This page features brief excerpts of stories published by the mainstream
media and, less frequently, blogs, alternative media, and even obviously
biased sources. The excerpts are taken directly from the websites cited in
each source note. Quotation marks are not used.
Source: BBC
Mar 5, 2010
A relative of a Swansea soldier whose story helped inspire a memorial to the tunnellers killed in World War I has been traced ahead of its unveiling.
Historians were desperate to invite any descendents of Thomas Collins, who was buried alive below No Man's Land, to the ceremony in France later this year.
But until a public appeal earlier this month they were unsure if any existed.
Not only have they traced Pte Collins's nephew John Abraham, they also now
Source: NYT
Mar 5, 2010
Jimmy Ruck, a Stanford University junior, wakes up at 5:20 a.m. so he can make the 15-mile journey to Santa Clara University, where he attends training as part of the Reserve Officer Training Corps, or R.O.T.C. It begins at 6:15. Promptly.
“They have a saying in the Army — ‘If you’re on time, you’re late, and if you’re five minutes early, you’re on time,” Mr. Ruck said.
He has to get up early because there is no R.O.T.C. program at Stanford. The university has not had o
Source: BBC
Mar 5, 2010
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has accused the Russian authorities of rolling back the democratic reforms he began in the 1980s.
In a speech to mark the forthcoming 25th anniversary of perestroika, he said the current government "wants to carry out its programme of modernisation practically without the people".
He criticised the ruling United Russia party, led by the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, as "like the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Source: CNN
Mar 5, 2010
First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday will donate her 2009 inaugural gown to the National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian and the White House announced.
The gown, designed by New York designer Jason Wu, is the one-shoulder, white-chiffon dress that the first lady wore to all 10 inaugural balls the evening of President Obama's inauguration.
According to Melina Machado at the history museum, the frock will be the center point of a new gallery entitled "A
Source: Reuters
Mar 5, 2010
Communist Party chiefs led a procession of largely elderly people across Red Square on the 57th anniversary of Stalin's death, laying flowers at his grave by the Kremlin wall.
The solemn visit is an annual tradition for communists steeped in nostalgia for the Soviet era. But this year, it comes as Russia's bitter debate over Stalin's legacy sharpens ahead of May 9 celebrations marking 65 years since the Nazi defeat.
For the first time in decades, Stalin's image may appe
Source: BBC
Mar 5, 2010
Rare and intimate photographs taken of the leaders of the Cuban revolution during its early years have sold for £31,730 at auction in Gloucestershire.
The 14 black-and-white photos include images of President Fidel Castro and fellow communist leader Che Guevara.
Dating from 1959 to the early 1960s, 12 were taken by Mr Castro's official photographer Alberto Korda.
The prize lot, a picture of Mr Guevara game fishing, fetched £6,600 at Dominic Winter Auction
Source: BBC
Mar 5, 2010
Gordon Brown has told the Iraq inquiry the war had been "right" - and troops had all the equipment they needed.
The PM also insisted he had not been kept in the dark by Tony Blair despite not being aware of some developments.
His own intelligence briefings had convinced him that Iraq was a threat that "had to be dealt with", he said.
But the main issue for him was that Iraq was in breach of UN resolutions - and that "rogue states&
Source: BBC
Mar 5, 2010
Former Bosnian president Ejup Ganic will remain in jail in London while his application for bail is considered.
Mr Ganic, 63, was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Monday at the request of Serbia, where he is wanted on war crimes charges.
But the Bosnian authorities say he should be extradited there instead.
Thousands of Bosnians protested outside the British and Serbian embassies in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo demanding his release.
Source: BBC
Mar 5, 2010
The Obama administration has said it will seek to block a controversial bill describing as genocide the World War I killing of Armenians by Turks.
A congressional panel on Thursday approved the resolution, paving the way for a possible vote by the House.
But US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the administration would "work very hard" to prevent this.
Turkey voiced strong protests after the vote and recalled its ambassador from Washington
Source: Fox News
Mar 5, 2010
President Obama thinks Karl Rove "hates" him; President Bush should have declared a "federal takeover" in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; and the Iraq war never would have happened without those pesky WMDs -- which were never found.
Those are just some of the "Rove-elations" Republican strategist and longtime Democratic antagonist Karl Rove provides in his new book, "Courage and Consequence."
