September Mourning
And here is, finally, a much-needed (much-demanded it would appear) update here - as we continue to wish death to Death!
Rumors of my own demise were greatly, GREATLY exaggerated - quite obviously!
My time has not come...
As always, their time came for a myriad others though - and this is their stories...
And whether they are teens or old-timers, the Grim Reaper truly doesn't seem to care.
From ages 16 to 98, this September of 2008 as in most other months on any given year, *anyone* is "fair game" for the reaper - and anyone can undertake the greatest journey, at any time, in whatever circumstance it is...
No matter what age the journeyer to the other side is, the shock is always as great to the loved ones, close ones, near-and-dear ones...
Some things truly never do change -
and neither will the lugubrious blog!
As long as it endures - and its author endures...!
Gruesome head-on crash
Death toll rises after a packed commuter train collides with a freight train.» Footage
'It's the worst feeling in the world'
Dramatic photos of the wreckage
US: 7 soldiers die in chopper crash in Iraq (AP)
16 dead in attack at US Embassy in Yemen (AP)
Bodies of fallen soldiers return home
Canadian Press
» More News
Actor Paul Newman dies
Oscar winner, philanthropist passes at 83.
» His life, legacy
And to all the others, notables or 'unknowables' who have undertaken the greatest journey thispast month of September - from Anita Page and Jack Falla to Richard Wright and the nameless victims of shootings in Finland and Canada as well as blasts in India and elsewhere across the globe... REST IN PEACE.
Or rather - put in a good word for thy loved ones, on the Other Side...!
Thy loved ones are the ones in need of peace, solace, comfort, understanding, kindness, recomforting in this trying time...
My thoughts go especially toward the great Joanne Woodward at this time.
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Labels: Anita Page, Bill Melendez, Calgary shooting, Don Haskins, Evan Tanner, Ferry sinking, Finnish shooting, Hurricane Ike, India blast, Jack Falla, Paul Newman, Richard Wright, Ron Lancaster
posted by Luminous (\ô/) Luciano™ @ 8:11 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Jack Falla has passed away.
As a sports columnist put it so succinctly, "the truly awful news that legendary Sports Illustrated hockey writer and journalism professor Jack Falla passed away as a result of a heart attack he suffered Sunday while on vacation in Maine" was a most horrid start for yet another week of wordsmithing...
Still, Adam Proteau went on to add these words about the sad subject of yet another loss for us, the living - yet another life that was all-too short, ultimately: "Although I never got the chance to meet Jack face-to-face, I was fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a number of tremendously kind and supportive emails from him regarding my work.
In a business where some of the most successful people also are the most backwards social animals you'll ever encounter, Jack was everything a hockey writer ought to be: generous, hilarious, and, most of all, inclusive. It didn't matter to him whether he agreed with any or all of your reasoning; as long as you were writing about the game from the heart, you were good with him.
I hope Jack's family and friends know how much he meant to us in the wordsmithing industry. My colleague Ken Campbell did a damn fine job of chronicling his talents in a blog last week.
To hell with the official diagnosis of what ended his life after just 62 years; Jack's writings - as well as the countless number of minds he sharpened while working as a teacher at Boston University - will serve as a testament to how very strong that heart of his really was."
Pink Floyd member Richard Wright dies Monday age 65 from cancer
Module body
Mon Sep 15, 12:47 PM
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By The Associated Press
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LONDON - A Pink Floyd spokesman says founding member Richard Wright has died. He was 65.
Wright died Monday after a battle with cancer at his home in Britain. His family did not want to give more details about his death. The spokesman is Doug Wright, who is not related to the artist. Richard Wright met Pink Floyd members Roger Waters and Nick Mason at college and joined their early band Sigma 6.
Sigma 6 eventually became Pink Floyd and Wright wrote and sang some of the band's key songs. He wrote "The Great Gig In The Sky" and "Us And Them" from Pink Floyd's 1973 "The Dark Side Of The Moon."
He left the group in the early 1980s to form his own band but rejoined Pink Floyd for their 1987 album "A Momentary Lapse of Reason."
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS NEWS STORY
Thank you Richard and the band Pink Floyd for many wonderful years of music. God bless you Richard your pain is over and ours has just begun, we will not forget the warm summer night listening to the unique sounds created by your band. Rest in peace you are our friend.
POSTED BY: Blinker on TUE, SEP 16, 2008 05:23 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse You run and you run catch up with the sun but it's sinkin racing around to come up behind you again the sun is the same in a relative way but you're shorter of breath and one day closer to death Have a nice trip Rick and thanks for all the chills you gave us with your partners!
POSTED BY: Canabisvelo on TUE, SEP 16, 2008 02:41 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse God bless you Richard Wright. Your wonderful talents and beautiful vocals will be sorely missed within the Pink Floyd circle. I will never forget you. Farewell old friend. *With heart-felt love*
POSTED BY: Funshine Bear on TUE, SEP 16, 2008 02:11 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse :( Goodbye Richard, the music you created will echo on and continue to inspire both intellectually and spiritually. I wish we could have had you here with us longer.
POSTED BY: jjeb on TUE, SEP 16, 2008 01:12 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse Wishin You Were Here
POSTED BY: BCboy54 on TUE, SEP 16, 2008 01:00 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse
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Mass. prep player dies after injury
35 minutes ago
Buzz Up Print
HOLLISTON, Mass. (AP)— A Holliston High School football player has died after being struck in the chest during a full contact scrimmage.
Joseph "Joey" Larracey, a 16-year-old lineman, was hit Friday during a scrimmage at Apponequet Regional High School in Lakeville.
His uncle, Tom Larracey, told the MetroWest Daily News that his nephew went off the field after the play, saying he felt dizzy. The player later passed out, but regained consciousness before being rushed to a local hospital.
Tom Larracey said doctors there discovered his nephew's lungs were filling with fluid. He died a short time later Friday.
Holliston's superintendent of schools, Bradford L. Jackson, released a statement Saturday announcing Larracey's death and calling it a "great loss."
Motorcyclist dies in Utah speed record attempt
Sep 5, 12:41 am EDT
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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AFP) – A motorcyclist was killed after losing control of his bike at 385 kilometers (239 miles) per hour and crashing on Utah's famous Bonneville Salt Flats, authorities and reports said Thursday.
The American Motorcyclist Association said in a statement on its website that 49-year-old Cliff Gullett of Montana was killed in an accident during a time trial at the location, around 185 kilometers (115 miles) west of Salt Lake City.
The AMA said Gullett was competing in the 500cc class during a time trial speed racing event when his bike crashed. Reports said Gullett was aiming to set a record for the fastest two-stroke, two-cylinder motorcycle.
The Salt Lake Tribune cited police investigators as saying Gullett was travelling at 239 miles per hour before the crash.
The Bonneville Salt Flats have been used as a speed testing ground since 1896 and became famous in 1935 when British motorsport legend Malcolm Campbell broke the world land speed record at the site.
Updated Sep 5, 12:41 am EDT
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'In a world where . . .' Don LaFontaine no longer does movie trailers
Tue Sep 2, 5:19 PM
By Raquel Maria Dillon, The Associated Press
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LOS ANGELES - Don LaFontaine, the man who popularized the catch phrase "In a world where. . ." and lent his voice to thousands of movie trailers, has died. He was 68.
LaFontaine died Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from complications in the treatment of an ongoing illness, said Vanessa Gilbert, his agent.
LaFontaine made more than 5,000 trailers in his 33-year career while working for the top studios and television networks.
In a rare on-screen appearance in 2006, he parodied himself on a series of national television commercials for a car insurance company where he played himself telling a customer, "In a world where both of our cars were totally under water. . ."
In an interview last year, LaFontaine explained the strategy behind the phrase.
"We have to very rapidly establish the world we are transporting them to," he said of his viewers. "That's very easily done by saying, 'In a world where . . . violence rules.' 'In a world where . . . men are slaves and women are the conquerors.' You very rapidly set the scene."
LaFontaine insisted he never cared that no one knew his name or his face, though everyone knew his voice.
LaFontaine went to work in the promo industry in the early 1960s. As an audio engineer, he produced radio spots for movies with producer Floyd Peterson.
When an announcer didn't show up for a recording session in 1965, LaFontaine voiced his first narration, a promo for the film, "Gunfighters of Casa Grande." The client, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, liked his performance.
LaFontaine remained active until recently, averaging seven to 10 voiceover sessions a day. He worked from a home studio his wife nicknamed "The Hole," where his fax machine delivered scripts.
LaFontaine is survived by his wife, the singer and actress Nita Whitaker, and three daughters.
His funeral arrangements were pending.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS NEWS STORY
He was cool... but I think we all took him for granted... almost like the wizard behind the curtain in Oz... Omnivoice! Who will replace him?
POSTED BY: Chris C on WED, SEP 03, 2008 02:16 AM -0500
1 0 Report Abuse I loved the skit of all the voice over actors. It was really funny. I think it was an MTV movie awards spoof. Thanks for all the drama Don.
POSTED BY: Kelli B on WED, SEP 03, 2008 12:53 AM -0500
1 0 Report Abuse I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Don LaFontaine...most people may not recognize his face or his name, but will most certainly has heard the voice...the entertainment world has lost a valuable person and will miss his bellowing deep voice when discribing a movie or even the tv commercial he was recently in...my thoughts to the family.
POSTED BY: gamemom1953 on WED, SEP 03, 2008 12:53 AM -0500
2 0 Report Abuse In a world where the movie trailer guy is no longer with us, Don LaFontaine will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, you majestic, baritone man-god.
POSTED BY: BaphometClass on WED, SEP 03, 2008 12:51 AM -0500
2 0 Report Abuse (;_;)
POSTED BY: Douglas J E ... on WED, SEP 03, 2008 12:37 AM -0500
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And, as Vera H-C Chan truly brilliantly summarized it, on her Buzz postmarked "September 5, 2008 05:00:00 PM"...
In a World Where Farewells Are Hard to Say
Three men known best for their voices passed on this week: movie-trailer basso profundo Don LaFontaine, good ol' boy country-singer Jerry Reed, and "Peanuts" animator Bill Melendez. Besides numerous queries for LaFontaine's soundboards, voice clips, and salary, the Minnesotan was remembered for his rare on-camera work in a Geico ad. Mourners reminisced about Atlanta-born Reed's music, recurring "Smokey and the Bandit" role, and defining hit "Amos Moses." Last but not least, Mexican-born Melendez worked closely with Charles M. Schulz to bring his "Peanuts" comic strip to TV, and notably provided the barks and chirps of Snoopy and Woodstock. To all, a fond sendoff.
Teen charged with killing officer in crash
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 6 (UPI) --
A Philadelphia teenager was charged with third-degree murder Saturday in a car crash that killed a veteran police officer and injured her partner.
Andre Butler, 16, was also charged with vehicular homicide and aggravated assault, Fox29 reported.
Isabel Nazario, 40, who had been with the department 18 years, was in a cruiser that was allegedly rammed by Butler, driving a stolen Cadillac Escalade. Nazario and her partner, Terry Tull, were trapped inside their car.
Another police car had been pursuing the Escalade.
Butler, who suffered injuries, was arrested nearby after he tried to run away from the crash scene, police said.
"This is the second officer that we've had killed this year. It's a very difficult time," Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said late Friday as he arrived at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Tull was reported to be in stable condition at the hospital with broken ribs and a broken hip.
A Philadelphia police officer was killed in May as he attempted to arrest three suspects in a bank robbery.
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Anita Page, silent movie star, dead at 98
1 hour, 25 minutes ago
By The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Anita Page, a beautiful blond MGM actress who appeared in the films of Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford and Buster Keaton during the transition from silent movies to talkies, has died.
She was 98.
Her longtime friend and companion Randal Malone said Page died in her sleep of natural causes early Saturday morning at her home in Los Angeles.
The New York City-born Page began her film career as an extra in 1924.
She had a major role - as the doomed bad girl - in "Our Dancing Daughters," a 1928 film that featured a wild Charleston by Crawford and propelled them both to stardom. It spawned two sequels, "Our Modern Maidens" and "Our Blushing Brides."
Page and Crawford were in all three films.
