Today's News from TheEagle.com

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• Families forged on first day of 2010
• Navasota hopes efforts will draw filmmakers
• Company to probe what residents desire downtown
• CS man suspected of dealing drugs
• Local museum is changing its hours
• Crews to begin work on F.M. 1179
• Search off for cruise passenger
• Driver reportedly had drugs in his car
• Iraqis mad over Blackwater case
• Officials taking aim at pirates
• Death toll at 50, rising after Brazil mudslides
• Experts: Pat-downs not foolproof
• Pakistan bomber kills 75
• Hasan under strict watch
• Buy a drink and get a story
• Man airlifted after Grimes accident
• Magic man still full of tricks
• Time Warner, Fox reach agreement
• Hero pilot Sullenberger leads 2010 Rose Parade
• Pope calls for respect, peace
• Artist priest finds God by painting
• Calendar
• Official: Drunk man started fatal Detroit fire
• NYC mayor: 3rd term a 'special opportunity'
• Tobacco-rich NC bans smoking in bars, restaurants

Families forged on first day of 2010 Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:11 PM PST Katy Crabtree said hard lessons were learned and chaos, at times, overruled the calm during the past year.Getting custody of her 15-year-old brother, a house fire, accepting a marriage proposal and her fiance undergoing brain surgery are now a part o ...

Navasota hopes efforts will draw filmmakers Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:10 PM PST Navasota officials are hoping to bring Hollywood to the Brazos Valley. Leaders there said the city recently became certified under the Film Friendly Program through the Texas Film Commission, hoping to attract film productions to the area.Through the ...

Company to probe what residents desire downtown Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:10 PM PST What do you want in downtown Bryan?That's what a Houston-based company wants to know before plans are created to redevelop seven blocks of the north end of downtown.The Bryan City Council entered a pre-development agreement in October with Stonehenge ...

CS man suspected of dealing drugs Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:09 PM PST Eagle Staff ReportA 46-year-old College Station man was released from jail Friday after police said they served a warrant at his home and arrested him on drug dealing charges.College Station police took Gregory Alan Taylor into custody in the 1600 bl ...

Local museum is changing its hours Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:06 PM PST Eagle Staff ReportNew hours for the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The change, which starts Saturday, allows for more flexibility in scheduling of after-hours events and programs, said ...

Crews to begin work on F.M. 1179 Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:06 PM PST Eagle Staff ReportStarting Monday, traffic will be reduced to one lane on F.M. 1179 while the Texas Department of Transportation's contractor replaces culverts.Crews will be doing the work between Allen Academy and Merkel Road each day from 8:30 a.m. ...

Search off for cruise passenger Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:03 PM PST MIAMI -- The family of a missing cruise ship passenger said Monday that they suspect the woman "chose an unfortunate ending to her life" and jumped from a cruise ship balcony into the waters off Mexico's coast on Christmas night.The U.S. Coast Guard ...

Driver reportedly had drugs in his car Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:06 PM PST Eagle Staff ReportA Bryan man stopped on suspicion of driving while intoxicated instead was arrested by police on two charges of drug possession. Bryan police received a phone call from a motorist around 8:30 p.m. Thursday in reference to a car that ...

Iraqis mad over Blackwater case Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:08 PM PST BAGHDAD -- Iraqis seeking justice for 17 people shot dead at a Baghdad intersection responded with bitterness and outrage Friday at a U.S. judge's decision to throw out a case against a Blackwater security team accused in the killings.The Iraqi gove ...

Officials taking aim at pirates Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:08 PM PST NAIROBI, Kenya -- Property prices in Nairobi are soaring, and Somali pirates are getting the blame.The hike in real estate prices in the Kenyan capital has prompted a public outcry and a government investigation this month into property owned by fore ...

Death toll at 50, rising after Brazil mudslides Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:08 PM PST ANGRA DOS REIS, Brazil -- A rain-soaked slab of hillside collapsed on three houses and an upscale waterfront lodge after New Year celebrations on an island resort in this city near Rio de Janeiro, killing at least 19 people, authorities said. Another ...

Experts: Pat-downs not foolproof Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:08 PM PST CHICAGO -- With all the screening technology at U.S. airports, the last line of defense is still the human hand: the pat-down search.But aviation experts say the pat-down is often ineffective, in part because of government rules covering where screen ...

Pakistan bomber kills 75 Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:08 PM PST PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-packed vehicle in a crowd of people watching a volleyball tournament Friday in northwest Pakistan, killing 75 people in the deadliest attack in the country in more than two months.The a ...

Hasan under strict watch Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:09 PM PST FORT WORTH -- The Fort Hood shooting suspect's attorney said that he is being hampered by a lack of access to information in the case and his client's excessive confinement restrictions.Attorney John Galligan said he planned to meet with Maj. Nidal ...

