20.10.05
WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: A 30 000 MW Wind Farm in Canada?
WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: A 30 000 MW Wind Farm in Canada?: "Gilbert Parent, recently retired from political life in Canada, has proposed building a 30 GW wind farm in the country's northern regions. That's roughly the current power generation capacity of Ontario (home to about 40% of Canada's population of 32 million)."
America, United States, Times Online, The Times, Sunday Times
America, United States, Times Online, The Times, Sunday Times: "STEM cells have for the first time been harvested from embryos without killing them, using a technique that could eventually provide children with a personal store of spare part tissue for treating diseases later in life. The successful experiment in the United States paves the way for scientists to create and “bank” master cells that are genetically identical to children before they are born. Should the child grow up to develop a disease such as diabetes or Parkinson’s, the cells could be used for therapy."
D'oh! Arabized Simpsons not getting many laughs
D'oh! Arabized Simpsons not getting many laughs: "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- When an Arab satellite TV network, MBC, decided to introduce 'The Simpsons' to the Middle East, they knew the family would have to make some fundamental lifestyle changes."
CBS4 Boston - New England's Source For Breaking News, Weather, and Sports for Boston, Worcester, Cape Cod, Nashua, and More: World Wire
CBS4 Boston - New England's Source For Breaking News, Weather, and Sports for Boston, Worcester, Cape Cod, Nashua, and More: World Wire: "MADRID, Spain (AP) A judge has issued an international arrest warrant for three U.S. soldiers whose tank fired on a Baghdad hotel during the Iraq war, killing a Spanish journalist and one other, a court official said Wednesday.
Judge Santiago Pedraz issued the warrant for Sgt. Shawn Gibson, Capt. Philip Wolford and Lt. Col. Philip de Camp, all from the U.S. 3rd Infantry.
Jose Couso, who worked for the Spanish television network Telecinco, died April 8, 2003, after a U.S. army tank crew fired a shell on Hotel Palestine in Baghdad where several journalists were staying to cover the war.
Reuters cameraman Taras Portsyuk, a Ukrainian, also was killed.
The Spanish judge said he issued the arrest order because of a lack of judicial cooperation from the United States regarding the case."
Judge Santiago Pedraz issued the warrant for Sgt. Shawn Gibson, Capt. Philip Wolford and Lt. Col. Philip de Camp, all from the U.S. 3rd Infantry.
Jose Couso, who worked for the Spanish television network Telecinco, died April 8, 2003, after a U.S. army tank crew fired a shell on Hotel Palestine in Baghdad where several journalists were staying to cover the war.
Reuters cameraman Taras Portsyuk, a Ukrainian, also was killed.
The Spanish judge said he issued the arrest order because of a lack of judicial cooperation from the United States regarding the case."
Impearls
Impearls: "Nuclear power is the only green solution by James Lovelock
James Lovelock is an atmospheric chemist who has made a profound contribution to our understanding of how the atmospheres of living worlds betray their nature, is a Fellow of the British Royal Society of distinguished scientists, and along with American biologist Lynn Margulis originated the “Gaia Hypothesis.” Climate authority Kenneth Hare, writing in Encyclopedia Britannica, described the theory thusly: 1 “In effect the Earth is, in Lovelock's most recent restatement (1988), a living organism, with self-regulating processes (homeostasis) capable of ensuring the survival of a life-sustaining global climate.” Partly as a result of this conceptual leap forward, Locklock has attained the status of something of an environmentalist scientist hero in the minds of many people, including yours truly.
Now James Lovelock has written an important piece on nuclear power as a vital component in a campaign and strategy for ameliorating the probable growing impact of global warming during the coming century. Lovelock's article was originally published in the newspaper The Independent, on earthdate 2004-05-24 (May 24, 2004), but it is apparently no longer available online there. Now, with Dr. Lovelock's kind permission, Impearls reissues this first-rate essay. We'll let James Lovelock's own bold title speak for itself: 2 “Nuclear power is the only green solution: We have no time to experiment with visionary energy sources; civilisation is in imminent danger”! "
James Lovelock is an atmospheric chemist who has made a profound contribution to our understanding of how the atmospheres of living worlds betray their nature, is a Fellow of the British Royal Society of distinguished scientists, and along with American biologist Lynn Margulis originated the “Gaia Hypothesis.” Climate authority Kenneth Hare, writing in Encyclopedia Britannica, described the theory thusly: 1 “In effect the Earth is, in Lovelock's most recent restatement (1988), a living organism, with self-regulating processes (homeostasis) capable of ensuring the survival of a life-sustaining global climate.” Partly as a result of this conceptual leap forward, Locklock has attained the status of something of an environmentalist scientist hero in the minds of many people, including yours truly.
Now James Lovelock has written an important piece on nuclear power as a vital component in a campaign and strategy for ameliorating the probable growing impact of global warming during the coming century. Lovelock's article was originally published in the newspaper The Independent, on earthdate 2004-05-24 (May 24, 2004), but it is apparently no longer available online there. Now, with Dr. Lovelock's kind permission, Impearls reissues this first-rate essay. We'll let James Lovelock's own bold title speak for itself: 2 “Nuclear power is the only green solution: We have no time to experiment with visionary energy sources; civilisation is in imminent danger”! "
15.10.05
Chinese 4x4 gets zero in safety test - News - Times Online
: "The first Chinese car to be sold in Europe has scored zero — the worst-ever score — in safety tests."
14.10.05
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com: "BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Four years ago, Etienne Verhees broke two vertebrae falling off a ladder, after which doctors put a metal plate in his neck to help heal the wound.
This week, the Belgian coughed up one of four screws used to hold the plate in place."
This week, the Belgian coughed up one of four screws used to hold the plate in place."
The Globe and Mail: Study turns pot wisdom on head
: "Calgary — Forget the stereotype about dopey potheads. It seems marijuana could be good for your brain.
While other studies have shown that periodic use of marijuana can cause memory loss and impair learning and a host of other health problems down the road, new research suggests the drug could have some benefits when administered regularly in a highly potent form.
Most "drugs of abuse" such as alcohol, heroin, cocaine and nicotine suppress growth of new brain cells. However, researchers found that cannabinoids promoted generation of new neurons in rats' hippocampuses.
Hippocampuses are the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory, and the study held true for either plant-derived or the synthetic version of cannabinoids.
"This is quite a surprise," said Xia Zhang, an associate professor with the Neuropsychiatry Research Unit at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon."
While other studies have shown that periodic use of marijuana can cause memory loss and impair learning and a host of other health problems down the road, new research suggests the drug could have some benefits when administered regularly in a highly potent form.
Most "drugs of abuse" such as alcohol, heroin, cocaine and nicotine suppress growth of new brain cells. However, researchers found that cannabinoids promoted generation of new neurons in rats' hippocampuses.
Hippocampuses are the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory, and the study held true for either plant-derived or the synthetic version of cannabinoids.
"This is quite a surprise," said Xia Zhang, an associate professor with the Neuropsychiatry Research Unit at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon."
Guardian Unlimited Technology | Technology | EU says internet could fall apart
Guardian Unlimited Technology | Technology | EU says internet could fall apart: "A battle has erupted over who governs the internet, with America demanding to maintain a key role in the network it helped create and other countries demanding more control.
The European commission is warning that if a deal cannot be reached at a meeting in Tunisia next month the internet will split apart."
The European commission is warning that if a deal cannot be reached at a meeting in Tunisia next month the internet will split apart."
BBC NEWS | Europe | Turkey bird flu is deadly strain
BBC NEWS | Europe | Turkey bird flu is deadly strain: "EU states have been urged to stockpile anti-viral drugs after confirmation that the bird flu virus found in Turkey is the H5N1 strain dangerous to humans."
12.10.05
Microsoft, Yahoo to Link IM Networks
Microsoft, Yahoo to Link IM Networks: "Microsoft and Yahoo are set to announce on Wednesday a blockbuster interoperability deal that will reshape the landscape of the fragmented instant messaging market.
The companies will connect their IM networks so users on each can communicate with one another using text and voice chat free of charge."
The companies will connect their IM networks so users on each can communicate with one another using text and voice chat free of charge."
11.10.05
TorontoSun.com - Peter Worthington - Bush's judge riles right
TorontoSun.com - Peter Worthington - Bush's judge riles right: "President George Bush seems to have achieved the unthinkable -- he's alienated the conservative 'right' in a way not even Democrats anticipated.
By nominating his Texan friend and White House counsel, Harriet Miers, to the U.S. Supreme Court (replacing Justice Sandra Day O'Connor who is retiring) he's outraged some of his most steady and loyal media allies -- the likes of George Will, Rush Limbaugh, Robert Novak, Laura Ingraham, Bill Bennett, Bill Kristol, Pat and Bay Buchanan, Ann Coulter, John Fund, Michelle Malkin and, of course, that nice David Frum."
By nominating his Texan friend and White House counsel, Harriet Miers, to the U.S. Supreme Court (replacing Justice Sandra Day O'Connor who is retiring) he's outraged some of his most steady and loyal media allies -- the likes of George Will, Rush Limbaugh, Robert Novak, Laura Ingraham, Bill Bennett, Bill Kristol, Pat and Bay Buchanan, Ann Coulter, John Fund, Michelle Malkin and, of course, that nice David Frum."
Schwarzenegger signs video game bill | CNET News.com
Schwarzenegger signs video game bill | CNET News.com: "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation on Friday to outlaw the sale to teenagers of electronic games featuring reckless mayhem and explicit sexuality."
New Scientist Technology - Shock tactics to destroy torpedoes
New Scientist Technology - Shock tactics to destroy torpedoes: "THE US navy wants to protect its warships with a system that will destroy incoming torpedoes by firing massive underwater shock waves at them.
