RARE RAINBOW
A U.S. Navy sailor stationed at Naval Air Station Key West spots a rare rainbow halo in the skies over the air station, Key West, Fla., April 29, 2008. The halo, which typically indicates rain, is a ring of colored or white light that encircles the sun when seen through a cloud of ice crystals. U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Timothy Cox

Labels: Naval Air Station Key West, photos, US Navy

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
U.S. Hits Iraq Militants
U.S. rocket strike in Baghdad wounds 20 - Video
Iraq presents proof of Iranian meddling-official (Reuters)
Sadr snubs Iraq peace overtures (Gulf Daily)
Aziz trial adjourned in Iraq (ABC News)
PRT introduces new military unit to Muthanna
Six al-Qaeda suspects detained in central Iraq
14 al-Qaeda suspects captured in northern Iraq
Iraqi Citizens Capture Criminal Responsible for Detonating Bomb

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Flight 93 Memorial to Be Partially Ready by 2011
Abbas sends forces to north West Bank

Fallen Heroes
`Miracle' Marine dies; badly burned in 2005 Iraq blast (AP)

Other Military News
China Builds Secret Nuclear Submarine Base in South China Sea
Film details Hispanic Marine's acts in WWII
Mullen Urges Academy Cadets to Become Leaders

Religion of Peace??
Artist Fights to Display Muhammad Art in Netherlands

Politics / Government
McCain's Potential Pastor Problems
Obama Wins Guam Caucuses by 7 Votes
Dems Being Driven Apart Over Gas Tax Holiday
North Carolina and Indiana
AEHQ: GOP Pins House Hopes on Wealthy Candidates
GOP Keeps House Seat in La. Special Election
Obama tries to wrest McCain's "Straight Talk" mantle - Video
Rice to push Israel to lift more West Bank barriers
Politics and tacos don't mix on L.A. streets
Video: Clinton, Obama and their strategies
Bush says rebate checks will boost ailing economy - Video
Obama's appeal to working-class whites faltering, polls show
Bush says administration 'clear and candid' on economy
Alaska governor balances newborn's needs, official duties
As Putin apprentice takes over, Russians weigh an enigma
President's Radio Address: Economy
Bill Richardson, Barack Obama And The African American Vote

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Austria Police to Use Sonar to Search for More Dungeons in Incest Case
Woman Who Falsely Cried Rape Convicted of Manslaughter
Expert: Mystery Girl Photo That of Missing Chicago Girl
Teller: Gunman Didn't Allow 911 Call for Unborn Twins
States Seek to Crack Down on Fake Firearms
WITNESS: Incest in Austria: a story I didn't want to believe
Slideshow: Austria's house of horrors
Friends ask how Austrian could have abused captive daughter
On Japan's secretive death row, inmate becomes cause celebre
Former follower: Sect leader wanted to sleep with teenagers

U.N. News
U.N. pact for rights of disabled comes into force

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Microsoft Drops Bid for Yahoo

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
China Orders Alert On Virus That Has Killed 22 Children
Shuttle reaches launch pad for May 31 liftoff
How do baby birdies learn to sing? By babbling
Night club drug could ease depression: scientists
Researchers find gene defect that boosts glucose
Walmart.com using Wii Fit to boost Mom's Day sales - Video
Lego's latest brick trick: a virtual world
Shuttle reaches launch pad for May 31 liftoff
GTA 4 poised to dominate Xbox Live
Video: Electric sports car debuts in U.S.
Part I: Hunting for a miracle, grasping at a chance

Mother Nature
Scientists: Bison Could Once Again Thunder Across Great Plains
Hundreds Flee as Volcano Erupts in Chile
Nanny Rips Baby Girl From Jaws of Coyote in California Sandbox
Video: Floral fantasy in Belgium
Dogs gone wild
Survivors search for belongings amid Ark. tornado wreckage
Officials say New Mexico wildfire has burned nearly 60 homes

