http://www.sammyboy.com/ Significant Events and Trivia from the rest of the World. en Sat, 18 May 2013 17:06:24 GMT vBulletin 5 http://www.sammyboy.com/images/misc/rss.png http://www.sammyboy.com/ http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152476-Italians-unveil-long-lost-tomb-medallion-of-Scottish-MP&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 16:15:14 GMT *Italians unveil long-lost tomb medallion of Scottish MP* Profile of Francis Horner created by regency sculptor Sir Francis Chantrey is found by...
Italians unveil long-lost tomb medallion of Scottish MP

Profile of Francis Horner created by regency sculptor Sir Francis Chantrey is found by volunteers at Livorno cemetery

Lizzy Davies in Livorno
The Guardian, Saturday 18 May 2013



Sir Francis Chantrey's medallion portrait of Francis Horner found at the Protestant cemetery in Livorno.

Amid rampant weeds and crumbling stones, Matteo Giunti makes his way to the tomb of Francis Horner MP, a Scottish Whig who co-founded the Edinburgh Review and died, in 1817, in what he would have known as the prosperous Tuscan port of Leghorn.

But, as he reaches the once imposing grave, Giunti stops first at the Nike trainer and plastic bottle that have been left there overnight – not, presumably, by well-wishers. "This is nothing," he says. "People throw trash over the walls. We've found bicycles. We've found wheels. We've found all sorts of things."



Francis Horner's damaged tomb.

In March last year, as he and fellow volunteer Francesco Ceccarini were scrabbling through the mud and vegetation on the top of Horner's dilapidated tomb in the city's old English cemetery, they stumbled on something whose significance was not immediately apparent. A piece of stone, broken into three and caked in dirt, it was barely recognisable. But, after some research and more thought, the penny dropped. They had, Giunti realised, found the long-lost medallion that had once graced the tomb: a profile of Horner in bas relief carved by the foremost sculptor of Regency Britain, Sir Francis Chantrey. "When I understood what it was," he says, "we decided, 'Wow, this is something – we need to take it away from here.'"

Unveiled on Friday before journalists and locals in the Museo Fattori, the sculpture represents vindication for the five locals who make up the cultural association Livorno delle Nazioni (LdN) and who have fought to reverse the decline of what they describe as Italy's oldest Protestant cemetery still in existence.

With its first marked grave dating from 1646 (a 21-year-old, Leonard Digges), Livorno's small corner of England has almost two centuries on its counterpart in Florence and is older even than Rome's. There are merchants and mothers; novelists and navy men; one of Byron's bankers and a favoured pupil of Mary Wollstonecraft.

After wartime bombing and decades of neglect, however, many tombstones lie cracked and dirty. And the cemetery's aesthetic appeal is marred by the large car park that opened last year next door. The cemetery has been run for decades by the Misericordia, a charity which also runs an ambulance service. In 2011, the LdN was set up to formalise the efforts of Giunti and his fellow volunteers, who have tried to step up the cleaning, gardening and research that is needed if the place is to be returned to its former glory.

Now, the LdN hopes that the discovery of the Chantrey could help to attract attention – and money. "I'm pretty confident that this could be a real treasure. It's something that just needs more organisation and funding," says Lisa Lillie, Giunti's American wife. Among the hundreds of graves are those of Scottish writer Tobias Smollett, Irish aristocrat Margaret King – taught by Wollstonecraft and friend to her daughter, Mary Shelley – and the English merchant Robert Bateman. The cemetery was closed in the mid-19th century.

What will become of Chantrey's long-lost work is unclear. It must first be restored, then a decision taken on whether to put it back on Horner's tomb or in a Livorno museum. "I feel that someone would steal it," Giunti says, rather despondently. "Even if it's difficult to sell it."

]]> International News |ASIA| http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152476-Italians-unveil-long-lost-tomb-medallion-of-Scottish-MP http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152475-Marine-reunited-with-dog-he-handled-in-Afghanistan-in-surprise-ceremony&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 16:11:29 GMT *Marine reunited with dog he handled in Afghanistan in surprise ceremony* Published May 18, 2013 Associated Press Image:...
Marine reunited with dog he handled in Afghanistan in surprise ceremony

Published May 18, 2013
Associated Press



May 17, 2013: Marine Sgt. Ross Gundlach, of Madison, Wisc., gets a kiss from Casey, a four-year-old yellow labrador that he worked with while deployed in Afghanistan, as the two are reunited during a surprise ceremony at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP)

DES MOINES, Iowa – When Marine Sgt. Ross Gundlach served as a dog handler in Afghanistan, he told the yellow lab who was his constant companion that he'd look her up when he returned home.

"I promised her if we made it out of alive, I'd do whatever it took to find her," Gundlach said.

