Agreement on Missile Defense Between Russia and the United States Is on the Horizon

5 Apr 2008 02:04 Africa/Lagos


Agreement on Missile Defense Between Russia and the United States Is on the Horizon

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

Riki Ellison, President of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, (www.missiledfenseadvocacy.org), went on record today with his MDAA membership discussing what an agreement on missile defense between Russia and the United States would mean in terms of stability and meeting the threat posed by Iran. His comments include the following:


"On the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush's retreat on the coast of the Black Sea at Sochi in Southern Russia this Sunday, we as a nation and a world wait with great anticipation for a collective endorsement of the proposed Missile Defense system to be placed in Europe and a mutual recognition of the threat from Iran by these two Presidents and the nations that they represent.


"This potential announcement of making our world safer would follow a string of international endorsements and acceptance for missile defense and add to the momentum of what has been achieved politically, technically and practically with Missile Defense. The significance of yesterday's 26 nations of NATO's endorsement of the European third site and recognition of the threat is monumental. The unilateral movement yesterday of the Czech Republic to agree to the deployment of a U.S. Missile Defense Radar adds great merit to the commitment and responsibility to help safeguard NATO and Europe from ballistic missile threats. The success of the U.S. Navy and the Missile Defense Agency in February of this year, destroying a toxic satellite from space that posed a risk to human life globally, if not intercepted added to the credibility and usability of missile defense.


"The demonstrated United States testing successes of the various missile defense systems and intercepts including the Japanese this past December propels the international acceptance of missile defense. Iran's continued quest for nuclear technology and proliferation of ballistic missiles to go beyond 1,300 kilometers remains the most ominous driver for the collective international action of missile defense."


"The displayed international resolve on missile defense provides another option than what is available today to confront Iran and those in the future that may choose to use ballistic missiles to threaten human life. To have missile defense in place along with economic sanctions, and diplomatic tools adds to the stability and safety to NATO as well as prevents the use of preemptive military force and war."


Note to media: Riki Ellison is available this weekend to discuss the significance of an agreement on missile defense between Presidents Putin and Bush. He recently visited both Poland and the Czech Republic and has seen where the ground-based interceptors and the radar to support them are located. This is an opportunity to get information prior to a potential announcement that will be heard around the world. Call Mike Terrill at 602 885-1955 to arrange.


Source: MDAA

CONTACT: Mike Terrill of MDAA, +1-602-885-1955


Web site: http://www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org/

Charlton Heston: October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008

Charlton Heston

This is Nigerian Times Tribute to Charlton Heston, one of the greatest actors of all time. Whose unforgettable portrayal of Moses in The Ten Commandments, Colonel George Taylor in Planet of the Apes and Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur made them classics in America and the rest of the world.

Charlton Heston played an active role in the Civil Rights Movement. He was one of the first Hollywood stars to speak out against racism in America. He was also against abortion and other violations of human dignity.

"To me, he was the consummate leading man. He was tall, he was handsome, he was sensitive, he was gruff when he had to be. He was a great cowboy, he was perfect for those historical roles. He could do everything, and there aren't many actors around today who could."
~ Shirley Jones


Charlton Heston left golden footprints on the sands of time.
May his soul rest in peace.

6 Apr 2008 04:24 Africa/Lagos


Statement by the Family of Charlton Heston

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., April 5, 2008 /PRNewswire/ --

Legendary actor, civil rights leader and political activist Charlton Heston passed away today, at the age of 84. He died at his home with Lydia, his wife of 64 years, at his side. Mr. Heston was loved by his two children, Fraser Clarke Heston and Holly Heston Rochell, and his three grandchildren, Jack Alexander Heston, Ridley Rochell and Charlie Rochell.


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080405/CLSA013 )
The Heston family issued the following statement:

"To his loving friends, colleagues and fans, we appreciate your heartfelt prayers and support. Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played. Indeed, he committed himself to every role with passion, and pursued every cause with unmatched enthusiasm and integrity.


We knew him as an adoring husband, a kind and devoted father, and a gentle grandfather, with an infectious sense of humor. He served these far greater roles with tremendous faith, courage and dignity. He loved deeply, and he was deeply loved.


No one could ask for a fuller life than his. No man could have given more to his family, to his profession, and to his country. In his own words, "I have lived such a wonderful life! I've lived enough for two people."


