The Sun Online - News: Jacko's new album flops: "MICHAEL Jackson’s new album sold just 8,000 copies in its first week in the US.
The greatest hits CD charted at a lowly 128 as fans snubbed the star.
The flop is a huge blow for Jacko, 46, who hoped to make a comeback after he was cleared of child sex abuse charges last month."
28.7.05
ABC News: Study Finds N.Y. Smoking Ban Helping
ABC News: Study Finds N.Y. Smoking Ban Helping: "ALBANY, N.Y. Jul 27, 2005 — Bar and restaurant workers in New York are suffering fewer sore throats and runny noses since the state's workplace smoking ban went into effect, health officials reported Wednesday.
The reduction is linked to the dramatic decline in employees' exposure to second-hand smoke, according to findings published in the August issue of Tobacco Control, a public health journal. Prior to the smoking ban in 2003, employees reported being exposed to 12 hours of smoke over a four-day period; that figure dropped to 12 minutes in 2004."
The reduction is linked to the dramatic decline in employees' exposure to second-hand smoke, according to findings published in the August issue of Tobacco Control, a public health journal. Prior to the smoking ban in 2003, employees reported being exposed to 12 hours of smoke over a four-day period; that figure dropped to 12 minutes in 2004."
New Statesman - Politics - Blair's bombs
New Statesman - Politics - Blair's bombs: "Terror and the UK - The senseless repercussions of interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine demand that we renew our anger at our leaders. Our troops must come home. We owe it to all those who died in London on 7 July."
New Scientist Breaking News - Japan plans mind-boggling number-cruncher
New Scientist Breaking News - Japan plans mind-boggling number-cruncher: "Japan has revealed plans to build a supercomputer so staggeringly powerful that it will be five times swifter than the 500 fastest systems on the planet today – combined."
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Japanese develop 'female' android
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Japanese develop 'female' android: "Japanese scientists have unveiled the most human-looking robot yet devised - a 'female' android called Repliee Q1.
She has flexible silicone for skin rather than hard plastic, and a number of sensors and motors to allow her to turn and react in a human-like manner.
She can flutter her eyelids and move her hands like a human. She even appears to breathe.
Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University says one day robots could fool us into believing they are human."
She has flexible silicone for skin rather than hard plastic, and a number of sensors and motors to allow her to turn and react in a human-like manner.
She can flutter her eyelids and move her hands like a human. She even appears to breathe.
Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University says one day robots could fool us into believing they are human."
Osama tried to kill Americans with poison pills : HindustanTimes.com
Osama tried to kill Americans with poison pills : HindustanTimes.com: "Nearly a year after 9/11, Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden had plotted to kill thousands of Americans by selling poisoned cocaine in the US. Had his plan succeeded, the number of casualties would have been more than in the 9/11 tragedy, said a report in the New York Post.
According to the paper, Osama was willing to spend tens of millions of dollars to finance the deal, but his plot failed when the Colombian drug lords, whom he had approached, decided it would be bad for their business."
According to the paper, Osama was willing to spend tens of millions of dollars to finance the deal, but his plot failed when the Colombian drug lords, whom he had approached, decided it would be bad for their business."
27.7.05
Washington recasts terror war as 'struggle' - Americas - International Herald Tribune
Washington recasts terror war as 'struggle' - Americas - International Herald Tribune: "WASHINGTON The Bush administration is retooling its slogan for the fight against Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, pushing the idea that the long-term struggle is as much an ideological battle as a military mission, according to senior administration and military officials.
In recent speeches and news conferences, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the country's top military officer have spoken of 'a global struggle against violent extremism' rather than 'the global war on terror,' which had been the catchphrase of choice."
In recent speeches and news conferences, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the country's top military officer have spoken of 'a global struggle against violent extremism' rather than 'the global war on terror,' which had been the catchphrase of choice."
26.7.05
Newsday.com: Unsound practices
Newsday.com: Unsound practices: "In the 1980s, in an effort to skirt the payola laws, the record labels and radio stations began using independent promoters, or 'indies,' to get certain songs on the radio. Variations of that practice continue today, although Clear Channel Communications, Infinity Broadcasting and Cox Radio all have banned the use of indies.
Spitzer outlined several modern payola schemes in documents released yesterday, adding that deregulation of the radio industry and the rise of large conglomerates have resulted in 'increased sophistication' of such plans.
These days, DJs no longer pick the songs they play. The program directors do, choosing a handful of songs to add and remove from a set playlist. Because dozens of songs are released each week, vying for a spot on a station's playlist, record companies use 'promotional support' - vacations, laptop computers, concert tickets and other items - to add their songs to the list instead of their competitors'.
Once a song is added to the playlist, companies continue the 'promotional support' to keep the song on the week's playlist or get it played more often.
The more 'spins' a song gets, the more awareness it garners, the higher on the chart it gets and, presumably, the more records it sells."