Oddities
To the Astonishment of Some Parents, Colleges Allow Coed Dorm Rooms
Spooky Flying Character Has UFO Watchers in Mexico Buzzing
Teen Gives Birth in Shower, Walks to Hospital
Boy, 8, Dies When Soccer Goal Falls on Him

Other News of Note
Big Brown Wins Derby, Runner-Up Dies - PHOTOS (Really sad)
Torch arrives in China proper to thunderous welcome - Video
China slams Dalai Lama, to talk to his envoys
Dalai Lama aide optimistic over talks with China

Fox News
Mississippi Paper Mill Blast Kills 1, Hurts 17
Carbon Costs: Car Rental Company Goes Green
FOXBusiness: Retailers Using Rebate as Bait
Pop Tarts: Super-Skinny Cameron Diaz Emerges After Dad's Death
Calif. Man Accused of Targeting Christians in $25M Nationwide Ponzi Scheme
Oprah, Cruise, But No 'Valkyrie'

Reuters
Blog: Viacom rocks with Rock Band
Video: Reuters Technology Week
Reuters News Quiz
What's Next: Earnings at a glance
Russia's Medvedev takes over
48 hours in Fremantle
Greece is the word for European travel
Ottawa named top place to live
Slideshow: Ride that donkey
Blog: What makes a great picture?
Best photos of the week
Blog: When pigs fly
Photo Blog: The Boris and Ken show
Slideshow: Turning 108 in Havana
Zimbabwe opposition still undecided on runoff - Video
De La Hoya wins unanimous decision against Forbes
Global Finance: Under pressure
Play it smart
Global Finance: An emerging love
Commentary: Sell in May, go away?
Buffett says Fed avoided chaos in Bear bailout
Boeing denies media report on 787 delivery delay
JPMorgan says no near end to financial crisis: report
D.Telekom eying possible Sprint buy: report
Harley ad campaign heaps biker scorn on doomsayers
Stanley faces challenges in running Singapore's DBS
Buffett eyes family-owned German businesses
Niger, Libya sign investment deals, boost ties
Airbus talks on site sales may end: paper
Profits, data could extend Wall Street gains
Zimbabwe opposition still undecided on runoff - Video
Japan, China keen to avoid 1998 Jiang visit rerun
"Iron Man" gets heavy start at box office
Tina Turner plans first tour in eight years
Bryan Adams sees independence as future of music
Play celebrates life of English soccer great Dean
NY art auctions shrink in size, but not in price
Untroubled De La Hoya outpoints Forbes for unanimous win
Diamondbacks' Webb gets win No.7
Pistons rout Magic in second-round opener
Flyers beat Canadiens to win series 4-1

AP World News
Buffett and Munger reassure shareholders about succession
The Boss, Sinatra among N.J. Hall of Fame's first inductees
Upshall's late goal lifts Flyers 6-4, eliminates Canadiens
Illinois smoking ban tamps down puffing at pipe convention
Williams isn't sure if he can play in Game 7
Despite peace, Belfast walls are growing in size and number
Buffett again rebuffs advocates who want Klamath dams out
Zimbabwe opposition does not rule out presidential runoff

News Blaze
PHOTOS: Iraqi medics stitch injured child's finger
MND-B Soldiers Kill 5 Terrorists, Detain 24, Find EFPS, 3 Caches Across Rashid
Soldiers' Angels and Patriot Guard
Iraq News
Read about Operations in Iraq
FOB Warhorse Memorial Photos
Videos

CENTCOM
Sons of Iraq help secure Fuhail village

USJFCOM
Druid's Dance exercise yields major training milestone
USJFCOM signs agreement with Old Dominion University Research Foundation
Learn more about CRADAs - podcast
Joint Knowledge Online earns prestigious award for distance learning
Learn more about Joint Knowledge Online
Joint Knowledge Development and Distribution
Interoperability assessment begins - podcast
Learn more about JSIC

