CROSSED SABERS - U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua takes a break from patrol to visit the parade field at the crossed sabers in Baghdad’s International Zone, April 10, 2008. Perkins is assigned to the 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Platoon, 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, attached to Multinational Division – Baghdad. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Rodney Manzo

Labels: 10th Mountain Division, Baghdad, MND-B, photos, US Army

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraqi Government Sacks 1,300 Soldiers, Police Following Basra Fiasco
Fighting resumes in Baghdad's Sadr City
Iraq to seek parliamentary approval for long-term U.S. pact - Video
Mass grave found north of Baghdad: U.S. military
Hadley: Iran a threat in Iraq
Bomb explosion in Baghdad kills 4

Operation Enduring Freedom
Taliban Insurgents Kill 11 Policemen in Afghanistan

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Israel snubs Carter, declines security help

Troops on Trial
Captured Marine May Have E-Mailed Authorities - PHOTOS

Other Military News
U.S. general says crimes should not hurt Japan ties

Worldwide Wackos
Chavez: NATO-Like South American Defense Planned

Homegrown Moonbats
Rev. Wright Slams Media at Funeral
Alicia Keys: 'Gangsta Rap' Created to Convince Black People to Kill Each Other
Carter Defends Upcoming Meeting With Hamas - VIDEO

Politics / Government
Obama: I'm Not Perfect
Report: Gore, Carter to Team Up, Urge Clinton to Drop Out
Clinton Keeps On Obama Over Small Town Remarks
Clinton, Obama Discuss Faith at Pennsylvania Forum
Pope and Bush have foreign policy differences - Video
McCain seeking to assure Americans, "I detest war" - Video
Clinton to offer steps to boost trade enforcement - Video
Clinton knocks on doors in Scranton, Pa.
Democrats: McCain financing questionable
Obama turns tables on Clinton
McCain more conservative than his image (Well, geez - I sure hope so!)
Russia's biggest party seeks Putin as leader

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Shooting Prompts Evacuation of Florida Water Park
Man Arrested 53 Times for Groping Women on New York Subway
Vermont Mother Drowns Self, Two Young Children in Stream
Polygamist Moms Appeal to Governor in Letter - PHOTOS
Sect investigation moving to courtroom
U.S. "milkshake" murderess appeals Hong Kong verdict

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
AP poll method, questions and results

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
Trading Nude Photos Via Mobile Phone Now Part of Teen Dating, Experts Say (Egads)
'We Have the Technology That Can Make a Cloned Child'
Big U.S. study links breast cancer to drinking
Chinese AIDS victims detained, harassed: lawyers
Peru says Yale has over 40,000 Machu Picchu relics
Japan Willcom shows off world's 1st Intel Atom phone
Sludge tested as lead-poisoning fix

Mother Nature
Beijing Announces Plan to Cut Pollution for Olympics

News from My Neck of the Woods
Yankees Unearth Hidden Red Sox Jersey from New Stadium

Oddities
Uruguay hosts biggest BBQ, grills 12 tons of beef

Other News of Note
Huge Crowds Expected for Pope's U.S. Arrival - PHOTOS
FOX News Special Coverage: The Pope in America
China says firearms found in Tibetan temple - Video

Fox News
Delta-Northwest Deal Flying High
American Resumes Full Service, FAA Says A-OK
IRS Audits of Largest Companies in 'Historic Collapse'
FOXBusiness: Blockbuster Offers to Buy Circuit City
Immelman Wins the Masters - PHOTOS - LEADERBOARD
Ivana Trump Marries Italian Entrepreneur at Ex-Husband's Estate

Reuters
Taiwan VP-elect says China agrees to official talks
Maoist ex-rebels continue to widen lead in Nepal count
Berlusconi, Veltroni wait as Italy poll nears end - Video
Gang protests dampen Kenya's joy over cabinet - Video
If your mom's your best friend, who's your mother?
Birkin buyer says cracked code for Hermes "it" bag
"Prom Night" parties at North American box office - Video
Cate Blanchett has third baby
Wachovia posts surprise loss, eyes $7 billion capital
Deutsche Bank aims to sell $20 billion in debt: report
Manitowoc to buy Enodis for $1.9 billion
Jet Air eyes growth in gloom, warns Boeing
Baby foods boost Danone's sales
AOL lands Verizon advertising deal
U.S. economy angst hits global stocks
Oil falls below $110 on signs of slowing demand
TV hurts Philips profit, weak economy looms
Futures point to lower Wall St open
Wall St sees deeper slide in earnings: report
Nikkei falls 3.1 pct on firm yen, U.S. econ worries
Dollar reverses post G7 gains vs euro
POSCO drops over 6 percent on steel margin concerns
Gold falls 1 percent on dollar rise
Bank earnings: Less than bad?
Bank rally is a bit premature