Shooting at Calgary party leaves 1 dead, 3 hurt
EDMONTON (CBC) - Calgary police are investigating an early-morning shooting at a community centre party that left one dead and three injured on Sunday.
Detectives from the homicide, gang and organized crime units are working with officers from the district, police said in a release.
There have been no arrests and the victims have not yet been identified.
Callers told police that they heard shots at about 3:20 a.m. Police arrived at the Albert Park Radisson Heights Community Centre where many people were fleeing a large party.
Emergency medics declared a man dead at the scene, and treated and took a second person to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Police found a second wounded person, who refused assistance, behind the building.
At about 4 a.m., another wounded person called police from about two kilometres from the centre, and was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS NEWS STORY
probably just a misunderstanding among friends being that it happened in Alberta.
POSTED BY: gomer on SUN, SEP 07, 2008 11:57 PM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse This story sounds AMERICAN...."Enough SAID".
POSTED BY: A-thole on SUN, SEP 07, 2008 11:56 PM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse Cowboys and guns, 'nuff sayed.
POSTED BY: tuft on SUN, SEP 07, 2008 11:49 PM -0500
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Haskins, Hall of Fame basketball coach, dies
By ALICIA A. CALDWELL, Associated Press Writer
September 7th, 2008
Buzz Up Print
AP - Sep 7, 8:12 pm EDT NCAAB Gallery EL PASO, Texas (AP)—Don Haskins, credited with helping break color barriers in college sports in 1966 when he used five black starters to win a national basketball title for Texas Western, died Sunday. He was 78.
Texas-El Paso spokesman Jeff Darby said the Hall of Fame coach died Sunday afternoon. He had no other details. UTEP was previously known as Texas Western.
Haskins was an old-time coach who believed in hard work and was known for his gruff demeanor. That attitude was portrayed in the 2006 movie "Glory Road," the Disney film that chronicled Haskins' improbable rise to national fame in the 1966 championship game against Kentucky. The movie, which was preceded by a book of the same title, also sparked renewed interest in Haskins' career.
During his career, Haskins turned down several more lucrative offers, including one with the now-defunct American Basketball Association, to remain at UTEP as one of the lowest paid coaches in the Western Athletic Conference.
Haskins retired in 1999 after 38 seasons at the school. He had a 719-353 record and won seven WAC championships. He took UTEP to 14 NCAA tournaments and to the NIT seven times and briefly worked as an adviser with the Chicago Bulls.
His health had been an issue in his final coaching years, often forcing him to remain seated during games, and his program struggled after twice being slapped with NCAA sanctions. Serious health concerns continued in his retirement. In the midst of a series of book signings and other appearances Haskins was hospitalized with various woes.
After his retirement, Haskins kept close ties with the Miners. The school's most recent hire, Tony Barbee, said he even met with Haskins just after accepting the job.
"He is a guy who has forgotten more basketball than I will ever know," Barbee said.
Haskins played for Hall of Fame coach Henry "Hank" Iba at Oklahoma State, back when the school was still Oklahoma A&M. Haskins was later an assistant under Iba for the 1972 U.S. Olympic team in Munich.
As a coach, Haskins became a star early in his career by leading his Miners to the 1966 NCAA championship game, then making the controversial decision to start five blacks against all-white, heavily favored Kentucky, coached by Adolph Rupp. The Miners won, and shortly after that many schools began recruiting black players.
Haskins said he wasn't trying to make a social statement with his lineup; he was simply starting his best players. The move, however, raised the ire of some who sent Haskins hate mail and even death threats during the racially charged era.
The coach always was focused on the game of basketball. He had a reputation for working his players hard.
"Our practices wore us out so much that we'd have to rest up before the games," said Harry Floury, a starter in the 1966 championship. "If you work hard all the time and if you go after every loose ball, you see things like that (championship) happen."
Haskins is credited with helping Nate Archibald, Tim Hardaway and Antonio Davis, among others, make it to the NBA.
In November 2000, Haskins was awarded the John Thompson Foundation's Outstanding Achievement Award during a tournament hosted by Arkansas.
"We couldn't think of anyone that deserves this recognition more than coach Haskins," said Nolan Richardson, the former Arkansas coach who played under Haskins for two years. "He opened the door for African-American players to play basketball."
Updated 13 minutes ago
U.S. drones kill 23 in missile attack in Pakistan
Mon Sep 8, 2:52 PM
By Haji Mujtaba
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MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - Missiles fired by U.S. drones killed 23 people, mostly relatives of a Taliban commander close to Osama bin Laden, in a region of Pakistan near the Afghan border on Monday, witnesses and intelligence officials said.
The missiles targeted a sprawling complex comprising a house and a religious school, or madrasa, founded by veteran Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani near Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan tribal region.
Ten militants were killed in the strike.
"There were two drones and they fired three missiles," said a resident of Dandi Darpakheil, the village which was hit.
Those killed included one of the several wives of Haqqani, his sister-in-law, a sister, two nieces, eight grandchildren and a male relative. A son-in-law of Haqqani was wounded.
A senior intelligence official said the militants killed were Pakistani and Afghan Taliban but locals said five of them were low-ranking al Qaeda operatives, including three Arabs.
Haqqani is a veteran of the U.S.-backed Afghan war against the Soviet invasion in the 1970s and 1980s, and his extended family had been living in North Waziristan since then. Haqqani's links with bin Laden go back to the late 1980s.
Taliban sources say he is in ill-health and his son, Sirajuddin, has been leading the Haqqani group. An intelligence official said the militants killed belonged to this faction.
One of Haqqani's younger sons told Reuters his father and Sirajuddin were in Afghanistan when the attack took place.
Fifteen to 20 wounded people, most of them women and children, were taken to hospital in Miranshah, doctors said.
Military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said an incident had taken place and its cause was being ascertained.
CLOSE LINKS WITH ISI
Haqqani has had close links with Pakistani intelligence, notably the military Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The New York Times reported in July that the U.S. CIA had given Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani evidence of the ISI's involvement with Haqqani, along with evidence of ISI connections to a suicide bombing at the Indian embassy in Kabul that killed nearly 60 people on July 7.
Pakistan's new president, Asif Ali Zardari, who is due to be sworn in on Tuesday, has vowed to defeat the Taliban and support the West's mission in Afghanistan.
But the U.S.-led campaigns against al Qaeda and the Taliban are hugely unpopular among Pakistanis and Zardari's coalition, which forced former army chief President Pervez Musharraf to resign last month, has to pay more heed to public opinion than Musharraf did.
U.S.-led forces have stepped up cross-border attacks against al Qaeda and Taliban targets in Pakistani tribal areas.
Helicopter-borne commandos carried out a ground assault in South Waziristan last week, the first known incursion into Pakistan by U.S. troops since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, killing 20 people, including women and children.
A day later, four Islamist militants were killed and five wounded in a suspected U.S. drone attack in North Waziristan.
Security officials said five people were killed in another drone attack on Friday, but the Pakistan military denied it.
The U.S. commando raid and repeated territorial violations aroused anger in Pakistan, prompting the government to partially block supply lines to Western forces in landlocked Afghanistan.
Rehman Malik, who advises the prime minister on Interior Ministry issues, said on Monday the road was unblocked after a few hours, and that it had only been shut for security reasons, contrary to comments by the defence minister that it was a response to the violations.
Separately, the army killed 10 militants in clashes in the northwestern Swat Valley on Sunday night, while police arrested a teenaged suicide bomber who had planned to attack army installations in the northwestern garrison town of Nowshera.
Thirty people were killed in a suicide car bomb attack in the nearby city of Peshawar on Saturday.
(Additional reporting by Alamgir Bitani, Syed Salahuddin and Kamran Haider; Writing by Zeeshan Haider)
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS NEWS STORY
scuzz you dirtbag too bad you weren't there also
POSTED BY: pendantic_one on TUE, SEP 09, 2008 02:18 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse Those killed included one of the several wives of Haqqani, his sister-in-law, a sister, two nieces, eight grandchildren and a male relative. A son-in-law of Haqqani was wounded.
POSTED BY: buzz_lightyear on TUE, SEP 09, 2008 02:11 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse can't the opium lords and pipeline companies pay for their own protection...why always taxpayers and home blood
POSTED BY: buzz_lightyear on MON, SEP 08, 2008 08:53 PM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse $12 million for 9/11 investigation (aka...new pearl harbor) vs Kenneth Star's $47 Million to investigate Clinton . I wonder why
POSTED BY: buzz_lightyear on MON, SEP 08, 2008 08:31 PM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse In 1993, President Clinton and Vice President Gore launched their economic strategy: (1) establishing fiscal discipline, eliminating the budget deficit, keeping interest rates low, and spurring private-sector investment; (2) investing in people through education, training, science, and research; and (3) opening foreign markets so American workers can compete abroad. After eight years, the results of President Clinton's economic leadership are clear. Record budget deficits have become record surpluses, 22 million new jobs have been created, unemployment and core inflation are at their lowest levels in more than 30 years, and America is in the midst of the longest economic expansion in our history.
POSTED BY: buzz_lightyear on MON, SEP 08, 2008 08:29 PM -0500
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Tanner marched to his own drummer
By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports
Sep 9, 1:17 EDT
PrintRelated CoverageMMAWeekly: Tanner found dead Blog: Remembering Tanner More From Kevin IoleMailbag: Talking Tanner, Liddell-Evans, and more Sep 9, 2008 Mailbag: No boasts from Forrest this time Sep 9, 2008
You had to meet Evan Tanner only once to like him. You had to spend only 10 minutes with him to feel like he was your friend.
He was the kind of guy who loved books, trying new things and meeting new people. The world was too small for the former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder, who was always on the lookout for another adventure.
Sadly, though, it was Tanner's most recent escapade that led to his untimely death at 37. His body was discovered around noon Monday in a rugged mountainous area near San Diego, where he had gone camping.
Friends, who had known he ventured alone, alerted authorities on Friday when they had not heard from him. Temperatures had reached 114 degrees on Sunday in the area where Tanner's body was discovered.
Eerily, Tanner seems to have foreshadowed his own death in a blog post he made on Spike TV's website. Tanner loved to write and became somewhat of a celebrity in the last several years, more for his blogging than for his fighting.
In an Aug. 16 post, Tanner was writing about preparations for his camping trip. He wrote, "I plan on going so deep into the desert that any failure of my equipment could cost me my life."
That is apparently what happened, though authorities in Imperial County have not released a cause of death.
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Tanner's death is as mysterious as the life he lived. The Amarillo, Texas native became a fighter on a whim when he saw a mixed martial arts fight in his hometown and was intrigued. Typically Tanner, he had to try it himself.
It turned out the two-time former Texas state high school wrestling champion was so gifted at this new and fledgling sport that he would go on to become a world champion. A middleweight, he had a 32-8 MMA record and had victories over quality fighters such as Heath Herring, Paul Buentello, Robbie Lawler, David Terrell and Phil Baroni. His career peaked with the first-round TKO win over Terrell at UFC 51 in 2005, which landed him the UFC middleweight crown.
The trappings of fame, though, weren't what drew Tanner to the sport. He was a man who felt he needed to try everything at least once, to experience all the world had to offer.
He lived humbly, moving from place to place and treating life as a game meant to be played. He had little furniture in his apartment in Las Vegas, where he lived for much of 2008 before moving to Oceanside, Calif.
A minimalist, Tanner often would sleep on the floor amid a stack of his books, which he loved dearly.
He loved nature and being a part of it. In his final blog entry, he railed about overcrowding and marveled at all there is in the universe that man still does not fully understand.
"Today, I ran to the store to pick up a few things, and with the lonesome, quiet desert thoughts on my mind, I couldn't help but be struck with their brutally stark contrast to my current surroundings, the amazing congestion in which we exist day to day," he wrote. "The landscape as far as I could see, crowded, choked, with me and the rest of the species, an almost writhing mass of organisms, fighting over space and resources … on the highways, in the parking lots, on the sidewalks, and in the aisle of the stores.
"And to think, there are still places in the world where man has not been, where he has left no footprints, where the mysteries stand secure, untouched by human eyes. I want to go to these places, the quiet, timeless, ageless places, and sit, letting silence and solitude be my teachers."
Tanner died doing what he loved, exploring his world in his own way.
We should all be so lucky.