On Friday, he made good on that vow with help from some sentimental state officials in Iowa who know how to pull off a surprise. Since leaving active duty to take classes at the University of Wisconsin this summer, Gundlach, of Madison, Wis., had been seeking to adopt 4-year-old Casey.

The 25-year-old learned Casey had finished her military service and had been sent to the Iowa State Fire Marshal's Office, where she was used to detect explosives. Gundlach wrote to State Fire Marshal Director Ray Reynolds, explaining the connection he felt with the dog. He even has a tattoo on his right forearm depicting Casey with angel wings and a halo, sitting at the foot of a Marine.

"He's been putting a case together for the last two months, sending me pictures ... it just tugged on your heart," Reynolds said. Reynolds decided to arrange a surprise. First, he got in touch with the Iowa Elk's Association, which agreed to donate $8,500 to buy another dog for the agency.

"We have a motto in our association that as long as there are veterans, the Elks will strive to help them," Iowa Elks Association president Tom Maher said. Then, Reynolds came up with a ruse to get Gundlach to Des Moines, telling Gundlach he needed to come to the state Capitol to plead his case in front of a "bureaucratic oversight committee."

When Gundlach arrived with his parents, Reynolds told them the meeting had been delayed and invited them to join an Armed Services Day celebration in the rotunda. There, hundreds of law enforcement officers, military personnel and civilians were seated, keeping the secret — until they brought out Casey.

When Gundlach saw Casey, he put his head in his hands and cried. She licked his face, wagging her tail furiously. "It was a total surprise," he said. "I owe her. I'll just try to give her the best life I can." His father, Glen Gundlach, seemed just as surprised. "It's unbelievable ... the state of Iowa, I love 'em," he said.

Gov. Terry Branstad officially retired Casey from active duty during Friday's ceremony, thanking the dog for a "job well done." During the 150 missions they performed together, Gundlach said Casey never missed an explosive — she caught three before they could be detonated. He credits her for making it back home safely.

"I wouldn't be here ... any kids I ever had wouldn't exist if Casey hadn't been here," he said.


]]> International News |ASIA| http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152475-Marine-reunited-with-dog-he-handled-in-Afghanistan-in-surprise-ceremony http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152474-UK-backpacker-dies-from-poisoned-alcohol-in-Indonesia&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 16:07:00 GMT *UK backpacker dies from poisoned alcohol in Indonesia * Cheznye Emmons, 23, has life support machine turned off after drinking methanol from a...
UK backpacker dies from poisoned alcohol in Indonesia

Cheznye Emmons, 23, has life support machine turned off after drinking methanol from a bottle labelled as gin

Martin Williams
The Guardian Saturday 18 May 2013 10.15 BST



Cheznye Emmons was trekking with her boyfriend and another traveller in the Indonesian jungle when they drank the methanol. Photograph: Peter Lawson/East News Press Agency

A British backpacker has died after drinking poisoned alcohol in the Indonesian jungle.

Cheznye Emmons, 23, had bought a bottle labelled "gin" from a shop, which turned out to be deadly methanol. The beauty therapist from Essex had been trekking with her boyfriend and another man they met while travelling.

All three suffered health problems after drinking the methanol, which can cause kidney failure, blindness, seizures and death. Emmons lost her sight and was taken through the jungle to the nearest eye clinic. She was referred to hospital where she was placed in an induced coma.

Her parents flew to Indonesia where they eventually decided to turn off her life support machine.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Indonesia and we are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."

Her brother, Michael Emmons, said: "We're all just in shock. From what we understand, the shop poured the gin out of the original bottle and then replaced it with methanol. It was in the original bottle with the gin label on it. As far as we're aware, the shop has been shut and there's a police investigation."

Home-brewed spirits are common in Indonesia because of an alcohol tax of more than 200%, but methanol is a by-product of poor distillation techniques.

]]> International News Discovery http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152474-UK-backpacker-dies-from-poisoned-alcohol-in-Indonesia http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152473-VIDEO-Meteor-crashes-into-moon-s-surface-causing-flash&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 16:03:34 GMT A Nasa...]]>



A Nasa telescope captures the moment a 40kg (88lb) rock crashes into the moon's surface on Friday. The impact caused a flash 10 times brighter than any other Nasa has seen since it began monitoring the lunar surface eight years ago. Nasa's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite is now hunting for the newly-formed crater, which scientists believe could be up to 20m (66ft) in width


]]> International News Discovery http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152473-VIDEO-Meteor-crashes-into-moon-s-surface-causing-flash http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152472-Commuter-train-derails-in-Connecticut-injuring-60&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 15:49:58 GMT *Passengers bloodied after trains derail, collide in southwest Connecticut* By Greg Botelho and Rob Frehse, CNN May 18, 2013 -- Updated 0243...
Passengers bloodied after trains derail, collide in southwest Connecticut

By Greg Botelho and Rob Frehse, CNN

May 18, 2013 -- Updated 0243 GMT (1043 HKT)



(CNN) -- Two Metro-North passenger trains heading in opposite directions collided during rush hour Friday evening in southwestern Connecticut, damaging both trains and leaving dozens injured -- some of them critically -- authorities said.

