U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Ed Franco plays with local refugee children in Dar Ul Aman, Kabul, Afghanistan, April 8, 2007, in support of a volunteer community outreach program. The program has set up a children diversion tactic that allowed volunteers to distribute 200 bags filled with clothes, shoes and toys without distraction and is provided every month with the help of donated items from U.S. citizens. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio M. Ricardo Jr.


U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Shawn Haney, a religious cultural affairs mentor at the Human Resource Division within the Combined Security Trainng Command Afghanistan, plays with a local refugee child in Dar Ul Aman, Kabul, Afghanistan, April 8, 2007, in support of a volunteer community outreach program. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio M. Ricardo Jr.


A Department of Defense civilian employee plays with local refugee children in Dar Ul Aman, Kabul, Afghanistan, April 8, 2007, in support of a volunteer community outreach program. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio M. Ricardo Jr.


A local refugee child stands in front of his home, a building filled with approximately 1,000 refugees in Dar Ul Aman, Kabul, Afghanistan, April 8, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio M. Ricardo Jr


A U.S. Air Force airman holds a local refugee child in Dar Ul Aman, Kabul, Afghanistan, April 8, 2007, in support of a volunteer community outreach program. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio M. Ricardo Jr.

Labels: Afghanistan, children, Dar Ul Aman, Humanitarian Aid, Kabul, photos, US Army, USAF, USMC

After the Flood
U.S. Army Maj. Arnold Strong, Task Force Phoenix, assists local Afghan residents during a relief event, April 10, 2007. Troops distributed various food items, clothing and tools to 100 families in Kabul, to help them after flooding destroyed their homes. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class David M. Votroubek

Labels: Afghanistan, Humanitarian Aid, Kabul, Operation Enduring Freedom, photos, Task Force Phoenix, US Army

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Suicide bombers kill dozens in Iraq - Video

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Two bombers attack U.S. targets in Morocco - Video
No breakthrough seen at Olmert-Abbas Jerusalem talks

Troops on Trial
Group: U.S. Marines Broke International Law

Other Military News
Returning troops face obstacles to care
Reserve not Affected by New Policy
Former Navy Academy QB Expelled

Worldwide Wackos
U.S.: U.N. Resolution Against North Korea Has Deep Support
U.S. urges N.Korea to bring back nuclear inspectors
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Calls Reconciliation With the U.S. 'Impossible'

Politics / Government
McCain Trails Republican Rivals in Money
Wolfowitz Gets New Lifeline in Scandal
European nations pile pressure on Wolfowitz
Iowa fund-raiser draws nine Republican hopefuls
Bush, Democrats trade accusations in war stand-off
Bush to pay first visit to Pope in June
Driver Who Hit Corzine Had 'Special Needs'
White House: We Will Try to Recover E-Mails
McCain trails GOP rivals in cash-on-hand
Analysis: Rove flap gives Dems ammo
Corzine surgery a success, doctors say

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Georgia Baby Sitter Gets 5 Years for Smothering Baby While in Drunken Stupor
Mysterious Murder of Randi Gorenberg
Preacher's Wife Tried to Pass Bad Checks
Panamanian Police Questioning Woman In Murder of Female New York Socialite
Okla. police, murder suspect in standoff

Adventures in Political Correctness (or the distinct lack thereof)
Report: Ghost Museum Closes After Muslims Complain It's Detrimental to Faith
KKK Robe Sent to Memphis Councilman
Sharpton Blasts German Military for 'Depicting Blacks as Target Practice'
German Youths Make Amends for Holocaust

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Only Driven to Church on Sundays (Pope's car goes unsold on eBay)
The Untold Story Behind Shock Jock Don Imus
Victims Still Falling Prey to Nigerian E-Mail Scam
Researchers: Scrap the Internet, Start Over
Web site revived to speculate on World Bank chief
Poll: Most Americans filing taxes online

Science / Medicine / Technology
Salt Shockers: 10 High-Salt Foods You Don't Expect
Rattlesnake meat cure can cause salmonella: study
Human error blamed in failure of NASA Mars craft
'Virtual humans' sought for crash tests
Biotech seeks to ease reliance on corn
Heated space race under way in Asia