Evan Tanner will be missed, but anyone who knew him well will always have a part of him with them.
Kevin Iole covers boxing and mixed martial arts for Yahoo! Sports. Send Kevin a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
Mon Sep 08, 2008 23:10 EDT
R.I.P. Evan Tanner
By Steve Cofield
This is an entry no blogger wants to post. The news out of San Diego is simply surreal. Evan Tanner, a former UFC middleweight champion, was found dead in the Palo Verde Mountains in Southern California. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Tanner a resident of Oceanside, was found two miles from an empty campsite.
What we were told is that (sheriff's officials who found him) believe his motorcycle had run out of gas, so he went to walk out in like 115 to 118-degree heat," said Douglas Vincitorio part of Tanner's management team told MMAWeekly.com. He was miles away from his camp. That's where the helicopter found him. Right now, they just think that he succumbed to the heat."
Tanner, 37, was always an interesting guy who lived by the beat of his own drum. He was an adventurer but also had a side that lived on the edge. He talked about this trip back on Aug. 16 on his SpikeTV blog and sadly foreshadowed his own death.
Being a minimalist by nature, wanting to carry only the essentials, and being extremely particular, it has been a little difficult to find just the right equipment. I plan on going so deep into the desert, that any failure of my equipment, could cost me my life. I've been doing a great deal of research and study. I want to know all I can about where I'm going, and I want to make sure I have the best equipment.
We wrote about Tanner's desert trip back on Aug. 18. The headline - "Will Tanner make it back to cage?" - on that blog entry frankly makes me sick as I'm reading about Tanner's death.
Another Tanner management team member John Hayner told (CagePotato.com) of a man who "marched to a beat only he could hear," but maintained a positive outlook on life.
"Here was a famous UFC fighter who didn't have enough food to eat at times. I'd call him just to make sure he had food in his fridge, but he never let it get him down. Starting over was kind of a theme in his life. He hardly ever lived in the same place more than six months," Hayner said. "He moved out to Vegas and then found it too shallow for him, so he moved out to Oceanside and had a great place, he was learning to surf, and he was really enjoying his day-to-day life."
We spoke with Tanner on a few occasions for the radio show on ESPNRadio1100. Click below to hear the interviews.
From (6/18/08):
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Posted by JAMES C Mon Sep 08, 2008 23:14 EDT Report Abuse
R.I.P. Bro.............and may God be with you.
Posted by PM Mon Sep 08, 2008 23:17 EDT Report Abuse
Rip
Posted by Maggie Hendricks (Yahoo! Sports Blogger) Mon Sep 08, 2008 23:26 EDT Report Abuse
this is just heartbreaking. tanner always fascinated me just because he was so open and ready to share his life. it's so sad to see this happen when he had turned his life around.
Posted by deeceevolt Mon Sep 08, 2008 23:48 EDT Report Abuse
Quiet out of the cage but was Loud inside the cage, Evan Tanner was middleweight champion of the UFC and thats all that you have to know.
Will be missed by many in The MMA world.
Posted by Allstar Tue Sep 09, 2008 0:25 EDT Report Abuse
RIP Evan You were an inspiration to me and the world of MMA! God Bless
Posted by BearDown Tue Sep 09, 2008 0:26 EDT Report Abuse
Thoughts and prayers for him and his famliy.
Posted by Lee Factor Tue Sep 09, 2008 0:26 EDT Report Abuse
this is a real sad time for MMA,may he R.I.P.
Posted by Raphael S Tue Sep 09, 2008 0:27 EDT Report Abuse
He Was One Of The Greats In The UFC, A True Pioneer Of The Game...
R.I.P. Evan Tanner You Will Be Missed
Posted by Bryan T Tue Sep 09, 2008 0:30 EDT Report Abuse
This is terrible news. Though I'm sure his spirit lives on, the world is a less intriguing place with him not a part of it.
RIP
Posted by Tonley Tue Sep 09, 2008 0:30 EDT Report Abuse
Truly a free spirit in and out of the cage.
RIP
Posted by Wang Chang Y Tue Sep 09, 2008 0:33 EDT Report Abuse
damn that sucks, he was one of my favorite fighters... rip...
Posted by spicdragon_2003 Tue Sep 09, 2008 0:40 EDT Report Abuse
RIP Evan, I can't believe you're gone. Much Love and Respect.
Posted by Adamn FooL Tue Sep 09, 2008 0:44 EDT Report Abuse
one of the ferciest competitors i knew he will be missed rest in peace Evan.
Posted by randy r Tue Sep 09, 2008 0:46 EDT Report Abuse
r.i.p mr evans il mis u ur 1 of my idols in the cage
Posted by noe r Tue Sep 09, 2008 0:55 EDT Report Abuse
RIP Evan Tanner you had the sickest beard in the biz
Posted by Johnny Utah Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:00 EDT Report Abuse
R.I.P. Tanner..Hope you found what you were looking for..Much sorrow Godspeed. U were one of my favs ;(
Posted by chris t Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:03 EDT Report Abuse
rest in peace evan..... the mma community has truly lost someone special...
Posted by H Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:09 EDT Report Abuse
Man I was sad to hear the news. I will allways remeber all the battles evan was in. He was and allways be one of my favorite fighters. You knew every time Evan stepped in the octogon you were about to see a battle. Rest in Peace hermano!
Posted by paul b Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:13 EDT Report Abuse
R.i.p
Posted by Brett O Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:21 EDT Report Abuse
One of my favorite memories of Evan was the 2nd Franklin fight. He would not quit, yield or give any ground even after taking the damage you did. He was/is all heart and guts combined with fantastic skill. Here's hoping more fighters can match your standards and live people live their lives to the fullest like you did.
RIP Evan you will be missed.
Posted by darkside3744 Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:34 EDT Report Abuse
i literally got goose bumps reading this. i've been watching the ufc from the beginning and you think these guys are invincible. he was a character and i'm going to miss his raw truthfulness. i'll never forget the hair do's r.i.p. brother.
Posted by Ken Wilder Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:40 EDT Report Abuse
RIP Tanner, you were a joy to watch. Cofield, you are a pain to read. Stop writing blogs already, you cut and pasted that entire piece.
Posted by Chuck Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:42 EDT Report Abuse
He was a great fighter,a great inspiration to all of us who thought fighting was over after you turn 30. RIP bro,God Bless you and your family.
Posted by jenkinsj83 Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:45 EDT Report Abuse
evan was a hog...Its sad to hear this news..
Rip....hopefully the UFC gives him the props he deserves!
Posted by Mario Quick kick Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:50 EDT Report Abuse
I hope the next UFC they Honor him some how. R.I.P Champ
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Hurricane Ike kills 4 in Cuba
The Associated Press
Published: September 9, 2008
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MIAMI: Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami say the eye of Hurricane Ike has powered ashore in western Cuba's province of Pinal del Rio.
The center of the Category 1 storm hit land in the extreme southeastern part of the Cuban province around 10:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday. At least 1.2 million people have evacuated the island nation, and the storm is ravaging homes and fragile buildings.
Residents in Texas and northern Mexico are bracing for a possible weekend hit from Ike. The storm is being blamed for at least 79 deaths in the Caribbean and four in Cuba.
Cuba is getting pounded by Ike on the heels of Hurricane Gustav. Gustav tore across western Cuba as a monstrous Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 30 and caused billions of dollars in damage.
Five bombs explode in Indian capital, 20 killed
Sat Sep 13, 3:58 PM
By Bappa Majumdar
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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Five bombs exploded in quick succession in crowded markets and streets in the heart of India's capital New Delhi on Saturday, killing at least 20 people and injuring at least 90 more, police said.
The Indian Mujahideen Islamic militant group, which has claimed several major attacks in recent months, sent an e-mail to television stations saying it was responsible for the blasts.
Police and witnesses said two bombs went off in dustbins in and around Connaught Place, a shopping and dining area popular with tourists and locals in the city centre. Others exploded within minutes of each other in busy markets around the city.
"Around 6:30 p.m. we heard a very loud noise, then we saw people running all over the place," said Chanchal Kumar, a witness whose shirt was soaked with the blood of several victims whom he had helped to carry into ambulances.
"There were about 100-200 people around this place," he said. The weekend was a particularly busy one ahead of Hindu and Muslim festivals.
The Indian Mujahideen e-mail mentioned nine bombs. Police said they had found and defused four.
"We have news of 20 people killed, and the toll could rise as many people are seriously injured," Delhi police commissioner Y.S. Dadwal told reporters.
In a hospital bed, Gulab Singh, his head bandaged, wailed at the death of his 2-year-old grandson.
"We were all sitting around the parking lot when suddenly there was a huge blast. We did not know what happened. My world has changed," Singh said, crying inconsolably.
WAVE OF BOMBINGS
Hundreds of people have been killed in a wave of bombings in India in recent years, mostly blamed on Muslim militants, with targets ranging from mosques and Hindu temples to trains.
In July, at least 45 people were killed when a series of bombs ripped through Ahmedabad, the main city of the western state of Gujarat. A day earlier, one woman died when eight bombs went off in the IT hub of Bangalore.
The failure to prevent the attacks has become an embarrassment for the Congress party-led coalition government, with elections less than a year away.
Police say the Indian Mujahideen is an offshoot of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India, but that local Muslims appear to have been given training and backing by militant groups in neighboring Pakistan and Bangladesh.
"I can just say that these blasts have been planned by the enemies of the country and they will be taught a lesson," junior home minister Sriprakash Jaiswal told reporters at one site.
Arun Jaitley, a senior leader of the main Hindu nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, told the NDTV channel that the profile of the bombers had changed over the last three years and attacks could no longer be blamed on outsiders.
"Homegrown terrorists are on the increase," he said. "We cannot shut our eyes to that reality."
Many streets that would normally have been bustling on a Saturday night quickly emptied after news of the attacks.
CROWDS TARGETED
One bomb exploded in a newly constructed park in the centre of the Connaught Place roundabout, built above one of the main stations of the Delhi underground. Police closed down the metro and major markets in the city as a precaution.
Another bomb went off in a dustbin near an underground station entrance on an arterial road leading into the area, housing the offices of several foreign banks and multinational companies.
"It was a huge blast," said another witness, Sanjeev Gole.
Other attacks came in the Ghaffar Market area of Karol Bagh, full of electronics shops and packed at weekends, and in Greater Kailash 1, home to restaurants and high-end retail outlets.
Broadcasts showed wrecked cars and mangled motorbikes alongside personal belongings, some of them bloodstained, and abandoned shoes.
Wounded people were shown being carried away by rescuers, one leaving a trail of blood on the ground.
Hundreds of people milled around as police cordoned off the sites of the explosions, many of them angry with the authorities.
India's deadliest attack in recent years came in July 2006, when seven bombs exploded on Mumbai's railway system, killing more than 180 people.
The last major attack to hit the capital was in 2005, when 66 people were killed when three bombs exploded in busy markets.
(Writing by Simon Denyer; Editing by Caroline Drees)
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS NEWS STORY
Why not just say another bomb kills many in another muslim country more to follow
POSTED BY: sicofit on SAT, SEP 13, 2008 10:28 PM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse
I think i will convert to be a muslim, it is a very peacefull religion. Thats why you should vote for Barak Hussein Obama. He is a muslim and values peace like his ancestors. Islam the most peaceful religion in the world. Opps actually Islam is not a religion, and never has been THATS A FACT. Go research it !!!!!!!
POSTED BY: NB33 on SAT, SEP 13, 2008 10:27 PM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse
Cold blooded murderrers! Criminals and pieces of trash!
POSTED BY: freedom on SAT, SEP 13, 2008 10:17 PM -0500
2 0 Report Abuse
As long as different religions exist, there will always be differences. As long as there are different nations, there will be war. Someone always wants to be in control of the other. Its human nature to be in control.
POSTED BY: flight_of_th... on SAT, SEP 13, 2008 10:04 PM -0500
1 1 Report Abuse
If muslims don't like india then they should go to pakistan. I mean was that not what partition was about - to have a muslim homeland/wasteland?
POSTED BY: Roger on SAT, SEP 13, 2008 09:54 PM -0500
2 0 Report Abuse
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Search of LA train crash wreckage ends; death toll at 24
1 hour, 0 minute ago
By The Associated Press
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LOS ANGELES - Authorities say they've finished the grim search for victims of the Los Angeles commuter train collision and the death toll stands at 24.