The ships would be equipped with arrays of 360 transducers each 1 metre square - effectively big flat-panel loudspeakers - running along either side of the hull below the waterline. When the ship's sonar detects an incoming torpedo, the transducers simultaneously fire an acoustic shock wave of such intensity that the torpedo either detonates early or is disabled by the pulse's crushing force."
The ships would be equipped with arrays of 360 transducers each 1 metre square - effectively big flat-panel loudspeakers - running along either side of the hull below the waterline. When the ship's sonar detects an incoming torpedo, the transducers simultaneously fire an acoustic shock wave of such intensity that the torpedo either detonates early or is disabled by the pulse's crushing force."
Mob boss ordered JFK hit, book says
Mob boss ordered JFK hit, book says: "'Mafia Princess' Antoinette Giancana, daughter of the late Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana, claims in a new book that her father ordered the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
If true, this would make Sam Giancana guilty of one of history's worst crimes. But that doesn't trouble Antoinette Giancana.
'The Kennedys were not kind to my father,' she said. 'They were just as evil and corrupt as any mafioso.'"
If true, this would make Sam Giancana guilty of one of history's worst crimes. But that doesn't trouble Antoinette Giancana.
'The Kennedys were not kind to my father,' she said. 'They were just as evil and corrupt as any mafioso.'"
10.10.05
World's oldest party girl - The Other Side - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au
World's oldest party girl - The Other Side - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au: "SOON to turn 175 years of age, Harriet the Galapagos tortoise - possibly the world's oldest living creature - is finally getting the recognition she surely deserves."
GIGWISE.com | Relationship Advice From Gene Simmons
GIGWISE.com | Relationship Advice From Gene Simmons: "Veteran Kiss rocker, Gene Simmons, is offering some pearls of wisdom on how to copulate with numerous ladies and remain happy in a long-term relationship. The key is – get involved with someone that doesn’t mind you bedding birds left, right and centre. And maybe even from behind.
Simmons, who claims to have sex with about four and a half thousand women has been with his girlfriend Shannon Tweed for 22 years and thanks his lucky stars that the pair never got married: “I have been happily unmarried for 22 years and we have two great kids but neither of us has dominion. Loving and caring about someone does not mean they have the right to own you. She will mount the milkman if she wants, so relax, why torture each other?”
“I’m the only one I know who has never been divorced. The biggest cause of divorce is marriage.”
Simmons also claims he has never had a complaint from any of the women he has slept with, because of his total honesty. He is quoted on femalefirst.com as saying: “I have not heard a complaint. That’s because I am straight with them. I don’t lie, like most men do. I will tell a girl I want and desire her, but I’ll tell her straight, “I want your sister and your mommy as well.”
Tempting, Gene, very tempting…"
Simmons, who claims to have sex with about four and a half thousand women has been with his girlfriend Shannon Tweed for 22 years and thanks his lucky stars that the pair never got married: “I have been happily unmarried for 22 years and we have two great kids but neither of us has dominion. Loving and caring about someone does not mean they have the right to own you. She will mount the milkman if she wants, so relax, why torture each other?”
“I’m the only one I know who has never been divorced. The biggest cause of divorce is marriage.”
Simmons also claims he has never had a complaint from any of the women he has slept with, because of his total honesty. He is quoted on femalefirst.com as saying: “I have not heard a complaint. That’s because I am straight with them. I don’t lie, like most men do. I will tell a girl I want and desire her, but I’ll tell her straight, “I want your sister and your mommy as well.”
Tempting, Gene, very tempting…"
,0263 FBI May Relax Rules on Marijuana Use From Asap
,0263 FBI May Relax Rules on Marijuana Use From Asap: "WASHINGTON (AP) - Just Say No is still the doctrine, but the FBI may decide it's OK that some applicants didn't heed Nancy Reagan's advice once or twice in college.
Senior FBI managers have been deeply frustrated that they could not hire applicants who acknowledged occasional marijuana use in college, but in some cases already perform top-secret work at other government agencies.
Some officials want to ease limits about how often - and how many years ago - applicants for jobs such as intelligence analysts, linguists, computer specialists, accountants and others had used illegal drugs.
FBI Director Robert Mueller will make the final decision. 'We can't say when or if this is going to happen, but we are exploring the possibility,' spokesman Stephen Kodak said"
Senior FBI managers have been deeply frustrated that they could not hire applicants who acknowledged occasional marijuana use in college, but in some cases already perform top-secret work at other government agencies.
Some officials want to ease limits about how often - and how many years ago - applicants for jobs such as intelligence analysts, linguists, computer specialists, accountants and others had used illegal drugs.
FBI Director Robert Mueller will make the final decision. 'We can't say when or if this is going to happen, but we are exploring the possibility,' spokesman Stephen Kodak said"
Telegraph | News | Bush will veto anti-torture law after Senate revolt
Telegraph | News | Bush will veto anti-torture law after Senate revolt: "The Bush administration pledged yesterday to veto legislation banning the torture of prisoners by US troops after an overwhelming and almost unprecedented revolt by loyalist congressmen.
The mutiny was the latest setback for an administration facing an increasingly independent and bloody-minded legislature. But it also marked a key moment in Congress's campaign to curtail the huge powers it has granted the White House since 2001 in its war against terrorism."
The mutiny was the latest setback for an administration facing an increasingly independent and bloody-minded legislature. But it also marked a key moment in Congress's campaign to curtail the huge powers it has granted the White House since 2001 in its war against terrorism."
9.10.05
News | canada.com network
After all, Americans are brash, arrogant and aggressive. We Canadians, on the other hand, are polite, modest and somewhat introverted.
We're as different from our neighbours to the south as, well, beavers are from bald eagles.
Aren't we?
Not according to a study of national personalities, which found that this time-honoured perception of our oh-so-unique Canadian psyche -- and other cultures' stereotypes of themselves -- are in fact just so much hooey.
"These stereotypes are as Canadians see themselves and Americans as they see themselves," said Robert McCrae of the U.S. National Institute on Aging, a principal investigator of the study on national personalities around the world.
"Canadians think they're extremely agreeable; the Americans think they're very disagreeable," he said. "Canadians believe that they're very calm and not irritable, very even-tempered, whereas Americans think they're more anxious and hostile.
"The fact is Canadians and Americans have almost identical average personality traits."
In a measure of five main areas of personality, covering a total of 30 traits, Canadians and their U.S. cousins fell roughly in the middle. Not only that, but they weren't all that different from other cultures around the globe, researchers found.">
8.10.05
CBC News: Catholic Church to open its doors to gay priests
CBC News: Catholic Church to open its doors to gay priests: "A Vatican document expected to be made public soon says the Church will allow gay men who have lived chastely for three years to be candidates for the priesthood.
The document, which has been in the works for three years will update Vatican policy which up until now made clear that homosexuals should be barred from the priesthood.
A senior official with the Vatican, who requested anonymity because the document has not yet been released said the new policy will permit candidates who have lived a chaste life for at least three years before their admission to the seminary."
The document, which has been in the works for three years will update Vatican policy which up until now made clear that homosexuals should be barred from the priesthood.
A senior official with the Vatican, who requested anonymity because the document has not yet been released said the new policy will permit candidates who have lived a chaste life for at least three years before their admission to the seminary."
Psychic seeks $25 million reward for Saddam - Yahoo! News
Psychic seeks $25 million reward for Saddam - Yahoo! News: "RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - A Brazilian court will consider a psychic's claim that the U.S. government owes him a $25 million reward for information he says he provided on the hiding place of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Brazil's second-highest court, the Superior Court of Justice, decided Thursday the Brazilian justice system could rule on the matter and told a court in the psychic's home state of Minas Gerais to judge the case.
The lower court had earlier told Jucelino Nobrega da Luz it could not take up his claim and it would have to be judged in the United States, but the higher tribunal ruled otherwise.
'The Minas Gerais court will work with the claim,' said a spokesman for the Superior Court of Justice.
'Jucelino da Luz alleges that the U.S. armed forces only found Saddam based on his letters that provided his exact location, the very hole where he was hiding in
Iraq. So he filed a court case to claim the reward.'
The U.S. government offered the award for Saddam in July 2003 after the U.S.-led forces occupied the country. He was captured in December of the same year.
The court said Da Luz sent letters to the U.S. government from September 2001, describing Saddam's future hiding place -- a tiny cellar at a farmhouse near Tikrit. He never received a reply.
'His lawyers attest that the author has an uncommon gift of having visions of things that will come to pass. ... Via dreams, he sees situations, facts that will happen in the future,' a court statement said.
In case the court upholds the claim, it will be sent via diplomatic channels to the U.S. State Department."
Brazil's second-highest court, the Superior Court of Justice, decided Thursday the Brazilian justice system could rule on the matter and told a court in the psychic's home state of Minas Gerais to judge the case.
The lower court had earlier told Jucelino Nobrega da Luz it could not take up his claim and it would have to be judged in the United States, but the higher tribunal ruled otherwise.
'The Minas Gerais court will work with the claim,' said a spokesman for the Superior Court of Justice.
'Jucelino da Luz alleges that the U.S. armed forces only found Saddam based on his letters that provided his exact location, the very hole where he was hiding in
Iraq. So he filed a court case to claim the reward.'
The U.S. government offered the award for Saddam in July 2003 after the U.S.-led forces occupied the country. He was captured in December of the same year.
The court said Da Luz sent letters to the U.S. government from September 2001, describing Saddam's future hiding place -- a tiny cellar at a farmhouse near Tikrit. He never received a reply.
'His lawyers attest that the author has an uncommon gift of having visions of things that will come to pass. ... Via dreams, he sees situations, facts that will happen in the future,' a court statement said.