Mother Nature
Deadly Storm Barrels East - Nor'easter expected to hit coast Sunday
Moderate quake jolts Japan, two injured
Thai flash floods death toll rises to 35

Oddities
Entertainer Don Ho Dead at 76

Other News of Note
Future of Imus Charity Ranch Questioned
Titanic's passenger list goes online
France wrestles with its own decline

Fox News
Chicago Advances in Bid for 2016 Olympics
Kasparov Fined $38 at Anti-Kremlin Protest
Astros in Series for 1st Time in 44-Year History

Reuters: Top News
Chicago is U.S candidate to host 2016 Games
Britain's Prince William breaks up with girlfriend - Video
Mexican bus crash kills 24
Nicaragua attacks advancing Mexican drug cartel
Russian police thwart anti-Kremlin protest
LA loses bid but backs Chicago for 2016 Olympics
Game accessories strain relationships, decor
"Charlotte's Web" DVD an Easter treat
Stocks' gains hinge on earnings and CPI
Profit growth brightens, may surprise on upside
Earnings threaten to cut oil rally short
Nasdaq should hurry up and buy
Google to pay $3.1 bln for DoubleClick ad business
Daimler CEO wants to keep Chrysler stake: report
G7 to stay upbeat on growth, wary on currencies - Video
Nissan to postpone mid-term sales target: source
Egypt cenbank rejects UAE bid for bank: bidder

AP World News
Pirated material destroyed in China
'Grey's Anatomy' wins GLAAD Award
Fan sites look back at rise of Potter
IMF calls for better currency monitoring
Hill helps Cubs win 1st game at Wrigley
Bonds hits 736th, 737th career homers

Military.com
Def Tech: Robot Rules of War
The Sandbox: On Being Home
Opinion: TV Tyranny of the Left
Check Out the Latest Video News
Podcast: Our Military Kids
Poll: Effect of 15-month Tours?

CENTCOM: News Releases
COALITION FORCES RESCUE CIVILIANS FROM DISABLED HELICOPTER
TALIBAN SUFFER CONSIDERABLE LOSSES IN SANGIN
AIRPOWER SUMMARY FOR APRIL 13
STATEMENT FROM MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ CONDEMING CONTINUED ATTACKS

USJFCOM
Secretary of the Air Force visits U.S. Joint Forces Command - podcast
USJFCOM continues to improve Joint National Training Capability - podcast
USJFCOM supports intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance conference - podcast

DefenseLink
Military News
Recruiting, Retention Rates Remain Solid in March

War on Terror
Forces Capture 18 Suspected Terrorists in Iraq - Story

America Supports You
Group Entertains Troops - Story

Transformation
Sailors Will Need CAC to Log In
Chaplain Invents New Chapel Kit

Face of Defense
Pre-dawn Mission Brings Results - Story

DefendAmerica
DefendAmerica Week in Review
Sunday - Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday - Friday - Saturday

Weather
Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Germany
Ansbach Aschaffenburg Berlin Berlin-Tempelhof Berlin/Schonefeld Bremerhaven
Darmstadt Frankfurt Frankfurt/Main Freiburg/Breisgau Garmisch
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Geilenkirchen Gelnhausen Giessen Kitzingen
Hanau Am Main Heidelberg Mainz Mannheim Nurnberg Stuttgart Trier
Wiesbaden Wurzburg

Gitmo

Guam
Agana Agana Heights Agat Andersen AFB Asan Barrigada

Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Japan
Kadena Air Base Okinawa Tokyo Yokohama