Multi-National Force - Iraq
Iraqi, Coalition Soldiers Distribute Food, Toys to Families in Need
Under Secretary of Defense Visits ‘Village of Hope’ Vocational School
Coalition Forces Provide Supplies to Displaced Families
Criminal attacks kill 3 Iraqis (Baghdad)

DefenseLink
WOUNDED CARE
Private Investors Sought to Back Regenerative Medicine
Mullen: Troops Must Be Mentally Fit
Panel Evaluates Care of Wounded

IRAQ NEWS
Gates: 'What's the Endgame?' in Iraq - Special
Marines Say Osprey Performs Well
Soldiers Help Iraqi Children
Military Condemns Suicide Bombings
Coalition Forces Kill Three, Capture 55

TOP NEWS
Mullen Urges Academy Cadets to Become Leaders
Defense Secretary Salutes Homefront Power
'Awesome' Fort Bliss Expansion Impresses Gates - Photos
Gates Applauds Efforts at Red River Army Depot
Mullen Asks Nations to Unite to Fight Extremists

MILITARY NEWS
Troops to Get More Choices for Death Benefits
Bikers Gather for Motorcycle Safety Event
Army Handbooks Focus on First 100 Days of Combat
Guard Ready to Help Storm-Lashed Missouri
Fort Bragg Housing 'Appalling,' Gates Says
U.S. Strikes Al-Qaida Target in Somalia

AFGHANISTAN NEWS
Gates: Command Restructuring Worth Considering
Joint U.K., U.S. Training Prepares Troops to Deploy
Coaltion Captures Three Insurgent Fighters in Khowst

FACE OF DEFENSE
Pilot Breaks Own World Record for Hours in F-16
Sailor to Meet Bone Marrow Recipient
Chaplain Meets the Pope

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Bank of America, Fisher House Help Troops