In case the court upholds the claim, it will be sent via diplomatic channels to the U.S. State Department."
SPIEGEL Surfs the Web: First Robot Fish on Display in London - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News
SPIEGEL Surfs the Web: First Robot Fish on Display in London - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News: "The world's first ever autonomously controlled fish made a splash at the London Aquarium this week. The three robotic fish, which are about the size of carp, use sensors to navigate round the place and can therefore avoid the other (real) fish they share a tank with."
7.10.05
Russia’s Oldest Practicing Surgeon Turns 101, Still Working - NEWS - MOSNEWS.COM
Russia’s Oldest Practicing Surgeon Turns 101, Still Working - NEWS - MOSNEWS.COM: "
World’s oldest practicing surgeon Fedor Uglov from St. Petersburg, Russia, has turned 101 and is not quitting his job yet, the Interfax news agency reports.
Fedor Uglov from the Russian Medical Science Academy has performed 6,500 surgeries in the 76 years of doing his job. He has published eight monographs and 600 articles.
“He is a doctor with a unique surgical technique, many of the world’s famous surgeons applauded his operations,” Uglov’s colleague from the Pavlov Medical University of St. Petersburg said.
Uglov, who the Guinness World Records Book calls the oldest working surgeon of the former Soviet territories, keeps teaching students, consulting patients, is active in social and research work."
World’s oldest practicing surgeon Fedor Uglov from St. Petersburg, Russia, has turned 101 and is not quitting his job yet, the Interfax news agency reports.
Fedor Uglov from the Russian Medical Science Academy has performed 6,500 surgeries in the 76 years of doing his job. He has published eight monographs and 600 articles.
“He is a doctor with a unique surgical technique, many of the world’s famous surgeons applauded his operations,” Uglov’s colleague from the Pavlov Medical University of St. Petersburg said.
Uglov, who the Guinness World Records Book calls the oldest working surgeon of the former Soviet territories, keeps teaching students, consulting patients, is active in social and research work."
BBC - Press Office - George Bush on Elusive Peace
: "President George W Bush told Palestinian ministers that God had told him to invade Afghanistan and Iraq - and create a Palestinian State, a new BBC series reveals.
In Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs, a major three-part series on BBC TWO (at 9.00pm on Monday 10, Monday 17 and Monday 24 October), Abu Mazen, Palestinian Prime Minister, and Nabil Shaath, his Foreign Minister, describe their first meeting with President Bush in June 2003.
Nabil Shaath says: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, "George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan." And I did, and then God would tell me, "George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq …" And I did. And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, "Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East." And by God I'm gonna do it.'"
Abu Mazen was at the same meeting and recounts how President Bush told him: "I have a moral and religious obligation. So I will get you a Palestinian state." "
In Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs, a major three-part series on BBC TWO (at 9.00pm on Monday 10, Monday 17 and Monday 24 October), Abu Mazen, Palestinian Prime Minister, and Nabil Shaath, his Foreign Minister, describe their first meeting with President Bush in June 2003.
Nabil Shaath says: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, "George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan." And I did, and then God would tell me, "George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq …" And I did. And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, "Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East." And by God I'm gonna do it.'"
Abu Mazen was at the same meeting and recounts how President Bush told him: "I have a moral and religious obligation. So I will get you a Palestinian state." "
6.10.05
Wired 13.10: Building Your Own Air Force, One Mig at a Time
Wired 13.10: Building Your Own Air Force, One Mig at a Time: "A decade ago, only sovereign nations could afford to buy and maintain sophisticated, high-performance fighters. But Kirlin's unmarked hangars contain an air force more formidable than that of many countries. He has 30 jets in flying condition, 10 in line for maintenance, and dozens more to be delivered. His MiG-29 Fulcrums, designed in the late 1970s to go head-to-head with the hottest US planes, are the only privately owned Fulcrums in the world. Kirlin breaks into a big smile whenever he looks at them."
BBC NEWS | England | Tyne | 'Pot' plants stolen from castle
BBC NEWS | England | Tyne | 'Pot' plants stolen from castle: "Thieves have stolen cannabis plants in a raid at a specially-licensed poison garden at a top visitor attraction."
ABC News: Espionage Case Breaches the White House
ABC News: Espionage Case Breaches the White House: "Both the FBI and CIA are calling it the first case of espionage in the White House in modern history.
Officials tell ABC News the alleged spy worked undetected at the White House for almost three years. Leandro Aragoncillo, 46, was a U.S. Marine most recently assigned to the staff of Vice President Dick Cheney."
Officials tell ABC News the alleged spy worked undetected at the White House for almost three years. Leandro Aragoncillo, 46, was a U.S. Marine most recently assigned to the staff of Vice President Dick Cheney."
America, United States, Times Online, The Times, Sunday Times
America, United States, Times Online, The Times, Sunday Times: "THE film version of The Da Vinci Code is attempting to reduce the offence that the best-selling book caused to Roman Catholics.
Sony Pictures, the studio behind the film starring Tom Hanks and Sir Ian McKellen, is reported to have been so concerned that it has consulted Catholic and other Christian specialists on how it might alter the plot of the novel to avoid offending the devout.
Film officials have held talks with Catholic groups and other organisations despite Dan Brown, the author, insisting that “it’s only a novel and therefore a work of fiction”, The New York Times reported yesterday.
The Catholic League is calling for Ron Howard, the film’s Oscar-winning director, to include a disclaimer acknowledging that the movie is fiction."
Sony Pictures, the studio behind the film starring Tom Hanks and Sir Ian McKellen, is reported to have been so concerned that it has consulted Catholic and other Christian specialists on how it might alter the plot of the novel to avoid offending the devout.
Film officials have held talks with Catholic groups and other organisations despite Dan Brown, the author, insisting that “it’s only a novel and therefore a work of fiction”, The New York Times reported yesterday.
The Catholic League is calling for Ron Howard, the film’s Oscar-winning director, to include a disclaimer acknowledging that the movie is fiction."
Plea to Pope from 'God's banker' revealed as murder trial begins - World - Times Online
Plea to Pope from 'God's banker' revealed as murder trial begins - World - Times Online: "ROBERTO CALVI, the Mafia-linked financier known as “God’s banker”, made a desperate last appeal to Pope John Paul II to save him from financial ruin shortly before he was found hanging from scaffolding under Blackfriars Bridge nearly a quarter of a century ago.
The disclosure emerged on the eve of the opening today of the trial in Rome of four people accused of murdering Calvi in June 1982. The first inquest, held a month after his death, ruled that Calvi, 62, had committed suicide. A second inquest, a year later, reached an open verdict.
But Calvi’s relatives — above all, his son, Carlo, a banker in Canada, and his widow, Carla — have maintained that he was murdered by Mafia gangsters to cover up the extent to which the Vatican Bank, which funded anti-communist causes in Eastern Europe and Latin America, was entangled with organised crime.
They also claim that an illegal masonic lodge, P2, to which Calvi belonged, was involved in the conspiracy."
The disclosure emerged on the eve of the opening today of the trial in Rome of four people accused of murdering Calvi in June 1982. The first inquest, held a month after his death, ruled that Calvi, 62, had committed suicide. A second inquest, a year later, reached an open verdict.
But Calvi’s relatives — above all, his son, Carlo, a banker in Canada, and his widow, Carla — have maintained that he was murdered by Mafia gangsters to cover up the extent to which the Vatican Bank, which funded anti-communist causes in Eastern Europe and Latin America, was entangled with organised crime.
They also claim that an illegal masonic lodge, P2, to which Calvi belonged, was involved in the conspiracy."
Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible - World - Times Online
Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible - World - Times Online: "THE hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has published a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true.
The Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland are warning their five million worshippers, as well as any others drawn to the study of scripture, that they should not expect “total accuracy” from the Bible.
“We should not expect to find in Scripture full scientific accuracy or complete historical precision,” they say in The Gift of Scripture.
The document is timely, coming as it does amid the rise of the religious Right, in particular in the US."
The Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland are warning their five million worshippers, as well as any others drawn to the study of scripture, that they should not expect “total accuracy” from the Bible.
“We should not expect to find in Scripture full scientific accuracy or complete historical precision,” they say in The Gift of Scripture.
The document is timely, coming as it does amid the rise of the religious Right, in particular in the US."
Deadly 1918 Epidemic Linked to Bird Flu, Scientists Say - New York Times
Deadly 1918 Epidemic Linked to Bird Flu, Scientists Say - New York Times: "Two teams of federal and university scientists announced today that they had resurrected the 1918 influenza virus, the cause of one of history's most deadly epidemics, and had found that unlike the viruses that caused more recent flu pandemics of 1957 and 1968, the 1918 virus was actually a bird flu that jumped directly to humans."
5.10.05
Jock Slap! Scotland 'Most Violent Country' - Yahoo! News UK
Jock Slap! Scotland 'Most Violent Country' - Yahoo! News UK: "Scotland has been named the most violent country in the developed world.A United Nations report claims more than 2,000 Scots are assaulted every week - almost 10 times official police figures.The study - which does not include figures for murder, muggings or sexual assaults - claims that together, England and Wales are the second most dangerous countries.
Experts say Britain's heavy-drinking habits are to blame.
The UN claims the attacks have been fuelled by a 'booze and blades' culture in the west of Scotland with the worst offenders being males aged between 15 and 25.
Violent crime has doubled in the country over the past 20 years to a level comparable with crime-ridden cities like Rio de Janeiro."
Experts say Britain's heavy-drinking habits are to blame.
The UN claims the attacks have been fuelled by a 'booze and blades' culture in the west of Scotland with the worst offenders being males aged between 15 and 25.
Violent crime has doubled in the country over the past 20 years to a level comparable with crime-ridden cities like Rio de Janeiro."
