KHON2 - The Team That Knows Hawaii | Home: "VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson has issued an apology for calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
'Is it right to call for assassination? No, and I apologize for that statement. I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man who thinks the U.S. is out to kill him,' Robertson's statement said.
Rev. Jesse Jackson told FOX News that an apology is not enough.
'The fact is that his impact is substantially great,' said Jackson. 'He supports the government, he is a former Republican presidential candidate. ... His statement carries weight.'
Robertson's statement acknowledged the controversy that has surrounded his remarks, but said the situation has shed light on an important topic.
'There are many who disagree with my comments, and I respect their opinions. There are others who think that stopping a dictator is the appropriate course of action,' he said. 'In any event, the incredible publicity surrounding my remarks has focused our government's attention on a growing problem which has been largely ignored.'"
25.8.05
Robertson Assassinations Remarks Not New - Los Angeles Times
Robertson Assassinations Remarks Not New - Los Angeles Times: "The Rev. Pat Robertson's suggestion that the United States assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was the latest in a long line of incendiary remarks by the religious broadcaster, including at least one other call to 'take out' oppressive world leaders.
Six years ago, Robertson said the U.S. could send agents to kill Osama bin Laden, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il and Saddam Hussein. "
Six years ago, Robertson said the U.S. could send agents to kill Osama bin Laden, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il and Saddam Hussein. "
C&EN: Latest News - Thin, Transparent Nanotube Sheets
C&EN: Latest News - Thin, Transparent Nanotube Sheets: "Using a solid-state process, researchers have found a way to transform a carbon nanotube 'forest' into strong, ultrathin, transparent carbon nanotube sheets or ribbons with exceptional mechanical and physical properties. The process, they say, appears to be scalable for continuous high-rate production, opening the door to a variety of potential applications such as artificial muscles, flexible organic light-emitting displays, low-noise electronic sensors, solar cells, and electricity-conducting appliqu�s"
American Legion Declares War on Protestors -- Media Next?
: "NEW YORK The American Legion, which has 2.7 million members, has declared war on antiwar protestors, and the media could be next. Speaking at its national convention in Honolulu, the group's national commander called for an end to all “public protests” and “media events” against the war, even though they are protected by the Bill of Rights.
"The American Legion will stand against anyone and any group that would demoralize our troops, or worse, endanger their lives by encouraging terrorists to continue their cowardly attacks against freedom-loving peoples," Thomas Cadmus, national commander, told delegates at the group's national convention in Honolulu.
The delegates voted to use whatever means necessary to "ensure the united backing of the American people to support our troops and the global war on terrorism."
In his speech, Cadmus declared: "It would be tragic if the freedoms our veterans fought so valiantly to protect would be used against their successors today as they battle terrorists bent on our destruction.”
He explained, "No one respects the right to protest more than one who has fought for it, but we hope that Americans will present their views in correspondence to their elected officials rather than by public media events guaranteed to be picked up and used as tools of encouragement by our enemies." This might suggest to some, however, that American freedoms are worth dying for but not exercising."
"The American Legion will stand against anyone and any group that would demoralize our troops, or worse, endanger their lives by encouraging terrorists to continue their cowardly attacks against freedom-loving peoples," Thomas Cadmus, national commander, told delegates at the group's national convention in Honolulu.
The delegates voted to use whatever means necessary to "ensure the united backing of the American people to support our troops and the global war on terrorism."
In his speech, Cadmus declared: "It would be tragic if the freedoms our veterans fought so valiantly to protect would be used against their successors today as they battle terrorists bent on our destruction.”
He explained, "No one respects the right to protest more than one who has fought for it, but we hope that Americans will present their views in correspondence to their elected officials rather than by public media events guaranteed to be picked up and used as tools of encouragement by our enemies." This might suggest to some, however, that American freedoms are worth dying for but not exercising."
24.8.05
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Arts | Thompson's ashes fired into sky
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Arts | Thompson's ashes fired into sky: "The ashes of gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson have been blown into the sky from a cannon in Aspen, Colorado.
Friends and admirers had gathered for the event at the writer's US home, six months after he shot himself there."
Friends and admirers had gathered for the event at the writer's US home, six months after he shot himself there."
CNN.com - Chavez offers cheap gas to poor in U.S. - Aug 23, 2005
CNN.com - Chavez offers cheap gas to poor in U.S. - Aug 23, 2005: "HAVANA, Cuba (Reuters) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, popular with the poor at home, offered on Tuesday to help needy Americans with cheap supplies of gasoline.
'We want to sell gasoline and heating fuel directly to poor communities in the United States,' the populist leader told reporters at the end of a visit to Communist-run Cuba.
Chavez did not say how Venezuela would go about providing gasoline to poor communities. Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA owns Citgo, which has 14,000 gas stations in the United States."
'We want to sell gasoline and heating fuel directly to poor communities in the United States,' the populist leader told reporters at the end of a visit to Communist-run Cuba.
Chavez did not say how Venezuela would go about providing gasoline to poor communities. Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA owns Citgo, which has 14,000 gas stations in the United States."
FBI Agents' 'Wedding' Is a Bust for Guests: SouthFlorida.com
: " WASHINGTON — After their wedding guests had streamed into Atlantic City, N.J., for the festivities Sunday aboard the yacht Royal Charm, the happy couple surprised them all — by having them arrested as part of an alleged international Asia-based organized crime syndicate."
23.8.05
BBC NEWS | Europe | Portugal wildfires out of control
BBC NEWS | Europe | Portugal wildfires out of control: "Dozens of wildfires are still raging out of control across Portugal, despite desperate efforts to contain them.
The worst-hit areas include the central region, where fires are threatening the outskirts of the third-largest city of Coimbra, firefighters say."
The worst-hit areas include the central region, where fires are threatening the outskirts of the third-largest city of Coimbra, firefighters say."
Canoe – Infos – International - Le t�l�vang�liste am�ricain Pat Robertson appelle �l'assassinat d'Hugo Chavez
Canoe – Infos – International - Le télévangéliste américain Pat Robertson appelle à l'assassinat d'Hugo Chavez: "Le télévangéliste américain Pat Robertson appelle à l'assassinat d'Hugo Chavez"
t r u t h o u t - Robert Fisk | Secrets of the Morgue: Baghdad's Body Count
t r u t h o u t - Robert Fisk | Secrets of the Morgue: Baghdad's Body Count: "Bodies of 1,100 civilians brought to mortuary in July. Pre-invasion, July figure was typically less than 200. Last Sunday alone, the mortuary received 36 bodies. Up to 20 per cent of the bodies are never identified. Many of the dead have been tortured or disfigured."
USATODAY.com - Pat Robertson calls for assassination of Hugo Chavez
: "VIRGINIA BEACH (AP) — Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested on-air that American operatives assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to stop his country from becoming "a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."
"We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," Robertson said Monday on the Christian Broadcast Network's The 700 Club.""
"We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," Robertson said Monday on the Christian Broadcast Network's The 700 Club.""
New Scientist Breaking News - Westerners and Easterners see the world differently
: "Chinese and American people see the world differently – literally. While Americans focus on the central objects of photographs, Chinese individuals pay more attention to the image as a whole, according to psychologists at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, US."
22.8.05
US satellite confirms NKorea reactivated nuclear reactor last month: report
US satellite confirms NKorea reactivated nuclear reactor last month: report: "TOKYO (AFP) Aug 21, 2005
A US spy satellite has found that North Korea reactivated its nuclear reactor last month after it spotted vapor coming out of the reactor's boiler, a Japanese daily said Sunday.
The reactivation of the Yongbyon nuclear complex came just before six-nation talks aimed at halting the North's nuclear drive began in Beijing in late July, the Asahi Shimbun daily said, quoting unnamed diplomatic sources.
The topic of the reactivated reactor had been discussed during the talks -- which involved the two Koreas, Russia, Japan, China and the United States -- the daily said without giving further details.
The Asahi said vapor had not been seen at the Yongbyon reactor since early April, and the report quoted a US source as saying that the release of vapor indicated renewed activity."
A US spy satellite has found that North Korea reactivated its nuclear reactor last month after it spotted vapor coming out of the reactor's boiler, a Japanese daily said Sunday.
The reactivation of the Yongbyon nuclear complex came just before six-nation talks aimed at halting the North's nuclear drive began in Beijing in late July, the Asahi Shimbun daily said, quoting unnamed diplomatic sources.
The topic of the reactivated reactor had been discussed during the talks -- which involved the two Koreas, Russia, Japan, China and the United States -- the daily said without giving further details.
The Asahi said vapor had not been seen at the Yongbyon reactor since early April, and the report quoted a US source as saying that the release of vapor indicated renewed activity."
CNN.com - 9/11�factors boost Gulf economies - Aug 21, 2005
CNN.com - 9/11�factors boost Gulf economies - Aug 21, 2005: "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- In the United States, the September 11 attacks are seen as the catalyst for a period of fear, war and economic worry.
But in the oil-rich Arab countries of the Gulf, September 11 is increasingly being seen as the event that kicked off a galloping economic boom -- and prodded investors to pull their money out of a United States perceived as hostile to Arabs, and instead invest it at home.
Since late 2001, economies in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries have soared, with stock markets up a collective 400 percent. During the same period, investments from those countries into the U.S. slowed to a trickle."
But in the oil-rich Arab countries of the Gulf, September 11 is increasingly being seen as the event that kicked off a galloping economic boom -- and prodded investors to pull their money out of a United States perceived as hostile to Arabs, and instead invest it at home.
Since late 2001, economies in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries have soared, with stock markets up a collective 400 percent. During the same period, investments from those countries into the U.S. slowed to a trickle."
21.8.05
CNN.com - U.S., Taliban bargained�over bin Laden, documents show - Aug 19, 2005
CNN.com - U.S., Taliban bargained�over bin Laden, documents show - Aug 19, 2005: "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- During secret meetings with U.S. officials in 1998, top Taliban officials discussed assassinating or expelling Osama bin Laden in response to al Qaeda's deadly bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa, according to State Department documents.
The newly declassified documents, posted Thursday on the National Archives Web site, provide a fascinating glimpse into U.S. diplomacy exerted on Afghanistan's ruling Taliban -- a regime officially unrecognized by Washington -- nearly three years before the September 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks on the United States.
According to the documents, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan, Alan Eastham Jr., met with Wakil Ahmed, a close aide to Taliban leader Mullah Omar, in November and December 1998. That was just months after the August al Qaeda attacks that killed more than 200 people at the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania."
The newly declassified documents, posted Thursday on the National Archives Web site, provide a fascinating glimpse into U.S. diplomacy exerted on Afghanistan's ruling Taliban -- a regime officially unrecognized by Washington -- nearly three years before the September 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks on the United States.
According to the documents, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan, Alan Eastham Jr., met with Wakil Ahmed, a close aide to Taliban leader Mullah Omar, in November and December 1998. That was just months after the August al Qaeda attacks that killed more than 200 people at the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania."