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
1294 - John II becomes duke of Brabant/Limburg
1342 - Count Hartmann II becomes ruler of Vaduz (Liechtenstein)
1382 - Battle on Beverhoutsfield near Brugge
1455 - Jews flee Spain
1494 - Jamaica discovered by Christopher Columbus; he names it "St Iago"
1515 - Persian Gulf: Portugese fleet occupies Ormuz
1616 - Treaty of Loudun kills French civil war
1624 - Spanish silver fleet sails to Panamá
1629 – French Huguenot leader duke De Rohan signs accord with Spain
1640 - English Upper house accept Act of Attainder
1654 - Bridge at Rowley, MA begins charging tolls for animals
1660 - Sweden, Poland, Brandenburg & Austria sign Peace of Oliva
1661 - Johannes Hevelius observes 3rd transit of Mercury ever to be seen
1662 - Royal charter granted Connecticut
1678 - French conquering fleet at Curaçao, 1200 die
1715 - Edmund Halley observes total eclipse phenomenon "Baily's Beads"
1747 - Willem IV appointed viceroy of Holland/Utrecht
1765 - 1st US medical college opens in Philadelphia; founded by John Morgan, the School of Medicine belonged to the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania).
1802 - Washington DC incorporates as a city
1810 - Lord Byron swims the Hellespont
1815 - Battle at Tolentino: Austria beats king Joachim of Naples
1830 - 1st regular steam train passenger service starts
1845 - 1st Black lawyer (Macon B. Allen) admitted to the bar (Massachusetts); Fire kills 1,600 in popular theater in Canton China
1846 - Mexican army surrounds fort in Texas
1851 - Most of San Fransisco destroyed by fire; 30 die
1855 - Antwerp-Rotterdam railway opens
1861 - General Winfield Scott presents his Anaconda Plan; Lincoln asks for 42,000 Army Volunteers & another 18,000 seamen
1863 - Battle of Chancellorsville-Beaten Union army withdraws; Battle of Fredricksburg, VA (Marye's Heights); Battle of Salem Church, VA
1864 - 3rd day in Battle at Alexandria, LA: Confederate assault
1901 - Fire destroys 1,700 buildings in Jacksonville FL
1906 - British-controlled Egypt takes Sinai peninsula from Turkey
1919 - Afghánistán Emir Amanoellah begins war against Great Britain; America's 1st passenger flight (New York-Atlantic City)
1921 - West Virginia imposes 1st state sales tax
1923 - 1st nonstop transcontinental flight (New York-San Diego) completed
1926 - British general strike-3 million workers support miners; US marines land in Nicaragua (9-months after leaving), stay until 1933
1929 - Prussia bans anti-fascists
1936 - French People's Front wins elections
1938 - Concentration camp at Flossenbürg goes into use; Vatican recognizes Franco-Spain
1941 - German air raid on Liverpool
1942 - Japanese troop attack Tulagi, Gavutu & Tanambogo, Solomon Islands; Luftwaffe bombs Exeter; Nazis execute 72 OD'ers in reprisial in Sachsenhausen, Netherlands; Nazis require Dutch Jews to wear a Jewish star
1943 - Strike against obligatory labor camps ends, after 200 killed; US 1st armour division occupies Mateur Tunisia
1944 - Meat rationing ends in US
1945 - 1st Polish armour brigade occupies Wilhelmshafen; Allies arrests German nuclear physics Werner Heisenberg; British troop join in Rangoon; German ship "Cap Arcona" sinks in East Sea, 5,800 killed
1946 - International military tribunal in Tokyo begins
1947 - Japan forms a constitutional democracy
1949 - 1st firing of a US Viking rocket; reached 80 km
1952 - 1st landing by an airplane at geographic North Pole
1956 - A new range of mountains discovered in Antarctica (2 over 13,000')
1962 - Express train crashed into wreckage of a commuter train and a freight, killing 163, injuring 400 (Tokyo, Japan)
1963 - Martin Luther King Jr delivers his "I have a dream" speech
1965 - 1st use of satellite TV, Today Show on the Early Bird Satellite; Cambodia drops diplomatic relations with the US
1967 - Black students seize finance building at Northwestern University
1971 - Erich Honecker succeeds Walter Ulbricht as East German party leader; National Public Radio begins programming; 112 NPR stations premiere "All Things Considered"; Nixon administration arrests 13,000 anti-war protesters in 3 days
1982 - New York Times reports that military will get 25% of NASA's budget; President Reagan begins 5 minute weekly radio broadcasts
1983 - Soviet leader Andropov decreases nuclear weapons in Europe; US bishops condemn nuclear weapons
1986 - Air Lanka crashes, killing 22; NASA launches Goes-G, it failed to achieve orbit
1988 - 4,200 kg Colombian cocaine in seized at Tarpon Springs FL
1991 - 356th & final episode of CBS 2nd longest running series Dallas, 2nd only to Gunsmoke
1994 - D66/Dutch Liberal Party win Dutch 2nd Parliamentary election; US space probe Clementine launched

Birthdays
1446 - Margaretha, English princess/duchess of Bourgondie
1455 - Joâo II the perfect, King of Portugal (1481-95)/took in Spanish Jews
1469 - Niccolò Machiavelli, Italian politician/writer (The Prince)
1692 - Jan J. Mauricius, Dutch Governor-General of Suriname (1742-51)
1816 - Montgomery Cunningham Meigs, Union Brevet Major General
1826 - Charles XV Louis E, King of Sweden/Norway (1859-72)/poet
1844 - Edouard A. Drumont, French anti-semitic journalist
1849 - Jacob Riis, reporter (New York Tribune, New York Evening Sun)
1898 - Golda Meir [Meyerson], 4th Israeli PM (1969-74); Septima Poinsette Clark, civil rights activist/educator
1916 - Henry Barbosa Gonzalez, (Representative- TX)
1921 - Vasco dos Santos Gonçalves, Portuguese leftist colonel
1923 - Ralph M. Hall (Representative- TX)
1935 - Donald P. Hodel, US Secretary of Interior (1985-89)
1949 - Albert Sacco, PhD/astronaut (STS 73); Ron Wyden (Representative- OR)