Proposed law: Companies can't keep employees from bringing guns to work: South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Proposed law: Companies can't keep employees from bringing guns to work: South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "TALLAHASSEE -- Florida businesses could soon face criminal charges if they try to stop employees from bringing guns to work in their cars, thrusting the state into a growing national debate pitting individual freedom against job safety.
Backed by the National Rifle Association, two state lawmakers have filed bills that would allow workers to have guns at work, as long as the weapons remain locked in their vehicles."
Backed by the National Rifle Association, two state lawmakers have filed bills that would allow workers to have guns at work, as long as the weapons remain locked in their vehicles."
Mystery Ocean Glow Confirmed in Satellite Photos - Yahoo! News
Mystery Ocean Glow Confirmed in Satellite Photos - Yahoo! News: "Mariners have long told of rare nighttime events in which the ocean glows intensely as far as the eye can see in all directions.
Fictionally, such a 'milky sea' is encountered by the Nautilus in Jules Verne classic '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.'
Scientists don't have a good handle what's going on. But satellite sensors have now provided the first pictures of a milky sea and given new hope to learning more about the elusive events.
The newly released images show a vast region of the Indian Ocean, about the size of Connecticut, glowing three nights in a row. The luminescence was also spotted from a ship in the area.
'The circumstances under which milky seas form is almost entirely unknown,' says Steven Miller, a Naval Research Laboratory scientists who led the space-based discovery. 'Even the source for the light emission is under debate.'"
Fictionally, such a 'milky sea' is encountered by the Nautilus in Jules Verne classic '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.'
Scientists don't have a good handle what's going on. But satellite sensors have now provided the first pictures of a milky sea and given new hope to learning more about the elusive events.
The newly released images show a vast region of the Indian Ocean, about the size of Connecticut, glowing three nights in a row. The luminescence was also spotted from a ship in the area.
'The circumstances under which milky seas form is almost entirely unknown,' says Steven Miller, a Naval Research Laboratory scientists who led the space-based discovery. 'Even the source for the light emission is under debate.'"
Booman Tribune ~ Boo!
Booman Tribune ~ Boo!: "Republican lawmakers are drafting new legislation that will make
marriage a requirement for motherhood in the state of Indiana,
including specific criminal penalties for unmarried women who do
become pregnant 'by means other than sexual intercourse.'
According to a draft of the recommended change in state law, every
woman in Indiana seeking to become a mother throu gh assisted
reproduction therapy such as in vitro fertilization, sperm donation,
and egg donation, must first file for a 'petition for parentage' in
their local county probate court.
Only women who are married will be considered for the 'gestational
certificate' that must be presented to any doctor who facilitates the
pregnancy. Further, the 'gestational certificate' will only be given
to married couples that successfully complete the same screening
process currently required by law of adoptive parents.
As it the draft of the new law reads now, an intended parent 'who
knowingly or willingly participates in an artificial reproduction
procedure' without court approval, 'commits unauthorized
reproduction, a Class B misdemeanor.' The criminal charges will be
the same for physicians who commit 'unauthorized practice of
artificial reproduction.'"
marriage a requirement for motherhood in the state of Indiana,
including specific criminal penalties for unmarried women who do
become pregnant 'by means other than sexual intercourse.'
According to a draft of the recommended change in state law, every
woman in Indiana seeking to become a mother throu gh assisted
reproduction therapy such as in vitro fertilization, sperm donation,
and egg donation, must first file for a 'petition for parentage' in
their local county probate court.
Only women who are married will be considered for the 'gestational
certificate' that must be presented to any doctor who facilitates the
pregnancy. Further, the 'gestational certificate' will only be given
to married couples that successfully complete the same screening
process currently required by law of adoptive parents.
As it the draft of the new law reads now, an intended parent 'who
knowingly or willingly participates in an artificial reproduction
procedure' without court approval, 'commits unauthorized
reproduction, a Class B misdemeanor.' The criminal charges will be
the same for physicians who commit 'unauthorized practice of
artificial reproduction.'"
4.10.05
321energy :: Oil Crunch:: David Chapman of Union Securities Ltd.
321energy :: Oil Crunch:: David Chapman of Union Securities Ltd.: "The knocking out of roughly 25% of the US’s oil and gas and refinery production for what could be an indeterminate period is fuelling the spectre of fuel shortages in coming months. Once again this is an area where the damage to the oil and gas rigs in the Gulf and the refineries along the coast has been underestimated. Consumers are seeing higher prices at the gas pumps and they are threatened with sharply higher heating costs this winter that can only bite into consumer spending. Higher gas and heating prices are like an additional tax on the economy."
MSN Money - Empty houses, falling prices: A boom dies
MSN Money - Empty houses, falling prices: A boom dies: "The process was created by Easy Al trying to bail out the stock bubble by taking rates to 1%. Folks got caught up in taking the equity out of their homes, as if they were on-site ATMs. Rising house prices attracted speculation. Lenders abdicated all responsibility -- dropping standards so low that folks could buy a house and even walk away with cash, much less put zero down -- thereby creating the credit bubble that has precipitated the problem we now have."
BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | Britain's secret sex survey
His poem Annus Mirabilis famously links the start of the sexual revolution with the "Beatles' first LP". But the results of a survey into sexual attitudes and behaviour, conducted 14 years earlier, reveal the British had developed a hearty lust for sexual experimentation. Only, no one would openly discuss it.
In these liberated times, when sex is almost a constant undercurrent of everyday life, it's hard to imagine how much of a taboo sex once was.
Yet when a group of young researchers set out to probe British sexual behaviour in 1949 their findings were considered so outrageous they were instantly swept under the carpet; banished to the archives of a university.
Only now, more than 50 years on, have the results come to light, revealed in a new BBC programme. The findings show that the prim and proper façade of post-war Britain hid some remarkable truths about sexual attitudes and experience.
One in four men admitted to having had sex with prostitutes, one in five women owned up to an extra-marital affair, while the same proportion of both sexes said they had had a homosexual experience.">
3.10.05
New Scientist Breaking News - Australians win Nobel for linking bug to ulcers
New Scientist Breaking News - Australians win Nobel for linking bug to ulcers: "Two Australians have won the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for establishing that bacteria cause stomach ulcers, it was announced on Monday.
Working at the Royal Perth Hospital, Barry Marshall and Robin Warren established beyond all doubt in the 1980s that Helicobacter pylori causes stomach ulcers by infecting and aggravating the gut lining.
Moreover, they showed that ulcers could be cured altogether by killing the bacteria with antibiotics. Hitherto, ulcers had been considered uncurable. Instead, patients' symptoms were treated with a lifetime of drugs to reduce the acidity of the gut.
The pair’s claims provoked a fierce backlash from the medical establishment, which held to the dogma that ulcers were brought on by stress and lifestyle, and could not be cured. By revealing a simple cure, the researchers also threatened to destroy huge and lucrative global markets for the existing anti-ulcer drugs, which simply eased symptoms."
Working at the Royal Perth Hospital, Barry Marshall and Robin Warren established beyond all doubt in the 1980s that Helicobacter pylori causes stomach ulcers by infecting and aggravating the gut lining.
Moreover, they showed that ulcers could be cured altogether by killing the bacteria with antibiotics. Hitherto, ulcers had been considered uncurable. Instead, patients' symptoms were treated with a lifetime of drugs to reduce the acidity of the gut.
The pair’s claims provoked a fierce backlash from the medical establishment, which held to the dogma that ulcers were brought on by stress and lifestyle, and could not be cured. By revealing a simple cure, the researchers also threatened to destroy huge and lucrative global markets for the existing anti-ulcer drugs, which simply eased symptoms."
This Illiterate Brazilian's Home Speaks Volumes - Yahoo! News
: "SAO GONCALO, Brazil — Carlos Leite can barely read a word, but books revolutionized his life.
ADVERTISEMENT
Two years ago, he was doing construction work for a man who was about to toss out six thick, red encyclopedias. Leite asked whether he could have them instead. Thus a dream was born.
Within days, he hit the pavement, knocking on doors, begging people for more unwanted books. No contribution was too small, too big or too arcane. Skeptical members of Leite's cycling club were dragooned into helping him collect donations.
His collection quickly multiplied. The original six volumes turned into 100, then 1,000. Soon, his humble home was bursting with 5,000 books of all types — worn classics, chemistry textbooks, dog-eared thrillers.
To Leite, though, nearly all the books are mysteries. Born into a poor family, he dropped out of school after third grade and, at 51, is practically illiterate.
But books, he knows, are the gateway to a life of greater possibility and more promise than his own. It might be too late for me, a working man, he reasoned, but not for others."
ADVERTISEMENT
Two years ago, he was doing construction work for a man who was about to toss out six thick, red encyclopedias. Leite asked whether he could have them instead. Thus a dream was born.
Within days, he hit the pavement, knocking on doors, begging people for more unwanted books. No contribution was too small, too big or too arcane. Skeptical members of Leite's cycling club were dragooned into helping him collect donations.
His collection quickly multiplied. The original six volumes turned into 100, then 1,000. Soon, his humble home was bursting with 5,000 books of all types — worn classics, chemistry textbooks, dog-eared thrillers.
To Leite, though, nearly all the books are mysteries. Born into a poor family, he dropped out of school after third grade and, at 51, is practically illiterate.
But books, he knows, are the gateway to a life of greater possibility and more promise than his own. It might be too late for me, a working man, he reasoned, but not for others."
2.10.05
BBC NEWS | Business | Google and Nasa in space venture
BBC NEWS | Business | Google and Nasa in space venture: "Web search firm Google has formed a partnership with US space agency Nasa in an effort to harness new technology which could boost the space programme.
Google is to build a new office complex on the site of Nasa's research facility in California, close to its own headquarters in Silicon Valley.