20.8.05
local6.com - News - Drug Suspect's Pet Squirrel Attacks Officer
local6.com - News - Drug Suspect's Pet Squirrel Attacks Officer: "A police officer in Massachusetts was treated at a hospital after a drug suspect's squirrel attacked him during an attempted arrest, according to a Local 6 News report."
18.8.05
CNN.com - Bored on the phone? Beware the Jerk-O-Meter - Aug 12, 2005
CNN.com - Bored on the phone? Beware the Jerk-O-Meter - Aug 12, 2005: "CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (AP) -- Ever wonder if that spouse, friend or co-worker on the other end of the phone is really paying attention? The 'Jerk-O-Meter' may hold the answer.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing software for cell phones that would analyze speech patterns and voice tones to rate people -- on a scale of 0 to 100 percent -- on how engaged they are in a conversation."
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing software for cell phones that would analyze speech patterns and voice tones to rate people -- on a scale of 0 to 100 percent -- on how engaged they are in a conversation."
16.8.05
Guardian | How Bush would gain from war with Iran
Guardian | How Bush would gain from war with Iran: "President Bush has reminded us that he is prepared to take military action to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. On Israeli television this weekend, he declared that 'all options are on the table' if Tehran doesn't comply with international demands.
In private his officials deride EU and UN diplomacy with Iran. US officials have been preparing pre-emptive war since Bush marked Iran out as a member of the 'axis of evil' back in 2002. Once again, this war is likely to have British support.
A plausible spin could be that America and Britain must act where the international community has failed, and that their action is the responsible alternative to an Israeli attack. The conventional wisdom is that, even if diplomacy fails, the US is so bogged down in Iraq that it could not take on Iran. However, this misunderstands the capabilities and intentions of the Bush administration.
America's devastating air power is not committed in Iraq. Just 120 B52, B1 and B2 bombers could hit 5,000 targets in a single mission. Thousands of other warplanes and missiles are available. The army and marines are heavily committed in Iraq, but enough forces could be found to secure coastal oilfields and to conduct raids into Iran.
A US attack is unlikely to be confined to the suspected WMD locations or to involve a ground invasion to occupy the country. The strikes would probably be intended to destroy military, political and (oil excepted) economic infrastructure. A disabled Iran could be further paralysed by civil war. Tehran alleges US support for separatists in the large Azeri population of the north-west, and fighting is increasing in Iranian Kurdistan."
In private his officials deride EU and UN diplomacy with Iran. US officials have been preparing pre-emptive war since Bush marked Iran out as a member of the 'axis of evil' back in 2002. Once again, this war is likely to have British support.
A plausible spin could be that America and Britain must act where the international community has failed, and that their action is the responsible alternative to an Israeli attack. The conventional wisdom is that, even if diplomacy fails, the US is so bogged down in Iraq that it could not take on Iran. However, this misunderstands the capabilities and intentions of the Bush administration.
America's devastating air power is not committed in Iraq. Just 120 B52, B1 and B2 bombers could hit 5,000 targets in a single mission. Thousands of other warplanes and missiles are available. The army and marines are heavily committed in Iraq, but enough forces could be found to secure coastal oilfields and to conduct raids into Iran.
A US attack is unlikely to be confined to the suspected WMD locations or to involve a ground invasion to occupy the country. The strikes would probably be intended to destroy military, political and (oil excepted) economic infrastructure. A disabled Iran could be further paralysed by civil war. Tehran alleges US support for separatists in the large Azeri population of the north-west, and fighting is increasing in Iranian Kurdistan."
Shrinking Detroit has 12,000 abandoned homes - Yahoo! News
Shrinking Detroit has 12,000 abandoned homes - Yahoo! News: "DETROIT, United States (AFP) - Rats or lead poisoning. When it comes to the threats from the broken down house next door, Dorothy Bates isn't sure which is worse.
'When it's lightening and thundering you can hear the bricks just falling,' the 40-year-old nurse said as she looked at the smashed windows and garbage-strewn porch. 'If you call and ask (the city) about it they say they don't have the funds to tear it down.'
There are more than 12,000 abandoned homes in the Detroit area, a byproduct of decades of layoffs at the city's auto plants and white flight to the suburbs. And despite scores of attempts by government and civic leaders to set the city straight, the automobile capitol of the world seems trapped in a vicious cycle of urban decay."
'When it's lightening and thundering you can hear the bricks just falling,' the 40-year-old nurse said as she looked at the smashed windows and garbage-strewn porch. 'If you call and ask (the city) about it they say they don't have the funds to tear it down.'
There are more than 12,000 abandoned homes in the Detroit area, a byproduct of decades of layoffs at the city's auto plants and white flight to the suburbs. And despite scores of attempts by government and civic leaders to set the city straight, the automobile capitol of the world seems trapped in a vicious cycle of urban decay."
Sky News : iPod Licensing Lapse Lets In Microsoft
Sky News : iPod Licensing Lapse Lets In Microsoft: "Computer firm Apple may have to pay Microsoft $6 for each iPod it sells after a huge licensing lapse.
Lawyers at Bill Gates' firm filed a patent for technology behind the hugely successful digital music player two months before Apple.
The US Patent Office has ruled that Microsoft has the right to charge competitors a licence fee for each iPod sold.
Furious, Apple has said it will appeal the decision but at the moment it looks as though the firm will be paying a high price for the success of its product."
Lawyers at Bill Gates' firm filed a patent for technology behind the hugely successful digital music player two months before Apple.
The US Patent Office has ruled that Microsoft has the right to charge competitors a licence fee for each iPod sold.
Furious, Apple has said it will appeal the decision but at the moment it looks as though the firm will be paying a high price for the success of its product."
15.8.05
Researchers Think They've Got the Incas' Numbers - Los Angeles Times
Researchers Think They've Got the Incas' Numbers - Los Angeles Times: "Two Harvard University researchers believe they have uncovered the meaning of a group of Incan khipus, cryptic assemblages of string and knots that were used by the South American civilization for record-keeping and perhaps even as a written language.
Researchers have long known that some knot patterns represented a specific number. Archeologist Gary Urton and mathematician Carrie Brezine report today in the journal Science that computer analysis of 21 khipus showed how individual strings were combined into multilayered collections that were used as a kind of ledger.
The ledger could then be used to transfer data and instructions between regional centers and the Incan capital, Cusco.
'What we see is information moving vertically,' Urton said."
Researchers have long known that some knot patterns represented a specific number. Archeologist Gary Urton and mathematician Carrie Brezine report today in the journal Science that computer analysis of 21 khipus showed how individual strings were combined into multilayered collections that were used as a kind of ledger.
The ledger could then be used to transfer data and instructions between regional centers and the Incan capital, Cusco.
'What we see is information moving vertically,' Urton said."
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Scientists aim for lab-grown meat
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Scientists aim for lab-grown meat: "An international research team has proposed new techniques that may lead to the mass production of meat reared not on the farm, but in the laboratory.
Developments in tissue engineering mean that cells taken from animals could be grown directly into meat in a laboratory, the researchers say.
Scientists believe the technology already exists to directly grow processed meat like a chicken nugget.
The technology could benefit both humans and the environment.
'With a single cell, you could theoretically produce the world's annual meat supply. And you could do it in a way that's better for the environment and human health.
'In the long term, this is a very feasible idea,' said Jason Matheny of the University of Maryland, part of the team whose research has been published in the Tissue Engineering journal.
Growing the meat without the animal could reduce the need to keep millions of animals in cramped conditions and would lessen the damage caused by the meat production to the environment.
Laboratory-grown meat could also be healthier, proponents say."
Developments in tissue engineering mean that cells taken from animals could be grown directly into meat in a laboratory, the researchers say.
Scientists believe the technology already exists to directly grow processed meat like a chicken nugget.
The technology could benefit both humans and the environment.
'With a single cell, you could theoretically produce the world's annual meat supply. And you could do it in a way that's better for the environment and human health.
'In the long term, this is a very feasible idea,' said Jason Matheny of the University of Maryland, part of the team whose research has been published in the Tissue Engineering journal.
Growing the meat without the animal could reduce the need to keep millions of animals in cramped conditions and would lessen the damage caused by the meat production to the environment.
Laboratory-grown meat could also be healthier, proponents say."
NewsNet5.com - Irresistible - Kids Get To Keep $98,000 They Found
NewsNet5.com - Irresistible - Kids Get To Keep $98,000 They Found: "BOULDER, Colo. -- Three Boulder County children split more than $98,000 after finding the cash in a field last February and turning it in.
The children were walking through a field on Feb. 14 when they came across a duffel bag filled with stacks of bills. The bag appeared to have been left in the field for some time and the bills were wet and moldy.
The children took the money home and then turned it in to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, which said it could have been drug money, but finally determined it was not related to any current case."
The children were walking through a field on Feb. 14 when they came across a duffel bag filled with stacks of bills. The bag appeared to have been left in the field for some time and the bills were wet and moldy.
The children took the money home and then turned it in to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, which said it could have been drug money, but finally determined it was not related to any current case."
14.8.05
Experimental Hybrid Cars Get Up to 250 Mpg - Yahoo! News
Experimental Hybrid Cars Get Up to 250 Mpg - Yahoo! News: "CORTE MADERA, Calif. - Politicians and automakers say a car that can both reduce greenhouse gases and free America from its reliance on foreign oil is years or even decades away. Ron Gremban says such a car is parked in his garage.
It looks like a typical Toyota Prius hybrid, but in the trunk sits an 80-miles-per-gallon secret — a stack of 18 brick-sized batteries that boosts the car's high mileage with an extra electrical charge so it can burn even less fuel.
Gremban, an electrical engineer and committed environmentalist, spent several months and $3,000 tinkering with his car."
It looks like a typical Toyota Prius hybrid, but in the trunk sits an 80-miles-per-gallon secret — a stack of 18 brick-sized batteries that boosts the car's high mileage with an extra electrical charge so it can burn even less fuel.
Gremban, an electrical engineer and committed environmentalist, spent several months and $3,000 tinkering with his car."
13.8.05
CBC News: New York releases 9/11 tapes
CBC News: New York releases 9/11 tapes: "The City of New York has released hours of radio transmissions and thousands of pages of oral histories from firefighters, paramedics and police who responded to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center."
Macleans.ca | Top Stories | Liquid manure spill flows into upstate NY river; headed for Lake Ontario
Macleans.ca | Top Stories | Liquid manure spill flows into upstate NY river; headed for Lake Ontario: "LOWVILLE, N.Y. (CP) - More than 11 million litres of liquid manure that spilled into a river snaked its way closer to Lake Ontario on Friday as workers diluted a stinking mess already blamed for killing countless fish."
12.8.05
One in 25 men might be raising another’s child - Men's Health - MSNBC.com
One in 25 men might be raising another’s child - Men's Health - MSNBC.com: "LONDON - One in 25 fathers could unknowingly be raising another man’s child, British scientists said on Thursday.
