Friday, February 29, 2008

BAGHDAD — Gunmen on Friday kidnapped Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, police and the church said.

The gunmen also killed three people who were with Rahho, 65, at the time of the kidnapping, which occurred after he ended a Mass in a nearby church, said Iraqi Brig. Gen. Khalid Abdul-Sattar, a spokesman for the Ninevah province police.

An aide to Iraq's Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, leader of the church, said he did not know who was behind the kidnapping.

Read the Rest at Fox News

Labels: Iraq, Mosul, Ninevah Province

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Feb. 23, 2008) Flag bearers snap to attention before removing the American flag from the casket of Chief Photographer's Mate Edgar Tiemann during a burial-at-sea ceremony aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48). The ceremony included the burial of 13 honorably discharged Sailors and Marines. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Mandy Hunsucker

Labels: burial at sea, LSD 48, photos, ships, US Navy, USS Ashland

From Fox News:

It may make sense that certain public displays of affection should be off limits for junior high students, but a ban on hugs?

It has come to that at an Arizona school district, where administrators are taking a hard line on student-to-student embraces, MyFOXPhoenix.com reports.

Mesa Public Schools always had rules against public displays of affection by students, but the administrators recently took additional steps to remind students what types of hugs and other activities, such as kissing, are unacceptable, according to MyFOXPhoenix.com.


Next in the crosshairs: the phrase "Have a nice day." The rest of this idiocy is here.

Labels: political correctness, rampant stupidity

ROOFTOP SECURITY - U.S. Army soldiers attached to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment provide security on a rooftop during a patrol in the Al-Risalla district of Mosul, Iraq, Feb. 21, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kieran Cuddihy

Labels: 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Al-Risalla District, Mosul, photos, US Army

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Senate shelves Iraq U.S. troop withdrawal bill - Video
Al-Maliki: Iraqis are reconciling
PHOTOS: Life at Karama Hospital
Iraqi Air Force Pilots Get Airborne in ‘King Air’ for First Time
Marines Patrol Saqlawiyah Day and Night, Keep Streets Safe
Iraqi Police Find Hundreds of Munitions in Weapons Cache
Marine Battalion De-mobilizes, Heads to New Combat Outpost

Operation Enduring Freedom
Britain's Prince Harry in Afghanistan (And isn't it great that the whole world knows it now...)

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Crossfire War - War Between Hamas/Israel Reaches New Katyusha Level
Woman Faces Deportation for Alleged FARC Terror Link
Suicide blast near port in Sri Lanka capital
Israel unleashes air strikes on Gaza killing 20 - Video

Welcome Home!!
El Paso Hosts Heroes' Homecoming Parade

Other Military News
USS Cole Heads to Lebanon in Show of 'Support'
U.S. Air Force made late change to tanker criteria
China rise factors in Gates' focus on U.S.-Asia links

Religion of Peace??
Muslim Group Supports Jewish School Teams' Plea (Well, good for them!!)
Professor Gets 180 Lashes for Coffee With Student

Worldwide Wackos
U.N. Sanctions Vote Against Iran Expected Saturday
Cuba signs U.N. rights pacts that Castro opposed

Politics / Government
Don't Count Out Hillary
Is Bloomberg Still Open to VP Slot?
McCain Goofs, Calls Himself a Liberal
Use of Barack 'Hussein' Obama Blasted
Oregon Senate Candidate Aims at Voters' Funny Bone With Hook Hand, Short Size
Pelosi Wants Progress in White House Contempt Case
Detroit City Council Committee to Mayor: Quit
Gun that killed JFK assassin in pop culture auction
Obama says Europe must do more in Afghanistan
Bush says bonus checks to Americans in May - Video
Bush raps Obama pledge to meet hostile leaders - Video
Clinton counts on women for comeback
Bush says US not headed into a recession
McCain says 100-year remark distorted
IRS sending out millions of alerts
Clinton raises $35 million in 1 month
Obama criticizes Bush, McCain on economy
Senate Republicans block Democrats' housing bill
Bolivia's Congress calls for vote on constitution
Russians to vote for a new president but keep the old one - Video
Deal brings hope that Kenya's dark chapter is over - Video

Illegal Immigration / Border Control
Vast immigrant smuggling ring smashed in L.A.

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Arrest in Los Angeles Shootout
Jury Convicts Man of Killing Ex-Girlfriend at CNN Headquarters
14-Year-Old Charged With Trying to Kill Mother
New Jersey Nanny Admits Drugging Toddlers So They'd Sleep
Devil-Worshipping Rapist Attacks Fiancée During Prison Leave
Cops: Georgia Man Kills Motorcyclist Who Was Following Teen Daughters
Burglar's Map Leads to Buried Treasure Under Calif. Freeway
FBI Probing Whether Clemens Lied to Congress
Cops: Man Recieved Over 200 Pounds of Weed Via UPS
Twin Gay Porn Actors Suspected in Burglaries
Drew Peterson: 'I Controlled My Family' - PHOTOS - VIDEO
FBI begins perjury probe on Roger Clemens testimony - Video
U.S. incarcerates more than any other nation: report
U.S. court denies Conrad Black bond during appeal