The two companies will co-operate in a range of areas including IT solutions, data management and nanotechnology.
It would look to 'bring entrepreneurs into the space programme', Nasa added."
Google is to build a new office complex on the site of Nasa's research facility in California, close to its own headquarters in Silicon Valley.
The two companies will co-operate in a range of areas including IT solutions, data management and nanotechnology.
It would look to 'bring entrepreneurs into the space programme', Nasa added."
30.9.05
Biology News: Plasma pencil sharpens up
Biology News: Plasma pencil sharpens up: "Think of it as a miniature light sabre. Scientists have unveiled a 'plasma pencil', a handheld device that generates a thin plume of charged gas that can kill bacteria, and could one day etch away tumours without damaging surrounding tissue."
Juggling kids, career can wreck female sex drive - Sexual Health - MSNBC.com
Juggling kids, career can wreck female sex drive - Sexual Health - MSNBC.com: "LONDON - The sex drive of women plummets sharply as they juggle the increasing demands of partners, children and careers, researchers said on Thursday."
Top News Article | Reuters.com
Top News Article | Reuters.com: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush's job approval has risen after slumping to new lows on criticism of his handling of deadly Hurricane Katrina, two polls showed on Thursday.
Bush's approval rating climbed to 45 percent in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll taken September 26-28, up from 40 percent in a similar poll taken a week ago.
A Fox News poll also showed Bush with a 45 percent approval rating. That survey, taken on September 27-28, showed a rise in Bush's standing compared to a mid-month poll that gave him a 41 percent approval rating.
A high-profile response by Bush to Hurricane Rita, the latest storm to hit the Gulf Coast region, appeared to give him a lift."
Bush's approval rating climbed to 45 percent in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll taken September 26-28, up from 40 percent in a similar poll taken a week ago.
A Fox News poll also showed Bush with a 45 percent approval rating. That survey, taken on September 27-28, showed a rise in Bush's standing compared to a mid-month poll that gave him a 41 percent approval rating.
A high-profile response by Bush to Hurricane Rita, the latest storm to hit the Gulf Coast region, appeared to give him a lift."
BBC NEWS | South Asia | US soldier sentenced for abuses
BBC NEWS | South Asia | US soldier sentenced for abuses: "A US military interrogator has been sentenced to five months in prison for assaulting a detainee in Afghanistan who later died."
29.9.05
BBC NEWS | Americas | Inside the secretive Bilderberg Group
BBC NEWS | Americas | Inside the secretive Bilderberg Group: "The chairman of the secretive - he prefers the word private - Bilderberg Group is 73-year-old Viscount Etienne Davignon, corporate director and former European Commissioner.
In his office, on a private floor above the Brussels office of the Suez conglomerate lined with political cartoons of himself, he told me what he thought of allegations that Bilderberg is a global conspiracy secretly ruling the world.
'It is unavoidable and it doesn't matter,' he says. 'There will always be people who believe in conspiracies but things happen in a much more incoherent fashion.'"
In his office, on a private floor above the Brussels office of the Suez conglomerate lined with political cartoons of himself, he told me what he thought of allegations that Bilderberg is a global conspiracy secretly ruling the world.
'It is unavoidable and it doesn't matter,' he says. 'There will always be people who believe in conspiracies but things happen in a much more incoherent fashion.'"
First Trio "Married" in The Netherlands | The Brussels Journal
First Trio "Married" in The Netherlands | The Brussels Journal: "The Netherlands and Belgium were the first countries to give full marriage rights to homosexuals. In the United States some politicians propose “civil unions” that give homosexual couples the full benefits and responsibilities of marriage. These civil unions differ from marriage only in name.
Meanwhile in the Netherlands polygamy has been legalised in all but name. Last Friday the first civil union of three partners was registered. Victor de Bruijn (46) from Roosendaal “married” both Bianca (31) and Mirjam (35) in a ceremony before a notary who duly registered their civil union."
Meanwhile in the Netherlands polygamy has been legalised in all but name. Last Friday the first civil union of three partners was registered. Victor de Bruijn (46) from Roosendaal “married” both Bianca (31) and Mirjam (35) in a ceremony before a notary who duly registered their civil union."
Wired News: Nun Terrorized by Terror Watch
Wired News: Nun Terrorized by Terror Watch: "Sister Glenn Anne McPhee is a busy woman.
As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' secretary for education, Sister McPhee oversees Catholic education in the United States, from nursery school through post-graduate. Her job includes working with the Department of Education, speaking frequently at conferences and scrutinizing religious textbooks to clear them with the teachings of the church.
For nine months in 2003 and 2004, Sister McPhee also took on the task of clearing her name from the government's no-fly list, an endeavor that proved fruitless until she called on a higher power, the White House."
As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' secretary for education, Sister McPhee oversees Catholic education in the United States, from nursery school through post-graduate. Her job includes working with the Department of Education, speaking frequently at conferences and scrutinizing religious textbooks to clear them with the teachings of the church.
For nine months in 2003 and 2004, Sister McPhee also took on the task of clearing her name from the government's no-fly list, an endeavor that proved fruitless until she called on a higher power, the White House."
PC Pro: News: Stones' new record sells on secure memory card
PC Pro: News: Stones' new record sells on secure memory card: "The Rolling Stones' latest album, A Bigger Bang, will be the first to be released in the new flash memory card format developed by SanDisk."
28.9.05
Man Takes Citizenship Oath, Wins Lottery | theledger.com
Man Takes Citizenship Oath, Wins Lottery | theledger.com: "A man who immigrated from Kenya to the United States found prosperity beyond his expectations on the day he became a U.S. citizen.
Shortly after Moses Bittok, of West Des Moines, took the oath of citizenship on Friday, he discovered he had a $1.89 million winning ticket from the Iowa Lottery's Hot Lotto game."
Shortly after Moses Bittok, of West Des Moines, took the oath of citizenship on Friday, he discovered he had a $1.89 million winning ticket from the Iowa Lottery's Hot Lotto game."
National Enquirer
: "Bush is under the worst pressure of his two terms in office and his popularity is near an all-time low. The handling of the Katrina crisis and troop losses in Iraq have fueled public discontent and pushed Bush back to drink.
A Washington source said: "The sad fact is that he has been sneaking drinks for weeks now. Laura may have only just caught him — but the word is his drinking has been going on for a while in the capital. He's been in a pressure cooker for months.
"The war in Iraq, the loss of American lives, has deeply affected him. He takes every soldier's life personally. It has left him emotionally drained.
The result is he's taking drinks here and there, likely in private, to cope. "And now with the worst domestic crisis in his administration over Katrina, you pray his drinking doesn't go out of control."
Another source said: "I'm only surprised to hear that he hadn't taken a shot sooner. Before Katrina, he was at his wit's end. I've known him for years. He's been a good ol' Texas boy forever. George had a drinking problem for years that most professionals would say needed therapy. He doesn't believe in it [therapy], he never got it. He drank his way through his youth, through college and well into his thirties. Everyone's drinking around him.""
A Washington source said: "The sad fact is that he has been sneaking drinks for weeks now. Laura may have only just caught him — but the word is his drinking has been going on for a while in the capital. He's been in a pressure cooker for months.
"The war in Iraq, the loss of American lives, has deeply affected him. He takes every soldier's life personally. It has left him emotionally drained.
The result is he's taking drinks here and there, likely in private, to cope. "And now with the worst domestic crisis in his administration over Katrina, you pray his drinking doesn't go out of control."
Another source said: "I'm only surprised to hear that he hadn't taken a shot sooner. Before Katrina, he was at his wit's end. I've known him for years. He's been a good ol' Texas boy forever. George had a drinking problem for years that most professionals would say needed therapy. He doesn't believe in it [therapy], he never got it. He drank his way through his youth, through college and well into his thirties. Everyone's drinking around him.""
27.9.05
Britain, UK news from The Times and The Sunday Times - Times Online
: "“In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy and abortion in the prosperous democracies.
“The United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developing democracies, sometimes spectacularly so.” "
“The United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developing democracies, sometimes spectacularly so.” "
26.9.05
BBC NEWS | Magazine | Out-of-body or all in the mind?
BBC NEWS | Magazine | Out-of-body or all in the mind?: "One in 10 people has had an out-of-body experience, yet scientists know very little about the phenomenon. Researchers say a new study could bring us closer to the ultimate question of what happens when we die."
FOXNews.com - Foxlife - Out There - Out There: Man-Made Hurricanes?
FOXNews.com - Foxlife - Out There - Out There: Man-Made Hurricanes?: "Global warming? Act of God? Nope, says one Idaho weatherman — Hurricane Katrina was part of a man-made plot against America.
Scott Stevens, a meteorologist who for nine years has been forecasting the weather on KPVI-TV (search) in Pocatello, says the Yakuza — the Japanese mafia — is using a Russian-made electromagnetic generator to launch terrific storms against the U.S. mainland.
The devastation of New Orleans was in revenge for the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Stevens explains on his Web site. He says it will soon be used again against another major American city.
'A battle in the skies is waged daily. Some battles are won and others lost. We yet know not which,' Stevens writes on the front page of his site. 'For years this massive global project has been under way, but only now is it making it to the forefront of the consciousness of those with curious minds.'
Rumors have long circulated of a secret Soviet weather weapon, but Stevens told the Idaho Falls Post Register he became convinced it existed after noticing strange patterns in a Montana cold front in 2004."
Scott Stevens, a meteorologist who for nine years has been forecasting the weather on KPVI-TV (search) in Pocatello, says the Yakuza — the Japanese mafia — is using a Russian-made electromagnetic generator to launch terrific storms against the U.S. mainland.