Researchers at Liverpool’s John Moores University examined the findings of dozens of studies, published over the past 54 years, on cases of paternal discrepancy — where a man is proved not to be the biological father of his child."
Researchers at Liverpool’s John Moores University examined the findings of dozens of studies, published over the past 54 years, on cases of paternal discrepancy — where a man is proved not to be the biological father of his child."
http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/2005/08/11/9600147_Edison_Stirling_largest_solar/index.html
http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/2005/08/11/9600147_Edison_Stirling_largest_solar/index.html: "20-year purchase agreement between Southern California Edison and Stirling Energy Systems, Inc. will result in 20,000 dish array, covering 4,500 acres, and capable of generating 500 MW -- more electricity than all other U.S. solar projects combined."
New Scientist News - Climate warning as Siberia melts
New Scientist News - Climate warning as Siberia melts: "THE world's largest frozen peat bog is melting. An area stretching for a million square kilometres across the permafrost of western Siberia is turning into a mass of shallow lakes as the ground melts, according to Russian researchers just back from the region.
The sudden melting of a bog the size of France and Germany combined could unleash billions of tonnes of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
The news of the dramatic transformation of one of the world's least visited landscapes comes from Sergei Kirpotin, a botanist at Tomsk State University, Russia, and Judith Marquand at the University of Oxford.
Kirpotin describes an 'ecological landslide that is probably irreversible and is undoubtedly connected to climatic warming'. He says that the entire western Siberian sub-Arctic region has begun to melt, and this 'has all happened in the last three or four years'."
The sudden melting of a bog the size of France and Germany combined could unleash billions of tonnes of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
The news of the dramatic transformation of one of the world's least visited landscapes comes from Sergei Kirpotin, a botanist at Tomsk State University, Russia, and Judith Marquand at the University of Oxford.
Kirpotin describes an 'ecological landslide that is probably irreversible and is undoubtedly connected to climatic warming'. He says that the entire western Siberian sub-Arctic region has begun to melt, and this 'has all happened in the last three or four years'."
Mirror.co.uk - News - EXCLUSIVE: WAS IT SUICIDE?
Mirror.co.uk - News - EXCLUSIVE: WAS IT SUICIDE?: "Why did they buy return train tickets to Luton? Why did they buy pay & display tickets for cars? Why were there no usual shouts of 'Allah Akhbar'? Why were bombs in bags and not on their bodies?
By Jeff Edwards
THE London bombers may have been duped into killing themselves so their secrets stayed hidden.
Police and MI5 are probing if the four men were told by their al-Qaeda controller they had time to escape after setting off timers. Instead, the devices exploded immediately.
A security source said: 'If the bombers lived and were caught they'd probably have cracked. Would their masters have allowed that to happen? We think not.'
The evidence is compelling: The terrorists bought return rail tickets, and pay and display car park tickets, before boarding _ a train at Luton for London. None of the men was heard to cry 'Allah Akhbar!' - 'God is great' - usually screamed by suicide bombers as they detonate their bomb."
By Jeff Edwards
THE London bombers may have been duped into killing themselves so their secrets stayed hidden.
Police and MI5 are probing if the four men were told by their al-Qaeda controller they had time to escape after setting off timers. Instead, the devices exploded immediately.
A security source said: 'If the bombers lived and were caught they'd probably have cracked. Would their masters have allowed that to happen? We think not.'
The evidence is compelling: The terrorists bought return rail tickets, and pay and display car park tickets, before boarding _ a train at Luton for London. None of the men was heard to cry 'Allah Akhbar!' - 'God is great' - usually screamed by suicide bombers as they detonate their bomb."
WorldNetDaily: Chertoff warns of nuclear terror
WorldNetDaily: Chertoff warns of nuclear terror: "Issuing yet the latest warning of the threat of nuclear terrorism in the U.S., Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said there are far worse security problems facing the country than bombings of mass-transit systems.
In comments during a visit to Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in California this week, Chertoff said the foremost concern for the nation's security now is the threat of a larger chemical, biological or nuclear attack.
Chertoff joins the growing list of public officials – including President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Chertoff's predecessor at Homeland Security, Tom Ridge – who have strongly hinted that nuclear terrorism has moved center stage as the No. 1 security threat facing the U.S."
In comments during a visit to Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in California this week, Chertoff said the foremost concern for the nation's security now is the threat of a larger chemical, biological or nuclear attack.
Chertoff joins the growing list of public officials – including President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Chertoff's predecessor at Homeland Security, Tom Ridge – who have strongly hinted that nuclear terrorism has moved center stage as the No. 1 security threat facing the U.S."
Articles, government corruption, freedom of speech, truth
Articles, government corruption, freedom of speech, truth: "Rumors inside the military say that a growing faction of discontented high-ranking officers are attempting internally to try and stop the Bush administration’s imminent plans for war with Iran in an effort to avert global war.
Although the exact number of high-ranking military involved is undetermined, sources have disclosed it appears to be evenly split between pro Bush and anti Bush factions.
Even though speculation abounds about that an attempted coup relating to the Byrnes firing, no one would question the strange rumblings of war against Iran and warnings of terrorist threats on the homeland that are beginning to circulate from administration officials and media talking heads almost on a daily basis."
Although the exact number of high-ranking military involved is undetermined, sources have disclosed it appears to be evenly split between pro Bush and anti Bush factions.
Even though speculation abounds about that an attempted coup relating to the Byrnes firing, no one would question the strange rumblings of war against Iran and warnings of terrorist threats on the homeland that are beginning to circulate from administration officials and media talking heads almost on a daily basis."
Witness to genocide An observer watches helplessly as a government-sponsored military operation annihilates African tribes in Sudan - The Register-Gua
Witness to genocide An observer watches helplessly as a government-sponsored military operation annihilates African tribes in Sudan - The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA: "Our helicopter touched down in a cloud of camel-brown sand, dust and plastic debris. As the cloud gradually settled into new layers on the bone-dry desert landscape, we could make out the faces of terrified villagers. ``Welcome to Sudan,'' I murmured to myself, grabbing my pen and waterproof notebook.
A former Marine, I had arrived in Sudan's Darfur region in September 2004 as one of three U.S. military observers for the African Union, armed only with a pen, pad and camera. The mandate for the A.U. force allowed merely for the reporting of violations of a cease-fire that had been declared last April and the protection of observers. The observers sometimes joked morbidly that our mission was to search endlessly for the cease-fire we constantly failed to find. I soon realized that this was no joke."
A former Marine, I had arrived in Sudan's Darfur region in September 2004 as one of three U.S. military observers for the African Union, armed only with a pen, pad and camera. The mandate for the A.U. force allowed merely for the reporting of violations of a cease-fire that had been declared last April and the protection of observers. The observers sometimes joked morbidly that our mission was to search endlessly for the cease-fire we constantly failed to find. I soon realized that this was no joke."
11.8.05
OpinionJournal - Leisure & Arts
OpinionJournal - Leisure & Arts: "In the 1960s, Walt Disney joked that one day he'd replace his elite corps of animators, known as the 'Nine Old Men,' and their slow, expensive way of making hand-drawn movies, with Audio-Animatronic figures.
At the end of last month, Walt's joke came true. The studio bearing his name announced that, due to a 'changing creative climate and economic environment,' it will be shutting DisneyToon Studios Australia next year. The studio, which turned out sequels (such as 'Tarzan II,' 'The Lion King II' and 'Bambi II') was the company's last remaining facility creating hand-drawn (or 2-D) traditional animation. To compete in the 3-D computer-generated imagery (or CGI) arena, the house that a hand-drawn mouse built will become a pixels, rather than a paper-and-pencils, place.
As the old animators often asked themselves, 'What would Walt think?'
The decision was not entirely unexpected. In the past few years, Disney 2-D facilities in Florida, France, Canada and Japan have been closed, and 3-D computers have replaced all the traditional animation drawing tables at the studio's home base in Burbank, Calif."
At the end of last month, Walt's joke came true. The studio bearing his name announced that, due to a 'changing creative climate and economic environment,' it will be shutting DisneyToon Studios Australia next year. The studio, which turned out sequels (such as 'Tarzan II,' 'The Lion King II' and 'Bambi II') was the company's last remaining facility creating hand-drawn (or 2-D) traditional animation. To compete in the 3-D computer-generated imagery (or CGI) arena, the house that a hand-drawn mouse built will become a pixels, rather than a paper-and-pencils, place.
As the old animators often asked themselves, 'What would Walt think?'
The decision was not entirely unexpected. In the past few years, Disney 2-D facilities in Florida, France, Canada and Japan have been closed, and 3-D computers have replaced all the traditional animation drawing tables at the studio's home base in Burbank, Calif."
CNN.com - Chavez: U.S. will 'bite the dust' if it invades - Aug 9, 2005
CNN.com - Chavez: U.S. will 'bite the dust' if it invades - Aug 9, 2005: "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told thousands of visiting students that if U.S. forces were to invade the South American country, they would be soundly defeated.
The U.S. government has strongly denied Chavez's claims that it is considering military action against Cuba's closest ally in the Americas.
But Chavez said late Monday that the U.S. government, which 'won't stop caressing the idea of invading Cuba or invading Venezuela,' should be warned of the consequences.
'If someday they get the crazy idea of coming to invade us, we'll make them bite the dust defending the freedom of our land,' Chavez said to applause."
The U.S. government has strongly denied Chavez's claims that it is considering military action against Cuba's closest ally in the Americas.
But Chavez said late Monday that the U.S. government, which 'won't stop caressing the idea of invading Cuba or invading Venezuela,' should be warned of the consequences.
'If someday they get the crazy idea of coming to invade us, we'll make them bite the dust defending the freedom of our land,' Chavez said to applause."
10.8.05
GSN Magazine
GSN Magazine: "In September 2000, one year before the Al Qaeda attacks of 9/11, a U.S. Army military intelligence program, known as “Able Danger,” identified a terrorist cell based in Brooklyn, NY, one of whose members was 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta, and recommended to their military superiors that the FBI be called in to “take out that cell,” according to Rep. Curt Weldon, a longtime Republican congressman from Pennsylvania who is currently vice chairman of both the House Homeland Security and House Armed Services Committees."
ABC 7 News - Air Force Officer Accused Anti-Bush Vandal
ABC 7 News - Air Force Officer Accused Anti-Bush Vandal: "DENVER (AP) - A full-time Air Force Reserve lieutenant colonel could face criminal charges for allegedly vandalizing cars parked at Denver International Airport bearing pro-Bush bumper stickers. Lt. Col. Alexis Fecteau, director of operations for reserve forces at the National Security Space Institute in Colorado Springs, is believed to be responsible for defacing at least 10 vehicles between December and June, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said Tuesday. A bait car left by a police detective was also defaced and the detective tracked down Fecteau, who turned himself in Friday."