AP World News
4 killed in Kenyan gang protest
Salesforce.com to sell Google apps
Vessels collide on Mississippi; 18 hurt
Report: Wachovia to get $7B investment
Craig sheds 007 charm for new film
Dalai Lama fears more Chinese force
Zimbabwe to hold partial vote recount
World Bank leader urges action on food
Turmoil hits Mont. club for ultra rich
'Prom Night' carves out $22.7M debut
Papal visit provokes array of protests

News Blaze
Increased Security Brings New Commerce to Hawijah, Iraq
National policemen from 7th NP Bde. provide medical clinic for citizens of Doura
China Rules Our Streets, Three Monkeys Sit Quietly
Soldiers' Angels and Patriot Guard
Iraq News
Operations in Iraq
FOB Warhorse Memorial Photos
Videos

CENTCOM
Detained opium, arms traffickers identified
Baby left at doorstep finds new home
Iraqi-U.S. joint patrol works to deter oil looting
Troops build African partnerships with well-drilling project
Iraqis want to establish national sovereignty

USJFCOM
USJFCOM signs letter of intent to support interagency online training
Phase two of Multinational Experiment 5 kicks off
More about Multinational Experiment 5 - podcast
Joint Interoperability Division helps training take flight - podcast
USJFCOM opens new Joint Intelligence Laboratory
Joint fires team assists Army training center
Industry symposium to raise awareness of 21st century capabilities
Workshop looks at strengthening capabilities in the urban environment
Command releases report
Village of Hope gives Iraqis new perspective

Multi-National Force - Iraq
Sons of Iraq Screened for ISF
Foreign-Born Troops Become U.S. Citizens in Largest Naturalization Ceremony in Iraq
Port City is Open for Business
Women’s Sewing Center Opens
Criminals’ IED strike sets market ablaze (Eastern Baghdad)
One terrorist killed, 14 detained in operations targeting AQI leaders
MND-B Soldiers defend themselves, kill 6 criminals (Eastern Baghdad)
Operation Charge of Knights continues progress in Basrah
Cache discovered in Salah ad-Din
Mass grave discovered south of Muqdadiyah

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Gates Foresees Fewer Troops in Iraq in 2009
Troop Levels, Readiness Require 'Delicate Balance'
Research Agency Celebrates 50 Years of Technological Evolution
Robotic Vehicles Steer Into Research Agency's Spotlight

IRAQ NEWS
Iraqi Forces Step Up Operations
'Surge' Brigade Heads to Fort Riley
Coalition Missile Kills Six Criminals

FACE OF DEFENSE
Soldier Cracks Egg Ban for Troops

MILITARY NEWS
PaCom, Indonesia Recommit to Security Interests
Military’s Hawaiian Playground Undergoes Facelift
Pentagon to Host Military Naturalization Ceremony
Course Teaches Tips to Neutralize Vehicle Bombs

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Delta Blue Star Moms Support Troops, Each Other