The devastation of New Orleans was in revenge for the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Stevens explains on his Web site. He says it will soon be used again against another major American city.
'A battle in the skies is waged daily. Some battles are won and others lost. We yet know not which,' Stevens writes on the front page of his site. 'For years this massive global project has been under way, but only now is it making it to the forefront of the consciousness of those with curious minds.'
Rumors have long circulated of a secret Soviet weather weapon, but Stevens told the Idaho Falls Post Register he became convinced it existed after noticing strange patterns in a Montana cold front in 2004."
The Korea Times : Seoul to Build Combat Robot
The Korea Times : Seoul to Build Combat Robot: "Defense and communications technicians will team up to develop a mobile combat robot to fight alongside human soldiers on the battlefield, the government said Wednesday.
Officials heading the project said they have requested 33.4 billion won ($32.4 million) in funding between 2006 and 2011 to develop the horse-like robot for deployment.
According to design blueprints released during a meeting of science-related ministers, the robot will have six or eight extendable legs with wheels allowing it to move like an insect over uneven terrain.
The robot will be armed with various weapons and will operate both by remote control and its own artificial intelligence system."
Officials heading the project said they have requested 33.4 billion won ($32.4 million) in funding between 2006 and 2011 to develop the horse-like robot for deployment.
According to design blueprints released during a meeting of science-related ministers, the robot will have six or eight extendable legs with wheels allowing it to move like an insect over uneven terrain.
The robot will be armed with various weapons and will operate both by remote control and its own artificial intelligence system."
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | 600 barrels of loot found on Crusoe island
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | 600 barrels of loot found on Crusoe island: "The archipelago is named after Robinson Crusoe, but perhaps it should have been called Treasure Island.
A long quest for booty from the Spanish colonial era appears to be culminating in Chile with the announcement by a group of adventurers that they have found an estimated 600 barrels of gold coins and Incan jewels on the remote Pacific island.
'The biggest treasure in history has been located,' said Fernando Uribe-Etxeverria, a lawyer for Wagner, the Chilean company leading the search. Mr Uribe-Etxeverria estimated the value of the buried treasure at US$10bn (�5.6bn)."
A long quest for booty from the Spanish colonial era appears to be culminating in Chile with the announcement by a group of adventurers that they have found an estimated 600 barrels of gold coins and Incan jewels on the remote Pacific island.
'The biggest treasure in history has been located,' said Fernando Uribe-Etxeverria, a lawyer for Wagner, the Chilean company leading the search. Mr Uribe-Etxeverria estimated the value of the buried treasure at US$10bn (�5.6bn)."
USATODAY.com - Army investigating new allegations of prisoner abuse
USATODAY.com - Army investigating new allegations of prisoner abuse: "The Human Rights Watch report detailed severe, routine beatings of detainees by the 82nd Airborne Division. One of the sergeants told the group that military intelligence personnel, eager for information, often instructed soldiers to 'smoke' detainees — called Persons Under Control or PUCs — during questioning, according to the report. 'Smoking' prisoners meant physically abusing them until they lost consciousness.
Frustrated soldiers would often beat the Iraqis as a stress release, the sergeant said.
'In a way it was sport,' the sergeant said. 'One day (another sergeant) shows up and tells a PUC to grab a pole. He told him to bend over and broke the guy's leg with a mini-Louisville Slugger, a metal bat.'
The soldier said anything short of death was acceptable. 'As long as no PUCs came up dead, it happened,' he said. 'We kept it to broken arms and legs.'"
Frustrated soldiers would often beat the Iraqis as a stress release, the sergeant said.
'In a way it was sport,' the sergeant said. 'One day (another sergeant) shows up and tells a PUC to grab a pole. He told him to bend over and broke the guy's leg with a mini-Louisville Slugger, a metal bat.'
The soldier said anything short of death was acceptable. 'As long as no PUCs came up dead, it happened,' he said. 'We kept it to broken arms and legs.'"
25.9.05
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Country is hurtling towards disintegration, Saudis warn
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Country is hurtling towards disintegration, Saudis warn: "The Saudi government yesterday warned that Iraq is hurtling towards disintegration and that an election planned for December is unlikely to make any difference. The government said it was delivering this bleak assessment to both the US and British administrations as a matter of urgency.
Saudi fears of a break-up were voiced by Prince Saud al-Faisal, the foreign minister, in an interview with Associated Press published yesterday, and at a meeting on Thursday night with the US media, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. He said: 'The impression is gradually going toward disintegration. There seems to be no dynamic now that is pulling the country together. All the dynamics there are pushing the people away from each other.'
His comments are the most pessimistic about Iraq to be made in public by a Middle East leader in recent months.
Prince Saud, who is meeting Bush administration officials in Washington, said his government warned the US before the war of the consequences of the invasion but was ignored. 'It is frustrating to see something that is clearly going to happen, and you are not listened to by a friend, and soon harm comes out of it. It hurts.'"
Saudi fears of a break-up were voiced by Prince Saud al-Faisal, the foreign minister, in an interview with Associated Press published yesterday, and at a meeting on Thursday night with the US media, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. He said: 'The impression is gradually going toward disintegration. There seems to be no dynamic now that is pulling the country together. All the dynamics there are pushing the people away from each other.'
His comments are the most pessimistic about Iraq to be made in public by a Middle East leader in recent months.
Prince Saud, who is meeting Bush administration officials in Washington, said his government warned the US before the war of the consequences of the invasion but was ignored. 'It is frustrating to see something that is clearly going to happen, and you are not listened to by a friend, and soon harm comes out of it. It hurts.'"
VOA News - China Issues New Rules for News Websites
VOA News - China Issues New Rules for News Websites: "China has imposed new rules on Internet news sites in another step to regulate web sites in the country.
The official Xinhua news agency says the new regulations are effective immediately.
It says Internet news sites and content must provide information that is beneficial to the public and state. It added that sites are prohibited from spreading news that goes against China's security and public interest.
Chinese authorities closely monitor Internet content and remove sites they believe are inappropriate. China also requires people to register their websites and blogs."
The official Xinhua news agency says the new regulations are effective immediately.
It says Internet news sites and content must provide information that is beneficial to the public and state. It added that sites are prohibited from spreading news that goes against China's security and public interest.
Chinese authorities closely monitor Internet content and remove sites they believe are inappropriate. China also requires people to register their websites and blogs."
Independent Online Edition > Invest & Save : app1
Independent Online Edition > Invest & Save : app1: "Britain's leading retailers are slowly but surely retreating from cash - and the financial services industry is keen to help. Tesco and Marks & Spencer have in recent weeks suggested they may introduce tills - or even stores - where customers have to pay by plastic. And the plastic providers are introducing new products to speed up the move towards a cashless society."
Independent Online Edition > Americas : app5
Independent Online Edition > Americas : app5: "US forces have fired so many bullets in Iraq and Afghanistan - an estimated 250,000 for every insurgent killed - that American ammunition-makers cannot keep up with demand. As a result the US is having to import supplies from Israel."
22.9.05
BREITBART.COM - Just The News
BREITBART.COM - Just The News: "SEOUL, South Korea
In a second day of bluster after its disarmament accord, North Korea accused the United States on Wednesday of planning a nuclear attack and warned it could retaliate.
North Korea 'is fully ready to decisively control a pre-emptive nuclear attack with a strong retaliatory blow,' the communist nation's Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in an English-language commentary carried by the state Korean Central News Agency.
At six-nation talks in Beijing on Monday, North Korea promised to give up its nuclear weapons program in return for economic aid and security assurances.
Since then, however, the North's rhetoric has underscored its unpredictability and cast doubt on its commitment to the accord hammered out with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States after four rounds of contentious negotiations stretching over two years."
In a second day of bluster after its disarmament accord, North Korea accused the United States on Wednesday of planning a nuclear attack and warned it could retaliate.
North Korea 'is fully ready to decisively control a pre-emptive nuclear attack with a strong retaliatory blow,' the communist nation's Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in an English-language commentary carried by the state Korean Central News Agency.
At six-nation talks in Beijing on Monday, North Korea promised to give up its nuclear weapons program in return for economic aid and security assurances.
Since then, however, the North's rhetoric has underscored its unpredictability and cast doubt on its commitment to the accord hammered out with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States after four rounds of contentious negotiations stretching over two years."
20.9.05
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com: "VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Orthodontists have national conventions, as do lawyers and computer salespeople. So why not exorcists? At the end of his weekly general audience Wednesday Pope Benedict greeted Italian exorcists who, he disclosed, are currently holding their national convention.
The Pope encouraged them to 'carry on their important work in the service of the Church.'
Problem was that until the Pope spoke few people outside the inner circle knew that a convention of Beelzebub-busters was going on, presumably in Rome.
And where were they holding it? In a church, a hotel, a graveyard?
'They try to keep these things quiet,' said a Catholic professor who has dealings with exorcists.
The Roman Catholic Church has shown growing interest in exorcism in Italy.
In 1999, the Vatican issued its first updated ritual for exorcism since 1614 and warned that the devil is still at work."
The Pope encouraged them to 'carry on their important work in the service of the Church.'
Problem was that until the Pope spoke few people outside the inner circle knew that a convention of Beelzebub-busters was going on, presumably in Rome.
And where were they holding it? In a church, a hotel, a graveyard?
'They try to keep these things quiet,' said a Catholic professor who has dealings with exorcists.
The Roman Catholic Church has shown growing interest in exorcism in Italy.
In 1999, the Vatican issued its first updated ritual for exorcism since 1614 and warned that the devil is still at work."
local6.com - News - Couple 'Freakishly Lucky' To Survive 6 Hours In Shark-Infested Waters
local6.com - News - Couple 'Freakishly Lucky' To Survive 6 Hours In Shark-Infested Waters: "A British woman and man who found themselves floating in shark-infested Australian waters for six hours are 'freakishly lucky' to have survived, according to a Coast Guard captain.