Buy a drink and get a story Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:09 PM PST By ALYSSA DIZONLubbock Avalanche-JournalLITTLEFIELD -- At first glance, it looks like a typical liquor store, with "Liquor" and "Beer" stenciled on its tan walls. However, those who know the "flying W" symbol, the signature orange and black colors an ...

Man airlifted after Grimes accident Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:09 PM PST Eagle Staff ReportA man was airlifted to the College Station Medical Center on Thursday evening following a four-wheeler accident that happened in Grimes County.Sheriff's Deputy Steven Siracusa said he responded to the call just after 7 p.m. about ha ...

Magic man still full of tricks Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:09 PM PST By JUAN CASTILLOAustin American-StatesmanAUSTIN -- Ramon Galindo's 80-year magical tour began at the age of 8, when under the dim light of a kerosene lamp his father, Tomas, produced a rubber rat, set it on the kitchen table and watched it scurry abo ...

Time Warner, Fox reach agreement Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:08 PM PST LOS ANGELES -- The Fox television network and Time Warner Cable reached a programming deal in principle on Friday, after leaving millions of people in the lurch about whether they'd be able to see an anticipated college football matchup and other sho ...

Hero pilot Sullenberger leads 2010 Rose Parade Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:08 PM PST PASADENA, Calif. -- After a run of celebrity grand marshals, a real American hero led the Rose Parade on Friday.Onlookers stood and cheered as Capt. Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III rode down Colorado Boulevard in a vintage 1928 Pierce Arrow with ...

Pope calls for respect, peace Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:09 PM PST VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI on Friday called for respect of all people without discrimination and the protection of children from war and violence as he celebrated the start of the new year.Jan. 1 is also the Roman Catholic Church's World Day o ...

Artist priest finds God by painting Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:08 PM PST POMONA, Calif. -- There's no steeple out front, no rows of pews inside, not even so much as a crucifix on display.Still, this cramped little art studio in the middle of what, until not very long ago, was a street with as many broken dreams as it has ...

Calendar Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:11 PM PST SaturdayGARDEN & MARKETSBrazos Valley Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to noon. Texas Avenue and William Joel Bryan Parkway in Bryan. Locally grown fresh produce and other items. www.brazosvalleyfarmersmarket.com, hpw@tconline.net or 229-5503.Navasota Farm ...

Official: Drunk man started fatal Detroit fire Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:06 PM PST DETROIT (AP) -- A Detroit fire official says a drunk man playing with fire started a blaze that killed at least two people in an apartment building and left one woman missing.Fire Capt. Steve Varnas on Friday told The Detroit News and the Detroit Fre ...

NYC mayor: 3rd term a 'special opportunity' Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:05 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg sought to strike a humble tone Friday as he began his third term by promising "to listen and to lead" and to take a fresh look at the challenges facing the city.The 67-year-old billionaire acknowledged the unu ...

Tobacco-rich NC bans smoking in bars, restaurants Posted: 01 Jan 2010 04:04 PM PST DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina remains the nation's largest tobacco grower, and the golden leaf helped build the state's economy for generations.But tobacco heritage has finally given way to concerns about the dangers of secondhand smoke and com ...

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UN ENVOY URGES SUDAN TO WORK FOR STABILITY, SECURITY IN 2010

UN ENVOY URGES SUDAN TO WORK FOR STABILITY, SECURITY IN 2010
New York, Jan 1 2010 2:10PM
The top United Nations official in Sudan has called on all the people of the fractured African country to pull together towards a more peaceful 2010, the last full year of the accord which ended more than two decades of one of the continent's bloodiest civil wars.

Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the Secretary-General's Special Representative to Sudan, said that next year will be a crucial time for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in 2005 by the two sides of the north-south conflict.

"As far as possible, each and every Sudanese will need to make every effort, both individually and collectively, to contribute to the success of the CPA, which will be measured, above all, by the extent to which it brings about, consolidates and sustains peace," said Mr. Qazi.

Key milestones for the CPA are next year's national elections, the first multi-party democratic ballot for decades and a 2011 ref
erendum that could result in the secession of southern Sudan.

"The political leadership will have a special and historical responsibility towards the Sudanese people and the welfare and quality of life for coming generations," said Mr. Qazi in his New Year's message.

"They will need to set aside all other considerations and work together for the security, for the rights, and for the development of the potential of their people," he added.

Mr. Qazi, who also heads the 10,000-strong UN Mission in Sudan (<"http://unmis.unmissions.org/">UNMIS), assured the people and Government of Sudan that the UN and international community are committed to supporting efforts peace and development efforts in any way possible.