It took nearly a day to sift through the mangled remains of a commuter train that collided head-on with a freight train Friday.
About 135 people were injured.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (vee-yah-ry-GOH'-sah) says the search ended Saturday afternoon.
The Metrolink train collided with a Union Pacific freight train in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles on Friday afternoon.
Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell says a preliminary investigation has determined the Metrolink engineer failed to stop at a red light, causing the collision.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS NEWS STORY
amazing, again, the engineers fault?. someone that can't speak for themselves. if it where a plane it would be pilot error. I don't think they have had enough time to determine the problem, so take the easy way out. condolences to all the famillies and friends.
POSTED BY: silvwolf on SAT, SEP 13, 2008 11:48 PM -0500
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I offer my condolences to the families of the victims as well. I wonder though where the lack of communication was as I would think one of these trains should have been pulled off on a siding until the other train passed. We are all human and errors do happen, but it is sad to loose any human life over a situation that may have been prevented.
POSTED BY: morriso on SAT, SEP 13, 2008 11:39 PM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse
Very Sad Condolences to all the families.
POSTED BY: inti on SAT, SEP 13, 2008 11:13 PM -0500
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puppet, i assume u live in a major city cause i live in kelowna bc and it is 15km to the closest city bus stop, which passes by every 2.5 hours, and i have never seen a passenger train in canada
POSTED BY: ? on SAT, SEP 13, 2008 11:08 PM -0500
0 1 Report Abuse
Martin - me wrong - Canoe River 1951.
POSTED BY: evilhater on SAT, SEP 13, 2008 10:58 PM -0500
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One dead and 30 missing in Turkish ferry sinking
39 minutes ago
By Thomas Grove
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ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A ferry carrying about 100 passengers sank near Turkey's northwest port of Bandirma overnight, killing at least one person and leaving some 30 people missing, officials said on Monday.
Broadcaster NTV said two people had been killed but the report could not be independently verified.
Local fishermen joined rescue operations when the roll-on roll-off ferry, loaded with 73 trucks and two cars, went down in the Sea of Marmara shortly after leaving Bandirma for Istanbul.
Officials said 68 people had been rescued, 31 of whom were injured, but that strong waves and winds were hindering the search.
"It looks like there are about 30 people who are missing, but this is a guess and that figure could rise or fall," said Selahattin Hatipoglu, governor of Balikesir province.
Passengers do not have to buy individual tickets for ferries that transport vehicles from Bandirma, so the number of people on the vessel was difficult for officials to establish.
Officials said the cause of the sinking was not immediately known, but that the ship began leaning to one side as it pulled out of the port.
"The ship was rocking back and forth, to the left then to the right, then finally sunk, completely sunk," one survivor told CNNTurk television.
Passengers said the ship sank in about 15 minutes and that many of those on board were asleep in their vehicles before it began to go down. The ship left Bandirma at 11.15 p.m. (6:15 EDT) on Sunday.
Television pictures showed survivors being led from rescue vessels to the shore where ambulances were waiting.
Five coastguard vessels and one helicopter have been sent to the area and divers were at the scene.
(Editing by Ralph Gowling)
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS NEWS STORY
WHO THE HELL ARE YOU 'HEADLINE; ?? WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM. PEOPLE ARE DEAD AND MISSING, YOU ARE NOT HUMAN?
POSTED BY: TURKISHCANADIAN on MON, SEP 15, 2008 02:52 AM -0500
1 0 Report Abuse Obviously you guys do not know what you are talking about!!! No knowledge of geography, go back to your pink dreams. Especially "Headline" yourself. The news look like a sad accident that is all.
POSTED BY: BigT on MON, SEP 15, 2008 02:25 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse vanilla hell, obviously you wouldn't get on a tiny little ferry boat to cruise from the Aegean sea to the Black sea.
POSTED BY: erleichda on MON, SEP 15, 2008 01:57 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse HEADLINE: Disaster strikes Turkey; UN to send cranberry sauce
POSTED BY: DH4300 on MON, SEP 15, 2008 12:14 AM -0500
0 2 Report Abuse Hmmm..I always wanted to take a cruise along the Turkish coastline up to Greece and the Black Sea...
POSTED BY: vanilla hell... on SUN, SEP 14, 2008 11:46 PM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse
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Ron Lancaster rend l'âme
La légende des Tiger-Cats de Hamilton, Ron Lancaster, est décédé jeudi à l'âge de 69 ans.
Né à Clairton en Pennsylvanie, Lancaster a débuté sa carrière dans la Ligue canadienne de football avec Ottawa en 1960, remportant la Coupe Grey à sa saison recrue. Il détient la 3e marque de tous les temps avec 3384 passes complétées pour des gains de 50 535 verges.
«Notre Ligue a perdu son ''Little General'' et notre pays a perdu un géant,» a exprimé le Commissaire de la LCF, Mark Cohon.
«Ron Lancaster est aimé profondément partout au Canada, que ce soit comme joueur, entraîneur, analyste ou mentor, mais probablement plus comme ami. Sa carrière a traversé les époques, créant un pont entre l'Est et l'Ouest, et elle a ravi nos amateurs. Sa vie ne se résume pas uniquement au sport. Il est arrivé ici, tout jeune, de la Pennsylvanie, et est devenu un héros, un modèle qui s'est élevé au-dessus de la mêlée tout en demeurant les deux pieds bien ancrés sur terre.»
«Nos pensées accompagnent le deuil de sa femme Bev et de ses trois enfants Lana, Ron fils et Bob ainsi que ses quatre petits-enfants», ajoute M. Cohon.
Lancaster a été nommé joueur par excellence en 1970 et en 1976 en plus d'être intronisé au Temple de la renommée de la LCF en 1982.
Lancaster a été nommé à deux reprises entraîneur-chef de l'année. Il a remporté la Coupe Grey à deux fois, soit en 1993 avec les Eskimos et en 1999 à la barre des Tiger-Cats.
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Truck bomber kills at least 43 at Islamabad hotel
45 minutes ago
By Kamran Haider
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ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A suicide truck bomber attacked the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Saturday, killing at least 43 people, wounding nearly 250 and starting a fire that swept through the building in the Pakistani capital.
Internal security in nuclear-armed Pakistan, a country vital to the war against al Qaeda and other Islamist militant groups, has deteriorated at an alarming rate over the past two years.
The bombing bore the signs of an attack by al Qaeda or an affiliate, a U.S. intelligence official said.
It came hours after new President Asif Ali Zardari, widower of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, made his first address to parliament a few hundred meters away, calling for terrorism to be rooted out.
The tightly guarded hotel, part of a U.S.-based chain and popular with foreigners, diplomats and rich Pakistanis, was engulfed in flames for hours after the blast.
Zardari made a televised address to the nation on Sunday and said the bombing was cowardly.
"This is an epidemic, a cancer in Pakistan which we will root out," he said. "We will not be afraid of these cowards."
Pakistan's army is in the midst of a major offensive against al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in the Bajaur region on the Afghan border, while the U.S. military has intensified attacks on militants on the Pakistani side of the border, infuriating many Pakistanis.
Militants have launched bomb attacks, most on security forces in the northwest, in retaliation for the strikes on them.
"They're giving a very clear, unambiguous message that if the government pursues these policies, this is what (they) will do in response," Talat Masood, a retired general and defense analyst, said of the attack.
"They are saying 'we can strike anywhere, at any time regardless of how good you think your security is'," he said.
An al Qaeda video, released to mark the seventh anniversary of the Sept 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, included a call for militants in Pakistan to step up their fight.
"You must stand with your Mujahideen brothers in Afghanistan and ... strike the interests of Crusader (Western) allies in Pakistan," Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, an al Qaeda commander in Afghanistan, said on the tape.
20-FOOT CRATER
Saturday's attack was the worst yet in the capital. It came six months after a civilian government took power and a month after it forced former army chief and firm U.S. ally Pervez Musharraf to step down as president.
A crater up to 20 feet deep was in the road in front of the gates of the hotel, which had been bombed twice before. The Interior Ministry said the bomb probably contained more than 500 kg (1,100 lb) of explosives.
Hospitals reported 43 dead and the Interior Ministry said 236 people were wounded. One foreigner was killed, an American, and 13 foreigners were wounded, police and hospital officials said.
The Danish Foreign Ministry said a Danish diplomat was missing and one was wounded. Up to six Saudi Arabians were missing, the Saudi ambassador said.
Flames and smoke poured out of the 290-room, city centre hotel. Dozens of cars were destroyed and windows shattered hundreds of meters (yards) away.
Soldiers cordoned off the area. The fire was put out after six hours and investigators and rescuers were going through the ruins.
A wounded hotel security official said a truck had been stopped at the hotel's security barrier and two small explosions had gone off minutes before the main blast.
The owner of the Marriott, one of two five-star hotels in the capital, said guards at the security gate had exchanged fire with the attacker before he set off the explosives.
Clemens Steinkanp, a German who was slightly wounded, said hotel security men had warned guests to move to the back of the building shortly before the bomb went off.
"Nothing happened for five minutes ... but then there was a huge blast," he said.
U.S. CONDEMNATION
Zardari is close to the United States and has vowed to maintain Pakistan's commitment to the U.S.-led campaign against violent militants, even though it is deeply unpopular.
The United States, Britain and the U.N. secretary general condemned the bombing.
"This attack is a reminder of the ongoing threat faced by Pakistan, the United States, and all those who stand against violent extremism," U.S. President George W. Bush said.
In his address to parliament, Zardari said Pakistan must stop militants from using its territory for attacks on other countries. He also said Pakistan would not tolerate infringement of its territory in the name of the fight against militancy.
Zardari, who won a presidential election this month, is due to leave for the United States on Sunday, and is scheduled to meet Bush in New York on Tuesday before the U.N. General Assembly.
(Additional reporting by Simon Cameron-Moore, Zeeshan Haider, Aftab Borka, Augustine Anthony, Randall Mikkelsen and Tabassum Zakaria; Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Jerry Norton)
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS NEWS STORY
These brainwashed muslim fanatics are like a disease, it is not by invading countries that we will defeat them. The only way is to go after the leaders, or monsters who teaches these fanatics. They are pure evil! What a sisk bunch of retards they are!
POSTED BY: freedom on SUN, SEP 21, 2008 02:10 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse Should bomb the sick sexist feminists! Feminism is the new religion. Feminists blindly follow the hate politics exactly the same way scientologists follow their religion. If people protest against scientology for misleading the sheep, then they should also speak out against the dumb and ignorant SEXIST Misandrist Feminists for promoting HATE. We need more Anti-Feminists to stop the sexist feminist hate, and to bring awareness that Feminism is a sickness.
POSTED BY: NabilZariffa on SUN, SEP 21, 2008 01:53 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse Just another day in the life of a Muslim....oh what peaceful people these Muslims are.
POSTED BY: Fade to Black on SUN, SEP 21, 2008 01:45 AM -0500
0 1 Report Abuse Just another day in the life of a Muslim....oh what peaceful people these Muslims are.
POSTED BY: Fade to Black on SUN, SEP 21, 2008 01:45 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse Who cares if any moderate people come forward and condemn it, what good would that do. Also your life would be in jeopardy if you say anything against it. Anyway the main person, the President, has already harshly condemned it and "will root them out" according to his words. Lets see if he lives up to that.
POSTED BY: CuttyRanks on SUN, SEP 21, 2008 01:41 AM -0500
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ALSO ON SEPT. 20TH 2008...
Report: Fire at Chinese nightclub kills 43
37 minutes ago
BEIJING - State media says a fire has killed at least 43 people in a nightclub in southern China.
The official Xinhua News Agency said the fire broke out late Saturday night in the club in Shenzhen, a city in Guangdong province just over the border with Hong Kong.
It said at least 51 people were injured in the blaze. Xinhua did not give a cause for the fire, which has been extinguished.
SHADES OF THE BIG BOPPER... BUDDY AND RICHIE...
4 killed in SC plane crash; drummer, DJ injured
By JIM DAVENPORT, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 40 minutes ago
WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. - Hours after performing for thousands of South Carolina college students, former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity disc jockey DJ AM were critically injured in a fiery Learjet crash that killed four people, authorities said Saturday.
