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Cargo ship attacked off East African coast
MOMBASA, Kenya – As the Maersk Alabama plowed through the glassy waters of the Indian Ocean early last Wednesday, April 8, the cargo ship’s 70-year-old electrician sat in the cafeteria with a cup of coffee, counting the minutes to breakfast.
Suddenly, the ship’s alarm sounded, shattering the morning calm. The electrician rose with a start. It was, he reckoned immediately, the scenario that he’d been warned about for four months, ever since he set off aboard the Alabama into the most dangerous waters in the world.
Four Somali pirates had boarded the ship. On the deck of the blue-hulled Alabama, which was ferrying 17,000 tons of food aid to East Africa, the young pirates waved automatic weapons at ship captain Richard Phillips, the chief engineer and at least two other crewmembers. They demanded to know the whereabouts of the others, who’d gone into hiding as Phillips had trained them.
Once a country of fervent readers, Iraq now starving for books
BAGHDAD – When Maysoon Kadhim began working on her master’s thesis at Baghdad University two years ago, she braced for the challenge. After all, her paper’s subject is Shakespeare, whose prose can perplex even native English speakers.
Kadhim, of course, grew up with Arabic.
As she proofread her final draft days before it was due, however, she said her biggest frustrations have nothing to do with language.
Instead, they have come from trying to get her hands on the right books.
“You would expect that my studies and the analysis would be the hardest things,” Kadhim lamented. “Getting the books should be simple.”
In Iraq, a country where so much has been leveled by decades of dictatorship, international embargoes and war, few things are easy. Here, students often can’t find the books they need. Libraries and schools are understocked, and many bookstores are closed. At those that are open, academic selections are usually limited.
College-level texts, books on specialized subjects and recent editions are the hardest to come by.
Most elementary and high school students use decades-old materials.
National
Obama’s dog makes public debut at White House
WASHINGTON – Here are some things we know now about Bo Obama, the first family’s new dog: He’s not a barker, even when confronted by a pack of at least 100 camera-, microphone- and pen-wielding journalists eager to cover any story besides the economy.
He hasn’t had an accident inside the White House. yet. All the Obamas, including the president, claim they’ll take turns walking him. He has been fixed. He has webbed feet. If he’s true to his breed, a Portuguese water dog, he’ll crave tomatoes. He’s black, with white front paws. He might have play dates with Sen. Ted Kennedy’s dogs, who are the same breed. He’ll be allowed into the Oval Office, but he won’t be allowed to sleep with the first daughters, Malia, 10, or Sasha, 7. The White House isn’t saying where Bo will sleep. With the much-anticipated arrival of the dog Barack Obama promised his girls during the presidential campaign, the four Obamas showed off their pup for the first time late Tuesday April 14, afternoon on the South Lawn of the White House.
“I finally got a friend,” Obama joked, a reference to President Harry Truman’s famous line about how to find a friend in Washington: “Get a dog.” Malia’s reaction was a little less sarcastic: “I love him! He’s perfect!”
Local/BSU
Boise State College of Business and Economics to honor top graduate at May 8 ceremony
Boise State University’s College of Business and Economics will honor its outstanding graduates at a dinner on Friday, May 8. Outstanding graduates are selected by faculty members in each area of study within the college. ??
Bethine Church to receive Honorary Doctorate from Boise State
Boise State University will award an honorary doctorate to Bethine Church, widow of former U.S. Sen. Frank Church, during spring commencement ceremonies. Commencement is at 10 a.m. May 16 in Taco Bell Arena.
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“Having attended Boise Junior College many years ago, I deeply appreciate receiving this honorary degree,” said Church. “I feel strongly connected to Boise State, which contributes so much to making Boise such a vital and interesting place to live."
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