Rove writes that the Bush admini
Source: CNN
Mar 5, 2010
A new memoir by Karl Rove details the circumstances that led to the selection of former Vice President Dick Cheney as President George W. Bush's running mate.
The highly anticipated release of "Courage and Consequence," purchased by CNN Friday at a Washington area bookstore ahead of its release date next week, is a wide-ranging look at Bush's rise in politics as seen through the lens of his longtime strategist and aide. Rove also chronicles his life and political career.
Source: CNN
Mar 5, 2010
White House advisers are considering recommending alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed be tried in a military court instead of a civilian one in New York City, a senior administration official told CNN on Friday.
In November, Attorney General Eric Holder announced his intention to try Mohammed in a New York civilian court.
A firestorm of opposition erupted from both New York officials and top Republicans after Holder's announcement.
New York polic
Source: Telegraph (UK)
Mar 5, 2010
Prince Bernhard, the father of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, was a member of the Nazi party, a new book has claimed, contracting the German-born Dutch war hero's life-long denials.
"Bernhard, a secret history" has revealed that the prince was a member of the German Nazi party until 1934, three years before he married Princess Juliana, the future queen of the Netherlands.
Annejet van der Zijl, a Dutch historian, has found membership documents in Berlin's Hu
Source: York Daily Record (PA)
Mar 5, 2010
Another batch of non-historic trees is being cut down to bring the Gettysburg Battlefield closer to its 1863-appearance.
And the trees on a half-acre parcel south of the West End Guide Station on Route 30 could open the view to another place that could eventually be changing its appearance - the Gettysburg Country Club.
The area, northwest of the borough, saw significant fighting on the first day of the three-day battle. The Park Service also plans on thinning trees al
Source: Niagara Falls Review (Canada)
Mar 5, 2010
It is fairly commonplace throughout history for soldiers and civilians directly involved in a conflict to gather "souvenirs" of sorts.
These could include uniform parts salvaged from a battlefield, buttons, bits of ammunition and weapons from the enemy. These relics were frequently kept in a family for generations as memorials to fallen family members or of past heroic actions.
The War of 1812 was no different, soldiers who fought picked up souvenirs of certai
Source: The Spec (Canada)
Mar 5, 2010
Every day thousands of cars rush by the stone monument just off King Street in Stoney Creek, oblivious to the cannons that point down at them.
The memorial fortification -- with corks at the end of each muzzle to keep the coffee cups and cigarette butts out -- acknowledges fallen soldiers from the bloody Battle of Stoney Creek on what is known as Smith's Knoll.
It's an island of reflection in a sea of urban sprawl that gives the impression that the horrible chapter of h
Source: LA Times
Mar 5, 2010
In a letter addressed to parents and community members, a South Los Angeles elementary school principal apologized Thursday for “questionable decisions” about which prominent African Americans to highlight in a parade marking the culmination of Black History Month.
Lorraine Abner’s letter did not name the individuals. But her apology came after three teachers at Wadsworth Avenue Elementary School were suspended while the Los Angeles Unified School District investigates allegations t
Source: BBC
Mar 4, 2010
James Cameron has not ruled out making a film of a book about the atomic bombing of Japan which was pulled because of concerns over accuracy.
Publisher Henry Holt and Co ceased production of Charles Pellegrino's Last Train From Hiroshima on Monday.
It said Pellegrino "was not able to answer" questions about its accuracy or the reliability of his sources.
Source: Reuters
Mar 4, 2010
A U.S. congressional panel voted on Thursday to label as "genocide" the World War One-era massacre of Armenians by Turkish forces, prompting Turkey to recall its ambassador from Washington.
The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee voted 23-22 to approve the non-binding resolution, which calls on President Barack Obama to ensure U.S. policy formally refers to the killings as genocide.
The action cleared the way for the measure to be considered by
Source: AP
Mar 4, 2010
The U.S. Ambassador to Russia returned a stolen silver medallion that belonged to the last Russian czar to Moscow Thursday after it was recovered from an online auction by U.S. investigators.
Ambassador John Beyrle said that the recovery of the rare artifact signaled increasing trust between Moscow and Washington.
The medallion, which bears a portrait of Czar Peter the Great, once belonged to the family of Russia's last Czar, Nicholas II. It was stolen from the State