Officials said the plane carrying six people was departing shortly before midnight Friday when air traffic controllers reporting seeing sparks. The plane hurtled off the end of a runway and crashed through antennas and a fence. It came to rest a quarter-mile away on an embankment across a five-lane highway and was engulfed in flames, said Debbie Hersman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Barker and DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, were in critical but stable condition at a burn center in Augusta, Ga., on Saturday afternoon, hospital spokeswoman Beth Frits said. Augusta is about 75 miles southwest of Columbia.
Two other passengers — Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City, Calif., and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles — died, as did pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills, Calif., and co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad, Calif., according to the county coroner. Baker was an assistant to Barker and Still was a security guard for the musician.
The plane was headed for Van Nuys, Calif. It is owned by Global Exec Aviation, a California-based charter company, and was certified to operate last year, Hersman said. The company expressed its condolences in a statement and said it was working with investigators to determine the cause of the crash.
At the crash site Saturday, the air was still heavy with the odor of jet fuel. A trail of black soot led off a runway. The nose of the aircraft was gone and the roof was missing from two-thirds of the charred plane.
Hersman said officials recovered the cockpit voice recorder Saturday but had yet to analyze it or determine whether the recording was in good condition. She said the weather was clear when the plane took off, but said no factors had been ruled out.
"We're working as fast as we can to document all the evidence," Hersman said. "We have not yet found anything but we are looking at everything."
Barker and Goldstein had performed together under the name TRVSDJ-AM at a free concert in Columbia on Friday night. Event sponsor T-Mobile said their hourlong set ended at about 7:15 p.m.
The show, which included performances by former Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell and singer Gavin DeGraw, drew 10,000 people into the streets of Five Points, the neighborhood near the University of South Carolina, Coble said.
Peter Kastis, Farrell's manager, said he and Farrell didn't find out about the crash until they arrived at the airport Saturday morning to find it closed.
"I just hugged them hello less than 24 hours ago. I wish I could hug them now," Kastis said.
Columbia's airport stayed closed Saturday and spokeswoman Lynne Douglas said she was unsure when it would reopen.
A longtime friend of Bland, the co-pilot, said he flew anti-smuggling missions 20 years for the U.S. Customs Service and also flew missions for the Santa Ana Police Department and U.S. Border Patrol.
"He was such an experienced pilot, it had to be something beyond their control," said Tim Ferrill, a Huntington Beach, Calif., pilot. "He was an absolutely meticulous pilot, very thorough and not a risk-taker at all."
Bland was survived by his wife and teenage daughter, Ferrill said.
On Saturday afternoon, several people gathered where the musicians performed the night before. Some of Barker's fans said they felt drawn to the spot.
"I hope to God things turn out OK and he gets better. He's a real good guy," said Dustin Haycraft, 23, of Columbia, who sports two tattoos modeled on T-shirts the musician designed.
Barker, 32, was one of the more colorful members of the multiplatinum-selling punk rock band Blink-182, whose biggest album was 1999's CD "Enema of the State" and sold more than 5 million copies in the United States alone.
After Blink-182 disbanded in 2005, Barker went on to form the rock band (+44) — pronounced "plus forty-four." He also starred in the MTV reality series "Meet the Barkers" with his then-wife, former Miss USA Shanna Moakler. The show documented the former couple's lavish wedding and private life. Their later split, reconciliation and subsequent breakup made them tabloid favorites.
Goldstein, 35, is a popular DJ for hire who at one time was engaged to Nicole Richie.
He has spun a mix of hip-hop and dance beats for the hottest nightclubs and had a string of dates set up for the next few weeks. He reached the peak of his celebrity perhaps during his highly publicized romance with Richie a few years ago.
DJ AM also dated singer/actress Mandy Moore, and while he became a gossip favorite for his romances, he drew respect from music aficionados for his DJ skills.
Barker and Goldstein performed as part of the house band at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this month.
___
Associated Press writers Page Ivey in Columbia, Nekesa Mumbi Moody in New York and Thomas Watkins in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
___
On the Net:
http://www.djam.com/
http://www.gavindegraw.com/
http://www.blink182.com/
French girl murdered in Israel to be buried in Paris: police
Tue Sep 16, 3:13 PM
JERUSALEM (AFP) - A four-year-old French girl who police suspect was murdered and dumped in a river by her Israeli grandfather will be flown to France later this week for burial, police said on Tuesday.
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Rose Pizem's body was found in a suitcase on the bottom of the murky Yarkon river in Tel Aviv last week after weeks of intensive searches and speculation that had transfixed and shocked the country.
"Rose's body will be transferred Thursday to France, where she will be buried," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.
The transfer had been planned for Tuesday but was postponed at the last minute due to bureaucratic difficulties, he said.
Police believe Rose's grandfather Ronny Ron carried out the gruesome murder. The girl's mother, 23-year-old Marie-Charlotte Renaud, is also a suspect. The two were lovers and had two children together.
Rose's father and Ron's son Benjamin Pizen, as well as her maternal grandmother, both live near Paris.
Ron is a 45-year-old taxi driver who was living with Rose's mother in a bizarre love triangle. He had told police that in a momentary outburst of violence he hit the girl who kept kept crying as he was driving. Realising she was dead, he stuffed the body in a suitcase which he hurled into the river.
A Tel Aviv court last week remanded Ron and Renaud in custody for 10 days even though Rose's grandfather retracted his confession, claiming it had been made under duress.
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Indian govt backs workers who killed boss: police, reports
Tue Sep 23, 1:39 PM
NEW DELHI (AFP) - Sacked workers in India beat to death the boss of the Italian company that had laid them off, police said on Tuesday, in a killing the government described as a "warning for management."
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Scores of former employees at car parts maker Graziano Transmissioni attacked chief executive Lalit Kishore Chaudhary, 47, when a meeting on Monday to discuss a long-running labour dispute turned violent, police said.
"Twenty-three people are still in hospital," superintendent of police Babu Ram told AFP.
Police said the company sacked more than 100 workers three months ago but arranged the meeting to work out a possible reinstatement deal.
"Only a few people were called inside. About 150 people were waiting outside when they heard someone from inside shout for help. They rushed in and the two sides clashed," Ram said.
Chaudhary, a father with one son, was hit on the head with either a stick or an iron rod and was declared dead on arrival at hospital, police said.
India's labour minister declined to criticise the attack, saying it "should serve as a warning for management."
"Workers should be dealt with with compassion," Oscar Fernandes told reporters in New Delhi, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
"The workers should not be pushed so hard that they resort to whatever happened."
Media reports said workers at Graziano Transmissioni were dismissed after they demanded pay rises and allegedly ransacked the firm's offices in the Delhi suburb of Greater Noida, where many multinational companies are based.
Graziano, in a statement from Rivoli in Italy, said it was appalled at the killing, adding that it believed some of those involved had no connection to the company.
It said Chaudhary was killed by "serious head injuries caused by the intruders."
"We absolutely condemn the attack," Marcello Lamberto, head of Oerlikon Segment Drive Systems, which owns Graziano, said in the statement.
"This is by no means a regular labour conflict but is truly criminal action. The whole of Oerlikon Group is close to the family of Mr Chaudhary in this terrible moment."
Police said they had detained 136 people over the incident.
Business contacts visiting the company from Italy narrowly escaped the violence, The Times of India reported.
"I just locked my room's door from inside. And I prayed they would not break in. See, my hands are trembling even three hours later," Italian consultant Forettii Gatii told the paper.
A domestic industry body said the incident would hurt India's international business image.
"Such a heinous act is bound to sully India's image among overseas investors and deserves our utmost condemnation," the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry said in a statement.
The district of Greater Noida is also home to offices and factories of global firms such as Honda, LG Electronics and Moser Baer.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS NEWS STORY
Nobody should die that way. There is a flaw in free market system. Workers are the one who suffers most (In layoffs.) when there is a loss or a slowdown and yet management are the one making decisions and rewarded for their incompetence. People in India should go after Ambani's and the MIttal's of India. Ambani is building a US$2 Billion house in Mumbai and Ambani is buying properties left and right worth millions.How much are they paying their workers in India? Maybe pittance? continued...
POSTED BY: John K on WED, SEP 24, 2008 01:29 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse Hear that? His hsnds were trembling...all italians tremble at the thought of a fight, that's why they switched sides so often during WWII. Give me a break...they treat workers like disposables then ask why are they angry, this is terrible. They need to understand that when they sack an employee they affect his life. A corporate decision has consequences, if they didn't know before they know now.
POSTED BY: commonsense on WED, SEP 24, 2008 01:17 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse Imagine if the politicans screwed up, they'd run for their lives. Good thing politicians here socially engineer the public to be sheeple. Fascism is so easy this way.
POSTED BY: The Crow on WED, SEP 24, 2008 01:05 AM -0500
1 0 Report Abuse goverment supporting this..if your job sucks leave, throw them all in jail but this is india so nothing will be done..PULL OUT NOW
POSTED BY: anthony on WED, SEP 24, 2008 12:31 AM -0500
0 1 Report Abuse It is not right for a politician to condone the beating and killing. However, the bosses in the developing countries are known for their stinginess, cruelty and blatant violation of labour law, without which they would ahve never become bosses in the first place. Most of them ar poorly educated anyway. It is not surprising the tragedy has taken place. The labour minister is responsible for enacting and MORE IMPORTANTLTLY implementing fair labour law. The devil is in the implementation.
POSTED BY: Sailing C on WED, SEP 24, 2008 12:09 AM -0500
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Senior dies after drinking cleaning fluid at nursing home
2 hours, 1 minute ago
Capital Health is investigating the death of an Edmonton nursing home resident who died after suffering burns from drinking industrial dishwashing liquid.
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Floyd Taylor, 86, who lived at the Kipnes Centre for Veterans, was seen on Sept. 12 spitting liquid into the sink in a communal kitchen.
Taylor, who had Alzheimer's disease, was taken to hospital with burns to his mouth, vocal cords and esophagus. He died four days later.
Members of Taylor's family said he likely drank the fluid thinking it was juice.
In a written release sent to CBC News by Taylor's daughter Lynda Chambul, the family said Taylor had advanced Alzheimer's disease, and they believed his death to be accidental.
"Dad inadvertently swallowed industrial liquid dishwashing detergent with lye and was severely burned as a result. Given his age and condition there was very little that the hospital could do to relieve Dad's pain and suffering. Dad spent the last four days of his life in agony as the result of a preventable accident," the release said.
"We, Floyd Taylor's family, cannot change the past; however, we hope and pray that this tragedy will result in improvements made to the care and safety of seniors everywhere."
Rob Stevenson, a spokesman for Alberta Health Services, said Tuesday the circumstances of Taylor's death are under investigation.
"I'm not sure specifically as to the nature of what happened, if it was something that was left inappropriately or if there was a cupboard that was unlocked," Stevenson said.
"At this point what we've done is communicated the nature of the incident to our long-term care providers, but also indicated how best we can avoid something like this in the future," he said. "Our No. 1 goal or our No. 1 priority at this point is ensuring that something like this does not happen again."
Stevenson said a report on Taylor's death should be completed in a month.
Taylor served in the Navy in the Second World War, and worked as an estates officer for Alberta's Attorney General, and a senior investigator for the Ombudsman of Alberta, his family said.
He is survived by his wife, a sister, three children, and four grandchildren.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS NEWS STORY
mike oxblg - of course this is the long term care providers fault. You DO NOT leave dangerous products around Alzheimers patients. They do not even know who they are, never mind what they are drinking. Shame on you for making such uneducated comments about such a tragic illness. I hope you never have to suffer a family member suffering this living nightmare. Imagine looking into the mirror and not know who is looking back. That is what happens...
POSTED BY: a s on WED, SEP 24, 2008 01:30 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse It is the responsibilty of the Edmonton Nursing home to make sure all Industrial products especially the posionous one are out of reach, locked away, safely. No resident in the nursing home sould have any availablity to these products. No one should die this way regardless of their present health conditions. If I were the family, I would be very angry and seek legal action. Unexceptable to say accidental "death"
POSTED BY: cutiesmile44 on WED, SEP 24, 2008 01:29 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse wow, seriously thsi stuff should always be locked up just as you would do if you had a baby walking around getting into everything. people with advanced alhzeimers are like young children getting into things they shouldnt. i believe that staff should be fully responsible for this. i work in childcare and if this ever happened to one of our children i can guaranty that strong disciplinary action would be taken.