Spitzer outlined several modern payola schemes in documents released yesterday, adding that deregulation of the radio industry and the rise of large conglomerates have resulted in 'increased sophistication' of such plans.
These days, DJs no longer pick the songs they play. The program directors do, choosing a handful of songs to add and remove from a set playlist. Because dozens of songs are released each week, vying for a spot on a station's playlist, record companies use 'promotional support' - vacations, laptop computers, concert tickets and other items - to add their songs to the list instead of their competitors'.
Once a song is added to the playlist, companies continue the 'promotional support' to keep the song on the week's playlist or get it played more often.
The more 'spins' a song gets, the more awareness it garners, the higher on the chart it gets and, presumably, the more records it sells."
New York Daily News - Home - DJs were paid to play that tune
New York Daily News - Home - DJs were paid to play that tune: "DJs were paid to play that tune
Spitzer probe finds gigantic payola scam; Sony will pay $10M
Sick of lousy songs on the radio?
Blame it on a corrupt record business that skews the Top 40 by giving free trips and other goodies to radio programmers - and cold cash to radio stations to play their artists, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer charged yesterday.
Big-name artists like Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion and Good Charlotte got airtime on the radio because their labels gave away computers and trips to Las Vegas, according to telltale industry E-mails Spitzer uncovered - and revealed yesterday.
'Payola is pervasive. It reaches to the very top of the industry, on the radio side and the label side,' Spitzer said yesterday as he announced the first settlement in his probe of pay-for-play in the music industry."
Spitzer probe finds gigantic payola scam; Sony will pay $10M
Sick of lousy songs on the radio?
Blame it on a corrupt record business that skews the Top 40 by giving free trips and other goodies to radio programmers - and cold cash to radio stations to play their artists, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer charged yesterday.
Big-name artists like Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion and Good Charlotte got airtime on the radio because their labels gave away computers and trips to Las Vegas, according to telltale industry E-mails Spitzer uncovered - and revealed yesterday.
'Payola is pervasive. It reaches to the very top of the industry, on the radio side and the label side,' Spitzer said yesterday as he announced the first settlement in his probe of pay-for-play in the music industry."
Reuters Business Channel | Reuters.com
Reuters Business Channel | Reuters.com: "BEIJING, July 26 (Reuters) - Six-party talks aimed at ending the crisis over North Korea's nuclear ambitions resumed on Tuesday after a one-year hiatus with positive signals from both Washington and Pyongyang raising hopes for progress.
While few expect a breakthrough this week in Beijing, the atmosphere in the run-up to the fourth round of discussions between the two Koreas, the United States, Russia, Japan and China has been upbeat.
The United States held a rare one-on-one meeting with North Korea on Monday and planned another on Tuesday, raising hopes of a less confrontational approach to discussions which have dragged on for nearly three years.
U.S. officials described the atmosphere at Monday's meeting, which lasted for 75 minutes, as positive and 'businesslike'.
'Opening talks is important. But what's more important is to achieve actual progress such as denuclearisation,' North Korean chief negotiator Kim Kye-gwan said at Tuesday's opening session.
'Our delegation is fully ready for this and we believe other parties including the United States are also ready for it.'
U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill responded in kind, with reassurances that Washington believed the North, which it once branded part of an 'axis of evil', was a sovereign state which it would not attack."
%20and%20North%20Korean%20Vice%20Foreign%20Minister%20Kim%20Gye%20Gwan%20(L)%20attend%20a%20welcoming%20banquet%20to%20the%20negotiators%20for%20the%20six-party%20talks%20held%20by%20Chinese%20Foreign%20Minister%20Li%20Zhaoxing%20at%20Diaoyutai%20State%20Guesthouse%20%20in%20Beijing%20on%20July%2025,%202005.%20REUTERS/Guang%20Niu/Pool){kind=link}
While few expect a breakthrough this week in Beijing, the atmosphere in the run-up to the fourth round of discussions between the two Koreas, the United States, Russia, Japan and China has been upbeat.
The United States held a rare one-on-one meeting with North Korea on Monday and planned another on Tuesday, raising hopes of a less confrontational approach to discussions which have dragged on for nearly three years.
U.S. officials described the atmosphere at Monday's meeting, which lasted for 75 minutes, as positive and 'businesslike'.
'Opening talks is important. But what's more important is to achieve actual progress such as denuclearisation,' North Korean chief negotiator Kim Kye-gwan said at Tuesday's opening session.
'Our delegation is fully ready for this and we believe other parties including the United States are also ready for it.'
U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill responded in kind, with reassurances that Washington believed the North, which it once branded part of an 'axis of evil', was a sovereign state which it would not attack."
25.7.05
New York City - AP New Jersey
New York City - AP New Jersey: "TRENTON, N.J. -- Ashtrays have been disappearing in cars like fins on Cadillacs, and so could smoking while driving in New Jersey, under a measure introduced in the Legislature.
