking if there was water in it, causing Emmerson's son to cry. Emmerson was told she would have to leave the security checkpoint and dump out the water if she wanted to keep the cup.

Emmerson said she accidentally spilled the water because she was nervous and traveling alone with a toddler.

TSA, however, said Emmerson dumped, not spilled, the water on the floor.

A TSA report said Emmerson told an officer that she was a Secret Service agent, flashed her credentials and said she was exempt from the "stupid" policy restricting liquids on planes.

But Emmerson denied that she flashed her badge, saying the video footage shows her digging in her luggage for identification.

"That's a gross lie," she said.

The video that TSA posted on its Web site Friday shows Emmerson being escorted from the security checkpoint as she appears to take the top off the sippy cup and shake it upside down.

It shows that after she was confronted by several officers, she used paper towels fetched by the TSA to clean up the spot as other passengers stream by her.

"The allegation here that we were out of control is absolutely false," said Earl Morris, deputy assistant administrator for security operations with the TSA. "If you look at the report and the video itself, it shows she's the only one who was out of control."

___

On the Net:

TSA Video: http://www.tsa.gov/approach/mythbusters/index.shtm

Less and less and less relevant as the centuries move ever on...and onward...
Pope hopeful on Catholic-Orthodox unity

By FRANCES D'EMILIO, Associated Press Writer Sat Jun 16, 6:09 PM ET

VATICAN CITY -
Pope Benedict XVI told a visiting Cypriot Orthodox leader Saturday that he holds hope that the Catholic and Orthodox churches can be united, despite centuries of painful division.

The churchmen also explored how the two sides could work together on social, moral and bioethical issues, including same-sex marriage and embryonic stem cell research.

Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus has offered to play the role of mediator to try to arrange a groundbreaking meeting between the pope and the Orthodox patriarch of Moscow, Alexy II. That encounter eluded the late John Paul II in his long papacy because of Catholic-Orthodox tensions following the demise of Soviet communism.

In a speech to the archbishop after their private session, Benedict said he held "firm hope" of uniting the two churches.

Despite "centuries-old divisions, diverging roads and despite the hard work of closing painful wounds, the Lord has never ceased to guide our steps on the path toward unity and reconciliation," Benedict said.

Chrysostomos told reporters that the chief problem was a lack of communication between the pope and the patriarch. He said he will pursue his offer to help organize a possible meeting when he meets with Alexy in Moscow next month.

The archbishop has contended that Benedict's background as a theologian with a good grasp of Orthodox theology would help the process of reuniting the two churches, which split nearly 1,000 years ago.

He said he left the meeting "with much optimism."

The Russian church accuses Roman Catholics of improperly seeking converts in areas that traditionally would be Russian Orthodox. The
Vatican has rejected the allegations, saying it is only ministering to Russia's tiny Catholic community of about 600,000 people in a country of 144 million.

In a joint statement, both leaders pledged to "intensify the search for full unity among all Christians."

The Vatican sees the Orthodox church as a logical partner in its efforts to push its conservative agenda on bioethical, social and moral issues, including opposition to embryonic stem cell research, abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage.

Benedict and Chrysostomos signed a joint statement indicating such collaboration was desired.

They expressed "serious worry" about bioethical issues, saying: "There is in fact the risk that certain techniques applied to genetics ... will end up harming the dignity of man."

The statement also expressed concern that humankind, by "putting itself at the center of the universe," endangers the environment.

The Pearl...
Thousands of pearls found in shipwreck

Sat Jun 16, 11:56 PM ET

KEY WEST, Fla. - Salvagers discovered thousands of pearls Friday in a small, lead box they said they found while searching for the wreckage of the 17th-century Spanish galleon Santa Margarita.

Divers from Blue Water Ventures of Key West said they found the sealed box, measuring 3.5 inches by 5.5 inches, along with a gold bar, eight gold chains and hundreds of other artifacts earlier this week.

They were apparently buried beneath the ocean floor in approximately 18 feet of water about 40 miles west of Key West.

"There are several thousand pearls starting from an eighth of an inch to three-quarters of an inch," said Duncan Mathewson, marine archaeologist and partner in Blue Water Ventures.

James Sinclair, archaeologist and conservator consulting with Mel Fisher's Treasures, Blue Water's joint-venture partners, said the pearls are very rare because of their antiquity and condition.

Sinclair said pearls don't normally survive the ocean water once they are out of the oyster that makes them.

"In this instance, we had a lead box and the silt that had sifted into the box from the site of the Margarita, which preserved the pearls in a fairly pristine state," he said.