POSTED BY: mommy1983 on WED, SEP 24, 2008 01:19 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse I suppose Heather Mills would respond to an incident like this by giving school children free vegan soy hotdogs rather than donating her money towards AD research. This is a cruel terrible disease. It is really hard to keep an advanced AD patient out of harms way. Really hard. The poor man.
POSTED BY: Kelly K on WED, SEP 24, 2008 01:07 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse The attitude of 'B' is a sad reflection on how low society has declined. This was the same attitude,that the Nazis had prior to their invasion of Austria in 1939. This person either needs an excorcism,or medication.I'm leaning towards the first choice!
POSTED BY: joe on WED, SEP 24, 2008 12:58 AM -0500
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Masked gunman kills 10 at trade school in Finland, then self
Tue Sep 23, 6:29 PM
By Marius Turula, The Associated Press
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KAUHAJOKI, Finland - A masked gunman whose violent YouTube postings prompted police to question him just a day earlier opened fire Tuesday at his trade school in Finland, killing 10 people and burning some of their bodies before fatally shooting himself in the head.
Witnesses said panic broke out as the gunman, dressed in black and carrying a large bag, started firing in a classroom during an exam. The shootings began just before 11 a.m. local time as about 150 students were at the Kauhajoki School of Hospitality, 300 kilometres northwest of Helsinki.
"I heard several dozen rounds of shots, in other words it was an automatic pistol," school janitor Jukka Forsberg told Finnish broadcaster YLE. "I saw some female students who were wailing and moaning and one managed to escape out the back door."
Police had questioned the gunman on Monday about YouTube postings in which he is seen firing a handgun, but he was released because there was no legal reason to hold him, Interior Minister Anne Holmlund said.
"The detective who handled the case did not think that the circumstances were such that they required a confiscation of the weapon or a withdrawal of the licence," Holmlund said.
Police spokesman Jari Neulaniemi said the attacker walked into the school armed with a .22-calibre pistol and carrying explosives. He killed 10 people, including a teacher, and burned some of them beyond recognition, Neulaniemi said. His bag apparently contained the explosives.
Neulaniemi said the gunman left two handwritten messages at the school dormitory saying he had planned the attack since 2002 and that he hated the human race. He said the attacker started several fires using "petrol bombs or Molotov cocktails."
It was Finland's second school massacre in less than a year and the two attacks had eerie similarities. Both gunmen posted violent clips on YouTube before the massacres, both were fascinated by the 1999 Columbine school shootings in Colorado, both attacked their own schools and both died after shooting themselves in the head.
The gunman was taken to a hospital in Tampere, about two hours away, along with a female victim he had shot in the head. The gunman later died, according to hospital's medical director.
The female victim's condition was not immediately clear. Police said two people were wounded, in addition to the 10 victims and dead shooter.
Finnish media identified the gunman as Matti Juhani Saari, a 22-year-old student at the school, which offers courses in catering, tourism, nursing and home economics.
"He was just a regular and calm guy. Nothing outstanding. He had lots of friends. Nothing that would have given an idea that something like this would happen," student Susanna Keranen told an AP television crew outside the school.
The ruling centre-right government held an emergency meeting Tuesday, and some ministers planned to go to Kauhajoki (pronounced COW-ha-yer-key) - a town of 14,000 - on Wednesday.
"We have experienced a tragic day," Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said as he expressed condolences to the families of the victims and declared Wednesday a day of mourning.
He also called for tougher gun laws.
"We must considerably tighten them," Vanhanen said in an interview with YLE. "We should consider whether to allow these small arms for private citizens at home. They belong on firing ranges."
Police have not released the names or ages of the victims. The school says most of its students are between 18 to 25 years old, with some older.
Finnish authorities did not confirm exactly what YouTube clips were linked to the shooter.
But in one YouTube clip posted by a 22-year-old "Mr. Saari," a young man wearing a leather jacket fires several shots in rapid succession with a handgun at what appears to be a shooting range.
The posting was made five days before the shooting and the location was given as Kauhajoki - the same town as Tuesday's shooting. The posting included a message saying: "Whole life is war and whole life is pain. And you will fight alone in your personal war."
"Mr. Saari" also posted three other clips of himself firing a handgun in the past three weeks.
Clips from the 1999 Columbine school shootings in Colorado were listed among his favourite videos.
Another clip shown by Scandinavian media showed the alleged gunman pointing his gun to the camera and saying "You will die next" before firing four rounds.
Shocked residents gathered for a special service late Tuesday at the local church, where Vicar Jouko Ala-Prinkkila and Bishop Simo Peura preached with trembling voices. The church bells tolled solemnly at the end of the service, as about 600 grieving congregants walked out in silence.
"Everybody is still in shock. It's hard to understand this," Ala-Prinkkila told AP.
Last November, another gunman killed eight people and himself at a school in southern Finland, an attack that triggered a fierce debate about gun laws in this Nordic country with deep-rooted hunting traditions in the sub-Arctic wilderness.
Pekka-Eric Auvinen, described by police as a bullied 18-year-old outcast, opened fire at his high school in southern Finland on Nov. 7, killing six students, a school nurse and the principal before ending his own life.
Finnish investigators have said Auvinen left a suicide note for his family and foreshadowed his attack in YouTube postings.
With 1.65 million firearms in private hands, Finland is an anomaly in Europe, lagging behind only the United States, Yemen and Switzerland in civilian gun ownership, according to the 2007 Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based watchdog organization.
After Auvinen's rampage, the government promised to raise the minimum age for buying guns from 15 to 18, but insisted there was no need for sweeping changes to Finland's gun laws. The age limit was never raised.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS NEWS STORY
youtube should impose more restrictions on who posts there with only two clicks you get to the video of a nut it's not a coincidence that the both finnish mass killers posted on youtube
POSTED BY: Dan on WED, SEP 24, 2008 12:23 AM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse *****TRENCH COAT MAFIA****UNHOLY GHOST OF MARC LEPINE*******THE COMAH DREAM OF THE BUTCHER OF LEBENON********KAMAKAZI with beretta and marvin bush thermite cumberbund emulate-imitate-inculcate * relief-debrief-belief and the record goes 'round......used to be songs about mr. lonely! we did alright...now we gotta put up with the blowback .....sad black key ..refrains about mr. saari MR SORRY "blackwater-sturmtruppen" wanna be . MENTAL HEALTH gonna get rid of the MONKEY MUD...i wish, U PAYc-ya
POSTED BY: 49reasons on TUE, SEP 23, 2008 09:16 PM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse why shld people be allowed to own gun anyways!!!!!
POSTED BY: Kanj on TUE, SEP 23, 2008 08:14 PM -0500
0 1 Report Abuse Get used to it people... There will be MORE and MORE of these "rampage incidents"... With all the publicity those nut jobs gets after doing their actions, no wonders more troubled kids wants to emulate those Columbine shooters for public attention. There should be a law requiring the media not to divulge the identity of the killers. That way, MAYBE they'll think about it twice before killing innocent people for "glory".
POSTED BY: darkboy on TUE, SEP 23, 2008 08:13 PM -0500
0 0 Report Abuse Why don't we declare "A world without Gun or a Gunless planet". Why should we always take escuse that we want to protect ourselves from others? Authorities and governments should start thinking about that very seriously. 9 innocents are now missing. They were at schoold to become economy booster for tomorrow and so on. May God bless them and the killer too.
POSTED BY: degreenaspal on TUE, SEP 23, 2008 07:09 PM -0500
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Paul Newman, actor who personified cool, dies
by JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer
43 minutes ago
WESTPORT, Conn. - Paul Newman, the Oscar-winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money" — followed by a second act as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario — has died. He was 83.
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Newman died Friday at his farmhouse near Westport following a long battle with cancer, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.
In May, Newman dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men" at Connecticut's Westport Country Playhouse, citing unspecified health issues. The following month, a friend disclosed that he was being treated for cancer and Martha Stewart, also a friend, posted photos on her Web site of Newman looking gaunt at a charity luncheon.
But true to his fiercely private nature, Newman remained cagey about his condition, reacting to reports that he had lung cancer with a statement saying only that he was "doing nicely."
As an actor, Newman got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Academy Awards 10 times, winning one Oscar and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Verdict," "The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."
Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting."
"There is a point where feelings go beyond words," Redford said Saturday. "I have lost a real friend. My life — and this country — is better for his being in it."
He sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray. They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer." Newman also directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie."
With his strong, classically handsome face and piercing blue eyes, Newman was a heartthrob just as likely to play against his looks, becoming a favorite with critics for his convincing portrayals of rebels, tough guys and losers. New York Times critic Caryn James wrote after his turn as the town curmudgeon in 1995's "Nobody's Fool" that "you never stop to wonder how a guy as good-looking as Paul Newman ended up this way."
"Sometimes God makes perfect people," fellow "Absence of Malice" star Sally Field said, "and Paul Newman was one of them."
Newman had a soft spot for underdogs in real life, giving tens of millions to charities through his food company and setting up camps for severely ill children. Passionately opposed to the Vietnam War, and in favor of civil rights, he was so famously liberal that he ended up on President Nixon's "enemies list," one of the actor's proudest achievements, he liked to say.
A screen legend by his mid-40s, he waited a long time for his first competitive Oscar, winning in 1987 for "The Color of Money," a reprise of the role of pool shark "Fast Eddie" Felson, whom Newman portrayed in the 1961 film "The Hustler."
In that film, Newman delivered a magnetic performance as the smooth-talking, whiskey-chugging pool shark who takes on Minnesota Fats — played by Jackie Gleason — and becomes entangled with a gambler played by George C. Scott. In the sequel — directed by Scorsese — "Fast Eddie" is no longer the high-stakes hustler he once was, but an aging liquor salesman who takes a young pool player (Cruise) under his wing before making a comeback.
He won an honorary Oscar in 1986 "in recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft." In 1994, he won a third Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his charitable work.
His most recent academy nod was a supporting actor nomination for the 2002 film "Road to Perdition." One of Newman's nominations was as a producer; the other nine were in acting categories. (Jack Nicholson holds the record among actors for Oscar nominations, with 12; actress Meryl Streep has had 14.)
As he passed his 80th birthday, he remained in demand, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the 2005 HBO drama "Empire Falls" and providing the voice of a crusty 1951 car in the 2006 Disney-Pixar hit, "Cars."
But in May 2007, he told ABC's "Good Morning America" he had given up acting, though he intended to remain active in charity projects. "I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," he said. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me."
Newman also turned to producing and directing. In 1968, he directed "Rachel, Rachel," a film about a lonely spinster's rebirth. The movie received four Oscar nominations, including Newman, for producer of a best motion picture, and Woodward, for best actress. The film earned Newman the best director award from the New York Film Critics Circle.
In the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1969 film, "Winning." After turning professional in 1977, Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979.
"Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood," he told People magazine in 1979.
Newman later became a car owner and formed a partnership with Carl Haas, starting Newman/Haas Racing in 1983 and joining the CART series. Hiring Mario Andretti as its first driver, the team was an instant success, and throughout the last 26 years, the team — now known as Newman/Haas/Lanigan and part of the IndyCar Series — has won 107 races and eight series championships.
Despite his love of race cars, Newman continued to make movies and continued to pile up Oscar nominations, his looks remarkably intact, his acting becoming more subtle, nothing like the mannered method performances of his early years, when he was sometimes dismissed as a Brando imitator.
In 1995, he was nominated for an Oscar for his slyest, most understated work yet, the town curmudgeon and deadbeat in "Nobody's Fool." New York Times critic Caryn James found his acting "without cheap sentiment and self-pity," and observed, "It says everything about Mr. Newman's performance, the single best of this year and among the finest he has ever given, that you never stop to wonder how a guy as good-looking as Paul Newman ended up this way."
Newman, who shunned Hollywood life, was reluctant to give interviews and usually refused to sign autographs because he found the majesty of the act offensive, according to one friend. He also claimed that he never read reviews of his movies.