Money woes on home front | csmonitor.com
Money woes on home front | csmonitor.com: "ASHLAND, ORE. – As the war in Iraq grinds through its third year, one number keeps going up: the number of men and women in Reserve and National Guard units mobilized for active duty. Last week, their ranks swelled again to 139,218.
But these citizen-soldiers are drawing not only tough assignments - they represent some 40 percent of all American troops in Iraq and, so far this month, two-thirds of US fatalities. They also find themselves burdened with financial problems back home. The challenge has become so common that some critics call it the 'patriot penalty.'
(Photograph)
TOUGH TIMES: Staff Sgt. Steven Cummings in Milan, Mich., fell $15,000 in debt during his 14-month stint in Iraq with the Army National Guard.
Spc. Blaine Hall of the Army National Guard in Washington State is one example."
But these citizen-soldiers are drawing not only tough assignments - they represent some 40 percent of all American troops in Iraq and, so far this month, two-thirds of US fatalities. They also find themselves burdened with financial problems back home. The challenge has become so common that some critics call it the 'patriot penalty.'
(Photograph)
TOUGH TIMES: Staff Sgt. Steven Cummings in Milan, Mich., fell $15,000 in debt during his 14-month stint in Iraq with the Army National Guard.
Spc. Blaine Hall of the Army National Guard in Washington State is one example."
Study: In dating, extravagant gifts keep on giving - Yahoo! News
Study: In dating, extravagant gifts keep on giving - Yahoo! News: "If you want to win the object of your affection, an extravagant gift that has no resale value is the way to go.
That's not the opinion of a battle-weary veteran of the dating scene. It's the conclusion of a mathematical model created by researchers at University College London."
That's not the opinion of a battle-weary veteran of the dating scene. It's the conclusion of a mathematical model created by researchers at University College London."
Straight men say `I Do` to tax breaks
Straight men say `I Do` to tax breaks: "TORONTO, ON, Canada (UPI) -- Two Toronto men are putting a twist on new same-sex marriage legislation -- they`re straight.
Bill Dalrymple, 56, and best friend Bryan Pinn, 65, say they want to shed light on the widespread financial implications of the new legislation.
'There are significant tax implications that we don`t think the government has thought through,' Pinn told the Toronto Sun.
Dalrymple said he has talked to a lawyer and there are no laws in marriage that define sexual preference.
There are obvious tax benefits to marriage, the men said, telling the newspaper that they don`t want their marriage to insult gays and lesbians.
'I disagree with the government getting involved with what people should and shouldn`t do,' Dalrymple said. 'Stay out of the bedrooms.'"
Bill Dalrymple, 56, and best friend Bryan Pinn, 65, say they want to shed light on the widespread financial implications of the new legislation.
'There are significant tax implications that we don`t think the government has thought through,' Pinn told the Toronto Sun.
Dalrymple said he has talked to a lawyer and there are no laws in marriage that define sexual preference.
There are obvious tax benefits to marriage, the men said, telling the newspaper that they don`t want their marriage to insult gays and lesbians.
'I disagree with the government getting involved with what people should and shouldn`t do,' Dalrymple said. 'Stay out of the bedrooms.'"
BBC NEWS | Americas | Bush weighs into evolution debate
BBC NEWS | Americas | Bush weighs into evolution debate: "President George Bush has started a national debate in the US over the teaching of evolution in school.
The president has suggested that a theory known as 'intelligent design' should be taught in the classroom.
It proposes that life is too complex to have developed through evolution, and an unseen power must have had a hand.
President Bush's championing of intelligent design will be interpreted as further evidence of the growing influence of the religious right.
The US president told newspaper reporters in Texas that children should be taught about intelligent design so they could better understand the debate about the origins of the universe.
Intelligent design differs from biblical creationism in that it is not tied to a literal interpretation of the biblical book of Genesis.
Nevertheless, intelligent design points to the role of a creator, and it has become increasingly influential in Christian circles."
The president has suggested that a theory known as 'intelligent design' should be taught in the classroom.
It proposes that life is too complex to have developed through evolution, and an unseen power must have had a hand.
President Bush's championing of intelligent design will be interpreted as further evidence of the growing influence of the religious right.
The US president told newspaper reporters in Texas that children should be taught about intelligent design so they could better understand the debate about the origins of the universe.
Intelligent design differs from biblical creationism in that it is not tied to a literal interpretation of the biblical book of Genesis.
Nevertheless, intelligent design points to the role of a creator, and it has become increasingly influential in Christian circles."
9.8.05
BBC NEWS | Health | 'Thoughts read' via brain scans
BBC NEWS | Health | 'Thoughts read' via brain scans: "Scientists say they have been able to monitor people's thoughts via scans of their brains.
Teams at University College London and University of California in LA could tell what images people were looking at or what sounds they were listening to.
The US team say their study proves brain scans do relate to brain cell electrical activity."
Teams at University College London and University of California in LA could tell what images people were looking at or what sounds they were listening to.
The US team say their study proves brain scans do relate to brain cell electrical activity."
8.8.05
CNN.com - Soldier's mom digs in near Bush ranch - Aug 7, 2005
CNN.com - Soldier's mom digs in near Bush ranch - Aug 7, 2005: "CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- A mother whose son was killed in Iraq says she is prepared to continue her protest outside President Bush's ranch through August until she is granted an opportunity to speak with him."
4.8.05
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Official: drinking improves thinking
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Official: drinking improves thinking: "It is guaranteed to raise a cheer among those who enjoy a tipple: moderate drinkers are better thinkers than teetotallers or those who overindulge.
Research by the Australian National University in Canberra suggests drinking in moderation boost your brainpower. But none at all, or too much, can make you a dullard.
A study of 7,000 people in their early 20s, 40s and 60s found that those who drank within safe limits had better verbal skills, memory and speed of thinking than those at the extremes of the drinking spectrum. The safe consumption level was considered to be 14 to 28 standard drinks a week for a man and seven to 14 for a woman."
Research by the Australian National University in Canberra suggests drinking in moderation boost your brainpower. But none at all, or too much, can make you a dullard.
A study of 7,000 people in their early 20s, 40s and 60s found that those who drank within safe limits had better verbal skills, memory and speed of thinking than those at the extremes of the drinking spectrum. The safe consumption level was considered to be 14 to 28 standard drinks a week for a man and seven to 14 for a woman."
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Journal reveals Hitler's dysfunctional family
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Journal reveals Hitler's dysfunctional family: "Two historians yesterday acclaimed the discovery in Germany of a journal written by Adolf Hitler's sister, saying it offers remarkable insights into the dysfunctional nature of the Fuhrer's family."
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Thieves steal fake Munch artworks
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Thieves steal fake Munch artworks: "Masked thieves in Norway have stolen what they thought were three Edvard Munch paintings - but they turned out to be worthless copies.
Two unarmed men burst into Oslo's Hotel Continental, threatened staff and removed three pictures from the walls.
But the hotel had swapped the originals with duplicates after two real Munch works were stolen from the Munch Museum in the city almost a year ago.
'It's a real fiasco for the thieves,' hotel manager Siv Lunde Kolrud said."
Two unarmed men burst into Oslo's Hotel Continental, threatened staff and removed three pictures from the walls.
But the hotel had swapped the originals with duplicates after two real Munch works were stolen from the Munch Museum in the city almost a year ago.
'It's a real fiasco for the thieves,' hotel manager Siv Lunde Kolrud said."
New Scientist Breaking News - Flu pandemic: lethal yet preventable
New Scientist Breaking News - Flu pandemic: lethal yet preventable: "If Asian bird flu mutates into a form that spreads easily between humans, an outbreak of just 40 infected people would be enough to cause a global pandemic. And within a year half of the world’s population would be infected with a mortality rate of 50%, according to two studies released on Wednesday.
And yet, the models show, if targeted action is taken within a critical three-week window, an outbreak could be limited to fewer than 100 individuals within two months.
It represents the first opportunity in history to make use of new knowledge and logistics to prevent a pandemic whose potential loss of life could dwarf the horrific 1918 influenza pandemic. But, the researchers caution, we are currently far from ready to take the necessary action.
“If an outbreak occurred tomorrow, it would be devastating,” warns Neil Ferguson from Imperial College London, UK, who led one of the studies. Nature and Science have released the two studies in tandem. The authors stress that an outbreak is no longer an “if” scenario - they are now talking about “when”."
And yet, the models show, if targeted action is taken within a critical three-week window, an outbreak could be limited to fewer than 100 individuals within two months.
It represents the first opportunity in history to make use of new knowledge and logistics to prevent a pandemic whose potential loss of life could dwarf the horrific 1918 influenza pandemic. But, the researchers caution, we are currently far from ready to take the necessary action.
“If an outbreak occurred tomorrow, it would be devastating,” warns Neil Ferguson from Imperial College London, UK, who led one of the studies. Nature and Science have released the two studies in tandem. The authors stress that an outbreak is no longer an “if” scenario - they are now talking about “when”."
3.8.05
Reuters AlertNet - Americans anxious about U.S. foreign policy - poll
Reuters AlertNet - Americans anxious about U.S. foreign policy - poll: "WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Americans are anxious about the direction of U.S. foreign policy and how the country is perceived overseas and a majority believe the government has been too quick to go to war, a survey released on Tuesday said.
'Contrary to conventional wisdom that the American public doesn't know and doesn't care how it is seen abroad, strong majorities' believe the U.S. image overseas is suffering and 'large majorities are worried about it,' the survey concluded.
Some 63 percent of Americans say the charge that the United States has been too quick to go to war is justified and three-quarters worry about losing trust abroad and about the growing hatred of the United States in Muslim countries, it said."
'Contrary to conventional wisdom that the American public doesn't know and doesn't care how it is seen abroad, strong majorities' believe the U.S. image overseas is suffering and 'large majorities are worried about it,' the survey concluded.
Some 63 percent of Americans say the charge that the United States has been too quick to go to war is justified and three-quarters worry about losing trust abroad and about the growing hatred of the United States in Muslim countries, it said."
Ananova - First smokeless cigarette to go on sale
Ananova - First smokeless cigarette to go on sale: "The world's first smoke and tobacco free cigarette is due to go on sale.
The cigarette has been cleared for commercial release and should be on sale early next year.
Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, has decided the NicStic is not a medicinal product and has cleared the path for its commercial production."
The cigarette has been cleared for commercial release and should be on sale early next year.
Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, has decided the NicStic is not a medicinal product and has cleared the path for its commercial production."
CNN.com - Adidas�to pay $3.8bn for Reebok - Aug 3, 2005
CNN.com - Adidas to pay $3.8bn for Reebok - Aug 3, 2005: "FRANKFURT (Reuters) -- Germany's Adidas-Salomon is to buy rival sporting goods firm Reebok in a deal worth €3.1 billion ($3.8 billion), Adidas said on Wednesday as it posted a forecast-beating second-quarter profit.
Adidas, the global number two in the sporting goods industry after Nike, is buying all outstanding shares of Reebok, the number three, for $59 per share in cash, Adidas said in a statement."