An initial cache of treasure and artifacts from the Santa Margarita was discovered in 1980 by pioneering shipwreck salvor Mel Fisher. The ship was bound for Spain when it sank in a hurricane in 1622.

The pearls will be conserved, documented and photographed in an archaeological laboratory above the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West.

"Until they're properly cleaned and conserved we don't know their value, but it would seem they would be worth upwards of a million dollars," Mathewson said.

___

On the Net:

Blue Water Ventures: http://www.bluewaterventureskw.com

Mel Fisher's Treasures: http://www.melfisher.com

So, who wants his/her molecules scrambled by intense/excessive gravity? Hands?
Jet engine tested at 10 times speed of sound

Fri Jun 15, 9:28 AM ET

CANBERRA (Reuters) - An experimental jet engine has been successfully tested at speeds of up to 11,000 km (6,835 miles) per hour, or 10 times the speed of sound, during trials in Australia's outback, defense scientists said on Friday.

The experimental scramjet engine is an air-breathing supersonic combustion engine being developed by Australian and U.S. defense scientists that researchers hope will lead to super-high speed flight.

Scientists from Australia's defense Science and Technology Organization and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), used a conventional rocket to launch the scramjet high above the Woomera test site.

The engine was then tested as it reached speeds of Mach 10.

Scramjets need a rocket to propel the vehicle to high-speed before the engine can take over. They also need to operate in the thin atmosphere far above the altitude of commercial airliners.

"All the indications are it was a success, and we have some very happy scientists," an Australian defense spokesman told Reuters on Friday.

Flight data will be examined over coming weeks and compared to ground tests conducted in the United States, DARPA chief researcher Steven Walker said in a statement.

"We are pleased with this joint effort between the U.S. and Australia and believe that a hypersonic airplane could be a reality in the not too distant future," Walker said.

Scientists say the scramjet engine could lead to high-speed flights on long-range missions, as well as new low-cost ways to launch satellites into space.

Many people don't see relevance in precise standards, whose lives would fail without it.
The grind's almost over to forge two perfect balls

By Rob Taylor Thu Jun 14, 10:52 PM ET

CANBERRA (Reuters) - They will be the earth's roundest spheres, crafted by Australian scientists as part of an international hunt to find a new global standard kilogram.

Ever since scientists discovered that the current standard -- a bar of platinum and iridium held in a French vault since 1889 -- was slowly deteriorating, the search has been on for a replacement.

Using a single crystal of silicon-28 grown by Russian and German scientists over three years, a team of Sydney scientists and engineers will grind and polish two silvery balls, each weighing precisely one kilogram, with imperfections of less than 35 millionths of a millimeter.

"We are doing everything to really create a perfect object. It's not only near-perfect in roundness, but also the crystal purity, the atomic species and so on," project leader Walter Giardini told Reuters on Friday.

"Silicon is a very nice material to use that we understand well, makes good crystals and can be worked," said Giardini, from Australia's National Measurement Institute.

The two balls will take 12 weeks to create and, because they are made from a stable element, they will not fall victim to moisture, corrosion and contamination like the current kilogram standard, known as the International Prototype.

The spheres will be a step along the perfect kilogram road, with the project's ultimate aim to re-define the kilogram in terms of numbers of atoms, rather than an object open to damage from earthquake or environmental changes.

"The aim is not to change the value of the kilogram, but to ensure its stability for all future times," Giardini said. "It will no longer depend on an actual physical object and this is going to allow us to relate the mass to the individual atoms."

The project is a collaboration involving scientists from Russia, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Japan, the United States and Australia, in cooperation with the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.

On completion, the spheres will be measured for volume in Australia, Germany and Japan, then measured for mass. Belgian scientists will look at the molar mass of the crystal used to calculate the number of molecules in each sphere.

Australian scientists have the most expertise in grinding near-perfect spheres, having been turning them out for clients including
NASA since the early 1990s.

"We have developed technology so that we can see what we are getting, whether they are slightly oval or flat. We are trying for an accuracy of two parts in 100 million," Giardini said.

Israeli Aerospace Industry? They havetheir own launching facilities? They can put their own nuclear capabilities into space?
Israel satellite sends images from space

Thu Jun 14, 4:25 PM ET

JERUSALEM -
Israel's sophisticated new spy satellite has begun transmitting images from space, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.

Israel launched the Ofek-7 satellite into orbit Monday, giving it a new tool in its efforts to collect intelligence on
Iran and other regional adversaries. Israeli space officials said the information gathered would be shared with the United States.