Adventures in Political Correctness
Study: Spanking May Lead to Sexual Problems Later in Life

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the Nnews / Watching the Web
Harvard scholars to explore Net safety

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
Blind Man Regains Sight After Doctors Implant Son's Tooth in His Eye
Arctic 'Sea Monster' Terrorized Prehistoric Oceans
13-Year-Old Girl Allergic to Almost Everything
What a nightmare: Americans get too little sleep
Tobacco poses threat to moms in developing world
Trawl of two groups' genes shows differences
Remote Canada town a hub for Northern Lights seekers
Google unveils personal medical record service - Video
Nintendo Wii outsells PS3 4-to-1 in Japan - Video
Study shows bacteria are common in snow
Mars project faces technical problems

Mother Nature
Fake flipper sought for sea turtle
Dogs trap mail carrier, flatten tires

Oddities
Pssst! Want to buy a fake Ferrari?
Bikers say wrong night for a robbery
Cook accused of putting hair in a steak

Other News of Note
Explosion Rocks Illinois Mall, Injuring 8

Fox News
Mexican Lawmaker Takes Heat for Film Striptease
Baby in India Survives Falling From Train Moments After Birth
Mom Severely Injured Trying to Save Son, 2, From Oncoming Car
Topless Photos Said to Be of Oscar-Winning 'Juno' Screenwriter Diablo Cody Emerge
Pop Tarts: Reese Witherspoon Has History of Being 'Ugly'

Reuters
Gallery break?
Richard Branson beats Jesus in British role model poll
Valentino red lives again as Facchinetti debuts
AIG posts $5.29 billion quarterly loss
Policy response to market turmoil on way: Paulson
Recession worry mounts on weak GDP, job claims - Video
Dell profit misses estimates, shares fall
Sprint posts huge loss, scraps dividends
Merrill to shut down subprime lending unit: report
Beijing opens $3.6 bln air terminal
Stocks and dollar wince as Bernanke predicts pain
Stocks fall on jobless claims, Fed's bank warning - Video
Dell falls after results
Dollar hits 3-yr low versus yen, rate view stings
Oil hits fresh high after Ecuador pipeline rupture - Video
Kohl's profit down, stock slips on outlook
US Airways CEO sees airline industry heading down
MF Global records $141.5 mln bad-debt provision
Apple shares rise on optimism over iPhone demand
Oil to average $84 this year
Multidimensional retirement planning

AP World News
Cribs recalled for faulty railing
'American Idol' cuts 4 more contestants
Rowling bashes 'Harry Potter Lexicon'
Records: Jackson late on home payments
Oprah's book pick sells at record pace
McCartney divorce ruling due March 17
Bernanke doesn't see return of '70s woes
Clemens' issues concern Astros' owner

News Blaze
John McCain for President--of Panama!
Q&A: Religion and the Candidates
Support Our Troops, Read Their Stories
PHOTOS: Sharing Supplies, Smiles
Iraq News
Read about Operations in Iraq
FOB Warhorse Memorial Photos
Videos

CENTCOM: News Releases
Feb. 22 Statement from Multi-National Force - Iraq commending cease-fire extension
Successful operations target top Taliban leader
Civilians targeted in northern Iraq
Coalition forces identify terrorist killed in Feb. 17 operation

USJFCOM
SOCJFCOM continues to ready warfighters for global operations - podcast
More about SOCJFCOM
Phase one of Multinational Experiment 5 wraps up
More about Multinational Experiment 5
Joint Knowledge Online extends cultural awareness training for U.S. Forces Korea - podcast
Newsmaker Profile: Director of Joint Training Army Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya - podcast

Multi-National Force-Iraq
MND-B Soldiers, ISF, local residents discover multiple caches
Sons of Iraq discover caches, turn over to MND-C Soldiers
Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda operations; two killed, 15 detained
Escalation of force results in death of Iraqi (al-Muqdadiyah)
MND-N Soldiers increase protection at Balad mosque

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Gates Returns From Around-the-World Trip
Travels with Gates
Gates Meets with Turks, Urges Open Dialogue
Rapid Withdrawal From Iraq Would Negate Security Gains
Mullen Says Military Must Adopt Wartime Attitude
Deputy Secretary Urges House To Pass 2009 Defense Budget
Bush: Success in Iraq Must Be Sustained for U.S. Security

AFGHANISTAN NEWS
Military Police Visit Hospital Patients

MILITARY NEWS
‘Military Saves Week’ Highlights Troop Assistance
U.S.-African Partnerships Evolve Ahead of Command

IRAQ NEWS
U.S. Military Sales Program Grows in Iraq
Detention Facilities Adopt Anti-insurgent Tactics
Iraqi Academy Grads Learn Leadership Skills
Focus Shifts from Police Recruitment to Quality
Coalition Forces Kill Two Terrorists, Detain 15 Suspects

FACE OF DEFENSE
‘Active First’ Guard Grad Continues Tradition

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Three Troops Affect Afghan, Iraqi Families