Adidas, the global number two in the sporting goods industry after Nike, is buying all outstanding shares of Reebok, the number three, for $59 per share in cash, Adidas said in a statement."
HealthDay
HealthDay: "TUESDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Many Cambodian refugees living in the United States who fled the brutal Khmer Rouge regime more than two decades ago remain traumatized, a new study finds.
Almost two-thirds (62 percent) of Cambodians surveyed suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 51 percent suffered from depression in the past year. This was six to 17 times higher than the national average for adults, according to the report in the Aug. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association."
Almost two-thirds (62 percent) of Cambodians surveyed suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 51 percent suffered from depression in the past year. This was six to 17 times higher than the national average for adults, according to the report in the Aug. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association."
FT.com / Home UK - World turning its back on Brand America
FT.com / Home UK - World turning its back on Brand America: "The US is increasingly viewed as a 'culture-free zone' inhabited by arrogant and unfriendly people, according to study of 25 countries' brand reputations.
The findings, published online today, will add to concerns that anti-Americanism is hurting companies whose products are considered to be distinctly 'American'.
The Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index found that although US foreign policy remained a key driver of hostility, dissatisfaction with the world's sole superpower might run deeper.
'The US is still recognised as a leading place to do business, the home of desirable brands and popular culture,' said Simon Anholt, author of the survey. 'But its governance, its cultural heritage and its people are no longer widely respected or admired by the world.'"
The findings, published online today, will add to concerns that anti-Americanism is hurting companies whose products are considered to be distinctly 'American'.
The Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index found that although US foreign policy remained a key driver of hostility, dissatisfaction with the world's sole superpower might run deeper.
'The US is still recognised as a leading place to do business, the home of desirable brands and popular culture,' said Simon Anholt, author of the survey. 'But its governance, its cultural heritage and its people are no longer widely respected or admired by the world.'"
2.8.05
Bad to the Last Drop - New York Times
Bad to the Last Drop - New York Times: "London
IT'S summertime, and odds are that at some point during your day you'll reach for a nice cold bottle of water. But before you do, you might want to consider the results of an experiment I conducted with some friends one summer evening last year. On the table were 10 bottles of water, several rows of glasses and some paper for recording our impressions. We were to evaluate samples from each bottle for appearance, odor, flavor, mouth, feel and aftertaste - and our aim was to identify the interloper among the famous names. One of our bottles had been filled from the tap. Would we spot it?
Skip to next paragraph
Readers
Forum: Op-Ed Contributors
We worked our way through the samples, writing scores for each one. None of us could detect any odor, even when swilling water around in large wine glasses, but other differences between the waters were instantly apparent. Between sips, we cleansed our palates with wine. (It seemed only fair, since water serves the same function at a wine tasting.)
The variation between waters was wide, yet the water from the tap did not stand out: only one of us correctly identified it. This simple experiment seemed to confirm that most people cannot tell the difference between tap water and bottled water. Yet they buy it anyway - and in enormous quantities."
IT'S summertime, and odds are that at some point during your day you'll reach for a nice cold bottle of water. But before you do, you might want to consider the results of an experiment I conducted with some friends one summer evening last year. On the table were 10 bottles of water, several rows of glasses and some paper for recording our impressions. We were to evaluate samples from each bottle for appearance, odor, flavor, mouth, feel and aftertaste - and our aim was to identify the interloper among the famous names. One of our bottles had been filled from the tap. Would we spot it?
Skip to next paragraph
Readers
Forum: Op-Ed Contributors
We worked our way through the samples, writing scores for each one. None of us could detect any odor, even when swilling water around in large wine glasses, but other differences between the waters were instantly apparent. Between sips, we cleansed our palates with wine. (It seemed only fair, since water serves the same function at a wine tasting.)
The variation between waters was wide, yet the water from the tap did not stand out: only one of us correctly identified it. This simple experiment seemed to confirm that most people cannot tell the difference between tap water and bottled water. Yet they buy it anyway - and in enormous quantities."
Was Di bumped off because of baby? : HTTabloid.com
Was Di bumped off because of baby? : HTTabloid.com: "Diana's lover Dodi Fayed's father, Mohamed Al Fayed is convinced that a new enquiry will prove that the Princess of Wales was murdered in the 1997 car crash in Paris, because she was pregnant with his son's child.
'I was very close to Diana and I know many things from her that show this was no accident. One thing that will be shown to be true when the inquest is held is that Diana was pregnant with my son's child. The security services are clearly very nervous about the positive findings the investigation is uncovering,' Contactmusic quoting him as saying to The Daily Express.
A senior French lawyer, who is helping the inquiry into the accident, said that the princess was preparing to announce her pregnancy before her tragic death.
Official documents, which are being investigated by former Metropolitan Police chief Lord Stevens, suggest that she was murdered to prevent her embarrassing the Royal Family by having a Muslim's child.
Weeks before her accident, Diana had told reports, 'You are going to get a big surprise.'"
'I was very close to Diana and I know many things from her that show this was no accident. One thing that will be shown to be true when the inquest is held is that Diana was pregnant with my son's child. The security services are clearly very nervous about the positive findings the investigation is uncovering,' Contactmusic quoting him as saying to The Daily Express.
A senior French lawyer, who is helping the inquiry into the accident, said that the princess was preparing to announce her pregnancy before her tragic death.
Official documents, which are being investigated by former Metropolitan Police chief Lord Stevens, suggest that she was murdered to prevent her embarrassing the Royal Family by having a Muslim's child.
Weeks before her accident, Diana had told reports, 'You are going to get a big surprise.'"
AOL News - U.S. Soldier Named Sheik by Iraqi Citizens
AOL News - U.S. Soldier Named Sheik by Iraqi Citizens: "QAYYARAH, Iraq (July 31) - Sheik Horn floats around the room in white robe and headdress, exchanging pleasantries with dozens of village leaders. But he's the only sheik with blonde streaks in his mustache - and the only one who attended country music star Toby Keith's recent concert in Baghdad with fellow U.S. soldiers.
Officially, he's Army Staff Sgt. Dale L. Horn, but to residents of the 37 villages and towns that he patrols he's known as the American sheik.
Sheiks, or village elders, are known as the real power in rural Iraq. And the 5-foot-6-inch Floridian's ascension to the esteemed position came through dry humor and the military's need to clamp down on rocket attacks.
... ...
And Horn doesn't take his responsibilities lightly. He lately has been prodding the Iraqi Education Ministry to pay local teachers, and he closely follows a water pipeline project that he hopes will ensure the steady flow of clean water to his villages.
"Ninety percent of the people in my area are shepherds or simple townspeople," said Horn. "They simply want to find a decent job to make enough money to provide food and a stable place for their people to live."
To Horn's commanders, his success justifies his unorthodox approach: no rockets have hit their base in the last half year.
"He has developed a great relationship with local leaders," said Lt. Col. Bradley Becker, who commands the 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery Regiment. "They love him. They're not going to let anyone shoot at Sheik Horn." "
Officially, he's Army Staff Sgt. Dale L. Horn, but to residents of the 37 villages and towns that he patrols he's known as the American sheik.
Sheiks, or village elders, are known as the real power in rural Iraq. And the 5-foot-6-inch Floridian's ascension to the esteemed position came through dry humor and the military's need to clamp down on rocket attacks.
... ...
And Horn doesn't take his responsibilities lightly. He lately has been prodding the Iraqi Education Ministry to pay local teachers, and he closely follows a water pipeline project that he hopes will ensure the steady flow of clean water to his villages.
"Ninety percent of the people in my area are shepherds or simple townspeople," said Horn. "They simply want to find a decent job to make enough money to provide food and a stable place for their people to live."
To Horn's commanders, his success justifies his unorthodox approach: no rockets have hit their base in the last half year.
"He has developed a great relationship with local leaders," said Lt. Col. Bradley Becker, who commands the 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery Regiment. "They love him. They're not going to let anyone shoot at Sheik Horn." "
BBC NEWS | Americas | Bolton appointed US envoy to UN
BBC NEWS | Americas | Bolton appointed US envoy to UN: "President George W Bush appoints John Bolton as US envoy to the UN
US President George W Bush has formally appointed John Bolton as US ambassador to the United Nations, without waiting for approval from the Senate.
Mr Bush said Democrats had forced him to bypass Congress by using 'shameful delaying tactics' to prevent a vote.
'This post is too important to leave vacant any longer, especially during a war and a vital debate about UN reform,' Mr Bush said.
After being sworn in in Washington, Mr Bolton went to New York to start work.
At times a stern critic of the UN, he will serve there until 2007."
US President George W Bush has formally appointed John Bolton as US ambassador to the United Nations, without waiting for approval from the Senate.
Mr Bush said Democrats had forced him to bypass Congress by using 'shameful delaying tactics' to prevent a vote.
'This post is too important to leave vacant any longer, especially during a war and a vital debate about UN reform,' Mr Bush said.
After being sworn in in Washington, Mr Bolton went to New York to start work.
At times a stern critic of the UN, he will serve there until 2007."
1.8.05
Scotland on Sunday - Entertainment - Never say never, but Connery ends career
Scotland on Sunday - Entertainment - Never say never, but Connery ends career: "IT IS a decision that will horrify his legion of worldwide fans and leave grown women in tears.
Scottish screen legend Sir Sean Connery has almost drawn the curtain on his long and glittering career by revealing it would take a Mafia-style 'offer he couldn't refuse' to tempt him to make another film.
At the age of 74, Connery still manages to be Britain's highest-paid actor, commanding up to �10m per movie. But his three-year absence from the industry has prompted questions about whether the Scots star has decided to retire after half a century in Hollywood and 77 films.
Now, Connery has provided the answer. In an interview with a New Zealand newspaper, the actor says he has no time for the 'idiots' now making films in Hollywood."
Scottish screen legend Sir Sean Connery has almost drawn the curtain on his long and glittering career by revealing it would take a Mafia-style 'offer he couldn't refuse' to tempt him to make another film.
At the age of 74, Connery still manages to be Britain's highest-paid actor, commanding up to �10m per movie. But his three-year absence from the industry has prompted questions about whether the Scots star has decided to retire after half a century in Hollywood and 77 films.
Now, Connery has provided the answer. In an interview with a New Zealand newspaper, the actor says he has no time for the 'idiots' now making films in Hollywood."
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iran will reopen nuclear facility
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iran will reopen nuclear facility: "Iran is to resume the processing of uranium at a nuclear plant, breaking seals placed on the facility by the UN nuclear watchdog in late 2004.
Officials in Tehran said they had delivered a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) explaining plans to restart uranium conversion.
The European Union, which failed to respond to an Iranian deadline to reopen talks, has urged restraint.
Iran halted uranium processing in 2004, but denies pursuing nuclear weapons."
Officials in Tehran said they had delivered a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) explaining plans to restart uranium conversion.
The European Union, which failed to respond to an Iranian deadline to reopen talks, has urged restraint.