Security officials said all its operating systems were working as planned. The officials would not discuss the quality of the pictures being transmitted.

The chief of the Defense Ministry's space program, Haim Eshed, has suggested the satellite could be used to gather information on Iran's nuclear program.

The satellite weighs 66 pounds, is 7 1/2 feet long and will operate at least four years, Israel Radio reported.

Best great hopes dashed!
Abbas dissolves Palestinian government

By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer 40 minutes ago

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - A beleaguered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a state of emergency and disbanded the Hamas-led unity government after the Islamic militant group vanquished its
Fatah rivals and effectively took control of the
Gaza Strip on Thursday.

Fearful that Hamas' momentum could spread to the
West Bank, Fatah went on the offensive there, rounding up three dozen Hamas fighters. Angry militants threw office furniture out a third-story window of the Palestinian parliament building in Ramallah, then set fire to the office of three Hamas lawmakers. A Hamas activist was shot and killed in Nablus, the first person to be killed in the West Bank after days of violence in Gaza; the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent Fatah offshoot, claimed responsibility.

In Gaza, it was a day of major victories for Hamas and its backers in
Iran and
Syria — and of devastating setbacks for the Western-backed Fatah. In one particularly humiliating scene, masked Hamas fighters marched agents of the once-feared Preventive Security Service out of their headquarters, arms raised in the air, stripped to the waist and ducking at the sound of a gunshot.

"The era of justice and Islamic rule has arrived," Hamas spokesman Islam Shahawan said.

The violence has killed at least 90 people in the past five days, including 33 on Thursday alone. Witnesses, Fatah officials and a doctor reported executions by Hamas militants of defeated Fatah fighters Thursday; Fatah said seven of its men were shot in the head gangland-style. Hamas denied any such killings.

Abbas, of Fatah, fired the Hamas prime minister and said he would install a new government, replacing the Hamas-Fatah coalition formed just three months ago. Abbas' decrees, which he issued in Ramallah, won't reverse the Hamas takeover of Gaza. Instead, his moves will enable Fatah to consolidate its control over the West Bank, likely paving the way for two separate Palestinian governments.

At a news conference in Gaza City early Friday, deposed Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh rejected Abbas' declaration, calling it "hasty" and saying he would maintain the unity government. Haniyeh said the situation was "not suitable for unilateral decisions."

He said the Hamas militia would impose law and order "firmly, decisively and legally." He also rejected the idea of a Palestinian state in Gaza only, run by Hamas.

In Damascus, one of the exiled leaders of Hamas, Moussa Abu Marzouk, also rejected setting up an Islamic state there. "Gaza will remain Gaza and there will be no changes in its future and will continue to be linked to the West Bank," he said.

But because Fatah has recognized
Israel's right to exist and signed on to past peace agreements, the international community's boycott of the Palestinian territories in the wake of Hamas' electoral successes may no longer apply to the West Bank — just to Gaza.

Some 2 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, territory that borders on the Jordan River and Jordan. About 1.4 million reside in Gaza, a 25-mile strip along the Mediterranean that touches Egypt.

Fatah's old demons — corruption, petty quarreling, lack of leadership — led to its dismal performance in Gaza. While disciplined Hamas systematically hoarded weapons, Fatah's Gaza leader, Mohammed Dahlan, preferred travel and West Bank politics to preparing for the inevitable showdown with the Islamic militants. Dahlan returned Thursday from Egypt, where he stayed several weeks after knee surgery. But instead of going to Gaza, he headed for Ramallah.

Many West Bank Palestinians, watching the fall of Gaza on their TV screens, pinned the blame on Abbas, whom they see as indecisive and detached. During Hamas's assaults in Gaza this week, no prominent Fatah leader was in the coastal strip to take command.

"Hamas has leadership, a goal, an ideology and funding," said Gaza analyst Talal Okal. "Fatah has neither leadership, nor a goal, a vision or money."

By capturing Gaza City's three main security compounds and the southern town of Rafah, Hamas secured its hegemony in Gaza, putting Islamic extremists in control there. The final target for Hamas was Abbas' Gaza City headquarters, which fell without a fight late Thursday as some officials fled by boat in the direction of Egypt.

For first time since fighting erupted five days ago, Abbas issued an order to strike back. But his words were too little, too late.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Abbas' decisions have "no value" on the ground.

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz vowed not to let the takeover of Gaza spill over into violence against Israel. Some Israelis said only a Gaza invasion could curb Hamas' military power. But for now, the government seems more inclined to stay out, fearful of inviting more rocket attacks on southern Israel.