Although the measure faces long odds, it still has smokers incensed and tearing into the idea as a Big Brother intrusion that threatens to take away one of the few places they can enjoy their habit. "
Although the measure faces long odds, it still has smokers incensed and tearing into the idea as a Big Brother intrusion that threatens to take away one of the few places they can enjoy their habit. "
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | GM crops created superweed, say scientists
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | GM crops created superweed, say scientists: "GM crops created superweed, say scientists
Modified rape crosses with wild plant to create tough pesticide-resistant strain
Modified genes from crops in a GM crop trial have transferred into local wild plants, creating a form of herbicide-resistant 'superweed', the Guardian can reveal."
Modified rape crosses with wild plant to create tough pesticide-resistant strain
Modified genes from crops in a GM crop trial have transferred into local wild plants, creating a form of herbicide-resistant 'superweed', the Guardian can reveal."
Opponents of Wal-Mart to Coordinate Efforts
Opponents of Wal-Mart to Coordinate Efforts: "How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
Published: July 17, 2005
ISSAQUAH, Wash. JIM SINEGAL, the chief executive of Costco Wholesale, the nation's fifth-largest retailer, had all the enthusiasm of an 8-year-old in a candy store as he tore open the container of one of his favorite new products: granola snack mix. 'You got to try this; it's delicious,' he said. 'And just $9.99 for 38 ounces.'
Some 60 feet away, inside Costco's cavernous warehouse store here in the company's hometown, Mr. Sinegal became positively exuberant about the 87-inch-long Natuzzi brown leather sofas. 'This is just $799.99,' he said. 'It's terrific quality. Most other places you'd have to pay $1,500, even $2,000.'
But the pièce de résistance, the item he most wanted to crow about, was Costco's private-label pinpoint cotton dress shirts. 'Look, these are just $12.99,' he said, while lifting a crisp blue button-down. 'At Nordstrom or Macy's, this is a $45, $50 shirt.'
Combining high quality with stunningly low prices, the shirts appeal to upscale customers - and epitomize why some retail analysts say Mr. Sinegal just might be America's shrewdest merchant since Sam Walton.
But not everyone is happy with Costco's business strategy. Some Wall Street analysts assert that Mr. Sinegal is overly generous not only to Costco's customers but to its workers as well.
Costco's average pay, for example, is $17 an hour, 42 percent higher than its fiercest rival, Sam's Club. And Costco's health plan makes those at many other retailers look Scroogish. One analyst, Bill Dreher of Deutsche Bank, complained last year that at Costco 'it's better to be an employee or a customer than a shareholder.' "
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
Published: July 17, 2005
ISSAQUAH, Wash. JIM SINEGAL, the chief executive of Costco Wholesale, the nation's fifth-largest retailer, had all the enthusiasm of an 8-year-old in a candy store as he tore open the container of one of his favorite new products: granola snack mix. 'You got to try this; it's delicious,' he said. 'And just $9.99 for 38 ounces.'
Some 60 feet away, inside Costco's cavernous warehouse store here in the company's hometown, Mr. Sinegal became positively exuberant about the 87-inch-long Natuzzi brown leather sofas. 'This is just $799.99,' he said. 'It's terrific quality. Most other places you'd have to pay $1,500, even $2,000.'
But the pièce de résistance, the item he most wanted to crow about, was Costco's private-label pinpoint cotton dress shirts. 'Look, these are just $12.99,' he said, while lifting a crisp blue button-down. 'At Nordstrom or Macy's, this is a $45, $50 shirt.'
Combining high quality with stunningly low prices, the shirts appeal to upscale customers - and epitomize why some retail analysts say Mr. Sinegal just might be America's shrewdest merchant since Sam Walton.
But not everyone is happy with Costco's business strategy. Some Wall Street analysts assert that Mr. Sinegal is overly generous not only to Costco's customers but to its workers as well.
Costco's average pay, for example, is $17 an hour, 42 percent higher than its fiercest rival, Sam's Club. And Costco's health plan makes those at many other retailers look Scroogish. One analyst, Bill Dreher of Deutsche Bank, complained last year that at Costco 'it's better to be an employee or a customer than a shareholder.' "
24.7.05
Telegraph | Money | China shows who's really the boss now
Telegraph | Money | China shows who's really the boss now: "China shows who's really the boss now
By Liam Halligan (Filed: 24/07/2005)
China's currency revaluation, which happened last Thursday, was an event of significance. While over-shadowed by London's second terrorist incident in a fortnight, Beijing's move was a landmark in economic history."
By Liam Halligan (Filed: 24/07/2005)
China's currency revaluation, which happened last Thursday, was an event of significance. While over-shadowed by London's second terrorist incident in a fortnight, Beijing's move was a landmark in economic history."
Ex-CIA Officers Rip Bush Over Rove Leak
Ex-CIA Officers Rip Bush Over Rove Leak: "WASHINGTON -- President Bush is jeopardizing national security by not disciplining Karl Rove for his role in leaking the name of a CIA officer, and has hampered efforts to recruit informants in the war on terror, former U.S. intelligence officers say."
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