Iran halted uranium processing in 2004, but denies pursuing nuclear weapons."
t r u t h o u t - New York Times | The Roots of Prisoner Abuse
t r u t h o u t - New York Times | The Roots of Prisoner Abuse: "This week, the White House blocked a Senate vote on a measure sponsored by a half-dozen Republicans, including Senator John McCain, that would prohibit cruel, degrading or inhumane treatment of prisoners. Besides being outrageous on its face, that action served as a reminder of how the Bush administration ducks for cover behind the men and women in uniform when challenged on military policy, but ignores their advice when it seems inconvenient.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican who has shown real political courage on this issue, recently released documents showing that the military's top lawyers had warned a year before the Abu Ghraib nightmare came to light that detainee policies imposed by the White House and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld violated American and international law and undermined the standards of civilized treatment embedded in the American military tradition."
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican who has shown real political courage on this issue, recently released documents showing that the military's top lawyers had warned a year before the Abu Ghraib nightmare came to light that detainee policies imposed by the White House and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld violated American and international law and undermined the standards of civilized treatment embedded in the American military tradition."
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Terror suspect gives first account of London attack
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Terror suspect gives first account of London attack: "One of the men accused of taking part in the failed terror attacks in London on 21 July has claimed the bomb plot was directly inspired by Britain's involvement in the Iraq war.
In a remarkable insight into the motives behind the alleged would-be bombers, Hussain Osman, arrested in Rome on Friday, has revealed how the suspects watched hours of TV footage showing grief-stricken Iraqi widows and children alongside images of civilians killed in the conflict. He is alleged to have told prosecutors that after watching the footage: 'There was a feeling of hatred and a conviction that it was necessary to give a signal - to do something.'"
In a remarkable insight into the motives behind the alleged would-be bombers, Hussain Osman, arrested in Rome on Friday, has revealed how the suspects watched hours of TV footage showing grief-stricken Iraqi widows and children alongside images of civilians killed in the conflict. He is alleged to have told prosecutors that after watching the footage: 'There was a feeling of hatred and a conviction that it was necessary to give a signal - to do something.'"
New Scientist Breaking News - Planting trees may create deserts
New Scientist Breaking News - Planting trees may create deserts: "Planting trees can create deserts, lower water tables and drain rivers, rather than filling them, claims a new report supported by the UK government.
The findings - which may come as heresy to tree-lovers and most environmentalists - is an emerging new consensus among forest and water professionals.
“Common but misguided views about water management,” says the report, are resulting in the waste of tens of millions of pounds every year across the world. Forests planted with the intention of trapping moisture are instead depleting reservoirs and drying out soils."
The findings - which may come as heresy to tree-lovers and most environmentalists - is an emerging new consensus among forest and water professionals.
“Common but misguided views about water management,” says the report, are resulting in the waste of tens of millions of pounds every year across the world. Forests planted with the intention of trapping moisture are instead depleting reservoirs and drying out soils."
31.7.05
Osprey Media Group Inc. - The Kingston Whig-Standard
Osprey Media Group Inc. - The Kingston Whig-Standard: "High-tech border pass raises alarm
Local News - Friday, July 29, 2005 @ 07:00
Kingston’s closest U.S. border crossing will employ high-tech radio frequency technology to monitor visitors from other countries who want to enter the States from Canada – a move that alarms both a Kingston privacy expert and an immigration specialist.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said this week that the crossing between Lansdowne and Alexandria Bay, N.Y., will be one of three Canada-U.S. land borders to require non-Canadians to carry wireless devices as part of a pilot project.
Travellers will be required to carry the devices as of Aug. 4.
The technology is part of US-VISIT, a billion-dollar anti-terrorism initiative launched last December that has kept about 700 criminals, including one posing as a Canadian, out of the States.
US-VISIT uses biometric information from photos and fingerprints taken from non-Canadians at border crossings to track residents from other countries who enter the U.S.
Canadian citizens are the only people in the world exempt from US-VISIT.
Travellers required to use the technology include landed immigrants living in Canada, Canadian citizens who are either engaged to a U.S. citizen or who have applied for a special business visa.
They’ll have to carry the wireless devices as a way for border guards to access the electronic information stored inside a document about the size of a large index card.
Visitors to the U.S. will get the card the first time they cross the border and will be required the carry the document on subsequent crossings to and from the States.
Border guards will be able to access the information electronically from 12 metres away to enable those carrying the devices to be processed more quickly.
Two other border crossings between Surrey, B.C., and Blaine, Wash., will also be implementing the technology as part of the pilot project.
Kimberly Weissman, spokeswoman for the US-VISIT program at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told The Whig-Standard yesterday that the new devices can’t be tracked outside the border crossing area.
“It has a range of 10 to 15 metres,” she said. "
Local News - Friday, July 29, 2005 @ 07:00
Kingston’s closest U.S. border crossing will employ high-tech radio frequency technology to monitor visitors from other countries who want to enter the States from Canada – a move that alarms both a Kingston privacy expert and an immigration specialist.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said this week that the crossing between Lansdowne and Alexandria Bay, N.Y., will be one of three Canada-U.S. land borders to require non-Canadians to carry wireless devices as part of a pilot project.
Travellers will be required to carry the devices as of Aug. 4.
The technology is part of US-VISIT, a billion-dollar anti-terrorism initiative launched last December that has kept about 700 criminals, including one posing as a Canadian, out of the States.
US-VISIT uses biometric information from photos and fingerprints taken from non-Canadians at border crossings to track residents from other countries who enter the U.S.
Canadian citizens are the only people in the world exempt from US-VISIT.
Travellers required to use the technology include landed immigrants living in Canada, Canadian citizens who are either engaged to a U.S. citizen or who have applied for a special business visa.
They’ll have to carry the wireless devices as a way for border guards to access the electronic information stored inside a document about the size of a large index card.
Visitors to the U.S. will get the card the first time they cross the border and will be required the carry the document on subsequent crossings to and from the States.
Border guards will be able to access the information electronically from 12 metres away to enable those carrying the devices to be processed more quickly.
Two other border crossings between Surrey, B.C., and Blaine, Wash., will also be implementing the technology as part of the pilot project.
Kimberly Weissman, spokeswoman for the US-VISIT program at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told The Whig-Standard yesterday that the new devices can’t be tracked outside the border crossing area.
“It has a range of 10 to 15 metres,” she said. "
29.7.05
The Sun Online - News: Jacko's new album flops
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."
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."
22.7.05
CNN.com - 'He looked like a cornered fox' - Jul 22, 2005
CNN.com - 'He looked like a cornered fox' - Jul 22, 2005: "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Eyewitnesses to Friday's shooting at a London Underground station described seeing a man being chased onto a train and then shot several times at close range.
Police confirmed to CNN that armed officers had shot dead a male at Stockwell station in south London. (Full Story)
One witness, Mark Whitby, told BBC news the man appeared not to be carrying anything but was wearing a thick coat that looked padded.
Whitby said a young Asian man was shot five times after being chased into a train carriage by three men.
'As the man got on the train I looked at his face. He looked from left to right, but he basically looked like a cornered rabbit, like a cornered fox. He looked absolutely petrified,' said Whitby.
'He sort of tripped but they were hotly pursuing him and couldn't have been more than two or three feet behind him at this time.
'He half-tripped, was half-pushed to the floor. The policeman nearest to me had the black automatic pistol in his left hand, he held it down to the guy and unloaded five shots into him.
'He looked like a Pakistani but he had a baseball cap on, and quite a thickish coat. It was a coat like you would wear in winter, a sort of padded jacket. It looked out of place in the weather we've been having.'
Whitby said he had been about five yards away from where the incident occurred and was 'totally distraught' by what he had seen.
He said 10 to 15 police officers armed with pistols and sub-machine guns had run down to the platform as he was helping an elderly woman away from the train."
Police confirmed to CNN that armed officers had shot dead a male at Stockwell station in south London. (Full Story)
One witness, Mark Whitby, told BBC news the man appeared not to be carrying anything but was wearing a thick coat that looked padded.
Whitby said a young Asian man was shot five times after being chased into a train carriage by three men.
'As the man got on the train I looked at his face. He looked from left to right, but he basically looked like a cornered rabbit, like a cornered fox. He looked absolutely petrified,' said Whitby.
'He sort of tripped but they were hotly pursuing him and couldn't have been more than two or three feet behind him at this time.
'He half-tripped, was half-pushed to the floor. The policeman nearest to me had the black automatic pistol in his left hand, he held it down to the guy and unloaded five shots into him.
'He looked like a Pakistani but he had a baseball cap on, and quite a thickish coat. It was a coat like you would wear in winter, a sort of padded jacket. It looked out of place in the weather we've been having.'
Whitby said he had been about five yards away from where the incident occurred and was 'totally distraught' by what he had seen.
He said 10 to 15 police officers armed with pistols and sub-machine guns had run down to the platform as he was helping an elderly woman away from the train."
CNN.com - Police kill man on London Tube - Jul 22, 2005
CNN.com - Police kill man on London Tube - Jul 22, 2005: "LONDON, England (CNN) -- Police in London have shot a man dead at a subway station, a day after bombers apparently failed to repeat the carnage of the July 7 blasts.
The incident just after 10 a.m. (0900 GMT) Friday triggered new fears about the security of the capital's transit system just one day after four attempted bombings targeted three Underground trains and a bus.
A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: 'We can confirm that just after 10 a.m. armed officers entered Stockwell Tube station.
'A man was challenged by officers and subsequently shot. London Ambulance Service attended the scene. He was pronounced dead at the scene.'"
The incident just after 10 a.m. (0900 GMT) Friday triggered new fears about the security of the capital's transit system just one day after four attempted bombings targeted three Underground trains and a bus.
A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: 'We can confirm that just after 10 a.m. armed officers entered Stockwell Tube station.
'A man was challenged by officers and subsequently shot. London Ambulance Service attended the scene. He was pronounced dead at the scene.'"
MetroWestDailyNews.com - Printer Friendly
MetroWestDailyNews.com - Printer Friendly: "High Tech chill for the heat
By Rob Haneisen / Daily News Staff
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
NATICK -- Flying missions over the baked desert dunes of Iraq, U.S. Army helicopter pilots know a thing or two about beating heat similar to what is cooking Massachusetts this week.
They can thank the scientists at the U.S. Army Soldiers Systems Center in Natick for a secret weapon hidden under their clothes.
A liquid-cooled vest, part of the Air Warrior Microclimate Cooling System, has been worn by helicopter pilots in Iraq for the last year and this summer will be part of a test program to keep roasting soldiers cool in armored Humvees.
'We flew 5.5 hours in 120 degrees and it worked awesome,' an Army helicopter pilot in Iraq wrote to Natick Labs in an e-mail June 18. 'The crew agreed this system is the best thing we've done for the helicopter since we put a rotor on it.'