In Washington, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said the United States backs Abbas' move. Abbas informed Rice of his decision in a phone call earlier Thursday.

"President Abbas has exercised his lawful authority as president of the
Palestinian Authority, as leader of the Palestinian people," Rice said. "We fully support him in his decision to try and end this crisis for the Palestinian people and to give them an opportunity ... to return to peace and a better future."

The
European Commission, meanwhile, suspended tens of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid projects in the Gaza Strip because of the escalating violence, a day after the U.N. announced it would scale back its relief projects there.

This week's fighting has been the most intense since Hamas won parliamentary elections last year, setting the stage for a violent power struggle with Fatah. Hamas reluctantly brought Fatah into the coalition in March to quell an earlier round of violence, but the uneasy partnership began crumbling last month over control of the powerful security forces.

No battle was more indicative of Gaza's hatreds and passions than the one at Preventive Security, one of Fatah's four main security bases in the coastal strip. After Hamas fighters overran it in a hail of mortar and gunfire Thursday, they touched their heads to the ground in prayer and marched vanquished gunmen into the streets shirtless.

Preventive Security carried out a brutal crackdown on Hamas in 1996, and the militants never forgot it.

"There is a history to it, a vendetta and a settling of scores," said Palestinian lawmaker Hanan Ashrawi.

Fatah officials, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said Hamas shot dead seven Fatah fighters after they had surrendered. A doctor at Shifa Hospital said he examined two bodies that had been shot in the head at close range.

A witness named Amjad who lives in a high-rise building that overlooks the Preventive Security complex said men were killed in front of their wives and children.

"They are executing them one by one," Amjad said in a telephone interview, declining to give his full name for fear of reprisals. "They are carrying one of them on their shoulders, putting him on a sand dune, turning him around and shooting."

The killers, he said, ignored appeals from neighborhood residents to spare the men's lives.

Abu Zuhri, the Hamas spokesman, denied the reports of gangland-style killings. "Whoever was killed was killed in clashes," he said.

Hamas TV said the Preventive Security building would be turned into an Islamic college. It showed a room with wall-to-wall wiretapping equipment — a testament to Fatah's collapsed control.

Hamas fighters later seized the Fatah-controlled intelligence services building, planting the Islamic group's green flag on the roof of the ship-shaped structure. And after nightfall, the group announced it had seized Fatah's last stronghold in Gaza, the National Security headquarters.

Hamas TV showed smoke billowing from the top two floors of the mortar-pocked, five-story intelligence building. Five masked gunmen posed inside for the TV camera, including one who raised two assault rifles in triumph.

Another gunman, wearing a Hamas headband around his helmet, stood in a pose of prayer, a hand to each side of his head, screaming "Allah is Great" at the top of his voice.

Spent bullets lay on the floor in one office, and a carton holding hand grenades stood in another area.

Outside the building, three masked gunmen prayed on the sidewalk, their weapons on the ground in front of them as they kneeled in prayer.

Vlad's legacy means a fortune to the lucky modern possessors of his domicile...
Romania defends 'Dracula Castle' return

Thu Jun 14, 8:48 PM ET

BUCHAREST, Romania - Romania's government on Thursday defended its decision to return "Dracula's Castle" to members of the former royal family, denying allegations that the decision was illegal.

The castle, famous for its links to a 15th-century medieval ruler who inspired Bram Stoker's "Dracula," was confiscated in 1948 by the former communist regime.

"When it comes to property confiscated by the communists, I as a prime minister don't have any problems with returning it," said Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu.

Culture Minister Adrian Iorgulescu said the castle was legally returned last year to heirs of Princess Ileana, its last owner. He noted that it was approved by the Justice Ministry and a national agency for returning confiscated assets.

"We are convinced that the property restitution was done correctly," he said.

An opposition-dominated legislative panel had argued the restitution was unlawful because of procedural errors.

"How is it possible that the restitution of a national treasure be done by a museum administering the castle," said Dumitru Puchianu, a lawmaker with the Democratic Party, which was recently expelled from the Cabinet.

The 14th-century fortress is associated with Prince "Vlad the Impaler," whose cruelty inspired Stoker's vampire Count Dracula. Legend has it that Vlad, who earned his nickname because of the way he tortured his enemies, spent one night there.

The new owner, New York-based architect Dominic Habsburg, signed a deal pledging to keep the castle open to visitors for three years. He later offered to sell it to local authorities for $80 million. His lawyer also rejected the lawmakers' criticism.

"The (lawmakers panel's) decision is wrong. It's a political one and it proves that private property is not respected in Romania," Corin Trandafir said.

