Officials break ground for Korean War memorial

Officials break groundfor Korean War memorial
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Veterans and Korean dignitaries broke ground for a Korean War memorial Saturday next to the birthplace of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who led United Nations forces during the conflict. The monument will list the 463 Arkansas residents who died in the war and feature two bronze statues of soldiers standing atop a bridge. "These veterans did not fight and die in vain," said Doyle Herndon, president of the foundation in charge of the 6,400-square-foot memorial. "They preserved freedom for the Korean people." Koreans donated $300,000 for the memorial, which will stand in front of the MacArthur Museum of Military History. Herndon said he hopes Americans will donate the rest.
Dalai Lama says scienceaids quest for happiness
WASHINGTON -- Science and Buddhism share a quest of open investigation into the nature of reality, and science can be a pathway to discovering well-being and happiness, the Dalai Lama told the Society for Neuroscience on Saturday. Tibet's spiritual leader, speaking alternately in English and through a translator, praised neuroscience -- the study of the brain and nervous system -- as important work he's been interested in for 15 years. "I believe we want happiness," he said, adding that the way to transform society is through education and by boosting among individuals, families and communities "some of the useful emotions such as compassion or forgiveness." Science is particularly important, he said, because it reaches both the religious and nonreligious and can help identify the factors and forces that promote well-being.
Former President Carterquestions Bush direction
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Former President Jimmy Carter, on a tour to promote his latest book, is sharply questioning the direction the Bush administration has taken the country. "Everywhere you go, you hear, 'What has happened to the United States of America? We thought you used to be the champion of human rights. We thought you used to protect the environment. We thought you used to believe in the separation of church and state,"' Carter said Friday at Unity Temple. "I felt so disturbed and angry about this radical change in America," he said. Carter is promoting his 20th book, "Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis," which he describes as his first political book. He placed responsibility for that moral crisis largely on the Bush administration, citing a pre-emptive war policy, inadequate attention to the environment, and the use of torture against some prisoners. About 1,200 people waited to have books signed by the 39th president.
Slain school administratoris honored at funeral
LAFOLLETTE, Tenn. -- Teachers lined the streets of this mountain community Saturday to honor an assistant principal who was killed as administrators tried to wrest a gun away from a student. Several hundred people attended a funeral Mass for Ken Bruce, 48, who was remembered as a peacemaker and a role model respected by students. "Children loved him. He wasn't the type to intimidate kids or anything," said Campbell County Sheriff Ron McClellan. "They knew they could come to him with anything." Authorities said Tuesday's shooting at Campbell County Comprehensive High School began when Ken Bartley Jr., a 15-year-old freshman, was called to the office because other students had seen him with a gun on campus. When Bruce, Principal Gary Seale and Assistant Principal Jim Pierce began questioning the boy, he allegedly opened fire. The administrators and an unidentified teacher wrestled the .22-caliber pistol from him. Bruce, 48, was shot in the chest and died at a hospital. Seale, 55, was shot in the lower abdomen, and Pierce, 56, was hit in the chest. Bartley was being held without bail. District Attorney Paul Phillips wants to try him as an adult on a charge of first-degree murder.
Pope sends messageof hope to Iraqi Catholics
ROME -- Pope Benedict XVI urged Iraqi Catholics on Saturday not to be discouraged and to continue working for peace and reconciliation. Benedict made the appeal during an audience with the patriarch of Chaldean Catholics, Emmanuel III Delly, and other bishops from the Chaldean church at the end of their weeklong meeting, or synod, in Rome. The pope said he wanted to send Iraqi Catholics a special word of encouragement and prayer "so that your beloved country, despite the current difficult situation, doesn't get discouraged and continues in the path toward reconciliation and peace." Iraqi Christians number around 800,000 -- about 3 percent of Iraq's 26 million people. Most of them belong to the Chaldean Church, an Eastern-rite church that is loyal to the pope but does not follow the Roman church's Latin rite.
Associated Press