Today in History
0468 - St. Hilary ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1504 - Columbus uses a lunar eclipse to frighten hostile Jamaican Indians
1692 - Sarah Good & Tituba, an Indian servant, accused of witchcraft, Salem
1696 - English ex-premier Earl Danby accused of corruption
1704 - French & Indians attack Deerfield MA, kill 50, abduct 100
1720 - Queen Ulrica Eleonora of Sweden resigns
1784 - Marquis de Sade transferred from Vincennes fortress to the Bastille
1796 - Jay's Treaty proclaimed, settles some differences with England
1816 - Dutch (King) Willem II marries Russian grand-duchess Anna Paulowna
1832 - Charles Darwin visits jungle near Bahia Brazil
1848 - Neufchatel declares independence of Switzerland
1856 - Hostilities in Russo-Turkish War cease
1868 - 1st British government of Disraeli forms
1880 - Gotthard railway tunnel between Switzerland & Italy opens
1892 - Britain & US sign treaty on seal hunting in Bering Sea
1904 - Theodore Roosevelt, appoints 7 man committee to study Panamá Canal
1908 - Dutch scientists produce solid helium
1932 - Failed coup attempt by fascist Lapua Movement in Finland
1936 - FDR signs 2nd neutrality act
1940 - 45 U boats sunk this month (170,000 ton); Hattie McDaniel becomes 1st black woman to win an Oscar
1944 - 5 leaders of Indonesia Communist Party sentenced to death; US troop land on Los Negros, Admirality Islands
1948 - Stern-group bomb Cairo-Haifa train, 27 British soldiers died
1952 - Dick Button wins his 5th consecutive world figure skating title
1956 - Islamic Republic established in Pakistan; President Eisenhower announces he would seek a 2nd term
1960 - 1st Playboy Club, featuring bunnies, opens in Chicago; Earthquake kills 1/3 of Agadir Morocco population (12,000) in 15 seconds; JFK makes "missile gap" the Presidential campaign issue
1964 - LBJ reveals US secretly developed the A-11 jet fighter
1968 - 1st pulsar discovered (CP 1919 by Jocelyn Burnell at Cambridge); National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (Kerner Commission) reports against racism & demands aid given to blacks
1972 - Hank Aaron becomes 1st baseball player to sign for $200,000 a year; Jack Anderson discloses Dita Beard (ITT) memo indicating antitrust charges were dropped for $400,000 contribution to Republican Party
1980 - Gordie Howe becomes 1st NHL player to score 800 career goals; Michael Bracey ends 59 hours 55 minutes trapped in an elevator, England
1984 - Canadian PM Pierre Elliott Trudeau announced he is stepping down
1988 - Nazi document implicates Waldheim in WWII deportations; NYC Mayor Koch calls Reagan a "WIMP" in the war on drugs
1996 - Soyuz TM-23 lands

Birthdays
1468 - Paul III, last Renaissance pope (1534-49)
1736 - Anna Lee Manchester, founder (Shaker movement in America)
1792 - Gioacchino Rossini Pesaro, composer (Barber of Seville); Karl Ernst von Baler, naturalist (discovered human ovum)
1796 - [Lambert] Adolphe J. Quetelet, Belgian astronomer/meteorology
1828 - Antonio Guzman Blanco, President of Venezuela
1840 - John Philip Holland, pioneer in submarine building
1860 - Herman Hollerith inventor (1st electric tabulating machine)
1896 - Ranchhodji Morarji Desai, premier of India (1977-79)
1904 - Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenberdorft Sr, had a Christian name for every letter in the alphabet, shortened it to Mr Wolfe Plus 585 Sr
1920 - Louise Wood, director of Girl Scouts of USA (1961-72)
1924 - David Beattie, British Governor-General of New Zealand
1936 - Jack R. Lousma, Colonel USMC/astronaut (Skylab 3, STS-3)
1952 - Bart Stupak (Representative-D-MI)
1964 - James RB Ogilvy, son of English princess Alexandra

Passings
0468 - St. Hilary [Pope Hilarius], Catholic Pope (461-468)
0642 - Oswald, English missionaries/saint, in battle
1528 - Patrick Hamilton Scottish protestant martyr, burned at stake
1604 - John Whitgift Archbishop of Canterbury (1583-1604), dies at about 74
1868 - [Charles] Louis I [Augustus], King of Bavaria (L Montez), at 81
1928 - Armando V. Diaz, Italian marshal/minister of War (1922-24), at 66
1956 - Elpidio Quirino, President of Philippines (1949-53), at 65
1964 - Victor van Straelen, Flemish biologist/paleontologist, at 74
1980 - Yigol Alton, Israeli Foreign Minister, at 61
1996 - Duncan Stuart Wilson, Fighter pilot-MacDonald, at 83; Joe Minogue, journalist, at 72

Reported Missing in Action
1968
Fitton, Crosley J., USAF (CT); F105F shot down (w/Harris) - SRV returned remains 12/75

Harris, Cleveland S., USAF (AL); F105F shot down (w/Fitton) - remains returned 3/85

Labels: Headlines, History