A train heading from New Haven to New York City derailed around 6:10 p.m., hitting the other train in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said. That caused some cars on the second train, which was destined for New Haven, to likewise leave the tracks.

Gov. Dannel Malloy told reporters Friday night that five people were "critically injured," one of whom was in "very critical condition."

Two of the 26 people being treated at Bridgeport Hospital are in critical condition, said spokesman John Cappiello.

St. Vincent's Medical Center, also in Bridgeport, treated 41 patients from the incident, hospital spokeswoman Lucinda Ames said. One of those was in serious condition and in intensive care, while the others mostly had minor injuries like "you might get in a car accident."

By 9:45 p.m., 11 of the 67 who had gone to hospitals had been released.

A passenger in a middle car of the New York-bound train, Chris Martin, recalled to CNN how his car went dark after the crash, then someone over the intercom "called all the doctors up front."

He and others aboard his "pretty full train" were evacuated, most of them physically fine if emotionally shaken. But there were signs of injuries outside, as Martin said he personally saw eight or nine ambulances and a number of wounded people on stretchers.

Brian Alvarez, who saw the wreckage, described the scene as "pretty graphic." "I saw this one car and it was completely destroyed, and they were pulling people out of the car," Alvarez said. "... They were all bloody."

Power was shut off along the line and service has been halted -- westbound past Bridgeport, which is about 60 miles northeast of New York City on the Long Island Sound, and eastbound beyond South Norwalk -- because of the derailment. Amtrak also announced early Friday night that it had suspended all travel between New York and Boston indefinitely after the crash.

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch said such travel headaches could persist for weeks, because the two tracks affected by the derailment -- which are both "shot right now" -- may take weeks to repair. Because of a bridge replacement project, those two tracks are the only way in and out of New York City by train from that part of Connecticut.

Workers will need to not only remove disabled trains, but also remove the tracks, regrade the rail bed, then lay down the tracks again, according to Finch.

"This is our pipeline to New York City, and it's going to be shut down for some time," the mayor said. "And it's going to cost this region a great deal of money, frankly, not just to repair it but the lost wages and the lost economy."

Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board will head the investigation into the crash. Terry Williams, a Washington-based spokesman for that agency, said a team should be on site by 9 a.m. Saturday.

"We have no reason to believe that it's anything but an accident," Gov. Malloy said.

CNN's Morgan Winsor, Brittany Brady, Todd Sperry and Mayra Cuevas contributed to this report.

]]> International News TommyThayer http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152472-Commuter-train-derails-in-Connecticut-injuring-60 http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152470-VIDEO-Thief-botches-his-getaway-by-running-into-the-path-of-moving-bus&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 15:40:07 GMT
Phone thief runs in front of bus during getaway



A thief in Colombia is caught on CCTV grabbing a woman's phone at a bus stop, then being hit by a bus as he tries to get away. The video shows the woman, who had struggled as the man stole her mobile from her hands, helping the man out from under the bus. He is said to have suffered only minor injuries

]]> International News SecretMessages http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152470-VIDEO-Thief-botches-his-getaway-by-running-into-the-path-of-moving-bus http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152466-Persecuted-Tanzanian-albinos-push-for-respect&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 15:25:23 GMT * Persecuted Tanzanian albinos push for respect* People with albinism under threat of deadly attacks lead community-education drive to gain...
Persecuted Tanzanian albinos push for respect

People with albinism under threat of deadly attacks lead community-education drive to gain acceptance.

Last Modified: 17 May 2013 20:08

People suffering from albinism have long been persecuted in East Africa and Tanzania in particular.

It is estimated that more than 150,000 albinos live there, and at least 70 of them have been murdered in the past six years, often for superstitious reasons.

Al Jazeera's Peter Greste travelled to Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, for the first part of our "Global Beliefs Versus the Law" series, where an education campaign has begun.

Source: Al Jazeera

]]> International News Rayden http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152466-Persecuted-Tanzanian-albinos-push-for-respect http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152465-Indonesia-considers-ban-on-witchcraft&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 15:09:22 GMT
Indonesia considers ban on witchcraft

Witch doctors oppose law that could see them jailed, saying magic is part of country's culture.

Last Modified: 18 May 2013 13:31

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