Strong currents separated Louise Woodger, 29, and Gordon Pratley, 31, from their dive boat in Australia's northeast coast on Sunday.
They floated in the water for six hours among sharks.
'We just stayed really close, held hands, made sure we didn't get separated,' Pratley said. 'Just supported each other, kept each others spirits up. Bit of singing.'"
Strong currents separated Louise Woodger, 29, and Gordon Pratley, 31, from their dive boat in Australia's northeast coast on Sunday.
They floated in the water for six hours among sharks.
'We just stayed really close, held hands, made sure we didn't get separated,' Pratley said. 'Just supported each other, kept each others spirits up. Bit of singing.'"
Ananova - Artists erect giant pink bunny on mountain
Ananova - Artists erect giant pink bunny on mountain: "An enormous pink bunny has been erected on an Italian mountainside where it will stay for the next 20 years."
New twist on aid for Iraq: U.S. seeks donations - Yahoo! News
New twist on aid for Iraq: U.S. seeks donations - Yahoo! News: "Although more than $30 billion in taxpayer funds have been appropriated for Iraqi reconstruction, the administration earlier this month launched an Internet-based fundraising effort that it says is aimed at giving Americans 'a further stake in building a free and prosperous Iraq.'
Contributors have no way of knowing who's getting the money or precisely where it's headed because the government says it must keep the details secret for security reasons.
But taxpayers already finance the projects for which the administration is seeking charitable donations, such as providing water pumps for farmers. And officials say any contributions they receive will increase the scope of those efforts rather than relieve existing taxpayer burdens.
The campaign is raising eyebrows in the international development and not-for-profit communities, where there are questions about its timing--given needs at home--and whether it will set the government in competition with international not-for-profits.
On a more basic level, experts wonder whether Americans will make charitable donations to a government foreign aid program and whether the contentious environment surrounding Iraq will make a tough pitch even tougher.
'I'm a little skeptical, and the timing certainly isn't the best,' said James Ferris, director of the Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy at the University of Southern California. 'It's going to be a hard sell.'
Cost of rebuilding skyrockets
The U.S. Agency for International Development, the federal government's primary distributor of foreign aid, said Friday, 'Charitable contributions play an important role in enriching and extending U.S. government efforts.'
The effort is just the newest twist in the administration's struggle to rebuild Iraq. Andrew Natsios, head of USAID, first predicted it would cost taxpayers no more than $1.7 billion. The tab has since risen to more than $30 billion, with congressional Republicans and Democrats sharply critical of the high cost and slow pace of progress.
In addition, the new campaign comes amid increasing concerns that some of the administration's major projects in Iraq will be scrapped or only partially completed because of rising costs, especially for security. Some officials fear money may run out before key projects are completed."
Contributors have no way of knowing who's getting the money or precisely where it's headed because the government says it must keep the details secret for security reasons.
But taxpayers already finance the projects for which the administration is seeking charitable donations, such as providing water pumps for farmers. And officials say any contributions they receive will increase the scope of those efforts rather than relieve existing taxpayer burdens.
The campaign is raising eyebrows in the international development and not-for-profit communities, where there are questions about its timing--given needs at home--and whether it will set the government in competition with international not-for-profits.
On a more basic level, experts wonder whether Americans will make charitable donations to a government foreign aid program and whether the contentious environment surrounding Iraq will make a tough pitch even tougher.
'I'm a little skeptical, and the timing certainly isn't the best,' said James Ferris, director of the Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy at the University of Southern California. 'It's going to be a hard sell.'
Cost of rebuilding skyrockets
The U.S. Agency for International Development, the federal government's primary distributor of foreign aid, said Friday, 'Charitable contributions play an important role in enriching and extending U.S. government efforts.'
The effort is just the newest twist in the administration's struggle to rebuild Iraq. Andrew Natsios, head of USAID, first predicted it would cost taxpayers no more than $1.7 billion. The tab has since risen to more than $30 billion, with congressional Republicans and Democrats sharply critical of the high cost and slow pace of progress.
In addition, the new campaign comes amid increasing concerns that some of the administration's major projects in Iraq will be scrapped or only partially completed because of rising costs, especially for security. Some officials fear money may run out before key projects are completed."
19.9.05
Hurricanes Are Getting Stronger, Study Says
Hurricanes Are Getting Stronger, Study Says: "BOULDER -- The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes worldwide has nearly doubled over the past 35 years, even though the total number of hurricanes has dropped since the 1990s, according to a study by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The shift occurred as global sea surface temperatures have increased over the same period. The research appears in the September 16 issue of Science.
Peter Webster, professor at Georgia Tech's School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, along with NCAR's Greg Holland and Georgia Tech's Judith Curry and Hai-Ru Chang, studied the number, duration, and intensity of hurricanes (also known as typhoons or tropical cyclones) that have occurred worldwide from 1970 to 2004. The study was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), NCAR's primary sponsor."
Peter Webster, professor at Georgia Tech's School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, along with NCAR's Greg Holland and Georgia Tech's Judith Curry and Hai-Ru Chang, studied the number, duration, and intensity of hurricanes (also known as typhoons or tropical cyclones) that have occurred worldwide from 1970 to 2004. The study was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), NCAR's primary sponsor."
US President snapped requesting 'bathroom break'. 16/09/2005. ABC News Online
US President snapped requesting 'bathroom break'. 16/09/2005. ABC News Online: "A photographer has snapped United States President George W Bush apparently writing a note to ask whether a toilet break is possible during a United Nations meeting.
Mr Bush is said to have written the note to his Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.
'I think I may need a bathroom break? Is this possible?' a Reuters news agency photographer caught him writing during a UN summit.
The photo has since been doing the rounds of the Internet. It has become the most-emailed picture on the Yahoo portal's news site."
Mr Bush is said to have written the note to his Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.
'I think I may need a bathroom break? Is this possible?' a Reuters news agency photographer caught him writing during a UN summit.
The photo has since been doing the rounds of the Internet. It has become the most-emailed picture on the Yahoo portal's news site."
Desire and DNA: Is Promiscuity Innate? (washingtonpost.com)
Desire and DNA: Is Promiscuity Innate? (washingtonpost.com): "A fierce debate about whether jealousy, lust and sexual attraction are hardwired in the brain or are the products of culture and upbringing has recently been ignited by the growing influence of a school of psychology that sees the hidden hand of evolution in everyday life.
Fresh sparks flew last month when a study of more than 16,000 people from every inhabited continent found that men everywhere -- whether single, married or gay -- want more sexual partners than women do."
Fresh sparks flew last month when a study of more than 16,000 people from every inhabited continent found that men everywhere -- whether single, married or gay -- want more sexual partners than women do."
TheDenverChannel.com - News - 'Don't Let Me Die,' Lightning Victim Pleads
TheDenverChannel.com - News - 'Don't Let Me Die,' Lightning Victim Pleads: "A gold chain and crucifix melted around his neck when a lightning bolt struck Jason Crawford in the head while he and his brother were riding dirt bikes in Gunnison County.
The bolt melted part of his helmet, fractured his skull and left burn scars on his chest and left arm.
Still, Crawford knows it could have been worse. Doctors told him if he hadn't had his helmet on, he would have died. Even with the helmet, it took 30 stitches to close a wound in his head caused by the freak lighting strike."
The bolt melted part of his helmet, fractured his skull and left burn scars on his chest and left arm.
Still, Crawford knows it could have been worse. Doctors told him if he hadn't had his helmet on, he would have died. Even with the helmet, it took 30 stitches to close a wound in his head caused by the freak lighting strike."
The Globe and Mail: Ex-Wal-Mart workers win battle
The Globe and Mail: Ex-Wal-Mart workers win battle: "Quebec — The Quebec Labour Board has ruled that the closing of a Wal-Mart store this year amounted to a reprisal against unionized workers and has ordered the company to compensate former employees."
ABC News: Doctor Pushes for First Face Transplant
ABC News: Doctor Pushes for First Face Transplant: "CLEVELAND Sep 17, 2005 — In the next few weeks, five men and seven women will secretly visit the Cleveland Clinic to interview for the chance to have a radical operation that's never been tried anywhere in the world.
They will smile, raise their eyebrows, close their eyes, open their mouths. Dr. Maria Siemionow will study their cheekbones, lips and noses. She will ask what they hope to gain and what they most fear.
Then she will ask, 'Are you afraid that you will look like another person?'
Because whoever she chooses will endure the ultimate identity crisis.
Siemionow wants to attempt a face transplant."
They will smile, raise their eyebrows, close their eyes, open their mouths. Dr. Maria Siemionow will study their cheekbones, lips and noses. She will ask what they hope to gain and what they most fear.
Then she will ask, 'Are you afraid that you will look like another person?'
Because whoever she chooses will endure the ultimate identity crisis.
Siemionow wants to attempt a face transplant."
CNN.com - N. Korea agrees to give up nuclear program - Sep 19, 2005
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Nearly three years after ordering U.N. nuclear inspectors out of the country, North Korea Monday agreed to give up its entire nuclear program, including weapons, a joint statement from six-party nuclear arms talks in Beijing said.
17.9.05
After Blocking the Bridge, Gretna Circles the Wagons - Los Angeles Times
: "GRETNA, La. — Little over a week after this mostly white suburb became a symbol of callousness for using armed officers to seal one of the last escape routes from New Orleans — trapping thousands of mostly black evacuees in the flooded city — the Gretna City Council passed a resolution supporting the police chief's move."
16.9.05
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com: "SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian man built up a 40,000-volt charge of static electricity in his clothes as he walked, leaving a trail of scorched carpet and molten plastic and forcing firefighters to evacuate a building.