A private memorial service will be held. The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Motion Picture and Television Fund:


MPTF
22212 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 300
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
www.mptvfund.org

password: memorial). Members of media seeking further information should
contact Bill Powers, Mercury Group, at 703.299.9470 or 703.626.6446
(cell)
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:


Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080405/CLSA013
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN 1
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Mercury Group

CONTACT: Bill Powers of Mercury Group, +1-703-299-9470 (office), or
+1-703-626-6446 (cell)


Web site: http://www.mptvfund.org/


NOTE TO EDITORS: Photography for download and use by the media in related news coverage is available online at ftp.mercgroup.com (user name: Heston

Newsweek Cover: Who's the Greenest of Them All?

The April 14, 2008 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, April 7), "Who's the Greenest of Them All?" finds out where the presidential candidates stand on the environment and what's keeping environmental groups from endorsing one of them. The cover package also includes the top 10 fixes for the planet; Dan Gross on what Iceland can teach the world and how Major League Baseball is going green. Plus: the popularity of parent coaching and Julie Andrews on her new memoir. (PRNewsFoto/NEWSWEEK) NEW YORK, NY UNITED STATES 04/06/2008


6 Apr 2008 17:01 Africa/Lagos


NEWSWEEK: Cover: Who's The Greenest of Them All?

Growing Public Concern Over Environment Will Put Pressure on Next President to Rethink America's Policy on Global Warming

Environmental Groups Still Undecided on Which Candidate has Strongest Ideas on Tackling Green Issues

NEW YORK, April, 6, 2008 /PRNewswire/ --

If the United States wants to have a voice in setting the new course of energy and technological change in 2009, when a new international treaty on global warming is negotiated, replacing the expiring Kyoto Protocol, it will need a leader who takes the issue of climate change very seriously. Luckily, with John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in the race for the White House, it likely will. In the April 14 Newsweek cover package, "Who's the Greenest of Them All?" (on newsstands Monday, April 7), which is also the second annual project on "Environment & Leadership," Senior Editor Jerry Adler reports on where the three candidates stand on the environment and why some environmental advocacy groups are having a tough time deciding whom to endorse.


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080406/NYSU003 )


The environment has emerged as a leading issue in this election cycle; last year more than three voters in 10 said they would take a candidate's green credentials into account, according to pollster John Zogby, up from just 11 percent in 2005. "It was clear starting all the way back in Iowa and New Hampshire that this campaign would be much more about the environment," says Dave Willett, a spokesman for the Sierra Club.


The League of Conservation Voters, which influences mainstream environmental groups when it comes to national politics, hasn't chosen a candidate for 2008. In its ranking of senators based on their positions on 15 votes in 2007 (including farm subsidies, gas mileage and biofuel standards), Obama and Clinton are considered strong environmental candidates. "It's clear from both of their voting records in the Senate that they're committed to supporting energy efficiency and slowing global warming," says league spokesman Jay Natoli. "In fact, they're too similar to say at this point that one is better than the other. [As for] McCain, his plan isn't as strong, but he has sponsored and supported legislation that shows he cares about the environment. But at this point, we're not ready to endorse." McCain's 2007 league rating is zero, putting him in the company of eight other Republicans, including the global-warming denier James Inhofe. But that's because McCain missed all 15 key votes; the league counts a missed vote the same as a vote against its position. His lifetime LCV rating, however, is 26 percent, compared with an average of 16 percent for all Republicans. As recently as 2004, when his rating for the 108th Congress reached 56 percent, the league endorsed him for re-election to the Senate.


McCain is an appealing figure to some environmentalists, and viewed as the most acceptable of the major GOP contenders, because he is a Republican from a Western state, whose occasional departures from Republican orthodoxy seem to be grounded in genuine conviction. "It's unusual to have a Republican candidate who openly disagrees with the Bush administration on the need for capping carbon emissions," says Dan Kammen, an authority on energy policy at UC Berkeley who has advised all three leading candidates and is now associated with the Obama campaign. In 2003, McCain introduced, with Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the first-ever bill to regulate carbon emissions in the United States. It never passed, but it was a landmark bill for its time. McCain has also sided with environmentalists on fuel-efficiency standards and the talismanic issue of protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. "We're waiting for [McCain] to further define his plan before we make any judgment about him," says Nick Berning, a spokesman for Friends of the Earth. "He could still surprise folks."