Today in History
0069 - Battle at Bedriacum, North-Italy
1205 - Battle at Adrianople - Bulgaria beats Emperor Boudouin of Constantinople
1250 - Pope Innoncent III refuses Jews of Cordova Spain permission to build a synagogue
1450 - French defeat English at Battle of Formigny in 100 Years' War
1493 - Columbus meets with King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella
1581 - Cortes van Thomar accepts Philip II as king of Portugal
1621 - Hugo the Great arrives in France
1632 - Swedish & Saxon army beat Earl Tilly
1654 - England & Netherlands signs peace treaty
1689 - French king Louis XIV declares war on Spain
1697 - Charles XII succeeds Charles XI as King of Sweden
1715 - Uprising of Yamasse-Indians in South Carolina
1716 - Russian & Prussian troops occupy Wismar
1738 - Bottle opener invented
1776 - Duchess of Kingston found guilty of bigamy
1784 - 1st balloon flight in Ireland
1788 - England, Netherlands & Prussia sign peace treaty
1793 - Bank of England hands out 1st £5-note
1800 - James Ross discovers North Magnetic pole
1817 - 1st American school for the deaf opens (Hartford CT)
1850 - City of San Francisco incorporated
1851 - Earl G. Andrássy sentenced to death in Hungary
1858 - Battle of Azimghur, Mexicans defeat Spanish loyalists
1861 - Federal army (75,000 volunteers) mobilized by President Abraham Lincoln
1864 - General Steeles' Union troops occupies Camden, AR
1865 - Otto von Bismarck elevated to earl
1870 - Last day US silver coins allow to circulate in Canada
1874 - New York legislature passes compulsory education law
1877 - 1st telephone installed Boston-Somerville MA
1878 - Harley Procter introduces Ivory Soap
1892 - General Electric Company forms & incorporated in New York
1896 - 1st Olympic games close at Athens, Greece
1910 - William Howard Taft is 1st US President to throw out a 1st ball at a baseball game
1918 - Clemenceau publishes secret French/Austrian documents
1920 - New Canadian small cent coin is released
1922 - Frederick Banting, John MacLeod & Charles Best discover insulin
1927 - Switzerland & USSR agree to diplomatic relations
1931 - The 1st walk across America backwards began
1939 - Albert Lebrun elected President of France
1940 - British troops land at Narvik, Norway
1941 - 1st helicopter flight of 1 hour duration, Stratford, CT
1942 - George VI awards the George Cross to the people of Malta
1945 - FDR buried on grounds of Hyde Park home; British & Canadian troops liberate Nazi camp of Bergen-Belsen; US troops occupy concentration camp Colditz
1948 - 1st Jewish-Arab military battle, Arabs defeated; Indian territory of Himachal Pradesh created
1951 - Michael Gorsira is 1st person in charge of Curaçao
1952 - 1st B-52 prototype test flight; Franklin National Bank issues 1st bank credit card
1953 - Malans National Party wins South African elections
1955 - Ray Kroc starts the McDonald's chain of fast food restaurants (Illinois)
1957 - Saturday mail delivery restored after Congress givs Post Office $41 million
1959 - Fidel Castro begins US goodwill tour; US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles resigns
1960 - Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), organizes at Shaw University
1962 - US national debt above $300,000,000,000
1964 - Chesapeake Bay Bridge opens (Bridge-Tunnel measures 17.6 miles (28.4 km) and is considered the world's largest bridge-tunnel complex); Ian Smith becomes premier of Rhodesia
1970 - Libyan leader Qadhafi launches "Green Revolution"
1974 - Military coup in Niger, President Diori Hamani deposed
1975 - Gabon amends constitution
1978 - 43 die as 2 express trains collide head-on south of Bologna Italy
1983 - Tokyo Disneyland opens
1984 - Extremist Sikhs plunder 40 stations in Punjab India
1985 - South Africa repeals marriage laws against whites & non-whites
1986 - US air raids on Libya, responding to La Belle disco, Berlin bombing
1988 - Meteorite explodes above Indonesia
1989 - 95 crushed to death at Sheffield Soccer Stadium in England; Students in Beijing hold pro-democracy protests
1991 - Europe foreign ministers lift most remaining sanctions against South Africa
1992 - Billionaire Leona Helmsley is sent to jail for tax evasion; William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy & DeForest Kelley inducted into National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame
1997 - America OnLine, begins service in Japan; Baseball honors Jackie Robinson by retiring #42 for all teams