The fortress, perched high on a rock and surrounded by snowcapped mountains in southern Transylvania, is one of Romania's top tourist attractions, visited by 400,000 people each year.

In recent years, the castle — complete with occasional glimpses of bats flying around its ramparts in the twilight — has attracted movie makers as a backdrop for films about Dracula and other horror themes.

Put a human bqby on the ground in a muddy pen and the pigs living there will kill and eat it!
Gay marriage upheld in only state where legal

By Jason Szep Thu Jun 14, 4:07 PM ET

BOSTON (Reuters) - Gay marriage in Massachusetts withstood a challenge on Thursday when lawmakers beat back a four-year effort by social conservatives to ban same-sex unions in the only U.S. state where they are legal.

With 1,000 protesters from both sides of the debate rallying outside the gold-domed statehouse, the Democratic-controlled legislature voted 151-45 to block the amendment that would have allowed voters to decide whether to ban same-sex marriage in a 2008 ballot.

"We're very disappointed," said Kristian Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, a conservative Christian organization that led a petition drive to reverse a historic 2003 state court ruling legalizing gay marriage.

Even if the change to the state's constitution had passed, opinion polls show voters in the traditionally liberal state likely would have preserved the status quo in the 2008 ballot, said Boston University communications professor Tobe Berkovitz.

"But I don't think that the pro-gay marriage side wanted to take a chance on that," he said. "That's why the stakes were so high in the legislature."

The vote in the 200-seat house, five short of the 50 needed to advance the amendment, was a victory for Gov. Deval Patrick, who won a November election by a landslide to become the state's first Democratic governor in 16 years.

Patrick had lobbied hard to defeat the proposal that was championed by his Republican predecessor, Mitt Romney, ahead of Romney's presidential campaign.

"People really struggled over this as a matter of principle," Patrick told reporters.

In 2003, the state's Supreme Judicial Court ruled that a ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional, paving the way for America's first same-sex marriages the following year. More than 8,000 gay and lesbian couples have since married.

Some gay marriage supporters wore stickers saying "Preserve Equality" and hundreds held colorful hand-made flags and signs such as "Marriage is a Human Right."

Social conservatives chanted "Let the people vote."

"Everybody comes from a man and a woman. That's the basic fundamental group or unit of society," said same-sex marriage opponent George Howe, 52. "People get caught up in man-man or woman-woman relationships, they are missing the point."

In a first round in January, the proposal won 62 votes -- enough to advance it to Thursday's second round of voting by state legislators.

It was unclear why some lawmakers who supported the amendment in January had switched positions.

Opponents of same-sex marriage said they wanted an investigation into whether ethics were violated in the lobbying to convince some lawmakers to switch votes.

"It isn't just a fight between two views of morality," said Tufts University political science professor Jeffrey Berry. "It's a fight between organizations, and the organizational depth on the pro-gay marriage side is a lot greater."

Literal, Fascist, Hatemongering, From my cold dead hands, White-Trash, Zealot-Thugs, whom" Jesus" would disown if he lived...
Unpopular Bush still a hit with Baptists

Wed Jun 13, 2:32 PM ET

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) -
President George W. Bush may have low approval ratings overall, but he can still bring a crowd of Southern Baptists to their feet.

Conservative white evangelical Protestants remain his most loyal base -- a point driven home on Wednesday when he made a televised address to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in San Antonio and received multiple standing ovations.

The ovations by the roughly 8,000 delegates in attendance stood in sharp contrast to his overall approval ratings which are consistently in the low- to mid-30 percent range in the face of the unpopular
Iraq war.

"I ... appreciate the fact that Southern Baptists are supporting our brave men and women in uniform," Bush said, one of several remarks that drew thunderous applause.

Evangelical Christians remain among the staunchest backers of the war in Iraq though polls have shown even their support has flagged as the conflict has dragged on.

They are also steadfastly opposed to abortion and clapped enthusiastically and shouted "Amen!" when Bush talked about building a "culture of life" -- code language for limiting or halting abortions.

"Southern Baptists are committed to building a culture of life and my administration shares that great goal," Bush said, noting that he refused to fund programs overseas that supported or performed abortions.

Southern Baptists embrace Bush, a Texan and devout Christian, as one of their own.

"On what we call values issues he has been a consistent social conservative. We very much appreciate his sincerity and his consistency on issues that we consider to be very crucial," said Gary Ledbetter, spokesman for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

The Southern Baptist Convention has 16 million members, making it America's largest evangelical denomination.