Also in the cover Package:

-- Editor-At-Large Evan Thomas and Washington Correspondent Pat Wingert
report that to truly tackle the greenhouse effect, it will require the
one thing from voters that few politicians dare to ask for and fewer
achieve: massive public sacrifice. Accomplishing this would require the
rhetoric of Barack Obama, the grit of Hillary Clinton and the courage
of John McCain -- all combined in one leader.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/130629

-- Reporter Anne Underwood offers 10 fixes for the planet, based on ideas
from scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs. The ideas include using
LED light bulbs, driving 300-mpg cars, using enormous kites to help
pull ships and having manufacturers produce products that are fully
recyclable.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/130625

-- Senior Editor and Columnist Daniel Gross writes that the United States,
and other developed nations, "can learn some valuable lessons from
Iceland about what happens when a society commits to the systematic
development of renewable energy."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/130626

-- National Correspondent Martha Brant reports on a new breed of M.B.A.
students who think it's possible to make money by going green. For
some, studying sustainable business practices just gives them a
competitive edge. For others, it's a fresh way of thinking about
business. These eco-M.B.A.s talk about the "triple bottom line"-people,
planet, profit.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/130591

-- Editorial Assistant Matthew Philips reports on how Natural Resources
Defense Council's Allen Hershkowitz's efforts lobbying Major League
Baseball's teams and their facilities to go green have started to pay
off. Last month the NRDC rolled out a team-specific greening-advisory
system for the NBA, MLB and NHL, designed to help clubs implement
ecofriendly practices by introducing them to local companies familiar
with composting and energy audits.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/130592

-- General Editor Anna Kuchment reports on the ecofriendly looks worn by
models during New York's fashion week. Future-Fashion, a show organized
by the New York-based nonprofit Earth Pledge, inspired many top
designers to work with sustainable fabrics such as sasawashi, peace
silk and hemp. Several have since pledged to incorporate organic
fabrics into their lines.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/130627

-- Senior Editor Sharon Begley writes about the errors that have plagued
efforts to green the planet, from not recycling properly, to the
pitfalls of hybrid cars to, "perhaps the greatest folly, ... the push
for ethanol to replace gasoline," she writes.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/130628

Read cover story at Newsweek

Cover: Newsweek Cover


Photo: Newscom

AP Archive:
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN1
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Newsweek

CONTACT: Contact: Brenda Velez of Newsweek, +1-212-445-4078


Web site: MSNBC

Obama Should Apologize for Insulting Millions of Armed Citizens, Says CCRKBA

2 Apr 2008 19:35 Africa/Lagos


Obama Should Apologize for Insulting Millions of Armed Citizens, Says CCRKBA

BELLEVUE, Wash., April 2, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

Democrat Barack Obama on Tuesday insulted millions of legally-armed American citizens when he told a Pennsylvania newspaper that concealed carry poses a threat to innocent people, and he should immediately apologize for that remark, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.


Senator Obama, quoted by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, admitted, "I am not in favor of concealed weapons. I think that creates a potential atmosphere where more innocent people could (get shot during) altercations."


"American citizens have been responsibly carrying concealed handguns for years in 48 states," said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, co-author of America Fights Back: Armed Self-Defense in a Violent Age, published by Merril Press. "These citizens go through background checks, and in some states complete required training courses. Statistically, these armed citizens are far less likely to ever be involved in a crime than average citizens. They have stopped crimes. They have sometimes aided police officers.


"Senator Obama," he continued, "should not confuse legally-armed, law-abiding Americans with inner-city thugs, gang-bangers and other criminals who carry guns illegally. Thanks to a revealing 1996 questionnaire bearing Mr. Obama's handwriting from his days as a candidate for the Illinois Senate, it's clear he has the good guys confused with the bad guys."


That controversial questionnaire, which Obama originally claimed he never saw, contained answers to questions that indicates he opposes capital punishment and criminal prosecution of juveniles as adults, is against mandatory sentencing and supports "alternative sentencing." He supported a ban on handguns and semiautomatic sport-utility rifles, and mandatory waiting periods before Americans could exercise their constitutional right to own a firearm.


"Barack Obama ignorantly believes that legally-armed Americans are as reckless and irresponsible as the criminals with whom his political sympathies evidently lay," Gottlieb said. "He has been insisting for months that he supports the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, but here he is now campaigning in Pennsylvania, stating essentially that he would prefer Americans not exercise that right.


"Legally-armed citizens are also voters, Mr. Obama," Gottlieb stated, "and you have outrageously insulted every one of them. You owe these good citizens an apology."


With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.


Source: Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

CONTACT: Alan Gottlieb of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep
and Bear Arms, +1-425-454-4911


Web Site: Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

I See a New Zimbabwe

“See there, where the sun kisses the Tanganyika; the spirit of New Zimbabwe is rising from the ripples. It was Lobengula Kumalo who showed me the future and told me to rest in peace.”
I was still looking at the place where the sun was kissing the Tanganyika and did not know that Pa Nkomo was no longer with me. When I turned around, I woke up inside the Zimba Remabwe.

Read the ABC News: Bye Bye Mugabe? Party Loses Parliament and read my "Bye Bye Mugabe".