Frank Clewer, who was wearing a woolen shirt and a synthetic nylon jacket, was oblivious to the growing electrical current that was building up as his clothes rubbed together.
When he walked into a building in the country town of Warrnambool in the southern state of Victoria Thursday, the electrical charge ignited the carpet.
"We tested his clothes with a static electricity field meter and measured a current of 40,000 volts, which is one step shy of spontaneous combustion, where his clothes would have self-ignited," Barton said."
Frank Clewer, who was wearing a woolen shirt and a synthetic nylon jacket, was oblivious to the growing electrical current that was building up as his clothes rubbed together.
When he walked into a building in the country town of Warrnambool in the southern state of Victoria Thursday, the electrical charge ignited the carpet.
"We tested his clothes with a static electricity field meter and measured a current of 40,000 volts, which is one step shy of spontaneous combustion, where his clothes would have self-ignited," Barton said."
15.9.05
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | The beauty products from the skin of executed Chinese prisoners
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | The beauty products from the skin of executed Chinese prisoners: "A Chinese cosmetics company is using skin harvested from the corpses of executed convicts to develop beauty products for sale in Europe, an investigation by the Guardian has discovered."
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Giant mirror to light up village
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Giant mirror to light up village: "Residents of Viganella, a small hamlet in the Italian Alps, have more reason than most to dread the imminent arrival of winter. From November to February, they lose the sun behind a mountain ridge that towers over the village and the 197 inhabitants live in permanent gloom.
But now residents, led by their mayor Pierfranco Midali, may have solved the problem - they want to erect a giant mirror, powered by an electric motor, sited to the north of the village, 80 miles from Milan."
But now residents, led by their mayor Pierfranco Midali, may have solved the problem - they want to erect a giant mirror, powered by an electric motor, sited to the north of the village, 80 miles from Milan."
14.9.05
Ananova - Inventor turns dead cats into diesel
Ananova - Inventor turns dead cats into diesel: "A German inventor says he's found a way to make cheap diesel fuel out of dead cats."
The Daily Telegraph | Patients put down
The Daily Telegraph | Patients put down: "DOCTORS working in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans killed critically ill patients rather than leave them to die in agony as they evacuated."
Man given public airport strip search | The Other Side | Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au (12-09-2005)
Man given public airport strip search | The Other Side | Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au (12-09-2005): "A SENIOR member of a French association for accident victims said Friday he would sue a German airport for stripping him in public when a security device reacted to a metal plate in his body."
BBC NEWS | South Asia | India's marathon boy, aged three
BBC NEWS | South Asia | India's marathon boy, aged three: "He runs seven hours at a stretch, sometimes as much as 48km (30 miles). On a daily basis.
And Budhia Singh is just three and a half years old."
And Budhia Singh is just three and a half years old."
Google Earth threatens democracy | The Register
Google Earth threatens democracy | The Register: "The recent news that South Korea is to take the US to task over Google Earth images which expose its military installations to close Commie scrutiny has provoked a mini stampede of other peace-loving nations eager to protect their assets from prying eyes.
Enter stage right Thailand, which says it may ask Google to 'block images of important state buildings vulnerable to attack'. Armed forces spokeschap Major General Weerasak Manee-in told Reuters: 'We are looking for possible restrictions on these detailed pictures, especially state buildings. I think pictures of tourist attractions should do, not crucial places which could threaten national security.'"
Enter stage right Thailand, which says it may ask Google to 'block images of important state buildings vulnerable to attack'. Armed forces spokeschap Major General Weerasak Manee-in told Reuters: 'We are looking for possible restrictions on these detailed pictures, especially state buildings. I think pictures of tourist attractions should do, not crucial places which could threaten national security.'"
13.9.05
NTI: Global Security Newswire - Monday, September 12, 2005
: "WASHINGTON — Contrasting earlier denials, the Defense Department appears to be formalizing military guidelines for seeking presidential approval to use nuclear weapons pre-emptively against suspected WMD facilities (see GSN, July 22)."
12.9.05
Alternative Fuel Stocks Skyrocketing - Yahoo! News
: "NEW YORK — Alternative energy has long been dismissed as too expensive to be practical, but with oil hovering around $65 a barrel, solar energy and fuel cells are starting to look positively affordable. As a result, alternative fuel companies' stock has soared this summer alongside oil prices."
10.9.05
Dateline: Hollywood � ROBERTSON BLAMES HURRICANE ON CHOICE OF ELLEN DEGENERES TO HOST EMMYS
: "Hollywood – Pat Robertson on Sunday said that Hurricane Katrina was God’s way of expressing its anger at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for its selection of Ellen Degeneres to host this year’s Emmy Awards. “By choosing an avowed lesbian for this national event, these Hollywood elites have clearly invited God’s wrath,” Robertson said on “The 700 Club” on Sunday. “Is it any surprise that the Almighty chose to strike at Miss Degeneres’ hometown?”"
7.9.05
Barbara Bush: Things Working Out 'Very Well' for Poor Evacuees from New Orleans
Barbara Bush: Things Working Out 'Very Well' for Poor Evacuees from New Orleans: "NEW YORK Accompanying her husband, former President George H.W.Bush, on a tour of hurricane relief centers in
Houston, Barbara Bush said today, referring to the poor who had lost everything back home and evacuated, 'This is working very well for them.' "
Houston, Barbara Bush said today, referring to the poor who had lost everything back home and evacuated, 'This is working very well for them.' "
Defense Tech: Dutch Counter-Flood Tech
Defense Tech: Dutch Counter-Flood Tech: "After devastating floods killed nearly 2,000 people in the Netherlands, the Dutch erected a futuristic system of coastal defenses that is admired around the world today as one of the best barriers against the sea's fury - one that could withstand the kind of storm that happens only once in 10,000 years.'
Linking offshore islands with dams, seawalls and other structures, the Dutch erected a kind of forward defensive shield, drastically reducing the amount of vulnerable coastline. Mr. de Haan, director of the water branch of the Road and Hydraulic Engineering Institute of the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, said the project had the effect of shortening the coast by more than 400 miles.
For New Orleans, experts say, a similar forward defense would seal off Lake Pontchartrain from the Gulf of Mexico. That step would eliminate a major conduit by which hurricanes drive storm surges to the city's edge - or, as in the case of Katrina, through the barriers.
The Dutch also increased the height of their dikes, which now loom as much as 40 feet above the churning sea. (In New Orleans, the tallest flood walls are about half that size.) The government also erected vast complexes of floodgates that close when the weather turns violent but remain open at other times, so saltwater can flow into estuaries, preserving their ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them.
The Netherlands maintains large teams of inspectors and maintenance crews that safeguard the sprawling complex, which is known as Delta Works. The annual maintenance bill is about $500 million. 'It's not cheap,' Mr. de Haan said. 'But it's not so much in relation to the gross national product. So it's a kind of insurance.'"
Linking offshore islands with dams, seawalls and other structures, the Dutch erected a kind of forward defensive shield, drastically reducing the amount of vulnerable coastline. Mr. de Haan, director of the water branch of the Road and Hydraulic Engineering Institute of the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, said the project had the effect of shortening the coast by more than 400 miles.
For New Orleans, experts say, a similar forward defense would seal off Lake Pontchartrain from the Gulf of Mexico. That step would eliminate a major conduit by which hurricanes drive storm surges to the city's edge - or, as in the case of Katrina, through the barriers.
The Dutch also increased the height of their dikes, which now loom as much as 40 feet above the churning sea. (In New Orleans, the tallest flood walls are about half that size.) The government also erected vast complexes of floodgates that close when the weather turns violent but remain open at other times, so saltwater can flow into estuaries, preserving their ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them.
The Netherlands maintains large teams of inspectors and maintenance crews that safeguard the sprawling complex, which is known as Delta Works. The annual maintenance bill is about $500 million. 'It's not cheap,' Mr. de Haan said. 'But it's not so much in relation to the gross national product. So it's a kind of insurance.'"
Bob Denver, TV's Gilligan, Dead at 70 - Yahoo! News
Bob Denver, TV's Gilligan, Dead at 70 - Yahoo! News: "LOS ANGELES -
Bob Denver, whose portrayal of goofy castaway Gilligan on the 1960s TV show 'Gilligan's Island' made him an iconic figure to generations of TV viewers, has died. He was 70."
Bob Denver, whose portrayal of goofy castaway Gilligan on the 1960s TV show 'Gilligan's Island' made him an iconic figure to generations of TV viewers, has died. He was 70."
4.9.05
Bush visit halts food delivery
: "Three tons of food ready for delivery by air to refugees in St. Bernard Parish and on Algiers Point sat on the Crescent City Connection bridge Friday afternoon as air traffic was halted because of President Bush’s visit to New Orleans, officials said.
The provisions, secured by U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, and state Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom, baked in the afternoon sun as Bush surveyed damage across southeast Louisiana five days after Katrina made landfall as a Category 4 storm, said Melancon’s chief of staff, Casey O’Shea.
“We had arrangements to airlift food by helicopter to these folks, and now the food is sitting in trucks because they won’t let helicopters fly,” O’Shea said Friday afternoon.
The food was expected to be in the hands of storm survivors after the president left the devastated region Friday night, he said."
The provisions, secured by U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, and state Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom, baked in the afternoon sun as Bush surveyed damage across southeast Louisiana five days after Katrina made landfall as a Category 4 storm, said Melancon’s chief of staff, Casey O’Shea.
“We had arrangements to airlift food by helicopter to these folks, and now the food is sitting in trucks because they won’t let helicopters fly,” O’Shea said Friday afternoon.
The food was expected to be in the hands of storm survivors after the president left the devastated region Friday night, he said."
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