Jan 1 2010 2:10PM
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UN OPENS BIODIVERSITY YEAR WITH PLEA TO SAVE WORLD'S LIFE-SUPPORTING ECOSYSTEMS

UN OPENS BIODIVERSITY YEAR WITH PLEA TO SAVE WORLD'S LIFE-SUPPORTING ECOSYSTEMS
New York, Jan 1 2010 1:10PM
In a bid to curb the unprecedented loss of the world's species due to human activity -- at a rate some experts put at 1,000 times the natural progression -- the United Nations is marking 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity, with a slew of events highlighting the vital role the phenomenon plays in maintaining the life support system on Planet Earth.

"Humans are part of nature's rich diversity and have the power to protect or destroy it," the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (<"http://www.cbd.int/">CBD), which is hosted by the UN Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/">UNEP), said in summarizing the Year's main message, with its focus on raising awareness to generate public pressure for action by the world's decision makers.

"Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that pro
vide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives depend on. Human activity is causing the diversity of life on Earth to be lost at a greatly accelerated rate.
These losses are irreversible, impoverish us all and damage the life support systems we rely on every day. But we can prevent them."

The Convention ¬-- which opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, entered into force at the end of 1993 and now has 193 Parties -- is based on the premise that the world's diverse ecosystems purify the air and the water that are the basis of life, stabilize and moderate the Earth's climate, renew soil fertility, cycle nutrients and pollinate plants.

As a former UNEP Executive Director, <"http://www.cbd.int/iyb/doc/prints/cbd-sustain-en.pdf">Klaus Töpfer, put it: "If any part of the web suffers breaks down, the future of life on the planet will be at risk." That is why the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2010 as the International Year of Biod
iversity.

Although initial celebrations began in November under the slogan "Biodiversity is life, biodiversity is our life," the official launch will take place in Berlin on 11 January. This will be followed on 21 and 22 January by the first major event of the Year, a high-profile meeting at the Paris headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO), which is expected to bring together heads of state, royalty and their representatives.

A host of other events -- meetings, symposia, multi-media exhibitions -- will follow throughout the year in venues around world, from Trondheim, Norway, to Delhi, India, from Doha, Qatar, to Cartagena, Colombia, and from Shanghai, China, to Nairobi, Kenya, culminating in a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York at the start of the General Assembly's 65th annual General Debate in September and an official closing in Kana
zawa, Japan, in December.

"A wide variety of environmental goods and services that we take for granted are under threat, with profound and damaging consequences for ecosystems, economies and livelihoods," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4218">said in November at the start of the pre-celebrations.

"In this International Year, we must counter the perception that people are disconnected from our natural environment. We must increase understanding of the implications of losing biodiversity. In 2010, I call on every country and each citizen of our planet to engage in a global alliance to protect life on Earth."

The Montreal-based CBD Secretariat likewise <"http://www.cbd.int/iyb/iyb-2010-strategy-final-en.pdf">stresses the urgency in raising public awareness of the importance of biodiversity and the consequences of its loss.

"The goal for raising awareness of these issues is to generate public pressure for action by decision makers, and to
create the conditions for governments, individuals and other important sectors, to be encouraged to implement the Convention and to engage with other international and national institutions, towards achieving the goals of the Convention."

The Convention covers all ecosystems, species, and genetic resources, linking traditional conservation efforts to the economic goal of using biological resources sustainably, setting principles for the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources, notably for commercial use and covering the rapidly expanding field of biotechnology, and addressing technology development and transfer, benefit-sharing and biosafety.

While recognizing that ecosystems, species and genes must be used for the benefit of humans, the Convention stipulates that this must be done in a way and at a rate that does not lead to the long-term decline of diversity.

It offers decision-makers guidance based on the precautionary principle that where
there is a threat of significant reduction or loss of biological diversity, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to avoid or minimize such a threat. It acknowledges that substantial investment is required to conserve diversity, but argues that conservation will bring significant environmental, economic and social benefits in return.

Looking at the economic costs of action or inaction, a recent UN-backed Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (<"http://www.teebweb.org/">TEEB) study estimated loss of natural capital due to deforestation and degradation at between $2 trillion and $4.5 trillion every year -- "a staggering economic cost of taking nature for granted.

"It is estimated that for an annual investment of $45 billion into protected areas alone, we could secure the delivery of ecosystem services worth some $5 trillion a year," it said. "When compared to current financial losses on the markets, this is not a big price to pa
y.. Sound ecosystem and biodiversity management, and the inclusion of Natural Capital in governmental and business accounting can start to redress inaction and reduce the cost of future losses."

Jan 1 2010 1:10PM
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