"If they're good you get a fat head and if they're bad you're depressed for three weeks," he said.
Off the screen, Newman had a taste for beer and was known for his practical jokes. He once had a Porsche installed in Redford's hallway — crushed and covered with ribbons.
"I think that my sense of humor is the only thing that keeps me sane," he told Newsweek magazine in a 1994 interview.
In 1982, Newman and his Westport neighbor, writer A.E. Hotchner, started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All of the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million, according to its Web site.
"We will miss our friend Paul Newman, but are lucky ourselves to have known such a remarkable person," Robert Forrester, vice chairman of Newman's Own Foundation, said in a statement.
Hotchner said Newman should have "everybody's admiration."
"For me it's the loss of an adventurous friendship over the past 50 years and it's the loss of a great American citizen," Hotchner said.
In 1988, Newman founded a camp in northeastern Connecticut for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. He went on to establish similar camps in several other states and in Europe.
He and Woodward bought an 18th century farmhouse in Westport, where they raised their three daughters, Elinor "Nell," Melissa and Clea.
"Our father was a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special," his daughters said in a written statement. "Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity."
Newman had two daughters, Susan and Stephanie, and a son, Scott, from a previous marriage to Jacqueline Witte. Scott died in 1978 of an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium. After his only son's death, Newman established the Scott Newman Foundation to finance the production of anti-drug films for children.
Newman was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the second of two boys of Arthur S. Newman, a partner in a sporting goods store, and Theresa Fetzer Newman.
He was raised in the affluent suburb of Shaker Heights, where he was encouraged him to pursue his interest in the arts by his mother and his uncle Joseph Newman, a well-known Ohio poet and journalist.
Following World War II service in the Navy, he enrolled at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he got a degree in English and was active in student productions.
He later studied at Yale University's School of Drama, then headed to work in theater and television in New York, where his classmates at the famed Actor's Studio included Brando, James Dean and Karl Malden.
Newman's breakthrough was enabled by tragedy: Dean, scheduled to star as the disfigured boxer in a television adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Battler," died in a car crash in 1955. His role was taken by Newman, then a little-known performer.
Newman started in movies the year before, in "The Silver Chalice," a costume film he so despised that he took out an ad in Variety to apologize. By 1958, he had won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for the shiftless Ben Quick in "The Long Hot Summer."
In December 1994, about a month before his 70th birthday, he told Newsweek magazine he had changed little with age.
"I'm not mellower, I'm not less angry, I'm not less self-critical, I'm not less tenacious," he said. "Maybe the best part is that your liver can't handle those beers at noon anymore," he said.
Newman is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.
___
Associated Press writers Josh L. Dickey, Greg Risling and Susan Katz in Los Angeles contributed to this story.
___
On the Net:
http://www.newmansown.com/
Car bomb kills 17 in tightly controlled Syria
By ALBERT AJI and BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer
4 minutes ago
DAMASCUS, Syria - A brazen car bombing near Syrian security offices killed 17 people Saturday, the deadliest attack in decades that raised questions about the regime's usually strong grip as the country tries to boost its international profile.
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The explosion came only hours after Syria's foreign minister held a rare meeting in New York with his American counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
State-run television said a car packed with an estimated 440 pounds of explosives blew up on a road on the capital's southern outskirts, wounding dozens and shattering car and apartment windows. The charred booby-trapped car sat in the street near a primary school.
The blast knocked down part of a 13-foot-high wall surrounding a security service complex that houses several buildings in the Sidi Kadad neighborhood.
Syrian Interior Minister Bassam Abdul-Majid called the bombing a "terrorist act." He said all the victims were civilians, although at least one of the injured was a traffic policeman.
Officials provided no other details of the attack, which was the worst since a truck bomb killed dozens of people in the mid-1980s.
"We cannot accuse any party. There are ongoing investigations that will lead us to those who carried it out," Abdul-Majid told state TV.
Serious attacks are rare in Syria, a tightly controlled country where the government uses heavy-handed tactics to suppress dissent and keep stability.
But the country is also home to Palestinian extremists and is a close ally of the Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. Washington accuses Syria of being a state sponsor of terrorism and allowing Muslim militants to use its territory to cross into Iraq.
Syria denies that, arguing that it has an interest in fighting Islamic extremist groups like al-Qaida. The secular regime of President Bashar Assad has been battling Muslim militants blamed for a string of smaller bombings and attacks on the government and diplomatic missions in recent years.
In September 2006, Islamic militants tried to storm the U.S. Embassy in Damascus in an unusually bold attack in which three assailants and a Syrian guard were killed. Three months earlier, a battle between Syrian security forces and militants near the Defense Ministry left four militants and a police officer dead.
Officials blamed those attacks on Jund al-Sham, or Soldiers of Syria — an al-Qaida offshoot that was established in Afghanistan. Militants often denounce Assad's regime for its secularism and have at times called for its overthrow.
Though Syria has long been viewed by the U.S. as a destabilizing force in the Mideast, Damascus has been trying in recent months to change its image and end years of global seclusion.
Assad has pursued indirect peace talks with Israel, mediated by Turkey, and says he wants direct talks next year. Syria also has agreed to establish its first formal diplomatic ties with Lebanon, a neighbor it used to dominate both politically and militarily, and says it has stepped up efforts to stem the flow of militants into Iraq.
European, American and Arab officials are increasing their visits to the country after years of avoiding it. Most recently, French President Nicolas Sarkozy joined the leaders of Turkey and Qatar in a meeting with Assad in Damascus.
Ibrahim Bayram, a political analyst at Lebanon's leading newspaper, An-Nahar, speculated Saturday's bombing was the result of a "tacit confrontation" between the Syrian government and al-Qaida-linked Sunni militants after Damascus tightened its long desert border with Iraq.
"For months, the Syrians have been preparing to face such attacks after they decided to stop militants from crossing its border into Iraq," said Bayram, whose newspaper often takes an anti-Syria line.
While calling the bombing a "terrorist act," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem denied it was a security breach.
"I hope that you will be sure that security (forces) in Syria will always be awake and watching over the citizens," al-Moallem told Al-Arabiya satellite TV in an interview from New York, where he was attending the U.N. General Assembly meeting.
The explosion occurred near the junction to the road going to Damascus' airport and a street leading to Sayeda Zeinab, a holy shrine for Shiite Muslims frequently visited by Iranian and Iraqi pilgrims about five miles from the bombing site.
Mohammed Shubli, the owner of a toy shop, said he saw columns of smoke rising in the sky.
"My house was completely damaged by the force of the blast," he said.
The last major explosion to strike Damascus was in February, when a car bomb killed the commander of Lebanon's Hezbollah group, Imad Mughniyeh. Hezbollah and its top ally, Iran, blamed Israel for the assassination, but Israel denied any involvement.
Last month, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Suleiman, a senior military officer close to Assad, was assassinated by a sniper on a yacht at a beach resort in the northern port city of Tartous. Syria has provided little information about the shooting.
The last major bombing was on New Year's Eve in 1997, when a blast on a public bus in Damascus killed 12 people and wounded dozens. Syria accused Israel, but the Jewish state denied the charge.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Syria's hard-line government fought a fierce war with Islamic militants of the Muslim Brotherhood. The deadly truck bombing in the mid-1980s was one in a series of Iraqi-backed attacks.
___
Associated Press writer Hussein Dakroub in Beirut, Lebanon, contributed to this report.
AP examines deadly clash on Bolivian jungle road
By PAOLA FLORES, Associated Press Writer
25 minutes ago - September 27th 2008
PORVENIR, Bolivia - A deadly clash on a jungle highway has become the newest and bloodiest symbol of Bolivia's political crisis, pitting President Evo Morales against an autonomy movement in the eastern lowlands that is bitterly resisting his leftist reforms.
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The shootout capped rioting across half of Bolivia, violence that Morales alleges was inspired by opposition governors and supported by the United States — a charge denied by U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg as he was expelled from the natural gas-rich country this month.
Morales, pushing for deep socialist reforms guided by traditional Bolivian indigenous values, says groups organized by his political opponents machine-gunned 16 of his poor Indian supporters in the Sept. 11 confrontation.
Lowland opposition leaders, guarding their region's frontier capitalism and more Euro-centric heritage, say they lost two of their own in a pitched battle to defend their provincial capital from marchers directed by Morales.
The Associated Press traveled to Bolivia's remote Amazonian province of Pando and interviewed police, witnesses, and participants on both sides. Their testimony and evidence from the scene suggests that the blockading of the marchers exploded into a shootout, and that the shootout quickly devolved into a one-sided rout.
Pando is now under martial law with soldiers keeping a fragile peace, and its governor, Leopoldo Fernandez, is in jail on charges of allegedly fomenting the violence.
Fernandez is part of a four-province alliance opposing Morales' proposed constitution, which would empower the long-oppressed indigenous majority and enable the president to run for re-election.
The lowlanders say the framework ignores their demands for political autonomy that would give them greater control of natural gas revenues and protection from Morales' land redistribution plans.
Both sides have hardened their positions since 67 percent of Bolivian voters ratified Morales' presidency in an Aug. 10 recall referendum.
Across the lowland east, Morales' opponents showed their anger by ransacking national government offices.
Determined to retake the offices seized in Pando's capital of Cobija, more than 1,000 Morales supporters, largely poor Indian migrants from the highland west, converged on the town in a convoy of buses and cars.
All accounts agree they got as far as the bridge over the Tahuamanu River, about 20 miles outside town, where they faced off against several hundred people — mostly mixed-race, middle class Bolivians, including civil servants loyal to Fernandez — who were blocking the dirt highway.
Police answering to the national government, wearing riot gear and some carrying sidearms, tried in vain to cool tempers, Pando Police Commander Silvio Magarzo said.
Witnesses on each side claim the others fired first.
"We were in the middle, but there was no way we were to going to stop the clash," Magarzo told the AP. "It was like another Vietnam."
Magarzo, speaking by telephone immediately afterward, said he quickly ordered his police to retreat. The Morales administration promptly fired Magarzo for failing to stop the violence, and he could not be reached for further interviews.
A shopkeeper in the nearby village of Porvenir who witnessed the violence said the pro-Morales marchers, only a few of whom carried shotguns and small-caliber rifles, turned and fled from their more heavily armed opponents. The shopkeeper, who said he is affiliated with neither side, declined to give his name for fear one of them might torch his store.
Opposition leaders deny their side used a machine gun. But a lightweight 9-mm submachine gun was among the weapons the military says it seized from 13 Fernandez supporters it arrested.
Also, neat lines of bullet holes sprayed across the caravan's vehicles before they were set ablaze by an opposition mob are consistent with automatic-weapons fire.
Morales supporters said they scattered into the jungle or dived into the river as shots rang out.
"There were bullets everywhere, and for a moment I didn't understand what was happening," said Wilma Hurtado, a 48-year-old Aymara Indian. "I just ran and jumped in the river, with my baby in my arms."
Morales supporters say their marchers were hunted down and shot as they fled. Opposition leaders deny this.
Eight people were found dead that evening — two Pando provincial officials and six from the pro-Morales camp. Seven more bodies were recovered the next day farther from the highway, in the river or surrounding jungle. All were Morales supporters, marchers said. The national government says the bodies of three more marchers were later discovered, raising the death toll to 18.
Some of the bodies were exhumed last week for outdoor forensic exams performed in Cobija's cemetery by national government investigators.
One of the exams revealed that Morales supporter Felix Roca, 58, was shot in the back, said investigator Esabelino Gomez, part of a team sent to Pando by Morales' attorney general.
As Roca's body was lifted from his humble concrete tomb, his weeping widow, Maria, told the AP that her husband had been paid to join the march. She refused to elaborate.
The president's opponents have long charged that the national government is orchestrating pro-Morales demonstrations by people who are generally too poor to pay for the fuel and supplies necessary to mount an event on the scale of the Pando march.
Opposition lawmakers, meanwhile, are helping organize a multiparty congressional commission to conduct its own inquiry in Pando.
Edgar Balcazar, a provincial security official, said Gov. Fernandez personally ordered him to have trenches dug across the highway to stop the pro-Morales group.