Birthdays
1452 - Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter/sculptor/scientist/visionary
1469 - Nanak, 1st guru of Sikhs
1684 - Catherine I, Empress of Russia (1725-27)
1800 - Sir James Clark Ross, explorer (British Antarctic)
1820 - Evander McNair, Confederate Brigadier General
1821 - Emerson Brown Joseph (Confederacy)
1822 - Napolean Jackson Tecumseh Dana, Union Major General
1829 - Mary Harris Thompson, 1st American woman surgeon
1837 - Horace Porter, Union Brevet Brigadier General
1874 - Johannes Stark, German physicist (Stark effect) (Nobel 1919)
1882 - Giovanni Amendola, Italian antifascist/editor-in-chief (Il Mondo)
1912 - Kim Sung Il, President of North Korea (1945-94)
1919 - Clive Beadon, airman
1920 - Richard von Weizsäcker, Baron/President (Germany, 1984-94)
1921 - Georgi Timofeyevich Beregovoi, cosmonaut (Soyuz 3)
1928 - Richard Evans, British diplomat
1929 - Adrian Cadbury, candy manufacturer (Cadbury, Schweppes)
1930 - Vigdis Finnbogadóttir, President of Iceland
1932 - David Bolton, director (British Royal United Service for Defense); Nikolai Stepanovich Porvatkin, Russian cosmonaut
1941 - Howard L. Berman (Representative-CA)
1942 - Kim Jong Il, son of North Korean President Kim Sung Il (1972-94)
1945 - Jos F. B. van Rey, Dutch MP (VVD)
1946 - Wayne Gilchrest (Representative-MD)
1951 - Marsha S Ivins, astronaut (STS 32, 46, 62, 81); Heloise II columnist (Heloise's Helpful Hints)
1951 - John L. Phillips, PhD/astronaut
1956 - Gregory J. Harbaugh, astronaut (STS 39, 54, 71, 82)
1960 - Marvin Clyde Goodwin, murderer (FBI Most Wanted List)
1960 - Philip, Belgian pPrince/husband of Princess Paola
1965 - Soichi Noguchi, astronaut

Passings
1415 - Manuel Chrysoloras, Byzantine leader/diplomat (Erotèmata)
1502 - Jan IV Chalon, Prince of Orange, dies
1605 - Boris Godunov, Tsar of Russia (1598-1605)
1764 - Jeanne-Antoinette-Poison LeNormant d'Etoiles, Marquis de Pomador
1824 - Theodorus F. van Capellen, Vice-Admiral (Algiers), dies at 61
1865 - President Abraham Lincoln dies, at 7:22 am, the morning after being shot by John Wilkes Booth
1975 - John B. McKay, US test pilot (X-15)
1980 - Jean-Paul Sartre, existentialist philosopher/writer (Nobel 1964), dies in Paris at 74
1982 - 5 Muslim extremist murderers of Egyptian President Sadat executed; Louis M. de Guiringaud French foreign minister (1976-78), commits suicide at 70
1986 - Sergei Nikolayevich Anokhin, cosmonaut, dies at 76
1989 - Hu Yaobang, General Secretary of Chinese Commnist Party
1990 - Greta Garbo, actress (Anna Karenina, Camille), dies at 84
1997 - Zdenek Mlynar, Secretary of Czechoslovakian Communist Central Committee (1968)

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Zerbe, Michael R., USN (CA); SH3 crashed, Killed, body not recovered

1968
Metz, James H., USAF (MO); F105D shot down - SRV returned remains to PCOM March, 1977

1970
Bivens, Herndon A., US Army (NY); UH1H shot down (passenger) - DIC 2 hrs after capture

Miller, Roger A., US Army (NY); UH1H shot down (passenger) - released by PRG March, 1973 (injured) - alive as of 1998

1972
Despiegler, Gale A., USAF (MN); F4E shot down (w/Trimble) - released by DRV March, 1973 - alive as of 1998

Trimble, Larry A., USAF (WA); F4E shot down (w/Despiegler) - remains returned June, 1989 - ID'd September, 1989

Labels: Headlines, History