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
0193 - Lucius Septimus Severus crowned emperor of Rome
0754 - Pact of Quierzy between Pope Stephen II, [III] & Pippin the Korte
0979 - Challenge to throne of King Aethelred II of England
1028 - German emperor Conrad II the Sailor crowns his son Henry III, king
1191 - 85-year old Giacinto Bobo becomes Pope Coelestinus III
1471 - Battle of Barnet-King Edward IV vs Earl of Warwick
1536 - English King Henry VIII expropriates minor monasteries
1544 - Battle at Carignano French troops under Earl d'Enghien beat Swiss
1574 - Battle of Mookerhei-D'Avila beats Louis of Nassau
1611 - Word "telescope" is 1st used (Prince Federico Cesi)
1614 - Pocahontas, daughter of chief Powhatan, marries planter John Rolfe
1629 - England & France sign Peace of Susa
1671 - Cosaks capture Russian boer leader Stenka Razin
1756 - Governor Glen of South Carolina protests against 900 Acadia Indians
1775 - 1st abolitionist society in US organizes in Philadelphia, PA
1777 - New York adopts new constitution as an independent state
1792 - France declares war on Austria, starting French Revolutionary Wars
1799 - Napoleon called for establishing Jerusalem for Jews
1809 - Napoleon defeated Austria in the Battle of Abensberg, Bavaria
1814 - Napoleon abdicates & was banished to Elba
1818 - US Medical Corp forms
1828 - 18-gun sloop Acorn sinks off Halifax with 115 men aboard
1836 - Congress forms Territory of Wisconsin
1847 - Persia & Osmaanse sign 2nd Treaty of Erzurum
1853 - Harriet Tubman begins her Underground Railroad, helping slaves escape
1859 - Charles Dickens' "A Tale Of Two Cities" published
1860 - 1st Pony Express rider arrives in San Francisco, CA from St. Joseph, MO
1861 - Formal Union surrender of Fort Sumter; Robert E. Lee resigns from Union Army
1862 - Battle of Fort Pillow, TN
1863 - William Bullock patents continuous-roll printing press
1865 - Mobile, AL is captured; President Abraham Lincoln shot in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth
1868 - South Carolina voters approve constitution, 70,758 to 27,228
1871 - Canada sets denominations of currency as dollars, cents, & mills
1872 - Dominion Lands Act passed-Canada's Homestead Act
1900 - Veteran's Hospital at Fort Miley is established
1902 - Marie & Pierre Curie isolate the radioactive element radium
1903 - Dr. Harry Plotz discovers vaccine against typhoid (New York NY)
1906 - President Theodore Roosevelt denounces "muckrakers" in US press
1910 - President William Howard Taft begins tradition of throwing out ball on opening day
1912 - The Titanic, launched on 31 May 1911, on route from Southampton to New York with 2200 passengers, strikes iceberg off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia at approximately 11:30pm, and sinks early the next morning (1500+ death toll)
1913 - Belgium begins general strike for voting rights
1914 - Stacy G. Carkhuff patents non-skid tire pattern
1915 - Dutch merchant navy ship Katwijk sunk by Germany torpedo
1918 - Douglas Campbell is 1st US ace pilot (shooting down 5th German plane)
1920 - Tornadoes killed 219 people in Alabama & Mississippi
1921 - Prince Henry opens Rotterdam-Amsterdam-Bremen-Hamburg air route
1922 - Republic rebels occupies 4 government courts in Dublin
1923 - Etienne Oehmichen sets helicopter distance record of 358 meters
1931 - Spain becomes a republic with overthrow of King Alfonso XIII
1935 - Sandstorm ravages US midwest (Dust Bowl)
1939 - John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath" published
1940 - Allied troops land in Norway; RCA demonstrates its new electron microscope in Philadelphia
1941 - 1st massive German raid in Paris France, 3,600 Jews rounded up; King Peter leaves Yugoslavia
1942 - Destroyer Roper sinks German U-85 of US east coast
1943 - Generals Alexander/Eisenhower/Anderson/Bradley discuss assault on Tunis
1944 - Freighter "Fort Stikine" explodes in Bombay India, killing 960+; 1st Jews transported from Athens arrive at Auschwitz; General Eisenhower becomes head commander of Allied air fleet; Greek Colonel Venizelos forms government
1945 - American B-29 incendiary raids on Tokyo & damage the Imperial Palace; Arnhem/Zwolle freed from Nazis; US forces conquer Motobu peninsula on Okinawa; US marines attack Yae Take on Okinawa
1948 - A flash of light is observed in the crater Plato on the Moon
1949 - International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg's last judgment
1953 - Viet-Minh offensive in Laos
1954 - Soviet diplomat Vladimir Petrov asks for political asylum in Canberra
1958 - Sputnik 2 (with dog Laika) burns up in atmosphere
1959 - (Robert) Taft Memorial Bell Tower dedicated in Washington DC
1960 - 1st underwater launching of Polaris missile
1961 - 1st live television broadcast from the Soviet Union; Cuban-American invasion army departs Nicaragua; US element 103 (Lawrencium) discovered
1962 - Demonstration for sovereign status of New-Guinea in Amsterdam; Georges Pompidou becomes President of France
1967 - General Gnassingbe Eyadema becomes President of Togo; In the Vietnam War, US planes bomb Haiphong for 1st time
1969 - 1st major league baseball game outside US played in Montréal, Québec, Canada; Student Afro-American Society seized at Columbia College; Tornado strikes Dacca, East Pakistan killing 540
1971 - Fort Point, San Francisco dedicated as a national historic site; President Richard Nixon ends blockade against People's Republic of China; Supreme Court upholds busing as means of achieving racial desegregation
1973 - Acting FBI director L. Patrick Gray resigns after admitting he destroyed evidence in the Watergate scandal
1977 - Supreme Court says people may refuse to display state motto on license
1978 - Korean Air Lines Boeing 707, fired on by Soviets, crashes in Russia
1980 - 1st Cubans of the Mariel boatlift sail to Florida
1981 - 1st Space Shuttle-Columbia 1-returns to Earth
1983 - President Ronald Reagan signs $165 billion Social Security rescue
1985 - Alan Garcia wins elections in Peru
1986 - US aircraft attack 5 terrorist locations in Libya
1986 - Double-decker ferry sinks in stormy weather in Bangladesh, killing 200
1987 - Turkey asks to join European market
1988 - USSR, US, Pakistan & Afghanistan sign Afghanistan treaty
1989 - 1,100,000,000th Chinese born; In the Iran-Contra trial, Oliver North's case goes to the jury
1992 - UN-imposed embargo against Libya takes effect; Court throws out Apple's lawsuit against Microsoft
1993 - Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh promises to surrender after completion of his Seven Seals manuscript
1994 - US F-15 accidentally shoots 2 US helicopters down over Iraq, 26 die