"We were trying to make sure that they did not arrive in the city, to avoid any conflicts," he said. Balcazar spoke to the AP on a park bench in the Brazilian border town of Brasilea, where many Fernandez loyalists fled in fear of retribution from Morales supporters.
Marchers say they managed to refill most of the trenches by hand as they advanced toward Cobija. But Balcazar said the caravan caught up with him and his crew at the last trench, just beyond the bridge, shortly before the gunfire began.
He said Morales supporters beat him with the butt of a shotgun and forced his workers to refill the trench. He displayed bruises and three stitches in his face.
The night after the shootout, anti-Morales mobs burned stores run by Aymara Indians in Cobija and community buildings in nearby Filadelfia, a local pro-Morales stronghold.
Opposition leaders fear the continuing eastward migration of Morales' highland Indian supporters is weakening their region's autonomy bid.
Pando, in particular, is a battleground state: While local politicians fiercely oppose Morales, 53 percent of Pando voters endorsed him in the recall.
Pando has no natural gas of its own — its biggest industries are cattle, timber and Brazil nuts. But Fernandez and other provincial governors resent Morales' decision to spend a portion of skyrocketing gas revenues on a nationwide pension program that benefits the largely indigenous poor.
Car bomb kills 17 in tightly controlled Syria
By ALBERT AJI and BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer
Sat Sep 27, 3:43 PM ET
DAMASCUS, Syria - A brazen car bombing near Syrian security offices killed 17 people Saturday, the deadliest attack in decades that raised questions about the regime's usually strong grip as the country tries to boost its international profile.
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The explosion came only hours after Syria's foreign minister held a rare meeting in New York with his American counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
State-run television said a car packed with an estimated 440 pounds of explosives blew up on a road on the capital's southern outskirts, wounding dozens and shattering car and apartment windows. The charred booby-trapped car sat in the street near a primary school.
The blast knocked down part of a 13-foot-high wall surrounding a security service complex that houses several buildings in the Sidi Kadad neighborhood.
Syrian Interior Minister Bassam Abdul-Majid called the bombing a "terrorist act." He said all the victims were civilians, although at least one of the injured was a traffic policeman.
Officials provided no other details of the attack, which was the worst since a truck bomb killed dozens of people in the mid-1980s.
"We cannot accuse any party. There are ongoing investigations that will lead us to those who carried it out," Abdul-Majid told state TV.
Serious attacks are rare in Syria, a tightly controlled country where the government uses heavy-handed tactics to suppress dissent and keep stability.
But the country is also home to Palestinian extremists and is a close ally of the Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. Washington accuses Syria of being a state sponsor of terrorism and allowing Muslim militants to use its territory to cross into Iraq.
Syria denies that, arguing that it has an interest in fighting Islamic extremist groups like al-Qaida. The secular regime of President Bashar Assad has been battling Muslim militants blamed for a string of smaller bombings and attacks on the government and diplomatic missions in recent years.
In September 2006, Islamic militants tried to storm the U.S. Embassy in Damascus in an unusually bold attack in which three assailants and a Syrian guard were killed. Three months earlier, a battle between Syrian security forces and militants near the Defense Ministry left four militants and a police officer dead.
Officials blamed those attacks on Jund al-Sham, or Soldiers of Syria — an al-Qaida offshoot that was established in Afghanistan. Militants often denounce Assad's regime for its secularism and have at times called for its overthrow.
Though Syria has long been viewed by the U.S. as a destabilizing force in the Mideast, Damascus has been trying in recent months to change its image and end years of global seclusion.
Assad has pursued indirect peace talks with Israel, mediated by Turkey, and says he wants direct talks next year. Syria also has agreed to establish its first formal diplomatic ties with Lebanon, a neighbor it used to dominate both politically and militarily, and says it has stepped up efforts to stem the flow of militants into Iraq.
European, American and Arab officials are increasing their visits to the country after years of avoiding it. Most recently, French President Nicolas Sarkozy joined the leaders of Turkey and Qatar in a meeting with Assad in Damascus.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack condemned the bombing. "This attack is particularly abhorrent as it comes during the holy month of Ramadan. We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims and their families," he said.
Ibrahim Bayram, a political analyst at Lebanon's leading newspaper, An-Nahar, speculated Saturday's bombing was the result of a "tacit confrontation" between the Syrian government and al-Qaida-linked Sunni militants after Damascus tightened its long desert border with Iraq.
"For months, the Syrians have been preparing to face such attacks after they decided to stop militants from crossing its border into Iraq," said Bayram, whose newspaper often takes an anti-Syria line.
While calling the bombing a "terrorist act," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem denied it was a security breach.
"I hope that you will be sure that security (forces) in Syria will always be awake and watching over the citizens," al-Moallem told Al-Arabiya satellite TV in an interview from New York, where he was attending the U.N. General Assembly meeting.
The explosion occurred near the junction to the road going to Damascus' airport and a street leading to Sayeda Zeinab, a holy shrine for Shiite Muslims frequently visited by Iranian and Iraqi pilgrims about five miles from the bombing site.
Mohammed Shubli, the owner of a toy shop, said he saw columns of smoke rising in the sky.
"My house was completely damaged by the force of the blast," he said.
The last major explosion to strike Damascus was in February, when a car bomb killed the commander of Lebanon's Hezbollah group, Imad Mughniyeh. Hezbollah and its top ally, Iran, blamed Israel for the assassination, but Israel denied any involvement.
Last month, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Suleiman, a senior military officer close to Assad, was assassinated by a sniper on a yacht at a beach resort in the northern port city of Tartous. Syria has provided little information about the shooting.
The last major bombing was on New Year's Eve in 1997, when a blast on a public bus in Damascus killed 12 people and wounded dozens. Syria accused Israel, but the Jewish state denied the charge.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Syria's hard-line government fought a fierce war with Islamic militants of the Muslim Brotherhood. The deadly truck bombing in the mid-1980s was one in a series of Iraqi-backed attacks.
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Associated Press writer Hussein Dakroub in Beirut, Lebanon, contributed to this report.
Officials say 15 dead or hurt in Lebanon explosion
By HUSSEIN DAKROUB, Associated Press Writer
19 minutes ago
BEIRUT, Lebanon - A car bomb exploded near a military bus carrying troops to work in northern Lebanon on Monday, killing at least five people and wounding at least 21, Lebanese security officials said.
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Most of the casualties were soldiers, the officials said.
The officials said the car was booby-trapped and parked on a roadside. The bomb was detonated by remote control as the military bus drove by at the southern entrance to the northern city of Tripoli.
The explosion happened during morning rush hour, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Local TV showed soldiers sealing off the area and preventing people from approaching. The blast shattered windows in several cars parked in the area.
It was the second bomb attack in less than two months targeting troops in Tripoli, which has been rocked by sectarian fighting between pro-government Sunni fighters and pro-Syrian gunmen.
On Aug. 13, 18 soldiers and civilians were killed by a roadside bomb packed with nuts and bolts near a bus carrying troops in Tripoli. It was Lebanon's deadliest bombing in more than three years.
$20M Somali ransom demand for ship; 1 crewman dies
By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 55 minutes ago
MOGADISHU, Somalia - As a heavily armed U.S. destroyer patrolled nearby and planes flew overhead Sunday, a Somali pirate spokesman told The Associated Press his group was demanding a $20 million ransom to release a cargo ship loaded with Russian tanks.
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The spokesman also warned that the pirates would fight to the death if any country tried military action to regain the ship, and a man who said he was the ship's captain reported that one crew member had died.
Pirates seized the Ukrainian-operated ship Faina off the coast of Somalia on Thursday as it headed to Kenya carrying 33 Russian-built T-72 tanks and a substantial amount of ammunition and spare parts. The ordnance was ordered by the Kenyan government.
The guided missile destroyer USS Howard was stationed off the Somali coast on Sunday, making sure that the pirates did not remove the tanks, ammunition and other heavy weapons from the ship, which was anchored off the coast.
A spokesman for the U.S. 5th fleet said the Navy remained "deeply concerned" over the fate of the ship's 21-member crew and cargo.
In a rare gesture of cooperation, the Americans appeared to be keeping an eye on the Faina until the Russian missile frigate Neustrashimy, or Intrepid, reaches the area. The Russian ship was still in the Atlantic on Sunday, the Russian navy reported.
Pirate spokesman Sugule Ali said he was speaking Sunday from the deck of the Faina via a satellite phone — and verified his location by handing the phone over to the ship's captain, who also spoke with the AP. It was not possible to further confirm their identities.
"We want ransom, nothing else. We need $20 million for the safe release of the ship and the crew," Ali said, adding that "if we are attacked, we will defend ourselves until the last one of us dies."
Five nations have been sharing information to try to secure the swift release of the ship and its crew — Ukraine, Somalia, Russia, the United States and Britain. Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua, however, insisted his country will not negotiate with pirates or terrorists.
Ali said planes have been flying over the Faina. It was not known which country the planes belonged to. He also said others who made earlier ransom demands did not speak for the pirates holding the ship.
A man who said he was the captain of the seized ship and who identified himself as Viktor Nikolsky told the AP that a Russian crew member died Sunday because of hypertension.
"The rest of us are feeling well," Nikolsky said, adding that he could see three ships about a mile away, including one carrying an American flag.
Both Ali and Nikolsky spoke on a satellite phone number the AP got from a Somali journalist who spoke to Ali earlier in the day. The conversation lasted about 30 minutes. Ali spoke in Somali with a central Somalian accent and Nikolsky spoke in broken English.
Russian media had earlier identified Nikolsky as the first mate, yet he identified himself to the AP as the ship's captain. It was not possible to immediately resolve the discrepancy.
U.S. Navy spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen told AP that the San Diego-based USS Howard had made contact with the Faina on Sunday.
"While we can't get into details, I will say there has been basic bridge-to-bridge communication established with the ship," Christensen told the AP in a phone interview from the 5th Fleet's Mideast headquarters in Manama, Bahrain.
Christensen said the Navy was aware of one crew member's death, but did know what the cause was.
Pirate attacks worldwide have surged this year and Africa remains the world's top piracy hotspot, with 24 reported attacks in Somalia and 18 in Nigeria this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center.
Attacking ships has become a regular source of income for pirates in Somalia, a war-torn country without a functioning government since 1991.
Christensen said the Faina was anchored off Somalia's coast near the central town of Hobyo.
"What's on board is of concern to us as much as the criminal activity," Christensen told the AP, adding that the Navy does not want the tanks and other weapons to end up "in the wrong hands."
Christensen refused to say what the crew of the American destroyer would do if the pirates began to offload the tanks and weapons.
"It's a very complex situation and we do not want to speculate on any particular aspect of it," he said.
According to its Web site, the USS Howard has surface-to-air missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles, anti-submarine rockets, torpedoes, and a five-inch rapid-fire deck gun.
In the latest hijacking in the area, a Greek tanker with a crew of 19 carrying refined petroleum from Europe to the Middle East was ambushed Friday in the Gulf of Aden, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Separately, pirates released one of two Malaysian vessels hijacked off the coast of Somalia last month, according to officials.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told national news agency Bernama late Sunday that the MT Bunga Melati 5 has been freed and was sailing to Djibouti. The 36 Malaysian and five Filipino crew members were all safe and in good health, he said. He did not give further details.
The New Straits Times reported the vessel was released Saturday after a $2 million ransom was paid but that could not be confirmed. A spokesman for national shipping line MISC Berhad, which owns the petrochemical tanker, said the company planned to issue a statement.
The tanker was sailing from Saudi Arabia to Singapore when it was seized Aug. 29 in the Gulf of Aden.
Pirates are still holding a second MISC ship, MT Bunga Melati 2, which was hijacked in the same area on Aug. 19, with 29 Malaysians and 10 Filipino crew on board. One Filipino crew member was killed when the pirates boarded the ship.
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Web site for USS Howard:
http://www.howard.navy.mil/default.aspx
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Associated Press writers Mohamed Sheikh Nor and Salad Duhul in Mogadishu, Somalia; Barbara Surk in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Jim Heintz in Moscow; Vijay Joshi in Singapore; Lolita C. Baldor in Washington; and Yana Sedova in Kiev, Ukraine contributed to this report.
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