Passings
1010 – Ansfried, 9th bishop of Utrecht (995-1010)/saint, dies at about 69
1294 - Jan I, duke of Brabant/Limburg/poet
1410 - Alexander V [Petros Philargi], Kreta's Pope (1409-10)
1442 - Engelbert I Earl of Nassau-Dillenburg
1481 - Mohammed II [Fâtih], sultan of Turkey (1451-81)
1737 - Abraham Patras, Governor-General of East-Indies (1735-37), dies at 65
1758 - Benedict XIV [Prospero L. Lambertini], Pope (1740-58), dies at 83
1764 - Francesco Algarotti, Italian earl/encyclopedist, dies at 53
1774 - Heinrich A. Fouqué, Prussian general (7 year war), dies at 76
1841 - Cornelis T. Elout, Dutch minister of Finance/Navy/Colonies, dies at 74
1863 - Elisha Franklin "Bull" Paxton, Confederate Brigadier-General, dies at 35
1916 - Pádraic Pearse, Irish nationalist, executed by British firing squad
1925 - Clément Ader, French engineer (steam engine airplane), dies at 84
1926 - Napoleon V Bonaparte, French pretender to the throne, dies at 63
1939 - [Karl Eduard] Wilhelm Groener, German general, dies at 71
1942 - Johan H. Westerveld, Lieutenant-Colonel/leader Order Service, executed
1945 - Louis L. H. de Visser, Dutch MP (CPN), dies at 66
1955 - Philips C. Visser, explorer/ambassador to Moscow
1965 - Otto Forst de Battaglia, Austrian diplomat/genealogist, dies at 75
1978 - Wim van Doorne, Dutch auto manufacturer (DAF), dies at 71
1991 - Gerrit Mik, child psychiatrist/Dutch MP (D66), dies
1992 - George Murphy (Senator-CA)/actor, dies of Leukemia at 89
1994 - Haty Tegelaar-Boonacker, Dutch MP (CDA), dies at 63

Reported Missing in Action
1967
Moore, Ralph E., US Army (IN); Killed / BNR

1968
Avery, Robert Douglas, USMC (NC); A6A disappeared on mission (w/Clem)

Clem, Thomas D., USMC (IN); A6A disappeared on mission (w/Avery)

Chaney, Arthur F., US Army (VA); AH1G shot down (w/McKain), KIA/BNR

Clark, Stephen W., USMC (CA); F8E shot down, KIA/BNR

McKain, Bobby L., US Army (KS); AH1G shot down (w/Chaney), KIA/BNR

Terry, Oral R., US Army (IL)

1970
Churchill, Carl R., USAF (ME); F4D shot down (w/Conaway)

Conaway, Lawrence Y., USAF (OH); F4D shot down (w/Churchill)

1972
The following USAF personnel reported MIA when their C130 was shot down:
Bracy, Lester, Jr.; remains recovered August, 1972 – ID’d June, 1974

Hopper, Joseph Clifford (TN); remains recovered August, 1972

McIver, Alexander (CA); remains recovered August, 1972

Slater, Freddie Leon, (MD); remains recovered August, 1972

Unger, Don Lee (FL); remains recovered August. 1972

Widerquist, Thomas Carl (IL); remains recovered August, 1972 – ID’d June, 1974

Also reported MIA this day in 1972:
Ayres, Timothy R., USAF (TX); F4E shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 – retired as a Lt. Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

McDonald, Joseph W., USMC (NY); A6A shot down (w/Williams)

Sienicki, Theodore S., USAF (NJ); F4E shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 – retired as a Major - alive and well as of 1998

Williams, David B., USMC (LA); A6A shot down (w/McDonald) - remains returned October, 1989

1973
Moreau, Ron; released May, 1973

Labels: Headlines, History