Air crewmembers wear the vest against their skin and under body armor and their flight suits. The tubing in the vest connects to a hose, which plugs into the cooling and pumping unit that sends 65 degrees of relief around the pilot and crewmembers' torsos.
According to Natick Labs scientist Walter Teal, the vests were developed in Natick in 1996 anticipating the need to keep helicopter pilots cool in extreme heat situations. The 1996 study suggested that pilots would only be able to tolerate 1.6 hours of flight time before succumbing to heat stress. "
By Rob Haneisen / Daily News Staff
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
NATICK -- Flying missions over the baked desert dunes of Iraq, U.S. Army helicopter pilots know a thing or two about beating heat similar to what is cooking Massachusetts this week.
They can thank the scientists at the U.S. Army Soldiers Systems Center in Natick for a secret weapon hidden under their clothes.
A liquid-cooled vest, part of the Air Warrior Microclimate Cooling System, has been worn by helicopter pilots in Iraq for the last year and this summer will be part of a test program to keep roasting soldiers cool in armored Humvees.
'We flew 5.5 hours in 120 degrees and it worked awesome,' an Army helicopter pilot in Iraq wrote to Natick Labs in an e-mail June 18. 'The crew agreed this system is the best thing we've done for the helicopter since we put a rotor on it.'
Air crewmembers wear the vest against their skin and under body armor and their flight suits. The tubing in the vest connects to a hose, which plugs into the cooling and pumping unit that sends 65 degrees of relief around the pilot and crewmembers' torsos.
According to Natick Labs scientist Walter Teal, the vests were developed in Natick in 1996 anticipating the need to keep helicopter pilots cool in extreme heat situations. The 1996 study suggested that pilots would only be able to tolerate 1.6 hours of flight time before succumbing to heat stress. "
Examiner
Examiner: "Treaty gives CIA powers over Irish citizens
By Dan Buckley
US INVESTIGATORS, including CIA agents, will be allowed interrogate Irish citizens on Irish soil in total secrecy, under an agreement signed between Ireland and the US last week.
Suspects will also have to give testimony and allow property to be searched and seized even if what the suspect is accused of is not a crime in Ireland.
Under 'instruments of agreement' signed last week by Justice Minister Michael McDowell, Ireland and the US pledged mutual co-operation in the investigation of criminal activity. It is primarily designed to assist America's so-called 'war on terror' in the wake of the September 11 atrocities. "
By Dan Buckley
US INVESTIGATORS, including CIA agents, will be allowed interrogate Irish citizens on Irish soil in total secrecy, under an agreement signed between Ireland and the US last week.
Suspects will also have to give testimony and allow property to be searched and seized even if what the suspect is accused of is not a crime in Ireland.
Under 'instruments of agreement' signed last week by Justice Minister Michael McDowell, Ireland and the US pledged mutual co-operation in the investigation of criminal activity. It is primarily designed to assist America's so-called 'war on terror' in the wake of the September 11 atrocities. "
CNN.com - House votes to extend Patriot Act - Jul 21, 2005
CNN.com - House votes to extend Patriot Act - Jul 21, 2005: "WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House voted Thursday to extend the USA Patriot Act, the nation's main anti-terrorism tool, just hours after televisions in the Capitol beamed images of a new attack in London.
As similar legislation worked its way through the Senate, House Republicans generally cast the law as a valuable asset in the war on terror. Most Democrats echoed that support but said they were concerned the law could allow citizens' civil liberties to be infringed."
As similar legislation worked its way through the Senate, House Republicans generally cast the law as a valuable asset in the war on terror. Most Democrats echoed that support but said they were concerned the law could allow citizens' civil liberties to be infringed."
21.7.05
BBC NEWS | Business | Q&A: China revalues its currency
BBC NEWS | Business | Q&A: China revalues its currency: "China has abandoned its currency's peg to the dollar and revalued the yuan by 2.2%. It now buys more US dollars than before.
With China both one of the world's largest exporters of manufactured goods and one of the largest importers of raw materials, the move's economic impact will be felt worldwide."
With China both one of the world's largest exporters of manufactured goods and one of the largest importers of raw materials, the move's economic impact will be felt worldwide."
National Post
National Post: "BEIJING (AP) - In a move that could have dramatic consequences for global economies, China said Thursday it will no longer peg its currency to the U.S. dollar but instead let it float in a tight band against a basket of foreign currencies."
Blue Skies, Green Cities
Blue Skies, Green Cities: "WASHINGTON - Ignoring inaction at the highest levels of the U.S. government, 145 mayors across the country have formed a coalition to combat global warming and begun to reshape their cities using innovative programs and technologies.
The mayors say they can make urban living more eco-friendly and at the same time create jobs and stimulate local economies.
The Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty calling for reductions in the greenhouse gases that accelerate climate change, took effect in February. But the United States, which makes up four percent of the world's population and produces 22 percent of the world's greenhouse gases, did not ratify the treaty.
The George W. Bush administration opposes Kyoto because officials argue it would raise energy prices and kill five million U.S. jobs. The administration has also raised questions about the scientific legitimacy of climate change.
The House of Representatives and Senate have also done little to stop the Earth from heating up, the mayors say.
Tired of waiting for action from federal authorities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, as the coalition is called, unanimously agreed last month to implement aspects of the protocol locally.
A total of 169 U.S. cities have now agreed to match or better the standards laid out in the Kyoto Protocol -- which requires industrialized nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by an average of six percent below 1990 levels by the year 2012 -- through actions such as restoring forests, reducing urban sprawl, developing alternative energy technologies, and educating the public. "
The mayors say they can make urban living more eco-friendly and at the same time create jobs and stimulate local economies.
The Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty calling for reductions in the greenhouse gases that accelerate climate change, took effect in February. But the United States, which makes up four percent of the world's population and produces 22 percent of the world's greenhouse gases, did not ratify the treaty.
The George W. Bush administration opposes Kyoto because officials argue it would raise energy prices and kill five million U.S. jobs. The administration has also raised questions about the scientific legitimacy of climate change.
The House of Representatives and Senate have also done little to stop the Earth from heating up, the mayors say.
Tired of waiting for action from federal authorities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, as the coalition is called, unanimously agreed last month to implement aspects of the protocol locally.
A total of 169 U.S. cities have now agreed to match or better the standards laid out in the Kyoto Protocol -- which requires industrialized nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by an average of six percent below 1990 levels by the year 2012 -- through actions such as restoring forests, reducing urban sprawl, developing alternative energy technologies, and educating the public. "
BBC NEWS | Business | How air-conditioning keeps changing the US
BBC NEWS | Business | How air-conditioning keeps changing the US: "We are now truly immersed - and it's the right word - in the full, awful steam bath season in much of North America.
Just to venture outside is to hit a wall of humidity that drains the spirit as it soaks the clothes.
Fortunately, though, America has embraced air conditioning with a vengeance.
If it's like a warm soup outside, the inside of cinemas and trains and stores is chilled to the point of discomfort.
Air conditioning in America seems like a necessity."
Just to venture outside is to hit a wall of humidity that drains the spirit as it soaks the clothes.
Fortunately, though, America has embraced air conditioning with a vengeance.
If it's like a warm soup outside, the inside of cinemas and trains and stores is chilled to the point of discomfort.
Air conditioning in America seems like a necessity."
20.7.05
Safe driving is yours for a song... - Yahoo! News
Safe driving is yours for a song... - Yahoo! News: "LONDON (Reuters) - Motorists who enjoy a sing-along while driving tend to concentrate more and fall asleep less than their silent counterparts, new research showed Tuesday.
However, drivers should avoid overly rousing tunes or complex rhythms which can divert attention away from the road.
'Singing while driving stimulates not only the mind but also the body which in turn produces heightened alertness and reduced fatigue,' said Dr Nicola Dibben, a music psychologist from the University of Sheffield.
She said music was more effective than silence, conversation or talk radio in achieving an optimal state of alertness."
However, drivers should avoid overly rousing tunes or complex rhythms which can divert attention away from the road.
'Singing while driving stimulates not only the mind but also the body which in turn produces heightened alertness and reduced fatigue,' said Dr Nicola Dibben, a music psychologist from the University of Sheffield.
She said music was more effective than silence, conversation or talk radio in achieving an optimal state of alertness."
IQ won't make you happy | The Other Side | Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au (16-07-2005)
IQ won't make you happy | The Other Side | Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au (16-07-2005): "IQ won't make you happy
By Adam Cresswell
July 16, 2005
MONEY can't buy you happiness, and now it seems brains can't either.
Researchers say clever people are no more likely to be happy in their old age than anybody else.
In a boost for exam-flunkers everywhere, a study published yesterday in the British Medical Journal found the levels of satisfaction with life recorded by 550 Scottish men and women aged 84-85 were unaffected by their mental abilities, either when they were young or much later.
The authors said the findings were contrary to previous thinking that 'cognitive vitality' was important in maintaining a good quality of life in old age. A link between happiness and intelligence 'might have been expected' because of the high value society placed on cleverness.
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The lack of such an association might be because smarter people were more likely to be aware of alternative lifestyles, or to have higher expectations or aspirations, the authors suggested."
By Adam Cresswell
July 16, 2005
MONEY can't buy you happiness, and now it seems brains can't either.
Researchers say clever people are no more likely to be happy in their old age than anybody else.
In a boost for exam-flunkers everywhere, a study published yesterday in the British Medical Journal found the levels of satisfaction with life recorded by 550 Scottish men and women aged 84-85 were unaffected by their mental abilities, either when they were young or much later.
The authors said the findings were contrary to previous thinking that 'cognitive vitality' was important in maintaining a good quality of life in old age. A link between happiness and intelligence 'might have been expected' because of the high value society placed on cleverness.
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The lack of such an association might be because smarter people were more likely to be aware of alternative lifestyles, or to have higher expectations or aspirations, the authors suggested."
Bigger wallet, more sex | The Other Side | Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au (18-07-2005)
Bigger wallet, more sex | The Other Side | Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au (18-07-2005): "Bigger wallet, more sex
By Mark Henderson in London
July 18, 2005
HIGH earners of both genders boast an increased libido over their poorer colleagues, but only the wealthy men end up having more sex.
As their incomes rise, men and women are more likely to have a higher sex drive, according to a study of almost 30,000 people from 170 countries - the largest survey of its kind.
The findings, from an online survey conducted by the BBC, offer fresh evidence for the theory that women tend to be more attracted to men with money and resources, but that a woman's wealth does not much affect her sex appeal to men.
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'Men accumulate resources, which they use to attract women,' said John Manning, professor of psychology at the University of Central Lancashire, who analysed the results.
'When it comes to men with little by way of resources, women are just not interested in them at all. As a man's earning power goes up, you would expect him to be having more sex and be with more sexual partners.'
Feminine charms were little enhanced by income because men paid more attention to other qualities, such as looks, Professor Manning said."
By Mark Henderson in London
July 18, 2005
HIGH earners of both genders boast an increased libido over their poorer colleagues, but only the wealthy men end up having more sex.