Birthdays
1578 - Philip III, King of Spain & Portugal (1598-1621)
1629 - Christiaan Huygens, astronomer (discovered Saturn's rings)
1721 - William August [Duke of Cumberland], English army leader
1738 - Duck of Portland, British PM (1783, 1807-09)
1770 - George Canning, British PM (1827)
1797 - Adolphe Thiers 1st President of 3rd French Republic (1871-77)
1809 - George W. Vreede, Dutch lawyer/politician
1820 - Harry Thompson Hays, Confederate Brigadier General
1831 - Gerhard Rohlfs, German explorer/ambassador in Abyssinia
1832 - James Hewett Ledlie, Union Brigadier General
1862 - Pyotr A. Stolypin, premier Russia (1906-11)
1866 - Anne Mansfield Sullivan, educated Helen Keller
1874 - Count Alexander of Athlone, Governor-General (South-Africa/Canada)
1902 - Menachem A Schneerson, head of Lubavitcher Jews
1906 - Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz, King Saudi-Arabia (1964-75)
1907 - François "Doc" Duvalier, dictator of Haiti; Otto F. A. H. van Nispen, Dutch mayor (Pannerden)/MP (KVP)
1925 - Abel Muzorewa, bishop/premier (Rhodesia)
1928 - Robert Mugabe, President (Zimbabwe)
1929 - William Edgar Thornton, MD/astronaut (STS-8, 51-B, sk:49)
1930 - George W. Gekas (Representative-PA)
1941 - Anatoli Pavlocich Fyodorov, cosmonaut
1943 - Yvonne Vriens-Auerbach, Dutch MP (CDA)
1948 - Chester G. Atkins (Representative-MA)
1953 - Irina Rudolfovna Pronina, Russian cosmonaut
1958 - Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre, Prince of Monaco

Passings
0711 - Childebert III, King of French, dies at about 27
0911 - Sergius III, Italian Pope (904-11)
1240 - Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Prince of Wales, dies
1471 - Richard Neville Warwick, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, dies at 42
1574 - Christoffel Palts, German General strategist, dies in battle; Hendrik, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, dies in battle; Louis, Earl of Nassau-Dillenburg, dies in battle at 35
1692 - Carlos de Gurrea, Spanish viceroy (Spanish Netherlands)
1924 - Roland Napoleon Bonaparte, French officer/explorer (Surinam), dies at 65
1925 - Pieter D. van Essen, Dutch artillery officer, dies at 54
1948 - Walter P. Reuther, President (United Auto Workers), shot at his home
1949 - Joseph A. Cushman, US paleontologist, dies at 68
1965 - Perry E. Smith and Robert E. Hickok, US murderers (In Cold Blood), hanged
1985 - Enver Hoxha, Albanian leader (1944-85)
1993 - Sam Ntombani, ANC-Secretary in Soweto South-Africa, shot to death
1994 - Selometsi Baholo, vice-premier of Lesotho, murdered
1996 - Benjamin "Zik" Azikiwe, Nnamdi politician, dies at 91

Reported Missing in Action
1968
Quamo, George, US Army (NY); U17 crashed - remains recovered June, 1974

Rodriguez, Ferdinand A., US Army (NY); released by PRG February, 1973 - deceased

1972
Greenleaf, Joseph G., USN (MA); F4E shot down (w/McKinney)

McKinney, Clemie, USN (OH); F4E shot down (w/Greenleaf) - remains returned August, 1985 - ID'd February, 1988

Labels: Headlines, History