As their incomes rise, men and women are more likely to have a higher sex drive, according to a study of almost 30,000 people from 170 countries - the largest survey of its kind.
The findings, from an online survey conducted by the BBC, offer fresh evidence for the theory that women tend to be more attracted to men with money and resources, but that a woman's wealth does not much affect her sex appeal to men.
Advertisement:
'Men accumulate resources, which they use to attract women,' said John Manning, professor of psychology at the University of Central Lancashire, who analysed the results.
'When it comes to men with little by way of resources, women are just not interested in them at all. As a man's earning power goes up, you would expect him to be having more sex and be with more sexual partners.'
Feminine charms were little enhanced by income because men paid more attention to other qualities, such as looks, Professor Manning said."
British MPs criticised after only 30 turn up for terrorist drill - Yahoo! News
British MPs criticised after only 30 turn up for terrorist drill - Yahoo! News: "LONDON (AFP) - British lawmakers faced criticism from their own number after only 30 -- less than five percent of the total -- turned up for an anti-terrorism drill in parliament.
The exercise took place Tuesday morning, when the chamber and galleries of the House of Commons were cleared after a planned 'interruption' from one of the galleries.
However, of 646 MPs, only 30 decided to attend, with Leader of the House of Commons Geoff Hoon saying 'obviously' he would have liked more people to be at the pre-arranged exercise."
The exercise took place Tuesday morning, when the chamber and galleries of the House of Commons were cleared after a planned 'interruption' from one of the galleries.
However, of 646 MPs, only 30 decided to attend, with Leader of the House of Commons Geoff Hoon saying 'obviously' he would have liked more people to be at the pre-arranged exercise."
Arutz Sheva - Israel National News
Arutz Sheva - Israel National News: "Report: Israel Was Warned Ahead of First Blast
10:43 Jul 08, '05 / 1 Tammuz 5765
(IsraelNN.com) Army Radio quoting unconfirmed reliable sources reported a short time ago that Scotland Yard had intelligence warnings of the attacks a short time before they occurred.
The Israeli Embassy in London was notified in advance, resulting in Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu remaining in his hotel room rather than make his way to the hotel adjacent to the site of the first explosion, a Liverpool Street train station, where he was to address an economic summit."
10:43 Jul 08, '05 / 1 Tammuz 5765
(IsraelNN.com) Army Radio quoting unconfirmed reliable sources reported a short time ago that Scotland Yard had intelligence warnings of the attacks a short time before they occurred.
The Israeli Embassy in London was notified in advance, resulting in Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu remaining in his hotel room rather than make his way to the hotel adjacent to the site of the first explosion, a Liverpool Street train station, where he was to address an economic summit."
19.7.05
FOXNews.com - FOX Fan - U.S. Terror Attack — 'Ninety Days at Most'
FOXNews.com - FOX Fan - U.S. Terror Attack — 'Ninety Days at Most': "U.S. Terror Attack — 'Ninety Days at Most'
Counterterrorism expert Juval Aviv spoke with FOX Fan Central about what Americans can do to protect themselves in case of a terror attack.
Do you believe another terrorist attack is likely on American soil?
I predict, based primarily on information that is floating in Europe and the Middle East, that an event is imminent and around the corner here in the United States. It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could happen in the next few months. Ninety days at the most."
Counterterrorism expert Juval Aviv spoke with FOX Fan Central about what Americans can do to protect themselves in case of a terror attack.
Do you believe another terrorist attack is likely on American soil?
I predict, based primarily on information that is floating in Europe and the Middle East, that an event is imminent and around the corner here in the United States. It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could happen in the next few months. Ninety days at the most."
18.7.05
CNN.com - Congressman: Mecca a possible retaliation target - Jul 18, 2005
CNN.com - Congressman: Mecca a possible retaliation target - Jul 18, 2005: "DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- A Colorado congressman told a radio show host that the U.S. could 'take out' Islamic holy sites if Muslim fundamentalist terrorists attacked the country with nuclear weapons.
Rep. Tom Tancredo made his remarks Friday on WFLA-AM in Orlando, Florida. His spokesman stressed he was only speaking hypothetically.
Talk show host Pat Campbell asked the Littleton Republican how the country should respond if terrorists struck several U.S. cities with nuclear weapons.
'Well, what if you said something like -- if this happens in the United States, and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their holy sites,' Tancredo answered.
'You're talking about bombing Mecca,' Campbell said.
'Yeah,' Tancredo responded.
The congressman later said he was 'just throwing out some ideas' and that an 'ultimate threat' might have to be met with an 'ultimate response.'"
Rep. Tom Tancredo made his remarks Friday on WFLA-AM in Orlando, Florida. His spokesman stressed he was only speaking hypothetically.
Talk show host Pat Campbell asked the Littleton Republican how the country should respond if terrorists struck several U.S. cities with nuclear weapons.
'Well, what if you said something like -- if this happens in the United States, and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their holy sites,' Tancredo answered.
'You're talking about bombing Mecca,' Campbell said.
'Yeah,' Tancredo responded.
The congressman later said he was 'just throwing out some ideas' and that an 'ultimate threat' might have to be met with an 'ultimate response.'"
local6.com - News - Finger Scanning At Disney Parks Causes Concern
local6.com - News - Finger Scanning At Disney Parks Causes Concern: "ORLANDO, Fla. -- The addition of finger scanning technology at the entrances of Walt Disney World theme parks for all visitors has caused concern among privacy advocates, according to a Local 6 News report.
#
I think it's a step in the wrong direction,' Civil Liberties Union spokesman George Crossley said. 'I think it is a step toward collection personal information on people regardless of what Disney says.
Tourists visiting Disney theme parks in Central Florida must now provide their index and middle fingers to be scanned before entering the front gates."
#
I think it's a step in the wrong direction,' Civil Liberties Union spokesman George Crossley said. 'I think it is a step toward collection personal information on people regardless of what Disney says.
Tourists visiting Disney theme parks in Central Florida must now provide their index and middle fingers to be scanned before entering the front gates."
Ten year-old becomes Microsoft engineer - vnunet.com
Ten year-old becomes Microsoft engineer - vnunet.com: "Arfa Karim Randhawa, aged 10, has become the youngest person to be certified as a Microsoft engineer.
Randhawa passed her Microsoft Certified Professional examinations last year. She met Bill Gates this week and was taken on a tour of Microsoft's Redmond campus.
The 10 year-old, from Faisalabad in Pakistan, asked Gates why children were not allowed to work for Microsoft and was told that they should concentrate on their school studies."
Randhawa passed her Microsoft Certified Professional examinations last year. She met Bill Gates this week and was taken on a tour of Microsoft's Redmond campus.
The 10 year-old, from Faisalabad in Pakistan, asked Gates why children were not allowed to work for Microsoft and was told that they should concentrate on their school studies."
17.7.05
A flurry of suicide bombings shakes Iraq - Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune
A flurry of suicide bombings shakes Iraq - Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune: "BAGHDAD Suicide bombings continued in force here and in nearby locations over the weekend, with a devastating attack killing at least 70 people south of the capital as well as four explosions in the city area that led to 19 deaths. The bombings have killed well more than 100 people in a week and severely challenged the U.S. command.
Al Qaeda, which has sought to inspire suicide bombers to wage holy war in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the bombing campaign and promised more of the same.
Some 15 suicide bombers struck within slightly more than 48 hours in the capital and along the highway heading south - a region that Al Qaeda has declared it would use to seize control of Baghdad, Reuters reported."
Al Qaeda, which has sought to inspire suicide bombers to wage holy war in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the bombing campaign and promised more of the same.
Some 15 suicide bombers struck within slightly more than 48 hours in the capital and along the highway heading south - a region that Al Qaeda has declared it would use to seize control of Baghdad, Reuters reported."
15.7.05
FT.com / World / Asia-Pacific - Top Chinese general warns US over attack
FT.com / World / Asia-Pacific - Top Chinese general warns US over attack: "Top Chinese general warns US over attack
china us troubleChina is prepared to use nuclear weapons against the US if it is attacked by Washington during a confrontation over Taiwan, a Chinese general said on Thursday.
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“If the Americans draw their missiles and position-guided ammunition on to the target zone on China's territory, I think we will have to respond with nuclear weapons,” said General Zhu Chenghu.
Gen Zhu was speaking at a function for foreign journalists organised, in part, by the Chinese government. He added that China's definition of its territory included warships and aircraft.
“If the Americans are determined to interfere [then] we will be determined to respond,” said Gen Zhu, who is also a professor at China's National Defence University.
“We . . . will prepare ourselves for the destruction of all of the cities east of Xian. Of course the Americans will have to be prepared that hundreds . . . of cities will be destroyed by the Chinese.”"
china us troubleChina is prepared to use nuclear weapons against the US if it is attacked by Washington during a confrontation over Taiwan, a Chinese general said on Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT
“If the Americans draw their missiles and position-guided ammunition on to the target zone on China's territory, I think we will have to respond with nuclear weapons,” said General Zhu Chenghu.
Gen Zhu was speaking at a function for foreign journalists organised, in part, by the Chinese government. He added that China's definition of its territory included warships and aircraft.
“If the Americans are determined to interfere [then] we will be determined to respond,” said Gen Zhu, who is also a professor at China's National Defence University.
“We . . . will prepare ourselves for the destruction of all of the cities east of Xian. Of course the Americans will have to be prepared that hundreds . . . of cities will be destroyed by the Chinese.”"
HealthCentral- Curry Spice Shuts Down Melanoma
HealthCentral- Curry Spice Shuts Down Melanoma: "MONDAY, July 11 (HealthDay News) -- Curcumin, the ingredient that gives curry its yellow hue, blocked the growth of melanoma tumor cells and even stimulated their death in the laboratory, researchers report."
Sympatico / MSN : News : CTV.ca
Sympatico / MSN : News : CTV.ca: "U.S. declares border open to Canadian cattle
In a victory for Canadian producers, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Michael Johanns opened the border to Canadian cattle Thursday after a federal appeals court dismissed arguments that imports could spread mad cow disease.
The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a temporary injunction imposed by a Montana judge who blocked U.S. officials from reopening the border in March."
In a victory for Canadian producers, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Michael Johanns opened the border to Canadian cattle Thursday after a federal appeals court dismissed arguments that imports could spread mad cow disease.
The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a temporary injunction imposed by a Montana judge who blocked U.S. officials from reopening the border in March."
WPVI.com: Alleged Bomb Mastermind Captured
WPVI.com: Alleged Bomb Mastermind Captured: "Magdy Elnashar, 33, who authorities believe helped build the bombs, was taken into custody in suburban Cairo, Egypt. Elnashar had left England two weeks before the bombings, and British authorities had initiated a worldwide manhunt for him.
Police say it was Elnashar who helped the bombers set up their bomb factory in Leeds."
Police say it was Elnashar who helped the bombers set up their bomb factory in Leeds."
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